CHAPTER 11: IN SAFE HANDS
As the morning bells rang throughout the base, Scott woke up next to other villagers in a small room with only a bunk bed. He shared the higher bed with a much larger guy, almost falling off onto the two others below. But since they were already getting up to leave, Scott was relieved to get up and start his day, but not before changing clothes first. Crammed in with three complete strangers, who all seemed to be unknown to one another, created a silent awkwardness as they changed into the clothes the soldiers gave them.
Despite being uncomfortable getting naked, Scott didn’t have much of a choice and stripped to his underwear to put on the beige shorts and simple gray shirt with the New Saviors emblem on it. His clothes seemed to be a size bigger, but he didn’t stop to complain or ask for another pair, rushing out to escape the dense air and the smell of sweat as soon as possible. But now comfortable in his new, clean clothes, Scott stepped right into another distressing environment.
The hallways of the barracks quickly filled up as both soldiers and guests woke up and started their morning routine. Most of the villagers had little to no belongings they could take with them, so they left their rooms empty-handed. However, that still didn’t stop the barracks from overcrowding, leaving no space for anyone to walk. After about a minute of chaos, a few soldiers cleared the way through the main hallway to reach the entrance of the barracks, where they managed to control the villagers and have them form a line. With the guests in formation, they were escorted to the back of the main building at the center, going back to the same courtyard at the south section of the base, where they had stayed momentarily last night.
Following everyone else’s footsteps, Scott looked around to see if any familiar faces popped up, but it looked like there were more people from the other villagers than Echokinge. He was surrounded by strangers, and while still innocent villagers, Scott was weary around them, cowering and looking away every time someone returned the stare. He quickly gave up on trying to find friends, and as they reached the courtyard, it was time for everyone to take their seats. The courtyard was big enough to host everyone and even seemed to have more tables than needed. However, as everyone started sitting down, Scott noticed they were already forming groups and chatting amongst themselves.
All of the tables at the front, closest to the back of the main building, were already filled with villagers, with the ones behind being occupied by soldiers. They began blending, and soon enough, everyone was socializing in the courtyard as breakfast began being served. But with a few villagers still searching for a place to sit, Scott awkwardly followed a few strangers closely, trying to go unnoticed, waiting for them to sit so he could sit with them.
But as he followed a teen close to his age to a table with only two other villagers, Scott quickly changed his mind when one of them suddenly recognized the one he was following. The teen was greeted by a friend, which actually garnered the attention of other friends around. As a bunch of people began gathering around the now-full table, Scott saw his opportunity to leave before they noticed and walked to the back of the courtyard. He sat alone at one of the last tables, distancing himself the most from the others to be isolated, just like every other outcast who failed to bond with others in the first few minutes of the morning. He once again tried to search for familiar faces, but only saw soldiers coming with breakfast for the nearby tables, though not for him.
As he was so far away from everyone else, it took a while for him to be served. But once a soldier eventually noticed him and delivered his meal, Scott didn’t say anything and just devoured it in less than a minute. He had to take a moment to breathe and drink to not choke from how fast he was eating, but at that moment, he noticed that more soldiers were coming to walk around the court and get to know the new guests. Everyone was making friends, even the other antisocial that sat at the back, who was still closer to the others than him, so they got greeted by the soldiers like everyone else.
Scott’s sweet breakfast contrasted his bitter expression as he watched everyone but him socialize. He looked envious, but at the same time he was fearful of actually having someone approach him. However, one soldier in particular stood out to him, one who seemed very friendly and charismatic but was kind of loud and a bit oblivious. The soldier joined a table not too far away from Scott, and as he kept staring at him, he inevitably caught his attention. Immediately regretting it, Scott tried to look away and pretended to eat breakfast, even though there was nothing left. But as it was already too late, he could only brace himself while the soldier approached his table.
He couldn’t do much to hide at this point; it looked like sitting all by himself was what interested the soldier. Still, after glancing awkwardly a few times to make sure he was still walking towards him, Scott accidentally made eye contact with him and sealed his fate. The soldier was now right next to him, and to Scott’s surprise, he didn’t hesitate to take a seat in front of him. With no other choice, Scott looked across the table to see a bulky, almost chubby guy with short, brown, curly hair. Before he had a chance to say anything, Scott was caught off guard by the carefree smile on his face as he began talking to him.
–Hey, bud... Why are you sitting all by yourself?– the soldier asked casually, leaning in to try to get a good look at Scott’s face, who didn’t seem too interested in him talking, but had no other option but to have a conversation with him.
–I don’t know anyone here, none of my friends are around anymore…– Scott replied inattentively, trying to distract himself by looking around the courtyard again to not get emotional. But despite his low-spirited response, the soldier began laughing for some reason, catching Scott’s attention but leaving him confused.
–Well, that’s why we made you sit together to share breakfast. You are supposed to meet people and get along, so either you didn’t like these people, or you didn’t like the breakfast– the soldier said lightheartedly, almost laughing again before he noticed that Scott didn’t seem amused and cowered shyly at the mention of other people.
Seeing his timid reaction, the soldier kept staring at him awkwardly and almost got up to leave. But the more Scott stayed silent, the more he grew depressed, his somber expression calling for the soldier to do something to cheer him up. He hesitated to say anything else, but when he was about to leave him alone, he noticed the bandage on his wounded hand, telling him he was one of the warriors who actually stood up to defend his village. And apparently, just seeing that he did have some will to fight despite his appearance and low spirit made him reconsider his approach, taking a moment to think about how to talk to Scott and introduce him to the base.
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–Alright, I see you haven’t talked to anyone yet. And since I’m probably the first one, let me introduce myself… I’m Cookie…– Cookie added with a charismatic smile as he extended his hand to greet Scott. In return, Scott hesitated to shake his hand for a second but became more interested in Cookie’s name, so much so that his shyness faded away.
–Cookie? That’s a weird nickname…– Scott asked while uncomfortably shaking Cookie’s hand, who chuckled at his comment but didn’t seem bothered by it. Cookie relaxed as he sat upright and kept staring at Scott without saying anything, waiting for him to say something instead.
–Oh, right. I’m Scott, nice to meet you– Scott introduced himself with a small, embarrassed smile but adopted a more natural, friendly expression as he overcame his awkwardness. He still didn’t know what to say to the new friend he met a minute ago. Luckily for him, Cookie seemed easygoing and began talking right away in a casual manner, as if he had known him for years.
–Well, Scott, let me help you get used to your new home. I don’t mean to judge, but if you are going to stay here, you better learn how to get along with others because here we rely heavily on teamwork. Personally, I’m not much of a team person, but I sure know a lot of people… Maybe I can introduce some to you if you are interested– Cookie suggested in a breezy manner, checking back on all the people eating at the other tables to draw Scott’s attention. Scott looked at them but didn’t seem too eager to meet new people, though he did seem encouraged by Cookie’s charm. He noticed Scott’s reaction and raised his eyebrow in suspicion at the fact that he was so willing to distance himself from the others. But as he continued to question him with his eyes, Scott eventually was pressured into accepting his offer, nervously nodding and stuttering before responding.
–Y-yeah, I mean, I already know some people, but I guess it would be nice to get to know more…– Scott replied insecurely, glancing once or twice behind Cookie to look at some people that caught his attention. But as Cookie followed his sudden shifting stare, he turned back as well to see what caught Scott’s eye. He realized he was looking at some of the soldiers who were serving food, even though it looked like he was staring at a particular group of villagers at a table far away. Regardless, he saw this as enough interest for him to help him meet new people, so Cookie turned back to Scott with an excited grin and leaned forward to speak.
–Alright, let me explain the different types of people you might find here. You see all those soldiers? They might seem intimidating and whatnot, but they are really just like you and me, except with a lot more training and experience in combat and murder. Don’t worry about those, you are in safe hands here no matter what… I mean, they can be friendly, just a little bit boring because they always worry about doing their jobs, so you’ll always be protected if you are around them. But I do suggest you talk to the more popular ones…– Cookie started explaining with enthusiasm to a now very attentive Scott, who nodded with curiosity at everything he said. He struggled to keep up with Cookie’s speedy words as he talked fast and pointed in all directions for Scott to look, but then he drew his attention to the temporary kitchen set at the entrance of the main building.
–For example, see that guy cooking the food over there? That’s who we call Chef, and he is the best cook in the entire region. He is always busy with his job, but if you catch him during his free time, you can get some pretty cool food stories out of him, especially when he is drunk. He is a chill guy and makes a mean potato pie, but most of the second grades are just as cool, if not more than him…– Cookie added in a more playful tone, pointing at the different soldier friends he had all around the courtyard. Scott looked at every single one, impressed by his large social circle, but he then began looking at him curiously until Cookie noticed.
–You seem like you have lots of friends, I bet you are one of the cool guys…– Scott said in a joking tone, to which Cookie smiled confidently before showing off a badge on the left shoulder of the military jacket he was wearing.
–Hell yeah, that’s because I’m a second grade, baby– Cookie replied with a prideful grin and a lively laugh, making Scott laugh as well, but only for a brief moment. Scott looked at his shiny badge for a while, admiring the two silver stripes that indicated Cookie’s grade, but it also made him even more curious as he stared for longer, prompting Cookie to explain more about the ranks.
–You see, ranks are everything here. I don’t want to say that you get more respect and privileges for having a higher rank, but you basically get more respect and privileges for having a higher rank. I like to think that my rank just lets me have a better room to sleep in and tastier food to eat, but in other cases, it can really tell you a lot about a person…– Cookie continued explaining, being more descriptive but maintaining his chatty and easygoing nature. Scott took a moment to think, but as Cookie began rambling about other random stuff, he stopped listening and lost himself in a thoughtful moment.
Scott looked at the backside of the central building, the one facing the courtyard they were in, noticing that some soldiers were found on the second floor, right on the balcony where Indie made her speech last night. There, he spotted a few of Crisis’ members, and after a while of intently staring, Cookie realized he wasn’t paying attention to him and looked back to see what was grabbing Scott’s attention. To Cookie’s surprise, Scott seemed more interested in Crisis than anyone else, so without hesitating, Cookie went back to the topic and answered Scott’s doubts without him even saying a word.
–Oh, yea, they are a good example of what ranks can get you here. You might have seen them back in your village, but those are our main squad, like the special forces of our base. Since they are assigned to all of the important missions, they get to carry all of the cool weapons and equipment, but I would say they are also the ones who get the most respect and love. They are like idols here, but maybe without all of the harassment…– Cookie explained casually, becoming a bit indifferent and even a little envious as he described Crisis to Scott.
He was captivated by the outfits and attitude of the members, in particular Tricky and Panda, who were hanging out on the balcony, now wearing their casual outfits, which still made them stand out more than the rest. Cookie looked at Scott’s expression and could tell he was interested in learning more about Crisis. He chuckled to himself, and despite changing his attitude towards Scott’s shift of attention, he seemed willing to tell him more. He stood up to sit next to him and not block his view anymore, and as Scott just remained seated as he distracted himself, Cookie continued speaking, now introducing all of Crisis’ members.
| WHEN THE TRACES OF DARK COME
TO FADE IN THE LIGHT |