Chapter 23
270Please respect copyright.๏ผฐ๏ผฅ๏ผฎ๏ผก๏ผฎ๏ผกKAofNfCgNf
270Please respect copyright.๏ผฐ๏ผฅ๏ผฎ๏ผก๏ผฎ๏ผกaaQfBUjzLK
270Please respect copyright.๏ผฐ๏ผฅ๏ผฎ๏ผก๏ผฎ๏ผก6VLeZbF2yz
Cameo turned around. He and Infinity had just put on their black bodysuits again, and they were finally going to keep heading south, provided the troops were ready.
โWell,โ he said, looking her up and down, โwe arenโt getting any younger, or older, here. Letโs go.โ He opened the door slowly. Rows of teenagers stood at attention on the asphalt highway. Ethaniel, Harley, and Tanner stood at the very front of the battalion.
โAre they all wearing the same thing we are? Where did they even get them?โ Infinity asked, glancing down at her attire, then back at the armyโs uniforms.ย
โAhem,โ Harley, cleared her throat. โWhile I was waiting for Ethaniel to get better, I was in constant communication with Cameo. When he told me we had an army, I began 3D printing the bodysuits with synthetic polymers, and I built the grapplers out of spare hospital tools.โ
โImpressive!โ Cameo replied. โThey look exactly the same!โ
โOh,โ she blushed, โit was nothing.โ
โMy question is,โ Infinity broke in, โhow did they have spare tools at a hospital?โ
โThe doctor told us that most of his patients were, like, teenagers who got shot or arrested for gang activity, stuff like that. Ethaniel and I were pretty much the only ones there.โ
โAh.โ
Tanner cleared his throat. โHi, apparently Iโm your lieutenant. Iโve overseen the troops for the past few days, and I think theyโre ready in all areas of combat. Each is equipped with a gun of some sort, knives, a sword, at least one taser, and, of course, their legendary martial arts.โ
โAt ease, um, Lieutenant Thorne. Harley, as Head of Gadgets and Gizmos, I command you to demonstrate how the suits work, unless youโve already covered that?โ Cameo asked.
โWe actually have General. We told you they were ready.โ
โWell then, pile in the buses, troops! Tanner, I want you and Ethaniel driving the other two; Iโll drive the lead.โ He took a deep, shaky breath. โRemember, guys. We are going into actual war. If anyone is scared of getting killed, or seeing other people get killed, go home. Now. You can take the fourth bus. No hard feelings.โ
Not a single person fell out of rank.
โOkay. We need to go get our sibs back.โ He turned and walked to the bus door, pausing at their bunk to grab his backpack. Infinity followed close behind him.
โYou know weโre all going to die, right?โ
โะะตั, ะตัะปะธ ััะพ ะทะฐะฒะธัะธั ะพั ะผะตะฝั. ะัะพะผะต ัะพะณะพ, ะฑะปะฐะณะพะดะฐัั ัะดะตะปะบะต, ะบะพัะพััั ั ะทะฐะบะปััะธะป, ั ะฒะตัะฝั ัะฒะพะตะณะพ ะฑัะฐัะฐ, ะธ ััะพ ะฑัะดะตัั ัะพะปัะบะพ ัั.โ
โHey!โ She grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around to face her. โShut up.โ She pulled her lips across the corner of his mouth, threading her fingers through his dirty, matted hair. โI shouldnโt have said anything,โ she whispered into his mouth. โWeโll be fine.โ
โะะฐ. ะัะต, ะบัะพะผะต ัะตะฑั.โ
โCameo!โ
He clutched his hair tightly in his fist. โะฏ ะฒ ัะฐะบะพะผ ัััะตััะต, ั ะฝะต ะผะพะณั ััะพะณะพ ัะดะตะปะฐัั. ะฏ ะฝะต ะผะพะณั ะฟะพัะตัััั ัะตะฑั, ะดะฐะถะต ะตัะปะธ ััะพ ะพะทะฝะฐัะฐะตั ะฟะพัะตัั ะผะพะตะณะพ ะฑัะฐัะฐ. ะะตั, ะผะฝะต ะฝัะถะฝะพ ัะฟะฐััะธ ะะพะปัะพะฝะฐ. ะฏ ะดะพะปะถะตะฝ ัะฟะฐััะธ ะตะณะพ. ะะฝะต ะพัะตะฝั ะถะฐะปั, ะคะธะฝ.โ
โPlease, Cameo!โ Infinity pleaded
โะฏ ะฝะต ะผะพะณั ะพััะฐะฝะพะฒะธัััั! ะะฝะต ัะฐะบ ัััะฐัะฝะพ, ะะฝัะธะฝะธัะธ, ะธ ั ะฟัะพััะพ ะฝะต ะผะพะณั ะพััะฐะฝะพะฒะธัััั!โ
She pulled him in close, whispering things in his ear, trying to calm him down.
โPlease,โ she sighed.
His body shook, trembling with fear, cold, sadness, deceit. โIโm sorry,โ he mumbled, this time in English.
โOh, Cameo, you have nothing to apologize for. Come on.โ She tugged him into the body of the bus and sat him down on the driverโs seat. โLetโs get moving. We gotta save the kids somehow.โ
A hundred teenagers clambered into the bus and sat down on the seats, the floor, the storage rack, anywhere they could find open space.ย
โAre we all here?โ Cameo asked, loudly enough for the clamoring kids to hear.
A hundred heads bobbed up and down. One voice spoke up from the back.
โOh, yeah, weโre all here, buddy.โ That voice. So foreign, and yet very familiar. The grating sound set his nerves on edge.
โThomas,โ he hissed through gritted teeth.
โAt your service,โ the boy said with a flippant mock bow.
Infinity placed a calming hand on the small of Cameoโs back. โIgnore him. Heโs a jerk.โ
He sighed. โYeah, I know.โ He sat down and turned the key in the ignition. โWelp, here goes nothing.โ The bus began rolling down the southbound highway. Infinity typed in directions on her phone and propped it up in front of Cameo on the dashboard.
โOkay guys, get comfy. Weโre on the road for at least two days, if you guys want breaks for sparring and stuff.โ
A chorus of groans echoed throughout the small space.
โAre you sure this is a good idea?โ she whispered to Cameo
โNo, but I- but we donโt have a choice.โ
โThereโs always a choice."270Please respect copyright.๏ผฐ๏ผฅ๏ผฎ๏ผก๏ผฎ๏ผก1QDaimIgCu
