Then it is settled. "Our bunker is in
— You're right, it does!
I smiled, "but we're not ordinary people, are we?" Anny paused for a while then she said, "you certainly aren't ordinary… you came back from the dead and now you're telling me there was a faster way to get to
I looked down from the rooftop, my eyes scanning the forest below.
behind me, Anny's voice could be heard, sharp and impatient. "Hey are you not gonna answer my question! Zack!"
I didn't turn away. My focus stayed locked on what was beneath us.
Andrew approached me from my left, "Weird isn't it?" I nodded. "This is not an ordinary rooftop. In fact, her place doesn't have a rooftop. It seems like we're still not at the surface." Andrew paid attention to my words, trying to solve it. I looked back at Romie, sitting near a corner, away from us.
I walked over, my steps echoing faintly against the stone.
She sat tucked, knees pulled tight to her chest, head bowed low.
I whispered, "Hey, are you aware of the structure of this building?"
She lifted her head slowly. Strands of hair slid across her face, hiding most of it, leaving one eye visible. Her voice was faint, she muttered, "I don't know…ask Victor. He's the one who bought me up here."
I licked my lips, glancing towards Victor. He was standing with Anny, the two of them deep in a conversation.
— Can't talk to him. Aren't you working here with Raily? Do you know where she is? Where is everyone? Where's Iriel?"
Romie shook her head, the motion small, defeated.
I exhaled, pushing myself back up to my feet. My eyes found Andrew across the room. I gave him a look— the kind that said it didn't work, I didn't get anything.
- - -
"Early on, when I used my skill to find the path, it started from the entrance, so I just assumed we're at the surface.." He tucked his hands inside his pocket. "This is ridiculous, Zack, how about I go down back there and try to find a way we can get to the surface."
I shook my head, "It's useless, Raily designed this goddamn building like a maze. You'll get lost or circle back. Anny was lucky thanks to the mirage."
Andrew tapped my shoulder lightly and moved his body closer : "Don't you think that guy is suspicious? Romie said he brought her up here, he was trying to kill a little girl— not to mention, he works with the
I wrapped my bandages securely and let out a little laugh : "Trust me, he's not someone who's evil. I think I know how to get us to the surface."
Andrew was left speechless. Victor and Anny walked towards us slowly.
I raised my hand in a smooth gesture, like wiping dust from a surface. As my palm swept through the air, a blade shimmered into existence.
it wasn't long, but not short either— lean, balanced, it's point sharp as a fang. The sword looked handcrafted, black and silver with blue symbols carved into its surface. The markings pulsed faintly, alive with energy.
Anny and Victor froze, their eyes widening. It was the first time they had seen it. Curiosity and awe flickered across their faces. Romie on the other corner, raised her head, observing me from a distance.
I gripped the hilt, lowering my body into position. Blue sparks crawled across the blade, then burst into flame— an electric fire that wrapped around the sword, growing larger, brighter, hotter.
The rooftop trembled beneath us. With one strike, I swung.
The blade tore through the air, and the sky itself shattered. A deafening crack split the heavens, dust exploding as the rooftop crumbled. The stone shook loose, the sky collapsing on us.
We shielded ourselves, arms raised against the storm of falling debris.
Then silence.
- - -
When we opened our eyes, the rooftop was gone. We were sprawled in the dirt, the back of a house rising behind us. Dust clung to our clothes, the ground still trembling faintly beneath our feet.
cough cough
I quickly opened my eyes and got up, I extended my arm to Romie as she grabbed on it and got on her feet, still coughing through the dust. Then Victor and Anny stood, coughing and swaying the dust away.
Andrew walked alongside the wall, dragging his hand : "The roots are here, we're at the surface. Let's head to the bunker." I followed up, "Anny, Andrew will show you how we can travel to
— We'll use the trees to speed up our distance. Think of it like teleportation.
At the entrance, the roots curled up and took the form of a trunk, it was tall and had a hole in the center.
Andrew rubbed his hands together, standing next to the trunk : "alright, who wanna go first?"
Anny held Victor's shirt : " I wanna go with Victor! Together!"
— Alright then, I'll go first, romie will you come after me?
Romie at the back, observed our face then nodded.
— I'll go last, Victor and Anny can go after Romie.
I placed my feet inside the trunk after, it was followed up by Romie then, it was Anny and Victor and lastly, Andrew stepped in, closing the trunk behind him.
- - -
We all got transferred into a gloomy forest, Andrew opened another trunk and we repeated the procedure until we reached the bunker.
⪻────────𖤓────────⪼
[ bunker, Nanaimo ]
The bunker smelled faintly of coffee and old paper. At the table, Andrew busied himself with the kettle, the hiss of boiling water filling the silence. Across from him, the three of us were leaning over scattered maps and notes, our voices were low, our faces drawn in the lantern light hung above our heads.
On the far bunk, Romie slept, her breathing steady, a blanket pulled up to her chin. The room felt small but alive, papers rustling, mugs clinking, the scrape of chairs against concrete. I sat back.
— We only have 4 hours before we head to Victoria, so I'll go over our plan.
I grabbed an ink pen, pointing at the map. "Since we're illegals, we can't just go straight to the gate of the wall, therefore we need to improvise and cross the wall." I tapped the tip of the pen indicating the passage. "Thanks to the leader of our organization, Kim, he left Andrew a note that gives the path we need to take." Andrew placed down his mug, "There's a guy that will help us get to Victoria, but it won't be easy. Kim mentioned when he did the passage, one of his companions got blown away by a mine."
Victor and Anny's faces were left speechless.
— Then..how will we cross the wall? Usually
— You're right, Victor. We can't cancel them nor control them. Neither could Andrew, he has the 5th of diamonds. Their soldiers use the 7 and higher cards. Making it impossible for any outsider to illegally cross the wall.
Victor bite his lips before speaking again,
— Well, do you have a plan then? Can that kim guy cross us safely? I don't want any risks here. If not, I can always go from the main gate as a diplomat. It will be the fastest way for me to also reach the queen.
I folded my arms, closing my eyes for a few seconds. "Well… You could do that, we're not stopping you. Go ahead if you're not comfortable, but Anny will stay with me." Victor scoffed, "Trust me, I can easily sneak Anny in. That was never the issue."
— Then what's the issue?
Feeling the tension in the air, Andrew quickly steps in : "Woah, let's calm down. Don't worry, we have made sure no one gets blown by any mine."
Anny listened to us while eating the cookies and drinking a cup of warm milk. I could see she was tired but knowing the situation and everything that was going on, I doubt she could have a good rest.
— Victor, you could go whatever path you wanna go, but I won't let you take Anny. She will stay with me all along the journey. Kim has already sneaked so many times to Victoria, there's a way to defuse the bombs. The guy that will help us have marked down the bomb's position. He'll guide us. In case of emergency, Andrew's skill can shield us. End of discussion.
Victor didn't seem very convinced, which is totally normal. After years of living in luxury and safety, he got soft.
I picked up all the papers and shoved them inside a bag while Andrew stored emergency kits and food.
Victor headed outside and Anny seemed to be standing there.
I approached her, "You should get some rest. Come I'll prepare a bed for you."
She didn't move.
She grabbed me by my arm and said, "Shouldn't we have a serious talk?.."
I gave a small shrug, "huh? What do you mean?"
She leaned back and had an expression I couldn't read. "How long can you keep dodging it? You never gave me a proper explanation. Everyone thought you died…the man who held me hostage in a cell, he told me how he killed you. Are you lying to me? Are you even the Zack I know?"
Anny was right to some degree.
— How am I alive? I told you it was part of my plan, and that plan was so I could come and rescue. It's hard to explain Anny.
I couldn't directly tell her, that would partially expose who I was. I do not possess immortality.
— Hard? Or are you seriously that bad at explaining! If you keep refusing to tell me, I'll tell Victor!
— Now you're threatening me. Where did you learn that from? Seems like Victor isn't a very good guardian.
Anny slammed her feet on the ground, "I'm TELLING VICTOR! Seriously!"
Andrew finished with the tasks and gave a small wave before heading to bed. I waved back.
The bunker's door opened and the cold breeze rushed in before Victor closed the door.
Anny, rushing towards him. "Victor, let's go rescue my mom by going through the LEGAL gate!"
Victor reading the room, he noticed I couldn't keep a straight face. "Anny, the plan is already decided. You can stop pretending. Who cares how he's alive as long as he's alive. Come let's go get some rest. Close your eyes and it will already be 6AM."
Victor gently rushed Anny to the other side of the bunker, while not letting his eyes off of me.
I really hate how he's acting right now.