(Reverence 2, 59 / 7:25PM)

The fruit of all life began to caress the endless horizon of sand.

As the deadly rays and heat began to subside, so did the roaring engine of an automobile. The driver and passenger doors came out at the same time, and both doors were closed shut, letting the van shake for a split second.

Reaching the back door, the ballad of fingers that did its ritual began, ceasing as the joyful sound of a clicking mechanism came present to their ears. Upon seeing their strike force, which is nothing but Luna, Hope, Benn, Miles, Sean and now Chris, both Jack and Luke looked at one another with a simple nod.

(Luke) Alright, so how should we go with this?

(Jack) Well, you’re the planner.

(Sean) We’re behind a hill, so we should be able to see just how many guards they got while I was gone.

(Luke) Got it.

Leaving the rest of the group near the van, the trio that consisted of Luke, Jack, and Sean all holstered their weapons either on their hips, their back, or inside of their jacket. With the tall dead grass trying to pry open their pants, bits of pollen soon snuck inside both Luke's and Jack’s shoes.

Feeling as if someone was touching their feet, they soon began to kick in geometric intervals, leading Sean to let out a soft chuckle.

But that soon ceased as they reached the top of the hill, with a large Joshua tree having them cover their presence.

(Luke) So there it is.

Jack, who wielded a heavy backpack on his left shoulder, soon brought out a pair of black-tinted binoculars. Wielding them with his left hand, he brought it close toward his eyes all the while taking position behind the tree, seeing the ranch in front of him.

From north to sound and east to west, the outer perimeter of the ranch had pure fields of garlic growing among the crops. The smell already starting to molest their nostrils, Jack scrunched up his face as he continued to take in the sight.

(Jack’s thoughts) Luke was right. That thing would come in handy.

Standing on the southern hill, Jack took note of the three-story ranch house that resembled that of a typical mansion found in the hills of Lagefor. Lights still present inside the large ranch house, his eyes peered onto a large barn that was on the southern end of the property. Along with the east side having a large patio of stables, there was also the accommodation of guards.

Four watchtowers were spotted near the large ranch house, all of them in charge of their respective direction.

(Jack) Those guards have sniper rifles on those watch towers. And it looks like the best way to enter into the ranch itself is through the barn and stables.

(Luke) What about the north and west side?

(Jack) Let me check.

Jack looked toward the western side to see a large gravel road that just led to the main ranch house. Noticing a large number of guards on the gravel road, he pinned his eyes onto the barely visible north side, with bits of vineyards and fancy bushes aligning with the lens.

Now looking at the very tip of the southern part of the property, a large wooden gate that seemed to be barely operable stood in their path. With a couple of guards armed with Bern Carbines and Thompson Rifles, many of them wore white collared shirts with a green vest attached to them.

All of them wore a simple black flat cap.

(Jack) Your best bet is to go through the gate down below. Going through the main entrance on the west side would be suicide. The north side would be stupid because it’s farther, but the east side is unknown on how many guards.

(Luke) Do the guards look attentive or relaxed?

(Jack) I don’t know, but all I could say is that they look mean.

Having his eyes downward, he turned to see Luke with a forced smile. Pushing back his well-combed hair, not even a trace of dandrum or dust came out, as Jack held the binoculars with a tight grip.

(Jack) Are you sure you want to do this, you guys? I don’t think these dudes aren’t just your typical run-off-the-mill guards.

(Sean) Yeah, and we’re not the typical run-off-the-mill soldiers either.

Sean led the two of them down the hill, walking along the dead grass that began to assault their feet once again. Making their way down the bottom, the three of them saw the group’s nervous faces that were all drawn to the men’s mouths.

Luke, who placed himself in front of Sean, rubbed his hands nervously while looking toward every single one of them.

(Luke) We’re going to split up into two groups. Jack would be staying behind and using his sniper to give us some support.

Everyone except Luke glared at the smug grinning man, who put his hands inside his jacket while lifting his shoulders up and downward. Taking a few steps back, he placed himself right onto the hood of the van.

(Jack) Hey, I’m the driver.

(Luke) Anyway … me, Sean, Hope, and Miles would go through the stables. I don’t know how many guards are there, so we’ll go through the unknown.

Both Hope and Miles nervously looked at one another, with Miles using his fingers to slightly fan his neck that started to dwell with sweat. As his white shirt created a sweat stain, Hope’s breathing soon began to fasten under the pressure and intensity, her chest wanting to burst forth from its shell.

Luke placed both of his hands on Hope’s shoulders, causing her to look up at him with maiden eyes.

(Luke) Don’t worry. I promise to not let any of you get shot.

(Hope) … I know.

Turning his attention onto Luna, Benn, and Chris, he pinned his eyes mostly on the tanned woman, who already wielded her metal batons. Glancing at Chris who wielded a simple wooden trench gun, both of the boy’s hands were smooth as caramel, his fingers already twitching erratically.

(Luke) And you three are going to go through the south side of the property. Do you know what you’re doing, yes?

(Luna) Yeah yeah. I’ll make sure the idiot doesn’t do anything stupid.

Turning his body around, Luke eyed the large Joshua tree, it's already peeling bark still contained despite the brutal heat and lack of water.

Staring into the tree, the already setting sun had 1/8th of its sphere below the event horizon, making the tree's leaves glow a bright orange. Along with the horizon creating a photo-perfect picture, the rest of the group took in the sun that they wouldn't need for the mission.

(Luke) Let’s wait till midnight before everyone goes to sleep.

______________________________________________________________________________

(Reverence 3, 59 / 12:01)

(Luna’s group)

The creeks of the wooden fence came into play.

Like an alarm that no one listens to, bits of the antique wooden fence came off from just a certain member alone. With all three of them bent down, they blended in with the waist-deep garlic crops that were painted in a dark shade of green along their stems.

Crouching down, their boots mingled with the fertilized soil and dirt, their noses molested from the abhorrent smell from all around. Luna, being the leader of the two of them, squinted her eyes in the blackness of the night as the two new moons from above failed to glow their heavenly soft light.

(Luke in Luna’s thoughts) I think we could rehearse the old tale of the boy who cried wolf.

Not even halfway toward a good vantage point, the sounds of barely awake guards who kept watch on the fields started to louden more and more. The more they crouched-walk through the crops, the slower their heels traced the fertilized dirt.

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Barely glancing up, the only other thing that they could hear was their heartbeats thundering out from their chests, as not even their boots scraping the garlic couldn’t overturn in sound.

(Luke in Luna’s thoughts) When you do it, that’ll be our cure to initiate it. Remember to just run straight toward the hill where Jack is located.

Benn and Chris glanced up at the forming cloudy sky, their frowns ever present as heavy breathing stroked down Luna’s back.

Luna came to a halt, causing the heavy breathing to be ever louder. Both of her hands started to creak the metal that she wielded, she turned her head to look upon the barely visible face of a boy on the verge of fainting.

And upon seeing that face, Luna let go of her usual glare and frown, letting out an excess of air from her lungs. Turning his head away, he looked down at a garlic stem that wielded a shade of red.

(Luna) You chose to go along with us.

(Chris) But … I just … thought that it’ll be—

(Luna) Look at me.

In a stern voice, Chris immediately sucked in whatever air that waited outside his lips.

Seeing that Luna just calmly stared at him, she pushed down her eyes as she scratched a bit of her left cheek, using her pointer finger. Her hand already covered in fertilizer and soil, she let the crevices of her lips tilt upward, despite the line not even shifting.

(Luna) You’re going to be fine. If Luke says you’re fine, then you’re fine.

(Chris) I-I guess…

(Luna) Just please don’t be an idiot. The ones who get killed the most are the ones who charge headfirst.

(Chris) I-I know that—

(Luna) Take it from me kid. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for some other idiot…

Patting both of his cheeks softly to not make extra noise, his fingertips grazed onto his barely facial skin, as not even a simple hair was felt along his face. Nodding his head as well as a low grunt coming from his throat, Chris slanted his eyebrows to try to put on a mean and determined face.

But for Luna, it only caused her to furrow her eyebrow upward.

(Luna) Now—

(Guard#1) About that crazy kid…

(Guard#2) Do you mean the boss’s son? The kid with the cat-human girlfriend?

Not knowing their distance, the three of them overheard the audible hearing of two guards who walked along the gravel path near them.

Immediately, Luna snatched up the metal baton that she had dropped from earlier, having both of her fingers hovering over the metal buttons latched on the center. Looking to the right of her, she noticed the two guards walking from North to South, their boots bristling the main road.

While one of the guards wielded a rectangular shaped lantern, the emitting light was similar to that of a lightbulb.

(Luna whispering) We need to avoid the area of light at all costs.

(Benn whispering) We can go left, but not too fast.

In agreement, all three of them slowly walked through the crop field while having their backs on the same level as the stems of the crops. Trying not to kick or sway that much of the field, their heartbeats soon started to thump more frequently to the sound of each footstep they took.

Taking a look back, the two guards soon stopped, with one of the guards having his hand on his comrade’s shoulder.

And at that moment, all three of them soon ceased their crouch walking, perking their ears up as not even their voices could be heard from that distance. Seeing that one of the guards looked around his area, both of them started to analyze the crops as if something was amiss.

(Luna’s thoughts) I thought those losers would be drunk or half-awake!?

Like a stroke of bad luck, the guard that held the lantern in his hand soon began to walk on the same crop field that the three of them were at.

Chris, the only one who failed to keep his breath in control, started to pant heavily as the overall pressure soon began to anvil him. Being near him, Benn placed his left hand onto the boy’s mouth, not allowing a single breath or pant to be drawn from him.

But even then, that won’t stop the guard who continued to walk through the crop field, as his footsteps grew louder and louder with each step.

(Luna’s thoughts) Shit, what can I do?! What would Luke do?!

Gritting her teeth, Luna couldn’t even look back at her as her breath got caught inside of her throat. Widening her eyes, stiffening her chest and stomach, and losing all blood flow from her legs, she remained locked in a frozen state as if she were in cryosleep—

The guard’s boots finally stopped.

(Luna’s thoughts) What would I do…?

______________________________________________________________________________

(Luke’s Group)

Near the stables.

Peeking his head from out the corner, Luke took in the vast amount of guards that patrolled the gravel pavements. Wielding their Thompsons and carbines, many of them had their heads tilted downward, with most of their eyelids already forming black crested spots.

The guards clearly being sleep deprived, Luke placed his head away from the corner, seeing Miles, Hope, and Sean all looking at him.

(Luke) Despite there being more guards, most of them look like they’re overworked.

(Sean) Well, it's Haxouburg, you could get away with a lot of stuff, especially when you’re rich.

(Miles) Hey Luke, could we go through the gravel road?

(Luke) No. The closer we get to the house, the more guards we’ll encounter. For now, I say we wait until Luna and the others do their part.

Having their backs against one of the stables, a loud breathless shriek came forth from out of the shed.

Perking their ears upward, Luke poked his head outward to notice the open gateway of the shed, with the smell of manure and livestock soon assaulting his nose. Pinching his nose with his fingers, Luke motioned his body to walk into the shed, despite it being shrouded in pitch black.

As for the three of them, they soon followed suit, with the inaudible sounds of talking slowly escaping from their ears. Being inside the shed, every holding cell for the livestock was none other than…

(Luke) No way…

Another breathless shriek croaked.

Pitched in dark green fur and being the same height as Luke, the creature had a long snout and tall pointed ears. Having a long stripe of fur on the center of his head to its upper back, the creature turned its head to look at the dumbfounded Luke.

But not just one, but about a dozen of them were also looking at him.

(Sean) Green Haxouburg Donkeys!

(Miles) Quiet Sean, we’re supposed to get you to the house.

(Sean) Maybe we could free them after this.

(Luke) We’ll see…

The green donkey in front of him lowered its head, with its black-colored eyes gazing at the young man with red eyes.

Placing his right hand onto its snout, the tips of his fingers collected the many green furs as it was stored in his nails. Locking eyes on the majestic creature, the donkey closed its eyes as it felt the smooth yet rough patch of skin that the man gave way to its silk-like fur.

As a way to give thanks, the green donkey licked the young man’s face.

(Luke) …

Instead of a shriek, the donkey let out a breathless laugh, the laugh causing the four of them to take a step back. Along with the other donkeys following suit, their breathless laughs croaked the air around them which turned everyone’s faces into a deathly pale.

(Miles) Shit, he’s making noise!

(Sean) Guess it’s our time to bail.

Without looking back, the group of four ran out of the shed, their boots transitioning from the muddied dirt to the gravel road. Catching a first glance at the large garlic field that was in front of them, Luke looked both ways to notice that no guards were present when guarding the stable.

Their feet still on the gravel, Luke finally looked back at the shed, noticing a large number of guards that came from the other side.

At last, their boots made contact with the stems of the crop, making rustling sounds that sounded as if an animal was ravaging the crops. Not caring, the four of them didn’t dare to look back as they tried to parallel run with the gravel road to the right of them.

(Luke) Hey, we should take cover beneath these crops.

(Sean) But the ranch is almost there. We just need to pass that watchtower that is straight ahead.

(Luke) But…

(Guard #3) Hey! Is that an armadillo!?

(Guard #4) Let’s get it Billy-Bob, before it tries to destroy more of the garlic!

All of them stopped.

Not allowing the guards to get a good look at them, it was fortunate that night was clouded in new moon clouds for them to be unrecognizable. Hearing the sound of bullets and ammunition being clocked in, all of them slowly lowered themselves down onto the garlic crops that had them covered by the stems.

Being submerged, Luke had his right ear placed alongside the Terra, feeling the thumping of boots getting closer and closer to their position.

(Luke’s thoughts) Oh no…

Both guards, not having a light source, wielded their weapons and aimed at the last trace of movement. Barely seeing their figures from out the blanket of stems, Luke took a whiff of the guards aiming their sights just slightly above him, with the butt of their guns holstering onto their armpits.

Stopping, the two of them remained still. Like a bat using echolocation, one of the guards who wielded a Thompson slowly began to pin his eyes onto him, but the visibility of the night and the crops made the guard look like he was blind. As for the other guard…

He had his aim down onto one of the areas that was to the left of him, his finger moving toward the trigger.

(Guard #4) Wait a minute … hold on …

Squinting his eyes, the guard knelt on his right knee, having the butt of his gun mixed in with the soil that sunk the weapon an inch. Extending his left hand forward, the man’s black gloves were slowly yet surely reaching forth onto a certain figure that lay in the patch of garlic crops.

(Guard #4) It’s the—

As the man widened his eyes in front of him, the other guard from behind wasn’t so shocked. Jolting upward, a man wearing a leather jacket had a white cloth in his hand, with the rag being drenched in a clear liquid. Making his presence silent, the man wrapped the cloth around one of the guard’s mouths. Tackling the guard down with him, the young man with red eyes grits the ends of his teeth.

(Luke’s thoughts) Please go to sleep! Please go to sleep! Please go to sleep! Please go to sleep!

Noticing the disturbance, the other guard stood up instantly to turn his weapon onto the tackled one, his finger already on the trigger as he was about to—

From behind, a young man with pointed ears and ginger hair extended his hand outward, thrusting it onto the side of the guard’s neck. Hitting a pressure nerve, the guard soon collapsed onto the ground, his face being plowed onto the fertilized dirt and soil.

(Sean’s thoughts) All that Pacithiest training paid off.

As Sean dealt with the guard who tried to call him out, Luke managed to swiftly make the other guard begin his long sleep. Pulling out the cloth, he placed it inside his jacket, swiping away bits of soil and dirt that were latched onto his clothing.

Getting up from the fertile soil, Luke swiped away many bits of muddied dirt from his pants, as some of the dirt got into his shoes.

(Luke) That was way too close.

(Sean) At least we got them.

(Miles) What’s going on?

Two other figures sprout out from the garlic fields that they were blanketed in, with the two of them seeing Luke and Sean standing out in the open. Hope, who was mostly silent throughout all this, scratched her left lip while looking at Luke.

(Hope) Aren’t we there yet?

(Luke) This is a good spot, but all I need is the signal.

(Sean) Wait a minute…

Kneeling down, Sean had his hands into one of the guard’s pockets that he knocked out specifically. Pulling out a black metal object, Luke and the other two took in the nostalgia and somewhat horrid memories that came long from just looking at it.

The device had metal buttons and numbers latched on the keypad, Sean found a special button that was doused in the color red.

(Sean) Let’s wait and see if anything might come up. I mean, who knows what may happen—

The sounds of a sniper round were felt.