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“Hey—!”

Beta covered the Cider’s mouth quickly, putting a skinny finger to his lips. Letting her go, the battered man made his way to the door, waiting for the muttering to cease.

What’re you—!

“—doing?!” she whispered, suddenly pushing her body between him and the shut and locked door.

She’s still out there.

I know that, Beta thought to the voice. But I can’t let them get to the nursery. Hershey’s brother is in there, he’d never forgive me if I let it get ransacked.

Since when have you ever cared about Hershey!?

Since just now.

Beta, think this through.

Beta didn’t. He pushed past the women blocking his way and cracked open the door, peeking out into the darkness. The vents had gone off, and the eerie quietness flowing through the corridor seemed anticipating. Beta could just barely hear the crazed, no-eyed woman walking somewhere down the way. He opened the door fully and followed her timid footsteps.

Beta please, think about this. You have no weapons!

Beta smiled as he sped up. That’s not entirely true, he thought. I have you.

...No.

He sped up even more, catching an outline of the bizarre woman now. Better hurry.

No Beta.

The woman came to a stop, but Beta didn’t. In fact, he went into a run at her exposed back through a torn shirt.

Beta!

She turned abruptly, arms out, almost welcoming. The only offsetting thing was the tongue moving wildly and hungrily in her mouth. “BREAKFAST IS THE MOS—!”

Fine!

Beta’s body changed suddenly, and then he wasn’t himself. Something in him found a strength he never knew he had, throwing an uppercut so powerful it threw her back. The woman’s head jerked upward, spit and blood—maybe even a tooth—spewing from her mouth before she collapsed. The voice left his body and retreated back to his mind, leaving Beta stumbling back into his shocked, Cider companion. “Woah!” she hissed. “…Awesome!”

“Yeah, kind of,” he said. “Come on, we need to hurry.” As Beta was about to run, the voice spoke to him again.

You need to hide the body.

Beta stumbled and stopped. “We need to hide the body,” he iterated all of a sudden, grabbing the unconscious woman’s arms. His female companion leaned down and grabbed the woman’s legs, backtracking to the room they came out of. “Are you okay?” she huffed under the weight of the body.

“Other than a little bit of self-resentment, lovely,” he responded. Tossing the body into the room, they didn’t hesitate. The two ran down the hallway, crushing the stairs and emerging on the base floor. Her and Beta emerged in the dining hall and he pointed down the hallway hidden by the kitchen’s wall. “The nursery’s this way.”

Bling!

Beta stopped and she did right after, backtracking to where he then stood. The two stared at the phone sitting on the desk next to the flowers.

Bling!

“That’s the house phone,” she said.

Bling!

“Why is it ringing?”

Bling!

Should I answer it? Beta thought.

Beta could’ve sworn he heard the voice sigh. What do you think? You want it to keep ringing so they can find you?

With that response, he ran to the phone and picked it up. “Hello?”

“Beta?”

Beta leaned on the counter and looked back at his companion as if he didn’t want her to know who he was speaking to. She edged forward still. “Matrix?”

Matrix sighed, the sound echoing through the air shaft. “You’re not dead, thank God.”

“Um, thanks?” Beta responded. “What’s going on? Who are these people?”

Matrix sighed. “Staks, not the nice ones. That’s pretty much all I know.”

“Well I think one of them is trying to eat the stillborns,” Beta concluded. “Or she was until I knocked her out.”

“Dude, the stillborns are all outside. The nurses took them.”

Beta shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead, his irritation climbing. “So why aren’t we outside?”

“Who’s ‘we’?” Matrix asked, his voice slightly hostile. Beta’s voice dropped an octave so that his company wouldn’t hear. “She’s a Cider. She got stuck here just as I did.”

Matrix sighed through the phone. “Honestly…I think it might’ve been on purpose. Ask her why she didn’t get out.”

Beta turned around to look at her. “Hey, how—?”

“—My friend’s door locked when I was in the bathroom,” she said, assuming what he wanted her to say. “She got out, I didn’t.”

Not the greatest friend, the voice said, startling Beta. His lips parted briefly, as if the voice was like a whisper in his ear, telling him exactly what to say. He restrained himself from saying anything else, even if he agreed.

“My door was locked too,” Beta said instead. He put the phone back to his ear. “You’ve got to get us out of here Matrix.”

“Tell me her name, I might know her,” he said through the phone.

“Is that really important right now?” Beta countered, his voice thin.

“Not everyone I know is nice, Beta.”

The Perna sighed and turned back to her. “What’s—”

“—Beelz.” Beta’s eyelids sunk, wishing she would stop doing that. A hint of a smile edged on her face in the darkness and she shrugged. “I’m a good guesser.”

“Beelz, is her name,” Beta said, staring into Beelz’s eyes. He waited for a response, and when he didn’t get one he spoke again, averting his gaze. “Matrix?”

“Yeah, sorry. Uh, go through the vent in the kitchen and we’ll meet you near there.” Beta closed his eyes.

“Please do not tell me you want to meet in a bloody air vent,” Beta moaned.

“Sounds crazy, but it’s the only place they wouldn’t go. Not to mention, it’s the only way I can get you out of here.”

Beta sighed. Nothing good ever came out of a bloody air vent, he thought.

Yeah, in movies. This is real life, Beta. Go to them.

“We’re on our way.”

He hung up.

Hershey stared at Matrix’s rear, studying the way he moved. “I know why you’re acting so weird,” he said, and Matrix stopped.

The Stak reared his head and sat to get a better look at Hershey. “I’m not acting weird.”

Hershey smiled, sitting as well. “You and I both know that’s not true.”

Matrix looked down. “Okay,” he said. “Then why do you think?”

Hershey paused for the longest, second-guessing his opinion which was often not done. “You’re mad.”

“About?”

“Being weak.” Matrix’s jaw clenched. “I’m not,” he whispered. The vent stank of dank air, a mix of a refreshing emptiness and dust particles. And that’s what made the short silence even worse.

Hershey sighed. “You are when it comes to me or Beta or, anyone else you care about.” Matrix looked away. “And you think that’s a bad thing. So, you try to hide it with random acts of aggressiveness, trying to prove your superiority Matrix…I don’t need to be yanked around to know your muscles are bigger than mine—”

“That’s not it—”

“Isn’t it?” The two looked at each other for a good while, and Hershey could see that Matrix was crumbling. “Who hurt you, Matrix?” Hershey asked. “Who hurt you so bad that even I can’t fix you?”

Matrix’s nostrils flared, and Hershey could hear his nails scrape along the metal platform. “Maybe because as hard as you try, you can’t just analyze and fix everything.” Hershey just blinked, a sense of doubt rushing through him. The Stak shook his head, as if reassuring himself made what Hershey said any less true. “That’s not it,” he said. “I wouldn’t lay a hand on you for something as stupid as that…” Matrix turned back around and continued down the shaft. “I would never.”

“Aba.”

Aba turned around as the two men approached, towering over her. “We’re almost ready to breach.”

“Yeah well…” Aba’s head edged slightly to the left and caught sight of Jerry, her focus clinging to him as his head jerked downward as if he was being pulled. His eye shifted back and forth as he held the tip of his ear. She furrowed her eyebrows, watching closely. His head nodded once just barely.

“Aba—” one of the men repeated and she shushed them. Jerry shook his head as if ashamed or disappointed, then—

His head rose.

Jerry was back.

Aba turned back to her men. “Hurry up, I don’t want people panicking for too long, it’ll start a fuss.”

“Yes ma’am.” As they started to walk away Aba grabbed one of them and drew them near. “Put Jerry in my office, will you?” The man nodded and pushed his way through the crowd, grabbing the guard and leading him away with a hostile grip. Jerry looked startled as the man took him, as if he had no idea what was going on.

But he knew.

“Let’s not go praying to plastic Gods Jerry,” she muttered, looking back down at her clipboard.

“Give me a boost.”

Beelz grabbed Beta by the legs and hoisted him up to reach the vent smack in the middle of the kitchen. Beelz had never been in the kitchen, and as Beta worked on unscrewing with his hands, she took the time to look around. It was obvious that pots and pans had been abandoned. It was still early in the morning, but there were already plasters laid out for fruits, oatmeal, yogurt, and muffins on the exceptionally large countertops. It was dark, so Beelz couldn’t see too well, but the smell of burning metal led her to believe the stove had just turned off a few minutes ago.

“Higher.” Beelz snapped to attention, forgetting where she was. She got a hold of Beta’s feet and pushed them up higher, wrapping that hand back around Beta’s legs—or ankles now. He had excellent balance.

Beta’s fingers started to bruise as he worked on the last bolt, twisting it. “So,” he breathed, talking to Beelz. “Your name is Beelzebub?”

Beelz frowned. “It’s Beelz to you, and to everyone else.”

“You realize you can change your name, right?”

Beelz was dangerously close to letting him drop. “I know,” she said, gritting her teeth.

“Then why don’t you change it.”

Beelz shrugged, which momentarily affected Beta’s height. “If that’s what I am…that’s what I am.”

Beta.

Beta finally got the vent off and peered through the dark and dusty tomb. “Looks safe to me,” Beelz said, her muscles tensing. What, Beta thought to the voice.

I don’t think it’s safe.

Beta peered his head into the vent, submerging it in darkness. It stretched upward, metal bars fused into the side of the wall for climbing. I couldn’t agree more, I don’t do vents...or dark...or vents.

No, you don’t understand what I’m saying—

Hold that thought. Beta looked down at Beelz, and then up again. He got ahold of the handle and pulled himself up, grabbing the next one and the next one. Beelz finally let go, allowing him to carry his own body weight. She was a bit surprised at Beta’s strength. “Didn’t realize you were a bodybuilder,” she joked.

“Well I didn’t realize your parents named you after the Devil and oh,” Beta paused. “Coincidentally, never loved you.” Beta left his foot stuck out so Beelz could grab it and hoist herself up. “Now strap on.”

She ignored it. “No thanks, I think I’ll be fine.” As she said it, Beta looked down to see what’d she’d do, eyebrows furrowed.

And just like that, she was melting. Beta watched in awe as Beelz’s body seemed to melt like water, until all she was was a puddle of colored water on the ground. And in a moment’s time, the puddle swirled around in a funnel shape, gaining height. The color of the water settled on black and began to form into something else; another shape much smaller than Beelz. Beta couldn’t tell what it was until it was flying at his face.

A raven.

As Beelz flew past him and up the vent, Beta smirked. “Show off.”

The Perna reached the top and the vent flattened out. He began to crawl then, and when he heard the slap of water against metal and then the slap of a hand against his foot, he knew Beelz was back and behind him. “Perks of being a Cider,” Beta muttered.

Beelz shrugged behind him. “There aren’t many.”

“They should be somewhere around here,” he muttered. Okay, you were saying, Beta said to the voice.

Turn around. Go back. Do not stay in that vent.

Why?

The voice, for a reason Beta didn’t understand, went into a whisper. It isn’t safe.

Beta slowed down, but he didn’t stop. Suddenly he was aware of the infinite dark that laid before him, straight out of a horror film he had to admit. And what makes you think that?

Let’s just say a bird told me. They didn’t say who it was, but when I gave them the names of your friends they told me that you weren’t safe in there.

Beta sped up again. That’s ridiculous.

Is it? ...I have to ask. Who, if anyone, do you trust the least in that vent with you?

The man hesitated, then shook his head. No, Beta thought, the voice catching a whiff of the name.

Beelzebub, I see.

I said no.

That’s a yes.

Look I...I don’t want to assume but— Beta, not sure how, could feel her presence behind him, could feel something that just didn’t belong. He wanted to turn to look at her, but if he did…

What the hell would he see?

She’s the only one you don’t trust, the only one you don’t know.

That’s not fair, Beta argued. I only don’t trust her because she’s a Cider. It’s irrational.

...So you admit it’s irrational.

Not the best time for a moral lesson. Beta forced air out through his nose. She was locked in here, same as me. But, why? I mean, what on Earth did she do?

“Beta,” a voice called. Beelz and Beta paused, looking up at the two figures who appeared before them. Beta could see the two of them from a distance as an outline. “Oh, there you are,” Matrix said.

The only reason I don’t trust her...is because she’s too much like me...and I can barely trust myself, Beta admitted, and still the voice said nothing. Hey! Are you listening!?

It’s not my job to decide for you, Beta, it said, shutting up for good.

Okay, Beta thought to himself. He didn’t need much convincing; he always found her stature strange. Not to mention being a Cider didn’t help. They both edged closer to one another. I’ll just...warn them with my eyes...that’s it.

They were getting closer.

But she could act at any moment, he thought. But, even if she was working for them, why would she act now?

Closer.

Because they were trying to rescue me? Because they are trying to rescue me?

Close.

Is it paranoia?

Beta felt the tip of her fingernails scrape his ankle. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

Who cares.

Very close.

They have to see it, in my eyes, in my voice, in my stature. They bloody have to.

Beta stopped, and so did all the others.

By then, they were all just waiting for something to happen.

You could never truly trust a Cider anyway, Beta thought.

“Come on,” Hershey said, somehow in front. “It’s this way.”

Do it, Beta thought. Do it now.

But, he didn’t. There was a reason he didn’t. Something felt off, but in a different way than he thought. Hershey didn’t seem right, or like himself. It was like…

“What’re we waiting for? Let’s get out of this death trap,” Beelz said, waiting for any of them to move. No one did.

It’s not her, Beta told the voice. Beta’s heart couldn’t pound, so his arms shook instead, seeing the matching panic in Hershey’s eyes. He got it all at once, and he couldn’t help the sudden shiver that ran down his spine as he looked up at Matrix…and his dark eyes.

Creak.

Beta and Beelz screamed as part of the vent snapped. The shaft bent right between Hershey and Beta, Beta’s part twisting downward. He slid backward, pressing his feet into Beelz’s cranium. They crashed into a row of tables lining the dining area. Beta landed on top of Beelz, making the chair’s legs snap and drop them both to the ground. The Perna’s head spun around and around, head pulsating. He ached all over, and he was sure somewhere there was blood leaking out of him, as for some reason he bled when others did not. But all Beta could focus on was the vents and the faint pounding coming from them.

The twisting of metal was faint to Beta, and when the rest of the vent snapped and collapsed to the floor like a dismembered limb, it did not startle him. He stared up at the edge of the ventilation, half of the ceiling torn to shreds and the other half barely holding up as it throbbed with life. Before his own eyes, Beta saw hands grip the rugged edge of the vent, and then a face. Hershey’s face. He was yelling something, but Beta’s ears were still ringing. Luckily, he had a voice to wake him up.

Beta!

“Beta!” Hershey was screaming, struggling against someone else. That’s right, Beta thought.

It’s Matrix.

“Help m—!” Hershey’s body was dragged away. Beta woke up then, getting to his feet quickly.

He helped Beelz up, her bruises much more minor despite falling first. “What the hell just happened!” she wheezed, not caring about the other Staks still roaming the building.

“Matrix…I think he made the vent snap on purpose. I think he’s one of them.” Beelz stared at him, about to express her condolences when Beta started stumbling toward the tube they had come out of, getting on top of it.

Even though the vent had snapped, Beta didn’t let it stop him from wondering how high he could jump from there.

“Wait, what’re you doing!” she questioned, eyes wide with shock.

“My friends are still in there…I’ve got to get them.”

“Beta, hey. Hey! One of your friends is mental and the other is being attacked by the mental one, now how rational do you think you’re being right now?”

The two turned their heads when they heard the feet pounding, soon to round the corner. “Wiser than someone who wants to stay down here with them,” he answered. “So are you coming or not?”

Beelz jerked her head away from the footsteps and glared at him, her wings opening, revealing a new sort of beauty and elegance to her. “You’ll need some sort of weapon.”

“GET OFF OF ME!”

Hershey kicked Matrix in the face repeatedly until his grip lessened and eventually seized. He scrambled away, not able to do much else in the small space. Matrix caught him and pulled him back, banging his head against the metal. The Nat surrendered then, letting his head smack back onto the hard surface as his crazed friend dragged him.

He was still conscious however, so he could still hear the sniffling tears as Matrix made them. He sniffed, tightening his grip on Hershey’s foot. “I’m so, so sorry,” he said, letting the tears fall between words. “I…h-h-haven’t eaten…t-today.” A sharp breath in finished the sentence, and then dry heaved the air out.

Matrix stopped, letting Hershey’s foot drop. He turned around, his stomach grumbling, his mouth salivating, his hunger rising. Matrix lifted up Hershey’s pant leg and shivered at the pudgy skin. So smooth, he thought. Easy on the teeth, he thought.

But when Matrix leaned down to take a bite Hershey sprung to life, knocking one of his horns into Matrix’s skull. Matrix flinched back and Hershey didn’t skip a beat before shoving his thumbs into Matrix’s eyes, hearing him scream violently. Matrix used his abilities to blast Hershey back, which the Stak didn’t realize did nothing but help him get away. Hershey scurried as fast as he could, leaving Matrix bleeding and crawling blind as a bat.

“Hershey…Hershey!” Matrix called out.

When Hershey rounded the corner he paused, hearing things other than Matrix’s moans and cries. He heard other sounds, other voices.

Not from below, but from inside the vents.

Hershey didn’t move an inch, staring straight forward. But soon he realized the more he stared the more terrified he was of someone rounding that corner and finding him. There were others inside the vents, others like Matrix. Hershey didn’t know where they were, he knew nothing.

He was just as blind as Matrix at this point.

Hershey could hear Matrix getting closer, shuffling down the shaft. “Hershey,” he groaned. “Come back, please. I’ll die without you.”

Shut up! Hershey wanted to say. He knew if Matrix kept at it they’d know where he was in a heartbeat. They were probably on their way now. The real question was: Matrix or the others.

He didn’t trust either of them. Either one would mean his death…wouldn’t it?

Hershey could see the shadow rounding the corner and he panicked. Hershey turned back around and scurried to the other end, but he was too late. He felt the pull on his foot, like the air was against him. His nails scraped against the metal, but it did nothing.

“Stop!” Hershey cried, shutting his eyes.

Then he felt another pull, but this one was pulling him in the opposite direction. Hershey looked up at the hazy image of a petite woman.

“Matrix,” Hershey whispered, breathing in sharply.

He felt his body leave the comfort of the metal and go into a standstill in the air, his arms jutting forward and his feet jutting behind. “Please,” he said, his face turning blue and his vision clouding. Matrix didn’t even seem to notice him, it seemed like all he heard was the blood sitting pretty in Hershey’s body.

There really was no use for it.

“I can’t…feel anything.”

Hershey was being pulled each way, his body seemingly ripping. The boy screamed, the strain making his head pound.

And then, one side had won. Hershey’s head slammed back onto the metal and everything from then on was a blur. He knew he was being dragged, and then he knew he was being bitten, and then he knew a voice, and then…

The doors to the mansion busted open and the team of guards were there, pushing through the darkness.

Aba appeared after them, looking around the dark room, flashlight and knife in hand. A worried crowd stood behind her. “Turn the power back on!” she yelled, and then there was light. The guards and Aba squinted and let their eyes adjust.

Aba’s widened when she could see clearly, finally able to take in the scene before her.

Hershey laid in Matrix’s arms, covered with bites and dried blood. He was unconscious, but that didn’t stop his body from twitching ever so slightly.

Beelz was on his left, blocking the light out and trying to hide back in her own darkness. Her body shook…

And her wings were torn.

Beta sat on Matrix’s left, chunks of his arms and legs missing. Aba was appalled, but she could see it was already regenerating. Beta shook as well, but this was more of a result of the pain and the shock. The voice in his head left once the doors opened, and Beta could feel the emptiness growing inside of him.

Matrix wanted nothing but to spit the taste of Beta’s blood out of his mouth, but his body wouldn’t permit it. He loved it too much. Matrix let Hershey’s body roll out of his grasp and hit the floor with a strain of difficulty. He didn’t feel worthy of touching him…not after everything he had done.

The guards put their guns down. Beta looked up at them and smiled, although his eyes glazed over with water and were ready to explode.

“They’re in the vents.”