(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 447

Chapter 447: Don’t look at me like that

Kellen thought his heart was going to punch out through his throat. They had contact? Who? Who did they have contact with?

"Who?" Sakura echoed Kellen’s thoughts out loud as the girl who had a phone up to her ear listened.

"It’s...Esper Morrison! He was able to jerry rig something together to get a signal out. Front lines are a mess. Any help, medical, electrical, food supplies that anyone can spare is appreciated. Sergei is alive. Hill is alive. Green is alive. Lieutenant Spencer is alive. Lieutenant Howard is alive. They haven’t been able to do a proper head count yet on the missing." It was a bitter feeling. It was good to hear that some people he cared about were safe.

But Brent’s name hadn’t been included in the higher ups that were safe and near the area.

Rhys tightened his arm on Kellen’s waist, holding him up as Kellen’s legs collapsed under him. Kellen clung to the stiff shoulders of his jacket as another blow was dealt to him.

"Anything else?" Rhys asked but it seemed that she was listening intently.

"Line’s going to fail soon. Sergei is almost burnt out. Need Guides ASAP." Kellen’s blood went cold. How much power had the S Class had to fucking use if that was the case? Kellen glanced at Casper, and noticed how Casper looked tense, ill.

"We have some we can spare." Casper said, his voice raspy, tired and the girl told him that.

"He says that the sooner, the better." There was a pause, before she lowered the phone, swallowing. "He’s...gone." She said quietly and now they all had some more to chew on.

"I’ll go." Pamela’s voice filled the air and Kellen jerked. He looked back at the woman, her braided hair swishing as she stood. "None of you are in any state to be travelling, and I feel useless here. At least out there I can help calm the others. I make the most sense." She said calmly, as if she hadn’t said she never wanted to step foot out there, ever.

"Pamela, you don’t have to." Kellen said and she sniffed.

"What? Do you think you’re in any state to be going anywhere? Absolutely not. You were just at a fucking funeral, Kellen. I’ll go. Send over what you want to send, Captain Sakura, and I’ll make sure it gets there." Pamela said. "You know how to contact me." She rushed out of the room like a bat out of hell while Kellen stood there, a little shocked. He was pretty sure that was the first time that she had called him by his name.

"Were you just at a funeral?" It was Sakura’s voice. Tentative. Heavy with concern. Kellen sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Yes. For one of-for one of my aunts." Kellen said, hesitating for a moment before committing to it. He was sure that his Aunt Dina would want him to refer to her that way. Kellen looked up at the screen, finally seeing the horror that was on not just Sakura’s, but Lieutenant Fisher’s face. Kellen felt his heart jerk as Sakura covered her face. He could feel it.

The pity. The sadness.

Kellen tightened his jaw.

"I’m so sorry Kellen. How did-"

"-The E.A.G. killed her." Kellen told Sakura, his voice flat. Lieutenant Fisher closed his eyes, sighing heavily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Those damn fuckers." He muttered, but Kellen wasn’t going to let them do this. No one was dead yet, except for the fuckers who had tried to hurt his front lines. Those were the only confirmed deaths in the last few days.

Kellen was going to do his best to make sure that was it.

After all, Brent couldn’t be dead. There was no fucking way. He was just missing. Brent would show up, poking his head out of some rubble and laugh. That was what Kellen knew for sure was going to happen. He had seen Gwen get sucked in, that was a completely different story.

He hadn’t seen Brent at all.

"I need...I need to go do something. I...." Kellen trailed off. He couldn’t be here any longer. He just needed to be...somewhere else. Rhys gave him a squeeze, pressing his lips against his forehead.

"Understood, sugar. You go. I’ll have Casper send a mess email to your students. No doubt they have noticed something is up. With the alarm still blaring, they won’t be surprised." Rhys told him carefully, and Kellen nodded.

"Where are you going, Kellen?" Casper asked, glancing up from his phone.

"I need to go work out." Kellen hadn’t made a decision on where he was going until he opened his mouth. Once he had, it made the most sense. He needed a distraction, and Rhys was too busy, too damn important for him to take up any more of his time. He wasn’t helpful here right now. He could feel it.

The argument was brewing under the surface. His desire to book it and run to the front lines. He was sure that Rhys could feel it too. He was sure everyone could feel it. It was probably the reason why Rhys was being so accommodating and sending him on his way, but that didn’t mean that the argument wasn’t going to happen. He was just pushing it back to a time where they had more privacy.

She was a Woods. She was his younger sister. She wouldn’t just throw in the towel that quickly.

He knew nothing. He’d seen nothing. All he’d had was a damn awful feeling in his gut, and that was it. If this was how Rhys felt even a quarter of the time, it was no wonder that so many who shared his powers killed themselves. The guilt?