NIGHT 66: Stairwell by Nurse's Station 1-B

[envy_the_sinners]

[From here]

The stairs were a bit less easy for Scar to maneuver while supporting Frank's weight. It was an awkward process, each step taking a careful and deliberate movement.

"Tell me if you need to stop." The last thing he needed was to be forced to carry the other man completely. He would be willing to, yes, but it would be in no way efficient.

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[scarefaux]

"You'll be the first to know," Scarecrow insisted, still smiling. His hand shook as he trailed it along the railing; he attributed it to a lack of courage, his mind wandering to all the times he'd traversed the Horrible Hallway and why it was very horrible indeed. There were usually witches up there, hiding in the shadows, their hands reaching out to haunt him even in the daytime. That first night out with Depth Charge had been one he'd never forget, unfortunately.

And if it wasn't a witch up there, it was a brainwashed patient. He'd seen them before, at night and then in the day, and they couldn't be sure of what they had done or why they had done it. He'd never really spoken to Depth Charge about that night he'd run into him outside (save for an uttered apology and a guilty look) when his roommate had attacked him without a second thought. While the Scarecrow knew it wasn't really Depth Charge's fault and hadn't blamed him for it, he was so sure his roommate had been much harder on himself. He always was.

Or had been, anyway. The Scarecrow pushed himself up another step, wondering how he could see his friends again. Even if it meant facing them brainwashed, he'd do it. He simply wanted to know they—

His thoughts were interrupted as his leg completely gave out from under him without warning. He let out a yelp as his knee banged into the stair, pain shooting through it as sensation flooded back into the limb. His back was tingling as well, barely perceptible as he let out a series of coughs. It took him a second before he could speak, voice raspy again.

"I think I need to stop," he managed, his free hand going from the rail to his foot, which was in absolute agony for reasons he couldn't even begin to comprehend.

[envy_the_sinners]

Sick as he was himself, Scar's reflexes weren't sharp enough to catch poor Frank as his leg caved once again, smacking against the stair.

"Alright." His eyes were wide as he watched the other man, unsure of what to do. He heeded Frank's request immediately, though, easing him into a seated position on the stairs.

But it wasn't safe to stop here.

"Are you simply dizzy? Or is there something wrong with your legs?" Scar shone his light on Frank's legs.

[scarefaux]

It took another few seconds before the Scarecrow gave another push, trying to get back up, forcing himself to keep moving. He couldn't stop now, couldn't let Skulduggery down. They had to help him, and he wasn't about to let his failing body keep him from that. He was so sure he'd have known just what ailed him if he had a working brain- not only the exact nature of the infection, but also how to cure it. There were so many problems that went unsolved because of his human form, and it was terribly frustrating.

Try as he might to get to his feet again, the Scarecrow simply couldn't manage it. The device the doctors had implanted in his brain cut off, and sensation came rushing back all over his body. It was only then that he could feel just what was wrong with him, and that it was far worse than just his legs not working. Pain spread all the way up his back, down into his fingers; it had embedded itself in his neck like a parasite, digging more and more into him with every second that passed. His spine cracked sharply as it repositioned itself, audible in the stillness of the stairwell.

Perhaps he should have listened to the warnings he'd been given after all.

His attempt to answer Scar was as lost as his voice, replaced with a guttural howl of absolute agony. His limbs felt weighted, heavier as his muscles grew and rearranged themselves underneath his skin. Dark fur covered his arms, starting at his shoulders and working its way down to his fingertips; his hands were no longer human, long claws like a bear reaching out from where his fingernails had once been. While his feet, which had already reshaped themselves, were covered in the same, his head sprouted fur of an orange hue, black stripes like a tiger marking themselves under his eyes and trailing out to his new set of whiskers. His face stretched painfully, howls becoming more like roars as his nose was reshaped into a muzzle, fangs protruding from his feline mouth.

His clothes ripped and tore along the seams as his bulk became too much for them, a set of tiger's hind legs having replaced his own. One more pained cry and he was still, save for the occasional twitch that lingered in the wake of his transformation.

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar could only watch in dumbstruck horror as Frank cried out in the pain of his bones cracking and shifting. He could hear them, the contorting innards as they turned Frank into something not human.

This had been his greatest concern from the start. Scar was not overly worried for Frank, save for the pain he was clearly enduring, since that boy on the bulletin board had said he turned back into a human the following morning. But for the time being, the security of everyone else would have to be his number one concern.

He felt sick to his stomach, hands shaking as he crouched over the Scarecrow's transformed body. His initial lack of worry was disappearing quickly. He had stopped moving...

"Frank?"

[scarefaux]

Any shred of humanity the Scarecrow still had was stripped away as the lumbering beast opened his eyes, a growl rumbling through his chest as he got to his feet. His body shook only a moment from lingering tension before settling into its new shape- his frame was so changed that his mind struggled to recall what he'd been doing, where he'd been going, or even what his name was.

That was when he heard his name, though he no longer recognized it, his mind clouded from the infection. He turned with surprising speed toward Scar, rising onto his hind legs and roaring, putting on a show of intimidation.

Not that he needed to be intimidating, however. The kalidah was a dangerous predator, vicious and unyielding; he had no fear, no compassion, no keen intellect to keep himself from attacking those he considered prey. Unable to remember the former strawman he used to be, the creature took a wild swing with its foreclaws, massive paws reaching to tear into Scar's chest.

[envy_the_sinners]

"Dammit-"

Scar wasn't quick enough in jumping backwards to avoid Frank's newly grown claws. He hissed, stumbling on the stairs but managing to keep from falling.

Apparently he was just never going to get through a night without being cut open.

Scar knew that trying to get through to him would be pointless. This giant cat didn't even bear a resemblance to Frank. He spared a glance down at his chest. The gashes were deep and bleeding badly.

"Dammit."

There was no time to do anything about his freshly acquired wounds, though. Scar dropped into a lower stance, ignoring the pain and watching the thing that used to be Frank. He formed fists and sneered, trying to look as intimidating as possible when he was really in no shape to be fighting. How could he run, though? He would only lead the beast into more crowded parts of the building.

How much time was left, this night? Would he be able to last? With nobody else's safety to be caught up on in this moment, Scar's mind was fast at work. His survival instincts were strong.

[scarefaux]

The kalidah stomped on the ground with his forepaws, snarling as he padded backward defensively. Though he held the higher ground, he was held back momentarily by Scar's chance in stance- something in him recognized it, saw in that preparation for a fight a former roommate whose name he could no longer remember. A large frame and red eyes were all he recognized now, the Scarecrow's mind further and further from who he used to be.

That took him farther from those elements that made him himself, as well: caution, thinking things through, a friendliness that most found hard to ignore. They were replaced by savage ferocity and a feral wrath he couldn't understand. This man was in his territory, and he was going to get him out of it. It all suddenly seemed so clear.

His muscles coiled backward, tension building in his haunches before he sprang at Scar, leaping toward him to pin him down. Instinct spoke to him in a way it never had before, telling the Scarecrow that taking care of Scar would be no problem once he could no longer move.

[envy_the_sinners]

This time, he had been ready. With Frank's mind turned completely to run on instinct, it was easy for Scar to take the advantage of the high ground for himself. He lunged to the opposite side of the stairs, catching himself on the railing. Any lightheadedness from loss of blood was easily ignored as he dashed farther up the stares.

Scar turned to watch the thing that had just leaped for him. Human or not, it was still Frank. Or, at least, it would turn back into Frank come morning. Scar would sooner die than kill Frank. He highly doubted he could win against the cat anyway, in this shape. The glance back was to make sure he was uninjured in the fall.

That was why he made his way up the stairs. Perhaps he could lead the beast away from the first floor, where most of the other patients were concentrated.

[scarefaux]

Having missed Scar completely, the kalidah took a tumble down the rest of the stairs, his massive paws slipping on the floor. He was apparently unharmed as he got back to his feet, literally shaking off any lingering pain before turning back and growling at Scar at the top of the stairwell.

Despite his bulk, he moved surprisingly quickly up the passage, his feline hind legs working in his favor as he took the steps in twos, following his prey. He knew nothing of his former friendship with the man he chased, nor did he have a sense of mercy any longer. All he wanted was to protect his territory, to hunt, to satisfy animal instincts he'd never had before.

And so he followed Scar up to the second floor, never thinking about the fact that there were far more people in the first floor hallway.

[envy_the_sinners]

At the first sign that Frank was okay, Scar was on the move again. He moved as quickly as he could up the stairs despite the pain in his chest.

Now Scar could only hope that there weren't too many people upstairs.

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