Rhys sat in a daze throughout the quarantine. He wiped the blood clinging to his knuckles with a dark look in his eyes. Several times he was found lost in thought and other times he would unconsciously touch his cheek as if he felt something on it. He didn't talk and refused to listen to anyone as well.
After the difficult battle, everyone who had to step out of the gates to fight the zombies were left in quarantine. So, the usually empty room was now packed with people. All the raid members along with several of the people from inside the camp were present. Feeling the different emotions emitting from Rhys who sat motionlessly in a corner, everyone avoided him knowingly. At first, he was fuming with range, then he looked in so much pain that he was seen even clutching his chest. Then he calmed down and fell into an unapproachable trance. Kyle visited a few times, but seeing that his brother was out of sorts, he decided to bring up business after the quarantine.
Under Kyle's instruction, Ash was put into detention where he will also spend his quarantine. his release date would be decided later. After three days, everyone came out of the enclosed space and gathered around for the funeral of the deceased. Along with the 3 people who died during the fight, Mike was also remembered and given a proper funeral even without his corpse. Even in his half-dazed state, Rhys could feel the tension in the air. Everyone inside the camp were on edge. Several of the people would give each other dead glares and verbal fights often broke out. Hostility was visible on most of the faces and the few others left had scared and worried looks.
Soon after all of them burned all the corpses and made sure that their barricade was still intact. It was in a very sorry state. Just from looking at it, it was obvious that staying here longer was not a feasible option. They would have to move soon. The Tesco would not be able to withstand another attack of this scale.
After the corpses were burned, Kyle finally pulled Rhys into a secluded corner. They really needed to talk. His brother was still distracted. Ever since the fight between him and Ash, he was walking around like he had lost his soul. Occasionally he would spot him flinch like he was in pain. Other times his whole body would shake and tremble. This was the first time in all the time he had known Rhys, to see him act so peculiarly.
"Did you notice?" Kyle asked his brother who snapped his eyes towards him seemingly finally out of his spell.
"Notice what?" he asked. Kyle sighed. It seems he was really out of it for the past few days. Otherwise he would have already noticed the peculiar atmosphere in the camp and already thought about things to sort out the problems. Rhys thought on the question and then as if remembering something finally asked, "what happened here while we were gone?"
"A fight broke out. While you boys were away, the groups came together and demanded that a leader finally be selected. There were a lot of those assholes who didn't agree with how we ran the camp. I guess they were getting pissed as the rationed-out food was decreasing." Kyle sat down on a chair and looked around to make sure that no one was listening in on them. "The fight actually broke out when Lauren, that pretty lass, complained to her dad that Steve has been constantly harassing her wherever she goes. Everyone knows that Steve is a lecherous bastard. So, they came to me and of course I tried to mediate between the fight. But things only got worse."
"How so?" Rhys asked curiously.
"Well we couldn't really agree on a punishment. Her dad demanded that he be thrown out of camp, but we can't start throwing people out of camp for every fight that occurs. Also, Steve has a large following behind him. He is after all one of the 'candidates' trying to overthrow me. The girl's family was not happy with just detention. So, I had no choice but to agree on a competition like you and Ash..." Kyle saw Rhys wince at the mention of Ash and sighed. 'Why did you even beat him up if you were gonna behave like this.'
There was a short silence before Rhys forcefully broke it masking his expressions. "...and?" he asked probing his brother to continue talking.
"Steve won. Which was not the ideal situation. Since now the victim was punished rather than the other way around. And the man even had the nerve to say that the girl was slandering him and as such he would be merciful and wed her as her punishment so that such accusations won't arise again'" Kyle rolled his eyes and he saw Rhys's face darken. "He has been waiting for a chance like this to throw mud in our face and show the others that we were powerless against our own rules. So, he made use of every loophole in our rules and mocked us thoroughly." Anger was laced in his voice as Kyle said up to here.
"What did you do?"
"Of course, I didn't agree to his outlandish demand. But then I couldn't really punish him either. After all those who set down the rules shouldn't go around breaking them themselves. So, I calmed down Lauren's father and told him that if it happens again, I would take strong measures." Kyle lowered his voice a little realising that his tone had risen high due to his anger. "I thought I had managed to calm him down but then the man went to Peter instead and took his side. After that it was chaos. Both sides started fighting and no one listened to a word that I said. They went so far as to trick me and lock me up in the detention room before fighting with each other. Both sides were bleeding and bruised. I heard that Peter and his group was able to suppress Steve and then they threw his out of the barricade. The sly fox, Peter, stole a guard's gun and shot at Steve threateningly to drive him away. It's sickening. They were seeing it as a game were 'you run, or you get shot'. Kyle let out a shaky breath and he knew that Rhys was also starting to feel the anger. "The man was already injured when he was thrown out. I heard that before he could escape, Peter made sure to shoot him as well, although not fatal."
Rhys rubbed the bridge of his nose at the sharp pain from all this mess. "what about the Zombies? How did they come here? We always made sure that there weren't any close by to threaten our safety."
"I was only let out of the room when everything had gone downhill. Seems like the Zombies that you saw was led back by Steve. He was injured which was enough to make him a wide-open target no matter how hard he tried to hide. So, he knew that he had no chances of surviving even a day outside the camp. Maybe it was revenge or maybe he had just come back to beg to be let back in. Either way he attracted a whole bunch and then more kept joining due to the loud commotion." Kyle saw Rhys shake with anger. He knew that Rhys took loyalty and trust very seriously. Anyone who betrayed him was considered a lifelong enemy. This was the only major flaw that he had. He would explode in anger if something like that happens and he won't compromise no matter what. The Tesco was a small haven that he had spent a lot of time and energy on. Anything that destroyed his effort and threatened his family was already dead in his eyes.
"Luke!" He shouted, not waiting for any more details. What was said was already enough. Those fools had put everyone in danger due to their selfishness. Luke was standing close by. Hearing the harshness in Rhys's voice he flinched visibly. Several others also noticed the loud shout and glanced in their direction worried.
"Y-Yes!" he rushed to his side in a flash.
"Gather everyone. It's time to make some things clear." Rhys's voice was low but send a frightening shiver down his back. He didn't dare ask 'why'. He could already guess what was going on and what was about to come. He just nodded in acknowledgement and rushed off.
Soon a large crowd gathered around the trio. Rhys could see fear and anxiety on most faces. Until now, he had never stepped forward to give any commands to this group of people. He had left all the management to Kyle because he knew that he would do a good job. Rhys was more interested to be the muscle that supports his brother rather than be stuck behind the desk. But right now, these people had crossed the line and he needed to let them know who was in charge and the consequences of defiance. He was never a saint and he was not planning to turn into one in this lifetime. And everyone should know that messing with the devil will get you burned.
Rhys was already in a terrible mood to begin with. Their raid had cost them a comrade and he was furious by Ash's betrayal. Moreover, he was angry at himself for his miscalculation and wrong decisions. Along with that a complicated feeling filled his heart as he remembered the mocking smile on Ash's face at the end of the fight. Adding more to that was already a mistake but everyone just had to pick that time to fuel his rage.
"Everyone must have noticed the mess that happened here" Kyle spoke up finally deciding it was time to address the problem since the situation has settled down for the moment. "Some of you took matters into your own hands without thinking of the consequences. Now see what your blind actions have done." His eyes narrowed down with his fury. It was obvious that he was trying to keep calm. Not many had ever seen Kyle lose his temper before. "People died. Where exactly did your humanity go?" A heavy silence followed his words.
And then someone from the crowd spoke up "We only did what was right." Several people agreed to that.
"You were turning a blind eye to offenders." Someone else shouted.
"Step down if you are not fit for the role"
"You blame my brother?? But people died due to your actions." Rhys could not stand back and listen passively anymore. His voice was several octaves lower giving it a dangerous vibe. "We don't house animals here!!! Those who were responsible step forward, accept your punishment and leave on your own volition. I have actually a mind to throw every one of you out this instant." Kyle widened his eyes at the obvious threat. Rhys was not one to make idle threats. He quickly placed a hand on his shoulder to give him a warning and hold back his brother from doing something rash. A loud murmur followed his words.
A few people started laughing and turned around to leave not taking them seriously nor seeing the need to stay behind and listen to their words. "I WAS NOT JOKING!!!" Rhys shouted at the group and everyone flinched. "My brother was left in charge because he had the most foresight and the ability to think rationally than the lot of you" his voice was still high. The anger vibrated through the air making it almost visible. "Who is the bastard that dared to lock him up and cause a riot. Come forward and receive your punishment!"
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A dead silence followed these words. Several people looked at each other worried. But no one actually came out.
"What gives you the right to decide our fate?" A nasty voice broke through the murmurs and challenged him. It was the guy who caused all this problem in the first place. Peter stood there with a defying stare. It looked like he hasn't learned from his mistakes at all.
Rhys narrowed his eyes at him. "ALLISON, DANIEL, JOSHUA; ELI, MR. ROBERT, STEVE." He listed a number of names with clenched fists. "these are people who have died due to your stupidity." Everyone started murmuring again. Rhys saw the man's face flush red from embarrassment and anger. "Their death gives me the right to decide YOUR fate." Rhys wasn't just angry at Peter; he was angry at Steve and all their minions who decided to side with them. But a minion's blame should be carried by their leader and Steve was already dead so the only one who could receive the entire blame for the incident was Peter. Seeing him without any guilty conscience made Rhys's wrath intensify.
"Their deaths have nothing to do with me. I wasn't the one who led the Zombies here..." he paused for a moment and then continued as if not realising that the entire incident would not have turned out like that if he hadn't thrown Steve out in the first place. But the people around him were not stupid, several of them gave him accusing stares and shifted away from where he stood
"You have never cared about the people here before and now you come and prance around throwing around justice. YOU... are not qualified." Several people gasped at the rude remark. Rhys was the one who saved them in the first place. It was true that he didn't sit on the leader seat but he every time he had gone out on raids, he had made sure to bring back something useful for everyone's sake.
Peter was getting more and more bold as his competition was now dead. He was starting to believe that once Kyle is take care of, he would have free reign over this group. Guessing his thoughts, rage flowed through Rhys like lava, burning his insides and trying to find a way to release. The past few tense days were already giving him a headache and after he came back in hopes of relaxing, this fool decided to rub him the wrong way. The thin thread of his rationality and patience finally snapped.
A shot rang loud and clear through the building and everyone gasped and ducked to take cover in panic. Rhys had his arm raised with a gun in his hand as he fired a warning shot. Then he lowered it down and pointed it at Peter whose eyes trembled at the sight. But then his lips curl up "you are not the only one with a gun." As he said that one of his followers raised a gun stolen from the guard unit and pointed it at the trio. Tension filled the air, and everyone thought they could hear crackling sounds as the two sides showed down against each other. Kyle's people pulled out their knives and pipes and took a battle stance. Their eyes were burning with fury and hate at the insults thrown at theirs boss.
Seeing the gun in the man's hand, Kyle narrowed his eyes in annoyance. But he was glad that it was only one, but before he could relax, two others raised guns at them. They were part of the guard rotation and in charge of maintaining order while Rhys's team was away on raids. No wonder Peter was able to overpower Steve. He had already sweet talked the guards onto his side. It was understandable that not everyone agreed with the rules that were set down in the camp. But it had kept them safe and alive until then. They should have at least shown some respect for the effort they had taken. But of course, they wouldn't know the difficulty in managing a group of lawless people until the crown fell on their own heads.
As soon as the guns were taken out, the raid team pulled out their own guns as well and at once the other side was outnumbered. The raid had been fruitful after all and the trip had also tightened the bond of friendship between the members that went. "you are just abusing your power. If you didn't have the guns, then you are no threat." Peter taunted bringing a round of cheers from his supporters. Luke chuckled as he heard this. 'this moron had no idea what he is talking about'. But he had the public's support. Peter turned to the crowd of people and announced in a confident voice "Make me your leader and I will ensure that none of you suffer injustice ever again. Another round of cheers broke through after his words. They people have voiced their stance.
The crowd was divided into two sides. Kyle noticed that it was almost equally divided. There were many who blamed Kyle's group for not having dealt the right punishment to Steve which triggered this whole incident. So, they were hoping for a better management from Peter once he takes charge. As such he had a few more on his side.
A sudden laugh filled the air. Rhys looked more dangerous now than when he had an angry expression. He was emitting waves after waves of murderous intend through just his glare. He has been in more fights than he can count and that battle sharpened aura send shivers down onlookers' spine. This was not the economy you used to know. There is no 'uphold justice for all' anymore. Someone would always suffer. The world was chaos and the rule of the wild was law. Anyone who thought different wound come to reason after experiencing hardship personally. Rhys fell quiet. His countenance became calm. He looked deep in thought. This made people more uneasy than before. Several people watched Rhys closely so that they could bolt at the slightest sense of danger. But to everyone's surprise Rhys lowered his gun and tucked it back into the waistband of his jeans.
"Alright since the majority had spoken, let it be then." He looked at Peter and continued. "I will give you three weeks to make something out of this mess hole and bring justice to everyone who comes to you. If you can achieve that better than my brother, then me and my group will follow you without complaint. Otherwise...." He trailed off "well you will know after three weeks."
"Why three weeks?" someone shouted from the crowd. "That's too short."
Rhys didn't say anything and walked away not seeing it worth his time to talk with stupid people. Josh scoffed at that person and replied in his stead. "Kyle made something out of the mess with just three weeks so what are you complaining"
"Yes! Your leader should have it easy since he just has to make some tweaks on what Kyle already has in place." Luke added before following after Rhys. The insult was clear as day. 'No matter what your leader does, it would be just some modifications to hard thought out rules by Kyle.' So, there would be no gain in bragging for any achievements.
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Ash woke up to the sound of a gunshot. Darkness filled his eyes which made him confused. His throat was parched, and he coughed at the uncomfortable feeling. He was lying on the floor with just a thin layer of cloth as protection from the cold tiles. He tried to sit up and winced in pain. Now that the excitement of the battle was over, his entire body was feeling the strain. Every part of his body hurt. He was even finding it difficult to breath properly. Ash sat up with much strain and clutched his hand against his chest. It was painful. But he wasn't sure if the pain was from the fractured ribs or his wounded feelings. He took deep breaths to calm his frantic heart. Fear was constantly lingering in his heart us he tried to adjust his eyesight to the darkness that surrounded him.
After a few minutes of focusing he recognised the room as the detention room where they had kept Tom before. He smiled sadly at the realisation. 'At least they didn't throw me out while I was out cold.' A pair of hate filled eyes flashed before his mind and he unconsciously flinched. The fear in his heart intensified and his breathing became rapid. Although the incident was done and over with, he had a nagging feeling that his life forward would be filled with problems.
He shook the unpleasant thought from his mind and focused on his broken and throbbing body. Bandages were wrapped around several severe areas. 'Maybe Biyu Chen had been around after seeing his miserable state or someone else.' With great difficulty he sat cross legged and closed his eyes in meditation. His breathing instantly calmed down and his hectic thoughts vanished leaving a blank mind. Being agitated didn't help his recovery. His already superhuman healing skills would only function at its peak if he had a serene mind.
Instantly he started feeling his body respond. There were several broken bones in his body including his nose. Then scratches and bruises littered all over his body. One of his eyes was swollen like a melon making it unable to see through. All his nerves started screaming as his dislocated and broken bones started shifting to their original positions. Ash bit down on his lips to keep himself from screaming. He had experience doing it over and over during his lab days. So now he could endure the pain without even a squeak. Soon he felt all his energy drained from him ones more. Healing oneself and others was such a tiring task. Every single time he utilised his ability, rather than feeling refreshed, his entire body would weigh like a rock making even listing a finger an exhausting chore. But in the long run he would be better. All he had managed to do was put his bones back to place. Now he had to wait patiently for the rest to recover naturally. His previously broken areas still felt sore.
Ash sighed as the familiar drained feeling filled him. Suddenly his stomach rumbled loudly. He didn't know for how many days he was passed out for but by his wolfish hunger he guessed it's been a few days. 'Are they going to starve me and keep me detained?' Is that the punishment? For how long? he sighed again. Even if he called out, it was very likely that he would be ignored. His stomach growled again, and his throat felt even drier.
Ash decided to take his chances and test his luck. After all he didn't want to die as a dried shrivelled up corpse due to dehydration. "hello?" he shouted with a coarse voice. Although he intended it be loud, it came out barely above a whisper. His throat felt like sandpaper. He tried to wet it with his saliva and tried again. This time it was better. No one answered. Ash sighed again. No choice then. He pushed himself up from the floor and wobbly stood on his feet. Pain flowed through his entire body intensifying around his more severe wounds. When he reached the door, he heard a loud commotion outside. He couldn't make out what was going on. But it was loud and harsh. He was surprised for a moment. The camp usually doesn't allow too much loud noise in order not to attract unwanted attention. But right now, they were causing a ruckus ignoring everything else. Haven't they learned after the recent zombie attack. 'If they are gonna bring another wave of zombies here, I would rather stay locked up in this room. At least I will be safe' Ash huffed. After silencing to those incoherent shouting for a while, it calmed down. It seems like they came to an understanding. Ash decided to wait another 10 minutes for good measures and then shouted again "Hello, someone there?'
He heard some footsteps approaching and felt relieved. No matter who it is, they will be considered his saviour if they bring him food and water. That person pushed open the door without any warning and Ash was a bit slow to move out of the way. The door hit him right in the face. Ash being already hurt and drained lost his balance easily and fell onto his butt.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed as his entire body shot with pain again.
"Oh goodness. I am so sorry. I didn't know you were standing right behind the door." An unfamiliar voice drifted into his ear and Ash looked up to see his saviour/attacker. Although the voice was unfamiliar the features that met him resembled someone he knew. The guy resembled the brothers, James and Josh. The same caramel coloured curls sat in a messy taper style haircut. Similar faded blue eyes were looking at him in concern. Without anyone pointing it out, Ash could tell that this was the boasted brother James had. He did look much more mature than Josh and didn't give of the scary vibe with his physique like James. Ash had spotted him a few times in the crowd but had never had a chance to talk. Ash looked down at his hands and sighed in relief. There was food and water.
Immediately he rubbed his aching back and slowly got back to his feet. Doesn't matter who it is, food is his first priority. "I am glad that you are finally up. I heard the shout so I came to see, assuming that you must be starved. The man's voice was friendly and had a calming effect. Maybe its because he knew the brothers, it felt like he instantly felt close this stranger.
"You are James's brother. Right?" Ash asked carefully.
"Yes. I am Jule. Nice to finally meet you." He grinned and handed him the tray of food that he brought along. There was warm soup, a glass of water and some dry biscuits. Without hesitation Ash grabbed the glass and drowned it in one go.
"I have heard lot about you Ash." He said as he watched Ash drink the water like a starved animal.
"Oh? Josh must have come to you to complain?" Ash asked cocking an eyebrow.
Loud chuckle filled the small room. "That he certainly did" he laughed again. Without knowing why, Ash smiled along with him feeling completely at ease.