– Yes, – I reply, – Of course.
– Wouldn't you do the same?
– No, if I were you.
Pause. Looks like Unfortunate is surprised.
– Why?
– You're in trouble. It's you whom I must get out of "Labyrinth".
– It's not me who is in trouble, – Unfortunate shakes his head.
– Are you a diver? – I ask directly.
– No.
– Listen man, stop taking me in. You're in the deep for more than two days. You must be dying of thirst and hunger by now.
– Thirst is not the most terrible thing.
– So, what is more terrible?
– The silence.
– What?
– The silence, Gunslinger.
He looks into my eyes and I don't pull away my gaze, our faces are very close.
His eyes become alive, there's no more dull helplessness in them. The black deepness… the endless darkness as if I look into the sky where all stars came out simultaneously, into the maelstrom of darkness, the silent one that drags into itself, beyond the border of worlds.
– The Silence, – he whispers.
I can feel it, this Great Silence which he tries to tell me about and it's good he doesn't say a word now. Any words are helpless, they only scratch the layer of the Silence too weak to break through it and only hinder to comprehend it.
The Silence.
Whoever you are Unfortunate, you know more about it than anybody else in this world.
One more second – and I'll fall into the Silence, will understand Unfortunate.
I don't want to understand him!
– That's what I fear of… – he says and the delusion disappears. I just sit beside him, two drawn guys exchanging vague phrases.
Is it possible to get crazy in the Deep I wonder? Maybe I'll be the first?
– Why did you kill yourself? – I ask.
– When?
– Anatol pulled you through, you dropped your carbine and shoot yourself into forehead. Do you want to tell me that it was an accident?
– Accidents don't exist.
– Then why?
– Anatol won't be able to get me out.
– Why?! – I shout. The talk of two deaf people, answers that don't explain anything.
Unfortunate doesn't reply.
Ah well, so be it.
Enough riddles for me, I'll just get him out of here. He won't have any choice – not any except to leave the level.
– Get up! – I shout, grab Unfortunate by the shoulders forcing him to stand up, pull his pistol out of the holster, discharge it and throw away.
– Go! March!
He doesn't argue – geez, if he would even try to… I'll drag him out on my own shoulders if necessary.
He won't have any choice.
We pass the Disneyland, I shoot the monsters not sparing the ammo, I have more than enough for this level.
The rocket launcher gets red-hot of constant shooting, I burn my shoulder even through the armor. Nevermind.
We see the kid that flees from three quick demons on the car ride again. This time he's not black though but Latin-American. Gee, those American racial complexes… Unfortunate stops dead and we have to repeat the short duel with demons and the machine-gun spider. Then we move to the building the kid pointed at. This time Unfortunate holds him really tight and he can't break free. I enter the door instead of him. The hall is filled with half transparent shaking wineskin with teeth almost completely. Rockets pass through it without blowing up. I burn the beast using plasma gun, wasting two energy cells.
A couple is twitching in the next room, tied with a sticky cobweb: a man and a woman. They are guarded by a petty monster who even doesn't try to attack me but rushes to kill the prisoners instead. I shoot it with the carbine and free the kid's parents with Unfortunate's help. Further everything happens along the standard scenario: the tale of dreadful alien invasion, advises on passing the mirror labyrinth and the solemn gift: the plasma gun. Programs are primitive, they even don't notice that I already have this weapon. I yawn taking the gift. The rejoined family walks away. Everything is disgustingly vivid – the kid walks between his Mom and Dad, clinging to their hands… One should assume that they'll successfully get out of the Twilight City. I glance at Unfortunate – he's quite serious, as if he have really saved three lives.
We proceed towards the mirror labyrinth, I still don't give any weapon to Unfortunate. The least I need now is the trick with falling and shooting winchesters.
– Okay, – I command, – You will stop by the hall entrance. You will wait for me to call for you. Then we quietly come to the computers, and you get your ass home, outta here. Okay?
– Yes.
– Do you understand me? You won't do anything stupid, will you?
Unfortunate looks me in the eyes.
– Stupid – is to cover you?
– Yes! I'll sort everything out by myself and you will get out of here, understood?
– Understood.
Oh, I don't believe in his sincerity… but I have no other choice. We pass mirror corridors, I tap Unfortunate on the shoulder by the hall entrance. He stops obediently.
– Wait here. Wait for me and I'll be back, – I say. I make a step towards the entrance but can't help it and turn back to him.
– Look… whoever you are… I'm so tired.
Unfortunate nods.
– I'm sick of this insanity, – I go on, – Promise me that you won't jump out into the shooting. Promise me that you won't go anywhere. I want to get you out and to return home.
– I'll do everything as you say, – pronounces Unfortunate and I suddenly believe him.
– Thanks, – I whisper before storming into the hall.
And the fiery carousel starts.
The Alien Prince's Guards fire at me from thirteen balconies, I shoot back – point– blank. BFG-9000 burns three mirrors at once, the hall is filled with silvery smoke. Bullets drum against my armor knocking me down to the floor. I shoot while falling down, rotate quickly on my back as if in the forgotten dance of my youth – "break", then shoot three more times. Three mirrors, three mirrors, three mirrors…
The last reflecting edge, and now I see the real balcony with two monsters on it, washed over with green blood. My BFG have seriously damaged their scaly bodies while my armor is still fine, even if crumpled and red-hot, but still reliable.
The last shot – the fiery blast, the scratching sound of secondary discharges… Monsters scream dying, turning into whirls of black ash.
And the silence falls.
The mirror hall is burned to the ground and ruined, just the computer screen triumphantly glows in the midst of the mess.
– And the silence came… – I whisper rising on my knees. Thanks for the armor Anatol, many thanks… – Hey Unfortunate!
The quiet sound from the corridor – a hesitating step… and two short popping sounds – carbine shots.
I don't need any explanations.
And I don't need any comfort.
I drag myself towards the entrance, step over Unfortunate's bloody corpse and look into the reflective infinity of the corridor.
Alex is standing surrounded by his ghostly twins lowering his carbine. He has remains of the armor on him, the face covered in blood, the carbine's barrel points down at its reflection on the floor.
– I'm out of ammo, – he says.
I throw away BFG, pull the gun from behind my belt and push the barrel into Alex' forehead with such force that he shrinks back.
I even don't have anger anymore.
Alex waits for the shot silently.
– Sit down, – I say lowering my weapon, – Sit down, you bastard.
He sits down, I sit by him on the floor and the body of Unfortunate who was so unlucky again blindly stares at the ceiling.
– Why did you kill him?