128 (Operation Armageddon: Book 1)

Chapter Thirteen: The Quarantine | Part 1

"I told you already that you don't have to come along. She'll be all right," Matthew sighed.

"Well, I'm as worried as you are. She was... like a mother to me, too," Daniel reminisced.

"Fine, if you insist. You are one stubborn mule, Daniel. You know that?" Matthew laughed, although he seemed as if he were trying to distract himself from the fact that his mother was terribly sick and in a life-threatening situation.

"We have to hurry," Daniel said, ignoring Matthew's comment. "We should take your car. I'm pretty sure it can go faster than mine."

Matthew pressed his cold, sweaty palms together. He could feel the blood in his veins rushing towards his head to help him keep up with the stressful thoughts that were stirring around in his brain. He told himself that everything was okay, but it wasn't. He pretended that he was worry-free, but he wasn't. He convinced himself that Yael could be snapped away in one step so that he could focus on his family and friends. But it wasn't like that.

Matthew had plenty of other things to settle. Finding Megan, who may not have even been abducted by Yael. Being by his mother's side through her ill state. Returning to work on a daily basis and not skipping certain days of work to cope with other things. But one entity prevented it all from happening.

Yael.

And if that wasn't enough, taking down Yael wasn't going to solve his other problems. Megan wouldn't suddenly appear in front of Matthew's face. His mother's sickness wouldn't vanish suddenly. And his reputation as a no-show sergeant in the NYPD wouldn't go away instantly. It just wasn't easy.

"Uh, Matthew? Are you okay? You seemed a little... dazed," Daniel commented.

Matthew sighed. "Ah, it's nothing; it's just that—"

"Look," Daniel cut in. "I... I'm really sorry about what I said about putting everything but Yael aside. It wasn't right for me to say we should just forget about Megan like that."

Matthew shook his head. "N-no, that wasn't what I meant. Maybe you're right. Maybe the search for Megan has to wait. Still, I'm certain that Yael took her away so they could blackmail us. Only then will she be returned."

"Well, let's get in the car first before we continue," Daniel said as he tapped on Matthew's car.

Matthew slid himself into the driver's seat while Daniel positioned himself comfortably on the seat beside him.

"Anyway... I'm not angry about that anymore. About what you said, I mean," Matthew stated as he started the car engine.

Daniel shuffled in his seat a little as he fidgeted with his hands nervously. His lazy slouch quickly turned into an uneasy posture. "Then... what do you seem so anxious about?" he questioned.

Matthew drove the car up one level, pondering deeply while he did so. Finally, he found an honest answer. "I don't know," he spoke before pausing for a bit. "Frankly speaking, I don't have a reason for this. All this worrying and my outbursts, it just comes from all kinds of factors. Yael putting pressure on us. My mother's ailment. Megan's disappearance. The deaths of our work superiors. The boar-like creatures. The traitors. It's just all too much."

Daniel closed his eyes for a moment. "I know what you mean. Well, for all I know, you're going through a lot more than me. Your mother being in hospital is probably enough for you to worry about, and you have the responsibility of looking after Amelia every time Jean goes on a business trip. Also... your solo encounter with the creature in the Pace's house must have been traumatising." He then tapped Matthew's shoulder. "But don't let all that pull you down, all right? You're stronger than you think you are."