"It's an ambush."
Ren looked out the front windshield.
He saw multiple shadows moving around in the dark.
He could make out about six of them.
Ren quickly moved to the back of the bus.
He spotted even more shadows.
They were surrounded.
The wreckage in front of them stopped them from moving forward, while the vehicles behind them stopped them from moving backwards.
A sudden noise from Shizuka brought Ren's attention back to the front.
A crowbar was being wedged in between the door panels.
A small gap widened between the panels before a hand shot through it.
The bus's doors were pried open.
A man stepped up first.
He was big.
His figure was ginourmess, and fat.
But anyone could clearly tell that underneath that "fat" was nothing but muscle.
Before anyone could react, he reached out and grabbed Shizuka by the arm, yanking her halfway out of the driver's seat.
"Ah!"
"Well…" he muttered, looking her over with a slow grin. "…what do we have here?"
Ryuji shot up.
"Who?!"
Ren moved first.
From the back of the bus to the middle, before stopping a bit away from them.
Because a second man had stepped inside.
He raised a revolver straight towards Ren.
His stance was steady, shoulders relaxed, feet planted just right.
The revolver sat in his hand like it belonged there, like it had been there for years.
The man wore clean clothes, or at least cleaner than the rest.
He didn't look like the big guy holding Shizuka.
At the front, Shizuka froze in the grip of the larger man, her breath catching as the situation snapped into place.
"…R-Ren"
The man with the revolver didn't move.
"...That's far enough," he said in a calm voice.
Ren wanted to move, but he couldn't.
There wasn't enough space to rush at him without getting shot.
The aisle was too narrow.
He was at a disadvantage.
Behind him, he could hear Ryuji shift.
Ren didn't turn.
"Don't," he said quietly.
The word landed as Ryuji froze.
The man with the revolver spoke again.
"Hands up where I can see them," he said. "No one needs to lose their lives today."
No one moved or said anything.
Behind Ren, with Hina grabbing onto her sleeve, Miyu watched the man with the revolver.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the gun.
The cylinder was thick, slightly worn along the edges.
The grip looked standard issue, dark, textured, made for control, not comfort.
This wasn't something you could just find anywhere in Japan.
You either got it from the police or you were the police.
The man with the revolver, seeing the kid in front of him not shaken, decided to change his tactic.
A faint grin pulled at the corner of his mouth.
The revolver in his hand moved.
The barrel of the revolver now pointed straight at the side of the head of the beautiful school nurse.
Shizuka froze instantly, her breath catching in her throat as the cold metal pressed lightly against her temple.
"…R-Ren"
The big man holding her chuckled under his breath, tightening his grip just enough to keep her from pulling away.
Ryuji stepped forward without thinking.
"Hey!"
"Stop."
Ren's voice cut through the bus.
Hina's hands trembled as she clutched Miyu's sleeve tighter. "…Miyu…"
Miyu's eyes narrowed slightly from the back, watching the man's finger resting near the trigger.
She had no doubt that this guy would do it...he would pull the trigger if they didn't surrender.
The man with the revolver tilted his head slightly, studying Ren.
"…There it is," he said quietly. "Thought so."
He continued.
"Now, Ren...was it?" he said, staring directly at Ren. "Out the bus...all of you with your hands up."
Ren looked at Shizuka's terrified face.
He knew if he acted now...Shizuka would die.
He might be a bit cocky, but he wasn't stupid.
He was going to make sure everyone here came out alive...even if that meant surrendering.
Ren exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah," he muttered.
His hands lifted.
"Alright."
The grin on the man's face widened just slightly.
"Get moving," he said.
The big man dragged Shizuka down the steps first, one hand locked around her arm.
The man with the revolver followed close behind, eyes never leaving the others inside.
Ryuji, Miyu, and Hina moved to Ren.
Ren stepped off next.
Ryuji moved right behind him, jaw tight.
Miyu kept Hina close as they followed, the night air hitting them all at once.
As soon as they stepped out, they saw the number of men surrounding them.
Fifteen… twenty… maybe more.
Some leaned against cars, while some stood with weapons resting on their shoulders.
The headlights of multiple vehicles cut through the darkness, with light converging on one spot.
The middle of the road.
"Down," one of the bandits barked.
A hand shoved Ryuji forward.
Another pushed at Hina.
They were forced to their knees, one by one, the rough concrete scraping against their skin.
Ren was placed in the center.
Of course he was.
The light hit him directly, making it harder to see out past it.
Ryuji shifted beside him, trying to steady his breathing. "…This is messed up…"
Hina stayed low, shoulders shaking slightly.
Miyu didn't bow her head as she was next to Shizuka.
The man with the revolver stepped forward into the light.
He looked over the five of them slowly.
Then stopped on Ren.
"…You're the one," he said.
Ren didn't answer.
The man chuckled softly.
"…Yeah," he continued. "I can tell."
He started to slowly pace back in forth infront of them.
"Groups like this always have one," he said. "The one they look to when things go wrong."
He stopped directly infront of Ren.
"That's You."
Ren looked at him, then at the men around them.
It hadn't even been 24 hours since the world had gone to shit.
But somehow this guy had already started his little group and was ambushing people trying to survive.
The man tilted his head slightly at the silent Ren.
"…Not scared," he observed.
The mans tone shifted.
"But here's the thing," He crouched just enough to be level with Ren. "Out here…that doesn't mean anything."
Ryuji clenched his fists.
"…You think this is funny?"
The man didn't even look at him.
"No," he said calmly. "I think it's necessary."
His eyes stayed on Ren.
"…You see what happens when people panic. When they start thinking they're in charge," he continued. "They get people killed."
Ren's expression didn't change.
"…So what?" he said flatly. "You step in and play leader?"
His grin returned to his face.
"Something like that," he said.
The man stood and reached into his side pocket.
A pair of handcuffs came into view.
Miyu's eyes sharpened instantly.
The man stepped behind Ren.
He grabbed Ren's wrists and pulled them back.
Click.
The cuffs locked in place.
Only Ren.
Ryuji tensed. "Hey...why just him?!"
"Because he's the problem," the man said simply.
"...You're a cop," Miyu spoke.
The words cut through the air.
The man paused as he turned to her.
"...Was...I was a cop," he said.
He turned back toward Ren.
The revolver flipped in his hand.
He held the barrel while the handle was up.
Ren saw it.
The man swung.
CRACK.
The metal struck across Ren's face, snapping his head to the side as his body lost balance, collapsing onto the ground.
Everything rang.
Ryuji surged forward. "REN!"
A boot slammed into his shoulder, forcing him back down.
Hina gasped, hands flying to her mouth.
"…S-Stop!"
Shizuka with the instincts of a nurse rushed to Rens side.
She kneeled down next to him, checking his face and breathing.
A deep purple bruise was already forming, spreading from his upper left cheek up to his eyebrow.
His skin swelling fast under the impact of the hit.
"…He hit him hard," Shizuka muttered to herself.
The man didn't even spare them a glance before ordering two of his men.
"Take the two boys."
Two of the bandits moved in.
Ryuji struggled as they grabbed him.
"Get off me!"
A fist slammed into his stomach.
A low raspy voice came from one of them.
"Move."
Ryuji didn't resist this time as he walked.
On the floor Ren didn't move.
He looked unconscious.
Shizuka leaned in closer to his face before a small movement caught the corner of her eye.
Behind Ren in his cuffed arms, his fingers twitched slightly.
The movement of his fingers where so small that if you weren't closely paying attention, you would miss it.
Shizuka's breath caught as she realized.
…He's awake.
Her eyes flicked up.
Both of the girls saw it too.
From where they knelt neither Miyu or Hina had ever taken there eyes off of Ren.
The small movement from his fingers where to controlled to be accidental.
Hina's grip tightened around her own hands as stared, eyes wide.
…He's pretending.
Miyu's eyes shifted to the men dragging Ryuji away before looking back at Ren.
He wanted them to think he was out.
She didn't say a word or react.
Shizuka swallowed, forcing herself to steady her breathing.
"He's unconscious," she said softly, but loud enough so everyone could hear.
The man looked towards her.
"Good," he said. "Now he won't be a problem."
He signaled to the big guys with the crowbar next to him.
The big guy moved instantly towards Ren.
Picking him up over his shoulder, Rens head fell forward, his body limp.
If anything he would make a great actor as a dead body.
The three girls watched as Ren was taken the same way Ryuji was.
Taken away into the darkness between buildings and vehicles.
Shizuka stared at the darkness where Ren was taken.
"Everythings going to be okay."
Memories of the first time Ren saved her and Saeko with Takashi and Rei.
Ren fighting his way through the swarm of dead and making it on the bus.
And when Ren threw out that creepy pervert teacher Shido played in her mind.
"As long as Ren is here…everything will be okay."
…..
End of Chapter 9