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Chapter Eighteen: The Seven-Day Purge

Twenty-eight days had passed, and the night sky glittered with stars, as though they might cascade like snowflakes at any moment.

Gaige and Minka, stationed on the rooftop, gazed up at the tranquil sky, counting down the minutes until the angel's prophesied hunt would commence.

"Five minutes left," Minka announced over the stolen handheld two-way radios, one for each of them. This ensured that everyone remained in constant communication, both inside and outside the building.

The group had divided into three teams: Minka and Gaige were lookouts, Rowan and Andy served as decoys to lure the purgers into their carefully constructed traps, and Straz, Howl, and his friends manned the control room. Howl would oversee the traps and assist Strazz in deploying her poisonous fog and smoke when a purger was near.

In essence, they had transformed their dilapidated building into a trap house designed to ensnare the purgers.

But, of course, their fervent hope was that the purgers wouldn't show up at all. They entrusted Minka's concealment spell to keep them hidden until the purge was over.

Everyone was on edge as Minka's announcement took an unexpected turn. "The spirit spoke to Gaige again…"

Hearts raced, clinging to the hope that the angel might be playing a cruel jest on them, a preferable alternative to their grim reality. Their anxiety only intensified as Minka continued.

"The purge will last for seven days."

"Seven?"

"We don't have enough food for that!"

"Stay calm, Howl; Gaige said he'd supply us with his energy to stave off hunger."

"But won't he deplete himself? There are seventeen of us!"

"It'll be fine, Rowan. Let's trust him."

Following this shocking revelation, there was no respite to be had as Minka initiated the countdown.

Ten... nine... eight...

Under pressure, people tend to freeze, becoming paralyzed by anxiety. Everyone stood motionless, their breathing the only sound in the room.

Seven... six... five...

They were even mindful of their breath, each inhale and exhale in sync with the numbers counting down.

Four... three...

Unlike the expected chaos at the start of the purge, an eerie silence now enveloped them. It was so profound that even the crickets had ceased their nightly chorus.

Two... one...

With the countdown complete, silence persisted. It was deafening in its own right, each member of the group poised on high alert.

Minka, her throat dry from counting, shifted her gaze to Gaige, who stood firmly on the rooftop's railing, his eyes wide open.

Minka wanted to know what Gaige was doing but hesitated, not wanting to distract him from his duty of protecting them.

"Twenty purgers, right?" Gaige queried.

"Yes. There are at least twenty purgers in this city. Why?"

"Eleven in the east, three in the west, six in the south, five in the north. Concentrated in this area."

"That number isn't for the entire city yet? How's that possible?"

"Who knows?"

Fortuitously, Gaige had seized the opportunity during the angel's visit to request its assistance. They exchanged their eyes, turning Gaige's emerald irises into blue, diamond-like orbs. This granted him the power of long-distance vision, offering heightened clarity for moving objects and a sharper sense of depth perception. It even allowed him to perceive energy flows. Typically, one could only sense different types of energy, but now Gaige could faintly discern their patterns within his body, a useful tool for identifying purgers among the thousands of people moving about during the midnight hour.

Minka, upon returning to her duties after the exchange, announced the angel's message. "I'll inform everyone."

"No."

"Huh?"

"No," Gaige reiterated.

Minka simply stared at Gaige, who held the two-way radio. He gently guided her back to their rooftop lookout, and they settled in silence.

While pondering Gaige's reluctance to relay the message, Minka gasped as she observed the chalk marking in their yard gradually fading away. She promptly notified everyone through the radio that this signified the imminent arrival of their adversaries.

As predicted, a man in a white suit carrying a shotgun appeared in their yard as the mark vanished.

"Straz, Howl, a purger has entered our west vicinity, near pole C."

"Roger."

Lacking security cameras to monitor their target, Strazz released poisonous smoke, and Howl activated the pipes strategically positioned around the building. These pipes were meant to release poisonous smoke towards their target, with Minka and Gaige serving as spotters.

"He's moving toward pole A."

"Got it!"

The first purger to reach their hideout was taken aback by the poison spray, collapsing to the ground and ceasing to breathe.

Gaige waited for a moment before descending from the rooftop. He approached the incapacitated purger and retrieved both the purger and his shotgun, hoisting them back up to the roof.

He deposited the unconscious body inside an empty tanker, a massive grinder fashioned by Howl's friends. Gaige infused a small amount of aura into the tanker to set it in motion.

"Here."

He handed the shotgun to Minka before returning to his post. Silence once again enveloped the area, and Minka instinctively flung the shotgun away when it suddenly twitched and moved.

"Huh? Is it still alive?"