บท 9: Vins

"In every second of danger, you'll recall everything you did in your life"

Only pitch black he can see, he can't move his body, he can't feel his heart beating, his breathing, and even the pain on his stomach. He can't feel and see anything, what's happening to him, is he dead? A light suddenly appears and it covers all the pitch black background.

"Please! Go out with me!", a young man said while kneeling at the ground, and offering his left hand to a young woman.

"...come on, you keep saying that..i told you i don't have any plan on dating someone yet..", the young woman said.

'Who's that idiot doing all that?', Vins ask to himself.

"Ow come on!! Fionna i know i have chance on you, so why not?", a young Vins appears and looks like he was the idiot that Vins called earlier.

'Wah!? Its me?? Do i really an idiot before?', Vins as to himself again.

"Vins come on! Stop it already okay, you have a chance but not for now, i need to study so that my parents become proud of me!", young Fionna said while look away, and walking back to their room.

'So i...really trying to become her boyfriend before...which is a completely idiocy...', Vins sigh and just watch his mind recall everything.

On the cafeteria of the campus, Vins and Addam can be seen and their buying snacks to eat. Suddenly, Addam ask Vins why he keeps asking Fionna to go out with him.

"...you really innocent don't you Addam? Dating is one of the thing that we need to experience in our teenager days! You don't know when the world will end...maybe tomorrow? Few months from now? Or maybe next year!", Vins said.

"...Addam, as long as we're teenager..you must enjoy it, because when you grow into a adult one...you can't have this so much time for dating, and doing other things you want...you'll be thrown by responsibilities by your family...that's why i hate growing up..", Vins added.

"...adulting is the worst part of our life, at least in our generation...it will take every time you have on your hands...", Fionna said behind them.

"Then go out with me!', Vins quickly turn with a warm smile on his face, offering his hand again.

"...still no, come on Vins..don't you want your parents to be proud—", suddenly Vins expression turn into serious while looking at the snacks on the other side of the counter.

"...he never become proud at me...ever since my mom left us, he become a workaholic scum...he always have his time for his stupid experiments..", Vins said, after he buy snack he immediately leave the cafeteria and go back to his classroom.

Everyday, everytime Vins never stop asking Fionna to go out with him. This become a hobby of him, and become well known at the whole campus, they called him 'Rejected prince'. Fionna don't want to hurt Vins so he just letting him do what he always doing and rejecting every offer of him.

"...ohh! Fionna its your rejected prince!", one of her classmates said.

"...huh? What the heck is rejected prince?", she ask confusedly.

"...remember? You always rejecting him, like its a daily routine of you two...everyone is calling him that...also he got rejected by his father too...", her classmates said.

"..huh? What are you talking about?", she ask once again.

"...remember the card distribution? I heard that Vins got a 75% in his grade...which makes his father mad at him...looks like his father doesn't want him to have any lower grades...because of the embarrassment, his father throw him away and he never got back to his home...like everyday, Vins is just sleeping in his friends house..", one of her classmates said.

At this moment, she realizes what's Vins is talking about few weeks ago on the cafeteria. She look at the ground thinking about everything she realizes and the situation of Vins right now. Behind of a wall, Vins was about to do his daily routine of asking her to go out, but he stop since he heard that they're talking about what happened few weeks ago and hos situation right now, he become embarrass to her because of it. After that, Vins never continue asking her for a date he just focus on his studies maybe to make Fionna change her perspective on him, and to make her proud. Instead of approaching her as always, he choose to watch her from a far.

'I understand now, because of my stupid father, everything change in my life...even my school year...and i stop approaching Fionna because of that...i really have a sad life huh..', he said to himself with a down tone.

One cloudy day, Vins class was at the covered court to practice cheerleading for their tournament few weeks from now. Vins is one of the people that will be thrown mid air. They start practicing, his other classmates are backflipping, while the others are preparing at the back for the high toss they will do. Vins prepare on a side, and quickly run towards his prepared classmates, he jump stepping on his classmates palms, and they throw him up. Vins put his limbs straight, and spin at the mid-air continuously. But a unexpectedly thing happened, a loud cracking lightning appears on the sky which makes everyone startled and scream, at this moment, Vins was about to fall at the ground, but because everyone was flinched at the sudden loud cracking lightning, everyone forget him, and he fell at the ground.

Everyone at the covered court is slowly looking at the loud bang at the ground, and when they look, they see Vins at the ground and his head was bleeding a lot. Chris and Addam was shock and immediately run towards him, Rhyanne and Leigh call for help in nearby departments. Everyone was shock at this moment, and no can't move because of the horrible thing happened at Vins. Teachers and Rhyanne brought Vins at the clinic immediately, Chris immediately call ambulance just in case the clinic can't treat his head. Everyone has been scolded by their advisor and the subject teacher because of what they did to Vins.

At the clinic, Vins can't hear anything and his eyesight is becoming blurry. He can still see Rhyanne and some teachers but an figure take them out the clinic. He was confused and yet getting dizzy, the figure stand besides him and whispers something. Then the figure took something like injection with a syrum inside of it. The figure inject it to him, and he slowly felt sleepy suddenly.

'I can't believe that's what happened before i got in the clinic...i wonder who's the figure who treat me...i got no chance to thank the person who save my life..', he said to himself again.

Suddenly, a soft worrying voice echoes at the light, Vins was confused who's that and try to look around but he can only see is the light.

"Vins!! Vins!! Wake up!! Vins!!", the voice keeps on calling him like it was worried about him.

He suddenly open his eyes and saw Fionna waking him up. He saw her eyes was filled with tears, like she cried many times. Chris and Rhyanne was standing beside him and look worrying too.

"...you already awake, it seems the operation become successful...glad you back bud!", Chris said while smiling at him.

"..w-what happened?", he ask.

"...you got shot few days ago...we immediately brought you inside and call for our medical group...they treat you and luckily...you survive..", Chis added.

Vins just close his eyes for a minute, and try to breath air. He can't believe that he survive that kind of danger, maybe he was just lucky that they have a medical group who can treat him, because if there's no one he will definitely die immediately.

"...did we win?", he ask with a smirk on his face.

"...and you still thinking about the victory!!? You almost die scum!! What will happen to me if you die!!? I don't want you to die!!!", Fionna scold him with tears on her eyes, and shaking hands that gripping his arm.

Vins eyes grew wider because of what she suddenly say, he blush a little and smile at her.

"...so you'd like me now huh..', he tease her and laughs, but he got slapped by Fionna at the face, which makes the two guy besides them startled.

"Do you think everything that happened to you few days ago is funny?? If i lose you, then who's gonna fulfill your promises!? Who's going to save and protect me!? YOU PROMISE REMEMBER!!?", Vins goes silent, and she is right he promised to her that he will protect her no matter what, and if he die he can't do that anymore.

"...i won't die easily Fio, i promise you that...", he said with a warm smile on his lips.

Chris and Rhyanne smile too because the Vins they know is not this strong and brave, he was just a weak and cry baby before, but because of what happened outside that they didn't know, it changed him, not just physically but also mentally. They're proud at him as his friends. Suddenly, Leigh came in with a loud bang at the door.

"Chris!! Something bad's gonna happen..", he said with a worried expression on his face.

"What is it?", Chris ask.

"...they're coming back...and declaring..a war to us..", he said and this makes them surprise and pissed.

Vins tries to get up but his injury suddenly got squeeze, and this gives him pain again. Fionna help her get back at the bed, and look worried.

"...you can't move right now, your wound is still fresh treated...leave this to us..just rest Vins..", Chris said and immediately head outside with Rhyanne.

Outside of the church, everyone was shock, screaming and crying. Addam was in the gate again, staring on something with coldness and calmness. Chris, Leigh anf Rhyanne comes out and saw a horrible and terrible scene, in the middle of the plaza, two pole was standing and blood was dripping on top of it. Leigh's eyes grew wider when he saw Chloe's and her father's head at the pole. Their eyes was lifeless, bleeding, it was open and skin was now pale, Chris can't believe that they will kill a innocent people especially a kid just to take something they want.

"...it was the kid...that Vins brought here alongside...Fionna and the old man..", Leigh said with tears is slowly dripping, but his expression didn't change he stare at the head with coldness.

"...f*ck, how can we tell this to him...", Chris said.

"...sir Chris...if i remember i saw them going out the church...its like their leaving, that's the time after the attackers came..", a woman witnesses what happened.

"...looks like after they leave, they got recognized by those bandits and kidnapped them..", she added.

Chris is just staring at their heads and this pissed him off, he slowly get up and turn around to everyone behind them.

"...as they show their killing intent to us, our friends died because of them...are we gonna let them kill out remaining friends and families!? No of course! That's why...we will fight back, if they want war...then let's give it to them, we don't have any lethal weapons..but we have our mind, if we can create more magnificent and terrifying things, i'm sure we can beat them in this war..", Chris said trying to convince everyone.

"We will win this war, and no one will die on our side...let's use everything we got and prepare for the upcoming war...let's protect our friends and families who want to live a happy life here, in our camp!!".