Dale pointed across the street, toward the Transportation Squadron's main building. Adjacent to the building was a fenced in parking lot, the storage area for the squadron's inventory. Among the plethora of vehicles were a number of buses.

"We can use those to get everyone out at the same time. We can all stay together," Dale said in a pleading manner.

Al thought long and hard. He had spent years making quick life and death decisions but nothing he had ever seen or done had prepared him for a situation like this. He knew Dale had a point about keeping the group together. They were already horribly outnumbered and every person improved the group's chances of survival. Still, he worried about the inherent dangers of moving a sizeable group of people.

"Al…Al!" Dale yelled as he shook his friend.

"Alright, I'll get the wheels you get the people. I see some shuttle buses that should do the trick. Tell everybody to only grab what they can eat, wear, or shoot with."

The two sprinted in different directions. Al quickly made his way across the street, constantly looking around. Under his breath he muttered a quick prayer of thanks that no walkers were in sight yet.

He didn't even bother with the door, which he knew would be locked. Instead, he grabbed his nightstick from his side and rammed it through the large plate glass window in front of the building.

Once inside, he made for the front desk. On the wall over the dispatcher's desk were hanging dozens of keys. Al scanned the tags until he found what he was seeking. He grabbed the four sets of keys labeled "Shuttle Bus", along with the one labeled "Main Gate" and made for the parking area.

Of all the survivors who had retreated to Offutt in search of sanctuary, a mere 87 remained. They had all taken to sleeping on the top floor of one dorm building. In the beginning, such close proximity had proven disastrous since it had allowed those who were infected to spread the contagion quickly and easily. However, once the infection had been contained and eliminated, the general feeling was that there was safety in numbers and the further they could get from the ground, the better.

Dale topped the stairs screaming, "Everybody! Heads in the hallway! Heads in the hallway!" He repeatedly looked down the hallway to his left then the one to his right. Once satisfied he had everyone's attention he yelled, "The fence is down! It's been breached. There are thousands of walkers pouring into the base right now."

The reaction was pandemonium. Some people started screaming, some cried, some retreated into their rooms, and others ran up to Dale, hurling questions. What happened? How could the fence come down? Where are they? What are we going to do? Dale closed his eyes and tried in vain to separate all the voices.

"Everybody shut up!!" Surprisingly, they actually fell silent. "There's no time for questions. The fence is down, walkers are coming in, and we can't stay here. Al's across the street getting transportation for everybody right now. Grab only what you can eat or wear or use as a weapon."

Al picked one of the keys in his possession at random and looked until he found a bus with a license plate number matching the one on the attached tag. "This should easily hold at least fifty people", he thought after a quick survey of the interior. He sat in the driver's seat and started the engine. To his astonishment, the gas tank was full.

He stopped the bus as he neared the padlocked gate and alighted from his seat. As he slowly inserted the key, he paused long enough to whisper, "Please be the right one." The key turned easily, the lock released and the chain that secured the gate slid to the ground. Despite the current circumstances, he allowed himself a smile. "The hits just keep on coming."

Across the street he could see a number of cars speeding away from the dorm. He drove as quickly as he dared and came finally to a stop in front of the dorm where Dale was waiting. "What the hell is going on? Where are they going?", al yelled as the buses doors opened.

"There were some people who wouldn't wait. I tried to talk to them but they grabbed their stuff and took off."

Al took in the scene before him. Crowded together was all that remained of the people who had for the past three weeks called this base home. As instructed, they had gathered what little they had left in this world. For most of them, that was each other. They were armed and they were scared but they were here. They had stayed when others left and now they were all looking expectantly at Al and Dale.

"How many bailed on us?" Al asked.

"I didn't count but I'd guess about thirty."

"Well, look on the bright side. At least now we know who we can't count on." Al turned from Dale to the group, "Is everyone here? Does anyone know for sure if we're waiting on anyone?" The collective answer was in the negative but Al wasn't prepared to take chances.

"Dale, get everyone on the bus and do a head count. It should be able to hold everyone. I'm going to run upstairs and check to make sure we're not leaving anyone behind. We're leaving in three minutes."

With that, Al bolted for the door and up the stairs. He ran up and down the halls, pounding on doors and yelling for anyone still there to come out. After several seconds with no response he turned to leave but stopped when he heard the faint sound of someone crying. He listened intently and followed the sound to a door that was slightly ajar. Slowly, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" he called out. There was no reply. He continued to follow the sound. Next to the bed on the far side of the room, a young woman sat of the floor. She looked to be in her late teens to early twenties. She held her head in her hands and her body jerked violently as she sobbed.

"Hey, we have to go! We gotta get out of here," Al pleaded.

"Go…away!" was her only answer.

Al knelt down in front of her. "Do you know what's happening right now?" She nodded her head. "Then why are you here?" He kept his voice soft and steady. "Why are you here?" he asked again, this time more forcefully.

She lifted her head but kept her gaze directed away from him. Her eyes were bright red and puffy. She'd been crying very hard. "Nothing…there's nothing left. We can't get away."

She looked into his eyes. "You know why we can't get away? Because there's nothing to get away to! There's no point in trying!"

During his years in security forces Al had been called on to deal with hysterical, distraught people many times but he couldn't recall a situation nearly as time sensitive as this one. There was no time to tread lightly. He grabbed her and forcefully dragged her over to the window.

"Look out there!" he barked. He held the back of her head so she couldn't look away. "Do you see that bus down there? Do you know what's in that bus? Do you?!"

"…No…" she choked out.

"That bus is full of people who haven't given up on themselves or each other. Those are the people you've lived with for the past three weeks. I know you have to know some of them! Look, maybe you lost someone. Everyone down there has lost someone. I don't know your story and I don't have time to hear it right now. If you stay here, you'll die … for nothing. If you come with us, you may well die but you'll have a chance! If even one of those people is your friend then that's all the reason you need to try. Now pull yourself together!"

He turned her from the window and gently held her tear stained face in his hands. "Will you come with me?" he pleaded.

The fear and despair he had seen in her eyes moments before was gradually giving way to a grim resolve. She pressed her lips together hard, struggling to regain her composure. "Yes," she said through clenched teeth.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Karen."

"Karen … we have to go!"