CHAPTER 71: Interlude: Phillip Rhodes (II)
After they had passed the fourth army checkpoint, Phillip questioned whether his mom had been joking about the military kidnapping. The soldiers weren’t stopping people or blocking the roads, but they were preparing to set up barricades and choke points. They were gathering all over. There were even soldiers on the midsized buildings with binoculars, radios, and some with sniper rifles. Phillip’s anxiety level went up more.
It increased further as the bus passed the exit that would have led to his house and instead headed towards where they went to high school. The army presence became more numerous the further they went. When they drove into the warehouse area, where everyone from his high school hung out at one time or another, he was floored by all the cars, trucks, and military vehicles.
The drive had taken seven hours by bus, much slower than a typical car, and they had left a little after 3am. It was now just after 10am and there was so much going on. Hundreds of people were moving around outside one particular warehouse. There were people coming and going from it. Trucks parked awkwardly to unload all kinds of boxes. Forklifts and 4-wheelers were going in and out of the front door. People with clipboards were ordering others around. About 20 people had jackets on with a “Valet” sticker on them. It took 20 minutes just for the bus to get close enough to let them out.
“Dad, seriously, what’s going on here?” Phillip demanded.
While watching all the organized chaos, his father turned absentmindedly to him. “It’ll probably be faster to walk the rest of the way. I can carry the heavy bags,” he offered.
Phillip had never heard his dad make that offer. His dad believed that younger people should show their respect by making it easier for those who came before.
“That’s not what I’m asking about,” Phillip hissed. His dad didn’t seem to hear as he checked a few bags and then lifted at least half of the luggage without effort. Phillip came up short as his brain made the connection that his dad was suddenly stronger than before. That wasn’t how aging should work.
“Thanks for the lift, Gerry. I owe you one,” his dad said to the man driving the bus.
“Think nothing of it, Mr. Rhodes. Anything for the Sentinels,” he responded cheerfully, though with a yawn. “It’s nice to know family is as important to them as to me.”
"Dad, are you involved with Tom’s scam?” Phillip demanded as he waited for the other two to exit the bus. His dad looked at him blankly.
“What scam?”
“You know, the videos and donations and claiming they’re the strongest humans fighting against the invaders.”
“Oh, that. Well, I helped Adam with all the legal documents and contracts with sponsors and the city,” his father answered.
Phillip felt his anger rising again. How dare Tom involve his dad in this? How dare his father allow himself to be used like this?
“Adam?” he asked with his teeth clenched.
“Oh yeah, that’s the name of The General. Tom was just shooting the bull when he named Adam that. Don’t worry though, Adam is a stand-up guy.”
“How much are they paying you for this scam?” Phillip asked as they began walking along the crowded sidewalk with Darren and Winona, carrying the rest of their luggage.
“Listen, Phil. I think you’re misunderstanding, but you’ll understand soon. Also, they didn’t pay me. At least not with money.”
Phillip kept his mouth shut as they walked. A tired Winona tried to comfort him, but he just shook his head, to let her know that he would be fine. Darren’s jaw gaped as he looked at everything happening around him.
As they approached the warehouse, more and more people greeted his father. Everyone would smile at him or treat him respectfully. Even with all the congestion, no one seemed to be in a foul mood or causing trouble. When Darren asked about it, his dad just said, “Everyone who is here wants to be here.”
A group of five soldiers were guarding the warehouse door, though without bothering to stop anyone or even check the boxes being taken into the dark opening. They had their usually handgun on their belt, body armor, and an assault rifle. What surprised Phillip the most though, was that they all also had swords on their belts, and their tags had a 7 above their heads.
He frowned. Why was the army so involved in this to begin with? There was no military or strategic value to Jackson. Wouldn’t it have been better to bring people to an army base instead of using a bunch of decrepit warehouses? And why were they headed to a warehouse instead of their house to begin with?
His musings stopped when they arrived at the door. There were chalk lines on the ground to indicate where people should enter or exit from, to prevent the forklifts or wagons from hitting them. At a distance, the door had looked dark. From up close it was pitched black, completely obscuring his view.
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“Dad, wha…” Phillip didn’t get far before his dad interrupted.
“Just come with me,” his dad said as he grabbed Phillip’s arm and easily pulled the young man into the darkness.
***
Winona was shaking as she looked around. She had dropped her bags and grabbed hold of Phillip’s arm, completely unprepared for the inside of the warehouse. Phillip just couldn’t believe what was happening. His mouth opened and closed, but he wasn’t sure what words to use. Darren laughed hysterically as he looked at the small city and the thousands of people moving around.
People passed them by with a sympathetic look and a knowing nod, even as they greeted his dad.
“What the hell?” was the best Phillip came up with. His dad had pulled them to the side once they entered, seemingly aware of how they were going to react. Then he had waited to give them all a chance at their reactions.
“Listen, this is a base that the Sentinels took from some invaders,” his dad explained calmly. “It’s not the only one either. This one has been repurposed as their own base, and they’ve been working to create a protected area for the people of Jackson. Adam is very determined to protect the people.”
He waited a minute for all that to sink in. A new laughing fit came from Darren at that explanation.
“You mean it’s real? Tom’s interview? The videos? They’re REAL?!” Phillip demanded while staring down his dad.
“The videos and news are real. Most of Tom’s interview was garbage. Tom is still Tom,” was the answer. “I need you guys to follow me while you’re in shock. We need to hurry if we’re going to make the afternoon session.”
“What session?” asked Phillip, still flabbergasted from the explanation.
“It’s the last day to hunt,” said his dad as he picked up the bags and walked towards a 10-story high rise with a giant statue in front that included Tom in it. A statue of Tom. Was there anything more bizarre in this world, thought Phillip. The statue almost caused him to walk in the opposite direction.
***
The apartment he was shown on the fifth floor where he, Winona, and Darren would stay was nice. It felt like they’d be independent, even though his parent were one floor up. It sounded like his parents were very involved with the work here and were only taking the day off because of him and Darren. His mom and sisters greeting them made it even nicer.
Unfortunately, the niceness had only lasted until Tom came waltzing in sporting one of his shit eating grins that always meant he was up to something. The 22 above his head gave Phillip real pause.
Tom was a mess. He was wearing camo cargo pants, boots, and a sweatshirt underneath a vest that looked like it had been made from wood. The clothes were covered in dirt and leaves. There were rips and scratches in it and stains that looked like blood. He had even tracked dirt all over the floors.
“Morning kids,” Tom said, even though it was almost 1pm and he was the youngest besides their sisters. “Good to see you guys made it. I had the boss order dad to get you here.”
“He doesn’t order me, Tom,” said their father, showing accustomed exasperation. At least that reassured Phillip.
“Even suggestions from the boss are orders. Anyway, I’ve got some clothes for you guys. Change into them and meet at the Adventurer’s Guild,” continued Tom. He had a pile of folded clothes with him. He tossed a stack including a skintight undershirt and shorts like athletes wear, camo pants like his own, and a sweatshirt. Everything had the Sentinel Army’s logo on them.
“The short ones are for Gimli,” he said as he tossed them to Darren.
“I’m not any shorter than you,” said Darren.
“The tall ones are for Legolas.”
Phillip saw that his set was the same size as Darren’s.
“Then the female ones are for Lady Galadriel,” Tom said as he weirdly bowed while handing them to Winona.
“Did you even read the Lord of the Rings?” Phillip demanded.
“It was a book? I watched the trailer for one of the movies. Might have been the second one. It was enough to get the gist,” Tom said dismissively. “Anyway, hurry up. We’re on the clock.”
***
“Mom, you need to use the knife to get the XP. You know that!” Tom yelled.
Tom was making the 20 people with them line up to stab the bird in his hands. It was almost as long as he was, with a stretched vulture neck. Its beak was serrated but didn’t stick out from the face. The feathers looked stiff, and Phillip had seen them slice through the branches when it swooped at them. He was still breathing heavily, and Winona was holding on to him in a panic. That sudden attack had easily been the most terrifying moment of Phillip’s life.
All of Tom’s non-stop harassment and jokes had made this seem like an easy outing. Yet when Tom had suddenly yelled for everyone to duck, then aimed a spear shaped like a shovel towards a whistling in the trees, it had quickly become a terror story.
The bird had literally torn through the trees, causing several to collapse. Branches and trunks had been blown away as it dove at them. Yet Tom and his friend Elias had been calm. Elias had flashed red and then the dirt under Tom shifted him to the left while he swung his spear. The ground moving had positioned the flat but wide head of the spear right where the bird was, as Tom gently beaned it in the face, with the strength of a car collision.
Then it fell, loopy but not dead. Tom grabbed its neck and legs in either hand. He now wore gloves as well as wrist and shin guards. Phillip saw why Tom’s clothes were such a mess. The bird thrashed about further ripping them. As people stabbed the bird then moved out of the way, much of the blood ended up on Tom’s clothes.
“Mom! Don’t make me come over there,” Tom threatened when their mom refused to step forward.
“Isn’t there a way without harming things?” she asked.
“No, there isn’t. We’ve tried. You know that. Now if you want to live past the next few days come jab your knife into this thing’s legs.”
With Tom being in charge, and at the same time capable, Phillip’s whole world had been upended.
“Hey, Legolas, get your bow out of your ass!” Tom shouted at him after most of the group had stabbed the bird. Some people had already experienced these expeditions. Only his family still had 0s over his head.
“I’m a [Mage] not an archer,” Phillip retorted.
“At the moment you’re nothing. Shoot a [Mana Dart]. You’re too weak to hurt me with it and probably so slow your aim could be terrible and I’d still move this thing in front of it,” Tom taunted.
Phillip sighed and then shot a [Mana Dart]. What was this world coming to? His anxiety was spiking with everything he had seen today.
Winona was a [Support], so she had to directly stab it. She tearlessly sobbed and shook afterwards while several girls in the group comforted her, having gone through this themselves over the last few days.
Razor Spalture [5] slain. 484 group XP gained.
Phillip did as he was told and opened his status menu. He was able to put a level in [Body] and assigned his points according to Tom’s directions. His level went up by 1.
There was no arguing now. Jackson was much more prepared than Auburn. He would need to call his friends and let them know. His big regret now was that he hadn’t been here the last two days for leveling. For the first time he was glad he had come home.
And that was before the bison showed up.