Divulge

Chapter 13: Minus One

Her throat was being cut open by the sharp knife. As the edge of the knife smoothly moved across her throat, she could feel it going in deeper. There was nothing she could do now. She was dying… It was happening so quickly, she didn’t have any time to react but the knife, in a moment, was not at her throat anymore. The hand grabbing her hair wasn’t there either.

'Am I dead?' She wondered. 'I am dead. I died.' She kept telling herself and then, feeling as if something was laying behind her, she turned around, still shaking, to see the soldier lying dead at her legs. A hole was punctured through the mask he was wearing. Blood was pooling and drenching her legs and knees. What happened? She thought and looked to the other side. Every single soldier was lying dead now. Eiji was standing, and pointing a gun at Gaku, who didn’t even wince nor had a look of worry on his face at all. Eiji probably took the gun from one of the dead soldiers. Aimi looked around to see everyone staring blankly at either Eiji or Gaku. Everyone else, to her great relief, were safe too. Only Ludo had died.

“UGH!!” someone bellowed from near her, she looked to see Adrian, holding a soldier’s knife, trembling. “You killed him!! How could you??” he yelled again.

“Oh! I am quite sorry for your loss, sir but you should it was only in order to keep other people safe.” Gaku said, calmly.

“Safe?! You justify murder by deciding that it is for the safety of the people? How does that work??” Kyoko yelled after him.

“You see… I can hardly call it murder. I may look like an evil bastard but I am actually quite the opposite. I have no pleasure in killing these innocent people. But, I have to; They are infected.”

“Infected? You said you had a cure. What’re you trying to say?” asked Jae-Sun, curiously.

“What?” chuckled Gaku. “Did you actually think that only a few hours after the outbreak that I’d have some—some cure? Some vaccine?”

“Define infected!” Eiji asked, still pointing the gun steadily at Gaku’s forehead. “How do you know we’re infected?”

“Bites,” started Gaku only to be interrupted.

“None of us bitten!” yelled Adrian.

“Ah yes indeed. But, that isn’t the only way to be infected you know? Illness.”

“Illness?”

“Correct. Illness. Those who are infected, gets sick. They run a fever so high that in a few hours, or even minutes for some people, kills them.”

“None of us are sick.” Mitsu cut in.

“True! But… I cannot take a risk you see? This whole thing started in Tokyo. We cannot spare anyone from there. It’s too much of a risk.”

“How the hell is it a risk?” Takumi asked, coolly.

“How is a risk?” Gaku repeated and chuckled. “You have all been exposed to it first hand, how is it not a risk?”

“We’re not infected.” Eiji said.

Gaku simply gave a sigh and as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, Adrian leapt himself at Gaku with the knife but he only ran into a pistol, which Gaku quickly drew out of nowhere as soon as he saw Adrian, which was pointed directed at his nose.

“Now, Now, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.” Gaku said quietly and intimidatingly, narrowing his already narrow slit-like eyes at Adrian.

Adrian froze, his hands trembling as it held the knife barely inches away from Gaku’s stomach. “Move along now.” Gaku said again, quietly still. Adrian was too scared to move. He had never been at gunpoint. His whole body was cold and trembling. His teeth clattered and his eyes were fixed on Gaku’s index finger which was firmly on the trigger. He was sure that he was going to die. He had no idea what to do. He was so close to death right now. Ludo had died. Does it hurt—? He wondered. He had even forgotten to breathe. Gaku’s brows started knotting on his forehead, clearly he was getting annoyed that Adrian wasn’t backing away. “Did you not hear me? I said--!” Gaku started but his sentence was cut off by a loud scream from on of the others.