05:41 AM

One day remaining

The cold wind that blew called us to a waking, as it fluttered across my sandy eyes. Dreaming of home, clear skies and just all of us laughing altogether in our new home, free of all binds to troubles. It wasn’t till I snapped back to reality as I woke up again to this godforsaken hellhole of a land, dang it.

Too good to be true eh?

Slowly we all woke up one by one, just in time with the sun rising as the deer overlooked it for god knows how long. I was staring over it for a moment as well before Raisa startled me from it, patting my shoulder while putting on the widest smile like always. “Whatchu looking at bro?” I only sighed in relief and chuckled as I pat the place next to me for her to sat down.

“Just the deer and it’s fascination with the sun, I guess.” She then stared to my direction, eyes filled with sparkle from the silhouette the deer made. Sattvam then slowly walked over us and showed a little bottle filled with bluish colored liquids. “Blueberry juice?”

He shaked his head, still smirking before taking a drink of it which got a disgusted look from me. His face looked proud from doing it, before looking to the deer as well. “Nah, blackberry. Superior in any way.” I only sighed from Sattvam’s morning foolery, continuing to look at the deer and view.

Martha came in and swayed his hand right in front of us, just to make sure we didn’t daydream or anything. “Now that we have what we’re looking for, where should we go?” Both me and Sattvam only looked at each other as Raisa raised her hand. “No, we are not visiting the Disneyland.” She slowly lowered her hand down.

“Just for a note, we still need to take shelter somewhere, staying out here might get us killed and we do not want any of that to happen.” Luh De warned, a rather warm smile on her face as she hands us out some snacks and drinks to have for the morning. As we take ours one by one, I looked around to see Eli and Wisnu missing. “Oh, they’re at that cottage over there, taking a nap or some.”

I then nodded, finishing my food before standing up and take a stroll across the beach, with the deer seemingly following me, gently nudging it’s head as I chuckled, caressing it’s fluffy chest and neck. But it all turned into dread when a bullet ran through it’s neck, wounding the deer as it fell limp. I quickly looked to where it came from, only to find it’s the same shady fella that ambushed me and Wisnu the other night.

The others quickly ran up to us as soon as they hear the shot, with Martha holding Raisa’s railgun out, shooting a single bullet towards the direction from where it came from and seemingly killed the man, as it’s cloaked body fell cold from the ten floors it once perched itself onto. “Get inside the cottage. Take the deer too.” Martha keep on guarding from behind as we carried the deer together, making our way out to the cottage.

Sattvam kicked the wooden door open that it broke into two, placing the deer down as it’s wound healed but the shock from it’s impact make it fell unconscious. “Still breathing. Let them take a rest.” We were relieved once Sattvam done checking, sitting on the floor as I looked to the bed and find Wisnu and Eli napping, even with all the loud noises that had been going on.

Raisa gleefully poking Wisnu, who only brush it off as he slowly opened his eyes, startled to see everyone’s here as he immediately sat up. “W-wh-what happened?? I- Wait, why’s the deer here too?” His confusion quickly turned to concern when he noticed the deer, laying on the floor.

“Good moOOH shit, the hell is happening here? Why is that deer sitting limp like it just got flash banged by one of those giant trucks?? And why there’s blood all over the goddamn floor?” Eli followed, slightly shocked with the view as she hop down the bed, taking a closer look to it.

“We’ll explain later, but for now we have to-” Sattvam was cut short when another bullet ran through the wall and almost struck him, merely scratching his back as he hissed in pain before falling onto his knee.

Raisa bravely took a peek from the hole, with me staying close to her side. “Uh, didn’t we kill that guy before?” I gently then pushed her aside to take a look myself, seeing the cloaked guy standing up, holding it’s sniper rifle aimed at our cottage, menacingly walked to us followed by those military cargo truck, with a few personnel hopping down from it.

Eli was about to walk out when Wisnu stopped her track. “This is my only chance.” She whispered, but Luh De assured her not to, shaking her head as an answer which leaving Elissa grumbling, but then something came in her mind as her face lighten up, reaching out for her bag to pull out a couple of grenades. “Yeah I know, we could’ve used this to ward off the crowd last night, but running’s better than wasting.”

She handed Wisnu and Raisa one, giggling together as they all counted onto three, before pulling the pins together and throwing onto to them. They were caught off guard and have little to no time to react, blowing them up to bits. We all then took a peek outside to make sure none survived, only to find the cloaked guy were unfazed, merely having his cloak and few parts of him burnt…

The ‘man’ then throw away what’s left of the cloak, revealing itself as a huge, muscular shaped man with scars and stitches all over it’s body and almost a faceless feature under that gasmask he’s wearing as well as the sniper being an infused part to his right arm. He simply looked at us, with the railgun shot at his chest still there, unhealed, as Raisa quickly take her shot to it’s head, seemingly stunning it for awhile as we make our run, bringing the deer yet again with us.

09:54 AM

We ran as far away from the site, but apparently the thing doesn’t bother to chase, taking off the rail that barely drill into it’s skull and take aim, but doesn’t take any shots at all as more of those damned cargo cars came into the scene. With our footsteps behind in the sands, we quickly make our way to the nearest building, going a few stairs up before falling down to the floor tired, gasping for air.

“D-do you…think, w-we lost them?” Wisnu gasped, coughing from the run.

“I-I think so…” Raisa answered, quickly sitting up and even swinging her feet left and right to calm her nerves down.

We all slowly gathered our strength, as I looked over to find the deer began to slowly wake up, with a shocked face to find themselves inside a building. Seems like they never ventured deeper than the first floor as it looked out to the window, all giddy from the view as it’s ear flap around.

“Look, tomorrow’s our evacuation, and we have to bring this deer along with us somehow. Let’s just hope they bring in a boat big enough to take it along.” Eli raised her hand from Sattvam’s remark, sitting up with a curios look.

“We’re leaving? Like, real soon??” We all nodded to her question as she then looked down for a moment before smiling. “I-I’m not sure though, what if they’d cast us out and away once we got back there?” She rubbed the back of her neck, with her usual chaotic demeanor wrecked by nervous feels.

But Luh De came and patted Eli’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. “We’re all humans, there’s nothing you’d have to be afraid of. If however some asshole decided to throw a tantrum, we’ll make sure it’s all settled.” Raisa also followed in, nodding while putting her fist on her palm with a gleaming eye and devious smile. Elissa can only giggle from their words and action, embracing for a big hug together.

“Naaw, that’s so sweet now…” Wisnu sniffled, having his back on the wall to rest with Sattvam and me next to him. “If only you two can be more like that in the first place, maybe there wouldn’t be anymore of an argument whatsoever, but I’m glad you two finally settled it for good~” He then pulled us to a hug, as I gave him the favor back while Sattvam was hesitant at first, but then joined in anyway.

Martha tapped my shoulder as I looked back at him as he looked rather concerned. “Don’t wanna break the moment down, but those military knew where we are going to and now headed for the harbor.” I gently let go of Wisnu’s hug and stood up, looking through the window to see those cars are now heading further to the east where the harbor’s at with Martha also looking. “Yeah, that’s not really a good thing.”

I then quickly picked my bags up my shoulder, huffing. “Everyone, we got a thing to be dealt with right now. We-” The other grumbled and protested because apparently I’m breaking their good times as I raised both of my palms to calm them down. “Look, I hate it as well, so you all can have just one more hour. But after so, we’ll have to go out and retake the harbor back.” They all nodded as I took a breather after it.

Man, I’m never gonna recover from this anxiety of a hell ride am i?

We have a little chit chat together, laughing and giggling from reminiscing all the good days before taking a good nap for the meantime, with the deer sleeping soundly in the middle. My dreams still the same, a vision of us together and happy, but then it grows more crazed, scribbled with black lines all over it as two shady figure tried to reach out to me. I almost woke up, but my already heavy eyelids fell again as I continue my nap.

01:30 PM

After awhile, I woke up from a gentle, warm touch to my cheek, but it’s…wet? I slowly opened my eyes, only to find it’s the deer waking me up as I got startled, quickly sitting up to rub my eyes and cheek. “Come on De! Everyone else’s been waiting downstair for you!” Wisnu pulled me up easily and dusted my shirt, before dragging me downstair along with my bag as the deer follows behind.

Right in front of the building’s gate is everyone else with Elissa walking up on me and smacked my face down, now fully waking me up but still with that sleepy feeling just behind my eyes. “You’re welcome, not get your shit together, sleepyhead and led us to the fight!” She chuckled, patting my shoulder before pushing me forward.

“Well, guess we’ll have to head back home earlier now than scheduled by playing kingdom tag with them. This’ll be fun!” At this point, I might have mistaken Raisa’s giddy behavior for jolly, she’s legit batshit insane and I love her for it. We then followed the car trail they left, and from a distance the large harbor is waiting for us.

The strewn around ruins and rubbles across this place will make just the perfect setup to caught them off guard again, wherever they are but as soon as we layed a foot onto the harbor’s bridge, a bullet almost put a hole on my foot as we all looked to the tower to find the malformed sniper been waiting for us, while the few soldiers came out from the torn boats, aiming their guns at us as we too drawn ours.

That thing then hopped down from above, performing a, dare I say, stylish superhero landing that I swore could’ve broke the bridge from how he impacted. That much force, and built like a fucking unit makes this no better of a case on us. But then, it did something that the other infected or monsters like him do as he commanded the others to lower their guns, as so with us while remaining in suspicion.

It talks.

“Childs. We need to talk.”