Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

The shield was shining just as it had shone back at the house. But Hitori\'s priority was catching the signal. He held her iPhone above his head (since he was the tallest of them), but could not catch the signal.

"Maybe we should try the other corner," Reon suggested.

Hitori nodded. With his hand still in the air, he moved to the right side of the shield. The shield was surrounding the lair in a circle, with the lair as the midpoint. Hitori took another step forward, standing as close to the shield as possible.

"Ah!" Reon gasped, "come back, Hitori!" She covered her mouth and feared Hitori might drop into the shield and get himself reduced to ashes.

Hitori held his hand higher and finally saw a bar appear, and he smiled. Of course, the signal should reach this point, he was standing at the diameter\'s top after all.

Hitori clicked the contacts and saw her brother\'s number in the recent calls. He tapped that contact and turned around to Reon.

"What, did you get it?" she asked, then looked down at her mobile as Hitori pushed it to her. "Whoa! You got it!" she cheered when she saw her brother\'s name on the ongoing call.

She put the call on speaker and held the mobile right next to the shield, without worrying about getting the mobile shed to ashes if she could make just one call and talk with her brother for once– just once.

The ring went. The signal was not strong, but it was enough to get the rings on the other side. Five seconds passed, but her brother still did not pick up the call.

The smile over her face started fading and so did the Hitori\'s excitement. They exchanged glances after the seventh ring.

Reon lifted her finger to end the call when Hitori grabbed it. "No. We are connected somehow, do not lose it."

Hitori knew he could just connect back and would not stop unless Reon talks to her brother and tells him she is safe. This was just one of the few things Hitori wished would go well.

After the tenth ring, the call ended on its own. Reon glanced at Hitori. "Maybe he is not near his phone…" although she said it, she was feeling anxious already.

Hitori leaned forward to check the signal. The bar was still standing, so he asked Reon to dial her father\'s number. She did and the ring went again.

They waited for the fifth ring. Hitori\'s heart clenched he felt terrible about this. Why the hell was no one from her family picking up their phones?

Reon looked at Hitori with tears forming in her eyes. "W-What would have happened, Hitori?" she said.

Hitori could not look away from that face. She looked like a child crying for her broken toy. Or the time when she knows she has messed up and things are going to get worse.

"I-It will be alright." His voice did not have much convincing tone, so that was troubling.

She rubbed her forehead and pulled the heck of her dirty T-shirt. "What if, what if the—"

"Alright, shut up. Don\'t you dare say anything," Hitori said– he knew how things would get if he does not stop her right now.

"Why is this happening, Hitori?" Her voice broke, and the ninth ring went off.

Hitori raised his hand to grab the mobile out of her hand and dial again when the tenth ring went off and was cut in between.

Roen pulled the phone to her ears and Hitori leaned forward. His bangs jumped and brushed against Reon\'s forehead, but she did not mind.

"Hello?" she said, "Hello, Dad?"

No answer. They exchanged glances again. Hitori noticed the sweat forming on her mobile\'s cover, then he realized even his hands were wet. He hated summer for this reason– or else he spent the summer in his room playing games with the ice cooler on.

She forgot the speaker was turned on, she should not have brought the mobile so close and Hitori should have not got that close to the mobile, because when Dad spoke, his scream pierced their ears.

"Reon! Oh my god, my daughter! You are alright… Reon…" His voice was loud at the start, till the daughter part, then his voice cracked as it reached the last Reon.

Before they could realize it, Reon\'s father was sobbing on the phone. Hitori was happy that they got through and thought Dad was crying before he got to talk to his daughter after days, he must have been worried about her.

"Dad, why are you shouting? I am alright, see?"

"Yes, yes, my child, I am glad you are alright…"

Reon smiled at Hitori who was a foot away now. "H-How are you, Dad? Where are you?"

"Where are YOU? We were worried sick about you… we even thought you were dead."

"D-Dead? Why would you think that?" She chuckled, but the response from the other side was not what she had expected.

"As I expected," he said, his voice was much better now– he was not crying, at least, "you do not know about it…"

"IT? Did something happen?" Reon looked athItori again, he frowned in return.

"See, you can not come back home."

This was it, Hitori thought, he are kicking her out of the house.

Reon thought the same, but she wanted to confirm. She did want to get out of the house, but not this way. "W-Why, what happened?"

"You just can not come back, you are in danger."

"Telepathy?" Hitori muttered. Reon glared at him, then went back to the call

"What danger?" she asked. She was worried Hitori might be true– not about the telepathy– but about knowing the things on this side.

"Your brother…" he muttered, almost in an inaudible volume.

"What happened to him?" She jumped– her try was to get into the mobile and ask her father right away.

"Someone…" he sobbed again, "k-killed your brother… someone killed Hiroshi." He broke down, and he had the right to.

For a moment, Reon could not believe it, but Hitori had. So when she did, Hitori was ready to hold her.

Unlike Reon, Hitori was surprised– she was shocked and sad. The mobile slipped from her hands and landed on the leaves in front of her feet.

Through the mobile came Dad\'s voice: "Be safe, Reon! We are under FBI protection, you too, stay safe wherever you are. I want to see you alive, so please… my child…" His voice broke, then was cut off. The only signal bar flickered for a moment, then disappeared from the screen.

With a click, the call ended, and Reon broke down.