Cold rain dispersed from the grey clouds above, cleansing the crumbling buildings, displaced highways, and uprooted soil. In a previously overcrowded island city, everything was abandoned. The sound of rain beating against the staggered concrete now stood in the place of car horns. Faint hints of red were washed away as the hollow atmosphere fogged the area.
A Division-A flag, torn, flew with the breeze. The silver pole wobbled and swayed back and forth. The Grand Hall's roof of which the flag pole was erected upon was reduced to shambles, nothing but a shell of its former self. The collapsed dome exposed the mess of the inside; tables were flipped over, papers were scattered, and bodies graced the decaying floors here and there. Paintings were ripped from the walls, lights were broken, walls had collapsed.
Traveling down an expansive stairwell was the damaged remains of a sprawling corridor, the doors of each room bent out of shape and ripped off the hinges. Following through a door on the far left was a long rope, knotted every few feet, that dangled beside a broken steel staircase. A bright rectangular light reflected on the damp concrete floor, leading the eye to the cracked open door of a utility closet.
Makina stared at her reflection in the cracked mirror leaning against the wall. Her eyes glowed back at her. She broke eye contact with herself and brought her attention to the Omega uniform folded over her crossed arms, noticing the blood stains and tears in its fabric. The very thought of the uniform appalled her, and she threw it to the side. Her body twisted around and Makina slid down the side of the mirror, hiding her anguished face from the world as she whimpered.
She looked down, staring at her cold, fake body. Her feet, her thighs, her stomach, breasts, neck, and heart were all artificial... everything was fake but what had just happened a few weeks before. Her very being was carefully constructed by her superiors to enhance the ordinary aspects of her human self, the human self that has been long gone. Even in this superhuman state, she still failed. She failed to keep the city safe, failed to keep their leader safe, failed to keep Akino safe, and failed her promise to her late captain. She let her guard down, she got comfortable, she trusted- and that's what led to this predicament.
Hideyo sat in the other room, her body pushed up against the cold concrete walls. Her toes curled around the tapestry spread over the table she sat on. She sighed, grabbing the pillow to her right and holding it to her chest. Hideyo's eyes slowly trailed off, observing the rest of the empty closet transformed into a group bedroom. The area was bleak, a single light bulb swaying back and forth from the center of the ceiling.
Hideyo lifted her foot up, noticing the floor's grime got to her foot and now stained the tapestry. Touching the arch of her foot, Hideyo winced, her soles still sore from the weeks before. The table creaked as she adjusted her posture, positioning the pillow against the wall and laying her head on it. "I'm pathetic..."
The sound of her flip-flops squeaked as Yukino walked down the Grand Hall corridor. The wooden beams that used to support the archway had nothing to support, now allowing the rain to fall through and color the red carpet a darker shade of itself. Yukino's hair was flattened by the rain, but she kept her normal pace, thinking of it as a free shower. She smiled to herself, reminded of the time Akino forgot his umbrella after school. He'd always forget his umbrella, and it was always Yukino's job to prepare for that.
She carried a crate of waters from the supermarket a few blocks away, planning to bring it downstairs for the group. Climbing up a pile of debris that stood in her way, she noticed Miki on the other side. He climbed up, meeting her at the top and taking the crate from her.
"Was this all there was?" He asked, noticing the light weight of the wooden box.
She nodded, taking his hand as he helped her down. "There was none at the gas station nearby, so I had to walk to the supermarket by the park."
YOU ARE READING
Division-A
Action"Humanity is a figment of imagination." 100 years ago, humanity flocked to a makeshift island due to an event that threatened to massacre everything in its path. Now, in present day, Akino has nightmares about an event that nearly killed him and his...
