Mutagen

Day 150 - 12:15 AM - Briefing Room, Military Outpost, Santo Domingo Elementary School, Barangay Santo Domingo, Municipality of Virac, Catanduanes

In the briefing room where a table was arranged at the center of several chairs, the General's current entourage sat with Mark.

"Are you sure that you want to talk already? We can wait for tomorrow."

The General asked Mark.

"You guys have time to wait, but we don't. If not for your soldiers insisting for us to give a statement, we would have left already."

Mark replied.

The General had nothing to reply to that. It was true, after all. Unfortunately, there was no way that they would let Mark's group just leave like that. Furthermore, from the statements that they already gathered from the workers, Mark's group decimated the Rebels on their own. They needed to confirm the truth from all the parties involved if possible.

"Then, I'll ask straight." General Padilla took a breath. "Is the Anti-Government Faction of the Rebels already gone?"

"Gone is not the right word." Mark shook his head. "We only killed almost everyone in their base and in an outpost on the way back. Aside from those, the other outposts are still intact. Their faction leader and her right-hand man also escaped."

As Mark said that, he glanced at Vanessa that was recording the conversation for documentation. The latter, however, did not establish eye contact and feigned to concentrate on her work.

"You're not lying, are you?" A familiar soldier interjected. He was the officer-in-charge of this outpost, Lieutenant Ernesto Macapagal. "Our forces had been struggling against the rebels for months already. There's no way that a small group like yours would be able to do that."

Mark looked at the Lieutenant. He did not take the soldier's words with contempt. While the soldier was unable to believe it, he was not rude either and was just stating facts. Well, that was only if Mark's group were just a band of regular people, which they were not.

"You don't have to believe me." Mark shrugged. "But even if you investigate it, you will end up finding the same answer."

Lieutenant Macapagal was still unconvinced. However, he decided to finally stay put. It was because the General was already glaring at him. It bolstered the Lieutenant's confusion, though. Were the reports really true? However, his beliefs did not tell him to believe what he heard immediately. He was a person that would only trust what he saw and what was logical.

And to say, on human standards, it was illogical for a group led by a single man with a beautiful girl and four children to take down the several hundred-member rebel group. It was even if Chaflar's participation was to be counted. The firepower of the rebels was not to be trifled with.

If Mark was to hear those thoughts, he would agree that the firepower of the Rebels was nothing to joke at. After all, he saw it all and even looted their armory clean.

"Then, the people outside really are the people captured by the Rebels."

The General said.

"That's what I said to him before."

Mark pointed at the Lieutenant.

"Did you all walk along the Circumferential Road? It's good that nothing strange happened. We already witnessed your strength, but what was happening in Bato had been mysterious."

General Padilla asked. It was clear on his face. He was expecting a bit of information about what was happening in that area.

"That was right. We hadn't been able to use that road for two months already. Those that entered there would vanish without a trace. Even the search and rescue followed the steps of the victims. Eventually, we decided to stop and restrict missions in that area."

Lieutenant Macapagal added.

In fact, it would have been easier for the Military to deal with the Rebels. However, the only road they could take was going through Bato, where the mysterious disappearances happened. Thus, things became harder than it was supposed to be.

"Since you guys will probably hear it from the refugees. I'll say it." Mark nodded. "Bato is currently the base of Demons on the island."

That answer from Mark made the whole room silent.

Some of the soldiers looked at Mark as he had a screw loose. Those with higher positions like the Genera, however, had serene expressions.

"Are you trying to fool us? What bullsh*t! Demons?"

A soldier on guard behind the General yelled.

With that soldier leading the commotion, the other soldiers followed. Most of them spoke negatively of Mark about telling lies and fantasies in a formal and serious meeting.

BAM!

"SILENCE!"

That was when the General shouted in exasperation.

"But General!"

The same soldier behind the General tried to argue.

"I said silence, didn't I?"

General Padilla glared at the soldier, making him meek.

"I didn't expect your soldiers to be too narrow-minded, General," Mark remarked, with eyes half-closed. "But it's not your fault. This is just the result of Governments manipulating people to believe such things don't exist."

At this point, the General stood up from his seat. His eyes panned towards his soldiers.

"I believe all of you had heard of the Special Division in the army."

The soldiers stared with confusion after hearing the General's words.

"But General... Isn't that just rumors?" A soldier asked. "It said that it is a Division that was dispatched on paranormal incidents... But there are no records of it existing at all."

"It exists." The General replied. "However, their information is only allowed to be accessed by higher positioned individuals in the Military and Government."

This revelation was unbelievable. However, as it was the General who was saying this, it was hard to refute it.

"Then, if I said that the Special Division exists, then you all should understand why I said it now."

The General added.

It made the soldiers contemplate. Now that it was the General that was backing up the existence of Demons, they started to have second thoughts about their beliefs.

Setting the contemplating soldiers aside, General Padilla sat down once more and faced Mark.

"You're telling the truth, right?"

General Padilla asked Mark.

"There's no merit for me to lie here. I said it already. If you guys asked the refugees, they will tell the same. They all saw the Aswangs by the roadside watching us as we passed by."

"If it was true, then how did you manage to pass by without harm? All the soldiers that passed there vanished without a trace this past two months."

Lieutenant Macapagal asked.

To the question, Mark shrugged.

"Who knows?"

Everyone was speechless at Mark's answer. However, he did not appear to be lying.

"Is still don't buy it."

The very same soldier that tried to refute Mark earlier spoke.

"Sergeant Ballesteros..."

General Padilla turned to the soldier.

"I mean, if those Demons really exist, what would they do to the people that vanished?"

Sergeant Ballesteros asked agitatedly. The other soldiers were ready to subdue him if he started to move threateningly.

But then, in the middle of it all, Mark stood up.

"What you want is proof, right? Follow me."

Without waiting for any reply, Mark walked out of the briefing room.

Everyone hurriedly followed. General Padilla was not an exception. And, of course, the Sergeant followed too.

It became a commotion as all the soldiers in the briefing room followed behind Mark outside. Not all the refugees were asleep, and their attention was now on the events happening.

"Boss, is something wrong?"

One guy that was near Mark while passing by gathered the courage to ask.

"Nothing threatening. Just take some rest."

Mark replied, making sure that the people still awake would not follow.

Soon, they reached where the vehicles were parked by the roadside outside the school. But Mark was not after the vehicles. He was heading to Chaflar that was not allowed to enter the school premises.

Chaflar was awakened by the sudden commotion and saw Mark. The dragon tried to stand up, thinking that Mark was going to bring him somewhere.

"Just stay down."

Mark said, making the dragon stay put.

The soldiers were all wary of Chaflar. After all, who had ever seen an actual dragon, even up close?

It was when Mark started fiddling with the plastic dressers hanging on Chaflar's body. It did not take long, and Mark was able to take one down.

Unexpectedly, Mark placed the plastic dresser that was modified like a huge storage box in front of the soldiers. The soldiers became even more confused.

Until...

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

The plastic dresser started emitting thumping sounds from inside it.

"Ah... right... I forgot to feed them... They might be hungry already..."

Mark suddenly said, making all the soldiers even more confused.

Then, Mark opened the plastic dresser, lighting it up with a flashlight. The soldiers were surprised to see what was inside.

"WHAT THE F*CK!"

One soldier jumped towards Mark to attack him. Unfortunately for the soldier, even though Mark only one hand free, the soldier was made to kneel on the ground.

"WHAT THE F*CK! RELEASE ME, YOU BASTARD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH A CHILD!"

The soldier flailed his body, but Mark's grasp on both his hands behind him was too strong for him to break free.

"Are you dumb?" Mark frowned. "Take a look first, you dimwit. You're the only one acting recklessly."

That was when the soldier realized that he was the only one moving to attack Mark. The others had all their attention to the naked girl inside the dresser.

It was when the soldier decided to take a closer look at the child. He was then frozen.

"This... this is a child?"

The soldier murmured.

Mark finally let go of the soldier and crouched down on the dresser.

"Mark, what is this..."

The General asked.

"The proof he wanted."

Mark replied, looking at the speechless Sergeant.

Inside the dresser was the first girl that attacked Mark the last night. She had the most prominent Demon traits among the three children and that was why Mark chose to show her.

"This is a Demon?"

Lieutenant Macapagal asked.

"Yes and no," Mark replied. "This girl is a Feral Demon I captured last night. It's more accurate to say that she is turned into a Demon but failed, and it's the result."

The soldiers tried to approach but flinched back when the girl started glaring and throwing a tantrum after seeing them.

"Don't approach too much," Mark warned. "She only recognizes humans as food. If she's not restrained and gagged, she will start attacking."

General Padilla contemplated a bit and asked.

"You said that this girl was turned into a Demon... Does it mean that..."

"That's right. The Demons in Bato are the ones who did this. It's possible that they also did this to the people that you guys said that vanished. Well, if not worse."

"What's worse than being turned to something like this?"

Lieutenant Macapagal asked with an audible gulp of saliva.

"Turned into food, and for women, breeding hosts."

Mark replied nonchalantly.

It was at this time that Sergeant Ballesteros fell on his knees.

"You're lying."

The Sergeant murmured.

"I already said earlier, there's no merit for me to lie here. It's not like you guys are paying me to hear what you guys wanted to."

At this point, Sergeant Ballesteros punched the ground hard simultaneously. His fists began to bleed. The other soldiers could not help but restrain him and bring him back to the outpost.

"What's wrong with that guy?"

Mark asked the General, watching the scene.

However, it was Lieutenant Macapagal that answered.

"It must have been very hard for him to hear what you revealed." The Lieutenant sighed. "Ballesteros came from a family of soldiers and the youngest of three brothers. About two months ago, his two older siblings were sent to attack the Rebel outpost in San Miguel. However, the communication to their squad was cut off before they could even reach the boundary. They were among the first instances of mysterious disappearances in Bato."

"So, that's why." Mark shrugged. "If that was almost two months ago, his older brothers should be long gone now."

The soldiers around Mark could not help but look at him. They could not understand how Mark could speak such words without a shred of empathy.

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