Arcadia

Stray Dog in the Moonlight

"And who would that be?" asked Erika, in a rather unamused tone.

"Her name is Chiyo, one of the survivors in the place where I helped out in. Or I should say, the last...." Gerard stopped to look at the surroundings. "I see... so this place isn't any better."

Chiyo broke away from Gerard and started running towards a ruined house. The Investigation Team leader ran after her. The other two members of the team followed suit. A collapsed gate blocked the kid's way, which Burton quickly cleared away.

The big guy is not yet finished, yet Chiyo, at the sight of the smallest opening, immediately ran inside what is presumably her home. Gerard snuck in through the small opening as well.

"He just met the kid a while ago, yet he's going out of his way in helping her."

Erika crossed her arms above her chest and looked towards the distance. As the sun began to set on the day, she let out a deep breath and started cooling down from the day's work.

Sirens started ringing through the now-calm complex. Erika's eyes spotted some ambulance and police cars flowing into the roads. This was followed by the sound of a heavy object being dropped as Burton finished clearing the way towards the house. 

"Maybe it's because something with that girl resonated with him," answered Burton.

"E-eeh?! I won't forgive him if he dares make advances on that girl! I won't forgive a pedophile!"

"That's not it, Erika. I do find it amusing that you're letting your true colors show, with regards to him at least."

"C-come on, I could care less about that idiot goody two shoes!" With a pout, Erika turned the other way around. To nobody's surprise, she immediately turned on her heels and walked towards the direction of the ruined house. She broke off to a sprint and practically leapt in the hole which used to be the main door.

The sight inside was not pretty, to put it lightly. Looking at the walls alone, Erika noticed that those that don't have holes or in a state of wreckage contain the traces of ashes and sooth. Obviously, this compound has been heavily damaged by the battle, although that's applicable for practically all nearby housing. 

Erika navigated the dark living room, even accidentally bringing down a small pillar which held the stairs up. She glanced at the stairs to the second, seeing that it is entirely unpassable due to the collapsed ceiling blocking the way, not that she's too surprised about that.

The silence was soon broken up by a sound of a child from the distance. Curious, Erika walked towards the sound. The closer she got, the more she can distinguish the sound.

She passed through the destroyed door to the back of the house and stopped the moment she stepped out. 

What stopped her was the sight of the child slumped down a body. She was evidently sobbing and crying, all while Gerard stood a distance away. In a tantrum-like state, she wailed and punched the ground.

"I think this brings back some memories to our dear leader. Unwelcome memories, I say."

Erika quietly stepped aside as she heard Burton's voice, allowing him to stand beside her. "What do you mean?"

"I am not entirely sure about the details, but from what I know..."

As the two talked, Gerard slowly approached the crying girl and knelt down.

"What do I do now?"

Gerard turned his attention to the female body. He slowly examined her and the back of the house, with its torn-down walls. What immediately stood out to him was some more damaged and abandoned clothing, complete with what remained of the original owner... some specks of ash. Around it were several destroyed parts from at least two units of the machina force robots.