Dead Corona 2
Page 5
The cult was ruthless, and the old lioness was the toughest of them all. It had been a narrow escape from being snuffed out of existence, and for the time being he would comply.
~~~
Ben huddled back to the tent where he hurriedly picked up things he felt he would need. From a few change of clothes to a pair of boots and a water bottle, he stashed all his personal effects into a bag and hurled it to his shoulders.
Working his way through the array of sleeping laborers, he walked over to Jason's bed space where he added a few belongings he deemed necessary before stepping out into the night.
It was way past lights out, and as he walked he kept looking above his shoulder to be certain that he wasn't been followed. Although a majority of the soldiers were stationed at the outpost, he could still see traces of some making routine checks around the main grounds. It was a risky deal, and he was hoping his wit would help him scale through any soldier he might bump into.
Ben walked on, taking different turns as he tried his best to avoid the soldiers. He cursed under his breath at the impossible idea of going out into the woods on a night that they had suffered two hordes attack.
"Hey, identify yourself" a thick voice called out from behind him. Ben hesitated before turning to face the two soldiers that advanced towards him. He kept taking a step back until they got close enough before he broke into an encouraging smile.
"Oh err, hi... I'm err Ben, and I'm one of the laborers?"
"It's past lights out. What are you doing out this late..."
"Oh funny story, I actually volunteered? You know, I took part in the whole carnage outside the outpost" he said casually. The look on their faces showed that they doubted his story
"I err.. Am just heading back to the outpost so I can err..." he stuttered,
"You know what, the Head Captain said to double back to the outpost and stay put till morning" he said finally.
"I actually got promoted tonight, so haha I'll be joining you boys in the barrack soon" he added with a flex of his arm. His flabby arm shook at the false muscles he tried to form.
The soldiers laughed at the thought of a rotund laborer joining their ranks and were about letting him off when they heard the voice of the Head Captain say "that promotion will have to wait"
Briskly, they stamped their feet in attention and raised their right hands to salute the Head Captain. He had just appeared from nowhere, and with him were four soldiers.
Ben looked around hesitantly, he was in the midst of six soldiers, and the look on the Captain's face wasn't pretty.
"Ahh yes, Mr. Ben Fowler... You're just the man I'm looking for" the Head Captain said with a grin, patting Ben on the shoulder.
"Do tell, what have you got on your shoulders" he said casually as his soldiers made for the sack he had strapped on his shoulders.
"Err, just a little bit of belongings... The whole promotion thing has got me excited, so I'm err..." he said trailing off as the Captain dug into the sack and brought out a shoe.
"Hmmm, I see..." the Head Captain said as he kept feeling his way around the items in the sack.
"You see boys, this man proved to be braver than a whole lot of you tonight... That's the only reason he's being promoted" the Head Captain was saying,
"Who knows, he might become a captain one day..."
"That is if he does well tonight" he concluded with a chill in his voice. He had stopped searching the bag and had it thrown to the nearest soldier who caught it.
"Arrest him" the Head Captain said with his arms folded.
"Err... I'm sorry what's going on? I didn't do anything..." Ben stammered as one of the soldiers acted swiftly, turning his arms to his back. A second soldier clamped down metal cuffs to his hands.
"Oh no my friend, you did nothing..." the Captain said, "on the contrary, you're going to help us do something"
Ben looked mortified as they led him away. At first, he thought they were going to lead him off to the barracks, but when they took a turn heading towards the outpost, he realized what they were up to. Jason had to be warned.
"Err pardon me sir, but what's that thing I'm supposed to do" he queried as they led him on. The Head Captain ignored him and kept on marching forward until they got to a stop, a little way from the outpost.
In the cover of darkness, he ordered one of the soldiers to gag him, and then signaled to the rest to circled around the outpost towards where Jason was seated quietly. Ben could see his silhouette on the box at the exact spot he'd left him. With his mouth gagged by a dirty cloth, he prayed silently that Jason would turn his head in time to see the silhouettes standing afar off.
"Give me this pig" the Head Captain told the soldier holding Ben. Roughly, he dragged Ben to the floor and instructed the soldier to take his position around Jason.
"Let's get the Commander his prize for tonight, shall we?" he told Ben as he hoisted him up.
Jason who had been waiting for Ben to show up, turned once more to the road leading off to the main grounds. Ben should have returned by now, he thought to himself. Time was running out.
There was no sign of Ben, and that made his skin crawl. Every moment further spent in the haven made his chances of escape slim, and he wasn't willing to find out what the captains thought of him.
Letting out a sigh, Jason rose to his feet in a bid to stretch his legs. No sooner had he done that, his eyes caught sight of two soldiers behind him. They were oddly close to him, and had their guns drawn.
"Err... Is there a problem guys?" he queried as he took a few steps backwards. The soldiers kept mute and inched closer to him.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Jason saw the silhouettes of more soldiers advancing towards him. It was a setup.