*Maki*
I was so sure that we had failed this first hurdle. The underground entrance was highly secured and even if we fought them off, they might run after us. Inevitably ruining our every chance to accomplish our mission.
But here we are, inside a rundown church. Me and my nameless partner panting while our guns are pointed at an unknown man.
"Who are you?"
My partner asked, the man, who judging by his clothes might be a priest only took off his gas mask revealing his face. The first thing that caught my attention were his brown eyes and his golden hair along with the big scar on his right cheek. He stared at us from head to toe before locking eyes with me.
"Magnus is the name, you could take those bandages off, the gas won't come inside this place"
"And why should we trust you?"
"Then don't"
As he blatantly replied to the other's remarks, he moved on the other side of the church removing the large rug placed there and opening up what seems to be an entrance underground.
"Your comrades are waiting for you down there"
Both me and my partner stared at him with an expression full of doubt. And there was every reason to feel that way and yet there was a small voice at the back of my mind.
"Look, I don't care if you trust me or not but you don't have the time to be idling around now don't you?"
We don't but how did he know that? I pointed my gun at him and looked at him straight in the eyes.
"We can't go down that way because we can't trust you. Aren't the people who live here had already succumb to the ways of the government?"
Magnus only stared at me. His brown eyes boring into every bit of me and somehow the tiny voice grew. I knew this man. I've met him before but where?
"You're Maki aren't you?"
My eyes widened and the alarm bells on my head started ringing loudly. He definitely knows me and the way he mentioned my name. It was full of familiarity that it threw me off guard.
"Why do you know my name?"
"And you're Damian"
Magnus pointed at my partner before crossing his arms in front of his chest. We looked at each other and sure enough we were both surprised that he knew our names. We don't even know the names of each other. All we know are the names of our commanders but not each other's.
"A man with a Mohawk who was named as Commander Zeph asked me to guide you on the underground railway, you wouldn't be able to enter through the entrance anymore"
As if stating the obvious, he nonchalantly told us about the conversation he had with our Commander. I lowered my gun. The action causing Damian to panic.
"What are you doing?"
He asked me but I only stared at Magnus finally voicing that tiny voice ringing in my head.
"We've met before haven't we"
This statement caused both of them to put on a surprised expression. I don't know when or where but he definitely looked familiar. He also looked like someone but I can't tell who.
Magnus' surprised expression quickly turned into a sad one which surprised me. He quickly withdrew his eyes from us before letting out a deep breath.
"We did, but I doubt you remember, you weren't even a year old when you met me."
So he was someone who knew me from before afterall. I wanted to ask more but we were quickly disrupted by the harsh knock on the church door.
"HEY MAGNUS OPEN UP, WE WANT TO CHECK SOMETHING"
Magnus, pointed at the underground entrance. I looked at Damian and as he click his tongue he voluntarily went down. I'm pretty sure he didn't like this idea of following strangers but it's not like we have any choice.
"Go, I'll follow suit after I send them off. The underground path is tricky so you might get lost"
I nodded at his instruction. He then quickly closed off the small door leaving both Damian and I in the dark.
"Are you sure we can trust him?"
I looked back at Damian who still has his gun ready. I can't really blame him. Everyone in this town seemed to be on the government's side as we saw how they scorn our comrades. Even watching them die painfully.
"I don't know but I don't feel any hostile intention coming from him"
Damian didn't answer me back and instead stared blankly on the space up ahead. It was only after a while that he spoke.
"He looks like you"
My eyes widened at his remark and before I could even ask him what he meant, the small door burst open revealing Magnus. He walked down the small stairs while closing the door.
"Come on, your comrades must be waiting"
"After you"
Magnus only stared at Damian and shrugged his shoulders before walking on ahead. It was a tunnel, I noted, dark with only a few yellow lights illuminating the path. As we walked deeper, a commanding voice resonated all throughout the underground walls. A quick turn and we saw most of our comrades and commanders huddled up in one place.
"Magnus"
Commander Zeph stood up to greet Magnus and as he looked over the blonde's shoulders, relief as well as annoyance washed over him as soon as he saw Damian's gun still pointing at Magnus.
"Damian put down the gun, he's an ally"
As soon as the commander says this, Damian with his confused look puts back the gun in his holster belt.
"Ally?"
"I've known Magnus from years ago, he was a soldier of SDC too preferably the best before he became a priest."
"You flatter me much with those memories, Zephyr"
Zephyr? Ahh that must be Commander Zeph's real name. I stared at the two of them and there is a friendly air and the feel of familiarity between them.
"It was indeed our loss when you decided to become a priest eventhough no one believes in God and the church in this age"
I looked at Magnus, and fair enough, he does have a fitting body for a soldier and he looks like one too even with the priest attire. But Magnus only looked nonchalantly at Commander Zeph shaking his head.
"We'll be wasting more time if we talked about the past now. Are we still waiting for some of your comrades?"
The grim look on Commander Zeph's face didn't escape our eyes. He looked back and as if counting how many of us were left, he then sighed and shook his head.
"No, we can't expect them to stay alive after all"
"COMMANDER!"
Many from the rest complained saying that they might still be alive but I too doubt that's the case any longer. Counting from the 56 who departed from the bunker there were only 32 of us left now. We lost almost half of us in that short amount of time.
"I could help you with tracking if you still want to know if they're alive or not"
Our gazes flew to Magnus who beckoned us over as he walked straight ahead before turning left. We followed suit and what welcomed us was a room full of monitors. Magnus flipped open the switch and punched some buttons before each monitor displayed what seemed to be the outside world.
"Magnus you—"
As Commander Zeph trailed off we all knew what he was aiming to say. This guy has access to every camera in and out of town. That wasn't the only thing that's suspicious about this man. This underground passage. At first glance you could say that it looks like an underground bunker built from a tunnel but it's not just that. The passage trails off to a different entrance making it gain a split road look. To where every entrance leads we don't have any idea.
"Magnus where and why do you have access to all of these?"
Magnus only glimpsed back on Commander Zeph then to me before returning his gaze back at the monitors.
"I had my ways. I wanted to find some people but I don't think I have to anymore so I've been shutting this off eversince"
The way he said those words, it was full of lament, like he was mourning for the person he wanted to find. Like he had lost someone who was dear to him.
"I don't think it's nice to pry any further"
Unexpectedly, Damian who also sensed Magnus' expression, whispered beside me. A painful look briefly passing his solemn face. We weren't supposed to feel any emotion but at that moment I could feel Magnus' pain.
Commander Zeph cleared his throat and he too, looked like he didn't want to dwell unto the topic any longer.
"Still it's a good thing that you are here, you have my full trust Magnus."
Magnus who was intently staring at Commander Zeph only nodded at him and continued to scroll through the cameras.
"We should hurry up looking for any more survivors"
That was what he said but across the monitors, all I could see are the bloodied bodies of our comrades who are being feasted on by the masked townspeople.
"This is too horrible"
"How could they even do such a thing"
"Magnus, this town—"
"This town admired the idea of idolizing their colonizers as a form of survival. They too, just want to live peacefully and normally"
These people? All we saw were bloodthirsty men and women who scorned our comrades and watched them die painfully. But there was something I had noticed.
"There's no children"
Everyone's gazes flew towards me and in an instant they watched every monitor and saw that indeed there wasn't a single child in this town.
"The government had killed off any remaining child and teenager here years ago as punishment for a small gathering that had something to do with revolting"
"These same people revolted against the government?"
Magnus only nodded at us.
"It might not justify everything they did as well as murdering your comrades but the fear of dying or losing more children to come. As well as becoming fugitives and slaves was much greater than their morals."
It was weird, as he say those words, he was staring at me like he somehow knew what I was thinking all along. That everyone had a choice, that they could've fought them.
I bow my head down. It was weird, I kept having this twisty feeling in my chest like something wanted to burst out open. I clenched at my chest tightly before breathing out a deep one.
I need to focus on the task on hand. I knew my memories and emotions are sealed but I know that I am doing this for someone who was special to me.
Someone who I wanted to be proud of me. That's why eventhough I couldn't remember what she looked like or her name, I know that I shouldn't die here without accomplishing something.
Commander Zeph's punch in the wall startled everyone in there except for Magnus.
"Damn it. We really lost them"
As he said those words, every one of us looked at the monitor. I decided to count every comrade I could see. My shoulders slacked at the reality that it was only us that really remained.
"It was inevitable, I'm sorry but I think you should start moving. Sooner or later, the townsmen would start going underground too"
Magnus stood up and passed a look on each and everyone of us. Commander Zeph composed himself and after a little while longer, he stood tall while giving us our orders.
Commander took out his map and let Magnus point him the way out of here. We learned that one of the passageways do lead to the underground railway. It was then that I looked at the blonde male and asked him a silly question.
"Aren't you coming?"
All eyes were on me now and I should know because I also don't know why I suddenly blurted something like that.
Magnus' widened eyes stared at me with disbelief before a smile slowly formed on his face. He then patted my head and with a soft familiar expression gave me his reply.
"I'm a priest little one. I don't take lives anymore. My path is in the light now"
He doesn't take lives anymore? Does that mean that he used to? What made him stop? There were too many questions in my head and no clear idea why I have them.
"Besides, I like to give your fallen comrades a proper burial"
He glanced at Commander Zeph who only nodded at him and thanked him. We do appreciate knowing that our comrades would be given a proper burial.
"Then we would get going now Magnus"
"Alright, take care each and everyone of you. Let us see each other again when this ordeal comes to an end"
And with a brief goodbye and a final glance we left Magnus' place and moved forward to the underground railway.
We lost many of us but this is another step forward for our group.