"Okay let's go." Melody said as she pulled Irene by the hand. "To freedom."
I stood there looking at the sliver of hope. That was freedom and yet…

And yet…

A sense of fear washed over me. It started to well up inside my chest like a sink overflowing with water. We all wanted to leave Mint Eye. We all wanted to go home, to feel the breath of what was once ours. How long had it been since then? I had no concept of time anymore.

And yet…

I looked up at Irene who was staring blankly ahead, unaware of the risks we were taking or even what we were doing. My gaze traveled to Melody who was starting to look panicked. "Right?" She said hopeful.

"I…can't." The words were out of my mouth before I could even process them. I said it again, more in curiosity if I had even said it at all. "I can't."

Melody's eyes widened. She forced herself to laugh. "What?" She snorted.

"I can't."

"Why?" The smile she was forcing dropped.

"I just can't. Ji Sun is-"

"Belial?!" She scoffed. "Him!? Are you ditching our one chance of freedom for a boy?"

"No… not that's not it." I looked over at her.

"Then what is?" She glared.

I shook my head, I didn't even know. I was suddenly very aware the dagger in my pocket. Melody walked towards me looking straight into my eyes. I had never noticed before but Melody had this strange look in her eyes. A strange twisted, look. Deep in her eyes right into her soul there was something she was keeping locked up. Something bad.

I stepped back trying to create distance but she pursued. She searched my face as I avoided her gaze afraid of what lied within her soul. "What you doing?" she said.

"I'm…not going. Ji Sung." I managed to sputter out.

"Ji Sung," she hissed, "didn't make the deadline. We need to go. Now. This is time sensitive. If we want to avoid Arc Members and Priests and even the Flock! We. Need. To go!"

"I can't."

In the darkness of the hallway I could see something creep out of Melody. It was like a monster was trying to take over her body. She reached out her hand. Her fingers thin and long and boney. They were cold as they wrapped around my wrist. "Now." She demanded.

I tried to pull away. Melody tightened her grip. Her soul, I could see it in her eyes, it was opening up and something was crawling out. She dug her sharp nails into my skin. The darkness felt like it was closing in even with faint flickering light of the torches, but yet I could see every feature of her face. Her eyes were glowing with anger. Her mouth was slightly open moving as if she were saying something. The coldness of her hands was starting to feel like it was spreading to me. A warning it felt like. Her nails dug in deeper. I ripped my hand away squinting at the feeling of having my skin ripped off (of course it didn't hurt) and looked at the five fresh scratch marks on my wrist to the palm of my hand.

"Fool….Fool!" A flash of anger washed over her. She looked at Irene. "You idiot! Hurry up and get out of this place! Or should I just make you-" She reeled her arm to her pockets and looked as if she was about to pull something out of her pocket.

"Freedom?" Irene gurgled.

We both froze.

"Freedom?" She said again.

"…Yes." Melody said slowly. Then she smiled. "Yes! Yes freedom!" She looked at me. "See? Even Irene knows we're going home. We're going to be free."

"Free." I repeated.

And still… I couldn't.

"Ji Sung isn't with us." I brought up again.

"Ji Sung! Ji Sung! JiSungJiSung JiSung!" She barred her teeth. "I'm sick and tired of hearing that to be your excuse!"

"He-"

"He nothing!" She took a step back and breathed. The knife in my pocket was burning on my side now. "Let's just get through this. Okay? I don't need you backing out on me."

"W-well. Why don't I stay here? You know that my friends are somewhere out here, y-you can go and tell them where to find me and-and I'll stay here and wait for Ji Sung."

She stayed silent, looking at me like I had lost my mind. "You're serious?"

"I am."

"You're really serious?"

"I really am."

She started to chuckled, her shoulders shaking with each movement. "This is ridiculous!" She hissed. "I went through so much! So very much to get you here!" Her voice was straining to stay quiet. "I can't believe this! I defended you, I helped you, I went through Re:REJUVENATION with you for what!? FOR WHAT!?" She shrieked.

There was a sound of footsteps. We both stayed silent until they died away. "Listen here." She pointed her thin finger at me. "Listen here. I don't know what brainwashing technique they used to make you so stupid but I'm sick and tired of this. So either you go or I'll make you go!"

I backed away. "I'm sorry. Make sure you take Irene to a hospital first before you get help." I turned away and started to head towards the ladder, afraid that if I didn't leave she would never.

But then, there was a sound. It was almost human sounding. A loud gurgling noise that seemed to choke on itself. The gurgle rose and splattered to the floor. Then something heavy fell and a loud thud of something smashed into the floor.
I turned to see Irene, or what looked like her, laying on the floor. I gasped and ran towards her side. Melody was looking down at us, her face engulfed by the darkness. I touched her hair muttering and whimpering her name for her to get up. My hands touched something wet. I ran them over her mouth. Still they were becoming soaked. Was it drool? Or foam?! Had she had a seizure?! I lifted my fingers to the dim light of the torch. It was neither of those things. I began to shake as my mouth opened in gasps of a silent scream.

Blood.

Thick, red, and flowing out of her like a faucet. I looked up at Melody and scurried back. Something was glinting in her hands. Surgical knives. Sharp and dripping with the blood of a poor woman who had no chance at life. I slowly looked up at Melody. I cold only see her glinting eyes, her white teeth bared out in a sick grin, and I could hear her breathing in steady short breaths as if she had experiencing some sort of pleasure.

"Y-y-y-you." I pointed to the surgical knife.

"Y-y-y-you? Hahahahaha! Oh my gosh! I wanted to see that face soooo badly! I wanted to see you realize that freedom is not an option for you. But nooOOOooo you just had to get that bastard child! Bastard child! Bastard!" She waved the knife around licking the blood off every time it passed her mouth. "Wow, this just wasn't my plan. Not at all. I'm going to hear about this tomorrow but hey, at least I can get what I want."

"W-what?"

"Get up. I want to have a chase….OH! OH! I know, go in, go in through the hole. Come on~! Come on~! I will love to see your face look at that night sky and then I'll chase you and chase you to my home! And then I will do so much to you. You won't even be able to take it! Pfft hahahahaha! Cuz you'll be dead!"
She stepped towards me. I scrambled to stand up until to find myself pressed against a wall. "Get away from me!" I glared.

"Oh? What's wrong? My little bae is scared?"

"Stop that. Get away!"

"Oh. No no no." She glanced to her side ignoring me completely. "This sucks. I really wanted to use so many of my toys on you. Damn. Guess this baby will do. I can cut you up and make you pretty." She looked at her knife lovingly.

"Get away!" I screamed. "You crazy bitch!" I reached into my pocket and sliced at her hand.

She let out a roar of anger. "You! You cut me!?" She looked at the deep gash in her arm.

I felt my hands tremble. It was like slicing into chicken, the way the the knife cut through her skin and pulled the flesh underneath it. The way the blood splattered across my arms. I… never wanted to do that again.

"You. Cut. ME!?" She gripped her knife and twirled it between her fingers.
But I had to push down the nausea of…well I knew what I had to do. I had to kill her. Yes. That was the only way. The only way.

I
Must
Kill.

A felt a bubble of fear and something else rise inside me.

Melody took a step back and, like a cat, pounced towards me with her knife slicing into my side. It would heal. Like me she must not feel any pain. So…there was only one way to make her really feel it. I clutched the dagger in my hand and breathed in deeply. I could feel the blood from the fresh cut pool into my clothing.

"Die! DIEDIEDIEDIE!" She thrashed her knife about.

I managed to dodge and took another slice. I felt the knife slice into her. She gasped and started choking. She stumbled backward and tripped over Irene's body. I could see, through the dim light, that I had cut into her chest. Deep. She landed into the hole. I ran towards her and thrusted the knife into her throat. The weight of our bodies caused the the walls to shake. The exit to freedom…it was collapsing. I could hear footsteps coming from upstairs. The hatch opened. Someone was coming down. I pulled the knife out of her neck, a gross wet sound following it, and picked up Irene's body.

"Gotta hide." I chuckled. My mind had shut down completely. I didn't even feel like myself anymore. I shoved her body on top of Melody's. I smiled at the shocked look on her corpse. "Gotta hide." I said again. I reached over and yanked the pulley system. There was a loud cracking noise. I yanked again. The ceiling in the hole was crumbling. "Gotta. Hide." I grunted as I yanked it again. I backed away into the shadows as the walls began to cave in. I watched as Melody's and Irene's bodies were crushed underneath the mess. Footsteps frantically ran towards the noise. Priests. I could hear them, their distorted voices in panic. I brought my blood soaked hand to my mouth to hide my chuckle. Taking this opportunity I climbed up the ladder and sighed.

My floor.

Mine.

I could see at the end of the hallway the Mint Eye logo hovering gracefully. The TV changed channels. It was the High Priestess. Rika. She spoke, in that angelic voice of hers, to stay calm. I raised my dagger and squinted one eye. I pointed it at her forehead. "You're next."