damned_institute | Nightshift 55: Main Hallway, 1-West

If it hadn't been for the other patients chatting away in the hall, one might have heard a cricket chirp or a pin drop during the complete and utter silence that followed from Niikura.

"...wow." The teen looked at Mike as if to say, You seein' this? and then back at the man now running for his life.

"Guess he's not lookin' for anyone."

And then a beat later: "I'm sorry, that was a super lame line. That moment deserved better."

He almost wanted to forget what had just happened and go back to scheming with Mike for the comedic effect (and the bragging rights: "I can scare someone off with just a flashlight and my face!" Or maybe it had been Mike's face.), but if the new guy was really new, it was kind of their obligation as fellow Soldiers for Aguilar to protect him from getting eaten on Night One.

Gross. But also necessary. Akumetsu definitely never stood for endangering civilians, even if it happened indirectly.

Niikura ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "Man, this sucks. Back me up, okay?" And then he was off, dashing after their new friend, long runner's legs propelling him past his fellow spiky-head. A split-second turn and he was right in the guy's face, reaching out with his free hand to grab him firmly by the shoulder and jogging a few steps back as they slowly ground to a halt.

"Hey pal, cool it, okay?" He switched off his light and shook it a bit as non-threateningly as he could (which wasn't much, but he did try) in the other man's face, just for emphasis. "You're gonna get yourself killed, runnin' all over the damn place like that." Niikura made a face. "And when ya apologize to people, you're supposed to wait for them to acknowledge it, ya know? Otherwise it's bad form." He looked over the other man's shoulder and said in a louder voice, "Right, Mike-san?"

Mike shared that look, although more muted. Had that seriously just happened? Seriously? This guy was winning the "I'm So Civilian That It's Obvious" award, which didn't really make sense, but it was the truth. This guy just screamed inexperienced.

Then he made a face at Niikura's line. Wow, at least he was aware it was lame. But seriously, Niikura. Seriously.

He let out a sigh as Niikura rushed to catch up with the guy. As much as he hated to admit it, they had to prevent the newbie from dying a newbie death. You had only one life in real life. And there weren't any town guards to save you from a train you stupidly got from running into the unknown.

Mike shook his head, then took off after Niikura and Phoenix, quickly catching up. The good thing about civilians was that they weren't usually as fast as trained fighters. Usually. Phoenix was decent at booking it, but he wasn't nearly fast enough.

"Yeah, bad form," Mike agreed with a snort. "So's gettin' yourself killed right after you apologize."

When Phoenix ground to a halt, holding his flashlight upwards so he could see the person in front of him, he was panting softly, the expression on his face and the emotion in his eyes wild and trapped. For a long moment, it was as if Phoenix hadn't heard the words that had left Niikura's mouth, even while he was standing still and didn't make another move to run - but when Niikura presented the question to (what Phoenix presumed was) his friend, the defense attorney somehow snapped out of his trance, glancing behind his shoulder for only a split-second before he looked back at the person before him. As he couldn't see the person behind himself very well in the dark, all Phoenix could comprehend was the fact that whoever it was sounded very gruff - though the defense attorney couldn't help but to feel curious as to what type of face would be behind that voice.

Now that Phoenix had a chance to actually absorb some of the details of Niikura's face, he realized that he looked incredibly similar to him - save for the color of his hair and eyes, and the thickness of his eyebrows. He also seemed a bit younger than himself - perhaps not by the aura of his facial features, which seemed more mature than even Phoenix could manage, but by the lankiness of his body underneath the uniform.

"...w-what...what do you mean, 'I'm going to get myself killed'?" Phoenix finally managed, once he was able to swallow around his fear. Phoenix's tone was slightly guarded, as he wasn't sure what to make of the two people around him - and his aura screamed of 'trapped animal', as if he was ready to make a break for it again if he discovered that their intentions weren't in his best interests.

"That too," Niikura said, nodding and pointing a finger to acknowledge Mike.

"So when we say 'you're goin' to get yourself killed'..." - his voice suddenly took on a much more condescending tone - "you're goin' to get yourself killed. There's all kinds of monsters and freaks hangin' around this place at night, and - look, okay, this is gonna be a lot to take in at one time, I know, but you gotta believe us, okay? Questions can come in the morning."

He exhaled. "But yeah, monsters and stuff. And ya know, doesn't take a genius to know that runnin' down the hall screamin' your head off's gonna attract the most unwanted attention." Niikura crossed his arms and sighed, shaking his head disapprovingly. "We're not tryin' to steal your lunch money, okay? Mike-san and I - everyone ya see around you who's wearin' this uniform" - he plucked at the dress shirt - "we're all in the same boat, so we're just tryin' to help an ally out." He patted the other man on the shoulder. "Don't take this the wrong way."

And...yeah. Time for a change in subjection.

"So, ya just wake up or somethin'?" Niikura prodded Phoenix's hair. "'M pretty sure I'd remember seein' someone who's got the same 'do as me before."

Edited 2011-04-16 00:06 (UTC)

Mike let Niikura do most of the talking. It was probably better that way. His voice tended to make people squeamish when they first heard it. He had the voice of a serial killer, not a ninja turtle that secretly fought for justice and freedom.

The guy was practically crapping his pants, and he didn't need any help with it. Waking up in random places with no idea where he was obviously wasn't something that he was used to. Mike had a bit more experience with it. Actually, this guy looked like he didn't have much experience with weird stuff. Wasn't a fighter, or if he was, he was damn good at hiding it. Had to be a civilian, through and through.

"He's new," Mike answered for Phoenix, smirking slightly. "Good thing we found him. Better he does that deer-in-the-headlights look at us instead of some monster before it chows down."

Most of what Niikura said went over Phoenix's head, the mention of monsters causing his brow to furrow together lightly in disbelief. The fact that Niikura told him not to ask questions went in through one ear and out the other for Phoenix, however, and he had to say something, as he couldn't shake his incredulity.

"...w-wait. Monsters? That's...that's crazy," Phoenix said, before he turned minutely to his left and slipped from Niikura's grasp slightly, pointing the flashlight at Mike obliquely so he could get a look at his face while still paying attention to Niikura. While Phoenix wasn't feeling necessarily trusting of the other two people surrounding him, he couldn't help but to feel as if he didn't have a choice - if they were offering to protect and help him out, he wasn't about to refuse.

Phoenix's gaze locked on the portion of Mike's missing arm, his blue eyes widening reflexively before he remembered to check himself, tearing his gaze away so he could look at Mike's face. It was strange - Phoenix would have figured that a disabled person would be exempt from any sort of military involvement. Unless that disability doesn't affect him, Phoenix thought to himself, filing the information away in the back of his mind to think about later. The sight of Mike's face was even more startling, however - his expression seemed blank, almost hollow - and Phoenix had no idea where to even start with reacting to it, beyond continuing to speak.

"And...yeah, I'm 'new'," Phoenix started, before he turned his head to look back at Niikura, his discomfort from looking at Mike making it difficult for him to feel as if he was capable of not staring, "if you mean that I've never been here before. I didn't...um, I'm not sure how I ended up here, either - it wasn't like I woke up, it..." he trailed off, his tone unsure in its concern.

Edited 2011-04-19 06:03 (UTC)

[sorry for the delay, guys, hopefully this makes up for it]

Mike's talk of monsters was oddly prophetic, though it was entirely possible that none of the patients would realise the danger they were in now. It started with a noise, a distant chatter of low voices that sounded much like a group of other patients not far from where they were and moving closer. The sounds were low enough that it was impossible to tell what exactly was being said, though they were getting steadily louder as the group moved closer.

Then, with a suddenness that may seem surprising, since the voices still seemed as though they should be coming from further off, the patients stumbled across the originators and it was obvious that these creatures weren't capable of speech by any means.

The three creatures were only two feet tall and lacked arms, but the sharp claws on their legs would give many reason to pause. Perhaps worse, their heads were devoid of most features other than their large, yellow eyes and a wide mouth that opened like a slit in their otherwise blank faces to reveal sharp and jagged teeth.

The nearest of the three necrits made another low chattering noise before the darted forward, leading the others to circle the group and close in for an attack, darting for legs and ankles.

Niikura shrugged. "Nah, it's not. Some people are monstrous enough on the inside, so I guess ya could say it's just a matter of the exterior matchin' the interior, ya know?" At least true monsters didn't bother with human masks.

"And whaddya mean, 'it wasn't like I woke up'? Of course ya woke up here--yeowch!" The teen was interrupted by a sudden, sharp pain on his ankle. Leaping back, he hastily pointed his flashlight beam downward, sweeping it back and forth rapidly. "What the hell was--oh, speak of the goddamn devil." He grimaced as the beam suddenly came across what could possibly be the ugliest armless baby he'd ever seen - except this one had blades for legs and was currently gnawing on his leg.

...so much for keeping his socks clean. "Oh, this really sucks--shit--get off, will ya?!" Niikura tried to shake the monster off, and, with that failing, jabbed down with the butt of his flashlight, trying to poke it hard in the eye. (Not like it was hard to miss; those yellow orbs practically made up the thing's face.) "Look out, guys! This can't be the only one! They're goin' for the ankles!"

It was kind of ironic that his biggest fear was not the mutated termite-thing stuck to his leg, but Phoenix and his flashlight. If that guy panicked and started acting recklessly, he could do a fair amount of damage...geez, civilians.

Mike really hated Turtle Luck and his own big fat mouth. It'd been years since it got him into trouble like this, but that had been due to lack of use. If he was really lucky, it'd try to catch up years worth of trouble in the span of a few days. Shell, it already had his food taken away.

There were others, and one was making a beeline straight for Mike's ankle. No time to think--only to react. It was going for his ankle, but Mike attended to give it a foot instead. A sweeping forward kick towards its chest.

"...!" When Phoenix sighted the strange, black creature as it gnawed against the ankle of his boot, he was struck speechless with shock, his eyes wide as he stared at it. The monster was staring back with large, luminous eyes that Phoenix had never seen in an animal before, and the teeth that were progressively chewing deeper into his boot looked as sharp as razors.

Reacting purely on instinct once his mind had caught up with the rest of his body, Phoenix tried to kick it off, only to realize (like Niikura had) that it was clinging to him too tightly. A flash of fear ran through him, but he was too preoccupied with saving his leg to pay attention to it, and he swiped his flashlight at a downward curve towards the side of the head of the creature in the effort to somehow knock it out or at least get it to let go.

The necrits shrieked, gravelly voices rising to an ear-splitting noise of pain as the flashlights hit them, and fell back. Oddly, it was almost as though the light of the flashlights were hurting them just as much as the weapons themselves. The third snarled and snapped as the kick tossed it back to join the other two, and then they started moving again, this time all three converging on the shortest patient. He was already missing an arm, so he had a greater chance of being easier prey for them.

Unfortunately for the group, the noise had awoken something else in the shadows above them, and a flutter of wings heralded several more participants to the fray. Four bats descended upon them, aiming for eyes and faces and distracting the patients from the creatures on the floor.

((OOC: MY APOLOGIES FOR WORK EATING ME. I'M BACK NOW.))

Mike really hated Turtle Luck. He was hoping to punt the little bugger to death, but he only made it and its buddies mad. What he wouldn't give for his real body right now.

The flashlights seemed to hurt their eyes, and he fully intended to flash the beam in the eyes, only to barely have enough time to duck from the bats. Bats. He tried to smack at them with his flashlight while trying to be prepared to kick at any of the necrits going for his ankles again.

"This was what we meant by monsters!"

Edited 2011-05-01 01:49 (UTC)

[--also posting order switch approved!]

Damn! At first, when the monsters retreated, Niikura seriously thought the battle was over, or would be over soon, at any rate. But just as he was preparing to charge forward and assault them again with his flashlight, they were already moving, zooming past him and going straight for Mike.

...this sucked. This really sucked. At the very least, though, it seemed like their unwanted friends were sensitive to light, and Niikura was about to give the necrits what for with his flashlight beam when all of a sudden, a horde (alright, just a few, but it felt like a horde--) descended upon them, and his light, rather than being a steady laser of death, shook wildly as he swatted indiscriminately at the furry pests fluttering around his head and interfering with his field of vision.

"What he--ouch, gerroff, you!--said!"

Edited 2011-05-01 08:54 (UTC)

Much of what Mike and Niikura was lost to Phoenix as the bats descended upon them (not that...well, it mattered, considering that Phoenix was having the very real experience of touching these monsters first-hand), and he let out an incoherent yell as he started to swat about himself with the flashlight, wildly hoping that he would somehow hit whatever it was that was trying to attack him. "Aah! Bats! BATS!" Phoenix shouted, as the realization of what was the creatures were dawned upon him. An illogical fear that the bats would end up getting stuck in his hair seized Phoenix, and he flailed about with increasing ferocity, pure adrenaline fueling him.

Taking a couple unconscious steps towards Niikura in order to keep his balance, Phoenix tried to take an extra large swat at a bat that was obscuring his view, hoping that the clumsy motion would slap the creature away.

Edited 2011-05-03 07:06 (UTC)

[second posting switch also approved!]

In all honesty, he should have been paying closer attention to his surroundings, but it was actually pretty difficult to do so when you had a gigantic furry blob crowding your field of vision--even more difficult when said furry blob was also screeching bloody murder.

So really, he could be forgiven this once for not noticing the flashlight as it smashed into the side of his head. Their civilian friend, however, could not.

"OW! Holy--" Predictably, Niikura let loose a flood of obscenities as he staggered back, one hand pressed to his now-bleeding temple, the other still swatting at the bats fluttering around his head. "THE HELL, CIVILIAN."

If the wrath in his voice wasn't enough to make Phoenix's blood run cold, perhaps the demonic look on Niikura's face would.

In all the flailing it seemed as though the patients would take themselves out as much as the monsters would. Not that this would make the hungry creatures give pause even if it were true. The scent of blood in the air made the bats shrieks take on a note of triumph, and two of them were distracted enough by it to aim for the splash of warm red on Niikura's head, flying in close with little concern for any attacks.

The necrits took advantage of the distraction as well, darting in closer again to try and sink teeth into legs. Two of them aimed for Mike, their dull minds assuming that, having one less limb, he'd be an easier target.

So Turtle Luck was catching, Mike realized, as he heard Niikura scream at the newbie for beaming him with the flashlight. Phoenix must've not hit him very hard (civilians), or Niikura must've had a thick skull if he wasn't all that dazed (also probable). Not that Mike could see the damage, what with his vision obscured by a bat trying out for a horror movie.

The little bugger reeked, too.

The flashlight was too clunky and the weight was all wrong, and he didn't have any hands to spare. He let the flashlight drop, stopping it with his foot so it wouldn't roll away. Mike nudged it in the direction of the necrits as he simultaneously tried to grab for the bat. He couldn't grab all of it, but if he could grab just an edge of a wing or a leg, maybe he could smash it to the ground.

"Aim away from people, dumb ass!" Mike shouted.

Edited 2011-05-07 03:45 (UTC)

"...!" In stunned surprise, Phoenix nearly dropped the flashlight - he hadn't meant to hit anyone but the bats, but he'd somehow gotten closer to Niikura than he would have liked - and as he saw the look on Niikura's face, he nearly had a heart attack. The near to demonic twist of anger in his expression was enough to make Phoenix feel as if he had somehow managed to doom himself to a horrible death, but he didn't have time to apologize - only to act, and to hope he had some way of making it up to the teenager.

This time, Phoenix forced himself to focus, even with the bat flapping around his head - and he took a step away as he made an effort to aim an adrenaline-fueled swat with his flashlight at the body as he simultaneously tried to grab at it, ignoring the smell and the terror refusing to leave his body. If he could get rid of this one, he felt he had a better chance to go and help the others - especially Mike, since it seemed like he was the primary target of the termite-monsters.

Edited 2011-05-07 14:01 (UTC)

As if things couldn't possible get worse. Niikura growled a few more curses as the bats made for his head like the disguised sharks that they were. It was a pain to be on the defensive so much, an even bigger pain to be strapped down with people (a person, actually) he couldn't count on. This was why he liked working with himself and no one else...

Really, he'd had enough. The bats were directly attacking him, true, but they were also close enough that he would definitely hit them, no problem. Time for a one-hit K.O. - or as close to one as he could manage. With his free hand, he also tried to grab one of the bats fluttering around and smash it headfirst into the nearby wall in one fluid motion while swinging his flashlight at the second bat, craning his neck so that his head was out of the way as he did so: didn't want to hit himself, after all. The bats were both close enough that he was fairly sure that he wouldn't miss - he had to not miss. Otherwise, he'd get vampire bat kisses, and those he definitely did not want.

...and oh, right, termite-blobs. They were gnawing at his legs again, weren't they? Just great. Niikura took a few steps backwards, trying to kick at one indiscriminately; his efforts were being hampered by his focus on the bats.

"A little help, guys?!"

The bat had made a crucial mistake, really; it hadn't expected, with what little animal mind it had that wasn't obscured entirely by the lust for blood, that the one-armed patient would be so fast or dangerous. While it tried to flutter away from the grasping hand, it wasn't quite fast enough and the fingers closed around it's delicate wing, crumpling the skin and bones with surprising ease. It shrieked, clawing and biting at the hand holding it wildly, but even if it did manage to free itself, it wouldn't be able to fly.

The other two bats weren't faring much better. One was caught by Niikura's flashlight to be knocked to the ground where it lay, temporarily stunned, and while the second was able to avoid his grasping hand, it fluttered into Phoenix's reach instead; though whether this was a loss for the bat or the lawyer would depend on what the man did now he suddenly had a hand full of shrieking, wildly flailing and biting animal.

Mike's dropped flashlight bought him a temporary reprieve from the necrits as well as they fell back, hissing and growling in their deep voices at the harsh light, but it was only for a brief moment before the darted away from the light that burned and hurt them and aimed for the blissful darkness behind him and the chance to attack while he was still occupied. If they could get him down and onto the ground, then surely they would win!

The third necrit was having far less luck than its brothers, as Niikura's wild kick winged it and sent it flying back to land with a distressing crunch as fragile bones gave out from the impact. But it wasn't done yet, and slowly began to drag itself back towards the fray.

The first success of the night. The captured creature was clawing and biting at his hand now, so he winged the bat around and tried to wing it into the bat still attacking Niikura. He had one hand, so he couldn't afford to get it more than mildly injured. But he could still feel a warmth coming from the flesh of his palm, near his wrist. Shell.

When the necrits came again, Mike was prepared. He knew the flashlight was a temporary reprieve. The former turtle waited until they were almost upon him, then jumped over them and tried to take their legs out from under them with a low, sweeping kick, reaching out for his flashlight with his injured hand in the same movement....

To say that Phoenix was utterly terrified by the fact that he now had a handful of bat was the understatement of the night - though he somehow managed to keep himself from screaming, the terror paralyzing his vocal chords.

Refusing to let the creature go, no matter how much revulsion he felt, Phoenix took a swat at it with his flashlight, hoping that the action would kill the monster and make it stop its aimless flailing and biting.

Edited 2011-05-16 03:50 (UTC)

So...two for three. Not too shabby. Hadn't gotten any kisses, although he had to feel sorry for the civilian. At the very least, the man had the decency to not scream and attract more unwelcome friends, so he did get some points...some.

In any case, he couldn't just leave the damn things alive now that he had them all weak and helpless. Raising his foot, Niikura impassively slammed the heel of his boot down onto the floored bat's head with all the force he could muster and then a second time for security. One down, now for the other--he ducked around the flailing civilian and set his sights on the necrit he'd injured. Same treatment: two swift stomps of the foot. At this rate, he was going to ruin his shoes.

Mike's bat hit the floor with an indignant squeak near Niikura's feet, where it flailed around helplessly, trying to either move away from or towards the man, its uncoordinated actions making it difficult to tell which it was. With its brother already dead to the patient's foot, its own wing shattered beyond repair, and the remaining bat quickly dispatched in a messy splatter by Phoenix's attack, things weren't looking good for the monsters. Especially as there were now only two necrits standing as well.

Well, standing in the purely figurative sense. Mike's sudden movement caught the pair by surprise and they tripped and fell heavily to the floor, grumbling and growling deeply but largely uninjured. But without arms and having such large, disproportionate heads, it was easy to see why it was taking them a little to stand up again.

While Niikura managed to take care of the bat before Mike could help, Mike was no longer concerned with the one he had injured. Niikura would take care of it. Instead, he focused on the two monsters he had just knocked over. Their heads made it difficult for them to get back up, and it was the only moment of opportunity that Michelangelo would get before they were dangerous again.

He tightened his grip on his flashlight, then slammed his elbow onto one of the Necrits.

Nightshift 55: Main Hallway, 1-West

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