<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
The upside of Disbelief was that Matthew’s team never had to explain how a bunch of people teleported out of nowhere right after busting up a Dungeon.
The downside was that Disbelief often created some troublesome excuses that then required damage control; in this case, onlookers remembered John pushing into a crowd on the church’s threshold, accidentally throwing Sasha to the ground and causing a large people pileup in his hurry. Matthew had no idea why Disbelief selected Misfire of all people to take the fall, though he found it delightfully funny.
The Doc spent the next ten minutes explaining to Sasha’s reverend father that her Dungeon-induced trauma was just a ‘harmless concussion,’ and it then took another half hour to convince him not to press charges on his daughter’s behalf. Without Petro’s support and the Doc’s neuroscience credentials, the man probably would have called the police.
“I hope that this event will teach you patience and wisdom, my poor hasty lamb,” Matthew mocked John once the reverend finally left him off the hook. The three of them sat on a wooden bench near the church’s exit; after everything that happened today, Matthew found the place’s silence and peaceful atmosphere pretty refreshing. “The Lord forgives everyone, but the law only spares the rich.”
“I shall pray that Disbelief puts the blame on you next time, Maruki,” John replied with a snort. “I wasn’t too worried. Crypto and Officer Kresnik got us out of worse jams.”
“I’m just happy we could save these three,” Kari replied, her gaze firmly settled on another trio a few lines ahead from them. Petro, Sasha, and Amélia were still in a state of shock—the first less than the others—after their experience, though they’d recovered enough to listen to the Doc’s explanations. Only Petro paid much attention; his very good friend Sasha clutched her arms and fidgeted in her seat, while Amélia spent her time staring down at the ground.
Their lives had just become a whole lot crazier.
Matthew realized that Sasha had a Key the moment she spoke up after they exited the Dungeon. Unlike Marion yesterday, she fully remembered her interdimensional abduction and spent minutes babbling incoherently about it. By the time her b-friend Petro managed to calm her down, she radiated a faint, familiar violet aura.
“Three at once,” John said with a pleased smile. A potential solution to their manpower issue had fallen into their laps. “I’ve never heard of so many people awakening in the same Dungeon.”
“It happens sometimes,” Matthew replied. Perse and Ulysses awakened together, as did Maggie and Jack. “A full color trio is super duper rare though.”
Kari let out a sad sigh, which caused John to raise an eyebrow at her. “Why the sad face, Matsumoto?” he asked her. “This is good news. We’ve three new bodies to throw at the Dungeons.”
“Hence why I’m sad,” Kari replied with a sorrowful scowl. “I just wish that all Dungeon victims could return to a normal life. We shouldn’t be necessary.”
“Eh, I don’t miss my normal life,” Matthew replied. Dungeons took a lot from him, true, but he wouldn’t trade his powers away for anything in the world. “They don’t have to fight either. Some of us sit out Dungeon hunts.”
“And they’re cowards to do so,” John countered with a sneer of disgust. “Anyone not cleaning up Dungeons might as well help them kill innocent people. At least your girlfriend is putting in the work.”
“Maggie’s not…” Matthew clenched his jaw. “She’s… not my friend. Not anymore.”
Kari gave him a compassionate look. “I think she’s still in the church’s graveyard, Matthew,” she said. “Maybe you should go talk to her?”
“Yeah.” Matthew mustered up his courage. “I should go talk to her.”
He hadn’t visited her grave in far too long.
The Doc concluded his discussion with Petro, Sasha, and Amélia by giving them each a business card and shaking their hands. He then returned to his students with a concerned expression.
“I am sorry to ruin your plans for Sunday, but if you don’t mind, I would like to introduce these three to Crypto and give them a tour of the Association,” he informed Matthew’s crew. “Whether they decide to join us or not, they should learn more about the world they now live in.”
“Is tomorrow the resupply session, Doctor O’Conner?” Kari asked, her expression darkening. “Is it wise to invite them then?”The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Oh right, they’ll meet Charlie and Lou, maybe Mr. Auguste too,” Matthew said while chuckling to himself. “They’ll scare them off.”
The Association was a disparate group, but the real weirdos only attended the emergency meetings and resupply sessions. Then again, you had to be already somewhat mad to risk your life fighting monsters in the first place.
“I understand the risk of introducing these children to our more… problematic members,” the Doc replied with a heavy sigh. “Nevertheless, they are old enough to make up their minds by themselves. Withholding information will create distrust and slow down their recovery.”
John didn’t look concerned. “If they can’t take Charlie, they won’t survive a Dungeon anyway.”
“It is far too early to speak of recruitment, John,” the Doc scolded him. As usual, he favored letting new Crawlers focus on their mental health first and foremost. It was a wise choice in Matthew’s opinion. Few emerged from their first Dungeon unscathed. “In any case, I will drive you back to your dorm shortly and pick you up tomorrow.”
“Can you give me ten minutes, Doc?” Matthew asked. “I’ve… got something to do first.”
His team gave him a long look, none more thoughtful than the Doc’s. “Of course, Matthew,” he said, though with some concern in his voice. “Take all the time you need.”
“I won’t be long,” Matthew promised.
He could never spend too much time around her grave anyway.
Matthew walked out of the church and into the graveyard. Tall trees scattered around grass patches provided a measure of shade in the fading sunset. A bronze statue of the Virgin Mary stood amidst weathered gravestones and older, table-like tombs. This place had been built in the city’s first days—at least before the Timeshifts messed everything up—but most families favored the larger mausoleum further north. Matthew liked it better this way. It made the place feel more serene and intimate.
He found Maggie sitting under the shadow of an ancient oak with a cigarette in hand. She faced a white gravestone adorned with a rose bouquet. Perse’s mother likely left them here yesterday.
Matthew gathered his breath, coughed from the smoke, and mustered up his courage. “Maggie–”
“I don’t want to hear it,” she interrupted him. "Not... not now."
Matthew closed his mouth and then silently sat next to his former friend. Maggie didn’t shout at him, or spare him a glance. She focused all of her attention on a set of phrases carved onto the well-preserved gravestone. Matthew forced himself to do the same.
<blockquote>
In loving memory of Persephone Werner
April 18th 2007
December 24th 2020
She climbed the Stairway to Heaven.
</blockquote>
That epitaph still felt like a gut punch after all these years.
“He didn''t visit her either,” Maggie said out of the blue. “Not once.”
“Ulysses?” Matthew guessed. He’d tried to knock on his old friend’s door a few times over the past four years. Each time his mother gave him some excuse about Ulysses not feeling well enough to see him. Matthew eventually took the hint and stopped visiting them, though it saddened him.
Ulysses had been his best friend once.
“Her own brother won’t come,” Maggie muttered with deep sorrow. “Sam fled, Jack left, and you…” She blew out a cloud of smoke. “You forgot.”
“I didn’t!” Matthew protested, though she had a point. He avoided her and the graveyard because he didn’t want to remember. “It’s just… it’s tough coming here, Maggie.”
Staring at the empty gravestone sickened him, knowing that they couldn’t even bury a corpse, knowing that the Dungeon that took Perse’s life still festered in the city, knowing that he couldn’t do a damn thing to avenge her…
Maggie finally deigned to look at him. The sorrow in her eyes briefly turned to guilt, then back to frustration. Matthew expected a jab that never came. Instead, Maggie remained silent and stared back at the empty gravestone.
It was tough on her too, but she would rather hide it.
Matthew gathered his breath. “Maggie…”
“I don''t want to join your association,” she replied immediately. "I can''t."
“You’ll get killed if you keep diving in alone,” Matthew insisted, politely but firmly. They both knew it. “You’ll slip up sooner or later. The Association has many teams–”
“I can’t,” Maggie cut in sharply. “I can’t replace her. Us.” She dropped her cigarette on the ground and extinguished it. It was quite the dirty motion, but Maggie didn’t care about anything much nowadays. “I can’t see anyone else die on me.”
Matthew flinched. Her words hit him like a slap in the face.
Maggie rose to her feet. “I’ll take another crack at the Mall soon,” she declared, almost absentmindedly. “On Christmas.”
Matthew froze in panic. “Don’t!” he pleaded with her. “That place will kill you!”
“Better that than sitting on my ass,” Maggie replied with a sigh. “You guys can’t keep it locked up forever, Matthew. It’ll open up a new entrance sooner or later, and then what? You’ll bar the door again and hope it goes away?”
Matthew looked away. Truth be told, it had been the Association’s solution to the Mall after their attempts at clearing it by force failed: condemn the entrances, deny it victims, and then wait for it to starve. They’d succeeded with the first two steps well enough, but the Dungeon continued to fester nonetheless.
What other alternative did they have? Every Crawler who attempted to clear that Dungeon either died or hit a wall; an invincible monster with teeth and spells and unstoppable strength.
“You can’t beat that thing,” Matthew warned Maggie. His single eye lingered on Perse’s tomb, his mind fighting off the memory that led them to this place. “No matter how strong you’ve grown or the spells you’ve gathered, it’ll never be enough.”
“And if I never try, I’ll never win.” Maggie shook her head. “I don’t want to see that place endure another year.”
“I don’t want it to either!” Matthew snapped back angrily.
“Then come, if you dare.” Maggie held his gaze, then turned away. “You’ve got until December to chicken out or not. I’m going in either way.”
She stormed off without another word, leaving Matthew alone with his regrets.