We saw a terrifying scene: men sliced apart, cutting heads, cutting limbs. I clenched my fist around the dagger and started checking the bodies, but all the men were just soldiers, no big heads. Despite this, they didn't deserve to die like this. I looked at Noah, who was shocked because he personally knew a lot of those men. Then we continued checking rooms and places in the headquarters until we met David and the others. Just imagine: from five hundred men, only three hundred sixty‑seven were left, almost one hundred fifty had died.
I grabbed David, Noah, Diana, and Lucas away from the group. Then I looked at them and said, "Are you sure there is no spy inside us?" I spoke quietly.
"No, I don't think so; no one got out of here," David replied. Then he added, "I saw a man in a jacket who had a claymore, you know, slick black hair, eyes like ink, looks like the photo. He looked nervous."
"Listen, we're gonna look for him, find him, kill him easy as killing an insect," Lucas said, trying to break the intense vibe.
"No, we need to keep him alive. What if he knows something, could lead us to an answer?" I said, exchanging glances with the team.
"Yes, I agree," Diana said, looking at her AK‑74.
"Okay, let's find this piece of shit. We hit him on his butt to avoid killing him; then we'll see how to deal with him later," David said, stepping into the middle of the group. "Listen, boys, if you see a man with a claymore (a big sword), try to capture him. If you are not able to, run. I don't want to lose more men. Stay focused and strict, but if you capture him, you'll be paid a lot and you'll be one of the leaders." He spoke like a great leader in the Middle Ages, motivating his warriors to go to war and get killed. He looked really cool; having that charisma to affect a lot of people is something most people don't have.
After that, the group spread all over the headquarters. I stayed with the big four. First, we reloaded our ammo, then we took a road that passed beside Suzy's room. When I reached it, I opened the door a little. In the same moment, I saw the back of a man in a black suit and cloak as he moved to slaughter Suzy while her little sister screamed, trying to push him away. I jumped on him, attacking with my dagger, but he avoided the attack. I cut him, but not deep enough to make him lose movement. The boys entered the room as well. Lucas shot at this man, but he cut the bullet. Don't ask me how; I don't know. Diana took Suzy with Olivia and left the room. That left four of us against one.
We cornered the man inside the room, our shotguns pointed in his direction.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Why do you want to know?" he answered, looking nervous, trying to find a chance to attack.
"Who are you? What is your relation with the Spiders and with the Derolocs?" David stepped in.
"Are you kidding? Do you think I will tell you?" he said, then laughed.
"We don't think so. We're gonna punch you until you throw up everything we need to know," Noah said, barely standing on his injured feet.
Suddenly, the man lifted the mattress, using it as a shield to protect himself from the bullets. He pushed it toward us, suffocating us, then drew his sword and attacked Noah. Noah responded with his shotgun, which was split in half by the blade. The man punched him in the face and tried to cut him, but Lucas intervened and targeted his leg with the shotgun. He pushed the mattress again with his shoulders and choked Noah with one hand. He was strong.
We could not move the mattress, so I threw the shotgun down and jumped on the mattress as if climbing it. I grabbed him from the back and hung on, trying to strangle him. David and Lucas did the same; they grabbed his legs, threw him to the ground, and tried to hold him down. His strength was extraordinary, as if he were not human. I pointed to Noah, who was catching his breath, to take the dagger from my pocket and stab him with it; this would paralyze him. As Noah reached, the man flung David and Lucas away, knocking Lucas out, and hit David until he freed his lower body. Then he elbowed me in the liver three times until I released him. He rose, pinned me to the ground with his fist, and started punching me with his other hand.
Noah came from behind and shot him in the back, but he was clearly wearing a bulletproof vest. Surprised, the man kneed Noah and low‑kicked his injured leg until it broke. Noah screamed in pain. I was still lying on the ground, trying to get up. I took the dagger from my pocket, but he kicked my hand, sending it flying to the door.
He came close and said, "Now you're all gonna die." Then he grabbed his sword and raised it to take my head. Fear flooded me. I didn't want to die; I had promises to keep: to my mom, Suzy, and her sister, my grandmother, and even Steve safe and stayed with them till we would die together. And I still had to find Stella. Responsibilities tethered me to life. I needed more time with Suzy to give her more love. Even if I spent my whole life with her, I'd always want more. I regretted being rude to my family. Regret wouldn't save me.
I closed my eyes, accepting fate yet happy I'd loved at all. Suddenly, a voice inside my head, deep and resonant, said, It's not your time; your life has just begun. Something weird coursed through me, like my blood trying to burst out. A jet of blood shot from my right hand, punching a hole through the man's body. The distance between me and death was the size of an almond.
I got up. All the boys stared, shocked; their expressions showed confusion. I didn't know what happened, good or bad, but it saved me. We helped Noah, carried him for treatment, then cleaned our scars.
Before cleaning the mess, I checked on Suzy. She was sleeping, exhausted. Olivia was awake. I brought her a candy as a token of appreciation for her courage.
"You looked brave back there. Thank you for your help," I said.
"It's my sister, she's the only one left for me," she answered, sadness in her eyes.
"Don't be sad; she'll always be with you, and now I'm your brother too," I said, placing my hand on her head.
"Okay. Thank you for loving my sister," she said, glancing at the sleeping Suzy.
"Thanks to her, she makes me a person who loves life," I replied. Then I got up and went to the place where I killed that man. I found David wiping blood. He looked at me and said, "I think I need to know what happened, but it's clear you don't know either."
"Yeah, I really don't. It was something weird, like a voice, in my head telling me something I just don't know," I said, confused.
"It's okay," David replied.
"I'm gonna go back home when Suzy wakes up," I said, going to say goodbye to the others.
"Take care of yourself, and if anything new happens, we'll be in touch," he said, still scrubbing a stubborn spot.
"Yeah, you too," I replied. I left to say goodbye. It was an emotional moment despite being here only two days, fighting back‑to‑back bonds people tighter than years.
By then, Suzy woke up. I reassured her. We had a small conversation about what happened, but we chose to move on. We left the headquarters in a car that David gave me. As usual, the vibe outside was dark and quiet. We drove to her home to collect some clothes and things for her, then headed to my home. This quiet vibe, I know that something is coming, something is big.
We arrive home, and I park the car beside the house. Then I entered, and I found my mom in the yard watering her favorite tree. She looked at me, and happiness looked clear on her face. She hugged us after that, and she whispered in my ear: "I won't forget who did this to my tree." I looked at her with a look of regret on my features, then I headed with Suzy and Olivia inside the house. We met my grandmother and then my friend. My joy was indescribable. The value of family is only known when you are on the edge of death.