"What do you think they are talking about in there?"
Madison frowned.
"Who knows, Major Black has always been the mysterious type, but he is also not a fool. They must be discussing something that has to do with the mission I guess."
Oliver remained silent for a few moments and then shrugged.
"You are right, I guess. I should not really think about it too much. Knowing our boss, I might never even find out."
He handed the last of the food rations and clothes they had brought from the stronghold, to one of the Protectors. They locked eyes for a few moments, making Oliver wince and tremble slightly.
The Protector was a strong and mighty, towering almost two metres in height, but there was something else he saw. Something unexplainable and weird in the Protector's eyes.
Before his mind drifted into insanity, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder, startling him. He turned and met James confused expression.
"What is wrong?"
Oliver considered his next words for a few moments, and then realized he had no idea how to explain whatever the hell he saw.
What did he even see in the first place?
He shook his head and chased away the confusion.
"Uhm nothing is wrong, I just–"
"Please come with me so I can show you your sleeping chambers."
Before he could finish, a voice suddenly interrupted him from behind. He turned to look at the bearer of the voice – they all looked in the general direction – and saw a beautiful young woman with a black hair and soft facial features.
She bowed slightly.
"Dusk is coming soon, and I will not be available to give you appropriate sleeping arrangements."
Benji and James simultaneously looked at each other. They must have sensed something was off, but in the end, they chose to remain quiet.
It was Rose-Anne who spoke instead.
"Oh? Sleeping quarters? Are you sure? We do not wish to intrude."
She forced a smile, but the young woman was obviously not convinced. Her stoic expression did not change. She deepened her bow, hiding her face from sight.
"It is fine ma'am, really. It is barely intrusion, my such a strong word. You see, we insist that you at least rest the night before continuing with you expedition."
Oliver looked around, as if puzzled by something. The Protector was long gone, and he still had no idea why he was looking for that man.
He rubbed his chin with a frown, and what he realized next made his stomach drop.
Meanwhile, Madison looked at the young woman and frowned.
"Uhm, thanks but no thanks lady. We do have an areal vehicle remember. We can travel back and forth in a matter of hours. If we feel like we cannot endure it, we can just rest inside the plane. It is quite spacious."
The young remained quiet, so Madison continued.
"Thank you for your hospitality though, I mean it. You truly are kind individuals, but it is still dangerous for us to stay here. We need to keep moving. And also, we cannot just act on our own without our leader. I am sure you would understand."
The young woman did not move for a few moments, and then suddenly straightened her back. She looked at them, her glassy eyes reflecting their uncomfortable figures.
Oliver paled.
He felt a familiar ominous feeling grip his heart, even though he did not remember when he had felt it before. He shifted his body and stood next to James, trying to give him an sigh he could, but he did not catch on.
The woman meanwhile, gave them a small reassuring smile.
"Oh, your leader had a talk with our elder and they came to an agreement. He told me to inform you that you will all be spending the night here, I apologize for the confusion. I should have explained properly."
Her smile widened.
"You see, me and other maidens were called by our elder and told to prepare sleeping tents for you. When the arrangements were done, your leader called me over and specifically instructed me to inform you about these new arrangements."
She bowed slightly again.
"Please forgive the inconvenience."
However, she did not wait for them to respond, she turned her body and headed towards the camps, gesturing for them to follow.
"This way."
They all looked at each other for a few short moments. Different expressions visible in their faces, only Benji and James were calm, following the lady without any second thought. The others did as well.
Soon, they were all resting in their respective tents.
***
Benji threw his bag full of supplies and changing clothes to the floor and threw his body on the mattress. The mattress was rough and springy, but he did not complain.
That was probably considered luxury in a situation like that.
He looked at the tent closing in on him like how the whole situation felt, but he did not complain about that as well. He had gotten used to it.
A sigh escaped from his mouth. He was tired to the bone, and yet he did not feel like resting. That is because he knew exactly what was going to happen next and did not know how to feel abou it.
He just felt... numb.
A lot had happened in the past few days – after they arrived to Australia that is. Jack, James and him have had dozens of meetings in the short amount of time, and his morale was currently dangerously low.
Apparently, things were not looking good for them. Not good at all.
They found out that the disease is not only elusive, but it also has a medium. Something that decides whether or not an individual contracts the disease or not.
Whatever that meant.
It was all still confusing, even for them. They did a ton of research, and all they managed to come up with was a conclusion that did not even make sense to them.
In the end, Jack made a decision.
And here they are.
After carrying out a different investigation, they uncovered something else. Something that had to do with Mercenaries and Protectors, and the wierd resemblance between them.
They were still not sure if they were one and the same thing – or even if they are connected for that matter – but there are some concerning similarities they shared.
For one, they all had had the same glassy, lifeless eyes, but not everyone noticed them. Except for Major of course.
He first noticed this anomaly a few days after they departed for their mission. It was in one of those classified tapes they are 'not allowed to see'.
The mercenaries behaved a little... strange. As if on a trance or something, and then he noticed something else. Of course, in the beginning he hesitated to share the information with Benji and James, but then decided against that idea.
Benji sighed, got up and left the tent.
***
"Fuck, fuck! What the hell?!"
Oliver paced around the tent restlessly. His face was pale, beads of sweat rolling down his flushed cheeks. He buried his hands in his hair and gritted his teeth.
"What the hell just happened? What the hell is happening? What is going on?!"
His mind was in chaos. He was so confused. What was even more confusing is the fact that everyone is acting like everything is normal, even though the situation was anything but normal.
He tried to calm himself down and greedily drank from his water bottle. He sat down on the mattress and collected his thoughts, attempting to go over what he knew.
Nothing. He knew nothing, and that was precisely the problem.
How the hell did Major agree to this? What game is he playing? Did he really approve of these arrangements? Was the woman lying? If so, then why? What would they gain?
Countless questions flooded his mind, giving him a headache. He ignored it and rested his head on the uncomfortable mattress. He tried to go over what had just happened, and still failed to come up with a suitable conclusion.
He was so tired and spent, he could feel his mind slowly drift into the sweet embrace of sleep. He touched his face, and let out a curse. His tone barely audible.
'Shit I cannot die.'
Soon he fell into deep sleep.
***
James settled in his tent as well. He was tired to the bone, but was afraid of falling asleep, even though he knew it was useless. He knew it was inevitable.
That was the worst part. Knowing and not being able to do anything. Bearing the weight of knowledge without any means or power to change the outcome of what is fated to happen.
He placed his belongings on the mattress and frowned as it made a strange noise. Something else caught his attention though, something moving outside the tent.
He was not really afraid, as far as he was concerned, he was still one of the best in the military. And people of that camp were supposedly nice and accommodating...
It could have been one of those Protectors though, if so then he would be in trouble, but he doubted it was. The elusive figure was not exactly guant and masculine, but it was oddly familiar.
The shadow loomed over the entrance of the tent, and he stood still and watched as the figure slowly opened the zipper. He probably should have done something, but was too tired and dejected to even try.
The tent opened and a familiar pale figure stepped inside.