Arc 3: Under a crimson moon

  'Wele to Highnd Mall'

  A soft melodie hummed through the mall's speakers. The highnd mall; a gate that is like those found in America. A spider-web of interected stores, s, aeries, ected the web of escators and elevators allowing easy transportation across the vast shopping plex. An overworld to the underworld.

  Yet this was a gate; and like most gates, darkness abodes. The once pristine white walls were fading to grey, pster crag and dirty. Smudged with years of age. Shop fronts abandoned; window dispys empty or boarded up, the once bustling paths littered with debris and trash, lights barley illuminate anything pass a few meters.

  "Why are we here?" Asked a small Weasley member of the crimson bandits. "Because we have busio attend too." A rger maed his junior.

  "What's the matter? You scared of a rumour?" Another member ughed.

  "Fuck yeah. Everyone is beginning to disappear at night." The smaller man asked pleadingly.

  Four men stood ready:

  Their leader, a hulking brute; beside him, a weasel-faced man clutg a metal case, An older balding man and finally, a well-dressed gentleman. Every hair slicked bad gelled in pce.

  All the colours of their crimson guild.

  "Why are we here again?" Weasel whined; cheg the hall for the huh time.

  "Because business don't stop, demon or no demon." The well-dressed bandit s him. "Hey..." "Yeah?" The weasel asked softly.

  "Why do you think people keep on disappearing? I know what rumours say but... Why?" Both the leader and well-dressed bandit looked at one another;

  "Probably pissed off the wrong guy. Sold his brother or sister or whatever..."

  "Either way, stop being so scared and hurry up, these guys should be in bed about now." The leader added.

  They tio the dipidated old food court. Desote tables scattered over the wide-open space. All smothered in dust and broken gss. Old tins of food y opened.

  "Up ahead, their waiting for us." The balding man pointed ahead to a group of individuals.

  Military cameo and tanned skin; like they have just arrived from war-torn jungles. A squad of military types armed to the teeth; sp all manner of bdes and guns, all eyeing the four like predators.

  Leading the armed group; a woman, tank top and long cameo pants, hair hidden by a cap, rge hazel eyes peek from below. At ease within the calm of the empty.

  "Your te." She barked, her speech riddled with a heavy at, South Ameri maybe.

  "ologies, we had to take extra precautions." The band all bowed in unison.

  "Bring out the goods already." Another bandit growled from behiheir guns twitg slightly.

  "Oi. No shooting, we don't want what's in here waking up." The women ordered sternly, her squad nodded in uanding and lowered their ons slightly.

  The weasel squirmed at her words.

  "What's here? No, no, no... Boss we o get-"

  "Shut it..." The leader scolded his ckey. "Give me the case and we be on our way-"

  The weasel stuttered out in fear, clutg his metal case harder. "Hand it over, now!" The well-dressed man snapped.

  "What's the holdup? We have other pces we o be." The womeioned impatiently; she examihem under her sharp hazel eyes. "We are very for the invenience however there has been some unexpined disappearahat has our team members here rattled." The well-dressed man lowered his head slightly in an apologetic bow.

  "Yeah... The usual crew is gohey sent cachorras today." Her hazel twih curiosity.

  "?Por qué estás tardando tanto?" (What's taking so long?) One of the eion their leader.

  "Las japs ??tienen miedo a oscuridad." (The Japs are scared of the dark.) Another added, all ughing to themselves.

  "Por allí algo se movió!" (Over there something moved!) One of the squads shouted, pointing his gun into the shadows.

  The bandits turned around like scared dogs. Fire emerging from their fists.

  "Where is it!?" The fat man roared, twisting his neck stantly.

  "Hahahahahaha, No asustes a ros amigos carmesí, ?vale?" (Don't scare our crimson friends, okay?) The female looked back at her underlings. A snicker from her curved mouth.

  "Quickly n it here." She demanded of the weasel.

  Relutly he hahe case over. Inside, golden chips stacked from wall to wall.

  "Muy bonita, sí. ?Verdad chicos?" (Very beautiful, yes. Right guys?) All her men nodding greedily at their haul.

  "Bring them out." Her and was answered by rustling shadows; A group of people emerged from the dark behind the squad.

  Men and women of all ages, ranging from their 20's to 50's all had one on trait; scars, mutitions, and an eerie silence. ed together, arm to arm, some linked by their throat to the man in front of him.

  Among them, children. ed ih their parents; some carrying younger oo their arms. All bearing the same dull eyes, emptiness; no fear, no pain.

  "The product you ordered." She gestured her arms as if she is selling them a fanew car.

  "Fresh as m milk."

  As they walked the woman cut the group down the middle, stopping half the group iracks.

  "What are you doing? We ordered 12?" The bald man shouted at the camo an.

  "Deal's ged Carmesí. Price is double for all of them." She smirked greedily at the bandits.

  "We had a deal!" The leader interjected, but before he could get any closer one of her squad members aimed a rifle at his head.

  "Take 6 or nothing at all."

  "Boss... something is better than nothing." The slicked back bandit whispered behind the leader.

  "Prices go up in our business Carmesí. If you 't afford the game, don't py." The bandits exged gnces, pting their situation. The shadows thied behind them, choking out any form of light in the background.

  *g* *g* *g*

  The ech, a shiver running through every spine. "Els trajeron apoyo!" (They brought back up!) One of the men shouted, pointing at something in the darkness.

  "He's here, he's here, he's here!" Weasel screeched like a terrified mohe fat bandit ched his fists hard. Fmes building behind his gloves.

  "Idiots, the deal fails and y in reinforts... pedazos de mierda." (You shitheads...) She began cursing under her breath at the Bandits.

  "Que nadie dispare sus armas. Los mataremos a antigua usanza." (No one shoot. We will kill them old school.) Uhing her machete.

  *g* *g* *g*

  The metal boots drew closer, each criminal on edge; hearts beating out of their chests, serained, muscles twitg erratically. Their breaths shallower. A fight would erupt; the moment of truth fast approag. All ready to fight, save for the weasel hunched over in cowardice

  From the darkness emerged six knights. Their bck pte armour matg the shadows behind, azure eyes assessing the group of criminals.

  "What the fuck is that!?" The female shouted at the bandits.

  "There here for you! Not us!" The leader bandit shot back at her.

  "Están aquí por los carmesí. Correr-" (There here for the Crimson... Run-)

  *Schlick*

  The female is hoisted up into the air, a bone whip pierced the woman's sternum, dropping her body like a puppet. A skull faced grim reaper had skewered the woman.

  His entire body ed in bck fabric, tight against his skin. Every muscle in his arms and torso defined and outlined. Only his mask stared back, rge bck eyes of pure darkness staring out coldly, only azure dots in pce of its pupils. He was surrounded by another 6 nights behind him; bringing the total to 12.

  "Segador." (Reaper) The male soldiers aim their guns at the night, only for their barrels to be sliced away, by the whip wielding skeletal monster before them.

  "Fug kill it!" The fat bandit barked the order, instantly they hurled their fire at the knights. Blue fmes surged forth, scorg hot inferno, turning the once bights into golden and bck effigies. They remained ued, moving into the fight with swords raised high. Metal bdes sliced through skin effortlessly.

  The onsught of soldiers overwhelmed the bandits; some mao hold back the attack, tering with fire-powered punches. Fists abze they faced the monstrous 6.

  The whip primed once more, with a thrust the whip cut through the mid-ses of three bandits. Their bodies plummeted to the ground in agony.

  <3/12>

  Two knights fhe left and right bandits, all while being defended by two other knights. They swung hard at their necks, slig it ly off. Blood sprayed everywhere; corpses twitched wildly as nervous systems shutdown; jerkiically before they too y dead upon the floor.

  <4/12>

  "RUN!" The leader ordered seeing the losing battle unfold, trying to get the weasel to his feet. Before he too is stabbed through the back.

  <7/12>

  The st remainder of the squad, is cut down by the knights surrounding the reaper. Leaving crimson corpses littering the ground.

  <10/12>

  The reaper approached the captives. Speaking to the stro looking one. Only they could lead them back. "Do you know the way back?" A low growl emitted from the depths of his mask.

  "Sí." (Yes.) The scarred man spoke but a single word.

  "Go." With one flick of his wrist, the s are cut free; all taking off towards safety. Holding onto their children for dear life. Six knights an escort into the shadows.

  The weasel remained huddled on the ground. Out of fear more than a sense of smarts. The reaper lifted him by the neck, meeting his eyeline. "...Please...d-don't k-kill-"

  "Do you wish to live?" Reaper interrupted with his same cold voice, still hoisted above the ground.

  "Yes...Please let me go, please-please-please." Pathetically begging like the rat, he was. The reaper released his grip.

  "Go, spread what you saw. The darkness is *MINE*."

  Weasel scampered away like a rat. Noises and squeaks filling the mall's hall.

  The knights began to pile the bodies upon each other; atop one another like cordwood. F two separate piles. First, the white robed corpses. Then the Crimson members. Until all that remains, is a mess of blood and viscera. All except the female leader, barley ging to life.

  "Puta...madre." (Fuck...ing.) The woman had to use all her strength just to keep her wounds closed.

  "No, me asustas, diablo." (You don't scare me, Devil.) Her voice seething with defiance.

  The reaper stood at the piles, opening his hand. Tendrils burst forth, ing themselves around the corpses of the fallen. Bck abyss, redug in size until eventually the piles disappeared. Leaving nothing but pooled crimson on the yellowed floor.

  "La se?ora muerte me recibe los brazos abiertos." (The dy death weles me with open arms.) The woman tinued her brave dispy in the face of death. The masked skull offered no words. Walking towards his quarry; stopping short and instead pig up one of the assault rifles and firing into the roof.

  *RATATATATATATATATA*

  *Groan* *Bang* *Groan* *Bang**Groan* *Bang* *Groan*

  The mall seemed to e alive at the ringing gunshots, its echo seemed to piss off the entire realm.

  "Cobarde, acaba igo tú mismo." (Coward, finish me off yourself.) The woman cried, blood gurgling in her mouth as she cursed the reaper. He discarded his gun before turning back to the shadows.

  "There are things worse thah." He uttered coldly.

  *Groan* *Bang* *Groan* *Bang* *Groan* *Bang* *Groan*

  It drew clnashing and grumbling from every dire; A chorus of inhuman screams rang forth, loud pierg.

  "Ven aca, acaba igo." (e on, finish it with me.) The woma as the nightmare approached her. Reaper vanished into the shadows along with his army.

  Repced in an instant by monsters; humanoid in appearance, yet g eyes or a nose just an elongated mouth that stretched along its face, like a razor. Every individual hand barbed with shards of flesh. Malformed, mutated abominations of mankind. Wearing uniforms that would have beloo the workers of the storefronts they emerge from.

  "Cobarde ... Asqueroso cobarde." (Coward, fug coward.) She shouted from the floor, desperately trying to crawl to safety. The crowd surrounded her. Groaning, lig, aing; enveloping her in a mass of bodies.

  "No...

  "No!"

  "NOOOOOOOOO..."

  The reaper exited the amber gate. His knights vanished and he is all alohe masked man lowered his hood; removing the skull that hauhe shadows. Ohe reaper is gone, Eren is restored.

  "That's enough death for today." Eren lifted his phone from his pocket, its face light up. 2:45 PM iernoon.

  The gate stood in an abandoned factory in the middle of nowhere yet still close to his home.

  "I o get home. Emi will be expeg me to have prepared her afternoon tea." Eren muttered as he looked around. It had only been two months since his returhe world felt so small to Eren. The bandits keep their operations going, at least they were too scared to go out at night.

  With his tasks for today done, Ere for home. Skulking through shadows; keeping out of sight of all. No wanting to even hint at who could be in the shadows.

  Waiting for him there, his sister Emi. Pouting at him with her cute puffy cheeks.

  "You're te." Emi folded her arms waiting at the door for Eren to return. Ere out a deep sigh.

  He stood at his front door, fag down his annoyed sister.

  "Sorry Emi, traffic." She searched his body, looking for the barest trace of food. "Where is it?" "Where's what?" Eren said as ily as he could.

  "The food you were going to bake?"

  "You mean... This food?" From behind his back Eren produced a batch of freshly bought doughnuts. Emi's eyes light up at the sight of the feery.

  She bounced around the door like a rabbit, clearly trying her best to hide her excitement.

  "Afternoon tea will be ready shortly." Eren stood at the droaning slightly; happy in these mundane moments, but the weight of his as all ways with him.

  MaskedManNull