Chapter 26 : Strange Things About Them

I couldn't hide the look of confusion on my face as Sam's words were so passionate, as if it was very up to date information.

"Wait Sam, you have to tell it from the beginning so I can understand. Just take it slow. Okay?", I pleaded, trying to make an offer.

I've been there when I'm excited to tell something but the other person doesn't understand and asks me to retell it only in more detail. Somehow that made my enthusiasm wane and discouraged me from telling the story. Good to know Sam wasn't like that.

Sam stared straight ahead with his eyes wide open, "I had a strange feeling when I walked out of the gate. The atmosphere outside was the same, but I felt strange. It was as if outside was a place I had just stepped into. I managed to catch up and stay at the back of the line. It took a while for us to arrive at the scene even though the horses' pace was already fast.

"We stopped in front of a low wooden gate that was still closed. There was no sign of forced entry. And you know what? It was very quiet. No, it would be more appropriate to call it silent. There was barely any sound at all! I could even hear the troop breathing next to me! I didn't like silence to begin with, and I hated the silence even more that night.

"I only realized when I looked around that the farm was close to the forest. I could clearly see half of the tree trunks. I wondered what kind of person would build a farm near the forest. We entered with the senior troop first, revolvers in hand.

"I had imagined that all the animals would be eaten and the family who owned the farm would die in their home. But in reality, the attack happened in the cowshed. Dozens of cows died with many wounds on their bodies and right at the entrance the couple who owned the ranch were covered in blood. Their chests and stomachs were badly lacerated and their skin was already very pale from blood loss. I was rooted to my spot and almost fell off my horse." Sam obviously paused for a moment, calming himself down.

"That's more horrible than my mom." , I commented, "Oh sorry, you can go on."

Sam looked at me with a bitter gaze. He swallowed before continuing, "I've seen war casualties as a kid, it was pretty gruesome but not as gruesome as what I saw that night. My sense of smell was messed up because of the stench everywhere. My head hurt from it and my alertness dropped. That's when something suddenly struck me from the roof as I moved back slowly and turned my head towards the moon."

"Did you see who hit you?", I asked.

Sam shook his head in disappointment, "It glided straight towards me as soon as I raised my head, as if it didn't want me to see it."

" Glide? You mean with the glider? Are you sure it didn't jump out at you?"

Sam tilted his head in recollection then shook his head, "No. I think it's been up there since the beginning and when I looked up it just glided down to me. He was so fast that I could only see him as a black shadow. I fell to the ground then he pushed me into a pile of wood. The next second I could hear the sound of bullets being fired and by the time I opened my eyes, the situation had become even more chaotic. More and more bullets started being fired and I was still in their grasp."

"Wait, Sam," I interjected, "I don't mean to make your story sound like a fabrication, but why did its turn into them? Were there that many from the start?"

Sam shook his head repeatedly, "I don't know. I don't know! All I saw was one. But after I was pushed so hard that I hit a pile of wood, there were more of them. Someone was holding my face so I couldn't see and my ears were ringing loudly from the impact and the sound of bullets. The first sound I heard clearly was Gerard's voice shaking my body and calling my name. When I was able to open my eyes, I saw Gerard's fierce face as well as several horses that had fallen. When the sound of bullets stopped, several troops were already lying lifeless. Their front and back were severely wounded and blood kept flowing, flooding the place. It was all my fault."

"Sam," I called, getting up and sitting in front of Sam, holding his hand, "How could it be your fault? It was those creatures that attacked the troops, not you."

Sam's eyes glazed over and her face reddened, "Anne, if I hadn't looked up and realized it was there, maybe they wouldn't have attacked! If I had just endured the smell of blood for a moment, then-"

"Sam!", I snapped, cupping Sam's face and glaring at him, "They were intending to attack and were waiting for the right time! If you hadn't seen one of them, you all might have died from their planned attack! You did a good thing!"

Sam's head was bowed and I could feel a drop of tear falling. With both hands, I lifted Sam's head and guided him into my arms. I now understood why Gerard had been so angry that night and Sam had been so unfit the next morning. It had been a tough night.

"I'm so disappointed in myself, Anne. All this time I thought I was good enough to fight them and often wondered how many heads I could gather under my feet, but I'm still a coward. I'm finished if my father finds out."

"No, he wouldn't. Gerard won't tell Mr. Wymond." I try to calm him down.

Sam pulled his body away, out of my arms, "Why are you so sure? You know what it is about Gerard. He's very manipulative. I know he's always wanted to get rid of me!"

No, Sam. If Gerard wanted to tell your father-I mean you two's father, he would have done so yesterday. But until now Mr. Wymond has done nothing to you, not even called you into his office."

"He must be waiting for the right time to tell him. He's not a rash man, he's very careful, Anne. You be careful too, he can do things you would never imagine." Sam said looking very serious.

Despite my doubts, I nodded in agreement with Sam's words. I hadn't known Gerard for long, so I couldn't decide if Sam's words were completely true. Just in case, I chose to be cautious and act towards Gerard as usual as if Sam never told me about this.

After talking for a while, I finally managed to get some sleep. It seemed that just as I closed my eyes, something fell on my stomach, I was startled and immediately awake. It turned out to be my own bag, which was thrown by someone who was now standing near my feet with a cold look in his eyes.

"Hurry up and put on your shoes. I'll be waiting in the field." , he said and walked out of the room.

My mind was still blank and it took time to prepare my body. Some parts of my body weren't even fully awake yet. When I tried to stand up and get out of the blanket, my body swayed because my feet weren't standing properly so I swayed and fell back down.

***

"You're two minutes late." Gerard said when I arrived.

"When did you get back from patrol? Did you get any sleep?", I asked, still trying to keep my eyes open.

"Because you're late, I'm adding laps. You have to run 30 laps today. Start!"

He really wasn't listening to me. Or was this his retaliation for yesterday's horse poop? Well, if that's the case, that's fine. It was enough that I didn't engage him in conversation. It felt like it was better to avoid another conflict that would most likely happen if we talked to each other.

My body was still weak from being forcefully awakened from sleep, so my running speed was so slow, it looked like I was walking. Gerard was quite far ahead of me as he was running at his usual speed. Suddenly someone hit me from behind and I fell to my knees on the grass of the field.

"Why did you run without seeing the track?!", I grumbled as I got up, annoyed at Gerard.

He just stared at me silently while girdling his loins. His chest was pumping up and down. I forgot that Gerard was taking revenge on me by not responding to the words that came out of my mouth.

I could feel something unpleasant waiting for me in the next few minutes.