Chapter 25 - Outside the Core (3)

I pushed open the heavy door and entered the library. It smelled of dust and marble.

A spacious lobby lay directly ahead. Several motorcycles stood in the dilapidated space, along with a few old vehicles. Military Humvees. Command vehicles, maintenance vehicles, communications vehicles, and so on. Beyond the two- and four-wheeled vehicles stood several enormous cannons.

I blinked at the weapons, then pulled myself together.

“Where's the food storage?” I turned to my fellow recruits. “It was the food inventory that didn't add up, right?”

“There's a tablet here,” Tom said from beside the wall near the door. “It gives a rough layout of where everything is.”

“Oh.” I turned and walked over. Heshy, who had kept glancing outside even after entering the library, reluctantly turned his head too.

“Second floor,” I murmured, my gaze fixed on the tablet. “Is the numerator the current quantity, and the denominator what should be here?”

“Looks that way. The number on top has been steadily dropping by one for the last few days,” Tom pointed out.

Heshy kept his lips pressed shut. Had he wanted to go with the seniors? I turned slightly to look into his brown eyes.

“You okay?”

Heshy looked up with a start at my question. “Huh?”

“You don't look happy.”

Tom turned to study Heshy's face too. With the doors closed, the library felt eerie. There wasn't a hint of anything alive.

Heshy bit his lip, then nodded. “I'm fine. Just frustrated.”

“It's our first time. Can't be helped,” Tom said reasonably with a shrug.

I nodded too, though I didn't really understand why Heshy was frustrated. Did he genuinely think Yun had left us behind to protect us? My training officer wasn't that kind of person, as far as I could tell. He'd probably just left us because we'd get in the way.

Maybe that was what frustrated him. But you couldn't expect to get everything right on your first try.

“The second floor's huge too.”

“Want to split up?” Tom suggested when I turned back to the tablet and murmured that. “How about we each take a section—east, west, and north?”

“Is it okay to split up? Wouldn't that be dangerous?”

“I think we'll be fine for now,” Heshy replied to my concern. “Angela said a box went missing each night. Maybe something only happens at night. We don't even know if it's a creature or a Badger doing it... Aren't the Witches that might stray over here the real danger right now?”

“What time is it?”

“Eight thirty-six,” Tom announced after checking his watch.

An awkward time. I narrowed my eyes and surveyed the depot.

I pieced together the information our training officers had tossed out. Our assignments were to defend the depot and check the food inventory. Point 1: One box of food disappeared each night.

Point 2: If a Witch's energy blast hit the depot's fuel tank, it would be a catastrophe.

I turned toward the entrance we'd come through. “Then how about one of us watches and defends the entrance while the other two check the food inventory?”

“Sounds good,” Heshy replied to my suggestion.

Tom nodded too. “That works. Who wants to keep watch?”

“How about you, Heshy?” At my easy suggestion, he turned to look at me. He met my eyes for a moment, then gave a nod.

“Okay. I'll call on the communicator if anything happens.”

“Sure. Let's head upstairs.” I turned to Tom as I spoke, and the redheaded recruit nodded.

We split up in the lobby. Heshy went outside with his gun, while Tom and I turned toward the second floor.

The second floor was darker and eerier than the lobby. As soon as we came up the central ramp staircase, we spotted a tablet mounted on the wall. We tapped around on it and switched on every light on the floor.

Fluorescent light flooded the bluish corridor. We walked down the bright hallway, with no sign of anyone else around.

* * *

It took longer than expected. But nothing unusual happened. The place was simply vast, with a lot of boxes to count. We finished taking inventory in the last stack room and straightened our backs.

“It all matches,” Tom murmured, looking around the room full of bottled water. “And nothing looks strange.”

“Is someone really taking it?”

I examined the room, which still bore traces of its days as a library. Bookshelves clustered along one side, packed with books in an unfamiliar language. A couple of books lay on the floor, fallen from the shelves and coated in dust.

We'd counted the boxes in these rooms one by one, and there were no discrepancies. There were as many boxes of food as there should be. Which meant none had been stolen today yet.

Was that because it wasn't past midnight? Or should we check the other floors? The library had three floors in all. After checking the third, we might need to give the basement a thorough search too.

I glanced at my watch. Nine ten. Quite a bit of time had passed. Had our training officers managed to kill the creatures safely...?

[“Someone's coming.”]

A voice came through the communicator. Tom and I jumped. Heshy's voice continued in my earpiece.

[“It's not our training officers. There are several motorcycles coming.”]

“Other seniors?” Tom murmured. “Why hasn't Angela called? Heshy, can you see our training officers?”

[“They started getting farther away with the Witches a few minutes ago, and now I can't see them at all. No Witches came this way.”]

“Should we go help? Or ask the seniors coming here for help?”

“Let's head outside first.” I turned toward the exit.

We dashed down the ramp staircase and headed for the front doors, weaving around the motorcycles and cars filling the lobby on our way out.

I pushed the front door open to see the core shrouded in darkness. The scent of the cool night breeze stung my nose.

Heshy whipped his head around. Headlights approached through the darkness.

The Witches that had filled the horizon were nowhere to be seen, perhaps because darkness had fallen. Neither were the training officers who'd ridden out on their motorcycles. All I could see were four unfamiliar bikes approaching us.

A sudden wave of worry hit me, and I stood there in silence.

SCREEECH. SCREECH!

The motorcycles came to a noisy stop in front of the library.

We silently watched the people who'd pulled up. Two women and two men, all wearing matte black helmets.

The man who'd arrived first dismounted and took off his helmet.

“What are these doing here?” A familiar voice reached my ears. “Why are three greenhorns standing around all on their own?”

Blond hair. A solid build. Handsome features. Bright blue eyes. I groaned inwardly as the man took out a cigarette and put it between his lips with a sneer. He hardly needed to introduce himself.

Jason Tvein. An overbearing old bastard, according to Yun.

“And look who we have here.” He fixed his gaze on me, his unpleasant smile widening. The cigarette between his lips glowed red. “The rookie everyone's talking about.”

“Hello.” I greeted him politely with a bright smile. “I'm Hildebert Taleb. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Tvein raised one eyebrow, cigarette still in his mouth. I struggled to keep my painted-on smile in place.

Heshy and Tom tactfully kept quiet, perhaps remembering what Yun had said a few hours ago. The man looked me over, sizing me up.

It was the other man who broke the silence, walking over as he removed his helmet. “Huh? What are you doing out here already?”

Another familiar voice. It was Iho Chang. I wiped away my fake smile and replaced it with genuine delight.

“Iho!”

“What the—Heshy and Tom are here too. What are you three doing here?”

“We came to restock the depot,” Tom said.

He began explaining everything that had happened to Iho. The two female Badgers took off their helmets and came over to listen. I didn't know their names. One had her blond hair tied back; the other wore her silver hair loose.

Tvein never took his eyes off me while Tom finished the story.

“Witches?” Iho murmured in surprise as soon as the story was over. “That many Witches came all at once?”

“Yes.”

“And you were left here,” Tvein said mockingly. He looked into my eyes with an undisguised sneer.

Heshy looked ready to flare up beside me, so I jabbed him with my elbow. I kept nudging my fellow recruit as I smiled pleasantly.

“We were told the depot's food supplies kept disappearing, so we've been checking the inventory and searching the library.”

“Why search the library? Weren't you listening to what I said? Some broke-ass bastard is obviously stealing a box at a time.”

“You haven't heard from Angela?” Iho asked Tom beside the sneering Tvein.

Tom slowly shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Shouldn't we go check?”

“Why bother? Yun's there,” Tvein replied indifferently to Iho's question.

That seemed to convince Iho too. He blinked, then straightened up with an expression that said, fair enough.

The blonde woman, who'd been listening anxiously, suddenly looked relieved and nodded. The silver-haired woman's expression hadn't changed at all.

Heshy was biting his lip, as if barely holding back something he wanted to say. Good job. Keep it in until the end, buddy.

Tvein broke the silence again. “So?”

“Pardon?” My eyes widened, not understanding. Tvein blew out a lungful of smoke and asked again.

“What did you find?”

“Find, sir?”

“You said you searched the library.”

Ah.

“All the food is still accounted for, and we haven't found anything unusual.”

“Of course you haven't.”

He was an asshole in a completely different way from Yun. I kept my expression respectful.

“We've checked the second floor and were about to check the others.”

“Want some help?”

What?

“Let's go inside. I'll help you with your work.”

I narrowed my eyes. The tall blond man stood with a cigarette between his lips, another broad smile spreading across his face. There was nothing good-natured about it, no matter how you looked at it.

What was he up to...?

Tom and Heshy gave him wary looks, apparently thinking the same thing. Beside him, Iho wore an expression that suggested he wanted to ask, “What on earth are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Behind them, the blonde Badger's eyes widened. The silver-haired one looked uninterested.

I watched the cigarette smoke disappear into the evening darkness and replied in a friendly tone.

“That's all right, sir. You must all be tired. We're the most junior here, so we'll handle it...”

“Enough nonsense.”

The man strode over and slung an arm around my shoulders. We were about the same height, but he pressed down hard enough with that arm that I had to bend forward a little.

I nearly scowled, but just managed to keep my composure. He dragged me along.

Heshy and Tom followed with startled exclamations. Tvein didn't stop them. We entered the library and headed for the ramp staircase.

Instead of going up, he started down.

A closed metal door came into view as we approached the basement. It required a passcode. Without removing his arm from my shoulders, Tvein entered the code and pushed the door open.

The cool, stale smell peculiar to basements hit my nose. This appeared to have been a parking garage once. Drums filled the bleak space.

Only then did Tvein release my shoulders. I glanced at him and took a few steps inside. Tom and Heshy came over and stopped beside me.

“Looks like they store fuel here,” Tom murmured. “I didn't know we'd need a passcode. Didn't know the code either.”

“Told you I'd help, didn't I?” Tvein said smugly. All three of us turned toward him at once, and he smirked.

“You couldn't have opened this on your own. Now that I've opened it for you, have a good look around. Until your training officers get back.”

“In here?”

“You said you were searching the whole library, didn't you?”

“Thank you.” While Heshy was still questioning him in confusion, I hastily answered before Tvein could pick another fight.

A strange glint flashed through Tvein's eyes as he looked at me. I didn't bother trying to figure out what it meant.

After we searched the underground garage, he'd probably ask us what had been beside pillar number whatever, then give us hell if we couldn't answer.

I held his gaze. Jason Tvein stood there with an unreadable expression, then left a few minutes later.

* * *

We found out what he was up to about five minutes into our search of the underground garage. We were examining the firmly shut metal door at the time.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP, DING!

The lights went out with a peculiar sound. Darkness fell.

“What the hell?!”

“The lights went out.”

“Wow.”

Heshy shouted, Tom murmured in confusion, and I marveled.

“Seriously? That guy did this, didn't he?”

“That guy? You mean Tvein, our senior?”

“Who else would do it?” I murmured in the pitch-black darkness, unable to see even the recruits right beside me.

I stood still and waited for my eyes to adjust, straining my ears to pinpoint the others' positions. All the while, I glared sullenly into the blackness.

I wasn't worried or scared. Our training officers would be back soon to get us out anyway. Or we could use our watches or field guides for light and feel our way out of the library.

I still wasn't particularly worried when the others fumbled with their watches. Or when I reached into my pocket for my field guide to use as a light.

Not until, before I'd even taken it out, the guide spoke in a clear, ringing voice through the silent underground garage.

[“Creature: Pig.”]

Pardon?

[“Level 4. Conceals itself in darkness and approaches silently to devour its prey. Despite its massive body, it makes almost no sound when moving. Possesses tremendous strength, a tough outer hide, and the high intelligence characteristic of pigs. Only large-caliber firearms are effective. No particular weakness.”]