"Hah?"
That's the single noise that leaves my mouth after I find myself in this particular situation. Rather, it would be more appropriate to say that it was my mind saying this, not me.
Nonetheless, for some reason, I'm utterly alone at this moment. Everyone was there one moment, and as soon as we got attacked by that devil, everyone disappeared.
I do recall Kors saying that Fog zones tended to 'disobey' the rules of logic, depending on whether you were one person or multiple.
Maybe that's why they wanted me to stay with the group.
I look around again.
Guess it's too late for that now, isn't it?
None of these structures are the same as the ones I was looking at before. It's as if I'm in a different world entirely.
The words 'Do not breathe' reverberate in my brain suddenly, causing me to adjust my shemagh above my nose.
Alright.
I place my hand in my left pocket, and pull something out.
A smartphone.
You may be wondering why I even have it—no if it's even charged—and my answer to that is..
I place it on my collar, it's back facing towards me. The phone screen turns on, flashing 85% battery on it. A sense of relief washes over me.
It is, in fact, charged. Apparently, the arc collar on my neck has the appropriate voltage to charge my phone. When it's off at least. I think it's about 9, so it charges my phone surprisingly fast.
The only issue however is actually balancing my phone on my neck, so I usually just try to use something to wrap it around my neck when I sleep.
Yeah, it's impractical, but when you have the one and only thing that proves you aren't from this world, you tend to take care of it more.
Shaking my phone, the light turns on.
Gazing in that direction, I'm met with nothing but particles of the mist floating along.
I can't just sit still, who knows what's trying to eat me?
I begin taking a few steps forward, the desperation of finding something that resembles human architecture setting into my brain. I..
I don't like the dark.
And it's not a fear that's latched onto me from childhood. It's new. Fairly new.
It's a fear that I've subconsciously… never mind, I have bigger things to worry about.
As I walk, a building comes into view. It's small, so actually it's more of a house. Remember when I spoke about 'Norse' homes earlier? Well, this one looks exactly the same way you'd imagine.
A triangular upper portion and a rectangular bottom portion. The house consists of wood planks and other materials. The very top seems to have bits of straw placed around, maybe for when it rains?
Hold on..
I glance at the window, and a movement catches my attention. Shuffling to the left, I get a better look. I squint.
There's someone in there, doing something I can't really make out. Their movements are fast, but—
They saw me.
The figure stops suddenly.
Why am I standing still?
They turn their body fully towards me.
Why can't I move?
And they walk outside of view.
No, no. I'm fine. I can use Koho, and I'm armed. If anything, I'm good. Yes, that's right, they're unarmed and slow.
I equip the dagger on my left arm.
The footsteps grow louder.
I hover my hand over my mouth.
I'll cast a spell the moment someone walks through that door.
Then—
Creaaak.
The figure has been revealed.
Huh?
Was it a little girl? Who was the bigger figure then? I swear they seemed larger.
I shine my phone light on the girl.
She's wearing a red hood.
"—ah!"
She squeaks, covering her eyes and averting her head.
"Eek! That's way too bright!"
"?"
I'm not sure if I'm more surprised by the fact that it's a little girl in the middle of nowhere or the fact that she's got such a cheerful tone to her words.
I lower my phone, allowing her to look at me.
She's blonde with long flowing hair that seems to curl towards the edges. Her eyes are large and scarlet, accentuating her hair quite well. She seems to be around fourteen years of age.
…
Hold on.
"Excuse me, before you say anything, just hold still."
"Huh? Okay."
A flash from my camera erupts for a moment before the darkness returns once again.
"Alright, now turn around."
"Aren't you asking too much right now?"
"Yeah, you're right."
"What's your name, kid?
"Maria!"
I slick my hair back. I'm trying to look cool, to be honest.
.
.
.
'Alright Maria, you already know what I'm going to ask, right? Why is someone your age all alone in a fog zone?'
Is what I would say if I were an idiot.
It's clear that this girl is a devil. First off, she doesn't have a mask. Second, I'm pretty sure she's changed her form from when I saw her in the window earlier.
But I can't call that out right now. I'm incapable of figuring out how strong she is, and if I can even defeat her.
I'm hiding it, but I'm terrified.
I'm not going to take any risks. I know I have other chances to redo this interaction, yet the grasp of death, even grazing me, sends chills down the marrow that comprises me.
My best bet…
"Well, nice to meet you, Maria, but I've got to be somewhere else right now. Stay safe, alright?"
…Is to get the hell out of here.
I turn on my heel, my face betraying the intense paranoia within me.
I can't be around this thing any longer. I've got to hurry up and find….
"You're lost, right? I can help you out if you like."
My hand twitches. Sweat is causing my shirt to cling to my back. My stomach drops into an endless abyss.
Why do you need to come with me?
No, no, why did I even stop in front of that house in the first place? Why did I not run at the sight of such a monster?
No, I need to keep calm.
"I'm not lost," I say.
"Really? Why else would you be in a place like this alone then?"
"I'm searching for a treasure. It's a relic from thousands of years ago that's been lost here."
Maria smiles.
"If it really existed, it would have grown legs and run away a long time, Kaito."
"Huh?"
I have to pretend I didn't hear. I have to, I have to, I have to.
If I don't, I'll surely die. I'll die. I'll die.
"Ah. It's nothing." She smiles.
The skin on her face is stretching way too far.
I turn quickly, but not fast enough and she notices my fear. I've just got to walk and pray I run into my comrades.
Please, God.
"Well, let's get going, Kaito."
I walk ahead, each footstep feeling like an eternity. My body is shaking uncontrollably. My nerves are on fire, and I can feel death wrapping its fingers around my skull.
With every footstep I take, I hear two of its own. There's no sound, none at all.
The ball of sanity that balances on the surface known as my mind slowly teeters towards the edge.
I see.
I'm going to die.
I was just prolonging it, expecting that I'd somehow get out of this situation, but that isn't the case, is it?
I'll just turn around, and show her the picture I took. I know she's taller than when I took it, I'm sure. If she sees it, she'll know I'm on to her.
Or has she already known? Yes.
She does know. She's always known. It's always known.
No! No! I DON'T WANT TO DIE.
Why did I move away from the group when Kors said not to? Why?
Please! Someone!
And just as I gaze up, the misfortune that had been covering my existence is lifted.
The tide had turned. I am going to live.
Asakawa Meiko is walking towards my direction, her focus on the ground in front of her. She's got a slightly tired energy to her. Her clothes have various red stains splattered on them, and her blade is unsheathed.
I'm safe!
"ASA—-"
She looks up.
And…
Burning, searing hot pain explodes in my back.
"Hngh—-?!"
My body is yanked backwards with so much force I can hear a crack reverberate throughout my back.
"Wait, wait, wait–!!"
A rib shatters into pieces, stabbing into something important. I gasp.
"Gaaaaghhhhhhhhh—----!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I need to scream! I need to scream, so Asa can hear me! I need to move! I need to move so Asa can see me!
I force myself forward, desperate to fight against my impending doom.
I reach an arm out—-
And swiftly collapse to the ground, still being pulled into the fog. I'm disappearing from the world. I'm going to be pulled somewhere forsaken by god. It's going to be somewhere I'd never imagine exists. I don't want to go!
I try to dig my hands into the stone-cold floor, but despite my toils, I'm failing to cement my position. I grit my teeth, adrenaline shooting into every crevice within my body. My desperation grows further, boiling to the point where I try to use my nails.
But as soon as I do—
A sharp tick rings out, followed by an explosion of pain so severe I can feel it bounce off my jaw. Multiple nerve endings exist within the nail, so the white-hot flames that erupted in my brain were terrifying.
But the denial of my fate continues within my feeble mind.
I'm being dragged to my death.
My hands are devoid of nails at this point, so without any other resort, I throw my palms against the pavement. This is utterly useless.
My skin catches on the ground like sandpaper, instantly generating heat as if placed on a skillet. The sting curls around my mind, coiling the life out of me. The rough texture of my destroyed skin causes my hands to bob up and down, despite my wanting them to remain rooted. Within a few moments, my hands are pronounced useless. They are now no more than useless, dangling pieces of hot flesh.
Structures zoom past me, and I watch as Asakawa becomes no more than a silhouette in the distance.
Ah.
I have no chance of survival, do I?
I'm dead.
I turn around, the wind blowing past my ear.
What I witness with my retina is not human. It is something that tried to be as human as possible, but blew it at the last second. Well, to use the word 'tried' is inappropriate at this point, isn't it?
Even if I knew it wasn't human, I still lost the moment I walked in front of that house. No, I lost the moment I noticed its existence.
It's laughing, hysterically, perhaps at the fact that such easy prey fell into it's maws.
The legs that belong to it are bent backwards, yet running at speeds that easily surpass those of most sports cars. It's as if someone grabbed a human's upper and lower halves and twisted them. I can't see its face, or at least one of them.
A lycanthrope-like head is poking out of its back, connected to its exposed spine.
I don't even care about what I'm seeing.
The head is snapping at the air, unaware of my presence, yet aware all the same. Its face is sunken, with a pair of eyes that seem slightly pushed in their sockets. Its snout seems unable to hold the weight of the hundreds of teeth that hang from the top.
It's a monster. A devil. Only a madman would willingly create such a thing.
I turn my head towards the road.
Compared to the incoming hell I've got for myself, this road is a mercy. Ah, my mask's missing too.
I close my eyes and arch my back backward, causing more strain in the area where my rib had shattered.
I whip my face forward into the pavement.
The impact is wet, crunchy, and resonates into my chest cavity. Static fills both my vision and hearing for a moment, before morphing into total white.
My nose is flattened instantly. A fountain of dark liquids spills against the pavement, something that I can barely see. My lips are mangled, causing me to slobber. The pain is so great, I can only moan in agony.
Pressure builds infinitely behind my eyes as blood trickles down my face.
It hurts so much it hurts can i even use the word hurt it hurts so bad but but but im still alive
Still alive.
I don't brace myself this time. Exerting all the muscles within my neck, I crack my head against the stone once again. I only used my chin, due to my strength slowly fading. There is no bounce this time. I can feel the right side of my skull collapse and press against my muscle and skin. All my nerves short-circuit as well, agony etching into my existence.
The roaring of the wind fell silent. The suffocating heat vanished, replaced by an icy, spreading numbness that wiped out the sensation of the ground entirely. My vision didn't fade to black; it fragmented into jagged, gray static that dissolved piece by piece until there was nothing left to feel the drag.
My body is dragged along for the next four years, until nothing remains.
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L I F E E X P U R G A T E D
"BLUNT_FORCE"
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