I can feel the tension in the room. I don’t know what kind of skills those two men have, and I don’t want to find out. I’m relieved that they bought my lie, but I can’t relax quite yet. I have to stay vigilent until both Sako and I are safe and away from those two killers.
“We’ll let you leave, but you can never return,” the man says. “And we’re only allowing this because you wouldn’t give us much EP anyway. We’ll escort you out, just so you don’t try anything funny.”
“You two go first,” I say. “I can’t have you doing any sneak attacks from behind.”
“Fine by me,” the man says. “But keep in mind that if you try it yourself, you’ll be dead in an instant.”
The two men walk out the door and wait for us to follow behind. I see Sako is still terrified. I’m also terrified, but I muster up the strength to walk forward.
I gently grab Sako’s hand, below the bruised portion, and lead her out of the room. We follow the two men through the corridors and up the steps. All the way, I’m on edge. I feel as if at any moment they could turn around and attack us. If they do, there’s nothing more I can do.
Luckily, they don’t. They lead us all the way to the entrance and thrust us outside. Still clasping Sako’s hand, I begin to back away from them. I’m waiting for them to make a backhanded attack, but they keep their word. They let us go.
I walk away with Sako in hand, but I constantly glance over my shoulder to make sure they’re not following. They continue to stand at the entrance, watching us go.
“If you ever come back, you’ll die,” I hear the man say. I watch as they turn around and head back into the bunker. That’s when I stop in my tracks, against my better judgement. Or any judgement at all.
“If I ever see you again,” I yell. “I’ll kill you both.”
I see the man smirk with amusement, then walk back into the bunker. We’re safe. Well, safe from them. But now, we’re out in the world with no place to stay. The sun is setting in the distance, and darkness encroaches upon us. I know there are things out there far more dangerous than them.
“Are you okay?” I ask. Sako’s still shivering, but it’s not quite as bad.
“Yes,” she says. “Thank you, Lily.”
We start to walk. We walk and walk and walk until we’re far away from the bunker. We take turns and odd paths so that they cannot follow us so easily. I don’t think that they will, but we do it just to be safe. We don’t have to worry about losing our way, because we don’t intend to go back. The more lost we get, the better. The farther we get, the better. I didn’t actually see any of the bodies, yet I know they’re there. I know Sako saw one, but I don’t have nearly enough courage to ask her about it.
The moon is high in the sky when we finally stop to rest for the night. It’s too dark to see in the forest, and the only light we have is the dim shimmer of Angel and Titania. There aren’t nearly enough stars in the sky to compensate for the creeping dark.
I fumble around the pitch black glades and manage to gather up some branches and dry leaves. It’s not ideal, but we need warmth so I use the fireball ability to start a fire. I only pray that we’re far enough from the bunker that they won’t see the smoke in the distance. They probably won’t. They’re probably murdering the other residents within. But I can’t think about that. Sako is safe, and that’s what matters most. I never even talked to anyone else there, so why should I care? Their blood isn’t on my hands. Indifference isn’t a crime.
Right?
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Sitting around the fire, neither Sako nor I say anything for the longest time. We don’t sleep, either. We just sit there in silence, waiting for it to be broken. The angels had already disappeared, most likely into the interface, and all that’s left is two scared little girls huddling around flickering flames in the dark woods.
After what just happened, I don’t think either of us have the courage to speak. But I’m wrong, because Sako is strong.
Much stronger than I could ever hope to be.
“You were really brave, Lily,” Sako whispers. “I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do. I thought… I thought we were going to die.”
“You say that, but all I really did was run away,” I say. “You’re the one who actually stood up to them.”
“What are you talking about? I couldn’t do anything,” Sako says. “It was you who saved us. If I went through with what I was about to do, then they probably would have done it, then killed us anyway.”
“I’m surprised you can talk about that like it’s nothing,” I say.
“It’s not nothing,” Sako says, clasping her arm and averting her gaze. “But what else could I do?”
“Well, since I saved us, then can you promise me one thing?” I ask. “Never do that again. Never offer yourself up like that.”
“I’m sorry,” Sako says. “I just kind of panicked. I wondered what someone as weak as me could do and that’s all I could think of. I’m not all that smart, you know. I’m glad that you can think clearly under such pressure.”
“I wasn’t thinking clearly,” I say.
“No, I agree. It really was a clever bluff,” Titania says, reappearing alongside Angel. “I’ve taken you for a fool, but maybe you’re smarter than I thought.”
“Don’t give her too much credit,” Angel says. “Most of her cleverness comes from watching detective shows and anime.”
“You didn’t have to say that,” I mutter. “A little praise would be nice, you know.”
“Fine, fine,” Angel says. “You did well.”
But did I? Did I really do well? At what, exactly? Being a coward? Running away?
“I’m sorry,” Sako says. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn before. It almost got us killed.”
“No, I was in the wrong,” I say. “We left all those people to die. There’s no way that was the right choice.”
“I guess that means we’re both wrong,” Sako says. She gives me a smile, which reassures me.
“Maybe our concept of right and wrong doesn’t exist in this world anymore,” I say. “Like, maybe we need to forget everything we once knew and change.”
“I guess so,” Sako says. “It won’t be easy for an idiot like me, though.”
“Well, I’m an idiot, too,” I say. “Which means we’re in the same boat.”
“What are you talking about?” Sako asks, giggling. “You’re the genius who saved us.”
No, I’m the coward who ran away.
“What should we do now?” I ask.
“Our original plan was to have you two train for several months using the bunker as safety,” Titania said. “With your weakness and Sako’s anemia, the risk of sending you out right away was too high.”
“I see what you mean about getting behind, though,” I say. “If we were more prepared, then maybe…”
“Enough of that,” Titania says. “This was an unfortunate circumstance out of your control. There was no way we could have known those two would have turned out to be murderers.”
“Unfortunately, you’re out in the world with no safe place to stay, and we haven’t even finished explaining the system to you,” Angel says. “This is certainly a predicament.”
“Oh, I know!” I say. I turn to Sako. “Back then, Sako was separated from her parents. I think we should look for them.”
No one says anything.
“We can start by checking the nearby bunkers,” I say. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll find another place we can stay and resume training. Then, we can take our time and-”
“Lily,” Sakos says.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“My parents are dead.”