The group shared a laugh, the tension of their little competition fading as they focused on enjoying the al. Scarlett took a mont to observe them.
For a brief, fleeting mont, the weight of the apocalypse seed lighter.
But, of course, it didn’t last.
"Anyways," Ryder suddenly spoke up, his voice hesitant yet laced with uncertainty. "Do you think Garvin and the others are dead?"
The question dropped like a bomb, wiping the last traces of amusent from everyone’s faces. The mood, once light, now turned heavy.
Ryder let out a slow breath, his expression clouded with worry. "I an... we’ve been clearing out zones, searching, but we haven’t seen them. Not even a trace. I can’t help but think that they’re dead."
Silence followed, thick and suffocating.
"Oh, co on," Ethan snapped, running a hand down his face in frustration. "We all know that, but we were finally having a damn al trying, for once, to forget about the whole apocalypse and you just had to ruin it."
Despite Ethan’s outburst, Kato let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "Ryder’s right, though."
Ethan turned his glare toward Kato. "Yeah, yeah. Easy for you to agree. You don’t eat normal human food anymore, so watching us eat probably annoys you." He rolled his eyes. "Maybe that’s why you’re happy to switch back to doom and gloom mode."
Kato, unfazed by Ethan’s sarcasm, ignored him completely and turned to Scarlett.
"Do you think we should explore the monster zones?" His voice was calm but firm. "You and I both know what that ans. These two don’t."
Scarlett didn’t hesitate. "They’re not there," she said with certainty, exhaling as she ran a hand through her hair.
’If they were, then I’d be dead. Garvin would be dead.’ She clenched her jaw at the thought before eting Kato’s gaze again.
"Maybe Ryder is right," she finally admitted, her voice quieter but unwavering. The weight of her words sent a visible shock through Ryder and Ethan.
Ethan stiffened while Ryder’s expression darkened.
Scarlett took a slow breath before explaining. "I can’t sense Hunter anymore. He was an S-ranked survivor. If he’s gone, then there’s no doubt the others didn’t make it. They were just normal survivors, no powers, no enhanced abilities. If Hunter couldn’t make it, they wouldn’t have stood a chance."
"Fuck it!" Ryder hissed, slamming his fist against the stone-like table. The impact was brutal, his knuckles splitting open, blood trickling down his hand. But he didn’t flinch.
"If only that stupid bastard Larry hadn’t opened that monster cage..." His voice trembled with barely contained rage. "Then everyone would still be alive by the ti you and Kato got back!"
Ethan, his earlier frustration gone, let out a heavy sigh. His usual sharpness had dulled into quiet sorrow.
"The deed is done," he murmured, his voice thick with restrained emotion. "There’s no point in blaming soone who’s already dead." He paused, his throat working as if swallowing back sothing painful. "Larry paid for his actions. Maya made sure of that."
For a long mont, no one spoke.
Then, the soft cries of Hope echoed through the silence.
Scarlett imdiately pushed up from her seat, her instincts kicking in. Without a second thought, she made her way toward the building where the little girl had been resting.
Kato followed her, his silent presence right behind her.
anwhile, Ethan and Ryder stayed behind, both lost in their emotions.
Scarlett moved quickly, stepping into the dimly lit room where Hope lay curled up in a makeshift bed. The little girl’s face was scrunched in distress, her tiny body trembling as she whimpered in her sleep.
"I’m sorry, sweetheart," Scarlett murmured as she gently picked Hope up, cradling her against her chest.
As she turned to go back outside, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with Kato.
She frowned. "What’s wrong?" she asked, her eyebrows arching in curiosity.
"I just want to talk to you," Kato said, brushing past Scarlett as he walked into the room. Without another word, he settled onto her bed. "Let’s take care of the kid first. I’ll help you, and then we’ll talk."
Scarlett gave him a brief nod and walked over to the bed, gently laying Hope down before beginning to undress her.
anwhile, Kato prepared the bathwater, adding soap and setting a sponge beside it. Scarlett picked up the baby and carefully bathed her, making sure she was comfortable and warm. Once she was done, she rubbed Hope’s small body with lotion before dressing her in a pair of soft pants and a blue top.
By the ti Scarlett finished, Kato had already prepared the baby’s bottle. She took it from him and settled down to feed Hope, watching as the infant’s tiny fingers curled around hers.
"So," Scarlett finally spoke, glancing at Kato. "What did you want to talk about?"
Kato smiled. "Finish feeding her first."
Scarlett sighed but didn’t argue. Soon enough, Hope finished her bottle, and Scarlett gently held her against her shoulder, patting her back until she let out a tiny burp. A few minutes later, she was fast asleep. Scarlett carefully laid her down, making sure she was comfortable before turning back to Kato.
"I’m done," she said, exhaling. "Now, what’s the issue?"
A tense silence followed.
Kato remained quiet, his gaze fixed intently on Scarlett’s face. The way he stared made her shift uncomfortably. Instinctively, she raised a hand to her cheek, checking if there was sothing on her face.
"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is there sothing funny on my face?"
"Yeah," Kato murmured. "I’ll help you."
Before Scarlett could question him further, Kato lifted a hand to her face, slowly leaning in.
His lips were barely inches away when Scarlett pulled back imdiately.
Her eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you doing?"
Kato didn’t hesitate. "I want to kiss you."
Scarlett’s brows furrowed in disbelief. "You what?"
"I want to kiss you so bad." Kato leaned in again, only to be stopped this ti with a sharp slap across his cheek.
The sound echoed through the room.
"Have you lost your damn mind?" Scarlett snapped, standing abruptly from the bed. "This was the ’important’ discussion you had for ? What nonsense!" She turned toward the door, ready to leave, but before she could reach for the handle, Kato moved swiftly, closing the space between them.
His hands slamd against the wall on either side of her, trapping her between his arms.
Scarlett scoffed. "Have you completely lost it?"
"Yes, I have," Kato admitted without hesitation, his voice dangerously low. His gaze burned into hers. "I’ve been crazy since the day I t you."
Scarlett’s patience snapped. "Take your hands away," she warned, gripping his wrist. "I don’t want to hurt you."
Kato didn’t budge. "You won’t."
Scarlett’s eyes darkened, her patience long gone. "Seems like you’ve got a death wish."
Within seconds, her eyes turned a deep crimson, and without warning, she shoved him away with brutal force.
Kato crashed against the wall with a sickening impact, causing bricks to collapse around him. Dust filled the air as he slumped to the ground, coughing violently. Blood dripped from his lips as he struggled to push himself up.
Scarlett’s anger cooled just slightly as she watched him. "Did I kill him?"
"Kato?" she called hesitantly, a flicker of concern flashing across her face.
Kato wiped the blood from his mouth, his lips curving into a weak smirk. "I was right," he muttered. "You’re far stronger than . I don’t stand a chance against you."
"Then don’t test my patience," Scarlett snapped, turning to leave.
But Kato’s next words made her freeze.
"I know where Garvin is."
Scarlett’s breath hitched, her hands clenching into fists as she slowly turned to face him.
"You love him, isn’t it?" Kato continued, wiping more blood from his lips. "And I know you know he’s not dead. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be this calm. You would have torn the world apart looking for him." He let out a ragged chuckle. "I’ve seen you get scared before when Garvin was on the brink of death. You looked like you were about to die, too. Which makes think... there’s sothing going on. Sothing only an SSS-rank like you would understand."
Scarlett didn’t respond to his accusations. Instead, her voice was cold, sharp. "What do you an you know where Garvin is?"
Kato smirked, pushing himself up slightly. "He’s in an organization."
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed. "Victor’s organization?"
"No," Kato shook his head. "Not his."
Scarlett took a slow, asured breath. "Then whose? And how do you know this?"
"You think this is a trick?" Kato’s smirk widened slightly. "I have a spy inside that organization. Soone who keeps updated on their boss’s movents."
Scarlett’s skepticism remained. "And why would you have a spy there?"
"Because I used to be like Victor," Kato admitted, his voice eerily calm. "Before I t you, I didn’t care about human lives. I had my own plans. My own ambitions. I had allies with people like Victor who wanted to shape the world in their image." His eyes darkened. "Even though I’ve changed, my old connections still exist. And my spy told Garvin is alive. He’s there."
Scarlett’s pulse quickened. Is he telling the truth?
Instinctively, she reached out to the system within her mind.
Ding!
{I cannot access the mind of an SS-rank whose goals differ from the system. While he claims to no longer share Victor’s ambitions, the fact remains, he is half-human, half-monster. His motives remain uncertain. Proceed with caution.}
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed at the response.
Before she could process it further, Kato added sothing else, sothing that sent a jolt of shock through her entire being.
"And not only is Garvin in that organization..." Kato paused, letting his words sink in. "But a young boy nad Jaden is there too."
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