Vismont Village, many weeks prior
Inside one of the many identical houses in the village, Matthew was happily planning for their small village's development. He was using some excess paper he managed to hoard back in Terran.
He had already made a preliminary zoning plan of the village, and he felt joy whenever he thought of its imminent execution.
He might have started politics for his sister, but he quickly fell in love with public service. Now, he had all the power, and there was no need for the cumbersome red tapes and pandering to arrogant old men to implement his vision.
Despite the monsters outside, he optimistically thought that he was really living… a dream.
His daydream, however, was quickly broken by a desperate knock pounded on his door.
It was a young man with curly red hair. It was one of his few guards, Oliver, and he was incredibly pale and scared.
Matthew put down everything and stood up, looking at him worriedly.
"What's going on?"
Oliver immediately turned around and asked him to follow, saying many people would die if they were late.
"What?!" He exclaimed, but he ran out of his own home without another word.
The air was tense and a palpable unease lingered in his village, his heart felt like it was gripped tightly by something.
This was a bad premonition.
Did a mob attack their village again, Matthew asked himself, over and over, until he ran to where Oliver was leading him.
But… if it was a beast tide… why was everything so…quiet?
He only heard some whimpers, at most.
He would soon find that it was not a beast tide, however. It was worse.
"Well, well," A pause, "Nice place you have here!"
Matthew's heart dropped as he heard Higson's voice, and his eyes met the other one's.
It was filled with malice, glaring at him with undisguised hostility.
Around him were about a hundred men, each one with a gun on hand, pointing at a different citizen who were all pale and shivering, eyes wide with fear as they looked at him filled with hope. Matthew wanted to kick these gangsters out, but everyone had guns, and they could shoot people even before he could do anything.
At this time, he had not yet discovered the automatic execution of regulations. Even if he did, he might not necessarily have the money to purchase it on his own, especially not when the person was only threatening and had yet to do actual damage.
Matthew very well knew what Higson's arrival meant, which made his heart heavier the more the metaphorical clock ticked by.
He established this village for about a few days now, and they had been building it together. His group of less than a thousand people had worked hard to build this, to fight the monsters that came their way.
Was it all going to be for naught?
"This should all cost a lot, right?" Higson asked, looking at him in suspicion. "I wonder how you did it."
"And you built all these in a couple of days… how?"
Matthew didn't speak. Higson sneered and he turned to a direction. As if on cue, a gun touched the forehead of a random woman next to them. She sobbed and looked at Matthew imploringly.
"H-Help… me… my lord…" She sobbed and she immediately shut her mouth when the gun was harshly pushed against her head.
"TELL ME!!" Higson yelled, making everyone flinch.
Matthew shut his eyes and clenched his fist, but he had no choice but to answer, "I…I received a Lord's token… it allowed me to build all these."
"How come it's just you? Where's mine? Where is it?" He said and narrowed his eyes, "The treasure I lost a while back…"
"It's integrated into my body." Matthew immediately said before they attacked him for the 'token'. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel relieved and he ended up looking at his brother-in-law with chin high—for once.
"It's integrated in my body," he repeated. "I don't know what happens if I die."
Higson paused and looked at him, laughing. It happened very quickly. Higson made a slight nod and—
BANG!
A bullet went through the woman's head.
"You!!" Matthew growled, about to kick them out and risking a few losses, lest they make any more damage.
But then several of his goons held on to more people, with their hands on the trigger, guaranteeing death for them.
Matthew's ears rang, a bit panicked, but he managed to keep his wits enough to try to find a way out.
But then… it got worse, and all his cool dissipated into thin air.
"Cain!" Higson yelled and a relatively decent-looking man emerged. He was very clean, unlike the others. The newcomer sauntered to the center, and Matthew's eyes constricted at the sight of who he was holding.
"SISTER!" He yelled but he could only freeze as she was dragged closer to Higson, who grabbed her face.
He sneered when he saw the beautiful woman was still pale and sickly, "Eh, considering how you ran, I had thought her disease had magically healed."
He then heard the sound of guns clinging, and the soft clicking sounds of the trigger nearly being pressed, and his heart dropped.
Fortunately, the triggers weren't pressed but their hearts remained high, as if ready to fall down.
"Kneel."
Melissa was pushed down on her knees. Matthew wanted to run to her but a gun pointed at her head, ready to press it at a moment's notice. Matthew was prepared to bend his knees when his sister screamed.
"Don't do it!!" Melissa yelled with all her might and emotions, shivering at the memories of so many horrors triggered by the sight of her husband. "D-Don't… don't give in, please! Or it will never end!"
She said so, looking valiant, but the adrenaline and emotions were too much for her body. She felt her vision blur and a wave of dizziness washed over her, falling down head first.
"SISTER!" Matthew yelled but a gun pointed at him and his sister, and he could only watch as she tried to move, uncoordinated, and her speech slurred.
His heart froze at the familiar sight, some harsh memories washing over him and making him shake in fear.
His sister assured him she had brought medicine… was it already gone?! To have such symptoms, she must've ran out for days!
Then Higson lifted a vial and his eyes constricted.
"Heh... when I found out my treasure was gone, I made sure to take all of this I could gather. Seems like my instincts still serve me well."
The other man grinned, arrogantly looking down at him. "Are you kneeling or not?"