The kettle's whistle echoed from the kitchen. I promptly took it off the stove and served it to Monika and Sonia. Monika was calm and collected as if she had never witnessed the events that Sonia and I had gone through. Sonia was in shock. She was amazed to see Monika, and I did not know why she had such an expression. Perhaps she witnessed something I did not.

Monika grabbed her cup and sipped on it. No one was making a sound. The whole house was filled with silence, and it was unsettling. Sonia, with shaky hands, grabbed her cup and sipped on it. She seemed like she didn't want to take her eye off Monika like Sonia was ready for her to attack or something. Still drenched in blood, Sonia did not want to wipe away the blood from her face. She was determined to focus on Monika.

"This tea is quite good, Yuri. You always were better when it came to brewing," Monika commented. While I was an avid tea fanatic, Monika's complement was unusual. After all, Sonia was sitting here drenched in blood, and Monika seemed not to be fazed by it.

Sonia scoffed, "I saw you die, yet here you are talking about fucking tea!" Sonia's words confused me to an extent. I knew the doctor mentioned the death of the other girls and Elias. I didn't exactly believe it to be accurate. How could I trust the words of a strange man? But Sonia just confirmed Monika's death. If she speaks of the truth, then how is she alive? How is she here right now complimenting my tea-making skills?

I quickly uttered my concern, "Monika, how are you alive if what Sonia spoke of is true?" As I spoke, Monika's content smile faded into an expression of seriousness. It seems my question deprived her of the lack of a need to discuss her survival. Why would she be so hesitant to tell us? Is she afraid of her words not being taken as the truth?

She sighed, looking away promptly, "It seems like I have to tell you, okay," She took a breath, "I do not know. The last thing I remember was Natsuki coming to my door. The rest is hard to tell. I ended up just waking from my sleep on my bed. I ran to everyone's houses, but no one was there. Yuri's house was the last one I checked. When I arrived, both of you were standing outside; that's how we reached this point."

Monika's story seemed believable, yet I am unsure if Sonia feels the same about her credibility. However, due to the nature of this world, I'm inclined to believe that Monika's summary of events was the truth.

To some extent, Sonia seemed to relax a little after hearing Monika's events. After growing less tense, she spoke, "Okay, that sounds a bit believable, but what about Eli? Do you know what happened to him?" She asked. My god, I can hear the desperation in her voice. I feel so sorry for her, I thought.

I didn't know much about Elias. I know the other girls called him Eli. However, I prefer his full name. I enjoyed saying it in full. From what I know, he had to have been dealing with his problems in life. Why else would he hurt himself like I do? Nonetheless, thinking back, when I was injured, she had cared so much about me. He barely knew me, yet it is as if we knew each other for longer than just a few days I've known him.

I returned to the conversation as Monika looked slightly sad from Sonia's question, "No, I don't know what happened to him. I'm sorry." While she said this, Sonia seemed to grow a little more relaxed. Perhaps her sadness relieved the tension within her. Nonetheless, Elias is still gone, and so are the other girls. One question did remain with me. Why did Monika get to live? Why did she get a second chance? Why don't the others do? I could not think of an answer, or at least a logical one.

I sighed, "For now, let's just rest, okay? I admit we've all been through a lot." Monika nodded in agreement. Sonia simply was unresponsive, like she was lost in thought. I placed my hand on her shoulder. She shuddered but seemed to appreciate my concern.

"Let's get you cleaned up, okay, Sonia?" I asked. Sonia simply nodded. I must say it's nice not to have her resist. However, the lack of resistance is worrying me. Is she giving up? Surely she wouldn't. She's a strong-willed woman. Or she's skilled in making herself appear strong when weak.

Monika remained downstairs as I took Sonia to the bathroom. Sonia's shirt and part of her pants were covered in partly dry blood. Some aspects of my house probably have been stained with the said blood. It wasn't much of a concern. I was more worried about Sonia's mental well-being. How much can she go through? How much more can she tolerate? Could she handle another significant loss?

Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I helped her undress and enter the shower. As I was leaving, she stopped me, grabbing my arm.

"Can you stay with me?" I felt nervous but knew she needed me by her side. I nodded and sat beside the tub close to her. She sat in the tub, letting the water rinse away the blood. I watched the blood seep from her hair to her back. Her natural blonde hair was slowly but surely returning. Her eyepatch was getting soaked; it gradually became undone and fell off, and the socket was closed and looked shrunken. It was slightly disturbing to see, but I did not comment. Her other eye was devoid of life. She looked dead. It pained me to see her that way.

Sonia seemed like a strong woman; she had feelings, but we all do. Some are just better at hiding them than others. She seemed buff, and I could see her arms, thighs, and abs muscles. She is not a force to be reckoned with, especially with her demeanor in mind. Although it seems like she's willing to fight anything to get in her way, when it comes to it, I can tell she's scared at times. An emotion of despair and fear is under her mask of ferocity and strength. I can't say I, or in fact, anyone is any different. We all have our fronts. Some are just more hidden.

I'd have to say it is difficult to an extent for me to put up a mask. The world is bringing me down, and I must hide my wear and tear. I imagine most would not have to do such a thing. Why must I have to? How can others hold together if they can live with the world weighing them down? Why do I have to find another way to live with the pain?

I pulled back my sleeves and looked at my scars. Elias was like me. He hurt himself for a reason. I don't know the cause, but knowing we're similar made me feel comfortable in these depressing times. Sonia looked over at me. I did not attempt to hide my scars. She looked at them long and hard, like she was studying them.

"Just like him." She whispered as the water rinsed away the last trace of blood. I nodded at her words. "Why do you do it?" She asked me. I don't know whether to lie or tell her the truth. I did not want anyone to know why I hurt myself, yet I desperately wanted someone to know so someone could help me.

I chose, "I do it to cope with my insecurity and self-doubt to convince myself that I am mature and sophisticated." Sonia looked away. She seemed to be saddened. I am not sure if I was the reason for it.

"It must be hard. I am sorry."

I shook my head, "You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything."

Sonia continued to look away, "I know, but you had to deal with that alone, right? It must have been difficult."

I nodded, "It was, to some extent, always wearing long sleeves, even in the summer." I chuckle a bit, hoping to bring some life to her.

I succeeded to a certain extent as I noticed a slight smile on her face.

She said, "I think long sleeves look good on you." The compliment was out of nowhere. I blushed a little as she said that.

No words were spoken after that. Sonia stood up after promptly making sure she was clean. I am unsure how she can be so comfortable while being naked in the presence of someone. It's already nerve-racking for me. I handed her a clean set of clothes and let her change.

I returned downstairs, and Monika was still sipping on the tea. "How is she?" She asked.

"She is fine, just getting dressed and everything."

Monika sighed, "Good, I assume she's been through a lot." I nodded. We've both been through so much, but she had to watch Elias die right before her. No one can just brush that off.

Monika seemed concerned at my silence, "Are you okay though?" She asked. I was relatively okay, a little shocked at the situation. I hardly knew the other girls in the club; thus, it's sad to a certain extent but manageable. Elias, on the other hand, is the only person I could resonate with. He's gone. That did hurt me to an extent. After all, I never met another person who I could relate to here. It was all people with no problems and such.

Sayori, the chipper and caring one of the club. She was happy all the time. It was annoying at first, but I grew to tolerate it. I don't know why she joined the club anyway. Her poems were simplistic, and while some did contain rhyme and stanza organization, they were amateur at best. She was always so happy, like she had no care. It annoyed me how glad she could be, like she was flaunting it at me.

Natsuki is the brash, clunky, and arrogant girl. She doesn't know when to take a hint. It's like they mostly go over her head. She's usually rude, especially when someone comments on things she likes or calls her cute. If she doesn't like being called cute, she should stop dressing like that so much. Her poems are childish and not well constructed. It's like she doesn't even know what a stanza means. She's fascinated with manga, even though it's not considered literature.

Monika. The club president and the first member of the club. The woman who is still alive is sitting in front of me. I don't know what to think about her. When I first joined the club, she encouraged me to open up, but how could I when she was so inexperienced? I can't blame her, though. At least she tried to get me to open up. I could tell she was attempting to understand me. I should have been more expressive, but now my chance is gone forever.

"I'm okay," I replied to Monika. She nodded and continued to sip her tea. I looked at the clock. 12:30 A.M. It was late. I felt sluggish, but I was unsure if we should just relax. It seems too peaceful, like something is coming.

"You seem tense," Monika commented. She placed her hand on my shoulder, "Relax, everything will be okay."

You don't know that, is what I wanted to say, but it's best if I just remain quiet. There is no need to voice my worries.

"Yeah, you're right," I said, trying to believe she was right. But I just couldn't.

Sonia came down not long after, dressed in my clothing. Although the chest area was a bit big for her, I wondered what cup size she was.

We all decided to sleep together in my room in case of anything. The bed was big enough for two people. I let Sonia and Monika take the bed while I slept on the floor. No one said anything. We simply were in the room in silence. It was a bit unnerving, but in due time, I could fall asleep despite everything that happened.

I hear something: a woman, no, A girl. She said something difficult to understand. It is like she is both far away and yet so near at the same time. I try to listen, but she's drowned out by static, like she is speaking to me from a radio. It is hard to hear anything, but an incomplete sentence could be understood., "Use. Third. Save. Not. World. Outside."

I woke up frantically trying to find something to write down those words before I forgot what was said to me. Those words, In such a dream? It has to have a deeper meaning, right? Use something? A third something? Save someone? Not the world? Outside? What could these words mean? I cannot think of anything.

Giving up, I wrote down the words in a book and noticed an odd feeling. The room felt empty, as if I was alone. It was empty when I rose to see no one on the bed. Waking up, I took a look from the window. Fog enveloped the neighborhood. The Doctor was right in that aspect.

I went downstairs, and yet again, no one was present. I grew nervous, but that only increased when I ventured outside. There were people dressed in school uniforms. But they weren't people. They were more like dolls moving on their own. It was odd to see compared to what I've been through. I could not understand the meaning behind why this was occurring. I could not find Monika or Sonia either. I grew nervous.

I read the clock. It was 7:30 A.M. People were walking in school uniforms. It's a school day, but how can a school function with dolls? How does any of this make sense? I developed a headache and decided to press on. I threw on my school uniform, took a knife, and began heading to school. I ventured there a hundred times, yet for some reason, this feels like the last time I'll ever take this path. The last time I'll see that cat sitting outside the older man's home. The last time I passed by the park. The last time I ever left my house.

I entered the school. None of these lifeless automatons looked at me. None said anything. They all moved in rhythm, walking to a designated spot like clockwork. It was unnerving, yet, but I pressed on nonetheless. I searched every classroom for Sonia, Monika, or anyone who was not a machine. However, I had no luck. Every class was filled with dolls. I sat outside the final one I checked. Where could they be? Did they leave me here in this place?

I sat for hours thinking about everything, My life up to this point, and everything I should have done differently. It was like I was about to die, and my life flashed before my eyes. Except it wasn't flashing but replaying each detail slowly, and I was dying even slower. I felt cold and empty, like this was the end of everything. I couldn't think anymore. I took the knife out of my bag. It was polished enough to see my reflection. I thought about it. It's probably better to just end it now, right?

I thought about it for a few minutes. Die now or when I lose my mind. I think it's better just to end it now. I couldn't find them. I searched everywhere. We agreed to stay together no matter what. Yet here I am, Alone. Alone with lifeless husks.

My head hurts so much. It feels like my eyes are going to pop out of my skull. I grasp my head in pain. Maybe if I end it now, the pain will stop. I just want it to stop.

For a second, it did stop. Everything stopped. It was unsettling. There were no noises, just the sound of my breathing. I stood up and looked into a classroom. The dolls were there, but no sounds were being produced. It was as if the whole world froze.

The wind was no longer present. The silence was unbearable. It felt as if this world was taunting me, telling me the pain could stop if it wanted to. At any moment, it could easily bring the pain back just as quickly as it ended it. Why was it doing this? I don't know why I can't find Sonia or Monika. I just want this to end. I don't want to go through this anymore.

Tears streamed down my face as the torrent of memories continued to invade my unstable sanity. I couldn't do this, not alone. I do not know why I am here, suffering by myself. Just a couple of days ago, I saw myself as a sophisticated woman, mature and intelligent. But now I look into the knife's reflection and see a scared little girl who doesn't know how to escape this nightmare.

All she knows is that this knife will bring peace to herself.

But she's too scared to end it all.

And all she does is sit and wait.

For someone to save her.