Ground of oam oams cry, p.23
Ground of Oam (Oam's Cry), page 23
Levi didn’t like it that the man did that. It was unorganized and could easily have gotten him killed, but it did give Levi a good position to fire from. Getting into a prone position, Levi placed his body behind a medium sized rock.
Resting his rifle on top, Levi looked through the scope. Bullets flew all around him and all he could do was react when he got close to an accurate aim. Firing off a shot Levi hit one Rebirtha square in the chest. Ejecting the spent cartridge and reloading another he put another round into the Rebirtha’s chest. It fell back dead from the best he could tell.
Not taking time to gloat Levi fired again missing a Rebirtha by an inch. Out of his peripheral vission Levi could see the first escort quickly standing up. He didn’t understand why, but then he saw something small hit the ground in front of the man.
Immediately the thing exploded sending the man flying into the air. The second escort fell backwards from the explosion, and Levi was distracted by the concussion. He felt like shouting, but he couldn’t speak.
Turning his head back around Levi saw a Rebirtha soldier running at him with a sword. Reacting quickly he fired his gun, but it only clicked without a bullet in the chamber. He then reared up and jumped to the side. The sword missed him, but now he was in the open. Standing up he once again withdrew his sword and blocked another blow. Meanwhile, bullets were still fired at his direction from other Rebirtha.
After blocking, Levi lunged forward and shoved his sword into the Rebirtha’s gut. The leather armor made it hard, but Levi managed to penetrate it, and the creature let out a harsh scream. Two more Rebirtha came at him with swords, and he swiftly threw his sword against one of their swords. The second Rebirtha let out a scream when it was hit in the back with a bullet from the second escort who was now back on his feet.
The first Rebirtha shoved Levi’s sword to the side and swung its sword at his head. Blocking the blow Levi tried again to hit the creature, but failed to do so. He spotted more Rebirtha rushing toward them with swords. They must have lost their guns in the crash, but they seemed to be well skilled in sword combat.
Levi swung his sword back around hitting the creature in the head. It didn’t kill it, but it knocked it down for a while. With two more Rebirtha coming at him Levi didn’t know how to defend himself long enough to live. His gun was a few feet in front of him, but there was no time to grab it.
Another pop sounded when a bullet was fired at one of the Rebirtha hitting it in the lower back. It hit on the edge of the armor, but gave enough force to knock it down. The escort then dashed over and thrust his sword in between the Rebirtha’s armor. Withdrawing it he slashed at the other Rebirtha forcing it back.
Levi also slashed at the Rebirtha, taking off its head. Moving over to grab his rifle the escort fended off another creature. After knocking it down, bullets began to hammer into the man’s chest.
“No!” Levi managed to scream. He watched as his comrade fell back dropping his gun. While reloading his rifle again, Levi quickly spun around to aim at the Rebirtha with the gun. It was a few yards away from him aiming with its automatic weapon, and immediately Levi had it in his cross hairs, but before he could fire he felt something hit him from behind.
Falling forward Levi pulled the trigger missing the target. He hit the ground with his palms flat to steady himself. Then two leathery hands grabbed him by the head. One was wrapped around his face while the other wrapped around his neck. Levi tried to fight back, but the grasp was strong and it began to twist his head in order to break his neck.
Then the creature screamed as it was hit in the back by a bullet. Falling forward it lost its grasp on Levi. Looking around to see his savior Levi saw one of the women in the group with a rifle. He didn’t know who it was, but there was no time to ask questions.
Looking back down at the Rebirtha laying on its back, Levi saw that it had a gun slung around its shoulder. Quickly grabbing it Levi found himself sitting on top of the creature with the rifle in his hands. It was an automatic with a scope. Levi didn’t bother aiming though. He just released a torrent of bullets toward the Rebirtha that shot down the second escort.
Letting out a scream it fell back dead. Levi didn’t cease firing though. He continued to shoot at the remaining Rebirtha, some of them falling over dead as others ducked for cover. Levi aimed at all the ones in the open hoping to take out as many as possible. He had no cover, so it was only a matter of time before he was hit.
Feeling a hand grab his arm, Levi realized that the Rebirtha he sat on was still alive. The thing barely had any strength left, but whatever amount it had it used it to pull the gun down.
Levi couldn’t kill it though. If he stopped firing at the other creatures then he would be shot. Trying to hold the Rebirtha down Levi continued to fire at the others. It all happened in a matter of seconds, although it felt like eternity.
One of the other Rebirtha stood up a few yards away with a small pistol in its hand. Taking a shot Levi felt the bullet hit him in the upper part of his chest were his armor was. The force was strong enough to knock him over.
It was then that the wounded Rebirtha pushed him off, and Levi found it on top of him with a knife in its right hand. Levi’s arm was pinned down preventing him from shooting the gun. The Rebirtha’s face was completely covered in the same leathery mask as all the others; with only two holes for its eyes, Levi could feel it staring at him. It had its arm raised with the knife and it pushed it down against Levi’s face. Levi, with his right hand, grabbed it by the wrist preventing it from going any farther.
Letting out a scream Levi used every bit of strength he had. Bullets were still fired from behind, though he didn’t know why. He thought that it was his end. Giving one last kick with the knee he managed to free his left arm. Grabbing the Rebirtha’s arm with both hands He quickly rolled the creature off of him.
Not taking any more time Levi seized the knife and plunged it into the Rebirtha’s head. Looking up he saw the rest of the Rebirtha with their guns firing in the opposite direction of where Levi was. Then he saw the other escorts firing back from the other side.
Relief filled him when he realized that the others had come back for them. Shouts of excitement came from the escorts when they took out the remaining Rebirtha. Levi watched as the last one fell.
“Oh yeah, we did it,” a voice shouted, as it came running forward. It was Lagden again, followed by the other escorts. Levi never thought that he would be so happy to see the kid before.
Looking over to see the other escort who was shot, Levi quickly ran over. Kneeling down beside the man Levi could see that he was still alive, barely holding on. Blood pooled up around his body. The escort let out a cough spitting up blood.
“We need some help over here!” Levi shouted urgently. He put his hands over the wounds and pressed down, but there were too many holes in the man. Panic and sorrow touched Levi when he saw the man laying there. The soldier had saved him multiple times that night, and he didn’t even know his name. He never even had a chance to thank the guy.
The other escorts ran over to them as well as the women from the group. There was no doctor around to help. Levi didn’t have the slightest idea of what to do.
“Tyndale!” one of the other escorts said, when he saw the man lying there.
They had to keep moving, or else they would be found by more Rebirtha. They had a wounded soldier though, and the only thing Levi could think about at the moment was – what more could he have done?
Chapter Eleven: Worse Than Death
It is my honor and duty, to present a soldier like no other.—Bionine official
Isaac Kierken sat on his uncomfortable bed with his back against the wall. He felt twice as miserable now than he did before. His Bioskin was still decaying without the source to feed it, and no one had been by since his talk with the Akilian.
There was something that bothered Isaac more than his Bioskin dying though. He remembered the offer that the Akilian had made: Join the Rebirtha and live. The thought of doing so sickened him. The Rebirtha had caused so much pain for so many people, destroying their cities and killing people.
Isaac didn’t like the idea of joining something so evil, but then again he felt lost. The old world he once knew had disappeared a long time ago. Maybe the Rebirtha weren’t as bad as he thought. Isaac didn’t know what his true purpose was anymore.
He didn’t know whether or not to believe what the Akilian had said. He had no clue who the man was, but it seemed that the man was right about everything. Isaac found it hard not to believe the Akilian.
Lyle Founthead came to Isaac’s mind. When the international powers had hired Isaac, they gave him a group of highly trained soldiers for him to lead. They worked alongside him in all his missions. Lyle Founthead was probably the best out of them all, and he had taught Isaac much as well.
Lyle and the other men were killed when the Rebirtha attacked. For a long time it was something Isaac would hate the Rebirtha for. He had often wished that his men were still around. It would have probably made this decision easier to make.
The cell Isaac was put in remained quiet and dead sounding. He wondered if there was any more life down there with him. Every now and then he thought that he could hear a moan, but it could very well have been his imagination.
Hearing the door lock click open, Isaac quickly looked up at the door. The rusty metal hinges made a creaking sound as it opened. A dark shadowy figure stepped in, clearly a Rebirtha. This one wasn’t as deformed as the others though. It wore the same leathery armor that they all wore except for the leather mask.
The face had a few scars but otherwise normal. Isaac could see that it had short blond hair, and a Roman nose. Isaac was surprised to see that it was the only Rebirtha there, and it held no chains for Isaac.
“Have you made a decision?” the Rebirtha asked, in a deep tone. Isaac had to think for a while before answering, but he already had his mind made up. He had known since his conversation with the Akilian.
“Yes, I have,” Isaac replied, in a weak tone. He felt tired and nauseas. The thought of feeling the source pulse through his Bioskin again sounded refreshing to him.
“Then come with me,” the Rebirtha said. “You will give your response before the council.”
“No chains?” Isaac asked, before getting up.
“There is no need for chains,” the Rebirtha responded. “I am only one Rebirtha, and if you kill me you will do no harm to us. The only harm done will be to you.”
Looking up into the Rebirtha’s eye’s Isaac felt sorrow. He felt like he was walking to his death, and leaving everything he had ever known and fought for.
Isaac’s legs felt weak and tired. Mentally he felt like he couldn’t move. He didn’t want to, but he pushed those thoughts to the side. With all the strength he had left, Isaac forced himself up. His legs trembled underneath his weight. He felt like an infant who was just beginning to walk.
The Rebirtha waited for Isaac to get closer, making sure that he would be able to move. Once he saw that Isaac could, he turned around and continued down the corridor slowly. Isaac followed as fast as he could.
Every step he took hit the ground hard, and with every hard footfall, dread and sorrow would make his gut cramp. Isaac almost felt like weeping as he moved down the corridor. People’s faces came to his mind, and old memories that he used to cherish. He knew that he would miss them, and that they were all going to be gone soon.
Following the Rebirtha, Isaac felt helpless. He needed someone’s help desperately, but there was no one he could turn to. So, he just walked behind the creature of death. Soon they made it to the end of the corridor. Isaac had been in this hall before. Instead of going to the interrogation room though, the Rebirtha led him into an elevator.
It was dark inside like everything else with only a little light to see. The Rebirtha pressed a button on the panel and the iron doors shut. Isaac almost stumbled when the lift began to move up. When it stopped the doors slid open revealing another short hall.
They went through it and came to a large double door. The Rebirtha led him through it into a large square room. The metal walls were a rusty blue color, and there were pipes traveling across the ceiling and walls. Isaac didn’t know what the original purpose of the room was supposed to be.
In the center of it was a thick metal chair bolted to the floor. The room was dark like everything else, and Isaac looked over to his left to see a long table. Behind it sat a dozen people who Isaac didn’t recognize. Their forms were all shadowy making them intimidating.
The Rebirtha brought Isaac over to the chair in the middle of the room and made him sit. Then it moved over next to the door. Isaac felt alone now and almost scared. The shadowy figures behind the table only stared at him for a moment before speaking.
“Thank you for being here, Isaac, we have been waiting a long time for this,” one of them said, as if Isaac had a choice. “The Akilian has made his offer to you. He is not here because he has other matters to attend to right now.”
The figures appearances looked like Endesmic guards. The rumors held that they were the ones leading the Rebirtha, so it made sense that they would be the ones in the council. Isaac glanced over to the Rebirtha that had brought him here as if asking for rescue. The Rebirtha locked eyes with him, but only looked away, ignoring his plea.
“Have you made your decision?” the man asked, from behind the table. Everyone else stared waiting for a response. Isaac couldn’t respond right away. His gut cramped in sorrow and regret too much. Was this really going to be his end, Isaac wondered.
“Wh-who are you,” Isaac said. It came out weak and pathetic sounding. Before, Isaac willed himself to hold back his pain and fear, but now he couldn’t help himself. He felt like his world was coming down on top of him.
The men behind the table looked at each other quickly and one responded saying, “We are the Endesmic guard.”
Isaac stared down at the rusty floor feeling sick. He almost began to weep, but held it back the best he could. A tear ran down his right cheek. He felt like he was abandoning Lyle and all his other previous comrades.
“Will you join us or not?” the man asked again.
The voice sounded cold and uncaring. Isaac sat silent for a while longer. He knew his decision, but was it the right one? The words came out slowly and painfully. His gut cringed at it. “Goodbye” was the last thought he had before answering.
“Yes, I will.” Isaac replied. When he answered he felt guilt and regret touch him. It made him shudder. He felt like taking it back, but it felt too late to him. Immediately Isaac’s world began to vanish. He felt all the ones he cared for begin to disappear because of his betrayal of them. This felt worse than death. What had he done, Isaac wondered. Tears began to fill his eyes, but he still withheld them.
“This is good, you will not regret this,” the man said.
The other Endesmic guard began to look at each other and whisper. It was only because of a small glimmer of light that reflected off of one of their bald heads that Isaac recognized William. His old rival was there to see it all, his brokenness and failure to resist the offer.
He found himself silently pleading to the ones he had betrayed, although they weren’t there. There was no one to comfort him. Isaac could feel the cold stare from the Rebirtha standing next to the door. It felt uninviting and hateful.
“Of course we cannot just let you go,” the man said. “You must prove yourself.” Isaac found it hard to look up at the man, but he forced himself to. “You must take a test of sorts first. If you can pass it then you will be one step closer to becoming a part of us. Your membership with us will ultimately be up to us of course, but the test will help us make the right decision.”
“What kind of test?” Isaac forced himself to ask. He thought he could see a smile form on the man’s face, but he wasn’t sure.
“There is a small town named Ambern in the southeastern part of Tierikium,” the man replied, “It is in the mountains like most human forts. We have known about it for a long time, but they have certain advantages against us.”
Isaac listened closely to what he said, while trying to ignore his feelings. The Endesmic Guard that spoke agitated Isaac. He called the people “humans” as if he wasn’t one. Isaac didn’t know why it bothered him so much, but had the Endesmic guard really forgotten that they were human as well?
“There is a certain item that must be obtained there,” the man continued, while lifting his hand to Isaacs’s right which caused a large screen to appear on the wall. A map of Tierikium appeared on it, and it zoomed in on one spot on the map. It looked like satellite imagery.
A small town could be seen within the Mountain range. It looked like an actual town, and not just some fort that people built for protection against the Rebirtha. This meant that the town was probably there before the Rebirtha attacked. Isaac was surprised that the Rebirtha hadn’t already taken it over. What could they have that would be protecting them, Isaac wondered.
“The town has its own military base with plenty of firepower. There is a bomb shelter there, and the mountains protect them from immediate harm,” the man briefed further on the status of Ambern.
Isaac didn’t know what they planned for him to do because there was no way they would let him carry out a mission like that yet.
The man said, “The main roads that lead to this town have been destroyed. You will have to go by foot.”
Isaac could still feel the cold eyes from the Rebirtha staring at him. It made him feel even more uncomfortable. His gut still cramped with guilt and all of this made it hard for him to listen. He still didn’t know what exactly the mission was.
The man paused for a while before saying, “There is also a Bionine facility there.” Isaac quickly looked back up at the man. “You are familiar with them for sure.” The man spoke slowly. “Is this something you are able to do, Isaac Kierken? Can you fight against the very organization that made you into who you are?”
