"Marvyll run faster, come on"
Sol urged Marvyll and took her by her hand so she could hold her while they were running.
"GRANDMA THE SMOKE!!"
As Maddox shouted this out, a thick fog was starting to form miles behind them.
"We're near the bunker just keep running"
Everyone was frantic but they couldn't panic, especially Sol, not when their lives are at stake.
Magnus who was carrying Maia, Maddin who was holding onto Maki and Maddox who was carrying Makoto all sat down the moment they reached the bunker. Sol hurriedly gave Marvyll to Maddin while she typed in the code for the bunker door to shut.
"Grandma, what about mom & dad and grandpa?"
"They'll find a way inside, don't worry"
Sol coldly muttered before holding onto Marvyll and urging them to walk deeper inside.
Sol sneaked a quick glance at the three older children, just a month ago, Magnus, Maddin & Maddox were at the door's death and yet today, all the running they did from their house showed no signs of taxing their physical health.
"Grandma, what's happening?"
Sol looked at Marvyll who was staring up at her innocently, she had wondered why she didn't cry all the way no matter how scary the happening was, neither did Maia and Maki who were still babies.
"It's alright little one, it's just a nightmare"
She knew that they could understand what was happening but she didn't have the heart to tell them. She couldn't tell them exactly that they were being hunted.
That the so-called pandemic only strikes the children, elderly and teenagers. That the government finally gave up on them and decided to just start wiping everybody out.
That now they were running for their lives. Sol let out a heavy sigh, for so many years that she had lived. Never did she imagine that she would run away for her life like this.
She imagined she would die on the battlefield but seems like the Seven Gods have a different plan for her.
"Sol"
Upon arrival, an old man walked up to Sol, he was wearing an eyepatch on his right eye and had this stern look plastered on his face when he looked at Sol, and yet Magnus had noticed that the expression of the man softened the moment they landed on the children behind Sol.
"Zephyr, what is it?"
Zephyr cleared his throat before giving Sol and her grandchildren some space for them to see the situation inside.
Utter shock was what welcomed Sol the moment she laid her eyes on the people inside the bunker.
Every child and older person were cramming together inside. They were shivering and it looked like they were suffering from fatigue but they were alive. She scanned her eyes inside the area and saw that almost everyone she knew in H City were inside.
"As you can see, it looks like we managed to save almost every children, teenager and elderly in H City"
Sol unbelievably stared at Zephyr before looking at Makoto who was innocently sleeping in the arms of Maddox.
Why they had prepared this bunker and why they were so ready to run the moment the poisonous gas was released was because of this seven year old boy who had told everyone that an attack would be coming.
Almost a month ago, while Sol was looking after the young ones because Magnus and the twins had contracted the disease, Makoto urgently and suddenly revealed this.
That a poisonous gas would be released all around the area to kill every child, teenager and elderly in the city. Sol didn't want to believe it but when Artemis declared that whatever Makoto says comes true, she was more skeptical.
Artemis had so much confidence that whatever Makoto had told them was bound to become true.
"I think Makoto is a doomsayer grandma"
Sol's attention shifted to Maddox who was proudly smiling now. He knows that they were able to save so many people because of his little brother.
"But isn't a doomsayer someone who foretells disasters? Then isn't it a bad thing?"
"It's not especially when you can counter the disasters because you knew about it beforehand"
Magnus dismissed Zephyr's question with a cold expression. He didn't like it, the thing about Makoto being a doomsayer or even the fact that the three of them almost came back from almost being dead.
He knew everything. He knew what his mother was doing, and he knew that it wouldn't stop there.
Every night since Artemis was pregnant with Maki, Magnus would quietly slip out of the house into the greenhouse. He would do his own research about what kind of chemicals or compounds are in there. But most especially, he would see the different species that his mother had been experimenting with.
Magnus didn't believe it at first and thought that the chemicals might be for the animals and plants that her mother had been experimenting on. She was, after all, a former scientist of the National Research Association. But his doubts were soon realized when his own mother injected him with a drug (or she preferred it to be called an antidote) when he was sick.
Not only did the symptoms stop and the unknown disease was no more but he could feel the drastic amount of change in his physique.
He became much bulkier, almost like the body of an exercise freak. He could also feel this immense strength seething into his veins. He could also feel like he'll be able to carry off all of his siblings while running.
And yet the thought of having an immense power scared him more.
What was it that made him like that? Was it the chemicals and compounds that his mother had? Or was it the scary ritual and almost obsessive like praying that she was doing every now and then.
Yes, Artemis didn't just use the greenhouse as a laboratory but she would also pray there.
At first, she would urge all of her children to pray for the Seven Gods of Luck, Magnus thought it might be because that was her religion and yet it scares him and he never knew why.
"MOM!!"
Marvyll's shrill voice brought Magnus back to reality. He immediately saw Artemis along with Khel and their grandfather Phoebus walking towards them. Marvyll ran up to her and immediately hugged her legs.
"Oh my darling, were you scared?"
Instead of nodding, Marvyll shook her head and giggled, something that Sol and Zephyr found strange.
"It was fun running mommy"
Magnus coughed and all attention went to him as he carried the silent Maia to her mom.
"Was it hard, Magnus? I'm sorry for the burden"
"Maia's not a burden Mom, it's alright."
Magnus knew that there was something in his mother's voice. He was the eldest and he knew his mother better than anyone else. It wasn't just his gut feeling telling him that she was up to something, no, it was his own experience.
"We should settle ourselves in too."
Khel took Maki off Maddin and carried the sleeping child.
"You should do that, the other elders will be waiting in the conference room. You could go there after you settled the children in"
Phoebus nodded at Zephyr and urged the lot to walk towards a larger room where more bunk beds are stationed.
"Mom, what about Ate Eos and Kuya Helios?"
Sol shifted her gaze to Artemis who was walking while carrying the young Maia in her arms.
"Eos and Helios are already here. They went here yesterday before the air strike and there is no need for you to concern yourself with them"
Artemis' smile quickly turned into a sour expression when she heard her mother's answer.
There was a rift between her and her mother and she knew that from the beginning. She didn't want to and had no intention of mending it but she wished she would act civil around her children.
Although she was quite thankful that she had loved her children more than she had loved her.
"Magnus, you're in charge, we need to go to the conference room too"
"Mommy can't you stay?"
Makoto's teary eyes looked up at Artemis begging her and Khel to stay with them but Magnus and the twins knew that they couldn't do that.
"Makoto it's alright, we're here. We just need to wait for them"
Maddin consoled her little brother and carried him so that the three of them along with Marvyll would be in the bed.
"We'll be right back Makoto don't worry, you should behave alright?"
Makoto silently nodded at Khel before the two along with Phoebus and Sol walked out of the room.
The room had three bunk beds and a small bathroom. Aside from that, there was nothing, the walls were painted gray while the ceiling and floors were white. There was one small mirror near the door to the bathroom.
"It's like we're in the jail"
"You talk as if you had been in jail"
"I read Maddin, it's in the books, look it up"
"As if we have books in here"
As Maddin and Maddox bicker like they always do, Magnus stares at the four younger children huddled up together. A normal child would be frightened under these circumstances but it felt like his younger siblings didn't have any sense of fear at all.
It made him fear for their safety more. But it also gave him more confirmation that their own mother did indeed experimented on them.
And he couldn't just stand idly if that was the case.
"Wait, so you mean someone wants to send help?"
Phoebus stared at Zephyr and the other elders who were seated at the round table. Their city had always been a free and democratic one but they still selected people who were intelligent and knowledgeable enough to lead them.
This is how the round table of elders was formed.
"They said they came from the West"
"The West had long been blind to the pleas of the Eastern countries and now you're telling me that they wanted to extend a hand when we're right in a pandemic?"
Sol doubted the Western's intentions and sure enough her doubts were proven to be right.
The Westerners did save them but it wasn't for their sake, it was so that they could invade and take the Eastern countries for their own deeds.
When the Westerners drove out the current government and stopped the holocaust, everyone thought that they would finally be free.
But everybody stood wrong, especially not when they demanded a volunteer for every family to satiate their experiments.
Sol who was standing alongside Eos, Helios & Khel stared at the backs of Artemis and Phoebus.
It was finally their turn, the National Research Association that was completely under the control of the Westerners now demanded that Artemis return to the association.
"Couldn't she just say no?"
Helios asked no one in particular but Khel still took the initiative to answer him.
"They said they'll kill everyone in our family if she doesn't go with them"
"Her brain is her curse"
Sol unconsciously blurted out but she didn't care about the worried looks plastered on the two men's face. Her whole attention was with Artemis and Phoebus who were saying goodbye to the children.
"Mom don't go, please"
Makoto wailed as Marvyll stifle her own cries.
"I'm sorry my darling but Mommy will be back. It's for just a short while, don't worry, I promise"
"I'll look after them mom"
Artemis smiled as Magnus, who was carrying Maia stepped forward and with full resolution declared that he'll look after each and every one of his siblings.
"Look after each other, Magnus, ask for help when needed. There's no need for you to just carry the burden all by yourself"
Magnus nodded but he knew that he wouldn't do as told. There's something like a manual engraved in him. That he should be the one to protect his siblings and not the other way around.
Artemis shot a look at Khel who went to her just to give her a hug.
"I love you, I need you to come back to me alive Artemis"
Artemis patted her husband in the back and kissed his cheeks softly.
"I love you too, I'll be back"
Khel wanted to take Artemis' place and go in her stead but he knew the government had no interest in him.
They wanted Artemis because she was a genius. Because she exhibited every qualification to be a scientist.
"Phoebus"
As Sol called out Phoebus to which the man looked over, he had a feeling that she was going to do something out of the ordinary.
And she did.
For the first time since they got married, Sol who was conservative walked up to Phoebus, grabbed him by his collar and kissed him.
"Return to me alive and in whole"
Phoebus let out a chuckle before he grabbed Sol by her waist and kissed her again.
"I will, I promise"
As Phoebus smiled warmly at Sol, her heart made a silent promise that she would be kind to him and Artemis the moment they return.
That she would do everything to make the two of them feel that she indeed love them.
But that promise was broken the moment they all saw Artemis came back all by herself two months after.
There was no other explanation she provided except for
"He was turned into a half-praying mantis, a mutant. He was a failed experiment"
The coldness and disappointment in her voice was much evident that it sent shivers down Sol's spine. After that Artemis turned to her children with a chilly smile.
They wanted to welcome their mother back but soon, they'd realize that she had changed.
And when she uttered those 8 menacing words. Khel and Sol knew that something was wrong, and that the safety of their whole family was now being compromised.
"Let's go. I need you. All of you."