Calypso refused to be made a fool of by a living, breathing haunted house attraction.
She covered her ears, so with the added bonus of her elbow-scythes acting as protection not only for the haggard gnat, but herself. Once they glided towards her side, with the hungry walls lurching forward, Calypso sawed their concrete fangs down—causing the building to shriek out in anger.
The skeletal monster girl’s sight was heightened, as her vision expanded almost tenfold. Almost like that camera shot in films, as the world accelerates around her, as she zooms in.
And what she found was exactly what they needed.
“THROW US!” Calypso ordered.
The gnat didn’t turn her head towards Calypso, which baffled the latter until she remembered. The massive compound fly eyes that were at the sides of the gnat’s head, it wasn’t for show—like the weird ear muffs they acted as. Within those eyes, were a hundred “Consumed” eyes reflected, blinking. But only a couple trained themselves on Calypso.
“THROW US FORWARD!” Calypso proceeded to exclaim, explain. “THE ENTIRE HALLWAY, IT HASN’T BEEN WOKEN UP YET! USE ALL OF YOUR STRENGTH AND HOPE YOU HAVE ANY LEFT TO GLIDE!”
The gnat sighed, agonized. But then nodded, the little sweat that survived evaporation flicking from her head.
It was interesting—exhilarating—to be on the other side of what the skeletal monster girl often did to her victims. She agreed to it, and yet was still caught off guard by being flung forward, her surroundings turning into blurred, bleeding streaks around her.
The experience wasn’t the worst part of the ordeal, the fell of being pushed against as she spears forward and yet being yanked downward from the inside due to gravity trying to regain control of this fantastical situation… It was the waiting. To keep experiencing the discordant over sensory, waiting for it to properly end, and that being the moment that Calypso needed to regain her bearings to keep running.
And the moment was so much sooner than later.
But Calypso angled her limbs, hit the floor running on all fours. Forcing herself out of her own daze to look about her surroundings—to confirm that indeed that the spread hasn’t happened yet.
Then she looked back at the sounds of two, very different thuds. Gale now trailing behind her, having the gnat under her own arm, without a second thought in her mind.
Now a new tightrope had to be walked on: Calypso needing to pull ahead, but not by much. Looking forward, scouting out these decaying rooms for shelter, and keeping an eye on the spread that was slowly gaining ground again. All for her cohorts, one trying to keep the tired other safe.
It didn’t help, the fact that these vacant halls were constantly repeating, adding to the madness. Every, single door that Calypso forced herself to glance into—precious seconds she needed and can never get back—mocked her. As if she keeps catching the same spot over and over for her lost keys, hoping that they’ll magically manifest because she “knew” that she put them around there.
She fought her natural inclinations. To curse herself, the world, for being so stupid, pointless, barely breathing at this point because her face was razor sharp into focusing. Focusing on survival, not holding out for some exit or sudden absolution. Adjusting what she was after accordingly, and having enough hope to keep going until she finds it.
There was no greater surge of satisfaction, when Calypso looked into the room that she desperately needed.
“In here, girls!” Calypso waved at her cohorts, as she gripped the rusted door frame. “In here!”
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
As Calypso rushed in, she climbed onto the pile of broken and battered desks—chairs—replaceable office furniture that littered the grime-covered floors. But it was enough.
She stood at the “base” of this ramshackle, makeshift mountain—waiting for Gale to bolt into the room with the gnat in tow, the former transferring the latter to Calypso.
Calypso bit her lips as they pursed. If she’s able to swallow the worst of herself…
She helped the gnat up, aiding her climbing on all fours by pushing her along. And without question and pause, Gale was hoisted up next before the skeletal monster made her own quick ascent.
But it was done. As the monster girls pant to themselves, with their respective rhythms, they were safe. At least a minute longer.
“Ooo… Kay…” the gnat was still on her knees, fluttering her wings of Gale’s goo. “Your thinking of staying in this room, real quick?”
“It’s not a guarantee… But considering that these look like thrown away items, versus being physically part of the building, there could be a chance they’re simply broken things,” Calypso crossed her arms by cupping the last human-looking part of her arms. “At best, they can act as a 12 second raft we can launch ourselves from. At worse, we need to be ready the moment we hear rustling.”
The gnat made a long, anguished sigh before rising again, shaking erratically to free herself of the cyan sludge.
“Man, I’m really just in the way, huh~?”
Calypso snapped her head at Gale, doing her trademark rubbing-the-back-of-the-neck. Failing to do so but never less wearing her face in a cheerfully defeated façade.
“Are you kidding, girl?” the gnat looked at her. “You think quick—forget how messy it is.” She then tapped her own head. “Trust me, being smart’s not what it’s cracked up to be—we need you to pull us out of our smartass gridlocks~”
“…Hm,” Calypso nodded, before continuing, “Now that everything’s done imploding for now, the cloaks…?”
The duo looked at each other, then at Calypso before Gale sucked at her fangs.
“Wheeeeen you, y’know, passed out… Y’know, like, we put your cloak on you and had a plan to go a store an ex of mine worked at to get free clothes before rushing you to the hospital. Theeeeen the sun rose, and the moment the light hit us…”
Gale then made a motion with her claws, balling them up before spreading them. “Poof.”
“… ‘Poof’?” Calypso sounded defeated.
“Poof,” the gnat confirmed. “Ours too—which didn’t help the fact we were naked and carrying what essentially was a dying person in our mitts: not the most potentially bad caught-with-my-pants-down moment of my life, but it’s definitely up there.”
“Thankfully we found some convenience store that was closed up due to… Well, Subsumed-y things, and nothing beats convenience store shirts and pants! Quickly put those on you, called the Sheriffs, and bolted the hell outta there and went our separate ways.”
That gave Calypso pause. The gnat could’ve just left Gale, or worse framed her, there and then. And yet she came back…
Calypso then sighed. “Well, I suppose there was a reason he just handed these things to us…”
“Banking on us breaking the toys, basically,” the gnat crossed her own arms. “Ah well. We just repeat what we’ve done until we find where these fuckers are hiding…?”
“Uh…” Gale added in.
“Gale’s right,” Calypso hopped on her friend’s response. “Way too costly when we still don’t know the state of things once we get there. What we need to do is find a hidden passage way, or at the very least learn to battle this place.”
“Well—” Gale added in again.
“Yeah,” the gnat agreed with Gale, stroking her chin. “We’re still at disadvantage at the fact we’re still half-baked—everything we need to do at this point is hit and run and guerilla, but too bad both tactics involve knowing the land, so we’re shit out of luck there.”
“I mean—” Gale added in, raising her claw.
“—Gale’s right,” Calypso continued on for her friend, “There is one way: confusion and diversion. Why not carry some junk with us, find a place to sneak about in, and cause some mayhem they’re already tense and on the lookout for?”
“Guys, I’m doing my only part in this and you’re super smart—but pointing out the simple thing…” Gale used her propped claw and pointed downward. “Since when are our shadows were, like, all weird?”
Calypso quickly looked down, her dark eyes wide with confusion and awe. Watching her very shadow… Breathe and writhe. But it wasn’t like a Subsumed, trying to masquerade… It wasn’t remotely violent in the slightest. One could call a wave from the ocean “violent”, but it ultimately isn’t.
The skeletal monster girl reached out, instinctively.
Her shadow took the chance, climbing up her limb and gently wrapping itself around her primal frame, covering it, protecting it… Shrouding it.
And within moments, her Shadowshroud cloak manifested itself around its new owner. Calypso looking down, swaying it softly as the edges of the cloak fanned out into wispy darkness.
“…And thaaaank you, Richard,” Calypso purred.