𝖭𝗈𝗍𝖾: 𝖬𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁. 𝖠𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗊𝗎𝗈𝗍𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝖺𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖿𝗎𝗅 𝗂𝗇 𝖺𝖼𝖼𝗈𝗋𝖽𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒.
┏━━━━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━━━━┓
"Kindness is not about
always being right.
Kindness is to put
yourself in someone
else's shoe, even if it is
just for an instant."
┗━━━━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━━━━┛
~The Next Day~
| 22:57 hours |
"Ow," Y/n jolted slightly in her place.
"Easy, easy," Sam whispered as s
he retracted the injection from her bare skin. He patted a piece of cotton on the spot where he injected whilst holding her arm delicately. Soon after, he replaced the cotton with a band-aid.
"There, all done," he smiled at the girl who was pouting.
She complained,
"It stings, you know."
He nodded slightly,
"I do, but you don't have an option now, do you?"
She stood up and stretched her legs,
"Ugh, it's such a drag."
She lifted her wrist up to check the time. She hummed,
"One hour left."
She scanned her room for any evidences of the room being used. The mattress was torn and the chair was broken. The desk was empty and there wasn't anything left that could point towards anyone recently staying at the place.
He sighed,
"Let's go?"
She nodded firmly,
"Yeah."
They walked out of the room and met with others who were packing things up. The moment Cislo spotted Y/n and Sam, he sped towards them.
Eagerness filled his words as he spoke,
"Boss! Can I please break the cupboard this time? Last time Sam did it, so can I do it this time?"
Emma asked, startled,
"Why would you want to break the cupboard!? We'll come back here, right?"
"Rule #1 of leaving your hideout: Make sure no evidences are left,"
Barbara spoke, proud of herself that at least some part of her memory didn't slip away.
Norman zipped his bag as he added,
"That's why we always thrash the place before leaving, to make it look like it was used way back."
Emma looked deep in thought before acknowledging,
"That's... smart!"
"Wonder how you were a full scorer when you can't see the obvious," Ray commented.
Emma whined,
"Ray!"
Cislo restated with excitement,
"So can I thrash it!?"
Y/n exhaled,
"Sure, just don't go overboard."
"You got it!" he shot her a thumbs up and sprinted away.
Barbara peered at the girl,
"Hey, Y/n-san? Can I make some tea real quick?"
Sam raised an eyebrow,
"Do you even know how to make tea?"
She kicked him harshly,
"I didn't ask you!"
Y/n let her bag drop from her shoulder,
"Do you need any help?"
The brunette averted and scratched her neck, embarassed,
"Maybe...?"
| 23:46 hours |
"Ear pieces and radio phones, check?"
"Check."
"Map, check?"
"Check."
"Sam, Barbara, Norman, Ray; tablets, check?"
"Check."
"Emergency SOS?"
"Check."
"Canned food and water, check?"
"Check."
"Weapons?"
"Check."
"Flashlight and batteries?"
"Check."
Y/n sighed as she came to the end of the checklist,
"Good. Sam, let's start the first drone."
"Okay," he hopped off the torn couch and picked up the drone that was placed on the centre table.
They walked towards the open windows. Y/n placed it on the windowsill while Sam activated the drone. After a few clicks here and there, Sam's eyes lit up,
"Done."
Y/n fished out the tablet and opened the interface for controlling the door. Setting it on auto-control, the drone finally took flight, resulting in low cheers from the group.
Sam grinned,
"Great."
The girl standing by his side exhaled,
"Good job."
He chuckled,
"Thanks."
The tablet still in her hands she trotted back to the others,
"Check one last time for any left evidences."
| 23:57 hours |
The circle of the teenagers started slinging their bags over their shoulder as a couple of them held non-luminous torches in their fists.
Y/n continued monitoring the route they had planned to take through the footage the drone was providing. Her eyes remained fixated on the screen, intently studying the visuals.
Cislo raised his voice,
"Is everyone ready!?"
They stared at him, deadpanning at his war cries. Ray's brows twitched in annoyance,
"This is absolutely fruitless."
Barbara stomped her foot, determination flowing in her veins,
"We need to pump ourselves up! It won't hurt!"
Cislo threw a fist in the air,
"C'mon! We will succeed and change this world!"
Emma raised her fist up, resolve buring in her eyes,
"For everyone! For humanity!"
Cislo continued,
"For our family!"
Barbara excalimed,
"For us!"
Full of energy, they cheered simultaenously whilst the remaining boys could only smile at them.
Y/n's breath hitched when she studied the visuals more carefully,
"What the heck...?"
Sam tilted his head towards her,
"What happen-"
"TAKE COVER! UNDERGROUND NOW!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Panic immediately fled through the bunch. They instantly obeyed to her instructions and ran to their underground cell.
As they bolted, Sam managed to ask in between panicked gasps,
"What happened!?"
"There are demons from the royaly!" she responded.
Emma asked in shaky breaths,
"Huh!? How!?"
The (e/c)-eyed girl yelled,
"I don't know!"
Y/n took the last flight of steps and shut the metallic door and the exact same moment, a loud sound boomed in thier ears.
Boom!
A conversation of unfamiliar voices was audible to them as they tried to contain their heavy breathings. Y/n's back was against the door as she eavesdropped on the discussion taking place directly above them.
"This place is terribly thrashed."
"Hm, yes. There are even specks of dirt."
"But didn't we get confirmation that the farm and Lambda escapees hid here?"
"True."
Some cluttering was audible soon after. The group assumed they were probably checking things out for any evidences.
Meanwhile, Y/n pulled out her tablet to get footage from the drone that was hovering in front of the entrance. Using her finger she scrolled in all directions to get the full visuals. Her eyes roamed over the screen carefully before she informed,
"4 demons."
She glanced at the rest,
"There are 4 demons searching for us."
Norman gulped thickly,
"Our best option is to get out of here as soon as possible."
"Thank god we have a back exit,"
Cislo breathed, gliding his fingers through his hair.
She pursed her lips as she thought up a plan,
"Alright. We get out through the back exit, without making any noise. I'll get the drone to scout-"
Thud!
"Arnold! Look here!"
"What?"
"This vegetable seems fresh."
"Huh? Impossible."
"Oh, and this kettle is a bit warm."
There was a small pause, until another voice spoke.
"It is..."
Abruptly there were intentional stomps on the ceiling of the underground cell which was ultimately connected to the floor to the upperground.
"Something is fishy... Check everywhere!"
"Damn it!" Barbara groaned in frustration.
Y/n turned on her heals, ready to leave,
"Let's move! Make sure-"
"Arnold! I found a false base!"
"What!?" Cislo whisper-yelled to his teammates.
Y/n grunted indecisively. She stiched her eyebrows, stressed with the situation. She inhaled deeply and opened them with resloytely. She zipped open her bag and commanded,
"Take out your weapons. We are engaging in combat."
Barbara nodded her head firmly,
"Roger."
Everyone started fishing out their weapons and loading them except Emma. She looked around hesitantly as she asked Y/n,
"Um is fighting necessary?"
(E/c) orbs flicked to forest green ones,
"Of course. The false base connects to us as well as the back exit. We will clash if we choose the exit."
Emma clenched her fists tightly,
"Then uh will-will we k-kill them?"
"Yes," she replied without hesitation.
Emma's heart dropped on hearing her response,
"B-But-"
Examining the red-head's features, she condemned,
"If we leave them alive, they will report us to the higher authorities. This isn't the time for expressing kindness. If we don't end them, they'll end us. Or perhaps... do you want us to get killed?"
Her lips parted at her ridiculous statement,
"N-No! But there must be another way!"
She snapped,
"Can you think of any!? 'Blood for blood'; ever heard of it!? They are here to kill us! We don't have an option! Arm yourself! They will be here any second!"
Emma tore her eyes away from hers and stared at the ground beneath.
She heard the latter sigh and felt a hand being placed on her shoulder.
She shot her eyes up to find Y/n wearing a softened expression,
"Emma. I know we have no right to end their lives. They are just workers for the royalty after all. But, they are here to kill us. They won't hesitate in slaughtering us the moment they spot us. That doesn't give us a reason to kill them. However, we aren't doing this for ourselves. If we don't kill them, everyone else will die. We might die too. Then, tell me, how will you be able to fulfill the promise you made with Phil to reunite?"
Her pupils momentairily started shaking, revealing the fear she held if the mentioned circumstances were to come true.
The girl continued,
"Unfortunately this is the reality. To gain something, you have to sacrifice something or the other. And remember our steps will benefit a lot of people. Some people are always left out. We can't do anything about that."
It was like Emma was viewing things from a totally different perspective. A fire lit up inside her eyes, she smiled confidently,
"Understood!"
Y/n cracked a small smile, happy that she reached her friend. She turned to the rest to explain the plan,
"We'll split up. Emma you will guard the back exit. The drone can't be at two places so we have to make sure no one enters from the backside," she pointed to the metallic door,
"Barbara, Cislo; you both will break out from here."
She focused on the albino and the ravenette,
"Norman and Ray, you will follow me and Sam through the tunnel that connects the upperground and this cell."
She pulled out her ear piece and inserted it in her right ear,
"There are 4 demons. Barbara and Cislo will take out 2, the 4 of us will split and take out one each. Use ear pieces and inform when one is killed. Understood?"
They hummed with intrepidity as they readied themselves. Afted a while of rechecking if they missed anything, they finally were ready to fight.
Y/n checked the time before she took a calm and deep breath before opening her eyelids with an admant expression painting her face,
"00:04 hours. Deploy."
In an instant Emma was out towards the back exit and Barbara and Cislo had their backs against the wall with their weapons at the ready, waiting for their time to strike.
The remaining four darted their way through the dark tunnel. They halted their steps at the door that was hidden behind a broken cupboard. Putting their ear against the door, they tried to receive any sounds audible.
Followed by a couple of thuds, a demon's voice started speaking.
"Not only is there a false base, there is also a gateway. Perhaps it leads to the basement. Let's check the basement first. They could be hiding there. You two, go check the rooms."
Sam spoke into his ear piece,
"They are coming for you, Barbara, Cislo. Sam out."
"Copy. Cislo out."
They heard footsteps approaching and walking away from the broken cupboard we were using as a cover.
Y/n declared,
"This is our chance. Norman and Ray, you'll split up from us. We'll try to get clean shots."
"Got it," Norman checked his gun one last time whilst Ray hummed in acknowledgement.
Sam slowly slid the door open and they quitely sprinted. Y/n and Sam hid behind the kitchen counters while Ray and Norman took cover behind the couch.
Y/n connected her ear piece as she mumbled,
"Sam and me will try to take them out through clear shots. If that fails, you guys give it an attempt."
"Roger," Ray confirmed.
Sam lay flat on his chest as he set up his sniper, ready to aim. Y/n on the other hand, squatted down and held her rifle close to her face.
She inquired Sam,
"Any signs?"
"None," he huffed.
An eerie silence surrounded them for a while. Y/n diverted her gaze to all directions in search of any kind of movement. She saw something move to the left but couldn't get a clear view. She focused her vision more steadily. Something rolled near Sam making the girl gape wide-eyed.
"SAM MOVE!" both Y/n and Ray simultaneously yelled. Y/n pushed him to Norman, rolling herself into his place instead.
She aimed her rifle towards the face of the demon that was clearly visible. She was insanely close to pulling the trigger until she was tackled behind the counters again.
Boom!
Sounds of guns firing and blasts filled the air.
"You damn idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed!?" full of rage, Ray scolded her.
She yelped out of disbelief,
"You could have let me get the shot!"
He clenched his teeth,
"And then let the bomb kill you!?"
She inhaled a stressed breath as she tried to calm herself,
"I would have moved in time! More importantly, since when did the demons start using arms?"
Ray glanced at the disappearing smoke that had emerged from the smoke bomb. The demon struggled to breathe properly as he attempted to clear his field of vision.
With her back against the counter and her eyes fixated away from the demon she loaded her sniper. Momentarily she received intel from the others.
"1 demon down. Engaging in combat with the other one. Barbara out."
"Currently engaged in combat with a demon, beside Norman. Sam out."
"The backside is clear. Emma out."
She combed her hair using her fingers and espied Ray,
"Ray."
"Yeah?" fixing his squatting position, he reiterated.
"Let's take this demon down, together," she declared.
A smirk etched onto his lips,
"I don't have any other plans, so why not?"
Checking on the demon, she elaborated,
"On my count, give me cover. A clear view for two shots."
He studied her features,
"You won't kill him?"
She shook her head,
"After some questioning, perhaps."
"Got it," smiling reassuringly, he put one knee down.
"Ready?" she crouched a bit upwards.
Once he took a deep breath he responded,
"Yeah."
"3... 2... 1... Go!" she scurried to the other end and started to aim her sniper at the demon who was being showered with bullets from Ray.
The demon gripped on its blade and charged at Ray who was putting his trust in Y/n for taking care of it.
Bang!
A bullet sharply pierced the demon's upper eye, impeding his movements.
Bang!
Another bullet pricked its lower eye making the demon whimper in pain.
"Let's tie him up!" Y/n rushed to the demon holding a rope.
Adhering to her words, Ray followed after her. He kicked the blade away and checked the demon for any weapons or devices. Feeling a radio phone, he clutched it in his hands, checking if it was connected or not, he exhaled in relief when he found it not connected.
Once she finished tieing him up, she turned to Ray. He informed,
"It was carrying a radio phone."
She grasped it from him and examined the black coloured device.
She connected her ear piece and inquired,
"Status?"
After a short pause a beep sounded.
"The second demon is down. Cislo out."
Panting was audible from the other end as a familair voice provided information.
"The other demon is... almost... down. Sam out!"
After pondering for a bit, Y/n ordered,
"Barbara; Cislo head to Norman and Sam. Once done, meet us in the kitchen. Y/n out."
Subsequently, she squatted in front of the demon and offered a deal,
"Unknown demon, I want to make a deal."
He hissed in hatred,
"I'll make no deals!"
She chuckled,
"C'mon. You don't want to be killed now, do you?"
"What-what are you saying!?" he sneered trying to back away but to no avail.
"Look, if you inform the higher ups that you found nothing here, we'll let you work with us," she vowed.
He riddled as he struggled to get out of the ropes,
"And why would I do that?"
She explained further,
"You will have three benifits. One, you get to stay alive. Two, you'll get
the evil-blood. And three, you'll not lose your position as the ruler's worker. Say, is it a deal?"
After a long pause he finally gave in,
"Deal."
"Were you the leader?" she questioned.
"No. It was Arnold," he clarified.
Following his answer, she queried,
"What might be your name?"
"Doyle," the demon claimed.
Y/n put her finger to the radio phone's button,
"Very well. Doyle, now inform your masters that you found nothing. Go ahead."
Beep.
He stated,
"This is Doyle. The report from the assumed farm escapees hideout is that we found anyone nor anything. Doyle signing out."
The voice over the line was distinct, "Copy."
A beep sounded the next moment after which Y/n withdrew the device.
"Will you help us with manpower?"
He warned,
"If only you don't kill me and provide me with the basic living neccessities."
"Your basic living neccessities won't include human meat since you will get the evil blood. The rest is alright," she stated as she got back up.
"Fine," he surrendered.
Ray whispered to Y/n,
"Are we really doing this?"
"Yup," she confirmed without hesitation.
The ravenette checked the demon one last time before loosening the rope that was tied to his body.
Barbara waved as she hustled to the two,
"We are here-"
She cut herself when she ogled the demon,
"Why did you not kill it!?"
"Manpower," Y/n stated monotonously.
Cislo inquired curiously,
"How did you convince it?"
The (h/c)-nette sighed,
"I have my ways."
Barbara squealed in awe, admiring how easily she manipulated the demon.
Sam and Norman slouched on the couch for a bit to get even the tiniest bit of rest.
Stuffing her gun back in her bag, Y/n checked the time. She furrowed her eyebrows in disappointment,
"It's 00:26 hours already. Let's move. We have to reach before sunrise."
She linked her ear piece,
"Emma, come in."
Her voice pitched in,
"All clear!"
She commanded,
"Join us in the hall."
"Copy that!"
After a few moments of waiting, Emma made it to the small gathering. Like the rest, her queries about the alive demon were solved first before they exited the hideout.
Holding her torch horizontally, Y/n asked the demon,
"Say, Doyle, what does the authority do if the workers go missing?"
He scoffed,
"It doesn't matter to them. They just replace us."
Taken aback a bit, she hummed,
"I see..."
Guess I played my cards right.