The White Room Dropout - A CotE Fanfic

Part 44: Abandoned and Broken

Huddled together with Miyazaki and the rest of our group in the dimly lit shopping mall, I couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness. The watchful eyes of armed soldiers bore down on us, their presence a constant reminder of the perilous situation we found ourselves in.

Then, a sudden and unwelcome disruption to our uneasy quiet as a pair of soldiers advanced toward me. One of them, the one with a stern expression, turned to his comrade and inquired in a hushed tone, "Is she the one?" His partner nodded in confirmation, and without wasting another moment, the first soldier turned his attention to me.

His command was curt and direct, cutting through the air like a blade. "Come with us."

As I hesitated for those crucial seconds, the world around me seemed to distort, and a wave of dread washed over me. The soldier's grip on my arm grew more forceful, making it clear that any resistance on my part would be futile. My heart raced, pounding like a drumbeat in my chest, and I exchanged a fleeting, desperate glance with Miyazaki, who shared my sense of helplessness.

Desperation edged into Miyazaki's voice as he asked the soldier, "What do you want with her?" His words were tinged with fear, but the soldier remained unyielding, his steely expression offering no answers.

Miyazaki, overwhelmed by fear and a protective instinct he couldn't suppress, made a daring move. He attempted to pull me back from the soldier's grasp, his voice quivering as he implored, "Let her go! She's done nothing wrong."

However, the soldier responded swiftly and with a chilling resolve. He raised his weapon, the cold steel gleaming in the dim light of the mall, and issued a stark warning to Miyazaki, his voice laced with an unsettling calmness. "Stop, or I'll shoot."

Reluctantly, Miyazaki released his grip on me, his face etched with a painful mixture of anguish and powerlessness. At that moment, I was forcibly separated from Miyazaki, the soldiers leading me away into the unknown, while the others could only watch in silent despair, their worried eyes locked onto mine until I vanished from their sight.

...

We arrived at the mall's main atrium, a once bustling hub of commerce and leisure now transformed into a makeshift base of operations. Several tents had been erected, their flaps billowing in the gentle breeze, and soldiers moved about with purpose, their uniforms marked with a sense of authority and discipline.

I was ushered into one of the tents, its interior surprisingly organized given the chaotic circumstances. There, I found myself standing before two men. One was impeccably dressed in a finely tailored suit, his demeanor exuding an air of authority that was hard to ignore. The other, standing at attention beside him, wore the distinguished uniform of a high-ranking military officer.

The soldier who had escorted me into the tent spoke with formality. "Sir, we've brought the girl."

The soldier who had accompanied me into the tent, ever respectful, immediately noticed the high-ranking military officer's subtle gesture. With practiced efficiency, he signaled to the other soldiers to leave, leaving us in an intimate circle of secrecy, the walls of the tent sheltering our conversation from prying ears.

Once the canvas flap of the tent had fallen shut behind the departing soldiers, the officer turned his attention toward the man in the finely tailored suit, his gaze unwavering. His voice held an undertone of urgency as he inquired, "What does bringing this girl have to do with finding the boy?"