Chapter 6: 6

As I start to slow down the ambulance, the huge gate was opened by Oscar and my cousin Jared. The gate is about 6 meters in height made with steel and about 4 inches thick and it is segmented to four parts vertically. It opens from the inside and the two inner parts could fold to the outer parts and could be folded once more to hug the walls. The outer part of the gate on the right has a small door that can be opened from the inside through a lever and outside if you have the keys for it. It has a small handle outside and a slit for letters to be delivered. Each gate segment spans for approximately 3.5 meters. The whole place is approximately 500 meters each side enveloped by 7-meter concrete walls while a few floodlights and CCTVs are installed appropriately on each side.

Inside the compound, you could see five houses in the furthest part from the gate, behind that is a medium-sized pool with benches, tables and even a grill, perfect for eating outside. On the left side, several vehicles are parked, namely a blue sedan, a black SUV, a covered motorcycle and a white minivan. On the corner where the left wall and the front wall meets, two small boats and a jet ski are stacked vertically by a metal bar welded through the walls and the floor. On the right side, three buildings come into view, the closest one resembles a shed or a barn for animals, next to it resembles a greenhouse where the building is slightly translucent, and lastly, the last building looks like a working area, several tools are displayed on the walls and a few tables for woodworking, metalworking or repairing certain items etc.

As we drove inside, I parked the ambulance near the white minivan along with the other vehicles. I hopped outside the driver’s seat and I was followed by Kaley and Olivia. I opened the door from the back to grab their bags and I felt a quick hit to the back of my knees.

*click*

My left knee folded for a bit, but I grinned as I turned around to give the person behind me a high overhead kick. The person behind me got surprised and was caught off guard, it was Jared my cousin.

“F.u.c.k!” he exclaimed as he tried to block it. As soon as I saw his left arm rising up to block, I twisted my knee to redirect my high kick to a low kick towards his left leg.

*swoosh*

*thud*

He was too late to react from the quick switch and I managed to land a light hit on his leg. He groaned for a bit as he rubbed his left leg.

“Ohoh~ still training I see.” Oscar gave me an approving look as he rubs his chin.

“We’re about to head to Wilcon’s Depot now to buy a few building materials but we saw you arrive from the cameras. Want to come with us?” Jared mentions as he swings the keys around his fingers.

I made a quick look around, “Nah, I’m going to have them settle first. Where’s the truck?” I said

“Oh, our uncles drove them to Polo and started to get everything from your stores there, I also gave them the keys for the store here, so they’ll stop by there too later.” Jared said, his eyes darted to Kaley and Olivia as his eyes made this mischievous look.

“Hello ladies, I’m Jared his cousin, wink if you are taken hostage okay? Hey Sky, isn’t kidnapping a crime? I’ll file a- ack!” Oscar smacked the back of his head as he pulls him to his SUV.

“Let’s go now, have Lois close the gate for us, we’re losing time here kid.” he said.

Before Oscar closes the door, his head perks up and he said, “Oh right, kid, I’ve talked to the others, we will have a meeting later at night.” He gives a small salute and he drives off with Jared.

The door from the second house on the right opened and a kid in his teens walked outside eating a piece of bread, “Hmm?”

He looks at me and made an upwards nod as he goes to the gate and closes it. He has curly and long hair apart from his brother Jared which has straight and short hair, although they look the same, his skin tone is much darker than his brother. He is the same height as me unlike his brother that’s taller than me by half-a-head.

He quickly went back to the house sparing us a small salute as he closes the screen door.

I motioned for Kaley and her sister to follow me to the house in the middle. It was the biggest out of the five in the compound. As we got nearer, I started to hear my dog barking and scratching the door in front. We walked a few steps up to the porch then I grabbed my keys to open the door. A huge Golden Retriever suddenly jumped on me, tails wagging and still barking at me continuously.

“Zeus, Sit!” I commanded my dog as he followed obediently. Zeus was still wagging his tail and the two behind me rushed past me to pet Zeus.

“Who’s a good boy? Huh? You are! He’s so cute!” they both kept on rubbing Zeus’ body and now Zeus is laying on the floor kicking his foot in the air while his tongue is out visibly happy on what the two are doing to him.

I placed their bags down and I went back to grab the other bags and other supplies and gear. Olivia stayed with Zeus but Kaley followed from behind.

We are quiet in the way to the vehicle but I heard her mutter, “Hey, thank you again” she gives me a sideways hug then I ruffled her hair, slightly getting her ponytail loose.

She lets out a small hiss then she pulls the tie off, letting her hair dangle once more. She once again jabbed me on the shoulder as she picks up a few bags to carry.

As we walk towards my house, the screen door from the 2nd house opened once again then a small girl walked out wearing a simple attire and a pair of glasses with long flowing hair.

“Oh! Hi Sky! Mom! Sky’s here!” the screen door closes then it opened once again then after that, an older woman walks outside and waved at me.

“Welcome home! Lois just walked outside then back and he never mentioned you coming back, good thing Aya saw you, that kid doesn’t have a care in the world sometimes.” she said.

She takes a look at Kaley then she gave me the same smile Jared did. “Can’t believe I’d see the day you’d take a woman home! Aren’t you going to introduce me?” she snickers.

I facepalmed, “It’s not like that! Kaley, forgive my aunt, my family is a crazy bunch. Aunt Sharon, this is Kaley, Olivia over there still petting the dog is her little sister. Kaley, that crazy old lady is my aunt, Sharon.” I introduced them. Kaley made a short bow while giving a smile and my aunt is still grinning from ear to ear.

“Oscar said there will be a small meeting later?” my aunt said.

“Yeah, I hope everyone believes me now, and I hope they come.” I said solemnly. Kaley gave me a look of a person wanting to ask a few questions, however, she stopped herself and we continued to walk in our place.

Olivia opened the door for us as we walked in and I gave them a small tour inside. “This first floor here is the living room, I have a small space here in the corner for Zeus, he likes to watch the TV with someone accompanying him. A couple steps here is the kitchen and the dining area, there’s another door here that leads outside to the pool and this little door here is the CR. You could help yourself with anything on the fridge and the cabinets, we also have a pantry here where we store other food supplies…”

I pointed to the stairs heading down and said, “That metal door leads to the bas.e.m.e.nt, I use it as a storage area.”

I walked upstairs and guided them to one of the three doors on the second floor. I opened the one in the middle and gave them a duplicate key. “Here’s the one for this room and this is the one for the front door below. You could unpack your bags here, place them however you want and I’ll ask my aunt to include us for lunch today. There is an extension cord here and those over there are the outlets. The AC is here, turn it whenever you like we have solar panels here so everything is free basically. The CR is there near the staircase, same with the 3rd floor and the 1st floor. There’s nothing at the rooftop though, if you’d like to use it now, I’ll use the one upstairs. Rest up, I’ll call you when lunch is ready.” I gave them a small salute and as I started to go to my room next to theirs.

“Wait. Thank you again.” Kaley said to me. I was about to give her a fist bump or a small handshake but she gave me a tight hug. She’s hugging me for about 10 Mississippi’s now and I could smell her fragrance, her arms wrapped around my torso, her chest pressed against mine and her head on the side of my cheek.