"Big bro, they're really tailing us, just like you said"
Noelle's words confirmed my suspicions in a flash. Even though it was something I feared, I couldn't help but be surprised and uncomfortable hearing it directly from her. I mean, were they really willing to kill us? Humans? Just because we might out-hunt them?.
Though I knew rationally that in extreme situations, humans are capable of doing unthinkable things, a part of me still wanted to believe they wouldn't make such a drastic decision so quickly. However, those thoughts dissipated when I heard Noelle's words. If they wouldn't show mercy, then neither would I.
"Thanks, Noelle. Because of you, we'll be able to come up with a countermeasure in time" I said, petting her head in gratitude.
Noelle, on the other hand, smiled charmingly at my touch and words. I guess, at this point, Noelle had become like a second sister to me. Reflecting on this, I also wondered what Ellen meant to me. Clearly, I didn't feel any romantic attraction towards her, but I also didn't see her as a sister. Maybe I considered her a best friend? I think that's the closest answer to the truth.
"Oh, I forgot to mention: there's a girl with them who seems quite scared" Noelle spoke again beside me, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Upon hearing this, I shot a brief glance at her, but Ellen just shrugged, indicating she didn't know what her sister was talking about either.
"What do you mean? And furthermore, how can you be so sure she's scared?" I asked, looking at Noelle with a raised eyebrow.
"She's got the same expression I have when I know I'm in trouble" Noelle said bluntly.
Upon hearing those words, a small smile formed on my lips. It's amazing how Noelle can recognize the expression she makes when she's in trouble. But setting that aside, if she's right, at least one person in the group isn't necessarily on board with what they're doing.
That makes me think of a possibility: this person probably joined the group thinking it would be a good idea but ended up realizing things aren't going as they expected.
"If that's true, what do you plan to do with her?" Ellen inquired, her eyes fixed on me.
Though her question seemed to carry deep meaning, when I looked at her, it actually seemed like she was affirming that no matter what I did, she would still continue to follow me. Though I'm grateful for that support, for some reason, I feel like Ellen believes I would be capable of killing anyone without apparent reason.
"Look, just to be clear, that guy... you know, the one I had to make disappear" I said, as Ellen nodded. "I only did that because it was necessary. Just trust me. If he had the chance, he really would've killed me, and probably wouldn't have stopped until he succeeded" I said straightforwardly.
Upon hearing my words, Ellen nodded. With that, I decided to continue our conversation about what we would do next.
"Anyway, that person Noelle mentioned probably has no involvement in this. If possible, let's avoid killing her, unless the situation changes drastically and our survival depends on it" I said directly.
***
Ilya had many moments in life when she wondered if her choices were right or not. While some had been wrong, there were also those that proved to be right, leading her to where she was today. However, at this exact moment, Ilya was facing what could be the worst choice of her life.
"They finally stopped, they're probably exhausted"
Ilya remained quiet in a corner, listening to the conversations of the rest of the group. The problem was that these conversations involved the topic of killing people. Internally, Ilya wondered how they could discuss something so serious so calmly, as if it were something common—or perhaps, for them, it really was routine.
The more she thought about it, the more fear Ilya felt. Meanwhile, internally, she could only ponder on what exactly she was getting into. Although she wanted to warn the targets about what was about to happen, she felt incapable. She was afraid of being the next victim if she did something. In the end, all Ilya could do was refuse to attack them when the fight began.
"It's time, folks" the leader warned, staring at his prey with a psychotic smile on his face.
Ilya questioned internally how someone could smile like that, knowing that soon after they would be taking lives. What kind of people exactly had she associated herself with?.
"Can we keep the older girl alive for a while? We want to have some fun with her" one of the men said, his voice filled with excitement.
"Do whatever you want" replied the leader, rolling his eyes.
At this point, Ilya had already plugged her ears. She simply didn't want to hear anything more from those conversations, or rather, she refused to listen. It was at this moment that Ilya noticed something on a branch above them.
There was a man watching her, more precisely, the man they were about to kill. He stared at her with a perplexed expression on his face. Ilya watched as he shook his head and then turned his gaze to the other men.
"You know it's rude to follow people without their consent, right?"
The man said something, but Ilya couldn't hear. She still had her hands covering her ears, but it wasn't by choice. She simply forgot she had them there. All she could do was watch the scene unfold before her, especially when the man pointed to the sky.
A scythe appeared, and then Ilya couldn't quite recall what happened after that. All she could remember was that, within minutes, all the people who were in Ilya's group had been completely wiped out.