[Y/N] - Your Name
[M/N] - Middle Name
[L/N] - Last Name
I
["Talking"]
["SCREAMING"]
["Whispering"]
["Thinking"]

[==========================]

-> [ARTISTS / SERIES USED]
- lilredbeany
- Polygon Pictures (Ajin: Demi-Human)

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

Ashlyn: ["It's true that the Phantoms try to avoid the light. That's how we kept them away while we worked on the wall. But..."]

She took a glance at her teammates — It was what she expected. Y/N seemed as unbothered as ever, same with Ben and Aiden, with Logan a bit nervous at the sight. Taylor appeared a bit afraid as well, and Tyler kept up his "tough guy" act. Ashlyn's emerald eyes just turned to face forward, seeing the large amount of Phantoms in the ground, glaring right up at them with their ever-widening, glowing eyes and smiles.

Ashlyn: ["They also turned into a neon sight pointing out that we're here, apparently"] She continued to look down, seeing the skin of the Phantom's bubbling, softly melting as they tried to approach ["Worst part — I don't think the light actually kills them. Just makes it so that they lose whatever form they're holding onto. Guess that's why they avoid it"]

Taylor: ["Are we... Gonna be able to deal with that...?"]

Ashlyn: ["Most of them will be distracted by the traps we set up"] She stood up from the wall, turning around to get down, but shooting one final glance back ["Y/N and I spent a whole month planning every single detail out, and we've run simulations of the plans millions of time at this point"] In the distance, her eyes glared towards her house, and her parent's car ["The jeep is the first step to getting us out of this place — Seeing as how any vehicle Y/N might be able to get is too far away, Iguess it's still our best bet... After we worked so hard, all of us..."]

Her eyes narrowed even further, and if looks could kill, this would've been a massacre the way she stared at the horde of Phantoms. They just stared right back, all of them practically turning to face her at the same time. The girl let out a small growl, unwavering and fearless. Of course, they were all too mindless to care, or to even grasp the concept of "fear" — But Ashlyn would make them understand soon enough.

Ashlyn: ["No-fucking-way I'll let you scare us..."]

The girl hopped off of the wall, and into the bus that she and the others had used to get up there. Y/N stood behind for a while longer, just letting his eyes wander from Phantom to Phantom — He ddn't seem phased. One final time, he too the switchblade from his pocket, positioning it over his face and closing one eye to the perspective that the blade was in front of the Phantoms, and dragged as if cutting them whole.

As he descended the bus calmly — Much unlike Logan who, to Logan's surprise, just leapt right off of the thing — Y/N crossed his arm and listened on. Resting on his shoulders was the same shotgun he had brought from before, and everyone held a small firearm of some sort in their waistbands. Y/N, being himself, had two. Arms crossed and leaned against one of the many buses, he just listened on to Ashlyn.

Ashlyn: ["Alright. Let's go over the plan one final time"]

Taylor: ["Um-...Are we, uh- Are we sure we want to do this...?"]

Justifiably, Ashlyn appeared as confused as she appeared mad.

Taylor: ["I mean- Y'know, maybe just staying in the graveyard every night wouldn't be... So bad?"] The girl nervously shifted around, glancing at the ground to avoid Ashlyn's glare ["With the lights... Couldn't we just hide here? 'Till the seven hours are up?"]

Logan: ["I like that idea..."]

Ashlyn: ["... Are you serious...? I thought you guys wanted to get out of here?"] Aiden covered his mouth, and shared a knowing glance with Y/N while covering his mouth — Shit's about to go down ["Now you're saying that you don't mind being trapped here for the rest of your lives?! And you."] She then turned to face Tyler who, just like his sister, avoided Ashlyn's serious glare gaze [" Why are you being so quiet? You're the one who pitched a fit wanting to return to Savannah, so why are you so passive about it now?"]

Tyler: ["That was before the lights, and before there was a horde of those things right outside the door!"] He snapped right back, something which did not surprise anyone even one bit ["I'm not saying we should stop looking for a way out- Just maybe not with this particular plan! Now that Y/N brought all of this to us, we don't even need guns anymore!"]

Y/N: ["It's a fucking gun, dipshit. It's meant to be used"]

Ashlyn: ["And you chose to bring this up NOW?! After all the prepping, after all the bruises from training, the sneaking around, the placing of traps!"] She ruffled her hair nervously, Y/N, again, just shared a look with Aiden, as if the two of them were thinking the same thing ["And right before we actually do something for the first time, you want to back out?!"]

Tyler: ["There's too many of them right now!"]

Ashlyn: ["That's why we have set up traps!"]

She turned her back away from the group, pushing her thumbs against her temples and sighing out her anger. With his arms still crossed, Y/N took a glance down at Aiden, and nodded his head towards Ashlyn — The last thing he knew how to do was comfort someone, so better Aiden than him. Speaking of, the girl just shook her head, silent amongst small groans and growls, before throwing her hands up in the air.

Ashlyn: ["No. NO! I'M GETTING THAT JEEP!"] She turned to glare at them again, narrowing her eyes even further ["Even if we decide we don't need guns, eventually we'll need to get out there, and learn how this place works so that we can get out!"] She stomped her foot decisively— There was no way to change her mind ["THAT is what we agreed on. ALL OF US!"]

Aiden: ["Uh- Ash, maybe you should-"]

Ashlyn: ["Don't you tell me what to do! If you hadn't been so persistent in bothering me,I would've never gone to Savannah, and none of this would ever have happened!"] Y/N's eyes wandered calmly amongst the chaos, noting Ashlyn's clenched fists and a startled Aiden ["YOU keep pushing my boundaries, and I am already tired of it!"]

Tyler: ["Why are you so worked up?!"]

Ashlyn: ["Because we are ready now!"] The girl snapped back, now turning to face him again, but keeping that same glare she had ["But if something goes wrong in the future because I let us wait and not take the initiative, then it would be my fault as the leader!"]

Tyler: ["Yeah, well, no one said you had to be the "leader". You did that on your own!"]

Ashlyn: ["Then, pray and tell, WHO else was going to do it?! I've been hearing those monsters all my life, so apparently I have some weird connection with this place!"] Everyone else stood back awkwardly, Y/N seemingly-annoyed as he lit himself a cigarette and took a long, slow drag of it ["This all happened when the Phantom grabbed me, and I didn't say anything about it! I don't think it's entirely my fault, I- I'm just as confused as you all are!"] Her face began to break, no longer entirely-angry as her eyes softened up and began to water ["But I'm the best-suited to take responsibility for what's happening, right?! To try and find a way out of this mess and protect you guys at the same time!"]

The group fell in silence while Ashlyn huffed out from her near-breakdown. Still clutching her fists while glaring at the ground and averting her gaze, much like everyone else save for Y/N who just glanced right at her with his usual lackluster expression. Puffing out one more cloud of smoke, he would put out the cigarette and stomp on it — Ashlyn did not notice him approaching amongst all her thoughts.

Ashlyn: ["... I shouldn't be freaking out. Of course they're scared if I'm scared as well. I should be encouraging them, and not yelling at them!"] With each passing moment, she could feel, and even hear, her own heart beating louder and louder ["Instead I ended up getting frustrated and anxious — Great job, Ashlyn Banner! I need to calm down and re-evaluate"] She clenched her fists, biting her lower lip ["I need to apologize-"]

Taylor: ["I'm sorry!"]

The girl spoke up first. Though the silence continued to take over the place, Ashlyn now relaxed her fists and lips at the girl's words, especially when Y/N's palm landed on her shoulder. The usual cold glance on his face now softening up, though still blank as a newly-bought canvas. Together with Ashlyn, he turned to face Taylor, who continued to avert her gaze from the whole scene and the other present people.

Taylor: ["I... Didn't realize you were taking on so much pressure on your own. And you're right... I don't want to be here for the rest of my life"] She put her hands together, gently rocking back and forth on her feet, and slowly raising her eyes to meet with Ashlyn's ["The Phantoms are just a fact of this place... No matter how many plans we come up with, how long put it off, or how many monsters there are, we'll still have to deal with them, and get out hands dirty if we want to get out"] Rubbing her arm in a mixture of both nervousness and awkwardness, the girl gave a faint, but gentle smile ["The sooner we face and accept that, the sooner our lives will be back to normal. So forget what I said earlier! I just had gotten a bit nervous and overwhelmed at the moment, hahaha..."]

Tyler: ["I still think there are too many"]

Taylor: ["I swear to God-]

Tyler: ["But... I suppose you aren't entirely wrong that right now could be our best chance"] He tapped his baseball bat-cleaver mixture against his shoulder, in a very lightly way ["I'm sure those things will just keep growing in number rather than tone down anyways"]

Taylor: ["Right?? Also Ben and Aiden don't seem opposed to the plan either!"]

Aiden: ["I swear to Christ if you don't hurry up I'll jump the wall on my own"]

Taylor: ["Right... I mean, Y/N seems on board with it, too!"]

Y/N: ["Just because you got a cute face doesn't mean I want you putting attention on me, for fuck's sake"] Through his aggressive thoughts, Y/N kept the same stoic expression, nodding along as he tapped Ashlyn's shoulder ["Yeah. With the training and the supplies we are readier than ever. I'd rather die fighting back than live hiding in this place anyways"]

Taylor: ["See? We're back now! Things are back on track!"] She smiled, no longer faintly or softly, but rather largely and brightly while giving Ashlyn a gentle tap on the shoulder as well ["So you don't gotta worry about coming up with a new plan, or feeling guilty for something that would be our choice"]

Y/N: ["... Do I say something? I want to say something — Should I? Eh, fuck it. I might die tonight, so let's bet on it"] He kept both hands in the pockets of the suits, expressing no reaction as he turned to face Ashlyn ["You've always been rather rational. Your ideas and plans have helped us out a lot — I'm glad you're the one who took the lead. Just trust us with what you're thinkin' and I'm sure all will be alright"] He turned his back, starting to walk towards the ladder resting against the bus ["Maybe we could have avoided getting overwhelmed if we all talked about it, even if I suck at talking to people. We're the ones stuck here, so we have to trust each other and I want you to know... "] He glanced over his shoulder, the semblance of a small shift on his lips and expression ["I trust you"]

Aiden: ["If Y/N of all people said, you know he means business!"]

Y/N: ["I am gonna blow your fucking head, and I don't mean with my mouth"]

Ashlyn let out a large smile as everyone began to board the bus to get themselves ready. She stood behind for a bit, sharing a warm grin with Taylor who boarded last. Taking a deep breath, and a moment to wipe out the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes, Ashlyn stared up at the red skies. Clenching her fists in determination, and nodding to herself, she decisively marched after the group.

Inside, everyone got themselves ready. Counting the ammo, the supplies they were bringing with them, and what they also needed. Ashlyn herself began to get ready, too. Counting along the items and necessities as she equipped them — "Headlight. Flashlight. Walkie-Talkie. Backup weapon" she thought while tapping everything, and, for last, swinging around a crowbar that she holsted on her belt with the last two.

The girl brought the gun she had picked from Y/N's bag a while back up to her sights — A Beretta Cheetah 87 Target. The pistol felt weird and dangerous, but also comfortable in her hands. She also tapped her pockets to feel out two magazines aside the one that was already loaded in. She put the gun back in her waistband, and glanced down at her boots with one last thought in her mind: "Main weapon one".

◁━━━━━━━━◈━━━━━━━━▷

Mike: ["Fine. If you're not gonna learn self-defense, at least carry a pocket knife"]

The much-younger Ashlyn looked up at her father, who presented her with the aforementioned weapon — To be specific, a Terrain 365 Invictus — while Ashlyn gave it an unamused look. Both hands in the pockets of her pants. The headphone-wearing ginger kid just wandered her emerald eyes from the knife, up to her father, then down again. Seemingly going quiet in thought for a while before finally speaking up to him.

Ashlyn: ["Put it in my shoe"]

Mike: ["... Like the Joker...?"]

Ashlyn: ["Yeah"]

◁━━━━━━━━◈━━━━━━━━▷

Ashlyn: ["And main weapon 2"]

Aiden: ["Woooah! It's the killies!"]

Ashlyn: ["No, dude- Don't call them that..."]

Aiden: ["Why not? They're like wheelies but, y'know, with knives! Honestly, your dad's pretty amazing to make up something like that!"] He watched Ashlyn activate and deactivate them — The left boot had a blade in the back, and the right boot in the front ["They didn't even break when you used them during training to shatter that poor coconut!"]

Ashlyn: ["My mom's the one who made it, actually..."]

The girl's voice lowered mid-sentence as she took a glance ahead. Everyone else was preparing as well. Taylor and Ben were talking while Y/N appeared to be giving a few tips to Tyler and Logan on how to handle their guns properly, particularly, how to reload faster. Swinging around the gun in his hand, Aiden was doing a couple of tricks with it — Ashlyn assumed (hoped) that the gun in his hand was at least empty.

Ashlyn: ["Hey, uhm- Before we g."] The girl stepped up, catching everyone's attention as she spoke ["I just wanted to apologize... For earlier when I snapped at you guys..."]

Taylor: ["It's all cool now!"] Ben just nodded, and Y/N gave Ashlyn a "🤙" ["We all have our moments, right?"]

Aiden: ["That's true! Tyler has his everyday!"]

Tyler: ["Excuse me?!"]

Aiden: ["You may pass!"]

Aiden laughed as Tyler glared at him while Logan stood in the middle of both, trying to defuse the situation. Y/N hung back with Ben and Taylor, giving them the same tips he was giving to Ben and Tyler — Ashlyn just stood back, surprised at how everyone seemed chill, as well as shocked by how nerve-wracking the whole thing was. Breathing in, holding her breath for a moment, and exhaling, Ashlyn nodded calmly.

Ashlyn: ["That was... Surprisingly nerve-wracking..."] The girl wiped some sweat off of her face, and nodded once more ["Alright. Enough with waiting, then... Let's do this"]

Everyone just nodded along as they stepped out the bus. Y/N lit himself one last cigarette to take a strong puff from it before tossing the thing over his shoulder, and surprisingly, inside a trash can back inside the bus. Walking side-by-side with Ashlyn, a tad further away from everyone else, the girl poked his shoulder, prompting him to just shoot her a side-glance without even bothering to turn his face to look at her.

Ashlyn: ["Are you sure, still? About what you'll do, I mean"]

Y/N: ["I'll be alright. No need to worry about me"]

Ashlyn: ["I know you can take care of yourself. But acting as bait with so many of them out there..."] As they went up the bus to approach the walls, the girl continued to speak as she went first than Y/N ["Just, you know... Try not to get yourself killed, alright?"]

Y/N: ["... Sure"]

As everyone approached the walls, silently, they threw the hopes they'd use to abseil down. Ashlyn made sure that everything was properly tucked in and secure while Y/N laid with his back to the wall, eyes closed, and seemingly focusing on his breathing. Aiden, uncaring and laidback as per usual, just stretched his arms and back while standing up — Much to Ashlyn's annoyance, who quietly whispered to him get down.

Ashlyn: ["Logan. You sure that your injury is okay?"]

Logan: ["Yeah. It's pretty much gone now. It's weird..."]

Ashlyn: ["Hmm... My arm also healed strangely fast..."]

The girl glanced at the injuries of the glasses-wearing boy, which had already healed, and at this point were naught but scars. Though rather large and ugly to look at, he still moved with no pain, even stretching his body in the same direction the wound was. Ashlyn also took a glance down at her arm, noticing the scarring marks of where the Phantom had grabbed — But she quickly shook all the thoughts from her head.

Ashlyn: ["Alright. Everyone get in position, then..."]

Aiden: ["... ... ...Now?"]

Ashlyn: ["... ... Now"]

Excitedly, Aiden pressed the button on his phone with an audible noise sparking from it. Throughout the area, wherever Ashlyn glanced, she saw various speaker systems hanging from the trees, which sparked to life with a rather agonizing loud noise. Even then, with just a side glance, Ashlyn could tell Y/N remained calmly sitting against the wall, and his eyes nor his ears even so much as flinched when-

PARTY WALKERS IN THE YARD TONIGHT~♪

Every single Phantom that was glaring right up at them from the ground turned to face the direction where the music came from. Aside from Aiden, who was giggling like a maniac, and Tyler, who seemed perplexed, everyone remained with a mixture of seriousness and nervousness present in their features — Also save for Y/N, which continued focusing on his breathing, tightly gripping his shotgun against his chest.

His Indigo eyes opened slowly, but remained narrowed as he continued to glare ahead. Completely-opposing his seriousness was Tyler, who looked as shocked as someone that had just been struck by lightning. Still trying to process what he was wearing as the lyrics continued — "EVERYONE JUST HAVE A FUN TIME~♪" — he turned to face Ashlyn, who gave a few pulls on her rope to test how safe it was.

Tyler: ["Are you serious?! Party Walkers??!!"]

They barely processed the blur that run past them at that moment.

Ashlyn: ["What? It's a good song-"]

Ashlyn: ["AIDEN! AIDEN THE ROPE, AIDEN!"]

Aiden: ["IT'S ALRIGHT, I'M DURABLE!"]

Ashlyn: ["You damned idiot...!"]

Everyone began to make their descent down the ropes, save for Y/N who stood on top of them, and just glared around for a moment. Noticing all the Phantoms scattering to make way for the group who dashed towards the house the moment their feet touched the ground. Ashlyn looked over her shoulder while running, seeing Y/N give her a barely-visible, but reassuring nod as he breathed out.

He went out last, grasping the rope and dropping without even putting his feet against the wall. As he dashed towards the group, still far away from them, he noticed the Phantoms also glaring towards the main bunch. Of course, he wasn't the only one who took notice of the fact that the creatures had begun to chase them. Visibly-shaken, Tyler shot Ashlyn a glance as the two ran side-by-side.

Tyler: ["Ashlyn..."]

Ashlyn: ["It's ok, just keep running! We have Y/N as a backup!"]

As the Phantoms closed in on the ground, a bright flash of light made them recoil and raise their hands to shield their faces, courtesy of various LED lights placed on the ground, and aimed right at them. Ashlyn smiled at sight, and could not help but let out a chuckle — Glancing over her shoulder, however, her grin dropped. Running at them was not only Y/N, but also two Phantoms that began to close into him, quickly.

Ashlyn: ["BEHIND-"]

Before the girl could even finish speaking, Y/N spun around. Planting his heel into the ground hard enough for the dirt to even sink under his feet, he used the momentum of his run to twirl as quickly as the shotgun came to his palms thanks to the velocity in which he twirled with the strap loose on his shoulder. His eyes didn't blink, nor did his body recoil as he pulled the trigger — Two shots, two Phantoms.

Y/N reloaded the shots he had just used, and nodded at the group while going back to running towards them. Ashlyn just let out a relieved smile as he broke through the barrier of light, and also near the jeep where everyone else was — Still, their happiness lasted as quickly as a lit match in a flood. With a pull, and then a stronger one, Ashlyn tried to open the door of the car to no avail, and instantly concluded-

Ashlyn: ["It's locked?!"]

Tyler: ["I thought you made sure it was unlocked with the keys inside?!"]

Ashlyn: ["I did! One of my parents must have grabbed it or something!"]

◁━━━━━━━━◈━━━━━━━━▷
[EARLIER THAT NIGHT]

Emma: ["Tsc... Locked"]

The woman scowled, kneeling in the ground and messing with the drawer she was in front of. Narrowing her eyes, they wandered around as she stood up. The night outside was dark enough so that she couldn't see anything but the moon, but she didn't need to see anything — Or couldn't, like how desperate her child was preparing in the other dimension — and just turned to face her husband.

Emma: ["Hey honey, you have the key to the cabinet, right?"]

Mike: ["Hm? Yeah, it's on my keychain"]

Emma: ["May I borrow it? I need a document for work, and the drawer is locked"]

Mike: ["Sure thing. Let me just go get them for you"]

The man stood up and away from the computer in which he was working. He looked in the open drawers, underneath the blankets and under the pillows — Nothing. In either floor of the house, or room, he simply could not find what he searched for. It took him 15 minutes to step outside and then check the very last location he had hoped for: Inside the car. And, to his surprise, as he opened the door, there they laid.

Mike: ["So they were in here? I could've sworn I brought them in..."] He hummed while tossing them up and down as he walked away, shooting a final glance at the car ["I should probably lock the doors, too, just to be sure"] And with a click, that's what he did.

◁━━━━━━━━◈━━━━━━━━▷

Logan: ["What are they doing...?!"]

He looked around, still far away and kneeling on top of the bus. In the distance, around the circle of houses, he could very faintly see, and hear, some very angry whispering — Particularly between Ashlyn and Tyler, which was not surprising in the slightest. Y/N rested his back against the car, crossinghis arms and trying to hold in a tired sigh, watching as Ashlyn picked her walkie-talkie from her waist.

Ashlyn: ["Logan, we can't find the keys. We'll run in, and Y/N will stay"] She shot him a glance, which he met with just a calm nod ["Stay there, and cover him if needed!"]

Logan (through walkie-talkie): ["I thought you put them in the car?!"]

Ashlyn: ["I did! Just... Just stay there and keep watch, and cover Y/N!"]

Logan (through walkie-talkie): ["Okay... Just be careful..."]

Y/N didn't even need to be seeing Logan to know that tears were streaming down his face — Not like he could blame him. Making sure to take advantage of the peace and quietness he had for the time being, Y/N lit himself a cigarette, not bothering to spare a glance at the Phantoms who stood outside the circle of light around the house. Without facing them, Y/N heard everyone rush through the front, into Ashlyn's place.

It wasn't until he heard a thud that Y/N's ears twitched, and he turned to face over his shoulder, seeing Aiden kneeling just in front of the door. He dropped rather harshly, and Ashlyn stopped inches away from kneeling the back of the poor boy's head. Aiden could very much feel, and hear the pop of his bone the moment his leg gave out, and Y/N turned around again in order to face the Phantoms at an arm's-length from him.

Ashlyn: ["Woah! Aiden, what are you-"] She went quiet as she noticed the red color in his ankle ["His ankle looks swollen... But when- Your ankle-"] The last few minutes replayed like a movie in the girl's head ["You sprung it after you jumped, didn't you "Mr.Durable?!"] Y/N dropped his head with a sigh while Aiden looked away with a trembling smile in his lips ["You ran all the way here like that?! You should've just-"]

THE RED WAVES FLOODED

Y/N just heard the girl scream before he turned around faster than ever before in his life. With its sharp claws grasping the girl from the back of her suit, Y/N saw a Phantom standing in the ceiling, who yanked Ashlyn with enough strength to bring the girl right towards it. Aiden reached out, and tried to grasp her, but after his ankle popping again, and his leg sleeping, he just fell elbow-first into the wooden ground.

Y/N acted even faster than he thought, pulling out one of his pistols and blasting the creature in its arm with the .500 in his waist. Thanks to the strength of the shot, and the weakness of the Phantom's thin limbs, the entire thing gave out. Everything seemed to slow down as Y/N dropped the gun to the ground and rushed — Ashlyn's yelp as she began to fall after nearly hitting her head was the last thing he heard.

Y/N leaped, wrapping both arms around the girl and turning the two of them around so that she would fall on top of him. Legs wrapped around hers, arms clutching Ashlyn tightly brought warmth to his body, even as his head impacted against the nosing of the staircase — With his and Ashlyn's own weight added, paired up with the speed of his run. A sharp, quick numbness and that of a tug was all that Y/N felt...

Before everything went dark.

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

[Published in - 17/04/24]
[Word Count - 4.850]

Sorry about the delay, y'all.

I got no excuse other than "I forgot". But I'm still alive and kicking, for better or for worse, and I'll be trying to push myself as much as I can do get the story back on track. This was a total chapter of 33 in the official story, out of 48 that the season will end. So, we still got a few ones to go — Especially with the whole original thing I plan to include. I hope you look forward to it! As usual, thank you so much for reading!

This chapter was delayed a few more hours thanks to health issues — Particularly, my blood pressure spiked. Which isn't anything unusual since I have a long, LONG history with family-related problems which were passed down onto me. Though I am feeling a-okay right now, especially since I could put out a chapter, and one that I am particularly proud of. Again, thanks for reading, and let me know your thoughts!