Chapter 9 First Sight

Asia rocked herself back and forth at a swing in the Ashkelon playground. Sometimes, she would stare at the beautiful clouds at the ceiling. Sometimes, she would just stare at the brown powdery sand at her feet. Then she would lean at the rope and heaved a deep sigh.

Everything around her was a fraud. The clouds and the sand. Even the Ekrons who contort their faces into different expressions. They were all artificial. Her trainer's word was also nothing but a lie. Arlo declared that he wouldn't allow any more deaths. Yet, he was the one who killed one of the Ekron trainees.

‘Hypocrite,’ Asia thought and realized that the word does not exist for an Ekron.

She thought about the monsters in the Dome, the monster who tried to attack her which felt like Rowan, and then there’s the Ekrons who felt like monsters. She stared at nothing. There were too many questions and no one she trusted enough to ask. If only, there’s an Ekron who wouldn't impale her when she asked the wrong questions.

“If it isn't Asia.”

Asia automatically stood up and found herself facing the pretty doctor who injected her with myrtus. Asia sat down again. She must not let this woman realize that she was afraid of her red lipstick, her pretty face, her purring voice and her white robe.

“How was your stay on Ashkelon?” the woman asked.

Asia did not respond.

“Have you met new friends now?” the pretty woman asked again.

“Why are you talking to me?” Asia asked this time. She almost congratulated herself for not stuttering.

“I always liked to talk to interesting subjects like that one,” the pretty woman said and pointed at Angus who passed through the playground and into the training area.

“You are even comparing me to that guy.”

“Oh!” The woman exclaimed. “You don't like him?”

Again, Asia did not respond.

“Well, I thought opposites attract but it might not have been true after all.” The pretty woman paused, waiting for her reply but Asia chose to be mum on the topic. “When you pleaded for me to let you go, did you know that Angus pleaded for me to inject him despite knowing the consequences. Such an interesting man, don't you think?”

Asia frowned, such an illogical thing to do, certainly Angus wouldn’t do it. “I’m certain you’re talking about a different man.”

“Hard for you to understand that he will volunteer to be an Ekron?”

Of course it was hard for Asia to understand. No one in their right mind would volunteer to be injected by the myrtus!

“He might be oblivious to the consequences of being injected then.”

“Oh, he’s perfectly aware of what he’s gonna exchange for. While he was pleading for me to inject him, he told me. 'I want to fight. Give me the power to fight'. And that's it. He accepted the myrtus graciously.”

Asia always thought that Angus had his stupid days during his bout of braveness, but she never thought that he was that stupid. Did he want to play the hero so much that he would exchange his humanity for strength? she thought.

“Don't look at him like that. Rather you should applaud his courage. Seems like he knew the existence of the monsters, yet, he still wanted to become one.”

Asia was silent. How Angus knew about the monsters, she had no idea. ‘Did he live beyond the eight advanced cities surrounding Central?’

“Oh! Another favorite subject of mine,” the pretty woman said eagerly and stood up. “Ernest!”

Ernest stopped and stared at the pretty woman. He glanced at Asia but didn’t say a word. When the pretty woman started to ask about their visit to the Dome, Asia took the chance to study Ernest. He has blonde, short, cropped hair. He looked as tall as Suha and has the same build as well. His thick brows and small, thin lips were not showing any signs of emotion. A classic, emotionless Ekron but with a body and face of a Greek god. She hoped she’d see him scared again, like that time with Arlo at the Dome.

Then the pretty woman whispered something to him and the two of them left the playground, leaving Asia alone.

Asia sighed again and stared at nothing. Her mind went blank until something sparked. The pretty woman said that Ernest was one of her favorites. She could still remember Ernest's expression when Arlo approached him. It resembled that of fear.

‘No, it’s definitely fear,’ she thought.

Asia stood up. If her assumption was correct then Ernest was the same as her. She walked along the green halls of Ashkelon. Its walls were covered by climbing vines that added to the air of wilderness of the base. She followed the direction taken by the pretty doctor and Ernest.

Asia approached the room they got in. At the door, a name plate was hanging, Patricia Jenner. Asia turned the knob but it was locked. At the side of the door was an access with a blinking red light. She looked at her watch. It was the only device given to the trainees. It gave them access to almost all of the room around Ashkelon. It also acted as a device to track their location or to remotely identify if they were still alive. She tapped her watch on the access and the blinking red light was replaced with a green one.

Asia opened the door and was appalled at what she witnessed. In the chair, there lies the pretty doctor, her white robe was crumpled at her feet. Stooping down at her was Ernest, his arms around her, caressing her.

The door slammed behind Asia. Both Ernest and the pretty doctor stared at her, aghast. But Asia was more surprised than the two of them. Ernest was definitely an Ekron and touching someone in such an endearing way, was very...human-like.

Anger registered on Ernest's face, another behavior that should not be expressed by an Ekron. He ran towards Asia and rammed her to the door. Ernest's hands coiled around her neck and lifted her up. Asia was choking and for countless times, she was flailing again, unable to breathe.

Asia scratched at Ernest's arms but he was too strong. Stronger than Angus, stronger than Suha, stronger than anyone who bullied her. Asia tried to kick him but it was ineffective against him. Asia opened her eyes as she almost saw blood and death in front of her.

Then Asia panicked and clenched at Ernest's hands around her neck. She squeezed hard at his hands and she could almost feel the bones underneath his skin.

Confusion rose on Ernest's face as he stared at Asia's eyes. He groaned at the pain and removed his hands around her neck. Asia fell at his feet, gasping for air.

Ernest was about to reach again for Asia when he realized that both of his hands were swollen and incapable for any action. He looked at Asia who was still gasping for air.

Isn't she the weakest Ekron? The Ekron pushed around by Angus’ group? he thought.

“Leave her be, Ernest,” Patricia said. She approached him and examined his hands. “This is bad. You won't be able to use them for a while.”

“How was she able to?” Ernest asked.

“Because…” Patricia paused and whispered, “She is the most compatible with myrtus. So you better not underrate her just because of how she handles herself.”

After Patricia finished examining Ernest’s hands, she knelt in front of Asia who was still gasping for air.

“How do you feel, Asia?”

Asia staggered as she searched for her voice again. Patricia took her arm and helped her into the chair.

“What are you doing?” Ernest's worried face came into view. “She saw us!”

Is he faking it? Asia asked herself.

“I'm trying to help her. You really scared her.”

“Scared her?” Ernest asked, confusion was clear on his face again.

“Yes, Ernest. Scared her. She is so much like you. Although, personally, I believe that you are much better than her,” Patricia said and turned towards Ernest. “She won't tell anyone about our little secret, Ernest,” she purred and kissed him again.

Automatically, Ernest's arms went around her waist and Asia heard someone moan before she fell unconscious.

***************************

Asia woke up at the sound of the watch around her wrist. The trainees were being called to assemble in the training room. She got up and noticed Ernest staring at her. Ernest stood up. She backed away from him until she fell at the other edge of the bed.

Asia was silent when she hit her head on the floor. It does not hurt even a little. Ernest looked at her over the bed. With her feet still dangling on the bed, Ernest was able to pull her up.

“Seemed like my left hand started to heal. You really are strong when pushed,” Ernest said as he examined his left hand.

Ernest shifted his eyes on Asia and she automatically became apprehensive, “Don't be afraid. I won't do anything to you. Not anymore.”

“I am not afraid,” Asia denied, trying her best not to sound afraid.

“You are not going to fool anyone with that voice,” Ernest said and added, “nor with that look.”

Asia just looked at her hands and then to her watch, remembering the call for the trainees.

“Now come, they’re calling for us.” Ernest continued.

Asia stood up from the bed and followed him. Asia used the time to study him again. Upon closer look, she realized that he was not as tall as Suha and not as bulky and muscled as well. His face was clean and no signs of facial hair even though their age was not that far apart.

“What?” he asked as he caught her studying his face.

“Nothing,” Asia answered and looked in front of her.

“I love Pat,” Ernest professed referring to the pretty doctor and a reddish tinge appeared on his face.

Asia did not know what to say. All she understood was that Ernest retained more emotions than she did and somehow, she envied him.

“Back when I was still a human, seeing her at that trailer truck, it was love at first sight.”

“Wait, what?” Asia stopped and Ernest stopped for her. “You’re serious about that first sight thing?” Ernest nodded. She smirked, “You mean lust at first sight?”

Instead of being angry, Ernest just smiled at her, “Can be that as well.”

When they reached the training room, Ernest separated from Asia. She, on the other hand, looked for a place that will attract the least attention to her so she went to the back of the room.

In the first row, was Arlo together with other Ekrons. Finley and Alex were at the farthest right, while Russ and Sophie were sitting beside Arlo. There were eighteen more mentors lined up with them, most of which Asia was unfamiliar to.

When everyone settled down, Arlo went in front and said, “All of you had already encountered a monster and learned how to kill them. You are also aware that they devour humans and it is our purpose to protect them and destroy the monsters.”

‘Destroy the monsters and yet you cage them inside a wall,’ Asia thought about her mentors' hypocrisy.

“But what you did not know is that they came from the deepest ocean. They are an ancient, small creature but when they were carried to land, it reacted to the chemicals and was able to evolve.”

‘Most likely, you are lying,’ Asia thought again, her nonexistent trust to her mentors were apparent.

“Their strengths are unmatched. That is why the government created the myrtus and searched for humans compatible with it.”

‘So you committed mass murder of the people you want to protect and now you’re defending your actions.’

“To be able to survive fighting them, you are to be trained to assist and help each other no matter how hard it is.”

‘It is only hard because you robbed us off our emotions just to become an Ekron.’

“From now on, your life will revolve around being an Ekron.”

‘We've got no choice, have we? We already lost our emotions so there is nothing to base our hopes and expectations aside from Ashkelon.’

“In this regard, each one of you will be partnered to an already existing partnership within Ashkelon. And you are to observe and help on their mission each week.”

Mission? Asia's trail of thought was interrupted.

“At the end of the week, you are to go outside and fight a monster together with your current team. For that, I will train a lot of you nonstop and I would be expecting that none of you dies,” Arlo paused. “Is that understood?”

Everyone simultaneously said yes but Asia's voice was the softest. ‘It was too soon to die,’ she thought.

Arlo started to call each of the trainee Ekrons and assigned a team to each.

“Asia. John and Judy's team.”

“Yes,” Asia answered.

The roll call continued but Asia's mind wandered off. She did not even bother to look at the faces of her team--the Ekrons who will be with her during her death--hopefully it will not be a slaughter. Asia closed her eyes and hoped that time stood still at that very instant.

To be continued…..