The two kept hugging each other for a while, but suddenly Casca’s eyes shifted over to Mary, and then she turned to look at Julia behind her; releasing her hold on Clyde, she pushed him back slightly and grabbed his hand,
"Big Brother... we have to get out of here," Casca said, instant panic in her voice.
"Huh?" Clyde asked, confused by the sudden shift in Casca’s demeanor.
But as Casca pulled on Clyde’s hand, attempting to bolt from the infirmary, Julia blocked their path by spreading her arms wide in front of Casca, while two guards behind her stepped up on high alert.
"Get out of the way... I don’t want to hurt you," Casca said.
"I’m sorry, Casca, but you can’t leave here again... You ran away four days ago and were only just found, you’re still confused," Julia replied firmly.
"No... you don’t understand... I’m hungry!" Casca screamed.
Hearing Casca’s words, Clyde gasped in shock; his mind instantly flashed back to his dream where he had watched Casca devouring a human alongside him. Clyde pulled Casca’s hand and grabbed both of her shoulders, studying her intently. He then whistled internally, and the holographic screen flared to life—except this time, there weren’t just one, but two windows, with one hovering directly in front of Casca’s face, startling her.
"W... what is this?" Casca asked.
"Be quiet for a second," Clyde answered.
Clyde looked at Casca’s screen and read the status contents, while Julia, Mary, and the two guard personnel, who couldn’t see a thing, stood by in utter confusion. Clyde’s eyes widened as he read Casca’s status:
[Subject serial number : C – 4504 – Jersey Devil awakened and joined frame network confirmed.]
[Abilities : Omen Sense, Horn Detection, Devil’s Tail.]
[Perk : Super strength, sonic speed, immune all poison and disease.]
[Skill installed : Peak Martial Arts Mastery, Blood-Curdling Scream.]
[Hunger : [Progress bar 100%] Danger.]
[Stamina : [Progress bar 100%]]
[Regeneration : [Progress bar 0%] status : healthy.]
Clyde looked over at Casca, who seemed bewildered staring at her own status screen without understanding what it meant, especially as she took in the diagrams of her normal form, her gray-skinned form with horns and a tail, and finally her combat form.
"What... is this... Big Brother?" Casca asked falteringly.
Clyde didn’t answer Casca’s question; instead, he stared at the red "danger" warning flashing inside her status screen, right on Casca’s hunger bar. Clyde stood up and faced Julia behind him,
"Take us to the cafeteria," Clyde said.
"Oh... she’s hungry? During her entire month here, she’s refused to eat or drink anything," Julia remarked.
"Yeah... she’s hungry. Take us to the cafeteria, fast," Clyde replied in a panic.
Clyde looked back at Casca, who was glaring fiercely at Mary, Julia, and the two staff members; though her face still bore traces of fear, it was clear from her eyes that she viewed everyone around them, except Clyde, as prey. Finally, Clyde pulled Casca out of the first-floor infirmary and walked toward the back toward the cafeteria, with Julia, Mary, and the two staff members following close behind.
"Where are we going, Big Brother?" Casca asked as she was pulled along.
"To eat... you’re hungry," Clyde answered.
"No... I don’t want to... I’m not hungry," Casca protested, trying to pull away.
"Don’t fight me on this, trust me," Clyde shot back.
"A... all right," Casca complied.
They stepped inside the cafeteria. Clyde didn’t sit at a table; instead, he pushed straight into the kitchen, spotting a cafeteria cook grilling a steak. Without a second thought, he pulled Casca over to the grill inside the kitchen, reached in, and grabbed a raw chunk of meat that was just about to be cooked.
"Hey!" the cafeteria cook protested. "You can’t come in here!" he added.
"Be quiet," Clyde snapped, staring the cook dead in the eyes.
The cook, incensed, looked over at Julia and Mary as they stepped inside; Julia raised her hand, and the cook went silent, though he remained visibly annoyed. Clyde thrust the raw, bloody slab of meat right in front of Casca; her expression transformed instantly. Without her even realizing it, her mouth swung wide open, and Clyde crammed the chunk of meat into Casca’s mouth. Without a moment’s hesitation, Casca tore into it ravenously, eating like someone who hadn’t touched food in a month. Clyde grabbed a second chunk and handed it to Casca, then took one more piece for himself.
Naturally, Julia, Mary, the two staff members who had followed the two youths, and the cook stood paralyzed in shock and confusion, watching two teenagers devour completely unseasoned raw meat. Clyde kept his eyes on Casca’s status:
[Hunger : [Progress bar 50%]]
[Hunger : [Progress bar 30%]]
[Hunger : [Progress bar 10%]]
"Burp," Casca let out a soft belch. Clyde wiped his own blood-smeared mouth, then noticed that Casca’s skin was no longer pale; she now looked beautiful, her long black hair glowing with a healthy sheen rather than looking dull. "Sigh," Clyde let out a breath of relief as he enjoyed his own piece of meat, eventually handing the remainder over to Casca.
"I’m full... feels good," Casca said, rubbing her stomach.
"Thank goodness... Now we don’t have to leave, right?" Clyde replied.
Casca didn’t speak, but she gave a firm nod in response before wrapping her arms around Clyde again, her face a mix of fear and sorrow,
"Big Brother... I’m scared. That dream... that dream... we... ate..."
"Shh, don’t finish that. It’s okay, I’m right here now," Clyde interrupted, cutting Casca off so the others wouldn’t hear, even though he was still trembling internally from the memory of his own dream.
Clyde then turned to look at Julia, Mary, the two staff members, and the cook, all of whom were staring at them in utter bewilderment.
"Sorry about that," Clyde said after swallowing his meat.
"It’s fine... go ahead and eat," Julia forced out, while Mary and the others were left completely speechless.
***
After finishing their meal, Clyde and Casca walked down the corridor behind Julia and Mary as they headed toward the front lobby. Upon arriving back at the reception desk, Julia grabbed her tablet and registered both Clyde and Casca at the same time; after typing out the forms on the tablet, she tapped a specialized printer beside her. The hum of the printer filled the room, and once it finished, Julia pulled two cards from the machine and handed them to Clyde and Casca.
Clyde looked down at his card; it turned out to be an identification card allowing him to reside in the city of Neo Ark. He glanced at Casca’s card beside him, it was identical, featuring no photo, with both of their ages listed as 15. Clyde, bewildered, looked up at Julia, who was smiling at him from across the desk.
"What’s the meaning of this?" Clyde asked.
"You’re free to leave now. You’re cured... Excuse me, both of you are cured," Julia answered with a smile.
"Huh... no need to stay here for a month?" Clyde asked, confused.
"No need. You’ve proven that you’re no longer affected by the simulation, the proof is that you were able to recognize your family in the real world, and the same goes for Casca," Julia answered.
"Oh... I see," Clyde said, looking down at his card again.
"So... we can go?" Casca asked, puzzled.
"Yes... you’re free to leave this building, though you can’t leave the city for the time being until you complete your education about this world, which will start on Monday right here," Julia answered with a smile. "However, I do apologize, since permanent housing for the two of you is still being arranged, you’ll be staying with Mary for now," Julia added.
"Hey... wait a minute, why at my place?" Mary protested.
"Because you have three bedrooms and live all by yourself. It’s just temporary, so please help us out," Julia said.
"Grr... ask me first next time! What’s wrong with you?" Mary complained.
"Sorry, sorry... but as you know, we’re short on personnel and volunteers. You know what I mean," Julia said, looking at Mary.
"Ugh," Mary clearly understood what Julia meant by a shortage of personnel, as well as the underlying reason for arranging living quarters for the two of them. "Sigh," she finally gave in and let out a heavy breath,
"Fine... okay, I get it," Mary replied.
"Great, thanks a lot, Mary," Julia said, smiling so brightly her eyes closed.
"All right, you two, follow your big sister home," Mary said, beckoning to the pair.
"Um... okay," Clyde replied.
"Okay," Casca replied.
"Don’t forget Monday! Have a good rest," Julia said, waving goodbye.
Mary led them toward the exit, but she caught herself glancing back at Julia, who offered a nod and a sigh. As the doors slid shut behind them, the smile vanished from Julia’s face; she tapped her tablet open and stared at the screen, her eyes locking onto an encrypted folder labeled "Chimaera Initiative."