Chereads / Deep Down: Pride / Chapter 6 - Proud to be a Coward VI

Chapter 6 - Proud to be a Coward VI

Proud to be a Coward

Act I: Chapter 6

After heading down the stairs, I was officially introduced to the squad that went on to the raid mission. I took a good look at the squad; there were 6 of them present, including Chief Tan and Taser Man. 

"There are only 6 of you?" 

Taser Man replied, "Yeah, and that's more than enough for the monster we're hunting." 

Tan cuts in, saying, "Cut the crap. We're just short-handed. There's never more than enough when it comes to these types of monsters." 

Tan told me to take a seat, and my interrogation began. All 6 of them proceeded to move around me, surrounding me like a bunch of bullies extorting money from a kid. They all remained standing, except for Taser man, who picked up a nearby chair. Then, they began introducing themselves one by one.

First, it was a big bald man. From what I saw, he was slightly overweight, and he began with, "Nice to meet'cha. The name's Donald Sins, but you can just call me Donald or Chief Donald. I'm in charge of today's raid on MCM Hospital. To be more specific, the raid on Tago." He had a nice, warm vibe around him, as if he was a sweet old grandpa talking to his grandchild. If only he had Tan's body, I'd nickname him Jhonny Si—

"Nice to meet you. I'm Etsuko Nokori… But you can call me whatever you like." I tried seeming nervous and afraid(not that I wasn't, but I needed to show it). I wanted to seem not only harmless but also genuine, genuinely scared. Also gotta keep my intrusive thoughts in check.

Then Taser man began, "Etsuko, huh? I'm Officer Jin. Nice to meet you!"

"Ah, nice to meet you, too," I replied. As Officer Jin was the easiest to talk to thus far, my anger towards him slightly vanished. There was this odd sense of connection towards him. I once heard that the more you hate someone, the more you can get along with them. I hated how that saying was so true to me, especially since I tend to forgive people I hate too easily; I always get disappointed because of it.

Officer Jin then began pointing to the remaining squad members, who were an offly quiet duo hiding their faces. "The one on the right, wearing a tactical helmet, is called Officer Echo. The one on his left, wearing a biker helmet, is Officer Ember. They may seem scary, but don't worry; they have a world of their own."

"Ohhh, I see. Nice to meet you two as well." I only got a nod as a reply from both of them. To be honest, thinking about it, I would act the same way as these two if I were the one in power. Not cause I'm trying to be rude, but more so I wouldn't know what to say(or if I even should say anything).

"And finally," Jin continued, but then he got cut off by the man, "I'm Officer Jaime. Chief Donald and I may look like this, but let me tell you, we're not past our prime just yet!" He said as he laughed in a proud, loud voice. The man was one burger away from heart failure. He does, however, have very nice long hair; it seems very well-kept. He also had a very fluffy beard, one you'd expect from Vikings.

Based on what I could see, it seems as though Chief Donald and Tan are the oldest among the bunch, followed by Officer Jaime and then Jin. They're all wearing army uniforms, except for Tan and Jin, who are clothed with police uniforms instead. And for the two hiding their faces, I'll take extra caution when acting around them. I can't figure out anything about them; they're the hardest to be around.

"Well, then. What's your story, kid?" Asked Chief Donald.

"I—I Woke up four days ago, in a bed on the 26th floor. I thought I was dead because the last thing I remember before waking up was that I was trying to finish my book, but then my heart started hurting after I took several doses of Adderall… I think it was heart failure."

"Right.. So you killed yourself and woke up here..?" Asked dismissively by Officer Jin. Understandably so; I mean, even I'd be skeptical of my own story.

I was nervous, but I think that was good. The more scared I seem, the less of a threat I look. " I didn't mean to kill myself! I had to finish writing that book, but I was too tired and out of focus; it was my only chance of surviving…"

"Anyways, back to when you woke up." Said Tan.

"Ah, right—" I continued, "So after I woke up, I went and looked around the building I was in, went down the stairs, trying to exit out of the hospital…" I then explained the small journey I took and the T-Rex thing I heard, and I continued on until I got the journal. 

"...And after reading the book, I decided to keep it for myself as the owner was nowhere to be seen (no one at all for that matter), and since this hospital pretty much showcased how legit the book was."

"Fast forward to how you survived in here, as well as your encounter with Tago." demanded the sassy Tan.

"I headed to the canteen on the 5th floor, trying to find food and water. When I entered, I saw a huge pile of corpses placed in the middle of the room. I also saw a shelf at the back of the room, where I managed to find three water bottles. But then, on my way out, I heard footsteps, and the ground started shaking. Maybe out of fear, I don't know. I thought it was just an illusion 'cause of how nervous I was, but I also feared it was 'cause of Tago's steps. I hid under the pile of corpses for a bit and then remembered how the journal said that Tago's main targets were those whose eyes landed on his face. So, I closed my eyes and started running towards anywhere I could go. After running, I landed in the study room, and from there, I tried holding up for three days but couldn't anymore... I was too hungry, so I thought of trying to walk out of the room I ended up in. Til' I heard you guys."

"And then we found you and tased you, right?" Said Officer Jin, making fun of me.

"Let me get this straight, kid. So you 'died,' woke up here, managed to meet Tago, and survived? Not to mention you're in a city filled with Carmuts and monsters, but also the fact that Tago will kill you even if you don't look at him. The moment you're a threat, he'll go for your head." Chief Tan made very valid points, but I never planned on hurting Tago. As for the Carmuts and the other bullshit… I have no clue how to respond.

"Well, slightly malnourished, but you get the point." Added Chief Sins.

"Well, to be honest, I find it hard to believe myself. I don't really know what happened, and I don't have an explanation either…" I actually wonder who fed me and helped me survive, especially in my state of comatose. What year is it? Or if I'm even on the same earth I knew of. I'm sure the officers are wondering about me the same way I am. 

"Well, I mean, the kid's already skin and bones as is. The only thing differentiating him from Tago is his height." Said Officer Jin, taking a jab at my very much average, not that short, height.

"Ah, what if he has an artifact?" Asked Viking Jaime. That led all of their eyes to land on me.

"No? I woke up empty-handed… " Confused by what they mean by 'Artifact,' I mean, it's not like I woke up holding the Mona Lisa or anything.

"Do you even know what Artifacts are?" Asked Tan.

"Uhm, no, sir. But I really did wake up with nothing on me." I answered. He truly did have a sense of authority, and I was sure it wasn't just me feeling it. I could tell that everyone in the room was below this man, and I could also tell that not all of them liked that fact. I looked at Chief Donald, who previously had a warm and kind face, suddenly changed into a cold, stale smile towards Chief Tan. Jealousy perhaps? Is it an inferiority complex? Was it because I addressed Tan as 'sir'? Maybe I should also start addressing him as such.

"I see." Chief Tan said as he looked down with his hand, caressing his cleanly trimmed beard once more. "Lead us to the canteen. We'll settle things with Tago, then take you back to our base."

My jaw dropped hearing this. I did not want to go with them on their killing mission at all. 

"Wouldn't it be better if we just handle Tago ourselves? The kid could get hurt or, if worse comes to worst, die. One of us can stay and look after the kid while the rest go after Tago." Said the very wise Chief Donald.

I wanted to back up Donald's claims, but fearing that I would be overstepping my boundaries, I kept my mouth shut and just hoped another officer would have the same thoughts as him, but my hopes were crushed as Chief Tan stated: 

"The kid would be in danger no matter where he goes, especially in the area we're in. There's no telling when and where monsters could arise. Plus, we're already short-handed as is. We need all the troops we have right now, plus a bait if need be." He's joking, right…? "The safest place would be next to us, the ones wielding the Spell Stones." It's a fair assessment, but can't I just stay right here in this exact spot or something???

Sir Donald replied with a very quiet "Tsk…" And followed up with an audible, "Fine, make sure to stay close to us, kid, never go in front."

"Well then, let's go." Said Officer Tan, leading the way to our demise, AKA Tago.

On the way to the canteen, I noticed that Chief Donald was in a sour mood. It was probably because of Chief Tan. I thought this could be a good time to try and lighten his mood, so I asked him, 

"Sir, can I ask what artifacts are?" 

He seemed surprised, pleased by the fact I used "sir," which must've given him a sense of pride. "Oh, basically, artifacts are items and tools that are said to be from the Gods. They contain the powers of the Gods they came from, and people could utilize them, should they be compatible." 

"Mmm, I see. Do you know where they came from?" I asked, hoping to keep the conversation going.

"Well, some of them came from killing Gods. Some created by them, and some created from them." He then continued, "You see, the author of that journal you found was one of our esteemed researchers. He sent us here to retrieve the notebook and, if possible, capture Tago. He could be useful for his research as one of the original Carmuts."

"You want to capture Tago?" I asked, surprised and confused as to why. I was beginning to question our chances of survival. I also wanted to question him more about this 'Carmut,' but I suppose I could save that topic for another conversation.

Chief Donald laughed, then said, "Don't worry, kid, it was not a requirement, but rather just a request. Living is much more important than capturing and researching that monster, so we are to kill Tago as soon as our lives are in danger."

"Just being around him is dangerous enough…" I whispered while cowardly, which I hoped he'd noticed, and he immediately started laughing and patting my back.

Seeing as Chief Donald could smile once more, it would seem my work is now done. I hope this moment brought us closer together.