They didn't call it Evil Derleth, because to them it was just Derleth. It was their home for the last however long. For some people, it was five years. For others, just a few months. There were even some new faces that Sylvie hadn't bothered to learn their names. It didn't matter, in the end.
Everyone was going to die.
Over and over.
Horribly.
And if you were truly unlucky, you'd watch a loved one die. Permanently. You'd hear her screams in your dreams — they were always nightmares, just like this place — and you'd wake up every reset, hoping against hope that this would be the reset she'd come back. Maybe this time, you'd be in a room and she'd just know where you were. She'd bang on your door, yelling, "Oy, you up, Princess?"
Sylvie never thought she'd miss the sound of that obnoxious call from wherever she'd found her sorry ass on the campus. Could have been between two of those horrible monoliths, the ones with the particularly creepy whistling sound with something underneath... They never could quite place it. But she did miss it and had for months now.
She still made her way to the monolith that used to be Armitage Hall every reset. Didn't matter if Sylvie found herself on the other side of the campus, it was always her first stop. There'd be a few moment of reverie before she picked herself up and made her way toward Carter Hall for a shower. There was always blood on her hands, even if she couldn't see it. She could feel it, she could taste it. It was practically a blanket to cocoon herself in.
Around the back of Armitage, she saw the Peaslee Theater. That was where they'd had their first date. It wasn't much more than a bottle of booze between the two of them and an all night conversation, full of laughter and oversharing. And a kiss. One that didn't end in betrayal. It was something all hers.
On top of the theater, she saw someone. A very familiar someone. She was sitting near the edge, shoulders sagging. The hair, the clothes, everything was the same. Maybe she was a little more filled out than Sylvie was. The food in their Derleth wasn't particularly great so she found herself eating less of it. Canned items lasted longer, but they were certainly unappetizing after four years.
She pulled her cloak over her head. Didn't want this Sylvie to notice her too much, even if her back was turned to her. There was a ladder on the side of the building; she could scale it quickly, tag her, and get back. Maybe waiting till nightfall was better. She was good at slipping in and out of the shadows; she'd been doing it for a thousand years. Hiding, plotting, waiting.
A squirrel hopped out of their little forest. Then some other sort of animal she'd never seen. Neither of them were scared of her. Sylvie crouched down and reached out her hand. The squirrel came first, its tiny hands holding onto the ends of Sylvie's fingers as if looking for a snack. It was too late, though. Her hand lit up, and the squirrel was under her control. It hopped into Sylvie's hand where she easily broke its neck. It would make a good dinner. Better than anything in the cafeteria.
She could hide and plot and wait just a little longer. Her stomach was too hungry now.