Florence submerged under the sewage with no bubbles of air escaping her mouth. The water stung her injured shoulder blade. But, those bodies’ hands stopped pulling her on the dress towards the dark depth for some reason.

The bubbles of air stopped escaping through her mouth and nose. The liquid mass never flooded her throat, not filling her lungs.

She thrashed, wiggling her way out of the bodies’ grasps.

She broke through the surface tension. The sewage droplets catapulted in every direction, stopping in midair before splashing on the walls.

A foul odor irritated her nostrils.

“Aisling, where are you?” she asked. She stretched her arm in front of her amongst the darkness, scanning for Aisling.

Florence then bumped something soft but wet, sweeping her hand across it.

The wastewater sloshed.

Aisling gurgled. “Help… me.”

“Aisling, there you are,” Florence said. She grabbed onto Aisling’s hood. Then Florence dragged Aisling out of the sewage.

Aisling gagged, vomiting her stomach content out and splashing onto the wastewater.

“Hold on… I will try to find the way out,” Florence said.

“Yup… go ahead,” Aisling said.

Florence slushed her way through the dense liquid, dragging Aisling along.

Aisling coughed. “Sorry, that took some time to activate.”

“I know,” Florence said. “That weird ability of yours with the freezing or whatever you do with time.”

“Well, not exactly.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s more like I manipulate time.”

“Absolutely, that is what I was thinking. I almost forgot how you healed Jack’s wounds.”

Florence bumped her forehead against a hard surface in front of her. A creak echoed. She groaned, staggering backward and falling into the sewage.

She stumbled back to her feet. Reaching her hand forward, she knocked into the doorknob. She gripped and twisted it, pushing forward.

A gap widened up ahead. The lights slipped into the corridor.

She squinted her eyes, covering them. The slush of wastewater turned into wet footsteps on concrete as she exited the corridor into a sewer tunnel. A ladder stood alone from miles away, leading up to the sewer drain cover.

Aisling coughed, cupping her mouth.

The entire space around Florence and Aisling rocked. A wave crashed behind them, pushing them off their feet. They slid across the concrete, splashing their arms and legs around. The world spun around Florence, making her stomach clench.

A bang rang in her skull as she slammed her head against the steel ladder. She clutched onto it, hanging on by the fingers.

She shook her head, thinning her lips. Her eardrums with the sloshing of liquid. She gritted her teeth, drawing herself closer to the steps. But her fingertips slowly slipped away from it.

Aisling coughed, spitting out the blood. Her eyes rolled behind her head.

Florence gathered all her strength, climbing up the ladder. Her muscles strained with each grab and pull. She inhaled and exhaled the foul odor, stinging her throat. Her legs trembled with every upward movement.

She placed her palm on the sewer drain cover, pushing it open. The metal screeched across the pavement.

She bit her lips, forcing herself out as her muscles screamed at her, throwing her arm onto the ground above. From her left to right, skyscrapers of glass and steel towered over her. She squinted at the lights flicking on the signs under the starless sky.

A hand grasped her ankle, tugging at her.

She slipped, hitting her chin.

A tapping rang as someone coughed next to her.

She turned her head towards it.

Summer crouched on the pavement next to the sewer drain cover, typing on her phone.

“A… little help, here,” Florence said. She glanced below her where a tower of bodies climbed over each other, clasping for her ankles.

Summer looked up from the screen. “Wait… is you.”

“Absolutely.”

“From the… you know… that wanted list.”

“Pardon me, I thought you were about to say… that I am a maid cosplayer… I think? Also, please do not tell the pink androids about us.”

Another tug pulled Florence back down. She screamed, losing her hold. But before she splashed into the sewage, Summer wrapped her fingers around Florence’s wrist.

“Don’t worry about it,” Summer said. “The prison here isn’t this bad.”

“Pardon me, will you help us here or not?” Florence asked.

Summer hauled Florence and Aisling off into the air. The pavement beneath them thudded as Florence and Aisling landed flat on their backs.

Florence closed her eyes. “Where are the pink androids?”

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“They are actually sorta not here. But they might be soon enough,” Summer said. “Something about peaceful harvesting and liberating the NPCs from where they’re living.”

“Pardon?”

“Sorry, do you want me to repeat it?”

“Absolutely not. Just… you know… I guess they have their own priority.”

Florence pressed her palm on her right thigh, slumping against the glass panel wall. Her injured shoulder blades stung her nerves. She coughed, spitting the soiled water out of her mouth. Her dress and apron ranched with a foul odor, tingling her nostrils.

Summer pinched her nose, wiping her hands. She inched away from Florence.

“A bottle of giggle juice would be nice,” Florence said. “At least it would make this more bearable.”

Summer sat on the ground, cuddling her legs, squeezing her chin between her knees. “Honestly, I should be cram school right about now.”

“I get how you feel about it.”

“Nah, you got the wrong idea?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m actually waiting for Renee… that’s about it.”

Florence and Summer stayed in eerie silence as they stared across the street.

“Where is she?” Florence asked.

Summer tapped on the screen of her phone. “Upstairs in the Wellor Tower.”

Florence widened her eyes, turning her head towards Summer.

Summer shrugged. “What?”

Florence slammed her palm on the pavement. “She did what?”

“Went up the… Wellor Tower. Wait… is there a problem with that?”

“Absolutely, of course, there is a problem with this. Since she is a child.”

“I know that. You don’t have to state the obvious.”

Florence pushed herself up, leaning against the glass panel wall. She groaned with her wounded shoulder blade stinging her. She gripped her apron and dress, squeezing the water out.

“Where’re you going?” Summer rubbed her forearm. “Like I think… you probably shouldn’t do that.”

“Bless you,” Florence said.

“Hey, I didn’t sneeze.”

“That is not the point.”

Florence staggered down the pavement, shuffling her feet away from Summer.

Summer cleared her throat.

“Pardon me, how could I help you?” Florence looked over her shoulder. “Also, could you take care of… never mind… I will do it myself.”

“Wrong direction,” Summer said. She pointed in the opposite direction of where Florence went.

Florence spun around, limping towards where Summer pointed. Then Florence kneeled down, picking Aisling up.

“Actually, you probably should take a break or something,” Summer said. “Like take a shower or something first.”

“Sorry… but I do not have any time for this,” Florence said.

“By the way, you’re not going anywhere… literally.”

“Pardon? Does it really matter?”

Florence gave a side eye to Summer.

“Of course it does. After all, it’s the Wellor System order,” Summer said. “Plus, that bounty on your head is really nice.”

Florence groaned, hunching her shoulders. “You sound like you’re in a lot of debt.”

“What? Of course not.”

“Pardon me, but could you at least help me carry Aisling?”

Summer grinned, shoving her hands into the pocket of her sailor uniform.

“I probably should keep going,” Florence said.

Summer waved her hand. “See you soon.”

Florence limped as her muscles strained, carrying Aisling down the pavement. Suddenly, Florence froze. Her heart skipped a beat.

A mile before her, the pink androids turned a corner of the street, approaching Florence and Aisling.

The pink androids transformed their arms into rifles, aiming them at Florence and Aisling.

“How are they here so fast?” Florence stumbled backward. “I… unless… it can’t be,” she said.

The electric energy is charged within the barrels.

The street rumbled.

Cracks spread out across the ground.

The sewage exploded beneath where Florence stood, sending her into the air. The wind whistled next to her ears.

The debris scattered, smashing into the steel and glass.

From the geyser, hands busted out, reaching for her. The fingers wrapped around her dress, pulling her back down. In a splash, she found herself drowning under the wastewater, with rays of electricity blasting through it.

A burst erupted within the sewage, catapulting her. She hugged Aisling, tumbling across the street. Florence’s rib cage snapped. She groaned, biting her lips, holding the screams in. Her nerves screeched. The fractured bone punctured her lungs, sucking the air out.

She rubbed her right thigh, picking herself up to her feet. Her grip tightened on Aisling.

Summer pulled her hands out of her pocket. “Hey, it’s totally not me.”

Florence rolled into a trash-filled alleyway, wrapping her arms around Aisling. The electric beam crackled over their heads.

The bodies leaped out of the geyser. They laughed, crashing into each other. The droplets from their torn army coats splashed onto the pavement.

Florence sniffed, wiping her face. “Why is she going there? Unless… it can’t be her.”

“What?” Aisling coughed, clenching her chest and abdomen. “Just focus on getting out.”

“Reese’s baby… it had to be her.”

“Who?”

“Renee.”

A screech echoed. The claw marks manifested on the glass panel walls on both sides of Florence. The garbage bags rustled. A warm blow brushed her face, whispering next to her ear. She froze in place, the sudden dense air weighing down on her shoulders.

Three sharp tears slashed across her back. Her nerves screamed. She thudded on her knees, dropping Aisling onto the junks. Florence pressed her palm against the ground, exhilarating her breathing.

A shadow loomed over her.

Her throat tightened.

She scratched her neck, gasping for air. Her finger reached for Aisling. But, still, an invisible grip stiffened on Florence’s trachea.

Florence kicked and thrashed, rustling the garbage bag around her. Her hand tremored. A transparent force around her windpipe stabbed through her skin. She clawed at the path as the air above her pressured her flat on the ground.

Aisling slumped her shoulders into the pile of trash. The trail of blood dripped down from her chin to her hooded shirt. She loosened her clench on her chest and abdomen, bringing her arms to her sides. Her jaws dropped wide open.

Florence’s muscles relaxed. She slowed down her flailing to a halt as her limbs grew numb. The constraint on her neck loosened. A current of blood oozed out of her gash, flowing down to her collarbone.

A screech rang on top of her. The wind whistled beside her ears, trashing the garbage along the alleyway. The shadow towering behind her dissipated. The ashes filled every inch of space in the narrow gaps between the skyscrapers.

A marching of metal boots echoed.

She coughed, clearing her throat filled with a sticky substance.

Aisling rolled off the pile of trash. She scrambled, crawling towards Florence.

Florence heaved, pressing her palm on her neck cut wound.

“I’ll try to… slow it down or heal it,” Aisling said. She coughed, spilling the blood out of her mouth and collapsing onto Florence’s stomach.

Florence’s skin and muscles migrated, partially healing the gash on her neck.

The pink androids halted their marching in front of Florence. The crackle from the pink androids’ barrel of the rifles lit up the alleyway.

Florence grinned, staring at the starless sky. “I am sorry… Martine… sister.”

The glow within the narrow path dimmed. The pink androids hummed, grinding gears. They transformed the rifles back into their arms, stretching their hands towards Florence and Aisling.

Florence blinked. Her limbs seemed to melt into a puddle. Her vision blurred with those red eyes tattooed on the palm of those pink androids closing in on her.

The pink androids gripped her forehead, picking her up.

Her feet dangled in the air.

Everything grew darker… and… darker.

Until only red eyes stared at her within the abyss.