"Listen Medusa, we've been to the next building already, but this one is unspoiled. I bet there must be something we can use somewhere in here." Uriel said at almost the same time the other group was discussing their own plans in the next building.
"I don't know, this place was an office building, besides some files, cabinets and stationery I don't think we'll find much." She shrugged.
"An office building uh..." Uriel said taking his time to re adjust his plan. "It doesn't matter what kind of building this is actually, we need to find a fire extinguisher."
"Do you intent to start a fire!?"
"Of course not, we're still inside, what would be the point of doing something so dangerous? If my suspicions are correct the shapeshifter's priority will be to get rid of you first. We are at a disadvantage and we can't really force them to listen, but if we create a smoke screen it might buy us a couple of seconds." He grinned.
Uriel and Medusa walked upstairs the building searching for a fire extinguisher, but because none of them knew exactly where could they find one they wandered aimlessly across the entire building.
After breaking into what seemed to be a VIP office with a luxurious leather couch, a standing lamp and a finely carved desk, Medusa and Uriel rummaged through the stuff. Inside the cabinets, bellow the desk, even behind the couch.
Uriel took the chance to touch every item in an attempt to see if it was possible to store it, but besides an old looking magazine found in the bottom drawer of the VIP desk, nothing else could be stored inside his museum. As useless as it may seem, Uriel didn't miss the chance to increase his collection and quickly stored it inside his museum without Medusa noticing.
They spent at least an hour ransacking different offices, it was a dull labor made even worse by their need to make as little sound as possible. After a while, though, they found a small red metallic container with a hose on its top. The label was completely erased by time, but it didn't take a genius to know it was a fire extinguisher.
"Do you think this thing still works?" Medusa asked.
"I guess we'll find out." Uriel replied and just after he did so, a strange knocking sound was heard on the same floor they were located startling them. It wasn't loud, but it resounded in the abandoned building like a beating heart.
*bump* *bump* *bump*
The sound became closer and closer as they drew near towards the wall that adjoined the building next door.
"It must be them, get ready." Uriel said as he visited his mental museum.
There were now three standing pedestals with artifacts on top of them. In a hurry, he only glanced at the magazine resting on the marble structure and instead, focused his full attention on the magnum revolver. An unexpected advantage of his trait was that inside everything was well lit, allowing Uriel to carefully examine the revolver. It looked old but in good condition.
He had never fired a gun before and barely even knew how they were supposed to work. He just had to pull the trigger, but was that everything?
He familiarized himself with the gun model for a few seconds and then came back to reality with a grin on his face and a small but heavy firearm. He couldn't see it properly since Medusa was holding the fire extinguisher instead of her cellphone and he was holding on to the revolver with both hands.
The sound became louder and louder.
"They're trying to break the wall!" Medusa exclaimed, clearly anxious.
"Of course they are, they think you're the shapeshifter and will attack you on sight." Uriel said.
"How do you know that?" Medusa asked, now cold sweat trickling down her forehead.
"Because... If they decided to come look for us it's only because the shapeshifter allowed it and there's no way that thing wants them to find you if there's at least a hint of doubt that she might be the cryptid." Uriel explained as he cocked the hammer of his magnum.
Before Uriel's voice faded, the wall was finally brought down by Atomic, leaving a hole the size of a refrigerator.
Atomic bashed through the hole on the wall and fell on his knees while Luna and Sam followed closely with their guards up. Their Medusa was left behind in the corner of the room in the commercial building to prevent a difficult situation in which both Medusas could be in the same room. Something like that could only lead to confusion, but confusion was precisely what Uriel's plan needed.
Atomic and the others didn't expect to find a cloud of foam inside the room they just entered which left them in a daze for a couple seconds. Uriel and Medusa took advantage of this and went through the same hole in the wall towards the commercial building their friends just came from to face the 'fake' Medusa.
As soon as she was on sight, Uriel pulled the trigger without a trace of hesitation, aiming right in the middle of the glimmering eyes in the corner. The heavy revolver recoiled hitting him on the face causing a great deal of pain, but little to no damage thanks to his evolved trait, while the other Medusa fell limp on the floor.
"What was that!?" Said Sam waving his hands in the air trying to remove the annoying foam that surrounded him. He was completely blind, but not because of the dark but due to the fire extinguisher Medusa triggered as soon as the wall was broken.
"I think it was a gunshot, can you see something?" Luna said still covering her face with her arms.
Sam did his best to go back to the room they came from. Although somewhat unrealistic, his hope was to find Phlox wielding her rifle and Miss Dragonfang by her side. What he saw, instead, was Uriel standing right in front of Medusa's corpse and another Medusa standing right beside him.
There was a small bullet wound right in between Medusa's eyes, a thin thread of blood running down her pale face, soaking her armor in red, her eyes wide open but lifeless and opaque.