Jade didn't wait for the second voice to finish. Two shots rang out in quick succession, the runic bullets aimed squarely at the mask's painted smile.
The floor erupted between them. A mass of flesh, mottled grey and glistening with something that wasn't quite blood, surged upward like a wave. The bullets sank into it with a wet thud. The flesh quivered once, then sloughed apart, dropping the flattened slugs onto the concrete with a clink.
"What the—"
"Rude." Mask Face's handsome side pouted. The mask had shifted again, white coat now crisp and clean, the grotesque face hidden. "I was still monologuing. You SACU types have no appreciation for theatrics."
"What's that cycle?" Nifemi's voice was tight. Her eyes tracked the symbols on the wall, the way they pulsed in rhythm with the rotting flesh now pooling back into the floor.
