Chapter 6
CHAPTER
We headed out, towards the barbed fences. On our way out, soldiers handed us equipment that had already been prepared.
The smoothness in how a simple order was given, how one moved and everyone followed, the unspoken words, and how they all knew the routine by now—this was what I wanted, unity. Where every piece, every person, was needed to complete the chain.
“You know how to handle a gun, right?” one of the soldiers asked Mey as they handed one over.
“Yeah,” she nodded simply.
“I-I’d prefer a sword… or knife,” Carolyn interrupted, but the soldier stared blankly at her, still holding the gun out in the air.
“You’d be dead within seconds,” Ashley explained, making sure all of her things were in her satchel.
“I’ll be fine… I-I’m quite good at close combat,” Carolyn tried sounding firm, but failed.
The Lieutenant sighed heavily, as he snagged the weapon out of her reach. “Your funeral.”
We were regular recruits, and were offered a sword, a gun and two daggers each.
We helped each other get the protective vests on, they were tight, barely leaving room for breathing.
The gate opened and the Lieutenant took the lead.
“Come on, pups,” he whistled as if we were his pack of dogs.
“Ass,” Nate muttered, before stepping out.
“Shut it. How many demons and mages do you think he’s slayed?” Mey sent an elbow into her brother’s side. “Enough to whoop you, so let’s not cause trouble?”
“I could take him,” Nate smiled daringly, as their voices lowered another notch.
Mey glared at him, before she began coughing. Nate’s smile died off as he patted her back.
“Sorry, my throat is a bit dry,” Mey apologized.
“Water?” Ashley offered a pouch and she accepted with a kind smile.
“Big boy, you’re up in the front,” the white haired leader instructed, pointing at Nate.
“Me?”
“You barked loudest,” The Lieutenant shrugged, before he took another glance at Nate. “Or are you all bark and no bite?”
I saw how Nate’s jaw tensed, holding a snarky comment back, before he nodded and followed the instructions of our leader who pointed him in the direction we were heading.
Ashley and Mey kept close behind him, with Carolyn right behind them.
I kept my pace slightly diagonal from her, wanting to have a clear view on all of them in case trouble found us.
The sun was already on its way up, bringing a beautiful, but soft, light between the thriving bushes and trees.
A gentle breeze in the air, cooling us slightly while traveling.
There were no paths to walk on, so we tried our best to find clearings and animal trails to ease our travel, avoiding the thicker brush.
An uncomfortable feeling prickled my neck, and as my gaze drifted towards the left, I caught red eyes studying me as we marched.
“Keep up. Can’t have dead weight dragging my unit down.”
“Don’t worry, sir. I’d hate to be the reason you finally fail at something,” I said flatly.
The Lieutenant snorted. “Cute. Pup thinks she’s clever. The name fits; you yap a lot, but have no teeth… yet it doesn’t feel right.”
My hands balled into fists.
“Better a pup than a mangy mutt past his prime,” I mumbled.
“Careful. That tongue of yours could get you killed out here. And not by the enemy,” his voice turned cold, yet a sneer found its way forth.
“I’m sorry if I hurt your brittle feelings, sir,” I smiled without any warmth.
His smile vanished. He leaned close enough for his words to sting, his tone venomous.
“Listen closely. Out here, no one gives a damn if you live or die. And if you keep yapping at me, I’ll make sure your first hunt is your last. Then you’ll be nothing more than another corpse for the crows, forgotten before your blood even dries.”
I met his eyes for a beat, forcing my expression flat. Then I looked ahead again, refusing to give him the satisfaction of flinching.
I already knew nobody would care if I died, that was why I had nothing to lose by joining them.
No parents, no family. I was lucky enough that Lionel’s family had found me as a child.
Alone in the mud, wrapped in a dirty cloth, screaming and desperate to survive.
It wasn’t unusual. In this world people were allowed to sacrifice their own children, if they had no food to keep them alive.
That was why no one asked me questions about where my mother and father were.
But that’s not what had happened, they hadn’t abandoned me.
Mages murdered them.
My eyes caught the slightest twitch in front of me.
Ashley, that chaotic girl with her icy blue eyes and a grin that never seemed to know the right time, raised her brows in wicked amusement.
She didn’t say a word, but the sharp gleam in her eyes told me she knew something was up, but I had no idea what.
The Lieutenant slowed his movement, placing himself in the back. I felt as if the predator was staring at his prey from behind.
Mey turned her head. “So… what do demons look like?”
“Depends on what kind we face.”
“Such as?” Ashley asked, with a hint of eagerness.
I had only read about demons, how their only way through to our realm was by magic, with the help of mages. Stories tend to change with time, however, so if they were overexaggerated or not, I wasn’t sure.
“Demons cross over through greed,” the Lieutenant began explaining. “The kind that’s lured depends on what the mage sacrificed to the demon. Do they offer their magic, or perhaps loved ones? It all comes down to how far their greed goes.”
I heard how he slowed the last words, locking in on Nate and Mey.
“That’s stupid,” Mey deflected easily.
“You’d be surprised how easily people cast their humanity aside for trivial things.”
“So… why do the demons attack us then?” Carolyn cut in.
“Why does anyone attack? The hunger for power, the need for survival,” the Lieutenant flashed an ice-cold smile.
With that, silence fell, devouring us while we continued to press on for what felt like an eternity.
“Let’s take a break,” the Lieutenant suggested, crashing down against a trunk, without waiting for a response. We had been walking for hours, I wondered how much farther away the tower was. Nate dropped his backpack to the ground, rummaging around until he found water and handed it over to Mey.
Ashley sighed, she was already restless, pacing back and forth while stretching. I gave her a glance. “You seem… tense? Sit, rest.”
“I’ll rest after I punch some bad guys,” she shrugged, with a half-smile on her lips.
“Bad history with demons?” Nate chimed in.
“No…” she stopped in her tracks, scratching her head. “It just makes me feel better, knowing I’m doing… something.”
Carolyn hunched down, wrapping her arms around her legs. “I wish I was even half as brave as you.” Her voice was low, but echoed all the same.
“You probably are, only in a different way,” I added.
Carolyn snorted, my words had no effect.
In a world where survival was the only thing that mattered, everything else seemed to pale.
And yet I hoped, no, dreamed of a time where we could be ourselves without fearing mages, demons or rebellions.
I wanted to live my life without anyone asking me where I was from, if I was a mage or not.
But to make such a difference, you had to be someone of importance, a high ranking officer. Once there, people had to listen to you, because at that point you’d already proven your strength.
There was a fine line between being a hero and a tyrant in this place. My eyes snapped towards our leader, his head leaned backwards against the trunk. Was he ignoring us?
He looked peaceful, genuinely relaxed. It pissed me off even more, I hated people like him.
They fought to earn a powerful position, and for what?
Playing with other people’s lives, not caring who died or how many.
Blinded by their power, how untouchable they were.
They could commit crimes and atrocities without punishment, because they had the authority to do whatever they thought served the greater good best.
Nate sprawled on the ground, using his backpack as a pillow, voice low but playful. “So… no fire, no food warm enough to feel alive, and nothing to do but whisper to each other in the growing dark. Fantastic opportunity for team bonding. Should we hold hands and sing?”
Ashley perked up instantly. “Ooo, we could make bombs out of the mushrooms around here, I bet they’d make a pretty glow if we—”
Carolyn gasped, panic filling her eyes while fidgeting with her fingers. “Please don’t… no glowing… the demons—”
Mey placed a hand gently on Carolyn’s arm, steady but kind. “She’s joking, don’t worry.” Mey coughed faintly into her sleeve, but brushed it off when Nate gave her a quick look.
The Lieutenant was slowly sharpening his blade, still pretending to ignore the group, but listening to every word.
I noticed and muttered, “What, too good to talk to us?”
He smirked, facing away from us. “Why would I talk to pups, when I can enjoy the silence?”
I immediately bristled. “Stop calling me that.”
“You’re right, you hiss too much for a pup,” he chuckled teasingly.
The group collectively groaned at the exchange, which only encouraged him, he wanted us to suffer from his painful company.
Nate, ever the peacemaker, grinned. “Look at you two, already bickering without titles and all. Is that what you’re hiding? You’re secretly best friends, aren’t you?”
I threw a pinecone at him.
“I ship it,” Ashley snickered while eating her dried fruit.
“I think they’d rather kill each other,” Carolyn half-whispered, still nervously fidgeting.
Mey’s voice cut through, softer to ease the mood. “Since we can’t risk much noise… Why don’t we go around and say why we joined up? Just a brief note. It might help us feel less like strangers.”
Nate went first, dramatically placing his hand on his chest. “I joined because the world simply needed more of me, obviously. And, since I’m a gentleman, I brought my sister with me.”
Mey rolled her eyes but smiled softly, sending an elbow into his side.
“I just like the BOOM!” Ashley muffled her own laugh, realizing she said it too loud. “…also, I get to kill demons, so there’s that.”
Carolyn continued timidly. “…I didn’t want to be left behind.” Everyone fell quiet for a moment, and Mey squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“I want to prove myself,” I muttered. Finding a place to belong sounded too corny, but no less true.
Everyone’s heads turned towards the Lieutenant, he simply furrowed his brows at us. “Bark all you want, none of you have deserved such a treat.”
“We don’t even know your name,” I pointed out, sending him a sharp glare.
“Good, it’s none of your business.”
We sighed simultaneously, before leaving the subject behind.
Eventually our little camp settled into a more comfortable silence, with Nate humming quietly, and badly. Ashley twirled a small trinket that looked suspiciously like a detonator while Carolyn curled into a ball.
The squad leader kept watch, though I noticed that even while mocking us, he hadn’t let his guard down once, not entirely.
The night was tense, but for the first time, they had begun to feel like my unit.