Chapter 23：Killing To Protect

The man grabbed Mary's head and slammed it into the concrete column and then the metal hand railing. Seeing this, Yuki could no longer sit by and watch. She mustered up every last ounce of courage she had and opened the door with her knife in hand. She normally would never do such a stupid thing. But Mary was always looking out for her, allowing her to live in this wretched place with a bit of peace in mind. She could not let Mary's actions of trying to protect her be in vain. She could not allow Mary to suffer any longer. She would use the money she just made and get a two bedroom apartment and find help for Mary so she could get off neo and live a proper life without needing to sell her body.

The man did not expect Yuki's door to swing open, nor did he expect the young girl inside to lunge at him without a word. Yuki did not hesitate in the slightest as she stabbed her knife into the man's neck. Blood sprayed onto her face as she twisted the knife. But who would have thought this man was so strong. "Fucking bitch!" He roared in anger and swung his arm, elbowing Yuki in the face. Her nose instantly gushed blood as she was flung back into the wall, her head hitting the wall hard.

Yuki's body slumped to the ground, her head feeling dizzy after hitting the wall. She could only watch helplessly as the man ripped her knife out of her hand and begin stabbing Mary with it, "You fucking bitches! If I am to die, one of you is going with me to hell! Hahaha!"

"No!" Yuki cried out as she forced her body back up. She struggled to make her way over to Mary. The man's actions slowed as the loss of blood became too great, causing him to fall weakly to the ground. Yuki quickly took the knife away and stabbed the man again in the neck. She did not want this bastard to survive! She twisted the knife a few times before pulling it out again, once again being sprayed with blood. She then turned her attention to Mary, who was lying in a pool of her own blood, showing no signs of life.

"Mary… Mary… You can't die, okay!?" Tears began to rain down Yuki's cheeks as she held Mary in her arms, rocking her back and forth. She looked around and saw no one. Even after all this commotion, no one came out. She could only helplessly call for help. "Someone! Anyone! Call an ambulance! Anyone, Please call for help!"

Yuki had no idea who finally called the cops, but fifteen minutes later, a police car flew down from the sky. When they saw the scene and Mary in Yuki's arms, they already had an idea of what happened. They also knew the man lying dead on the ground very well. "Miss, we will need you to come in for questioning… As for the girl, I am afraid..."

"No! You have to save her. If not for her… If not for her trying to protect me!" Yuki's voice choked on her own tears as she hugged Mary tightly. Deep down, she knew… She knew Mary was already gone, but she felt that maybe just maybe, there was a slim chance. But when the EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) arrived, he could only shake his head. It was already way too late.

The officer who was in charge felt pain for Yuki, who was refusing to let Mary go. Yuki felt that if Mary was gone, she really would be alone in this world. A world that seemed to look down on orphans like her. Why else would such a happy and friendly girl end up with such an end? Even when she was messed up on neo, Mary was always there to protect her. And now... She was gone...

Finally, a female officer came over and knelt down next to Yuki. "Miss, your friend has already passed. If you wish to send her off properly, please let the medical team do their job."

Yuki slowly nodded her head and let go of Mary. The female officer, not caring about how soaked Yuki was in blood, hugged her and helped her up. The officers allowed Yuki to lock her apartment so that she could follow them to the station.

In a small interrogation room, Yuki sat with the same female cop from before. Her nose was now patched up, and her left eye was black and blue. "So when you logged out of Soul Fusion Online, is when you heard the two arguing?"

"Mmm… At first, I did not want to get involved but, when I saw Mary stabbing the man over and over and then get her face smashed off the concrete pillar and railing, I rushed out to try to save her. I stabbed the man once in the neck, which caused him to elbow me in the face. The second time I stabbed him, I did so to make sure he was dead. Miss… Am I going to jail?" Yuki knew she did her actions in self defense, but she did not know if the police would see it that way.

"No. Your story lines up to the camera footage from the building across the street. It seems you didn't hear it, but the man was trying to break your door down. If you did not have so many locks, I am sure you would be in a worse state. As for your friend, she gave her life to protect you. She was a good friend." The female officer saw Yuki tearing up again and quickly got up out of her seat to comfort her. As a fellow female, she knew things could be rough for a girl her age. She was on her own, barely making it by while going to college. This was not an easy thing to do.

After five minutes, another officer came in with a file in his hand and put it in front of Yuki. "This here is the details on your friend. As it goes, for all deceased, they are to be cremated. I have used a public fund to pay for the cremation. If you wish to say goodbye to her, now is the time to do it. Otherwise, you can come back in a week's time to pick up her ashes. I am sorry for your loss. To be honest, I am quite jealous that you had such a loyal friend."

Yuki stared at the file on the table absentmindedly. She did not know what to do now. She did not wish to go back to that place. There would be no way she would feel safe. As Yuki sat in a daze, the female officer stood up and asked: "Sargent may I take this girl back to her place to get her things. She can not stay in that place anymore."

"Mmm… You can. Right now, it would not be good for her to be alone. I already contacted her college and explained the situation to them. They will not hold it against her. Yuki, kiddo… you need to be strong. Your friend gave her life to save you. So you need to honor her sacrifice by living and living well okay?" The sergeant gave these words of advice from the bottom of his heart. The last thing he wanted was for a girl who worked hard and was going to college to better herself to end up committing suicide over this kind of thing. It was sad but he hoped this girl would be strong and make something of her life and allow her friend to rest in peace.