Everywhere felt numb, but the sensation was coming back, and along with it was pain. He gasped, breathing heavily. “Oh dear, you’re awake!”

Seamstress was seated at the other side of the room, sewing something that Terrence couldn’t quite make out. Next to her was a small pile of uniforms. Something told Terrence that their owners wouldn’t be showing up to claim them any time soon. His uniform might soon be joining them, judging by the thick rope that bound his right hand to a huge metal pole. It was warm here, at least, and he could feel all his fingers and toes again. “Why even bring me here, if you’re just going to kill me anyway?” he asked.

“The other monsters here are so messy,” Seamstress started explaining. The smell of blood wafted through the room. “You must understand that if I hadn’t claimed you quickly, something else would have, and your skin would have been absolutely ruined.” She made another few stitches. “And please don’t think of it as ‘killing’ you. That’s such a vulgar word. I’m really just putting you to a better purpose.”

“Makes me feel a lot better. Thanks.” He brought his knees closer to his chest for cover and pressed his pocketknife against the knot with his free hand. Still, the rope was very thick, and cutting it discretely was slow. If he could just wiggle out…

“I really am sorry to have to do this to you,” Seamstress went on. She didn’t notice his movement. “I had hoped that you would still be asleep. Can I get you anything?” she asked suddenly, looking up from her work.

Terrence froze, turning his wrist slightly so the cut in the rope wouldn’t show. “Oh, um, nah. I’m all right.”

“Splendid.” Terrence could almost slip his hand through…got it!

Seamstress jerked her head up. Terrence swallowed hard. Maybe she hadn’t seen…she was looking past him. There were sudden footfalls and a couple of shouted curses in the direction of the open door. The next moment, they were joined by a chorus of inhuman screeches. “Oh dear, do you mind if I take a moment?” Seamstress blushed. “How barbaric. If I don’t get there quickly, there’ll be nothing left but pieces!” Silently, she glided away.

Standing up, Terrence grimaced at the abrupt end to the screams. There was no chance to save the person now, whoever they were. He could only hope to get himself out of there before Seamstress returned. Powerlessness wasn’t a happy feeling.

Swallowing hard, he stepped over the debris that carpeted the floor. He crept along silently for as long as he dared, then broke into a run. Spikes and needles felt like they were shooting through his legs from keeping them folded for so long. Eventually, when he was good and lost and hopefully far from Seamstress, he stopped to catch his breath. He leaned against the wall and rubbed his face. When he opened his eyes, he was looking at the next monster.

It was Chi-Chi. Terrence felt his heart sink. As slight as she was, her blood butterflies were fast, plentiful, and possibly full of venom. “Damn it,” he mumbled.

Chi-Chi tilted her head to the side and chirped, taking a step closer. Terrence tapped his foot impatiently. “Well, are you gonna try and eat me or not?”

She only stared back with wide eyes. “Then what do you want?” Terrence scowled, exasperated.

Chi-Chi looked around, then shrugged. Utterly finished, Terrence sighed. “Well, if you’re just going to stand there, I’m going to go. Bye.” He turned around and began to walk, half expecting to be hit by a few dozen butterfly needles. Glancing behind him, he checked and sure enough, Chi-Chi was following him. A monster with ambiguous intentions was right behind him.

If she was looking for an opportunity to kill him, though, she sure was taking her sweet time to find it. Either that, or she was being extremely thorough. After a few dozen flights of stairs, Chi-Chi started to lag behind. Terrence glanced back at her and she scurried to pick up her pace, breathing hard all the while. Terrence sighed and slowed down. “You want to take a break?” She gave an exhausted whistle and collapsed against the wall. Terrence took a seat a few feet away from her and tried to get comfortable. A few quiet minutes passed. “Well, how’s it going?”

Chi-Chi chirruped contently. “Great,” sighed Terrence. He repositioned himself, still against the hard concrete. “I don’t know about you, but I’m just about done with walking for the rest of forever.” Tired, he checked out the cut he’d received back at the icebox. Chi-Chi noticed it, too.

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Terrence could see a pale white butterfly resting on her hand. She extended it towards him and he edged away, realizing. Panicking, Terrence gripped a splintery board from among the debris and waved it in front of him. “Don’t put that any closer!”

Chi-Chi lowered the butterfly. Frowning, she leaned forward and signed a word. Help. “Look, Chi-Chi, I’m happy to help you out, but I draw the line at being a blood buffet.” He scooted backwards, board still in hand, and found himself against a wall.

Chi-Chi did nothing but watch. After a moment, she signed ‘help’ again and waited for Terrence’s answer. “Look, I can’t help you that way. Please?” She chirped crisply and offered the butterfly once again. Well, if she wanted to hurt him, it wasn’t as though he had much of a chance of stopping her, regardless of if he stayed or fled. Giving up, he opened his palm and sighed. “It’s all yours.”

The butterfly landed. Terrence looked away. The insect’s light feet wandered in a circle on his hand, and then the butterfly paused. He didn’t feel the proboscis stab him, but he could imagine it well enough. How much blood was she going to take? Could that thing carry diseases like a mosquito? Turning back, he expected to see his hand looking pale and bloodless, but it honestly didn’t seem too bad. The numbness was better than the pain, even if it wasn’t a great feeling. Presumably, he’d been hit with whatever venom she used to prevent her prey from realizing they were being fed on, at least until it was too late for them to get away. He looked up at the monster and saw the butterfly perched on her shoulder, looking just the slightest shade pink. “It feels a lot better now. Thank you.” Chi-Chi squeaked happily.

He managed a smile in return, and his stomach growled. Sitting up, he fished through his pockets and found the Food Bar he’d stashed there earlier. It was meat-flavored. That was the worst kind, but he opened it anyway, taking a little longer than usual with his numb hand. Sustenance was sustenance.

He glanced at Chi-Chi. She was perched closer, still watching him expectantly. He glanced down at the Food Bar. She’d just helped him out, and besides, a satiated monster seemed better company than one that was looking for food. “Here,” he sighed, handing it over.

Chi-Chi didn’t take it. “Aren’t you hungry?” Terrence asked. She shook her head. “Did you already eat?” She nodded. “…What did you have?” She was quiet. Terrence closed his eyes. “Forget it, I don’t want to know.”

Thirty flights of stairs later, they reached a point where they couldn’t advance any further. A large hunk of rubble from the floors above was blocking their way up. Terrence put his full weight against the obstruction. It wouldn’t move. “Okay. Um, stand back a little, please,” he told Chi-Chi. Backing up, he got a running start and slammed his arm and shoulder against the rubble. That was arguably the worst idea he’d had that month. Grimacing in pain, he saw the cave-in tremble, ready to collapse right onto him. It steadied itself at the last second and remained as immobile as ever.

The best option, he decided, was to return to the previous landing and search that floor for another stairwell. Terrence looked at the label next to the door. It was B-44. They’d made some good progress.

This floor seemed to have been used as a sort of maintenance hub. Shattered glass littered parts of the floor, and every now and then there would be a spill of some unidentifiable substance coloring the ground. There was what looked to have once been an elevator in one corner, but the door was smashed in, revealing only a rectangular hole into the unknown darkness. The way ahead was blocked by rubble, and it seemed that without the elevator or the stairs, there wasn’t any way for them to go. “Well, here’s to take two at making rocks fall and everyone die,” Terrence muttered at the pile. He kicked at it and it shuddered.

“Something’s behind there!” shouted a gruff voice.

Terrence looked at Chi-Chi. “Hello?” he called at the rubble. His response was the sound of drilling and the shouting of what seemed to be a group of people. Guards, he realized, listening to the things they shouted. That was better than monsters, although it was hard to forget that a pair of guards had wanted to shoot him. Still, it was probably better to take his chances facing the authorities than to try explaining why he had run away from them. But then he remembered that he was with Chi-Chi.

He looked at the monster. She stared ahead quietly, evidently nervous. Perhaps this group was too big for even her to take down. Or maybe she didn’t want to kill anybody in front of him. “Put your head down,” he whispered, getting an idea. He took off his jacket and draped it over her, pulling the hood over the top of her head so nobody looking down at her would instantly see her face. With her feathers hidden, she passed decently well for a human, albeit a kind of short one. Terrence pulled her away from the drilling guards. “Whatever you do, you need to stay quiet, okay?”

When the guards, a troop of fully-armed toughs, got through, they saw two people standing together in the underground facility. One of them was a little on the short side, but other than that, nothing seemed odd. “All right, it’s just two more workers,” the newcomer in front barked to his companions.

Terrence straightened up. “That stairway is blocked, so we’ve been looking for another one. I have an ID card if you need to see it.”

“Looks like the situation’s contained on this floor,” the guard snapped, not taking him up on his offer. “The stairwell’s that way,” he offered after a moment.

“Thank you.” He nudged Chi-Chi’s back and the two of them walked through the path that the guards had just created. Terrence paused to watch the group of brave souls venture ever deeper into the darkness. When they finally disappeared from view, Chi-Chi let out an airy sigh of relief. And that was when the third earthquake began.