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Author: Damn, I wrote this a year ago? It's short so it'll come with the other chapter.
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The sudden attack caught Thomas off guard, leaving him with little time to react.
In the middle of creating a magic barrier, the bullets struck.
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
To his relief, the bullets were stopped by another barrier. Then, he remembered. Right, I left a barrier behind before leaving. It's good that I did.
Shrieks ensued as camp members crouched for cover. The bullets exploded upon striking the barrier, and the explosions rang loudly like perpetual thunder.
Those bullets aren't normal.
The barrier stood firm, however.
The UBSS was safe for now.
"Not to worry, this barrier has been protecting us for some time now. They haven't managed to break it." Rupert approached the barrier, standing inches away from the edge. His confidence was apparent.
"I thought I was done for." Michael adjusted his glasses and stood up for a better view of their aggressors. He gasped, seeing the people heavily clad in tactical gear outside. "Principal, those people..."
"Yes. #### ##—##### ##### ######." Rupert said a string of words Thomas couldn't understand, except for the last part. "Even if they try #### ###### hide it, I know. They are from M.E.G."
An unfamiliar term. Thomas tried to recall if he had ever heard of the word before. M.E.G.? Sounds like trouble to me.
"This doesn't make any sense! Why would they attack us?!" Michael couldn't believe it. The Major Explorer Group was one of the largest factions in the Backrooms. As their name suggests, they focused on exploration. Most of the information taught in UBSS came from M.E.G.'s exploits.
"They always make a move for the same reason, Michael," Rupert replied grimly. "For humanity."
The volley of bullets persisted, but the barrier held strong. Their ammunition was seemingly endless, and even if it were, they still wouldn't be able to accomplish anything.
They might be trouble, but they're manageable. Thomas glanced around, his mind shifting gears. The threat was negligible if they couldn't even break through a simple magic barrier. Focusing on another matter, he used haki to survey the people around him.
Michael noticed Thomas disappear into the crowd but said nothing, his attention on the M.E.G. group outside.
Thomas pushed past wanderers, his head turning in every direction.
Now then, where is she?
His eyes looked everywhere. He hadn't seen her in nearly a month after all.
Nearly a month has passed since Thomas and Michael left the camp. Does Hannah miss me? Of course, she does. I know I did. Just a little.
Thomas kept looking. He saw familiar faces, but not quite who he was looking for. Seconds stretched into a full-blown minute.
Behind his distant gaze was a growing sense of unease. Haki poured out of him in waves, searching for a presence that wasn't there.
-I'm scared. How can they do this to us?-
-God please, help us get through this.-
-The food won't last if they keep us stuck here. Why won't the Principal just surrender already?!-
-I don't want to die. I don't want to die! I don't want to die!-
All he managed to get were the anxiousness of the camp members. Their thoughts filled his head as though they were his own. Thomas thought about reining in his haki to escape the negativity, but no, he wanted to be certain in his search.
Where is Hannah?
He kept looking, and looking, and looking, yet no matter how long he searched, her aura was nowhere to be found.
His magic power stirred with his emotions.
"Daffy? What's the matter?" Andrew took the duck on his head into his arms. The little thing started shivering all of a sudden. "Feeling scared? Those people shooting at us are pretty scary, but it looks like we're safe for now. You're gonna be alright." He rocked Daffy against his warm chest.
Despite Andrew's best efforts, the duck didn't calm down in the slightest, its gaze glued onto Thomas in the crowd.
The onslaught of bullets stopped eventually. The group of gunmen reloaded their weapons and simply kept aiming. Shooting was futile, what with an unbreakable blockade between them and their target.
Near the barrier's perimeter, Michael and Rupert continued conversing.
"Explain how you got past the barrier," demanded Rupert.
"I assumed it was your arrangement."
"As if I know how to do that. Even M.E.G. couldn't pull it off. Otherwise, they would have gone in and shot everyone dead already." Rupert shook his head. "The Keymaster took pity on us and set the barrier up in advance. At least, that's what I think happened. But that doesn't explain how your group managed to enter without us or them noticing."
"Principal…" Michael hesitated, swallowing his nervousness. He leaned closer, his voice lowering. "Actually, there's something I need to report to you. About Thomas. It's related."
Rupert detected the shift in tone. "What about him?" There was an undeniable eagerness in his voice.
Michael picked up on it. "Principal, did you know about Thomas already?"
"...Just a little."
"So you knew?! Why didn't you tell me—"
"Coincidences and conjecture was all I had. But you... you wouldn't come to me if that was all you found out."
Albeit feeling miffed about not even being given a warning ahead of time, Michael understood that it was just how the UBSS worked. They could never impart knowledge that couldn't be trusted.
"Dont keep an old man waiting. What did you learn, Michael?"
"I..."
Although Rupert's voice remained calm, he stopped breathing for a moment. His whole attention was on Michael, waiting for the following words to drop.
However.
"Principal."
""!""
Both men jumped back in surprise. Thomas suddenly appeared between them, eyeing the old man.
Rupert stumbled backwards and lost his footing. Because of his close proximity to the barrier, the loss of balance caused his upper body to slip through the magical membrane.
A hand gripped his collar, yanking him back just as quickly. Moments later, a hail of bullets struck the barrier where Rupert's head had been protruding.
"Lord Almighty!" Rupert muttered, his voice shaky as he steadied himself. If he had been pulled back a moment later, his head would have been blown to smithereens. "That was too close for comfort, my boy." He carefully stepped back, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Thomas, you can't just go around startling people. It ain't safe."
"Sorry. Principal." Thomas apologized, but he didn't want to linger on it. "I ask. Where is. Hannah?"
Hearing his words, Rupert looked at Thomas in surprise. The boy can converse now. "You learn quickly... too quickly." Rupert shifted away from Thomas as well. "Hannah. Of course, you are looking for her. Hannah isn't here."
"Not. Here?"
"No. She left two weeks ago on a mission. Do you understand?"
"Oh." He didn't expect that answer, but it cooled his head. "Return. When?"
"That's a complicated issue." Rupert quickly glanced at the firing squad ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Even if Hannah wanted to return, she must go through them. There was simply no way M.E.G. would let her pass.
They didn't just block the front entrance either. Another group guarded the other side of the camp, caging them in.
The Level doors within the barrier led to Levels with varying degrees of danger, but nothing that would allow the entire camp to migrate safely. Most of them were just students.
The UBSS was essentially stranded.
"Until those people outside leave, nobody can get out or get in."
If they wanted to leave, a fight was unavoidable. Unfortunately, it was one they had no chance of winning.
On their own, that is.
"I. Will. Deal. With. Them."
Thomas stood at the edge of the barrier, teetering on the brink of leaving its safety.
"Get back here, you fool!" Rupert shouted, panic rising in his chest as he lunged forward to pull Thomas back. But his hand was swatted aside with ease.
Seeing that, he tried again, but...
"Principal, for now, just watch." Michael's calm voice came from the side. His words were cryptic, and Rupert couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
"I'm certain that curiosity has been gnawing at you for a while. Thomas won't disappoint you."
"What do you know, Michael?"
"...Just a little."
As Thomas stepped over the barrier, the air erupted with blinding flashes of gunfire.
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