Stretched Cover, Chapter 60

William seated himself comfortable inside the library, a little pail of books sat by his side. He flipped through the pages

Isabel sat watching over it, boredom gloomed her face

“So why were the both of them given the same tattoo if there can be one commander?” said Isabel

“The both of them must’ve been seen as equals” said William “And thus they couldn’t decide whom to choose”

“So, it is a fight between the two to see who deserves the position most,” said Isabel

“Yeh, I guess” replied William

“Do you think the winner gets the masked man’s position? Or are they assigned it in a different part of the kingdom?” asked Isabel

“Most likely, but what I am wondering is, how will they decide it” replied William

“A duel would fit best, probably one to the death with how everything has gone up until now,” said Isabel

“Why waste so much time if so, is the truth” said William “Plus I don’t think John or Henry would just say yes let’s do it, and start killing one another”

“And what do you think is the tool to decide,” said Isabel

“That is what I am trying to find out,” said William

Isabel looked up and down at him and said “by using books…”

“Believe it or not, even ‘he’ can do mistakes” replied William “With enough search I might find a clue that leads me somewhere”

“Do you think they wouldn’t have patched something like this already?” said Isabel

“With how large this library is, I don’t think so, defiantly after what I found in here” said William pulling out the empty book about the plague, before putting it inside his clothes once more

“This is just so boring,” replied Isabel “reading the whole library is going to take you ages”

“Not if I work it out smartly” replied William “I won’t be reading about these random stuffs that have nothing to do with the tattoos and the history of the capital”

“Oh, how fortunate for us” said Isabel “Just a couple hundred books left”

“I am not reading them, I am flipping through the pages,” said William

“… … …” Isabel was dumbfounded “Is this some kind of puzzle or...? You do know that flipping the pages is a result of finishing the read”

“Sigh…. I am looking at the photos and the tittles” said William “Searching for anything that got to do with commander status”

“Oh… I can do that” said Isabel with smile as she took a book in hand

Step… Step

John walked into the library by sunset reaching towards the sole source of light there is

Where William and Isabel were at, a mountain of books was a throne of his

“You’re still searching for it?” said John “Don’t overwork yourself, get some rest and continue tomorrow”

“I am used to it, although…” said William staring to the side where Isabel sat, her eyes failing her, only a couple of books finished” I don’t think she is”

“You the one who is not” said Isabel “I have as much energy as anyone else”

“Well, good luck I guess,” said John

“What about Sara?” asked William “Where did you leave her and the rest”

“She seated herself by the art section, inspecting the paintings for any hidden details” replied John “The rest go around searching for the books she asks for”

“Man, if we continue like this without any physical training, I will lose my touch” said Isabel her hands held an invisible bow imagining herself the shooter

“That is why I asked of you to take a rest” said John, he stared the mountain of books William read and spoke saying

“I guess all of this gave you no clue at all”

“Nothing, wish is weirder,” said William

“What do you mean?” asked John

“Well, there is no records about such ceremony about appointing commanders, like at all, no names, dates, or description, nothing,” said William

“They must have hid it, fearing it leaking to an enemy,” said John

“What are they going to fear about it?” said William “Not even the public know about the status of a commander”

“What do you mean?” said John

“As you heard, there is no record in any history books about the capital ever having a commander,” said William

“Not even in the books allowed to the public?” asked John

William shacked his head

“It hasn’t been long since we started meeting people outside the training camp we used to live in, do you not remember what they called the masked man by?” said Isabel

“The castle over the pit did have a ruler who called him commander,” said William

“I thought it was just a nickname he gave himself so we can address him” said John

“See?! It is known, but only amongst the higher ups,” said Isabel

“And you call yourself a book worm” said Isabel going back to her book

“That has nothing to do with books; plus, I don’t call myself that,” said William

“Anyways I have been gone for long enough” said John “I will inform the rest about our current situation”

“Why don’t you follow after him? I bet they do need help there” said William to Isabel

“Don’t want to” replied Isabel “I hate books”

“Huh…? Then why are you reading them? Here and now?” said William

“I await you to finish so i can cook bread over the burned books of yours” said Isbel “Sara won’t let me do so”

“And why would I allow you so?” said William

“Why not?” said Isabel “The only book you need after all is Fireproof right?”

“That is no justification for your actions against my propriety—” William was cut by Isabel who said

“Stop using such fancy words, they don’t suite you. Read in silence we need to finish quickly”

Time passed by, Sara, Thomas, and Isabel were asleep

John and Henry continued inspecting the art section while William kept foot inside the history part

“Sigh… I am so tired” said William, his neck supported by the chair as he watched the ceiling, His hand dangled down barley holding the book by the cover

His eyes stared down into his clothing, there where his weird magical book was at, the torch’s light made William’s attention go his way

He picked it up staring it in the air, staring the shadows it left on both the ground and the table

He placed it by the table with his check flat beside it, staring it from the side as the Candle’s flames danced before it

His squeezed his eyes focusing on the cover, and especially the eye

“Why does the infection start from the eyes?” he asked himself

As he stared at it more and more, he noticed the shadows creeping inside the cover

“What the…” said William

He moved it up to the level of his eyes, and started incepting, slowly he noticed the eye going inside the book, rotating it slowly he watched it go deeper and deeper, until the hole had no end

Slowly as he kept rotating it more and more, the other ill shaped body parts drawn on the cover, looked as if poking out the book

He stared deeper into the abyss left by the eye, and right there his world became black as he stared forth in horror

Isabel woke up to the sound of his lungs pleading for air

“William?” she said, to her horror, his nose, eyes and ears dripped blood

“William!” she shouted over and over

“John, Thomas, anyone please come here” she yelled terrified

William fell to his back but his gaze kept forward as his head finally hit the ground