Nightfall. Hiroshi walked up the path to the camp that Pedro was supposedly based in, along with the innocent demons. Alongside him was Wisteria, his second-in-command, and Arnold, the demon with one less arm thanks to Hiroshi's attack. Both of the men didn't like thinking about it. The trudged up the old, tattered path, that was so old and dirty, you could hardly see the brick underneath.
"Wait. Take a right here. Into the forest," Arnold gestured with his remaining arm into the trees, to which Wisteria nodded and followed. Hiroshi wasn't too far behind. He was curious as to why Wisteria had not ushered a word since they had left Lightley. Was she feeling guilty for what she said?
Hiroshi was hoping not.
Eventually, after what seemed like forever walking through the trees, the trio reached a clearing, where a big fire was burning brightly.
Colorful shades of reds, oranges and yellows arose, and the fire fizzled and cracked, launching an ember out from it's unfathomable heat. Arnold stepped forward and looked around the camp.
There were worn down old tents, no less than twenty feet away from where the fire was burning. Hiroshi counted ten in total. Could probably hold forty people. or in this case, demons. But if that were the case, where were they?
Arnold cupped his hands around the edges of his mouth, palms facing outward, and he yelled out to the top of his lungs, telling them it was safe to come out. At first, nothing happened. Not a stir in the forest, not even a rodent.
Then, a twig could be heard snapping.
After that, a bush rustled in the darkness.
Wisteria looked on with a glint of worry in her eyes. Hiroshi laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"It's going to be fine. Trust me, alright?" Hiroshi told his second-in-command.
"Oh, so now you care?" Wisteria scoffed, shaking his hand off his shoulder. Hiroshi struggled to read a room at the best of times, but he felt even as if a scientist couldn't crack the theory behind how Wisteria thought and acted.
The demons came out of the forest, slow and begrudgingly. There was up to one hundred and twenty demons, all standing in a semi-circle around Arnold. A woman and two small demon children pushed their way through the crowd, despite their small stature.
"Daddy!" they cried out as they hugged the legs of Arnold, tears in their eyes. The demon man crouched down and rubbed the children's heads. The woman demon also crouched down, and brought them all into one big hug.
For the first time since leaving the village, Wisteria allowed herself to smile. However, her smile was cut short as the rest of the demons began to circle the two humans that they did not recognize.
Hiroshi held the grip of his katana, waiting for a moment to strike. He focused, trying to find a weakness. However, Wisteria put her hand on Hiroshi's, stopping him from drawing the blade.
"Give Arnold a second," she told him, and sure enough, Arnold was very fast to tell his friends to stand down.
"Wait! These two are friendly! They are going to help us beat Pedro, and he will set us free!" he announced, a cheerful boom in his tone. His wife put her red hand over her mouth.
"Arnold, darling, your arm!" she wailed, tearing up almost immediately.
"Pedro was not satisfied with our haul this week, so he killed half of us, as well as cut off my arm," he told his wife. Hiroshi raised an eyebrow. What? Why was he lying for him? They hardly knew one another.
"That's not what the others told us! They said you were fired upon, and the order was given by a man with short black spikey hair and deep ocean blue eyes, around five foot eleven," Arnold's wife's eyes narrowed, concentrating on Hiroshi. Hiroshi looked around. He could feel the hatred spread throughout the whole camp.
"Yes...that was me," Hiroshi said, confidently. The demons changed their attitude in a split second.
"Throw him in the fire!"
"No, torture him first!"
"Yeah! Make him suffer!"
Hiroshi smirked. He wasn't afraid at all.
"Sure. You can do that. Kill me, beat me up, throw me six feet under after setting my body on fire," he started, inching his way closer to Arnold's wife. "But without me, you and your friends will continue being under Pedro's control. No freedom. Just constant anguish and agony. Do you want that?" Hiroshi was almost whispering into the demon's ear. She shuddered, almost becoming frightened, before giving a small nod, and the demons backed off.
"Good," he continued. "Arnold, get your family safe and in a tent. The rest, hide behind the tree line. Wait for my signal until it's safe to come out. I won't let anybody die here. Understood?"
The demons nodded, and they scurred to work frantically. Wisteria stood beside Hiroshi. For a brief moment, they watched the demons go to work. Hiroshi didn't stay silent for long.
"Most of the demons sleep outside. They don't have enough tents. They are in such poverty..." he said aloud.
"I know..." Wisteria looked on, watching them work.
"And you wonder why I don't like people, Wisteria. Look. Even under control, doing everything as told, Pedro didn't give them a scrap. It makes me sick to my stomach. Not to mention the fact they were scared into silence," Hiroshi made his thoughts public to Wisteria, who crossed her arms and looked up at him. Something wasn't sitting right with her.
"I'm really sorry Hiroshi."
"For what?"
"I know that person must have been special to you..."
"You are still thinking about that?" Hiroshi asked. He didn't know if he should be happy that she was concerned for him or upset.
"Yeah, because I shouldn't have..."
"Stop. I made a wrong decision. You have to live with that too. You had every right to shout. I feel like I never have done anything right in my life," Hiroshi sighed. "It's why I need to be a villain to this world. A universal hatred. People bond over that. Now, take cover behind one of the trees. And be ready."
Wisteria went to open her mouth, but no words came out. She simply agreed to his command, and ran into the woods. Hiroshi looked into the dark tree line.
This corruption was going to end here.