(Untitled)

[whipfist]

Who: Alex & Desmond.
When: Thursday night.
Where: Sector 4.
Summary: Desmond gets caught outside while the sirens go off. Alex runs across him.
Warnings: Violence?!

Comments

[bleedaffected]

It wasn't something that had happened on purpose. Lacking a job or anything to really do with his life for the time being, Desmond found that he was slowly falling back into the same old habits he'd had the last time he'd lived on his own. That was to say that his day happened at night and his night was the daytime. At any other point in his life, this hadn't been an issue at all. And so, when he'd traveled out to pick up a few things that his apartment had started to severely lack due to excessive reclusivity on his part, it hadn't even occurred to him that he should have just waited until tomorrow.

Then the sirens had gone off. And Desmond got a very loud, very grim reminder of where he was.

Of course he'd been warned about the sirens, and the Darkness, and all of the terrible things that lurked within it. But none of it had seemed real until this moment, now that he was walking in it. To be fair, he hadn't really seen anything yet that confirmed the truthfulness of the stories he'd been told. It was the feeling. It was the unsettling sinking feeling that something out in that dark emptiness was waiting, watching. It was every shadowy movement that caught his vision at the very corners, every dark whisper that came to him so quietly that he wasn't even sure he'd heard it.

With his hood pulled up and his head tucked down, he'd taken to keeping up a light jog on the way back to his apartment, seriously considering moving to the rooftops every time a sudden spike of fear raised the hair on the back of his neck. It was something he'd decided against. Though he could probably move faster, it'd expose him more, and that was really the last thing he needed. He only wanted to get home in one piece. Unfortunately, he still had a ways to get there.

[whipfist]

Alex kept his eyes on the figure, fairly conspicuous in a white hoodie - stood out against the dark swaths everywhere. Couldn't tell if he was a civilian or another Newcomer. He looked fairly normal, something one couldn't say for a good amount of the new arrivals. Came from different time periods, countries, universes even. Yet whoever was walking down there could have walked right out of Manhattan. And maybe he was. From his Manhattan, specifically - there were others here who'd apparently come from New York yet never heard of the outbreak.

Maybe.

This prompted Alex to stalk him further, still out of view atop the roofs, his eyes flicking from stranger to the opposing Darkness he was heading into, expecting the nightly crew of beasts to come storming out at any moment. And whether this person could handle it or not remained to be seen, but now, feeling as though he might want to investigate a bit further, Alex figured he might tag along just to make sure.

Feeling the building matter crack and crumble under his feet as it decayed itself like every night, he thought about jumping down to the same level as the stranger as the typical growls and sounds marking the arrival of the monsters floated his way, but held back for now, watching him.

[bleedaffected]

There was something in front of him, just beyond the next building. Waiting for him. Any other person probably wouldn't have seen it looming in the darkness, but when Desmond caught sight of the faintest blur of red, he stopped in his tracks immediately. His chest froze, and every breath became a pained rationing for air in an attempt to prevent any sound from escaping his person. A second passed. And then another. And through all of the blood rushing to his head, Desmond was able to finally discern that this thing was, indeed, waiting for him.

With a flick of his wrist, his hidden blade snapped out and into place. He let out a breath and took a step forward.

The thing lunged from its hiding spot and headed in his direction at full speed-- too fast for him to see who or what the hell it could've possibly been. It was all he could do to roll out of the way at the last second, to dodge in the same direction the thing had come from. Before he even had time to think, or the thing had time to turn around, Desmond was already up on his feet and moving again, latching onto the closest building and scaling the wall, looking to the roof for sanctuary. Pieces of the structure crumbled and fell away beneath his grip, but he barely heard nor felt it. All that mattered was up, getting up, getting somewhere that felt safe again.

Desmond hunkered down into a crouch once he was safely on the roof and approached the edge with caution. Whatever had just come after him was looking decidedly confused and agitated, searching around its immediate area in a frustrated way for the prey that had escaped. As it moved, it became easier to see. It could've almost passed as a person in some grotesquely perverse way, if not for its brown and twisted, sagging flesh and what appeared to be razor-sharp talons where fingers should've been. Gripped by a nauseating sense of morbid curiosity, Desmond couldn't help but inch forward towards the very lip of the roof as much as he could, as though to get close enough to study the mutated thing.

He caught its attention. It snapped its head up to look at him, revealing a face that was not only malformed, but melting, probably from the fire that was seeping out through the cracks and holes of the skin. Desmond's heart skipped a beat, and in the very next instant, he realized that he was in the air already, acting on reflexes he didn't even know he had, and he landed hard on the thing, sending it collapsing to the ground with his blade through its neck. It didn't die gracefully. It thrashed and sputtered, letting out some horrific gurgling sound through the fresh wound in its throat. Desmond could feel the thing's muscles thrashing and writhing beneath him, and it sent a wave of nightmarish disgust through his body so powerful that he was forced to stand and stumble back away from the dying mass on the ground.

The thing's body began to fade away, and yet, that wasn't the most unsettling thing. The most unsettling thing was the sound of shuffling and movement growing ever stronger behind him, as though killing that one monstrosity had alerted all of the others in the city. Suddenly feeling desperate, Desmond quickly surveyed his surroundings, looking for the fastest way out.

And there, in his search, something caught his eye. There was someone up there, someone on the rooftops, but most importantly, someone who was outlined in blue. He didn't care who they were or what they were doing out. As soon as he could will his muscles to move, Desmond was clamoring for the rooftops again, towards the small beacon of hope that was this person. His head was spinning. He would never admit that he was scared, but fuck if he wasn't terrified, and just the mere idea of there being another person out was enough to make him feel better. How could it be real? How could any of it be real? If this was where the road to madness was leading, then shit, he wanted Altair back.

[whipfist]

It was interesting, seeing how others dealt with these things - Alex was always curious of the inhuman abilities of others, though the man below didn't seem to have much on his side apart from - a knife? It was hard to see, but there was the glint of something metal in a streetlight. And then the stranger was going up, climbing to a roof with relative ease. A quick scan would reveal the man wasn't infected, though must have had some agility skills of his own. Either way, it had Alex's attention.

He could have snorted as he watched the man slide to the roof's edge to apparently watch the monster, if he were the type to. Alex merely kept his gaze on him, eyes narrowed and body slightly tensed in preparation to fight, should the situation require-- though it would seem the random stranger had it under control, leaping off and landing on top of the creature only to stab it to death. Right in the jugular, apparently, as the monster was downed and dying instantly. He probably didn't need any assistance, not that Alex was planning on it - he had a mind to move on, really, as it was doubtful there was anything to be found out by lingering around, and he was getting hungrier.

Just as he was turning to leave, movement caught in his peripheral vision. Alex jerked back around swiftly, seeing it heading toward him - it, the stranger. Not just heading, but running. So obviously Alex had been spotted, but what did this guy want? Barely noticing the growing horde of monsters - they were ignorable to someone like Alex, someone who was far too used to chaos and quite versed in focusing on one thing in the midst of said chaos. Instantly he was on edge, watching the stranger approach and thinking only of the worst, that he wanted a fight. Well, if he was, he'd sure as hell get one.

[bleedaffected]

As Desmond got close enough to the other man to tell that he was, indeed, a man, he slowed his gait and eventually stopped. He wasn't so far as to not be able to talk to him, but far enough that he couldn't make out any distinctive features on him. A sense of trepidation touched at the back of Desmond's mind then, and it took him a second to realize that this guy, whoever he was, hadn't been waiting for him just to say hello. It took him a second longer than that to realize that the reason for it was probably that he still had his hidden blade out and at the ready. He retracted it immediately and held his hands up in a passive way and took a few steps forward in an attempt to reveal himself as being a person and not a monster.

"Hey, whoa, don't shoot," he said. He instantly felt stupid for it. He knew in his head that this guy didn't have a gun, but he just really didn't know what else to say. The only other thing he could think of was, 'I come in peace,' and that probably would've probably been about fifty times worse. "I saw you on the roofs, and I was hoping you could help me. I'm lost out here, and I just want to get home."

It wasn't entirely the truth, but it wasn't a lie, either. The whole truth was that he was terrified at the prospect of being alone while the creepy creatures of the night swarmed in on him and tore him apart out on the streets. Though, even up where he was, and with another person, he still didn't feel safe.

[whipfist]

His fists balled as the figure came closer, slowing to a stop a good amount of feet away. Eyes never left the shine of the blade on his wrist, figuring it couldn't do much more damage than a rocket exploding in his face, but Alex was wary nonetheless. He did attempt to avoid injury in the first place, despite his resilience. Brow furrowed, though with the darkness the way it was and the angle he stood it was unlikely the other man could see any of his facial features, and he waited. Didn't have to wait too long, though, as the stranger was immediately coming at him in a passive way. And... talking.

Though Desmond might have thought his words stupid Alex only stared, growing a bit less tense and instead questioning. The whole situation was bizarre. Far more used to being screamed at, ran away from or attacked, Alex wasn't quite sure what to say the moment the man asked him for help. Well, it wouldn't be the first time he'd walked someone home in the Port, though the previous person he'd known much more. This man - could he be trusted? At least for the time being?

Alex could sense the fear despite Desmond brushing it off, could see it, especially after the reaction to the monster he'd killed earlier - but he said nothing. Most people were afraid of the things. Rather than comment on it Alex only seemed to oblige, presenting him a simple question - "Where do you live?"

[bleedaffected]

Desmond let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and dropped his arms. There was something about this guy that was deeply unsettling, to be sure, but when his stance and demeanor shifted, Desmond felt at least a little better. And, really, in this kind of situation, he really couldn't afford to be picky about who he reached out to for help. If anything, he knew he should've felt grateful that this guy actually was willing to help at all.

"Not far," he told him, speaking quickly, but not too much as to not be understood. "It's a mile and a half up the road, maybe, if that. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but I think I might've pissed off the nighttime populace."

A terrible screech sounded off in the distance behind him then, as if on cue. Desmond turned halfway in its direction as an immediate reaction, but kept his muscles tight and his expression steady. His heart sank. Out in the darkness, it was impossible to see anything.

[whipfist]

Feeling slightly more at ease, Alex took some steps closer, keeping his eyes on Desmond. The arm where that blade had slipped out, and then his face. Well, if this stranger was in a state of nervousness, Alex could probably afford to chill out, yet at the same time - panic made people do some pretty stupid things. He listened to the directions given, a blink at the last bit.

Despite the sudden screech Alex continued to look at Desmond, barely taking note of it as he did so. After hearing such things every night for months, it was as insignificant as a bird singing.

He spoke up again, voice steady yet low as if to not draw more attention to themselves - "Then lead the way." A pause as he finally glanced into the stretching Darkness. Couldn't see much either, but he wasn't terribly worried.

"We might have some problems along the way, though."

[bleedaffected]

There was a tiny part of Desmond that really wanted to act on every one of the suspicions and feelings of paranoia that'd crept up on him regarding this strange man, but he squashed it for the time being in favor of survival instincts. He turned back towards his newfound companion, hoping that the gratitude he felt could be seen in the darkness.

...And yet, still, he couldn't completely silence the questions floating at the back of his mind about who this guy was, what he was doing out after the sirens, and why he seemed so damn willing to help a complete stranger without requiring any explanation at all.

"I know," he said. "And thanks."

He nodded over in the direction that he intended to go before he moved, just as a tiny indication of where they were headed. Then he was moving, across the roof at first, and then right onto the next one with ease. As he landed, he caught himself, realizing that he was a little... different than most people, in terms of skill. He spun on his heels to make sure that the other man was following him, and could follow him, feeling slightly like an ass for not asking if this was a good route to take first.

[whipfist]

He was silent. There was no need for small talk, at least not initiated by him; it would only make things awkward. A short nod was the only indication that Alex had heard him, and suddenly the other man was off, running across the roof. Not as fast as the virus could move, but not bad if he was just a regular human.

And Alex was right behind him. Too close, not expecting him to suddenly stop and turn around and he nearly stumbled as he attempted to avoid crashing into the stranger. He backed up instantly, his own hands raised for a moment this time in an attempt to quell any surprise he probably caused. There was a problem with interacting with people when he was hungry - Alex had to make a conscious effort not to view them as food. Getting that close to Desmond, short as the interval had been, was almost too much. He could smell him, hear his pulse, feel the heat radiating off him. Alex hadn't consumed a person in the months he'd been here, and if his strange consumption ability had a preference it would definitely pick humans over the monsters that roamed here.

He stared at the stranger harshly, hoping he'd get intimidated and make some more distance as Alex shook off his sudden urge to tear him apart. "--Sorry." Feasibly, he could just let the man panic and run off with little moral consequence, yet he felt now that he should help. For whatever reason. Maybe he could get some answers out of him later, at least, and maybe he should try not to make as many enemies.

[bleedaffected]

Desmond hesitated a bit, but held his ground all the same when Alex appeared in his face. The sudden closeness took the wind out of him a bit, as he hadn't been expecting the other man to be as fast and able as he was. At least, he thought that was what it was. Truth be told, there was something about the way this guy looked at him that unsettled him the most. Just knowing that this guy's eyes were on him like this made the entire nightmare of the Darkness that much more intimate, that much more personal. But it was that very on-edge feeling that kept Desmond locked into the awkwardness of that moment. When Alex apologized, it only made his heart pound faster. If Desmond didn't think he sincerely needed the other man's help to stay alive, he would've turned and ran as far as he could away from him.

...But for the time being, no matter how weird this was, he needed him. This was confirmed three times over when a bit of red warning crept into the corner of his vision. When he looked to see what it was, he immediately wished he hadn't. A group was gathering in the streets, of what, he couldn't tell. He didn't care. In that moment, all that mattered was getting the hell out of there.

"Alright," he said in affirmation, mostly for himself. "Let's go."

With that, he turned and continued on his path, hoping for some kind of miracle that staying to the rooftops would keep both of them from harm.

[whipfist]

At least he seemed ready to continue onward, and Alex had no problem with that. Watching him glance over at something prompted Alex to follow his stare, right upon another horde of monsters. Typical mutations, spitters, long-tongues. Alex would have gladly stopped to get rid of them but the stranger seemed to want to keep going; he followed. Attempting to keep himself from running too fast, to keep from raising any suspicion or--

"Fuck."

A mutter under his breath as he noticed the creatures hauling themselves roofward, apparently having locked onto the two of them and planning on trailing behind them. They could probably outrun that particular group, but the fact that more were gathering up ahead and clambering up the side of the buildings they raced across meant that eventually they were going to run right into them.

The last thing Alex wanted to do was activate his biomass - no, that would definitely freak the other man out, and he didn't particularly want him flipping a shit and running the other way, presumably to his death. Still, even without the virus visibly making itself known Alex was fairly sure he could fend the things off without causing too much alarm. Could pass it off as superpowers given to him by the Core if he was questioned, even. But hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Alex kept an eye on the approaching creatures and the stranger ahead of him, deciding he'd follow his lead yet again - if he wanted to fight or what. Maybe he had some hidden ability of his own.

[bleedaffected]

The world was a blur around Desmond as he traveled, jumping lithely from rooftop to rooftop in hopes of outrunning whatever doom was chasing him down. There were things coming at him; something sizzled on the ground behind him just as he lifted his step. He decidedly ignored it in favor of focusing on the "road" ahead of him. The monsters that could climb buildings were doing just that, and Desmond cursed under his breath as the hidden blade came out again. He didn't want to stop moving, not even for a second, in fear of becoming completely overwhelmed.

There was one coming at him. Right at him. It was too far away yet for Desmond to discern what the hell it was, but it didn't matter. He steeled his nerves and readied himself for a jumping assassination, like he'd performed as Ezio so many times--

--until the very next second when something wrapped around his ankle and pulled, throwing Desmond to the concrete and dragging him towards the edge of the building to his right. Panic flared in his chest. He couldn't see whatever the thing was that had him, but he could hear the thing growling eagerly. Worse, the rope-like tendril that had wrapped itself around him had the grip of two men, and he could feel the thing's muscle contracting and working. Disgusted and maybe even a little violated, Desmond hacked at the thing with his blade. He managed to cut halfway through it when a sharp stabbing pain struck him, right where the thing had its tightest grip. He let out a pathetic yelp before landing one final blow to the thing, cutting himself free.

He took a breath and flopped onto his stomach, trying his hardest to ignore the pain of whatever it was that'd stabbed him. Fuck if it didn't still hurt. It was only then that he came to realize that that entire ordeal had happened in seemingly less than five seconds, and the monster that had been running at him before was still headed towards him and the strange hooded man.

"Hey, look out!" he shouted.

[whipfist]

Alex blew past him and had to skid to a stop as his current companion was latched onto and subsequently slammed to the ground. For a few beats Alex only stood and watched, pondering if he should help. Yet it seemed the man had it under control, despite obviously being on the receiving end of some pain as he stumbled back up. Contemplating then asking if he was all right, Alex was interrupted by a warning to "look out" - he turned directly toward the creature that had been running toward them, pulled his hand into a fist and punched it square in the face. With a squeal it flew backwards, some feet away from the impact and laid in a twitching, dying mass as it apparently bled out.

Alex turned back to the stranger, striding toward him relatively calmly, given the situation.

"Can you still run?" A glance over his leg where the tentacle had been, his eyes narrowing. Didn't really like the idea of having to carry someone he didn't know to their apartment, the whole escorting thing was awkward enough for him as it was. But sure, he'd do it, if only to give himself a small shred of inner conciliation for all the lives he'd taken. And probably would continue to take.

[bleedaffected]

"Holy shit..."

Desmond's head was spinning. He wasn't entirely sure if he'd spoken out loud or just thought really loudly. Regardless, it was in that very moment that he realized that meeting this guy in the Darkness was either the best thing that could've happened in the given situation, or the very worst thing.

He clamored to his feet awkwardly, swaying a bit before he fully regained balance. The pain in his leg never dulled, and it was now accompanied by some terrible tugging and throbbing, as though there was something still in his leg that was still being pulled by something. He sucked in a deep breath and cringed, forcing it from his mind.

"Run? If you needed me to, I'm pretty sure that, right now, I could fly if it meant getting the hell out of here," he said. He glanced over his shoulder then, just to gain a sense of where he was. "Let's keep moving. We're close now. I can make it that far."

...Hopefully.

Then, in a sudden change of pace, he took to the streets instead, abandoning his post at the rooftop. The very real threat of being dragged to ground level wasn't exactly something that appealed to him; in fact, it was probably the quickest way to die out here. Well, maybe. Assuming that... tentacle... thing... came back for him.

"I wonder if tentacles regenerate themselves," he thought out loud again, not really addressing the other man. "Like a starfish. Now that's terrifying."

He kept moving as he spoke, and already he was drawing parallels between this and his escape from Abstergo. Except, this time, he was trying his hardest (and mostly failing) to suppress an agonized groan every time he put pressure on his leg.

[whipfist]

Well, at least they were close. Apparently. Alex was silent in contrast to Desmond's talking - he talked a lot. The irreverence was odd to Alex, though after months spent in the Port he could say he was growing more used to hearing the random shit people were wont to say aloud. He continued to follow, keeping aware of the relentless monsters that approached and hoping the stranger would survive the trip to his apartment. The pain he was feeling was rather obvious, written all over his body language - Alex himself had a fairly high threshold and thusfar in the Port he hadn't experienced any real physical pain. So there wasn't much empathy to give.

Still, it'd be preferable that this man didn't die on their little escort mission, so Alex kept his guard up. And good thing, as another mutation approached along the way - Alex simply kicked its head off in the most literal sense, barely breaking the speed of his run as he did so. Standard monster fodder, really, he'd just have to hold off consuming them until he was alone.