With a little help.

Someone’s calling out to you. You can barely hear it, but you find the will to drag yourself towards it. Something warm embraces you and the victorious discord now becomes panic and confusion. You can feel it retreating in fear from the warmth and you reach out towards it. Your vision returns to you and you see Hinako holding you tightly and bawling over you and screaming your name. You return her embrace and she jolts in surprise. Her sobs stop as she sees that the darkness has receded. “You brought me back,” you say weakly. Her crying renews as she buries her face in yours, your link forcing the darkness deeper down until it almost disappears entirely. As you return her kiss you can feel your strength returning to you, and soon you’re able to stand up. While a little wobbly, you manage to maintain your balance. “Of course I did,” Hinako finally says, “I promised I would take care of you.”

“And I promised to protect you, which is why we need to go.  Now.”  You feel them coming before you actually see them emerge from the wall.  A tendril starts to reach out from the wall of darkness.  It seems to collect in the air until it severs it’s connection to the wall and plops on the ground.  Hands begin to grow out of either side of it and a face appears in the middle.  No it wasn’t a face, it was a mask.  You can feel the malice it has towards you.  It’s like the screaming you heard in your head was given a physical form so it could lash out against you.  Hinako is frozen in place and it takes a few good shakes before she snaps to her senses and you both start running.  As you look back, you see more blobs begin to emerge from the wall and repeat the process.  You increase your speed as best as you can, but you’re still recovering from your ordeal.  Hinako supports you as best as you can and it’s not long before you return to the shopping district.  You around and see similar creatures coming towards you from all directions.  You grip tighter on the bat and get ready for a fight.