Nina regained consciousness just as her back slammed into the wall behind her. She winced at the stinging pain and felt her body jolt in shock. Getting to her knees, she tried to rub the aching spot on her back with no avail. She placed the defeated hand on the carpeted floor and used it to push herself all the way back up. Her blue canvas bag lay abandoned a few feet away; Nina scampered over to retrieve it.

Good, everything's in here, I think, she thought as she checked the bag's contents, But, where am I?

Nina had landed in a dark hallway of sorts, both ends unable to see farther than a dozen meters before being swallowed up by blackness. The only light source was the sad, orange glow of a lamp attached to the wall had she bumped into. No one was around, but the lonely light gave her warmth as if someone were there for her.

"Thanks for being here, Mr. Lamp." She smiled brightly at the inanimate object. Her thoughts danced through her mouth now that she was sure no one was around. "Do you know where I am? I seem to be lost!" She put her hands to her face in mock horror, waiting patiently for the lamp's response. The light from the bulb flickered momentarily. "Right, right, I don't remember coming here. So, I'm not lost, I'm-" Her mind slowly registered her next word. Voice rising in genuine surprise, she spoke questioningly, "kidnapped?!" She clasped both of her hands over her mouth.

Nina began to bounce back and forth between the tips of her toes, wildly looking left and right at the abysses around her, waiting for the perpetrator to suddenly appear. One of her hands ran free from her mouth and pointed accusingly at the lamp. "Are you the mastermind behind this, Mr. Lamp? How dare you betray me!" The lamp glowed nonchalantly. "How can I trust you anymore? I was kidnapped! Anyone could be the enemy, even you!"

When the lamp ignored her, Nina turned her head away with a little "hmph!" and curled herself into a ball on the floor. Her forehead laid on her knees, eyes staring down into space. She whispered, "Onii-chan's going to get angry again." But I wasn't the one who got myself lost. Letting out a sigh, she turned her head to watch the lamp's glow. "You're right, if I'm kidnapped, then he won't get angry at me." She continued to stare blankly at the light. "He won't get angry at me, but-" In panic far greater than finding out she was kidnapped, she immediately stood back up, back turned to the lamp.

"He won't let me come back to SmileCon!" Facing the lamp again, she said, "Mr. Lamp, I have to get back to him!" She thought about it for a second, But he told me to stay put if I get lost... "But I'm not lost! I'm kidnapped!" Reaching out, she placed her hands around the warm glass encasing the light of the lamp. "Mr. Lamp, I can't let myself run right into the enemy's hands. I don't exactly trust you, but you're the only one I've got right now. Tell me," Shifting her gaze side to side, she asked, "right or left?"

A low rumbling sound arrived from the left side of the hallway. The ground trembled with increasing amplitude. "What-?" What's happening? Nina quickly retrieved her bag. "You-what did you do, Mr. Lamp?" Without waiting for an answer, she swung around and dashed into the depths of the end of the hallway opposite to the grumbles coming ever closer.

Not daring to look back, though she doubted she could see anything in the darkness, Nina kept running, hoping for some sign that the hallway will end. Darn it, wig. The long twintails caught the air blowing past Nina, effectively holding her back. Although she had put some distance between her and the terrifying noise, Nina was already feeling dizzy. The air within her lungs trickled away with every breath she took. Gasping, she squeezed her eyes shut, as if that would prevent her diminishing supply of oxygen from slipping by her. Slower and slower Nina ran, white spots popping out whenever she opened her heavy eyes.

The rumbling was audible again, and Nina tried her best to keep going. Why? The noise echoed around, enveloping her. Why am I… She could hear individual footsteps now-there seemed to be three of them. …running away?

Suddenly, the hallway was illuminated once again. Nina shut her eyes, coming to a halt at a light that suddenly appeared. Peeking through her lids, she saw another lamp hanging on the wall. She gasped, "You again! Help-!" In another instant, five other lamps lit up consecutively around her, encircling her a flood of light. The first lamp changed from a lonesome orange to a fiery red. Four of the other lamps switched their colors, each unique in their choice.

What? The piercing light was daunting-Nina hadn't had the time to adjust her vision. She threw her arms up to shelter her eyes. As she did, her bag swung along with them, and her possessions inside made all sorts of rustling noises. Quickly after, a metallic clatter sounded near her feet-something must've fallen out.

Embiggen.

A strangely familiar voice whispered into Nina's ear. The metallic object rattled and lightly hit Nina on the ankles. Squinting, she looked down from her arms, surprised by what she saw.

Her handcrafted clock hand out of simple cardboard and foil somehow grew ten times larger than before. Not only that, it had a glint to it that made it seem genuinely made out of metal. Wasting not a second longer, Nina grabbed the end of the hand that seemed to be a handle. Feels metallic too.

The three monsters crashed into view a moment later, hideously screeching. What are those? Nina tightened her grip on her only weapon. She had an instant to take a breath before the creatures lunged at her simultaneously. Forcing her eyes open, Nina scooted to her left and took aim at one of the creature's belly. The clock hand sliced cleanly across her target; its disgusting blood miraculously flew straight past her. The second take wasn't as friendly, and Nina narrowly dodged one of the surviving creature's fangs. Before it could spin around, she sliced through its furry body and the resulting blood caught on her white apron. The last one, furious at Nina for killing its comrades, charged at full speed towards her, claws and fangs bared. Its cry sliced through the air. Barely squinting, Nina whipped around and blindly swung the final blow. The clumsy swing made contact, hitting the creature's vital points, but didn't cleanly cut through. Quivering, the monster made its last feeble howl before it lay motionless.

Shivering, Nina gasped a few victory breaths before dropping to her knees. She took a glance at the last creature she killed and quickly turned back around, horrified. I'm sorry. If only I had made a clean cut… She clenched her teeth, tears forming in her eyes. The howl was too painful to bare, echoing through the empty halls and filling her mind. Nina vaguely recognized the three monsters, each resembling a large baboon. They're not baboons though. Baboons couldn't have run that fast or been that thirsty for blood. Nina tried to identify the creatures. They must've been… mutations? She gasped. Muttations…

The smell of blood was getting to her, so Nina got back on her feet and decided to keep heading right. How could they be? She took one of the lamps from its hook on the wall, specifically the red one, to light the way. Those don't exist… In the other hand, she grasped the clock hand that saved her. ...right?

When the smell faded away, Nina slumped against the wall for a quick breather. In that time, she unclipped the two twintails from her wig and stashed them into her bag. She removed the short teal wig and wig cap underneath to reveal her golden copper hair. It reached to the middle of her back and would have been straight if it wasn't for the fact it was stuffed under a wig cap a second ago.

Mr. Lamp, what have you gotten me into? She brought the dimly glowing lamp closer. Am I dreaming? If so, what kind of dream am I dreaming? Nina let out a long sigh. This is strangely realistic. Even you seem to have actual presence. And this… She put her hand on the metallic weapon next to her. Closing her eyes, she let the sound of herself breathing surround her. One, two, three, four… Her attempt to meditate was interrupted by her thundering heart and hazy mind. No good, I'm panicking too much. Calm down. Calm down.

Nina searched through her canvas bag to see if there was anything that could help. To her relief, the plush she bought theoretically a couple hours ago was still there. She reached for it, grabbed it by the hand, and tried to pull it out. Unfortunately, it seemed to be stuck on something, so she pulled harder.

Something other than the doll flew out of the bag. The wire connecting the two objects detached from the second one, which flew a few meters away from Nina. A simple ding rang out. She held up the doll; a pair of earphones wrapped around its waist. The iPod connected to the other side was gone. Oh no-

Music blasted on full volume from the small device far away. Why couldn't it have been "Last Night, Good Night"? To Nina's dismay, the song alerted some other fearsome creature, which was quickly heading her way from the same direction as the mutant baboons did. She hastily gathered all her belongings and shoved them into her bag; the lamp and weapon in either hand. Retrieving the music device, she tapped the pause button and tucked it safely in her apron pocket.

Running further and further, the tired-out Nina thought the hallway was endless. However, as if to mock her, she ran no more than a minute before she broke free into a wide open room. No doubt, she was still in the convention building. The rug, lights, and structure reminded her of the center where the fountain was.

All around the vast room were creatures Nina never knew existed. Some, however, she certainly recognized. With no time to stop and admire the monsters, she hurriedly scanned the room for an exit. The closest door to her appeared to lead into a room of much importance, but she had no time to ponder what it might be.

She made a beeline for it, caring little about all the monsters she tipped off along the way. Taking a peek behind her, she saw the initial monster that had chased after her. A l-loose Chain Chomp?! Nina was glad she didn't choose to stay and fight it; there was no way her weapon could cut through metal.

The chaotic crowd behind her drew closer and closer. Nina dropped the lamp behind her to reach out a desperate hand towards the incoming door knob. A shattering sound informed her that Mr. Lamp was no more. Thank you. She regretted leaving it. You were my first ally. Eyes stinging, she sprinted the rest of the way and forced the heavy door open.

"Love-Lost Elegy (Aimai Elegy)" by DECO*27 featuring Hatsune Miku