Lunar's POV

"Where's the opening to check the tank? I'll check it, I'm fucking up here anyway," I asked, climbing off the beam with a shrug. My patience didn't wait when I found it, opening the hatch before the stench reached my nose and my stomach retched, "Fuck you, Fuck that!"

"That's why I said to let me do it, Dumbass," Anthien yelled with a laugh, starting to climb up as he shook his head, "You do realize you've gotta get in there, right?"

"Why am I not surprised?" I scrunched my face at him, "This place is worse than that ward."

"I'll join you," He chuckled, holding the hatch open as I fixed my mask back over my face. His tying on a mask symboled that I wasn't alone and that the scent was bad.

The ladder was sticky and slimy, climbing down being so difficult I had to tighten my grip until my knuckles whitened and ached. I was pretty calm, stopping my tracks about halfway down so I could pull out my flashlight. I felt like my mind was playing tricks on me, hearing sounds and movement, needing a light just to prove it wrong and stop being paranoid.

"Oh, shit! Stay out, stay out! Fucking, fuck! Get me out!" The light met hundreds of eyes, my irises widening as I frantically climbed out and started laughing maniacally. I probably looked like a cartoon character as I shut the opening and sat down on it, "The flooring is corpses and eggs but the walls are covered in those things."

Leville started laughing at the shaking of the door and the screeching from in it, "Good thing you thought to look around while climbing down. Now, to figure out how to deal with them."

"Oh, I think I know how. Come on...," I had a very stupidly fun idea, his body following me as I climbed down. Once we reached the ground I dialed Jax, "Has Lance been released, yet? I wanna kick his ass at fireworks. Could you both bring some to the Spooks and a lot of them?"

I had wonderful imagery of what to do and where to place everything, certain that all but one person would be unhappy with my actions. My pupils wandered and danced toward Castian who made eye contact as if he already could tell where my mind was at. I didn't even have to ask my pondering question as a smirk tugged at his lips and his irises sparkled, "Barely any knowledge and you know me so well, what are we doing?"

"We're going to get put into egg sacks," I smiled proudly, Mr. Lincoln's expression unpleased and his jaw tense as I continued, "It's the only way to get those fireworks in there without us dying. Anthien, what buildings haven't been checked?"

"The ones over there," He pointed passed the tower, hesitant with his response. He had a look that he was debating on giving me the truth, but one glance toward Castian had him being honest, "Ozora and I hadn't checked them, yet."

I looked at my phone, checking the time, "Mr. Hayes, Castian and I are going to need entirely black clothes, blood pouches, masks to breathe in the mucus, heart rate droppers, and I'll need night vision goggles. Castian, have you checked the underside of the tower --the sewers?"

"North is blocked, West is barricaded, South and East are open," He smiled fondly, the wheels in his brain turning as he raised a brow, "You're interesting me immensely."

"Get all the paths but the one under the tower blocked, Anthien and Jax will take the fireworks there and hide them as trash. Do we have a problem so far?" I looked to Mr. Hayes and Mr. Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln nodded while Mr. Hayes shook his head, but Mr. Lincoln knew better than to stop me at this moment as Mr. Hayes pulled out his phone and called for our supplies. I looked back at Castian, "We will lead them to the sewers where they'll make our eggs in them. We'll use the heart rate droppers to play dead as they work, and then we'll use the pouches to not only lure them but put on ourselves with the mucus. If we smell alive, we'll never make it out of the tank."

He pointed at me, speaking to Mr. Lincoln with a nod of approval, "I like him. I like him a lot."

"What about me?" Anthien pretended to be wounded, his hands over his heart as he gave a pout, "Aren't I likable?"

"You're a waste of my breath," Castian snarled at him with bared canines, not wasting a moment to even look at Leville. His tone was warning enough, getting Anthien to back off. Castian gave me a happy grin as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and tugged me to the armored truck, "I'll get ya packed up. I doubt a little pocket knife will do you any good this round. Our truck's over here."

Mr. Hayes handed us our change of clothing, Castian stripping out of his white tank top and slipping on a black one, tying his hair back. I wanted to suggest a long sleeve shirt but I bit my tongue and stripped down to my underwear, pulling out black pajama pants and a black long sleeve shirt.

I froze at Castian slipping a bulletproof vest over me, tightening it, and looking me over before getting on his knees and putting my knee pads on. My face felt warm at him doing this, Mr. Lincoln fighting a smile back as he watched. Castian basically took over getting me geared up, his hands removing pocket knives from his pouches and putting them in my pockets, "I already can tell you don't like guns so I'm not going to give you any. I hate them as well."

He fixed his bandana after we changed, packing two needles into each of our belts and handing me one of the masks as the sun started setting. Jax rolled up as I looked at my phone, "We have three hours to get those fireworks, and you guys out of here."

"Do I want to know," Jax looked at Mr. Lincoln who simply shook his head, motioning not to ask. We finished getting ready as they worked to place the fireworks where needed, fitting our masks over our faces as Mr. Hayes handed us earpieces and explained, "Damage proof. You'll each have one in case something goes wrong. Your masks will help you blend in."

***

Lunar's POV

"Not sure what buildings they'll be in, but Anthien and I never checked over here," Castian and I walked through the unchecked area, our earpieces on for the others to hear. He fixed his hair, pausing with hesitancy, "A rumor says you went to the Limbo 'cause of one of those things."

"It was cold," I shrugged, picking up a rock and flipping it around in my hand as I furrowed my eyebrows. Throwing it into the building, I continued when nothing happened, "I remember falling from the vent, I-I passed out from hitting my head... I woke up to Mr. Lincoln speaking but I didn't wake up in my body, I woke up in a dark place --- n-not like if you had your eyes closed."

I probably didn't make any sense. I probably sounded really stupid, but I wasn't sure how to explain my experience within the Limbo. I was still trying to process what happened if I'm being honest.

The couple houses we checked were empty as I clarified, "It was kinda like space but with a floor, dark like it is now. Stars were everywhere, a dim version of the Milky Way. But the stars...they were really small and you could touch them, like floating hot pebbles. Then everything became bright, like the sun, and got hot as well. When adjusting to it, I was standing next to where I fell and watching Mr. Lincoln doing CPR."

"That's what happens when you first wake up in Limbo. It means you had just left your body through your soul," Castian put his hands into his butt pockets, hesitant with his words like he had his own experience with such an event.

"A lady came out of nowhere, started explaining where I was because I was confused," I laughed a little bit, scuffing my shoe awkwardly, "She was really pretty. She had long, flowing curls of black hair... they led to her hips. She had perfect curves and a beautifully made white gown with gold jewelry and threading. Her eyes were sapphire and filled with kindness and love. She wore a golden elf tiara with large snow-white wings on her back, her wings had diamonds crystallized in the feathers making these stunning patterns. Her skin was so clean and pure, too."

"She's a Goddess," He remarked with a chuckle, shrugging his shoulders with a roll of his eyes, "Gatekeeper of Realms."

"I told her I never wanted to be in Limbo or to die. I wanted to come home. She suddenly had a gold cup with liquid and I was about to drink it...," I picked up another rock as we went to the next street, tapping it lightly with another stone, "but then I remembered what Jax had told me about his mother and the afterlife. I couldn't leave without asking about her or Mr. Lincoln's family. She showed me them on this snowglobe thing. They had their places of life. They were very happy and safe, living as if they hadn't even died but were immortal. She told me what they were wishing to tell Jax and Mr. Lincoln. Then she and the place disappeared and I woke up."

"When you choose death in the Limbo," Castian explained, rubbing the side of his arm uncomfortably, "You get the desire you want most. You get the life you consider to be perfect. At least if you're Pure. Those considered Impure is another story."

"What was your experience?" I asked, tilting my head toward him, "You seem to know from experience... Y-You don't have to answer if you're uncomfortable."

"I woke up in a metal room chained to the floor by my throat, shackled with magic to keep from breaking free," He rubbed his neck, muttering with a foul voice, "That woman was there, only she wore a black dress and red jewelry. Her wings were beautiful but the feathers singed like they were burning. The room was hot, like the outside of it was burning. She told me if I wanted to be given the proper death and not the one that was awaiting me, I needed to prove my case...fix my act."

"Is that what your scars are from?" I hesitated with a raised brow. I didn't motion to the self-harm, just the parts of his body that looked like burns or torture, "That room?"

"Purities that choose to live get the Gift of Healing, their bodies heal from all wounds from what caused them to enter the Limbo," Castian explained dryly, "Impurities who choose life wake up with the wounds they gained from being in the Limbo, it's a reminder to come back to the Limbo as a Purity. Each time an Impurity enters the Limbo, they leave with more wounds and end up in a worse room than the last. I've been in the Limbo six times."

"I think we might actually have to bait," I chuckled, changing the subject to settle him down. His fist was clenching and unclenching like he was ready to grow hostile and I didn't want to cross that line, "These rocks don't seem to do shit."

"Take that house, I'll take the one at the end of the street. We'll work our way to each other to find these bastards," Castian pointed at a house, a grateful tone for the topic change. I watched him jog away before entering the house, only to hear him scoff and joke through the earpiece, "Goddamn, my house is 'beautiful.' What do ya say? Wanna elope and have a honeymoon here? This place is stunning, even comes with the scent of rotting flesh to 'liven' up the place!"

"Hot damn," I chortled quietly, "Maybe buy my place and adopt? They could have a playground in the backyard while we fuck on these egg sacks. I bet they feel like a waterbed."

He let out a genuine laugh. I could tell he wasn't the best at this type of thing and was trying his best at making conversation. I related in a comforting way, it felt nice to have somebody like me. All my friends were easy to make friends with whereas I couldn't tell social cues and often misread the room... or got anxious and preferred being alone.

"I'm not the best at making conversations or friends, either," I whispered to him reassuringly after not hearing from him for a minute or two, "Mostly because of anxiety and fear."

"The last time I made friends...," He murmured, daring himself to say the words, "I got them killed... Hoping to not let it happen again."

"Awe, did you just call me your friend?" I smiled a little, teasing him as I looked around this place. So far the building was a dud, but I had only been through two rooms.

"Go fuck yourself, and don't get killed. I'm not saving yo skinny white ass," He growled into the earpiece, but I could hear the smile. He started cat-calling, amusement in his voice, "Oooh, you're a sexy thang, ain't ya? Bet Anthien would like your fine piece of ass."

I started laughing a little too loud, covering my mouth as I looked down the hall, hoping I was fine, "Son-of-a-bitch."

"Come on, now. It wouldn't be fair if ya brought more strippers to the party than me, Kiddo. You'll damage my reputation."

I tried not to chortle, clearing my throat and remaining calm, "Then quit making me laugh."

"Hurry up, I can't keep the bitch entertained all night. I've only got so many moves," He sounded bored, I could hear him running around but using a technic with his breathing to keep it shallow. I grew impatient, putting my flashlight into my pocket, cupping my hands to my lips, and doing the whistling tune from the "Soul Piper" episode in Inuyasha. This earned him to cackle, "Oh, Mr. Lincoln out here getting a good one. We adore an anime fan."

"This fucking house is empty, how'd you get one right away? This is horse shit," I tried to keep from laughing, turning, and backing up rapidly as my face paled. A large burnt man with massive horns stood over me. His eyes were a fiery red, his teeth sharp and his ears pointed, "Oh, you are so not what I was looking for. Hi, how are you? I'm Lunar, you look really cool, you should start a youtube channel about your skin routine."

"Get out of my home," His voice echoed, but it sounded like those voices that sound like a gagging corpse, and it sounded like several souls and not just one, "You do not belong here."

"Lune, get the out of there!" Castian spat, a snarl in his throat. His growl matched the males, the thought of why dancing in the back of my head, "NOW!"

I didn't take a moment to sit, moving to run passed the guy but I fell back as his large black wings flapped and blocked my path. I choked at his grip around my throat, his strength lifting me from the ground and carrying me to the door as he bared his teeth, "Get out of my home!"

My heart pounded from the site of black tentacles and ooze moving within his jaws, my lips releasing whimpers as I squirmed for freedom. His touch burned my skin, his hand throwing me out of the house as the door slammed. I was coughing and hacking into the pavement when I looked over to Castian running toward me, "Climb, Kid!!"

I grew confused until two spider bitches rounded the corner and my body frantically climbed the vines of a building as I huffed, "How do you have two?!"

"I did a you and ran into the wrong fucking building. Parkour, Fuckers!" He cackled in pure bliss, Jesus Christ he was having a blast. He enjoyed being on the brink of death. I watched him, run through the alley and push himself off the walls and leap off the roof, grabbing the flagpole and holding on as he panted, "Sorry, Darlings! I only do one-night stands."

He pretended to curl his hair around his fingers like a girl, batting his eyes with a cocky smile before sitting on the top of the pole like fucking Naruto, my head shaking at him as I quoted Alice in Wonderland, "You're mad. Absolutely bonkers!"

"But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are," He winked, doing a little dance, "I'm so honored. I'm such a snack they didn't even notice you. Take that, Anthien."

"Fuck off," Anthien finally came through the earpiece, making Castian stand on the pole and bow towards the area the others were hiding safely in. I watched him salute as he rested his palm on the pike and then balanced on his hand.

"Ready, Kid? Go!" He backflipped off, earning me to hop down and run with him as we headed for the sewers, "Needles ready!"

Reaching our places, we entered the heart rate droppers into our systems, making sure that when we were thrown we landed in the actual trash so it didn't hurt as everything got faded and went dark.

***

Lunar's POV

My eyes fluttered open as I glanced around in the mucus, breathing through my mask and searching for movement. Not seeing any I pulled out my flashlight and flickered it a few times, smiling when Castian returned the flashing, taking out my knife and shoving it through the egg. Castian landed next to me and tried not to laugh as he rested his hand behind his head, "That is the coolest shit."

"But it smells like ass," I tore off my mask and gagged, wishing to agree with him but the smell was horrid and made my stomach flip. I took a moment to vomit and find my composure, wiping my mouth as I pulled my mask back on.

"It's only going to get worse," He stood up with a stretch, dumping out one of the trash bags. It had one of those things in it but dead, "Blood sacks and carcass. If only we were fucking, this shit would be perfect."

I choked back the puke that threatened to come up, not stopping him as he put some of the guts onto me with the mucus and blood, "Me and my competitive bullshit. I could have had Jax or Anthien do this shit."

"Too late now, Kid," Castian chuckled quietly, holding one of the blood pouches in his mouth and taking the smallest sips. He seemed to struggle with the flavor but hid it by doing those guy victory thrusts, "Goddess Elysium, yes. Love the rich bastards, they get the good shit."

"You drink it, you pay for it." Mr. Hayes replied, you could hear the smirk in his voice as I put my mask back on. His tone was a threat and a dare, only getting Castian to roll his eyes and flip off the earpiece.

We grabbed some of the bags of fireworks, immediately falling mute as soon as the hatch was opened. I turned on the night vision goggles, slowly stepping into the tank and silently piling fireworks throughout the foundation while Castian did the walls. We froze now and then when movement happened but disturbed nothing. He laced wires everywhere, wrapping them up the ladder, and then crawling out the top door to put fireworks on the outside of the tank. I continued my work inside the tank, placing massive ones all-around before pouring gasoline all over. Once finished, I climbed up the ladder, Castian helping me up and lighting his cigarette, "This shits gonna have nuts in it."

"Ooh, Deadpool Reference," I laughed peacefully, smiling as I replied, "House blowing up builds character."

"Tempted to steal you and Claim you myself. We'll have thirty seconds to climb down the ladder and get as far as we can manage before this fucker blows up. Ya ready to kick Lance's ass?," He did a hushed squeal, high-fiving me and smacking the back of our hands together, fist-bumping me as he blew smoke at me. He played with his lighter, grinning as he bowed and held it out to me when I nodded at his question, "May you do the honors?"

"Why how generous," I replied, curtsying like a girl as I took the lighter, "Don't mind if I do."

Once the wire was lit, we climbed down as quickly as we could, running from the water tower. We watched as fireworks and sheets of metal started flying, the sky filling with all sorts of colors and sounds, laughing at the chaos of it all. Our cackling froze solid when the tower started to collapse, falling towards us as Castian wheezed, "O-Oh, shit!"