A nice day to avoid the Scarecrows.

On the third floor of the mall.

Ashley Purple and Petter Red are walking around the lingerie area. Ashley is grabbing everything that seems slightly nice. Petter blushes as he pictures her wearing it. he tries to look away hoping that she won't make fun of him.

there are footsteps approaching. they hide. from a distance they observe as Norman Blackwood is walking around with two people, he seems to be preaching to them. those two people listen to him believing in his words. they see a chosen one on him.

Petter trembles feeling horror. he asks Ashley to keep herself away from him. Petter can tell that there is something evil about him.

once the preacher and his followers finally are out of their sight. Petter steps away. and he tells Ashley that they need to find out who is staying in there. they need to make sure if the rest of the people standing under the same roof aren't dangerous.

Petter is again on his pessimist mindset. he thinks about the worse possible scenario. he gets out of the underwear store. he walks around the long silent corridors. there are no signs of life inside the third floor at the moment. Ashley walks behind him.

"Hey, Red. I am hungry. should we go to the food court?" comments Ashley.

"What other choice do I have, if not to listen to you. we barely made it out alive last time. I am thinking of other places to take shelter. too much thinking is tiresome." said Petter.

the two of them keep advancing. Ashley tries to flirt with him. Ashley slaps his buttocks. Petter blushes hiding his face behind his hands. Ashley finds the right time to mock him. Petter begs her to stop before he loses his mind.

they seem playful and at peace. but both of them are still feeling conflicted and pain from the previous events. it was a miracle that they survived. Ashley pretends to put the pain aside even when the smallest of things reminds her of the lost friends. the lost family.

Petter puts his hands on his pockets. he tries to act cool. he looks for a moment at Ashley. he pictures a future at her side. he knows that whatever they have can be attributed to something along the lines of the suspension bridge effect or Stockholm Syndrome. but Petter wants to believe that it is real. that what they feel is authentic.

as they keep walking. there is a strange sound. they hide. and then Fidelio wearing a neon red suit walks in front of them. he presents himself with a soft tone of voice. he then presents Detective Miller who was walking at his side.

"You two are still alive? nice, you can join the rest of our crew downstairs. we are staying by the food court. and believe me, the food there is not half bad." said Francesco.

for the rest of the journey all four of them are mostly silent. it is only Fidelio who tries to break the silence talking about his past as an artisan crafting wooden things. he would create unique pieces of art and decorations. he also made furniture.

finally, they arrive at the food court. Richard and Massimo aren't there. they left to look around on the second floor. on a corner Norman, Hanna, and Tom are eating together. Petter stops for a second feeling anxious. he can tell that there is something wrong about them. Norman stares at him with a wicked smile. you can almost read on his face what he is thinking.

Petter sits down seating nervously. Ashley can tell right away that he feels fear. and by the way in which Norman intensely stares at Petter, it is too obvious the reason of such fear. Petter asks Fidelio for something light to eat and some ice cream. 

the minutes inside the food court become more intense as each second comes by slowly. the clock on the wall ticks and warns them of the time. Petter can't even leave the mall because of the creepy scarecrows surrounding the mall on the outside. 

there is something truly sinister about the scarecrows, especially the fact that they have humanlike characteristics that adds to the uncanny valley. those eyes look too real and there is so much sorrow written on them. the worst part is that like a predator those things stand there silently waiting for someone to bite the bait. what started with a handful of them, is now a whole horde of scarecrows leaving no exit expose. 

" Quite the predicament. isn't it?" comments Norman with a tone of voice that sounds more threatening than friendly. he then locates his right hand on top of Petter's shoulder. he gets closer to Petter and at his ear whispers some little malicious secrets. 

so far nobody has cared enough to try to stop Norman from been himself. after all a little creepy cult leader without his herd can cause no danger. he is just some harmless strange fellow on the eyes of everyone else. a guy who hasn't overcome the awkward phases of life. but in truth nobody can understand him better than Petter. he seems to be the only one capable of seen beyond the sophisticated mannerism and "innocent" strangeness.

Norman loudly announces his dominance over others with two words, "Smoke Time." Hanna and Tom stand up with no hesitation. at that moment Massimo and Richard are returning with some news to share. no one questions Norman as he walks away with his disciples. nobody tries to stop him. nobody doubts his intentions. they mostly assumed that given the circumstances there is no way that Norman would ever think of acting out of character.

Petter stays quietly looking at the empty corridor. a part of him wants to run after him and stop whatever malicious thing he may be planning. but deep down, he knows he is too weak and afraid to face a monster like that. he looks at Ashley nervously.

"If you are going to act, do it. whatever you do remember to live with no regrets. if you feel internal conflict. then follow your heart, and not your head." said Ashley.

it takes a minute or two for Petter to gain the strength to stand up. he then starts to move with weak and vulnerable steps that easily start to be faster and firmer. soon enough he is almost flying through the corridors trying to stop Norman.

he hears a voice. he follows the voice to the stairs. he listens as it becomes clear that their destination is the rooftop. he keeps moving. he then stops. 

"Is this the only choice? master." asks Hanna.

"My lord. oh, guide me to salvation. I am a faithful follower." screams Tom in despair.

"Yes, my little lambs. now a winged creature of purity has spoken to me, the chosen one. it told me a simple truth. this is a trail to see if you are worthy of the glory of the lord. now prove yourselves by taking the final test. is a test of trust. are you sure you are ready? because, if you aren't. I can always find other lambs purer and more loyal." dictates Norman.

"No. we're ready." both Hanna & Tom said at the same time.

they both walk towards the edge of the roof. then they jump off holding hands. the fall didn't kill them just as Norman had predicted. they fell on top of the scarecrows. then before they could celebrate their ascension. the scarecrows start to tear apart their humanity. the scarecrows start to sew them. turning them into living scarecrows.

"See. just as predicted. they have transcended humanity, such a beautiful complementary art piece I would add. so tragic and beautiful." commented Norman with a macabre smirk.

Petter runs towards Norman. he pushes him to the ground. he sits on top of Norman as he starts to punch him on the face. he keeps punching him as he screams out of rage. the others come out to the rooftop. as they seem Norman's bloody messy face. they try to pull Petter away from him as he keeps screaming like an animal in agony.

Petter who is physically fine seems to be emotionally hurt and desperate. on the opposite side Norman who is a mess keeps smiling like if nothing had happened.

"Why did you assault him?" Francesco asks confused.

"It is my fault. I just convinced two people to jump. I was simply curious to see what the scarecrows were capable of doing. and oh boy, it was a sight to behold." said Norman with a calm soft tone of voice before he breaks into a manically laughter.

everyone was in shock. not even Francesco could believe how truly dangerous and evil is the man who has been following them all this time.

"Oh no. Oh God, No." said Richard once the truth hits him. he runs towards the edge of the rooftop and looks down. he was destroyed to see the devastating aftermath.