Chương 15: Map

It hurts. The needles they push into me every day hurt. The mask they make me wear steals my breath, little by little, until my chest hurts and my lungs don't remember how to fill anymore. I sleep through the day, yet wake feeling weak, as though sleep took more than it gave. I am scared. I am scared of the adults in white robes, with sharp silver instruments gleaming in their hands. I am scared of the bright white light above me, cold and endless as a winter sky. I am scared of the adults.

I do not want to stay here. Someone help me. Someone, please help me.

"Hey, Cici, how are you?"

"Who are you?"

"I am—""What do you want?"

"I came to get you out of here."

"Does Cici—your mother—remember the guy's name who saved her?" Filki shook her head.

"She remembers every tiny detail from that day but doesn't remember her benefactor's name." Will the girls too forget my name when we get out of here? The forest of shelves ended, and we were back at the clearing. Pyiari and Lania were playing with the typewriter. They tapped a random key, and it gave a sharp click.

"Mister, why are you sweating so much?" Pyiari asked with concern.

"It really was very crammed in there." I looked at the girls. Till now, even after all the hints, that j. m. k67 had cleared this quest and helped a kid get out of here. I couldn't bring myself to believe it. But right now, I had the living proof in front of me, which was Filki. I now believe that I can save them, and they will have a future.

"Did you find it?" Lania asked.

"Yeah." I dropped the thick folder on the desk. Dust came out, making the kids and me cough. Filki stood far enough not to be disturbed by it. I opened the folder and flipped through the plastic sleeves one by one. Each transparent sleeve held an old document, the paper inside yellowed with age. Filki stepped behind me and motioned for me to keep turning the pages. At last, I found a sleeve containing a sheet labelled Facility Blueprint. I looked at Filki for confirmation, and she nodded.

I slid the yellowed blueprint out of the sleeve, closed the folder, and pushed it aside. Then I unfolded the paper once, twice, three times, and once more, until it stretched across the table from one end to the other along its shorter edge.

"So, we are here," Filki said, pointing at the map.

"And the sewage you are looking for is—" She moved her finger, tracing the path. The map showed the whole facility. Everywhere—the playground, learning centre, pharmacy, everything where I had been till now—was marked, along with many places that I hadn't yet visited. Like the church, the principal's office, restricted areas, staff compounds, bedding area, and many more. Filki stopped her finger here. The spot was marked as Waste Disposal.

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"The sewage is right below it," Filki said.

"Though, after the last incident, it has been completely blocked off. You will have to figure out how to enter it."

"I don't know how to read maps," Pyiari stated.

"Me neither," Lania copied her.

"I can. So it won't be a problem."

"Then we should head out immediately," Lania said.

"You don't want to play with Granny?" Filki teased her.

"Uh, um…"

"What about you, Pyiari?"

"I want to stay too, but, you know, Mister has a job to do, so, um, I will." Filki patted their heads.

"Don't worry, I am not going anywhere. You can come to me anytime." Both of them beamed, but they were also a bit saddened because they knew if they were to escape the facility, they would never see her again. I thought they would tell her that we weren't coming back, that we were trying to escape, and that she should come with us. But the girls were tight-lipped. If anything, this facility had taught them how to stay quiet and keep secrets. I wanted to give Filki the same offer, but she wasn't trapped here.

She had purposefully come here. She must have a task. She didn't tell me what it was, nor did I ask. She took her hands off the girls, then looked at me.

"You should leave soon. But before that, I have something for you, Clark."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." She walked to the other side of the table and knelt to reach the bottommost drawer. She slid it open, took out a wooden box, and put it on the table. She reached for her hairpin, which undid her bun, and her gray hair fell down. She twisted the hairpin to reveal a key. How many hidden things does this woman have? She slid the key into the lock of the wooden box. A sharp click echoed through the hall.

She opened it to reveal two sets of books and some photographs, which I guessed were of her mother, her father, and herself. She had taken more after her mother, sharing the same face structure and eye colour. She did not show us these photos, reminiscing with us. But Pyiari and Lania did look at them excitedly and were disappointed when they were put aside. She took out two books and held one in each hand.

She stared at them for a minute, then put the one in her right hand back inside and extended her left hand toward me.

"For you." I hesitantly reached out for the book. It had thread binding and a plain green cover with no design or text. I opened it and found text and text and text. They didn't make any sense. I did not know their language. Before I could ask what it was, the Akashic System answered. Swift Gale Swordstyle. No matter what Sihangi tried. They wouldn't die. Everyone was cursed or blessed, but he didn't know the answer. He knew only one thing. His swordstyle wasn't strong enough.

He needed something stronger, far, far stronger. Something that took advantage of his speed and stamina. He found Swift Gale Swordstyle. Recorded in the Akashic System in the 13157. This is a swordstyle manual, and one from a rift. They are extremely rare and go for millions of dollars.

"I can't take this. It's very valuable."

"It isn't that valuable. Just a simple self-defence style, common in my family."

"Which means it's hereditary. Why will you give it to an outsider like me?"

"That sword on your waist isn't for show, right?" she said, pointing at my left hip.

"And by how you keep it, and your stance, and your gait, I can tell you haven't practiced at all. Use this. If I could, I would have taught you myself. But this should be enough. It has enough text that explains everything in detail."

"But—""Don't but me, and take it when this old hag is giving it to you."

"Yes, Mister, you shouldn't refuse a gift given by an old person," Pyiari said.

"Do you have something for us, too?" Lania asked, eager. Filki gave them a weird laugh. It was the third time the girls had been disappointed.

"Then, thank you. It would help me greatly." I couldn't read the manual, but there were artifacts that could translate it. Or I could try finding out if someone had already decoded the language of this rift. If I couldn't find it, I would somehow have to get a hold of the artifact, which only the big guilds possess.

"Okay, leave now. I have work to do." She sat on her chair. I put the manual in my fanny pack and started folding the map.

"Thank you, Filki. If you need any help, you can tell me." She gave me a soft smile.

"I want nothing. Just take the kids away from here."

"Do you want us out of here so bad?" Pyiari said.

"No, no, I didn't mean it that way."

"Then what does 'just take the kids out of here' mean?" Lania asked. It was the fourth time they had been disappointed in a day. By the time I folded the map and put it back in my fanny pack, Filki had tried to comfort the children, trying to calm them down.

"Should we go then?"

"Yep," both girls said together.

"Are you still angry with me?"

"No, we were just teasing you. Am I right, Lania?"

"Yeah. We like you very much, Miss Filki." Lania hugged her. So did Pyiari. Taken aback by the gesture, she was stunned for a moment, but hugged them back.

"Be safe."

"Where from here, Mr. Alien?" Lania said in a grumpy voice.

"Take left and don't call me Mr. Alien."

"But you are an alien," Pyiari added.

"That... I am, but I don't like the name."

"Why?" Pyiari asked teasingly.

"How would you like it if I call you 'Friday by Rebecca Black' and you 'hello barbie'?

"What's that?" they asked together.

"Is it a famous song?"

"Is it a famous toy?" Obviously, they won't get the reference and explaining it to them defeats the purpose.

"You know what you can call me, whatever you want."

"Not like we were going to stop Mr. Ms. Bochi fanatic." I opened my mouth to argue, but the heavy thuds that Strange Toy was making started to echo. Shit.