The sirens rang.

Florence, who still possessed Stella’s body, sank her nails into the ceiling with the tiled floor above her head. The splinters of chairs and tables scattered around her. The shattered bottles and cups glimmered under the flickering lights. Somehow, the room and the corridor outside flipped upside down, with Players scattered on the ceiling, defying the gravitational pull.

Beside her, Lucy pushed the debris off her back. She held a shattered bottle in hand, waddling on her feet.

Sam crawled out of the pocket of Chloe’s zipped jacket. He meowed, prowling towards the shattered glass. His nose twitched at the bare scent wafting from the spilled giggle juice.

Mai rolled over to her side, staring at the cocktail table on the tiled floor above her head. “She’s going to be so mad at us after this.”

Sam stuck his tongue out, inching his head closer to the giggle juice.

Chloe slid across the ceiling, catching Sam in her palm.

“We certainly have to get out of here now,” Florence said. “As I have said numerous times previously.”

Chloe ruffled her hair. “Ya don’t have to say the obvious.”

Florence turned around. She flinched as the fumes floated into the room.

The sea of Players screamed, scattering away in one direction down the corridor. The stomps of their footsteps shook the ceiling. More Players from the surrounding coffee shop poured into the crowd, following them.

Mai gripped her shoulder. The glass, porcelain, and splinters scratched against the surface as she trudged to Florence. Then Mai wrapped her arm around Florence, lifting her up.

“If Stella actually had her memory back, I’m quite sure she’d faint like ten different times,” Chloe said. “Not because of the chaos, but… well… just look at the number of Players out there.”

“Rude,” Mai said.

A rumble reverberated through the air.

“Why are we standing here and doing nothing?” Florence asked. “We have to go now.”

Chole slumped her shoulders with her belly lying on the ceiling. “Do I look like I’m standing up right now?”

“Chloe, I’m sure she doesn’t mean it like that,” Mai said.

“Could I get another drink?” Lucy swirled the smashed bottle in her grasp. “It’ll be nice if I can get one.”

Mai grinned and closed her eyes. Then she kicked Lucy on the bottom, sending her flying.

Lucy crashed into the crowd, sinking deeper within it. A second passed. She popped her head out between the waves of shoulders, stretching her arms outwards.

Mai waved her hand at Lucy.

“Wait, don’t leave me,” Lucy said. “Come back. Did you forget that we have a band performance there today?”

But, soon, the crowd carried her farther away from the Coffee Bar.

“Well… here she goes again,” Chloe said.

Mai glanced over to Chloe, patting her on the back.

Chloe sighed, rolling her eyes. “Fine, I’ll do it myself,” she said.

She shoved Sam into the pocket of her zipped jacket. Her arms spread open as she joined the fleeing Players.

“Nice, at least that’s one less Player,” Mai said.

“I can also do it myself,” Florence said. She strained Stella’s muscles to take a step forward. But, instead, Stella’s legs trembled. “Pardon me, please do not look down.”

Mai grinned at Florence. Then Mai squeezed Florence between the crowd of fleeing Players.

Elbows bumped into Florence’s side. The ceiling quaked. The flickering lights cast a wailing shadow on the floor above. But for some reason, everyone around her stopped in their path.

Stella’s back sweated, soaking the blouse.

“Seriously, why now?” Florence asked. She looked over Stella’s shoulder.

The smoke wafted from a ball of flames swallowed the corridor, inching closer to her. Florence stifled. Screams and shouts echoed and penetrated the ringing siren.

Mai pushed forward, carrying Florence through the crowd. But as the Players around her screamed, their bloodshot eyes slowly closed half shut. Their eye bags darkened as they drooped. Then Mai screeched to the halt.

A row of pink androids packed together towered over Florence and Mai. No gaps between the pink androids were revealed, leaving no space for anyone to pass through the security checkpoint.

The male Player next to her showed his phone screen for the pink androids.

“I am sorry. This will not do it,” one of the pink androids said. It did not turn its head towards the monitor.

The male Player thinned his lips. His phone slipped away from him, clattering on the ceiling. “Why’re you not letting me through?”

“Isn’t it obvious to you with your two digits stats?”

“My stats are high enough to enter. But why can’t I leave?”

Out of nowhere, Lucy rested her head on Mai’s shoulder. Then Lucy rubbed her on Mai’s face.

Mai yelped, jumping out of her shoe.

“I didn’t know you were a scaredy cat,” Lucy said. “Anyways, could we go back or something?”

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Mai pouted. “How did you get there?”

“Pardon me, but I think we should get moving,” Florence said. She glanced behind.

The ball of flames snapped, blackening the corridor’s surfaces. With a mile left, it was inching closer. The crackle of fire expanded. The tendrils of fire engulfed the Player at the end of the crowd, consuming their flesh.

The Players punched the pink android’s chest without it budging.

“Absolutely. We have to go now,” Florence said. She wheeled around back in front of the pink android. “Or else all of us are going to die.”

One of the pink androids glared at her.

“Hey, I think we should let them through,” another pink android said on the left end of the row.

The pink android on the right end of the row looked down onto the ceiling. “Whoever started this could be anywhere in this crowd, Haru.”

“Haru, is that you?” Florence asked. She gripped onto Stella’s skirt, glancing at Mai. “You have to let us through. Or at least some of let some of us go.”

Haru clenched her fist, avoiding eye contact.

“Don’t you dare listen to her,” one of the pink androids said. “You know what you’ve signed up for.”

Haru straightened her back, staring at the pink androids beside her. She stepped back.

The Players pushed through the gap in the line of pink androids, flooding past the security checkpoint.

Florence smiled. “Thank you.”

Mai carried Florence through the breach, dragging Lucy by the ear.

“Hey,” Lucy said. She swatted at Mai. “This hurts.”

The pink android’s arm shifted into a rifle, aiming it at Haru.

“I’m sorry,” Haru said. “I’ve got to do this.”

“This was not the system’s order. You traitor,” one of the pink androids said.

A heavy clank rang behind Florence, Mai, and Lucy.

Mai halted, closing her eyes. She inhaled and exhaled shakily as the crowd collided with her.

“Come on, we have to keep moving,” Florence said. She looked behind herself. She flinched.

The line of pink androids’ heads melted off their bodies, crashing onto the ceiling. Even… Haru did not make it out.

A tendril of fire snapped, flying over the decapitated pink androids.

In a blink of an eye, Florence jolted upright with the flames burning the back of Stella’s shoulder blade. Her skin hissed. Florence gagged, losing her breath. The charcoal-like smell glided from Stella’s body.

Florence dropped to Stella’s knees with a thump, slipping away from Mai’s embrace.

“What? Come on, we’ve got to keep going,” Mai said. “Stand up.” She wrapped her arm around Florence, yanking her onto her feet.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor emerged out of the inferno. The metal plating of its protective gear reflected reddish orange. The clank rang along with the crackle. A green light simmered inside the humanoid silhouette’s chest, fading into darkness. The humanoid silhouette clenched its fist, scanning the masses of Players.

Lucy gagged, covering her mouth. “Where’s Chloe?”

“I don’t know,” Mai said. She dragged Chloe across the ceiling, carrying Florence. “We’ll figure it out after we get out of here.”

A tendril of fire snapped like a whip towards Florence, smothering the tiled floor above.

Mai threw herself onto Florence, pushing her aside and propelling Lucy in the opposite direction.

Florence slammed onto the wall, closing Stella’s eyes half shut.

A wall of inferno split the corridor in half.

Florence coughed, inhaling the smoke into Stella’s lungs. Then, a shadow loomed over Florence, engulfing her.

The clanking of armor against the ceiling stopped.

She wheeled around.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor towered over her.

“Why… are you here?” Florence asked.

“Where am I? I don’t get it,” the humanoid silhouette clad in armor said. It pulled its fist back into the flames behind. “Why? How could’ve this happened?”

Florence scrambled backwards on Stella’s bottom. But, still, Stella’s leg spasmed, unable to stand up.

The humanoid silhouette clad in armor smashed Florence, cracking Stella’s nose. Stella’s head jerked backward, slamming onto the ceiling.

A stream of blood oozed out of Stella’s nostrils. The nerves at the back of Stella’s skull screamed at Florence.

“Stella,” Mai said. She pulled her sleeves up, wiping the blood off Stella’s face.

“Absolutely, do not worry about me,” Florence said. Her vision blurred.

The blazes faded into a reddish-orange haze, and the silhouette of a humanoid clad in armor loomed over her.

Out of thin air, a blue and ginger rammed the humanoid silhouette, pushing it over.

Mai wrapped her arm around Florence, picking her up.

“Hey, wait a… minute,” Lucy said.

“We’ve got to go now.” Mai stomped the ceiling. “Can’t you see what’s happening around us?”

“But… Chloe.”

“She is going to be fine.”

“Look, I can’t just give it up yet.”

“If you’re dead, there is no point in doing it.”

A shatter of glass echoed through the crackle. The footsteps grew fader.

“Come back right now,” Mai said.

“Sorry… I’ll bring the band back together,” Lucy said. “I promise.”

Mai clicked her tongue. She turned around, limping across the ceiling, carrying Florence. Although Florence’s eyesight blurred, underneath, the surfaces around her shifted into oval shapes like the hollow-eyed faces of humans.

“Idiot.” Mai coughed. Her steps slogged into a crawl. “Honestly, how stupid do you’ve to be to do that? And, seriously, how is this place getting longer?”

“Who was that just now?” Florence asked.

“Who else am I talking about? Chloe, obviously.”

“Not her.”

Florence blinked, clearing her vision. She shook Stella’s head.

An explosion erupted behind Florence and Mai. The wind blew through the corridor, knocking them over. They thudded onto the ceiling, sinking into it.

“What’s happening?” Mai slushed through the once-solid surface as she submerged deeper. “Why is… this getting harder?”

“I absolutely do not think this is getting harder,” Florence said.

“I’m not that.”

“Pardon me, what are you talking about then?”

A crack rang next to Florence, where Mai stood.

Florence wheeled around.

Mai breathed shallowly, raising her chest up and down. Her hand covered her lower back. But between her fingers, blood flowed out from where a handle stuck itself into her.

“Do not pull it out,” Florence said. She gripped Mai’s wrist. “You hear me?”

Mai thinned her lips to a smile, closing her eyes. She sniffed. “I can’t… I can’t.”

“I said, do pull it out. Do you understand?”

“My legs… I can’t.”

Florence widened Stella’s eyes. Then Florence bit Stella’s lip.

Mai clenched her chest, trembling her arms as half her body sank under the surface. She gripped Florence on the collar of Stella’s blouse.

“Do not do it. We have to get out together,” Florence said.

Mai shook her head. “Just get out of here.”

“You still have a future.”

“I don’t think so, especially with my terrible stats… and… you know… I can’t.”

“But you told me—”

A whip of fire snapped towards Florence and Mai.

Florence inhaled, puffing out Stella’s cheeks. Then Florence dragged Mai underneath the liquidish ceiling where the hollow-eyed faces floated under the surface. But the burn injury on Stella’s shoulder blade stung Florence as she submerged herself.

The flames dispersed above Florence and Mai, boiling the fluid.

The bubbles of air escaped through Stella’s nostrils and mouth.

The hollow-eyed faces stared at Florence, screaming in a muffled voice at her.

Everything around her dimmed as she sank.

Until… that red eyes manifested itself in front of her. Those red eyes… glared at her within the darkness.