Kismet

Chapter Seven - Konrad

"We need to leave," Konrad said, turning his gaze to the hallway, his heart dropping as he saw children on the ground, their own blood pooling around them. Oh God. He froze at the sight, despite it being from a distance. I killed them. He cautiously got up from the hospital bed, walking towards the hallway. He looked at the scattered, lifeless bodies, the floor wet with the children's blood. His white shoes stepped outside, the scarlet blood staining the bottom of his shoes.

"Konrad." Ophelia called out, her quiet footsteps going to him. She gently nudged his shoulder, attempting to bring him back from his daze.

He flinched slightly, turning his head over to look at Ophelia. "Did I do this?" He asked, sounding panicked. Ophelia shrugged.

"I don't know, but I'm sure you didn't do this. You wouldn't do that." She says before looking out in the hallway, seeing the blood-pooled floors and the stiff bodies. Konrad nodded gently, his words stuck in his throat. Doubt was in his eyes.A cry of fear came from the end of the hallway. It was terrified, full of emotion. Konrad turned to the sound, by impulse he walked towards the cries, the blood under his feet splashing quietly step by step.

"Konrad, don't do this. You don't know what's down there. You don't have to do this." Ophelia pleaded, confusion and desperation in her voice.

"What if it's one of the kids?" He asks, sounding eager. He wouldn't want to leave a living kid alive. His footsteps quickened, nearly running to the end of the hallway, finding a young teenager sobbing in distress and fear, her clothes covered with blood. A child, no younger than at least nine on the floor, their body stiff and their blood pooling around them, staining their gray clothes.

He felt his eyes blur, watching the teenager cry over a poor child that he killed himself. He didn't mean to, he never meant to kill anyone. He only wanted to protect Ophelia.

The words died in his throat, but he spoke them out anyway. "Are you okay?" He pathetically asked, his words raspy for some reason.

The girl looked up from the body, seeing Konrad first, then turning her head to look up at Ophelia. "Who— who are you?! Please don't hurt me!" She yelled out, her voice fearful.

Konrad stepped back and so did Ophelia. "I won't hurt you, I promise. Just tell me your name, please. Please." He said quickly, his attempts of reassuring the scared girl ever so slightly working out. Her scared eyes softened slightly, nodding gently.

". . ." She didn't respond at first, as if she was hesitating to tell him.

"I promise I won't hurt you. Please believe me. If you tell me your name, I'll tell you mine." He proposed, tilting his head slightly. The girl nodded.

"My name is. . .A-155." She mumbled, her bloody hands backing away from the dead body. Konrad nodded, sighing slightly in relief.

"My name is Konrad. She is Ophelia." He said, pointing to Ophelia who gave a gentle wave and a smile. A-155 nodded gently, standing up wobbly. She leaned on the wall for support.

"Why are you here?" A-155 asked, evidently curious of Ophelia and Konrad's reasons to be here.

They both looked at each other. "We just have to find a friend, we think he's in danger." Ophelia replied, her sweet voice gentle as always. Konrad nodded to confirm her statement.

"It's true." He says. A-155 sighed shakily, looking behind the two.

"I have friends who are still here. Can we please find them?" She asks, her voice desperate. Konrad hesitated, but he couldn't clear his conscience by leaving the family he grew up with behind.

Ophelia nodded to Konrad, agreeing with going to find them.

"Okay. Do you know where they are?" He asked, A-155 nodding gently. She was more collected than merely seconds ago.

"They're in the mess hall, I'll show you where it is—"

"We know where it is. . ." Konrad and Ophelia said, in unintentional unison. They glanced at each other before walking away from the end of the hallway, as A-155 quickly followed behind them, quiet footsteps from the three.

Konrad was distracted, his mind off to somewhere else, still processing the fact he might have killed every child and staff member in the lab, despite them being across the building.

As the three walked to the mess hall, the hallways were full of dead bodies, be it children or staff members. The words died in his throat, the questions he was gonna ask A-155. He was so guilt-ridden. This was his fault, his doing. He didn't mean to, he never meant to hurt anyone.

He just wanted to protect her. His love, his angel.

Ophelia glanced around the bodies, her fearful eyes wandering about the halls. She shook her head to herself, Konrad noticing. He didn't say anything though. She seemed stressed, in denial of his actions. He didn't know how to tell her. How to tell her this was his fault. He turned his neck slightly to look at Ophelia.

"How do you know where the mess hall is?" A-155 asked, making Konrad leave his state of thoughts.

"Uh, we used to. . ." Konrad tried explaining, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth.

Ophelia noticed quickly and answered for him. "We used to hang around here, before you were here." She poorly explained. A-155 nodded, a look of suspicion on her face.

"Okay." She murmured.

As they got to the mess hall, noises echoed slightly from under a table, noises of fear, and shaky, labored breathing. "What is that?" Ophelia whispers, craning her neck to examine the room cautiously.

"Them." A-155 says.