Null Life: Last Day

Chapter 8

More of the mental molting occured day by day, and Hiroa felt the firm grip she had on her senses, her own being, was fading away because of this. Hours were spent on debating on whether to let this play out or not. She became dishevelled by the impending death that had only an undetermined amount of hours left. There had to be a way to truly return into this plane if Hori was to be, out of this compassion for humanity. Perhaps the entirety of the visions weren't seen. Just maybe fate had this in store for her, the only way to escape her immortality, yet the threat of her kind would remain.

The visions had shown scenes of conflicts between Hori herself against other people of biological malformations. Her pale white flesh and dark red veins quickly made Hiroa think of Nugonomo. It was reminiscent of him, as the others like Hori were seemingly having difficulty impaling her with their somewhat lesser attributes. However, if Nugonomo had the means of seeing the pending future too, acquiring his DNA for Hori's apparent capability was going to be a fight to the death over the absorption of it. Despite all obstacles, sacrifices needed to be made here. Hori would become the catalyst for the distant future. It became a waiting game, one that Hiroa didn't expect, but settled for, as trying to find other ways would only make things difficult in the long run. The fate of fighting Nugonomo after taking over Hori, utilising her many biological forms.

To then sit her down in the dark room to receive a not so warm welcome from the crazed scientist, and not long after, Hisako Sato.

"And last but not least, the room in which you, your friends and my fellow comrades will reside in to relax." Hiroto concluded the tour of the hospital. Hori finally saw her two friends, and that there was no other civilian here. It was just them, and the Soldiers, Nurses, and the A.E.F. only a week ago, people were still alive and commuting even during the dark events of the school's headmaster.
"How did everyone... you know, die again?" Hori asked.
"It all happened so suddenly. The monsters themselves began falling out of the sky through some... otherwordly... portal things." Hiroto replied. "Reportedly at the same time, the special infected committed bio terrorism in other parts of city, putting their blood into everyone they could, they even did it to children."
Even this reveal reminded Hori of her mother's fate. While the thought of also being involved in this atrocity, the made up percentage chance of not doing it eased her anxiety around it. "Now look..." Hiroto said before leaning into Hoti's ear. "I know who you are. That scum Doctor's arm missing was the instant confirmation for me. So I ask of you, to not harm us. We concede, I concede."
Hori raised an eyebrow at this surrender. Hearing that she was feared by the safe haven was an unexpected circumstance. Still, she knew deep within that she wasn't here to cause people to become monstes, let alone kill them. "Wait a moment. Look into my eyes, do I seem like a monster to you? I actually want the special infected maimed and killed. Don't...concede."

"I...believe you. Very well. Your friend Asahi, he told me about your secret. However, it could be advantageous, having someone like you aiding us." Hiroto replied. The passing moments were awkward for just Hori. As for Hiroto, they were frightening, but then they were quick in incurring hope from within. Hope, for Japan and even the rest of the world to survive this nightmare after all, from the aid of, in his eyes, absolute evil. Saving Japan would soon begin with telling Hori about the plan to travel to a sky scraper partially enveloped by a crimson mass of an unknown matter, with a defensive convoy, and remotely detonated explosives to collapse the entire building down, destroying the red mass in the process. No one knew the reason for the existence nor the purpose of it.
"It was just there on the building the very next day. Some of my men have theorised that it can pull people in with far reaching tendrils and infect people, or worse, eat them alive." Hiroto handed her photos of the building. They showed what he described. To her, it looked almost fake.

Hiroto continued. "Some have assumed it to be some otherwordly gateway. I will be honest with myself here. A gateway for another world doesn't sound like non-sense at this point. That's how deep we all are in this crisis.