(Short chapter I know, but I'll post another one later today. Thanks for reading!)
"This NEXT is extremely dangerous. Before escaping custody, it murdered three citizens and wounded many others. It is thought to be seeking asylum from other NEXT rebels. It is the duty of any good citizen to report any sighting of this creature, in order to protect yourself and your family from this danger."
The TV showed blackened corpses lying on the ground, and shaky cell phone video of a pale-haired demon with flaming eyes. Kaede shuddered and pulled her blanket up around her shoulders.
Any good citizen…
But her father was a good citizen. He wasn't a NEXT rebel. Yes, he'd hidden that escaped slave a few years ago, but that was just because Kaede had begged him to help, back before she knew better. After Karina was caught, her father had gone back to being a good citizen.
"The Class-H has been suspected of dozens of murders. Its rightful owner, a Mr. Carlton Cromden, is offering a reward of five thousand dollars stern for information leading to the return of this creature, in addition to the usual fee of five hundred for an escaped slave."
Kaede wasn't stupid. She knew her father had friends on the other side of normal, and that treating Antonio as a slave would get her a warning about a spanking and a stern talking-to. But he wouldn't hide a really dangerous NEXT in their house, would he?
Had he?