Zein's Point of View
I never thought this would happen. Not even for a second. The guy I looked up to, the guy I trusted with everything, the guy who made me smile... was a member of a gang. I didn't want to think about it, to accept it. I didn't even want to say it out loud. This wasn't Matthew. This wasn't him. He wouldn't do this. He wouldn't side with evil. This wasn't the Matthew I knew. But... do I even know him—them—anymore?
I stepped back and bumped into the guy with red hair behind me. "Is there a problem?" he asked, still smirking.
"N-nothing," I replied, looking back toward the front.
The color drained from my face when I saw Nazzer holding a piece of red-hot iron. At the tip was an engraving of a nail with a snake—the symbol of the Black Blood Gang. Shit! No, Matt! Don't do this! Matthew Hart! I wanted to scream, to pull him away, but my feet were frozen in place as if my body had turned to stone. This felt like a nightmare. I want to wake up. I need to wake up.
"Are you ready?" Nazzer asked him with a grin, clearly thrilled that Matt was joining them. Fuck!
"I am."
Matt rolled up his sleeve and readied his arm. Nicky pulled off Matthew's mask, which shocked everyone. Matt shot her a glare, but Nicky just smiled and glanced subtly in my direction. She did that on purpose, didn't she? So I could see for myself that the guy behind the mask was indeed my friend.
It became even harder to breathe. I could clearly see my friend's face now. There was no trace of emotion, like he wasn't Matthew anymore. Like he wasn't the guy I'd spent all that time with. Like everything about him had changed... and I just couldn't accept it. I swallowed hard, tears welling up as I watched that hot iron get closer and closer to his skin. When Matt groaned in pain, I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't handle it. I felt like I was going to burst into tears any second. I didn't want to see him suffering.
I knew it hurt. That it hurt like hell. That hot iron would leave a scar on his arm. A BBG mark that would stay there for the rest of his life. How did it even come to this? Why did Matt have to do this? No matter how hard I racked my brain for a reason, not a single one came up that could justify him joining those monsters. Is there even a difference between Matt and them anymore?
Before I knew it, my feet were moving me away. Slowly at first, then faster. I didn't even realize I was running until I was far from that place, not knowing where to go. Not knowing where I even fit in anymore. I didn't want to believe it, but I saw it with my own two eyes. Matthew was now a member of the Black Blood Gang. And not just a member—he was the coleader.
I ended up at the back of the HU, where huge trees towered all around. Was it scary? Yeah. But nothing was scarier than what I just witnessed. Filled with regret for going out tonight, I screamed out all the frustration and disappointment bottled up in my chest, not caring if anyone heard me anymore. I wanted to cry, but even my tears seemed frozen. A part of me felt missing—a part only Matt could fill. The betrayal was just too much to contain.
"Why?! Why is this happening?! Why did you have to do this?! I hate you!" But no matter how much I screamed, the pain never went away. "You are better than this," I whispered through my sobs.
"You're being too noisy."
"None of your busi—" I froze and stared at the guy in front of me. That one red eye. The dark aura surrounding him. The coldness radiating off him. There was no mistaking it. The guy standing in front of me was none other than the real Raze.
"Do you know it's not safe for a lady to be out here in the middle of the night?" he asked.
I stayed silent, my strength slipping from me. There was just something so intimidating about him. He had such a heavy presence, and the red mask only deepened the darkness of his aura. The true leader of the Devil God Warriors was standing right in front of me. I could clearly sense the danger. His presence alone filled the air with unease and sent chills down my spine.
"The way you look at me... Don't tell me you're afraid of me?" He let out a bit of a laugh at his own question. Damn. Who wouldn't be? He was a terrifying creature. Death was always by his side, ready to take whoever he pointed at. In this situation, how could someone not be afraid of him?
"You should not be scared of me. Someone's far scarier than I am." I was confused about who he was talking about. Madame Violet? Francisco? That fucking Roxane? No. None of them give me the same sense of dread that Raze does. "He is the man you would never want to challenge," he added.
"Who are you talking about?"
"I know what's bothering you." He tilted his head as if he were carefully examining me. "They thought some newbie could kill me?" He chuckled. I knew exactly who he was referring to, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. "Don't you dare," I warned, even though I knew I was powerless.
His face went serious, and my knees felt weak. Matt is in danger. Fuck!
"Why? Do you still trust him? After betraying you and your friends by joining the enemy?" he teased.
"He must have a reason—"
"A reason," he cut me off. "What could it be? Or maybe you can give me one."
"What?" I asked.
"Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill him."
I went silent. A reason? I had so many damn reasons, but none of them would've mattered to this guy. He didn't care about any of that.
"If you can't give me a reason, then—"
"Because of me!" I blurted out, not even knowing where that answer came from. He can't kill Matt because of me? Whoa. What a reason, Zein, I lectured myself.
"Because of you?" he repeated, sounding genuinely intrigued.
"Y-yes. Please!" I was almost begging—no, I was already begging. I was begging for Matt's safety.
"Okay. You are a valid reason. You know why? You are giving us something," he said suddenly.
"Something?"
"Funny, right? How could a nobody like you give us something? But yes, you heard it right, Ms. Shion. You're still useful to us."
"I don't get it. But just don't touch my friend, please?"
He let out a sigh. "I cannot promise. But as long as he stays out of my way, he will be safe. You should go back now." And then he disappeared into the darkness, leaving me hanging.
I didn't know how many minutes I spent just staring into space before I heard someone behind me. "Let's go?" I turned and saw... Dave. There were questions I wanted to ask, but my confrontation with Raze had already drained all my strength. All I knew was Dave helped me back to the dorm. Did he know about Matt? And why was he even out at this hour? Was he involved with gangs too?
"He really is scary as shit. I couldn't even move from where I was standing earlier," Dave shared. "I waited for him to leave before I came to get you." So, he heard our conversation.
This was all too much to take in. I never thought things would end up like this. My only plan was to find out what they were doing outside every night. Oh, right. What else would they be doing out at this hour? Obviously, it had something to do with the horrific things happening in the dark. I should have been prepared for that from the start.
When we got back to the dorm, the other two were still asleep. I went straight to the kitchen for a glass of water. "You shouldn't be out at this hour," Dave scolded me. I almost spat the water in his face.
"I should be the one saying that!" I whispered back angrily, trying not to wake the two. "What are friends for? For lying? For pretending? For keeping secrets? Because that's not friendship. That's bullshit, Dave."
"You don't know anything."
"Because you didn't say anything!" I slammed the glass down and stormed past him out of the kitchen. I sat on the sofa and leaned my head back.
"We didn't say anything because we didn't want you guys involved."
"That's not a valid reason. There is no excuse for keeping this shit. Tell me, what were you doing out there?" He looked away. "You're not going to tell me?" I asked.
"It's better if—"
"Fine!" I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Then there was Jerome too. Where the hell was he? "You want to keep this a secret? Fine," I said calmly. "Don't say a word to any of our friends about what happened tonight. I'm going to sleep." I took off my jacket, lay down, and stared up at the ceiling. Why, Matt?
The next day, I looked exhausted, and it was obvious I hadn't slept well. I tried to, but I couldn't. Too many things were weighing on my mind. I hid myself in what I called the "Secret Garden." Hardly anyone ever went there—like right now. I was all alone. It was peaceful. The sound of the rustling trees and chirping birds made me feel a bit better.
When I woke up this morning, I forced myself to act normal around them, especially when Matt was around. But it was really hard. It was hard to pretend I was ignorant and bottle up my feelings. I felt like I could explode at any moment.
"Meow."
I almost jumped out of my skin when the same black cat from last night hopped up beside me. For the nth time! It startled me again! I narrowed my eyes. Why did it feel like this cat was following me? No way. It was probably just a coincidence. This cat wouldn't follow me since I wasn't even its owner.
"Fine, come over here!" I picked him up, put him on my lap, and stroked his fur. "Are you following me? It's okay. But why do you really have to keep startling me?" I chuckled when the cat licked my hand. It tickled so much that I couldn't help but give him a little playful swat. "So naughty!" I lightly tapped it again.
"Meow."
"What's your name?" I asked. If anyone heard me right now, they'd probably think I'd totally lost it. "Oh, I got you one." My grin widened. "Hoy!" I said out loud, trying to surprise him. I chuckled to myself. "Now you know how it feels to be startled, huh?" Maybe I've gone crazy. "From now on, your name is Hoy. That's what you're good at anyway, right?"
"Meow."
I stroked his fur again, watching him curl up on my lap. I guess I'd adopt this poor cat until the owner showed up. Maybe he didn't even have an owner and was just lost. "I'll be your owner for now." Then after remembering the story about a ghost that disguised itself as a black cat, which my sister Allison told me, I added, "Just please don't be a ghost. Seriously."
"Are you done talking to your cat?"
I jumped in surprise as Supremo suddenly appeared in front of me. The cat entertained me so much, I didn't even notice him. I narrowed my eyes as I studied him. "Did you comb your hair?"
He turned red and looked away slightly. "H-huh? Why would you ask that?" Supremo's hair usually looked like it hadn't seen a comb in years, so this change was impossible to miss. "You definitely combed it. Wait, whoa! What's that smell?" I stood up and leaned in closer to confirm my suspicion. "Aha! You put on perfume!"
"S-so what if I did?!" He could barely look at me, his face bright red.
"You look handsome—" I immediately covered my mouth after saying that.
"R-really?" I just nodded shyly. "More handsome than Matt. Anyway, we need to do something!"
In a flash, he went back to being cold. He somehow reminded me of Raze. I mean, the real one. "Are you bringing that cat?" he asked, pointing at Hoy, whom I was carrying. I couldn't tell if he was disgusted or what, but he was giving Hoy a weird look.
"Is that a problem? Besides, this cat has a name. Hoy!"
He looked at me like I was being ridiculous. "Insane," he muttered under his breath, but I heard it clearly. "Let's go."
He pulled me along as we left, and only then did I notice Matt standing not too far away, watching. Had he been standing there the whole time? Usually, I would have smiled and waved at him, but this time, I just looked past. I felt a sharp pinch of pain in my chest. That was the first time I ever ignored Matt.