Deacon - Chapter 5

It's a complicated life right now for me. I've just found a peaceful moment for once. It's been three days since breaking Jane out of the camp, she's wide awake now and all of us have bonded successfully. I don't have many ideas about today. Let's see what we're in for.

Chapter 5: (Ruler)

Every single day since Jane returned has been a bright one. Let's hope it will stay like that.

I feel the sunlight hit my face as I'm asleep. Then, it wipes away to my left. I open my eyes to see where I am was, I panic and notice that the three of us were sleeping in a windowed truck. As I try to get up, I hear a voice from the cabin, "Hey, don't panic. I won't hurt any of you. Trust me, I just saved your life."

"In what way did you save our lives?" I ask him. "The canyon you've been on, it's been overrun by those freaks. They don't see, but they make noises and follow the direction from which echoes. They can hear you snore from a mile away." He replies.

"And who are you?" I ask. "U.S ranger 1014." He says. "So, I'm living with the army now?" I ask. "No, you're working for it." He replies.

A look of confusion then fogs over my face. "Show me your face." I tell him. "I don't have to." He replies. "You guys killed my previous family. You know that?" I ask him, furious. "That's not us." He says. "Well then, what's your name?" I ask him. "David" he says with a pause. "David who?" I ask him. "Look, we've got to get to the..." he tries changing the topic. "I don't care. David who?" I interrupt.

Then, through the center mirror, I see his head drops down. He then takes a heavy breath and says, "David West Arculeptone."

Chills crack through my spine from top to bottom. Then, he says, "Nice to meet you too, son." Feeling confused, I demand him to stop the truck. As he stops it, Jane and Kelly wake up, "Where are we?" Asks Jane. "Don't worry. The canyon got overrun and he picked us up." I try to comfort her. "And who's he?" She asks.

I hesitate to tell her. "Jane..." I say under my breath as I breathe out. "Just tell me." She says.

"He's my dad." I say. "But... I thought he died." She says. "Yeah. I know." I reply.

It's a big story I'll look deeper into it at the camp. For now, I get back on board and speak with my dad on the way. He tells me everything. It was a clone that got shot. But sadly, my mom was not a clone when she got killed. So, I guess I still have a vendetta on the army.

Soon, we arrive at the camp. The entrance makes me feel like a little grain of rice under a boulder. The gates are made of stone and tower fifty meters above my head. On top, at either side, there is a soldier holding a sniper rifle.

They have a mission for me. They give me a letter. It reads, "Good day, recruit! Today is a test for your bravery and survival instinct. We have run short of medical supplies. We need you to get some. Take a car from behind the pharmacy and run it to a hospital. It's about a mile south. Same road along the way. The place was overrun about a month ago. Chances are that it's still inaccessible. But that's where the test comes in. You will be tested on quick thinking and on stealth. Rumor has it that there is a trap for survivors set by another camp. Look out and best of luck. You're saving lives!"

I'm out of words right now. Knowing that the place is overrun, why'd they choose ME to go there? Do they know about my ability? They couldn't have found out.

Before I think myself into oblivion, I notice that the letter had a P.S note. It reads, "Meet your father in the pharmacy for training."

Training? I have to check it out. I then put the letter into my pocket and make my way towards the pharmacy. On my way there, I looked around the camp. The tents in the camp are in a stone-built ring, surrounding them on all sides. They have little camping tents for sleeping in and open cloth tents with wooden stands, halfway buried in the ground for food and the one pharmacy for a near thousand people.

I walk on and then meet my dad in the tent. He stands facing the opposite direction at the far end of the tent. "I've seen what you can do, son. When you were asleep, your hand was on fire. You're special." He says in a low voice, "What you can do with that hand is incredible..."

Before he could finish, I interrupt, "If this is what you're saying, I am not weaponizing my abilities. They said training. Not modifying!" I yell.

"They're already weaponized." Says dad. My dad then turned his head to his left just enough so he could roll his eyes to see me. "You can help us." He says. "I can't help anyone with this curse." I reply. I cannot take anymore. I turn my head back and walk out the tent.

As I walk out, three men holding an ax stand in my way. They push me back, making me fall to the ground on my back, using the blunt top of the ax. "Let me go!" I scream.

My dad then says, "What the hell is happening here? He's my son, not your fucking toy!" He exclaims as he lends me a hand to get me up. "Sir, but he has no option." One of the men says. "As long as he's my son, he runs the camp with me. So yes, he has an option and it is what it is. I won't try to change that." He says, "He's not going out there. Now, get out of here."

"Son, I'll come with you." He says when they leave. "Dad, you know this is hard for me. I just met you and... I don't want to die. You don't have to do this." I say. He then looks at me, spreads his arms wide open and gives me a hug. "Look, son. I haven't told you something that you need to know." he says, "We need to go to a quiet place. Grab a car and let's go."

About fifteen minutes out, we reach at a desert. We park behind a dune on the road. We climb to the top of the dune and take a seat on the edge.

He takes a deep breath and pushes out a few words. He says, "You have a sister." "What? You didn't tell me?" I ask him. He doesn't reply and says, "She worked as a scientist. Unfortunately, the same day you were born, she died. You were brought out to this world in a church. Then, I fell into a deep coma. You sister's name is..." "Candice." I interrupt. With a pause, he says, "Yes. Candice."

"And you never told me." I say. "I know, son. But this has to be between us. No one else should know about this." He says. "Shut up!" I scream at him as I get back up on my feet. I turn back and start walking towards the car. I get in and say, "Take me back to camp."

A fifteen-minute drive, and I never uttered a word. Why did he have to hide that from me?

When we reach, I don't see Jane or Kelly anywhere. I ask dad about them. He says, "The facilities need them to reverse engineer a chemical to fight this virus. Both of them are still immune. I drove out there to give them time to take them."

"What happens after that?" I ask. "The chemical that makes them immune drains completely. Jane had a scar from earlier on her face. She was bitten by one of those freaks. When the chemical is drained, the infection will start to spread from her head. Kelly will be safe but she won't be immune anymore."

"I'm going to get them back." I say. "You can't. If you wait, you get Kelly back. If not, you don't get any of them back." He says.

What do I do?