"You brat run your loud mouth a lot, i've been protecting your ass since we met you and you are fucking ungrateful about it. My partner life worth more than all of you ungrateful wretches, both of you better shut your damn mouth before i do with fucking muzzle in your damn mouth. And the person in everyone's attention hasn't said words yet, why don't you ask him whether or not what he has to say about this." Carlo said with anger clearly visible in a loud frustrated voice as he looked at James and Yui with anger in his eyes and shifted his gaze back to Noah with threatening glare if he didn't do what he commanded him to do. He will kill him along with both of his friends.
Everyone's eyes turned to Noah to hear his answer and Noah's eyes remained on Carlo as Carlo slowly lifted his gun swinging back and forth aiming at James and Yui along with the other girls, threatening to kill them here but most of them weren't able to see it as their focus was on Noah except for a few port workers including Johnson and David. David lowered his head on shame and powerlessness as unable to do anything to change or help anyone. It feels the same as every single time one of them gets killed by thugs and criminals and he just stands there watching them die like puppets without any freedom.
"Noah, we are together with you, don't be afraid of him. We will stand with you here and find a way out." James said with strong resolve and confidence in his voice as he made up his mind to leave them. Even if its meant leaving behind David and his past colleagues, the time he spent with them was shorter than to even single call a single moment of his life that he spent with others and David but he felt this connection that he can't describe with them in simple words.
"Noah, me and everyone else is together with you. You don't have to listen to this dumbfuck man, we will find our way out together like we did before and together we will find our way back home." Yui said as she was sure Carlo kept going to use every single one of them as bait to these nightmare creatures till every single one of them dies.
"Noah, listen to James and Yui. They're right, we've been together for the past few hours and we have a better chance of surviving as a group than with them and you saved my and other lives. We can't just leave you like that." Olivia said with tears falling from her eyes, she just hoped that everyone survive and returned to their home. If it's still safe and sound.
Noah closes his eyes and thinks it through all the possibilities and from the madness seeping out of Carlo's eyes he knows that he will kill them, if they decide to break away from the group and if stayed behind he will die by being devoured by a nightmare creature, "I'll stay behind and wait for the Steve here."
James' heart clenched at hearing Noah words, he felt sad, disappointed and betrayed as he heard Noah answer, Yui didn't say anything but turned her head to look at Carlo there's this cold glint in his eyes mocking them and revealing his joy. All the girls in the union said, "Don't say something like this, we are together with you."
"NO."
"I already made my decision, to stay behind and wait for Steve and when he arrives. We will find our way to reach out to you guys in the basement." Noah looks at the Carlo hateful smirk of power as everything is within his control. Now that Noah agreed to his command he knew everyone willing or not would soon be going to fall in line to follow his lead but James already became eyesore for him, he had to find a way to get rid of James but not in a painless way.
"Now, get moving, we don't have all the time in the world at our hands." Carlo's voice sounded full of grin and spirit as he kicked at Jaxon's feet and got him moving downstairs to reach the basement. James looks at David followed behind Carlo like he always does walking behind the one who owns the firearms quietly. David and his men start to follow behind Carlo on the stairs down below, David turns his head to look at James's figure standing in the corridor with the young people he just met tonight. James understood David wanted him to stay safe by being together in one big group but he has seen things that David might not understand. Being in a group is just a giant buffet for these creatures.
"What should we do now? Follow them or try to find the way out by ourselves. There's no doubt that our numbers are going to reduce again in this building too, but how much are we willing to take the risk?" James said to Noah and Yui as he leaned towards the walls to take support, his injuries are getting worse as there's nothing here they can use for the treatment for burns wounds but what hurted him the most was Noah agreeing to Carlo terms that was basically death sentence for him.
"To be honest I'm completely lost; I don't even know if we are going to survive this to see the sun anymore." Noah said as sit on the staircase, burns wounds on his body taking a toll on him as he always been physically weaker. It feels like at any given moment he will fall to the ground and lose his consciousness. He knows that he would slow down the group in a desperate situation, it's better if he dies here all alone then being a burden to them.
Yui looks at the remaining girls' faces to see what they are feeling, as most of them aren't in their right mind to make the right decision at the moment. Even James and Noah aren't sane enough to make rational decisions at the moment and their injuries won't let them go far either. Both of them are bound to become burden for her but without return crystal she would be trapped here forever or till she met her dooms the same way as the other or she would become another bait for nightmare creature by Carlo.
"Why don't we follow them for a moment and see whether or not there's something worthwhile that can be useful to us or something to eat and drink." Brenda said as she started to slowly walk downstairs. As they watch her slowly fading out in darkness, all eyes turn on the Yui even though they knew she would abandon them if a situation arose but she's still better than that man who went downstairs in the basement.
"Let's follow them for now, see what we can find there and we need our guns back too." Yui's eyes gleam through the darkness for seconds as she starts to follow behind the others in the basement. Seeing her walking down stairs Olivia, James and other girls felt sad as they all stood together for something but it became meaningless that wasn't even worth second thought by Brenda and Yui but Yui already said before 'for her, her life comes first.' They stood together for a while in darkness as the sound of those went below disappeared completely.
"James, I'm going to be fine here, see. Nothing would happen to me and I just have to wait for Steve to get back and I will return with Steve at the Basement where Johnson and Jaxon know the place. You should go with them and take all of the girls with you too and look after them for me James." Noah said with kindness in his voice as look at their faces. Maybe this would be the last human interaction he will have in his life. James wanted to say something but Noah placed his hand on James' shoulder as to do what he had to do, James lowered his head in shame and sadness as he turned around and held Olivia hand and start walking downstairs following behind Yui and other leaving behind Noah as he stares at their gradually disappearing figures in the darkness of this world.
Noah holds the key necklace in hands thinking back to everything that has happened since he got this key in his hands. Nothing good ever happened to him after getting this key yesterday and the way it got back to him after he threw it away is also terrifying as if his destiny tied with this key. He has no idea what this key is and what it will unlock in future but for now he doesn't have any good feelings about this whole thing. He knows more people are going to die sooner or later, if this world's nightmarish creatures and monsters didn't kill them this key will do.
'This hurts a lot. I don't feel like I can move forward anymore, I just want to lie down on my bed or anywhere. I want to go back home and never leave my house ever again, not even putting one step outside. This pain is slowly killing me; I won't be able to remain conscious for a longer time. Because of this constant hellish pain of burnt skin and flesh my mind is fading out, the world starts to get darker more and more.'
'I don't know how James is holding up for so long but I don't think I can keep up this strong persona of mine any longer. I need help with meds and gauze to treat my burnt wound, this burning pain and agony is killing me. I hope at least they're able to get out of this hellish world.'
'I hope there's a return crystal like what Yui said, if not then I don't know what I'm going to do. This place is an abyss not the real world where I live. I hope this nightmare ends soon.' Noah thought to himself with fear and helplessness, he knew he wasn't the only one he feels this way. Everyone wants to go back to their home but there's no light in this darkness that will guide them towards the door to exists.