The Kingdom

Chapter Six

The trio followed Lillian down the hallway to a bunkhouse. They walked inside and down to the very end, where three empty bunk beds sat, each with their names on them.

"You'll be sleeping here, get some rest," Lillian said. "You'll need it for tomorrow."

Reilious nodded and put his backpack down on his bunk as Deryle and Talia did the same. He took out the picture of him and his family from his pocket, putting it in his backpack. He laid down on his bunk, Deryle putting his gun on a hook next to his bunk.

Talia put her pistol on the nightstand next to hers, and looked over, having the bunk in the corner. "So, what do you think this whole thing is about?"

Deryle looked over. "I'm actually not sure, I think it might be like military training or something? What do you think Reil?"

They looked at Reilious as he just shrugged, staying quiet.

"You alright?" Talia asked.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Knowing your family is dead and your childhood belongings were thrown around in a search to find me without any emotion, and watching the man who you were to be the successor of die in front of your very eyes. I watched my entire home get destroyed around me as I could do nothing but hide and watch. How do you think I feel right now?" he responded, not opening his eyes.

Talia looked down as Deryle patted Reilious on the shoulder.

"It'll be alright, bud, you've got us now. And whoever the hell these Night people are," he said, looking back at Talia. "Right?"

Talia looked up, seeing Deryle was looking at her. "Right."

A man walked up to the three, in a black suit with a black tie. He was built like a football player, and fairly tall, with jet black hair on his head.

"You three must be what's left of New Heaven. I am Varen Thorn, one of the generals," the man said, greeting them with a nod.

"I'm Deryle," Deryle said.

"I'm Talia, pleasure to meet you," Talia announced.

Reilious nodded from his spot on the bed.

Varen looked over at Reilious. "What's his problem?"

Deryle and Talia shrugged.

Varen looked at him again, then walked off. The room was silent after, it being eleven o'clock at night.

Reilious sighed, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep as Talia and Deryle went to their bunks and laid down. He tossed and turned, not able to get any sleep. He resorted to lying on his back and staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened.

Deryle fell asleep rather quickly, covering himself with the thin blanket of the bunk.

Talia had lied down facing the wall, thinking of everything that had happened. She thought back to her family and friends, how her life used to be happy. She thought back to watching what had happened to Reilious, studying his facial expressions during certain points of the day that she had met him, how harsh his voice was over the course of it, and how quiet he had become.

Reilious turned over, reaching down into his backpack. He took out the picture of his family, looking at it. He studied the faces of his parents and him, how happy they had been when the photo was taken. He remembered back to what had happened that day. He had been on a birthday trip to a waterpark, which he had been waiting the entire year he knew about it. They had saved up enough money to take him, and had him decide everything they did that day.