Part 23 (1/2)

Asakura's lips twisted into a smile.

”Get out of her right now.”

”...as you wish.”

The moment those words were spoken, Asakura's body went into convulsions. Her mouth opened wide, and her eyes rolled back.

Everyone in the auditorium gasped.

A gurgling sound emerged from Asakura's throat. Saliva dripped from her mouth, stretching into rain-like threads. She clawed at her neck.

No. Tos.h.i.+aki ran towards the podium. He nearly tripped on the chairs and kicked them out of the way as he called out Asakura's name.

Just then, something came peeking out of her throat.

It was covered in a glittering liquid. Tos.h.i.+aki could not tell whether it was saliva or bile. The thing was a reddish pink and wriggled and crawled out slowly from Asakura's mouth like some octopus, spreading out tentacles to restrain her scratching hands. It spread over onto her bosom and, changing shape with ease, rippling like a worm, proceeded to cover her entire body, which was spasming sharply. There was a sound like bubbling muck, and it was now completely free: pleats of flesh. Some s.h.i.+ny, amorphous meat-creature. It looked like Asakura's intestines had turned inside out to cover the entire surface of her body.

Tos.h.i.+aki heard it. Perhaps no one else did, but he was sure he'd heard it. From where her face used to be, there had come a faint wail: ”Help...”

In Asakura's own voice.

”Asakura!” he shouted.

Just a moment later, she burst into flames.

4.

The auditorium broke into panic.

A hot wind surged down upon the crowd.

Eve 1 blazed like ignited oil. Flames ranged from red to crimson, then blended into yellow, burning so fiercely they seemed to lick the ceiling. Asakura was trapped in a pillar of fire.

Violent screams broke out everywhere as people rushed towards the exit all at once.

Nearly sixty of them descended upon that single door, overturning chairs and pus.h.i.+ng each other without mercy. Someone collapsed near the entrance and was nearly trampled to death.

Tos.h.i.+aki took off his blazer and ran up to the podium.

As he came near, Eve 1's inferno shot out at him. He stooped over, unable to move another step forward into the heat. Asakura was moving about violently on the stage. Her stockings had caught fire, the flames moving up her legs like so many tongues, and her long hair, spread out like a fan, was burning a pale blue.

s.h.i.+elding his body with his blazer, Tos.h.i.+aki somehow made it onto the stage. He spread the blazer open, threw it across Asakura, and wrapped it around her. She lost her balance and Tos.h.i.+aki fell with her, holding onto her tightly.

The blaze enveloped him. He began to choke. The stinging in his eyes was unbearable.

Flames slipped in under his fingernails. Then, someone pulled him from behind, and he also heard s.h.i.+nohara's voice.

Tos.h.i.+aki turned to s.h.i.+nohara, whom he could not see, and shouted, ”Get a fire extinguisher! Hurry!”

He swallowed flames as they shot into his mouth, burning the lining in his throat. In between brutal coughing fits, he heard a bell ringing in the distance. Dizziness overtook him.

Something began to fall upon him.

It poured continuously, covering both of them. Asakura's movements weakened. The flames died down, while the floor grew slippery. Gradually, he felt the heat being drawn away. Tos.h.i.+aki moaned. His body was drenched, his s.h.i.+rt stuck firmly to his chest. He opened one eye and looked up at the ceiling.

Something was spreading out from a single point and falling upon his face.

He closed his eyes.

Water.

When Tos.h.i.+aki came to, he was on a stretcher.

His eyes popped open and darted around instinctively. He was in the auditorium.

Droplets of water were still trickling from the sprinklers overhead. Smoke rose faintly from the podium as from a blown-out candle. Tos.h.i.+aki saw a man in white and shouted the first thing that came to mind.

”Asakura!”

”You awake?”

s.h.i.+nohara peered at him with a deathly pale face. Tos.h.i.+aki seized him by the shoulders.

”Asakura? Is she okay?”

”Over there.”

s.h.i.+nohara turned his gaze towards a darkened ma.s.s on a stretcher. A few paramedics were crowded around it. It was a moment before Tos.h.i.+aki registered what it was.

”Asakura!”

He crawled towards her, but a medic held him back.

Almost half of her skin was burned, and her arms and face were swollen with blisters everywhere. Her hair was crimped and smelled of sulfur. Tos.h.i.+aki covered his face in desperation. He heard s.h.i.+nohara call to him.

”Don't worry, she's still alive.”

He looked up in disbelief.

Asakura moaned. One of the paramedics put an oxygen mask over her face and called for a transfusion.

She was carried away.

”The fire was coming from that creature, so it didn't touch her body directly. Still, it's good the fire went out quickly. Her injuries aren't as bad as they look,” s.h.i.+nohara said, trying his best to console him.