25. Performance
It rained for three straight days from the day the incident occurred. Kurzali District 45 was closed, and people in nearby areas didn't leave their homes until news came that the madman had been caught. Authorities deployed armored units at major traffic areas, but there was no news. The total death toll counted at the time of the incident was 35, including 1 civilian. Among the dead was a young 19-year-old hunter who had just received their first assignment.
April fell into a coma for three days. It was because she had lost too much blood despite emergency treatment. O'Brien kept watch over April with a bandage wrapped around his head. Supremer looked at April and, seized by anger, went out saying he would catch and kill the madman, and didn't return. The rain continued to fall. Even so, the blood on Kurzali Plaza wasn't easily washed away.
"But this is really strange."
Mark, standing night perimeter guard at the foot of Kirp Mountain, said.
"What?"
Commander Hans, who was smoking with the armored robot's lid open beside him, looked at him.
"When a madman enters 'Blood Frenzy,' deaths should normally occur almost daily. It's already been 4 days but there's no news of deaths."
"Probably died but wasn't reported."
"Usually they kill people in groups so there's no way it wouldn't be reported. Maybe the madman died?"
"Are you talking nonsense again because you don't want to work?"
"Ahahaha... No sir. I like killing time quietly like this."
Commander Hans snorted and leaned his head limply against the armored robot. The rain didn't stop and covered the dark forest.
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On a dark street with no pedestrians, the man walked soggily in the rain. He was conscious but didn't know where to go. In his vision, images of people torn like paper appeared and disappeared briefly, like scenes wrongly inserted in a film reel, repeating. The sight of a young man crawling while bleeding, wanting to live. The man howling while looking at his dead colleague. They flickered in his vision.
He wandered. He walked around the dark streets hoping someone would kill him. He saw his reflection in a shop window. A hideously torn face. Two bloodshot eyes. He despaired knowing he was no longer human. He wanted to go back to before, but it seemed he had crossed too far a road for that.
On the shop window of a small store around a corner, a TV was on. In what seemed like a commercial scene, a boy was riding piggyback on a man who appeared to be his father, and beside them a woman who appeared to be the mother looked back and forth at the two with a worried face, restless lest the child fall. He suddenly wondered if he had ever had such a time. But no matter how much he thought, such memories didn't easily come to mind.
When he was deep in thought, familiar music began to be heard from somewhere far away. That music flowed on the pouring rainwater and enveloped his body. He knew that music. He turned his head toward where the music flowed from.
The music rode the rainwater and flowed into every corner of the city. To the mother putting her baby to sleep, to the taxi driver getting rained on while carrying passengers, to the person working alone with lights on in a late-night office, to the part-timer smoking outside after throwing out trash, to the soldier unable to sleep on a pitch-black night standing guard duty, to April and O'Brien sleeping in the hospital, to Supremer staggering while drinking in anger.
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Around when the whole world darkened completely, the Hunter smoked a cigarette on Govan Hill while looking at Strausga in the rain. Lights illuminating parts of Strausga were shining like jewels. The fire on the cigarette gave off red light, gradually burning the white surface black. He blew out hazy cigarette smoke. The lights of Strausga reflected in his eyes were shining brightly as if the world was fine nevertheless.
From afar, the man the Hunter was waiting for revealed himself. Where they were had no lighting, but light spreading from downtown brightly illuminated the two. Albert already knew he was an acquaintance. And he also knew this time he wouldn't let him go. The man stood still looking at the Hunter.
"...What happens to me now?"
Albert asked. The Hunter was silent. No words could comfort the young man. The Hunter averted his gaze downward in pity.
Perhaps this pitiful young man already knew all that would happen. That those difficult moments until now—unable to promise any success or improvement—would eventually disappear like smoke like this. No matter how much he tried to refuse, no matter how much he tried to deny, it would eventually come to this.
Stuffiness surged over the young man. A stuffiness that made his eyes burn hot enough to feel sorrowful surged over him.
「Can I blow the trumpet once?」
At his question, the Hunter's eyes widened in surprise, then looking at the trumpet in his own hand, he smiled bitterly. The Hunter threw the trumpet to Albert.
The trumpet sound flowed down on the rainwater. Familiar faces flash before his eyes.
The sight of his younger brother pretending to play trumpet with an empty bottle at his lips
Thick Lips and the afro laughing mischievously while slapping drooping shoulders
The sight of mother smiling while watching a child lying prone reading in a small room
And the sight of father
Ewan was playing trumpet when his eyes met his son's and he smiled as if satisfied. He pointed at Strausga seen from Govan Hill and proudly told his son there would be no stage bigger than this. Albert smiled silently at his laughter.
He felt the stuffiness that had been accumulating until now, that had heavily weighed down his life, that had bound and tormented him, slowly disappearing from his heart like ashes burned by fire scattering in the wind. He smiled a lonely smile like the Happy Prince who generously shared what he had and rusted away lonely. He was happy. With emotions that were regretful but relieved, chilly but warm-hearted, he shed happy tears.
[Gunshot]
Episode 2 『The Performer of Govan Hill』
End.