The Reincarnated

Chapter 26: Minesweeper

It's been three weeks now since the failed ambush.

Three weeks since the shock of the unpredicted bomb had terrorized the almost-full force of the alchemists.

After the first week, the people had started to recover - half of their bandages were diminished and mornings commenced a faction of the less injured resuming their training. Regaining their strength was in demand. Our defenses were low - our walls unguarded. Some lives were lost on the spot of the explosive tripwire and a few of the remaining survivors were mournfully dead on arrival. The remaining were barely lucky enough to survive.

The tragedy left its mark. Even after the second and third week had passed, the scars were still too fresh to cover up. The ranch turned eerie and quiet, and the world seemed a little less secure and certain.

Becca offered every possible help she could aid them. I tried to be her attentive assistant for the first few days but it didn't take long. Leopold had tried to send for professional service to support our seriously-afflicted comrades. Kyle had kept me company most of the time, distracting me from my own thoughts about what the bloody message really meant and who it might have come from. A lot of horrifying possibilities had crossed my mind and I couldn't help it when I started embracing my inner instincts.

Code had helped me analyze the contents of the letter. Knowing that the blood imprint had actually been a raccoon's brought small relief on my saggy shoulders. I couldn't even come to terms with the static blank the video tapes produced between the exact time that the messenger delivered his grim message. Whoever he was, he was flawless with his mission - which was to successfully frighten the guts out of me.

But the message was crystal clear. It was enough to warn Leopold about the enemy's sharp eye on our headquarters. Drum and the rest were more vigilant about security but somehow no trace of any hints as to how the intruder had entered the ranch was found. I was relocated to another room on the corner of the left-side of the ranch where it is more accessible to Becca and Drum's rooms in case of sudden emergencies. This brought so little comfort for possible sleep.

My silly life turned out to be a damn crappy minefield - damned stuck in a complicated maze of explosives.

"I didn't know what was bound to happen Drum!"

I heard a series of grunts from Drum's room and even though I was positive the sound came from Drum, the voice clearly belonged to a woman. Curiosity dominating, I glued my ear to the right hedge of my room and craned to hear the conversation.

"Did you ever really believe I would sacrifice my team to them like a stupid group scapegoat?"

It was Lydia, of course. Subsequently when she was well to move about, the poor girl had gone flaccid and unresponsive on almost everyone to the point that I started to miss her glares and occasional intimidating quips. Even I knew she shouldn't be too hard on herself and act like she was completely to blame for the tragic turn of events.

"God, almost half a hundred died in that hotel suite Drum! Almost half a hundred! Can you imagine how hard it is to face anyone of you after all that costly recklessness? I can't even eat straight without my stomach feeling so sick about what happened. Do you think I still need any more of your stupid opinions? Don't you think I've suffered enough?" She was unrelenting.

"My stupid opinions' only purpose is to remind you that whatever you did back there was entirely inappropriate. Why couldn't you just let Gale lead the freaking squad - like he was supposed to? Instead you switched assignments with him at the last minute and almost got yourself killed. Didn't you even realize how Gale could have warned them at least three seconds earlier before the bomb exploded if he was already in the room? I seriously just want to know what came in to your damn mind!" Drum exploded with his own fury. This was the first time I ever heard him speak sincerely concerned and angry.