Better Left Forgotten

*Eve joins in on the banging*
===
*Cameron stumbles back and nearly falls over*

<Monu?!>

*Monu gets up*

<I'm fine.>

*They both stare at the bushes*

Astarte looked at Noctis, confused.

"You alright?" Hector asked from behind Cameron, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Sorry we didn't get to you quicker."

*Aroma looks at her, more than a little bit frightened.*

A"Are you okay? W-what's so funny?"
=============================
Some dude<Quit it! Some of us are trying to study!>

T"Nero's not answering either...did something happen to him too?!"

*She is doubtless texting that very question to him.*
=============================
S"I was just looking for someone. I decided that I didn't feel like staying home alone."
=============================
*The bush growls at them.*

"Sorry, I just couldn't ignore the irony in me being the one to say we need to keep hope alive," Noct explained.

"Oh," Sab let out a sigh of relief, "I thought you snapped or something. I don't think I could have handled that."

"Don't worry, I'm just... trying to stop myself from losing my mind here. Laughing at the little things seems to help," Noct ran a hand through her hair, then looked at Astarte, "Your brother, what did you say his name was?"

--

"Hang out with us then," Mortal said, "I've been bouncing around with Gabe since lunch thanks to Noct, so I could use some new people to hang out with."

"Keep talking like that and I'll kick you out, and you can be a third wheel with Noctis, assuming there isn't a tie on the door," Gabe said.

"Rude."

The three follow, Taiyo trying to keep up.

"Hector," Astarte replied, similarly relieved by Noct's explanation.

"Okay, let's get the Hell out of here," Hector turned and motioned for Eduj to follow him, jogging down the street with his cigarette held tight between his fore and middle finger.

S"Alright."
=======================
*The hall eventually curves around &, luckily, leads directly to an emergency exit. They can distinctly hear the creature's footfalls behind them--mostly its claws rapidly clinking on the hard wood floor of the hallway. Euryale opens the door by shoulder-slamming it, & then they can also hear an alarm chiming repetitively.*
=======================
A"Oh, I was worried too...but yeah...I think you're right! As long as we don't give into despair, we'll come out of this okay!"

*Aroma makes a triumphant fist.*

Sab looks at Aroma, and wipes away the remaining tears in her eyes. "Yeah!" She agreed, performing a smaller fist pump.

Noct nodded, but was really paying more attention to Astarte, "I think I've met him before. Well... not so much me as Gabriel. When we arrived to help her she was with a guy, he said his name was Hector. Given Gabe's story I have to assume it is your brother." Noct let out a sigh, "Which means we've been staring this in the face for more than a week now, and doing nothing about it. Poor Gabe, we must have made her think she was going insane."

--

"Well then, lets go," Gabe said, walking around him to go find a some seats, and get some drinks.

"So, how are things going with Lilith?" Mortal asked.

"It's only been a night," Gabe said.

"A lot can happen in a night," Mortal said, before elbowing Senthose, "Am I right?"

They file out, Azuma slamming the door shut behind them.

*Eve stops and watches Thiera*
===
*Monu and Cameron follow Hector and Eduj*

T"Oh, thank God, he says he went out looking."

L"Alone?"

T"I know! He's such a selfish idiot!"

*She runs back the way they came.*
===========================
*It quite easily pushes the door open, slamming it on its hinges.*

E"The dorms aren't that far away! Let's try to confuse it by splitting into 2 groups!"

*She runs with Taiyo, diagonally across the lawn, still heading for the building.*
===========================
*It's a long walk to the hospital. That thing is obviously following them through the bushes, & by slinking behind cars.*
===========================
*Senthose stares at Mortal for a few seconds before turning to Gabe.*

S"We're supposed to meet again tomorrow for breakfast. Not sure if that's changed. Things have come up."
===========================
A"I think I saw one of these things before. I knew Gabe was dealing with more than a squirrel & an overactive imagination, but I didn't know it was literally a monster."

*Eve follows Thiera*

<Let's go meet up with him.>
===
*Cameron and Monu speed up to catch up with Hector and Eduj*

Cameron:<It's following...>

Monu:<Let's get to a more populated area.>

"You did?!" Noct asked, "When was this, what happened?"

"No, it was a while ago," Sab said, "At a bus stop... I didn't think it was a monster, just something in the bushes."

--

"Oh, what things?" Gabe asked, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Let me guess, she is doing that thing with her sister," Mortal said.

Gabe shook her head, "No, she said she'd only do that if the cops didn't come up with anything."

"And it's been more than a week without a word," Mortal said.

"Yeah, that would have been him," Astarte nodded. "I should call him, actually, considering the Shadow is moving so bold, now."
She took out her cellphone.

"Like where?" Hector asked. "Where are you actually going to go? I would go straight home but... I don't want to lead it back or anything like that."

S"Oh, there's been word, it's just not good news."
=======================
*Outside of the residence halls, they approach Nero, who's just kind of standing on the stairs.*

T"There you are! Do you have any idea what--"

N"Shh! What the fuck is going on over there?"

*He points to where it looks like the dark outline a really tall person in a thick hoody is chasing around other dark outlines, of students.*
===============================
A"So it can just make it like you've never existed...I wonder if we've forgotten anything else."

Azuma and Mimiru take off going straight before heading off diagnally, away from the other two.

"Well, don't keep us waiting," Mortal said, "Why did Lilith see fit to go off and do that thing with her sister?"

--

"Who knows?" Sab said, "This whole thing is just so scary... We didn't even go into that stupid forest! Why is this happening to us?"

Noct pulled out her phone again, "I should send everyone the video. If it attacked Gabe, and us already, the others might be in danger." She then sent out the video to Mortal, Gabe, Senthose, and Lilith with the message, 'Attacked by a shadow creature. We need to talk. I think we may all be in danger.'

Astarte turned guilty, "I think maybe you are involved because of us... we lead the things back here..."
She looked up at Noctis and then down again, this time to message Hector saying 'Where are you? Are you okay? Shadow attacked and chased us, at home.'

Hector felt his phone vibrate and took it out, glumly reading his message, "I should go home. There has been another attack, but Astarte's given me pretty little information."

*Eve stares at the scene*

<(Another monster?)>
===
*Monu nods*

<Probably for the best. Thanks for your help. Please tell Astarte we say hi.>

*Cameron nods*

N"Well, that's Euryale & Taiyo running towards us, so probably."

E"Get inside! Monster!"

N"Yep."
==========================
*Seeing those 2 as a lost cause, the monster decides to head after the other group. They nearly knock over a hipster from the cafe as he walks past, & he shouts at them, but not for long, as the monster grabs him from behind, bites into his neck, & shakes him around. After an audible cracking noise, it tosses the body over its shoulder.*
==========================
S"The cops claim that we made the whole thing up."

*Senthose then checks his phone.*

S"...The Hell is this crap?"
==========================
*Aroma kind of shakes Sab.*

A"It wasn't after us! It was after Roatha!"

*Eve runs back inside, expecting the others to follow*
===
*And thus Monu and Cameron take off at a breakneck pace, running for the most populated area around*

"Roatha? What happened to Roatha?"

Hector and Eduj were heading home at a jog.

"Oh my god! Roatha..." Sab feels her eyes begin to tear up, "We just left him there. He, what if he is dead."

--

Mortal checks out the video, and frowns, "Did Noctis fall out the window? Wait, what was that?" She rewinds the video and pauses it, then points to the figure, "The area by that window is clear, I think someone might have pushed Noctis out, and it looks too big to be Astarte." Mortal squinted, trying to look for a face or something.

Gabe does as well, and pales instantly, "This... this is the thing I saw on that hill. Its blurry, but I know it is. Oh no, oh no, oh no..."

S"It looks like some asshole in a fedora."
============================
*The others wait for Taiyurle.*
============================
*The monster chooses to follow Monu & Cameron, running down the street on all fours.*
============================
A"Um...I don't mean to be rude, but...he could be the whole reason we almost died in the first place."

Taiyo follows after Euryale while the other two run off towards the dorms.