Chapter 24: Oakwood
When I opened my eyes, I noticed that Miguel wasn’t there beside me. It’s still dark outside. No matter. He always wakes up early and he wakes up even before the sun rises. He’s probably doing that weird meditation stuff again. I’ll sleep some more.
As I closed my eyes, I smiled as I reminisced on what happened in the last few days. You see, I was conflicted about my feelings about him. Ever since I saw his memories, I knew that he loves me, but I felt that I wasn’t the one he deserved. I knew that I was a terrible person for him. God, I wasn’t even a virgin and he was.
When he lost with our first sparring, I thought he would hate me, instead, he encouraged me to train harder, so that I could beat him more effectively and faster. He even praised me for defeating him. Though I enjoyed making him bleed, I felt like I wanted to cuddle him when I saw him hurt. But of course, that would be creepy.
Miguel looked bitter with his defeat. It’s not like it’s his first time to taste defeat in his life, but it was the first time that he lost against me. When he locked himself in the bathroom, I thought that was it. For a long time I wanted to crush him and be proud of it, but when I defeated him, I couldn’t understand why I felt bad about it.
I mean, he trained for years on the subject and that must’ve destroyed him knowing that all of his efforts were for nothing. I apologized because I wanted to learn more from him. When I thought that he wasn’t listening, I opened the door and saw him naked in the bathtub.
My heart raced and my legs were frozen when I saw him. Miguel didn’t have a body of a hunk. He had a belly of a drunkard and he had that beard too. The way he looked at me with his confident eyes made me stammer like an idiot. I didn’t know if he was flirting or seducing me, but my mind went haywire when he looked at me with those piercing eyes.
I continued with my training like he instructed. Miguel watched me as I practiced the Six Strikes technique. Whenever he glanced at me, I didn’t see any trace of bitterness in his eyes. More like he’s proud of me. I knew from experience that most teachers hated it when their students were better than them. His attitude towards me encouraged me to train harder.
As I swung my sword, I realized that the line between hate and love was blurred. What I feel for him is so strong and I couldn’t point it out whether I share the same feelings for him or not. I tried to tease him by inviting him to dip into the tub with me, but he left with a blush on his face. It’s cute, especially when he’s the kind of man who rarely showed expression.
That night before I went to sleep. I realized that all this time, I didn’t really hate him. I just couldn’t accept that I fell for him when we were still in college. I wasn’t the type of woman who would court a man, but this time, I decided that I would go on full offense knowing that he’s insensitive to subtle ways of a woman.
The next day, I was still envious of Miguel being better than me. He has magic and he could almost do everything and I couldn’t help, but feel worthless. Surprisingly, he praised me for doing a good job and he even told me that he was confident to win because I was there.
His flattery was obvious, but effective nonetheless. Hah! Two can play at this game. His looks were funny when being seduced. I mean, I tried to do it before when I was trying to get on his good side when we were in college and he would answer my seduction with a blank look, but this time, I knew that it worked. Perhaps he even saw me taking the condoms and that’s why he couldn’t look at me in the eyes.
But then, when I learned that everyone in my family was dead, I was devastated. My mind was in shock and even though I wasn’t a person who would easily cry, the tears in my eyes flowed endlessly and finally, grief has struck me.
He didn’t say anything. Miguel stayed by my side for hours and he didn’t leave me alone in my time of grief. When I needed someone that I could hold on to, he provided me his gentle hand and held me. It was in that moment when all my feelings for him became as clear as the night sky. I am in love with him.
Cheesy, isn’t it? Well, that’s what it feels like when you’re in love. I didn’t know that I could fall in love again ever since Marlon. I tried to move on with my life after that, but whenever I dated someone, I felt like they were only thinking about having sex with me. It’s like that was just my worth for them.
I gave up after going out with a few men. Since I have a traumatic experience in sex, I avoided it and all of my exes lost their interest in me. I didn’t feel anything when I broke up with them and I was bored with them after a few dates. The hole that Marlon left in my heart was bottomless and I couldn’t even have a normal conversation with men without getting bored with them.
But when I met Miguel, I could spend the whole day without getting bored, either talking about senseless things or insulting each other or doing nothing at all. He saved me from the bottomless pit when we made love to each other.
It was satisfying. I wasn’t unfamiliar with orgasms since I usually get off by watching porn. Surprise, surprise! Yeah, I watch porn too, and I masturbated. Yup. Definitely. Unlike my first, Miguel did satisfy me even though I expected that he couldn’t because it’s his first time.
I love the way he made love with me with his expressive and piercing eyes. If I didn’t see his memories, I’d be convinced that it wasn’t his first time. Or maybe it wasn’t. Shit… Did he have sex with Dianne? What happened to that blank memory? If so, that would be fucked up.
Nevermind, I doubt that happened because after they reconciled, things looked normal between them. If it happened, things would get awkward between them. Or maybe because they still… *Sigh*
Anyway, now that I think about it. Did he enjoy it as much as I did? Did I satisfy him? Perhaps I should ask him, but that would look like I was insecure about myself. Maybe I’ll just be subtle with my question.
Oh, we never said ‘I love you’ to each other. Perhaps it’s unnecessary, but I just wanted to confirm to him that he’s mine and I was his. It may sound possessive, but I wanted to make it clear that our relationship is way more than just friends.
I opened my eyes as I found it hard to go back to sleep again. I was excited to see him and tell him that I love him. I don’t care if he laughs it off, but I’ll just say it anyway. I stood up and stretched my arms up. The sun was already up in the sky, so I got dressed and prepared for my daily routine.
When I went to the living room, I noticed that Miguel and the two bodyguards weren’t there. Maybe they took a stroll somewhere, but I had a feeling that something bad happened. I shrugged off the feeling and did some stretching and warm up exercises like Miguel taught me. I made sure that my stance was correct and practiced the Six Strike technique as I swung my sword in the air.
Eric and Melissa were already awake and they were clingy to each other as they drank coffee in the front yard. It was obvious that they also hooked up last night. Their giggles made me envious. Where the hell is Miguel?
“Good morning.” Dianne greeted as she yawned.
“Morning.” I greeted back.
“Where’s Miguel?”
“No idea.” I replied. “He’s somewhere with his bodyguards, I guess.”
“You know, Miguel’s been acting strange lately. Did you notice?” Dianne asked.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s barely getting any sleep and he spaced out quite a lot.”
“You just described the Miguel I know.” I may be the reason why he didn’t get lots of sleep last night. Hehehe.
“And he sleeps with his eyes open.”
“Yeah, that one creeps me out. I wonder if that’s normal.”
“I don’t know. Just yesterday, he looked like he’s afraid of something. I even gave him a sleeping potion to help him sleep.”
Afraid of something? What could it be? Actually, I’ve never seen Miguel with a fearful expression. All of us were shaking in fear when we fought our first ogre and just a few days ago, he’s the one who tested out his own theory about the zombies and he never hesitated to try it. I couldn’t imagine Miguel being afraid.
“I tried to ask him what’s wrong, but… “ Before she could finish her sentence, Dianne’s jaw dropped as she stared in an empty space. “Oh my god!”
“What is it?”
“Miguel left Boston Tea Party.”
“What do you mean he left Boston Tea Party?”
“It’s disbanded! He left the party!”
“Where is he?” Eric asked.
“I don’t know, but I think he left Camp Aguinaldo!” Dianne said.
“I don’t think that’s the case. I mean, he had bodyguards and they would’ve stopped him.” Melissa said as she narrowed her eyes.
Dianne shook her head. “Then why did he have to leave the party?”
As Dianne, Eric and Melissa continued to argue, I saw a group of soldiers in the distance coming in our direction. I called their attention and pointed at the soldiers. Something bad must’ve really happened. All of us draw our weapons and the soldiers did the same.
“Hold! We’re just here to bring you to the General.”
“Where’s Miguel?” I asked the soldier.
“There’s been an incident. The General wants to speak with you about it.” The soldier responded.
Dianne, Eric, Melissa and I followed the soldiers to the General’s office. I didn’t think that Miguel left Camp Aguinaldo at all. I know that he wasn’t that stupid and he knew that he wouldn’t survive a day outside alone. I was afraid that...
No, I don’t think he was dead either. I tried to calm myself down as we went upstairs to the General’s office. The soldiers continued to follow us and stopped as we entered the office. The General sat down straight in his chair and looked agitated as he waved off the soldiers.
“What’s going on, Dad? Where’s Miguel?” Asked Dianne, biting her lip. “Did he leave Camp Aguinaldo?”
“He did.” Gen. Arevalo nodded. “I have no idea where he is right now, but I thought he was with you, so I sent my men to check on you. Sorry if I made you uneasy.”
“What happened? How did he escape?” Eric asked.
“One of the guards found the two security escorts lying down unconscious just a few minutes ago. I don’t know what Miguel did to those two, but they’re still not waking up. They found a small hole in the wall nearby.”
“What’re you going to do about it?” Dianne asked again.
“Dianne...” The General stood up from his chair and approached Dianne. “I knew that you’re worried about him, but please. I ask you and your friends to stay here. It’s too dangerous outside. You experienced it firsthand and I hope you can understa-“
“Aren’t you going to organize a search party for him?”
“As I said before, I can’t risk the lives of any more of my men. Miguel probably went to Pasig. I already told you. Pasig is overrun by monsters. No one could even step a foot in that city and none of my men who came to that place ever came back.”
“But he’s your son!” Dianne screamed at him and she started to tear up.
The General raised up his chin. “I know and he already made up his decision.”
“And that’s okay with you?” Dianne’s voice cracked as she spoke. “You just- Please, Dad. Let me go. I will search for him.”
“No.” The General said as he shook his head.
“Then I already made my decision.” Dianne wiped off her tears. “I will go.”
“You and your friends will stay here. That’s an order.”
Gen. Arevalo hugged Dianne as he tried to comfort her. She shook her head and repeatedly tried to break off from him. “Please Dianne. I lost my wife, my daughter and now I lost my son. I don’t want to lose you too. You wouldn’t imagine how hard it is for me. Please. Stay here.”
When Dianne calmed down for a bit, the General ordered us to go home and rest. We didn’t know what to say to Dianne so we stayed silent as the soldiers escorted us back to the General’s house. The General even ordered eight of his men to stay near his residence to make sure that we wouldn’t even think about escaping.
Though it’s true that it’s risky outside Camp Aguinaldo, I understood why the General didn’t want us or anybody else to go and rescue Miguel and his family. Even the soldiers have their own family and everyone probably lost someone in this disaster. And if his best soldiers couldn’t pass through that city, it’s probably for the best if we stay here.
These people here didn’t know what was outside. How we survived. If you think about it, it seemed that it’s impossible to last a day in the midst of monster infested streets. It wasn’t luck that we survived. We survived because we carefully planned each of our moves. I guess telling them wouldn’t really convince them.
I was speechless because I was still shocked that Miguel did something reckless. Ever since the beginning, he has been the one who insisted not to do something reckless that would risk our lives. I was angry at him, not because he was reckless, but because he didn’t even said anything to me when he left.
We even told Miguel that whatever decision he makes, we would stay together and if he still wanted to look for his family, we would help him and that it’s too dangerous to go alone. All of us in Boston Tea Party owed him and we knew that he wouldn’t risk our lives that easily. We believed in him. I believed in him.
What I couldn’t understand was: why would Miguel ditch us without even telling us his plan? I knew that his father won’t help him with what he wanted to do, but we’ve been clear to him that we’re with him. I realized that he never asked us for anything. Was it because of his pride? That he didn’t want to owe us favors? To be honest, I have no idea what’s going on in his mind.
I couldn’t find a word to describe what I’m feeling right now. Anger wasn’t the right word. I would understand if he didn’t want me to go, but even then, I would still follow him since I got nothing to lose. He left me without saying a word. Not even a letter saying his goodbye. I was surprised that I could still find restraint and not to go berserk, killing all of these soldiers.
Dianne was still silent and stared at the distance, spaced out. Eric and Melissa tried to console her, but their words fell on the deaf ears and she wouldn’t even respond. I was afraid that she would also try to be reckless and go alone to try and help Miguel. I sat beside her, so I could keep an eye out for her. If she goes, I’d go too.
“Hey.” I tried to call out to her, but she wasn’t responding. “I just wanted to say that we’re with you. I wanted to help him too, but...”
“But what?” I gasped when I saw Dianne’s eyes staring at me, burning with rage. “That we should stay here and consider his advice?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is...”
“Yeah, I get it.” Dianne sneered. “You bunch of ingrates. After all he did to get us here to safety, you’ll just cower here and do nothing. He even considered in his plan to save your families and what does he get in return? A fucking useless best friend and his ungrateful bitch. You’re probably thinking the same, aren’t you?”
“N-no!” I blurted out in defense.
I’ve never known she was capable of saying such things. I’ve never heard her swear before. What the hell did those two say to her? Eric and Melissa were also shocked as Dianne continued to speak.
“He loves you, you know.” She shook her head and smirked. “I guess this is the extent of your love to him.”
“What?!” My blood started to boil at her words. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Oh, I think I do.” Dianne continued as she stood up. “You’re like them. That’s why you never spoke out against my father. You don’t really feel the same for Miguel. You just stuck with him because you wanted to be safe, but now, you don’t need him anymore. Hah! I bet you’ll open your legs to anyone who would guarantee your safety.”
Now I understood why Jacob punched her in the face and tried to kill her when they mutinied. I had an urge to do the same, but I knew that Dianne said it because she was fed up. If she wasn’t my best friend and Miguel’s sister, I’d beat her to the inch of her life. I won’t kill her. But I’ll make her suffer long enough that she’ll wish she’s never born for saying that. Fortunately for her, I would make an exemption and I was restraining myself from doing it.
“What the hell are you do-“ I covered Dianne’s mouth and dragged her to the bedroom where the soldiers wouldn’t hear our conversation. I was much stronger than her and she was lighter compared to Miguel.
Eric grabbed my shoulder to stop me, but he let me go when I assured them that I won’t hurt Dianne and I just wanted to speak with her. He and Melissa followed and watch me outside the room just to make sure. With a little effort, I threw Dianne to the bed and covered her mouth.
“Don’t even think that you’re the only one who cared about him.” I said to her. “You didn’t even let me finish. I was going to say that we should carefully plan our next move like what Miguel would do in this situation. If you’re still eager to go outside and follow him, I’ll let you. But whether you like it or not, I’m coming too.”
Dianne glared at me, but she finally snapped out of it and stopped her struggling. I removed my hand to let her speak. “What’s your plan?”
“Exactly. We don’t have one.” I replied. “First, we need a healer. I can probably convince...”
“No need.” Dianne said. “I upgraded my potions and I made a lot of them yesterday.”
“Okay. How about the guards outside? How can we get pass through them? We can’t just kill them.”
“We should probably make a run for it. I don’t know about you, but I can go and sneak without being seen.”
“And how can we pass the wall? Obviously, we can’t go through the gate. If they catch us, we won’t get a second chance to escape again.”
Dianne clenched her fist in frustration. “You’re right. We really should think this through.”
“Dianne.” Eric scratched his head as he looked down. “I’m really sorry about earlier. You were right about everything. I just wanted to say that I’m with you.”He turned his head to Melissa as she tried to avoid his eyes.
“Fine.” Melissa sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m coming too.”
The soldiers outside the house were constantly checking on us once in a while as we formulate our plan. Miguel probably used his magic when he escaped and we definitely needed a mage with us. Eric tried to call out his brother, but he wasn’t responding. Everyone in the Team 29 won’t respond even the Sergeant.
It took us a while and it was already night when we decided to execute the plan. For some reason, half of the soldiers outside the house were gone and at least 10 of them were left. They looked agitated at something as we heard explosion at a distance. Finally, some luck.
Using Dianne’s sleeping potion, Eric made bombs that release invisible gas that induces sleep. I didn’t quite understand how he made it, but he said that it was similar to stink bombs that he and his brother used to make to prank on each other. Of course, we had to try if it really works, so we silently released one of the bombs near the soldiers to test it.
After a few seconds, the soldiers fell to the ground. We had to wear face masks and tried not to breathe, so we wouldn’t inhale the gas.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Let’s go.” I whispered to them.
As Eric tried to contact his brother, Richard, we sneaked around the base as we noticed that there was a chaos ensuing in the distance. We could hear faint sounds of metal clashing and shouting and fiery explosions on the eastern part of Camp Aguinaldo.
“Is the base under attack?” Melissa asked.
“Maybe.” Dianne replied. “This is our opportunity to escape. Now’s the time. Come on!”
Though Melissa seemed to be unwilling to follow us, she didn’t want to separate with Eric. It’s good that Dianne could be convincing with her words. Even if it’s a bit harsh.
As we reached the southern gate of Camp Aguinaldo, we were shocked to see that the soldiers were fighting other soldiers. There were no signs that the gates were forced to be opened, so these soldiers must’ve come from the inside. The one of the sides have red patches on their arm with the letter ‘I’ in its white sun.
I think it’s a symbol of Magdalo group. It was a well known faction within the AFP that mutinied a long time ago. I was four years old back then and I’ve only heard stories of them secretly recruiting soldiers within the ranks of AFP. Talk about bad timing for the national government.
“Mutiny.” I said. It was the only word that I could think of right now.
“Dad is in trouble!” Before Dianne could run off, I grabbed her wrist tightly.
“Let me go, Claire.” Dianne said as she struggled.
“Yes, he’s most likely in trouble, but you have to make a choice.” I said.”It’s now or never, Dianne.”
Dianne was fidgeting and she seemed to be in conflict in choosing between his father or his brother. After a few seconds, she let out a deep sigh and we sneaked to the gates. However, before we could reach for it, we heard a loud voice yelling.
“Stop right there!”
We stopped on our tracks and turned around. Melissa was being held by one of the surviving soldiers as he pointed his sword at her neck.
“Mel!” Eric shouted.
The soldiers surrounded us as the blade touched Melissa’s neck. “Drop down your weapons or I’ll kill her.”
We had no choice, but to drop our weapons. The soldiers ordered us to put our hands behind our back and kneel as they picked up our weapons. The soldiers didn’t have red patches on their arm and they’re most likely not members of Magdalo.
“What should we do with them, Lieutenant?” One of them asked.
“Take them to the holding area along with the others.”
“We should kill them right now, Sir. They’re from team 29. Their sergeant was one of them!”
“The General will decide what to do with them.”
They put zip ties on our wrist. Although Eric and I could tear the zip ties with ease, we chose not to struggle since they had us captive. There’s a saying that it’s easier to dodge questions than bullets. Though there were no guns pointed at us, it’s still easier to dodge questions than fireballs and arrows.
The soldiers took us to the holding area which was just another term for jail. I’ve never been to jail before, but closed spaces with metal bars made me uncomfortable. They locked us in a cell along with the other members of Team 29. It seemed that they were captured too.
“I’ve been trying to contact you. What the hell is happening?” Eric asked.
“We have no idea. I was buying in the Shop and they just arrested us and throw us here. Oh, and the Party Communication doesn’t work here.” Richard replied.
“How about your magic?” I asked.
“Not even Mark’s heal could work.”
I noticed that Sgt. Naval wasn’t with us. “Where’s the Sarge?”
“...”
As soon as mentioned Sgt. Naval, they all looked down and frowned. None of them could answer the question. I looked at my Party Screen and I was shocked to learn that she wasn’t in the party anymore. How was it possible? We should’ve gotten a notification that she left the party.
“What happened to her?” I asked again.
“They killed her.” Mark replied.
“They killed her? But why?”
“Apparently, she’s a member of Magdalo. I wasn’t killed because I’m a healer and Richard’s a mage. Beth and Gerry weren’t killed because they’re lucky Lt. Amparo was there.”
I knew it. It really was Magdalo group. It’s only been a day since I met Sgt. Naval and we weren’t really close. I wish I could weep for her, but I think she totally deserved it. What the hell were they thinking? It’s only been two weeks since the apocalypse and now, they’re trying to take over again.
It’s been hours since they threw us in this cell. We tried everything we can to escape, but we couldn’t even open our inventory screen in this area. I looked around and I noticed that there were runes on the walls outside. Perhaps it’s the reason why we couldn’t access the SYSTEM and why our strength wasn’t enough to tear down the metal bars of our cell. Eric and I gave up trying to escape and I sat down in the corner beside Mark.
“Are you a member of Magdalo?” I asked.
“Of course not. I wouldn’t betray my country like that.” Mark replied.
“Then why are they holding us?”
“It’s just a precaution. They will probably interrogate us after the fighting. That is if the AFP wins.”
“And what would happen if they lose?”
“You better hope they won’t.” Mark said. “So where’s Miguel?”
“He left me.”
“He broke up with you? Did you even follow my advice?”
“I don’t know. He just left Camp Aguinaldo without saying a word and yes, I followed your advice to the letter.”
“Oh.” His shoulders drooped in disappointment.
I remembered when we visited Miguel in the hospital two days ago, I introduced him to Mark. Even though he tried his best not to show emotions, it was obvious that Miguel was jealous when he looked at Mark up and down as if sizing him up. I admit that it made my heart jump because I didn’t know that he was even capable of being jealous.
What he didn’t know was that, Mark was our neighbor and a long time friend of mine. When I was a kid, he often gave me chocolates whenever we saw each other and no, he wasn’t a pedophile. He was just kind, I guess? Even though he’s an incredibly hot guy, he’s gay. Yeah, I wondered why most handsome guys I knew were gay, except for Eric, of course.
Anyway, he left home and served the military seven years ago. We kept contact with each other with text messages and I often asked him advice with relationships. He’s like a big sister to me. He even sent me souvenirs from the places where he was stationed.
He had a long time boyfriend in Cubao, but unfortunately, he didn’t survive. Some of you may wonder, how come a gay like Mark joined the army? Well, the armed forces accepted homosexuals a long time ago, but there were policies on their behaviors.
I asked him if he met a lot of hot guys in the army. Apparently, yes, but like any other soldiers, homosexuals or not, fraternization wasn’t allowed. That means no sex with each other. Duh? He told me that he wasn’t a stereotype horny gay that would fuck all guys he can see and he was faithful with his boyfriend. Anyway, all in all, he’s a good guy and I know I can trust him.
“You know, I think he left you because he wanted you to be safe.”
“You think so?” I said. “At least, he should’ve told me.”
“Okay. If he told you that he’s going and there’s a chance that he might not come back. What would you do?”
“I’d stop him.” I answered. “If he’s adamant about it, then I’ll stick with him.”
“That’s the point.” Mark said. “Miguel probably didn’t want you to stop him, nor did he want to risk your life.”
“That’s not his decision to make. He’s too prideful to ask us for help. Actually, he never asked us any favors.”
“I don’t think it’s pride, Claire. If I were in his position, I’d probably do the same.”
Mark continued to give me words of comfort and little by little, the anger inside me resided. The next time I see Miguel, I’ll try my best to listen to his side. Maybe he has a better excuse. If not, let’s just say he’s going to see lots of stars in his head. It’ll be a galaxy. There won’t be a black hole though, but he’ll have a massive red hole in his face with the shape of my fist.
It was already morning, but none of us managed to catch some sleep. The sounds of fighting were still ongoing and Dianne was worried about his father. We were really nervous on what’s going to happen to us and I started to doubt that we’d even get out of here alive.
After a few hours, we heard them fighting just outside the cell. We were afraid that the Magdalo group was successful in taking over the base.
“Col. Medina?”
The Colonel was wearing the same red patch on his arm. Shit. I think we’re seriously fucked.
“It’s good to see you again, Dianne.”
“You fucking traitor!” Dianne shouted as she tried her best to reach the Colonel. “What happened to my dad? Where is he?”
“You see, your father never listened to us. Even after a week of no contact with the national government, he was still hoping. He sent many men to their deaths and he even sent a two hundred of our elite to save his own family and none of them ever came back. That’s why we lost too many men when those beastmen attacked the base. We had no choice, but to take over.”
So Gen. Arevalo did try to send men to Pasig. That’s why he didn’t want Miguel to leave the base.
“You’re not safe here in Camp Aguinaldo. You’ll be much safer outside. The other colonels aren’t fond of the General and I don’t think they’ll let you live if they knew you were alive.”
“So you’ll let us go?” Mark asked.
“Yes. I will.” Col. Medina said. “On two conditions.”
“What conditions?”
“First, you will never come back in Camp Aguinaldo. Like I said, if it was for me, you’d still be welcome, but I don’t know about the others. It’s for your own safety. Second, you will surrender all of your money to me and some of your food. You don’t need them anyway and don’t try to deceive me because I have a skill to peek at someone’s inventory. Don’t worry, I’ll let you keep some provisions for your travel.”
“Throwing us back there. Isn’t that the same as killing us?” Gerry asked.
“Maybe. But at least you’ll have a chance to live. If the others knew that you’re still alive and you’re connected with the General, they’ll kill you off just to be safe. Actually, they might put up a bounty on Dianne and General Arevalo’s head.”
“Why would you be helping us?” Dianne asked.
“Good point. Why indeed?” I added.
“I’m just paying what is due to Miguel and his friends. He was the one who cured my daughter and my wife. I know it’s hard to believe, but I do have a code of honor.”
“So Angela’s your daughter? Then why did you betray my father?”
“I was neutral when I heard about the other officers’ disapproval with the General’s actions. I tried to warn him about it, but he didn’t listen to me. When I knew that it’s going to break out soon, I was forced to take a side and I won’t let my family be harmed.”
I wanted to laugh at his ‘code of honor’ when he easily takes different sides. Typical corrupted government dog.
“Why should we trust you?” I asked.
The Colonel gave me a smirked and shook his head. “You have no choice. You can either stay here and find out what will happen if they found all of you alive or you can take your chance outside and live. You better make your decision quickly.”
Our group discussed his terms, of course. It’s clear that we weren’t safe in Camp Aguinaldo anymore, so we took up his offer. We gave him all our money and boxes of canned food. Unfortunately for Gerry, the Colonel also wanted his booze, so he took it too.
Basically, it’s a bribe. Or robbing us, depending on perspective. Why he’s willing to let us go was beyond me, but I doubt it’s just paying the debt of gratitude. Perhaps it’s his way of convincing himself that he paid that debt of gratitude or maybe he expects us to die in our exile. This guy was underestimating us.
I held Dianne’s wrist tightly to prevent her from doing something stupid as the Colonel and his men led us towards the eastern gate. There were lots of corpses of soldiers and civilians along the road. I don’t quite understand the reason of their mutiny, but they’ve gone too far by killing innocent civilians. I even saw corpses of children. I’m sure there’s a special place for these traitors in hell.
“So this is where I’ll leave you. I wish you luck.” Col. Medina said as we exited the gate.
“One last thing. I have no personal grudge against the General. In fact, I let you live because the others might use you against him and I can’t have that on my conscience. I advise you not to wander around Quezon City. Someone might recognize you and we’ll all be in trouble.”
The soldier pointed his finger to a pile of weapons. It was our weapons that were confiscated from us yesterday. I almost thought they’d leave us with nothing. Though I believe he still has some conscience left in him, karma will get that asshole for betraying his countrymen. Mark and Richard were kicked out of the AFP faction. I say it’s for the better.
Dianne was crying as we walked away from the base. It’s most likely that Gen. Arevalo was safe because the Colonel mentioned something about putting a bounty on him. I told Dianne my thoughts about it to console her and this was our chance to find Miguel.
“So where are we going again?” Beth asked.
“We’re going to find Miguel in Pasig. That’s our plan.” Dianne answered.
“What?!” The others stopped as they heard Dianne’s answer.
“Wait? I thought it’s dangerous out there! It’s full of monsters!” Mark exclaimed.
“We’re still in Quezon City and Camp Aguinaldo’s that way. We won’t force you to come with us.”
“Us?” Gerry asked.
“Me, Claire, Dianne and Eric.” Melissa replied.
“I think it’s better if we stick together.” Gerry said.
“Are you crazy?”
“Beth, I think we’ll have a better chance of surviving if we stick with them. We’ve already made it this far and I think Pasig couldn’t be worse than what we experienced. We just have to be careful like the last time.”
“Well, I’ll stick with my brother, whatever happens.” Richard said.
There were eight of us in the party and the four of them decided to stick with us. We didn’t have a party leader, so we decided to vote. Dianne nominated me to be the temporary party leader and all of them agreed. I didn’t know why I was picked, but Dianne said that I knew best on how Miguel’s strategic mind works.
Even I had a hard time figuring him out, but they thought that I would be their best shot. Anyway, I’ll just try my best. I discussed with them our formations and tactics that we used since we have two new members. As always, it’s better to stick with our previous formation and just improvise on the way.
We also made an inventory count of our supplies and everything we have left. It seemed that we only have two days worth of food for all of us and we could stretch it for at least 4 days. Fortunately, Richard already bought wind magic skill and also water magic, so we won’t have problems with water.
I reminded them to distribute their undistributed stat points and I also checked my Character Screen and Skill Screen.
Name: Claire Roque Race: Human Level: 19 HP: 390/390 MP: 380/380 SP: 550/550 EXP: 21.33% STR: 41 WIS: 18 AGI: 55 INT: 29 VIT: 39 LUK: 14 DEX: 14 CHA: 36 Satiety: Fine Status Normal Undistributed Attribute Points: 0 Title(s): Sadist: +10% Damage and chance to stagger Perk(s): N/A
Active Skill(s): Observe Lvl. 9 Beginner (51.02%) Charm Lvl. 8 Beginner (37.10%) Lacerating Strike Lvl. 6 Beginner (15.98%) Berserker's Howl Lvl 4 Beginner (81.66%) Wail of Agony Lvl. 5 Beginner (5.47%) Passive Skill(s): Sadism Lvl. 2 Intermediate (12.78%) Sword Mastery Lvl 10 Beginner (24.55%) Troll's Skin Lvl 3 Beginner (31.75%)
The daily training with my sword definitely paid off. Though I wasn’t sure if it was enough to instantly beat Miguel on one on one, I would certainly try my best to further improve on it. I was also thinking of other ways to improve my other skills such as [Charm]. I read in the book that this skill was an illusion skill. Perhaps if I concentrate on what my enemies could perceive would be effective?
When we passed the bridge on the border of Quezon City and Pasig, we were surprised to find the city cleared of monsters. The streets were filled with ashes and the ground has burnt marks on it. At the center, there was a huge burnt mark and a gigantic pile of bones.
“What the hell happened here?” Mark asked as he inspected the pile. “Miguel did all of these?”
“He did.”
“But that’s impossible!” Richard exclaimed. “How much mana does he have? It’s not like he has unlimited mana, is it?”
“Not really. Back in the university, he actually cleared an entire block of zombies.” Said Beth. “Those zombies were also turned into ashes just like this.”
“Maybe Miguel is nearer than we thought. I’ll check it out.” Dianne said as she climbed up to a ruined building.
As we continued our journey, we were all in awe at the destruction that Miguel caused. There were virtually no monsters in the area and the only evidence of these monsters was ashes and bones. Miguel must’ve killed every monster on his way.
We followed the burnt marks on the ground like a trail of bread crumbs. We figured that since Miguel has already cleared the way, it would be safer to just follow it. Just to be extra cautious, Dianne went ahead to scout and informed us of what’s on the way. She told us that the monsters were some kind of huge rats.
“Holy shit!” Richard grinned. “The next time I see him, I’ll have him teach me how he did it.”
Yeah, sure. And the next time I see him, we will meet fist-to-face, knee-to-balls. I will make him regret leaving me like that.