Artificial Tears

Chapter 40

Can I even be sure that every murder I saw had the same killer?

Edith wonders, finding it almost difficult to not think aloud.

"I-is somet-thing wrong?" Lavender asks in a kind voice.

"Yea- I mean no... I'm just thinking of a way in which we can both escape."

"Is there a way to undo it?"

"N-not-t that-t I K-know off..."

"Have you ever met someone else like you before?"

Lavender shrugs: "Yeah-ah, but t-they are a-all sleep-ping."

"She probably means that with those words." System theorizes.

Edith sighs: "I have met someone like you- like us before though."

Lavender looks at the girl in great surprise: "Y-you hav-ve?"

Nodding she answers: "Yeah, they had the same kind of mask like you. The same uniform or clothes too."

"R-really?"

"Really."

"I-is t-th-that the on-one who hurt-t y-you?"

Edith looks down at her wounded arm and nods.

"T-than i-it's not like m-m-me."

"No?"

"I-I would-dn't hurt-t f-fam-mil-ly. M-maybe i-i-it's a a a vill-llain."

"Y-yeah."

"Is he st-till t-trying t-t-to hur-rt y-you?"

Edith looks down: "I think so, he... he hurt my friends too."

Something about Edith's response seems to have made Lavender sad.

"D-do you t-think he w-will c-come for-r you h-here?"

Edith nods: "I wouldn't be surprised."

Then Lavender suddenly seems to have made up her mind about something: "A-are you st-trong?"

Edith shakes her head: "No, not in the least."

"T-t-then you h-have t-t-t-to be n-now."

"What do you mean?" Edith asks, shocked.

"Es-sc-c-cape!"

Lavender pushes her towards the door.

"What are you-?"

But her question is being ignored.

"R-run away fr-rom m-me."

Suddenly Lavender grabs Edith by her wrist and looks at her with eyes wide open.

"I can't let you leave." The words sound automated and eerily clear.

"I can't let you leave."

"Lavender, please..."

"I can't let you leave."

Everything that made Lavender, Lavender, seems to have vanished completely.

Red lights start flashing in the room and an alarm starts going off.

Edith feels the iron grip almost crushing her arm.

"Lavender..."

"Damnit Edith, I told you." System sounds annoyed: "Alright, listen to me if you want to live."

Edith nods.

"Alright, move your other hand to hers and just book it out of there."

"That's all?" Edith asks in a panic.

"Just do what I say and run."

Edith places her free hand over Lavender's, who immediately gets shocked.

A light flash lights up the room for a second and something strange happens to Edith's vision, still she uses this moment to run.

Everything happens as if in slow motion.

Edith runs, with a possessed Lavender behind her, trying to grab hold of her.

Finally as she reaches the door, she leaves and smashes it shut behind her.

Someone is hammering at the other side.

"She wanted to save you." System tells Edith, but Edith can't answer anymore.

She sinks to the ground with her back against the door.

"It's too much." She whispers: "It's just too much..."

It doesn't take long for the pounding and alarm to stop and for the eerie silence to fill the street once more.

Suddenly Edith feels someone tapping at her shoulder and she immediately gets ready to defend herself again.

"Edith, it's me." A familiar voice explains, trying to calm the machine before him down.