Tilted Axis

Chapter:36

Killua POV

I scratch my head roughly. My skin feels like it's been covered in ants. I look at my fingers and see the dirt caked under my nails. I roll my eyes and try to smooth my hair down. Each strand feels stiff like a stick.

"I am disliking this plan of his more and more." I groan. First covering my hair in mud and dirt, now I'm in an abandoned half burned out home looking for clothes. I step over a collapsed support beam into what looks like a bedroom.

Ash rests in the carpeting but the room seems mostly untouched from any fire. The floor creaks and groans as I step in and observe the room. A large bed resided against the wall. The sheets and blankets pulled to the floor.

"They either left in a hurry or..." I step to the right side of the bed and the carpet crunches under my foot. Looking down I see the familiar rusted color of dried blood in the moonlight. "Dragged out by force." I finished.

I clutch the MP40. The only reassurance I hold currently. I already hated the part of disguising my hair with mud, but having to come out here alone leaves me uneasy. I take a deep breath. "Calm down. Just treat it like reconnicance. The troops should be in the west. They won't come back here."

Holding the gun in one hand, I start looking through dressers against the walls. I had been checking every house that was stable enough to enter. Currently only three on this street. Gon's plan requires me to find some civilian clothes and something to use as a white flag. I'm getting ready to call it and head back to the truck after having no luck. Took me an hour just to go five kilometers. I imagine it will take just as long to get back.

I turn my gaze away from the dresser and stare out the broken window. The night air blowing in with the moon bright overhead. "Least I'll be able to see on my way back. Doesn't make it much easier to see here though."

After much searching I eventually came across some sets of clothes that should suit my needs. Simple clothing as one would expect. I set the folded pants and shirts on top of the dresser. I look at the sheets. "Maybe these could work for a flag?"

I remove any blankets that remain on the bed. Upon throwing them to the ground I see what was hidden underneath. The white sheet had a large stain of blood. It nearly looked like a poor representation of the Japanese flag. I press my fingers to the stain and they come away clean. It's dry. No way of getting that out.

I scratch my irritated scalp again. "This disguise won't last if we actually find French troops to turn to." I turn around the room slowly. Did I miss anything?

My eyes quickly lock onto a closet. The door opened just a crack. I step closer when a sound reaches my ears. I quickly grip the gun with both hands. When I take another step the sound comes from the closet. How did I miss this when I entered? It sounds like something shifting around. Damn it, I let my guard down. Should have swept the room first.

"Out! Hands where I can see them!" I say in German. My tone is level. Any unease gone as if I flicked a switch and my training kicked on. I continue to watch the door. The sound of shuffling continues behind it, but nobody steps out.

I slowly shift my feet walking closer bit by bit. "If you step out now, I'll make it quick."

The sound stops. Silence falls on the room. I crouch down and place my hand on the knob. In a swift movement I swing the door open and aim inside. The first thing to catch my eye is a white wedding dress that hangs on the rack. I push clothes to the side and still see nobody inside.

"What the hell?" I stand, stepping away and observing it. "Then what was making that sound?" I ask. I soon get my answer when something brushes against my leg causing me to flinch.