Chapter 26: Swerve

"What we have forgotten is that thoughts and words are conventions and that it is fatal to take conventions too seriously. A convention is a social convenience, as, for example, money ... but it is absurd to take money too seriously, to confuse it with a real wealth ... In somewhat the same way, thoughts, ideas, and words are "coins" for real things." —Alan Wilson Watts, The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety

"Whenever a theory appears to you as the only possible one, take this as a sign that you have neither understood the theory nor the problem which it was intended to solve." —Karl Popper

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is." —Benjamin Brewster

***

The man's mirthful laughter filled the scared townspeople's heads. In the end, the group of men—those that tried to put a stop to the rampaging killer—failed to avenge their loved ones. They all fell into his hands with their skulls bashed open using the hammer.

"Behold, foolish Balmackians! This is the true strength of someone bestowed with god-like power! I have been called and tasked to carry out a mission!"

He was covered in blood. Not his blood but those that he had killed. Tainted by the red substance from the dead people, he bathed in the pool of it while spouting nonsensical words.

"I, who has nothing to lose, will purge this island of all the sinful! Only a few chosen people will survive! However, in order to do so, one must have a taste of blood!"

Clouds formed, thickening in the sky almost immediately that eventually covered the vast blue yonder into a sea of dark puffy clouds. Darkness instantly enveloped the island, reminding them of the storm last night. The heavy storm did not let those that had lost their house sleep in such cold and noisy conditions.

Inside Allan's house, people left the whole place wrecked and full of rubbish. The walls were destroyed, and scratches from knives and other sharp objects could be seen. All of the curtains were pulled down. The ceiling was full of holes and the stairs leading to the second floor were inaccessible.

And Xenia arrived inside the house, witnessing the dead bodies inside and the devastation of people's greed left behind. Through the lifeless bodies laying around the house, Xenia searched through everything. And to his surprise, he found both Allan's and Lilian's bodies.

While examining their dead bodies, he noticed that both of Arlan's parents have a tattoo just an inch above their right chest.

"Multiple stab wounds. I heard that the person running amok at the moment uses a hammer," he closed their eyes and left them on the floor. "This means someone else killed them. Must be those desperate bastards."

It pains him to see people he knows dead. But while it deeply cuts through his heart, Xenia can't let his emotions get over his calm mind. He must maintain a focused mind in order to execute decisions precisely and without mistakes.

The stockpile of people earlier outside the house, waiting for Allan's family to open their doors to them, were all nowhere to be found. Not a single breathing person could be seen as Xenia completed searching inside the house.

"Arlan and his brother aren't here. The triplet's parents are dead, though."

Outside, more dead bodies could be found. They were everywhere. And each of them either died from having their heads bashed or stabbed to death, which led Xenia to the conclusion that there were two killers now, who are both dangerous and must be stopped immediately.

"When was the last time...?"

Xenia began to recall his past memories. Times when insignificant numbers of people died. To the government and every other Warrior, the lives of the people that were sacrificed for peace to be achieved were insignificant. They did not recognize fellow Warriors' brave moments nor give credit to every single one that lost their lives fighting against the army of Radge.

"It has been years since I last witnessed such a large-scale massacre. The number of Balmackians is rapidly decreasing with those two killers running rampant."

Deep within his heart, Xenia wished that Arlan was not among the people that had been killed. He was still clinging to the idea that Arlan was alive. That he was just somewhere else after the chaos in their house. So, he made his move, searching everywhere on the island until he was later met with Franzia and Zeb.

As soon as he laid his eyes on them, he realized that something was amiss. His gut was telling him that the siblings seemed off. He just could not put his mind to it and recognize what was wrong.

"What an unfortunate encounter," Zeb muttered under his breath, which did not go past Xenia's heightened hearing sense.

"Xenia, you're out of breath. Is something the matter?"

Franzia casually touched his shoulder, acting all girly and such with all of her concerns about him.

"Usually, Franzia does not concern herself with my problems. And Zeb," he went into a deep thought while drowning in his own world. "He is so calm despite the commotion going on all over the island."

Xenia replied, forming a forced smile on his face, "I was just wondering where Arlan could have gone to. Jack showed up near my house, telling me that Arlan's family was in real danger. So, here I am."

"Is that so? Then, the same thing happened to Gordon's family."

"You mean..."

"Everyone was unstoppable. They forced themselves inside our house, which led to a chaotic turn of events."

Xenia could not help but sense the coolheaded demeanor of Zeb. He, who has always been embarrassed and nervous, was acting all calm and collected. It truly was odd, but Xenia also could not help feeling good about the change in Zeb.

"Did they also get your parents?"

Disheartened by the question, the siblings painfully answered Xenia while feeling that immense rush of unfathomable heartbreaking sensation inside their chest.

"I can't cry! We have other things to do. We will help you!"

Franzia's eyes were sparkling with the idea of going along with Xenia. Zeb agreed to it too, and both of them were waiting for his response.

"No, the two of you should go to my house. Accompany Jack while I look for Mack, Pack, Arlan, and his big brother."

"We can't let you go alone! It's dangerous!"

"Don't worry about me. I'm a foolish kid that will do anything. I got this! So, please hurry and get to safety."

"I'm against this, but Xenia looks like he doesn't really want us to go with him. We will respect your decisions, even though it is very dangerous for a child to be out when there is a killer going around on the island."

"..."

***

Two hundred people against a hundred organized and trained Sultenians have little to no chance of winning.

Grenoble knew from the start that there was no way they would win against his tribe. But what was his purpose?

"Dasha, you must go while I buy some time for you!"

The remaining several groups of Balmackians were driven to a corner. With a hungry stomach, they faced the defeat given to them by the tribesmen, stripped and ripped off their weapons.

"Stop being stupid, Grenoble! There is nowhere to go!"

Like rats cornered by a group of playful cats, the Balmackians surrendered, afraid that they might get killed if they further resisted the overwhelming power of the tribe. Grenoble, on the other hand, still bears his fangs, and Dasha was there to convince him to stop. But he did not yield.

"Baron, you are a great leader. I admire your determination and tactical decisions. You've executed everything so well."

Chuckling as he stared at everyone down, "just like we planned, yeah?"

"Yeah, just like we planned."

~