Chapter 33 When Rain Pours
Kyra gasped in surprise when she saw Aamon returning with another Assassin, dragging a large metal plate behind them. Together, they propped it up with pieces of wood and turned it into a makeshift shelter above Red, who was still unconscious.
Rain had already started pouring down, and the other Assassins scattered deeper into the forest, probably searching for shelter of their own.
The Assassin who helped Aamon didn’t stay long. He slipped into the darkness between the trees and disappeared without another word.
“You’re leaving us here?” Kyra asked anxiously while grabbing Aamon’s arm.
“I’ll stay nearby. Don’t worry.”
“Aamon, this girl needs a real safe place. You seriously think this giant piece of metal is safe? What if it falls on her?”
Aamon pointed toward Ursula. “The robot will react if anything dangerous gets close to Red.”
Kyra shook her head immediately. “Ursula hasn’t moved at all! It’s just a giant pile of metal while Red’s unconscious. If that robot could react on its own, it would’ve already carried her to Ingo.”
Aamon let out a heavy sigh. He clearly didn’t want to argue anymore.
“You’ll both be safe here. This is the best place for now.”
Aamon removed the cloak covering his body and draped it over Kyra’s shoulders.
“You’re not staying here with us?”
Aamon shook his head. “I’m more useful keeping watch nearby.”
Kyra finally stopped arguing and gave a small nod. “Be careful.”
Then Aamon disappeared into the forest after the other Assassins.
Kyra crawled beneath the shelter and immediately wrapped Red with Aamon’s cloak, covering her trembling body carefully.
In the middle of the dark forest, Kyra hugged her knees tightly and tried not to panic.
A low groan suddenly escaped Red’s lips.
“Ingo… Call…” she whispered deliriously.
Kyra immediately touched Red’s forehead and froze. Red was burning up. Kyra grabbed Aamon’s cloak and rushed outside into the storm.
“Aamon! Aamon!” she shouted desperately.
But her voice only echoed through the forest. No answer.
“Damn it,” Kyra hissed angrily.
She hurried back under the shelter and quickly opened the cloak. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she removed Red’s wet clothes before lying beside her and gently pulling her into an embrace.
“Sorry, Red… I have to do this,” Kyra whispered softly.
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the entrance. Kyra jumped in shock.
Aamon stood there holding some kind of metal goblet in his hand. Startled, Kyra immediately yanked the cloak up to her neck.
“What’s wrong?” Aamon asked calmly.
“Red has a fever. I’m trying to keep her warm.”
Aamon didn’t object.
Instead, he crouched near the entrance and struck stones together until sparks caught inside the strange metal goblet. Moments later, small flames began burning through twigs and leaves inside it.
“I told you she needs somewhere safer,” Kyra insisted again.
“She’s safe here.”
“Not in this condition!”
Aamon looked exhausted. “So what do you want me to do?”
Kyra pointed at him immediately. “Take your clothes off and lie down behind her.”
Aamon’s eyes widened. “Absolutely not.”
“Aamon, if you actually want her to survive, then do this one thing.”
He let out a quiet sigh but eventually obeyed.
After removing his clothes, Aamon carefully lay down behind Red. He looked unbelievably uncomfortable.
“At least turn your back against hers properly so the warmth stays trapped,” Kyra instructed.
“…Okay.” Aamon adjusted himself awkwardly.
“And don’t even think about looking over here. Got it?”
“Obviously.” Aamon cleared his throat. “How long do I have to do this?”
“Until her fever goes down.”
Silence settled between them after that.
“Where’d you get that goblet?” Kyra asked quietly.
“Part of the Tyrannosaurus,” Aamon answered.
Kyra blinked. “You took the robot apart?”
“No. It was already destroyed. I just collected whatever was left.”
Kyra stared at the fire for a moment before speaking again.
“Aamon… what happens now?”
“After what?”
“How long are we trapped here after killing the robot?” Kyra sighed softly. “Why haven’t we gone back to After Domini yet? Isn’t there any clue at all?”
“No.”
The short answer only made Kyra more anxious.
“God…” She swallowed hard. “People out there aren’t just dealing with monsters anymore. There’s starvation, storms, freezing weather…”
“That’s not your responsibility.”
“I was a medic back on Earth, Aamon. You think I can just ignore people suffering?”
“Isn’t surviving the entire point of the game?”
Kyra looked down bitterly. “This isn’t a game. It’s a nightmare.”
“Get some sleep, Kyra. You need rest.”
As Red shifted weakly in her feverish sleep, her back brushed lightly against Aamon’s.
The young man immediately stiffened and shut his eyes tightly.
He had never been this physically close to another person before, and it clearly unsettled him.
Aamon preferred isolation. Darkness. Distance.
Even now, being trapped under the same shelter with two women made him uneasy.
“If you’re not sleeping,” Aamon muttered quietly, “then at least keep watch.”
Kyra stared at him in disbelief. “You can actually sleep right now?”
“…By force,” Aamon answered flatly.
Meanwhile, far away from Red’s location…
Kit shivered violently, arms wrapped tightly around herself as she continued following Yasmin through the rain. The storm had become brutal, and they still hadn’t found shelter.
To Kit, it felt like they’d been walking forever.
Suddenly, Yasmin pointed toward a line of hills in the distance.
“Over there! I think there’s shelter up there!” she shouted over the rain.
Everyone immediately quickened their pace.
At this point, they didn’t care what kind of shelter it was as long as it was dry.
Their stomachs ached with hunger, and their throats burned with thirst, but survival came first.
Flame climbed the rocks ahead of them first, carefully checking the area before nodding for the others to follow.
Yasmin scaled the slippery stones easily, but Kit and Phi struggled badly. Both of them were exhausted.
“I’m tired,” Phi whimpered, nearly crying.
Yasmin grabbed her arm firmly and glared at her. “You need to stay strong! I don’t care if you want to complain. We survive first. Understand?”
Phi didn’t answer. She just wiped her tears silently.
At first, Yasmin sounded cruel, especially toward someone as young as Phi.
But Kit understood.
If even one of them gave up, they could all die out here. Despite her harsh attitude, Yasmin was trying to force Phi into becoming stronger.
The group moved more carefully after that, clinging to the rocky wall beside them.
The path was narrow, slippery, and dangerously dark. Even Flame’s fire barely helped because of how hard the rain was falling.
Eventually, Flame noticed another path branching downward toward a deep shadow in the rocks. Flame raised his hand and released a burst of flame like a flare to light the area.
Then his eyes widened.
“A cave!” Flame shouted. “Careful climbing down! It’s steep, but there’s a cave below us!”
One by one, they carefully descended the rocks. The cave turned out to be cramped and low enough that they had to hunch over inside, but it was dry and safe for now.
Kit slowly sat near the cave entrance and stared out at the pouring rain beyond the rocks.
Her thoughts drifted immediately back to Red.