Everything was a confusing whirlwind to Elizabeth as she continued to follow this stranger. Why was she following him? Better a complete stranger than those... monsters behind them. She wasn't sure what it was, but something - perhaps a tumultuous mixture of fear, adrenaline, and confusion - was raging inside her mind, and she was only just barely able to comprehend anything that was being said to her. She understood one thing this stranger said, though: the Wraths could sense fear. So, while the stranger closed his eyes and did... something... Elizabeth took a moment to make several deep breaths. Slowly, her mind started to calm down. [i]Alright,[/i] she said to herself. [i]Focus. Just like before a game. The objective? Get through the city without being spotted. To do that, I have to stay calm and hold back my fear.[/i] ...Well, she knew [i]one[/i] of those things was possible right now, but she did her best to keep herself in check. Suddenly, the stranger's eyes opened, and they were glowing a bright yellow. Lizzy almost took a step back; eyes didn't normally do that. [i]Oh, yes, because the rest of this night has been[/i] so [i]normal![/i] "Hurry," the stranger said. "I don't want to keep this connection open for long." She had no idea what "connection" he was talking about (she felt like he'd told her earlier, but it was all she could do right now to keep calm). Instead, she simply nodded and followed his lead.

As they raced toward and then moved their way toward a playground (including a very uncomfortably tight playhouse), Lizzy's thoughts turned back toward her teammates in the restaurant. Were they all safe? Were her father and Rachel worried about her? [i]Okay, that one's a dumb question,[/i] she scolded herself. As soon as they realized she was missing, Lizzy knew they'd search the entire city if they had to to find her. The fact that they hadn't called or texted - coupled with the fact that they hadn't encountered anyone else on the streets that night - meant they were probably still frozen. She really hoped they were alright.

So distracted was she by her worries and fear that she failed to notice when the man leading her came to a stop, and she unceremoniously rammed into his back. She was about to ask why he'd stopped when he put a finger to his lips. She kept her peace. She could hear the voices of those things up ahead, telling the others to take her alive. [i]What the heck do they want with me?! I don't even know what they are![/i] She didn't see what the stranger was doing, so when he suddenly dashed for it, it cost her half a second's hesitation. Of course, that may have been to her favor; the Wrath in black reappeared again and threw them both back. The stranger took the worst of it, but Elizabeth was still knocked to her back. "Did you truly think you could elude us, mortal...?" the creature taunted, hissing as it spoke. Elizabeth was no stranger to being knocked to the ground, but that was normally in grass and dirt, so being knocked to the concrete for the [i]second[/i] time was a less than pleasant experience. The stranger was quick to get back to his feet, but she had to drag herself back to her feet. She almost missed the conversation.

Seraph. The stranger's name was Seraph. That was about the only thing she was able to keep up with, however. That and the cool tattoos. As the Wraths began to move in on them, sudden blasts of fire appeared out of nowhere and blew them all away.

"Professor! Quickly follow me!" shouted a voice. Elizabeth looked and saw- was that kid younger than she was?! [i]It doesn't matter![/i] her mind screamed at her. [i]Just go![/i] She needed no further persuading, and as Seraph took off after the kid, she did the same, not bothering to stop and look behind her. When they were finally indoors (as indoors as a cellar could be, at least), Seraph and the newcomer - Seth, was it? - greeted each other pretty warmly. Elizabeth, too overcome by all the night's events, barely heard what was said, but what she [i]did[/i] hear was the laugh.

Her entire world was just torn apart, demonic who-knew-whats were trying to kidnap her, her friends and father were halfway across town frozen in time, and these two - who had no small part in tonight's events - were standing around [i]laughing[/i]!

She finally just snapped.

"Okay," she said, perhaps louder than intended, "that's it! I am not going another step, not [i]one more step[/i] with you, until I get some answers!" She stabbed a finger at Seraph. "Who are you? [i]What[/i] are you? What the [i]hell[/i] were those things, and why do they want to take me? Is my team safe? Am I?" [i]Okay, maybe not the best question.[/i] "I don't know what's going on, but I'm not doing anything else until I get some answers! Now start talking!"