Life Beneath the Fires - Part 06

It was dark and late in the evening.

A giant ship of the world government docked in front of the shore.

"Here you go..." Blythe gave the customer a pack of Silk Boquilla fruit and received payment. "Thank you very much, kiddo!" The man walked toward the door and exited into the night.

Houses and lamps illuminated the streets to retain some light in the city.

Blythe yawned, leaning his elbow on the counter and seeing his vision blurring. "A few more minutes, and I can finally rest," Blythe exclaimed, "It's been a wild day..."

Chiaki seemed full of energy, unlike Blythe, who looked at the bag of coins. "I think Emma will be happy with how much I sold." He inhaled and exhaled, looking at the newspaper about the 'Deadly Rain.'

"The more I think about this 'Deadly Rain', the less confident I become. It makes me uneasy, knowing that many people know who we are in this town. Somebody could come to our doorstep and start attacking us just because they are greedy. I can't believe the world government wants us dead." Blythe claimed, looking at his palm.

"I hate every bit about it," He said, closing his palm, "I know that Emma keeps us hidden well in case things go wrong... But what will happen if somebody attacks us? She's not a fighter, and neither are we..." He wondered, looking through the door and seeing a bunch of people approaching their store.

"Um... big brother. Who are those people?"

Blythe sharpened his view and became astonished. He could see some badge on the man's uniform, leading the pack. "The marines..." Blythe's eyes shook in terror. He became stunned like a flying duck ready to be shot from the sky.

"N-No... it can't be." His heart started beating more rapidly and louder, enough that he could hear it himself. "They came to get us! But... but how?! Who told them where we were?" He kept shaking in horror, trying to calm down.

He looked at Chiaki, who gripped his sleeve. "B-Big brother... w-who are they? T-They don't look friendly." He could feel the fear and anxiety in Chiaki's voice as if she completely lost the cheerful persona in that desperate moment.

The marines started getting closer.

"Chiaki," He picked her up with a firm grip, "You need to hide." She looked into his face, confused and horrified. "W-What? B-But, big brother. W-Why?" He walked through the backdoor and into the storage room.

"Listen to me, Chiaki. Those people are dangerous, and you shouldn't be here while they are coming. I'll take care of things, all right?" He hurried toward the shelves and slowly moved the materials around, making enough space for Chiaki to hide.

"Hide behind here, and don't move or make a sound, no matter what happens. You got it, Chiaki?" She started silently sobbing but agreed and nodded, "Okay... I-I won't."

"Good," Blythe claimed and suddenly heard the entrance to the shop ringing upon opening. "Show yourself! It's the harbor patrol from the marine headquarters! We've received data regarding two Yasuda members hiding here in this shop!"

"Big brother... I'm scared." Chiaki whispered. Blythe moved his finger on his lips to silence her and grabbed the bag of ingredients, covering Chiaki's body from being visible. "I'll be right back."

The marine captain gave the following commands, "Search the entire facility and secure any individuals inside!" Blythe looked toward the door that led into the main shop and noticed a silhouette approaching the storage.

Suddenly a feminine voice resounded from the outdoors. "Hey! What's going on?" It was Emma's voice. She returned back to the shop sooner than anticipated.

"Emma..." Blythe whispered and quickly hid behind the door, listening to the conversation.

Emma gazed at the marine officer, expressing irritation and frustration. "Are you this shop's owner, miss?" questioned the officer, next to whom stood a young kid. "Yes?" She looked at them confused, noticing the officer approach her.

"I'm officer Isobel. We've received information from one of the customers who claims they have witnessed two siblings from the Yasuda family. He claimed they've sold him fruits earlier in the day." Explained Warren. "Are you kidding me? There is nobody here but me." She explained, despite knowing that Blythe and Chiaki were somewhere in the shop.

The marines chained Emma's wrists. "Hey! What are you doing? Unchain me!" She ordered, but the marines didn't listen. "We have enough evidence regarding Yasuda's presence here within Arkala Town. Individuals claim they've seen them strolling through the streets, scaring away children, and even claim they've been supplying fruits and vegetables for your shop, ma'am." Isobel explained, keeping his arms crossed behind his back.

"You've got to be joking! I've told you! There are no Yasuda people here at my home! Let me go and leave my shop alone! I don't want to go out of business because of some false information!" She claimed, struggling to remove the chains.

"You don't need to worry about going out of business if you're telling the truth. And in case you're deceiving the world authorities, we'll be required to take you into custody and shut down your shop for the time being, understand?" Isobel explained as the rest of the marines searched the entire area.

"You can't be serious! People come here to my shop every day! They buy greens from me to survive. I don't have any other way to earn money!" Emma explained, trying to do everything in her power to fend off the officers.

Emma remained shocked, stressed, and afraid they'd learn about her deception. And the search continued for a few minutes until one of the marines reported back. "Commander, Isobel. We've searched every nook and cranny of this woman's shop, but there are no traces of other people here. It looks like the woman was telling the truth." The Marine reported, saluting Isobel.

The officers nodded, "No, sir. No signs of other people here at all."

Isobel closed his eyes, exhaled, and then turned in Emma's direction. "It appears you were telling the truth, ma'am. We'll let you free and inform the higher-ups that the information was false." Isobel added, looking deep into Emma's frustrated eyes. "I told you, but you wouldn't listen!"

"Yes, and we apologize for the misunderstanding. Now, officers, let her go and leave this woman alone." He commanded, and the moment they released Emma, another feminine voice reverberated through the shop.

"Hold on! She's lying!" The marines and Emma tilted their heads to face the woman in the distance. "Sam?" Emma asked, astounded.

"This lady's lying. She's been taking care of the two Yasuda siblings. I've seen them earlier this day. A 17-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl returned to her shop and brought the fruits and vegetables from the woods. They've sold them to me, but I'm almost certain those two kids are the people you're looking for, officer."

She said.

To be continued...