The Arrival

"I suppose you could go to them," Hector said. "And on that note I think I'll be going home. Astarte?"
Astarte looked over at him and nodded.

Grimm called the number, and turned to head back.

L"Yeah, they'll be coming here soon, along with the paramedics."

E"Then we should really get out of here."

T"But what about--"

E"Your sister & her new friends have this covered. I don't want to be asked awkward questions. Besides, we have to worry about this new family problem."
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<The number you have dialed is not in service.>

*When he arrives at the church, he sees the doors open wide.*

*Cameron turns to Astarte and opens his mouth, then closes it and turns bright red*

Eve:<That's good. I'm glad no one was hurt.>

Taiyo: "Except.for those that were?"

"Come on, Astarte," Hector said as she stopped and looked at Cameron, wondering what he was going to say. She turned back and went to Hector and the two of them made to leave with Eduj in tow.

Grimm went in, calling the police with one hand and putting the other inside his cassock to rest on the handle of his bayonet.

*All he gets is static. In it, he hears a hum that gradually gets louder. Right before Grimm hangs up, he hears it as a whisper: "No." A shadow passes over the light streaming in from a stained glass window, briefly, before disappearing from view. A shadow wearing a porkpie hat.*
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"They're homophobes & possibly rapists. I say they got what was coming to them."

*Euryale makes a few steps towards the door with the rest of RENT, but stops to make sure that Taiyo is going to follow her. Outside, they can hear sirens approaching.*

*Cameron hurries after Astarte and co*

<Wait a second!>

*He stops*

<Do you all want to go for pizza later? I mean, I know it's kind of a bad time, but we need something to brighten the mood.>

*Eve follows RENT*

Assuming their leaving and Taiyo having been holding Euryale's hand the entire time (probably really sweaty by now) doesn't really have a choice but to follow them out.

Hector turned, an eyebrow raised high, "Perhaps later, if you want to arrange it, but for now we're going home and I don't like the idea of going for a pizza while there are potentially murderous stalkers around."
He turned and kept walking, and Astarte followed after saying, "Just call later, after we know everything's alright."

Grimm drew his bayonet and looked around the room.

*At some point, he turns to find it leaning down to get right in his face. He hears the static-y scream that Hector heard once before, & a kind of odd clicking noise. He suddenly feels violently cold, & drops the bayonet from the sweating & trembling.*
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E"I'm with Hector on this one. I think Taiyo & I need to address the situation with her house, & then we could probably use a night alone."

N"I'm not really interested."

R"And I'm not going because of peer pressure."

T"Uh...yeah, what they said. Sorry."

Taiyo: "Sorry. Maybe another day."

*Cameron is really confused, as he wasn't talking to the group as a whole*

<I, um, yeah.>

*He exits, too embarrassed to tell the others he hadn't been talking to them*

Hector, Astarte and Eduj started the walk home, intending to go to Eduj's house first.

"Heavens protect!" Grimm exclaimed and stumbled backwards. "Begone!"

*Instead of listening to him, it rushes forward, at which point Grimm finds himself slammed against the wall. He starts to slump down, but it grabs him by the shoulders & pins him, still making that noise. In addition to being freezing, his shoulders feel like they're being stabbed with hot irons.*
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T"I think we're going to swing by to talk to Mimiru & Azuma. It's only a little bit out of our way."

E"Okay, take care."

*They wave to each other. Once Euryale continues on her way, Thiera dials Azuma's number.*
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"This is hard for me to say, but...I think the only way that you can make sure your family is safe is to move back in with them until all of this is over. You do live close enough to do that, right?"
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*Nothing is out of the ordinary at Eduj's house.*

*Eve follows Thiera*

<Mind it I come along? I don't have any family to check up on here.>

*Cameron, Monu, and Tirea start checking their houses, starting with Tirea's*

Taiyo: "What could I do to stop anything from going after my parents? If anything, it'd put them in harms way?"

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It's awhile before he answers having to listen for it to vibrate wedged between the mattress and headboard of the bed.

Azuma: "'Lo."

Eduj said goodbye to Hector and Astarte and went inside and sat with his father in the living room, the television on.

Hector and Astarte started heading home, not speaking to each other except for a few words from Hector, "For the time being, we can't trust anybody. Not even each other. Be careful of the others."

Grimm roared back as loudly as he could and tried to push back against it.

*This only results in him getting more burned, the beast doesn't budge. The Shadow forms an opening in its face that might be a smile before turning, tossing Grim across the room & into the other wall. As soon as he slumps onto the ground & rolls onto his back, he sees the Shadow standing directly over him, peering down. It's no longer grinning, but there are a pair of red lights floating in its head. Grimm himself of course feels a piercing pain in his ribs, back, & shoulders, & is in fact barely able to move his arm. There seem to be more shadows walking around him, but he can't focus on them. He also begins to hear the voices of his congregation.*
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*There doesn't seem to be anything amiss at Tirea's house, nor the Cyprus residence.*
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"Hey, my sister busted me. So we're supposed to lie low for a while, see if the police find anything. If they don't, she's agreed to stay out of our way. So, what did you want to talk about?"
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"Maybe. But I think they'll be able to find your home address regardless. And we can't do nothing, but we can't tell them to look out for monsters, so what can we do?"

Taiyo: "I guess I could go home for a little while."

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Azuma: "Um...okay? Anyway, some weirdo picture was left under our door. Has what's his name and something that may not represent tall, dark, and horrifying."

Grimm tried with all his strength to reach inside his cassock again and bring his senses to focus on the shadow looming over him.

The two of them went indoors and after checking the entire house, retreated to their rooms.

"Would it be alright if I swing by to take a look at it? I'll have Roatha & Nero with me."
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*Grim manages to get into his pouch, mostly because the Shadow seems to have stopped to watch him. He's still groggy, & the noises around him are becoming louder. What's more, staring into the Shadow's "eyes" causes him to feel as though his own eyes are being burned from the back outwards, & what remains of his vision is becoming increasingly dominated by bright lights, & the distorted, pulsing form of the Shadow.*
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"I'll miss you, but I really think it's for the best. I'll help you pack. Oh, & is there anything you still need from your dorm?"

Taiyo: "I'll miss you to. It'll just be a couple of days, a week at most. I'll still come around for the cafeteria and hang out for a bit. Yeah, I have a few things in my dorm."

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Azuma: "All right."

Grimm jerked his pistol into the open and started firing repeatedly into the shadow, his teeth drawing blood from his lower lip as he bit back the pain he was feeling.

*Eve continues to follow Thiera, Roatha, and Nero*
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*They head to Monu's house next*

*There's nothing visibly wrong with Monu's house either.*
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*Some time later, Thiera knocks on the door of Azuma or Mimiru or whomever.*
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*Eventually, the pistol starts clicking. The Shadow, which just stood there & took all of the shots, reaches down for his face. As its hand gets closer, Grimm gets a headache, possibly partly due to a deafening metallic screeching that he seems to hear from everywhere.*
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*Meanwhile, Euryale & Taiyo approach the dorm. Euryale turns a few doors down, & holds out her hand.*

"Alright, we don't know if that thing's still in there, so I'll let you know if it looks clear. If not, the elevator's still warmed up for us. Can I see your ID?"