A Trail of Blood

Pain was the first thing Haruki felt. A dull, throbbing ache that pulsed through his skull and down his spine. His vision was still blurred, his limbs heavy as if something was weighing him down. Blood—his own—stained the floor beneath him, already drying against his skin.

The second thing he felt was rage. Cold, creeping, and absolute.

He forced himself to move, gritting his teeth as he pushed off the ground. His body protested, but he couldn’t afford to waste time. His legs wobbled under his weight, but he forced them to steady.

Kisaragi had done this.

He had betrayed them.

He had killed them.

Aoi. Renji. Natsuki.

Haruki inhaled sharply, trying to steady his mind, but the image of their bodies wouldn’t leave him. Renji’s cocky smirk wiped away in an instant. Natsuki, who had always been so calculated, never even got the chance to react. And Aoi—

Haruki’s breath caught in his throat.

She had been alive when he blacked out.

Maybe she still was.

He staggered toward the exit of the ruined control room, his hand gripping the frame for support. His vision swayed, but he forced himself to focus. There was a trail of blood leading away from where Aoi had fallen. The pattern was uneven. Smudged.

Someone had dragged her away.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he followed it. The hallway was eerily silent, the only sound the faint hum of dead machinery. The overhead lights flickered weakly, casting long, ghostly shadows against the walls.

Haruki’s fingers curled into fists.

Kisaragi was taking her to Kain.

He had to move faster.

His legs burned as he forced himself forward, his steps uneven. His body was screaming at him to stop, to rest, to just collapse—but he couldn’t. Not now. Not when Kisaragi was getting further away.

He made it to the end of the hallway, shoving open the rusted doors. Outside, the cold night air hit him like a slap, cutting through the haze in his mind. His breath came out in short, ragged gasps as he scanned the area.

The ground was wet from earlier rain, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and rusted metal. The facility loomed behind him, a graveyard of failed experiments and unanswered questions.

But ahead—

A set of fresh tire tracks in the mud.

Haruki knelt beside them, tracing his fingers along the edges. A military vehicle. Recently used.

Kisaragi had planned this from the start.

Haruki exhaled through his nose, his grip tightening.

He was going after them.

No matter what it took.

No matter how many bones he had to break.

He was getting Aoi back.

The road stretched on endlessly, the highway abandoned except for the occasional wrecked vehicle overtaken by nature. The world was quiet. Too quiet.

Haruki’s stolen motorcycle roared beneath him as he followed the tracks, his grip steady despite the exhaustion creeping into his limbs.

He had no weapons. No backup. Nothing but his determination and the knife strapped to his side.

But he didn’t care.

Kisaragi had made one fatal mistake.

He had left Haruki alive.

The wind whipped past him, carrying the distant sound of rain against the asphalt. The tracks led north, deeper into abandoned territory. Kain’s base wasn’t far now.

Aoi, if you’re still alive—hold on.

I’m coming.

The facility was a fortress.

Haruki crouched in the shadows, his breath slow and controlled as he took in the massive structure before him. Barbed wire lined the perimeter, guard towers stationed at each corner. Armed patrols moved in precise formations, their rifles glinting under the floodlights.

Kisaragi had brought Aoi here. That much was certain.

But getting inside wouldn’t be easy.

Haruki’s gaze flicked toward a nearby truck approaching the gate, its cargo covered in thick tarps. He could slip in through that.

Moving quickly, he sprinted toward the vehicle, sticking to the blind spots. The guards were focused on checking the perimeter, their backs turned as the truck slowed.

Haruki didn’t hesitate.

With a swift movement, he grabbed onto the edge of the vehicle, pulling himself up just as it rolled through the gates.

His heart pounded in his chest as he slipped beneath the tarp, burying himself between the cargo crates. The air inside was suffocating, but he remained still.

The truck rumbled forward, deeper into the facility.

Then it stopped.

The sound of voices outside. Boots crunching against the gravel.

A pause.

Then—

"Move the shipment inside. Kain’s expecting it."

Haruki remained motionless as the crates were shifted. He counted the footsteps, memorized the rhythm of their patrols.

Then, when the moment was right—

He moved.

Sliding out from beneath the tarp, he kept low, his footsteps silent as he darted into the shadows. The warehouse was vast, filled with towering shelves stacked with supplies.

But Haruki had no time to waste.

Aoi was somewhere in this facility.

And he was going to find her.

His fingers brushed against the knife at his waist, his expression set in stone.

Kisaragi thought he had won.

He was wrong.

The real fight was just beginning.

To be continued...