The Battle of Fort Stockton

The Battle of Fort Stockton was the first true battle against the infected. It started on April 22, 2026, when the outbreak began, and was led by General Lee Harrison and General Morris, with a force of 500 soldiers between them. The number of infected is not known, but it is estimated to be around 600, by recent count of the dead there. Fort Stockton, Texas had been a city with a population of almost 10,000 when the outbreak began, and a lab below the city had been responsible for the outbreak hitting there so early.

The United States Strategy and Military Actions
On the second day of the outbreak, on April 22nd, the United States army sent 500 troops, led by General Harrison and General Morris, to exterminate an outbreak of infected individual in Fort Stockton, Texas. The United States, unaware of the capabilities of the infected, were unable to contain them using Operation Cage.

Operation Cage, in itself, was simple. The military would set up a perimeter and kill every infected trying to go through. The perimeter was called the Morris Line, and General Morris led the original strategy. The infected managed to break through, as some of them were mutated more than the others. Southwestern Ragers broke through the ranks, followed by Runners who viciously attacked the soldiers. A retreat was ordered.

By the first night, General Harrison was beginning to give up hope in victory, but the other general, General Morris, was determined. A two-sided, double-pronged attack was planned, to overwhelm the infected with covering fire from snipers, rush in, and kill them off from the inside. It was to be done in the morning, and night led to rest, for a lucky few.

On the morning of the 23rd, casualties had already reached 66 soldiers and 50 civilians, the outbreak having spread overnight, past the lines. The attack was gone through with regardless. Harrison and his men cut through the infected, only Shamblers this far back, and found themselves approaching the medical wing where the strain had begun. This is where the rumors of “Original Infected” began circulating, many of the soldiers wondering what horrors lurked in the medical wing. The attack continued, but the number of Shamblers in towards the medical wing increased dramatically.

General Morris' men were having a rougher time – running into Runners and Ragers both at the most unfortunate times. His casualties skyrocketed, and the casualties of the day were 134, bringing military casualties up to 200. General Morris was forced to retreat, but General Harrison pressed his men forward, until reaching the medical wing. The wing was found empty, by the few who entered it, although two men were lost in it. General Harrison decided to move back, out, and help Morris, who they reached with few casualties.

Night fell as the evacuation began, out of the city, and the civilian deaths were found to have came from the outbreak. The military did not officially evacuate until the 24th, when the city was officially “lost” to the outbreak. It was the next day, after the battle, that the United States began its bombing of any “lost” city, to stop the spread. Casualties were as high as 300 military and civilian, on the 24th.

Aftermath
The Aftermath of the Battle of Fort Stockton is best described as chaotic. Several men were bitten but hid their wounds, knowing the Harrison Protocol, which was drafted and began to be enforced by Harrison on the 24th, would lead to them being executed for being bitten. They turned, at a relatively similar time, leading to a panic that led to another fifty casualties. After that, the Harrison Protocol was carried out with more extreme measures, and the troops were allowed to travel out of the area. The virus was spreading fast, and the efforts of General Harrison and General Morris were futile, in the end. General Morris was one of the casualties. 354 casualties, including bite marks, from the military, and 593 civilians, including bite mark victims, were killed. This led to one of the best understandings of the infected – they could be killed easily by shots to the central nervous system, as their other body systems were decentralized. Other wounds would kill them eventually, but only shots to the central nervous system would kill instantly, or fast at the least.

The Harrison Protocol was enacted by the Pentagon after this battle, and this battle was also where the fighting techniques for the military against the infected were born.