The campers grouped around the tent where the so-called leaders were gathering. They mutter their anguish because of the appearance of their enemy, Markus, in their lair which gives them tension and doubts. They can't accept the fact that the guy is trying to help them.
"That bastard can't be forgiven. I can't stand his face!" A camper exclaimed.
"I'll kill him if he shows his face here again." another followed.
"I'll never forget what he's done!" some murmured.
"He's a demon! He needs to die!"
Sandra stood among the crowd with cold feet and a heavy heart. She and the others still can't find the words to tell the group what they know about Markus. She knew it was all a lie, a farce her friend had created to direct all anger toward him but she could not argue with all those people accusing him.
"He must have had his reasons.." Sandra lowered her head as she whispered.
Alex on the side heard her and exclaimed, "Reason? Didn't he clearly say that he just wanted to do that?! That sullen bastard. I can't believe you are siding with him, Sandra. What on earth had he done to you, too?!"
"..." Sandra didn't say a word. She kept her silence.
"Now, tell me a good reason why I won't rip that guy's neck..." his eyes burned with anger.
Sandra felt intimidated and took a step back. She can't even speak in front of Alex, and can't defend her friend. She swallowed her breath and felt sorry for herself. She knew all of his friends were feeling the same.
They continued to argue about what happened when they heard the other campers' loud uproar.
"He's back!" a camper ran towards them screaming.
Rage filled the air once again. They all went out and found the guy with Michiyo on his back.
Sandra's tears fell like rain as she ran towards Hachiro. But Alex, Jayson, and Yuri stepped in front and forcibly unmounted the unconscious Michiyo from his back and pushed him away, leaving Hachiro on the ground. Hachiro felt that fall.
"I'm glad you're fine!" Jayson said. "Are you hurt?" he tried to wake her up. "What are these wounds?!" Jayson saw the blood on Michiyo's shirt. "What had happened? Ne, Michi!" Jayson turned and faced the guy on the ground, grabbed his shirt, and met him in the eyes.
"Don't think you've erased your crimes with this, you bastard! I still won't approve of your presence here in the camp, so go! On behalf of saving Michiyo, I'm letting you go.." Jayson said. "But don't ever... come back here!"
Hachiro stood up limping. He watched the guys carrying Michiyo inside the tent. He tried to look around, but spit flew on his face which made him flinched. He wiped his face with his bloody hand and took a deep breath as he turned away from the crowd. He saw Sandra in the corner of his eyes so he straightened up and walked with confidence. His body feels so cold and heavy with every step he takes.
"What are you saying, Jay?! You're letting him go?! I won't accept it!" Alex swung his weapon in the air, and everyone docked.
"The moment we see each other again, you'll be dead. NOW GO!" Jayson pushed him away and the path from the crowd opened his way.
"Jayson, don't!" Alex exclaimed, but Yuri pinned him to the ground "Let me go, bastard!"
"I can't, Alex. Look at Jay's eyes. You can't go against the angry lion now." Yuri replied.
Alex noticed the flame of anger in Jayson's eyes. He had never seen that look in his eyes since middle school. He picked on him, threw his stuff, and made the guy angry and turned into someone he didn't know. A monster in disguise, that's how he saw Jayson. He didn't calm down, but he stepped back.
Hachiro is getting near the exit. Eyes pierced him in every direction, but unlike the feeling he felt earlier, he felt numb, like the stares and insults felt like a cold breeze on his skin. They all raised their weapon and some threw things at him. Shichiro managed to send it off most of the time. They reached the end of the camp and turned into an alley.
"Ha-chan.. isn't it bad?"
"It's fine this way, Shi-chan. Michiyo will be fine with them." Hachiro put his weight on the wall.
"But you're not! We saved her a million times, it's time they should realize---" Shichiro exclaimed.
"That's not what we wanted, Shi-chan. We're not fighting against them. The hacker is our only enemy."
"BUT, It's so unfair!" Shichiro muttered, he was almost throwing a tantrum.
"We can't waste time here---" he fell unconscious.
"Ha-chan!" his wolf screamed.
...
Jayson brought Michiyo inside the tent to treat her wounds. When they reached the bed, she woke up.
"Michi!" Andra exclaimed. "I'm glad to see you're fine!" her eyes filled with tears. "I'm so worried about you, bitch!"
"Michi!"
"Michiyo!!!!"
"Everyone...." Michiyo replied, still dizzy.
"Don't talk. You've got a pretty bad wound, we need to treat it right away." Jayson said and laid her in bed.
"You're wrong, this is not my wound!!" Michiyo exclaimed, Jayson, frowned. "I'm pretty fine. Where's Hachiro?!"
"What are you saying, you've got blood all over your shirt!" Andra contested. "We need to dress your wound before it gets infected."
"No! This is not mine, it's Hachiro's. He saved me. Where is he? He's badly wounded and we need to treat him right away." Michiyo replied as she was trying to get out of her bed. "Where is he?!" she exclaimed.
"We sent him off the site," Yuri spoke. "He's a traitor. We can't have him here at camp."
"What?! What have you done!" Michiyo exclaimed and rushed outside. "You didn't know what the guy did, baka!" she stood from the bed and ran outside the tent.
"Where are you going?" Jayson followed her. "You're still hurt!"
"Let go of me. I need to find him! He's in a pretty bad shape." Michiyo took her steps faster. "I can't let him die just yet. He promised me something!"
"What are you saying Michiyo?" Jayson grabbed her wrist. "That guy's the hacker! That's the one who brought down the flight Loki! And he possibly caused all this ruckus here on the island."
"I know! But you've got it all wrong! I need to save him. That's the only way I can repay everything. He saved Me..." Michiyo ran off with her wounded leg. "And he was trying to save us all!"
Sandra was full and sick of everything. She couldn't contain herself any longer so she ran and went after Michiyo.
"Wait for me, Michiyo!" She tried to catch up as they both exited the camp.
Dave and the others didn't catch up with them. They were left dazed as if they were pinned to where they were standing.
"Wait up, Michi!" she called.
"Sandra, what are you doing here?"
"I can't leave that idiot anymore. I'm so tired of his farce." Sandra replied.
"What are you saying?" Michiyo stopped near the alley and found the wolf, howling over a body on the ground.
"MARKUS!" Sandra exclaimed. The blood froze in her veins. She ran towards her friend on the ground. "Ne, Marky! Wake up!"
"It's impossible... what happened here, Shi-chan?" Michiyo asked.
"He fell unconscious all of a sudden." The wolf replied. "I tried to stop the bleeding but it's too much."
"Markus! Wake up, idiot! Didn't you say you're not gonna die, ne, Markus!" Sandra cried, her voice begging.
Michiyo dropped to the ground and rolled him upfront, showing a spring of blood on his gut. "Let's just bring him to the camp."
"They'll kill him. Jayson and Alex are pretty mad, even Yuri's on their side." Sandra replied as tears kept falling from her eyes. "What a wound! Where did he get this?" she ripped her sleeves and placed pressure on the wound. She can feel the warmth of the blood constantly flowing on her hand. "Hang in there, Marky..."
"We don't have anywhere to go to, Sandra. They just have to accept that he was our only key." Michiyo replied in an urging voice. She held the guy's hand and felt it was turning cold.
"I can't risk—"
"You can!" Michiyo eyed her. "Because he can and he will risk things to his advantage just to save you or me in this kind of situation. I don't know what he is to you but, if you are his friend, you will understand. You will take the risk to save him, too. We don't have any choice, Sandra."
"I know, but I don't know how to protect him!" Sandra cried. "He's always done the protecting since we were kids. We used to rely on each other but now he's gone far..."
"Sandra.."
"He's gone far from us. That distance felt so real, so far, those words felt so piercing... he's turning into a different person that--."
"So, you will give up on chasing that same friend?" Michiyo looked her straight into her eyes. "Pathetic."
Sandra slowly met Michiyo's eyes and her tears fell.
"Don't you want to see him smile again? That genuine laugh that will make the others around him smile as well? Don't you want to bring those times back?? He's in a pinch now, make your own decision. No matter what your odds are, try to take the risk. You've got a good friend, Sandra... a good one. Don't waste that guy... he's a good kid with a good heart." Michiyo stood up. "Now, is it a go or no go?"
"I won't make the same mistake twice." Sandra's voice felt with conviction. "For once, I won't listen to what he's said. Sorry, Marky, but this is what I want to do. My own decision to make, not dictated by others." She stood up with his on her shoulders.
Michiyo got to the other side and they walked towards the camp. "Ja, iku ka?!"