Florence groaned, opening her eyes. The wounds on her back, neck, and shoulder blade burned. Her fractured rib cage poked at her lungs. A rope tied her up in a chair and rubbed against her skin. She blinked with the blinding ceiling lights shining down on her. In front of her, Aisling sat at a dining table overflowed with baked meatloaf, curried chicken salads, and beverages. A sweet scent wafted from a crate filled with oranges at the corner of the hall, tingling Florence’s nostrils. But the rotting stench from her soaked dress and apron almost knocked Florence out.

Florence hunched her shoulders as a portrait of a red eye hanging above the door watched the hall. A warm blow whistled next to her ears, rustling her hair.

Aisling’s head tilted onto her shoulder. Her eyes closed shut. A trail of blood flowed out of her mouth, dripping down her chin.

A clank rang.

At the end of the dining table, Renee hoovered her hand above a fork on a plate. She rubbed the dark bags under her eyes.

Florence coughed, clearing the lingering sting in her windpipe. “Is it… you? Wait…first of all… am I dead?

“Maybe,” Renee said. She pointed at the portrait of red eyes identical to hers.

“This really… should… stop happening.”

“What?”

“Sorry…I am… talking to myself.”

Renee leaned forward, clasping her hands together. She tapped her fingertips on her knuckles.

“Renee, why… are you doing this?” Florence asked.

Renee shook her head. “It’s behind you.”

Florence raised her eyebrows, looking over her shoulder.

Behind her, Feno sniffed a lily in her hand. She crossed her arms, looming over Florence.

Florence coughed, digging her nails into the fibers of the rope. But with each cut, the nerves around her wounds shrieked.

“You really should stop talking,” Feno said. “That neck of yours… let’s just say that Aisling did her job.”

“Why… but like… pardon?” Florence asked.

Renee jabbed the fork into a curried chicken salad with a crunch. “Listen to her.”

Something sharp but invisible to the eye stabbed into Florence’s shoulder without penetrating her skin. She inhaled and exhaled, sinking her teeth into her lips, holding her scream in.

Feno swung her arm, tossing a USB drive over Florence’s head. The shell of the USB drive clattered across the dining table.

“Come on, you don’t have to do this.” Renee chomped down on a piece of meat. “Like… it’s sorta time to stop.”

Florence stomped her foot, furrowing her brow.

“I’ve got to do it,” Feno said.

Renee pointed at the crates filled with oranges at the corner of the room. “So, does that justify what you’re doing?”

“My child, it had to be done.”

“All of this… doesn’t have to happen. Do you hear me?”

“If you don’t listen to me… they’ll come after you next.”

Renee slammed her palm on top of the dining table. The legs of a chair screeched across the floor. She lowered her head, hiding her expression behind bangs.

“What about it?” Feno pointed the stem of the lily to the USB drive. “Just one more step and all of this could end.”

Renee laughed, clenching her fists till her finger turned white. “That’s enough… Do you think that I wanted this?”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“Protect me in what way?”

“Every single thing.”

Florence cleared her throat, wiggling within the wrap of the rope.

“Silence,” Feno said. She pulled Florence’s head back.

“I am… a bit… lost,” Florence said.

Renee dropped back to her seat. “Look, whatever you do, just let them go. They’ve nothing to do with any of this stuff.”

“I am not going to lose to this type of Player,” Feno said. “Especially those with errors for their stats.”

“Here… we go again… with this stats baloney,” Florence said.

Feno slammed Florence’s forehand onto the dining table with a thud. The plates and cutlery clattered. The meatloaf, curried chicken salads, and beverages jumped a few inches into the air.

Florence grunted, gritting her teeth. Her skull ached.

“If she hadn’t saved you… Then you would have died a long time ago,” Feno said.

“I think it’ll be better to let them go home.” Renee pulled out a phone from the pocket of her sailor uniform. “They wouldn’t be much of a bother for you.”

“What’re you going to do? Call the pink androids for help?”

“Nope. Please… just don’t do it.”

“Good.”

Feno loosened her grip on Florence. Then Feno snatched the USB drive off the dining table, stepping away from Florence.

“Wait… are you… not going to… kill me?” Florence asked.

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Feno crossed her arms. “What does it look like to you?”

“Hand over that USB to me,” Renee said. She stretched her hands with her palms open to Feno. “This doesn’t have to happen?

“Pardon me… could… Can anyone explain anything… to me?” Florence slumped into the backrest of the chair. “And it would be nice if someone untied.”

Feno shook her head. “This is for your own good.”

“Hey, wait,” Renee said. “Did you already forget what I said?”

The floor creaked beneath Feno as she stomped towards the doorway.

Renee stood up, pushing the chair back. Its legs screeched across the plank surface. She spread her arms out, stepping in the way of Feno.

“I’ve got things to attend to,” Feno said. “So, could you please get out of my way?”

“I’ve said it many times already.” Renee sniffed, furrowing her brow. “You don’t have to do this.”

“It must be done.”

“I… just like… I don’t care if this system is broken or not. I just—”

“That’s enough.”

Renee froze with her mouth wide open in an eerie silence.

The floor creaked. Feno sniffed the lily in her hand, walking past Renee to the doorway.

“If any of you dare to lay another finger on Renee, then it’ll be your head next,” Feno said. She looked over her shoulder. “Do you understand?”

Florence nodded. She blinked…, but in front of her, Aisling disappeared along with a set of cutlery.

A cough echoed through the hall.

Florence turned towards it.

Aisling coughed, vomiting out blood. She held the knife, trembling in her hands, inches away from Feno’s neck.

“What did you expect?” Feno pinched the blade, moving it away from her. “I’m not your enemy.”

A screech reverberated through the hall.

The wind whistled past Florence, rustling her hair and dress.

Aisling’s feet into the air. Then Aisling flew towards the dining table, smashing into the meatloafs and curried chicken salads. The beverage spilled. The plates shattered, and cutlery clattered on the floor.

Chunks of leaves and sauce splattered onto Florence’s apron.

Aisling rolled off the edge, thudding on the floor with a creak.

Feno shrugged. “Surprised, aren’t you? Plus, I don’t care if you try to hurt or kill me. But if you dare to harm Renee, you’ve crossed the line.”

“Why?” Florence asked. Her voice became more raspy as the partially healed gash burning intensified.

Feno turned her head to the portrait of a red eye, continuing onwards.

Aisling stumbled to her feet, wiping the blood off her mouth. “Stop… right there,” she said. Her eyes rolled behind her head. She dropped to her knees, falling flat.

Feno waved her hand, exiting the room.

The world turned upside down around Florence. Her stomach twisted. She lost her footing, thudding onto the floor. She cupped her mouth, curling up into a ball as the bile raised up from her throat.

Her vision blurred.

She gasped, punching her chest with her throat burning.

Around her, the hall morphed into a corridor with rows of doors running alongside. Hints of the claw marks slashed over the wallpaper with a wilted lotus design peeled off. Next to her, Aisling and Renee lay slumped against Florence’s shoulders.

Renee yawned. “Not again.”

Florence scratched the back of her head. “This… is… absolutely—”

The partially healed gash on her neck snapped, oozing out blood. She collapsed onto her side, pressing onto her neck wounds.

Renee staggered onto her feet, stretching her arms and legs. The floor creaked. She pinched between her eyes, staring at the winding corridor before her.

“Help… me,” Florence said.

“Sorry.” Renee cupped her mouth. “I’m just making sure those things aren’t coming for you guys.”

She kneeled, undoing the tie around her neck, and then handed the neckwear to Florence.

Florence pressed it onto her laceration, tying a knot. The blood flow stopped, dyeing the cloth red. Her muscles relaxed. She rolled over onto her back, spreading her arms out. But, still, the shoulder blade injury stabbed her nerves.

“I swear I’ll beat her up after I get out of here,” Renee said. “Knock me in here and give me this stupid time out.”

“Pardon me… does this… happen… often?” Florence asked.

“Shut your mouth. Do you really want to widen that cut of yours?”

“Absolutely… not.”

“You didn’t have to answer that.”

A shriek reverberated through the corridor.

The door shook.

The scratching of nails on the wallpapers echoed. The claw marks tore through the corridor’s surfaces around Florence, Aisling, and Renee.

Florence froze, straining her muscles.

The air next to her ear growled, rustling her hair.

Renee glanced over her shoulder, pressing her index finger on her lips.

Florence nodded, giving a thumbs up. A lingering warmth blew on her face, shivering her spine. She flapped her mouth open and closed, mimicking a snapping maw. Then she pointed down the path ahead, swinging her arms back and forth.

Renee widened her eyes. She shrugged, dipping her chin lower.

Florence waved her hands around. Her heart pounded. She jabbed at her chest, moving her finger across her neck.

The floor creaked beneath them.

Renee planted her face on her palm, massaging her temple.

A roar rang in Florence’s ear canal.

A breeze knocked off her feet. Her chin smashed into the plank.

The air pinned her down flat. Something sharp sank into her abdomen, stabbing through her skin and muscles.

She gritted her teeth, thinning her lips. Her vocal cords vibrated as the scream built up in her throat.

Renee overlapped her forearm over each other, pushing her index finger against her lips.

A dense, transparent force slithered around Florence, halting her limbs’ movement. She mouthed a cry for help, squinting at Renee.

Renee shook her head, raising her hands up.

Florence’s jaw dropped wide open. She stuck out her tongue, pointing it to the ceiling.

Renee rolled her eyes.

Florence’s nerves shrieked as her body slowly compressed into a pancake. The oxygen levels in the lungs decreased.

Renee reached into the pocket of her sailor uniform, pulling out a phone. She tossed it over Florence’s head. The metal shell clattered across the floor.

A howl echoed above Florence.

In a flash, more claw marks appeared on the wallpaper’s surface. The scratching on the paper surfaces intensified, zooming away from her. The phone slid like the wind knocked it along, moving farther down the corridor.

The blood splashed onto the floor. Florence pushed her palm onto her wounded abdomen, stopping the bleeding.

Renee stretched her hands out in front of her, palms open, and stepped towards one of the doors without creaking.

Florence moved her finger back and forth across her neck.

Renee grasped the handle, pointing at the phone skimming down the corridor. She nodded, giving a thumbs up.

Florence shook her head, waving her free hand.

Aisling groaned, rolling onto her side. The planks creaked beneath her.

The phone sliding halted to a crawl.

A growl rang.

“Screw it,” Renee said. She opened the door. “Everyone, run.”

Florence and Renee picked Aisling up, limping through the opened door into another identical corridor.

The scratching on the walls followed them.

“Where… are we… going?” Florence heaved, moaning out loud. “Sorry.”

Renee pulled Florence on the shoulder, turning to their right.

Florence clenched her chest, pressuring the injury on her abdomen.

Renee kicked down one of the doors leading to a pit with an abyss sitting below. She nodded, turning her head towards Florence.

Florence shook her head.

A shriek erupted behind her.

The goosebump broke across her skin.

She and Renee leaped in, dragging Aisling with them.

They fell… deeper into the darkness until it enveloped them.