A/N: Not lying, I got the idea for this chapter when a friend and I walked to Safeway like we do every day for lunch and I looked over at the garage doors where the trucks unload and said, "What if we broke into Safeway?"

And this is a pretty long chapter so... took a while to write. I split it in two to get this one out on time.

-𓃰𓃰𓃰-

"Aiden!" Aru shouted. He landed hard on his side next to her, unconscious. The dragon flesh that hit him had disappeared, but the spot on his hoodie where it had made impact now had a smoking hole in the fabric.

Mini checked his pulse. "Still alive and stable. Aru, you better get his sweatshirt off."

Heat rose to Aru's face. "What?"

Mini gave her a look. "We don't want the venom burning through and getting to his skin, do we?"

Aru nodded and with some difficulty, she managed to pull Aiden's sweatshirt off, leaving him in a green t-shirt. She rested his head in her lap.

"Oh no," Brynne breathed. "Too late."

The acidic toxin had already reached his shirt, where it was slowly but surely disintegrating the cloth. A few drops had already fallen onto his bare arm.

Brynne reached for a water bottle and uncapped it.

"No!" Mini shrieked as she went to pour the water on Aiden's shoulder. "That could just make the venom's chemicals react with the hydrogen and oxygen, and he could die!"

"He's gonna die if we don't do anything!" Brynne cried, panicking.

Aru brushed Aiden's hair off his forehead. "Wake up!" She shouted desperately.

Mini turned to Rudy. "Do you have a healing stone or something?"

Rudy shook his head.

Aru spotted the tip of the leather journal Sanemi had given her poking out of Mini's backpack.

"Mini! The journal!"

Her sister's face lit up, and she dug it out and flipped open the pages.

"Found something!" She crowed triumphantly. "That creature was called the Bari Chipakali, the Hindi words for big lizard."

"Whatever it's called!" Brynne said. "How do we fix it?"

"It's blood and saliva are extremely venomous," read Mini. "Contact with a few drops can kill an adult in less than two hours. No antidote is known. Is highly reactive with water."

Aru stared down at Aiden's face in disbelief. "So... nothing?"

Mini closed the book slowly. "Nothing."

"Wait, guys," Rudy said, peering into the distance. "What's that?"

Aru glanced up, expecting to see another Bari Chipakali barreling towards them to finish them off. Instead, the thick mist cleared, and a building loomed into sight.

She squinted to make out the words on the wall. "Safeway?"

"Who would stick a Safeway in the middle of a deadly forest?" Brynne asked.

"Remember how the Night Bazaar was hidden inside a Costco?" Mini asked. "Maybe this is another entrance!"

Rudy snickered. "If I remember correctly, you walked into a telephone pole at that Costco."

Mini blushed. "Maybe I did... Anyway, I'll wrap Wifey's arm to keep the venom from spreading too quickly. Brynne, can you carry him in?"

Brynne nodded, and Mini dug a roll of bandages out from her backpack. In a few minutes, Aiden's shoulder was sufficiently wrapped up. Brynne hoisted his limp form onto her shoulder.

"Let's go," she grunted. "He's heavier than you, Shah."

Aru rolled her eyes, and the five (well, four) of them walked towards the Safeway.

The transparent glass doors at the front showed a dark interior devoid of any people.

"Oh, c'mon!" Brynne complained. "How is it closed?"

"I got this," Aru said. "Back up."

Once everyone had taken a few steps back, Aru stood in front of the doors. She took a deep breath and raised her arms.

"Open sesame!"

Nothing happened, unless you counted Brynne's annoyed "Dude."

"Plan B," Aru said, taking out Vajra. With one shock, the doors slid open.

"Safeway heist!" Rudy exclaimed. Once again, everyone ignored him.

The air shimmered, and right in front of them, a rakshasha with the head of a stag appeared, wearing a black Safeway uniform.

He crossed his arms grumpily. "We're closed."

"It's urgent-" Mini tried, but the rakshasha was unrelenting.

"Open in three hours. Come back then."

Then the doors slid closed, and when Aru shocked them open again, the demon was still there.

"I said," he growled. "We're closed."

Brynne set down Aiden gently and drew Gogo. "One of him and four of us. We can take him."

The rakshasha snapped his fingers, and two dozen more demons appeared behind him, sporting various animal heads and the same Safeway uniform.

"Orrrr maybe not," Rudy said.

"Fine, fine, we'll go!" Aru said. She turned on her heel and walked away. The doors slid shut again.

"Aru, what are you doing?" Brynne demanded, once again carrying Aiden over her shoulder. "We can't wait three hours! The venom will kill him in less than two!"

"I'm not giving up," Aru said, a bit offended. "We're just going around the back."

"Oh," Brynne shut up after that.

They made their way into the back parking lot, and Aru used Vajra on the doors again, and jumped when the same stag-headed rakshasha appeared in front of her.

"Going somewhere?" He snarled.

"Nope." Aru said as the doors closed.

"Guys!" Rudy called from across the parking lot. "What about here?"

The naga prince stood in front of the metal doors the big delivery trucks used to unload.

Mini beamed. "Perfect! Now, we just have to find our way inside."

Aru tried to electrocute the door and make it open, but it didn't work.

"Step aside," Brynne said, setting Aiden down and flexing her fingers. She morphed into an elephant and wrapped her trunk around the handle, forcing it up enough for her to stand under and brace it with her back.

"Don't just stand there!" She scolded. "Get in!"

"Aru!" Mini called. "Help me with Wifey here!"

Aru hurried over, and together the two Pandavas and Rudy got Aiden inside before Brynne morphed back into human and managed to get inside before the door came crashing back down.

"Brynne!" Mini hissed. "Too loud! The rakshasha definitely heard that!"

A soft laugh floated through the air. From behind a row of tall boxes a beautiful nagini snake woman slithered out. She looked like the younger version of Queen Uloopi that Aru had seen in her previous vision. A gleaming heart jewel was set in her forehead, and her stringy brown hair was pulled into a tight bun. She also wore a Safeway uniform shirt.

"Pandavasssssss," she hissed, but not in a threatening manner. She smiled, showing long fangs. "Welcome to our little ssssslice of the Night Bazaar."

Rudy stepped forward, his chin high. "I am Prince Rudra of Naga-Loka, and I demand safe passage-"

The nagini cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Yessssss, I know who you are, young prince. And do not worry about ssssafe passssssage. That you have."

Aru blinked. "But, the rakshasha-"

"Foolisssssssh," the nagini laughed. "And ssssssso sssssserioussss! I ssssswear, he'sssss going to drive himssssself mad one day."

"Serious is right," Brynne muttered.

"Miss, we were wondering if there was anything here that can help our friend," Mini said, gesturing to Aiden.

"Let usssssss ssssee," the snake woman hissed. "Bring him here. I won't hurt him."

Brynne looked skeptical at first, but then she laid Aiden down on a few flattened cardboard boxes.

When the nagini saw Aiden's face, she momentarily blanched.

"What'sssssss hissssss name?" She asked.

"Aiden," Rudy said, before anyone could signal him not to. "Aiden Acharya."

"And..." the nagini carefully touched his bandaged shoulder. "What hasssss happened?"

"Bari Chipakali poison," Mini answered.

"A deadly cocktail, that one," the snake woman murmured. "But yesssss, I do have a cure."

"Great!" Brynne said. "Where is it?"

"Do we," Mini gulped, "have to pay for it?"

"And if we do," Brynnne added, "do you take credit card?"

Aru remembered when they'd had to 'pay' for Mr. V's key. That had not been fun. Or 'pay' the chakora birds with secrets. Equally not fun.

"I do not require payment," the nagini said. "However, I can only tell you where it is. Fear not, it isssssss here in the ssssstore. All you have to do is avoid the guardsssss."

"Excellent," Brynne grinned. "So, where is it?"

They could hear footsteps above their heads. The nagini looked panicked.

"Aisssssle three," she said. "Hurry!"

The Potatoes rushed to the ramp, with only Aru stopping to look back at the snake woman. As she watched, the nagini's form shifted. Her scaly green skin became smooth transparent grey, her black uniform changed into a long flowing grey dress, her hair became silver and spilled out of its bun, and her face completely morphed into that of a familiar girl's.

The mist spirit winked at Aru, and in a swirl of wind, she was gone. 

Aru gaped at the now-empty space.

"Aru!" Mini called. "Hurry up!"

Aru raced up the ramp to reach her friends, who were standing behind a door marked Staff Only.

"Aisle three," Brynne said. "That's at the other end of the store."

"I'll make us invisible," Mini said. "And we can sneak across."

"I'll turn into a fly," Brynne said. "I'll keep an eye on the guards."

"What about Aiden?" Rudy asked.

"You can stay here and watch him," Brynne said.

Rudy opened his mouth to protest, but Aru cut him off.

"At least you won't have to deal with the demon guards."

That sealed the deal, and Mini raised Dee Dee, making her and Aru invisible. Aru pushed open the door, and Brynne shifted into an insect and buzzed out.

"It's just like playing Night at the Museum," Mini whispered to herself. "Not so scary."

Aru nodded, then remembered that she was invisible.

"Let's go," she said quietly.

"Rudy, don't move," Mini instructed. "And be ready to get out of here."

Rudy nodded, and Mini and Aru slipped out, quietly shutting the door behind them. Only about half of the lights were on, so it was bright enough to see at nighttime, but darker than normal.

Brynne? Aru tapped into the mind link.

Coast is clear for now, came Brynne's response. No sign of the nasties.

Let's go, Mini said.

The two Pandava girls tiptoed over to the aisles, careful not to touch or knock anything over.

"Aisle thirteen," Mini whispered. "We need to get to Aisle three."

"That way," Aru whispered back, tugging Mini's hand to the left.

They hurried silently down the store, Aru mentally counting off the isles in her head.

Five, four, three! She said over the link. Here!

Here? Mini echoed. Aru couldn't see her sister's face, but she imagined her nose scrunching up. The spice aisle?

Hurry! Brynne warned. There's a rakshasha in Aisle six.

Which one's the antidote? Aru asked.

I don't know! Mini said. The snake lady wasn't specific!

He's in Aisle five now, Brynne said.

At the very end of the aisle, Aru spotted a faint green light.

This way! She tugged on Mini's hand, and they hurried down towards the light.

Aru tugged out the item emitting the light. Vanilla extract?

Aisle four, Brynne warned.

I'll bet that's it, Mini said. We gotta get out of here!

Aru shoved the tiny dark bottle into her pocket, and they ran...

...straight into the rakshasha guard.

Mini yelped in surprise, and the invisibility spell shut off.

This demon guard had the head of a leopard. He smiled humorlessly, showing extra-sharp-and-shiny canines.

"What have we here?" He mused. "Little thieves?"

"Run!" Aru said. She and Mini bolted in the opposite direction. Once they got to the end of the aisle, Mini shoved over a rack, sending boxes of baking mix into the rakshasha's way, but he simply leaped over them.

Aru summoned Vajra and attempted to fry the demon, but running for your life can somewhat affect your accuracy. She missed, and the demon kept pursuing them. 

Brynne's war cry ripped through the air. She materialized midair, swinging Gogo at the demon's head.

Aru heard the rakshasha fall to the ground, but then she looked ahead. They had bigger problems now than one animal-headed demon.

How about thirty of them?

Aru and her sisters stood back-to-back.

"We can take 'em," Brynne said, hefting her mace.

In Aru's hand, Vajra tingled, ready to blast the nasties straight back to hell. Mini readied Dee Dee.

The stag-headed rakshasha stood at the front.

"Attack!" He commanded.

The demons surged forward, armed with various weapons ranging from fists to spiked clubs to kitchen knives.

Aru turned Vajra into a long lance and swept aside the first wave. Brynne conjured winds that lifted several of the demons' weapons straight out of their hands and then dropped them back down on their heads, pointy ends first. Mini knocked out the unlucky ones who managed to get within striking distance.

We've got to get the antidote to Aiden Mini sent. It's been at least forty-five minutes.

I've got it, Aru sent back. Can you two cover me?

Got your back, Brynne promised.

Aru summoned Vajra back to bracelet form and ran from the battle, back to the Staff Only door where Rudy and Aiden were hiding.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in the back of her neck. Her legs froze, and no matter what she tried, she couldn't move them. Mere seconds later, the rest of her body froze up as well, and she face-planted on the ground. She couldn't even yell out.

Her vision started darkening, and right before it went completely black, she saw the stag-headed rakshasha standing above her, a blowgun in his hand.