Aaren's POV
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**DISCLAIMER: Taegikook224 is having troubles with her account and is unable to log back in. Her new account is Taegikook2060 so please go follow her! I don't know what this means for the story, but as of now I am going to assume that either I will be continuing this story on my own or that she will still help, but can't publish it in her book yet. Thanks!**

Olivia huffs and before she can say anything more, I get on my feet and swing my crowbar, a challenging glint in my eyes. I take a few steps closer, Jake following beside me.

She raises an eyebrow, slightly nervous, before sighing and backing off.

Shrugging, I stay put and my smirk slowly falls, but is still a little visible. I stop twirling my crowbar, letting it lay in my hand.

Silence ensues for a moment before Veo speaks up.

"Well, thanks for what you guys did," he says, mainly referring to my sister and best friend. "It's greatly appreciated. She really should learn to follow orders."

They turn around and nod, letting out small laughs while I just get a little grin bestow upon my features. Veo glances my way briefly and locks eyes with me as Daiki starts to talk next.

"Anyway, we need a few more hands. As we were doing our rounds around the perimeter of the place, we noticed that the door where those last guys broke through doesn't close properly."

I look at him and say, "I'll help."

Éloïse takes Jane back to the sofa, and I spot Daiki watching El with an almost dazed look in his eyes.

"I will too," Eric adds, coming up to my right.

"Alright," Daiki states, "let's go then."

"I'll catch up," I tell them before turning to the others, but our clean-up group thing choose to wait for me. "As much as I hate to say it—Leon."

His head snaps up so his eyes can meet mine, pausing the sharpening of his tools. He had began again after the whole fiasco with Olivia finished.

"I need you to help Éloïse take care of my sister while I'm gone. You think you're capable of such a task?"

He gives me a determined nod, almost smirking in entertainment.

Nodding back once, I twist around and start walking away, the rest of my squad immediately following. I face the whole group again and call to Leon with a pointed stare, "If I find out that you did something wrong or nothing at all when asked to, I'm going to kick your ass!"

A few members from the entire group hold back their laughter as I face forward again.

An elbow nudges me and I look to see that it's Veo, him now striding next to me as Daiki and Eric take the lead.

"That was a bit harsh," he says, chuckling.

"I really don't give a shit," I reply carelessly. "He screwed up once before. I'm not going to let that happen again, so I'm holding him accountable for it."

"Does it have something to do with that healing bruise on your cheek or the limp in your walk?"

I intake a sharp breath, but keep my voice level and calm. "Yeah. Partially, but I'm not mad about me getting hurt."

"Then what's it about?"

I pause, hesitating.

"He brought some guys onto us by bringing them to the building we were holding up in. Long story short, my sister and friend got injured from it and he didn't do batshit to protect them or himself."

"Ah, I see," he responds. "I'd be mad, too."

I hum as a reply, my heart secretly racing.

What the fuck is this?

I met this dude literally a day ago.

Ignoring the thought, we all reach the back door. As I'm assigned to pushing a shelf with Eric over to the door while they do the same, before anyone could move there came pounding from the door.

Groans came from behind it, and not even a second later the door flings open.

I lift up my crowbar, eyebrows furrowing at the scene before me. There doesn't seem to be a lot of them, but I'm proven wrong when more and more of those things barrel inside.

"Someone close off the doorway we just came through so they can't get to the others!"

Eric moves before I could, slamming the doors closed shut and somehow moving a shelf in front of it within a minute.

"What do we do then?" I proclaim over the noise, hitting a flesh eater over the head and it falls. "There are too many to fight on our own! It must be another small horde!"

"Small?" Eric repeats in a booming voice, incredulous. "This is what you call small?"

"Trust me," I grunt as I kick a creature away, "I've seen some shit in the past few days!"

"There's another way out!" Daiki yells to us, interjecting. "Follow me!"

Finding an opening, I sprint after them with Eric right on my heels.

We all go up the stairs, the Runners stumbling over each other as they're right on our tail.

Once we reach a door, Daiki pries it open makes us rush inside first.

However, not everyone made it through.

I was the last to go, and got cornered near the railing of the platform. Climbing onto said railing, I yell to them, "Go! I'll meet you guys there!"

After standing still for a moment, seemingly in thought, Daiki closes off the door to Veo and Eric and also starts climbing. Except he's scaling the wall without a boost up.

"What the hell are you doing?" I question as I balance myself, hurrying to the edge of the platform and and keep moving to grab onto the support beam in the corner.

"Helping you," Daiki replies, though I can't see him at this point. "I know a few more ways back to the others from here. You don't."

Kicking a flesh eater in the face, I grab onto the floor of the next platform and start pulling myself up. Daiki takes my arm and pulls me up the rest of the way before one of those things could swipe at me.

"Thanks," I breathe out, still mildly irritated that he just risked his life doing that for mine.

"Yeah, whatever," he answers. "C'mon."

I trail behind him as he leads me around, some of those flesh eaters managing to climb up or find the ladder to get up to us and are now giving chase.

He takes me to a small room and shoves me inside, coming in behind me and shutting the door as those things press themselves up against it. I assist him and the door finally shuts.

Daiki points to a ladder and starts pushing me to it, "It leads to the shortest part of the roof."

I bite my tongue so I won't order him to release me before just climbing as fast as I can. He brings up the rear, the door about the break.

Opening the latch with minor difficulty, I get up and lend him a hand right as the door caves in. I throw the latch shut once Daiki's out and he tightens it.

He then takes me to another door, this time an metallic-looking one, enters a passcode and we swiftly step inside.

We're now on a small balcony in the corner of the warehouse, positioned above and behind the others. Eric and Veo are already with them all, exclaiming what's happening.

"Where's my brother?" Jane demands, sounding terse and worried.

"He's-"

"-right here," I call down to them, cutting Eric off. All eyes turn to Daiki and I, then we head down the ladder leading up to the balcony.

Once we rejoin the group, Veo has us go to the a side room, where it's the safest place to hole up until those creatures pass through.

My pulse increases for the third or forth time today as I hear the cracking of the shelf and door from where we had entered previously.

"Fuck," I curse under my breath, and everyone moves fast to get to the room as instructed.

I stay with Jane, Éloïse and Leon, making them all get in before me.

As soon as everyone's in the medium sized room, the doors close and lock automatically. They're the same metallic door as the one Daiki and I came through before.

We can hear the flesh eaters roaming around outside, and we stay quiet as we sit down.

My sister and friend hug me in relief.

Veo and Daiki set themselves down with our little group, Leon having been us already.

"You took care of my family well, right?" I whisper to Leon, squinting a bit at him.

He nods and I look to Jane and Éloïse, who also nod as confirmation.

"Good," I mutter dangerously, yet a bit jokingly, "otherwise I might've had to beat up my sister's boyfriend."

Jane glares at me, but the slight amusement in her eyes gives it away that she isn't too upset with me. Her face turns a bright red as she protests.

Leon has little to no reaction, his cheeks dusted a light pink that subtly grows darker every time he looks to Jaz.

Smirking at them, I find myself having a burning face as I catch Veo watching me.

Daiki is also zoned in on Éloïse, striking up a mini conversation with her.

Despite the situation we're currently in, I don't particularly care about how long we'll be trapped in here for.

As long as we're safe, really.

And it's a bonus that I get an excuse to talk to Veo through this.

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-CastrarWolf & Taegikook224/Taegikook2060