Immediately after Frobisher apparently condemned their souls for eternity, visibility in the room decreased tenfold, and as the smog swirled through the air, the gasps of surprise her peers sucked in were exhaled as sighs of enlightenment. Willow's hand loosened in her grasp, eventually falling limply to her side, eyelids fluttering spastically. Kira waited for something to happen to her, too, holding her breath as the smoke swirled around her. It was cool to the touch and damp, like stepping out into morning mist in late spring; it whistled as it whizzed by her ear. Was she... supposed to feel different by now? Everyone else seemed to. Did she feel particularly evil? Not really. She certainly didn't want to devotedly serve Ammut for the rest of her life or harm her friends on behalf of a Victorian imperialist gone apeshit.

What the hell is going on? she wondered, the unspeakable terror she'd felt previously fading into pure confusion. She twisted around in her seat anxiously while the fog receded. All around her, people's eyes reopened, bright with determination and zealous excitement, and it seemed evident that whatever had affected everyone else had for some reason decided to skip her over.

"You know in your hearts that you have made Ammut stronger," said Frobisher, an undeniably evil expression on his face. "Now, go forth, my Sinners, and bring chaos!"

Like a switch had been flipped, the room erupted into exactly that, with the students and teachers who'd been sitting, now launching to their feet with war cries. Beside her, Willow screeched loudly and removed her jacket, twirling it above her head like a lasso, while others started ripping posters off the wall and kicking over chairs. It wasn't exactly what Kira had been expecting for the aftermath of this mass possession— not that she'd even expected to be around to have an opinion— but she realized after a second that maybe she'd ought to play along instead of sitting there stunned, lest her random stroke of good fortune turn out to be a fluke.

With that in mind, Kira pocketed the key and leapt to her feet, too, letting out a warbling hoot in an attempt to blend in. She moved too fast though, and fell backwards into her seat in a sudden wave of nausea. "Fucking hell," she grunted, scrambling to her feet again. No one seemed to notice her heart wasn't in it, too busy reveling in chaos to pay her much heed.

Both Frobisher and Mr. Sweet had come down from the stage by that point, jointing the throngs of newly minted Sinners as they streamed into the corridors outside the lounge, and Kira took the opportunity to beeline to the stage. She ducked behind the prop trunk, flattening herself to the ground as though she could make herself disappear if she became one with the floor.

She had to focus. What the hell was she going to do now? Who knew where her friends were at that point or if they were even still themselves. That was a chilling thought: what if by some cruel, insane twist of fate, the others had been captured and she was the last one standing? They'd been in the room when Frobisher opened the book, hadn't they? Or had they left? She had no way to contact them, and even if she did, they probably wouldn't answer.

"Oh, god," she whispered to the grainy wood by her cheek. "What am I gonna do?"

The scuffling of footsteps on the stage, made her freeze, and she screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable discovery. Maybe she could pretend like she had been taken, and then they'd leave her alone. Kira was a horrible actor, though, so that would probably buy her about thirty seconds.

She was so wrapped up in her own head, it took her a moment to actually comprehend the fact that words were being said by whoever had joined her on the stage.

"Your grandfather had a really good reason for wanting to stop this," said Fabian sardonically.

"I can't believe we fell right into their hands," came KT's mournful lament. "How much more are we gonna let them take? This is all our fault..."

"Don't blame yourself," was Eddie's hollow reply. "It's my responsibility... they're my responsibility. Some Osirian I am."

"We don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves!" Fabian snapped. "We have to focus on the facts, yeah? Right now it's contained in the school, but if it gets out, it could spread everywhere."

Kira took a deep and pushed herself into a sitting position so her head was visible above the trunk. KT caught sight of her first and let out a horrified shriek.

"Kira!" Eddie exclaimed, but he didn't sound pleased to see her. In fact, he sounded like he was about to WWE slam her into the ground.

She'd assumed that would be their reaction, but it still hurt. "G-Guys," she began, lifting a placating hand, "I'm aware of how this is gonna sound, but I'm still me."

"I'm so sick and tired of you people using the same old tricks!" Eddie snarled, teeth bared in hurt.

Fabian shook his head, taking a step back. "You can't get to us like that anymore; we're wise to that now."

"N-No! I don't know how to prove it, but I... Here!" Kira fished the Moon Key from her pajama pants pocket and held it out to KT; the club's eyes widened at the sight of it. "Here! Willow gave it to me just before— before..." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she stood up, wiggling the key more aggressively. "I know you don't believe me, but if you have to just take this and leave me behind, I understand."

KT reached a hesitant hand out toward her heirloom, but Eddie smacked her hand away. "Don't fall for it," he ground out. "It's not her, don't take anything she gives you."

"Eddie..." Kira hiccuped. "Dickhead, it's me. You know me."

"I knew Patricia, too!" Eddie fired back furiously, refusing to look her in the eye. "And Dad! Knowing people doesn't change anything."

"They can't have gone far!" Victor's voice suddenly boomed from the common room. "I'm certain I saw them come this way!"

"See!" Eddie hissed. "She must have signaled for them!"

"Eddie, we've been looking at her the whole time," Fabian pointed out anxiously.

"Maybe she did it in her mind!"

If it didn't make her head hurt to roll her eyes, Kira would have. "Be fucking for real," she griped. "Who am I? Professor X?"

"Check the stage!" came Victor's next order.

KT's eyes darted nervously from Eddie to Kira, seemingly trying to figure out what the hell their next move was going to be. "Eddie," she whined, hopping from foot to foot. She looked a little like she had to pee, and frankly, Kira didn't blame her. The whole situation was so goddamn scary, she was surprised she hadn't pissed herself either.

Eddie's jaw worked for a moment, then he honest-to-goodness growled in frustration. "Run!" he said, grabbing KT's wrist and dragging her out into plain sight. Fabian hesitated, then clucked his tongue like he couldn't quite believe what he was doing, before taking Kira's hand and guiding her quickly out after them.

"Aha!" Victor cackled at the sight of them beelining for the emergency exit. "I knew it!" He snapped his fingers at a few of the rugby students. "Don't just stand there gawking, get after them! They've got something we need."

"Thank you," Kira panted, stumbling along after Fabian as they broke out of the school into the parking lot. "You saved my life!"

"Don't thank me yet," he grunted, skidding to a halt just before he crashed into KT's back. "No..."

The reason Eddie and KT stopped became abundantly clear moments after Kira halted too. The main road's exit had been blocked off by a sea of children, and when they group turned on their heels in an attempt to flee in the other direction, they found they were surrounded on all sides. "No, no, no!" Eddie shouted, voice raw with panic.

Frobisher came striding down the front steps of the school, then, a triumphant simper on his face, and he threw his arms wide with the cursed book in hand. "There's nowhere left for you to run," he gloated as the mob pressed closer.

KT began to cry, and Kira sought out her girlfriend's hand. There was no way they'd get lucky again; this was where the storyline ended. How the hell did you manage to survive the first wave only to die ten minutes later? Kira thought to herself, pressing her back against her friends'. That'd be embarrassing if it wasn't so sad.

"This might be it, guys," said Eddie, and Kira let go of KT's hand so she could wrap her arms around her brother's middle in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry for everything," she exclaimed. "Even the stuff I don't remember."

He craned his neck to look at her, startled, and whether or not he even believed she was herself in that moment didn't seem to matter. It was all over anyway. "Me too, Nug," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, Nina," Fabian was murmuring, eyes screwed shut. "I really thought we could do this without you."

"Great Ammut!" Frobisher announced, palms tilted upward in worship. "I give you the goodness in—"

The last of his sentence was cut off by the blare of a car horn on the main road. Someone clearly hadn't got the memo about that afternoon's execution. Seriously, if the world's last line of defense against a hungry and vengeful goddess was going to be turned into husks of themselves for the rest of forever, it was just adding insult to injury to have it happen to the tune of someone's car alarm.

"Guys, is that an ambulance?" Fabian yelled over the horn. "I think that's an ambulance!"

"What?" KT yelled back just before shrieks of alarm went up among the Sinners blocking the main entrance. They scattered like mice as, sure enough, an ambulance— not just any ambulance, either, but a Lakehouse Clinic ambulance— came tearing into the parking lot. The driver was going so fast, the van jerked to a stop with a loud screech and a faint smell of burnt rubber. In the commotion, Frobisher's book was knocked from his hands, and kicked a few feet away from him, deeper into the crowd of the new Sinners.

The window rolled down and Kira couldn't quite articulate the shock of seeing the one and only Harriet Denby behind the wheel. She wasn't sure she wanted to know how Harriet had managed to not only break out of the clinic but also steal a medical vehicle— looking a gift horse in the mouth, and all that.

"Harriet?!" KT exclaimed in shock.

"Get in!" she cried, smacking what Kira assumed to be the button to unlock the doors.

They didn't have to be told twice, and Fabian raced to the sliding door of the ambulance and threw it open with so much force it nearly ricocheted back and closed again. Kira practically dove inside, followed closely by KT. Fabian threw himself in, too, and Eddie hopped up last, kicking away one of the younger students with his foot before slamming the door shut behind them. Immediately, Harriet peeled off, sending her four passengers flying to the back of the getaway car.

"Hang on!" she yelled belatedly over her shoulder when they all screamed at the sudden movement. She veered right out of the parking lot and away down the main road toward town. Kira peered out the back window, staring open-mouthed at Frobisher having a tantrum at their escape, getting smaller and smaller as they sped away.

"Holy shit..." she breathed, only now aware of how fast her heart was thumping in her chest. "What just happened?"

"We just narrowly avoided the worst case scenario," remarked Fabian breathlessly, looking a little dazed and confused.

"That happens a lot around here, huh?" KT laughed, borderline hysterical.

Fabian began laughing too, eyes wild. "Sibuna always finds a way," he reminded them. "Not usually like this, but... I'll take it."

—

They parked the ambulance halfway to town on one of the back roads, and as soon as Eddie opened the door, Kira darted out under his arm and threw up on the side of the road, on her hands and knees, coughing and spluttering like she'd just been under water.

Eddie regarded her uncertainly. There was no way she'd made it out of that room herself. The odds were so against her, that any probability at all that she was the only survivor of that assembly was so low it was almost laughable— and Eddie wasn't even that good at math, so the fact he could say with certainty the statistics didn't add up was saying something. And yet, she hadn't really done anything to them that suggested she was keen on capturing them for Frobisher. She'd attempted to give him the Moon Key and spent most of the ride to their current location had been spent with her head in her hands. Nothing felt like an act... which really brought up more questions than answers.

"Are you...?" he began awkwardly, watching his twin sister retch into the underbrush.

She waved a hand over her head. "I'm good," she assured him. "Just my head really hurts, and the ride was—" Kira dry-heaved, and KT leapt out of the van to kneel beside her and rub her back— "bumpy."

"Sorry about that!" chirped Harriet, opening the driver's side door and hopping out onto the dirt road in one prim motion. "The conditions were a bit out of my control, as you can imagine."

"Should you even be driving?" KT asked, a tad harshly, in Eddie's personal opinion. "Considering you're...?"

"Addled?" Fabian prompted, equally as blunt.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," muttered Harriet.

"I mean," Eddie began hesitantly, "you did steal a van from the hospital. How did you even do that?"

A slight smile played on her lips. "It's a long story," Harriet explained. "One we don't have time for. But I stopped taking my medication, and my head cleared— that's what happens when you take chemicals that aren't meant for you, it seems. I knew I had to escape and this," she said, gesturing to the van, "was my only chance. I knew you'd be running out of time here, and it seems the gods were on our side this day."

"On our side?" Fabian scoffed.

"Yeah," agreed KT, still rubbing Kira's back, "Frobisher wiped out the whole school back there. I think it's pretty clear the 'gods' have abandoned us."

Eddie cleared his throat, hoping that he could steer the sore subject of their fallen peers back to something a little more helpful. "We really though the Staff would stop Ammut, but..."

Harriet shook her head grimly. "No," she said, "the Staff of Osiris is a terrible thing. I wish I'd had a chance to warn you, but Caroline discovered me in Frobisher's hidden chamber before I could."

"Patricia..." KT muttered darkly, earning her a sharp look from Eddie. Old habits died hard.

"So... So what?" asked Fabian. "We gave Ammut a way to enter the world, and now—"

"And now that she's here, her power has increased. Not enough to make it out of the tank room yet, but it won't be long," warned Harriet. "And with each soul she takes, she will only become stronger. Once she's free of that room and able to walk the in the human realm, it means the end of everything. Everything the original Seeker, Keeper, and Enabler sought to undo will be ruined, and the world will pay the price."

"She's collecting souls," Fabian said into the following silence. "We've seen it."

"And Frobisher has this book," added KT. "Ammut blessed it with the power that the sarcophagi had— to capture souls. They used it on the student body."

"More like cursed it," Kira muttered, giving the ground a one thousand-yard stare. "I thought I was going to die in there. Say, is there any gum in the glove compartment? I need to change the flavor in my mouth, please."

Harriet blinked in alarm. "'In there?'" she repeated, looking sharply over at Eddie. "Was she in there when he captured the students' souls?"

Eddie nodded wordlessly, casting another uneasy glance at his sister, who wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up on shaky legs. "She was."

"I was, but it didn't take me," vowed Kira. "I don't know how, but it didn't. I'm still me, I swear."

"No one is immune," snapped Harriet. "Not even the Paragon, nor the Osirian, and least of all some ordinary teenage girl. You've brought along a stowaway, and now she's going to alert the others to our whereabouts."

"Why do people keep saying that?" Kira exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "How am I supposed to alert them exactly? I don't even have a phone anymore! I'm in my fucking pajamas, and all I have on me is the key that, if you recall, was the thing we were looking for!" She once more took the Moon Key from her pocket and held it aloft, shaking it violently. "By the way," she added, "Willow had it. She said you dropped it, then gave it to me right before she was murdered right in front of my fucking face!"

Harriet's eyes went bug-eyed at the sight. "You were in possession of the key when they captured their souls?"

"That's what I just said, isn't it?" Kira retorted.

The true Keeper's eyes wavered in their sockets, and she took a deep, stabilizing breath. "Then... Then, I apologize." She turned to Eddie with a carefully neutral expression. "She speaks the truth. The only possible way to defend oneself against Ammut's influence is to be in possession of the Moon or Sun Key."

"Oh, thank god," KT gasped, wrapping her arms around Kira's neck and planting a fat kiss on her lips; she pulled back with a grimace. "Yeah, wait, for real, is there any gum in there?"

"Hey, rude!" Kira exclaimed, swatting her good-naturedly, but Eddie could see tears of relief make her eyes go shiny. He had them, too, and it took everything in him not to throw himself down to his sister and squeeze her to death in a hug.

"W-Wait, wait, wait," Fabian stammered, waving his hands out in front of him like he was trying to tame a rabid dog. "You're saying the key KT's grandfather gave her offers protection from Ammut?"

"Well, of course," Harriet replied, and she might as well have said 'duh' by her tone of voice. "You didn't think Charles gave you a key just to open doors, do you?"

They all chuckled at that, albeit dubiously. "How were these keys even made that they have this much power?" asked Kira.

"Ammut is not a powerful force on her own," Harriet reminded them. "She requires others' power to supplement her own, so a powerful mortal enchantment with a blessing from a more powerful god, like Ra, or Anubis... or Osiris," she explained, making a pointed nod toward Eddie, "is enough to offer protection." She sighed, toying with the hem of her gown. "Ammut was freed to walk Earth before, many centuries ago, but the ancients had a way to control her. You see, they called upon their Paragon of the time, Anippe, and her protector, Hamza, to create a key in two halves: the Moon Key was blessed by Khonshu, the god of the moon; the Sun was blessed by Ra. Paired together, the keys could be used to lock Ammut back away in the underworld." Harriet laughed wryly. "Or so the legend goes."

Kira twisted the key in between her thumb and forefinger, then held it out to KT. "You should take it back then," she said. "It's yours."

"No," said KT immediately, pushing it back toward her girlfriend. "You need it more."

"Me?" Kira scoffed.

"Yes, you," said Eddie, already catching KT's drift. "They nearly got you once, I'm not gonna let that happen again."

Fabian bit his lip, but reluctantly nodded. "You're clearly suffering with post-concussive symptoms, Kira. If it comes down to it, we can get away faster than you... you need the insurance."

"You're all insane," she protested. "I don't need protection. It's your key! I'm not useful to any of you right now, so someone else should really have this."

"Perhaps she's right—" Harriet began, but Eddie stopped that line of logic with a sharp glare.

"No, you keep it, and that's final," he said, then jabbed a finger at his sister. "If you ever listen to one thing I say, Kira, it's gonna be this, okay?" She was all he had left, and having already almost lost her, he wasn't going to let it happen for real.

"You keep it safe for me, 'kay?" KT prompted. "Just hold on to it, and don't let them take it."

"That's how you can be useful," added Fabian, trying for a reassuring smile, but it fell a little flat. "Okay?"

Kira pursed her lips and stared at all of them for a moment uncertainly. Then, she sighed and put it back into her pajama pocket. "Fine," she said, patting her thigh where the key rested. "It's safe with me."

"Good," said Eddie, content enough to know that at least if shit hit the fan again, Kira still had the backup. "Okay, so, Harriet," he continued, switching gears, "you're saying if we can get the other key, we can end this?"

"Of course."

"But how?" asked KT.

"At the base of the Staff, there is a locking mechanism," she explained. "If you use both keys to close it, according to legend, she can be sent back, taking with her all the evil and chaos she caused."

"So we just need to get the Sun Key off Denby!" Eddie exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly.

"Okay, but how?" Kira prompted. "God, if I'd known, I would have ripped it off her stupid neck back at the assembly."

"But you didn't know," said Fabian impatiently, "so don't worry about that now. Denby will be at the Gatehouse or the school— she won't leave Robert's side if she can help it."

"Both of those places are basically impenetrable now!" KT exclaimed. "I mean, did you see them? Going back to the school is basically suicide."

"Then, we'll go to the Gatehouse," said Eddie, chewing his bottom lip.

KT rolled her eyes. "Not much better, Osirian! We don't even know the code to get in! Patricia just seduced you into thinking you tricked her to let us pass!"

Eddie's cheeks grew warm at the accusation. "Um, n-no! Me seducing her, KT! Me seducing her."

"Oh, please," Kira snorted.

"Guys!" Fabian said sharply, calling back their focus. "If we go to the Gatehouse at nightfall, I doubt it'll be as crazy as the school. We can take it off her while she's asleep."

"Once again, though," KT interrupted, "how are we getting in in the first place?"

"I may be able to to help there," Harriet piped up, and all eyes fell on her. "My grandfather lived there for a time, many years ago, and when I would visit with my parents, Caroline and I would always play in the secret passageways. I know my way around that house."

"That's great!" Eddied exclaimed, feeling hope for the first time since they'd placed the Staff down in the tank room. "So all we have to do is get in, get the key, and banish Ammut! Piece of cake."

"Piece of cake?" Kira echoed doubtfully.

"I've banished spirits before," Eddie boasted. "It's surprisingly easy."

Fabian sighed deeply. "I mean, he's not wrong," he muttered begrudgingly. Then, his cellphone went off, ringing like an alarm bell in the quiet wooded air. They all jumped and he rushed to answer it. "Joy? Hello?" he greeted nervously; Eddie couldn't make out what she was saying, but could faintly hear the mounting panic in her tone. "Joy? Joy, I can't understand you... What?" Fabian's face went ashen, and he locked eyes with Eddie in horror. "Joy, you need to get out of there, do you understand? Get Jerome and Trudy, and run— Joy? Joy!" Now, everyone could hear the terrified protests of their housemate, shouting for someone to leave her alone. Then, the noise stopped and the call abruptly ended. "Joy? No!" Fabian cursed, throwing his phone onto the dirt road and rubbing a hand down his face. "Shit! We have to go help them."

Harriet was solemn when she offered her condolences: "I'm sorry, but it's already too late for that."