Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, but as most will know the manga has come to close (Oh god why!?) and with the ending Yoshinobu Yamada gave it I had to take some time to plan this story around/over it and curl up in glass case of FEELS for several days. I still haven't recovered. XD
The ending doesn't make this story flop or crash & burn, it in fact has made my story have more room and information I can play into the plot now.
So enjoy as the story contuines, which this isn't even close to a mid-point (Yay for long story but not so much cause I got to type a lot.) because I am not leaving you guy with a storm of questions, maybe a little but not as much to get myself drowning in hate mail.
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Chapter 6: Unguarded
Night Hours & Unknown Day
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Current Location: Jungle
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Once Light Now Dark
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This cannot be normal, right?
Over the blackness the daylight turned upon my entrance of the odd forest many, many shrieks and angry growls echoed in the darkness around me. Blood lay upon the trees, bushes, leaves, and splattered parts hang among the nature growing out of control here.
Limbs pointed out signs of an animal attack, shredded flesh marked out claws and puncture wounds where teeth latched on, like leeches in a stagnant pond. Horrid looks of demise lay in the more fortunate bodies that climbed the tree limbs. However, they sacrificed their lower half in the attempt and spilt intestines all rotted by now and bloodless. Then there were a few people, who I stumbled upon, lying in bushes out of sight of every moving creature in this place, though their legs remained attached, their faces appeared worse as maggots found their flesh a home.
I push pass a spotted green leave spanning out to a length of two of my legs. Plants here are quite unusual things. Its weight took me by surprise, heavy as a tire and yet it stand firmly on it stem still, how weird. Passing the leaves heavy in weight and more blood smeared upon the ground I come across something rather than strangeness and death.
A beast is here, alive and ready for a kill as I step into this clearing.
Snarling and with its gums revealing the two protruding fangs gleam with dark blood. Eyes narrowed to black slits and fur bristled up its spine once I made myself seen by it.
It is like a cat but not like one at the same time. It has a vicious dog growl and paws big as that freakish bird thing from the day before. Teeth lunged out of its mouth, snapped with a grinding and I'm standing before it. I am unprepared for creatures of this kind and now the beast pounces at me.
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Daylight & Four days after Crash
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Current Location: Root Tree
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Scars and Fears
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Since night had come and went Rion's condition remained unchanged. Her pulse steady and her wound trickling only specks of fresh blood. The group's hopes and prayers remain stable. They walked into the jungle's wild landscape after another hourly check up on Rion's injury. Soon after they made camp beneath an out rooted tree, as the sounds of growls and shrieks filled the air to close to where they were trekking.
Among withered vines, snap shut blooms spotted red, white, and lushes green life busting forth the dirt ground there stood the root. With the shape of a twisting back arm split forth an army of poor twig offspring all around the tan bark breaking off with each breeze hitting it.
Akira, for the most part, remained silent as they set up the sleeping space answering a few things from Rion as Oomori check her wound before she fell asleep from exhaustion. Maryia attended to his computer probably mapping out the area they just crossed through. Akira sat above the tangled roots blocking them from view and could see something he hadn't seen since Guam, a starry sky.
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Dawn & Unknown Day
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Current Location: Jungle
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Upon the Brown Eyes
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The cat like creature lay dead under my bladed strike. Tan fur stained a dark brown and the ribs still intact peek out from the torn flesh of its underside. The thing heaves a few breaths, choking for air as the blood dribbles pass the shatter jaw. Its paws quiver and flop out to reach me but it's no use, it's going to die. It shouldn't have to die in pain. Animals try only to live not by murdering me.
Raising up the bat; its covered in blood and dirt, I think there's a dent in it as well, I grip the handle and look at the skull. The bat goes down and in return, blood splatters up.
It's finally dead. The weak breathing ended, and the blood flows out the new exit. I swing the bat out but not much of the blood flies off, how unfortunate.
A small crack of wood resounds then and a shadow comes over my view, very quickly in fact. I peer my head to the side and there coming faster at me a tall blurred figure topples me to the broken branches and mud covered ground.
"Ooaf!" The taller figure wraps arms around me as a sigh of relief came out from the other. Feet tangled between my own and their takes me to ground with branches breaking my fall. I bite my lip as it the wood pricks through my shirt and right into the closed wounds of the glass shards. My hand clenchs as I makes a hit to the person's chin. The figure falls back and off me with a pitiful squeak.
"What!" Hissing I take my eyes off the black clothed figures still flopping about with such noises asking to draw more monsters near.
"Shut it." The person stops then and looks at me. Dark brown eyes, pleading like an orphaned puppy, held his swollen chin as his black hair riddled with leaves and broken plant pieces, swooped over his sad look. His lips trembled and some other words trail out but I turn away as the pain of falling spikes out as if I was stabbed. A twig pierced my skin right on a healed cut, Damn it hurts.
"What the hell." The boy continues to stare back through his hair. I may have saved him though I was not aware of it but that doesn't call for throwing me to the jagged ground. No words leave his lips, maybe he speaks some other language, maybe he's Chinese, or some other country origin I haven't heard of yet.
"Sorry..." He speaks finally, sniffling and crawling across the dirt towards me. I take my bat back into my hand and he stops short of the cracked metal hovering over his throat. Least he knows that much of words.
"Uh.. Sorry!" He scoots back with such a terrified look I actually laugh and he tries shrink away with my laughter growing in sound.
"What are you-?" He starts talking babbling out as my laughs subside; damn I hope monsters don't come now. Seems like he knows the language enough, which is good.
I stand up letting the bat slip into the pack on my back before the boy blurts out about the who, what, where are we and how do we leave then some other shit he mumbled out as I got up into his personal space. I stared at him and he stared right back.
Finally it's silent.
"Ya need'a be extra quiet. Get going before creatures come here, dead animal blood stirs up the predators." The boy's eyes widen and his hands clasp onto mine, slender fingers quaking as they slip pass my own. I pull away from him as the feeling of his hand leave a very surprising warmth.
"Don't leave, you- you can beat those things! Please let me follow you!" He gets on his knees begging with the brown irises of his.
"No. Now go." Shrugging over his hands again and his stuttering words, I walk off the way I came into the clearing, not caring to turn back as he walks the same way. He will die eventually; it is not my problem now.
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Mid-day & Unknown Day
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Current Location: Jungle
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Jungle Travels
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Sadly, this boy with brown eyes has remained latched onto my every step like a pupil to a sensei. Trekking the forest long after the sun rose up he remained attach to my stride.
It's quite annoying.
He trips over his giant feet and begs me to stay by him as he fumbles back up, then whines about the heat smothering his lungs but worse of it all is the constants questioning of where we are going. There is no "we" in this travel, only me going somewhere, anywhere but the beach I awoke up to in this hell.
"Where are we going?" The guy speaks with panted heaves, spit dribbles off his flaky lips and sweat glistening his face. By now with the sun high up and piercing through the treetops, I turn back to the guy, curious actually to what he looks like besides the eyes rather than answer his question yet again. A black jacket and pants, tattered to no end and splattered with crusted blood, it's a bit to formal, if that is the word, but it may be a uniform if anything.
I have no clue what this person's name. Then again, he hasn't heard mine either, better to keep it that way.
"We are not going anywhere, so please shut'dya!" Bat already in hand I jab back at him and hit right into his ribcage. He falls over in pain, not as if I injured him but leaves him without a good breath of air, so he coughs a little and catches up with me. He enjoys the pain, maybe a little too much in fact.
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Morning & Unknown Day
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Current Location: Root Tree
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Follow the Dark Path
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Sengoku trembled at the first snap echoing in the forest around the out rooted tree. His hand takes the dagger rock from the ground, readying himself to strike at the monsters approaching here.
Looking back, below in the tree's protective shelter he could see her, Rion sleeping. The slow breaths raising her chest, the slight wheeze in her breath made Oomori turn in her sleep, and Maryia tighten his serious sleep face. Her pale skin was getting a tan; all of the long days of trekking in the sunlight had made her glow a little even a bit pink in her cheeks. The thought of her smiling, that giddy face rising up with a tint of pink as she lit up, came to mind as he gazed at her, so he smiled back.
Rion was never going to be hurt like that ever again, never be so close to death, Akira would die for her, anything so she could be happy and proud of him as well.
The snapping continued, gaining sound and speed. Akira turned back just as something moved, a shadow. A tall figure moving pass the trees, then sounds picked up, people, actually human voices and lots.
He jumped off the tree and began to run, running right into the forest and the monsters awaiting another fresh prey to eat.
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Akira pushed pass the wild vines draping the massive trees, the moss cloaking the muddy ground and the eyes of miniature mammals screeching at his approach and departure. He wasn't letting the figures vanish like the others, if they stick together they'll be safe and get back home.
Just like one big happy family. Happy and safe from the creatures, together they'll be saved.
Again he see the figures disappearing behind a cluster of boulders, white mounds smashed together riddled with greenery and the figure keeps walking on. Akira runs a little faster, his feet barely pick up at the command but they make do and his breaths come out harsh as he set on pass the stones and webbing of plants.
The voices grow again, almost like it was angry or shouting things but Akira keeps on running in a daze towards it. The forest grows over again from the stone clearing. Colorful vegetation litter his view and the snapping of fallen wood keeps Akira in the voice's direction. He pumps out his arms, pushes his feet to move on and there he comes another massive tree and finds the sun beaming down on him. He trips over himself as the light shocks his eyes.
"Dammit!" He gasp as his chest whacks into a low hanging branch and he gets send backwards into the forest. He lay there gasping, the effects of pushing himself plummet down on his calves, they burn with the straining and bend back to rest themselves. His chest heaves out for more air and his heart pounds out like a drum for him to keep moving, but he closes his eyes just for moment to rest a little.
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Cicadas chirping.
The ice cream sticking to his nose.
Rion drawing closer to him.
Her clohting a little damp from the light rain drizzling overhead them.
His hand's out stretched just wishing to god for her to put her hand over his.
Their body heat mixing together in the close space and finally they both-
Sengoku jumps up, swirling with the memory just hanging behind his eyes and then he blink. It's gone and replaced by a jungle. His hands out stretched before him curl into him as he shakes the thoughts away. He sighs and punches the dirt ground over and over again.
He wasn't home, he wasn't with Rion, he was alone and no idea what next for him or his group members.
"Dammit..." He whispers out as the tears threaten to fall out. He was just trying to do something, something to make his efforts worth it all.
"Dammit..." He mutters again as he pulls his hand back from the soften earth and freezes then. He searches his surrounds, franticly looking around till flipping around and charging back into the forest he had just been through.
He remembered those voices now and pushed on harder as his body screamed at him for the pain spiking through didn't listen, he just ran.
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Akira treading and weaved through the forest still marking his path. Dirt, vines and plants smashed away by human footprints and he followed after it.
He found himself back at the stone clearing and stopped in the middle to peer around the space.
Where had they gone? Why the turn around? Had they known he was chasing after them? Why not response to him instead?
Akira halts as he looks back at the stones standing high above the tree tops. He quietly stepped over to them and crouched down before looking pass. There was two paths behind the white stones, the left hand one lined with the denser forest Akira just before trekked through and then the right was half covered with vines and loosen rocks on its path.
He bolt down it, the sounds of pounding footsteps growing in his ears and throwing pass the vines scattered about the rocky path lead him to a dangerous place. At first swooping up the heavy plant blocking on the trail he saw a panicking sight. He fumbles to stop, hits the ground hard and his hand scrap the rocks rolling under him just before he catches himself on a sturdy vine before from the cliff's edge.
Akira clenches and stares at his feet just hanging over the edge and the pebbles bouncing over the side. Then he catches another sight covering the gravel edge.
There's blood splattered at the edge and looking beyond the cliff is a mountain brewing clouds further out. Akira feels something squish between his fingers; warm blood sits under his hand. He jumps up, pulling back his arms digging into the rocky dirt before a sounds come out. A snap of something and a slithering of green brings himself to see just below the edge, a bloodily arm hanging there.
An arm ripped apart from a body and still locked on to a vine rope, white knuckled and claw marks all over the raw skin. He reaches out to touch it and the vine snaps, it falls.
He watches the limb fall, twirl in the wind and spiral out a blood trail before it falls so far away it turns to a small dot of color. Akira drops to the ground, the vile disgust lurches in his stomach but it refuses to spill out only to throttle his throat until he is gasping for air.
"Why?" The word quiver at his lips out against the whispering wind, Akira's eye well up but they lay frozen at his eyes.
"Why? Why? What the hell! WHY!?" He tears at the ground, tosses up rocks and dirt throws them down to the bottomless canyon, screaming out with the shock. Akira's panting, crying now as he throws the earth down at the decrease arm, he can't believe yet again, yet again people were dying and he was too late to save them. Why did it have to happen, why was this so hard to deal with?
Why, oh god why?!
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Beyond that is confusion, Akira sits there with the sun setting up and growing hot against his turned back. He gets up at the far off cries of squawking from the cliff side. His hand burn and rubs them together before muttering out words to get himself moving again.
"Rion and everyone will be worried by now…" He walks back to the boulders, eyes half lidded and lips sealed in a grimace. He vanishes off into forest, not aware of the person watching his fright and shock.
Akira walked slowly and the sun rose up in his face. It was better that way, blind and unaware.
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"Sengoku-kun! Oh thank goodness! Rion he's over here!" At the tree's base Oomori came rushing over with arms open wide and her chest bouncing out of time, she fell face first at his feet. Akira smiled at the sight of her, it made things a little bit better knowing he did have people he had saved before today's nightmare. He might tell them what happened, but the thought of failing made the idea of confession bury back into his darker web of thoughts.
"Oomori, you okay?" Akira took her by the hand, and she hugged him tightly, it practically crushed him.
"Sengoku, we were worried!" She was shaking in her embrace, and that only made him hold her body tighter. He wasn't losing anyone else, not by a long shot.
"Akira! Akira!" Rion's voice comes out in a rush before an equally tight embrace rendering Sengoku useless but to let the women hug him till they calmed down. Mariya merely watched the scene, a little annoyed looking but kept the side remarks to himself as Zaji jumped down on the scene occurring then.
"Dude, where the hell did'ya go?! You do realize there's things out there killing us!" The yells went unheard as Akira began to feel lightheaded between the oblivious breast hug. He maybe enjoy it a bit, but suffering from a lack of air made the whole pleasure point of it seem like a nightmare destined to kill him.
"Rio- hey Oom- ples-!" Akira flailed out his arms without success of escape but the rubbing on Rion's chest then made her blush furiously and slam a knee into his crouch.
"Oh man Akira." Maryia and Zaji took a step back as Akira curled into a vulnerable ball. Rion colored a fiery red as she stood over him.
"Akira you Per-Pervert!" Oomori poked at the quivering boy, but he curled further into himself muttering his explanations.
"You…squeezing me.. I needed..air." His words go unheard as Rion goes off in a flustered huff with Oomori holding her upwards, she needed to still be careful about exerting herself.
"Just-just because you run off and come back doesn't let you be all cheeky mister, you got that!" She shouted back, a little shakily to the end. Her face remained flustered, she told herself she was embarrassed by his vulgar actions even as her heart did a fast beat and her stomach flipped.
He was alive still and she hadn't lost him.
Akira remained there till the girl's steps sound no more. He sighs out and rolled over to his back, the sky was darker now, maybe late afternoon.
"Here." Zaji took up Akira by the arms and propped him at the tree. The bark grated at his back but it got him distracted at least.
"Hahaha, man she has nasty kick! Remind me never to mess her again, I like to keep my manhood intact." Zaji chuckled loudly and sat back on the tree with Akira.
"Somebody got killed out there today." Akira whispered out.
"What was that, I can't hear you mumbling over there squirt." Zaji laughs as Maryia looks over with an exasperated sigh.
"You should be listening Zaji."
"What he was mumbling like a girl." Zaji pointed to Akira with a smirk.
Akira shoves his shoulder and Zaji does it right back.
"But what were you saying then, Akira?"
"Nah, just talking out loud, that's all." Akira shakes his head and rubs his shoulder a little.
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Mid-day & Unknown Day
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Current Location: Jungle
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Trees and Blood
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The boy, Brown eyes, is a high school student from Japan apparently on the plane because of a school trip in Guam and the rest of whatever else nonsense he is blabbering about I answer back with another jab to his throat. He just keeps talking, some creature will hear him and I'm gonna have to save his ass yet again. Though this time I'm keep him alive because he'll be screaming bloodily murder and draw out even more monsters.
"…" I prop the bat back onto my shoulder and give him another look as he starts to recover and talk again.
"Hey come on girl, you gotta talk to me sometime, and quit hitting me! It's starting to hurt A LOT!" He whines yet again and rubs his bruised throat, wish I could pull out his vocal chords right now. I may have the tools to do it but I don't got the tools to keep him quiet during it, what shitty luck that is for me.
"…..Tsk." I trudge off as he stands there bitching about being hit repeatedly. I needed to move and keep myself safe not him or both of us, just me.
"Hey wait!" Yet again, he follows behind tripping along to keep me near and I take my stride a little faster and jump over the giant roots popping up, bet brown eyes will be tripping over these for days.
Maybe my luck is changing.
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The colorful bird drops in front of me, the tongue hanging out limply as its eyes bug out in surprise, and then my bat comes back down onto it. It squawks at the hit but fails to get up to save itself from the danger. Least the hit caused it to be paralyzed, maybe permanently if my bat hit it hard enough.
"Chick what the hell are you doing!?" From the forest the person tumbles out covered in mud and dried blood splattered across his face. So losing brown eyes hasn't been the easiest task of my life, I tried smashing animals in front of him but he only got messy and clung to me more. I careless lead him into these weird wet spots of mud which sink a person deeper into it, but he just got noisy until I got him out of it. He is blindly following me; a person who is trying to get him killed off or lost in here to later on get himself killed off by his own unintelligence.
The day had drawn on, many failed attempts at getting rid of brown eyes, lot of trekking and no luck of anything, I have no idea what will be out here but a way off or away from the freaks would be the best bet.
This land is bizarre, over run in green plants and meat eaters, I don't know what is happening still.
"Chick!" Brown eyes screams again and I see he's trying to warn me but it's too late. A rock smashes against my cheek, the flesh tears and I go starry eyed at the minor wound but surprising hit.
I drop down to the fallen bird and find the boy curled up on the ground as well. He locks eyes with me and I put a finger to my lips, hopefully he listens to being silent this one time. He actually clamors up and sits beside me as sounds come closer, not animal sounding but I'm not sure of it yet.
"Wait up! Yarai-kun!" A womanly voice pants out like she was running herself into the ground and trying to catch a breath in between her pleads.
Dammit she was probably chased here by another creature, what luck I gotta go kill some more and deal with her alongside of Brown eyes.
I sigh heavily with brown eyes starting at me questionable eyes, probably wondering if he can go on blabbering now or can it still.
"…" I push him hard to stay put but he only looks around in a confused manner so I flick his nose up and make my way around the bird.
"Hey girl!" I take bat up across my shoulders as she call out and see the pleading female; only she's not alone and more dead creatures behind her.
I look around the girl and there's four others moving towards from the sides, she looks over to me and I peer over the red faced girl gasping for air.
She's small all around, short hair, short height, and short eyesight given the round glasses pressed up on her sweaty face, she even got small breast.
"Whoa…" Stepping in front of the small girl is a guy, a thuggish kind of boy without actually knowledge on being a mafia henchman. I draw back my lips thinking of smiling but they crack at the skin stretching and I let it down to a frown. The thug doesn't approve very much.
"What somethin' a matter?" He shoves his hand down his dropping pants, strutting across like a drunk pissed off and makes a pitifully attempt at being threatening to me.
"Nothin' tha matt bro. Now get before I kill you." He twitches, a muscle tenses in his smirk and looks down at my shirt before turning away.
"Yeah whatever." He slinks, a little faster than his strut but keeps an angry eye on me as he props himself beside his group. Including him there are three guys, tall, muscular guys looking like they need a fight to prove themselves, then there's the small girl turning a scolding look to the thug and she goes off like a windup toy to discipline him.
"Higme-kin that is not the way to treat a woman! You need to better your manners young sir and straighten out that walk of yours, terrible!" Even the lecture she's giving has too much bubbly energy to it, it makes the guys laugh.
Odd, odd men.
"Chick!" I sigh and the guys seem to notice the squarking guy fumbling out from the bird. My gosh I tell him stay he goes.
"Oy you got somebody else?" Thug guy looks aside me as brown eyes tumbles beside me with a face plant.
"No I don't have somebody esle, this boy useless follows after me," Brown eyes pipes up a muttering from the dirt. "Take him and leave." I turn away throwing my bat back in its hold.
Better run brown eyes, last chance till I use you as bait.
"Yarai-kun there you are!" The girl still flustered and sweating turns to the side as shadow cast over her and the three guys, a massive shadow indeed, bigger then brown eyes'.
I peer over not turning my head and glare with the giant's actual face.
Striking blond hair stands on the guy like hands stretched out to the sky. How is that possible for hair to stand so out of control?
A guy, shadowing over them all like a true shimigami, a strength and fear created by his presence for the group but for himself remain detached and not amused.
He lifts a hand, moving my attention away from his hair, and moves pass the giant's face. Gray eyes baring no care to the scene around him, yet they focus on something in his mind. Still he looks upon the woman with a little spark of respect, as he nods to the thugs blabbering remarks.
"Yarai! Oy this chick got some weapon on her!"
"Think she crazy?"
"What the fuck we stop, let's go!"
Given the madness of this place, the guys words and their fear being covered with smirks and threats, I look up at the giant's eyes and breathe a little easier. With a scowl, he appears clear of a death today and without no venom to do so. I chuckle and spit at the thugs snickering like the man, Yarai will do such things.
Not everyone now is lost.
As the guys steam at my actions and push against another to get at me. I glance back at the blond guy, hadn't I heard the name Yarai before, maybe? Oh they could take Brown eyes from me!
Brown eyes drops to the ground sputtering out think so shameful of a man to do in the presence of a threat. I kick him hard in the ass, he smashes his face into the ground and eats dirt.
"You'll be not doing that now!" I growl at him as he clutches his face and spluttering out some other shit of mumbles.
"Take him!" I storm off bumping the dead bird's head and hear its beak crack as I am tuning out the odd men yelling after me. The jungle is better for me.
I don't want anyone with me and I don't want to save any one. I want death.
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End of Chapter 6
Next up: Chapter 7: Hemorrhaging