NIGHTSHIFT 42: MAGUS PARK

[zeus_incarnate]

The shift was familiar enough, in it's own way, but it came too soon. He wasn't sure if any of the others in the group aside from Stefan had been around long enough to witness this before, but he wanted to reassure them that this was just like the changes the institute underwent at night

Comments

[forgot_it_all]

Ritsuka looked down at his camera and smiled, flipping through the photos he'd been able to take so far. The afternoon had gone rather well, all things considered. They may have been trapped at Landel's still, but there were good things here. He had Miku and Soubi and Sousuke and his roommate and maybe things weren't going to be so bad. All they had to do was get back to the Institute, survive the night, and tomorrow they could start looking for a way out together.

He really should have remembered Murphy's Law at that point. When Ritsuka looked up from his camera, he froze. The trees were decaying in front of his eyes. The sun was still up. It was twilight, but the trees were decaying. This isn't possible. This can't be happening!! Ritsuka felt his hands shaking and he stepped back toward Miku and Sousuke, as he forced himself to look around. Bad idea. The townspeople who had been on the benches were transforming, skin rotting off, eyes turning lifeless, all bones and blood and hunger. Ritsuka had seen a movie like this once. He'd thought it was stupid at the time.

Not so stupid now.

"...O-oh God..." Turning he grabbed Miku's arm and then looked for Sousuke, subconsciously calling out for Soubi. He needed his Fighter. He needed him badly. "We have to get out here. Now!"

[rope_victim]

It was different, with the dead people.

Miku had been used to seeing people in their death form on a regular basis for a long time. Throats would be slashed, eyes gouged, rope marks burned into skin, skin pulled tight over intangible bone in hideous smiles, and blood would be black on blue-grey bodies. But this was different. This wasn't something she could just run through and be okay.

"I... I can't..." she whispered, trembling like a leaf. Her legs felt weak, unresponsive. "I... I can't r-run, R-Ritsuka..." She turned to look for Sousuke, her eyes wide with fear. "I can't..."

[uruz_vii]

Before he'd arrived at this strange place, Sousuke had never put much stock in the supernatural. If he'd had any doubts now, even after being around Miku so much, they had vanished.

As a soldier, he was a firm believer in 'the dead will never come back to life, no matter what one does'. Apparently Kalinin had been wrong about that. They were walking the streets now--apparently dead, and yet animate.

Both Miku and Ritsuka were not fighters by any means. This area was wide open, leaving them vulnerable. Their only hope of survival was getting someplace they could defend, and defend well.

He looked back over his shoulder--a hotel.

"This way!" He shouted over the collective moaning of the mindless horde. It was more for Ritsuka's benefit, though, since Miku seemed to be suffering from combat paralysis. The sergeant scooped her up in his arms without a word. "Towards the hotel, hurry!"

Making sure he was covering Ritsuka's escape, Sousuke darted past clusters of undead, making his way through the mob, holding Miku tightly to his chest as they ran.

[uruz_vii]

[ To here.]

[beloved_less]

Soubi wasn't far from the park. Once he had the photos in his hands he was off, looking for Ritsuka and hoping to make up for upsetting him. And maybe get his own way, but first and foremost was Ritsuka's smile. He'd put the photos in his oversized pockets and was about to light up when everything began to die.

He was running before he even heard Ritsuka's call. But when he arrived- he was sure- He closed his eyes as he felt another tug. Ritsuka had moved!

Soubi turned and ran, following the call.

[To here.]