Track 48

"Haemosu!" 

A pink glow filled the black void of the elevator shaft, bouncing off Zoe's orange energy, glinting off the sleek metal. 

Barely snagging the back of her clothes with its teeth, Zoe hung, dangling upside down by her pants' leg. Haemosu snarled at her through clenched teeth, though it didn't feel aggressive, more like it was complaining, "Why did you make me do that?" The other heads of Haemosu moved through the broken elevator doors, cocking their heads curiously. Zoe's deep raspy breaths bounced off the walls, they were guteral. She looked down past her leg, feeling herself be slowly lifted toward the light. She contemplated kicking out at its head, forcing it to drop her. If she were agile and quick enough, she could stick a card into the wall and support her descent. 'IF,' she thought, as she got closer to the door. 

Haemosu flung Zoe to the ground, while the other heads surrounded her, sniffing, nipping at her. Zoe stared in horror at the dog-faced monsters protruding from Kholwa. 

"She was actually gonna kill herself. 'Das wild," Conor said, shaking his head in disbelief at the unmoored girl collapsed in front of him. 

Mitani glanced around the auctioning room. It was as packed as ever. He leaned to Olivia, asking, "It's been a really long time. Zoe and Marcello still aren't back. Should I go look for them…"

"Uh…" Olivia pondered. 

Mitani decided to change course, "Or, rather, go and get your bag."

Olivia whispered something to Alder, who tapped his foot, thinking. Finally, he nodded, he looked down at his watch, then to the wall of guards surrounding the perimeter of the room. "Okay, you two can go. Whether or not you've found them, be back here within thirty minutes." 

"What's happening?" Gemo walked down the hallway after Mitani. 

"Those two have been gone for too long. Zoe isn't the type to just 'get lost,' and neither is Marcello, as far as I can tell."

"Okay, sure. They would've been on floor two."

"Zoe, sure, but I doubt Marcello would've been there for long…Where could they be?" After some quick discussion, they decided to go up the tower. 

Slamming the 'open door' button in the elevator, Gemo answered Mitani's curious look with, "Something's up, I can sense him close by!"

Marcello stepped out of the stairway and trudged down the almost deserted corridor. There were a few shops on each side of the hallway, but most were empty. It was as if his shoes were cinderblocks and every step he took he had to exert himself. He didn't even notice he still had his energy activated, his blue light sputtering weakly. The few people scattered in the hallway would stare at him as he lumbered past, his eyes to the floor, deep in thought, his mind replaying everything over and over, wondering if he made a mistake. 

They saw his glazed eyes. "Dude, it's like he's not even there," Mitani commented. "And…he doesn't have the bag."

Both Gemo and Mitani watched Marcello from the end of the hall. 

"Physically, he looks alright…" Gemo pointed out. 'The vibe his energy is giving off…It's almost like one an animal gives off when you get too close and it's ready to attack.'

Mitani hesitantly stepped forward, his shoes crunching across the carpet. He felt Gemo behind him, though he had his usual chilled gait, he felt the tension, like a heavy spring. 'Does he actually think we'll get attacked? There's no way he would.' 

Marcello stopped lifting his head somewhat as they neared, seemingly acknowledging their existence. 

"Hey bro," Mitani smiled cheerfully, "Glad to see you're doing alright. You are doing good, right?"

"Mhm."

"Are you sure, man? You've got this look…it looks like you're going to kill someone."

Marcello finally raised his head enough to look Mitani in the eyes. He was cut off before he could speak, by both Mitani and Gemo, turning quickly to look at someone running towards them from the end of the hallway from which they had just came, with long, bright pink hair. A woman. 

Pamn staggered, losing her footing, the shaking floor and swaying tower was accompanied by the massive explosion that ripped through the front of the building. Conor had told her he'd find her once they were done and to, "Get something nice before we get here." 

When she saw the boy who was glowing blue in the same way that Conor's and Zheanni's did. Oh, it was as if his light was a beacon! So bright and colorful! The serene cerulean shade it cast to the walls. This was her chance to get away from it all. They were all so evil! The light was about to go out, so she had to run before it did. Moving past the statues shaped like people who had blurry faces and muffled voices. 

The two shadows blocking the blue flame turned as she approached, their muffled voices seeming to cry out a warning.

The boy inside the flames looked past the two, rapt fascination across his face as he watched her near—the same expression as the men watching her photo shoots. 

She fell between the two at his feet, gasping, breathless, looking as if she was doing prostrations at first. No matter how close to the light the two shadows got, they were never illuminated. Feeling the taller shadow on the left smirking at her. The blue glow waved curiously as the boy bent to look at her. His brown eyes stared into hers. She took his hand, getting to her knees, his strong grip nearly cracking her fingers, each word like a nail being slammed with a tremendous hit, "What's wrong with you?"

Pamn was babbling at first; she couldn't help herself; she just had so much to say. 

Finally, she collected herself, "They're all here. KTA is all here right now."

"What?" The shadow to her left dispersed slightly, revealing a boy wearing a suit and a strange white hat. Like a short chef's hat. He was staring at her in surprise. He looked across to the other shadow, which was slowly melting away. "Gemo, does she look familiar to you?"

"No?" He looked at her, "Should I know her?"

"I'm Pamn, and-"

"Oh!" the one on the right snapped his fingers, "She was talking about KTA just now, I think I've seen her in a music video or something. I think it's one of their girlfriends or something."

"Mitani, do you know any other music besides that?" Gemo asked, annoyed. 

"Listen!" Pamn spoke quickly, she was afraid of being cut-off again. "You…if you cut off his right arm, he won't be able to use his power!"

"What are you talking about?" Marcello asked. "What is his power?"

"Conor. He's the leader of KTA. His palm has a tattoo on it. His power is…it's everything…"

The energy was unfamiliar to all, but Marcello. First it was down the hall, then right beside him, then…his eyes flitted, seeing just for an instant, his brain barely able to process it, but it was a humanoid shadow sprinting across the wall. With how it was moving, there was no light source or person in the corridor that could cast a shadow such as this. 

Melting from the shadow on the wall, with skin almost as dark as the shadow, Autxmn emerged, a blue aura rippling around him like a cocoon made of water, screaming, "Omertà! Silence is golden!" 

Autxmn impaled his fist through Pamn's torso, ripping her heart through her chest cavity, smushing it against her ribcage as his hand pierced her body.

Blood splattered the walls, and everyone else. 

His next movement sent her flying into the doorway of a shop with a wet splat. Her bloody body wedged between the glass door and its frame, the iron-like smell of blood a rebuke to human fragility. 

Pamn's arms and legs mangled and in odd positions, her lips split open, and the filler's orange color oozed from the wounds, deflating her lips as they did so. Her eyes were barely opened, her breath wheezed desperately as her lungs filled. Then, guttural choking sounds. 

Before any of them could react, Autxmn skipped back into the wall, turning to shadow once more, sprinting away down the hallway. 

Marcello looked upon Pamn's body, her sickly flesh. Mitani had ran over to her, holding her head up, trying to examine her. Bloody foam gurgled from her mouth, staining his arms and hands. 

"Can you do anything?" Gemo asked. 

"Her heart was completely ripped out of her chest," Mitani gulped, trying not to puke. "My ability can't fix this," he stared into Pamn's quickly fading eyes. She was looking past him at the light, her lips were moving silently, breathlessly calling someone's name. 

Conor, it is done. You are done.