Emiyan: Well, I'm back!

Torakai: Look at the disclaimer in the previous chapters, I'm tired of saying it.

Emiyan: But first, I'd like to thank my loyal reviewers...

Reis1gurl: (takes a bow) I love to please.

Glitter-Cat91: Heh. The action and scariness is finally starting!

MikeyWaysgirl: All you questions shall be answered sooner or later! You just have to wait.

Echo in the Dark: (smiles and hands over the Deluxe Tyson Cookie) We didn't have the shipment of Plushies in yet, so we have these. Tyson didn't make the cookies, he just added stuff on... pretty tasty, but we had to persuade him to add no mustard...

Isilmaxfan: I have a habit of making Max an semi-important character. So you might enjoy the story.

kimmy kittens: Woah, had no idea how addicted people are to my story --huggles story-- Mwaa...

Satan-Kitty12: I have a friend with your name, only a different spelling. Anyway, Tyson's like that. Not exactly graceful... Heh...

- - - - -

He didn't like it, not one bit of it. The tunnels squished noisily under his shoes, and the blonde thought that if he heard that disgusting noise again, he would surely throw-up.

Squish.

"Eww," he murmured, choking down the bile rising in his throat.

Squish.

Squish.

Squish.

Glop!

Max turned around. That sounded different from the others, he thought. Summoning every ounce of courage he had, he looked down.

"What the-- OH MY GOD!" Max stumbled over, his eyes wide, attracting the attention of the others ahead of him. "What is it Max?" Rei asked, stepping a few feet closer, but instantly regretting it as pile of red liquid came into view, smeared stains over the dirt walls... "That'snotblood, that'snotblood, that'snotTYSON'Sblood, that'snotMidori'sblood," Max murmured, taking a few steps back before breathing heavily to get rid of the stress.

"We should get going," Kai spoke, breaking everyone out of their trance, "We don't know what happened to Kinomiya or the witness, so don't jump to conclusions."

"Yeah, true," Mariah agreed, tearing her eyes from the sight.

As the group walked forward and away, they did not notice the puddle of the supposed blood bubble. Nor did the notice the being that arose from it, walk around dizzily, and run to the place where Midori and Tyson were last seen...
- - - - -

"Look, is that... is that light?"

"It's not exactly a good thing," Mariah deadpanned, "we haven't exactly found Tyson or Midori."

"Maybe they went through the li--" Max was cut off a a voice in his mind spoke, causing his head to turn in the direction that the voice had wished him too. Coming from the walls was Tyson, who was... beckoning him?

"Hey guys, it's Tyson!"

Three others of the search party turned to where Max had pointed out Tyson, but looked at him confusedly. "I don't see anything there, Max," Rei confirmed, earning a "what-do-you-mean" look from the blonde.

"But he's right there! I can see him! He's waving... you can see him, can't you Kai?" Max asked, looking to the Russian for a nod. "Max, stop playing this game, it's not funny," Rei hissed.

"I'm not playing a game. Tyson, show yourself and tell them I'm right!"

Nothing... just and eerie silence and Rei glaring at him. "But... Tyson--"

"Isn't here. Now come on before you slow us down some more." Rei sounded inhumanly cold, and Max looked ready to tear something apart. Kai could easily tell this wasn't the fake fight that had happened on the boat.

"I'll stay and look for Tyson, instead," Max began, "I'd rather do so than spend a minute then someone who can't believe his best friend!"

"It's hard not to when the evidence points to you lying!"

"Be like that!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" And with this, Max turned and stalked away to the spot where they had all gathered before this little "excursion" started.

After walking a few meters away, a thought came to mind...

Where was Lee? Or Gary and Kevin?

- - - - -

"He's alone..." A harsh voice sung out quietly. "Alooneee. I bet he's loonneelyyy."

"Why has he departed? Wasn't the blonde-one with the others?" Another voice spoke, it sounded impatient.

"Ohh yesss," the first voice sung, "he was with the others before, but the neko-jin and he got into a fight!"

"Then what?"

"Well, the striped-one and the pink-haired-one failed to do anything to stop it. I'm surprised that--"

"Not now, we can't discuss that."

"Sorrrryyy..."

- - - - -

Rei was regretting letting Max out on his own, but Kai said that Max could take care of himself, and despite his personality, was capable. Rei didn't feel any better. What if he saw Tyson? What if Max wasn't lying and he unjustly accused him of so?

He felt horrible, and would have continued to wallow in the state of self-loathing if Mariah had not shaken him out of it. "Rei, we're here..."

"Where's 'here'?"

She pointed to the source of the light, a large, single cavern, turning a shade of blue in whatever ghostly light was cast over it. Two white stairways (which were braided into eachother, but eventually separated) lead into who-knows-where, and the only thing other than that was a body slumped over the steps. It was as she had tried to climb, but ad never made it. Most likely because of the blood loss, you could tell how much she lost just by looking at the reddened steps. Rei's stomach flopped around just by looking at the sight.

Poor Midori...

- - - - -

Emiyan: Well, that's it for now.

Torakai: You know the procedure.

Emiyan: Yep, read and review...