Puella Magi Madoka Magica : Rebirth

Chapter 4 : Ambush

Madoka, Sayaka, Kyoko and Yuma leaned back on Mami's sofa, smiling contentedly after the scrumptious meal.

"You should cook more, Mami, I can live on your food for the rest of my life!" said Kyoko, burping shamelessly.

Sayaka and Madoka agreed in unison. "Yes, Mami-san, not only are you good at baking, you're also great at cooking!"

Mami giggled, answering modestly, "Oh, it was nothing, really. Just throw in the ingredients and make sure you follow the cook book, that's all."

"Easy for you to say..." mumbled Kyoko. "I can't even fry an egg to save my life."

"Hey, what about me? How was my carbonara spaghetti and chocolate cheesecake?" demanded Nagisa, waving her short arms in the air for attention.

The group laughed as Yuma replied, "Yuma didn't forget you, Nagisa! I love the cheesecake, but can you put Pocky sticks into it next time?"

Kyoko flicked Yuma's hair affectionately. "Huh, looks like we've got ourselves a new Pocky fan."

They were so absorbed in their conversation that they did not notice the darkness that began to envelop the windows of the apartment.

Craaack!

Mami immediately whipped her head around to the sound of glass being fractured. Her jaw dropped in shock as she saw a hundred abominable flies, each the size of a car wheel pressing hard against her window. They buzzed ominously, filling the apartment room with a jarring metallic screech as their razor wings chipped away at the glass.

Yuma and Nagisa screamed, latching themselves onto the older girls.

"Waaaah! What are they, Kyoko, Sayaka?"

"Mami, they're scary!"

The senior girl took charge at once, albeit in a very shaky manner. Grabbing Nagisa's hand, she yelled over the din, "Everyone, out through the door at once! The glass won't hold for long!" The girls scrambled up at once, sprinting for the door in fright.

The intensity of the buzzing increased to a painful level as Madoka tripped over a rug, falling onto the floor and curling up into a ball. Far away, she could hear Sayaka's anxious shouts for her to get up and run, but no matter how much she tried, the noise was too much for her to handle.

Through half-closed eyes, she saw the black flies and their multicoloured compound orbs as they gave a final screech, shattering the glass and swooping into the room, their sharp fangs clacking together in anticipation of their next meal.

Without knowing why, Madoka called out in a broken, panicked cry, "Homura-chan! Where are you?!"

***

Eliyah's three long arms, Serla, reached out with lightning speed, meaning to grab Homura and crush her. Acting quickly, the long haired girl dodged to one side and rolled up to a kneeling position, feeling the scrape of Serla's gnarly fingers on her back.

Shuddering slightly from the ambush, Homura forced herself to calm down and compose herself, but before she could even stand up, Serla lunged again. The three hands came from the left, right and center, leaving no space of escape for Homura. She screamed in agony as the fingers wrapped around her cruelly, squeezing her tight and forcing the air out of her lungs. They lifted her clear off the ground, bringing her rapidly towards the rooftop.

Blinking through involuntary tears, Homura struggled to get herself out of the witch's iron grip, crying out every few seconds when Serla's thorn-like fingers stabbed into her flesh. Gasping for air, she bit into the witch's finger and was rewarded with a shriek. The finger released it hold on her temporarily, but it was enough to allow her to free one arm. Hastily, she whipped off her violet earring and summoned her Dark Orb, an evolved version of a Soul Gem. It floated over her palm like a huge, Queen chess piece, enveloping her in a purple light.