Part 24: 6

[Video: "6"]
you really should probably just watch this instead.



With nowhere else to go, they started down it.

It turned left twice before they saw the elevator.

In silence, they jogged up to it. Junpei pushed the "C" button.

The elevator motor ground away, and before long they found themselves once again on C Deck.



Where did they go...?
I have no idea...

Lotus shrugged. Something in the pit of Junpei's stomach stirred.

He tried to forget the feeling, and took off down the long hallway before him.

Seven and Lotus followed at a run.

They ran, and ran, and ran.

The hallway seemed endless.

Their destination had already been decided. The door behind the central staircase...



And Junpei had the [Sun key] in his pocket. That key would open the door. It had to.

That was why they ran for the central staircase.

They had run for quite some time when they arrived at the door that ended the hallway.

Junpei stopped. He laid his hand on the doorknob, his breathing heavy--

Seven laid a hand on his arm.

Hold on a sec there.
Huh?
We don't have the key for this one yet, right?



Seven was right. They had no Jupiter key.

Then we can't open this door.
Unfortunately, no, we can't.
Geez... The Sun door's gotta be just on the other side of this, you know...?

Frustrated, he twisted the doorknob.

The door opened.

...Hey! It opened!
What...?



Well, what are we waiting for?!

As he spoke, he shoved the door the rest of the way open.

They rushed through--



[Music: Trepidation]

Junpei felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine.

He couldn't breathe. His legs shook.

His body felt cold, deathly cold...

...But his blood was boiling hot.

He could feel his mind begin to fade...

He couldn't think, he couldn't concentrate... His mind was...blank...



What the hell happened...?

Seven's voice was weak and broken.

He edged toward the bodies, his movements stiff.

He bent down over Clover, and pressed his fingers to her wrist.

Nothing... She's dead...



H-Hey! What're you doing?!

He leapt back--

Lotus looked up at him, terrified.

The key! Give me the [Sun key]...!
W-Why...?



The murderer... The murderer...

Once again, Junpei looked at the dead bodies.



No... No, it couldn't be true.

Before Junpei could react, Lotus dove back into his pocket, and came out with the key.

Let's go!

Without waiting for Seven or Junpei, she ran straight for the central staircase. They followed.

Junpei shut his eyes and swallowed his emotions. Mourning would have to wait.

Soon they stood in front of the door.

Lotus shoved the [Sun key] into the keyhole--And twisted it, hard. But...



What happened?
Nothing... Nothing happened! I didn't feel it unlock!
Oh no... Is it the wrong key?
I don't know... Maybe...

Lotus sighed, defeated, and leaned against the doorknob.

She felt it twist--

A small gap appeared between the door and the frame.



You mean...the door was already unlocked...?
Why?
How would I know that?
...
Whatever. Let's just go.

Lotus took a deep breath and slowly opened the door the rest of the way.



They stepped inside.



It stretched out toward the bow of the ship.

They began to run.

Faster and faster they ran, trying desperately to reach the end of the hallway.



*Pant* *Pant* *Pant*

They were all breathing heavily as Junpei spoke.

What the hell is this door?! I can't see anything that looks like a doorknob or switch or lever or card reader or...or...or anything!



We don't have a choice. We're gonna have to go back.
No! No! I'm not going back there! There's a murderer back there!

There was more stark terror in Lotus's voice than authority. She was almost begging.

But I don't see any other doors...

As he spoke, Seven stepped toward the door in front of them, as if to illustrate that it was the only door.



It opened. Nothing surprising. A simple automatic door.

Look, guys, I've got a really bad feeling about all this. The other doors were already unlocked, and this one's automatic...



How could their situation possibly get worse? 3 people were already dead! They'd hit the bottom, Junpei told himself. There was nowhere to go but up.

He stepped through the door...

[Music: Silence]

...And whatever hope Junpei had managed to summon disappeared.



It wasn't real...right? June...

No! No, the code names meant nothing now!

Kanny... Kanny!



[Music: Recollection]

Junpei cried out and leapt through the door.

He flew to her side, his heart like a stone in his chest.



Junpei swept her up, and shook her by the shoulder.

She moaned, and her eyes fluttered open, but only barely.



Kanny!
Jumpy...?

Her face was pale, and her lips were dry and cracked. Her eyes were blank and cloudy. They stared straight at Junpei, but saw nothing.

Junpei put his hand against the small of her back to hold her up.

It felt warm and...wet.

He lifted his hand up. It was covered in blood.

Oh man... Kanny... What the hell happened to you... How did this happen...?

It was all he could do not to break into tears.



Her voice was thin, a miniscule thread that was the only thing keeping her with him.

I...I might not make it.
N-No way! No way am I gonna let you die! I'm gonna save you, I promise!
Thank you, Jumpy... Thank you so much... For everything... I was...really happy... ...To see you again, Jumpy... ...Really...happy...
Don't gimme that "I was" crap! You're gonna see me again lots more times! You've... You've just gotta hang on, all right Kanny!?
...
You... You...

What could he do?!



No, that didn't matter. Nothing mattered, except saving Kanny.

That was the only thing he wanted.

Junpei turned his head back to look down at her.

Hang on, all right? There's a submarine over there. I'm gonna go see if it works.
No... Don't go... Please, don't go... Please, just...stay with me, okay...?



Kanny...
Jumpy, did you know... You...meant a lot to me...when we were kids...



Junpei's vision had gone blurry. It took him a moment to realize his eyes were filled with tears.

He could feel a piercing point of heat deep in his heart, like a white-hot flame.

Jumpy, do you remember...how we hung out a lot when we were...kids? We went to the pool... And to...the fair... Do you remember...playing snowball at the school...? They're all memories I'll...never forget... All of those moments are...treasures...to me...
...
But I also wanted to...go to a lot of other places with you... A lot more... But...that...won't happen...now...
No! I mean yes! Yes, it will happen! We'll go all sorts of places, Kanny! You hear me?! I promise! We'll go wherever you want!
...Really...?
Yeah, really. I swear.
That makes me happy... Really...happy...

She said it to herself, over and over, a weak smile creasing her tired face.

Jumpy... I feel...sleepy...
No, Kanny! Don't fall asleep!
Thank you...Jumpy... Thank you...so much...



Kanny! Kanny! Kaaaaannnnyyyyy!



[Music: Silence]



Somewhere, he heard a bell ring. It was the clock at the central staircase.

It rang 5 times, then faded.

5 o'clock...

Quietly, gently, softly, he set Kanny down on the floor. Slowly, Junpei stood.

Only then did he realize that Seven and Lotus had not followed him. Where had they gone?



It felt as though every part of Junpei's body was made of lead.

Slowly, he made his way to the door he'd come through.

As he approached it, it opened, sliding apart with a sound like grinding stone.



Junpei passed through the gate and into the hallway.

[Music: Eternitybox]



It was a lake--a sea--of blood. Two bodies lay in it.

There was no need to check. There was no breath left in them.



Junpei's body felt numb.

A part of him knew the lump of lead in his chest had once been a heart. He couldn't quite remember what it had been for. Tears poured from his eyes in great streams. He wasn't sure why.

He gave up trying to make them stop.

He turned around. The door opened again, and slowly, numbly, he walked through.

He kept walking. Why stop?

An object set in motion, simple inertia carried him forward.



Eventually, he found himself in front of the submarine.

His arm reached for the hatch--

[Music: Silence]









Who, then, had killed them all...? Who...?

[Music: Quietus]





Congratulations! The game ends here with everyone dead. Better still: it's all your fault! I hope you're proud of yourselves!