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
( Read more... )
He had already spent the majority of his time in this dream world hopping from nightmare to nightmare to... strange stuffed animal infested playground searching for a way out. So far, his searches had proved fruitless, but he somehow knew that if he kept looking he'd find an exit in a dream world somewhere. So when he somehow stumbled up this creepy door that obviously lead to some place unsavory, he knew he had to push his way forward, no matter how many reservations he had.
With a deep breath to steel himself, he reached out to nudge the door open even more, wide enough for him to enter... well. Whatever this place was supposed to be]
Reply
[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...]
Reply
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...]
Reply
[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.]
Reply
... 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 ( ... )
Reply
[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 ( ... )
Reply
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 ( ... )
Reply
[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 ( ... )
Reply
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...]
Reply
[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.]
Reply
... 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!
Reply
Thank God...
I thought I would never hear another decent human voice again. I've been trapped down here so long...
Reply
Geez, how long have you been stuck down there? Need someone to pull you up?
Reply
[There's a pause, silent broken only by the sound of labored breathing. Sounds like he's sort of having a hard time down there...]
Will you... help me?
Reply
He's not the type of guy to leave someone behind. However gross and disturbing this sewer is... he can do it]
I'll be right down!
[With that, he starts his slow and careful descent down the tunnel]
Reply
[The voice sounds relieved, but it falls silent once more as Kaito makes his way down. It's slippery as hell, but he should be able to keep steady without losing his balance and sliding all the way to the bottom like the world's grossest waterslide.]
[When he eventually reaches the mouth of the tunnel at the very bottom, it may take him a moment to adjust to the much-dimmer light once more... but what little is filtering down from above is enough to grant him a rough vision of the place. It's wide, and somewhat open-- there's a much-higher ceiling than the tunnel he had entered this strange, dank place in. In fact, it's not a tunnel down here at all. The water comes to about halfway up his thighs, and somewhere beyond, there's a great rushing sound of falling water and whirring machinery.]
[But there doesn't appear to be anybody in sight... it is incredibly dark, though, so maybe it's just hard to see...?]
Reply
Leave a comment