The RV rolled steadily along the quiet country road, the gentle rumble of its engine filling the silence inside.
Through the windshield, the lead Humvee remained only a short distance ahead, while the second followed behind, keeping the convoy together.
For the first several minutes, nobody spoke.
The events at the motel were still fresh in everyone's mind.
Andrew sat near the front beside Sergeant Collins, his MP5 resting against the seat within easy reach. Shane occupied the seat across from him, his shotgun leaning beside his leg.
Lee's group remained quiet as well, each processing the sudden change in their situation. In the drive seat Kenny kept his eyes on the road.
It was Duck who finally broke the silence.
"So..."
Everyone looked toward him.
The young boy leaned forward in his seat, looking directly at Andrew.
"Do you guys have chocolate?"
For a heartbeat, the RV fell completely silent.
Andrew blinked.
Then a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"That's your first question?"
Duck shrugged.
"I've been thinking about it."
A quiet chuckle escaped Katjaa.
Clementine looked between Duck and Andrew before asking hopefully,
"What about cookies?"
Andrew couldn't help smiling.
"I believe we do."
The two children immediately looked at one another.
"Really?" Duck asked.
Andrew nodded and looked between the two children.
"We've brought supplies from Atlanta. There should be some in there."
Even Kenny looked surprised.
"You serious?"
Andrew nodded.
"We're careful with how we hand things out. They're treats, not everyday meals. But yes, we've got them."
Duck grinned from ear to ear.
"I knew soldiers would have the good stuff."
That earned a laugh from several people inside the RV.
Even Larry let out an amused snort before quickly pretending he hadn't.
The atmosphere inside the vehicle relaxed noticeably.
Lee then turned to Andrew, his eyes widening.
"Wait, did you say Atlanta? Isn't the city filled with walkers?"
That got everyone to quiet down.
Looking around, Andrew gave a nod.
"Originally, yes. The city had fallen, with a large portion of the people who sought refuge there remaining trapped and eventually joining the horde of the living dead."
After a moment of silence, Andrew continued.
"We reorganized and eventually retook the city. We now have a hospital secured and fully operational, with the necessary electricity provided by a hydroelectric power plant."
"We also have safe zones both outside and inside the city where people have begun settling again, along with farms supplying food."
Lee and everyone else remained silent, trying to process everything they had just been told.
Kenny was the first to break the silence.
"...You're telling me you actually took Atlanta back?"
Andrew gave a single nod.
"It wasn't easy but we did."
Kenny let out a quiet breath, his hands tightening slightly on the steering wheel.
"Jesus..."
Doug adjusted his glasses.
"How?"
"I mean..." He gestured helplessly. "The city must've been filled with those things."
Andrew exchanged a brief glance with Collins before answering.
"You're right on that."
He shifted slightly in his seat.
"If we had tried clearing the city street by street from the start, it would've been suicide."
Everyone listened in silence.
"The first objective wasn't reclaiming the city. It was reducing the number of walkers."
Collins nodded.
"Two major overpasses were rigged with demolition charges. Drones lured the largest concentrations beneath them."
He paused briefly.
"Once enough of the horde had gathered...the bridges came down."
The RV fell completely silent.
Doug blinked.
"You... dropped highways on them?"
Andrew nodded.
"It buried thousands beneath concrete and steel. It wasn't enough to destroy the entire horde, but it thinned their numbers considerably."
He looked out the windshield for a moment before continuing.
"After that, the remaining herds were drawn into open ground."
"When they reached the designated kill zone.....the artillery opened fire."
He spoke the words matter-of-factly.
"Mortar batteries fired airburst and high-explosive ammunition."
"Attack helicopters engaged anything that tried to break away from the main body."
Nobody interrupted.
"By the time the bombardment ended, barely anything remained of the horde "
Shane folded his arms.
"But that wasn't all of them."
Andrew nodded.
"Most of the remaining walkers were trapped inside offices, apartment buildings, subway tunnels, and underground parking lots."
"They took considerably longer to clear."
Lee leaned back slowly.
"How long did all of that take?"
Andrew thought for a moment.
"The bombardment itself lasted a single day."
"Clearing the city..."
He shook his head.
"...that took weeks."
Carley stared at him.
"You really rebuilt all that?"
Andrew gave a small shrug.
"We're still rebuilding. Though, there are few districts that remain off-limits while they're being cleared. But people are living there again."
"Life's slowly beginning to resemble what it once was."
No one spoke.
Katjaa instinctively rested a hand on Duck's shoulder.
Ben stared at Andrew in open disbelief.
Even Larry, who questioned almost everything, remained silent.
It was difficult to imagine.
While they had spent months struggling to survive from one day to the next...
Somewhere to the north, people had begun taking their world back.
Lilly was the one who broke the silence this time.
"You said that you have a hospital operational
You have doctor's , equipment, and medical supplies?"
Andrew answered.
" Yes. Grady memorial hospital. We have trained medical personnel and the medical supplies needed to keep the hospital operational for the foreseeable future. That said , because there are medicines we can't replace or manufacture , we're careful about how they're used."
Lilly became quiet as she glanced at her father.
The silence lingered for a few moments before Lee spoke again.
"So...What exactly is this place you're taking us to?"
Andrew leaned back slightly.
"Terminus. Originally, it was a survivor settlement established in a old rail yard."
He glanced out the window for a moment before continuing.
"When our reconnaissance teams first reached it, there were a little over forty people living there. They'd fortified the old rail yard well enough to keep the walkers out, but they were running low on supplies."
"They were cautious. Didn't trust us at first."
Andrew gave a faint smile.
"Can't say I blamed them. We'd probably have reacted the same way."
He continued.
"After a few meetings, we came to an agreement."
"We'd help strengthen the settlement, restore the railway, and provide supplies whenever we could."
"In return, they agreed to let us establish a garrison and use Terminus as a forward operating base for operations in Macon and the surrounding area."
Kenny glanced toward the Humvees visible through the windshield.
"So that's why you've got soldiers there."
Andrew nodded.
"They secure the settlement, patrol the surrounding area, and keep the railway open."
Doug leaned forward, curiosity evident on his face.
"How many people live there now?"
"By now, just over a hundred."
Andrew answered without hesitation.
"It isn't a large community. Most of the civilians are the original residents, along with some families that were rescued during nearby operations."
Carley looked thoughtful.
"So people aren't constantly being brought there?"
Andrew shook his head.
"No"
No one spoke for a moment.
The image everyone had of Terminus was changing.
It wasn't a massive fortress.
Nor was it simply another desperate survivor camp.
It was a community—small, defended, and slowly growing alongside the military effort to reclaim Georgia.
Lilly finally spoke.
"I've been wondering something."
Her eyes shifted toward Shane.
"You don't look to be part of the Army."
Shane looked over.
"I'm not."
"You served?"
He shook his head.
"Sheriff's deputy."
Lilly gave a small nod as she looked over his equipment.
"That explains why your gear is different from the others."
Her eyes briefly took in the sheriff's deputy uniform beneath the black tactical vest and protective gear.
"I noticed the uniform."
Shane glanced down at himself before giving a small smile.
"Figured there wasn't much point changing it. It still works."
"It does," Lilly admitted. "But I was curious."
Shane leaned back in his seat.
"I felt like doing more than patrolling the streets of a gated community. The lieutenant accepted my the request of joining the operation. I've been with them ever since."
Andrew glanced over at him.
"You've been pulling your weight."
Shane smirked.
Just then, the radio clipped to Andrew's vest crackled to life.
"Alpha One, this is Lead."
Andrew immediately picked up the handset.
"Go ahead."
"We're approaching the intersection."
Andrew looked through the RV's windshield.
Far ahead, the road bent gently between the trees.
His expression became focused once again.
"Copy that."
He clipped the radio back onto his vest.
The relaxed atmosphere inside the RV faded as everyone's attention shifted toward the road ahead.
Andrew turned toward Lee and his group.
"This is it. We'll have one Humvee guide you to Terminus. We still have a mission to complete. "
The convoy had barely traveled another minute when the lead Humvee reached the intersection.
Without warning—
A sedan shot out from the crossing road.
Its driver slammed on the brakes.
The Humvee's driver reacted just as quickly.
Tires screamed against the pavement.
The military vehicle swerved hard to the left.
The sedan jerked in the opposite direction.
For a split second, it looked as though both vehicles would collide anyway.
Instead, they missed one another by inches.
The Humvee skidded across the road before coming to a stop sideways.
The sedan spun completely around before sliding off the shoulder and crashing nose-first into a shallow ditch.
Inside the RV, Kenny instinctively jerked the steering wheel.
"What the hell?!"
The vehicle rocked violently before coming to a stop behind the lead Humvee.
Everyone lurched forward in their seats.
Duck cried out.
Clementine grabbed hold of Lee's arm to steady herself.
Andrew was already reaching for his radio.
"Lead, this is Alpha One."
Static crackled.
"You alright there?"
The Ranger's voice came back a moment later.
"We're good."
A pause.
"Looks like civilians. We're moving up to check—"
The transmission was cut off by a deafening burst of automatic gunfire.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Rounds slammed into the lead Humvee.
One shattered the windshield.
Another sparked against the armored door.
Inside the RV, Clementine screamed.
Duck buried himself against Katjaa.
"DOWN!"
Lee pulled Clementine toward the floor.
Kenny ducked behind the steering wheel.
Andrew immediately grabbed the radio again.
"Alpha One to all units!"
His voice remained calm despite the gunfire.
"Hostile contact up front. Engage!"
Without waiting for a response, he slung the radio back onto his vest.
"Shane! Collins! With me!"
The three men pushed the RV door open.
Outside, Rangers were already returning fire from behind the engine block of the lead Humvee.
Andrew raised his MP5 the moment he cleared the doorway.
His eyes immediately found movement.
One of the attackers had leaned out from behind the sedan, rifle raised.
Andrew squeezed the trigger.
A short burst cracked through the air.
The rounds punched through the driver's side window.
The bandit's head snapped backward.
He collapsed without another sound.
To Andrew's right—
BOOM!
Shane's shotgun roared.
The blast tore into the sedan's front tire.
Rubber exploded apart.
The vehicle lurched lower onto its rim.
The remaining two attackers immediately realized the situation had changed.
Instead of continuing the fight, they turned and sprinted toward the tree line.
"They're running!" Collins shouted.
Within seconds, both men disappeared into the forest.
Silence settled almost as quickly as the firefight had begun.
Only the ticking of hot engines and the cries of frightened children remained.
Shane was already moving, before Andrew could say anything.
He vaulted past the front of the RV, shotgun held tight against his chest.
"They're heading for the woods!"
Without hesitation, Sergeant Hale and Tucker sprinted after him, disappearing into the tree line only seconds behind.
"Don't lose them!" Andrew called after them.
None of the three looked back.
Within moments, the forest swallowed them from view.
Andrew turned his attention back to the road.
The Rangers around the lead Humvee were already securing the area, weapons trained on the trees in case the attackers returned.
He jogged toward the vehicle.
As he rounded the front bumper, the aftermath came into full view.
Cole sat on the ground with his back against the front wheel, gripping his left arm tightly.
Blood seeped steadily between his fingers.
Novak was already kneeling beside him, cutting away the sleeve of his uniform.
"Through and through," the novak muttered.
"You'll live."
A few feet away, Wyatt leaned heavily against the Humvee.
His breathing was uneven as he rubbed the center of his plate carrier.
The ceramic plate bore a fresh spiderweb of cracks where the round had struck.
"You alright?" Andrew asked.
Wyatt let out a painful laugh.
"I'll have one hell of a bruise tomorrow."
Andrew gave a short nod.
"Lucky."
Wyatt glanced down at the shattered plate.
"Yeah..."
Andrew's eyes shifted toward the rear compartment of the Humvee.
The two captured bandits still sat where they'd been restrained.
Neither had moved.
One had taken a round through the neck.
Dark blood covered the collar of his jacket and pooled beneath him.
The other sat slumped against the side of the compartment.
A single bullet hole marked the side of his head.
For several seconds, Andrew simply looked at them.
"They never even knew what hit them," Wyatt said quietly.
Andrew examined the bullet impacts scattered across the Humvee's side.
The attackers hadn't been aiming at the prisoners.
They'd fired blindly the moment the vehicles stopped.
The captives had simply been in the wrong place.
He let out a slow breath.
"Take care of the one shot in the neck. We don't need to deal with him turning."
Wyatt nodded once.
"Understood."
He looked toward the tree line where Shane and the others had disappeared.
"Let's hope they catch the other two."