BANG BANG
SCREECH
The Sujin I just shot crashes into the cubicles on my right. The woman screams as she covers her ears while running.
I heard another screech, this time it's coming from our left. I look over and see a Sujin diving from the broken window.
"Duck!" I pull her down as a Sujin dive from our front. When the monster had passed us, I tap her back. "Go!"
She stands up in hurry and continues running while I cover, giving a special care to the left side because there are more broken windows than the other side.
The office area has three aisles and four columns of cubicles. Since Rean is fighting the Sujins in the middle aisle with Jake, and Patrick in the right aisle, the only option left is well, the left one.
I would've gone for the right aisle and go past Patrick. But the walkway is too narrow and he's already preoccupied with two Sujins.
I see another Sujin coming in from the left, so I make her crouch to dodge the dive. At the same time, a Sujin lands in front of us. When it sees us, it screeches and runs towards us with its wings drawn high. But because of the cubicles, its wings crash a few times on the cubicle walls and makes it lose its balance.
I snicker at the idiotic Sujin and shoot it in the head. I missed it on my first shot, but I got it in the second one.
"Go!" I told her and we run to the end of the hallway.
Rean slashes all the Sujins coming at him one by one. He has fought this monster before, so he has quite an advantage. Three Sujins are easily taken down by him, and another two right after, and another two on his way to the end of the office area. One by one, he delivers his iconic red slash that has the Burn effect. And when they're stunned by the Burn in their flesh and feathers, he easily cuts their neck or wing off.
He meets me and the woman at the other end, the three of us unharmed. Although I envy the guy because he still looks cool despite his hair and uniform are disheveled.
At that time, there is a scream from the corridor near us. The sound is almost unrecognizable due to the Sujins' wing flaps and screeches.
However, Rean beats me in pointing it out. "Someone's screaming."
I straighten my back instantly. This is what I fear if I'm going with him. He can easily take the points that are canonically his privilege. These points are not mine to begin with, they are for the players that playing him. I'm just taking it from him for my own benefit, for Ozzie's mission.
I can't let him take it back now that the threat in this floor is only the Sujins. Challenged privilege is chance for others! It's my chance!
Rean is already looking at the corridor where the scream is coming from. I immediately look around to find a reason to make him stay. My gaze falls on the woman who is cowering between us and an idea suddenly comes up.
"I'll go check." I told Rean. Before he can say anything, I immediately add. "I can't protect her with so many birds—"
I don't get to finish because a Sujin dives at us. Rean's reacts quickly and gives the Sujin a deep cut in its wing. It falls down, smearing blood on the floor.
"… See?! Exactly what I meant!" I point at the Sujin he just cut down. But I don't wait for him and just run past him.
"Terrence!" He tries to call me, but I ignore him.
'He won't just leave a citizen unattended. This is the only way!'
The screams are getting quieter, so I speed up. I don't even bother going in the first doors on the left and right because I know the distress call is in the second door on the left. When I reach that door, I see two Sujins harassing a female cadet.
One Sujin is on the desk and the other is on the floor. Both of them are trying to peck her, but the one on the table also claws at her head. They're hopping left and right, trying to find the right angle so that they can attack her. While the cadet looks like she's having a really bad time. Blood is flowing from the side of her face, there are wounds on her exposed skin, her clothes are tattered, and she's missing a boot.
"Hey!" I immediately shout.
The birds instantly look at me, and, as if finding a new target, they come at me.
I drop my gun and take out the bat. I'm not a fool that will shoot in a closed space. I can accidentally kill the cadet if I miss the shot.
Then I take some steps backwards and, once they're out of the room, I smack them one by one like practicing baseball. The birds fall to the floor on each of my sides.
When the iron bat hits their heads, there's this CHUNK sound that sounds so satisfying in my ears. So I couldn't help but grin widely when they're screeching in pain. I immediately go to the nearest one and the head again, effectively killing it. The other Sujin seems to have seen what I just did to its friend, so it tries to crawl away from me.
I shake my head and make a 'tsk tsk tsk' sound. "Sorry not sorry. You shouldn't have hurt a lovely lady like that."
I raise the bat and brings it down to the pitiful Sujin. It stops screeching.
"The first was a powerful blow, you should've died. This is me being merciful so, your welcome." I mumble.
There's a coughing sound from the room and I just remembered about the wounded cadet. I return to the room and she's already lying on the floor while coughing.
"H-Help…"
I kneel beside her and examine her condition. "Sprain obviously. Shallow and deep wounds, bruises… Concussion for a twist… Stay down, please." I told her as I rummage my bag for medical kit.
"You're (cough) so calm (cough)…"
"Stop talking, please. You'll die." I found one spare medical kit and immediately open it. The medical kit only consists of the materials needed to make a simple torniquet, and a small heal. So it won't be enough to heal her enough to move her.
'Should I give her mine?' I contemplated. I shake the thought away. No, I can't give her mine. I still have to fight the boss, so I'll need them later. I decide to think about it later.
"I don't have enough Potion for you. Here, drink this for now." I help her up and lean her on the shelf. Then I put the Potion vial on her lips. She opens her mouth and I help her drink the potion.
As she's drinking, I remember that Jake has blue potion, the High Potion, that he used to bring me back from the dead. Oh wait, let me correct that. The potion that healed me enough to keep me from dying. Yes, that.
So when she's done drinking, I tell her. "Wait here, I'll get my senior. He has a blue Potion."
Then I put my bag beside her so that she won't fall to the side, and leave the room.
The female cadet looks at his retreating back with a frown. 'You said 'wait here'. As if I can move…' She cursed him under her breath.
She glances at his bag. He had forgotten to close it, so she can see the content. But she's seeing made her bewildered.
'Cat treat… Juice boxes… Cookies… Water bottle… Just why is he bringing all of these to a mission…?' She wonders.
The only decent thing is those small hand grenades with yellow lines and bullet magazines. But even those are so little for a mission of this scale. Also rope and tie cables…
'He's mad… Just what is he going to do with these things…?'
She cannot understand that junior at all.