The Darkest Dawn

George woke up at around 0100 hrs and allowed himself to squat and plan out for their travel.

" Hmm...the usual route could be slippery so we'll alter it through northeast and go down the cliff and directly proceed to station one while only me, Baldur and Albrecht will go back to the granite mountain. Hmm...but the sacks were too heavy, they needed backups, ah, I'll just go along with my comrades and instruct Albrecht to return home and Baldur will stay with me." Then he started to pack up. However, all the rest quickly stretched when they saw the lieutenant packing up and lighted up by the candle.

" Sir, we're ready."

" Shh...Henry, you're still asleep, shh..." The lieutenant whispered and slowly supported him to get back on his space and George signaled to everyone to stay quiet but Albrecht, who knew Henry a little, drew closer and calmly uttered.

" Ehem...we're leaving now. Just go back to sleep."

" What?" Henry attentively stood up and was totally awakened.

" Haha! Henry's comrades were laughing while fixing their things and so Henry went to the cave's nook, smiling and tidy himself.

Minutes after, they all got out and it was truly a difficult exit, most of them were shaky to get out of the hole and climbed on the edge, grasped the roots toward the surface, but the process of doing so was terribly gut-wrenching. It was foggy but Isagani ran to retrieve the sacks of rice under the caladium leaves. Henry and comrades then equally divided the sacks of rice and they have it all by buddy system just to lighten up the burden of transporting it all. In a while, George started to talk and walked side by side with Albrecht.

" Bro, how's our radio, can we still use it to wire the Armed Forces of the Philippines nearby."

" It's still at the Buccaneer's cave, not really sure if it's still there or confiscated maybe? The last time I remember, it was safely hidden below the piled up blanket inside Buccaneer. Why suddenly thought of it when you even prevented to use it before for the Japs might intercept us?"

"Hmm...just tryin' to consider the accessibility of our location if we transfer the radio above the granite house, isn't it possible?" George whispered.

" Possible. It's a perfect spot to communicate through radio, but may I ask if why you suddenly think this collaboration again when they already came to visit us just recently." Albrecht replied.

" Hmm...thinkin' about the updates every now and then, they're a bit closer to the shorelines. We need updates about the markings in the higher ups, the armed forces have plenty of connections than us. Though, we're the lost commando...huh!" George yawned then sighed.

" Yes, indeed. You're right,.but what's your final decision? will we go and collab with them or stay as is with our lost commando. " Albrecht yawned.

" It's something that made me hesitant, though, surely we'll be able to get more once there's that ultimatum joint force, but it can make them radical. Just imagine how Dad reported us as dead insular soldiers. We're considered missing and I don't like to involve them how this fuss in our army had been. Hmm...but their hideout and ours are good spots. We've got opposite locations and is ideal for a great attack." The lieutenant smiled.

" That's supposed to be a good tactic, disturbing them from the east to west would frame them in a roundabout situation, that goes the way my mind thinks, alright. I'll retrieve the radio when we reach the granite mountain, we're almost there." Albrecht then halted everyone to take a rest in one of the century-old trees.

While they rested, Baldur joined the lieutenant who squatted next to Albrecht.

" Brother, the sun's starting to rise from afar. Its almost dawn." Baldur spoke.

They rose to continue walking while carrying the sacks of rice. Meanwhile, in the granite house, Damian knocked on the door at room number 3 and it made Magee stood up like in a hypnagogic state.

" Damian! are you okay? what happened?" She asked.

" Mama...there's a sound I've heard from a distance. It awakened me."

" What do you think was it?" Magee asked.

" Bombs... it seems." He stood up with worrying eyes.

" It's war time so just ignore what you hear and you may get back to sleep, everything will be alright." She smiled looking at him through a candle lit.

" But I'm really afraid, Mama." b Magee smiled and carried him back to room number 7. She made sure when she gets out, the boy could go back sleeping. When he did, Magee slowly closed the door and returned to room number 3 and sighed while clasping her blanket.

" Oh God...heal our land. Please save us." She was teary eyed and lay down on bed. Her tears, despite its flow on her cheeks still led her to sleep. Minutes after, another bomb blasted and it seems nearby yet Magee was still on her deep sleep, so sound that she never knew someone carried her out of room number 3. The heavy paces of boots made her awakened but there's another man who covered her mouth with a smelly cloth and tied her feet so tight that she could barely move her lower extremities till she became breathless. There's around three armed men who abducted Magee and when they reached room number 7, one of them picked up Damian's hand as they all walked off towards the secret door of room number 7. Before losing her consciousness, she'd heard them talking to Damian as the little boy responded and cried. She was trying her strength to stay awake but the early sunrise burnt her skin and made her suffocated, till she gave up and collapsed.

" Please, don't harm her. She's really good to me. I promise to be good, just treat her well...please." Damian begged to the three armed men.

" Stop it!" One of the abductors warned the little boy.