George and Billy held onto the vehicle door handle, both signaling to open it at the same time, counting to three.
When they were ready, they swung the door open forcefully.
"Now!" As the door opened, Rick, Jason, and the others aimed their weapons, ready to fire if necessary.
Crack!
The interior was filled with all sorts of things like garbage bags and used items, which spilled out like a cascade when the door opened.
"Ugh!"
"Damn it!"
The people closest to the Humvee door covered their noses and stepped back, but the stench that hit them made them cough repeatedly. Billy, standing beside them, couldn't help but spit in disgust as he inhaled the unbearable smell.
However, Jason ignored the stench coming from inside the Humvee, raised his rifle, and took a closer look at the people inside. He soon discovered four individuals lying motionless inside the vehicle, uncertain whether they were alive or dead.
"This is interesting..." Accompanied by a faint sound, Jason narrowed his eyes, focusing his thoughts on the situation.
Several people cautiously approached while Aurelio adjusted his M4A1, which hung from his shoulder, intending to check the status of the individuals inside.
Suddenly, one of the people in the vehicle seemed to move, accompanied by the sound of a bottle breaking. Someone appeared to regain consciousness and barely managed to open their eyes.
Seeing the movement, everyone raised their weapons. At this point, they still couldn't tell if these four were walkers or humans.
"Help... Help us!"
A weak, raspy voice sounded, barely audible in the tense silence. If they hadn't been staring at them in silence with weapons raised, they might not have heard the plea at all.
"They're alive!"
Hearing the whispered call for help, Jason felt somewhat relieved. He quickly approached the four individuals and began checking their condition.
After just a few minutes, Jason stood up silently and looked at the group around him.
One by one, they exchanged questioning glances.
"Are they still alive, Jason?"
Seeing his expression, everyone was momentarily stunned and asked the same question, trying to deduce an answer from Jason's serious demeanor.
"Well..."
Noticing their reactions, Jason suddenly felt like making a joke. With an oddly delicate expression, he explained, "Based on their skin condition, their organ activity has significantly decreased. Their heart rates have slowed, their breathing is shallow, their muscle activity is deteriorated, and their physical functions are at a minimum, indicating an extremely low metabolism."
The group stared at Jason, dumbfounded by his explanation. No one fully understood all those words, but no one dared to question him either. However, the bold Aurelio asked, "So, in simple terms... can they be saved?"
"Of course, they're just hungry and dehydrated!" Jason's tone was now relaxed, completely different from the tension he had expressed moments ago.
"Haha..." Rick forced a laugh upon hearing this. Jason was really bad at making jokes.
After pulling the people out of the Humvee, they were supported and each given a bottle of IV solution. The four of them slowly recovered, sitting up and looking around in fear. They consisted of two white men and two black men, all wearing the same type of clothing.
Judging by the dirt and disorder covering them, their uniforms were barely recognizable. Their bodies were stained with black and yellow grime, making it hard to determine what they were wearing. However, upon closer inspection, it was still vaguely clear that they were dressed in high-quality, official military uniforms.
The group waited for the four to relax before Jason asked, "Are you from the military?"
"Yes... Can you give us more food? We're starving!" The black soldier who had woken up first looked around at the situation, while the other two remained motionless. Two of them were quietly eating.
"It's easy for us to give you food, but you haven't eaten in a long time, so this is all you can have for now. But if you answer my questions, I might consider giving you more."
Seeing their blank expressions, Jason knew they were too exhausted to answer direct questions, so he simply used food as leverage to get answers.
Observing the men closely, Jason knew he was right. When they heard the word "food," their attention sharpened. The soldier in the middle signaled Jason to go ahead with his questions.
Once they had recovered a bit, Jason knew it was time to ask, so he said, "I'm glad you're all alive. I want to know what kind of soldiers you are and why you were trapped in that vehicle."
As soon as Jason finished his question, the four displayed pained expressions, as if they had recalled something terrible.
There was a brief moment of silence before the soldier who had woken up first spoke.
"We belong to the Third Infantry Division of the Army. My name is Elias. The man to my left is Emilio, and the two on my right are Diego and Fabian. Our unit had received orders to evacuate civilians and contain the sick. A whole platoon was stationed in this area..."
Elias paused before continuing, "After our platoon set up camp here, our initial mission was just to inspect passing vehicles. But after a few days, we received direct orders not to allow anyone to leave the city. Our refuge turned into a strategic battle point... We never expected what happened next..."
At this point, Elias's words got stuck in his throat, as if he were recalling those bad memories flooding his mind. He looked at the walkers on the ground with a complicated expression, then continued: "Even though our temporary base had turned into a battleground, our platoon leader went against high command orders..."
"The Cobalt Operation..."
"Yes, we didn't follow the orders of Operation Cobalt and kept accepting refugees fleeing the city. But sometime later, we were besieged by a massive number of those monsters from every damn direction."
Hearing what Elias said, Rick suddenly spat out a word: "Walkers!"
"What?" Elias looked at Rick in confusion.
"We call those lunatics or monsters the living dead," Rick explained, fixing his gaze on Elias.
Elias was surprised to hear what they were called now, and then he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Emilio, who was by his side and seemed to have recovered at that moment, continued explaining: "Lunatics, walkers, or the living dead—what's the difference? We were only able to defend this place for an hour. Do you know what's the most ridiculous part? That we lost because those damn civilians entered the camp knowing they were infected."
"We should have killed them as ordered..." The soldiers regretted not executing those civilians, who were the reason they all died.
Those words left a deep sense of emptiness in Jason's group.
The very civilians had doomed this camp, one of the few that hadn't followed Operation Cobalt.
"Those sons of bitches were infected. By the time we realized it, we were under attack from all sides. As you can see, our place should have been strong, and just because of a moment of compassion, only the four of us are left—our entire platoon is dead."
Elias's mood also recovered a bit, so he reassured Emilio and said, "The four of us survived because we had been driving for hours and were resting at the time. But shortly after, when we got into the Humvee to rest, we heard that the situation had spiraled out of control, and our first instinct was to go out and help."
"But when we opened the door, hundreds of those things had already surrounded our Humvee. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. The Humvee I chose happened to have some food and water."
"The food and water lasted us a while, but a few days ago, our supplies ran out, and we only had water left. But it was impossible to even try leaving the Humvee. We thought we were doomed, but we never expected to receive your help."
Jason and the others listened in silence. Although they sympathized with what had happened to this group of soldiers, to be honest, they were lucky to have survived what they went through.
After thinking for a moment, Jason asked them, "What are your plans for the future? Things have turned into hell now. I run a base protected by military personnel with many refugees. Do you have anyone special you're looking for?"
Elias looked at Emilio beside him, then said, "I'm an orphan. Emilio and the others had families, but we don't know their status."
Hearing that, Jason looked at all of them and said, "How about coming with us to our base? With some luck, you might find a familiar face, maybe even a family member. Our refuge has over 500 people, it's safe, and we have good weaponry. We need your help to keep protecting that place from the walkers."
They all looked at each other for a moment, then stood up and extended their hands toward Jason with a slight smile.
"That's more than we expected. What's your name?"
"You can call me Jason. I'm the leader of the refuge and a former soldier. Many call me Captain!"