Bang! Bang! Bang!
I sat up in a panic at the sound of the door to my unit being pummelled.
"Wake up, Klyson!"
It was Soho.
"Why the hell are you banging on my door?!"
"You've slept in! It's already almost 10!"
Ah, shit.
I quickly got up and put on my pants, flicked-on the light, and slid open the door. Soho was standing there looking eager and energetic to get going.
"You ready?"
I noticed I was still shirtless. "Yeah, hold on. I gotta find my shirt."
She watched as I scrambled around the room. "I don't get it. It's been three months and you're still sane while living in this concrete box?"
Soho always ridiculed me for continuing to stay in the storage unit Ian provided me.
"A place to sleep with privacy is all I need. This unit provides exactly that."
"You don't even need windows?"
I sighed. It'd been a long time since I'd seen natural light shine into my room. "It isn't necessary."
"Just move into the Waving Kitty with me! Even Draz is willing to give up a room for you."
I shook my head. "No need."
I put on my top and left the storage with Soho. We took a pre-planned commuting route to get to the orphanage, Sunnyside Orphanage. While on the bus there, we organized some of the equipment we'd brought. I had a sharpened blade holstered behind my belt, tucked under my shirt to avoid suspicion. On either side of my belt's perimeter, two in total, also holstered, were flashbangs. I'd use them as distractions in an emergency scenario. Both Soho and I had ear-pieces hooked up to remain in communication even while apart. And Soho was tightening the knots on the new sport shoes I'd gotten her, of which weren't oversized this time. All of this was easily funded by the payouts I'd been receiving from Heathen.
"How is it?" I asked Soho, who was fitting her shoes for the first time.
"Perfect. Fits like a glove!"
I recalled my first impression of her—those loud footsteps from her large shoes back at the Grand Cordial a few months prior. "Why were your previous shoes so big?"
"I found 'em."
"You found them?"
"Yeah, they were just left on the sidewalk by the street. I only had slippers at the time, so I saw it as my chance to finally get some proper cover on my feet."
I was dumbfounded. "You really just saw some random shoes on the street and thought it was okay to take them?"
"Yeah!" She smiled brightly.
This girl…
I facepalmed, holding back the little laughter I couldn't help but feel about the absurdness of Soho. Soon, we'd arrived to our bus stop which was just about a block from the orphanage. We slid on our beanies. Mine was black, and hers was purple. Every mission, we used differing colors of different types of hats in order to keep our identities ambiguous. If we'd kept using the same look every time, we probably would have been caught by now.
"If we go straight in, they'll think we're there for for one of the children. We can't draw attention to ourselves like that."
"Sneak-in it is then," Soho replied.
Approaching the block at which the orphanage was located, we began to diverge off the direct path to the front, and instead circled around a side of the building that was vacant of windows. I noticed that the grass surrounding the place was dead and littered with weeds, and that the condition of the orphanage's walls were damaged and run-down. I understood now why the place couldn't even afford proper heating ventilation.
"This should do." Soho planted a foot against the brick wall. "Static."
I tucked in my equipment, ensuring that they weren't loose enough to fall, then began to walk up the wall alongside Soho towards the roof. When we'd reached the top surface, we found the grounds to be absolutely littered with cigarette buds. I noticed even more litter scattered around a door found at the middle of the rooftop.
"That's our entry point," I said, pointing.
"You think an alarm would go off if we opened that?" Soho asked.
I took a glance at the look of this establishment and all the cigarette waste on the roof. "You think this place could afford an alarm system?"
"Oh, right… They can't even afford heating…"
We made our way quietly towards the door, peering through its window to ensure no one was on the other side before entering and closing the door silently. We were now inside the building.
"It's cold…" Soho exhaled and condensation left her mouth.
"Should be a telltale sign that our target's here," I said.
"5'9, short brown hair, and his name's Dante, right?"
I nodded. "We might just have to go off those former two characteristics though. Not like we can go around asking for a 'Dante.'"
"Or, we could look for the one obviously heating-up children with his Fractal."
"Right."
We slowly descended the stairs, noticing we were in a designated stairwell. There were only two floors in total, three if including the rooftop. First arriving to the second floor, we peaked into its halls to listen for noise coming from any direction, but it was serene.
"I think it's empty on this floor."
We traversed the halls, remaining crouched. I took note that all the rooms were filled with about 10 beds each.
"These are the bedrooms," I said, turning around to look at Soho. Unexpectedly, she wasn't tailing me as closely as I'd thought. I found her staring into one bedroom in particular.
"207," she said, seemingly lost in thought.
I noticed that the door to the room had a label with the same number on it.
[ 207 ]
Except, Soho hadn't even seemed to notice the door label at all. She stared solely into the room, as if analyzing its arrangements.
"Soho, are you okay?"
She ignored me at first, which was unusual.
"What's wrong with that room?" I asked.
She pointed at the corner of the room. "That window isn't cracked anymore. They fixed it."
My eye grew wide.
"What do you mean…?"
Soho suddenly looked at me with a look of concern. "Klyson…"
"Yes?"
"I-I'm… There's… memories I don't recall, coming back to me right now."
My heart rate was picking up. "Don't tell me…"
"I think this is the orphanage I grew up in."
Soho's words stunned me in place.
Shit. This is not a good place to be doing what we're about to do.
"You remember? Your memories are coming back to you?"
"Barely." Soho grabbed her head. "Only little things here and there. It feels a little troubling."
I couldn't help but feel concerned. I knew how sensitive an event like this could be.
"Are you okay? Do you want to step out? Do you want to back out?"
"B-But you need my help, don't you?" Soho looked eager, but I could tell that she was conflicted on the inside.
"Are you sure?"
She nodded, hesitantly at first, but confidently after. "I-It's okay. It shouldn't matter. We're here for work and that's it. We have to fulfill Heathen's duties."
"Okay. As long as you say so." I took a deep breath. "Let's go to the bottom floor then. I feel like that's where Dante and the rest of the children are."
We snuck back towards the stairwell, with Soho lagging slightly from behind. When we'd touched ground floor, I could finally here noise.
"I'm cold Dante…!"
"I know, I know… Get closer, everyone…"
I could hear the distant murmurs of numerous children, and the replies of our target.
"Ian was right," I said. "Dante's here."
Soho nodded.
We peered into the hallway, confirming it was empty. When we came out, the noise only came from one direction, which seemed to lead towards a small atrium in the center of the orphanage. I assumed that Dante and the children were gathered there, all in one spot from which Dante probably exerted a surrounding emission of heat for everyone using his Fractal. In the same direction, along either side of the hall, were scattered doors leading into various rooms. I noted that one of them had the label—
[ Cafeteria ]
"I have an idea," I told Soho. "The cafeteria should have pots and pans, right? We could make an audible distraction of some sort to lead him away from the kids."
"Then do it in the kitchen?"
I nodded. "We'll make something happen."
As we snuck towards the cafeteria door, I could hear more of the exchange between Dante and the children. There was laughter and giddiness among them, even in the odds that the children faced. It seemed that through both the cold temperature and conditions that the kids withstood, they could still feel happy along with the one who provided them warmth. I could even tell through the way they spoke that they smiled from ear-to-ear.
"Dante, you're coming back tomorrow, right…?"
"Of course…! I'll be here everyday to keep you guys warm until it's warm enough to go outside…!" He lowered his voice, speaking in a jokingly way. "Or maybe until the nannies finally get a new heater…!"
The kids laughed among each other, except for one who spoke up.
"But does that mean you'll stop coming if we get a heater…?"
The laughter among the children stopped. The tone had suddenly shifted into one that was concerned.
"Please keep coming back…"
"Even when we have a heater, come back, Dante…!"
"Yeah, please…?"
"Please, Dante…?"
"Please, please, please…!"
"Dante, don't go…!"
The kids were bombarding him with pleads.
"Y-Yes…! I'll keep coming back, don't worry… I could never leave you guys alone…!"
One child sounded like she began to sob. "If Dante goes away when the heater comes, then I don't want the heater to come anymore…!"
The rest of them began to join in.
"Yeah…! No heater…! I don't want a heater…!"
"No heater…! We only want you, Dante…!"
The crowd of children kept switching directions like that, going back and forth about what they wanted and didn't want. But throughout hearing all of it, there was one thing that was clear to remain unchanged.
Their love for Dante.
Fuck.
I felt my heart clutch with the tight grasp of guilt. So I took a deep breath and swallowed it down.
Dante is no different from the rest of the people you've killed. Suck it up, Klyson Rainer.
I was speaking to myself, the old me—the one that would have conceded to the morals about what was right and wrong before going through with anything.
But that was the old me. Klyson Rainer was dead. I'd accepted that a while ago.
Fill out your role for Heathen. This man can become dangerous, and you're the only one tasked with preventing that.
I'd encountered something akin to
To kill one, and spare numerous other lives. Or to spare the one, and end numerous other lives.
Dante may have been this symbol of hope for the children of this orphanage, but leaving him be, and risking a Fractal Activation, could bring about hundreds more casualties, especially with a Fractal like his.
I have to sacrifice you for the sake of Melysia, Dante. I'm sorry.
"Dante, I'm hungry…!" I heard one of the children say. Now crouching in the middle of the cafeteria, both Soho and I immediately realized the opportunity when Dante replied—
"Stay put, I'll get you all some snacks from the cafeteria…!"
His footsteps were now approaching the door. Soho and I immediately retreated towards the back of the kitchen, as quietly as possible.
Creak—shut!
He closed the door behind him. Dante was now in the cafeteria with us, unknowing of our presence.
It's time.
Our target was now isolated from witnesses.