Taryn continued through the tunnels, following the faintly written instructions along the walls before they vanished as she briskly limped past them. While still being cautious, since Toya’s verbal threat, she had begun to hear the familiar sound of squeaking joints. Though she had yet to see anyone, the sound in the distance left her on edge.

Seriously, hearing the sound in the background while going through the tunnels and following June’s directions was starting to make her a bit paranoid. Taryn stopped, trying to gauge where the sound might be coming from, but due to the structure and make of the tunnels. It was hard to tell by hearing alone.

Unable to take much more of it, Taryn pulled out her compact, looked into the glass and upon seeing June saw her pointing in a direction, just ahead and around the next corner, the only other way she could go, which lead her to ask as softly as she could in Japanese.

“Is my friend this way? I’m not leaving without her.” Even though Taryn could not hear them, she always knew that if a spirit held on to their sense of self, then she could at least initiate a form of conversation by speaking aloud while looking into a reflective surface and then watching the ghost’s response. She had done this a few times before as she grew up, but very rarely did so for obvious reasons.

In the mirror, she could see June give a stiff nod.

“Thank you,” she closed the compact and picked up speed in her limped walk as much as she was able. Rounding the tunnel’s corner, she slowed when hearing someone speak in Japanese as the other sounds began to subside into nothing. The voice Taryn recognized; it was Sato.

Taking out her compact again, Taryn opened it to peer over the next corner, careful not to be seen by him. Sato was sitting on a wooden crate across from one of the cells, looking at it with a droll condescension.

“You know, you should consider yourself lucky.” He said in Japanese. “Getting the chance to become ever-youthful, everlasting, undying, all without even trying. It’s shit like that that people would be falling all over themselves for. That is if you can survive the process.”

“If it’s so great, why didn’t you do it?” hearing Rachael’s voice brought Taryn to feel a sense of relief. She didn’t doubt June but only would believe it when she saw Rachael for herself. Her friend was alive and sounded angry. “You seem to want to.”

Sato scoffed. “As if. My prospect is to live for as long as I can, as a human. Not whatever the fuck that man has become. That is if you can still call him a man anymore.” He looked at Rachael with a smug half-grin. “You think we’d kidnap every person that comes here? Come on, that’s just bad business sense. Besides, some find out on their own and are more than willing to take a shot at living forever. You’d be surprised just how many choose it for themselves even if it’s not really immortality, more of an extension, as he puts it. But, what’s the point if you’re no longer flesh and blood? Can you even call yourself human anymore when you’ve become that? Could any of them?”

“So then does that mean all of the staff are like that?”

“No,” he took a swig of some type of alcohol. “Not all of them, but just knowing is more than enough to shut them up. At least for some. There are those who are completely unaware, like that girl who wanted to be a nurse. Yoko, though, didn’t seem to care either way when she first arrived three years ago, and never did find out why. But her tune changed pretty quickly when that reporter was caught. Even more so, when you lot showed up.”

There was a pause from Rachael’s end. “Are they alive?”

Sato shrugged. “Who knows?” he took another gulp before tossing the bottle down the tunnel, which shattered when it hit the wall, the neck rolling near Taryn’s feet. “That’s not something you should be concerning yourself over. You should worry about yourself.” He scoffed again. “I don’t understand people like you. You’re about to stare death in the face, and you’re worried about someone else.”

“What’s so impossible to understand it? It’s only natural to worry about the people you care for.”

He gave a short laugh. “Oh, really? Do you honestly believe that trait? Shit like that never matters in the end.” He bends over and reaches for another bottle tucked in a crate as he continues when popping the cork. “Look at me. No one gave a fuck when my so-called mother stepped out on my bastard of a father. She had the right idea though, just wish she had the brains to take me with her. For years I was beaten by my old man. And not a damn soul in this backwater village would help me. Always sending looks of pity but never actually helping. That was until one day I decided I had enough and tried to run away. The thing is, the old bastard wasn’t as stupid as I took him for. Stopped me when I was in the forest and tried to kill me for leaving like my mother. Then, when I thought I was going to die, Kitsutsuki-san appeared. And he dealt with my father. Want to know how?”

“No, I already have an idea of it,” Rachael replied.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to know either. But let me tell you, seeing that bastard go the way he did was such a liberating feeling. You don’t get that feeling of euphoria very often. And the way Kitsutsuki-san did it, showing no remorse as my father screamed for help, was even better. My only regret was that I wasn’t the one who killed him.”

“Then why did you stay?” Rachael asked, sounding confused. “You were free of your father; you could have gone anywhere you wanted. But you stayed.”

“For the money.”

“Money?”

Sato leaned back in his makeshift seat. “Let me put it this way; how many people do you think would be willing to pay a fortune to get a shot at becoming immortal? Do you realize that there are so many wealthy schmucks that’ll pay their weight in cash or more for it?”

“You said there’s a chance of death. You think people would be willing to risk their life over a chance?”

Sato laughed. “Yes! The world is selfish, little lady, you believe people wouldn’t be stupid enough not even to try? Hell, they’d probably sacrifice some moron first just to see the chances of them coming out alive. It’s not an unrealistic thought. Although I do have a backup plan if the first one goes south.”

“And what would that be? You plan on handing it over to the Japanese military?” when Sato smiled, Taryn could see Rachael’s hands grasp the wooden bars. “You can’t be serious!”

Sato laughed again. “I am, and here’s an interesting fact you don’t know, what Kitsutsuki-san has, is unlike anyone else he’s turned. He’s been close to replicating it, of course, two come to mind, one that has an interesting power of their own, but that’s not at all like Kitsutsuki-san. I’ve only seen how it’s even done maybe once or twice in my life, but it was enough to leave an impact. With such abilities that man has, the mere prospect of what that could bring would be immeasurable!”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Did you ever think Toya would refuse to let you do this?”

“Why should that matter? He now has what he wants most, and even before then, I overheard him talking to another about how he planned to end himself if he were to go into another century without any progress of meeting his so-called fated one. Honestly, his whole plan was convoluted from the start. It’s just sheer luck that you four, oh, I’m sorry, you three arrived here, to begin with. When Kitsutsuki-san’s gone, all of this will be lost, so why waste it?”

“And if they don’t go for it? That they rather not risk their lives when it isn’t one hundred percent chance of success, what then?”

He gave a rather sly grin. “Then the military, though if I’m honest, they were my first pick. After all, to have the ability to make inhuman soldiers, ones that could never die. Who wouldn’t want that for their military might?”

Taryn frowned; that’s what he thought? Did he not listen to what Toya said, but then why would he? After all, it seemed like Toya only kept Sato around for convince sake and nothing else. Another means to an end.

“After all that I’ve seen of him. That man, he’s a monster. In the truest sense of the word, more so than anyone else he’s made to be like him. The Japanese government would kill to have something like that. Any country would. Hell, with this, we could even surpass America or China! Just think of it, a slew of practically indestructible soldiers!”

He was wrong. Toya wasn’t indestructible; piercing him with that blade proved that.

Yet hearing Sato drone on and on about his grand plans, knowing fully well how these dolls were made. Hearing this angered Taryn. Made her blood boil. Sato was willing to sacrifice anyone just for money. There had always been people like that in the world; those types made Taryn feel sick to her stomach. Her grip tightened on the neck of the broken bottle. Her compact put it away, as she could feel everything inside of her become hyper-focused. The sound of her own heart in her ears, as the steady beat slowly grew into a quicker rhythm. Yet her breath remained steady, and even as she waited, no longer listening to Sato’s constant self-congratulations and plans for what Toya would leave behind.

Toya seemed to have more decency than this man, and he killed scores of people. But then, how could one compare the other? Was it even possible? Did it matter? No, probably not.

Wait. Taryn thought as she peeked around the corner. Sato was inebriated, had probably been drinking nonstop in the past little while. She’d have to be quick; with her injuries, there was no other way around it.

Survive.

Live.

Do everything possible to protect the ones you care about most.

Sato laughed, at what it didn’t matter, for when he laughed, he stood, and when he stood, he stumbled over himself like the drunk that he was. Giving Taryn the chance she needed. She rushed forwards, quickly as she could move, bracing herself for the impact as she held tight to the bottle’s neck in both hands before coming into contact with Sato’s side.

“Y-you…” Sato stammered as he fell to the ground, grasping at his now bleeding side, looking up at Taryn in what could be described as abject horror before it turned into seething anger as his eyes narrowed. “You’re supposed to be dead…!”

Taryn didn’t respond to him. She merely lifted her injured foot and kicked him hard in the face. It would have caused more damage had she been wearing her steal-toed boots; the act only stunned the man.

She did it again, and again, kicking him hard in the face, the neck, and stomach, aiming for his vital areas as he lay on the ground before finally putting pressure on the bleeding wound, causing the much older man to grasp at her leg, but she wouldn’t budge. She refused to do so as she stared him down with her hyper-focused gaze as though the pain in her body no longer hurt.

“Get… off…” he grunted, only for her to respond by pressing even harder, eyes not breaking contact on the man’s slowly paling face before he, finally, passed out.

She waited, letting a solid minute pass before removing her now bloody foot. She crouched down and checked his pulse. Sato was still alive. In discovering this, what she had felt before lifted, drawing her back to her senses. Taryn’s breath hitched in her throat. Her hands shook as she quickly backed away from the unconscious man, her breathing coming to her in short bursts as she stumbled back, hands grasping the wooden cell so she wouldn’t fall. It took all that she had to not retch from her actions. What the hell was I thinking!? Why did I… I just… I just stabbed a man. I…

“Taryn!”

Hearing Rachael’s voice quickly snapped Taryn out of her momentary haze. “Rachael…” she reached through the bars to touch her friend’s cheek that was faintly damp from tears as Taryn looked over her friend. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

Rachael grasped Taryn’s hand with both of her own, quickly shaking her head. “No, no, I’m okay.” She then pressed herself closer to the bars. “The door’s locked, I’m not sure if theirs a key nearby.”

There was a faint reluctance to move, but Taryn did so and began to look around the area, slowly scanning the area, seeing nothing that looked like a key to remove the lock and free her friend. Her gaze rested on Sato as she moved close to Sato’s prone form. He was still out cold. Kneeling, Taryn checked to see if there was anything like a key on him. There wasn’t.

Shit. Taryn got up and looked around again, looking further down the tunnel from both directions this time, where she saw a ring of keys from where she originally came, resting on a hook. Taking them, Taryn hurried back and tried every single key, before finally, one of them unlocked it as Rachael rushed out and quickly wrapped her arms around Taryn’s neck and back.

“I thought you were dead!” Rachael sobbed.

“But, I’m not,” Taryn said simply, the feeling of relief that her friend was alright, safe and alive, overwhelmed her as she hugged Rachael close.

“That bastard made it sound like you were dead for sure…” she managed between sobs. “This is so messed up… this whole thing is… but… I’m just so glad you’re alive.”

“Same to you.” Taryn then pulled away to look at Rachael, a look of seriousness mixed with dread resting on her features. “We need to get out of here. Toya knows I escaped. I doubt it’ll be long before the staff start searching unless they’re already doing so.”

Rachael then finally took a good look at Taryn while she was still talking. Seeing the state of her friend’s body with her now added injuries and bare feet covered in dirt. Her slightly curled toes dug into the ground as one foot was raised slightly off the ground to not put any pressure on her injured leg.

“What are you doing?” Taryn asked when Rachael suddenly kicked off her shoes.

“You need something on your feet.” She handed them to Taryn before any objection could be given. “I’m wearing socks, so I’ll be fine. Put them on.”

“Rachael, you can’t just—”

“Yes, I can!” Rachael snapped. “You worry so much about other people but completely forget about yourself!” her tears started falling again. “Just wear the damn shoes already.”

Taryn jumped slightly at her friend’s tone but chose not to fight her on it and put them on without a word. Rachael’s shoe size was just a bit bigger than Taryn’s, so she had to tie them extra tight so that they wouldn’t fall off her feet.

And when Taryn stood once more, Rachael asked. “Any idea how to get the hell out of this place?”

“We’re close the exit,” she felt the compact in her back pocket before glancing back at Rachael. “Trust me.”

Rachael nodded before her eyes fell to the fallen man. “You gave him what he deserved.”

Taryn just looked at him, not bothering to answer. She was angry that her friend had been treated in such a way, but it should never have amounted to such violence. It should have gone against her morals, her principles, it made her feel sick, yet she knew damn well it wasn’t the first time for her to act so out of character.

She would have killed the boy that shot her brother had it not been for Nichole. That anger, that rage, it was something Taryn never knew that could exist inside of herself.

Is that the trait my uncle and grandfather mentioned? She thought while looking at Sato’s prone form. Or was I just blind to my own violent capabilities? “I guess we really are like wolves...”

“What?” Rachael asked, clearly not hearing what Taryn had said.

Taryn shook her head faintly. “No, it’s nothing. Let’s just get out of here.”

With another nod, Rachael offered Taryn her hand, and with a faint smile, she took her friend’s hand and lead the way, silently hoping to reach the exit soon, as Toya’s lingering words from when she fled began to rest firmly in the back of her mind.

Like a looming shadow, she was aware the man wouldn’t let her go even if she fled far away, it wouldn’t end.

Not without a fight.