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CRASH!
Angel jolted awake as the noise echoed through the hotel. It sounded like glass breaking, but what was breaking in the middle of the night? He quickly put on his slippers and rushed out of his room, finding the other residents congregating on the stair landing, staring in horror at what was happening. Alastor was in the middle of the lobby. His eyes were radio dials and dark tentacles were protruding from the floors and walls, breaking everything within reach. His smile was wider than was possible, sharp teeth glinting in the unnatural green glow surrounding him. As they watched, he began to laugh maniacally, seemingly enjoying the chaos. Niffty skittered past Angel’s legs, trying to clean up Alastor’s mess. Angel tried to grab her back, but she was too fast, running down the stairs straight towards Alastor. A tentacle shot from the floor directly beneath her, tossing her tiny body 30 feet into the air. She fell quickly, landing with a sickening thud against the flooring. She wasn’t moving, and blood began to seep from her head. Had Alstor just hurt Niffty? What was going on? He was still laughing. Had he even realized who that was? Vaggie had her spear drawn and was slowly inching forward, as though a spear was going to stop the carnage. Charlie was sobbing silently, staring at Niffty’s form on the ground. Husk was completely frozen, not knowing what the hell to do. Angel didn’t know himself. He had never seen Alastor like this. Behind him, Husk drew a sharp breath, and he whipped around. “What? Are you okay?” Angel whispered. Charlie and Vaggie turned, looking at Husk expectantly. “His shadow.” Husk hissed, “It’s gone.”
“And? Quit being fucking cryptic Husk, this is urgent.” Angel was not willing to die because Husk wanted to keep secrets.
“Okay, so, you all know that Alastor is part wendigo. Usually, he has control over that part, and it stays in his shadow. He can use its power by letting it out in little bits, which is how he teleports or grows or uses tentacles, and all the other creepy shit he does. Now his shadow is gone, which means all of that power is in use. He can’t control it at max strength, and it kind of… takes over his brain? I’ve never seen it actually happen, but he's told me about it. It can happen when he’s really upset. Anyway, that’s not Alastor, that’s unchecked evil power in his body. This is bad.” Husk explains hurriedly, eyes never leaving Alastor’s body.
“How do we stop it?” Charlie asked.
“You, uh, can’t. He’ll wear himself out after a while, we just need to hide.”
“Okay, we can’t let him get out and hurt anyone else. Shit, I didn’t wanna use this. Fine.” Charlie seems to be quickly fighting an internal battle before pulling out her phone and pressing a few buttons. Metal shutters descend over the doors and windows, and a large metal sheet separates the stairs and the lobby. It’s eerily quiet with Alastor drowned out.
‘We’re in full lockdown. No one can get in or out. I’ll lift it in 24 hours, and we’ll figure it out from there.” Charlie says, then stands awkwardly.
“Should we… go back to sleep?” Angel offers, unsure of what to fo in this situation. What does one do when someone in the next room is causing destruction and you just have to wait it out?
Everyone nods slowly and walks off in their separate directions. Angel sleeps fitfully as the building shakes and rattles with the impact of Alastor’s chaos. At one point, there is a particularly violent shake, and then Alastor seems to settle.
The residents spend the following day playing cards or scrolling social media and trying to ignore the elephant in the next room. When Charlie finally announces that it’s time to lift the lockdown, they’re all relieved that it’s over, but that relief vanishes when Charlie lifts the barrier. The front wall of the hotel has been smashed, and Alastor is nowhere to be seen. As they rush outside, the sight that greets them isn’t pretty. The adjacent streets are coated with blood, bodies and debris lining the sidewalks. The rampage follows a clear path, so they begin to follow it, running as fast as they can. After a few minutes of fearful silence and clicking shoes, they reach the end of the path, and it leads off into an alley. When they turn, they find Alastor, back in his smaller form, lying on the ground. Tears run down his face and over his smile, which looks more strained than ever before. Chunks of torn hair litter the ground around him, and his clothes and claws are encased in a thick layer of blood. Charlie is at his side in an instant. “Al, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“N-no, I’m fine.” His voice quivers uncharacteristically and the radio filter is missing. He sounds more human than Angel has ever witnessed. “I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault. What got you that upset, anyway?”
Alastor opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. He instead reaches for his neck, grabbing at a chain that had previously been hidden. It’s a translucent neon green, and thick. Whoever owned him had a strong grasp on his actions, and it was clearly stressing him out.
“Oh, Al…” Charlie’s voice is barely above a whisper, her eyes welling over. “Can I?”
She gently reached toward his neck, and after a moment's hesitation, he nodded. She took the chain in her hand and closed her eyes. Horns sprouted from her head and a tail whipped behind her, and the chain shattered. Alastor’s smile immediately dropped, as though it had been released from an invisible grasp. Charlie relaxed, leaning back and panting. “I’ve… only ever… done that once… before now. I save it… for emergencies. I… need to rest.” She looks as though every drop of energy had been sucked from her body. Without a second thought, Angel picked her up and put her on his back, preparing to walk back to the hotel. Everyone else followed suit, and soon the bedraggled parade made their way home. Alastor went to his room to clean up and rest, Husk went to get a drink, and Vaggie took Charlie to her room. Angel made his way to the balcony for a smoke, and found himself gazing out over the wreckage of the city. He knew it wasn’t Alastor’s fault. He knew no one could have stopped it. But still, he found himself wondering. How many graves would lie empty today if that chain had never existed?