Chapter 17
Warning
The darkness compliment the silence of the whole room. The hair on my arms couldn't escape the terror of the enveloping darkness. Cha has a good eye though, she could manage to find something like this in a strange, lonely and an out of nowhere place like this. She must be good at it. I think it must compliment her name which she didn't disclose to us.
"We should separate, Al," I told him.
He looked at me worried, "that's not a good idea."
I can almost see his face, thanks to the flashlight. I didn't laugh at his reaction 'cause it would make him more terrified. I patted his shoulder, giving him some courage that he is safe within the premises. "Just don't make a sound, Al."
He nodded, "Absolutely..." but there's always another reason popping right into his head, "what if we're not the only one here? What if they were just hiding?"
I took a deep breath, "if someone were here, they should've been attacked us before entering this place, right?"
He nodded, slowly getting it. "Okay, I will just pick up the things we needed."
"That's why we're here right now."
"Got it."
Al and I started to separate our ways. It is to make our time efficient and have a short time of staying in this place. We're not sure about what's happening now with Cha, hope she could get gas for the truck, so we can get out of here as soon we can.
This four-wall store isn't that big enough to waste our time finding something we needed. It is just enough to walk and see what we need on the display shelves. I headed to the first shelf and it already got me to stop seeing a lot of useful supplies. I prepared a bag to put it but when I reach for it, there's something tickling my arm.
I strike a light on it and see a lot of poisonous scorpions. I immediately shake it out from me, but trying to keep it away from me, I got my balance out and fall on the floor. I move away and reach for the flashlight and lit them up. They're everywhere, scattering, finding their victim and wanting to release the venom from their tails.
The next moment, the whole store light up. I heard Al's cheering voice, "I found it!" he said, "thanks to me!"
I immediately run into him and found him, next to the lightbox, but not what he did make me worry, what's above him and I think it might kill him.
"Don't move... Al." I calmly said, trying not to make him panicked.
His eyes widened, he didn't move as to actually what I told him. "What's happening, Dy?" He asked.
"There's something above you..." I said and when he tried to look up, I stopped him. "No, stop, don't do anything stupid, Al," I said, breathing evenly. Al is terrified now, from the giddy reaction he had for bringing the place in lights up, everything has gone change. "Just don't do... Al..."
"Do something!" he yelled.
I nodded, "I will... I just need to find something that can kill it!"
I slowly walk backward and when I'm gone into the sight of the threat, I came to find a gun, boomerang or any weapon that can throw into that thing. My ax wouldn't the job, and it is not good when it is under Al. But there aren't any on the shelves. Even on the drawers where most of the weaponry are locked. I cursed in my head. I couldn't think of any!
While I keep looking for such tools to use, the next thing I heard was Al's scream. The surprise of hearing it didn't leave me any choice to go back on him. I leave my space and immediately run back into where he was standing. My chest is at a rapid rate. I saw Cha holding a fire extinguisher and using it to procure the threat above Al.
Al runs towards us as and hides behind my back. He's shaking, his legs are trembling and I would maybe end up like him if no help comes into my way. When Cha finally consumed the fire extinguisher, she really knows how to keep it on a right pace. The threat is no longer there. She looks at us, throws the fire extinguisher and her eyes narrowed on me, filled with disappointment.
"What are you doing, Dylan? Where have you been?!"
"I was trying to find something that would that thing go away," I said.
She smirked, "you could think sooner, Dylan."
I sighed, "at least you came."
"What if I don't?" she countered, "good thing, I did."
"T-That's a big spider..." Al mumbled, "I wonder how this place turns into some kind of home for poisonous reptiles and insects."
"We should get out of here," Cha said. "I already got the gas we need for the need. I filled two gallons and I think it is enough for us to get through the next city." She said, "so, what else do you got here? Something we eat?"
"We haven't gone to it, Cha." I said, "but if we go find now, we will."
She smirked, "okay, fill up your bags. Leave unnecessary things and take only what we need."
We resumed finding supplies. I make my way to the medical space where I picked all on the shelves and put it on the bag. I clean my bruised and covered it with a bandage. I took a pain reliever. And this will do to take away the pain I'm getting.
We're not getting to the half of the trials or rebirth but I'm getting tired and exhausted. This initiation won't do good but to make everyone go through a lot of pain, aches and a situation whether to give up or not. It is their life here or what better life awaits for them at the Noble Land. But giving up isn't in my choice. Risking everything is one way you know that everything is only just a hurdle of their problematic system.
I have a goal and I will make sure of myself that when I'm done of this, I will make a better one for every life that comes into despair.
"Dylan!" I came back to my senses when she called my name. "Are you done?! We need to hurry!"
"Yes, almost done."
"Whatever's going in your head, Dy, now not's the time."
I nodded, "I know... I just keep pacing out."
She comes closer to me, "Don't do that on me, Dylan." She said, "so get your ass on the game, it is our lives on the risk."
I immediately packed my bag and sealed it. Cha and I come to find Al where he's packing all the foods we can eat. When he's done, when we're about to leave the store. We heard the rummaging sound of a military vehicle. The headlights were coming towards.
"What do we do now?" Al asked.
"Can't your tech help?" I asked him.
But he just shakes his head.
Cha smirked, "now we run."
The three of us run towards the truck, Cha picked up the two gallons of gasoline but with the weight of what she's carrying, we almost left her and tripped and lost the half of the gallons. We were about to get back and help her but she shouts to us and moves right to the truck.
"Dylan! C'mon!" Al said, panicking.
"Oh, screw this!" I give him the bag, "now run to the truck and I'll help Cha."
Al runs to the truck while I get back to help Cha. When I get to her and helped her to stand up. She moved my hand away and just made to get the gasoline.
"You were supposed to follow what I said, Dylan."
"I don't follow anyone," I said to her.
As we saw Al inside the truck and cheer us to make it there faster. The military vehicle was almost there and the thing we were shocked is that they shooting us.
"They're shooting us! Why are they shooting us?!" I said frustrated and rushing to the truck.
"I don't know! But they want us killed!"
"Why?!"
"I don't have the answer, Dylan! So don't ask me!"
Al helps us when we reach the truck, but we couldn't run from them when they are shooting at us. We low down ourselves to keep away from the bullets. I couldn't still believe how we got here alone in the darkness but it all comes into one destination, we can't rule them out them. If they want us to be dead, they will do all the necessary things they can do.
"It is happening again..." Al mumbled, "it is happening again..."
"No, what, stop, Al! Stay calm!"
But he couldn't stop himself from the tension, "please... can we just go!"
"We can't!" Cha shouted but suddenly realizes what she had gone to said on him, "I-I'm sorry... we can't leave... they're after us."
"Then it's over?" I said, "we're nowhere to die?"
She took a deep sighed, "I hope it's not..."
The rain of bullets stopped. But as we thought they ended it, it hasn't. We heard the military vehicle around us. A lot of footsteps were marching to the truck. We looked at each other if we are ready to put our heads up and see what's happening. It turns out into silences and it's like they've been waiting for us to surrender.
Maybe it is all we need to do.
When we retrieve ourselves from hiding, we saw a bunch of military persons—which I think are people from the High Council. All their guns were aiming for us and if I think when we move, they will start to shoot and kill us. We put our hands up in the air, to show them we aren't capable to fight them—well at this moment where we are outnumbered.
The one military put his fist up in the air, telling his people to stand down. I think he is the commander of this group. He gets his megaphone and talked to us from it.
"We won't shoot you if all the three of you obey us." He started, "let yourself out of the truck, hands in the air, one by one."
"We sure, we need to follow them?" Al asked, keeping himself okay even if the condition is not.
I nodded. "We should do what they asked for."
One by one we jumped off of the truck, Cha first, I followed her and lastly Al. Putting our hands up in the air, seeing that we are helpless this time. The guards hold us and put us in front of their commander, they made us kneel, tied our hands on our back.
What are they're doing? What they want us to do?
"The three of you reach your time." The commander said.
In confusion, we look at each other, we don't have any idea what he is talking about or what he will do to us. This is frightening yet exciting to know what's the time for us has been waiting.
"What is this for?" I asked.
"Are you here to kill us?" Cha asked.
The commander laughed as if we asked something accompanied by humor.
"Is that what you think the military would do?" he said, "we come to get you and put you three on something you never heard of."
"So you're not going to kill us?" Al asked the commander nodded. "but why would in the world you shoot us?!"
"A warning."
I smirked, "it's not a warning, you could've killed us."
"We could but we didn't," the commander said, "for now, we needed you to be in the dark."
Another military gives a case to the commander and when he opens it, a three syringe were visible. They come close to us, we tried to escape from them but the military holds us, we keep resisting until they injected the syringe on our neck.
"Whatis this for?!" I shouted, the serum already kicked in seconds, "I hope youreally didn't kill us..." I mumbled until my consciousness wore off.