Speed And Agility (5)
Vrrrrrum…
After making a short stop and doing as much of the medical procedures Phesx Caolia learned in his training and from Sofia, Phesx Caolia continued driving towards the encampment. Sometimes, Phesx coughed. When he did, it was nonstop, almost vomiting blood each time. However, he didn't need to stop or take a break, what's more, he wasn't even feeling sleepy.
At first, getting the truck from the control point, Phesx Caolia felt awake and feeling just like in any other day when the sun was bright. He was lucky the world didn’t decide to rain on him, although he covered the back of the truck with the curtains.
Nevertheless, as he continued driving amidst the slightly packed road, he finally started showing signs of ‘injury’. His body trembled and sweated a little. Phesx also began to feel drowsy.
“Ahhh…” Phesx Caolia bemoaned. He doesn’t make sounds, even when showing he was a big, dependable, strong man. Although he was sometimes bested by the experts. But right now, he felt the need to just make a sound, maybe to remind himself he was awake, or that he was definitely feeling strange.
‘Oh, what does it matter?’ The young boy, unused to driving, slightly steered off to the side with narrowed eyes. He drove towards a space of green between the worker districts and the ‘far’ rich residential districts. It had many trees and steeps for even people to cross through safely.
Brerrprrrr… pot.
The truck drove off-road for a few seconds before striking a little tree. However, for that matter, the truck was already going slow, so the small tree only served to fully stop it. At long last, the shivering young boy with a fever lost consciousness. At least he got what he wanted.
… Many, many hours passed before Phesx Caolia began recuperating, and many more after he more or less stabilized. His wounds were taken care of before it happened, but the fact that his wounds should be infected was the problem. No matter how much ‘healing’ his body could do without meds, not having those precious contraptions was troublesome.
Any other person, without better medicine than the ones Phesx gained at the control point, would have been stuck earlier on in the road, unconscious.
“Mfn.” At last, Phesx Caolia moaned a little as he woke up, or at least began to. After what he felt were like 20 seconds but were actually 15 minutes, he lifted his head from the side of the wheel. He looked ahead, at the green space he shouldn’t have driven into, and the dirtied window.
“Woke up, at last?” He heard a voice from behind. Phesx Caolia looked back to see the only soldier under his command who remained alive, the one in the last machine gun, and the fella who probably injured the last enemy. On the other side of the truck, an unconscious but evenly breathing female soldier laid. The rest was packed by corpses.
“I’ll get going,” Phesx Caolia ignored it all and looked ahead. The corpses were put into a cryobag, a really big one. Back at the control point, who’d dare say no to Phesx after his ‘heroic’ feats? He even wanted to bring their corpses back ‘home’.
“Aye aye, sir!” The soldier responded, rather weakly, before closing his eyelids. Looking at his small phone, Phesx Caolia noticed it was only a day after he lost consciousness. He was also feeling a little better, if better could be considered as such, and only because he no longer felt numb all over.
With pain overwhelming him, Phesx Caolia drove for the last hour and a bit more before arriving at the encampment. When he went into it, the guards were already waiting for him and the gates were opened. Driving through, everyone watched how a young boy drove a truck alone.
And when the truck passed by, they looked at its back. With the curtains on, they couldn’t see it directly, unless they looked from the rear. What the civilians and some soldiers and recruits saw were about a couple of dozens of corpses.
Finally, arriving before the military zone’s entrance, the gates were opened, with Sofia and some officers waiting there. There were a few soldiers waiting, too. All in all, there wasn’t much attention or crowd to this.
Getting out of the truck, Phesx carried the 2 living soldiers and left them in some nurses’ care with the stretchers before returning to the truck. He took one bagged corpse from the see-thru, heavy cryobag, cooling his hands until they were caressed with some frosty layers atop.
Phesx Caolia walked to Em and Priscila, who looked at him with saddened eyes. Phesx Caolia stopped before them and presented Paul’s corpse to Emilio. An attentive nurse came over with a stretcher so that Em could place Paul on it.
“Oof,” Phesx Caolia lightly exclaimed as Priscilla went to him and hugged him softly, careful to not turn him into a dying little kitty. His neck was her arms’. As they pressed ear to ear, Phesx Caolia swiftly whispered, “He told me t-”
“Oh, I know. It wouldn’t have been my brother if he didn’t.” Priscila sadly said, caressing Phesx Caolia’s head from the back. Her caresses were neat and precise, comforting him and herself at the same time. Phesx Caolia hugged her back with his bloody palms and nails, which looked perfect. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re my guardian angel now. No sorries.” Priscila buried her face in his neck and hugged him a lot more before letting go. He should be badly injured, after all. Phesx Caolia wore the same clothes from before, only some gunshots were visible, with his military bag hiding most of those he received from the back, and that grazed his body.
“Pr… Corporal Caolia, the commander-” An old officer came to him with his hands behind his back. But just then, Sofai walked over and lifted her palm to stop him before arriving at the young boy. “He needs treatment, and he will get it after coming here and delivering every fallen comrade of his.”
“No buts,” Sofia added when she saw the officer about to open his mouth with the corner of her right eye. Then, she ignored everything else, patted Priscila’s head, and grabbed Phesx Caolia’s wrist, pulling him away.
The trip to her office was very silent, but her hand gently held him, fearing he was wounded all over. Phesx Caolia’s light black eyes looked at her back… It was as if he could see right through her. She seemed hurried to treat him but didn’t want to rush him and get any possible thing worse. Sofia so much wanted to run into her office, but his safety was priority.
Getting inside, Phesx Caolia saw her go to her desk and grab a prepared hot chocolate. His mouth salivated. He hadn’t eaten for more than a day. Sofia brought it to him and sat him on a stretcher, locking her office until new notice.
It was just before the afternoon. While Phesx Caolia finished his first of many hot chocolates, Sofia went to rummage her well-prepared arsenal. Phesx Caolia never noticed before, but it seemed like she really prepared for a situation like this, or maybe to supply him until he left the encampment. Only she knew how to treat his wounds and bizarre body.
Step, step, step.
Sofia finally returned to him, carrying a box and a shoulder bag with many items inside. She also never made idle chatter while testing or treating him, and only spoke to be playful or tease each other to laughter. Phesx very much appreciated it; each time.
“You know, I have something I haven’t told you yet,” Phesx Caolia voiced. It wasn’t even a decision he pondered upon, he just went to it. Sofia looked up at him when she was just putting her cheap gloves on, startled and worried. “I have a strange body, more than I’ve said. It’s not on command yet, but… my nails change, and so do my teeth.”
“When I fought the mutant… I can’t say definitely, but I was forced into ‘this’ change, too… My nails cut through the scales that bullets, even from my rifle’s close-up, couldn’t break. My teeth and jaw were unstoppable, too. And I felt like I could even eat metal, haha. I… also have a healing body. Am I mutant, or something?”
“…” Sofia was truly perplexed. She looked at the young boy before smiling, although she sweated a little. Anyone telling this to anyone was sure to make a rift. Yet, after a bit of thought, and having found out what he didn’t even know about yet, she became collected.
“It’s not like that. Although I have theories, one that does involve mutations, it’s not with you at the center. It would be something more to do with the air and the water, probably from a hundred years ago. It’s something not even in its elementary stage, so don’t you bother too much about it. Leave this stuff to me.”
Sofa held his head, cupping his face, and brought her face close to his. Then, she smooched his forehead and eskimo kissed his nose before gently speaking to him with love. “You’re no mutant. But there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that. You need food, heat or cold, drink water, need the help of others, bleed, and, hehe, shit. You’re nothing but yourself. Even if someday you are declared not human, you’re whom I know.”
“Rather than mutation, what you have is something more. Something unique, even amidst the known possibilities and old legends from the past sanctum orders.” Sofia tilted her head to the right, tearing up a little. “You’re evolving.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“…” Phesx Caolia’s eyes trembled, shocked. His hands were lifted by instincts. He held Sofia’s hands, still cupping his face, and began tearing a little, too. Sofia smiled, but she was ruthless. “Show me, I need to know more to continue my research. Right, you aren’t coming out of here without me going over every little spot left unwashed by me.”
“Sofia~~!” Phesx Caolia hollered as his clothes started falling off the stretcher, like a pure, innocent kitten being wronged. Amidst Sofia’s crackling giggles, his wounds bled a little. But, already used to, Sofia quickly wrapped him up and prepared him for better, future days.
. . .
Almost a whole week later, Phesx Caolia exited Sofia’s office, wearing new, civilian clothes and carrying many hot chocolate beverages from Sofia’s crafty hands in a bag. He immediately walked to the central building. There, he saw the preparations to congratulate the third batch of recruits.
‘Hm, the new batch’s recruits should have been confirmed by now.’ Phesx Caolia ignored the thought before entering the building. The officers and guards around looked at him, some with disgruntled eyes.
When he was granted entry to the commander’s office, bribing the guards with a couple of bottles so he could get in with the bag, Phesx Caolia was welcomed by an unsightly sight. There were many high-ranked officers here, other than the commander himself.
“Welcome, please take a seat.” The commander, Karlos Medina, immediately invited Phesx Caolia in. The latter nodded before sitting at the side. The officers here all looked at him with narrowed, scrutinizing eyes.
“Tell us what happened…” The commander tried to speak with the gentlest voice possible, which Phesx Caolia disliked. Nevertheless, ‘Corporal Hellcat’ initiated his report, “After the platoon paused the installment of the first line’s defenses, at around…”
… During the report, around 2 hours long, with all the questions Phesx was asked, of which he had to detail time and again, more like an interrogation than a report, the room became silent. It was only him repeating everything he said to the letter. A few people to the side wrote on a laptop as Phesx Caolia talked, but not whenever the others chipped in.
“I’d like to add,” Phesx Caolia suddenly said, “Sirs, those people were organized, trained, and knowledgeable. But they were no military.”
At last, his report finished, and everyone wore a face of still incredulity but also holding some hints of awe. Phesx Caolia looked at them from his chair before the commander bewilderingly said, standing up. “All of that by yourself? It’s strange to imagine. I can’t fathom something like that… Right, I saw your form to become an instructor.”
“…” Phesx Caolia looked at the commander’s eyes with his light black eyes. The commander nodded with a little smile. Before the ‘formalities’ began, Phesx Caolia opened his bag and revealed why it was steaming hot. Everyone watched as the god’s envoy, Phesx Caolia, distributed hot chocolate to everyone. Since he was with doctor Sofia all this long, then, this hot chocolate could only come from her!
At once, Phesx Caolia gained over the grumpy officers, making them all caring and warmed up to the young talents. Like this, Phesx Caolia entered the building as a ‘suspicious’ brand-new corporal, and came out as instructor Hellcat, rank corporal. His ID changed, and all.
What’s more, the encampment would welcome recruits into the training regimen tomorrow. Phesx Caolia had to attend as an instructor. Furthermore, he would be allocated to a senior instructor to start this new phase of his military career. It was all going well.
… At night, Phesx Caolia was isolating himself from everything. The Centralized Parliament’s battle would begin ‘soon’ enough, about 2 to 6 months from now. Thus, with his achievements, Phesx Caolia was allowed to rest for 2 months not only because of his injuries, but the damage hos psyche could receive.
Phesx Caolia’s wounds were only known to Sofia. Although he arrived in a horrid position, and the soldier he brought were still in the hospital tents, he could walk after a little week. He was more or less fine physically, right?
The ‘renown’ Hellcat was just lying on the camp’s dirt, looking at a few tall trees, with branches similar to palms, with his arms beneath his head. He wore a short-sleeved shirt and military pants. He heard footsteps. Recognizing them as Priscila’s, Phesx let her get near and lay beside him. She cuddled her head on his right chest before staring up ahead.
“How are you doing?” Priscila’s voice was calm, albeit saddened and hurt still. Phesx Caolia nodded, “I’m free at all times for a couple of months. If you want me to guard you in the household, tell me.”
“Hehe, I’ll think about it.” Priscila stretched, resting the back of her head on his chest. “Lisa quit the household. The officers were very lenient. They usually not let the kittens even think of doing that. She and Em are getting together now.”
“I see. The experiments should have worked. It’s good, then.” Phesx Caolia calmly spoke. Priscila sighed through her nostrils, “Yeah.”
In all tranquility, Phesx Caolia and Priscila chatted. Sometimes, they just stared above and silently enjoyed each other’s presence. Others, they crackled a little laughter here and there. It felt so good that they would repeat this to spend the night, a lot different than they would’ve before.
. . .
Days passed. Soon, it was the last day of the 6th month.
Phesx Caolia woke up in his hut, feeling strange from his lower body. He inwardly grunted before directly taking his pants down. He was silent, and no one was up nor woken up because of his actions. With his hand probing, Phesx Caolia was first deep into being dispirited, before growing astounded.
He hurried to the little booth at the back of the hut before lighting a flashlight. He softly grabbed a handful of his rear before lifting his palm. There were a few obscure brown tube-like thingies, with 3 to 5 tiny mouths on one of its sides, disheveled and sick. They were deader than dead.
Furthermore, he further probed into his intimate region and pulled. He was ready to put force, but the ‘thing’ let go beforehand. Lifting the thing, pinched between his index finger and thumb, Phesx Caolia saw a tiny black tentacle-ish thing limp and discolored.
‘Dead?’ Phesx Caolia realized as he poked the things before throwing them into the trash. Ever since facing that mutant, he had been more careful to avoid getting plagued. Even to the point where he smears his saliva on the edges of his bed, perhaps nearing insanity.
However, this was the first time he suffered one after that time. What’s more, but 2 of the worst ones to have, and at the same time. However… they were all dead. Were the other times when his hut was plagued, the fact that Phesx was free from such because of… his body?
Phesx Caolia cocked his head at the possibility before returning to his bed. He took some clothes from the drawers and put them on before heading outside. After putting them into his spot in the laundry area to be washed, he went to the bathrooms. As usual, he trained his ‘new features’, as Sofia described them and instructed him.
Using one of the booths with bad camera angels, where one couldn’t see the mirror or the front of the person standing before it, Phesx experimented. After a week and a few days of practice, he could ‘sharpen’ his nails and teeth after trembling and feeling ‘the creeps’ for 15 seconds on command. Of course, if the Hellcat was immediately stimulated, he would do it immediately.
Knock knock- thump!
“Hellcat, sir! You have to hurry. There’s a commotion outside!” A young girl’s voice sounded outside Phesx Caolia’s booth. Her age was only slightly older than Phesx Caolia. Such a thing became normal, making Phesx wonder what the differences were between those criminal groups and them now. Even his image was used to recruit ‘younglings’.
“What is it?” Phesx Caolia was already 1 hour in there. He felt satisfied with today’s practice. Exiting the booth, he saw a young private sweat and crease her eyebrows worriedly. She pointed outside with her arm fully stretched, “There are some criminal group leaders who came here… to make a deal with the commander.”
“!” Phesx Caolia immediately frowned in worry. He nodded and slightly pushed the soldier away with his backhand, who followed him right after. With long, powerful strides, Phesx Caolia walked to the military zone’s entrance. There were a few hundred other soldiers present, with only a few officers and commander Karlos Medina facing a few people outside the perimeter.
“Are they here?” - “You’re seeing them, no? Where are mine?” Phesx Caolia could barely hear what they were saying. He looked around, understanding it was a trade, before finding out a few kittens standing in a line in front of the officers to the side. The criminal groups’ leaders nodded or crossed their arms, looking contented after looking at their new stuff.
They made signals to their henchmen behind them, before a few trailers drove by with actual artillery pieces atop them. However, Phesx Caolia’s widened, shocked eyes were directed towards the red head among those kittens, Priscila.
“Phesx…” Lisa softly whispered, holding his hand and wrist with both, small, trembling hands. Phesx Caolia looked with unchanging, lost eyes at Priscila’s back. Seemingly noticing him, she turned her head back casually. Finding him in the crowd, she didn’t smile or try to tell him something. If someone could understand her without words, just her eyes, that was him. Priscila faced ahead again, helpless yet… also hopeless.
Phesx Caolia looked to his right, where another corporal looked at this with nearly tearful eyes. His fists were horrendously tightened. Phesx Caolia looked at them indifferently before looking back at Lisa. She looked up at him, worried and wanting to stop him if he were to do something. In the end, he didn’t.
Phesx Caolia, and many others, especially the emotionally and psychologically afflicted, watched kittens leave their encampment in exchange for… broken artillery. The commander looked at Hellcat and smiled, signaling he had work to do in the future, before departing with the officers. That included the young man whose hands were probably fractured now.
However, what the commander didn’t notice was Phesx Caolia’s light black eyes locking onto his face and body figure. Just like that tall, bulky soldier whose body hasn’t even been found was observed by Hellcat in the past. Prey and predator.
Em and Lisa stayed with him a little more, with Lisa rubbing her face on his shoulder to console him before softly leaving. However, Fernanda and Brittany went to him with heir hands pulling his arms and shoulders. Their lips suckling the skin of his neck, and their hot breaths begging him to come with them.
Phesx Caolia didn’t spend even a minute before turning around, intertwining hands with them as they brought him to the kitten household, where he’d be safe… From himself.
Yet, Phesx Caolia’s light black eyes were horrendously fierce, staring ahead, and lightly squinted. When Brit and Fer looked at his face, after feeling an initial fear from this ‘new’ face, they became attracted to it.
Once they went into Priscila’s ex-cottage, clean with nobody’s belongings inside, just the bed and some bedsheets, they couldn’t stop moving his hands and fingertips around their bodies. It was like an electric sensation shocking their most delicate parts, from top to bottom.
Worshiping Phesx, licking and suckling every inch of his body, such was their task as the last remaining kittens in Phesx Caolia’s ‘list’. Furthermore, it was their task by Sofia’s caring, understanding, growing-quick-witted mind.
However, they were hurt, too. Priscila was their little leader. Although there were no groups within the household, Priscila would always protect their integrity, even when it didn’t work. Now, more than ever, after many things occurred, month after month, it wasn’t just to Phesx Caolia, the kittens and soldiers needed each other.
But that wasn’t something in the commander, and some officers’, mindset.
…