The Night Shift of [redacted]

The Night Shift

        It was around 10pm by time Asahi and Tanaka found their way towards the lights being shut off. Their sneakers being silent on the tile flooring of the mall. The brunette looked around, taking in their surroundings, making note of small landmarks so, if needed, they could find their way out of this place in a moment's notice. The large building was eerily silent, the light of the moon shining through the windows, casting blue shadows over their surroundings. Casting shadows where the light had been intercepted, the dark silhouettes of the two high schoolers moving alongside them on the ground.

        Tanaka looked about, trying to find some sort of movement in the darkness, hear some sort of footsteps to tell them that Noya was nearby. His eyes closely inspecting their environment, keeping his eyes peeled and ears open to catch either Noya... or catch something else. It seemed like the mall was alive, the constant feeling of something watching them bearing down on them like lead. The two teammates stuck to each other like glue, looking around, one handling each side of them, wary of their surroundings. The two heard footsteps, just down a hall ahead of them, both diving into a store to hide. Asahi peeked out to see a guard... it wasn't Noya. It was a taller guy, dark hair, but nothing much stood out about him... except for his flashlight. The light was a bloody red, shining about as if looking for something. The guard stopped, just across the store, just on the other side of the strip of fountains and benches, their head turning away, then towards their hiding place. Asahi and Tanaka ducked out of sight, but they could hear the soft, steady, slow clack of the guard's shoes.

        The bloody red light shone into the store, the doors were shut, the windows reflecting back the guard's reflection. Asahi covered his mouth, pressing himself against the wall beneath the window further, trying to keep his breathing as quiet as possible. Tanaka was next to him, holding his breath, trying to be as still as possible. The two looked at each other, the same terrified expression on their faces, both complexions pale with a terror of being caught... but also a look of questioning, wondering how the light could be red, as far as they knew, malls never gave their guards anything but a standard flashlight to use. Both of them having the same thought: was this guard human?

        They had the chills, the ever-lasting feeling of fear and dread weighing heavily on their bodies. That's when the guard began slamming their flashlight against the glass, low growls and snarls leaving the 'person'. It didn't sound human, not at all. The glass shook, the atmosphere seemed to grow heavier and colder as the guard continued pounding against the glass. Somehow, it never shattered before a set of fast, light footsteps began drawing near.

        Noya knew this was a bad idea, charging towards the sound of danger. His mind raced, wondering if some stupid kid had snuck in after hours and ran into one of the 'security guards' and was hiding. He had been minding his own business, patrolling the area to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary, when he had heard faint banging from an area a few shops down. Yuu rounded the corner, taking the necklace off, the scythe automatically turned into its fullest form, the familiar, warm pulsing of power radiating off of the blade. Noya froze in his tracks as he saw the guard... aggravated and pounding on the glass of an old shop, a shop he had hidden in a few times himself. He saw the light: red. He knew it was stupid, but it wasn't in him to stand there as a person, potentially a child or middle schooler, was terrorized by some inhuman beast.

        Before he could stop himself, his voice rang out clear and loud in the cool, nighttime air of the mall, "HEY!" it came out as a bark, the weapon tightly gripped in his hands, preparing himself for the charge, preparing himself to defend. To protect. To survive. The guard stopped, their hand slowly lowering to their side as the creature's head turned to him... ever so slowly. The expression flat, inky black pits where the eyes should be, skin as white as paper, staring at him... Noya tensed, "stay right there! What the hell are you up to!? What poor soul are you terrorizing! I'm your target! Not whatever stupid kid you've chosen now! So, come at me! Fucking fight, me!" the guard let out a monstrous snarl, charging him on. Noya managed to, for the most part, avoid an attack, with only a small scratch on his arm. He then reached the scythe out, squeezing his eyes shut as he swung with every ounce of strength he could manage to bring out. He felt the familiar feeling of the blade tearing through spirit's flesh, ripping through like scissors would paper. He heard that sickening schlick of blade cutting through a body, his jaw clenched as it tore through the body, continuing without resistance.