The past is the past, don't let it get to you

T

Kuroo's pov

"We called them demons," I continued, my voice low, "such a generic name, but they used to feed off humans. Well, a few of them don't eat humans, but most of them do. We usually call them demon types based on their intelligence and how human-like they appear. The one we saw... standing on its hind legs like that... that's a bad sign. It means it's likely one of the higher-ranking demons, the ones with more intelligence."

The van fell silent. The only sound was the hum of the engine and the occasional passing car. I could feel their gazes on me, a mixture of disbelief and dawning horror.

"Feed off humans?" Lev whispered, his voice trembling slightly.

I nodded grimly. "Where I come from, there were farms... human farms. We were raised like livestock."

A collective gasp filled the van. Yaku's eyes, wide with shock, finally met mine. "Human farms...? Kuroo, are you serious?"

I swallowed hard, the memories flooded back. The idyllic facade of the Grace Field House, the false sense of security, the horrifying truth revealed to Emma on Connie's birthday and death.

"It's the truth," I said, my voice flat. "Does someone have a wipe... a makeup wipe specifically?" Yaku nodes his head and handed me a wipe. I wipe my neck, "This tattoo... isn't a bad example parenting.. well kind-of. They're tracking numbers. Everyone in my... Village, were all branded to be sold to demons for food."

I could see the color draining from their faces. Even Kenma, usually so composed, looked pale and shaken.

"But... how did you escape?" Kai asked, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

"We had help," I said, thinking of Emma, Norman, and the others. "A few of us figured out the truth. We planned an escape. It wasn't easy. We lost a lot of people." My voice cracked slightly at the memory of the younger ones who didn't make it.

"And these... demons... they followed you here?" Yamamoto asked, his bravado completely gone.

".... I don't know" I lied, a knot of fear tightening in my chest. Kenma his eyes at me. "I hoped we left them behind. I haven't seen one since we escaped. But seeing that one... it means they might have found a way to get here."

"But... why? Why would they follow you all this way?" Fukunaga asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"....Their main food source is gone, I think" I explained. "A large-scale escape like ours... it would be a huge loss for them. They might be looking for survivors... or maybe they found a new way to hunt here. But they had other villages that they preyed on, around 5 more."

The silence in the van was heavy with unspoken fear. The carefree atmosphere from our shopping trip was completely shattered, replaced by a chilling sense of dread.

Yaku finally spoke, his voice surprisingly steady. "So, what do we do?"

I looked at each of them, their faces etched with concern and a hint of fear. Despite the shock of what they had just learned, I saw a flicker of determination in their eyes.

"First," I said, taking a deep breath, "we need to get home. Y'all need to process this full before you guys do anything drastic. Then... then we figure out what we're dealing with truly, We need to protect each other. I need to tell the others."

Kai nodded firmly. "Right. McDonald's it is. Then we go home."

As we drove in silence, the golden arches of McDonald's eventually came into view. The familiar sight offered a small sense of normalcy in the face of the terrifying revelation. But the image of the creature standing on its hind legs, its eyes glinting in the twilight, was burned into my mind. We weren't safe. Not anymore. And I knew, with a chilling certainty, that i just change their life. I didn't want that to happen.