Chapter 11
December 21st, 2023
(2 weeks later)
The first few days were rough. I couldn't force myself to leave the room for about five days, and even when I did come out, it was only for about an hour. Even now, I was typically only leaving my room for a few hours at a time, sitting in the corner of the tavern by myself where nobody would bother me. Today was no different as I walked into the eating area and sat down in my corner. Enzu landed on my shoulder while the others turned to look back at me for a few seconds, but went back to their conversation.
Raigen continued his story. "Remember how we only the other night they found the floor 28 boss dungeon? Well, they already cleared it. AND they found the location of the boss room in the floor 29 dungeon."
It was no secret that we hadn't been doing well on the front lines. People were losing faith. Thousands of people had died, we'd been here for over a year and we weren't even half way through castle, so hearing that not only has another floor been cleared, but the boss room on the next floor had already been located in such a short time was huge news.
"Well I'll be," Kurman said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"So are you gonna fight with us or the KoB this battle, Raigen?" Toru asked.
"I'll be with you guys," he replied. "The KoB aren't really my thing. All these new tactics confuse me."
Toru smirked. "Pfft. You're just afraid of change, old man."
"I'm not 'that' old." he chuckled.
"I guess we better start preparing," Kikina added. "I wonder if we'll see Rizea and Shiraki there."
Raigen said with a grin, "When have you not seen Shiraki at a boss battle. The kid's been in all 28 we've done, and I don't see him missing one any time soon. And Rizea is the vice commander of the Knights of the Bloodoath, and she's the assault team, so I doubt she'll miss it."
I opened my map without saying a word and selected floor 29. In front of me, a blue holographic map appeared, displaying the terrain and landscape of the floor. The floored to consist of mostly water, with a few small islands scattered around, all connected by a network of floating bridges. Falling off would be a death sentence for me.
Kikina noticed my distraction. "What are you doing?" she asked, her brow furrowed in curiosity.
In a quiet tone, without even looking up at her, I explained, "You said the dungeon was found, so I'm trying to learn the layout of the floor."
Raigen looked at me with concern. "Are you sure you are up for it?"
I looked down at my feet for a moment. It would have been easy for me to reply with a simple 'yes' and move the conversation along, but lying wasn't something I enjoyed doing. Not anymore. Not to the people I care about. I looked back up, staring directly into Raigen's eyes, responding, "No. Not really. In fact, I'd be much happier if I never stepped foot out of this place again. The outside world... There's nothing but pain out there. But I can't stay here and cry forever. It's not fair on everyone else trying to leave. I've got to get back outside one day. It might as well be today. Enzu, stay here. I don't want to risk your life too."
###
(A few hours later)
When I first heard the name 'Zoraxian the Dragon Lord', I'd expected that the battle would consist mostly of looking up at the sky, waiting for it to land. Maybe avoiding the occasional fireball or two. I expected nothing out of the ordinary. What I wasn't expecting is to end up in my current situation.
"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" I screamed, clinging desperately to the tail of the giant red dragon as it flew wildly around the arena.
"Just hang in there a little longer!" Shiraki called up to me.
"Why do I always get picked to do the stupid things?!"
Situations like this unfortunately weren't unheard of. I'd frequently been asked to do things impossibly stupid, just like this. Being the smallest player in Aincrad, I'd often been instructed to do things other players simply couldn't do. A prime example would be floor 13, where I had to climb inside of an ogre's mouth and stab its weak spot from the inside. I was in minimal danger, since it didn't have any teeth, but I still got chills whenever I thought about it.
"Focus! Remember to Breath!" Shiraki instructed.
"I am breathing!" I snapped.
"That's hyperventilating! Not the same thing !" he corrected.
"Actually, it kind of is!" Kikina chimed in.
"NOW ISN'T THE TIME TO ARGUE ABOUT THIS! Just do your jobs and get me off this thing!
I wasn't mad at them, but being suspended 30 feet in the air while hanging for dear life to the tail of a flying lizard while they were on the ground made it difficult not to snap sometimes.
The dragon continued to fly in circles around the dungeon, breathing hot fire on the people below. I watched as people ran around screaming, completely engulfed in flames. I didn't even want to imaging what burning alive felt like in this game. When the archers managed to drop the dragons HP to his last bar, it abruptly changed course, shifting its focus towards the archers and Rizea who was defending them from the boss' minions. The Dragon Hatchlings.
"Miss Rizea, look out!" I screamed.
"Huh?" Rizea turned just in time to see the dragon open its mouth wide, ready to go in for the kill. She was too preoccupied with the minions to react. I closed my eyes, thinking this was the end for her, but Shiraki jumped in. He left his battle post and rushed over, using his own body to push her down to the ground just in time to avoid the dragon's pass. I'm not sure if it was just the heat from the dragon's breath, but I could have sworn I saw the two of them blush.
"Ok, Osaka!" Rizea called out. "Now is your chance!"
I gripped the scales on the tail and began climbing. I arrived at the point where the skin was thinner than the rest of the tail and did as I was instructed. I shoved my dagger into the thinner skin and gripped it with both hands, allowing the dragon to do the rest. It began flying straight down, likely to spew more fire onto unsuspecting victims, but as it flew, my dagger acted like a knife through paper. The wind pushed me back, causing the blade to slice the entire length of its tail. At the very end, it sliced through the dragon's tail flaps, which it needed to keep flying. With those sliced up, the dragon's precision dive turned into a spiral downward. Just before it hit the ground, I leaped.
"Catch me! Catch me! Catch me!" I shouted, flying through the air.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Raigen caught me out of the sky and placed me on the ground beside him. I got ready to make the final push on the downed beast, but everybody else was unmoving. They were looking at something. I followed their eyes to see a spectacle to behold. The unlikeliest of duos ran side by side at the monster. Shiraki rushed the creature's giant crimson eye, clashing his blade across it and taking a large chunk of Zoraxian's HP.
"Switch with me!" he shouted.
As he yelled those words, he suddenly crouched to his knees. I wondered why for a moment, but it all became incredibly clear the next second. Rizea rushed towards him and ran up his back. With that, Shiraki jolted up his left shoulder, launching her into the air towards the dragon. With her sword outstretched, she cut into its neck. Then I noticed her trajectory. She was going in a perfect circle around the dragon's head, and since her sword was already in its skin, she cut in a perfect circle. As she flipped around and over the dragon's head, still cutting the whole way around, the dragon screeched. When she finally landed on the ground with a perfect landing, the dragon went silent. She sheathed her sword, and Zoraxian's head fell clean off, dematerializing. The body quickly followed suit, and the victory screen appeared.
"Hell YEAH!" Shiraki exclaimed, high-fiving Rizea.
"Nice tactic, I must say," Rizea smiled.
"I actually got the idea from watching one of your training sessions."
"But without your expert timing, none of that would have been possible."
I interjected. "I thought you didn't like each other."
Rizea explained, "Well, sometimes, you get to see another side of somebody, and it changes how you look at them."
"Oh. So why didn't you like him before?" I asked.,
Everybody in our group went silent, stiffening up. They were hiding the reason from me. Whatever it was, it was serious.
"You didn't tell her?" Rizea whispered.
"It didn't seem important," he replied, just as quietly.
"How is that NOT important?!"
"Well, it isn't who I am anymore."
"Yeah, anymore! It doesn't change the fact that it was!"
"If you want to tell an eleven-year-old-"
"Twelve," I corrected.
"A twelve-year-old that, then go right ahead."
"Guys?" I prompted.
"Well, you see... It's... Hmm... Well, you see, he..." Rizea stammered, awkwardly twirling her hair and twisting her foot on the ground. "It's-"
"It's a long story." Shiraki interrupted.
"Exactly! Shiraki's like a hero to you, isn't he?" she asked.
"Yeah! Have you seen him fight?! He's super cool! And he saved my life!"
"So let's just leave it like that, hmm?" she suggested. "One day, when you're a little older, and ready to understand, we'll tell you exactly what happened, but until then, enjoy the fact that we're together. I-I mean, like, as friends. Yeah. Yeah, friends. Right?"
"Yeeaaaah. Sure." Shiraki agreed reluctantly.
"Anyway, to floor 30!" Rizea cheered. "We're getting there! Slowly, but surely!"
Appearing behind me, Remi approached. "Nice job today."
"Remi!" I called out in excitement, rushing the red haired girl and hugging her.
"Easy there, shrimp. Not a...huggy person." she chuckled.
"Are you here with Azura?" I asked.
"Oh, honey, nobody told you? She-" Rizea started.
"Busy training," Remi cut her off. "You know how it is. Always gotta get stronger. Right, Rizea?"
"Yeaaeah. Yeah, that's it. Training." Rizea looked away, avoiding eye contact.
"You're acting really weird today, miss Rizea. Oh well. Hey Remi, I'll race you to the next floor!" I said.
She scratched her head. "It won't exactly be a fair race. Your AGI stats are way higher than mine."
"You shouldn't have put so many points into DEX then."
"I use polearms. It's a big freaking stick. It needs a high dexterity skill. And on top of that, I also use a shield, so I need double the normal dexterity than I normally would."
"I'll go easy on you then. Ready! Set! G-"
A deep voice boomed. "Wait!"
I turned around to see a man clad in heavy red and white armour, adorning the Knights of the Bloodoath sigil on his large shield. It was no secret who the man with an imposing presence was. Benjin, founder and Knight Commander of the KoB.
"Y-Yes, sir?" I stammered.
As I slowly approached the man, Shiraki came to my side, walking with me.
"Are you her bodyguard now, swordsman?" Benjin asked, seemingly amused.
"Only for scum like you," he replied, gritting his teeth.
Sword Art Online was a competitive game by nature. Everyone wanted their name to be known for something, and usually, it was set in stone as fact. Everyone knows that Rizea is the fastest player in Aincrad, and some say a woman by the name of Lux is the smartest, but the title for strongest player was still up for debate, though, only two names were ever thrown around in that conversation. Shiraki and Benjin. The Hooded Swordsman and the Knight Commander. Both have the highest current reported level, currently at 38, and both are said to have at least 60% of all their stat points in strength. It might not have been known who was stronger, but there was no denying that the two were the titans of this world.
"Are you afraid I'll harm her?" Benjin asked.
"You had her climb into an ogre's mouth on floor 13 and now you had her ride a dragon. I don't know, Knight Commander. You tell me."
Benjin looked down at Shiraki with a smile. "It's rather rich hearing you of all people being concerned about human life. No, I don't wish to harm her. All I wished to do is congratulate her on her impeccable talent of following orders and taking the dragon down. You would have made fine addition to KoB."
"She's not joining your group of knight wannabes, alright? Maybe if you'd paid more attention to who you were recruiting, she wouldn't have been traumatized, and might have actually joined your sorry excuse of a guild. Come on, Osaka. We're leaving."
###
December 25th, 2023
(4 days later)
Everything in Aincrad had sped up. In only a few days, we'd not only the 30th, but the 31st floor as well. Not only that, but Shiraki had been taking me out with him on most of his recent adventures, so I'd leveled all the way up to level 31 in a short time.
Ever since Shiraki began helping map out the floor dungeons, we'd been progressing through floors faster than anybody could have possibly imagined. If we kept up the momentum, we might even be out of here by the end of next year, and everyone knew it. Moral had never been higher, so this year, a lot of people decided to celebrate.
"Merry Chirstmas, everyone!" Raigen cheered.
"Woo! Christmas!" I shouted.
December 25th, 2023. Christmas day. It was the first time we were officially celebrating a holiday in Aincrad. Back in the launch year, barely anybody celebrated. It'd only been a month since our world's were turned on their heads, so celebration was the last thing on anybody's mind.
Christmas had always been my favourite time of year. Hack in the real world, Japan would look like a completely different place. There would be Christmas lights and tinsel and singing. Everything would be different. SAO was no exception. Normal trees in town turned to Christmas trees, and even the background music changed to better suit the festiveness.
For today's celebration, Kikina was nice enough to let us use her house on floor 26. The floor was like no other. No overlook, and rather than a cloudy sky, the roof was projected as stone, with a strange, otherworldy blue glow to it to signify that the entire floor was based underground. Like one giant cave, constantly in perpetual darkness with the except for the hue of the coloured crystals that lined the walls and ground outside. The floor was perfect for artisan players that way. Rich with minerals useful in blacksmithing.
"Kuram and Kikina still making dinner?" Toru asked. "It's starting to smell pretty good."
"Have you seen Azura, Remi?" I questioned.
Without missing a beat, or even looking at me, she replied, "Training."
"Still?" I groaned.
It'd been weeks since I last heard from Azura. I was worried that she'd found a better friend in the KoB and didn't like me anymore.
"So, is the Hooded Swordsman coming to this shindig? And what about his girlfriend?" Toru asked.
"So they ARE dating now!" I exclaimed. "I knew it!"
I'd noticed the two of them walking through town occasionally smiling at each other. There was even one time I saw they holding hands.
When the rest of Aincrad finds out, it was bound to be a huge talking point. Everybody in SAO had heard of Needlepoint Rizea and the Hooded Swordsman.
"Well, unofficially dating," Raigen said. "And I doubt either of them are coming. Rizea is a busy woman, and Shiraki is probably off levelling up somewhere."
I opened my friends list, finding both Rizea and Shiraki's name. I could told them it was for a Christmas dinner, but there was no guarantee that they'd show up, so, without much thought, I send a different message.
I smiled to myself about my devious plan. "There we go. I just told them that we're at Kikina's place and that there was an emergency. They should be here in a few... I don't know. Seconds? Minutes maybe? They'll be here shortly."
"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Remi asked with concern. "You know how serious the two of them can be."
"I'm sure it'll be fine."
Seconds later, the door to Kikina's house was bombarded with knocking.
"Come in," Kikina called from the kitchen.
Both Shiraki and Rizea burst inside, weapons drawn and shouted "What's the emergency?!"
"The emergency is that you two weren't here. We're having Christmas dinner, and we still had a few spare chairs." I giggled.
"Osaka, I was in a meeting," she sighed. "Which I just ran out of midway through."
Looking rather shaken up by something, Shiraki replied. "I was... I was in the middle of killing a mid-level boss."
I opened my mouth to defend myself, but couldn't find the words. "...Oh."
"It's fine. I need to sit down anyway. That fight... It took it out of me."
"After all, Remi is here skipping guild activities too, so I guess it's fine if I skip this meeting."
"Busted," Remi chuckled.
"Food's ready!" Kuram called.
He and Kikina placed multiple large plates of food on the table. I couldn't remember the last time I saw plates so full, if ever. There was every dinner food imaginable. Chicken, turkey, lamb, roast potatoes, fried rice, and so many more delicious creations, most of which I didn't even know you could get in SAO. We all began filling our plates, but something felt off.
"Wait," I announced.
Everybody turned to look at me.
"I know it's Christmas, and we're all meant to be happy, but could we... Could we take a few seconds? To remember the people who got us here, and all the people we lost along the way. Last I heard, Darkstar said we were at 3,512 now."
Everybody went silent, staring down at the table. I'd clearly ruined the mood, but this was important. Without those people, none of us would be here celebrating.
Kuram sighed, "Adrian. The man who led the battles on the first four floors. Poor guy didn't even know what he was doing. It was obvious he was terrified, but he's the one who stood up when we needed someone the most. We'd still be on floor 1 if not for him."
"Raymon," Raigen said. "Just a boy but was already experienced in battle far beyond his years. It hurts me to admit, but if he wasn't there, I'd have been killed. It's just a shame a kid had to die to keep me alive."
Remi shook her head. "Poran. God, I can't believe it's already been 2 months. She meant the world to me."
"Selka, AoD and Streigr. Members of my own guild. We called ourselves the Brigands of Fate," Kikina smiled. "We were all so full of hope. You want to talk about the Kookaburras, Osaka or do you want me to?"
"I will, but I need to do this in order. I've got...a list. First one I need to mention is Maxis. After I made the mistake of leaving uncle Raigen back on floor one, it was Maxis who came along to save me. He died protecting me from a giant pack of goblins. Then, there was the Wolves of Night. Dyrk, Astrid, our grand, fearless leader Bran," I chuckled. "...and Lulu. I thought... I thought they were the ones I was going to make it to the end with. I guess things don't always go the way you want them too, huh? And them there was the Kookaburras. Blinky, Taz, Sparko and Brickhouse. That's my list. Does anyone else have someone they want to mention?"
"I..." Shiraki froze. "I've lost some. I don't care to share their names but know that I'm not a heartless bastard. I feel things to when people I care about die."
"And to everyone else who's died up until this point." Toru added. "I'm sorry you couldn't get here…but thank you for giving us a chance to make it out of here."
There was a few moments of silence that followed before we dug into out food.
We were speeding through boss battles, but there was no way that it'd last. It'd only been a bit over a year, we'd lost 35% of the total player base. How many more were going to need to die before we escaped I wondered.
Before I got the chance to enjoy my food, I received a mail notification, and another. Two more followed quickly after. As I opened the mail section of my menu, my body went cold and numb.
"You're worried that if we die, thing will be left unsaid. Well if that's the case, I have an idea..."
Kikina placed her hand on my shoulder. "Osaka? Are you ok?"
"We'll send one audio recorder to everyone in the guild as a gift, and set it to be received on Christmas..."
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
"If we're still alive by then, we cancel the gift."
"I-I have. I'm...sorry, could...you excuse me for a moment?"
"Yeah, of course. You can go into my room if you want. Take all the time you need."
I shakily rose from the table and walked out of the kitchen and into Kikina's room. It was small, with nothing more than a bed, dresser, desk and chair. I sat myself down at the desk, looking out at the blue light penetrating through the window.
Bran's brilliant idea. I'd almost forgotten about it.
I simply sat for a few moments, looking at the list of gift messages. Bran, Dyrk, Astrid and Luisa. Names I hadn't read in such a long time. With trembling hands, I clicked the message from Bran. A notification appeared. Voice Recorder: Bran 01/04/23 has been added to inventory. Selecting the item, it spawned in front of me. The small, blue diamond prism hovered just above the desk with an otherworldly look to it. As I pressed the button in the middle, the device began to glow and an audio recording began playing in Bran's voice.
"Ha HA! It is I! Your grand, fearless leader! I bet you all expected this to be a sad message, huh? Well think again! You KNOW I hate doom and gloom."
Oh, Bran. Always the life of the group. Thankful for the ground he stood on and the air he breathed. He really was one of a kind.
"Anyway, if you're hearing this here message, it means that I kicked the bucket, which is kind of sad, but hey. That's ok, because if you're hearing this, it means that you're still kicking. Great job on that by the way. I know surviving in this world is a challenge, but clearly, you've figure it out. I'm not sure who's left, so I'll just leave a message for all of you. Let's start with my buddy Dyrk. Duuuuude. Talk. To. Astrid. I don't know how you can't see it, but she's totally into you, and I know for a fact that you also have a crush on her. You can't hide it from me. Now Astrid. Give the guy a chance. I know he can be a bit of a bone head at times, but he's a good guy."
I had a feeling that there was something going on between Astrid and Dyrk, but romance never struck me as one of those things. If anything, it seemed like they hated each other. I suppose love works in strange ways.
Unfortunately, it didn't matter now.
"Luisa. I like you. Like, a lot. I don't know if I've asked you out or not, but if I didn't, know that I was going to. I had it all planned out. I was going to invite you out to dinner, probably while in a dungeon. I know you don't like caves, so I was gonna invite you out when we're nearing the end to try and take your mind off it. Take you down to that fancy restaurant on floor 1. The one overlooking Beginning City from the Top Point mountain. That's where I was going to tell you. If I did then, and you agreed, woohoo! Also, urr, sorry I died. If I did and you said no... Awkward. If I didn't get around to it, well, that's what was gonna happen."
I recalled Bran asking Luisa if she wanted to go out to eat on the day of their deaths, but it was only a quick comment. Everyone got distracted by the chests in the dungeon that it didn't really have any effect.
"And now, the little one. Oh, Osaka. You certainly keep things interesting, don't you. I've got faith even if all of us fall, you'll still get out. You're a tough cookie. You just need to realize it. Once you figure out just how strong you are, you'll be unstoppable. I just know it. Anyway, guys. I hope you all grow up, find love, have a family and all that good stuff. But I'm sure I'll be able to tell you guys all that stuff myself. I mean, can anyone really see ME getting killed by a monster? Unlikely. End of recording."
The recorder stopped hovering and landed on the table as the audio ended.
"Oh, Bran," I sighed.
Bran was never a stranger when it came to helping me out. He was always coming up with harebrained schemes to level me up or cheer me up. They rarely worked, but it's the thought that counted. He was singlehandedly the one who kept the whole guild running - managing the finances, sourcing new quests to go on and finding the best spots for hunting, and he never complained, or asked for anything in return. It was incredible how organized he could be when he put his mind to it.
If all the messages were going to be this cheerful, then I would get through them easily with minimal tears.
The next message I opened was Astrid's. A clip of her voice began playing.
"I, urr... Hmm."
Silence followed her broken sentence for about 10 seconds before she spoke again.
"I don't...really have a whole lot to say that I haven't said already. What is it Bran said again? Greatest desire, biggest regret. That sort of stuff. Hmm. I don't really...desire anything. I've got all I want. When I was a kid, I always wanted to be in a video game. Obviously, I didn't mean like this, but eh, beggars can't be choosers I suppose. As for my biggest regret... Well, I don't know! I've done a lot of stupid crap! I'm 18 for Christ sake. It'd be impossible to pick just one. There was that time back in 4th grade where I peed myself during swimming class, and that time I thought I'd be a good idea to shave my eyebrows off, and then there was the time I stole my dad's alcohol when I was 12 and tried to drink it all before he got back. God, I threw up so hard. Tasted great though."
I knew Astrid was a little messed up, but...wow.
"Oh wait. No, I know. Let me tell you a story. Gather round kids. This shit's about to go down. I was in high school. 15 I think. I knew a bunch of kids were planning on breaking into the school pool at night and having a party. I wasn't going to go at first, since I spent most of my school life being bullied rather than making friends. That skank Yui Kanada had it out for me since high school began. All because what? Because I got rank at the top in one of the boys stupid 'hottest girls in school' votes, and she got second. Who gives a shit?! Like I said, I wasn't gonna go, but then Shou Kasutani invited me. I can't believe I actually thought I had a chance with him. God, Mari. How could you be so stupid? Yes, my name is Mari Okano. Doesn't really matter if I say it. If you hear this, I'm dead anyway."
The message was quickly falling apart.
"Anyway, the party was ok at first. Hell, I'd even say it was fun. A bunch of stupid teenagers doing stupid things. We were all having a good time. Things with Shou were just perfect. It couldn't have been going better. Then, he asked for a kiss. Nervous, cause it would have been my first kiss, I closed my eyes and moved in slowly... Then it all went to shit. It was a set up from the beginning. Yui and her gang of sluts grabbed me. Pulled out a bucket of egg yolks and poured it all over me, then tossed a bag of feathers at me. Humiliated me in front of the whole school. So yeah, my biggest regret is that I didn't knock Yui Kanada out. I wasn't a violent person until I logged in, but Jesus. There're limits to this sort of thing. Anyway, I'm just venting. It still keeps me up a night to this day. Whatever. I don't really have much else to say. What was this message meant to be about again? Ah, who cares. I'm dead. It doesn't matter. End of recording."
The message was a lot to unpack. I had no idea Astrid could get hung up on things. She was always a very 'live in the now' kind of girl. I supposed everybody had more to them than met the eye.
I opened Luisa's next. Surely hers wouldn't be as all over the place as Astrid's, right? She was always so loving, and caring, and strong. I could always rely on Luisa to cheer me up.
"Hey, Osaka. It's me." She sighs.
Her voice was full of sadness. It made sense. This was recorded only hours after Adrian's death.
"I recorded a separate message for everyone, and now it's your turn. I..."
She paused, sniffling. When she began to speak again, it sounded like she's on the brink of tears.
"I wanted to make this a happy message for you, but I just... I can't. I'm sorry. I know I sounded fine after Adrian, but the truth is, it scared me. And hearing how scared you were... I said that I'd protect you, but I don't know if I can. It all went downhill so quickly, I don't know if I'll be able to act in time. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let something happen to you. Oh god. I'll... I'll re-record this later. My head just isn't there at the moment. I'm sorry. End of recording."
"L...Lulu?" I gasped.
I froze as the recording ended. My breathing became shallow. I'd heard Luisa worried before, but never like that. Hearing someone who was my rock break down like at the same thing that caused me to worry caused tears to well up in my eyes. I had no idea that she was so frightened.
"M-Maybe Dyrk's is better."
I opened the last of the ever-deteriorating messages, and unfortunately, it follows the same pattern.
The recording started, and there was nothing. No noise other than a bit of heavy breathing. Then, the heavy breathing morphed into sobbing. Dyrk broke down crying. Screaming 'I don't want to die' at the top of his lungs. I clicked the button on the recorder and view how long the audio went for. 9 minutes, 12 seconds. I scrubbed though the audio, trying to find some semblance of a message, but there was none. The entire thing was just cries and begging for his life. Beginning to end.
I had to stop the recording, just to comprehend what I'd just heard. It started off fine, but as it continued...
"Oh my gosh. I..."
I wiped my tears away, trying my best to stay strong, but it was hard. Hearing all their voices again. Knowing that they were just as scared as me. It hurt me to think about just how quickly it all ended.
"I'm sorry. I'm... I'm so sorry."