Brian's heart raced with the thought that Joel and Tommy might still be alive. But as he calmed down and thought it through, he realized how far-fetched the idea was.
For starters, if Joel and Tommy were alive, why hadn't they come looking for them?
Instead, they had gone to Houston. Moreover, the story about them taking out an entire platoon of fifty soldiers seemed exaggerated.
While Brian knew Tommy was a good shot, he wasn't sure about Joel's skills. Even if he gave them the benefit of the doubt, they couldn't go to Houston now.
The news he had heard was that Houston had already fallen and was overrun with the infected. Even if they made it there, they'd likely find nothing but danger.
With a sigh, Brian shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the speculation. He couldn't base their entire plan on such a slim possibility.
He glanced at the woods, where Sarah was emerging from the bushes, and checked his watch. Almost an hour had passed, and the convoy still showed no signs of moving. He turned to Sarah and said, "I'm going to check what's happening up front. Want to come?"
"Sure, let's go," Sarah replied, her earlier playfulness gone. They walked back along the main road, passing the group of thirty-odd people still kneeling as punishment.
Their faces were pale, and their knees trembled violently. Some looked like they might collapse at any moment. Brian glanced at them briefly but didn't dwell on it. People had to face the consequences of their actions.
A few minutes later, they reached a crowd of people gathered around a group of soldiers. The soldiers had formed a human barrier, keeping the onlookers at a distance. Brian and Sarah squeezed through the crowd to get a better view.
The road ahead was filled with people pushing cars out of the way, clearing a path for the buses. It was a massive effort, with groups of people working together to move vehicles, some of which were overturned and required the combined strength of dozens to be righted.
After nearly an hour of hard work, the road was almost clear. Brian marveled at the efficiency of the group effort. In the middle of the crowd, he noticed a scarred man in a different uniform, calmly directing the operation. He seemed to be in charge, organizing the efforts and maintaining order.
Seeing that the road would soon be clear, Brian decided to head back to the bus. As they left, a soldier with a megaphone announced that the road would be open soon and urged everyone still outside to return to the buses.
The women and children were the first to board, followed by the men who had been helping with the cars. The last to get on was the young man who had caused the trouble earlier. He looked worse for wear, barely able to walk without support from his friends.
Brian noticed the young man glare at the female soldier and those who had betrayed him. The soldier, however, seemed unfazed, as if the young man's anger was nothing more than a joke.
With the engine starting, the bus moved forward again. The adult males, exhausted from the earlier ordeal, quickly fell asleep. The sound of snoring filled the bus. Brian felt his eyelids growing heavy.
Suddenly, he felt something lean against his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw that Sarah had fallen asleep, using him as a pillow. Feeling the weight, Brian's sleepiness grew stronger. He leaned his head against hers and soon drifted off to sleep.
The Journey Continues.
The rest of the journey was relatively uneventful. Whenever the convoy approached a town, the military trucks would stop at the outskirts first.
Soldiers would enter to secure the area, ensuring it was safe for the rest of the convoy to pass through. Fortunately, the towns they passed through had only a few scattered infected, posing no real threat to the armed soldiers.
As evening approached, the convoy stopped outside a small town called Vascom. The plan was to spend the night there.
As usual, the military trucks drove into the town first, while the rest of the vehicles waited outside. After about fifteen minutes, the sound of gunfire and explosions erupted from within the town. The intensity of the gunfire suggested a significant number of infected inside.
The civilians waiting on the bus knew that the situation inside the town was serious. However, the gunfire didn't last long. After just half an hour, the vehicles started moving again, slowly entering the town.
The streets were dimly lit by the military's floodlights, casting eerie shadows on the snow-covered rooftops and streets.
The sight of soldiers in pairs dragging the bodies of the infected to designated areas was a grim reminder of the reality they faced. The smell of blood was overwhelming, making the civilians inside the bus feel nauseous.
Brian, despite being somewhat accustomed to the smell of blood, couldn't help but wrinkle his nose and close the bus window to block out the stench.
The military trucks moved to secure key points in the town, creating a safe zone. The large buses and fuel trucks drove to the town center, where the civilians would rest for the night.
Once the buses stopped, everyone was instructed to get off with their luggage and backpacks. After a long day of sitting, everyone's muscles ached, and they stretched and massaged their sore spots.
There was no time for rest yet, as everyone was assigned tasks. Some followed soldiers to search houses for any remaining infected, while others helped clean the streets, removing the bodies of the infected.
Others carried food supplies from the military's storage vehicles to distribution points. With nearly seven thousand people—both civilians and soldiers—the need for food was high.
The military didn't plan to cook hot meals, but Commander Harry ordered hot soup to be prepared in a large kitchen to warm everyone up before the night got colder.
Everyone was given a task, even the children, who were encouraged to help where they could. While some prepared food, others dismantled furniture to make fires for warmth.
The town's electricity was restored by the military using small generators, but only enough to light the street lamps. No one minded; they were used to living without electricity. The ability to see in the dark was a small comfort.
As everyone in the town bustled with their tasks, none of them knew that in a nearby town, a massive horde of infected was heading their way.