Chapter 38: Terrible Stauts

*Night has just fallen on our world, Jericho, and everywhere it already stank of death. This day was by far one of the longest of my life and I felt like the worst was yet to come. Rescue teams were constantly bringing wounded and dead back to our camp. Everywhere it was activated and panicked it really seemed that we were *....

-It's a battlefield. *Said Lars*. This is what happens when you let your guard down. We thought we were invincible for too long and now Elysion is making us pay for it.

-They fight back much stronger than usual, that's all. *I tell him excited*. I'm sure with the right tactics we can fend them off.

-You're right Jesse. *He told me*. We can push them back, as we always have. We can push them back again and again and again. But until when ? When do we win?

*When do we win? I had a hard time grasping it at first as for me beating the Elyos was enough, but looking back I realize that they never really tried to seriously challenge us until then. Damn we were really naive*.

- It's fine to push them away. *Said Lars*. But we will have to stop the fight one day, otherwise we will all end up getting killed.

*He walked over to one of the white sheets we used to cover the bodies, he pulled it back partially to the face so I could see, but... There was nothing to see, the face was lint* .

- But... But who is it?

-In your opinion ?

*My gaze narrowed*.

-No, don't tell me... Maggie?

*My heart skips a beat*

- No, it's Adelaide.

- Mrs. Cisse? The teacher from elementary... But what was she doing there? *I shouted*.

-She was bringing food for the guards, I told her to bring me notebooks from the factory and here's how she ended up.

*I could feel despite his jaded look that he was angry but he didn't show it, so he looked at me frustrated and I almost threw up*.

-Jessie, tell me how many of ours are going to have to perish again before Elysion crushes us for good? Our teacher has just died in a war that has lasted for more than ten years already.

*Lars stood up and stared at me sternly*

.

-Look even Nahel is fed up.

*Nahel? Couldn't possibly be shot after all that, no in real life it's not impossible either, looking in his direction I could see he was sitting on a table staring into space as the dead filed past and the white sheets had just failed. There I saw a group of 4 guys approaching him but he didn't calculate them*.

-Hey Rashford can we know where you were while our enemies were attacking? *he growled*.

-Hey Calm down Boka.

-Let me go. Those bastards from Elysien came stronger and better armed than ever they decimated the factory team, not only our guys but also non combatants, they fired shells at us, big artillery and where were you all this time?

*This guy has some nerve, I would have gone to beat him up but Lars held me back by the arm. Nahel was still not looking at him and seemed to be staring into space*.

-It's all your fault, you Rashfords, we're here, we're just following you and obeying you, but in the end, you're bastards who take advantage of us. *continued the man*. The Elysians are going to massacre us, do you hear that? I don't want to die so find a solution motherfucker.

* This time it's too much I blow his brains out. But as I inserted my cartridge into my rifle Nahel finally moved his head and with a mechanical movement stared at Boka. The other 3 panicked took a step back*.

- You don't impress me. To spin looks and pressure shots but basically you have nothing in the....

*Nahel stood up and Boka realized that he was a head taller than him. I then realized that the whole camp was watching them*.

-The Elysians are attacking us, eh... And what do you want me to do?

*His words shocked everyone here, me first*.

- And by the way, Boka, why are you yelling at me, shitty asshole? *He continued*.

-I...

-I SAID WHY DARE You, SPEAK TO ME?

*He shouted so loudly that Boka fell on his buttocks destabilizing. It's scary, I've never seen Nahel so angry*.

- And it's the same for all of you. *He said pointing at people*. Why do you come to see me when everything is going wrong? It's my father the chief of the tribe I'm only an executor. Ah yes it's true the Rashfords always them. When everything goes well it was a collective effort but when everything goes wrong it's our fault it's true.

*He started walking in circles as more and more people gathered around him*.

-We taught you to fight, we taught you to hunt, feed, survive, we put a roof over your head. I taught you to be strong. And today the Elysians are coming in and giving you a fuck. AND WAS IT MY FAULT?

*Each time he cried a shiver of terror ran down our spines*.

- What are you going to do, huh? Hand me over to our enemies and hope they stop shooting at us? So go do it.

*He clasped his fists and showed them to the crowd*.

-Who wants to sell me? Go try it right away I really don't give a fuck.

*They took a step back when they saw him do that*.

- Do you want to deliver me? You ? Or you ? You Tribe you want to deliver me?

-Of course not ?

-Really you're not sure? And you Oslo? Lars? *he shouted*. I know you've been dreaming about it for a long time.

-No thank you.

*turns to the others*.

-Nobody ? Tch I would not have believed. And you, Boka, why are you talking? No but ARE YOU EVEN USEFUL?

-No Nahel, that is to say that...

*He kicked him in the face which immediately knocked him out*.

- Say what? Why would it be up to me to fix your problems, you had emergency measures, a plan, protocols and you were unable to follow them, and it would be my fault? No no *He laughs*. I refuse to serve you as an excuse, if you are incapable of expressing the slightest gratitude towards your benefactors then I have only to block myself.

*He went to his things and picked up his bag and his rifle before heading towards the exit of the camp*.

-I am with you Nahel Rashford. *Shouted Tribe*.

*He stopped and turned back to the young boy. He was barely 17 years old but he had a determined look. Oslo came out of the ranks with a machine gun in hand and pointed in front of Nahel. His look of a badly polished bear was confusing, but he smiled*.

-I am also with you Nahel Rashford. My guys and I are waiting for your instructions.

-Yeah Boss, always faithful.

- Actually, boss. *Said another guy*. They fucked us badly, these motherfuckers, we wanted to know what you thought.

-Your father may be the chief of the tribe, but he entrusted the army to you. *Said Dimitri who appeared out of nowhere*. If you think we should lay down our arms and stop fighting, we will. Given the firepower they face, we will understand you.

-But if you think on the contrary that we should kick their ass then so be it. *Explained Oslo.*

*Nahel smirked and put his bag on the floor*.

-When you first came to me I told you it was going to be difficult. There are no places here for cowards and weaklings. Are you sure you want to stay?

- I want it. *Shouted Tribe*. I will fight until we kill them all.

- Yeah, us too. *Shouted other hunters*.

-We want to fight by your side Nahel.

-And honestly without you we have no chance. *Whispered Oslo*. So don't be your Diva and stay.

*Nahel smirks and says*.

-Bring me a map.

*Shortly after all the team leaders went to one of the buildings we had taken from the Elysians, we were all there without exception. I saw Lars approach and whisper to him*.

- Congratulations, your little number worked.

-It was not a number, I really intended to cross me. *he says seriously*.

- Hey moron. *I said*. I'm glad you stayed.

-Thanks Jess but we will need more than that.

*Nahel unrolled the map on a board, he had taken off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his T-Shirt*.

- Well, let's start at the beginning. *he says*.

-The enemy arrived by rail early in the morning. *Explained Dimitri*. We spotted them at KM yet we were unable to stop them.

-The guys from the sabotage team have been massacred. *says Oslo*. And like the Factory, it was a real butcher's shop.

- Were you there?

- Yeah, not many people managed to escape. These guys came with an armored train I had never seen that before.

-They took position in the Factory. *Nahel said thoughtfully*. And they entrenched themselves there, the wave of counterattacks was decimated. What are they doing ... Continue.

-Then there were these dirigibles straight from Tarkovia, *Lars continued*.

-Those motherfuckers betrayed us? I have difficulty believing it. *I said*. I mean we still fought together.

-Them, their intelligence service, their army, their government, we don't care. The most important is why the DCA did not shoot down these airships? *Asked Nahel*/

-On this point. *Said Tribe shyly raising his hand*.

-Yes Tribe we are listening to you. *I said*.

-A friend of mine said he saw several ghosts in the forest.

*My gaze narrowed*

.

-Ghosts ? Stop being delirious cretin ghosts do not exist.

*As I said that, Nahel, Dimitri and Lars stared at me*.

- But it's the truth these ghosts killed everyone in their path he survived because he was going to the toilet. Ghosts with sharks' teeth and skulls on their faces.

*For a moment I thought of our friends from the north but after an explanation we let out a reassured sigh*.

-I see, these are the ghosts who killed the members of the sabotage team. *Fit Nahel*.

-And it's probably them who destroyed the flak too. *Added Lars*. Our enemies have an elite unit it seems.

-Who infiltrated us right under our nose. *Said Dimitri annoyed*.

- This is the very principle of this kind of unit *Nahel resumed*. A bit like Lynx. Airships are still in the sky?

- Yeah why? These things are harmless. *Said Asamoi*.

-I'm not so sure.

*Nahel ends up circling different points on the map then backs up a bit to get a better look*.

-Alright. We now know more or less who is where. *I said*.

*Suddenly someone stormed into the room. It was Brenda and she seemed to have fought to get back here. Seeing her, the others stared at her with a disdainful look*.

-Hey, are you going to stop staring at her like that, motherfuckers? *I tell them annoyed*.

-I'm used to it. Anyway, I just came to tell you, the prison camp to the west...

*She explained to us in detail everything that had happened there, and the more we listened to her story, the more it became frightening*.

-The Elysians went there with machines, tracked vehicles, some even spat shells from a cannon fixed on a turret. *Explained Brenda*.

- But what else have they invented? *I yelled sarcastically*. I'm tired of it, we're literally swimming in delirium.

*I got up from my chair and started to walk around the room in a circle*.

-Jessie calm down. *Said Nahel*.

-Calm me down ? Are you kidding me ? Elysion landing with an armored train, huge balloons in the sky raining down soldiers and cannons. A convoy of tracked vehicles, some of which spit shells. Am I forgetting something? Oh yes, a phantom commando that massacres our men with a shovel. No I'm not calm I'm angry.

-Jessie. *Said Nahel calmly*. Sit down right away.

*I saw the others look at me with a surprised look at my reaction. It's true that in this kind of situation I'm the last to crack but I think I said out loud what they think quietly. I obeyed Nahel and sat down, putting my legs on the table*.

-This fight makes no sense.

-Good. *He said, circling a new circle*. Looks like we've got our most formidable foe making his entrance.

-They are armed like bastards, it won't be easy. *says Oslo*.

-Tell me you have a plan Nahel. You always plan. *Says Dimitri smiling*.

-Sorry Dim this time I don't have a plan. I have six.

*An amused smile appeared on our lips and we stared much more optimistically. It doesn't surprise me that he remains so optimistic after everything we've been through. Of all of us he is the only one who believes in it to the end and I too believe in him. I want to believe it. That's why I find myself spotting the prison with my team. The more time passed, the more other teams joined us, the sun would soon set above our heads and it would soon be completely dark. One o'clock in the morning is the perfect time for a night attack, but we were just going to attack as soon as it got dark*.

-Jessie are you in position? *a voice on the radio asked me*.

*I grab the intercom and answer*.

- We just finished regrouping. Our friends have not moved and seem to consolidate their defense.

- Which confirms my suspicions. We apply the plan.

-Yeah... And by the way Nahel...

-What ?

- They have prisoners.

-What ? Since when did Elysion take prisoners?

-This is all taking a really shady turn. *Said Dimitri on the other side*.

- What are we doing suddenly Nahel. *Maggie asked over the radio*.

*We observed a brief silence that made us sweat with stress, then he replied*.

-We apply the plan. Integrate your parts in your heads, if all goes well their leader will come to beg us on his knees that we spare him. He's... *We stared at our watches*. 7 p.m., departure in 5 minutes.

- Proud and ready.

* 1 hour earlier, after the meeting everyone had gone their own way to reassure their guys, some were skeptical but the less we told them the better. With such a plan we should all have been nervous, but it was signed Nahel and it's normal that we believe in it. After briefing the guys on my team, I walked around the place a bit, most of the injured had succumbed to their injuries, others had ended up completely disabled, what Elysion did to us is atrocious, the fact of Using such weapons shows that they are well and truly determined to get rid of us*.

- Either come then, we will make you pay for each of ours that you massacred.

*I finished my round and I saw Nahel come out of his father's tent with a relatively relieved look. Looks like the conversation got rough. I followed him to a tree where he sat*.

-Hey general, I thought you had to sleep before an operation.

*He jumped and tried to grab his rifle but calmed down when he saw me*.

-Pop, you're dead.

- Don't freak me out like that. And where do you call me general from?

-The leader of an army is the general, so you are our general.

*I sat next to him and peered into the forest*.

-She is very poor so my army, they hardly want to fight. On paper we are supposed to have 20 thousand fighters but in fact only a thousand really know how to fight.

-Hey Nahel *Tell him nicely*. Shaddap.

*He complied and looked away. A slight silence settled between us and I put my head against his shoulder just to breathe *.

-Jessie... Do you ever think about your family that we left in the North? I mean the Komians are not all dead if it turns out these monsters did not find them...

-I had said silence Nahel.

-Okay.... Okay...

*I felt he was embarrassed to bring up such a sensitive topic*.

- But if you want to know everything, I often think about it. When I think about Brenda's little brother getting shredded by those beasts... How not to think about it? Elysion may be our enemy today, but in the future this stuff could turn out to be much worse.

-I... I especially wanted...

-As for my father, this carrion is part of the past for me. Besides, my name will no longer be Jessie Komian, but Jessie Kingslay, what do you say?

-That it's an Inglesian name. *He laughed*.

- What are you serious? I thought he was from Acheritz.

-Well Technically Acheritz was an Inglesian colony so...

-Ok, shut up sir, I know everything.

*We finally had our moment when we were interrupted by two other people*.

-Nahel we can see you for 2 minutes. *Asked Dimitri*.

*Calm settled down for good this time the atmosphere was quite tense and I felt that Dimitri really wanted to say something*.

-Listen Nahel I....

-You would like to know where he was during the attack, right?

*They all stared at me as I stood up and looked them straight in the eye*.

-I think he owes us at least that, we are his best friends after all *Dimitri insisted*.

-He doesn't have to justify himself to you or to anyone, you hear me.

-No Jessie what he says is understandable I...

- You let me finish. *I say interrupting him*. It is precisely because he is our friend that we must trust him. Nahel was always there for us no matter the situation, he even faced demon wolf nicknames for me so if he wasn't there during the attack he had his reasons.

*They looked away awkwardly*.

-I forbid you to question his motives is that it is clear.

-Yeah....

-I did not hear. *I shouted*.

-YES MAM

-GOOD.

*Yes I trust Nahel and he trusts me, that's why he asked me to destroy these tanks. And you know what ? I intend to make a carnage *.

*End of chapter*