Live and Let Live (2)

"A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions-as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all.." – Friedrich Nietzsche

Chapter 3: Live and Let Live (2)

I am incredibly glad that I had pestered my parents to teach me how to cook simple cousine.

The delicious spaghetti with tomato sauce ended up with a positive success, the children loving the dish and almost ending up eating their own plates.

Obviously I know that this wasn't exactly caused from the quality of my cooking, but from the fact their last meal had been almost fourteen hours prior to the dinner.

After cleaning the dishes, Ren and Nora decided to return inside the trailer, opting to sleep there as it was a tad bit warmer compared to the cold temperature of the large building. I was pleased when the boy accepted my offer for some pillows and covers to further keep themselves warm.

This meant that, while there was still some distrust from the minor reluctance to accept my small help, there was still a tiny space for dialogue, although it had to be acceptable to the pink-eyed child.

Nora gave a quiet 'thank you' before entering inside and returning to her previous spot.

It was this brief interaction that reminded me that I was dealing with two traumatized children.

A grimace tried to form in my face, my thoughts focusing on what I should do with them once I reached the closest, working civilization point in Mistral.

While I was going to take care of them for the entire duration of the trip, I was inclined to not bring them with me in Vale.

But this uncertainity wasn't casual or maliciously-crafted, as I knew that once in Vale, things would turn incredibly difficult as I tried to dodge the younger Ozpin while keeping the older one under my strict surveillance. Plus avoiding Salem and her minions.

Man, this is so annoyingly complicated.

I had long thought that the nuisances back home were a mess to deal but... okay, I admit that I actually expected that Remnant wouldn't be any sort of easy walk anyway.

I was stuck in a precarious situation. Deprived of means of comunicating with other people, more capable people, planning of going through a dangerous path that was festered by Grimm and bandits-

Oh. I just remembered that, timeline-wise, Raven has to have already taken the leadership of her tribe and... she patrolled near where I was supposed to pass through.

Now that is a new level of 'being screwed by fate itself' in my circumstances.

But you will surely ask now why am I having this little inner monologue when I am supposed to be resting to be ready for the following morning... and I would reply to you that I am not planning to sleep.

Not with the burning sensation of the medications applied to my wound were giving me, forcing me stark awake for the rest of the night.

Instead of merely procrastinating and dumbly spend the time there merely waiting around for 7 hours, I decided to give a proper look of the factory, the staff-reserved rooms where I hoped to find something in particular that would ease up my not-so-smooth journey.

Getting a flashlight out of the crate containing this kind of stuff, I started to wanted around the complex.

I stared cautiously at the broken doors of a malfunctioned elevator before walking up the metal stairs that led to the floor above, the place being set in two levels and I knew from past experience in job-finding that the staff rooms were set in the highest one.

Most of the doors on the level had been left open, none of the previous occupants thinking about protecting the content of their rooms for the sake of trying to outrun the Grimm.

I glanced briefly through the entrances of each room but my attention was quickly taken by the damaged plaque attached in one of those.

It was the room previously owned by the director of the facility. My hopes increased as I entered inside to find the place well-preserved, just few cabinets having fallen in the mass stampede that was caused by the workers of the factory and the damage caused by some Nevermores slamming on the sides of the building.

At least I think those were caused by several Nevermores as I find unlikely that Salem had yet to give wings to Berials... or maybe there was some type of Grimm I was unaware of that could seriously compromise the predicament even more.

At this point, I was quite paranoid over the many things that could go wrong right now that I hardly found much of a hope to have the 'jolly' trip I had wanted for myself.

I poked softly at the bandages, flinching at the contact was enough to spark a quick, sharp pain through my head. I should seriously stop doing that.

My eyes, half-closed by the tiredness, darted to the immaculate computer-like device attached to the single desk of the room.

Sitting on the creaking chair in front of it, I looked around to find the switch to turn it on and-Ah!

The device blinked alive, the screen illuminating and showing some unknown companies' logos as it booted up to the desktop.

My smile froze and died grimly as I found myself staring at one obstacle I hoped to not find in this world.

Input the Password:

I swore loudly, the room far enough to allow me some vocal reaction to this nuisance, but nonetheless I started to input several combinations.

1234

Wrong Password!

4321

Wrong Password!

Wrong

Wrong Password!

I groaned in my hands as I felt my stress increasing the more those two words appeared on the monitor.

Yet after my third attempt, something else appeared in the screen.

Helping question: The day we officialised our love.

...Seriously?

I mean, Remnant has yet to experience massive hacking issues but to leave this kind of hints around was kind of dumb.

Why not leave it '1234' and bother that approach?

The small photo with a newly-wed couple was still intact in the desk and I gave a quick glance at the date written over it.

"March 18th 1976."

180376

Once I pressed the 'Enter' key the desktop loaded before my eyes and... I smiled widely as I found just what I needed there.

CCT Emergency Connection

I double-clicked the tower-like Icon and a small window opened... waiting for further commands. Blinking at this, I paused a moment to consider what I was supposed to do there.

Was I supposed to digit a simple query? Or maybe should I write a specific command?

My musing came to a close the moment words appeared in the window.

Inquisitive-12: Admin G-41, who is currently using the post?

Oh, was someone monitoring the connections? That would make some sense just to verify the situations of the various settlements... especially with Mistral being so decentralised and disinterested in dealing with the bandits.

Admin G-41: John Bukharin, sir. I request a small evacuation setup for me and two children by the proximities of Gekkeiju.

Inquisitive-12: Is someone there injured?

Admin G-41: Just a flesh wound from a Beowulf, sir. But everyone else is fine and well.

A brief pause followed and I waited for further instructions. If I managed to get a safe passage through this part of Mistral, it would make life much more easier for me.

Inquisitive-12: Due to several sights of a flock of Nevermores in the area, sending a Bullhead directly to the settlement is unlikely.

No. This is- This is unfair!

I slammed my fist on the desk, avoiding to damage the keyboard in the process of stress-relieving.

Inquisitive-12: But it is possible that a Bullhead could be sent to The Claw's Bay.

Claw's Bay? I pulled out from my small backpack the folded map and stared at the Mistrali section of the map and- oh, it is this point.

I think it is an hour or two from Gekkeiju if my basic geographic estimations are correct.

Admin G-41: We should be able to reach it in few hours.

Inquisitive-12: Good. A Bullhead has been ordered to reach the zone, should arrive in four hours from now.

That left me two hours to sit and wait for the transport to arrive.

Admin G-41: Understood, Sir.

Inquisitive-12: 452-682, use this number to call with your Scroll if there are issue in the way. I hope you will reach Paragon's Reach safely, Mr. Bukharin.

The user logged out and so did I.

Turning off the computer, I started to walk back to the truck and, as soon as I reached the stairs, I froze in a panicked expression.

From the small opening in the gates I could see shadows walking around the entrance and, walking slowly towards the vehicle, my sight over the unknown figure got clear and... fuck.

Those were bandits and... OH NO!

Pacing quickly but silently across the space between the stairs and the vehicle, I glimpsed inside the trailer and saw both children still sleeping peacefully. Without thinking too much about it, I moved inside the trailer and tugged at Ren's sleeve.

The boy groggily opened his eyes, his initial look being an irritated one but it quickly collapsed in a wide-eyed one as I had my finger on my lips, asking silently from his silence.

"We got a bandit issue." His eyes widened even more at my whispered explanation. "I want you to be quiet and keep Nora silent too. I am going to get us out of here, do you understand?"

He gave a quick nod. "Good."

Leaving the trailer, I crouch-walked towards the driver's cabin and slipped inside the damaged door and stared at the key already plugged in.

Once I turned it, the sound will surely alert the bandits and draw their attention on the inside of the factory. So the moment I did so and felt the engine roaring to life, I was already pressing my feet on the gas pedal and moving towards the gates.

Wide-eyed criminals stared in shock as the massive form of a truck came through the gates and slammed into them. I didn't see blood but even I knew that a truck in the face was something that killed people. And thus I finally drawed first blood.

Without thinking much about it, my mind forced to focus on the illuminated path, I proceeded through the bandits-filled road and managed to get some more roadkills before I got some replies to my actions.

Several guns of different calibers started to concentrate their firepower onto the driver's cabin, forcing me to duck and pray to not slam anywhere as I moved the vehicle away from the hostile area.

Surprisingly enough none of the bandits had any vehicles that could help in somekind of pursuit of Truck-kun and I was glad that after few moments of doom I was able to leave Gekkeiju mostly unharmed.

Relief slowly started to soothe the pressure I was exercising on the gas pedal and I slowly felt my eyes half-close the moment adrenaline started to leave my body-

Wait, how did the bandits get there without vehicles?

Dread surged through my veins as I found the answer in the most horrifying of sights.

It was a small raven, eyes blood red, approaching the truck from the opposite direction. Her form changed into my worst nightmare, under the pale light of the shattered moon.

MOVE!

Ozpin's voice brought me out of that panic-induced daze, my body tilting to pick the shotgun I had previously used but-GAHHHHHHHHHH!

The glass making up the front window shattered instantly as she thrusted forward and-

The arm that was going for the gun twitched in a pause as my other one was almost cleaved off by Raven Branwen's katana. The blade pierced deep but it was few inches away from severing the bone.

Still the agony was there to keep me awake as I reached rabidly for the shotgun, aiming it as rapidly as my adrenaline-induced reactivity could afford.

I could see her eyes widening at my reaction through her Grimm-like mask.

"B-BEGONE THOT!"

The point-blank blast was effective in sending her flying out of the driver's cabin... but she had left the blade sticking deep in my arm- I-It didn't matter!

Slamming once more the gas pedal as much as I could, the truck reached an high pace while I tried to manouver the vehicle with a single arm and the atrocious pain surging from my injured arm.

Twice in two days. This wasn't a lucky week for me, that's for sure.

My little adrenaline rush deflated as soon as I noticed that the speed was starting to decrease. A terrible realisation was given solid proof when I stared at the fuel's current level and it was... empty.

NononononononononononNO!

Then the truck came to an halt, a very unpleasant one as I felt my hopes of at least surviving this place crushing the quickest ever.

My head lowered on the wheel, defeat painted on my face as I stared blankly at the floor. The blood dripping from my wounds, the one in the head opening the moment Raven slammed on my chest to cushion her entrance, were forming a red lake.

My eyes closed when I felt rustling coming from the foliage by the sides of the mud path. Either Grimm or Raven, I was screwed anyway.

So this is the end of the line? And I had imagined some long adventure. Life do sucks double in Remnant.

But as my mind continued to lose itself in my dark thinking, I failed to notice that the ones currently approaching the silent truck were neither of those.

Just a voice, muffled by my ears as pain drowned me further away from reality, managed to make way to my mind. First with a gasp and then with a loud exclamation.

"He is still alive! WE NEED A MEDIC HERE!"