CHAPTER 13: Nighttime Bliss

LeRoy groaned and smashed his face on the table as Annalise sang out a triumphant, high-pitched cheer as she shoved the pile of loot to her side of the table. The windows outside were pitch black, and darkness enveloped the room with the exception of a hollow round LED lamp hanging from the ceiling. It gave off an atmospheric red glow that painted everyone a vibrant pinkish color, aside from their casual clothes, which looked like tinted shades of black. Music was playing from a small portable speaker set right in the middle of the translucent white(now colored pink) table. Midnight laughed at his foolishness. He had a solid twenty, tied with Annalise, but chose to raise. He had busted. BlackJack was one of Midnight's favorite games due to its simplicity, but luck was not on his side. Annalise looked through her winnings of gold rings, necklaces, and even some keepsakes that the Plagues acquired as trophies during World War III, one of such artifacts being the GE-rhino, one of the experimental rifles the world had made in desperation against the TA and their mysterious power. Originally, the world had thought that the secret behind the TA mercenaries' strength was their suits(which wasn't wrong), overlooking the possibility of genetic modification. Since the TA would recover the bodies of their fallen soldiers and wipe the area clean after the battles, they had no way of finding out. LeRoy was especially sad because he had some valuable dog tags in there from famous high officers that he had killed over that fateful year. Midnight could only bet actual money he had scavenged off of the dead from Jackal's corps, making sure not to bet the precious dog tags of those soldiers he had respected(taking only one of the two, assuring that the body could be identified. LeRoy, in all of his savagery, took both every time). Annalise took the deck and shuffled with lightning-fast hands. She then gave it to Chandler, who shuffled it out of view to make sure no cheating was involved. Annalise quietly sang to herself while waiting. Her voice was soft and smooth, and her range and pitch accuracy were perfect. Midnight was amazed by her talent, and made sure to comment on it.

"Where did you learn to sing like that? It's good!" Midnight said in a soft, smooth voice.

"Thank you!" she said in a high-pitched voice "I've sung all of my life, and even made a good career out of it. Don't do it now, though. I already signed the contract with the TA, so no going back now."

"Hmph, what made you choose to leave such a dream job and come here, of all places. Usually, the only reason why people join is because they have no life or money." Midnight said, intrigued. The next time she spoke, her voice was more matured and nostalgic.

"Things don't last forever, and I was a prime example. I was growing old and saggy. The days of my youth were at their end, and I was unsure of how many decades I had left. I took care of my body, but there was only so much I could do before I would meet an inevitable fate shared by all humans. I was scared of death, of dementia, of cancer. It took the joy out of my breath, out of my voice. We don't know what's on the other side, and I didn't want to find out. So I looked for a solution to my problem, and that's when they came for me. They offered what I was looking for, my greatest hope. This gift would not come without payment, however. It required my loyalty and devotion to the TA. I was at first inconclusive about my choices, but I eventually came to a solid conclusion: I would risk my life and voice so I could keep it for longer. It was an investment and a gamble. I really was that prideful and greedy to accept that poisoned black chalice, but after it was done, I never regretted it. Hell, I love my job! I've killed many people and I don't care, which is something that I never even thought possible!" She said with a smile like it was something to be proud of. Midnight felt disgusted by the fact she was so desensitized but was even more repulsed by the fact that he was like her in a way. When he was taken, he didn't mind the fact that he would have the possibility to escape the concept of a short-lived life. But he never used that as a means to justify the killing he had done. Seeing her with that mask of a smile reminded Midnight to keep hold of what little humanity he had left inside him. He did not hate Annalise, though. Midnight looked at the other Plagues and asked the same question.

"What about you guys? How did you end up here?" Midnight said, slouching back into his chair while crossing his arms and extending his crossed legs straight. Alwin went first.

"I was helping out Chandler with his pickpocketing. I would always be the distraction while he did his thing. I would have to bolt out of there as soon as they realized, though. One day we tried a theft on a much larger scale, but we were in over our heads. Chandler over here knew this, and so he bought time for me to escape. I ran as fast as I ever could, but it was useless, the security was faster. OMA came one day and freed both of us at once, offering us the same deal. You can guess what happened after that. I asked for better legs, and now no one can catch me!" Alwin remarked. Silence persisted before Brandy looked up from his armband and realized it was his queue.

"Let's see..." Brandy said as he pieced together what he would say.

"It was a very similar situation to Annalise's. I was a college professor, loved to learn new things, and my students always taught me, too. I spent my life gaining any knowledge I could get my hands on. My experiences were rich and savory, but I became a victim of stage four cancer when I was fifty-five. I was… broken… in a way after that. I cursed the world because I never got to put any of my knowledge to good use. It would all just vanish, disappear without a trace. I hated it. It would have been such a waste. Thankfully, the TA reached out to me, and I didn't hesitate to accept the treatment. I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain." He said in a soft-spoken voice that was aged and intelligent. LeRoy opened his mouth to speak, but Alwin rudely interrupted him.

"I'm starving, let's go eat" He said, bouncing out of his seat. The others agreed and all ran after him. They ran down row upon row of stairs until Alwin shoved open the door and looked around the food court. It was late, so the place was quiet and had few people casually talking amongst themselves. Everyone else was sleeping or fulfilling a job request. No lines, no loud interference from the rest of the people. An ideal place to relax and hang out. They got their pre-made food from an assortment already laid out for them. Midnight pouted. He had yet to hear LeRoy's and Julia's origins, the two he was most interested in. These people were living legends of one of the greatest wars in history. He had once only been able to think about what the TA troops may have been like, and now he knew all too well. He thought that the TA had such an interesting dynamic of recruitment. One would think that it was flawed, but low and behold, it stood strong. Every TA member had some sort of dark history to them, and it all connected them in a way that made them feel accepted and free to be whomever they pleased. It was a beautiful, complex system. They only had a few very strict rules laid out, such as not creating fruitless violence, and aside from that, a TA member could do almost anything. Midnight sat down at a booth and unwrapped the goodness before him. If anything were to cheer him up, It's food with friends. The other Plagues arrived and had to split themselves between two tables because the tables were too small. They were still easily within earshot, though. Alwin sat on the table itself and pointed his hands up into the air.

"You Chandler, give me the juice!" He said loudly. Chandler grabbed the bottle and flung it towards Alwin, who just barely caught it.

"āmeseginalehu shimagilē" he said laughing. Chandler kept a straight face.

"inikwani dehina met'ahi gobezi" Chandler said. Midnight could only understand a fraction of what they said. He could've easily just looked up the Amharic language, but he had limited time and only managed to pick up a few words here and there. The Plagues, on the other hand, knew many languages, as it's very easy to learn when you have perfect memory. Spanish, English, French, German, and various local languages were all within their vocabulary. The Plagues talked and ate their wat and injera with side dishes to boot. This was the first time Midnight had tried the stuff. It was both hearty and spicy, just the way he liked it. Alwin and Annalise both coughed and pushed away their meals, their eyes and noses watering as their faces flushed a deep pink. LeRoy and Chandler dug into their food with indifference, while Julia and Brandy took their time to savor the meal. They discussed many things, all while ignoring Midnight's pleas for the history he so desired. The group eventually left to go back to the large dorms that they had played cards in. Since they were the Plagues and Midnight was a guest, their dorms were bigger and more functional than the average member's. Instead of seven individual rooms, there were three large rooms: a living room of sorts, and two other sleeping quarters divided by gender. It was an ideal place for closeness and conversation. They all sat in a chair around the circular glass table. They messed around, talking, laughing, learning. Annalise had even challenged Julia and Chandler to a fight of vocal ranges. Both of them being the competitive hotheads that they were, they accepted regardless of their odds. They sang their favorite songs, tension building up as the songs drew closer to their climax. Chandler pulled out an impressively high and clear squeal of a note, and everyone laughed and cheered him on. Julia's range wasn't as spectacular as Midnight had expected. However, even though she was thoroughly embarrassed, she didn't back down. She tried again and again until she managed to strike a moderately high note. Midnight and Brandy applauded, appreciating the work she put into that. The others jokingly criticized her, which set her off. The chatter eventually died down as the Plagues became drowsier. Once a GMH needed to sleep, that's it, they were overcome by the urge and could fall to sleep in a heartbeat. Alwin was straight up knocked out with his head sideways on the table, drool slowly puddling on the glass. Chandler swooped up the seemingly frail, small body of the fourteen-year-old boy into his arms to get him to bed. The group said their final goodnights as they split ways. Chandler set the boy down and tucked him in before collapsing down on his own bed six feet aside. LeRoy scratched his unkempt brown hair and opened his gigantic jaw to release a long, fatigued yawn. He was the only person here who needed a specialized bed, standing at a jaw-dropping nine-foot one(besting even Robert Wadlow) and weighing five-hundred pounds almost on point. The steel frame of the bed was thick and sturdier than a standard one, and the mattress was huge and had less give to it. His hands, which were big enough to grab a person's head like a doorknob, rested on his stomach as his gargantuan feet poked through the covers like small mountains. He was certainly not a gentle giant. His skin was blank white, as if he were an ethereal entity. Chandler, on the other hand, was about as dark as they came. His hair looked as if it was constantly maintained, because it was. Chandler gave great care and attention to his appearance, much more so than Midnight and especially LeRoy. His face was smooth and nearly flawless. Midnight assumed it had something to do with being previously homeless. One would gain a sense of appreciation for these things when they are stripped away from them, so it only made sense. Finally, there was brandy, whose silver-grey hair stayed with him in old age. The wrinkles he had talked about had disappeared since the procedure, and he looked glowingly youthful. The fact that he was able to keep his stunning grey hair was a mystery to Midnight, since he would think that the hair's pigment would return as it did with old Annalise. The wonders of the world were mysterious indeed, thought Midnight. Hopefully, he would have the chance to explore them. He pulled the covers tightly over his shoulders, trapping in the warmth as reality faded away like a setting sun in the foreground of a candlelight sky.