Search the dead for clues

Well, that was easy enough," you say, as the door slams shut.

Betty rolls up to one of the ruined AON trucks from the night before and you hop out to search it for clues. You find a med kit, a few boxes of ammo, a flashlight and a large knife. Nothing that'll help you on your mission, but you take it all anyway. You search the next truck and then move on to the gas station they seemed to be based out of. Inside, you find all the typical accoutrements of a gas station, plus a few more macobre items. Several pairs of bloodied shackles litter the floor and body lies in one corner with its throat slit.

"Well, that doesn't look good," you say quietly.

"I think they're **** civilians," Betty says.

"It explains all the trucks. We need to save them," you say.

"But where could they be taking them?" Betty says.

The two of you search the gas station and find another body. It's a dead AON soldier with a radio and a map on him. His torso is riddled with bullet holes; probably your doing.

"Bingo," you say as you unfold the map on the stations front counter.

The two of you look over the map. Based on what you see, it seems that the AON have taken over the nearby town of Woodsmoke. The map has several notations on it, around Woodsmoke: a motel, a department store, and a warehouse.

"We shoud go to the warehouse first," you say."It's on the edge of town."

"Let's go," Betty says.

The two of you get back in the Humvee and drive towards Woodsmoke. Along the way, you cut on the AON radio and listen in. You pick up part of a broadcast.

"Brothers, we've found seven more sheep for the flock!" one voice says.

"Good, good! Bring them in immediately for reeducation," another says.

"Praise to Nao! We are on our way," the first says.

"Sons of bitches," you say. "Betty, did you hear that?"

"I did," she says. "We've got to do something."

Cutting through some fields, Betty brings the two of you around to the northern side of Woodsmoke. Using the Humvee's winch, you're able to drag the burned out wreck of a car into the road. Then you pull into the brush and wait. After ten minutes or so, you see the AON truck approach the roadblock. As it nears the wrecked car, you can see that there are bound civilians on the back of it. A man hops out of the cab and begins dragging a winch line.

You set the selector switch on your pulse rifle to single shot and take careful aim. You pull the trigger, and the bullet hits the AON guard on the back of the truck. It impacts him in the side of the head. He falls sideways, off the side. A second shot takes out the driver, splattering the inside of the windshield with blood. He falls forward onto the gas and the truck speeds forward, hitting the winch carrier. The truck finally comes to a hault when it slams into the car. The civilians scream but are unharmed.

"Come on," you say.

You and Betty leave the cover of the brush and approach the frightened civilians. You cut the line holding them to it, and the civilians begin to descend from the back of the truck. You herd them into a line beside the road and finish cutting their bindings.

"What's going on here?" one of the civilians says, standing in front of you. "Are you trying to rescue us?"

"You bet your ass we are," Betty says.

"But I thought the Army of Nao was all that's left?" a civilian woman asks.

"Well, my name is Drako," you say, offering your hand to the man. "This is my partner, Lieutenant Betty. And I can assure that the military is still around."

"I'm Hansel," he says, shaking your hand.

"We'd better get you folks away from here," you say.

You begin walking and the civilians follow behind you.

"Where are you taking us?" Hansel asks.

"Fort Michael," you reply. "It's the military's new base of operations."

"Do you think it's safe there?" Hansel asks.

"It's the safest place around," you say.

You reach the Humvee a minute later.

"Okay, nobody's going to be remotely comfortable but you all need to pile into the Humvee," you say.

"What about you, Drako?" Betty asks.

"We still need a prisoner," you say.

"If they catch you, they'll kill you!" Betty says.

"Who said anything about them catching me?" you say and wink.

As the overstuffed Humvee pulls away, you head into Woodsmoke. There are sentries out, but they're just watching for zombies. Keeping to the shadows, you easily dodge them and head for the warehouse. When the moments right, you burst from the shadows and run towards a sentry. They're facing away, and don't even notice until you hit them with an overpowering jump-kick which knocks them out.

You open the warehouse doors and daylight pours in, illuminating the inside.