For several long minutes no one spoke.
The only sounds inside the house were the slow rotation of the ceiling fan and the controlled breathing of the injured young woman.
Outside, the world continued to die.
Somewhere beyond the boarded windows, a scream rose into the afternoon before fading into silence once more.
Trudy rested against the arm of the sofa, her injured shoulder wrapped tightly in fresh bandages. Though the bleeding had slowed, faint crimson continued to seep through the white cloth, and her breathing had eased considerably.
Dinah remained beside her, refusing to leave even for a moment.
Near the window, Icarus watched the empty street through the narrowest opening in the curtain.
Jon remained on one of the couches, resting both forearms across his knees, staring at them intently. After a while, his eyes wandered briefly toward Trudy.
Dinah noticed the look and lowered her head.
"...Thank you." Her voice was quiet. Jon looked away and said nothing.
He had just saved the sister of the girl who had shot the old professor.
Was it murder? Or self-defense?
Even now… Jon couldn't answer.
Dinah noticed his conflicted gaze. No, she had noticed it since the two entered the house.
"You knew him?" She asked.
Another silence settled over them.
Finally Jon broke it. "I only recognize him... but I don't know him."
"…Then?" Dinah tilted her head. Confusion flashed across her face. Why was Jon reacting this way if he didn't even know the old man?
"I…I killed his wife."
Dinah's eyes widened.
"So, that's why the house was in such a state when we entered." She murmured. Then rose her head to him.
"…Was she infected?"
Jon nodded in silence.
Dinah continued, "We thought...maybe it was gas." She gave a hollow laugh that held no humor. "Or even terrorists, just something that felt normal and reasonable." She shook her head.
No ordinary explanations could describe what was currently occurring. Everything had happened too suddenly for anyone to understand.
Dinah looked toward the front door. "When we arrived, the gate was already open."
Jon looked down, listening. Of course it was. They had left in a hurry to dispose of the body and return before anything happened. Neither of them—Jon and Icarus— had thought about locking it behind them.
"We thought the house had been abandoned. The front door was open. We searched downstairs, and there wasn't anyone."
She paused, shifted her gaze toward the hallway. "...Then he came."
The Professor. Jon didn't need to ask. "He came running from upstairs, shouting."
"What did he say?" Jon asked quietly.
Dinah closed her eyes for a moment. "He wanted to know where his wife was."
Jon's stomach tightened.
She continued.
"He saw the traces of blood spilled around and assumed that we'd done something to her."
Jon understood from the Professor's perspective. He would have believed exactly the same thing.
Dinah swallowed. "I tried explaining, telling him that we just arrived and didn't know anything about it, but he wouldn't listen. He kept asking where she was." Her voice grew softer. "He grabbed the kitchen knife…and before I could react… he stabbed Trudy."
Jon looked toward the bloodstain still visible beneath the coffee table and toward the bandage around Trudy's shoulder.
"I told him to stop. He didn't." Her breathing grew uneven. "I didn't know what to do."
Her eyes drifted toward the pistol resting quietly on the table.
"So...I shot him."
The room fell silent once more.
Jon's gaze settled on the handgun. Until now, he hadn't gotten the chance to ask about it. Then he did. "Where did you get the pistol?"
Dinah followed his eyes. "...We found it."
"Found it?"
She nodded. "There was a security guard near the engineering block who was already dead."
The words hung heavily inside the room.
Jon frowned. A security guard with a gun…and it still hadn't been enough.
"I didn't even know whether it worked." She looked down at her trembling hands. "I just thought...If someone attacked us...maybe..."
Trudy shifted slightly against the sofa. The movement pulled at the bandage, making her wince.
Dinah immediately steadied her.
"I'm okay," Trudy said, then turned her head and looked toward Jon.
"...Thank you."
Jon gave a small nod.
"...I'm Trudy. And she's my friend, Dinah."
"You're not from Palfic?" Jon asked.
Dinah shook her head. "No. We're from Roosell."
Jon nodded slowly.
One of the other universities. The tri-university athletics meet had brought all three campuses together. Students, lecturers, and officials alike.
Just yesterday the stadium had been overflowing with life. Now he couldn't bear to imagine what
remained.
"I'm Jon."
He looked toward Icarus.
"And he is Icarus."
The young man near the window gave a small nod without taking his eyes from the curtain.
Another silence settled over the house.
…
"Do you think anyone's coming?" Trudy asked after a while.
Jon understood what she meant. The police, the military, or even the emergency services. Was there going to be any help from them?
Before he could answer...
Icarus replied quietly. "No."
Everyone turned toward him. He didn't look away from the window.
"If the university looks like this, the city will be worse."
His voice remained calm, almost too calm. "And if the city is worse...then help won't reach us."
No one argued because deep inside, they had all begun realizing the same thing. The rescue they were waiting for might never come.
They were strangers. Yet in that silent room, grief sounded the same in every heart.
Outside...
Another scream echoed across the neighborhood. This one lasted longer, then stopped abruptly.
Following a long silence, Jon slowly leaned his head back against the couch. "We've all seen different things." He looked around the room, and three pairs of eyes turned toward him.
"But they must be connected. Everyone felt the same pain from that silver light, right?" He frowned. "Then there has to be something tying all of it together, something connecting all of this. A sort of clue to survive this ordeal."
For the first time since sitting down, Icarus turned away from the window. His eyes drifted toward the small silver book resting beside Jon. Then toward the identical books lying near Dinah and
Trudy.
Finally, at the one tucked beneath his own arm. His expression became thoughtful.
"...There is."
Jon followed his gaze. "The book?"
Icarus nodded slowly.
"Yes…" He looked down at it. "That isn't just a book."
"It's a Record."
The room fell completely silent.