Carlos leaned over Marisol's still form, brushing damp strands of hair from her face with a slow, deliberate motion. The flickering candlelight cast deep shadows over the abandoned church walls, the heavy scent of wax and rain settling around him.
A victorious smirk played at his lips. He had done it.
Their first victory.
He mulled over how he would frame it—how he would spin the losses, the sacrifices, the destruction, into something his familia would believe was worth it. He needed them to believe, to keep believing.
The rain outside began to fall in thick, unrelenting sheets once more, hammering against the stained-glass windows. Carlos exhaled, tilting his head, letting the sound settle into his bones.
The first steps were always the hardest, but now?
Now, the Promised Land felt closer than ever.
And she—Marisol—would be his golden ticket.
His fingers trailed to her wrist, feeling the faint, steady beat of her pulse. She was still here. Still useful.
But Marisol was already slipping into a dream.
Or was it another memory?
But what was sure was this was definitely the other marisol.
Marisol ran.
The rain was relentless, pounding against the pavement outside Disneyland's main entrance, turning the streets into a blurred mess of neon reflections and scattered debris.
Marisol stood before the gates, drenched, trembling—not with fear, but with purpose.
The stuffed bunny in her grip felt heavier than ever, its once-soft fur soaked and stained, its eyes glassy and empty. She tightened her hold around it, nails digging into the fabric.
Behind her, the crowds swelled and shifted, an ocean of tourists, families, and visitors completely unaware of the storm about to break.
The voice of her only friend whispered in her ear.
"You know what you have to do," the bunny whispered. "Sacrifice them all, and the Otherworld will welcome you with open arms".
She clutched the bunny tighter.
Eri knew best.
Her only friend. Her only option.
It had killed for her.
It had torn through the cops that got in her way.
Through anyone who dared to stop her.
The shadows—the ones who once protected her since she was baby—hid from her.
She could see the cat peeking from the alleyway, terrified of what she had become.
The rain pummeled her, washing the dry blood from her arms, plastering her dark hair to her skin. She didn't shiver. Didn't stop. She knew what had to be done.
That was when a woman in a Mouse poncho screamed, clutching her child and stumbling backward. The sound rippled through the crowd like wildfire.
Heavy bootfalls splashing through the rain.
She turned.
And there he was.
Garrison.
Again.
His rifle hung at his side, his expression dark, unreadable—but she could feel it.
Hatred.
He was here for her. To end her.
"You never stop," she yelled through the downpour, her voice raw.
Garrison's eyes were cold. Unwavering.
"I will. Once I kill you," he said simply.
His grip on his weapon tightened.
"And then I'll end myself."
Phones shot into the air, cameras flashing, recording—livestreams began, broadcasting to millions without a second thought.
Revenge. That's all he wanted. That's all he had left.
Her hands curled into fists.
Eri's voice whispered in her ear.
"Kill him first."
Marisol moved.
Garrison raised his gun.
Eri leapt from her grip, no longer a stuffed animal, but a monstrous thing—eyes gleaming, fangs bared, claws stretched long and eager.
Then, the real panic set in.
A man in a tourist hoodie tripped over a stroller, setting off a chain reaction—people began running, colliding, shouting. The gate attendants, dressed in their brightly colored uniforms, fumbled to contain the chaos, speaking into their radios with trembling hands.
Security was already moving.
And Marisol hadn't even done anything yet.
She heard a distant voice—a cast member calling for backup, for the Anaheim Police, for anyone to fix this.
The rain blurred their movements—gunfire crackled through the storm, bullets embedding into the concrete as Marisol twisted, shadows forming at her feet.
Garrison dodged the first swipe, rolling back, his hand steady as he took aim—
And fired.
Marisol twisted, the bullet tearing past her ribs, searing flesh—but she didn't stop.
The second Garrison had fired his gun, the entire crowd erupted.
The running turned to trampling.
A man trying to pull his daughter away tripped, yanking her down with him.
Security guards lunged for their radios—no longer just dealing with panic, but an armed man in the middle of Disneyland.
Eri struck from behind, talons slashing through Garrison's coat, drawing blood—
But he didn't stop either.
"This ends tonight you damn monster," he hissed, slamming the butt of his rifle into Marisol's side.
She hit the ground hard, vision spinning.
Eri lunged.
Then—
A hand grabbed Eri.
It was Aiden.
He had stepped in out of nowhere, his body moving on instinct, fingers digging into the shifting darkness of Eri's monstrous form. He wrenched it back, away from Marisol, his light igniting like a wildfire beneath his skin.
"Enough!" Aiden's voice cut through the storm, his grip firm.
Eri let out a furious shriek, writhing against his grasp, its red eyes burning with something beyond rage—desperation.
"Aiden?" Marisol managed, voice laced with confusion. She barely knew him. They had met once—once!—before everything fell apart. And yet here he was, standing between her and Garrison like he had any stake in this fight.
Garrison scowled. "Move, Aiden." His rifle didn't waver, but there was hesitation now—a flicker of conflict in his eyes. "This has nothing to do with you."
Aiden looked back over his shoulders, keeping his hold on Eri even as it snapped at him. "I know you think that. But give me the benefit of the doubt. Let me talk to her."
"Talk?" Garrison's voice was thick with disbelief. "She killed my family. She killed—" He exhaled sharply, his grip on his weapon tightening. "No. She dies tonight."
Aiden shook his head. "If you do this, there's no going back." He stepped closer. "I'm not saying to forgive her. I'm not even saying she's right. I just know what it's like to lose control. To feel like the whole world is pushing you to be something you don't want to be."
For a second, just a second, something wavered in Garrison's stance.
His arms lowered.
Just an inch.
That was when Eri broke free. pouncing at aiden with all it had.
Aiden barely had time to react before the creature slammed into him, its claws tearing through his jacket. He stumbled back, his boots skidding against the rain-slicked ground.
Eri shrieked.
Then—Aiden's light flared.
A blinding, raw pulse of warmth and radiance shot through his hands, through Eri. The creature stiffened, its monstrous form flickering, unraveling like smoke in the wind.
"NO!" Marisol screamed.
But it was too late.
Eri let out a final, earsplitting wail before vanishing— a puff of light and dark colliding, dissipating into the storm.
Her stuffed bunny—the only thing left of her childhood, of who she was before everything shattered—was gone.
Marisol's heart slammed against her ribs. No. No, no, no. This wasn't happening. She had already lost everything—she couldn't lose Eri too.
She stumbled back, shaking, hands gripping at the air.
"You—" Marisol's breath was ragged, her hands shaking as she looked at Aiden, fury and something deeper twisting inside her. "You killed her!"
Aiden didn't move.
"Marisol." His voice was firm, but not unkind.
"Do you remember me? I'm a friend of your stepdad's." he asked, stepping forward. "We met a few days ago right? But I remember you."
"Stay out of this you don't know what you're getting into." She said hoping he would just leave.
Aiden exhaled. "I know more than you think." His voice softened. "But the otherworld is not the answer."
That stopped her.
The Otherworld.
Eri had spoken about the Otherworld. How it was waiting for her. How it was calling to her.
"You don't understand. Eri said if I kill enough people here," Her voice came out hoarse. "the Otherworld will let me in."
Aiden didn't move. He just stood there in the rain, his presence steady despite the chaos around them.
"Marisol I know youre scared but...," he said again, softer this time. "You have to know this is wrong."
"Scared?" Her jaw locked. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know you don't want this."
A shiver ran through her. Why was he still standing there? Why was he saying these things?
She didn't need someone like him.
Aiden didn't know anything.
"No you're lying I'm special." Her voice cracked slightly, but she forced the words out, spitting them into the storm between them. "you think that wrong means something? That you suddenly understand what I'm going through?"
Aiden held her gaze. His expression didn't waver.
"You're right," he admitted. "I dont know what you're going through."
Marisol's tears clouded her eyes.
"But darkness clouds the untrained. Think back was that really your toy bunny... or was that an extension of your inner self."
Marisol's mind swirled.
If he was telling the truth—Her eyes flickered toward Disneyland's towering gates, then back to Aiden. For a second—just a second—Marisol hesitated.
Maybe—
Maybe he was—
A shot rang out.
Aiden staggered.
Marisol's breath hitched.
The world slowed.
Blood blossomed across Aiden's back.
He turned slightly, blinking—confused, disoriented.
Garrison had shot him.
In cold blood.
"You're both insane," Garrison said, raising his gun again. "Nothing changes. She dies tonight."
Marisol moved without thinking.
Roots surged forming hardened gauntlets.
She screamed squeezing his neck with a deafening crunch.
Garrison's body lay in the mud, face turned slightly to the side, his lifeless eyes reflecting the neon glow of Disneyland's wet streets.
The weight of what she had done finally hitting her.