The following morning, Second Company stopped outside the first survivor enclave on its eastern route.
The surrounding roads had already been cleared the previous afternoon. Scouts checked them again after sunrise before Sabine allowed anyone closer to the barricades.
Most of the company remained several blocks away.
Bringing thirty Guardian APCs and twenty Vanguards to someone’s front door was not particularly useful if the objective was to convince them that nobody intended to take the place by force. Not unless that someone was an infected.
Sabine took one Guardian APC forward with a Standard Infantry Squad.
The road narrowed between several residential buildings before ending at a barricade assembled from abandoned vehicles, concrete barriers, fencing, and whatever else the survivors had managed to move into place. People watched from windows and rooftops farther inside.
Several carried rifles, but nobody fired.
The APC stopped well outside the barricade. Sabine dismounted with the squad leader while the rest of the soldiers remained around the vehicle.
A man appeared behind the barricade after several minutes. Two others stayed farther back.
"That’s close enough."
Sabine and her entourage stopped.
The man looked past her toward the Guardian APC.
"We saw you people yesterday. Loitering around the area, probably looking for something."
"Probably."
"Them helicopters yours?"
"Ours."
"And jets too?"
"Also ours."
That answer caused more movement behind the barricade. The man looked at her again.
"What do you people want?! We’re living peacefully here."
"We were ordered to establish contact with every survivor position along this route."
"By who?"
"Our Commander."
"What military?"
"Independent."
"Independent from who?"
"Everyone."
The man gave her a flat look. "The same shit as always? You think we’re going to believe that?!"
Several rifles came up behind the barricade. The soldiers around Sabine kept their weapons low, though their attention immediately settled on the armed survivors.
She waited.
The man took a deep breath and lowered his gun. His subordinates followed hesitantly.
He took a deep breath and spoke again.
"You’re all clearing the roads. Don’t tell me you’re up to something."
"We’re clearing the city."
"For what exactly? Or is this another ploy and that you’re secretly wanting our place."
"No."
That earned another look. Sabine continued before the conversation circled around the same question.
"You can remain here if you want. The surrounding route will continue being cleared. If you prefer to leave, we can take you toward one of our secured civilian areas. But do not interfere with our operations."
The man said nothing for several seconds.
"That’s it?"
"That’s it."
"Bullshit."
Sabine did not respond. He pointed toward the APC.
"You people come here with tanks, helicopters, jets, whatever else you’ve got, and you’re telling me you’re offering transportation somewhere safe because you feel charitable?"
"I didn’t say we were. We’re giving you a choice."
The man didn’t reply and looked at her instead.
"We’re clearing Grefort. Leaving unknown survivor groups inside areas where aircraft and artillery may operate creates problems for both of us. We need to know where you are, whether anyone needs evacuation, and whether you’re staying."
"And what does your Commander get?"
"We know who’s here and what’s your stand."
The man frowned.
"That’s really all?"
"We also prefer not to kill civilians."
One of the people behind the barricade laughed once, though Sabine could not tell whether it came from amusement or disbelief.
Another survivor stepped closer. A woman this time.
"If we go with you, what happens?"
"You’ll be taken through the secured route. Food, water, medical support, and shelter are available."
"And then?"
"That depends on where you decide to settle."
"You put people to work?"
"If you’re asking whether civilians help run the settlements, yes."
The man cut back in.
"See? There’s the damn catch."
Sabine looked at him. "People still cook, clean, repair things, move supplies, and take care of where they live. If you mean forced labor, no."
"What about conscription?"
"We do not conscript civilians."
"And what happens when you start running short on soldiers? You hand us rifles?"
The man shifted between his subordinate and Sabine. "Your soldiers all volunteered?"
"They were soldiers before you met them."
That answer did not help his expression. Sabine had no intention of explaining the System to these civilians.
The woman looked toward the soldiers around the APC instead.
"And if we say no?"
"Then stay. We won’t force you out. Just keep clear of our military routes."
Neither survivor answered immediately. Sabine pointed toward the road behind her.
"We’ll mark this compound as occupied. Keep your people inside the marked safe area whenever aircraft are operating nearby. Don’t enter military routes without checking the nearest checkpoint."
"That’s it?"
"Yes."
The man looked increasingly irritated by how little there was to argue against.
"And you just leave?"
"We have somewhere else to be."
Several people behind the barricade started talking at once.
The discussion continued for a while without involving Sabine. Some wanted to know where the secured settlements were. Others wanted nothing to do with an armed force they had only seen for the first time the previous day.
One voice from farther inside asked about medicine. The woman turned back.
"We have people who need treatment."
"How many?"
She hesitated.
"I’ll have someone bring the list."
"Do that."
"And you’re going to send doctors?"
"Our Medics. They won’t enter unless you allow it."
The man folded his arms.
"You’ve got an answer for everything. You rehearse this or something?"
"No. You just keep on asking the same questions."
He stared at her.
One of the Army Soldiers beside the APC looked away.
Sabine ignored him.
The woman disappeared farther inside and returned several minutes later with a sheet of paper. She passed it through a gap in the barricade rather than opening anything.
Sabine read it once and handed it to the squad leader.
"Send this to the Medic pair."
"Understood."
The man watched the exchange.
"Suppose some people want to leave and the rest don’t wanna. What will happen to them?"
"We’ll only take the ones who consent to leave."
"And their families? Friends?"
"They can decide for themselves."
"And you don’t dare demand shit for everyone else to follow?"
"I’ve already answered that."
Another long discussion began behind the barricade.
Sabine checked the time.
Second Company had other roads to open, and the surrounding infected were not going to disappear because one enclave needed several hours to decide whether the military was lying.
She raised her communicator.
"Second Company, maintain current sectors."
Acknowledgements followed.
The man noticed.
"You sound like you’re waiting for something"
"For our Medics."
"I meant your company. Your other people."
Sabine no longer replied which irritated the man even more. He looked past her again, toward the streets where the larger force remained out of sight.
Eventually, some of the tension left his shoulders.
"We’ll send people to look at this safe route of yours."
The woman beside him gave the man a look. He ignored it.
"I just want to reassure myself and my people. You don’t understand what this looks like from our side, do you?"
Sabine remained silent.
A Guardian APC appeared at the far intersection several minutes later and stopped. The male Medic pair dismounted with a small escort and approached on foot.
The barricade remained closed. After another exchange between the survivors, a narrow pedestrian section finally opened.
Only the Medics entered, carrying medicinal supplies. The soldiers stayed outside.
Sabine waited until the opening closed behind them, then looked toward the man.
"We’ll leave a marked route to the nearest checkpoint. Send your people when you’re ready."
He nodded once, though suspicion was still at the back of his mind.
Sabine returned to the APC while the rest of Second Company continued holding the surrounding streets.
The enclave remained where it was, its position now marked on Second Company’s map as occupied.
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