Black Badger

Chapter 54

Didn't they say the entrance leading to the other station was completely blocked off?

Of course, there was no time to ask questions. I kept my mouth shut and followed behind him. We retraced the path we'd taken following the green mushrooms.

The sounds coming from behind us gradually faded into the distance. Wasn't our speed that fast? And what were those sounds in the first place?

I had so many words I wanted to throw at him, but I couldn't speak.

The nameless man didn't particularly try to muffle his footsteps. He ran lightly. So lightly that I wondered if they could catch up at this pace.

The screen doors appeared again. The senior indifferently passed by the spot where we'd run in.

I kept my eyes off the open screen doors and ran as well.

Before long, something like a small cart with wheels hooked onto the rails came into view.

"Rail cart."

He said curtly. "Hold on tight. I set it up to go pretty fast."

I quickly hopped onto the rail cart.

With a clunk, the rail cart started moving.

It wasn't as fast as I'd expected.

No sooner had I thought that than acceleration kicked in. The air whipped past, stinging my ears. I reflexively gripped the edge of the rail cart tightly.

The rail cart sped along the rails.

"In truth, if you were confident you could handle it on your own, you could just fight them off."

The senior said something strange.

I'd been watching the gently curving rails when I turned my head toward him.

"Pardon?"

"If you're sure you can beat the guys chasing you right now, then go ahead and fight."

It took me a while to process what he meant.

This couldn't possibly mean what I thought it did—by the time I realized my suspicions were correct, the station had ended.

A wall blocked by earth and debris appeared.

The senior slammed on the brakes, bringing the rail cart to a halt.

"Well, yeah. I don't know how many of them there are, so it's too risky to take chances."

The senior jumped off the rail cart without waiting for my response.

There were no mushrooms here. The surroundings were nearly perfect darkness. Only the faint glow from the small luminescent stickers on the rail cart provided any light. I carefully followed the senior off, my senses heightened.

The senior bent down in the darkness.

"...What are you doing?"

"Follow me in and seal the entrance properly."

He suddenly vanished into the wall.

I groped around with my hands to find where he'd disappeared. With nothing visible, I had to flail about. It took a few minutes to locate him. There was a passage in the wall. My arm slid right into the darkness.

The inside of the passage was utterly devoid of light.

Was this what it felt like to be blind? I staggered inside, fumbling until I finally managed to close the door. As the door shut, even the faint light I'd barely noticed vanished. I couldn't gauge the height of the ceiling or the width of the path.

I stretched my arms out to the sides, and my left hand touched the passage wall.

I proceeded, keenly aware of the texture under my left hand and the sounds ahead.

This felt off.

"What's this passage for?"

I whispered, trying not to lag behind or bump into the badger in front.

A response came from the pitch-black darkness.

"I dug it myself. It connects to three stations."

"Impressive."

"Which hand are you using to touch the wall?"

I was worried about bumping my head.

I suppressed my unease and answered.

"The left one."

"Good. Keep your left hand on the wall as you walk, and we'll reach our destination."

"How far is it?"

"It'll take a bit."

A brief silence followed.

The senior spoke again.

"This won't let us escape completely, but it'll put some distance between us."

"We have no choice."

"Fake new recruit."

He was calling me, right?

I really needed to ask this guy some questions. He definitely knew something.

I pushed down the churning in my stomach and responded.

"Yes?"

"Do you still like humans?"

I fell silent for a long time.

I kept my mouth shut and sifted through my memories. There weren't many to sift through. Just scattered fragments popping up and the new ones piling on. Every time I lay down to sleep, I clutched and caressed them like treasures.

Where were my roots? It would have been nice to have memories to stand on. Since waking up without any to lean on, I'd been staggering along. Relying on sudden flashes of memory, instincts, and the goodwill of those around me to barely stay upright.

But on sleepless nights haunted by an inexplicable sense of loss, the memory fragments I clung to...

They were from the moment I thought my life had ended—a voice from long ago, my own.

I still have to love humans.

I pressed hard against the wall.

"Yes."

"...That's a relief."

"Senior. Aren't I human?"

I asked quietly.

The footsteps stopped. I halted as well.

I couldn't see his face, but I lifted my head and looked ahead.

"...What are you talking about?"

"I have no memory of it."

I answered calmly to his stunned question.

"It's been a short time since I woke up inside the core, along with my lost memories. Please tell me what you know about me."

Silence fell.

Time passed where only touch registered. Time where sight, hearing, and smell felt numb.

Staying here too long would drive anyone mad. Despite dropping that bomb, I thought so calmly.

Ah. The senior, standing just a few steps ahead, seemed to be turning back to look at me.

It was just intuition. Still, it felt like he was staring right at my face.

"It must be true, then."

"Yes."

After a long pause, his subdued voice returned, and I replied steadily.

"Unfortunately, it's true. How do you know me, senior?"

Another long silence stretched out.

It was a good thing there was no light; I couldn't see his expression. Would I get an answer? No, did I even want one? I couldn't tell if I felt fear or hope.

The response came slowly.

"How did you become a badger?"

"Ye-hyeon accepted me."

"Ye-hyeon? Supreme Commander Ye-hyeon? Why? Because he couldn't bear to dispose of your augmented body?"

"That's what I thought, but apparently, that wasn't the only reason."

"Why? What did he say?"

"...He said I'm like his joker card. Whether I'll be a winning hand or a losing one, only time will tell..."

The senior inhaled sharply.

It was too cringeworthy to explain from my own mouth. Describing me—someone with nothing to my name—as a joker or whatever felt way too flashy.

I awkwardly stared into the darkness where his head might be.

Then, before the senior burst into convulsive laughter.

"That bastard knows too!"

The man, who laughed for a while (it was a bit scary), finally spoke.

"I thought he knew nothing. But he knew everything. Of course, in his position. He's been seeing the truth and preparing for it all along. Yeah. I forgot since I hadn't seen him in so long. That's the kind of guy he is. He was always like that."

"Uh, senior, I'd like to know that truth too."

"Didn't Ye-hyeon tell you?"

He didn't.

To be precise, it seemed like he wanted me to recall my past on my own. Judging by how he always gave me time to ask questions.

I explained that, and the senior made a humming sound.

"What did he say when you told him you'd lost your memories? You must have told Ye-hyeon that you remembered nothing."

"Well, other people reported it to him. He didn't say anything special to me..."

Ah.

Right. During our first meeting.

Amnesia can be a blessing.

He'd said something like that. It had sounded like a murmur to himself. I could still recall that memory like a photograph.

The sunlight poured onto the desk through the large window. The white, slender fingers gently covered the documents.

As I explained, the man ahead snorted.

"You'll have to remember everything in the end. What blessing?"

"So help me remember it all. I'm desperate, really."

"Let's start by walking again. We might get caught and killed like this."

I wanted an answer!

Did my desperate plea get through? Shortly after the footsteps resumed, the senior spoke.

It was a massive bombshell.

"You're not human."

Damn it.

"At least, the ones you call your former comrades claim you're not human. I don't know how much of it's true. I didn't hear everything from them either. They don't trust me."

"...Who are those guys?"

"You okay?"

I was trying not to cry.

Pretend you didn't notice how desperately I controlled my trembling voice. I struggled to hold back the tears threatening to spill. Ricardo had said I probably wasn't a Tier 10 creature. And Ro had replied, but you look human enough.

So those two were wrong, and the seniors who looked at me like an alien were right?

I felt a slope. I kept my mouth shut and walked in silence for a while.

The senior broke the silence again.

"When we reach the other station, don't touch the walls. They have mouths."

"...Why are we heading to a place like that?"

"Because if we go where our lives are on the line, the ones chasing us will have their lives on the line too."

It wasn't wrong. Though it overlooked the point that we might die before they caught up.

I didn't voice my inner thoughts. I lacked confidence in speaking without my voice cracking yet.

I was too busy digesting the massive bombshell the deserter badger had dropped. Ignoring it wouldn't make the situation better. I needed to think rationally. This senior must have met someone during his desertion life—someone I called former comrades. And he heard about me from them. Apparently, I was introduced as their betrayer?

And I'm not human like them.

Damn it for real. How was I supposed to face Ami and Ricardo from now on?

"But I look human..."

"We're almost there."

The senior interjected suddenly.

I'd been walking with my head down when I craned my neck. Still nothing visible, but I could sense the tension in his voice.

The man added in a low voice.

"No matter what, don't touch the walls."

"Yes."

"There won't be any noticeable creatures, but if there are, push them against the wall and run instead of fighting."

"Yes."

"And don't listen to the bell sounds."

"Yes?"

What?

Faint light appeared. A long sliver, like it seeped through a cracked open door.

My returning vision brought tears of joy. Though I hadn't really lost it.

As the door slowly opened, the light grew. The senior's silhouette became clearly visible. He stepped toward the light, muttering.

"In this station, you can hear bell sounds."

"Bell sounds?"

"Those who followed the sounds never came back."

He didn't turn to look at me.

The dark passage was ending. My sight returned sharply and clearly. I followed the senior as he broke into a run toward the light, taking in the fear laced in his voice.

"Close your ears and run."

I gritted my teeth and ran after him.