❝ but I'm down to one last breath, and with it let me say, let me say... ❞

[arethebettermen]

Who: arethebettermen, screamsup and the First Class + people staying in the mansion
What: The mansion's defenses fall. Monsters, chaos.
Where: X-Mansion
When: 9/23; Day 5 (Friday "Night")
Warnings: CHARACTER DEATH. Also blood, violence, and heartbreak. Lots of it.

Comments

[screamsup]

As soon as the warning comes into his mind, Sean is rushing to the mansion. He isn't sure if he'll be able to get there in time, in case something horrible happens, but he keeps that out of his head. Luckily, he wasn't too far away from the mansion -- close enough to be able to see it, at least -- and he didn't bother flying there.

When he gets there, he's rushing around to the west side in order to get in, but quickly skids to a stop to turn around when he realizes how many monsters are hoarding around the windows. It doesn't take him long to circle back and through a door and down the hall. He isn't going to waste any time.

"Professor? Where are you?" His thoughts are extremely hectic at the moment, and he's trying to pay attention to absolutely everything that's going on.

[arethebettermen]

"Outside the study." Charles replied, wincing slightly at all the chaotic thoughts. Telling Sean to calm his mind wouldn't help matters at the moment. "I've asked the others to move down into the underground bunker. I'm making my way there."

Despite his voice sounding calm--strained, exhausted, but calm--Charles was afraid. The wheelchair only moved so fast and the monsters, wraiths, corpses, everything were clawing at the windows and breaking the glass to try to get to the people inside. He had to try and keep himself calm so that he could keep all the others calm. He was their leader, damn it.

"Are you alright? Is there any wounds that we need to take care of?"

[screamsup]

"Besides the destruction of the mansion? No, no wounds." He says this rather jokingly, despite the situation. He's trying very, very hard to calm down, even though it's not exactly working. He's eying the creatures warily, backing up as they get closer, hoping that they won't notice him any time soon, even though they probably will.

He glances behind him, down the hall, hoping Charles will wheel around the corner soon. He can't fight all of this alone, even if he wanted to. "Professor -- they're, uh, they're everywhere."

[arethebettermen]

"I know. That's why I've instructed the others to get to the bunker. I can hold some of them off long enough for them to get there." Charles did wheel around the corner as Sean hoped, the mansion's notable Eevee huddled under his wheelchair slowly as it moved. "Alex and Raven need to head there as soon as they arrive."

Alex arrives. Fashionably Late. :(

[redhotsummers]

Alex was terrified. He could feel that pit forming in his stomach, that heavy weight diffusing into every limb--the feeling that he was going to be too late. It's the same sensation he had felt with Susan, with Darwin.

The minute he heard Charles in his brain, felt his panic, Alex knew he was going to fail everyone again. He was far across on the other side of the city, fighting a mess of beasts, buying some girls time to get inside. The minute he knew they were secure he started to run, disregarding anything around him, blasting a clear path in front of him.

Despite his exhaustion, he was making good time; the skeleton arms were tearing at his pants, but his speed pushed him trough, even as the legs of his suit were torn to shreds. He was vaguely aware of blood pouring down his legs from gashes, but he ignored it--he had tunnel vision. The mansion. It's all he could do.

Talk to me--Charles--There wasn't any answer, and if it were possible, he picked up speed; he was running on pure fear and adrenaline now. Sleep had been skipped

ja;sdlkjf sobbing

[screamsup]

Sean doesn't answer at first, maybe because he's too busy with Charles, too busy trying not to cry. The Eevee, which is prodding at Charles gently with its paw, soon moves to nudge its head against Sean's arm. Perhaps because it knew someone was around, because it knew Alex was there, but it wakes Sean up from his daze.

West side.

His answer is distraught and short, which is not like Sean at all. It's all he can muster up after what had happened. He was bleeding too much, he couldn't think straight, all he could do is lean himself up against the wall in exhaustion and horrible realization as blood pools around him, some of his own, some of Charles', and some of the creature's.

Whoever came in on a sight like this would know exactly why Sean was so upset.

Re: ja;sdlkjf sobbing

[redhotsummers]

The minute he heard Sean in his mind, Alex knew something horrible had happened. As happy as he was to hear his best friend--the change was too much. He was hurt...and something else.

Running fast (like it somehow was still going to matter, even when he knew it wouldn't), Alex arrived on the scene, feeling bile rise up in his throat at the scene.

Sean--

The sound in his mind was something twisted and torn, like something within Alex had snapped. He wished more than anything that they weren't on Tenka, that he could hide everything he was feeling away from the mess in front of him. There was so much blood, and every bad memory he had came slamming back into him. His foster sister, Darwin...even the bad men he had killed.

He was so tired of this. He could never save those that counted.

Kneeling at Sean's side, he immediately conjured up a towel, not caring that it appeared dirty.

Don't die on me--don't you dare die on me. I'll fucking kill you.Alex ignored the pricking tears at his eyes, forcing himself to ignore Charles's dead

[screamsup]

Sean lets Alex do what he needs to do. He feels like a mannequin that people move and dress up to their liking because he can't even move or think for himself. He's lost in his own thoughts of what happened, of how he could have stopped it, if only he noticed the reanimati attack him faster. If only he could have grabbed something to kill it faster.

I donno where anyone is. Professor's --

He cuts himself off, his eyes watering and his throat swelling up to form a soundless sob. The action sends him into a horrible fit of pain and he has to bite back a scream to stop himself from opening his mouth. The dirty towel hurts him as well, dirt creeping into the slit on his face and irritating it.

Broke an arm.

1/2

[raventakeflight]

It had happened in an instant.

For the first time since her brief patrol out to find and save Lucy the assassin from a disgusting swarm of locusts, Raven had finally excused herself from her brother's company to quickly circle the grounds around the Xavier Mansion for any stray monsters lurking around. Things seemed to finally be calming down after the recent wave of beasts, so she just wanted to take the proactive approach and dispose of the stragglers before even more appeared. After Charles had been attacked mentally by that 'child' on the first evening of this nightmare a few days previously, the blue woman had vehemently refused to leave his side and absolutely nothing said would change her mind. Though she usually trusted Alex and Sean to care for the disabled telepath in her absence, she just couldn't bring herself to leave his side again when he truly needed her the most.

She, after all, knew him the best out of anyone in this would and their own and Raven truly believed that only she could provide the kind of support he

2/2

[raventakeflight]

But of course there was little reason for Raven to rush when it was so very obvious to anyone else just what had happened to make such a strong mental link abruptly disappear. Not that she was at all listening to logic at a time like this. Not when her heart was beating anxiously in her ears and her stomach felt twisted into a million different knots. Not when she absolutely and immediately had to know what had happened to Charles Xavier

[screamsup]

Sean let her have him, letting go of Charles without so much as a sound or speaking to Raven at all. He could only sit still, trembling in pain, as he watched her cry. He keeps quiet still, sitting back to take everything in for once, to just breathe. Raven had the right to do this, even if he didn't know what to do about it.

After a few moments of silence had passed, besides Raven's pleas for life again, Sean reaches his good arm to rest a hand on her back in comfort. He didn't know if he should pull her away, or if he should just let her .... do what she wanted to.

Raven.

His voice is soft at first, quiet and unknowing, because he doesn't know the pain that she feels. If she pushed him away, he would probably just let her. He didn't have the energy to fight against strength he doesn't have now.

Raven, please.

[raventakeflight]

Unfortunately, Raven was a little too far gone to listen to Sean's soft pleading. That distant yellow gaze of hers was fixed far too intently on Charles and only Charles, her strong grip on him tight and relentless. She doesn't necessarily push her wounded comrade away from her or lash out at his failure to keep her brother alive (not knowing the situation, it might have seemed a possibility), but she doesn't give him any reaction at all at first. Minutes pass by, the female mutant huddled over the body while she sobbed until the tears finally stopped flowing at all.

It was only then that she pushed out a tiny reply, her face turned away from Sean still.

I was too late.

[zapswithmagic]

Billy gets the message but he doesn't do as the Professor asks. No way. If we're in trouble, I'm going to help, not hide. Even if he was beyond exhausted from using his powers none stop, after all the crazy events that had happened, if they were in trouble, he'd just have to push himself further.

He feels the Professor die, hears him go silent, and that... that does nothing to make him stop. It just fuels things further. He's angry, furious even at these damn monsters, upset, lost... but he makes himself keep it together. He keeps on fighting and pushing himself and he's not going to stop until he's dead, as long as there are still people to help. He thinks of the professor and what he's done to help him in his time here. It helps to reign his emotions in, enough so he doesn't lose control and cause something bad to happen. He'll come back, he keeps telling himself. He'll come back. They'll all come back. They have to.