Inside the bunker, two people were seated at the table: Isis and Yuliya, who, pausing her recount of what had happened to her, took a sip of tea.
Taking advantage of the moment, Isis, hesitant, asked a question:
"… Why didn't you stop when Seven called you?"
Surprised by the question, Yuliya thought for a moment.
"Well… I was so focused on catching the rabbit that his shout was just noise…"
With a distant look, searching through her memories, Yuliya, lowering her cup, continued.
"While Seven was trying to stop me…
…
Dodging debris that the rabbit used to hinder her, Yuliya stayed right behind the animal.
When, passing one last obstacle, they reached an open area where the rabbit could no longer hide.
Now's the time!
Seizing the moment, determined, she used the adrenaline to close in on the animal and catch it.
But, taking one more step, she felt the ground give way beneath her weight.
"Eh?"
With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized it wasn't just one leg sinking, but her entire body.
It wasn't only where she had stepped; everything around her collapsed, revealing a hole that swallowed her.
As she fell, she saw the rabbit one last time, escaping.
Looking up, she reached out to grab the edge, but it crumbled.
Damn it…
As she sank, she felt something in that cold environment enveloping her body.
When someone grabbed her hand, pulling her against the slope.
"Seven!"
"I told you to stop! Why didn't you stop?!"
Even though his voice carried anger, his expression didn't match it; it was a mix of emotions: scared, worried, but above all, relieved.
"I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't hear anything…"
Feeling a bitter taste, Yuliya looked away.
"I'm going to pull you out: one, two, three, and—"
Pulling her, he tried to lift her from the crater, but he couldn't even move her.
With a bitter and exhausted expression, he stopped for a moment.
I gave everything I had to reach her, I'm out of strength…
Seven was exhausted, his vision slightly blurry, trying to calm his heart, which was racing as fast as his uneven breathing.
"I'm sorry, I need to catch my breath…"
He felt his legs go numb and weak after running so much; even his arms were tired.
He didn't quite know how he had reached her, but he believed the adrenaline had given him the strength to close the distance between them.
"Just one more moment…"
"No… problem…"
Hearing his sister's faint and weak voice, he looked at her closely.
"Are you—"
When his eyes widened, and he shouted.
"That's gas!"
A faint green mist was completely enveloping her, but, fortunately, it wasn't reaching Seven.
"Are you okay?!"
"No…"
Yuliya, drowsy, felt weak and struggled to speak.
I thought it was just exhaustion.
After running so much, it wouldn't be strange to feel sudden weakness once the adrenaline wore off.
Noticing her hand slipping, Seven shouted, distressed.
"Hold on tight! Don't let go!"
"I'm… trying…"
Grabbing her with both hands, Seven held her tightly.
"Don't pass out! Hold on! Please!"
Giving it his all, Seven tried to pull her again, but still couldn't.
Yuliya felt her vision blur, the world around her starting to spin, along with a sleepiness that was overtaking her.
"I'm… getting dizzy…"
Gasping, she began breathing through her mouth, feeling short of breath.
Even fighting to stay awake, she felt her strength fading little by little, unable to do anything about it.
"Y-!"
Everything went silent, along with her vision, which darkened.
"…"
Looking at Seven, a little dizzy, all she could see was his mouth moving, but no sound came out.
He was shouting, as his mouth opened too wide for just talking, his eyes frightened, slightly teary, trying to say something to her, but nothing came through.
Feeling her eyelids grow heavy and her consciousness slipping away, with everything darkening, she knew she would soon fall into that pit.
Seven wouldn't have the strength to pull her back; it was her end.
With tremendous terror, but an even greater peace, she tried to say something.
"I'm… sorry…"
Right after finishing, she felt something wet fall on her face, and then she lost consciousness.
…
"How did Seven get you out of there?!"
Standing up from the chair abruptly, Isis leaned on the table, startling Yuliya.
"… I don't know, after that I remember him carrying me home, in fragments, nothing more…"
When I got home, from then on I remember what happened…
Isis, even while recovering, that day the bunker was in an uproar, enough to catch her attention.
Yuliya being placed on the bed, her fever rising, Father leaving the house at night to find medicine in the citadel.
Seven's expression…
With a bitter expression, Isis looked down.
That night, no one could sleep; everyone was trying to help Yuliya, even the younger ones.
I wish I could have helped more…
Clenching her fists, Isis sat down.
"After that, the strongest memories from that time were the days that followed, waiting for Father to return with something that would work."
"Yes… those were the worst days, you were suffering."
Fever, body aches, coughing, difficulty breathing, all at once, relentless, because nothing they had was effective.
"… Yes, but I was blessed; I was supposed to have died afterward."
With a mixed expression, warm yet melancholic, Yuliya looked at her herbal soup.
"When you recovered… would you be the same as before?"
Though few, her memories of her sister were of a cheerful, energetic, but somewhat mischievous person.
Sighing, with a brighter look, she turned to Isis.
"I don't know… Even when Father searched the citadel for information, what he heard about people poisoned by it was that they died after months of agony."
Because of that, everything they tried was new, with no standards; the most they could do was ease her pain.
"So, even if I don't go back to being who I was before, I wouldn't mind, because that day I was already prepared to die…"
Everyone knew the gas was deadly, a mysterious mist that appeared suddenly long ago, killing everything it touched.
But when Seven reached the bunker, Father tried to stabilize Yuliya as best he could and went out to find something to save her. During that time, their younger siblings worked to ease her pain as much as they could, and Seven took care of Yuliya day and night.
Even knowing the certain fate that awaited those poisoned, everyone fought against it and, somehow, saved her.
I couldn't help at all.
Isis, feeling anguish take over, had a bitter expression.
Noticing the sudden silence and her sister's expression, Yuliya asked.
"What's wrong?"
"… It's nothing."
Standing up from the chair, with a lighter expression, she turned.
"I have to get ready to go out."
Quickly walking to the room, she entered and closed the door.
Alone in the kitchen, Yuliya, watching her leave, let out a sigh. Taking her cup, she sipped her tea.
"You can't keep blaming yourself for the past… sister…"
Inside the room, Isis stopped, leaning against the door.