NOVEL FROG «| Episode 8: Surprise |»
Chapter 95: In The Flesh
From the moment she laid eyes on the stage, Candy was petrified; her whole body began shuddering constantly, and she could almost drown out the surrounding commotion with her rapid heartbeat. Out of all the emotions displayed on her face, the gut-wrenching dread began to consume her to the point she ran out of breath, making it harder for her to focus on what she was seeing. However, locking her sights on the horrifying scene ahead sliced through her disbelief; she was the only one who focused on the specific group taking over the platform and seemingly claiming all the gifts for themselves.
Everyone else was swarming her on their way to safety, with some of the guards providing a false sense of security only for a second. She instinctively began backing away, only taking a few steps back until she was overwhelmed by the menacing presence. Once the infiltrators cleared some space on the platform to stand front and center for everyone, there was no way of avoiding them, though all the other guests managed to escape momentarily in their terror-fueled frenzy.
All except Candy, whose gaze briefly shifted towards the ground, where a few guests had passed out amidst the chaos. But her eyes slowly fixed on the danger ahead as it was all she could see, completely ignoring the other potential threats approaching since she appeared to watch closely for any sign of recognition. A guard tried to grab her but was swept away by the horde of guests flooding the bathrooms and hallway to the stairs, yet Candy was unbothered by the disorienting screams and stomping, as well as more gunfire echoing through the halls. Nothing could break her out of her trance, not even getting her to flinch or blink, as, unlike everyone else at the party, the source of her fear stemmed from the fact that she had experienced this before.
On full display, purposefully exposing themselves by kicking gifts and tables around and garnering all the attention with showy manners, the main squad of the Omens changed the scene drastically with their mere presence. They were quickly mistaken for just any other enemy by all the other guests as they ran from more infiltrated omen soldiers in the surreal scene, but even when they were surrounded by their teammates, who wore formal attire to blend in with the crowd, the members of Spook were the only ones who stood out with their unique clothing, making it easier for Candy to spot but impossible to infiltrate. But she couldn’t think of the reasons why they showed up or how they managed to get in; the only thing that mattered at the moment was the carnage they were about to unleash on the vulnerable people of Rysemery.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t negotiate or even react as Spook made their intentions clear from the get-go. With the guests running for an exit, their attention was drawn anywhere but the platform at the opposite end of the hall, even though some of the armed omens next to their main squad were keeping everyone in check from all directions. An entire battalion came up from the stairs, blocking the direct exit for everyone and scaring off the guards, forcing them to retreat with the other guests. But in the hallway with the bathrooms, there was an even worse predicament as the hidden omens finally showed themselves and started beating up the guests who tried to get away.
The few guards in the hall cowardly ran to safety behind pillars and tables, only to get shot at while Groovy and Bones tried to defend the guests. But as they were all surrounded, with no way of escaping, the only option was to listen to the omens’ demands. It didn’t take long for everyone to comply after seeing the only guards left alive refusing to resist or fight back. As soon as they saw the first bodies drop, the guests kept their distance as far away from the omens as they flocked the hall, moving to the center of the hall to keep the now hostages at the sides and be able to clear the long carpet leading to the platform with Spook.
Unlike the rest, who continued screaming until they were forced to quiet down to live, Groovy and Bones were able to keep their cool despite the enemy aiming their guns at the civilians with the intent of shooting. They chose to shield some of the guests in the corner between the two hallways and not draw much attention from the armed omens, but their attention shifted once they saw Candy standing in the middle of the terrified crowd. They tried pulling her aside, but one slight movement meant getting a rifle shoved in the face by the nearby omens, and before they could warn her, the omens were finally able to speak as the guests held their breath.
–Where is everybody going? I thought this was supposed to be a fun party? Now where is that brainless princess of yours?– Reaper exclaimed with an overly enthusiastic but sneering tone, making somewhat of a grin that was barely visible underneath his skull mask. Even with a deceivingly easygoing demeanor, his appearance was enough to make the guests cower, and it didn’t help that he was now leading his squad closer to them. He looked on both sides of the hall, intimidating everyone with a mere glance, menacingly holding his scythe and tauntingly pointing it at each person he stared at.
Spook began approaching the center of the hall at a slow pace. The tension of each footstep increased panic in the room, and while the guests didn’t have the restraint to remain collected, at least they weren’t targeted individually. With Reaper taking a good look at the hall to play oblivious, his teammates checked every person they walked by, though they dismissed all of the guests, even the guests, as they focused only on the person standing in their way.
Between the people still trying to run away and push through the omen blockade in the hallway behind her and the majority of the audience hiding in the hall, Candy stood completely straight, seemingly the most distraught out of everybody. She kept staring at Spook directly, her shock blinding her to the fact that they were now all staring at her. Reaper was the last one to shift his focus to her, and when he finally spotted her, he suddenly became very excited and pointed his scythe at her, effectively drawing everyone’s attention to the middle of the room, where she slowly came to a realization, though it only caused her more distress.
–Oh, there you are… Great job putting this all together, by the way. Looks lovely… Now could you please tell me where the princess is?– Reaper asked with lingering sarcasm while keeping an oddly friendly tone, which only became creepier when he tried to emote behind his mask. His cold eyes gave the guests and Candy some sense of emotion, but it wasn’t the good kind, as it only unsettled them with how inconsistent his speech was. It sounded like he was ready to pounce at any second, and as he kept approaching Candy, it led to everyone watching with alarming concern, though not for themselves.
With the enemy squad closing the distance threateningly, Candy showed a surprising lack of emotion. With no protection from her team or anything whatsoever, she was more vulnerable than ever, so she stopped trembling and froze in place, almost as if she were accepting her fate. The pressure of having everyone staring at her, especially the armed omens as they were now aiming their rifles at her, caused unsurmountable stress, far greater than what she was already enduring today. It was visible on her face as it remained frozen with a mix of troubling emotions that seemed to amuse the enemy.
It was only when Groovy and Bones peeked their faces from behind that she came to her senses. She finally saw someone that she recognized and didn’t mean harm, and that alone gave her enough clarity to react appropriately and find a way to save herself. She took one step forward, sparking interest in Reaper, who stopped advancing to speak, briefly drawing most of the eyes back on him. But as soon as she realized that she couldn’t confront the main omen squad or even risk interacting with them, she turned around to the hallway behind her and ran straight before the omens around could lock a good shot on her.
–No? Alright then…– Reaper asked scornfully but with a hint of mischief before turning to the armed omens at both sides of the hall and giving them a signal that initiated another wave of chaos and terror. All of the enemies pointed their weapons at the guests once again, prompting them to scream and beg for their lives. But using Candy’s escape as a distraction, Groovy and Bones began to fight back, waiting for the perfect opportunity to grab an enemy rifle each and start shooting at the omens while everyone tried to run again.
Without thinking it twice or looking back once, Candy ran to the guest room where she saw Priscilla enter, squeezing her way through the many people trying to escape alongside her, although she was still one of the main targets, so the omens opened fire in her direction, striking many guests that ended up taking bullets for her before perishing right there in the hallway. The omens blocking the way were forced to step in, resorting to using the bathrooms to kill the guests and prevent the bodies from piling up and hampering their movement.
But as the soldiers dragged people inside the rooms on the sides to clear space in search of Candy, she was able to avoid getting shot by staying in the middle of the massacre, covering her ears and eyes as people dropped dead right next to her until she saw an opening. Candy was fully focused on getting to safety, so once she snuck inside the small guest room, she closed the door behind her and made sure to block it for a moment while she tried to catch her breath. A few guests tried to stop her to save themselves as well, but since some omens were formally dressed as well, she couldn’t tell them apart and played it safe.
One of those omens was able to look past everything and notice that she had gone inside, but he deliberately stayed outside as it seemed like there was someone already waiting for her inside. Candy didn’t even get a chance to take a break as, right next to her, on the small bed close to the right wall, was the scared princess that she had been looking for, except it seemed like she wasn’t going to be there for much longer. She was lying down while struggling to get a large omen off her, and while Candy took a second to assess the situation, she quickly realized that the man was choking Priscilla by squeezing her neck tightly with his big hands.
Priscilla was losing strength, with her life seemingly being drained by the second since she could barely hold on to her attacker’s hands while she desperately gasped for air. Panicking to save the princess, Candy couldn’t think of a plan and had to act fast to prevent the omen from choking her, so her first instinct was to leap at him in an attempt to tackle him, but she barely nudged him. The man seemed completely determined to kill the princess, and he didn’t even turn to look at Candy, though he began squeezing Priscilla’s neck hard, which was somewhat protected by her large collars. But Candy’s jump only served to put more weight on the princess’ body, which was already being crushed by the omen’s heavy arms and legs since he was straddling her, and her action only alarmed her more as Priscilla began to quiet down; her gasps were becoming less noticeable.
In a state of shock once again, Candy hopped off the bed and desperately tried to pull the omen while she mindlessly stared at Priscilla’s face to check if she was still alive. She was quickly turning as purple as her dress, her body had gone limp, and her expression was losing any sign of life, to the point it looked like she couldn’t breathe or see anymore. It appeared to be too late for Candy to intervene, but despite this, the sight of the princess’ life being taken away right in front of her eyes without the option to help suddenly sparked rage within, which drove her to take more dramatic action.
Using that aggravating anger, Candy leaned down to rip a piece of her dress, successfully snatching a long portion with a swift yank before wrapping one end tightly around her left hand and proceeding to use her right to grab the omen’s shirt, pulling herself up the bed once again. Kneeling behind him, Candy didn’t hesitate to wrap the piece of cloth around his neck and immediately pull backward as hard as she could, using all of her weight to squeeze his neck downwards for a quicker choke, which she was starting to pull off as well.
At first, it seemed like the man was barely reacting as he stayed in place and kept choking Priscilla despite being the recipient of the same act. Even when half of her body was almost hanging off the bed from his neck, the omen didn’t move or even resist, only cracking a chuckle before concentrating on finishing the princess off. But as Candy began to pull harder, growing red and her hands trembling, the omen finally started groaning. He struggled to breathe as well, but unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to stop him from committing to his end goal. He kept a tight grip on Priscilla’s neck, and it appeared that he wasn’t going to stop until one of them died.
His determination only frightened Candy more but gave her more reason to keep going, even when it seemed like the cloth wasn’t doing too much damage to his burly neck. She peeked around his body to see that Priscilla had now stopped breathing, though the omen was still choking her, to be sure. Candy was distraught to see her friend losing her life, but even when she began to tear up, she wasn’t discouraged, and at least she could take revenge as she was more motivated to pull until the omen was dead. There didn’t seem to be another way, and since he wasn’t stopping until he completed his job, Candy had to do the same.
The lack of motion or sounds coming from Priscilla’s mouth was more concerning than the hundreds of screams coming outside the room, which Candy tried to ignore by lowering her head. She couldn’t help but burst into tears as she tried her hardest to choke him faster than he could choke Priscilla, and even though she could feel the omen’s body losing strength and giving in, she was growing tired and began gasping for air as well, though only to stop herself from crying. As a last resort, she tried pushing the omen’s back with her legs to pull harder, which managed to hinder his ability to speak, though she didn’t notice until he began stuttering between gasps.
–I-... I di-did- i-it… I-...– the omen stammered for the last time, finally letting go of Priscilla’s neck for a final celebration, with only two more weak gasps following a sigh before he went completely silent. By using her legs, Candy managed to bend the omen’s back and pull him back, which caught her off guard as his body went limp after accepting death. Candy barely reacted as his corpse fell backward, almost crushing her before dropping onto the floor with a loud thud. She was able to let go of the cloth to not get pulled with him, but she lay on the edge of the bed for a moment until she realized she could finally reach for Priscilla’s body, even if it was too late. She sat up, only to drop on top of her friend after seeing her motionless body and begin crying harder.
–I’m so sorry… I-I wasn’t s-... I couldn’t save y-... I can’t…– Candy cried as she held Priscilla’s body, not even getting a couple of words out without gasping in horror as she tried to resuscitate her. She started giving up and just closed her eyes to not face her failure while she held the princess’ pale head to her chest and neck, holding her almost as tight as she choked the omen now lying dead. But just as she lost all hope, her hug prompted a subtle response that instantly cleared her mind.
–I-it hurts-...– Priscilla stuttered in a weak voice, barely noticeable but enough to make Candy realize that she was now choking her. She immediately let go but continued to hold her head as they both cried, although Priscilla could barely open her eyes, and when she did, she couldn’t see much with all the tears covering them. Regardless, her eyes were still grateful and full of emotion once again as the rest of her body quickly regained life as well, with even a faint smile forming on her face as she recognized Candy.
–I’m so glad you are alive, I thought it was too late-... I don’t know what I-...– Candy cried with a smile filled with anguish as she helped Priscilla get up and sit right on the bed. She was gentle enough to not hurt her, but despite the princess being unable to say anything, she didn’t object and responded with gratitude in the form of a hug, holding on to her to be able to get up.
They both kept crying, overwhelmed by the horrific sounds coming from the hallway but also terrified of the dead omen lying next to their feet, as it looked like he could come back from the dead at any time. However, they focused on listening to what was happening outside to get an idea of what to do, although it didn’t seem like a good one. The screams continued as more gunfire rocked the hall, fueling the panic beyond words and painting a dreadful picture of what was occurring. Priscilla and Candy heard some footsteps coming from right outside, as if people were starting to run away or omens were chasing someone. This gave them hope to take their opportunity to run away through the hall while the enemy was distracted, but as they approached the closed door, they were met with the complete opposite scene.
The hallway did seem empty, at least empty of all life, as the floor was covered in bodies, though it looked like they were only lying unconscious. All of the surviving guests that had tried to run off in that direction were no longer there, but Candy quickly noticed that they hadn’t escaped, instead, they had been taken to other rooms to be taken out. Since the omens couldn’t afford to kill everyone, they knocked out as many guests as possible to clear space, and right in front of the door, Candy found an armed omen waiting for her to open the door.
As soon as she and the princess saw him, they froze in fear, but Candy had the initiative to get in front of Priscilla to protect her. However, the shock of seeing the omen at the door caused them to trip and fall on their behinds, right on top of the other omen that Candy had strangled to death. With his large body blocking the way to the back of the room, they could only back away a few inches before they were stuck in a corner, with the armed omen slowly approaching them with a malicious grin on his face.
–Get away!! You won’t hurt her! I won’t let you!– Candy yelled at the omen in panic, trying to throw kicks until she exhausted herself, but he didn’t seem to care. He did listen to her begging and somewhat complied as he lowered his rifle, though it looked like their cries only amused him or even excited him to see them in such a vulnerable position. Priscilla tried to scream as well, but her voice didn’t allow her to, so she just whimpered while hiding behind Candy, who tried to keep her guard up but quickly gave in to the terror they were facing.
She began cowering as well, but with Priscilla holding on to her back, Candy was forced to look forward, straight at the omen, who only seemed to show the worst of intentions with a devilish gaze and a lick of his lips. He kneeled to get a closer look at Candy’s frightened face, and he seemed so focused that he just ignored some of the screams coming directly from the hallway. Another burst of gunfire was heard, but in rapid succession, as if all the armed omens were shooting at a single target. But even when some of the bullets shot right through the hallway behind him, the omen was only interested in the girls.
The closer he got to them, the more aroused he became. It was only until he was about a foot away from Candy that he started reaching for her, first trying to touch her face, forcing her to look at him, but then he guided his hand towards her chest with a lewd grin. Candy couldn’t do anything but squirm and scream, and although she was distressed, she restrained herself and faced the horror willingly as she kept Priscilla behind at a safe distance to prevent the omen from laying a finger on her.
The princess didn’t even notice what was going on, but she could hear the ominous laugh as the omen had all the freedom he wanted to do anything to Candy. And with her not having any sort of protection against him, she closed her eyes to not think of the disturbing urges he had on his mind. The last thing she saw was the startling signs of lust displayed on his body as he tried to unzip his vest, where his torso would have been uncovered if it wasn’t for something else showing up right in the middle of his stomach.
The tip of a hook poked through the omen’s body, latching onto his abdomen for a brief second, not giving him any time to react. He wasn’t able to pick up on the other hints of someone coming from behind as well, but it didn’t matter anymore. He was a couple of inches away from getting his hands on Candy’s body a second ago, but now he was trying to stop the bleeding before getting pulled back to the door until he didn’t have hands to touch anything anymore. The omen tried to turn back to face his attacker, but he was only met with Frost’s blade, which he had ejected to hook into his body and pull him closer to deliver a swift blow that slashed through his torso and both hands in one swing.
Blood splattered onto Candy and Priscilla, who were completely stunned to see the omen lose his hands. But as his body dropped to the floor, with the insides of his upper torso spilling into the sea of blood outside the room, they both were instantly drawn to Frost at the door. He was standing calmly in the hallway, glancing at the omen’s corpse before retrieving the hook. He had only pressed a hidden button on the handle, which activated the grapple hook that Tricky had installed on both swords. It consisted of a thin, long, but sturdy string that was contained in a small box on the base of the blades, small enough to not get in the way of the handle.
Despite the size of the contraption, the power contained inside, in the form of echolite, provided enough speed and strength for the hook to pull an entire body without much effort from Frost. But he couldn’t waste time on the complexity of his weapon upgrade, as he didn’t hesitate to step into the room, finding Candy and Priscilla shaking in horror, which seemed concerning at first from their initial expressions, but he still got a little smile of relief when he found them alive and somewhat unharmed.