I Pray to the Lord You Reveal what His Truth is

[CondorTalon]

And Cammy, despite any half-hearted protests that she didn't need to be carried away, was.

((Camellia Walker-Grimsley continued in Watch Your Step.))

[Maraoone]

Yuka had taken an hour or so to walk from the woods to the houses. And Manuel had somehow, without her notice, been able to follow her for that hour. He had stalked her, without her notice, for an hour. In that hour, he could have easily ambushed Yuka, tackled her, choked her, shot her, stabbed her, whatever method of killing one could think of. But more than that, he had seen her laugh to herself, had almost seen her break down by herself. And what gave him the right to do that?

She had been about to respond to Manuel when Cammy fell down again. She watched wordlessly as Tanisha and Jeff dragged her into the nearby house. Even with Tanisha's invitiation, Yuka knew that meant she couldn't stay here anymore. Watching over Cammy for the day or the night meant staying in one place for the day or the night. That meant less ground covered, which meant less of a chance of finding her sisters. Noting this, she turned more to Sal than to Manuel.

"Look, I can't stay here, as much as I want to. I'm trying to find Yuko and Yuki. Wanna come with?"

She looked more at Manuel with the last question. He had followed her unnoticed for an hour, yes, but he had also followed her for an hour. Without doing anything else. If he wanted to hurt her in any way, he could have done so quite easily any time within that hour. Something to keep in mind for later. His company wasn't exactly appreciated, but she would prefer knowing whether or not he was with her, at the very least.

[decoy73]

The other girl was having a breakdown. Jeff and the other girl walked off, practically carrying her.

"Look, I can't stay here, as much as I want to. I'm trying to find Yuko and Yuki. Wanna come with?"

Yuka was ... surprisingly accommodating to Manuel. She was looking for her sisters (which, given the fact that they were her sisters was a no shit sort of thing). Manuel nodded. "Yeah. Sure, I'll come with." At least he had a sort-of ally now. The question was whether Sal was coming too and if they were staying with the other three.

[Skraal]

Alright, good. Sal sighed as the situation de-escalated, the not-so-friendly strangers making their exit. There was still an uncomfortable amount of tension between his two remaining conversation partners, but that was to be expected, right? Hopefully things would go smoothly, for the next little while. He shoved his still trembling hands into his pockets, desperately trying to distract himself from the anxiety he was feeling by considering his friend's question.

He wasn't as close to Yuka's sisters as he was to her, but they seemed like they were decent people. No reason not to go looking for them. After a brief pause, he gave a smile and looked her in the eyes, trying his best to put on the most confident air that he could with the hope that the girl didn't see through his act.

"Sure, sounds like a plan. How about you lead the way?"

[Maraoone]

It was decided, then. Yuka's eyelids opened a bit wider than usual at Sal's question, at the thought of being a leader of anything. Nothing really prompted it, what Sal had said. That wasn't supposed to be her job. She was one who went along for the ride, whatever it was. Yuko was more of the leader type. She had a better idea of what she was doing. But, usually, the rides she went on weren't so treacherous. And, what did Sal and Manuel know about Yuko and Yuki anyways? Yuka was the one who knew her sisters best, she knew where best to find them. If she really was gonna lead this group, then she would decide where they'd go, what they'd do.

She had their fates in her hands, basically. But best not to dwell on that.

She pulled out the map and compass from her bag, spun around a bit trying to orient herself, and then while turning around, she got a glimpse of the three others in the window. Tanisha, Jeff, Cammy. The first two were still trying to calm the latter down. It was rude to leave unannounced, without a goodbye. They deserved that, more than the people she left back in the woods. They'd been nice to her, after all.

Leaning into the window, she said, "I gotta go find my sisters and everything, but you guys take care, alright?"

Her usual goodbye came and stopped in her throat, just short of her vocal cords, left her lingering at the window. Those three words felt heavier than usual.

These past few weeks, as graduation approached, it had occurred to her more and more that everything she did in Hunter High could be her last. Every hi she said to a classmate she passed by in the hallways, one of those random faces she never paid much mind to, it could be the last word she said to them. She had wanted to make sure that whatever last words she said to her good friends, to the people in the theater club, to her fellow goths, to all her exes and casual partners, they would be said on her terms, on her time, when she was prepared for it. She would have shown up to goodbye parties before everyone went off to college or work, and she could hug and cry with them with the proper preparation those events needed.

She didn't have the time to prepare anymore. She had to do this right here, right now. More than everything, she hated how this island gave every action such finality. Especially goodbyes.

It came anyways, her usual farewell. "See you later," she said with a wave. She said whether she believed it or not. It was also best not dwelt on, so she walked off briskly, not waiting to see if Sal and Manuel would follow.

((Yuka Hayashibara continues in all of our heroes fading))

[decoy73]

"I gotta go find my sisters and everything, but you guys take care, alright? ... See you later."

Manuel nodded. Jeff and the other two were going to other places. Places which Manuel put out of mind for the time being. Now, he at least had a group and a gun. So things had gone from terrible to slightly less terrible. As for Yuki and Yuko, well, they weren't dead yet, meaning they could make it a group of five. Whatever they had had to be better than some throwing stars.

Off they went, to their eventual deaths. It wouldn't be a party, but hopefully they'd be able to make something out of it.

((Manuel Figueroa continued elsewhere ...))

[Skraal]

Well, now that Yuka was in charge, at least he wouldn't have to worry too much about what to do next.

Right?

...

Well, couldn't blame him for hoping.

((Sal Bonaventura continued elsewhere))