The Dead Among Us

58. Baby dragon

 Jon storms up the creaky wooden stairs, his heavy footsteps echoing through the quiet house. Pedro follows closely behind, his breath quickening with each step.

 As they reach the top, Jon flings open the bedroom door with such force that it bangs against the wall, startling Kenji, who's sitting on the edge of the bed.

Kenji, his eyes wide with surprise and fear, leaps to his feet at their sudden and fierce entrance. His heart races as Jon advances toward him, causing him to instinctively back away until he finds himself cornered against the cold wall.

Jon's face is twisted in anger as he instantly shouts with a pointed finger, "Why the fuck would you say that to her?!"

"Say what?!" Kenji protests.

"That she was gonna disappear like Bri?! What the hell's wrong with you?! Are you tryna scare her?!" Jon's accusation echoes through the room, filling the air with tension.

"YES!" Kenji screams, holding his ground and his hands curled in fists at his side.

Jon drives forward, and Kenji jumps atop his bed to flee his father's wrath when Pedro interferes. He stands between them, his hands pressed against Jon's chest.

"Calm down!" he snarls, then looks to Kenji. "Why?!"

Kenji hesitates before admitting in a shaky voice, "Because she's scaring me!"

"How?!"

"By... by antagonizing Disciple Craig. He could have us... kicked out of here... Then what, Dad? How are we gonna survive the devils AND bandits? All because Benji has anger issues?"

"—She's ELEVEN!" Jon growls over Pedro's head. "How the fuck is she gonna antagonize a grown man! And if she is acting up in school, why have I not heard about it?!"

Kenji rolls his eyes, smacking his hands against his thighs, "When she broke the stage for starters, Dad! She was targeting Disciple Craig!"

Jon retaliates, "She was dealt with!... So what are you saying? That she's still acting up?!"

"No, but she still believes Disciple Craig is out to get me, and I was scared she was gonna try something again! So I told her to stop before she did something stupid!"

Pedro interrupts, "That still doesn't explain why she thinks you know something about Bri."

"Papi, I swear," Kenji reasons, clasping his hands together to show his sincerity, tears springing to his eyes. "I never said that I know what happened to Bri. She misunderstands what I implied... You have to believe me."

Jon, with a leveler head, makes his way around Pedro once his guard is down. He strides towards Kenji, still standing on the bed and not scurrying away this time, even with his father pointing an accusatory finger at him.

Jon orders, in a lethal tone that brooks no debate, "If your sister is plotting something, you tell me." His word is punctuated by him pointing at himself. "Don't try to save her hide by telling her lies or things to freak her out! Am I understood?!"

"Yes," Kenji mumbles.

"—Yes, what?!" Jon demands. 

"Sir... yes, sir..."

Once Jon hears what he wants to hear, he storms out of the room, leaving Kenji and Pedro alone in the tense atmosphere.

*** 

Manny's POV

Jon is shouting upstairs about Ben, and I can feel her stiff up in my arms with every syllable.