Evil Dead

*Eve nods, then they presumably head over there*

*Of course it sees her coming, its eyes are the size of friggin' baseballs. It jumps to the ceiling, adjusting its position like some kind of nightmare fly, its prey reflected in its eyes. Ira bends down to pick up the letter opener, leaning on the desk in an attempt to keep Schreiber pinned, but she wriggles out & fires the gun at the crawling monster. Blood sprays out the back of its head as one of its eyes deflates. With a great shriek, it falls on its back, its limbs twitching wildly, remaining eye rolling around in its head, mandibles clicking weakly, & proboscis falling limply out of its mouth. At that moment, Roatha lets out a snarl & the lights begin flickering.*
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<Why not, Son?>
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*It is a long & boring trek. On account of the fact that Dr. Schreiber uses a silencer & is in the basement, they don't even hear the gunshot as they head past the biology building.*

L"So I'm thinking pizza?"

Astarte descended on it and stuck the knife in its throat multiple times, more out of blind fear than legitimate concern that it would survive.

"Don't ask me how I know, but I know if I leave I'll be dead."

*Eve shrugs, staring at the ground for the most part*

<...So, if I have this correctly, you want to stay here indefinitely?>
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*Of course, the second she gets near it, its reflexes activate. It flings itself at her, doing a goddamn flip, digging its claws into her arms & legs. Its proboscis becomes rigid again as it's sucked into its mouth before shooting back out, aimed at her clavicle. Of course, while this is going on, it's dripping blood on her face from its mutilated eye. She also catches, from the corner of her eye, a shadow sweeping into the room. Dr. Schreiber fires at it, but it twists its body away & Roatha grabs her arm. Vanessa empties her pepper spray into its face & throws it at his head before running, allowing Dr. Schreiber to wriggle away, knocking him to the ground. She also attempts to escape, firing at the Shadow, who sinks into Roatha's own shadow to avoid the shots.*
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*There isn't a line at the pizza place, & most of the people have cleared out, notable exceptions including an elderly man sitting across from 2 pink-clad granddaughters--a blond & a brunette--a trio of girls each wearing black sweatshirts in the corner, a middle eastern man working on the computer in the back, & 2 bigger dudes--1 with blond hair & 1 with black--sitting at the table across from the girls, talking loudly about how hockey season is almost here.*

L"It's probably cheapest just to get 2 full-size pizzas. I'm kind of in the mood for Hawaiian."

T"That sounds good, but I'd also like a bit of pepperoni."

Eve:<I'm fine with anything, although I would prefer something plainer.>

Not being in the mood for eating, Taiyo doesn't care what they do.

Astarte blindly tried to move just about every muscle in her body to disconnect herself or do anything of any kind to avoid dying without even registering that she was shrieking at the top of her lungs.

"I don't know."

L"So, what, cheese?"

*Nonetheless, expecting eyes turn to Taiyo.*
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*Astarte is stabbed in the shoulder & Schreiber shoots it again, knocking it off.*

Schreiber<Come on!>

*She & Vanessa flee the scene as shadowy figures begin dancing around the room, the lights rapidly dimming.*
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<Well...how about we keep you for an overnight stay?>

She shrugs. How they can casually banter about pizza toppings would be a total mystery had it been anyone else doing it.

Astarte took a look at Nero to see if he was even still conscious, then fled after the others regardless.

"Sure, sure, let's do that."

Eve:<That would be nice, but pepperoni isn't that bad either. Why not one Hawaiian and one half cheese/pepperoni?>

*The room has gotten dark enough that she can barely see Nero & the giant puddle leaking from his neck. As she nears the door, the shadow people reach out to try to grab her. Additionally, her feet sink into the floor, to the point that it's like running through thick mud. They also start to burn.*
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L"Okay. I'll order & you can pay me back later. Thiera, why don't you go find a seat?"

Th"Okay."

*So she heads towards the back of the restaurant, away from the old guy & his grandchildren.*
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<Alright. I'll take you to a room, and we can get the forms along the way.>

Eve:<Thank you. Can you carry both pizzas?>

Astarte made a rabid effort to get out of there.

"Thank you."

L"That shouldn't be a problem."

*Thiera waits by the table, shifting her feet & twiddling her thumbs anxiously.*
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<You are quite welcome. Come along, now.>

*The doctor heads out. As promised, he grabs some forms & a clipboard along the way.*
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*The shadows drag her down into the abyss. It isn't so much that a light comes on as the darkness dims slightly, & Astarte finds herself lying outside of the cabin in the woods with a severe headache & a sensation of prickling flesh. When her eyes adjust she finds herself staring into the unfocused eyes of Nero & the crawling monster as someone walks around above her, feet crunching the leaves.*

R"Look, it wasn't my fault, how was I supposed to know she'd go all Calamity Jane on us!? ...Who knows, maybe it's not even dead--don't look at me like that, I don't even know what this thing IS--do YOU?!"

Astarte stayed as still as she possibly could, listening and holding back the urge to start screaming and/or begging.

Stefan refused to turn any corners before somebody else had.

*Eve goes at sits near Thiera, looking around for an outlite or something*

*As luck would have it, there is an outlet nearby.*

Th"Should we check on Nero & Astarte again?"

*Enter Lilith with pizzas.*
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*As promised, the doctor leads him to a room with a single bed & hands him the clipboard.*

<Could you please fill out these details & sign on the dotted line?>
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R"Alright, look, I'll make sure they're all either dead or tied up, then I'll go back to town to get my equipment & come right back here. How's that sound? ...Glad t'hear it!"

Astarte started crawling away as quietly as possible.

Stefan accepted it and started filling it out.

*Eve plugs in her laptop, then calls Astarte on her phone*

*Roatha walks around in front of her, smiling down smugly & crossing his arms.*

R"Well, looks like one of you IS alive."

*He glances at Nero.*

R"Emphasis on 'one.'"
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*Lilith sets the boxes down & starts passing out pizza.*
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*Once he's finished, the doctor takes the paper work.*

<Thank you. We'll check up on you every now & again, & discuss your options for further treatment tomorrow.>

"Listen, listen, come on," Astarte got up to her knees and gave him a pathetic, cringe-like smile. "I'll do anything, for you, if you don't torture me... I mean anything. I fucked Nero, so you know I'm not lying. But I don't just mean that, sort of, thing. He-eh."
As she spoke, Astarte raised her hands half-heartedly to her chin-level in anticipation to defend from a blow to the face.

"Thank you," Stefan lay down. "Thank you."

*Eve hangs up then looks at the others, concern evident on her face*

<Still no answer from Astarte. I'll give Nero a try, but I think it is safe to say something happened.>

*She calls Nero*

R"Don't flatter yourself. Although--maybe there IS something you can do that's more useful than just being schmuck bait."

*He squats down. As he continues talking, Astarte can see that there are still rusty stains on his teeth & chin.*

R"You see, we have a common enemy. Can you guess who?"
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T"What do we do about it?"

L"I guess we'll have to retrace their steps. Nothing we can do if we can't find them."

*So she gets up, taking some pizza. Thiera follows suit.*

T"What about the emergency phones for Tirea & Azuma?"

L"We can stop along the way."
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<We're here to serve.>

*He leaves.*