Chapter 337: Conflict [2]

Darkness swallowed the surroundings.

No one made a sound. Every gaze was fixed on the fire, their faces blank. But the silence was soon inevitably shattered by the reality of the situation.

"That... T-that’s..."

"Sarah... Where is Sarah?"

"She was with me... just a moment ago. Why... I..."

Of the seven total members, only six managed to come out. Mia’s hand shook as she covered her mouth.

"O-oh god."

The realization of the situation had finally settled in her mind.

"She..."

Nora, standing quietly beside her, bit her lip and lowered her head. The others did the same, Joanna biting down the hardest. Sarah had been acting strangely all along, and though she wanted to help, the Squad Leader wouldn’t let her.

The reason became clear, but—

’What if...?’

There was always that what if.

But in the end, it wasn’t the Squad Leader’s fault. His choice had been the right one, and realizing that made her bite down on her lips even harder.

’Relax your mind. Don’t let this affect you.’

Joanna felt something trickle from the corner of her lip, a sharp pain following immediately. This was the job she had signed up for. She quickly wiped it with her sleeve, looking down at the red that stained it moments later.

Joanna bit her lips harder.

Death wasn’t uncommon. She had to stay ready at all times.

And yet—

"H-ha."

Realizing one of her members was dead, a sharp ache pierced her chest. It refused to fade, and it left her breathless.

"Sh-shit."

She wasn’t the only one feeling it. The others shared the same emotions, Mia even shedding a few tears. Everyone, that is, except one. He slowly rose from the ground and scanned the area.

"Let’s go." He coldly said, staring at his surroundings without any emotion.

All heads turned in unison as Seth walked by, calm as if nothing had happened. Joanna’s expression was the first to shift. Did he... feel nothing at all?

"Wait... Why are we going? But what about Sarah?"

"What about her?"

Seth asked, turning his attention towards Joanna.

Her lips quivered, and before she could even get a single word out, someone beat her to the punch. It was Nora.

"Someone just died for Christ’s sake! Why are you acting as if nothing happened? At least—"

"That’s irrelevant."

Seth coldly cut off, his gaze wandering into the distance.

"She’s gone. Nothing can bring her back. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up the same. We’re still inside the gate. Save your mourning for later. If you signed up for this job, you should also be prepared to face situations like these. If you can’t handle it, then you might as well quit."

"You..."

Seth walked into the darkness shortly after, a heavy silence settling over the group as his back vanished into the shadows. Nora’s expression shifted sharply in that moment.

Hatred, anger, resentment... Joanna could see all sorts of emotions in her gaze. In the end, however, Nora managed to push everything down as she followed right behind him. The others did so too.

Joanna watched it all in silence, noticing the clear divide forming within the group.

It became obvious in that moment.

The Squad Leader... He had lost almost all the respect the members held for him.

Joanna stared blankly at the floor before following the others from behind. She didn’t feel the same way as the others. While she was hurt by the way he was acting, she was also experienced. She had seen many deaths in the past and understood that holding any sort of emotion for any member was detrimental.

In a sense, he was playing the villain to keep the group together.

In moments like this, one had to act in such was so that they wouldn’t be distracted by the death.

With a heavy heart, Joanna stared at the raging flames behind her for the last time before pursing her lips and following the grip.

*

The surroundings continued to remain dark.

The group didn’t know where they were or where they were going. They just followed the Squad Leader, his gaze cold behind a pair of sunglasses.

Indeed, he was wearing a pair of sunglasses.

He had been for some time, and while everyone had been curious before, nobody was in the mood to speak a single word.

A strange tension clung to the group, growing with every step.

The air was humid, but a biting cold nipped at their skin.

The scent of smoke was gone, replaced by a heavy, unpleasant odor that clung to the air.

And then—

Seth came to an eventual stop, his gaze falling over a certain area.

Everyone came to a stop shortly after. That was until he pressed his hand forward, and a weird clicking sound echoed.

Click!

Everyone immediately grew tense, nodes churning.

But—

"Calm down."

Seth pushed his hand forward.

Creaaak!

A creak followed, and a large storage space appeared for everyone present.

"Huh...? What is this place?"

"What’s this?"

Seth ignored the questions, his attention fixed on his surroundings. Metal racks lined the area, holding all sorts of items. Then his gaze landed on a spot that had clearly been disturbed.

He moved in that direction.

As he moved, the air grew colder. His breathing quickened as a heavy pressure settled onto his chest.

The eyes that had haunted his vision were gone, replaced by a strange, tense silence. His spine tingled with every step, as if he were walking straight toward something deeply sinister.

And yet, Seth continued to walk.

His emotions were numb. While his body was reacting, he wasn’t.

"Squa—Where are you going?"

Seth didn’t answer. He pushed a metal rack aside, revealing a small door. The moment it appeared, his eyes landed on the large eye painted on it, and his vision blurred for a moment.

The pressure on his chest grew, his stomach churning violently. His heart pounded in his head, almost as if it were urging him to run.

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

Every part of his body was giving him warning signs.

Especially when he looked at the eye, he could feel it staring back at him, moving alongside his movement.

But—

Creaaaaaak!

Seth ignored all of the sensations and pushed the door open, revealing a long flight of stairs that led down.

"Let’s go."

He didn’t wait for his group to follow.

The moment the door opened, he stepped past and walked down the stairs.

He could tell that whatever was downstairs was most likely going to reveal the secrets behind the fire. At the same time, it was also the key to clearing the scenario.

After all, this was the eighth floor.

But—

"Oh, you’re here?"

The moment he walked down, the last thing he expected was the familiar figure waiting opposite him. He stood at the center of a small room, surrounded by dimly lit candles. A weird insignia littered the floor, one that made his blood churn.

But if anything made his blood run colder, it was the reflection staring back at him from the glass panel at the far end of the room.

Reflected within it, he could see himself standing still.

His head lay on the floor, blood quietly spilling from it, smiling back at him.

"...How did you find this place? I’m s—"

Seth didn’t wait for Myles to finish.

The moment he turned his head away from the reflection, he lunged in Myles’s direction, grabbing his body with both hands before tossing him to the side.

BANG!