酷视

Chapter 10: The dark truth of this world

When I heard the fox claim it would bring me to where it defeated those who injured it, I expected to see some battlefield or something. A sight that someone born in the information era would be pretty much immune to.

What I didn\'t expect, was how real things would get. Or how some of the people that the fox brought me to practically rob, were still alive.

"What\'s wrong, human Peter?" the big fox asked.

For some reason, neither of the smaller and most likely younger foxes accompanied us to the other clearing where three humans had already breathed their last while two more still struggled, refusing to die in this god-forsaken place.

The worst part of it all, thought, was how one of the dying warriors... had a face that was a perfect copy of my alleged girlfriend from back on earth!

\'Ugh...\' I held my breath when the girl\'s desperation-filled eyes latched on me. In her eyes, I likely represented hope. A human that appeared out of nowhere, in a place where no random stranger was likely to come.

The poor girl only had the position of her head to thank for not seeing the massive fox that approached from the other side.

"They all had pouches attached to their belts," the fox spoke directly to my mind again. "You can look for your gold there," it spoke...

But right now, I was too shocked to care.

Before I noticed, the fox\'s eyes were all over me, clearly looking out to see what kind of reaction I would show at this gruesome sight.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before holding it in my lungs for a short while. Then, I opened my eyes and looked straight into the fox\'s gaze.

"You guys fought and they lost, I get it," I spoke, trying to stop my voice from breaking and my body from shaking. "I don\'t hold a grudge over it either. But please, do tell me one thing."

This was a crucial moment. A moment where my morals, my beliefs would once again put me in a potential harm\'s way.

But how could I keep calling myself human if I were to abandon the most basic courtesy?

"Did you leave those two survivors here just to let them suffer?"

This question... was risky, to say the least. Up until now, the foxes treated me well, either concealing their killing intent or simply not considering me to be a threat in the first place.

But with two terribly wounded survivors now struggling in needless pain...

How could I not react? How could I not react when one of the survivors had the face of the girl I once loved?

"They were unable to harm or follow me anymore, so I left them to their own devices," the fox replied before yawning yet again.

Was it tired after the beef meal I offered it or something?

"So you won\'t mind if I offer them mercy?" I asked.

Just a single look at the long cut on the girl\'s stomach from which her guts spilled or the two stumps that the other surviving man had for a left leg and arm...

Those weren\'t the injuries that I could heal with just some basic drugs or medical applicancies. Maybe if I could bring them to surgery right away, then maybe... maybe, they could still have a chance.

But with what I had on hand, there was only one kind of mercy I could offer them.

"You don\'t appear to be a great healer, human Peter," the fox spoke to my mind, clearly intrigued.

"Since you didn\'t leave them just to watch them suffer, you won\'t mind if I end their torture, right?" I asked, this time using more direct and less vague wording.

"So that\'s what you mean..."

\'Human Peter,\' I thought, filling in the gap in the fox\'s sentence.

Was it disappointment? Understanding? Or maybe regret that I heard in its voice?

Or maybe I was simply trying way too hard to apply human emotions to this beast?

"Human Peter, do as you desire."

I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. Then, I turned around and hurried to the girl\'s side, watching how she struggled to reach out with her hand, her face filling with hope and immense relief as she saw me approach.

\'Ugh...\'

Seeing the look on the young woman\'s face, her yearning for salvation... My steps turned heavier, as the moral burden of what I was about to do fell on my shoulders.

As I reached the dying girl\'s side, I got down on my knees and accepted her hand, cupping it between my own. Then, as her eyes focused on my face, I slightly lowered my chin and slowly shook my head to the sides.

I didn\'t know what language this girl spoke. Right now, she was too weak to speak out anyway. Judging by the dark blood mixing with the vivid red in the pool that formed underneath her, some of her internal organs burst open... or maybe they were cut? Squashed?

I wasn\'t a medic to judge. But I could tell for sure that the simple suture kit I had in my bag would do nothing to stop the bleeding.

With a heavy heart and an even heavier hand, I pulled out the kitchen knife before putting it down by the girl\'s side. Yet, rather than striking right away, I looked her in the eyes again before tightening my grasp on her fingers.

The look on the woman\'s face changed as she realized that my presence spelled doom rather than salvation. She attempted to roll away... Only to realize she grew too weak to do as little as that.

It had to be this realization that finally struck home, forcing her to realize the true intention behind the sad look on my face as I kept slowly shaking my head.

I closed my eyes, unable to bear the immense fear and regret that flashed in her eyes. I opened then back again only when the woman somehow found the strength to give my hand a squeeze and grace me with a tearful smile.

Her eyes spoke it all. She was ready.

With a heavy heart, I brought her body up, bringing her into a half hug as I rested her back against my chest.

\'Where should I even strike?\' I asked myself, suddenly puzzled by the unexpected problem.

\'Wrists? Throat? Maybe I should strike her heart directly? A soldier\'s death?\' I thought, recalling a scene from the "Gladiator" movie as I realized that severing her spinal cord might be the way for the poor woman to go.

As if reading my thoughts, the girl reached out and somehow managed to grab the knife, before bringing it up to her chest. She blushed a little when she herself pulled the cloth of her shirt away, revealing the skimpy chest wrap that barely hid any details of her impressive bust.

Then, after fighting off the little shame she could feel in the moment, she brought the knife\'s tip slightly below her bosom, pressing it between her fourth and fifth rib...

Only for her strength to leave her, rendering her unable to finish things off by herself. Yet, when she slightly moved her chin, raising her eyes to plead for help...

A tear dropped down my cheek... but I raised my hand nonetheless.

"I\'m sorry..." a silent cry escaped from my mouth as I struggled to put any pressure on the knife\'s handle... Yet, as I looked at the girl\'s face again...

She smiled.

It was a light, gentle smile, that I\'d never witnessed on my girlfriend\'s smile. Somehow, I could even sense affection from it.

\'Shitty world, shitty life, shitty luck...\' I cursed in my thoughts. And when the girl closed her eyes, with a gentle, affectionate smile locked on her lips, I pressed the knife\'s handle forth, driving the blade directly into her heart.

I held her close when her body shook and tensed up as the last burst of intense pain coursed through her flesh. I held her close when her body slowly relaxed.

"Ashare..."

I held back my tears when her voice uttered a word I didn\'t know... But in this situation, I could pretty easily figure out its meaning.

\'What are you thanking me for, you dummy,\' I thought, gritting my teeth to the point they started to crack when I felt the life leave the girl\'s mangled flesh.

By the time I looked up, I realized that the other survivor had already offered his soul to whatever he believed in, breathing his last while I was busy smoothing the last path for his female companion.

\'I guess that\'s the inequality of dying in this world,\' I thought, using the modern topic of debate and applying it to the situation just to distract myself from the unpleasant experience.

"Is something wrong, Human Peter?" the fox asked, lazily lying down just a few steps away... but kindly keeping itself out of the poor girl\'s vision as she was dying.

Whether the fox\'s interpretation of death was the same as it was for humans, it had the minimal decency not to intrude on this last parting.

"I\'m sorry. She looked like someone I used to care for with all my heart," I explained my reaction while I placed the girl\'s corpse down on the ground before shaking my head and taking a few steps away from her body. "And don\'t worry, I\'m alright," I ascertained, before bending in half and throwing up.