Deep within the bowls of the Royal Woods forest, in the heart of the sea of green where no human has yet to traverse, unknown corners, not yet explored, remained untouched by humans. Though, as for the recent residents; there were pocket of Ghouls in every corner, slaughtering and devouring the wildlife with leisure. Amongst the riddled forest floor were the corpses of ferals, attacked and left to wither by their fellow abominations. With good fortune on the side of Royal Woods, these creatures remained in the heart of the forest, never fully venturing farther than a set boundary before eventually returning to their piece of turf.

On this day, however…

"ARGGGHHH!"

Blood curdling screams were abundant in these parts, particularly ones of unbridled rage from a single individual, using her eight appendages to rip apart any unfortunate feral that dared cross her path. Within one of the denser sections of the forest, a small gulch, filled to the brim with vines and shrubs; were now painted red with the blood of and limbs of ferals. The cause for such a scene was keeping two feral pinned to the ground via her needle-like legs stabbing through their chest and keeping them from moving too much. One she held in her claws, mercilessly ripping it in two. She tossed the severed pieces away, lifting herself up just long enough before bringing her legs back down and impaling the downed ferals through their skulls.

Her breathing was heavy, and her body was damn near coated in red. Her head turned each direction, eyeing the thickets for any another surprise attack coming her way. When none showed, she bellowed out another sonorous warcry. Her braid was near an untangled mess, and the bags under her six eyes gave way to a moment of relief as she had released most of her withheld frustration on the ferals.

"CAROL!" She screamed at no one, and yet also at everyone. "Give me back my baby!" Though her voice toned a minuscule softer, the bile and fury in her voice was still radiating.

Meanwhile, a few yards away, two ghouls watched the girl tear apart a small pack of ferals with nothing but unbridled fury and her lovely legs as her weapons.

"Not gonna lie…" Maggie started, her eyes fixed on Jordan as the girl continued screaming profanities each second, even to the point where she'd fling a severed head into the thickets. "I'm kind of turned on right now." Next to her, Nikki was using her coiled tail as a seat, watching the massacre from afar while also taking in the smells around her.

Having been locked in a cage for so long, the smell of fresh air and the feeling of the cold dirt beneath her brought back memories she feared were buried beneath the nightmare that was her new ghoul form.

"Yea, nothing gets a girl going like wonted genocide." The girl mumbled, with a small hiss escaping her lips with each soft exhale.

"Well, I wouldn't call it genocide, per se." Maggie mumbled, tilting her head to the side as a limb flew past her head, splattering small droplets of blood across her cheek. It caught the girl's attention for a mere moment before her tongue slithered outward and cleaned the droplets in one swipe.

"…homicide?" A limb flew towards Nikki, though; she instead caught the piece with her arm and absentmindedly toyed with the severed forearm.

"…sure, let's go with that."

The two ghouls remained quiet again, watching silently as their friend grounded the already slaughtered ghouls into mush, affirming they would stay dead and not simply reform at a later time. Jordan's tempter had not eased in the slightest, and with each second her fury raged; more ferals would be attracted to their position, lured in by the enticing aroma of anger in the air. Regardless of the shape of the feral, or the ferocity in which many fought; Jordan's adrenaline mixed with raw instinct made her the alpha, the ferals nothing more than pups attempting to bring down a dire.

"I've been thinking…" The snake muttered, tossing aside the forearm.

"Don't hurt yourself now." Maggie jabbed, smirking at the faint scowl Nikki threw her way before the girl continued. Though, not before lightly smacking the two-faced girl lightly at the back of her head.

"Since we share the same blood…or half according to Carol; wouldn't this be Fratricide?...or…what's the word for sister killing?"

"Sororicide."

Nikki snapped her fingers, giving Maggie a small nod. "Yea, that."

Maggie let out a mirthful giggle, crossing her arms and turning her attention instead to the piles of severed limbs littered at her feet. Curiosity getting the best of her, she leaned down to retrieve one of the bloodied pieces. Much to Nikki's surprise, the goth bit into the limb, ripping apart a large chunk of flesh whilst holding the limb by the bone.

The taste was not what she expected. When Maggie ate the slabs of meat Carol tossed her way, they were cold and hard. These were warm, soft, and ripe with flavor that ice tended to strip off. There was no sense of shame, nor did she feel the need to heave when she realized she'd been chewing on a slab of a ghoul; a being she was a part of.

Her body froze; every ounce of her brain was hard at work trying to comprehend what led up to this point. That is, until she turned her eyes to the wide-eyed Nikki, still staring at her with a bugled eyes. With whatever ounce of free thought she had, Maggie swallowed and offered the slab to her companion. To which Nikki was quick to wave it away, and have her stomach growl with an intense ferocity.

The goth had a small laughing fit, while the snake grumbled at the self-betrayal.

"And what's the word if we kill Carol?" Maggie chose to bring back their previous conversation, all the while still nibbling on the slab of meat in her hands. "I mean, technically she's our mom, right?"

"…I don't know the word."

"Matricide."

Seeing Maggie with red stains around her lips and teeth gave way to another growl. Grumbling at the chorus of sounds from her stomach, the snake caught the next piece of limb that flew her way and bit down on the slab. A momentary sense of relief washed across her body as her taste buds savored the piece of flesh she allowed herself to engorge on. All the while, their dear spider friend was still ripping apart the ferals that came at her, treating them as if they were Carol herself.

After a small moment of silence between the two, Maggie felt a dry chuckle escape her lips. Her small sign of amusement earned a raised brow from the snake girl.

"I just realized; there's a word for every little thing, even types of killing." The goth ranted, waving her bare bone, gaining a wide-eyed Nikki, not exactly expecting her company to have eaten her slab so quickly. "I mean, we just listed a fair few; Homicide, Matricide, Sororicide, Fratricide, Genocide…Filicide, Infanticide, Patricide, Nepoticide."

"Suicide…" Nikki whispered, silencing the conversation for a fair moment before turning her eyes away from the slaughter and unto her company. "You got a point coming?"

Maggie, rather than answer quickly, tossed the bare bone to the side, faintly smiling at her fellow ghoul. "No point." She reached down once more, rising up with another slab of carcass. "But it makes you wonder how much thought people put into giving different names for murder. Every form of killing has its own word." Her tone retained a sense of calm and stoic, with just a dash of amusement thrown in. With her teeth sharpened and bared, Maggie leaned in to rip off another chunk of flesh from her slab.

Funny enough, it only took Nikki a moment of thought before a suggestion came to mind. Now, perhaps there was a word for it; she wouldn't know, considering her age. The fact that she knew what most of the words the two-faced goth threw in was a small feat in its own right. "Cousins."

Midway into her bit, drool dripping from her fangs and her eyes snapping wide open; Maggie's face was of momentary shock before a faint grin dawned on her lips. "Cousins…hmm, point for you, scales."

A guttural hiss reverberated in Nikki's throat, though she remained still, choosing to remain passive. As her eyes returned to Jordan, the two were surprised to see the girl approaching them, the severed torso of her last victim dangling in her grasp. She appeared a bit unamused, yet the fact that there were less signs of fury in her gaze was what allowed the two to breathe just a bit easier. When she was well within a few feet from them, Jordan brought the torso up, grabbed one of its arms and forcibly tore it from its hinge. There was still a hint of fury in her eyes, yet she hid it rather well. Watching her two companions feast while she was doing the dirty work left the spider girl famished. So, when she had severed the last ghoul, and could not sniff out another living feral nearby, she came to join them.

"Got it all out of your system?" The coiled snake asked.

Jordan didn't respond, not immediately, after all; you don't speak with your mouth full. She may be a monster now, and recent events would play into that narrative; but she refused to allow certain bits of her humanity to just simply disappear. Manners may not be the most vital of things she should consider preserving. Yet, it was the smaller things that gave her a sense of familiarity, of peace.

When she was finally able to respond, it was short and to the point. "I want my baby." Her voice was hoarse, reduced to a half-hearted whisper, though, bellowing out unbridled hatred towards your creator with such ferocity will do that to your chords.

"And we'll find her." Maggie's words were of little comfort, but they still helped. "Lincoln too."

"Where should we start?" The snake asked, uncoiling her tail.

Before her companions could give an idea, a bellowed roar echoed once more, this time with flood of white blanketing the forest lands south of the mountain. Said mountains were east of their position, and with only two of the current ghouls having actual lived in Royal Woods; the mountains were directly north of the city. Meaning, their home was to the south, in the path of the mist and whatever hidden within it.

In response to the first bellow, a chorus of screeches followed, echoing in the heart of the forest, and given the ferocity; no doubt even the denizens of Royal Woods would hear the call of the ferals. It was as if an alpha was calling to its pack. If that was the case, the ferals would be centered within the mist.

"Our best bet…" Maggie took a few steps forward, gesturing to the misty forest. "The center of hell, at least that's where I think she'd throw Lincoln."

"And Layla?" Nikki asked in place of Jordan, who seemed to be clutching the limb in her hands rather tightly. "Think she's in there?"

"Maybe…we won't know standing here." Maggie knelt down and picked up a leg with the bone sticking out. With sharpened fingertips, more akin to claws than fingers actually; the goth skinned the flesh from the bone. She then took a few swings with the thing, slamming it down on one of the severed heads and splitting it with a sickening crunch. Though the two she would travel with had their own abilities for combat, Maggie was by far the least battle-ready of them. Her ghoul form was still unknown to her, only her regenerative abilities gave her an edge. And her scarred face was enough to classify her as a monster…still…"Let's go." She chose not to venture down that train of thought, choosing instead to lead them into the unknown. They'd find the rest of their team, and together; they'd take down Carol. That, or they'd run. Whichever felt more plausible to work.

-Meanwhile-

Just near the edge of the mist, a battle had taken place. A single feral slammed against a tree, breaking the bones in its back and slumping on the ground, whilst a second was ripped in half and tossed atop it by a set of tendrils. Lincoln/Hallelujah, was handling these mindless beasts much easier than he expected. The majority aimed for him, his tendrils were effective in speed; snatching the ferals before they had a chance to react and ripping them apart. That, or he'd throw them against a hardened surface and allow the impact to shatter their bodies from the inside. It would often take a few slams, but each feral eventually went down.

The dismemberments were gruesome, but it slowed many down. The beheadings were the messier severings, but it served its purpose. Every win was gut-wrenching; the blood soaked tux he wore was a testament to that. But with each downed ghoul, Lincoln found himself seeing these ferals as anything more than mindless drones. They were easy to incapacitate, if you knew what to take out first. The head was a start, but given enough time, regeneration would remedy that little issue. Total or at least near destruction of the limbs was required for the appropriate time of getting away. Or at least, that's what he'd picked up.

Though, he took no joy in what he'd done to them, he never killed any of them. They might've been mindless drones, feral beasts more concerned with feeding a ravenous hunger than to have a simple forethought; but they were once human. And if Carol's origins were to be believed; they could be conscious once more. It might've been nothing more than a lie, concocted by their brood mother as a way to have them on a short leash. But it was a possibility he couldn't disregard. If there was a chance he could bring these ferals back to reality, if he could help the girls under his care…if he could become human again; then it would be all worth it.

Still, it didn't make his task any easier. Keeping the girls safe meant keeping the ferals out of commission. But it didn't help when to do that; he had to severe the limbs of the creatures they ran into. Luckily enough, Layla had the sense to cover Darcy's ears and eyes, keeping her from seeing what Lincoln was forced to do. Jackie was not so fortunate, and by this point her stomach had heaved all it could. Now, she could only hunch over with a dash of green across her cheeks as she averted her eyes, but the sounds the ghouls made when ripped apart were enough to force more tears than she thought she could muster.

Once assuring the last ghoul was well incapacitated, and busy with drowning in its own blood, he silently made his way back to his company. Layla had showed a small reaction; flinching when she noticed he was done with his handiwork. And Jackie being the one that bothered him. she would recoil often shifting away when he approached. Though, he understood why she behaved the way she did; a part of him felt evermore the monster legends spoke of in regards to their myths.

"We're good to go. Keep Darcy from all of this…" He turned to Jackie; the girl flinched when his head stopped at her. "Try to keep up. There's more ahead."

As he turned to walk, with Layla quickly right behind him, Jackie was quick to jump to her feet and follow, albeit keeping a fair distance from the two creatures. All she had to go on was what the slender one, Hallelujah he called himself, called themselves the Grim. The very name itself was, although akin to the simplistic term, was still telling for the girl in regards to literature. In particular, the idea of fairy tales and urban legends making use of the word grim. It was often associated with creatures of nightmares, beings of pure torment and unbridled anger towards the world with an unnerving fascination with tormenting humans. Then again, they were figments of the imagination, stories meant to tell a simple tale, or otherwise teach some form of lesson. But now, seeing these creatures, watching the tall one slaughter the feral monstrosities that emerged from the forests and sever them limb from limb; Jackie could only wonder what other 'stories' were actually truths.

"Everyone stay close, the ferals are wandering aimlessly now, but I don't want to take a chance." To emphasize his point, the tendrils slithered outwards, bringing Layla to his left, and hoisting Jackie to his right. When it placed her down, it forcibly pushed her from the back until she matched Hallelujah's speed. Though she was abhorred to be touched by the thing, she was not one to be ungrateful, especially towards a creature that seemed to have a vented interest in keeping her and Darcy alive. She could only assume why, her imagination always came back to the same conclusion; and in no scenario did she or the child every see their families again.

Regardless, she stayed at his side, mostly when she heard the screeching echoing further, this time the sound came from all around them. There were ones that were faint, and others so loud you'd assume they were within hair length.

"W-w-what's going on?" Layla muttered, while four of her arms were being used to shield Darcy, her remaining two held on to Lincoln.

"Something's stirring the ferals, they're getting antsy." He responded, his tendrils hissed at every direction.

He stopped.

Abruptly.

There was no warning, he gave no immediate reason; only by taking small whiffs of the air around him did they sense a tone of caution from him. His tendrils copied him, taking whiffs of whatever stench they seemed to have caught. And it was only by chance that the same bellow that sent shivers down their spines early was where the scent came from.

"What is it?" Layla whispered, her eyes fixed on the sea of mist that covered the heart of the forest up until what she assumed the foot of the mountains.

"Blood." Lincoln answered curtly. "There are ghouls fighting on mass." His tendrils hissed louder, this time cowering behind him as the stench began attracting the nearby ferals, drawing them away from the group and towards the feast.

"How many of you are there?" Jackie muttered, her heart beat faster with rustling branch, and to hear that a group of those creatures were fighting one another, let alone how the tall one could smell blood being spilled possibly miles away. She had a hard enough time taking in the existence of these creatures, but to think there were more of the savage ones roaming around the forest.

"I don't know, this part of the forest is full of us; though I can't tell whether they're feral or conscious." One of the downsides of having the enhanced senses; he couldn't accurately tell apart the drones from the ones like him.

"Full of you?" Her confidence was wavering, albeit inch by inch.

"Ghouls, we come in two forms; conscious and ferals. The ones that've attacked us are ferals, mindless and operating solely on instinct. And then there's the conscious; we few who still think and speak for ourselves." His information was limited, but hopefully enough to sedate whatever curiosity she had.

With some of her personality reigned back in; the teen stood her ground and spat back in a passive aggressive whisper. "There's a difference?" And just like that; she felt it. A cold wind caressing her back and moving up her spine. Her eyes were locked on to the ghoul she just insulted, and given he could express no facial expression, made the girl all the more tense as she could not ascertain what his reaction to her statement was. And it was quite clear he heard her too.

Lincoln remained silent, as did Layla, though; he did tilt his head to the side. A small hum escaped his sigh as he turned his head back to the teen. "Well, I think there's one key feature that separates us from the ferals." His response was calm, too calm for a creature who so easily slaughtered the animalistic creatures that attacked them.

"And what's that?" Her tone was no better, she was goading him on. She wished she had kept her tongue in check, but it was far too late for any form of recovery as the slender monster leaned closer to her. She backed away on instinct, only to find herself halted by a tendril, keeping her from pacing backwards. When her eyes turned forward, she nearly yelped when the faceless creature was but a few inches from hers.

He continued to lean closer, stopping just by her ear as he whispered. "The ferals have enough sense of mercy to kill you quickly." And with that, he rose up once more, leaving the teen a muttering mess before analyzing their surroundings and spotting a clearing with an decent sized stream of water.

Without giving them a chance to argue, Lincoln gestured toward the body of water and began walking. Layla was not too far behind, Jackie followed quickly when her mind snapped at attention at the sound of another screech.

The company of four had made a small camp, though it was still rather sunny and by no means dark out, Lincoln had chosen for the group to remain in waiting until he couldn't smell the ferals going so sporadic.

As he took a small glance at the girls, he watched Darcy attempt to interact with Layla, which for the most part went much better than he expected. The two were fairly innocent, enjoyed the smaller things, and seemed drawn to the critters in the water. Though the six-armed ghoul was around Jackie's size, something about the way she behaved and moved unnerved the taller ghoul. It was as if she and Darcy were not different in regards to their ages.

That in itself was enough to send a shudder, and a tint of anger, up the face-less ghoul's spine. His head then turned to Jackie, the teen was eyeing the six-armed ghoul's interaction with the child, her eyes occasionally glancing his way. She did not trust them, he garnered that much. But she stuck by them, which at least meant she was smart enough to know wandering away was a bad idea for this particular area.

But therein lay a bigger problem; when they reached Royal Woods. It was no question; Layla and he would have to stay behind. Far enough for them to disappear back into the forest, but close enough that the two would surely make it back unharmed. Darcy, bless the child, would probably forget him, her mind conjure him as some fairy tale or imaginary friend she had in her youth. The more troublesome issue lay with the teen. If she was going back, she needed to understand the severity of what lay in the forest, more so what was at stake if the reveal of the ghouls ever came to light.

Ghouls as a whole were not creatures you could just approach, Taurus made it pretty clear they hate humans, and would rather devour the lot of them than make peace with them. Not to mention, the ghouls were afraid. He was too; they weren't immortal. Hard to kill, but could die just as any other creature. And if his time as a human taught him anything; death by ghoul was by far the least of his fears.

His tendrils hissed at the water, their bodies slithered across the surface before diving in, one resurfaced with a fish in its maw. The others too, each taking great pleasure in swallowing their catch whole, the outline of their prey showed in their consumption. And as it made its way halfway through the tendril, their bodies twisted and writhed, crushing and killing their capture before swallowing the remains.

A satisfied moan escaped him, as his tendrils dove once more, this time throwing the captured prey unto the rocks by the water.

'You're welcome.' The female voice's sass was not missed, but the small act of kindness earned her a pass.

With his father having been quite a cook, in certain aspects, and given his fingers could reform into sharpened claws, Lincoln went straight away to gutting and fileting the fish. It didn't take long; cutting the flesh was like a hot knife through butter. Although, the same could be said for the bones. Years of camping did wonders for his knowledge in regards to preparing a meal and setting up a small campfire.

Darcy was quick to hop aboard, bringing him small twigs and leaves she found scattered near the water. Layla did the same, her presence around the child did wonders for his stress, as he felt her capable of watching Darcy when he otherwise couldn't. And then there was the teen.

Jackie remained away from them, sickened by the way Layla curiously eyed the bundled guts he'd thrown to the side from filleting. More so when a sliver of drool leaked from the girl's lips. When she turned to him, eyeing him with caution and pleading; it only took a small node before downed nearly half the pile. She was starving, the poor thing, and the only thing she could've nibbled on were the severed limbs of the ferals. Of course, he would've put a stop to it the second he caught sight of her doing a thing like that.

As for Jackie, she seemed intent on staying as far from them as she possibly could. And he understood her fear. But like all things; she had to eat. He knew for a fact her stomach was empty, if the trails of vomit she left were of any indication. So, when a few of the cooked slabs were done, he made sure the child was left eating before he grabbed a few pieces and made his way to the teen.

As expected, she shifted away the moment she saw him approach her. She shifted her head away, refusing to meet his, nor catch any whiff of the offering he brought her. So, the two remained silent, neither seemed eager to break the silence. That is, until a faint grumbling broke it. The teen shifted in place, and if the faceless ghoul could see her, she'd be blushing a storm of red.

"May I sit?"

He chose to be the second one to break the silence, albeit by giving her the power to decide whether or not this conversation would go anywhere.

She noticed. So, she gestured to a space beside her, yet unwilling to face him. Still, it was a step at least.

Lincoln, although seated beside her, was still rather tall, meaning he'd have to lean over for the duration of their interaction. Silently, he offered the slabs of cooked fish, to which Jackie caught a quick whiff of the meat. Her stomach growled louder, forcing another crimson blush to flood her cheeks.

Wordlessly, she took the makeshift plate, which was a piece of a trunk thick and flat enough to hold food. Silently, and with her eyes averting the slender ghoul; she ate. It was a bland taste, no surprise there, but the meal was filling at least.

"…did you ever hear the story of the woman and her raggedy doll?" His voice was stoic, leveled, and his head was focused upwards; staring at the forest ahead. "A curious case, many proclaimed her a witch, others said she was simple; none have seen a grown woman care and speak to a toy in the manner one would deem normal for a mother with child." He brought his knees up to his chest, resting his arms on his knees as he continued his story. "Though, I suppose it was a rather interesting doll; having been passed down from her mother, and hers before. The poor thing was more filled with patches and grime than what you'd expect from a hand-me-down." There was a point. There had to be, was it leading to a warning, an anecdote, or his origins. She didn't keep her hopes up for the latter, but she couldn't help but shudder when she thought of what he'd do to her with his tendrils. "Hmm, well, in any case, there was not a moment you would not see the doll in her hands. And in a funny twist, people eventually left the poor woman alone, seeing as she caused no trouble, and was usually reserved for the most part. Hell, it was considered a treat to see the quiet woman outside of her home, doll in hand. In one Particular instance, she took it with her to dine. Now, the denizens of her home town knew of her, and were not ones to turn away a piece of entertainment. But, there was an image to uphold; and so, she was seated at the back of the restaurant. A two-seat table, a place for her and her doll." He seemed almost jovial in retelling this tale, to the point where Jackie felt a bit uncomfortable in how the story would end. Considering her current company, she expected a gory outcome. "A waiter soon attends to her;

He says 'Ma'am, what can I get for you this evening?'

She says 'The usual for myself, and the special for my company.'

The waiter eyed the doll, but payed the request no mind. He wrote down the order, and when the food was ready he served her. Now, it was at this point many in the restaurant, the waiter included, averted their gazes and focused on their own devices. It was only after half an hour when the waiter chose to check back on the woman, in the corner of his eyes he noticed a few of the guest with widened eyes, and paled skin. Ignoring them, the waiter made his way to the woman, noticing her plate was half empty. What surprised him was to see the doll's plate rather empty. I mean, the special was no feast, but it was supposed to be a filling meal for one. Naturally, the waiter assumed the woman ate the extra plate, but then who else? And when he was at the table he asked the woman.

'Ma'am, did you enjoy your meal?'

She responds 'Yes, I very much did.'

'Wonderful, shall I get you the check?'

The woman was quick to jot the man's enthusiasm down with a playful swat at his shoulder. 'Oh, no dearie, I believe it is time we moved on to dessert.' She then turned her gaze to her doll. 'Wouldn't you agree?"

The doll replied 'No thank you, I'm stuffed."

…

There was just a pregnant silence that followed, Jackie starred at the ghoul beside her with widened eyes. All it took was a single gust of wind for her to snort; some pieces of fish flew from her mouth as she attempted to keep more from spilling.

The last thing, the absolute last thing she was expecting from the ghoul was for him to make a goddamn joke. It wasn't awful, but it took her much longer than she would've wanted to get the joke.

Hallelujah chuckled dryly rubbing the back of his neck while his head was dipped slightly down. "Heh, sorry about that; a bit long just for a simple punchline…but I figured it would be a good segue into a proper conversation."

After giving herself a moment to calm down, and swallow her food, Jackie was able to respond. "A proper conversation starts with a joke?"

"Think of it as a way to break the ice, considering you're scared of me I thought it was the best approach." He replied, his head turned to face her. She didn't flinch; rather, she appeared a bit relieved. Although, he could see small glimmers of fear in her eyes, she wasn't as visibly frightened as before. That was a good start at least.

Though, the two remained silence once more, only the sounds of the girls giggling near the fire place gave the two a sense of comfort in this forest filled with ravenous ferals.

"When you return, I ask that you keep the nature of our existence to yourself." Ah, so that's what he wanted; for her to keep their existence a secret. It made sense, these things were pretty frightening to look at, and without her phone, she'd have no proof to show the world.

"Who'd believe me?" She muttered, chewing on a smaller piece.

"Oh, you'd be surprised what people will believe." Lincoln's head turned, emphasizing he was eyeing the tree lines. "Yes, the majority will take your account and think it nothing more to be the ramblings of a woman who spent too much time in the sun." She took that jab about as well as he expected; a slight glare, though, letting it slide. "However, with doubt comes curiosity. And in the absence of absolute truth, humans will seek answers on their own."

Jackie opened her mouth for a quick response, yet, her retort died in her mouth as it closed slowly. He had a point, much as she didn't want to admit it. She couldn't remember the last time she backed down from trespassing in buildings many would tend to stray from. Curiosity was an interesting thing, as was the adventurous nature she had in her before discovering these creatures.

Their heads turned at the sound of giggling, Darcy and Layla were discussing something of their own accord, leaving the two on the sidelines to guess what was being said. For a long while, the faceless ghoul kept his attention focused on the six-armed ghoul. Wondering what her life was becoming a ghoul. How normal was her life? And if they ever completed whatever task Carol had for them, would they truly be human again? If so, could they adjust to being powerless again?

"…so what happens to Darcy, when we reach the border to Royal Woods?" The teen asked, putting aside the wood plate and only now turning her head to face the tall ghoul. Her vigor and courage came back, albeit fragile still.

"Both she and you will cross back into your city, and if luck is on our side; we will never meet again…" His tone leveled, carrying with it a sense of authority and pain she wasn't prepared for.

"Why would you help us? What do you gain from helping us?"

"Less collateral damage." His answer was too quick for her liking, and it left her with more questions than it did answering her first one.

"Listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you, Jackie." Her hairs stood on end, hearing her name be spoken by this creature unnerved her to a great degree. "Ghouls roam this end of the forest, and within here lays the Witch. The demon that knows no mercy, lacks any form of empathy, and seeks only to further her vision...whatever that may be." Lincoln took a moment to think over what exactly he was going to reveal to her, given he just played up Carol's role to being a sociopathic ghoul.

Albeit with much more truth than he wanted to utter.

"She is the reason…I exist." Now that was a bombshell, and a piece of information she least expected considering how low he spoke of her. "Layla and I…as well as our siblings share her blood…I suppose that makes her our mother." Lincoln himself felt a piece of him shatter when coming to that little realization. It was only masked by disgust in remembering the way Carol treated him, the way she claimed him as her own. It almost made him want to gag.

"You sound like you don't like her." She commented, receiving a mild chuckle from the slender ghoul.

"That's putting it mildly." He responded, one of his tendrils dove into the stream and emerged with a fish, repeating the eating process, albeit much closer for Jackie to hear and see it all. "I say this so you understand; you and Darcy have seen too much. So long as you remain in the forest, our mother will not cease her hunt for you."

This made the teen's heart beat at a rapid pace again. To think, she assumed the constant appearance of the ferals was of coincidence or the creatures actively sought one another out for a fight. But to hear that the matron of this ghoul wanted her solely because she knew they existed now was something that made her finger tremble. The only saving grace was Hallelujah's apparent dislike of his own mother, giving the teen the hope that he was in no way going to turn her in.

…wait…when did that happen?

She referred to him-it by name.

"Which makes reaching the border all the more important. If she gets her hands on the two of you…I can only pray for you at that point." His voice became a whisper, shuttering at an image his mind conjured for him.

"Why?" Jackie asked, though she wasn't entirely sure she wanted the answer.

"One of three things will happen; one, the merciful outcome, you die." He rested a claw at her heart, tapping lightly. She felt her chest thumping, as if her heart was threatening to burst at any given point. However, fear wasn't the only factor to why her heartbeat became erratic. "Two, you become another mindless drone, wandering the forests until someone comes along to put you down." Before she had time to realize, Hallelujah had shifted from his spot, taking a seat across from her, his head facing downwards to look at her. He placed his palm against his chest, clutching at the dirtied tux he stole wore, despite the constant fighting he'd done earlier. "Or three; you become like me, a ghoul."

So, I as well felt the last chapter was a bit short, and given I intend to continuously update as soon as I can, when I can, I enjoy thinking over my stories nowadays and wondering where I'm taking them. The endgames, the cuts in between, what I lack most is dialogue between characters, of that I won't deny. A lot of the times I realize I either speed up the plot in a single chapter, and I have little dialogue between characters. So, this arc will hopefully mark the first of many where I keep the narrative, shower you with answers, all the while still filtering what exactly I show. Now, I don't intend to rewrite the story in its entirety, mostly because I'm lazy, but I do intend to put more substance in what I write.

Now, does this mean longer update times? No…maybe. I have the direction set, and I know how it'll play out and how things will end, I just need to write it down. Which, surprisingly, isn't very easy when personal interests and the plot don't align. Still, I will do my best to keep things interesting. I hope ya'll enjoyed the story, stay tuned for the next chapter.

Ghoul known monikers;

Lincoln; Hallelujah

Girl Jordan; Araña

Sam; Virgo

Haiku; Scorpio

Marco; Taurus

Carol; Aquarius/Witch