The Hidden Evil 4

Chapter V: The Changes

January 18th, one month later...

Ronnie woke up once again in her team's tent. She wondered how many more mornings she'd find herself in this tent, but that was to be unknown as of right now. The war had been raging for well over two months, and it showed no signs of stopping. There was no telling which side was winning or loosing; no telling which side would come out the other end as the victor. All Ronnie knew is that she couldn't let her motivation die out, for she needed it, both for herself and her city. The snow still layered the ground, this time even heavier. Ronnie slept with layers of jackets and blankets on in an attempt to not freeze to death overnight. Some days were colder than others, but too many people in Shippendale's camp had already gotten frost bitten. Even the rivers had frozen over, making it even more difficult to find water and fish. Soldiers would occasionally go to the frozen river and cut a hole in the ice to catch fish, but less and less people had been doing that since there had been even more sightings of the enemy on Shippendale's territory as of lately. They were afraid of being ambushed with nothing to fight with other than a fishing rod and a kitchen knife. Extra security was needed to make sure the intruders didn't come into the camp, which luckily hasn't happened yet. Ronnie would wake up, but sometimes she would be the only one in the tent. She slept in, but they'd never leave without her.
Karma pressed Bruna up against a tree on the outer rim of the forest. They were holding each other's faces and kissing. Bruna pushed herself away from Karma and drew in her breath. She reached down beside her and picked up a glass full of alcohol. She took a long sip, letting the liquid slide down her throat. She put the glass back down and pulled Karma's face back against her lips. Karma could taste the alcohol on Bruna's lips, but he didn't mind. They were both drunk after getting too carried away. Bruna shifted, knocking her glass over with her foot. She stopped kissing Karma to look down at what she had just kicked.
"My glass," mumbled Bruna, her words slurred. Karma coughed and sat down as his world started to spin. Bruna sat down directly across from him, grabbing her glass and setting it upright. "Are.. are you alright?" Bruna had noticed Karma's face getting pale and his balance getting uneven. Karma looked at her, almost falling sideways but catching himself.
"I'm.. fine," uttered Karma. Bruna reached out and caressed his pale face.
"You don't look fine," said Bruna. Karma smiled and pulled her in for another kiss, but she pushed him away. "We can't let this happen to us," Bruna told him.
"..What do you mean?" Karma asked.
"We have work to go to," explained Bruna. Karma looked at her, slowly blinking his eyes. He could barely tell where she was, his world was spinning so fast. Suddenly, Karma's head started to pound, but he still kept his focus on Bruna. "Let's go back to camp," suggested Bruna. Karma nodded, but before Bruna stood up she looked over to the forest. "What was that sound?"
Karma looked as well, and as soon as he saw nothing he looked back to Bruna. Suddenly, blood splattered against Karma's face. His eyes widened as he saw Bruna looking at him with huge, lifeless eyes. Bruna had been shot in the head and instantly killed. Karma felt his heart pound out of his chest, and his breathing became the only sound he could hear.
"Bruna..," mumbled Karma as Bruna fell backwards against the tree. Karma clenched his jaw and pushed himself off of the ground. He tried to limp away but ended up falling to his hands and knees. He tried standing up again, but fell into another tree. He used that tree to stand up again. This time he managed to walk a few steps before falling once again. He looked forward, not knowing which way was camp and which way would lead him into the forest.
Ronnie sat outside at the picnic tables by herself, nobody on her team seemed to be around. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her. It was calming until she heard her name.
"Ronnie," Rueben said in a hard tone. "Ronnie!"
Ronnie opened her eyes and looked at Rueben in worrisome.
"What? What is it," she asked.
"Captain was caught in an attack," Rueben told her. She stood up, immediately feeling a sense of anxiety.
"Is he alright? Where is he?" Ronnie asked impatiently.
"I was just going over to where they have him, let's go," Rueben said. Ronnie nodded and followed Rueben. He led her to a tent with a medical symbol on the outside of it. When they walked inside, they immediately saw Karma sitting on a bench with a couple medics around him. Ronnie ran up to him and kneeled down in front of him.
"Captain! Are you hurt? What happened," asked Ronnie. Karma looked at her, his eyes bloodshot.
"He's fine, just dizzy and nauseous," said one of the medics.
"Whose blood is that on him?" Ronnie asked.
"Captain Bruna's. She was shot right in front of him," said a medic.
"Oh my-," gasped Ronnie. Ronnie and Rueben exchanged worried looks.
After the medic's approval, Ronnie and Rueben helped Karma back to the tent. They lied Karma down on his cot and made sure he was warm enough. Ronnie put her hand on her forehead and sighed.
"The killing's never over," uttered Ronnie. Rueben looked from his sleeping captain to Ronnie, nodding his head in agreement. Suddenly, Augustine opened the door to their tent and walked in.
"I heard about the attack. Is Karma alright," Augustine said in concern.
"He's fine. He's sleeping right now," replied Ronnie. Augustine inhaled and sat down at the table in the middle of the tent.
"Another captain's life, taken by those pigs," growled Augustine. "I'm glad Karma wasn't their victim."
"I can't believe they'd take this battle into the camps. Why Captain Bruna, anyway," said Ronnie.
"I don't know. We'll have to speak with Karma when he wakes up. I want Team F away from the battlefield today," said Augustine.
"Why? We can go without Captain," protested Rueben.
"Just do as I say, I just want the best for you guys," Augustine told him. Ronnie sighed and put her hands over her eyes.