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I tried to call Lucia and Francesca, but there was no signal. We’re out of range.

I stared at the screen in silence. My mouth was shut, but my mind was racing faster than ever.

There are more situations than you might think where you can’t catch a signal on your communications device.

It could be disrupted by solar flares, or the area could be surrounded by mountains and rivers causing the waves to scatter. Or it could be a remote location where the nearest cell tower is far away, like a barren wasteland or a deserted island. In those places, attempting to communicate is extremely difficult.

But right now, we weren’t in the wilderness, we were in the city.

A large department store located in the heart of Abas. Only a five-minute walk from the subway station. It made no sense for there to be no signal here.

So the situation must be one of two possibilities. First, there’s a problem with the nearby cell tower, and the service provider can’t offer a connection.

Or second,

“Hey, why did you suddenly stop talking? Hello? Hello?”

“Brother, my phone isn’t working.”

“Team Leader, the radio’s not functioning right now—is it broken?”

Someone might be intentionally disrupting the signal.

“……”

It seems like the latter is the case.

Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

A creeping sense of unease crawls over me from head to toe. It’s like someone is pulling on my hair, and I feel my consciousness slipping away from the back of my head.

It’s a familiar feeling. The kind I always felt just before a bomb went off or a gun was fired.

I instinctively looked around; something was definitely wrong.

The department store has a total of 9 floors. 7 above ground and 2 below.

The center is open like a donut, creating an atrium. At the bottom is the main lobby with the front door leading outside. The ceiling is made of glass, letting sunlight illuminate the interior, designed in a floating style.

I focused on memorizing the locations of the emergency stairs and exits while checking if Lucia or Francesca were around.

Then it happened.

“Um, over there.”

Camila gently tugged at my arm.

She was looking at me with a discomforted, or rather, slightly pale face.

“What’s the matter?”

“Something… feels off… like I shouldn’t be here…”

Squeeze. The grip on my forearm tightened.

I placed my hand on Camila’s shoulder while scanning the surroundings and the front door.

“Calm down, Camila. Just breathe and don’t panic.”

“No, I’m not panicking… I just feel sick…”

“I told you not to eat anything before bed.”

I tried to joke lightly, but Camila’s complexion showed no signs of improvement. It seemed like she was really feeling unwell.

I held her hand gently and started to move slowly.

“It seems there’s a communication issue right now. It might be temporary, but I don’t know the cause.”

“Something unusual…?”

I seated Camila in a chair and briefly explained the local communication system.

“This area doesn’t just use radio waves. We have magic too, you see. Communication using magic waves is commercialized, but this technology is pretty sensitive to environmental changes.”

“What kind of changes…?”

“I don’t really know since it’s about the door, but it’s similar to how communication goes haywire when there’s a solar flare. Something like that.”

I summarized and simplified my explanation to ensure Camila would understand and not think it was too serious.

“It’s just a natural phenomenon. It happens all the time. Announcements will come out soon, and the communications will be restored, so just stay calm—”

-KA-BLAM!

“…I guess we can’t wait that long.”

The sudden loud noise made Camila and me instinctively turn our heads. I gestured for Camila to stay seated and headed towards the source of the noise to check the situation.

“Don’t go anywhere. Stay here.”

“Is it, is it dangerous…?”

“It’s fine. I mean, what could possibly happen?”

Even as I slowly walked away, a deep-seated anxiety began to stir inside me.

Please let nothing happen.

I desperately prayed as I checked the department store lobby.

And then.

As usual, the world betrayed my expectations quite beautifully.

“…Ah, damn it.”

In the lobby stood some suspicious-looking people wielding guns.

It was a terrorist situation.

*

A terror incident occurred. Right in the department store. In a place meant for the public.

I didn’t know the motive, who was behind it, or how many terrorists there were. I wasn’t a psychic, how was I supposed to know that?

I quickly started to think. I had to be cautious yet swift in my judgment.

“It’s a terror attack.”

“…What?”

“I said it’s a terror attack.”

I grabbed Camila’s hand and hurriedly stood her up. Camila looked up at me in shock, her expression blank.

Anyway, what needed to be done was clear.

We gotta split!

“Let’s run!”

I grabbed Camila’s hand and dashed away. The terrorists had come in through the front door and taken over the lobby, so we had to escape in the opposite direction.

“Where are we going…!?”

“We need to find a place to hide. Stick close to the wall!”

Camila pressed herself against the wall as I instructed.

In general, when such incidents occur, people tend to move down the center of the hallway.

The problem is, if too many people rush at once, it becomes uncontrollable.

A slight misstep could lead to a stampede while trying to flee. Or else you could get caught by terrorists while moving slowly within the crowd.

I dashed along the wall, gripping Camila’s hand tightly and avoiding the confused crowd.

-BANG!

Gunshots echoed through the interior; they were alarmingly close.

Camila turned to look in the direction of the noise, and then quickly turned to meet my gaze.

“Uh… what do we do…? Lucia and Francesca…?”

“Where are they now?”

“Oh, they said they were going to the third floor…”

The third floor is where the women’s clothing stores are located. And we were currently on the first floor.

Damn it.

I locked eyes with Camila and spoke firmly, unknowingly tightening my grip on her hand.

“I can’t go looking for those two while I’m responsible for you.”

“

“Let’s start with what we can do first.”

I quickly crossed the corridor, noticing how the decor was changing around me.

In a large department store like this, the facilities for customers and employees are usually separated. Employees are expected to disappear from sight the moment they step out of the store. So, to avoid bumping into customers, they use separate restrooms and elevators, and they usually access employee lounges and offices located in out-of-the-way spots.

Typically, customers barely know where the employee facilities are, or even that such facilities exist. So it’s no surprise that terrorists are likely unaware of them too.

We need to head there.

Right now.

“I’ll take you to a safe place. Just wait there. I’ll find the two of you and bring you over.”

“Wh-What do you plan to do alone…? There were gunshots just now….”

“Wait.”

As I turned the corner of the hallway, I quickly pivoted and pushed Camila against the wall.

And covered her mouth with my hand.

“What are you doing…!”

“Shh.”

Camila, who was about to speak, seemed to realize something; her face went pale as we made eye contact. I could feel her anxiety through her trembling pupils and her short, damp breaths under my palm.

I kept my hand over Camila’s mouth while quietly leaning out to look around the corner.

There, were the terrorists threatening the employees.

“…….”

Two terrorists.

Their outfits were mismatched; they wore baseball caps low over their eyes, scarves, and masks to conceal their faces. I couldn’t tell their race. One thing was certain—one of them was definitely not human. It had a furry tail sticking out from behind. A beastman, perhaps.

They were armed with guns and knives. A hunting shotgun and a large knife.

I fiddled with the handle in my pocket, locking eyes with Camila.

“Camila, you said you like James Bond, right?”

“…Y-Yeah?”

Camila nodded with a dazed expression.

“Could you just give me a moment?”

*

I slung the shabby suspenders over my shoulder and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from my pocket. With a flick of my wrist, I popped the pack open, and the white filter leaped out like a salmon breaching the surface.

As I held a cigarette, the fox turned to me, scrunching her face in disgust.

“Hey, I told you to go outside and smoke because it stinks. If you’re going to smoke, don’t come within 50 meters of me.”

“What are you, a furball? Why are you so sensitive to smells? Are you a beastman or a dog?”

“A fox is a canid, you ignorant fool. And didn’t I tell you that if you call me a furball one more time, I’d kill you?”

“Geez, the drama….”

The fox aimed her knife at the hostages. The harsh energy made them cower, their heads bowed low.

The fox said, “I’ll take these guys with me first. You smoke that up and come back without the stench, okay?”

“Got it, got it. I’m not your wife, why are you bossing me around?”

“If you come back after washing with water like it’s nothing, you’ll be a dead man. Go wash with soap!”

I waved my hand in acknowledgment. The fox led the hostages away toward the center like a piper.

I bit down on the end of the protruding filter and opened the matchbox. The last match was rolling around inside, moving this way and that.

Lately, the cargo trains haven’t been passing through much, so I was running low on matches. I’d better grab a lot when I head back.

If I could get back, that is.

I struck the last match against the strip and lit it.

Underneath my shadowy palm, the damp, moldy cigarette began to burn bright red. As the stale smoke filled my lungs, I felt a shift in the distant corner of my vision.

“Who’s there? Come out.”

“…….”

I gripped the shotgun tightly, my hair standing on end as I pulled the trigger.

Click. The chilling sound made my heart race.

“Come out!”

Just then, someone appeared from the end of the corridor, raising their hand.

“Um, hello…?”

It was a girl.

She looked a bit pale and hesitant. She slowly stepped around the corner, raising her hand slowly, as if she were some drenched little animal, too scared to move.

I lowered the barrel slightly, raising one hand to calm her before slowly approaching.

“Raise your hands. Put them on your head.”

“…Um, okay.”

“You’re fine. I won’t hurt you. If you keep your hands up and follow quietly, nothing will happen.”

As I got closer, the girl took a few steps back, but it seemed like her legs were frozen; she wasn’t actually running away.

Just as I was about to slip the shotgun against my side and grab her arm—

A sudden impact made me sway. It felt like my right knee had been struck. I lost my balance, dropped the shotgun, and instinctively reached for the wall to steady myself.

Before I knew it, I felt a rough strength lifting me up as if I were floating.

-THUD!

My stomach burned. It was painful and hot, like I had been punched.

My head wasn’t working right. I didn’t know what was happening.

Something that had lodged in my abdomen suddenly pulled back and then slammed right back in. I tried to look up to see what had hit me, but a grip on my chin yanked my head to the side.

Just before my eyes closed,

What reflected in my retina was red hair swaying. A hand covering a mouth. Wide, blue eyes filled with horror.

And the Suit Man, pressing a blade to my neck.

-SLASH!

Bloody flowers bloomed against the corridor walls.

 

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