Chapter 15

KAIDA'S POV...

After the introduction, Axton offered me some food, which I accepted with thanks and ate.

I was sitting on a chair in front of the room I had slept in and was drinking my water as I quietly observed Axton.

He was standing with his men, and it looked as if they were discussing something serious.

"Everyone, move to the training ground!" Axton ordered in his deep and intimidating voice.

"Yes, Captain!" The squad members replied and immediately started to march away to their assigned destination.

I watched on, wondering where this training ground could be and what their purpose was in that area.

"What's on your mind, Princess?" Zarek suddenly spoke beside me, startling my wandering thoughts.

"Oh!" I turned my face to the side and looked at his concerned face, his brown eyes stared at me observantly.

"What's on your mind?" He asked again, not taking his eyes off my face.

I saw he was resilient about finding out what I was thinking about, and I had no problem telling him because I was actually curious.

"Well, I was just thinking about where the team members were heading to, the training grounds...what happens there?" I asked.

Zarek raised an arched brow at me, his ears moving with his brows. "The training ground is where all District 12 residents train daily to hunt fallen ones in exchange for supplies," he informed me.

"Alright, I see..." I paused, looking at Axton as he spoke to someone before walking toward us.

Zarek doesn't let him walk all the way to us as he meets him halfway, and they both start a conversation.

Curiously, I strained my ears to listen in on the conversation.

"I don't think it's a good idea leaving her here alone by herself, what if someone spots her while we're away?" Zarek spoke worriedly.

Axton briefly looked at me and then back at Zarek.

"What do you suggest?" Axton asked.

"I think we should bring her along with us, she could just sit by the side and observe," Zarek shrugged.

Hearing his suggestion, I instantly got excited and was already imagining what I was going to witness at the training ground.

I just hoped that Axton was going to allow it, I was not yet certain whether he actually liked me as a person or if he hated me. His attitude confused me.

But my excitement was paused when I heard the next words Zarek spoke.

"But, If we are to take her with us, she must disguise her identity and gender to avoid detection and trouble," Zarek spoke in concern, turning his head toward me.

His words suddenly made me realize that my identity was still a problem, I had almost forgotten that it should be hidden.

Revealing my identity to the men at the camp and seeing how they calmly accepted me made me think for a second that walking freely was now a normal thing for me.

But, thank god for Zarek; he had reminded me of my purpose: survival.

In this area, filled with heinous criminals, the severe gender imbalance meant that neither the poor nor the prisoners had the right to a partner.

The consequences of their fighting over a woman are unimaginable.

And, I, for one, would never want to be in the middle of such fights. Having those stinking and greasy men get a hold of you was something I never wanted to witness. And not just the common men, the men in authority, they were the worst, I categorized them all in the same class as "The Saint."

So, disguising myself was my best option.

I saw Axton walk past Zarek and toward me. "Get yourself prepared, Kaida, we're going to the training ground," He spoke as he stood in front of me, his piercing eyes looking down at me.

At the training ground, Axton made to sit in a chair in a corner, "Do not go anywhere," he warned me before he walked away and went toward his men, who were doing a warm-up.

After their short interaction and warm-up, I watched with interest as they separated themselves into groups and fought each other.

As they fought, it looked so real as if they were fighting a brutal war with the Fallen ones. I noticed that each person had a unique style of fighting, and as I looked closer at them, I realized that their fighting style somewhat reflected their beast genes, causing them to show the animal gene that dominated their body.

But, all fought with a reflection of their beast's genes, except Thane.

As I stared at Thane, He fought well too, just that I couldn't figure out or discern whose genes he carried.

I wondered if perhaps, he might be uninfected, just like me. But taking a closer look at the men, I observed that these people seemed more rational and friendly, unlike other virus-infected individuals I had encountered, and I became curious about why they were imprisoned.

Suddenly, I was brought out of my close analysis as a group of bloodied men rushed into the training ground.

My heart immediately started beating out of control.

'Oh, no! What was going on now?!" I panicked inside my head.

One skinny man went berserk, attacking others, but some onlookers immediately cut him down. Still, the man seemed to feel no pain as he continued to struggle and growl savagely, creating a tense atmosphere.

I was on my feet in the next second as the place seemed a little disorganized by the little commotion, but I suddenly felt a hand on my waist, drawing me out of the way as a man ran through.

"You have to be extremely careful, Kaida," I heard Axton's low voice behind me.

I gulped, realizing he was the one holding my waist. I subtly moved out of his hold and faced him.

"Thank you," I managed to smile up at him.

He nodded, "This way," He held my hand and led me away from the chaotic center.

We stopped close to the entrance of the training ground where some of the men were standing guard, and Axton faced away from me, giving a silent order to someone.

When he faced me, I couldn't help but ask, "What's happening to him?" I pointed to the skinny man who was still going berserk even in hostage.

"Him..." he paused and stared at the man. "He's about to turn into a Fallen," he watched my face to see my reaction.

But I believed my face was unreadable because I was busy staring at the man. He reminded me of my father; I had witnessed him go through the same experience as that man, and those memories left me numb.

Bam!!!

A gunshot was fired and my eyes were instantly drawn to the sound.

I looked at the center of the training ground and saw the previously struggling man dead, blood trickling down the ground from the side of his head.

Before I could come out from the unexpected shock of sudden death, I heard the voice of a survivor as he shouted. "The fallen ones are evolving! They're gaining intelligence. I warn you all, they are coming!"