Nation 27

CH 24: His Eyes Turned Steely Cold

[20 October 2021, Wednesday…]

[7.05 pm]

The marigold-colored sky soon turned and darkened as the Sun set over the horizon. It was not long before the entire forest was plunged into pitch darkness under the cloudy, moonless sky. The only source of light within the area came from inside a huge facility and the street lamps that stood along a long, narrow road.

As the cool evening breeze blew and the leaves in nearby trees rustled, the shuffling of feet can be heard as they seemingly approached these sources of light. Like a moth to a torchlight, who and what can resist the urge to draw closer to the only warmth and light when shrouded in darkness?

Then again, given the circumstances, the best place to be would be none other than at the facility. Within its tall fences and sturdy walls, there were sustenance, resources, and comfort. Most importantly, it provided safety from the undead that lurked and stalked persistently beyond the property.

Thus, on a night like this for those who stay inside the facility, it would be calm and quiet. 

However, tonight was not the case.

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[Adam and Clara]

BANG!

Clara and Adam ran along a lonely hallway as they heard the stairway door slam loudly. They have been running for the last ten minutes between the annex and the main building but their pursuer relentlessly continued at the same pace, never slowing down for even a moment.

“Ah!” Clara gasped as she accidentally tripped over her own foot.

“Shit! Clara, come on!” Adam pulled Clara up, “Come on, sister! Stand up quickly! We need to move faster! They’re going to catch us any moment now!” 

“Aww~ Why are you two running? We just want to have a little chat~” a male voice called from the direction of the stairway.

Deciding against his instincts, Adam turned around and cursed.

“What is it?” Clara asked as she turned. It was not long before she gasped.

The man was alone.

Adam instantly took a protective stance in front of Clara.

“W-Where’s your friend?” Adam yelled out at the man who stood a mere few feet away from them.

“Hm~ Why don’t you ask him yourself?” the man sneered.

“Wha-”

“Gotcha!” a second male voice was heard as Adam felt a hard whack at the back of his head. As Adam’s vision dimmed, he heard his sister screaming as she struggled with their captors.

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[Louis and Jared]

“Damn it! We got separated from the siblings. Where is Samantha now? Who the hell are these men?!” Louis growled as he ran down a secret stairway at the start of the annex building with Jared.

“I don’t know. But there are three of them. Although they’re big-sized, do you think the five of us can take them on?” Jared huffed as he felt his lungs burn from the constant running.

“Perhaps… But only if all five of us are here and if there are traps already set up. Hah… I don’t know where the others are. This is a mess.”

“Hm… I remember seeing them seeking the middle-aged man’s opinion a couple of times… Since he’s relatively much older than the other two, I suspect that he won’t be moving around much. In fact, he could be hanging around one spot or area while the others are searching for us... How about we use him?”

Louis just stared at Jared for a few moments in silence. Given Jared’s kind tendencies and often passive attitude, Louis had never once expected the boy to have an observant and detached way of thinking as well. No gentle soul would have the thought of using a person as a bargaining chip- especially not in the first instant.

‘Did I rub off too much on him? Or was he always like this but never had a reason to express such thoughts?’ Louis thought to himself.

“...Lou?”

“Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought… Yes, it’s a good idea. I remember last seeing the bald man on the third floor. Do you want to check it out?”

“Yes.”

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[3rd floor, hallway leading towards the recreational area…]

“Let us go! Why are you doing this?!” the girl yelled as the two men dragged both her and her unconscious brother closer to the recreational area.

“Ugh… Tell me again why didn’t we knock out the girl as well? She’s making my ears bleed and my head throb!” one of the men complained as he tightened his grip on Clara.

“David, you know why. She’s bait and her incessant shrills will urge the others to come to her aid. This building is a bloody maze.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Hah… Would have been better if the plan did work though. But at least we caught two of them. It’s only a matter of time before the others will show themselves.”

“Well, let’s leave these two with Brien. Then we can go look for the others,” Mike said as he pushed the doors of the recreational area open.

“What the hell?!” David exclaimed.

“Shit,” Mike muttered.

At the other end of the recreational area, there were two boys that looked no older than the siblings the men have just caught. The boys were standing guard by Brien’s side. But what was unnerving about the scene was that the more innocent and angelic looking of the two boys was holding a sharp blade at Brien’s throat. Upon seeing them, the boy tightened his grip on the dagger.

The boy’s blue eyes turned steely cold as he gave a flat smile, “Hello there. We’ve been waiting for you. Drop whatever weapons you have and put your hands up in the air.”

“What the hell? Brien, you got caught by two scrawny boys?” David blurted out but Mike continued to observe the boys in silence.

‘Surely they would place more importance on their friends, right? Then why didn’t the blond one say anything about us releasing their friends? Or am I overthinking this? They may be waiting for us to remove all of our weapons before asking for the release of their friends. Hm… I just need them to be distracted for a short while as I reach for my gun,’ Mike thought to himself.

As if reading his mind, the blond boy glared at Mike, “Not a single move from you! Hands up! Clara, remove their weapons and anything else they may have on them!”

However, before the girl could move, Mike grabbed his gun from his holster and pointed it at the girl’s temple.

“No, you listen to us! We have two of your friends while you only have one of us! Throw that knife away and release our friend!”

In an instant, Mike saw the other boy with black hair wince. But even then, the boy remained silent and stood firm.

The blond boy, on the other hand, chuckled.

“We hardly know them. Go ahead. You may kill her and her brother. Mind you, your leader will not survive as well.”

“What?” Mike gasped in surprise. Never once in his entire life has he witnessed such a brazen and cruel declaration.

‘I know that we’re in an asylum, but the way these boys act, there’s no way they’re insane. At least, not in the medical sense… Besides, there is an alertness in that blond one’s eyes. He’s being serious,’ Mike thought as he felt an eerie tingle resonate within his body.

“Hah! You’re bluffing! There’s no way-”

Mike tapped at David’s arm and shook his head.

“Wha-”

“David, stop. Mike, put away your gun. I think we need to clear this misunderstanding,” Brien said in a calm tone.

“Misunderstanding? We know Boyan is here but there’s no sign of him!” David yelled.

“What?” for the first time ever, the boy with the black hair spoke.

“Don’t act all innocent. You must have him captive somewhere in this godforsaken place! Or worse, you’ve killed him!” David accused, and Clara whimpered quietly under his tight grasp.

“We don’t know of who you speak of. It’s just you three men,” the black-haired boy said.

“...Then would you know if someone were to sneak into the facility?” Mike asked quietly.

“We’re always on the alert, and the only areas on this property that we don’t check, are zombie-infested. For your friend’s sake, I hope he was merely passing by the facility,” the blond boy replied nonchalantly.

‘Always on the alert? I wonder how many of these kids are here…’ Mike thought with a brow slightly lifted.

“How many of you are there?” David demanded.

“We aren’t at liberty to say. But if you dawdle any longer, my hand may slip from exhaustion, and your boss’ throat may get sliced,” the blond boy sneered.

“Shit!” David exclaimed before leaning close to Mike to whisper, “What should we do now?”

The blond boy then cleared his throat.

“So, what is it going to be?”