PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

LXXXIX. The Return of Kenji

Eva burst into a fit of coughing. "I did something stupid! I did something stupid! But, yeah, I'm— wait, where is Brooklynn?"

"Brooklynn?!" Darius shouted, looking around frantically. "No... Stay here, Eva."

"Right!"

Eva stayed on the ground, twiddling her thumbs as she waited for Darius to make it out with Brooklynn. "Wait, why am I just staying here?"

She took a deep breath, then ran back into the belly of the beast.

She found Darius lugging Brooklynn out of the room and towards one of the sewage hallways. Eva was quick to swoop in, wrapping her hands around her best friend's ankles and helping Darius carry her from the room.

"Brooklynn! Brooklynn! Wake up, come on," he begged, shaking his girlfriend.

Coughs broke through Brooklynn's mouth, alerting the two she was okay.

Eva stepped back, noticing the worry in Darius's eyes.

"What happened?" The pink haired girl asked her boyfriend.

"Are you okay?" he worried.

"Ah, my head... You pulled me out. Once again, you saved the day."

Darius sat back, sighing in relief. Eva took a seat on the other side of the tunnel, leaving the two alone. Brooklynn picked up her tablet, gasping in delight. "Still recording! Totally captured you being a hero."

Darius frowned. "I don't feel like a hero."

"What is it?" Brooklynn moved closer to his side, laying her hand on his shoulder. "You can talk to me, remember?"

"I feel like a jerk, who's planning to trap his ex best friend the minute he steps foot on this island. I'm no better than he is."

"It's not the same," Brooklynn said, glancing at Eva.

"Really? How?"

Brooklynn set down the tablet and pulled her knees to her chest. "Trust me, Kenji is the one who lost his way. Not you."

"What if I'm just changing? All the life or death situations, the choices between this bad thing or that even worse thing, it's turning me into someone I don't know. Someone I might not like." Darius looked down to the ground, away from Brooklynn.

"You know why we all look to you?" she asked. "Because your light burns bright, Darius Bowman. No amount of terrible choices can put it out. And, I'll follow you anywhere."

"You sure about that?"

"Yep. Now, come on, the others are probably waiting for us."

When Brooklynn stood, leading the way out of the tunnels, Eva held back Darius, her hand on his shoulder.

"She's right, you know. You're this guiding light that keeps us all together. Without you there to lead us, I don't even want to guess where I'd be."

Though, she knew she would most likely already be six feet under.

~~~

Eva walked ahead of Brooklynn and Darius, who were joking around. She found herself smiling, glad Brooklynn was the one to cheer him up. She reached the meet up spot first, her jaw dropping when she saw Yaz and Sammy kissing. Her eyes lit up as she squealed, catching Ben's attention.

"Yes!" Ben and Eva said in sync, high fiving one another.

"Yes what?" Brooklynn asked, finally approaching with Darius in tow.

"Nothing, maybe we should go," Ben insisted, trying to block the pink haired girl from seeing Yaz and Sammy.

But, Brooklynn pushed past him and screamed in glee. "You two are finally official!"