A long blast from a ship's horn echoes through the air.
Silhouettes fill my path, crowding in one after another. The clamor of voices echoes in my ears, wearing on my frayed nerves.
It's so frightening... I want to run away... but where could I even go?
Father had another manic episode, smashing almost all the furniture in our home before throwing me out onto the street.
P-please, let me through...
Whose brat is this? Stop pushing me out of the way for tickets!
You little bastard! If the Corrupted come, you'll be the first one they snatch!
Angry shouts rise up from the crowd behind me, and tears of fear threaten to spill from my eyes.
I dash through the crowds, clutching the note—the address kindly written for me by our former butler. I'm too afraid to meet the adults' eyes, but I force myself to study their faces...
I quicken my pace. Faster, faster! I have to find her—
Mother... Is she here? Will she even recognize me? What expression will she have when she sees me?
Will she gently scoop me into her arms and give me another cute plushie like before?
Or... or will she be cold like a stranger, curse at me like those refugees just now, or even throw me aside violently like that man who I called Father?
I want to imagine her expression, but I don't know what expression to expect. My eyes sting with anxiety and fear.
I squeeze past person after person. Each time I reach someone, I secretly compare their face to the photograph in my hand.
Not this one, not this one either... Where is Mother?
Thud—my body is suddenly knocked to the ground by someone in the crowd.
Nngh—
The chaotic crowd surges forward, blocking all sunlight from view. One by one, pitch-black figures loom toward me—
I scramble to my feet in panic, only for my small, frail body to be knocked down again by someone passing behind me.
Mama... Mama...
Where are you...?
...Yui?
A gentle call. A short, soft syllable. In this world, only one person would call me by that name.
Yui?
Another call, as a woman in a research coat bends down among the fleeing crowd. I strain my weary eyes, carefully comparing what I see to a well-preserved photograph—
—Mama!
Why are you here...?
A thin shadow blocks the dim light, making it impossible to see the woman's expression. After a moment, a pair of slightly cold hands gently touches my forehead.
Yui...
Mama... Mama...
Tears erupt as a hoarse, desperate wail rises from my throat.
Why, why did you leave me behind? Why did you abandon me in that house?
Why is Dad always so cold? Why is he always drinking?
Why did Dad hate the doll you left behind when I gave it to him? Why did he get so angry that he threw me out of the house?
Why—
...You've grown so much.
The gentle pat on my back and her tender touch help the exhaustion of my long journey gradually fade from my limbs.
It's okay now... Everything's okay...
Yes... it's okay now, it's all okay now... as long as I stay in Mother's embrace, all the pain will fade away...
The warm, steady heartbeat by your ear acts like a lullaby, guiding you toward dreamland...
"Just one... that's all... it won't take much time..."
"Made an exception... below... passenger... can't stop them..."
"...Can't you make another exception?"
"...admission rules... one... I think... that's perfectly clear."
I'm awakened by muffled voices. Mother seems to be talking with someone...
Mom?
Upon waking, I immediately grab tightly onto the hem of her clothes again.
Then it's settled... we have a deal.
Mom gazes out the porthole. After a moment, she kneels down and gently pries my fingers from the hem of her clothes.
Yui, take your things and wait for me below deck.
What about you, Mom?
I... Mom still has some luggage to pack. Once I finish packing up, I'll come find you right away.
I don't want to leave her. It was so hard to find her. I don't want to leave her side.
But... she looks a bit unhappy. From my experience with Dad, adults become happy when I follow their instructions.
Following Mom's instructions, I pick up some of the luggage and head back to the port.
When Mom comes down, where will she take me? I haven't had cake in such a long time. I want to order a huge, huge cake with the sweetest cream.
Of course, Mom gets the first bite! I need to reward her for finally finding me after all these years. From now on, as long as we're together...
The ship's horn blares loudly.
Damn it, this piece of junk is really leaving, and I haven't gotten on board yet!
People willing to spend their last penny on a ticket are already queued for the afterlife. You don't stand a chance.
Damn it. If I could be like that woman just now and bring a kid to play the sympathy card, I might be able to buy a ticket with just a little extra cash...
The ship... is leaving? What are you talking about?
Huh? Aren't you the kid from just now? Why didn't that woman take you aboard?
Because she told me to wait for her here... She's coming back down any minute now!
Wait for her? Didn't you hear the ship's whistle? That ship is about to leave!
You're lying—
The ship emits a dull, heavy groan as the gangway slowly lifts away from the dock.
Wait, Mom—!
Yui chases after the departing ship in desperation, leaving her suitcase tumbling on the ground behind her, forgotten in her panic.
She was supposed to come to the port to pick me up—she must not have made it in time. Please wait for her!
That ship is taking Mom away!
Stop yelling, kid. Don't tell me you haven't figured it out? Having a child makes it easier to win sympathy from those self-righteous hypocrites on the ship.
Haha, that woman just used you as a stepping stone to get herself on board.
That's impossible—she's my mom... she's my mom... so...
She's my mom... so she can't abandon me again... it's impossible...
Your mom? So what?
The refugee lets out a contemptuous sneer.
In this world, the only thing that matters is your own survival. Who cares about moms, dads, and all that sentimental garbage!
Everyone's struggling just to survive the Punishing Virus. At a time like this, who can afford to care for a child...
It's not possible. It can't be true. Mom finally found me after so long; how could she leave me alone again...
Heh, you think you're precious or something? She can just make another child!
That's not true... it's not like that...
I feel like my fragile heart is crushed in someone's grip. I gasp for air in desperate gulps as dizziness from prolonged hunger washes over me. I collapse suddenly, then struggles back to my feet.
Mom must not have had time to come down... Mom...
Yui...
The woman she called "Mom" stands on the ship's deck, gazing distantly toward the harbor.
Humans can only move forward by discarding what is unnecessary.
That's the smart choice.
Someday you'll face the same situation I did, and then you'll surely understand me.
Please don't blame me, Yui.
The woman I called Mom sails away with the ship, growing smaller, becoming a mere dot, before vanishing into the heart of the deep blue sea.
The retreating figure of the woman drains all the strength from my body, and I collapse to my knees like a puppet with its strings cut.
Mom, why, why...
Dehydrated and starving, her vision repeatedly darkens, yet her consciousness remains unexpectedly clear.
Why did you abandon me again...?
Why did you acknowledge me, why show the same tenderness as when I was little, only to abandon me again in the end?
"Humans are creatures who can only move forward by discarding the unnecessary."
Unnecessary things... So, am I an unnecessary thing?
Just like... an empty wine bottle, dirty velvet curtains, a shattered mirror...
Everything rushes out of view as the surging sea of people blurs into light and shadow before my eyes.
What's happening?
Kid, stop kneeling. Your mom's not coming back no matter how long you wait. Hurry up and run! The Corrupted are coming!
...Corrupted?
...You came here without knowing anything? Why do you think everyone traveled so far to line up for those ships? They're evacuation vessels.
The Corrupted are coming, the ships have already left. So why aren't you running? You want to die?
He shoots her one last fierce glare before suddenly bolting away.
"AHHH—!" First a scream, then two more, then three, until they merge into a chorus of terror. I am too short to see anything; only the cries reach my ears.
The crowd suddenly reverses and surges back toward me; people push and shove, trampling anyone who falls.
Some poor souls don't even have time to scream—before the Corrupted reach them, they're already trampled to death by their own people.
I can't stay kneeling here or I'll be trampled to death. I have to run! But people are everywhere... where can I go?
Hey—shorty! Stop staring and get over here!
A boy pushes open a manhole cover from below and heaves himself up. The opening is unusually narrow—only a child could squeeze through.
The boy's flashlight casts a feeble glow, illuminating thin, gaunt faces one by one—more children.
Newbie, you really lucked out. Follow this tunnel all the way to the end and you'll bypass that wave of Corrupted.
And what about you guys—how come you're here?
To make sure people who come down here don't get lost!
This is the biggest underground maze in City No. 143! What if you accidentally wander into an area where the Corrupted are?!
The dirt-covered little ones excitedly crowd around the newcomer.
They're filthy, so filthy, covered in sewer sludge... But despite the dirt, they feel warm—warmer than the man called father and the woman called mother.
Did your mom and dad not want you anymore either? It's okay, we've all been left behind... Come stay with us!
Yeah, yeah! We're all unwanted, come stay with us!
The boy holds up a dim flashlight, guiding the other children around puddles of water.
But there are still lots of people in danger. We need to save many, many more people, people just like you.
And then... we'll all become a new "family" together! We're brothers and sisters! We can survive even without adults!
Is that... really possible?
Of course! This is how all of us have survived until now.
The girl removes her coarse cloth cloak and drapes it over my shoulders. The boy hands me his flashlight to light my way through the tunnels.
We're here... This is it. Just climb up from here and you'll be able to bypass the Corrupted.
Newbie, you go up first. It's safer up there. We'll cover your back.
O-okay.
The sound of water dripping... hollow echoes in the tunnel as my worn leather shoes pad softly through the sewer. There's light ahead—that must be the exit, right?
I grab the rust-covered ladder and kick upward with my feet.
The hollow metal pipes creak ominously—
It's fine. Almost there, almost there. My upper body emerges from the opening.
Squeak!
Something sharp pierces my calf—it hurts!!
A Corrupted hanging on the ladder suddenly grabs me, its five fingers digging deep into my flesh.
Ah!!
H-help!!! I scream for help as I stumble back in the direction I came.
"I told you this path was no good."
"We needed some sucker to test it out first."
"Now we know. Come on, let's find someone to test the next route."
The children's cold laughter drifts from nearby.
W... why? Didn't we promise to become a new family... why?
Squeak!
Ah—it hurts, it hurts so much—I want to scream—
But who can I call for? Dad? Mom? Or those so-called "brothers and sisters" from just now?
There's no one...
But I have to survive, no matter what.
Blood trickles from my lower lip clenched between my teeth as my right hand frantically searches for anything I can grab—
I found a sharp stone.
Summoning every ounce of strength left in my body, I desperately clutches the stone, and then—
SMASH!!! Smashing downward in a frenzy.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes... My bruised leg tears open, flesh exposed. The cold mechanical hand shows signs of loosening its grip, but just as I sigh with relief, it savagely clamps down on my ankle again—
It—HURTS!!
With my leg now a mangled, bloody mess, the mechanical hand fails to grab me again and slips away.
In a pitiful state, I drag myself out of the sewer using only my upper body.
Everything is broken, everything is falling apart.
Dad, Mom, "friends"... all those "emotional" relationships are nothing but lies.
No one can be trusted, never again can anyone be trusted...
Digging my nails deep into my palm, sharp pain shoots through my nerves. I struggle to stay conscious, but darkness eventually claims me.
From now on, the only person I can depend on is myself.
Yui de Lévis.
