"A-Are we really safe here?"
Alice was out of breath and panting heavily, but as she collapsed to the floor next to Mr. Crab, she felt a sense of relief for the first time since Sea Fallen had fallen.
The two had found themselves in a shopping plaza with buildings that hadn't yet fully crumbled, allowing them to take refuge inside for a break.
We had to have been running for at least an hour, but this little guy doesn't look tired at all…
She gazed upon the blue-shelled creature, watching him plop himself down on the floor with a tiny sound.
When she first met the crustacean, four of its ten legs were made of solid wood with slits of sharp metal protruding from the ends as if they were knives; however, now, something had changed.
Sparks of teal light wiggled through the air, encircling the small crab's remaining legs in a foggy mist that hid them from view.
When the blue particles appeared, the girl flinched backwards in fear, thinking these were similar to the magenta orbs that flowed through the city, purging the residents into a horrifying death.
I-It's not killing it?
These magical specks of color slowly began to fade, revealing a freshly installed peg leg on the sleeping animal whose size had shrunk a considerable amount in that short time.
Huh?
Alice's eyes widened in confusion, observing the modified creature, who began to stir from slumber.
Its pupils popped out of its shell immediately, focusing on her across from where it stood.
"A-Are you okay?"
She asked the question, not expecting a response; however, the creature snapped its hard claws together as if responding to her.
D-Does it have smarts?
Her childish thoughts were consumed with confusion, but upon closer examination, she remembered stories of monsters who could speak or understand human language.
With this realization, she flinched backwards in fear that this tiny blue crab would be a horrifying terror out of myth.
Mr. Crab simply tilted his head and sat back down, signaling to the girl that it meant no harm.
Should I trust it?
She was conflicted; it had led her through the ruined streets of Sea Fallen when she had given up hope, but it was also a strange creature that appeared out of thin air.
As she pondered the idea, her hands subconsciously reached into her clothing as a cold breeze rushed through the building.
Shing.
"Huh?"
Warmth coursed through her body, as her finger brushed against the one belonging that she had, the gold coin that was gifted to her by that blond-haired boy.
The metallic surface had rusted slightly, with the crab engraved onto its surface glowing an turquoise that brightened more and more the closer she brought it toward the crustacean, who eyed it curiously.
"I-Is this yours?"
She paused while waiting for a response, which she was hastily granted with a single click of its claws.
"Do you want it back?"
The crab clicked twice in refusal. Alice tilted her head to the side with a smile on her face.
He must be friends with the boy who gave me this!
All her doubts about the critter vanished in an instant as she sat up, moving closer to it.
"Are you friends with a blond-haired boy by chance!?"
Her excitement frightened the crab, who rolled backwards, barely able to snap his claws together once.
"Oh, this is great! Can you bring me to him?"
Alice was thrilled to learn that the crustacean she met by pure coincidence could help her find and thank the man who saved her life; however, his next actions puzzled her greatly.
Click, Click, Click.
Mr. Crab had responded to her question with three snaps of his claws, causing the girl to furrow her brow in confusion.
"T-Three? What does three mean?"
Previously, she had assumed that one snap meant yes and two snaps meant no; however, with three clicks, the whole system had gone out the window.
He had turned his gaze to the floor with a weirdly glum aura radiating around it.
"I-Is he alright? Wait… Don't tell me he died…"
She was cut off with a sudden double click of its claws, signaling that she was incorrect about his fate; however, the first point remained unanswered.
"I-Is he alright?"
Alice asked again, this time receiving the cryptic reply once more.
Click, Click, Click.
Possibilities whirred through her mind, but the young girl knew she had to be more specific with her questions to get the answers she needed.
"Is he in danger right now?"
If it answered yes to this, she would ask, in return, if it was preventable; however, if the answer were no, then she would have to think of another, more specific request.
Click.
It paused for a moment, hesitating about the safety of the boy before clicking its claw again.
So he's not in danger? But why did he pause?
More and more queries filled the girl's head, but with the remaining time they could spend resting dwindling quickly, she knew she had to hurry.
"C-Can I help him?"
This was her final question, and she knew that if the crab declined, then there was nothing further that she could do to help the man who saved her life.
One second passed, then two and three, but the crab simply stared back at her deadpan as if it were thinking.
Then, after nearly thirty seconds of waiting, a sound echoed off the holo walls of the collapsed room.
Click.
…
On the Western edge of Sea Fallen, crowds of civilians could be heard screaming, crying, and praying for help.
"Sir, is there nothing we can do but wait?"
Many people prodded and pushed at the ones in charge, begging for help or locating a relative; however, the officers could only shake their heads in resignation.
"You're telling me that there are killer bubbles that either kill you or turn you into a zombie? Do you think I'd buy into this lunacy?!"
The commander of the band of soldiers winced as the mayor of Sea Fallen screamed at him in anger.
"I knew I shouldn't have entrusted you to be the Head of the Guard! You and your men were useless when my house… I mean… when our city was attacked!"
His eyes darted around nervously, afraid that someone had overheard his slip-up, but he was quickly relieved when nobody was focused on him.
"B-But sir…"
The scarred commander barely had time to stutter out a reply before a loud explosion shook the city.
In an instant, the crowd went into a panic, some trampled over others while some nearly pushed over the fat mayor, who was lounging on the edge of the pier.
"W-What the hell was that! Protect me, you idiots!"
His piglike snorts were ignored by the soldiers who rushed away in the direction of the sound.
"Hey, I gave you an order!"
Behind him, he felt a tap on his shoulder, causing him to spin around, facing a tall man who towered over his stout figure.
"Who the hell are…"
Thud.
The mayor collapsed into a pile of his own body as a solid punch slammed across his face.
"Finally, he shut up… He was pissing me off…"
Reynolds sighed, removing the pistol from his waist and aiming it at the mayor's skull without hesitation.
To his right, Commander Jackson's jaw dropped as he screamed at the man.
'What the hell are you doing, Reynolds!? He's the…"
Bang!
Blood splattered everywhere as the surrounding groups of civilians screamed in horror at the brain matter that covered the floor.
"Ugh, you dirtied my robe…"
Clayton Reynolds wiped the sweat off his forehead as the soldiers around him all pointed their guns directly at him.
"Eh, what's this? Weren't you tired of him as well?"
His tone was mixed with confusion at the sudden turn of events, with a sense of betrayal settling in his heart.
"Clayton Reynolds, you are under arrest for the murder of Octavius Fletcher, the mayor of Sea Fallen. Surrender yourself now or face immediate execution."
Each of the men uttered the same repeated sentence over and over again, while the accused man simply stuck his finger inside his ear while rolling his eyes.
"Was Clayton his name? Oh well, he won't be needing it anymore wherever he is now…"
A flicker of confusion passed Jackson's face at the strange words; however, as he raised his hand to order his execution, he froze.
Pieces of flesh peeled back on the middle-aged policeman's face, revealing maggots crawling and oozing a white pus.
Empty eye sockets dripped crimson blood that clumped together, forming tiny balls that floated in the air around his mutilated body.
His once white teeth darkened to a pure yellow mess of rotten bone that dug deep into his gums, showing signs of decay and bloating.
Then, his entire figure burst into pieces, spewing insects onto the gathered crowd.
Where he once stood, a short woman wearing a white suit with a red tie, was left wiping a single droplet of red from her cufflinks.
"Utterly filthy… Where is Arianna when you need her…"
At this precise moment, a strange sensation descended upon the soldiers, leaving them speechless with some immediately keeling over, belching until they coughed up blood, while others passed out at the sight.
Citizens gagged and screamed as the black-haired woman looked up in surprise, turning her head around with a displeased expression across her face.
"Oh dear… Did the vessel pop again? Hmm, I should've gone for someone younger, perhaps…"
Her gaze fell on a child who was frozen in shock, watching the scene in absolute terror.
"Perfect!"
She squealed, revealing a small knife from a hidden pocket in her pants.
"This should only hurt a little! I make sure to kill my prey before gutting them!"
Then, as if the ice broke, absolute chaos erupted.