"We don't know anything," Josh said, his eyes darting between Betty and Weber.
Betty nodded her head "Oh really? Where's your friend been to get those injuries?"
"That's not why you came here," Weber began, the room dimming as if shadows were enlarging "and so, if you pry beyond your job, you won't get far."
"Don't tell me how to do my job. And I'll warn you, I have info against your favor. If I release it, you'll be in trouble."
Weber clenched his fists and walked to the door and opened it "Leave. Your time is up. Or else... "
Betty sprang to her feet with a scowl, "Or else what? Snuff me out? You think people are stupid?"
"Yes. That's why the country is in shambles and the people forgotten."
"And that's why if you cooperate, you could help this country." Betty replied sharply. Then the room became even darker and the air cold.
"I don't think you get it," Weber's voice lowered but remained eloquent "I don't want glory through slavery. And that's what the government does to people right?"
Betty stiffened as the room was much darker, even though the windows were open and there was daylight and the lights were on. Then she smirked in spite of being shaken.
"I guess if you won't talk, your power will do it for me."
"Um...maybe the ghost is elsewhere?" Josh chimed in.
Betty began cackling, "can you explain all this?" she said gesturing her hands around the room and pointed at Weber, "or this?" Josh turned and was ashened to see Weber's hazel eyes glowing white.
"Don't tell me he's getting us into trouble before we really started life?" Josh thought.
Then Weber slowly turned his eyes away from Betty and looked at Josh, and a frown crept up his.
"Unfortunately, I don't know anything about this, and if you tell authorities, I won't stay put. Just... Don't involve my friend." Weber said.
Betty took a step back "if you can stop this whole act you're causing, sure."
Weber nodded negatively "I can't control it—" then the room brightened back to normal and his eyes were hazel again.
He caught Betty whipping her head around the room.
"That's a coincidence. Are you saying what you wanted to or what?" Weber snapped.
Betty cleared her throat, "well, ghost, if you want to cover this up, I can make it 'look' like you never had anything to do with it—"
"Under the conditions?" Weber finished quickly.
Betty smirked "under the condition that you that you help my friend."
"And who's this friend?" Weber asked.
"He's an archeologist and Anthropologist. He needs access to a place that might provide power that could help in the war, and we all know it's only worsening. And you might have the necessary power." Betty said, her words hanging onto Weber and Josh's minds.
"And if I don't want this?" Weber asked glaring at her, "and what's a person with such a connection doing as a journalist? What's your gain?"
"The end of the war. Things are only getting worse. And I've never seen anyone with such talents," Betty replied, her tone cold "and if you don't comply, you're indirectly this country's enemy."
Weber rubbed his head and hair using his hand.
"For the umpteenth time, I can't control this power and I'm not interested in playing hero. Go find other victims."
He said pointing towards the door.
She left through the door slowly and turned back, "I hope you have nightmares. I hope you have nightmares of our foes killing our people cause you were a coward."
Weber glared at her "and I hope you and your kind don't attract early deaths by taking people to their untimely deaths."
Then he slammed the door.
Josh's eyes widened and his eyes darted between Weber and the door, "If she gets word out, we're done for."
Weber nodded "I had a feeling that my eyes shaking earlier and it's settling on the door might be it warning me and when it settled in the direction of the danger, it stopped."
Josh paused and recalled Weber's eyes glowing and shaking and not stopping till they fell on the door.
He remained silent in deep thought.
"That time I said I want to rest?" Weber began, catching Josh's attention "yeah, that was me packing some of my stuff. I had a feeling it would come to this, so I'm gonna finish packing."
Josh knitted his brows, "that time you had us prepare a transcript for uni a while ago, don't tell me it's what I'm thinking."
Weber nodded in affirmation "yes, that's right. We're not just leaving home, but the country."
Josh sighed and fell onto the couch.
"I'm not forcing you to follow me. If you can't, don't." Weber said.
Josh clasped his hands onto his face "if I stay, things will only get worse. If I follow you, danger will probably always be at your side. I'd just be deadweight."
Weber sat down and bent over to his knees and buried his face in his hands.
"Do you know the annoying part, Josh?" Weber began "people think I want this. But I don't. At this rate, it's best to leave the country, for me at least."
Josh nodded.
"Hey, there's nothing either of us can do. And if I want to survive, I might as well follow you. We've been like brothers even though we're both only children." Josh said tilting his head and smiling.
Weber was silent for a few moments and was looking at Josh, then his eyes opened a little wider.
"I'd advice you don't follow me, but either option is dangerous. So yeah, you can follow me," Weber said standing to his feet "We leave mid night."
12 hours later.
Weber and Josh were in black hoods and trousers and took the darkest parts of the alleyway.
Ever since the government was too focused on the war, social amenities had been given a back seat and the once bright and buzzling city now had a lot more dark corners.
"When we reach, we can't get tickets without them having to check if a person has mana essence." Josh said as they arrived at the stairs leading to the underground subway.
"Which they do to see if you can join the war and if they find out you have mana essence and don't join the war..." Weber trailed off in thought.
"They increase your taxes like crazy till you join the war." Josh finished.
"What do we do then? I can't afford whatever they might have me pay," Weber said.
"I always have extra tickets, so we can try and by pass the guards."
The subway had dozens of people waiting for the next train. It was dark, but a few light bulbs kept the place illuminated. People would elbow themselves, and for every train that came there'd be a stampede and people would die by trampling. Screams were heard throughout the subway and people were mourning the ones they loved but lost.
"I wish I could fly, literally," Weber hissed.
"This is actually good—not the death part, of course—but no one will notice our movement." Josh remarked.
Weber stiffened at his remark "that's kinda dark. Am I having effect on you?"
"No idea," Josh replied, pointing at the subway checkpoint "let's live long enough to know." He said and walked on and Weber following behind.
When they reached a checkpoint, a police officer visually examined the duo.
A person in front of them went first, was scrutinized and was found to be a mana user.
The young girl's eyes widened as her secret had been discovered.
"You must join the war. Age doesn't matter. You're below 18, so you're a recruit for training."
"I refuse!" She yelled. She tried running away, but two other officers pinned her hard to the ground and tears rolled down her eyes.
Josh fidgeted and whipped his head to Weber "do something! Anything!"
"It's not our business. And doing anything will only worsen our situation" Weber said scowling "we should be worried for ourselves."
Josh took a deep breath and walked towards the guard and showed him his ticket. The guard put it inside a fist sized machine to check authenticity and it checked out.
"Place your hand here." The guard said, revealing another machine that was a flat and wide glass.
As Josh put his hand on it, there was no reaction.
The guard cleared his throat and without making eye contact said, "you may go."
Josh passed through the checkpoint.
Weber squinted his eyes as he observed the machine.
"Obviously a mana detector."
"You next." The guard said matter of fact. He confirmed the authenticity of Weber's ticket and handed him the mana detector.
Weber's fingers twitched as he touched it and the detector turned black.
The guard's eyes widened.
He tapped it several times, but it wouldn't change. He kept it inside a bag and brought out another one.
"That one must have been damaged. It's been used by hundreds by now. This one is new. Now, your hand," he said, gesturing to the mana detector.
Weber was about putting his hand on it, then pulled his arm away, then put it on the detector.
Josh was on the other side of the checkpoint, his heart racing as he watched.
As Weber put his hand on the detector, there was no response.
"You may go," the guard said tersly.
Weber rushed past him and went towards Josh.
As they were dodging dozens of people choking themselves, the guard that inspected Weber and Josh gasped and his brows furrowed when the mana detector turned black as night, again.
"So it wasn't a malfunction," he whispered and he whipped his head around the direction of Weber.
"You! Stop there!" He yelled running at high speed.
Josh and Weber turned back and saw the guard closing in on them.
Then a train arrived.
They jumped in and as the guard was about entering, Weber kicked him in the chest, sending him to the ground.
As the train began moving, they quickly sat on the floor and exhaled.
Looking around, they heard children crying and the air was tight due to overpacking of people.
"Are we actually going in as refugees to displaced persons camp?" Josh whispered.
Weber didn't reply and just sighed and curled up on the floor, burying his face into his knees.
Josh did similar and closed his eyes.
Then the train stopped suddenly at the middle of the railway.
People that were sleeping or absent minded eye fidgeted and shook as the train stopped suddenly and violently.
"I'm sorry, everyone," a man in a hood put it down and revealed a red headed man in his late thirties "I am Desmond. And I need to inform you all that if you comply, you won't have to leave the country, cause it will be saved."
"What are you saying?!" one man yelled.
"What are you doing?" screamed a woman.
People bombarded curses and questions at Desmond but he remained silent and raised his hand, and the nearest four people in front of him fell to the ground and became lifeless, and the room fell silent.
"Who else wants to ask something?" He said, looking around, "Good. Honestly, I don't know why people misbehave when they're about to be helped."
Desmond cleared his throat "now, the thing is, you don't have to flee. We need someone here. Whether ghost or man, we don't know. And he's on this train. If no one comply, well, I'll just make you like these four," he said, pointing to the dead bodies on the floor.
Weber gnashed his teeth.
"How do I know? Well, the truth is it's only a hunch. But this is the cheapest and safest route for him to by pass." Desmond said and started looking around the passengers.
"No one has anything to say? Fine. For every one minute that passes without an answer of where he is, five people will drop dead. Too bad you don't have mana essence. You could have escaped." Desmond said, his grin widening.
Several people rushed to the door and tried breaking it down, but upon contact, they dropped dead from being electrocuted.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce my assistant. This is Zir." He said gesturing to a huge man with brown hair and blue eyes in a tank top, black jacket and blue jeans.
"The train is immobile cause of him. So... Comply, you live. Don't comply, the bodies only pile up."
Everyone was frozen.
Then Josh caught sight of Weber. His eyes were darting left to right slowly, then began moving rapidly.
"Not this again!" Josh whispered.
"Why now?"
Desmond looked around at the passengers, then raised a hand and a glowing purple mana ball was conjured.
"Slice," he said scowling.
The mana ball released several lasers slashed the necks of five people and they dropped to the ground, their blood splattered all over the floor.
People began fainting, screaming and barfing.
"Now I'm sure no one wants this to continue." Desmond said nodding his head.
"I'm sure you don't want to die, but you must" a cold whisper said in the ear of Desmond, which ashened him and he spun around, but no one was close enough to say that to him.
Zir knitted his brows "what? You look like something isn't right?"
Desmond's hands were shaking, "o-our hunch was correct. H-he's here." Then Desmond composed himself and was whipping his head around the train.
And for a moment, he thought he saw an apparition of a spirt at a corner, but it was gone.
"You finally here huh?" Desmond said and clenched his fists.
"You will die for what you did to the brothers of The Ones of Rite!"
Josh could barely breathe as his heart was about exploding out of his chest and he looked at Weber again and Weber's irises were glowing hot white, and he tried to hide this by bending down.
"What's going on?" Josh asked quickly in a whisper.
"I-I don't know," he said, tightening his grip around his head as his eyes kept shaking, "I don't want to do this, but if I don't, the two of us will die."
Josh smacked his lips.
As Weber stood up, Desmond's eyes met his and Desmond ashened, then stood erect and composed himself, as he saw Weber at a far end of the train with his irises glowing white.
"It's good how you're here. Let's see how you handle yourself with people."