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

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[windstwilight]

The laughter seemed to fade with the breeze, the setting sun only now realized. The wind shifted Senna's hair and she glanced up at the sky, wondering now when they'd head back to the buses. It seemed much later than last week. Something shifted in the girl; something felt strange, the wind was moving in different ways now, and Senna tensed unconsciously

[sheisthecause]

Meche was still sitting against the tree when the first of them began to stumble through the park. At first she didn't pay a lot of attention to them. It was getting darker and a little cooler as the sun sank lower in the sky, and she was wrapping her scarf around her neck again and starting to think about getting up and getting some dinner now that the cramp in her side was gone.

And then they got closer, and she saw the empty eyes, the wounded skin and the...red mouths. Oh, no.

And then something burrowed up from under the ground right next to her. Meche screamed and scrambled like a crab out of the way as the monster--no, not just any kind of monster, the zombie--stood and lurched right for her.

She sprang to her feet and tried to run--to the buses? Somewhere, anywhere--but they were all over the place now. The girls! she thought in panic. She had to try to keep them together, make sure everyone was okay. The attack had come so suddenly that she couldn't see any of them at first, and then--"Senna!" Meche called, rushing toward

[windstwilight]

No one... no one.... She couldn't see anyone so far, and-- "Meche! Here!" Senna moved forward, bringing an elbow in and up into a throat of one that had gotten too close. Least these clothes were easy enough to move in.

When the other girl reached her, Senna reached out, grabbing her arm, and looking around frantically. No. She didn't see any of the others. There was no way to see in this crowd right now. And if she did see them? Falis could defend Hokuto, as well as Soma. Senna needed a weapon. Her prowess was only going to get her so far. Difficult decision reached, her eyes turned, something like regret filtering through. They needed a path.

"We're getting out of here, okay? We need something more substantial to fight them with. We can't help anybody like this." Whatever you want to tell yourself. "So we're moving. Fast." She grinned at Meche weakly. "Pretend its another race."

[sheisthecause]

Meche opened her mouth to protest, but then she caught the look in Senna's eyes. No, she was right. This wasn't like last night, where charging at the enemy at least had some chance of doing a little good. Now they weren't just outnumbered, but totally unarmed. She'd just have to trust that Falis and Soma could take care of Hokuto.

Already she couldn't see a clear path to anywhere, and the longer they waited, the more zombies they were going to have to get through. Meche nodded sharply. "All right. Let's go!" she answered, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. This was another one of those times when she was going to have to stay tough.

[windstwilight]

Shit shit shit shit. No weapons, no weapons. Small girl plus untrained warrior. This had the potential to get really bad, really quick. Her mind was filtering through zombie lore like flipping through the pages of a book, and Senna was trying to decide which these ones were. There were the shambling hordes ones, the quick skittery ones... Fuck, they all wanted brains, what did it matter