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[b][code]Hillview High - Mason Square[/code][/b]
[sub][@Surtr Inc][@Zombiedude101][@Majoras End][@Ciaran][/sub][/center][hr]

Billy watched in horror as Rita did not back away from the nightmare, her voice growing louder and become more and more of an animalistic shriek as she continued asking her question. He didn’t know the girl very well, but he had her pegged as the running-and-hiding type. Her Abstraction, whatever it was, didn’t seem to be the kind of thing that would be able to protect her from a giant, creepy, tentacular monster. He was still feeling a little drowsy from the fight with Scott, but he took a few tentative steps forward—and then reconsidered. What the hell could he do against something like this? It would be smarter to listen to Tuyen’s advice. He would’ve begun creeping away slowly if it weren't for Penny. He wasn’t going to leave her behind. 

Penny had yet to fully recover from what she was witnessing, but enough of her will was capable of pushing back the horror to muster up the courage needed to try and get Rita away from the Glutton. She had barely taken half a step forward when her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor, the exhaustion from the day overcoming her desire to pull the stupid girl away from certain death. Her eyes grew wide in horror and she tried to produce a warning that would come too late as she watched the thing’s arm swipe at Rita, Kimberly tackling the mousy girl out of the way just in time. 

Rita had entered into some kind of trance. Tiny, little fists fell harmlessly on Kimberly as Rita tried to breakaway from the woman who was saving her life, determined to get the truth out of the Glutton. She was sick of the secrets and of the surprises. The sharp pain that shot through her elbow when she collided with the ground pulled her out of her stupor. She looked around the hallway with the wide, confused eyes of a hunted animal that had just heard a shot, uncertain as to what was happening but completely aware of how much danger she was truly in. 

So much was happening. The barrier blocking the Glutton’s assault before it dissolved into the floor gave Penny enough time to stumble back up to her feet. She stepped towards the two girls on the ground, uncertain of her balance as she reached down to help them up. The entire time, she was cursing out Rita: “You’re a fucking idiot. You’re the biggest, dumbest, most fuckingest idiot I have ever seen in my entire life, and I’ve known Billy for all of it. If you ever do some shit like that again I’ll…” 

Rita was silently mouthing “I’m sorry” over and over again in response, her eyes tightly squeezed shut. She didn’t know what she would say if she looked into Penny’s eyes. Already, even after all of this, the compulsion to draw forth the dirty little secrets of someone she hardly knew was growing. 

“Are you o—” was all Billy could get out of his mouth as he rushed to his sister’s side before the Glutton showed back up, busting through the wall like some kind of horrific Kool-Aid Man. He pushed the group of girls away before diving to the side, just barely missing one of the Glutton’s tendrils as it crashed past them. He stumbled into a locker a few feet from where Maddie was lying and slumped down. Was she dead? She had been thrown pretty hard by Reese during the fight. Billy slowly slid over towards her, keeping one eye on the Glutton as it began to level its tendrils at everyone, and grabbed her wrist to check for a pulse.

A light bulb went off in Penny’s head the moment Nate yelled for someone to hold his hand. It was an absolutely insane idea, and they might all end up getting stuck fistfuck-deep into a wall, but it was better way to go than by being consumed by something called the Glutton. Penny had seen what had happened to the locker door Claire had thrown at it—it had been completely erased, as if the being had devoured it simply by touching it.

“Take her goddamn hand,” said Penny, her anger at Rita’s stupidity still flowing through as she guided the girls towards Paige. Rita did as she was told, and then Penny held her hand. She reached out behind her, expecting Billy to latch on, and whipped her head back when she felt nothing. He was several feet away from them, quietly trying to get Maddie moving. A crushing wave of expletives poured from her mouth as Penny tried to stretch closer to them. A few more people and they’d make it. Penny’s eyes burned as she watched the tendrils dance around the Glutton. She didn’t know why it wasn’t striking, but she’d take every second it gave them.

“Grab on you dumbasses!” she shouted to the group of people that still hadn’t linked up. Running might’ve been an option earlier, but as of right now the Nate Express seemed to be the only way out of this hellscape. She slipped her hand from Rita’s, allowing room for others to step in; she was determined not to grab on until she could get ahold of Maddie and her brother.