"It's coming."
"I know."
Rize keeps walking through the tunnel.
She's not running because she can't, and judging by how she's dragging her feet, I doubt she'll hold out much longer before collapsing.
'This is awful.'
The monster is faster than her. In her current state, it'll catch up in minutes.
I need to do something. But what the hell can I do from here?
I already tried mental manipulation through Yuki-chan, but the mental frequencies dissolved before reaching the monster's brain.
'Think, Arata. Think.'
I move Yuki-chan frantically while observing the tunnel.
I see rock walls, rusted rails, lights and thick electrical cables running along the tunnel's entire length.
Got it!
"Rize, do you see the cables on the ceiling?"
"Yes."
"Can you cut them?"
She stops and looks up. A few seconds later, she looks forward again.
"What are you planning?"
"The monster has eyes all over its body. If we cut the lights—"
"It'll be partially blind."
A small smile appears on her lips as she finishes what I was going to say.
"Not bad, Yuki-chan."
'I'm not Yuki-chan...'
But I keep that thought to myself because, well, I've never told her my real name. In fact, I've never told her anything about me. For two years I've limited myself to watching her and intervening only when necessary. So it's normal she'd call me by the name she gave the floating eye that accompanies her.
Her kagune emerges again, though this time only one tentacle that turns out to be thin and very flexible. She has good control over her kakuhou.
—Slash!
The tentacle leaves a red trail and the cables fall to the ground.
The lights flicker a few times, and the next second, they die.
Darkness envelops the tunnel.
But the monster keeps running without stopping.
'Not enough.'
I should've figured. That thing got to where Yuki-chan was from a much farther location, going through corridors and rooms without any problem. How did it know where to find my eye? It wasn't by sight, that's clear. Smell might be part of the equation, but doesn't explain how it could smell from that far away.
It must have some kind of detector. Could be something similar to what I use to sense parasites within a certain radius.
It can sense Yuki-chan.
So if that's the problem...
I send large amounts of mental frequency through the eye and wrap the monster's body with them. I don't intend to attack it, because I already tried that and it doesn't work, but rather to saturate its senses.
If before it could sense Yuki-chan as a clear signal, now it's like looking for a needle in a haystack full of needles.
—Roooooaaaaar!
The roar the monster emits carries its frustration and confusion.
Nice!
"It's working. Keep going, I'll guide you."
A ghoul's eyes can see in low light, so Rize still makes out her immediate surroundings. The monster too, but its range is equally limited. And my eye has night vision, so guiding her isn't a problem.
Rize nods and starts moving with more confident steps.
"Thirty meters ahead there's a left turn. After that there's a fork."
"Understood."
The monster keeps advancing behind us, but now constantly crashes into the walls making the tunnel shudder with each impact.
—Crash! Crash!
Its tentacles strike everything around searching for its prey.
'Good. Keep at it.'
We reach the fork where there are two paths. One to the left and one to the right.
"Which one?"
I move Yuki-chan to explore both.
The left continues for several hundred meters and ends in what looks like an exit, where I see natural light at the end.
The right sinks deeper into the earth and I can't see where it ends.
"Left. There's an exit."
Rize turns without hesitating.
Seconds later, the monster arrives at the fork.
—Rooaaar!
It stops before crashing into the wall. Its bleeding and disoriented eyes move in opposite directions. It's disgusting to see them spin like that.
Then it raises its head and its deformed nose dilates.
It's sniffing.
'Can it smell her?'
Shit. Of course it can. It still has a ghoul base.
The monster turns left, toward where Yuki-chan and Rize are fleeing.
"It's coming this way!"
Rize curses and accelerates.
The light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter.
One hundred meters.
Seventy.
Fifty.
—Roooaaaar!
The monster accelerates too, and as it gets closer, the walls and ceiling start trembling more. At the same time, its tentacles propel it bouncing off the walls like a pinball.
It's too fast.
While we're thirty meters from the exit, the monster is twenty meters behind us.
We're not going to make it.
"Rize—!"
"I know!"
Her kagune explodes from her back. Four tentacles, but they turn out much larger and thicker than before.
They dig into the walls and propel her forward like a catapult. Not bad.
—Crash!
Her body shoots out, goes through the exit and rolls across the outdoor ground.
The sun hits her face.
'She made it!'
But my joy lasts less than a second, because the monster is also about to come out.
Its massive body appears at the tunnel entrance while its dozens of eyes squint from the sudden light after the darkness.
Rize rises with difficulty and looks around with a tense expression, evaluating her escape options.
The sight that greets her isn't exactly hopeful.
Behind her is the sea, a blue ocean that extends to the horizon. In front of her is the tunnel, blocked by the monster that had relentlessly pursued her.
No escape.
The monster lets out heavy breaths while advancing toward her.
And then it stops.
Its eyes turn to one side.
I also move Yuki-chan in that direction.
Standing on a rock is a white-haired man, tired eyes, and a lab coat stained with blood. He's holding a device in his hand.
It seemed this guy had escaped first when the chaos started, fleeing while his colleagues died. And now, while resting, the monster had reappeared.
"I didn't expect... for this to get out too..."
He mutters those words while observing the monster. Then he shifts his gaze to Rize and his eyes open with surprise.
"Huh? Rize Washuu?"
Hearing her name, Rize stops evaluating the terrain and looks at the man with distrust.
"Who are you?"
The guy smiles.
"My name is Kanou. I'm a doctor who works for the V organization."
×××
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