Cells at Work: Ebola

Chapter 17: Notice Me Senpai

She furrowed her brows into deep thought as she started devising a plan but instead only ended up breathing out a sigh.

Thinking anything complex like a plan somehow hurts her head. She had always relied more on instincts and her single-minded nature rather than think her actions through. Somehow, her stubbornness had always helped her overcome obstacles in the past.

She would bring back Platelet-chan back to the world of light one way or another, even at the cost of her life.

She lowered her face as she looked down at her ward's sleeping face. The light from her cap provided a faint glow of illumination that made her see the pained expression of Platelet-chan as her chest rose and fell for every raspy breath.

She could only imagine what sort of nightmares her ward must have seen... Cold and alone walking around this forsaken place... Before she managed to find her.

She shook her head once again, unwilling to finish her thoughts.

"I will protect you, Platelet-chan..." she promised as she slowly stood up, carrying the little thrombocyte in between her arms. The little thrombocyte felt hot to the touch as if she was overheating from stress. "Just hang in there... We'll play once again and drink tea along with your other platelet fri-"

She stopped mid-sentence and immediately turned her to her right. An icy chill ran down her back, and she could feel every molecule in her membrane screaming at her of impending danger.

She tightened her grip on Platelet-chan as she focused her willpower to steady herself.

Amidst the fading screams from far away, she could hear the heavy trudging of boots coming toward her with each step sounding louder than the previous one. She steadied her gaze toward the direction of the incoming footsteps, but the dimming light from her cap could not pierce through the sheer blackness in front of her.

She stepped back... Then another one... Two...

She was about to turn and run toward the opposite direction when the darkness suddenly called out to her.

And it spoke in a voice she recognized.

"S-S-Senpai..."

She froze.

A silhouette figure was walking toward her. She could hear groans and pained grunts coming from the figure. Her raw instincts urged her to run, but something was keeping her in place.

Finally, she let go of her left hand from holding Platelet-chan as she adjusted her cap-light to focus on the approaching stranger.

The light dimmed for a second before it brightened just barely enough that she could see the pale face of the figure.

And what she saw made her even paler.

"Kouhai-chan?" she blurted out, unsure of what she saw. "NT4201?"

"Senpai..." the pale figure of an erythrocyte groaned back. "I... f-finally... found you..."

The hemoglobin inside AE3803 started to swirl with mixed emotions of relief and sadness at seeing her kouhai still alive but only barely. Her kouhai looked disheveled and worn out. Her once long and sickly jet-black hair was now unkempt and full of ash, covering much of her face as she kept her gaze downward. Her crimson uniform in which AE3803 always remembered she took pride in keeping clean was now in tatters and covered in grime. NT4201 also now walked with a limp, and every step she took looked labored and forced.

"Kouhai-chan!" AE3803 shouted back as she dashed right toward her. "You're... You're alive!"

Before NT4201 could react, the redhead erythrocyte hugged her with her free left arm while simultaneously carrying Platelet-chan with the other, locking all three individuals into a tight embrace. The little thrombocyte shrugged when AE3803 glomped at her kouhai, but other than that, she remained asleep.