Chapter 148 - 148: Chosen Sides
Latanya Boss marched into the City with her remaining men. And as soon as they got there, the people that guarded their City quickly showed their hostility. Their walls were almost as tall as the Wall.
Their so-called City was a far cry from what they have. People lived lavishly, children had their mothers and could walk freely on the streets; Latanya and her men did not care for this, however, they just wanted to be heard.
And so they did. They shouted and they screamed their lungs out that they have vital information that could allow all of them to live freely. They spent days standing outside, garnering the attention of people well-dressed, looking at them as if they were savages…
...Looking at them the same as how they looked at the Prisoners within the Wall.
Once again they didn't care, and their efforts bore fruit. To their surprise, they were allowed an audience with the City's leader-- the one they call President.
Latanya Boss practiced what she was going to say a million times; but when they arrived in this sort of vast hall, what greeted them were soldiers.
With their ranks in shambles and their numbers culled, it was a slaughter. Only Latanya was able to survive.
She lost count to how many limbs she has lost, she lost count to how many hours or even days she has fought… because in the end, they lost.
She was dragged back to the Wall Village, her limbs cut and plated in steel. She was branded as a heinous criminal, saying that she and her men massacred innocent people in the City.
She was thrown by the very same people that she protected. But still, she didn't give up… Slowly her limbs recovered, disfigured due to the metal plate, but they recovered. She then had to chew her arm off, to heal it once again anew and well.
She tore her limbs and went back to the Wall. The City knew, the City knew of the other side and they chose to remain it hidden from them. Latanya attempted for a year to tell her people, but in the end, she gave up.
She always thought that she had already lost attachment to these people, but as soon as she saw the Village, it was as if her past life caught up to her.
Sentiment, you may call it-- but she was and is, after all, a Local.
***
"Boss… is a Local?"
"What… what kind of joke is this?"
"Come on, Boss. This isn't funny!"
The Prisoners tried to laugh, but the only thing that came from them was a nervous chuckle. With Boss no on their side, their chances of winning just came down by almost a half.
Reed, once again, was heartbroken. He was with Boss all these years, and yet he never realized. He never truly knew Latanya, not the real her.
"How… how can this be?" He whispered. His whispers, however, were drowned by the sudden anger that now filled the Prisoners.
"You… you traitor!"
"Kill her along with the Locals!"
"W… wait," Reed wanted to stop them, but the only thing that came out of him was a whisper. In a way, he felt the most betrayed. He was most loyal to her, but she pushed him away. First, it was because of Van and their little plan to escape, and now this?
He wanted to stop the other Prisoners, but his body did not allow him to.
"...What do we do, Van?" While the other Prisoners were getting ready for war, Nisha and the others were quietly watching everything unfold.
"Why… are you asking me?"
"You're supposed to be our leader, aren't you?" Nisha said as she tightened the bandana on her head, taking in a deep breath as she conditioned her body for battle, turning on her Skills to enhance her body to the fullest.
Hearing this, Van looked at the people behind him. Gil, Cynthia, and her husband, and ironically, even Gerald were following them for some reason. He almost forgot that he was really actually here right now.
Ignoring Gerald, they all had the same look in their eyes-- Expectation.
And so, with a sigh, Van could only take a step forward, "We go to the winning side, of course."
He didn't take the time to count, but it would seem that there were a lot more Prisoners now, possibly thrown along with Gerald. Latanya said there's usually a group of 5 or more, but seeing their numbers now, there were definitely more than 30 of them…
...just what exactly was happening outside? Gerald should know, but that wasn't important right now.
Even with the Prisoners' numbers… Van still chose the Locals' side, after all, they had Latanya.
And so, he continued to walk forward, his group following behind him along with the women that just recently joined their group. Even Gerald, who had no idea what was happening, followed them.
The other side could only watch as one of their strongest warriors went to the Locals' side. And they could only watch again as the leader of the Eastside, also went to the other side.
A few of his men followed him, but most stayed behind, now standing under the banner of Grant.
Reed was confused as to what to do, but when he saw Latanya smiling at Van as he approached him, his legs moved on their own towards her.
"...Now you owe me," as soon as Van made it to the Locals' side, he let out a light scoff and stood beside Latanya.
"Tch. Cheeky brat."
Gil was alert at first as the Locals looked at him with hostility, but after a while, he removed his hand from his sword and greeted them with a smile on his face. This was the first time he was seeing one up close, he was far away in the dark when they infiltrated the Encampment.
And seeing them now, they didn't look that different from them. They were just… humans. The Locals couldn't help but look at each other as this stupid-looking red-haired man greeted and waved his hands at them.
They were confused as to what was happening. Were the Prisoners joining sides with them? But why? And the Leader of the Prisoners was one of them? How… could that even be?
They were filled with questions that they want to be answered now. But before they could even ask Eugene, the roars of the Prisoners filled their ears.
"Attack them now! It doesn't matter if Boss is with them, kill them!" Grant screamed, his voice almost cracking as his eyes were filled with frenzy. For a long time, he tried to resist his urge to kill and mutilate people, and now that chance has presented itself to him once more.
He… wasn't going to stop. Even more so now that his enemies were right in front of him.
"Graaaah!" Solomon, who had been quiet the entire time, roared. His voice was enough to ripple the air around him. In the end, he chose not to follow Boss as his instincts came back to him. The only thing in his mind now was the call for blood.
And so, he took the first step, starting their little war.