Nation 27

CH 26: Completely Gone

[26 October 2021, Tuesday…]

[9.48 pm]

[Adam and Clara]

“Ouch! That hurts! Can’t you be gentle? After all, I’m your one and only brother!” Adam complained.

Clara rolled her eyes.

“It’s just a small bruising, so stop whining like a baby. You shouldn’t act so dramatic over something like this when you’ve endured much severe bruisings and injuries over the past few days,” Clara said as she applied salve on a bruise that ran along Adam’s upper arm.

Adam grumbled in a low tune that was barely audible.

“What is it, brother?”

“Nothing…”

“Hah… Just tell me. What is it?”

“It’s just… I have gotten black belts in a couple of martial arts, but all that feels like child's play after doing hand-to-hand combat training with the ex-military guys. It’s as if I haven’t been cultivating any combative skills despite all my years of training. All those medals I’ve won prove nothing. If there’s an outbreak within the facility tomorrow, I’ll be useless!”

Once the bruise on Adam’s arm had been attended to, Clara sat on the bed next to Adam and gave an assuring pat on his back.

“In the past, you were learning the direct and proper way to fight. However, you must understand that that is the gentlemanly and noble way of fighting-”

“What? No, do you remember the time when I knocked someone’s tooth out when-”

“Let me finish,” Clara growled at her brother before continuing, “Hah… Look, did you stick to the techniques and move combinations that you’ve learned in the past?”

“Yes, but-”

“Did you still lose to the ex-military men?”

“Yes…”

“Do you know why?”

“Of cou…” Adam stopped when he saw the look in Clara’s eyes.

‘Yeah, I don’t think it’s an issue about them having a higher rank in martial arts. It was somewhat similar yet very different from what I learned,’ Adam thought to himself.

“Err… No, not really…” Adam replied in a softer voice.

“Brother… In the past, you fought to win. These men fought to live. It was a constant life-and-death situation for them- and that was how they were trained. So, even if they’ve learned similar techniques as you, there is no nobility in their moves.”

“So, it’s like street fighting…”

“Yes, all rules have been thrown out the window whenever they’re in combat. But since your injuries haven’t been worse than the occasional bruisings and cuts, I suspect that they’ve been going easy on you.”

“Easy?! What- …Hah… Yeah, I guess that you’re right… I still have a long way to go, huh?”

“Well,” Clara ruffled his hair affectionately, “You’ll get there in time. I overheard the men saying that you’ve shown the prowess of a true fighter and have great potential.”

“Ah… I see…” Adam chuckled awkwardly.

Clara glanced at a walkie-talkie that was on the bedside table.

‘It has been silent the whole day,’ she thought.

“Oh, that reminds me. Are you on patrol duty today?” Clara asked.

“No, it’ll be entirely on the men tonight. Hah… It has been a week since Sam has gone missing. We finally ended up checking every single floor and room in the building, and there isn’t any trace of where she may have gone. We’ve made doubly sure that there isn’t any breach, so it’s either she’d wandered outside… or someone has sneaked into the building and taken her away… Either way, it’s a potential risk to us all.”

“Yeah, that’s why everyone has been taking turns to patrol and monitor the surveillance cameras.”

“Hah… I wish I didn’t have to take you with me whenever I patrol, but at least I’ll know that you’re safe. In case Sam’s keys fall into the wrong hands, no room is really safe. Plus, there are limited walkie-talkies. So, it’s not like every one of us can have one at all times.”

“True, but do I really have to sleep in the same room as you? You’re so smelly. Do you even bathe?” Clara pouted.

Adam rolled his eyes at his sister’s poor attempt to lighten the mood.

“Sister, you’ll be fainting if I really don’t bathe. Anyway, I saw you talking with Jared and Louis earlier… Is something the matter? I saw your eyes widen in shock for a brief moment.”

“See? Didn’t I say that the men were going easy on you?!”

“I… Well, it’s not my fault that I’m faster than them. Whenever I avoid an attack and run over to the opposing side, I do have some time to observe my surroundings. Besides, it’s not like the training session was in a small area. Even with all the vegetation and few tables left in the recreational area, there’s still plenty of space left to run around. In fact, we could even do one of those contemporary dance routines you used to do.”

“Mm… You have a point there…”

“So, what is it?”

“Apparently, the boys and men have checked every room and-”

“Sister, this is already a known fact. Why are y-”

“Brother, listen. There are only 11 patients left.”

“I don’t understand. How is that a problem?”

“There were 43 patients. That means 32 patients have gone missing. There’s not a single trace of them…”

“What? How is that possible? They were locked in a room, and a number of them were wearing straitjackets, right? There’s no way they could escape, and the only ones who have the keys were-”

“Sam and Louis,” Clara clarified in a solemn tone.

“So, I’m guessing that Louis has nothing to do with this.”

“Yeah, but after searching high and low for Sam, Boyan, and now the patients, Louis is beginning to suspect foul play…”

“...Who does he-”

“He didn’t say, but Jared and he have been looking for… some kind of light?”

“You mean a blacklight?”

“Hm… I think so…? Anyway, they’re going to check the patients’ room tomorrow. Maybe we’ll finally get a clue then…”

“Wait… When did they all check the rooms again? Was it last week itself?”

“Yes, but they swept the entire building a couple more times. It’s creepy that so many people have gone missing…”

“Hm… But Louis has only thought about using the blacklight method now?”

“Oh, no. He already thought about it last week itself and has been looking for the items he’ll need. At the very least, he did manage to find a blacklight. There were only two. I guess that a facility like this wouldn’t be needing such a thing…”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“...Since he ended up searching the entire storage space for the blacklight, he realized that all the bleach was missing. Jared, on the other hand, thinks that the rat poison was taken too. But he’s not so sure because he thinks it saw the poison by a glimpse…”

“Has Louis told the men yet? What did they say?”

“The men only know about the missing patients part. Louis and Jared were planning on telling about this other matter after the training session… But they’re beginning to think that it’s necessary to check the annex building.”

“What? But that’s the zombies-infested area. It’s a deathtrap!”

“Yes… Louis said that it’s going to take time to secure an area to safely enter. The boys are going to ask for the ex-military men to help out with this one. If anyone can handle zombies, it will be them. After all, they did manage to travel past so many zombies to enter this facility in the first place. They probably have a trick or two in case of things going awry.”

“But… if Sam and the others are somehow trapped in the annex, they’re as good as dead.”

“Yes, that’s why Louis plans to try entering the annex within the next few days. He thinks that the men would want the same…”

Adam just hummed in agreement as he was unable to say anything else about the entire situation. 

‘Things seem to be getting from bad to worse,’ Adam thought.

Clara tugged at his sleeve.

“Brother, things aren’t looking too good. I’m scared…”

Adam pulled his sister close and hugged her tightly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”