The Others- Is humanity worth saving?

Chapter Two

My entire body froze. Commander Miller's dark, blue eyes pierced into mine, a flash of disappointment pooling into his eyes before draining out. His hardened gaze softened, something I have never seen before. "Cobra," I nearly flinched at his tone. It wasn't loud and booming like I was used to. Sometimes, I wondered if that was just his usual tone. Because if it was, he was meant for a job like this. But it was smooth, his southern brawl dripping into his tone like a pool of honey, soft like butter.

    "Commander Miller?" My tone came out quicker than I had anticipated. I tried to sound like I normally would. Look how I normally would. Gaze forward, back straight, arms down to the side. Yes sir! No sir! But here I was, posture slightly slouched, eyes staring straight into his, and talking as if I was unsure of myself. But he either didn't seem to notice, or he didn't seem to mind. "I take it you couldn't sleep?" I only respond by shaking my head no. He lets out a soft exhale, a small whistle noise pouring out his large nostrils. He scratched his five o clock shadow, the soft scratching noises filled in the silence that rested upon both of us. He seemed deep in thought, his dark blue eyes looking up into his bushy brows. "Follow me."

    Without question, I follow him. My eyes trained on his back, watching as he took fast steps. His arms swayed with his movements... back and forth, back and forth. Before I knew it, we had made it out of the barracks and to a small, concrete slab building. It was one story and looked empty. There was only one entrance: a large metal door with a keypad. If you hadn't seen the few workers in lab coats coming in and out of this building from time to time, like me, you would've thought it was empty. My squad and I usually questioned what it was behind this door. Only higher ups like the general or Commander Miller (and the lab coats, obviously) were allowed inside of this building. It was a restricted area that simple soldiers or initiates like myself weren't allowed access into. So it was simply human nature to be curious about this small building.

    And now, here I am. Watching Commander Miller swipe his ID and punching in the password to the keypad, watching the vibrant green blink as the heavy locks moved out of place. "What I am about to show you, you cannot go back and tell your squad." His large hand was on the door handle, looking back at me. His eyes drowned in stoicism, his face hardening as he waited for an answer. "Yes sir," I say, my voice steadier now. I stand straighter and he nods before pushing the door open. As soon as I stepped in behind him, the door shut with a loud slam. I nearly jumped out of my combat boots, instinctively turning to see the door automatically lock behind us.

    I was nearly blinded by the bright, fluorescent lights. It reminded me of those movies when detectives would shine bright lights in their suspect's face. How they would turn their head to the side and try to squint their eyes to not be blinded by the light. That's exactly how I felt right now. Eventually my eyes adjusted as I took in my surroundings. It was a few office desks with computers. "Another lab?" I questioned. "No." Commander Miller just kept walking, his heavy boots thudding against the linoleum floors. I followed after him and watched as he opened some secret passageway behind the shelf of books they had. What the fuck? I thought to myself as I watched him disappear in the darkness, the long black hallway engulfing his entire body. "Come on soldier!" I hear him call out, the echo of his southern tone filling up my ears. "Yup. This is how I die." I muttered to myself as I stepped into the dark hallway.

    I reach my hands out to try and feel out my surroundings. My fingertips brush against the walls: hard and jagged. Like it was made out of rocks. Am I going underground? I walk further, the shelf now shut and sealed to hide away whatever lurked beyond this hall. I could only imagine the importance of whatever it was since they had been keeping it secret.

    I see a door on the other end, a blue-ish fluorescent light pouring through the hall. It was dim and a light shade so it was easier to see without feeling too... trippy. Commander Miller was standing inside the room waiting for me to step inside. "You're not going to murder me, are you?" I tried to come off joking, but I figured Commander Miller could do just about anything and not get questioned. His thin lips curved to a smile, the first real one I had ever seen. Without the cruelty behind it, his smile was soft. "No. If I wanted to, I would. But..." He took a quick look at you. "You would put up a good fight. A product of my training." He smiles a second longer before dropping it and turning away.