Better Left Forgotten

"Yes," Eduj nodded. "As are you. Is there something wrong?"

E"Well, sorry, but someone already broke in here once. Or some thing. Seemed to have come through our bedroom window. Well, come on in, then."

*She puts the knife away & heads back to the bedroom, where Eve is apparently loading the DVD into her laptop. The screen blinks a few times like the system is going to crash, & then her preferred video viewer opens to an obvious Power Point slide, white text on a black background.*

Haven't seen me in a while? I've seen you just fine.

*A smaller, embedded video appears, playing the archived footage of Taiyo & Euryale having sex. The text changes.*

You haven't performed for me in a while. Why is that?

E"I've said it before, I'll say it again: I am going to kill him."

*The embedded video vanishes & the text changes before they can react much more.*

You will soon meet an ally(?)
She will tell you all about our arrangement

*Seeing a shape moving in the darkness of the screen, a shape with a distinct hat, Euryale whirls around, thinking that it might be reflected on the screen. Apparently, though, it was just part of the video. By the time she turns back, another line of text appears.*

Better you hear it from me.

*The text changes again, this time to, "You remember what It remembers." Another embedded video opens. First, it plays a first person video from the perspective of the masked man as he's on top of Monu, pounding his face into the pavement. It eventually cuts to Grimm walking around his church, & then to Hector yelling at something offscreen, shot from outside of the old cabin window. Finally, it cuts to the archived footage of the Shadow picking up a knife in Sab's & Aroma's dorm room.*

*Eve looks away at the sex scenes, but focuses on the rest*

<"An ally"? Interesting...>

Taiyo buried her head in her knees, not wanting to see anything.

Mimiru: "That's all you have to say?"

Azuma: "We'll be meeting Vanessa again?"

*The text is altered in a burst of static.*

I have known It for many many years....

*The word "many" begins appearing elsewhere on the screen, overlapping until the screen is all white. Then black text with a red outline gradually fades in.*

I CAN DO SO MUCH MORE

*An excised clip of Gabe saying, "It can possess people?" is played. Another embedded video pops up, this time with sound. Shot through the trees with night vision, it displays Euryale confronting a blur of static in the shape of the Shadow, near the cabin with the others. A thin tendril strikes out from the Shadow, hitting Euryale in the chest. As she flips over & tries to scramble away, the text changes to "It can...but not for long." The video keeps playing as Euryale begins coughing up blood. It then changes to security camera style footage done in the same way--night vision with the Shadow represented as a blur of static--depicting it as it grabs Mortal's neck & lifts her above its head. As she is pulled free, the camera zooms in on her neck, showing the bleeding burns. The screen goes black again, with lines of text fading in one after the other.*

I don't have that limitation.
I can possess anyone.
But I can only tell them things.
It is up to them to listen.
With one exception....

*A faint image of a pedigree chart appears in the background, with the camera jerkily following it down & down into infinity, picking up speed as it goes. The text vanishes, & more text reappears, again line-by-line.*

I can make someone do anything that I want
As long as he is a blood relative.
But who is this relative? And who am I? What do I want? What will happen to you?
Find out the answers to these questions & more...
Right now.

*The screen changes to a webcam of the man in the mask sitting in front of a computer in a dorm room. He bows his head & takes off the mask with his right hand, smoothing out his brown hair with the left. After pocketing the mask, Roatha looks up at them & smiles.*

*Eve grabs her phone and dials Roatha's number. She puts the phone on speaker phone*

<Oh...my...god...>

Azuma: "He won't answer."

R"Hey, this is Roatha Arelaz. I can't pick up the phone right now, so leave a message after the tone."

*Tone.*

R"Now, for the...slow members of the audience, this--"

*Roatha points to himself with both thumbs.*

R"Is not ME. THIS is my great-great-something or other-great grand nephew."

*He puts his hands down, drumming the table with his fingers.*

R"It's a long story, & I don't want to bore you with the details, but basically, I offered to deliver the Shadow's victims personally, far away from prying eyes. In return, my flesh was scoured away so that I could live forever. Ah, but that still doesn't tell you who I am, does it? Call me, "Ira." It is the name that I took once I was born again, based on the fondest memories of my old life, & the most important messages of the Good Book."

*He claps his hands, rubbing them together with excitement.*

R"Great! Now that the foreplay is done, on to business!"

{Roatha, call me back as soon as possible. Thanks.}

*Eve hangs up, then looks to the others and shakes her head*
===
{I just got a video message of someone strangling Tirea, so I thought maybe other people had gotten messages.}

"I have gotten no messages," Eduj said. "Have you tried to contact Tirea?"

Astarte eventually took her phone and called Noct.

Azuma: "Don't expect him to call back."

*Roatha leans back & steeples his hands.*

R"You figured out more than I wanted you to at this point. So I've decided that there will be a purge. Based on what I know & your GPAs, I've compiled a list of which of you I think are the smartest, & thus the deadest. Some of you I've probably killed already. If you're NOT dead, & you want to know if you're still on the list...you know what? If you're so fucking smart, YOU figure it out."

*He begins rocking back & forth, grimacing as though he's just eaten a lemon.*

R"I've also taken this opportunity to come after those among you that I personally despise. And boy is THAT a list. Whores, fops, queers, foreigners, heathens...& I think one of you is some kinda negress. You know, it's true what they say, your generation really has lost its moral standards. I bet God's thankful to me, this time around."

*He leans forward, finger over the computer's power button.*

R"Game's on, little girls. But you're pieces, not players. Your only hope, if you want to call it that, is that the monsters get you before I do."

*The screen goes dark. Eventually, the window closes & the DVD ejects. Euryale lets out a breath that she didn't know she was holding & flops down onto the bed next to Taiyo. She stares at the ceiling until rubbing her eyes with her right hand.*

E"..How could this be...? I mean...HOW? He was right there with us when th--this Ira guy came after Taiyo. How could they be the same person?"

Eve:<Maybe he was processing another blood relative. Anyway, we need to have a group meeting.>
===
{Yeah. Her aunt said she was alright. Have you heard from anyone else?}

Azuma: "Is there even a group left? Has anyone heard from the others?"

Eve:<I don't know. Hopefully.>

*She takes the DVD out, then leaves the room for a second, returning with a case for it*

<I think everyone should see this.>

"No one," Eduj replied. He hesitated, starting to say something, but stopped himself. He was quiet.

*Euryale sits bolt upright.*

E"That's right! I didn't even think about the others! They might be in danger, especially because...."

*She goes pale & grabs her phone, hammering in a number.*

N"...What? Do you know wha--a--aaaht...what time it is? This better be important."

E"It is! Roatha is evil!"

N"...If this is some kind of a prank, I don't get it. I'm hanging up."

Taiyo: "Do we have to share it? Can't we just get rid of it?"

Mimiru sits down beside Taiyo.

Azuma: "We know we're in danger. Can we risk freaking out the others?"

<I would rather have the information myself.>

*So Eve calls Thiera*
===
Cameron:{I hope everyone's alright. One of us should call Astarte.}

"I am going to see her soon," Eduj said. "You can call her now if you like."

Noct's failure to answer Astarte's call due to her uncertain circumstances lead to Astarte dropping her phone into her lap and staring back out of the window.

*What follows is a cacophony of mixed phone calls, one of which banging, hissing, & shouting can be heard in the background of.*

E"Please, wait, I can explain!"

T"H--hello?"

L"Did you really just answer the phone?!"

E"...Are you still there?"

N"Waiting...."

T"It might be important!"

E"Okay, okay, ROATHA isn't evil, but he's possessed. The guy working with the Shadow...no, you're going to think that I'm crazy. Look, just check his room, see if he's there."

N"This is stupid! I'm trying to sleep!"

Eve:{Thiera, this is Eve. We just got another message from the Shadow and friends. It seems to have the ability to control Roatha. Have you seen him around?}
===
Cameron:{I'll give her a call now. Talk to you in a bit.}

*So he hangs up then calls Astarte*

Azuma: "If he's there either Nero is in danger or he'll think you're crazy."

Astarte jumped when her cell vibrated and answered quickly without even checking who was calling, "Ye- Hello?"

Eduj started the relatively short walk to Astarte's house.

T"What? No! What are you talking about?!"

N"Already up, so if it'll get you off of my back, I'll look around the divider & oh look, he's sleeping, like I should be."

E"...You have to look UNDER the covers."

N"What kind of weird, perverted shit are you pulling?"

L"Thiera, for God's sake, we're fighting a monster, here!"

E"When you want to sneak out, you put pillows under your covers so that it looks like you're still in bed! It's the oldest trick in the book, come on!"

N"Oh, that's just...Well, shit, look at that."