Branch D-02, part 10 (after battle)
I don't see any signs of those ex-soldiers around here or up ahead.
The commander did warn us not to go further...
As we proceeded, we discovered bodies that seemed to have been here for quite some time.
They're our - I mean, L Corp.'s employees...
I see traces of blunt instruments. All the bodies share them, in fact.
A management report... This document contains instructions for keeping Abnormalities in check.
But employees tasked with managing an Abnormality usually memorize the instructions perfectly, down to each minute detail... They wouldn't have needed these. So why...?
I daresay none of them had the necessary information when the Abnormality escaped...
... Hmh.
If the eggs weren't moved into containment yet... that could be the case.
<There are way too many corpses here.>
What kind of Abnormality could have massacred all these people...?
Hang on... What's that smell?
... You see, our Office purchased a rather expensive gear the other day.
What's this bloke on about?
Sources suggested that toxin levels will begin to rise after a certain floor.
Uh, I've been bleeding from my ears for a while now~ should I be worried?
No battle is fought without adversi― Pfehgh, blegh! *hack*
I was also told that continued exposure may cause bleeding.
Ngh... How come you're okay, though?
This is... It's the anti-Abnormality gas grenade supplied to employees.
One must've... *cough* gone off... somewhere among the bodies here...
Yes. It seems the toxicity level is pretty high around this area.
Hopkins had put on a gas mask before we noticed.
Hey now, what about us?
We weren't granted any additional supplies.
You slippery rat, you knew about this? Bloody scum, that's what you ar - Ngh...
Heathcliff broke off mid-sentence and dropped to one knee.
Elevated emotional states accelerate blood flow. In other words, the toxin will spread faster.
Try to remain calm, minimize movement, and breathe at regular intervals.
Hopkins... Why... *cough* Why didn't you warn me?
Oh, I've got a question for you too, Yuri.
Why would I make our Office squander its precious funds on expensive gadgets for a dead weight like you to waste?
......
Let's be real. It's a miracle that you managed to join us in the first place.
Aya may have taken a liking to you, enough to give you special treatment... But now that she's dead, who gives a damn?
Sneaky blighter... How do you live with yourself...?
Don't be silly, everything's fair game for a Fixer.
Hearing that the Red Gaze had company tickled my curiosity, but as it turns out...
You were just a ragtag band of lunatics who thought it'd be a good idea to waltz right into these death traps without even a bit of research.
Can't believe... we've gotta let that tosser carry on...
Picking up on the hostility, Hopkins backed off and made a quick dash for the exit.
Well, at least I managed to grab an armful of Enkephalin thanks to you.
I'll write in my report that you all went missing, 'cause "death by asphyxiation" is just too embarrassing.
Ta-ta.
......
Yuri slumped to the floor, watching blood pour from her nose to her hands.
And she wasn't the only one. Rodya, Heathcliff, and the other Sinners were writhing in pain as blood gushed out of them.
<Gregor?>
Tsk, I took this with me so you could have something to remember her by...
He was holding the same type of gas mask as the one Hopkins wore.
But why...
So Miss Aya, she - *cough* - looked after you, huh...? This is as good as yours, then.
As for our unprepared band of lunatics... we do have a way out. Don't worry about us.
Coughing up blood, Yuri put on the mask.
... I know he's right.
I know it's hard for someone without connections like myself to be appreciated by an Office, no matter how many errands I run for them all day, all night.
There were only 3 minutes left until the branch was locked down...
[INITIATING SITE BURIAL.]
The doors were about to close on me.
[ENERGY TRANSFER IS 85% COMPLETE.]
Yuri, don't leave me behind! Yuri!
So what was I supposed to do?
Is it so wrong that I survived?
Should I have been buried alive alongside my coworkers?
The whole building was being locked down just to keep the Abnormalities from getting out!
*wheeze* It is a sin. Down here, it is.
*cough* *hack* That does sting a bit, Gregor...
I stood there blankly for a moment, then snapped back and looked over at the Sinners.
Half of them were already dead on the ground, and Ishmael's head drooped just after she said her last words.
A sin...
But... *wheeze* so what, buddy...
You've got to live on like it's nobody's business.
*cough* Laying guilt on yourself over spilled milk... will wear your heart out...
......
Once Gregor drew his last breath, Yuri and I remained the only survivors.
<Uhm... D-don't worry too much about us. I can take them back there and revive them.>
I knew all Yuri could hear was the mechanical ticking, but I did my best to communicate my words to her nonetheless.
... I know.
And she did not speak again for a while.
After a long stretch of heavy, awkward gloom, the toxic gas finally cleared.
... Looks like it's okay now.
<Hmm? Oh, yeah.>
I'll give you a hand. Let's go bring your people back to life.
With that, Yuri took off her gas mask and calmly carried the Sinners on her shoulders, one by one.
Unsure how to respond to the look on her face, I decided to keep quiet.