Republic of Tactics

Republic of Tactics: Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Inside the lobby of my apartment building, gurneys and beds are set up shoulder to shoulder. The smell of rubbing alcohol and dirt fill the air. Nurses try to care for the wounded and there's is an influx of towels and pain-killers brought in through a doorway. A box of ice packs fall to ground from a table due to the chaos in the brimming room. I pick up a box of syringes and hand them to a nurse who was looking for them.

"Soldier Bovise! He's alive!" A man exclaims sitting on a wheelchair. Rapidly, other patients turn their heads and look at me. Their bloody faces light up in hope when they see me.

"You have to save us!" A woman yells in the crowd.

"You are our hope! You must vanquish the Alphas!" People seem to be yelling the same thoughts and be very optimistic of the battle tomorrow. I become incommodious being the center of attention. The loyal and blessing remarks are making me see how imperative I am to all these people. To the rebels in the country. I then remembered that Septimus (or Elite 1) was not alone. The other nine elites are out there as well.

"The other nine Elites.... where are they?" I ask standing on a desk, using it as a stage. The crowd allays the chatter and listens attentively.

"They're on their way. Elite six and three are totally pulverized though." Says that lady Penelope, from the dining room. She is on nurse duty as I see, besides her is what looks like her daughter. She appears to be around my age. Both Penelope and her daughter have the same light brown hair and greenish eyes.

"When will they arrive?" I ask her.

"Noon or even earlier." Penelope responds. Her daughter looks at me blushingly. I glance at her for a second, managing a small smile.

I spend about an hour walking around the lobby (which has now revamped into a chaotic hospital). I'm assisting the patients as best as I can. The sight of seeing me makes them smile. The patients and nurses kept expressing their thoughts and scrutiny about the battle's objective. How by winning, I can change the way all of us live and make my mark in the government. That I shouldn't give up on the battle's contrivance.

Olden told me Ellis wanted to talk to me. He was securely under care in a separate room. When I go inside, I see a hospital bed where Ellis is lying on. He has an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. The plastic fogs up when he exhales. Half of his body is covered in bandages of all sizes. An ice pack lies on his head, I hear the heart rate machine beeping at his side.

"Hey commander Ellis." I simply say.

"I told you, it's just Ellis." He tries to chuckle, but his pain is limiting it and he has to clear his throat violently.

"Look at me. I'm dying. Look at you, you've been here so little but grown so much. I can see it." Ellis says.

"Thank you. I won't let you down. And, thank you for everything." I tell him, not really knowing what to say when he's going to die. I sit down on the chair next to him.

"I want you to promise me something." Says Ellis.

"Anything." I say back. Looking at him in the eye.

"Promise me that no matter what-" he pauses to cough, "no matter what, resignation will never cross your mind. You will battle and you will lift us from the ashes. Promise me that soldier." He says.

"I promise." I say.

Minutes pass by in silence. Olden says his words to Ellis after me. Then, the heart rate machine goes flat.

I can't do this. I hate death, but mother taught me its all part of life. That it gets better after. I stand from the chair and salute Ellis. The energy in the room becomes somber and I commence feeling morbid. I turn and slowly walk out the door, like the world switched to slow motion.

The silence sweeps away in the loud room. More people are coming in, overflowing the lobby. It has been cleared of furniture to expand space. More beds were set up and I find myself in the middle of the room when someone outside yells,

"They're here! The Elites have arrived!" He exclaims. Many patients who are capable of walking rush out the door. Including me and Olden.

Outside on the street are five hovercrafts parked on the ground in the rubble where other homes and buildings once stood.

The doors begin to open and the ladders come down. The passengers start to exit and stand together, united and strong. The Elites.... have arrived in Elite 1.