A/N: I don't know why, but the start of this chapter just does not work no matter how many times I re-do it. It's driven me up the wall the past few days, it just looks wrong for some reason.

Work has been intense recently, so sorry for it taking 3+ weeks to get this out.

Side note; I hate this new mouse, has a button on the side to go 'backwards' on internet pages... and incidentally has cost me 3K words on this chapter alone by accidentally pressing it. Absolutely livid.

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

Night 6

It seemed as the week continued to progress, the further his nerves became frayed.

Simply stepping inside the building sent a sharp shiver up his spine like a charge of electricity, his gut swimming and wrenching like clothes in a washing machine. The air felt thick and oppressive, the walls almost looming over him as his fear made him see things that weren't there. There was nothing, everything was as it always was at the start of the night. Even the carpets were as fresh as ever. He had spent most of his time before work thinking about what the code could be, but drew up a blank at every turn. It wasn't like he simply had been given it, had he?

He held back a sigh, swiftly walking to his office as he pulled the tablet up and flicked through the cameras. After a moment of thought, he left the camera on Nora, waiting to see how she would react as he sat himself down. She was always the first one active, sans Neo given she was apparently an exception.

Nora was as still and lifeless as a doll, her eyes void of life and her body unmoving. She remained like that for nearly twenty seconds before jolting to life, as if getting an electrical shock. Her turquoise eyes gained life to them, sparkling with an unidentifiable emotion before they were washed behind a wave of twisted elation, like the eyes of a dog just told they'd be getting a full steak. Without preamble she lurched to her feet and broke out into a stumbling sprint, shoulder-bashing the door open and sending it smacking into the wall.

The left door of his office slammed shut before she was even halfway across the building. Even still she charged forth, ramming face-first into the door and collapsing onto the floor like a puppet with its string cut. She didn't get up. One second turned to two, then three, then five, then ten, all the while she remained completely motionless. He was tempted to open the door but held back the urge, which seemed to be the right choice as she abruptly came back to life. He swore he heard her murmur something before she stormed away, showing no signs of what had previously transpired.

His attention was grabbed as Ruby came creeping down the right hallway, prompting him to close said door while opening the left one. Her creepy grin was as present as always, her head bowed slightly as her hair hid her normally ethereally glowing eyes, her shoulders twitching as if suppressing a laugh. She skipped down the hall with an air of disturbed giddiness and he swore he heard music playing in the background. He was forced to remove his eyes from the camera as the flow of fresh air ceased and soft thumping came from the ventilation. He sent a flat stare up at Blake, who stared back with emotionless golden eyes before they faded back into the darkness of the vents.

Ruby left in tandem, allowing him to open the door as he flicked through the cameras. However he was taken aback briefly as he caught sight of Weiss, her ponytail whipping behind her just before she vanished into the library door, letting the old wooden doors close with a soft thud. He wasn't sure what it was, but as they closed the air itself felt warmer as if someone had turned off the ventilation, though that couldn't be it given said ventilation was still going strong. He checked over all the cameras, finding the route to the library was clear, and hesitated for only a moment.

He needed answers.

His footsteps were as quiet and muffled as he could make them as he crept towards the library. He shifted uncomfortably as he reached the lobby, the humid air making him sweat and the stuffy air like dust just exploded in his face. Shaking the thought off, he approached the library doors, the twisting shadows around them making it seem all the more ominous than it probably was. He hesitated again, but the sound of heavy metal footsteps coming from the upper left hallway made the decision for him instantly.

Pushing open the old wooden doors, he winced at the almost deafeningly loud groan they released as he slipped inside the strangely expansive library. He relaxed however at the sudden influx of cool air, all but washing away the uncomfortable heat that permeated the building. Glancing around, he didn't spot Weiss for a moment, before he saw her. She stood at the opposite end of the room, her back to him as she looked downwards towards a table. She was perfectly still, not even twitching as he slowly walked towards her, even the sound of his watch beeping over to one in the morning did nothing.

''Weiss?'' He called out, a nervous feeling of dread building in his stomach when she didn't respond.

Still, he continued forwards, every step progressively slower, as if gravity itself was weighing down on him. The room seemed to tilt slightly on its axis, distorting the closer he got, but he shook the feeling off. No wasn't time to be scared. Something that caught his attention quickly, however, was the thin layer of frost that was present on the surrounding tables, something that was clearly unnatural. Now that he thought about it, it felt less 'cool' here and more 'chilly', if not 'cold'.

The pit in his stomach grew so heavy he found himself stopping just under a few feet from Weiss, his hand outstretched to touch her shoulder, but found a sudden sense of wrongness in the air. As if sensing his thoughts, the snow angel before him slowly turned, her body still unnaturally stiff as she turned towards him. His voice died in his throat as he saw the impossibly wide smile on her face, full of a twisted elation that he would never understand. However her eyes were what caught his attention.

Lifeless.

They were completely blank. Unlike Ruby or Nora, who had an insane vibe in theirs, or Velvet and Pyrrha who bore a psychotic one, hers were completely void of anything. Her alluring icy blue seemed dimmed, reduced to a weak grey colour, as if the colour itself had been drained from her being. Yet despite her lifeless eyes, the smile remained, a complete and disturbing contrast that emphasised the wrongness of the situation. For whatever reason though, he couldn't tear his eyes away, an ethereal force keeping his eyes locked onto hers.

Then like a marionette doll she tilted her head at him, her neck completely slack as if the string supporting it went lax. She said nothing, but took a step towards him, her leg awkwardly jerking forwards like a toy doll. He recoiled as she lurched towards him, her eerie grin seemingly widening before she suddenly moved, crossing the distance between them in a heartbeat, something in her hands glistening in the meagre light. He moved to the side, tripping over a chair leg as he felt something sweep past him, narrowly missing his face.

He glanced up at Weiss, a shiver of fear running up his spine at the sight of her dead gaze at him. She lurched forwards again, prompting him to roll to the left in a meagre attempt to dodge. It worked, whatever sharp object in her hands missing his arm by a hairs length as he rolled under a table, coming out the other side. He didn't waste a second this time, pushing himself to his feet and moving hastily along the length of the aisle, worn and weary bookshelves on his left and right. He heard Weiss' jerky footsteps follow him as he took a sharp left, against the wall as he burst into a run back towards the library exit. The only saving grace was that Weiss was-

''Hello Jaune~''

-slow.

His heart leapt into his throat as she suddenly popped out of one of the aisles in front of him, causing him to stumble and nearly get impaled by the sharp object - a knife? He couldn't tell. He stumbled past her, feeling her lithe hand ghost over his head as he continue bolting towards the exit. He could've sworn the library wasn't this large when he entered. He heard her footsteps behind him, startlingly quick compared to before. Just as he was about to duck into another aisle he reached the end of the room, the door in the corner of his vision. Without delay he put new energy into his sprint, rushing towards the exit of this cold hell.

When he yanked on the doors however... they didn't open. Locked. He pulled again but they refused to bunch, barely rattling in place. His mind suddenly screamed to move and he obeyed, once again narrowly avoided getting struck with the sharp object. As he moved his flashlight landed on the object. It was the toothpick that she had used every night beforehand with her notes, though it was less a toothpick and more a miniature sword, a rapier if he guessed correctly. He didn't have time to ponder on the odd feeling he got from it as she mechanically lashed out at him again, forcing him to back away and bolt back into the aisles in an attempt to lose her.

He took a sharp left, just in time to avoid her coming out of the aisle ahead of him, despite her footsteps being behind him only a moment ago. He ignored that, rushing towards the opposite end of the room in an attempt to confuse her, however futile. He ducked inside an aisle and crawled underneath a collapsed bookshelf, immediately turning off his lights and keeping his breathing as low as possible. The entire room was painfully silent for a long few moments, before he heard light footsteps a few aisles away. Then across the room. Then in the aisle ahead of him. It was like she was damn teleporting, though given what Neo had done he supposed it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

As he hid, his eyes caught sight of something across the room, back where Weiss had been. It was another one of those small toothpick-rapier things, this one impaled onto a half-destroyed table out in the open, with it something that looked like a picture. Was that what she had been looking at? And if so, why?

His gut feeling was the thing that urged him out of hiding, creeping as quietly as he could down the aisles, flinching every time he heard her footsteps around him. He ended up in one of the back aisles closest to the table, waiting until Weiss was out of sight. His chance came quickly, as he burst into a sprint towards the table, removing the toothpick and throwing it aside, taking the picture off the desk, his eyes immediately drawn to it as he shined his flashlight on it.

It was him, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Nora and Pyrrha. They were all clad in a uniform of similar design, with him wearing a rather smart black jacket lined with gold, blue vest and white shirt with a red tie, with matching black slacks and smart shoes. The girls were wearing a brown jacket, tan vest and white shirt with a red ribbon at the collar, joined with a red plaid skirt and black shoes, some of them wearing stockings. They all bore expressions of cheer, with himself, Ruby, Nora and Yang smiling openly while Blake, Pyrrha and Weiss bore more reserved smiles. Yet something felt missing in the picture, like something else should be present. He caught a hint of pink in the corner of the worn picture, and assumed whatever was there had been worn away, given how badly maintained and worn the picture was.

He heard sudden footsteps behind him, making him tense up, his head jerking to look over his shoulder. Fear spiked in his chest as he saw the dead-eyed Weiss behind him, her hand raised and odd object in hand. However he was taken by surprise when she was sudden shoved to the side, a tan had all but swatting her aside. She went tumbling off to the side, awkwardly landing on a small stack of books and going limp like a doll, before slowly coming back to her feet. Turning his eyes off the demented Weiss, his eyes widened in surprise as they met the cold brown eyes of the fashionista.

''Go.'' She didn't so much as say as demand, and he didn't hesitate to follow her command. He rushed past her towards the now-open door, muttering out a thanks as he went.

The temperature difference between the library and lobby was harsh, and he almost felt the urge to go back inside just to stay away from the heat. He shook that thought off immediately, rushing back towards his office as he pulled up the camera, sighing in relief as he saw nobody nearby. For now, at least. As he collapsed into his seat he caught sight of Nora as she came rushing out of the bathroom, his left door closing before she reached it. With a thud she crashed into it, stumbling backwards before leaving immediately.

His eyes darted up to the vent as he heard something moving, catching sight of one missing screw from the hatch. He waited a few moments but no golden eyes showed up, causing him to narrow his eyes. That was unusual. He was broken from his thoughts as Pyrrha came stomping down his left hall, only to meet his closed door a moment later. The moment he heard a slight creak in the right hall he closed that door as well, which proved to be the right call as Velvet was now present behind the stack of boxes.

'I wonder what would happen if I just removed the boxes?' He wondered. Technically if he moved them away she wouldn't have anywhere to hide, but then again he might get in trouble for that. Maybe something to check next week.

If he was here next week, that is.

As his watch beeped over to two in the morning he flicked through the cameras, only to flinch as he heard the ear-piercing screeching of metal being rent asunder. Checking the lobby camera he wasn't surprised to see the elevator doors being pried open by the same invisible force as prior nights, a feat that still confused him but he didn't question it. As Pyrrha's whispering ceased and her heavy footsteps echoed out of the hall he opened the left door-

''You should really be more alert.''

He jumped, his head snapping towards the left door in time to meet the cold brown eyes of the fashionista. Before he could even consider closing the door she almost casually walked inside, brown hair swaying as she did, her cold eyes locked onto his own relentlessly. With an eerie grace she came to a stop behind him, slowly taking a seat on the radiator, her face void of what she was thinking.

''Uh... hi?''

Not a good way to start a conversation.

''You're an idiot, you know that?''

He grimaced, ''Sorry...?''

''Chasing after Weiss like that.'' The fashionista clarified, ''Pretty sure she left a note about losing control.''

''I was worried about her.'' He defended with a frown, ''I wasn't sure if she was... sane or not.''

''She's not, and she won't be for the rest of the night.'' She said gruffly.

'Well then there's always tomorrow... hopefully.' He sighed quietly, before speaking up, ''What about you? I don't remember seeing you ever under the programming, at least not that I've noticed.''

He swore he saw her lips twitch. Was that supposed to be funny?

''You're right on that, the grandiose 'programming' hasn't turned on me yet.'' Coco stated, before glaring, ''Though I suppose it won't really matter, since this is the last day I'll be free from it.''

Well that wasn't ominous at all, ''Why? Is something bad happening to you tomorrow?''

Coco snorted, her cold expression intensifying, ''It'll happen to all of us.''

Well that was even more ominous, and worrying.

''Is there anything I can do to help?'' He asked, eyes flicking to the tablet in order to close both doors, ensuring they wouldn't be interrupted.

A flash of surprise flickered through her eyes as he said that, as if she hadn't expected that, before they hardened again. ''I'm... not sure. I doubt you're capable anyway.''

''I can try at least.'' He insisted.

Coco stared at him, her cold eyes boring into his own as a myriad of emotions flickered through her brown irises. Annoyance, anger, disdain... but also fear, worry and a glimmer of hope. He couldn't even begin to fathom why she was feeling those emotions, but he could certainly take a guess. This place was far from pleasant, after all.

''In the utility tunnel, there's a box.'' She finally stated slowly, looking away, ''It requires a code.''

''Yeah, I saw it before, Penny is usually on it.''

She nodded, ''That's the one. As for the code, you'll need it if you want to survive tomorrow. Maybe even...''

Coco paused, before shaking her head, ''It doesn't matter. What does matter is you getting the code for the box.''

He quirked a brow, ''So where can I find it?''

''Your family should know.''

He froze in shock, both by her admission and the return of the topic. An ugly feeling of displeasure, nigh anger built up in his gut but he suppressed it. She wasn't being aggressive and he didn't want to set her off. Suppressing his feelings on the matter, he replied as evenly as possible.

''And how do I ask them?''

''Use your eyes.'' She snorted, ''The code is long, but not scattered. Joined, but not horizontally. Missed, but not forgotten.''

He gave her a dubious look, ''And that's supposed to mean...?''

Coco gave him a hard stare, ''Work it out for yourself, idiot.''

He opened his mouth to retort, but the light flickering overhead silenced him, a groan escaping instead. Glancing at his tablet, he grimaced at the sight of Nora crouched outside his left door, almost as if aware of what was about to happen. He glanced at Coco but she just gave a dismissive wave. Double-checking the right hall and the lobby before he unlocked the right door. Without preamble he all but leapt out of his chair, swiftly jogging down the hall as he tried to ignore the oppressive atmosphere of the large room. For a brief moment he got a wave of Deja-vu before he shook it off, focusing at the task of hand.

Not a moment later he heard the left door he had closed unlock as the power supply was cut off, the light in the office going out and plunging him into otherwise pitch-blackness, sans the light of his tablet and flashlight. Flickering the cone of light around the lobby, he was greeted with emptiness... and yet that made him even more uneasy, like it shouldn't be so empty. Pulling up his tablet and taking cover behind some boxes, he flicked through the cameras hastily. Nobody was in his path to the tunnel aside from Velvet, who was poking her head from the bathroom, and Glynda was who walking towards Hall B.

He bunkered down and waited, listening intently for Glynda's sharp heels tapping against the floor. They got closer and closer... before they stopped completely. He waited with baited breath, but she didn't continue moving. He was tempted to look up, but remained still, the fear of coming face-to-face with the stern blonde making the choice for him. It was the right choice, it seemed, as a few seconds later he heard the unmistakable sounds of heels tapping as she walked past his hiding spot before gradually disappearing up one of the staircases.

Poking his head out, he had to fight the urge to release a sigh, the prospect of being found because of it stopping him. Tentatively he crept out of his hiding spot, only to pause at the corner of Hall B, immediately recalling the other hurdle; namely Velvet. Pulling up his tablet his face was set into a frown as he saw the swaying door, indicating Velvet had either abruptly left, or was more likely hiding within. Changing to the bathroom camera, he didn't hear anything, but then again last time he didn't hear anything and still got jumped.

Mulling over his choices, the sound of footsteps from the area behind him made the choice. He crept forwards, being extra careful to be quiet and hugging the wall, as if to hide from the statues within the cafeteria, namely Ruby and Yang. His breath hitched as his watch beeped over to three, before sighing in relief as nobody reacted, at least not noticeably. Hurrying forward as fast as he dared, he slipped inside the maintenance tunnel and swiftly made his way towards the generator, trying and failing to ignore the ominous nigh-living shadows around him.

One thing caught his eye immediately though.

Penny was missing.

Trying in vain to calm the sudden urge to flee, he continued down the hall. As he passed by the spot that had been his hiding place the past few times, he paused, glancing nervously into the darkness. Nothing was there, even after confirming by shining his flashlight on it, meaning there was little to no places she could be hiding. Where was she then? Somewhere else in the building, or in the bathroom? It was possible, so he'd have to avoid the bathroom and library, not that he had any desire to go back to the latter.

Crouching down in front of the generator, he depressed the button and waited, his gut churning at the abrupt silence that ensued as the old machine went silent. He could hear the faint footsteps of the others outside the tunnel, walking about aimlessly. Turning his attention back to the generator he grimaced as it failed to restart, and failed the second time... then the third... then the fourth... over and over again.

By the seventh time he was in a cold sweat, internally cursing up a storm as he willed the machine to start, the oppressive darkness almost suffocating in it's intensity. The slightest sound, whether it be a cracking noise or the sound of dripping water caused him to flinch and flash his light around the tunnel, fearful of any looming danger. He almost collapsed in relief as the generator started up once more, turning on the overhead light and restoring control to the doors by his office.

Key word to that being almost.

DRIP

DRIP

DRIP

He blinked, his eyes widening as he stared at the generator, now illuminated in full. Black tar-like liquid was draped all over the thing, the inky darkness staining the machine. Some of it looked dry, meaning it had been there for at least a few minutes. Some of it was fresh though, shiny and almost absorbing the light of his torch. It was a miracle he hadn't accidentally touched it when he had been fiddling with the generator, and even more worrying that he hadn't noticed it prior.

DRIP

He froze, staring as a droplet of the inky black liquid fell onto the generator, sticking to it like the tar it resembled. With his senses alert, his ears picked up the low, husky panting that now filled the tunnel. Tilting his head back slowly, his cobalt eyes locked onto a small crack in the roof, so thin he could barely see through it, but another droplet of inky black liquid confirmed he wasn't seeing things. Before he could do anything, he heard a feral snarl before the sound of four limbs pattering against concrete reached his ears, and the panting grew further and further away.

Something had been watching him.

Something inhuman.

Without delay he turned and hastily rushed out of the room, his fight-or-flight in full effect. He barely had the mind to check the cameras as he moved, a grimace crossing his face at the sight of Ruby standing in the middle of the lobby, staring straight into the camera with a deranged smile on her face. As luck would have it, however, she was the only one who was in his path. Pyrrha, Yang and Blake were in the bedrooms while Nora, Velvet and Glynda were in the kitchen. Coco, Penny and Weiss were off the grid though, meaning they were either in the bathroom of library, neither of which he was keen on entering.

Creeping out into the hall he glanced over to the lobby, finding Ruby facing away from him as she stared at the elevator, completely still and oblivious to his presence. Taking a breath he moved as fast as he could without making noise, the floorboards silent as he rushed behind some boxes and waited. He didn't dare peek out, instead flicking the camera on and off. She only moved when he wasn't looking at her through the camera, so it was easy to keep track of her progress towards Hall B. When she got close he pressed himself against the floor, remaining silent as he heard her soft breathing and gentle footsteps pass him by.

As she left he swiftly moved ahead, swallowing his nerves as he made his way to the right hall of his office, completely void of life.

That was the plan, until a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

''Hey Jaune...'' Ruby spoke from behind him, her body pressed against his back as if giving him a hug.

''Y-Yes?'' He tried (and evidently failed) to keep his voice level.

''Wanna hug?''

He didn't get a chance to reply before she hugged him, tightly. The breath was harshly knocked from his lungs, his arms pinned to his sides. He struggled against her, but her grip was inhumanly tight, leaving him unable to even move in the slightest. His legs were free, but kicking at her legs didn't get any reaction. He began flailing as he realised he couldn't breathe, but all she did was giggle as he tried to make himself fall over, even lifting his own legs up... only to watch numbly as she held him up despite him being taller, heavier and larger than she was.

Darkness crept in at the corners of his vision, the beeping of his watch over to four a dull buzzing in his ears as the world around him seemed to fade to grey, his consciousness fading. His flailing bled away to weak struggles, his limbs heavy and sluggish to the point he considered just giving up. Game over.

That would've been his choice, had the ironclad grip around him not abruptly been pulled back, allowing him to breathe once more. He gasped, falling to the floor as he wheezed in deep gulps of air, idly noting he was sweating. From fear or otherwise, he didn't know nor care. He laid there for a few long moments before glancing behind him, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of Neo keeping Ruby pinned down, gracefully pirouetting around the red-clad girl, constantly pulling or pushing in just the right way to prevent Ruby from getting her footing.

Neo shot him a glance, giving an off-handed gesture towards his office, which he quickly complied with. Pushing himself up, he came face to face... with the floor. A grunt escaped him as he fell flat on his face, his arms having given out from under him. He pushed himself up a second time, stumbling down the hall and using the wall as a support. He all but collapsed into his office chair, having enough sense in himself to close both doors before sagging in his seat, his erratic breathing the only sound in the room, the blood still pumping loudly in his ears.

His eyes drifted over to his desk, where three screws laid, only one remaining in the ventilation hatch. He pulled up his tablet and checked on the lobby, revealing it to be empty. Flicking through the cameras he found Ruby now in the cafeteria, while Neo was nowhere in sight, neither was Coco or Weiss. His attention was grabbed abruptly as Nora came running down the left staircase, bolting towards the left door only to run face-first into it, bouncing back and blinking owlishly, before simply turning and walking away.

He swapped back to the lobby camera, catching sight of Glynda. Her shining emerald eyes flickered up to it and her hand glowed purple, before she waved it almost dismissively towards the camera, causing the picture to vanish and become static. He flinched as he heard an abrupt thud on the right door, which turned out to be thanks to Velvet. Swapping to the maintenance panel he grimaced at the sight of his low power, close to 30%.

Unlocking the left door while keeping the right door shut encase of sudden attack (read; Velvet), he remained alert and vigilant, not desiring to get caught a second time after his narrow escape at the hands of Neo. He flicked through the cameras tensely as he waited for the hellish night to end, keeping note of the locations of all the girls.

His attention was grabbed as glass shattered before him, his tense form tensing up even more before relaxing as he caught sight of Neo. The multi-coloured girl took a seat on his desk (thankfully not on the screws), but what caught his eye the most was her appearance. There was dozens of small tears in her clothing, exposing her pale skin that had been bruised or bore painful red gashes, some of them bleeding. Her hair was slightly frazzled and she had a swiftly forming bruise on her wrist, rapidly turning an ugly shade of purple.

''Neo...?'' He spoke up tentatively.

The tri-coloured girl cocked her head questioningly.

''Are you alright?'' He asked, gesturing at her state.

She paused for a moment, making a show of looking down at herself before shrugging, waving her hand dismissively.

''You sure? Because you don't look alright.'' He replied, prompting Neo to silently sigh and just wave dismissively again.

He frowned, speaking up, ''Did Ruby do this?''

She silently snorted, shaking her head almost amusedly.

''Then who?'' He persisted, only to get another dismissive wave from the tri-coloured girl.

Sighing in slight annoyance he turned his attention back onto the cameras, the lobby camera still inactive from whatever Glynda pulled. Checking the hallway cameras first, he found both halls empty, allowing him to keep both doors open. That allowance was swiftly taken back as Nora came bolting out of the bathroom, rushing like a bull towards the left hall. He closed it a few seconds before she rammed into it, this time trying to shoulder-bash it before walking away. His eyes were immediately drawn to the right hall and he paled at the sight of the approaching Yang, her eyes a bleeding crimson colour and her hair... glowing?

'Nope.' He thought with a shaky laugh, closing that door shut instantly. Neo gave him an odd look, but he didn't care.

That shaky laugh vanished as the blonde began slamming her fists against the doors, each impact causing him to flinch. The blonde hammered repeatedly against the metal door, before grumbling something inaudible before storming away angrily. His watch beeped over to five, causing him to flinch again but also reminding him it was almost over. Without delay he opened both doors to conserve power, turning his gaze onto Neo as questions came to mind.

''By the way, do you know what's in the box? The one in the steam tunnel?''

Neo blinked once, twice, thrice, before shaking her head.

He clicked his tongue, grimacing as he closed the left door to prevent the twitching form of Pyrrha in.

Ignoring her incessant whispering, he asked, ''Well do you know what the code could be, or where I can find it?''

Another shake of the head.

''Dammit.'' He grumbled, massaging the bridge of his nose. The heavy stomping of Pyrrha leaving notified him of her exit, allowing him to open the door once more, though the threat of Velvet in the right hall prevented him from opening that door. A quick check at his power alerted him he had just dipped below 16%, getting uncomfortably close to zero power.

As Ruby came down the right hall and ran into the door, a thought crossed his mind. Why hadn't they gotten out of their programming yet? All prior nights at least one of them, sans Neo and Coco, had broken out of their supposed programming, regardless of the fact it got later and later, they still broke out in the end. Tonight, sans Coco and Neo, none of them had broken out. The only reason he had even noticed was because nobody had come to greet him, something he felt slightly ashamed of for not spotting earlier.

His attention was brought to Neo, as the petite girl hopped off his desk and jerked a thumb towards the door, indicating she needed to be leaving. Giving a small smile and nod in response, he watched her stroll out of the room casually before shattering into glass shards, scattering and fading. The sound of Ruby leaving drew his attention, and after checking that Velvet was gone he opened the door. Other than the humming sound of the bulb overhead and the ventilation, he was left in silence.

That silence was broken by the sound of sharp footsteps approaching him, causing him to tense up and check the cameras. He relaxed at the sight of Coco slowly approaching his right door, passing by the doorframe a moment later. Her face was set into a mask of seriousness, but he could see something else in her eyes, something he couldn't quite pin down. Worry? Hope? Fear? Something along those lines.

''I'm not supposed to tell you much.'' Coco started in a slow drawl, ''The whole 'bad things happen' shit-show a testament to that, but...''

She paused, seemingly looking for the words before continuing, ''I'm not sure. Maybe it's because you're actually doing half-decent, but I may as well throw my bets on you.''

He quirked a brow, silently gesturing for her to continue.

''Be careful tomorrow, it'll be... different than what you'd expect.'' She said carefully, ''Be quick, and don't lose hope, blondie.''

Without another word she spun on her heel, and left.

He stared at the spot she stood at, a frown crossing his face as he took in her words. She hadn't really told him anything aside from that tomorrow would be 'different' and to 'be quick', though that could mean practically anything. He knew there must've been a deeper meaning to her words, but no matter how hard he thought the possible meanings eluded him. It was the harsh beeping of his watch ticking over to six that brought him out of his thoughts, the prior time having all but bled away faster than he realised.

Humming to himself, he gathered up his tablet and flashlight and slowly made his way towards the exit doors, which were now slowly swinging open, letting the morning light creep into the lobby like a beam of golden light. There were no notes lying about, whether the strange old yellow ones or the pristine ones Weiss used to write, past tense given her new... state. The very thought saddened him, but he pushed such thoughts aside for now. Tomorrow, or rather when he woke up later today, he would prepare. It was the least he could, or rather the only thing he could do.

As he left he building he was hit by a cooling breeze, a sigh of relief escaping him as the hot atmosphere of the building was washed away like dust. It also made him realise how tired he felt, his form slouching slightly. He was about to continue walking when something... abrupt caught his attention. Namely, a piece of A4 paper, fresh and new like it had been torn straight from a notepad. It was held in place by several rocks, clearly positioned in such a manner than he would see it and preventing it from being blown away.

Bending down and picking it up, a frown crossed his face at what was said.

Do you believe in ghosts? They say they have an aura of mystery about them.

A/N: Phew! FINALLY!

I got like 3k-4k down all today (27th-28th, midnight right now). I had a sudden burst and was like, meh, I got tomorrow off, who cares if I sleep in a bit. But seriously, the first part of this story just did not work for me. No idea why, it bothered me for so long and still does.

Regardless, apologises for this taking so long, as briefly mentioned in the top AN, work has been intense recently thus I didn't have much time to spend on writing, and that was if my muse was working at the time. However, while I am still angry at my mouse (evil little thing), I am relatively satisfied with how it turned out. A few parts seem clunky to me, but I can't find a better way to portray it and I don't want to delay it another few days just to change a sentence or two when the meaning remains the same.

Regardless(new favourite word)! Only two more chapters after this one; Interlude 4 and Night 7. A few subtle hints about, and a few of you in the reviews have gotten close if not hit the nail on the head with certain situations, but often some of you get some of it right, and some of it wrong ;)

Still, thank you to all who reviewed, you truly make my day and it's interesting to read your theories about what's going on (and gives me a reason to laugh evilly).

See you guys next time in Interlude 4!