let's find out

“Wait here, let me check it first,” you tell Imari. She nods and hangs back while you creep over to the door, listening for anything out of the ordinary. You think about calling out but you don’t want to risk it if it’s one of “them.” It’s cracked open and the lights are off inside. It could be that you just forgot to close it all the way. You reach out and slowly push it further open. You take a peek inside; it looks like the coast is clear. You hold your breath and take a tentative step in. Everything seems fine, when suddenly something moves in the corner of your eye. Before you have time to react, something slams directly into your face. Stars erupt in your eyes and a gong goes off in you skull. You fall flat on your back and something warm starts trickling down you chin. A shape appears over you that vaguely resembles a human. You’re seeing double so you can’t quite make out who’s standing over you. You can hear them calling your name and profusely apologizing. “I’m so sorry John chan, I though you were one of those things.” You shake your head and focus enough to see that it’s Hinako. You sit upright and wipe at your chin. There’s blood running from your nose. In your semi delirious state, you mumble out, “nithe thwing Hinago.” Imari kneels next to you and wipes at the blood. Hinako is surprised to see her friend with you. “Imari? I forgot you worked here. But what are you doing here?”

“Long thtory,” you say.  You plug up your nose as best as you can before asking Hinako, “whath haphened do you?  I heard you bur capthured.”

She replies, “I was.  They got a hold of me at the café, but not before I made them work for it,” she strokes her purse affectionately, “they finally got a hold of me and cuffed me.”  You see for the first time the handcuff dangling from her wrist.  “One of them cuffed himself to me and started dragging me away.  Then all of this happened,” she waves her hand around her.  “So I figured I should come here, but when I saw that the room was empty, I feared the worst,” she wraps her arms around your waist and hugs you close to her.  You return the hug, somewhat embarrassed by Imari watching your embrace.

After a few seconds you pull away, “I need to get my stuff.  Then we can get out of here.”  You have Hinako watch the door as you jump up onto your bed and move the tile aside.  You feel the grip of your gun when Imari shrieks, startling you and almost making you fall.  She runs over to the window and balks at what’s outside.  You go over to see what she’s looking at.

It’s a giant black wall, just like in the shopping district.  You put a hand on her shoulder and turn her towards you.  “It’s like that all around the immediate area,” you say.  “We’re in some sort of dome.  I don’t think it’s in our own ‘world.’”  Imari doesn’t seem to understand.  You don’t either for that matter.  You’re thinking of how to explain further when Hinako interrupts.  “Look,” she says and points out the window.  You and Imari turn to look where she’s pointing.  Off in the distance, little blobs start oozing out of the barrier and plop on the ground.  Masks appear on their surfaces and arms emerge from the sides.  At least, some of them do.  Others are turning into different shapes and sizes.  Some even start floating.

Imari huddles closer to you while staring at them.  “What are they?” she asks.  “We don’t know, but they’re not friendly,” says Hinako.  “That’s why we have these,” she pulls out her revolver.  You thought Imari’s eyes were already as wide as they could be, but they go even wider at the sight of the gun.  She must have owl blood in her family.  “We should leave before more of them show up,” you suggest.  Probably good advice, but where exactly can you go?