Chapter 2: Run.


First the lights went out. And then the sirens blared louder. "Oh god… It's happening!" the nurse shouted.
"What is!?" Accelerator asked, not getting a chance to eat his chips. Last Order then rushed into the room, frightened as an animal.
"W-What's going on! Are we under attack?" the girl asked. She rushed over to Accelerator's side and held his arm tight, never to let go. The sirens slowly grew louder as it got darker and darker outside. "Stay here! Don't come out until daytime!" the nurse said as she rushed out of Accelerator's room. She slammed the door shut and yelled "Lock the door, and no matter what happens, do NOT open it until morning!"
"What's going on!? Tell me dammit!" the boy shouted.

"I… aaahhh!" Accelerator and Last Order could hear screams of agony and squelching sounds from the other side of the door. Finally, the sirens stopped. It was pitch black outside. Nothing, not even a single street light, shone through the darkness. The hospital became pitch black. If one could detect the fading photons, the readings would lower into negative numbers. "I'm scared..." Last Order said clutching to the boy tightly. "What's going on?"
"I don't know..." Accelerator said. "But whatever happens, we must not leave this room. Okay?"
"Okay." The two of them remained silent. They did as the nurse told them and stayed inside the room, waiting for sunrise. The sensory deprivation became maddening, but none of them moved at all, fearful of what would happen if they did. An hour passed, and Accelerator heard gunshots outside the room.
A voice cried out "Don't come any closer!" followed by more gunshots.
"Who's that?"
"She has a gun. Maybe she can help us?" the girl whispered.
"I doubt it, but we should probably find out.

As he got off his bed, the boy fell flat on the floor. "Hey, can you grab my cane?" he asked the girl as the gunshots continued outside. Without hesitation, Last Order presented the cane to the boy and he slipped his arm through the arm guard and grabbed the handle. "Thanks." The door creaked loudly as the two of them left the hospital room. The hallway was too dark to see anything past a few feet. Another gunshot was heard to the left of Accelerator. "This way." he said as the girl helped him to walk. Eventually, the two of them could hear what sounded like... static? Was it a radio or something like that? The white noise got louder as Accelerator and Last Order approached the source of the sound.
"What's happening, asks Misa-"
"I don't know. But we have to be quiet." the boy reminded her in a whisper.
The static went quiet. And then a light shone in their faces. "Who's there?" a female voice asked. The figure pointed a handgun at the two of them.
"Hey, don't shoot! There's a kid here!" Accelerator said. Last Order cowered behind the teens legs. After a good look at the two of them, the figure lowered her weapon. It was the nurse from earlier.

"Accelerator? I thought I told you to stay in your room!" she said.
"How could we just sit there and potentially let you die?" Accelerator responded. "And what the hell's going on anyways?"
The nurse gave a sigh. The look on her face told the boy that whatever needed explaining was too complicated for her to say effectively in a short time span.
"Tell you what. We all return to your room, and I'll tell you all that I know. Okay?"
"Gotcha." The darkened corridor seemed to get longer the further they walked. No matter how far they went, they wouldn't reach Accelerator's room. They kept passing the same window over and over again.
"Crap," the nurse said. "It's one of those things isn't it?"
"What?" Last Order asked.
"We're not going anywhere. We're walking in place. One of the tricks this place likes to pull." she explained.
"I've heard a rumor that this town is haunted. Is it true?" Accelerator asked. He didn't expect an actual answer from her. But she seemed to have experience with this kind of thing before. "I've been here a long time. It's definitely haunted." the nurse said.
"By the way, I don't think you told us your name."
"Oh right. My name is Charlie Newport. I was a nurse for Alchemilla before... well, the incident."
"The incident? What are you talking about, asks Misaka Misaka demanding an answer."
Charlie gave a deep breath. "Well... years ago, this was just a normal resort town. No monsters. No sirens. No spirits. Then, one day everyone just disappeared, and a very thick fog rolled in." she explained. "I can't leave either. That bit about the roads being blocked was a lie. Instead, they were completely destroyed by fissures leading into the depths of the earth. As far as I'm concerned, the only way out is if you have the power of flight."

She explained further to Accelerator and Last Order. Apparently, monsters showed up and started attacking the locals. And the monsters were different for each person. Heck, some monsters were invisible in the eyes of others. With no other option for survival, Charlie and the other survivors gathered at Alchemilla Hospital in order to hide from the monsters. Then everything went back to normal. The people came back, and the weather was clear. At least during the day. At night, the sirens sound, signaling the arrival of what everyone called the 'other world.' A place of rust, rot, and decay. A twisted perversion of reality. "Some place we landed in," Accelerator commented. "Doesn't sound like any resort town I know of, if any."

After they were done talking, a soft creaking sound came from the floor. Almost like a door opening. "I think that means we can go now." Charlie said. The nurse seemed to know a bit too much about this place for Accelerator's liking. Then again, she did say she had been here for a long time. Who knows? Perhaps her expertise in this town could prove invaluable to him and the kid's survival here. "Was that some kind of prank?" Accelerator asked.
"Not really. It's hard to predict the reasons for this town's behavior." she answered. "For now, let's make our way back to your room."

What a fine introduction to a town. Suffering amnesia and having words thrown at you that you don't understand. What is this, some crappy light novel series designed to be adapted into a half-assed anime to trick people into thinking the series was good when it wasn't? Accelerator wasn't having any of it. Wait a second... Anime... The boy could swear he was remembering something right now. The pain in his head was growing stronger now.
"You alright?" Last Order asked in worry.
"I... I think I remember you. Yeah. You like anime, don't you?" Accelerator asked the child.
"Yay! You remembered me, Misaka Misaka exclaims as she JUMPS FOR JOY!"
"Shh! Quiet! They'll hear you!" Charlie Newport said as she covered Last Order's mouth.
"'They?'" Accelerator asked.
"The Shadows. They're the monsters prowling around the town. Quickly! We must get to your room. They won't enter a patient's room." A minute of walking later, and they finally made it to Accelerator's room. Charlie locked the door behind her as she entered after Accelerator and the kid. "There. We should be safe for now." she said.

Just then, Accelerator heard a voice in his head. Nobody but him could hear.


"Thou art I... and I am thou...
My son... thou hast discovered the truth...
May it be your strength in this clouded world...

I bestow upon thee the power to sense evil. Use it well, my precious Gabriel...

Until we meet again.
Goodbye."