Calypso was just frozen. Just taking in the fact that her cousin stepped into the fray, aiming her double barrel shotgun—firing it again, wincing after.

It wasn’t because of JUST the recoil.

Calypso could see it, beyond her cousin’s safety goggles. Her eye was still taken by darkness, twitching veins that climbed from out of her closed eye.

“Calypso—” Sal said with frustration, flicking her thumb against the latch, opening the gun, jerking it back to empty it of the rounds, and reaching down to her belt that was loaded with new ones. “I’m just a girl, down a eye, knowin’ now that these fuckers don’t stay down with bullets alone—Are ya’ gonna help me today or not?!”

The skeletal monster girl shook her head, forcing herself out of her pitiful trance. She turned to the now-downed-twice Bat Susbumed, with a razor-sharp grin that stretched across the face.

Catapulting herself with her primal speeds, she closed the distance and let her blade do the work for her. The Bat Subsumed screeched in agony, as the bone scythe etched its body apart into barely attached segments.

Calypso had to quickly close her gaping maw, then fought against the instant pushback from her monstrous urges. No. There has to be at least one alive.

“Sally, help Gale out--!” Calypso turned towards her cousin. Biting back the immediate rush of shame and fear she felt looking at her, “I-if you can—”

Sal simply nodded, after briefly holding her head.

“‘Happy thoughts, focus on thoughts that doesn’t relate to the various stresses—’” Sal mocked a voice that was certainly Mrs. Moses, considering how proper she went. Aiming her sights. “Might as well be a saint after all this is over.”

She fired into the back of the left, its cohort further on the right reacting with shock as it watched the shower of black erupting from the impact.

This gave Calypso all the time she needed. Rushing it, she then jumped right onto the back of the wounded Bat, grabbed its head from top to chin, and violently twisted it off. Letting the now dead body fall with her on it, right onto the ground.

As she tossed the head so that she could have her palms out to catch herself, gaining her bearings, Calypso saw from the corner of her eye the other Bat trying to lunge forward—but just as quickly intercepted by Gale.

Calypso rose back to her feet, to see Gale acting as a pin cushion of sorts. The Bat Subsumed claws completely deep within her mud-like body.

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“Y-y’know…” Gale had an edge to her tone. “Kinda mad about being useless. Kinda mad that you guys just… Picked on people that were basically gone already. I’m normally a girl that lets things go. But I’m in a really bad mood right now.”

And proceeded to kick the Bat away at top speeds, right into the flaming, hungry walls that were inching closer… But didn’t need to anymore. It found what it wanted, a new snack as it messily ate the poor monster apart the moment it cut its teeth against such.

Calypso looked up, witnessing the dog fight between Natalie and the last Bat continue. She looked to Sal.

“I’m not shootin’ up in the air until I got the proper sights on ‘em,” Sal held the gun tight in her hands. “An’ again, down a eye.”

“O-okay,” Calypso nodded, then pointed to the still writhing, serrated body of the first Bat. “Then make sure she stays down… Please—”

Sal nodded again, pointing the gun toward the monster.

“Got it anyways—no worries—”

Natalie not only projected her voice, but flipped herself over in the air.

Firing a hefty sum of her wing cells at the Bat Subsumed in the skies, absolutely peppering the beast as it contorted in pain. While it dropped like a stone, Natalie safely glided down onto the pavement onto her back, skidding a bit, but nevertheless a much better landing comparably.

“hahahahatata—Was baiting at least one away…” Natalie winced, struggling to sit up. “So you guys could handle it…”

“Thanks,” Calypso nodded, before running toward the downed Bat, taking no chances.

Of course, things quickly, and easily, spiraled out of their control.

The street rolled up like a tongue once more, raising the downed Bat—along with the serrated one—and letting their bodies tumble down, away from the group.

While Calypso wasn’t going to let that be, prepared herself to bound after them… There was the sound of belching after. Horrid, almost like rumbling thunder… It didn’t take too long to process that they were thrown down a manhole cover of some kind, and eaten.

She then looked about… The town was still alive, and active, but gradually much more slow than before. Maybe the meals had satisfied it, at least for now?

“…And here I thought I was going to get answers,” Calypso shook her head, holding it with her normal claw. “Ah well. Cassie did always prattle on about both sides getting fucked. Even her own so-called people…”

The skeletal monster girl shivered, she sensed Sal walk up to her right. She stared forward… But with the simmering glaze over the one eye, it felt like she stared at nothing at all.

“She looked like Teresa.”

Calypso winced. The true cost and horror about the Subsumed was always apparent to her, day one… But she never lived here until now. It was yet another, shitty level to this entire mess.

“…I’m sorry, Sally. Truly, I am… I wish I wasn’t a coward, that I… Told you what was happening. But truth be told, I barely have a grasp over this. I-I’m just as lost as you are right now—"

“I know, Cal.”

Calypso looked confused. “You do…?”

“Ain’t none of this yer fault, I know that,” Sal then took a breath, trying not to grimace—or say anything that might plunge her back into rage and hurt. “Yer a victim. All ya’ are. I ain’t really too mad at ya’ll… Just at the others.”

Calypso's eyes widened. Once again, she was stunned. Her arms, even her wild Reaper’s Fang, went slack at her sides.

“…Please don’t tell me what I think that means,” Natalie was in tow with Gale, who was rubbing the back of her head in confusion, not getting what was being put down.

Sal shook her head, biting her life before frowning, “My folks knew. They know everythin’, in fact. And from what they told me, a lot more know what they do as well, this whole damn time.”