Cells at Work: Ebola

Chapter 23: I Am Loved

Kill her.

Kill her!

KILL! HER!

NT4201 wrapped her grimy hands around AE3803's neck. She could feel her fingers trembling at the thought of squeezing the life out of her senpai. It would be easy, so easy, like crushing a twig from Dendritic cell's tree. It would be swift, and it would only be painful for a few seconds before her senpai would cease to exist. It would be a fitting end for an unfaithful cell who chose the life of a worthless thrombocyte over hers.

All she needed to do was to squeeze her hands, microinch by microinch. She wouldn't even care if her senpai's neutrophil friend would end her soon after.

There was no more point in living, and if she was indeed doomed to die, at least she can drag her senpai with her.

And yet...

Her hands wouldn't close. She could feel them burning with all her hatred and repressed anger, but still, her hands refused to crush her senpai's neck.

In her crimson tinted vision, she could see her senpai's serene face, her eyes closed, and her chin slightly raised, leaving her neck completely bare.

If you really are evil, Kouhai-chan, then I offer you my neck... It is the least I could do to atone for my sins.

Her senpai's words echoed inside her head, filling her with even more rage.

Do not offer your neck to me! She screamed inside her mind. Why won't you resist?! Why won't you stop me?!

But her actual senpai said nothing, squatting motionless and defenseless in front of her.

Was she goading her to do it? Was she seriously underestimating her capacity for evil?

What are you waiting for? Kill her!

Kill her now and embrace your fate!

KILL HER!

"ENOUGH!" she shouted, pushing AE3803 away from her. "ENOUGH! ENOUGH! ENOUGH!"

She jerked herself up to her feet, but her legs felt weak, and she quickly fell on all fours. Her vision started to blur, fogging the faint light coming from her senpai's cap light.

"I... I can't... " she balled her hands into tight fists. Tears kept falling down her cheeks. "I just can't do it..."

"Kouhai-chan?" AE3803 crawled toward her.

NT4201 looked up, revealing a face torn with the expressions of both anger and anguish.

"I can't kill you, senpai!" she croaked, her admission seemed to drain her on the inside. "I can't ki-"

But her next words never left her lips. Before she could continue, AE3803 wrapped her arms around her into a tight embrace. Startled, she tried to back away, but her senpai won't let her.

Her senpai's arms held her in place, and surprisingly, she felt warm.

The winds blowing inside the abyss were hot and humid, but they all felt cold compared to the warmth of her senpai's embrace. The voices in her head suddenly went quiet, and for the first time since she was turned into an abomination, she felt at peace.

"What... " she muttered, trying to force the words out of her mouth. "What have I done? What have I -shut up! Shut up!"

She shut her eyes closed and buried her head on AE3803's chest.