{ Maul } The Food Court ORP - CLOSURE: 21

[Pales]

There were things that Lattice could have done with out just then and that was the familiar feeling of having her FEAR suppressed as well as the feeling of hopelessness that came with it. Her vision filled with the shadows of bars and suddenly she let out a scream and struggled more, "NO. LET. GO. NO. NO. NO."

She could deny it all she likes but she was weakened and powerless.

Lizbot

 

[lizbot]

The scream echoed through the hallway...but did anyone here? Would anyone even know she was gone until the dust finally settled? Would she just be passed off as another casualty of battles that had had taken place? How many students have been taken this way, not just today...but for the past ten years? Not just Amityville, but throughout all of Halloween.

Never many, not enough to create a pattern. Just here and there...all could be considered due to chance, circumstance, or simple mystery. Halloween was so very full of mysteries and surprises, a world of fears and questions that were often better left unanswered.

Was Lattice's fate one of them?  

[Nothing Yet]

A mismatched pair of eyes, one catlike and yellow, the other faintly glowing, watched on from a safe, albeit somewhat minimal distance. That ghoul was in trouble. Those Boogeymen looked really mean.

And Ichr was not smart enough to figure out how to fix this situation. Not at all.  

[Eight]

Junko had been in the maul the entire time. Don't ask where she'd been. She'd rather not talk about the unspeakable horrors she'd witnessed; trees, robots, teddy bears that wanted to shank her, round thingies that wanted to crush her..it was awful. It was even worse when they were tainted.

She couldn't even go to the maul without being attacked anymore whyyyyyyy.

Junko had been on her way out of the maul when she heard it, the cries of a ghoul shouting no and demanding to be let go. Wait...what? She stopped and looked around, eyes wide and worry bubbling up within her. Oh no, oh no! What was--oh! That was Lattice!

...Why was she in handcuffs?! "Lattice?!" She was such a good ghoul! Why would they do that to her?! She turned on her heel and ran toward them, waving an arm toward the two bogeymen. "Wait! Stop! What are you doing?!" Lattice was a good ghoul! Surely they had the wrong person!  

[Bittiface]

Why was there yelling? Siobhan had somehow wandered from the battle some time ago, lost among the wreckage of the Maul.

The banshee found a horrid site! An arrest! How awful! The ghoul gasped and hid behind a trash can. Wearily taking in the juicy scandal.  

[Nothing Yet]

Aha, this made everything easier! At the other ghoul's appearance, Ichr moved from his hiding place. Which really hadn't been a good hiding place at all: he'd just been partially covering his face with his hands.

He stomped angrily towards the Boogeymen, stopping to stand next to the wild-haired ghoul.

"Wait! Stop!" he repeated, glowering at the duo. He tried to make himself look as threatening as possible, which included jabbing his spaded tail in their direction and modeling a fisticuffs stance.

Pales

Eight

lizbot

 

[Bittiface]

Oh my! So many people were coming to the ghoul's aid! Wait... That ghoul looked almost exactly like Needle! Maybe this was the sister she had heard of?

Maybe... she should help?

Siobhan crawled from her hiding spot wearily, inching closer to the gaggle of helpers. Her long hair dragged across the floor as she scuttled closer. She appeared next to them and pretended to be brave and intimidating, hands on her hips and her game face on.

 

[Eight]

Eh? Who was--oh! A new student? She didn't see the one hiding behind the trash can. But man, what a time to be a new student. What a time to be a new student...no matter! They had to stop them from arresting Lattice!

It was then that two other ghouls made an appearance, both of them unfamiliar. This was okay!

Wait, were they taking Lattice to the bathroom? "Ah..um..! Wait! Whatever you think she did she didn't do, I promise! I know her!" See? She could vouch for her! She cast a desperate look to the other three students.  

[Bittiface]

Siobhan stared back to Junko with a blank expression. They were tring to validate her innocence? Hmmm...

"She looks like Needle! I like Needle, so I like this ghoul too!"

Did she help?  

[Nothing Yet]

Though the plan sailed right over Ichr's head, he didn't hesitate to throw his own statement regarding the captive girl out there.

"I know her! I like this ghoul!" he cried, mimicking the other ghoul's desperate glances. He typically wasn't an ugly, featherless parrot, but this was a little too complicated to work out on his own.  

[Eight]

Wait..this boil also knew Lattice? That was so great! More vouchers! Yay!

The unfamiliar ghoul that cried out about pervs? That really got Junko's attention. Junko's eyes widened and she ran faster, reaching out to grab one of the bogeymen. "Where are you taking her!? Leave her alone!"  

[Pales]

"Why are you doing this?! Where are you taking me?" She couldn't see where he was being dragged off to and she was dimly aware, through her panic that she was being taken to a bathroom thanks to someone trying to come to her rescue.

She struggled more and more, "Why are you suppressing my FEAR like this? Why does it feel like...when I was captured by the Hunters?!"

Outrage started to mount as her voice began to raise and show emotion of what she truly felt right now, again she was being dragged off and threatened with the idea that she could no longer let me go, "YOU ARE HUNTERS AREN'T YOU? PERHAPS IN LEAGUE WITH THEM?! SHOW YOUR TRUE COLORS COWARDS!" Lattice's rage began to peek through as she leapt at the nearest conclusion she could.  

[lizbot]

The two boogeymen were at first unresponsive to the interest, displaying quite the show of confidence and little in the way of discomfort. Then the crowd gathered and grew, and the grip on Lattice tightened painfully. The patchwork's hand dipped slightly as if about to pull something out of their cloak when the ghoul began to yell about hunters and a phone began to ring. The swamp thing seemed ready to knock out the ghoul by force, damn the crowd and consequences, but the patchwork held up a hand as she checked her skellyphone. Shen glanced up at him, held up two fingers, and nodded. "We're needed outside, another big attack, and we don't have time for this s**t."

The grip on Lattice's arms loosened and on large arm reached around to remove the handcuffs. "Talking about hunters isn't gonna get you far, ghoul. We'll be leaving you with your friends here, but we suggest you exit the vicinity immediately."

And then they were gone, quickly disappearing around a corner, any who pursued would find any empty hallway, and possibly...for the truly inquisitive, a janitor's closet with a strangely muddy floor.

This is twice Lattice has slipped the Hunters' snare with the help of friends.

But they say bad luck comes in threes.