In the female dormitory of Vamus College, Tessa sat on the edge of her bed, her face lit by the phone held tightly in her palms.
On the screen, a ssage from Cassy popped up, and Tessa’s eyes widened.
She tilted her gaze toward the dark window that looked wet and scread, "Yes."
She covered her mouth, but the echo of the night carried the sound like a death wish spoken at the cetery.
Outside Vamus College, the flaming vehicles blasted, sending both the winged creature and the driver in the car to their graves.
The rumbling tyres of the MRAP bounced as they rolled over higher ground and then dropped into a deep pothole.
The vibration moved through Kai’s boots and seeped into his bones, finally into his skull like a snake on heat.
Rain struck the roofs like falling daggers, slamming against the steel and sending a chill through it. On Leon’s left side, rlin sat there, hollow breath escaping from his nose.
Kai grabbed the necklace around his neck and closed his eyes. The little heart-shaped locket knocked gently against his fingers each ti the vehicle hit a pothole.
Little by little, the endless layers of noise roaring around him began to pull back.
When the sound muffled, he cracked his eyes open, moved the necklace closer to his face, and stared at the images hiding beneath it.
Outside, a dead traffic light hung sideways over a blood-flooded road. Two burnt vehicles were perched inside a pharmacy.
Rotten bodies lay at the ramps of the vehicles, their mouths open as rain dripped on them, almost as if it was giving them the life they had lost.
"We’ve arrived." rlin’s voice echoed at the sa ti the engine of the MRAP died. Soldiers began to alight from the MRAP behind Kai’s own, screaming in joy.
Floodlights spread in broad white bars across the narrow window when Kai turned, ready to push his door open.
The headquarters yard stretched wide, vehicles lining around like ants, soldiers moving and swinging their hands, and dics carrying the dead from the MRAPs.
Kai watched as two stretchers held by the dics moved toward the surgical unit in a rush. At the front of the surgical unit, a woman dressed in a white robe placed her hands on her mouth, crying.
The steel fras of the MRAPs sang as radios crackled in pockets and on shoulders.
At the front of the dormitory, a communications officer stood there with an umbrella over his head.
rlin stopped the mont he neared the communications officer. When Kai reached there, ready to push the entrance door open, rlin turned and gestured at him.
"Co closer. Don’t go yet."
’Why?’ Kai questioned himself in his head but still moved.
They stood there for ten minutes, and Kai watched them, assessing the words of the communications officer.
Rainwater dripped from the edge of the umbrella onto his boots when the communications officer lowered his voice.
"Commander," he said, glancing at Kai before leaning closer to rlin.
"The survivor from the Titanaboa incident has regained consciousness."
rlin’s eyes sharpened. "The white-haired lady?"
"Yes, sir. She woke up less than an hour ago."
Kai’s fingers tightened around Lena’s necklace.
’Jinx.’
The na looped in his head as he focused on the communications officer’s lips.
"And there’s more. Captain Jin is now collecting statents from everyone tied to that district. The reports are already spreading faster than we imagined."
rlin exhaled slowly. "How is the report spreading, and who is spreading them?"
Kai lifted his gaze and locked his eyes onto rlin’s.
The communications officer swallowed hard, then cleared his throat.
"That Team Alpha was nearly wiped out. That a second Titanaboa was killed before your team, Bravo, arrived. And..." the communications officer paused and glanced at Kai.
Silence fell as rlin raised his hand, stopping the man from saying another word.
The raindrops drumd harder on the MRAP roofs as the dics neared the last MRAP carrying Lena’s body.
Kai tilted his gaze from rlin and stared at the stretcher holding Lena’s corpse.
"Who else knows?"
The communications officer began to have breaks in his voice.
"Lieutenant Wang asked for the survivor list before the reports were even sealed."
"Of course he did." A faint smile spread across rlin’s lips as he turned and looked at Kai’s saddened expression.
"It’s okay. They will preserve her body with love, care, and warmth."
Kai lowered his head, but the ache in his chest did not reduce.
The little silver locket remained trapped in his palm, its edge pressing against his skin as if it too wanted to hurt with him.
For a while, he said nothing.
Rain dripped from his hair and chin, then slid down the black hoodie that had now beco stiff from blood and water.
rlin watched him in silence, his silver eyes narrowing slightly.
He turned back to the communications officer.
"Who else heard the report?"
The communications officer adjusted his posture under the umbrella and swallowed.
"Only a few at first, sir. But once the n from Bravo and the recovery unit ca in, whispers started moving between the dical ward, the transport crew, and the operations block."
A cracking sound echoed as rlin clenched his fist.
"Whispers," he repeated.
"Yes, sir." The officer nodded quickly. "And so of the wounded n are saying the boy from Team Alpha killed the Titanaboa."
Kai’s breathing slowed.
rlin’s gaze drifted toward him, then back to the officer.
"And what exactly are they saying?"
The man hesitated, then lowered his voice further.
"That he moved like a Hunter-class weapon. That the creatures at Lena’s Estate stopped fighting the soldiers and flew toward him. And..."
He paused, the words refusing to co out freely.
"And what?" rlin’s tone turned cold.
The officer’s lips trembled.
"That he was glowing in the sky."
Silence swallowed the headquarters yard for Kai.
Even with the moving dics, the groans of the wounded, and the rumbling of trucks in the distance, those words struck him louder than every other sound.
Glowing in the sky.
Kai slowly tightened his fingers around the necklace.
’So they saw everything,’ he thought, staring at the rainwater collecting around his boots.
rlin inhaled through his nose, then exhaled once.
"Have the reports reached the central archive?"
"Not fully, sir. They are still waiting to be approved. But Lieutenant Wang has already started asking questions."
A faint laugh escaped from rlin, but it contained no joy.
"That man moves faster around secrets than he does around duty."
Kai raised his head.
"Then he knows I’m here."
rlin turned fully to him.
"Yes."
The reply ca too fast, too directly, and for a second Kai did not know whether to feel anger or relief.
rlin took one step closer, enough for Kai to see the exhaustion hiding beneath the man’s hard expression.
"That ans from now on, you don’t move carelessly. Not in this compound. Not outside it. And not near anyone who claims they want to help you without my knowledge."
Kai stared at him, rain dripping from the tip of his lashes.
"Why?"
rlin’s face remained unreadable.
Kai’s brows lowered.
"To protect ..." he paused, then tilted his head slightly, "...or to watch ?"
The communications officer looked away instantly, pretending the question hadn’t been asked.
rlin, however, did not flinch.
"Both."
For so reason, that answer cald Kai more than a lie would have.
A sharp tallic sound echoed from behind them as the door of the last MRAP opened wider.
Four dics carefully lowered Lena’s body, now covered fully with a white sheet.
Kai’s eyes drifted toward it at once.
Though her face was hidden now, he knew it was her.
He could feel it with every beat of his heart.
Without asking for permission, he took a step toward the stretcher.
The two dics at the front exchanged glances but did not stop him.
Kai moved closer, then stretched a trembling hand toward the covered form but stopped halfway.
’Aunty Lena,’ he whispered in his thoughts, his lips refusing to move.
Rain landed softly on the white sheet.
One droplet.
Then another.
rlin gave a signal with two fingers, and the dics resud moving, rolling the stretcher toward the preserved wing of the headquarters dical block.
Kai remained still until the body disappeared through the wide steel doors.
Only then did he breathe out.
"We should move," rlin said quietly.
Kai did not turn.
"Where?"
"To a place where fools won’t keep staring at you every ti they hear a rumor."
Kai finally looked back at him.
"And where is that?"
rlin opened his mouth, but another voice cut through the yard before he could answer.
"Well, well," the voice ca, followed by the clicking sound of polished boots against wet concrete. "The famous survivor returns."
Kai’s body stiffened imdiately.
From the direction of the operations building, Lieutenant Wang walked toward them with one hand behind his back and the other adjusting the black gloves on his fingers.
Rainwater slid over his shoulders, but his smile remained in place as if the storm itself welcod him.
The communications officer instinctively stepped back, lowering the umbrella.
Reviews
All reviews (0)