Chapter 8

"ONE, TWO," Akaze yelled at Andrew as he swung the palms of his hands to Andrew's face.

Andrew was orthodox stance, ready to use his fist to punch Akaze's palms away from him. As Akaze shouted out one, two Andrew wobbled backward due to being scared of how fast Akaze's palms were reaching towards him. Fear swallowed his body and he rashly swung his fist and hit Akaze's fingers instead of his palms and fell forward by twisting his foot.

"Ouch," Andrew mumbled as his face was in the dirty grass.

"I should be the one complaining since you punched my fingers." Akaze cracked each individual finger that was injured. "On the contrary, your punch had gotten better. I can feel the force with that one and it's only been one day of doing this. I'm proud of you."

Despite tripping and making a fool out of himself, Andrew smiled but Akaze couldn't see since the boy's face was still in the dirt. That sentence let alone made the boy gain conference and he would make sure he did better next time to hear Akaze say it again. "I'm proud of you" will never get out from Andrew's perspective since he never heard anyone say that to him.

"Yeah. I will practice more."

"Good. come on. Let me help you up."

Akaze reaches his hand towards Andrew as the boy rolls over to grab his hand. "Thank you, Akaze."

"No problem."

The conversation between the two was sure and from an outside perspective, a regular person wouldn't think anything too deep but on the other hand the two males here thought differently. Andrew just doesn't look at Akaze as some random stranger coming into his life to save him. He looks up to the Japanese man and wishes one day he could be like him. Although Akaze calls him a brat, he isn't some brat that bugs out his nerves, Andrew became a part of him and he will always make sure Andrew's needs are met.

" I'm going to get going with the task around here. Go on and start your morning." Akaze patted his back and shooed Andrew and the boy nodded happily as he ran off.

(That brat is really growing on me. Damn. it feels like I have a mini-me. . . wait. Did I just say a mini-me? As in a child, mini-me? As in he is like a son to me? Shit, I need to get my mind out the guttered. This heat is getting to me.)

Akaze stripped his shirt off as he headed to the logs that needed to be chopped in half for fire. He grabbed the axe near the tree and went into position to get the chopping ready. "Here goes nothing. At least my biceps are still going to be in shape." he raised the axe and was about to start the process.

"Mind you business."

Akaze halted his movements as his brows hoisted up. He didn't dare to move nor even let out his breath. His gut was telling me to stay still and he listened to his hunch.

"You pregnant."

( Pregnant? And why does that sound like Glenn?)

" And you didn't tell him yet?"

( Who the hell is Glenn speaking with? I couldn't hear the woman's voice.)

Akaze wanted to hear the drama, The man was shaking, desperately waiting to hear more of the conversation but silence took over.

(Why did they stop at the good part? What the fuck? This should be illegal.)

"You have to tell him, Lori. Rick should know."

(LORI? SHE'S PREGNANT?)

Although Akaze was forcing himself to stay quiet like a mouse it was impossible to stay put when some news like that just dropped on him. The axe fell out of his hands and it made Glenn and Lori jump in their spots, circling behind the tree to face a shell shock Akaze. His jaw was wide open to the point a whole bee family including their distant cousin could join in.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell, Akaze." Lori held his chest.

" Oh shit," Glenn mumbled because he knew he fucked up by spilling the can of worms that wasn't allowed to be spilled.

"Oh, shit is the correct saying for this situation." Akaze regains his composure."Is there something you need to tell me, Lori?"

( I don't know if Glenn knows about the affair so I shall keep quiet about that. However, I will get down to this to know the truth.)

Akaze narrowed his eyes at Glenn and the Korean man used that chance to turn around and started to walk away at a fast pace. When Glenn was a few distance away from them, Akaze faced his sharp eyes towards the ignoble woman. "Is it his?" Akaze doesn't have to go into details, Lori was smart enough to understand what he meant.

"I don't know. . ."

Akaze scoffed at her. "How you don't know? You know when you spread your legs for both of them. Do the math, Lori." Disgust became visible in his eyes and the woman just turned her head away.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Like I said before. You are going to do it. The reason why I cut you some slack is because Carl has been shot. Your son has saved your reputation so you should thank him."

Lori glared at him as the vines on his forehead appeared. "Keep my boy's name out of your mouth."

Akaze wasn't scared of her at all. She was the type of female when you give her a good smack in the face and they shut up. "What? I'm only stating facts."

"You're evil."

"Me evil? You only think that way because I'm not sympathizing with you." Akaze slowly closes the distance between them. "I already know I'm an asshole and I'm proud of it. You are the type who whispers in someone's ear to cause a war for no reason. A coward I would say. If I was truly evil I would have outed your business to the whole camp of how poor Lori grieving for her husband but instead of focusing on your boy, you couldn't wait but to spread those legs open for your husband's best friend. Now that's just fuck up." Akaze's smirk was on his face looking at the woman. "You're going to tell him. He might find out later anyway due to the way Shane looks at you. He even risked his life to save Carl because of you. That dude is whip and it's only a matter of time before he breaks." Akaze grabbed the axe from the ground as she stayed put. "They are coming now. Toughen up." Akaze went to handle his business to get wood for the fire.

****

"Akaze, can you help me with cutting the potatoes?" Carol kindly asks.

( I wonder how I ended up in this situation. After hours of endless chopping, I somehow ended up in the kitchen to cook dinner. NO, I remember, I was sitting on the grass like a sweating pig drinking water as Carol sneaks up on me to ask for my help to make dinner. Somehow I could never say no to Carol. I know I just don't feel pity for her because her daughter is missing. She just reminds me of a grandmother I wished I had growing up. You know the type that will bake cookies and tell stories before bed.)

" Of course. Anything else?"

Lori caught my soft expression and she paused to take a look at me. " How are you nice to Carol and nobody else?"

" That's not true." He took a cucumber and placed it inside his mouth. "I like everyone besides like three of you and you Lori happen to be one of the three. Sorry, not sorry." He sent her a cheeky smile as some people in the kitchen giggled out loud beside Carol. She hit Akaze with a rag.

"That rude." she scolded him and Akaze rolled his eyes.

( Just like a grandma I tell you.)

"Sarah, can you peel the potatoes so it can be faster for Akaze can chop them?" Carol asks Sarah and Akaze mood completely shifts.

"Sure." That simple word builds walls over Akaze. Ever since yesterday after their talk, Sarah would continue to stare him down and he wondered what was going on in her mind. The man knows she is rude, even to her own family besides Beth. Akaze knows the reason why she is down here is for her little sister but Akaze is curious. He asks himself does she has any other agenda.

She went close to Akaze to the point where their body was brushing against each other. Any wordless exchange could happen since they are face to the wall as everyone is behind them. Sarah reached over to Akaze's hand and grabbed the knife near me but before she withdrew her hand, her finger brushed across his hand. He turned to face her but she was already staring at him with a devil's smirk on her face.

" What?" she nonchalantly said but she knew what she was doing.

( Fuck my life.)