The Boards to the Park, Friday Early Afternoon
Karla glanced out Jono's window and saw the forcefield doing something...weird. She wasn't sure what it was doing, but she was almost positive that whatever it was meant nothing well for the island. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, she headed for the stairs and out door, as fast as her feet could carry her. Jono had snagged Joni and left for supplies while she was still crashed out on the couch, so if he wanted to yell at her for not locking up behind her, he'd have to find her later.
She also vanished his guitar case on the way out. Because she was a good friend and it was leaning against the wall as she ran for the door.
Outside, everything was chaos. The town was swarmed with hundreds of Auditors brandishing makeshift weaponry. They filled the streets, looking for people to attack or streaming towards the school. As much as Karla wanted to take out a few over what they'd done to Raven, her Black Widow senses were screaming at her to run, and they only got louder every time she looked up at the sky. Karla dashed into the park, hoping the Auditors would ignore it since there were no people there. She flung herself through tree branches and bushes, nearly blundering into a flock of panicked flamingos who had somehow ventured far from the lake.
Karla hit the ground and pushed herself up again, heedless of the scrapes along her palms or the holes in the knees of her jeans. There was a sudden chorus of agonized honking behind her and when she turned her head to spare the miserable birds a look and bit back on a wail of despair. The forcefield had failed and the Nothing was rushing in, devouring Apocalypse Avenue in less than a second.
There was no way she could outrun this thing. She would never make it in time.
Warren
It had taken his home. It had taken his best friends, and had been the cause for the rift that had opened like a massive trench between himself and Karla. Hell, it had even taken his rabbit. And now, circling overhead after the better part of a day spent swooping down to beat in the faces of Auditors with his sticks, Warren was bearing witness to it trying to take Karla away again.
Not long ago at all, Karla had accused Warren of rumpling her after a dive from the sky, fully bent on saving her from herself. There was no way in hell he was going to let all of that hate and vitriol he'd taken from her earlier in the week end up being for nothing.
Sorry, Karla. With mere seconds before the Nothing could close in on you? You get rumpled. Hate Warren for it later.
Karla
Karla gasped as an iron band wrapped around her midsection and yanked her off of her feet. Seconds later, they were winging through the air with the Nothing thundering after them. It wasn't until she realized that the air was scented with cornchips (like safety, like love, like warmth and understanding) that she even realized what was going on.
"Warren?" she asked, clinging to him. "You shouldn't be here! It isn't safe!"
She didn't want him getting hurt!
Warren
Warren's expression was grim, wings pumping like mad, trying to keep ahead of the incoming wall of emptiness.
"I could say the sa--"
He checked over his shoulder. There wasn't even time to finish that thought. There was just time to react, to push her away from himself, to throw her away from himself and to pray that they weren't too high from the ground for her to safely land it and keep running.
The Nothing swept over him, swallowing his heels, his wings, wrapping around him and silencing a scream and taking him away from...
It stopped, and the shield flickered back into being.
Karla
Karla hit the ground with a thud, landing on her hands and knees just as the forcefield flickered in place, barely an inch away from her face. The Nothing pulsed and swirled on the other side of it, looking as if it were trying to find a way in to finish what it started.
She stared into it for long heartbeats, trying to make sense of what had just happened. "Warren?" she called. Maybe he'd landed somewhere else? In a tree or in the lake? Because he couldn't have--he'd just been holding her--her shirt was still warm from the heat of his chest--she refused to accept the possibility that that she'd lost--
"Warren."
"Warren!"
"WARREN!"
A single white feather, as long as her forearm fluttered in the air to land beside her. It was the only thing that answered.
[Preplayed with the awesome not_a_parakeet. Establishy, NFI]
She also vanished his guitar case on the way out. Because she was a good friend and it was leaning against the wall as she ran for the door.
Outside, everything was chaos. The town was swarmed with hundreds of Auditors brandishing makeshift weaponry. They filled the streets, looking for people to attack or streaming towards the school. As much as Karla wanted to take out a few over what they'd done to Raven, her Black Widow senses were screaming at her to run, and they only got louder every time she looked up at the sky. Karla dashed into the park, hoping the Auditors would ignore it since there were no people there. She flung herself through tree branches and bushes, nearly blundering into a flock of panicked flamingos who had somehow ventured far from the lake.
Karla hit the ground and pushed herself up again, heedless of the scrapes along her palms or the holes in the knees of her jeans. There was a sudden chorus of agonized honking behind her and when she turned her head to spare the miserable birds a look and bit back on a wail of despair. The forcefield had failed and the Nothing was rushing in, devouring Apocalypse Avenue in less than a second.
There was no way she could outrun this thing. She would never make it in time.
Warren
It had taken his home. It had taken his best friends, and had been the cause for the rift that had opened like a massive trench between himself and Karla. Hell, it had even taken his rabbit. And now, circling overhead after the better part of a day spent swooping down to beat in the faces of Auditors with his sticks, Warren was bearing witness to it trying to take Karla away again.
Not long ago at all, Karla had accused Warren of rumpling her after a dive from the sky, fully bent on saving her from herself. There was no way in hell he was going to let all of that hate and vitriol he'd taken from her earlier in the week end up being for nothing.
Sorry, Karla. With mere seconds before the Nothing could close in on you? You get rumpled. Hate Warren for it later.
Karla
Karla gasped as an iron band wrapped around her midsection and yanked her off of her feet. Seconds later, they were winging through the air with the Nothing thundering after them. It wasn't until she realized that the air was scented with cornchips (like safety, like love, like warmth and understanding) that she even realized what was going on.
"Warren?" she asked, clinging to him. "You shouldn't be here! It isn't safe!"
She didn't want him getting hurt!
Warren
Warren's expression was grim, wings pumping like mad, trying to keep ahead of the incoming wall of emptiness.
"I could say the sa--"
He checked over his shoulder. There wasn't even time to finish that thought. There was just time to react, to push her away from himself, to throw her away from himself and to pray that they weren't too high from the ground for her to safely land it and keep running.
The Nothing swept over him, swallowing his heels, his wings, wrapping around him and silencing a scream and taking him away from...
It stopped, and the shield flickered back into being.
Karla
Karla hit the ground with a thud, landing on her hands and knees just as the forcefield flickered in place, barely an inch away from her face. The Nothing pulsed and swirled on the other side of it, looking as if it were trying to find a way in to finish what it started.
She stared into it for long heartbeats, trying to make sense of what had just happened. "Warren?" she called. Maybe he'd landed somewhere else? In a tree or in the lake? Because he couldn't have--he'd just been holding her--her shirt was still warm from the heat of his chest--she refused to accept the possibility that that she'd lost--
"Warren."
"Warren!"
"WARREN!"
A single white feather, as long as her forearm fluttered in the air to land beside her. It was the only thing that answered.
[Preplayed with the awesome not_a_parakeet. Establishy, NFI]