1

Idle footsteps. Neither of us says a word.

We’re walking down a long road with our destination straight ahead. From the main plaza and near the entrance of the food market, we had to take a sharp turn right. As expected, the houses near us are all but deserted.

Unlike the ones we saw near the town square, these homes seem to be much more impoverished. Their walls and roofs are rusted metal sheets, with what look like toilet boxes placed hastily outside for their needs.

It’s been nearly five minutes, almost halfway to the end of our journey. The cell tower is visibly close, a white structure littered with all kinds of dishes near its peak.

Cynthia is looking around the town like it’s her first time here. I can’t help but feel nostalgic. After everything that’s happened, it feels like we’ve been trapped here for nearly a decade.

“La, la, la, la.”

A sweet, yet familiar melody graces my ears. It’s Cynthia, singing a tune I haven’t heard in nearly five whole years.

“Mooooshi mo jidai ga modoru no naraaa~”

Her voice is almost angelic.

“Nanimo shiranai koro no watashi niiii~”

“I haven’t heard you sing that in a while.” My comment halts her abruptly, making me feel like a scumbag for even raising my voice. Twirling around and walking backwards, Cynthia gives me a bright smile.

“Right? I just felt like singing it! I’d say my Japanese is improving quite significantly.”

“I’d say so!” I answer before I even realize I’m smiling. “I remember you were trying so hard when I first met you. Actually, I remember your singing being barely comprehensible back then too.”

She lightly punches my arm. “It wasn’t ‘barely’ comprehensible, it was comprehensible! You’re just hating on me because you’re jealous.”

“Jealous? I speak it too!”

“Yeah, but you can’t sing like I can.”

We laugh quietly.

The warmth of nostalgia spreads throughout my body. Seeing her smile makes me want to keep this moment going forever and ever. No more investigations, no more battles. If only we could spend the rest of our lives like this. If only the tower was a bit further away.

We’ve only been here for two days, but it feels like I haven’t seen her smile like this in forever.

Swallowing, I mutter, “H-Hey, Cynthia.”

Her expression unwavering, she replies, “I’m sorry, Rom. I still want to request a partner change after this. I don’t hate you, but I don’t think our values align with each other. As much as I don’t agree with sparing Evi, I know I can’t change your mind.”

My brain rapidly spins for a response, but nothing comes. The only thing I can do is stare out into the distance as we walk.

“But… if she can be cured, I guess it isn’t all bad.”

“Those scientists though. They didn’t deserve to die. I might be going crazy, or maybe I’m misunderstanding, but… What did you mean when you said you wanted to kill them? Did you really mean what you said? About the worry that they might be powerful?”

Cynthia doesn’t say a word, and before I can get a response, she stops dead in her tracks. I do so as well to match her pace, not realizing that she had a purpose for halting.

We’re right under the tower.

“Cynthia…” I try to talk to her one last time, but she just walks over to the control panel.

“Like I said. Different values.”

As much as I want to say something about murder, it’s not like I’m exactly innocent either. She claims she did it for my sake. We’ve been partnered for five years, and she hasn’t once lied to me.

So I really don’t know if she is lying right now.

My body feels heavier due to the weight in my heart. Standing by Cynthia’s side, I take over the control panel as she scoots over. Idly pressing the manual buttons, my mind starts to numb as my fingers begin to operate on autopilot.

“I don’t want anyone else for my partner, but I understand.” The words slip out of my mouth.

A part of me wants to laugh it off, but I know it’s true. She’s an amazing fighter, amazing friend. I wouldn’t give her up for the world. I remember telling myself that no matter how hard things got, I would never leave her behind.

But now she’s the one leaving me behind.

With a final click, the large silver tower starts back up. Loud electronic whirs and hums, not loud enough to shake the ground, but noticeable enough to drive anyone insane if listened to for more than five minutes.

I turn to Cynthia, who’s staring idly at the ground.

Leaning into her ear, I say, “I wanted to call Zuki here, but we should do it a bit farther away. It’s too loud here to call anyone.”

With a slow nod, she spins around, and we start making our way back.

Arriving at the main plaza, I start walking towards the large rotunda. There’s a used grill on the side and benches that are built into the structure. There isn’t any cushioning, so when I plop down, my butt feels a sharp thud.

Cynthia stands right in front of me, watching as I slide my phone from my pocket.

In a few clicks, the interface hovers above the contact name of “Zuki: Boss.”

But I don’t click it. I don’t call her. I stare at the contact name for a second until the timer on the top right passes an entire minute. My eyes are dully fixated on the barely lit screen as thoughts race inside my mind.

“Rom?” Cynthia shakes my shoulder, bringing me back to reality.

“Sorry, I just…”

She looks at me confused, then tries taking the phone from me as if to take initiative herself. Reflexively, I swing my arm away, making sure she doesn’t touch it.

“What’s wrong with you?” Her tone doesn’t carry any anger or frustration, but genuine concern for my reaction. I’ve never once hesitated to call in backup. I don’t have that kind of ego for a mission.

So why?

…

I know why.

“Cynthia, things just don’t make sense.”

She takes a seat next to me.

“Zuki told me that the D.D.A. didn’t move for this mission. But the notebook at the house said that they did. If anything, it seems like they gave the scientists far more trouble than they anticipated.”

She shrugs. “So what? Maybe Zuki either wasn’t told, or they didn’t know.”

“I don’t know. Do you remember our fight against Noblique? When he had Evi wrapped up in his blood thingy.”

“Hm. I don’t remember much, no.”

“Well, I do. He said something about the Holy Church. I couldn’t hear much of it since there was so much going on, but he said something along the lines of the Church offering him something far more than Evi could.”

Cynthia crosses her arms and leans back. “Even if we ignore the vampire royalty thing, why would Noblique say that? To throw us off with misinformation?”

I shake my head. “He had Evi completely wrapped up and I was losing the fight. I think if his goal was to taunt, he would have said something to me directly, I think.”

The howling winds make our clothes flutter.

“Wait,” Cynthia perks up, “so you’re saying the Church is responsible for all this? You can’t be serious, right?”

“I’m not saying they are. But think about it, the Church as an organization isn’t necessarily clean either. Historically, we’re told they are the good guys, but if you think about it, were they really?”

She sighs. “So, what do you want to do then? We can’t just not call someone. We either need backup, or we need to leave.”

Looking down at my phone, I click a few more buttons. Finally, I press the alluring green call button at the top right of the keyboard. Setting the volume to max, I place it in between both me and Cynthia.

“I know someone we can trust. Someone we BOTH trust.”

Cynthia nods.

The phone rings a few times.

Then… there’s a click. A slightly electronic and muffled male voice speaks from the other end with great energy and enthusiasm, as if they’re a restaurant greeting a customer for a reservation.

<This is Kos from the Dreamfall Detection Agency.>

2

I don’t know why, but I hesitate. Cynthia gives me an approving nod, urging me to continue.

<Hello? Hellooooo? Anyone there?>

After another second of thought, I reply, “Hey, Kos. It’s Rom.”

<OOOOH! HEYA ROM!>

The phone vibrates as a result of his sheer volume, clattering against the stone bench mercilessly. I grab onto the thick device, lifting it back up. As much as I want to turn down his obnoxious voice, I need to endure it for now.

<What’s up? What’s the occasion?>

Before I can answer, he cuts me off.

<Ah. You said you’re coming to Japan at the end of the year, right? Dude, there’s this random-ass place that sells the best curry. I swear, you always, always have to follow the suited businessmen for the best food places. Oh, Mizuki wants to say hi.>

After some rustling, a soft female voice speaks.

<Good evening, Mister Sivongsa. And Lady Marrowell, I presume.>

“Hey~ I’m surprised you knew I was here too.” Cynthia waves, even though they can’t see her.

<It is only natural. You two are like conjoined twins. Cannot get away from the other.>

The phone rustles again, and Kos comes back.

<Sorry. Anyways, what are you calling for?>

“Yeah. Hey, Kos, I need to ask you a few things regarding work. But I was wondering if we could keep this call between us. That’d be great.”

<Ask away.> He says it so enthusiastically I nearly forget the severity of our situation.

“Okay. Do you remember stopping by a town by the name of Tututepec?”

<Hmmmm… Tututepec. Is the full name San Pedro Tututepec de Melchor Ocampo?>

I… I didn’t know that was the full name.

“Yeah. The town in the mountains. It has a bunch of colorful houses and stuff.”

<YEAH! YEAH! I remember! They had some BOMB huaraches!>

“Okay, so you did come.” I say, making eye contact with Cynthia.

<Why?>

“Can you tell me exactly what you did when you were here?”

<Sorry gang, I can’t disclose D.D.A. secrets.>

“Kos. I’m not asking as a Testament. I need to know.”

There’s a brief pause between us, then a loud sigh.

Following that, his chair audibly creaks.

<Sure, I trust you. You’ve saved my life countless times anyways. I owe you a billion.>

<Uh, let’s see.>

Stacks of papers and folders rustle in the background, making the piercing sound of fluttering paper the only thing we can hear for the next few minutes. Cynthia is rather too well-composed, whereas I can’t stop fiddling with my hands.

<There we go. Okay, I have the full report if you want.>

“Yeah, go ahead.”

<’Kay. The D.D.A. got a call request from the Mage Tower to investigate a phenomenon of missing mages in the state of Oaxaca, specifically near the city of Puerto Escondido. Apparently they suspected that Dream Magic was involved in one of their best agents going missing.>

<When Mizuki and I went there, we found the traces of Dreamfall not in Puerto Escondido, but in a town called Tututepec. It was strange, since the Mage Tower request wasn’t technically wrong. Whoever had the Dreamfall most likely moved someplace else. Or, that’s what we assumed.>

<Tututepec seemed pretty chill. The people were nice and everything seemed A-okay. Mizuki and I even stayed for a few days to make sure everything was okay.>

“Uh huh.”

<Then, we found this mansion and it ended up being a dead end. There were only residents, and the traces of Dreamfall ended quite abruptly there. No matter how hard we looked, we couldn’t find the source of the Dreamfall, but we did end up finding out what the dream was about.>

“What was it about?”

<A cure.>

<Whoever unwillingly conjured the dream was probably super sickly. This is just my theory, by the way. Uh, they were probably really sickly and wished for their body to heal. It did heal them, but it most likely mutated their body. It’s not uncommon for something like that to happen when it comes to dealing with a Dreamfall.>

Both Cynthia and I lean back, as we most likely get a good idea of who that is. Based on Noblique’s statement on Evi being a creator, it might be safe to say that she was the mutated girl.

It also explains why she doesn’t know she’s royalty. Because in her eyes, she isn’t.

<We found what the dream was, but couldn’t find the dreamer herself. So we had to leave.>

“Wait, I’ll mute for a second, Kos.”

After clicking a button, I close my eyes to process what’s going on.

“You’re thinking what I’m thinking, right?” I open my eyes to see Cynthia nodding at my question.

I unmute.

“Kos, what do you know about vampires? Are they related to the dream you’re talking about?”

<Oh! I’m surprised you know so much. I didn’t know the Church was willing to let you know THIS much information. Long story short, yeah. After we got back to Japan, I did some research and found some lost files.>

<The files belonged to the Mage Tower, and they had information in regards to the identity of the dreamer. Apparently, she was a young girl who was deathly sick from her disease. It didn’t say where she was from exactly, but one day, she went missing.>

<Whenever the mages went looking for her, they only found crazed people and ritual sites whose followers wanted nothing but to suck on blood. If I had to guess, the people probably thought the girl had some miracle, and they tried to siphon her power. But in doing so, they turned into what we know as vampires.>

“So this dreamer and vampires are completely different beings? I thought all of them were blood-thirsty and stuff.”

<I can’t say for sure. The only ones I’ve met are the ones that are a result of siphoning from the dreamer’s blood. Personally, I can’t say if the dreamer herself needs to suck blood in order to survive.>

“Let’s say the Church did find the missing girl. What then?”

<Kind of a random question to ask. Why? Did you find her?>

“Just hypothetically. Would the D.D.A. be able to cure her?”

<...>

<Yeah, you guys found her, didn’t you.>

Neither Cynthia nor I says anything.

<I mean, I’d be surprised if the Testaments didn’t just outright kill a vampire. But unfortunately, I don’t think we can cure her. The descendants, uh, is that the right word for them? I need to come up with a new term.>

<Err⸺vampires? I guess I’ll just call ‘em vampires. HAHAHA!>

<The dreamer? Not really. Her vampirism can’t be cured, but as long as she hasn’t done anything bad, the D.D.A. would be more than willing to take her in and train her.>

“What about regular vampires?”

<Probably not. Their blood would be too tainted.>

<Say, you’re asking me a LOTTA questions. You never, ever do this. What’s the occasion? And before you think about flaking or hanging up, I just told you some classified info, so you better do me good.>

“Classi- Kos, you’re literally the boss of the D.D.A.”

<TRUE! AHHAHAHAH! You’re so right.>

“But yeah, I’ll tell you. To be honest with you, there’s something suspicious about the Church right now.”

<When are they not sus? Sorry. Continue.>

I clear my throat.

“Zuki told me you guys weren’t here. She never told me that the D.D.A. visited. In fact, she told me that you guys weren’t willing to move, and the mages weren’t willing to move either.”

<The hell? The mages were literally looking for their own. I was there too. Neither party found the mage, but we strongly suspect he became a vampire as well. It sucks too. He was a rising star in the mage world.>

“Wait, did you encounter vampires?”

<I did. Nasty creatures.>

“Why’d you leave the town then?! People would have been in danger!”

There’s silence on the other side.

<Rom.> His voice is grave and serious. <There’s nobody left. Everyone became a vampire.>

I gasp.

<We managed to kill those outwardly infected, thinking that we managed to save at least a few of the population. Word is though, the Holy Church kept sending in Testaments to wipe out the population over and over again. Strangely enough though, none of them would return home. Take this with a grain of salt, but more of them were found either frozen or burnt to a crisp.>

“Hold on!” Cynthia speaks up, her voice cracking. “There were other Testaments here?! Why haven’t we heard about this before? The Church would never willingly kill their own like that!”

<I don’t know what to say, Cyn. I have the list right here.>

“How do you have a list?” I cut through.

<I had Mizuki do a raid of the Japan office not too long ago. There were some things going on and, yeah, long story. Anyways…>

After some more rustling, Kos sighs through the phone.

<Arantza Berthold. Jasmin Perez. Dominick Sachs. Daniel Chavez. Annet Rehana.>

“Those are…” I start.

“...Zuki’s department.” Cynthia finishes.

<Uh. That’s weird.>

“Why? What’s wrong?”

<Uh. Well, for context, we got this document around a month ago. I didn’t check the deceased list because, why would I? And uh.>

“What?! What is it?”

<Rom Sivongsa. Cynthia Marrowell. You guys are on the list?>

<I-I don’t understand. Why would you guys be on the list?>

“Zuki set us up?!” I jolt. Cynthia stands up, placing both hands on her head frantically as if the air would magically give us the answers we need. A million questions course throughout my head restlessly.

Why would she do that? Why are we here? Was she hoping we died?

<Wait. Hold on. What do you mean “set you up”?>

<Where… are you guys right now? Why do you need to know all this right now?>

“We're in Tututepec! We were sent here on a mission by Zuki!”

Flabbergasted, I lean my back against the wall, clenching my hair tightly. Gritting my teeth, my face scrunches up into a bunch of expressions rapidly, cycling through them without any particular rhythm.

A sharp pain pierces my lungs as I try to make sense of the situation.

<You are?! You guys need to leave, right now! You don’t understand the danger you’re in!>

“N-No, we’re fine! We killed the mage that was killing all the other Testaments.”

<I don’t care about the mage! That’s not who the real threat is!>

Hearing Kos’ desperation, Cynthia walks back to the phone, scratching her arm.

“W-What do you mean?” I ask, out of breath.

<Dude. Do you seriously not know who else was operating there? There’s a reason Mizuki and I had to leave after a short period.>

“Yeah, we found a journal at the mansion, and it said something about⸺”

It all comes back to me.

The redacted name on the document that Zuki gave me.

A name we brushed off so casually when we shouldn’t have.

“Druscilla…”

<The Centipede Maiden! That whole town is her lab! You need to leave before something happens to either of you!>

Too stunned by my mistake, I freeze.

<She would turn people into vampires without the need for another vampire. As long as blood is transferred, you can get infected! Mizuki and I are only okay because we used a special bug spray. I want the two of you to start running back to your car before it’s too late!>

My eyes slowly drift over to Cynthia.

Don’t say it. Don’t believe it.

Cynthia’s jaw is wide open, and tears start to gather in her eyes.

It all happened so suddenly.

It was a random thing that could happen to anyone.

But a…

“W-Would a mosquito…”

<YES!>

Both of us stare at the mark on her arm.

The one she’s been scratching ever since she got bit.

3

“No…” Cynthia takes a step back, rubbing her body all over. Each time she moves, her legs bend in ways that should force her into a fall.

“No… No… NO!!!”

Her breathing is panicked, drawing in more air than she should. I rush over to her, grabbing her shoulders before she stumbles to the ground.

“Cynthia! Stop! Listen to me! Listen to me!”

I grab her face, forcing her to look at me.

Her eyes are watery, making me want to cry. But I need to stay strong. I need to stay strong for her sake.

“Cynthia. It isn’t over. We can still⸺”

“Still what?! Cure me? Kos said there is no cure. He said there isn’t one!”

“I…” I stop myself. I don’t know what to say. What the hell do I say to her?

Fuck. FUCK!

“It’s over. I’m going to be a v-v-v⸺”

Small bits of foam start to gather at her bottom lip. I’m trying to stop her from shaking, but I can’t even stop myself.

“Rom. Rom… What should I do…?” her voice cracks with every word. She falls to the ground on her knees, lacking any more strength to stand. I don’t even try to force her to. Instead, I just get on my knees in front of her.

“I… I don’t want to be a sinner… I want to go to Heaven…”

“I worked so hard. I don’t want to go to Hell…”

“You won’t!” I hold her ice-cold hands.

“Listen, we still don’t know if you’re infected.”

I briefly glance over her sharp teeth before bringing my eyes back up to hers.

“We can still fix this. You’re not a vampire. All we have to do is…”

I can’t find the words. At such a crucial time, when my friend needs me the most, I can’t seem to find the fucking words. Come on! Think! Think! What can I say next? What do we have to do?! I don’t… I don’t fucking know!

“Kos!” I turn my head, shouting at the phone I left behind.

A muffled voice calls out from the device. We’re too far away to hear him properly. As much as I want to dash over, I don’t want to leave Cynthia alone right now.

I feel something wet running down my hands.

When I look back at Cynthia, tears flow down her face unrestrained.

“I’m still human… I need to die… I need to repent…” she whispers with a shaky voice.

“I want to go to Heaven. I want to be with God when I die. I…”

She bursts out into a wail. Putting my hand behind her head, I draw her into my chest. Her arms wrap around me completely. I return the favor, interlocking my fingers as tightly as I possibly can.

I can’t believe this. She used to laugh when fighting demons. She used to smile when seeing horrors. I’ve never seen her cry before.

“You will go to Heaven, Cynthia! Don’t think about that right now.” I whisper into her ear, and she starts crying even harder.

“I-I won’t Rom… I⸺”

“I’m no better than she is. I’m no better than Noblique. In the end, I’ll become another creature to kill.”

“I don’t want that. I want to go home. I want to sing with you. I want to play games with you. I want to eat food with you.”

“You never cooked for me. Why didn’t you ever cook for me, but you cooked for her?!”

“Hey… Rom… you won’t hate me because I’m a vampire, right?! You’ll love me even if I start drinking blood? You’ll… You’ll still love me… right?”

She says too many things at once for me to answer clearly. It feels like someone’s wrapped an iron ball around my heart. No matter how hard I try to muster up a response, my lungs stop me from generating air.

I can’t stand seeing her like this. I… I can’t.

“Rom…” she looks up at me.

Her eyes look so different. Not physically.

“Rom…” she whines, gripping my shirt, “You’ll be there for me, right? Like you said you would. You p-promised! P-Please…!”

“I’ll still love you…” I say hesitantly. “I… I’ll forgive you! So please, don’t think you’ll go to Hell. Please don’t think you’ll⸺”

“I killed those people.” she hangs her head. “I killed them. They had families. They probably had lives like mine. Childhoods. Love interests. Parents. I killed them. I killed them before they could repent.”

Her tears seemingly stop. Her voice is flat and dead.

“I’m no better.” Her eyes are wide open. When I try pulling her back into a hug, she stiffens up, as if she doesn’t want to be embraced.

“I’m horrible. I shouldn’t have killed them. You were right. I shouldn’t have killed them. They went to Hell without being able to repent. They went to Hell because of me.”

“Cyn⸺”

“Hey, Rom.”

I swallow hard as she looks at me.

“If I send people to Hell, I’m no better than a demon.”

“What was the point of all this fighting? If I was going to become one anyways?”

“Cynthia! Stop! You’re a Testament! Y-You’re a holy fighter! You did way more good in your life than bad. You can’t think like that! Please, please don’t think like that! You’re a good person. I love you, of course I do! So please, stop thinking like that!”

She chuckles emotionlessly. “Yeah. You’re right. I’m not a demon. I did the right thing, right?”

The way she says it makes me skip a beat.

“That’s not…” I instinctively try to argue with her before forcing myself to stop.

“No. Of course I didn’t. I killed those people. They weren’t innocent. But I shouldn’t have killed them.”

“What did Kos say? He said the girl was a dreamer, right?”

Wobbling on her legs, she starts to stand. Her hands slide away from me, and as she rises, she blocks out the moon.

“If I wake her up… do you think this nightmare will end?”

“Wake her up? I don’t see how…” Her words snap in my brain. Realizing the severity of them, I start standing up as well.

Just as I’m about to, I see a flash of silver. The next millisecond, I fall back down to the ground, unable to move my two limbs. When I look down, I see blood flowing out like a waterfall.

Cynthia kneels, casting a low-tier healing incantation. It stops the bleeding, but the pain is sharp enough to stop me from even moving my legs.

“Cynthia. Please, it doesn’t have to end this way.” I beg, grabbing onto her shoes and the ends of her nun habit.

“You’ll protect her. Don’t worry. Once I wake her up, I’ll come back for you.”

She caresses my face.

“I’m sorry for saying I wanted to switch partners. You’re always there for me. I’m sorry for being so selfish. I’ll stick with you. We can be the strongest Testaments in all of the Holy Church.”

“No. The Church sinned as well. We don’t belong in that place anymore.”

“Maybe when we’re done, we can start a Church of our own. Live a life away from killing. You’ll take care of me, right?”

I shake my head.

“Cynthia… Please.”

Patting my head one last time, she stands up. The tears that I’ve so desperately held back start flowing down my cheeks endlessly. Combined with the pain, I find myself practically hugging her feet.

“Stop. Cynthia… please, let’s talk this out first. You’re not being yourself…”

I immediately regret my choice of words.

“I know, Rom. I’m a vampire now. A sinner. A sinner that shouldn’t exist. So I’m going to make sure this sin goes away by getting rid of the root.”

Hugging her feet as tightly as I can, I rub my cheeks against them. I know I probably look pathetic right now. But I’d rather be ridiculed by the entire world than let her do something she’ll regret later.

“Cynthia! Killing Evi won’t bring you back! You need to… you need to stop! Let me talk to you for a second! Please! Please!”

Gritting her teeth, she draws her weapon, placing its blade just in front of my neck.

“Shut the fuck up! I’m sick of hearing you cry. I’ll fucking kill you if you don’t shut the FUCK up!” she says with such hatred. No matter how much hatred she’s carrying in her heart, I still see the same eyes I saw five years ago.

Then… I see a silhouette in the distance.

Long, golden hair.

Crimson eyes.

Extremely pale skin.

She’s standing near the rotunda we were just at, staring at both of us with a deadpan face.

Why is she here? I thought she was asleep. No. Please, Evi. Run.

“Stop. Evi. Go.”

Evi raises her hand in a gesture of surrender.

Cynthia doesn’t even look at me. With a swift kick, she hurls my body away. As she starts to walk away, her body sways from side to side like a drunkard. Her weapon is drawn, but she just walks past Evi and grabs the phone.

“Kos…” she says faintly, trying to mimic her natural voice as much as possible. “How do you kill dreamers?”

<I…> the man on the phone hesitates. Using all my upper body strength, I slowly start to crawl towards Cynthia.

“Tell me, Kos. I need to know.”

<Y-You need to put them back to sleep first.>

“FUCK!” I slam the ground as hard as I can. “WHY WOULD YOU TELL HER, KOS?!”

<Huh?! What’s going on?! I just heard screams! I’m sorry! I didn’t know⸺>

Cynthia hangs up the phone. Without even needing a command, Evi starts walking first. As I watch the two girls I’ve cared for walk away, my emotions get the better of me, making me shout as loudly as possible.

“Why is this happening to us?! We were normal just a few days ago! We can be happy! It’s not over yet! Cynthia! Come back, please! It doesn’t have to end like this. We don’t have to do this! Please! I’ll forgive you! Please don’t do this!”

Ignoring my cries, she continues walking.

Evi turns her head over her shoulder.

“You. Save. Me.”

“Now. I. Save. You.”

With a resigned smile, Evi turns back around, and they both walk away. Under the gleaming moonlight, I’m left alone in this lonely town.