PRDS - 4413 Part 1 Chapter 13: The Race

I can feel the gazes of my companies. Even though they say they will let us go if we give everything, I already know for sure, fighting back is the only way to survive.

While I look for the way to get out, another jeep has joined the chase.

“Alright George. You still have the gun I gave you?”

“I may be a bit rusty, but I will try my best to handle them.”

George looks at Linda and gives a short look at Claire. Linda soon understands what she needs to do and blocks Claire’s sight on FREEMANs.

“George.”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t need to take their lives.”

“What do you mean?”

“Puncture the tires. They won’t be able to follow us with flat tires.”

“They’ll get another vehicle with more people to follow after. If we don’t kill them now, we’ll get into bigger trouble. You know that.”

I quickly pull the laser gun out and shoot at the jeep's tires. With a moment of flash, the jeep became something that cannot be used as a vehicle anymore. I try to destroy the other one, but it looks like the gun needs some time to charge after that huge destructive light. A second delay of me is enough for George to kill the people on the other jeep.

“We can handle them when we get there.”

“You are going to regret this, Eric. You definitely will. We can now take their jeep. It will be easier, and safer to move around with that thing.”

I try to get rid of the thought that George killed them for the vehicle, not because they are dangerous. Of course they are the one projected hostility, I shouldn’t blame their death on George. I know George is right, taking their lives out is the easiest way to save my company. I realize that I haven’t changed much on taking others' lives out since her….

“Eric, I think you have something on your mind for not choosing to kill them, but it is reckless thinking. We have a lot more people to save, right? I’ll drive, switch with me later.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. Better keep going.”

Claire has a confused look as she steps out of her ‘lyft’, I show her a bitter smile, hoping she will never get used to seeing the dead bodies of people. George and I remove dead bodies out of the jeep and cover the blood with clothes.

Luckily, FREEMANs left some food and water in their jeep. I wonder what George would want to do if we didn’t have any. I fold my thoughts on George with the conclusion that we would starve until we get to the F3 area if we had nothing.

After checking Claire and Linda being asleep in the back, I start to think about why that guy wants Claire to be in the F3 area. The last time I checked the F3 area, there was a small town with about 30-40 people. The people were relatively friendly towards us, there was nothing to arbitrate between them. Rescue team just shared some supplies and that was it. I cannot think of any connections to an obnoxious FREEMAN group, if the guy was one of them.

“Are you thinking about that terrorist?”

“You read my mind George. Am I that easy to read?”

“Heh, I wouldn’t say no.”

“I was wondering about the reason why he wants her in that specific location. The F3 area looked like it had nothing to do with… the terrorist.”

“I just call him a terrorist. Because he is.”

“Fine. He is a terrorist then.”

George quietly chuckles.

“For a couple of decades, I was living in peace. Everyone else in P4R4D1S3 did too. We are soaked in peace. You know what happens when people get soaked in peace?”

“We forget how disorder was like.”

George gives me a quick surprised look.

“That’s right. We become vulnerable to disorder.

...

I never wanted to look at myself becoming more and more vulnerable over time. That’s why I chose to join the security team in P4R4D1S3.”

“You could have joined the rescue team. We actually came down here for our duties.”

“Kid. You saw what I did back there. I needed something in the middle. Not the extreme. I knew that I couldn't control myself in front of them. Whenever they confronted me guarding the construction, I could see their yearning eyes. Desires. They weren’t humans at that moment.”

I can see the fear in George’s face. He must’ve gone through a lot.

“They always are. Including those eyes.”