First Cracks

The room was left in silence; the outside stayed painted with crimson. “What is he going to ask us?” Yuka asked.

“If we're going to really go through this, then stop worrying about what he will ask us; we will have to do it either way.” Himari let out a scoff before she turned toward the monitor.

???: “Enter the staff room.”

The chat disconnected.

Yuka's fingers hovered over the keys. “Staff room.” The mere thought sounded like a death sentence.

Going to THEIR staff room, impossible—that is too risky!

Himari tapped her foot onto the planks below. “I never was there, but we have no choice now. I will come to your room at 8pm, so keep low; I will get more details. And also I have an inspection tomorrow. So I might be late.”

“That's fine, just don't get caught.” Yuka walked her way over to the door before she looked back a final time at Himari staring back into the computer. “I'm going now!” She opened the door gently and idly stood for a moment.

What will we discover in the staff room anyway?

The way back was just as expected; THEY weren't around. It was safely crossed from hallway to hallway and onto the third floor and back into her room.

THEY didn’t even try looking around—today seems weirdly empty. I should ask about it if possible.

The computer powered on slowly, her fingers guiding themselves towards MWChat; she was already logged in.

Yuka: “Why is it so empty today? And why did you disconnect?”

…

Silence.

Yuka: “Are you there? Am I even connected to the server?”

Yuka tapped her desk furiously; there was no response. What could be happening to them?

Maybe they just went to sleep, but what if THEY found out— No, Yuka, don’t let your fear win over. This person is smart and brave, and they know what they are doing. Just trust in them. Ah— These thoughts have to be Himari rubbing me with her idiotic doubt!

Yuka walked over to her bed and just lay there for fifteen minutes; the thought never left her mind.

I need to see if it's still empty, I hope. Yuka walked toward the door; she opened it and leaned over the hallway. It was empty, just a crimson moonlight with the dead garden catching its rays and shimmering in its grass; her ears could only have heard shouts and rumbles in the distance.

Shouting? Why do I hear stuff shaking—

A tap on the shoulder jolted her back; her arms swung forward in self-defence until her eyes registered it was Himari. “It's just me; don't go. He told me to make sure you didn't. " Himari laughed ironically. “He knew this would happen."

"But—", she protested.

Himari just continued to laugh before she pushed Yuka in and closed her door for her.

Frustration rushed to her. "I won't forget this! I will only listen this time!" She jumped onto her bed and buried herself underneath the blanket. Himari and the leader know something—but she at least cared enough to actually stop me. I will return the favour one day even if I'm mad now.

#1678: I found out there is someone who wants to set us free. We will invade the staff room together. Himari was mysterious about her sudden outbursts, but I want my freedom so I will work with her. I'm glad to have had these interesting days before it's all over!

Time moved forward, and finally, a new day started. The time was 3pm; it was earlier than usual. I can’t let them down. What should I do to prepare? Maybe some food or something; I don't know what else, but I would rather do something—

Her mind was scattered everywhere. Move the chair near the kitchen counter. She started to double-time cleaning the house while she also cooked basic ramen noodles; the stove burnt hot, and the balance of doing both tasks tired her.

Her hands and her feet all started to tire out; she did each task faster than the last, hoping to keep pushing through.

Is the ramen good? Is it too salty or not enough? But I don't have a lot of food to give. She might laugh that I even did something for her; just examine it one last time. I should also take another shower; I have sweat dripping down me, and also a fresh change of clothing again. I don’t want to give a bad look. She knew this impression would last on Himari.

It was 8pm when Yuka finally heard it.

Knock knock.

“Coming!”

Everything is ready: food, chair. You got this; we will become friends now. There is no other option!

Yuka rushed to the door; she swung the door open to see Himari with a neutral expression. “Welcome, Himari. I made food on the table if you want to come eat.”

“This isn't a sleepover; I'm here to tell you the plan.” Himari stepped in, brushing past Yuka, but finding the kitchen prepared left her frozen. She always ate the same thing as Yuka, but having it prepared for her was a first.

She gazed back towards Yuka, her pleasant smile hidden. “I will eat it since I don't want to waste food and just because I haven't eaten anything all day. Thanks—” The last word was clearly forced out.

“Please enjoy!” Yuka moved next to the counter while Himari manspread and sat herself in the chair; her short white hair danced to the ramen presented.

Himari stared down at the bowl; a puffy white steam rose into the crimson light. When was the last time she ate food not delivered? The last time someone really made her food. That thought caused her chest to tighten.

...

She finally took a bite.

It tasted human, real, warm – something she couldn't make herself.

Himari froze. “You made this for me—”

The moonlight highlighted the eaten parts, while Himari took a second to stare at the eaten spots.

Himari raised her voice higher. “It's very good; I enjoyed it if that's what you wanted to hear.”

“Is it really that good?” Yuka jumped in excitement, with her bright pink eyes getting just a bit shinier.

Himari's face softened a bit. “Don’t make me say it again—”

Yuka gave a soft smile back from her pleasant reaction. She liked it a lot.

“We break into the staff room at night? There isn’t much else!” Yuka commented, deciding to allow Himari a break.

Himari's eyes unfocused from the ramen back up to Yuka. “The door, it's barricaded. That person said there is a shed at the back of the complex; there isn't room there, so I'm not surprised."

Yuka thought for a second. “Hasn't that area been corrupted for a year? There are just cubes left there.”

Himari tapped the counter ever so slightly and gave an awkward chuckle. “Those cubes—I can just go past them. I don’t really see them like you do. Are you sure they are there?"

Silence followed after.

Is Himari really immune to the cubes? Maybe because I have so much experience, or because I always had a good gut. Why doesn't she see them?

Yuka walked into the bathroom slowly, her mind still conflicted until it settled onto a conclusion. “It's because I was naturally so good at seeing the cubes. I never saw them before either, I’m pretty sure. I can't remember much—let's move on. I have a rope to hold you. I used to sneak out if you want to use that to get down.”

“If it doesn't break on me, sure. But are you really sure—?" Himari's voice dropped out from the kitchen with a hint of hesitation. Could this cube-seeing girl really have something sturdy?

She came from behind the bathroom door. Yuka had a huge rope; its thin nature gave off the opposite vibe that Himari had hoped for.

“Just scale down my window and go to the shed.” Yuka smiled and stretched out the rope across the floor. Her hands worked with precision and care.

Himari stood from her seat and walked over to the window ledge as Yuka handed her over the end of the rope. She then also put the other end under the weight of the computer to support her descent more.

“Just take it slow.” Yuka waved goodbye as Himari pushed herself off the window ledge with her eyes closed. “Just please hold on—” Himari dropped herself enough before stretching out her legs, which eventually contacted the wall.

A couple moments passed as Yuka saw the rope slowly get shorter and shorter on her side until it suddenly stopped.

Did it break? I need to check. Over the ledge of the window, Yuka saw the red and black cubes covering the entire floor without Himari in sight. “Himari!” she called.

“I’m fine; quit shouting! THEY might hear us— The cubes can't kill me; I will be back, so just stay put.” Himari went around the corner towards the back of the complex; it was located right behind the staff room walls.

She then went into a classical wooden shed with broken locks that instantly snapped off. Inside, her eyes scanned over the multitude of tools, but her eyes quickly locked onto the axe; its wooden handle and rusted metal head just sparkled for her.

She gripped the axe tightly and made her way back. “Yuka, do you mind just moving out of the way for me?” The next second, an axe flew through the window as Yuka’s eyes widened at the throw; she frantically jolted underneath the desk before the axe hit the floor with a thud.

Is she trying to kill me?

“I told you to move, didn't I?” Himari quickly used the rope to go back up; a wave of exhaustion caught up to her once inside within the safety of Yuka's room. “Let me just rest a bit—we can go then; we're not on a time limit today.”

Yuka sat beside her. “How did you walk through the cubes? I never could do that.”

Or rather, she doesn't even seem to care for them, just walks through them and acts as if nothing happened? Are they both immune? Is that their secret?

“It’s nothing for me, same with our leader. We just don't care about the cubes.” Himari didn't know what else to say.

Are they even human? This is a first, but at the same time, this is also the first person I ever met in person. So maybe I am the weird one.

Himari stood up and grabbed the axe beside her. “I don't need rest anymore; just stay close. I don't want to lose you randomly.”

Both of them walked over to the door before unlocking it; the silence around was daunting this time. THEY were certainly watching.

Moving out from the door frame, Himari led the way past the two neighbour doors towards the staircase; from there, they took slow steps. Each sound was a risk, and they couldn't afford to get caught before even getting to the staff room.

Luckily, they made it down the staircase and made a sharp left turn where a metallic door with barricaded wooden planks stood. The barricade was freshly placed as the wood was perfectly dry.

Himari lifted her axe up in preparation for a swing.

“Move!” Himari exclaimed.

Yuka instinctively grabbed onto her wrist. “If you swing it that hard, THEY will definitely hear us!”

The axe slashed down anyway, despite Yuka’s wrist holding on. Himari’s strength shook her grip off rapidly.

Crack.

The sound immediately echoed across the entire complex, every wooden door amplifying the sound waves even further; everyone that had ears had now heard their presence.

Somewhere above, doors opened; from the sides, doors opened. Where there was a door, there was an opening sound.

Yuka’s breath began to quicken. ”Himari, I think it's over—”

“Just give me a moment.” Himari got the axe up again; its rusty metallic surface slammed down into the wooden barricade and echoed another loud crack around the entire complex.

The wooden boards collapsed on the concrete floor.

Himari grabbed Yuka's hand and sprinted into the staff room; the door shut behind them.

Footsteps were all around them; every angle unsafe, slowly converging on the exact room they were in. There was no way out; they had to act quick.