Blood was pouring from the massive gaping hole in the body’s torso. The hole was messy, as if it was shredded apart by the claws of a beast. The rest of the man’s body had been left untouched. The old man’s slightly piggish face was twisted in agony.

Did one of those birds get in? Ed’s eyes darted to the window, but it was still there, completely undamaged and without any signs of there even being a fight outside the window. Looking around the room, he couldn’t find any signs that something had broken in.

While he was studying the scene, a crowd of curious onlookers had formed, squeezing into the carriage to try and see what happened. The train staff had to squeeze their way through the crowd, eventually managing to get to the old woman. Helping her up, the worker supported her as she cried.

“What happened here?” He asked.

While he was taking care of the woman, the rest of the workers dispersed the crowd, getting them to go back to their seats.

Taking one final glance at the room, Ed blended into the rest of the crowd as he left. I don’t think one of those birds got him... That means someone on this train killed him, but why? I’ll have to talk with Victor about this. We’ll have to be more alert from now on.

Stepping into the room, he saw Victor looking at him curiously.

“What happened out there?” Victor asked.

Ed sighed and sat down at his seat, not taking his eyes off the door at all. “Someone died in the next carriage over. His chest was shredded open.”

“Did one of the birds sneak in?” Victor asked.

“Not from what I could see. There’s a murderer on board this train. Let’s keep an eye out from now on.”

“Mm.” Victor replied solemnly, no longer focusing on his drink.

Another hour passed in silence, as the two pretended as if everything was normal. The room became tense for a moment when there was a knock on the door, but it was just a member of staff coming to check up on them.

“How long have we got left?” Ed asked.

“About half an hour.”

Good. We’re almost there. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”

Victor nodded, turning his attention to his watch the moment Ed stepped out of the room.

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Walking down the hallway, Ed stayed alert. He watched every doorway, preparing himself for an attack at any moment. Stepping into the bathroom, he beelined straight for the nearest stall.

Flush.

Stepping out of the stall he washed his hands at the sink. Through the mirror, he watched as the door to the bathroom opened behind him. The man was overly tall and gangly, with pale, splotchy skin. His clothes were messy and ill-fitting as if they didn’t belong to him.

Ed locked eyes with the man and saw the same bloodlust he saw in the eyes of the birds. Crap. Ed dodged to the side, the man’s clawed fingers narrowly slicing across Ed’s cheek. Blood sprayed onto the countertop, as three bloody lines were carved into Ed’s face.

Ed turned around to face his opponent, preparing himself for a fight. Before he could react, the man’s hand pierced through his chest. Ed groaned in pain as the man lifted him into the air. Ed kicked and flailed as he was skewered on the man’s arm. Ugh, shit. Well, I think I found the killer.

The man unhinged his jaw, opening his mouth to an unnatural degree. Ed felt a chilling cold as the temperature of the room dropped rapidly. Ed felt an immense pain he hadn’t felt in ages. It felt as if his entire body was being ripped apart. A familiar blue wisp became visible inside his body. I saw Mr Milani suck this out of the person that attacked him. Is this what my soul looks like? The pain became unbearable as he felt it tearing at his soul.

Unknown to Ed, there was a small reddish black thread in the very centre of his soul. Feeling an outside force tugging on it, the wisp awoke from its dormant state. As if it was starved for energy, it greedily devoured the fragile blue soul around it.

Ed let out a guttural scream, as his mind collapsed under the unbearable pain. Trapped on the man’s arm, he lost consciousness.

~

It’s been longer than the agreed upon time. Glancing down at his watch, Victor got up and left the room. Racing down the hallway to the nearest bathroom, he kept an ear out for any signs of fighting. Bursting through the bathroom door, he froze in his tracks, staring in horror at what was in front of him.

A tall, pale man was floating in the air, flailing around desperately. As if he was being hung from a thread. Four long, unsightly arms made of thread surrounded the figure, and tore the man’s body apart, spraying blood and flesh across the entire bathroom. The man’s soul remained floating in the air, completely detached from the body.

Where is Ed? Victor’s eyes subconsciously traced along one of the limbs. Following the limb to the ground, Victor found Ed lying on the floor, unconscious. The four arms came out from his back, where there was a massive hole that allowed Victor to see through Ed’s body completely.

The soul was sucked into the arms, pulling apart in four wispy streams of smoke. Having consumed the soul completely, the arms disappeared, leaving Ed lying alone, surrounded by blood and gore.

Victor stood still for several minutes, making sure that it was over before finally stepping into the room. Reaching Ed’s body, he scooped him up carefully before running back to their room. It wasn’t long before he heard footsteps rushing past, heading in the direction of the bathroom. He hid in the room until the train had arrived at their stop. Carrying everything of the train, he made his way through the town. I won’t be able to get close to the portal with Ed like this. Luckily, we’ve still got time. I can find a hotel here and wait for him to wake up.

Weaving through the quiet alleyways of the town, he found a quiet hotel. Leaving Ed outside for a moment, he went in to book the room, then snuck Ed into the room through the window. Now I just have to wait.