Chapter 267: In the night.
The night was extremely cold and calm, with a minor disturbance of a howl from beyond the safety of the base and steady hum of generators. Camp Zenith residents had turned in for the night even though some were not asleep.
Outside one door in the residential area came a sudden knock_loud, impatient, brutal. It cracked the stillness like a whip in the small room.
Dustin Raine jolted upright, his heart hammering. It was the middle of the night, and he expected no visitor. His mind jumped to the conclusion that danger had come knocking and perhaps they wanted him, the superhuman to help.
"Who’s that?" He asked, voice trembling as the echo trembled.
"Is it another attack?" His wife Rowena had her hand to her chest, her breath quick and uneven. Irritation and mild anguish were her moods. After a long day’s work, she really needed some rest.
The knock came harder this time. "Open the door!" A voice thundered outside.
Moon stirred from her corner mattress, blinking in confusion.
"You have five seconds before we break the door down." A voice snapped with a threat from outside.
They exchanged fearful glances as another knock came even harder than the last time. If it was an attack, then it must have been a really bad one for them to be making threats.
Dustin rose from the mattress and stood up, his bare feet brushing the heated floor. He threw a flame into the corner where a fire was almost dying out. The flames rose and the heat in the room increased. "It’s okay, they are here for me." He told his family while heading to the door.
But before he could touch the latch, the door exploded inward, splinting into a thousand wooden shards. The blast of cold night air rushed in with men who were armed, faces shadowed by fury.
Their weapons were immediately turned on the family. The Raines jumped up, their expressions dipped in fear and worry.
Dustin shielded his wife and daughter. "How dare you, I am a superhuman....."
"Rowena Raine!" One of the men barked. "Which one of you is she?"
Moon gulped.
Rowena gasped from terror, stumbling backwards, her pulse screaming in her ears. "W-what.... What is happening?"
"That’s her!" A voice cried from behind the men. It was the head cook, her wrists bound tightly with rough rope, hair disheveled and cheeks streaked with tears. She pointed directly at Rowena. "That is the person you are looking for."
Before anyone could react, the soldiers surged forward, seizing Rowena by her arms and dragging her out.
"No! Wait!" Dustin shouted struggling to pull her back. "What is this about? Where are you taking her?"
"Orders from above." The man in charge said coldly shoving him aside. "Stay out of it if you value your life. Being a superhuman does not put you above base laws." He looked at the men and gestured to the doorway with his head. "Take her."
Rowena’s cries filled the room as they dragged her away. She had not been given time to dress up but luck was on her side as she had on a jacket. But her feet were feeling the impact of the cold as it seeped in through her stockings that scraped against the cold ground.
Moon stood frozen in the corner, her mind spinning. Unlike her father, she did not have to wonder why her mother was being dragged away like a thief in a supermarket. This has something to do with the kitchen. She thought to herself. Had Aliana gotten a bad allergic reaction?
Excitement brewed in her heart; it was time for her to play hero. Her plan had probably worked and that was why they were going after the cooks. She stopped her lips from curving in a smile and maintained a desperate frightened look.
"Move it." A man said to her.
Moon and her father followed after the men, hearts thudding against rib cages. She had two fingers crossed and hoped that whatever luck had been following her around was with her.
The commotion had attracted a number of people who followed them, asking what was going on.
"What did your mother do?" One woman asked Moon.
Moon shook her head and walked on. Around her, whispers followed like snowflakes. Even those who had not come out of the resident buildings since winter started came out.
It was going to be a spectacle, Moon guessed. But she would not want it any other way. There had to be witnesses when her heroism was displayed.
When they reached the training hall, Moon noticed that an even bigger crowd had already gathered. She sharpened her ears to listen to the murmurs that were already brewing stronger than the wind outside.
"Something happened; I saw doctors running to the Steward house."
"Really? I saw Leah in tears."
"What does it have to do with the cooks? My aunt is one of them and they picked her up at around 9:00 p.m. She has not come back since then."
"I guess we will find out. This is the last cook on the list."
Rowena was thrown to the center of the hall beside the others, the entire kitchen staff from the previous evening.
At the far end of the hall sat Dominic, his face carved from stone. Around him were the leaders of the base, silent and grim.
Dustin approached but was stopped midway. So, he raised his voice. "Dominic, I do not understand....."
"Shut up and step back." Festus barked.
Dominic’s eyes flickered to the head cook. "Are these all the people that worked in the kitchen last evening? I want everyone here even those that passed by."
One of the cooks pointed at the superhuman who was there briefly. "Him."
Festus ordered for the superhuman to join those that were kneeling.
"What is this about?" The superhuman asked, not that anyone responded.
The head cook lifted her head, eyes darting around. "There was one more, her daughter." She pointed at Rowena. "Moon Raine."
Rowena shifted uncomfortably. "Yes.....my daughter was there but she did nothing wrong? What is going on here!"
Moon’s blood froze. The crowd turned, many eyes seeking her out. She had not followed her father forward but remained behind so as not to stand out right from the beginning. It seemed like that plan was about to fall apart.
"Where is she?" Festus asked.
When Dominic’s gaze swept over the room, people stepped back instinctively, parting the crowd like water retreating from a flame.
And there she stood, alone and trembling.
Moon wanted the ground to open and swallow her. But her legs carried her forward, one step, then another, until she stood at the center.
"You? Do you work in the kitchen?" Dominic asked.
She gulped and shook her head. "I am not a permanent worker there. I help my mother from time to time when they are understaffed but there has never been a problem before. What is this about?"
"On your knees!" Festus forced her down.
Dominic rose from the chair, eyes cold like a snake about to strike. The air thickened with tension. "I need you all to tell me how my daughter died from a peanut allergy. We had beef stew and bread for dinner so how did peanuts end up in our soup!"
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
"Died?"
"Aliana is dead!?"