Nightshift 28: Bus 2

[misterprince]

Sanji was blinking furiously, trying to figure out why he still felt awake though everything was dark. The sedatives, just recently injected into his system, were working full force and he was having difficulty figuring out which way was up and down. All the sounds were reminiscent of something out of a nightmare. Was that what this was

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[forgot_it_all]

The buses screeched to a halt and Ritsuka got ready to deal with his annoying nurse again, when he realized something was horribly amiss. The sun was sinking faster than it should have and he froze as the scream pierced the air. He knew he shouldn't look forward, but he turned anyway and was treated to the sight of the nurses and orderlies morphing into...

He didn't know what those things were.

His mind blanked out and he blanched, shrinking back against the seat as if it would protect him. Things landed on the roof and suddenly a hole was in the side of the bus. So much chaos erupted around him and he found himself completely frozen as he stared at two men attacking what used to be his nurse. He knew Soubi was right next to him, but these things weren't anything like what they'd fought before. They were people. He couldn't order Soubi to hurt people! He couldn't-- The busybody had needles and dead flesh rather than her usual cheerfulness on her face - rotting, decaying, bloody, horrid.

She couldn't see him, but he could see her as she attacked people. His brain finally registered what was happening and he couldn't keep himself from screaming.

[qui_gonjinn]

Qui-Gon materialized behind the screaming patient. It was difficult to make out any details when so much was going on inside the cramped quarters of the bus, but he could tell that the other patient was young and appeared unarmed, and far too close to the nurses - or what was left of them, because they were only humanoid in appearances. There was no time for introductions as Qui-Gon bent down next to him and clapped a guiding hand on his shoulder:

"Come on!" he said.

He hadn't actually seen whoever was responsible for blowing out the side of the bus, but that was the closest - and probably best bet - to escaping. He had no idea what was outside, but at least they would have room to move around instead of being trapped inside the confines of the buses with these warped creatures and no means of defense on hand. If they moved quickly, they should be able to make the exit, he thought, glancing toward the hole.

[forgot_it_all]

He didn't know what was going on and when someone grabbed him, he assumed it was Soubi. In the confusion and his fear, he'd stumbled out of his seat, trying to run to the back. He'd thought he had grabbed Soubi's hand, but now there he was behind him - pulling him toward a hole in the bus. Where had the hole come from?

He turned back in time to see green blood spurting from his nurse and he felt numb and sick at the same time. He wanted to throw up, but he couldn't - not in front of---

This man wasn't Soubi. Ritsuka found himself looking up at a stranger and panicked again. Who was this person? Were they going to hurt him? "Who are you?! What are you do--"

Ritsuka struggled against the older man as he realized that they were going to have to move toward the front of the bus to get out the hole. He didn't want to go near his nur-- the monsters, but the things were everywhere. What the hell was going on?!

[beloved_less]

Everything happened at once. And none of it mattered when he saw that Ritsuka was gone. Ignoring everything around him, he went after the boy, pushing and pulling his way through the throngs of people.

He latched onto the strangers sleeve and pulled himself closer before swinging a fist at him.
"Release him!"

[qui_gonjinn]

There was really no room to side-step the punch, and Qui-Gon was thrown back a step, head ringing. It took a moment to gather himself before he turned toward his attacker and another to realize that there had been some kind of misunderstanding, that his attacker thought he was trying to harm his friend.

"I'm trying to help," Qui-Gon had to shout to be heard. "At this rate we'll be trapped - we need to leave!"

There had to be some other way to make it obvious that he wasn't an enemy. If he'd had full use of the Force, he probably would have just used that, and persuaded the two of them that it really was a good idea to leave through that hole and right now was as good a time as any, but that wasn't any option at the moment. But he wasn't going to just leave these two here either just to save himself.

[forgot_it_all]

"Soubi!" Ritsuka grabbed his Fighter's arm, but it was too late. The stranger had been hit in the head. He really hoped a fight wasn't going to break out, not when those things were right there. People were fighting on both ends of the bus and more monsters were appearing outside. It was all too fast, far too fast...

One word out of everything Qui-gon said caught Ritsuka's attention. Trapped. They could be trapped in here with the green blood and the deranged staff. Leaving meant going toward the front, though, and for all his rationalization, Ritsuka's fear was getting the best of him for once. He didn't know which way to turn, but he wanted out of there. Holding tight to Soubi, he hid his face against the man's shirt and tried to block out what he'd seen. "Listen to him - get us out of here."

[beloved_less]

Well. Soubi wasn't going to apologise. In fact, it wasn't out of any form of stubbornness. The idea didn't cross his mind since, after all, he was just doing his duty.

He picked Ritsuka up, keeping him balanced on one hip so he had an arm free and could see more of what was going around him. Between fight vs flight, people in general often went for the latter. However, this place wasn't full of normal people and Soubi was unsure which flow of people to follow.

"What's the easiest way out?" he asked, looking to the stranger. People seemed to be heading for a hole in the side of the bus, but Soubi hadn't seen how that had come to be. For all he knew, it led straight to jaws of a demon.

[qui_gonjinn]

Qui-Gon gestured to the hole in the side of the bus. It'd be easier to get through than trying the buses's doors, although actually getting to the hole would pose a problem - some patients were opting to stay and try to fight off the changed staff, and while Qui-Gon respected that decision, it also meant that the cramped conditions had only worsened if they were going to have to try to dodge the staff and their opponents. It would be tough going no matter what.

"I'll lead," Qui-Gon said. Taking point weaponless and without command of the Force wasn't necessarily what he'd call smart, but he did at least have his hands free, unlike the blond young man or his friend. "This way."

Qui-Gon set off down the aisle, ducking his head slightly so he wouldn't graze the roof of the bus.

[transgenix]

[ Coming from here.]

Max met them at the hole, her gaze scanning the bus as she went, making sure people were getting off alright, all the while hearing the sounds of fighting and an eerie squawking coming from outside. That sounded fun, she thought sarcastically as she approached the hole and spotted another group coming from the opposite direction.

She recognized the man leading them - Qui-Gon, had his name been? She'd met him her first morning here, if she remembered rightly - but it was the sight of the young boy being carried by a stranger and looking frightened behind him that made her frown as she hurried towards them.

"Ritsuka, are you alright? You're not hurt?" she called to the boy as she reached the hole at the same time as the three of them.

[forgot_it_all]

He barely registered being picked up, and the fact that he didn't yell at Soubi to put him down said a great deal about his mental state. He didn't want to be here anymore. He didn't want to see his nurse getting killed. He wanted her attackers to stop, but he couldn't ask them to do that. She was a monster - another hideous creation of Landel's meant to tear them apart. God, how he hated this place. Ritsuka wrapped his arms around Soubi's neck and tried to hide his eyes again, his breathing hitching in his throat as he tried to calm himself down.

Panicking would do nothing but make them all better targets. He had to get hold of himself. He had to concentrate and regain his cool. It was so much easier said than done.

He heard his name called and gripped Soubi tighter, shaking his head against his shoulder. He recognized the voice as belonging to Max, the woman from Arts and Crafts, but still couldn't look up. He trusted that Qui-Gon was doing the right thing, taking them to safety, and that Soubi would make sure they all got there in one piece.

"...not hurt," he muttered, knowing his voice was probably lost to the noises inside and outside of the bus. Once he got outside and he could breathe without smelling the blood of his nurse and the other patients, maybe he'd be better. He just needed a little time to push all this down until he could deal with it later.

[beloved_less]

It felt so good to have Ritsuka cling to him, but there was no time at all to enjoy it. Soubi gave him a light squeeze back. "I'm here, you're safe," he whispered.

He looked at the woman briefly. She seemed genuine, as did the stranger who had stolen Ritsuka in the first place. He gave her a brief nod and looked between her and the man. If they cared for Ritsuka, then Soubi was going out between them. He couldn't protect Ritsuka very well, should he be attacked, it was best to have a barrier.

[qui_gonjinn]

Qui-Gon glanced from the others to the young lady. Max, was it? He remembered talking with her earlier, and while he didn't know too much about her other than what she told him about her world, he did trust her.

"We need to get them inside," he told Max. "Back to Landels."

It sounded counterproductive to run back to their prison, but it would be foolish to try to escape without knowing what else was out there. At least they knew now that the patient cells appeared to be safe. The best thing to do would be to retreat to those until they could regroup and organize themselves.

[transgenix]

She nodded in return, stepping towards the hole and looking out. There were winged creatures flapping above the unloading area, between the buses and the institute. She tried to count, but there was so much confusion, she couldn't get a good number.

"There's birds, so the attacks will come from above," she cautioned, unsure if they could see in the dark. "I don't see anything attacking from the ground, but that doesn't mean there's not things out there. They've swarmed, it looks like. Keep Ritsuka in the middle?" she advised, before shifting forward and stepping out the hole.

[ Hopping down here.]

[forgot_it_all]

There were times when Ritsuka was really glad Soubi was as strong as he was, and this was one of them. The man might be scared, but he certainly wasn't showing it and that example of calm was helping the young boy settle his nerves. He still refused to raise his face until after they left the bus, but he wasn't shaking and he didn't feel like throwing up anymore. He could hear the adults making plans around him, and Max seemed to know the stranger well enough.

Ritsuka did feel bad that he got hit because of him... He'd have to talk to him later.

Or he would if the giant birds didn't get them. What the hell was wrong with this place that it had to add giant birds on top of the rest of their problems?

[ooc: Ritsuka will move once Soubi does. |D; ]

[beloved_less]

So much for trying to get Ritsuka to rest tonight. Perhaps he'd be willing once they were out of danger...

He nodded to the woman, even though it was a given that Ritsuka would stay between them. Even if he'd been a stranger, he was still a child and Soubi wasn't that heartless....

Soubi followed Max out of the hole, keeping a tight hold of Ritsuka.