Wonderland is Falling/Wonderland is Burning

Wonderland is Falling/Wonderland is Burning

Wonderland is Falling

Halo Zero: Rotten:

The game has turned Ikebukuro rotten from the inside. The poison tendrils were spreading faster than anyone could guess. The first few have already made their way to its core. How long would it be before the city itself died from its rot? Though it was reaching the end, the beginning of the end was already here. More people were starting to see it, but only too late.

However, it might not be a total loss. There were still some trying to prevent the end of the game from happening.

But will it be enough?

Underground Lab

Mikado regained his footing by now. His head was still swimming. Trying to get to the elevator was like walking through a maze. Where did everybody go? Mikado’s ears picked up on faint bombing noises over his head. Was there a battle going on up there? The tadpole shivered. He didn’t want to picture how bad it was out there. Mikado had only one thought on his mind.

I have to find Masaomi!

It felt like walking on frozen blades of steel. That didn’t stop Mikado from walking. A little smile spread across his face. He got a second chance. It looked like fate decided that he wasn’t going to die. He had work to do to stop this madness from spreading to the world.

Did the lights in this damn hallway have to be so bright? Mikado rubbed his head. The sensitivity was still a nightmare on his head. He had to take in slow breaths to keep walking. If he could just get to the elevator, he could be on his way to find Masaomi. The powers in his body still weren’t stable. It felt like his blood was rippling in his body. Mikado had to close his eyes and take another breath. His head felt like it was spinning. He could’ve sworn that he heard someone calling him.

Hm? Who was that?

“Look up.”

Mikado slowly lifted his head. Pale white-blue ribbons floated around in the distance. The tadpole blinked several times. What was this? He didn’t want to believe that he was going crazy. He didn’t have time for this.

“This way.”

What? What was this?

“You can’t stay down here.”

I know. He might have heard this voice before. Mikado didn’t have time to put a face to it. His condition wouldn’t let him do so. It took his all not to collapse and pass out. The tadpole took another breath. He closed his eyes for a second before opening them. Despite being alone in this hallway, the air around him grew colder. A flash of that light blue ribbon danced past his eyes.

“I’m not trying to trick you. I am trying to help you.”

He’s heard her(?) say this before. Something told him that he needed to trust her(?). Mikado took a small step back.

Why should I trust you?

“You don’t have much time! Just come up with me! Let me help you find your friend!”

I don’t even know who you are.

“It doesn’t matter. You don’t have much time!” She’s said this before. Mikado could see where this conversation was going.

Where is Masaomi? He took in another breath to keep his heart from racing out of his chest. She probably didn’t have any answers. The tadpole didn’t know how he could go around her. He couldn’t see her, but he felt her around him.

Look. Just let me through. I don’t have time for this. Mikado shut his eyes and pushed himself to walk through.

“Stop! You don’t know what you are doing!”

He tried to block out her voice as he kept walking down this endless hall. Ghostly fingertips reached out for his shoulder. That didn’t stop Mikado from walking. So much inside of him didn’t stop building up. Voices, shadows, flashes of light, wailing, images of the many timelines before. Mikado felt like he was going to choke as he swallowed everything down.

“You can’t do this by yourself!” The feathery fingers grabbed him by the shoulder. Mikado froze in place. He looked to the left out of the corner of his eye. There was that flash of light blue again. This time, it didn’t vanish. Her voice through the noise that kept building in his head.

“Are you done trying to avoid me like this? You probably picked up that things are really bad outside right now. You have to find your friends and get off of this island to end this game.” She cut him off before he could speak. “You do not have time to argue with me. Do you want to find Masaomi?” She cut straight to the point. It seemed like she didn’t want to do this song-and-dance again either. Mikado lowered his head.

Yes.

“Do you want to get out of this basement?”

The tadpole closed his eyes. There weren’t any other options at this point. Mikado saw how this part was going to play out. Right now, he was lost, alone, and disoriented in a basement of an abandoned laboratory. She was right about one thing: there wasn’t much time left. He dropped his shoulders.

Fine, lead the way.

“Thank you.”

Mikado wasn’t sure if she knew where they were going. She seemed determined to get him out of this basement. Judging by the sounds of the faint booms above, maybe this was the best way to get him to where he needed to go. He closed his eyes and tried to blink away the images swimming before his eyes. It felt like his head was spinning all over again. The tadpole would’ve fallen over if those ghostly hands hadn’t pulled him up to his feet.

“Whoa! Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” She had to walk him down the hall at some points.

Meanwhile, the rot of the Wasteland kept spreading out to the island of the Damned Village as well.

Ikebukuro

Michiko didn’t have many options left. Something inside of her wouldn’t let her give up yet. She had to try one more thing. The woman disappeared down a dark alleyway. She still remembered the address deep inside her brain. Part of her never wanted to come back here. But what choice did they have anymore? It was happening all over again. This had to be the only way.

The air got colder around her as she slowed down her footsteps. Just a little bit closer. Michiko gulped down the unease in her throat. She closed her eyes and forced herself to keep walking. Just get this over with. Get this over with.

The woman stopped on instinct. Michiko opened her eyes. An ash-white door stood in front of her. A black 25 was plastered at the top. Too late to turn back now. She reached out and knocked on the door. Just touching the wood made her shiver. Michiko felt her stomach turn. She smacked herself in the cheeks.

Come on! Get it together! You don’t have much time!

Her thoughts stopped as the door creaked open. The color drained from her face as the owner poked their head outside. That black-red eyepatch was hard to ignore. Same with the deep scowl on that old lady’s face. She looked Michiko up and down.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said in a tired voice. The younger woman pressed her lips together and lifted her chin.

“I need your help,” she said. She let that request linger in the air. The old woman with her face full of wrinkles clicked her tongue.

“Come in, child,” she said. She backed up into the darkness. Michiko dropped her shoulders and followed behind.

She could already see how this was going to play out in her head.

Shinra and Celty looked down at the flash drive on the table.

“[Is this it?]” Celty typed on her PDA.

“Yeah,” Shinra said. Hours earlier, a person from Nebula came with a delivery for the doctor. This was supposed to contain several files about different mental patients they were keeping track of all over the world. Last night, Shinra received an email with instructions on what he was supposed to do next.

“[So, we’re supposed to look for connections to stop the End of Days?]” Celty wrote.

“That’s right,” Shinra said. He reached out and picked it up like it was radioactive. His girlfriend followed him over to his computer. He sat down at his desk and booted up the machine.

“[Don’t forget to run a virus scan afterward],” Celty wrote.

“Right,” the doctor said, more to himself. Shinra plugged in the flash drive in his computer. There were a total of six folders on the screen. He clicked on the one that said “Patients”. Dozens of files were named after cities around the world. Shinra turned to his girlfriend.

“Where do you want to start first?” he asked. Celty leaned in for a closer look. She reached forward and pointed to the one labeled “Shinjuku.”

“That one?” Shinra asked. “Alright.” He clicked on the file. It only took him a few seconds to recognize the picture when it popped up on the screen.

“Wait a second… I’ve seen them before,” he said. The woman’s eyes looked so hollow in the picture staring back at him. Her tired appearance made her look so much older. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw her. So this was where she ended up.

“[What is it? Shinra? Shinra?]” Celty typed frantically. She shook him roughly on the shoulder. The doctor whipped his head around. The wild look in his eyes made her shake a little. Her fingers trembled as she typed.

“[Shrina, what’s wrong?]” she wrote. It took a while for her words to sink in.

“We have to find her!” he blurted out.

“[What are you talking about?]” his girlfriend asked. The doctor didn’t respond. He stood up out of his chair and wandered out the door. Not even his girlfriend’s shadows could stop him.

The first trumpet came without warning. This was the real one. Oh, there were plenty that claimed to be the first trumpet, but those were lies.

Here is the real story.

This started two years ago. It was always the littlest things that set everything off. A couple in Ikebukuro were out shopping for antiques. The woman’s birthday was coming up. She wanted something extra special. There was a quaint little shop in downtown Ikebukuro that the girlfriend just had to check out. The man rolled his eyes.

“Fine, fine,” he said. She hugged him wildly. Anything to keep her happy.

So, they made it to the shop. It didn’t look like it had been open for quite some time. The boyfriend gave the storefront a strange look.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” he asked.

“Uh-huh!” the girlfriend said. She jumped out of the car and ran up to the building.

“Kiko, wait!” her boyfriend yelled. He jumped out of the car and ran after her. Something inside of him had a bad feeling about this. However, there was no talking Kiko out of anything once she set her mind to something. The only thing he could do was see it through until something else caught her attention.

To his surprise, the shop was open. His girlfriend pushed it open.

“Hello? Anybody in here?” she asked. The boyfriend was put off by the mothball smell. He took a step back. Best to let her go and enjoy herself. Maybe he could edge her to the door if no one showed up.

She just had to ring the bell.

Her boyfriend froze. Damn it.

“Be out in a moment!” an old man shouted from the back. Now they were going to be here a little bit longer. A man in his seventies walked up to the desk. He straightened up his glasses to get a better look at him.

“Welcome, can I help you today?” he asked. The boyfriend stood next to the woman.

“It’s my girl’s birthday today. We’re just looking for a nice little gift,” he said.

“Hi,” Kiko said in a small voice. The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up.

“Ooo! What exactly did you have in mind?” he asked. The couple looked at each other.

“What do you say, dear?” the younger man asked. Kiko looked around the small shop. So many things called out to her. Her boyfriend knew that look into her eyes all too well. He was ready to attempt to rein her in. Finally, Kiko spotted a strange wooden ball in the back corner of the shop.

“What’s that over there?” she asked. The shopkeeper and the boyfriend looked over to where she was pointing. Kiko couldn’t take her eyes off that wooden ball. She might as well have been seeing stars. The younger man wrinkled his nose.

“What is that?” he asked. The shopkeeper’s face had a stony look.

“You don’t want that,” he said in a low voice.

“I’m sorry, what?” the younger man asked. Kiko wasn’t listening. She walked over to the wooden ball as if in a daze. The woman reached out to touch it.

“Babe?” her boyfriend asked. The shopkeeper watched her but didn’t say a word. He just shook his head. Kiko whirled around with the wooden ball in her hand.

“I want this!” she said. Her boyfriend’s right eye twitched as he wrinkled his nose.

“Seriously?” he asked.

“Yes!” Kiko was so loud that it almost surprised her. She looked over at the shopkeeper like a little child who was caught doing something wrong. The old man rolled his eyes. He turned and walked to the back. The boyfriend looked between the curtain and his girlfriend. He could hear hushed voices from the other side. It sounded like the shopkeeper was arguing with his wife. The young man turned back to Kiko. She clutched onto that ball like it was keeping her alive. He began to plot a way to distract to her with another antique. The man began looking around. There had to be something lying around here somewhere.

The old shopkeeper walked back into the room. He had a solemn look on his face. The young man’s face dropped.

“You can have the puzzle,” the shopkeeper said. Kiko squealed in joy as her boyfriend’s face dropped.

Moments later, the couple walked out of the store with their new Rinfone puzzle. Both the shopkeeper and the boyfriend had a shared sense of unease.

Ikebukuro, Present Day

Anri sat across from Marin in her room. The young mother-to-be couldn’t stop playing with a light-blue macramé bracelet on her wrist.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked. Marin perked up.

“It’s so nice to meet you—again,” she said. Anri blinked. She’s said this before. Marin looked down at her wrist.

“That’s a cute bracelet,” she said.

“Thanks,” Anri said in a soft voice. She rubbed on the light blue material.

“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” Marin asked. The other girl lifted her chin.

“Yes,” Anri mumbled. She pressed her lips together. This felt uncomfortable. They’ve talked to each other before. However, Anri always had a slightly uneasy feeling when talking to Mikado’s other girls. The girl couldn’t put her finger on it. It wasn’t like she needed to be scared or anything. The girls were never malicious to her, but still…

She looked down at Marin’s stomach.

“How far along are you?”

Marin had a stunned look on her face. “You can sense her?”

“Her?”

The half-succubus put her hands on her stomach. “I took the test three times.”

“And it was positive?”

Marin nodded once. “I just know it’s a girl.” She noticed the look on Anri’s face. “Don’t worry. My baby will protect yours.” Anri drew her mouth closed. Marin rested her hand on the wrist with the bracelet.

“That’s a cute little bracelet. Where did you get it?”

“Oh. My guardian gave it to me.” She held her wrist to her chest.

“I see.” Marin’s eyes trailed along the braided pattern. All light blue. Almost pale baby blue. The macrame pattern made it look delicate.

“Marin? Marin?”

She quickly lifted her head. “Oh, sorry. I was zoning out there. What were you saying?”

Anri gave her a curious look. “Are you feeling okay?” Marin blinked for a moment.

“Yeah…” she said. The half-succubus blinked and touched her head. “Oh…”

“Do you need to see a doctor?” Anri asked.

“No!” Marin said quickly. She put up her hand as she shook her head. “It won’t help.” Anri didn’t know what to say. A feeling of unease washed over her. The girl couldn’t stop touching her bracelet on her wrist.

Something told her that another storm was coming for them all. Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door.

It’s another workday. Kadota still had to eat and live. He had been called out to an old neighborhood near Shinjuku. This was a renovation job for a house that was built around 1970. Kadota had been working on it with some other workers since before Christmas. Now, there was only one more room left.

Kadota stood in the doorway as he assessed what needed to be done. He had never seen so much blue before in his life. That wallpaper had seen better days. Pale blue with tiny sailboats. The style didn’t fit the rest of this vintage house. It was amazing that the wallpaper managed to hold up this long. Today, Kadota was going to tear it down. He didn’t complain. In fact, the man could see why it had to go. He wasn’t going to be working on this alone, however.

“There you are,” a man in his forties said across the room. He had already gotten started on tearing down the faded wallpaper.

“Are we doing anything else today?” Kadota asked. The other man took a moment to think about that.

“Not really,” he said. “But just watch out for any red crayons lying around.”

“Oh yeah, that,” the younger man said. Over the past few days, the crew kept finding little red crayons all over the floor throughout the house. No one could figure out where they were coming from. There weren’t many children around in this part of the neighborhood. The realtor insisted that this had to be a prank, but what was the end goal here? It didn’t help that no one came forward with a confession. So, work carried on as usual.

All of the wallpaper came down within two hours. The room still looked blue underneath. It was supposed to be painted the same color as the rest of the rooms in the house. However, that thought would be pushed all the way to the back.

“What the hell is this?” Kadota asked. He and the other man stood in front of what looked like a door that had been painted over. Every section had been painted over with many layers. There wasn’t a doorknob in place either. No one said anything about this. It wasn’t even mentioned in the floor plan.

“Where do you think it goes?” the older man asked. Kadota didn’t say anything as he pulled out a paint scraper from his tool bag. He got to work scraping away the paint from the edges. The older man pulled out his own paint scraper and got to work. Now, it started to look more like a door. Kadota’s companion tried to push it open. To his surprise, the door swung open without any resistance. Common sense would’ve said to call the realtor and tell them what they found. However, the men just had to go inside and take a look.

This room looked so much larger than the one they had come out of. The scribbles of red all over the wall hit them like a wave.

“What the hell?” the older man asked as he looked around. Kadota walked up to one of the walls for a better look. He was able to make out one phrase being written over and over again.

“Mama, I’m sorry. Please let me out.”

The following was found on the message board, 2-Chan.

Subject: Strangest Dream I Had

User: MikuKnow101

I’ve been having the same dream for the past few nights. I don’t know what to make of it.

So, I’m walking down this strange hallway in I think is a hotel of some soft. I don’t know how I got there or why. Anyway, I’m walking down the hall when I heard distant chattering. Curious, I followed the sound. The dark hallway was so long. The sound never got any louder.

Suddenly, I stood in front of a pair of sliding doors. It was like the talking was turned up to the highest volume. It sounded like people having a party with their chatter and laughter. Glasses clinked on the other side of the door. There was no music. I can’t explain it, but I can’t help but get this sense of dread the longer I stand in front of those doors. Something in the back of my mind screamed and to run away, but I can’t move.

The next thing I know, the door slides open. I didn’t do that. When I look inside, things get weirder.

Everything suddenly goes quiet. It’s then I noticed everyone staring at me. Only… the people in the room looked so… off. Everybody was wearing a mask of some sort. Some of those masks had long black noses. The silent musicians were dressed up like black rabbits in tuxedos. Pig, white rabbit, elephant, and alien people in nice summer clothes sat at fancy tables. A naked woman with long green hair and red paint all over her body stood in the middle of the room. It felt like I was interrupting something that I wasn’t be. I felt like I should bow and apologize before leaving quickly. Before anything could happen, I woke up.

Like I said, I don’t know what to make of any of this. Can anyone relate to any of this or am I going crazy here?

Downtown Ikebukuro

“I know why you are here,” the old woman said. Michiko tried not to look at her face. Her eyes stayed trained on that black-red eyepatch.

“Then… you know how dire the situation is,” she said. The old woman didn’t answer. Michiko frowned. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. However, she didn’t have any other choice. There was no one to talk her out of her decisions. The old woman took her by the cheeks.

“What exactly are you asking of me?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Michiko said. Her voice seemed to quiver. Still, she fought down her fear. They didn’t have any other choice. She wished that it hadn’t come down to this. But you know what they say about desperate times.

“And you are sure about this?” the old woman asked.

“Yes,” Michiko said. At this point, she was prepared to pay any price named to turn the tide of this game. The look on the old woman’s face didn’t change.

“I don’t think you are,” she said in a cold tone. Michiko wouldn’t back down. She couldn’t.

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t,” Michiko countered with. “There isn’t much time left. I wish there was any other way. But it’s come down to this. As much as I didn’t want to come here, we don’t have any more choices. Can’t you help us?” The old woman said nothing as she let go of her cheeks.

“Is that all?” she asked. Michiko slowly nodded. The old woman sneered at her.

“Speak, child!” she shouted.

“Yes, miss!” the younger woman yelled with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes when she only got silence as a response. The old woman with the black-red eyepatch shook her head.

“Here’s what you need to do,” she said.

It looked like it was going to rain again. The sky already turned dark hours ago. They’re starting to feel the first drops landing on them. A heavy storm is on its way. Not just in Ikebukuro either. This storm is already reaching that damn village on the island. Was that thunder in the distance? You better take cover, people.

Everyone should go and take shelter. Some of them were already doing that. The shops have flipped over to closed. Their lights are going out one by one. The rain has been predicted to come by nightfall. There might be a power outage or two. The whispers have already begun. There are some people who don’t believe the storm will be that bad. Pity and envy them. For they not know what is coming next.

It’s not known how long this storm is going to last. It looked like it was going to last all night. Everyone might not be ready for what’s about to come next. From everything that’s been going on, it doesn’t look good. In fact, it looks like it’s about to get worse. They have no idea. Those that do are trying to figure out what to do next. Should they warn everyone else what’s coming next? Will they even listen? What will it take if they don’t? That might not matter anymore.

Was that another roll of thunder? It sounded like it was getting closer. That storm might be getting closer than already predicted. Right now, the best you can do is to get to shelter and lock the doors. It looks like it’s going to be a long night.

Oh? What’s going on over in that doomed village on that small hidden island?

Underground Lab

She turned her head. “What’s wrong?”

She and Mikado stopped dead in their tracks. He looked so pale. He broke out in a cold sweat. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn’t get him to move.

“Hey! We have to get coming! Come on! Hey! Hey!” she kept saying.

“I don’t feel so good,” Mikado said. His voice came out in a raspy whisper.

“What?” she asked. He let go of her hand, grabbing onto his head.

“What are you doing?! Mikado!” she screamed. It felt like his ears were ringing. Her voice might as well have been miles away. The words could barely cut through the swirling haze. So many images skipped around in his head. Everything looked so disjointed. So many memories overlapped and piled onto each other. Bright colors made his eyes hurt. The tadpole could barely keep up what was going on. He thought he was going to be sick.

What… What is this?

The short silence in his head made it even worse. It drove the pain in his head to higher levels. It was only when the screaming cut through that everything started to topple over. Mikado sank to his knees, trembling.

“Help… Help…”

He could barely get the words out of his mouth. At one point, it looked like the boy was about to topple over. She grabbed the sides of his head. “Mikado, stay with me, okay?” The tadpole could barely make out her face through his watery vision. She didn’t stop screaming at him.

“Mikado! Mikado!”

A haze of blue formed around her outline. A strange memory began to surface in his mind. Mikado narrowed his eyes.

“Nanako…?” The name came out slurred.

“Yes. Yes. Good, you remember. Just stay with me, okay?” As she spoke, it felt like Mikado was trying to keep his head above water. Her words tried to pull him to the surface but the new drug in his system kept pulling back under.

That was right.

This was Tandeki’s doing. What did they do to him now?

“What did they do to me?” was what Mikado wanted to ask. But the words wouldn’t come out. He wasn’t even sure if he asked that with his mouth or not. Maybe he pictured himself asking this savior he believed to be Nanako. Maybe this wasn’t her at all. What if this was a trap?

“This isn’t a trap! I am trying to help you! You have to stay with me! Now listen to me! We don’t have much time! I’m going to need you to trust me if you want to get out of here. Stay with me, okay?” Her words kept coming in and out. Mikado could only make out bits and pieces of what was coming out of her mouth. Something else caught his attention.

Where did all of these fuzzy red orbs come from?

The buzzing of chatter started to dim. A dull hum filled his head. It felt like something was turning more stable now. Almost like he could walk on solid ground again. But this was just a ruse. Another wave that had been building up rose and swallowed him whole. It felt like Mikado’s body was plunged deep into icy waters. He felt stiff all over. The dull ringing in his ears came back. He gasped for air as she shook his arm.

“Come on! Snap out of it! Get it together!” She had to pick him up and carry him to the elevator down the hall.

“Come on! Don’t pass out on me, damn it!” She clicked her tongue as she started running. This kept getting worse by the minute. If they were going to get out of here, she would have to take control from here and out.

She finally made it to the elevator. The only thing she hoped was that it was still working in this place. The lights and the machine that Mikado was hooked up to ran with no problems. So maybe…

She pushed the up button. To her relief, the button lit up. Good. The fact that no one was chasing them was on her side. The trick was to keep calm the whole time. She took in a deep breath and counted down the floors.

Lobby… One… Basement.

The doors slid open. She walked into the elevator and pressed the open button. She breathed out as the doors slid closed.

This was going to be a long ride up.

Above the lab

Masaomi didn’t know how long he had been walking through the building. It had been hours and he still couldn’t find a way to get down to the underground lab. Sure, he was able to find a way to get into the building. The boy couldn’t find a way to get to the basement without being seen. There was only one working elevator in the whole building. The stairs down were a dead end to the floor under the lobby. It looked like the only way to the lab was to that damned elevator that would take forever to move.

He didn’t have time.

It didn’t help that he heard the planes flying overhead. He could’ve sworn he heard footsteps and talking outside. Masaomi did his best to stay hidden. A couple of men had broken into this building. From where the boy hid, he got a good look from the dim lights of who was here. The three men in the lobby didn’t look like they were associated with the Tandeki Group. They didn’t look like they came from Japan either. From what he heard of them talking among each other, they sounded like they came from one of the Koreas. Masaomi became confused.

What was the Korean army doing here? Were they here for Mikado? The former shogun shook his head. What the hell was going on? He didn’t want to know. Masaomi needed to find his friend and find a way out of the building without being seen. He didn’t know how many more soldiers were inside or outside this laboratory. The boy wasn’t even armed. He had taken on many gangsters before, but these weren’t average high school delinquents he was going up against. It wasn’t like he could call for help either. Masaomi’s phone did work on this island, but there was no reception. The boy cursed himself under his breath.

Suddenly, a dinging noise cut through the silence. The soldiers and Masaomi looked up. The up arrow above the elevator glowed in the dark. Something was coming up from the underground lab. Wait… Did that mean? Masaomi gulped as he watched the soldiers aim their guns at the elevator doors. The boy moved into position as a million thoughts raced through his mind.

Don’t get out, Mikado.

No one dared to move. The boy could feel his heart racing against his chest.

Finally, the doors slid open. The leader of the trio stepped forward, ready to attack. But then he and the other two soldiers froze.

“It’s empty!” the leader shouted.

“Huh?” Masaomi asked. He didn’t get a chance to look into the empty elevator cab. Someone grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him off. His gasp directed the soldiers in his general direction. He didn’t hear them shouting who was there.

The boy tried to fight off who was dragging him off outside.

“Hey! What the hell?! Get off of me! Let me go!” he shouted. The boy’s fists failed as he was dragged out the back doors.

“Shut up!” someone hissed over his head. Masaomi froze as the hand let go of his collar. When he looked around, he found himself in the woods. Somebody found him and managed to get him out of the old laboratory without being seen. Who did that? Why would they do such a thing?

“Uh… Thanks, I guess…” he said, looking around. It didn’t take him long to realize that he wasn’t alone. The boy turned his head when he heard a low groaning. Masaomi covered his mouth as he gasped.

“Mikado?” he asked. “Mikado!” The boy scrambled over to his friend laying out in the moss inches away. Masaomi huddled over him, shaking his shoulder.

“Hey! Mikado! Wake up! Speak to me!” he shouted as he shook his friend. “Hey! Hey!” The tadpole boy slowly opened his eyes. His friend leaned back and breathed out.

“You’re alive!” he said. “Are you alright?” As the other boy came to, a confused look washed over his face when he saw his friend huddled over him.

“Masaomi… why are so many of them red around you?” Mikado asked in a soft voice.

They are about to take a turn for the worst. It won’t stop. It hasn’t stopped in a long time. Please forgive them for they know not what they do. It might be too late for that. Or maybe not. They all have helpers by their side. They can’t see them yet. They don’t know who they are yet. But they will come in handy. Maybe they could stop things from getting worse? They might have to. There isn’t much of a choice anymore.

Their time is coming now.

No one can stop what is coming next. This bus is going straight to Hell. No, that’s not right. The bus is already falling off into Hell. The outside is already on fire. Prayers will not help you now. There’s not much that can be done at this point.

But still they keep fighting.

Humans are stubborn like that. They keep fighting even though it’s useless. Why is that? Why do they keep fighting? It was pointless, but they keep on. Maybe it’s because that’s all they know how to do. Lucky for them, they are about to get some helpers in their mission to survive. Maybe they could stop things from getting worse?

Who are these helpers? How will they know when and where to be? How will the humans know to call upon them? When will be the right time? How will they know anything about these helpers? Such things can’t be answered so easily. Not even the helpers themselves know the answer. They just have the instinct to act, to move. This has been planted deep inside of them. Not even the ones who made them know how and when they will be needed. But the helpers will be there. They will be there to turn the tide of this game. Maybe they could stop things from getting worse.

We hope…

Now who is going to make the first move?