41 - My Way

"Before you separate, please tell Terrence where did you lost the young lady, ma'am." Natalie speaks through the Arrow.

"Young lady Ruby wears a red dress that reaches her knees, red shoes, and she has her hair tied up with a big red ribbon." The woman explained.

"Okay. Ruby red. Got it." I nod.

"Here. Show her this and she will understand that you don't mean harm." The woman gave me a handkerchief.

"Wow…" It looks really different from the handkerchief I see in stores. There's a big logo on it. "Okay. Um, what is your name, mam?"

"My name is Nanny Heather and she's my young lady Ruby." She said.

I keep the handkerchief and nod. "Yes, you've mentioned her name. Alright, you are Nanny Heather. If I see her, I'll tell her you sent me. Hopefully she will come with me."

Nanny Heather looked concerned once again, but she tries to hold it. "Yes. Please, save my young lady!"

I give her a thumb up and a smile. "I will!"

"Come here, Terrence." Rean signals me.

I approach him and he gave me two bottles of potions. "You'll need it."

I softly push his hand back. "I still have my stock. You keep it."

But he quickly grabs my hand and pull me closer. "Do you really know where she is?"

I stare back into his eyes that reflects only seriousness. I realized he's not asking if I know, he's asking if I'm sure I 'know' where the girl is. He's still unconvinced that I can really 'know' where the survivors are.

Well, I don't blame him. If I'm in his shoes, I won't even give a lunatic like me a look. I'll just let him do what he wants, and just focus on saving myself. Whatever happens to the lunatic, happens.

I nod firmly. "Yup."

His eyes narrow by a fraction. Disbelief is still lingering inside those ocean blue of his and again, I cannot blame him.

I proved I'm right only once. That won't be enough to believe that I actually have a new ability after a near-death experience. But the deal had been made, and he couldn't go back and change it now lest he wants to embarrass the uniform.

"Be careful, and please listen to Natalie. She's our Captain. She knows what she's doing." Rean then releases my hands and walks to the nanny. "Ma'am, please don't stray away from me."

I feel something in my hands and I saw two regular potion bottles. I grimace and immediately shove them back to his side pockets from behind.

My act surprised him and he actually sends me a 'Don't you dare' look. But I stick my tongue out at him and immediately run upstairs.

"See ya at the roof!" I laugh as I run.

Rean checks his pockets and sighs as he realized the blonde had just returned the potions that he had given him. He tried to gave him these because he had used two potions back in the Control Room.

Rean can still go on without potions, but he cannot say the same for that classmate of his. He just prays that there will be no more casualties from the Terrace's side.

"My, he can still laugh amidst the chaos." The nanny commented with a drop of sweat.

"He's an odd one. Please don't be offended." Rean sighed. "Shall we?"

"Ah yes." The nanny climbs the stairs with him.

"But it's alright since he will find the young lady. If I do not realize that you come from the Terrace, I would 've been too afraid to ask." She commented as the both of them saw Terrence entering the 24th floor's emergency door.

"Ah, sorry." He just realized that he said they're the police and not the Terrace. "I said that so we won't scare you."

"It's alright. Your decision was right. I was calmer." The woman smiles at him. "But I won't be entirely be at ease if I don't see the young lady. I hope he finds her."

They pass the 24th floor and Rean could see through the emergency door's window that the blonde is running deeper inside.

"He reminds me of the current Lord when he was still young. All smiles and sunshine in front of a burning forest." The nanny suddenly commented.

Rean gulps and pretends he did not just hear that. "Let's speed up a bit."

"Ah, yes."

They climb up with a slightly faster pace.

-

I run inside the floor and immediately slow down when I reach the end of the hallway. I take my gun out and stand in the corner, peeking out carefully to observe the perimeter.

I don't really remember what happens in this floor. But I still remember that this is the last floor where the players will encounter a survivor.

Yes, that means this floor's survivor will be the last worker I will be able to save.

"Do you see anything?" Natalie's voice spoke through the Arrow. The volume is so much lower than when she spoke to us at the emergency stairs before. She must've lowered my Arrow's volume through the base.

"Not yet. But I can hear Prattas and Direwolves."

Their familiar sounds now seem to roam everywhere now that they've literally dominate the normal stairway. Which is a good thing because they'll be away from my lovely points.

"Before—" She paused, but the she continues. "—when you said the nanny is in the storage room. How do you actually 'hear' her?"

Oh man. This again. How do I talk around it this time? Man, I'll just be me and ignore her.

I carefully step into the right hallway with my gun ready like those FBI agents in movies. It makes my hands far from my face, but I'm just not in the mood for some conversations.

She does not urge me to answer, unlike her friend Sheena. Man, that girl still annoys me. I don't remember her face, but I 'will' find out after the mission and send her a 'care package'. The content will be a beautiful surprise.

I peek into the next hallway, but I see so many Prattas in there. There are four of them, but for someone who wields a gun, that's a lot. Prattas can only be beaten with swords, and well, sharp objects. And I don't have any.

"Terrence. Tell me where the girl is. I will guide you through the corridors." Natalie said.

She's calm. But I bet she's using every cell in her body to keep her calmness.

I step back and just lean on the wall in the corner. I pull my hand close and whisper. "Alright, Natalie. If we're going to do this, we're doing it my way."

"We've been doing it your way. You've been disobeying instructions and you've been recklessly entering a dangerous situation by yourself. You could die, Terrence."

"People die, Nat. And besides, this is war. You change instructions based on the situation in the field. If you're going to be selfish because I don't want to listen to some of your orders, you don't fit to be Captain."

She doesn't reply right away.

I peek at the hallway again, and sadly enough, the Prattas are still there. So I tiptoe carefully to the other end of this hallway.

She still doesn't answer after I peek the other corner and immediately hide again behind the wall. Because I just saw two Direwolves only a few meters nearby. Thankfully, they are occupied with the corpses on the ground.

I take a few steps away from that corridor and check on my bullets. Then I heard static and immediately pull my hand close to my ear.

"What do you need?" Natalie asked with almost no expression.

I smile. Seems like I broke her.

"Tell me my surrounding."

She starts telling me the rooms in this floor and I can't help but feel delighted somehow listening to her expressionless voice.