Strato was having difficulties as you can see, so I am uploading the chapter for him.


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One Last Job to Do

Schism, supposedly the greatest counter-force to the supernatural, lain to waste. It was unnatural. The bodies were strew about with no discretion, some with limbs lopped off, others with holes blow clear through their torsos. Almost all were contorted in some way or another. Computer screens left smashed and broken. Alexander couldn’t even see his own ankles through the blood bath, let alone the once shimmering steel floor. Everything was coated in an ethereal darkness, as almost all lighting had been destroyed. To the three unfortunate souls that were forced to bear witness to the aftermath of whatever events had just occurred, the scene gave a fairly clear image of hell.

Tony was the second to speak after Michelle. “Hey chief…wha…hmm…” Words understandably failed to escape him. Alexander turned back slowly and looked into Tony’s eyes. Pupils dilated and breath wavering, Alexander remained equally as speechless. Michelle on the other hand remained distant. Had she not been dead, she certainly would be experiencing a heart attack. So close. So close was the thing that created this destruction. Oh god, why would nobody listen to her, she thought. Suddenly, a disturbing calm overcame her. A second-death was staring from behind, and she felt it’s cold eyes against her neck.
“We’re about to join them.” She said, indicated with a rotting claw towards one of the dead rabbits around her feet. Tony fumbled a bit with words, before meekly nodding in agreement.
“Boss…we gotta leave.” Breathlessly spoke Tony, almost to the point of inaudibility. However with a gleam in his eye, Alexander looked sharply at Tony, and then to Michelle. “I’d advise running kiddos. I’ve still got a job to do.”
Michelle inhaled, about to argue before Alexander cut her off. “You say something’s still here? I want to meet it.” Michelle needed not to give a reply, as the lurking horror began shifting as if to answer anyway. Practically frozen in time, they watched the blood ripple and wave. In the dim lighting, Alexander could barely make out a blurry shape, until a grey hand larger than even his chest slammed on the ground, sending more waves through the blood. Each finger however, was a shade of purple and orange, with worms tearing through it’s flesh. Finally, ancient white hair flown from it’s knuckles and floated on top of the surface of the blood. Another hand, this time with large black claws instead of fingers slapped into sight on the other side. Finally, the muscles contracted and pulled the rest of the body slowly forward. The arms, similarly grotesque but thankfully covered by more hair came into sight, finally connecting to large sockets located at the base of a cyndrilical body, protected by a loose hanging kite of obsidian colored armor on large gold trimmed chains. Finally, with one finally pull, a head loomed out of the darkness, completely grey and wrinkled, and lacking all facial features spare three evenly spaced, perfectly round holes where it’s eyes and mouth should have been. A faint, rhythmic whistle came from all three holes, suggesting breathing. Overall, the monster rose almost twice as high as Alexander who was a giant on his own standards. This was the stuff of nightmares.

Alexander huffed. “I’ve seen better.”

Alone on a window seat, Majo stared out into the setting sun. Flickering across her mind were memories, wonderful ones, about childhood, life, love… Her Aunt Grenda placed a paw on her shoulder. A smile danced across Majo’s face, breaking up lines in her cheeks that formed over her travels. She finally resolved to give up her travels. But firstly, she needed to set up her life again.
“Auntie…do you have a room I can unpack my things in? I think I’m going to be moving back in with you for a while.” Her Aunt lit up like a candle.
“Oh of course sweetheart! You’re always welcome here! Let me go make a bed for you and you can settle right in dear.” With a flourish, Grenda turned on her heels and scurried upstairs and out of sight. Meanwhile, Majo amused herself with more thoughts about her newfound lifestyle. Fantasies of opening a small shop, making a garden, and settling down again almost brought a tear to her eye. Suddenly, only one thing occupied her mind. Keith.
When her Aunt came returned from upstairs, Majo asked her about Keith.
“Hmm, Keith. Well, not much happens in a small town like this. If I can recollect, he still lives just down the lane, working for the military or something.” Grenda answered with furrowed brow and hard thought. “But I’ve been getting battier and battier. Tell me, why do you want to know?”
Major’s heart almost stopped. A flood of dread came down on her like a hammer.
“I’ve got to see him. Right now.” With that, she bolted out the door and blindly started down the dusty road. Her Aunt called after her. “Wait! You should at least take a bath before you start kissing boys again!”
But kissing him was Majo’s last concern. Please let it not be Schism, please let it not be Schism. I don’t want that again were the thoughts playing through her mind like a record. As she overcame the final hill, all thoughts escaped her. There Keith was, outside raking leaves in his own yard. He had not taken notice of Majo, who by this point was barreling down like a bat out of hell. At the last moment, he looked up to see Majo, arms outstretched leaping towards him. He had less than a second to go “Whoa SHI-OOF,” before being tackle hugged by a hysterical Majo. Together, they tumbled to the ground and rolled to a stop. Keith rose up above Majo, and looked down at her. His blue eyes moistened slightly.
“I told you I’d return someday.” She whispered eagle-sprawled. Keith gave a small chuckled and replied with a smile.
“You smell terrible.” They threw their arms around each other, and Majo’s smallest concern suddenly shot to pole position. Their lips met, right as the sun finished it’s descent beneath the horizon.

The beast slammed it’s right clawless hand down onto ground, sending large waves through the blood. Anyone would be able to figure that it was getting agitated, and that definitely wasn’t good. However, descretionless Alexander couldn’t have cared any less.
“Haha, you think I’m scared of you? Huh? Answer me you grey (-).” He yelled and cursed at the thing, only to get the same steady whistling as a response.
“Hey, sphincter face! I’m talking to you!”
Tony cleared his through. “Boss, I don’t think it can hear you, and if it can it’s got no intent on replying.” Again, the thing raised it’s fist and slammed it into the ground, twice in succession this time. Tony blinked for a second. “Why isn’t it ripping us apart right now though?”
Michelle answered. “I don’t think it can see us.”
“Can it see thi-“ Alexander interjected
Tony asked a question to cover up Alexander’s obscene gestures. “Why do you think that Michelle?”
“It’s got no eyes.” Tony was taken aback by the simplicity of the statement. All of the insanity abounding made him unable to see the obvious. In an attempt to recover some minor dignity, he chuckled.
“Huh, guess that makes sense. But if it’s blind, how else do you think it’d move around?” Michelle fell silently thoughtful and raised a finger to her chin. The thing slammed the other fist into the ground this time.
“I think that it tries to feel vibrations in the ground to find things. But with all this blood pooling on the ground, it’s probably obstructing it’s senses. It’s slamming it’s fist in the ground, probably trying to send out waves, kind of like echolocation.” A wicked grin appeared on Alexander’s face.
“So if it’s blind, that makes it easy to kill.” He sloshed forward with a little difficulty towards the monster. Suddenly, it stiffen up and ceased moving. It pivoted to face Alexander.
“Wait, stop! It can feel your movement!” Michelle called out a half-second too late. A massive cable like arm whipped out from the creature’s backside and wrapped itself around Alexander’s chest, squeezing his arms tight to his body. It began to crush his body with a fierce tightness. A single thought raced through Tony’s mind: I’m going to die.