"An assembly hall…?"
"Yeah," the nurse said. "They've turned it into a shelter."
Voices overlapped.
Quiet sobs.
Whispers.
Children crying for their parents—
volunteers answering softly.
The air was thick.
Burning.
Smoke.
People were everywhere. Every bit of space, filled with a body.
Stretchers were carried in, carrying broken bodies—eyes rolling, barely any life left in them. They were covered in bandages, soaked in crimson. Shoes squeaked—medics rushed over to the stretchers.
"What happened…?" Tom asked, "How did I end up here?"
"I'm not sure exactly where—but you were found out on the street… your leg…"
Tom looked down.
The stump that was once his leg.
It'll grow back, he thought.
…Right?
"Jessie, we need assistance over here!" a medic shouted, halfway across the room.
She looked behind her—where the voice came from.
Tom followed her eyes.
A survivor—a woman.
Eyes hollow.
Twitching frantically.
Rolled into her eyelids.
Writhing along the floor in silence—
nails scraping along the floor.
The nurse, Jessie, turned back to Tom.
"I've got to go," she whispered.
Placed a hand on Tom's lap—his shoulders eased.
"Get some rest."
She stood up, carefully not to nudge the tightly packed beds.
Tom followed her with his eyes, locked onto hers—they twinkled back.
He sat up slightly.
She smiled—cheeks blushed—and turned.
Tom watched as she rushed to the writhing survivor.
He sighed.
Surrounded by chaos.
But in the cries and despairing whispers, the MEI agents stood still in the middle of it all. They were calm and collected, speaking to a woman—every word measured.
Himiko stepped forward.
"We're going to head out. Thanks for all the help."
Voss' lips curled slightly.
"No, Miss Suzuki, thank you."
Then her expression hardened.
"But before you go, you should head over to the Grossaint University of Arts. It took a direct hit."
Himiko nodded.
Turned to her squad behind her.
"We move."
"You got it, boss," Aiko replied.
They moved as one through the hall—volunteers and survivors stepped out of their way.
Voss didn't watch them leave.
She turned to the volunteer next to her and began giving orders.
"Prepare groups for evacuation. Escort them to the trucks outside."
As Ghost-Line Six marched, survivors sitting in makeshift beds whispered to each other.
Children watched, awe glimmering in their eyes and wide smiles.
Aiko waved back.
Himiko looked straight forward.
The entrance was a mess.
Bed frames lay scattered—once makeshift barricades from the fight.
Now scattered to make way.
They stepped over without slowing.
Boots thudded against the concrete in sync.
Outside, the air hit differently.
Colder.
Thicker.
Ash drifted through the sky like slow-falling snow.
The distant crackle of fires filled the silence between sirens.
The street was wrecked.
Burnt-out vehicles.
Shattered glass.
Chunks of buildings torn open like paper.
Great four-armed carcasses lay crumpled across the street.
Himiko didn't stop walking.
"Van's still intact," Kaoru said, scanning ahead.
"Good," she replied.
Aiko nudged Miko lightly as they walked.
"Hopefully, we don't get jumped by four nightmare fuel gremlins, right?"
Miko's lips curled slightly.
She kept her eyes forward.
"…yeah."
BB clicked quietly, trailing behind them.
"Where are we going?" BB asked innocently.
Kaoru placed a hand on BB.
"There's some people who need our help, BB, you down?"
BB bounced up and down, nodding quickly.
Kaoru chuckled.
"Let's go, bro."
They reached the van.
The side door slid open with a metallic scrape.
Makoto stood beside it.
Her sleeves were rolled.
Hands stained faintly red.
Himiko slowed.
"Mrs Isamu," she said.
Makoto looked up.
For a moment, the noise of the outside world faded.
"How's Nozomi?"
Makoto exhaled slowly.
"He's stable," she said. "Lost a lot of blood… but he's holding on."
Himiko's jaw tightened.
Her chest sank.
"…still out?"
Makoto paused for a moment.
Her eyes strayed—then back to Himiko.
She nodded.
"He hasn't woken up yet."
Silence.
Himiko looked at her feet.
Closed her eyes.
A siren wailed in the distance.
Himiko opened her eyes and stepped closer.
"Make sure he does," she said quietly. "We're not losing anyone here."
Makoto gave a small, tired smile.
"I'll drag him back myself if I have to."
Himiko nodded once.
She turned.
"Mount up."
Kaoru slid into the driver's seat.
He paused for a second, hands resting on the wheel.
"…feels weird," he muttered.
Aiko leaned in from the back.
"Don't crash it, yeah? Nozomi's gonna be fuming if you scratch his baby."
Kaoru huffed.
"Relax. I'm a better driver than him anyway."
"Yeah?" Aiko smirked. "We'll see."
"I don't remember you stepping into the driver's seat in the void," Miko jested, teeth glistening.
BB curled into the back, still.
Himiko shut the door.
"Well, Kaoru, show us what you've got."
Kaoru smiled widely.
Pressed the engine on button.
The engine roared to life.
The van pulled out—tyres crunching over glass and debris.
As the wheels spun, the interior fell silent—focused.
Kaoru's eyes stayed locked on the road.
Himiko stared out the window.
Smoke curled into the sky.
Sirens echoed through broken streets.
Aiko nudged her side.
"You remember back at training… what we said back then?"
Himiko smiled slightly.
"What?"
"Let's go make a movie."
George.
Wake up.
Everything felt… heavy.
Like my body wasn't mine.
"George—can you hear me?"
A voice.
Close.
My eyelids twitched.
Light bled in.
Blurred shapes.
Dust hanging in the air.
"…gh…"
My throat burned.
Something grabbed my shoulder.
"Hey—hey, he's waking up!"
Sound rushed in all at once.
Distant sirens.
Cracking debris.
Breathing.
Not mine.
I blinked slowly.
The world dragged itself into focus.
A ceiling.
Cracked.
Half-collapsed.
A classroom.