Kil studied the handsome man without speaking.Gabriel, Hero of the Barren Land.That was the title Kil remembered. Unlike Kil, Gabriel had gathered people around him. In that, he resembled Helena, perhaps surpassing even her.Helena had belonged to a city alliance made up mostly of former police officers, soldiers, doctors, and other public employees. Gabriel, however, had founded his own group.A large organization called the Silver Oath.They took in people other groups turned away: the elderly, children, the sick, anyone unable to fight. Feeding them strained the Silver Oath's supplies from the start.Most other groups, even the decent ones, chose their members carefully because of food and water shortages. Someone strong enough could join with their family, provided they also took on the workload assigned to their relatives, friends, or partner.Harsh as it might sound, it was considered a mutually beneficial arrangement, balancing the needs of the group and the individual.To pe

Scarlett's fingers tightened around her dagger.Kil scanned the room, keeping his expression still. He had seen worse. That did not tell Scarlett where to look, or what to do with the dagger in her hand.Then he recognized Daphne.Her vacant eyes focused on them. She lifted her head."Scarlett! Kil! You… You came to save me!"Tears streaming down her face, she crawled toward him hopefully. His next words doused that hope like cold water."Does anyone here know Helena?"Receiving no answer, he said flatly,"None of them. Let's go, Scarlett."Scarlett looked from him to the women. Her lips parted before she found the words."I'm going to untie them, Master. They can't even stand like this.""Do what you like."He didn't turn around.Scarlett drew her dagger and cut the women's bonds. As she freed Daphne's hands, her friend suddenly embraced her, weeping."Help me, Scarlett! I regret it… I want to come with you…" Daphne sobbed. "I shouldn't have been so reckless. I was too sure of myself

After a late breakfast and a rest."So, what exactly is this, Axel?"Axel stared at Kil's rhetorical question. Irritated, he pointed and said,"As you can see, it's our new garden!"Kil surveyed the backyard. Plants stood wherever Axel had found a patch of mud, as if children had been playing at gardening.Several types were crowded together; others stood alone in churned mud.Axel looked back with no sign that he saw a problem. Kil reached for the tools.Without a word, he found a hoe and a small sickle. Then he began moving the plants to temporary spots, sorting them by type."Hey! At least say something!"Axel looked from the beds he had made to the rows Kil was laying out.Apparently keeping the plants alive until Kil returned had not been the whole assignment."We're ready, Mr. Kil."At the gentle voice, both men turned.Helena, Adeline, Nolan, and Nora stood at the doorway, washed and dressed in the clothes they had found. Helena wore slightly worn athletic clothes. Adeline had

After carrying Adeline to bed, Kil stood watching her sleep. He had refused the bargain, but she had expected him to accept it.He had made food and shelter conditional often enough. She had found another way to make herself useful.He told himself he adjusted his methods to each person: pressure for one, reassurance for another. Tonight, that explanation did little to settle him.Adeline's hand still gripped a fold of the sheet.Desire lingered. He shook his head.Force could have kept her here. It could not have given him the trust he wanted. He knew that much; remembering it with someone frightened and gentle was easy.He had found it less convenient to remember with Helena.With Scarlett, he still defended the pressure he had used. She had lied and tried to manipulate him; he had wanted those habits gone before he let her close.He had offered affection afterward. He could see how much she wanted it, but her objection over Daphne had not been something he put into her mouth.He ca

Ignoring him, Kil watched the rats, his expression darkening. There were far more than he had expected."Get inside and close the gate. Not all the way. Leave a half-meter gap so the rats can come through.""Huh?! Are you insane, Kil?!"Helena snapped angrily. She hadn't expected the man she followed to be this crazy."We have to kill every rat, without exception!"He was already moving toward the gate. Helena glanced toward the house, then followed him inside.Though confused, they obeyed. They retreated inside and pulled the gate almost closed, leaving only enough space for one rat to pass."Axel, take the right. I'll take the left. Helena, Scarlett, Felix—be ready to kill any that get through."Kil calmly took his position. Axel followed suit.They waited nervously. Moments later, hundreds of rats slammed into the gate, denting the thick iron.A rat squeezed through. Kil drove his spear into it, pulled free, and struck the next. Bodies began choking the gap.Axel copied him, but hi