67 "Haven"

The entire dorm was hysteric, cries and wails echoed in the air along with the muffled attempts from Bianca to calm them. The four horoscopes stood together but the wave of children was becoming too strong. Someone stepped on Senri's foot, causing her to lose her balance. In that small gap, dozens of children rushed past, carrying Senri with them.

"Senri!" Bianca reached her hand out against the flow of children, but her fingers grasped nothing. Senri disappeared, engulfed by the chaos.

"Bianca, we need to move!" Bennox was at her side, Owen sticking to Bennox's back. Bianca wanted to push against the flow, to find Senri but, she saw how the number of children clamoring around the door grew, increasing the pressure in the frenzy.

"We'll search for her later, for now, we need to make a plan." Bennox tugged on Bianca's shoulder and she let herself be pulled along. Although Senri had been annoying and difficult to deal with, Bianca had brought her out of their room, out from safety, and she had been responsible for Senri.

Lydis watched from her perch in the trees surrounding the dorms.

"Ui, what's the status on Hal's robot helper?"

From her pocket, Ui's head poked out and climbed onto her shoulder, it's dragon form resting on her arm.

"Without orders the helper robot is dormant in the storage on the third floor. Shall I activate it?"

"Since Hal said that I could only direct it to clean, let's leave it alone for now."

"Interfering with the permissions on an old robot wouldn't prove to be a problem master Lydis."

"No need, I just needed this distraction. We'll wait a bit, the teachers and staff should be here soon."

"Affirmative."

After five minutes, Lydis could see a black blur crossing the paved pathways. Multiple others following behind it. The familiar blur soon came to a stop and Haven stood still in a cloud of dust. The other teachers, including Hal, arrived behind her.

They began to spread out in a fan, Hal being in the center, encircling the dorm.

"Children!" Hal's booming voice easily overpowered the cries and noise from the frightened kids. Seeing an adult meant safety. Hal wasn't expecting the swarm to surge at him. The moment it did Hal couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Hundreds of children were rushing to Hal covered in snot, tears, dirt, bruises and all manners of bodily fluids.

Seeing that the children wouldn't scatter anymore, Haven motioned for the teachers to close the perimeter around the dorm. One of the teachers with a bluish-black hair suddenly turned his head in Lydis's direction. Just as he was about to investigate, Haven called through the communicator and the teacher continued closing the perimeter.

In the tree, Lydis breathed in relief. For a moment, she had felt her eyes lock with the teacher's. If Haven hadn't called in time, she might've been discovered, then how would she explain being there?

"Ui, are you positive that the killer came to the dorm?"

From its perch on her arm, Ui lifted it's head.

"Yes master Lydis. As dorm head Hal was leaving, his communicator displayed a map showing a threat dot near the dorms."

"And you saw how?"

"Ui left your side for a moment to scout out Hal, since Ui was originally a scout bot before master Nova modified my internal and external structure, Ui is very proficient in doing things undetected."

"Good to know." Lydis poked Ui's head and continued to watch Haven's movements.

Haven reached the main door and punched in her access code. Slowly, the door opened outward when another surge of children poured out. In a flash, Haven jumped into the air and stood nimbly atop the small doorframe. She watched the children run over each other and when no more came out Haven flipped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Teachers, I'll clear out the inside, be ready for any movements outside. I was this bastard alive, watch the exits closely. I want eyes on every side of this building. Upon contact, call for backup immediately."

"Yes ma'am!"

"Copy that."

"On your signal."

"If I have to…"

Although the responses were different, each knew that Haven's orders were absolute.

Starting on the first floor, Haven made a quick sweep of the interior hallways. She checked the systems in Hal's office and found a large number of students locked in their rooms. Seeing that there had been no activity opening or closing the doors, it meant that the killer was roaming the hallways.

"Just you wait you cocky bastard…" Haven locked Hal's room and made her way to the second floor, inspecting the lounge as she passed.

There was movement.

Within a second, Haven sprinted up the stairs and turned the corner, her rage intensifying.

Dismembered and displayed in a cruel fashion, a small boy lay on the floor dead. Arms torn off, legs severed completely. His stomach clawed open, intestines weaving around his torso. Blood was splattered and painted around he boy in the shape of butterfly wings, on the wall the word 'Rebirth' was written in warm blood.

Haven clenched her fists and turned her head away. She could feel the boys lifeless eyes stare at her, pleading and questioning why hadn't she saved him? Why did she arrive so late? Haven took off her overcoat and covered the child's corpse with it, the still warm body suggesting that the killer was close.

"You animal! Fiend! Get out here so I can crush your skull with my own two hands! When I find you, what you did to these children will seem like a blessing!" Haven's roar was unanswered in the empty halls. "Forgive me…"

Haven gave one last look to the covered corpse and continued her search, a newfound anxiety flowing through her. If the killer found more children then they were in danger.

On her comms, on of the teachers came in.

"Haven, I saw movement on the third floor, girls wing, west side."

"On it."

Haven moved to the railings and flipped onto of them. Grabbing the floor of the hallway above her, she swung herself over the side and onto the second floor. Repeating it to arrive on the third floor.

Haven Made her way to the stairs and locked them manually, a thick steel door slamming down, the faint glow of slyphir emitting from it.

"You can't hide anymore, come out and I'll make it less painful…"

Haven's footsteps echoed loudly. In the darkening afternoon, the sun cast orange shadows through the windows. After a minute of silence, a familiar smell sent chills through Haven. Tangy and metallic, just smelling it made her mouth dry.

Blood.

Haven stopped walking and sprinted down the halls. After rounding the corner, at the far side of the hall stood a tall man, his back turned to Haven. Just as she was about to rush at him, the tall man turned around and smiled gently.

If someone was to pass the man in the streets they might think that he seemed like a friendly young man. Someone who could never harm anyone. His large thick glasses dripped blood from the sides, his white shirt soiled. Arms completely covered in the warm fluid. Fluffy curly hair bounced slightly as he flicked his hands against the wall, splattering blood like paint.

"Oh my, seems like I was so engrossed in my work that I didn't hear you coming." The man took out a towel from behind him and wiped some blood from his arms. As he moved, Haven could see the 'work' of the man behind him.

Four, maybe five children had been dismembered, their heads piled up like a pyramid, arms folded together in prayer, their torsos ripped open to reveal their ribcages. Stacked against the wall, it seemed to be some sort of house. Intestines held the disgusting combination together. The legs were piled on each other in a small fence surrounding them.

The man smiled at Haven's horrified face.

"I call it 'Haven'. A safe place, a retreat from the harsh brutalities of the world." His face in ecstasy, the man's body twitched in excitement.

"You, f*cking animal!"