"So let me get this straight — you're still here because you were searching for your boyfriend and trying to rescue your captured people?"
Bryan listened in genuine surprise. After a brief pause, he asked the question gnawing at him without waiting for confirmation. "Your other teammates agreed to that?"
"Of course they didn't."
A bitter smile crossed Andrea's face. "But we're the only ones in the group willing to go out and scavenge for food. Against those survivors and the Infected, we're the ones who fight — so if we refuse to leave, the others certainly won't go alone."
There were things she left unsaid. Some members had already started pushing back. She'd had to talk them into staying a little longer.
"If you ask me, we should've never rescued those people in the first place!"
The topic ignited Leo's temper. "If those freeloaders hadn't complained about the march being too hard and insisted on extra rest stops, Ed and Barren wouldn't have gone missing while looking for supplies. Theodore and the others wouldn't have gotten captured. We'd have been long gone. And they still have the nerve to complain all day! Those dead weights should just—"
"That's enough!"
Andrea's sharp tone cut him off, her brow creased with displeasure.
Bryan watched the exchange quietly, forming a clearer picture of Andrea's character with every passing moment.
Strong decision-making. Decisive under pressure. But far too lenient with her people. Heart over head, unable to bring the hammer down. Kind to a fault, with a fierce instinct to protect the weak.
The trouble was, that very kindness dragged down her capable teammates, breeding resentment and fracture within the group. Their ordeal in Peachtree City was a textbook example.
And from what they were telling him, discontent was already brewing.
Bryan could easily picture what would have happened without his arrival. Andrea would've stayed indefinitely. Before long, the group would've split — half wanting to leave for the QZ, half wanting to stay and mount a rescue. That would've been interesting.
"The person leading this group before," he said, "that wasn't you. Was it?"
Andrea blinked, startled and wary. "How... how did you know?"
"Because you're too soft with your people."
Bryan leaned back casually. "With a journey this long, your personality would've torn this group apart before you were halfway here."
The words landed like a hammer — not just on Andrea and Leo, but even on Hannah, who'd been standing quietly to the side with an air of calm far beyond her years. All three stared at him.
"Jesus — you sound exactly like Captain Robert!"
Leo's jaw dropped, finger pointing at Bryan in disbelief. He quickly elaborated: "Robert was our previous leader. He got bitten covering our retreat and passed the leadership to Andrea. When he did, he said the exact same thing — that she was too lenient with the group, that she needed to be harder and stricter to keep discipline and prevent the kind of problems that get people killed."
His voice trailed off as he caught himself, hand clapping over his mouth. He shot a guilty glance at Andrea.
But Andrea had lowered her head, lips pressed tight, fists clenched. She wasn't unaware of her shortcomings. Every time she saw the pleading in someone's eyes, though, she just couldn't bring herself to be harsh.
Leo's words brought back memories of Captain Robert's leadership — when everyone had been disciplined, sharp, focused. No one slacking off.
The realization hit her like ice water. The situation they were in now — she'd created it. Her tolerance, her leniency had enabled the lazy, emboldened the selfish, hurt the people who actually cared about the group, dragged down the capable... and maybe even gotten the man she loved killed.
"One last question."
Bryan didn't spare a glance for Andrea's crumbling composure. Under Hannah's furious glare, he drove the point home.
"Have you considered abandoning the rescue entirely and just leading everyone out of here?"
"Never."
The answer came before he'd even finished speaking. Andrea's head snapped up, bloodshot eyes blazing with conviction. "They were captured because of this group. Even if I'm the last one standing, I will never abandon them."
Bryan held her gaze for a long time. The words weren't hollow — he could see that clearly. He didn't agree with her approach, but he respected the person behind it.
He sat there in silence, fingers drumming lightly on the table, then glanced at his watch as if waiting for something.
Andrea and Leo exchanged looks, a knot of anxiety in their stomachs. Whether or not their captured people could be saved might very well depend on this man's decision.
"Kssh — Squad Leader, this is Norman."
After a solid thirty minutes, at exactly 2:00 PM, Bryan's radio crackled to life.
Bryan snapped to attention, keying the radio. "I'm here. What's your status?"
"I just watched a group cross the bridge into that hotel. Twenty people total. Combined with whoever's already inside, I'd estimate no more than twenty-five. They're all armed — mostly rifles, though about a third are carrying only pistols."
"Copy that. Keep watching. If numbers change, report immediately."
"Roger."
Switching off the radio, Bryan pulled out a flask and took a small sip, his mind spinning into overdrive.
Five against twenty-five, both sides armed. On paper, they were outgunned. But in reality, those numbers weren't a problem. The enemy didn't know they'd been exposed. Their entire plan had been compromised. With the element of surprise, fighting untrained civilians — the odds were closer to ninety percent in his favor.
Across from him, all three were watching. They couldn't hear the radio, but they knew he'd been coordinating with someone.
"I knew it — he has a team."
Andrea's eyes shone. She'd suspected all along that a QZ convoy was backing him, which was exactly why she'd laid everything on the table. Now, confirmed, she felt a surge of hope. And judging by how he carried himself, his rank wasn't low, either.
"I'll help you rescue your people."
Bryan rose from his seat, meeting their hopeful gazes with a definitive nod. He'd already decided to move against the local survivors — and their stockpile of supplies needed to be seized. Freeing a few hostages was just a bonus.
"Save the thanks."
He raised a hand to cut off Andrea's gratitude. "Do you know where their camp is?"
Caught off guard by the question, Andrea answered without hesitation. "Of course — it's at a golf course complex."
Bryan nodded. "Go back now. Gather everyone in your group who can fight. Tonight, assemble near the golf course."
He reached into his pack, pulled out a spare radio, and tossed it to them. "I'll contact you when it's time."
"That's it?"
Andrea frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the sparse plan. "Look, if you have an operation tonight, we can help—"
"No need."
Bryan's refusal was instant. "We don't have enough trust between us yet. Some risks are better avoided." He paused. "And my name is Bryan."
Without another word, he turned and walked away, vanishing from sight before the three could react.
Moments later, Bryan reappeared on the rooftop where he'd originally hidden, retrieved the two buckets of gasoline, and continued on his way.
He ducked into a corner pub, emptied every last expired beer bottle, and filled them with gasoline. Strips of cloth sealed the necks — one Molotov cocktail after another, his weapon of choice. Unlike grenades, they didn't announce themselves with a deafening blast.
Surveying his growing collection of firebombs, Bryan's eyes glinted with anticipation.
Tonight's blaze was going to be unavoidable.
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