Border's guard post

Meanwhile, the lieutenant has carefully prepared the grenade and studied the exact spot where he can freely and safely throw it. He also instructed Baldur to just stay from where he was hiding. Moments later, he positioned in an elevated ground to a point where he can see all the four guards that were just covering their ears whenever there were bomb blasts nearby. It took him almost fifteen minutes to wait for the last guard who urinated to get back inside the guard house and when it happened, he suddenly threw the grenade inside that vehemently crashed them around. It's such a terrible encounter for the four guards but it was the only way for Baldur and George to safely cross the road bound to San Agustin. In a split second, they both crossed the rough road and passed by in the place where the soldiers were lying dead . The smoke was still communing in the air when they'd reached the other side so dark, and began to trudge the grasslands on their way. Those were not easy cover crops on the ground but the famous reeds of the place just naturally looked like curtains in everywhere.

" Whew! I could really say now that the tunnel below was the easiest and the most accessible path rather than here. But at least we're able to overcome the main obstacle." Baldur quickly wiped all his sweats on the forehead while lifting some reeds on sideways as they stepped on its trunk-like stalks lighted by the flashlights.

Moments later, while they were nearing San Agustin, several army vehicles were moving towards west.

" Look where they're heading!" Baldur paused.

" Yes, it seems we thought the same thing. They're adding backups then. Now this makes me more curious if who they're avenging for." The lieutenant whispered.

" Hmm...how about the group of Orlando? they might have...." Baldur paused.

George stopped and turned the flashlight towards Baldur and enough to capture his smiles.

" Haha! what do you think? Thank God...I could feel that it's gotta be them. Heavens!" Then Baldur walked off and George followed.

" After walking silently on grasslands under the crowning big treetops, George stood up in an overlooking edge of a plateau. He seemed was trying to recall where San Agustin was located and then he spoke.

" There! that smoky spot over there, that's their hideout."

It was a starry night so the entire place and the sloppy hillside they both walked on, going down, were all like humanity's evening canopy, unlike when they long had been trudging the dark grasslands, so slippery with the creepy creatures, moving side by side. So there, Baldur asked the lieutenant.

" Bro, I'm a little puzzled if we can really get some information from them. Sounds like they're still fighting with the barracks people." Baldur whispered while they're both approaching to the area.

" Yes, we'll deal with it. They're our only friend here this wartime after the Gabok guerrillas, and hope they can give us the information we need. The people with us are already suffering, so hardly they could not sleep well at night due to health issues, poor nutrition and stresses, huh! come on bro, we must be extra careful, we're nearing. Though, the place is a bit silent, but the barracks people might have stayed. Shh...we're getting in." The lieutenant signaled.

Meanwhile, they both crawled while their hands were on their rifles when something fell from above. It's such a human body that passed through them as they quickly moved out when the body had hit them. Terrified by it and made them breathless when the barracks people were chatting on top of them, on a hilltop next to a plateau. They were speechless and extra quiet as their sweats were outnumbered especially when there were around a dozen of men chatting and as if looking down at them inspecting and ensuring the dead body they're freshly threw was still there. It seems their last hunt was a dignitary man where they made some follow-up. Noises were in the air while both were freezing below, watchfully listening and kept their rifles anytime ready. When the noise passively left, Baldur and the lieutenant climbed up a little, but slowly. Reaching the surface was worrisome. Smokes sprouted everywhere and there's a zero visibility even if they have their flashlight on.

" What we'll gonna do?" Baldur whispered as he knelt on the ground.

" This is crazy! No one's moving around except us, I guess. Where's officer Orlando's team? come on, let's move towards the bahay kubo's, let's try to find out anyone or officer Orlando himself.". George blurted.

Both of them hurriedly moved at the exit part of officer Orlando's place and the lieutenant was even astounded by the messy and topsy-turvy place. There's a sliced log in the center along with a newspaper on its surface, and it's the Daba Time.

" God has favored us after a long way travel and been into a terrible encounter with the barracks people at the border post." Baldur picked it up and extended it to George.

" Thank God...He really gives this favor. C'mon, let's bring it back to station one. Let's be in a hurry and it's almost dawn. Besides, we have to try searching for officer Orlando and his team while on our way as I'm puzzled of their whereabouts." The lieutenant whispered.

While leaving that dilapidated and smoky, place, the birds overhead started to chirp and the morning winds softly made them a little sleepy. Though, they tried hard to almost run so that they can pass by again through the border safe. But suddenly, on a hillside, they found a human bodies lying a little downhill.

"Bro, the Filipino soldiers and some guerrillas!! their uniform looks that its them! C'mon! let's try to save them!" Baldur was almost shouting.

" Shh...they aren't. I suspect it that way." George uttered while they both looked at the faces too close.

" What? brilliant! so what does that mean?" Baldur smiled and George tapped his shoulder while prepared themselves for the travel.

" So brilliant, meaning, some of them has worn the uniforms of these dead men here?"

" Exactly..." The lieutenant became high spirited knowing his friends were moving into the enemies' place.