Skeletons in the Closet

[Cartoonicat]

She'd never seen so much red in her life; considering what just happened with fake-Matt, that was saying something. Every fiber of her being felt on fire - her skin, tingling with an overflow of irritation. That smug little pumpkin wouldn't see the last of her, if London had anything to say about it. Which she didn't, not really. None of them had any say, it seemed, in what happened in Henbard Chateau.

But that train of thought could wait. It only served to make her angry and, despite adrenaline being a Godsend, London knew she made questionable decisions when she was irritable, let alone raging. Like the time she spent over four months worth of in-game gold contracting an elite PvP guild to help her smash a few punks who'd stolen an epic drop she'd been trying to get. Not the best decision, considering she hadn't really looked into the guild's integrity; by the end of the ordeal, London had been scammed out of thousands of gold and an epic drop. Sucky day.

Here, though, the stakes were far higher. She'd need her head for whatever came next, assuming that really had been Jace's voice on the walkie.

Loud squawking called her attention to Lenore. The bird was having a fit yet Ana wouldn't let go, resulting in talon scratches all along her arms. A surge of protectiveness washed over London and the red was back; raising her katana, London swore she'd pummel everything and everyone in Henbard before she let her friends get hurt. If anything, she wished she could show them all exactly what she thought of them luring her squad into Hell.

A hand stopped her. Tightened around her arm. "What are you-," Kindall's voice cut through the fog in her head and that was when London noticed it, too. Lenore was trying to hurry them up, not attack Ana.

Still, she thought, that bird is a threat. Everything here is. But she'd wait. Jace, Kelsey, and Marten needed them. She wouldn't let them end up like fake Matt because she was too busy hunting down a bird that hadn't done anything yet.

With a sharp exhale, London nodded and followed her friends back up the stairs. Hung out near the back, eyes peeled for danger (or, rather, a pain-in-the-ass miniature pumpkin). She let herself become distracted, however, when Kindall opened the door and a look of pure regret crossed his face. Without thinking, London shoved her way to the doorframe and peered inside.

A flash of dark feathers, and then the world was spinning. Next thing she knew, she hit the ground, katana skidding across the floor and out of reach. London blinked slowly. Sat up, wondering what the fuck was that? only to see the miniature pumpkin blowing their dogpile a kiss before closing the door. "You!" When she meant she'd see the pumpkin again, she hadn't meant like this. Scrambling to her feet, London thought to throw herself at the door - hopefully open it - but an approaching figure in her peripheral caught her attention.

And then Kelsey provoking it.

London stared in horror as a massive, misshapen bird - no, a human? - slowly turned towards her friend. She glimpsed its face, recognizing the pale skin and familiar features. The color drained from her face.

"Salem?" She needed to run. "I don't-..." Needed to grab her katana. "What...?" Needed to help Kelsey and beat that bird boy into a pulp. But she couldn't move. A pumpkin was one thing, but a giant bird that could actually kill them? One who used to be Salem, no less.

Abuelita had always told her to be careful what she wished for. London hadn't actually wanted to hurt the Henbard residents - that had been the anger thinking for her - but now, here she stood with Salem turned into some hell spawn of a demon bird. All while rooted in place by her own fear, confusion, guilt, as he approached one of her loved ones.

Abuelita had been right; Karma was a cruel, cruel woman.

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Collab between @Akiko, @Fox of Hearts, @Cartoonicat, @Ice Queen, and @Haru Nyan

Jace stood with his back pressed against a bookcase, the backpack pushing books from the shelves on the other side. His heart pounded against his rib cage, beating loudly in his ears until the sounds of Salem's rampage were muffled. He looked down at the rolling pin in his hand. Surprisingly it was still in tact; Jace was certain that it had been broken when it made contact with the deformed boy's head. Perhaps that crack indicated that he'd hurt him?

As the thudding of his pulse in his ears subsided, Jace was able to make out another ruckus. He crept to end of the aisle and peeked around the edge of the bookcase. His friends had returned from the cellar and were standing in the doorway, Kindall hollering at he and the girls to run. Then they all collapsed just inside the door, which slammed shut behind them. What the hell just happened? Was that.. A pumpkin? He cursed as Salem's attention was drawn to them. What could they do to stop him?

Kelsey threw a book at him but not before the bird-boy threw a bookcase at the door. That gave him an idea.

"Milton! Guys, this way!" Jace called, urgently waving them over.

Jace's shouting helped ground Kindle. The resident Sherlock found the strength within him to push Ethan off them. Scrambling to his feet, he grabbed London by the wrist and hauled her up. He shoved her to the right before turning to help Ana.

"What are you doing guys?" he cried. Desperation made his voice jumped up two octaves but it didn't matter to him. Survival was the only thing on his mind right now. "Just go, go, go! Ethan, London, right. Run! Ana with me!"

His hand clamped tightly around the spunky girl's wrist as he dashed quickly towards the shelves. BAM! Milton's left side slammed hard into the shelves. Books toppled down on them and his entire shoulder was throbbing. He ignored the pain. Divide. Distract. Survive. Those were his current priorities. Instinctively, he grabbed the heaviest book he could find, intending to use it as a weapon.

He looked up and his heart nearly popped out of his mouth. That winged monstrosity was headed straight for London and Ethan. He needed to pull its attention away. "OI! YOU UGLY BIRDY! COME AT ME!"

Finally, he let go of Ana's wrist. He dashed forward, throwing book after book at the bird monster. Books, however, were very different from baseballs. This impacted his accuracy but even then he managed to score a hit every now and then. Milton found himself staring into Salem's beady eyes after Great Expectations slammed into the back of the raven's head. Hefting One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest like weighted brick, the pitcher got into position and chucked the novel at bird boy's face.

"Eat that, you crazy bird! Maybe you need a ticking orange to go with that!"

The lameness of his taunt embarrassed Milton. He knew he was capable of better yet nothing came to mind. No literary puns, at least. He wondered how many of his friends would have gotten his reference to Clockwork Orange. Maybe London. Maybe not. Pushing those distracting thoughts out of his mind, Kindall picked up the next book, To Kill a Mockingbird. He wasn't sure what to make of the situational irony. It would be great if this title came true! A dead Salem was probably the best Salem. How else were they supposed to deal with this bloodthirsty …. whatever he was?

"Here! Have some Atticus Finch while you wait!"

The next book he picked up was a lot more contemporary, The Fault in Our Stars. Milton couldn't help quirking an eyebrow. What the heck? This was probably the last title anyone expected to find in a spooky mansion. Let alone one stuck in a time loop. "I thought you had better taste than this," he mocked, waving the offending book in Salem's direction.

He couldn't help it. This avid bookworm, this connoisseur of great literature, was reading a young adult novel? That image just didn't sit well with him. He never imagined Salem to read anything less than Jane Austen. Was Salem going out of his way to break stereotypes? Milton didn't know anymore. He didn't care. This whole goddamn place made no sense. It was as good as a fever induced dream.

"What else do you have in here? 50 Shades of Grey? Hunger Games? Battle Royale?"

Kindall's voice insisting they run dragged her from her stupor. Snapped her from her thoughts. In an instant, London broke off to the left only to stop short, sneaker squeaking against the floor. She'd left one very important thing behind.

Her katana; her weapon.

"Crap!" She hissed. Salem was heading towards her and Ethan, beady eyes seemingly set on their demise, and with each step the bird boy took, the closer he came to stepping over her katana. London wouldn't be able to grab it in time.

Until Kindall started throwing books and making puns - some particularly cringe worthy. On a normal day she'd pick at him for such, but right then her friend's baseball arm had given her an opening and damn if she wasn't going to use it.

London just needed to… gather the courage first.

"Umm…" She watched as Salem got to Kindall and Ana, heart hammering in her chest. Where was the confidence from two minutes ago? Or from the creek? Where was- Ah, screw it! Those were her friends and she wasn't going to lose them. Lunging forward on jelly-scared-knees, London slipped past Salem and picked up her katana on the way. Fumbled with the handle in her haste to raise it high.

And then she swung, hard, at the bird boy's backside to divert his attention. Yelled over the sound of Kindall's puns: "Go! I'll cover you!". Then, struck Salem one more time for good measure before slowly backing away.

Jace watched with increasingly wide eyes and baited breath as Milton scrambled to get the others on their feet. Salem wasn't having any of it and pursued the closest moving target: London and Ethan. Jace exhaled finally when Milton jumped in with his puns, as cringe worthy as they were, throwing books.

"Dammit, London!" He cursed under his breath. She had the opportunity to get away, yet she went back for her katana. Jace started forward then, meeting Kelsey in the main aisle. "Get Marten and head to the back!" He instructed, giving her a push to the side. He then ducked behind the bookcase that Salem was in front of, where Milton stood on the opposite end.

"Milton, help me! Push that end!" Jace called, bracing himself with hands positioned to push the bookcase over. It was too heavy for him to tip it alone with all the books on it. Salem made them look like nothing. The muscles and veins in his neck became pronounced with the effort. It wasn't enough. They still needed more brawn. "Ethan! We need you here!"

"London! Move!" He hollered through a clenched jaw. If she didn't, she could get hit by the books, or worse, get trapped underneath the bookcase.

Milton was still waving the Fault in Our Stars at Salem, luring the demon towards them. He was almost successful. Almost! At the very last moment, London had to call to go berserk. She ran forward much like her in-game character ready to attack.

"LONDON! THIS ISN'T A FUCKING VIDEO GAME!"

His words had no impact this time as her blade met flesh. Unlike an actual video game, no health bar flashed into existence. So much for the VR theory, Milton thought. London had to tear down that theory too.

"Oh come on! London! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He was going to bellow himself hoarse at this rate. It would be worth it if she escaped from this alive. "GET OUTTA THERE!"

He became acutely aware that Jace wanted something from him. This made him stop shouting long enough to face his friend. While the words missed him completely, Milton knew what Jace wanted. The stance was obvious enough. He continued to shout at London as he got into position too. "London, NOW! Ana, Eth, whoever, just grab her!"

"Grrrrrr, grrrrrr."

The once happy-go-lucky inu was now on the defense. He crouched low ready to attack Lenore if she got too near the group. "Grrrrrr, rof rof rof!"

He considered climbing the shelves and leaping at her. Before he could carry out operation pumpkin roll, however, he heard Jace yelling. The voice was authoritative enough for him to snap to attention.

"BORF!"

He took one look in that direction and knew what he had to do. Springing into action, the pumpkin clad dog dashed straight for London with one goal in mind. "Borf, borf, borf!"

The warning came a little too late. Joseff had already executed his infamous flying tackle. It was a move so powerful that he ever sent Matt tumbling down the stairs. Luckily, his owner was barely two steps up or that would have been a very nasty situation.

Human and dog collided with a painful THUMP. They rolled off to the side not a moment too soon. The shelf smashed down, sending splinter bits and torn pages in every direction. "Borf?"

"C-caaaaaw!"

There was a panicked cry from somewhere beneath the shelf. Apparently, in their desperation to crush Salem, the group forgot about Lenore. The poor bird was trapped and panicky under all that wood and paper. A furious scritching sound filled the void left after the big crash.

Ana had arrived to the library in total chaos. Well, arrived was a gentler term for what had happened to all of them. Suddenly everyone was in panic mode, throwing things at the gigantic bird standing in the room.

"Mother of, agh!" Ana shouted as Milton dragged her along and away from the bird monster. She stayed that way for a long while before getting back into her senses. She still felt like puking, but it was overwhelmed by the fear flowing through her body. Scratching filled the air and Ana's gaze traveled to the bookshelf. Scrambling over, Ana grasped the bookshelf and started hauling the heavy wood off the bird.

"Someone help me over here!" She shouted, managing to shove the wood off the bird as she started tugging him out from under the heavy furniture. She needed to have one thing survive, even if it was a tiny little crow she'd just met.

Holy. Fucking. Shit. Everything was going faster than fucking Sonic at mach speed. It was like watching a YouTube video speed up, it barely gave you the time to process everything that was happening, and before you knew it, shit was hitting the fan. Even as everyone else was scurrying like rats and scrambling to their feet, Ethan couldn't find it in himself to move from his position, even after Milton had just told him to go right...Not until after he laid his eyes on…it.

What...What is that thing?! What the fuck is that thing?! It looked like a horribly-deformed and heavily mutated version of a harpy. Truth be told, it was far more closer to "monster" than "human" or "bird". He could hear the voices of everyone else circling around him…

Salem?

That...unholy abomination that couldn't be described as anything but a monster was Salem? He gulped, even as the eyes of the creature were far from him. There was something so off, so uncanny with those eyes and yet...it reflected what Salem was feeling so well, and yet here they were. Fighting for their life, to the death even.

Suddenly...a loud crash, a thump, one that pulled Ethan out of his momentarily fear-driven trance. He shook his head, trying to get the image of Salem's now-horrifying form out and attempted to focus himself on his current surroundings. He cursed aloud to himself, why didn't he do anything? Why couldn't he do anything?! He groaned, if now was the time to do something, it was to respond to Ana's cry for help.

He didn't say anything, all he wanted to do was help, even if it was for a bird that he still kept doubting, if it would help Ana, he'd do it. Bracing himself, he let out a guttural roar as he and Ana lifted the wooden structure together, as heavy as it was, all with the single goal to ensure the safety of Lenore.

The sound of blood thrumming in her ears. Kindall and Jace yelling her name, muffled. The swing of her wooden blade, cutting through air. Joseff sprinting out of nowhere with his tell-tale borf borf and slamming into her side with a surprising force.

Truth be told, London may not have moved had Joseff not intervened. Hadn't caught in onto Jace and Kindall's plan to grab each edge of the bookcase and heave it; been too busy staring down a terrifying bird monster to notice. That being said, when she stumbled away - even though she nearly toppled to the floor again - London didn't mind. Found herself grateful, actually, for the shelf came tumbling down right in the place she'd been standing.

Staring stupidly, London watched Ana and Ethan dig out Lenore from the debris. Breathed heavily because, one; she was out of shape and, two; that could have been her under there.

"Holy-... wow," she breathed. Ran a shaky hand through Joseff's fur on the way to standing up.

Thanks, Jo.

 

[Fox of Spades]

Holy shit. Her distraction had worked. She didn't know how, but it had worked. As her friends scrambled around her, Jace called out. It was hard to make sense of the words when all she could hear was blood rushing in her ears - something about... Marten? Kelsey's eyes went wide as she whipped her head around in search for the familiar tangle of green hair.

Marten had been acting weird ever since Salem had turned.

Ducking back into the maze of shelves, she once again wrapped her fingers tightly around her friend's wrist. She had to snap her friend out of this. Kelsey spun Marten around and placed both hands on the girl's shoulders. "Marten. Snap out of it." She didn't know what the hell to say. The situation was crazy... crazy and bad and she didn't know how they would win this. "Now... now's not the time. Everyone's running. You need to keep moving." Kelsey began drawing blanks, and in a last ditch effort, she pulled her hand back and slapped the green-haired girl across the face. "Focus."

She would apologize later.

Kelsey gave Marten a soft nudge to get her going just as the crash resonated across the room.

People were screaming, books were crashing all over the place - everything was falling apart. Kelsey stepped out into the open to watch as Ethan and Ana lifted the bookshelf, as London picked herself off the floor, as Jace and Kindle stared on at what they had done, and as Salem reeled back in a drunken-like stagger.

The shelf had crashed into him, but it had merely knocked him back. It hadn't toppled over fast enough to crush him. Kelsey watched as Salem gathered himself and as the his empty black eyes locked onto Kindle and Jace.

Once, there had been only emptiness there. Now... there was something else, something far more frightening. It took Kelsey a moment to figure out what it was, but Salem was finally aware of his actions. Awhile ago, he'd thrashed around like a confused animal. There was purpose in his eyes now and he was very upset.

He didn't quite understand it, but anger and raged were bubbling to the surface. The two boys - the tan one and the one with the glasses had hurt him. There was throbbing ache that spread all across his right wing, he had used it to shield himself from the falling shelf and it had taken the brunt of their attack.

They had hurt him and he would hurt them in return - an eye for an eye.

Cawing loudly, he tucked his wings against his body and lowered his head like a bull charging in for the kill. His feet (one had already turned into a might talon) dug into the carpet beneath him before he launched himself forward, ripping across the library with unwavering purpose. Before the boys could act, he crashed into them, sending them both flying into the nearest shelf. Their combined weight topped the shelf over and left them lying on top of it.

Salem eyed them with contempt, but they wouldn't be bothering him for now, so he left them alone and turned to the girl with the katana. She had hurt him too. Salem started skulking towards her, this time with his wings spread out. It made him look much larger and much menacing than he really was. Most of his ashen skin had disappeared underneath feathers by now, and an orange beak had started tearing through his flesh and covering the lower portion of his face.

"London!" Kelsey screamed. "Move! Move now!"

She wasn't fast enough. Salem easily knocked the girl aside with a mighty swipe of his wing. Kelsey watched as London was tossed into the air and as she skidded across the carpet.

Fuck. Every other curse word came to mind as Kelsey lifted a chair and began charging towards Salem in a burst of stupidity. Her friends - her friends who had come to save her - were getting tossed around like ragdolls. Salem had his back to her and she skidded to a stop when she was a few feet away. Raising the chair over her head, she channeled all her fear and anger and threw it as hard as she could. It collided into Salem's back, but didn't seem to do much harm.

Like an owl, he turned his head 180 degrees and stared back at her.

Everything happened so fast. A rush of black feathers came charging towards her, and soon, she too was sent skidding across the ground like Kindle and Jace and London. Her arms shot up to cradle her head and there was a burst of pain as she landed on her shoulder. Kelsey let out a pained cry then instinctively curled up on the ground.

Salem surveyed his surroundings - four people had fallen.

He eyed Ethan and Ana next, but stopped when his eyes fell on Lenore. For the first time since the change, there was a spark of recognition and remorse. It faded as quickly as it appeared and Salem prepared another charge.

 

[Haru Nyan]

Ethan gave a heavy sigh of relief, he panted, the adrenaline from lifting the shelf not having quite left his system just yet. He watched as the avian that Ana had come to care for so much return to the safe hands of its now-owner, perhaps the raven wasn't all that bad, he was starting to warm up to it even. Although, such moments would have to wait, they still had to deal with the eldritch abomination that is Salem, and the shrill caw he made that seemed like it resounded throughout every square inch of Henbard, hell, it was probably loud enough to reach the entrance of the woods. It was moments like these in games where the boss would be charging its super-powerful, usually one-hit kill attack, and that would've been one's cue to fucking roll to the right, out of harm's way.

Without a moment too soon, Salem charged like bull seeing red towards Jace and Kindall, and before he could dash towards them and help them get up, the chimeric creature was already making his way towards London, clearly he was fed up with any of their bullshit, and yet, it also seemed kind of tragic. Like how a wild animal only hurts and kills to ensure its survival in the dog-eat-dog world, well, devilish creature-eat-human world, but hey, same principles. It was either they kill him or he killed them, and the latter was certainly not an option under any circumstances.

And yet, four of them had already been beaten without so much as a sigh. Jace, Kindall, London, and Kelsey. Ethan counted it, yup that's four. Four of his fucking friends having been hurt by this godawful, fucking asshole of a shit stain, miserable excuse of a living being. He scoffed, even as his eyes were meeting Salem's own, there was fear in his being and yet he managed to look at the pissant with an expression that could only described as; "You better fucking get ready, you sonuvabitch."

He took a few steps back, trying not to avoid eye contact with the abomination who was getting ready to charge at both him and Ana, tucking his wings like some retarded chicken and lowering it like he was about to fucking feed, Ethan responded by hunching over a tad, his breathing getting heavy, adopting a position vaguely mirroring Salem's own Chicken pose, and...the moment he dashed forward, so did he.

His arms locking with Salem's own feathered talons, Ethan was head-to-head and face-to-face with the bird creature, setting him up in a hold to prevent him from harming anyone further. The man swallowed his fear even as he looked upon Salem's now-grotesque features, for such a scrawny, little boy, he sure could go toe-to-toe with him as a bird. "Ana!" he called out, he didn't know how long he could Salem's form, or if he could even do anything to hurt him. "I'll deal with Salem, you try and help everyone else!" He could feel Salem's talons gripping onto his shoulders, the sharp tips enough to draw blood and stain his costume's sleeves with splotches of red, but he wouldn't have any of it. Even as Salem's form was starting to overpower him and deter him from his position, even as the pain of those god-fucking-awful talons of him were enough to make him scream out in agony, he wouldn't let him hurt anyone else other than him.

The pain was starting to become unbearable, Ethan's grip was weakening with every passing second and his stance became unbalanced and sloppy as he struggled to keep Salem at bay. An underhanded tactic crossed his mind. A wry smile slightly plastered across his face, he was willing to take chances, and hey, it was fair game; it wasn't inside the ring anyway. He doubled his efforts on the hold only to suddenly break it, Salem's talons released themselves from Ethan's shoulders and he let out a sharp yowl, he screamed in discomfort, probably just as loud as Salem's caw from earlier. Enduring the pain, the young man grabbed Salem's transformed head in the ensuing confusion and slammed it as hard as he could on his knee, hoping that it would have hurt him in the least and give him and his friends enough time. Enough to do something, anything!

 

[Cartoonicat]

The shock of adrenaline derived from nearly getting squashed by a toppling bookcase died immediately. One moment they were all working as a team to take Salem down, the next, the bird boy was charging Jace and Kindall like a boss in a video game. London watched, dumbly, as her two friends crashed into the bookcase behind them.

She'd hardly had time to raise her katana -Nobody hurts my friends! - when Salem spun to face her. Fear lodged in her throat, London's innate desire to retreat mingling with the protective urge to crack her katana upside his head. It didn't help when Salem puffed his feathers, wings expanding to look even more frightening. She was vaguely aware of Kelsey yelling her name, but the pulse of blood in her ears muffled the words.

Salem was at her in a second, effectively ripping away her choice of fight or flight as a mighty wing smacked her hard across her front. London felt the air leave her lungs and she practically flew backwards, a curse on the tip of her tongue muted with no breath to carry it.

Move, London thought absently, slamming hard into the floor and collecting rug burn, Kelsey had said to move.

The world spun, her chest ached, and London's head throbbed more every second she unsuccessfully gasped for air. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes; she'd never been good at tolerating pain. Didn't even have her ears pierced, for God's sake, and probably never would, much to her mother's dismay.

She closed her eyes, hands gripping her chest and abdomen. Forced herself to forget about Mom and ear piercings and the battle raging on, if only for a moment. Tried to regulate her breathing. Failed. Tried again, more lightheaded, to match exhale and inhale with the appropriate action and make it work.

London sucked in a deep breath, chest constricting in confused protest. Didn't her body know she was trying to fix it? Apparently not. She winced, exhaling in short bursts. Repeated the process over the span of what felt like hours. In reality, it was a minute, tops.

By time she got her breathing under control and sat up, Ethan was going head to head with an angry Salem. Beyond them, Kelsey lay on the ground looking worse for wear. London frowned. Grabbed her katana, which had landed not far from where she'd crashed and burned, and rose to her feet.

That had hurt. Still did - London figured she'd have a bruise or two at the end of this fight - and she didn't want to go through that again. Didn't want her friends to get any more hurt than they already had. Salem was a real threat; one that could, potentially, kill all of them.

So, she'd have to be careful. Tactical.

Eying Ethan and Salem, London made her way towards the latter's backside. Hoped that in the distraction of getting his head slammed into her friend's knee, her own approach would go, more or less, unnoticed. Absently wondered if, like in video games, a stealthed ambush would give her a higher critical strike chance. She'd always played a warrior role, but in real life, maybe a different approach would go better.

Probably not, but it's worth trying.

Not for the first time in her life, London found herself terrified. Yet, now, with her friends' lives on the lines and everything at stake, she used her fear for something better than running away. Like with the poltergeist at Stilton Creek, she'd do whatever she could to save her friends. London just hoped it wouldn't come to playing bait, alone, on the opposite bank again. Tag-teaming with Ethan, just like in their virtual arena tournaments, seemed the best way to avoid that. Avoid Salem eventually wrecking Ethan and then coming for the rest of them.

So, yes: She'd need to be careful, tactical, and very lucky.

They all would.

Now, if only she could actually execute a legitimate Shadow Strike, then they'd be golden.

 

[Impudimp]

Her face hurt. Marten came back to herself feeling stinging pain and registering an atmosphere that all but screamed panic and blood. Somewhere between Salem's blood-curdling, black death and the ensuing mayhem, she'd simply checked out. So much for a pep talk.

It was selfish, but she retreated to the happy place of her brain where all was a somber pool in which she contemplated life and her own existence. It was where she'd found peace in the wake of her own self-actualization--as a completely uninteresting, filler type character that would have been just as useful stuffed with sand and branded with a smile and a "Hi!" right on the face-- and now, it was her place in which she was not forced to accept that her friends and herself had been thrust into some hellish hopefully-not-reality.

What a day to be a Mary Sue. Master of none, smiling in the wake of adversity, fostering peace among men, good will, and well-roundedness all before bedtime where she said her prayers, brushed her teeth, and flossed-- God damn!

Was this a mental break?! Her limbs felt like noodles. For all the physical duress she put herself through like the good girl she was, how was it fair that when her friends needed her she had the muscle tone of newborn? There was no time for this... This cliche! So she moved. Maybe not fast, but as she peeked green eyes around a still standing shelf, she found that that was probably a good thing. Bird Salem seemed keen on anything that moved right now.

He had the beady, predatory eyes of a carrion chaser now. It wasn't even fair to call him Salem anymore. Real Salem had had kind if not exceedingly sad eyes. She lamented his tragedy briefly in her heart, before taking stock on what she could use to take out the monster trying to mutilate Ethan. Her other friends were out and recovering sluggishly. Books hadn't worked. Brute force might, but... Ethan was looking winded. The slightly numb place along her thigh where she had haphazardly stuffed her spray bottle of holy water too tightly throbbed prickly.

Holy Water? Well.... It did look like something from the seventh level. It was worth a shot, which she took without thinking too much about because honestly any sane person who was thinking in this moment would be running away from the bird beast. Yet, here she was green-haired, emotionally bankrupt, and-- yes, finally running!-- with her spray bottle posed for fire just as Ethan went full MMA on the creature. She'd move swiftly spraying rapidly at the head of the hopefully disoriented thing. At the least, since it was more animal than human obviously, it might shy away from the cold wetness. It worked on dogs and cats after all so maybe bird? Couldn't hurt trying, she was sure as hell tired of this freezing up thing. Mary Sue or not-- And she'd address her existential feels at a more appropriate time-- she had people to protect. Her voice was nothing more than a vehement hiss with the force of all her pent up emotions, "Get compelled asshole!"

 

[Ashi]

​

It didn't look like London was going to move at all, much less in time to not be crushed by the massive weight of the bookcase and all the books it held. Jace wasn't prepared to swoop in and save her; he was occupied with guiding the bookcase in the right direction. Even if he did try, it wasn't likely that they would both make it out of range of the collision. He was about to holler for Ethan to grab her, but he was just as out of it as London was. Luckily, Joseff was able to understand the urgency in his voice and leapt to the rescue. He plowed into London in a move he'd witnessed being used on Matt, one powerful enough to knock London off her feet and a good distance from where she was standing. If he found the rest of his deer jerky, Jace would be sure to give it to the Shiba Inu.

Unfortunately, the plan fell short. Salem wasn't trapped underneath the bookcase, rather it only knocked him back a few feet. His wing had taken the brunt of the hit. Jace stiffened when those beady black eyes focused on him, unable to process the situation in time to move out of the way before the bird boy rammed into him and Milton both. They flew back into the bookcase behind them, tipping it over from the sheer force of the impact. The bookcases behind it all fell too, like dominos all lined up in a row, until the last one hit the back wall. There was a slim streak of good luck, at least, for Jace. The backpack had broken his fall and protected his back and shoulders from the impact; however, his head snapped back so sharply it made him dizzy.

"Ssshiiit..." Jace groaned, raising his head a little. His wild hair spilled into his face, having come undone from the elastic, which was gone. He watched in shock and horror as London and Kelsey were sent skidding across the carpet. That feathered prick! No, it wasn't Salem's fault; it was his, whoever he was. Jace would make him pay for all of this, but first, they had to get away from bird boy.

Jace struggled to get up, opting to simply roll over onto the floor when sitting up proved to be too difficult. He landed face down with a thud and the jingle of the zippers on Kelsey's backpack. He pushed himself up on shaky arms, pain burning in his neck and shoulder. It took effort to turn his head enough to look over his shoulder and he winced at the pain. Surprisingly, London was on her feet. Good, at least she was okay; Kelsey, on the other hand, hadn't moved. Jace crawled over to her, feeling that staying low was the best way to avoid drawing Salem's attention away from where Ethan had him deadlocked.

"Kels!" He crouched beside her, practically cradling her in his arms. "Are you alright?" It was a foolish question he supposed after it left his mouth. He gingerly felt her shoulder. "I don't think it's broken or dislocated. Can you move your arm?" Jace didn't really wait for her to answer before carrying her between some nearby shelves. "Just hang tight." His voice was little more than a whisper as he set her down on the floor; his brown eyes were anxious. "We need to find a way out of here. Fighting him.. only seems to piss him off more." He glanced around, as if another door would magically appear with an Exit sign above it. Of course, there was nothing but shelves wherever he looked. The only way out was the door that Salem had blocked when he threw the bookcase at it. Then, maybe..

"Stay put!" Jace said and darted towards the far wall. He snuck along the perimeter of the library, out of Salem's sight, towards the door. If he could push the bookcase out of the way of the door, they would have an exit. Now was the time, while Salem was distracted. Jace braced himself, back against the pile, and pushed with his shoulders. His boots slid along the carpet, which offered little to no traction, and his feet went out from under him. He landed on his butt on the pile of books, glutes on fire as the corners of the hard covers jabbed into his butt meat.

"Sonuva--!" He growled and scrambled up to try again. He was never going to a library again after this.

 

[IceQueen]

Ana looked around her, the chaos only getting worse as time went on. A faint glimmer of hope spoke through the whole ordeal, the few seconds of pause that he gave staring at the bird gave her an idea. It was dumb, and probably stupid, but it was worth a shot. Ana glanced around, tucking the bird in her arms.

"I'm sorry Lenore. This is gonna be very scary." She mumbled softly, looking at Ethan who was yelling at her. "I have an idea!" She shouted, looking around. She tried to move herself around in a position where Salem couldn't see her, as he was preoccupied with Jace.

"SALEM! OVER HERE!" She shouted, holding up the bird in front of her as she waited for Salem to turn around. "You know Lenore, he's your friend, your companion. He knows your pain right now, and he doesn't want to see you hurting others like someone had done to you before." She said, holding her ground. "Salem, come back to us."

 

[Fox of Spades]

Ethan's blood was warm...

Warm and comforting and real. The wet sensation between Salem's talons kept his consciousness from drifting away and stopped him from sinking his claws deeper into flesh and bone. With each passing second, he lost more and more of his memories to a vicious tide of black nothingness, but there was a tiny voice in the back of his head that prevented him from turning completely. It slowed down the torturous transformation, but it wasn't enough.

He sunk his claws a little deeper as Ethan's screams tore through the air. Bird and wrestler grappled in a flurry of limbs and feathers. Ethan was strong, but Salem knew the young man couldn't go on forever. He prepared to make a grab for Ethan's throat, but the wrestler surprised him by pulling back and letting go. Thanks to gravity and force, Salem pitched forward and found himself vulnerable. Strong hands gripped him by the head and slammed his face into Ethan's knee.

White sparks exploded across his vision as liquid fire shot through his head.

The orange beak that had started protruding out of his face was smashed in and black ooze streamed down the startled bird's face. Salem let out a throaty squawk before he began flapping both his wings in a wild panic.

Feathers fell onto the carpeted floor as two large wings beat loudly against the air. Salem's struggled to right himself, and it might have looked comical had the fallen wrestler not been in danger of being trampled on. Large talons scraped across the ground and Salem writhed and twisted, only stopping when a cold spray of water caught him off guard.

Dark, empty eyes blinked once then twice before flitting to the source of the annoyance—the green-haired girl. M A R T E N. Letters he couldn't quite make out floated around the inside of his skull. The person before him was not a person but a target, someone who had tried to attack him. Forgetting Ethan, he turned his full attention to Marten. Slowly, he closed the distance between them. He raised his left wing and slapped away the girl's arm.

The bottle of holy water clattered to the ground...

She couldn't get up. Kelsey bit down on her lip as pain shot up her shoulder and down her back. The panicky voice in her head told her to get up and run—getupandfuckingrun. But she couldn't, her head was spinning.

And someone was talking to her... Jace?

Salem had tossed him and Kindle into the bookshelf - had knocked London to the ground. She squinted at him as the world started to take form again. It really was him. Good. That meant he was okay. She could still hear Salem in the background though, meaning whoever was closest to him needed help. "I'm fine. I don't think it's broken."

Everything happened so quickly. Before she could protest, Jace had carried her to safety. One minute he was there talking about an escape route and telling her to stay put, the next minute he was darting back into the fray.

Damn it. She needed to help.

Kelsey held onto one of the shelves and got back to her feet. She'd banged her head against the floor (thankfully it was between her hands) but she was fine. Ethan had been screaming hadn't he? Wild-eyed, and afraid for her friends, she stepped back into the open only for her insides to turn into Ice.

Ethan was on the ground and Salem had his talon raised above Marten's head.

"SALEM! OVER HERE!"

His claws would have sunk into the curve of Marten's neck. Would have. Before his bloodied talons could disappear into her flesh, his empty eyes flitted to the screaming girl and Lenore—he remembered Lenore.

Salem's hand dropped to his side.

Something flickered to life in his empty eyes. It had happened so briefly, but it was something.

"Salem, come back to us."

He remembered Lenore, the last piece of his former life that he'd managed to keep close. Lenore was both a reminder of home and his last bike ride to the woods. It stopped his memories from unspooling, made pictures emerge from the dark recesses of his mind. The black-haired girl was talking to him about Lenore.

"Ana, you fucking genius! Keep doing whatever that is!" As Salem stared off into space, Kelsey took the opportunity to dash back into the open. "Marten, help me get Ethan!" She dashed past the green-haired girl, crouching down to grab the wrestler by his arms. Kelsey winced at the blooming bloodstains on his shoulders. This was going to hurt, but they had to get the hell out of here while Salem was distracted. "Buckle up, hero. This is going to hurt a bit." Exerting all the effort she could, she tried to tug him back to his feet. Marten joined her, and together they managed to get Ethan standing once more.

Both girls ushered Ethan back into the shelf maze.

"Fucking hell," Kelsey whispered underneath her breath. "Are the cuts deep?" If they were, then she and Marten would need to get to work immediately in order to ensure their friend didn't bleed out. Basic first aid... she had taken that class with Kindle. "Are you feeling lightheaded or cold?" She asked, her eyes focused on all the blood.

While they tended to Ethan, Salem started to falter.

Ana mentioning Lenore had anchored a memory into Salem's head. It pulled his consciousness back from the depths and slammed him back into his own mind. He was there. He was Salem, but the darkness was still an all-consuming threat. He wanted the darkness to stop so he could just be himself again.

The large creature that was once Salem continued to stare at Ana and Lenore before it began to scream - not the same cawing sound from earlier, but a human scream filled with anguish.

A fuzzy head pressed against Kindle's cheek before Joseff began licking at the bespectacled boy's face. Kindle was lying atop the fallen bookshelf, winded and in pain and Joseff knew that things were bad. Everyone was yelling, and not the happy kind of up-all-night yelling he was used to when Matt had movie nights with everyone.

Joseff started to whine sadly. Kindle was alive and groaning but the young man was still lying flat on his back, surrounded by an assortment of books. Growing even more worried by the second, he pawed at Kindle's face. Relieved to see that it was working to some extent, Joseff then bit down on the collar of boy's shirt and tried to pull him into a sitting position.

"Woof! Woof!"

Meanwhile, smoky tendrils held the toppled bookshelf in place, and as Jace fell onto his backside, a soft tittering reminiscent of Mini Pumpkin's squeaks came from behind the shut doors. The tendrils held firm.

 

[Cartoonicat]

London had played rogues before. After a childhood of gaming, how could she not? Fantasy was her favorite genre, after all. While she'd always preferred the battle-hardened resilience and fury of a warrior, London knew the benefits a stealthy approach had to offer. It was by far safer than rushing in with a roar; you got the drop on the opposition, rather than give them time to prepare.

She always thought she'd be a rogue in real life, though. Quiet, a wallflower, her talent with strategics and the need to think before acting. Only, London had never taken her temper into account. The temper that had made her a feared PVPer across several online gaming servers on more than one occasion. People didn't fuck with her online friends lest her online persona, Fightingale, catch wind and hunt them down.

But that was online. Between the cosplay websites, her own blogs, and the several MMOs she played her internet presence was rather high. In real life? Not so much. She'd be lucky if anyone outside her group even remembered her face, much less her name. London had always been so different online.

Or so she thought.

Her squad was in trouble now - this group of people more important than pixels that respawned after twenty seconds - and stealth wasn't getting her anywhere.

When Salem sunk his talons deep into Ethan's shoulder, the blood from Matt - or Not!Matt's - abdomen flashed through her mind. London broke into a run. And then Salem whirled on Marten, scarlet dripping talon raised high. London felt her heart drop; went back to the cellar and the madness that was Not!Matt's guts spilling across the floor.

Only this time it would be real; this time it would be Ethan's blood and Marten's throat.

"No!" She cut in front of Marten, katana swinging, only to stumble - Salem had moved. He'd turned away, towards Ana and Lenore, and before London could even think to check on Marten her mind was whirling:

Ana. Ana. He's going to hurt Ana. I. Won't. Let. Him.

She raised her wooden katana, fully intent on at least trying to shove it, rounded-tip first, into his back. But then Salem - the real Salem - screamed and she froze, arms above her head, and stared in awe.

"...Salem?"

Was Ana... Is Ana bringing him back?

 

[Haru Nyan]

Ethan could barely believe his eyes, did he do it? Did he just manage to fucking hurt Salem?! H-Holy shit! He could barely believe it, even as this disgusting ooze of what he assumed was his saliva was coming out of the bird man's mouth. Foolishly, he pumped a fist in the air, only to regret his action when he remembered the fact that was bleeding out of his shoulders. Damn, and he just got this costume too. Were he a real vampire, this would've probably been awkward. What he didn't anticipate was Salem flailing around like a buffoon from the impact of his knee, thrashing about like some kid throwing a temper tantrum, a violent temper tantrum. In the ensuing confrontation, Ethan fell down to the floor with all the grace of a ducking trying to do ballet. This wasn't a good position to be in, and he had been in a lot of positions.

He scrambled on the floor, trying to avoid the worst of the bird of prey's sharp talons, he had enough of it as is. Ethan kept on rolling to the sides and trying to crawl away to safety, only to let out a "Huh?" when he realized that he wasn't in Salem's crosshairs anymore, his eyes followed the transformed boy's looming figure toward the grunette who had just baptized him. "Damn it!" he cursed, half of it was the fact that it wasn't like the holy water he thought and it didn't leave a straight line of holy flames to keep Salem at bay, the other was the fact that he wasn't exactly in the perfect condition to go head-to-head with Salem once more. Even if the wounds on his shoulder weren't as severe as they looked, he couldn't afford to lose any more blood than necessary.

And yet...rather than grasp at the chance to attack Marten then and there, Salem stopped the moment he heard Ana's words. He watched, awestruck, thinking that those kinds of things only ever happened in sentimental visual novel's and corny JRPG's. His eyes transfixed on the odd, yet relatively safe, scene, Ethan was taken aback when hands suddenly began to help him get up from the creaky, wooden floor.

Next thing he knew, he had his back on the wooden shelves from before, with Marten and Kelsey making a fuss over his wounds. Asking him if it was this and that, "I-I don't think so?" In all honesty, he couldn't tell anymore, but he was just glad that they were there to help him.

 

[Fox of Hearts]

A thick crack ran horizontally across Milton's left lens. He found himself squinting a lot before his brain made him start compensating with his right eye. Already he could feel a dull headache was forming at the back of his head. He groaned.

"Fucking shit," he hissed. He wanted to stand up but there was this weight pressing down on his stomach. A super heavy pumpkin dog to be precise. "J - oh, thanks!" Kindle chose to keep his snark to himself, because he could see the pouf ball being helpful for once. No, actually, the licking was pretty soothing. His face didn't sting as much now. "Yeah, thanks."

"Borf, borf," whined the trapped dog.

Jo wiggled uncomfortably from the baking insides of his restrictive costume. A desire the inu managed to communicate to the slumped human. "Uuuu uuuu," he begged piteously. "Uuuuu."

"Stuffy, ain't it?" Milton's hands worked slowly to free the squirmy, thumping body from the confines of the plastic shell. Once freed, Jo practically tackled Milton back into shelves and shower him with slobbery licks. The human grimaced. "Yuck! Don't know how Matt stands this. Your breath's …. it'll kill vampires, you know?"

The young man would have liked nothing more than remain seated among the pile of cookbooks on the floor. However, he couldn't. They were still trapped here with that bird thing. A screaming bird thing.

And frankly, the screaming was making his headache worse. Groaning, Kindle hauled himself to his feet. Yeah, he needs to stop this. Ethan, where's his bud? He drew a blank each time he tried retrieving the memories. No fucking thing.

Clearly, he must have blacked out somehow, he concluded in passing. His mind now trained on the figure clutching his head. Salem's body twisting visibly in agony. Kindle didn't care. This was a weakness and he was going to exploit it! He wanted to. It was for him. For Marten, Kelsey! For everyone!

"Me cago en todolodo la banana fudging split cakes!"

Shouting a garbled version of London's salty Spanish, Milton dashed forward then leaped in a Jo-like fashion. Behind him, the shiba followed suit. Flesh, feathers and fur melded together, mixed together and swirled in a heady blur. Shocked cries and barking came from the mess of men and mutt.

Only sheer determination - and Ana and Lenore's masterful distraction - allowed Milton to emerge victorious. He ended up sitting on Salem's chest effectively pinning his opponent to the ground. Jo whimpered softly before managing to eek himself out from underneath the feathered one.

"Come here, Jo! Come here! Sit with me!"

Fump! A second weight was added onto Salem's chest as Kindle had his hands around the feathered throat. "Salem Johnson! Salem fucking Johnson!" he bellowed, shaking the boy so hard that the dark head thudded on the ground. "What the hell! Wha-what the effing hell!"

Salem Johnson. A spark of recognition was now present in Salem's eyes, and the ashen-faced bird-boy hybrid looked both terrified and lost, unsure of the chaos that had erupted around him.

"Woff borf bo-roff!"

Jo's admonishing barks gave Milton the confidence to continue. He could feel his anger burning and he believed he was sensing Jo's anger too. "Help? You want to help us? You … jerked us around. Led us to the library. Attacked us! For fuck!"

Swallowing hard to reduce the spittle leaving his mouth, Kindle drew in a hissing breath. His mind was surprisingly clear despite how wound up he felt. "Well ca-caw to you, dumb bird! Ca-fucking-caw!" He sucked in his breath and drew his fist into the air. He had every intention of smashing that face into oblivion. "Poe this!"

"Rrrrrrrr RUFF RUFF!"

Salem struggled against Kindle's hold. He was confused… and as the boy shook him, he retaliated. Planting his legs against Kindle's abdomen, he kicked Kindle off him and sent the bespectacled boy skidding across the carpet.

In his alternate form, Salem was much stronger than any mere mortal. However, as he sat up, the crazed look in his eyes were gone. They weren't empty anymore and they flitted slowly from person to person. He had hurt them?

Unknown to the boy, the black feathers covering his skin started to fade away.

Kindle was too high on adrenaline to think straight. He could only think about one thing - taking that bastard down! Roaring, he dashed towards Salem again with his fist drawn back. He was almost within striking distance when a rush of black blinded him.

"Caw caw! Ca caaaaaaa!"

Lenore flapped her wings furiously, attempting to drive Kindle away from Salem. She screeched angrily as she slashed at the attacker with her talons. She had enough! Everyone kept attacking her beloved master and it was driving her mad.

"Caaaaaaaaaa!"

Her cries were answered with booming barks from Jo. The inu's throat taunt and his ears flattened against his head. It was obvious that he wasn't happy that the black demon was attacking his human friend. "Borf borf borf!" he challenged, getting into his attack stance. "Grrrrrrrrrrrr!"

"Caw caw caw!" Lenore taunted. Her attention was now on Jo. She determined Kindle was neutralised and the dog was currently her biggest threat. "CAWWWW!"

"What? No! Jo! Lenore!" Kindle shouted after lowering his arms. He was too shocked by the potential fight breaking out between the two animals to care about the bleeding streaks down his arms and face. "Fuck! Can't you do shit?" He yelled at Salem while he started moving towards Joseff. "Get your bird away!"

Kindle was shocked. According to Matt, Joseff was a very mild-mannered dog. The Jo he in front of him was so different. Milton couldn't help wondering if the stress was finally making their fur friend snap. He knew animals often turned violent too when they were placed under pressure.

"Someone get the bird away!"

 

[Ashi]

​

What was that? Jace scrunched his face, trying to hear over the commotion. It was a small noise, barely audible over all the screaming, that sounded strangely reminiscent of laughter. Feeling he was being mocked, Jace ruefully slammed his hand against the door, hoping to startle whatever was on the other side. When the bookcase didn't move in spite of his pushing, Jace removed the backpack and tossed it at his feet. Perhaps it was inhibiting his ability to use his shoulders to push the bookcase. He slipped and fell on his bottom a few more times before resigning himself to the fact that the bookcase just wouldn't move if he was the only one pushing it. It was likely that everyone would need to help in order to move it.

Ana had occupied Salem's attention with Lenore in time to save London and Marten from being hacked into by the bird-boy's talons. Whatever it was, it seemed to be working. Salem's scream drew Jace's alarmed gaze back towards the group. It wasn't the cawing or the warped gurgling screams from before, but a human scream. It was a scream of agony, but it sounded like Salem. Jace scrambled to his feet, grabbed the backpack, and dashed back into the fray. He headed towards London and Marten first.

"You two take cover; take this with you." Jace placed a hand on each of their shoulders as he joined them briefly, giving them a push towards the maze. He thrust the backpack into Marten's hands, since she held only the spray bottle. "Go help Ethan." He told them and turned towards the unfolding scene. Milton was going after Salem, rolling on the floor in a blur of ashen gray and vibrant color.

"Milton! Stop!" He called out, his tone that of the authoritative older brother. "Stop before you--" Salem sent Milton flying with a kick to the abdomen. "Get hurt.." Jace finished lamely and started forward. His friend was up again before he got to him. "Milton, cut it out! Let Ana-!" It didn't look like he was going to get a word in edgewise. Lenore, who apparently had finally had enough, swooped towards Milton with talons at the ready. She easily sliced through his shirt and the flesh of his arms as he tried to block her attack. Her attention was redirected to Jo, who seemed to share her sentiment.

"Joseff! Heel!" Jace tried using the same commanding voice he used with his own dog. Kenai was a lot more stubborn than Jo, so he had high hopes of success. Then again, it was Matt that Joseff truly listened to. There was no telling if it would work or not. "Ana, get Lenore!" He urged his petite friend to grab the bird. Up until then, the bird was content in Ana's arms. Staying between Milton and Salem, Jace turned to the latter. His feathers were fading.

"Salem? Are you in there?" He spoke slowly and gently, as if to a child. It felt a little foolish, but he had to try. "No one is going to hurt you, but you gotta come back now. We need you. Your family needs you. Lenore needs you."

 

[IceQueen]

Ana couldn't help but let out a soft and short huff as Salem stared back at her, seemingly starting to become more human. His caws of bird became human, his eyes showing recognition with the bird. "It's working." She mumbled, delight showing in her features. It seemed that most people were cheering her on, most excluding Milton.

Ana's eyes widened as Milton leapt onto Salem. "MILTON!" Ana shouted, her grip on the bird loosening for the moment. And just as it loosened Lenore took off and started attacking Milton. Ana was so irritated with Milton right now. She was making progress and now Milton was ruining it. "No, I won't get the bird away from you because you're being a right fucking idiot!" She shouted, wandering over to Lenore and giving the bird a smile.

"It's alright now." She mumbled, wandering up to him with a gentle smile and offering an arm for him to rest on. "We're gonna make sure Salem doesn't get hurt, alright?" She told the bird, giving it head scratches as it hopped onto her arm. She then turned towards Salem.

"I know there's a real person in there somewhere, someone who didn't want this to happen, who never had a choice in the matter. Someone who got taken and used by him for his own sick game." She said, looking up at Salem. "I know that Lenore knows that, Jace knows that, I know that." She said, glancing at Jace. "Hold Milton off would you, if he get's any closer I might punch him." She mumbled, trying to focus back on Salem who was standing in front of her. "Come on Salem, I know you're in there. Lenore knows you're in there. Come back to us."

 

[Fox of Spades]

Ethan was shaken but alive, and Kelsey let out a relieved sigh when he finally spoke for the first time. "Glad you're okay." They weren't out of the woods yet but she leaned in and gave Ethan a tight embrace. She was probably hurting him more than she was helping. "Sorry, you had us really worried... you too, Marten."

She would have said more - she had a tendency to babble when she was worried - but Jace arrived and pressed a bag into Marten's hands. It was his medicine kit. "Leave it to Jace to always be prepared." He left as quickly as he arrived. "Marten, can you grab some bandages? I'm going to check on the wounds. Hey, hero, this might hurt a bit. You might want to grit your teeth." Gingerly, she rolled up his bloodied sleeves and stared at the damage Salem had done. "I'm going to take off your cape." She used his funny-looking vampire cape to wipe off the blood. "Good. The gashes aren't as bad as they look, they don't seem to be too deep." Despite her reassurance, she could tell Ethan was in pain.

"Hey, maybe think of milk... or Preston? Yeah, your first date with Preston!" She wasn't sure if it would help, but under stress, it was the first comforting thing Kelsey could think of. Marten handed her the bandages. "It was at the Daily Grind, the first time you two held hands." She wrapped up the wounds, and secured the bandages with a safety pin. "There, you should be all good to go. Try not to use your arms too much." She winced at the sound of Ana and Jace yelling - something about Kindle. Worry began stirring inside her once more. "That doesn't sound good, let's go."

Leaving the safety of the shelf maze, they were greeted by the sight of a bloodied Kindle. Jace stood between him and Ana, while Ana took Lenore away from the protective Joseff.

"Joseff! Heel!"

The command went unheard as the Shiba Inu continued to snarl at the bird. Joseff pulled back his lips until white teeth glinted under the library lights. Even more out of character, he snapped his jaws twice in an attempt to bite at the bird's wings. He only stopped when Lenore was out of reach in Ana's arms.

And even then... it took the Shiba Inu a moment to collect himself.

Slowly, Salem sat up. There was a pounding in his head and vicious ringing in his ears. The world was a blanket of hurt and white noise, but even as he brought his winged arms to his ears to block out the noise, he heard everything. Two people - the black haired girl and the tanned boy were talking to him.

At first, he couldn't quite make sense of what they were saying, but the puzzle pieces fell into place.

The girl was right, he never wanted this. He'd merely been roped into a twisted game he never wanted to play. His insides turned to ice as memories started returning and pushing away at the darkness that had enveloped his thoughts. Jace mentioning his family anchored him back even further and a sob tore through his throat.

Feathers gave way to flesh, and they melted off his skin like ice cream underneath the hot sun.

Soon, Salem was human again - flesh and bones seated atop a pool of black goop. His skin was still ashen, and his nose was broken, but he was no longer the twisted bird creature who had tried to harm them.

"I didn't mean to," Salem voice broke. "He was in my head... I didn't."

Black ooze streamed down his broken nose, but he didn't seem to feel any pain. Instead, he was wracked with guilt. Salem buried his face in his arms as broken sobs left his lips. The tears that streamed down his ashen face were black. "He'll know." The guilt was replaced with paranoia. "He'll know I didn't finish the job and come after you."

Lenore had hopped off Ana's arm and into Salem's lap. She didn't exactly comprehend the situation, but she stared at her owner with a confused look and Salem held her tightly in his arms.

"What... what do you mean?"

"I don't know how much longer I can stay like this," Salem admitted. "He's in too deep... I can't fight it forever." Admitting the truth left him feeling hollow. Over the decades he'd come to care about the his make-believe family and the rest of the people who inhabited Henbard Chateau. But he couldn't see this through to the end with everyone. If he stayed, he'd only be a liability and a threat. After more than fifty years... perhaps it was finally time to let go.

"Salem," Kelsey called out as she joined the rest.

"I've lived long enough."

 

[Impudimp]

​

The sad part about being in a gigantic, horror house was that it was basically one huge life or death experience, so eventually your life stopped flashing before your eyes in the midst of danger. Of course Marten was still relatively young, so it wasn't a long movie in the first place. Even so... that realization whilst sharp, almost glinting talons were inches from your face seemed more than a little bit insulting. How dare she not get a rerun of her most epic living moments before her pretty face got slashed. What the hell was that, karma? And considering she was pretty slow from shock she doubted that she would avoid the hit. Well... at least she'd have something to ask about when she got to the pearly gates.

The strike didn't come though. Never. Instead she went from imperiled to Nurse Joy in the span of a few swiftly ticking seconds. Man, did she need to go to sleep. She'd even take some of London's coffee at this point. There was no way that her brain was actually still functioning if these were her thoughts. "Yea, I... got it?" She found herself responding to Kelsey and Jace in even less than a half-assed fashion, but she still had enough oomph to give Ethan a reassuring smile, "You're gonna have some new cool scars to show your boyfriends after this, Milkman."

In even less time than it took for her to drag Marten to what would take her a moment to realize was a copse of bookshelves, Kelsey was back out into the fray leaving the grunette with the wrestler. Not that she minded but somewhere in her teen aged mind, the girl was picking up hints of the word "Milton". G-d it! You like him therefore you must. And so sleep-addled mind made sleep-addled limbs move with the creaking efficiency of her arthritic grandmother back out into the library proper where. Lo and behold, Milton was bleeding, and Salem was... saying something irritatingly morbid. It's a possibility he can't help it... It's been what 50-60 years? He's been a teenager for 60 years?! He's been in the most awkward, brooding stages of life... for decades? He's like...a living, breathing Sasuke Uchiha.

The newly minted Nurse Joy made her way over to Milton, kneeling at his side with Jace's first aid kit. It's a gauze party, everyone! Do the monster mash! Oh yea, she was losing her effing mind, but that was okay. A long-suffering smile worked its way onto her lips. Who better to get through a cuckoo nest than a looney toon? It made sense to her anyway. "And we call Milkman the hero when you're over here hulking out too, ya nerd. Everyone's a detonator short of going nuclear tonight. Must be in the air..." Of course she was just talking... mostly to herself, but Kindall wouldn't tell on her she was sure, nor would he put it past her most likely. They were in a living hell currently after all. Once she finished patching him up she was going to give bird boy a piece of her mind, too.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Within the brief moments it took London's surprise at Salem's - the Salem's - scream to abate, one of her friends practically flew past her shouting salty Spanish gibberish with a riled up Shiba Inu at his heels. She blinked, a little dumbfounded, and spent the next handful of seconds trying to actually translate mentally what Kindall was trying to say:

'I shit all over the...' what the hell, Kindall?

She could worry about his strange wording later; there were more pressing matters at hand. Like, for instance, Kindall knocking Salem to the ground and pummeling the bird boy into next year. London simply stared, not inclined to stop him. Wasn't it just a few seconds ago she'd been ready to try and impale the feathered teen with her wooden sword? London didn't like to think about what that meant - especially the possibility that she'd only refrained from striking because Salem's scream surprised her, not because she wanted to.

A hand settled on her shoulder and, startled, London's grip on her katana tightened. But it was just Jace, her coffee buddy, not some hell spawn from the pits of Henbard come to sneak up on them. She relaxed a little, then. At least until Jace's words registered in her brain.

Take cover? I'm the one with the katana.

She opened her mouth to say as much, only the words never made their way out: Instead, Salem sent Kindall flying with a furious kick. Both Ana and Jace tried to intervene - tried to stop Kindall from going after Salem again - and a jolt of irritation shot through her. "Kindall is helping! Salem could turn on us again-" A flurry of dark feathers made London drop her katana and raise her arms over her head. She didn't know who Lenore was going after until she heard Jo's snarling and Kindall's attempts to quell the fight. Heart pounding - London did not want to get caught between an animal fight - she watched as Ana bravely stepped in to calm Lenore. Jace tried commanding Jo to back down, but only when the crow had returned to Ana's arms did he stop growling. Even then, it took Jo an extra moment to settle down.

It'd been a while since London felt truly wary of Jo. He'd broken through her walls with wagging tails and happy barks for attention. Now, in the middle of Henbard Chateau's library, she felt it again; the feeling that Jo was a threat. Slowly, she crouched and picked up her katana. London didn't plan on doing anything - at least not yet - but she'd be watching Jo closely from now on. It was something she failed to do earlier when they woke up in Hell. Salem's third riddle rang in the back of her mind:

Tell Tale Tit,
Your tongue shall be slit;
And all the dogs in the town
Shall have a little bit.

While her friends talked Salem down, London continued watching Jo. Reminded herself that he, too, was part of their group and needed protecting. She didn't know how to handle the prospect that one of their own could turn on them. Didn't like it - not one bit - especially considering Jo's ties to Matt and how London-... No, she wasn't going to think about Matt.

Something struck her, then. A piece of information she hadn't comprehended at the time, but now hit her full-force. Fake Matt had said something to her before dissolving into goop. Something that would have made her stomach erupt in butterflies had she not thought him dying on the cellar floor. You're cuter when you're smiling... It felt wrong to think about it, because those weren't their Matt's words. It was him, the bastard behind Henbard's misery, yet he seemed to know just what to say. How, though? How did he know that I- London shut her eyes. Snuffed out the thought, the tightening of her chest. She. Would. Not. Think. About. Matt.

She would think about Salem, though, and the fact that he himself just suggested his presence a liability. London didn't disagree. While a victim he may be, Salem proved that he would kill any of them without a second thought if he took hold again.

"Salem's right," she said. "He's... he's just too dangerous to have around." Swallowed dryly, because while she was angry at the Hayes for luring them in, she couldn't pretend they weren't people. They were each unique, individual people with feelings and dreams just like London and the rest of her friends. But they were also massive risks, too.

London subtly looked to Lenore, then. "Honestly... they all are." Refused to look at Jo because he was theirs, not his, and even though London had a sneaking suspicion that may have changed somewhat, she wasn't going to voice it out loud.

At least, not yet.

 

[Haru Nyan]

"Woah, hey!" Ethan stumbled a bit from Kelsey's hug, in spite of the peril they were all facing, he still managed to feel...warm. It was that fuzzy feeling you get after hugging your parents after telling how much of a shitty day you had to face, or like when old friends meet again after a decade or so. He frowned at the prospect having suddenly become a burden to the group, he was no good to them bleeding like this, and he wanted to jump back in to the fight ASAP.

The boy's brows furrowed as Kelsey and Marten kept on calling him "hero", he gave a stifled chuckled at the thought. He never really pegged himself as a hero before, especially with the villainous persona he keeps on playing in his matches. It was odd, but...not necessarily bad, it even had a nice tone to it all. Briefly, he tried to imagine the roaring crowds cheering him on and hoping that he'd make a last-minute effort to defeat the nasty Heel instead. He nodded, visualizing the adoring populace scream-

"OW!" A pained yelp left Ethan's mouth, certainly not as loud as before, but audible enough for him to express his displeasure at the current situation. It had taken him a moment to realize that his dashing cape was now being used clean off the blood. He pouted, trying to explain that he had just gotten used to lugging the thing around. He didn't even have a chance to get a dramatic monologue! Upon seeing Marten's beaming smile and hearing her mention of boyfriends, the milkman returned with a sardonic smile of his own. "Boyfriend, Marten. Singular."

It wasn't exactly appropriate for the situation, but the topic came up, and Kelsey kept on saying as much...

Preston. What the hell was he even doing right now? How would he react if he saw him right now? Ethan's smile grew wider, first date, huh? The memory was as clear as day...The aroma of coffee, the jazz music that set the mood, and the general fucking awkwardness of it all. It was full of dead air and tons of small talk, trivial shit, really...but that moment..that fucking moment! When they held hands, it was as if nothing truly mattered anymore other than Preston, and how much he wanted to stay in that moment.
It was cheesy, fucking cheesy, but something clicked in Ethan's mind during that time; holy fucking shit this is really gay.

His reverie was cut short when he heard the sounds of screaming. The familiar scene of a coffee shop was replaced with the library they were all still in. Ethan let out a sigh, a forlorn look spread across his face. Before he knew it, he was already up and ready to go once more, maybe with less arm action this time around though. Carefully, he rejoined Kelsey and Marten in hopes of dealing with Salem, only to be greeted with the grisly sight of Kindle, who had looked like he had just gone through Hell and back. He wanted to make Salem pay for all the shit he made everyone go through, but couldn't bring it upon himself to feel 100% angry at him.

 

[IceQueen]

Ana smiled as Salem came back to them. Her face was lit up with joy, she'd done it. Letting Lenore wander back to his master, Ana smiled down at the pair. But her joy soon came crashing down. Salem was right of course, he'd come after them through Salem again if he had the choice. Not to mention he'd been alive as a teen for fifty odd years. Ana pursed her lips together.

"I can't watch." She mumbled, turning away from them. She scrunched up her shoulders at the thought of blood yet again, her body tremoring slightly. She glanced back over at the pair. "I agree London. I don't think it'd be right to keep Lenore alive while his master suffers. As much as you were a cute friend to have." She said with a weary and sad smile. "Do what you have to." She mumbled, wandering back towards the bookshelves where she could be far away from the deed to be done.

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Anyone else might reconsider being a jerk when their friends doubt them. Not Milton. The guy huffed a little but didn't react at all to Ana's overreaction. He rolled his eyes a little then snorted. "Priorities, people! Priorities." He muttered under his breath. He'd love to goad Ana but that could cause a cascade. Not worth the risk in his opinion, especially not when everyone was skating on thin ice. Out loud, he chose to say this instead. "Fine. I'll sit here and not do anything."

He didn't have that much of a choice really. His body was sore all over and his head didn't feel right. All that stood between him and a pool of stink was sheer will power. So, Milton clamped his lips shut and looked to the ground. Yeah, let Ana think he was remorseful. No harm, no foul. Heck, it might even soothe the ruffled feathers.

Warmth brushed against him, causing a slight tingling inside his stomach. He recognized that faint smell even if he was blindfolded. Marten! Drinking in her scent, the lover boy allowed the grunette to chatter away as she tended to him. Her very presence was enough to chase away the dark clouds in his head. He smiled slightly while fighting back the remaining nausea. Slowly, he reached up and allowed his fingertips to brush the top of her hand. The caress was so brief that it could have been either "I'm okay" or "I'm glad you are here". A mixed message of sorts.

"Just like Ethan and Preston, huh?" he mused.

He remembered vaguely what Ethan had mentioned about his first date. Those awkward hand brushes. He hadn't quite shared those moments with Marten yet. They had somehow progressed from sparse conversation to chatty comfort to not-so-Valentine's-Valentine. It felt like they weren't quite sure what they wanted in their relationship. Other than time together and him pretending to like her chocolates enough to steal more than a handful of Hershey Kisses that is. Maybe she knew? He'd need to ask Marten one day.

Milton shut his eyes, deciding to enjoy the solitude. Unfortunately, he couldn't relax too long. The conversation went from weird to fucking weird. His eyes sprang open. WHAT? How the heck did they go from broody fatalism to animal murder? How the crap did that even make any fucking sense? God! Can't anyone stay rational without him?

Pulling away slightly from Marten, he pulled his hands up to his temples and began massaging them. "Ana, wait! Doesn't Lenore get a say in this?" he asked. He got what Ana was trying to say but hell no! He wasn't gonna let a poor bird get killed just because its owner was dying. That was too messed up! A little like those wife burning rituals during a patriarch's funeral. "What if the bird wants to live? Live on, avenge its owner or some … yeah. We should see Lenore's reaction first."

There was an awkward pause. Kindle knew he had contradicted himself. He hadn't liked the bird in the first place. That was all Ana. Their roles got reversed drastically in light of Salem's impending Julius Caesar moment. Milton wasn't sure if that was the right character and couldn't be bothered to wreck his brains. The death was effin' Shakespearean to say the least. Drama and soliloquy for your listening pleasure. Talk about wonderful choreography, Peter, he sneered in his mind. A real viewing pleasure. First class seats and lots of gore.

He almost said shit as a new wave of pain slammed into his skull. Luckily, he managed to stop himself in time. This made what he said recently sound less like a personal attack. He hoped. The last thing he wanted now was to bicker with anyone. His head won't be able to take it. Guess he'd need to let the others intervene if Ana exploded, he reasoned. He sensed she was a little strung up too.

Apparently, two other members of the group were just as confused. Two fur children. Joseff sat on his back legs, tilting his head left and right. He let off an "uuuu" once in awhile to let the humans know he was still a living, breathing (albeit very confused) inu. He even stopped long enough to scratch the back of his ear with his back foot.

"Brrrrr rof?" he woofed as Ana relinquished Lenore.

The meanness had vanished without a trace. Almost anyone looking at him would assume that he reacted so negatively to Lenore because he cared. After a good scratch, Joseff's expression turned blank. He seemed to have forgotten why he was puzzled in the first. Instead of sitting still any longer, the happy-go-lucky mutt bounded over to Jace and rolled over his feet. He pawed the air playfully in a bid to get Uncle Jace's attention. This amnesia wasn't shared with the other fur baby.

"Caw?" Lenore cried, sounding very confused. "Ca, ca, caw?"

She took off immediately after Ana left and ended up perched on the bookshelf. There the black feathered avian stood, gazing down at the people in the room. Her beady eyes soon found Joseff and she glared at him. "Caaaaaaaa," she scolded.

"I think Lenore's decision is quite clear," Milton commentated. "I doubt she'd fly down anytime soon. As long as she stays away from us, I'm okay with letting her live."