"My Savior, why are we here? Shouldn't we be leading the evacuation of the building?" MC rushes behind the shorter blond woman as they cross the debris littered parking lot and head right for the tall gated storage unit. The bodies of unlucky believers are scattered across the black pavement. "There's no telling of whether there will be a second explosion or when the rest of the building will collapse!"
The blonde whips around and the knuckles on her right hand dig hard into MC's jaw. She sees flashes of black. "Those bastards can all die! I can get more just like I did before," she snaps, her arms shakes at her sides, her fingers coming up to her silky locks. They rip hard, a scream ripping from her throat. "HaHAHAHHAhahA! I'll do it all again! Don't you get it? All I need are those two! I just need them!"
Sweat and blood glues MC's bangs to her forehead, her eyes are wide and her cowering form peers at Rika. Her body is tense, on arm pulled tight to her chest another holding her jaw tightly. It's fear. A whisper slips from MC's lips. "You've lost it." And Rika loves it.
The Savior drinks the blood off of her follower's lips, gripping the woman's head harshly against her own. There's no resistance. Her tongue charges into the woman's mouth and takes it over with the confidence of a venomous snake. Rika's chuckle vibrates through MC as she pulls away just far enough for MC to peer into her green eyes and the woman's bottom lip dusts against her own. "I've never had it to begin with. Now get out your phone. Mama's favorite babies have misbehaving so Mama's gotta teach them a good lesson."
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Saeran eases the truck around the bend in the road and the pull out of the mess of the parking lot. The center of the blast was on the far side of the building, leaving three quarters of the building still standing. Although standing, it's far from unscathed. Large chuncks of walls and floors and even a few doors rocketed from the explosion site to litter the grass around the building. Luckily, none of the large pieces landed in the parking lot, but it is clear that the commotion was enough to clear the lot. A thin black cloud of smoke streams out of one of the windows on the near side of the building. It's a fire. "The one that blew up when my brother dragged me— saved me from the Mint Eye was worse." Tall dark green trees line one side of the mini highway that they pull onto, the burning cult poking up through the trees on the other. He accelerates. "The only thing left in tact was the cleansing room. Everything else was a pile of a rubble. Whoever was caught in the explosion and didn't die immediately was likely buried alive."
"But this time is different." Her seatbelt holds her chest tightly in place and her hand lightly covers his on the stick shift. His gaze is focused ahead, but his heart is connected to hers.
"People will definitely die. No," the leather of the steering wheel squeaks beneath his tightening grip. "People have died because of me, but I tried to minimize the number by setting the bomb in an area that was still under construction... if Rika focuses on damage control and saving the trapped believers, less than a third of the cult will die."
Y/n's gaze falls out onto the open road. The cult has fallen behind them and the almost too green trees line their way back to civilization like a yellow brick road. At closer glance, the woods are so thick that she can't see past the first line of trees. Further down the road, about a mile or two away, the trees give way and the dirt road evolves into a darker brown. It takes a moment for her to realize what it is: a wooden suspension bridge. "You're kind to still try to save them like that."
"What?" A light blush crosses Saeran's cheeks but he bites it down with a light shrug. That's right. Y/n's upbringing is different from his. It's odd how she's not shaken or trying to run away from him after watching him kill several people. "Y/n?"
"I was serious when I said that I want to kill Rika and MC." Her eyes shut and she exhales. "Everyone else in that building was their accomplice. After what they put me— us through, I couldn't care less if they get blown up or crushed by rubble. Ha, at least that way I might sleep better at night—"
"Y/n." His voice is cool and light, and wraps around her like a soft blanket. "I'm happy that you're here safe at my side. But I will not let them ever hurt you again." A grin paints his lips. "Whether it's from their hands or their darkness, I will protect you."
His eyes look away from the road for just a moment. "I love yo—"
"Saeran!"