Chapter 38 – Human Nature
A Cougar helicopter hovered above the office building.
The wind from the rotors battered the rooftop, scattering dust, broken glass, and loose debris across the concrete.
Rick and Sean crouched low, shielding their eyes.
Then the helicopter door opened.
A rope dropped.
Glenn slid down quickly, landing in a controlled crouch. A military-grade radio was strapped to his waist.
He looked up, gave a thumbs-up, and gestured.
The helicopter lifted higher and maintained a steady hover.
Glenn ran toward them and handed Rick the radio.
"The boss wants to talk to you."
Rick took it immediately.
"This is Rick."
A faint static crackled.
Wu Fan's voice came through.
"What's the situation?"
Rick quickly organized his thoughts.
"There's a nursing home here. Thirty-seven people. Twenty-five elderly with mobility issues, twelve caregivers. They're all good people. I can guarantee it."
A short silence followed.
Rick waited.
He knew how unreasonable it sounded.
Then—
"Nursing home?"
Wu Fan's tone shifted slightly.
"I see."
"Go to the suburban construction site. There should be container trucks there. Use them to transport the elderly."
Rick blinked.
"What about the Walkers?"
"I'll handle them."
A pause.
"Glenn stays on-site as backup. Rick, Sean—you have one hour."
The line cut.
Rick lowered the radio.
"Let's move."
Inside the nursing home, panic had already spread.
The explosions outside had shaken the entire building.
Elderly residents clustered in hallways—wheelchairs, canes, trembling hands.
Guillermo stood near the entrance, trying to calm everyone.
"Stay calm! Stay calm!"
Rick and Sean rushed in.
"What's happening out there?" Guillermo asked immediately.
Rick answered quickly.
"We're getting trucks. We'll move everyone out."
"Trucks?"
Guillermo laughed bitterly.
"Where are you going to find trucks in this mess?"
Rick didn't answer directly.
"Construction site. Suburbs. We need drivers."
One young man stepped forward.
"I'll go."
Guillermo hesitated, then nodded.
"Be careful."
The group split.
Inside the hall, the elderly gathered quietly.
Some were frightened.
Some were resigned.
Some simply sat in silence.
An old woman spoke softly from her wheelchair.
"We're too old. Don't waste your lives on us."
Another elderly man nodded.
"We've lived long enough. You should leave us behind."
The room fell quiet.
Rick froze.
He had seen death.
He had seen cruelty.
But this… was different.
People choosing to give up not because they were weak—
But because they didn't want to be a burden.
Guillermo knelt beside the old woman.
"That's not your decision to make."
Tears filled the room.
Family members held onto their loved ones.
"No, Mom… please don't say that."
"Grandpa, we're leaving together."
Glenn stood at the doorway, quietly watching.
Then he cleared his throat.
"The trucks are coming. We can fit everyone."
He paused.
"Our boss said no one gets left behind."
That changed something.
Hope returned.
Slowly.
Fragile, but real.
Above Atlanta.
The city was burning in fragments.
A Cougar helicopter carved through the sky like a blade.
Below, Walker hordes surged toward the sound of explosions.
Wu Fan's eyes stayed fixed on the streets.
Too slow.
Still not enough.
He pressed the trigger.
Whoosh—BOOM!
Another street vanished in fire.
The system flashed rapidly.
[Kill Walker +10, Points +100]
Numbers climbed endlessly.
But his expression didn't change.
He adjusted course again.
Pulled the horde further west.
"Keep following," he muttered.
The helicopter banked sharply.
Streets and rooftops below.
Rick and Sean sprinted across makeshift plank bridges between buildings.
Each step creaked under their weight.
Each jump brought them closer to the edge of the city.
Sean glanced back.
"You think he's really dragging all of them away?"
Rick didn't slow down.
"If he said he will, then he will."
Construction site – suburbs.
A container truck sat abandoned.
Two young men rushed in.
No keys.
So they improvised.
Sparks flew.
The engine roared to life.
"It works!"
They drove immediately.
Back at the nursing home.
The first truck arrived.
Chaos—but controlled chaos.
Elderly residents were lifted carefully.
Wheelchairs loaded first.
Belongings next.
Hands held tightly.
No one wanted to let go.
Glenn counted.
"Thirty-one… thirty-two… thirty-three…"
"Last one!"
The final elder was helped aboard.
Doors closed.
Engines started.
The convoy moved out.
Behind them, explosions echoed across Atlanta.
But this time—
They were getting farther away.