The bunny came to a screeching halt outside of the cross gate. He'd been ordered to go so fast that Rena almost flew off the back, and now he'd been ordered to stop so fast that Rena almost flew off the front. Poor bunny. Rena thanked the furry people-mover then ran through the gates to the medical office.
She walked into the lobby, excited. She finally was going to see Claude again. She, forgetting her dislike for the doctor, began to yell, "Pad! Pad! I'm back! Where are you?"
To her confusion, Kyou walked out of a newer patients room. She had seen him before, he worked under Pad. Normally, though, there wasn't a need for two doctors in the medical office, and Rena knew that Pad was supposed to be working today.
"Hi, Kyou. Where's Pad?"
Kyou said nothing. It was then that Rena noticed his face was colorless, and that he wasn't being quiet by choice. She couldn't read emotions well, but it didn't take much to realize that something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Miss Rena. I trust you came to se Claude," he finally said, regaining some composure. "Shall I take you to him?"
"No", Rena said, grabbing his arm as he turned. "Where's Pad?"
He hesitated, unsure of how to form the words/ "...dead, Rena."
She stumbled backwards, as if she were punched in the stomach. "My...God. How?"
"Killed. Madam Celine brought in a dangerous youth, and even under sedation, Pad was dead within 20 minutes.
Rena felt sick to her stomach. A person was killed here, and the next day was business as usual? She then remembered she was happy of that...if they'd just closed, then who would take care of Claude? She wanted Kyou to take her to Claude, but she knew she had to say something about Pad first, and she was unsure of what.
"Kyou...I'm sorry you had to be there. I know Pad was a good friend."
"There's nothing more we can do, Rena. It happened, and for now all we can do is business as usual. You'd like to see Claude?"
She nodded, and they walked into the Claude's room. Around the room, she briefly saw gifts that were left for him...some from other doctors, some from citizens, and some from the king himself. Everyone knew how important Claude was to them from before, saving the worlds, and all. However, they only caught her eye for an instant. Something else caught her attention. Claude's bed.
Before, there was a near-lifeless body that took up most of the space on the small white bed.
Now, there was nothing. Claude had vanished.
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Chris's eyes flickered open as he heard the sounds of arguing women. He could hear Chi, Ket, and Pae's voice, but they were too far away to make out actual words.
He didn't have much more to do, so he decided to eavesdrop. Besides, maybe it would be useful to his escape. He got up from the cot and walked out into the hallways, following the sounds of the voices. He finally reached a point in the wall where he could hear the conversation clearly. He pressed his head to the wall and listened intently:
"I just pushed the button, Chi!"
"I told you not to push the button, Ket."
"It's the only way we can fix the problem."
"I told you not to push it. You don't know what I know."
"That's because you never tell us, Chi." Pae's voice, for once.
"All we need is to finish, and what with Ket's little shenanigans, everything might be ruined. What if he talks?"
"If he tries, we'll kill him."
"Wouldn't it help to know where he is?"
"Don't be so cynical, Chi. We'll find him."
"We should go check up on our little prisoner."
"One last thing." Pae's voice, again.
Chi sighed, slightly impatient. "Yes?"
"What about Celine?"
"Let's just hope Lena's successful."
Chris heard them walking towards him, so he ran as fast as he was able to his small room, and feigned sleep on the cot. Soon, they would be by, and he needed to be asleep. He dozed off in a catnap, mind still alert, but rusting.
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"Dark
n
ess"
"FALLING"
"r
e
n
a"
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~