Salvation 2035

Chapter 42- Healing

『Abel』

      "That's good," a sombre smile paints my friend's face. I can't imagine how burdensome it would be to keep so many secrets. "Let's go somewhere else."

     "Sure."

     We walk up a few floors and come to some sort of makeshift office space repurposed for living. I spot a kitchen and dining area where there would normally be cubicles. Moving down the halls, we come to a door that has Tsuki's name written on it. Unsurprisingly, it turns out to be his room. I recognize his bag, which is sitting close to his bed.

     "I'm gonna put on some pants," he hands me my jacket back and heads into another room, which is presumably the washroom. The faint sound of raindrops whisks off the window. He emerges a few moments later and sits down on the bed. I pull up a chair and sit across from him.

     "Your hair's black," I observe.

     "Yeah, it is," he takes a hair tie from his wrist and pulls it back.

     "Were your nails always painted?" I add.

     "No, this is new," he holds out his hand. "It's like a dark silver."

     "Oh, I see that," I comment, as the lights reflect off of them. "I guess you've been productive."

     "It's unexpected," he replies.

     "So why did you leave us?" I ask, trying my best not to sound accusatory.

     "I... I just couldn't take seeing you guys get hurt because of me," he grabs one of the pillows and holds it in his arms. "I was going to try and lure Cromwell away from you guys, but I ended up here. There's been no sign of her."

     "It's been quiet for us too," I remark. "Well, aside from us searching through every corner of every nearby city for you."

     "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he apologizes. "I just..."

     "It's okay, I understand," I reassure him.

     "I guess I should tell you why she's going after me, and how I knew that guy," he starts. "It's a bit of a long story."

     "I have time," I prompt.

     "Alright..." he lets out a deep breath. "When I was twelve years old, I did something that really wasn't too bright. There were police going after me and my sister since we were criminals on top of being missing persons. We were running through a forest, and they were gaining on us. There was no way for the two of us to come out of that instance. I found a good hiding spot and told her to wait there while I looked for another. What I actually did was run to the police, and convince them that I was the only one there. They believed me and took me away. Later on, I met Cromwell. I was pretty naive back then, so I trusted that she had my best interests in mind and just wanted to help me out. She said that instead of going to prison, I had the option to do some work instead. I had heard about people getting community service before, so I thought that maybe that was my case." He pauses for a moment. "Do you remember the place we visited right after we escaped from prison?"

     "The brothel?" I recall. I think I know where this is headed.

     "That's... where I worked," he states. "I... well, I..." he stammers, nervously clutching at the pillow.

     "If it's too difficult for you to talk about, you don't have to share it now," I notice how uncomfortable he looks.

     "But I want to," he affirms. "I have to."