Adrian remained near the reinforced window for a few more seconds before finally turning away from the medical ward.

The wounded soldiers behind him continued resting quietly while doctors and nurses moved nonstop between beds. Some soldiers slept from pure exhaustion while others simply stared silently into space.

The battle ended.

But the scars were still fresh.

Adrian eventually stepped out of the medical building and into the colder night air outside.

Basa Air Base remained active despite the fighting ending earlier. Recovery operations continued beneath bright floodlights while engineering teams repaired damaged fortifications around the perimeter.

Further across the tarmac, helicopters continued arriving from cleanup sectors carrying scavenged supplies and recovered personnel.

As Adrian walked through one of the inner roads, he noticed something different ahead.

Civilians.

Dozens of them.

Families slowly emerging from one of the secured barracks buildings that had been used as an emergency shelter during the battle.

Most of them looked exhausted and confused after being locked inside for days.

Some carried bags.

Some carried children.

Others simply stood outside staring at the night sky as if they still could not believe they survived.

A few soldiers nearby were handing out bottled water and food packs while trying to calm the civilians.

Then Adrian noticed a familiar face.

Marco.

The man immediately recognized Adrian too.

"Sir!"

Marco quickly approached with visible relief on his face.

Beside him was Liza, carefully carrying their baby in her arms beneath a wrapped blanket.

Their daughter Mia stood beside them tightly holding her mother’s hand.

The little girl looked pale and tired, but alive.

And behind them stood Chandrika.

Marco stopped in front of Adrian.

"What happened out there?" he asked immediately. "We heard explosions for days. Gunfire too. Nobody told us anything except to stay inside."

Liza tightened her grip slightly around the baby while Mia quietly hid partly behind her leg.

Even Chandrika watched Adrian carefully now.

Waiting.

Adrian looked at the family for a moment before answering.

"There was a zombie horde, but we have taken care of them."

For a moment, nobody spoke after Adrian said that.

The sounds of the air base continued around them.

Helicopter rotors.

Engines.

Voices from nearby soldiers.

Construction equipment repairing damaged fortifications.

But around Marco and his family, everything briefly felt still.

Marco slowly exhaled.

"A horde..." he repeated quietly. "How many are we talking about?"

Adrian glanced briefly toward the distant southern horizon where smoke still lingered faintly beneath the night sky.

"Hundreds of thousands." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Marco froze.

Even Liza’s expression changed immediately.

"What?" she whispered.

Mia looked upward in confusion again, trying to understand numbers that large.

But Chandrika understood instantly.

Her eyes widened slightly before narrowing again as she processed it.

"You’re serious," she said quietly.

Adrian nodded once.

"The entire southern approach toward the base was flooded with infected."

Marco stared at him in disbelief.

"And you stopped all of that?"

"It wasn’t easy. But the most important thing is that we are safe. We are doing the best we can to make sure everything returns to normal. You can now return to your quarters without restrictions."

For a moment, the family simply stared at him after hearing that.

The tension in Marco’s shoulders finally loosened slightly.

Not completely.

But enough.

Liza looked like she wanted to cry from relief, though she held it back while carefully rocking the baby in her arms. The infant remained asleep beneath the blanket, unaware of the nightmare that had unfolded just outside the shelter walls.

Mia slowly stepped slightly out from behind her mother.

"So... we can go outside now?" she asked softly.

Adrian nodded once.

"Inside the base only. Stay away from the outer perimeter for now. Recovery teams are still working out there."

The little girl nodded seriously like she understood the importance of that.

Marco exhaled heavily before running both hands over his face.

"Jesus... I thought we were done for."

"You weren’t the only one," Chandrika quietly said.

Her voice remained calm, but Adrian noticed the exhaustion underneath it now.

She had been holding herself together for days.

Probably for the sake of the others.

Marco gave a weak laugh.

"That second night..." He shook his head slowly. "The walls were shaking nonstop. We honestly thought the infected had broken through."

"They almost did," Adrian admitted honestly.

The family went quiet again after hearing that.

Nearby, several civilians overheard the conversation and visibly stiffened.

A mother holding her son closer immediately looked toward the southern side of the base with nervous eyes.

The reality of how close they came to dying still had not fully settled in for everyone.

Chandrika folded her arms slightly while looking around and then approached him.

"Uhm, Adrian."

Adrian looked at Chandrika. "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"Uhm, we have been living here as survivors for days I couldn’t even count anymore," Chandrika said quietly. "And I want you to know that I have this curiosity if I can be part of your force? Like a volunteer."

The question caught Marco and Liza off guard immediately.

"Chandrika..." Marco muttered.

But she kept her eyes on Adrian.

There was hesitation in her voice, but not fear.

Adrian studied her quietly for a moment beneath the floodlights surrounding the road.

Now that he looked closer, he could see the exhaustion on her face more clearly. Dark circles rested beneath her eyes, and her clothes were still wrinkled from being trapped inside the emergency shelter for days.

But even with that exhaustion, she still stood straight.

"You want to volunteer?" Adrian asked.

Chandrika nodded slowly.

"I know I’m not a soldier," she admitted. "But after hearing what happened outside... I don’t want to just sit around waiting for other people to protect me forever."

The words lingered quietly between them.

Nearby, soldiers continued moving supplies through the road while recovery crews worked beneath the bright lights of the air base.

Marco rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"She’s been talking about helping since the second day," he admitted quietly. "Even inside the shelter."

"Well, I appreciate the intention, I’ll consider it."