The Kingdom

Chapter Five

Reilious followed the vehicles off the highway and down a long narrow dirt road, no street lights or buildings in sight. Only trees surrounded the road, dim streaks of light from the moon shining through the leaves. The vehicles had left the box formation around him, adjusting into a more convoy-like organization. He noticed there were less vehicles around him than on the highway.

Talia looked out the window at the dark forest, seeing the occasional deer or squirrel. She shifted her gaze ahead as the van drove into a field and came to a halt. Her eyes watched the people in the vehicle in front of them get out. Deryle watched as one of the men walked up to the van, and Reilious rolled down the window.

"Would you three follow me please?" the soldier asked.

Reilious nodded, not saying a word.

Reilious turned off the van and followed Talia and Deryle. The three followed the soldier, and saw that others already gone or were going down a path towards the edge of the field. The night was dark, no lights from the city to illuminate the ground. Just the stars overhead and the moon. It was very quiet there as well, and the trio were not used to it being this quiet from their usual city lifestyles. The air was cool, a slight breeze rustling the leaves on the trees as they blew like paper. The path was almost unrecognizable from where Reilious was; it was camouflaged very well.

The soldier walked up to a hatch, a dim light coming from it. It had already been opened, and the soldier pointed inside. "In there."

Reilious looked down in, seeing were lights coming from a room farther down the hole. He looked at the soldier, then began to climb down, Talia and Deryle following him.

As he got off the ladder, he looked around at the room he was in. It was bare, except for a door on the opposite end: a vault door. It was already open, and he looked at the other side, a dimly lit hallway, like the room he was in now. He was suspicious, but decided to trust the people who had just saved him, Talia, and Deryle earlier the evening.

Talia and Deryle got off the ladder, the soldier following and walking through the door. The trio looked at each other, and began to follow. They stepped in and the door began to shut behind them.

"Well, we're either going to die or become heroes. Either way is a win at this point," Deryle said.

"Way to be optimistic," Talia replied, rolling her eyes.

Reilious stayed silent and began to walk down the hallway. Talia and Deryle followed, noticing the change in his personality from when they met him earlier in the day. Talia pointed to Reilious, looking at Deryle with a questioning look in her eyes, getting a shrug from him as a response.

Reilious walked up to the end of the hallway, where a pair of sliding glass doors met him. He continued walking forward, and they opened automatically. He stepped through and onto a catwalk, Talia and Deryle close behind.

The room was large, filled with vehicles, weapons, and people. Scattered around it were mechanics working on the damaged vehicles from earlier in the day, and others worked on a rather large weapon. There were other soldiers fitted with black suits and SMGs patrolling the room and the halls around, wall length glass windows filling one of their walls.

"Welcome to the Night Hall," a woman said, walking up to the trio. "I am Lillian Bolt."

Reilious nodded a greeting.

"I'm Talia, that's Deryle, and he's Reilious," Talia announced, since she doubted nobody else would.

"Yes, I know you three very well already," Lillian replied. "Come, follow me."

The three followed Lillian down the catwalk and to another set of doors, which slid automatically out of their way as they stepped into a new hallway. The hallway looked the same as the rest of the base, a metallic silver lining the walls, lights a pure white, shining from grates in the ceiling.

The group walked up to a room, marked MEETING ROOM 17B, and walked inside. On one wall were large screens, showing IDs of Reilious, Talia, and Deryle, others showing their position in the world, and showing camera footage of what they had done.

"Wow, stalker much," Derek said, only to get an elbow in the side from Talia.

Reilious walked up to the screen showing the footage, noticing it was the Leader's Mansion. Talia and Deryle walked up behind him, watching what had happened.

They watched as Reilious walk into the room back in the capital. Next was Fules standing and greeting him, then the two talking. Tthen the camera shook; an explosion was heard in the background. They watched as the doors swung open, the two guards falling dead, and the attacker walking into the room. Their previous leader stood, then got shot and fell to the floor.

Talia looked at Reilious as he watched it almost without emotion other than regret as Deryle still watched the screen. She looked back to see the moment Reilious got up from behind the desk, throwing the knife into the attacker's head, and then looking behind him.

Deryle looked on as well, watching Reilious leap over the desk as the helicopter crashed through the window. Reilious barely outran it as it hit the floor and exploded. The camera footage ended and turned to static.

"Woah... That was you?" Deryle asked, astonished.

"Yes, it was," Lillian responded, watching their reactions.

Reilious looked back at Lillian. "Why did you bring us here?"

"Good question, Mr. Johnstone. I brought you here because you're the new leader of the Kingdom Rebellion, and since you brought friends, I decided to bring them along too. You are going to help me lead the Rebellion against the king," Lillian responded.

"I see. When do we start this?" Reilious asked.

"I like your enthusiasm, we start now," Lillian replied with a smirk.

Lillian walked out of the room, Reilious and Deryle following. Talia looked back at the screen, then followed.