"Isn't that yours?", the commander asked Xender and she kept quiet, looking at the guy holding the bottle.
"Ronald?", Xender called feeling betrayed, "I am only doing this for your good! I would not sit by and watch such beauty and talent go to waste", he replied as he finally got the front.
"Ronald!", the commander called as he gave him the bottle, "yes commander?", he replied, "you have done well!", the commander added.
The commander opened the water bottle, "wine!", he said furiously and the crowd began to murmur once again. "You took wine from the main chambers to this peasant who assaulted your father!", he said aloud.
"You need to be punished!", the commander said boiling in anger, "I plead permision to speak commander!", Ronald said, "what do you have to say? Ronald", the commander asked.
"I don't think sub commander Xender needs to be punished, I advice the offender needs to be taking out of the fort! Only then will the madness stop!", Ronald added, "what has he done?", Xender said out loud.
"Silence!", the commander said angry, "I will not! I will not keep quiet and watch you all maltreat the poor boy! All he wanted was to protect his mother, you all were just been too heartless to see the eyes of that which you called a monster! There was pain and suffering in her eyes, but no! You all want justice, fighting for humanity; if this is the humanity you'll are fighting for, then I really wish I was one of the monsters!", Xender gave a heart touching speech in anger and vibrance and the crowd became quiet.
"That's a lie!", Ronald said to break the silence and everyone turned to him, "stop this act of kindess and saving humanity bullsh_t, I see the way you look at him", he said and walked closer to her, "who are you trying to fool! You've never cared for anyone in your life", he said and turned to Helen, "or don't I speak of the truth?", he asked Helen and once again the silence was restored.
"Xender has helped me!", a very tiny voice was heard admidst the silence. A little boy was revealed as everyone gave him a space to walk through, "she helped me too!", a girl said as she walked out. And in a minute the place was filled with people Xender had secretly helped.
"How?", the commander said surprised to see the number of people that stepped out claiming to be helped by Xender, "Unlike you guys, I don't make it a habit of announcing everything I do! I do them because they are right not because they are good", she replied and the silence came back, but this time everyone stared at the commander and Ronald, as they waited on their next utterance.
I starred at Xender, admiring her bravery, and how she had stood to defend me, and this people.
Suddenly! She became stiff and held her bow tighter, looking in a particular direction. No one else seemed to notice this, for they had all began to murmur once again.
In an abrupt an uncontrolled manner, I exhaled heavily, it felt like all the air in me was trying escape through my mouth nostrils. And in a moment I was lost once again in one of these zombie visions.
There I saw another human like zombie, dressed in a black jacket and spiky hair, he had a really long chain around his neck and was riding on a bike. He rode fast and the zombies behind him chased furiously. Swaping from the eyes of one zombie to the other, I saw him clearly, he was nothing close to beauty; but rather the exact opposite.
I opened my eyes and inhaled hard as though all the air that had left me wanted back in, I raised my head up and looked to the direction they were coming from. Then I realized that was the same direction Xender was looking towards.
"They are coming", I uttered softly, "what did you say?", the guy doing the flogging asked as he flogged my back, "argh!", I uttered in pain, "uhh!", the guy who flogged me uttered immediately after, holding his neck, which had an arrow sticking out of it, as he gasped for breath.
The whole crowd's attention was drawn to him, "who commanded that!", Xender said and the crowd's gaze went back to her and her bow, which obviously shot at him.
"Medics!", Helen yelled as the guy fell on the floor, some medics quickly came out of the crowd and picked him up, rushing him out of the podium where he stood to flog me.
"Why did you that?", the commander asked, "he flogged Derick without being told!", she replied, "that gives you no right to shoot an arrow at him!", the commander added furiously, seemingly seeing another suitable reason to raise his voice.
"We can worry about that later! They are coming!", She added trying to eradicate the arguement, "what do you mean they are coming?", the commander asked confused, "the zombies are coming", she replied, "the zombies are coming?", the commander asked alarmed and the crowd began to murmur in fear.
"How did you know?", the commander asked her and she kept quiet, "Xender?", he called, "cause I said so!", I said and the crowd turned to me, "I saw it in my visions that they were", I said from the podium where I was tied up.
"Oh! I almost forgot that you were bitten as well; what did you see?", he asked, "I saw a reason for us to run", I replied, "what!", the commander replied angry.
"I don't think you know who we are! Run!", he said and began to laugh.
"We hear about wars and we get prepared to fight not run", he said boastfully, "He's right dad....We should be careful with these visions", Xender adviced, "yeah dad, we should take these things seriously", he replied, "nonsense! We've built up a very....", he said and stopped abruptly, exhaling heavily and in less than 3 seconds he inhaled deeply.
"Commander! Are you okay?", Ronald who was closer to the commander asked the commander whose face was clouded with fear, but he quickly shrugged it off.
"Truly they come in large numbers and great speed, but we can take them!", he said with confidence and his speech was followed up by a round of applause.
"Where is Clark?", He asked, "over here sir!", Clark said as he came out.
"How many more grenades or any other explosives do we have?", He asked, "Just 3 grenades sir, no other explosives", he replied.
The commander paused for a while to think, and everyone kept their eyes on him, waiting for his thinking to yeild a speech full result.
Finally he raised his head up, "we going to destroy the bridge!", He said and the crowd began their murmuring.
"If you take down the bridge, how are we supposed to go out if the battle gets though?", Helen asked, "we don't! We are going to win this!", The commander added confidently, "Let's get prepared, there are fast approaching. Clark get some troops with those explosives, you are to take down the bridge at my command", he said, "yes sir!", Clark replied and left.
"Settlers of fort 4! I know we have experienced a great a deal of losses, as hurt as I am we have to move on, otherwise we would loose alot more, as for those who experienced loses; come to the main chambers after this ongoing war, let's drink and merry away our loses", the commander said trying to console them.
"Do you want him forgiven?", he asked aloud pointing at me, Ronald smile was immediately converted to a straight face in shock of what he heard.
"Yes!!", some replied, "no!", some others yelled as well, it was clear that the yes's were more than the no's, "I guess we have our answer, "Ronald go take the chains off!, the commander commanded, and Ronald with a frown walked up to where I was, with the key.
He opened the lock, and I fell to the ground immediatley the chains came off, "you got lucky this time, but time will tell!", he said and walked away.
"Derick!", I heard someone call and running towards me, "here!", April said giving me water, "Derick!", Mrs Claire called as she finally came up the podium with June.
"Sorry bro!", June said. Shortly after, Helen and Xender were on the podium as well.
"We need to get ready for the war Derick", Xender said, "how can you say that! Can you see the state he is in?", Helen asked harshly, "give him 3 minutes and he'll be fine! Besides I don't remember him being a member of our troop", Xender replied, "I am sorry about that", Helen replied seemingly getting the message, "don't worry about him, go get your troops set for the war!", Xender said held me by the arm.
"June!", Xender called June who was about to run along with Helen, "help me get him up!", she commanded, "...yes sub commander!", June replied and they both helped up, and took me to the artillery substitutes section.
"You can go now, all of you, go get prepared for the war!", she said, "guys!", I cut in, "if it gets too intensed please run and hide with Medusa! I'll be fine!", I said to them and they nodded and ran off.
"What's he doing here?", Ronald asked on seeing me. At this time I could stand on my feet. Due to the rapid healing, I could barely feel a thing.
"I should be asking you that Ronald!", Xender said angered as she walked in front of Ronald, "but sub commander!", he said looking at me, "I don't want to hear another word from you! Leave!", she commanded.
He stood giving me stern look, with his eyes filled with hatred and an intent to kill, "are you deaf!", someone said and pushed him. He turned around to see who did, "Felix?", he called feeling betrayed, "I have always told you that it wasn't going to work out, now look at what you've done to yourself!", Felix said, "I'll!!", he said as he charged towards Felix who walked back in fear, "argh!!", Ronald exclaimed as he held his legs which had an arrow sticking out of each.
"I wanted you out of here without any wounds, considering how angry I am with you, but you've always been too stubborn to go with my plans!", Xender said as he turned to her with tears in his eyes, "Leave! before I take out your arms too!", she added in fury.
Ronald stood still unable to move, still in obvious pain, "take him out!", she commanded and two of her troop members came to carry Ronald out.
"We've wasted too much time already, so I am going to make this brief. The war before is much greater than anyone we've faced before. I want you all to know that no matter the result, I Xender, your sub Commnader even though may act hard and not caring at times, wants your safety. Which is why; I create a retreat signal!", she said and all in the room were in shocked.
"I don't want any of you revealing this to the other troops, but once I howl, I want you all to back down slowly, your mission from then is to get as many settlers as possible to safety, don't look out for me no matter what happens!", she said and they began to murmur.
"Silence! You would do as I have said and that's an order! Now leave!", she commanded and they rushed out, "you too Derick!", she added while I stood still looking at her.
"I am not", I rebelled, she turned to me immediately, "that's and order!", she said harshly.
"I know you were bitten! Why hide it?", I asked and she became speechless.
to be continued.....
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