Night 36: Staff Lounge

[atoyboxworld]

[ From here]The door opened without noteworthy effort, and Near immediately noticed that this new room was as dark as any of the rest, creating a cliche foreboding atmosphere within. Brooklyn was the first to go inside, a wise tactical move, then Near followed, pushing his cart along. The hand truck was left by the door, however, and Near quickly

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[manhattan_red]

Of course they would have to do some searching for it. Nothing ever came easily in this place. (Though you'd think someone who really wanted to help them over the radio would make things less difficult.)

He continued to keep close to Nate. If something did leap out at them while they were in this room, he didn't want the boy to be on his own somewhere on the other side of it. He had to be able to protect him. The beam of the boy's flashlight made searching through the dark on his own a bit more difficult, but that couldn't be helped. "What do you think we're supposed to be looking for?"

[damned_monsters]

Their caution was well-placed, as no sooner had Near snapped on his flashlight then a rumbling growl sounded through the room and the Lamassu stalked out of the shadows. At first glance it seemed to be a large, if malnourished, lion, fur black as pitch allowing it to blend into the deep shadows of the room, but as the beam from the flashlight caught it, it revealed the fur to be matted with blood while rotted muscle and bone were clearly visable. Great, leathery, bat-like wings rose unfolded from its back and flapped lazily, sending the pungent odour of rotting flesh rolling towards the patients.

It had been set here to guard this room from all who would enter for the prize within, so with another snarl of hunger, it leapt for the closest of the intruders. Its claws outstretched and jaws wide open, displaying the rotting teeth within.

[Kesiah]

[atoyboxworld]

Well. It seemed as if, for whatever reason, something was there to guard the item of choice.

He didn't answer Brooklyn, as the question immediately lost priority to whatever it was that had been unleashed in the room. The other man needed no distraction, certainly not from Near. The foul odor was a clear indicator of direction, and as quickly as he could manage, Near moved away from it. This was where Brooklyn would be the one to show his talents. There was only one way Near could help, a silent show that he trusted Brooklyn to do the job. It wasn't an ideal situation, but of the two of them, Brooklyn would be the one who would need the greatest advantage.

So as Near moved away, even before he saw what the creature was, he turned off his light. Sound and smell would have to be enough for his own efforts, in order to give his companion full use of his night vision.

[manhattan_red]

How Brooklyn hadn't noticed this creature immediately he didn't know. Any moment longer and he would have seen it for sure. Nate was trying to be helpful as he turned his light off, and the gargoyle felt a certain bit of respect for the boy when he didn't scream and run

[damned_monsters]

The absence of light didn't bother the Lamassu at all, in fact, it preferred the darkness as that allowed it to sneak up and take its prey by surprise more effectively.

The larger of the two patients didn't seem bothered by the darkness however, still seeming perfectly able to follow the Lamassu's movements and avoid the first swipe of a heavy paw. His eyes were glowing brightly in the darkness, which if anything just gave the Lamassu something to aim for - it would be interesting to see if those eyes continued to glow as brightly once they had been clawed free from their sockets.

It reared up, balancing precariously on its hind legs, wings spread slightly to balance it as it swung another huge paw at the conveniently glowing targets.

[atoyboxworld]

Near immediately responded to Brooklyn's words, clicking on the light. He aimed at the ground at first, only for a moment, until the growl made it clear just where the creature was.

Hopefully Brooklyn could react quickly to the swipe. Otherwise, they were in trouble.

It was difficult to keep up with the speed, but Near moved just enough to get the best angle with the light. It only took a moment for the teen to find his target with the beam, but in that time, Near saw something quite unlike anything from his world. Or so he assumed, since there was no telling what Shinigami looked like. Regardless, the same impassiveness Near had displayed the night before came into play now; he gave no outward reaction, despite a slight churning of the stomach. Panic or disgust weren't things he was prone to give into anyway, and certainly not in a critical moment like this.

Brooklyn needed to be able to focus his attention solely on the creature. Thus Near had two responsibilities: proper aiming of the light, and keeping himself out of

[manhattan_red]

"That's right, big and nasty. I'm your opponent." Brooklyn hadn't yet had the opportunity to use these weapons, and wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to handle them, but he would do his best. At least they were bladed. He didn't have his claws anymore, but these might make reasonable substitutes.

Nate was following his directions, which was a nice turnaround from the usual. If it worked, the focus of the light should give him the advantage.

When the creature swiped at him, the gargoyle dodged to the side, a movement actually made easier by his current lack of wings (though he didn't want to think too hard about this). He used the opportunity to try his hand at stabbing the arm with the weapon in his right hand. The center blade stuck out further than the other two and looked like it would be good for it.

[damned_monsters]

The brightly shining points it had been using as targets whirled to the side as the prey dodged its attack, still exhibiting no negative effects from the current darkness of the room... Darkness that was suddenly broken as the other patient snapped on his flashlight and shone the beam in the Lamassu's eyes. It snarled in protest as the light blinded it, a snarl that turned into a roar of pain and rage as the center blade from Brooklyn's weapon pierced its side, splattering the patient with foul-smelling gore and dark blood.

Another roar and its great leathery wings arched and beat down heavily, both trying to strike out at its attacker and hoist the Lamassu into the air. Once it was above them, it would be able to attack them more easily and feast on the remains.

[atoyboxworld]

Near watched with unchanging expression as Brooklyn struck the creature. What came out was certainly putrid, yet Near still wished he had an adequate container for the substance so he could test it should the materials become available. Since this hell wore the guise of a hospital, it was likely that the materials needed for such examinations would be available in one of the rooms. Near decided then he would have to carry at least one bottle for collecting specimens in the future. Though he was trained more to examine results from crime scenes rather than half-rotting flying zombie lions, it still seemed prudent

[manhattan_red]

Arial attacks should come more swiftly, except that their location didn't exactly allow for it. Gargoyles glided, and thus required currents of air in order to get off the ground. Gliding inside was near impossible, and he knew first hand the difficulties of maneuvering inside buildings. This was just a lounge. The ceiling wasn't particularly high. Even if this allowed the creature to get above them it would be putting it at more of a disadvantage than anything.

Brooklyn had been knocked down by the initial launching, but he didn't stay down for long. The creature was large, and wings could be fragile things. It wouldn't be able to stay airborne long in a room this size - especially if the gargoyle was fighting back.

"Denying me heroics?" He switched both weapons to one hand in order to grasp a chair with the other. Nate was doing a good job with the light. "Stab me in the back, why don't you." He launched the chair upwards towards one of the Lamassu's beating wings and immediately went for another.

[damned_monsters]

The Lamassu growled in triumph as it launched itself into the air, wings beating down heavily and knocking the prey that had wounded it off his feet. Its eyes had adjusted to the light as well, so it would first disable the annoying light-bearing patient- The light moved away, leaving the Lamassu blinded by the sudden darkness and unable to defend itself as the chair crashed into its side a moment before Brooklyn slashed its other wing. The leathery membrane caught and jerked at the blade, splitting with a sickening tearing noise and disgorging more pus and blood onto its attacker

[atoyboxworld]

Near's lips quirked into a grin as Brooklyn shot back his reply, interpreting it as acceptance from the other. Perhaps Brooklyn's mild dislike of Near was part of the cause, but the teen was more hopeful that it came from experience in fighting. Despite the physical changes Brooklyn had undergone, Near was impressed by the man's combative capability. He'd attacked without hesitation, using both his own weapons and the environment around them; more importantly, he'd made the best use of all the resources

[manhattan_red]

The second chair that Brooklyn had been going for ended up being used as a buffer between himself and the creature as he attempted to keep its claws at a distance. It wasn't going to last long under the onslaught, however, and the gargoyle gripped both weapons in his hands again.

He slashed and stabbed at the claws as they came for him. It was important that he try and keep the Lamassu from getting back to its feet. At the very least, he needed to damage the limbs.

At one point the claws raked into his side and he cut off a cry of pain by clamping his teeth down hard. This could get ugly.

[damned_monsters]

The Lamassu snarled in frustration. There was a chair between it and its chosen prey and the prey was using it as cover while it continued to slash with its blades. While the chair wouldn't last long, the blades were a threat that couldn't be allowed to continue. Fortunately the Lamassu was faster, its claws catching and raking down the patient's side with a sound of tearing cloth and flesh, a sound that made the Lamassu bare its teeth in anticipation of triumph. Only to yowl loudly as a blade sank into the sensitive pads of a forepaw.

The pain made it leap back instinctively, hissing and spitting in rage. It was then that it noticed the light again, the irritating light that kept blinding it when it was trying to hunt, and the pathetically small and defenseless child that was the source of it. Things would be much easier if it disposed of the child and the accursed light first. Snarling softly, the Lamassu turned and lunged towards Near, mouth wide and teeth bared.

[atoyboxworld]

Near considered the biology of the human body, his body, particularly in response to fear-inducing stimuli. His amygdala was active, but regulated by the rostral anterior cingulate cortex. Regardless, his muscles were tense, and a light sheen of sweat had formed on his skin in response. His heart rate was increased, and Near found himself wanting to take cover. Instinctive, and a clear indicator of where his instincts fell in terms of the classic fight-or-flight response. Epinephrine and norepinephrine both were being released from the medulla of his adrenal glands, readying his body to react; and among other notable effects, Near's vision narrowed, tunneling as his eyes dilated further than they already had in the dark

[manhattan_red]

"NO!" Brooklyn didn't care if he and Nate had their differences. For him to be hurt while under his protection meant he'd failed to keep him safe and that was unacceptable.

He ran after the creature, forcing himself to ignore the stabbing pain in his side. With a cry, he leapt onto the beast's back, knowing he'd have to deal with being buffeted by the wings. He couldn't allow it to do any more damage.

The blades were jabbed into the creature's flesh as means of holding on. If he could get close enough to the head, one of these blades through the skull...