The four of them slowed to a near stop in the hallway, Corpse reaching over a protective arm in front of Nova as Poki backed out of Electrical in hysterics, a trembling finger pointing into the room. Sean stayed out in the hall, comforting Poki as she cried onto his shoulder.
Felix led the pack as Nova hooked onto Corpse's arm, his cheeks turning a deep red. He peaked down to see the look on her face, suppressing an adoring gleam as she stared straight ahead, anxious of the scene to unfold before them.
Felix muttered a curse word, clutching his hand over his mouth and an arm around his stomach as he quickly averted his eyes from Rae's lifeless body on the floor in the far back corner of Electrical. Felix rushed out of the room, determined to peg the killer.
"You okay?" Corpse asked gently.
Nova released Corpse and took a step away, nodding in response while her eyes never left Rae's body.
"Fine..." Nova trailed off.
Corpse watched as Nova's fluttering eyes began to water. Just the day before, they were all discussing who the killer was, and, suddenly, another one of them had fallen into death's grips. She subtly shook her head, for it was a strange feeling to think the killer and their next victim had slept in the same room that night and sat in the same room just earlier that morning, a devious tactic playing on their mind the entire time. Someone here was relentless.
Corpse could see Nova trapped in her own thoughts, and — though he himself was accustomed to the feeling — it tore him apart to see someone else dissociating from the present.
"Nova," Corpse's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as he stepped towards her, gently brushing his knuckles against the back of her hand before finding the courage to wrap an arm around her shoulders.
Nova took in a shaky breath, turning to look up at Corpse. His expression softened, his eyes darting between hers to find she looked lost and didn't know who to trust. They'd never been this close before, and, in that moment, she was comforted by his presence. He still had that hint of mystery, yet not in a dangerous way; in the sense that she wanted to get to know him. Usually, she found it so easy to read people's emotions, but he was truly intriguing. He was nowhere near an open book, but something about him made her feel safe — as if nothing could ever harm her.
"You were the only one in the room with her!" Felix's voice boomed.
Nova's head whipped around, catching sight of Felix in the hallway, pointing an accusing finger in Poki's face.
Corpse prayed she wouldn't leave. He wanted her to just turn back to him and bask in the moment of them being close for once. But, Nova left his hold to join the others out in the hall, Corpse heaving a sigh in defeat, following closely behind.
Poki looked like a doe in headlights at the accusation, "But I didn't- It wasn't me!" With a vengeance, Felix was screaming accusations, and Poki's sobs only got louder. "I didn't do it! Someone else was there!" she cried, "I heard something!"
Nova's head cocked with interest when she made out Poki's weeping words. She shook her head, wanting them all to just quiet down, reaching across Corpse to place a hand on Felix's forearm to calm him down. Felix stopped, turning his attention to Nova.
"What'd you hear?" Nova asked calmly, studying the girl.
"Metal? I don't know," Poki's voice was shaky, "A- A metal door?"
Nova racked her mind, coming to the realization, "Like a vent?"
Poki's face lit up, realizing that's exactly what it sounded like. "Yea... Yea, that's it!" Poki agreed eagerly, desperate to get the suspicion off of her.
