Chapter 11 – Aftermath

“It doesn’t feel too bad,” I said, gently touching the wound on my calf. One of the wasps had scored a lucky hit while I was fighting, but thankfully it was only a glancing hit. The edge of its stinger must have just caught my leg, leaving a long, diagonal cut along my calf through my tights. It didn’t feel especially deep, and careful prodding didn’t cause much more than just a slight discomfort. The worrying part was how much blood had soaked into my tights around the gash and had spread to my foot.

Glancing at my HUD, my health was hovering around 70%. The accompanying body outline, or health map as Selene called it, showed a yellow-orange line along my right ankle, a black spot on my stomach from my first fight, and some faint yellow blotches along the right side of my body where I’d fallen. Strangely, pressing on my right side didn’t yield any pain either.

Selene hopped next to where I was sitting on the ground. Seeing my confused expression while I pressed against my sides, she cocked her head at me.

[The pain-relief inhaler you took is still in effect for another few hours. Unfortunately, the greater regenerative gum is no longer in effect, so you won’t be healing anymore. The laceration on your ankle will continue to bleed and is serious enough to require stitches.]

“Oh… I should… uh…” I mumbled to myself.

My thoughts were coming to me in a jumble now that the battle was over. I figured I had at least a little bit before the adrenaline fully drained from my system, owing to the fact that I didn’t feel that much safer. Sure I had just killed fourteen Anathema, but I was still in the middle of an Usurpation. There were plenty more around, and more could drop in at virtually any time.

[With nothing left between you and the shelter, I would recommend not purchasing anything to heal it.]

Blinking, I turned to look at Selene questioningly.

[When you enter, the people within will undoubtedly be concerned about your appearance and blood. If you had no visible wounds, it would be highly suspicious, and some might catch onto your status as a Magical Girl.]

With a grimace, I nodded. I was spattered in black droplets of Anathema ichor from the first hound I killed, and everything around my stomach was soaked in my own blood as well. It wasn’t incredibly noticeable due to the dark colors of my blazer, but my blouse beneath was dyed deep scarlet. Looking through the small hole through my clothes, I frowned.

Sometime since I’d used the emergency clot spray, the weird foam had disappeared, revealing a patch of pink looking skin. Gently, I took my hand and pressed against it. Other than a slight tenderness, there was no pain.

…Which made sense.

Because of the pain-relief inhaler.

Right.

I shook my head, trying to clear my head as I forced myself to stand up. I was starting to lose steam, but I still had plenty to do before I was well and truly safe. My legs wobbled slightly, and I forced myself to ignore them as I tried to focus myself.

“Okay,” I said aloud. “First, get back to Brian.”

[May I suggest retrieving the ammunition you dropped?] Selene asked. [It would be best to consolidate what few resources we have available.]

“Oh. Yeah. Um…” I trailed off, taking a second to reorient myself. As I tried to get my bearings, glowing arrows made of viridian particles formed along the ground, and I blinked.

[I’ve taken the liberty of making waypoints on your HUD. I’ve also placed markers on your minimap showing all your empty magazine locations. I would recommend picking them up for now.]

“Why? To hide any evidence I might be a Magical Girl?” I asked as I started following the arrows.

[Partially. You can also reuse the discarded magazines. Refilling them with ammunition is cheaper than buying individual magazines.]

I nodded as I reached the first spot. There was an “X” icon on the small, circular map in the top right of my vision, and when I reached it, I found the empty magazine a few moments later. Shrugging off my backpack, I started to place the magazine inside only to stop as I saw the symbol on the metallic black rectangle. Set within a silver circle was a crescent moon, two bunny ears poking off the circle.

“Are you… trying to work on branding even for my magazines?” I asked, vaguely recalling Selene mentioning something about it before.

[Indeed! If you have a different symbol that you would prefer, please let me know. Developing your personal brand as a Magical Girl is an important step, and it would be good to start early.]

I shook my head a little as I moved on. It still didn’t seem real to me, being a Magical Girl. Sure, I had just fought and defeated a ton of Anathema, but all the realities of what it actually meant, of how my life would be changing… it just felt surreal to be thinking about.

But that was something to worry about later. For now, I had to finish my mission.

Collecting the remaining magazines didn’t take long, though it was long enough to make me aware of how sweaty I was as the air turned chilly. I took a moment to do some management of my ammunition, consolidating the rounds from my half-empty magazines. In all, I ended up with three full mags, and one with fourteen bullets left slotted into my Umbra. By the time I’d finished, my head was starting to feel clear again. The razor-wire pressure of the situation had fully settled back around my lungs, and I was moving quickly.

Thankfully, getting back to Brian was uneventful, and the door appeared untouched. I knocked on the door firmly, making a little pattern out of it, and waited. After a few movements, the handle clicked, and the door slowly opened. Brian peered through the open crack, a terrified expression on his face that turned to joy and excitement. I gave him a gentle smile, pushing the door open, entering, and closing it behind me after Selene darted inside.

“You’re back!” Brian exclaimed, almost hopping up and down. “Did you fight more of them? How many? Are we leaving soon?”

I looked over at him with a tight smile. In the back of my head, I’d been worried that leaving him here would somehow have gone horribly wrong. Even though I hadn’t really had a choice, the idea of him getting scared and leaving to find me or an Anathema simply getting lucky and chancing upon him had gnawed at the back of my nerves.

Somehow, though, everything had turned out more or less fine. Even now, he seemed more excited than scared. All that was left was to talk to Selene before we headed out for hopefully the final time.

“I managed to find a safe path to the shelter,” I told Brian gently, deciding to spare him the details. “We’ll head out in a few moments after I use the bathroom, okay?”

His eyes went big, and he nodded. I started making my way to the bathroom when he let out a sudden gasp of surprise.

“You’re bleeding!”

I looked down at my leg. Sure enough, my shoe was thoroughly soaked now, and I was leaving small bloody footprints. Panic rose in me until I checked my HUD and found my health sitting at 67%. Moving around had probably aggravated the wound, but I wasn’t in too much danger of bleeding out.

Probably.

“It’s just a small cut,” I gave him a tight smile, trying to reassure him. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt, and I’ll be able to get help at the shelter.”

Brian didn’t look entirely convinced, but he gave me a nod anyway. I moved into the small bathroom, Selene darting inside before I shut the door. Letting out a sigh, I took off my backpack and set it on the floor as I took a look at myself in the mirror over the sink.

A girl stared back at me, her shaggy, medium length hair damp with sweat. My too pale face was speckled in droplets of black, probably from my first Anathema encounter, and a smudged red streak ran beneath my right eye. Although my eyes looked alert, the muscles in my face were tensed, giving me a frayed and desperate edge.

It was a familiar face, one I recognized instantly. I was nearing the end of my rope.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

[With the shelter in sight, perhaps it would be good to discuss how to hide your status as a Magical Girl. Assuming you wish to keep your identity a secret for now?] Selene said, and I gave her a little nod.

[Very well. I think simply hiding your gun and ammunition in your backpack should suffice. Barring any insensitivity, I doubt they will search it.]

“What do you mean?” I whispered.

[You are a teenage girl arriving at a shelter with a young boy and are covered in blood. It has been over an hour since the Usurpation began, and I believe anyone would correctly assume you have been through quite the traumatic experience to survive. While they may be curious as to how you managed to stay alive, they should leave you alone if you simply tell them you do not wish to talk about it. This is a mega shelter as well, meaning it has a small but professional security team managing it. Their protocols regarding survivors reaching the shelter should be quite clear.]