They followed the elderly woman, as she walked deeper towards the camps. Further down, the civilians had no idea what was happening, but they did recognize the gunshot. They were gathered outside their tents, whispering to one another as they watched the small group of people pass by.
They suddenly crawled back to their tents in fear as if a sudden realization had just dawned on them. They must have saw the gun in Jack's hand, and realized that he was the reason for the defeaning gunshot that resounded earlier. He was not the only one carrying a gun though...
After receiving a scolding, James has also unsheathed his as well, afraid of facing the consequences of angering such an unstable man. But deep down, he knew it was all an act, a little play he devised just to keep the civilians in check... probably for another grand reason as well.
Although Jack was not afraid of pulling the trigger at any moment, he would never kill an innocent person, or take a life without any reason whatsoever. So James reasoned that he must have had his own reasons for putting up such a ravenous act, and maybe it had to do with where the elder was taking them.
If James remembered correctly, there was something Jack said to the elder, before she gestured them to follow her. '...I suggest you take me to your lord, and do so with haste...' those were his exact words. What did he mean by lord? What were they talking about exactly? What the hell was happening?
James could not answer a single question, but he knew Jack would tell them sooner or later. Even though he was starting to doubt it. It had been a few hour - three at most, since they arrived at the camps and James was starting to feel fatigue seeping into his bone. He was not feeling sleepy, not yet at least so he was only a bit worried. Fatigue was inevitable about working for 14 hours straight.
'Mhm...'
He looked around. He eyes met one of the Protectors who were escorting them – or whatever they were doing – and a small frown appeared on his face. He had known since before arriving that there was something eerie and wrong about them, but he did not know what. He still had no idea, but was confident Jack did. Otherwise he would not have killed the other Protector in cold blood, would he?
Anyways, even the way these Protectors carried themselves was not usual. The way they react was even worse. Jack had just shot one of them and none of them gave a single fuck whatsoever. They just remained indifferent as if the life of their comrade did not matter to them. Such vile behavior.
James wondered what would happen if he shot one if them right there and then, but quickly shoved that thought away. Even though they were weird and disturbing, there was no real reason to kill them, right? And besides, even if they try to rebel, they were the ones with guns, dozens of them no less. They were also trained military personnel, armed with knowledge to counter any situation. The odds weren't against them.
Quite the opposite actually. He looked up at the scorching hot sun and winced. Then suddenly, before he could process the heat, a large shadow loomed over him, obscuring the sun. Cool wind washed over his face. He looked over to the giant building coming into view in front of him. Of course, he had noticed this rundown building from the moment they arrived, he just did not think they would head over to it anytime soon.
He had actually wondered why the civilians did not take refuge inside the building, chosing to expose themselves to harsh environmental conditions, but now he had the answer. If he was correct, the building seemed to serve as a stronghold of sorts, with their so-called lord residing there as well. He suddenly had a bad feeling about what was happening, and this was confirmed when the elder suddenly stopped and turned to face them, her expression somber.
"I cannot accompany you any further, but the Protectors can. This is as far as I can take you, please forgive me."
Jack looked at the elderly woman indifferently, and then nodded slowly. Without saying anything, he turned towards the building and walked towards the entrance. The rest followed, even the two Protectors that were supposed to be accompanying them. James looked up at the tall building, taking in the sight.
Even though it was rundown, the building was still tall, and was even taller before the earthquake struck Australia. In its pristine condition. He could estimate that the building was about five hundred meters tall, but its upper regions were reduced to piles of debris. The windows were shattered, and so were the walls. The entire building was blackened by ash, hinting that a fire had broken out during the earthquake.
As they entered the building, cold chill ran down his spine, quite literally.. The air inside the building was cold and oppressed, even the sunlight seeping through the broken windows kept the warmth to itself. The Protectors in the building were not affected though, they worked in unison repairing the building as if preparing for the apocalypse. Or maybe they were making the building more habitable for the civilians to move in.
He threw a glance at Benji, who was suffering just the same under the oppression. He turned to Jack and the two Protectors escorting him. If he was suffering just like James and Benji were, he did a great job at hiding it. He continued walking towards the stairs with the same confidence as before, recklessly swinging his gun as he did. James gritted his teeth and composed himself, Benji did as well.
They descended long sets of stairs, until a wide basement came into view. The basement was dark, with barely any lighting to identify a fly. But at least they were able to see each other, as well as the dozens of Protectors who served as guards. There were no questions asked, it was as if they were already expecting their arrival. James did not like the sound of that at all.
They opened a large steel door, and gestured for them to enter. The two Protectors that had escorted them remained outside with the rest of the guards, still and unmoving, as if not daring to enter. James suddenly had a bad premonition. Jack glanced at them in disdain, as they closed the armored steel door with a loud bang.
He let out a sigh and shuddered.
"Damn why is it so cold in here?"
Benji and James looked at each other, unsure of what to say. He at both of them and frowned.
"You did not really think I was that of a monster did you?"
He pouted.
"I am so hurt by that. I thought we were friends."
Then he suddenly burst out laughing. His voice echoing across the silent hall. His laughter died down, until the room was silent once more. He looked at them with a serious expression, making the cold presence around them seem less daunting.
"On a serious note, that was inevitable. Besides, that Mercenary – or Protector as they call them, is as ruthless and heartless as they come. He has probably killed more lives than both of you combined. Killing him was really necessary, in more ways than one. Not only for my act I mean."
They were all silent for a minute. Benji opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, another unfamiliar voice resounded from behind them.
"You wish to talk about being ruthless and heartless, ha don't make me laugh."
They had not even realized there was a fourth person in the room. Judging from the voice, it was a male, probably in his mid-twenties or something. His voice was smooth and velvety, James did not even wish to see what his face looked like. The voice was not at all hostile, it was friendly even. In fact, it was so friendly that it was actually frightening.
They all turned to the direction of the voice in unison, and their faces simultaneously twisted into different expressions, for the same reason though. A few meters away from where they stood, a tall throne-like structure could be seen, and a figure lazily sat on it. They could not see his face, but could feel the invisible force oppressing them getting even stronger the more they stared at them.
"So you're just going to stand there?"
They all turned to each other and then looked at the figure again. Benji was the one who replied.
"What do you suggest we do?"
The young man on the throne remained silent and then stood up. He looked down at them with an unclear expression they could not register. His beautiful voice echoed across the basement once more.
"You could come closer and introduce yourself. It is the least you could do after killing one of my men, don't you think?"
There was something in his voice, not exactly commanding or dominating, but strangely superior as well. It felt like James's body was responding to the voice involuntarily, if under a hex or something. He managed to remain still for a moment though, until Jack started to approach the you man with the same confident steps from before. Jack and Benji followed.
The young man descended from the throne as well, and started walking towards them.
After a second or two, they were finally able to see his full image. They were able to see him in his flawless, gorgeous glory.