The New Ajin

Chapter Fourteenth

We're in the ambulance.

I told the medics that my injuries were not as severe as his and to focus on him.

Kou didn't look so good. Since he was shot with the tranquilizer, he had passed out some time ago. The medics connected him with that machine that checks pulses.

"He's lost so much blood," one of them said.

I've lost so much blood as well. My vision is full of black splotches and I can't focus my eye sight anymore. I'm tired. So, so tired. I just want to close my eyes and go to sleep.

The last thing i see is Kou's lines going straight and I hear the solid beep of the machine.

Kou just died.

My eyes flutter close.

I died.

When I open my eyes again, Kou is the first thing I see.

He is shaking me and I see his mouth forming words but I don't hear anything.

"-go! We need to go!" I finally hear his voice. I stand up and grab my bag from the floor next to me.

We are still in the ambulance but the doors are wide open. We jump out and start running.

Nothing hurts anymore. I look at my hand and the black partials are swirling around my fingers.

We hid in an alley between two buildings to catch our breath.

"Damn it! We had the advantage while we were unknown," he is bent over with his hands resting on his knees.

"I know," I shake my head.

"Remember that pilar of black we saw on the train?" He asks.

I nod my head, realizing where he was going with this.

"That was an Ajin other than Satou, " Kou says.

"And you suggest we should go over there?" I ask him.

Kou sighs, "what else can we do?"

Next thing I know, I find myself on another train riding to the location that we saw the huge black pillar.

The area was dotted by mountains covered in lush green trees. Kou and I just wondered around until we spotted any sign of another ajin.

Finally, near a cliff, we found footsteps leading into the forest with a trail of broken trees along it.

Kou and I looked at each other.

"Let's follow?" He asked.

"What else can we do?" I replied.

We silently followed the trail until we were slumped with exhaustion. Kou stopped walking and rested his hands on his knees, huffing in deep breathes. With the back of his hand, he wiped sweat off his forehead.

"C'mon, Kou-san, we need to keep walking," I urged on his side.

He stood up straight again and looked around. His eyes went wide and his hand shakily raised and he pointed to a wondering black ghost.

My head wiped around for the owner but I could not find one. Kou started following the ghost and I tagged along.

We hid behind a boulder and found a boy in a red shirt leaning against a tree. The black ghost walked to his side and said a sentence.

"Shut up," the boy said in a calmly manner.

"I have to pee," the black ghost said.

"Man you're annoying," the boy said more agitated.

"Nagai Kei," Kou whispered.

That name sounds familiar.

Where have I heard it?

That's it. When I was with Naoki he was on the news.

Kou stood up.

"Kou no!" I grabbed at his sleeve but it was too late.

Kei-San had already seen us.

The black ghost then hurled at us like a rampaging bull. I pushed Kou out of the way and summoned Shīrudo who blocked the both of us like a wall.

"No! Stop!" Kei shouted at his black ghost but it kept coming.

It knocked into Shīrudo and threw him out of the way. The black ghost punched his hand into Kou's stomach, picked him up, and tossed him to the side.

Kou stopped moving yet his eyes staid open.

He died.

Shīrudo collided into the other black ghost and they tumbled on the ground. Shīrudo landed on top and straddled the black ghost sending punch after punch to the other black ghost. It then started disappearing underneath Shīrudo.

He black ghost was now fully gone and I felt my own body running towards Kei.

"No wait!" Kei tried saying but it's too late. I tackled him to the ground and straddled his mid section, squeezing him with my legs and before my fist collided with his face, a hand grabbed mine.

"Down, Eri. Don't hurt him," Kou was there fully revived.

I nodded my head and stood up.

Kei sat up and looked at me.

"Your black ghost fights like you," was the first thing he said to me.

"Yours doesn't listen to you," I told him.

"My name is Nakano Kou and this is Mikura Eri," Kou said , "you're Nagai Kei, aren't you? They say on the news that you pushed a scientist off the roof, but you actually saved him and fought against Satou."

"Did you see Satou'a true colors?" Kei asked us.

"Yes," I said.

"We're running from him and the government," Kou said, "we have nowhere to go. Help us stop him. We can't let him run free."

Kei took no time to think," okay. We can't talk here. Follow me."

Kou smiled at me and started following Kei.

I was more hesitant to follow him.

If he was to attack us, he would need to outsmart us. The odds were not in his favor. It was two against one. Granted, I don't know how much Kou could help in a fight, I have not seen him in a hand to hand situation.

He should know that I have a mixed martial arts background since I had almost pummeled him into the ground.

He continued walking through the forest and I continued watching him with carful eyes.

***

Hello! So while writing this chapter my writing preference went from present tense to past. It tends to do that. I plan on editing this while we are in winter break.

I hope that's okay and please have patience with me.

With love,

Savannah

Btw, I got accepted into Baylor University so....woohoo.... now I just have to think of a way to pay for it