"Everyone, fire!" Rick shouted as he opened the truck door and fired at the people in front of him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seeing that the enemy had no good intentions and had shot Jason, Elias and the other soldiers eliminated the drivers as per their captain's orders.
Jim and Kenneth aimed their assault rifles at the survivors without hesitation and pulled the trigger.
Bullets shot out from the barrels of numerous weapons, and a mist of blood suddenly appeared on the bodies of the armed individuals, killing many instantly.
"Everyone, move!" shouted a man in the back of a truck before being shot in the forehead.
Jason wasted no time and threw himself to the ground with a woman's corpse, using it as a shield. Bullets struck in his direction, but he quickly returned fire as soon as he regained control of the situation.
"Damn it!" Feeling a bullet graze his left arm, Jason's expression turned cold, and he continued shooting.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After a few seconds, the scene fell silent. Although the deaths of these people had their own causes, no one in Jason's group hesitated to shoot and kill, making the survivors on the bus tremble in horror.
Jason pushed the corpse aside and stood up, looking at his bleeding shoulder before stepping forward with a cold expression. Holding a pistol, he watched as one of the wounded writhed in pain on the ground and, without hesitation, fired.
Bang!
From time to time, bullets left Jason's gun, aimed at those still writhing on the ground. Slowly walking forward, Jason spotted two men crouching, trembling in fear.
"What the hell were you trying to do?" Jason asked in a deep voice. Hearing his words, the two men turned around and knelt.
"Please, don't kill us, sir!"
"We really didn't want to do this, but we had to in order to survive!"
Jason looked at the two men begging for their lives, feeling furious. This was the first time he had encountered enemies who not only wanted his life but also his belongings. He knew this could happen, but it was too soon if he thought about it.
Now that it had happened, Jason had no intention of leaving anyone alive. He glanced at his group approaching and, without hesitation, shot one of the men.
Bang!
The remaining man, seeing his companion killed, shut his eyes in terror and said, "I'm so sorry, sir, please let me live."
"Alright, I'm a fair person. Tell me what the hell you were trying to do and where you come from."
Hearing Jason's words, the man trembled slightly and began to reveal everything he knew. He answered every question Jason asked, and with each response, Jason grew angrier.
The man on the ground was named Roberto. He belonged to a group led by mobsters and former police officers who had gathered enough people to protect themselves from walkers in Atlanta.
Their movements were limited; they mainly looted nearby stores and robbed survivors with small numbers. However, recently, as walkers moved away from their area, they began acting more frequently.
After raiding a gun store, they started killing smaller groups in search of food and supplies. Once their trucks were full, they would return to their refuge to unload their stolen goods. But recently, their ambitions had grown—they had used the same tactic against military convoys, successfully looting three large military trucks.
Catching the soldiers off guard, they took them hostage. The military trucks carried many weapons and supplies, which fueled the group's confidence and greed. When they saw Jason's trucks, they decided to rob them as well.
According to Roberto, the group Jason and his team had just wiped out was the main force of their faction, which immediately made Jason think about his next move.
"Sir, counting that man in front of you, we've eliminated 27 people. Everyone is gathering the weapons and supplies they carried!" Elias reported grimly.
The sight of survivors—people they were supposed to help—trying to kill them left an eerie feeling in his heart. He now understood that people were being forced to change, and laws no longer existed.
"Alright, load everything up. Once we're ready, we'll make a slight detour. It seems we have comrades being held prisoner by these people," Jason said, grabbing Roberto and pushing him toward the trucks.
"Understood, sir!"
Rick, watching everything with deep emotions, noticed Jason's bleeding arm and pointed it out: "You're bleeding a lot. We need to treat the wound and prevent infection."
"It's just a graze, are you okay?" Jason asked naturally. Judging by Rick's face, he was clearly affected by what had happened.
"Yeah… what's the plan now?" Rick asked seriously, trying to change the subject.
"We're heading to their refuge. Apparently, they have a group of soldiers as prisoners. We need to rescue them before we leave this place," Jason said as he watched Elias stomp and knead Roberto with his boots and hands.
"Alright."
Rick, still slightly shaken by the encounter, nodded. Now, he fully understood that walkers weren't their only enemies. Jason had always been right—there could be no mercy for enemies.
...
Inside a building, several armed men walked around, smoking cigarettes.
"Damn it, will we ever get to join the main group?"
"We have to guard this place. We can't all leave at once," said a long-haired man.
"What do we do with the prisoners? We should get rid of them. They're just extra mouths to feed."
"Ha, ha, ha..."
Just as they were about to move, two silent bullets pierced their heads, spraying blood into the air. Their bodies fell lifeless to the ground.
During this time, many others were killed in mere seconds thanks to Elias' impeccable aim. Once the path was cleared, the soldiers entered the building and got to work.
As the operation unfolded, Jason watched from the convoy in the distance. Elias had insisted on leading the attack and eliminating the enemies without exception, allowing Jason to receive medical attention for his wound.
Seeing his team's determined expressions and decisive actions, Jason smiled slightly in satisfaction. His group was growing stronger, and soon he wouldn't have to worry about the outcome of every mission.
"It looks like you were right, Roberto. This is definitely your people's refuge," Jason said coldly, letting Roberto sit on the ground.
"You… you're going to let me go, right? You promised, didn't you?" Roberto asked in a frightened voice.
"Yeah, but no one else in my group promised to let a rat like you live. Good night," Jason said as he walked away.
"No, no, no! Don't kill me! I can be useful! Please!"
Roberto's cries grew louder and more desperate, but Jason had no intention of sparing him.
Bang!
Turning his head, Jason saw Rick taking care of Roberto, then kept walking forward, pulling out the radio from his vest.
"Zz... Sir, all hostiles have been eliminated. We rescued twenty comrades who were being held prisoner. They all had their military tags and were in a locked room," Elias' voice came through the intercom.
"Excellent. Inform them of the situation and gather all useful supplies from this place. We need to move fast!"
Hearing that everything was resolved, Jason signaled his group to move in and assist with the supplies.
The military trucks were filled with food and weapons, then the bus was also stocked. Everyone got ready to depart again toward the prison.
Now, their convoy had grown to seven large trucks. This trip had yielded great results—and, most importantly, valuable experience for the group.
…
No one, in any group of the S.C.T., could say they spent the night with peace of mind.
"No! Dad, did any of you see my dad? I can't find him anywhere!"
The next morning, everyone was awakened by Beth's exclamation. Glenn was the first to wake up. Looking at Beth, who was frantic with anxiety, he first tried to calm her, attempting to soothe her in any way he could.
"What's wrong, Beth?"
"I woke up a while ago and couldn't find my dad anywhere. He probably left before we all woke up!" Beth's tone was between tears.
Glenn looked around and discovered that the place where Hershel had slept the night before was indeed empty. Glenn looked toward the stairs suspiciously. "Have you checked the whole house?"
Nodding, Beth fell silent, not knowing what to do. She just sat on a couch and cried silently.
Daryl silently picked up his crossbow, grabbed his knife, and walked toward the door.
"I'll go look for him."
Shane also snapped back to his senses at that moment. Seeing Daryl about to leave, he quickly stopped him.
"Daryl, don't rush, let's go together! Grab your stuff and let's go!"
Shortly after, a group of people ran out of the house, all starting to search without getting into the car. In this situation, everyone decided to follow Daryl, who was the most experienced at tracking.
Seeing this, and realizing that Daryl was the key to finding her father, Beth silently followed him.
Daryl didn't walk fast, but his eyes scanned the entire path, looking for every detail that could give him a clue about where Hershel might have gone, and continued moving after seeing more signs.
After walking for about twenty minutes, several people arrived at the door of a bar. Daryl didn't speak but signaled to Beth behind him to step forward and enter.
Without hesitation, Beth opened the bar's main door, and there was an elderly man with a white shirt sitting inside, and the only elderly man with those characteristics was Hershel.
Beth cried with joy, ran into the bar, and ran behind Hershel, hugging him and calling him "Dad" quietly!
Patricia, on the other hand, also entered to support the situation. For her, the most important thing was that everyone was okay.
The rest of the group smiled upon seeing this. For them, a warm family scene was rare nowadays, and even Daryl showed a bit more emotion, though it was just a fleeting moment.
When Daryl saw everything was okay, he wanted to return to the car when suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he saw someone on the roof not too far away.
"Everyone down!"
Daryl was the first to jump on Glenn and Lori, who were in front of him, and Shane also ducked quickly with an automatic reflex. Only Morgan, Richard, and Jimmy didn't react immediately.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Everyone finally heard the bursts of gunfire not too far from their direction.
After a burst of shots, all they could see was sawdust and dust flying around them. The bullets were still being fired in their direction, with several impacts beside them.
Daryl, who had thrown the two to the ground, shouted loudly: "Get inside the bar, we can't stay in this place!"
After speaking, he crawled toward the bar counter on hands and knees, and the others quickly followed suit.
Glenn looked to his side and saw that Jimmy had been shot and had fallen to the ground. There was no sound, while Richard was holding his arm in pain.
But Glenn had no intention of helping, quickly getting on top of the bar. He huddled in the corner, watching vigilantly ahead.
Shane, who had climbed over to the other side of the bar, then lay on the ground and extended a hand to Richard, who was groaning on the floor.
"If you don't want to die, take my hand!"
Richard could be considered a normal guy, but like everyone in a life-or-death moment, he still managed to move and, in an instant, let go of the hand he had been holding over his wound and stretched out toward Shane with difficulty.
Shane saw the bright red blood on Richard's hand at first glance, leaned forward, and grabbed his wrist.
"Ah!"
While exerting force, Shane couldn't pull Richard up quickly. Daryl, who had finally moved from a wall, saw the situation and hurried to help.
Finally, with the help of two people, they dragged Richard to the other side of the bar counter. Daryl looked at Jimmy outside the door and saw that he was already dead, so there was no need to help him.
"Jimmy's dead, damn it!"
After Daryl's exclamation, Glenn turned his head to the outside and then looked at Hershel, who was hugging his daughter tightly.
Shane took the opportunity to treat Richard's wound, checking and discovering that the bullet had gone through his arm. His expression improved considerably upon realizing that it wasn't as bad as he expected.
"Richard, old man, the good news is that the bullet went through... The bad news is that you have serious bleeding; the bullet must have damaged an artery. I'll try to stop the bleeding first, you might not last long. I need you to stay still!"
"I... I won't move, man..." Richard said with a pale expression. If he hadn't let Lori out at that moment, this wouldn't have happened.
While speaking, Shane quickly cut the sleeve of Richard's t-shirt with a knife and then quickly made a tourniquet around the wound. Looking around, Shane saw that Hershel was still sitting there, and there was a bottle of alcohol beside him.
He grabbed the bottle of alcohol and poured it on Richard's wound.
"Ahhh... Damn it, friend!"
As the wine flowed through the wound, Richard's face turned even paler instantly, and he gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain from the wound. The exclamations of pain couldn't be contained on his lips.
…