Shoot Back

Extensive damage to Quadrant E.

Repeat—extensive damage located in Quadrant E.

Magishift Core Unstable.

60% of magic tanks A-C emptied.

Back up procedures activating...failed.

Chances of radioactive reaction...critical.

Sound systems malfunctioning.

Repeat-sound sys-

Syst-...

...

Huff...huff...gasp.

I was bleeding from the head. My cheeks were flushed from running so hard and long, accompanying the burning sensation in my lungs.

I was caught off-guard, not expecting an attack to seek me out the moment I cut ties with Leifa and the others.

Hidden behind the door of a medium-sized glider about as large as a house, I sat inside its hollow steel interior littered with bandages, bloody soaked, and fresh alike.

Power amplification pills, healing potions, warm cloths, and disinfectant- everything necessary for first aid was scattered messily.

Sticky blood pooled from the rock-sized gaping holes that ruptured my legs, left arm, and right side, painting my garments as the stream escaped underneath the door to the outside.

Footsteps emanated behind the shut door. Their owners' voices prowled the area listening for the slightest sound that would give me away, ignorant of what was happening nearby.

Mmph!

I couldn't speak. Several warm cloths stuffed my mouth full to the back of my throat. Their usual warmth severely burned and numbed every organ, ensuring no scream would leak out while I showered disinfectant over every wound.

The process was painful. Tears welled but refused to spill over. No matter what I attempted, the deadly injuries wouldn't close. The five remaining pills I ingested proved ineffective in boosting the recovery time and effectiveness of the potion with the pathetic trickle of magic I had left.

"Little girl!" The piercing scream shook the ship. My nerves reacted nervously. The last roll of bandages popped from my grasp, tumbling down the slope into a long corridor leading to the captain's seat, firmly disappearing.

Crap!

For a while, I was careful not to move. Too stiff to move; instead, I listened. Minutes of lending my right ear were fruitless, picking up nothing from outdoors.

Contrarily, a noise came from inside the glider.

CHINK! I felt it before I saw it. A massive gust of wind pressure attacked my back when the ringing sound of steel shattering into pieces echoed behind me.

A cannon of a shot slammed into my back mercilessly, shoving me through the ship's entrance door.

I landed with a squishy thud on the lavish burgundy carpet that decorated district E's interior dealership building.

Gunfire of plasma blasters gave me no window to breathe, quickly closing in to finish me off.

I haphazardly threw myself to the side, bouncing down the many steps leading up to the second-floor level where the gliders were prominently displayed, crashing to floor one.

The fall opened up scars accumulated on my back from the blast, gushing new blood.

Not good. At this rate, I'll succumb to blood loss. I already feel the sluggishness taking control.

I have to...keep moving. I must-

I bite the delicate frills of the carpet, clawing my way forward. Subtle nods become more frequent as I persevere, mustering the last bit of strength to see my hands in front of me.

SWEE!

"Ahhhh!"

The sensation was instant but not painless. Red lines streaked across my face in surprise.

A scream of agony that wouldn't be thought human escaped from me. The tears I didn't cry earlier profusely spilled, mixing with the bleeding from my head, turning it red.

I Instinctively reached back, clutching whatever was possibly left as my left leg landed before me in a bloody heap, severed at the thigh where the hole had been.

"She's alive on the first floor!"

"Don't let her escape!"

"Push ahead!"

Terrifying war cries sung like an orchestra.

Why...

"C'mon, she's nearly at the door!"

...Why?

"Only a few more steps. Kill the devil's incarnation!"

...Why do I... always end up like this helping people?"

I'm tired of dying because of others' suffering...I don't...wanna die...anymore!

The blood I coughed tasted sour and cold. It was as though time slowed to a crawl and stopped leaving me in an isolated space.

Glancing through half-opened lids, I weakly raised a hand to the sky, touching the soothing sunlight that shined through the glass door to hopeful salvation.

Am I...finally free?...

SHATTER!

A rude awakening came in the form of a gut kick.

The glass coating on the double doors shattered into pieces like a jigsaw puzzle as I was lifted a good five feet from the floor, ramming into the sturdy frame.

"Did you think we'd let a rat such as yourself escape?" My torturer asked mockingly.

They dished out multiple kicks to my chest until I vomited, choking on whatever came up.

"Are you guys just content with watching? There's more than enough for everybody-we doing this or what?"

Thunderous applause came in the way of frantic running. Ten legs lifted over my lithe body descending upon various places in agonizing unity.

I couldn't tell if I was screaming amongst the sound of breaking bones as my body contorted in unimaginable ways.

The pain made me curl into the fetal position, dawning the realization that death by curb-stomping would likely be how I passed to the gates of the afterlife.

"AH!"

Someone's kick deftly destroyed my right eye, closing it for good.

"Alright, that's enough."

Cold and calculating, the individual leading the group spoke again, ceasing the beating.

The looming shadows backed away, parting to the side as subjects did for a queen. I was pulled up by the bangs of my hair, hanging in her grasp as she pressed something to my temple.

"Have any final wishes?"

N-No...more

I hung my head, unable to say anything. If I blacked out now, succumbing to injuries would be how I died, but staying awake would ensure a quick death by gunshot. Death was wholly inevitable, but one thought still resonated deep within.

I...don't want to die...

Don't...let me die alone...

I shuddered, closing my one eye expecting an attack.

Shuuk!

The attacks sounded, yet I was okay. Screaming and tumbling came close from the leader, followed by the feeling of falling and then being embraced.

"Five minutes. I can't remember when I had to cover this much distance in such a short time. I'm glad to see you alive, Jai."

A raspy breath escaped. Slowly lifting my left eye, I was blessed by an angelic sight. Tenderly hugging me in her left arm while threateningly pointing the spear in her right towards the enemy, I was gracefully cuddled by a familiar figure in a maid dress.

"...Leifa."