Hush in The Bush

To Cross Again

It didn’t take a minute to take a hurdle of the scenery. Tristan had been obscured with the situation of a crying, reckless child. She had clearly spilt the soup that was supposed to be shared with many of them. His sleeves were soaked by the yellow fluid and those crops had fallen like droplets on him, landing straight on his hair. His eyes were sealed to the girl as the woman continued to apologize to him. It was her sister. She pleaded for his mercy and is ready to take any punishment even so that it was noticeable already that she hit a nerve from him.

“Do you know what we did just to have those crops that you used in making that soup?” He coldly asked her.

The child couldn’t utter any explanation since it was just a mere accident that she didn’t foresee. Her sister is the one who answered for her. “I-I’m very sorry, Tristan…S-she’s not going to do it anymore.”

“Oh, surely she won’t, because she’s not going to have that same job next time.” He hysterically said and pointed to a girl who got the same height and hair color as her, behind her. “You there. Get yourself here and start making that same soup in the kitchen. Better not to spill any drop of it. As for you, lady…” He eyed to her who is clinging to her sister, asking for refuge. “Don’t let me encounter you ever again. Get your face out of here.”

The siblings hurriedly left without any single word. They just obeyed Tristan. He is power and people in their base think of that. When the show had ended, it was also the time that she had gone for good.

Her strides became visible as she wandered around the dark pavements, splashed by the strong waft and dust. Apprehensive of her surroundings, she had just finished eradicating one.

“Forgive me, but I really had to do that.” She wiped off her scalpel with her shirt and pulled the stick that was stuck on her mouth. She had killed an infected. She threw it away and pushed the body to the side and covered the blood with the old newspaper she got. It was to leave no trace. She walked fast, continually and didn’t bother to look back again. She had hoped that she wouldn’t encounter one since it has been her fifth time around to eliminate.

It is the same route that she took when they first explored the north. As her body moved according to her will, her mind is thinking well about how she would approach those who are in that place where she is going. She got a lot to tell when she arrives, but somehow in the back of her thoughts, there’s a doubt that she couldn't enter again thereafter she had taken the betrayal in her palms.

Though she had put her faith first, Mildred cautiously turned to the last corner and after minutes of non-stop running, she had stopped in front of a small hole to enter. She had seen those two using it quite often to move outside recently. She didn’t mind if they would go and have their business with their own. She had observed them well for good before and now she’s going to use the passage to get back.

She took off her mask and dug a hole on the surface to cover it. "D*mn, I reeked. I should take a bath."

She heard those soft mumbles from the security who are sitting on their spots. Some of them are already sleeping. Something is new as she carefully watched. There were no lights at all and the foul smell had been stingier as if there was no water at all to clean the facility. It had changed.

She took a deep breath and waited for the three officers to leave their posts in about a minute for a shift. She’s planning to go to her room first, then search for George or Catheryne. Even if she’s not that close with them, she understands that among all, they’re the ones who would try to give attention to and think first, then act according to the matter.

“Let’s go. Captain Roswal will be there at any moment.” Leo, their recent recruit said and tapped his mate.

“Are we still going to patrol near that mall?” He pulled his pants to scratch the back of his knee.

His partner had pushed him slowly as he continued to deal with the itch. “Of course, we still need to find some goods to continue here. We don’t want to die out of hunger.”

“Okay. Let’s hurry up.”

When they left, Mildred took her to stand inside and warily darted to the back of the first building which is where they isolate the newcomers and where the nursery room is located. Mildred hopped herself on top of the wooden boxes. She glanced over the wired window and saw almost empty beds inside a single room. Most of them are probably in the cafeteria as well to take their meals. She was too focused on examining, not until it had been pulled from her as she had felt a cold thing being aimed straight at the back of her head.

"I see a little dear tramping around." Her voice was full of vice and pushed the riffle more on her, making her raise her hands up high.

"Turn around and let me see your face."

Her shoulder has fallen as if she had given up on carrying the world's problem. Mildred slowly turned and face the mad face of her rival, Catheryne. She simply exchanged it with her wide grin and there she had also known George behind her. "Hello, lovebirds. Since when did you make it true?"

"That's not happening." Catheryne moved towards her. She didn't even greet or welcome her. She started to cup her body and examined. She's making sure that Mildred didn't bring any device or weapon.

"I'll give you a minute to explain why you're here. Then, I'll decide what will I do after that."

"Where's Captain Isabela-"

"The time is running." George cut her words and tapped her watch.

Mildred's mood swiftly altered into a critical one. "You don't want to pull that trigger just like how you've seen that man kill your daughter."

Those words had surely caught Catheryne off guard but she had managed to focus. She somehow expecting it from a woman like Mildred - to use her past to make her vulnerable.

"You don't have to kill me if I tell you that I know where to find the one responsible for everything."

The two have paused and tried to study her if she was telling the truth, and her eyes did. She was steadfast. Catheryne didn't reply and just pushed her off to move. Knowing that it would be rare for Mildred to be serious, they needed to keep her alive at all costs, now that she had turned herself back in Trinity. But then, they didn't take her in the middle ground for everyone to see since it would highly cause chaos. Instead, they have ambled to an exit door which leads to the stairs to the second floor of the middle building, straight to an unoccupied room.

As they guarded Mildred, little did they know that someone is gazing over them in the dusk.

His fingers, razor sharped nails have scraped the large branch of the cork tree. His lips curved into a parlous grin, showing off his dark, cracked teeth as he munched his grilled chicken's foot. His shoulder continued to flick as he enjoyed the view.

It is time for him to hunt his new prey.