Daniel, Tasha, two scout members, and an additional comrade returned to the Base.
They had left Dave and the others in charge of coordinating themselves in case Demons found their way to attack their people. The Camp members were forcefully brought awake, all on guard against the march of Demons they heard from a distance.
Many were still drowsy, and since the environment was still darker than daytime, even with the illumination of the many lamps around, they were at a disadvantage.
Upon sensing movements within the cluster of trees that they faced, everyone became on guard, tightening the grip on each of their weapons as they glared nervously at the singular location.
The sounds became louder, and the rustle of leaves could be clearly heard by everyone, making their hearts beat more rapidly. Just as whatever was within the cluster began making an entrance, the Subjugation Team Members all pointed their blades in its location.
“Relax, guys. It’s us.” Daniel’s voice sounded, suddenly revealing himself as well as the comrades he went with.
The look of relief in the eyes of everyone couldn’t be expressed with mere words. Their weakened bodies gave out, and the shaky legs of every single person collapsed, causing them to fall in exhaustion.
“Haaa… thank goodness.”.
“I thought we would die!”
“It looks like we were worried for nothing.”
“Can we go back to sleep now?”
Many murmurs wafted through the air, and Daniel knew the words he was about to say required absolute attention. The problem was in how he would tell everyone what he had just found.
‘Should I wait until tomorrow?’ He reasoned.
No, that wasn’t an option. The Subjugation was commencing in full throttle by then, and there was no room for slacking or doing anything not in the schedule.
If he was to address the discovery he made alongside the scouts, it had to be now!
“Attention everyone, we have some pretty big news. It’s best I reveal it to you tonight.” Daniel declared, suddenly silencing everyone who murmured.
The people all looked at him instantly. The worries on their faces resumed, while others slightly grumbled since they needed to go back to sleep.
‘I have to keep this brief since if they don’t get much sleep, it’ll affect tomorrow’s mission.’ Daniel reasoned.
“First, let’s make a headcount to be sure everyone here is present.”
With a sleight of hand, Tasha stepped forward, bringing out a list from within her outfit.
Since she wore a plain shirt with tight trousers, alongside light armor made by the Camp, everyone ogled her with their eyes since her hand went within her shirt.
The excitement only lasted for a brief second, though, since she instantly shot her admirers a death glare, causing them to look away.
When she brought her hand out, Tasha was holding a piece of folded paper. After unfolding it, a list of names was clearly written on the long page.
“These are the names of those who are with us in this Subjugation Team. Seventy-five in total. I’ll be calling your names now.” Tasha said, now taking the forefront as Daniel shrunk back.
Just like roll call, she shouted the names of the members, and they responded. The only difference was that instead of responding with exciting sounds, the Subjugation team members gave disgruntled sounds and murmurs.
Still, their sounds and facial reactions indicated that they were indeed present.
As Tasha went down the list, she finally saw the name of someone who made her eyes bulge. She looked around, but couldn’t see him. A bead of sweat formed on her face instantly.
‘Jeremy Lewis. Shit, where is he?!’
Tasha couldn’t skip through his name since Daniel was behind her, and while he didn’t say a word, she knew he was also closely observing the list she held.
‘I’m just doing my job. Blame this on your carelessness, Jeremy.’ Tasha sighed, resolute to stick to her duties.
“Jeremy Lewis!” She shouted, already expecting no response from the crowd.
However, to her surprise, a hand was raised amid the crowd and the young man stood to be noticed since his height was well below average. He had a wide grin on his face, and his eyes were bright as though excited.
Daniel appeared relieved by his presence since he too was looking around for him, Melissa scoffed, and Tasha had a mix of both relief and surprise.
With an energetic look, the young boy opened his mouth to respond to her call.
“Present, ma’am!”
************************************
It was a close call, truly. After Daniel and company left where I was, returning to the base, I knew I needed to hurry since they were most likely going to count our numbers.
They had probably not done so earlier since the Camp members were in a panic and the looming threat didn’t make everyone think straight. Plus, they were drowsy. However, with Daniel’s party returning to provide them with news, they were sure to be more level-headed and take a proper headcount.
I couldn’t afford to be missing!
Fortunately, the group was still searching for any evidence left behind by the perpetrator as they headed back, giving me a chance to hurry and return.
‘It looks like I’ll have to take a little detour, to avoid them noticing me pass by.’ I smiled.
Taking a slightly longer route to avoid them, I circled around the group and returned to the Camp. However, when I got there, Daniel’s group had returned, and we were in the process of roll call.
‘I barely made it, whew!’
Noticing it was nearing my turn, I realized it would be somewhat fun to tease Tasha, so I used my speed to sneak among the unsuspecting and tired crowd, exploiting my small frame to hide from Tasha’s line of sight.
I watched her hesitation when it got to my name, laughing internally. I noticed Daniel’s face was also turning, as though attempting to search for me.
Finally, she declared my name, as though giving up on my timely return. Seeing as it was my queue, I rose and answered her call.
“Present, ma’am!”
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