Liam and Chloe, Mark's loyal lapdogs, nodded like bobbleheads from the back of the crowded office. Liam even had a little smirk on his face. 'Good. Get the psycho out before he decides we're next.'
Emilia immediately stepped forward, hands clasped in front of her. "Mr. Owen, please. You don't understand. Mark was... he was awful to Nox. For years. And Nox has been protecting us out there. We wouldn't have made it without him."
"Protecting you?" Chloe scoffed, voice shrill. "Or just waiting for a chance to snap again? He had a gun, Emilia! He planned to kill someone!"
"That's not—" Emilia started, though doubt crept into her voice. She glanced at Nox.
He just stood there, arms crossed, looking completely bored. Like this whole dramatic discussion was a minor inconvenience.
'Why doesn't he defend himself?' Emilia thought, frustration washing over her.
"It doesn't matter what Mark was like," Mr. Owen said, voice heavy with resignation. "Taking a life... that's a line. The girls can stay, of course. We need everyone who can help. But Nox has to go."
Emilia looked from Mr. Owen to her friends, then back to Nox. His expression remained blank. A knot tightened in her stomach.
This felt wrong. He'd saved them, taught them to fight. But looking at her classmates' scared faces, she had to admit a tiny part of her was scared too.
"Please," she whispered to Mr. Owen. "Just reconsider."
"There's nothing to reconsider," Liam cut in, stepping forward with newfound boldness. "He's a danger. Either he goes, or we'll make him go."
Other students murmured agreement, eyes fixed on Nox with fear and hostility.
Emilia turned to Nox, eyes pleading. "Nox, say something. Tell them..."
He met her gaze, one eyebrow lifting slightly.
'What does she want me to say? That I'm sorry? I'm not. That I won't do it again? If someone deserves it, I probably would.'
The silence stretched. Emilia felt tears welling up. She looked at Kendra and Vasa, who watched with unreadable faces.
Finally, Emilia bowed her head toward Nox. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Nox."
A blue screen popped into his vision.
[Emilia has left your party.]
'Guess she chose them. Makes sense.'
Emilia straightened, face pale but resolute. She looked at Kendra and Vasa. "Guys... we should stay. There are more of us here. It's safer."
Kendra looked from the fearful faces to Emilia's pleading eyes. She felt some guilt, but something deeper pulled her the opposite direction.
'Fuck this. These people are idiots.'
She stepped away and moved next to Nox. "Yeah, no. I'm going with him."
"Kendra, what are you doing?" Emilia's voice cracked. "You can't be serious."
"Dead serious." She crossed her arms. "Look around. Half these people can barely hold a pencil without shaking. You think they'll protect us when something bigger shows up?"
Liam scoffed. "Great. Now we have two psychos."
Kendra turned on him so fast he stepped back. "What did you just call me?"
"I... nothing. I didn't—"
"You didn't mean shit. You know what, Liam? You spent three years watching Mark torture people and never said a word. Now you want to act righteous? Give me a break."
Mr. Owen tried to intervene. "Kendra, please. Think about your safety—"
"My safety is with the guy who actually kills monsters," she cut him off. "Not with people who think hiding in an office is a strategy."
Vasa stepped forward too.
"I'm going as well," she said simply.
"Vasa!" Emilia looked ready to cry. "Please don't."
"It's not personal, Emilia. It's practical. Our survival odds are higher with him."
Chloe looked disgusted. "You're all crazy. He killed someone!"
"Yeah, and that someone had it coming," Kendra shot back.
The room grew tense. Students whispered, looking more scared than angry.
Yeda hadn't spoken yet. She stood near the wall, looking at her hands.
'I never even thought about staying. From the moment they said he had to leave, I knew I was going with him.'
She walked over and positioned herself slightly behind Nox. Not dramatic. She just moved.
Emilia's face crumpled. "Yeda? You too?"
Yeda looked up, voice clear and steady for once. "He's the only reason we made it this far, Em."
"But these are our friends. Our classmates."
"And where were they when we needed help? When monsters were breaking down our door?"
Liam tried to defend himself. "We were protecting the teachers—"
"Bullshit," Kendra interrupted. "You were protecting yourselves. Same as always."
Nox watched with growing amusement. He hadn't expected this, especially from Yeda.
'So this is what being chosen feels like.'
It was weird. After being invisible so long, having people choose him over safety felt strange. Good strange.
"You're making a huge mistake," Mr. Owen said, shaking his head. "He's dangerous."
"Maybe," Vasa said. "But he's effective. Normal rules don't apply anymore."
"Normal rules separate us from animals," another teacher said dramatically.
Kendra laughed, short and humorless. "Normal rules didn't stop Mark from being sadistic for three years. Normal rules didn't save anyone from monsters. Normal rules are useless now."
More notifications popped up in Nox's vision. He dismissed them without reading.
"So that's it," Emilia said quietly, voice full of sadness. "You're really leaving."
"You're the one who chose to stay," Kendra pointed out. "We're just choosing differently."
"I chose to be responsible. To help people."
"And we're choosing to survive," Vasa said flatly. "Nothing wrong with either choice."
Mr. Owen put a hand on Emilia's shoulder. "Let them go. If they want to follow a killer, that's their decision."
Nox finally spoke, sounding bored. "You done with the dramatic speeches? Because I've got monsters to hunt, and listening to you people whine is getting old."
His casual tone deflated some tension. He'd reminded everyone that words didn't change the monsters waiting outside.
"Yeah, we're done," Kendra said, adjusting her backpack. "Good luck with your hiding strategy."
Vasa gave Emilia a small nod. "Take care."
Yeda hesitated, then walked to Emilia. "I'm sorry, Em. But this feels right."
Emilia hugged her quickly, a tear escaping. "I understand. I don't like it, but I understand."
As they walked toward the door, Liam called out. "You'll regret this! When he snaps again, don't come crying to us!"
Nox paused at the doorway and looked back. "If I snap again," he said quietly, "you won't be around to say 'I told you so'."
Liam went pale.
Then they were in the hallway, the office door closing with a final click.
"Well," Kendra said. "That was fun."
"Speak for yourself," Yeda muttered. "I feel sick."
"You'll get over it," Vasa said. "We made the right choice."
Nox started walking. "We need to keep moving."
The three girls fell into step behind him. After a few minutes, Kendra spoke up.
"So, just to be clear... you're not planning to kill us, right?"
He glanced back. "If I was, would I tell you?"
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
Yeda looked nervous. "That's not reassuring."
"I'm not here to reassure you. I'm here to keep you alive. There's a difference."
"Fair enough," Vasa said. "As long as the result is the same."
They walked in silence. The mood felt different now. More settled. Like the people meant to be here were here, and the others had made their choice.
'Weird how that works. Sometimes losing people shows you who actually matters.'
For the first time since this started, he had people who'd actively chosen to be there.
Strange feeling, but not unpleasant.
They kept walking through the ruined school, three girls and a killer, while somewhere behind them, twenty people huddled in false safety, praying the monsters wouldn't find them.
Nox knew better. The monsters always found you eventually. The only question was whether you were strong enough to fight back when they did.