OTHERS: Five elements

CHAPTER 1.11: NEW MISSION

22 March 2033, 7:45am

- "You've lost. Surrender. There's no need for me to kill you. I'll capture you and take you to the base."

- "They'll kill me there anyway. It’s better if you kill me here."

- "I'm not going to kill you. You also have a daughter. Think about her. You need to find her. Live for her."

- "My daughter is fine. She’s in a safe place."

- "How do you know?" I asked him.

- "I won’t tell you. You might go after her and catch her. But I’ll ease your mind—she’s not like me. I’m the only one. It's just me and her left. I had a wife—I loved her. I still love her. One day, she came home completely different, as if she wasn’t my wife anymore. She acted strangely. A few days later, she suddenly attacked my daughter. She tried to bite her neck. I don’t know what she was trying to do. I tackled my wife, grabbed her to stop her. I didn’t expect her to be so strong—I barely managed to hold her down. At one point, she turned toward me and bit my neck. She started sucking my blood, like a vampire. I grabbed a kitchen knife nearby and stabbed her in the back. I killed my wife, and she turned me into a monster. And the worst part is, my daughter saw everything. Since then, I’ve only had her."

As I listened to him, I thought about Mary. He, like me, had lost his wife. But he still had his daughter, while I had no one.

- "Since then, it’s been just me and my daughter. We've become fugitives. I stole food, clothes, the bare essentials—just so my daughter could survive. Now she's in a better place, someone else will take care of her—someone who can provide for her much more than I ever could. After all, I’m just a monster. We can’t even call ourselves human anymore. You normal humans have given us the name 'The Others.'"

Who is this other person he speaks of? Could there have been someone else I wasn’t aware of? Where had White Ghost gone? I need to reach Daniel as soon as possible. I hope he is safe. My mind swirled with these thoughts as I continued to listen.

- "Don’t take me to the base. They’ll torture me there—use me as a guinea pig. It’s better you kill me now. The mist hasn’t lifted yet. August expects you to deliver me alive, just as you did with the others. We know of you—you’re a renowned soldier, August’s protégé. But no one knows what you look like. I never thought it would be you. Some call you ‘the Devil’s Son,’ but you don’t seem like it. Outwardly, perhaps, but your eyes reveal your inner truth. You’re suffering—your heart is broken."

- "How do you know that?" I asked, startled.

- "You won’t believe it, but I used to be a psychotherapist—a good one. I had many clients. I can tell when someone is in pain just by looking into their eyes."

A psychotherapist? How could that be? Only humans could be therapists… but he wasn’t human. My mind raced.

- "You’re probably wondering how that’s possible—how a monster like me could have been a therapist. You know how I know? Your eyes dart around when you overthink."

My hand trembled as I held the sword beneath his throat. How had he read me so easily? How did he know so much about me?

- "I can see you’re not a bad person."

- "I’m not," I said. "I just want to see all the suffering in this world end. And you’re responsible for it."

- "We are responsible for it?" he asked.

- "Ever since you appeared, people have been dying. You’re losing your humanity. You can’t control yourselves. The instinct to kill is embedded in your blood."

- "I don’t deny that. When I was first turned, I felt that instinct. But I suppressed it because my desire to keep my daughter safe was stronger than the urge to kill. But my time has come. I only hope my daughter will never forget me."

As soon as he said that, he drove my sword into his own neck. I was stunned. My thoughts spiraled out of control. What should I do? How can I help him? He gasped for air, but I couldn’t save him. My breathing quickened. Sweat dripped from my brow. As I debated what to do, he took his final breath. He was dead. A lifeless body lay before me. I could have saved him, but I didn’t. I am a fool. I wanted to weep for him, but I couldn’t. I wanted to call for help, but I couldn’t. My voice was gone. Did I kill him? I had taken someone’s life—something I’d never done before.

After a few minutes, Daniel appeared. He saw me standing, paralyzed.

- "Mark, are you alright?"

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My eyes were fixed on the corpse. As Daniel drew closer, he saw the Other lying dead. He came up to me. To snap me out of my shock, he slapped me. It was a sharp slap. After a few seconds, I regained my senses.

- "Daniel, how are you here? I thought I’d lost you. I’m so relieved you’re alright."

- "I’m fine! What happened here?"

- "We completed the mission successfully—we neutralized the threat. I captured the Other… actually, I killed him."

The mist had fully cleared. Everything was visible again. I heard Giovanni calling for me. He saw Daniel and me from afar, standing over the dead body. That meant the mission was accomplished. We covered the body, tied it up, and transported it back to the base The yard was completely cleaned, all traces covered, as if nothing had happened. As I rode in the van, only one question consumed my mind: Did I truly kill a man?