It wasn't long before another scream rang out.
This time, Makoto was positive that it was Hina.
He couldn't ignore it. Not this time. Not when he was the only person not fighting and his friends were getting hurt.
They were getting hurt because of him . Because they were hiding him . These people were looking for him.
He wedged himself out of the cranny. Ignoring the dust clinging to his clothes. Sore legs wobbled and started pushing in the direction of where the scream had echoed the sound of voices reached his ears, he slowed to a halt and hid himself behind the grey concrete wall of a collapsed building.
The toxic air stung his lungs, and the pounding of his heart nearly drowned out the sound of those talking. Makoto did his best to peek out only as much as he needed to see.
It wasn't a good sight.
Makoto nearly withdrew himself from the area just from the total shock of what he was seeing unfold before him
Kyoko looked nearly unconscious, her eyes fluttering and her body slumped at an uncomfortable angle. There was more blood running down her face than before, and Makoto could only hope that it wasn't as serious as it looked. Hiro was on the ground beside her, clutching his leg, which looked… Bitten? The dog from before flashed in his mind for a second.
Had they brought that dog to smell them out?
Jack had seemingly switched back into Toko somehow. The girl was currently cowering behind a standing Byakuya. He looked mostly fine, though there was a scrape on his cheek, which Makoto already knew he wouldn't be happy about.
And Hina was in the hands of the girl Makoto had seen fighting with Jack. She was a tall girl, scantily dressed in a button up and skirt, with light brown skin and a form that looked… Too skinny to be healthy.
The most important fact about her, though, was how she was currently lifting Hina above the ground by the hands around her throat.
"Any one of youse move, and busty here gets her neck crushed." the woman grinned, a gleeful look appearing in her stark-red eyes.
Makoto tensed. Did he count in that threat, too? He seemed to be their objective, after all… So if he could just get Hina out of her grip then maybe him, Byakuya, and Toko could-!
"Now!" the girl yelled, bursting his thoughts, "Any of youse gonna tell me where you buddy Naegi is?"
The man beside her flicked at his scarf impatiently. He growled at the group, sounding far too animal to be safe… And sane .
Just… Who the hell were these people? Survivors? No, they seemed to be a bit too well equipped and confident to be scavengers. This whole situation was surreal - had the tragedy really happened? Had it made all survivors insane?
Was Enoshima telling the absolute truth about all of this?
"You see," the girl continued, as it seemed like the man growled more than he spoke, "We gotta bring the little kiddo in with us. It's very important. So important, in fact, that if you little shits don't speak up, then youse might have to pay a price youse can't afford!"
Makoto squinted as he watched the hand squeeze ever so slightly around Hina's throat. A threat.
His legs flexed. His mind, his heart, his soul was screaming at him to run out there and give himself up. For his friends . If it were for them… Then Makoto was willing to do just about anything!
Then, he caught the steel-blue eyes of Togami Byakuya.
Byakuya sent Makoto a withering glare, shaking his head. Makoto could practically hear the insults that the man was shouting inside his head.
Don't come this way, idiot. Get the hell out of here. Now. You'll just be useless and make the whole situation worse!
Then, Togami looked away. Pretending he wasn't even there. The stuck up heir was pretending he didn't know Makoto was standing just mere meters away… Hiding from the people who were acting so desperate to find him.
Byakuya was giving him a chance to run.
Why?
Byakuya doesn't sacrifice himself for anything. Byakuya doesn't even care about anything but himself.
So… Why? Why was he so willing to give Makoto the chance to escape. Over, and over again. Stopping him.
Protecting him.
Makoto squeezed his fists and turned away, hiding himself completely. He leaned against the wall, feeling far more worn than he should have.
He knew the truth of it all.
Byakuya was his friend.
His eyes were closed, and his breathing slowed. Should he run like Byakuya wanted him too? Like the others wanted him too? Sure, they hadn't seen him, nor did they tell him to run… But he knew that's exactly what they would tell him to do.
They always say he's the idiot trying to sacrifice himself… And then something like this happens and they practically fall over themselves to give him the opportunity to get away.
Even Byakuya. Selfish, stubborn, condescending Byakuya. One of his best friends, Byakuya.
But… He couldn't leave them. That wasn't who he was. He was Ultimate Hope, wasn't he? That's what Kyoko had said, and she was almost never wrong.
No one charged with bringing hope to others would just… Abandon people, would they?
No, of course not. He wouldn't - couldn't - allow himself to abandon anybody.
Especially not his friends .
Just as he was about to walk out there and give himself up, his feet trembling and hands clenched as he willed himself to step into the open… A rough sound grated on his ears. It shot through the air like a soundwave, physically pushing him back into place.
Again. Again.
Was that… Barking?
Opening his eyes, Makoto froze stock still and eyed the creature in front of him warily. It was the german shepherd that he had seen earlier. The one that seemingly followed the orders of the trench coat wearing man.
It barked again. This time, the voice of the girl from before followed after it.
"Tanaka what the hell is your dog barking for?" she grunted at supposedly 'Tanaka', whom Makoto assumed was the scarf wearing man and owner of the dog. It was the only thing that really made sense about the whole situation.
There was a grunt, and a low, deep voice spoke for the first time, "It appears Naegi-kun has been found."
"Great!" his partner responded. "Let's go get the kiddo before Kuzuryu blows his shit!"
Makoto completely froze, his blood running cold. His legs felt like bricks, and his back felt uncomfortably pressed against the wall behind him.
The dog in front of him started growling, barking at intervals to gain the attention of its master.
"Nagito!" the girl called, and there was a thud and grunt from Hina as she was apparently dropped, "Grab the gun, it's huntin time!" it sounded like… She said such terrifying words with a smirk.
Grab the gun.
Grab. The. Gun.
All thought left him when he heard that phrase. It repeated itself over and over in his mind, a never ending anxiety.
Were they planning on killing him? What about his friends?
Makoto didn't quite realize what came over him, but one second he was face to face with a growling german shepherd, and the next he was running into the open. His mind was a flurry of panic as his body moved of its own accord, instincts telling him to get his friends and run .
He snatched Hina's hand and pulled her haphazardly off the ground. Next he shoved Byakuya towards Hiro. Then, he pushed Toko and Hina towards Kyoko.
"Get them out of here." he whispered-shouted, his voice sounding shakier than his legs felt.
His eyes met with the glowing red ones of Tanaka, completely freezing in place as they locked eyes. The girl he was with was waving towards a white van, which was parked several meters away from the group.
These people had hunted him down. They had attacked and threatened his friends in order to get to him. They had brought a gun to finish him off.
Vision blurring, Makoto forcefully threw his eyes away from the back. Shaking legs scuttled backwards before Makoto was off, initiating the chase in the opposite direction of his friends.
The only word raging through his mind was gun.
Gun. Gun. Gun.
They want to shoot him.
They want to shoot his friends.
If he doesn't move, then every single one of them is dead.
"Wait!" the man's voice called out.
As if by a spell of compulsion, Makoto's body completely froze. He felt wet, cold sweat begin to drip down his neck. His heart was racing as he dared to look behind him.
The others were moving, dragging a semi-conscious Kyoko and a limping Hiro away. They wouldn't get away in time. Half of them were injured, if not completely incapacitated. The group moved at a snail's pace… Even if Makoto tried to buy them time… They wouldn't get away.
" Makoto! What are you doing !" Hina yelled but was urged on by the rest of the group to continue fleeing.
Byakuya sent him a knowing nod, yet his face was covered in an angry scowl. He must have understood what Makoto was thinking. He knew that they didn't have the time to get away.
Makoto didn't move. He stood frozen on the ground, eyes wide and terrified. Petrified .
"Go." he told his friends, fully facing the man previously called Tanaka.
He sucked in a deep breath as the trench coat man took a cautious step forward, hands outstretched and palms open. Almost like he was a small, scared animal. Feet finally obeying commands, Makoto took a few shaky steps backwards.
He had to buy them as much time possible. Only then could he think about his escape.
Just don't think about it. Don't think about what they're bringing… Or what they might do.
Your friends - think of your friends!
Tanaka, as he was earlier dubbed, made a shushing sound. He then gave a small smile, which really didn't suit the glowing crimson eyes or the goth-like attire. His palms were completely flat, proving that he wasn't carrying any weapons.
Makoto vaguely remembered watching zoo keepers trying to calm a bear this way.
The door to the van slammed shut, making the teen jump nearly out of his skin at the sudden, loud sound. The girl finally turned around and catch Makoto's eyes. She was skinnier than he previously thought, which was really saying something… It almost looked like she starved herself.
It was hardly time to be thinking of such things. Besides, it wasn't like Makoto has eaten anything since yesterday morning. They couldn't afford the food. It was a wasteland out here. Maybe these people were the same way? No, the guy looked like a healthy weight.
"Ah, kiddo's come right out in the open! Makes things easier for us!" she grinned, teeth sharp and hair wild like a lion's mane. It wasn't comforting. "We won't hurt ya. We just wanna take ya back with us so you can answer a few of our questions."
Questions? That's what this was about?
Hunting them down like a pack of wild animals… Hurting his friends, using a dog to sniff him out, talking about guns .
Was it all for a couple of questions?
He had his doubts. But talking was worth a shot, at least.
"I-I… I can answer a-any questions you have right here."
God, he hated how weak he sounded right then. He saw what these people were capable of - even though she looked starved, the girl was still able to face off with Genocide Jack and not have a single scratch on her - and he knew he couldn't win any fights here.
He wasn't even sure if he could out run the two. Not with his shaking legs, heaving lungs, and almost complete lack of food for nearly two days.
"Sorry, but Baby Gangsta said he wanted to see you personally. And... We ain't sure if we can let ya leave after, either." the girl sighed, giving a small shrug. "I don't really care much, and I don't really understand all this crap, but it is her will after all. Gotta follow the big bosses last orders."
Last orders?
...
Baby Gangsta?
There was a crunch of feet pattering over, as the third person started to join them. The one with the gun?
His heart rate immediately began to speed up.
Makoto's eyes flashed to the side, making sure his friends were a safe enough distance away (they seemed to be entering another abandoned building while sending concerned glances his way), before looking at the newcomer.
At least he was able to buy them the time to get out of immediate danger… Now for his own escape.
The newcomer was still a moderate distance, and they had their hood up, so he couldn't exactly tell what the person looked like… But that was definitely a pistol of some kind in their hand.
He choked on his own spit. Suddenly, he was glad for the lack of water and food over the past few days.
"I'm Owari, by the way." the girl spoke up - probably in an attempt to distract him. "This guy's name is Tanaka." yep, they were definitely biding time. Or calming him down.
Probably both.
The nineteen-year-old vaguely felt himself nodding as he took yet another step backwards. Tanaka, confirmed this time, mimicked his movements forward, closing the distance even more between the two. Makoto cursed his short ass legs as he took another step backwards.
Tanaka reached out for him. The person with the gun had nearly reached the group. He was walking at a sedated pace - probably also in on this whole 'treat Naegi like a wild rabbit' act.
Though, Makoto wouldn't say he wasn't thankful for the extra time.
Makoto couldn't see his friends any longer. They were safe - for now at least. Though, these people seemed to be focusing the entirety of their attention on him, which thankfully meant his friends weren't directly involved in whatever was happening. That was probably the only good thing to come out of this situation.
Sweat rolled down his neck. He saw a flash of silver as the gun came into full view. Oh damn, it looked even bigger now than before. His eyes flashed to Tanaka, then to Owari, and finally to the third person… The one in possession of the gun...
His chest felt like it was caving in on itself. There wasn't enough air getting into his lungs.
He couldn't focus… His lungs… His mind...
He really, really didn't know what came over him.
His feet flew backwards, and his vision turned. He barely registered the wind blowing as he rushed away from the three. He could barely hear the shout from Owari and the hiss from Tanaka as a stomping of hurried feet flew after him.
His brain had lost all and every sense of logic. It seems that flight had won over fight.
This was a matter of survival .
"Dammit!" Owari cursed, "Looks like we can't get him to come willingly. Nagito, do your thing!"
There was a bang as presumably, the gun fired. Makoto barely registered the sound before a sharp stab punched into his shoulder. He kept running. The pain wasn't as bad as he thought it would be… Movies really didn't portray bullets realistically, did they? Or maybe it was the adrenaline.
It wasn't until the world dangerously turned on its side and his cheek was slamming into the ground did he realize it wasn't a bullet at all. The ground was dry and hot beneath him… There was no blood.
His hands and feet were beginning to feel numb.
His eyes stretched in their sockets to get a look at his shoulder, a bright yellow dark with an orange ring around the middle was poking out of the tissue.
It was a fucking tranquilizer dart.
The edges of his vision began to grow fuzzy and dark… The sound of the world slowly muted itself. Shadows moved just beyond his vision. A single one edged closer towards him.
And the last thing he saw before he was overcome with darkness was a man with floating white hair and the largest grin he had ever seen in his life holding up a gun.
"Ultimate… Hope ."
