Dominic woke up the next day, feeling refreshed and energized. Seven in the morning. He turned to look at who was beside him. Vanessa lay beside him on the bed looking vulnerable and defenseless, her breathing slow and steady as her chest rose up and down steadily. She seemed so carefree, despite them being in unknown territory. Dominic sighed and walked over to the bathroom. He stared at the mirror. A fatigued face stared back at him. Deep bags rested below his soulless eyes and his lips dry. His eyes that used to be full of life had turned to naught, but emotionless voids that never seemed to end.
He quickly washed up and got changed into the clothes they provided. Military fatigues, a navy blue shirt that hug his body snugly and some basic supplies. He tossed them on, then headed outside where Vanessa was still sleeping. Dominic decided against waking her up and went to explore the city.
Urban apocalypse or not, the place seemed to be bustling with life. People were chattering and the marketplace seemed lively. Nothing seemed to have affected life, he thought. Maybe they were fortunate enough to avoid most of the parasite's effects. Dominic glanced around the town square and sat down near the fountain, which still appeared to work as per normal. He scanned the roads that connected this fountain, with landed properties decorating the sides of them. The city was rather large. The forest he came out of seemed to be very far away, though he had no intentions of going back.
Then, he saw Brent, with his full military gear. He was dirty and his eyes were full of anguish. From his dirtied gear, Dominic could surmise what Brent did. He probably went on a mission with his men, came back with some casualties and losses and was now suffering the consequences of his actions.
He forlornly stared at the ground with his head bowed in between his knees, like he was locked in a trance. Right beside him was actually Dominic, who stared directly at his shabby appearance.
A shell of what he was, Dominic felt less empathy towards Brent. Most of the sadness this world had to offer him was not new. Though, Dominic wanted to know more. He stood up in front of Brent and spoke loudly.
"Brent, I want to know more about what happened. Be it good or bad, share it with me."
Without much delay, Brent began to talk about the failed mission to reclaim some territory and expand the city compound of the ever so increasing population. To make it more liveable, so to speak. On orders of the boss.
As Brent spoke, his eyes clouded with more fear and it seemed evident he was no longer sane in the sense that even Dominic felt he was ill suited to be a general.
"The trees. They spoke. In my life of leading a battalion, I've never seen such things." He swallowed. "My men, they…" He trailed off and stopped talking.
"And what?" A chilling voice came from behind Dominic. Urelica glared at Brent. "You are supposed to be my most powerful asset. When I recruited you, you claimed to be part of the military. Why have you failed me now?" Brent ferociously denied her accusations.
"Whatever do you mean, Urelica? Do you mean to say you can afford to lose another commander?" He extended a cannon from his arm, the same crimson monstrosity he flaunted that day of his capture. Dominic felt his heart beat faster as he sensed the tense atmosphere between the two. Urelica's eyes closed. Then, a sigh.
"It seems you really don't get it. I also don't get it. What is with it and obedience that millennials don't get?" Urelica smiled widely. "But, I do accept your challenge. And to answer your question…"
With a single movement from Urelica, Brent froze in his tracks. His cannon dropped to the ground, as blood gushed from the stem of his former arm like a geyser.
"Yes. I can afford to lose another. After all, we have dear old Dominic here. Right?"
Brent's face drained of colour as he slumped to the ground unconscious. His carotid artery near his neck seemed to have been slit. Crimson blood pooled around his neck in a circle, like an eerily beautiful moon.
Dominic was stunned at the sight as he saw Brent slowly bleed out on the pavement. What? What happened here? His heart was racing. Shit, this woman was dangerous. He couldn't help but get chills all over. At first he thought Urelica was just some control freak, but now he thought she was a psychopath. Such prophylactic measures taken in an instant… no sane individual would do so.
With that done, Urelica casually sauntered up to him, offering to shake hands. Her pale, thin hand which was stained with streaks of blood was oustretched to welcome his clean hand. Her emerald eyes felt like lasers piercing into his soul, as if cleansing him of all emotion and morals. Her eyes felt amoral to look into. Like a mirror with no back.
"So, will you take my hand in the salvation of humanity?" She paused. Then, she gestured downwards at Brent's corpse. "Or will you face the same fate as the weak?"
Dominic gritted his teeth. He basically had no option. As soon as Urelica saw Dominic, it was over for Brent. Survival of the fittest after all, he thought. What if she encountered stronger allies than him? He would be immediately executed after any minor mistake, no doubt. With countless thoughts running through his head, his eyes which were usually still, began to dart around.
Upon seeing his countenance, Urelica scoffed and gave him three days to make a decision. What she would do, he imagined, sent chills down his spine.
After the encounter, he realised how dry his throat was and looked around for a drink before going back. Cherries were apparently in season, as he saw many women selling cherry flavoured foods and drinks. The crimson colour, the dark shades of red. He winced as he thought about the earlier incident. The corpse was already gone, wrapped up by her handy assistants who easily removed the evidence. The clean pavement that was there before was as good as new.
The only witness to the incident was him. Him alone. Crazily enough, he was happy. He felt happy that he was finally needed…? No, this was an unnatural feeling. For some reason, ever since he transformed into a parasite that one time, he had unnatural feelings. Feelings of desolate coldness and loneliness. But, when he was around Urelica, he felt absolutely at ease. When Urelica commanded him to be her right hand man, he felt satisfied. Like it was his sole purpose.
Her words to him before parting officially were: "Find out what he meant."
Why the Trees spoke.