The little girl before Juma continues to cry, but between sobs, she says "it h-h-hhurts....my... c-c-c-chain hurts." The bottom link starts to eat away at itself. Despite the pain, the girl's face is contorted into a silent scream of agony. Tears still stream down her face, but no more noise comes out of her as the encroachment continues.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, a few teenagers on lunch break leave the cafe with coffee and pastries in hand.  They're chatting idly amongst themselves.<br/>"Can you believe Natsumi? She claims she saw some strange boy wearing masks all over himself!"<br/>"That Natsumi, she's always making up tall tales! Seriously, I heard she saw a man dressed like a samurai!"<br/>" I heard that she said..."<br/>They pass by Dieter without paying him much heed, though one of the girls covertly turns her head and winks at him<br/><br/>Meiyo approaches Ruri's desk and slams her palms down onto it, more out of her excitable nature than being angry.  "Can't you feel it Yamanagi?! Seriously, you of all people should feel it!" She drops her voice to a whisper and leans in closer.  "Listen, I've got a bad feeling, like really bad, and I think we shouldn't be here. I was debating how I should bring it up, but I think we should just get out of here, not go to our next classes. "<br/>"YOU just want an excuse to ditch class, Meiyo, and now you're trying to drag Ruri into this," Mara declares from her seat. Her arms are crossed and her eyes are glaring daggers through her glasses at the other girl.<br/>"I am not, and you know it.  I can tell, you feel this tension too. We all do," Meiyo replies indignantly.<br/>Mara says nothing, her face an impartial mask. Her cold demeanor is in sharp contrast to Meiyo's nonchalance.<br/><br/>As Daigo runs along the guard rail, he hears the familiar roar of a hollow nearby.  Moments later, he hears something like a howl, animalistic and predatory, coming from much closer. Seconds later, a strange creature charges in the direction of the hollows roar.  It's legs are reverse jointed, like a dogs, and seem to be built for jumping.  The arms are humanoid and wiry, seemingly built more for speed than power.  Whatever it is, it's fast because it is gone in moments.<br/><br/>As Kiro walks towards home, he notices that one of the nearby homes has been cordoned off by police. Various officers wander about, looking for clues and surveying the scene. The various vines and roots emerging from the windows and doors of the house make it appear as if it was abandoned for ages, despite the fact that it looked perfectly normal this morning. A pungent aroma wafts out from the flowers  growing on the vines, leaving a bad taste in Kiro's mouth.<br/>