We arrive back at the bunker in a hurry, but I’m still confused. Those two men definitely weren’t HET. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure I recognized them from around the bunker, so I couldn’t figure out why we had to hide from them. Neither Angel nor Titania would tell us why. They just silently led us back down the bunker steps and through the corridors.
“Where are we going?” I ask. “This isn’t the way to our room.”
“I don’t like this,” Sako says. “What did you mean when you said this place won’t be a safe haven much longer?”
“It’s just a hunch,” Titania says. “Quickly, we must split up.”
“But I don’t want to,” Sako says. “I don’t want to be away from Lily.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “We should listen to them. I don’t like this either, but I don’t think we have a choice.”
“It’s okay; it won’t be for long,” Angel says. “We just need to cover as much ground as possible before they return.”
“Those two guys?” I ask.
“Yes,” Angel says. “Titania and Sako will go that way, and we will go this way.”
I follow Angel through the dark halls, which are completely unfamiliar to me. Despite being in the bunker for so long, I never bothered to explore the whole thing. It was mostly just the same, anyway, and I had no inclination to interact with the other inhabitants.
We arrive at a door, which looks pretty much like every other door in the living quarters.
“So, now what?” I ask. “Breaking and entering?”
“It’s unlocked,” Angel says.
“I was kidding,” I say. “I don’t want to go in there.”
“Just do as I say,” Angel says, his voice much more stern than usual.
“Alright, fine,” I say. I hesitantly push the door, and it creaks open. The inside is identical to the room Sako and I share: two twin-size beds, a desk, some dressers, and a table with a radio at the center. The only difference is that the table is covered with papers scattered haphazardly.
I walk up to it and scan one of the loose papers. It’s someone’s notes. Curiously, I pick it up and inspect it closely.
There are numbers and letters on it. Not just any numbers and letters, but a list of every room in the bunker complex. Next to them are notes detailing physical descriptions of what I assume are the inhabitants of the rooms.
One woman, one man. Both short. Priority.
Two men. Both tall and fit. Save for later.
One man. Tall but skinny. Priority.
I’m confused, but I keep looking through the notes until I find the paper with the room corresponding to Sako and me.
Two women. One tall, one short. Frail. Priority.
Priority? For what?
“What does this mean?” I ask.
“These past two weeks, numerous power readings correlating to other survivors in the bunker began to disappear,” Angel says. “Titania and I didn’t think it strange at first. We thought it was just people leaving the compound, just as we had intended for you two when you were ready.”
“So what changed?” I ask.
“Almost every single one of them disappeared in the middle of the night,” Angel says. “We believe this place has been compromised.”
“Wait, are you saying-” I start, but don’t have the chance to finish because I hear running down the corridor.
I panic, frantically looking all around for a place to hide.
“Do not worry,” Angel says. “It is only Sako. But she is distraught. I think our fears have come to fruition.”
I quickly burst out of the door and see Sako hunched over her knees, breathing heavily, sweat dripping off her face. She looks up at me, and her eyes are terrified.
“W-what’s happening?” I ask.
“We were right,” Titania says. “Those two men in the forest are killers.”
“Killers?” I ask.
“A b-body,” Sako stutters. “There was a body.”
“Wait, hold on a second. How do we know it was a murder?” I ask. “And how can you be sure it was them?”
“We didn’t have the chance to teach you how to use the enemy reader, but you can use it to gauge the power of another living being,” Titania says. “That means you can use it on other humans too. Those two men… their energy levels were extraordinarily high. Much too high for two weeks worth of training.”
“So you’re saying they’re killing people for their EP?” I ask.
“Precisely,” Angel says. “The proof is in their notes. I fear that you two are priority targets. You’re lucky their room was so far from yours; otherwise, you might’ve already fallen victim to them.”
“W-what do we do now?” Sako asks.
“We’ve got no choice but to pack our things and flee,” Titania says. “Their energy readings are much higher than anyone else in the compound.”
“We’ve got to warn the others!” Sako says. “They’re murderers! We can’t let them get away with this.”
“There’s no time for that,” Angel says. “They will return soon and realize that we were snooping around. We cannot afford to wait, else you’ll be their next target.”
“We can’t!” Sako says, raising her voice. “I won’t run. We’re supposed to be fighting the HET, not each other. If they’re murderers, I will not let them get away with this.”
“You won’t survive a direct confrontation,” Titania says. “The only course of action is to run as far as you can.”
“Sako,” I say, grabbing her hand with both of mine. “We should go. Really. I don’t like this.”
“Not you too,” she moans. I can hear the defeat in her voice. I don’t want to leave, either, but I’m scared what might happen if we stay.
We’re just two girls. We don’t stand a chance against killers like them. Maybe it would be a different story if we had mastered the skill system, but we’ve barely only scratched it. I don’t want Sako to die like this. I really hate seeing tears streaming down her face like that.
“Sako,” I start, then pause. I muster all of the courage within myself and steady my voice. “We’re… we’re too weak. You fell flat on your face from a few little fireballs. If we stay, we’ll only be dying to give those monsters more power. But if we swallow our pride and run now… There may be a chance that we can grow strong so that we never have to be scared of murderers like them again.”
“You just want to run like a coward,” she says.
Those words hurt. She’s right. I am a coward. I just want to run away. Just like Mom. Just like Dad. I guess it’s in my blood.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “But think about your parents. What would they say if you threw away your life so carelessly? Do you really want to do that to them when they might be out there, worried sick about you?”
I watch as she takes a deep breath. She looks like she wants to cry. I really hope she doesn’t, or else I might start, too.
“Fine,” she finally says. “We’ll leave. We’ll let everyone else in the bunker die because of our selfishness. Just let it be known that we are just as bad as the murderers we’re running from.”
I open my mouth to object, but I’ve got nothing to say.
I really, really hate myself.