Magical Girl Gunslinger

-Arcadia Grand Central Mall, Floor Three Shelter-

-Five minutes after Emergence alarm-

“It really wasn’t that big of a deal,” Lily smiled awkwardly at the two parents thanking her for the fifth time.

“No, really,” the man in front of Lily insisted with watery eyes. “You saved our little girl. I don’t know what I would have done if anything happened to our Lucy.”

Lily decided to just give a reassuring smile and nod. Finding the parents had turned out to be an easy task considering they were waiting right outside the wide-open doors of the shelter, pleading with the mall security in charge to go and find their children. When they saw Lily running with their little girl in tow, they had all but broken down in relieved sobs as they rushed out to hug their daughter.

Then they realized their son wasn’t there.

“And you’re sure Brian is on his way?” the mother asked, still clutching Lucy to her chest.

Lily felt the corner of her mouth quirk up slightly as she looked back through the shelter’s doors. Lily and the family had been ushered inside the shelter, but had refused to move further inside along with the rest of the crowd. The mall security guards in charge all seemed young and a little lost, and so they had allowed it after the quick explanation that they were waiting for people.

“My friend Mai knows what she’s doing,” Lily gave a cocky smile. “She’s the most reliable person I know. They might cut the timing a little close, but they’ll make it.”

That didn’t seem to alleviate the parents' fears much, but there wasn’t much else Lily could do to convince them. Lily turned back to look down the hallway leading to the shelter, and forced herself to remain still. It was hard, because all she really wanted to do was sprint out there and look for Mai. It was a completely idiotic idea considering Lily had no idea where she would even begin looking.

Deep inside, Lily knew Mai had been right, as she always was. Even though Mai was shy and unassuming, she was one of the smartest people Lily knew. Behind Mai’s gleaming sapphire eye was a quiet cunning that was constantly calculating. More than once, Lily had experienced Mai do something for seemingly no reason, only to find out her action had solved multiple problems before some of them could even manifest.

The only problem was that Mai tended to have a blind spot in regards to her own well-being.

“Lily?” a familiar woman’s voice called, and Lily looked back into the shelter’s interior.

Ms. Toma, Lily’s homeroom teacher, walked towards her. Lily could see deeper into the shelter’s futuristic white interior where a crowd of people were nervously talking in groups. The biggest groups were made of the four classes from Ravenwood High. The teachers had already done their headcount, but Lily had just given a wave to Ms. Toma instead of joining everyone else.

Idly, Lily noted that Mai’s homeroom teacher was talking to some of the chaperones and teachers instead of waiting at the entrance. It made Lily’s eyes narrow slightly, but she didn’t let it show on the cheery expression she gave Ms. Toma.

“Still waiting for Mai, are you?” Ms. Toma asked with a gentle smile and concerned eyes.

As far as Lily was concerned, Ms. Toma was the perfect teacher. She was warm and kind, and always dressed in clothes that matched her personality, like the simple blue dress and yellow cardigan she was currently wearing. Her face was round and soft, and lent to her empathetic impression. She had an uncanny knack for understanding what was going on, and more than once Lily had been caught off guard by her teacher’s insight. Really, she was completely the opposite of Mai’s useless homeroom teacher.

“Yup,” Lily answered with a nod. “Should be any minute now.”

Ms. Toma glanced at the fidgeting parents, then back to Lily with a relaxed grin.

“If it were anybody else I might be more nervous too,” Ms. Toma replied, “but from the way you talk about her, I’m sure she’s already on her way back.”

Lily felt her cheeks redden as she scoffed and folded her arms defiantly.

“I don’t talk about her that much.”

Which was mostly true. Although, Ms. Toma had stopped Lily a few times after school to have heart-to-heart talks like she seemed to do with all her students, and Lily had spent most of the time talking about Mai after they became friends. Still, Lily hadn’t been gushing about Mai or anything… had she?

“I said the way you talk about her,” Ms. Toma giggled, and Lily’s face burned hotter. “Honestly, she must be pretty impressive to make such an impression on you and not even be in our class.”

Lily shrugged, not sure what to say. As she did, she noticed the parents had been taking in every word of their conversation and seemed to relax a little. Lily blinked as she realized how effortlessly Ms. Toma had calmed them down without even speaking a single word to them. Lily felt a little bit of pride surge in her chest, and she smiled.

“Anyway,” Ms. Toma said, pulling up her hand to check her watch. “There should still be a little over four minutes left, so there’s plenty of time to-”

Suddenly, the lights went out.

EMERGENCY ALERT

Cold washed through Lily as the notification appeared in her head. In the shelter, the lights flickered back on, but outside, red emergency lights bathed the hallway in dark shades of scarlet. A sudden chill went down the back of Lily’s neck, and she felt her mouth go dry. Inside the shelter, a few people let out shouts of surprise.

Then, the second message appeared.

EMERGENCY ALERT

Floor 1

Floor 2

Floor 3

Floor 4

Floor 5

Reality Distortion: Moderate

Localized Dream Level: Restless

Guardian Command alerted Successfully.

System going into low power mode. This will be the last message.

Ms. Toma’s eyes went wide, her calm expression wiped clear. There was the sudden sound of something heavy moving, and Lily turned to see the double set of shelter doors beginning to close. The mall security guards who had been outside quickly ran in, their eyes big with fear. Lily heard the parents let out a cry of despair from beside her, and something inside her clicked into place.

Mai. Mai was out there with those monsters. Skinny little Mai who had been trembling with fear even as she made the decision to split from Lily. All to save a kid, and all without a second thought. Mai who never complained to Lily about anything even though Lily had heard plenty of rumors about the bullying she was going through.

Mai.

A jolt of electricity went through Lily, and she didn’t hesitate. She moved towards the closing set of doors, kicking off as quickly as she could. She wasn’t about to abandon her friend out there, not when she already had failed to help her so many times. Screw directions, Lily would just have to find a map on the wall and go from there.

Before Lily could take more than two steps, a hand clamped around her arm in an iron grip and pulled her back. Lily almost fell from the sudden balance shift, and turned a wild look behind her. Ms. Toma had her hands wrapped around Lily’s arm, and she had a sickened expression twisting her face. Her eyes, though, were steel.

“Lily, no,” Ms. Toma almost whispered. Her voice was flat, but Lily could hear something wavering beneath the facade.

“Let me go,” Lily hissed, trying to tug her arm free. “I’m not leaving her out there!”

“I can’t do that,” Ms. Toma replied. “Lily, it’s my job to keep you safe.”

“I’ll be right back, I promise!” Lily shouted, her voice shaking. “I’m not leaving her out there alone!”

Beside them, Lucy’s father seemed to finally register what was happening and turned to run out the shelter doors. Two of the mall security officers grabbed onto him as he rushed the doors and pulled him down. He let out a cry of anguish as he fought but couldn’t struggle free. Meanwhile, Lily felt another pair of hands grab her other arm, and she turned to see a third officer standing in front of her.

She didn’t want to accidentally hurt Ms. Toma, but she was sure her teacher would understand. So Lily wrenched at their grips, throwing her weight away from them. She managed to slip from the security guard’s hands, but, to her surprise, Ms. Toma held firm. When Lily was stumbling and unbalanced from the maneuver, she pulled on Lily hard, twisting Lily into a bear hug against her chest.

Lily let out a frustrated growl as she tried to pull herself free, but Ms. Toma held firm. A few seconds later, Lily heard the shelter doors shut with a loud boom. There was a whirl as heavy sounding gears turned, and then a loud and distinctive clack as something locked into place. Ms. Toma finally let Lily go, and she stumbled away from her teacher, looking at the large set of double doors.

They were shut, and Lily felt her heart fall as she looked at them in horror.

No, wait, it wasn’t over yet. Lily remembered that shelters were designed with two sets of double doors and a room between them like an airlock. That way, people could be let safely in and out as necessary. That meant Lily could still get out to help Mai. All she had to do was find the console.

Lily’s eyes snapped to the large touchscreen next to the doors.

“Lily, please listen to me.” Ms. Toma pleaded, her voice cracking, and the uncharacteristic tone shift made her stop in her tracks..

Lily shot her teacher a look in surprise. She had tears in her eyes as she walked slowly over, putting a trembling hand on Lily’s shoulder. Lily glared at her, fury kindling into a bonfire in her chest.

“There’s nothing we can do but wait for her to get here,” Ms. Toma said. “If you went out there… you would only be putting yourself in danger.”

“I don’t care,” Lily replied hotly.

“I know, but I do. And I think so would Mai.”

Lily felt her breath disappear as the words hit her like a sledgehammer, and she recoiled slightly from her teacher.

“Her best chance is to either hide, or sneak here,” Ms. Toma continued, her voice quiet but firm. “If you go out there, you could get hurt, and even if you did find her, more people would just draw extra attention. There’s nothing we can do to help except trust in her.”

Slowly, Lily felt the rage in her begin to deflate, leaving her standing there impotently clenching her fists tight. Ms. Toma was right… and inside, Lily knew she hadn’t been thinking. Again. Even though she wanted to rush out there and find Mai, she had no idea where she would even be at this point. No, going out there in a blind panic was just asking to get herself killed.

“Ms. Toma is right,” a voice suddenly joined in, jolting Lily out of her thoughts. She turned to see Mr. Toujou, Mai’s teacher, moving to join them along with the other two teachers.

Lily felt her eyes narrow at the young, suave looking man, if he could even be called that. He had to be barely out of university, yet he still wore a formal suit in black that was perpetually slightly messy. Lily knew that most of the girls in her class and on the track team swooned over him and loved the way he constantly was pushing up the glasses on his nose.

Yet none of that changed the fact that he was utterly useless in Lily’s eyes. No, maybe worse than useless considering his inaction was a form of passive encouragement. She still remembered his words when Lily had brought up Mai’s bullying. His casual dismissal, saying that he would have noticed such a thing. That, and if it really was happening, Mai would have reported it herself.

Useless idiot, Lily thought for the hundredth time as he continued to speak.

“R-right now, it’s important to stay inside the shelter,” he stuttered, his words coming out a little too quickly. “Nobody goes out, not unless it is an emergency. If somebody comes to the doors, we can always open them. Right?”

Lily felt herself studying him. His hands were constantly adjusting his tie or fidgeting with other parts of his outfit. There were beads of sweat on his forehead, and even though he had on his usual overly smooth expression, his eyes darted around and twitched at every little movement.

Scared, huh? Lily thought to herself. It wasn’t that surprising, really. He was the youngest teacher here even if he did like to dress up like he was better than the rest. Still, it was a little embarrassing to think someone like him could tell Lily what to do. She shifted her eyes to Ms. Toma, who gave a sideways glance at Mr. Toujou before returning to Lily with a slight nod.

Lily let out a hiss of air between her teeth, but remembered what she had discussed with Ms. Toma about Mai’s teacher, and she forced herself to not to snap at the man.

“Whatever,” Lily turned, walking towards the touchscreen where the mall security guards were standing. “I’m at least going to look at the cameras. You can stay and make sure I don’t open the doors or whatever.”

The three mall cops had moved protectively in front of the console but looked at each other in surprise.

“Cameras?” one of the guys asked the other. “There’s cameras?”

Lily stared aghast at the guards. It was only now that she realized how young they all looked. Still, weren’t they supposed to be trained for this? They had tasers and guns for God’s sake!

“Yes,” Lily said slowly, giving them a serious look. “How else do you think we would be able to tell if people were trying to get in if we didn’t have cameras?”

“Um…” one of them began, looking nervously at the others. “We uh… we’re all kind of new. The Usurpation training only happens once a month when a Magical Soldier is free to train people in.”

“All of you are new?” Ms. Toma asked, standing beside Lily with a confused expression.

“Yeah,” another replied with a helpless shrug of her shoulders. “Our supervisor was supposed to be with us, but he had to go down to the second level to help with a shoplifter…”

Lily stared at the three and shook her head in disbelief.

“Whatever,” Lily sighed in exasperation. “It’s not my first Usurpation, and I had a Magical Soldier tell me all about how shelters work, so just get out of the way.”

“Ms. Parker, that is no way to talk to your elders!” Mr. Toujou said with a frown, pushing up his glasses.

Lily quirked an eyebrow, looking between the three college-aged guards and Mr. Toujou.

“Sure. Sorry. Now can I please show you what’s going on?”

“I hardly think that’s appropriate,” Mr. Toujou crossed his arms. “We teachers have all been through Usurpation training and know how shelters work. It would be best if you left this to us.”

Lily looked at him blankly. Then she turned away from him and walked the rest of the way to the touchscreen console, Ms. Toma following as Mr. Toujou sputtered. The little girl’s parents hurried after her, and the mall guards got out of Lily’s way as she reached the screen. Vaguely, she heard the other teachers joining behind her, but she ignored it as she peered at the menu.

The console was a simple touchscreen about the size of a large computer monitor with big option menus lit up on it. Lily knew she could access all kinds of information from the menu like how many people were in the shelter, temperature controls, food rationing calculations, and even how much was left in the water supply. She ignored those and tapped through the menus until she got to the outer cameras. The system itself would have automatically switched to them and made a noise if it detected movement, but Lily wasn’t going to wait for that.

The screen flickered and changed to several pristine views of the hallway leading to the shelter doors. Lily felt her stomach tightening when she saw there was nothing out there, but she forced herself to ignore it. She glanced at the parents huddling behind her, and she moved to the side slightly to give them more room to see. They gave her shaky but grateful smiles as they took position next to her.

Lily noted that on the camera menu there were options to open either the outer or inner doors along with an option highlighted in bright red that said “emergency shield.” Instantly, she felt herself tense up.

“When you get to the shelter, make sure they don’t panic and activate the emergency shield. I’ve heard horror stories.”

Mai’s quiet voice went through Lily’s head, and she moved her body slightly, making sure she could physically block access to the option if she needed to.

“We already have training in shelter operations,” Lily heard Mr. Toujou speaking to the mall guards behind her. “So perhaps it would be best if we took charge for now.”

“Of course!” one of them quickly replied, relief evident in his voice. “Just tell us how we can help.”

“Well…” Mr. Toujou floundered, and Lily forced herself not to roll her eyes.

“Why don't the two of you go to check on if anybody needs anything?” Ms. Toma cut in, addressing two of the security guards. “Food, water, medical attention. One of you should stay here to keep an eye on the cameras, though. Mr. Carpenter and Mrs. Mills, you two are senior teachers, so perhaps you would have the most luck keeping an eye on the students and making sure they behave. The barracks room should be big enough to keep them herded.”

Lily was slightly surprised as Ms. Toma took charge and the other teachers nodded in agreement and began moving. The other two teachers did have seniority on her, but seemed fine with her taking charge. Maybe it was the calm assurance in her tone, or the way she had phrased it as a suggestion, because it seemed to work. Quickly, the shelter’s terminal became less crowded.

“Ms. Parker, you should join the other students as well,” Mr. Toujou said, clearing his throat. “I assure you, Ms. Toma and I will keep a lookout for Ms. Kuroki.”

Lily bit back another hot response. What was wrong with this guy, seriously?

“That’s okay,” Lily said dismissively. “I’ll stay here.”

Lily could practically feel the stunned silence behind her, and she felt a small amount of petty satisfaction in his reaction.

“Ms. Parker, that wasn’t a-”

“It’s fine,” Ms. Toma interrupted smoothly, her voice firm. “She’s just worried about her friend. She can stay and keep watch with us.”

There was an exasperated sigh, but Mr. Toujou opted not to argue.

Lily kept her eyes glued to the screen, watching and keeping count of the minutes in her head as they passed. Every single one felt agonizingly long, and more than once Lily found herself having to remind herself to breathe as she watched the monitor, waiting for anything to appear.

C’mon Mai, Lily thought to herself. Where are you?

- - - - - - -

-Arcadia Grand Central Mall, Floor Three Shelter-

-Ten minutes after power loss-

Lily had to force herself not to tap her foot against the floor as she stared at the camera. The other security guards had rejoined the small group around the console. Mr. Toujou had urged her to back away from the screen so others could get a better view, but Lily had simply ignored him once again. She was already off to the side of the screen and letting people see it. She wasn’t about to back away, though, not when that button was there for anyone to press.

Most of the other people in the shelter, including all the students, had gone further inside the shelter to the barracks or one of the other rooms the shelter was split into. Mr. Toujou had suggested again that Lily leave to join them, and it was all Lily could do to provide a polite “no thank you” after Ms. Toma had given her a look. Lily could practically feel the man’s annoyance, but she really couldn’t care less about what he thought.

So Lily continued staring at the screen, wondering when Mai would-

Suddenly, something appeared on the camera, and a loud, shrill beeping sound came from the console to alert everyone it detected movement. Lily’s heart lurched into her throat with joy only to come crashing down as she saw the form that came around the corner. There was a cry of dismay from someone as the shape stalked its way down the corridor in slow, shuffling steps.

The thing was tall, so much so that it was hunched over in the hallway. It looked vaguely humanoid, but as if it was poorly shaped from pale, featureless clay. Its arms were long enough to touch the ground, and its fingers were jointless, undulating things. The monster was horribly emaciated, so much that its ribs were practically poking through its chest. The worst part, though, was the face. It had no eyes, only big, empty sockets. Below, was a giant, lipless mouth that took up a full third of its head, and it was stretched into a mocking grin wide enough to show its gums. The monster’s teeth were perfect human teeth, but upscaled to fit its gaping maw.

Lily stared in shock as the camera highlighted the creature with a box, and then displayed something next to it.

[Lesser Pale Man]

Known Levels: 10 - 15

Next to Lily, people began talking all at the same time.

“What the hell is that thing?” one of the mall guards gasped.

“No…” The mother sobbed and fell into her husband's arms.

“Holy-”

Lily tuned out the clamor as she watched the thing. For some reason, it looked oddly familiar… no, it was familiar! It looked just like one of the monsters in Magical Girls’ Sunset: Rebellion. In fact, it was almost completely the same. Lily watched in confusion as it took long, shuffling steps forward. As it got closer, Lily began to hear something coming through the speakers in the console.

“Everyone quiet!” Lily snapped, and the noise died down.

Then, as the thing finally stood in front of the outer shelter doors, the noise became clear.

It was giggling.

Lily felt her heart rate increase as she listened to the barely contained trilling sound. It sounded so human, so innocent, it was like listening to little girls giggling, and it made Lily shudder. Slowly, the creature reached a hand out to the shelter’s outer doors, and placed it against it softly. Its too-long fingers squirmed, wiggling like worms against the metal. All the while, the giggling continued, a sound so perfectly childlike it was wrong.

“T-t-that things trying to get in!” one of the mall guards shouted, his hand already on his holstered gun.

“Don’t panic,” Ms. Toma said calmly. “The shelter’s systems are designed to automatically assess threats. We’ll be fine as long as we remain calm and-”

The creature suddenly pulled both its arms back, and then slammed them into the door. A loud bong sound came through the touchscreen, but the outer door appeared completely undamaged. It tried again and again, but still didn’t even manage to leave a mark. Lily let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

The monster was freaky. Everything about it seemed to make her skin crawl, and the giggling was setting her teeth on edge, but it really was fine. Sure, it was scary, but if it couldn’t even dent the door-

“It’s trying to get in!” the mall guard yelled. “W-w-we need to do something!”

“It’s fine,” Ms. Toma tried to assure him. “It isn’t even damaging the-”

“It’s going to call more of those things!” he insisted. “The sound! If more show up, it’ll only be a matter of time before they get in! We need to do something!”

There was a silence as he looked around at everyone with a pleading expression. Suddenly, Mr. Toujou stepped forward slightly, pushing up his glasses, and Lily saw his hand shaking.

“T-there’s an emergency shield…” Mr. Toujou stuttered. “But-”

“No!” Lily whirled on him in absolute fury. “Don’t you even dare! The automated system is in charge of that!”

“What if it’s broken?” the panicking security guard insisted. “What if it’s not working? What if this thing isn’t like the rest of them?”

The female guard tried to place a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, but he shook it off. Lily felt her pulse pick up as she looked into the guy's wide eyes. Slowly, Lily moved to face the small crowd of people watching, placing herself in front of the monitor. She clenched her fists tight as she made sure her feet were firmly planted.

“I-I… w-we can’t put everyone in danger!” the guy continued stuttering. “We can’t know that the system is working! It’s our job to protect people! W-we need to turn it on, just to be sure!”

“Derrick, you need to calm down,” the female guard said shakily. “We aren’t supposed to touch that button unless it’s absolutely necessary. Everybody knows that.”

“It is necessary!” he hissed, pointing at the screen behind Lily. “That thing isn’t normal! It’s giggling! I mean, just look at…”

He trailed off, and then his outstretched finger began to tremble. Lily watched as everyone followed his pointed finger. Their faces went collectively pale, and it was only then that Lily noticed the sound of the monster hitting the door had stopped along with the giggles. Keeping an eye on everyone, Lily slowly turned to look at the screen.

The thing had its face right in front of the main camera, taking up the entirety of the screen with its over-stretched smile and pristine teeth. The thing’s empty eye sockets bore into the camera with a hungry emptiness, and it slowly opened its mouth.

“Gohan?” it asked in a deep, distorted voice, and Lily recoiled as she recognized the Japanese word.

Did… did that thing just speak? Lily fought against the terror that jittered along her spine, her mouth suddenly dry. Was… was that normal? Lily wasn’t sure she had ever heard of one talking before. And the word it chose…

“W-what did it just say?” Derrick asked. “What did it say!?”

There was a moment of stunned silence before anyone spoke.

“Meal,” Mr. Toujou replied, his face white. “It just looked at us through the camera and asked if there was a meal.”

As if it could hear Mr. Toujou, the monster then began to shake slightly, and the giggling returned. Slowly, it grew in intensity until it became something unhinged. Its enormous mouth opened in an all out laugh that sounded like a chorus of little children laughing in disharmony.

“Screw this!” Derrick shouted, and he lunged for the touch screen.

No! Fear and anger flared inside of Lily as she saw him move, and she reacted on pure instinct.

Lily spun to face him, holding up her fists in a faux boxing stance as she snarled. She felt her heart pounding as she stared him down. She glared at the man in defiance, undisturbed by the fact that he had at least seven inches and over fifty pounds on her. Derrick stumbled for a second, his eyes wide as he looked at her in surprise.

“Back off!” Lily growled. “No way in hell am I letting you press that button!”

Derrick stopped in his tracks, seemingly unsure what to do as he looked Lily over. Ms. Toma stepped forward, gently grabbing his arm even as the female security guard moved to do the same on his other side. When his eyes went back to the giggling creature on the screen, Lily saw something in his gaze harden.

Derrick rushed forward, pushing Ms. Toma away. She let out a cry as she stumbled and fell, but Lily didn’t have time to help her as Derrick grabbed her shoulder and tried to push her out of the way. He was too close for a proper punch, so Lily instead curled her fingers into claws and grabbed onto his hands, gouging into them as she braced herself in place using the wall. Lily felt her nails dig in deep, and Derrick let out a cry, stumbling back as he looked at his hands.

Lily could see bloody scratches on them, and felt a wet warmth on her fingers as she replanted her feet. Her heart was racing faster now, and she could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Lily saw the female guard had tried to catch Ms. Toma and only partially succeeded, sending them both sprawling on the floor. The other guard just watched with a shocked expression, his mouth moving but no sound coming out.

“Bitch!” Derrick cried out, his face twisting with desperation and fury. He came at her, and Lily prepared for him to try to push her out of the way again.

Which is why she was entirely unprepared for the punch he threw right at her face. Lily heard Ms. Toma scream as the security guard full-on punched her in the side of the head, and light burst her world into white.

The next thing Lily knew, she was sprawled on the ground. Pain exploded through her face across her left eye, and as she tried to get up, her motions felt strangely disassociated. She let out a groan as her brain began pounding against her skull in throbbing agony. Her arms felt wobbly as she pushed herself to her knees. The punch from the guard had been forceful enough to throw her a few feet to the side of the console, judging by the blurry image of shoes in her vision.

“WARNING!” a clear, synthetic voice called out. “Engaging the shelter’s emergency shield system will prevent any person from entering or leaving until rescue arrives. Please do not engage unless the automated threat system is nonfunctional and the outer door has been breached. Activating this system without cause may be prosecutable in court. To confirm activation of the emergency shield, please press and hold the accept button for five seconds.”

Lily looked up through her swimming vision and made out Derrick in front of the screen, his finger poised to press the button.

“No!” Lily screamed, and she launched herself forward into a flying tackle at his knees.

She managed to knock him down to the ground, but her face slammed against the side of his legs as she followed, sending another jolt of pain through her head. Instead of untangling herself, she wrapped herself tighter around his legs as he tried to push her off. A moment later, Lucy’s father and the female guard were suddenly there to help Lily, pinning Derrick’s arms to the ground. He kept trying to kick his legs free, but Lily held firm even through the growing nausea.

“Let me go!” he cried out. “You’re going to get us all killed!”

He struggled a little more, and Lily felt a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll take over,” the third security guard said, his voice shaky. “You can let go now.”

Lily turned to look at him, and it took a moment to see his serious expression through her blurry vision. Slowly, she disentangled herself, and the man was quick to take over by kneeling on Derrick’s legs.

Lily pulled away, rising on shaky legs, and it was all she could do to stay standing.

“Lily!” Ms. Toma called out, and Lily turned to see her limping closer “Are you okay?”

Lily blinked, but gave a shaky nod and smile as Ms. Toma reached her and gently grabbed her face. Gently, Ms. Toma began examining Lily with a worried expression, but Lily just grinned in response, not wanting to give away the throbbing pain on the left side of her face. Her lip also hurt, and she had the faint taste of blood in her mouth.

“It’s alright,” Lily tried to assure Ms. Toma as her expression only grew more distraught. “Just a little-”

“CONFIRMATION RECEIVED,” the synthetic voice said. “Activating emergency shield.”

Lily whipped around in shock, horror flooding through her.

Mr. Toujou stood in front of the touchscreen, his finger extended and trembling slightly. Everyone else looked at him in shock, and even Derrick had quit struggling. Lily looked at Mai’s homeroom teacher with incomprehension. Everything in Lily seemed to fade away, until there was only an emptiness left.

Slowly, Mr. Toujou reached up to his glasses, pushing them up his nose.

“Protecting our students is our top priority as teachers,” he began shakily. “If there’s even a chance of danger-”

Hate ignited inside Lily, burning so hot it hurt, and she let out a scream. Suddenly the pain, the nausea and dizziness didn’t matter anymore. She launched herself at the coward only to have Ms. Toma clamp her into a hug from behind, holding her back. Lily reached out towards him clawing at the air, trying to get to him as she screamed incoherently at him. Mr. Toujou took a step back, his face twisted in a grimace as if he was in pain.

He just killed Mai.

The thought echoed in Lily’s head, and she couldn’t make it stop.

Lily struggled against Ms. Toma, and although Lily could hear her speaking, the words were somehow hollow and meaningless. She fought and fought, but couldn’t manage to get free, to get at the bastard who just stood there, looking like he was the one hurt the most. Lily struggled, putting all her boiling rage into her attempts to get free.

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t do anything, no matter how much she tried.

Eventually, the anger began to drain from her, and what strength it had brought faded. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she found herself falling into Ms. Toma’s hug. With the anger giving way, the dam on the rest of her emotions burst, and tears welled up in her eyes as she let out a choked groan, unwilling to let herself cry. Ms. Toma turned Lily around, pulling Lily against her chest tightly and gently rubbing at her back.

“I promised her…” Lily seethed, bitter and angry tears escaping her. “I promised I wouldn’t let anyone activate the shield. I promised!”

Ms. Toma said nothing, and just kept rubbing at Lily’s back.

It took a long time for Lily to finally pull herself together. Slowly, she extricated herself from Ms. Toma’s grasp. Lily’s legs were still shaky, and Ms. Toma kept a steadying hand on her shoulders to make sure Lily was steady before letting her go. Ms. Toma winced as she stepped back slightly on her foot, and Lily suddenly felt shame well up inside her for making Ms. Toma hold her back even though she was injured.

Lily heard soft crying and turned to see the parents on the ground holding each other tight, their daughter held between them. Elsewhere, the other male security guard was hauling Derrick away with a firm hand on his arm. The other teachers had come out sometime during the whole ordeal as well. The remaining female guard looked over Lily, giving a sympathetic wince when her eyes landed on her face.

“I know some first aid,” she said. “There’s a medical room further in-”

“I’m not leaving,” Lily said hoarsely, taking slow, careful steps back to the console screen.

The cameras showed the hallway was now empty, but over the outer doors of the shelter, Lily could faintly see a translucent barrier of pale green energy flickering. She looked to the side, and glared when she saw Mr. Toujou standing a few steps away.

She would make him pay. She’d make sure of it.

“How about you grab us a couple chairs and bring the first aid kit here?” Ms. Toma asked the security guard. “I think we’ll wait here.”

Lily heard the woman leave, and she stared at the screen. Lily ground her teeth together in annoyance as her balance continued to waver, and her legs refused to harden from their jelly-like state. The soft crying from the parents made Lily’s heart clench as it continued unabated. She had to clear her throat a few times before she could speak.

“It’ll be okay,” Lily said, her voice strangely empty as she tried to reassure them. “You’ll see. Mai will come with your son, and even if she can’t get in, she’ll figure something out. She’ll keep him safe.”

Lily heard the teachers speaking in the background, Ms. Toma explaining quietly to them what had happened. She could practically feel them looking over at her as Ms. Toma described Lily fighting off the security guard. When Ms. Toma got to Mr. Toujou activating the shield, there was a silence until he cleared his throat.

“It might seem cold,” he said in a subdued voice. “but two lives simply don’t outweigh-”

Even as Lily turned to face him, words hot on her lips, she saw Ms. Toma spin and slap him hard enough to make him stagger back. The sound was loud enough that it echoed throughout the whole room. He looked at her in shock, holding his cheek gingerly. Ms. Toma stared at him with fury in her eyes.

“Shut up,” she said calmly, her voice ice cold. “Or leave.”

That was it. That was all she said, and yet it was clear there was no room for argument, no alternative. Mr. Toujou’s face flushed in anger, but he chose not to say anything. Ms. Toma continued talking to the other two teachers like nothing had happened, and Lily found vicious satisfaction welling up inside of her along with a newfound respect for her teacher.

Lily turned back to the screen and watched, leaning against the wall for balance.

Mai will be okay, Lily thought. She has to be.

- - - - - - -

-Arcadia Grand Central Mall, Floor Three Shelter-

-Eighteen minutes after power loss-

Lily held the bag of ice against the left side of her face, wincing as she watched the blank monitor. She was sitting in a chair now along with Ms. Toma and the parents. The mall cop lady, Mary, said Lily had gotten away from her fight with what was going to be a nasty black eye, split lip, and probably a concussion. Ms. Toma, meanwhile, had twisted her foot when Derrick had pushed her out of the way, but it was nothing too serious.

Mary had brought some weak painkillers and ice for both of them, and now they were all waiting by the console. Mary had claimed she was too restless to sit and was instead entertaining endless questions from the little girl, Lucy, but Lily had noticed Mary had positioned herself slightly behind Mr. Toujou, who was still sticking around for some reason. Lily’s eyes met with Mary’s briefly, and Lily gave a grateful nod that the other returned.

Lily’s head was throbbing, but the medicine was helping. Now that the adrenaline had truly faded, though, Lily felt exhausted. Even though the fight had been so brief, it had taken a lot out of her. She made a mental note that she would have to get stronger, and maybe it was time to start the martial arts classes she’d been planning to take.

Maybe she should send Sergeant Kelley, the Magical Soldier she’d met in her previous Usurpation, a message and ask for recommendations. Lily missed the woman who she had spent only a few hours talking to. Maybe it was because Lily had shown interest and asked questions unabashedly, but Kelley had been happy to answer them and joke through the entire ordeal. That, or maybe Kelley had guessed at what Lily was thinking of doing, and wanted to help her.

“It won’t be easy,” Kelley had said, flicking her red hair out of her eyes. “It definitely wasn’t for me, but if you ever need anything, shoot me a message. I’d be happy to help out.”

Lily let out a sigh, her eyes fluttering closed. It had been naive, she knew that now. She had thought she had plenty of time to build herself up, to train. Lily assumed that being at the top of the track team was already a good start, but now it was painfully obvious she was wrong. One stupid little punch and she had been down on the ground. She was so much further away from her goal than she thought…

Beeeeep!

The sound of the shelter’s movement alarm shot Lily’s eyes straight open, and she was out of her seat and lurching to the console. She almost fell, but managed to catch herself on the wall as she looked with wide eyes at what the cameras were showing.

“Mai!” she let out a trembling gasp.

At the far end of the hallway, the adorably tiny figure of Mai had appeared, her hand grasped by a little boy. Lily felt joy surge through her as she let out a little laugh of disbelief. As the crowd joined her, the parents let out a cry, and Lily felt a fierce grin stretch up onto her face. She had desperately believed that Mai would make it, and somehow, she had even managed to bring the boy the whole way with her! Twenty minutes of sneaking past Anathema, of surviving, and somehow, Mai had done it!

Lily’s growing elation died when she saw Mai come to a sudden stop, staring at the doors from the far end of the hallway. It was only then that Lily began to take in a few details. First, she noticed the ice axe Mai was carrying, and the black stains covering its blade. Lily’s eyes began to make out even more flecks of that same black sprayed across Mai’s clothes.

Then, Lily noticed the small hole in Mai’s black blazer over the stomach area and the much darker stain around it. Lily felt her heart seize up as she looked over her friend, her eyes widening.

Is that… her blood? Lily thought, a wave of cold washing over her. Is she hurt?

Mai, for her part, simply started taking slow, walking steps forward. Her mouth moved a few times, but no audio came through the console. Lily watched Mai’s face twist in desperation as she sprinted to the front of the doors, letting go of the boy’s hands and her ice axe. She ran to the doors and started slamming on the magical barrier, shouting soundlessly. Lily watched as Mai crumpled against the barrier, falling to her knees and leaning her head against it. She stared at the barrier with a vacant look of disbelief and did not move.

The inside of the shelter was dead silent.

Hazily, Lily felt someone’s soft hand wrap around her own as another grabbed her shoulder, squeezing tightly. Lily just blinked numbly at the screen as she looked at her friend. She looked at the options on the camera feeds, and saw both the audio and speaker ones were grayed out. Still, she moved her finger and tried to press them over and over again. Maybe it was some kind of failsafe that activated with the shield, cutting the audio for some reason. Still, Lily wanted to at least hear the outside…

She wanted to know what kind of words Mai was using to curse her with.

Even though Lily could feel warmth dripping down her cheeks, she only felt gutted. Mai had trusted her, had somehow managed to survive against monsters and might have even been hurt, and yet Lily couldn’t even do one simple job. She clenched her hands tight and refused to look away. She would burn everything that happened into her memory.

Mai suddenly stiffened, looking away from the doors and back to the boy she had left halfway down the hallway. Lily watched as Mai wiped at her cheeks, the devastated look on her face disappearing beneath a shaky smile as she quickly stood up, gesturing to the boy to come closer. He ran to her, throwing his arms around her in a hug, one hand clutched around an action figure of some sort. Mai held him tightly, responding slowly when the boy said something to her. The boy looked like he was on the verge of tears, and yet a few more words from Mai seemed to calm him down.

Lily stared in wonder at Mai as she simply took his hand, giving him another weak smile and began walking away. Lily couldn’t understand how Mai was recovering from the situation so quickly. Somehow, Mai was even managing to put on a brave front for the boy and seemed more concerned about him. Lily watched as Mai almost idly picked up the ice axe she had dropped, and then she disappeared around the corner with the boy.

Lily let out a shaky breath, then slowly turned around. The other teachers must have heard the movement alarm, because they had appeared. Ms. Toma was holding onto Lily's shoulder and hand, trying to give a reassuring smile. The parents looked equal parts relieved and horrified, but they weren’t looking at the screen anymore. Lily followed their gaze.

Mr. Toujou stood a few steps back from the group, his face ashen. A sheen of sweat made his face shine, and he swallowed as Lily looked him in his eyes. He adjusted his tie, straightening it as he took in a deep breath to speak. Instead of rage, Lily felt something cold and sharp form inside of her as she looked at the person who locked the two out of the Shelter.

“I…” he hesitated, seemingly lost for words. “I’m… sorry. But it was the only way…”

Lily stared at the teacher in disbelief. That was what he had to say for himself? After what they had just seen? Lily shook her head and turned away.

“Fuck off and die,” she whispered, sitting back down in her chair.

There was silence, and Lily also noticed none of the teachers jumped on her for saying it. A second later, she heard footsteps going away. Ms. Toma sat down in her chair next to Lily, a gentle hand still on her shoulder. She didn’t say anything, and Lily closed her eyes. Beyond some whispering, the silence was nice, and Lily felt like a small amount of weight was lifted. Mai was still alive. There was that much, at least.

Still, she couldn’t get the image of Mai’s unbelieving, distraught face out of her head. Of the dried blood soaked into her clothes. Lily forced herself to go over the images again and again, analyzing them. Mai had seemed to be moving fine, at least. Maybe the injury hadn’t been that bad, then. It was impossible to tell just what had soaked her clothes considering the blazer and skirt of their uniforms were black, so it could have just been more of that black substance.

What was that, anyway? It looked like blood, but was the wrong color. Wait, if it had been on Mai’s ice axe and she was wounded… Did she fight one of them? Holy shit, did Mai beat an Anathema?

“Um…” a voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Lily opened her eyes to see the little girl, Lucy standing in front of her.

“Um… I just wanted to thank you,” she said, shifting nervously. “For saving me. And for your friend saving my brother.”

Lily blinked, then looked to the girl’s parents. They both had trembling expressions, but they gave her a genuine, thankful nod. Something in Lily’s heart cracked a little at that, and she had to clear her throat as her emotions surged.

“Heh,” Lily said, trying to put on her usual grin for the little girl. “I told ya my friend was awesome, right?”

“Yeah!” Lucy agreed, nodding vigorously. “Mom and Dad didn’t believe me when I told them a pirate girl was keeping Brian safe!”

It took Lily a moment to figure out what she meant by that, but then she remembered Mai’s eyepatch. Lily let out a bubbling laugh as Lucy’s parents looked at their daughter, aghast. Lily felt some of the tension drain from her body, and it took her a minute to stop long enough to respond.

“Well, she’s not quite a pirate,” Lily chuckled. “But it does look quite cool on her, doesn’t it?”

Lucy nodded with a toothy grin and then took a few skipping steps back to her sitting parents. They gave Lily an apologetic look that she waved off. Mai would probably have thought it was funny too, even if she was self-conscious about her eyes. A moment later, Lily felt a gentle squeeze on her hand, and she turned to see Ms. Toma giving her a gentle smile.

“You okay?” she asked, her soft eyes searching.

“I’m…” Lily took a breath to recenter herself. “I’m fine… just…”

Lily trailed off, not really sure how to describe what she was feeling. Guilty? Ashamed? Furious? What word could even encapsulate all of that?

Ms. Toma just nodded, seeming to understand.

“I suppose this is the part where I tell you nothing that has happened has been your fault,” Ms. Toma smiled weakly. “And the sole responsibility rides on us adults.”

“But I promised her,” Lily quickly shot back, looking up at her teacher. “I told her-”

“And when somebody tried to turn on the shield,” Ms. Toma interrupted. “Who was it that stood in the way? Was it any of us teachers? Was it one of the security guards who should be responsible for the safety of the people in the shelter?”

Lily went silent, then let out a sigh.

“It doesn’t change the fact that Mai is trapped out there.”

“No,” Ms. Toma agreed. “But you at least shouldn’t feel guilty about anything you’ve done. You stood up to somebody older and stronger than you for a friend you wanted to protect. I don’t think I could be more proud to call you one of my students, honestly.”

Lily felt her face flush, warmth blooming in her chest. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she just sat there silently.

“Lily,” Ms. Toma said, lowering her voice. “I know we’ve had conversations about how you felt like some of your friends were… less than genuine. Like they were just getting close to you to help themselves. I also know that’s why you value your friendship with Mai so much. She wasn’t in our class, and doesn’t care about sports or popularity from what you’ve told me.”

“It’s not just that,” Lily shifted uncomfortably. “She had no reason to even talk to me, let alone do what she did.”

“It was a nice gesture,” Ms. Toma agreed. “I just want to make sure you know that Mai isn’t your only friend. You have other people you can lean on.”

Lily looked up at the teacher and gave her a grin.

“Well duh. I got a super badass homeroom teacher who slaps other teachers on my side too.”

“Language,” Ms. Toma said with a huff of laughter. “But it's not just me. Sophie and Su-ji have both been missing you.”

Lily blinked. “What?”

“They thought they might have done something wrong, so they asked me for advice. I told them you were just spending time with another friend, and they seemed relieved. They both really look up to you.”

“I… I don’t even really know them outside of track,” Lily said with a confused frown. “When we have lunch together with the other girls, they usually don’t talk that much, either.”

“I think you underestimate yourself,” Ms. Toma said. “I’ve been to a few of your track meets, you know? Even though both of them aren’t at the top of the team, you’re always there cheering them on. I imagine it’s made an impression on Sophie because she competes against you in many of the same events, and you still cheer for her and celebrate when she does well. And Su-ji, well, not many people pay attention to the longer distance events or even stick around to watch them, so think about how much it means to her that you cheer her on for every single lap.”

“But…”

“And as for why they don’t talk that much,” Ms. Toma continued. “Your lunch groups usually have the top club members. They probably feel a little out of their league or not popular enough to really pitch in.”

Lily was quiet for a long while, chewing over what Ms. Toma had said.

“Anyway,” Ms. Toma said. “I just wanted to make sure you knew you have people you can talk to. I… I don’t know what’s going to happen with Mai, or how she’s going to react when this is all over, but you do have people who care for you.”

Lily gave a weak smile, looking back to the touchscreen and the empty hallway it showed. It didn’t go unnoticed by Lily that Ms. Toma had phrased everything like it was already certain Mai was going to be okay. That was just like her, though, recognizing the best in everyone. It really baffled Lily how Ms. Toma always seemed to know what to say.

Lily was about to ask how she was so good when the movement alarm went off. Instantly her attention returned to the monitor, as she rose and closed in on the monitor. Everyone else was only a step behind her.

On it, she saw Mai and the kid round the corner, walking over to the door. Lilly’s mouth went dry as she watched, wondering what Mai was going to do. Mai stopped a few feet from the door, looking around at it for a moment. Then her head tilted slightly, and she turned her head to look directly at the camera. Lily prepared herself to see her friend’s hate and despair. Instead, Lily saw Mai… giving a gentle smile? Even weirder was the boy, who had a big grin on his face as he looked at Mai excitedly.

Lily watched as Mai pointed to the boy, then herself, and then gave a thumbs up. Lily stared at the screen dumbly for a moment, then realized what Mai was doing. Somehow, she knew the shelter had no audio with the emergency shield down, and so she was trying to communicate with hand signs. Lily’s attention snapped back to the monitor as Mai began her next message.

She pointed at the hole in her blazer, then made a waving motion, like it was no big deal. Mai seemed to hesitate for a moment, then she held up her ice axe, pointing to it with a free hand. She made a faint swinging motion with the axe, then held up a finger in an unmistakable “one.” Lily felt the bottom of her jaw drop open.

“Is she…” the security guard, Mary stuttered. “Is she saying she fought one of those things?”

“No,” Lily replied, a fierce smile lighting up her face. “She’s saying she killed one.”

As if to emphasize the point, Mai drew a finger across her throat, in a slitting motion. Then she repeated the motions of pointing to the kid and herself and giving a thumbs up. The kid who was watching also gave a thumbs up. Lily shook her head in dumbfounded disbelief that he seemed to be in such high spirits.

Mai tilted her head again, seeming to think before giving a wave around them, gesturing to their surroundings. Then she held up a three. Pointing at herself and the kid, she then used two fingers to mime a walking motion, gently waving them back and forth while they pointed to the floor. Finally, she held up one finger, then pointed to the shelter’s entrance. Lily frowned.

“She’s… saying they are on the third floor right now, but she’s going to the first floor shelter? Why not the second?”

“Shelters on each floor are built on opposite ends,” Ms. Toma explained, blinking in surprise. “It’s so that floors can have a big and open middle area while still providing good coverage. If somebody is on the opposite end of the shelter, they can just go up or down a floor and be near a shelter. The only exception is the first floor, where shelters are bigger and take up an entire basement level. Those have entrances near the middle.”

“So…” Lily tried to piece together Mai’s plan. “Instead of having to go down or up a floor and then cross an entire floor to get to a shelter, she’s going to go down two and head for the mega shelter?”

Ms. Toma nodded. “It’ll only be half the distance to cover.”

Everyone went silent as Mai then started making more gestures. At first, Lily wasn’t sure what Mai was miming, then it became clear as Mai repeated it. She made an “L” shape, then held up one finger, then another “L,” and finally, she made a distorted “Y” shape with three fingers. Lily felt her heart stop as she sucked in a breath as Mai then pointed to the shelter’s door.

Was this it, then? Was this where Mai cursed her? All it would take is one finger, and the message would be clear. Lily felt her body tense as she held her breath.

Mai made a circle with her forefinger and thumb, the other three fingers outstretched at the same time to make the universal “OK” symbol. She then pointed to the camera and herself and gave a thumbs up with a smile and nod.

Lily felt the tension melt from her body, but it was quickly replaced with guilt. How was Mai so kind? She didn’t even know what happened in the shelter or if Lily even tried to stop the emergency shield. And yet…

Mai seemed to steel herself as she took another shaky breath. Then she gave a wave and started walking away. The boy followed on her heels, and soon enough, they were around the corner and out of sight again. Lily lowered herself back into her chair, shaking her head.

“Your friend is really something special,” the father murmured, and Lily gave a weak smile.

“You really think she took out an Anathema?” Mary asked.

“I don’t know how, but yeah,” Lily replied. “Where else would the black blood have come from? Knowing Mai, she probably pulled off some crazy plan, and I’m guessing she already has more up her sleeve to get both of them to the shelter safely.”

Lily looked up at the monitor, as she clenched her hands together. Even though Mai could be so clueless about some things, she always knew what to do when things really mattered. Meanwhile, it felt like all Lily could do was give small kindnesses, little reliefs in daily life. It felt like nothing in comparison.

I’ll get stronger, Lily promised to herself quietly as she stared at the monitor.

I’ll get stronger, and someday, I’ll pay you back for pulling me out of the darkness.