Chapter 14

A lone figure lurked deep in the shadows of an alleyway. The only sound to betrayed his presence was the rustle of his clothes as his bright, lifeless eyes scanned the streets with a solitary purpose.

It's lips curled into a sinister smile in the dark. "She's been taken in by the survivors." he murmured to himself. "Alright. The rest of the is in her hands now". He said one more word as his eyes strayed to a nearby window, where the shadow of a young woman flickered. "Excellent."

***********

Whispers of unrest began to spread around the hideout. Tensions were building, fuelled by Kenji's mistrust of Mai.

Weeks had passed since Mai's arrival, and the survivors had become accustomed to her presence, with the exception of Kenji. Kenji's distrust of her became stronger with each passing day, increasing his animosity and attempts to incite the group against her.

His frustration reached a boiling point one night. Kenji attempted to forcibly expel Mai, but his efforts only heightened the tension among the survivors. The group could no longer tolerate his behaviour and had isolated him, a choice that weighed deeply on everyone's conscience.

Mai's mysterious markings persistently evaded explanations. Her physical prowess in training seemed to surpass human boundaries at least for her age, raising further questions as to the effect of the markings in all of this.

The survivors, exhausted but still hungry, gathered around the communal dining area as the day's activities came to an end. With her sharp eyes peeled, Shiro noticed Mai's absence right away. She looked around the familiar areas of the hideout with a rising sense of anxiety, but there was no sign of the little child.

Her panic growing, she ran to the dining room and looked for Kai. She uttered in a hushed, fearful voice, "She's not here."

"Who's not here?" Kai asked.

"Mai." Shiro responded.

Kai jumped out of his chair without waiting for an answer, his look solemn.

As Kai charged toward Mai's room, the thud of his boots drowned out by the deafening silence of the night, a loud scream ripped through the air.

Kanoe, who had been lingering near the doorway, suddenly exclaimed, "Kai, it's coming from the room where Kenji's locked up!"

Kai's heart hammered as he charged towards the isolation room.

With a loud bang, Kenji's isolation room door flew open, revealing a chaotic and violent scene. Kenji clamped his hands around Mai's neck, causing her to thrash in his iron grip, her face red and strained.

Kai was filled with fury, and his eyes grew dark with anger. Kai raced forward, hitting the traitor with blow after blow before Kenji could respond. Kenji staggered back, a snarl of hatred forming over his lips.

Kenji broke the brutal clasp on Mai, whose throat was red and raw, as the battle began to turn against him. She stumbled back, gasping for breath, her small form quivering with fear.

Just then, a rush of further survivors showed in, jamming the entryway. With amazement still ringing her eyes, Shiro sprang forward and extended a shielding arm to cover Mai.

Kenji's agonised wheezing filled the little space, and then a sombre silence descended upon the scene. The survivors looked at each other, their expressions displaying astonishment.

Breathing rapidly and irregularly, Kai moved to put himself between Kenji and Mai, forming a strong barrier of strength and rage. With a deep, menacing voice, he muttered, "You are not fit to be among us."

As he fell to the ground, Kenji let out a harsh word.

After witnessing the entire scene, Sato gave the order to bring Kenji to the common area so that his fate could be determined.

With a grim determination, the survivors observed as Ryujin and Kanoe moved forward to bound Kenji's arms behind his back. He gave them a harsh, venomous gaze as they pulled him to his feet.

Kai's eyes met Kenji's, the animosity between them thick in the air. "You betrayed us," he hissed. "For that, you'll be cast out of this place."

The survivors, their eyes hard with contempt marched to the communal area, where Sato awaited. The grizzled survivor, his expression stony, rose from his seat and addressed the group.

"Kenji, your actions this night have brought grave consequences. You will stand before us and answer for your crimes," he intoned, the weight of his words resonating through the room.

And so, the survivors gathered, their judgment of Kenji at hand.

With their faces marked with disdain and condemnation, the survivors surrounded the doomed Kenji in a semicircle. Sato said in a grave and determined tone as his gaze scanned the room.

He said, "Kenji, you have betrayed this group's trust." "Your crime has no place here, among those who cherish loyalty and life."

In the face of the survivors' wrath, Kenji stood defiant, his eyes defiantly meeting each of theirs in turn. "I did what had to be done," he spat, his voice sharp and cutting. "That girl… she's a danger to us all. She deserves to die."

"How do you think she got to where I was kept?" Kenji asked trying to make the other survivors reason with him. "She has told me her whole plan" he continued. The yomigaeri is going to come for us, he will kill us all!" He exclaimed but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Don't you feel ashamed?"Kai said with disgust in his voice

"You're trying to say she was sent here by a yomigaeri? Huh... those mindless monsters sent her here to carry us to them? Do you know how ridiculous you sound?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Shiro exploded, her voice ringing with incredulity. "Those things can't think, much less scheme. They're mindless! And you think this child was sent here by them to kill us?"

The crowd murmured, a mutinous rumbling echoing through the room.

Kenji's remarks cut like a knife through the tension, his caustic, poisonous animosity finding a target. "I don't think your lapdog or you will believe me. Since she arrived, you have been worshipping her. Perhaps he might truly see the truth if he could get over the idea that every young girl he encountered was his deceased sister.

Sato's gaze hardened, his patience with Kenji wearing thin.

Sato's gaze turned to Mai, his expression softened, trying to offer comfort despite the ordeal. "Mai," he began, "can you tell us what happened?"

Kenji interjected with a harsh laugh, his words dripping with scorn. "Really, Sato? You expect the truth from her? She's more likely to feed us a line of crap than the truth."

Mai's face was a mask of hurt and anger, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.

"I went to see him because he said he wanted to apologize," Mai began, her voice quiet but steady. "He said he wanted to make amends for the way he'd treated me. The door was open, so I went inside… and then he attacked me."

Kai's gaze shifted to Kenji, hard and unrelenting. "You wanted to apologize?"

"That's a lie!" Kenji exclaimed.. but he was silenced by Sato.

Who told you he wanted to apologize?" Sato inquired from Mai.

Sato's question hung in the air, waiting for an answer. Finally, Mai drew a shuddering breath and took a step forward, her small frame seeming to steel itself. She scanned through the faces of the survivors before finally uttering "Ren told me," she whispered, her voice breaking. "He said Kenji had asked him to tell me."

Sato's face hardened at the revelation, and his gaze swept to Ren, who stood frozen, his face a mask of shock and panic. "Is this true, Ren?" he demanded.

Ren swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "I—I have no idea what she's talking about l, I was in the dining area with everyone."

Sato's gaze turned steely, his jaw clenching with suppressed rage. "So you put Mai in danger? You sent her into the hands of a man who wanted to hurt her?"

Ren's pleas were like a whisper against a storm, his desperation doing little to soften the hearts of the survivors. "Please, I swear, I would never do that," he begged, his voice cracking.

Kai shook his head, his face a mask of contempt. "You sound just like Kenji. Making excuses, blaming everyone but yourself." He turned his back on Ren, a silent but damning judgment.

The room erupted in a cacophony of shouts, each survivor struggling to be heard over the din.

"Enough!" Sato bellowed, his voice booming over the noise. "Silence." The crowd stilled, their eyes darting to the older man.

"This will be decided by a vote," he declared. "Kenji and Ren will be cast out unless two-thirds of you disagree."

The survivors exchanged glances, each weighing their options in their minds. Finally, one by one, they stepped forward to cast their votes.

The silence hung heavy over the room, the weight of the decision bearing down on everyone present. Finally, Sato turned back to Kenji. "The vote is cast. The decision is made.

Sato's gaze swept the room, taking in the somber expressions of his people. "Kenji and Ren leave at dawn.