Part 4
Inside the bunker, Ísis, already awake, was having breakfast with her siblings before they started the day.
"Come on! You all need to eat! We have to leave soon…" Ísis spoke to her siblings, trying to get them moving.
"Hmm…"
However, like puppets with no strings, they were all slumped in their chairs, completely drained of energy, leaning on whatever they could.
With a discouraged look, Ísis let out a tired sigh.
What should I do…
"Sister… where's Seven…?" Leon, the most active among them, asked in a murmur while looking around sleepily.
"Seven? He went somewhere with Father." As she spoke, Ísis tried to wake Victor, who had fallen asleep again.
"Hmm…"
"Wait! Leon, don't— Get your head out of the plate!"
"Hmm…" With no reaction at all, Leon let out a faint sleepy noise.
Running over to him, Ísis quickly moved the plate away.
We have so many things to do in the city… but I can't even get out of the house… Distressed, she looked around at her siblings.
"…"
"It looks like you're having some trouble…"
Startled, Ísis looked behind her.
"Sister!"
Leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom, Yuliya stood watching them.
"Weren't you sleeping?"
"Well…"
Looking to the side, Yuliya murmured with a complicated expression. "You were talking quite loudly…"
But Ísis, who hadn't heard her, asked worriedly:
"Did something happen?!"
"…No, it's nothing. I just woke up a bit earlier…"
Ísis approached Yuliya and helped her walk to her chair.
Stopping near the table, she settled her in her place, where her food was already prepared: a cup of tea and a kind of greenish soup, along with a small mountain of medicines and supplements.
"…"
Seeing this scene, a bitter look appeared on Ísis's face, mixed with a slight sadness, even though she had seen it many times before.
Even yesterday, while we were celebrating Seven's hunt, all she could eat was a little of the rabbit soup broth… Because she couldn't tolerate the same food as them, she could only eat weak soups or medicinal herb ones.
Yuliya, sensing her sister's gaze, spoke in a low tone:
"…Sister… that look of yours… makes it hard to eat like this…"
Realizing she was letting her expression show too much, Ísis slightly turned her face away.
"I'm sorry…"
Picking up some of the capsules and tablets, Yuliya took them with a sip of tea, which caught Ísis's attention.
It looks like she's drinking the usual… Observing the reddish liquid, a pleasant aroma soon reached her.
"Is this tea made from some medicinal herb? Is that why you always drink it?"
Shaking her head slightly, Yuliya replied: "No, it's because I like it, so Father always makes it for me."
"I see… and is it good?"
Pausing for a moment, Yuliya took a few seconds to answer before speaking with a slight smile.
"…Yes. Do you want to try it?"
"Sure."
Taking the cup, Ísis smelled the aroma — It smells quite sweet, but with some metallic touch… — before taking a sip.
"Urgh!" Pulling the cup away from her mouth, she stuck her tongue out. "It's bitter! So bitter!"
While trying to get the taste out of her mouth, she looked at Yuliya and noticed a mischievous smile escaping her lips.
"You tricked me!"
Letting out a cheerful but restrained laugh, Yuliya watched her still trying to cleanse her palate, without success.
"How can you drink this?" Besides the taste, she felt a strange sensation in her mouth, as if it were wrinkled and dry.
"Hm? It's nothing much. It's just your childish palate that can't handle this tea."
"Our age difference isn't that big!" Ignoring Yuliya's amused look, Ísis insisted:
"Seriously, how can you drink it?"
"I already told you."
There's no way your taste could change so much in just one year!
"Then let me drink it again!"
Taking another sip, she turned to Yuliya with a proud look, but little by little that mask crumbled as the taste, instead of fading, became increasingly worse.
"Urgh!" With a grimace, she swallowed.
Still smiling, resting her head on one hand, Yuliya watched her. "Like I said, only adults can handle it."
Taking the cup from Ísis's hands, Yuliya took a sip with an unchanged expression.
"That's impossible… your taste buds must be broken…" With a look of complete disbelief, Ísis watched her drink the tea normally.
Lowering the cup, Yuliya looked around and slightly reduced her smile, making her face a bit more serious.
"…Why did you wake everyone up at this hour?"
Looking at the table where her siblings were sleeping, Ísis tilted her head slightly.
"Well… isn't this the usual time to wake up?"
Turning her gaze back to Ísis, Yuliya continued:
"You all came home very late yesterday, so you ended up sleeping late too… wouldn't it be natural for you to wake up later as well?"
"Well… that…" Clenching her fists, Ísis slightly averted her eyes. "But… if we leave too late, I won't have time to do everything… I still have to go to several places today!"
"…You don't need to worry. Today's tasks aren't long. They're simple things since we're close to winter."
"It's my first time leading… even if they're quick tasks, I won't be able to do them in time."
Hearing her, Yuliya's expression turned surprised for a moment before becoming gentle again as she spoke:
"Even if that's true, do you really think that in the state they're in, leaving earlier will make any difference?"
Turning to her siblings, Ísis tried to say something but soon lowered her gaze. Even after her attempts, they were all deeply asleep.
With a sigh of resignation, she murmured: "Fine…"
Turning around and clapping her hands, Yuliya released her siblings: "Come on, everyone back to bed." As if they had been waiting for it, they got up with effort and shuffled toward the bedroom like zombies.
As they walked away, Ísis watched them with a slightly regretful look, but then shook her head and sat down heavily in her chair.
Shifting her gaze from her siblings to Ísis, Yuliya asked:
"Aren't you going to take the chance to sleep a little more too? If you want, I can wake you up so you don't lose track of time."
"No, I won't leave you here alone, and I'm not sleepy anyway…" With the spoon in her hands, she began stirring her food, but without any desire to eat.
Observing her in silence for a few seconds, Yuliya asked with a kind smile:
"…It's because it's your first day, isn't it?"
"…!"
"You don't need to be anxious. Things will go well. From what I heard yesterday, the places you're going are close and the tasks are easy…"
They weren't difficult duties. Since it was her first time in that position, Father had assigned her equivalent, simpler tasks—something Ísis knew very well.
"Yes…" However, even while nodding to her sister, she remained anxious.
I can't fail… not at something so simple… Because of that, it actually made her heart feel even heavier.
If she could, she wanted to prepare in advance by finding out exactly where the locations were, because she was afraid of getting lost or forgetting something. But she had been caught by surprise.
With a tired sigh, Ísis sank deeper into her chair.
I wish I could be like Seven… Remembering her brother, she thought of the times he would arrive at places he had never been to with just a map and some instructions from Father. Or like you…
Lifting her gaze from her plate, she glanced at Yuliya, who was also eating.
Even though she was sick and couldn't act as leader, in the past she and Seven would take turns in that role, and she was just as good as him.
If it weren't for that accident… While thinking, she realized something, narrowed her eyes, and turned to Yuliya. What exactly caused this to her?
She knew some fragments of what had happened, since she was recovering. One in particular always came to mind: Yuliya unconscious on Seven's back and his look of deep despair.
"Sister…"
"Yes?"
"What happened to you? I mean, how did you get sick?" With an attentive look, Ísis observed her sister's expressions while choosing her words carefully. "I remember you were energetic and lively, but…"
"…"
Yuliya stopped eating and formed a slightly melancholic expression, which Ísis quickly noticed.
"…But if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to!"
However, shaking her head slightly, Yuliya calmed her: "No, it's fine. It was just a bit sudden, your question."
Picking up the cup in front of her, she took a sip of tea.
"Well, one day I was leaving the house with Seven…"
Amid dead trees and weak vegetation, two young people walked over bare ground, with a few small scattered bushes.
The one in front, a young girl with long blonde hair, stopped walking and turned to the other.
"Hurry up, Seven!"
She wasn't carrying much, just a bow in her hands and a worn quiver at her waist.
"It's not easy carrying this by myself!" A bit behind her, carrying two large empty jerrycans, Seven replied, slightly irritated, while walking awkwardly under the weight.
Not caring about that, Yuliya continued in a teasing tone:
"Oh? Are you having some problem? If you want, I can hel— Oops, I just remembered, who told you to lose that bet?"
Exploding with anger, Seven protested:
"You cheated, again!"
"Loser's excuses!" she said, hitting her chest. "I won fair and square! Who told you not to pay attention to the terms of the competition!"
As she spoke, she displayed a mocking smile.
Angry, Seven muttered: "Just you wait…"
Continuing the journey in silence, they soon began to hear the sound of moving water. The noise grew louder the further they walked. Likewise, from an area without plants, a few began to appear until they became abundant, enveloping the skeletons of dead trees among them.
Even though it wasn't tall vegetation, it formed a denser thicket, forcing the two to walk along a small trail between the plants.
However, Yuliya, walking ahead, near the stream, suddenly noticed something and crouched down.
"What are you—"
Seven, coming right behind her, was pulled down as soon as he reached her, while her hand covered his mouth to prevent any sound.
Signaling for him to stay quiet, Yuliya pointed ahead.
"There."
On the rocky banks of the stream, a small white rabbit was drinking water. On the same side as them, it had its back turned and hadn't noticed them yet.
"A rabbit!"
Covering his mouth again, Yuliya murmured:
"Shhhh, keep your voice down!"
"…Sorry. Are you going to try to catch it with the bow?"
"No."
"What?"
With a mischievous smile, she turned to her brother.
"What do you think about a bet?"
Hearing this, Seven smiled and completed: "Whoever catches the rabbit doesn't have to carry the full jerrycans back?"
Extending one hand, Yuliya raised only her pinky finger.
"That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Seven did the same, and they sealed the bet.
Leaving the jerrycans, the bow, and the quiver aside, the two separated. Yuliya went upstream, against the current, while Seven went downstream, with the current.
Crouched down, using the abundant vegetation around the stream, they quickly approached the animal, surrounding it. When both were already close to the rabbit, it finished drinking and began hopping in the same direction as the current.
Damn it!
Yuliya could see her brother stopping and preparing to jump on it, since the animal would pass right in front of him.
I'm not going to lose!
Standing up, she started running toward the animal.
Hearing the sudden movement, the rabbit turned back and saw her approaching.
Sensing danger, it began to run, which made it dodge Seven at the last moment. He jumped over it, trying to catch it.
He missed and fell into the stream.
Passing by her brother, Yuliya continued running. "Hahaha, not this time! The rabbit is mine!"
"It's not over yet!" Seven, refusing to give up, got out of the water and started running too, even though he was far behind.
Yuliya, not losing sight of the rabbit, followed closely, trying to find the right moment to jump on it.
However, even though the animal was, for some reason, slower, she couldn't find the opportunity to catch it.
Stop running like that!
Because the animal was zigzagging.
Without a proper moment, all she could do was stay right behind it, which made her move further and further away from the stream. Leaving the wooded area, the vegetation thinned out until it disappeared when she entered an area of rubble.
Seven, tired, after struggling to catch up with his sister, noticed the change in terrain and felt a chill run down his spine.
Close to the ground, a slightly greenish mist floated.
"YULIYA, STOP!"
He shouted at his sister, trying to stop her from continuing, but she didn't hear him.
Dodging debris that the rabbit used to hinder her, Yuliya stayed right behind the animal.
When, after passing one last obstacle, they reached an open area where the rabbit could no longer hide.
Now!
Taking advantage of the moment, determined, she used the adrenaline to get closer to the animal and catch it.
But, taking one more step, she felt the ground give way under her weight. "Eh?" With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized it wasn't just one leg sinking, but her entire body.
It wasn't just where she had stepped; everything around her collapsed, revealing a hole that swallowed her.
As she fell, she saw the rabbit one last time, escaping, before it disappeared from her vision, replaced by the wall of the hole.
Looking up, she stretched out her hand to grab the edge, but it was too late.
Damn it… As she sank, she realized that something in that cold environment was enveloping her body.
When someone grabbed her hand, pulling her against the slope.
"Seven!"
"I told you to stop! Why didn't you stop?!"
Even though his voice carried anger, his expression didn't match: she saw a mix of emotions—frightened, worried, but above all, relieved.
"I… I'm sorry, I didn't hear anything…"
Feeling a bitter taste, Yuliya stammered as she apologized.
"I'm going to pull you out: one, two, three and—" Pulling her, he tried to get her out of the crater, but he couldn't even move her.
With a bitter expression, he stopped for a moment. Seven was exhausted, his vision slightly blurred. He tried to calm his racing heart and irregular breathing.
I gave everything I had to reach her. I have no strength left… When he realized what was going to happen, he had run like never before to save her.
"I'm sorry, I need to catch my breath…"
He felt his legs going numb and weak after running so much; even his arms were tired.
He didn't quite know how he had reached her, but he believed the adrenaline had given him the strength to close the distance between them.
"Just one more moment…"
"No… problem…"
Hearing his sister's weak and faltering voice, he looked at her carefully.
"Are you—"
When he widened his eyes and shouted:
"That's gas!"
A faint green mist was completely enveloping her, but luckily it didn't reach Seven.
"Are you okay?!"
"No…" Yuliya, feeling drowsy, felt weak and had difficulty speaking.
I thought it was just tiredness.
After running so much, it wouldn't be strange to feel sudden weakness once the adrenaline wore off.
Noticing her hand slipping, Seven shouted in distress:
"Hold on tight! Don't let go!"
"I… I'm… trying."
Grabbing her with both hands, Seven held her firmly.
"Don't pass out! Hold on! Please!"
Giving everything he had, Seven tried to pull her again, but still couldn't.
Yuliya felt her vision blurring, and everything around her began to spin, along with a sleepiness that overtook her.
"I'm… getting dizzy…"
Panting, she began breathing through her mouth because she felt out of air.
Even while fighting to stay awake, she felt her strength slowly disappearing, without being able to do anything about it.
"Y-!"
Everything went silent, along with her vision, which darkened.
"…"
Looking at Seven, a little dizzy, all she could see was his mouth moving, but no sound came out.
He was shouting, because he was opening his mouth too wide just to speak, with frightened, slightly teary eyes, trying to say something to her, but nothing came out.
Feeling her eyelids growing heavy and her consciousness fading, with everything darkening, she knew she would soon fall inside.
Seven wouldn't have the strength to pull her back; this was the end.
With tremendous terror, but an even greater peace, she tried to say something.
"I'm… sorry…"
Right after she finished speaking, she felt something wet fall on her face, and then she lost consciousness.