The desolate faces of those left behind watched as they sped away. Faint crying sounds were heard.

None of this phased Kain. He looked at the three people standing before him. HE could understand the two men. But why the older woman?

"Dad," Dominic came to stand beside Kain. Like Avery, he and Ashton had started calling him Dad. "She’s a seven."

Kain opened his eyes a bit wider. He wanted to see what Dominic saw. Of course, he couldn’t, but there was nothing about her that screamed useful.

However, he trusted Dominic. If he said she’s a seven, then she is. If he can keep her, that’s fine with him.

"Ok, Dom, Dad understands. Go play with your siblings."

Dominic stared up at Kain. He mouthed that it was okay and the child left.

"So...you want safe passage. Where are you going?" asked Kain.

"Anywhere that’s not here," the burly man groaned as he sat down.

Kain made a sound, then turned to the other two. "What about you two? Same?"

They nodded. Not really willing to make small talk.

Slowly, everyone became comfortable. The children were whirling around the ship, completely at ease. Nothing like the quiet, tired, and small things Kain had seen when he first met them.

Verdana and Jake had disappeared. Whether they were actually doing anything was anyone’s guess. Kain warned them not to let the children see any of their tomfoolery.

The burly man, the other man, and the older lady, Rick, Dale, and Martha, as they said their names were, made themselves comfortable.

Dale was talking a lot more. Joking with Matthew, occasionally looking around the yacht. Kain saw his eyes shifting, but said nothing.

Rick, the raucous man, was loud and always trying to chat up the ladies.

Martha, she was quiet. She had a sadness radiating off her that made people want to comfort her. Avery would sometimes come up to her and ask questions.

By all accounts, they looked like one big unit.

Kain, however, saw the small movements. He saw the way Rick watched the children, the calculation in his eyes.

Dale kept peeking towards the cabin, his hand touching his waist. It wasn’t a gun, that much Kain was sure of. Maybe a small tool. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a weapon.

Dale was waiting for the cabin to be empty. He would have to wait all day if that were the case, because Kain would not allow it.

He continued getting to know them, filing away their behaviour for another time.

Another half hour passed. They seemed to have lost their patience. Dale couldn’t get to the cabin, so they had to change their plan.

Martha raised her head, arching her back and stretching her neck. A normal movement for someone who had been in the same position for so long.

She looked at Kain. "Would it be possible to get some water?"

He nodded. As he walked away, Rick stood, stretching, his hand went to his waist as he twisted. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The rain had begun to come down. The drizzle turned into a full-blown downpour. Everyone started heading into the cabin or under the helm.

A flicker of something crossed Kain’s eyes when he saw Rick hold Dominic’s arm. To anyone else, it would seem like he wanted to help the child move quickly, but he could see how tightly Dominic was being held.

Eye contact among the three of them passed quickly.

Rick drew a long knife, holding it to Dominic’s throat. Dale dashed for the cabin, and Martha punched towards Kain.

Only when the punch came his way did he understand why they brought Martha. She was an Awakened.

The way she leaned into the punch, it was clear she favoured the physical aspect.

His eyes gleamed, a smile flashing before he dodged the punch. He wasted no time in countering. This was the first time since everything began that he thought he might have a challenge.

"Don’t move," he heard Rick say. "Anybody moves and I kill the kid."

Kain didn’t stop. Martha had no intention of letting him off. He wasn’t about to stand there and collect punches. So his and Martha’s fists collided while the others stopped moving for fear that Dominic might be hurt.

Martha didn’t have much experience; she used brute force to try to overwhelm him. But years of the collapse made Kain ruthless.

It didn’t matter that Martha was a woman. He made sure every hit touched a vital area. It might not kill her right away, but it will definitely feel like hell.

Unable to keep up with Kain, Martha’s actions slowed. Kain gave a sweeping kick, knocking her to the ground. He then stepped on her neck.

The crunch under his feet was both satisfying and unsettling.

He learned a long time ago that leaving an enemy to grow stronger was the worst decision he could make. Noel was already an accident. He didn’t expect him to disappear before the collapse.

But Martha, since the people with her were willing to harm his children, he would make sure to eliminate the problem.

Her body was limp under his feet. He turned to Dominic, worried he would see fear in his eyes.

What he saw wasn’t fear, but indifference. He looked as if his life and death were not his concern. This wasn’t the kind of reaction he wanted any of them to have.

Teaching them to survive is one thing. Now it seems he needs to give them a reason to live, especially Dominic.

"Release my son, or you’ll regret it." Kain’s voice was deep.

Rick stepped away from everyone, stepping into the rain. He created distance.

A muffled screaming came from the cabin. The sound of someone crashing into metal. Then a woman’s humming. She stalked towards the man with a knife in her hand.

That small distraction gave Kain the time to draw his gun and shoot.

He isn’t the best shot, but he was good enough to have the shot lodge in Rick’s throat. His grip on Dominic tightened momentarily, then loosened.

The sound of coughing and gurgling mixed with pattering rain.

A soft squishing sound was heard not far away.

Matthew ran over to Claire, only to see her stabbing Dale’s corpse. The man had died, yet she continued to stab him.

The others weren’t surprised by this. The most surprised one was the person who spent the most time with her. He knew better than anyone that Claire didn’t attack people when the bracelet was on her wrist.

But now...it was clear that it had completely changed.

"Claire..." Matthew rasped.

She turned, a brilliant smile blooming on her face. Blood dripping from the knife. Her hair covered her face. She stood slowly.

"He. Tried. To. Get. Avery." Her voice, hoarse from misuse, took a time to complete the sentence, but everyone understood.

The farce ended before it really began. The three who claimed to seek refuge were now dead. The rain was beating down on them, washing away any traces that these people ever existed.

The three bodies were tossed overboard, drifting away, never to be seen again.

Well... that would be true if a certain person’s finger weren’t twitching as they drifted.