From the cracks splitting the live house floor, a black mist rose, curling upward.
Aoi and Yuto stumbled back, pressing against the iron door. The mist carried a sickly-sweet stench, invading their lungs. The black threads coiled around Aoi's arm pulsed, slithering across her skin. The noise in her head roared again, her vision trembling. The stage's chaos faded, replaced by a low, churning hum deep in her ears.
"Aoi, stay with it! We gotta get out!"
Yuto's shout yanked her back to reality.
Gritting her teeth, she pulled the cutter from her pocket, slashing at the threads. The blade passed through them, slicing only air. The threads, as if mocking her, climbed higher, reaching her neck.
A cold grip tightened around her heart.
"Yuto, the door! Open it!"
Aoi screamed. Yuto yanked the rusted handle with all his strength, but the door wouldn't budge. The black stain coated its surface, writhing like a living thing.
Yuto flicked his lighter again, holding the flame to the stain. It scorched, shrinking with a shrill screech. A crack opened in the door, and they shoved their bodies through.
The corridor beyond was thick with damp, heavy air.
The crowd's chaos hadn't calmed. Some guests, overtaken by the black stain, moved like puppets, drawn to the stage. Though the speakers were silent, the floor's vibrations never stopped.
Aoi smacked her headset, shouting for Kaz.
"Kaz, where are you? The building's falling apart!"
A crackling voice answered.
"Aoi, at the entrance! Getting people out! Hurry!"
Aoi and Yuto pushed toward the exit, but the crowd was a solid wall. Those consumed by the stain reached for them, their eyes hollow, black liquid dripping from their mouths.
Aoi swung her flashlight, carving a path. But the stain slithered across the floor, tangling her sneakers. Her legs grew heavy, like sinking into a swamp.
"Yuto, run! I'll hold it off!"
"Don't be stupid! We're going together!"
Yuto grabbed her hand, pulling with everything he had. They broke through the crowd, reaching the entrance's iron door. It hung half-open, a black membrane sealing the gap. Kaz's voice bellowed from outside.
"Aoi! Yuto! Move!"
Aoi slashed at the membrane with her cutter, but the blade bounced off, and the film thickened. Yuto tried his lighter, but the flame didn't burn—it was absorbed, the membrane growing darker.
The threads on Aoi's arm stirred, shaking her mind. Noise flooded her head, and visions of the past flashed again.
The old live house, ecstatic crowds, the stage's stain.
This time, it was vivid. As performers were swallowed by the stain, their bodies melted into black liquid, sinking into the floor. At the stage's center, a massive disc—like a record—hovered, its spiral pattern glowing. It drank in sound, amplifying vibrations, making the entire live house resonate.
Aoi understood. This building was a machine, feeding on sound to nurture something.
"Yuto… we have to kill all the sound…"
Her voice was frail. She tore off her headset, smashing it against the floor.
Yuto nodded, scanning with his flashlight. Near the entrance stood an emergency generator, powering the live house's lights and equipment. He shouted.
"Aoi, if we stop that, everything stops!"
They raced to the generator, but the stain had already enveloped it. A spiral pattern pulsed on its surface, like a beating heart.
Aoi gripped her cutter, slashing at the stain. Each cut made it spread, clawing at her hand. Yuto hurled his lighter, and flames caught the generator. The stain shrieked, shrinking back.
"Now!"
Aoi flipped the generator's switch. The live house went dark, shadows swallowing them. The vibrations stopped, and silence fell.
But then a new sound rose from the floor—a low, undulating hum. The stain, unfazed by the generator's shutdown, crawled up walls, dripping from the ceiling.
"It's not just the sound…"
Aoi's voice shook. The threads on her arm slithered to her neck, whispering noise in her ear. Her vision wavered, and the live house's past flashed again. At the disc's center, a black shadow loomed, humanoid but faceless, a spiral swirling where its face should be. It fed on sound, growing.
Aoi realized: this building was a prison, cultivating the shadow with sound and human emotion.
"Aoi, outside! We get out, we're safe!"
Yuto's voice snapped her back. Summoning her last strength, she slammed into the membrane on the door. It yielded, swallowing her like quicksand. Yuto pushed from behind, and they burst through. Cold night air flooded their lungs. Kaz grabbed them, dragging them onto the street.
"You alive? What the hell was that!?"
Kaz's voice was distant. Aoi turned, staring at the live house. It stood silent, as if nothing had happened. But through the window's cracks, she saw the black stain writhe. The threads on her arm were gone, the noise silenced. Yet her heart still raced.
"It's not over…"
As she whispered, a low vibration rumbled from deep within the live house.