A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Above bangs had sounded loud and clear, and there had been a bone-chilling cry that had echoed out from the third floor. No doubt, all of them had felt a shiver slither up their spines in dread. It didn't help that they couldn't distinguish who the cry had come from, but for one of them to emit that sound, they must've received a gruesome injury.

Another issue was that they hadn't gotten too far due to the snow on the ground. The road had been cleared, but the areas around it hadn't been. Thankfully, the road was coming up, and the gate was down, so they didn't have to worry about climbing up and over it. In Deidre's condition, she most likely wouldn't have been able to hoist herself over alone. Possibly, her dad could've helped her after he helped her mother, but that remained uncertain, and it didn't need to be answered. What was important was that they had easy access to the car once they reached the paved path.

Again, though, that would take at least a few more minutes of trudging through the snow. Her father was taking long strides as he carried her mother and sibling in his arms, but Nick and she were struggling with Deidre. Deidre was losing a lot of blood, but she managed to remain awake at the present moment. Whether she would make it or not was uncertain, though. Nick was losing blood too, and his vision was partly compromised due to his right eye. (F/n) wasn't certain whether it was because he just had crimson covering his vision or if it was something more serious; she hoped for the first option.

All of their attention, however, snapped back to the building. Glass shattered, and she froze. The other creature ... he was bursting out of one of the third-story windows. To her relief, Ether came rushing out after him. When she saw the other creature dangling and Ether gripping onto the second-story window, she knew that she was holding her breath. If Ether let go of the other creature, it would be over for them; the other creature would be on them in seconds. Ether understood that too, and her (e/c) eyes widened with relief when she noted that Ether lifted up the other creature and threw him through the window. Soon enough, Ether went in after him.

"(F/n), let's keep moving!" her father called, his voice breaking her out of her stare. She focused her attention back in front of her and nodded. Nick moved too, and he shared a glance with (f/n). There was no need to understand what Nick wanted. He was begging her to keep concentrated so that Deidre's life wouldn't be compromised in the process, and she saw that he was holding back his panic. Most likely, he was forcing himself not to relive the memories from the tunnels and how Tara was killed right in front of him. That acknowledgement caused her to push herself more; they had to get Deidre to the car to stop her bleeding, and she made herself not avert her attention back to the window where the two creatures went through.

"Do you think that this is going to stop me?" Callest bore a heavy, disappointed frown on his lips. "You saw the condition of two of those humans and how her mother looked. They're moving too slow. I will get past you and catch up to them." He took a few steps forward, and Ether held his ground. "It's time that you realize that and let me carry through with what must be done."

"What must be done is for you to die." Ether raised his left nails, and they twitched with the anticipation of plunging through Callest's heart. "All this sh*t about punishment and what not is getting old." A near growl left the younger creature. "You almost killed my pink flower, and I'm not letting that happen again. You're getting nowhere near her ever again."

"And, how do you intend to kill me?" A displeased smirk fell on his lips. "You know how matched we are, and we're both serious about our goals. If anything, we might just end up fighting until we both pass out from exhaustion."

"Then, so be it, but I'll make sure to be the one to wake up first."

"How do you plan to guarantee that?" Callest smirked again and shook his head at the younger creature's foolishness. "Face it; there's a high chance that I'm going to live through this and get to that human girl. You might as well give up and kill her like I asked you to unless ..."

Not allowing him to finish his sentence, Ether darted forward with his left nails raised. Immediately, Callest blocked the oncoming attack by crossing his arms over his chest. The older was pushed back, and the younger swung his arm several more times; the older kept blocking. Annoyed, Ether swiped his left arm again through the air; he knew that the attack wouldn't work, so he brought up his right arm in an uppercut. His right arm traveled up under Callest's arms, and he spun his wrist so that his right hand grabbed the elder's shirt.

Powerfully, Ether ripped him around and threw him straight into the ground. The cement crumbled underneath the force of the throw, but it wasn't enough to send the older creature into the first floor. Ether readied his left nails and plunged them down towards Callest as he moved his right hand back, but Callest lifted up his left hand in time and grabbed Ether's left wrist.

Nails pierced flesh and slid up it. Bone was exposed, and a horrid, high-pitched cry struck through the air. Ether's left nails missed their target and stabbed into the ground beside Callest's head. Crimson rained down onto the older creature as Ether's entire left arm was sliced through and looked as though it had been put through a paper shredder.

Painfully, he removed his nails from the ground, but he didn't have much time to do anything else as Callest recovered from the throw and brought his right knee up into Ether's lower region. A grunt sounded from the younger, and the older hurried onto his feet before he kicked Ether straight in the chest. Ribs cracked, and the younger flew back into one of the pillars. His body crumpled against it, and the building shook and moaned. Ether remained breathing, and a primal growl erupted from his lips.

While his ribs and armed healed, he slowly got back onto his feet. Callest came racing forward. Ether caught his left foot as it came flying up through the air. The younger winced, though, since his ribs just were finishing moving back into place. Tightening his hold on the elder' foot, Ether crushed it in his hand while Callest released a growl from pain.

Trying to attack back, Callest slammed his left leg down to get out of Ether's grip, but Ether's left arm was healed enough to slice down through the air in time. Crimson flew, and bone was cut clean. A shriek echoed throughout the factory, and the elder's foot fell onto the ground. Callest stumbled back before he fell onto his bottom. Red oozed from his injury as bone and flesh began to repair itself. Ether wasted no time, however. He closed the distance between them, but he didn't attack from the front. No, he spun around to Callest's back and struck. His left nails soared through the air and went for their target, but the older creature shifted his weight just in time to move him to the left a little bit.

Landing in the middle of the elder's chest, Ether growled in anger before he forcibly shifted his hand and nails to the left in Callest's chest. Cries of pain left Callest, but he reached back and swiped his own left nails through the air. As if the elder's prior shriek hadn't been enough, Ether's was worse, and it met the ears of those outside, who only hurried along to the car more.

Taking steps back, Ether's right hand held onto his left wrist where his hand just had been cut off. Crimson spurted out, and his whole left arm trembled. Callest reached back with his right hand and removed Ether's hand from his chest. He tossed it aside as his missing foot steadily was forming. As he spun on the ground to face Ether, he grinned. "That hand won't recover before my foot does. When I get up, you'll be finished." Several chuckles left Callest, and there was no pleasure in them. If anything, they meant that he was one step closer to his goal.

Heavy scowl on his lips, pure hatred dominated Ether's gaze. "Like I'd let you get up. I still have my other hand, my feet and my teeth." The younger advanced forward a step, and he giggled in a low, fast-paced tone. "I'm going to kill you over and over again until you're nothing but a bloody, f*cking pulp."

Not intimidated in the slightest, Callest watched Ether rush towards him. Like before, he went around to Callest's back. Spinning around, Callest blocked his attack in time before he slid back across the cement. He stopped on the spot where Ether had slammed him into the ground. Before he could get off of the spot, Ether leaped into the air and formed his right hand into a fist. It came down, and Callest couldn't move in time.

Ground broke beneath him as Ether and he went crashing down to the first floor. The building rumbled with the blow, and it almost caused a few heads to turn outside before feet kept moving. Rubble tumbled around them, and the ruined truck blocked the entrance doors. Dust danced in the air before it settled down.

Standing up fully where Callest had met the ground, Ether noted that the older creature had scooted back a little ways. The elder's foot was halfway healed. It wouldn't be long before the older creature was on his feet again. With not much time, Ether darted forward again. Callest threw himself to his right and dodged the attack while his remaining foot swept through the air. It hit Ether in the lower back and sent him tumbling forward. Ether landed face first on the ground, but he was back up on his feet in less than second. He would pin Callest down, but he couldn't with just one hand, especially since it only was his right hand.

Somehow, he had to remove Callest's left hand. Then, he might have a better chance, though; it was infuriating that he still couldn't beat the older creature, who currently couldn't even stand. Regardless of what would end up working, he would kill Callest so that his pink flower would remain safe from him.