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- >"Analysis complete. Tests successful," Cel's voice echoes as the machine finishes its analysis.
- >A vial filled with a faintly pink liquid comes out an end, and you pick it up and seal it with a cap.
- >You then hear a loud thump against your door.
- >"Ow! Fuck!" a muffled voice shouts.
- >The entrance slides open.
- >"Welcome, Anonymous," Cel greets automatically.
- >Anon grumbles as he rubs his head.
- >"Yeah, yeah."
- >A large husky runs over and jumps him, almost throwing him off his already unsteady balance.
- >"Easy, Spike! I haven't been gone that long," he says with a laugh as he ruffles the dog's fur.
- "What took you?"
- >Anon puts a protective hand up as Spike tries to lick his face off.
- >"Had to shovel some snow. You know how many inches we got last night?"
- >He stretches his arms out.
- >"Thiiiiis much. It's crazy, I tell you."
- >Anon pauses and squints at you.
- >"Did you get a haircut?"
- >You walk over to him with your arms crossed.
- >"You did, didn't you? I told you a bob would look nice on you. Having less hair is so much easier to maintain. Trust me."
- "Have you been drinking?"
- >"Just a little to keep warm."
- >You sniff the air around him.
- "Seems more than just a little."
- >"Come on, Twi. I just had a couple shots."
- "Uh huh," you say, raising an eyebrow.
- >Anon can't help but suppress a grin.
- >"Okay, maybe a little more than a couple. But I'm fine. I promise. It'll wear off in no time."
- >You sigh and go back to your desk.
- >"So what's the plan for today?"
- "Remember Sector 2?" you ask as you start to jot down some notes.
- >Anon goes over and takes your seat.
- >"The nuclear incident? Of course. Everyone knows. Hell, Spike's probably heard of it."
- >Spike barks upon hearing his name and starts to wag his tail.
- "The Ministry of Health wants us to do something about it."
- >"Do what, exactly? I thought our benevolent government distanced themselves from that the moment it happened."
- "Evidently not. I've received a 'request' to look into a cure for the victims."
- >Anon gestures towards the vial next to you.
- >"And I assume that's the magical cure."
- "Da."
- >"But why?" he says as he furrows his brow and crosses his arms. "And why now? That happened a while ago. People are just starting to forget it."
- "It's not our job to ask questions," you reply as you put the vile in a briefcase full of others like it.
- "We do this, and our lab doesn't get shut down. It's as simple as that."
- >"I assume the push against nuclear energy is gaining ground?"
- >You leans against a table and sigh.
- "I'm afraid so. We don't have a choice here."
- >Anon scoffs.
- "What?"
- >"That's a lie and we both know it. There is always a choice."
- "Either do this or be out of a job. That's our choice."
- >"But a choice nonetheless."
- >You frown and walk over to the closet.
- "You're more tolerable when you're sober. You know that?"
- >"But you're more tolerable when I'm not."
- >Whatever.
- >You throw on a trenchcoat and scarf before going back to your case.
- "Ready?"
- >Anon gets up and stretches a bit. A few pops can be heard.
- >"As ready as I'll ever be."
- >Spike trots over to him with a ball in his mouth. He's wagging his tail expectantly.
- >Anon crouches over him.
- >"Sorry, Spike. Our country needs me," Anon says as he ruffles the dog's head. "But I'll play fetch when I get back. Promise."
- >You punch a series of coordinates into the terminal, and the two of you enter the teleporter.
- >Spike watches you from the outside as the chamber starts to hum and glow.
- >And with a blinding flash, you're gone.
- >Not a shade of blue can be seen in the sky as you and Anon start walking towards Sector 2.
- >The snow crunches under your boots as you walk, and your breath turns into an ephemeral cloud at every exhale.
- >"A beautiful day. Don't you think?"
- >You can see two cooling towers in the distance.
- >No steam is coming out of them, which is to be expected.
- >Soon, a bunch of run-down buildings also come into view.
- >It's hard to imagine that people still live here.
- >You wonder why they never moved out.
- >Maybe they have nowhere else to go.
- >Or perhaps they do not know how to let go of their past.
- >"Question. You already made the cure. Why not have the government send their own workers to distribute it?"
- "This cure's still in its experimental stages. Haven't quite worked out all the kinks yet, but it's completely nonlethal. Besides, this is off the books."
- >"Secret, eh? The government sure loves to be mysterious. Makes me want to know all the more about her."
- >You roll your eyes.
- >The faint voices of children playing can now be heard.
- >"We don't have to worry about the radiation, do we?"
- "Don't worry. This shouldn't take long. Welcome to Sector 2."
- >You enter what you think used to be a neighborhood.
- >Houses line up either side. You're pretty sure the grass is dead, even though the snow's covering it all.
- >Children are chasing each other and building irradiated snowmen.
- >Their clothes are old and tattered, but they don't seem to mind.
- >They're obviously too young to understand what happened here.
- >Meanwhile, the adults are busy clearing the snow and tending to their crops.
- >Some give you weird looks, but otherwise ignore you.
- >There are even livestock in some of the yards. They're noticeably larger than the ones you're used to seeing.
- >"You think the food here is edible?"
- "Let me know if you try some."
- >Anon eyes a cow suspiciously.
- >"I think I'll pass. So, where do we begin?"
- >You hear someone start to cry from within one of the houses.
- "There's your answer."
- >You enter the shabby home and try to determine the source of the crying.
- "Upstairs."
- >The stairs creak with every step as you make your way up.
- >It wouldn't surprise you if the wood suddenly gave way under you.
- >What an unfortunate end that would be.
- >Thankfully, you make it safely to the top and start to go down the hallway.
- >The crying is getting louder.
- >You stop in front of a room where the noise is loudest, and you enter without as much as a knock.
- >Now isn't the time for useless formalities.
- >The first thing you notice is the stench. It absolutely reeks in here.
- >A woman lies unconscious on a bed. From the looks of it, she's been there for a while.
- >A little girl, probably her daughter, is wailing into her mother's blankets.
- >"Momma! Wake up!" she screams in between sobs.
- >"Fucking hell," Anon says as he covers his nose with a hand. "You think she's still alive?"
- >You kneel down and press a couple fingers against the woman's neck.
- "Still alive."
- >You place your briefcase on the floor and unlock the clasps.
- "Barely."
- >You then take out a vial, undo the cap, and place it upside down over a syringe.
- >The girl doesn't seem to acknowledge your presence, instead completely focused on her dying mother.
- >"Clock's ticking."
- "Shut up. I know."
- >You fill the syringe with the pink liquid.
- "Move the girl, will you?"
- >Anon kneels over the child and gently grabs her by her sides.
- >"It'll be okay, kid. We'll fix your mom. Come with me."
- >But the girl becomes frantic as he tries to separate daughter from mother.
- >She grabs tightly onto the blankets, refusing to go.
- >Anon then firmly grabs her arms and gently starts to pull her away.
- >The girl screams and thrashes in his hold.
- >Someone eavesdropping would think that she's being murdered.
- >Do they have police here?
- >You'll worry about that later.
- >You position the tip of the needle against her neck and gently push it in, pumping her dying body with the cure.
- >With the syringe empty, you pull it out and put it away.
- >Come on, come on...
- >A full minute passes, but it feels like forever.
- >Work, you stupid cure.
- >Your heart races in anticipation as you gaze upon the still motionless figure.
- >Then with an audible gasp, her eyes shoots open as if she's been struck by lightning.
- >It worked.
- >Of course it worked. Why wouldn't it?
- >"Momma!"
- >The little girl breaks free from Anon and runs over to her mother with her arms outstretched.
- >The woman returns her embrace.
- >She wraps her daughter's head in her arms and starts to rock her back and forth.
- >"Katia. Oh my sweet Katia. I'm so sorry to worry you like that," she says with an extremely hoarse voice.
- >It must've been months since she's last spoke.
- >The mother kisses her daughter's head and looks to you with tears running down her face.
- >"D-did you heal me?"
- >"She did," Anon says with a proud smile.
- >"Spasibo," she barely manages to whisper. "Spasibo."
- >You're walking back down the hallway with Anon at your side.
- >He's giving you a stupid grin.
- "What?"
- >"Feels nice, doesn't it?"
- "What feels nice?"
- >"Helping people."
- >You scoff and start to walk down the stairs.
- "I don't know what you're talking about."
- >"Don't give me that. I saw your face when you saw the two embrace. It made you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Admit it."
- "I was just satisfied that my cure worked. Nothing more."
- >"Tell me, Ice Queen."
- >You exit the house and Anon follows.
- >He gently closes the door before continuing.
- >"Why are you so afraid of having a human connection? It's almost as if you're trying to keep your distance from every living thing."
- "Are we really having this conversation right now?"
- >He joins your side as you get back on the street.
- >The radiation smells so much nicer outside.
- >"I'm genuinely curious. Were you betrayed or badly hurt in the past or something? There's nothing wrong with admitting to having at least SOME empathy."
- "Why do you have such a strong desire to know? My life is none of your business."
- >"I'm not trying to be nosy. It's out of genuine concern. Whether you like it to admit it or not, I'm the closest thing you have to a--"
- >A group of armed men run up to you with their rifles drawn.
- >"Freeze!" one of them shouts.
- >You gently set down your case, and the two of you raise your hands.
- >At least that answers your earlier question about the police.
- >You and Anon are being "escorted" across this wasteland of a town.
- >"This is quite the warm welcome," Anon mumbles to you.
- >A armed escort hits him in the back with the butt of his kalashnikov.
- >"Quiet!"
- >Anon flinches, but doesn't so much as grunt.
- >"Not bad for a someone who's probably going to die soon."
- >The officer hits him again, this time harder.
- >"I said quiet!"
- >Anon stumbles a little, gritting his teeth.
- >"Da, da..." he whispers under his breath.
- >You soon find yourself walking towards one of the larger buildings.
- >It's in poor shape like the others, but you can tell that at least some effort has gone into maintaining it.
- >On a wooden post crudely nailed in the front is the title, "Town Hall."
- >The paint is so faint that you could barely make out the words.
- >An officer moves forward and opens the doors.
- >"Inside."
- >Da, sir.
- >The rest of the group then escort you into the building and down a long hallway.
- >Pictures of what you assumed to be former leaders of this place line the wall. All of them are tearing and caked in dust.
- >At least there's no portrait of Stalin to be seen.
- >"Wait here."
- >An officer knocks on a door.
- >"What it is?" a voice says from inside.
- >"We have intruders, Mayor."
- >A pause.
- >"Bring them in."
- >He opens the door, and you walk inside, still held at gunpoint.
- >You find yourself in a dimly lit office with modest furnishing.
- >Dusty books line a shelf. They probably haven't been so much as touched since the incident.
- >At the end of the room opposite you is a window, allowing what little natural light there is into the cramped space.
- >And sitting in front of the window is a balding, lanky figure wearing thick glasses over his bloodshot eyes.
- >He's wearing what you think is a military uniform. However, the clothes are too big for his small frame.
- >Maybe they would have fit him better if he were at full health.
- >An officer walks over to him and sets down your briefcase and firearms.
- >The Mayor picks up your pistol and starts to examine it, intrigued by the advanced design.
- "That's mine."
- >His wiry lips form into a smile.
- >"It's mine now, child," he says, pointing it towards you. "It's not wise for little girls to be playing with such things."
- >Anon takes a step forward, but you raise an arm to hold him back.
- >The Mayor puts down your gun and gathers his hands in front of his face.
- >"State your business."
- "I am here to help," you say matter-of-factly.
- >"Is that so?" he says as he opens your briefcase. "Help us how? Poisoning us? Shooting us?"
- "Healing."
- >The Mayor gives you a look, then breaks up into laughter.
- >It sounds as though a seal is being gored with a blunt spear.
- >His body convulses as he tries to gather himself, pulling out a handkerchief to cough into.
- >He wipes his mouth.
- >"Heal us? We do not need healing, child."
- >"From the looks of it, you could use some healing yourself," Anon remarks.
- >An officer steps in and strikes Anon with his gun, causing him to fall on his knees with a grunt.
- >"The same damn place..." he says through gritted teeth.
- >If Anon keeps this up, he'll be the end of the both of you.
- >"You are mistaken, friend," the Mayor says. "I have never been better. You see, what everyone calls an 'accident' is actually a blessing in disguise. Radiation makes us stronger. Takes us to the next step in human evolution. Everyone here knows this fact."
- >Truly this shell of a man is insane.
- "One of your citizens was dying. We saved her."
- >He raises an eyebrow.
- >"Oh?"
- >"We found them leaving the home of Natasha," one of the officers speaks up.
- >"Natasha? The widow?"
- >"Tak tochno, Mayor."
- >"How many people have seen these intruders?"
- >"Many."
- >The Mayor narrows his eyes and taps his fingers together, deep in thought.
- >After several seconds of silence, he speaks up.
- >"Very well. Sergei? Bring Natasha here."
- >An officer nods.
- >"Tak tochno, Mayor."
- >"The rest of you gather the people. We will have a public hearing regarding these matters. We will find out for certain if what the child here says is the truth. What do you say, child?"
- "My name is Twi--"
- >"It does not matter who you are," he cuts in with sudden graveness. "You invade my town and experiment on my own people. Be grateful that I do not have you put down like an animal."
- >You bite your tongue.
- "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."
- >"I am The Mayor."
- >These people are more ill than you thought.
- >When this is over, you are probably going to look into changing professions before you become one of them.
- >Maybe turning down the position of Minister was a bad idea after all.
- >Meaningless chatter fill the air as the town's residents gather in the large, run down hall.
- >You and Anon are sitting on the stage, watched by a couple armed men.
- >"You think this Mayor fellow is up to something?" Anon asks.
- "I don't doubt it."
- >"It's a shame they took our guns. And your cure."
- "Worry about that later. Just be prepared for anything."
- >The sound of a hammer hitting wood causes the voices to die down, and the Mayor gets up on the stage.
- >"Citizens of Sector 2!" he booms. "Today is a meeting of utmost importance."
- >His voice echoes through the building.
- >"Today we have two people who think that we need to be saved!"
- >The crowd remains dead silent, but you can feel their collective stares weighing down on you.
- >It makes you incredibly uneasy, and you shift in your seat.
- >"But they do not realize that we do not need saving!"
- >The people cheer.
- >"In fact, it is us who needs to save the world!" he shouts as he spreads his arms towards them.
- >The cheers grow louder.
- >Deep down you're disgusted, but you can't help but feel a little respect for someone who managed to convince an entire town that a terminal illness was a blessing.
- >It's the sort of gift that can destroy nations.
- >You look down and see nothing but dying faces.
- >Pale skin, frail bodies.
- >Boils, premature balding.
- >Lifeless eyes.
- >It's a wonder how these people manage to reproduce.
- >"And as fate has it," the Mayor continues. "These people have claimed to have healed one of our own!"
- >He gestures towards the woman in the front you saved earlier. She's holding her daughter close.
- >Without a doubt, she is the healthiest-looking person in the room.
- >There's no way that anyone would choose mere rhetoric over undeniable proof.
- >Right?
- >The mother shyly comes up to the stage, her daughter holding her hand, and the Mayor moves to the side to give them the spotlight.
- >A deathly silence fills the room as she gathers the courage to speak.
- >"I am Natasha," she says with a hoarse voice. "And I was dying. I do not know of what cause..."
- >Radiation poisoning. Duh.
- >"But you all know that my life was slipping away. But these people..."
- >She points towards you and Anon.
- >"They saved my life! I feel strong again. I can walk. I can hold my daughter. I can--"
- >She stops.
- >Natasha opens and closes her mouth, as if she's trying to say something, but no words come.
- >Her eyes widen as she starts to clutch at her throat.
- >Your heart stops.
- >She's suffocating.
- >Foam starts to seep out of the corners of her mouth.
- "Twi! What is happening?" Anon says in a hushed voice.
- "I-I don't know!"
- >Natasha then collapses onto the floor. Her body starts to convulse and her eyes roll back in their sockets.
- >"Momma!" the girl screams as she tries to shake her mother awake.
- >"I though you said it was nonlethal!" Anon says.
- "It is!"
- >You rush over to her and kneel down.
- >Anon joins your side.
- >The crowd start chatting in panicked voices.
- >"Can you do something about it?"
- "I have no cure for this!"
- >Her body give their final death throes, then stop altogether.
- >You press your fingers against her throat.
- >No pulse.
- >There is no way this could happen.
- >Of all the possible side effects, death, especially in this manner, is not among them.
- >But if your cure didn't do this, then what did?
- >Your look up and make eye contact with the Mayor.
- >He doesn't seem at all surprised by this.
- "No..."
- >It can't be.
- >"What?"
- "He poisoned her..."
- >"WHAT?"
- >You can't believe it, either.
- >Would he be so crazy as to kill one of his own?
- >Just so that he could carry on his futile, delusional dream?
- >Destroy any chance of saving his people, or even himself?
- >You get up and point at the Mayor.
- "You poisoned her!"
- >"Me?" he shouts back. "I didn't do anything! You're the one who gave her your so-called 'cure!' She admitted to it! This is your doing!"
- >The Mayor turns around to face the crowd.
- >"See what happens when outsiders try to 'heal' us? THIS is what happens!" he bellows, gesturing to the corpse on the stage.
- >Her poor daughter is still crying next to her.
- >That fucking monster.
- "You killed her, you son of a bitch!"
- >You go to grab your gun, but it's not there.
- >The crowd starts to angrily shout at you as the Mayor disappears amongst them.
- >It's impossible to hear what they're saying, but there's little doubt that they want blood.
- >"What do we do, Twi?" Anon asks as he backs up.
- >A couple officers run onto the stage with their rifles drawn.
- >Think fast, Twilight.
- >What didn't they take?
- >You feel your pockets and find a couple pellets.
- >This'll do.
- >"Hands up!" one of the officers shouts. "Try anything and we shoot!"
- >You raise your hands, one of them clenched.
- >Then you bring your fist down and throw the pellets onto the ground.
- >A white cloud instantly appears around the two of you.
- >"What now?" Anon asks.
- >You grab his arm and start dragging him towards the backstage.
- "We leave!"
- >A guard spots you running out of the smoke and fires a shot before you can make it out of sight.
- >It hits you in the shoulder and almost causes you to fall.
- "Ah, fuck!"
- >You let go of Anon and grab your wound.
- >"You okay?"
- >Thankfully the adrenaline is kicking in, meaning it doesn't hurt as much.
- >Yet.
- "I'm fine! Just keep running!"
- >You manage to make it outside.
- >It looks like because of the confusion, everyone's still in the town hall.
- >You stop to look at your wound.
- >Your hand is covered in red, as is your shoulder.
- >But from the looks of it, the bullet only nicked you.
- >Nothing life threatening at the moment. Fortunately.
- >It's starting to burn, though.
- >"Twi," Anon pants, his eyes wide open. "You're shot."
- >You put your shaking hand back on your hurt shoulder.
- "It's nothing."
- >The building's doors shoot open, and the residents come pouring out.
- >"There they are!"
- >"Get those murderers!"
- >You start running away, and Anon follows close by.
- >It's a good thing that large groups move sluggishly.
- >"What's the plan?"
- >Your mind frantically races as you try to come up with some options.
- >It would be pointless to try to escape in the open.
- >But there's almost nowhere to hide.
- >In the distance, you spot a manhole without a cover.
- >This is your lucky break.
- "There!"
- >You make it over and look down.
- >It's pitch dark, but it's something.
- >"You go first. Hurry!"
- >The distance between you and the mob is closing rapidly.
- >With no time to lose, you let go of your shoulder and start to make your way down the ladder.
- >However, your descent is slowed by your inability to use an arm.
- >Anon joins the climb once you're far enough down.
- >You can hear the voices growing louder.
- >It's only a matter of time before they begin to chase you down here.
- >Suddenly, your blood-covered hand loses its grip and you fall the rest of the day down.
- >Your legs are the first to hit the ground, and the rest of your body follows.
- >The wind gets knocked completely out of your lungs.
- >"You okay?"
- "I'm fine," you couch as you struggle to get up.
- >Your back is definitely going to have a nasty bruise in the morning.
- >That is, if you make it that far.
- >Don't think like that, Twilight.
- >You're going to make it.
- >Dying in a sewer is not the way you want to go.
- >You've made it too far for that.
- >Anon pulls you up and takes out a flashlight.
- >"Good thing they didn't take everything."
- >He turns it on and points it down a tunnel.
- >"Where do we go?"
- "Anywhere but here. We're bound to find an exit if we go far enough," you say through gritted teeth.
- >The two of you start your way down the tunnel.
- >"They're in the sewers!" you hear someone shout.
- >"Spread out! Cut them off!"
- >What a pleasant day this is turning out to be.
- >"This way!" you hear someone shout.
- "Turn your flashlight off!" you hiss. "They'll find us!"
- >Anon puts it away.
- >"How are we going to make it out?"
- "Just stick close to the walls and let me navigate."
- >You continue to traverse the tunnels and make turns when necessary.
- >You're familiar with how sewers are designed, so this shouldn't be impossible.
- >Thankfully there's no running sewage here, though the sound could have masked your footsteps.
- >The tunnel grows silent as you and Anon walk side by side, the occasional shout heard in the distance.
- >Suddenly, the ground appears as though it's tilting sideways...
- >You collapse on the floor.
- >"Over here! I heard something!"
- >"Twi!" Anon whispers.
- >Fuck.
- >He lifts you up.
- >"They're coming! What do we do?"
- >Sure enough, you can see light appear down one of the tunnels.
- "Find...someplace...to hide," you manage to let out, teetering on the verge of consciousness.
- >And you collapse in his arms.
- >"Fuck! Wake up, Twi!" he hisses, but you're too out of it to respond.
- >Anon looks frantically around.
- >"Fuck fuck fuck..."
- >You feel your body being dragged somewhere, but at the same time it feels...distant.
- >Darkness overcomes you, and you lose consciousness.
- >You wake up and look around.
- >It's completely pitch dark, and your shoulder burns more than ever.
- "W-what? Where..."
- >A light shines in your face.
- >"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty" Anon says.
- >You protect your eyes with a hand.
- "What happened?"
- >He points the light around the room.
- >"You passed out from blood loss. I had to hide us someplace."
- "How long was I out?"
- >"Don't know. Lost track of time."
- "You know where we are?"
- >Anon ponders the question for a few moments.
- >"Not really. Looks like some sort of...large supply closet."
- >Your head perks up.
- "Closet?"
- >"Yeah."
- >He shines the light around.
- >"There are tools and stuff here. Looks like they haven't been used in forever."
- >Supply closet?
- >That means you're close to one of the exits.
- >You can escape from this hell.
- "We're...close," you say with a wince as you struggle to get up.
- >Anon takes an arm and helps you.
- >"How close?"
- "Very. Give me the flashlight."
- >He hands it to you, and you aim it around.
- >Tools, switches...
- >You let out a weak laugh.
- "Anon, you idiot. You led us to the way out. I could kiss you right now."
- >"Uh, thanks?"
- >You find a door and test the knob.
- >It's unlocked.
- "This way. Be on your guard," you say as you hand him the device.
- >"Of course."
- >You open the door and he sneaks in, an arm ready to to fight while the other wields the flashlight.
- >"Clear."
- >You stumble in after him.
- >Never in your post-infant life has it been this hard to walk.
- >Come on, Twi. Almost there.
- >At the other end of this room is another door.
- >"Exit," a sign says on top.
- >This is it.
- >Anon gives you a big smile, but you hold up a finger before he can comment.
- >There's no way you're going to give away your position when you're this close to the end.
- >You push the door open and Anon barges in.
- >"What the--?" you hear a voice say.
- >But it's cut short as Anon incapacitates his unsuspecting target.
- >Legs can be heard kicking against the ground, but eventually stop.
- >A loud clattering noise follows.
- >"Clear."
- >You enter, and Anon drops the unconscious officer from his chokehold.
- >He picks up the officer's rifle with a hand and aims his flashlight around.
- >There's a large wheel attached to a series of gears and chains.
- >"Where's the exit?"
- "That," you say, gesturing towards the wheel. "It opens and closes the entrance..."
- >You point to one end of the room.
- "...here"
- >"Then we're free?"
- "As free as an American on the fourth of July."
- >Anon hands you his flashlight and puts down his gun.
- >"Alright," he says as he rubs his hands together. "Let's do this."
- >He grabs the wheels and starts to turn.
- >At first, the wheel refuses to budge.
- >But as Anon continues to force it to rotate, a loud creaking noise fills the room.
- >Hopefully that doesn't alert anybody.
- >Sure enough, the wheel starts to give in, and a horizontal slip appears at the bottom of the wall.
- "It's working!"
- >Anon is too occupied to respond.
- >He keeps rotating it until it's large enough to crouch under.
- >"Okay, what now?" he struggles to say as he tries to hold the wheel in place.
- "You can let go now. The door should stay in place."
- >Anon immediately lets go, but instead of doing as you expected, the door slams down on the ground.
- >A large boom echoes through the room and probably into the rest of the sewer.
- >Your heart freezes as you and Anon look at each other.
- >The voices are starting to get louder.
- >Fuck.
- >You lock the door.
- >That should slow them down a little.
- >"What now?"
- >You start pacing around the room, trying to come up with a solution.
- >There's nothing in here than can keep the door up.
- >And you can't wipe them out with the rifle. There's only one magazine.
- >No no no...
- >This is not how it's supposed to end.
- >Not when you're this close.
- "I...I don't know."
- >"What do you mean, you don't know?"
- "I don't know, okay?" you snap at him. "I don't know! There's no way out! We're sitting ducks here!"
- >You slump and look down, dropping the flashlight.
- >Tears are starting to well up in your weary eyes.
- "We're dead, Anon."
- >No response.
- >You lean against the exit and sit down.
- >How long is it going to take them to reach us?
- >Minutes, probably.
- "Maybe we can take the easy way out and use that gun to kill ourselves. I'm sure it'll be less painful than what they're going to do to us."
- >Anon searches the officer's unconscious body, then pulls out a pistol.
- >He walks over and hands it to you.
- >"Get up."
- "What?"
- >"Get up!"
- >You pull yourself to your feet.
- "What do you have in mind?"
- >He grabs the wheels and starts to turn it.
- >The heavy door creaks as it moves up once again.
- "Have you lost your mind? That's not going to work! We just tried!"
- >But he doesn't listen, continuing to open the door until there's enough room for you to crouch under.
- "What are you doing?"
- >"Go!" he says with a strained voice.
- "What? What about you?"
- >"Forget about me! Just go!"
- "I..." your throat starts to choke up when you realize what he's doing. "Anon..."
- >He gives you a tired smile.
- >Sweat is beading on his dirty forehead.
- >"Twi," he says with sudden calm. "It has been an honor working with you."
- "Anon, don't..."
- >The shouts are getting louder.
- >"Don't worry. We'll meet again, one way or another."
- >A tears rolls down his cheek.
- >"I'm sorry I had to disappoint you one last time."
- >You try to force a smile, but fail.
- "Goodbye, Anon."
- >He takes a shaky breath.
- >"Farewell, Twilight."
- >They're at the door now.
- >"Now go!"
- >You get down and crawl out into the open snow.
- >As soon as you make it through, the door loudly slams down behind you, cutting you off from your partner.
- >You can't do anything but listen as you hear gunfire from inside.
- >Maybe he'll make it.
- >No matter what happens, he always finds a way to pull through.
- >He can't die now. Not like this.
- >The gunfire suddenly ceases, and silence ensues.
- >Maybe he managed to fight them off.
- >Of course he did.
- >Why wouldn't he?
- >The door starts to slowly open, and you raise your pistol with an unsteady hand.
- >Please be Anon.
- >Please be Anon.
- >A stranger shows himself.
- >"There she is!"
- >You blindly fire in his direction, but none of the shots hit him.
- >However, the door slams down and crushes his body.
- >You start to run in the opposite direction, your vision blurred.
- >The beacon's this way.
- >You'll go back to the lab, recover, and come back to save Anon.
- >He has to still be alive.
- "He's not dead," you keep repeating to yourself. "He's not dead. He's not dead..."
- >The next day you came back on a rescue mission, equipped to last for days.
- >You searched for him in the sewers, but he wasn't there.
- >And as it turned out, you didn't need to look far at all.
- >Strapped to a pole in the town square was his body.
- >Bloody, beaten...
- >It took all your strength not to vomit right there.
- >You took him down in the dead of night.
- >Gave him a proper funeral.
- >You and Spike were the only ones to attend.
- >He had no other friends or relatives to grieve his passing.
- >They all died during or shortly after the war.
- >He didn't deserve to go like this.
- >But maybe he's happier now. He's now with the ones he cares about after all, right?
- "It's all my fault," you mutter as you stand in front of his grave. "You trusted me, and I cost you everything."
- >Spike curls up near the tombstone. He wouldn't leave for days to come.
- >It occurs to you that Anon never came back to play fetch with him.
- "Remember when you pulled those pranks back at the lab?" you say. "And how I'd always get mad at you, and you'd just laugh?"
- >There's no point in holding back the tears.
- "You're just playing another prank, right? Trying to best yourself at your own stupid game."
- >You wipe your eyes.
- "Please come back, Anon. The joke's not funny anymore."
- >But he doesn't come out of the ground.
- >He doesn't appear behind you, giving you the shock of your life, and shout "Surprise!"
- >You know that he's gone.
- >And that he's never coming back.
- >But you refuse to admit it.
- >Saying it would make it true, so you won't.
- >You place a bouquet of flowers on his grave.
- "It's okay," you say. "I will wait. I won't be mad this time. I promise."
- >You then get up and walk away, heading back into the lab.
- >Spike remains at his side, not seeming to care about the snow falling around them.
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