MAY 28TH, 2020 / FUKUOKA, JAPAN

Three months before the terrible night Momo, formerly Yaoyorozu now Iida, currently found herself living through, her husband of four, almost five, years had found out that a childhood friend of his had become a writer.

Well, not a writer, writer (as her mother would put it when Momo described this horrid night in only a few hours time)- he wrote manga, horror manga to be exact, illustrated it himself as well- and it seemed to Momo that he had made quite a name for himself in the community, as she had gotten hundreds of thousands of hits searching up his name after Iida had come to her with this interesting discovery after a long day at work.

Momo, as she thought most would, had engaged politely with him on the subject- asking him a couple of simple questions, his name, if they had kept in touch, you know- the usual, Normal, everyday questions that anyone would ask- as she prepared rice in the rice cooker in preparation for dinner.

However, Tenya had not answered her- which caused Momo to frown. It wasn't like him not to answer her, in fact, one of the reasons she had fallen in love with Iida Tenya way back when they had met at university was because he had always seemed to make an effort to show you that he was listening- even if he couldn't answer verbally, he'd always make sure to show that he had heard you, really heard you, by nodding, waving, or even simply flashing a warm smile.

Which is why now, looking back on it, Momo was mentally kicking herself- she should have known then.

Alas, after her initial frown, she had simply brushed it off (how stupid, her present self hissed in her mind) and turned to him, repeating her questions a little louder, not noticing (no, she had noticed, she'd just looked past it) how his dark blue eyes had stared down at the completed manga volume with a startling grim expression.

"Midoriya."

"Huh?" Momo remembered herself asking, having found herself yanked out of a trance she hadn't known she had been in, her brain not processing what Tenya had just said.

"His name is Midoriya, Midoriya Izuku- my childhood friend who's written the manga."

Momo had blinked then, smiling politely and apologizing for having not understood the first time. "I see, have you two been in touch?"

"No."

She should have known then, no, she had known then- something was wrong, something to due with this Midoriya-

Tenya's voice had been so cold and sharp- almost hostile, and it had shaken Momo to her very core.

She had known.

But she had ignored it.

At least, somewhat. Yes, she had pushed back and ignored the larger picture- that much she knew for sure- but she hadn't ignored it completely... that was evident in the fact that she had spent several hours of her day off from the law firm researching Midoriya (sometimes referred to as "Deku" under her husband's breath) and his work.

She had even tried to read through the volume Tenya had brought home- however, she had had to stop after only the second chapter, her stomach queasy and her eyes brimming with fearful tears- she would tell her mother later that she couldn't find a word to describe what the manga felt like- "there's not a word out there that could describe how... upset it made me feel..." she would say, her voice clear and articulate despite the horror she had been through mere hours before "it was... it was full of killings and children and... It was awful... I don't understand how an actual person could produce something like that- it just- there isn't a word to describe it-" but she would be lying. There was a word, clear as day, shining brightly in her mind- and it had been there since she had scanned through those first few pages almost three full months before.

Pornographic.

Pornographic- yes it described those two chapters she had read perfectly. Not in the traditional sense, but pornographic all the same.

Tenya, who up until then had found even simply peeing with the door open to be inappropriate- even if said person had been his wife for four years by that point- would read all ten volumes. As well as the seven volumes of one of Midoriya's other series ("Black Water Ridge" Momo recalled) and the twelve volumes of yet another one- ("Breathe") -and she would hear him one night, while writing up a plea for a client of hers, quietly reading "Now a Major Motion Picture" aloud to himself as he stared down at the volume cover with that same dark look he had had when he first brought the series "Wilting Flower's" home.

In fact, Momo would later recall after the shock had worn off a bit and she had finished recounting the story for the millionth time to yet another frantic relative, he had been reading the latest chapter of Midoriya's newest work- which had already been confirmed to be getting an anime adaption sometime next year- the night of the bath- the night of May 28th, 2020.

That night, only six months shy of being 16 years since the incident that started it all, Momo and Tenya Iida had been sitting together in the living room of their penthouse level apartment in Fukuoka. The TV was on. Momo was sitting on their Snow White couch, legs curled up underneath her- chewing absentmindedly on the end of a pen as she went over a client of hers case- halfway paying attention to the Gameshow playing on the TV at a low volume. She liked this show, it had a lot to do with trivia- she didn't much like the punishments for getting things wrong of course (getting covered with slime, dropped into icy water, etcetera)- but she liked the trivia, mainly because she almost always got the answers correct. She remembered asking Tenya why the contestants seemed to find the questions so hard, as she and her husband found them to be quite easy, and Tenya had responded with "It's probably a lot harder under those bright lights with everyone looking at you." It was then that a shadow seemed to fall over his face, his eyes hardened and his voice suddenly going stiff. "Everything's a lot harder when it's for real. That's when you mess up the most."

Momo had only smiled softly, brushing off the uneasiness that had begun to creep in-

(how stupid)

-and went back to reading her file.

Tenya seemed to have a good insight when it came to people, it was yet another thing Momo had found herself falling in love with when they had met all those years ago- she had assumed then, as she still did now, that his insight was far greater than most people- at the very least it had to be better than this Midoriya's, who had gotten rich writing horror manga to appeal to people's more primal nature...

...Not that the Iida's were doing so badly themselves, of course! The apartment that they lived in, with its large floor to ceiling windows and ten-foot-high ceilings, was in a fairly well off area of Fukuoka- in fact, you could even consider it wealthy- something their rent price certainly reflected. Momo sometimes found herself reflecting on it, even- often while driving back home from her office in her ruby red Acura TLX. (Tenya, after a lot of convincing from his wife had eventually decided to treat himself to a silver Lexus a couple of years back) She'd round that corner and see the sleek, modern, entrance to their high rise apartment and think to herself "Who lives there? I do! Mrs. Iida Momo!- current head of Nakamura law firm and loving wife of Iida Tenya."

This wasn't an entirely happy thought. Laced in the words was a burning sense of pride and resentment so fierce it almost scared her whenever it reared its ugly head. Her naturally pretty face would flush in shame as she smoothly pulled her car into the underground parking garage and into her designated spot- where she'd proceed to sit in silence for a few moments, pushing the memories of jealous girls and bitterly rejected men calling her names like "slut" "whore" "bitch" and all manner of other degrading names throughout her life- accusing her of doing rather immoral things to get ahead in her career.

When she had finally calmed down, she'd get out of her car, smooth out her black pencil skirt, brush her shiny black her gently out of her eyes, raise her head up high and head towards the elevator that would take her to her gorgeous home and up to her loving husband.

"Yes." She would think to herself, watching as the cold and dark levels of the underground parking garage gave way to a beautifully designed apartment high rise through the solid glass elevator "I have done this for myself. All on my own. Never once giving myself over in exchange for better grades or promotions- no, this is something I have built for myself fair and square."

...Though she knew that no matter how many times she realized that this was her reality, she would always end up having to calm down in the parking garage every once in a while.

No, she knew the shame and hurt would always be there- at the back of her mind- especially since she wasn't deaf, and definitely because she wasn't stupid. She heard them talk- some of the ladies in the apartments in their complex while they were all down at the pool, or the tennis court, or the clubhouse-

"Look at how small her top is, isn't she married? Why's she showing off to the entire prefecture?"

"No one that looks like that comes across this kind of money ethically. She was either born to it, married into it, or cheated it out of some poor fool who happened to cross her path."

"Yeah, "Lawyer"- she probably gives out free blowies behind the courthouse and wins her trials that way."

It didn't matter how many trials she won, how polite she was, how in view her wedding ring was- she'd come home every once in a while, cradled in her ruby red Acura TLX, see the sleek and modern design of the high rises entrance and find herself thinking- no, hoping, wishing even- that the women who called her those names and said those awful things under their breath were living horrid, retched lives-

...And then that dark flush of shame with crawl across her cheeks, and she'd have to spend a few minutes calming down in the parking garage and despair for not only herself- but the entire human race. People, all of them- herself (and Tenya) included, seemed nice on the surface but turned into utter monsters in the dark- like werewolves. That terrifying manga by Midoriya had been about werewolves. What did a man like that know about werewolves?

Most of the time, however, she felt better than that. She loved her husband, her apartment (penthouse), and she was usually able to love herself and the life she and Tenya had built together- the two of them only 27 years old, married, both of them successful (Tenya was an accountant), living in a nice house and driving nice cars- things were good. They hadn't always been that way, of course- how could they of been? Nothings that perfect- there are always bumps in the road. When she had accepted Tenya's engagement ring at 23, her parents hadn't been the happiest. They had met two years before, at Kyoto University, introduced by a mutual friend, and by the time the night was over she was almost positive that she had fallen in love with him. She knew for certain by the time the second semester was over and spent the next two years waiting for him to ask for her hand in marriage.

In time, her parents had accepted it as well. It wasn't that they didn't like Tenya- actually, it was quite the opposite, they adored him almost as much as Momo herself did- they just thought that they were rushing into things is all. Later on, on the night of the bath, Momo's mother would admit tearfully that she also just hadn't wanted to have to admit to herself that her baby had grown up. Tenya's parents had very similar sentiments.

Only Tenya himself seemed to be completely sure of himself. Confident, certain that this was the right course of action. And in the end, it was his confidence that had been justified, not their parent's fears.

In July of 2016, Momo had landed her job at Nakamura Law- and whenever she would look back on how she had secured the job that would launch her to the position she held today (the head of the aforementioned law firm, and no, she would not let you forget it) always struck her as a bit- eerie.

She had made a list of 44 possibilities and sent an application off to each. Twenty-two replies told her that the positions had been filled, others came back detailing skills or qualifications she would need for the job that she did not possess, which left her with about a dozen possibilities, each looking just as likely as the other.

Tenya had come in around that time, sliding his coat off and placing it on the hook before heading to the fridge for a drink while Momo continued to puzzle over where to start. Finally, he had made his way over to her, flavored water in his hand (Peach, his favorite, reminded him of her) and leaned over her shoulder- his broad form casting a shadow over the dozens of envelopes splayed out in front of her.

"There." He finally spoke, tapping the envelope for Nakamura Law Firm, an envelope that didn't stand out at all amongst the dozens of others just like it.

"Do you know something about Fukuoka I don't?" She asked, surprised at the certainty in his voice.

"No." He had a small smile on his face as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

She looked at him, puzzled, before kissing his cheek back and starting "then why-"

"It's right."

She had raised her eyebrows then, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "You can't know that, Tenya."

Tenya kissed her cheek one last time before standing at full height, seeming to tower over her while she sat at the table. "But I do."

"How?" It was only then that Momo had realized he was actually being serious.

The small smile he had faltered then, his eyes darkened- just as they would whenever he would read those manga's- and he seemed... confused. As if he couldn't find the answer himself.

"...The turtle couldn't help us..." He had said it quite clearly. Word for word, exactly like that- Momo had heard it as clear as day.

"Tenya?-"

He jumped at the sound of her voice, dropping his flavored water and causing it to spill everywhere. His dark blue eyes widen, and he jogged quickly (he had been a track star at Kyoto) towards the kitchen of their (much smaller) apartment, with a closed-off kitchen instead of the wide-open concept one they'd come to own in a few months time, to grab a rag to clean up the mess- apologizing rapidly with a small, embarrassed flush across the bridge of his nose.

"It's alright... but what had you been saying?-"

"-Forget it." He cut her off swiftly, though not unkindly, his soft smile finding its way back to his face. "But I think we outta go to Fukuoka, Mo."

"But-"

"Trust me." He smiled, his glasses hanging halfway off his face now. She remembered how overcome with love she had felt in that moment.

She smiled back, leaning down to grab the rag and take it to the sink. "Okay."

They had married that August in front of a small gathering of friends and family- she had wanted a big wedding, but had compromised on a smaller one with the promise of a honeymoon fit for royalty. (Which was very much delivered) She had ended her wedding vows by, only semi-jokingly, saying "promise not to hurt me."

"Never." He had responded. "I promise."

A promise he would faithfully keep until the night of the bath.

Work had gone well for her, as she had quickly begun climbing the chain of command. Tenya had started off their lives in Fukuoka doing accounting work for a small, locally-owned business. Six months later, he'd move on to a more corporate accounting job. Their combined income then- well, it was quite good- wealthy, even- Momo would throw away her birth control pills that November.

Four or so months after that, Tenya would quit his corporate job. All four in-laws agreed that it was a stupid move. Not that Tenya shouldn't have his own business- god forbid he didn't have his own business- but it was too early and put so much financial strain on Momo (who was supposed to be focusing on getting pregnant, her mother would remind her at every given opportunity)- the consensus between all four of them had been that he shouldn't go into his own business until he was at a more mature age- around his late forties early fifties they'd agreed.

Again, however, Tenya had had that unbridled-

(Unnatural)

-confidence. and just as their marriage and Momo's job before this, everything fell into place and in only a years time Tenya's accounting firm was worth a head-spinning amount of money- and Tenya seemed as if he had known it would end up that way all along.

Once she had joked about him making some sort of deal with demons or evil spirits and he had laughed so hard he had almost choked on that favorite flavored water of his- Momo hadn't thought it was that funny, and she supposed she never would.

"...The turtle... couldn't... help us..."

...Sometimes, with no warning at all, that phrase would pop into her mind and she would find herself needing to hold onto Tenya and make sure he was still there.

It was a good life- no boredom, no cheating, no bitter arguments- though, there was one, single cloud that hung over them, following them always, constantly in the back of both of their minds.

Her mother had brought it up first- which, looking back now- Momo found to be cruelly ironic.

They had been having one of their weekly talks, saying nothing of any real importance- just talking about what was going on in both of their lives, her mother catching her up on the neighborhood gossip, and launching into a complaint about how their new neighbors had very misbehaving boys that liked to break windows with baseballs on their free-time.

That's when it had happened.

"Speaking of which, Momo-" she had started, interrupting her own train of thought "when are you and Tenya going to give me and your father some grandbabies to spoil?"-

-Momo had hung up immediately.

After a few, tense, moments of staring blankly out one of the large living room windows, she had burst into tears.

It took her nearly forty-five minutes to completely stop the tears that flowed steadily down her face. Though she supposes, she had known that it was coming- her mother had just brought it on a little sooner than expected.

Tenya wanted kids. She wanted kids. There weren't any issues there- there was even an extra bedroom in their beautiful high rise, currently being used as a joint office for the two of them, but both having made a silent agreement that it would someday belong to a little girl or boy.

-But where was that baby? Every month the room stayed unchanging, and Momo felt a piece of her break each time- she could barely stand to be in the room anymore- it just reminded her of what it could (what it should) be.

In 2019, almost two years since Momo had thrown away the last of her birth control pills, they went and saw a doctor.

However, they couldn't find a single thing wrong with either of them- well- They had found a small tumor in Momo's uterus, but it wasn't cancerous and it was to small to be causing issues with conceiving... they'd scheduled a minimally invasive surgery that day, it was out in two weeks, and a month later she was back in the courtrooms... They were both fertile, everything was connected right, and where it should be- there was absolutely nothing wrong with either of them.

So where was their baby?

The doctor suggested it was psychological- that they wanted it so badly that it caused them to get nervous or something- but neither Momo nor Tenya thought that was the actual case.

"It's my fault." Tenya had spoken later that night, after the doctor's visit and another round of trying (and failing) to conceive a child. His voice was flat, almost disconnected.

"It's not-" she had started but was cut off almost immediately.

"-It is. I don't know how, but it is."

Momo's heart had been beating fast, to fast, then, that oh so familiar, shameful flush dusting across her cheeks. It was as if he had read her mind and found a secret, a thought she had had, that she hadn't even realized was there herself.

Yes, there was something wrong- and it wasn't her. It was him.

"Stop-" she had started once more but was yet again cut off.

"-It is. You know it is- and- and sometimes I think- I think I might know why... I see it in my dreams- but- it always slips away as soon as I wake up."

Momo knew the dreams he was talking about. She knew them well. Several nights a week she would wake up to her husband thrashing, mumbling something under his breath to quiet for her to hear- she'd gotten used to it over the years, of course, she had asked him about them at some point- but he had always given her the same answer as he did that night: he couldn't remember.

"Sometimes in the dreams... I'll think to myself "I know now... now I know." Not just about you not getting pregnant, but with everything that's wrong with my life."

"Nothings wrong with your life, Tenya-"

"-I'm not talking about inside." He had turned to her then, his eyes fixed on hers in an intense, serious gaze. He was talking with his hands now- something he only did when extremely worked up. "I'm talking about outside-" he gestured his hands around himself in a sort of circle "-like, something that should be over isn't- sometimes I wake up from my dreams and think that this whole pleasant life I have here with you is just- just some sort of facade- or- or its just the eye of some storm."

Momo had let him vent until his face turned blue. They didn't talk about it the next day.

There were still no kids.

On the night of May 28th, 2020- the night of the bath- their assorted in-laws were still awaiting to be grandparents. The extra room was still an office (now only Tenya's, Momo couldn't stand to be in there at all anymore), and their families had stopped asking when they were going to have children- Tenya himself had even stopped mentioning it, which saddened Momo immensely...

Sometimes, when he didn't know she was looking, she'd catch him with that shadow on his face- as if he was trying desperately to remember something.

...Other than that one cloud, their lives were good up until Tenya's phone rang on the night of May 28th in the middle of that trivia game show Momo (had, not anymore) liked so much.

She had her client's files in her hands, a pen in her mouth, and her legs underneath her on the couch. Tenya sat in a recliner to her left, the newest issue of "Weekly Young Jump" advertising the latest chapter of Midoriya's manga on the front cover with a, genuinely terrifying, drawing of some sort of creature Momo couldn't quite make out next to the title. Next to it was a small photo of a man in his late twenties, a face full of freckles, and curly green locks. the words "Get to know the author!" In bright, bright colors were running along the bottom of the photo.

Tenya picked up his phone absentmindedly, the magazine falling gently against his lap. "Hello?" A pause as Tenya listened "oh? Yes- this is him-"

He frowned, Momo pushed her files to the side, curious about who was calling.

"I- who did you say you were again?"

Later, out of shame, she would lie and tell her parents that she knew something was wrong the moment Tenya answered the phone. In reality, there had only been a quick instant- felt only when Tenya had frowned.

...But maybe that was all right. Maybe they had both suspected that something was coming long before that phone call, something that just didn't quite fit.

'Is it mom?' She mouthed, wondering if maybe her father, who had a strange affinity for red meat, had had a heart attack or something- but Tenya didn't answer, instead holding a hand up, silently telling her to wait a minute.

Then, Tenya smiled.

Not his usual, warm and kind smile that Momo was oh-so in love with- no, this one was much more... exasperated? It made him look tired, as well as a little older. "Well-" Tenya laughed a little, once again sounding more tired than anything else "I'll be- Kaminari Denki, how did y-"

Then he stopped, his smile dropping instantly as he listened intently as this man on the phone, this Kaminari Denki, spoke for a good while. She recognized the look on his face- the analytical one he always got while he worked, the one he always got while trying to solve a particularly hard problem- or even when someone was telling him something strange or interesting.

She figured the last one must be the case- after all, who called someone to give them a tough problem to solve?- and turned towards the tv, cringing a little as a woman was drenched in purple slime for saying the wrong answer. In the back of her mind, she wondered who Tenya was on the phone with- an old friend? A Colleague? A new client?

It was then that she noticed that Tenya's phone conversation had fallen into a steady rhythm. He would make a noise every once in a while, glasses sliding a little down his nose, before eventually asking "are you sure, Denki?-" finally, after a long pause, he said "All right, I understand. Yes, I... Yes. Yes, everything. I have a picture. I... what?... No, I can't absolutely promise that, but I'll consider it carefully. You know that... oh?... He did?... Well, you bet! Of course, I do. Yes... sure... thank you... yes. Buh-bye." He hung up.

Momo glanced at him then. He was staring blankly at the spot above the TV set. On the show, the audience was applauding a correct answer and cheering joyfully- Tenya, however, continued to stare- she'd tell her parents later that she thought he looked a little ill- which, she had, but- at the time she had dismissed it as a simple trick of the light.

"Who was that, Tenya?"

"Hm?" He turned to her, his eyes had gone dark again. It was only later that she would realize that that had been the look of a man who had just begun to completely dissociate with his current reality.

"Who was that on the phone?"

"Oh... No one. No one, really." He stood, the 'Young Jump' magazine falling to the floor. "I'm going to take a bath."

"What? At seven o'clock?"

He didn't answer, just walked quietly out of the room. He'd grabbed the magazine off the floor before he retreated up the stairs. She might have asked him if something was wrong, might even have gone after him and asked him if he was sick to his stomach-but he could be oddly prim about things, and it wouldn't be at all unlike him to say he was going to take a bath when what he really had to do was whoops something which hadn't agreed with him. Besides, two new contestants had just come to compete on her (formerly) favorite game show, so she let him be.

She didn't think of him again until after the credits had started to a role when she had looked up and noticed his chair was still empty. She had heard the water running into the tub upstairs and had heard it stop five or ten minutes later... but she also realized she hadn't heard the refrigerator door open and close either which meant Tenya was up there without his favorite drink- that peach flavored water. Tenya never took baths without it, seeing then as a more "relaxing" activity than a hygiene thing.

He also never took baths as early as seven o'clock. He always preferred to relax like that much later into the night.

Momo had bitten her lip guilty then, heading towards the fridge and then up the stairs to their bathroom. Someone had called him up and dropped a problem in his lap, and had she offered him a single word of commiseration? No. Tried to draw him out a little about it? No. Even noticed that something was wrong? For the third time, no. All because of that stupid TV show-

"Tenya?" She called, clicking her nails lightly against the wooden door once she reached it, hand beginning to get uncomfortably cold due to the temperature of the drink she held in it.

Nothing.

Her whole body suddenly felt just as uncomfortably cold as the hand she held Tenya's drink in. She swallowed nervously, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"Tenya?"

The cold was wrapped tightly around her heart now, she tapped her nails against the door once more.

"Tenya? Tenya?"

Her heart- Her heart wasn't in her chest anymore. It was beating in her throat, making it harder to- harder to breathe.

"Tenya!"

She had yelled his name that time, and the deafening silence that followed it caused her to break out into a panicked cold sweat.

Plink...

Plink...

Plink...

The sound of water slowly dripping out of the faucet was the only sound that reached Momo's ears.

With a strangled groan, she gripped the doorknob and turned, panic really beginning to set in now. It didn't budge. It was locked. Suddenly, Momo was hit over the head with three never's at the exact same time. Tenya never took baths at seven o'clock, Tenya never took baths without a bottle of his peach water, and Tenya never locked the door.

She called his name again. There was still no answer except the steady, deliberate drip of the faucet.

"-May I help you, ma'am? Is there a problem?"

Momo had nearly jumped out of her skin, her eyes wide as she looked down at the phone, her phone, and realized that she must have dialed the police- something she did not remember doing whatsoever.

She hung up, feeling as if she were in a daze- and somewhere in the back of her mind she was reminded of the key- the master key- Tenya kept in the kitchen drawer next to the utensils.

Suddenly, she found herself walking up the stairs once more, master key gripped shakily in her hand- another chunk of her memory gone. She swallowed thickly, trying to call for Tenya one last time- not wanting to have to put the key in the lock- somewhere deep down knowing what she will find if she has to be the one to get the door opened.

But there was no answer.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open...

...At first, she just stood there, hands clasped in front of her, eyes wide and lips slightly parted- the only sound being the ever-persistent plink... plink... of the water dripping into the tub.

On the ground, in front of the tub, was the latest issue of "The Weekly Young Jump" magazine Tenya had been reading, the one with the newest chapter of Izuku Midoriya's latest horror manga- now, however, the front cover was splattered in little droplets of dark red blood.

The bathroom was lit with fluorescent lights- so there were no shadows- you could see everything whether you wanted to or not.

Momo took a step backward, wanting to scream but not being able to get any noise to come out, a hand shooting up to cover her mouth.

The bathtub's water was pink. Tenya lay with his back propped up by the rear of the tub, his head leaning so far back that- if he were capable of seeing- Momo would appear to be upside down to him. To his left, a pack of BIC razor blade replacements sat on the lip of the tub, recently opened, two of the blades having been returned bloody and used.

'He he's- oh, god, he's-' Momo thought incoherently once she was able to think in anything but static, still slowly backing away from the horrific site- tears beginning to well as her brain finally began to process what she was seeing-

Plink...

Plink...

Plink...

He had dipped his right forefinger in his own blood and had written a single word on the blue tiles above the tub, written it in two huge, staggering letters. A zig-zagging bloody fingermark fell away from the second letter of this word-his finger had made that mark, she saw, as his hand fell into the tub, where it now floated. His final impression on the world.

"IT" bloody and horrible, and written in his blood on the wall.

Plink...

Finally, Momo found her voice, and let out a blood-curdling scream so loud she was almost certain the entire complex had heard it.

Plink...