The End's Christmas (6) Extra
Irien carried the unconscious Elia on her back as they climbed to the surface.
“Irien, the vehicle won’t work!”
“Damn it, I forgot about the key.”
The key to the armored vehicle Treval had been carrying.
But there was no time to grab it.
“W-where should we go now?”
At Eve’s question, Irien flinched and stopped.
Her body was growing cold and stiff.
Indeed. Where exactly should we go?
Everywhere around was filled with enemies,
and the sector was probably completely sealed off.
“…First, we should return to the city area.”
“But there…!”
“I know, Eve. But there’s no other way.”
There were only two ways out of the sector.
Break through the city to reach the gate of Sector 09,
or fly over the 1.2KM high wall to the air.
The latter was not a choice.
So, should we choose the former?
But there was no vehicle necessary for breaking through the city.
“Let’s head to Gate 02. It might be open.”
“…Yes, Irien.”
No time to hesitate.
Among the four gates, the closest from current position was Gate 02. It was basically a suicide mission, but we had to go there first.
“Don’t worry, sis, trust me? If it comes to it, I’ll protect you.”
“…Yes!”
[Can you hear me? This is Sister Do-ha’s signal?!]
At that moment, a voice came from Eve’s radio.
[Respond, anyone? This is Yan? Eve, Vio…]
“Lin? Is this Lin?”
[Resend the transmission! Anyone respond. Elia…]
“Captain Lin! Can you hear me?!”
[-…I hear you. Who is this? Answer…]
“Captain Lin?!”
It was Lin’s voice.
A ray of hope reached those who had lost their way.
But communication was unstable, perhaps because it was suburban.
“There’s one more reason we need to return to the city area.”
“…Shall we run?”
ⴕ
Back in Sector 09’s residential area.
It was winter with snow falling heavily, but sweat was pouring down Irien’s back like rain. It was the heat from the fires spreading in the densely packed housing complex. Ashes carrying embers swirled in the air, making it hard to see even an inch ahead, and on the pristine white snow, corpses with gunshot wounds from desperate flight littered the path.
“Damn it. Eve, stick close to me.”
“Yes, Irien.”
Something stuck to her foot with a thud.
The body of a dead father holding his child.
“…Fucking bastards.”
Corpses with gunshot wounds.
Not the work of the infected.
Then, were they the Senate’s fanatics,
or perhaps soldiers who had lost control.
Whatever they faced, the chance of it being enemies was high.
“Eve, if you see anything, shoot it.”
“Yes.”
They hid in the shadows of the housing complex fence and moved quietly. Whether fortunate or unfortunate, there was no sign of life in the housing area.
“Are you tired? I’ll carry you, let’s switch.”
“I’m fine, I’ll carry you.”
Irien was carrying unconscious Elia, but it didn’t feel like much weight. Rather, it felt feather-light. The lightness of that existence carved a heartbreaking sadness into her heart. The warmth of the living thing on her back wasn’t scary at all. It felt like carrying a corpse.
“Eve, let’s go in there.”
A house not yet burned. Quietly opening the door and entering, dim figures appeared on the floor of the living room in the darkness. The bodies of an elderly couple, arms bent at unnatural angles, dead. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.
‘Fucking bastards. They must have killed them one by one in every house.’
They ascended to the second floor and entered the bedroom.
“…I’ll adjust the frequency.”
Irien nodded to Eve and laid Elia on the bed. She took Elia’s hand while lying down. It was cold. Cold as ice. It was a bit embarrassing to call it ice-cold. As the chill flowing from Elia’s hand tried to steal the warmth from Irien’s hand, Irien clenched her hand tightly as if resisting it. At that moment, a clear signal came from the radio that had been emitting static until now.
[Resending the transmission, please respond anyone-]
“Captain Lin! Can you hear me?”
[-Who is this? Call sign Momma Goat, respond.]
“Call sign Six Baby Goats. The second baby goat.”
[Eve?! Is it Eve? Oh my god, thank you God.]
When Lin requested identification for confirmation, Eve responded with ‘second baby goat’ identifying herself. Lin’s sigh of relief was audible.
[Really, really glad, Eve. Is everyone safe?]
“…The third, fourth, and sixth died.”
[-…….]
For a while, no response came from beyond the radio.
The third, Treval. The fourth, Yan. And the sixth, Violet.
Half the squad members died in three hours.
[…Elia, Eve, only the three of you survived?]
“Yes, Captain Lin.”
[-…….]
Again silence.
A long silence followed.
Unable to bear it, Irien strode towards Eve.
“Give it to me, Eve.”
Irien took the radio from Eve.
“Lin, listen carefully. Since you made a radio call to us, you know what kind of mess we’re in here. So, let me ask. Is the gate open?”
[-…….]
“Answer, Lin. Is the gate open? Any of them. Among 01 to 04 gates, is there at least one open?”
[…Sorry. None of the gates are open. There is no way to leave the current sector.]
“So, there is no way to escape?”
[As far as I know, no. Even if you come out of the sector, you’ll be shot by the armies of Sector 08 and 10 that are surrounding Sector 09. In fact, all the aircraft that tried to escape over the barrier were shot down by anti-aircraft guns. The Londinium Senate has ordered the complete extermination of all living beings within the sector.]
Irien took a deep breath and asked again.
“Then, I’ll ask differently. What do you know, Lin.”
[There is only one way to survive.]
“What is it.”
[Vaccine. Head to the 13th basement floor of Endel Research Institute. Administer the vaccine, and hold on until the situation ends, that is, until the gates reopen. I’ll send a rescue team there later.]
“Are you out of your mind? You’re telling me to walk into a place swarming with infected parasites on my own?”
[There is no other choice. Sorry.]
The method Lin suggested was ambiguous to call a survival method. The Endel Research Institute where all disasters began. Go to the source of the disaster. It was no different from telling to go and die.
[When monitoring comes, this radio won’t be usable anymore. No time, I’ll say it quickly. Don’t get injured by the infected. I estimate that the Sigma parasite proliferates and spreads through blood until it finds a host it wants.]
“That’s easy to say, you bastard.”
[And the security of Endel Research Institute is completely disabled by me, so don’t worry and head to the 13th basement floor. In the laboratory on the 13th basement floor, Room EB-2019, there will be a vaccine for the Sigma parasite. But it’s still a prototype that hasn’t been tested, so be careful around…]
“-Lin? Hey, Lin!”
Only static came from the radio.
“…Damn it.”
The method told as a way to survive was quite cruel, but I couldn’t curse Lin. She had done her best to tell us.
“It seems we have no choice but to go, Eve.”
“…Yes.”
“When did you start knowing Elia?”
“What?”
The question slipped out unconsciously.
At the sudden question, Eve asked back.
“Just, curious.”
“Since the training camp in Sector 09.”
So, it’s been more than 15 years together. For some reason, the mischievous pranks she had done to Elia came to mind. Pulling her into a surprise hug and not letting go for a while, pouring sugar into the coffee she was given, sneaking into the next bed when she was sleeping and waking her with a disgusted expression the next morning. Eventually stopped, but.
Then, why did I do those pranks?
‘-I wanted to see the expression.’
Expression. I wanted to see the expression on that face.
The expression clearly showing embarrassment.
“Was it like that from the beginning?”
“…No. Originally, it wasn’t like that.”
“I see.”
It was an incoherent question, but Eve understood it. Irien brushed away the red hair covering her eyes. She had never been curious about Elia in her life, and felt guilty about what happened at the cemetery, but her own meager pride didn’t allow her to apologize to her.
“When did it start?”
“What?”
“What do you mean, when did it become like this-”
“-Eve, report the situation.”
Elia’s voice came, startling Irien who stopped talking. Elia, who had her hand on her head, sat up from the bed.
“Elia! Are you okay?”
“…Where is Yan ser-”
“-Dead, ice-cold. Yan blocked Treval.”
“…….”
As expected, no expression appeared on Elia’s face. She just stood frozen with empty eyes. Irien saw her lips twitching a few times before closing tightly again.
“…Hey, ice-cold.”
Irien sighed.
Elia flinched.
She called her again.
“Ice-cold.”
“Eve, report the exact situation-”
Irien grabbed her wrist and pulled her into her arms.
“What are you doing. Let go.”
With a trembling voice-
The rough breathing of Elia was felt from her neck.
“Let go! What are you doing!”
Elia tried desperately to push her away, but since she was much smaller than her, it was impossible.
“Okay, okay, ice-cold. Let’s do this for just three minutes and then go.”
“If you don’t step back immediately, I’ll kill you.”
Elia threatened.
But to her ears, it sounded fake.
“Your body temperature is too low. Let’s warm up and leave.”
Explaining the legitimate reason, her strength faded. The chill seeping under her military uniform made her throat tight.
“Are you warm?”
Saying this, Irien smiled as if to say ‘see?’
And then regretted.
A little more teasing,
a little more asking,
a little more hugging.
In the dark and cold room.
Eve looked at the two of them.
She wanted to stay here a little longer.
She wished the warmth of the two would last a little longer.
But she couldn’t stay there forever.
Because death was searching for the remaining survivors.
They headed to Endel Research Institute.