Chapter 5: The Day After

The sun remained on the horizon, tempting to blow a kiss. 

The wind blows, the orange-colored streets of Hamihero, with scorch marks from used-to-be bodies and the aftermath of the shower. 

A Raven lands on the roof of a flip-over car, scanning for any salvaging.

"Uhmm...mister?" The voice of a girl filled the environment. "I think we should find a doctor. Mister? Mister?" 

"What?!" Another voice roared, panicking the Raven, who flew away as two individuals stood on the streets.

Shaun looks back at the tailing Fox girl standing a few feet away. His eyes are bloodshot and baggy. 

"I have to go." 

"What?" Shaun tilts his head with a smile. "Is it? I should go to the doctor. Or do you have to go?" 

"Both." The girl looks up from the ground while The worker explodes into laughter. 

"Why don't you leave me alone? You're like a fucking pimple!" Shaun said under his breath with a clenched jaw. The worker breathes, eyeing a cafe nearby. 

"Sure." He smiled. 

"You're sure what?" The Fox girl's ears twitched. 

"You can go." Shaun nearly growled. "There." He points to the cafe. "I'll wait out here." 

"I don't know." 

"You beat the breaks out of a three-headed dog like he stole your last gushers, and yet you're scared to go on your own?" 

The girl clenches her fist before her fox-red eyes look into Shaun's brown.

"You promise you won't go?"

Shaun smiled and crossed his heart.

"Cross my heart." 

The girl's tail wags, and her toothy grin presents the worker. 

"Okay, be right back." She jogs to the cafe before slowly entering.

Shaun sighs before cracking a grin. He paces his way down the street before he stops. 

He looks back at the door of the cafe. 

"God fucking dammit." He said under his breath, entering after the girl. 

A bell rang above the door as the worker entered. The lights were off, but it was still clear as day. Booths were in two sections, on the left and right sides of the room, with a wooden wall in the middle. 

"Hello?" Shaun called, but no one answered. "Girl." The worker pulled his knife with a wince. "Hey, girl." 

He paced through the booths, heading for the restrooms. Two doors greeted him: Males on the left and Females on the right. 

Shaun pushed open the door. 

"Hey!" Shaun whispered in a shout. "Are you done?" No answered. He grunts before entering. 

Pink tiles greeted his eyes, and the refreshed bathroom remained with two sinks and three stalls. 

The worker paced the first stall. He pushes it open, but nothing. He went to the second, with the same result. 

Shaun looks at the last door, gripping his knife. He kicks it down. 

No one remained on the seat. 

Shaun exits, heading to the men's room. A rattle starts across the room and within the kitchen. The worker steadily but cautiously makes his way from the booth area. 

He went around the empty display counter and to the pushable door leading to the kitchen. 

"AAAH!!" A pitched scream pours from the freezer. 

Shaun rushed, snapping it open. 

To see the Fox girl kicking her legs about behind a shelf of boxes. , giggling uncontrollably.

"Hey!" Shaun cried out, causing the girl to jolt. She rocketed to her butt, eyeing the worker before growing a smile revealing her fangs. 

"Hey! You waited." 

"Decided to call it for the day. What the hell are you doing?" 

A small figure peeks from the girl's leg. 

A moon crescent birthmark rested on the forehead of a black and white cat. Its sky-blue eyes and black pupils stared into Shaun's, who only stared back at it before snapping at the girl. 

"That's not an average cat." 

"And how do you know?" The Fox girl crosses her arms. 

"I've seen a three-headed dog, and you do things no ordinary little girl could do. I know what's normal." 

"Meow." The cat voiced. 

"I called bullshit." Shaun points the knife at the cat. 

"You're tired and hurt." The girl intervened. 

"Like, I don't know, that girl." 

Her eyes slit while her hair stood. 

"My name is Alice!" She shouted, showing her fangs. "You will be nice!" 

"Are you giving me an order?" 

"YOU WILL BE NICE!!" 

"FINE!" Shaun roared back before pointing his knife at the cat. "Keep that thing away from me. Unless you want cat stew." The worker glared at Alice's glowing eyes before pacing out the door. 

...

Shaun exits the men's bathroom. He gazed at the closed blinds and the missing tables. 

"Okay. Wanda. You can get it." Alice points the laser pointer across the room while Wanda chases it. The cat trapped the dot within her paws. "Good. Girl." 

Shaun rolled his eyes, pacing to the display counter. He then glanced at the entrance, boarded with tables and a booth seat. 

The worker sighed while listening to Alice's laughter. 

"Can you keep it down?" Shuan questioned, not turning his head. Alice does so. 

"You never told me your name." Alice voiced from across the room. 

"You don't need it. I'm going to die soon, being with you two." 

"Okay." The fox girl states, her voice drained. 

Shaun gazes at the door at the end of the hall past the kitchen door. The worker took it, eyeing the sign. 

Employees Only

He twisted the knob entering the room. 

Two benches remained in the middle of the room, and lockers rested against the wall. Ahead was another door. 

Shaun paced past the locker before entering through another door. 

A small office poses out in front of him. A few maid's posters remained on the wall. 

 Horizon 

This Maid Cafe features cats, toys, and even food you can feed. It's only a limited time. 

Shaun wanders to the desk before taking a seat in the rolling chair. He sighs, looking up at the ceiling. 

He remained like this momentarily before his eyes took him into the void. 

"Shaun." A weak voice spoke. 

Within the eyes of someone short, it stared at the white polished floor. It reflected a kid wearing a black beanie and brown hoodie branded with a rock band in tuxedos and punk hairdos. They were Rock Steady. 

A monitor beeping enters his ear holes before the kid looks up at the older man attached to tubes and wires, shakily reaching out his hand. The boy took it. 

"Look after your grandmother." The man continued. The kid bit his lip, threatening to cry. "She's all you got. I don't mean it metaphorically, but her social skills are like a wet rag. Look who she got. A geezer who flipped pancakes for a living." 

"Hush you." Shaun's grandma entered the chat before she placed her hand on the kid's shoulder. "Keep talking and see where that would get you." 

"Well," the dying man smirked. "Six feet deep. I hope to get a nice white suit, a bottle of wine, and that dog plushie in a taxi hat because I'm dying. With quality." He chuckled while Shaun only poured tears. "Hey, Karuka. Hand me my quarter." 

The grandma applied his wish. 

"Come." The dying man flips Shaun's hand, placing it in his palms. "It's a reminder given by my dad. This coin may not be worth much, but it's the quality that may be worth millions." 

Shaun looks down at the coin. 

"Deshaun?" Karuka questioned. 

Shaun looks up at his grandpa, whose eyes never left his. 

"Deshaun!" Shaun's grandmother cried. 

Shaun's eyes opened once more, looking at the ceiling. His white and orange shirt and his shorts remained covered with dry purple blood and tattered cuts. 

He sits up with a grunt. The worker eyed his bruised and dislocated arm. 

"Agh. Damn." Shaun clenches his teeth, his adrenaline now running cold. He slowly picked up his arm, only for little effect, and a bucket of something clawing between his shoulder joint. "Okay!" 

He searched the desk but came by a soda can. 

Now fully awake, he leans back against the chair before standing. He grunts, heading out of the office. 

The worker approached a locker, opening it, and he came by nothing. He does another, eyeing a maid uniform. 

Shaun closes it before searching the whole room only for three locked lockers, three packets of crackers, another water bottle, and a box of cat food and toys. 

He stuffed his backpack with crackers and another water bottle. He took his half-empty bottle out of the employee locker room. 

A blue light welcomed him; it reached down the hall and into the cafe. 

Shaun paces into the quiet booth sections, eyeing Alice asleep on one of the seats.

"Meow." The cat gains Shaun's attention. She remained on one of the tables, curled up. 

The worker eyed the cat before heading for his plant on the display table. 

Shaun came to a halt. A long stem stuck out from the pot plant, and two red ball plants hung from the stem. The albino leaves awaited the worker's touch. 

Shaun returned to his pack in the employee locker to fetch his journal.

He sat it by the plant before opening it with a wince. He writes. 

The plant's not supposed to grow so fast! Why is this different? 

Shaun eyed the albino leaves, and his hand reached out. He poked it before rubbing his thumb along it. He wrote. 

The leaves are softer than silk. I don't know why, but I should eat them. It's already a bad idea, but I'll hold off or get a rat. 

The worker tilts his head to the cat, who looks back at him. 

"Hmm." Shaun squinted his eyes. "You're smarter than you look."

"Meow." The black and white cat responds. 

Shaun closes his journal, eyeing the closed blinds, letting in the night light. 

He heads into the kitchen, picking up his can of beans. 

The worker turned on the stove and poured the beans into the pot.

"Gonna share some of that." A voice of a man spoke. 

Shaun snaps around the nearly lit kitchen only to find the cat staring at him. 

"Cat food is not my forte." 

"What the fuck!" Shaun picks up a frying pan. 

"Hey! Hey! We can talk." The moon-crested cat paces back. 

"I knew something was wrong. I hope Alice likes cats and baked beans." Shaun rushes. 

"Look!" The cat shouts before white energy-like smoke pours from him. 

Shaun was lifted in the air, sharing the same glow. 

"AH! okay! Okay! Put me down!" Shuan dropped the pan. "I didn't mean when I said! I was going to eat you. It was just a defense mechanism!" 

 The cat gave only a glare with slit eyes and raised hairs. 

"Quiet! Alright?" He whispered, shouting. "You are not the only one discovering these anomalies. Hagh! (Fuck my life.)" The moon-crested cat said the last in Spanish. 

Shaun's body remained still as stone while he eyed the sleeping Alice at the booth. 

"Can we please discuss this as human beings?" The moon-crested cat raised a non-existing brow. 

"I don't mean to correct your grammar; do you mean historically?" Shaun chuckled, eyeing the cat whose face didn't break. "It's a Defense mechanism." 

"Of course." The cat lowers the worker to his feet, and the white, smokey mist vanishes from Shaun and the cat. "What's your name, kid?" 

"Uh, Shaun." 

"Shaun. I'm Gabriel." 

"That's a nice name." 

"Thanks, don't flatter me." Gabriel leaps onto the kitchen sink. "I chose to come out because you saw me for who I am. And you seem like the type that would listen to authority." 

"Hmm, maybe." Shaun squinted his eyes. 

"I'm not forcing you to do anything." Gabriel slowly blinked. "You scratched behind my ear, and I scratched yours. It's how the world works. Well, it always has."

"What do you have in mind?" 

"Well, for starters." The moon-crested cat haze's white energy picked up the nearly boiling-over-baken beans. He adjusted the stove's heat with his mind before setting the pot back. "I need to get to Star Gaze. There's something in my apartment." 

"Wait. Wait. Are you talking about the apartment complex? Up on up sec?" 

"Oh." Gabriel purred. "A visitor?" 

"Yes." Shaun shook his head. "I don't want to go into details. Now, what if I said no?" 

"Who can say no to a pretty face?" The moon-crested cat flicked his ears and tilted his head. 

"Don't do that." 

"Do what?" His blue eyes look up at the worker.

"That!" He raised his voice only to snap at the sleeping Alice. "Okay. Fine. Now leave me alone." 

"Thank you. I don't know what I'll do without you." Gabriel rubs his head against Shaun's leg. 

"Hey. Go now." 

"I can't leave without my food, of course." 

"Ugh!" Shaun rolled his eyes. 

----

A car breezes down the night of Himehero, and the bright lights of cars and trucks on the opposite lane seek into the head window. The vehicle slowly comes to the red light. 

"What makes you think that?" A man with glasses waits for the red light while the blue ring around his ear shimmers. 

"Well, I don't know. The way that woman looks at you. It's a clear sign. To change it." 

The man with glasses smiled ear to ear. 

"Akira, Let thing I checked. You were the one who got her number." 

"Because you're such a wet rag." Akira chuckled within the earpiece. "You need all the help you can get. Nami needs a stepmother she can relate to. Do you know the first thing about periods or how to manage them?" 

The man with glasses stared at his driver's wheel with thought. 

"There are tampons. Is it that time of the month?" 

"You know those things can sneak up on you, Hanzo." 

A car honked, causing Hanzo to jump; he saw the green light before taking off. 

The man with glasses checks his jumping phone. 

 Jane

Calling...

"Hey, Akira. I'll see you at work tomorrow." Hanzo voiced with his eyes on the road. "I got a call from our sitter." 

"Of course. See you then, and kiss my sweet Nam Nam for me." Akira said in a baby voice before hanging up. 

"Jane?" Hanzo called. 

"Mr.Castro?" A young female voice entered his earpiece. 

"That's me." 

"I have put Ms.Castro to bed." 

"That's Good." Hanzo cracks a smile. "I really wouldn't know what I'd do without you." 

"Oh! Uh. Would you mind if I stayed the night? My parents are overseas and'll be back the day after." 

"Uh. I don't know." Hanzo turned into a neighborhood. 

"I'll work free tomorrow. My parents know you, and then I'll return to school." 

"Alright. You've been helpful. I'm about to pull up." 

The car rolls into the driveway, facing the white garage door from a few feet away.

"Made dinner." She said sweetly. 

"Thanks." Hanzo hangs up while getting out of the car. 

He heads into a two-floor house. 

"I'm Home, Jane?" Hanzo called under his breath. He hangs his coat on the coat hanger. 

Hanzo paced through his living room, which contained two couches and a television. He headed into his lit kitchen, eyeing a pot on the stove. 

He opens it, getting a whiff of a quick fixer helper.

"Any man will be lucky to have her." Hanzo smiled, fixing himself a bowl. 

He eats it at the table, taking in the quiet atmosphere. Hanzo pulls out his phone before checking his calendar. 

Tomorrow 

Take Nami out for a Driving lesson(Girl's a headache. Don't disappoint.)

He sat his phone down. A few minutes pass before Hanzo heads up the stairs. 

He opens his door, eyeing his king-size bed in the center of the room. The man with glasses sighs in relief before taking off his shirt. 

A click made him snap his head. 

A young lady in a black shirt hangs over her knees while she poses along the door frame. 

"Jane? Is that my shirt?" Hanzo raises a brow. 

"I'm sorry for intruding, Mr.Castro. I couldn't sleep, and my clothes were in the washer." 

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Can I sleep with you?" Jane asked while Hanzo turned back at the slowly approaching young lady. "I mean! It's not like that; just the couch hurt my back."

"It's fine. I'll take the couch." 

"No!" the young lady hugs Hanzo from behind. "I want you here," she says softly. 

"Okay." Hanzo turns back to Jane, separating himself. "What's happening? Is this what I think it's happening?" 

"Hanzo..." Jane looks to the floor, holding onto the end of the hanging shirt. "I'm in love with you." Hanzo's eyes grew as big as his glasses lens. "You're a good man, Hanzo. Ever since Natalia left, I have seen how hard you cared for your daughter. I want to be part of it." She grabs his hands before looking up at him with pleading blue eyes. 

"No, No." Hanzo shakes his head. "You're too young." 

"I'm about to go to college in a year." 

"No!" Hanzo said firmly. "I truly appreciate what you have done. And you will make any man proud, but I'm not the one." 

The father took an extra blanket and a pillow. 

"I'll see you tomorrow." He exits his bedroom without looking back. 

Hanzo took his place on the couch before sighing. 

He places his car keys on the coffee table before getting comfortable. 

He closes his eyes. 

Nami opened her eyes, eyeing the white ceiling. 

She sat up with a grunt. The lime-haired girl noticed her lying in bed in a familiar room. It was her apartment she was squatting in. 

Nami burst into coughs, rubbing her sore throat. She grunts before standing to her feet. 

She paced down the hall, entering the living room. 

"Nami?" Jean looks from the coffee table and at his friend, who remains confused. "Haha! I'm so glad you're okay!" Jean hugs her before giving a wide smile. 

"Water." Nami croaked. 

"Oh, right." He hands her a water bottle, and Nami chugs it before coughing. "Hey. Hey. Slow down." 

"What happened?" 

Jean clenches his fists.

"I failed you." Nami tilts her head. "I shouldn't let my emotions get the better of me." 

"It's not your fault." 

"It is." Jean's hardened eyes stared into Nami, who squinted hers. "If I turned around for even a second earlier, you wouldn't been kidnapped." 

"We would've. Been dead." Nami states while Jean didn't leave her sight. "What happened?" 

"I was persistent in getting you back; I lost all sense of logic. I got Ms.Yugi kidnapped. And I went after her, down in the parking lot. This woman who kidnapped you was going to feed you to a blind spider. And they are not normal." 

Jean heads to the coffee table, digging into his backpack before setting something down. Nami approached it, eyeing the purple transparent seeds. 

"There both were blind. The wandering woman heard as I was puking my guts out. That is how she found us." 

"Where did you get these?" Nami questioned. 

"In their heart. The spider took some time." 

"Wait. You didn't." 

"I killed the spider while Jiro, the janitor, took the woman. I gave it the final blow." 

Nami took a seat and processed what the young adult had to say. She noticed Jean wearing a soccer jersey and black cargo shorts. 

"That was stupid." 

"Huh?"

"You should've let me die." 

"The fuck-" Jean closes his mouth before covering it up with a balled fist. "Don't say that." 

"Of course." Nami gave him a grin before staring at the seeds. "Where are the others?" 

"Ms.Yugi, apartment, you think you can walk?" 

"Yeah." 

Jean stuffs the seeds into his backpack. Nami grabs a snack while the two head out the door. They went down the hall, eyeing the sun and the moist roads. 

"Hey, Nami?" Jean grabs his friend's attention. "You know I'll do it again, right?" 

"Of course you would. That doesn't make you less stupid." She gave him a blank gaze. 

"I'm stupid for you," Jean smirked playfully, shoving Nami aside, who rolled her eyes. 

They entered Yugi's apartment. 

"Whoa. Whoa! You didn't bring that thing?" Jiro called from across the living room, sitting on the couch. 

"I don't have it," Jean answered while the janitor grinned before relaxing. 

 Nami's eyes land on Ms.Yuri, the man with a pencil-hair mustache sitting on the teacher's other side. He lightly waves.

"Nami. Dallas." Jean voiced. "Dallas. Nami." 

"Hey, Nami." Dallas nods. 

Nami only stared, taking in his appearance. 

His bulging arms escaped his white shirt, which outlined his balanced, fit physique. On his head was a blue and white hat with a number eight on it. A scar on his left eyebrow and lip enhances his brawler look. 

Dallas's green eyes remained on Nami before they broke, and he stared at his couch neighbor. 

"Don't worry about her. She's like that with me." Ms.Yugi whispered to Dallas. 

 "Once you get to know her, you won't have anything to worry about." Jean covered for Nami. 

"It's. Fine." Dallas replied. 

"Who are you?" Nami squinted her eyes. 

"Well, he was trapped like you," Jean chuckled, rubbing his neck. "I didn't want to leave the guy hanging." 

Dallas chuckled. 

"Seriously?" He smirked. 

"Well, I like to get to the point." Jiro breaks the convo. "Are we going to do anything related to this apartment building?" 

"Well, I'm hoping I will find my parents," Jean answered. 

"And yet you are here to fetch Amanda's missing boyfriend?" Jiro leans back onto the couch, folding his arms. 

"I thought they could be here and wanted to help Ms.Yugi." 

"What do you have in mind?" Nami questioned Jiro, who tilted his head with squinted eyes. 

"What?" 

"This building." 

"I want to search every inch of this place. We have already blocked every entry." 

"This place?" 

"Well, yeah. It has walls and a parking garage with many vehicles you can choose from if you know how to hot wire. We have a gym, pool, and even plenty of rooms. You see the cages blocking anything itching to fly in here." 

"Why are there cages here?" Jean questioned. 

"It's in the name." Jiro stares the young adult down. "Star Gazing." 

"You think you can manage something as big as this?" Nami joins. 

"Me?" Jiro lay his hand across his chest. 

"I'm thinking about staying." Ms.Yugi adds. "Maybe until my boyfriend returns." 

"I'm sorry. But I hardly doubt it," Dallas says, looking to the floor with a sigh. 

"They are still out there," Jean spoke. "My parents could be with the military." 

"Kid. You need to slow down." Jiro advised. "They could be anything similar, like two burning to crisped down at the garage." 

Jean balled up his fist. Ms.Yugi or Amanda stood from her couch before grasping his hand. 

"You'll find them. And once you do, this place can be a haven for them. For all of us." Amanda rests her hand along Jean's cheek with a smirk. 

"Alright." That is all Jean said. 

"So, what floor is safe?" Dallas turns to Jiro. 

"Uh, the top two floors are. They were still under construction, and I've been there for a few days. That's seven floors in total. " 

"Well." Dallas stood to his feet with a sigh. "It's terrible, but it's faster. We should split up into two groups. Jiro. You with me and Amanda. And you two, because you can handle yourself." He looks at Jean, who gives him a side glance. "Any complaints?" 

Everyone remained silent while Nami's eyes never wavered from Dallas. 

"Cool. Jean and Nami, you can search the other side of this floor and the floors below while we go to the top and break." Dallas claps his hands. 

"If we're making plays, this better not kill me." Jiro comments before standing to his feet. 

---

Jack remained sitting along the container, eying the docks and Hamihero's face; the bright sun fed him lightly. 

A coughed gathered his attention. 

"Argh!" Battered Willam coughs while Jack squats in his line of vision. "Boss?" 

"Can you walk?" Jack's silver eyes remained on William's purple. 

"I think so." He winced. 

"Come on." Jack helps his trainee to his feet. 

He walked him along the dock. 

"You should've gone." William grunt. "I'm slowing you down." 

"Fat chance." They pace along the hall of containers. 

The two reached the open, pacing underneath the container's cranes. 

A hum filled the environment, catching Jack's and Willam's eyes. They scanned their surroundings before taking cover behind one of the legs. 

Jack peeked, seeing a blue car approaching their position. The boss hides behind the crane leg. 

"What is it?" William whispered. 

Jack blew air at his trainee, quieting him. The car hums right past them before driving through the hall of shipping containers from which they last exited. 

"Wait. Here." Jack ordered jogging to the hall of shipping containers. 

He grew close to the end, slowing to a prowl. He peeks from the corner. 

"Damn." A survivor with a katana cursed. "The hell happened here?" 

Jack eyed the three survivors, eyeing the aftermath from their car. 

"Maybe they were shipping damaged machinery." Another state with brace knuckles on both his hands. 

Jack crouch-sprinted to the car, not gaining their attention. He hid behind the passenger side of the vehicle.

"Akira, Moss, I think we should get out here." The third survivor carrying a knife states. 

Jack peeks into the car and sees a Sleeping survivor with a bandage around his eyes. He looks at the steering wheel but does not see the keys. 

"Don't worry; we will, Quinn." Akira, with the katana, said. 

"The hell are you doing?" The bandaged survivor points his gun at Jack, who closes in. The vendetta goes over the boss's shoulder before going off. 

Jack presses his hand along the face of the bandaged survivor. 

"Get off me!!" The survivor shouts before Jack drives the survivor's arm against the back passenger window frame. A crunch followed by a bent arm lay limp along the frame. "AH!" He cried out. 

Jack snapped to the pistol(Vendetta) on the ground. 

"Back up!" He raised his voice aimed at the three survivors that were surrounding the car. 

"Hey. Hey." Akira raised his hands before dropping his katana. 

"You're a fucking prick, you know that!" Moss raised his hands with his fingers remaining within the brace knuckles.

"Oh. God." The bandaged survivor held onto his broken arm, crying in pain. 

"Your keys." The boss ordered. 

"You can't leave us out here!" Akira protest. "Just tell us where you have to go." 

"I'm not riding with an arm-breaking prick!" Moss spits. 

"MOSS!" Akira shouts over his comrade. 

"He will be fine. Please keep him in a sling for three weeks. You don't know what'll happen untreated." Jack adviced. 

"Like that'll help." Moss comments. 

"Sir. Where do you want to go?" Akira questioned while The boss tilted his head. 

"I don't want to kill any of you." The boss squints his eyes. "I need your car." 

"Do what he says." The bandage survivor gets out of the car. "Quinn, give him the damn keys." He winced, holding his arm close to his chest. 

The bandaged survivor stood beside the survivor who dropped his knife. 

Quinn reached into the chest pocket of his black and yellow checkered flannel shirt. The ignition keys rested between his thumb and index finger. 

"I'm going to throw it at you." He hurls it across to him. 

Jack's eyes became glued to the key in a second. 

Akira threw his hand, and a red glowing dragger closed the gap and knocked the vendetta out of Jack's hand. 

"AH!" Moss roared, closing the gap between surprised Jack. "Ragh!" 

Moss throws a punch, and Jack side-stepped before dodging another. 

The boss moves his head from two jabs; Moss delivers a right hook. 

Jack stops the motion with his arm. The boss backhands Moss across his jaw, kicks his inner knee, and delivers a knee into his nose. 

Moss falls onto his back. 

Akira puts Jack in a sleeper hold. 

"Stop!" Akira shouts before getting his toe stomped on by the boss. "Agh!"

The boss leg sweeps Akira, who fell on his back. 

Jack turns to Quinn, holding the gun. 

"He said stop." Quinn held the gun in his hands, licking his lips. His breath shakes. "All you have to do is ask." 

Quinn's body jolts, his eyes widen while blood spills from his mouth. 

He falls onto his face, his back embedded with glass daggers. 

"Quinn!" The bandage survivor dropped to his knees while Akira and Moss stared in shock. "Help! Akira!" He cried. 

"Boss!" William limps towards the group with his hand straight out. 

"No! Let's go." Jack pants before scooping the keys off the ground. 

Jack opens the door to the backseats, eyeing the four backpacks on the seat and floor. He scans through the bags, listening to the sob of the bandaged survivor. 

Food, water, and other things litter within them.

"I'll fucking kill you!" The bandaged survivor cried. "Do you hear me?!" 

"Boss. We gotta go." William acknowledged climbing into the passenger seat. 

Jack throws the bags onto the ground. 

The boss climbed into the driver's seat, starting the car. 

"I'll remember your faces!" Moss stood to his feet with a bloodied nose. "I'll skin you alive!" He slowly approached their car. "Expectly, you tumbleweed fuck!" He slammed his hands onto the vehicle's hood, staring at William while Jack took off between the shipping containers. 

The blue car drifts from the hall of shipping containers, making their escape. 

"You alright, boss?" Willam questioned while Jack remained focused on the path out of the docks. "You got any water or food?" 

"Don't talk." The boss rubs his hand along the steering wheel. 

A few quiet minutes went by until they made it back on the road. 

 "I will tell you something that you need to know." The boss starts, and William stares from the window and at his boss. "I don't kill innocents." 

"Boss, they had a gun trained on you." William starts.

"I could've handled it."

"Boss, you broke a blind guy's arm. Talking was long due. If Due Respect."

Jack grips the wheel, causing his hands to turn red. The trainee sees this and keeps his mouth shut. 

"Where are we going?" William questioned after the long pause. 

"League. Street." Jack answered. "The hell did you do?" 

"Sir?" 

"You put glass into the boy's back. " 

"Oh." Willam looks at his hand. "I don't know. It just happened." He wiggles his fingers. "Usually, if I think like shooting or coating my hand. It happens." 

Wiliam held his hand out the window; the sun beams on it only to reflect from his palm and at Jack's black t-shirt. 

The boss kept his eyes on the road, yet his eyes widened at the display. 

"Were you always like this?" Jack questioned. 

"It's all started doing my shift at one of your territory's hotspots. YT (Yoshi Theater). I was security, and there was hardly a conflict. And there was this kid. He was starting. I saw him trying to calm the panicked customers, only to be flung by a rock. Poor kid." 

William rubs the bridge of his nose. 

"Made it out only to stumble onto a giant; he's bigger than these buildings here." He points to a Drive-in food place called Drake's Nitro. "He was big enough to play with any of these vehicles like some child. He fell, destroying that place, and I got hit by a rock trying to help a couple." William clicks his tongue, shaking his head. 

"You did the right thing." The boss's voice. 

"With due respect, boss. I'd rather get jumped again than hit by that space rock." 

Jack remained quiet. 

...

The blue car drove around vehicles and debris; they slowed to a stop. 

"Road. Block." Willam states while the two eyed the line of stationary vehicles heading to the underpass tunnel. His stomach growls while he grunts. "I wish you would've taken a candy bar, at least." 

"Come on." Jack gets out, showing an outline of a tattoo escaping from his black t-shirt. 

The boss and trainee made their way through the rows of vehicles. Some left their doors open, while others remained packed with suitcases. 

They stopped eyeing the light abyss of the tunnel. 

"Do you wanna hit some of these vehicles before heading in?" William looks at his boss, whose eyes never left the tunnel. 

"Let me know what you may find." 

"Alrighty, Captain." The trainee went his own way while the boss went his. 

Jack went to the first vehicle. He looked around the empty car before opening the glove compartment containing papers and other useless junk. He popped the trunk—empty. 

The boss closes it shut. A second vehicle is up for inspection. 

A suitcase lay on the floor of the minivan's backseat. Jack sat the case on the backseat before opening it. Folded clothes littered the interior. He moved them around, finding sand-tan cargo pants and a black flannel shirt with blue flowers scattered everywhere. 

He loses his shorts and puts on the clothes. 

Jack eyed the minivan window, checking his new fit. 

"Boss?" William called, getting Jack's attention. "What size do you wear?" 

"About nine and a half." 

"Okay." Wiliam reached into the trunk of his fourth car. "I got sports shoes and Dress shoes. Pick your poison." 

"Sports." Jack said without hesitation. 

William raced to his boss's side, passing him the shoes. They were leather grey and adorned with a symbol of a tree with its branches and bushes above the tip. 

He tries them on, making them a perfect fit. 

"I was expecting you to choose. The dress shoes." William comments while Jack looks up at him. "Just forget I say anything." He went on his way while Jack went his. 

...

"Okay. I have a flare, a backpack, a pocket knife, and clothes to get out of. 

William loses his dress suit and now wears blue jeans, a white hoodie, and blood-red sneakers. 

Jack stared at his inventory, including a tire iron, three candy bars, and two water bottles. 

"William." Jack called, getting the trainee's attention. "Put these in your bag." 

"Righto." He stuffs them in his backpack. "You sure don't want it, sir?"

"I'm fine." The boss stuffs a candy bar in his pocket. "Let's go." 

William slings his backpack onto his back, following his boss into the underpass tunnel.