THIS AIN'T WHAT YOU WANT (3)

If you told the me of five years ago that she'd be breaking into abandoned malls to put lost souls out of their misery, she'd look at you funny. She never got out much, nor did she ever think she would make a difference in the world. She lived a quiet, uneventful life. Boring, but peaceful, in a hollow way.

Then again, if you told the me of five years ago that she'd be doing it dressed as a magical girl plague doctor, she wouldn't believe you on that front, either.

"It's over there." Seco-sensei speaks in a hushed tone, gesturing for us to keep a low profile. ...As low a profile as our outfits and weapons will allow, of course. She points over to one of the stores.

Following her figure, I see them. A poor individual, made of pastel sludge much like any other Anxi. What sets them apart from the others, however, is their size. They must be standing double our height-- hell, probably double Rifa-sensei's. Speaking of standing, they're bipedal, unlike the brainless Anxi that weren't once human-- or another intelligent race, of course.

I wouldn't be able to tell you what race they were, though. ...They're too long gone for that. Their arms hang too long, dragging on the floor, with fists bigger than my head. Their legs bend at awkward angles, and their mouth has given way to a snout, with disjointed fangs I'd not even be able to count if I tried.

There's a part of me that feels bad that we're going to be taking them out, but I know it's for the best. Even with them having once been intelligent, their mind has become long gone-- not unlike a zombie. And we don't want them to spread and infect others, either-- if monster Anxi can even spread, I mean. We don't really know, and I doubt any of us want to risk letting it happen.

"I'll stay behind." Rifa-sensei speaks up. "Draw them out with my fire. Seco and Wantus can attack it from opposite sides." The two of them nod.

...

A pause.

"W-what about me?" I speak up.

"Huh? Oh, r... right." She shakes her head. She must've gotten distracted by something. I've learned that this happens from time to time. "Stay by my side for now-- block off its escape if it tries to flee."

"Got it." I nod, as we all get into position. Well-- mainly Seco-sensei and Wantus-sensei. I'm just standing here laying low as Rifa-sensei lies on her stomach, ready for the shot. We still haven't really figured out our exact dynamics as a group, but I don't mind playing Anxi goaltender. With a hammer this big, it'd probably be inconvenient to try and fight alongside the other two melee-wielders, after all. So it's no big deal.

Rifa-sensei lines up the shot, and...

KRRAAAOOOOHH

A direct hit-- I'd expect nothing less! The beast staggers, falling to its knees. I'm sure it's still alive, but we've weakened it for sure. It lets out a high-pitched screech that reverberates through the entire mall. It turns to face us, as expected... but why isn't it trying to rush us down? We weren't exactly trying to be subtle- ...why is it holding its arms out?

!!

Suddenly, the Anxi's arms begin stretching out at a rapid rate, shooting off like missiles right for me...! With little time to react, I take a wide swing, slamming my hammer into both of its arms before they can connect to me. Yet... something's up. Its arms are bent in a weird way, as if-

As... if it's arms were still grabbing onto my hammer.

"M... Ma-"

Before Rifa-sensei can get a sentence out, the Anxi begins retracting its arms, rapidly pulling me in towards it! This is bad... this is bad... I didn't exactly want an express pass to an Anxi's cold embrace, here! I'm not strong enough to pull my hammer away from the grip of the beast, so I figure it second best to transform my hammer back. But wait... I've still got so much momentum from the speed they were pulling me in with.

...

An idea pops into my head. I need to be quick, though.

"S-sorry.. Shiko!"

"W-wh- cRAAAAAWW??"

I grab Shiko by the tail as if it were the handle of my hammer, quickly transforming her back as I'm rocketing toward the Anxi, putting as much weight as I can at the last minute, and...

SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAM

Crashing head against head as my warhammer makes impact against the Anxi's skull. That-

"Aghggahhahghagah...! O-ooof..." I realize far too late that swinging my hammer would act as an impromptu lever, sending me careening into one of the nearest cardboard displays. ...Sorry you had to break my fall, L██-kun.

"Ya good...??" Wantus-sensei yells out, concerned for the stunt I'd just pulled.

"I'm fine, focus on the Anxi!" I quickly respond, picking the bits of cardboard and sludge out of my hair.

Quickly capitalizing on the situation, Seco-sensei rushes into the store with me, slamming the teeth of her flaming chainsaw against the legs of the Anxi. Despite everything, she's the calmest of the group. If it weren't for the rest of us, she'd probably be mistaken for a cold-blooded professional. Ironic, I suppose.

The beast screeches loudly once more, falling down to its knee and moving to slash at Seco-sensei.

"Now, Wan-chan!" Seco-sensei shouts, blocking the attacks with her chainsaw.

"On it!" Following her command, Wantus-sensei dashes for the Anxi, taking advantage of the distraction to make slashes of her own-- digging deep into the monster's chest. It honestly scares me how fast she can swing her claws like that. You'd swear she wasn't human.

The beast, panting heavily, balls its fists up together, trying to slam them against Wantus-sensei. But, before they can, I quickly rush over, taking a vertical swing to parry. The Anxi is knocked off-balance, staggering backwards toward the counter.

And in an instant, Rifa-sensei lines up a shot, ready for the killing blow. One shot to the heart, and...

The beast is flung further back, falling over the counter onto the other side.

...We all take a collective breath, sighing in relief.

Then... Seco-sensei looks to me, speaking up.

"I forget-- you're not squeamish, right?"

"Y-y... well." I think back to the Anxi I'd splattered the "I've gotten desensitized to that whole thing."

"I'd look away then. Gotta... be thorough..." She revs her chainsaw up once more, hopping onto the counter, then down toward the dead Anxi. Having gotten my fill of gore for the day, I do as she says and avert my eyes. I think she's banking on separating the limbs rendering it unable to revive. But, if I'd crushed one's skull and it still reformed, is this really going to be any different...?

Rifa-sensei approaches, pulling me into a close hug. "M-Martel-sensei... are you okay? No major injuries?" She seems genuinely concerned, as if I'd never done this magical girl thing before.

...Not that I mind, honestly. "I'm fine. Only thing hurt is the collectors value of those figures, I guess."

She laughs a bit. "That's good. I'm glad." She pats me on the back, breaking the hug. "We'll leave after Seco-sensei is done cutting the Anxi up."

I nod, eyes wandering again to the collectibles littered throughout the store. I wonder how much is salvageable...

Rifa-sensei looks between Wantus-sensei and Seco-sensei, realizing to ask something. "...Either of you need a ride home?"

No response from Seco-sensei. She's... busy, it seems.

Wantus-sensei speaks up on her behalf. "If you could drop us off by the convenience store near Seco-chan's place, that'd be great."

"Of course."

After some time had passed to allow Seco-sensei to do her... thing, the four of us made our way back to Rifa-sensei's car, ready to call the mission a resounding success.

...As she turns on the engine, the two of us notice something.

The Low Gas light is on.