Entering The Scorch

I

Jung hurried down with Syu, expecting to find whoever did this atrocity to the refuge. Syu cocked his rifle and leaned back on the wall, creeping to the corner. When he was about to turn from a corner, he halted. Jung peeked around the wall and saw two scorch raiders burning everything in the metro. Before he could pull the trigger, another bullet pierced the scorch's head.

His ally stopped blazing his makeshift flamethrower when he saw his friend smack the ground. His body shook. The scorch raider burst flames everywhere to ‌flush his attacker out. From the corner of Jung's vision, he saw a movement. A person snuck behind the soldier and stabbed him in the neck. The scorch drops ‌in front of his foot, lifeless.

The former journalist doesn't know who was the man. But then, Callus and Ismael showed up from beyond the flame with their gun. Not only them, but several people also showed up too. They have been fighting the scorchers while the three of them are at the police station.

Syurabil looked around and saw the bodies of the refugees and the scorchers.

"What happened here? How come they find us?" he questioned himself.

"They followed one of our wounded scouts back to the base," Callus explained. "I'm sorry, Syu. But they nearly leave no prisoner. Some of us didn't survive, and some fought," he turned his back and saw a couple of militias that stood by holding their guns.

Syurabil covered his mask with both hands when he heard many of them didn't survive. He walks away and leans his head on a wall as Callus explained they were dead. Everyone stood in silence, knowing Syu's feelings.

"Also, there are other people they took away," the grizzly bearded man spoke out of the blue.

Syu turned around and saw a middle-aged man.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Syu nodded at him.

"Bohun, former PMC commander here in Hellsum."

"You are a mercenary."

"Former merc- I don't use the word mercenary. PMC is more suitable. Mercenaries are for individuals who seek fortune. Private Military Company is more organised."

"When we took the detour. We found a convoy of scorch's trucks. And Bohun trailing behind them," Callus recounts his encounter with Bohun.

"Say. Where did they take them?" Syu peers at Bohun.

"Syu?" Ismael cuts him off. "What are you planning to do?"

"If they are still out there. I need to help them."

"No… No… NO! We don't need to! We should leave this god-forsaken hellhole!" Ismael expressed his frustration.

"Impossible. They shoot anyone in sight. We could not make it. The outskirts of the city are the same, but there are ways to dodge the checkpoints," Bohun was sure of it.

"What do you say, Syurabil? We can leave this and the country."

Syurabil stays silent. He saw a blanket which hid something beneath it. Syu approached it and pulled it away, beholden to the spectators of the reality.

"My goodness…" Inara closed her mouth in a daze.

Everyone witnessed it.

"The fate of Mr and Mrs Kelso. One bullet in each of them. Then burned," Syu observed the two.

Knowing their fate, gradually everyone left the burning metro. Except for Syu, Jung, Bohun, and Callus. Jung saw the stairs to the lower level of the metro were full in a blaze.

"This is not the time to grieve. We need to go. Now!" he grabbed Syu's shoulder and pulled him away. "Syurabil. If you want to help them now, then maybe help get rid of the scorch. Let's go back to the checkpoint and report it."

"Getting rid of the scorch…" Syu murmurs.

"What is it? I didn't catch that."

Syu ignores Jung and continues to leave the metro with the others. Syu walks in such a hurry that even Bohun, Jung, and Callus fasten their walk to catch up. After they resurface, Tika and her soldiers greeted them.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Bohun looked around and saw the people who left the metro first rounded up by the Nagarians. "Nagarians!?"

"They are friendly," Jung explained.

"Screw that. They are Nagarians. Slant-eyed bastards!" Bohun pointed at Tika.

"Woah! Do we have a problem here?" Tika approached.

"No. We don't have one. Don't we, Bohun?" Jung raised his eyebrows at the veteran.

Bohun let out one big exhale and his shoulder eased. He nodded and kept his eyes on Tika. Full of unending flames of hatred.

"Is it safe out here?" Jung approached the Nagarian who was a couple of feet away.

"We need to talk," Tika whispered.

Jung looked back and saw Syu standing there, waiting.

"Can we talk about it here?"

"Not here," Tika walks away from the view of the group with Jung.

They stood behind the truck they drove before. Tika reached into her military vest and gave Jung a radio.

"A radio?"

"Not only a radio. It comes with a scrambler. It means only I can hear you speaking through that. Hide it. Put it in your bag or underneath your clothing."

"Why hide it?"

She took a small step closer with a straight face beneath the helmet and balaclava.

"Listen to me. You can only contact me before sunrise. Around six in the morning," Tika converse and moves closer to Jung while he retreats‌. "If you do. They will hear us."

Jung pressed his body on the truck while the Nagarian stood right in front of him.

"Who hears us?" Jung raised his head away from Tika

"Don't wake up the nuns…" she whispered right next to his ear.

"The what?" Jung's heart skipped a beat.

Tika walks back and turns away.

"Let's go back, Jung. I believe they are waiting for you."

As they walked back, there seemed to be a dispute about what they needed to do. Syu approached Tika with powerful, fast steps. Tika and Jung halted when they face Syurabil.

"I need the location of a nearby Scorch hideout," Syu cuts to the chase.

"The scorch hideout? What are you planning to do? Attack them?" Tika scoffs.

"Now," Syu's tone was grim.

"Even if I know, I can't do it. It's a strict military confidential. And! And there could be civilians within the hideout. One wrong move and we Nagarians can be brought up to the international court!"

"Well… you can say you don't have any affiliation with Syu. Or you can pretend to be a militia with us. The Nagarian will have zero connection to the attack. But Tika is right. You can't go alone with guns blazing," Jung shared his opinion out loud.

Both of them gazed at Jung with a long pause. Jung realised what was going on.

"Both of you going to try?" Jung did not expect that. "It's going to cause an international incident. Right?"

Syu rounded up part of the militias, and Tika called her soldiers.

"It's a win-win situation, Hellsumer," she said as she removed her vest and uniform. "After all. I'm just a civilian," Tika dropped anything that has the Nagarian emblem to the ground. Wearing only her shirt, military trousers, and her boots.

When her soldiers arrived, Tika issued a command. Her soldiers drop gears and dump them in the back of the truck. A soldier turned on the engine when prepared to head out. Syu, Bohun, Callus, and five militias were ready to go. They jumped in the back, along with the Nagarians.

"Are you coming with us?" Callus extends his hand.

"And risk my life to be killed by a group of insane people?" Jung shook his head.

"Compared to us? We are more insane. Come, Jung. After what they did? They need to be stopped. If not, then other people will suffer the same fate."

Jung watched Callus with doubts.

"Screw it. Let's go," he grabbed Callus' hand and jumped inside the truck. They create a space for Jung to sit and they drove to the destination.

II

While on the road, Syu, Bohun, and Tika were busy discussing the plan for them to execute. Jung and Callus watched the road they trespass. The road was quite bumpy. As the sun in the morning shines, Jung watched as the light showed the dust floating in the air. Jung raised his shirt to his nostrils to block the dust.

"What is it to fear? We've been inhaling the same air for days," Callus reminded the former journalist.

Jung drops his shirt back and lets out a big exhale before rubbing his nose. The driver on the front wheel banged the steel separator between the back and front seat. Tika gave three knocks and then prepared her gears.

"We are nearly there. Prepare your equipment," she announced.

People cocked their guns and checked his ammunition to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. The vehicle turned left into a small alley. The Nagarians climbed down first and secure the area. Then the militias exit the vehicle. Carrying extra weapons and other types of equipment they have.

"In here," Tika commands in a low tone.

The Nagarians came in while the militias covered their retreats. A former luxury apartment here in Hueyyad was now their temporary observation post. Walking up the stairs to the sixth floor was hard when they have 20 kilos of military equipment on their hands. The sound of their feet banging on the floor was eerie in the enormous empty building. Carefully the Nagarians clear the stairs while the militias clean out each floor for potential hostility.

Jung and Bohun clear the third floor along with two other militias. There are five doors in the hallway on the third floor. Two on the left and right, one at the end of the hall. They clear out each door until the last one. Bohun and Jung stood before the door. The vet held the doorknob, ready to open it.

Before twisting the doorknob open, both of them look at each other. They exchanged expressions, with Bohun sniffing around him. It was an awful smell, both of them look at their surroundings and their shoes for any sign of animal excrement. They found none. Jung pressed his nose to the door gap, and then he inhaled. It was more awful than death. He immediately pulled his nose away and fan the air. Jung stared at Bohun, who rapidly blinked his eyes in disbelief. The vet twisted it open and the two of them burst into the room.

Both stumbled upon a vile view of a person squatting in the room's corner. Bohun immediately looks away while Jung nearly barfed to the wall.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Bohun shouted and pointed his gun at the person squatting.

"Wait! Don't shoot! I surrender!" he raised his hands.

"There's a toilet right there!" he pointed at a door right next to the person squatting. "And you shat outside?"

"There's no water."

"Do I look like I care if there is no water?" he aimed his gun dead centre at the person's head. "Clean yourself and get out."

"Yes, sir," he stuttered.

"Do you have a gun? And before you say anything, don't lie!" Bohun threatened.

"I do, sir."

"Pass it to me. And you better not use your shit-stained hand or I'll blow your head."

The man passed his rifle and slide it onto Bohun. When Jung got a hold of himself, he saw the person still squatting.

"Why do it there, man? You are sick," he said with his queasy voice.

"Just grab the gun, Jung," Bohun passed the gun with his foot.

"Goodness. What is this thing?" Jung then peeked through the scope of the rifle. "Oh, it's a sniper rifle. Wait a second. It has the fire emblem here."

"I think we have ourselves a scorch prisoner before us," Bohun grimaced.

After the scorch cleaned himself, they tied his hands with a plastic cable. Jung and Bohun brought the man up the stairs to catch up with the rest. On the top floor, Tika, Syu, and the others were waiting for them.

"We found him defecating inside a room. It was revolting to see him," Bohun pushed the prisoner down to take a knee.

He raised his chin up and see the Nagarian and a masked man staring at him.

"He's a sniper or a lookout. Brought this with him," Jung put down the long giant rifle on the ground.

Tika walks aside and inspected the gun's frame.

"Something interesting?" Syu asked.

"Kiraj-AM23."

"And?"

"It's a Nagarian AMR, anti-materiel rifle. It's the Kiraj, or bloom. Designation A23. Model AM (anti-materiel), type 23," Tika kicked the man down to the floor and pressed his chest with her foot. "Where did you get this?"

The scorch groaned in pain. His voice squeaked when his lung was squished empty by Tika's boot.

"I can't breathe!" he coughed while tapping her boot.

Instead of relieving the man's pain, Tika doubles down and pressed even harder. Jung can see the scorch's consciousness fade away. The ex-journalist pushed Tika stumbling back and letting the man breathe.

"What the hell was that?" Jung yelled at her.

"I'm interrogating him."

"No. You were killing him!"

"Do I look that dumb? I know what I'm doing. Now step aside and let me do the work."

Jung blocks her path when she approaches the scorch.

"You are not," Tika can hear his faint voice.

"Of all of them. I trust you the most. Please, don't make me do it," she threatens.

"Do what?"

Tika raised her arms and try to push Jung out of her way. Instead, something ticked Jung as he used her momentum to make her trip. But he caught Tika by the hand. Tika felt the sudden pull when Jung saved him. There was a pause as she tries to process what had just happened.

Everyone gasped halfway, but let out a sigh of relief when Jung caught her from falling. Jung pulled her back standing straight, and she stares at him without uttering a single word. But Callus was there, running upstairs with his gun in hand.

III

"The scorches. They know we are here!" he was out of breath.

Jung eyeballed the prisoner and grabbed him by the collar.

"What did you do!?" he slammed the scorch to the wall.

"I didn't do anything. I swear!" he raised his arms.

"Then why does the scorch know we are here?"

The scorch's eyes moved below his visions. Tika watched his eye movements. She found a radio on his pants. She grabbed it and saw the radio was tuned.

"Sjal! This bastard has his radio on!" she smashed the radio. "Battle stations!" she twirls her hand in the air.

Every militia and Nagarians take cover and prepared for a gunfight. Outnumbered and surprised, the group still will take their chances. Tika ordered her soldiers to cover the entrance and the path to the truck. Everyone hastily moves to their assigned positions and waits for the oncoming scorch.

The street was empty. Only the wind blows, and the echoes of explosions from far away. Jung took cover behind a pillar on the ground floor with the Nagarians. He can feel his heart beating second by second. He peeked and saw the Nagarians fiddle with their triggers. Another one pressed it still with the gun safety on.

Not long they can hear ‌footsteps from an alley between two large four stories tall buildings. It was wet and damp. The sound of water splashing rang his eardrums. Then a single head pokes out of the alley to examine the street. Then a single column of soldiers left the alley and search for covers. Jung can count the eight scorch running on the street with their guns pointed at his building. From eight, it doubles in number. Then more of them came pouring in from the single alley.

A Nagarian talked to his radio quietly as he saw a group of scorches pacing slowly to the front entrance. Jung can hear Tika's voice answering his call. Now Jung can only hope for the best.

Single scorch holding a makeshift machine gun steps inside the building. His allies then accompanied him. They scanned the room for movements. Every Nagarians hide behind their covers when the scorch aims at their covers. One scorch stalked too close to Jung, so he had to hold his breath.

From upstairs, there are bursts of gunfires from inside the building. The battle has started. The Nagarians sprung their traps. They blasted the scorches that wander inside with storms of bullets. Jung tried to shoot, but the scorches were all dead by the Nagarians.

Jung and the Nagarians fend off the attackers. The scorches were out in the open street, some taking cover behind piles of rubbles. The bold Nagarians burst out and find a better cover even closer to the gunfights. Jung tries to help by not clumsily rushing to another cover near the front entrance. He shoots his targets and hit single scorch on his shoulder.

As the furious battle went on, the amount of scorches does not decrease. Instead, it was the other way around. Reinforcement came. The group suffers many losses, and Tika orders a retreat. The Nagarians protect the survivors back to the truck by securing the escape path. Bohun and Syu help carry Callus who was wounded by broken glass shards on his face. Tika ran down the stairs with the prisoner and follows the survivors back to the truck. When everyone jumped in, the Nagarians bolted out of the gunfight and enter the truck.

The Nagarian soldier turn on the engine while a group of scorches found them in the alley and engage the group. Bullets ricochet or harmlessly hit the truck's steel. Everyone in the backseat ducked, except for Bohun and a militia. They fought fire with fire and a single bullet found its mark right on the militia's throat.

He held his throat while his reality flew away. His body fell down from the truck and was abandoned in an alley full of puddles. They narrowly escape their death. Everyone was out of their breath. They look beyond their shoulders to see who cheated their deaths. Only the Nagarians, Jung, Bohun, Syu, and wounded Callus were still on board.

"Damn! We nearly-" Jung grabbed his hair. "Syu. The others?"

Syurabil said nothing. He blankly stares at the ground. And Bohun watched the road they left behind. It was a disaster.

"We fail? We were there! But…" Bohun pulls the scorch prisoner to the ground and punched him.

"You did this!" Bohun roared with his fist clenched.

"And I'll do it again!" he roared back.

"Why? Why!?" the angered Bohun whimpers. "You took everything from me," the whimpers suddenly turn to someone who's about to let out his anger. "My life," Bohun showed his teeth. "My friends," he choked the prisoner slowly.

"Bohun," Jung tried to calm the furious lion.

"My families. My wife. My children!" he screamed.

When Jung tried to calm him, Tika held his hand and shook her head.

"Let him be, Jung," she pulled Jung to sit by her side.

Meanwhile, the prisoner was beaten to a pulp by the vet. All Jung could do was watch it happen.

"Damn them… Damn them. What kind of…" Jung shrugs it off his head.

Bohun finished beating the man with his knuckle bleeding. He stood halfway up and grabbed the man whose face wasn't recognisable anymore.

"Should I throw him out, Syu?" he asked.

The man didn't answer. When he set his eyes on Callus, the man also shut his mouth. Then Bohun spoke with his face to Jung.

"I think you should not throw him out. He is still alive, isn't he?" Tika questioned.

"Barely," he easily answered it.

"We can interrogate him once we arrive at my base."

"To your base?" Syu has his eyes on her. "We didn't agree with that."

"Well, what do you want to do then? You have nothing out here. It's an open war zone. It's a matter of time for you to die if you stay out here."

"Hey, what about this guy right here?" Bohun interrupts. "My hands are getting tired."

"It's my choice, Nagarian," Jung pointed to his chest smoothly.

Bohun was tired of being ignored. He 'accidentally' pushed the scorch off the vehicle. It stunned Tika.

"You are insane!" Tika jumped to the back of the truck and saw the bagdoll. "Wel. "I could dig more information from him!" she scolds.

"Too late," Bohun stared her down.

"You are a moron. Do you even realise it, Hellsumer?"

"Try me. I'll be happy to finish our dispute."

"Woah! What dispute?" Jung interjects.

"Who do you think started all this? It was them! Once you can find yourself in comfort with your family and friends. Perhaps you have a good stable job. Then she…" Bohun pushed Tika to her seat. "She took it all away. Now we need to live in a war zone, beneath piles of rubbles, with our own brother in the army suspicious of us because of who? Them. You! I should've known better. I should've known better! But I was blind. My goodness, I was blind."

"Maybe you should open your eyes now, barda!" she cursed at him.

Syu banged the side of the truck to get both of their attention. The vehicle stopped and Syu carry Callus out of the vehicle.

"We are leaving. Me and Callus."

"Hold on, Syurabil," Jung was stunned.

"I'm coming as well," Bohun climbed out. "I can't stand sitting with her."

"Good! Leave then!" she howls.

"You can't leave. Callus needs proper medical attention," Jung pleads.

"I can handle it," Bohun assured Jung and Syurabil.

"Don't worry Jung. Let's go. There's no point in staying here," Tika tried to make Jung sit down.

Instead, he stared at her and the group back and forth.

"I can't leave them. I must go."

"What? I don't understand."

"I know. I feel the same. But I feel like I need to do it," they chattered quietly.

Jung stepped climbed out of the vehicle at stepped away.

"Farewell," he gave her a wave.

Bohun tapped the side of the vehicle and the car drives away. Tika gave a limp wave and Jung waved back. The two parted ways.