Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Zz... Fire! Everyone, kill those infected!"
"God... this is my fault..." Sergeant Castro couldn't believe Jackson had done something so reckless to lure the infected toward the base. If only he had killed him sooner, none of this would be happening.
"Zz... Sergeant Castro, do you copy?" Alan's voice came through the radio.
"Zz... You can regret this later. Right now, I need you—and so does your family, who's waiting for you." Alan had exited through the main gate, followed by a dozen soldiers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Everyone, bring the supplies inside! Don't be afraid!"
"I'm sorry, sir..." Castro now looked at Alan as a figure of unquestionable authority.
"It doesn't matter now. At least tell me—is he dead?" Alan approached the iron fence where the infected were piling up.
"He was bitten. He'll be dead soon enough."
"I really—"
Alan didn't let him finish. "Don't panic. Keep artillery firing nonstop. Seal all outer entrances, but not before bringing in the military equipment. It'll be transported little by little by cargo helicopters, so we only need to secure the building."
"Understood."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fear had taken over the soldiers, but just then a voice came through the intercoms, and all of them instantly stopped firing.
Alan, who stood in front of the infected, immediately said, "Zz... Use flamethrowers at the entrances. Don't let a single infected get into the main base."
"Zz... If you want to live, follow orders. Reinforcements are on the way, and they'll bomb this entire place if they have to."
Castro, confident in Alan's words, began issuing orders, and all the soldiers stopped firing and rushed outside the metal fences.
At the same time, trucks were positioned along the edges of the metal barriers to keep them from collapsing easily. After that, everyone ran back into the building.
"The remaining helicopters must head to the designated location. There's a temporary safe base there, and we'll begin evacuating from that point," Alan said to a group of soldiers, who nodded in acknowledgment.
Then, turning to the man to his right, Alan asked seriously, "What do you want to do?"
"Díaz told me you're the best pilot—retired directly from the special forces. If your passion is doing crazy things, do you want to risk it for my plan to draw all the infected away?" Alan ignored the chaos around him.
Rafael, a veteran, had heard a lot about Alan. He nodded firmly. "If it's safe, I'll do it."
"Fly low. The infected need to follow us to a designated point. Then, the bomber helicopters will arrive from the sky and wipe them out," Alan said, watching the metal fences buckle under pressure.
It was a risky move—trying to eliminate the infected to secure as many supplies as possible. But if it worked, it could save them all.
"I can do it." Rafael had no family, but he knew many of his friends had been able to speak to theirs thanks to the man in front of him. He didn't care about Alan's age—as long as his plans were sound.
He had spent his whole life risking everything for his country and had been deeply disappointed by how little the higher-ups cared for civilians. If the future was now uncertain, he would at least follow what his heart believed to be right.
"Zz... Attention everyone: all internal and external lights will be turned off in one minute. Prepare yourselves and be alert for any infected that may infiltrate."
Alan climbed into the back of the helicopter, and within minutes they were flying near the entrance where the infected were gathering.
"Zz... I understand your plan, but are you really going to bomb everything to take them out?"
Wearing a headset, Alan understood Rafael's concern and replied, "I won't let the entire base be overrun by these infected. As long as there are fewer of them, we'll have enough of a fighting chance to save whoever we can."
A few minutes after takeoff, the base's exterior lights went dark. The only remaining lights came from the helicopter and the flashlight Alan pointed outside.
Night was falling, making the helicopter fully visible to the infected below. In massive waves, they moved toward it, as if trying to reach it with their hands.
Rafael piloted slowly, just enough to attract the attention of thousands of infected that followed in his direction.
From a distance, Riya had climbed up to the rooftop and watched the helicopter flying low "Is Alan in that helicopter?"
"He mentioned reinforcements were coming and would begin the evacuation of this base," said Cole, Daniel's trusted informant, explaining the current situation.
Riya nodded, understanding this was necessary. Still, she was surprised by Alan's method of diverting the infected. These were advanced combat tactics—something even the military hadn't thought of to handle massive infected hordes.
"Zz... Most of the distant infected have been lured away. The plan is working."
Upon hearing this, the terrified soldiers let out a collective sigh of relief and began moving quickly and tirelessly to start the evacuation.
…
"Zz... We're five minutes away from your current location, sir. Should we bomb the sides of the city?"
"Zz... Affirmative. After that, we'll begin immediate evacuations to the provisional base."
Alan knew this would attract the nearby infected, so once it was done, they would have to leave immediately.
Stuart, who led a squadron of seven helicopters, nodded and quickly ordered five of the cargo helicopters to head directly to the provisional base to begin transporting all useful materials.
"Once we arrive, we'll give the helicopter twenty seconds to pull away—then you'll hit it with everything you've got. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Then, may God help us all."