When recess ended, Aiden returned to the classroom, Blair was saying goodbye to Maika at the entrance of 2C. He gathered courage and told her he needed to talk to her when classes end, again without waiting for an answer, he walked straight to his classroom.
Blair, the delegate, scolded Aiden for leaving and neglecting his duty. Apparently, after he disappeared, they went looking for him at the nurse's office and when they asked about him, they found out that he never went there, so he must have just skipped the tour.
Trapped, Aiden quickly used the advantages of being the “henchman #3” without hesitation, blaming everything on Saya, saying he was doing a favor for the self-proclaimed boss of the second-years, and previously the first-years. But he felt bad about it, and that's why he was going to talk to Maika after class to make things right.
The bell on the speakers in the hallways and classrooms signaled the end of classes. Everyone, except for two students, had left the school. The sky was in its orange splendor of dusk, classes had ended an hour ago, as it was the first week, not even the teachers were in the building.
Aiden was a few meters from the gate behind him, and Maika was standing with her back to one of the iron bridges, the one that Aiden had to take every morning to attend school more exactly. If things didn't go well, he would hide in the school, and if she fled as soon as he confronted her, she had quite the limited escape routes. Then, the police would take care of the rest.
—So, what do you have to tell me? You better make the wait worth it —said Maika, who spoke first.
As soon as the bell rang, Aiden ran out of his classroom and asked her to wait for him, telling her that it was something vital that he wanted to discuss. Afterwords, he went to hide until the rest of the students and teachers left the neighborhood, which brings us to the current situation.
—Answer me truthfully… Please —said Aiden, then inhaled and let out a big sigh as he clenched his fists.
—O-of course. So, what's this about? I want to hear the reason that is so important for you to call me specifically here and make me wait so long. Everyone else has already left, probably we are the only ones here.
Maika seemed somewhat impatient, and her body language presented her as acting defensively, much tenser than in any of the situations she had experienced so far. Likely, an incorrect idea of the situation had been created, but only she knew for sure what was going on in her flustered and confused mind.
Aiden ignored the strange way the girl was acting, or rather, he didn't even pay attention to it.
—Last night… In the abandoned district.
With just those few words, Maika's demeanor shifted sharply, first from surprise into a darker expression.
—Explain to me what that was! I don't even know what to think anymore, I don't know if what I saw was true, but… Why did you… to that person!? —Aiden released his thoughts that he couldn't repress any longer—. Wasn't he a human being like us!? Why would you do something like that!!!?
Deep down, his heart wished that there was an explanation for what he saw. Even if there was no way to forgive what he saw, at least he wanted to know the reason of the person standing in front of him. No, he needed to hear her reasoning; otherwise he wouldn't ever be satisfied. A part of him, desperately, wanted an easy answer to the most difficult questions about the value of life.
Hearing all of these thoughts, this eruption, from the boy who called her alone when the rest of the students left, Maika felt she could relax.
Following the thread of his words, something crucial was missing in his accusation, making things easier for her.
The person in front of her had seen the last moments of 'that thing' that looked human, that's why he would think it was a human being, the brunette girl understood. In other words, he was deceived by a 'vessel'.
—I'm sorry —said Maika, keeping her composure—, it was supposed to be nobody else there. Please don't ask any more questions. You will soon forget everything and continue with your peaceful life —and introduced her hand in her school bag.
She was about to pull something out of it when Aiden shouted “STOP!” with all his strength, thinking she would take out the weapon he saw last night or something to threaten him and make him keep quiet.
Maika's new-found serene, or rather, detached, state of mind was suddenly interrupted; however, not due to Aiden's shout, but due to a loud noise came behind her like steel being bent. The constant 'clank and crack' that was produced flooded the place with a sense of danger.
A piece of iron around two meters flew close to Aiden, leaving him stunned. The piece of the iron beam continued after passing by Aiden until it was embedded in the ground a few meters from where they were.
The young man, instinctively, threw himself to the ground, and after confirming that all his limbs were fine, began to run towards Maika; her hand still inside the school bag and unsheathe sharp eyes in the direction from where the iron beam came from.
—Run! —Aiden shouted desperately and confused by the lack of information about the new development.
He grabbed the girl's hand thoroughly ignoring the previous confrontation, the only thing he wanted was to take her and himself to a safe place, since it was possible that another of those pieces of iron was thrown again. The only place they could run was the school.
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«What the hell was that!? A power suit?» Aiden thought as he tightened his grip on the girl. «No, even if the security agency discovered what she did, it doesn't warrant this, or does it!? Who the hell are you Maika!!!»
The young man was referring to the heavy, but highly mobile, and mighty armored exoskeletons that he often saw in the news when the police dealt with pursuits or high-risk criminals. They were even used on the battlefield by military personnel. Only in this city would they bring out such things for a simple ATM robbery or something similar.
However, his assumption was wrong.
—Wait! What are you doing? Running won't do any good.
A figure could be distinguished on the other end of the iron bridge. That person made a giant leap that was humanly impossible and landed right where they were standing a moment ago.
Aiden turned to look while running, and what he saw was not a person, it was a monster with a human appearance that had come from who knows where.
—What the hell is that!? —He thought after seeing it with the corner of his eye.
Easily, it could be mistaken for another student of Aiden's age, they had almost the same height, in fact, for a few centimeters Aiden was shorter.
They could have been classmates, even friends, and Aiden would have never suspected that it was a monster as long as it could hide the horrible expression on its face right now. It was as if the skin of its face was pulled in the openings and at the same time someone stretched it from the neck.
The presence that emanated from the monster entered the deepest part of Aiden. It resonated inside him, a strangeness which seemed to fit perfectly with what was happening, with what he would call a bad feeling, Aiden thought and didn't want to keep thinking about it anymore.
It wasn't the time or place to worry about other things than running, but in reality, the feeling meant much more. The strangeness soon turned into excitement. Survival instincts acted; adrenaline spread thought out of him, and as if it were a compulsion, a smile appeared on his face.
—What for, huh? You can't know that without even trying, damn it! —He said, dragging Maika with all his strength— We have to run fast!
He couldn't do anything against that monster, at least he could act bravely while running away. Acting foolishly brave or dying like a fool, if he was going to be a fool anyway, at least he had to try to be brave and run with all his strength.
Strange, right? A minute ago, Aiden was contemplating turning her over to the police, and now he was helping her escape.
If he had been alone, he probably would have given up by just seeing that monster and his body would have disobeyed the commands to flee, or at least that's what he believed; However, he couldn't afford to feel terror now, he wouldn't allow something to happen to that girl.
—What the hell is that!? —Said Aiden while running—. Did he throw the iron beam just now!?
—An experiment —responded Maika, always keeping her gaze fixed on the dangerous presence behind them.
—Experiment? What are you talking about?
The monster propelled itself towards them and almost instantly reached them, even without having landed, it stretched its arm to grab Maika.
—Ghg! —Aiden realized his intentions and threw her forward with all his strength.
They successfully changed positions, now it was him who was going to receive the attack. If he could easily throw the iron beam, he could tear off his arm if he managed to grab it, that's what Aiden understood the moment after he acted. He prepared for the impact, but then Maika's voice reached his ears.
—To the ground!
Everything happened in a fraction of a second. Following the order, the moment it reached his ears, he lifted his feet off the ground, throwing his body to the side and the inertia created made him fly like a rag doll.
As his feet left the ground and his upper body contorted uncomfortably while falling, a bullet flew by a few inches over his torso and under his right arm.
Aiden's body was still trembling, the adrenaline and tension of the moment had blocked his senses, it was a miracle that he heard Maika's voice earlier.
Air pressure similar to the flapping of wings, yet comparable to a powerful turbine, sent Aiden flying just before the bullet made contact with the monster behind him.
Aiden's body, due to its unstable position while falling, bounced and rolled on the ground about three meters from where he was before.
—Coghf! —The air in his lungs was expelled when he made the last bounce.
But without wasting time, he gathered the strength necessary to get up, and once he managed to lift his trembling body, he quickly looked from side to side searching for the monster unsuccessfully.
Maika went to Aiden's side to help him. Still in a dazed state, Aiden somehow ordered the priorities in his head.
—Agh… Are you okay?
—What kind of question is that!? You tell me if you're okay!
—I'm fine, just a little bumped. More importantly, what the hell was that!?
—A homunculus —the girl said without hesitation—. And it hasn't gone yet, so don't get away from me, no mater what.
Had he heard that before, he would not have believed it. Best assumption theory would have guided him to believe a new type of military android,
He would have laughed, even, in the face of the person who told the story, but having had a close encounter with something that obviously wasn't human left him reasonless. And what he would laugh at now would be to think of denying it, if not for holding his dear sanity, feeling himself that anything else would, probably, fail to do so.
Regardless of whether he fully understood what that meant, it had already happened. It was extremely difficult to process, but he felt he could trust what came out of the mouth of that high school girl with a gun.
—Why is something like that, that homunculus, here? —Aiden couldn't help but think out loud.
Despite his complaints, Maika said nothing, only one thing was clear to him from her sharp gaze: that thing shouldn't exist.
—Quick, I have to take you to another place, it's not safe here. Should you be able to hide in school, right? —Maika took her phone out of her skirt pocket and sent a text message at an incredible speed, with the district and school name—. Done, now we shouldn't have problems using the school.
—Haaah??