FALLEN WARRIORS

X: Moving in the Dark

10;
MOVING IN THE DARK 
Metallica―Enter Sandman

               "Listen up, ya rascals," Jorge announces after the little event of France's funeral have been cleared off. Ilithyia stands with her arms crossed beside Jorge, the Subjects huddled themselves in front of her and Jorge, Minho being up front than the others.

"Now that we're no longer stuck at the godforsaken Underneath, we have to once again survive this nightmare." He pauses, his face studying each of the teenage boys in front of him, their faces carved into concentration as they listen to Jorge.

"How about Thomas and your friend?" A boy asks from beside Mirza, who has a shovel prompting his weight as he too stares at Jorge.

"We'll go search for them tomorrow," this time Ilithyia speaks up, eliciting the attention to her. "Too dangerous to go now. The sun's almost set. We have to search for food and a shelter to crash, can't risk roaming on the street at night, trust me."

"I thought there are foods in the rucksack?" Newt questions, brows furrow as his quizzical gaze shifts between Jorge and Ilithyia.

"Won't be enough for all of us to eat for the next days," she answers with a sigh, casting a look behind the scattered Subjects, catching a sight of a newly bumped dry earth where there was an excavation before and now where France's body is buried, deep within the earth, where he's safe and sound.

"What she said, now," Jorge clasps his hand together, eyes shifting before them. "Fellas, if you'd kindly follow me."

He turns and walks away, followed by Ilithyia who doesn't bother to check whether the others are following them. But by the shuffling and footsteps behind her tells her otherwise.

"This the centre of the city?" Mirza voices out, the silence slightly bothering him as he accelerates his pace to have it falls beside Ilithyia, behind Jorge and Minho, both stubbornly wanting to be the one in charge though the younger boy knows that the older man knows the city better than him.

"Yup," Ilithyia answers concisely. "More or less."

Oblivious towards the laconic manner, he continues, "more or less, eh? Where's Jorge leading us to?"

"The end of the city, towards the mountain." She exhales an irked air out from her mouth but the boy merely picked up the undertone.

"Why?" He asks again much to her chagrin.

"We're going to discuss it tomorrow after we survive the rest of this day, okay?"

Maybe he has finally picked up the slightly annoyed undertone or he's too tired to carry on the conversation, Ilithyia never finds out because after she responded his question, they fall into a thick silence with hushed conversation between the Subjects behind them and Jorge and Minho animatedly talking about something she doesn't bother to know.

But at least Mirza has his mouth shut and so she can go back with her thoughts. Her mind is still buzzing after her private conversation with Eltham, she knows he's somewhere behind them, going unnoticed but she knows he's there.

Her thoughts are swivelling as she stares at her feet taking her to wherever Jorge's leading them. Though talking, others have their eyes opened for a deli or a grocery. By the signs on the buildings, she can make it that they're somewhere in New Mexico, a place away from WICKED headquarter.

She feels somehow triumph that now she's with Group A, a step closer to making WICKED proud of her being the obedient Warrior she is. Janson will surely be proud. He was the one who discovered her, a neglected ten-year-old wandering at a big city. With her unusual conspicuous orbs colour, it was hard not to attract WICKED's attention and they did.