Quill and Gibbous assisted Arc out of the mall, finding the whole parking lot filled with responders busying to and fro, assisting to the civilians and the injured.
They saw Roy and Pierrot receiving first aid by an open trunk and chairs laid out around and headed toward them.
They settled Arc and let him lie down for a moment.
"What happened to Arc?" Roy asked, getting bandages on his fingers.
Quill sat down beside him. "I assume Arc's endurance is still low. Effects of the form come back to him heavily right after."
Pierrot who silently received some ointment for his leg, only listened in to the conversations. A few moments later and Crescent returned.
Her downtrodden expression made everyone worried, and Gibbous asked, "What's wrong, Crescent?"
"The woman didn't make it," she began, as she approached the team. Her eyebrows creased further as she settled beside Arc, who was lying down on a stretcher, resting. The news hit everyone like added gravity, the atmosphere now heavier.
Silence fell over the scene, and Bryan, who was relieved in his bright demeanor, approached them with a smile on his face.
"Guys! I'm glad you're all safe." The same curled lips turned upside down as he read the room. "D-did something happen?"
"The woman... she lost too much blood." Crescent filled him in, and he lowered his head upon hearing the news.
It was inevitable. In moments of danger, there are risks, and all one can do is their best.
Despite this reminder, the team almost always puts the weight upon themselves, knowing they are the only ones with the capacity to go one-on-one with these inhumane creatures.
"How about the possessed?" Bryan's face now worried, as if pleading for good news.
"What do you mean?" Quill responded.
"Didn't you guys seal the demon out of them? Where are they?"
Everyone turned to him and then back down.
After a short moment of silence and confusion from Bryan as to why nobody answered him, Quill finally spoke.
"If a demon manifests, it's already too late for them," he said in a somber tone. "The soul cannot return alive to a... 'changed' body."
"That's..." Bryan's face darkened as he learned this information. "That's messed up..."
It was unfair. It had always been. Possession, corruption, demons, sin... Nobody knows what it is or how it takes place. All they knew was that they had to save the possessed, seal the demons, ease people's minds, and prevent more victims of destruction.
Bryan looked up at everyone, and saw their faces. He thought he was the only one angry. Yet upon seeing those expressions, each of them displayed seething rage, that almost shook their bodies. Even Pierrot, who often took things lightly, was serious at this moment.
Right now, he was looking at individuals who had just saved a lot of people from danger, and they were angry. Angry at demons, angry at their own lacking capabilities, angry at circumstances. The picture sent a chill down Bryan's back.
He gulped. "Detective Yoo told me to gather every piece of information about this case as well."
At that moment, Arc stood up from lying down, his ears still experiencing muffled sounds.
"How are you feeling?" Pierrot asked.
Arc only nodded, massaging his temples.
Quill walked closer to him and crouched. He pointed at his ears. "Ears still hurt?"
"No, my ears still hurt," replied Arc.
The team, who were all looking at him, got confused for a moment before they processed what he had just said.
Gibbous held back a chuckle. "Baldy can't hear well yet."
"That demon's cry did a number on him," Quill said, sighing as he got up.
"Well, I can stay for the report." Pierrot stood up. "You all wait for me in the car."
Pierrot began the report to Bryan, and the team slowly exited.
They all turned and headed to the car. The walk was slow and sluggish, holding and assisting parts of themselves that were wounded. The weariness was evident in everyone's heavy steps.
"Mint?" a voice called from behind them, and Quill perked up. It was gentle and soft, with a loving tone.
That voice. A familiar voice he didn't want to hear again.
"Mint, is that you?" The woman called again, and she slowly approached Quill who never turned.
She was wrapped in a blanket, her appearance disheveled and a mess. As she continued stepping forward, the others only looked at her and then back to Quill, some of them confused.
"Go," Roy said softly, and Quill immediately proceeded without looking back.
He walked on ahead, hearing Roy talk to the woman, their voices fading as he walked further. Briskly, then to a jog, until he ran faster to the car parked at the corner of the street. His heart pounded. Fear, shame, guilt, anger... in the mixture of emotions, there was no expression on his face as he ran on.
Quill entered the passenger seat and closed the door behind him, panting and trying to steady his breath.
"Why now..." he muttered, his mint hair disheveled and covering his eyes. Hair stuck to his forehead from the cold sweat, and he leaned forward, head on the top of the dashboard, holding back his tears.
He took a moment to himself, blocking out other thoughts in that numbing sensation.
A few minutes later, Quill took a deep breath, sat straight, pulled the rearview mirror to check himself, tidied his hair, and wiped his sweat. He sat alone, waiting for the others.
When the team entered the car, there was only silence.
The two newbies, who were confused, felt like they should not ask anything, but Crescent couldn't help it.
"Who was she?"
Quill looked out the window as he replied, "I'll tell you later."
Again, there was silence as they waited for Pierrot, who arrived a few minutes later.
He entered the car. "Talks done," he said as he closed the door. "Let's go eat some fried chicken."
"That's a good idea," Gibbous added, relaxing her back on the seat.
Roy, who was in the driver's seat, started the engine, "Then, I'll make it extra delicious today."
Gibbous let out a low chuckle, "How could it be more delicious than it already is?"
"Sauces."
She nearly gasped as she met eyes with Roy in the rearview mirror. "Roy... you are God-sent," said Gibbous in a too-serious tone, making everyone softly laugh in their seats.