Theocriles

Chapter 8 ~ Death

Dr Auxilium, that's where it officially began, just another meeting with death. As usual I was taken from my room but this time I was led by a different soldier. The usual was a pale man, who didn't speak, didn't even look at me. That day I received an old friend, the boy who had carried me here in the first place. I had him to thank for reuniting me with my grandfather. He smiled at me and offered a hand. Frowning I swatted his hand down. What right had he to show me kindness, he who had treated me with such disrespect? The tip of his tightly sealed lips pulled into a smirk and his shoulders shook with mirth. His eyebrows lifted to join his smirk in his attempt to mock me. My frown increased as he led me from my room to the jeep outside. I clambered, rather clumsily to his apparent hilarity, into the unusually empty car. He gracefully swung his legs inside and pulled up the half-back of the car and sat, half hanging in the open air, gun lifted in one hand.

What was going on? Where were the other soldiers? There was the boy, a driver and the man next to him whose gun was also locked and ready to fire. The drive was quiet, too quiet and full of tension. Clearly something strange was going on. The Jeep silently halted and I was taken into the oddly empty laboratory, lights off and shutters locked. All three soldiers came with me. This too was unfamiliar. The drivers should've stayed in the car. I was taken the usual route to the surgery and sat down on the white chair that should've belonged to a dentist. The two drivers sneaked straight through the back door guns aimed ahead. I was left in the room with the boy, one small desk lamp lit. We waited for a while and I kept my mouth shut, not daring to ask what was going on. After a while, a doctor entered the room from the back door, leaving it open behind him. Outside was another car, lit by a bright flood light, containing the two drivers.

The doctor was one of the only things familiar that night. He entered in his usual lab coat but without the name tag, his hand also empty of his clip board and pen.

'What is going on?" My mind was screaming in frustration. I had to know. Why were they doing this? By the looks of the empty Lab, it was the middle of the night and some sort of secret meeting was happening before my eyes.

"Miss Astra. First and foremost I want to sincerely apologise for all that I have done and allowed to be done in this laboratory."

'What's that supposed to mean?'

"I am more ashamed than I can say and tonight I mean to make up for it." I couldn't contain myself. I had to know.

"What is going on?" I blurted. Doctor Auxilium looked at me pitifully, streaks of regret striping his forehead.

"Why does everyone look at me like that? Like I'm some sort of lost puppy that needs to be taken care of? So far I've encountered too many weird things to comprehend. I have no clue What's going on apart from the fact that there's some sort of War and my grandfather is hated by a group of rebels that my brother gave me up to, to be a part of and everyone is acting suspiciously and the only person I know I can trust is my grandfather." The boy and the doctor looked at me impatiently.

"That is why we are here tonight. I am going to try and fix all the repairable damage I have caused you and explain to you all that has happened within the last three years. Which would you like me to do first?" I shook my head. I didn't have time for this.

'Why now? In the middle of the night!'

"Right then, explaining it is then. Prepare yourself, this may come as quite a shock." I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, almost squirming at the situation at hand. This was ridiculous.

"Three years ago, there were three planets. Pertanian, Ropa and-." Shouts were heard outside and the roar of gunfire ricocheted in the boundless night air. The boy grabbed me by the arm and turned off the lamp.

"We have to go." He said to the doctor turning to the door.

"What about the surgery? I have to right my wrongs and undo what I've done!" He pleaded. The boy turned to the doctor.

"I'm afraid it will have to wait. We can't risk getting caught."

"Caught? Who are you? What is going on?" I questioned.

"Not now princess." I tried to tug my arm from his grasp but he was holding on too tight. He dragged me towards the back exit and hid behind the door. "Now unless you want to get shot I suggest you follow my lead." He peaked his head outside and back again. "You too doctor." Before I could protest again he pulled me into the open. We ran in a crouch and the doctor followed. We ran along the buildings concrete grey wall, past the original escape car as the original two driver were lying dead on the dashboard, thick red blood oozing from neat circular tears in their backs. My stomach churned and the air of death filled my lungs. Death was something that I had encountered many times now, and something I never wanted to see again. I felt small pellets of air skim my back, as I crouched, dodging bullets as we went. I heard a gurgled screech from behind me. I turned to see the doctor lying, back to the ground. His cold grey eyes stared into the pale Nebula above, giving them a pastel yellow colour. We came to another Jeep, this one a dull black colour painted with thin stokes of blue in a cracked pattern. Camouflage. I was shoved in the front seat and the soldier jumped into the driver's seat, slamming the accelerator on. Gunfire followed us into the night and we sat in silence, quietly mourning the death of the doctor.

Another man was dead because of me. There was one certain thing I had learnt about myself during my recalled memory, one thing that I knew I could always rely on. Wherever I went, Death followed.