Denji, Mono, and Six found an elevator in the incinerator room, even though it was dusty and old and looked like it could give out at any second they had to make due
The metal elevator doors groaned open, revealing the main lobby of the hospital.
Dim, flickering lights barely illuminated the abandoned reception desk and rows of empty chairs, their upholstery peeling from years of neglect.
Water dripped from somewhere in the ceiling, the faint sound of dripping echoing in the vast emptiness.
Denji stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders. "Whew! Glad to be outta that creepy-ass basement."
Six and Mono stepped forward cautiously, their small feet barely making a sound against the grimy floor.
Mono turned his head toward the right side of the lobby. His eyes locked onto a doorway, the frame slightly tilted from the building's decay.
He motioned for them to follow, and without hesitation, Six and Denji trailed after him.
It's become a tradition for Mono to lead Denji and Six somewhere with a big-ass monster just lying about so Denji prepared his brain ahead of time to stay alert.
The room they entered was filled with discarded mannequin limbs, some stacked haphazardly while others were half-buried under old cloth and dust. The air smelled of mildew, the walls stained with moisture from years of abandonment.
Denji wrinkled his nose. "Damn, this place stinks. Smells like my apartment when Power moved in."
Six silently walked past him, her small hands brushing against the plastic fingers of a mannequin arm as she stepped over a pile of discarded parts.
Mono was the first to reach a large, grime-covered window.
Rain pattered against the glass, the outside world a blur of grey and black shapes, illuminated only by occasional flashes of distant lightning.
They opened it, quickly met with downpour. Even though they were getting soaked by the second Denji, Six and Mono all let out a sigh of relief in unison.
Denji walked up beside Mono, wiping away some grime with his sleeve, though he shouldn't have bothered, it was going to get washed away by the rain anyway.
The hospital loomed behind them, its looming silhouette stretching high into the stormy sky.
"Finally outta that dump," Denji muttered. "Ain't ever goin' back in there."
Denji shook his head like a dog, flinging water droplets everywhere.
"Shit, this rain ain't lettin' up, huh?"
Mono nodded, he was rather upset that the rain was soaking his paper bag. He sighed and kept moving forward, leading them through the desolate streets.
They wandered the empty streets until they found a building with no door, its insides swallowed by darkness. The three entered cautiously, their footsteps muffled against the wet wooden flooring as they climbed a staircase leading up.
Denji was about to make a joke about how this place couldn't be worse than the hospital—but before he could, the ceiling above them suddenly cracked.
CRASH!
A human-like figure fell through the ceiling, landing with a sickening thud right in front of them. Denji immediately stepped in front of Six and Mono, fists clenched.
The figure—a Viewer—twitched but paid them no attention. Instead, it scrambled to its feet and staggered toward a television in the room. The screen flickered, displaying indiscernible static mixed with distorted shapes.
The Viewer dropped to its knees, eyes glued to the screen.
Denji tilted his head. "…Hey, dude, you good?"
No response.
Mono and Six exchanged wary glances.
Before they could react, a loud crash from another room startled them.
Denji turned toward the sound, and when he looked back at the Viewer, it had smashed its head straight into the screen. Its body went limp, its upper half now fused into the flickering glow of the television.
Denji took a step back. "…The fuck?"
Six shivered slightly, her eyes lingering on the now-motionless Viewer. Mono simply stared before looking at the TV, his expression unreadable.
Something was very wrong though Mono couldn't quite remember what.
Denji shook off his unease and turned to the others. "C'mon, let's not waste time on whatever weird cult shit this is."
They hurried toward a window, and with Denji's help, Mono and Six climbed out onto a slanted roof.
The rain made the metal roof slippery, forcing them to move cautiously. A ladder was bolted to the side of the building, leading up to the next rooftop.
Mono climbed first, Six followed, and Denji went last. They reached the next rooftop and spotted another open window. One by one, they climbed inside, landing in another darkened room.
Mono clicked on his flashlight, sweeping the beam across the gloomy space. Shadows stretched across the walls, distorted and unnatural.
Denji helped Six inside, then took one last glance outside before shutting the window behind them.
The room smelled of damp wood and dust, but there was something off about the atmosphere. Mono stepped into the hallway, the wooden floor creaking beneath his feet.
That's when they saw it.
A Viewer stood in the hallway, facing a closed door.
The door itself didn't matter—what mattered was the TV on the other side. Even though the Viewer couldn't see the screen, it was desperately trying to press its face into the door, like a moth drawn to light.
Denji exhaled sharply. "This is gettin' weirder by the second."
They moved past the fixated Viewer, rounding a corner. At the end of the hallway stood another one, this time directly in front of an active TV.
Its posture was slack, arms hanging limply by its sides. It didn't move. It didn't blink, though Denji wasn't even sure it had a face.
It simply stood there, mesmerized.
Mono didn't hesitate though—he turned to a small hole in the wall, motioning for the others to follow "C'mon." He said quietly.
They crawled through, entering another darkened room.
A closed door stood in front of them.
Denji tried the handle—locked.
"Damn."
Six and Mono looked around before spotting another way forward.
A bathroom door stood slightly ajar.
They stepped inside. The bathroom was dark, save for a faint glow coming from a TV.
A Viewer sat in the bathtub, its lifeless eyes fixed on the screen.
Denji groaned. "Oh, come on—even in the damn bathtub? The hell's wrong with these people?"
Mono and Six shrugged at him as they crawled into a vent on the side wall, neither really cared what these things were doing as long as they were distracted. Denji followed close behind.
The vent led them into another room, where a massive hole in the wall revealed an old elevator shaft.
Mono peered down, spotting a platform beneath them.
He jumped down first, landing smoothly. Six followed, and Denji grabbed both of them before leaping down with ease.
The elevator they had just stood on was still above them.
Mono found a lever nearby and pulled it. The elevator rumbled to life, slowly rising.
Denji watched the moving lift, arms crossed.
"Man, I don't get it. First, we got hospital mannequins tryna choke us out, now we got TV zombies bangin' their heads into screens."
He sighed, running a hand through his soaking-wet hair.
"Seriously, what the hell is goin' on?"
Mono had no answer but Six surprisingly did. "The tower...It's the tower's fault." Was all she said.
"Huh? You mean the same tower we're going towards? That tower?" Denji questioned, though the answer was obvious.
Six nodded, Mono just stood there before grabbing Six and motioning for Denji to be quiet, they had no time for talk.
The elevator continued upward, the rain outside pounded against the building's exterior, masking the sound of the city's distant hum.
But Denji had a sinking feeling.
He wasn't anywhere close to understanding what was happening.
And worse?
Something told him things were only going to get worse from here.
MEANWHILE...
The air was thick with moisture and static, the atmosphere heavy, as if something unseen was pressing down on them.
Cold rain drummed against shattered windows, and a dim, flickering light from a nearby television screen was the only source of illumination in the decrepit hallway.
Nayuta moved ahead with purpose, her small frame almost vanishing into the darkness, her footsteps eerily silent against the wooden floorboards.
Asa, on the other hand, was far less composed.
"So let me get this straight…" Asa started, irritation laced in her voice. "You dragged me into this creepy world, and you have NO idea how we're supposed to get back?"
Nayuta didn't even turn around as she responded. "We'll figure it out."
"Oh, yeah, great plan, genius." Asa crossed her arms, her annoyance growing. "Real smart thinking. Definitely not reckless and idiotic at all."
Yoru's voice chimed in from within Asa's mind, smug as ever.
"You should've expected this. She's just a brat, after all."
Asa clenched her teeth, whispering under her breath. "Not the time, Yoru."
"Oh, but it is. Look at her—this child is unstable. You're wasting your energy babysitting."
Nayuta suddenly stopped walking and turned on her heel, fixing Asa with a glare so sharp it could cut glass.
"If you're gonna keep whining, you can just stay here."
"Excuse me?!" Asa shot back.
"You heard me." Nayuta's voice was cold, unwavering. "I don't need you slowing me down."
Asa scoffed. "Slowing you down? At least I think before I act!"
"Thinking doesn't mean anything if you don't do shit."
Asa narrowed her eyes, ready to fire back—until they both heard a low, distorted hum.
They turned their heads at the same time.
Down the hallway, standing in front of a flickering TV, was a Viewer.
It was a tall, unnaturally thin figure, dressed in tattered, rain-soaked clothes.
It had no face though its mouth was slightly open, it was locked onto the television screen in front of it.
The glow from the screen seemed to have kept it in place
Nayuta observed it closely.
Asa, meanwhile, stepped back instinctively.
"W-What is that?" Asa asked in a hushed voice.
Nayuta didn't answer immediately. Instead, she took a careful step closer, tilting her head in curiosity.
The Viewer didn't react.
It just… stood there. Motionless. Entranced. Completely absorbed in whatever signal was broadcasting from the static-filled screen.
Nayuta glanced over her shoulder at Asa. "Do you think it can hear us?"
Asa hesitated. "I don't wanna find out."
"Kill it now," Yoru said flatly in Asa's mind.
"What? Why?" Asa questioned
"Why not? It's unnatural." Yoru replied
"You're unnatural." Asa shot back
"Flattering." Yoru let out
Nayuta, seemingly unbothered, inched even closer to the Viewer.
That's when Asa finally snapped.
"Hey—what the hell are you doing?! Get back here!"
Nayuta ignored her. Instead, she extended a hand forward, her fingers twitching slightly.
Her metal chain link shot from her fingertip and into the viewers head.
The Viewer's body jolted. Its shoulders stiffened as if suddenly aware of some unseen force wrapping around its consciousness.
Asa's breath hitched. "You're trying to control it?"
Nayuta's eyes narrowed in focus.
"Maybe one of these things can help us find Denji," she muttered. "If not, then they can at least be useful for protection."
Asa stared at her, completely dumbfounded. "Do you even hear yourself right now?!"
The Viewer let out a distorted, garbled noise, like a broken radio signal trying to form words. Its body twitched violently before suddenly… going still.
Nayuta tilted her head.
"Huh. This one's too far gone."
She released her control, and the Viewer immediately collapsed forward, smashing its face into the screen.
The glass cracked upon impact, yet the creature didn't react, its body now limp.
A tense silence followed.
Then Asa spoke.
"You're insane."
Nayuta turned to face her, unimpressed. "And you're annoying."
Asa clenched her fists. "You're a kid, Nayuta! You don't get it! You're being reckless, running around trying to control these things without even knowing what they are!"
Nayuta stepped closer, her expression cold. "I'd do anything to get my brother back."
Asa faltered slightly.
Nayuta's voice was steady. "If you don't get that, then maybe you're the stupid one."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Asa's fists relaxed slightly, but her glare didn't.
The silence between them lingered like thick fog, suffocating and tense.
They continued moving forward, but this time, the air between them was heavy with unspoken tension.
The rain outside hadn't stopped, it was the only sound between them.
Eventually, Asa broke the silence.
"…How are you even supposed to track Denji?"
Nayuta didn't look at her as she answered. "His scent."
Asa frowned. "What?"
"Denji has a weird smell." Nayuta's tone was matter-of-fact, like it was obvious. "It's because of his heart. It's not human—it's a devil's."
Asa hesitated, processing that information.
Yoru, however, had a different reaction.
"Interesting. It's similar to your situation but then again, it's completely different. I wonder what devil was dumb enough to become his heart?"
Asa rubbed her temples, trying to block Yoru's voice out.
Meanwhile, Nayuta pressed forward, seemingly more determined than before.
There was no doubt in Nayuta's mind.
Denji was either kidnapped or getting help from someone—there was no way he'd be able to navigate a city like this on his own.
She couldn't shake the feeling that he was close, but not close enough.
She had to keep moving.
She had to find him.
She had to bring him back.
No matter what stood in her way.