HALF: Dead nor Alive

“Where are we going?!” Faye asked as she followed Ruby and Vincent.

“Just follow me, we will leave this fucking place. There’s no reason to stay here any longer,” Ruby answered as she hurriedly left the headquarters. “Give me the key! I will drive!” Ruby continued as she looked at Aster.

Aster tossed the key to Ruby, and then they all entered the car and left immediately.

“Wait! How about Archie and Eve?! They’re still in there on their own!” Faye asked as she looked back with a worried expression.

“The last thing you want to do is to be worried about them. Right now, our own safety is the top priority because Marshal Marlon has prepared a safehouse for us to hide in,” Ruby answered as she looked in the rear-view mirror and saw nobody following them.

Archie and Eve were shooting the guns at the soldiers and killed them all without hesitation. Gard, Jesper, Marlon, and Tolstobrov were amazed and shocked by how fast those two were and how they dodged every bullet that was shot at them.

“I never thought we have someone like them in here,” Tolstobrov said as he stared at them.

Marlon was at the back while the other Marshals watched Arche and Eve outside the conference room. He casually walked away while he grabbed his phone and didn’t even bother to look back.

Archie saw Marlon left, and he immediately signaled Eve by tilting his head over his right shoulder. Eve nodded with understanding, and then she broke the pillars that supported the buildings.

Watching those two planning on destroying the building, Gard and the other Marshals decided to run away since there was no way the soldiers could stop those two. They left hurriedly and they barely made it out alive because the headquarters collapsed again.

“Find those two! I want them captured!” Tolstobrov yelled at the soldiers who watched the headquarters collapse. “Whoever capture them, you will be promoted to a high rank!”

All the soldiers immediately surrounded the headquarters and looked for Archie and Eve.

They waited for an hour but didn’t saw those two leave the building, and there was no sight of them inside as well. Tolstobrov was so angry and kept ordering the soldiers to look in each room and corner of the building.

Archie and Eve changed their appearance and wore the uniform the moment the building collapsed. Nobody noticed them and they just casually left not long after the building collapsed.

Ruby told Archie to meet her outside the pub before she asked him to make a distraction. They both went to the pub and saw Ruby waiting for them inside the car.

“So? What are we going to do next?” Archie asked as he stood right next to the door.

Ruby was so confused, but then recognized Archie’s voice even though his appearance was totally different.

“Get in. I will tell you on the way,” Ruby said as she started the engine.

Archie and Eve entered the car without asking a single question.

“We will be leaving,” Ruby said as she kept checking the rear-view mirrors.

“Leaving where?” Archie asked.

“Well,” Ruby paused as she focused on driving. “Since we both know those Marshals have been helping Victor, there’s no safe place for us, especially both of you. So, we will be going back to the Eastern Nation where they can’t catch us,” Ruby continued.

“Going back there? With what? The same ships that we used to get here?” Archie asked.

“Yes, but we can’t just go back up there. Marlon said that all the soldiers have been warned and now we have bounties on our heads. So, we will be hiding in the safehouse that Fanheim have prepared for us,” Ruby answered.

“It sounds like as if you guys already know something like this might happen. Interesting,” Eve said as she stared at the road through the window.

“The moment we set foot here, we already know something is off about this sudden changes. Thanks to you guys, our suspicion about them is true, and of course, Marlon and Fanheim are going to protect ourselves from these strangers since we are just an outcast,” Ruby answered as she nodded his head.

Ruby brought them to the countryside and there were no cars or even electricity. They went up the hill and there was a small abandoned village. Up there, they saw Faye and the others were chilling outside a small cabin with a bunch of cars parked on the sides.

“No! I can’t leave them! If we go without them, they will be used for the experiment!” Faye said to Fanheim.

“What’s going on?” Ruby asked as she looked at both of them.

“I have to go back, Ruby. My men, I need to bring all of them here with me! They’re all in danger now and I’m sure Gard and the others will use them for the experiment,” Faye answered with a worried expression.

“Are you crazy? That’s a suicide! If you go back there, not only you endanger yourself, but you’re going to lead those guys here,” Ruby said as she stared at Faye in the eye.

“I don’t want to leave them, Ruby. They’re my men, and their lives are my responsibility. You’re going to do the same if you’re in my position, and I know you would,” Faye said as she stared at Ruby with a serious expression.

Ruby sighed as she looked at Fanheim, Vincent, Tommy, and Daniel. Faye wasn’t wrong about it, and she would do exactly the same thing as what Faye tried to do.

“Fine, let’s go and find them, but I’m not going to bring stay there for too long because it’s too risky,” Ruby said.

Faye nodded with understanding. “I know, and thank you,” Faye replied.

“Well then, that means you’re going to need a distraction, right?” Eve asked with a smirk on her face.

“If you’re willing to help, I guess we are going to make it out alive,” Ruby answered as she nodded her head.

Eve chuckled softly, and she slowly tore the back of her uniform and spread her wings so widely. Everyone was dumbstruck and petrified when they saw Eve transform herself into a parasite. The same form that she used when she stole the serum from the laboratory.

“So, it was you…” Faye asked as she slowly took a few steps back and stared at Eve with her eyes wide open in disbelief.

“If you want an answer, come back alive and I will tell you everything. Maybe Archie will tell you,” Eve said as she flapped her wings then floated in the air. “Now go, I will distract them,” Eve continued, and then flew away at the speed of sound.

“Archie, we are going to need your protection, so come with me,” Ruby said as she walked past him and toward the car.

Archie nodded and followed Ruby and Faye into the car, and when Aster was about to enter the car, Ruby stopped him. “You stay here, Aster, we don’t have enough seat for everyone. Just trust Archie and me. We will protect Faye at all cost,”

Aster stared at Faye for a moment and then nodded his head. “Please, she’s everything to me,” Aster said with a sad voice.

“I know, I’m not planning on failing since I want to come back for Vincent as well,” Ruby said as she stared at Vincent who looked worried about her.

They left the village and hurriedly went back to the city to pick up Faye’s men.

On their way back to the city, Faye slowly turned her head back and looked at Archie.

“So, do you care to explain this to me? Who is she?” Faye asked.

“It’s a long story, but I guess we have the time to talk about this,” Archie said as he looked down. “Eve and I are not humans,” Archie answered as he looked at Faye uncomfortably. “We used to be a human, but something happened and we both became like this,” Archie continued.

“I see, no wonder why you both are so careless, or more like carefree about this whole thing…” Faye said as she looked down. “So, what’s the reason she stole the serum for? I thought it’s dangerous for your kind,” Faye asked with curiosity.

“It’s for me, I almost died because I did something stupid and she had to steal the serum and injected it in my body. It’s complicated, but the point is, I needed it to fight someone like me,” Archie answered.

“Someone like you? Are you talking about Ex-Humans?” Faye asked.

“Yeah, you can say that,” Archie nodded his head as he stared blankly at the seat in front of him.

Faye hummed with understanding and then she looked to the front again without saying a single word or asking a single question.

“There’s something I would like to tell you, Faye,” Archie said.

Faye turned around and raised her eyebrows.

“Hendrick Fischer isn’t real. I’m the Hendrick Fischer in your memories,” Archie said as he stared Faye in the eye.