AUTHOR
The scene in the concrete chamber had reached a new equilibrium of terror.
Akane's desperate sobs formed a ragged duet with Shuya's pained breathing and the low, constant growls of the Tosa Inus.
Kenji Soma stood in the center of this hellscape, the calm eye of the hurricane. He slowly wiped the gleaming skinning knife clean with a dark cloth, his movements methodical, almost ritualistic.
He looked from Akane, bound and trembling, to Shuya, broken and bleeding, and then to his two lieutenants. Tokito, a wolf waiting for the hunt. Shinki, a specter waiting to inscribe the final line in a ledger of blood.
"Now," Kenji's voice cut through the noise, flat and authoritative. "Now that everyone is present and accounted for, it is time we get to business."
He paced slowly before his two captives, his gaze lingering on each of them. "I've given it some thought. It seems… inefficient, to deal with you separately. So, we'll do this together.
