That fragile wall finally collapsed as another explosion swept the area. Hades, dumbfounded and almost swallowed his tongue from wanting to talk more and then got slapped by the force, flew across the shaking floor. The people inside the house fell either on their faces or arses because of the inertia.

Hades landed awkwardly and felt sharp tingling on his tailbone. “Motherfu–!”

Before he could finish the sentence, it was the roof’s turn to fall on them. Having lost another wall the shingles fell in, showering the surviving member of an Interversity squad and their package with clay dust and dead mites.

Rotten wooden beams dropped and broke into pieces around them. And with most of the shack’s structure virtually gone, the rest of it crumbled on top of the cradling group.

And if it wasn’t enough for them, another missile hit the other side of the village. That explosion rattled the ground even more vigorously and turned what was left of the village to rubbles.

It was a most and utterly shitty of a day, Hades thought, as he and his crew spent the next minutes praying for their dear fucking lives.

Then the quake stopped and the dusts settled, followed not long after by the sound of another approaching helicopter.

“Is every one alright?” Reiner said. Nobody answered. “IS EVERY ONE ALRIGHT?” he repeated, not very patient and with a voice lightly smeared with panic.

“I’m alright,” Bertrand said. “We have to move.”

“My ass fucking hurts,” said Hades. With his helmet’s sensors practically dead, Hades manually removed the face shield. It opened to a long, sparkling night sky above them, so exquisite and absorbing at the time.

“Cadets.” Hades heard a faint voice. “You must find the cave. It is your only chance of survival.”

“Kita.” The second voice was wavering and unmistakably Chaleed’s, who was speaking in his other tongue to Haz. “Keselamatan kita, not just theirs.”

“Oh, bro,” said Haz. His voice, too, shook, along with pained hissing in between his words. “It’s your and their survival. Aku dah tak boleh lagi.”

Hades’s language capability–which obviously included great proficiency in some foreign profanities–also had Bahasa in a better level of verbal skill. And so, while he’d been taught good Indonesian by his mother, Hades also understood Bahasa Melayu quite well. And he knew instantly that Haz would soon die.

“Oh, fuck,” said Bertrand. “Guys, come here.”

Hades obeyed and inspected Haz. And it was obvious why the man said he can’t go on anymore. After seeing him, and for the second time that day, Hades agreed with Haz. A huge part of the wall had fallen on top of Haz’s legs, crushing the bones to the point of no return. Hades saw the blood under the column had soaked the floor.

But despite the injuries, despite having his legs crushed and his life in serious peril, Haz remained calm. Hades thought people in this situation would scream first and comment later.

Haz’s eyes met with his and the package Hades was supposed to keep safe told him to come nearer with a wave of a hand.

“Are you…” Hades sighed. “Are you alright?”

“For sure he’s not, bodoh!” Chaleed shouted. “Look at him.”

Haz laughed. “Safe to say the atoms of my legs already crumbled before the wall even fell,” he said. “I totally didn’t feel anything. Other than the constant annoying pain from my deteriorating DNA.”

Hades couldn’t help but smile too. It didn’t cross his mind as to what prompted him to stretch his lips. As he squatted in front of Haz, and while his mates were helping Chaleed to his feet, the package handed him a tiny and fragile object.

“Take the flash drive,” said Haz.

Hades had a look. “Give it to the Brethren yourself,” he told Haz. “You still have to testify.”

The man only shook his head. “I can’t move,” he said. Haz then pointed at the flash drive. “You’ll find all the information on Bandit Laut in there.

“Just keep Chaleed alive,” he nodded at his friend. “But in the case that he doesn’t, the drive still has our recorded testimonials.”

Far in the distance, the moonrays reflected of the valley, showering the slopes with glittering silver. The night had become brighter than the depressing afternoon. Deep in its woods, away from all the haze and dirt of cities, the mountain begged for silence to all creatures fortunate enough to listen. Now that the cold had finally taken rein over the land and driven away the clouds, amidst the dusty village and the carnage around him, the night had become (or should’ve become) quite solitary for Hades.

As it was, the night had turned into a nightmare instead.

“Come,” Hades said at last. “Let’s fucking go.”

Haz laughed. And it was eery how serene he sounded. “Then, just fucking go, cibai. Don’t go carrying a dead weight, my friend.”

Hades involuntarily chuckled. It seemed he’d found the passive-agressiveness with Haz quite enjoyable.

“Hades,” said Reiner. “Come on, man. It can’t be helped.” He and Bertand had their blaster ready in one hand, and Chaleed’s failing body in the other. “We need you watching our back.”

Chaleed, for his part, chose to look away. There was not even one indication that he acknowledged his friend’s fate, or even his presence.

With a resigned sigh, Hades stood up and drew his blasters. And it occurred to him, has he gotten used to deaths that he was about to smile as he left another one to die?

And as they moved away, and as more of their pursuer’s men were coming for them, Haz spent his last breaths shouting, “The entrance should be nearby! Find that old Waveguide and go back to Beira before y’all die.”