Chapter Text
Thump
Thump
Thump
Kuroo closed his eyes, his shoulders and back throbbed with pain as the forgotten smashed into the doors, bloodied fingernails scratching at the metal, anticipating the texture of skin on their dry tongues. For a moment, Kuroo’s mind was elsewhere. He remembered a game that he watched Kenma play last Summer.
He had already completed all the main levels by the end of July. All the windows were open though Kuroo would always place himself in front of Kenma’s fan and pretend that it was air conditioning. He doesn’t remember a time where that fan wasn’t in his room, even in Winter.
It was pretty impractical; it squeaked every few seconds and just blew hot air onto you. Kuroo knew why Kenma liked to keep it around though.
It reminded him of past Summers like the one where we first met. He never lets it show physically, but Kuroo knew how much Kenma cared about everything in his life. Every little detail.
The game he was playing had different modes in the new game plus, one of those being a zombie mode. You would run around an abandoned area and keep away zombies by barricading windows with planks or firing bullet after bullet at them until they were truly dead.
Each round it would get harder and new elements would be introduced like different zombie variants or gun types. Kenma always got far which wasn’t a surprise but Kuroo never liked seeing his character get surrounded by flesh-eating beings with no ammo or allies. Then…
GAME OVER
Kuroo noticed how Kenma’s fingers would always grip his controller tighter though his face showed nothing. It was one of the games that Kenma had never 100% completed. No one is invincible.
His eyes snapped open when he felt someone tap his shoulder.
“Kuroo, you okay? Noya and Tanaka found something to keep the door shut.”
Asahi’s eyes watered with worry. Kuroo forced out a kind smile and nodded, stretching his arms over his head.
“I’m feeling dandy.”
He smirked like a sly wolf and glanced to the door. A flagpole for Aomari’s representatives was stuffed through the handlebars. The two second years stood beside their handiwork.
“Don’t they sound kinda…”
Noya frowned at the door.
“Quiet?”
Tanaka glanced to him. Noya nodded but didn’t look back.
“Yeah, the door isn’t even moving anymore.”
From the distance, a pained scream reached their ears. It sounded like a soul being ripped apart from their body. They were mourning that inevitable loss.
Kuroo traced his palm over one of his goosebump-ridden arms. Something about that voice sounded familiar and he really, really wished it was his imagination teasing him.
“M-Maybe they found…other people.”
Asahi’s eyes were downcast. The whole room went silent, Asahi’s words weighing down each of their shoulders.
It was a weird feeling, relief mixed with agony. The reality that others have to be sacrificed for your own safety. It made their brain throb as if they had drank too much of an icy cold slushie.
It stained their tongues an artificial red.
“We need to get to the cafeteria. There might be other people there and we should eat so we get our energy up.”
Kuroo frowned to himself. He knew that he couldn’t bring himself to try and eat anything after what he had seen in the last however many hours though he had three other people to watch over and he didn’t want them to go hungry, especially the shy giant that already had a gurgling stomach.
“Does anyone know where it is?”
“From here? I think we need to go into the hall and up a stairwell. It should be next to the audience seating. I saw it when I was looking for the merch stand with Shoyo earlier.”
Noya huffed out as he hopped on the spot, desperate to keep moving.
“I-Is it safe up there?”
Asahi jumped in, his fingernails digging into the skin on his arm.
“Should be, unless zombies know how to climb stairs.”
“I mean, they are human. Right?”
“Either way we should be prepared for the worst.”
Kuroo dodged the question and stepped towards the door, sliding the flagpole out of the door handles.
“Hey what are you doing?!”
Tanaka ran over to him. Kuroo looked up at him though his eyes didn’t display any fear.
“Centre court is literally in the middle of the stadium, the cafeteria will be this way.”
He remembered when he stood outside the arena with Kenma close to his side. Back when their only worry was losing nationals. Bokuto was chattering away about whatever to Akaashi and it was nice, really nice. The map of the area sat behind Bokuto’s shoulder as if it were begging to be noticed. Kuroo tried his best to picture the details of the map in his mind.
“Bro, he’s right. We gotta go into the east hallway and the fastest way to get there is through centre court.”
“So we got no choice?”
Tanaka shifted on his feet, uncomfortable but accepting.
“Yeah.”
Kuroo held the cold flagpole in his trembling hands, unconsciously eyeing the sharp spike that sat at the peak of the pole.
“Stay close.”
He muttered to three terrified boys that stood behind him. For a moment, his thoughts drifted back to memories of a peaceful Summer where the person he cherished most kept getting overwhelmed by enemy forces of zombies. In reality, they would win.
“If we can’t get to the East hallway, we’ll find another exit. Always have an escape plan.”
“O-Okay.”
Asahi nodded, his whole body vibrating with anxiety.
The captain of Nekoma’s volleyball team wrapped his hand around the door handle and wished it was Summer.
---
Kenma couldn’t stop his hands from shaking.
His vision was blotchy, dehydration and hysteria gnawing at his brain cells. Just a few meters away from him was the corpse of someone who would always make sure he was eating enough. Someone who would be a mood lifter when necessary and would be there to listen to your troubles. A friend, a really good friend.
His mind was trying to block out the last few seconds before Yaku’s death. He remembered the chaos, everyone piling over to hold him down while Kenma just stared from his corner in horror.
Then, the final blow.
It was cinematic, it didn’t feel real. He felt like he had watched the whole thing from another perspective. Kenma really wished that was the case.
He wished this was all some sick prank, that he was a spectator and not a participant.
For the 100th time in his life, Kozume Kenma hoped that the world he resided in was a video game. Mere fiction.
He wished he could reload and start from a new save. He wished he could flip the pages back to a time where death was a distant worry.
The noises outside the meeting room got louder. He could hear it all.
Bloodied trainers dragging across polished floors, the slow dripping of blood that filled a puddle of crimson, snapping teeth, pounding heartbeats, darting eyes.
A mixture of alive and dead. Out there, they were suffering. In here, Kenma was close to wishing he was out there. Best case scenario, he would die immediately. Worst case, he would live and have even more terrible memories.
A scream from outside the door made a chill creep down their spines. Get out there, it’s the quickest route to what he hated most;
GAME OVER
Robotically, he pushed past chairs and tables, shoving them aside. His mouth was agape, gasping for oxygen and behind him he heard a mixture of voices. Some were yelling for him to stop but a couple were defending him, allowing him to continue his work.
Finally, his fingers gripped the cold metal doorknob. He turned the knob but before he could pull, someone pushed.
Kenma was pushed back just from the sheer power of the person on the other side. The door shut just as fast as it had opened.
A boy in an Inarizaki uniform stumbled into the room. He used a desk to keep himself steady, breathing just as unsteady as Kenma’s.
“BLOCK THE DOOR.”
Daichi roared above the noise and quickly pushed the furniture back into place. Hinata was the first to react, then Yamaguchi, Amani and Mika. Soon enough, the mountain towered over them once more, keeping them safe from the hallway.
“Why did you do that?”
Tsukishima stepped towards Kenma. His tone usually had a sharpness to it but this time it was just questioning, his eyes tired from the horrors of the day.
“I…”
Kenma felt himself frown, struggling to find any words.
“You were trying to save him, weren’t you.”
Hinata stood next to Kenma and smiled weakly up at him. Kenma grieved the memory of Hinata’s beaming grin that used to greet him.
Kenma didn’t want to admit to him what was going through his mind minutes before.
The group turned to their newest member. Miya Osamu stared back.
“Well, thank y-“
Osamu paused when he spotted a pure white trainer on the floor. His eyes followed up the leg until his eyes finally saw Yaku’s bloodied head.
“Wha…Was he…”
Osamu’s face was completely pale, his grip on the table making his knuckles white.
For a couple moments there was silence, no one wanting to address what they were trying to forget. The butterfly spoke up.
“He was infected.”
Amani frowned while staring at the body, sadness hidden in her eyes.
“We didn’t realise until it was too late. We had to do something.”
She turned back to Osamu, quickly scanning his body for bites.
Apart from his bare limbs being covered in the blood of others, he was clear of any wounds.
“We…Should probably find somewhere else to use as a temporary base.”
“I agree but we should wait until…”
Daichi gestured towards the door, screeches of creatures still audible from just a wall away. They stood in agreeable silence, the stench of the dead body burning in their nostrils.
“Wait, who screamed?”
Suga spoke up. They all turned to face him as he got up and stood near Daichi. His eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn’t slept for days and he felt just as jittery as Kenma.
“Just before you came in we heard a scream and it was…It couldn’t of been you because you’re not hurt. Who was it?”
Suga didn’t bother to suppress the fear that made his voice tremble. Osamu watched them wearily, trying to ignore the bright red of Kenma’s uniform in his peripheral.
“I was with some others in a training room and there was a radio, but it wasn’t working so we had to fix it.”
“Long story short we all went out and the plan was going good but then…Someone in our group saw someone he recognised. She was dead.”
Mika’s eyes widened. She pondered over what she would do if Daishou had suffered a similar fate. The room was silent so Osamu continued.
“He wouldn’t move and they were coming so I had to leave him. I heard some noise behind this door and uh… yeah.”
He glanced to Kenma who immediately turned away from him, his side bangs shielding his eyes from the world.
“Who was it?”
Daichi was afraid to ask but felt it was necessary. Osamu turned to him, the words coming naturally.
“He cared a lot about people, especially his sister. He was a Nekoma player.”
The world seemed to spin under Kenma’s feet. Before he could catch himself, his limbs gave and he collapsed onto the floor. Through blurry vision he saw Hinata kneel by his side and he looked so, so scared. Suga sat on Kenma’s right with the first aid kit. Kenma’s head kept throbbing and throbbing. He just wanted it all to stop, just for a moment.
He didn’t want to listen to any more painful truths. He just didn’t want to exist for a few minutes. Dark thoughts dominated his distracted mind. He passed out, his hand outstretched to the body that lay cold and limp mere centimetres away.
---
The winter sky seemed to mimic its summer features.
There was barely a cloud in sight, just a vast blue sky with the sun hanging in the corner.
Iwaizumi liked to look at the sky, it had been a habit of his since he was a child. Something about the tranquil fluffy clouds watching over them always brought peace to his mind. Oikawa would always have something to say about it. He wanted his friend to focus on him when they were playing together, not something he could see everyday.
It had been hours since their last petrol break, sunset was fast approaching. The front of the car was completely silent, Akiteru had turned off the radio a couple hours back. He mumbled something about it being too distracting for the road. Saeko’s driving has been, well…
They hadn’t died yet and she was getting them there quicker than anyone else could. She didn’t protest when Akiteru turned off the radio so her mind is most likely preoccupied on worrying about her little brother.
Iwaizumi’s caring brown eyes shifted down to the sleeping athlete. The side of his forehead was nestled into Iwaizumi’s right shoulder. Right where it belonged.
Oikawa was so silent when he slept. You would expect someone like him to either snore really loudly or sleep talk throughout the night. Instead, he would be out like a rock, unmoving and still.
Sometimes it worried Iwaizumi to see the person he cared so much about entering an almost coma-like state whenever he slept. Other times it would reassure him to see the person who studied and practiced every second he could sleep like he had no worries in the world.
The car jostled slightly, one of the tires probably ran over a large rock or a pothole.
Iwaizumi quickly pulled Oikawa towards his chest, his fingers gripped his running jacket tightly. Oikawa continued to sleep against Iwaizumi like he had nothing to lose.
Even though he had lost one of the only things that made him the happiest.
His arms still wrapped around his body, Iwaizumi stared down at Oikawa’s well-conditioned hair and thought back to last week, which now felt like months ago.
Oikawa’s sister was a scientist and she worked in Tokyo. Oikawa didn’t seem to mention her sister too often though when he did, he would talk about how he wished they were closer.
“Sure I babysit Takeru for her sometimes but that’s about it.”
Oikawa said during one of his usual rants on a Winter’s evening. They continued to practice volleyball in the Winter holidays, even if they both knew their high school volleyball careers were already over. As usual, they walked home together. It would be weird going to university and walking back to his dorm without Oikawa looming over his shoulder.
Oikawa’s phone emitted an obnoxious ringtone, Iwaizumi recognised it as the theme song of one of the animes they would watch together as children. Oikawa took it out of his pocket and frowned at the screen.
“As if on que, maybe she installed some kind of listening device on my phone.”
“No one wants to listen to you more than they have to, Shittykawa.”
Iwaizumi grumbled but his lip quirked up at Oikawa’s reaction.
“Rude! Everyone loves my voice.”
He beamed, making Iwaizumi roll his eyes. He put his phone to his ear and started chatting to a voice Iwaizumi couldn’t hear.
“What is it, dear sister?”
After a couple moments of silence, Oikawa stiffened, making Iwaizumi frown.
“No we won’t be at nationals. Why?”
Another silence. Iwaizumi felt his jaw tighten.
“Ok, bye I guess.”
Oikawa lowered the phone from his ear and sighed, pushing it back into his tracksuit pocket.
“Well, that was weird.”
“What did she say?”
Iwaizumi attempted to keep his voice steady as he spoke though even he could hear a slight tremble when the words left his mouth.
“She asked me if we were going to nationals, she sounded pretty out of breath and when I answered she said she had to go and ended the call just like that.”
“That is strange.”
“Mum said that Takeru will be staying with us for the next few weeks so I guess she is busy but…Something just didn’t feel right… ”
Oikawa looked down at his phone in thought. He then quickly turned up to face Iwaizumi. As they locked eyes, Iwaizumi saw the gears moving behind Oikawa’s eyes. He recognised this look when Oikawa was answering a particularly difficult maths equation in class or when he was figuring out the best play to try in their next match.
He was scheming something.
And Iwaizumi knew that he would help him, no matter the danger.
“Iwa.”
He nodded slightly; his eyes drawn to his setter’s like a moth to a flame.
“Let’s figure out what she’s hiding.”
So for the past week, they had been brainstorming what she could be working on. Of course, all their guesses were wrong.
So that morning when he saw an incoming call from his childhood crush, he knew that their lives would be changed forever.
As their body temperature’s merged and the sun seemed to finally set on this terrifying day, Iwaizumi looked back at the cloudless sky.
He hoped that their peaceful lives would never end, knowing that he was asking for the impossible.
Amber and pink light poured onto their faces and shoulders from the setting sun.
Iwaizumi closed his eyes, once again holding Oikawa as close to him as he could.
I trust you, so don’t leave me.
I’ll fight for you. Just stay here.
---
Miles away, two boys were sitting together though they didn’t feel nearly as peaceful.
Akaashi closed his eyes as Bokuto’s fingers gently brushed through his hair, gentle strokes that could soothe the second year to sleep in any other scenario. On his lap lay the bag that got people killed. Apart from the multi-tool, it contained his clear water bottle, a baby blue towel that had an owl embroidered on each corner (a gift from Bokuto for Christmas, a good luck charm for Nationals) and in the very corner was pictures of himself and his captain in a photo booth. After they got into nationals, the whole team celebrated by going to an arcade. Bokuto Koutaro had confessed his love for him there, it was infinitely captured by the camera lens in the photo booth.
First, Bokuto grinning cheerfully at the camera, his arm around Akaashi’s shoulder who just smiled meekly.
Second, Bokuto facing Akaashi, his mouth open and Akaashi staring blankly at the camera, processing his words.
Third, Akaashi was facing Bokuto. Licking lips, interlocking fingers.
The final image, their first kiss. It was quick and sweet. Akaashi remembered how red Bokuto’s face was after. Adorable.
They haven’t even been dating for a year yet, but Akaashi knew that he had made the right choice. After they had left the photo booth, the team congratulated them. Akaashi assumed that Bokuto had told them about his feelings and how he planned to confess them.
Those happy memories are difficult to relive.
He only knew that Bokuto was safe, he didn’t know what happened to the rest of his team…except Konoha.
“Koutaro.”
He muttered his name without thinking and opened his eyes. He watched the bag sit lifelessly on his lap.
“Mm?”
Bokuto hummed, keeping his hand still on his head.
“Our team, they’re okay. I hope we can find them soon.”
Bokuto seemed surprised by his words. He quickly flashed Akaashi a strained smile.
“Y-Yeah! I bet they’re waiting for us, somewhere…”
He chuckled, his lips smiling though his eyes were dark.
Akaashi was aware that they were both liars but at that moment, no one could prove them wrong.
They were all safe and happy and definitely not moving corpses with their innards all over the stadium.
Definitely not.
Across the room, Akaashi listened to the other three athletes in the room. They hovered by the exit. Atsumu chatted anxiously beside Sakusa who had his ear pressed against the door, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Daishou leant against the doorframe, prepared to redeem himself.
“How about now?”
“Not quiet yet.”
“Omi, we’ve been waiting for long enough.”
“It’s still too loud, something’s bothering them.”
“If it’s distracting them then who cares. Let’s just go!”
Atsumu crossed his arms and glared at Sakusa who looked ready to chuck Atsumu out of the room himself.
“He’s right, we should wait until it’s as safe as possible. There’s no point leaving this place just to die anyway.”
Daishou shrugged.
“Wasn’t talking to you. Aren’t you worried too, you told me you were with a girl but I couldn’t find her. Don’t you want to go look for her?”
Daishou paused, thinking about his words.
“Currently, I’m more afraid for my safety than hers. She’s smart so I know she’s hiding somewhere safe. Like your brother.”
He stared at Atsumu, hoping that he no longer wanted to beat him to a pulp.
“yeah, yer right. I still need to look for him though.”
He sighed then paused when he noticed the multi-tool in his hand.
“Hey, black haired guy. Over there.”
Akaashi looked over to him and sat up. Bokuto held onto Akaashi’s sleeve and looked up at Atsumu, worry lining his features.
“Do you want this back? I can take one of the dumbbells or something.”
Akaashi gently pulled himself out of Bokuto’s grasp and approached Atsumu.
“Akaashi Keiji.”
“Huh?”
“That’s my name.”
Akaashi held out his hands. Atsumu dropped the tool into his hands and grabbed a dumbell, the blood on it from earlier still drying. Daishou glanced down at his own weapon, a 10kg kettlebell.
Daishou was really, really hoping that they wouldn’t have to fight the undead.
“Are you coming with us?”
Atsumu tilted his head, wondering why the setter was still standing in front of him.
“Yes, we want to find people too. Right, Koutaro?”
Akaashi glanced back to the boy sitting on the floor alone. His eyes widened slightly but he nodded and quickly got onto his feet. He returned to Akaashi’s side, holding his hand instinctively.
“Yeah. We can find them quicker in a bigger group!”
He cheered, his old persona returning. Akaashi squeezed Bokuto’s hand, appreciating his positive energy. Bokuto squeezed back, signalling that he was doing it for him.
“Then grab that.”
Atsumu gestured to a barbell in the corner. Bokuto lifted it easily, his hands gripping it so tightly that his fingers felt numb. Suddenly, Sakusa took a step back from the door, his right hand holding up the flagpole while his left grabbed the doorknob.
“Now.”
He muttered to the athletes behind him. He opened the door a crack and shut one eye, using the other to scan the hallway in front of them. Akaashi placed his bag onto a bench press and grabbed all the spare weights, dropping as many as he could into the bag.
As he zipped it closed, Bokuto kneeled beside him.
“’Kaashi, isn’t that gonna be too heavy?”
With some effort, Akaashi slung the bag onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been training.”
Bokuto’s gaze remained on his shoulder though after a couple seconds he looked up at his face and smiled in a way that only Akaashi knew the meaning.
I trust you.
Sakusa shut the door quietly and turned to the group.
“Stay close. If something goes wrong, call for help. We will have to find the nearest exit, no matter the circumstances.”
He whispered. The others nodded back at varying speeds.
Good enough.
Sakusa turned back to the door. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping that he wasn’t making the wrong choice.
He turned the doorknob sharply and slowly opened the door.
He stepped into the underworld, the others following quickly behind them.
The door closed, leaving the training room ransacked of anything that made it a gym.
In a corner on the table, the radio quietly hummed static, hoping to find another station soon.
---
Tanaka felt himself squirm when one of his clean trainers stepped in a deep puddle of red. A chill crept down his spine but he kept on moving.
Noya was leading the group, with Kuroo and Asahi close behind. Tanaka was watching their backs, prepared to holler if anything was coming their way. He side stepped past blood streaks and organs you should only see in dissection classes from a sheep. Bodies of losers lay pathetically at their feet, their heads smashed in from impact, they would never wake up again.
Noya turned a corner, muttering to himself how he was certain that they were close.
“It should be at the end of this hallway.”
He glanced back to the group behind him as he spoke, smiling faintly at Asahi who was focusing on the white industrial lights on the ceiling to keep his mind occupied from what was at his feet. Tanaka glued his mouth shut, shoving back the vomit that threatened to erupt from his throat. His eyes watered from a stench that was indescribable. After what felt like a long time, Noya finally stopped in front of a large door.
“Yeah, this is it.”
Kuroo stood by his side and leaned into one of the door windows, putting his hands above his eyes so he could see better. Asahi stood behind Noya, subconsciously wanting his presence to comfort him. Kuroo stood back and frowned.
“I can’t see anything. Are the windows even meant to be covered?”
“M-Maybe someone is already in there?”
Asahi suggested, his eyes darting from Tanaka to Kuroo before landing on the back of Noya’s head.
“Let’s find out.”
Kuroo responded and put his hand on the door handle. It opened with ease to reveal a spotless cafeteria.
Warily, they each stepped inside. Before they could survey their surroundings, A hand grabbed Asahi’s shoulder and pulled him back, holding a kitchen knife to his throat.
“Are any of you bit?”
A voice called from behind the ace whose life was flashing before his eyes.
“N-No of course not, let him go!”
Noya cried out, feeling more fear than he ever had in his entire life.
“Stand still.”
He spoke once more as a boy stepped out from the shadows. He quickly inspected the three of them.
“They’re fine.”
He sighed, almost looking disappointed that they were. The knife was pulled away from his throat and he let go. Asahi ran back to the group in a panic. Noya reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tight while he traced his thumb over his knuckles. The figure was revealed to have a ‘1’ on his black jersey. He smiled politely at them.
“I apologise for that, we have someone who’s bit already and we’re struggling to help him.”
Kita frowned, glancing back to the kitchen.
“Suna told me that when you get bit, you turn but maybe if I had some medical supplies, I could’ve helped him, made his death as painless as possible.”
Suna just nodded slightly, looking at his phone as if this were any normal conversation. Kita’s large brown eyes took in the group, frowning at the uniform of three of them in particular.
“That uniform…I think you know him.”
Their hearts sunk when they took in his words. They were all together not that long ago, right?
How could they lose someone in so short time?
Suna sighed and placed his phone onto one of the tables.
“We should’ve just killed him, he might turn soon.”
He crossed his arms. Kita looked away, focusing on how heavy the knife felt in his untrained hands.
“Not yet, you know why.”
“Let us see him!”
Tanaka yelled, his fingers quickly curling into fists.
Kita didn’t respond. Suna approached them, his tone stone serious.
“Are you sure you want to see someone you care about in such a state?”
Tanaka thought of the infected that were stumbling around the stadium at that very moment. All the sons and daughters, brothers and sisters that had been lost in an instant to a disease that shouldn’t have existed in the first place. He knew that this guy was right, seeing whoever it was while they were suffering would break them.
But in order to survive, you need to get used to the worst.
“I want to see him.”
Tanaka affirmed. Noya agreed quickly and Asahi was able to muster a small nod. Kuroo leant against the wall, knowing that whatever was in that kitchen, he didn’t need to see it.
Suna frowned faintly and glanced back to Kita.
Kita looked at the three of them and sighed, running a hand through his own hair as he spoke.
“I see that you’re not backing down on this. I’ll have to respect that, follow me.”
He gestured for them to follow him to the kitchen.
Noya and Tanaka stepped forward, Asahi following sheepishly behind.
Kita pushed open the kitchen door. They followed inside and saw something you would only see in horror movies.
On the counter was Takeda, rope tied around his wrists and ankles. His mouth was gagged, the only exposed part of his skin was his lower arm where a chunk of flesh had been ripped into by teeth. The man was sweating under the harsh lights of the kitchen, his eyes bloodshot and wide. He grunted into the gag louder when he spotted them, his glasses just about sitting on the bridge of his nose. The three Karasuno players stared in shock, unable to fathom what they were looking at.
Kita held the knife at his side and stared at the literature teacher.
“I’m sorry, I’m sure he was a great teacher. But when he turns, we’ll need to test some stuff out on him.”
He said to the boys as if they could understand why he was keeping a human this way.
The teacher that wanted nothing but the best for his students turned to them, tears streaming down as his face as his mind screamed about help and how flesh would taste on his tongue.
“What…Kind of stuff.”
Asahi mumbled quietly, his vocal cords prepared to scream at any moment.
Kita held the knife on its blunt side and looked up to them, like a doctor explaining to their patient that they had an incurable disease.
“We need to find their weaknesses. We are going to stop this.”
His lips curved into a smile that in another context, would be comforting.
Behind Kita's shoulder, the lights flickered.