RED AND THE APOCALYPSE
Chapter 59 — The Hidden Survivors (Part Three)
The iron bat continued its descent.
It was only inches away from Natsuki's head when—
"STOP!"
The voice cut through the hall.
The man holding the bat froze.
For a moment, nobody moved.
The survivor slowly turned his head toward the person who had spoken.
Mira.
She was still bound to her chair, her hands secured behind her back, but her expression had changed.
She wasn't shouting anymore.
She was thinking.
Her eyes moved from the man with the bat to the scarred ringleader sitting several feet away.
"Listen," Mira said calmly. "Is this really necessary?"
The ringleader raised an eyebrow.
Mira continued.
"I mean, seriously. Is all this force necessary just to interrogate a group of teenagers?"
She glanced toward Natsuki, then back at the ringleader.
"We're adults here. You and I can talk this out peacefully."
The hall fell quiet.
The ringleader stared at her.
Then—
He smiled.
Slowly, he rose from his chair.
"Yeah."
He began walking toward her.
"Let's talk peacefully."
His footsteps echoed across the enormous hall.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Mira watched him approach.
She tried to remain composed, but something about his smile made her stomach tighten.
The ringleader stopped directly in front of her.
His eyes traveled slowly from her feet to her face.
He didn't bother hiding the way he was looking at her.
Mira noticed.
So did everyone else.
Aoi's expression hardened.
Kaito's eyes narrowed.
Nezuko's face twisted with disgust.
Even some of the women standing among the survivors exchanged uncomfortable looks.
The ringleader simply smirked.
"So…"
He leaned slightly closer.
"They're all teenagers?"
Mira nodded.
"Yes."
She gestured subtly toward the others.
"They're all just kids."
She paused.
"I'm the only adult here."
The ringleader glanced around the group.
Mira continued.
"They're not even eighteen yet. They're just a bunch of bratty teenagers trying to survive the apocalypse."
She sighed.
"Don't mind their manners."
It was a lie.
Mira knew it.
Kaito was nineteen.
Aoi was eighteen.
But the truth wasn't important right now.
Keeping Natsuki alive was.
The ringleader's smile widened.
"Huh."
He looked back at Mira.
"So that's how it is."
He turned toward the others.
"You should all learn something from her."
He pointed toward Mira.
"Look at the way she's talking to me."
His grin became wider.
"She knows how to show respect."
Nobody answered.
Then the ringleader reached down.
His fingers touched Mira's cheek.
Mira flinched.
He gently squeezed her cheek between his fingers, examining her face as though she were an object on display.
"Wow."
His eyes narrowed with amusement.
"Your skin's soft."
Mira's expression tightened.
The ringleader chuckled.
Then he reached toward her hair.
He lifted a small strand between his fingers.
He brought it closer to his face and inhaled.
"Oh…"
He smiled.
"Even your hair smells good."
His grin became unsettling.
"Almost like honey."
The atmosphere around the group changed instantly.
Aoi stared at him with open disgust.
Kaito's jaw tightened.
Nezuko looked away for a moment, clearly uncomfortable.
Even several members of the ringleader's own crew looked uneasy.
One of the women crossed her arms.
Another rolled her eyes.
But several of the men burst into laughter.
"Yo, Captain!" one of them laughed. "At this rate, you're gonna devour her with your eyes before you even get the chance to do anything!"
The men laughed louder.
The ringleader threw his head back and laughed with them.
"Shut up!"
He waved a hand dismissively.
But he was still smiling.
Mira wasn't.
Her face remained composed, but fear had begun creeping beneath her expression.
She knew exactly what kind of man stood in front of her.
Not simply violent.
Predatory.
The kind of person who enjoyed making other people uncomfortable because he knew they couldn't fight back.
The survivor holding the iron bat suddenly spoke.
"But, Captain…"
He pointed toward Natsuki.
"What do we do with this guy?"
The ringleader looked over.
"Hold on."
He turned back toward Mira.
His expression became serious.
"You said you wanted to talk."
Mira nodded slightly.
"Then talk."
He pointed toward the others.
"Tell me their abilities."
Mira's eyes shifted toward Aoi.
Aoi looked back at her.
For a brief moment, neither spoke.
Mira understood.
Aoi wasn't going to stop her.
Because they had all reached the same conclusion.
If Mira didn't talk, Natsuki's head was going to be smashed with an iron bat.
Mira opened her mouth.
"Natsuki can—"
"HEY!"
The shout exploded through the hall.
Everyone turned.
Tokita.
His head had been lowered until that moment.
Now he slowly lifted it.
His red hair still covered his eyes.
His expression was completely different.
The ringleader stared at him.
Tokita looked around the room.
At the armed survivors.
At the weapons.
At the people surrounding them.
Then he looked directly at the scarred man.
"You guys…"
His voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
"…are a bunch of pathetic micro-dick motherfuckers."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Nobody moved.
Even the people who had been laughing moments earlier stopped.
Aoi's eyes widened.
Kaito stared at Tokita.
Nezuko's mouth fell slightly open.
Mira looked at him in disbelief.
Even Natsuki turned his head.
Tokita continued.
"And especially you."
His head tilted slightly.
"You're the biggest, cockiest, most cowardly motherfucker I've ever seen in my entire life."
For several seconds—
Nothing.
Then the ringleader's mouth twitched.
His eyebrows lifted.
And suddenly—
He burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The entire crew followed.
Laughter erupted throughout the hall.
Some men slapped their knees.
Others shook their heads.
One survivor nearly dropped his weapon.
Aoi stared at Tokita.
Tokita…
Her eye twitched.
What the hell is wrong with you? Are you seriously trying to piss off the entire building?
But beneath her frustration was another thought.
Aoi had seen Tokita fight Ragna.
She had seen what happened when he finally decided to stop holding back or at least from what she saw.
Ragna.
A walking calamity.
A disaster capable of threatening an entire city.
And Tokita had defeated him.
These people had guns.
Knives.
Numbers.
A handful of ability users.
But none of that changed what Tokita was capable of.
Aoi wasn't completely certain what would happen if Tokita truly unleashed himself inside this building.
But she knew one thing.
These people had no idea what they had captured.
Kaito reached the same conclusion.
Nezuko did too.
Even Mira, despite her fear, knew that Tokita wasn't helpless.
They were still worried.
Not because they doubted him.
Because they had no idea what kind of tricks these people might use.
Strength could protect Tokita from a bullet.
But what if they used poison?
What if they threatened one of them?
What if the ringleader's telekinesis was more dangerous than they realized?
That uncertainty was the only thing keeping the group cautious.
Meanwhile, the laughter slowly died.
The ringleader's smile disappeared.
His face became cold.
He stood.
Then he walked toward Tokita.
His footsteps echoed through the hall.
The closer he came, the quieter everyone became.
One of the survivors whispered to another.
"Oh boy…"
The other glanced toward the ringleader.
"You pissed off the boss."
"Yeah."
A third survivor swallowed.
"When he makes that face…"
"He's going to kill him."
Another survivor whispered.
"I've seen him do it before."
"When the Captain focuses on one person like that…"
The man shook his head.
"That person is finished."
"They're going to torture the kid."
"Badly."
"Yeah."
The whispers spread through the hall.
Tokita heard every word.
He didn't react.
The ringleader stopped directly in front of him.
He looked down.
"Hm."
A faint smile returned.
"So…"
He reached down and grabbed Tokita by the hair.
"…the smallest rat finally decided to speak."
He yanked upward.
Tokita's chair tilted slightly.
Several members of the crew laughed nervously.
The ringleader leaned closer.
But something bothered him.
Tokita wasn't struggling.
Wasn't pleading.
Wasn't even angry.
He was simply looking at him.
Or at least—
The ringleader assumed he was.
Tokita's eyes were still hidden behind his bangs.
The ringleader frowned.
"You know…"
He grabbed more of Tokita's hair.
"I haven't seen your eyes once."
He pulled Tokita's head upward.
"Are you shy or something?"
A few members of the crew laughed.
The ringleader smiled.
"Maybe you're hiding something."
He reached toward Tokita's bangs.
"Let's find out."
He slowly separated his fingers.
"I think I'll open this kid's bangs."
His smile widened.
"And let's see those eyes."
The laughter around the hall grew louder.
Tokita remained completely still.
Then—
His voice changed.
Not louder.
Not angry.
Just…
Different.
The laughter died almost instantly.
"Listen."
The ringleader's hand stopped.
Tokita's head remained lowered.
His bangs still covered his eyes.
Then Tokita spoke.
"Even if one strand of my hair moves out of the way…"
The hall became silent.
Tokita slowly raised his head.
"…none of you... especially you, will make it to dawn."
The words weren't shouted.
They weren't a threat delivered in rage.
They were spoken like a fact.
The ringleader froze.
His fingers remained tangled in Tokita's hair.
The smile disappeared from his face.
For some reason—
He couldn't breathe properly.
Neither could the people around him.
The entire hall seemed to change.
The air felt heavier.
The temperature seemed to drop.
Several survivors instinctively tightened their grips around their weapons.
One man took a step backward without realizing it.
Another swallowed hard.
Someone's rifle trembled slightly in his hands.
The women who had been watching from the upper walkway stopped whispering.
Even the people who had been laughing moments ago were now completely silent.
Nobody understood what was happening.
They didn't know why.
They couldn't explain it.
But every person in that hall felt the same thing.
Fear.
Not the fear of being shot.
Not the fear of being attacked.
Something deeper.
Something instinctive.
The kind of fear that crawled up the spine before the mind could even understand why.
Mira's eyes widened.
Nezuko stared at Tokita.
Kaito's expression became serious.
Aoi felt her heartbeat quicken.
And Natsuki—
For the first time since being captured—
He smiled faintly.
Because he knew.
Tokita wasn't bluffing.
The ringleader slowly released Tokita's hair.
His hand dropped to his side.
He stared at the boy in front of him.
The boy he had believed was powerless.
The boy he had called a nerd.
The boy he had believed was nothing compared to the four ability users in his group.
But now…
For the first time—
The ringleader wondered if he had made a terrible mistake.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody dared to move.
Tokita remained seated.
His eyes still hidden beneath his red bangs.
And somewhere beneath that curtain of hair…
Something was waiting to be seen.
The hall had gone completely silent.
Not even the distant sound of rain could be heard.
Only the sound of frightened breathing remained.
And for the first time since the six captives had entered the building…
The people holding them hostage were no longer certain who the prisoners were.