Gon rushed back with a weapon for each of us, handing me my dagger and him his own. Hisoka and Gittarackur had their weapons drawn and were leading us to the corner of their shoddy-built wall.

"We'll be back soon!" Gon smiled, and Leorio gave him a thumbs up. "Don't do anything stupid." He smiled. We got past the barricade through the narrow opening Hisoka made by slightly pushing back the obstacle. "So, why are they behind the barrier but not out front?" Gon inquired, squinting his eyes at the vast black mall.

"We believe that in the past, a group of people attempted to establish a base around here, and they covered up every window and door that let in even a bit of sunlight. A walker must have slipped in at some point because the bunch had been infected and had either been turned or eaten. For some reason, these walkers prefer the darkness and are quite stealthy. We have reason to assume they were also like this as humans, referring to the stealth aspect.~" Hisoka explained, by then our eyes had adjusted to the darkness altogether, and I heard a small gasp from Gon beside me.

"Guys, there are a lot of eyes staring at us. The way they shine yellow gives the illusion that it is a nocturnal creature." Gon said under his breath, not daring to move. I immediately saw the eyes were trained on us, but they didn't move an inch from their shady hiding positions. They just remained there staring at us in fascination. But it could also have been hunger, rage, or a warning.

I could see they were far more advanced than the average walker right away. They hadn't made any grunting noises or motion sounds, and I knew we needed to step things up a notch. "What do you think, Ninja is a fitting title for them?" Gon whispered beside me, but I couldn't bring myself to respond or take my gaze away from them.

Behind me, I felt a hand tracing up my back and around my neck. "Gon, what are you doing?" I shivered. "What do you mean? I'm not doing anything." My pulse rate dropped, my breathing became labored, and I grew immobile. "Is that not your hand on my back?" I asked, my fists clench and as still as a rock. "What's behind me?"

"Duck, Killua."

I shuddered, and quickly got into a crouched position as Gon swung his knife where my head used to be, digging into something quite different. Gon jabbed the blade into the skull of the bright-eyed walker that had been raking its hand up my back. The walker made a gurgling noise before collapsing. "Why didn't it try to kill me?" I inquired quietly, glancing around the room to discover that all the eyes had vanished.

"Shit, this is creepy. We better get going before we, you know, die." I practically begged, almost melting when gon agreed and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Is this you this time?" "Yes, Killua. I need to keep track of you while we're on the move. Where the hell are the other two?" Gon cursed, furrowing his brows as we walked towards the small sliver of light that emitted from the entryway.

"We've been here the whole time." As they spoke from behind us, both Gon and I jumped nearly ten feet. "You haven't said anything at all." Nothing was spoken in regard to what I said. Hisoka pulled the wall aside far enough for everyone to pass through, which I achieved swiftly. As the light kissed my face, I sighed in relief, thanking whatever was up there that a walker hadn't attacked me.

"Killua-" The sound of something whizzing through the air hit my ears, narrowly missing my cheek. Something toppled and landed on the floor with a thump and a somewhat loud crunch. I took a step ahead and turned back to find one of the walkers dead on the floor. Had it followed us in? Gittarackur edged closer to the body, gripping its hair and yanking its head back, tugging out the knife and letting it fall to the ground once more.

Oh, he must have thrown the knife. The knife that had almost hit my face.

"This is excellent news. Hisoka, maybe we can take it back and examine it?" Gittarackur inquired in a Montone voice, closing the entrance behind him. "Of course we can," Hisoka smirked.

Long story short, the body was stuffed into the trunk, and Gon compelled me to ride on the roof with him on the way back. My nerves had been shaken by the entire incident. While we returned to the house, Hisoka and Gittarackur dragged the body into a basement with a door at the bottom and a passcode, typing in the code when they made sure no one was looking.

I didn't get to see the code, but it was obvious what they were doing. Soon later, they stepped up the stairs without a body in their arms.

Now It was around midnight, and I was staring at the ceiling out of boredom surrounded by people sleeping, while thinking about the prior day. Only the ninja walkers came to mind. We currently have one in this house, and I'd walk down to the basement right now if I genuinely wanted to learn more about these unusual creatures. As a result, I did.

I stood carefully and tiptoed out of the room in order to not wake anyone. I made my way down the basement stairs, attempting to be as quiet as possible. I cringed every time a step creaked, but I ultimately made it to the bottom. The door was made of metal, and there was a little glass pane in the center that allowed me to peek through it.

Nothing drew my attention at first. Aside from a black rug on a checkered floor and countertops placed against the blue wall, the space was empty. If I hadn't known any better, I would have assumed it was an at-home bar. Everything appeared normal until I shifted my gaze to the right. A medical tool-filled wall and a large table in the center with a corpse laying on top. Hisoka and Gittarackur were both inside, but Gittarackur had his back to me and his mask was on the table beside him.

My eyes widened as I noticed Hisoka was clutching a bloodied knife and the corpse's stomach was split. He set the knife down on the table and draped a cloth over the corpse. Gittarackur's face shifted, but all I saw was his pale cheek, similar to mine, before he re-strapped his mask over his face.

When Hisoka's mouth moved and Gittarackur peered at me, it was almost as if time stood still. I must have looked creepy, peering at them through a window with wide eyes. "I'll be back in a second," he said muffled as he marched over.

I was totally done for.

"You shouldn't be here, Killua." He stated emphatically, opening and closing the door behind him. "I was just curious," I replied shakily. "How long had you been down here? Did you see my face?" Gittarackur's voice was filled with more emotion than I'd ever heard from him before. Brimming with rage, shock, and far too many other emotions.

"No, I didn't see your face. I arrived a split second ago." Before continuing, I stated, "Why can Hisoka see your face, and we can't? Are you really that self-conscious?" I added a snarky tone, but only because I wanted him to know I wasn't afraid. That was far from reality.

He stood motionless for a moment before letting out a chuckle that escalated into a laugh. "You have no idea, Killua. Maybe I should show you my true self?" He lifted his mask, exposing his mouth, which was curled into a terrifying grin. "Killua, It would take much more than running away to get rid of me."

I took a step back. I crashed into the step. I tried to run away, but I was stuck.

"Your crying, Little brother."

That was right, I was crying and shaking. How did he find me? After all this time, It was him I had reunited with.

"No chance, Illumi? It can't." I took a deep breath. This shouldn't be happening. My trauma's root was right in front of me. "I didn't mean to ruin your life, you know. I wished for you to be stronger." Illumi's mask had been taken off, and he was glaring at me with his wide psycho eyes.

"And what I'm about to say is from the bottom of my heart. You are simply burdening your friends. They don't care, and Gon doesn't love you. You are useless as a group. They only feel bad for you. I'm sure they'd prefer if you simply left?" The tone he employed, as well as his body language, made it much more convincing.

Would they really not care at all? I know, now, that I cannot stay here with Illumi. I need to leave. Right now, If possible. I looked at him once more, my teeth clenching as I ran up the stairs. I needed to go, right now. I can't be here with him.

I dashed towards my bedroom to gather my belongings. I swung my backpack over my shoulders, draped a belt around my waist, and tucked my knife into its pocket. Before leaving, I looked back. Did illumi really mean what he said? I know they would be better without me.

Still, Gon. I... adore him. Is he not in love with me too?

My gaze softened as I studied his face, and I shed a single tear as I closed the door behind me.

I have a feeling this will be better for everyone. I can't be near illumi. He was the reason I escaped when I was younger.

He is no brother to me.