AJ was ecstatic. After almost three hours of simply trying to survive, their fortunes had finally changed and his Aspirants were finally able to go on the offense. As AJ thought, this was a gimmicked fight, and once that gimmick was cracked, victory was easy enough. He didn’t expect the clown creature to go out in such a burst of glory, taking a few of his front-line fighters with her in death, but it was a small price to pay for a well-deserved victory.

  Sure the Aspirants were tried and bruised, but their spirits were higher than ever before; the sheer catharsis from seeing those two monstrosities finally beaten was something else. Now all that was left was to finish what they had started and kill that son of a bitch vice director.

  “How much time do we have until the siege is over?” AJ asked absentmindedly, walking closer to the seemingly cowering creature.

  “24 hours and 19 minutes, sir!”

  AJ grinned with pure, unrestrained malice. “Good, that means we can take our time here. I want this bastard to suffer.”

  As the invading forces gathered around the sole remaining individual, moving to surround the thing so that it couldn’t escape. AJ had half expected the creature to beg for mercy, or at least cower in fear. Yet it didn’t do any of that. In fact, it only smiled as if its defeat wasn’t mere moments away. A sixth sense warned AJ that something wasn’t right…

  The vice director’s form seemed to swell and expand for a moment, and an aura of pure, eldritch energy leaked out from its figure. Its body bulged and contorted as if some unseen entity was about to be unleashed onto the world. The entire room froze with fear. Was AJ wrong about his assessment of the vice director, and it wasn’t as weak as he thought it was? But just as quickly as that power came, it disappeared almost instantaneously.

  “Ah…” it muttered under its breath, “I forgot about the Trash Matrix watching… shit.”

  AJ frowned. What the hell was it talking about? Either way, that frightening power was gone, so maybe it was only bluffing as a last-ditch effort?

  “Look, ladies and gentlemen…” it said, raising its hands up in defeat. “I think there might be a mistake here… why don’t we all just sit down like civilized individuals and talk this out? I have some amazing coffee and cookies I’d love to share. How about it?”

  AJ shook his head; he was overthinking things. This thing was all bravado and little else. “Do you honestly think we would take you up on that offer, monster?”

  “Uh… yeah?” it said with a lopsided smile. “Everyone likes coffee and cookies.”

  AJ scoffed. “Cripple it.”

  His personnel, eager to finally be done with this hellish mission, obliged with glee. They rushed at the vice director, disregarding all semblance of teamwork to get a piece of the action. Even the mages took up arms and rushed in, not bothering with magic since the risk of friendly fire was too high now that there was only one target left.

  ***

  “Dear Walter, you only have yourself to blame,” Noe said matter-of-factly as a huge Aspirant introduced my face to the floor.

  Now is not the time to rub it in, oh system of mine! I rebounded off the floor and barely dodged another wave of fireballs, only to careen into the business end of a club. That would have taken my head off if I weren’t so durable as Dr. Walter. I’m gonna die, Noe! Why aren’t you using any Luck Charges to help?

  “Do not fear, my Host,” she answered, “With your connection to Sarah, you will not die unless the entirety of Hope’s Memorial is destroyed. You will live; there is no need to expend valuable Luck Charges here.”

  But…

  “Consider it a learning opportunity, dear Walter,” Noe continued, completely ignoring my plight. “While it is good to destress and have fun every now and then, it is also important to avoid shutting off your brain whilst doing so. If I had not warned you earlier, Walter, you would have used your abilities and ruined everything that we have strived to accomplish.”

  I winced. Yeah, I’ll be honest, I did kind of forget that I wasn’t supposed to act myself, what with the Trash Matrix keeping a lookout for my energy signature. Yeah, I definitely allowed the power to get to my head, but…

  Isn’t there a less painful method of learning my lesson, Noe? I think I’ll turn into a Walter sandwich at this rate.

  “If you can make lame jokes right now, then it means that the situation isn’t that bad.”

  Someone I couldn’t see slammed into my side and I could swear I heard my ribs crack from the impact. I was thrown to the side and slammed into the walls. It was a good thing that I had sent the audience out of here earlier, I don’t think I wanted the staff to see their new vice director in such a sorry state.

  It’s a reference, not a joke! And please help me out, Noe?

  Time Left the End of the Day: 06:21

  “There you go, my Host,” Noe said with that smirky tone, “Now you have a means of keeping time. You are welcome, dear Walter.”

  …

  And so began the longest 6 minutes and 21 seconds of my life. At least when I was burning alive, my body had the decency to pass out after about a minute or so, it was a whole other story here. The Aspirants were possessed with some kind of vindictive nature and they were all hellbent on making me suffer. If that weren’t bad enough, true to Noe’s words, Dr. Walter really couldn’t die or even pass out while I was still connected to Sarah; any wound would heal almost immediately, not that it did my situation any good. In fact, my regenerative nature, coupled with my perceived helplessness, only made the foe more bold.

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  Given my hopeless situation, I even tried to use that groveling title, but that was a horrible mistake. Unlike last time, these Aspirants didn’t gloat by talking, no, they gloated by beating me up even more fervently. The only saving grace was that once they knew that I had no more surprises up my sleeve, they made a spectacle of my suffering. Since there were way too many survivors left, their leader AJ had his men and women form an orderly line so that everyone had a chance to enact their revenge.

  And thus, for the next 6 minutes and 21 seconds, I was subjected to every form of punishment available to the invaders. I was burned, sliced, poked at, and smashed, all the while I was helplessly staring at Noe’s cruel timer. The seconds passed by, then the minutes did, and eventually, the timer reached that beautiful zero… and nothing happened.

  Noe… where’s the Director?

  “I would imagine that she is finishing up her meeting and is on her way over, dear Walter,” Noe answered with a chuckle. “Did you think she is a robot and would come the second the seventh day started?”

  I felt the life drain out of me. Yeah… that made sense, it’s not like this is the Trials where everything was automated and exactly on time... Humans, or gods in this case, followed a more flexible schedule. Once again, how I missed something so obvious was a mystery. Scratch that, I knew how I missed it. It was the pain.

  It took another 23 minutes and 15 seconds, courtesy of Noe’s new tracker, for the Director, my sweet, sweet Abigail, to come back. By that point, I was in so much agony that I could barely manage to move. Technically, my body was still fine, but my mind was so thoroughly beaten that I wanted nothing else but to rest. But I couldn’t; I wasn’t going to miss out on seeing the Director’s return and the fruits of my suffering.

  The first to notice her return was the hospital itself. A sense of… joy and satisfaction washed over me through my link with Sarah; so strong with that emotion that I had momentarily forgotten about my own aches. I hadn’t noticed it until now, but the relationship between Abigail and Hope’s Memorial was deeper than I had ever thought. This wasn’t just a workplace for the woman, it was her home and the place where she had raised her only child.

  It took a while longer for the Aspirants, still lost in their reverie of beating me senseless, to notice the subtle changes to the atmosphere. The air around us grew thick with energy and I felt a presence’s gaze lock into my position. That energy turned to pure hatred and spite when it noticed my situation, yet I felt the gaze of another there as well. This one wasn’t looking at me with concern, but of amusement. Ah, that must be Molly, bringing the Director back from Bob’s place. Of course she’d be enjoying the current situation.

  Thankfully I noticed earlier, and quickly did what I could to hide my little play - it wasn’t like I wanted her to see that I was up to nonesense while she was away - and had Sarah suck back the props and decour I had commendeered back to their original positions. I prayed Abigail would come faster. She didn’t disappoint.

  “Boss… do you feel that?” The Aspirant dropped what he was doing - namely, playing whack-a-mole with my face - and frowned. “Something feels wrong.”

  AJ gestured for everyone to stop their barbaric violence. “That’s… you’re right, I’m feeling something. Recon team, do you read anything unusual?”

  They didn’t respond immediately; instead, they focused on whatever abilities they were using to survey the environment. Eventually, a petite woman spoke up. “Negative, AJ. We’re not reading anything unusual, but…”

  “But?”

  She shook her head. “But I’m certain that something’s not right. I can feel it. Give me a moment to che-”

  The poor woman never got to finish her sentence. She looked incredulously as her body started to melt like hot wax, dripping onto the ground in a macabre fashion. She tried to raise a hand, her mind unable to process what was happening, and before she could so much as mutter a scream, the woman’s figure dissolved and pooled onto the ground in a sludgly mess, leaving behind only her clothes.

  The Director decided to make her entrance known at that moment.

  “You would dare trample upon this place of healing!” A voice, so loud and so full of malice that it shook the very foundations of the hospital itself, reverberated from every corner of the building. “You abuse my staff, destroy my property, and invade my home!”

  I could tell that the invading Aspirants wanted to retaliate, but not only were they still recovering from the shock of Abigail’s sudden entrance, but her presence and aura made it impossible for them to do much other than breathe. I was unaffected, of course, but it wasn’t as if I had the energy to get up and celebrate in any case.

  “And worst of all, you have harmed my vice director!” Abigail continued, her form solidifying by the second. The lights darkened, and soon, that same comforting midnight black shape condensed from the shadows.

  The Director, in all her glory, was back, and I finally allowed myself to relax. She went over to my side and gave me a comforting smile, the earlier hatred completely gone from her expression.

  “You’ve done well, Dr. Walter,” she said, squeezing my hand, “You’ve suffered enough for my sake… Now rest, I’ll take it from here.”

  “Thanks,” I managed to say with a forced smile.

  I wasn’t going to tell her that I was treating this as a vacation for 99% of my time here, and that I was only in this state due to my own stupidity. She’ll probably find out, no doubt, but for now, let’s just allow this slight miscommunication to continue so that I don’t look like a complete moron in the eyes of the Director.

  “Molly, please look after the good doctor,” Abigail continued.

  A familiar porcelain doll appeared from the shadows and hobbled over to my position. “As you wish, madam.”

  Once the Director was sure that I was safe, her attention and her wrath were focused back on the Aspirants. She walked over to them, deliberately slow, and I could see the fear and primal dread on the expressions of everyone present. Yeah, these guys were beyond fucked.

  “Ah, Walter, foolish Walter,” Molly said beside me, her expression blank, but I just knew she was smirking on the inside. “You’re lucky the madam hadn’t seen why you’re in your current state. I saw some interesting security footage of your most recent escapades; it was quite an interesting watch, especially the ending.”

  I groaned. “Don’t rub it in…”

  “As someone who has managed the impossible on more than a few occasions,” she continued, “it is rather remarkable how stupid you can get sometimes. It makes me want to dissect that brain of yours to see what the malady is; you have lived perhaps longer than I have, yet you somehow still retain that weakness. It must be excised.”

  I stared at the doll in equal parts fear and bewilderment.

  Molly chuckled. “I am only jesting, Walter. You are an idiot, but that’s what makes you so entertaining and lovable.”

  “I was right,” I grumbled, “You are much nicer in person than in doll form.”

  “And don’t worry,” she continued, “I won’t share the footage with Abigail. I doubt Sarah will be inclined to do so either, so your secret is safe.”

  I frowned. “Why are you being so nice to me now?”

  “Because,” she replied, “as much as the last time I entertained your ideas still stings, I am your friend.” The doll paused. “And while it would be entertaining to see the Director’s reaction upon seeing the truth, it would be beneficial for the whole of Hope’s Memorial that she views you as a competent leader while she is away. Regardless of your last-minute slip-up, you have done an admirable job of holding the fort, and for that, I thank you.”

  “Uh, you’re welcome?”

  Molly sighed. “Never mind, just relax while the Director cleans up your mess. I’d like to say that she will take her time to fully decompress after the meetings, but…”

  I frowned. “But?”

  “There is some dire news, Walter,” Molly said with a sigh. “Abigail will fill you in once she’s done.”

  And true to Molly’s words, the Director didn’t waste any time cleaning up the poor Aspirants. The ones in the front all melted like the first individual, and she only chose to confine the few invaders in charge of the whole thing. All in all, it took her less than 5 minutes to conclude the whole affair. And although there was a brief moment of happiness in her expression once she saw that the hospital and its staff were safe and sound, that joy disappeared almost immediately.

  I forced my body up and ran over to her. “What’s going on? I heard from Molly that the meeting didn’t go as planned.”

  Abigail’s shoulders sagged, and that aura of invincibility that she just displayed vanished completely. She enveloped me in a hug, her emotions barely in check. “Hope’s Memorial is getting shut down, Walter. It’s… It’s all gone; everything we did was for nothing.”

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