Pandora's Box

Chapter 20

Jennifer’s Point of View

I will not ever listen to Alexander again, as I saw him there standing frozen in fear, what is this dude even doing.

Ugh...

Even I know that it is very dangerous, just like he told me but that won’t stop me from leaving here and saving his ass.

There is something inside me that tells me that he is in grave danger, and I don’t want someone dying in front of me.

I started running and it seems like that my intuition is right when I saw him drop his gun on the floor. In just a brink of time, my adrenaline flowed throughout my body.

I heard the creepy laughter of that humanoid creature. Honestly, it sends a chill up to my spine, there is something sinister in that laugh and here I can feel its hunger to blood.

I bumped into him and I arrived there in a nick of time, and I grabbed this grenade, in his hand, and all I know is that this will explode when I pulled this pin from the top.

As we fall to the ground, I threw that grenade in the creature’s face and all of a sudden.

Everything went bright...

I was not expecting that, as that extreme brightness blinded my sight. Also, it feels like that I am paralyzed for just a moment. But I was able to move my hand and hug Alexander that I cannot see right now, as we roll on the ground.

Ack, my head hurts, also I felt the pain in my eyes, and my ears are ringing right now. All I can hear is the muffled scream of something, so I tried my best to stand up, as my vision is slowly coming back to normal. I think I lost my balance because of that bright light that suddenly flashed into my face.

I was looking at it directly and I think that damaged me the most. Thankfully I haven’t lost my sight from that.

As I stood up, I see the other two soldiers rolling on the ground, and the creature with a scythe, having a seizure on the ground.

“Capture it,” I heard a deep groggy voice in my side.

Well, I am not terrified by that, I am more likely terrified by this creature’s face. Even unconscious, it still wears that creepy smile, and that slit in his cheeks that will make sure that he stays smiling no matter what.

I find it very disturbing and for some reason, this prickly feeling in my cheeks won’t go away. I can imagine the pain that he went through, slitting his cheeks.

There is something creepy just by looking at this guy- I almost fell when something hard bumped into me and immediately saw the soldiers rushing towards the creature. They spread a net all over it, making sure that it will not attempt any escape.

That means I can look for my sister now.

“Alexander,” I called onto him when I saw him still lying on the ground catching his breath.

“Thanks,” he said and I know that he is about what happened earlier. I ignored it and I offered my hand to help him get up.

I need to find my sister as soon as possible and I cannot forgive myself if something happened to her.

He grabbed my hand and damn, this man is heavy.

I pulled him up, but it was not heavy as I expected when he tried to help himself to get up too.

He towers over me, and I feel so small in front of him.

“Let’s find my sister,” I told him.

“Yeah, we should,” he replied. I was surprised when I saw the net that they used to cover all over the creature lit up so brightly.

“What’s that for?” I asked the soldier.

“Oh, why there is a girl here?” he asked, and it seems like that he is very surprised at what I did.

I am very sorry sir.

“She’s with me,” Alexander said.

“Why are you here in the first place?” the soldier with a deep voice asked him.

“If not for us sir, I think both of you as well as the country is dead by now,” he said, Alexander avoided the question.

“You have a point, but remember, you didn’t see anything here,” he told us and we nodded at him.

“Well, now that you still have time to chat with us,” I said. “Did you see my sister?” I asked him.

“Your sister?” he asked.

“Yes, and I think she wandered through here and we came across to her boyfriend earlier while we are on our way here,” I explained.

He just stares at me, and I don’t know why.

“Sir?” I asked him again, and he spaced out just like I expected, but for some reason, I felt very nervous waiting for an answer from him.

“Your sister and her boyfriend did this...” he muttered and I looked at him while he stares on the ground and right, I am so confused.

What is even happening right now?

“W- what do you mean?” I asked the soldier.

“They did this, why the creature got out in the first place and my soldier’s death,” he said.

“You are blaming my sister?” I asked him as I am offended by what he just said to me right now.

“Yes, I am blaming your sister and not just your sister, I am blaming the other guy too, that is with her,” he added.

“Where is she?” I asked as I am trying to avoid this point of conversation.

“Dead,” what?

“C- can you repeat that for me? I think I did not hear that right,” I told him.

“You heard what I said, I told you that your sister is dead, and if you want you can have a look for yourself,” he told me.

“Sir,” I felt Alexander’s hand on my shoulders, as I stare at his face. I don’t know what to do right now. Am I hearing those words?

Is this a dream? Because if yes, I want to wake up now from this nightmare. I can’t believe that she is... I don’t even want to say it right now.

Alexander Point of View

“I will take it from here,” I told Sir Reyes. That’s what his nameplate says on his uniform.

“Remember if you want to get out of trouble, just treat that this never happened in your life and we will pretend that you did not come here,” he reminded me. I nodded at him.

This one is a very confidential case, maybe that’s why he told me that.

“Fully noted,” I replied and they dragged the creature trapped in that bright net.

That was a horrifying encounter and I almost peed in my pants because of that extreme fear that I faced earlier. I really should not underestimate every creature that lives within this barrier because they are dangerous.

What sister told me many times, be vigilant because we don’t know what might come for us next.

I ran around and saw her just staring at the nothingness of the void. I heard what sir Reyes told her earlier.

And I am pissed at myself because I have the guts to say that in front of her when I ignored the harsh reality.

Of course, death is in every corner of this place.

If there is one thing that you are not allowed to say in this place, it is that you don’t say that a person that is in trouble here is surely alive.

I have watched too many movies. Who am I kidding? Myself? There is no happy ending for us, and there is no plot armor that wraps us.

She is dead and there is no denying that.

I walked towards her.

“Let’s go back,” I told her.

I can feel that her heart is crying right now.

I feel very sorry for her. I put one of my arms onto her shoulder.

And she did not react, it seems like that she passed out right now, but her mind is telling her not to pass out. I guided her out of this place to safety. We really can’t do anything now.

There is nothing that can bring her back.

She is dead. We can’t deny that.

. . . . . . . . . .

Moments later, we reached the evacuation center and it was open because the creature was captured. People that were trapped inside here earlier, are starting to come out like a swarm of ants coming out from their mound to resume their hunt for the queen.

I guided her inside and there I saw Leon staring at us. I want to punch him in the face right now because I know that he is the one at fault here.

But this is not the right time for us, as this woman beside me is not ready to face the reality right now and I am not allowed to say anything right now.

I think she deserves the space and I will give her the space that she needed right now and I will not force her to face it.

I avoided Leon just for the sake of peace in between us right now. I will not be able to help her but right now I have learned my lesson.

I just made her hope for the good.

But now she fell and her fragile heart is broken inside as she went high.

I was the one that made her hope that high, ignoring what will she feel if there is nothing to see or meet anymore. I was the one that invited her to this trip in the first place, so I was entirely at fault here.

If only I did not.

I am a fool.

Now my love is broken inside and how am I able to fix that?

I can’t...

I can’t restore her broken heart anymore. I have to pick up the pieces and put them together again.