We were all shocked when it did so, standing in front of us as it’s muscles twitches and squelching that I can feel like it’s begging to get out of those goddamn tight skins. Raisa was scared as she held me close, clenching her railgun in shivers. “…You can speak?” The thing nodded rather gently to Sattvam’s question, but still not lowering a single bit of my suspicion of this.

“I understand the feud and how disastrous this has been, and how traumatizing it should be for children’s such as you all were to witness it unfold. But after arduous observation and attempts as your green friend here have known, I offer you a chance. The Corp wishes to have their hand on the animal of your possession, and if we can-” He was cut short when Wisnu stepped forward, with a rather irritated look.

“And you think we’d just hand away our only hope on saving this place?! You all started this, and now you too tried to ‘help’ us for what? If you really are trying to do it, do us a favor by not getting in our way. We’ve been going through enough hell and we want this finished.” The thing were stunned in his display, as Eli then followed by, I kid you not, brave enough to slap picture of a young boy to the thing’s pec.

“I lost my fucking brother to this oh so called little ‘trolling’ of an experimentation your bosses do and were forced to gun him down. We ain’t messing around when we say that many precious lives were lost, but those who were still hiding here can still have a chance to see their loved ones before they turn into these half assed walking turkeys for Thanksgiving.” The thing simply took the picture, looking at it’s depiction of younger Elissa and her supposed little brother, with his face part scratched over by black markers.

It then puts it into it’s pocket, before kneeling down to our height with it’s gasmask removed, revealing a human lips that slowly is twisted into a huge mess of teeth to the left part of it’s face. “Your anger are justified, but know this. I too sympathize for your loss, for I am a part of all this tragedy as well. My name is Holland C. Gustin, captain of the Corp’s special force. We’re sent to investigate should there be any organic activities remaining within the bay and…terminate, them” We all raised our guns at him right at the moment he said so. “But I too do not mean nor wish to harm such young, courageous spirits to continue their living. We’ll spare you your trip home, if you hands us the deer. Be assured, they are in a safe place with us.”

We all looked at each other before I raised my index finger telling him to give us time, with him nodding in response as we conversed into a circle for discussion, with the deer peeking down in the circle out of curiosity.

“De, that guy looks like a badly disfigured clay figure, his words barely trustable.” Martha give out a part of his opinion first. “Not to mention how ‘kind’ he sounded like.”

“But he sounded so genuine tho…maybe he actually mean it?” Raisa might have a point in this. “He’s even concerned about us too…”

“Hell naw, this is some twist villain type of convincing, what if he’d just throw us a big bomb or some shit.” Elissa followed, still feeling irritated as he gave the man a peek, who only waved back at her before continuing back at us. “See?”

“Eli might be right, he might’ve been planning on something. But let’s give him a chance, yeah? If he ever went off, he can still be harmed.” Wisnu looks like he had calmed down, looking less redder than before.

“The point is, De this is all up to you now. You decide whether we should hand this over to them or not after all we’ve gone through, especially those attempted murders. Now please don’t be a dumbass and say the right thing.” I huffed with Sattvam giving his last advice, as we then walked apart with me towards the thing, face to face with Gustin.

I took a deep breath, looking down onto myself before back at the captain again. “We’ve settled, and I’m afraid…we couldn’t. The world has to know that hope remained in here, and if this truly work a miracle Captain, you too can return back to whatever you were before…this.” He looks stunned by my word, exhaling as he put his gasmask back and stood up.

“You reminded me of myself. Even in the bleakest of night, you found hope still. And perhaps, to blindly follow what I thought was right…” He looked down at me, patting me by my shoulder with his tight, firm grip that I can feel down to my skin. “Forgive me for my action. But I suppose, this is truce then. Lay down your weapons for good men, let these heroes walked their path.”

The personnel’s then slowly began placing their gun to their back giving us a salute with us giving one back, maybe except for Elissa who’s still grumpy but then done it anyway. “For the record I still ain’t trusting you at all, Gussy.” She retorted, looking sharply at Gustin as he can only nod, perhaps smiling under that mask.

“Fair one, young lady.” But as soon as Gustin said so, he looks uneased, rubbing the back of his neck as his muscles are twitching more. “…No. I will not- Argh!” We were shocked to see him suddenly falling down, as he stopped us from even coming any closer. “T-take the deer away. Now! And men, open fire!”

“But sir, who’s the target?”

“Me!” All of a sudden, his muscles burst open and mutated, with electricity crackling all over his now mutating flesh that began to reveal a huge, massive mouth on his back with sharp tentacles sprouting from it as well as eyes from his head. Gustin were lost to us with his one last good intent, and along with it, his men bravely fought in attempt to put him to rest.

It all got worse in our case as those monsters had heard the gunfire and come our way. Eli, without thinking twice sacrificed her bag as she pulled just one pin off and threw it away before leading us away from the harbor, destroying most of the hordes down. We keep on running, fear rushing through our bloodstream as the deer than take the lead, now taking us to the corner of the beach.

“I don’t think we can run any further now…” Wisnu said as we stopped at where the deer’s by, another old harbor that apparently were closer to the patrolling boats as we then make our way to it, hoping no more of those things chasing us, especially poor Gustin…

04:27 PM

We then sat down by the bench of the harbor, huffing in relief as the deer bellowed to the air from above the harbor’s rooftop, hoping to get the attention of one of the boat as it seems smaller one began drawing near here. “Guess this is the end, huh?” I chuckled, almost falling asleep after all of this adventure.

“Heehee, yeah, though I’ll miss all the shenanigan we had do…hopefully we don’t act like that out of instinct or something.” Raisa giddily remarked, waving her hands up in the air while smiling, as if she’s trying to reach the skies.

“Raisa, that would be the least we want to ever do. But yeah, the whole charade sure is something to be missed of.” Martha followed, resting himself onto me like I am some sort of his sleeping pillow.

Two of those boats coming near, with one of the crewmate waving at us as we waved back, especially Raisa and Wisnu in an ecstatic manner. “Over here!” Wisnu yelled, as the crew seemingly recognized his voice.

“Ah, is it you the one who requested for evacuation? Glad to see you all in one piece here, kids.” Wisnu giggled, as the crewmates began escorting us all up to the boat but were a little unsure about the deer. “We’re bringing this too?” Wisnu nodded to his question.

“Trust me, this deer can be a live safer later on.” Luh De assured as the crew only sighed and smiled, before beginning to set their course back to mother boat. It felt peaceful once more, with the wind’s slowly breezing to us.

I may have thought of peace a little too soon.

As we were about to leave, a strain of flesh attach itself to the boat, stopping us from moving further to the ocean. We all take a quick look outside to see it’s Gustin, now an unrecognizable meld of flesh infused with many other of the soldiers from earlier. Hands, eyes and mouth altogether trying to reach us while repeating the same, echoing amidst it’s gurgling and squelches.

“Help…me-e…”

“Raisa, your railgun!” Raisa quickly take aim following Luh De’s command, with her help to aim as she unleashed a couple of piercing blast, followed with us taking shots to get it off the boat.

“Keep pedaling, boys! Pull us out of here!” Eli yelled to the crew, as they began pushing the engine to it’s maximum. Our hearts racing as the boat’s hull were instead getting torn slowly by the thing’s strength, fearing it’d sink down. “I take back what I said, lower the goddamn engine!” Elissa said as she took out a rifle, shooting the damn thing down with us.

After many bullets, blood and flesh splattering, it retreated and severed it’s flesh, with the one on our boat slowly writhing to death while it then roared and screeched inhumanely one last time, seemingly falling weak and dying before it disappeared from our sight as we further on goes to the ocean. Our leg fell limp as we all felt relieved once more, finally having this over once and for all.

“Hah…t-that was out of knowhere…” Wisnu remarked, putting his gun to his belly while laying down on the boat’s floor. “Hey, guys? What do you think we should first do once we got back to civilization?” He questioned, looking at all of us with a look full of hope.

“Inventions. Literally anything but AI shits that have been hyped since last years, they’re a disgrace to tinkering and machinery.” The others chuckled from Sattvam remarks, who only smiled as he swayed his hair aside to have a better look to the distance.

“Youtube contents. The story of us being a so called hero would be nice as a biography movie.” The deer came in and licked Martha cheeks, who in respond chuckled and gave it a good rub to the neck. “Maybe with this big fella here too for being a life saviour.”

“I just wished to live with my loved ones, lived a happy life till the end.” Luh De pulled Sattvam and Wisnu close, hugging them tight as she giggled. “Yes, that being you two rascals. Just minus the scrawny looking cottages people like us would usually have.”

“Naaw, De, that’s so sweet of you~” Wisnu thought of something for himself as his face brighten with an idea. “I want to taste sweets again! Pancakes, waffles, souffle…I missed something good for my tongue.” Wisnu giggled as Sattvam caressed his hair, still hugged by Luh De.

“I haven’t really thought of mine, but maybe travelling the world would be nice. Something fresh to my fucked up eyes.” Elissa rested her shoulder to the boat’s wall, huffing as she looked at another picture of her and her little brother, apparently during a birthday party.

“I want to see Disneyland! Being the badass princess I am, of course~” I laughed to Raisa’s dream, patting her head as she pushed my hand away giggling. “What about you though, brother? What would be yours?”

I then pondered for a moment. We've reached this far, yet i don't really thought much of where to go with it. "Maybe…i'll just enjoy the company of you all. That'd be nice enough for me." I gave her a hug as she gave me one back, as we then finally arrived by the mother boat.

06:30 PM

Tho, i felt sleepy, as my eyes began to see everything scribbled like a drawing, slowly losing it's bright colors. Everyone began to notice my behavior as they all called out to me but it's all…mumbled. I could barely hear nor see anything as everything's finally covered in those jumbled lines, drowning in darkness.

As i fell deeper and deeper into this, something reached out, a voice calling to me as it pulled me out of this, followed with a loud, ringing voice in an all white space.

My vision began to grow clear as i found myself waking up on a bedrest, sitting up quickly to see where am i at. Everything were…normal?

I tried to stood up, feeling my whole body limp as i opened the curtain to see we're in King's Bay still, but nothing happened. Still just the same busy city i know. Where's the outbreak? Am i going mad again??

In my confusion, a door knock breaks it before opening, revealing another one of my friend that i had yet seen since…god knows how long. "Made? You…finally woke up." He softly smiled, carrying a plate of food as he placed it to the table beside my bed. "Take it easy now, let's sit down yeah?" He asked calmly, as i nodded in response.

We both sat down for a moment, as i tried to recollect my mind. "Nggh, I-In…Indra…" He nodded gently, seemingly trying to let me remember some stuff. "In, w-what happened? It was a very surreal dream…"

"Whatever you dreamt of, we'll discuss it later. Made, you fell to a coma for weeks because of a metal pole, don't you remember?" Indra questioned, looking rather concerned.

"N-no, i'm afraid i don't remember…"

He only sighed, patting my shoulder before leaving with a smile. "Eat your foods, yeah? I'll talk with the doctor if you can leave or not." 

I only stared at my foods for a moment. That dream were so real, like i can feel every moment of it, but at the same time it isn't…

23rd of September, 2022

06:30 AM

…What is going on?