Into The Aether

Chapter Ten: Conspiracy

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of Dempsey's heavy snoring. I smiled to myself and got up to cover him with the blanket that he had managed to kick off in his sleep. He was a good guy - his heart was definitely in the right place. As I draped the blanket over his shoulders he stirred lightly and was now hugging the M16 like a stuffed toy.

I looked around for Takeo and Nikolai who were supposed to come and take over the post; though, they were nowhere to be seen or heard. Even the drunken ramblings of Nikolai were eerily absent from the air. I began to worry about what the doctor was scheming now. Since our last conversation, I had made it a general rule to assume his eyes were on me at all times - even when I did not think it was humanly possible. But at least it kept me prepared for any sudden encounters with him.

Dempsey was still snoring away as I tried to calm my nerves; he was right beside me and I could easily wake him up if any danger emerged. Maybe it was too early to change posts - I had no idea what time it was after all! So, I huddled in my blanket and kept watch for the next hour or two.

Still nothing. No one was nearby, no echoes of voices but no sounds of gunfire either so the undead were still absent. Richtofen must have been up to something - it was the only explanation. I knew it was definitely time to wake up Dempsey then. I gave him a nudge on the shoulder. He stirred and mumbled something about 'jugger-girl' before opening his eyes and smiling at me.

"Oh, you're much better than jugger-girl", he cooed groggily.

I gave him a gentle slap on the shoulder and he flashed a devious smile. He was definitely persistent - credit where credit is due.

"Where's Tak and Nik?" He queried.

I shrugged my shoulders as I looked at the open space around us. We sat trying to pick up on any noise that could indicate their whereabouts. Yet, there was not even the faintest sound to be heard; just the whistle of the cold breeze.

"Fuckin' Richtofen", Dempsey spat as he instinctively readied his M16 and we got up to begin our search for the others.

I followed close behind as we made our way to where Takeo and Nikolai had been sleeping. We were greeted with only dishevelled blankets strewn around the fire - which had now been reduced to smouldering embers. Dempsey reached down to pick up a spilled vodka bottle, something definitely was not right. We then decided to try Richtofen's office.

We made our way across the grounds as we cut through the dead silent air. I could see Dempsey tense at the slightest noise and my heart rate began to rise. We made our way through the entrance trying to minimise the sound of the rusty door as we opened and closed it.

Dempsey and I tiptoed across the tiled foyer and made our way to the stairwell. Dempsey went ahead to check the coast was clear before signalling for me to follow. We finally made our way to Richtofen's office and, before Dempsey could knock, I grabbed his hand to stop. The sound of muffled voices rumbled against the door.

"Richtofen, you cannot do this to her! She is not a trained warrior like us!" Takeo protested.

Nikolai belched before agreeing. Dempsey's face began to contort with sheer hatred. I put a hand on his shoulder to signal that we should not intervene. So we continued listening.

"Nein! Zhis female is not as innocent as jou fools zhink! She is not some damsel zhat needs protecting", Richtofen snapped.

I felt conflicted about his statement. What did it make me then -- in his eyes?! Dempsey looked at me as if to reassure me that Richtofen's opinion was not shared by the others.