Sector 10

Chapter 13

It was lonely again. I never realised how empty my life was before I met Jon.

I had a mission involving eliminating a few targets by request of a magnate. As I watched the man fall to the ground miles away from me, I felt something I never really felt in these situations: guilt. Jon's baffled and scared expression refused to leave my mind.

But here, it's okay, right? Every person I kill is killed for a reason, right? It's survival of the fittest... right?

I exhaled and strapped my sniper behind me.

Like always, I bounded over buildings in the direction of the bar, eventually hopping upon the roof of a monorail. I swiftly arrived at the top of the stairs and made my descent. Heaving the door open, electric-style music filled my ears. Jeers from fellow customers hung like a foul odour in the air. I collapsed into my usual seat at the counter and rested my head in my hands, rubbing my temples underneath my hood.

"Get me a beer," I demanded.

When I felt the glass of beer graze my arm, Eli spoke in his thick Italian accent: "What is the matter, Silver?"

Despite his intimidating appearance, Eli remembered the names of all the regulars. "You're not usually so distressed," he said whilst drying wine glasses with a towel.

"It's nothing. Just a rough day," I answered.

"I see."

Before the conversation could continue, a man stepped up to the counter and ordered a beverage. He leered at me and I attempted to ignore him, tugging at my hood. He was dressed in a button-down shirt - although not many of those buttons were used - and donned a manicured stubble beard.

He leaned against the counter and faced me. "What's someone like you doing here all alone?" he teased dangerously.

I didn't reply.

"Aw, don't be like that," he chuckled.

He inched closer. Momentarily, he had his hands resting on the counter on either side of me. If my hood wasn't on, he'd be breathing down my back.

"Maybe you'll be a bit more talkative once we get to my room," he whispered in my ear.

Standing up, I pulled a pistol out and impelled the man back a step, promptly wedging the gun up his lower jaw. I switched the mode so it could use bullets instead of a grapple, although either one would be effective enough. Aghast, he raised his hands.

"Did I mess with the wrong person?" he asked.

I could've pulled the trigger. I would've. It isn't so uncommon for a skirmish like this to break out somewhere here. I looked around me; Eli and the other astounded customers watched expectantly. The room was silent, and my finger caressed the trigger.

In the end, I couldn't bring myself to pull it. I stalked out of the bar and I could feel everyone's eyes boring into me. That's not why I didn't shoot, though.

---

Almost every night, I would wake up in a cold sweat, a result of the nightmares that had started to reoccur. I would be experiencing the incident all over again, but instead of Mǔqīn's voice, I would hear Jon's. Now we're both gone. Maybe you're better off alone.

After I woke up, I would sit up in bed for half an hour, just staring into space or burying my head into my pillow. Maybe I am.

Soon enough, I decided to revisit where it all happened. The next time I had no mission assigned, I threw on a hoodie and walked to the nearest station. I was inside the cramped tram for around ten minutes heading for the Minato Ward. When I stepped onto the platform, I didn't head out of the station. Instead, I walked along the platform until I reached a certain door that never got locked. After scanning the mainly deserted area around me, I pushed the door open with my shoulder and slipped through.

Immediately, I was hit with an overwhelming sense of sentimentality. These familiar hallways were supposed to be for "maintenance." True, pipes and poles lined the stone walls but only residents of the ghetto used this passage. The lights were bright but placed too far away from each other. As you walked, the lighting would be very bright in one place but then shadows would envelope you until you reached the next light.

I was right here, so many years ago, sliding my fingers along the dried cement in-between each brick. Until I heard the explosion in the distance. Premature panic flooding in, I started to run, faster and faster. As I got closer, I heard wails and shouts. I could see the stairs in where the hallway opened up; A few police officers were standing at the bottom of them, waving their hands in front of their face to keep the smoke astray.

I urgently pushed past them. By then, grieved thoughts were invading my mind as I arrived at the scene. Through the smoke, I could only just make out the ruined block that Mei and I were staying in. The block that Mei was in right now. I sprinted into the smoke and the remaining flames licked my ankles. I slowly stepped through the door of the room where I found Mei, horrified. I dropped the can of food which I had retrieved for us and it clattered onto the ground. My little sister's small body was lying on the ground, unmoving. On the corner of a stone slab that had fallen next to her was a dark, crimson substance, dribbling down. The same substance was oozing out of Mei's head. I coughed the smoke out of my lungs and trudged towards her. I cradled her in my arms, willing her back to life. I refused to believe it.

"Ai?"

Archie stood right outside the doorway. I was alone in the room. No fire. No smoke.

No Mei.