Sunset

Jamal was heading for MontClay, the second city. In the end, the soldiers he brought with him were only half of the army he had saved in Short-river, however, this result didn't bother him on the contrary he thought it was rather a good number. As it was the city the most in crisis, he didn't expect so many of them to agree to join in. That was why he was not very insistent during his speech.

" We should be there within 10 minutes, " Volga shouted. They were rolling for quite a long while now and the shape of the city started to be perceived forward on the horizon while, on the side, the sun was slowly falling, pushing them further in the darkness.

" Would they provide some greeters as we did for you? " she asked while glancing at the sun with worried eyes.

" I don't think so, " he responded. " They had a plan that I would take two days to treat your case, therefore they are expecting me to arrive there only tomorrow ".

" Oh, I see. And do you know where we have to go? Did they tell the location of their headquarters? " she asked still worriedly taking glances at the sun.

Jamal noticed it and quickly figured out the source of her agitation, he didn't comment about it immediately but responded to her question first, " yeah, they already told us as well as the location of the enemies. So I propose to not go directly to the HQ ".

" What are you plotting again? " she asked all curious.

" Before that, tell me what is the problem? "

" huh? "

" I see that something is bothering you right now, you didn't stop glancing at the sun and backward through your rearview mirror. So what is it? " he exposed her. Even though he knew the answer, he didn't want to confront her directly since he thought, it wouldn't do anything but upset her, he would rather put her at ease so she could confess from her own free will.

She chuckled, " what's a silly question. I'm wondering if we will have the time to reach a safe place where we could hide before the darkness of the night appears and I'm also wondering if the people behind us are as worried as me ".

Once again he got right, he immediately thought, [ it's as Lina has said, due to that tragic night people are scared to be outside when the sun is not in the sky, it's like a late trauma]. He didn't consider that factor when they left and, honestly, he didn't imagine that Volga would be one of those who were afraid of the night. [ Even the bravest people are not safe from such traumas or weaknesses ].

Hopefully, for them, they finally reached the city. He got up on the car and started to run his sight and scan the zone, in no time Jamal already found a good spot to rest. " Let's head there, " he told Volga while pointing to the supermarket nearby.

" What? Why? " she responded, confused.

" Just do it, I will explain to you later ". While he said that he was, at the same, making signs to the other cars to follow their lead.

They parked their vehicles, got off from them. Jamal ordered them to have their weapons in their hands and to not drop their guards while they were entering the supermarket, and so they did. They walked around the entire store, checked every single place and they made sure that there was no one else besides them inside before they gathered up to make the point of the situation.

" Well now we are sure it's safe, can you explain to us what we are doing here? " Volga asked him.

" Well, I think... no, I know that you all were feeling uneasy at the thought of be rolling on the streets in the darkness of the night... " they looked down, uncomfortable, which confirmed what he just said, " ...so I thought it would be better to stay here until tomorrow morning, " he looked around like if he was checking on something before he brought his eyes back to them with a smile, " as I have expected, we can find some food and water, so no need to use our provisions, even if it is not that much but enough for tonight. The second point is that it's actually a good timing because from the start I didn't intend to join the HQ ".

People looked confused and started to interrogate each other, with low voices, about what did he mean by that. " What he wants to say that he has already a plan, so leave him the time to explain himself, " Volga quickly brought the calm back, she looked at him interrogatively with insistence as she was the first one who wanted him to cease being too mysterious.

" Thank you, " he simply said before he quickly began to expose them to what he had plotted. He understood by the look she was throwing on him that she would not stand more secrets. " Among the information we hot about the war, which is happening in here from the city army, it's said that they actually fight every day at a specific time of the day. You can notice that the situation is a bit odd "

" That explains why their current state is somehow stable, " Sania highlighted as she remembered the reports, about the situation the neighbor cities were going through, their mayor Howard shared with them.

" Yes that's true, it's said that the number of casualties they are suffering is more or less similar to those of their enemies, which means that actually, they are in a balance of forces, " as he was developing his statement some people started to get where he wanted to come.

" So... if I understand well, all that MontClay's army needs, to obtain the victory, is a disturbing element to break up this balance of forces and bend the advantage over their side... right? " shyly said a young man among the crowd.

" That's right, and that disturbing element is this group of people here, " Jamal exclaimed with a large smile, " tomorrow morning when both armies will engage into their daily fight we'll initiate a surprise attack on the outlaws' army and in one time we shall crush their forces ".

They all nodded comprehensively. " You plan to finish it in one day again, don't you? " Volga asked him pertinently.

He smiled and declared " we all wish to return to see our lovered ones as soon as possible, so we don't have any choice but to end it quickly. Moreover, if it is as I have imagined, the battle of tomorrow seems to be tougher and time-consuming than the previous one in Short-river as the enemies will be in a better shape and on contrary to them, outlaws here are not organized in a hierarchy, so we can forget about looking for a chief to behead him, we will have to exterminate them until they remain none of them ".

Sania chuckled, " that always was what we intended to do ".

" I propose to set up the teams and their captains accompanied with their respective missions since now like we used to do so that we won't waste time tomorrow and we will head to the battlefield directly, " a man, in the crowd, suggested.

" Good idea, " Volga praised, she turned to Jamal, " if you don't mind, allow me to take this responsibility and configure the teams ". The man raised both hands to tell her to do what she wanted, then she started to arrange them in 4 groups of 5 people and another fifth group of only three people. She tried to adapt their small number in a way that would be the most effective possible during the attack and Jamal didn't hesitate to give her more details about it while she was setting the mission for each group.

Later, they concluded that the first three groups would play the role of a barrage on the back of the enemies to block them in case of retreating. The other groups would be posted in some strategic places in the buildings around to give support to those who would be in the main battle.

Volga purposely chose, whom she judged to be, the best shooters among them to load upon them that mission. And then came the fifth and last group, the team of intervention, as said this team's mission would be diving directly into the action. The only three of them would be the ones to initiate the attack, it would be composed of Jamal, Volga, and Sania. Initially, Volga had chosen, Graham one of her former soldiers when they were in Short-river instead of Sania to go with them, she explained that he was very skillful on the battlefield, however, they changed their minds to appoint him to the support group as, besides Jamal and Volga, he was far the best shooter among the army and the intervention team would have to rely very much on him.

" Now everyone knows what to do let's look for something to eat, " Jamal suggested after they finished establishing the plan for the attack of tomorrow.

They all got up and walked along the store's aisles, taking the time to verify and collect what they thought would be edible, and later, they all came back with their gains. They cooked what they had to cook and assembled with the snacks they borrowed they got a special dinner and enjoyed it in the group. After that, they were all ordered to go have some sleep because they would have to wake up early the next day.

" You don't sleep you? " Sania asked Jamal as she saw him staying up without preparing his sleeping bag like the others.

" No. Someone has to watch over the others while they sleep so I'm volunteering to do it, " he responded, " we may have found no one when we came but that doesn't mean that this place is totally safe ".

" Yeah, you're right, " she admitted, she thought a short and suggested, " maybe I should stay awake as well to keep you company otherwise the night will be long and lonely, you can share with me some of your adventures, " she kindly proposed without making any naughty implies.

He smiled, thank her but gently refused.

" Or maybe if you don't want to be alone with me I can ask Volga hmm? you seem to be more at ease with her " she came again, she didn't want him to believe that she was trying to hit on him.

He laughed slightly, surprised by this new behavior of hers, " no need, I don't mind doing it alone ".

" Or at least we can alternate, you take the first half and you wake me when it's my turn to guard, you too need to get some sleep for tomorrow, don't forget that you're our trump card if you're not fully ready it will be over for us ".

" I ensure you that I will be alright, believe me. It's not my first time doing something like this so no need to bother yourself or Volga, " he responded, still amused.

" It's not your first time huh... " she whispered, she suddenly remembered something she had always wanted to ask him since they were in Short-river, " by the way, I always wanted to ask, in which unit of the army have you been trained to have such level and at such young age? you seem to be likely at the same age as me "

His face changed and became cloudy, " I wasn't a member of any army, " he simply said.

She noticed by the change of her expression that it was a sensitive subject, she knew that she shouldn't go further but she couldn't help as she was too curious, " so where have you been trained, where did you get such skills and experience? "

Instead of being mad as she was expecting he simply smiled melancholically and told her, " go have some sleep, I will take both halves of the guard, yours and mine ". She didn't insist and moved away with her sleeping bag beside Carl and settled there.

" You should really learn when and how close your mouth, " the latter told her when she lay down as he eavesdropped on their conversation.

" Shut the fuck up, " she responded to him while pushing slightly.