Sol looks around for help but everyone is scared. Students are just kids in the end, even if they get stronger from the shards they get.
The other teacher isn't much better, they act like the most important thing is to gather everyone near the building to go inside and regroup. Nobody cares about the students that go west to the mountain.
Sol is not much better than anyone else, he is afraid too. It is human to be afraid, while some say that bravery is not that different from stupidity but some say that love makes people blind.
Sol, who had gathered his courage for these students (including Anya) ran into the building, pick up an emergency hunting rifle. He packs all the bullets he can fit in his pocket, sheath his kitchen knife, and hang it on his belt.
"Sol where are you going with that gun?"
Sol turns around to be greeted by the vice principal chubby face. "I'm going to save the students who are still in the mountain," Sol said resolutely.
"You can go but not with this gun. We need it to protect everyone in the building, we don't know what is lurking out there!!"
Contrary to the vice principal's expectation, Sol just grits his teeth and runs out into the mountain without a word.
"Someone stops him!!!!" he shouts but no one wants to risk it going after Sol into the mountain. "Let him go, sir, we can just pack up and go back to the city," said Allan to Bob, the vice principal.
Still angry from being ignored, Bob just nods at Allan's suggestion and shouts, "Everyone pack up!! We will leave this place in 30 minutes, anyone that is late will be left behind!!!"
No one wants to provoke Bob anymore, so nobody speaks up to him.
"Anya!! Anya!!! If you hear me please shout!!" Sol runs blindly up the mountain. He has been screaming for 5 minutes but nobody shouts back.
Sol is about to turn around to look at another place yet he spots a red patch on the snow. He thought he found a piece of that Shard. Sol understands that he needs the power to survive against whatever in this mountain and Shards is one thing that he knows will improve his chance of survival.
He takes a closer look only to realize that it is not shards but a patch of blood. Sol warily looks around while pointing his rifle wherever he hears any noise.
Steeling his heart, Sol walks closer to the red patch. Five meters from there he found another blood patch. Following this blood track, Sol finds that there is more and more blood on the snow.
"Ha... Ha..." Slow breathing can be heard behind a big tree surrounded by a pool of blood.
Sol walks closer, "A.. Anya?" fear is clear in his voice.
He finds a pale girl by the tree, her skin as pale as snow, her hair as black as the night. She would have looked stunning if not for the blood pooling under her from her sides.
"Sorry teach, I'm not your lovely Anya," the girl said with a weak smile. Her voice is so faint that Sol needs to get closer to hear her.
Sol knows her, she is one of his students, Sasha. From 2 years being her teacher he knows that Sasha is a quiet girl, she rarely talks to others, but he knows that she is very kind. She likes to help Anya with her bag and helps her buy lunch every lunch break. Whenever he applauded her for her kindness she only awkwardly laughed.
"Sasha are you ok? Can I help you?" Sol asked worriedly.
Sasha only shakes her head slowly. "Don't give up yet. First, let me stop your bleeding." Sol hurriedly pulls her clothes up to check on her wound. What he saw was horrible, her wound wasn't on her sides but there is a hole from her left side to her right side like someone sticks a rod through her body. There is no more blood to flow out of her, her skin is snow cold and her wound frozen.
Sol stunned for a moment then tried to use his jacket as a makeshift bandage when Sasha stopped him "No Teach, I am hopeless. You don't need to tear up your clothes for a dead person like me," her voice broken and her eyes glister.
"No Sasha you will be alright. The gate to the underworld is closed, you can't die" Sol tries to reassure her. "We can still die, teach, I saw Bella died right in front of me. It ripped her head off before it stabbed me and went after Anya"
Sol ignored her, patted her head gently, and continued to rip his jacket, "you will be fine" Sol insists. He looks convincing if not for his shaky voice and his trembling hand. He remembered how bright her smile was whenever he offered to help her with cleaning duty. It seems that she liked it so much because she always did it alone every day.
He remembers how she opened up to him little by little, how she encouraged him when he was down. That image of a strong and quiet girl that he remembers in her can't be seen anymore, the only thing you can see in her broken body is a sad girl who had given up on living.
Both of them stay silent while he bandages her. After a while, Sasha talks, "you are a good man, teach," her voice grows fainter. "Anya is a fortunate girl, she is pretty and everyone likes her."
"Teach, there is something I wanted to tell..." she starts but Sol interrupts her "Sasha stops talking and saves your strength," he holds her hand for a bit then continues to bandage her.
"Sol.," Sasha called his name for the first time. Sol looked at her and somehow he knows that she can't go on anymore. So at least he can hear her last word. He places his ear by her mouth.
"I have.. always loved you," Sasha mouths but her voice fails her, no sound comes out of her mouth. Tears run down her cheeks, she feels so tired that she wants to close her eyes more than anything. She kissed his ear and closed her eyes, "I'm sorry" was the last thing on her mind.
Sol looks at Sasha's motionless body, his heart feels desolate. He has an unexplainable sense of guilt for her like he had done her injustice all this time.
Sol takes Sasha's necklace off and keeps it for her family to remember her. "Rest in peace Sasha," Sol said to Sasha's lifeless body.
"I need to find Anya and get back as soon as possible," Sol continues his journey up the mountain.