Nightshift 42: Lil' Tyke Toys

[mukuchi]

Mori had been content just to watch over the store. The toys and the sound of Mitsukuni's voice and the general peaceful atmosphere was enough for him. He'd shifted over closer to the aisle where his cousin and Tsubaki were, but otherwise, he hadn't done much. He really didn't need to. Mitsukuni probably knew he was somewhere close by, he

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[host_club_honey]

Honey was enjoying himself, playing with some of the stuffed toys and dolls and talking to Tsubaki. He'd noticed Takashi a little while ago and was sure to smile in his direction, whether or not he was watching. They still had a little bit before they were supposed to go back to the buses, so he didn't see any reason not to enjoy it as much as he could.

But everything changed in the blink of an eye. He thought perhaps it was just him, that he was sensing some change in the air or a menacing aura, but this was something else entirely. The rag doll in his hands seemed to decay before his eyes and its head lolled back, revealing gray, musty stuffing and tiny bugs crawling out.

He dropped it with a yelp and stepped back, looking up to try to find Takashi. He heard the other boy's shout and yelled back, "Takashi! We're over here!"

It didn't look like there was much in the way of weapons to use here, since it was a toy store, but they might have to make due with what they could get their hands on. Something bad was happening and while he wasn't sure what, he knew he didn't want to find out.

[mukuchi]

Why were things changing when the night hadn't properly fallen yet? Mori didn't like the unexpected horrors one bit, and he knew that as the dark fell, Mitsukuni wouldn't either. He didn't have a flashlight, and neither of them had anything they could use as a weapon. With Mori's left arm still in a sling, tonight would be dangerous - far more than before.

Turning a corner, he spotted Mitsukuni and quickly moved to his side, looking to Tsubaki. They had to get out of here. He had a bad feeling about this place. They needs things they could use to defend themselves and this place didn't have anything they could really use, other than awkward projectiles. Gripping the box in his hands, he kept a close eye on the store and noticed that there was movement toward the back. Turning toward it, he slipped one foot back and waited.

[thecamellia]

The day had been beautiful in its own way, and the atmosphere in the store had been peaceful--the people working had seemed nice, and the others inside equally so. Most note-worthy of all, the sun had still been out, a soft twilight that hadn’t struck Tsubaki in any way but a good one. It’d been about the same time when they’d been rounded up and taken back to the hospital the last time, after all.

This time, things were different. She learned that at in the same moment as the others--blinking at the warning growing in the back of her mind, she’d lifted her chin, and the far wall she first glanced over changed right in front of her eyes. Changed, the same way the Institute changed.

The building, everything, changed. Gone wrong.

For a heartbeat, Tsubaki felt like her lungs were taking in ice as she whirled to face the front of the store. The looming figure racing towards them had the assassin on a dangerously sharp edge before she exhaled, realized the person wasn’t a threat (yet), and began to steady herself in the same moment. Focus, Tsubaki. Focus. Focus.

She could hear sounds coming from the counter, and sounds coming from outside--sounds that came from things, not people--

The sudden transformation that had suddenly overtaken her surroundings were more than enough to incite the frantic, clutching hands of fear that every person with a survival instinct felt at some point in their lives, but fear led to panic, and panic led to mistakes, to nowhere good. Nowhere she needed to be. It wasn’t just her training that made her stamp down that fear as quickly as it’d come on--she couldn’t be afraid. Being afraid never solved anything.

Tsubaki immediately stepped away from Honey, turning her head enough so that she could still see the two boys while putting her back to the smallest and creating a kind of flank around him. The other one--Takashi--was already wounded. If anything came from the front, she needed to be the first defence.

Besides that… She looked back at them, readying herself to transform her scythe. What was happening?

[host_club_honey]

Honey held to the fabric of Takashi's jacket with one hand, Usa-chan with the other. Thankfully, his own stuffed toy was not experiencing the same sudden rot like the rest of the shop had. While he was more than adequately trained for combat, stuff that should only happen in horror movies was another thing entirely.

There was no more kindly lady behind the counter either. Had the rot affected them too? Weren't they all supposed to be safe in the daytime? And what about the others? If this was enough to unnerve him, wouldn't the twins or Tamaki be even more worried?

"We should find somewhere safe," Honey said, voice tinged with worry. "Something's really wrong."

[mukuchi]

Sounds from the counter, sounds and movement from the back of the store, movement toward the front and the smell of rot everywhere. They were surrounded by something that hadn't yet chosen to attack, but the calm was unnerving. It was obviously getting to Mitsukuni, too, the way he was holding onto Mori's jacket. It took a moment, but Mori realized just why he was worried.

The twins and Tamaki.

While he and Mitsukuni could take care of themselves (and added bonus, they had another warrior with them, if Tsubaki's stance said anything), the others were inexperienced. This sort of thing could very well--

Something lunged from the side and Mori reacted without thinking, throwing the box in his hands as hard as he could. Rather than bouncing off something though, the box...stuck. In what used to be a person.

A person with rotting skin and a bloodied mouth. A person who was obviously no longer alive, but was still moving. Zombies? Seriously?! Is that what he'd been smelling?! Shambling closer, the former clerk reached out toward them and Mori grit his teeth. They needed to leave.

[thecamellia]

Why now? How? All the questions she wanted to ask herself, there was no time for. The only questions she could ask was how best to deal with whatever was going on--the toy store definitely wasn’t safe, and the outside didn’t seem any safer. And that left very few options, because--

Because everything pointed to them being surrounded!

The shelves on either side of them made the attack that much more dangerous--(And what were they being attacked from? That wasn’t a person anymore, that was… a dead body? A zombie?)--and she didn’t have a lot of room to manoeuvre. But with all three of them unarmed, and not all of them in the best of health, Tsubaki was quick to act. They needed to fight their way through. Cutting the attackers down was the only option.

Tsubaki twisted, bringing her ponytail, the tip of which glowed a bright golden light, up and over her shoulder, and when her chain scythe began emerging from the light like a deadly, serpentine extension to her hair, she sent the scythe shooting out to strike the foe hounding Takashi on his side. Honey was small and easily avoidable, but Takashi and the tall aisles were a different story; striking over them with a clear view of the enemy was out of the question. And then there were the others in the store… She had to be careful not to hit them, which limited a long range attack even further. This was really bad!

“In the back, there has to be a door!” Tsubaki shouted in-between. For shipments and things, right? There was usually more than one, besides the entranceway.

[host_club_honey]

The nice clerk lady who'd greeted them so cheerfully was now a rotted up, decaying zombie thing! The box Takashi had thrown only stuck in with a nasty squishing sound and Honey's jaw dropped. Fear was hard to overcome, but he did his best to be brave. There was a time to be childish and a time to be serious and luckily, he usually knew the difference.

He latched on to Tsubaki's suggestion and tugged at Takashi's jacket again, though this time to lead the way, rather than to shrink back in fear. The back room should have an exit, and hopefully something that would deal more damage than a hobby horse or a jack in the box. Even a mop handle would do if they were desperate. It didn't take long to spot the same door the clerk had first come out of.

"Over here Tsubaki-chan!" he shouted as he reached for the door handle. Hopefully there wouldn't be more zombies on the other side. Though if this was like any horror movie he'd heard of(not that he liked watching them, they were way too scary!), they were in store for a lot worse.

[mukuchi]

Something was coming. Mori sidestepped quickly and watched as a scythe on the end of chain zipped by, taking out the clerk. He winced as the blade hit her and then turned to Mitsukuni, noting his orders. He followed close to his cousin, picking up boxes and hurling them at the creatures that seemed to keep popping up everywhere as he went. This was horrid! Like those creepy American films that Mitsukuni didn't like.

They needed weapons though! More than--wait, where did that scythe come from anyway? Turning to look over his shoulder, both to check Tsubaki's location and to see where her weapon was, he couldn't quite tell. He was certain she hadn't had it earlier. So how did she get it?

Reaching out, he grabbed Mitsukuni's shoulder before he could get the door open and then moved forward, pressing his ear against it. No movement. It was (hopefully) safe. Stepping back, he nodded and then turned, hurling another box at a half rotten teenager that appeared from a far aisle. Just where were they coming from?!

[thecamellia]

Like the stifling darkness Tsubaki had come to expect from nightshifts spent in the hospital, the fog made reliance on her sense of sight near impossible. The other four, the two couples, they’d still been near the counter when the… the whatever had happened, hadn’t they?

As the corpse fell and the others began searching for the rear door, she retracted her blade and tried to listen for sounds outside of the moaning… and the breaking wood and glass, and the screaming… was the entire to town like this!? It was total chaos. A nightmare. And she just didn’t have the ability to sense others’ souls as she was--!

Before she could do anything, movement alerted her, and Tsubaki spun around on another one of the creatures, the smell of rotten flesh overwhelming her in its proximity. She slashed at its throat before its grasping hands could reach her. There were too many of them, way too many, she wouldn’t be able to get back up to the front of the store at this rate. Raising her voice to include any still left alive (and what a terrible thought that was), Tsubaki said, “There should be an escape out the back! If you can, get to high ground!”

And what was their group going to do if there wasn’t a door in the back? Barricading themselves in wouldn’t help if--

Like it’d read her thoughts, something burst through the floor in front of her while she was in the midst of turning back to catch up with the others. She bit back a scream when a hand made a grab for her foot, throwing her off balance. Leaping past the growing hole in the floor, she skidded to the side, pushed against a shelf for balance, and raced down the rest of the aisle. They couldn’t stay here any longer.

[host_club_honey]

Takashi checked the door first, and as soon as he nodded, Honey grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. Tsubaki was on her way toward them, and Honey had to admit he was impressed. Even with just a short glance he could tell she was skilled, but there was no time for compliments. He crept inside, though it was a bit darker than the rest of the store. From what he could see it was just empty boxes and crates, toys half unpacked. Not that he really knew what to expect, but hopefully there was an exit this way.

[mukuchi]

Most places had exits out the back - it was where the cargo came in, or so he remembered from doing a warehouse tour once. Everywhere had at least two exits, just to be up to fire code. But that was in a large city, and here? He wasn't sure. Luckily, he was tall enough that he could see over most of the boxes as he stepped inside. Far back right corner - he saw the faint glow of an exit sign.

Mori was about to go follow after Mitsukuni, when he heard wood cracking and turned, seeing a hand burst from the ground to grab Tsubaki. The girl could take care of herself, sure, but that didn't mean he was about to leave her. Racing back, he held out his free right hand to Tsubaki and pivoted, ready to grab her and pull her along with him. "Mitsukuni! Far back right corner! Go!"

[thecamellia]

Why was this happening so suddenly!? These were the real deal, zombies, or something else that wanted to hunt them. Not like Sid-sensei at all!

The cold, hard knot in her stomach told her it was doubtful escaping outside would provide any more safety than staying inside, but still, for a moment that knot tightened when Takashi turned around instead of continuing inside. “I’m fine!” Tsubaki let out, chains singing at her side from the scythe clutched in her right hand. Try as she might, the situation had left a breathless quality to her voice… even if she was prepared to use herself on the next creature that tried to get too close. “Hurry!”

Who could guess what was waiting for him through the door, and her eyesight needed more time to fully adjust to the gloom of the storage area, and oh, this was bad. She needed to make sure everyone got away okay.

They were horribly outnumbered.

[host_club_honey]

Years of martial arts training and private school could never have prepared him for a night quite like this one. When Takashi went to help Tsubaki, he took his task seriously, ran to the other end of the room and grabbed the door handle. Unlocked, from this side at least. But if there were already so many zombies inside the store, what if the rest of the town was the same?

"It's not locked!" he yelled back. And so far, he hadn't seen any more zombies, at least not back here. Hopefully they'd be safe for at least a little while.

[mukuchi]

The store room seemed to be safe, but if the things were bursting up through the floor boards, that meant staying inside anywhere wasn't going to be safe. They needed to climb up, or else get somewhere with concrete floors. Most importantly, though? They had to get weapons and stay alive. As Mori ran back with Tsubaki in tow, he felt something grab him from the side - pain searing up his injured shoulder as it tugged. One of those things had somehow gotten around him and he opened his hand, thrusting it straight into the zombie's throat. Unexpectedly, the head rolled backward, neck severing as the body lost its grip and flopped to the ground.

That was...gross. And now his good hand was covered in nasty gunk. Shaking it as he continued toward the store room, Mori waited until Tsubaki was inside before pushing the door closed.

Outside there were likely more of those things and in here, there wasn't much chance for survival. The undead knew they were in here and it was only a matter of time before they managed to throw enough weight against the door and break it down. In the meantime, they needed to arm themselves and that meant finding something in this room that they could use. There looked like there was a broom closet near the exit and Mori started toward it. "Need weapons before we go."

[thecamellia]

At Honey’s declaration, Tsubaki thought, That’s one good thing…

Otherwise, every bone in her body was telling her they were in deep trouble--the things moved slow, and although they weren’t the most coordinated foes, they were tuned into their prey (and the word ‘prey’ had never felt so applicable), and where one went, more were soon to follow. As far as the image of the brain-eating zombies was concerned, these ones were spot on.

But at least having some skills on their part left them somewhat prepared.

Tsubaki was ready to cover their tracks, but when one of the slack-jawed creatures jumped at Takashi, it was he who took care of it. Whether or not Honey could defend himself at the same level, it was nice to know the two weren’t completely defenceless. Not that Tsubaki had any intention of letting the burden of a fight fall on the shoulders of someone who was already injured. If she could help it.

She was a weapon, after all, wasn’t she?

In the rear of the pack, Tsubaki took a look around the room before moving in the other direction--to the opposite wall, where a half-filled supply shelf stood. Yes, and it wasn’t bolted down! There was the potential for a lot of awkwardness in handling a chain weapon and trying to move a shelf at the same time, but it was like dealing with another limb for her. In the next moment, Tsubaki was pushing the stand across the floor with a shriek of rusted metal, bringing it to rest against the door they’d just come through. They certainly couldn’t go back through there, and if the others hadn’t made it to the back of the store in the same amount of time, the windows were probably now the only safe escape route.

… Escape to where? That was the question.

[host_club_honey]

It was hard to believe the situation could change so drastically in such a short time. Honey ran over to meet the two as they entered the room and Tsubaki managed to get a heavy shelf in the way of the door. He hoped it would hold.

He met Takashi at the broom closet and glanced over the contents for possible weapons. Not much really. Cleaning supplies, a mop and some brooms, but at least the handle would be useful. Honey stuffed Usa-chan halfway through his belt, facing backward, almost like a backpack as he took to trying to remove the dusty top of an old wooden broom. It should be enough to keep the zombies from getting too close at least. Honey had no desire to let them get more than a few feet from him; as it was he was sure he was going to have nightmares for weeks.

"We have to find the others," Honey said, looking down at the wooden pole in his hands. There was Tamaki and Hikaru and Kaoru as well as the patients he'd made friends with here. He couldn't just hide while they might be hurt or worse. What was all their training for if they couldn't protect the people who were important to them?