Chapter 408: Kunta upset
"Damn it, I really hope Mark manages to get the electricity back and make the elevator work again," Christopher said as we stepped onto the top floor. "Climbing up more than ten floors every day is such a pain in the ass."
"I-I agree," Daisy replied.
She stopped just past the stairwell door and bent forward slightly, trying to catch her breath without making too much of it.
Christopher, Lucy, and I were doing fine after the climb. We had gotten used to moving around constantly, and even before everything happened, the three of us had more stamina than most people.
Daisy did not.
She had never been particularly strong, and her stamina was low enough that the long climb had clearly taken a lot out of her. Her breathing came quick and uneven, and she pressed a hand against the wall while trying to smile like she was not struggling.
"You okay, Daisy?" I asked, walking over and resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes," she said, giving a small nod. "Sorry."
"You don’t have to apologize." I gave her shoulder a gentle pat. "You’re just surrounded by tough weirdos. You’re the only normal person around here."
"The weirdo part wasn’t necessary," Christopher said.
I shrugged and smiled at Daisy.
"Thanks," she replied, though she still looked a little embarrassed. "But I think I need to work out more. I want to be more useful to everyone."
"You are useful," I said. "Handling Kunta is probably the hardest job any of us have right now."
Daisy raised her head and gave me a slight sulk.
"That’s mean, Ryan."
"Well, he isn’t wrong," Christopher said. "Babysitting Kunta is tough. Every time Ryan, Sydney, or I walk into the room, she gets upset."
"Because none of you know how to be gentle with her, Christopher," Daisy replied.
"I am kind."
Daisy only sighed.
"You and Ryan are really the same."
Christopher and I looked at each other.
Neither of us understood what that meant.
Before I could ask, we started walking farther into the floor toward Kunta’s room. We had barely reached the hallway when a bunch of voices rose from behind one of the doors.
I picked up my pace.
The door was closed, but the noise inside made it clear that nobody was having a calm conversation.
"I want to see him!"
Kunta’s voice rang out at the exact moment I opened the door.
Everyone inside turned toward me.
Kunta stood near the center of the room, Sonny sitting at her feet. Rebecca was close beside her, while Rachel and Cindy stood nearby. Sydney had her arms folded and looked like she had already heard this same argument several times.
"What’s happening?" I asked.
"What do you think is happening?" Sydney replied. "Kunta desperately wants to see her boyfriend."
Kunta glared at her but did not answer.
"You already saw him, didn’t you?" I asked Kunta.
"I want to see him again!" she insisted.
"Zakthar is still unconscious. He got hit badly in the head, and Ivy is taking care of him. When he wakes up, you can see him. Until then, you need to stay here."
"Why can’t I see him?!"
"How many times do you need to see him?" I asked.
"He’s important to me!" Kunta shouted.
Sonny began growling beside her foot, its mechanical voice making the sound harsher and stranger than any normal animal growl.
I glanced down at it, then looked back at Kunta.
"Listen. We got Zakthar back, just like I promised you. Now you’re going to help us deal with Gaspar. Once this is over, once Gaspar is dealt with, we’ll let you leave with Zakthar."
"Why do you keep me isolated?" Kunta asked, her voice shaking with frustration. "I can be with him! Just let him stay in this room with me—"
"I don’t trust you," I cut in.
Kunta stopped.
"W-What?"
"Ryan," Rachel said from behind her.
"Wait, Rachel."
I raised a hand before she could step in.
Kunta stared at me, and I kept my eyes on hers.
"I don’t trust you, especially because of how much you care about Zakthar. I don’t know what else you might be hiding." I pointed toward the hallway outside. "And even putting that aside, I don’t trust him. He worked with Gaspar until now."
"T-That’s not true!"
"It is true."
My voice came out colder than I meant it to.
"As far as I’m concerned, Zakthar is still an enemy. He came into this world to exterminate people like me. He changed sides whenever it suited him."
Kunta’s face tightened as she glared at me.
"I can understand you more than I can understand him," I continued. "You’re naive. You barely know what is going on around you, and you followed people who told you what to do. But I’m not going to give Zakthar the same excuse."
Kunta looked down at Sonny, her hands curling into the sleeves of her clothes.
"I can promise you that nobody will hurt him," I said. "Until he wakes up, be patient."
I turned around and walked out of the room before the argument could keep going.
The door shut behind me, and I walked a short distance down the hallway before stopping beside the wall. My head was still buzzing from everything.
I let out a long breath and leaned my shoulder against the wall.
"That was cold," Sydney said behind me. "But I liked it, Ryan."
"I didn’t expect anything less from you," I replied without looking back.
Sydney gave a quiet laugh as she came closer. Cindy followed her out of the room a moment later, leaving Rachel, Rebecca, Daisy, and Kunta inside.
"Are you okay, Ryan?" Cindy asked.
I looked at her.
"Why are you asking that?"
"I don’t know." She stepped closer and searched my face. "You seem pretty off lately."
"I’m fine," I said. "I’m just worried about Mei and Emily. We took the hotel, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe yet."
"That’s not what I mean." Cindy kept holding my gaze. "I mean before the attack too. You’ve had something on your mind for a while. Did something happen?"
I did not answer right away.
Cindy had always been good at noticing when people were hiding things. She could be quiet for a long time, but she watched everything. I should have known she would notice the way I had been acting.
Still, I could not tell her.
I could not explain that Maribel had become another person I felt responsible for. Another person carrying consequences because of me. I already had Mei and Emily trapped in Brigantine, Kunta and Zakthar under our protection, the people in the Whitesun angry over my lies, and an entire enemy community waiting across the inlet.
Adding Maribel to that list felt insane.
"I’m fine, Cindy," I said. "I’m just worried about everything going on."
Cindy’s expression did not say she believed me.
She did not push, though.
"You don’t have to bear everything by yourself, you know."
Her hand reached for mine.
I looked down as her fingers slipped between mine. The contact felt warm after the cold stairwell, the tense room, and all the problems waiting outside these walls.
"Yeah," I said. "I know."
"I miss you."
Cindy moved closer and kissed me.
For a few seconds, I stopped thinking about Brigantine. About Gaspar. About Zakthar, Kunta, Maribel, and all the arguments I was going to have to deal with sooner or later.
I kissed her back.
"I miss you too," I told her when we pulled apart.
"Am I the third wheel here?" Sydney asked.
I turned toward her.
"Come here, then."
I caught her arm and pulled her closer.
Sydney smiled before I kissed her.
She wrapped both arms around my neck immediately and returned the kiss with far more force than I expected, pressing close enough that I had to brace myself against the wall. Cindy stayed beside us, still holding my hand, and I could feel her trying not to laugh at how quickly Sydney had taken over.
Then the door behind us swung open.
Rebecca stepped into the hallway.
She stopped.
Her eyes went straight to Sydney and me.
Her mouth fell open.
For one long second, she only stared.
Her eyes moved from Sydney’s arms around my neck to Cindy holding my hand, then back to Sydney again. Her face looked completely blank, as if her brain had stopped working halfway through trying to understand what she was seeing.
I pulled back from Sydney.
Shit.