Глава 13

Look away, and clear out.

The crowd falls back, and Mays leads me past their collective gaze.

These people... are terrified.

Are you in charge here?

This place is under my control.

Let's find a place to talk.

...Victorian Reunion... Percival is in Victorian Reunion too.

Our organization doesn't exactly have franchising procedures and once word of the name spread around, the Reunion flag started popping up in all sorts of places.

That also means there have been various acts of violence, acts of revenge, taking place under the Reunion name.

The kind of thing that happened in Chernobog. I start looking at this... Mays.

She seems nervous, her gait is unnatural.

We're in the deepest depths of the workshop.

Here we are. Nobody comes in here.

So you're Reunion, the real Reunion. You came from the north?

From... Ursus?

Yes, Ursus, Columbia, and now we're in Victoria.

That's a ways.

Your uniform, it's...

I... used a bedsheet.

I ran into a group from Ursus before. They said you dress like this. I think I got the emblem right.

Looks a bit big.

Did you come here just to mock my handiwork?

So you control this place just because you dressed up in the garb of the infamous 'Reunion'.

Let's get to the point. I don't have much time.

You want to get this place up and running again? To start making medicine?

Yes, if news got out that Reunion is running the place again...

No.

Things are more complicated than you know. We have all kinds of people here.

I'm worn out breaking up the daily fights between Infected and uninfected. And you want to make Infected medicine? You might as well blow the place up.

It's hard to keep a balance between them.

You're Reunion, aren't you? At least, you claim to be.

More or less.

Who are your people?

What else would they be? Homeless Infected, war refugees, people who have lost everything. We all need a roof over our heads.

I first came here with a few other Infected. We found this ruin.

Later, more people came, including some... less than honest folk. We don't take anyone else in anymore.

I'm glad to see you, Reunion comrades, but I don't want to worry anyone here.

Worry?

That you're conspiring with us to wipe out the uninfected in our midst.

Whether or not it's just a pretext to get us to open our doors to you, we can trade supplies. But let's leave it at that...

There are plenty of uninfected here, so I get what you're saying.

But I still think it would be a good idea to talk it over with your people before you come to a decision. As long as we can get back to making medicine here, we can come to a long-term agreement—

No, no thank you.

Now, off with you. It was nice meeting you.

If you want to take this place, you're welcome to it. So long as you <i>can</i> take it.

I can't see her expression behind the mask.

Maybe she's just bluffing.

Alright then.

But I turned around, nevertheless, getting ready to leave.

Hey, Reunion!

Yes?

Is Talulah with your group?

...She is.

Another Talulah worshiper?

Sure enough, she's our banner, and that's her cage now too.

I hear she has a nomadic city.

Does that city of hers only take Infected?

If you haven't been infected, are you allowed to go there?

I've heard... from the passing caravans, I've heard it's a nice place.

We—There's some people here in less-than-ideal positions, refugees from the wilderness, orphans without a single relative. Talk of that Reunion city has everyone full of hope.

But... you only stand with the Infected, right?

A... city?

There might be a misunderstanding here—

Mays! Do you know what they did?

Did you tell them to do it?! Have you gone mad?!

What are you talking about?

They—Those idiots!

He might've been a fighter in the war here! Or some big important figure, here to doom us all!

We might be just a couple hours out from a battalion of Sarkaz coming in here to wipe us out!

What's going on?

You... Are you with Reunion, like Mays?

It was you, your people—

Those Infected, they killed a Sarkaz in the warehouse!

Bollocks!

He... He was Infected too... He's going to explode, right?

We need to deal with him!

I'll take a look.

Go, quickly! You should be able to help!

On the ground lies the corpse of a Sarkaz.

I... know this guy.

The Sarkaz who rode a motorbike, he was a junkman, going around selling stuff he took off the dead.

He was clearly beaten to death, limbs twisted up in unnatural ways.

His hands are tied. He must've tried to break free, judging by his bloody wrists.

The gathered crowd is mostly silent.

I feel a chill, leaving me briefly speechless.

He... he's dead. The Sarkaz aren't so strong.

Here... the medicine he had on him, and some stale bread.

The one who did the killing doesn't look well. He indifferently breaks off a piece of bread and hands it to someone beside him.

He deserved it.

Someone spits on the ground.

One of them notices me, approaching me while chewing a piece of bread taken off the dead man.

You! You're with Reunion, aren't you?

Mays never told us how we could join you!

I remain silent for a while, calming myself down. I lower his hands for him, spotting the Originium crystals growing on his arm.

Why did you do it?

Did he threaten you? Try to hurt you?

Huh? Why?

It's as if he suddenly loses interest, stumbling over to a nearby crate and taking a seat.

When the Sarkaz burned our farm and humiliated my daughter, did anyone ask why?

He wasn't a soldier. He wasn't a murderous devil from Kazdel. He was just a wandering hawker, selling his wares on the battlefields.