“Stop fighting!” I held my hands up, standing between two factions. “Stop!”

Imani, Tesh, and Kiera were on my right. The couple pleaded with me to stay. Imani silently lurked behind them. I wasn’t sure what Imani’s deal was. She only mentioned that Jubjub, supposedly the Dario of their group, was trying to delay the monsters coming here. Nothing else after that.

Random people I hadn’t seen before were on my left—survivors who wanted to throw me out of the room for their safety. Trying to make sense of the rabble, I gathered that Finlay promised to stop attacking if they gave me up. Amusing that this has happened twice—Finlay also did this exact same thing in my old condo.

“We should secure the door instead of arguing!” Tesh limped forward, his fists ready to rumble despite his injury.

“The girl goes out first. Then we barricade the door!” A guy wearing overalls said.

“The woman with the shadow powers will protect us,” Kiera added.

“You don’t know that for sure!” cried a woman in a secretary’s outfit. “Just give her to the Adumbrae so all of us can live!” Others in their group voiced their well-thought-out arguments about why they should sacrifice a cute girl like me to save their asses.

“Can’t you people hear yourselves?” Kiera hugged me protectively. I flinched, about to punch her for impermissible touching. It was one thing for people to carry my lifeless body and a wholly different matter if my soul—if that was how it worked—had returned inside it. Kiera shouted at the others, oblivious to how close she was to losing her head, “We’re no better than Adumbrae if we throw her out to die!”

“We’ve made it this far.” Overalls Guy produced a wrench out of nowhere. He waved it menacingly. “I’m not going to die trapped like a fucking rat!”

“I have a family,” a sobbing woman said. “Please, they need me back.”

“I’m going out,” I declared, extracting myself from Kiera’s arms. Because I need to reach the door to teleport to the Tea Party’s base.

“But you’ll die!” Kiera said.

“If that Adumbrae specifically wants me for some reason, then he won’t kill me. I’m sure of it. I’ll find an opening to escape. What’s important is that all of you are safe.” The other survivors cheered me on. Erind doing protagonist things? Deen would be so proud.

“You bastards are fine with letting an injured girl go out to those monsters!” Kiera pulled on her husband, who had a frown on his face. “We can’t let Erind—Tesh, Imani, say something!”

“Injured?” I checked my body. Blood stains on my back. Didn’t hurt. Duh. “Who was carrying…” My eyes locked with Imani’s. She blinked and turned away, hiding bloody hands behind her back. As if it couldn’t be more obvious.

Why didn’t she kill me if she knew I was an Adumbrae? Imani wasn’t like cuckoo Deen who had a reason— got it.

Not an Adumbrae. She thought I was an artificial Core holder like Deen, and we were keeping it a secret for some reason. This was the most plausible conclusion from Imani’s perspective.

And now, Imani wasn’t stopping me from going out because she thought, more like hoped, I’d save them with my secret artificial Core powers. It might be too much for her to outright join the people wanting to sacrifice my pretty self, so she decided to shut up on the side.

“Hear that?” someone at the back of the left group yelled. “Growling and shit!” Everyone fell silent. Faint and distant, but definitely a large and inhuman commotion was happening.

Everyone stared at each other for a few seconds as the noises grew louder. Panic-stricken faces stared at me. It was evident from their conflicted expressions that they wondered if they should forcibly grab me. Ashamed but also desperate to survive, it was hilarious how people behaved when faced with death. New knowledge of normal human behavior was always welcome and interesting.

“I’m going out,” I repeated. “And that’s that.” Kiera lunged toward me, but the others stopped her. Even her husband pulled her away as I walked to the door. The rest parted to let me pass. “This is the only way.”

Literally. There was no other exit.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” a nobody said. He was pushing a crate, ready to barricade a door.

“Yo-you’ll be able to escape,” said the secretary. “Do-don’t worry. The Mother Core is watching over you.”

“Here, have this.” Overalls Guy handed me his wrench, which I accepted with a raised brow. “I have a daughter. I’ll be able to see her thanks to you.”

“You’re all fucking crazy!” Kiera shouted. “You’re just gonna let her go out there?”

Looking over my shoulder, I tried meeting Imani’s eyes again. She looked at me. I nodded. She nodded too, probably thinking I confirmed I had powers—that I would fight. Fortunately for them, I had no choice but to do precisely that. While it was so much better if the parasite monsters killed everyone here, including Imani, I also wanted to be ready and power the fuck up when barging into the Tea Party base.

Two people rushed to open the wide metal double doors, one guy pulling each wing. I expected to see the tunnels of the Tea Party base on the other side, but only a bland corridor greeted me. Walls painted half white, lower half blue, and working lights ran down the middle of the ceiling. That weird old man’s powers might work only on that specific door Vanessa told me about, a couple of floors up.

I stepped out. Everything was clean and normal except for a few smatterings of blood on the floor and streaks of black on the ceiling. I was yet to meet this mysterious Jubjub person. What should I do about her and Imani? Deen and I could cook up something later.

We could add a few more murders to our list of crimes.

Roars echoed from the left end of the passage. Jubjub was fighting them.

The people behind me nervously murmured as they hurried to close the doors. Kiera’s screams for my name were instantly muffled as the doors slammed shut. Her voice was further covered by banging sounds as the others barricaded the door.

Show time!

I opened my right hand.

Liquid gold rose from crystals on the palm, its golden glow reflecting on the white walls and floor. Gold turned red as the floating blob took shape. As much as I’d like to stretch my sleepy body and brawl with the parasite monsters as Erind, gauging how I’d fare compared to Deen—childish shit, is all—I needed a good meal after a nice nap.

I threw the wrench Overalls Guy gave me upward. As it twirled mid-air, I placed Blanchette’s mask on my mouth, fitting it snugly against my chin. And the mask turns into a face. A gloved hand with clawed fingertips caught the falling wrench. I had no idea why I did that, but it was cool.

As customary, I snapped my jaws, relishing the impact coursing through my skull as my sharp fangs clashed against each other. I missed this so much! It could be this form’s predatory instincts or just my eagerness to fight after getting bullied as Pino, but shivers of excitement ran through my body while I savored the power of my muscles.

I held the wrench between my teeth and crunched down. The metal was deformed. Another bite, stronger this time, and it broke. Really cool.

I spat out the nasty-tasting pieces. Not so cool. The stench of something nastier went up my hyper-sensitive nose—a huge downside of Blanchette’s enhanced senses. Smelly and noisy. Parasite monsters were coming.

I sprinted down the corridor. Shadows up ahead, peeking from the corner. But it wasn’t the tentacle bastards that appeared.

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A couple of gun-toting men wearing masks and goggles, the attire of Tea Party grunts, ran out of the corner. I didn’t need Pino’s vision to know they weren’t humans—they had a different odor. Couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but nothing here smelled human.

They stopped for a second upon spotting me; Finlay must be surprised seeing me awake and transformed. Then they opened fire.

Without hesitation, without slowing down, I charged at them. Pinpricks in various points of my body. Some bullets nicked my cheeks. A couple pinged off my bared fangs. These dummies were good shots. Small injuries were still injuries. My power kicked in. Power and rage bubbled from within me.

Letting loose a throat-tingling roar, I leaped, arms out, mouth wide open. Eating clay wouldn’t benefit me—I just wanted to let loose and destroy stuff.

But a split second before my claws reached the clay dummies, a river of tentacles surged from the side and enveloped them. I bounced off the squirming mass of flesh and landed on my feet. Who dared take my trash prey?

The owner of the tentacles loomed to my right—a squat humanoid blob that nearly filled the whole corridor, its head squashed against the ceiling. The yawning hole across its distended abdomen spewed tentacles. It pulled the clay dummies to its stomach.

“Grrroaargh.” This’ll be disgusting, though I had a different standard for that as Blanchette.

The Blob glowered with beady eyes peeking through folds of face fat. Several tentacles burst out of its stomach, coming for me. It was as if they moved in slow motion. I could discern the individual tentacles, predict where each would land. My muscles tensed, ready to evade.

Then I recalled how my powers worked. Fuck!

I crossed my arms as a shield and didn’t move away. I couldn’t do the martial arts evasion shit like Deen!

I skidded a foot back from the impact. Tentacles pierced my legs, abdomen, and arms. None went through my body. Such a weird sensation feeling them inside my muscles like an itch I couldn’t quite scratch because it was beneath my skin.

“Rwaarh!” I slashed the tentacles and pulled their wriggling severed ends out of my flesh. Black goo sprayed me, making me more irritated.

The Blob sent all of its tentacles in one mass, a gigantic punch slamming me against the wall. I tore the mass of tendrils, biting and swallowing mouthfuls of flesh. I grabbed the tendrils, shredding them, shoving handfuls into my mouth.

They’re just spaghetti, I told myself. Nothing to be disgusted about—actually, I was fine eating it. I had to fill the void in my stomach. Need to consume. Need the prey that dared attack me to be in my stomach.

The Blob waddled awkwardly as it tried to retreat. I held on to its tentacles, slurping them like a competitive pasta eater. The Blob forcefully pulled back, tearing its own tentacles. I jumped on it and chomped its flat head. My fangs pierced its skull. Crushing bones was like munching on crispy chicken skin—always enjoyable.

Snap out! Snap out of it, you bitch!

In the few seconds I allowed myself to binge, I had already devoured half of the Blob. It wasn’t dead yet—I still hungered for it—but I had places to be. This monster could go wherever it wanted, maybe a stroll to the room with Imani and the other survivors. I moved to the next-in-line in the freakshow—a massive mouth, large enough to swallow me whole. It was sort of a giant version of Vanessa’s almond babies, but this one had human legs.

I dove straight into its gaping maw. It chomped down, a powerful bite. Its incisors, as large as books, sliced into my back and reached my bones. Not minding the pain, I scrambled its insides, eating and clawing myself through its body.

Light! I emerged on the other side. Just to meet more monsters.

“GRROOWWR!” I stood much taller. My snout had lengthened, filled with dagger-like fangs pushing against each other. The back of my muscled arms had bright red fur. Claws grew out of my boots, scraping the floor tiles.

The parasite monsters tried to back away, a rare display of intelligence from their usual mindless attacks. Like a weedwhacker, I shredded through them until I reached an intersection of hallways.

Chopped-up monster corpses were strewn around. They were sliced into neat cubes, unlike how I dismembered my prey. The area had a paint job courtesy of the black goo from the parasite monsters and the mysterious dark streaks that were manifestations of Jubjub’s power. But where was she?

I sniffed the cocktail of odors. The usual blood, black goo, the body parts. And something else—humans. Not-so humans?

My ears perked up and faced the passage to my left, picking up faint voices. Only now did I notice that my hoodie had merged with my head. One of the voices sounded familiar. It was not the way to the next floor, but I decided to make a little detour.

No more eating, Erind, I scolded myself. I was getting too big. I had to crouch, almost walking on all fours, to avoid hitting the lights on the ceiling. Eating or crushing, I was okay with anything so long as I could kill my next prey. He was going to be a slippery one.

“My friend, I caught you!” Finlay sounded much clearer.

“You’re so happy with just that, asshole?” A woman’s voice replied. Jubjub, I presumed.

“You were trying to catch me. I was trying to catch you. I won our friendly competition. Hooray!”

The corridor was clear. The two were in a room further ahead.

Two? Maybe more.

Finlay knew I was here. Suspicious that he didn’t post a clay man as a lookout. Could he run out of whatever material he squeezed out of his ass to make those dummies?

I stalked closer and closer, careful not to make any noise. Even though I was huge, I stealthily moved, carefully coordinating my muscles to control the heaviness of my steps. The fleshy padding on my hands and feet—more like paws at this point—deadened the noise.

“Just kill me. I’ll die with no regrets,” Jubjub said. Her voice sounded breathy. She groaned, probably injured. “Yo-your plans are already ruined.”

“Ruined?” Finlay laughed. “You don’t know anything, my friend.”

An open door. Their scent wafted from there. My ears prickled at the sounds of movement. I rushed forward. Four people—one woman wearing all black and three identical Tea Party goons with their faces covered. Two men pointed guns and strong flashlights at the woman while a third held her hands behind her. Their scents, their movements. Jubjub’s eyes widened as I reached into the room and grabbed one of the men.

Tough like a well-done steak with a bit of crunch. A yelp. I squeezed tighter. The man shattered into dozens of pieces.

“You bitch!” The man to the right pointed his gun at me and opened fire. I backhanded him. He turned into broken pottery.

With no more guns trained on her, Jubjub broke free of the clay dummy holding her. She knocked its head off with an expert back kick. Then she caught one of the flying shards and threw it at the light on the ceiling, turning it off. That’s her weakness? There was still light from the dropped flashlights and the corridor, but Jubjub had enough shadows to cloak herself, and she disappeared.

Not even a thank you. Jubjub might’ve thought I was a parasite monster, given all the black goo covering my fur. She must be heading to Imani. Now, where’s Finlay?

Footsteps! A bit of a struggle, but I managed to turn around in the cramped corridor. A man stood at the intersection I had passed, waving at me. I rushed toward the clay man, running over it as I stepped into the intersection. Another clay man positioned himself by the hallway going to the stairs. I smashed him too.

More clay men dotted my paths, leading up the stairs to the next floor, then again one more level. I destroyed them all and the monsters that stood in my way.

I knew where these walking ceramic pots were leading me. After Finlay saw me, he must’ve devised a plan to lure me to the Tea Party’s base, to what he thought was a ready trap. He drew attention to himself and Jubjub so his clay men could position themselves as breadcrumbs to the right door while I was distracted. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know I wanted to enter their base anyway.

Too bad he didn’t kill Jubjub before I arrived—he really wanted to do his ‘friendship’ shtick with her.

“Hey, you bitch!” Finlay was now using himself as bait. He stopped to spray his gun at me before running again. “You’ll never catch me.” I could run much faster to catch him, but he’d switch to another clay man.

His whole act was so blatant. But this showed he didn’t know what was going on. This also confirmed Vanessa’s story about in-fighting in their group. Maybe I could ask Vanessa to help me kill Finlay as payment for joining their side?

Finlay entered a door. I checked the signs. Men’s restroom. And that running stick man poster on a metal door nearby probably meant the emergency staircase. An eyeball familiar scuttle across the floor and parked itself in front of the door Finlay entered. It was the right place.

The bell started ringing, and the restroom door changed.

What does the eyeball familiar taste like? I was about to reach for the tiny eyeball when I recalled that it was a part of Vanessa. I’d rather not eat that. Back to the mission. The door opened, revealing the tunnel that Deen and I had passed before.

This was going to be a tight squeeze. Both my arms first, then my head. My chest was my widest part—it couldn’t fit. I struggled to pull myself through, ignoring the pain. Hopefully, the doorframe wouldn’t break and cut me in half during teleportation. Fur got torn off, then skin, then flesh. I continued through myself, breaking some ribs to compress my chest. My legs and swishing tail followed.

I crawled down the tunnel. Then I sniffed the air. Humans nearby. I ran to them.

“What the hell was that? An earthquake?” One of them said, likely referring to my very forceful teleportation.

“Dunno, man. Alarms wailing everywhere. We should—hey, you feel that?”

“Yeah. What—AAAAHHH!”

I emerged out of a passageway and chomped on them.

Blanchette is in the house! And that house was the Tea Party’s base.