REGIME (English Version)

Chapter 13 - Puppets

I had arrived at the designated location for the meeting with the Regency agents to collect the cargo. It was a place far from the village, and it would have taken me a long time to get there if I hadn't gone by bike. It was another dead and abandoned city, I was scared, I looked at the window of the destroyed structures and had the impression of seeing shadows hiding.

After walking into the city for some time, the cold mist of that place was dissipated by headlights that turned on a few meters ahead of me, I deduced it was the truck, so I thought: "I'll end this quickly and leave." It was when I heard some interference sounds in my earpiece, the sound was similar to that of an old radio, the sound was too loud, so I decided to take off the earpiece and put it in my pocket. Suddenly more lights turned on, more and more pairs of headlights were turned on. "Wait. These are car headlights, not truck headlights..." I tried to calm down and think that they just changed the way they were carrying the equipment, but my self-comforting thought was refuted right after I heard footsteps behind me.

- ???? - I turn around already drawing my gun and see Louie accompanied by two tall, strong men.

- Heh..heh...heh... hello dear

- What the hell is going on? Don't think I'll hesitate to shoot - When I say this, the two men draw their guns and point them at me.

- What's happening is that I came to collect my merchandise that you kindly asked for. - Somehow he knew our plan, but I had no idea how - How do you know?

- Heh heh heh, child... do you know the value of each of the people you know?

- Wh-what are you talking about?

- You have the privilege of having the mark since you were born... But not everyone is like that. After the situation got worse for the rebels, anyone would do anything to get past the walls. Anyone would do anything for one of these. - Louie raises his right arm and shows his mark.

- Wait... Drake and Robert...?

- Hah! Hah! Hah! ... your naivety is admirable, Miss Gray.

- How do you know my name?

- Ruby? - I hear a familiar voice behind me, so I turn around pointing the gun at it. It was Jaden, my asshole brother in that ridiculous black leather coat.

- Jaden...

- What are you doing? - He asks confused

- Surviving, damn it! What did you expect me to do? I was left behind. None of you pigs cared enough to send teams to rescue me!

- Ruby, I'm here, I came for you.

- Don't bullshit me!

- This is serious, sister... I never stopped thinking about you. Ruby, what's about to happen is very serious, you need to come with me.

- I... - I was almost convinced, when a soldier approached my brother and informed him:

- Sir, we've already tracked the target's location.

- Target...? tell why you're really here, you lying motherfucker! - I think at that moment my face turned very red as tears streamed down and fell to the ground.

- Calm down, child. Captain Gray came to fetch the rebel who came with you, but I told him that there was also a girl who had the mark on her arm. So after they tracked you and identified you, we negotiated for me to deliver you safely in exchange for some supplies - Louie speaks with that unbearable and annoying tone.

I didn't understand much of the situation... like, why was the Regency after Thomas? Does that mean if Tom wasn't here they wouldn't come looking for me?

- Jaden, is this true? - I turn back to Jaden pointing the gun at him, who in turn raised his hands making the "peace sign".

- It's not so easy to explain, Ruby. Come, and I'll tell you everything you want to know...

- IT'S TOO LATE, JADEN!!! - I fire once at Jaden, but the soldier next to him grabs him and they both fall to the ground avoiding the shot. A series of shots come in my direction, so I ran to the side and hid behind some rubble not far away.

- Stop! Don't shoot! She's one of us, damn it! - Jaden shouts as he gets up. After hiding, I start running back to where I came from, I needed my bike to warn Tom as soon as possible that we had been betrayed.

- Oh! the earpiece! - I remembered the earpiece that was in my pocket and put it on while running.

- Capture her alive! - I heard my brother shouting, then the soldiers started coming after me with their jeeps.

- Thomas!

- fffffffffffffff... - only this sound was possible to hear.

- My God, THOMAS!

- ffff... h-hello? R-...by? - I couldn't hear properly, but at least I managed to contact Tom.

- Drake and Robert! They betrayed us! The Regency knows the plan because of them! Be careful! ... Thomas! Thomas?!... hello!!! DAMN IT! - I got annoyed, and threw the earpiece on the ground as I ran, and entered a swamp. The jeeps were catching up to me, but they couldn't enter the forest, because their tires would get stuck in the mud. I remembered the training Carlson did with me and Jaden when we were teenagers, who would have thought that shit would serve for anything. After some time trying to run in the mud, I hid under a rock and a few seconds later I managed to hear footsteps and orders for some soldiers to spread out. While running, I could see little of the forest, but I already imagined how it would be, it was a generic swamp, with tall trees and a separation of 5 to 7 meters, so I desperately prejudged how the platoon formation would be in those situations and made a mental map of the swamp in my head. It sounds crazy, but I knew the army's strategies, so little by little I understood how they were positioned. I sneaked up on the side of a slimy rock and came face to face with a soldier turning around. Instinctively I stood up and immobilized him by the neck, making sure to cover his mouth so his grunts wouldn't be heard. After he passed out, I took his knife and his H-68. I had a considerable advantage since they couldn't hit me, but in any case, I couldn't mess up. I put the rifle strap on my shoulder and crouched down to another soldier, he didn't see me coming in his panoramic view due to the darkness of the place, so I quickly advanced against him, immobilized him, and stabbed the knife in his neck.

- What the hell?! - A soldier reacts after hearing something nearby. I made a lot of noise in the execution of that guy.

- Hey, she's around here! - They start to position themselves and surround the rock where I was hiding, when in a surge of adrenaline I stood up and started shooting at the soldiers who in turn just ran behind the trees. Then I ran out and found my bike nearby, got on it, and started pedaling desperately.