Shudders

Chapter 45 - The Demons

Art by Wanxing Wang on Artstation.

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    By the time night had fallen, the group was only a few blocks away from the island.

    Yama had returned to the group to confirm this while also stating that the island was connected to the mainland by a long bridge. They'll be exposed to anything since there were no vehicles or any objects to use as cover. He made it sound like something will be waiting to attack them. Yea he mentioned the demons that inhabited the island, but he said so himself, they weren't that much of a challenge to take down.

    They decided to hunker down in a convenience store for the night. The store used to be rather large and expanded further down the street. But half of it was caved in by a past explosion of the building next door. It left the entire back of the store to be caved in with rubble and debris.

    Akai huffed at his uncomfortable position against a shelf while (Y/N) lay between his legs and against his chest. She was asleep with her arms crossed from being forced to use him for warmth. The temperature was starting to drop rapidly and Akai didn't want her to freeze. Even though she hated the position they were in, the heat he was producing did feel better than the windy cold.

    Akai was pleased by this... but Ki wasn't too thrilled. He left to go scout the area but mostly so he doesn't rip his love away from his competition.

"Shouldn't be too long now."

    Akai looked up at his twin who was leaning against the counter.

    The doctor stared out into the streets before settling his red eyes on his brother. "That island will soon be ours. No more rummaging through these ruins, fighting other demons for a simple place to hunker down in. Just one island that we can easily defend. All that space..." He daydreamed.

"You want that shitty island that bad?" Akai had his arms wrapped around the girl laying against him. His tail was gently stroking her leg as he laid his head on top of hers. "If it's huge it won't be that easy to defend."

"Only one way in and out. And by the way it looks completely buried with all that rubble and moss, others wouldn't think twice about going there. What's the point?" Yama shrugged. "Defense wise, I already have everything planned out which is why your's and the quiet one's timing is perfect. Everything will go smoothly if we all work together."

"If other demons think the island is just trash, how do you know so much about it?" Akai questioned. "What, did you go there already?"

"I did. Been inside actually." Yama shrugged. "As I said before, the pesky demons that are already there would only be a problem which is why we need to get rid of them."

    There was something Yama wasn't telling Akai. The doctor was usually very descriptive when it came to planning and making sure Akai understood every last detail to a T if he was involved in it. Although he's glad he doesn't have to hear a mouthful from his twin, it was strange for Yama to be this vague about something. Especially this Island. Akai's never been this deep into the city. Just too much trouble around every corner for him to have the patience for so he chooses to stay within the outskirts where less competition and more food was. Yama however likes to travel so it's no surprise for Akai that his brother has already been to this island. But if every demon like Yama had said would simply ignore the floating pile of trash altogether, then why did he pay attention to it? 

    Meanwhile, a couple of streets away, Ki was seated on the roof of a bank looking out towards the island ahead of him. He wanted to see everything for himself before bringing (Y/N) to somewhere that's probably dangerous.