“Over here.” Ambrose calls out, and the three make their way to the top and gather around her. “A child’s handprint.” She gestures to the windowpane.

“Could be before they disappeared.” Bunny comments.

“No.” Meize shakes his head. “The rest of it is too clean.” He crouches down and stares at it. “It’s old. Might’ve happened the same time everything else did.”

“Below.” Ambrose says, and steps onto the window and launches herself off.

“Hey!” Meize calls out. Ambrose rolls on the ground and picks herself up.

“Come.” She calls above, before turning to the backyard.

“Alright.” Meize grumbles. “But I’m walking.” He turns away and disappears back into the house. Anastasia and Bunny follow. Ambrose crouches down and looks at the disaster scene in front of her.

The dirt is carved with large swipes that dig huge chunks of the ground out. From Ambrose’s judgment, they’re the wild swings of untrained men attacking something. Her eyes trail further and see some of the damaged tools stuck into the ground. Huge farming scythes, shovels broken off, even brooms and scissors. Not unlike the possessed villagers they fought.

Ambrose looks up further at the tree to side, standing as tall as the house in the backyard. In its branches is a small box, a treehouse. The tree itself had been hacked with axes, cut almost a third of the way across, but it still stands strong.

Ambrose moves to the tree and grabs its branches, her hands finding steady grips as she climbs to the treehouse. It only takes a moment for her to scale the tree before she steps into the little enclave that had been made for the building.

It’s a simple design. Wood carved into a simple square shape, with a small cut out opening and a window peeking in. Inside is a few scattered toys, left as if they were in a great hurry, and a large fur bed made up of layered pelts. As Ambrose steps inside, her eyes make out letters carved into the wood. Ambrose’s eyes soften as she stares at the words.

Astiel x Sunfa x Talin

Friends Forever

“Ambrose!” Anastasia calls out, and Ambrose shakes herself from her reverie. She gives the place one last look over but finds nothing else, and ducks back outside.

“Here.” Ambrose calls out, and Anastasia looks above.

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“A tree-house?” Her curious, almost insistent tone calls back. “Find anything?”

“No.” Ambrose shakes her head and looks down. The moonlight shines across the yard, revealing it fully to Ambrose. Her gaze pauses as she stares at the ground, her eyes shake, before a much grimmer tone returns. “Yes. Below.”

“Below?” Anastasia asks as Ambrose shimmers down the branches and lands on the ground. Ambrose’s face is cold, impassive, but her eyes are kindled with a hot flame as she makes her way to the far corner of the backyard. An area that almost escapes out into the village road.

“A corpse.” Ambrose says quietly as she crouches down, and stares at the tiny child covered by debris. They couldn’t be more than ten years old. Anastasia makes her way beside Ambrose.

“Oh Messarah.” Anastasia kneels to the side, puking into the dirt. Ambrose stares at the body, her fists clenched tight. The child’s face is sunken, but still visibly stuck in a picture of abject terror. His torso is pierced by a metal rake, and in his left hand is clutched something tight.

After a moment Ambrose gently reaches over and peels away the child’s fingers to reveal the object underneath. It’s a small necklace holding a wolf’s tooth. As Ambrose gently brings up the necklace, a simple initial can be seen written on it. A.

“Oh.” Meize came up behind them and froze, his face paling as he stares at the corpse. Bunny’s eyes harden at the sight, and she moves to the side, refusing to look again.

“We should bury the body.” Anastasia says solemnly.

“Too dangerous.” Ambrose shakes her head. She gently wraps the necklace around her belt.

“We can spare the time-“ Meize starts.

“Too dangerous.” Ambrose interrupts, more forcefully this time. She stares at the three of them with cold eyes.

“You’re not in charge.” Meize bristles, returning Ambrose’s stare. “I say have a bit of humanity.”

“Don’t make one body, four.” Ambrose says quietly.

“…She’s right.” Bunny says, breaking the stare-down between the two. “We’d be sitting ducks doing that.”

“You’re right.” Anastasia relents. “Meize, let it go.”

“Fine.” Meize spits. He looks down at the child, and gently closes his eyes. “Let’s go. I can’t stand here.” The group nods and make their way out of the backyard and back onto the main road.

“There were three names in the tree-house.” Ambrose says quietly. “Three children.”

“You think the other two made it?” Anastasia asks. The group remain silent, none willing to answers.

“Let’s check the other houses.” Bunny says, and the group continue through the village. Each house they investigate is the same, activities left in the middle of them. Rooms in different states of disrepair. All of it said the same thing; everyone suddenly got up and left. And they never came back.

The disquieting answers only gave them more questions, and the unnerving nature of the village made it seem colder. More eerie. Every shadow appeared like an enemy, and the odd noise and shiver of cold kept them even further on edge.

After some time they finished exploring the outskirts. Standing not far from where they first arrived, the village remains quiet. The shrine, once open, has its door shut tight. No light shines through its windows, making them shiver as they stare at it. Suddenly a loud smack can be heard behind them.

Meize jumps out of his skin as he whirls around and throws a fist at the air. Anastasia clutches her weapon tight in fear, while Bunny and Ambrose also turn around quickly. Nothing is there but the shrill whistle of the wind. In the darkness Ambrose makes out the door of the grand mill, swung wide open as if to welcome them inside.