Escape - Chapter 8.2
Chapter 8.2
Tick-tock. The sound of the second hand on my watch suddenly became crystal clear.
‘You mustn’t trust anyone.’
Kyle’s frightened voice echoed through my mind, deafeningly loud.
Lilith remained silent. Her worried frown smoothed out, and her tense lips slowly relaxed. It was the first time I’d found her serene expression more terrifying than an angry one. My mouth was parched, dry as dust.
After what felt like an eternity, Lilith sighed, a sound like a lament. “Oh, I’m really not good at pretending to be concerned. You should have just said you were returning the watch strap. You never even wore it, I could have gotten you a full refund.”
“…Who are you?”
“Who am I? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m your lifelong friend, Lilith Esponera.”
“No, you’re not my friend. My friend wouldn’t have that shady look on her face.”
“Well, then I guess you’ve been mistaken all this time. Sorry to break it to you, but it really is me. Unless my memory is faulty, I’m the Lilith who went to the bathroom with you as a kid and caught your bouquet just the other day.”
Lilith shrugged and offered a soft smile. The anxious, fretting friend was gone, replaced by a nonchalant woman. Goosebumps prickled my skin.
“…Fine. Then, Lilith, as my friend, would you kindly explain something to me?”
“What?”
“How you know about Damian. And what was with that creepy change in demeanor just now?”
“Oh dear, I thought marriage might mellow you out, but I see I was wrong.”
“Thanks for the compliment.” My tone remained flat as I glanced outside. Most of the shops were closed due to the late hour, and the streets were deserted. No one seemed to be following me, at least not yet.
Just then, a cheerful laugh burst from my friend. “My goodness, you’re really planning on going ‘outside’? Let me give you some friendly advice. Give up.”
“…Are you one of them?”
“One of them? One of who? Who have you been talking to?”
“One of the b*stards who tried to kill Damian.”
“Hmm. The fact that you got this far based on a single book means you definitely talked to someone. We’ll get to who that dimwit is later. Adeline, it’s not too late.”
“Not too late?”
“No. We can still avoid disposing of you. Just hand over the book, go back, and live like you always have. Simple, right?”
“…You should have just pretended you heard about Damian somewhere. Your commanding tone is incredibly annoying.”
“Do you think I don’t know you? Denying it now wouldn’t dispel my suspicions. It’s better to give up early. By the way, as a soldier, shouldn’t you be used to being given orders?”
The conversation was dragging on. Just as Lilith knew me, I knew her. If she was being this verbose, she had a reason.
Kyle had said the authorities would be after me immediately, but there was no sign of them yet. That left only one explanation.
Stalling.
“Adeline, remember that movie we watched at the orphanage? The one where you had to choose between a red pill and a blue pill?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“You said back then that you would have chosen the blue pill.”
For a stalling tactic, it was a remarkably random topic.
The movie we watched as children. The most memorable scene was where the protagonist had to choose between a red pill and a blue pill. The red pill meant staying in strange land, while the blue pill meant returning to a peaceful everyday life.
The protagonist chooses the red pill. Like Adam after biting into the forbidden fruit, he awakens from a dream to a wretched reality. A terrible reality he never wanted to know, but one he can no longer escape. He’s already swallowed the red pill, shattering the illusion of his ordinary life.
I had declared to my best friend, sitting beside me as we watched the film, “I would have taken the blue pill.”
“Now, it’s time to choose. If you leave this shop now, you’ll stay in the strange land. If you give me the book, you can return to your peaceful life.”
I understood. See the carefully hidden, unsettling truth, or continue living blissfully ignorant as before? Before, I would have chosen the latter. I wasn’t exactly one for adventures. But the premise was flawed.
“I…”
It wasn’t an equal choice.
“…will take the same pill as Damian.”
Because he wasn’t on the other side. Lilith’s gentle face hardened as I backed away. The glass door swung open, and just before I turned to run, I read her lips: ‘You’ll regret this.’
It didn’t matter.
Because at least in this reality, Damian would exist.
