Armone let the water ran over his head, washing through his hair, his face, and his sadness. As his bagged eyes came to focus, Armone used a towel to dry himself and threw it down on the floor, the entire bathroom a complete mess from neglect.
Armone rubbed his back as he opened through the bathroom door, his body hurt all over, despite not taking any serious injuries this past few days. Age was finally catching up him, it would seem, or was it grief that was causing this? He could not say.
‘My sons’ Armone thought as he passed by Mathos and Markis’s bedroom. He was about to check whether or not they had woken up yet, but as his hand reached the knob, Armone remembered that they wouldn’t be there. They weren’t there for nearly a week now.
He grabbed the stairway’s railing, his legs wavering as he tried to balance down the steps. Armone found Beth at the end of the stair, sitting alone with a half-chewed chunk of bread in her hands. Her bag already slung on her back.
Armone forced himself to put on a smile for his daughter “Ready for school?”
Beth nodded, though not eagerly “Will mum walk me there?”
Armone shook his head, hoping that his expression did not betray him “I don’t think so.”
“Will mommy be okay?” His daughter asked.
“She will be…fine.” Armone reassured her and wished that what he said was true “Give daddy a moment, then I will walk you to school, alright?”
Beth nodded, and it hurt him so much to see how innocent she was, too young to fully comprehend anything. Armone left his daughter by the stairway and made his way for the living room.
Armone found Silva the same place he left her last night. Thereby the window, she sat alone on the floor, glaring out through the glass plain. Several layers of blankets were draped over her, but she was still shaking, her eyes puffy and red, her face was a mess and starting to become thin. The room was stunk with the smell of several days of unwashed, combined, with the food he left her last night that had become spoiled, and the night before that, and also the night before that, all still untouched.
“Hey” Armone called her, standing by the doorway. He knew he should be sitting next to his wife or even embraced her, giving his grieving spouse a shoulder to cry on. But he just couldn’t, for he was distraught in his own way as well, and he was afraid things might get worse for both of them if they shared their pain with each other.
“Oh” Silva gave out, not turning to meet him, her beautiful face seemed to display that her mind was very much elsewhere “Good…morning, dear.”
Armone scratched his beard, which was slightly tangled, even though he always kept it straight and trimmed not so long ago “I will be taking Beth to school.”
Silva nodded, though very slightly. Her eyes were fixated on the window, where the holy star atop the grand church could be in view as if she was giving a silent prayer.
‘That is why we pick this house if I recalled correctly.’ Armone remembered the memory of them going to the church and attended public prayers every week, though the happy memory did not make him feel any joy.
“The head of electrician is upset about your absent,” Armone told his wife, though the man understood their situation, the law is the law, and Silva’s permanent points were decreasing rapidly, and her provisions had not been received for many days now.
“Tell him…” Silva stopped for a moment, her voice seemed so dry that it hurt his heart “I…need time…to…”
“I will,” He told her "But get better, okay? Beth needs you.”
‘And I need you.’ Armone would have continued, but he must be the one who held this broken family together.
Silva didn’t reply, so Armone shook his head and went to give her a small kiss, though he wondered if she even felt it.
“There is still some food in the kitchen.” Armone told her, glaring at the spoiled foods “Please eat, you need the energy…”
“Armone…why?” Silva started to say, her voice so shattered “Our boys…why did they take our boys?”
‘They weren’t taken.’ Armone thought, bitterly ‘They go by their own volition.’
But he couldn’t tell Silva that, for he was afraid that her weaken heart might not be able to take it. So after a quick goodbye, Armone exited the living room, leaving his wife to her grief and leaving him to his.
“Beth, let’s go,” Armone said his daughter before he could change his mind, and Beth picked up her bag and followed him out to the street.
As the morning light glaring through the tall buildings around his home, Beth trotted by along behind him, though noticeably less merrily than usual. Together they passed around their neighborhood, so Armone trying to put on a half-fake smile for his neighbors, like everything was okay, like his wife was not grieving away in their home, like his family was not broken, like both of his sons had not decided to spirit themselves away and joined an unlawful resistance…
A moment later, they were at the faith tower, taking his adopted daughter’s hand, he walked up the steep steps of the ascending stair for the station. But as Armone was halfway up, he felt a sharp pain on his ankle. It was a little thing, but it managed to make him stop temporary nevertheless.
“Dad, are you alright?” Beth asked, noticing his pause.
Armone tapped his foot on the granite staircase to make the pain went away “I’m fine.”
‘You are a guard and a sergeant.’ Armone told himself when they reached the top ‘Not to mention the head of your own family, no matter how small it becomes, so tough up.’
Soon the train stopped at the faith tower, circling down upon the platform. Armone glanced at the guard cargo, since he was not in uniform, he would not be able to use it. So when the crowd in the train dispersed, he led Beth passed the nearest door and sat her and himself on the nearby opening seats in the packed cargo.
As the railroad started to power up and moved forward, Armone glanced out the window and saw the golden symbol atop the church of fate. He wondered if Silva was still watching it, asking for an answer from the higher power they worshipped.
‘God, tell me what did I do wrong?’ Armone prayed to the star ‘Had I been too harsh on my boys, or had I been too loose? Had I not hammered the importance of following orders into their head hard enough? Had I not been a good father to them? Please…tell me…’
But alas, the god had decided to not answered, leaving Armone to pondered his dilemma by himself. When had they decided to betray their own city? He questioned. Had they been plotting this for all their life, or was it just a stupid whim they had overnight? Regardless of the reason, they left, and that was what hurt the worst.
“D…dad” Beth called him, tucking his shirt “We’re here.”
Armone shook his head, getting everything together, for what Beth said was true. They had arrived at the commercial tower, and many of younglings who had come for school on their own and with their parents were leaving through the cargo’s door.
Armone took Beth’s hand and led her out the train, following along with the crowd. As they were descending the steps, the two passed by a blond haired girl in blue hoodie twice Beth’s age and a man in plain black shirt twice her age walking alongside each other, and Armone strangely had a feeling that he had met them before. Their closeness seemed resembled that of a sibling, though they looked nothing alike.
“The gathering area behind the school seems like a good spot.” Armone overheard the girl said “Not ideal, but the best spot in that miserable place.”
“I’m starting to second doubting this idea a little bit.” The man said back “Corlius will never shut up about it.”
“Relaxed” The girl replied “Fuck that guy’s opinion. This is a crucial step for your plan.”
Their conversation sounded strange, but Armone had his own errand to be done so he stayed out of their business.
From the tower, it was but a short walk to school, and soon they were at the front gate. They stopped by the nearby wall so Armone could give his daughter goodbye for the day.
“Study hard, all right?” Armone told her, sitting on his knee so he could meet her gaze “Behave and listen to the educators. I will come by to pick you up as fast as possible.”
Beth nodded and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
“Dad, when will Mat and Mark be home?” She suddenly asked.
And at that moment, the mask he forced himself to wear shattered, and the emotion he pent up for the last few days came pouring out. For that brief moment, he was no longer a guard, a sergeant, a husband, a father or even a man, he was just a person who had lost two sons, perhaps forever. Tears poured out of his eyes in the way that he did not know could.
“I don’t know, Beth.” Armone sobbingly told his daughter “I don’t know…”
After a moment, he tried his best to regain his composure “Go run along now, otherwise you will be late.”
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
Beth nodded, though Armone could clearly saw that she noticed her father’s tears. And with that she trotted away to the school building, alone, without her brothers.
He tried to rise from the ground, staggering due to his emotional weight. He swung out from the school gate and rested himself by the nearby wall.
“My boys…” Armone muttered bitterly “Why did it have to be my boys?”
He had to admit the truth to himself, Armone knew. Silva, Beth, Mathos, Markis and him would never be a family again. If his sons decided to come back, they would be executed for treasons, and Armone would be compelled to arrest them themselves. But if the resistance rages on, they would either die in the fighting or be executed after they were captured. Their fate was all but sealed the moment they made the drastic choice.
‘After that day, I might as well lose them.’ The same thought he had on the day of the great test flashed through his head, but it had taken a bitter and darker turn. Armone nearly laughed from the terribleness of it all, but he afraid that it would sound more of a depressed sobbing instead.
Then a fist was driven into his chest.
It was not a hard punch, but not a soft one either. Nevertheless, it took him by surprise, and it made him stagnated down onto the floor, his chest still sore from the impact.
“Get up, you sad sack.” A familiar voice said as he was being pulled back up.
“Paul” Armone spit the taste of concrete from his mouth, he remembered his younger friend’s red hair and rash attitude anywhere “What are you doing here?”
“Come to pick up my sergeant, what else,” Paul told him, offering a hand to get back up, so he took it.
Armone rubbed his temple, noticing that Paul was not in uniform “You don’t really have to punch me in the gut like that.”
“To be fair, Armone, you looked like you need just that.” Paul looked out toward the direction of the authority district “Let’s get to our jobs; our squad is assigned to a new task.”
“I see,” Armone said, he still got his new work, no matter what he lost.
“It’s a short walk from here, let’s go,” Paul told him, and off they went.
“Look, I know you are going through a rough time right now…” His friend told him as they slithered around the street, making their way out of the commercial district.
“How did you know?” Armone asked his friend, he had never told anyone at the great barrack about his family situation.
“Words get around, and it is also written all over your face.” Paul commented, “I’m not the only one who noticed it, Hedge knew, Eve knew, Hillar knew, even Garret, Jackson and Yillid are starting to noticing it too.”
“I see” Armone muttered, listening to every word, it nearly lighten his heart to know that his close friends cared. Nearly.
“I understand that your family is in a tiring time, but you have to get your shit together man. The fact of the matter is, the squad needs you, and this is going to sound weird, but I need you.”
Armone eyed Paul with suspicion.
“A week ago when you offered my name to the head guard as your second-in-command, you give me another shot at this squad thing, and I will be eternally grateful for that. My past fuck-up with Sergeant Jacob still looms over me, even after so many months, but goddamn it, your downer attitude is really screwing with our performance. So fucking man up, Armone!”
Armone pondered on the ringing words for a moment, his family was shattered, but he still got his work, his other family, as taught during training. He must remember that, and he had to be there for them.
“Speaking of the man…” Armone tried to hold a conversion as his attempt to get back to his usual self “How long had it been, huh?”
Paul shrugged “Six months, maybe seven, I don’t know. I never really like the guy, but he is a great sergeant, to be true.”
Armone nodded, Jacob was a shining example of what a guard should be, law-binding, disciplined, unbent, and merciless. He was picked to be a sergeant as soon as he finished his training, and there was a talk that he would inevitably become the new head guard one day.
Paul had been assigned to Sergeant Jacob, serving as part of his squad, which was quickly gaining prestige through the man’s leadership. But one faithful night, they were sent to capture a group of escaping courtesans, who had somehow managed to pass through one of the city’s gate and in the process killed the black guard stationed there.
Without asking for permission from the order of the guards, Paul told that Jacob led his squad out into the wasteland outside the city wall, pursuing the escapee and brought them back for execution. A week passed, and they were able to catch up to them, but then realized too late that it was a trap.
“I could still remember it like it was yesterday.” Paul muttered, “They tackles us from both sides and stole our weapons, and then used them to kill our squad one by one, Bernard, Glass, Trist, even Jacob, who took in like twenty blasts before finally went down.”
“Isn’t Glass your…”
“Yeah, it was nothing serious, but she was my lover at the time.” Paul sighed “Regardless, I was the only one who survived, and you know the rest.”
Armone nodded, Paul had said that he staggered back to the city, weakens and lost. He would have been executed for failure, but Armone had made a case against it, pleading that it was not Paul’s fault to be commanded to recklessly pursued the escaping courtesans. In the end, the head guard had decided to not executed Paul, but instead stripping him from all his points and his home in the upper common district then lowered his rank down to a simple watchman. A few weeks afterward, Paul had come to express his gratitude for saving his life.
“Look, we’re here.” His friend told Armone, and they arrived at the twenty stories building named the great barrack. The two scan their fingerprints by the front gate, and then went inside.
“What is our assignment?” Armone asked as they climbed up the stair for their designated squad room.
“Nothing fancy” Paul admitted, “We have to put up more posters or something.”
Armone nodded, he remembered this as part of their work, though he often heard complaints, mainly from Hillar, that this work was more suited to other orders. But he knew better, it was one thing to see a fellow commons put out propaganda posters, it was another to see a force of authority putting them out.
Soon they were standing in front of their squad room, guarded by a simple metal door with a plac that read ‘C241’ over it. Armone took a deep breath, trying to hide away all of his stress and worry. When he was ready, he put his thumb over the handle and the door swung open.
“Salutation!” Paul commanded, and immediately all three of Armone’s subordinates stopped whatever they were doing to stand and stiff up, awaiting his pleasure.
“To your duty” Armone commanded, as per protocol, and everyone sat back down and returned to their task. Armone glanced around the room he was given, a small one, but suited its purpose, with fives lockers, a central bench, its own solar gun’s stand, and window.
Paul looked at his squadmate “Seriously? I have been gone for half an hour and you guys hadn’t finished putting on your uniform yet?”
“That’s not my fault.” Jackson said he was pulling up the chest part of his armor when Armone and Paul entered the room “Yillid want the squad room for herself when she was dressing.”
The only one who had already put on her full guard's armor looked up from her hand device “Well, I’m sorry for not wanting you guys seeing me naked while I’m putting on my uniform.”
“Yill, Jack, the sergeant is watching.” Garret warned, he was near finished and was putting on his glove “Don’t make a fuss.”
But that seemed to make her puffed up “I’m not the one making a fuss, Jackson just need to understand that I’m not showing him my private part!”
Jackson snorted “Oh that is a far cry from what I was saying.”
Armone groaned, a headache in the morning was just what he needed “Stop” he commanded them, and as quick as that, they did as they bid.
When he had their full attention, he said: “I will ask for the barrack’s constructor to attach a curtain room in the corner for Yillid’s use, but until then, she will need to come to our squad room earlier than anyone else so as to not disturb anyone, is that clear?”
They all nodded.
“Good” Armone finally said, he knew this new position would be hard, but never knew it was consuming as well “Quickly put on your uniform, we have works to do.”
Armone put on his own uniform in less than five minutes, for he was a guard for far longer than any of his subordinates had been. When he finally put on his helmet, he looked at the reflection by the window. His body armor was the exact same as his old one, but a lining of polished bronze ran over the surface, sliding all over his uniform like a tangled rope, binding and choking him from the outside.
His squad wore the old plain white armor, but their left shoulder pad had the same bronze lining as his, showing their rank as a squad members, with Paul having it in both his shoulders.
When everyone had finished putting on their uniform, Armone tabbed his helmet’s headpiece, and immediately, a voice rang up.
“Connection establish to the squad…” His squad’s overseer said over the device “We are all ready, sergeant Armone.”
“Thank you.” He replied, but the speaker was not Dane. When Armone was promoted to a sergeant, a watchman’s overseer was not fit to be working with him anymore. Quinn was the name of the new overseer, who worked with his squad from here on out. She was a freshly trained recruit, the same as three of his squad members, and was everything an overseer was asked to be. But sometime Armone still missed his old humorous companion.
“So many things changed...” He muttered, “So many people left…”
When all was said and done, Paul ordered the squad to give Armone another salute, and they went to their work. They marched for the barrack’s storage units to retrieve the hologram poster, a tube-shaped device that could project a large image and could be drilled into a wall. The storage’s caretaker handed Armone about four hundred of the items, packed into five bags, and he handed each of them to his subordinate. afterward, they went to exit the great barrack.
“We will cover more ground if we split up.” Armone told his squad “Paul, you took Garret to the upper common, I will take Yillid and Jackson to the lower.”
“As you command, sergeant” Paul replied, his tone had noticeably changed, since, in their guard armor, Armone was his superior now.
Yillid gave Jackson a stink eyes before going to talk with Garret, and Armone allowed them a moment to speak.
“See you at my place?” She asked, raising her visor and kissed Garret by the cheek.
Garret smiled “It’s a date, Yil.”
“An in-work romance” Paul commented quietly, to not let the two overheard “It will not last long, I afraid.”
Armone nodded, though not of agreement. There was something sweet about these two, they reminded him so much of Silva and himself when they too were young.
“Let’s move,” Armone commanded, and they parted. Armone and two of his subordinates marched down Tiffan Street and entered the lower common district. From all his time as a watchman, Armone could not help but be astonished on how different it was from the upper common. The building was not painted, the street twisted and crook, the environment stinks with horrible smell and seemed depressed in general. The only reason he could think of for a person to buy their home here instead of sleeping in the order’s designated cell provided to them along with their work was to have a strange enjoyment on the fact that they had control over their life, something that Armone think was quite delusional and unnecessary.
After they hurried through a decent amount of the district, passing by a few patrolling guards along the way, Armone ordered a halt to his squad as per protocol and commanded them to start putting up posters. He reached into his bags and pulled out one the tube, pressing one of its buttons, he slid two part of it away from each other, revealing its long hologram projector. Armone pinned the device upon the wall, pressed another button, and leave it on itself as the hologram formed from under the device.
It was a close-up picture of one of the citizens who defected to the rebel group during the picking day, with his or her name displayed under it. Armone counted to ten, and the image shifted to the next person on the list, alphabet wise, as it supposed to.
“One down, seventy-nine to go,” Armone muttered, this will be a long and tedious day. He moved to another spot on the wall then activated another device, and he was greeted with the face of Markis.
In the picture, his son seemed happy, and the memory of the days he took his family to take their yearly pictures rushed back to his mind. They had put on their best outfits; Beth was bobbling up and down all the way there, and Armone even bought all five of them each a stick of honey chickens. The stain the sauces left on Markis’s shirt collar could still be seen in the picture…
“Sergeant” Jackson called him from behind, “The devices had been fully deployed in this area, should we…” He stopped when he saw the poster in front of him, Armone gazed longingly as the face on the picture shifted from Markis to Mathos.
“Sergeant…is that…your sons?” Jackson asked, his tone worried.
“No” Armone decided, his visor was down, so no one could see his teary eyes “They are nothing but traitors to the supreme leader.”