5.31 They Are Finished
5.31 They Are Finished
But was Yves courageous enough to point it out? No. He cherished his life too much to go against the subtle threatening look in the General's eyes.
He sighed and raked his fingers through his damp hair. "No. I was just… surprised." Sirens rang out nearby and Yves crossed the room to peek out of the window to find that the police and army had arrived at the same time and had started to load their weapons. The group of parasites, upon seeing that the situation didn't bore well with them, instantly dispersed like ants. Even though one third of them still remained stubbornly, trying to scale up the wall.
Shudders ran down Yves' spine as gunshots resounded again and again and bodies fell, the liquid that burst out of their bodies was green, vivid against the concrete pavement. He exhaled harshly. Parasites… They were all parasites. He cursed under his breath and asked out loud. "What are they doing here?" Remembering how Joshua was chased by one of the parasites and the fact that he could have died if Yves didn't save him in time still gave him lingering fear. With a burst of courage that came out of nowhere, he clasped Joshua's hands in his and looked deep into the guide's eyes. "Are you sure you're okay, Joshua?"
Joshua bit his lips and quietly nodded. "...Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" Yves tried to laugh in order to lift the somber mood and it seemed to work, judging from the little smile forming on Joshua's lips. Exhilaration rushed through Yves. His guide! He had successfully made his guide smile. Oh goodness, he really, really wanted Joshua to be his guide!
Joshua's eyes darted to where Lu Yizhou and Terra were sitting before his eyes carefully settled on the latter. "The move you did back then…" He swallowed and braced himself to continue. "Can you teach me how to do it?"
Terra simply narrowed his eyes and looked away. It was the skill that came to him in the peak of desperation. How could it be so easily taught? Moreover, he also knew that aside from him, guides didn't even deem themselves capable of killing others. They might accidentally affect the others with their own emotions and it took more than willpower to be able to kill. Either way, Terra lacked the will to explain such a thing to a parasite.
Lu Yizhou placed a hand on his knee and squeezed, the warm weight grounding; reassuring. Terra blinked at him and decided to ignore how the touch managed to make his spine tingle all over.
"You—!" Yves' face flushed angrily. How dare he…! "Joshua is asking you a question!"
"No, it's okay, Lieutenant Yves." Joshua tried to placate him by tugging on his arm, abashed. "It is presumptuous of me to—"
"You are asking why so many parasites are gathering here." Lu Yizhou cut in irrittably, too impatient to witness the main protagonists' interaction. Pulling the small crate from his pocket, he shook it slightly to hear the rattle inside. "It's because I have their King here."
"What?!" Yves exclaimed in shock.
Beside him, Joshua stiffened, unable to take his eyes off the crate. The disgusting parasite inside his brain was clamouring in excitement, telling him to snatch the crate, take their King to a safe place, hurry hurry hurry! The overwhelming urge almost made him sick. Alas, Yves was too shell-shocked by the bomb Lu Yizhou threw out of nowhere to notice Joshua's predicament.
"The King…?" His lips trembled when he spoke. Nobody except them knew how long they had been trying to get rid of the parasites once and for all. Nonetheless, the more they killed, the more they popped up. It was endless. The fight would never stop unless they killed the one on the very top. And now… "Is that really the King?!" Yves' face flushed, this time in thrill and exhilaration. "If… If we kill it, does it mean that—"
"Yes," Lu Yizhou concluded. "They are finished. Every single one of them."
Yves almost jumped and pumped his fist in the air at the declaration. His eyes were almost screaming, "Then what are you waiting for?!"
Lu Yizhou observed Joshua from the corner of his eyes and reveled in the panic that settled into his face. "The sooner we kill it, the better." He made the show of tightening his fist, intending to crush the crate along with the King inside it when Joshua suddenly cried out,
"W—Wait!"
When all eyes turned to him, his shoulders shrunk and his complexion turned sickly gray yet he still forced out a smile, hiding how his hands were trembling by gripping the bed sheet tightly. If… If the King was killed now, then the fact that Joshua was breeding a parasite inside his brain would be exposed! He met Yves' concerned gaze and hastily looked away, anxious. No! He couldn't let the King be killed! He didn't want to get exposed, especially not in front of Lieutenant Yves. Joshua had noticed the way Yves looked at him as if he hung the moon. Being a guide had made him more attune to the emotions around him. Yves' feelings weren't… unwelcome, instead Joshua basked in it with joy and delight he had never known before. Just imagining how Yves would react when he knew the truth was enough to make him wish for death!
He closed his eyes briefly to muster every ounce of courage he could find within himself. "I—I'm sorry, I can't help but doubt it's a good idea to kill the King now. How do you know that it will incapacitate the other parasites and not… provoke them further? Right?" He turned his eyes at Yves, hoping for support.