Corpse March

Chapter 27

The instant Kikimi runs out of ammunition, Haru dispels the shield, extends her arm and drops Kikimi with a vicious lariat to the head. She goes down a lot easier than she expected. There’s a glazed over look in Kikimi’s eyes as Haru rolls her body over with her foot and plants it on her back, pinning her to the ground. If she so chose, she could crush her ribs right here. But she doesn’t. Instead she kneels down and presses the muzzle of her gun right up against Kikimi’s head. 

“Oh c’mon. At least try.”

“Gh–!”

Kikimi says nothing. She feels her struggling through the sole of her shoe but it’s useless, her foot doesn’t move an inch, like it’s fixed in space. Hm. That was a little disappointing. Maybe she was expecting too much from someone completely unaugmented but she figured that Kikimi might know a Judo throw or maybe some kind of phantom punch, or really even just try and put up some kind of a fight. Cause right now, it’s kind of like she’s just given up.

Haru slowly removes the gun from the back of Kikimi’s head and takes her foot off her back. The moment she does, Kikimi immediately scrambles away from her. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Get away from me you psycho bitch!”

Looking at her face, Haru suddenly remembers that she isn’t home. And that home doesn’t exist anymore. The people that understand her, the people who would roughhouse with her, the people who wouldn’t cry from something as trivial as a gun pointed to their head. They’re gone too. Looking at Kikimi’s tears staining the soil a deep brown, Haru doesn’t know what this feeling in her chest is. How could she? It wasn’t necessary where she came from. It’s like sadness but deeper, heavier, less rotund. Suddenly, it grips her and starts moving her mouth on its own. 

“I’m sorry–”

When did Kikimi get back on her feet? She ponders the question as Kikimi lunges at her, tackling her to the ground. A tiny ‘oof’ slips out of Haru’s mouth. Without hesitating Kikimi scrambles to grab a rock and starts bashing Haru’s face in. It doesn’t really hurt much since her body’s physical enhancements make sure she doesn’t get too hurt, and what little pain she should feel is immediately suppressed by her pain inhibitors so Haru just lets it happen. Matter of fact, she’s enjoying this. Seeing Kikimi’s face contorted in so much bloodlust lets her know that she’s enjoying this as well. 

“What’s–”

Haru chokes on the blood that’s seeped into her mouth. 

“What’s… wrong? Why’d you stop?”

With trembling fingers, Haru takes her gun out from her pocket and holds it up for Kikimi to take. 

“C’mon…”

Haru grabs Kikimi’s hand and forces her to take the gun. 

“Come on…”

Gripping Kikimi’s wrist, she presses the gun’s muzzle right up against her forehead. The tears in Kikimi’s eyes are streaming down her face now. Haru hates looking at them.

“Do it. I want you to do it. Come on. Do it. Shoot me. Shoot me. Do it.”

The harder Kikimi’s hand shakes, the harder she grips. She hates weakness. She hates people who can’t commit. If you don’t like something, avoid it. If you hate it, get rid of it. If you like something, do it. If you really like something, then really do it.

“DO IT!”

An unearthly cry, stewed from the deepest part of Kikimi’s chest bursts out from her mouth as she pulls the trigger. POP. Haru’s head lolls back, lifeless, but not dead. Kikimi looks on in abject horror as Haru fishes the squashed bullet out of her forehead. It didn’t even crack her skull. She laughs. It’s not a mocking laugh, not in the slightest. Rather, this is the laugh of someone who could not be having more fun. 

As Haru laughs, Kikimi witnesses the smallest glimpse of someone else lurking behind Haru’s eyes. Her true nature. That which survives only in overwhelming violence and abhors peace of any kind. That which only sprouts its roots in blood-soaked sand. That which sings the tune of countless elegies. Tot-the-Rocker. 

Kikimi can do nothing more than stare at Haru in fear. 

———————————————————————————————————————

“So how’d it–”

Tsumugi stops, seeing both Haru and Kikimi, both covered in blood. Judging from the lack of open wounds on Kikimi, it seems that only Haru was hurt. Her wounds are still gaping and bleeding.

“I’d say it went well. What do you think, Kikimi?”

As Haru playfully elbows Kikimi, she visibly flinches away. There’s a genuine fear in her eyes that wasn’t there before whenever she looks at Haru. 

“...”

“You’re gonna have to speak up, Lamb Chop. I don’t think Tsumugi can hear you.”

“It went fine.”

“That’s…”

Tsumugi pinches her chin. 

“Good? I suppose?”

“Yup! All good on this front! I don’t think there’ll be any more bad blood between me and the Elites. Isn’t that right, Kikimi?”

“I… I’ll tell the other Elites... I’ll tell them.”

Tsumugi looks on with a blank stare, unsure of how to respond. It seems that Haru might have misheard “Get along with Kikimi.” as “Tame Kikimi.” She has no idea what went on between those two, and things didn’t quite turn out how she expected… but she supposes the results turned out… fine? 

“Uhmmm… right. Kikimi, would you mind helping out the other Elites? I’d like to have a word with Haru in private.”

Kikimi doesn’t say a word as she speedwalks away from Haru and towards safety. Tsumugi waits for Kikimi’s footsteps to fade away before she says anything.

“What… Did you do to her?”

“We just had a bit of fun, is all.”

Haru climbs back up to the tree branch she was sleeping on, reclines on the tree trunk, and promptly passes into dreamland in complete peace, as though nothing at all happened.