Chapter Text
The blow knocked all of the wind out of him as he fell hard on his back, skidding a good couple of meters. The leather hide protected him from the harsh terrain, but the gasping and coughing to draw in air made him aware of potentially (probably) broken ribs. His heart hammered and everything sharpened in his vision. Each intake of breath was a stab of pain, air ceasing to move, trapped before it could fully reach his lungs. He gingerly pushed himself to a sitting position. All around him were unmoving bodies, contents of bags spilled every which way, blood pooling, bright red and slowly turning darker.
His quiver was nearly empty, he could feel, as he reached into it in a panic, eyes darting around the area. He produced a bolt and loaded it as quickly as he could, fingers not wanting to cooperate, muscles weak. His hands shook violently with nerves. He unsteadily got to his feet, adrenaline starting to dull the pain.
Hurry...hurry!
His heart in his throat, he turned and faced the creature, planting his feet and bracing himself.
Don't move...don't move. Must hit it!
It took all of his willpower to stay in place, aim, fire, and wait until the bolt was completely free, before he turned and ran, ignoring how his body felt as though weighed down by lead. The scream and subsequent thrashing of the beast behind him offered the small comfort that he had at least bought some time. He begged his feet to cooperate and his stomach to calm, despite the violent flip every time he passed another one of his eerily silent teammates. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes—they wouldn’t interfere right this second. He would allow himself that much, as he fought for his life, since he had the morbid feeling that he would never get a chance to properly mourn them anyway.
A break in the greens and browns of the landscape caught his attention, eyes drawn to the shock of messy black hair. Mihashi redirected, bile rising in the back of his throat, please no chanting in his mind as he fell to his knees beside his beloved friend, crossbow clattering to the ground.
Time slowed down as a gentle breeze ruffled through Abe’s hair. He placed a shaking, timid hand to the strong, square jaw, simple touch to the neck confirming what his mind already knew, but his heart wasn’t ready to accept. The sharp feeling in his chest wasn’t from a broken bone. He let the tears flow freely.
Great, thundering footfalls galloped into hearing range. He had nothing left. No one left. Their mission was a lost one. The fight left his body. The flight reflex seemed far away—like it was in another body. From a distance, it screamed at Mihashi to get up, run away, live. The snarling, teeth-gnashing horror approached at what he would normally think was a frightening speed, droplets of blood spilling in its wake from its eye. A bolt stuck out of its skull. Not much damage had been done in the end.
He slowly reached down to the bottom of his quiver and pulled out the small orb that sat innocuously since he placed it there last night. The tactical meeting with everyone else seemed so far away. It shimmered in the palm of his hand, opaque glass casting brilliant colors onto the ground. It was sunny out. Mihashi hadn’t even noticed.
As the monster approached, fangs bared, drool with flecks of crimson dripping out of its mouth, the orb grew warm in his hand. Mihashi said a silent prayer.
Please don’t let this thing continue to hurt the people I care about. If we can’t get rid of it completely, at least stop it. Stop it from destroying everything. Stop it from consuming this world whole.
The object glowed in his hand, a warm glow emitting from his palm. It wasn’t nearly as bright as it should have been, he knew. It glowed with his life energy. Nine others might have been enough to keep them all safe permanently. This was the best he could do. This was all he could offer.
He could feel the hot breath in his face. His eyes clenched tight and he used his body as a shield. He wouldn’t let it defile his teammate any further. Then, a blinding burst of light, white hot on the inside of his eyelids.
I’m sorry everyone. In the end, I wasn’t strong enough.
And everything went black.