To Kill The Dead-Chapter 20: Ep - To Hope

The wind howled over the gutted remains of the old train station where the group had taken shelter. Rusted girders stretched toward the smoke-choked sky, and the last rays of sun bathed everything in a dusty gold.

Kanata stood alone at the edge of a broken platform, staring across the skyline.

There it was.

Shinjuku Base. Towering steel walls. Barricades lined with mounted guns. Guard patrols in all-black armor moved like clockwork. From this distance, it looked perfect — untouched by the decay surrounding it.

But perfection didn’t exist anymore.

Behind him, voices rose in argument.

"I say we head north," Godou-sensei said, arms crossed. "There’s a Safe Sky outpost rumored beyond the mountains. Real survivors. Real defense. Not this twisted puppet base."

"And leave Kanata’s sister behind?" Serizawa snapped. "We’re not doing that."

"You think she’s even alive?" Godou asked sharply. "Do you know what they do inside those walls?"

Kanami flinched. "We can’t know unless we go."

Takiya’s voice cut through, calm but resolute. "Then we gather intel. Move smart. Rushing in helps no one."

Kanata turned around slowly. They all looked to him.

Waiting.

He felt it again — that invisible weight pressing down. Their hopes. Their pain. Their need for someone to choose.

"Give me until dawn," he said. "I’ll decide by then."

That night, they found a small warehouse with a working generator. The hum of artificial light felt unreal.

Koko fell asleep quickly, curled up in Kanami’s lap. The others sat in silence, too tired to argue again. Godou leaned against a crate with a blanket over her shoulders, flipping through Yuka’s note one more time.

Shinjuku Base is a lie. Don’t trust the Black Flags.

Kanata sat apart, staring at the cracked photo of Yuka he kept in his pocket. Her police uniform was crisp. Her smile bright. The last piece of family he had.

"You better be alive," he whispered. "You better not make me chase ghosts."

Dawn crept in quietly.

The first light turned the sky a burnt orange. Kanata stepped outside for air.

The city was quiet.

His back ached. His arms were sore. But he remained standing.

A soft sound behind him —

Arms wrapped around his torso.

Takiya.

Her head rested lightly between his shoulder blades, her breath warm.

"If you fall," she said quietly, "I’ll carry you. Just promise me you won’t disappear."

He turned his head slightly, but didn’t speak.

Takiya pressed closer. "We all lean on you, Kanata. Even when we don’t say it."

A pause.

"I need you to live."

Kanata closed his eyes. "I’m trying."

Later, he stood over the others as they finished breakfast. Koko was still drowsy, chewing dry rations. Kanami tinkered with a solar battery. Serizawa watched him from the shadows, her eyes unreadable.

Kanata took a breath.

"I’ve made the call."

They all looked up.

"We go to Shinjuku Base."

Godou straightened. "Are you sure?"

"No," he replied. "But if there’s a chance Yuka’s in there, I can’t walk away. And if what she wrote is true... we’ll find proof. We’ll expose them."

Serizawa stood slowly. "Then I’m with you."

Takiya nodded. "Me too."

Kanami held Koko’s hand. "Let’s get her somewhere safe. Wherever that is."

Godou’s gaze lingered on Kanata’s face. She saw the lines of exhaustion beneath his eyes. The way his hands clenched tight.

"Even if it breaks you?" she asked softly.

He looked down at Koko — now drawing flowers with chalk on the cracked floor.

He looked at Yuka’s photo.

"No more running," Kanata said. "I’ll save her. I’ll save them all. Even if it breaks me."

And in that moment, they all knew — Kanata Yukimura had become more than just a survivor.

He was becoming something more.

A symbol.

A storm.

A vow in human form.

They just had to follow him through the fire.

To be continued...

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