Against Devil

4 - Death

We were more than fucked up.

I now stared at the dead body of one of our patrols, between the branches of the trees, hanging there on the ropes. The skin of his back was cut off his body and spread open, making it look like he had wings.

I felt the content of my breakfast in my throat, ready to come out.

"How come you didn't call, Alex?" I questioned Marcus, who was containing his face better than I was.

"I tried, but he wasn't in the office," he uttered, clenching his jaw.

"Weird. Before you called me, I was talking to him." I glanced at Marcus, who only shrugged.

"What are you suggesting?" he asked me as I was ranked higher than him, and my word mattered now.

"First... let me go throw up 'cause I've never seen anything like that before. Then, we will deal with it based on the Border Rules." I could barely maintain my bile now, as it was right there at my throat.

Suddenly, bushes at our side rustled, and a figure emerged from them.

Your majesty, Beta Alexander, in his full naked glory, strode towards us.

"Getting more chaotic with every day," Alex declared, casting a quick glance at the body of the patrol before turning back to Marcus.

"Didn't get any better," Marcus replied, crossing his arms.

"I hear you," Alex muttered as he passed by, shooting me an irritated glance.

As if by some unseen force, when I looked back at the lifeless figure and noticed the swarm of flies buzzing around it, a surge of nausea swept over me. I hurried to the nearest tree, trying to conceal the fact that I was retching violently, unable to control the heaving of my stomach.

I have encountered deceased individuals in the past, particularly during training sessions. Yet, this instance was profoundly distinct. It was a tragic sight to behold: an upright man, who had been faithfully carrying out his responsibilities, was now suspended in a rather harrowing manner.

"Blood Eagle... why would they do it?" Marcus and Alex were standing and staring at the body not even attempting to remove it.

"I find it fascinating how they still hold onto those old Norwegian legends, where they thought we would feast on them. It's incredible how deeply the past influences people, driving them in both positive and negative directions. Unfortunately for us, it seems to be the second," Alex said with a sigh as he approached the body.

"Jeremy Blackwolf?" Alex raised his eyebrows, glancing at Marcus

"Yes. He is one of the best patrols we had. He had his rotation with Jack, and the end of his shift was this morning. Jeremy never seemed to be the type of guy to die with no fight," Marcus said while Alex was examining the body.

I looked at Jeremy's body again; his lips were parted, and blood was trickling down. His eyes were wide open, staring at the ground, and were also red, almost poking from their sockets.

I felt a surge of bile in my throat, and I had to double over once again before the sounds finally escaped me.

"If you can't handle it, feel free to retreat to the comfort of your office, wallow in self-pity, and start that report, Sage," Alex retorted as he was examining the corpse's knuckles.

"That's really kind of you, Beta. But I'm committed to sticking it out with you, even if I have to endure more gagging and vomiting. " I shot a somewhat disapproving look at Alex.

Marcus glanced at me, then at Alex, then back at me. It was clear he wanted no part in whatever was unfolding.

"Whatever you say, plumpy butt," Alex replied with a mischievous smirk, then turned his attention back to the lifeless body. One glance at Jeremy made me feel nauseous as I quickly averted my gaze once more.