He stood outside the maisonette. More specifically in the driveway, staring up at the night sky as the metal gates were just a few feet to his left.

Next to him laid a bottle of what looked to be wine. Tetsuya was able to sneak a bottle out, without getting seen by his elder sister (at least, he thinks he was able to do so without getting caught). He wasn't necessarily one to be absorbed into drinking alcohol, but he still remembered the memory vividly and clearly.

It was a big celebration. Well, not so big, but it was a momentous occasion for him and the Tower. He had completed his first supply run where they had actually obtained an airdrop and made off with quite a bit of canisters of Antizin. Tetsuya closed his eyes as the memory began to formulate in his mind clearly.

---

One and a half years ago...

A couple of months had passed since the start of the outbreak. He had just gone on his first supply run. It was successful for the most part, but they weren't able to get all of the Antizin crates that were in the airdrop as they were quickly intercepted by Rais' men. But even still, they made off with a considerable amount for the people in the Tower, so things were looking up.

The juxtapositions of power had quickly been established by Rais' men, having far more access to military-grade weaponry, but due to their skills in using the environment to their advantage, they were easily able to get the high ground where they could come out on top in most cases.

Right now, Tetsuya found himself on the roof, his legs dangling over the edge as he sat there in a secured position. Water bottle in hand, he took a bit of a drink from it as he stared off into the distance. The city of Harran—once vibrant and teeming with life and everyday commerce—is suddenly now a wasteland of chaos and anarchy. Despite how high up they were, he could still hear the clamoring, the faint growls and snarls of the Biters below.

The ever growing reminder that they couldn't sleep peacefully at night.

He heard the metal door behind him crack open, Tetsuya turning his head around slightly. Harris Brecken, leader of the Runners and the establisher of the Tower, had waltzed in with a beer bottle in hand. His mentor and savior, the one who initiated him into being induced of the skills of the Runner for gaining supply drops in the day.

A man of slight muscular build, evident by how much he lifts himself and the jumping power required to be a parkour athlete, he was tall and lean. Shaved brown hair and brown eyes, that particular uniform of the Runners clear as day, yellow collared T-shirt with cargo pants, kneepads and running shoes, he made his way forward. The older man curled an eyebrow, pinching his slightly large nose a little and taking a seat next to the young man.

"How are you doing, kid?" He asked, his voice thick and almost nasally a little due to his British accent. "You look troubled."

"...Nothing much," Tetsuya replied in English, clear and almost perfect. Surprising to see a Japanese native speak clearly like this, but through studies and self teaching of himself, he was quite proficient. "I'm just... Thinking about things. Whether or not we're truly going to get the help we need for everyone here."

"I see. Well..." Brecken scratched the back of his head and took a sip of his beer, "I won't lie to you, we probably may never get it."

Tetsuya turned to him and frowned. "You really think so? Everything looks so bleak and uncertain that I... I don't know. I don't know what to think anymore."

"Why's that?"

"Let's face it, if the Biters aren't going to kill us, it's Rais' men. They have better resources than us—they have access to military weapons. Not only that, they control a majority of the antizin airdrops and the only way to get some aside from our supply runs is bending the knee to him. But we can't do that because the guy's a madman. And with our establishment of the Courtyard, a lot of our resources are being diverted from one place to another."

"But you do see the reason why we're doing so, right?"

"Yes, I do. I fully do. I believe that Dr. Zere can make a cure, but... What if...what if he doesn't make it in time?" Tetsuya questions, setting the water bottle in his hand to the side and gripping his now twitching wrist; seemingly anxious and almost fearful of what was to come in the future. "What if... What if I'm not alive to be able to head home again... I have... I have nothing left..."

Brecken stayed quiet and watched the boy with comforting eyes. Tetsuya's gaze continued to stare out in the distance, the distant smoke from the fires in the distant buildings of Old Town. Everywhere around them in the Slums was far less dangerous than Old Town, but it was still dangerous nonetheless.

It was like Tetsuya had said before, if it weren't the Infected that's going to kill them, it's going to be Rais and his men. What was to stop them from marching on over to the Tower and shooting up the place? The Infected, for one, but they can eventually get through it with enough manpower and firearms. And after that, what then? Once they storm the first floor of the Tower, they can quickly follow-up onto the next floors and over.

The Tower lacked the means Rais and his men had. They lacked the military-grade equipment, the manpower itself, the medicine, and most of all, the courage to commit such actions. They've formulated and gained the tenacity and courage to go out on supply runs, knowing full well that they could lose their life out there. But everything was just stacked against them. They just lacked everything.

And despite the clear victory of today, even if it was small, not an inkling of inspiration or hope had been sparked within him. Tetsuya felt as if that no matter how hard he tried, they would still keep losing people. This small victory of theirs may be the last one that they have before their streak runs dry on the next supply run. But most importantly, he still felt lost. He had gained a sense of purpose when Brecken saved him and taught him, but Tetsuya yearned for that parental guidance—the love of his parents.

Ever since the zero hour of when the Infected stormed the stadium where it held the Global Athletic Games, Tetsuya had found it difficult to trust others, or rather, found it difficult to discern what he should be doing in order to survive. The Global Athletic Games were the reason he and his parents had traveled to Harran in the first place, to watch the spectacles and blood pumping excitement in person as they would see the many athletes play and perform in the different sports. But when the Infected stormed the stadium, attacking those on the lower spectator seats before leaping over the fence and attacking the players, all hell broke loose.

They tried to flee—they did their best. They really tried, barricading themselves with some other coliseum goers in a merchandise shop within the stadium. Hastily pulling down those metal shutters to try and block the Biters from getting in, it would only delay the inevitable. When they broke through, his mother was the first to be swarmed, her ear-piercing screams of help and pain filling his ears as Tetsuya helplessly watched. His father would try to fend them off, only for him to be tackled to the floor and be swarmed as well, Biters gnawing on his lower stomach and upper abdomen, all while pleading with his son to run and save himself.

But he couldn't, Tetsuya remembering how the fear overtook him and his feet were locked in place. No matter how much he told himself to move, any semblance of urging intention to do so wasn't there. He was just stun-locked to just stand there in place until he eventually fell. He perhaps would have, if Brecken wasn't there to have stepped in. Baseball bats and other sports equipment were available to be purchased in the merch store, but they served as viable weapons at this very moment. Bludgeoning the Infected that was running toward the young man, he was able to give Tetsuya that push in that moment for him to escape, the parkour instructor soon following suit as he was unable to save the others.

Once they were out of there, Tetsuya wanted nothing more but to shut down—to just die somewhere lonely because he had essentially a part of himself. An integral, structural part of his life that made him whole. To lose such things in this ensuing chaotic landscape that happened in mere seconds of flashes and thunder, he felt as if that he was going to unravel.

But once more, Brecken quickly came in and snapped him out of it. The threat of leaving the young man to fend for himself and perhaps live with the guilt that he's the only survivor aside from himself in that particular moment made Tetsuya be haunted by the consequences of such things. So with that boost of slight motivation, he journeyed with the man, the two of them relocating to the Slums. The Harran Stadium is located just outside the walls of the Old Town district, which was arguably the most dangerous area in the city at the time. Other districts were relatively kept safe as the bridges that led to the other districts were either destroyed or tightly quarantined with the best soldiers and personnel.

With the virus being contained in the districts of Old Town and the Slums, stretching all the way to parts of the countryside of Harran, it was these boxed areas where the efforts of trying to control the virus was being focused on. With the influx of survivors being stranded and the Infected running rampant all throughout the streets, they needed something—somewhere—that could grant them solace from the vile creatures that would hunt them down. Thus, the Tower was born.

However, in its early days of establishing the organization of Runners and maintaining the safe zone, Tetsuya had no will to even participate. He still felt lost to a degree, but when saw what Brecken was trying to establish—the Runners—he wanted to earn his keep. To give thanks to the man that saved him for giving him a purpose: help the innocent, never abandon them. Helpless and vulnerable, unable to mostly fend for themselves, the Runners were established to help those in need. Whether it be to take in those into the Tower or begin the supply runs as soon as the airdrops started.

Brecken, having been quiet this entire time, took another sip of his beer. He then offered it to the young man, Tetsuya, who looked at it cautiously and surprised.

"Huh...?"

"Take a drink."

"But—"

"Kid, at this moment, it's the end of the fucking world. Who the fuck cares about societal norms at the moment? There's flesh eating monsters roaming about and a psychotic war lord we have to deal with. You've got to have a chance to take a break once and a while," Brecken explains.

Sound. But the young man was expecting an answer for his question, and he was hoping his mentor was able to provide one. Though Brecken wasn't much for such words like that, he was inspiring in his own right. Perhaps offering the bottle was his own way of doing that.

Tetsuya hesitantly took the beer bottle and took a swig, eyes shooting wide open as he profusely spits out the liquid. Brecken couldn't help but chuckle.

"What'd you think?"

"Blegh! You actually like this stuff!?" Tetsuya asks in bewilderment. "It tastes terrible!! How do you drink stuff like this?"

Brecken only laughs again. "It's not about the taste, it's about who you're with. Drinking with others, celebrating something small like this, that's what makes the action bearable."

"...How does this connect to the question I asked you?" Tetsuya asks, being straight to the point.

"I'll be honest with you, kid, I don't know if you'll be able to make it back. I can't tell you that 'you will,' I'd just be giving you a false sense of hope." He notices Tetsuya's gaze, a quiet disappointment displayed. It was obvious that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. "Things... Things are different now. Who honestly knows when they'll be able to send proper help some time soon in the future? Who knows how long they'll keep sending in the airdrops? Who the fuck actually knows if people will be willing, and still, to actually listen to this problem of ours?"

The young man continued to remain quiet. Brecken continued.

"I don't have the answer for that. And I probably won't ever have one, let's be honest, but... The only thing we can really do right now is rely on each other. To protect each other. Because right now, that's the only thing we can do instead of just helplessly waiting for something to kill us. Whether that's Rais and his men or those nasty fucks below."

The blue-eyed teen pursed his lips. "...Waiting is all that we can do? Just biding our time and doing something of ourselves until something happens to us?"

"Yep. The only thing we can do, I'm afraid," Brecken replies, taking another swig of his bottle. "But like I said. At least we'll have each other. I can't give enough inspiring words to lift the spirits of the shitty situation we're in, but we just have to make do with what we've got." Brecken then stands up, "Starting with another assignment I have for you."

"Another one? It's only been half an hour since the supply run, we're going on another one?"

"Nah, this one's different. Cleaning out more of the floors of the building. Floor 15 and floor 16 this time around. If we're going to be able to take care of others, we're going to need more space. We'll soon fill up our current vacant floors sooner or later."

Tetsuya sighed, but nodded and got up. "Who am I heading in with this time?"

"Same people as always. Jade and Amir. You three work well together. Come one, they're waiting for us in my office."

"No time like the present then," Tetsuya mutters as he stretches his arms.

Brecken, however, only gives Tetsuya one last pat on his shoulder, "I may not be the most insightful, kid, but you're not alone. Not anymore. You've got the entire Tower to rely on, just as they rely on you. I know, it's a lot, but with how this has changed, we've all got to do our part to survive."

"...I know. Thank you, Brecken."

"No need to thank me, kid. If I was in your shoes, I know you'd save me, too, no doubt about that. Now, come on, those floors aren't going to clear themselves."

---

He blinked his eyes a couple of times. As if he felt bleary and his eyes bleak, he squinted a few times before rubbing his fingers along his eyelids. When was the last time he had a proper night's rest?

Before this all started, right? Most likely. He had no time to be concerned with his well being or how well he needed to sleep. Not when there's too much to be aware of at the moment. Even if they were relatively safe for right now, his nerves never once felt relaxed—hair on his neck standing up as he felt the chilling wind brush up against his skin. But he didn't feel cold. Temperatures like this, he was used to it. From standing atop the Tower building to the near peaks of the antennas in the Harran mountains, this was honestly nothing.

This dark night, however, would be much more peaceful if it weren't for the every so often loud noises that would erupt in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, his hand twitching slightly.

'Those screams... No doubt the Infected might have gotten through the blockade... Depending on where those people will be coming from...' He mules in his thoughts. 'This neighborhood won't be safe any longer. The people will flock here to safety, bringing the Biters and other Infected with them...'

On their own, the dead—the Biters, at least—weren't the most dangerous by themselves. He's had to reiterate it to himself multiple times, despite having dealt with them for two years, the most dangerous thing about the Biters is when you can get severely overwhelmed by them. Their strength was in numbers. While their physical capabilities have deteriorated and were quite lacking compared to the Virals and mutated variations, the most seasoned of Runners and survivors could still fall to them.

The reason why he was reminded of this was because of the current bridge incident that was currently happening. If the Infected have truly broken through, then it's only a matter of a couple of hours before the living would swarm this neighborhood for safe refuge, bringing in the horde along with them. Which meant newly formed Virals, and perhaps some Volatiles thrown into the mix as well. But that was another thing that was odd. Despite how dark it was, the only thing illuminating the darkness were the lamps above, there was not a Volatile in sight. It was completely odd. Strange, even more so.

Having now been his second rodeo at this sort of deal, Tetsuya wasn't at all surprised if the Infected have evolved since his last encounter with them in that hellish landscape. It was concerning to even think about the Volatiles gaining intelligence; able to come up with coordinated attacks and actions. The young man kept glancing up at different angles, scanning the rooftops for any sign of the vicious monsters lurking about. But he didn't see anything. Aside from those distant screams, there were no howling roars or maniacal screams, the indication of Virals and Volatiles alerting their brethren to commence the feeding frenzy. It was just... The screams and the blowing wind.

It was concerning, to say the least, knowing how fast chaos can ensue in just a matter of seconds. The most he's considering as of right now was to have everyone begin packing as fast as they could and begin loading everything into the humvee. But even that may be a poor and futile response, the most probable option being to just wait it out inside the maisonette. However, the only problem with that option is that it would conflict with his morals—the code he had been taught to live by: "If you have the power to even remotely save someone, do it. If it's within your power, save them, because we should not be the judge and executioner to cast those unto death."

One of the core reasons that Brecken and everyone else taught him in order to remain the least bit human. Yes, compassion and showing signs of weakness like that can lead to one's downfall, but it was justified for them as a way to separate themselves from the maniacs like Rais and his goons. The reason that separates them from the Infected; the capacity to think and able to help others.

But there is a conflicting emotion inside of him... Tetsuya wants nothing more but the world to burn for how they forgot their tragedies. History is written by the victors, after all, and the initial victors of the Harran Incident were those that had watched it and did nothing by it. They simply changed the narrative or buried the truth in order to prevent panic from spreading, to allow no cause for concern. But those that remembered it as it were have the chance to fight and spread the truth.

And in a way, this new outbreak was the truth being let out—to the victors that had chosen to forget the bygone era of chaos and greed. Someone—something—had made it out of the quarantine zone and spread it outside Harran, out to the world. And now the world was suffering for their ignorance. And while he wanted nothing more to celebrate such a thing, to do so meant sacrificing the values and morals he had been taught and ingrained with. It meant following down the path of those that he loathed to become despite already telling others that he is an embodiment of that path. He felt himself being tugged on both sides, the only thing keeping him grounded on one particular side were the voices of his past, the voices of his mentors, those that he cared for looking up to him for guidance.

He may not get along with them, he may not be considered friends with those he was once friends with, but to say that he didn't care for them would be an utter lie. They were pushing him to do the "right" thing, if that made sense. The crucial crutch that allowed him to "maintain" his humanity. As long as he had them to protect, to care for, that's all that really mattered to him. He didn't care if they looked upon him as if he was a monster. Just as long as they were safe.

He heard the door crack open behind him. He should've known that it was someone from inside, perhaps his sister coming out to check on him, but it seemed that old habits die hard. Grabbing the USP that lay next to him, he quickly whips around and points it at the person behind him, a particular click as he turns off the safety. The girl gasped lightly, eyes wide as she stumbled back, her orangy-brown hair spiking up in fear as slight sweat pooled down her temple as she stared at the boy with slightly scared eyes.

Tetsuya blinked. "...Miyamoto..." He sighs, putting the gun down and facing the sky again. "Is there something you need?"

"Um... Well..." She stutters momentarily, shifting in her spot as she feels an awkward heat run down her neck. "Busujima-senpai asked me to tell you that dinner is almost ready, and um, she wanted you to come inside now..."

"...I see. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"...Are... A-Aren't you cold?"

He snorted, "I should be asking you that, what with your clothing, and all."

Rei blushed and hugged her figure. She couldn't deny the fact that she did feel a chill, but these bottled up feelings and conflicted emotions building up within her warmed her. Like Miku, she had a pink spaghetti-strap tank top that hugged her curves to highlight the suppleness of her chest, the coldness of the wind heightening the stiffness of her pert areolas that made a noticeable point of interest for most boys. Not to mention her lower half didn't help much with the erotic imagination, the cold breeze brushing up against her legs as she pressed her thoughts together and shifted her feet to build up more warmth. Completely exposed and bare save for the simple white panties she had on to cover her delicate areas.

She pursed her lips. "You didn't have to mention that at all, pervert..."

"Sorry, I was merely saying that because you could potentially get sick," Tetsuya dryly remarks. "If the dead won't kill you, a simple cold will. You should take care in how you dress."

She huffs, but soon relaxes her shoulders and exhales a breath. She kept forgetting. Such remarks from him should be normal by now. Compared to how he was back then, whom would act out of concern for her wellbeing by being modest and all, he was far more blunt and straight to the point. But that made it all the more... Frustrating? No... Annoying? That wasn't the word to pick. Heartbroken? Saddening?

Perhaps that might be the right word to pick, but it still felt odd. Alien? That sounds about right. His current behavior and speaking tone felt all the more alien to even remotely be in the same vicinity as him. A bit of a jokester when they were young, happy and caring, lively and enthusiastic whenever they played in the park with Takashi, and sometimes Saya whenever she showed up, he just gave such a pleasant atmosphere to be around. But now? Alien. Yes, he felt strange and alien to be around because he wasn't the same anymore.

She extended a hand out. It fell short a little, hanging there for a bit. But then she continued. She only halted when Tetsuya spoke up again.

"Is there something else you need?"

"I..." The wind blew out of her mouth, something caught in her throat, she didn't have a response to say. She bit her lip, still pondering what she should say. "...I'm sorry."

He fell quiet for a moment, perhaps thinking of what to say back. "Why are you sorry?"

A genuine question filled with confusion. Why was she sorry? Tetsuya didn't sense any notion of pity from her, not in some sort of demeaning way or any other condescending expression. Why was she sorry?

He heard her movements as she sat next to him. He turned his gaze slightly over to her. Tetsuya couldn't necessarily see her face, her bangs covering her visage but he could see the small amounts of tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, Rei's hands gripping her arms in a quivering motion. Why was she...

"I'm sorry," she croaks out once more. "For... For not listening, for not understanding... For everything..."

He stared at her for what felt like ten minutes. He scoffed, perhaps in light amusement. He wasn't even sure himself of what he meant by that. He never expected for anyone to understand his predicament right from the get-go. Any person who hadn't been following the developments of what was going on in Harran and hearing what Tetsuya was saying would in fact say that he's a complete maniac. Someone who was delusional and was simply spouting out nonsense.

As he sat there, with Rei sitting alongside him and softly crying with light sniffles and whimpers, Tetsuya didn't know what to do. He wasn't even sure what to say, what words to offer as consolement. It wasn't often he was put in such a position in the first place. When put at face value, when he informed Brecken of any Runners they lost out in the field, they would simply share a moment of silence before continuing on with the day of trying to survive. But this? This was different.

In a relatively safe area, the girl next to him was someone from his past still trying to grab hold of what their world is (a little bit, at least, she's mostly gotten used to it), and they had rarely talked—interacted—in a reasonable fashion for them to even remotely be considered acquaintances. It was a precarious and somewhat difficult situation he was in.

Like she was trying to do, he extended his hand out. It paused halfway, the cogs in his head sort of turning as he mulled the action over and whether or not it was the right thing to do in this particular moment, but he went ahead with it and moved his hand again. Touching her shoulder, trying to offer some sort of comforting grasp for her to calm down, she instead lunged at him and engulfed the young man in a tight hug, burying her face into his chest as she continued to lightly bawl her eyes out. He was stunned, the hand that was once on her shoulder now hovered over her back in an awkward stance as he tried to comprehend what was going on.

She was... Hugging him... This feeling, this embrace. It had been a while since he held an embrace like this, from this particular girl.

Each hug he's received and given were different when it came to the people he was giving it to or receiving it from. Different emotions are often associated with the actions of the past and the present, and the opinion of what you feel about said person. Tetsuya didn't loathe this girl, nor did he ever hate her. No, he never did. She can be rash and brazen with her attitude, lashing out due to succumbing to her emotions having an effect on her mentalscape. Perfectly normal to occur in human beings.

But for this to occur, to have her touch—her arms—wrap around him like this when they were younger... It felt surreal. An incoherent hum escaped his lips, a low grumble of sorts as he wasn't sure whether or not to reciprocate the action. Ever so slightly, his arms and hands moved a little. It was as if old feelings and desires were surfacing again. Emotions he had since forgotten and shackled deep into his bones escaping from their prison to resurface into his mindscape and telling him to hug her.

"Hug her." His mind told him—the 'him' of the past, that is.

He let out a low hum once more. He continued to ponder such a notion before eventually... His arms moved on their own. Before he knew it, his arms had wrapped around her middle torso and brought her close, Rei seemingly leaning into the embrace more as she continued to stain his shirt with tears.

Warmth continued to build up within him. That feeling was so unshakable that it was considered poisonous to his own body. As strange as it sounded, that is. He considered himself someone who didn't deserve the emotion, not after what he did. Killing people in Harran, there was a bit of a justification. They were Rais' men, random thugs, and other bandits. Sadistic killers who fed off the pleasure of inflicting harm on others. Morally wrong, Tetsuya considered him in the right when going up against those sick bastards of people, to the point that he never considered them people. It sounded counterintuitive because they lived and breathed the same air as them, but they were the type of people to slaughter innocents—the game of the Pit being one such example.

Such a barbaric spectacle of a "sport" for them to draw such sick pleasure from. To watch people scamper around like rats and clamor at the walls in desperation, begging for their lives to be spared. Only for their lives to be ended when metal containers landed on top of them, turning them into paste. And if that didn't kill them, it was the many Infected that Rais and his sick son of bitches would unleash upon them, limbs being torn from the body all while their screams of pain were flailed about. Such horrors—obscenity that no one should have to witness.

That was his justification for killing them. But he could never forgive himself; the sin enacted upon himself when committed the murders of those scientists and other workers in that GRE facility. Some of them were ordinary people, genuinely trying to concoct some sort of cure so that this sick virus didn't have to spread elsewhere. But he was so angry, full of pain and rage, that he unleashed his wrath upon them and murdered them in cold blood.

The memories of it all were so hazy during his time there, but he still remembered each detail. Each action was as vivid as turning the page of a book one might be intrigued in. Blood after blood, shot after shot, clash after clash. He remembered it all. The carnage he set out in that facility alone—finished it all in the span of what felt like minutes. And Tetsuya would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't enjoy every second of it. To let everything out in those quick sequences... It felt so good.

Even now, he's found it hard to suppress such bloodthirsty feelings. Just as his past had caught up to him, it was calling out to him. To continue the culling.

...The culling? What?

He grunted. No. He couldn't show such things in front of their faces. To have such dark thoughts yearn for the bloodshed of making them all pay for what "They" had done. That organization. His mind whirled with a plethora of emotions. The virus, the corruption of his mentor to have turned into that vile beast of a being, there was no doubt about it. There had to be some sort of remnant of them here. In Tokonosu.

Half of the fibers in his being were screaming at him to kill and cull the last of them. To make them pay for what they've done. Tetsuya grunts once more, as if holding his head in pain, Rei releasing her embrace on him and looking at the young man with concern. Tetsuya's face was strained—stressed with veins as they seemed to pulse slightly. Her breath hitched, eyes widening in shock and slight fear as she frantically began to scan his body.

"T-Tetsu...!? Wh-What's wrong—!?"

"Arrgh...! I'm... Fine...!" He said with a strained voice, his body aching and spasming in uncontrolled motions. 'What... What the fuck is happening to me...!?'

He lets out a slight scream of pain, holding his head in sheer agony as his mind blanked. More accurate to say that it began to flash convulsely, like his brain was running on overtime to process information. Tetsuya bit his lip, closing his eyes as he collapsed onto the ground, writhing in pain as the nerves in his body felt like they were on fire.

Rei stood over him, clutching his arms as she tried to get him to calm down. She was calling out his name, but it sounded incoherable to him. Her voice fading from his ears, the sight in his eyes beginning to darken, he blacked out.

---

"You... Need... To... Remember—"

...What the hell is that voice? What the hell is going on?

"How is... The sub..." A voice asked, fading in and out. "Are the *BLANK* successful?"

What? What did they say? What the fuck was happening? What—

A loud beeping noise occurred. Coming from an operating machine. Loud clanging noises and the sound of shuffling clothes could be heard.

"Restrain—! The... su—" The voice sounded distressed. Erratic. Panicked. "Hu—rry—! Sta—bil—"

The voices continued to fade in and out. Before it all became garbled mush and gibberish. Everything felt so fast, rushing toward his mind all at different speeds that he couldn't understand what information was being processed. He felt dizzy, tired, angry, confused, so many different things happening all at once.

And before anything else could occur, any sort of calmness to happen, the sound of a woman's scream echoed throughout his head.

...What the fuck just happened?

[Act X] | Infliction