“GUAGH!” I throw my arm up to block the impact. The bone in my arm cracks from her merciless strike. “S-Stop this, Tachibana! Why are—”
“I’m so sorry, Watase… This is all I can do for you now…” An eerie glimmer flashes in her eyes as she apologizes. It’s the same shade of madness I saw in Moribe and Ukita.
Why has even Tachibana been affected?! Did I do something to engender her hatred? At a complete loss, I thrust her away from me before she can hit me again.
“Kyah!” She falls onto the floor.
I take that opening to readjust my hold on Natsuhiko and flee from the engine room with him. I descend the ladder to Area 3 with him on my back. I don’t want to leave Salyu behind, but I’ve barely managed to carry Natsuhiko with me.
Dammit! What the hell is going on?!
Tachibana and I had been on the same page only a few minutes ago. We definitely trusted each other. But the pain in the arm she whacked with all her might is very real. It aches with the vibrations caused every time my feet hit the ground while running.
I’ve come to the connecting passageway while blindly running for my life. Footsteps echo from the path ahead of me.
Who is it now?!
Moribe appears from the other end of the corridor. “Captain…!” She fastens her empty eyes on me. She’s still clutching the damn engine cutter!
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!” I scream and flee in the opposite direction.
I run blindly with Natsuhiko to whatever area is next. I’m gasping for air and every bone in my body aches. Just when I think I can’t run anymore, a dry bang echoes out of the blue.
“GAH!” I fall on the ground. Red-hot pain splits open my side. Someone shot me. Clutching my side, I search the area. I can’t see him, but I hear Ukita’s voice coming from somewhere.
“I hit you this time, Captain Kasasagi,” he cackles.
“U-Ukita?!”
“You seem to be in agony. As my last act of pity, I’ll put you out of your misery right now.”
I spring to my feet before he finishes speaking. Scooping Natsuhiko back up, I break into another sprint, while blood spills from my side.
Luckily, the bullet seems to have missed my internal organs. But the wound hurts like nothing I’ve experienced before, and the blood flow won’t stop.
“Dammit…dammit…!” I curse from the pain and seek out a safe place. During my nonstop dash I finally see it—the connecting passageway to Area N. Only the Level N card I have can open the gate leading to that room.
I’m safe if I can escape inside there! I give myself a pep talk to keep my burning legs going in the direction of Area N.
✦ ✦ ✦
▼ 3:15 pm
Area N
I open the gate and scurry inside. Whatever those WX particles are, they’re causing my head to throb and my fingertips to go numb. But I have to push through the pain and reclose the gate if I want to stop the others.
Yet before I can do anything, Tachibana appears on the other side of the still-open gate brandishing the fire extinguisher. Our eyes meet. The daggerlike gleam in her eyes stabs into me. Ignoring her injured leg, she charges at me with the speed of a tiger.
“Shut already!”
The gate slowly begins to close. Tachibana slips through the open gap and swings the fire extinguisher down on my head.
“AUGH!” Sparks scatter in front of my eyes. Losing my sense of balance, my body reels to the side.
Sh-She’s gonna kill me! But Natsuhiko is doomed if I die here! That sole thought fastens my rupturing consciousness. I muster the last bit of strength left in me and—“URAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”—shove Tachibana outside Area N.
“GYAH!” I hear Tachibana’s scream the same time the gate fully closes. She starts shrieking hysterically on the other side. “Watase! WASTASE! Open up, WATASEEEEEEEE!”
Her voice gradually fades into the distance. My headache and convulsions grow increasingly worse by the second. The AD has probably run out by now. All the energy drains from my body as soon as that realization strikes me.
I try to resist gravity’s sudden wicked pull on my body.
I can’t fight it.
The floor is coming right at my face.
It’s no use! I’m falling!
A loud thud resounds through the tranquilly still Area N.
Natsuhiko’s weight disappeared from my back when I hit the ground. He seems to have slid off. But there’s no longer anything I can do for him.
In my fading consciousness, I think to myself, Why…did it come to this…?
Thinking doesn’t help me understand it. Too many absurd things have happened over the past six hours. All the mysteries I’ve stumbled upon until now flash into a corner of my increasingly muddied awareness.
The reason why I lost my memories.
The reason why the nine of us were trapped inside this accursed facility.
The reason why people were murdered here.
The reason why the survivors ran away from us several times.
The reason why the cargo lift control panel was destroyed.
The reason why there was a mysterious girl’s body there.
The reason why the AD supply we set aside went missing.
The reason why there was no reactor or fire in Area N.
And the reason why Yuuri’s body disappeared.
Until the very end, I never learned the answer to any of those mysteries. What in the world happened here? The faces of everyone I met today flashes into my mind: Tachibana, Moribe, Miss Ena, Ukita, Yuuri, Salyu, Natsuhiko. And then there’s the final survivor, Mashiro Toba, whom I haven’t seen yet.
I didn’t want to suspect any of the survivors. But isn’t it most likely that the mastermind behind this disaster is among us? The only thing I know for sure is that it’s not Natsuhiko. He was on the verge of death in this room.
I wanted to at least…get Natsuhiko outta here…!
But I can’t make that happen either. I can no longer keep my consciousness grounded. As the energy leaves my body and my mind is about to slip into darkness—I hear a loud heartbeat.
For a moment, I think it’s mine. But it’s not. The sound is coming from right next to me.
After a short while, I sense movement beside me.
I-It can’t be! I wrench my eyes open and see—him standing there. H-How?!
Natsuhiko, the boy who should be at death’s door, has gotten to his feet and is glaring down at me. Why did he suddenly come to? Why is he glowering at me?