Chapter 32

The wind howled and wallowed through the emptied shells of the ancient metropolis. Though centuries have passed since the great structures were first erected, most remained tall and stern, a testament to the divines that had built them. Normally, only the occasional convoy traversed on these roads, however, this time it was different. Supplies, equipment, men and women roamed the wide stretch of pavement. Although their numbers barely compared to that of Luminus, the City of Light, what they lacked in quantity, they more than made up for in resourcefulness and adaptability. The coalition was a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities, cooperating in a way largely unseen until now. Individually, the outskirt towns were all but specks of dust in the grand spectrum of power, yet together, they were anything but weak.

“Oi, me thinks we outa gets som’ ta chom’on togeta aft’a dis, ya?”

“Thanks… but I’ll pass…” Hailey responded while crossing her arms, a display of mild annoyance appeared on her face.

“Aww…” The large man lamented as he scratched the side of his bowl-cut. “Wha me do ‘rong? Me laddies tells me this wou’da work’d…. Ell den, ‘orry ta botha ya.” He returned to his group of friends, who were laughing hysterically at his failed attempt to woo.

“Looks like Stephan has competition,” a voice jested.

Hailey quickly turned around to the man who was cleaning his weapon on a stash of crates. “Shut the fuck up! No one asked you, William!” She blushed slightly and turned her head, “And also, there is no comparison.”

“Oh, is that so?” A faint grin grew on William’s face. “So, when are you going to tell him?”

“None of your fucking business, asshole.”

The man sighed. “How long are you going to make Stephan wait?”

“Make me wait for what?”

Both Hailey and William’s attention immediately shifted to the encroaching figure.

“N-Nothing!” stuttered Hailey, frantically. “It’s nothing.”

“I should be going… stomachache, must be the… pickled roaches.” And with that, William rushed off with his gear, leaving Stephan with a look of confusion.

“Pickled roaches...? That sounds disgusting.” Stephan then turned to face Hailey. “So what was that about, ‘making me wait’?”

The woman’s eyes met his and she could easily tell that Stephan had not been resting well. Having noticed that his eyes stared back, she forced a cough and attempted to change the subject.

“Who knows what he’s talking about. Anyways, so how are you holding up?”

“I’m doing fine. A bit tired, but maybe I’ll get some peace when this is over.” The man rubbed his eyes and glanced over at the conglomeration of various personnel; some chatted and some ate while others tended to their gear and machinery. The army, imbued with the unique characteristics of each of the member towns, united together under the coalition to face a common threat. “It still surprises me sometimes to think that we’ve grown this large.”

“Give yourself some credit! I don’t think anyone else could've done what you’ve done.” She then gave a brutish pat on Stephan’s back. “Now that everyone has each other’s backs, we don’t have to scramble for crumbs or rely on those shrewd Luminus merchants anymore.”

“There are a few things I could have done better.”

Hailey felt the sorrow in his voice and her heart, too, became bitter. “Stephan… What had happened to Anya… It’s not your fault… No one…” She racked her brain but wasn’t sure of what to say. “Why don’t you get some rest, you’ve earned it.”

“I’ve tried.”

“Tried?” She questioned, “Can’t sleep?”

“...” Stephan remained silent and he gazed downwards.

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

“I…” He hesitated. “I saw her in my dream again…”

“W-What do you mean?”

The man exhaled his breath and continued. “Anya, she… I saw her again… After meeting Anna, Anya has been appearing in every dream.”

“Stephan, it wasn’t your fault.” She began to rub the man’s back, providing what little comfort she could.

“She… She always huddled next to Ethan’s body, kept warm only by the corpses we torched… Alone… Crying… And every time I called out to her…” He closed his eyes and swallowed. “Those creatures… those creatures, they… they grabbed her… and limb by limb… they tore her apart…”

“Stephan…” Hailey interrupted but was ignored.

“I ran as fast as I could, but I could never reach her in time… No matter how pain-filled her screams were, those creatures kept going. They just kept tearing and biting, spilling her blood, ripping out her insides. And she saw me, I knew she saw me, but no matter how horrified she looked, she never called out to me. She just looked at me, with those widened eyes, filled with hatred and betra- ”

“Stephan!” Hailey yelled as she grabbed his arm and tugged. “Stop it!”

The man slowly opened his heavy eyelids. “Once I finally reached her… she was in pieces… And every time… she would whisper the exact same thing…”

Hailey grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “Stephan, it’s not your fault! No one could have known that was going to happen!”

Stephan slowly removed himself from Hailey’s grasp. He then gave her a cold and lifeless glare.

“She whispered to me… ‘why’?”

***

“Do you feel any better?” Hailey handed Stephan the warm cup of mushroom tea that was freshly brewed. “Be careful, it’s still hot.”

“Thanks…” the tired man muttered. “Sorry you had to see that, I haven’t been myself lately…”

“No one can blame you, losing someone you love is painful, at times it could be unbearable.”

Stephan opened his mouth but did not speak. He then sealed his lips closed, his eyes fixed on the cup in his hands. Lifting it close to his mouth, he blew into the cup before finally taking a small sip.

The two rested within the colossal ruins. Furnished with a few simple desks and chairs along with a number of odds and ends, it served as a temporary base of operations for their series of ambushes. Neither of the two said a word to one another, only the dull electric buzz of the fluorescent lantern prevented the ever-creeping silence.

“Stephan…” Hailey poured herself a cup of tea.

“Hmm?” Stephan responded, still staring at his drink. He viewed the reflection of a man he barely recognized, hazed by the murky liquid.

“I’ve… I’ve never told you about my daughter… have I?” The woman held the cup with both hands and leaned back against the wall.

“No…” he replied. “But I heard you still carve her name on your rifles.”

“She… she never even got to see this world.” She sipped her drink. The hot liquid burned her lips and tongue, but she did not react. “Maybe that was for the best…”

“I’m sorry to hear that… ” Guilt grew in the man’s heart. He felt responsible for reviving her unwanted past. Not knowing what he could say in this situation, Stephan simply took another sip of tea.

Hailey shook her head. “No, it’s fine.” She then averted her eyes to hide the woe that festered within. “I’ve had more than enough time to get over it…”

“When was this?” the man asked, not out of malice or curiosity but sympathy and compassion. He knew better than anyone how damaging it could be to let the emotions bottle up inside.

“When I was fifteen… It was before I came to Black-Rock.” Hailey forced a light smile on her face and laughed at herself. “I was such a stupid girl back then.”

“Where is he now?”

“Him? Gone, ran away the moment he found out.” Her hands tightened themselves around the cup and she took the last gulp. “My parents had four of us, three girls and one boy. I was the youngest…” Her cup emptied, and thus she poured herself another. “We had a farm down south in a small town called Bridgewater. My parents and siblings were always busy, so as a kid, I was mostly left alone.” Hailey’s eyes followed the small pieces of mushroom that were floating in her cup. “I thought that… that once I became old enough to work, I would get closer to my family… but in the end they were too tired to even speak to me, much less get to know me… Maybe that’s why I let him in, he was the only person who ever showered me with any attention…”

“What… what happened to the…”

“The child? After I told him, he threw me away… Told me to never show myself around him again… I couldn’t face my family, so I ran away… Hitched a ride with some passing caravan, ended up in a settlement I didn’t even know the name of.” The woman set her cup down on the table. “I lived in a shack, scavenged whatever food I could and worked whenever possible… The last few months were the hardest.”

“The town didn’t help you at all...?”

“Everyone was struggling. Some were kind enough to spare a few bits and pieces, but it wasn’t enough… When the time came… when little Emma was finally born, she didn’t cry… She didn’t even do as much as breathe… The poor child… she was so skinny, she starved and withered inside of her own mother.” A sorrowful laughter left Hailey’s throat as she tried her best to hold in the tears.

Stephan stood up and placed his cup on the table before he wrapped his arms around Hailey.

“After that, I just wandered aimlessly… I blamed myself for everything, for him leaving, for the miscarriage… I became crude and violent. Nothing mattered to me anymore… until I met Anna.”

“Did… did she know?”

“Yeah… I told her my story… She was the one who helped me get past it… convinced me it wasn’t my fault… She was… she was the first friend I ever had...” The two separated and Hailey gently placed her hand on Stephan’s cheek. “Every time I saw Anya, I was reminded of my own child… I wanted to protect her… And when I saw the way you were before… I was reminded of myself…”

“Hailey…”

Knock-Knock

They both distanced themselves from each other. Stephan straightened his clothes while Hailey cleaned up the table, facing away from the door.

Stephan cleared his throat and then answered, “who is it?”

“It’s Rodrick, here with the update.”

“Come in.”

Rodrick opened the door and saluted. He approached Stephan who was now sitting and gave his report.

“What do you have for me?”

“Sir, the Cultists are still recovering from the last ambush, but they should be moving out soon.” He paused, “And if I may, sir...”

“Go ahead, Rodrick.”

“I don’t trust those people.”

“Those people? Do you mean the people who informed us of the Cultist expedition?” Stephan slouched back and rested his arm against the table. “The Order, I think that’s what they called themselves.”

“I’ve heard about them before. They often send men into the Darklands to salvage and purchase ancient artifacts, but I have never heard of them meddling with people’s affairs.”

“You think there were ulterior motives.”

“Yes… yes, sir.” A bead of sweat rolled down Rodrick’s forehead. He did not hold any evidence, yet, he made such bold claims.

“Relax, Rodrick. You’re not the only one.” Seeing as how the man before him was nervous, Stephan reassured him. “Even this coalition was formed on mutual benefit. I doubt that some shadowy organization just decided to be charitable, so I plan to keep an eye on them.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Oh, and by the way, have you confirm the rumors regarding the Cult?”

“Yes,” Rodrick gritted his teeth. “The Cultists, they are just as horrible as we’ve been told, the families of those affected confirmed it.”

Hmph. “I see, the worse of two evils.”

“Should I inform everyone to head to the intersection?”

“No, have them move up and lay an ambush at the track-junctions.”

Bewildered at the sudden change of plans, Rodrick questioned his orders. “Sir, why?! Don’t the buildings at the intersection provide a better vantage point?”

“How many did not return from the last engagement?”

“Roughly twenty-six, I think.”

“And how many of them do you think were captured?”

Rodrick came to a sudden realization. “You don’t think…”

“I rather not find out.”