Chapter Six

"Are they awake?" I heard Lily asked once Carly entered the main cabin to join us for lunch.

It had been three days since I've brought the two men here. They were covered in so much blood it was a miracle they were still alive. Thankfully, Carly had healed most of their wounds. Though, there were deep wounds that her power couldn't handle. She worked her best to heal them with the medical knowledge she learned from med-school.

Carly yawned as she sat beside Coleen. She looked sleepless as black bags formed under her eyes. Since she was the only one with medical knowledge among us, we couldn't even help her. She must have spent all night looking after her patients.

"No," she answered as she put an egg on her plate. "But with their fast recovery, I'm sure they'll be awake soon. So, you don't have to worry."

They smiled at each other before the chatting started. With the good news Carly had brought, and the thought that there be two more added to our group, hope and joy were present at every person in the room. I wouldn't blame them for feeling that way. For the first time in a year, we finally found others like us.

-We aren't the only ones left.-

After my torturous encounter at the town, we had a break from going there. So, we had to make do with all the things we had at hand. Thankfully, we have livestock so we'd have meat. Lily and Rose were growing vegetables and fruits so that's no problem too.

Besides, maybe it was time I find another job for myself to keep my mind off things. So, after lunch, I went out to the farm and helped the sisters with the plants. They were trying to grow a fruit they haven't grown before.

"Katra?" Lily called softly. "Would you mind fetching water for us? I can't seem to find Jack."

I dropped the spade I was holding to shape the plot we needed and stood up. I dusted my jeans off the dirt and smiled at her, "Sure, would you mind continuing this?"

Lily smile and took my place as I took the two pails to fill them with water. But before I entered the woods, I looked around our little camp. Carlos and Annie were playing together as they fed the chickens and the pigs. Steven and Drew were setting off towards the other side of the camp to look for woods we could use for dinner. Since we couldn't afford the risk of having technologies near our camp in fear of them tracking us, Drew had nothing to busy himself with. So, he would just spend his time doing manual labor with Steven.

With a smile, I entered the woods and made my way towards the river. I could hear the birds singing and the faint laughter of the triplets. I could hear wild animals moving around and I felt at ease. After a few paces, I heard the sound of the rushing water of the river.

I stepped carefully at the slippery rocks and knelt down on the riverbank and filled the two pails with me. Then, I stood up and stretch my arms before I picked them up. I grunted at the weight but I carried them with no casualty on me and the pails.

As I emerged out of the woods, I saw Rose quickening the growth of the rose bushes around the main cabin. Lily was still working on the plot. Carlos was practicing carrying Annie as he flies, though it wasn't high, he lifted her off the ground and her sweet laughs filled the air.

Drew and Steven came back with a handful of firewoods and they went straight to the main cabin to stack it by the kitchen. As I gently put the pails on the ground, I noticed two unfamiliar men by the clinic porch looking at their surroundings in awe. They had the expressions of kids at Christmas.

I squinted under the blazing ray of the sun and realized that it was the two men I had brought back. I looked around and I saw Carly waved at me by the window. Then she pointed to the two men. I nodded at her and excused myself from Lily, who finally noticed the two men and spread the news quicker than I could run.

With a laugh, I jogged towards the clinic as to not disturb the dry soil and make everyone cough. I came into a stopped in front of the three stairs it takes to reach the door.

"Would you mind showing them around, dear?" Carly said before I could focus on the two men in front of me. "They don't believe they're safe here."

I laughed, "I understand where they're coming from. I'll take care of them."

"Thank you," Carly said as she left the clinic, "Coleen asked for my help at the kitchen since its Natasha's rest day."

I waved at her and watched her leave before I turned my attention back to the two men. They seemed older than me by a year or two. The one was tall, maybe at 6'2. I felt small in my 5'7 height. He had the gold-est blond hair I have ever seen. His eyes were a spellbinding blue, and despite the situation I found them in, they were full of life. The other one had a mane of mahogany hair and his eyes were a mesmerizing green.

"I'm Katra," I started and their eyes darted towards me so I gave them a smile. "I'm sure Carly has told you that we are all Reins here."

"Yeah," the blonde answered. "We found it hard to believe but with the things we've witnessed the moment we left that door proved us wrong."

I gave them a laugh and gestured for them to follow me and they did as they looked around like they couldn't get enough, "I know why you feel like that. The world has become a dangerous place for people like us. But—rest assured, this place is safe. We make sure of that,"

"I'm Zoi, by the way," the blonde said and I stopped to face them as he gave me a hand to shake. "This is Griffin. We met each other a few months after the war started."

Then, Griffin asked the thing I dreaded the most, "have you seen our two companions? They're my brothers and they were with us when we got captured."

I couldn't bring myself to look at him in the eyes as I looked down in shame. Griffin continued to look around as if he expected them to appear out of thin air. I couldn't speak to tell him that they were not with us. My lungs constricting as I tried to find the right words but I couldn't.

Suddenly, Zoi caught my eyes and understanding flashed in them. Grimly, he put a hand on Griffin's shoulder and shook his head. Griffin scowled at him and faced me,

"Tell me they survived! Tell me that they're alright!" Griffin pleaded as he shook my shoulder and his eyes watering. Drew and Steven, drawn by Griffin's shouting, rushed to my side and gently removed his hold on me.

"Tell me they're alive!" Griffin shouted at me.

"I—I'm sorry. . ." my voice broke as Griffin sunk to his knees and cried.

I could feel my eyes watering as I watched Griffin helplessly called for his brothers' name. He was wishing that they would answer him. He kept pleading us to tell him that it was just some kind of joke and told us to stop because it wasn't funny. But I can't tell him that. Because it wasn't a joke.

His brothers were truly dead.

-Just because I wasn't fast enough.-

We couldn't comfort him. Because we all knew that no comfort would be able to ease the pain of losing a loved one. We all watched, helpless, as Griffin cried his heart out. I refused for my tears to spill because my pain couldn't even be compared to his.

Suddenly, Griffin met my eyes and recognition flashed in them. He stood up from the ground and lifted me off my feet by grabbing my shirt. Steven and Drew tried to remove his hands but he held on firmly.

"Why didn't you saved them?!" He shouted to my face. "You managed to save me and Zoi! But why hadn't you saved my brothers?"

"I- I. . ." I couldn't speak as I heard him asked the questions that kept running in my head ever since that day.

"Don't blame, Katra!" Steven replied calmly, "She tried to save them!"

Griffin raised his left hand and pointed it to Steven and Drew. As he did so, the two men flew away from us, landing a couple of meters away. The rest of the group rushed to the scene but Steven stopped them from interfering to avoid anyone getting injured.

"Tell me!" He shouted again. "You're not even crying for them."

Suddenly, I fell down on the ground as Zoi punched Griffin in the face. His fist landed squarely on Griffin's right cheek and his lips were busted by the force. Griffin swiped a hand through his bloodied lips and stared at Zoi.

"Wake up, Griff!" Zoi shouted at Griffin's fallen figure. "She saved you and me! How much strength do you think it takes to carry us and run through a narrow street full of angry crowd!? Don't you think that it was too much for one person to even run that lap once much less twice? No matter how fast she may have been, there was no way to save us all!"

My eyes widened as I heard Zoi. I hadn't known why but that sentence seemed to comfort me more than I wanted. Maybe it was time that I accept that no matter how fast I get, I won't be able to do everything by myself.

"I know you're in pain," Zoi continued. "But there's no point in blaming anyone—much less the person who tried her best to save us!"

Griffin broke Zoi's stare as he looked up in the sky and screamed his heart out. He screamed his frustration and pain. And his agony danced around us as everyone mourned with him.