Neon District: Redux

Chapter 9

       The Senturion was quieter than the last time Yuka was here with the bustling food stalls with its owners pandering or begging customers to buy from their selection. Also, no children were out playing about the first level and hiding between the food stalls with their joyous laughter. Now, there was no children and none of the food stalls seemed to be open.

It was empty except for the small crowd lingering around in a circle closer to the elevator. Yuka paused and peeked over the shoulders of a few middle aged men to see Watch officers placing a black tarp over top a small lump on the damp concrete floor. She couldn't see who was underneath and didn't care to know, so she entered the elevator and was sent up to the floor where Sam's apartment was.

Once she arrived at his apartment's door she just decided to let herself in since Sam usually left the door unlocked for Yuka to stop by. When she entered she ducked quickly and was nearly caught in a flying glass bottle's flight path where it smashed to bits on the floor just outside the apartment.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Yuka yelled at Sam who stood in the hallway with a hand grasping the wall as if to keep himself from falling flat on the floor.

"You're asking me what my problem is? Are you serious?!" Sam hollered, taking a shaky step towards her with his eyes all red and swollen as if he was just finished crying. 

"Stop yelling at me! Kindy is probably in her room listening to you-" Yuka replied but was interrupted by a disgruntled noise of pain and sadness from Sam.

"You don't understand anything! You you...." He tried to snap back, but a sharp sob ripped through his throat and he couldn't dare to look at Yuka.

"Kindy's dead..!"

Yuka nearly choked on her own saliva and she didn't make any motion to move, her body was rock solid on its place on the floor. For a few seconds all she could hear was the beating of her own heart and the disgruntled sounds of pain and agony coming from Sam. 

So that was why everybody was gathered around a small body, she figured it was some random kid... But not Kindy. Her mouth was dry and her throat was about to close up but she managed to utter a few words, "how did it happen?"

"Out of all people you should know... since you killed her." Sam answered, locking his swollen eyes with her steel eyes.

"I didn't kill her, what are you talking about?" She snapped back.

Sam didn't say anything for a time before he dragged his feet into the living room where the TV played a news coverage from the night of the gala that happened a few days ago.

The coverage showed Amery Labs with a huge mob of angry citizens from the streets with some of them Yuka recognized from the UniCode ceremony. A blaring helicopter light was locked onto a woman trying to push through the crowd with her flaming red hair being a beacon in the crowd before disappearing in the darkness of the crowd.

"That was Cathra, isn't it?" Sam started, pointing a shaking finger at the screen which replayed the coverage but this time it zoomed in on the red haired woman's face. "They said the Syndicate were the ones behind the attack of the gala and who set off the alarms. You never told me you knew your friend was with them."

"I didn't tell you to keep you safe-" She started but was once again cut off.

"You should have told me! We were safe until you had to show up an ruin everything!" Sam screamed.

"I didn't ask for you to pick pocket that chip from me, so if anything you brought this on yourself!" Yuka hollered, "You wouldn't have gotten into this mess if you just let me do my job!"