"You're going to be all right."
The combat medic finished securing the bandage around Jolene's forearm before giving her a reassuring nod.
"You and your daughter both."
He glanced toward the little girl, who sat quietly beside her mother with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
"She's exhausted, but she doesn't appear to have any serious injuries."
He handed Jolene a canteen.
"Drink slowly."
"You've been pushing yourself for a long time."
Then he pointed toward the fresh bandages covering the cuts on her arms.
"We've cleaned and dressed your wounds. They're nothing life-threatening, but you'll want to keep them clean."
Jolene accepted the canteen with trembling hands.
"...Thank you."
The medic gave her a small smile.
"Try to get some rest. We're not far from our destination."
With that, he stepped aside.
Andrew, who had been waiting patiently near the doorway of the passenger carriage, walked over.
He crouched slightly so he was at eye level with both Jolene and her daughter.
"My name is Andrew Mercer."
His voice was calm and reassuring.
"I'm the officer in charge of this expedition."
He waited until Jolene looked at him.
"Can you tell me your name?"
For a few moments, she simply stared at him.
Almost as if she still couldn't believe she was sitting inside a train surrounded by soldiers instead of running through the forest.
Finally, she spoke.
"...Jolene."
Andrew nodded.
"It's good to meet you, Jolene."
He glanced briefly toward the window as the countryside rolled by before returning his attention to her.
His expression grew more serious.
"When we found you called those men murderers and rapists."
He paused, giving her time to gather herself.
"I need you to tell me who they are."
The words made Jolene stiffen.
Almost instinctively, she pulled her daughter closer.
Fear returned to her face.
Andrew noticed, but he didn't rush her.
He simply waited in silence, allowing her to speak when she was ready.
Jolene lowered her eyes.
For several long moments, the only sound inside the carriage was the steady rhythm of the train rolling along the tracks.
Finally, she spoke.
"I worked at the Save-Lots store."
Her voice was quiet.
"So did some of those men."
She swallowed.
"When everything started... we stayed."
She looked toward the floor.
"It seemed like the safest place. The store was full of food, water... supplies."
Andrew remained silent, allowing her to continue.
"At first, it worked. We let people in. But more and more kept coming. There were families... old people... children."
She shook her head.
"But the supplies..."
Her voice faltered.
"They weren't enough. The arguments started. Then one day..."
She closed her eyes.
"They decided they weren't going to share anymore."
Andrew's expression remained unchanged.
"They said if somebody had something they wanted.....they'd take it. And if someone got in the way..."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"...they'd kill them."
No one in the carriage interrupted.
Jolene took a slow, shaky breath before continuing.
"There were survivors hiding at Stone Mountain High School. Teachers, students, families. They'd barricaded themselves inside."
She looked at Andrew.
"The bandits found them."
Her hands tightened around the canteen.
"They attacked the school. They killed the people who tried fighting back."
Her voice began to tremble.
"And the women..."
She stopped.
For several seconds she couldn't force the words out.
When she finally spoke again, it was almost a whisper.
"They hurt them. The teachers, the students, any woman they decided they wanted..."
Her gaze drifted to the little girl sitting beside her.
"...they didn't care how old they were."
The carriage had gone completely silent.
Several soldiers nearby had unconsciously stopped what they were doing to listen.
Jolene gently wrapped an arm around her daughter.
"We stayed."
She looked ashamed.
"We told ourselves we didn't have a choice. We told ourselves if we kept our heads down.....they'd leave us alone."
A bitter laugh escaped her.
"They never did."
She took a shaky breath.
"When I started seeing the way they looked at my little girl... I knew we couldn't stay. No matter what happened."
Andrew gave a slight nod, encouraging her to continue.
"We finally got our chance. One of the girls from the school ran into a bathroom and locked herself inside. The men chased after her."
She frowned.
"I don't know what happened. But when they finally broke the door down..."
She hesitated.
"...she was already dead."
Another pause.
"Turned into one of those things wandering outside."
Even now, the memory sent a shiver through her.
"It threw the whole place into chaos. They weren't expecting it. Nobody did."
She looked at Andrew.
"So I grabbed my daughter and we ran. We didn't stop. Not until you found us."
Silence settled over the carriage.
The steady rhythm of the train on the rails seemed unusually loud.
No one spoke.
Several Rangers exchanged grim looks.
Across the aisle, Shane stood with his arms folded.
The muscles in his jaw tightened.
His grip on the sling of his shotgun slowly hardened until his knuckles turned white.
For a brief moment, it looked as though he was about to say something.
Instead, he exhaled quietly through his nose. Not saying anything.
Andrew noticed. So did Ramirez. But neither commented.
There would be time for anger later. Right now, they needed information.
Andrew remained crouched in front of Jolene.
"I'm sorry you and your daughter had to go through that."
He paused briefly before his expression became more focused.
"But I need to ask you a few more questions."
Jolene gave a weak nod.
"Go ahead."
"How many of them are there?"
She thought for several seconds.
"When we left....around thirty. Maybe a little more. They don't always stay together."
Andrew committed the number to memory.
"And their base?"
"The high school."
She answered without hesitation.
"They've taken over the whole place."
She swallowed.
"They've barricaded the entrances."
Andrew nodded.
"They don't all stay inside. Some sleep in the nearby houses."
"What about weapons?"
" From what i saw, they had hunting rifles, shotguns and pistols."
She frowned as she searched her memory.
"And.....I've seen a few military rifles. I don't know where they got them."
Andrew glanced briefly toward Ramirez.
Thirty armed men. Entrenched.
That was considerably more than a handful of desperate survivors.
His gaze returned to Jolene.
"Are there still people being held there?"
Jolene didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she looked down at her daughter.
When she finally spoke, her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"Yes."
The single word hung heavily in the air.
She drew a shaky breath before continuing.
"When they took the school... They killed most of the men. The ones who fought died first. The rest..."
She swallowed.
"They didn't last long."
Her hands instinctively tightened around her daughter.
"They kept the women."
Her voice almost broke.
"For their own pleasure."
Andrew let a few moments pass before asking his next question.
"How far do their patrols usually go from the school?"
Jolene took a moment to think.
"They patrol around the school every so often. They don't want anyone getting close without them knowing."
She looked back at Andrew.
"But they tend to leave in groups. Sometimes to scavenge. But more often to..."
Her expression hardened.
"...to extort other groups of survivors for supplies. As long as they get what they want, they leave them alone."
Andrew tilted his head slightly.
"How many groups are there."
Jolene shrugged.
"I don't know, i kept my distance from the bastards. Trying to avoid getting any attention. But I heard them talking about a railyard..... or something like it."
She looked toward the window for a moment before returning her gaze to Andrew.
"They said that the people there have supplies and reinforced fencing."
She hesitated.
That's where you're going, isn't it?"
Andrew frowned before giving a slow nod.
" Yes, that's our destination." After a moment he added. "This is enough, you can rest now."
Jolene nodded quietly.
Andrew rose to his feet.
With the information obtained, they had a clearer picture of the enemy they would be facing.
Andrew began making his way toward his squad, Shane and Ramirez, which were gathered a short distance away, quietly talking among themselves.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted back to what Jolene had told him.
The Save-Lots bandits...
They'd been in the first season of The telltale game.
Lee's group had run into them.
Beyond that...
Andrew frowned.
I honestly don't remember much.
I remember they were violent. Somewhat organized.
That they preyed on other survivors but not anything else.
And even if I did remember everything...
He glanced out the window at the passing countryside.
...I can't assume any of it is still true. Too much has already changed.
Which meant one thing. Treat this as a completely new situation. Assume nothing. Verify everything.
Better to be cautious...
With that thought, Andrew reached his squad.
Several heads turned toward him as the conversation died away.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Tucker broke the silence.
"Well, boss..."
He folded his arms with a crooked grin that never quite reached his eyes.
"It looks like things just got a whole lot more complicated."
A few soldiers gave quiet nods.
"No kidding," Ramirez muttered.
"I thought we were heading to Macon to clear walkers."
"So did I," Valeria replied. "Now we've got an armed gang holding civilians captives."
Shane leaned against the wall of the carriage, his shotgun resting across one shoulder.
"Doesn't change much."
Everyone looked toward him.
Shane's expression hardened.
"We deal with those bastards first. Then we deal with the walkers."
Andrew gave a small nod.
" Even with the information we have, we shouldn't let our guard down."
He continued.
"We still don't know exactly what we're walking into. We need to gather proper intel before acting."
He paused briefly.
" I'd prefer to avoid casualties as much as possible."
His gaze swept across the squad.
"When we reach Terminus, we'll brief the garrison and get everything ready."
Shane nodded once.
"Fair enough. Just don't give those bastards enough time to disappear."
Before anyone else could speak, Cole shrugged.
"That's if they're smart."
A faint smirk crossed his face.
"My guess? They're not."
A few chuckles spread through the squad.
Cole continued.
"They've been bullying unarmed survivor groups for weeks. They're probably convinced nobody can stand up to them."
He glanced toward Andrew.
"So they'll do one of two things."
He held up a finger.
"They either try to hit us before we reach them."
A second finger joined the first.
"Or they pull everyone back, dig in at the high school and wait for us to come."
Ramirez nodded thoughtfully.
"Either way... We're walking into a fight."
Andrew considered Cole's assessment for a moment.
"Maybe."
He folded his arms.
"But overconfidence has gotten plenty of people killed."
His eyes moved across the squad.
"We're going to assume they're capable until they prove otherwise."
A few heads nodded. No one argued.
It was the kind of assumption that kept soldiers alive.
••••••
Outside, the forests and scattered fields gave way to abandoned warehouses and aging industrial buildings.
Less than half an hour later, the train reached Terminus.
"We're here," one of the conductors called over the radio.
The soldiers rose from their seats, instinctively checking their weapons and equipment one final time.
Andrew stepped toward the window.
Beyond the tracks stood the reinforced perimeter surrounding Terminus.
Concrete barriers, Hesco bastions along sandbags overlooked the rail entrance. Armed soldiers watched the approaching train from behind cover.
As the locomotive slowed, two National Guard soldiers moved to the large steel gates blocking the rail line.
After a quick exchange over the radio, they disengaged the locking mechanism.
The heavy gates slowly swung inward.
The locomotive rolled through the entrance.
One by one, the passenger coaches and flatcars followed into the secured rail yard.
Only after the last car had cleared the entrance did the guards begin closing the gates behind them once more.
The train gradually slowed before coming to a stop alongside the platform.
For a brief moment, only the quiet ticking of the locomotive's engine could be heard.
Then the carriage doors slid open.
"All right, let's move!"
Soldiers immediately began filing out of the passenger cars, boots thudding against the platform as they spread out with practiced efficiency.
Others headed straight for the flatcars carrying the Humvees and trucks, preparing to uncouple the securing chains before unloading the vehicles.
Everything unfolded with quiet discipline.
Jolene stepped carefully onto the platform, her daughter holding tightly to her hand.
She stopped almost immediately.
Her eyes slowly wandered across the settlement.
High perimeter walls surrounded the community.
Improvised guard towers overlooked the approaches beyond them.
Military trucks sat parked beside warehouses while engineers worked nearby.
Civilians walked through the compound carrying crates, repairing equipment, or speaking with soldiers as though such scenes had become part of everyday life.
For several long moments, Jolene simply stared.
"...Is this..."
She struggled to find the words.
Her daughter looked up at her with wide eyes.
"Mom..."
The little girl pointed toward a group of children playing under the watchful eye of two adults.
"There are other kids."
Jolene felt her throat tighten.
For the first time in months...
She wasn't looking at a camp struggling to survive. She was looking at people beginning to live again.
···
As soldiers continued unloading the Humvees and cargo trucks from the flatcars, Andrew stepped onto the platform.
Shane, Ramirez, Valeria, Tucker, Cole and the rest of his squad fell in behind him, followed by several Rangers and National Guard soldiers.
Waiting near the station building stood a man in Army combat uniform, accompanied by two soldiers.
The captain took a few steps forward as Andrew approached.
"Lieutenant Mercer."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Welcome to Terminus."
Andrew returned the smile and offered his hand.
"Captain Harper. It's good to see you again."
The two men shook hands firmly.
"I appreciate you having everything ready before we arrived."
Harper gave a slight nod. He glanced toward the train where engineers were already directing the unloading of the vehicles.
"The unloading crews are in position. The Humvees should be off the flatcars within the next few minutes. We got a warehouse prepared to store the supplies, and your people have a place to rest if they need it."
Andrew looked around the compound.
Everything was organized.
Soldiers moved with purpose between the warehouses.
Engineers inspected sections of the perimeter.
Lookouts stood watch atop the fighting positions overlooking the approaches to Terminus.
Exactly what he'd hoped to find.
"Looks like you've been keeping busy."
Harper chuckled.
"We've had plenty to do."
Andrew's expression then became more serious. He glanced briefly toward the others before returning his attention to Harper.
"We've had some new developments on the way here."
Harper immediately caught the change in his tone.
"What kind of developments?"
Andrew lowered his voice.
"We picked up two survivors. A mother and her daughter. They gave us information about an organized hostile group operating out of Stone Mountain High School."
He paused.
"They're armed and they're holding civilians captives. We've been told they've been raiding and extorting other groups of survivors in the area."
Harper's expression hardened.
"That's... not in any of our reports."
"It wasn't in ours either," Andrew replied. "But it is now."
He looked toward the station building.
"We need somewhere private. We've got a lot to discuss before this operation moves another mile."