The Arrival

*At this point, there's pretty much no one in the library. As they pass a window, Euryale drags everyone to the ground.*

N"What the Hell was that for?!"

E"(Shh! It's out there! What are you doing, get down!)"

*Nero had got up on his knees & peeked out the window. The sky is a dark gray blue, with deep shadows around the buildings.*

N"Well, it's not out there now."

T"Do you think it came in?"

N"No, I think she imagined it."
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*Meanwhile, Grimm's phone rings.*

Taiyo: "Maybe it was a passing cloud."

Eve:<It doesn't hurt to be on the safe side.>

*Eve gets up on her knees*
---
*After buying three new flashlights, Monu and Cameron meet up with Tirea at their apartment*

Cameron:<Tirea, are you still mad at me?>

*Tirea shoves passed him into the apartment*

Okay.


Grimm got up and answered his phone, keeping the gun in hand.

*He hears some garbled noises & what sounds like footsteps on wood getting closer to the other end of the line.*
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E"You too, Taiyo?"

T"I don't know...maybe we should go out the back door?"

N"Just for something that MIGHT be there? You're crazy. Besides, that way is closer to the forest."

Taiyo: "No, but...I don't really want to think about it."

*Eve crosses her arms*

<We may as well make a run for it. I don't think the door we choose will matter all that much.>

*The room groans & creeks as the lights suddenly flicker & whine. In a brief flash of light, they can see the Shadow peaking out from around the top of the staircase. In the next flash, it's now on the landing gliding towards them. Euryale wastes no more time, grabbing Taiyo's hand & running down the other staircase. Roatha does the same with Thiera.*

"Yes, I said Gabe was probably fine though," Noct said.

"We came just to make sure," Sab said.

At this point Gabe and Mortal exit back into the waiting room. "Sorry for taking forever to get back," Gabe said.

"Don't worry about it," Noct said, "So, what is the diagnosis?"

"Uh, they couldn't find anything wrong with me... for better or worse," Gabe said, "Oh, Aroma, Sab, what are you doing here?"

Taiyo does her best to keep up with Euryale, Mimiru followi g after the group.

"Hello? Hello?"

The three of them sat about in the living room, watching TV in awkward silence.

*With so many people running on the staircase, they eventually fall down & end up at the base in a pile. The Shadow continues to head towards them, so Roatha & Euryale try to disentangle themselves & their partners from the mess.*

E"This way!"

R"No, around to the front, it's not out there anymore!"
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*The noises continue, now over a constant stream of static. Within it he can hear a high pitched, rhythmic humming...or possibly a laugh? This sound gives way to several loud thumps & a couple of button press tones. It's just the static for a few seconds, then a woman & a man start shouting at each other, but the words are indistinguishable.*
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A"We came to make sure you were okay. You are okay, aren't you?"

*Aroma steps forward, wringing her hands.*

Griping and groaning, the two struggle to untangle themselves.

"Yeah," Gabe said, "I'm fine. Totally fine." She smiled, and gave Aroma a hug, "So no need to worry about me, okay."

Sab smiled, "Great."

"Agreed," Mortal said, "But we should probably get out of here. I've had my fill of the hospital for one night."

Grimm kept listening, giving a brief look around the room.

*By now the Shadow is on top of the mass of people at the bottom of the stairs. The shadows around the walls immediately around it begin wriggling, detaching from the walls & growing like flames. The temperature fluctuates wildly between hot & cold as a loud squeal emanates from the floor.*
===========================
*Grimm's just hearing all kinds of fucked up noises. Static, pounding, screeching, the humming coming back...actually, within the humming, it kind of sounds like someone is speaking.*
===========================
"Alright."

*As they're walking back through the dusk & chirping crickets, Aroma holding Sab's hand, she fidgets.*

"Um...so...nice night, isn't it?"

*It's actually one of those nights that it's so consistently still & noisy that you're sure something's going to jump out at you.*

Taiyo screams, and tries to run off, hanging on to Euryale's hand.

"Yeah, I think it is alright," Noct said, looking around.

Sab was less sure, but didn't want to worry Aroma, "Uh huh... really nice night."

And Grimm will continue to listen, trying to make some sense out of the noises, until they stop. Or until he has been on the phone for about another five minutes.

*Eve tries to disentangle herself, then leaps to her feet. Then she follows the others*
---
Cameron:<It wasn't on purpose. I couldn't control myself.>

Tirea:<I know, I'm not really mad.>

A"Hold on. The lights in the library are flickering."

*She points to a window on the first floor. Soon after, Roatha & Thiera run out of the front door, & keep running blindly down the sidewalk without looking back. They are too far away to have noticed Aroma & co.*
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*Euryale & Taiyo ended up running in the opposite direction, & are now racing along the road with the forest at their side. They manage to turn back on to a sidewalk, but just before they did, Taiyo could hear something in the bushes scrambling towards them.*
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*As for the rest, they feel like they're running through thick snow. The next doorway they pass through, they wind up running out of a building across campus, noticing the dorms to their right. When they turn to look, they see the Shadow rising out of the ground near the building they just came from.*
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*It sounds like "Grim hush," "Grim with us," or "Grim get us." There is more running, then an extremely loud burst of static, which abruptly fades away with a quiet pop. After a few seconds of silence, the disconnected tone starts.*

*Eve runs towards the dorm, only barely glancing at the Shadow*

Mimiru books it to the dorms.

===================================

Taiyo turns around to look at the bushes.

Taiyo: "What was that?"

"Should... we do something?" Sab asked.

"What? Chase them and find out what is wrong?" Noct asked, "No, I think we should leave them be."

Gabe felt incredibly uneasy, but didn't want to seem like a weirdo by bringing up what she saw again.

Grimm put down the phone and furrowed his brow, then picked up his bayonet again. He returned to sitting in front of the television, and wondered if the students from the trip were being stalked similarly badly.