As more people arrived, the infrastructure work at the Knoxville Industrial Park was basically underway, though the biggest priority remained restarting the production lines in Blocks A, B, and C.
Someone suggested clearing out Block D.
After discussing it, Calista, Leah, Rickson, and the others still felt it was better to take things one step at a time. They would fully stabilize the three blocks first, then deal with Block D.
Because of that, Calista, Leah, and the others had been able to relax a little lately.
They could finally pull themselves away and return to Rock Fortress.
Calista rarely had time to lounge on the sofa like this, arms tucked behind her head, her mind empty.
Counting the days, Lori, Maggie, and Glenn should be arriving soon, right?
...
Seven days earlier, in the prison communications room.
Rick held the microphone, his brows tightly furrowed. "...Yes, Lori's pregnancy complications are more complicated than we expected. Hershel says that if the medical conditions can't keep up, the risk during delivery will be very high.
But the distance is too far, Calista. Driving across half the state means too many uncertainties on the road, and there's no guarantee how long it'll take. If everything goes smoothly, it'll probably still take more than a week."
There was a brief silence over the radio, followed by Calista's clear voice. "Rick, do you have a helipad over there?"
Rick froze. "What?"
"In the prison yard. Is there a flat open space big enough for a small helicopter to land?"
"A helicopter?" Rick's voice rose sharply. Dale and Hershel, who were listening nearby, both looked up at the same time. "You... you have a helicopter?"
"I have a Bell 407. I bought it before the apocalypse. It's been kept in the hangar since then with regular maintenance. My pilots say it's in good condition, and its range is enough for a round trip to the prison."
Calista said it so casually that Rick's throat went dry.
A helicopter.
Flying through the air, completely avoiding the threats of walkers and raiders on the ground.
In the apocalypse, that was almost a mythical resource.
"The sports field in the yard is flat enough," he finally said. "But are you really willing to..."
"Rick, Lori's safety matters more," Calista interrupted. "As for the livestock you promised me, there's no rush.
When Lori is close to giving birth, you'll be coming over anyway, won't you? You can bring the livestock then. Take the chance to see Rock Fortress too."
Rick gripped the microphone tightly.
It was an offer he could not refuse, and also a blatant display of strength.
Good grief. Calista did not just have a large base. She had a helicopter too.
The gap between her world and theirs was not only population and firepower.
"All right!" Rick nodded. "We'll get the sports field ready. Do you need any markers?"
"The pilots will find it. We have the coordinates. Let's set it for seven days from now. We've been busy with infrastructure work on our end lately and can't spare people for the moment.
Seven days from now, ten in the morning. Have Lori, Maggie, and the others ready to travel light. Also, if it's convenient, load the seeds and some of the medical supplies you promised me onto the helicopter first. The livestock can wait."
After the call ended, the prison leadership held a brief meeting.
Dale was the first to speak, the little old man's face full of shock. "A helicopter! Calista actually has a helicopter!"
"That means Rock Fortress's strength may be far beyond what we imagined," Hershel said slowly.
Rick nodded with mixed feelings.
Seven days later, starting around nine-thirty in the morning, everyone at the prison who had no work on hand gradually gathered at the edge of the sports field.
They had heard that a helicopter from another force would be coming to pick people up today. Out of curiosity, they had all arrived early, wanting to see what a force with a helicopter in the apocalypse looked like.
At exactly ten o'clock, a faint hum came from the north.
Then a silver-blue helicopter appeared, like an elegant metal bird, slicing through the spring clouds as it slowly descended toward the prison.
The airflow from the rotors kicked dust up from the ground. Everyone instinctively narrowed their eyes and raised their hands to shield their faces.
The helicopter landed steadily in the center of the sports field.
The cabin door opened. Franklin stayed in the pilot's seat without moving.
Lee, serving as the copilot and safety officer for this flight, jumped down from the helicopter and walked toward the people from the prison.
His gaze swept quickly over everyone present and locked onto Rick, who stood at the front. "Mr. Rick Grimes?"
"That's me."
"Commander Calista sent us to pick up Ms. Lori. I'm Lee, and this is our pilot, Franklin. We'll take off in half an hour, so please move quickly."
The next twenty minutes felt like a dream.
With Maggie's help, Lori boarded the helicopter carrying only a small backpack.
Hershel handed Lee a box of emergency medicine.
Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, Jimmy, and Otis loaded several bags of selected seeds and a box of medical supplies into the cabin. This was the "down payment" they had promised earlier.
The people from the prison gathered outside the warning line, looking up at the gleaming Bell 407 and talking excitedly.
At ten thirty-five, the helicopter door closed.
The rotors spun faster, and the huge roar drowned out every farewell.
The helicopter lifted lightly off the ground, circled halfway over the prison, then accelerated north.
Carl stood beside Rick, watching the helicopter grow smaller and smaller, envy filling his eyes. "Dad, will we have a helicopter too someday?"
Rick patted his son's shoulder, unsure how to answer.
Inside the cabin, Lori sat in the middle seat with her seat belt fastened, both hands gripping the armrests tightly.
This was her first time in a helicopter. In the middle of the apocalypse, during the second trimester of her pregnancy, she was leaving her husband and son behind to head toward an unknown place.
"Relax, ma'am." Lee glanced back at her. "The air is steady right now. Estimated flight time is one hour and twenty minutes. If you feel sick, there are vomit bags beside your seat."
Maggie sat on Lori's left, holding her hand.
Glenn sat across from Maggie, his eyes fixed on the window.
Looking down at the post-apocalyptic world from the air was surreal.
The highways looked like thin gray lines winding through dark green forests. Every now and then, they could see the outlines of towns, but there was no life in them, only walkers moving slowly through the streets like ants.
They also saw Atlanta. From the air, it looked completely different from when they had entered it in person.
The entire city looked as if it had been bombed. Some areas bore black scars left by fire, while others had been swallowed again by vegetation.
"OMG," Glenn said softly.
Lee explained calmly, "Shocking, isn't it? From the air, the destruction is more obvious, but so is the hope. Those green places, the forests and river valleys, are still there. Life is still there."
Glenn kept staring out the window for a long moment before asking softly, "Do you really believe that? That there's still hope?"
"Yeah," Lee said. "Not the kind people used to talk about. Not everything going back to normal overnight. But fields growing again, machines running again, kids being born somewhere safe. That kind of hope is real."
Glenn's expression shifted slightly. "Must be nice, seeing it from up here."
"It helps," Lee said. "Down there, all you see is what's blocking the road. Up here, you can still see where the road leads."
Maggie glanced at Lori and tightened her hold on her hand. "Then maybe we're heading somewhere good."
Franklin gave a faint chuckle from the pilot's seat. "That's the plan."
The people in the cabin gradually quieted, but the mood was no longer as tense as before. Lori remained silent, listening, though she visibly relaxed quite a bit.
...
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