Cumin: Book 1

The Torture of Compassion

Like I was going to let him guilt me into doing what he wanted. Once the sting of his snap vanished, the fury at his ever present inability to show empathy for other people's feelings sent me after him at a run. Against all his high and mighty beliefs, I did not explode into a smear of blood and flesh the moment I stepped out of the parlor, nor did I collapse with seizures of psychochemical dreams.

"Have you forgotten all the people who care about what happens to you?" I took the steps two at a time to catch up to him. His irritation made his strides long and swift. When he said nothing, I snapped my teeth together. "Damn it, Naru, what happened to Ayako isn't your fault!"

"Shows your naivety about the responsibilities that come with authority."

Ah, so I'd been right. Despite the overwhelming urge to punch him over the head, I did smile at that.

Even so, I knew it'd be a waste to try and convince him otherwise. Naru may call me stubborn, but he made me look compliant as grass when he thought he was in the right.

A wave of cold, like I had stepped through a thin membrane of water that stretched over the hall like a wall, ruptured my skin in goose bumps. I involuntarily slowed as we neared the utility closet at the end of the hall.

"The placement of this closet is strange," he said, probably just to himself. "Utility closets are usually on the first floor, aren't they?"

"There's more bathrooms up here," I said.

"That shouldn't make any difference."

The afternoon sunlight pouring in from the window at the end of the hall shone dully off his black shoes. He always wore black shoes.

"For the last time, Mai, go back to the base, or I'm firing you after this."

That did give me pause, and I hesitated. Then I thought about living with the regret if something did happen to Naru.

"I can at least do the nine cuts," I said. "So shove it. Besides, nothing's happened to me so far, and I'm sure the maids have opened this place up plenty of times."

I wasn't so sure of that, but Naru didn't look at me as he stopped at the last door. Without a word, he adjusted the second case to his other hand and reached for the doorknob. Before I could reconsider giving him one over the head and dragging him back by force, the door was open, and another wave of damp, cold air whooshed over me. It smelled of fresh plaster and warm metal.

Once again I found myself in a world of dark-red and heartbeat. I opened a useless mouth and clenched alien fists—

And Naru returned me to the world with a flick of the light switch. The walls had been painted a plain white and the floor was the same oak paneling. The dark blue green heater, water heater, fuse box, and sink were just as I saw them. No symbols glowed off the wall, and though there was a surprising amount of space on the floor, I couldn't see the wide circle I had seen fitting there.

He stepped in and set down the case of sensors. I bit my lip and stepped in to help him with the tripod, to which he didn't stop me. After pushing the camera into the corner adjacent to the door and adjusting it roughly, he moved to the sensors.

The light flicked off. Despite that, I didn't grow alarm. The sunlight from the hallway still lit up the room well enough.

"Classic," he muttered, as though the darkness amused him.

I wanted to kick him. I should have.

Because right after he said that, the door slammed closed behind him of its own free will. Impenetrable darkness closed in on us like a heavy blanket. No light seeped in through the cracks around the door, and the small lights of the heater gave off no glow.