Night 54: Main Hallway 2-West
( from here. nnn so close.)Closer. She was getting closer. Almost there, almost at her destination. ... And then she would have to do it all over again. Get from one point to the other, without hopefully being hit or ... well, if she was being honest, she would really appreciate it if she wasn't noticed, but hey, she couldn't look a gift horse in
( Read more... )
A few steps into the hallway and immediately Sechs sensed the telltale signs of a violent scuffle going on in the distance. Kibitoshin's flashlight had not illuminated the battle going on yet, but the android could hear and smell the extent of the fight. It made his racing heart accelerate. He wanted to join the fight, vent his frustrations over everything... But his mission to find Alita took top priority. Plus, he didn't think Kibitoshin would appreciate him getting into more "silly fights"...
Keeping a safe distance for now, Sechs stood his ground and pondered over his plan. From what he recalled, the janitor's closet was on the other side of the building. That could mean running past a perfectly good fight! Sechs grumbled and scowled at the thought. The other option would be to go back to the first floor and take a different staircase, but that took up too much time! The more he thought, the more his frustration gathered up inside his chest! He felt slowed down by Kibitoshin and rushed by his need to accomplish his goal at the same time! What was he supposed to do now?
And then there were the drug effects to take into consideration, as Sechs' eyes caught the unnatural movement of pitch black ooze slithering about on the floor...
Reply
Or maybe it was exactly for that reason. Maybe he was just starting to reach the end of his tether, and- and--
He took in a deep breath. Okay. So if this was his temper, he needed to try and control it. There was no point in having a big fight here, where everyone could see it (including monsters and brainwashed patients looking for a fight). Which was why it came as yet another unpleasant surprise when he heard himself, in an incredibly sulky voice, answering, "I was just trying to be helpful. Don't be so unfair."
Oh, dear.
At first he was terrified. How could he say that? Sechs was still angry at him, and rightfully s- wait, rightfully? He'd been concerned about him, not trying to be rude! That wasn't 'rightful' at all. W-well, if not that, then maybe he'd just been careless in throwing his flashlight around like tha- but no, wait, they could have walked into an ambush! Kibitoshin found his hands curling into determined fists. No! He needed to say this!
Reply
Slowly, a pair of yellow eyes appeared at the corner between this hallway and the next, glowing in the darkness and blinking at them, almost curiously. Then there was a strange clicking noise, and the chattering began again just a two more sets of eerie glowing eyes popped out of nowhere. All three pairs of eyes came into the hallway as the scratching and scraping grew in volume and intensity, and the small group of teeny creatures hurried across the hall to the pair of warm bodies they were eager to prey upon.
Some of the chattering became something like excited shrieking, and one of the tiny things launched forward, obviously laying claim to the light-haired one; clamping its clawed feet onto its prey's left side, it started to try to climb him, using just its feet, before it laid into his arm with its razorlike teeth and released its feet, starting to jump back down.
Reply
"Don't be so unfair...!" crooned the dark voice in Sechs' consciousness. In that short moment of silence, Sechs felt the words reverberate inside, giving way to shame. Sechs himself hated seeing unfairness in life, and Kibitoshin was his friend--
Yet the faint presence of guilt disturbed his festering temper, and within seconds it reared its ugly head inside Sechs, bursting out of him in the form of a loud snarl. "Hey! It's not like I begged you to come with me!" Sechs snapped, his free hand clenched into a larger fist than the Kaioshin's. "If all you're gonna do is complain all night, then why don't you just get outta my face and--"
A series of chattering reached Sechs' ears, how long they had been there until he noticed them over his own loud voice was unknown. The Replica flinched, the rest of his angry words never made it past his clenched jaw. His posture instantly tensed up as he looked over towards the source of the sounds.
Silence followed the chattering, leaving both android and Kaioshin in the dark. "Shit!" Sechs hissed, "Did you hear that...?"
And then, as though to answer Sechs' question, clusters of yellow eyes emerged from the shadows; more chattering and clicking filled the air as they made their approach. Immediately, Sechs swung down his axe from his shoulder, gripping its handle with both hands as he glared at the glowing eyes.
It was then that Sechs realized that the drug could have been playing mind games with him again. It always took on blackened forms, and so far it had displayed eyes of similar color. Was it real or just cruel effects of that experiment nights ago? How was he supposed to deal with this and what would Kibitoshin do...?
Within seconds, Sechs realized that his hesitation had cost him valuable time to react, when one of the chattering creatures pounced out from the darkness and right into Kibitoshin's side!
"KIBITO--!!" Sechs panicked, he couldn't use his axe on the creature without risking hitting Kibitoshin in the process! Hoping this was just a harmless illusion; Sechs freed one of his arms and took a swipe at the creature to rip it away from its target.
Reply
Scrrraaaaape.
Kibitoshin froze as well. He'd heard it- he'd definitely heard it.
The next moment came at the Kaioshin as a blurr; first he was replying to Sechs, then he was listening again, and before he could even register the latest sound there were suddenly six eyes staring at him, almost a luminous yellow in the dark. Was it one creature, he remembered thinking, or three? Two, with three eyes each? And then they attacked.
In a dark, confusing mash of sound and sensation, something leapt up onto his side and buried its claws into him, as small as fingers but sharp as razor blades- but that was just the leg-up to the main assault. Kibitoshin couldn't stop the cry of pain and shock being ripped from his throat as what felt like hundreds of teeth sank into his arm, just as he couldn't stop the flashlight from dropping out of his hand and to the floor.
"Sechs-!" he started, but just because he was injured that didn't mean he was totally useless, did it? Sechs already thought he was an idiot, so- so-- furiously, he gritted his teeth and swung out with his undamaged arm, towards the something in a hard left hook he prayed would connect.
Reply
But when one set of eerie yellow eyes closed, two more popped up, at the same place at the corner between this hallway and the next, to replace it. They stayed back while the other two ventured forward, one coming forward and aiming its claws to rip into the white-haired one's left leg, just under the knee; the other shot around him, aiming its own claws for the other prey's right leg, it's equally sharp teeth biting at his hip.
Reply
Meanwhile, the sounds were increasing in volume while the sets of hungry eyes rapidly multiplied around the android and Kaioshin. It was then that Sechs realized that the moment he stopped to raise his voice at Kibitoshin was what attracted the monsters, and as another one pounced for the Kaioshin's leg, Sechs felt a terrible lurch in his stomach--
Yet before Sechs could shoot his armored leg out to kick the monster off Kibitoshin, another creature had suddenly clamped onto his own leg, just above his shin guards and digging its teeth through his thick suit and into his hip!
"ARGH!" Sechs' roar of pain joined the cacophony of shrieks and chirps of the darkened monsters. Snarling, Sechs held his axe near the blade and brought it down upon his attacker, aiming to pound the butt of his weapon into its head.
Reply
One second with his eyes off of the other two, just one second, was all it took for one of them to dart towards him and, quick as a blink, swing its claws straight into his calf. Kibitoshin gasped, then cried out as they ripped first through the material of his pants and then into unprotected skin.
His knees buckled; it was only through force of will and the sudden, splitting roar from behind him that he stayed on his feet. "S-Sechs! There are more! We have to--"- have to move, not talk, what was he thinking?! Pushing, forcing his way through hot pain like a whip-stroke, he clenched his jaw and kicked out with his injured leg. Anywhere else the kick would have been fast and powerful enough to rip through steel. Here, he'd have to pray it was enough to dislodge one eager monster.
Reply
The other, however, was not quite so agile in its escape from close contact; before it could detach itself from its own prey, the white-haired male did it for the creature. It banged against the wall, falling to the floor in what seemed like shock - as its fellows flew forward, claws scratching against the floor as they chirped and chattered. Finally, right when they reached just the right range, the other two launched forward, one aiming for his left arm, the other aiming for his right leg.
Reply
Someone or something had scrambled over the fallen flashlight, causing its beam of light to roll across the floor and catch Sechs' attention. Above the single light, Sechs caught a disturbing glimpse of his friend under siege by more of the deadly creatures, exposing their disgusting, misshapen bodies and terrible claws. Kibitoshin's other-worldly uniform was swiftly becoming nothing but shreds beneath his attacker's toothy mouths. Even if Kibitoshin was fighting them off without a weapon, the creatures just kept ganging up on him and there were many more on the way! The feeling Sechs experienced inside his chest earlier returned in full force, along with the fleeting image of Forte's dead body--
"SHIT! GET OFF HIM!" he roared, fighting to get away from his own attacker but failed to smash it with his axe. The creature made a leap into the safety of the darkness, but Sechs' instincts sensed that it wasn't giving up yet.
For now, Sechs' main concern was focused on Kibitoshin. He stomped over to the Kaioshin's side, intent on driving off the surge of creatures but was alerted to the flash of his foe's yellow eyes streaking through the black, briefly glimpsing its disgusting hide, enormous claws and gaping mouth as it flew in again for the kill...!
Realizing that his axe was just too heavy and slow to deal with the small monsters at such a close range, Sechs freed one hand from his axe and pulled out his machete from his back in a single, swift motion. Before the creature could land on his chest plate, Sechs' blade flashed through the air, aiming to slice the damn thing up before it could plant its teeth into his flesh.
Reply
But now he had a break, the briefest of reprises from the fray, and he could just about spare a second to look around. He needed to see, he needed to make sure Sechs was okay, because there was no way he could carry on with this fight alone. There was no way he could carry on with anything here alone. With a deep breath, part-gasp for the near-paralysing pain shaking his body, he turned.
He turned, and he saw, by flashlight: one of the creatures was diving towards Sechs, towards his chest. Android or not, if those claws dug too far into his skin--
Kibitoshin's throat constricted, but then his mouth was open and he was shouting out, "Sechs, look out-!"
It had already been three seconds.
With his back turned there was no way he could have seen the two of them coming, and they hit him as though they were made of lead, one to his elbow and one to the back of his knee. He buckled, and before he could do much more than turn his elbow so that the think would hit the ground with him he'd fallen to the floor. The shock ran through him and jarred his limbs, freezing him for several long, dangerous moments- and he was utterly vulnerable for all of them. He could only hope he'd caught that one as hard as he hoped he had.
Reply
At the sound of the other necrit dying, the one on Kibitoshin's arm pulled its head back, blinking at the other prey before chirping at it angrily. Hopping down in a hurry, it flung itself at the other male, mouth moving and ready to chomp down wherever it could find sweet flesh.
Reply
One down, more to go.
The fight was far from being a game or sporting competition however, as more panic pulsed into Sechs' heart when he heard Kibitoshin cry out in the darkness, followed by the sickening thud of his body hitting the ground. The seriousness of the situation had truly dawned on Sechs as the fallen Kaioshin became open to the terrible mouths of the hungry creatures. The throb inside his heart exploded into an uncommon rage that Sechs had just begun to experience ever since he saved that one girl from killing herself under a tyrant's manipulation. He wasn't mad because of the bite to his hip, he was mad as hell that the creatures were ganging up on Kibitoshin -- his friend!
Such fury helped the Replica focus past the horrendous pain of his wound and lock eyes upon his darkened target. One of the creatures that had torn into Kibitoshin's arm seemed just as furious, stridently clattering its teeth together before pouncing at Sechs.
"Hold on!" Sechs cried, his voice hoarse with panicked agony. With the bloodied machete in his hand and the axe carried behind in the other, Sechs charged to Kibitoshin's aid, the machete's edge cutting through the darkness towards his second attacker. He had to get the monsters off Kibitoshin before...
Within the rush of that violent moment, another image of Forte flashed through Sechs' mind. Gritting his teeth, he could only hope that his attack would be enough to save Kibitoshin from the same fate...
Reply
With a distant, almost alien sense of dread, Kibitoshin realised that he might die. No, not realised- recognised. He'd been here before, back to the wall- well, floor- and in mortal peril while some great creature closed in on him, feeling the blood run down his skin with the sweat and the blossom of fear in his chest. He'd been smaller, then. Smaller, weaker, and yet at the same time much stronger than he could ever have hoped to be here. The East Kaioshin, the weakest, could have taken out this thing without a thought.
But for all his training, his fusion, he was human here. He was entirely vulnerable.
Sech's voice sounded out like a ship's horn in the fog, and Kibitoshin clung to it, a castaway. He could hear the android moving now, the swipe of his axe, and he'd felt the rain of blood (it had to be blood) from before. His throat strangled his thoughts before he could speak them; he kicked out a final time and willed Sechs to move.
Reply
Barely seconds later, the chirping was met with more sounds, frenzied and excited. The chattering was shortly joined with more scraping, more hurried scratching.
Reply
Panting and swaying slightly on the spot, the sensation of blood crawling down his leg and sweat trickling past his eyes became amplified by the android's heightened state of fear and fury as his mind raced over what to do. By the increasing racket echoing from the unknown, the toothy little bastards were sure to arrive in endless droves. The blood-thirsty side of Sechs' combative ego experienced a rush at the thought of sweeping through the horde with his machete swinging with no relent. He wasn't going to let the little monsters get in the way of his goals! He needed to replenish his supplies and find Alita! That was all that mattered!
Yet the other side of Sechs' warrior spirit had his focus on Kibitoshin, sprawled upon the floor in a bloody puddle that was rapidly growing in size around his once colorful garb. The seconds of witnessing his friend in such danger seemed to slow time down into agonizing hours of indecision and panic. Sechs' heart was strongly tugging him away from the impending battle that was fast approaching from the shadows, and with a pained growl, Sechs made his decision -- and stooped down to help the injured Kaioshin up to his feet.
"C'mon!" Sechs growled through his pained gasps, "Let's get outta here!"
Ignoring the stabbing protest from the injury in his hip, Sechs stowed his axe and machete away to hang off his belt and kneeled down beside the Kaioshin. He reached for the fallen flashlight and wrapped his lean arm around Kibitoshin's side. Not wanting to waste another moment in such a vulnerable spot, Sechs quickly grabbed Kibitoshin's other arm, draping it over his shoulders before heaving him up off the floor, allowing the Kaioshin to lean upon most of Sechs' shoulders.
"Hold on! Don't die on me too now!" With one arm supporting Kibitoshin's back, Sechs' free hand held the flashlight aloft, catching fleeting glimpses of the terrible armless creatures that were swiftly surrounding them. Bent over from his friend's weight, Sechs shuffled to the door leading to the stairs and struggled to wrench it open.
The deafening scratching and skittering was filling the air like smothering fog as Sechs struggled to turn the knob with a hand that was already occupied by the shaking flashlight. What if he didn't open the door in time? Another shot of adrenaline coursed through Sechs' bloody, sweat-covered body as the chirping came so close that his prickling spine expected the agony of one of the creatures to suddenly leap upon him with its claws digging for flesh. Open damnit! C'mon!!
Yet at the very last second, Sechs' sweaty grip upon the knob succeeded in opening it, and without another moment to spare, Sechs threw the door open and dragged Kibitoshin through it with him. As they stumbled into the darkened stairway, the door slammed closed behind them with a strident thud, shortly followed by the sounds of hungry, toothy, clawed creatures slamming their little bodies against it.
"Shit!" Sechs gasped. That was far too close! With the creatures (hopefully) safely behind them, Sechs adjusted his hold on Kibitoshin before taking his first careful step down the stairs, "C'mon! We're going back to where it's safe! Don't go like..."
Sechs' words trailed off as the image of the deceased Forte briefly flashing past his vision. Gritting his teeth, Sechs kept Kibitoshin closer in a tight, one-armed hug, desperate to keep his friend alive, his throbbing heart willing the Kaioshin stay with him. "J-just... Just hold on!"
Without a moment or another drop of blood to spare, Sechs helped his friend down the stairs and into the darkness, hoping to reach safety before it was too late...
Reply
Leave a comment