Surprisingly, it was just as Dean had stated, the attacks on Slough including Cipen and Burnham had started to slow down as it got later in the night. If Kai had a clear mind, he would have noticed it as well.
Even their attackers had to sleep at some point. Although they were large in number in terms of fighting power, they were all used to their own routine, so they couldn’t just attack non-stop.
Still, there were the smaller groups and such that were still making trouble, which was why some gang members still had to keep guard in certain areas, but it gave Kai the opportunity to do what was needed.
A text message was sent out to the core members, and through them, it was sent out to the squad leaders, those like Park.
The squad leaders that had been picked were quite loyal, but the other thing was they had mostly already been turned into Altered. Reward for their loyalty, the syringes they had been able to get their hands on they had used. So they now had to go based on their recommendations.
After which, everyone was told to meet at the hospital. At the front of the hospital, Marie and Olivia were present; the two of them were keeping track of all the people and were funneling them to the back of the hospital.
This area was the open field. It was mostly grass with pathways, lighting, and a few nice trees. It was an area where nurses would take patients out who were stuck inside for a while for a nice piece of fresh air.
Now it had quickly been converted to a different area entirely. Large tents were set up, and they were blockaded from different areas. One of the tents had a doctor and a team of nurses on standby in case anything went wrong, but the area was separate from another one.
It was a complicated process, one that Kai had set up because they needed to keep this secret away from the others.
Eventually, all the people that were recommended, those that were seen as loyal by the squad leaders, had arrived. Kai had still been waiting inside the main reception hall. There were normal folks as well as gang members here getting treated in the reception because they had run out of space.
Eventually, Olivia and Marie had arrived together, both of them wearing their masks.
“Everyone has gathered as requested, you said you wanted to have a talk with them right?” Olivia asked.
“Yeah, all of them should be aware as to what can happen to them, and the risks involved, and then make a choice from there, we have already lost a lot, but we shouldn’t force them,” Kai replied.
“Well, if it was up to me, this is something that we should have done a long time ago anyway. We would have saved a lot of money as well doing this rather than having Altered,” Olivia stated.
“About Midwak, we couldn’t get a hold of him, it seems he’s still going around Slough attacking whoever he can see, I think he’s also looking for someone in particular,” Marie informed.
“Probably out there trying to get revenge, it’s good for us. I’m sure he’s having an impact on them not attacking us, and he has a lot of energy so he won’t tire easily.” With that said, Kai and the others were on the move.
When they had entered the outside area, they had moved into a large black tent, where around thirty members wearing black and gold were waiting inside. Some of their clothing was ripped and their faces beaten and bruised.
It was clear that they had been fighting until this very moment.
‘There’s a few people that I recognize myself.’
‘That’s Bo, Felix, and Alfie. Them three have been following Austin since his days as a school leader. They’ve been fighting hard ever since what happened to Austin. It’s not a surprise that they came. All of them are quite good fighters, but what would Austin feel like if he knew we were taking these risks.’
Then searching through the crowd, there was another.
“Tyler, what are you doing here, you are our driver,” Kai stated.
“Yeah, but the text said to gather those that truly believe in the Howler Gang and want to help out in this situation, at the risk of their own lives. I think I fit that bill, don’t I?”
Honestly, Kai was quite surprised. Tyler had been their driver for a long time and knew the identities of the real core members. He was brought in by Gary, but in every situation, he seemed frightened.
Willing to risk their lives for the Howlers, he never would have thought about putting Tyler on the list of that.
Through the crowd of people, Kai could see that there was one person that was a little shorter than the others, and upon looking at his face, he seemed a bit young. Quickly Kai started to walk through the others.
The person seemed to notice what was happening and turned around, but before they could even run away, Kai placed his hand on their shoulder.
“What are you doing here, kid, shouldn’t you be at home?” Kai asked.
Immediately the young one turned around hitting Kai’s arm away, or at least attempted to but it was still held on firmly due to Kai’s unnatural strength.
“Why, why can’t I take part as well. I’ve been helping the Howlers for a while now. I’m a good fighter as well! And I’ve seen a lot, when this happened last time, I was unable to help anyone, I couldn’t, and it’s happening again, I want to help this time,” Kevin said.
The young boy was the only survivor from the BlackRock orphanage, and was a dear friend to Innu. The issue was, right now he was around 14 years old. To risk his life at such a young age.
That was the world that they currently lived in.
“I can’t… I can’t,” Kai said, thinking about Innu. All of this, it was too much for him. He felt like he was risking their lives to help themselves.
That was until his shoulder was touched.
“Let the people make their own choice in this. They have their own will, and remember, the Howlers are no longer just you and the others, and you don’t own this city, the people do. So let them choose, young one. It’s time to tell them the risks and let them choose for themselves,” Dean stated.
****