MOBA Game Apocalypse-Chapter 208: For You, I’ll...

Hours had passed.

The fake street buzzed with all the people now frantically walking around it. FBI, as well as IBAA personnel, moved between the scattered buildings, documenting evidence and interrogating all the staff of the secret government organization.

They made sure not to miss anything at all… but no one approached the house with the crooked mailbox. Even the members of the RLRD who went straight there after clearing the Purple Leak.

Leona crouched beside one of the fake storefronts, running her fingers along the painted brick facade. Harvey stood near the center of the street, arms crossed, staring at the ADAMS house.

"Did you see the pig?" Harvey asked suddenly.

Beatrice looked up from her tablet. "Huh…?"

"The pig. Patient 17. Thing looked exactly like Caleb." Harvey shook his head. "I swear, if you put Caleb's head on it, they would be completely similar."

Beatrice only shook her head at him.

"And…" Harvey shifted his weight. "Why isn't anyone calling Adam? He's been in there for hours."

"Leave him be," Mira, who was letting her nose travel across the underground street, blocked Harvey's path.

"Leave him be?" Harvey's voice rose. "The guy just found out the woman who practically raised him is dead, and we're supposed to just—"

"Harvey." Mira shook her head. "Enough."

"No, seriously. Why isn't anyone going in there? We're his friends, right? We're the only people he has."

Harvey took another step toward the house, but Mira moved faster. Her hand caught his wrist.

"It's not us he needs," she said quietly.

Harvey stared at her. "Who else but his friends?!"

His shout echoed through the fake street, causing the investigators to pause their work. "We're the only people the guy has!"

Mira stared at him for a long moment. "Not exactly."

Before Harvey could ask what she meant, hurried footsteps echoed from the entrance. Someone was running.

"Adam?!"

Katherine burst into the street, her golden hair completely disheveled from worry.

"Where… where is he?"

The women pointed at the house. Katherine didn't immediately enter and only collected her breath and emotions first.

***

Inside, Adam lay on a bed that had been hidden in the back room—there was a bed, after all. The mattress was musty and hard, the springs creaking with every small movement. He had said he was going to sleep… but sleep wouldn't come anymore.

He stared at the ceiling. Water stains formed abstract patterns in the drywall. His face remained completely blank.

Soon, he heard footsteps on the noisy floorboards, and the abandoned house groaned under the weight.

The groaning stopped just in front of the door, and a minute passed before a soft knock followed.

"Adam?"

Katherine entered without waiting for permission and sat beside him on the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped under her weight, causing Adam to sit up.

They sat in silence. Another full minute passed, and then another minute before Katherine sighed.

"We're going to talk about why you didn't call me for help as soon as you found out where the Hospital was," she said, her tone slightly pissed. "I should've been here as much as you."

Adam glanced at her, then replied with his own sigh.

"But for now…" Katherine stood and slid a laptop toward him across the bed.

"The weird guy with the beard gave me this. He… found something." She paused. "I…I watched it. You need to watch it too."

She looked at Adam, staring at his empty expression. "I'll be waiting downstairs. The FBI has questions for me. The world's turning crazy, even more so than before, because of this. The bearded guy uploaded the files on the internet, and I don't know if it was the secret service or whatnot, but they're telling him to hold and delete some files."

Katherine stepped toward the door, then stopped. "Adam?"

He looked at her.

"Take your time. I'll… always be waiting."

The door closed with a soft click. Adam stared at the laptop for a while, then sighed as he opened it.

"Hm…?" A folder was already open, filled with video files.

The screen displayed: Dr. Aniston (TA) Private Logs - Encrypted Files

Tomoe Adams…?

Adam blinked several times, then opened the very first file. The timestamp read nearly thirty years ago.

Immediately, Dr. Aniston's face appeared. No—Tomoe's face.

It's… her. Adam's breath stuttered. This was it. This was the face he remembered. Younger. Excited.

Tomoe adjusted the camera, then let out a heavy breath that cracked the mic.

<We found him. No... I found him. He's fascinating. The others are calling him Homo Nosferatu. A vampire… but he's just a child? I want to speak with him more, but I'm just an intern, so... we'll see.>

And then the video cut.

"That's… it?" Adam quickly continued to the next video.

Tomoe was giggling excitedly. "Patient Zero smiled at me today!"

Adam's face twitched. A small breath escaped him, but not yet enough to form a smile, just a "Huh."

The videos were short, most less than thirty seconds. He clicked the next one.

"What…"

This time, Tomoe was wiping tears but still smiling.

<The experiments started. I want to leave, but who would take care of Patient Zero? He still smiled at me even after what they've... what we've done to him. We're… we're monsters.>

Tomoe stared right at the camera, her face determined.

<I know what I need to do now… I'm going to get you out of here.>

Adam's eyebrows lowered. He switched to another video.

"Tomoe…?"

This time, Tomoe just stared at the camera, shook her head, and turned it off. That was it.

"What… happened?" Adam stared at the screen. He looked at the date, and it had been more than a year since the first video. His fingers hesitated over the next video, but he clicked it anyway.

Surprisingly, Tomoe was smiling again.

She held up a photograph to the camera, and… it was a photo of her and Adam.

<I did it. I got a photo of us! No one must know about this. Adam and I look really close, huh?> Tomoe seemed so… happy. So much so that her eyes were even reddening. <And… Adam. It just… felt right to give him that name. It's a name very close to mine. Adam Adams… it sounds ridiculous, but—Oh, I have to go.>

Adam's face twitched again, and slowly, a smile subtly crept across his face.

He switched to another video, and the smile instantly faded.

Tomoe was crying.

<I never should've found Patient Zero. Today… today, he called me… he called me mommy. M-me…?> Tomoe covered her mouth, her entire body shaking. <But, I'm… I'm a monster.>

She slammed the camera closed.

"What… happened?" Adam quickly switched to the next video.

<We found the third one. They're not like Adam. The second patient, and this one… they hurt people. I really must get him out of here. Even if I die… I need to get him out.>

Next video. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

<They found another, and she killed a lot of people. A lot. Are the others… right? Are they really monsters?>

Adam went quiet. The next video was dated far from the previous one.

Now, Tomoe looked tired.

<I did it. I freed Adam from this hellish place. I thought I was going to get punished or killed, but something else is happening. Is the world ending? Meteors fell from the sky and… people are killing each other. Was it… was it really right to let him go alone? I should've… I should've gone with him. I'm so stupid… what was I even thinking?>

"No…" Adam quickly clicked the next video.

Tomoe looked even more exhausted now.

<Patient Fourteen killed Sasha. No one cares. The government's abandoned the Hospital. Everything's a mess. Dr. Williams has been summoned to the Game, too. He's dead. A senior citizen like him wouldn't… Adam… are you still okay?>

In the next video, Tomoe looked furious… and there were strands of white hair sticking out of her scalp now.

<I've… been assigned as the lead researcher now. I've gained clearance and access to the files of all the patients. They're… all monsters. I saw Adam's files too... how ancient he might really be. I've… seen records possibly mentioning you. Mentions of you… possibly being a ruler—no>

Tomoe closed her eyes, her lips trembling.

<The texts mention you possibly being several kings. I hope they only mistranslated. But… if it's true. Were they right about you? Were you a monster, too, Adam?>

"I'm…" Adam's fingers started to tremble, almost missing the next video when he clicked it.

<The existence of the Heroes changed everything. Everyone's so violent now. There's so much… death out there. What… what have I even been trying to do here if out there is just… evil?> Tomoe wasn't even in view, Adam could only see the top of her head.

<Did I throw you out there in the world, Adam? Into this chaos? Will you also become… like them? You'll survive. Again… and again. Growing stronger. What if… what if you become—>

The video cut off, and Adam clicked the next one.

<I shouldn't have let Adam go. It was a mistake. What if he becomes angry? What if he becomes like everyone else in this world? He's dangerous. I need to… get him back. He might hurt people… like how we hurt him.>

"I… won't." Adam closed his eyes, almost biting his lip.

It's not your fault, Adam. It is. It is… You shouldn't have left, Adam. She was… as vulnerable as you.

He hesitantly watched the next video, afraid of what he would see and hear next. But, surprisingly… Tomoe was smiling again?

Adam was confused, then realized Tomoe was looking at something—their photo. She wiped a tear and whispered,

<I… can't do this anymore, Adam. I think… I'm going to end it. Everything. I'm going to burn this place to the ground and die along with it.>

"No…"

<For what it's worth…> Tomoe gently caressed the photo.

<...I'm really glad we found each other.>

Adam blinked, then watched the next video.

But… she looked completely different now. She stared at the camera, her face covered in blood.

<My son was killed by one of the patients. It was my fault.>

"What…?" Adam's eyes widened at that. Tomoe… had a child?

Adam clicked the next video… and Tomoe looked stone-cold.

<I hope Patient Zero is dead. I should never have freed him. I regret unleashing him on the world, what he—it would become.>

In the next video, Tomoe looked hurried, almost crazed.

<I found him. Patient Zero hasn't changed. He's still the same... but why did he run from me?> Tomoe looked around.

<He's mad at me. Mad at the world. We need—I need to stop him. I need to stop him… before he completely turns into me.>

Adam stared at the screen. As he moved to click the next video, he found nothing.

That was the last one.

Adam sat in silence, then, with trembling eyes, he clicked the very first video again.

<We found him. No… I found him…>

He watched everything, but then paused and replayed one video over and over—the one of her older, staring at their photo.

He paused directly at the point where she was smiling, and lightly brushed his finger on the screen.

His face was still completely emotionless, or at least… it tried to be, but then his vision began to blur.

His face began to tremble. His lips curved down.

And then, the tears fell.

"I'm… I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for leaving you here. I didn't know. I didn't know what was happening. I'm sorry. I'm so… so sorry, m—mom."

Adam gritted his teeth, wiping his tears, trying to stop them. He was almost like a child as he wept. No—he was a child.

He gasped, barely forming the words.

"I was too focused… on trying to run and escape from the pain. I couldn't even remember you. I didn't even—that you could've been suffering here. I'm sorry. I'm sorry… I was too late."

"I'm…" Snot began to mix with his tears. Adam, try as he might, couldn't stop himself from weeping. No—wailing.

His face was completely covered in snot and tears, extremely flushed.

Adam shook his head as if that would stop his emotions, but no. He could barely even breathe now.

Outside the room, Katherine covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she also cried. She'd been there the entire time, but she didn't enter.

Adam was hunched on the bed, screaming silently, crying, calling out with no words escaping his mouth.

He stayed like that for minutes on end, until finally… he calmed down.

The tears still continued, but he calmed down.

He stared at the laptop again and sighed. He wiped his tears and nodded.

He brushed his hand on the screen once more.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I'll live—no. I won't run away anymore…

…for you, I'll stay."

Adam closed the laptop, wiping the final tears trailing across his face. He stood up, his eyes now extremely clear.

"I know... what I must do now."