Hi hi, Crimson here!
The author's note skit was fun while it lasted. I don't know why, but there's something really fun and personally ridiculous about writing bits where it's real but it isn't real but isn't it.
...That made sense.
ONWARDS!
Lilith woke up to the sound of glass breaking.
She didn't give herself a second to really wake up, unable to take in the familiar bedroom of the cabin before dropping into her shadow and reappearing in the kitchen. She was ready to yell at whoever was fighting in the kitchen this time, only to yelp and duck as a glass jar flew over head, shattering against the wall, "What in the FUCK- Oh, umm, good morning, sir."
At that moment, she wasn't sure what was stronger: her panic or her confusion.
On one hand, she had just popped up out of nowhere and cursed at her master. But, on the other…
Slender's expressionless face seemed to scan Lilith over from his corner of the kitchen, head tilted to the left before his tendril whipped to the side. Lilith fought not to flinch at the sound of shattered glass, her mind still reeling as to what EXACTLY Slender was doing.
"I apologize if I awoke you," Slender finally said, the silence finally setting. He looked over to the corner where the glass had gathered, "I was… conducting an experiment."
"...What kind of experiment?" Lilith found herself asking, unable what else to say. She held back the need to apologize at the moment, feeling that now wasn't the right time.
"I was puzzled by something, and so I wanted to see what would happen," Slender said, looking back over to the glass in the corner, before moving towards the living room of the cabin, "Unfortunately, my questions won't be answered until the next cycle within this Breach."
"...I see." Lilith said, following Slender out, making sure to step over and around the glass as she did so. She did her best not to look too confused, knowing that her confusion wouldn't get her any answers.
Granted, it felt like Slender was being mysterious just to be mysterious at this point, but Lilith digressed.
Slender looked over the cabin, his hand tracing over the wall as if the recall something, "How is your arm?"
It took a moment for Lilith to realize that he was talking to her, moving to pull up her hoodie sleeve… Only to then realize she wasn't wearing it, "It stopped bleeding, so I think it's okay."
Slender nodded, taking a seat on the couch, "May I?"
Lilith nodded, stepping forward to rest her arm in her master's cold hold. Now that Lilith was free from the morning grogginess, she noticed she wasn't wearing the same thing she had been before falling asleep. She was in a tank top and some sleep shorts. Stranger was that, now that she noticed it, her vision was a lot clearer than usual…
Lilith tensed up as a cold breeze blew across her mask-less face, her nose twitching as she fought to keep still. God, the discomfort that settled over her was so apparent, Slender looked up from her arm, "Are you alright, Lilith?"
"Y-yes, sir." Lilith hoped and prayed to whoever was listening that her discomfort wasn't too noticeable.
He didn't bother to follow up the question, instead taking to poking her arm, "I suggest checking in with the Doctor once you get back."
"Of course, sir." Lilith muttered, breathing out a sigh of relief with Slender's dismissal, only to cock her head to the side, "Wait, once I get back? What about you, sir?"
"I'll be staying here a little longer," Slender murmured, looking around the cabin, searching for something that was missing (at least, that's what Lilith assumed), "I'll be here, waiting for the next cycle. Only after I get my answers will I return."
"I...I see." Lilith wanted to ask more questions. She wanted to know exactly what was going on, and honestly, she was getting a bit sick of this whole "mystic act". But, she wasn't really in a position to make such thoughts known.
"I'll bring you to the mansion shortly," Slender said, answering the unsaid question in the room, "Go and get your things together."
Lilith nodded, walking back up the stairs haltingly, as if to process their conversation.
...Not that there was really much to think about. He had, somehow, made himself both clear and confusing. Lilith pushed the thoughts to the side as she pushed open the door, looking over the room for anything she'd need to take back. She didn't want to dwell on it, not here at least.
She had other things she needed to focus on.
She walked over to her backpack, looking through it to make sure that nothing was missing, before going off to search for her hoodie. She didn't remember putting it away, nor did she remember taking it off, but that wasn't going to help her find it. All the while she went through her personal mental checklist, making sure she had things to do when she got back.
That way, her mind wouldn't have time to wander about and give her things to agonize over.
Finally, she checked the closet, she huffed, "Why didn't I think to check in here first?" She muttered to herself, all but yanking the hoodie from the hanger before pulling it on.
With that, she pulled it on, thankful for the comfort and sanity it brought. Now, all she needed were her mask and her eyepatch, and all would be well!
...Except…
...For some reason…
...No matter where she looked…
"Where the hell is it!?" Lilith hissed to herself, slamming the vanity's drawer closed once more, only to rip it open once again, as if that would summon her missing things.
With a light growl, she slammed it closed once more, wincing only slightly upon realizing that she'd accidently used too much force, pushing the little drawer right through the vanity, hitting the wall behind it.
If that wasn't bad enough, she could hear light footsteps trailing up the stairs, no doubt in her mind as to who those belonged to.
"Shit, shit, shit," Lilith muttered, attempting to fix the broken drawer, attempting to slowly and carefully pull it out and go from there. That, apparently, was the wrong way to go. She had expected it to slowly slide out and for something she could fix to be out of place.
She did not, however, think that the whole drawer would fall out from under the vanity, the somewhat delicate wood smashing to the ground.
Just as the door opened.
Needless to say, It took a lot of willpower for Lilith not to utter "I found it like this".
"Ah," Lilith muttered, unable to formulate any words, before taking a step back, "I'm sorry about the noise, sir! I just, umm, had a little… altercation."
"Not to worry," Slender insisted, ducking in order to avoid the low doorway, stepping into the room, "If anything, this is nothing compared to how you woke up."
Lilith was about to ask, only to have the obvious hit her, "I, er, umm, yes."
Lilith did her best not to smack her forehead as Slender looked around the room. She was pretty sure that, whatever part of her brain normally spoke and translated English, was on vacation or something, "Regardless, is there something more I can do for you, sir?"
"No, actually," Slender murmured, as if he'd been snapped back to reality, before digging around in his jacket, "I came to return these to you."
Lilith cupped her hands, only a little confused as to what he may give her, before her mask and eyepatch were plopped into her hands, "Oh… Um, thank you, sir. But, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get these?"
Slender seemed to stiffen up ever so slightly, "I assumed you'd want it washed."
Lilith resisted the urge to sniff her belongings, hoping and praying that he wasn't insinuating that they smelled normally, "Washed?"
"Yes, after last night."
God, if that wasn't enough to make her face a little red. She coughed into her elbow, hoping that that was enough time for the heat to leave her face. A part of her brain chided her for thinking such things, no way anything LIKE THAT had happened… Right?
"Last night?" Lilith repeated almost meekly.
"Yes," Slender said, seemingly oblivious to his proxy's current breakdown, "After you fell asleep, on my shoulder, last night."
He said it slowly, as if that would help Lilith process easier. The only thing that did was increase her anxiety and panic. God, either Slender was seriously oblivious, or this was Lilith's punishment for falling asleep on him.
"You then proceeded to drool all over my shoulder, so I assumed that washing those would be for the best."
"...Oh."
Before she could apologize, Slender raised his hand to stop her, "There is no need for apology, nor is there a need for further concern."
"O-of course," Lilith murmured, unsure what else to say as her mind processed this information. Her hands put her mask and eyepatch down on the vanity, ensuring that they could awkwardly pull at each other's fingers, "Thank you sir."
He nodded once more, moving to exit the room, before turning to "look" over his shoulder, "If anything, I'd suggest against making drooling on my shoulder a habit, yes?"
With that, he walked out of the room, closing the door seconds before Lilith slapped both hands to her face. She wasn't sure what to make of that comment, and quite honestly, she didn't think she wanted to think on it period.
With a muffled groan pushed into her hands, she hastily pulled her eyepatch on, making sure it was on straight before moving to her mask. Securing it over her face, she couldn't help but enjoy the light lemony scent that emanated from it, the smell helping to calm her nerves.
Making a mental note to toss her mask into the laundry more often, she picked up her backpack, taking one more look over her shoulder to make sure she had everything before walking out. She hoped and prayed that her awkwardness wasn't radiating off of her at the moment, "Sir? I'm ready to leave when you are."
Turning the last corner to enter the living room, she nearly tripping over the last step. She braced a hand against the wall, unsure how to take the sight before her. So, instead, she watched as another bird perched itself on her master's shoulders.
There he stood, still as a tree in the doorway, with two white birds standing and chirping on his shoulders. It felt so… wrong, Lilith couldn't help but think, her mind attempting to rationalize and accept what was happening. It was such a serene picture at that, which is probably why it felt so wrong to see, especially when Slender raised a hand to the bird, allowing it to hop onto his index finger.
"Interesting…"
Before Lilith could think to retreat back up the stairs, Slender went on, "I didn't think that any animals would be able to remain here. I assumed that only someone either brought or formed within a Breached area would be able to remain. Very interesting."
Lilith, unsure what to do (God that seems to be happening often), opted to trading her weight from one foot to the other, doing her best to keep her befuddled thoughts to herself.
Finally, Slender shook his shoulders ever so slightly, urging the birds to take flight. He watched them fly off for a moment longer, before finally turning to his proxy, "Are you ready to depart?"
Lilith nodded, not trusting her voice, especially not when Slender moved to extend his hand, "This may be a little uncomfortable, but I'm going to ask you to bear with me."
Lilith moved forth, despite her brain screaming at her to stay frozen. She had a split second to hope her hands weren't sweaty before taking a hold of his. The cold from his hand shot straight up her arm and into her body. It felt as if she had blinked away the mountain top, her eyes opening to the familiar backyard of the mansion.
It took a moment for her nausea to die down, and a moment longer for her legs to stop shaking. Before anything could be noted, Lilith took her hand from his, opting to instead flex the ice from her fingers.
She ignored how her hands, somehow, managed to feel sweaty and gross. It wasn't like she felt awkward holding her master's hand, nope, that's a stupid thought.
...Dear God, how long had they been standing in dead, awkward silence now?
Clearing her throat, Lilith rubbed the back of her head, "So, sir, when you get back, I'd like to discuss-"
Lilith whipped around the moment her ears popped, expression going from surprised to unfazed as she watched the kicked up leaves fall back down to the forest floor. She wasn't sure why she expected him to stick around, but for some reason, she couldn't help but feel a bit… hollow.
Regardless, she sighed, looking back over to the mansion as she rolled her shoulders. She didn't want to think about it, no, she didn't NEED to think on this. There were other things to be done, she reminded herself, dropping into her shadow before popping out of the wall of her room.
She rolled her hoodie sleeves up to her shoulders, casting a foreboding glance over to her desk. She cringed at what she could only assume was a dried circle of drool on her desk, which honestly looked welcoming compared to the mess of wires and metal that sat next to it.
Before she could make any sort of smart comment, mentally or aloud, the exposed metal wiring sparked dangerously. She wasn't completely sure, but she swore that something behind the screen had begun clicking. That, most likely, wasn't a good sign.
Yep, this would help take her mind off of her master. No doubt about it.
Maybe it was because she wasn't in some sleep-induced haze this time around, but this was a lot harder than it was the first time. She nearly stabbed herself with the soldering iron, the hot iron coming in a bit too close to her exposed hand.
Putting it down, she removed the mask with a grumble, making a mental note to get a real welding mask one day (or any sort of protective eyewear, for that matter) before looking to the window.
She couldn't help but do a double take, unsure as to when the sun had dipped below the mountains. Granted, it wasn't totally gone, rays of sunlight shooting up and out into the sky, giving it that rosy-tint.
Looking back down to her desk, she stared at the mess of jumbled wires and metal scraps, completely unsure of exactly what had happened to the monitor. It wasn't like she was completely lost with this little project of hers, but this was very different from fixing up a broken phone.
Finally, Lilith rose from her seat, "Fuck it."
As if giving a second opinion, her stomach growled in what Lilith assumed to be approval, sounding once more as Lilith walked out of her room. It was a bit odd to walk around the mansion without its usual soundtrack of curses, threats and overall screaming. Regardless, there was something fairly calming about walking down the stairs without any threats waiting at the bottom.
She took a turn into the kitchen, all but tearing the fridge door off in her search for something to eat, "Score." She muttered, pulling an unclaimed piece of saran-wrapped banana bread and, just because it was there, a can of coke.
Doing one last sweep, Lilith kicked the fridge door shut, the sound just a little louder than Lilith thought it would be. She couldn't help but look towards the living room, as if expecting someone to come running in screaming something about how they needed a hiding spot or a knife.
Shaking it off, she made her way out of the kitchen, more than content with what she had found. She could go back up to her room, take a small food break, and then attempt to figure out the mess on her desk. Or, at least, that was the plan before something cold slide up Lilith's spine.
Without a second thought she whipped around, every nerve in her body ready to throw her can of coke at whoever had done that. She scanned the empty kitchen carefully, eyes locking onto anything that moved, even a little.
She slowly let out the breath of air she'd been holding, looking down at her kitchen findings before taking steps back towards the chairs. She felt like something was watching her, waiting to pull out her spine when she least expected it.
Slowly making her way back up the stairs, she forced herself to stop taking looks over her shoulder, shaking off this feeling of building anxiety. The idea of having the mansion to herself soon went from serene to nerve racking, even after she closed her bedroom door behind her.
Setting her food down, she took a seat at her desk, ignoring how her hand shook ever so slightly. She could feel her shadow twitching about, as if it too felt something off.
Finally, she reached out for the soldering iron, her fingers inches from it before something loud threw itself against her door.
She was out of her chair in a flash, the cold metal of her scythe in one hand, the other up and out as if it would shield her. She watched as her door all but bounced about, as if it were fighting to escape the hinges. She took a step forth, forcing her hand to stop shaking before placing the hand on the door.
Just like that, it stopped. She couldn't feel anything hitting it, nor could she feel any resistance against the door.
With a deep breath, she turned the doorknob before taking a step back. After hour-filled seconds, she nudged the door open with her scythe, pushing it open ever so slightly…
Only to reveal an empty hallway.
"This is getting ridiculous." Lilith muttered, stomping out before throwing her head to the left and right, confirming that it was, in fact, desolate of anyone.
"Ben, if you're playing some sort of joke, lemme let you in on some insight." Lilith shouted down the hall, shaking her head before reaching out to grab the doorknob, "It isn't funny."
The moment her hand touched the door, something cold wrapped around her wrist,pulling her towards the stairs. Lilith tripped over her feet with a yelp, nearly slamming her face into the ground as she did so, "What the f-"
It tightened around Lilith's wrist, tugging her towards the stairs. Without a second thought, Lilith jerked her arm away, taking hold of it with one hand before pulling a knife from her boot, cutting through it.
...Or, at least, that's what she tried to do. Her tiny knife went right through it, as if the thing pulling at her wrist wasn't really there.
Her shadow spiked up, as if to match her panic, severing the bond. Lilith jumped back, watching as it writhed and fell back to the ground, blending into the shadow.
That's when it hit her. That wasn't some sort of snake, nor was it any other worldly creature. It had been a shadow. And, if that had been a shadow…
Lilith didn't have time to think further on it, forcing herself to duck black gathered on the walls, the hallway suddenly becoming a killzone as the shadows shot outwards, leaving indents on the adjacent walls.
Lilith ducked and weaved around them, making her way for the chairs. She cut down one in front of her with the scythe, the blade becoming lodged into the wooden floorboards, stuck.
"Shit!" Lilith tugged, the scythe unwilling to move. Thinking quick, she sank the scythe into her shadow, lunging forward as she did so, the back of her hoodie grazed by a shadow.
She all but threw herself down the stairs, all the while attempting to take control of her shadow. She jumped the right railing before the ground had the chance to swallow her, the dark mass tumbling down the stairs like some sort of polluted waterfall.
"Come on, come on." Lilith muttered, holding her hands out in front of her, squeezing her eyes shut in concentration, "Come on, now would be a great time for this to work."
She was thrown from her mind when something under her began to shake. Lilith barely had enough time to jump out of the way, a dark spiral shooting straight up and through the floorboards. She leapt over another, throwing her hand out to catch a shadow before it could go right through her face.
She wrestled it, hands shaking from the strain, before squeezing it, pulling it to the side. With a sickening pop, it slumped to the floor, melting within seconds.
In a moment of genius, Lilith threw herself against the door, tussling with the doorknob for a moment before pushing it open. She all but kicked the door back closed, keeping an eye on it as she backed up onto the front lawn area, hands up like they would help her.
She all but jumped when someone behind her began clapping, whipping around with her shadow, the black under her throwing a piece of itself out with Lilith's outstretched hand.
Shad brushed the shadow to the side, as if swatting a fly, "Good show." He murmured, his voice just barely audible.
Lilith's surprise quickly melted into anger, her shadow bubbling beneath her, "Shad, what the fuck!?"
She wheezed as something collside with her abdomen, sending her flying right into a tree. Lilith coughed, pretty sure that she had just lost her lungs as she staggered about, attempting to stand up straight, "Is this about what happened before we left? Cause, if so, I had no control-"
"Yes, but that isn't something new now, is it?" Shad hissed, throwing his hand to the right. Lilith leapt over the shadow, tucking and rolling to the left, "You've never been the best with control."
Lilith was ready to throw some sort of curse-riddled comeback, only to throw her head back as Shad threw arm to the right, sending a tendril of black right over her, "Jesus fuck, what happened to you?"
When he didn't respond, Lilith groaned, taking cover behind a tree in order to breathe. Taking a moment for mental inventory, she was pretty sure that her legs were going to give out any second now with all of this parkour bullshit, and if her twitching right finger was any indication, she was pretty sure she was seconds from a whole body shut down.
Shad made sure to give her no time to think on that, the ground Lilith standing on beginning to steam before the tree was uprooted. Lilith rolled underneath it, ignoring the loud crash of it landing behind her.
With narrowed eyes, Lilith threw her right hand out, the tip of her scythe peeking out, before a cold hand grabbed her wrist, "None of that now."
Shad stomped his foot down on the scythe, pushing it back into the ground. For some reason, a sharp shock went up Lilith's spine, the surprise giving Shad enough time for him to kick her away. Lilith braced herself on her hands and knees, throwing her hand out once more, only to go stiff when her shadow didn't respond.
Cursing, she stood back up, raising her fists as if they would help. She didn't want to think on how he did it, hell, she doubted she'd understand regardless. All she knew was that, somehow, he'd taken away any chance for her to get her scythe.
Lilith ducked behind a tree, reaching out to grab the shadow that had missed her by inches before digging her nails into it. Hoping this would work, she planted her feet as firmly as she could before whipping the shadow around, throwing the shadow, with Shad in tow, right into another tree.
Lilith didn't have time to admire how Shad's body nearly ripped the tree in two, Instead taking slow steps backwards, flexing her fingers all the while.
No matter how hard she tried, it was like her shadow refused to budge. No amount of wrist locking and finger twitching got her shadow to budge, much less gave her that rush feeling from when she had fought Lizzie. Every tug of her fingers felt like they met some sort of resistance, like her own will was defying her.
Panic began welling up within her, each failed attempt only adding to the growing pile. She was tempted to try smashing her hand against something to see if pain would help, only to have a shadow wrap around her wrist.
She tried to grab at it, only to have the shadow jerk to the right, tightening its hold as it did so. Lilith let out a small shriek, the bones in her wrist cracking before it finally let go, dropping Lilith to the rocky ground.
"So it isn't pain." She heard Shad muse over her huffing, tears blurring her vision ever so slightly as she fought to stand back up, left hand clutching the right.
She ducked back into the treeline, wincing as her right hand throbbed. She removed her left hand, attempting to move her right hand's fingers to see how bad it was, only to have pain shoot up her shoulder.
She tried to move, only to have something latch onto her shoes. She barely had enough time to realize what was going on before the tree she'd been hiding behind lurch towards her, the base cut clean through.
Lilith tripped backwards, raising her good arm up to cover herself as she squeezed her eyes shut, braced for an impact… That never came.
"Ah, there it is."
Lilith peaked, barely able to recognize something black covering her, the tree having had landed somewhere on her right. Slowly, she put her left hand back down, the black falling aside with it.
Before she could react, another tendril shot forth. Without thinking, Lilith batted it away with her hand, surprised when her shadow rose up to swat at it for her.
With that, Shad's body went still, as if he were thinking. Now that she had time to breathe, she noticed how odd his body posture was. His shoulders seemed slumped, with his head lolling to the side. It almost looked like he was sleepwalking.
"Have you just been hiding it this whole time, princess?" Now that she was really listening, his voice sounded haunted, like he wasn't completely there but something else was filling in.
Filled with a new sense of energy, Lilith took a fighting stance, keeping her injured side behind her, "Shad, I don't know what's gotten into you, but please; stand down before I accidently blow us both up or something."
Shad responded by lolling his head to rest on his other shoulder, eyes blank and glossy as his shadow writhed from under him. Without thinking twice, Lilith dropped into her shadow, the sense of cold water rushing past her almost invigorating as she shot straight up behind him.
She ducked under Shad's elbow, rising up to grab it before throwing her leg out while pulling his elbow out, tripping him. Once on the ground, she rose to curb stomp him, only to have his shadow suck her boot back down into the ground.
Lilith flailed ever so slightly, frantically waving her left hand around in an attempt to dispel it or something, only to have Shad grab her arm.
He tsked, "You and your control again." He mocked. Panicking, Lilith wretched her left arm away, ready to drop back down, only to have Shad grab her right hand. Lilith yelped as he threw her over him, landing on her back.
She rolled over onto her front, moving to protect her injured hand as she tried to stand, only to have Shad's foot push her back down, "It looks like you're overthinking it, little princess."
Before Lilith could retort, she heard the mansion door creak open, small footfalls landing on the stone steps.
"Lilith?"
The voice sent shivers down her spine, eyes glancing to the left, towards the mansion's door. She could barely make out the pink dress and the teddy bear before Shad got up, slowly but surely stalking over, "Sally, go back inside!" She shouted, lunging for Shad's coat.
She grabbed hold with her good hand and tugged backwards, hopefully giving Sally enough time to move, "Lilith, what's going on? Why are you two fighting?"
Lilith felt the moment that Shad stopped, her eyes widening once his words hit her.
"Hmm… I wonder…"
Lilith had no time to think, her hand moving from his coat to something underneath, his shoes. With a mad jerk down, she tugged him into his own shadow, trapping him in it.
But by then, it was too late. She could see the black tendrils rising, aimed to strike the scared and confused girl down.
As if it would help, she threw both arms out, as if to grab hold of Sally.
It happened too quickly. For a brief second, she felt like a switch had been flipped, filling her system with this cold sensation, like someone had injected her veins with ice. The tendrils bounced off of a black wall, one that she was sure Shad hadn't thrown up.
"I knew it."
It was odd, the feeling, as she rose. It felt like she was giving up control but, at the same time, she was control. She felt connected to her shadow, and the ones surrounding them. It was like her internal system had expanded, connecting to the one in her shadow.
She didn't see as much as she felt. She could feel the trees around her swaying in the breeze. She could feel Sally's shadow remain still, still confused. She could feel Shad taking steps out of his shadow, tendrils rising from it in order to strike.
Lilith batted them away, spinning to the left before throwing her good hand out. As if by magic, her shadow followed, slicing through through whatever was felt of Shad's tendrils.
She swore that, from where she stood, she could see a ghost of a smile on his face, "There we go." He murmured, before snapping his fingers.
At first, Lilith thought that reality was warping around him, as if he suddenly figured out how to manipulate to fabric of the universe. Shaking her head, she felt shadows rise up all around them, forming a sort of maw with the two of them inside.
Another snap of his fingers, and it all came crashing down, a tidal wave crashing in from all sides. It was like Lilith didn't have to react, almost. It felt like second nature for her to throw both arms up and out in front of her, hands clasped together at the best of her ability. Her shadow shot straight out, cutting through it all, before she parted her hands, her shadow all but engulfing whatever was left.
Huffing, she stood there, left hand coming up to cover her right shoulder as she sized Shad up. He seemed to nod, before dropping into his shadow. She could feel him moving about, certain spots feeling "colder" than others.
Taking a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes shut, doing her best to follow wherever he went. Curling her left hand into a tight fist, Lilith stomped down with her right foot, hard.
She could feel Shad's body being thrown from the ground, waiting for just the right moment. When it finally came, she threw her fist into a downward arc, her shadow rising from behind her to follow her fist. It almost went through Shad's chest, the force enough to make him bounce off of the ground and into the treeline.
She didn't realize she'd been shaking until the freezing sensation in her veins had calmed down. She turned to ask Sally in she was okay, only to find the spot vacant. She took a step forward, only to have her world tilt sideways.
She felt the hard dirt ground against her cheek, her right hand feeling more numb than in pain. Before she could react, she heard quick footsteps approach her. Someone was shouting, someone was picking her up, and Lilith was pretty sure that she saw Sally run into the forest, looking for someone.
Right before blacking out completely, she felt a grin split across his face, "Serves him right." She heard herself murmur, much to the amusement of whoever was carrying her. That was the last thing she heard before blacking out completely.
(Insert message about how this took a lot longer than originally anticipated here)
(Insert generic message about how this isn't what I'd call the best, but it was the optimal one out of the many rewrites and revisions I went through)
(Insert something funny yet smart here, like a smart comment connected to the chapter or something)
Peepeepoopoo.
...Thanks for reading, see you when I decide to upload, blah blah blah, bai bai.