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Chapter 18 - Escape

A few minutes earlier, military personnel entered the forest and found the three brothers massively injured and unconscious.

A medic arrived and treated them as they heard trees collapsing deeper in the forest.

One of them muttered on the radio that they had the kids.

The soldiers took the brothers to safety in their military vehicle and drove off.

Currently, scientists and researchers were observing and examining them in a laboratory. They were amazed.

One of them exclaimed that the brothers were special.

The others were eager to test their powers and study them.

Just then, Matteo woke up a little delirious in the medical room.

Medics examined Matteo's body to research his regeneration.

Matteo was alarmed and pushed them off.

A medic alerted that one of the kids had woken up.

A military soldier came into the room and greeted Matteo. He explained that the brothers were at a military base and drafted to the military as part of their promise.

Matteo looked around the room and noticed that his brothers had passed out. He angrily questioned what happened to his brothers.

The soldier urged Matteo to calm down, and that he thought Matteo would be able to provide an answer as they didn't know.

Matteo remembered and claimed that they were kicked by a giant zombie. He asked if his brothers would be alright.

A medic muttered that they would be fine even though they have been asleep for over a week.

Matteo pondered on what to do.

Suddenly, Stark woke up and panicked. As medic personnel stared at him, he tried to get off his bed and asked multiple questions.

The medics struggled to keep him calm.

Without anyone noticing, Hafen, exhausted, also woke up. He looked at them before walking out of the room.

After they calmed Stark down, the medics realized that Hafen had left. They announced that one of their patients had escaped.

Matteo and Stark looked at each other and nodded. Together, they jumped off their beds and rushed out of the room.

The medics chased after them from behind.

Stark and Matteo found an injured Hafen cornered by military soldiers.

The soldiers watched as guns slipped out of their vests.

Hafen asked them to surrender as he pointed the guns at them.

The soldiers clenched their teeth and obliged.

Hafen asked where they kept their swords and guns.

The soldiers led the way to a weapons room and handed Hafen their weapons.

From behind them, more soldiers arrived and shot their tranquilizer guns.

Matteo and Stark were temporarily tranquilized and handcuffed.

Hafen noticed as his brothers were handcuffed by the military, and they approached him.

A soldier demanded him to stop and return to his room.

Hafen refused.

The soldier, frustrated, ordered the other soldiers to restrain him. Multiple soldiers surrounded Hafen.

Hafen swung his sword, and a wave of water swept the soldiers away.

All of a sudden, a military soldier with a long mustache and hat ordered the soldiers to back away.

The soldiers immediately obeyed and stood aside. They saluted and bowed.

The mustached man stepped through.

Matteo and Stark realized that he was someone important, and they wondered who he was.

The mustached man apologized for their mistreatment and assured Hafen that he would free Matteo and Stark if he freed his soldiers.

Hafen conceded, and the soldiers took the handcuffs off Stark and Matteo. He handed his brothers their swords and guns. He held his elemental katana and pointed it at the soldiers.

Stark and Matteo joined him.

Stark demanded answers.

The moustache man introduced himself as General Bobby and asked the brothers to follow him.

Hafen asked why he should follow him.

General Bobby commented that the world was a dangerous place, and they would need their protection. He divulged that he was just keeping the military's part of the deal that another general had with Henry.

The brothers lowered their weapons. They were stunned from hearing their father's name. It peaked their curiosity, so they obliged. They followed General Bobby to another room.

Stark asked who he was to his dad.

General Bobby admitted that he never talked civilly to the man, and that he just heard stories of him. He revealed that a long time ago, Herny and Adelia had some control over the continent.

Hafen muttered that it was not possible.

Matteo asked how long ago.

General Bobby replied that the war started before they were born, twenty years ago. He continued that it lasted ten long years.

Stark was stunned.

General Bobby confirmed that he had fought against them in the war. He left as he assigned the brothers to another soldier.

As they entered the room, Hafen and Stark grew suspicious.

Matteo reassured his siblings that their dad mentioned that the military were good guys. 

In the room, the brothers were told to stare into the lenses of a machine.

Matteo asked what the machine was.

A soldier explained that it was a camera, used to take pictures.

As the light flashed, Hafen felt intense pain in his eyes and kneeled. He groaned.

The soldier noticed and quickly turned off the camera.

Stark asked if he was alright.

Hafen looked at his brothers, and his eyes were red.

Matteo commented that the military had gone too far and injured their brother.

Stark threatened the soldier.

The soldier, afraid, tried to apologize.

The other soldiers urged the brothers to calm down.

The brothers were distraught, and they retaliated.

Matteo kicked the camera down, and Stark tackled down a soldier.

The soldiers tazed Stark. However, their normal tasers had no effect on him.

As Stark and Matteo were about to be hit by a tranquilizer dart, an announcement was heard, and the lights flickered. The announcement uttered that monsters were sighted nearby. It suggested everyone to be ready for anything.

The soldiers hesitated.

Matteo and Stark took down the rest of the soldiers in the room. Matteo crushed the camera while Stark helped Hafen get up.

Another soldier entered the room. He was surprised when he saw the knocked-out soldiers. He, shocked, questioned what was happening.

Hafen threatened him with his elemental katana and inquired where the exit was.

The soldier surrendered and instructed them to the exit.

On the way, the brothers fought the military soldiers and tried to escape the military base.

Outside the base, a tank approached and encountered the brothers.

The brothers were fascinated and awed by the giant creature.

Matteo asked what kind of monster it was.

Stark remarked that it must be a tough one to defeat.

Hafen examined the tank.

Just then, a voice called out to them.

Stark, Hafen, and Matteo looked up.

In the cockpit, a soldier, the gunner, was sitting behind the cannon. He interrogated them why they were not in their room.

The brothers were startled, and they readied their swords.

The gunner sighed and muttered that they stood no chance against his tank.

Inside the tank, the driver questioned his gunner on why they were firing at kids.

The gunner explained that the kids were not ordinary. They were the same kids who defeated a prince of the zombies.

The tank moved towards the brothers. The gunner smirked and ordered them to move.

Hafen declared that it was over. He pointed his katana. A bolt of lightning shot out and hit the tank. It fried the tank's systems.

Stark urged the soldiers to bring it on. He ran and pressed his hands on the tank. The tank pushed him back, and his feet were dragged across the ground. Stark clenched his teeth and screamed as he was pushed.

The driver and gunner were shocked.

Stark was able to stand his ground, and the tank had stopped moving.

The driver was surprised and awed when the three brothers leaped into the air and onto the top of the tank. He demanded to know how mere kids could defeat a tank.

Matteo peered through the hole and looked inside. He questioned if it allied with the soldiers.

Hafen concluded that the tank was another vehicle.

Matteo asked how they could defeat it.

Stark punched the tank and created a dent. He grinned. He punched the tank repeatedly.

The gunner shook around and demanded them to get off. He yelled and swung the cannon.

Hafen and Stark dodged, but the cannon slammed Matteo off the tank. Matteo crashed and landed on the ground.

Stark, angered, punched the gunner and broke his teeth.

The gunner, dazed, slumped over.

Stark jumped off and aided Matteo.

The driver sweated trying to get the tank running again.

Hafen jumped inside and kicked him out of the tank. He looked around the cockpit and saw the controls.

Regaining consciousness, the gunner went inside and tried to shoot him with his rifle, but Hafen threw his sword at the gunner. The sword pierced the gunner through the chest and pinned him to the tank. He coughed and bled out.

Hafen sat down on the chair and played with the controls.

The tank's cannon moved around and pointed at random objects.

The driver urged him to stop and watched the tank destroy a building.

The brothers noticed that more soldiers rushed over to them.

Hafen exited the cockpit and pulled his sword from the gunner's body.

Matteo noticed the human blood on his sword and asked what happened in there.

Hafen hesitated to answer. He coughed and deflected that there were other matters to attend to.

The brothers faced the incoming army of soldiers.

Hafen asserted that they needed to escape and head back home. He asked if they were ready.

Matteo and Stark nodded.

Hafen ordered them to go. He pointed his katana and shot a bolt of lightning into the air.

All of the soldiers ducked and hesitated.

Hafen turned around and followed Matteo and Stark out of the gate.

The three brothers sprinted and left the base. Outside, they ran through the forest.

A helicopter and multiple soldiers followed them into the forest. In the forest, the military walked past the brothers as they hid on a tree.

One of the soldiers radioed and reported to General Bobby that they lost them.

General Bobby, disappointed, ordered them to come back.

At the military base, General Bobby sighed and wondered where they were. He added that they needed them alive.

Stark, Matteo, and Hafen have escaped the military. With the threat of the zombies still lingering, what would they do next? Stuck in a random forest, where would they go?

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