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Post by Zi on Jul 15, 2020 2:56:30 GMT
As the trio began to sprint away, the man chuckled a deep, distorted chuckle. He would let them get about ten feet away before holding up his hand, and the mist began to pour off of it wildly as if his palm were the source of the chaos. A blanket of thick shadow overcame the alleyway, obscuring most vision forward and above. Within his palm, a sphere of this concentrated mist formed, and he pulled his arm back as if he were preparing himself to throw it.
"HEEEERE IT COOOOOOOOMES!" he chuckled, before---
BANG!
The shadows dissipated, if only slightly, and the sphere in the man's hand started to fade. His eyes widened as he looked down, and saw a fresh bullet wound in his stomach. With a grunt, he turned around, only to see Sebastian holding a gun, smoke still rising from the barrel. "Nn..." he grunted as he managed a smirk. "What'd you say?" he taunted.
The large man roared, and as he did, a pair of shadow hounds would form behind him to chase after the trio. He, meanwhile, turned to focus his attention on Sebastian. The sounds of heavy grunts and shattering concrete could be heard behind the distorted, echoing howls of the shadow hounds that were now chasing on the trio's heels.
The three would see that no matter how far they ran, the alley seemed to stretch on further and further and further with each step they took. The hounds, however, were getting closer.
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Post by Ariadne on Jul 15, 2020 3:25:13 GMT
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Addy nearly tripped when she heard a gunshot, glancing over her shoulder to see that the mall zombie had been fucking shot by Sebastian. She didn't even have time to react, because strange shadow hounds were quickly at their heels.
As fast as she ran, the alleyway seemed neverending, and the hounds only got closer and closer. What the Hell could they do?
Her eyes flitted up to see a fire escape up ahead. Well if the trio can't go forward, the only way they can go is up.
"Guys, we're going up!" Ariadne would pull herself up onto the dumpster under the fire escape ladder, which wasn't lowered enough for any normal person to be able to jump and reach feasibly. She'd extend a hand to help Loie up and would help her reach the ladder. Loie was the slowest and weakest one right now, which meant she needed to be up first. "Start climbing and don't look down," she'd tell the younger woman if/when she made it up onto the first platform of the fire escape.
Ariadne would then pull herself up an onto the platform, but would only start climbing up once Haji made it up, too.
[newclass=.dialogue b]color:#95a1eb;[/newclass]
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Post by Loie Prim on Jul 15, 2020 6:39:03 GMT
Somehow Loie managed to keep going even though she came so close to face planting so many times. The girl instinctively looked over her shoulder when a gun shot reached her ears. The photographer man was alive? Thank goodness. But how was that even possible...?
Her eyes widened when their pursuer sent creatures after them and she turned away. Addy jumped onto a dumpster and Loie allowed her to help hoist her up. The mist just went on and on, both deeper into the alleyway and above them. Loie could barely keep Addy in focus as she listened to her instructions. For now, all she could do was trust Addy and Haji or just give up and die.
“Okay,” Loie said evenly. It surprised her that she’d managed to get a single word out.
Loie began her ascension into the mist above as quickly and carefully as she could. Her limbs tingled and her stomach lurched, but she forced herself to only look upward. The others were relying on her. If she was too slow or if she fell, they’d get hurt. She had to be strong.
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Post by Haji Morei on Jul 15, 2020 7:00:03 GMT
Haji was looking back as they ran for two reasons. One was to make sure Loie was okay, and the other was to keep an eye on their pursuer. Whatever he was doing, it was terrifying. It was as if all of the black mist was coalescing into one concentration. It reared back, as if prepared to throw it, when a gunshot rang out. Haji was shocked to see that Sebastian got back up, and even now, he was trying to defend everyone.
It seemed it was not yet a victory, however. The creature would advance on Sebastian once more, to Haji's horror, and as much as he wanted to run back to help, he saw what looked like oni dogs rushing out after the group.
This did not bode well. The alleyway seemed as if it were going on forever, and even if they kept running, the dogs were faster. Their stamina was limited, and he did not want to test if these apparitions had stamina reserves to worry about either.
Ariadne called out saying they were going up, and the group would all make their way to the ladder. Haji would allow Loie to go first, doing his best to help her up carefully and quickly. Once Loie made it up safely, Haji would then worry about himself, jumping up to the dumpster, and then the ladder as he tried to climb up to the platform. If he made it up with the others, he would usher them up and follow.
If the dogs got to him first, he would pull his blade out if they got to close and slash in self-defense if they got too close. He only hoped he could make it up in time.
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Post by Zi on Jul 16, 2020 0:52:42 GMT
The three would be able to make it up the ladder, but not without some difficulty. Once Loie was up, they could hear the barking of the hounds grew uncomfortably nearer. Ariadne would manage to get up, and as Haji tried to climb up the ladder, he would feel his feet being nipped and gnawed at from leaping beasts from below. From this angle, if Haji tried to swing with his blade, there was a chance of letting them catch up, or even pull him down with them from the sheer strength of their shadowy jaws.
Once he got up as well and the adrenaline spike faded, Haji would notice his right ankle was mangled and bleeding profusely. The skin seemed torn and, in some places, flayed, and where muscle was torn, bone could be seen. However, he could not feel this pain - the wound was evident before him, but it seemed that either his mind was not registering, or something else was preventing him from feeling it.
From below, the hounds continued to growl and bark, but it seemed they could not follow. Not immediately, at any rate; however, within moments, the group would be able to see each of the hounds, one by one, begin to grow shadowy tendrils out of their backs. Across the way, the large man from the mall could be seen now in an active tussle with Sebastian, as it seemed the photographer had managed to find some footing, but with how bloodied and beaten he was, it looked like he might not be providing much more time for them.
The fire escape went up another four floors from where they were at. There were two windows on each of the floors they could attempt to access, but they could see nothing within each of them. It also went all the way up to the roof.
Haji suffers -5 Dexterity for the remainder of the thread.
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Post by Loie Prim on Jul 16, 2020 1:56:05 GMT
In spite of her best efforts, Loie couldn't keep her gaze upward. The barking had gotten louder. She looked down just in time to see Haji's ankle getting mauled and let out a scream.
"Haji!" she called.
Loie looked up again frantically. Haji probably couldn't go much further in this state. If they could just get inside the building maybe she and Ariadne could support him? Loie would attempt to reach over and open the window on the right of the first of the four floors ahead. If she succeeded she would hop inside and gesture for Addy and Haji to come towards her.
"We've got to get him inside! He c-can't climb like this!" she yelled, "Just a little further Haji!"
Her throat felt raw from screaming but the adrenaline rushing through her body kept her going. If they could just keep running for long enough maybe Sebastian would take down the demon. If Addy and Haji needed it she would reach out to help them inside, but she wouldn't be able to offer more than assistance with balance since she wasn't very strong.
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Post by Ariadne on Jul 16, 2020 3:16:46 GMT
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Ariadne nearly lost her footing as she saw the hounds tear out a chunk of Haji's leg. Her stomach plummeted, like a stone was dropped in her belly, and despite all the other gory imagery she's seen in the past, seeing his leg mangled like that actually invoked a sick feeling in her stomach and made her chest feel tight. Not in the I'm-going-to-vomit sense, but the normal way you feel when you see a loved one get hurt in such a horrifying way. You feel for them and empathize and your heart hurts to even imagine them in this situation, much less watch it happen.
"Haji!" she gasped, and would falter a moment as she got onto the next platform, waiting to see if he was okay or needed assistance. If he had them continue, she'd follow Loie up into the window of the building, getting Haji inside. She'd immediately slam the window shut behind them, locking it for good measure if she could.
She'd then immediately turn her attention to Haji. "Holy shit--" she choked out. "Are you okay?"
What the fuck kind of question is that? There's god damn bone exposed. 'Are you okay?' What are you, Addy, daft?
[newclass=.dialogue b]color:#95a1eb;[/newclass]
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Post by Haji Morei on Jul 16, 2020 3:49:53 GMT
"AAAAAH!"
Gods, he was too slow to get up, too hesitant to stand and defend himself in time. The hounds had gotten a hold of his leg, and he screamed as he tried to fight them off, trying to pull himself up. Somehow, he would make it, getting away from their grasp as he pulled himself onto the platform. He was panting heavily, freaking out over the fact they had got him good. He was a damn fool, essentially allowing himself to become dead weight when the others needed him at his best right now. The creatures hadn't followed, but they grew some strange tendrils. It didn't bode well, and he was sure that even if they didn't climb up through this direction, it wasn't the last they'd see of them.
Loie and Ariadne would help him into the building, and he'd lean against the wall as Ariadne closed the window and locked it. He would look down, carefully crouching to examine his wound. It... was deep. The skin torn, blood everywhere, muscled flayed, and the bone was even visible. There was no doubt that his leg was practically unusable now, but there was something strange.
"It... it does not hurt..." Haji said, in both shock and disbelief. Was he just too stunned by the events going on right now? The fact that there was no way any of this could be reality? Was his mind, or perhaps the Kami, trying to protect him?
He would fall to his hands and knees, balancing himself carefully as he clenched his fists, shutting his eyes tight as he kept his head down.
"He was right... all I ever do is run, and he told me that I would pay the price if I did not just stand my ground." He said quietly. "I cannot even keep myself together to keep you all safe. I am just as weak as he said..."
He fared much better against human opponents than he did whatever these damn demons were. Sebastian was holding his own, despite the grave injuries he took earlier. Right... Sebastian still was, maybe that was a sign that he shouldn't give up yet. They had to figure this out, and see if they couldn't help him.
"I am fine... Sebastian needs our help more." He would say at last, doing his best to stand up as he decided to bury his own plight for now. There was no place for it on the battlefield. His hand gripped his katana tightly, his hand shaking, as he started to walk forward the best he could. As he did, he would take a look at the room they were in, or if there were any exits or objects of note they could use.
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Post by Zi on Jul 16, 2020 4:07:53 GMT
Once through the window and inside the building, they would see they were in a long hallway. All of the doors seemed to have strange dark, fleshy formations along the outsides of them to keep them shut, with veins running to the center to where a large, glowing, yellow eye rested and watched them. there were six doors on the southern end before a staircase leading up and down, and seven doors on the northern end, before another door on the far eastern wall that mimicked the others. Outside, the growling and barking seemed to almost fade away. Sounds of screams and cries could be heard coming from all around them, through each of the doors.
If they attempted to turn around to leave, they would see there was no longer a window - it was just a full wall, with a large glowing eye surrounded by that same dark fleshy substance, staring down at them.
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Post by Loie Prim on Jul 16, 2020 4:30:02 GMT
Loie stared down the hall way. For a moment she felt like her soul floated out of her body. It was just so surreal. Loie kneeled down next to Haji and took off her cardigan. Her eyes were wide and full of tears but she pressed her lips together to stop them from quivering as she looked at his injury. Her stomach churned and she thought back to the carnage she saw with Valo. It was just another nightmare.
Loie clamped a hand over her mouth and turned away as a wave of nausea washed over her. Thankfully it passed without incident, and she turned back to Haji. Loie sucked in a shaky breath and ripped off the sleeve of her cardigan to wrap it tightly around Haji's leg. Loie didn't know how to say it, but she didn't know if an injury like this could ever heal normally. The most they could do right now was try to stop the bleeding and get him out of the building and to a hospital as quickly as possible.
"Y-you're not weak...!" she told Haji, "There's not much we can do for Sebastian now... but we have to get you to a hospital!"
Loie would offer him a hand up and let him use her for support if he needed it.
"Do you need me and Addy to help you walk...?" she asked.
Once they figured out his mobility situation she'd look in the direction of the stairs.
"I think we should go downstairs to see if we can find an exit, we've got to get him out of here," Loie suggested.
If no one objected, Loie would move toward the southern end and take the stairs leading down, offering support to Haji if he needed it. She hoped she wasn't pushing Addy and Haji too hard but at this point she had mostly pulled out of her panic attack and getting out fast seemed really important. Even so, tears still stained her cheeks and she struggled to breathe evenly. |
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Post by Haji Morei on Jul 16, 2020 4:52:19 GMT
Haji watched in surprise as Loie tore her cardigan's sleeve, using it to create a makeshift tourniquet around his wounded leg. He was quiet, wishing he could at least feel the pain of her tightening the cloth around him, but he still felt nothing. Still, he was grateful to her for the fact that he was losing a lot of blood, and she was likely prolonging his life long enough to get some help.
"... My thanks, Loie." He would say, taking her hand as he got up to his feet. "You are too kind. We are getting out of here together."
It was then that he took in the surroundings of the room. He wished he could say he was used to these horrors already, but it was absolutely unsettling. The eyes on the doors that stared at them, and their previous entrance was now completely gone, replaced with another huge eye. There was a strange substance surrounding them, looking very much like flesh and veins, but he didn't want to touch it to figure out what it was. He had half a mind to stab these eyes through, but he wasn't sure if that was smart either. It was as if reality itself was warping to work against them, and the last thing he needed was to anger whatever vengeful deity had trapped them in such an illusion.
"Some help might be necessary..." He would admit. Though he could not feel the pain, he felt as though he didn't have much strength in that leg. Not to mention, putting too much strain on it in this state, pain or not, could cause further damage. Holding his sakabato tightly in his free hand as he leaned on Loie for support, Haji would give Ariadne a tired look. He'd much rather that he was taking point and facing this danger first, but he had to play entirely defensively for now and hoped he could protect the two of them if it came to it.
"If things get bad... please save yourselves first. I will only slow you down like this."
Did he want to be alone? Hell no. He was terrified. But he knew full well that his weakness could cause them to fail to make it out as well. If it came to it, his life was an easy trade to make for theirs. Maybe then he could find repentance.
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Post by Ariadne on Jul 16, 2020 5:37:36 GMT
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Ariadne was relieved Loie had sprung into action. Ariadne felt significantly more useless in the medical realm. What she did know was natural remedies, basic first aid using an actual first aid kit. She lacked the experience and expertise to handle medical emergencies. So Loie's basic knowledge and initiative to act was a huge relief.
When Addy finally did take a look around the hallway, she wished she hadn't. The sounds and the eyeballs were nightmare-inducing, and she didn't even want to know what the fleshy-looking substance was.
But this reaffirmed something that occurred to her earlier, when she started seeing Daphne.
There's no way all of this was real. Given how Seb had pushed them back, and the dogs had injured Haji, she was sure some aspect of this was physical and fully tangible... but she had trouble identifying what really was and wasn't there. No, the eyes weren't normal. Neither was the window disappearing, or seeing a dead man. So what was it? And what triggered these images? Are they hallucinations or illusions? And how much of what they saw was shared between the three of them?
Her thoughts were briefly interrupted as Haji spoke, and while she would've gone and supported him from the other side, it'd be difficult traversing down the stairs with the three of them like that, and she imagined Haji wouldn't be too thrilled for her to be in the way of him using his weapon.
So she'd scoot by them and take the lead up front, so that she could be the first line of defense and the first to encounter whatever they saw first. She'd give Haji a glare over her shoulder. "We are not leaving you behind. We're going to make it out, we just need to stay focused." Her words felt like she was trying to reassure herself rather than him.
Her mind drifted again to the idea of whether or not this was still an illusion. The alleyway before seemed neverending, was this staircase so as well? She could barely remember how high up they were when they came in through the window. A few stories, maybe? Just one or two? It was difficult to tell what they were seeing and experiencing when she had been so focused on running and escaping.
But whatever was happening, real or not, was no less terrifying. She kept herself on guard, her heart beating fast as she dreaded and anticipated whatever else they'd face.
[newclass=.dialogue b]color:#95a1eb;[/newclass]
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Post by Zi on Jul 17, 2020 4:28:26 GMT
With every step they took, they would hear more screams fade in as others faded out, and the eyes followed in each moment. At the stairway itself, there was a boy in a gas mask standing on the landing, just looking up at them. He wore a tattered hoodie and ripped jeans, and his bare feet could be seen to be nothing but bone and muscle - no skin. Going up, there was no such vision - there was only a trail of blood and a strange black liquid leading up every individual step.
Out of nowhere, random doors would begin to be slammed from the inside, as if something, somewhere, was trying to get out. The doors would shudder, the eyes would become bloodshot, and the screams were replaced with cries for help - and demands for blood.
"Running gets you nowhere," the boy said, pointing at his flayed feet.
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Post by Ariadne on Jul 17, 2020 5:20:23 GMT
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Addy quickly took the doors slamming and the eyeballs become bloodshot to mean that whatever the fuck was behind those doors was something they needed to avoid. This whole thing was terrifying in a way she couldn't even fathom was possible until this moment-- the eyeballs, the fleshy substance, the screams, the blood. Even if her theory that this was all a dream or an illusion or something was true, it wasn't a theory she wanted to test by facing whatever was behind those doors. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that what she was witnessing wasn't real, she knew she couldn't be naive and stupid about it either. Recklessness was going to get all three of them killed.
She saw the gas-mask boy and heard his warning. Seeing his feet flayed like that gave her a weird, tingly sensation in her feet and legs. Was it even possible for this boy to have no skin on his feet without it being extremely painful?
Was this just another illusion?
"Only way out is down," she'd say as she'd attempt to walk past the boy and continue their descent. Did his words refer to the alleyway before? Running and going nowhere?
Addy found herself being more cautious about where she walked, one hand holding the railing while her other hand clenched and unclenched her fist to try and stop the shaking that had persisted. She felt too paranoid-- the thought that some of this might be an illusion was eating at the back of her mind. Could any step fall away, letting them plummet down? Are they even in this building? Was this boy even here? What could she even believe anymore?
She snapped herself out of her thoughts, realizing she was just going to go mad if she started questioning every facet of reality all because she saw a vision of Daphne. She had to stay focused and be brave, for Loie who Addy was sure was just as scared as she was, and for Haji and his mangled leg. If they could just get out... get to safety. Then everything would be fine, right? Just keep walking down...
"Has anyone tried calling 911?" She mused out loud to distract herself. She didn't have a cell phone-- but Haji did. And she was sure that there was a good chance Loie might as well.
[newclass=.dialogue b]color:#95a1eb;[/newclass]
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Post by Loie Prim on Jul 17, 2020 17:43:25 GMT
Loie’s gaze fell to the boy’s feet and she quickly looked away. But no matter where she looked, some gruesome image would likely burn itself into her memory for eternity. The waking nightmares were infrequent at first and she could have dismissed them. At least she wanted to. But at this rate she felt like she’d have a never ending sense of paranoia for the rest of her life.
Loie also caught a glimpse of the sludge that trailed up the stairs. Half of her wanted to turn back for fear that they’d end up the same as the boy, but the doors began rattling like the wrath of hell threatened to crash in from the other side. She did her best to steady her trembling since she needed to be a solid support for Haji, but her body felt out of her control. Her eyes hadn’t dried since she’d broken down in front of the boy outside the restaurant and it didn’t seem like they would any time soon.
She continued to follow Addy down the stairs, briefly looking at the masked boy out of the corner of her eye when she passed. She worried that he would lash out at her at any moment once she’d gotten close, but right now she was a little more afraid of what could be behind those doors. Addy asked about calling 911 and Loie couldn't help but think back to the last few disaster's she'd been in. At the mall she'd gotten static, and in Old Town she'd gotten... some pot head? Loie got out her phone and dialed 911 even though she really didn't want to. If the other's wanted her to do it, she would. Loie doubted there was much any normal law enforcement could do against this kind of threat, and that was part of why this situation was so terrifying.
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