Chapter 36 Surrounded
Apparently, Kyra’s words weren’t enough to calm Red down. She stood up abruptly, her left eye scanning toward Ursula. At that point, Red no longer cared about the Assassins. The only thing on her mind was Kit’s safety.
“Ghníomhact!!”
The moment Ursula activated, every Assassin immediately jumped to their feet and drew their weapons.
Red started walking toward Aamon and the others, but Aamon instantly grabbed her and stopped her in place.
“What the hell are you doing?” he hissed.
“I’m going after Kit,” Red snapped back.
“Stop.” Aamon gripped both of her shoulders tightly enough to make her flinch from the pain.
“Let go of me!”
“Are you even listening?” Aamon’s voice grew sharper with impatience. “Shut your robot down. Now.”
“Her name is Ursula,” Red shot back angrily. “And you don’t get to order me around.”
A cold female voice suddenly echoed from the group of Assassins.
“Leave her alone, Aamon. She doesn’t understand what’s happening out there.”
“No,” Aamon refused immediately.
Kyra quickly rushed between them and gently pushed Aamon’s hands away from Red’s shoulders. Then she wrapped her arms around Red, trying to calm her down.
“Red, please,” Kyra pleaded softly. “Wait until you’re fully healed.”
“What’s happening out there?” Red demanded, almost shouting while ignoring Kyra completely.
Aamon glanced back as one of the Assassins stepped closer. The woman was hidden beneath a cloak, half of her face covered in shadows.
“People are killing each other,” the female Assassin answered casually. “Not just for medals. For food. Water. Shelter.”
Red stared at her in disbelief. “And you didn’t stop them?”
“For what?” the woman replied coldly. “It’s none of our business.”
“Then there’s no reason for me to stay here.” Red pulled away from Kyra’s arms.
In one swift motion, the woman extended a short metal rod. A sharp blade instantly shot out from the tip and stopped inches from Red’s throat.
Red froze.
“Yes,” the Assassin whispered coldly. “Then maybe there’s no reason for you to stay alive either.”
Aamon immediately shoved the blade away. “Enough, Prim.”
“You’d better teach your girl when to stay quiet,” Prim warned sharply. “One more mistake, Aamon.”
Then she retracted the blade and stepped back toward the other Assassins, who were still watching Red carefully.
“Calm down,” Aamon said quietly. “Red… think this through.”
“At least tell me Kit’s okay,” Red whispered, her voice trembling.
Aamon sighed softly. “I’ll bring her to you.”
Red’s eyes widened slightly.
“But promise me you won’t go off on your own again. Stay here with Kyra.”
“Please, Aamon…” Tears began slipping down Red’s cheeks. The thought of Kit being trapped somewhere dangerous was driving her insane.
“I promise,” Aamon said quietly. “I’ll look for her tonight. Just rest, okay?”
His fingers brushed gently against Red’s cheek as he wiped away her tears.
Red quickly nodded.
Kyra hugged her from behind again. “Come on, Red,” she whispered softly.
Red hesitated for a moment before finally letting Kyra guide her back toward the shelter.
Then she looked back over her shoulder. “Aamon?”
He was still standing there watching her. “Yes?”
“Thank you.”
Aamon didn’t answer.
He simply cleared his throat and turned back toward the Assassins. Red could only hold onto his promise and hope he actually meant it.
Hours later, sometime in the middle of the night, Kyra suddenly shook Red awake. The woman immediately pressed a finger against her lips.
At the same time, they heard voices. A lot of voices.
In the distance, glowing lights flickered through the forest, slowly getting closer.
Red gasped softly while Kyra instinctively grabbed onto her arm. The Assassins were gone. The campfire nearby had already burned out, leaving no sign of where they’d disappeared to.
“We need to hide,” Red whispered urgently.
“What? Hide where?” Kyra panicked. “We’re out in the open!”
“They’ll spot us because of that ugly metal shelter,” Red hissed while glancing toward the giant Tyrannosaurus scrap above them.
“But where do we go? It’s pitch black!”
“Calm down, Kyra.”
If Kyra kept panicking, Red wouldn’t be able to think properly either. Honestly, Red was already cursing the Assassins for disappearing at a time like this.
“Oh God… I’m scared, Red,” Kyra whispered shakily. “What do we do?”
“Follow me.”
Red carefully slipped out from beneath the shelter and crouched near thick bushes beside the waterfall. Kyra hurried after her, and the two of them hid together while watching the approaching lights.
Figures slowly emerged from the trees. Some of them were surrounded by glowing shields that wrapped around their bodies like transparent spheres.
Red immediately scanned them with her eye. Something attached to their chests caught her attention.
Medals.
The moment the group noticed Ursula sitting motionless nearby, several people immediately shouted.
“Look! It’s the robot girl!”
“She has to be nearby somewhere!”
“We find her, we control the robot!”
A massive bald man stepped forward from the crowd, his entire body protected by a glowing shield. He held a long spear, its sharp tip reflecting the firelight around them.
Red and Kyra both held their breath. There were too many of them. More than twenty people.
A mixture of different classifications—except Assassins and Metaphysics.
“You really think you can beat that girl?” someone beside him mocked.
The speaker was a tall, muscular woman with long black hair and an enormous axe resting over one shoulder. A medal hung from her chest beneath the shield surrounding her body.
“You doubting me?” the bald man growled.
“You couldn’t even kill that freak girl before,” the woman laughed loudly.
“If her little portal friend hadn’t interfered, I would’ve killed her already!” the man snapped before spitting on the ground.
Red froze. Phi? These people attacked Phi?
And Kit… What about Kit?
Red’s thoughts spiraled anxiously before the shouting dragged her attention back.
“Find her!”
“Spread out!”
“She can’t be far!”
“She’s hiding somewhere nearby!”
The muscular woman barked orders while the others began splitting apart through the forest.
Kyra was visibly trembling now.
They were trapped. There was nowhere left to run. The Assassins were gone.
And there was no way they could escape through the dark forest unnoticed.
If they tried, they’d get caught immediately. There was only one option left. Red slowly stood up.
Kyra grabbed her arm in panic. “What are you doing?”
“I’m facing them.”
Before Kyra could stop her, Red stepped out from the bushes and walked directly toward the group searching for her.
Behind her, Kyra remained frozen in fear.
The moment Red appeared, every single person went silent and stared at her. Red stopped in front of them and lifted her chin.
“I’m right here,” she said coldly. “What do you want?”