Chapter 38

My father

I woke up early from the schedule. I can't just go back on the bed, close my eyes and force myself to sleep. There are so many things were happening around and all are aware of it but they aren't making any action to it. But they just let it happen, assuring everybody that all are safe and nothing to be scared of. And that's what I'm afraid of, they try to wash-out people's mind by thinking that they are safe and secured when in reality they have been surrounded by many dangerous things, that in no time can kill them.

To get off my morning mood, I roam around the building. Try my best to be a help for anyone who needs it. There are still many things needed to fix because of what happened yesterday. The cracked ceilings, the shattered glass, and rocks all over the place. In Waste Land, we don't care where we live, just the matter of who we are living with does.

A thought just came in my head last night, out of frustrations and so on. I wanted to get out of this place. I wanted to see the world out there. The way things should happen. The event just occurred are telling us that even if we're not running for survival and having a safe haven under the roof, we're still in the danger in the field of the process. It is scared how we are blind inside.

I saw Manny and Dilly carrying the rectangular table, I didn't hesitate and come at them for help. They thanked me as soon as their carrying table goes into lightweight with my help. We directed it to the room and placed it over there.

"Thanks again, Dylan," Manny said, shaking my hands.

I nodded, "no problem, helping anyone doesn't cost me."

"Sorry for what we have done to you Dylan," Dilly said.

I chuckle, "oh, that's okay. I think you're just doing your part on the movement."

"Well, I don't believe it," she said. "I still think you have some dilemma in your chest. We deceived you. Making you believe we are alone, and I'm sick. Sorry about that."

"It's the past, Dilly. We're over with it okay?" I smirked, "I know where you're heading. The movement has a big part on the purpose of your process and I do understand that, but you guys should know that some people also wanted a fair fight."

"We didn't know you exist before Dylan," Manny said. My forehead creased, "but as soon as we heard, from a lot of participants on the field that there's another participant who has a family that was part of the High Council."

I laughed at what he said, "I didn't even know if that's true. I'll never know what he's part of there. He never reaches back to us again and so another, I'm not sure I'm the only one who has a family on the Noble Land."

"You aren't," Dilly remarks. "You're not the only one but you are the closest one the movement need to have." She stopped for a minute cause for a minute, she notices that I'm trying to process all the information their sharing on me. It's never new to me but what they are imposing are unbelievable. "Brighid was already eyeing on you though she wasn't sure about you at all—maybe that's why she after of killing you but when the movement officiates and the order has been delivered to her, she's now after you but by not killing you but by wanting you to join the movement."

"Do you think this movement will ever go somewhere?" I asked out of nowhere.

Manny nodded to me, "I believe it is. We have a lot of strong people, intelligent minds here and to what I'm seeing the movement will win against the High Council."

"They are powerful 'ya know?"

"We aren't scared, Dylan." Dilly said, "you should too."

"Well, one thing I have been afraid of were the outcome after this."

Manny patted my shoulder, "well brother, you gotta believe to the purpose of this movement." He said, "we should go now, we still have a lot of things to clean out."

"Sure, I also need to prepare for the lesson later at the arena."

I watched both of them leave the room. From what we are talking earlier, it is like I will be getting a big part of this movement. First thing first, they didn't pull out the tracker in my neck because it holds some tech manipulator which they conspired helping the movement—or was just tricking everyone. And the next thing, I have felt very important to this movement. They could've killed me. Locked me up. Instead, they put me in a room where I could sleep comfortably, food just like everyone's eating. An instrument for the war they are shaping.

When I'm about to left the room, a person was about to enter the room holding a pile of boxes. I reach out for help and when I do notice who is it, she laughed and I grab some of the boxes. She almost lost her balance that's why she pushes the door to regain her structure. And when she does, we put the boxes on the corner. As the boxes labeled trash.

"Thanks for the help," Brighid said.

"Yeah, I think that's what I can do for now." I smirked, "what are you doing then?"

"Oh, just cleaning up some things that don't even need for."

"Hmm," I hummed. "I guess the quake yesterday wake everybody up for cleanups."

"I guess so," she laughs. "So, what about you? Are you ready for the lesson?"

I nodded on her, "yes, I have in mind what to teach them. I have all learned it from my brother, so why I wouldn't impart them from what my brother taught me right?"

"Right, I hope they all learn what you can teach them and use it for the right time."

"I hope so." I said, "I think, I should go now."

"Yes, you do. They will be all at the arena." She said, "thanks again."

"No problem," I said and a timid smile showed in my face.

When I headed to the door, reach for the doorknob and about to open it. I freeze for a moment. Brig notices my sudden utterly silence. She called me and comes closer to me. When she look where my hand is, she notices what might happen. I took my hand away from the knob and she grabs it and her face comes into the realization that we're trapped inside.

"Wait, are we locked?" I asked, laughing.

"Not possible," Brighid said trying to rotate the knob but she can't, she turned to knock the door but it wasn't getting any help. "Oh, shit." She hissed.

"Wait, how can we be locked inside?"

"I don't know how this storage room has been made, they put the lock outside that's why we're locked inside."

"Couldn't you just call someone? You have your earpiece right?" I said.

When she realizes that, she picks it up from her pocket and put it on her ears. She tapped it once and immediately find some signal to contact anyone outside of this door. But as we waited for a few minutes, no one answered. And I think the signal isn't getting through the walls. We are trapped here.

"It's my fault you wouldn't give the army the lessons they needed today," Brighid grunted.

"Well, I still got half an hour before our lesson starts. We could still find some way to get out of here, right?"

"I hope we do but we don't," she said, "the only way of getting out where someone should open the door from the outside. And that's it."

I sighed after her reasons, "well, all we get to do is to wait."

She groaned. Sat on the floor, lean her back on the door and hug her legs. "It is like every day has been getting worse and worse and I don't like it." She said, "I just want this to end but when I told Barry to end this as soon as we can, he's backing me off. And I can't do anything about it!" her frustrations are coming out one by one and I shouldn't add myself to those.

"You gotta chill there, Brig."

"I don't wanna chill, I wanna fight." Her urges to it were present and it's scary as fuck. But after her long anger, it subsides when the silence comes and notices her sobbing. I move closer to her and rub my hands on her back she jerks it away. She doesn't want to be a pity. She wipes her tears and laughed. It's weird though.

"You can tell me anything Brig, I won't judge you."

"But if so, I wouldn't tell anything." She said.

"Try me, Brighid." I said, "I can see the anger in your eyes earlier but somehow it changes. Why do I felt like something had urging you to fight because there's more deep reason into it? Am I right?"

She smirked, "we all fight for a reason, Dylan." She said, "and we always have an urge to fight because we always have been a failure and to make it right, we fight."

"Then what do you fight for?"

"It's not a what... it's a who." She answered.

I was enlightened somehow by her answered. I get to think somehow that all of the participants in Rebirth doesn't always fight for what's right, sometimes people who are righting are for people whom they lost. And I found a piece of myself in her story.

"Who is it, Brig?"

"Was." She corrected. "My father. Eighteen years ago since their Rebirth process. He met my Mom across the field. That time, my mother was lost and doesn't even know what to do and where to go. She has no one in the field but by herself. She almost gave up everything... she was almost killed there. But good thing, my father came up to help her. My father didn't hesitate to help her even if she was a stranger to his existence. He still chooses to help her. Two months being together in the field creates something between the two of them. And because of that, they never leave each other. They fight together. Until staying five months on the field, my mom notices her body changes and that when she knew she was pregnant of me. My father was surprised by the news of it. They didn't come into the point to abort me. When in time that few months till the Rebirth, something had happened..." her voice cracked, she started to sob. I came to hug her to ease her feeling.

"You don't have to continue it, I understand..."

"I-I can..." she stuttered, "The High Council sends an army into the field an ambush everyone they've seen. It's part of the test where they could eliminate everyone at their power. Before, High Council holds too much of their power and whatever it cost. Unlucky, my parents were in an open field. They started to open fire to both of them. My father immediately saves my mom by using his body as a shield. He let his body accept all the bullet for not his girl died along with his child. They fall together on the ground, mom acted she was dead along with her grievances. My father is dead. And to that moment, I lost my father. The High Council did it on purpose. And today you can't blame me why I did join the movement cause there's a deeper reason to it."

"I'm sorry, Brig... I didn't know..."

She smirked, wipe her tears. "You aren't sorry for me, Dylan. And I don't care what everybody thinks. I'm just here fighting for what I think is right."

Somehow later the door opened, when the person notices us, we immediately stood up and left the room. I watched Brig walks away and I can see the world at her back. She lost so much. And I can see the pain in her. She just hides it, so no one pitied her.

And to my realizations, there are all things the High Council should pay and by the movement caused, they would.