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Why suddenly did they begin to ignore me, Spy wondered.
He had been speaking to his teammates for some time. But none of them had replied and they hadn't even looked at him.
Have I done something wrong?
He tried tracing his memory, but for some strange reason he couldn't. His recent memory seemed to be veiled in haze.
Moreover, strange thing was not just it.
His body felt lighter, or more like he couldn't feel his weight at all. It was a very strange situation.
But the moment he and Heavy bumped in to each other at a corner, he realized. He had passed through Heavy's massive body with ease.
Make no mistake. After all I was dead.
Probably, the respawn system had failed. It was inevitable. He had already prepared. Sooner or later it would happen.
Fine, at last I became an ordinary person too. It is not so bad.
Ordinary person doesn't rise from the dead again and again.
Spy talked to himself. Now there was no risk of being heard.
He had no idea about how long it had been since he was dead.
A few hours? A few days? Or more long?
He wandered around in the base. Sometimes, he walked past his teammates, but as he expected, they could not notice him.
He was not sure what to do next.
To begin with, it was strange why he had been remaining in the base after his death.
There was no sign of someoneーwhether he came from heaven or hellーcoming to get him.
What is the cause?
He was thinking about it.
What is a cause that spirits of the dead remain on earth?
He had thought of something.
There was a person he hadn't seen for a while.
It might be the reason for this situation.
Spy could guess where he was.
He had a place in mind. A room, small and bare, smelled of dust, but a good location for shooting.
The room was dark and there was no light. The sun had already set. The man Spy looking for was there.
Sniper sat slouching on a crate in the darkness.
He clutched his head and sniffled. His eyes were red-rimmed, and tears streaked down his cheeks to his chin. His face was pale and drawn.
Spy froze to see his face.
What's happened? Who could imagine that Australian crying? It is not like him.
Sniper kept sobbing and it would not stop. After a long time he mumbled something.
It was Spy's real name he had revealed to only Sniper in his team.
The moment he heard his own name, his dim memory and consciousness became clear. He remembered everything at once. All the days since he had met the Australian.
He watched Sniper and got a shock again. It was harder than the first. A great sadness settled over him.
Poor thing. How long has he been crying?
Reaching out his insubstantial arms, Spy tucked his head against his chest.
Actually, he couldn't touch anything, but he tried to do it.
"It's all right mon chéri, you don't need to cry now. I am here."
At that moment, in his arms Sniper began to sob bitterly as if he was aware of Spy's presence. However Spy knew that it was just a coincidence. A sad smile hovered on his lips and he stroked Sniper's hair.
"Don't cry anymore. You ruin your handsome face. You were always handsome tough bushman, weren't you?" Spy cooed in his ear.
"It will be all right. I know everything will be fine. I can guarantee you."
But his tears couldn't stop and he sniffled again.
"I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do for you except stay with you."
Spy gave his wet cheek a gentle touch. He wanted to wipe his tears if he could.
"Just rest now. You need to rest. Close your eyes and get some sleep. It's all right. I'm here for you."
Spy placed a kiss on his forehead.
After a little while Sniper gave a long exhausted sigh. His eyes closed slowly and his head bent down, then eventually he sank into a deep sleep.