Nation 27

CH 27: Perhaps It Is Something More

[Brien]

[The following day at 1.23 pm --- 27 October 2021, Wednesday…]

[3rd floor of the facility— recreational area…]

“Whoosh~ Haha! You’re too slow, boy!” David taunted as he did light sparring with Adam.

Somewhat aggravated, Adam growled and charged at the former military personnel once more.

“Aww~ Angry, are you? Boy, if you’re going for multiple rapid punches, you need to exhale in sync with your movements. It’s not all about imagining that your hands are on fire.”

Seeing that none of his punches were landing on target, Adam retreated a couple of steps to take a breather. He then pulled up the bottom of his shirt to wipe off the sweat that trailed down his face.

“I’m not moving as if my hands are on fire!” Adam retorted.

“Yes, you are~ You were doing this,” David demonstrated by flicking his own wrist in the most exaggerated manner possible.

“I definitely didn’t do that!” Adam half-yelled despite his cheeks warming up slightly.

“Aww~ I was just messing with you. But seriously, try controlling your breath when you move, especially if you’re charging at someone for an attack.”

Brien silently watched the scene with his arms crossed.

‘Despite all the complaints and skepticism, that hothead has found a friend in the young boy. I wouldn’t have minded if it was under a different circumstance. But there still hasn’t been any progress despite us searching the entire main building for an entire week. Moreover,’ Brien glanced towards Jared and Louis who sat further away by the window.

The boys were having an idle chat as they played chess. In the eyes of any passing stranger, the boys seemed nothing more than innocent and gentle. 

‘A quiet, dark-haired Asian boy who often reads and wanders about within the facility, and a fair, blond-haired boy who easily smiles and gives off a charismatic aura… Ha! Such nonsense! The blond one especially has a cruel and cunning mind. If I hadn’t personally experienced just a snippet of his capabilities last week, I wouldn’t have believed it myself,’ Brien thought grimly as he continued to observe the boys.

“Jared, focus on the game or you’re going to lose your Bishop in the next couple of moves,” Louis warned in a low yet sing-song tune.

As if abruptly shaken awake from a long trance, Jared jolted in his seat.

“Ah, yes…” Jared replied as he turned around to look at the chessboard.

“Don’t worry about Clara and Mike. They’ll be fine. It’s not like cooking with the mini stove set over there is ever going to endanger their lives. Take a look at Adam over there, he’s completely in his own world. So, if the overprotective brother is all relaxed about the situation, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Besides,” Louis paused as he turned towards Brien who was still observing them, “Mike isn’t the sort to attack a young, pretty girl. Isn’t that right, General?”

‘Ah, he caught me. Was I staring at them for too long? No, it can’t be… It wasn’t any longer than a dozen seconds.’

“Ahem… Yes, but it’s not ‘General’. Just call me Brien,” he responded uncomfortably.

‘The boy is sharp and extremely alert of his surroundings.’ 

Brien glanced at the position on the chessboard. Since it was a fairly large board, Brien was able to see the position of the pieces without having to leave his seat despite him being a couple of tables away from the boys. 

‘As always, the blond one has played in a seemingly aggressive manner to divert the attention of his opponent’s pieces towards the queenside of the board- away from the King. If the Jared boy truly diverts his attention to the queenside, he’ll successfully protect his Bishop from being captured but it’ll inevitably leave his King completely defenseless.’

“Ah, yes. ‘Brien’ it is,” Louis smiled.

‘If a few of my men had the intelligence and strategic prowess this boy has, maybe we won’t have lost control over sector 4 of this nation… But alas, there’s nothing I can do about the past. Moreover, with the insufficient manpower and limited information we had, standing our ground in an already overrun sector, is nothing more than a death sentence.’

Brien glanced at Mike, who was cooking, and David, who was still sparring.

Brien sighed and smiled bitterly.

‘I don’t regret abandoning our sector. At least, the four of us survived, and… Okay, maybe three of us. God knows if Boyan is still alive,’ Brien swallowed hard, ‘That man has endured worse. I’m sure that he’s still alive. Maybe he’s just stuck somewhere… We just need to find him. The only-’

*THUMP*

“Ouch! Ah! I give up! You win! Can we please rest?!” Adam groaned after having his legs kicked from under him.

“Hahaha! We’ll stop for now. It’s a well-earned rest. You’re improving, Boy~” David complimented.

“Okay, the food’s ready!” Clara called out.

“Ah, just in time!” David said gleefully as he pulled Adam to his feet.

Clara and Mike brought a tray of bowls and started passing a bowl to each person in the small gathering.

“Sorry for the wait. We made some potato stew for everyone!” Clara chirped.

“Sis, are the potatoes from your farm? The stew tastes different today,” Adam remarked.

“Oh no. I found these in the staff kitchen on the 6th floor.”

“Ah, yes. I remember now. I’d forgotten that we found them yesterday afternoon. Haha.”

“Mm… Anyway, the potatoes I grew should be ready to be harvested in the next couple of weeks. The harvest itself should be able to last us for a few months… I grew quite a few, actually,” Clara said shyly.

“That’s amazing. I can’t wait to try those out,” David said as he gobbled down the rest of his stew. 

“Oh yeah. The other vegetables should be ready to be harvested sometime soon. I think it’ll be after the potatoes, right?” Adam asked.

“Haha… Thanks, David… Yes, I hope so, Brother,” Clara blushed at the compliment and sudden attention from the group.

‘I wonder if Boyan has been eating well… We’ve been here for a week, and there still haven’t been signs of him ever stepping foot into the building. But the female orderly, Samantha, and many patients have disappeared without a trace. Were they taken to another place? There are bleach traces all over the building. Could there have been a massacre or is it simply what facilities like these use?’

Brien scooped up the last bit of his stew.

‘It is suspicious, but I can see the reasoning behind it as well. A lot of unorthodox methods are performed on the severely mentally challenged, and it’s not uncommon for patients to harm themselves in a fit rage or such. Speaking of which, I remember hearing that Jared boy had undergone unorthodox treatments on the 5th floor. It’s also where the concentration of bleach traces is at its highest… If that’s the case, I’m more inclined to think that the latter is the reason for all the bleach usage… Maybe…’

“Leaving so soon?” David called out when Jared and Louis have finished washing their bowls and started walking towards the door.

“Yes, Jared has a headache and I need to walk. I feel like I’m having a heartburn. I guess I must have eaten too much,” Louis laughed, and Jared rolled his eyes.

“We’ll be on the 6th floor if you need us,” Jared said.

‘Again, huh? Similar to most of the days Brien had seen the boys, the duo were on their own. There was hardly ever a time the boys were separated. It’s strange to see them so close to each other when they’re not blood-related at all. Could it be due to there being no one else who can suit Louis’ intellect? From what I’ve seen, Jared is the most studious and is the only one who can hold his position during a game of chess...’

“Brien, do you want seconds?” Clara asked.

“Ah, yes. Thank you,” Brien said as he handed her his bowl.

‘Hmm… Maybe it’s because they were both patients in this facility, and Louis pities Jared for the torturous treatment he received.’

Brien thought back on how Louis often acted around Jared despite his cruel personality.

‘Perhaps it’s something more? Hah… Whatever it is, we still need to make a few more preparations before we’re ready to search the annex building. Rushing in will only be stupid since there are so many zombies in there…’

Brien sighed again.

‘Boyan, I hope you’re alright… Wherever you may be…’