VROOM.
Black birds sored high above the ground, tilting their beaks as they followed the direction the bus was moving.
The bus moved, speeding on the rough road, rumbling over jagged stones that seemed to pierce the rubber wrapped around the tires, letting the bus tremble sideways, pumping into pot holes.
On both sides of the road collapsed buildings, cracked walls, and roofs sunken by dust stood there, waiting to fall with a single push. Rusted iron poles stretched high, its top now a universe for spiders as they enslaved its bulbs, turning it into a hostile zone for both insects and tiny reptiles.
Torn sheets dashed in the air, floating the moment the bus moved past an open door of a building which had an inscription written boldly at the top of the door, 'International Library', and through the shattered glass windows, books laid on shelves either burnt or torn into two.
Gray, whose eyes were closed and seated at the driver's side, his right arm stretched out, letting the wind and dust crush themselves on it. He remained in that posture until the sound of a falling building echoed, forcing him to crack his eyes open and act before realizing.
Everyone, including the driver, shivered, tilting their heads and seeing the tall building on their right falling on them. Then, the bus's speed increased, jolting like a bullet train as the driver stepped on the accelerator, letting the speed limit exceed two hundred.
Metal and stone cracked the glass windows of the building, falling from all sides and hitting the road hard when the building reached seventy feet up.
The car moved, dodging all the falling debris and turned toward a raised flat surface. The building fell, pouring heavy dust into the air like fog, followed by a loud crashing sound that shook other buildings, forcing them to also collapse on the ground.
For a while, only the thick dust continued succumbing everything, but as one of the black birds cried out and dived downward, the bus pierced through the dust, flying in the air and landing on the other side of the road, and trembling like a snake under ant's attack, and stopping when nearing the very tip of a raised iron rod pierced through a collapsed wall.
Inside the bus was a symphony of gasps; Mike, who held onto the steering wheel tightly, placed his head at the center, sweating heavily and gasping for air. For the other twelve soldiers, they all hid their faces at the back of the seat they stood behind, gasping for air and hitting their chest with their palms. But Gray remained seated, not sweating, not shaking or trembling like the others, he just sat there looking eyes with two of the stretched iron rods which stood on the same level with his eyes.
"Sir, are you okay?" Mike asked, raising his head from the center of the steering wheel and looking at Lieutenant Gray, shocked.
"I'm alright. Turn the wheels and let's head home," Gray said, unlocking his pocket and pulling out a picture from it. He stared at the photo, brushed his hand on the face of the lady, and closed his eyes, imagining her sitting by him.
…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A lady with white hair and fluorescent brown eyes stood at Kai's door, slamming her fist on it, knocking, but stopped when no one responded from the inside. She exhaled, closed her eyes, and turned, ready to continue with the daily training sessions.
Meanwhile, Kai stood at the window, looking at the beautiful view outside, focusing on the plane flying above the clouds. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and cracked them open, moving to the washroom and taking a quick bath.
Being six years old, Kai knew how to bathe quickly instead of wasting almost an entire day in the bathroom bathing properly. He walked out, wore his black uniform with a red badge on it, and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.
Being the tenth day since they returned from the bandits' operation, Kai stared at the quiet hallway, gasped, and began walking toward the training courtyard. The moment he opened the door and trod inside, everyone stopped and stared at him, even those raising huge metals stopped mid-air.
'How come that kid looks strong staying in his room for ten days straight without any food?'
That was the thought in everyone's mind as he moved past them and walked toward the sack of sand hanging.
Kai began punching the bag, one fist after another, pushing it a few meters away, but began to push it harder when his mind reeled at the faces of the women he saw running out of the bandits' tents.
With just two punches, the sack of sand blasted, spilling sand into the air and causing everyone there to stop their movements and stare at him, extremely shocked. Though Kai was seen as the second unique person among the new recruits, yet all his actions seemed to astonish them mostly, doing things that a six-year-old child couldn't do.
…
"Sir, we're almost at the entrance," Mike said, smiling as he spotted the wall of Bion City in the distance, turned to the others who were asleep, their heads resting against the cold window, weapons resting on their backs and laps.
Gray gave no reply. He simply kept his eyes forward, watching the faint glow of the city rise beyond the dust.
The bus rumbled on, carrying both the soldiers and the remains of the creatures.
Trees of different colors moved past them, followed by a shimmering black road that had no jagged rocks and was as smooth as a mirror. Birds of different kinds soared high above them, humming and flapping their wings peacefully. Blacksmiths hammering, cars moving, motorcycles, and humans walking by the entrance welcomed them with greetings and hailed them for returning safely.
The newly dispatched security guards saluted them as the bus moved past and entered the city, then continued with their daily checking of people wanting to enter the city, scanning their carriages and the huge clothes on them.
…
"Let's hurry up! The lieutenant and other soldiers are coming. Let's be in a queue and welcome them in the same formation you were trained with," Max said, shouting and throwing his hand in the air, directing everyone toward the entrance of the barracks.