[Attention! Are there any violent scenes in this chapter that may not be pleasant for you! Not recommended for people with a weak psyche and sensitive people!]
"I've seen like a hero,
Who brought us all together,
So desperately fell
At the hands of those we hated.
I saw our spirits fall
Which we have been building for centuries.
Our hope was dying
Together with humanity,
That once lived in us."
Prose about life and death.
----
The hall froze in silence, taut as a string. A storm is raging in the eyes of the wolf girl: rage, doubt, determination.
Yuki was enjoying our confusion. "Well, beauty? The choice is simple: life or death? Is it mine or yours?"
The silence of the wolf girl was more depressing than the scream. I saw only an abyss in her eyes–pain, despair.
"Don't," I whispered. "Don't make hasty decisions!"
Her voice faltered, "I... don't know..."
"It's boring." Choosing death? Whatever you say. Yuki raised her hand.
"Wait! Don't touch them! I'll do anything!"
"It's too late, kid. The game is played according to my rules."
The wolf girl stared into the void, and I saw agreement in her eyes. Terrible agreement.
She raised her head, and there was no longer any doubt in her gaze. Only determination.
"I'll do what I have to do. But remember… It's your duty."
I realized that it was over. Regardless of the choice, we will die. The only question is how.
What will happen to her? With Asagi? With friends? I was helpless.
"Since it didn't prompt our guest to make a decision, I have a great idea how to settle everything," Yuki's words snaked through the silence, causing all of us to turn to her at the same time. At that moment, we were like puppets, connected by invisible threads of her cruel game.
I swallowed hard, trying to prepare myself for what was about to happen. My body trembled treacherously, betraying the chilling fear that gripped me.
When Yuki pressed the button on the remote, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the worst. To an explosion of pain, screams of horror, death agony. But... Nothing happened. The deathly silence weighed on my ears. There were no gunshots, no screams, no sounds of fighting.
And I hurriedly opened my eyes.
Suddenly, there was a click, and the TV came to life, startling me. My body, as if prepared in advance for the impact, instantly tensed. This was her new trick.
At first, there was static on the screen, but we all kept our eyes on the TV, trying to figure out what Yuki wanted to show us.
I heard a whisper behind me, but no one wanted Yuki to hear it. I looked at the wolf girl, and her eyes were calm. There was no trace of the horror that had been there a few seconds ago. What did that mean? Did she know something? Or does she just not care?
Asagi... She stared at nothing, muttering incoherently. Broken. I couldn't stand it and turned away – my heart was squeezed with pain and pity. To see her so exhausted and not be able to help…
The others...There were bruises and marks from blows on their bodies, and tears froze in their eyes. They were exhausted and looked like the living dead. What did she do to them? Damn, I hate myself so much!
The TV was attracted by strange sounds, and the image cleared up. Is the family celebrating a birthday? Is this a movie?
And suddenly – a shot! I was startled. Yuki shot at the floor, next to my classmate. She came close to him, grinning and giving him a predatory look.
"Do you want to skip the live broadcast that our government has prepared for us? It would be disrespectful to the feelings of our beloved state."
She gently ran her hand through his hair, playing on his nerves like a cat with a mouse. It was him... the one who first supported my drawing when Minato made fun of it. I was truly sorry that such a good person could get hurt because of me. And how did I not notice this before? I thought everyone was trying to hurt me.... And the culprits of all this are adults.
He was confused. Terrible.
"Okay… Excuse me..."
Our will is being tested by trying to turn us into obedient slaves. Either you obey or you die. There is no other choice.
Surprisingly, Yuki lagged behind him, which pleased me, but the tension was felt all this time.
Yuki just clapped indifferently, turning our attention back to the TV. And why did she need us to watch it? She was really strange, but everyone listened to her, hoping that now she would watch lectures on how to behave in such a way that the state would be proud of you. At least it was peaceful, unlike the murders.
Now we can breathe a sigh of relief.
Children and adults happily gathered on the TV screen. The main birthday parties were congratulated – a girl in a shiny dress with a cat and her grandfather in a modest suit. Everyone was having fun preparing for the feast. This is exactly what the state believes a family should look like: patient people who pretend that everything is fine.
Suddenly, Yuki pressed the remote control. But nothing happened. Strange. Maybe the remote was broken and she just wanted to turn it up?
But then, as if on her command, special forces burst into the room.
They kicked down the door with a bang and entered the house uninvited. Grandma, beaming with joy, hurried to meet they with a ruddy meat pie in her hands. Everyone perked up, thinking that the guests had decided to join the celebration.
"Hi guys! Come on in, help yourself!"Grandma was smiling.
But the smiles immediately turned to bewilderment.
"You're under arrest for promoting animal love!" The commander of the special forces barked.
"What? What kind of propaganda is this? What are you talking about?"Grandma was confused.
"It is forbidden to love animals in our country! Even the cartoon ones! You only need to love the state!" One of the commandos snapped, pointing a gun at the family.
"Please wait! Today is the birthday of my granddaughter and her grandfather! We are peaceful people, let's talk calmly!" Grandma begged.
But her words had no effect. The girl's T-shirt with the image of a cat was roughly torn off. And they started beating her.
At that moment, the wolf girl understood everything and knelt down in front of Yuki. Her fur had faded from fear and despair.
"Please! Stop them! I'll do whatever you say! That's all!" Her voice was trembling, dropping to a whisper.
Yuki looked at her contemptuously.
"What can you offer me?"
"I will give my body to the laboratory! I will give my life! I'll wear a collar so tight that I won't be able to escape! I'll be your puppet, do whatever you want with me! Just stop them!"
Yuki thought about it, and a faint smile appeared on her face.
She was deliberately stalling for time, and it seems to her that she is following the suffering of those who are trying to do something to save innocent lives.
Meanwhile...
The grandfather, who was trying to protect his granddaughter, was hit with a rifle butt and then shot in cold blood in the temple. The grandmother, who rushed to her granddaughter in desperation, was pinned down and dragged into another room. Muffled screams of terror and pain could be heard from there. The commandos mocked her, forcing her to shout slogans about love of the state and hatred of animals, each of her screams was accompanied by a blow.
"You have to understand!" The commander of the special forces shouted, looking at the distraught mother. "Your only task is to worship the state! Loving animals makes you selfish! And the love of cartoon characters is idolatry! All diseases, all viruses from animals! They are the enemy! Your love for them is propaganda for killing people!"
"But... that's not true! We just love them! They are our friends, our family members!" The woman was crying, looking at the bloodied body of her father.
"Shut up! You are enemies of the state! Your love is a crime!"
The house was turned upside down. Soon they found a purebred cat, given to the girl, and began to commit unthinkable atrocities with him. The girl screamed in pain, begging them to stop, begging them not to touch her pet. The cat was mewing hysterically. Everyone was screaming.
The wolf girl cried, kissing Yuki's feet and continuing to beg her to stop these atrocities.
"Hmm... that sounds good. Maybe I'll agree..." She paused, enjoying the moment. "But... you know... All this happened because you didn't make a decision in time. You can only blame yourself. Enjoy your "victory" now..."
Those words sounded like a death sentence.
The wolf girl's eyes filled with despair. She realized that her pleas were in vain. That Yuki was going to start this bloodbath from the very beginning, and nothing could stop her.
"no... please... no..." she whispered, helplessly sinking to the floor.
The massacre was brutal and revealing. The girl's parents, who tried to protect her, were burned alive, and before they died they were persuaded to give up their love for animals and glorify the state.
The celebration turned into a bloody tragedy in the blink of an eye.
And the special forces continued their brutal work. Blood flowed like a river, screams tore the silence, and a smiling girl in a dress with a cat was still beaming on the TV screen, unaware that her life had just been dealt with like an unnecessary toy.
And the cheerful music only added to the gloom of the whole picture that we managed to witness. What kind of people are they? Spoil a child's own holiday just because of their stupid beliefs?
I felt a cold tear trickle down from my eyes.
"This is what happens if your values contradict the values of the State. You live for the sake of the State. Your life is in the hands of the State. Your loyalty is only to the State. No hobbies, just the State! You should be grateful that we protect you from such breeding grounds of infections as these people. Otherwise, you would have been sick a long time ago. They are the Antichrists, sowing only destruction in our world. And we give you everything to make you happy. And you should appreciate it. Thanks to us, you are alive and living the best life on earth!"
More add fuel to the fire her soulless Words as if she were a robot who had a program to serve the state and eliminate those who do not obey.
I don't want to live in this world anymore... To see such a thing is more terrible than death...
All of our faces were full of shock-it was no longer the paradise we had thought all along, where we were surrounded by caring adults. We've been living in hell all this time without noticing it. It was a strange realization for us. We stared at the screen as if we didn't understand what was happening, as if what was happening didn't seem real to us.
I heard someone throw up. A heavy, oppressive sound, as if the soul is being turned inside out. I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't watch the world crumble around me... but I knew that this was the classmate that Yuki had threatened before the live broadcast started..
Suddenly, Yuki appeared next to him. I'm sure her breath burned his face.
"What is it, my child? Don't you like the live stream? You should be happy! We got rid of the infection, of people who could only bring us grief and suffering! Why are you reacting so strangely? Although, however... It's our old record, but I'm glad you liked it."
Her words pierce me with icy needles. I saw my classmate trying to force a forced smile.
"Yes... yes, it's okay.…They deserve it...I'm sorry," he muttered.
He had a toy in his hands. An old, battered Mickey Mouse. I'm sure he found it somewhere on the floor. Stupidity, of course. But right now, it was the only thing he could grab onto to keep from going crazy.
Yuki noticed the toy.
"What have you got there? What's it?" she asked curiously.
I could see his heart pounding.
"I... found it... just garbage. I'm going to throw it away." He tried to keep his voice level, but his voice was shaking.
It was obvious that he was lying. Mickey Mouse was clutched to his chest like a talisman. He held onto it like a drowning man holding onto a straw.
Yuki snatched the toy from his hands. My classmate clenched his fingers, not wanting to let go, but she was stronger.
A lighter flashed. Mickey Mouse caught fire, bursting into flames. The plastic was melting, spreading a sickening smell.
The classmate started crying. Silently, desperately. And suddenly he snuggled up to Yuki, burying his face in her shoulder.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."- he whispered, as if he had lost something incredibly important. It was as if a part of his soul had died along with that charred Mickey Mouse.
Yuki hugged him back. There was something similar in her eyes... A celebration? As if breaking him was her goal. She stroked his head, whispering soothing words.
"My good one, it's okay. Do you understand now? Animals are evil. It is because of them that we suffer. Our state protects us by ridding the world of this abomination. You should be grateful."
She spoke with such tenderness, with such care, that anyone who saw them at that moment would have thought that she was his savior. But I knew the truth. I could see the predatory gleam in her eyes. He could see that she was enjoying his weakness. He was broken. And Yuki won.
This scum broke us one by one! She's used to winning.
"I didn't mean to upset you..."
"You have time to fix everything...I'll give you...a chance!"
Chance for what?
"After all, the doctor needs you all alive, so not a single hair will fall off your head."
She threw the cartridges and the pistol out the window.
"But in return, we will still play - I won't tell you the rules, but the one who wins first will leave here before everyone else, for the rest I will arrange a movie night, which I specially prepared for you. You all will love it~"
I certainly don't want to watch what she recorded for us. And so I'll get out of here first with the rest of them, just so as not to her bastard films full of sadism and mockery of people.