...hooof...Moments after the explosion... vision is blurry... the furniture is burned... windows shattered...In the middle of the smoke, Jack lay on the ground... thick dust filling the air...
Jack (to himself): Damn... still can't see clearly... my ears... still hurt... that damn ringing won't stop...
brrrrr...The debris shakes, the building starts to collapse slowly...
Jack tries to get up, his body heavy, his eyes opening weakly to a scene of chaos...The old man lies near the table, unconscious... Yuki beside him, a small bloodstain on her head... and the wall above them is sliding down slowly.
Jack coughs hard... touches his head covered in ash... sharp pain in his chest.Then he hears footsteps outside, coming closer through the rubble.
Jack mutters between broken breaths: Damn... damn... don't they ever get tired...
He crawls toward Yuki and the old man, reaching his hand with effort, voice hoarse:"Yuki... old man... wake up..."
He pulls Yuki away from the fire, but she's heavy... his breathing quickens...The parasite inside him starts to stir again, this time creating a strange pain in his chest and stomach...He begins coughing violently, spits blood, his face twisting in pain.
brrrrr...A sound from above... debris moving...Jack lifts his head suddenly, his eyes widen...crrrshhh...
Yuki opens her eyes slowly... her vision blurry, the air thick with smoke...She finds her grandfather above her, his body still, his blood on her face, her clothes torn.
Yuki: "Grandpa...? Grandpa!!"
The old man speaks weakly, barely heard through the chaos:"Are... you alright? Thank goodness..."
Yuki freezes, noticing the debris that pierced his body... his face pale, blood flowing slowly to the floor.
Yuki screams hoarsely: "Don't move! I'll call an ambulance!"
The old man gives a sad smile:"It won't help... it's too late, my dear..."
Jack stumbles closer through the dust, gently pulling Yuki by the shoulder:"We have to get out... the place is collapsing..."
Yuki cries, shouting:"I won't leave him! He's fine! Just... just help me!"
The old man's voice breaks, trembling:"Yuki... listen to me carefully... I've been living on borrowed time... cancer... I didn't want you to know..."
Yuki freezes, eyes wide in shock."What...?"
The old man continues, voice fading:"You saved my life when you were born... now... it's my turn to return it..."
Tears stream down Yuki's face endlessly:"Grandpa, don't say that! Please!"
The old man turns weakly toward Jack:"Take her and run... don't let my death be for nothing..."
Before Jack could answer, a metallic thud hits the rooftop —Gary jumps down, landing in front of them with force, dust flying around.
He's covered in ash, his face tense, his eyes filled with anger and confusion at the same time.His gaze meets Jack's.
Jack lifts his head slowly, breathing hard: "Damn..."
Yuki steps back, trembling, holding her chest.
Gary takes a step forward, his voice deep:"I'll finish what we started."
But from afar... a sharp scream cuts through the silence — Hatz's voice, crying out in pain.
Gary turns his head toward the sound, his expression shifting, his eyes shaking:"Damn... not now."
He looks at the wounded Jack, then at Yuki crying over her dying grandfather...He clenches his teeth, turns away in anger, and says hoarsely:"Count yourself lucky... your time hasn't come yet."
Then he retreats quickly to the other side, his voice fading into the smoke.
Jack crawls toward Yuki:"We have to go now... they'll come back."
Yuki screams, soaked in tears:"Leave me! I don't want to! I want to stay with him!"
Jack, his voice mixed with anger and sorrow:"If you stay, you'll die too!"
He lifts her despite her resistance, dragging her through the rubble and smoke...Yuki cries and screams at the top of her lungs:"Grandpaaaa!!!"
The old man's hand, once holding his granddaughter's... falls slowly to the ground among the ashes.
....
A side street far from the explosion site...Jack collapses sitting, Yuki trembling and crying silently in his arms.Her face is covered with dust and tears, her breathing uneven.
Wee woo wee...Police and fire sirens approach the collapsing building...
Gary stands on a distant rooftop, watching the smoke rising far away,his hand clenched into a fist, fingers trembling.
"Why... didn't I kill him?"
End of Chapter 10