Chapter 18:
4:05 pm.
"What is it you want to show me, Kei?"
"..." Kei looks up from her computer.
She sees both Mina and her in her office. The former is looking at her intently as if about to take a test. The latter just has a satisfied smile on her face, as if assured that all her plans are coming into place. Sighing inwardly, Kei folds her laptop, takes the remote from beside it, and stands.
"Kei" Mina calls out to her once more, unable to take the silent gestures.
"I received all the footage of what happened to Lowee last night. I haven't seen it yet. But I think we both know what's in it"
"..." Mina stays quiet, avoiding eye contact.
"And why do we need to watch? As long as we got materials, it's fine now, right?" Mina protests.
"We need to count our materials; a thorough report can't be done right now with all that's been happening in Lowee"
"...!" Mina glares at the girl behind her. Being an Oracle herself, she knew what Kei's words meant to her.
"What?" she asked playfully.
"Tsk…!" Mina clicked her tongue, looking back at Kei.
"If we're just counting, then I see no reason to be here. Shouldn't the National Guards have sent word to you already? They should have given you stats before Histoire arrived"
"Mina, didn't you hear what Kei said?" she spoke.
"..." both of them look at her.
"'A thorough report can't be done now'. Meaning your guards weren't able to send any repo—!"
The temperature suddenly dropped. Mist, formed when the water droplets in the air are suddenly cooled, now floats in the room clearly like smoke; the animosity heightens. The walls now have sheets of ice coated on top of it. The girl with long sky-blue hair wearing a red graduate hat, glares at her.
"You–! Did you–!?"
"Mina." Kei grabs Mina's shoulder, instantly softening at the touch.
"Get a hold of yourself" Kei asked as seriously as she can muster. A tone which Mina knows how to read.
"We've come this far already. The least we could do is see it through"
"…" she paused.
"…" she merely smiled, as if already concluding this little hiccup.
"Alright" and at those words, the room's temperature slowly rose. The sheet of ice melted, and the cloud of mist slowly dissipated.
"Now then…" Kei points the remote towards the TV and presses the power button.
The screen lit up, showing a video feed from a fixed angle. The footage shows a peculiar district with all the lights and sounds that catches your attention. From women wearing maid outfits, to men dressed in butler uniforms. Men and women in business attire coming home from work. Casually attired people just walking by towards their own sets of goals.
For a moment, it seemed like Mina was just watching regular footage. A regular round of security footage where nothing's going to happen.
And then it came…
Some black, misty, and thick fog rapidly rushes from one end of the screen to the other. It was so fast, that for a camera that's capturing at 24 frames per second in the highest resolution possible, the black fog was only visible in just 2 frames within that 24.
"—!"
It feels like her stomach suddenly dropped. Whatever strength she had to watch the video is now gone. Her knees shake violently, her pupils shake violently, her fingers shake violently, her breathing shakes violently, her heartbeat shakes violently. Her soul trembles.
Is this it? The result? The reality she has been forced not to watch? The result of her wish? The price for her wish? The price for going back to those colorful, starlit, days?
"Hrg—!"
Almost instinctively, as if her life was on the line, she grabs her mouth. Trying to stop whatever it is that wants to splurge out of her throat. Mina runs as fast as her feet could take her, exiting Kei's room. Her footsteps can still be heard from across the hall.
"And that's that…" she let out a satisfied sigh.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"A tad. It's quite fun teasing her"
"Rather distasteful don't you think?"
"Not much. The truth will set you free after all...
But still… I have never really seen my handy work this closely before… I see, I see…" she walks up to the front of the TV, watching the gruesome scene play out with a curious look.
"Hrmmmmmm…"
"What?"
"Nothing of concern" she said dismissively.
"Please continue counting, Kei Jinjugi" she turns away from the screen and heads for the door.
"I was under the impression that you would count with me. Seeing as you're the chef"
"Hrmmmm… I suppose" she mused.
"But I have my faith in you. Besides, you wouldn't miscount when all 3 of you are this close already, would you?" leaving the conversation at that, she left the room.
Kei looks back at the screen. A gory scene plays on it. It was like some B-rated movie from an overly zealous director. She watched as the camera helplessly recorded each and every single moment of this horrid scene from where it's mounted. And that's not all, there's still plenty of footage to go through than this one. Plenty, plenty more.
"…I need an opening…" she mumbled under her breath, just enough that only her heart is able to hear.
*BRRRRR!* *BRRRRR!* *BRRRRR!*
Kei picks up her phone from her pocket. Checking the caller, her thumb pressed the decline call button and almost immediately she received an MMS. With familiar movements, she slides open the notification tray, and tapped on the new message she received. It was a photo.
"…I see… Leanbox, eh…"
4:10 pm.
*CLASH!* *CLASH!* *CLASH!* *CLASH!*
*CLASH!*
That last hit pushed IF back. 2 parallel lines were drawn by her feet from where she last stood. Her hands and arms instantly go numb.
"Tsk! Tough as ever…!" IF commented, flicking one of her arms in an attempt to remove some of the fatigue.
*Guhihihihi!*
The thing giggles, licking its mouth as it salivates at its meal. Those green eyes shine like a gem, coupled with her brown hair that further accentuates the color. Her white juicy legs, her neck, that subtle chest, those fingers, her crotch that I can barely make out through her shorts, those curves on her waist. Ah fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. I want to eat her. I want to eat her. I want to eat her. Fuck her. Fuck her. Fuck her. Fuck her. Fuck her. Eat her. Eat her. Eat her. Eat her. Eat her. Eat her. Eat her. Eat her. Eat her. Eat her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her. Her.
"*GUHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHHI!*"
"Tsk…! I'd appreciate it if you don't ogle at me this much…!"
IF takes a step forward and lunges towards the creature. Even with the creamy haired nurse piggy backing her, her speed did not falter as she got close to the creature in just 2 long strides.
The creature jumps back, and swings its long nails at her, using their length to its advantage. But IF slipped underneath, the swing missing Compa's hair by just millimeters. She takes 2 steps forward, predicting where it will land and uppercuts the thing with one of her knives.
*GUHI!*
Like someone suddenly pulling its strings, the creature suddenly ejected to the side, making IF's attack miss. With her forward momentum still pushing her forward. She used her forward foot as a pivot, spun on the spot, and facing the same direction, put power into her legs and made a break for it.
*Guhi?*
IF runs as fast as her feet could take her. Her legs kick the ground beneath. Her back facing the thing as she gets smaller and smaller.
*GUHIIIIIIIIIIIII!*
The thing had just been tricked. She had been waiting for the moment to get away. And that was her ticket out of the fight. If she fights any more than she needs to, she won't have enough energy for the main event. Enraged that its meal was getting away, it quickly chased after her.
*GUHIII!* *GUHIII!* *GUHIII!* *GUHIII!* *GUHIII!*
My meal, my meal, my meal, my meal, my meal, my meal, my meal!
It sprints towards them like a reptile. Slamming the ground with each step it takes, rumbling the earth beneath. IF takes a look behind her, still a significant distance between them.
"Our stalker is really persistent, hold on tight Compa"
"Mhm…!"
Putting away her knives, she takes a large breath and puts all the oxygen she has to her legs. She instantly gains speed, following the road that curves towards the nearest intersection.
Towards a group of soldiers that have huddled together to fight the things on the main road.
"Wait, is that…?"
"It's…!"
"…IF–!"
IF slips in between them, turning to the main road, where most of the fighting is happening. However…
*GUHIIIIIIII!*
The moment the soldier's minds recognized that she slipped through, their heads were suddenly torn off from their necks. Blood instantly fountains out of their exposed necks, as the rest of their body falls down lifelessly.
The thing lands in the middle of the intersection, with 3 heads dangling from its mouth.
"Hiii? Hiiii?"
It looks around.
*BANG!* *BOOM!* *BANG!* *BOOM!*
*HIIIIIIII!* *HIIIIIIII!* *HIIIIIIII!* *HIIIIIIII!*
*GUHIIIII!* *GUHIIIII!* *GUHIIIII!* *GUHIIIII!*
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
There's plenty of them. All of them jumping, crawling, laughing, sneering, running, stabbing, slicing, drinking, squeezing, dodging, eating, chewing. The main road is infested with both soldiers and them. They fight until they run out of bullets, throw their grenades, stabbing them. Every single last attempt to cover the escape route. The blood and viscera all fly around, various soft chunks of meat lay there to be eaten by one of them. Their screams as they burn in pain from being squeezed until their blood rings out to their open mouths reaches the depths of hell.
Through the crowd of death, hopelessness, and despair, it looks around, finding its elusive meal. It swings its head, throwing the 3 heads up and over it that's been hanging by its teeth. It opens its mouth wide, as the heads fall into its throat.
*GULP!* *GULP!* *GULP!*
The moment it raised its eyes. Through the crowded street of lead, red, viscera, and gore. It sees a small flash of green, a sign of brown, and a tasty blue.
*GUHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!*
Beta tested : TMCraze.
A/N: It's true. One day of missing out, and it takes 3 days to get back to where you were. Daily rituals is a must.