I could see the knuckles go white as the man standing behind Jessica tightened his grip on his short sword. If he tried to bring that blade any closer to her neck, I feared he’d kill Jessica by accident. Still, there was no surrendering from this position either. Choosing to not fight was the most hopeless option of all. And it wasn’t like we were hopeless now.

  I had Bone Manipulation. A situation where this skill became extremely useful had come around sooner than I could have imagined. The fact that I had never used the skill before was idea. Luis would never—could never—predict that he would be in danger while standing behind me with a blade against my spine. My comrades and all my skeleton troops were plain to see, right in front of him.

  This wasn’t the kind of situation I wanted to be in obviously. Not only hostage but being put in a position where I was forced to kill another human to survive. If it was only me, I would probably try to negotiate a bit more and compromise… but after dying and coming back I really wasn’t in a tolerant humor, and there was no negotiating when it came to Jessica.

  So the only option was to act, and it was less painful than I thought it would be—a dagger-sized piece of bone burst through the flesh of my shoulder blade and pierced silently into Luis’ neck. There was a hollow resistance, like a spoon piercing jello, then nothing.

  Luis didn’t slump to the floor at once. No, his arm remained locked around my neck at an angle and I nearly fell backwards when his legs gave out. It was a considerable strain to keep myself standing long enough to reach out and cast Rot on the man restraining Jessica.

  My expectations for the skill were low, because its effect on demons was minimal, but I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. Almost instantaneously his skin discolored, and in only a second it started to fall off like ash. By the time the man realized what was happening, the short sword had already fallen to the ground. His hand blown away like dust in the wind.

  Jessica’s guard fell backwards in shock, and the sudden commotion sent Lucas into action, slipping under his holder’s grasp and kicking him away from Lucas during the brief distraction. That gave me a chance to use King Spikey.

  Before the man holding Anna at knife point could even react to what had happened to his partners in crime, Spikey’s ivory lance went through his mouth and came out the other side, pinning him to the earth and instantly killing him. King Spikey had launched it like a missile with pinpoint accuracy from just a few feet away. Anna couldn’t help but scream and retreat to Alan and Maria.

  “Please! I surrender. Please!” This was Lucas’ original captor. The only one left. As he pleaded a part of me truly did want to show mercy.

  “Who else was involved?” I walked to stand over the now shell of a man. Tears ran down his face and all signs of resistance were gone. My skeletons had already started to fan out, surrounding the rest of their group. “No one else move. My undead will cut you down without hesitation.” I directed my gaze to Lidya and then looked around at the other group members trying to back away.

  “It was his idea!” The man on the ground pointed at Luis, who lay lifelessly on the floor. “He was planning to betray you since we got here! I swear!”

  I knelt down to really look into his eyes and make sure he could read mine, “Okay I believe you.” I said, “Was there anyone else involved besides you four?” I looked around at the lifeless corpses.

  “Ryan was involved too but the boss got him.” He was just telling me whatever he could to keep me from killing him.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Anyone else?” His eyes looked over towards Lidya’s group and I suddenly had a bad feeling. It didn’t take long though, for one of the people who had been backing away to see that my prisoner was about to talk and start shouting to defend himself against an accusation that hadn’t even been made!

  “He’s lying. I don’t know what he’s talking about!”

  Marcus got to that man first, slowly pushing him away from his companions and into the open, “Brother… that guy underneath Mike didn’t even say your name… or say anything against you. So why are you so quick to call him a liar?”

  “Please… I really don’t know... I thought I heard him say something…” The man who had outed himself dropped his voice to a mumble.

  “You’re not the most convincing liar, are you?” Marcus grabbed him by the collar and dragged him over to where my group had all gathered in strength.

  “Last chance, anyone else got something to tell me?” I looked down at the man who thought he was now assured of his own survival, and then at the one who nervously waited with Marcus.

  “That was everyone involved in Luis’s plan. I’ll tell you anything you want to know if you just ask. I’ll do anything to repay you! Thank you, thank you.” He pleaded and even seemed to calm himself down a little bit, as if sure he was saved. As if sacrificing his companion was something admirable.

  “Repay me for what?” I asked. “You’re misunderstanding something—I said before that you were dead men walking. I meant that.” All the joy, the relief he felt from squealing on his companions and seeing my approving expression, it all vanished. His face was blank as white paper, and then showed nothing but fear. I’m sure to him it even looked like I was enjoying this… but I found the situation bitter: I had to show that treachery had fatal consequences to deter any other attempts. I had no pleasure in making an example of him; it was necessity.

  We had been too kind at the start. Was there a way we could have handled Luis so that he would have never even dreamed of this betrayal? Probably, but as humans I wasn’t sure we were quite at that point of depravity yet… but we were moving there fast.

  “But, but… I told you everything you wanted,” he said.

  “Only after you crossed a line you shouldn’t have crossed.” This was the honest truth. “And timeout isn’t an acceptable punishment these days.” Spikey #1 with his Zweihander started to walk over. “Any last words?”

  “Please… don’t do this.” He grabbed my leg with both hands, but any of the pity I felt before was gone now. This man had made his own decisions, fully prepared to cut Lucas’s throat, and now he would die as a consequence of those choices. The strike from King Spikey was swift and clean. The man at my feet didn’t suffer at least.

  I looked at the other one. He was guilty, and not trustworthy, but he would at least have a chance. “Since you backed down you have a choice,” I said, “you can walk out of here on your own and fight to survive on your own, or I can take care of it for you.”

  It wasn’t a generous offer. At his level, completely alone in the wilderness. He probably wouldn’t make it more than week, not without tremendous luck.

  “Plea—”

  “Don’t beg or I’ll make the decision for you,” I said. The thought repeated in my mind. This wasn’t my fault and I wasn’t the bad guy. This was just a natural result of what this world was becoming. “Stay or go?”

  He looked around at the people surrounding him, hoping that someone would extend a lifeline or stick up for him. In the end, no one did. None of his previous friends made so much as a sound to help. “Go.”

  Stumbling, looking back often,he reached the gate.

  “Hey.” I went into my inventory and grabbed some HP and MP Potions as well as some rations and bagged them before throwing them towards him. He hadn’t acted to hold any of my group under his blade, but he couldn’t be trusted. If I gave him the choice… I at least would give him the chance to make it to another Abode.

  “This is a clean break.” I warned him, “If you come back, by yourself or with anyone else—”

  “Got it,” he said. “Thank you.” He picked up the supplies meekly and then looked at the remaining demons. “Can I… have my bike at least?”

  Perhaps I wasn’t a monster just yet.“Go ahead.”

  My undead escorted the traitor though the demon trash, and only after he was gone did the atmosphere calm down slightly. “Sorry everyone.” I apologized. “Let’s get this cleaned up and then talk after.”

  Everyone whom was close with me carried on as if nothing important had happened, but the newcomers were hardly moving and looking at me with anxiety. “You all weren’t involved, so there’s no issue.” I spread my hands and made eye contact with each person. “You see how I treat my friends, and my enemies. So let’s be friends.” I was sincere. I wanted more allies, more friends. We would need them if the waves kept escalating this way.