The Gaze of Fear

Chapter 5: Ayana

     "Sho, you really don't remember anything huh?" Kōkai looks over her plate, staring at Leider. His half-voided body stays still, purple electricity weaving in and out of the edge of the same voided half giving his 2-D like, unchanging body some life to it.

     "I-I... don't. Like I told you the other day, I-"

     "It's been half a day since ya' woke up on the couch kid." Putting his fork down, Hidari also leers at Leider, titling his surprisingly proportionately large head.

     "O-oh... how long was I out after, uh, she brought me downstairs?" He glances at a smirking Widow, her blaze-like eyes stirring fear and apprehension in him.

     "No more than thirty minutes. That whole ordeal was only an houah' friend." Hidari shakes his head. "Widow, ya' went too fa'. I told you to get his body workin', he won't even look at ya' now." With a quick click, he shoots her a look, realizing his reaction and looking back down.

     "My methods may differ from yours breaded man, but I did what I needed to." Hidari notices Leider's avoidance, noticeably bothered by the interaction.

     Jiga chuckles, finishing his plate of food. "You both amuse me so much. Clearly Leider here knows nothing, and yet you all talk like he's The One. Come now, would you all care to show some respect to our guest?" The One?

     "L-Leider, can I have a word with you outside for a moment?" Leider turns his attention to Caroline, her face glowing from the candle in the middle of the table.

     "Outside? Isn't it dangerous to go out at night? I mean, that's usually how these things go, right?"

     "Not here. Now if you don't mind?" She asks again, looking at him with pleading eyes.

     After a moment of consideration, he gives in. "Alright."

     They both stand, leaving the table and walking to the breezeway. "We'll be right back everyone!" Caroline says to the group as they walk into the separated room, stepping through another door and entering the stale but fresh air.

     "Caroline, do you know what-" While looking at the forest line behind the other side of the street littered with dead, breaking down houses lining the forest's edge following the road both ways seemingly endlessly, he stops after hearing a small whimper. "Caroline?" Stepping closer he reaches out with his right hand, pulling her face up to look at him.

     "I-I'm sorry." Her eyes are stained and red, tears running down her face. "I'm so sorry Leider. I tried my hardest, but I failed. I always fail, and now it's affecting others, it's affecting you. I'm so sorry." She begins to repeat her apology, getting faster and less understandable each time.

     "Hey hey hey, Caroline, I have no idea what you're talking about but whatever it is, I'm sure you're over reacting."

     "No, I tried my best to help you get your voided body back under control but, I couldn't do it fast enough. If I didn't fail, Widow wouldn't have done what she did. And..." she looks at the bandage around his leg, absorbing the blood from the damage dealt by Widow. "I thought we were making real progress, and it all... I'm just so sorry."

     After a moment of silence, he lets go of her face and slowly walks into the middle of the street, looking up. "Caroline. Why did you save me?" He asks, turning his attention to her.

     "W-why? Well..."

     "Caroline. Why?" His demonic-sounding words catching him off guard, he struggles to stay serious and not reel back from his own voice. "There was no reason for you to. I was half voided as you all seem to call it, weak, passing out in front of an Osore, and likely most would have assumed too far gone to help. When I came to, I heard you arguing with Hidari about saving me. So I'll ask again, why?"