Fort Benning, Georgia, Day 19, 11:34 PM
Sergeant Foley sat next to a radio, listening to news chatter.
"According to the last report provided by the Federal Rescue Service, Pennsylvania has been declared under stage ten catastrophe. The Armed Forces seem to be retreating from the area. As for Virginia, there has been a confirmed outbreak after CEDA's quarantine measures have failed to contain the infected. In other news, confirmed cases of the Green Flu viral infection have been reported in Baltimore. Local authorities have set up fortifications to prevent it from reaching Washington D.C."
As Foley listened, Colonel Marshall came in and turned off the radio.
"It's outdated." said the Colonel. "They've already reached the South and pretty much the whole damn country. Louisiana, Michigan, and even D.C…..all overrun. Only Atlanta and New York are still combat effective in the East Coast. It's been eight days and not a single word from Shepherd. All we can do is somehow hope he got out of D.C. or if he even has a contingency plan. Desertion rates are going higher, Sergeant. Everyone's walking away to be with their families. I need you all to stay in line."
Foley looked up to him and gave a reassuring nod.
"I'll see to it, Sir. No worries."
Marshall nodded.
"Good. Now get some rest, Sergeant."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."
Fort Benning, Briefing Room, Day 20
The soldiers gathered in the briefing room, anxious about receiving their new orders. Marshall entered the room and everyone stood in formation.
"Attention!" Foley said, notifying the other enlisted personnel of the Colonel's presence.
"As you were." said the Colonel as he then presented a map of the port and photos of four familiar civilians, along with one other person, through a projector and a large screen at the front of the room.
"Alright! Here's the operational approach. We will set up an envelopment at Rayford Port. We have a capture order on five High Value Individuals, classified as Tango Mikes. Rules of engagement. Use of lethal force is authorized if fired upon first. Just remember, Shepherd wants them alive as much as possible but do not hesitate if they do not cooperate. They are armed and dangerous."
Sketches of five individuals were presented on screen. "Alright, a report that came in from the survivors that fled to Safe Zone Echo provided us detailed profiles."
"The first is a Caucasian male in his thirties. Standing at about six foot five, with a muscular build and a buzzcut. Tattoos on his arms indicate gang affiliation. Last seen wearing a black leather vest over a white tank top and a black pair of jeans pants. The second is an African-American male in his late twenties. Bald, last seen wearing a white button up shirt with a red necktie and black formal slacks. The third is a brunette Caucasian female around her late teens to early twenties, last seen with a ponytail wearing a pink jacket and a pair of blue jeans. The fourth is a blonde Caucasian male in his forties. He's a doctor who was stationed with our troops in Millhaven. Last seen wearing his white coat. The last target is a Caucasian male around sixty to seventy, with a military background. Green Beret, 1st Special Forces Group, 112th Chemical Recon Detachment, served multiple tours in Vietnam. Last seen wearing his MIL-C-43199, the Tropical Combat Uniform in Olive Green 507 and his beret with the 1st Special Forces Group insignia."
Marshall then proceeded to look at each of his men in the eye. "Our aviation fuel reserves are running dangerously low. So this will be a boots on the ground, by the books operation. The high value individuals are considered armed and dangerous."
The map of Rayford port was then brought to focus on screen. It consisted of two crossroads leading to a bridge.
"A company of Marines stationed there were overrun by Whiskey Delta, so ensure all weapons are Condition One at all times." the Colonel then pointed towards the bridge. "Hunter 2-1 will lead the combination pursuit as a direct pressure force, maintaining pressure to the rear so we canalize the HVIs on the bridge. You will have five armored Humvees armed with mounted small arms, ATGMs, and one MRAP at your disposal. The National Guard boys, Groundhog, will act as an envelopment force on the other side. The Coast Guard will secure the river, ensuring it won't be an avenue of escape. Any questions?"
"Axis of approach for Groundhog, Sir?" the National Guard captain leading Groundhog inquired.
"The under the river tour is a no-go. The intel from the Marines confirms that Whiskey Delta presence in the sewers is substantial. The Coasties will insert your team and a Bradley IFV for support through the river via cutter to maintain mobility."
The Colonel crossed his arms. "Alright. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright, then get yourselves sorted out. Wheels up at 13:00. Dismissed!"
The soldiers geared up with Mission Oriented Protective Posture level 4 equipment. The Rangers, National Guard, and the supporting elements from the Coast Guard rolled out to Rayford Port, passing through Macon along I-16.
Several hours later, Rayford Port, The Sacrifice
The survivors shot at the oncoming horde from the rising bridge. All was going well. At least until the generator broke down.
"Great! Bridge stopped." Francis complained.
"I knew it! I hate that generator!" said Zoey, recalling the ancient generator they used to power the bridge earlier.
Zoey was down to her P220's last mag, Louis had injured his leg in a prior encounter with a Witch, and Francis had resorted to using his empty SPAS-12 as a club. Their situation was not looking up.
Francis quickly spotted four huge figures from a distance and seemed to be unfazed by the probable odds of dying. "Oh. AND there's four tanks comin' at us. THANKS, Louis."
"What?! What the hell did I do?!" Louis responded, confused.
Francis' voice then sounded much more hopeless.
"Optimism. You jinxed us."
Limping towards the ledge, Louis took a good look at the oncoming horde of Infected. His usually optimistic look began to fade.
"Guys. I got a bad feeling about this." he solemnly said.
"Wait, what?! Louis, come on- We been through worse than this, man. This is...this is nothing." Francis said in surprise, seemingly in denial of their impending doom.
There was a moment of silence. Louis took a last look at the horde and turned his head to the other three survivors.
"You're the one that should be sad, Francis. We make it through this? I was gonna give your dumb ass a job." stated Louis, still in a solemn manner.
"Okay, shut up with that kind of talk." said Zoey as she held her pistol firmly.
"We still got some ammo left to...to...shit! God damn it! We've come this far! It can't end like this!" she desperately said, after checking how much ammo she had left.
Louis began to say what he believed might be his last words.
"I love you, Zoey. I love all you guys. Listen, I want you to kill me before-"
"Save it. Cover me! I got this!" Bill suddenly interrupted.
With a look of determination on his face, the old man brought out a Molotov and charged towards the edge of the bridge.
Zoey was quick to notice him and tried to hold him back, to no avail. "BILL!"
"You heard the man! Cover him!" Francis said as he loaded a few shells into his shotgun and fired at the horde.
Bill jumped off the bridge and threw the burning Molotov at the three Tanks charging towards him.
"What is he doing?! He's getting all the Tanks to follow him, Louis! He's going to get killed!" Zoey desperately said.
Louis carefully got on his two feet, used a car to stay standing, and started firing at the horde with his Uzi. "Well, not all of 'em followed him."
One of the Tanks was indeed headed for the three of them and looked up at them in anger.
"This bridge ain't high enough for that Tank." Francis said.
Louis continued to fire at the horde. "Yeah, let's just hope that Bill finds that generator..."
"...before the Tank figures that out." Zoey said, continuing Louis' sentence.
Meanwhile, Bill had thrown the molotov at the three Tanks. He pushed the button once he made it to the generator. With that, the bridge slowly began to rise again. Bill looked back up at the bridge and stared at his teammates.
"Yes! He did it! He did it!" Zoey exclaimed.
Bill looked back at the bridge and thought to himself that someone must have moved it since he last looked at it. With all the Infected in between, it looked a million miles away now. The Infected began to surround him. He had no way out.
"Well, shit…" he muttered quietly.
Unable to see Bill from the bridge, the other three solemnly looked down on the Infected below.
Francis pumped his shotgun and prepared to get down from the bridge.
"Alright, fuck this! I'm gonna go get the old guy!" he yelled.
"He's gone, Francis." Zoey said sadly.
The biker still persisted, with his eyes fixated on the horde below. "You don't know that! Bill's the toughest old buzzard I ever met! And he's down there and he needs us!"
"Francis, he's gone." the girl insisted, grabbing him by his vest and tank top as she blocked his way. "He did this for us. If you go down there, he did it for nothing."
Zoey held him closer, closing her eyes with a look as if begging him not to go.
Francis gave in and sadly looked down on the floor.
"Goddamn it..."
A sudden explosion was heard from a distance, startling the three survivors. The concrete T-walls on the road leading straight to the bridge were destroyed. Loud and rapid gunfire immediately followed, and the Infected running towards the building with the generator turned around and headed towards the opposite direction.
"What the hell?!" yelled Francis.
"Where're those shots coming from?!" said Louis.
There was only one answer to that.
The Rangers and the National Guard had arrived and are approaching them through the descending road.
"Holy shit!" yelled Zoey as she spotted five armored M1114 UAH Humvees driving downhill and headed towards them. One of them had a mounted BGM-71 TOW missile while the rest had mounted M134 miniguns.
"I have a visual on four of the Tango Mikes! Three holding out on the bridge at 12 o'clock, one by the generator at 1 o'clock. Whiskey Deltas have them zeroed in." said Private Wade, spotting the survivors while riding shotgun in the lead vehicle.
The large group of soldiers all saw the sheer number of Infected they were dealing with. They knew what was coming and needed to lay down some serious firepower.
"All Hunter victors, this is Sergeant Foley. Prepare to engage, we are seeing a large group of Whiskey Deltas incoming due north of our position."
Dunn relayed Foley's orders while driving his vehicle. "Prepare to engage! We're goin' in!"
"Keep your fire low, the HVIs are holding their position on the bridge" Foley ordered.
Private McCord tapped Ramirez on the back. "This is it! Spin 'em up!"
The Private operating the mounted M134 Minigun opened fire on the Infected, with the 7.62×51mm NATO rounds shredding the horde to pieces.
"There must be a thousand of 'em! Hit 'em with everything you've got!" Foley ordered the platoon-sized task force.
The MRAP stayed at the convoy's rear and unloaded troops. The Humvees' drivers broke their single file and positioned in a formation resembling a slightly C-shaped firing line. The gunners of the other Humvees began to unload on the horde as well, relying on extreme firepower to combat sheer numbers.
A large piece of concrete rubble suddenly lands on the Humvee leading the convoy, injuring everyone inside it. It was the one that had the mounted TOW missile and members of the National Guard.
"Shit!" cried Ramirez, who ducked down back inside the vehicle.
"Whoa! What the hell was that?!" yelled Dunn.
From outside, panicked yelling could be heard coming from the other soldiers.
Ramirez once again got back up through the hole of the Humvee's roof to observe the situation outside, with Foley, Morgan, and McCord stepping out of the vehicle and Dunn staying on the driver's seat. What the five of them saw in front of them gave them a feeling of awe and fear.
"Dios mío, por favor ayúdame..." uttered Ramirez, as an angry eight-foot tall behemoth turned around and made eye contact with him, before charging towards his vehicle. Several members of the platoon began retreating and frantically firing at the monstrosity as it ran towards them.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!" Dunn yelled in shock.
"Ramirez! Concentrate your fire on the big Whiskey Delta! Kill that S.O.B.!" Foley ordered the young Private.
Ramirez immediately did as he was told, firing the M134 Minigun at the Tank with great accuracy. However, the Tank effortlessly shrugged off the constant barrage of 7.62x51mm rounds and continued to charge towards them. Foley, Morgan, and McCord fired their weapons at it as well, while retreating back to the Humvee.
"FALL BACK!" Foley yelled, gesturing to the rest of the vehicles and infantry to create distance between them and the Tank.
"It's not stopping! KEEP FIRING!" shouted Corporal Dunn, panicking.
Foley, Morgan, and McCord frantically get back inside the Humvee.
"Back up, Dunn! Back up!" Ramirez yelled at Dunn, who switched the vehicle's gear to reverse.
The shots the Tank took only seemed to have made it angrier, and it continued rushing towards their vehicle until it eventually caught up to them.
"GET OUT! GET OUT!" ordered Sergeant Foley.
He, Dunn, Morgan, McCord, and Ramirez managed to jump out of the Humvee in time just as the Tank reached it and smashed it aside, knocking down a chain-link fence to their right in the process. The National Guard covered the Rangers, engaging the Common Infected running towards them as they dealt with the Tank.
"Squad! concentrate your fire on that Whiskey Delta!" ordered Foley.
Immediately, the second squad of Rangers began firing on the Tank, riddling it with bullets. But to their horror, the creature did not go down.
"That Whiskey Delta's not going down!" yelled an exasperated McCord.
The Tank began to slow down, but still continued to violently pursue the soldiers. At this point, they were practically mag dumping their weapons at it.
"Eat lead!" Private Fahey shouted at the Tank.
The Tank let out a roar as it managed to close the distance between itself and the squad of Rangers. It punched Sandler, sending him 50 feet away and hitting a chain-link fence, almost knocking him unconscious. Foley's eyes widened as he saw the other three Tanks coming in the distance.
"Three more of them! We have to move now!" said Foley as he picked up Sandler.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Dunn screamed as he saw the other three Tanks.
Foley looked back and saw the civilians on the bridge. The three Tanks stood in his platoon's way. Thinking quickly, he rushed to the National Guard Sergeant and gave him an order. "Bring down one of the concrete T-walls on the right of the convoy!"
The National Guard soldiers placed a satchel charge on the base of the leftmost concrete T-wall, then retreated to a safe distance before blowing it. The concrete T-wall fell forward, clearing the right path of the first crossroad. This gave infantry access to the entrance of Rayford Shipping.
Foley then addressed Ramirez while firing at the Tanks. "Ramirez! Pass through the downed concrete T-wall and flank the Whiskey Deltas through the right side to get to the HVIs! MOVE!"
Ramirez and his fireteam that consisted of him, Dunn, Morgan, Wade quickly did so, disengaging the tanks and going down the right path of the first crossroad. They were accompanied by one National Guardsman. They then stacked up by the entrance of Rayford Shipping on the path's left side. The door was blocked by a plywood barricade. The National Guardsman then planted a kicker charge on the door. They backed up to a safe distance until the charge brought it down. The stacked Rangers then entered Rayford Shipping swiftly and violently. While Morgan stayed outside to watch the rear, Dunn entered to the right, Wade to the left, then Ramirez to the middle. They cleared the room in one swift motion, quickly taking out several Common Infected. The National Guardsman ran back and regrouped with the rest on the first crossroad.
Meanwhile, Foley looked at the Humvee the first Tank tossed aside, noticing a fuel leak. The other Humvees firing at the tanks with the M134 Miniguns drew their attention, as they drove away backwards towards their rear boundary as a direct pressure force. The front vehicle and infantry fell back until they were next to the downed concrete T-wall on the first crossroad. Another idea came to the Sergeant's head. The Tanks violently pursued the vehicles attempting to keep their distance, until they got close enough to the Humvee leaking gas by the elevated chain link fence on the right.
"Stand back!" Foley fired a 40 mm high explosive round at the Tanks with the FN40GL attached to his SCAR-H, igniting the gas leak as well. One of the Tanks burned to death, as the another one raised its fists in the air and ran towards the Sergeant while on fire. Even if it was running slightly slower than it did earlier, it was still rapidly closing the distance. Foley's squad, with the exception of Ramirez's fireteam, continued to shoot it. With his teeth clenching in fear being manifested as aggression, Foley swiftly reloaded the FN40GL attached to his SCAR and fired another 40 mm high explosive round at the Tank. It staggered for a few seconds, then continued to charge at him. The Rangers still maintained their fire at it until it died of its wounds, collapsing a mere five feet away from Foley.
The survivors on the bridge were surprised by the military's presence. Understandably, their experience in Millhaven led them to distrust the soldiers.
"That can't be good. What do we do?" said Francis, seeing the battle going on below.
Zoey looked down below as well. "We get to the boat and we get the hell out of here. We look after our own."
Suddenly, something caught Louis' attention, and he pointed his finger.
"Hey! Look! I think that's-" he yelled.
Zoey and Francis looked to where Louis was pointing and their eyes widened.
It was Bill running towards the bridge.
"HEY! OVER HERE! NEED A LITTLE HELP HERE, PEOPLE!" he shouted.
"Francis, quick! Lower the bridge!" Zoey ordered.
"I got it!"
Louis provided covering fire for Bill with his Uzi. Francis climbed up the ladder leading to the bridge's controls. He pulled the lever down and the bridge began to lower.
Meanwhile, Ramirez's fireteam had exited Rayford Shipping's interior through a door leading to a balcony over the right path of the second crossroad. To their nine to 11 o'clock, they had a clear view of the generator, the front area of the bridge, as well as the bar and the docked sailboat on the water behind it.
Bill briefly looked at the other three survivors from a distance and gestured towards them to get to the boat. The other three survivors did as ordered and headed toward the boat.
Unfortunately for them, they were spotted by Dunn. "They're using the boat to escape! Ramirez! Take it out!"
Ramirez threw a corpse over that was slumped on the railing of the balcony, then took aim with the M203 attached to his M4A1. The grenade launcher had a maximum effective range of 150 meters for vehicles and weapon point targets. That was more than enough, especially for someone like him. He fired and the 40 mm high explosive round destroyed the boat.
"Aw, horseshit!" yelled Bill, taken aback by the explosion.
"NO!" Zoey yelled in distress.
Francis looked at the burning sailboat in anger. "We had supplies and probably peanut butter in there for fuck's sake!"
Louis slowly got up and leaned against a car. "Bill! Over here!"
Bill made his way to the bridge. As soon as he had reached it, he jumped and Francis caught his hand.
"Hang on! I got you, old man!" said Francis as he grabbed Bill's hand and helped him up onto the bridge.
"C'mon. We have to get to the other side!" said Bill as he stood up.
"They seriously followed us from Millhaven all the way here?" questioned Louis.
"I hate the goddamn military." said Francis for nearly the millionth time.
"Shit. My leg, man..."" said Louis, looking towards the other end of the bridge before gesturing to his injured leg.
"Come on, we don't have any other option." said Bill.
He was caught off guard by Zoey, who hugged him briefly, before letting go a few moments later.
"Oh my God. Let's get out of here." she told him. "You okay, Bill?"
The old man nodded.
"I'm fine. Don't you worry." he assured the girl. "Now let's go."
Zoey nodded, and looked down at Louis.
"C'mon, Louis. Let me help you. We can get there. We're not dead yet." offering Louis a hand, then carrying him as a human crutch.
They climbed up the ladder on the side of the bridge. As they ran to the other side, Francis pulled the lever of the bridge controls up. And the bridge rose again.
As the survivors attempted to flee, the Rangers continued to deal with the Tank they've engaged with. They also gained the attention of the other Tank, which also proceeded to close the distance.
"I got AT! Rocket!" said Corporal Keating.
"Back blast clear!" Sergeant Macey told Keating, who then fired.
The first Tank was crippled as the High Explosive Dual Purpose 502 projectile from the AT4 hit him, collapsing with a groan as it was finished off by gunfire.
Keating pumped his fist in defiance. "Yeah!"
"Don't celebrate yet!" said Foley. "Get the other one!"
With the number of Common Infected massively dwindled, the combined National Guard and Ranger platoon was able to concentrate all their firepower on the last Tank as it rushed forward. They riddled it with 5.56 and 7.62 caliber small arms, 40 mm high explosive rounds, and combined fire from the M134 Miniguns mounted on the three remaining Humvees. The vast amount of firepower slowed it down, until it let out a growl and collapsed on the ground mere seconds.
The Rangers ceased fire, yet kept their weapons aimed at the large body that was no longer moving. Fahey approached the dead Tank along with Golden and Slayback. All of them still with weapons raised. Fahey fired two shots into the head for good measure with his M4A1.
"Target down!" he yelled after confirming the kill.
"Alright, big Whiskey Delta's down! We're clear!" said Sergeant Macey.
The infantry and Humvees then advanced to the second crossroad. Ramirez's fireteam dropped down from the balcony and went left, regrouping with the rest of the Rangers on the second crossroad.
Finally able to punch through the Infected, Foley sent his platoon of Rangers after the survivors. The National Guardsman alongside them held their position on the second crossroad to provide rear security, while tending to the wounded. "Ramirez. Grab the folding ladder. All Hunter victors, move in on the objective."
Ramirez grabbed a folded collapsible ladder from one of the three remaining Humvees. While the rest of the Rangers covered him with weapons aimed up at the bridge, he quickly unfolded the ladder and hooked it on the ledge. He climbed up to the ledge itself and pulled out his M9, quickly scanning his surroundings with the pistol in hand before climbing up. The other Rangers followed, quickly covering every angle as they got up.
Foley picked up Marshall on the radio. "Hunter Two-One Actual, be advised. Groundhog is securing the other side of the bridge. ETA 30 seconds."
"Copy that, Command." Foley responded.
"Over there! I see them!" said McCord, pointing at the survivors who were running in the distance.
"Remember, Shepherd wants the HVIs alive if possible. Go!" said Foley.
Louis immediately looked back and saw the Ranger squadron chasing them.
"Shit! They're chasing us, man!" he informed his companions.
"Just keep the lead out, people!" shouted Bill as he helped Zoey with carrying Louis, forming a two person drag. "Faster! Move it, people! We have to get off this bridge before they send men to the other-"
They made it to the other side of the bridge, only to spot members of the National Guard with weapons raised waiting for them. With the Rangers right behind them, the four survivors looked at each other and realized there was nowhere left to go. They were now completely cornered.
"Got'cha." muttered Dunn as he ran towards the survivors.
"Shit." said Zoey.
Looking down at the water, the survivors were now faced with a very tough decision.
"Should we jump off? What do we do?" asked Zoey, looking for a solution.
"Louis, can you make that jump?" Bill asked.
Before Louis could respond, a 25-foot Transportable Port Security Boat from the Coast Guard flashed a searchlight on their position, briefly blinding the four. The boat was armed with two mounted M240B 7.62mm machine guns on its port and starboard, as well as one mounted M2HB .50-caliber machine gun on its front.
"Shit! Can't Michael Phelps the boat, can we?" said Zoey, upon seeing the boat's arsenal and their only avenue of escape gone.
"Everyone, find cover!" ordered Bill.
"Ah HELL!" said Francis.
Zoey reloaded her handgun and Louis cocked his Uzi as the four prepared for an intense confrontation. Francis loaded his last two shotgun shells into his SPAS-12.
"I am REALLY starting to hate Uncle Sam." said Francis with a bitter tone in his voice.
The military had all their weapons pointed at the survivors while a designated marksman and his team rushed to a vantage point.
"Drop your weapons or we will fire on you!" ordered McCord.
The survivors just carefully looked around while staying in cover, looking for a way out.
"Checkmate, man. Drop 'em, dammit. Just drop 'em." Dunn whispered to himself.
"We have you surrounded! Listen! No one has to get hurt here!" said Foley.
"Hunter Two-One, this is Groundhog. In position with a tranquilizer and ready to assist." the marksman told Foley through the radio.
"Copy that, Groundhog." said Foley.
As the survivors contemplated, members of Groundhog took aim at the survivors with the tranquilizer guns. At that moment, Francis decided that now was the time to get out of cover. He did so and fired two shots with his combat shotgun, narrowly missing three of the Rangers.
"Get down!" yelled Foley.
The other soldiers took cover just in case Francis fired his gun again.
"FUCK YOU, YOU COOKIE SCOUT PRICKS! I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YA!" yelled Francis, aiming his gun at the soldiers around him.
"Clear shot! Clear shot!" the marksman radioed.
"Take it!" ordered Sergeant Foley.
One of them fired at Francis, hitting him in the chest with a tranquilizer dart. The survivors gasped.
"ACK!" Francis gasped in pain.
With a grunt, he collapsed on his back on the ground and passed out within seconds.
"Nice shooting, Trent." said Groundhog's squad leader, complimenting the marksman for his shot.
The other three survivors kept themselves in cover as they noticed an unresponsive Francis lying on the ground.
"Francis! No!" shouted Zoey.
"Oh shit... Shit! Shit, shit, SHIT!" exclaimed Louis.
"This is going to hell in a hand basket real fast..." Refusing to escalate the situation any further, Bill decided to comply with the military's orders. He lowered both Zoey and Louis' weapons.
"No way out, people. No point in dying right now. We will just have to buy ourselves some time. Louis, Zoey, if anyone of us gets out, find a boat and don't look back." he said as he lowered Zoey and Louis' weapons.
Louis and Zoey were reluctant. They both looked at each other, then took a good look at the soldiers surrounding them. Realizing the gravity of the situation, they gave in. "Okay. Don't shoot. We're coming out." said Bill. The three conscious survivors stepped out of cover with their hands up and their weapons down on the ground.
The Rangers walked towards the three standing survivors with weapons aimed at them. They frisked them for anymore weapons before they handcuffed them, while Dunn and Ramirez placed Francis on a stretcher. The four were then placed in an MRAP.
"Alright, now you three better not try anything stupid." said Dunn to the three conscious survivors.
He leaned closer and questioned them. "Where's the doctor?"
Zoey looked at Bill with a slightly nervous expression. The old man tried not to cringe. Dunn noticed the looks on their faces. Figuring they said enough, he shook his head.
"He's a goner, then."
He closed the door.
Sergeant Foley walked towards him to check in with him.
"Dunn, check the wounded." the Sergeant ordered.
Dunn immediately complied. "Roger that."
As the soldiers were preparing to leave, Foley's attention was brought to the arrival of Groundhog, who brought their Bradley IFV to the Sergeant's side of the bridge.
"Wait here, Dunn." said Foley.
"Hooah."
Foley approached the leader, whose team was sent as a quick reaction force that appeared on the other side of the bridge during the confrontation.
"Thanks for the assist, Groundhog." Foley told the group commander as he shook hands with him.
"Captain Jane, Maryland National Guard. Some of your team can ride with us in the Bradley, Sergeant." replied the Captain.
"Maryland?" Foley asked, noting how far the Captain's unit was from where they were stationed.
"No time for that now. I'll tell you more on the way back." said Captain Jane, entering the MRAP's driver seat.
Suddenly, every soldier was alerted by the sound of another Infected horde howling in the distance.
"Well shit, that doesn't sound good at all." said Dunn.
"Alright, get the bridge down so we can get the Bradley across! Move!" the National Guard captain ordered his men.
"Let's get the hell out of here." Foley remarked while entering the MRAP's shotgun seat.