Death Squad

Chapter 4: The Village

Zack explained what happened during the fight. Eoa was the one who took control of his body, incapacitated both of the enemies, and left them unconscious. After both was unable to fight, they tracked and found me resting on the cave.

"Eoa was angry at first because I told her I need to use the sword," Zack muttered under his breath as he lighted up the campfire made from sticks he scavenged among the ground while I was sleeping. "Letting her know that I felt you were in danger made her look the other way around. There's so much interference at the earphones, you know. She suggested that she use my body as I wasn't that experienced in a fight."

The wind blew colder as the night deepens. This is the only night I felt warm. So many things have happened this day, and I wanted to thank him for saving my life.

"Zack, thanks." I softly said.

He took a mug from a bag he stuffed this afternoon. He also brought out a coffee from a sachet, poured it in and mixed it carefully before handing it out to me.

"It's only natural to help a companion," he replied as he looked up at the starry sky, "Remember, Eoa takes you as a companion herself."

I felt relieved hearing his words. Never in these past few years I had someone I can count on. His arrival must be the fate's way of saying I'm not abandoned in this forsaken world.

He lied down on the grass just outside the cave. He pointed at the sky, and moved his hands as if he was trying to grab the stars. He sighed and asked, "Have I ever told you about Cleonne?"

"Cleonne? Who is that?" I asked curiously. I sat beside him and stared at the night sky.

"Seven years ago, I was taken here to Ballad City in order to study their science. Who brought me here is an agency, they took me in when I was abandoned by my parents. I didn't even see the faces of my real parents, so having a mother-figure and someone you can think of as a brother was a very welcome thing for me," he replied.

A few seconds of silence lingered in the atmosphere, and was broken as he snapped his fingers. "Until the Function came."

The Function. When we first met, he asked if I knew the Function, to which I answered no.

"Eoa reported that the Function came to Ballad City unexpectedly, destroying almost everything in this city. This incident took the lives of Ms. Sline and Cleonne, two of the dearest people in my life," he said. "What's more is that I was chosen to have a fraction of its power. Eoa explained there is never a coincidence in the Function, and everything is calculated."

"Cleonne loved the stars and the storms. During our stays in the library, he would always take some books with him at his apartment and everything would be all about Astrology. His phone also was dedicated to satisfy his cravings for information about storms. He would come calling me at the middle of the night whenever experts predict that thunderstorms would eventually come the day after. He was a nerd, I can say that," he talked while laughing at his jokes.

After his story, he got up and told me to take some rest at the cave. He said he would take the time and guard our location in case an enemy attacks.

"I have Eoa to accompany me, don't worry," he said.

The fatigue has settled down in every part of my body. As I closed my eyes, I felt bliss and at a moment's notice.

I saw myself running around the fields of my hometown, Daffodil. It is a peaceful village far from the city of Ballad and its technology. If there's something we can be proud of, its the agriculture that stands at the top of the ranking. Despite having to manually row the fields and gather them with our bare hands, we were actually having fun and we loved what we do.

I was born from a loving family. They were farmers long before the foundation of this village. They would teach me everything about our life, and shower me with love. It was everything I've known, and everything I've hoped for.

My 12th birthday was something I can never forget in my life. Lucis, my childhood friend, gave me a watch. It shows useful information other than time like the weather, map, distance walked, and so much more. His vitals are also included in the watch, something that made this special. He wears a pair too, and told me we can actually communicate with each other.

Peaceful times were nothing unusual until five years later, Lucis disappeared from the village. No signs of struggle were seen in his house. His family wasn't even there at all; it was like they never existed. I tried contacting him by using the watch, but there was no reply. His vitals also went off, but I'm sure he's just lost somewhere.

A few days later, a search party marched back to the village with fearful expressions on their faces. They were accompanied by dozens of unfamiliar soldiers holding their weapons rested on their arms. One went forward, wearing a cap with attached symbols of stars, and yelled, "People of Daffodil Village, we are hereby ordered to destroy your properties. Come out of your houses and surrender, or we will be forced to use our weapons."

Villagers peeked out of their windows while the men went outside their doors holding machetes in their hands. One man screamed, "What is this absurdity? This is our home, and we will defend it with our lives!"

The leader of the soldiers pointed at the villager who stood up with his bravery. A soldier raised his weapon and within a second, a loud bang was heard. The villager fell down to the ground, with this head scrambled into a gruesome state. The women all screamed in disgust and shock, while the men charged with their voices of revenge. I was hiding in fear, only hearing the deafening sounds as the voices suddenly gave out. Explosions were heard from outside; the smell of the smoke followed. My parents took me in as we ran outside the house. Loud footsteps, and the yell of the soldiers chasing us was a sound I could never unhear.

"Drixill, run! Get away from them!" my father shouted. Mother led me into the forest, carrying me on her back. As I looked behind, father was torn to pieces with holes in his body. He fell down swimming in a pool of blood. I cried my eyes out, witnessing a traumatic scenery.

Mother kissed me on the forehead and pushed me aside on the bush, hidden on plain sight. Soldiers rushed on our position, 'Take them! Burn them all!'.

"AHH! NO!" the scream of my mother as she was dragged on the ground. I was shaken in fear, only did nothing but to hide.

When evening came, while still lying on the ground, a voice was heard from nearby.

"Come to the City of Ballad," a familiar voice spoke. It came from the watch. It was Lucis' voice.

"Lucis? Lucis!" I repeatedly said, but there was no reply. His voice was the only thing that gave me comfort in this hell.

The sunlight reached my face, and before I knew it, I was awake. Over the course of the years, this seems similar to the horrors of my hometown.

Zack was sitting on top of a tree. His eyes stared at nothing as if he was thinking deeply of something.

"Yo, Zack!" I yelled, having him look down below. He jumped down from the branch he was sitting on.

"A random guy contacted me using the earphones," he said, "Drix, he was looking for you."

"Who?" I curiously asked.

"He said he knew you for a very long time," he replied.

My nervous self made my hands shake in anticipation.

"Lucis Gornia."