Everything started happening fast. Thankfully, they actually took me to the infirmary, where they found multiple abnormalities. My blood was heavily contaminated, and my organs were functioning worse than they should have. I was given a transfusion my condition improved slightly. At least one small plus in all of this.
It turned out my lungs were in about the same shape as those of a thirty-five-year-old man, and I was only twenty-six. They patched me up as best they could and prescribed medication to help maintain my overall condition. I made a mental note of what I'd need to scavenge in the future. As for our "voluntary agreement" of course, I had no choice but to accept everything.
My eye almost started twitching when I saw who was going with us.
Only two soldiers. Two professional pilots civilians. In their former lives, they flew planes, but they could handle a helicopter too; both had some experience. And then two more who could barely be called pilots at all had held the controls a couple of times, nothing more. The reason was simple: there were no military pilots left. No civilian ones either. These were the only two they managed to find in the entire zone.
If they failed to start the engines and get those helicopters airborne, we'd just die there for nothing. And "a few flights back before the world ended" didn't sound reassuring at all.
"Where's my weapon?" I asked.
"You really thought I'd give it to you? You'll go without," the colonel said and a knife was placed into my hands.
My gaze darkened. Too many words ran through my head, but I said nothing, simply securing the knife to my gear.
"Firearms would be useless. You won't shoot your way through all the infected," the colonel added.
"Quiet small arms would be very useful," I replied.
"Sergeant Brown and Private Carter. They'll cover your ass," the colonel said.
I looked at their loadout and finally let out a small breath. Short submachine guns with suppressors. Small caliber yes, less stopping power, but far quieter. One of them had a machine gun slung on his back probably for a worst-case scenario. The pilots were armed as well. When my gaze lingered on one of them a woman she seemed familiar.
"When you reach the city of Harrisburg, you'll be issued proper weapons," Colonel Simons said.
I immediately marked the location in my head and my stomach tightened unpleasantly. Three other major settlements were close to that city. Now I understood what he meant when he talked about the scale of the outbreak.
"Everyone, gather up. I'll repeat your objective," the colonel said. "Northeast of Harrisburg, there's a training camp. Military forces were stationed there temporarily. The garrison was overrun. Some helicopters and aircraft couldn't evacuate due to combat sorties. Others were damaged. There will definitely be several helicopters there possibly fighters and cargo planes as well. We're interested in the helicopters only. Study the terrain map. Your task is to stay away from all major highways."
The route was approximately three hundred and twenty kilometers about two hundred miles. If everything went smoothly. If it didn't, that distance could multiply several times over.
"I repeat. Your maps mark the presumed infected concentration zones based on the latest satellite data. That data is thirty-nine days old. Be extremely cautious. Lieutenant Harper is assigned as your unit commander. You will follow his orders without question," the colonel continued the briefing.
Another member of the team.
He kept talking for a long time. I only half-listened. Aside from the standard instructions, repeated over and over, I didn't hear anything new.
And when the topic of movement came up, I didn't hear a single word about transport.
"We're going on foot?" I interrupted the colonel.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Lawrence. Vehicles draw attention. A пеший route will take longer, but it's far safer," the colonel replied, tilting his head toward me in a way that felt almost threatening.
I didn't say another word, sitting through the rest of the briefing in silence.
In the end, the group consisted of nine people. Four pilots. Three soldiers. And Eric and me. Eric and I were given only knives. The rest had more or less proper weapons. I got my backpack back with filters and a small supply of food. The filters would last me for the trip there, but lingering any longer wasn't an option.
Our small unit moved out of the quarantine zone for the first time, passing through the main gates. They opened the doors, and all nine of us stepped outside. We walked almost without hiding, openly and that made me uneasy. Yes, it was their territory, but still… acting this carelessly felt wrong. Maybe I was overthinking it. As long as we were still in relative safety.
But the moment we left FEDRA territory and stood face to face with the outside world, I realized just how fragile everything was. Jackal squads had shown up here more than once and that didn't change their decision to move in the open.
"Lieutenant Harper, I think we should stay away from open areas and keep a low profile," I said.
"Not your concern, deserter. I operate the way I see fit," he snapped.
Son of a bitch. Of all the luck.
We reached the outskirts and I barely had time to think before several Jackal vehicles came flying straight at us.
"Move! Into that building," the lieutenant ordered.
It was a building sitting right in the middle of open ground. No way out. It stood alone, with no cover around it. There was nowhere else to go and nowhere to run. All we could do was break inside under the Jackals' screams and the crack of gunfire.
"Go deeper. We'll draw them in," the lieutenant said.
Draw them in? They'd just lob grenades at us, if they had any. And if not, a couple of Molotovs would be enough to wipe us all out. No he couldn't be that stupid. He had to have a plan.
One building. And this is exactly where the Jackals caught up with us.
Most likely, they had spotters in the city. They saw a group leaving the perimeter. It didn't matter where we went they would've tracked us anyway. Unless..
"Open fire!" a loud shout echoed from inside the building.
Through a window, I saw a projectile slam into one of the Jackals' vehicles, disabling it. Anyone who managed to jump out was immediately cut down by dense, merciless fire. They didn't stand a chance.
The shooting came from the upper floors.