Astral came to a while later. He tried to get up, but a pain in his head made it impossible. He groaned, and a face came into view. He paid no attention to what the man was saying. 

He once again blacked out.

~.~.~

Astral woke up. He got up and groaned. He looked around and made a ball of light and squealed when he saw a dead body right next to him. He scrambled back, whimpering. 

Astral got up and floated around. He smiled when he saw an exit sign. He jiggled the door, but it didn't open. Astral cried out in frustration and beat on the door. He sank to the ground, crying in dismay. He sniffled and got up.

"Of course," he mumbled. "It always has to be locked. Always."

~.~.~

Yuma opened the elevator door carefully. He placed the key in, and the elevator went down. He just hoped that the mob of crazies chasing had already withdrawn.

Of course, he loved the excitement of a scare. Nothing like Black Mist, though. He just liked the joy of a scare, that's all.

Yuma climbed out of the elevator, relieved that none of the crazy people were waiting. He breathed a sigh of relief and moved on.

"Astral," Yuma called every so often. "Where are you, buddy?"

No matter how loudly he called, his blue alien friend didn't answer.

Come on, Astral. Answer me!

Yuma popped the battery out and threw another in. He found another battery and snatched it, placing it in his pocket for later use.

~.~.~

Astral slipped past the man in a wheelchair carefully, not wanting to startle him. To his great relief, the man didn't budge from his position.

"J-just passing through," Astral mumbled nervously. "No need to hurt me."

Astral entered a room, and he saw three more men watching static on the tv. Astral passed through them, not waking them from their trance.

Just keep moving along, he kept reminding himself. Keep moving, and you should be fine.

Of course, it was never that easy. There was always scares waiting around every corner. He trembled as he got into the other room. Getting what he needed, Astral exited as quickly as he could.

When he made his way to the man in the wheelchair, he tried floating past him. When the man suddenly jumped at him, Astral shrieked. By impulse, he shook the man off. The man then proceeded to crawl into a shadow and carl up into a ball.

Astral got up and carefully made his way around to the other door. He sighed in relief when he got there.

"Now, how do I find Yuma?"

After a while of wandering, Astral found a control room. He found it a bit suspicious, but who was he to question a chance to find his friend?

Astral smiled and typed in a code. Immediately, the monitors came alive. He laughed with relief, and he started scanning the screens quickly.

Before he could find Yuma, he sensed something behind him.

"What are you looking for?"

Astral whipped around and saw a man dressed in a black robe. In one hand, he had a syringe. He looked a bit confused.

"The last follower I had looked like he wanted to escape. You seem to be looking for something. What are you looking for?"

Astral looked at the man. He looked trustworthy, but he couldn't be sure. "I-I am looking for a friend of mine. Will you help...?"

The man thought for a while. "I may or may not be able to. We will see." With that, he left.

Astral sighed and returned to the monitors. Before long, he heard a voice growl,

"Where are you, little pig?"

Astral caught his breath and looked around for a place to hide. He saw a locker, and he lunged in there before whatever it was came in.

~.~.~

Yuma felt a pang, the kind he always felt whenever Astral was in danger.

All the more reason to hurry up and find him.

Yuma switched off the camera and held it at his side as he his in the shadows. There was no telling what might be lurking around. He quickly ran across a hall, but he was spotted by one of the two naked dudes.

Yuma jumped when one of them shouted at him. This was one of those moments when the scare was not welcome, but adrenaline still rushed when he saw them run. ing toward him. Excitement coursed through his body, and he ran in search of a hiding place.

~.~.~

He didn't know how long he was in that locker, cowering in the farthest corner. His light was quickly diminishing due to his quickly rising fear. It was an instinct that he had so that he was a smaller target.

When he sensed that it was clear, Astral opened the locker door. Sure enough, all was clear. Unfortunately, the monitors were all crushed, forcing Astral to physically look for Yuma in the depths of the asylum.

"Why me?" Astral mumbled to himself. "How will Akari handle this whole thing?"

Fearing what Akari might do when they arrived home, Astral opened the door cautiously and looked out. He saw nothing and went on.

Astral trembled. He made a small ball of light to keep going. The light was sort of dim, though. The reason for that was because he didn't want to attract attention of the fat monster.