The sound of gunfire still echoed through the camp.
Not as many as before.
The screams had diminished, and what remained was the dry echo of shots fading among the trees. The main mission given to Kobayashi had been aborted, the snow that covered the ground was no longer white.
Everything had been painted red.
The pale daylight gave the scene an unreal aspect.
Torn tents, abandoned weapons, bodies scattered across the snow like broken dolls.
The cold wind blew through the trees carrying the metallic smell of blood.
Dmitri moved forward among the dead.
His body was covered in small red droplets. None of them were his, yet his heart still beat as if it were about to explode in his chest.
Each step seemed heavier than the last.
His legs were tired from running so much, but he kept going.
Deep in his heart there was only one thought, a stubborn hope that refused to die:
"Alice... Anastasia... Please... Be alive."
He passed another fallen body, stepping around the outstretched arm of a camper who seemed to have tried to flee until the last second.
His mind was confused, all of it felt far too absurd.
— When did the world become like this? — he thought.
The war had been terrible, that was true. He had seen destroyed cities and burned fields.
But even before being taken to the farm, even before all of this.
He had never seen a massacre like that.
Dmitri clenched his teeth.
Despite everything, he was still alive and at that moment that was all that mattered.The central house of the camp appeared before him, the small wooden building was almost intact.
He tried to open the door, but it was locked.He pushed harder.
It seemed something was also holding it from the inside, that was when he discovered a chair jamming the handle from within.
His heart raced.
— Alice, it's me!!
For a second there was no response.
Then quick footsteps came from the other side.
CRACK!The lock was undone and the chair removed.
The door opened timidly.
Alice's eyes shone the instant she saw Dmitri. Before he could say anything, Anastasia appeared at the back of the house.
As soon as she saw him, she ran toward him.
She hugged him tightly, too tightly.
Her hands trembled as they gripped his clothes.
— Thank goodness... — her voice faltered. — Thank goodness...
She couldn't hold back the crying.
Dmitri took a deep breath.
For a moment, just a moment, all the chaos around them seemed to disappear. He placed his hand on her head and pulled her against his chest.
— I'm glad you didn't get hurt.
Alice watched the two, breathing in relief.
For the first time since everything began, it felt like maybe... Maybe they could get out of there.
Dmitri raised his head, the sound of gunfire was decreasing, each shot sounding farther away.
— The "Chains" soldiers disappeared. — he said. — This is our best chance to escape.Alice hesitated.
— But... Mikhail and Elena haven't come back yet...
Dmitri looked straight into her eyes. The answer was there, both of them knew.
— Alice... You understand the situation very well.
She didn't respond, but her gaze said everything. If they hadn't returned yet... They probably never would.
PAFT!!
A shot broke the silence in the distance, everyone turned at the same time.
A camper running toward the house collapsed into the snow, his body falling lifeless.
— Please, move out of the way!!
Two people appeared running in complete desperation, they entered the house almost throwing themselves inside.
— They're coming! — one of them shouted.
Dmitri didn't wait, he grabbed Anastasia's arm.
— Let's go!
Alice ran right behind.
They crossed the destroyed camp, with every step the bodies of soldiers mixed with the campers.
Some still held their weapons.
Others lay in strange positions, as if they had been taken down before even understanding what was happening.
Alice jumped over one of them.
— Who did this?
Dmitri shook his head. — No idea.
He looked around.
— I only heard these guys shouting, and then the gunfire started.
Alice frowned. — Could it have been that guy from yesterday?
Dmitri thought for a moment.
— Very unlikely. — He kept running. — His tent was far from the camp, even if he is an Ash. There would be no way to arrive so fast.
Alice breathed heavily.
— Mikhail said there are several models. — She dodged another body. — Maybe he's a faster one.
Dmitri let out a small grunt.
— Urgh... You do have a point.
For a strange moment, it seemed like they were winning.
It seemed like the soldiers were being defeated by someone, it seemed like maybe...They might actually escape.
That was when two soldiers appeared between the trees, they were returning, probably after eliminating the last campers.
Dmitri stopped immediately.
His arms extended instinctively, blocking Alice and Anastasia behind him.
But it was too late, the soldiers had already seen the three of them.
— Go back. — Dmitri said firmly. — Go back now!
For a second no one moved, then the soldiers raised their weapons.
Dmitri reacted without thinking.
He pushed Alice away with all his strength, at the same time pulling Anastasia against his own body.
The shots came immediately, the two fell into the snow.
Dmitri felt pain pierce through his shoulder and his right arm. The impact was so strong his body almost lost balance.
Blood sprayed, staining Anastasia's face.
— There are three. — one of the soldiers said.
— Damn! How many people are in this camp!?
Anastasia didn't hear clearly, her body was rigid. Dmitri's warm blood ran over her clothes.
She looked up, the soldiers were approaching. Her heart began to beat faster, far too fast.
Her breathing faltered, her hands trembled.
A horrible feeling began to rise through her chest.
Death.
She was watching death walk toward her, and this time there was nowhere to run.
— No...
Her voice came out weak, almost a whisper.
— Please... Please...
She couldn't move, her legs trembled, her body wouldn't obey.
Fear took over Anastasia's body completely, this was very different from the farm.
At the farm there was always somewhere to run, some dark corner to hide, some moment when the guards were careless.
Not here.
In that place death was walking directly toward her, slowly and without hurry.
The sound of the soldiers' steps crushing the snow seemed too loud. Each step made her heart pound.
Her breathing became irregular, short, fast.
Her entire body trembled, she tried to stand but her legs didn't obey. It was as if something inside her had shut down.
— N... No...
Her voice came out weak, almost like a breath.
Her stomach tightened, and without realizing it her body gave in. Warmth spread between her legs.
She had urinated.
Dmitri was still lying in front of her, bleeding, trying to stand even while wounded.
The soldiers finally stopped in front of them, one raised his rifle. The muzzle pointed directly at Anastasia's face.
She closed her eyes.
Then something struck the soldier's helmet.
PLOC!
A snowball, the man blinked in confusion.
— Hey!!!
Alice was a few meters away crouched behind a tree on the soldier's left side. She trembled but raised her arms trying to draw attention.
— Over here!
Deep down she knew it wouldn't work, after all there were two armed soldiers.
But she had to try, she couldn't simply stand there and watch her friend die right in front of her.
One of the soldiers looked at her with a crooked smile.
— Man, what a waste. — He tilted his head. — That little blonde over there looks pretty clean.
The other soldier snorted.
— Stop messing around and finish this already, if Natalia catches you saying that crap you know what will happen.
Grumbling, the soldier turned the rifle toward Alice.
— Stay right there. — He laughed.
The shots echoed, the bark of the tree exploded into splinters when the bullets struck the trunk she used as a shield.
The shooting stopped for a moment.
— Natalia must be on the other side of the camp. — He spat in the snow. — And besides there's no one here to be a witness.
He looked at his friend.
— What do you think about us taking that little blonde and—
The soldier turned, the sentence died in his mouth.
His partner was on the ground, half of his head simply wasn't there anymore.
The body had been pierced by shots, exit holes the size of an apple tearing through his chest.
The soldier froze.
— What the hell—
Another crack echoed, then another. The soldier panicked, spinning his body pointing the rifle in every direction.
— Son of a bitch!! Show your—
The burst came from behind him, the weapon exploded in his hand along with a few fingers.
The bullets tore through his torso, the impact threw him backward but he still remained standing.
He choked on his own blood and tried to turn his head.
And he saw.
— You... — his voice came out hoarse and wet. — Weren't you... That bastard... Who invaded the central building?
Blood ran from his mouth.
— How... Are you still alive?
POFT! — His body collapsed into the snow.
Silence. Alice only realized what had happened when something heavy pressed the ground between her legs.
A knee.
The sound of gunfire was centimeters from her ear, a sharp ringing filled her head.
She could barely hear anything else, and when she looked up..
Félix was there.
She had not even seen him arrive. Without saying a word he began quickly patting her body, searching for injuries.
— What are you doing!?
Alice's cheeks flushed with anger, but Félix completely ignored it.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her shirt up without any care.
A red line marked her stomach, a bullet had grazed it.
Alice tried to pull away.
— You idiot!!
She pushed his arm with all her strength, but it was useless. The purple marks on her wrists were still there, reminders of his inhuman strength.
Félix tore a piece from his own clothing and quickly tied it around the wound. Alice felt like a doll being handled, incapable of resisting.
Anastasia watched everything in shock, she could not understand that man.Was he an ally? Or an enemy?
Félix finished the improvised bandage and spoke quietly in German:
— Do me the favor of not dying until I find out what you're for.
No one there understood.
Dmitri managed to rise onto his knees, his shoulder burned with pain, but his fingers were still moving which was a good sign.
— Are we... saved? — Anastasia murmured.
Dmitri took a deep breath and spoke in broken English:
— Quickly! We need to get out of here before more of them come.
Félix finally looked at him.
— We?
The wind blew between the trees, Dmitri frowned.
— What do you mean?
Félix replied coldly:
— I can't let this girl die until I discover what she's for.
He pulled Alice by the arm.
— Unfortunately you are not included.
Dmitri felt his stomach sink.
— But you don't even speak Russian! — He tried to approach. — How are you going to communicate with her?
— I'll figure something out. — Félix replied without emotion.
He began walking away dragging Alice through the snow.
Alice pulled her arm, trying to break free, but nothing worked, the gap in strength between the two was enormous. Her body was completely overpowered.
— Wait! — Dmitri shouted.
He ran a few steps and fell to his knees in front of Félix.
— We can translate what she says! — His voice was desperate. — I swear!
But silence was the answer he received.
Dmitri bowed down to the ground.
— Please, I'll do anything!! — He swallowed dryly. — If it's not possible to take me, then at least take her!
Félix looked at Anastasia, the smell of urine was evident, she trembled uncontrollably with empty eyes.
— That woman is a lost cause. — He turned his face away. — I doubt she can even stand.
Without waiting for a response he continued walking with Alice.
Félix didn't know how to regulate his own strength, to him that was just holding someone, but for a normal human it was crushing.
He didn't care if he hurt the girl even more, in fact for him she just needed to stay alive, the condition she was in didn't matter.
Whether that made sense or not was something superfluous.
Alice looked back, her magenta eyes were filled with tears.
She didn't know what Félix wanted, and she knew her weak body would not be able to escape.
Right there she swallowed all her pride and stubbornness. Her face was marked with tears running down her skin.
That day the world made her a woman.
She filled her lungs with air and screamed with all the strength she had:
— Dmitri help!!!
Her golden hair flew like threads of gold in that gray, cold and lifeless environment. The cry for help erupted like a spark in the middle of chaos.
Her cry echoed inside his head, he knew how much she had suppressed her pride.
Whether he liked it or not, it was because of Alice that he escaped from the farm, if there was someone he had an eternal doubt about it would be her.
But what did that matter? His savior was being taken right in front of him, and he could do nothing.
He refused that.
Dmitri grabbed the weapon of one of the dead soldiers and ran toward Félix. He knew he couldn't get too close, but he also couldn't risk hitting Alice if he shot from too far away.
He fired, the weight of firing the rifle with one hand was too much, the recoil of the weapon made the shots form an arc that almost hit Alice.
However, Félix threw Alice to the ground and crouched down dodging the shots. There was no anger in his expression, nor remorse.
He grabbed the barrel of the gun and squeezed, the metal snapped apart frightening Dmitri.
Félix knocked him to the ground and placed his knee on his chest, the barrel of the gun pressed against his head.
Dmitri looked at Alice lying on the ground, their eyes met one last time. All he did was give a smile of relief, because at least she would escape all of that.
— Sorry, for not having that strength...
PAFT!!!!!!!
Before Alice could even think of saying anything, Félix pulled the trigger and shot Dmitri in the head, executing him right there.
Anastasia looked at everything without reacting, her body had grown tired, it felt like something had broken inside her.
She touched her heart, but it wasn't beating like before, it was slow, far too slow.
Her fear passed, the despair calmed, even the shine of the tears on her face stopped.
The tears fell, but she felt nothing.
— No!!!!
Alice ran and collapsed over Dmitri's dead body, crying like a child.
Félix didn't dare interrupt.
— Mom!!!
She screamed for those who had watched her grow up, her mind thought of nothing else but them.
— Dad!!! Grandpa!!! Grandma!!!
It was useless, but her mind did not process that fact.
— Brother!!! Sister!!! — Her hands were soaked in blood. — Please anyone, someone save Dmitri!!!
Inside Félix he felt something tightening his heart, he did not understand that feeling. It was painful, yet he had no cuts on his body, he wasn't wounded, but it hurt without any apparent reason.
It was as if he saw someone else there, someone who wasn't Alice leaning over Dmitri.
She kept screaming for help, but the entire camp was silent, even the gunfire had stopped.
She was the only one screaming.
Beneath all that stubbornness and pride, she was someone sentimental, someone who cared about others. She was afraid yes, but her fear of losing those around her surpassed the fear of death.
No one would come to her rescue, no matter how much she screamed. Even if she grabbed someone's knee and cried, the sound would not echo anywhere to anyone.
Dmitri might have been alive if she had not called for help, but she made him push himself too far.
And everything was ruined by the most foolish of feelings.
Félix could no longer stand watching that deplorable scene, he had to grab her by the waist and pull her away from Dmitri's body.
— You're a monster!! — Alice struck Félix's arms. — I hate you!!! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!!
Anastasia stood up, but her gaze was empty. She did nothing, she simply accepted her fate and watched their footprints being erased by the wind.
All while Alice screamed in the background:
— You have no soul! You're just like them, nothing but a monster disguised as a human!!!
She kept cursing Félix until her vocal cords grew tired.
Anastasia was left alone, she had lost everything she had left, the little that had remained since she was taken to the farm.
She walked to Dmitri's body and knelt. The snow fell over her body, she simply let the cold consume her little by little.
And once again in her life, just like a torturous dream.
Loneliness returned to attack intensely.