Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
oyaji) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
damned_institute2012-05-06 03:29 am
oyaji) wrote in damned_institute2012-05-06 03:29 am
Night 63: Bus 2
Kotetsu was permanently twisted around in his seat as he stared out the emergency exit at the bus behind them. Out of nowhere, it had veered right into a tree and dented the side of the bus, leaving the other buses no choice but to pull off to the side of the road and assist in anyway they could. It was hard to tell whether anyone had been hurt, but thankfully every bus was equipped with nurses so Kotetsu hoped any damage inflicted on the patients could be treated immediately.
Either way, the bus apparently couldn't start up again and that left them all little choice but to wait. With little to see and no signs of emergency care or an ambulance, Kotetsu started to get antsy in his seat.
Some of the other patients seemed just as restless as he, but in a much more dramatic fashion. Some stared out the windows with restlessness, with anxiety, and even grim resignation. It seemed like an odd mix of emotions to him, but if they had problems with hallucinations and schizophrenia, the night wouldn't be a very fun time for them.
Soon, though, the sun set, the rays fading with it, and then all hell broke loose. Kotetsu should have read the signs, seen how some of the adults and children on the bus clawed at their seats like they were on fire. When the nurses fell to the floor, Kotetsu instinctively jumped up to assist, but what he saw had him frozen in place. They were literally changing into ghouls and panic quickly overtook the entire bus.
The former Hero was grateful the nurses--Now monstrous villains--hadn't confiscated his new, crappy mask along with his alcohol as he dug it out of his jacket and cinched it to his face. He turned to his partner, but neither Hero needed words. They simply understood and Kotetsu immediately broke open the emergency hatch behind them with experienced ease, while Barnaby tried to corral the masses to the back of the bus. The alarm sounded but it really couldn't be heard over the raucous surrounding them all.
Either way, the bus apparently couldn't start up again and that left them all little choice but to wait. With little to see and no signs of emergency care or an ambulance, Kotetsu started to get antsy in his seat.
Some of the other patients seemed just as restless as he, but in a much more dramatic fashion. Some stared out the windows with restlessness, with anxiety, and even grim resignation. It seemed like an odd mix of emotions to him, but if they had problems with hallucinations and schizophrenia, the night wouldn't be a very fun time for them.
Soon, though, the sun set, the rays fading with it, and then all hell broke loose. Kotetsu should have read the signs, seen how some of the adults and children on the bus clawed at their seats like they were on fire. When the nurses fell to the floor, Kotetsu instinctively jumped up to assist, but what he saw had him frozen in place. They were literally changing into ghouls and panic quickly overtook the entire bus.
The former Hero was grateful the nurses--Now monstrous villains--hadn't confiscated his new, crappy mask along with his alcohol as he dug it out of his jacket and cinched it to his face. He turned to his partner, but neither Hero needed words. They simply understood and Kotetsu immediately broke open the emergency hatch behind them with experienced ease, while Barnaby tried to corral the masses to the back of the bus. The alarm sounded but it really couldn't be heard over the raucous surrounding them all.
no subject
The later it got, the more anxious he'd started feeling. It had just been his impatience growing, he'd thought—and he'd thought it all the way up until the last of the sunlight faded and everything changed. That was when he'd realized he'd really been expecting this to happen all along: not the nurse's transformation (that was a surprise, and as she screamed and writhed on the floor, Firo found he couldn't look away), but being caught outside after dark. The moment that they'd pulled over, somewhere in his mind he'd been expecting that they wouldn't be making it back in time for dinner.
Firo had scrambled to his feet as the nurse rose from the ground, reaching for his knife—only to be reminded seconds later that he was completely unarmed. The only weapon he had was back in his room.
In hindsight, the fact that things would change really should have been obvious. Day and night were markedly different, but whenever the transition point occurred (sundown, it seemed), he'd always been safe in his room, never to see it happen. But now? They'd been caught up in the middle of it, away from their prison but trapped in a bus with a woman who had turned into a monster before their eyes.
—or maybe not so trapped after all. A couple of intrepid fellow prisoners had already opened the emergency exit and were directing people out of the bus as though they were professionals at this sort of thing. A tall woman had vaulted up to the front of the bus to fight the monstrous nurse, and outside, someone was screaming 'bad' over and over.
"Of course it's bad," Firo muttered under his breath. Getting out of the bus as soon as possible sounded like the best course of action—the noise outside didn't sound much better than the noise inside, but an open area was much better than an enclosed space like this.
As he turned towards the exit, he caught sight of someone whose face had become quite familiar in the past few days. "Claude!"
no subject
His thoughts immediately turned to Guy and Anise, but a quick, tense glance around revealed that neither were in sight. They must have been on other buses, which meant there was nothing Claude could do to help them. Of course, was that really such a surprise? He couldn't even do anything for the nurses shrieking for blood, he bitterly thought.
As soon as someone had opened the emergency exit and started directing everyone toward the back, most of the patients started moving in that direction. Without even meaning to, Claude found himself swept with the tide of bodies, which was probably just as well. If he thought things were crazy in here, the chaos outside was bound to be worse. Now was no time to become paralyzed. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed to get back to the Institute.
Suddenly, though, he heard someone call his name. Claude whipped his head toward the source of the voice, his eyebrows rising when he saw his roommate standing nearby. "Firo! Are you okay?!"
no subject
Heading now down the aisle of the bus, Firo pushed his way past a couple of people who were still between them in the aisle. Getting out of the bus safely may have been his top priority at the moment, but now that he'd seen Claude, he wanted to make sure his roommate did the same... And sticking together might not be a bad idea, either, especially if the same thing that had happened to the nurse had happened to the staff from the other buses.
He pushed past one more person to reach Claude's side, and then cast a glance back a the woman fighting the monster of a nurse. The nurse was still distracted, but who knew how long that would last? "Let's get out of here while we can."
no subject
The last question was too frightening to consider, especially when the situation was as serious as it was.
When Firo reached him, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Following his roommate's glance, he caught sight of the patient attacking the nurse-turned-monster. He hated leaving her behind like that, but the aisles were too crowded to even think about getting close to that scuffle. Claude could only hope she'd get out there once enough people had gotten to safety.
"Yeah, I guess we don't have much choice," he reluctantly agreed before moving toward the exit. Bracing himself for the worst, he hopped off, landing in a crouch onto the ground.
((To here.))