Chapter Text
A month passed, to everyone else, nothing had happened, but to Sunny, everything had.
Bodies vanished without explanation. Patrol routes turned up empty one day only to find someone’s equipment abandoned the next. Generators failed at random intervals, always repaired within minutes by frantic engineers before panic could spread through the settlement. Watch schedules quietly shifted, conversations stopped the moment he walked past.
Nothing was ever large enough to be called an attack, that was what unsettled him. Someone was testing them, watching how they reacted, waiting. Sunny noticed something else, too. The feeling of being watched had become constant.
Not by entities, by a person.
Every patrol route he changed, someone else seemed to know. Every time he lingered somewhere unexpectedly, he’d catch the faintest flicker of movement in a nearby window or around a corner before it disappeared.
Someone wasn’t watching the settlement, they were watching him.
Hero, Thomas, and Basil buried themselves in research almost every waking hour, searching through every report they’d salvaged from the library. They looked for anything at all that might explain Hosts, the creatures born from them, or how to stop either before another disaster unfolded, re-reading book after book.
Outside expeditions had nearly stopped altogether. The public blamed the shortage of supplies on caution, but Sunny knew better. They were waiting for someone else to make the first move, and somehow, that was worse than fighting.
Another month passed and summer rolled around. Grass pushed through the cracks in the settlement roads, wildflowers began reclaiming abandoned lots outside the walls, the scent of fresh bread drifted between market stalls, occasionally interrupted by diesel fumes from the generators.
Life looked normal, but it felt wrong, and Sunny had barely slept.
His ribs still ached every time he inhaled too deeply. The muscles across his chest pulled painfully whenever he reached with his left arm, and despite Thomas insisting the fractures were healing, his body constantly reminded him he wasn’t ready for another fight.
He, however, ignored it. Pain wasn’t new, uncertainty was. On his way back toward his bunker, something finally broke the routine. Niru standing outside the bunker door, one hand raised as if he wanted to knock, yet, he seemed to be hesitant.
Sunny slowed without making it obvious. Niru stared at the door another few seconds before quietly lowering his hand, then he turned around and walked away.
Sunny didn’t call after him, not immediately. Instead he waited, watched him, counted the seconds. Twenty-three. Only then did he follow, yet, Niru never once looked behind him. That alone was strange as he usually always did.
“Niru.” The single word echoed down the empty alley.
Niru jumped slightly, his crutch lifted off the ground by instinct before settling back down. He turned with the same gentle smile he’d worn for years. “…Sunny.” Warm, friendly, almost comforting. Sunny hated how convincing it still looked. “Need something?”
Sunny didn’t answer immediately. Instead his eyes traveled over Niru the same way they always did when examining an entity, his feet, stance, hands, the way he carried himself, his breathing patterns, weight distribution, then.. the crutch. Always the crutch. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Niru laughed softly. “I’ve been trying not to bother you.”
“No.” Sunny shook his head once. “You’ve been avoiding me.” The smile faltered, only for half a second, but that was plenty. Sunny saw it. “So.” He folded his good arm behind his back. “Walk with me.”
The alley behind the storage buildings was empty. No patrols or civilians, nothing to keep him from his goal. Exactly what Sunny wanted, then he stopped walking.
Niru stopped a few feet away. “…What’s this about?”
Sunny looked at him for several seconds before speaking. “You’re a Host.” The silence hung over them heavily, not even any surprise from the other man, simply stillness. Sunny noticed. “You recover too quickly, chronic illness or not.” No response. “You never actually needed the crutch.” There was still no reply, so Sunny continued. “You’ve been standing on that leg when you think nobody’s looking.”
Then Niru sighed. “…How long?”
“Long enough.” Sunny answered.
“Proof?” Niru’s eyebrow raised at that. Nervousness clearly there, yet there were no signs of it.
“I don’t have any.” Sunny deadpanned in response.
Niru blinked. “What?”
“I said I don’t have proof.” Sunny met his eyes. “I have observations.”
Niru paused again, the nervousness slowly beginning to fade at that. “Then why are you here?”
Sunny’s expression remained unreadable. “Because if I’m wrong, you’ll deny it. And if I’m right, you’ll ask me why I waited.”
Niru stared at him then he laughed. Not loudly, just one small, quiet laugh more to himself than the man standing in front of him. “…You’re terrifying.”
Sunny didn’t smile. “I’ve been called worse.”
Niru slowly lowered the crutch, it clattered against the wall but neither man looked at it. “…Yeah.” He straightened completely, there was no more fake limp, no hesitation, no weakness. “I guess pretending’s over.”
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
The alley felt impossibly small.
The distant sounds of people talking, generators humming, laughing coming from somewhere farther into the settlement, they all continued as though nothing had changed; as though the world hadn’t just tilted beneath Sunny’s feet.
Sunny didn’t answer, he simply waited.
Niru noticed. “…You’re waiting for me to explain.”
Another silence, then Sunny finally nodded once. “I already know you’re the spy.”
“…”
“I want to know why.” Sunny leaned against one of the walls.
Niru lowered his eyes. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that.” He followed Sunny’s movements and leaned back against the brick wall as well, exhaling through his nose. “When Ronin and I left… it wasn’t because we wanted to.”
Sunny remained expressionless.
“It was my father.. he worked for our settlement’s government, the people actually running things. They knew what you were.”
Sunny’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
“…A Host- no...” Niru looked directly at him. “A Host without limits.” That was enough to make Sunny’s breathing barely hitch, but Niru noticed. “They’ve known about you for years, They’ve been watching you, knew every settlement you joined, every place you disappeared from, they watched the reports after they sent me to kill Aubrey, then watched what happened after their attack on our- your settlement had failed, after.. Mari. They watched the body counts.” His voice became quieter. “They knew no normal Host could survive that.”
Sunny said nothing, and Niru continued. “So they sent me with the threat that Ronin would die if I didn’t go. They wanted someone close enough to earn your trust, someone to report everything: your habits, fighting style, how often you left the settlement, who you trusted.. when you were weakest.” His jaw clenched. “...Everything.”
Sunny stared at him. “So the Bloater.”
Niru nodded. “I led it.”
“...”
“It wasn’t supposed to fight the settlement, it was supposed to fight you.” A long pause between the two of them. “It almost worked.”
Sunny’s eyes drifted toward the scars disappearing beneath his jacket.
“...Almost.” Niru looked away. “...I wasn’t expecting you to die.”
Neither of them spoke for a while, then finally Sunny broke the silence. “You killed Mari.” It wasn’t a question.
Niru closed his eyes. “…Yes.”
“You killed Aubrey.” His voice was dangerously low.
“…Yes.” Niru’s voices hitched. “It was.. their orders.”
Sunny felt something twist violently inside his chest. Not grief, not anymore, just anger. Years of it compressed into something cold enough to freeze. “And now?”
Niru looked back up. “…Now I have one last job.” He took a slow breath. “Our government doesn’t want your settlement. They don’t care about your supplies or your people, they have plenty. Too many to be honest.. They.. want you.”
Sunny’s eyes didn’t leave his.
“They think if they can understand why your body doesn’t succumb, If they can study your blood, your nervous system, the way you absorb entities… they might be able to recreate it.” Niru rubbed at his forehead, nervousness quietly sinking back in. All this trouble.. just to protect his sister. “They think you might be humanity’s last chance.”
Sunny laughed once. It wasn’t amused or happy, quite frankly, it barely qualified as laughter at all. “They’re willing to slaughter my entire settlement to save humanity.”
Niru didn’t answer, not because he didn’t want to, he just.. he couldn’t deny it. After another long silence, he spoke again. “…Come with me.”
Sunny didn’t move.
“I can tell them you surrendered, no raid, no massacre, no more people dying.” Niru could start to feel it in his head again, clawing up from the back to the front. The constant internal war he’d been having with himself since he met Sunny and his friends in person, since he killed Aubrey because she trusted him enough to go on a supply run alone with him. Yet.. he didn’t stop talking. “You come willingly, then they get what they want. My mission ends, my sister’s safe, and so is your settlement.”
Sunny studied him, his breathing, posture, the tiny tremor in his hands. Niru wasn’t lying and that was the worst part. “…What’s the catch?”
Niru swallowed. “…You won’t come back.”
Sunny waited. “…”
“They’ll keep you alive, study you, take samples… they’ll push you until your body finally gives out.” Even Niru sounded hesitant now. “...You’ll die there.”
Sunny looked toward the bright sky hanging above the alley and for one brief moment… Mari crossed his mind, then Kel, Basil, Hero, Thomas, Ronin, the settlement.. Then, after a long pause, he looked back at Niru. “I can’t.”
Niru blinked.
“I still have something I need to do, and I doubt a settlement run by a government would have much interest in sending out whatever hosts they have to take care of the entities around here in my stead.” His voice got a little quieter. “I still have promises I haven’t kept.” He thought back to the promises he made to himself regarding Aubrey, regarding Mari. “And I’m not dying in a laboratory.”
Niru shut his eyes. “…I figured.” When he opened them again… Whatever hesitation had been there was gone. “I’m sorry.”
He reached beneath his coat and at that, Sunny moved before his brain consciously processed the motion. His hand shot forward, fingers wrapped around Niru’s throat. The force alone lifted him off the ground and Niru slammed against the brick wall hard enough to crack mortar loose.
His eyes widened as he clawed desperately at Sunny’s wrist. Sunny’s face never changed. “You should’ve stopped talking…” His voice was barely above a whisper. “…while I was still willing to listen.”
Niru’s knee shot upward, not toward Sunny’s stomach, but the half healed stitches beneath his ribs. Pain exploded through Sunny’s body and his grip on Niru faltered. Niru twisted free then before Sunny could recover, a second kick landed square against his fractured ribs. The impact stole the air from his lungs.
He staggered backward into the opposite wall with a heavy crash, his vision blurred, chest screamed and warm blood soaked through the newly changed bandages beneath his shirt. His stitches tore.
Niru dropped into a fighting stance, breathing heavily. “I don’t want to do this!”
Sunny slowly straightened anyway, one hand pressed against his ribcage while the other hung loosely at his side. “…Funny.” Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Niru rushed first, fast. Faster than most humans, but nowhere near Sunny’s speed. Sunny pivoted at the last possible second, and Niru’s punch struck empty air.
Sunny’s cast buried itself into Niru’s ribs, a sharp crack echoed through the alley.
Niru stumbled, but Sunny followed up immediately, a kick slammed into Niru’s same side. The impact practically launching him into the brick wall and dust burst outward, filling the air around them.
Niru barely had time to push himself upright before Sunny closed the distance again. Another strike, another crack in Niru’s ribs forcing a stumble from the older man.
Even while injured, Sunny was overwhelming, not because he was stronger, but because every movement was deliberate and efficient. No movement was wasted, nothing emotional.
Niru swung wildly, but Sunny slipped outside the punch, then he raised his leg above Niru’s crouched body. His heel crashed into the side of Niru’s head and the wall behind him shook. Niru collapsed to one knee, still trying to stand, trying to fight.
“…You…” He coughed violently. “…don’t understand…”
Sunny advanced. “I don’t need to.”
Niru held out his hand weakly before Sunny could make another move. “I’m not trying to.. warning them about you.. I was warning..” A cough echoed through the allyway. “you..”
Sunny froze for nearly half a second, then another kick, this one drove directly into Niru’s spine, the man collapsing completely face first onto the dirt. His body tried to rise once, twice, then finally went still.
Silence returned to the alley and Sunny stood over him, breathing harder than he wanted to admit. His ribs burned, every breath felt like someone driving a knife between them. The stitches beneath his bandages had been torn and begun bleeding again.
He looked down at Niru. “Part of me wishes..” His voice was barely audible. “…you’d proven me wrong.”
He retrieved Niru’s discarded crutch, laid it beside the unconscious man, stopping for a moment to take in the sight beneath him. All these years his gut had only been wrong twice, and it was because of the man lying there right in front of him, the man everyone Sunny could still tolerate cared so much about.
Then, Sunny finally stepped back into the main street as though nothing had happened, only once he was out of sight did he allow himself to wince. His hand drifted instinctively to his side. “…Damn it.”
Without another word, he turned toward his bunker. Hero, Thomas, Basil.. they needed to know immediately. But the second Sunny reached his bunker door, alarms sounded throughout the entire settlement.
—
Sunny slumped against the settlement wall.
The sling supporting his broken arm had nearly torn through, hanging by little more than frayed cloth. Blood soaked steadily through the bandages wrapped around his chest where enormous claws had pierced straight through him.
Around them, the settlement burned with chaos. People screamed and entities roared, gunfire echoed through the streets. Sunny watched none of it.
His eyes stayed fixed on the towering Master Class Entity standing over him and she looked back. For a long while, neither of them spoke.
“…Mari…” The word escaped before he realized he’d said it.
The entity tilted her head. “…That’s not my name.”
Sunny froze for a moment. He was aware some entities could speak, but none were ever this coherent.. this human like. “I know.” His voice was hoarse. “…You just… remind me of her.”
The entity studied him in silence. Then, with one effortless motion, she drove her claws deeper into his chest and lifted him until their faces were level.
Sunny barely reacted anymore, pain had become familiar. “…Are you going to kill me?” he asked quietly.
“I was planning to.” She looked him over. “…But you don’t look very interested in stopping me.”
Sunny gave the smallest shrug he could manage. “I’m tired.”
The entity stared another moment before slowly lowering him back to the ground, but her claws never left his chest. Instead, she shifted behind him, sitting against the wall with him resting between her knees, keeping pressure on the wounds almost instinctively. “…You’re strange.”
“I’ve been told.” Sunny muttered.
The entity stayed silent for a moment before finally speaking again. “We usually don’t have conversations before one of us dies.”
Sunny looked down at the claws embedded through him. “…Most of the ones that can still talk… just want someone to hear them.”
“…So you listen.” She said, connecting dots that weren’t really even there.
“I try.” Sunny slumped forward a little, but she held him in place.
“…Even though you kill them?” She tilted her head again.
“…Yeah.” His reply was just tired.
She hummed softly. “…Why?”
Sunny was quiet for several seconds. “When you’ve watched enough people die…” His eyes wandered toward the battlefield. “…Eventually people… and entities stop feeling different.”
Another explosion rattled the wall. He watched Thomas helping drag someone to safety, Kel disappeared into another street chasing something, Hero was shouting orders somewhere beyond the smoke.
“They’re all just people … that never got the chance to finish living.”
The entity didn’t answer immediately, instead she watched the same battlefield.
“…You’re not afraid of us.” It wasn’t a question anymore.
“No.”
“…You should be.” The entity said, studying the host in front of her.
“I know.. but I’m not.” He was still just watching the battlefield, his vision blurring a little.
Another silence settled between them, then she asked, “…Who was Mari?”
Sunny smiled, it was faint and tired, almost impossible to notice. “…My older sister. She raised half the settlement without realizing it.. everyone listened when she talked, they felt safer when she smiled.” His voice weakened. “…She always knew what to say.”
The entity looked down at him. “…And what would she say now?”
Sunny shut his eyes. “…I don’t know.. that’s the problem. I keep trying to guess. Every decision I make.. every person I save.. every person I can’t…” His breathing hitched. “…I keep wondering if she’d think I did the right thing.”
The entity was quiet, then she laughed. Not cruelly, softly. The way an older sister laughs when someone says something painfully obvious. “…You’re asking the wrong question.”
Sunny opened his eyes. “…Am I?”
She reached up with one free hand and gently brushed a strand of hair away from his face, the gesture was so natural it caught him completely off guard. “If I were your sister, I wouldn’t want you asking whether I approved. I’d want you asking whether you do.”
Sunny frowned. “I don’t…”
“I know. That’s why you’re still carrying living people’s emotions too.” She looked toward the battlefield again. “…Tell me, why are you still fighting?”
Sunny followed her gaze. Kel, Hero, Thomas, Basil, Ronin, Niru who was still lying motionless in the street, the settlement.. “…Because if I stop.. they die.”
She smiled. “There it is. Not duty, not guilt, care.”
Sunny’s eyes widened slightly. “I…”
“You’ve spent so long convincing yourself you’ve become apathetic that you’ve stopped noticing what keeps pulling you back onto your feet.” She tapped gently against the claws still lodged in his chest. “You crossed half this battlefield with broken ribs, a shattered arm, and stitches that barely healed. Would you call that apathy?”
Sunny didn’t answer because he knew she was right.
The entity looked at him with quiet pride. “…You remind me of my little sister. Stubborn, terrible at taking care of herself, always trying to carry things that were never hers to carry.”
Sunny let out the smallest laugh. “…Mari used to say something like that.”
“I imagine she did.” The entity spoke softly.
She looked upward, smoke drifted across the afternoon sky.
“…Your sister isn’t here.. neither is mine.. but the people who need you still are.” She looked back down. “Go save them.”
Sunny blinked. “…You’re… letting me go?”
“I’m making a choice, just like you make one every time you swing that knife.” The corners of her mouth lifted. “…Don’t waste mine.”
Her body began to crumble, not violently, peacefully; like ash finally settling after a long fire. The particles drifted toward Sunny instead of the wind, and warmth spread through his body. The holes in his chest closed, the bleeding stopped, his lungs filled without pain.
Though, the blood staining Aubrey’s jacket remained, a reminder. Then the emotion reached him, but it wasn’t grief, rage, or despair like usual. It was contentment. The feeling of believing, if only for a moment, that the people you love will be alright.
Sunny closed his eyes and for the first time in what felt like years, the weight inside him grew just a little lighter. “…Thanks…”
When he opened his eyes again the entity was gone. Only the battle remained and Sunny pushed himself to his feet, adjusted the broken sling around his arm, drew his butterfly knife, and walked back toward the people he still had left to save.
—
“NIRU, NO!!” Ronin’s scream tore across the battlefield. It cut through the gunfire, through the roars of the entities, and the smoke hanging over the settlement.
Sunny’s head snapped toward the sound.
The corpse of the bloater he’d just killed crashed into the street beneath him, its massive body shaking the ground as it landed. He dropped with it, shoes skidding across broken pavement before catching himself with one hand.
His eyes immediately found the source. Niru who laid motionless, now half buried beneath rubble. He wasn’t moving.
Thomas looked up from treating another survivor, his expression draining of color the instant he saw where Ronin was running. “RONIN, STOP!”
She didn’t even hesitate as she sprinted straight into the street. Thomas cursed under his breath and chased after her.
Hero looked between the wounded survivor beside him and the unfolding disaster across the road. “Dammit!” He abandoned his position and ran after them.
Basil had just emerged from one of the supply tents with an armful of medical equipment when he froze, eyes widening in horror. “No…” The supplies slipped from his arms and scattered across the ground. He was running before they had even finished bouncing.
Kel had been ushering a little girl toward cover when Ronin screamed. He turned and his heart nearly stopped. “Niru…?”
The child grabbed desperately at his sleeve. “Mister!”
Kel looked down at her then back toward the others. His jaw clenched. “Stay behind the barricade, kiddo, I’ll be right back, I promise!” Before she could answer, he was already running.
Sunny watched all of it unfold in seconds, then he saw the second bloater. It was lumbering through the smoke toward Niru’s unconscious body. His grip tightened around Aubrey’s butterfly knife. “.. You caused this.” His voice was barely louder than a breath. “Is this what you wanted…?”
The words weren’t aimed at the bloater, they were aimed at Niru. His expression never changed. “… Was all this really..” He looked around through the chaos unfolding all around him. “For your sister..?” He didn’t have time to keep contemplating on it. If he wanted more answers, he needed the traitor alive.. and preferably the people he lied to as well.
The bloater kept walking, slow, heavy, seemingly unstoppable. Ronin was almost there and Thomas wasn’t far behind; Hero, Basil, Kel. Every one of them was about to run directly into its path.
Sunny measured the distance. He wouldn’t reach them in time, even if he sprinted with his newfound strength, he wouldn’t make it. His eyes darted across the battlefield searching for anything, then he saw a third bloater. It was much closer to him than they were. A lot stronger too, and only a few yards away. “…That’ll work.”
He ran, every muscle in his body screaming in protest. His ribs burned, his shoulder threatened to give out, his freshly healed chest still ached with every breath, but it didn’t matter.
The bloater noticed him and swung one enormous arm sideways. Sunny didn’t dodge, he ran straight at it and at the very last second he jumped. Both feet landed squarely on the creature’s open hand.
The instant its arm reached full extension, he kicked off with everything he had. The world disappeared beneath him and for a heartbeat Sunny was flying, the battlefield blurred beneath his body. All the smoke, fire, screaming, gunfire.
The second the bloater looked up, Sunny drove Aubrey’s butterfly knife deep into its eye, the blade sank to the handle. The momentum carried him forward until he slammed against the creature’s face. He wrapped both legs around its neck and twisted the knife causing a painstaken roar from the bloater.
Its massive body staggered backward several steps and at that, Ronin stopped dead in her tracks, Thomas nearly crashed into her, Hero stared, Kel froze.
And Basil? Basil’s breathing caught in his throat. “…Sunny…?” he whispered.
None of them had seen where he’d come from.
One second the bloater had been bearing down on Niru and the next.. Sunny was standing on its face. The bloater raised both fists high above its head. It swung them down together to crush it’s prey but Sunny had already let go.
He dropped behind its shoulders and the creature’s fists collided with its own skull. A deafening crack echoed through the street, it’s legs buckling beneath the weight and the second enormous body collapsed sideways, shaking the ground hard enough to throw dust into the air.
Silence lingered for only a second.
Sunny landed lightly beside the corpse, not looking back at the witnesses of the scene. He didn’t bother acknowledging anyone behind him, didn’t ask if Niru was alive.. because for once, he decided he trusted that they could handle that part.
With one practiced motion, he flicked the blood from Aubrey’s knife.
The fresh emotion resting quietly inside him, the contentment the Master Class Entity had left behind had settled soothingly beneath everything else he carried. It didn’t drown out the grief or the hundreds of emotions clawing at the inside of his mind, it simply reminded him that they were still alive, and to him, that was enough.
Ahead of him, more entities were already pushing through the breach in the wall. Sunny rolled his aching shoulder beneath the torn sling, adjusted his grip on the butterfly knife and without a word he walked toward them.
Sunny could already feel it fading.
The warmth the Master Class Entity had left behind still rested somewhere deep inside him, quieting the storm of emotions he’d carried for years. Though, the strength she’d given him had never been his. Borrowed strength was still borrowed after all, and one day, he’d hoped he could return it to her.
His lungs burned with every breath, his legs had begun to feel heavy all over again, the ache in his ribs returned little by little, his broken shoulder throbbed beneath the torn sling, and the muscles throughout his body protested every step he took. Though, for some reason, it seemed more bareable than before.
“Maybe someday, you can have it back.” His voice seemed softer than usual; it always seemed that way when he was killing though. It wasn’t just the Master Class’s strength he was talking about though, but every person he’d killed, every emotion he’d taken, every life that had ended by his hands. Maybe one day he could return all of it. Just not today.
He kept walking, ahead of him waited another wave. Two bloaters and nine smaller entities scattered between them; stroaders and watchers. Normally they wouldn’t have been much of a threat, but together, they could bury him.
Sunny slowed his breathing, his pistol was still holstered.
One functioning arm wasn’t enough to use it properly without throwing off his balance, so he’d do what had worked before.
His eyes drifted toward the bloater he’d used moments earlier. “…One more time.”
He broke into another sprint. The bloater noticed immediately, roaring as it charged toward him, it’s inner arm swept sideways exactly like before.
Sunny timed it, jumped, shoes met flesh, then the instant the arm reached its furthest point he launched himself. The battlefield blurred again and wind rushed past his ears, though, this time he didn’t stop.
Aubrey’s butterfly knife flashed once, then twice, then three times. Bodies fell before they even realized he’d passed, watchers, stroaders, necks severed cleanly as Sunny flew between them one after another. Nine bodies hit the ground in rapid succession.
The last burst of momentum carried him straight into the second bloater, his knife buried itself into its shoulder to slow the impact.
Then everything hit him all at once, nine emotions. Fear, relief, regret, loneliness, hope, anger, confusion, despair, acceptance; his mind lurched. “…Ah—”
His vision doubled and his grip loosened. For the first time all battle Sunny hesitated. It lasted less than a second yet it was more than enough time for the bloater. A massive hand wrapped around him, his feet left the ground.
Sunny let out a loud strained groan. “…Shi–”
The bloater’s fingers closed, his bones creaked, his ribs screamed, air exploded from his lungs, his broken shoulder felt like it was being torn clean off. He couldn’t even finish the curse as the creature squeezed harder.
Then a loud ‘BANG!’
The shot echoed across the settlement and a rifle round screamed past Sunny’s cheek so close he felt the heat of it. The bullet punched clean through the bloater’s eye and it’s grip immediately slackened.
Sunny dropped, twisting midair and landing in a rough crouch before rolling across the broken pavement. The bloater staggered backward, roaring in agony.
Sunny looked toward the watchtower and Hero was lowering the sniper rifle from his shoulder. Even from this distance… he smiled then gave Sunny a lazy thumbs up as if he’d simply covered another teammate.
Sunny blinked and for the briefest moment he just stared.
Hero answered with a grin that somehow said “Try not to get yourself killed for five seconds.”
That sarcastic look he always wore tugged at the corner of Sunny’s mouth, almost invisible, but he answered with a single nod anyway. Nothing else needed to be said.
He turned back toward the bloater.
Sunny slipped Aubrey’s butterfly knife back into his pocket. His good hand drew the pistol from its holster, the familiar weight settled naturally into his grip. He broke into another sprint, not toward the front, but around it.
The bloater turned too slowly.
Sunny climbed its massive arm using broken plates of hardened flesh as footholds before reaching its shoulder. He pressed the pistol against its skull and pulled the trigger five times. One after another, the gunshots could be heard across the entire settlement.
The creature roared and it’s legs buckled, then its enormous body collapsed, shaking the street beneath it.
One left.
Sunny didn’t stop moving. He landed, reloading his pistol by habit and kept running. The final bloater lumbered toward him. It swung, but Sunny ducked beneath the blow, climbed its arm, raised the pistol. Five more rounds. It’s head jerked backward.
The giant swayed, but for a moment it simply stood there. Then, instead of roaring like the last 3 had, it spoke. “…Oriath…” Its voice wasn’t angry, wasn’t hateful. It was… sad. Like someone whispering a name they’d spent years trying not to forget.
Sunny froze. “…What?”
The bloater looked at him one last time, there was something almost human in its eyes. Then… it collapsed, the ground once again trembled beneath the weight.
Silence followed and Sunny stood perfectly still “…Oriath.”
The word echoed inside his head, something about it felt.. familiar. Before he could think any further a violent pain exploded through his skull. His vision blurred again, and the emotions he’d absorbed churned violently together.
His knees gave out without warning. “…Tch…”
He tried to catch himself with his one good hand but failed and his body finally gave in, he collapsed onto the blood soaked pavement.
The battle around him continued, raiders from Niru’s settlement still fighting his, but for the first time since returning to the settlement, Sunny couldn’t force himself back onto his feet.
“SUNNY?!” Basil’s voice cracked as it echoed across the settlement, he was already running before he’d finished shouting. Thomas wasn’t far behind, immediately abandoning his post beside Kel and Ronin. Neither of them exchanged a word, they simply ran.
Hero watched Sunny collapse from across the battlefield. “Dammit.” He lowered his rifle and practically slid down the watchtower ladder, his shoes hit the ground hard.
He took one step toward Sunny’s direction then stopped. Niru was still buried beneath the rubble, still unmoving.
Hero closed his eyes for the briefest moment. “…Thomas has Sunny.” He forced himself to turn away. “Come on!”
He sprinted toward Ronin, Kel, and Niru instead. “We have to get him out now!” he shouted as he dropped to one knee beside the collapsed debris. “The entities are gone, but the raiders are still pushing the eastern gate! Move!”
Ronin blinked, still staring toward where Sunny had fallen. “What the hell?” She looked almost pale. “…What was that…?”
Hero didn’t even look up. “I don’t know.” He shoved aside a broken slab of concrete. “But we figure it out later.”
Kel dropped beside him and immediately started throwing chunks of rubble aside. “Ronin!” He called, an unusual urgency in his voice.
She flinched. “Right!”
Adrenaline finally overtook the shock. The three of them worked together, lifting debris that would’ve taken two or three people under normal circumstances. Within moments, they reached Niru. Kel carefully slid his arms beneath him. “We’ve got him.”
Together they lifted him free, but Hero’s expression tightened as he caught sight of the blood soaking through Niru’s clothes. “Move!”
At that, the three of them sprinted. The trip to the infirmary felt impossibly short, then, the moment Niru was laid onto a cot, Kel turned toward the door. “…Crap.”
Hero looked up. “The little girl.”
Kel nodded. “I left her at the barricade.” He was already backing toward the exit. “I’ll get her.”
Hero caught his wrist and for just a second. “…Kel.” Kel met his eyes and Hero wanted to tell him no, to order him to stay, to remind him there were still raiders outside. Instead.. he sighed. “…Be careful.”
Kel smiled weakly. “When am I not?”
Hero snorted.
“Don’t answer that.” Kel laughed once before jogging out the door.
Hero watched him leave until he disappeared outside. Only then did he let the worry show on his face. “…Come back.” It was barely a whisper.
Ronin heard it anyway and stepped beside him. “…Hero…” Her voice was much smaller now. “…Is he gonna make it?”
Hero followed her gaze toward Niru, his expression softening immediately. He recognized that look, the fear, the helplessness; he’d worn it himself too many times. He rested a hand gently on her shoulder.
“I’m going to do everything I can.” His voice was steady. “I promise.”
Ronin swallowed. “…Okay.” She sat beside Niru’s cot without another word and Hero immediately got to work.
The infirmary doors burst open, Thomas staggering inside with Sunny hanging limply across his back. Basil was right behind him, breathing hard.
“Clear a bed!” Thomas barked.
Ronin looked up, then immediately stood. “What the hell happened to him?!”
Thomas carefully lowered Sunny onto the empty cot but Sunny barely reacted, his eyes stayed closed, breathing was slow, almost as if he was asleep.
Ronin stared at him, then the realization finally hit. “You…” Her voice rose. “You just killed four bloaters!”
Sunny groaned. “…Too loud.”
“What?-” Ronin started.
“You’re” He rubbed weakly at one ear. “…Hurting my head.”
For a second nobody spoke, then Basil couldn’t help it, a tiny laugh escaped him. “Only you.”
Even after everything, Sunny was complaining about the noise. Thomas adjusted his glasses, still trying to process what he’d witnessed. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Sunny didn’t even open his eyes. “…Can I sleep now?”
“No.” Thomas answered immediately.
Sunny sighed dramatically. “…Mean.” His guard seemed completely down for the first time since the apocalypse had started.
The infirmary door opened again, this time Kel hurried inside with the little girl safely holding his hand. The moment he confirmed she was safe beside the other survivors, his attention shifted toward Sunny. “He’s looked worse.” Then he frowned. “…Wait.. Guys?”
Everyone looked over. Thin wisps of pale steam drifted lazily from beneath Sunny’s blood soaked bandages and Kel pointed. “…Is that supposed to be happening?”
Thomas spun around. “Move.” He reached Sunny in two quick strides, then without thinking, he grabbed the edge of Sunny’s jacket.
Sunny’s eyes shot open and his good hand smacked Thomas’s wrist away. “What the hell are you doing?”
Thomas didn’t even flinch. “Look.”
Sunny frowned. “…What?”
Thomas pointed toward his chest and Sunny looked down.
“…Huh.”
Even through the blood, steam was rising from every wound on his body, not smoke or heat, something else entirely. Without another word Thomas carefully pulled away the ruined bandages and the entire room fell silent. Cuts were closing, bruises faded before their eyes, deep puncture wounds slowly knitted themselves together, even the swollen flesh around Sunny’s broken shoulder was changing.
Sunny stared. “…That’s–” It felt oddly familiar to him. Like he’d seen it before, or maybe, like he’d always known it existed. “…Weird.”
Thomas was already across the room grabbing the cast saw.
Sunny looked at him. “…Really?”
“If your arm healed wrong we’ll have to break it again.” Thomas said flatly.
“Oh. Carry on.” The words came out lazily. A minute later the ruined cast split apart and Sunny slowly flexed his arm. It still hurt like hell but it moved. “…I don’t think it’s broken anymore.”
The room stayed silent, nobody seemed capable of speaking. Finally Thomas looked back up. “Sunny.” His expression had completely changed. “Did you absorb.. a Master Class Entity.?”
Sunny yawned. “…Sort of.” Every eye in the room landed on him. “She attacked me, we talked. Then she…” He struggled to find the words. “…She chose to die. She kind of…” He made a vague gesture with his hand. “…Turned into dust then was just absorbed.”
Silence. Thomas went completely still. “…She?” His voice was almost inaudible. “An entity let itself be absorbed?”
Sunny nodded once. “…She healed the holes she made before she did.” He seemed half way delirious at this point.
Thomas slowly sat down. “You didn’t read those research papers two months ago, did you?”
Sunny answered without shame. “…No.”
“I knew it.” Thomas rubbed both hands over his face. “Master Class Entities regenerate.”
Everyone nodded, seemed they at least knew that much.
Thomas looked around the room. “What most people don’t know is that Hosts inherit part of the entity’s traits after absorption.” Nobody interrupted. “The only documented Host to ever absorb a Master Class…” His voice grew quieter. “Started regenerating exactly like this.”
Ronin leaned forward. “Then what happened?”
Thomas looked toward Sunny, his expression had become unusually serious. “…He died.” The room froze. “Within a few months.”
No one spoke, not even Sunny. He wasn’t worried, but, for some reason, he felt like he had already known the answer before Thomas had spoken. Then, after several long quiet seconds, Sunny yawned again. “…Can I sleep now?”
Everyone turned toward him. “…What?”
Sunny frowned. “I’m tired.”
Thomas stared at him for another moment before exhaling slowly. “…Yeah.” He stood. “Go to sleep. I still have to help Hero.”
Sunny was already lying back down, no other words left his mouth. He closed his eyes almost instantly, then not even half a second afterward, the room erupted loudly.
“WAIT!” Kel and Ronin shouted at the exact same time and they looked at each other before snapping their attention back toward Thomas.
“You can’t tell us he might die—” Kel pointed accusingly toward the sleeping Sunny. “—and then just let him take a nap!”
“And he can’t just say ‘okay’ to that!” Ronin added, completely bewildered. “Why is he the calmest person in the room?!”
Basil looked from Sunny to Thomas, then spoke, “I don’t think he has enough energy left to panic, and honestly, neither do I.”
Ronin and Kel both stared at Basil. Neither of them seemed to understand how he could say something like that so calmly.
Ronin was the first to snap. “Seriously?” She shot to her feet so fast her chair scraped loudly across the floor. “Seriously?!” She pointed at Sunny, who was already half asleep again. “He could die!” Her voice cracked. “And you’re the one telling us nobody has enough energy to care?!” She rounded on Basil. “For fuck’s sake, Basil, you’re his ex boyfriend! Weren’t you the one saying you didn’t know what you’d do without him after Mari died?”
The room went quiet and Basil opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
Kel stepped forward before Basil could gather his thoughts. “Ronin’s right.” His voice wasn’t nearly as loud, yet somehow, that made it worse. “This isn’t something we can just brush off.” He looked between Thomas, Hero, and Basil. “If any of you know something we don’t, now would be a really good time to spill it.”
Basil lowered his eyes, his fingers tightened around the back of the chair beside him as he searched for the right words, but nothing came to mind.
Thomas answered instead. “Enough.” His voice cut cleanly through the room. He didn’t even look up from Niru as he continued stitching the wound across his side. “Nobody is hiding anything.” He tied off the suture. “But right now,” He reached for another instrument. “Niru dies if we stop.”
The room fell silent again and Ronin’s shoulders slowly lowered. She looked toward her unconscious brother. “…Right.”
Kel didn’t move, his jaw clenched so tightly the muscles twitched. “…You’re kidding.”
Thomas ignored him.
Kel took another step, aiming his accusations toward his brother rather than Thomas this time. “You’re seriously putting the traitor before our childhood friend?”
The words hung in the room, heavy, ugly.
Ronin moved before anyone else could. She grabbed the front of Kel’s tanktop and yanked him down until they were eye to eye. “Don’t.” Her voice shook. “Don’t you dare.” Tears had started forming in the corners of her eyes. “My brother is lying there dying right now.” She shoved him backward. “You don’t get to decide his life is worth less than Sunny’s.”
Kel ripped her hand off his shirt. “And Sunny’s is?!” His own voice rose now.
“He pointed a gun at you two months ago and you’re so heavily stuck on defending him still?!” Ronin yelled back at him, the tears started streaming down her cheeks.
“So what?!” Kel laughed bitterly. “At least Sunny didn’t murder Mari and Aubrey!”
The words hit the room like a gunshot and Hero slammed a metal tray onto the counter, the crash echoed through the medbay. “Enough!”
At the exact same moment, Basil moved, no hesitation, no warning, he just stepped between Kel and Ronin and shoved them apart hard enough that both stumbled backward. For a second, nobody recognized him; his breathing was uneven, hands were shaking, but the look in his eyes… Neither Kel nor Ronin had ever seen Basil angry like that.
His voice came out almost frighteningly quiet. “…Both of you stop it.” Nobody spoke. “We don’t know why Niru did what he did.” His eyes stayed locked on Kel. “We don’t know what happened, we don’t know what he was thinking. So until we do…” His jaw tightened. “…Neither of you gets to decide whose life matters more.”
The room went completely still.
Then a tired hand slowly rose from one of the beds. “I know.”
Everyone turned, and Sunny hadn’t even opened his eyes. It seemed as if he was contemplating what information he should openly give out and what he shouldn’t, then he continued. “…Actually.” His voice was rough from exhaustion. “Only parts of it.”
Even Thomas paused mid stick and Hero looked over his shoulder.
Kel frowned. “…What?”
Sunny sighed. The sound alone made it obvious how close he was to falling asleep again. “He did it for Ronin.” The room froze. “He thought…” Sunny rubbed weakly at his forehead. “…It was his only option.”
Ronin blinked. “…Sunny?”
Kel looked completely lost. “…What are you talking about? He killed your girlfriend and sister, yet you’re defending him? I thought you of all people would.. want him..” He stopped mid sentence.
Sunny slowly opened one eye. “It’s not my story.” His voice stayed calm. “When he wakes up… he can tell you himself.” He looked between the two of them, the exhaustion in his eyes somehow made the next words hit even harder. “You don’t get to measure someone’s worth by the worst thing they’ve ever done.” There was a long pause as Sunny looked down at his own hands. “‘Cause if you go by that logic, I’ve killed more people than Niru ever has.”
No one argued, they couldn’t because it was the truth. They all knew what he’d done after Aubrey died. Kel slowly looked away and Ronin lowered her head; almost as fast as it arose, the anger that had filled the room only moments before seemed to disappear all at once.
Basil was the first to speak again. “How did you figure it out?”
For once, Sunny hesitated and they all picked up on it. “I kept thinking about something Ronin told me after Aubrey died.” His voice had grown quieter. “The story about why they left their old settlement.. it never made sense.” He decided it’s best to let Niru talk about his and Sunny’s confrontation if that’s what he wants.
He closed his eyes again…
—
The settlement had gone quiet by the time the sun dipped below the walls. For the first time since Aubrey died, nobody seemed to know what to say.
Sunny sat on the roof of the watchtower, Aubrey’s jacket folded neatly beside him. He hadn’t found the strength to put it on yet, he simply stared out into the trees beyond the walls.
After a while, the hatch creaked open and Ronin climbed up carrying two mugs. “…Figured you might want something warm.”
Sunny glanced over. “…Coffee?”
She smiled weakly. “…It’s mostly hot water.”
“…Close enough.” He accepted the mug, wrapping his fingers around the warmth.
For a while, the two of them sat together in silence, neither one of them drank.
Eventually, Ronin spoke first. “…She would’ve hated this.”
Sunny didn’t ask who, he already knew. “…Yeah.”
Ronin rested her elbows on her knees. “I keep expecting her to walk through the gate yelling at somebody.”
A tiny smile crossed Sunny’s face. “…Probably me.”
“…Definitely you.” Ronin teased.
They both laughed, the sounds barely lasted a second, then silence returned just as quickly.
“…Can I ask you something?” Sunny said quietly.
Ronin nodded. “Shoot.”
A moment passed before he spoke again. “…Your old settlement.”
She looked over. “…What about it?”
“You said you and Niru left before it fell.” Sunny still hadn’t looked at her at all.
“…Yeah.” Her eyes shifted toward the floor of the watchtower.
“How?” Sunny asked.
Ronin looked back toward the trees. “…Dad woke Niru up in the middle of the night.” Her voice was distant now, almost like she was replaying the memory. “He told him to take me and leave.. I was asleep.”
Sunny listened without interrupting.
“When I woke up, we were already outside the walls and Niru said there’d been a planned attack, he said Dad wanted at least one of us to survive.”
Sunny looked down into his mug. “…Did your dad stay behind?”
Ronin nodded. “…Yeah.”
“…Did he tell you that himself?”
“…No, Niru did.” She looked a bit confused at the question.
Sunny was quiet for a moment. “…Did Niru want to leave?”
Ronin frowned. “…Not at first, he kept saying we should go back but.. he wouldn’t turn around. He just…” She smiled sadly. “…He kept saying Dad knew what he was doing.”
Sunny nodded slowly. “…Makes sense.”
Ronin looked over. “…Does it?”
“…Kind of.”
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
Sunny thought for a moment before answering. “…I’ve seen settlements fall. Usually…” He searched for the right words. “…People don’t leave empty handed.”
Ronin blinked. “…We didn’t have time.”
“…Maybe.” Sunny looked toward the forest again. “…Did Niru bring anything?”
She thought back. “…a backpack, some food, a map, I think.. That’s about it.”
Sunny hummed quietly.
“…What?” Ronin asked.
Sunny shrugged, the look on his face just as lifeless as it had looked since he found Aubrey. “…Nothing.”
“…Sunny.” Ronin frowned and he finally glanced over at that. “…You’re thinking.”
“…A little.” He looked away again.
“What is it?”
Sunny was quiet long enough that Ronin thought he wasn’t going to answer. “…Your dad.”
Ronin tilted her head. “What about him?”
“If he knew the attack was coming, why only send Niru?” It seemed like Sunny was questioning himself more than he was Ronin at this point.
She just frowned. “…What do you mean? He trusted him... obviously.”
“…Yeah.” Sunny nodded. “…Just seems like…” He stopped.
Ronin waited. “…Seems like what?”
Sunny looked back down into the mug. “…Nothing, forget it.”
She nudged his shoulder lightly. “You don’t ask questions for no reason.”
Sunny let out a tired sigh. “…Ronin.”
“Hm?” She looked over at him once again.
Sunny took a moment before continuing. “…Have you ever kissed anyone?”
Ronin blinked. “…HUH?”
“I asked if you’ve ever kissed anyone.” Sunny deadpanned.
Her face turned bright red almost instantly. “W-What kind of question is that?!”
Sunny shrugged, finally looking at her for the first time since she’d climbed onto the roof. “I don’t know.” He spoke honestly. “I just… don’t really want to think about what we were talking about anymore.”
Ronin’s expression softened. “Oh…”
The two of them sat there for another few seconds, neither spoke. Then, Sunny slowly scooted a little closer. “If you don’t want to, tell me no.”
Ronin looked at him.
He wasn’t smiling, wasn’t flirting, he just looked… tired, empty, like someone trying to outrun his own thoughts for a minute.
“…Sunny?”
He raised a hand, stopping just short of her face. “You can say no.”
She stared at him. “…I…”
She didn’t understand why he was asking or why now, of all times. He’d lost Aubrey yesterday, barely spoken since, nothing about this made sense. But... he wasn’t forcing anything, he was even waiting, giving her every chance to back away.
Ronin swallowed. “…Okay…” The answer came more from uncertainty than confidence.
Sunny gently rested two fingers beneath her chin, but gave her another moment, she could still pull away, but still didn’t. He leaned forward slowly until their foreheads nearly touched, then, gently, their lips met.
Ronin froze. Her eyes stayed wide open for the first second before she awkwardly remembered to close them. She had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to do and her mind had gone completely blank.
Sunny noticed almost immediately, then after only a few seconds, he pulled away. “…Sorry.”
Ronin blinked at him. “…What was that for?”
Sunny looked back toward the forest. “…You stopped thinking about the settlement.”
Ronin stared, then she laughed once, completely bewildered. “…I guess I did.”
Sunny nodded. “…Mission accomplished.” There wasn’t any triumph in his voice, just quiet exhaustion.
Ronin looked at him for another long moment before shaking her head with a small, incredulous smile. “…You’re really weird sometimes.. you idiot.”
“…Yeah.” Sunny picked up Aubrey’s jacket again. “…I know.”
—
… He opened his eyes again, a faint look of self disgust caught his face, but no one seemed to notice. After a few minutes, He looked back towards the others to finish his thought. “Then, when we found those reports in the library two months ago, Niru played dumb.. too dumb.”
Thomas nodded almost unconsciously.
Sunny continued. “I didn’t have proof, so I kept watching.”
Kel frowned. “…You knew?”
Sunny shrugged weakly. “I suspected, two different things. You all trusted him, so did Ronin. If I’d accused him without solid evidence, nobody would’ve believed me.” He yawned again after finishing.
Another silence settled over the room, then Basil leaned back in his chair. “…He’s right.” Everyone looked toward him. “And.. Niru loved this group, there was never anything fake about that.” His eyes drifted toward the unconscious man lying across the room. “I keep thinking back… After Aubrey died, he barely spoke to anyone. And after Mari, he disappeared for days. He stopped laughing, stopped eating with us, kept isolating himself.. he even skipped Hero’s 24th birthday, mine too.. and Mari and Aubrey’s funerals.”
Basil swallowed. “I thought he was grieving.” His expression clouded. “Maybe he was. But I don’t think that was all of it.” He looked around the room. “I think… we’re still missing most of the story.”
The only sound left in the infirmary was Hero and Thomas’s steady work over Niru, and Sunny quietly falling asleep before anyone could ask another question.
The battle still raged beyond the infirmary walls, and every so often, another explosion rattled the wooden beams overhead, followed by the distant crack of rifle fire and the panicked shouting of survivors rushing from one end of the settlement to the other. Dust drifted lazily from the ceiling with every impact, settling over the room in a fine gray layer that no one bothered to brush away.
Inside, it couldn’t have felt more different.
Hero and Thomas continued working over Niru in near silence, replacing bloodied bandages and checking his pulse every few minutes while Basil sat beside Sunny’s bed, elbows resting on his knees.
Sunny hadn’t moved once.
His breathing remained slow and steady, almost unnaturally so. Every few seconds Basil caught himself glancing over, waiting for some sign that he’d wake up, but he didn’t. Steam was still coming out of his body at a rapid pace and wounds were still trying to heal, even the more severe ones.
The room had been full of arguments only minutes earlier. Now nobody seemed willing to speak above a whisper.
“…He’s really asleep.” Kel muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Hero didn’t look away from his work.
“He collapsed after fighting another Host, saving him, then fighting 4 bloaters and 9 smaller entities, all while still recovering from surgery.” His voice was calm, but tired. “I’m surprised he stayed awake as long as he did.”
Another explosion echoed somewhere outside, this one much closer, and walls groaned.
Thomas paused long enough to glance toward the door. “…They’re getting closer.”
Nobody answered because they all knew. Sunny wasn’t getting up, not anytime soon at least.
Ronin stared at him for another long moment before slowly standing from her chair. She clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides, trying to push away the uneasiness twisting in her stomach. “…Alright.”
Everyone looked toward her.
“If our best fighter is down…” She forced the familiar grin back onto her face, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “then I guess that means it’s our turn to fight.”
Kel blinked then Ronin inhaled slowly before continuing.
“We’ve spent months hiding behind Sunny while fearing and judging him for everything he did. He handled everything that came knocking at these walls.” She glanced back toward the unconscious man lying in the bed. “…I think it’s about time we returned the favor.”
Basil stood almost immediately. “…Sunny keeps extra rifles and ammunition in his bunker.” His voice carried a certainty that surprised even him. “He stocked enough supplies for something exactly like this.”
Hero finally looked up. “…Basil.”
Basil rubbed his temple. “I know.”
“You shouldn’t—” Hero tried to protest.
“I know.” Basil’s eyes drifted toward Sunny. “But if he woke up and found out we stayed here while everyone else fought…” He shook his head. “There’s no chance in hell he’d ever trust us again.”
Thomas quietly closed the journal in front of him. “…Neither would I.”
Another blast shook the building, somewhere outside, someone screamed and that was enough. Kel rose first, Ronin followed, and Basil reached for the infirmary door before hesitating just long enough to look back. Sunny still hadn’t moved. “If you die..” It came out quieter than he’d intended, but he didn’t bother finishing the sentence.
Then he pulled the door open, cold air rushing inside. Smoke, gunpowder, blood; the sounds of war flooded into the room all at once. The three of them sprinted through the settlement together, weaving between survivors carrying ammunition, hauling lumber toward the shattered wall, dragging the wounded toward Hero’s makeshift infirmary.
None of them spoke, there wasn’t time to.
By the time they reached Sunny’s bunker, Basil already had the key in his hand, the heavy wooden door swung inward. Rows of carefully organized weapons lined the walls exactly where Sunny always kept them. Rifles, boxes of ammunition, medical supplies, emergency rations; everything prepared long before anyone else had realized they might need it.
“…Of course he planned for this,” Kel muttered under his breath.
Basil didn’t answer, he simply started handing out rifles. Within moments the three of them were loading magazines with shaking hands, the clicks of metal echoed through the bunker, but nobody commented on how unfamiliar the motions felt.
Sunny made them practice, always insisted they at least learn the basics in their spare time whenever he was around, even if he was an ass about it. Now they finally understood why.
They climbed the nearest watchtower as quickly as they could, then the battlefield stretched out before them and more smoke curled into the spring sky.
The eastern wall had been blasted open almost two hours earlier, splintered timber scattered across the ground like broken bones. The enemy continued pouring through the breach while defenders desperately fought to force them back.
Ronin raised her rifle first. “…Guess this is really happening.”
No one answered, the first shot rang out, then another, and another. Their aim wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t need to be. Every raider forced into cover bought another survivor a chance to breathe.
Every accurate shot eased the pressure somewhere below. The watch guards already stationed atop the towers looked back in surprise before quickly returning to the fight, and for the first time since the attack began, they were finally gaining the upper hand.
No matter what they did or how many attackers they injured, the battle seemingly refused to end.
Every few seconds another rifle cracked across the settlement, another shout echoed through the smoke, another body hit the ground somewhere below the watchtower. Yet, Ronin kept pulling the trigger, she didn’t know how many rounds she’d fired anymore. Five? Twenty? Fifty? It all blurred together beneath the constant ringing in her ears.
Each shot sent another jolt through her shoulder, each spent casing that bounced across the wooden platform felt heavier than the last.
Don’t kill them. That was all she could think. Just wound them.
Every person who died out there would become another entity, another thing that would have to be put down, a family that would lose someone forever. Sunny had told them that himself a few months ago, but no one really understood what he meant until now. How could he say that.. with such a straight face..?
She aimed for their shoulders, legs, anywhere she thought would stop them without ending them, but battle didn’t care about good intentions. People stumbled into bullets meant for someone else, others never got back up after collapsing and the distinction between wounded and dead disappeared faster with every passing minute.
Ronin felt sick.
Beside her, Basil fired with practiced restraint, forcing himself to breathe between every shot and Kel wasn’t doing much better, neither of them had ever wanted this, none of them had. That’s why Mari established this settlement so far away from any others to begin with, she never wanted or forced any blood onto any of her friend’s hands. Yet here they were, killing people because the alternative was letting Mari’s settlement be slaughtered.
A sharp explosion rattled the eastern wall and chunks of wood and stone rained into the streets below. Someone screamed and another scream answered it. Ronin flinched instinctively before firing again, her breathing had become uneven and hands shook so violently she nearly dropped the rifle.
Then, out of nowhere, someone below shouted that the raiders were retreating. Ronin barely heard them, she just kept firing, another shot then another and another after that. Figures disappeared through the breach in the wall, but she fired after them anyway; her vision blurred behind tears she hadn’t even realized were there.
Kel lowered his rifle first. “…Ronin.”
She didn’t answer, another shot echoed, another shell bounced across the platform.
Basil looked over immediately. “Ronin…”
Nothing, she fired again.
“Ronin, stop.” Basil said, his voice louder than before, but the rifle kicked against her shoulder again. “They’re leaving.” Another shot. “They’re done!”
She finally screamed. “NO THEY AREN’T!” Her voice cracked so violently it hurt her own throat. “IF THEY GET AWAY THEY’LL JUST COME BACK!” BANG. “THEY ALWAYS COME BACK!” BANG. “They’ll regroup!” BANG. “They’ll bring more people!” BANG. “They’ll kill more of us!” She could barely see anymore, hot tears streamed down her face faster than she could wipe them away. “They already took Aubrey!” BANG. “They took Mari!” BANG. “They took my brother!”
Her finger kept pulling the trigger long after the rifle clicked empty. Click. Click. Click. Then nothing but silence, but she didn’t stop squeezing it. “…Please…” Click. “…I don’t…” Click. “…I don’t understand…” Her voice broke into a sob. “Why would he do this…?”
Basil slowly stepped beside her, he didn’t speak immediately, he simply rested one hand over the rifle and Ronin resisted for only a second before her grip gave out completely. The weapon slipped from her hands and she stared at them, her eyes glassy and puffy from the tears flowing down her face. She was shaking uncontrollably. “…He knew them.” Another sob escaped. “He laughed with us… he ate with us… he called this place home…”
Her knees finally gave out and she collapsed where she stood, wrapping both arms around herself as though trying to stop herself from falling apart completely. “Why…?” Her voice had become little more than a whisper. “Why would Niru help the people who murdered everyone…?” Another shaky breath. “Why would he let this happen… I just wanted my brother back…”
Kel swallowed hard. Only half an hour ago, he’d argued that Niru couldn’t be trusted and now, looking at Ronin curled into herself on the wooden floor… he finally understood. This had never been about choosing sides, it had never been about forgiving betrayal.. it was grief, simple, yet, unbearable grief. She’d already lost Aubrey, then Mari. Now she couldn’t help but think she lost the only family she had left too.
Kel slowly knelt beside her, his own rifle rested forgotten against the railing. “…We’ll ask him.” His voice was quiet. “when he wakes up…” He wasn’t even sure if he believed that. “…We’ll make him answer.”
Ronin didn’t respond, she just cried harder, and it couldn’t help but remind him of Aubrey when they were 15 as the apocalypse first broke out. The way Aubrey sobbed for any kind of explanation as to why any of them deserved this.
Basil looked toward the makeshift infirmary, his expression tightened. “…Come on.” He gently helped Ronin to her feet. “We should go check on them.”
Kel nodded silently and without another word, the three of them climbed down from the watchtower together.
Behind them… the battlefield had finally fallen silent, yet somehow, that silence felt heavier than the gunfire ever had.