Nation 27

CH 33: It Was Like Looking For A Needle In A Haystack

[Jared]

[Present time]

[A couple of days later--- 29 October 2021, Friday…]

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

“Oh my~ Jared, can you please grab that box for me?” Clara asked as she removed some potatoes from the ground. 

“Sure… You mean that the potatoes are ready now?” Jared asked in surprise.

“Hehe~ Yes, the growth rate here is amazing!” Clara chirped as she smiled proudly at Jared.

“Yeah… I vaguely remember you saying that the potatoes should be ready after a few months while the other vegetables would be in about 5-6 months. However, all of the vegetables seemed to have grown in less than a month,” Jared observed.

“What?! Are you serious???” Adam, who was in the midst of sparring with David a few feet away, half-yelled.

“Yes, brother. Are you proud of me?”

“Of course I am! To be able to grow vegetables this fast, my sister is a goddess! No! Clara, you’re mother nature incarnat-”

THUMP

“Ouch! What was that for?!” Adam yelled as he rubbed gently at the soft spot of his head. David had hit the distracted boy on the head.

“Never turn away from your opponent, boy.”

“This is just training. Besides, isn’t it cheating that you attacked me while I was turned away?”

“When you really fight. It’s a matter of life and death. One slip is all that takes. I’m preparing you for the real world, boy.”

“I know, but-”

THUMP

“Ah! What was THAT for?!” Adam rubbed at his sore behind.

“Hm~ For talking back. Come on, boy. You’re not done training, yet.”

Adam was about to say something in rebuttal but wisened up and stopped. Clara giggled while Jared smiled.

David, on the other hand, smirked. There was nothing more comical than teasing a recruit. Although the current circumstance was different, David could not help but be reminded of the old days, before the invasion of the undead. There was always an innocent, child-like wonder despite the deadly potential that recruits possessed.

David mused as he took note of Adam looking upset as he watched Clara and Jared continue their conversation. David smirked.

“My word… That’s a nasty look you have there, big brother~” David teased and whistled in a low tune.

Adam just stared at David.

“Why? Is it that you don’t trust ‘someone’ like Jared?” David asked softly.

“Huh? No, I just… Look, she’s my little sister, and it’s my duty to chase away all the ‘wolves’.”

“I see…”

“Also, what did you mean by ‘someone like Jared’?”

“Ah, you know…”

Whatever annoyance that showed on Adam’s face was instantly forgotten and replaced with it was curiosity.

“What? What is it?” 

“You know, one of the occupants of this facility…?”

“Oh… No, I didn’t… I’d acted the same with any guy. It’s not like that…”

“Really? Even if that boy has been here the longest and was still undergoing treatment when the undead rose.”

“Longest? No, that would be Louis. Well, at least that’s what Louis, Samantha, and Jared told Clara and me…”

“Huh… No wonder…”

“Why so?” 

When David did not immediately answer and started to rub at his chin thoughtfully, Adam approached and asked again, “Why did you say ‘no wonder’?”

“Well, whenever we asked for the locations of certain rooms and areas, it was Louis who knew. Jared always had this blank look whenever such a question was brought up. It was as if he didn’t know the layout of the place. I know this facility allows its ‘occupants’ to have an accompanied stroll along the various hallways for exercise purposes… I guess it’s true that Louis has been around wayyyyy longer than all of us.”

“Oh… No, Louis was here only a month earlier than Jared.”

“Huh… Do you know why Louis is so much more familiar with the building than Jared?”

“Err…” Adam mumbled hesitantly.

“What is it?”

Adam glanced back at Jared and Clara who were still talking away in their own world. Once assured that the two were paying any attention to him, Adam leaned close.

“According to Samantha, Jared’s mental condition was so unstable that he had to undergo tons and tons of intense treatments and therapies. So, he never had the chance of having accompanied walks along various hallways. It was just his room and the treatment room. He was eventually allowed to enter this recreational area, but it was a recent thing…”

Jared stealthily glanced at Adam and David who continued to talk in hushed whispers. Judging from their behavior, it was obvious that the conversation was somehow about the facility, or worse, about him. 

Jared sighed softly. 

He knew he was probably being sensitive by the way Adam and David acted exactly as his mother, best friends, and others have acted around him. Even though he hated it and wanted to scream at them, he knew that it was of no use. 

‘It did not work in the past, what difference would it make now?’ Jared thought gloomily and then glanced at the huge clock that hung in the center of the recreational area.

‘It’s already almost 1 pm. Louis and the other two men should be returning any time now… Strange…’ he smiled and nodded politely at Clara who was still enthusiastically talking about the variety of new vegetarian dishes she could try making with the harvested vegetables.

‘Since the visit to the annex building, the men seem to be more withdrawn. Is that their way of grieving since they’re former military? Or are they now suspicious of us?’

Jared glanced at Adam and David who had already resumed their training.

‘They still seem to act the same, but something is amiss… What is Brien looking for? The other men said that the dog tag and abandoned surgical glove left behind were indicating that both Boyan and Samantha were dead… We even had a small gathering here yesterday and said simple eulogies…’

Jared then helped Clara carry another box over for her to place more vegetables.

‘No, there’s something about that flower sketch… Whatever it means, Brien is adamant to find it.’

Jared sighed again.

‘That would be easier said than done since he apparently doesn’t even know what he’s actually looking for aside from it being something that once belonged to Samantha. But she’s dead, right? Moreover, why have they been taking turns of having us boys search with them? Yesterday morning, it was me. Then it was Adam, and now-’

The door of the recreational area door opened. It was Louis, Brien, and Mike.

‘And now, it was Louis to follow the two… How long will this continue? Honestly, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.’

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[Question time:]

The mention of growing most of the vegetables was in chapter 17. That was on October 2nd…

So, do any of you have any ideas of why the growth rate is so exponential? Is it perhaps due to the soil and/or the gardening tools?

Or could it be due to a completely different thing?

[Dilemma:]

Could one or multiple individuals be involved in the disappearance of Boyan and Samantha?

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