Chapter 10: A Song in the Library
The night that followed was a shroud of silence and planning. Apartment 3E transformed into a guerrilla command center. Under the solitary light of Joey's cell phone, Nami and Robin drew a map in the dust on the floor, tracing the fastest and most covered route to the library. Every alley was a risk, every open street an invitation to death. Shinobu, meanwhile, prepared her small army. She sharpened the kitchen knives on a ceramic corner of the countertop, instructing Sakura on how to use her enhanced strength not to heal, but to break, should it be necessary.
Joey felt the storm of his group's emotions like barometric pressure before a hurricane. Nami's calculating determination, Shinobu's cold concentration, Sakura's focused anxiety, Nezuko's fierce loyalty, and Robin's resolute melancholy. All of it mixed with his own exhaustion and a fear so deep it was almost paralyzing. But he couldn't afford to be paralyzed. He was the anchor. He had to endure.
Two hours before dawn, in the darkest and coldest point of the night, they set out. The dead city was a labyrinth of shadows and silence. The smell of ash and decomposition was stronger at ground level. Every gust of wind that rattled a loose metal sign or howled through a broken window made Joey's heart pound. They moved as Shinobu had instructed: Nezuko in front, her supernatural senses scanning the darkness; Shinobu and Sakura on the flanks; and Joey in the center, protected by Nami and Robin, who acted as the rearguard.
The municipal library looked like a mausoleum. The large concrete awning that once covered the main entrance had collapsed, crushing the marble steps and completely blocking the passage. It was a monument to the fragility of the old world. As Robin had said, the only entrance was a steel door in the back, in an alley full of overflowing dumpsters.
The door was jammed, the metal frame warped by the heat. "We can't force it with noise," Shinobu whispered. "That would attract anyone for miles."
It was then that Nezuko stepped forward. She placed her hands on the door, her small fingers finding purchase on the metal. She didn't push. Instead, she bent her knees and applied steady, growing pressure. Her muscles, powered by her demonic nature, tensed. The metal of the door groaned, not with a bang, but with a long, agonizing moan of twisting metal. With a final grunt muffled by her bamboo muzzle, the door bent open just enough for them to slip through sideways.
The interior of the library was like a tomb. The air was heavy with the smell of old paper and dust. The darkness was almost total, broken only by the faint beams of moonlight filtering through high, dirty windows. Using the hand-crank flashlights they found in the store, which emitted a weak, ghostly glow, they entered the labyrinth of knowledge.
"Ancient history section. Third aisle, to the left," Robin guided, her voice a whisper that barely disturbed the silence.
They moved between the shelves like ghosts, their steps muffled by the dirty carpet. There were signs of other survivors. Empty food wrappers, a makeshift mattress made of books. But there were no bodies. Whoever was here, left. Or was taken.
When they reached the third aisle, they realized they were not alone. There was a light. A single candle, placed on top of a pile of books, emitted a flickering, warm glow. And, sitting on top of the pile, like a gargoyle on her perch, was a girl.
She was small, dressed in what looked like a stained and torn school uniform. Her blonde hair was tied up in two messy buns, and on her face was the most cheerful and unhinged smile Joey had ever seen. She swung her legs happily, humming an off-key tune as she flipped through a large hardcover book. An atlas of human anatomy. Himiko Toga.
The moment the flashlight beams hit her, her smile widened. "Oh! Visitors! I was starting to get so bored!"
Shinobu and Sakura moved instantly, flanking the group, placing themselves between the girl and Joey.
Toga tilted her head, her golden eyes shining with a feverish curiosity. "Wow, so cool! So many new and interesting people! You all look so... full of love and friendship." Her gaze passed over each of them before settling on Joey. Her smile became voracious. "Especially you. You're so weird! You smell like so many different people at once. It's lovely! I want to taste!"
The casual, cannibalistic declaration made Joey's blood run cold. Robin, to her credit, tried to ignore the new arrival, her eyes scanning the spines of the books on the shelf.
"We're just passing through," Nami said, her voice sounding braver than she felt. "We don't want any trouble."
"Trouble?" Toga laughed, a high, cheerful sound. "I'm not trouble! I'm fun! The world got so boring, everyone is so sad or dead. But you! You're fighting, you're loving each other, you're bleeding! It's beautiful!" She licked her lips. "I bet your blood tastes amazing. Especially yours," she said, pointing to Sakura. "You smell like cherry blossoms and determination. And yours," she pointed to Shinobu, "smells like butterfly poison and rage. So complex!"
Shinobu's calm was finally broken. Toga's knowledge was of a different kind than Robin's. It wasn't intellectual; it was visceral, predatory. "Are you a demon?" Shinobu asked, her hand resting on the oven cleaner on her belt as if it were a pistol.
"Demon? Bleh. How ugly," Toga grimaced. "I'm passionate! I fall in love so easily. And when I love someone, I want to become them! I want to know everything about them, inside and out." She sighed dreamily. "The last guy who was here was so boring. He just cried. His blood tasted like salt and self-pity."
The casual confession of murder hung between them. Robin, however, seemed to find what she was looking for. She reached out and pulled a thick, heavy book from the shelf. It had no title, its dark leather cover worn and unmarked.
"Got it," Robin whispered to the group.
The word seemed to break the spell. Toga leaped from her pile of books, landing silently on the floor. In her hand, a knife seemed to materialize from nowhere. "Aw, you're leaving already? But we barely got to know each other!"
She didn't move to attack the group, but sideways, toward Joey, with stunning speed. Her goal wasn't to kill; it was curiosity. She wanted to get close.
But Nezuko was faster. With a furious growl, she threw herself in front of Joey, her small body intercepting Toga's advance. The two collided, a blur of motion in the darkness. Shinobu and Sakura sprang into action, not to defeat Toga, but to create a barrier, to give Robin and the rest of the group time to retreat.
A chaotic dance of attacks and dodges began in the silent aisle. Toga moved with a fluid, unpredictable grace, her knife slicing the air, her laughter echoing among the shelves. She didn't fight to win; she fought to play, to feel the thrill of battle.
"Retreat! Now!" Nami ordered, grabbing Joey's arm and pulling him back.
They ran, the sound of the brief, violent battle fading behind them. The last thing they heard was Toga's cheerful voice shouting through the library's darkness.
"That was so much fun! Let's play again soon! I really want to know what all of you taste like!"
They didn't stop running until they were back in apartment 3E, the makeshift door locked and barricaded behind them. They were panting, their hearts hammering against their ribs, adrenaline singing in their veins. They were safe. For now.
Joey leaned against the wall, sliding to the floor. His cell phone, which he had clutched during the entire run, chimed.
[Secret Objective Completed: Acquire Critical Calamity Knowledge.] [Reward: +20 SP.] [Current Balance: 35 SP.]
"We did it," Nami panted, looking at the balance. "We have enough. We can buy the filter."
They had won. They had faced the dead city, a demon of murderous curiosity, and returned with the prize. But as Robin placed the ancient, untitled book on the table, and the first gray light of dawn filtered through the window, a new and terrible knowledge settled in. They weren't just fighting the System's calamities. There were other things in the darkness. Other players. And not all of them were playing to survive. Some, like Himiko Toga, were playing just for fun. And their game involved blood.
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