Loie squinted at the only word she could make out on the container. “CTPAX.” What did that mean? She’d have to research that later—

“LOIE! BEHIND YOU!”

Haji’s voice rang out behind her and Loie whirled around in time to see the demon crashing towards her. It felt like her heart shrank and fell into her stomach while her blood turned to ice. She couldn’t move.

But she had to.

With Haji’s warning and Addy’s charge as a distraction, Loie would attempt to duck underneath the swing. She let our a shrill scream, both arms crossed over her head. The sudden movement sent her phone flying out of her hand and it would slide away leaving her and the machine in darkness once more. If she successfully dodged the attack, Loie would then roll out of the way and onto her feet, immediately falling into a sprint back towards Haji and Seb. She’d whip a small black pellet out of her pocket towards the monster.

Part of her wished Seb would get back up like he did before, but she saw him again, writhing with a bandaged throat. Haji was a crumpled mess, and she didn’t imagine Addy’s charge would be fruitful though she was grateful for her efforts. Her mind suddenly shot back to what the masked man at the mall told her. 'Face your fears… next thing you know you’ll be home…' something like that. The masked man was not someone she trusted in the slightest, but at the moment, there wasn't much she could do.

“Face my fears...?” She murmured to herself. 

Loie straightened her posture and looked at the mall man again with her eyes full of tears. He was definitely coming for her next and there was nothing she could do about it. Haji and Addy could be brave, why couldn’t she?

“I’m… I’m not afraid of you!” She yelled, “Bitch!”

Loie was shocked at herself for saying a bad word, but dismissed it for the time being. If she had to go down now, she wouldn’t go down like a coward.

(Black Pellet: This pellet appeared in your pocket after investigating the gruesome crime scene. You don't know what it is or how it got here, but it never seems to leave your person, no matter how often you throw it away. Once per thread, you can throw this pellet. When you do, roll a d100, post your result, and tag Zi.)

As the man walked, part of his body remained where it was, splitting off from the source. As the flesh was torn, it rapidly mended itself, forming two of him in the area that they could see. The one who stayed behind looked down at Haji with a grin, and rose a leg so a foot was roughly a yard above Haji's head. In a blur, the man would take on the appearance of Haru once again. "Maybe there's hope for you yet. I look forward... to breaking you." With that, the foot would come down hard, striking Haji's head with enough force that the ground beneath it would crack and splinter.

Loie was able to duck out of the way of the attack as the man's body was pushed aside by Ariadne, and with a swiftness that betrayed his large frame, he whirled around to grab the woman who'd interrupted him by the neck. As he did, the flesh around his hand would contort until it completely covered her neck. "You... I'm immmpressed... with yyyou too..." With a laugh, he'd lift her over his shoulder and slam Ariadne into the ground harshly. Then, he'd lift her, and slam her down again. Over, and over, until a foot deep hole formed in the ground and Ariadne was unconscious.

When Loie threw the pellet, the second body would snatch it out of the air and eye it curiously. "Of course," it said, no longer taking on the look of Haru, but of one of her old classmates. "You were there, weren't you? And you have no idea what this does... Allow me to show you."

The boy would laugh, kneeling down to Sebastian's squirming body, and break the pellet over his mouth. The dust fell over his lips and tongue, and he was made to swallow it all. Within moments, he began to convulse more violently and scream as he did so. His clothes were torn open as strange growths started appearing all over his body - but she could see the wound on its neck healed.

"I - AGHH! NOO! L-LOIE! RUN!"

A sickening CRACK! could be heard, as Sebastian's body seemed to be lifted off of the ground. A strange spike formed out from his spine, and his eyes rolled back into his head. For a moment, his body fell limp... and then, from the palms, spikes of bone forced their way out. The spike in his spine retreated back into his body, and he turned to stand upright, facing Loie. His torso was littered with holes where bone protruded, and his mandible slowly split in half. As it did, Loie would see his tongue extend a foot and a half out from it, and with eyes that appeared blind, he began to walk in her direction.

"The others didn't get much playtime... but you will," the classmate said with a sickening smile as he watched what was Sebastian approach Loie.

That voice again. Haru.

Haji looked up, his brown eyes staring through the shades of red that covered his face. A glint of defiance and anger was visible as he saw the visage of his older brother once more. The long, black hair hardly obstructed the cold, icy glare in his eyes. The foot was just above his head, as if it were a guillotine ready to execute him where he lay.

"Do your worst... break me. But know that I am coming for you... and I am going to erase you."

Haji spat out, facing his would-be end with as much dignity and honor that still remained in him. His threat was not a veiled one, however. It was a promise. He was going to survive this. He was going to get stronger.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself, even as he stared an imminent death right in the eyes. As the foot came down, the last thing Haji saw was Ariadne being held up helplessly.

He failed her. By the kami, he failed the people who mattered most.

And it all went black.