Nightfall's Visitor - A Powerpuff Girls Z fanfiction

Chapter Two

The silence coiled around them, thick and suffocating, as Keisha led them up the stairs. The dead air hung heavy, the only movement the flicker of the flashlight beam across the sterile hallway. An unnatural chill seeped through the thin fabric of their villainous attire, a stark contrast to the stale, tepid air that clung to them like a shroud.

Even the hum of the air conditioning, a constant companion in most high-rises, was absent. An unsettling quiet reigned, broken only by the soft pad of their footsteps – the only sound for floors. Keisha's flashlight sliced through the gloom, revealing deserted doorways, each one a gaping maw into the unknown. Briefly, it caught a window, its surface filmed with a fine sheen of moisture. No rain pattered on the glass, no wind whispered secrets through the cracks. Just a heavy, oppressive stillness.

With each passing door, another disappointment. Keisha's frustrated huff echoed in the oppressive silence as she swung the beam back around.

"Alright, spill the plan," Princess finally rasped, her voice a dry whisper in the arid air. She and Sedusa huddled closer, a pair of vipers seeking warmth in the cold.

Keisha pivoted, her face illuminated by a sickly yellow glow. Her eyes flickered with something akin to fear – a rare sight on the villainess's usually stoic face. "Spare room," she croaked, her voice tight. "We need a hideout. But first..." she tapped the flashlight against her palm, the metallic clang sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet. "Cameras. Need to disable them before anyone notices we're missing."

Princess's unease bloomed into a prickling dread. Her gaze darted down the hall, the shadows seeming to writhe and twist in the dancing light. "Later," she hissed, her voice barely audible. "We don't know this place, Keisha. We're sitting ducks out here."The stomping upstairs quieted down after a few seconds, and the three girls were now left in complete silence.

"Well, you make a point," Said Keisha blandly, rubbing her chin.

She looked down at Princess, and then up at Sedusa. "Okay, how about we find ourselves the room first, then you guys stay inside while I head to the monitoring room?"

That made the two feel slightly at ease. Sedusa then nodded.

"...Sounds good then."

"Uhuh!" Princess agreed, smiling cheekily.

"Great. Come on then." Keisha gestured for them to follow as she started walking forward, flashlight in her hand. Sedusa and Princess were right behind her as they turned a corner into another corridor. It still had the same cold temperature, as Princess slightly shivered while they passed through.

"Say, what was your name again?" Sedusa asked abruptly while they continued their walk down the dark hallway.

"Keisha. Or Keish, as Seth calls me." The teen looked at the taller woman behind her. "You?"

"Sedusa." She answered.

"And I'm Princess Morbucks!" Princess butted in, smiling.

Sedusa rolled her eyes, annoyed.

"No one asked you, brat."

"HEY!"

Feeling slightly bad for Princess, Keisha gave her a sorry look. She then glanced at Sedusa and called her out for it.

"Come on. She's just a kid."

"An annoying one."

Shaking her head with a sigh, Keisha led the two deeper into the hallway until they reached another turn. "South wing it is," she announced, her voice echoing softly in the darkness. "Assuming the others went upstairs to check the rest."