บท 41: Goshen County: The Light in the Darkness
Somewhere in the dark lands of Goshen County, a group marched through the desolation with determination and calm. They wore dirtied clothes with some bare armor on their shoulders and chests.
Each of them held spears, with some of them equipped with holsters for handguns. The group was also cautious, as each step in their march produced nothing but silence.
"We're almost near the outskirts of Hawk Springs. As long as we pass through this hill. We'll finally be able to see it."
The one leading the group was an old coot with scars all over his face. He had a cold expression and guided the group. Those dreaded scars alone spoke of the past.
After all, if it was merely an aberrant who had done such a thing, he wouldn't be alive in front of them. So, one could only conclude that the man saw horrendous things in the apocalypse.
An exhausted young adult glanced at the old coot and quietly complained to him.
"Why are we heading there, old Joseph? That place is teeming with aberrants."
Others also harbored the same questions as him. They wondered what the old coot was thinking about. The group followed him since they owed the man some favors.
Despite his erratic and strange thinking, the old coot was to be trusted. And honestly, without him, none of them would be trekking with him.
The old coot, or Joseph, gazed back at the group and questioned. After all, they were already near their destination. It would be too troublesome to go back.
"Do you remember the scout group who claimed to have seen an armored convoy passing through the highway?"
The group remembered what had recently happened at the Gathering. A scout group reported the appearance of a military convoy on the highway.
None believed them, and there was no evidence of the convoy's existence. Most people thought of it as the madness of the Dark Cataclysmic Era encroaching over the scout group's minds.
They had heard the same thing again and again these past few months. But no matter how much they investigated, it was always the same.
There was nothing.
"Do you really believe what those people are saying, old Joseph? I thought you were wiser than that."
A middle-aged woman entered the conversation and shook her head exasperatedly. After all, she looked highly of the old coot. To think he was fooled by others' madness.
"I wouldn't have believed it, but I heard it myself."
The words of Joseph made the middle-aged woman freeze. A serious expression took over her face. While he was an old coot, he had the best senses in their group.
There was no way he would have heard wrong.
Others in the group also had the same thoughts. If Joseph had really heard it, then there must be some truth in the words of the scout group.
"Can you explain, old Joseph?"
The young adult wanted to know what the old one actually heard. It was hard to not get curious. Many mysterious things happen in the darkness of the eternal night, so curiosity couldn't be avoided.
"I was near this hill since I wanted to check the outskirts of Hawk Springs."
"You damnable old coot. Are you crazy?"
When Joseph was explaining his ordeal, the middle-aged woman immediately reacted. The Hawk Springs was a forbidden zone for survivors.
It was the second most populated place in Goshen County. Naturally, it would be teeming with aberrants.
"I know, I know... I don't need to hear your comments about the things I did. I'm still alive at this moment."
Joseph didn't care what she thought about his stupid exploration of the Hawk Spring's outskirts. He looked at others in his group and continued his explanation.
"Anyhow, I heard explosions and saw blinking lights gleaming over the hill. The sound of machine guns and the rattle of tracks resounded in the fiasco. It was quite something."
"I was horrified when it first happened, but as time passed, I felt excitement. Though, I didn't dare to go over the hill."
"Some might consider me brave, but I'm still capable of feeling fear. I was afraid at that moment. And I couldn't muster the courage to take a step forward."
"Since I couldn't move forward, I hid in the bushes and dug a safe hole. It was a strategy that was useful against aberrants."
"I discern the crunches of dirt and dried leaves along with the roars of aberrants as they charged past the hill. It was clear that the battle attracted huge attention to nearby aberrants."
"However, the battle never stopped, and the bullets of those fighting in it seemed neverending. It took hours, and when it finally stopped. I thought they had all died."
"But it was then... I heard the rumble of engines, signifying their victory against the abominations."
"To be honest... I had actually thought I had become maddened."
The story of Joseph caused a particular feeling to stir up in the hearts of those in the group. They all had thought that humanity had lost and long since collapsed.
Militaries were known to be relics of the past despite only a few months passing by since the eclipse.
The survivors had felt despair of their circumstances. The Dark Cataclysmic Era was an unescapable hellscape to them.
So, the words of Joseph gave them an inkling of hope. It was small as the grain of sand, but it shone radiantly in the darkness of despair that consumed them.
"I want to confirm my thoughts and don't want to keep thinking about it."
"Regardless of the truth, I want to learn its reality."
Joseph stopped talking and marched forward to the apex of the hill. The others couldn't utter a word and merely followed the old coot.
It didn't take several minutes for them to reach the top of the hill, and finally, they saw the state of Hawk Springs.
Before, it was a dilapidated and desolated town brimming with aberrants, but now?
What they saw was a battlefield riddled with holes and craters. It was as if a raging war took place in Hawk Springs. But despite the devastation, smiles were plastered on the survivors' faces.
"It's real, old Joseph."
"I can't believe it... Something other than survivors exists in this dark wasteland."
"Wait, wouldn't this mean the scout group was right about the military convoy."
"The scout group might have seen them before they flattened this place."
Those in the group had different reactions to the realization of this fact. But while they exclaim their thoughts, Joseph quietly looks at the devastated scenery.
Dozens of thoughts passed through his head as images flashed in his mind. He remembered the Imperial Military that had long since fallen.
Others would have considered the armored convoy part of the Imperial Military, but he clearly remembered the words from the scout group.
"Too different and has vehicles that don't seem to belong to the Imperial Military."
Joseph muttered to himself, but he caught the attention of everyone in his group. They glanced at him curiously, wanting to know what the old coot had in mind.
"Do you have something in mind, old Joseph?"
The middle-aged woman asked, making the old coot escape from his thoughts. He gazed back at them and honestly uttered his opinions about the matter.
"This military force isn't part of the Imperial Military. I don't know what they are. They might be leftovers of the military, a private army, or perhaps a foreign adversary."
"Nonetheless, it doesn't matter what they are or where they came from."
"They are our hope against the aberrants."
Joseph didn't care about the identity of the newly-emerged force. Whether they were run by an emperor or a dictator mattered none to him. What should be weighed was the power they brought to humanity.
Since the beginning of the Dark Cataclysmic Era, humankind has faced constant losses against the night's abominations. And with the fall of the militaries, all hope was lost.
But as long as one force stood in the darkness, it would be the radiant light of hope for those lost in its pitch-black.
The group had the same sentiments as the old coot. Morality, freedom, and luxury didn't matter to the survivors of this era. Those who did had already met their end.
It was a saddening fact, but the truth nevertheless.
Joseph was about to continue speaking before the young adult intruded and pointed at the sky while exclaiming something.
"Look, look! A star is moving."
Everyone in the group raised their eyebrows, including Joseph. He gazed upward and saw the star the young adult noticed. His eyes squinted, but they soon became wide open in shock.
"Tha-That's... An aircraft."
They became dumbfounded when they heard Joseph's words. How long had they heard of such a word? What was supposed to be commonplace became as rare as the sun.
"That should be them, right?"
"The ones that did all this."
The young adult was excited since their thoughts weren't mere speculations. After all, they actually saw it before their eyes.
"Perhaps... It looks like they can maintain an aircraft. They must have an airfield nearby."
Joseph immediately reached a conclusion, which wasn't far from the truth. But he wondered to himself. Where could they be? He had scoured the southern Goshen County since the beginning of the eclipse.
He saw nothing but desolation and the aberrants.
At any rate, Joseph glanced at his people, and a smirk emerged on his face. He then declared to everyone with determination.
"We must spread the news everywhere."
"A military force has arrived!"
"Let this be heard everywhere!"
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