Board Thread:What Would You Do?/@comment-34251796-20181029130409/@comment-28718853-20181119024949

Just my luck, surrounded on all sides by mamono with no clue as to where I am or how I got here. What matters now is that I get out of here. Preferably with my pelvis intact.

The two mamono outside the classroom are getting closer by the second, but I can't find an alternate exit out of the classroom apart from the window, but the zombie horde is out there. I'm not about to give up yet as I grab a desk and hold it against my chest as both a shield and a viable battering ram against the two mamono who are soon to appear.

I watch that crimson glow ever brighter as the Cursed Sword finally makes her presence known in the doorway. She gives me a vicious grin and asks, "What the hell is a desk going to do against me?"

My stance is firm as my first opponent steps in brandishing her glowing red sword. I see another head peer in, a woman's with light green hair and notice that it's resting in an armored hand. A Dullahan.

"I won't go down without a fight," I mutter toward the Cursed Sword, though admittedly I am quite terrified. The lady chuckles and says, "It'll be a quick one."

"Sorry, but you won't be acquiring him," says a stern voice from just outside the classroom, possibly the Dullahan's. Seconds later she steps in with her head in place and points her sword at the Cursed Sword. "Step away from him at once," she orders.

The Cursed Sword turns to face her challenger with a creepy smile and asks, "Or what, you'll slice my head off?"

The Dullahan appears steamed at the comment, but nevertheless she maintains her composure and mutters, "Last chance to end this peacefully."

"Peacefully?  Lady I wasn't planning on giving him up to begin with," the Cursed Sword replies as she charges at the Dullahan who evades the attack. Both mamono exchange blades and I use the opportunity to drop the desk and run out of the classroom.

I don't stop running as I turn a corner and dash down a flight of stairs to the third floor. No mamono to be seen, so I enter a nearby restroom to use the temporary respite to catch my breath and to figure out how I'm going to get out of here.

The mirror is horribly cracked, the paper towel dispenser had been destroyed, and one of the restroom stall doors appears to have been ripped off of its hinges and the toilet broken into pieces. This particular stall also has claw markings around it. In front of the destroyed porcelain bowl I notice a broken mop handle missing its head and pick it up. Nice, a weapon. I turn to the mirror and wonder what I should do next.

A Dullahan, Cursed Sword, and a possible pair of Dragon Zombies are on the upper floors, so that's a no go. Zombies may have the entire school surrounded, but there may be a crack in their defenses somewhere. There could also be other mamono within this school, but I don't know that so for the time being I'll just assume there are.

Sounds of approaching footsteps cause me to tense up. I retreat into one of the other stalls that has a working door and lock it. Next I step onto the toilet seat, that way if anyone came in they wouldn't know that another person is in there with them. I wait. My breathing is slow and silent. Then I hear a young male voice say, "Harold?  Harold?"

Relief fills me and I say, "Another survivor?"

"That's not his voice.  Who are you?  Are you a Doppelganger?" the voice asks, more demanding than before.

"No, no!" I reply as I unlock the door and pop it open, revealing a skinny caucasian man with blue jeans, navy blue jacket, red and white striped t-shirt, and short black hair. He's brandishing a kitchen knife as he casts me a doubtful look.

I wave my hands at him and say, "Look, I'm not a Doppelganger.  I don't think those monsters can even turn into men."

The man says nothing for a moment. Then he sighs and a graceful smile crosses his face. "Thank goodness!  Another one like me," he says in a relieved manner. Though that quickly vanishes when he glances toward my weapon and asks, "Have you seen my friend Harold?  Frizzy orange hair and a light green shirt?  That's the stick he was using when we got attacked by that Hellhound."

My body goes rigid at the mention of a Hellhound. Dragon Zombies, Zombies, Cursed Sword, Dullahan, now a Hellhound! This universe just loves to hate me doesn't it?

I calm myself down and say, "No, I haven't seen him.  Though he may have been hiding in that stall.  That's where I found his weapon."

I point to the destroyed stall and the man steps toward it. He scans it and mutters, "Those claw marks... shit she got him."

He buries his face into his hands and falls to one knee. "My best friend!" he cries. I walk over to him and place a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry about your friend, but we can't stay here.  There are mamono all over the place and we're more likely to become their sex toys the longer we remain here."

The man looks up at me and says, "Y-you're right.  We need to keep moving, but if I see Harold then I'm doing my damndest to save him with or without your help."

I sigh and ask, "My name's Vitali, you?"

"Andre, foreign exchange student from France," he answers.

Andre and I move out of the restroom, but before we step out into the hall I check to make sure that no mamono have populated it. Seeing that the way is clear we move down the hall seeking the next staircase down.

"Hey Vitali, what were you doing here?" Andre whispers to me. "No idea, one minute I'm doing my own thing the next minute I wake up in a classroom and nearly get raped by a Dullahan and a Cursed Sword," I whisper back.

Andre glares at me in amazement and whispers, "Holy crap man!"

"What about you?" I ask silently.

"Same deal as you.  Harold and I both woke up in this school with no idea as to how the hell we got here.  Tried to find a way out of here and...got split up when that Hellhound attacked us," Andre answers with a small choke.

I shake my head in sadness as Andre remembers his close friend.

We turn a corner and see that the way is clear.

Each classroom down is given a quick peek to ensure that we were not going to be ambushed by any mamono. I could feel my insides chill every time I glanced into one of those trashy rooms in varying degrees of disarray. Above all else I long to be out of here. Every second I wished that a portal would just open up in front of me and whisk me back to the regular mundane world. Unfortunately, my wish just remains a fantasy.

We arrive at a t-section and spot a staircase leading down. I feel a sense of luck and dread at seeing no mamono around either. Luck due to the fact that moving down to the second floor meant that we were closer to escape and dread due to the possibility that a mamono could be lying in wait for us anywhere.

"Come on," Andre mutters as he walks toward the stairs. I'm about to follow when I notice a peculiar glow coming from a nearby bulletin board that has torn up decorations stapled to it. An extended view shows me a masked pale face that vanishes from view along with the glow as quickly as I saw it.

"Come on Vitali," Andre whispers, breaking me out of my temporary trance.

"Coming," I murmur as I crouch walk over to my partner and head down the stairs with him. My heart pounds as I watch for any mamono who could jump us at any moment. Fortunately, all that greets us is silence and the slight assurance that we may still be alone for the time being. Unfortunately, the set of stairs that we just left didn't bring us all the way down to the first floor. Very inefficient for a school if you ask me.

"What are we going to do when we reach the main floor Vitali?  We still have the zombies outside to contend with," Andre whispers. "I have no idea," I mumble as I wonder myself how we're going to get past the undead horde outside. "We need to find a way," Andre mutters as we proceed ahead.

I peek inside of a classroom and detect what appears to be a series of detailed drawings on a blackboard. "Hey, Andre take a look at this," I say to him in a soft voice. He comes over and we take a look inside to observe the artwork.

Each picture is numbered and bordered in four panels. The first drawing shows a group of stick figures dropping into a tunnel under a room labeled NORTHEAST RESTROOM 1F. The second drawing displays the stickmen driving a golf cart. The third sketch showcases the figures entering a building. The final drawing demonstrates the escapees in some kind of helicopter.

"What do you make of this?" I mutter to Andre. Andre strokes his chin and replies, "Looks like an escape plan."

"Pretty complicated one at that," I say adding, "I mean the first and third make sense, but the second and fourth...I doubt those would be available in this kind of scenario."

"That's true but..." Andre whispers as he runs his fingers along the first of the four panels, "This restroom might be worth visiting.  Given how mind-bendingly insane this day has been so far I'm willing to chance that the secret tunnel, golf cart, and helicopter might all be real."

I cast Andre an exasperated glare and mutter, "Dude, what kind of moron would leave a golf cart lying around at a time like this let alone a freaking helicopter!?"

My finger smacks against the third panel and I add, "Besides, we don't know which building we're supposed to go to.  That drawing just looks like a generic building."

"You're right, but I do think it's telling us which street to go to," Andre says as he taps his finger against the bottom of the third panel, and that's when I see a street name under it that reads, "CLIP STREET".

I shake my head and mutter, "Okay, but still, we have no idea where this specific street is."

Andre shrugs and opens his mouth to produce another defense when we both freeze at the sound of footsteps coming upon us. Rapid footsteps that sound like they are determined to complete their goal. I curse under my breath and jump back when the Dullahan from before appears in the doorway.

She gives me a soul-piercing glare and states, "You did well to elude me previously, but now it's time to give up."

I notice several scratches along her armor as I raise my mop handle and prepare to defend myself. Andre also trains his knife on the mamono and she simply sighs. "You boys realize how fruitless this is right?  I recently defeated that Cursed Sword upstairs so you two should really rethink this and just surrender," she says as she waves her sword between the two of us.

"I am prepared to defend myself, as is my friend," Andre says as he stands defiant before the Dullahan. The knight says nothing, but she rushes at me with her sword raised for a strike. I duck and roll out of the way of the downward swing, but I misjudge my dodge and slam into a fallen metallic chair. The brief tinge of pain stuns me for a moment and causes me to lose my grip on my weapon. It clatters to the floor and the Dullahan follows up by going for another swing at me.

Andre races in and thrusts his knife at her side, but it glances off of her armor. While his initial attack was ineffective, it did cause her to abort her strike at me and instead focus the power in her swing toward him. Andre attempts to jump out of range of the slice, but he's too late and suffers a slash across his chest.

The hit causes Andre's breathing to become more strained, a clear sign that some of his spirit energy had been sapped.

A burst of adrenaline runs through me and I jump to my feet. I grab the chair and swing it at the Dullahan. The short glimpse of surprise in her eyes shows her regret in her lack of attentiveness to her surroundings as my new weapon of choice smashes against her head. The mamono's head shoots off of her body and rolls to the back of the classroom. Her armored body stumbles forward from the successful strike before it collides with a misaligned group of desks and joins its host in lying on the floor.

The head of the Dullahan groans from the immense pain and I can see her sneering at me. In a moment of pure horror movie foolishness I drop the chair and it hits the floor with a great thud. I don't waste any more time and grab Andre by the arm. We promptly leave the classroom, and I dread what other mamono could have heard the short duel and my absent-minded idiocy.

"Damn it damn it damn it!" I mutter as my terrified eyes dart across the surrounding area in search of the stairs down. Andre is limping along, basically becoming a burden to me, but I have no intention of just leaving him behind and trying to make it out on my own, especially considering how cruel karma can be.

We arrive at another t-section and I hear wild cackling. I glance to the left and feel my blood run cold when I see a Will-o-the-Wisp floating toward us with her crazed grin. Although tired from the earlier hit he had taken, Andre chucks his knife at her, but the bladed projectile lands just short of its target.

"Nice toss jackass," she compliments as she continues.

I haul Andre down the right hall with the Wisp slowly gaining. "Damn me," he grumbles to himself as he struggles to run to save me from doing all the work, but he only achieves a dejected jog. Any little bit to get us further away from the possessive spirit would definitely help.

A peer to my six shows that our ghostly girl is still gaining on us. The search for our salvation down grows more frantic by the second. The fearful thought of being locked up in her cage and subjected to constant sex by the fiery blue woman for all eternity motivates me to keep running and to keep carrying Andre along until he can manage to carry himself again. Every now and then a fleeting thought comes in telling me to just drop my friend as bait and save myself, but time after time I boot those treacherous thoughts out.

"S-stairs down," Andre mumbles as he points down the corridor toward a descending staircase.

I move toward it, but I hear Andre yelp and realize that the Wisp has grabbed him. She cackles with glee as she attempts to pull him into her cage. Andre and I struggle to pry ourselves away from the Wisp's iron grip, but for now we are locked in a stalemate.

"Wolf!  Wolf!" Andre screams in terror. I turn and spot a Werewolf bound up the steps with a hungry expression. She leaps toward us and I drop to floor dragging Andre along hoping to lower him out of the way. Luck must be smiling down on us because the Werewolf overshoots the both of us and tackles the Wisp. The impact causes the Wisp to release her hold on Andre and tumble backwards down the hall.

The Werewolf isn't fazed by her misfire and pounces toward us again with her claws out. I try to pull Andre out of the way, but it's useless with him wounded and the both of us prone. She is able to wrestle him away from my grasp and positions herself on his chest with a victorious whoop.

Andre stares at me with saddened eyes and cries, "It's useless for me!" Save yourself!"

No. I couldn't leave him. I didn't want to be alone in this hellhole again.

"That man was mine you furry skank!" the now recovered Wisp screeches at the Werewolf as she rubs the head of her temple from her recent aerobatic trip. The Werewolf chuckles and gives the Wisp the finger shouting, "Your fault for letting him go!"

She points to me and says, "There's still that piece of fresh meat over there!"

"Run you idiot!" Andre screams more furiously than before.

That angry order combined with the fact that the Wisp is now coming toward me with a more annoyed look than before startles me into a full-blown sprint down the stairs. It sucks that I left Andre behind, but since I'm not dragging him along it has become easier to increase the distance between myself and my pursuer who I can see behind me is descending the staircase slowly.

I make use of my huge lead and turn a few corners. The running stops once I'm confident that I don't hear the creaking of her cage or see that bright blue glow of her anywhere. I kneel over and take several breaths to gather back my energy. Possibly just lost my ethereal pursuer and now I need to regroup. The guilt of abandoning Andre creeps up on me, but I try not to let it weigh me down. If I had not messed up so horribly on my first go at that Dullahan then perhaps Andre wouldn't have gotten slashed. Emphasis on "perhaps".

The primary goal is to locate that restroom in the northeast section of the school, but the issue is that I have no idea of which direction I'm facing right now in terms of north, south, east, and west. I could be facing the wrong way for all I know. In an attempt to collect my bearings I move down the hall that I'm currently in. I then remember that this school could have a map layout of the first floor. There's a possibility that I could find it close to the entrance of the building, but again this haunted interior is foreign to me.

More cautious than an adventurer exploring the jungle I navigate the first floor, my body tensing up at each and every sudden noise no matter how slight it is. After several minutes of terrifying wandering I soon come upon what I assume is the front entrance of the school. Benches and chairs are piled up high against the doors. A risky peak through one of the broken windows shows me an entire groaning horde of zombies aimlessly shambling about. The crimson moon illuminates the sky. I glance down a nearby hallway and see that multiple doors had been torn off of there hinges. Must have been how some of the more dangerous mamono managed to breach the school.

I turn around and grin when I spot a poster detailing a layout of the first floor. It doesn't take long for me to locate myself which is the red dot and the designated restroom that is located in the upper right corner of the map. I press my hand against the location that I am supposed to go and feel something wet. My hand returns and I find a sticky white substance on it. It reeks of paint, but the upper portion of the map had been blanked white and some of the diagram below it seems to be melting downward. Last I checked posters weren't made of liquid.

The map matters little because I know where I need to go, but I'm still skeptical about this secret passageway existing. I glance up and notice small fluid droplets leaking from the ceiling.

"Man..." a hoarse voice groans that causes my hair to stand on me. I check my six and spot a trio of zombies shuddering toward me. In a second I'm already jogging away from them. Try as they might to pursue me, their undead bodies simply lacked the muscle to keep up with me.

I'm fully expecting to run into that Wisp again, but fortune is on my side once more as I don't have an encounter with her or any other mamono in this forsaken building. Of course, that could change at any moment and I could find myself pinned and ravaged by an unmarried Hellhound. I come to the restroom and see that it is in a much more presentable state than the previous one on the upper floors. There is shaky writing on the door of the left stall that reads, "SALVATION BELOW".

I pull it open and find...a toilet. Feeling that there's more, I give it a thorough examination and sure enough I find what looks to be a lever behind it. Before I can try to pull it I'm interrupted by groaning from one of the other stalls. It sounds like an exhausted male. "Andre...are you there?" he asks, his voice sounding in pain from each word that leaves his mouth.

"I'm not Andre," I reply softly, a good feeling that this is Andre's friend Harold that I'm talking too.

"Is...is he with you?" the uncertain voice asks.

"No," I mutter.

"What...happened to him?" he inquires, sounding increasingly distressed.

"We were both looking for you so that we could escape this place when we got attacked by mamono.  Andre was caught by a Werewolf and yelled for me to run, so I did as a Will-o-the-Wisp was now chasing me.  I wanted to save him.  I really did," I explain.

There is silence. Then I hear a sorrowful, "Crap."

"I'm sorry about your friend...Harold?" I say, wanting to be absolutely sure that I am talking to the right person. "Yeah, we were best buddies," he mutters. There is a pause, then, "Look man.  You may as well just leave while you still can.  This Hellhound caught me and brought me here.  If I try to escape she'll just track me down and drag me back here."

"Harold, an escape route could be just under this restroom," I say as my hand reaches for the lever.

"Forget it man.  Even if this was true I wouldn't try to run.  As I said earlier she'll catch me and bring me back," Harold groans.

"Come on Harold.  At least give it a chance?" I plead.

"Why bother?  I can't even go anywhere since I'm bound to this toilet and the stall is locked," says Harold who grows more despondent as he converses with me.

"How about I try to free you?" I suggest as I step out of the potential pathway to freedom and start toward the source of Harold's voice.

"That Hellhound could be back at any time now,  and I feel that she won't be happy if she sees you trying to leave with her man," says Harold.

Good point.

I sigh and mutter, "Well, if that's the case, then I guess I'll be going now."

"That would be a wise decision," says Harold.

I return to the original stall and begin to work on the lever. It's length makes it easy for me to apply a firm grip and I pull. The toilet shifts and groans as it twists to the side. My mouth falls open in utter amazement as a staircase down into a dark area is revealed. "Holy crap!" are the two words that leave my mouth as I stare at what could be the way out.

That sense of hope and wonder is replaced by the snappy realization that I lack a light source of some kind. It's pitch black down there and I'm more than likely going to bump into obstacles than move down the correct path.

Still, a powerful feeling of hope that I can yet rescue the prisoner surges through me as I call out to Harold, "The way out of this school is open!  We can escape together!"

"Why do still insist that I try to get out of here with you?  Didn't you listen to anything that I said?" asks Harold.

"Look, I can get us out of here!  Give me a chance!" I say in an energetic manner.

"With all of your yelling more than that Hellhound's gonna come here soon!" Harold snaps.

He isn't wrong as I soon here an annoyed voice from outside the restroom shout, "Who the hell's in there with my boy toy!?"

In a panic I run down the stairs into the darkness. I was not about to be confronted by a Hellhound. The dim light illuminating from the restroom grows smaller and smaller until I'm completely blind to my surroundings.

My feet touch solid ground and I have no clue where to go. Was coming down here a mistake? I can't go back now, so I'll just have to feel my way forward. My hands search the air for any kind of wall until they finally set upon a rocky surface.

I slowly but surely guide myself through the tunnel trying my best to keep straight. The concern of a few mamono possibly pursuing me locks me from glancing back, even though I couldn't see anything in this black atmosphere. The Hellhound back at the school may very well be aware of the secret tunnel, but she already has a man to deal with. Anything could be after me, but I press on, determined to get out of the tunnel.

The only sound that can be heard are my slow and methodical footsteps. I feel along the wall as it makes a small curve to the left. The longer I remain in this tunnel the more I want to get out of this underground oblivion.

I continue to trek forward until I finally notice a glow ahead that causes me to backpedal slightly out of fear. It is the familiar color of blue and I worry that the Wisp from before may have caught up with me. I peek around the corner and with a sigh of relief thank my lucky stars that it is not floating spirit, but instead a pair of blue chemlights that are illuminating a wooden ladder upwards.

The continuous silence surrounding me acts as a treacherous ally that could betray me at any moment. I jog to the ladder and climb, using one hand to push open a hatch in the ceiling that allows the gentle light of the red moon to pierce the darkness down below. There are hedges surrounding me along with the groans of the zombies, but they sound like they're on the other side of the leafy walls. Two Dragon Zombies soar far overhead. One of them is carrying a humanlike figure. It could possibly be a man who was unlucky enough to find himself in the servitude of two of the most powerful undead creatures in existence. The top part of the school that I have just escaped sticks out over the hedges.

Just ahead is a small metallic structure with its back door open ajar, so I exit the hole and close the hatch behind me. If nothing else it will slow down any mamono that could be exploring the tunnel.

I run toward the structure and enter it. An attempt is made to close the door and lock it, but the hinges are jammed and I can only leave it cracked. A tinge of frustration nearly causes me to kick the door, but I stop myself at the last moment. I've already made it this far, so it's best not to screw it up now.

The interior contains a few benches, tools, a garage door, and a golf cart that was shown in the chalkboard drawings. The motorized vehicle is equipped with caged doors, and has its front and rear padded with caging as well. I don't know why such a thing like this would exist here, but I'm not complaining. I've been gifted a present and I'm going to use it.

A crowbar lies next to the garage door, so I grab it and place it in the golf cart. Next I press a red button by the entrance and the large door rattles as it lifts upward. Then I realize that I don't have a map of the town. I search the indoor area for a short time, but fail to locate it.

Zombies are out front, but they are very few in number and are creeping toward me. I enter the golf cart deciding that I'll just have to look for it whenever I get to the next town or neighborhood. The keys are already in the ignition, so I turn them and the vehicle comes to life with a gentle hum.

I drive out of the garage and ride along the small paved road next to the hedge. The zombies are too slow to cut me off and pose very little threat, though I do accidentally shunt one aside who collapses to the ground and lets out a simple, "Ow."

The road ahead is flanked by hedges that are too high for me to see what's on the other side, but the obscurity gives me a strange sense of comfort more than anything. That or it's probably just the whine of the engine that's been the only sound thus far. I try not to think of anything that could make me paranoid, but knowing where I am that proves to be quite difficult.

Soon enough I come out of the hedges and see a town ahead. Frantic screaming turns my head in time to see a fleeing man get tackled by a Ghoul in the field. Part of me wants to be a hero and go help him, but another part screams for me to use common sense and leave him to the monster. My hands keep the tires straight and I continue on. Guilt prods at me as it did when I left Andre behind, but I steel myself. What matters right now is finding Clip St., the building, and using whatever is inside that building to make my escape.


 * SHUNK*

A large scarlet blade impales the interior of the golf cart just inches from my face. The sudden attack startles me to the point that I veer off of the road with a shocked and horrified, "Holy shit!"

I attempt to turn back onto the road just as I notice a small figure grip the handle of her machete and give me a crazed look. A freaking Redcap. I weave the golf cart along the road hoping to shake my unwanted passenger off, but she just clings on and produces a nerve-wracking giggle. She begins to saw through the passenger side door and at this point I'm wishing that I had just submitted to the Dullahan.

My crowbar is quickly in my hand and I'm poking at her whilst trying to maintain control of the golf cart with my other hand. The Redcap continues to hold on and is now tearing away the opening that she made with her blade. My thrusts with my crowbar grow even more desperate and they're striking the interior more than they're striking her.

The crimson psycho is now attempting to reach in and grab me, but I bat away her arm with my crowbar. Her frightening grin grows wider and I just swerve out of the way of a signpost. We drive into town as I continue to battle my unruly hitchhiker.

I struggle to avoid abandoned vehicles and getting taken out by the Redcap all the while searching for the sign that says Clip St. As I'm flying down the street it occurs to me to just drive real close to an object and unless she's alert she'll be knocked off. I drive toward an empty school bus and ride alongside it. The Redcap yelps as she thumps against the rear of the bus and thankfully releases the golf cart.

It will only be a brief moment of respite for me as I continue down the street searching for Clip St. and avoiding obstacles as well as the occasional zombie.

A blue glow soars across the sky, although a hotter shade than the Wisp's.

"You'll pay for that you asshole!" the Redcap screams and sure enough I see her maddened form in the rearview mirror chasing me. I shake my head in fear as I watch the mamono close in.

I just pass another intersection when I see her jump and hear her land on the roof of the golf cart. Her blade pierces through the top and nearly grazes my left arm. "Leave me alone!" I cry out as I turn sharply left down a road that isn't Clip St.

Her machete tries to tear open the roof and I finally decide to bail. I slam the brakes and the Redcap tumbles down the hood and lands in the pavement. Before she can recover I grab my crowbar and bolt from the golf cart down a nearby alleyway.

"Come back here!" the Redcap shouts behind me. I look to my six and see her pull her blade out of the golf cart. She then rushes after me just as I exit the alleyway and come to a street with one lone apartment building. A nearby sign reads CLIP ST. and I waste no time in running toward it with my pursuer hot on my heels.

"I'd rather have sex with a Wisp than get raped by you!" I shout at the Redcap. That phrase more than likely came out of my mouth from panicking, but either way she's steamed from my perceived insult and shouts back, "Boy, I'll give you the greatest sessions you've ever had!"

Her footsteps cease and for a moment I believe that she's given up only to feel a painful slice down my left arm that soon turns to pleasure. I cry out from the brief sting and pick up speed toward the building.

"I'll cut you up and milk you dry boyo!" the Redcap shouts.

Once I reach the building I throw all of my weight against the door and bash it open. I rush up the nearest flight of stairs and I hear the mamono yell out, "You're just running yourself into a corner you idiot!"

She's right. It's only a matter of time until I run out of space.

I continue up the stairs with the Redcap right behind me. I turn and duck under a swing of her machete. Her blade tears into a wall and I continue to run. "Quit delaying the inevitable and let me screw your brains out already!" she shouts from below.

Her demands that I surrender myself to her only push me to run harder. I flee up two more flights of stairs until I finally run out of staircases and reach the top floor. "Here I coooome!" the Redcap sings.

I race down the hall toward a door that is cracked. It will likely be the room where I make my last stand and I slam it shut behind me followed by the click of a lock.

A gasp escapes me as the room is open-air and...a blue autogyro in the center. It looks so beautiful even if it is completely out of place. I could just take it and fly out of here, but then I realize that I have no idea how to fly an aircraft such as that let alone any vehicle capable of aviation. Even if I had the knowledge to pilot this thing I wouldn't have enough time to escape before the Redcap catches me.

Wood from the door splinters as her blade cuts through it like a knife through butter. Then she smashes my only barrier away and I'm once again face-to-face with her.

"Nowhere to run hun!" she announces victoriously.

As she moves toward me I notice the wall behind her beginning to distort. It streams downward and I spot the doorframe doing it too.

I point to the creepy scene and ask the Redcap, "Hey, are you seeing that?"

"You ain't fooling me dumba..." her cocky attitude cuts itself off when she turns and sees the doorframe and wall melting away.

"Weird," she mutters as she tries to walk again, but is unable to. I glance down and see that her feet have sunk into the floor as have mine. Now I'm feeling a growing panic as I twist my head and see that the autogyro is also melting out of form.

"What the hell is happening!?" the Redcap cries out with a face now full of terror.

I struggle to pull my feet out of the liquid floor, but they don't budge. "C'mon c'mon don't panic!" I shout, mainly trying to calm myself down.

"We're gonna die!" the Redcap screams.

Everything in the room continues to ooze and melt away like an ice cream in the hot sun. Even worse is that neither of us can move. I tug on my feet as hard as I can, but it's the same result every time. A part of me is tempted to reach out and hug the Redcap, but the rest of me keeps me back knowing that that isn't going to happen.

As I desperately try to contemplate a hopeless escape I spot that same blue glow that I saw in the sky floating up the hall toward us. It phases through the shaking Redcap and stops right in front of me. A pair of pampered hands reach out from the glow and wrap themselves around my waist. A smiling masked face forms at the top of the glow that I realize is a Phantom's.

"Momma, I'm sorry!" the Redcap cries out, frightened for her life.

At that moment, my vision blacks out and every sound ceases.

I don't know how long I was out. I don't know if I was even alive during that time.

My senses return and I find my arms and legs chained up along with my attire missing save for my underwear. The room is dimly lit, allowing me to see its dilapidated state. Boxes lay in random spots and there is a staircase in the far right corner of the room leading up. If I wasn't bound then that would be the first place I would be heading.

"Excellent, you've awakened!" a soft voice sings.

The eyes of my head dart around the room trying to locate the source of the speaker.

Right in front of me the Phantom materializes in her full form. She admittedly looks quite sharp for a spirit, but I digress. Whatever she's planning to do with me, it's definitely lewd. Still, can't stop me from asking her if she knows what hell I just went through.

"T-the melting," I mumble.

The Phantom grins and asks, "Did you like my illusion?"

"I-illusion?" I utter.

"The school, the golf cart, the helicopter, all part of my grand show," she states.

"Then...what of that craziness was real?" I ask her.

"The red moon was real, as was the town," the Phantom replies and adds, "And the mamono were real too along with those men."

I shake my head at my captor and ask, "What happened to them?  What happened to the Redcap?"

"Andre and Harold are safely back home with their new wives.  That Redcap's been teleported out of town and Demon Lord knows she's beyond confused right now," the Phantom answers.

She shrugs and says, "That illusion took a serious strain on my power.  If I wasn't so excited to finally copulate with the man of my dreams then I would have slept through the night and have my way with you tomorrow."

Her ghostly hand feels my chest, "And now that I have you, I intend to make our first night extra special."

At this point I can only stay silent. Not a clue what to say to this. I can't really complain though. For one, I'm glad that both Andre and Harold are alright even if their lives have changed forever. Two, I'm happy to have finally gotten off of this crazy horror ride. I'll just have to make due with my new wife and enjoy the rest of my life with her at my side.