OTHERS: Five elements

CHAPTER 4.7: EARTH

22 September 2032, 07:45 AM

The ride was quiet. I sat stiffly between two soldiers in the back of the jeep, hands resting on my knees. The sky outside was blue, almost too blue, like it didn't know what was happening down here. But inside me—inside me it wasn't quiet.The voice had returned. 

-  "Run," it whispered. "You are stronger than them. You don't belong in chains."

My head pounded with each word. The voice wasn't screaming this time. It was cold, calm—more dangerous than before. I clenched my fists. I didn't want to listen. I couldn't afford to listen. 

-  "Kill them. Tear them apart. They're going to end you." 

We arrived at the destination. The jeep stopped. The soldiers didn't speak. They just pulled the doors open and gestured for me to move. I stepped out. 

August stood at the entrance, arms crossed. His posture was firm, unmoved by the world. His eyes were like iron—cold and deliberate. 

-  "Come," he said. 

 I followed him inside. 

- "Where is Mark?" I asked, breaking the silence. 

 August didn't stop walking. 

-  "Gone," he said. "I told him to leave Egypt yesterday." 

-  "Why?" I asked, my chest tightening. 

August didn't respond. We stepped into a room with a large table covered in papers. Three chairs were there—one clearly meant for August, and two on the opposite side. He gestured for me to sit. 

- "You're an Other," he said.I

 - "And you're going to kill me?" I asked. 

- "No," he said. "You're not like the others. Most Others lose control. Their minds break. They kill. But you..." he paused. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

- "No," I said. "I only pushed the soldier because he was yelling at my mother."

- "You have a strong will. That's rare," he said.

- "You'll be taken to Europe," August said. "There's a facility. Safe. Clean. You'll undergo a few tests. Maybe some treatments. You're valuable. You could be the key to understanding why some Others remain conscious."

I nodded slowly. I didn't care about the science. If this meant my family would be safe, I would go. I'd do anything.And then—gunshots.Distant, muffled at first, then louder. A scream. Another shot. I froze. My ears seemed to open wide, the sounds rushing in like a storm. I could hear everything. 

-  "No," I whispered. 

 I turned toward the door. A soldier came in and informed August that the request had been fulfilled. August told me to sit down. But I didn't listen to him. I felt something awaken in my limbs. My blood was no longer warm. It burned. I grabbed the soldier and threw him away. I bolted through the hallway. Outside, I ran faster than I thought my body could move. When I reached the soccer field, I stopped.And my world ended.Bodies.So many.People I knew—faces from the market, neighbors, friends.And then—my family. They lay lifeless on the ground. I stood frozen. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. My knees gave out, and I collapsed to the ground. My chest felt like it was caving in. I clawed at the earth beneath me, trembling.They were gone. I screamed.The sound that came out of me was raw. It ripped through my throat, shattering whatever was left inside me. 

And then I felt it. The earth beneath my fingers trembled. Pebbles began to move slowly. I didn't touch them, but somehow I was moving them. It was as if the earth was calling out to me—comforting me, crying out for justice. The foundation of my life had been shattered. Everything I had built was gone. My family was like the earth beneath my feet—solid, steady, quiet in their strength. And now... they were dust. A sandcastle blown away by the wind. I let out one last cry, more broken than before. My eyes caught sight of him, standing on a distant rooftop with binoculars. Since becoming an Other, my senses had sharpened. Then came the pain—a sharp sting in my back. I turned slightly and saw the dart, the soldier lowering the tranquilizer rifle. My vision blurred. I fell to the ground and sank into a deep sleep, like a stone sinking into water.