[from here]

The door opened onto darkness. Either the lights had switched off, or they'd all burst; sweeping the flashlight's beam over the floor evinced the glitter of broken glass. The latter, then. He hoped the brown of that carpet looked less repulsive in the daylight. As Uryuu walked into the room, he was almost glad of the darkness. The light in the hall, even thrown into the doorway, made his shadow stark, and he had to keep himself from looking again, and again at it. His eyes were playing tricks (he didn't believe that). Scanning the room by flashlight, Uryuu noted that it seemed smaller at this end because of the two rooms on each side.

Venturing further in and turning with the light produced labels for the doors. File Rooms. Temptations. But, he recognized that at the moment, he didn't have enough information. It was unlikely that Kurosaki would be listed under Kurosaki Ichigo; instead, under whatever false name the institute provided. And Uryuu hadn't a clue. There were two long reception desks in front of those rooms, and doors that lead to waiting rooms. Did "visitors" come through the front doors, then sit in those lobbies? Would Kuro--

He couldn't finish the thought, a sudden, amused smirk coming to his face. Even brainwashed into believing he was someone else, no way would Kurosaki ever come to visit his insane classmate "Gerard Way". Assuming their fabricated identities knew one another, it was impossible that they had that sort of relationship. (Well, if he were Gerard and it was Kurosaki in here, he might have--)

Priorities. He'd kept moving while thinking it, at least, not distracted by appearance aside from the out of place trace of humor.

"It seems too easy," he noted quietly, reaching the doors. To simply walk out the entrance.

[From here]

There was no time to lament the pain that ran up Tifa's arm like a wild fire as something compelled her forward and quickly deposited her on a worn cement floor. There was enough warning to brace herself from impact with a well placed step in front of her. However, once she was redeposited outside the institute and into Doyleton, her hand made itself known that it was still smarting from her brilliant idea. Her front teeth bit down on her lip to keep the shout locked in her throat where it couldn't signal potentially lurking baddies to their location. It was hard, though, even just keeping her feet set flat on the floor. The light steps helped to distract from the throb in her hand that mirrored her heartbeat. Eventually the brunette allowed herself a quiet "Ow..."

Nothing felt broken, which was truly a miracle, as she wagged each finger individually on her right hand. The skin on her knuckles was split, but no damage was evident which would become an impediment for them this night.

Thank god!

Her track record for accidents was already appalling, this didn't need to be added along with the rest, especially since it had been her idea to punch a solid wall. Once she knew she was fine, Tifa turned around to Zack, assuming her body language had been enough to tip him off. "Not my best idea..." She conceded shamefully. Her eyes found Zack's blue ones and she smiled pitifully, but then it was gone as if someone had suddenly slapped her in the face. Why was her vision so clear in here? It hadn't been last time, and yet Zack was completely visible in front of her from spiky hair to sneakers. Looking up, she noticed the florescent panelings in the ceiling and a few mounted along the warehouse at eye level were pulsing with light and only getting brighter as she watched. The whiter it become, the louder the flow of electricity sung like a swarm of insects until the first light popped above Tifa.

The sudden noise startled her, and she jumped back. One after another followed the first, popping while some broke and shattered to the concrete floor below. She was becoming more alarmed with each new break; not for the potential hazard it would cause if one fell on them, but the obvious ruckus it was making which would be heard by any undead that passed by. "Zack...?"

[From here.]

"Owwwww!" Carter groaned, dropping Claire's hand and clutching it to his chest. Perhaps he should have found a more subtle way of breaking the stone. When he took the ring off to relieve the pressure there was a red circle around his finger where it had crushed the skin. By tomorrow it would probably be a bruise and then everyone would know how foolish and impulsive he'd been.

This was definitely not a good way to impress a girl. Carter smiled sheepishly at his companion, still rubbing his hands. "So, uh...welcome to Doyleton."

The pet shop was still in great disarray and smelling of kitty litter, but a few lights had turned on since the last time Carter invaded the premises. Somehow the faint glow just made things creepier by highlighting the shadows, and Carter drew slightly closer to the woman with him. It was all right if she was scared, because anybody'd be scared if they were a woman out by themselves in a dark and scary place, so Carter would need to stay near and protect her.

Boy, he wished Colonel Hogan was here to tell him how to do this.

[from here]

As they stepped outside, Kratos took a deep breath, taking a moment to savor the feeling of fresh air, even though it was still tainted with the silent evil that surrounded the institute. Then, moment finished, he returned to the task at hand.

The immediate vicinity outside the institute was still and eerily quiet. He knew this place: this was where the buses usually sat whenever they were taken to Doyleton. But now, the plaza was completely empty, and it reminded him that for once he was going somewhere that no map he had had ever described. Yes, other patients had surely come here before, but none of them had ever deigned to tell of what they'd found--or else, Kratos had never noticed their warnings on the board. He and Ishida would have to simply work off of intuition, a situation that he was familiar with, but rather disliked.

"So from here..." Kratos took a few steps away from the door and tried to get an idea of their surroundings. An uneven road stretched out before them, and to its sides he could see that the terrain grew rougher still. "This road leads, if I'm correct, to the town of Doyleton." He strained to see farther and barely made out the tops of trees. "We need not follow it to its conclusion, though."

There was something else that he could recall about this particular area, a memory of watching gigantic, airborne monsters swoop down from above. "Keep an eye on the sky."

[from here]

The road evened out as they moved further and further away from the institute, probably worn smooth by the traffic in and out of the Institute. It made it easier to walk...and also to run if they were attacked. But, best not to think of that.

As they continued, Kratos made sure to occasionally check discretely on his younger partner. There was no denying the chill in the air, and if he, with all his gear on, was being affected by it, Ishida was probably faring worse. He couldn't do much other than lend the boy his cloak (which would clash terribly with the institute's uniform), but in a team, the well-being of his comrades was just as important - if not paramount - to his own, so he couldn't help but be somewhat concerned.

Looking to the east, he could more clearly define the trees he had seen earlier: a large forest lay to their left. To the west lay a highly mountainous region, with sharp peaks whose dark forms he could make out against the night sky. Either way, their path would grow much rougher still if they strayed off the road.