Chapter 70: The Horde (3)

We felt a surge of urgency as we raced towards the crash site, following the trail of smoke in the distance. We started our vehicles, driving through the rough terrain with a resolve that matched the seriousness of the situation.

As we got closer to the forest, we smelled the burning wreckage in the air. We heard the flames crackling, increasing our anxiety. We got off our vehicles, carefully moving towards the crash site, ready to shoot if necessary.

The forest was a scene of chaos and destruction. The military helicopter, which used to be a sign of hope, was now a twisted mess of metal and fire among the scorched trees and smoke. The large red cross on its side, now blackened by the soot, showed that it was a medical helicopter that tried to help people in this cruel world.

"Spread out, search for survivors and secure the area," I ordered, breaking the tense silence. The team split up, looking for any signs of life among the debris.

We found out that the wreckage was spread over a large area, showing how violent the impact was. As we cautiously walked through the aftermath, we spotted some medical supplies that were scattered around, some of them surprisingly intact despite the fiery crash.

Suddenly, we heard a faint moan. We ran towards the sound, and found a survivor - a female medic from the helicopter crew. She was badly injured, but still alive. We gave her first aid and comfort, "Hang on there" I said while we took her out from the broken helicopter.

Two of my men quickly got a stretcher from our vehicle and placed it on the ground. We carefully lifted the survivor and put her on the stretcher. She groaned in pain as we moved her. We were about to carry her to the vehicle when suddenly, a voice shouted from our side.

"Put your hands up in the air!"

We turned and saw another group of survivors, pointing their guns at us. They were wearing clean clothes, which meant they had a base somewhere. They outnumbered us, with more than 20 men. They looked well-trained and well-equipped, like us.

Before we could react, another group arrived from another direction, also pointing their guns at us and them. "Oh? Someone already got here before us?" A man with glasses led them. He looked weak, but his group didn't. They were also well-trained and well-equipped, maybe even more than the first group.

Then, another group came from yet another direction. It was Jana's group. They also pointed their guns at us, with a smirk on their faces.

"Oh? Isn't that Souta?" Jana said, recognizing me.

We were surrounded by three groups, all hostile and armed. We were only 10, and we had a wounded survivor with us. We were in a tight spot.

"Now, now. Can we all calm down for a moment?" The man with glasses said calmly. "Shut up! Four eyes!" The first group who arrived shouted. He got pissed but still maintained his composure. "Oh, this group, huh? This fcking muscle head group who survived because of their strength alone, making their comrades die because of their so-called honor and pride!" He said.

"Huh!? Who are you calling muscle head, you nerd!" They then started verbally fighting.

I shot my pistol in the air, startling them and making them point their guns at me. "Can you two shut the fck up!?" I said.

"Huh!? You sure act cocky when you are surrounded, huh!?" The muscle head guy said.

"Hey now, he thinks he's the main character, so let him be." The glasses guy said.

Then, a laser pointed at their heads. "You two really think too lightly of me, huh?" I said. Then, Jana's group, who was my ally, pointed their guns at the two groups, as did my soldiers. Then, they arrived, Rex and Roger, with their group of 40.

"Detain all of them. We need a medic here. This person is dying. She's a survivor." I ordered.

The other groups had no choice but to surrender. "Tch! Be more gentle, will you!" The glasses guy said. Then, the soldier who was detaining him punched him in the face, breaking his glasses.

"Keep quiet!" He shouted and detained him with handcuffs. Jana also joined in detaining them. "Did you come here because of the crash?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I think all of us did." She replied.

"Hey, Christopher, do you think this is fixable?" I asked, pointing at the wrecked helicopter. He walked around it. "Nah, I doubt that. But we can make use of the materials from it." He said.

"Okay, take the helicopter with us."

"Yessir." He replied.

"Where do you think she came from?" Jana asked, looking at the survivor who was being treated. "I'm sure she's from the military, because of her clothes and her comrades' clothes. Those are from the military. That also goes for the helicopter's design." I replied.

"...I see. What should we do with them?" She asked, looking at the captives. "Do you know them? It seems like they have bases here somewhere."

"I just met them. Is it okay if I join the interrogation? I'm quite interested in them myself."

"Alright, follow Roger." I said. Then, suddenly, zombies started coming here. "Let's first get out of here." I said.

We quickly loaded the survivor and the captives into our vehicles, along with the medical supplies and the helicopter parts. We drove away from the forest, leaving behind the zombies and the fire. We had to get back to our base, and find out more about these groups and their bases. We had to be prepared for anything. We had to survive.

After escaping from the horde of zombies, we found a deserted house nearby and secured the area. We brought the survivor we rescued to a room and let her rest while my medical team tended to her wounds.