Symbiote Mask Stories

Andy pressed the side of his face against the window. The cold bit into his cheek, and he couldn’t see through the glass much thanks to the rain, but that didn’t matter. Even if he could see there wouldn’t be much there. It was 4:30, and most folks had already gone home. Rather than go home himself, Andy had spent most of the two hours since his final class lingering, either in the student lounge playing Smash Bros, or in the hallways doing laps and studying the ads on the public corkboards. Once he settled in the dining hall, he nestled himself in a booth, people watching until there were no more people to watch, and then for a little while longer. At its peak, the Eldersburg Community College dining hall was a bustling hive of student activity. Young people weaved their way between tables carrying trays of cafeteria fare to their tables, where they either met their friends or sat alone hunched over their laptops doing schoolwork. Lovers met, snuck kisses, and indulged in clumsy flirt...

Nadia and Scythia made a beeline for a doorway on the outer circle. As they got closer Scythia realized it was the same one she had seen the two demons disappear down earlier. To the right of it, on the wall, was a touch screen, which Nadia immediately began operating as soon as it was within reach. She tapped and scrolled through various menus with one hand while holding (and occasionally squeezing) Scythia’s hand with the other. Scythia watched in awe. She’d clearly done this before. “Looks like we’re in luck” Nadia said. Scythia already felt brimming with luck, but was certainly game for more. Suddenly, Nadia lurched into a sprint and plunged through the doorway, yanking Scythia in along with her. After a few steps Scythia stumbled, making Nadia giggle, and Scythia giggled right back. Ahead stretched a long, straight hallway flanked on both sides by wooden doors, which whizzed by as they jogged, flying past as blurs of reddish-brown. LED signals hung above each one, just like the ...