*MAKI'S*
I was so sure that we had failed this first hurdle. The underground entrance was highly secured and even if we fought them off, they might run after us. This would ruin us every chance to accomplish our mission.
But here we are, inside a rundown church. Me and my nameless partner pant while our guns are pointed at an unknown man.
"Who are you?"
My partner asked, the man, who judging by his clothes might be a priest only took off his gas mask revealing his face. The first things that caught my attention were his brown eyes and his golden hair along with the big scar on his right cheek.
"Magnus is the name, you could take those bandages off, the gas won't come inside this place"
"And why should we trust you?"
"Then don't"
As he blatantly replied to the other's remarks, he moved to the other side of the church removing the large rug placed there and opening up what seems to be an entrance underground.
"Your comrades are waiting for you down there"
Both I and my partner stared at him with an expression full of doubt.
"Look, I don't care if you trust me or not but you don't have the time to be idling around now don't you?"
How did he know that? I pointed my gun at him and looked at him straight in the eyes.
"We can't go down that way because we can't trust you. Aren't the people who live here had already succumb to the ways of the government?"
The man who introduced himself as Magnus only stared at me.
"You're Maki aren't you?"
My eyes widen and the alarm bells on my head started ringing loudly. I don't remember ever being acquainted with a man like himself.
"Why do you know my name?"
"So you are Maki, and you're Damian"
Magnus pointed at my partner before crossing his arms in front of his chest. We don't even know the names of each other. All we know are the names of our commanders but not each other.
"A man with a Mohawk who was named as Commander Zeph asked me to guide you on the underground railway, you wouldn't be able to enter through the entrance anymore"
As if stating the obvious, he nonchalantly told us about the conversation he had with our Commander. I lowered my gun. The action causes Damian to panic.
"What are you doing?"
He asked me but I only stared at Magnus.
"We've met before?"
This statement caused both of them to put on a surprised expression. I don't know when or where but he looked familiar. He also looked like someone but I can't tell who.
Magnus' surprised expression quickly turned into a sad one which surprised me.
"We did, but I doubt you remember you weren't even a year old when you met me."
So he was someone who knew me from before. I wanted to ask more but we were quickly disrupted by the harsh knock on the church door.
"HEY MAGNUS OPEN UP, WE WANT TO CHECK SOMETHING"
Magnus pointed at the underground entrance. I looked at Damian and as he click his tongue he voluntarily went down.
"Go, I'll follow suit after I send them off. The underground path is tricky so you might get lost"
I nodded at his instruction. He then quickly closed off the small door.
"Are you sure we can trust him?"
I looked back at Damian who still has his gun ready. I can't blame him. Everyone in this town seemed to be on the government's side as we saw how they scorn our comrades. Even watching them die painfully.
"I don't know but I don't feel any hostile intention coming from him"
Damian didn't answer me back and instead stared blankly at the space up ahead. It was only after a while that he spoke.
"He looks like you"
My eyes widened at his remark and before I could even ask him what he meant, the small door burst open revealing Magnus. He walked down the small stairs while closing the door.
"Come on, your comrades must be waiting"
"After you"
Magnus only stared at Damian and shrugged his shoulders before walking on ahead. As we walked deeper, a commanding voice resonated throughout the underground walls. A quick turn and we saw most of our comrades and commanders huddled up in one place.
"Magnus"
Commander Zeph stood up to greet Magnus and as he looked over the blonde's shoulders, relief, as well as annoyance, washed over him as soon as he saw Damian's gun still pointing at Magnus.
"Damian put down the gun, he's an ally"
As soon as the commander says this, Damian with his confused look put back the gun in his belt.
"Ally?"
"I've known Magnus from years ago, he was a soldier of SDC too preferably the best before he became a priest."
"You flatter me much with those memories, Zephyr"
Zephyr? Ahh, that must be Commander Zeph's real name.
"It was indeed our loss when you decided to become a priest eventhough no one believes in God and the church in this age"
I looked at Magnus, and fair enough, he does have a fitting body for a soldier and he looks like one too even with the priest attire.
"We'll be wasting more time if we talked about the past now. Are we still waiting for some of your comrades?"
The grim look on Commander Zeph's face didn't escape our eyes. He looked back and as if counting how many of us were left, he then sighed and shook his head.
"No, we can't expect them to stay alive after all"
"COMMANDER!"
Many of the rest complained saying that they might still be alive but I too doubt that's the case any longer. Counting from the 56 who departed from the bunker there were only 32 of us left now. We lost almost half of us in that short amount of time.
"I could help you with tracking if you still want to know if they're alive or not"
Our gazes flew to Magnus who beckoned us over as he walked straight ahead before turning left. We followed suit and what welcomed us was a room full of monitors. Magnus flipped open the switch and punched some buttons before each monitor displayed what seemed to be the outside world.
"Magnus you—"
As Commander Zeph trailed off we all knew what he was aiming to say. This guy has access to every camera in and out of town. That wasn't the only thing that was suspicious about this man. This underground passage. At first glance, you could say that it looks like an underground bunker. Not only that but the passage trails off to a different entrance making it gain a split road look. To where every entrance leads we don't have any idea.
"Magnus why do you have access to all of these?"
Magnus only glimpsed back on Commander Zeph before returning his gaze at the monitors.
"I had my ways. I wanted to find someone but I don't think I have to anymore so I've been shutting this off eversince"
The way he said those words, was full of lament like he was mourning for the person he wanted to find.
"I don't think it's nice to pry any further"
Unexpectedly, Damian who also sensed Magnus' expression, whispered beside me. A painful look briefly passed his solemn face.
Commander Zeph cleared his throat and he too, looked like he didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer.
"Whether or not it's a good thing that you are here, you have my full trust Magnus."
Magnus who was intently staring at Commander Zeph only nodded at him and continued to scroll through the cameras.
"We should hurry up looking for any more survivors"
That was what he said but across the monitors, all I could see are the bloodied bodies of our comrades who are being feasted on by the masked townspeople.
"This is too horrible"
"How could they even do such a thing"
"Magnus, this town—"
"This town, admired the idea of idolizing their colonizers as a form of survival. They too, just want to live peacefully and normally"
These people? All we saw were bloodthirsty men and women who scorned our comrades and watched them die painfully.
"It might not justify everything they did as well as murdering your comrades but the fear of becoming fugitives and slaves was much greater than their morals."
It was weird, as he say those words, he was staring at me like he somehow knew what I was thinking all along.
I bow my head down. It was weird, I kept having this twisty feeling in my chest like something wanted to burst out open. I clenched at my chest tightly before breathing out a deep one.
I need to focus on the task on hand. I knew my memories and emotions are sealed but I know that I am doing this for someone special to me.
Someone who I wanted to be proud of me. That's why even though I couldn't remember what she looked like or her name, I know that I shouldn't die here without accomplishing something.
Commander Zeph's punch in the wall startled everyone in there except for Magnus.
"Damn it. We really lost them"
As he said those words, every one of us looked at the monitor. I decided to count every comrade I could see. My shoulders slacked at the reality that it was only us that remained.
"It was inevitable, I'm sorry but I think you should start moving. Sooner or later, the townsmen would start going underground too"
Magnus stood up and passed a look on every one of us. Commander Zeph composed himself and after a little while longer, he stood tall while giving us our orders.
Commander took out his map and let Magnus point him the way out of here. We learned that one of the passageways does lead to the underground railway. It was then that I looked at the blonde male and asked him a silly question.
"Aren't you coming?"
All eyes were on me now and I should know because I also don't know why I suddenly blurted something like that.
Magnus' widened eyes stared at me with disbelief before a smile slowly formed on his face. He then patted my head and with a soft expression gave me his reply.
"I'm a priest little one. I don't take lives anymore. My path is in the light now"
He doesn't take lives anymore? Does that mean that he used to?
"Besides, I like to give your fallen comrades a proper burial"
He glanced at Commander Zeph who only nodded at him.
"Then we would get going now Magnus"
"Alright, take care each and everyone of you. Let us see each other again when this ordeal comes to an end"
And with a brief goodbye and a final glance, we left Magnus' place and moved forward to the underground railway.
We lost many of us but this is another step forward for our group.