70. [DREAM/DREAM/DREAM/DREAM]
[So while the rest of Johto alternately panics, cries, or rushes around trying to capture as many of the soulstealing insects as possible, there are dozens of souls floating around in that dream limbo, drifting in and out of each other's slumbering thoughts and visions. Whether it's nightmarish flashbacks or just those dreams where you're at school
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Except then he notices the swarm of them clambering out of the water through the fog and darkness, and that nearly make his heart stop. What the hell--?!
Where the hell are all of these things coming from?! Kaito takes a step back from the larger group of... things in front of him, sliding his card gun out of his pocket as he does so, finger flexing dangerously over the trigger. He grits his teeth, gaze darting across his surroundings frantically, searching for an exit. There is no way he's going anywhere near the water, not when they look like they wouldn't hesitate to drag him underneath. And there is no way he's going to go toward the bigger group of them-- he doesn't want to test his luck.
He can only hope that the single one behind him is still alone. He could use his card gun to knock it over... and hopefully bolt for safety.
He turns around and starts in a brisk walk down the direction he had originally been going toward, glancing over his shoulder every so often to make sure he's leaving the things behind, but still keeping his eyes in front. His card gun is lifted at the level of his eye, ready to fire when necessary, and his heart is already pounding loudly in his ears.
This is weird... a bit freaky, even. But he can make it out unscathed... he thinks]
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[The one he's got the gun aimed at doesn't seem to care-- or maybe it doesn't even know-- that he's got a weapon. It continues to blunder straight towards him, making its guttural bleating noises. If the path were wider, he could probably run around it... but the little ledge is so narrow that there wouldn't really be anywhere to go but the water, where more of those things may still be lurking...]
[Either way, he'll have to make a decision. Seemingly excited by the fact that he was coming back towards it, the one directly ahead starts to speed up...]
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Once he's within firing range of the sole... thing in front of him (but not so close as to put himself in immediate peril) he aims his gun downward. The exploding sound of his card gun firing echoes throughout the caverns, and he sends two cards flying straight at the creature's feet. After practicing so much with firearms, his aim was good... and he could only home the cards would strike and send the weird thing tumbling to the ground. At least then it would stop running after him, and he could probably jump over it and bolt to safety...]
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[It's not a big creature to begin with, so Kaito should have no trouble clearing it when he jumps-- but as he passes over, the thing is already lurching back to its feet, and perhaps accidentally, may thwack straight into him in the process, with a force surprising of something so clumsy and frail-looking.]
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-- but unfortunately, he miscalculates how fast the creature was able to climb to his feet. It manages to smack straight into him mid-jump with a sickening squishing noise, causing him to yelp out in surprise and lurch forward, crashing head first (well... arms first, he managed to lift them up to break his fall) into the concrete walkway (thankfully landing with the strange creature behind him and the clear sewer tunnel in front).
His landing might have been upset, but Kaito was never the type to lose his footing without recovering, and while on the ground he spins around quickly to face the creature, holding his gun up and ready to fire if it was planning on approaching him again. His elbows and forearms are scraped and bloody, chest heaving with each breath he takes, and he quickly scrambles away from the thing while simultaneously trying to pull himself onto his feet.
... and push the the thought that he actually touched it out of his mind because holy shit that was gross.]
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[The spill unfortunately costs him dearly-- although the critters aren't terribly fast, they're moving en masse-- and they're not stopping. Any cards fired at the one stumbling upright will likely take it out again, but the oncoming herd soon trample straight over their fallen brethren, as though not even knowing it's there. It's sort of startling how much distance those things can cover if one hesitates for even a moment...]
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Shit--!
[The curse echoes across the walls as he finally manages to catch his footing, leaping up as fast as he can and firing right at the creature he had knocked down earlier. He doesn't stop there, not with an entire hoard stomping over the one he knocked over right at him, and his breath catches in his throat as they approach, far too close for his comfort, before he fires again, trying to slow as many of them down as he can.
... but he knows that won't be enough, not with the sheer volume of them, and once a few shots are fired, but before any of them can actually reach him, he whips around and darts in the opposite direction, trying to put as much distance between him and those things as he can.
Persistent little bastards...]
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[It's not like they're fast, after all-- .... oh. well wait a second. Is that a great big grate across the entire tunnel up ahead...?]
[... Yep. Yep, it's a great big grate. Not even a limber fellow like Kaito can fit through those little gaps-- ... but there's something else, once he reaches it-- a small opening, it looks like-- set in the opposite side of the tunnel. It's not very big, but... he could make it through if he tried.]
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... they were still approaching, like a hoard of hungry predators, and if he stood here, he probably wasn't going to be living through this dream much longer. His heart is pounding in his throat, blood and adrenaline rushing through his ears. There had to be a way out of this, there just had to be. This couldn't be the end, he refused to go out like this, attacked by a mob of disgusting, naked things --
And as though it was a beacon of light in the middle of a dark alleyway, his gaze is drawn toward the tunnel across the water, suddenly and inexplicably. He thinks it's large enough for him to pass through, but he'd have to get closer to see. The only problem is the water separating him from the only viable escape option. The very same water teeming with slimy creatures from god knows where.
He didn't want to risk being pulled under. But hell, it's not like he had much of a choice, did he?
Without hesitation, he whips away from his pursuers and takes a running leap at the chasm, trying to clear as much of the smelly sewer water as he could to minimize how much he had to slosh through himself. Unfortunately, his jump isn't powerful due to how narrow the walkway is, and it's only enough to get him about halfway across before he lands splashing in the disgusting sewer river.
Gross...
There wasn't any time to think about that now. He quickly splashes his way across to the other side of the tunnel, shooting at any creatures who might try to come near him as he does so, hopefully keeping them at bay long enough for him to reach the tunnel and duck inside... to safety]
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[But all the same, those strange beasts are still clambering towards him like an army of deformed amphibians. They honestly don't seem to have sharp teeth or claws, or even mouths for that matter, but if the WHACK that single one trying to get to its feet gave him was any indication, they packed some punch and probably wouldn't be very pleasant to get trampled under... which was absolutely what would happen if he stayed where he was, which thankfully was not what was happening.]
[The water is cold and rank, reeking of ammonia and other smells best left unmentioned, but though it soaks partway up his torso, at least it's shallow enough that he can make his way to the little escape route without slipping under. A couple of times he may brush against something cold and slimy in the water-- but his nimbleness will carry him past them without incident, although a series of plops and splashes behind him will confirm beyond doubt that the beasts are still in pursuit.]
[The hole in the side of the canal is small, but definitely man-made-- it belches water that seems a LITTLE fresher than what he's wading through, but not by much-- and once he's inside, the current running around his wrists, knees, and ankles is weak enough that it doesn't put him in danger of slipping right back out the way he came.]
[The bleats of the creatures soon sound around the mouth of the hole, but although they're small enough to get in, they... don't... seem to be succeeding very well at it. Note to monsters: if you tried going in ONE BY ONE, you could probably do it. Climbing all over each other and trying to get in five at a time? NOT THE RIGHT STRATEGY.]
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He knows better than to breathe easily just yet.
The tunnel is cramped, but there's enough room for him to glance over his shoulder in order to see if any of those things are following him. Thankfully... it doesn't seem that way, especially since they're dumb enough to crowd about the entrance. Still... just in case one happens to sneak through, he alternates between glancing behind him and keeping his eyes on the trail in front of him, just in case he needs to use his card gun to shoot more of them down]
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[It might be dark, smelly, and completely uncertain as to where this leads, but... at least it's safe. For now.]
[The tunnel does seem to be going upwards, at least... there's no guarantee that it goes to the surface, but hope is better than nothing. Unfortunately, he'll probably be wriggling slowly upwards for a good long while before he encounters anything... but eventually-- eventually!-- a dim light starts to filter in from somewhere ahead. Light from the surface! ... Or, well, maybe-- wherever the original source is, it still seems awfully far off-- but it's something!]
[The more IMMEDIATE source, of course, is something he'll find when he reaches a level spot in the tunnel-- and a fork in the metaphorical road. The light is coming from a grate (ANOTHER one...)-- beyond which the tunnel continues to slope upwards, towards a far-off bright opening. The OTHER path is a semi-steep drop just like the one he just climbed up-- the water coursing through the grate rushes down both the downhill inclines.]
[The grate, though still an obstacle... looks rusty as hell. He could probably kick some of it loose if he tries!]
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His back and neck are cramped by the time that light begins to shine through the darkness, and he feels himself reflexively let out a relief sigh. Choosing a path at the fork isn't difficult-- if he just climbed up from the sewers to get here, then the downward incline probably led right back to them.
He approaches the grate, frowning as he peers at the bars, but taking note of that rust. It's cramped, but he manages to shift until he's on his back and able to aim a powerful kick at the rusted bars. Freedom looks like it's so close...]
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[The sound of the grate breaking is screechy and echoes up and down the three tunnels like nails on a chalkboard.... bouncing a few times before fading out.]
[... But then there's another sound... coming from the second downhill tunnel.]
... Hello? ... Is someone up there?
[... A voice. A hoarse, male voice.]
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... except maybe not yet. Kaito freezes just before he crawls through the hole he made in the grate, glancing over his shoulder at the second tunnel. The voice is unfamiliar, but never being the type to leave someone behind, stranger or not...]
Ooooooi!
[He crawls back toward the downhill tunnel, but doesn't quite crawl through it just yet] I'm up here!
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Thank God...
I thought I would never hear another decent human voice again. I've been trapped down here so long...
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