She was there, dying...
Numerous large glass shards from the broken window pierced through her small body figure.
I can't bear to watch it...
I slowly removed the glass shards from her body, then softly laid her down on the floor, around us surrounded by fire.
I walked close to her, she's breathing heavily, but her life's start draining away.
"...A year and a half ago...I hit you with an empty can...remember?"
She asked me, her voice sounded very softly, like a whisper.
What's she talking about?
I tried to remember...about what she told me.
...
I can't...
I shook my head in reply.
"...You're...so terrible." She whispered coldly.
"You're supposed to say you remember...even if it's not true..."
And then she closed her eyes for the last time...
Her breathing finally stopped.
Damn it...not you too...
Tears flow down my face.
I don't care anymore...
I don't even care about the wall of flames all around me. I don't even care about the explosions happening left and right. I don't even noticed that Mei is nowhere to be seen...
I've completely lost it.
I hold Izumi Akazawa's lifeless body tightly in my arms.
At least, I need to get her body out of here...I can't leave her like this...
And so, I slowly walked through the burning mansion.
"Misaki! Where are you!" I shouted as loud as possible. Trying to get a clue about where Mei could've been.
It's no use.
There's fire everywhere I can barely see anything.
At any rate, I'll be dead too if I stayed here for too long.
Tired from holding Izumi's body and all the struggles throughout the night, my knees suddenly collapsed.
I tried to get up, but the weigh from Izumi's body prevented me from going anywhere.
I could try dragging myself to the exit, but...
It would mean leaving her behind.
I know, it's illogical...
She's already dead, there's nothing that I could do to save her...
What you're doing is pointless.
If you leave her here, maybe you could still make it out of here.
I reached for the phone in my trousers.
"Yes! At least there's signal!"
I dialed the only phone number I think of.
"Come on, please go through..."
I prayed, to whatever miracles still left in this world, please...don't let me down just this one time...
It took too long, far too long...but finally, she picked up.
"Sakakibara?" The emotionless voice I'm familiar with spoke.
"Misaki? Are you okay?!" I asked her.
"Yes"
"Where are you?"
She quiet down for a little while.
"...the Backyard."
"Are you hurt." I asked her, worried that she might've hurt somewhere during the escape.
"I'm fine, but I can't really move..."
At least she's still alive.
"...Listen, Misaki. Can you still walk?"
"Yes."
I took a deep breath.
"...Get out of here, Misaki. Live on..."
She remained quiet.
"...Why?"
"I can't make it...just...just promise me you'll stay alive, okay? Use your ability to find the extra one and...you know what to do...just end all of this. End this nightmare already..."
I coughed. The oxygen left in the atmosphere started to drain away from all the fires around me.
"...I already found the extra one, Sakakibara. I'm ready to end all of this, if you'll permit me..."
What?
What does she mean, permit?
"What...do you mean?"
"The extra one, it's..." Mei hesitated.
"Just tell me, Misaki..."
"It's...it's Reiko Mikami..."
What. The. Hell.
"...Are you...joking?"
I can't believe it...I...I don't believe it!
This can't be true!
"It's...it's true, Sakakibara...I'm...I'm sorry." Mei said. I can sense the sadness in her voice.
No, it can't be...
No way...
Reiko? The extra one?
My aunt is the extra one all along?
Then what about all the killings? All the deaths?
It's all pointless...all of this...
A fucking student killing spree for nothing...nothing at all.
And my aunt...she...she whom I loved so much...she...
She was the reason for all of this...
The fire's getting stronger. The floor above me started collapsing.
"...Sakakibara?"
Damn it, I can't think of anything now. My mind's starting to gone blank.
"...Mei...do...what you must do..." And then I collapsed.
I used my last bit of strength to cover Izumi's body from the falling debris.
"...Sakakibara?... Sakakibara?...Kouichi-kun!?" I heard Mei's voice from afar.
It seems like a voice from a distant place.
So, this is it, huh?
It's funny, knowing that I'm going to die and nothing's gonna stop it, yet I don't feel afraid at all.
All my friends are dead anyways.
Except her and a few survivors, I don't have anyone left.
I slowly closed my eyes.