Chapter eight:

The ground shakes as an explosion goes off.

The explosion is in the direction Haruhi saw the shadow in.

"Crap!" She curses as everyone starts to mummer scared.

"Calm down." The highest ranking person says trying to calm down the people. "Please everyone remain calm!"

Haruhi's eyes widen as a very distinct black figure appears in the direction of the explosion going into a position to show what it is before going off somewhere in the darkness. She turns to the people behind her. "EVERYONE!" She calls out.

They turn to her, scared and hopeful she can confirm it's going to be alright.

However Haruhi doesn't have good news.

"THEY ARE COMING!" Haruhi calls out. "THE CHANGELINGS ARE COMING!"

This makes people gasp and mummer in terror.

Haruhi is about to speak again but then another explosion goes off this time to the side.

This is followed by another on the other side then another in the horizon behind the higher ups.

If the explosions were joined together by straight lines then it would make a plus sign or a cross kind of shape.

Everyone is terrified.

"EVERYONE!" Haruhi tries to get their attention again but enough people are too terrified to let her even tell them what to do. "EVERYONE LISTEN TO ME!"

The highest positon person speaks into the microphone. "EVERYONE!"

The people start to calm down in their panic enough to listen.

"Please listen to Haruhi." The highest up says. He looks to her as the others eyes follow. "Tell us what it is we need to do." He says.

Haruhi nods with determination. "Everyone. We need you to get out of here!" She says as she wants to make sure that no one dies if she can help it.

A flicker of light catches her eye and she glances to the side only to realize there is fire in the directions of the explosion spreading especially as a few more explosions go off.

It's approaching them from all sides!

Haruhi turns back to everyone trying to not cause panic. "You need to find a safe place!" She says. "Is there any place underground?" She looks to the higher ups.

"Not big enough to fit everyone." The highest up says.

Haruhi quickly thinks. "Get everyone you can underground. Stay as far as you can from openings." She says.

However before she can continue a voice speaks from behind her which is the direction the first explosion came from.

"Too late."

Haruhi turns and there hovering above the ground using his wings to stay in the air is Nekozawa.

People gasp in fright as more changelings come out flying above the ground to surround everyone.

Haruhi glances back as she realizes that everyone here is trapped.

While anyone who wasn't here for the speech is either burning or running around panicked most likely even getting attacked by changelings.

She clenches her teeth and turns back to Nekozawa with a glare. "Why you." She growls. "You won't win." She aims the gun and is about to fire but then another voice speaks.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Haruhi turns and sees that hovering above the crowd, around the middle area of the circle the other changelings made to surround the crowd, is Kaoru.

Surprised gasps and gasps of fear come from the people.

Kaoru looks around himself. "You will all pay for what you have done! Not only to the changelings under my command but what you did to my brother!" He says in a clear voice laced with anger. "You will all pay!"

Haruhi turns and aims her gun to Kaoru.

But then Nekozawa tackles her.

The people panic and in a terrified frenzy begin to run around trying to escape only to be attacked by changelings as more come to join the party.

Though there is still changelings setting off explosions and spreading the flames as well as attacking people where they are as they continue to make the flames spread.

Haruhi struggles against Nekozawa as Nekozawa tries to feed off of her and tries to keep her from firing any weapons. She struggles and fights back so though her arms are pinned to the ground she is stopping Nekozawa from feeding off her. She tries to raise the gun in her one hand to a position to strike the cloaked changeling.

Nekozawa doesn't notice.

Finally Haruhi has managed to get it into position even though she's straining her hand slightly.

She wastes no time and fires.

A hit is landed on one of Nekozawa's wings.

Nekozawa jumps back with a screech, that's almost a howl, of pain.

Haruhi gets to her feet and aims her gun once again at Nekozawa. "I didn't want to have to do this." She says and is about to fire but as her finger as the trigger half way pulled there is a sound that makes her stop.

A scream… A very familiar scream she can distinguish out of all of the screams.

She lets go of the trigger and looks back with wide eyes. "My friends!" She gasps. She races away leaving Nekozawa as she tries to find the rest of the host club members.

The temperature starts to raise a little as the flames continue to move closer.

She desperately looks for her friends trying to locate them in the panic while shooting at any changeling she can as she searches for her friends.

With so much panic and chaos going on around her it is making it hard to find her friends.

Haruhi doesn't give up though.

Finally she spots one of her friends.

Tamaki…. Who is about to be put into a green cocoon.

Haruhi rushes in that direction. She raises her gun and tries to fire… But finds she is out of bullets. She hurries to put that gun away then grab the other gun to try to take down the two changelings on either side of Tamaki trying to get him into the cocoon. She has almost reached them when she pulls out her gun and fires.

One of the changelings, one with flamingo wings, is hit and the changeling screeches in pain jumping back away from Tamaki.

"Run!" Haruhi calls to Tamaki as she fires at the other changeling that has archangel pigeon wings.

Tamaki dashes away in fright heading into the chaos of people and changelings.

The two changelings snarl and charge towards Haruhi as if deciding to have changed their target to her instead.

Haruhi shoots at them doing her best to try to keep them at bay.

As soon as she fires at one making it back off only to take to the air she notices how close the flames are.

This makes her eyes widen.

If they don't do something then they are either going to die in the hands of the changelings, be turned to changelings or die by the flames that are moving closer and closer to the area that she along with many others are in… With the only ones able to escape being the changelings since they have wings.

Haruhi bites her bottom lip.

Kaoru thought this out well.

Her mind goes back to the changelings she's fighting making her release her lip. She spins swiftly and just barely manages to shoot at the changeling with flamingo wings just before said changeling got her.

The changeling is slightly blown back landing on the ground not seeming to get up.

Haruhi keeps an eye out for the other changeling while she tries to figure out how she can save the people.

But how!?