Kill Me, My Love

Chapter 22

She now firmly made a decision – she would live. Everyone would perish, but she would live and let the earth be reborn.

– How are you? – Anton asked when the light came back on and the screen turned back into a wide white canvas.

– What do you think? – the girl replied in a colorless voice.

– I think now you understand why I said that the world needs you. You used to live in some illusory reality, not really realizing what was happening outside of it. Now...

– Now the illusions have disappeared.

Lina got up from the sofa and, without looking back, walked to the door.

– From today you can freely move around our community. You will no longer be bothered by guards or orderlies. You will get to know us better. We will do everything to make you comfortable and cozy.

The girl silently stepped out into the corridor. She had had enough impressions and experiences for today.

She wandered through the winding, snow-white passages. She walked wherever her legs took her, occasionally seeing people, but those, noticing the expression on her face, quickly disappeared into their rooms.

– Oh! Hi, – Zina popped out from around the corner.

In her hand, she held a lollipop and a fluffy plush bunny.

– Hi, – the girl replied weakly.

– Will you play with me?

– Aren't you supposed to be going to bed soon?

– No. It's not time yet; Daddy only lets me go to bed when I want to. Come on, – the girl took Lina by the hand and led her forward.

A few minutes later, they entered a spacious children's room. There was a wide flat-screen TV on which someone had turned on a cartoon channel, a lot of toys, a dollhouse, a children's table, and a couch shaped like a unicorn.

– You have a lovely room, – Lina tried to squeeze out some words.

She felt very out of place and uncomfortable right now. After everything she had seen, playing with dolls with a child seemed like some sort of surrealism in a very bad, cheap movie. But it was clear that Zina was indifferent to the fact that Lina was not in a cheerful mood. She showed her toys, told her their names, and described their family relationships.

– This is Berta, she is the mother of Anika and Lisa. Today is her birthday. And this is Max; he is their stepfather, and this is their dog Polly. She is a German shepherd, and her twins were taken from a shelter. Polly once lived in a village and watched the sheep, but her owner Charlie died from diabetes, so the dog was taken by special services. Do you think Polly misses Chuck, or is she so happy in Berta and Max's family that she forgot about him?

– Um... I don't know. What do you think? – Lina replied, perplexed, listening to Zina's chatter.

The girl impressed with her straightforwardness and sincerity. Soon a sizable heap of various soft toys formed around Lina.

– To be honest, I don’t know. I think she misses him because Liza and Anika are not very good caretakers.

– Why?

– They are only interested in boys. They don’t even want to study, silly girls. Berta is terribly angry about this, but she can't do anything because the girls live at university.

– I see, – Lina smiled and suddenly saw a ghostly silhouette of Samael ahead.

At first, she even blinked a few times, but the mirage did not dissipate.

– Remove the outer protection from the base, – he mouthed silently. – I won't be able to save you if you don't do this.

– What? Who said that? – Zina asked and turned in the direction where Samael stood.

But she saw nothing, as at that moment he vanished.

The girl did not have time to grasp what had just happened. She did not have time to ask in detail what protection he was talking about and how to remove it before Samael dissolved like morning mist.

– Did someone say something? – Zina spun her head around again.

– It was on the TV, – Lina replied dully, staring at the spot where she had seen the silhouette of the man. – How is that possible...

– I also don’t understand how so many people can fit in such a flat screen, – the child chirped, and as if nothing had happened, continued playing with her dolls.

For a few minutes, Lina tried to collect herself. What base? What protection? Why was he dumping everything on her? Why didn’t he use his dark powers and take her away from there? And, in general, how did he appear here at all? Questions that would not be answered until she saw Samael face to face.

– Zina, – suddenly a silly, and possibly futile, but after all some kind of idea popped into Lina's head. – Have you ever been outside? Did you go anywhere with Daddy?

The girl froze with toys in her hands and looked curiously at her adult friend.

– A few times we went out of the house. Once we went to the zoo, and another time to the sea.

– Great, – the girl stepped closer to her and continued to ask. – So, how was it? Did you like it?

– Yes, I liked the zoo, but not the sea. There were many bottles and nasty slimy seaweeds, – she frowned, but then her face brightened, and she continued. – Also, I saw dead jellyfish; they look like transparent blobs or snot.

– Cool! Can you tell me how exactly you got outside? There must be many gates and all sorts of guards here?

– Lots of them, – Zina giggled. – First, we politely went into a room with a whole bunch of TVs – when saying "bunch," the girl spread her arms wide, as if trying to show with her whole body just how many there were. – And there were funny, fat uncles sitting there. Daddy said something to them, and the uncles clicked a button. Oh, and how many different buttons there were. Yellow, red, green, blue. I really wanted to press them... But they didn’t let me. Then we went to the baSament, got into a little car, and drove to the sea.

The girl laughed again, jumped up, and started spinning around the room, humming a children's song.

Lina understood she had drawn as much information as she could from the little girl. Now it was time to make a decision. She was fully aware of the responsibility of her task. Her freedom was in her hands. No one else would help.

Of course, she could ignore Samael, just wait for her twentieth birthday, and that was it... But her chest burned at the thought of the man. She wanted to be with him a little longer. To kiss him, hug him, be near him... In any case, time was short for them and their relationship. So every moment of these short days, she wanted to spend exactly with Samael.

– Zinochka, darling, do you happen to remember where that little room with the TVs and buttons is located? I would really like to visit there too.

– I remember, – the girl nodded her head. – It’s not far from my room.

– And if I ask you really, really nicely, could you show it to me? But it should be a secret, so no one in the whole world knows. Not even Daddy.

– A secret, a secret, the most secret secret? – the little one gleefully asked.

– Yes. Our secret, – Lina replied.

Somewhere in the corner of her soul, an unpleasant feeling arose. After all, she was using an innocent child for her selfish purposes. But in the situation that had arisen, this was the only possible way out.

– Okay, let’s go.

Zina, out of impatience, even started hopping on one foot. Lina got up from the floor, grabbed the girl by the hand, and went out with her into the corridor.

The daughter of the high priest immersed herself in an atmosphere of secrecy and walked very quietly, almost on tiptoes. Occasionally, she looked sideways at the girl and pressed her finger to her lips, as if instructing her to behave quietly.

Lina was only worried about one thing – that no one would see them. From tension and excitement, she could feel her heartbeat in her temples. Her palms were sweaty, and her imagination painted pictures of how they would be caught. But for now, everything was quiet. Clearly, it was quite late, and all the inhabitants of this place were fast asleep.

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