I Am Going to Save My Friends First

Her eyes widened. Again, she had no chance to speak because the bike quickly ran as fast as it could.

She was left with no choice to hold onto Kenneth’s waist. The sound of its speed and the cold wind approaching them is deafening—even if she’s wearing a helmet.

Gladly she’s wearing the thing or else she’ll think this is the way to the afterlife.

When they stopped in front of a French-style mansion, Kenneth instantly left his seat and proceeded to the main door.

Cheska surely has no time to appreciate its beauty and extensiveness. The ride made her dizzy. She feels like she left her soul somewhere around the place.

She can’t feel anything. She just sat there, dazed.

When she remembered the situation, she shook her head repeatedly, holding herself back together.

For sure now is not the right time to vomit or to be dazed.

“This will be the last time I’m riding this thing…” she promised to herself while taking off the helmet.

She fixed her hair quickly and left the bike. She started to stomp repeatedly her trembling legs just to make it stop.

When she stopped right beside Kenneth, she saw no one from the living room.

As far as she knows, the main door is opened when they got there. She assumed someone might be in the living room that’s why they didn’t bother to close it but…she saw no one.

“Did they go somewhere?”

He roamed his eyes all around the corners once again before answering, "They’re not going to leave this place without any of us knowing. And the gun…no one’s allowed to use that thing here unless…”

He walked in. Cheska just stood there and watched him while thinking of the possible words that come right after those words.

But if a gun is involved in one situation, there’s no way that situation isn’t ‘serious’.

She just watched how Kenneth is slowly walking to the grand staircase while looking up. Every step he takes, she can’t hear any footsteps.

That made her wonder, how he’s doing it? He’s like a walking shadow.

Then she walked to him. Like him, she remained the silence of her footsteps.

Surprisingly, what he’s doing isn’t that hard that it seems.

She’s doing it now, walking without any sound. Casually and effortlessly.

Kenneth looked down with his furrowed brows. “What are you doing?”

“I think I’m the one who should be asking you that question. You brought me here without even telling me anything.”

He just stared at her deeply. When he looked away, he started to walk upstairs.

Still, Cheska followed him. But unlike him, she’s not looking around. Her eyes are completely on him.

“What is happening? What was the gunshot all about?”

“Quiet.”

Her jaw dropped. That’s not the first nor the second time.

Is he asking her to be quiet because he simply wants her to be quiet in case something serious is indeed happening or he’s just asking that so he wouldn’t have to answer her question?

Looks like Lorenzo is still better to converse with than this guy.

When they reached the second floor, that’s when Kenneth’s expression changed. Cheska stopped behind him.

The situation welcomed them made their brows furrowed deeply. Broken things are everywhere.

“Thieves?”

“Worse than that…” his eyes are still roaming around, observing if there are more suspicious things around. “Just stay here. Or better, just wait outside. But don’t leave.”

He walked away without taking a glance at Cheska. He’s too preoccupied to guard himself for the possible surprises so he didn’t bother.

He walked and walked until he reaches one certain room. He only stopped when he heard random clattering.

“Now that you are all bested and on the floor, tell us where your two remaining members are found.”

The voice isn’t familiar but he has an idea of what he’s after. By just hearing what the stranger said, he could tell it right away.

Perhaps if Lorenzo didn’t apprise them of that possibility, he might be still clueless about the motive.

“Just go to hell,” said Ralph.

Kenneth slowly took out the gun he’s always hiding at the back of his pants. Right after he took it out, someone from behind him spoke.

“Who the hell are you?”

His hands moved in a swift. He pointed his gun at him—all he has to do is pull the trigger and blow his head.

The confused face of the stranger has slowly lightened up, he has now the answer to his question.

“You must be—“

Kenneth’s brows knitted when he heard something broke. The confusion grew when the stranger in front of him suddenly collapsed.

Did he pull the trigger?

He’s sure he did not. He was just about to do that.

When it landed in front of him, he saw Cheska behind him. She’s still far from where they are. And...

She’s just…glaring at him as if he did something really terrible. He slowly lowered his gun, still confused.

Did she throw that thing to his head just to make him lose his consciousness?

He can’t believe it—though that action isn’t that surprising and impressive since anyone can do that. He just did not expect her to execute that kind of move. Especially in this situation.

“Stay there? Wait outside? Don’t leave?!” she asked with her slightly raised voice while marching quickly to him. “You have the guts to say that after bringing me here without even—mmm!!!”

Kenneth suddenly covered her mouth and pulled her away and hid at the wall. Not so long, they heard the door opening.

Right as he expected, there’s no way they’re not going to check the situation outside after hearing another breaking noise and one loud thud.

Perhaps they even heard Cheska’s voice.

“Dead?”

“Just unconscious. Perhaps the two guys are already here.”

"But I heard a girl's voice?"

“It doesn't matter. Just check every corner now. Make sure they will drop to the floor. Quick!”

Kenneth sighed deeply with his eyes closed. He already had the plan to save his friends but this girl, the girl in front of him totally ruined it.

She created a noise. If he’s going to shoot the guy, it won’t make any sound because it’s a silencer.

And he will surely catch him so his fall won’t make any sound.

He removed his hand from Cheska’s mouth when someone went past them. He struck the back of his neck using his hand.

In a snap, he lost his consciousness. They remained in their position until they are sure no one’s going to come anymore.

Kenneth glared at Cheska using his threatening yet cold eyes. “I told you to stay there.”

“What do you think of me? A dog? Do I look like one?” the annoyance didn’t even decrease. “If I want to go here, I will go here. What is happening? I want to help!”

His jaw clenched. He knows Cheska is hard-headed what he didn’t know how worse it is.

She just really doesn’t know how to listen to someone. If she wants to, she wants to.

Can’t she read the situation? This is not just a normal robbery just like from their world. This is worse than that.

“You will only be in danger. I will not rescue you if they catch you. I am going to save my friends first.”

“They got them?”

He looked at her hopelessly. She only heard the last sentence. Only that one.

“What is happening? I asked!”

“They are Grounders,” he straight up said while looking down at the unconscious body lying down in front of them. “They’re here to take what he wants from us.”

Her brows furrowed. “Wants from you?”

“The Underground World.”

“And what the hell do Mafias have to do with the Underground World—“ her eyes widened and clapped her mouth. “Oh my god…don’t tell me that night was...”

“Yea,” he answered casually without looking at her. His eyes keep looking back and forth at both ends of the hallway, waiting for someone to pop out. “The night we won was the night when we successfully took the Underground World as ours.”

She didn’t ask more. She doesn’t want to ask more. It might put her life in more danger.

Besides, she knows what Lorenzo is after. She can see and tell right away why he’s interested in Underground World.

Lorenzo is a man with everything. He has wealth and power. He can accomplish a lot of unpleasant things with those but he chose not to.

He’s not interested to gather more power to become more powerful than Lees. He’s only after them. That’s his goal and his one and only goal. It's like he’s only living for it. He’s ready to die for it as well.

He doesn’t care about any other things unless it’s connected to Lees.

By just hearing it one time, anyone would think he just simply likes them, respects them, or venerates them.

But the truth is, he’s interested in them because he wants their blood he wants to annihilate every Lees breathing and walking in the world of the living.

That’s why she knows, she knows that he took that Underground World because of the same goal as studying at Lee University.

It’s not the power of the world he’s interested in but the advantage it can give to him.

So that night wasn’t just important to him. It really is important to him.

She’s glad she accepted the invitation. She’s glad she didn’t turn her back to him when he asked for her help.