"How many more of you are here?" Tommy was the first to step forward and initiate communication with these people.
"At first, there were more than thirty of us. There were more, but the others were killed as we escaped the outbreak at the camp."
Tommy understood everything and nodded, giving them a look of sympathy without making them feel pitied.
Kaplan opened the radio channel and said, "Zz… We'll have to evacuate them to the camp, but first, they need to undergo a thorough inspection."
As he said this, two Humvees approached, equipped with heavy machine guns, and parked in the lower section of the dam.
When Alan stepped out of one of the Humvees, he looked at Tommy and shouted, "There are more survivors at the top of the dam. Half of you come with me, and the rest head to the camp to secure the entrance from higher ground."
"Understood!"
The area they were in was infested with infected. Alan didn't know if there were more stalkers hidden in the trees, waiting to attack at night when they'd be more vulnerable.
The stalkers could very well be waiting, hidden and ready to strike after dark. Of course, that wasn't Alan's concern at the moment.
The only thing that mattered to him now was saving the survivors — the rest would be dealt with along the way.
"Kill anything that moves. Don't take any chances." This time, Alan would only use firearms. There was no reason to stay quiet when the risks were greater than just being discovered.
As they moved up through the area where more infected were present, Alan spotted a group crowded at a building's entrance and shouted, "Get away from the walls — we're throwing a grenade!"
When Alan's voice rang out, one of the soldiers beside him pulled out a grenade, removed the pin, and hurled it forcefully at the group clustered near the door.
Boom!
The massive explosion sent all the infected flying, body parts scattering in all directions.
"I'm not cleaning that up," Claire said with a tone full of disgust.
"Whatever, let's get this over with," Joel said, moving forward with his brother. Claire asked, "How long is he going to keep acting like that?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As Alan watched everyone advance without needing orders, he looked into the distance and saw the people in that building shouting at them.
Alan didn't know what they were saying—honestly, he didn't care. His eyes locked on the people standing higher up, on top of the dam wall, and with a hand signal, he told them to come down.
This place was his now. It didn't matter what others expected from them—this place would be the starting point for continued research and the creation of a true survival refuge.
The food in the city would run out. Bullets were dwindling, and without electricity, they couldn't make more. Fuel plants, electric weapons, and above all, light — that was the most important thing at night.
Alan had already considered the essentials. Now, it was just a matter of moving forward. With the support of the Rangers, he would keep these people under control for when he had to leave.
Once this refuge was ready to take in more people, the first thing Alan would do was bring in essential personnel like doctors, engineers, architects, and scientists.
"Machinery is essential too," Alan had envisioned the place and knew he could easily bring in boats to monitor the dam, create fishing zones, and expand the buildings thanks to the vast space available down here.
Electric fences would also be important — they would keep invaders at bay. Yes, Alan wouldn't trust survivors so easily once everything started.
They might be from FEDRA or, even worse, something else entirely. So it was better to be cautious.
"Zz… Survivors secured, we've got ten more."
When Alan heard that, he turned his head toward the top of the dam and said, "Let the snipers handle the rest. Let's begin the cleanup."