Endless bloody minutes

The gunshots ceased but we decided to wait 10 more minutes just to make sure everything was gone by the time we investigated.

Devina had told us to reach the auction, and there was supposed to be a door leading to it in the corridors so we had to travel on.

The rooms got progressively darker and harder to see. Zeri used my arm as a crutch and hugged it tightly. Her face was filled with discomfort. I tried to maintain a neutral expression but there was just something eerie about this place.

We reached a metal door, Zeri thinking it was the auction room ran up to it and pushed it with her body. Some weird thick viscous scarlet liquid flowed from underneath the door. Zeri took a step back and outbursted in disgust as her brand new shoes had been colored red.

Zeri ignored it and continued to pry open the door. She had finally nudged the door enough to make it fly open. But on the other side was no auction room, it was a basement.

The stone floors are covered in this red liquid. I hesitated to step onto the crimson floor but Zeri hushed me to hurry up.

I stopped dead in my tracks as soon as I heard the screams and yelling of people. Zeri had already ventured further than me, I looked back and saw there was nothing but darkness behind.

I didn't want to be alone here so I ran after her. Wasn't she just too scared and couldn't walk without holding me? Why is she just running off like that? I hurried up and was now beside Zeri.

Zeri stood completely still as she looked on in front of her.

"What's wrong Zeri?"

She pointed her finger towards something and stared with petrified eyes.

I peeked over and saw a repulsive sight. The body of a man lying on the floor with a hole in his head bleeding. Sitting motionless against the wall was the naked body of a young girl with multiple bullet wounds to the stomach and her hand was completely blown off.

Zeri stumbled backward, her knees now covered in blood.

Without warning she vomited all over the floor, adding another horrendous element to the already revolting scene.

"I can't deal with this," Zeri said crying out loud.

More regurgitated bits of food came up Zeri's stomach. I took a few steps back and told myself not to even imagine the grotesque images I just witnessed.

The smell pierced through our noses. The bodies were relatively fresh so they had an iron odor from the blood and a sour odor from the bodies.

The air reeked of gunpowder. While tracing back my footsteps I saw another pair of footsteps. It walked down another corridor and the wall was covered in bloody handprints.

We weren't here for that, we are here to prioritize rescuing Oslovi. But we didn't have a clue where it was. We were just told by Devina to find the auction room.

The mission was the only way to save Fiviana and we needed Oslovi to cure that illness. If only we found Fiviana somewhere in this basement.

Looking at the wall, trying to avoid observing the corpses. I was already on the brink of vomiting myself but I had to hold it in. For my sister's sake, I have to save her. I quietly yelled out Zeri's name.

Trying to make her snap out of her fear of death.

"Zeri! Zeri! Zeri!"

She kept sitting on the floor repeating, "I don't want to be here."

I didn't know what to do, I didn't want to leave her all by herself in this place. So I asked her if she wanted to go back to the corridor we were in earlier.

She didn't respond.

"Zeri!"

She was still petrified, it was as if she had a similar event in the past that traumatized her, and seeing this evocative scene caused her to reminisce about that.

I didn't want to touch her without permission so I just stayed with her. I was frightened as well, I didn't want to be here either. This was my first time seeing the dark side of humanity, the side I never wanted to see. I wanted to stay in my little bubble with my sister, with my family. But now that my sister had gone outside my protective barrier, I couldn't reach her anymore, there wasn't anything I could do. I couldn't prevent her from getting into predicaments and getting seriously hurt. I know I shouldn't worry about things I cannot control but my sister had left me all alone and I had to grow up to stand by her side.

I stood by Zeri for a pretty long time. She had somewhat calmed down but she was still sniffing and crying.

This was my only chance to convince her to stand up and continue.

"Zeri! We must continue on our mission!"

Her legs still trembling, I promptly asked her to cover her eyes so I could lead her through this place. She grabbed my hand and with the other hand she covered her eyes.

I stared into the wall and followed it so we didn't need to face the direction of the bodies.

I quietly stepped near the edge of the blood puddle. Zeri grabbed onto my hand even harder, but as I followed the wall, in the dimly lit basement we were in, I saw her pale face.

"Why are you here, Hanao?"