Pursuing the human figure, everyone regulated their breathing. Oleg and Daniel rounded trees and leapt over sudden drops in the landscape. Jack and Reyes weren't as efficient in identifying obstacles, but the gap between them and their comrades had no threat of widening, instead selecting alternative options. Although Oleg had a sliver of suspicion and noticed Azhir was nowhere in sight, he knew he lacked the time to worry or observe cautiously.
"We've got him! Don't stop!"
Oleg encouraged, overcoming another hill. Reyes increased his speed and pivoted into a flank. Nothing. Reyes swept his gaze through the trees, carefully listening. His hair stood on end, and he whipped himself to -
Sean drove a closed fist into Reyes' nose. His arms snapped up as he recoiled, unintentionally covering his nostrils with a frustrated grunt.
"Sorry." Sean habitually apologized, shaking his head. Reyes eyes raised in confusion, hands still clasped over his nose as another punch sent him to the ground. Registering his revealed location, Sean sprinted away. He made certain Reyes could identify where he fled to.
Given Azhir's presence and reputation among the candidates here, Sean assumed there'd be a lack of resistance as long as he played his cards right. Don't take too long. Fighting Reyes or Jack, possibly even Daniel, Sean weighed his chances of victory. Against Oleg, however, he determined to merely delay, as he knew his chances of winning a brawl with the hothead were near zero.
Sean nearly tripped but stepped into a roll as he shot up and ran further.
~
Along with the other girls, Zuri kept her eyes peeled for Sean or Azhir despite catching a wisp of the boys already encountering one of them. Alas, the confrontation was faint, so she failed to pinpoint which of the pair they engaged.
"What are we gonna do if we meet Azhir?" Mabel asked timidly. From limited interactions, anyone would recognize Azhir as a more substantial threat than Sean.
"Good question."
Zuri's eyes widened. Pupils snapped to -
"I was considering what I'd do when I met you all." Azhir removed his hands from his pockets and approached the girls casually. When his vision met Lily's face, his lips twitched and he stopped. I should've heard him. Zuri began doubting her abilities. Even if he were silent, she usually relied on a particular scent.
"You... you... murderer..." Mabel hoarsely declared. Azhir ignored her. Zuri clenched a fist.
"Lily..." Azhir whispered to himself, but she heard. Kaitlyn looked at Lily to decipher any private communication. Kaitlyn believed she'd find terror and hatred. Instead, Lily displayed a desire for answers and a strange understanding. Most importantly, no one observed any fear of death in her expression.
"Please... tell me they're lying..." Lily searched.
Azhir let out a solemn sigh. "It's complicated."
"Was she supposed to be your next victim?" Zuri interjected accusingly. As he crossed his arms, Azhir smirked.
"On the contrary, I'm here for you." Again.
Lily's mouth opened an inch, yet her mind faltered.
"Follow me. We need to go." Lily urged as she turned her body away from the two. Mabel's eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she trembled. Kaitlyn gulped. Clearly, the girls were unsettled.
Indeed, despite their skepticism of Zuri, leaving her alone with a suspect seemed unwise. Nevertheless, Mabel didn't want to engage in any potential violence. Seizing Kaitlyn's wrist, Lily burst into a jog. Mabel lingered, torn. Abandoning Zuri felt cowardly.
"Come on, Mabel!" Lily commanded in a tone the harshest it's been since on the island. In the end, self-preservation carried her away, leaving Zuri and Azhir sizing up one another.
This is possibly the worst-case scenario. Zuri lampooned her luck. Neither of the candidates knew where to begin. A new breeze swept through, providing an instant reprieve from anticipation. With this unexpected development, Zuri hurriedly pieced together a question to redirect his motives.
"I... I don't know... what's your obsession with me?" Zuri retreated a step.
"Whatever you want... I'll do anything. Just don't... don't kill me." Unknowingly, her hollow words made Azhir clench his teeth as if sour memories were resurfacing. His arms fell to his sides. His fingers flexed and popped.
"It's strange. I barely recognize you. I'm still unsure we've met before, yet the sight of your face is more than uncouth.
"It's disgusting."
Zuri's face lit up, unable to comprehend the anger exuding from Azhir.
"Give me an excuse not to discard reason." His words were partly a warning and also a beseechment. Zuri seriously considered running away. The chances of escape were slightly higher. Though she rejected the notion. He's not slow. Regardless, Azhir was the last individual she sought an altercation with. Death had never whispered in her ear before now.
"Eventually, Sean's going to die." Zuri capitulated.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? Azhir allowed her to speak.
"Instead of choosing someone else, or wandering by your lonesome, you decided to involve yourself when you didn't need to. Unlike everyone else, you and I don't have to concern ourselves with leaving this island alive. You think you two have anything in common? We're in two completely different worlds compared to everyone else here.
"You're unwilling... aren't you?"
Azhir exhaled. At first, he contemplated why he stepped in, though he barely remembered claiming Sean as his direct comrade. But Azhir didn't regret his decision. That split-second decision no doubt kept Sean from being a variable on Zuri's board, which fostered unpredictability. Lily's group refused to integrate into her mission, but one exception wouldn't affect much, especially if they stayed vacant from active pursuits.
Hearing Zuri's confession wasn't the end of the road, unfortunately. Just the first step. Wait... is the murderer with the people that Sean is drawing away from me? Before Azhir fully shifted, Zuri growled, and in one step, she launched at Azhir with an open palm at his throat. Her pupils flushed with a crimson wave.
~
Steadying himself, Sean peeked out from the foliage. Oleg and the others had split up, but they assured one another to remain within earshot in case one struck gold. I doubt Azhir has achieved some distance from the guys and me. However, what is he going to do about the girls? Lily's there too. As long as the dumbass doesn't kill anyone, everything should work out fine. The only problem is, how the hell am I going to escape this search party? Sean dusted himself off then blended into a tree's shadow.
"There you are, you fucking weasel."
From nowhere, Oleg materialized. Promptly, Sean adapted and leaned back, avoiding Oleg's attempt at a grapple.
"Oleg, stop and listen...!"
Catching Sean's head, Oleg drove a knee toward his nose, but Sean reinforced his hands and grunted at the distribution of damage. Before he employed another strike, Sean exerted his knuckles against Oleg's forearms, freeing himself!
Gaining distance, Sean zeroed his focus. Besides a couple of fights in his childhood, Sean hadn't sparred or participated in any actual brawl. He'd always done his best to avoid fights, even if that meant surrendering something. Reading a couple of books and watching a few videos on basic knowledge and movements were his sole sources.
In spite of Oleg's apparent athletic history, Oleg at least didn't appear to have any bearing of a master combatant, and his experience was average. At least I'm not as screwed as I could be. Oleg swung wildly and chased Sean.
Exercising nimbleness, Sean kept an adequate double arm's length. With every exertion, Oleg gritted his teeth and propelled himself, draining more effort. He roared and swiped at Sean's shirt. Batting his hand down with his forearms, Sean pivoted off Oleg's abdomen.
Growling, Oleg met Sean's stare. Sean trembled but steeled his nerves, taking a stance. He kept his fists high and close to his temples. His head was level with Oleg's chest.
"We're wasting time! If we...!"
Oleg threw his body forward and stuck his leg out. Sean scrambled away from the attack.
"All I know is that you stood by as Azhir killed Jason, Mallory, and Tim." Oleg approached in a speed walk. Subtly, Sean retreated.
"You really believe that?"
"Hard not to. Besides, you have the looks of an accomplice now that I have a better look." Oleg sprang toward Sean, reinvigorated.
Sean pivoted, but Oleg's hook sent him sprawling.
Tasting dirt, Sean scurried left and raised his guard as before, panting to steady his vision. Predictably, Oleg dropped into a crouch and rushed Sean like a linebacker.
Too slow!
Oleg's arms wrapped around Sean's waist, lifting him up. Desperately, Sean delivered multiple elbows and fists to Oleg's head, back, and shoulders. Losing his grip and in pain, Sean took advantage of the delay and shoved him away. How can I get through to this hothead?! Azhir should've... no. If it's true that Zuri's a khata, I probably would've been unconscious in the best-case scenario.
Sweeping the area with his vision, Sean abruptly turned and ran. Stunned, Oleg recovered and gave chase.
~
With great effort, Azhir leapt back, attentive. Disheveled dreads hung in his face as he saw the fingers mere centimeters from his face for two seconds. His eyes reflected brown hues. Neither fighter seemed resolved to commit fully... yet.
Azhir's eyes flitted left to right, searching for an exit from this confrontation. Confidence wasn't lacking. In fact, Azhir knew he'd be the victor if he dedicated his full focus. However, every second the fight dragged, Sean's likelihood of survival decreased a percentage.
"Don't run away from me!" Zuri screamed as she wound up a fist. Aiming for his temple, Azhir quickly shot a guard up and absorbed it.
Clutching her by the collar, Azhir rammed his forehead into Zuri's. She reeled back, head pounding and seething in frustration, vision blurred.
"I'm not dealing with this!" Azhir growled as he burst into a sprint. Faintly, he heard the direction Sean and the others were in.
Centering herself, Zuri cut him off and shook her head.
If Sean dies, this'll all be for nothing! "Move, Zuri." The cold expression hid actual fury and concern.
"Aren't I the one you want?" Zuri giggled and cracked her fingers as she approached once more.
Zuri fixed her eyes on Azhir, reading for any small flex, any muscle twitch, the slightest facial movement. She spat blood on the ground and glared defiantly.
Zuri smirked.
"I'm certain Sean will appreciate you holding back."
Zuri hovered in front of Azhir in seconds. Swiftly, Azhir lifted his arm. It started throbbing when it felt knuckles. Then spit and air flew out of his mouth. Her other fist was in his chest!
Barely gritting his teeth, Azhir bore the flurry of her offense, maintaining a defensive posture. He grunted, twisted, even slipping away several times. Yet with each reengagement, Zuri became more ferocious. More determined.
Since Zuri concluded beating Azhir in a head-on collision might as well be a vanity project, she moved almost without visualizing her next move, relying heavily on second nature and the flow of her body. As long as she assaulted him, he had no chance of responding in kind.
"Fucking pathetic!" Zuri shouted. Seizing Azhir's wrist, she threw him. A nearby tree trunk rattled as a grunt barely escaped Azhir's throat. His spine slightly shook as he collapsed to the ground, coughing.
Zuri gave him no time to rest as she charged, throwing a fist. He rolled to the side and saw her hand penetrate the tree trunk, nearly reaching its core!
Azhir pivoted for an opening, but Zuri smoothly extracted her fist and shifted herself with a roundhouse ankle. Leaning back, Azhir retreated two steps. I can't kill her... but if I don't...
Reaching out, Zuri pulled Azhir into striking range. One. Two. Three. Four. He grunted as he took each hit. The blur in his vision lingered for a second before clearing up.
Breaking her hold, Azhir jabbed Zuri in the face, then crashed a knee into her kidney.
Biting her tongue, Zuri vaulted over a log and snatched a thin branch. Refusing to lower his guard, he pursued her. Her mobility was the obstacle, so Azhir needed to clear it.
They breathed heavily, Azhir gaining ground. His eyes squinted. Why is she slowing down? I shouldn't be catching her this quickly? It shouldn't feel this... easy... Azhir reached out but froze.
In an instant, he felt a prick at his abdomen. Then the prick grew into a pain that snaked out.
Zuri's hand was pressed against his back, and the other was holding on to a sharpened branch. Twisting it, Azhir growled, and his brown iris flicked red.
Speedily, he struck Zuri in the face, hard enough to lift her off her feet as she crashed to the ground. The branch dropped to Azhir's feet. He flashed a wild smile as a crimson wave flooded his pupil.