At the hospital gate, Stephanie's gentle ringtone pulsed in her backpack. The news had traversed through the vine, she had this feeling that other Companionship players would start calling her for clarification. The peace of the wolf pack had been stirred by this incident. It was normal for the Companions to be infected with fear.
But it was Annisa. Stephanie could hear her faint sobs and irregular breaths from the phone, pixelated edges of her face somewhat hid the texture of the glowing tears. It was contagious, making her eyes blurry with unshed tears, too.
"If only the car was fast enough to pick them up before the riot went out of hand . . .," she whispered out of habit. There should be an oversight from her end, indirectly misaligning the timing that eventually brought Gema's death. She could've called the Wellbeing team in advance when the van was stuck before picking them up, right? Or, she could've told Gema and Aluna to stay back a bit until the transport was ready.
