Night 65: M41-M50 Hallway

[dualistic]

Murphy hadn't been interested in talking at dinner, which could be due to any number of reasons, and Harvey didn't really want to find out why. Being too curious would just get him involved in someone else's problems. Maybe Murphy was sick, or someone he knew was sick, but it wasn't Harvey's job to care. He was perfectly content to focus on his own goals and let those who were ill figure out their own issues.

Granted, it might become his issue if five patients were really going to turn into something else tonight -- things that would be out for blood. On the other hand, he had that bracelet that their skeleton friend had given them, which meant that he, Scott, and Sangamon wouldn't be in the hallways for too long.

That meant that they needed to meet up fast, though, and while Harvey wasn't eager to be the first one there, he also wasn't about to lag behind. He grabbed for his gun after reloading some of its ammo, picked up his lead pipe and shoved the bone bracelet into his pants pocket. With all of that taken care of, it was time to hit the hallways.

[To here.]

Comments

[redcladidealist]

Even having been warned by two people now, the change in the Head Doctor when night set in had sent a chill through Lloyd's blood. How could someone talk about experimenting on humans so casually? A scowl settled onto Lloyd's face as he prepared to leave his room. He'd find a way to break out of this place, and break everyone else out, too. He didn't think he could take this place on by himself, but if he could find his friends and come back, they should be able to do it, no sweat. If they could take out a Desian base, they could take this place out, too.

The second voice had sounded strange, almost like Tabitha, but at least what the woman had said was more encouraging than the Head Doctor. A way to find a cure... Lloyd was tempted to change his plans and try to find this "X-ray room" instead, but the fact was that he wasn't a healer. Raine, however, was. She was a really good one, in fact. If he broke out and found her, then brought her back, he could kill two birds with one stone.

Plan decided, he got ready for the night, strapping the dagger on that Claude had given him by using the drawstring from one of his extra sets of pants. Making a mental note to try to find a real belt, he grabbed the flashlight he'd found under his pillow. He didn't recognize the device himself, but a moment of playing with it had easily shown him what it could do. He'd keep it off for now so he wouldn't attract attention, but it could definitely come in handy.

As prepared as he felt like he was going to be, Lloyd set out. The hallway outside his room felt dark and ominous, so much different from its appearance in daylight.

Let's see... he thought. I think the nurse brought me here from... that way. He turned in the direction his memory suggested, wanting to retrace his steps. One of the hallways he'd been led through before had seemed larger, more important. That felt like as good a place to start searching for a way out as anywhere else.

Determined and wary, he set out.

[To here.]

[skeletonenigma]

[In M42.]

The announcement welcoming them into the more dangerous side of the Institute this time was decidedly more worrying than the night before. Skulduggery had stood up as soon as Landel's voice sounded over the intercom and started preparing to leave - pulling the thick coat on, kicking off his slippers - but from the moment the doctor said the word 'five,' he froze.

Military. It was obvious this time. And this time, Skulduggery was much more wary of the advice they gave. Despite being former military himself - or former soldier, at least - he knew enough not to blindly trust them. Soldiers were forced to do terrible things. And no soldier he knew of would resort to this cryptic clue-leaving if their intention was really to help the people trapped here. Unfortunately, Landel had said that five people would 'turn.' Into monsters, presumably, judging by his gloating. That would be more than enough motivation for some people. Deciding to err on the side of caution, Skulduggery reached under the pillow for the flashlight, and almost immediately withdrew his hand again in disgust.

Apparently, hallucinations and disgusting bits of flesh in food wasn't going to be enough. The dead woman was going to be grabbing his hand from under pillows, as well. Marvelous. Skulduggery carefully lifted the pillow to confirm what he already knew; that nothing was there apart from the flashlight. It didn't stop him from rubbing his hand to try and get the sensation of rotting flesh off of his skin.

With that last turn of events, Skulduggery hesitated only a moment before taking Gabe's rosary and slipping it into his pocket. Like he'd told Gabe, you didn't know what might come in handy in a place like this. Still, it was hard to ignore the modicum of self-hatred the act resulted in, as Skulduggery nodded to the Scarecrow and stepped out into the hall.

[To here.]

M44

[earthling]

He'd prepared for nightshift so many times that Claude didn't have many problems going through the motions, even if he didn't feel well. Lloyd hadn't wasted much time booking it out of there. Claude didn't blame him. Besides, it meant he could do his nightly routine without any distractions.

Once he pulled his uniform on, he placed that dumb (yet incredibly trusty) hard hat over his head. As silly as he felt wearing it, Claude appreciated the extra hands too much to trade it out for his flashlight. With that done, he made sure his phase fun was safely tucked away in his jacket and grabbed his sword.

If it was true there was another clue in the X-Ray room, they needed to get moving. Landel said five people would change tonight, he thought with a cold sense of dread before he could stop himself. Did that include him? Or Anise?

After taking in a small breath, Claude pushed the door open and stepped into the hallway.

((To here.))