Forgiveness

"Mitsuko...Mitsuko," Emiko mutters in disbelief; it is as if she has lost the life force in her. Her eyes seem dead.

Hideki is holding her in her arms and running as fast as he can while carrying her. He can't believe what he's just seen and his heart is racing unnaturally fast. Right now, getting out of the woods safely is his top priority.

Mitsuko's remains are being horrendously chewed by the plant, leaving no evidence of the murder. Even though there isn't enough blood to form a puddle, it is still on its teeth. Mitsuko was already inside the monster when it began devouring her, having been literally drawn in by its vortex-like energy.

When Hideki turns to check on the plant, he is horrified to see that it is still having a meal. He feels relieved that it is still static. But only for a short time. The plant monster is eager to find fresh victims now that Mitsuko has been entirely consumed.

Hideki is frightened by the sight of all of those eyes being fixed on him. The plant leaps, creating a crater-like appearance on the ground. With that movement, it rips some of the chains, destroying the surroundings. As the plant moves, it digs into the ground and creates pits behind it. The monster lets forth a loud shriek, revealing its venomous structure of hundreds of fangs. Blood glistens.

As she is being carried, terrified Emiko inquires, "Is she, really dead?"

"Yes, she is unfortunately and I'm still having trouble believing that this isn't some kind of nightmare. I should have reacted sooner." Hideki replies to her while feeling somewhat in charge of the incident.

Emiko sobs and struggles to speak clearly, "I tried to stop her, I tried to pull her back. I did everything I could," she screams with her eyes welling up with tears, sadness, and hatred.
"I'm going to rip it open and destroy that filthy plant," she yells.

"It's not your fault, Emiko. She refused to listen to us. We did everything we could," Hideki tries to comfort her. Including himself. He then begins to sob in silence.

"How are you capable of saying that? Even if we are not at fault, it doesn't matter. Mitsuko is no longer there. Do you get it? Mitsuko is no longer alive." Emiko's eyes are swollen, her nose is full, and her face is incredibly red and inflamed from weeping.

"I get it, alright? It's not like I'm not depressed. It's not like I don't hold myself accountable. But now, please quiet down or the monster will come after us," Hideki says.

"She wasn't your girlfriend; she was mine. My lifelong love has been ripped away from me." Emiko continues to cry a lot while speaking.

Having heard that from Emiko, his one and only love since childhood, it stings as if someone has driven a spear straight through his heart. He finds it painful to watch her in that state. In addition, despite how sad he felt seeing her spend time with Mitsuko, he did not even remotely desire to get rid of Mitsuko. He never would have wanted this.

The light soon shines through the treetops, it is the light of the wall lamps in the night. Hideki continues to sprint toward the street while aggressively pushing the trenches with his hand. They are currently in a section of the forest that has more shrubs than actual trees. Soon, they are at part of the street that is not asphalted. Hideki believes he has been able to escape the monster's sight. To everyone's regret, he hasn't.

One might sense a thousand stares at the very corner of the forest's waypoint. It follows them all the way to the street while obliterating everything in its immediate vicinity. The plant monster moves fairly slowly.

"Shit, it caught up to us," Hideki murmurs as he sees the creature.
He sprints back to the village as quickly as he can. Emiko is slowing him down, but he feels it wouldn’t be helpful to have her run right now.

Then, in search of a shelter, he enters a random building. He decides that climbing a few levels is the best option. He puts Emiko down and, as much as he dislikes it, chooses to call Fulvius. He must inform him that the plant is loose and to avoid going to the forest. Their lives are more important than the personal conflict they have.

Since he was a club member, he has his phone number and calls him. He's not sure if he will respond considering how badly Hideki has beaten him up. Hideki waits patiently before receiving a response. Fulvius hangs up without responding. Hideki makes another call.

"Hideki why the fuck are you calling me. What do you need from me?"
"Listen, this is no joke; Mitsuko has been devoured by the plant that escaped. Don't enter the forest," Hideki says in a serious voice.

"Mitsuko has been devoured?" Fulvius repeats it in disbelief, connecting those words to the fact that the plant has obviously escaped. Given that he is aware that Hideki wouldn't randomly call him just like that, he chooses to believe him.

"The issue is that we are already in the forest," Fulvius remarks.
He then queries, "Where is the plant?"
"It was roaming freely in the streets in the moment we entered the shelter. Emiko and I are hiding away in one of the buildings. The exact location of the plant right now is unknown to me." Hideki answers.

"I see. Where exactly are the two of you? We can meet and discuss this in person," Fulvius says.
"The red building with a lot of balconies. It is impossible to miss. We will be waiting for you; good luck." Hideki exclaims.