Chapter Number 191 - Debt

"Which one of you is going to become my hostage?"

There was a moment of confusion.

A brief time in which neither Shane nor Gordon nor Stella could comprehend the implications of such a statement.

Perhaps they should have predicted it.

Perhaps they should have known better.

But how could they have possibly known such a thing?

It was only a moment, however - for within the next instant, Shane immediately grabbed the gun at his side, drawing it without hesitation as he fired off a shot.

Bang!

"Be careful. You might hurt someone with that."

Yet as if he had predicted this exact reaction, the man seemed to dodge a bullet right in front of Shane's very eyes.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Firing off three more shots, Shane could barely control the weapon in his hands, the recoil making him all the more unstable with every bullet he fired.

His hands trembled as he lowered the weapon, yet the recoil alone was not the only thing that made the boy tremble - for this man had read the trajectory of each and every shot he had taken.

And dodged it.

"My power is not a physical one. It is one that affects people's minds. In that sense, I may find myself in quite the predicament against people whose powers give them physical abilities."

As the man said this, he appeared before Shane, grabbing the weapon as he ripped it from the hands of the boy.

"But that doesn't mean I would LOSE to anyone."

Removing the magazine from the weapon, the man dumped out the remaining bullets, pocketing them before handing the weapon back.

Placing it right into the hands of the shaking child, the boy could do nothing more than watch as this man made a mockery of his very existence.

Yet even with this, the man merely stepped back, taking a seat once more - and as he took that seat, so too did he take control of that entire room.

No longer was there a mutual agreement.

No more was the boy who had just fired upon him a person that could be considered his equal.

"So in the end... my existence is just that irritating - that even a boy would be transformed into a murderer."

He muttered this statement with a grin, not disturbed in the least by the series of events that had just transpired.

"Or perhaps you already were one."

No - it was as if he had intended for such a thing.

'This man...'

And as he smiled upon the boy, Shane came to a realization that caused his shivering to increase, and dread spread through his body unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Not even when faced with an invincible monster.

This was a man.

A man, just like Marcus.

And yet despite that - he was far more terrifying than even the monster that was experiment Number Seven.

'Has been pulling the strings from the moment I stepped into this room.'

----

The guards at the entrance should have rushed inside - yet not a single person did so.

This terrifying fact only further confirmed Shane's suspicions of this man.

'He knew... he knew...'

Shane had lost his temper in a sudden bout of madness.

The moment this man had threatened to take one of the three as a hostage, there was an immediate urge that overcame him in that instant - the urge to protect.

He had failed to protect his sister once before, and she had become a monster.

He had failed to protect her again, and she had been taken away by a monster.

And now - the monster before him threatened to take another person from him.

He wanted to kill him.

He wanted to stop him.

Yet even with a firearm - even with this weapon that should turn a child into a formidable opponent - he was still powerless before this man.

His shots did not hit. It was as if the man knew exactly where he would fire, and was able to so casually evade the path of the bullets.

'This is the difference... between an adult and a child.'

"Have you calmed down? I'd prefer to speak with someone who has maintained their reason."

"How can I remain reasonable when you've just made such a ridiculous demand?"

Speaking in a whisper, Shane spit these words as he desperately suppressed his own emotions.

"Take one of us hostage? What... what do you think we are? Tools? Slaves? Pawns?"

Glancing up with hatred in his eyes, the boy could not hide his fury.

"I won't accept any of that."

"Excellent."

With a smile, the man seemed to become all the more satisfied - a fact that only furthered the disgust that spread throughout the mind of the boy.

"You - you won't make for a good hostage at all. It will have to be one of the other two."

"Why?"

Speaking with veins in his forehead, Shane could do nothing more than question the man, who held everything in the palm of his hands.

This room. This place. These people. He controlled everything - and escape was not an option.

Fighting was futile. Running was impossible. So instead, he grit his teeth and awaited the unreasonable judgment that he was about to be handed.

"Shane, my boy... take this as a lesson. There are all types of people in this world."

Standing up, the man headed over to the window as he spoke in a somber tone, glancing out of it as he slightly pulled back a blind.

"Those who are full of energy... those who are dull and dreary... those who are popular, and those who are hated... those who are kind, and those who are cruel... those who are ruthless... and those who are forgiving."

Taking a deep breath, the man continued to stare out the window as a light drizzle began to pitter and patter as it hit the glass.

"Those who are smart, and those who are stupid. Those who are hotheaded, and those who are patient. Those who are powerful... and those who are weak."

Turning around, the man gazed upon Shane with a judgemental stare.

"Every man and woman in this world holds a use - if only they are placed into the hands of the right mastermind."

Pointing to the timid boy, the man shifted his focus to Gordon.

"You will be my messenger."

"Eh?"

As the man said such a strange thing, Gordon could do nothing more than let out a confused sound - to which the man nodded in confirmation.

"That boy... his anger and rage are too great. He poses too much of a risk to me. I need someone fearful - someone who is cowardly for this job."

Turning to the girl, the man now pointed to Stella.

"You will be my hostage."

"W-wait just a minute..."

"No."

The girl tried to protest in a weak tone as the man made such a declaration, yet he immediately prevented her from so much as responding.

"It's fitting, is it not? The princess is always the one to be captured, and the hero must step up to save her. Yet in this case, the hero is a cowardly boy who has no real means of saving her."

"And what does that make me?"

Interrupting the man, Shane couldn't bear to be ignored any longer.

The way he selfishly decided things, the way he could just place roles on his two comrades - it irritated him beyond all belief.

Yet the most irritating thing of all was his inability to deny such notions.

"You... haha... quite the attention seeker, I see."

Heading over to the boy, Donovan bore down upon him with a wretched grin.

"You just can't accept when something isn't about you."

"That isn't-"

"Oh, but it is. You may deny it. You may reject it. But deep down, when you look into your heart - can you truly tell me that I'm wrong?"

As if a demon was wrapping his hand around Shane's heart, he felt as if he was suffocating.

"You want to save yourself. You want to do what's good for yourself. But if you do that, you won't be able to beat me. You'll lose. By abandoning these two, you'll admit that someone is more powerful than you - and you don't want that."

With a snide chuckle, the man's laughter pierced at the very soul of the boy.

"You're quite the egotistical maniac, aren't you?"

"I didn't... I don't..."

Tears formed in the eyes of the boy, who couldn't take the abuse any longer.

"That..."

Yet as he began to stutter, his ability to form words decreased as every statement was caught in his throat.

"You're no greater than anyone else - at the end of the day, all you want is the satisfaction that you're on top of anyone who lets you stand upon them."

With the click of his tongue, the man lectured the boy in a condescending manner.

"But that too... has its use."

Turning to the woman, the man snapped his fingers, at which she immediately nodded, heading over to a cabinet before pulling out a crate.

"Here are some weapons. There is plenty of ammunition. Plenty of supply. I'll have you obtain food, medical supplies, whatever it takes to improve the lives of the survivors that I've reassured."

"Why would I do that?"

Spitting these words, Shane couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Why?"

Tapping his chin, the man closed his eyes as he entered a state of thought.

"I suppose a hostage won't work on this one then. Very well. Bailey."

"Understood."

It was only an instant - yet in that single moment, the woman moved faster than the eye could see.

Whipping out a pistol, a couple of shots were fired, and just as quickly as she had done so, the pistol was returned to its location at her side.

Bang! Bang!

"AGH!!!!!! AGH!!!! AHHHHH!!!!"

And falling to the floor, a girl grabbed her leg as she screamed in pain.

"AGH!!!!!"

Her screeches were ear piercing, only further emphasizing the immense suffering that she was enduring as she hobbled on the floor.

"Why.... why would you do that?"

And as the two boys were frozen in place at the sudden attack, Gordon could only whisper these words as tears filled his eyes.

"S-Stella..."

He considered bending down to help her, but as she screamed and rolled he couldn't even summon the courage to do such a thing.

At that moment, Shane fell to his knees.

"No...."

He whispered these words, denying the very reality before him.

"No.... no... no no no..."

He grabbed his hair, pulling it from his head as he watched the girl, whose blood now covered the floor.

"Help her... help her!!!"

And then, he shouted out this demand to the very man who had caused her such pain.

"Help... her..."

And soon, his shouts turned to squeals as he looked up to witness the cold expression of the man.

"I will, of course, help her."

Snapping his finger, the man beckoned another wordless order as the woman by his side bent down, picking up the girl who was holding her foot in agony.

"Ngh... ngh..."

Biting her lip, Stella couldn't even react as she was picked up - barely even able to halt the screaming as tears and blood flowed.

"However, if I am to help her - then you must acknowledge that you owe me a DEBT."

As the woman headed off with the girl to treat her, Shane was presented with these heartless words - ones that he could not deny nor rebuke.

"And a debt... must be repaid."

----

"This entire time... how long have you been doing this to people?"

His eyes were glued to the floor.

He didn't lift his head, keeping it low as he refused to even look at the man whom he spoke to.

"Those survivors... they are the ones who trust you - and they've ended up like that. So is this what has happened to anyone who doesn't trust you?"

Biting his lip, blood slid down the boy's mouth as his teeth penetrated his flesh.

"You manipulate them, threaten them, use their loved ones as hostages, play with their hearts - and then you use those people to sustain the paradise you've created for the sheep who have trusted you without so much as a second thought?"

"A business needs finances to survive. Laborers will always be necessary."

As Donovan responded with these cold words, Shane had no more to say.

"How long... no, I suppose I shouldn't even ask."

Looking up with a somber expression, the boy grit his teeth as he accepted his position.

"You expect me to work for you until I die - right?"

"I would prefer that you didn't die, if that means anything. The longer you live, the more good you can do for us."

"You won't hurt the girl so long as I'm working for you... is that correct? You'll protect her, you'll make sure that she is given the medical attention she needs... and in exchange, I'll follow your orders. Is that the deal?"

"You understand the situation strangely well for a mere boy."

"I want to be able to confirm that with my own eyes. If I don't get to see her every once in a while to make sure, I won't agree peacefully."

"I can accept that condition. I don't have any intention of killing off hostages - particularly when they hold use."

"What... what do you need me to do?"

Speaking up now, Gordon could no longer remain silent.

Shane had agreed to the man's conditions - the man who had checkmated them both with a brutal display of violence and threats.

But what was Gordon to do?

"That's right. You will be my messenger. I will send you back to those two - Marcus and Sylvia. You are to confirm their abilities, and the abilities of those around them - and return back to me."

"Abilities..."

Gordon muttered to himself, in shock at having such an immense task placed upon him.

"I don't need to remind you what will happen to the girl if you don't obtain the information I desire. You have until they arrive at this place."

"Until they arrive?"

It was a strange time limit.

Looking up to the man, Gordon gulped as he questioned the order.

"Yes. I don't particularly care if you tell them that your friend has been kidnapped, or if you ask them to come here and save her. Feel free to do so. But in the case that they arrive before I've been given the information, then I will slay the girl without hesitation."

Standing above the boy, the man looked down with a disgusted expression.

"Is that understood?"

"I... I understand."

With a nod, the boy agreed to such strange demands.

Of course, he didn't have a choice.

What else would he do? His friend was in danger. Going against this man would only invite more danger for her.

If he abandoned her, surely he could escape on his own - but such a thing would be at the cost of his soul.

'I'll... never abandon her.'

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Gordon decided then and there.

'I finally... found someone that I can relate with. Someone that I can speak with. Someone... that doesn't despise me.'

Even this cowardly boy was able to find some courage in this torrent of madness.

'And I won't abandon her so easily.'

"That's a good light in your eyes. I see that you're determined to protect her. You have no idea how you'll do it, or what you should do - but that doesn't matter. You're not going to run this time, are you?"

Yet even as Gordon had decided on such a thing, the man continued to speak as if he could read his mind.

"Don't run. Do as I say... and she will live. As for the others... well, they can protect themselves - can't they?"

The man's words were devilish, but he was correct.

Marcus and Sylvia could protect themselves - far better than Gordon or Shane or Stella ever could do so.

'Even if I reveal their abilities... Stella's life is more important.'

And with this, a traitor was born.

----

"Where... where are you taking me?"

With tears in her eyes, it took every semblance of her being for Stella to stifle the roaring pain in her foot.

"To get you treated. Didn't you hear the Young Master?"

The woman who carried her responded in such a straightforward manner, not concerned in the slightest for the wounded girl in her arms - only focused on fulfilling her orders.

"Treated? You just... he just shot me, and you're taking me to be treated? Why did you shoot me in the first place!? Ngh!"

Whimpering in pain as she questioned the strange actions of the man, Stella couldn't accept the situation.

"He has his reasons - but the first is to show those two boys that he won't hesitate to do so."

As the woman reached a particular room, she entered without knocking, at which Stella was presented with what appeared to be a miniature patients ward.

It was equipped full with a bed and medical equipment, and the woman laid Stella down upon the bed in a rough manner.

"Stay here. Blood is dripping everywhere, so you might want to do something about that."

"Do something!? You're the one who said you would treat me! What can I even do!?"

"Ah, whatever. I'll just have to call him."

Heading out of the room, the woman closed the door as Stella was left alone.

"Hey... wait just a minute..."

As she sat there in that bed, Stella felt her body weakening.

Blood dripped from her leg, which hadn't even been bandaged. Each passing moment, she felt herself become more and more exhausted as her eyelids dropped.

"This isn't... this isn't how I'm supposed to die... not like this... not here in this room... bleeding out... no... no..."

A cold chill rushed across her spine as the reality of death set in.

"Is this... is this how Marcus and Sylvia felt? Is this... how they felt every single time?"

It was a horrible sensation.

The fear was so overwhelming that she felt her stomach curl, and her skin began to boil and freeze at the same time.

"Stop it... stop it... I don't... I can't..."

"You cannot die here. Is that what you wish to believe?"

Suddenly, the door burst open, and an older man entered the room.

He carried himself calmly, walking over to the girl without a moment of hesitation. He didn't appear to have any hostility towards her, but neither did he seem to show any sympathy.

"You've somehow gotten the idea into your head that you're so important that someone would care if your life were to flicker out."

As the man took a seat at a swiveling chair, he took the demeanor of a doctor - though he did not wear any sort of labcoat.

Rather, he wore a suit with a fedora atop his head - and he gave off the appearance of a gangster more than anything.

The strap at his side only confirmed this suspicion.

"What are you... going to do?", Stella asked weakly, tears dripping from her eyes onto the pillow that she laid her heavy head upon.

"I'm going to remove this."

And with these words, the man placed his hand upon the pierced foot of the girl.

"Remove... the bullets?"

"Wrong."

As the man pulled his hand away, the pain subsided.

Whether it was because her body had gone numb, even Stella did not know.

'It... doesn't hurt anymore...'

In the exhaustion, Stella found her eyes become too heavy to keep them open any longer, at which she shut them - and the world around her became dark.

"The wound itself."

These were the final words that she heard before she fell asleep on that table.

----

[Volume 6 Epilogue]

"Ahh... there is certainly nothing like a fresh cup of tea after a long day."

"Indeed, I cannot disagree. Though this one over here... well, her taste is a bit unrefined, don't you think?"

"Unrefined? Don't say that. Just because I don't drink tea doesn't mean I'm unrefined. I've gotta drink lots of water to stay fit. Tea is just extra sugar."

"What exactly do you need to remain fit for? It's not like there are any sports competitions in this world, and you certainly don't need to be out fighting the undead - of course, all thanks to Sir Donovan."

William, Margaret, and Josephine sat around a coffee table, two of the three sipping from the tea that had been prepared for them, while the other settled for a glass of water.

The very existence of purified water in this world was not a common occurrence, so even these things could be considered luxury.

"Well, you know... if the world ever picks up again, I could start playing soccer like the old days. I'm sure we would have some use for entertainment if the world was built up again."

"Oh... I see. Indeed, that would be quite amusing."

William nodded in agreement to the statement of the sporty girl, who kept a cheerful expression that was filled with hope.

"Ah... I haven't seen those three since earlier today. What do you think of them?"

Changing the topic, the noblewoman leaned forward as she spoke with interest.

"Ah... those three. Well, they seemed like they might have been quite troublesome. Perhaps someone already reported their behavior to Sir Donovan."

"I wouldn't be surprised. They seemed to think a bit too much."

"Indeed. Nothing good has ever come of questioning beyond one's authority."

The three all seemed to come to an agreement on this, nodding to themselves as they casually discussed such disturbing things.

"What do you suppose we should do tomorrow?"

"A good question... I'm not quite sure. I suppose we'll give it some consideration."

These three were not the only ones present. They were surrounded by numerous other groups of people, all who held similar conversations.

As if their entire livelihood remained within this common room, the people present here didn't leave, except to sleep, bathe, dress themselves, and do any other basic tasks.

As such, the room was constantly filled with all sorts of survivors - though the room was far larger than the number of people present.

"Would you all like to play some cards, perhaps?"

"Oh! That sounds fun. Let's do it."

"Why not."

As William whipped out a deck from his coat pocket and began to shuffle, the sound of an opening door stole the attention of all present.

All eyes turned to the door and all conversation was silenced, and each and every person immediately stood up as they recognized just who had entered through the door.

"Sir Donovan."

Straightening themselves like soldiers, the men and women took submissive stances as the man strode through the room, making eye contact with each and every person who seemed to shrink in awe at his gaze.

"Good evening, everyone. I see that you are all still awake, even at this hour."

With a charming smile that swooned men and women alike, the man made his way through the crowd as the respect for him only deepened.

"That's quite diligent of everyone here. I hope you all have been enjoying yourselves? Your lives here... are they satisfactory?"

Taking an expression of concern, the man looked to the people for an answer, at which a few immediately spoke up.

"Sir Donovan, there's nothing that we could want here."

"You've provided us with everything that we could possibly need or ask for."

"It's beyond satisfactory. You've gone above and beyond to give us a quality of life that exceeds what we had in the previous world."

Words of gratitude poured in, at which the face of the man lightened up while he fixed his tie.

"Is that so!? I'm so happy to hear that. You've all been living here for a couple weeks now, so I wanted to confirm that you were enjoying yourselves."

Suddenly, however, the man's expression shifted - and with it, so too did the entire room.

"However... free trials always have to end."

And with this statement, confusion and shock spread through the room.

The survivors, who had been blissfully relaxing just moments before, now looked to one another, completely unable to understand the words that they had just been told.

Not a single person spoke - for this was how great the confusion was.

"I did indeed say that everything would be free. And without a doubt, everything HAS been free. But you must understand that nothing can be provided for free forever."

As the man's words became cold, fear spread through the crowd as their peace of mind was stripped from them, yet not a single person understood how to properly respond to such an assertion.

"So, as unfortunate as it is, I will have to make a bit of a policy change. Your lifestyles that you've become accustomed to... well, I'm going to have to start charging for it in labor or supplies."

And with this bombshell, the man turned around as he took his leave.

Not a single person said a word as he calmly walked through the room, the sound of his footsteps being the only thing that resounded in that place.

No protests were held. No shouts of denial or rejection were made.

Yet as that man left the room, he exited with one final statement.

"Rent is due at the end of the month."

[Volume 6: End]