Chapter 10 : Quest for the Ultimate Gift part 5 : Epilogue.
After we arrived at the beach, Lieutenant Frank docked the boat at a small dock where the evacuation center located. I and Sophia helped Alex to walk and took him to a clinic, we tried to find one, but walking in a busy and crowded evacuation center just making it harder. After a few minutes, we finally found it.
"Here, we have an injured person." I said to the doctor.
"Is he bitten by the zombies?" The doctor asked.
"No, he was hit by one of the bombs that dropped on the port. I saw it myself." Sophia replied.
"We'll try our best." He said before taking Alex to the clinic.
Lieutenant Frank is already went to a group of soldiers, and now he is chatting with them.
"Lieutenant! You still alive!" One of the soldier with a thin brown beard, short brown hair, and grey eyes hugged him.
"Harris, I'm fine, could you please let me go?" He said to him.
"Oh, sorry sir." He said as he let go of his hug.
"Thank you, and Kyle, release your gas mask. We are not in the Capital City anymore." He pointed to one of the gas mask soldier.
"Sorry sir." He said before released his gas mask. Revealing his a little pale skin, light brown hair almost yellow, and icy blue eyes.
Now I remembered these guys, it's the Lieutenant Frank's men, Private Harris and Sergeant Kyle.
"Hey Maxwell, you survived too!" Private Harris welcomed me.
"Yeah, I came here with Lieutenant Frank and Alex." I replied.
"And who's this?" Sergeant Kyle pointed at Sophia.
"She is Sophia, one of our friends." I replied.
"Hello Sophia, nice to meet you, I'm Harris and this is Kyle." Private Harris introduced himself.
"I just about introduce myself you jackass!" Kyle protested.
"Sorry Kyle." He just smiled to him.
"That's enough you two, I don't want any fight in here." Lieutenant Frank said to them.
"Sorry sir." They said in the same time.
"Alright then, anyway I'm going to check Alex." He said before leaving.
"What happened to Alex?" Private Harris asked me.
"He's wounded, hit one of the bombs dropped by one of the jets." I asked.
"Oh, hope he'll get better soon." He said to me.
"Alright." I said before leaving to follow Lieutenant Frank to the clinic and checked Alex.
After we arrived at the clinic, I and Sophia went ahead to check Alex. He was in one of the beds, being treated by a doctor who wrapped a bandage in his right hand. "You okay Alex?" I asked.
"I'm fine, just a few minor cuts." He answered.
"Anyway, just let him rest and try not to move your leg for a while." The doctor said to us.
Now his right hand, I mean the whole right hand and the fingers are covered in bandage, his left leg is also covered in bandage from his knee to the foot, after the doctor finished, he got up from the bed and tried to walk. Sophia walked toward him to help him, but she was slipped by one of the bandage wastes on the floor, Alex quickly catch her by his hands.
That's where they eyes met each other, staring at each other for a long time, I only crossed my arms and just stared at them. Aaahh, look at them.
"Sophia?" Alex called her name.
She blinked a few times, "Yeah?" She answered.
"You stepped on my foot." He said to her.
"And?" She still stared at him.
"I mean, my left foot. You stepped on my left foot." He replied.
"Oh, sorry." She said as she got up from Alex.
I almost laughed, but I held that laugh. She blushed and tidied up her clothes while tried to look away from Alex, who is clutching his bandaged left foot. I cleared my throat and they looked at me.
"What?" Sophia asked.
"Nothing, just want to ask Alex if he need help." I answered.
"Yeah, I could use some help to walk." Alex said to me as he put a new glove.
I walked toward Alex and he put his left arm behind my neck then help him walk, I tried carefully to not step on Alex injured foot, but I accidentally stepped on his foot, he groaned and stare at me. "Sorry." I smiled to him, and he ignore me.
We headed to the clinic exit and walked outside, "Hey kids, need a ride home?" Lieutenant Frank asked from a green military jeep.
"Wait, where did you get that?" Sophia asked.
"It's mine, I got it when I promoted to Sergeant." He answered.
"How long was that?" She asked again.
"About 2 years ago. Me, Kyle, and Harris always use this to travel everywhere." He replied as he started the engine.
We entered the jeep, Sophia took the front seat, me and Alex took the back seat as the jeep start moving.
"Where are your house kid?" He asked to us as we entered the road.
"About a mile from here, just follow the forest road and turn left when you find an intersection." I answered.
"Got it kid."
"How do you know where we are?" Alex asked.
"Because, this beach was not far from Edwin's farm." I replied.
After a long silent trip, we arrived at my house. I saw a statue of a petrified man at the gate. Huh, I wonder where that thing came. I helped Alex to got out from the jeep while Sophia bring his backpack, "Where you going?" Alex asked Lieutenant Frank.
"I'm going back to that evacuation center kid, there's still a lot of thing I need to do, so see you later kids." He said to us.
"Bye!" We said to him as he drive away.
"Good bye kids, see ya later!" He said to us before disappeared in the distance.
"So, this is your house?" Sophia asked me.
"Yeah, let's get inside, the others must be waiting for us." I answered.
We walked to the door and I knocked it a few times, Lily opened the door and suddenly she hug me and I accidentally released Alex.
"Oh my god Maxwell, glad you come back in one peace. Come on, let's get inside mom and dad is worried about you two." She said to me.
"Oh yeah, who is this?" She pointed to Sophia.
"She's Sophia, Alex's friend." I answered.
"Hi, I'm Lily, nice to meet you." She shake hand with Sophia.
"I'm Sophia, nice to meet you too."
"Can somebody help me? I can't walk in my own you know?" Alex asked while holding to a pole.
"Oh my god Alex, what happened to your leg?" Lily asked while giving an surprised look.
He rolled his eyes, "Long story Lily, Sophia could you help me?" He replied.
"Sure." She replied as he helped Alex.
After we got inside, the house now was pretty much empty, no sign of my brothers. "Where's everyone?" I asked Lily.
"They just left a few hours ago, and now it's just me, Sarah, you guys, and mom and dad." She answered.
I saw Sarah wiped the dining table with a cloth, she turned to us when she noticed our presence, "Hey, you guys returned." She said to us as she finished wiped the table.
"And, who is that if I may asked?" She pointed to Sophia.
"This should be the one you know, Sarah." Alex answered.
"Wait, Sarah?"
"Sophia?"
"How did you get here?" They asked at the same time and hugged each other.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Lily asked.
"Of course, she and Alex is my senior on junior high school." Sarah replied.
"Anyway, I'm going to bed, I'm too tired." Alex said before he and Sophia left to upstairs.
"What happened to his leg?" Sarah asked.
"Long story Sarah, you probably don't want to know." I answered.
I followed Lily to kitchen to meet mom and dad, I saw her face was in sad look, "Hey, what's wrong Lily?" I asked her.
"Nothing." She replied.
Then, I felt like I forgetting something, something that is very important to her, "Oh, um..." I tried to remembered it, but what is it? If yesterday was my birthday, then this day must be...
"Oh, that's it! Today it's your birthday right? How could I forget? Well, sorry I couldn't give you anything now."
"You're right Maxwell. But, when you return safely here is enough for me. And well, that's all."
"Are you sure? You look like you're hiding something."
She sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you. But promise to keep it secret." She give me a serious look.
"Alright."
"Well." She began, "I just wondering how Alex got hurt, that's all." She turned her face to me.
"Alex got hurt because, well. He got hit by a bomb from a jet because he tried to save me."
"Oh, is he badly hurt?"
"I don't know, the doctor only told us to let him rest."
"Oh, okay then."
"That's all you want to ask? You're still hiding something, aren't you?"
"Fine, actually I..." She paused.
"Actually, what?"
"Actually, I... I've been hiding this for a long time. I actually liked him."
I was surprised, she liked Alex? And, I can't believe it, I mean he just only a few days here and she already liked him?, "Uh huh." I responded, "And why did you like him?"
"Well, unlike you." She pointed her right hand at me, "He is more responsible and more mature than you, and his blue eyes." She paused and clasped her hands then took a deep breath while looking up, like she was imagining something, "He is truly the guy I wanted Maxwell." She smiled.
"Looks like Alex just got a lover."
"Maxwell." She elbowed me and we both chuckled.
After we arrived in the kitchen, I quickly hug mom and dad. "There you are, we were worried about you." Dad said to me.
"And anyway, could I open the gift?" I asked.
"Go ahead." He replied.
I quickly opened my backpack and take the gift, I ripped the ribbon and opened the box, revealing a starite. "It's just a starite." I said to them.
"Not just a starite boy, it's the rare golden starite we found in one of our journey, 10 times more powerful than a normal starite, and it holds a power that you could ever imagine." He explained.
"Wow." I amazed at the starite power.
"And dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Why Doppelganger and Schwartz are on the Capital City too?" I asked him.
"What?!" He surprised, "They must be looking for this too."
"And, how did they knew?"
Flashback...
A few minutes after Maxwell and Alex left, Edgar and Julie are sitting in one of the sofas in the living room watching tv, "Honey, did you feel something wrong?" Edgar asked.
"No Edgar." She replied.
"That's weird, because I felt something. Someone is watching and eavesdropped at us earlier."
"Maybe, that's just your feeling Edgar. No one is out there, it's 7 AM and other people probably still asleep." She smiled to him.
"Huh, yeah. Maybe, just my feeling." He muttered.
"Anyway, I'm going out for a walk Julie, take care of the kids." He said as he grabbed his cane and headed outside.
"Sure." She smiled to him as he opened the door and headed outside.
Edgar walked past the garden and hear someone talking, "Sir, I've found the location. It's on the Capital City sir. No, I'm didn't know the exact location." The voice said.
Edgar found someone wearing blue long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans, his head was covered in blue balaclava, blue fedora hat, and black glasses, and he was talking to a phone behind the fence, he turned around and saw Edgar, and he quickly pulled out his Revolver and pointed it at Edgar.
Edgar raised his hands, "Listen old man, just stay away from my business and I won't hurt you." He said to him.
"And, what are you doing here?" Edgar asked him.
"It's not your business old man." He replied.
Edgar pick up his cane and pointed it at him, "Ow, what you gonna do with it? Shoot a laser from it?" He said to him in mocking tone and laughed.
Edgar just smiled and shot a blue beam from the cane to him, as soon he was hit by the blue beam, he was petrified. "I heard a commotion here, what's happening Edgar?" Julie came to him.
"Looks like my feeling was right, we have a spy in here and just finished eavesdropped at us." He replied.
"I just hope the boys alright."
"Yeah, me too."
End of flashback...
"Oh, that's why Doppelganger and Schwartz is after this Starite too." I responded to them.
"And, what is that smell?" Mom sniffed around.
"Is that come from you Edgar?" She asked dad.
"No Julie." He answered.
Suddenly they all glared at me, like they knew the smell is coming from me, I remembered that Boomer bile covered me before back in the Capital City.
"Go and take a bath!" They said in the same time.
(A/N : I'm probably going to write some short story before the DC Comics Adventure, and you could PM me to give ideas or just tell your ideas on the review, so that's all for now. Ezy out.)