The Soldiers of the Cyto Field

by Nguyen,Peter

  “HAZER!” Faye yells.

  I wrap my arms around his neck causing him to back away from the water. Faye hangs on as I try to choke the air from him.

  Faye suddenly presses on the man’s wound where she had shot him. He screams so loud that I can tell how much pain he is in. Faye regains her balance and moves away from the water. I use all my strength to push the man towards the water but he easily knocks me off.

  We start to hear shouting from a distance. Faye suddenly hits the man with a stick causing him to fall to ground.

  “RUN!”

  She quickly grabs my hand and we start to run into the dark forest leaving the officer. My heart is pounding so hard as I realize the man now knows who I am. I can feel Faye’s hand getting tighter as we run pass the tall trees.

  “Hey slow down!” I say.

  “Can you not keep up?” Faye yells.

  She suddenly pushes me into a stack of leaves and covers my mouth. The military truck suddenly passes us, lighting up the trees.

  “I think they went this way!” says a Northern Troop.

  I can feel Faye’s heart beating so fast as she lays on top of me. I can hardly breathe even though I’m trying so hard not to make a sudden move. The Northern policeman walk around the trees in front of us while holding their large rifles. To think I’m going to become one of them soon is just unbelievable.

  “All clear sir!”

  The troops walks pass us and back to their vehicles. I slowly lift up my head as I feel the relief, lifting off my chest.

  All of a sudden a sharp pinch grabs my attention as I look down at my hands. My jaw drops and my heart nearly skips a beat. Right in front of me is a perfectly grown Nightshade. It looks just like the one I saw in Mr. Rivera’s picture.

  As I’m about to reach for the exotic plant, Faye quickly grabs it before I can even touch it.

  “Found it,” she says.

  We both stand up and Faye holds the plant infront of me like I’m a child. I know she must be thrilled because we made a deal but that doesn’t change the fact that she almost got us killed.

  I can’t even imagine what this girl wants me to do.

  “Okay hand it over” I say as I take a step towards her.

  “I will after you do whatever I say.”

  “I just saved your life.”

  “And I just saved yours,” she smirks.

  I take deep breath and finally ask her “Okay you win. What do you want me to do.”

  “Help me find my sister.”

  I notice her tone softens and I start to feel sorry for her, but there is no way I can break into the North military and rescue a girl. Besides I don’t have time for it. My mom is dying.

  This girl is crazy and I’m not going to let my mom die by the hands of a psychopath that I just meant.

  “Fine.”

  “Good, well decided that tomorrow,” Faye whispers as she puts her bag down.

  My only chance is to take it off guard. I know made a deal with her but this is my mom I’m talking about. She would do the same for me.

  I look around, trying to find something to defend myself, in case we end up fighting for the herb.

  I quickly spot a medium size rock. Everything in my body is telling me not to hurt her but it’s my only shot in saving my mom. I breathe rapidly, deciding whether or not I should live out my darkest thoughts. I have to do this for my mom, I think to myself.

  I slowly pick up the rock.

  “Hazer!”

  “What,” I quickly answer.

  “Do you want to set up the tent or the fire?”

  “I’ll start the fire” I nervously say as I hold the rock behind me. Faye turns to her bag again and takes out small parts for the tent. She doesn’t know my plans. This is my chance, she has her back turn.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What?” Faye turns around and in one quick motion I smash the rock on the side of her head knocking her out unconscious. I drop the rock, catching Faye into my arms. My heart is pounding so fast as I fall to my knees. Breathe.

  I place her down gently on the soft pile of leaves as I then calmly walk to her bag, pulling out the Nightshade. This is what Mr. Rivera was telling me about. It’s exactly like the one picture he showed me. I pick up Faye’s bag and empty the remaining things in her satchel. A bunch of paper come falling out and then an empty test tube. Why is she carrying test tubes around?

  I carefully place the flower back inside the bag and begin to run back to the trail I came from. All of a sudden I stop and turn around as I realize I can’t leave her like this.

  I gather a few nearby leaves and place it under soft head as I use the tent cloth to cover her body. I then gather more leaves to camouflage her.

  “I’m sorry Faye, please forgive me.”

  I finally leave her in the dark forest as try to find my way back home. I feel awful as I if I just attempted crime, but if I did get caught, I would have been consider a hero for taking out a terrorist. She’s a criminal, I say to myself.

  V

  I quickly pass the pine trees as the sun light rises from the east. I’m almost home, just few more blocks. I’ve walked on this path before when I was out hunting with Carter and his family. As I pass the giant bolder between the trees, I remember Carter shooting his first deer, I guess I was a little jealous back then but I did caught a lot of rabbits and squirrels with my traps. I start to run even faster as I start to wonder how my mom must be doing. She’s probably worried sick but at least I’ll be coming home with a herb that can heal her. The birds start chirping, like they always do before everyone is awake. This is the time when Capa farmers are the only ones awake and working. I think I wouldn’t be able to do that considering I’m a heavy sleeper and I wake up naturally almost every morning.

  Right now I feel so drained because I stayed up all night with Faye who I left in the woods. I feel like I should go back for her but part of me is saying she’ll be okay.

  Grabbing the fence with my bare hands I start to climb the wired fence. I realize I’m in Garrett’s back yard. There are clothing hanging on a white string that they left outside to dry. I quickly run around Garrett’s house, hoping no one will spot me back here. The last thing I would want is people thinking I’m some sort of crook. I only stole one thing in my entire life and that was muffin. I felt so bad afterwards that I came back the next day and confessed. Surprisingly the owner forgave me because I reminded him of his son that he lost to the injection.

  I finally reach my house and I open the door. Something is wrong. There were things out of place and I notice Kaleb isn’t running to the door. I could feel my gut is just telling me that something terrible has happen, but I don’t know what. Did they leave? All of a sudden I hear whimper. It sounds like an animal in pain. I walk into the kitchen and there are faded blood trails leading to the old basement door. My heart starts to pound as I walk to it. The sound becomes quieter as I approach it.

  “Mom?”

  I start to hear some movement in the dark but I can’t see a thing. Who’s down there? I slowly step on the old wooden staircase

  CREAK!

  My heart starts to pound so loud I can hear it over the silence. What could possibly be down here? We never use the basement for anything because my mom and I are both afraid of spiders. I reach into my pocket and grab the Gleammer. I point it to the floor press the button. The blue light shoots out and lights up the dark basement.

  I slowly turn my head and it’s Kaleb. Only it’s not Kaleb. There is a bite mark on his mark and his face looks fiercely evil.

  BARK! BARK!

  Kaleb suddenly charges causing me to fall back. I quickly get myself up before he starts to climb up the stairs. He runs up the stairs and I quickly shut the door.

  I run upstairs to my mom’s room to tell her what happened. I quickly open the door and immediately the cold air engulfs me, giving me chills all over. The broken window welcomed the cold wind and it’s extremely quiet. I see my mom lying o
n the floor unconscious. As I approach her my heart nearly seeks to my stomach as I notice her skin is ghostly pale.

  “MOM!” I try to shake her but no response.

  I gently place her back down and I stand up, trying to catch my breath as I grip my hair in frustration. My mom’s body suddenly jerks up, inhaling as much air she can possibly fit in her lugs.

  “Mom, are you okay?”

  “I-I think so,” she says as she begins to cough up blood.

  “Mom what happen?”

  “I bit him. I bit Kaleb. The last thing is running after Kaleb as this thing just took over me.”

  I quickly pat her back before reaching into the sack bag, pulling out the Nightshade. I reach for a nearby glass cup on her desk and place the flower above it. I squeeze as much fluid, filling the glass cup with black liquid.

  “What is that?”

  “Don’t worry mom. This will make you feel better,” I say.

  I hand her the cup and she looks at me confusedly. My mom starts tearing up. “Hazer if anything happens, I just want you to know you mean everything to me,” she says.

  I nod and she drinks the black fluid. “How do you feel?” I ask.

  She looks up at me as if we’re meeting for the first time.

  “Mom?”

  She suddenly lashes on to me but I quickly manage to push her off. “Mom what are you doing?”

  She responds with a growl. Before she can strike again I run out and close the door, locking her inside of her room. I run down the stairs as I hear thrashing behind me. I can’t believe this is happening.

  I walk outside and dash across the foggy street. I suddenly hear vehicles coming into the neighborhood. The familiar black military truck drives into our street I start to remember my nightmare of how the military made me shoot my mom. I quickly knock on Carter’s door. Mrs. Rivera opens it and I walk in.

  “Hazer what is the meaning of this.”

  “Something is wrong with my mother. I did exactly what Mr. Rivera says but after she drank the Nightshade, she tried to attack me.”

  Mrs. Rivera looks at as if I’m mentally ill. This is ironic because I would be the one who would think she belongs in a mental institute.”

  “Hazer! The Northern troops are here!” yell Carter as he rushes down stairs.

  I look back outside and people in white hazmat are surrounding my house and pointing their guns. More troops come out of the vehicles but they are in a white suit. I notice most of them are in hazmat suits.

  “What are they doing?”

  “Hazer your mom has been infected” says Mr. Rivera.

  “Infected?” I ask.

  “I thought it was just an ordinary bite from animal out in the woods, but last night I heard something coming from your house. A scream that made me think something had attacked you guys so I came over and your mom was clawing the wall. I was worried she had done something so I call them. I don’t know how your mom got this way but I had to call them.”

  “You called her in? You called the military?!” I raise my voice as I realize all the bad things they’re going to do to her.

  “Hazer I’m sorry but it was the only way she can get help, professional help.”

  “No! They are just going to experiment on her or kill her.”

  The armed troops start to walk inside my home. I start to fear for my mom. I walk back outside and Mr. Rivera follows me.

  “Hazer I’m sorry but there is nothing you can do for your mother right now.”

  “She’s all I have.”

  Mr. Rivera takes a deep breath before saying “Ok Hazer, I’ll go talk to them and make sure your mom will be safe.” The soft tone in his voice just tells me how much he regrets bring the military here.

  Mr. Rivera slowly approaches one of the officers. I realize the familiar officer is well known Commander Ace. I start to feel relief realizing Ace might understand our situation. Suddenly the armed troops quickly surround her and aim at Mr. Rivera. My heart nearly skips a beat.

  “Do not come any closer. This area is off limits!”

  “I just want to…”

  The men in hazmat suits suddenly come out of my house carrying out my mom but she’s different. Like Kaleb, she’s acting more violent, thrashing her legs in the air as they carry her out, and holding her arm.

  “There must be some sort of misunderstanding,” Mr. Rivera tries to negotiate with Ace.

  “I said step back! This place is off limits!” she yells.

  Knowing Mr. Rivera who is always resistant towards the law, he steps forward to my mom whose acting more animal like by the second. “Please, just put her down,” says Mr. Rivera taking a few more steps before the troop immediately point their guns. My stomach tightens as they pull the trigger.

  BANG!

  “NO!” I scream.

  Everything around me feels is real. I can feel every long second between the beat of my heart. It’s almost like time stopped. My nightmare has become my reality and I can’t wake up from this. Mr. Rivera was just shot! The man who I knew while growing up, the one who took me out hunting and treated me as one of his own drops begins to clasps. His knee falls first, hitting to the hard ground. I rush to him.

  “NO!” Mrs. Rivera runs to us, but she quickly stopped by one of the troops.

  The troop violently grabs me and asks, “Do you live here?”

  I can barley talk but I know I have to in order to survive. “Yes, please let my mom go,” I say. They ignore my request and pull me into one of the trucks, taking me away.

  VI

  The truck starts rumbling and I begin to feel nauseous. All I can think about is Mr. Rivera and whether he is dead or not and most importantly what they are going to do to my mom. I think about all the needles they will inject into her veins and how much pain she’ll be in. I know she will not last long; this is the same women who cried over a broken arm when she fell down a couple of years ago.

  The door opens and they walk me off the vehicle. I feel like throwing up. The car ride made it worst. It was as if we were driving over large rocks. The burning stomach acid nearly comes up to my throat, but I try my best to hold it in.

  I look ahead as they walk me into a building. The building has vines hanging from the roof to the glass door way. If I didn’t know any better, it was put there on purpose to blend with the surrounding trees. We walk in and they immediately place me in the center of the room where a blue light ring circles the floor around me.

  “What’s happening?’

  “We’re checking your blood.”

  I look down at my arms and notice my veins are glowing blue. They all light up throughout my entire body. For a second I feel exposed, naked even.

  “He’s clean,” says the troop at the computer. “Bring the next one in,” says Ace. They escort me off the circular lights and then a loud scream enters the room. My mom is in hand cuffs as they place her on the same platform.

  “Test her.”

  The ring lights up and instead of blue, her veins glow black throughout her body.

  “She’s contaminated with some sort of virus, Commander. This didn’t come from our territory.”

  “She must have gotten outside the gate,” Ace exclaims.

  “I promise! My mom never left!”

  “Well then care to explain how she’s infected?”

  I don’t know what to say. My mom is the last person who would ever pass the gates. She is the one who taught me to fear the dangers beyond our realm.

  I begin to think back to when a solider entered our house and asked my mom if anyone lived with her. It seems off because the military doesn’t have the time to go inside everyone’s house to inspect if everything is in order. It isn’t normal routine.

  “There was a day when a soldier asked if she could enter our home and inspect our house. I-I didn’t think much about it but now I think she infected my mom somehow”

  “Did you see what she looked like?”

  “No I was hiding.”

>   “Commander I think this virus came from the West. There are some biological properties that only exist in Devah’s climate,” says one of the troops behind the computer screen.

  “You’re saying the territory that we’re up against this year is Devah?”

  “It’s a highly possible, Ma’am.”

  “That means they’re already planning their attack on us. Tell the Realm Leader Greg right away and tell him that we might have an intruder behind our walls.”

  “And the boy and his mother?”

  “Contain her. As for the boy,” Ace stares for a good long second with her cold eyes. “Offer him to the Serum.”

  All the blood rushes to my stomach, making me almost barf in front of them. I try to speak in order to beg for my life but words can’t even escape my mouth.

  Two arm men walk towards me. Finally I grip my hands and say, “I-I sign the sheet,” I nearly choke on my words. I clear my throat and say it again. “I signed the sheet during the festival.”

  “What is he talking about?” Ace ask.

  “It’s on there, Hazer Wes! I’m a solider!”

  “You’re lying. You signed up for the military?” Ace laughs. “Check his name,” she demands.

  My heart starts beating heavily as the man at the computer looks through the computer for records. “Hazer Wes?”

  “That’s me,” I say.

  Ace’s facial expression goes blank. She then approaches me and looks at me with her sharp eyes as she clutches her jaws. I know I have just made her angry, knowing she would want more than anything to offer me to the Redeemed Serum.

  “Don’t disappoint me.”

  My heart begins to calm as the arm men lets me go. Thank God, Carter persuaded me in to signing the sheet when I could, even though I was against it.

  I run over to my mom who seems to have drained all her energy, resisting the arm men.