Nearby, Calista led Carver and the others toward the Black Hawk.
She was turning her head to say something to Carver. He listened intently, nodded, then boarded the helicopter first.
Glenn took a deep breath as well and pulled Maggie toward the waiting 407.
Inside the cabin, co-pilot Kenny helped secure their backpacks.
Lily, already seated, gave them a quick nod.
Twenty minutes later, the two helicopters began to lift off.
Maggie practically collapsed into her seat, her hands tightly clasped together. Glenn sat beside her and held her cold hand.
He was just as frantic with worry, but at least they were not fighting alone. What they were bringing back was a force strong enough to change the situation.
...
Early the next morning, just as gray-white dawn began to brighten the sky over the prison, a roar sounded in the distance, drawing closer and closer.
On the prison yard, Andrea, Jacqui, T-Dog, and the others, who had not slept all night, were leading people through the final cleanup, moving scattered bricks, stones, and debris to the side.
At the sound, everyone instinctively looked up and grabbed their weapons nervously.
Then they saw the familiar silver-blue civilian 407 emerge first from the thin mist to the north, lowering its altitude.
Right behind it, the shape that appeared beneath the heavier clouds made everyone's breath catch.
A helicopter painted entirely black, far larger than the 407, had also appeared. Anyone with even a little military knowledge felt their heart pound.
"A… a Black Hawk?" T-Dog's mouth fell open, and the shovel in his hand hit the ground with a clang.
Andrea froze completely too, staring up in shock.
From Dale and the others' discussions, she knew Calista had more than one aircraft, but she had assumed they were still smaller civilian models.
But the one in front of her was a true military-grade assault transport helicopter.
The two helicopters began to descend slowly.
The violent wind kicked up by the Black Hawk's rotors was far stronger than the Bell 407's, blowing so hard that the people on the ground could barely open their eyes. Dust and grass clippings flew everywhere.
The huge noise drowned out every other sound.
The helicopters landed steadily on the cleared open ground.
The Bell 407's cabin door opened first. Maggie practically stumbled out, her legs going weak so that she nearly fell, only for Glenn to catch her as he jumped down right behind her.
The two quickly searched the crowd for familiar faces.
"Dad! Beth!" Maggie cried out, then saw Hershel and Beth running over from the direction of Cell Block C.
Maggie rushed forward and threw her arms around Hershel and Beth. Her tears finally spilled over. "You're okay! Thank God! I was so scared…"
Glenn urgently grabbed Dale as he ran over. "Where's Rick? How is he? What about everyone else at the prison?"
"Rick's still unconscious. Hershel operated on him, but it doesn't look good," Dale said quickly, patting Glenn on the shoulder. "It's good that you're here. Don't panic yet."
Just then, the Black Hawk's cabin door slid open.
Carver, fully armed, was the first to jump down. His sharp gaze swept across the scene, one hand resting casually on the grip of the pistol at his waist.
After him came Mike, Bossie, Turner, Jenson, and Wells.
The four pilots came last.
Each of them was well-equipped, cold-faced, and efficient in their movements as they spread out into a loose security perimeter.
The aura around them, forged through years of fighting, instantly quieted the restless prison crowd. Many people subconsciously took half a step back.
Only then did Calista appear at the cabin door.
She was not wearing a helmet. Her golden hair lifted in the lingering wind from the rotors. She wore a dark combat uniform, carried a small tactical backpack, and had a pistol holstered at her waist.
Calista's calm gaze swept over the ruined prison yard, then the huge breach in the distance that had barely been blocked with all kinds of debris. Finally, her eyes met Andrea's as Andrea came forward.
Andrea looked at her, then at the silent Black Hawk behind her and the sharp, capable team members. A thousand words stuck in her throat, and in the end, all she managed was a strained nod. "Thank God you're here."
Calista walked up to her and asked seriously, "Andrea, how bad is it?"
Andrea closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had steadied herself somewhat. "Worse than what we said over the radio, maybe.
Rick still hasn't woken up. He lost too much blood and has had a low fever this whole time. Hershel did everything he could, but we're short on medicine.
Nearly seven meters of the northwest wall collapsed, and part of the barbed wire was torn open with it. We blocked it with everything we could find, but it won't hold for long.
Two people died, and several others have minor injuries."
She paused, then added, "The attackers… got away. T-Dog killed one, and Rick wounded another, but we couldn't catch them."
Calista listened silently, her gaze darkening. "Take me to Rick."
After the operation, Rick had been placed in a relatively clean cell. His face was pale, his lips were cracked, and his breathing was weak.
Carol sat beside him, carefully wiping his forehead with a damp cloth. Carl was there too, holding his father's hand without saying a word.
Calista walked in, with Maggie and Glenn following behind her.
At the sight of Rick, Glenn's eyes immediately reddened. Maggie covered her mouth and turned her face away.
Carol saw Calista and gave her a weary nod. "Calista, thank you for coming."
"How is Rick?" Calista walked to the bedside and carefully checked Rick's complexion and his heavily bandaged shoulder.
"Hershel removed the bullet, but Rick lost a lot of blood, and the wound has already started showing signs of infection. I gave him some oral antibiotics, but the effect… hasn't been obvious."
Her voice was full of helplessness and worry. "Hershel said he needs stronger IV antibiotics, nutritional support, and professional postoperative care. We… don't have any of that."
Calista looked at Lily, who had followed them in.
Lily immediately stepped forward, gently loosened the bandage to examine the wound, then checked Rick's pupils, pulse, and temperature.
"The wound was treated in time, and the technique was fairly professional, but the conditions were too poor. Infection was inevitable. Also, just a little lower than this spot, it looks like he was shot there not long ago. The two wounds are too close together."
Lily lowered her voice and said to Calista, "Among the supplies we brought are broad-spectrum IV antibiotics and fever reducers. We can start those immediately.
We also have plasma substitutes and nutritional agents. They should help him get through the most dangerous phase.
But whether he wakes up, and how much function his left arm can recover after he does, will depend on his constitution and luck."
The other wound must have been from before the virus outbreak, when Rick was shot while chasing a criminal and fell into a coma. He had woken up straight into the walker apocalypse, and the story had begun from there.
With two injuries stacked so close together, even a body made of iron would struggle to endure it.
Rick really did have it rough.
"Lily, just do your best," Calista said. Then she turned to Carol. "Lily will take over Rick's follow-up treatment. She needs to know the details of the operation and every medication you used."
Carol visibly breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her again and again.
Lily had already opened the medical kit she brought and started preparing the IV equipment.
Calista stepped aside to give her room.
Glenn stayed by the bed, watching over Rick while comforting Carl.
The leaderless prison gradually began to settle down.