Nightshift 27: Second Floor, hallway containing disciplinary therapy rooms and nurse station

[full-score.livejournal.com]

((From here. ))

As Claude stepped into the dark hallway, he made sure to shine his flashlight beam enough to light their way forward. Doing a quick scan of the area, Claude noticed the closed doors along their path. He swallowed hard. Were they torturing Ashton in one of these rooms? Who else did they have trapped here?

If he were prone to that sixth sense known as a "bad feeling" when it came to doing something stupid or dangerous, Claude might have felt his skin crawling. After all, there had to be something guarding the prisoners here, right? He knew it was going to be difficult, but all he could do was narrow his eyes as he made his way forward and concentrate on the fact his buddy needed rescuing.

"You two know how to fight?" he quietly asked Axel and the blonde girl. "I wonder if someone should try the doors to see if they're unlocked..."

Comments

[bond-off-lame.livejournal.com]

Axel had quickly returned Dias’s nod with one of his own, offering a small wave back to the kid as he did so and grinned at the blond’s words afterwards.

"He already did the same for me so it’s only right to return the favor." He responded in a hushed tone, glancing cautiously at what the hall had to offer once ‘Claude’ (he made an educated guess) inched his way inside. The redhead took the opportunity to press his back against the wall, green eyes narrowing as he used the blond’s beam of light to scan the room in the same manner. In an attempt to answer Claude’s question, Axel motioned his arm in Naminé’s direction, even though the latter probably couldn’t catch it.

"She has flashlight duty." He could only guess that she’d been stuck with the same job on that faithful night when they rescued him. “We might as well have someone else light our way if we need to fight.”

As for him, the chakram gripped tightly in his right hand would be enough to clue anyone in, spinning it once for good measure. Claude’s suggestion was as good as any, and Axel finally took a step away from the wall and looked over the row of doors that stood at either side of them.

"I don’t remember much…" The Nobody confessed, brows furrowing as he did so. After a moment’s contemplation, Axel glanced over at his blonde companion in a questioning manner.

"Naminé, do you remember which room you went into?"

[angels-inflight.livejournal.com]

"I'm Naminé," She introduced herself to the others, once the door was broken down. The hallway was very unsettling as Naminé walked in. The flashlight beams didn't reveal any hidden creatures lurking before the, though she was certain that one would show up sooner or later.

She nodded when Axel asked her what room he was in. She remembered, of course; it was the very last room down the hall, to the right. At least, that's where Axel was. Ashton was possibly in one of the other rooms, but they wouldn't be able to find out until the door opened.

"It's down there, to the very last room on the right," Naminé swung her flashlight beams in that general direction. "Please be careful; there were monsters here last time and I'm certain that they will be here again."

It looked like she didn't have to worry too much though; the man with the long blue hair (she had seem him before, talking to Roxas) was armed, as well as Axel and the man with the blond hair. With just left her and the other boy (unless he could do something too; Naminé wouldn't have known) to stay out of the way, she guessed.

[dementorkiss.livejournal.com]

They were right. Something was guarding.

Coldness crept down the hallway, passing over the three like an army of tiny, unseen spiders. In its wake, a thin layer of frost forming on the walls and floor as the chill advanced. Whatever sources of light they held dimmed a little, giving the shadows more territory. The scent of carrion exploding with maggots under a hot sun seemed to come from the hallway itself, clogging the senses.

That wasn't the worst unfortunately.

It would have begun to feel like every pleasant feeling and memory they had ever had was being taken away. Any hope or happiness was being pulled from the air itself.

Something was at the far end of the hallway, sucking the air in with a rattle like a dying man struggling for breath. It hung in midair for now, waiting, weaking its prey. Its tattered clothing drifted, moving around it like a live thing in itself. A grey hand that had once been human extended as if beckoning to them, the skin grey and slicked with a thin layer of slime.

[heavens-too-far.livejournal.com]

Dias' sword was pure metal. Even though he'd long ago cannibalized the remains of one of his partially-destroyed shirts to wrap around the grip in order to give him both a more secure hold on the blade and to protect his hands, he still felt the chill biting into his fingers right through the fabric as the inexplicable frost coated his blade. That - and a passing thought that sudden changes in temperature couldn't be good for the integrity of the metal - was the first noticeable change.

In a backwards sort of way, Dias was both the best- and most ill-equipped member of the group to be faced with a dementor. On the one hand, he didn't have nearly as far as the others to be pulled down; with his constant guilt and pessimism, Dias was quite used to functioning in a state of depression that would have broken most other people under the weight.

But at the same time, in the absence of any happiness, he had some of the worst memories to be forced to confront.

The rattling sound of the dementor's breath was entirely lost on him, although it was something he'd never have missed in a proper state of mind; instead, ringing in his ears even more vividly than it did in his nightmares, were the screams of his dying family. His eyes unfocused as - not so much due to the dementor itself as the memories being brought to the surface by it - he watched the people he loved being cut down.

Father...Mother...Cecille...Ashton...

It was fortunate he was still standing in the doorframe, as it gave him something to lean against as he sagged.

[norainu]

[from here]

Renji didn't rush into the room; he knew there were other people ahead of them and he didn't want to jump into the middle of someone's fight. That was a good way to get injured by so-called "friendly fire." He moved to the side, skirting the wall, and tried to get a sense of what was going on.

Two steps in, he caught himself from stumbling. He put his hand against the wall, registering the cold and wet of frost leeching the warmth from his skin. It smelled bad, but no worse than where he'd grown up; it was the heaviness of the air, the feeling of oppression and doom, like he would never be happy again, that caught him.

He made himself take a deep breath and let it out slowly, made himself think. He'd never felt this before, but it was familiar all the same, a piece of knowledge being test.

"Oh shit," he said. Even his voice felt heavy and thick.

[haiiro-no-chou.livejournal.com]

Rukia nodded at Renji's explanation, shivering. She didn't remember it being so cold up here last night; perhaps there was one of those 'refrigerator' machines nearby? But they didn't usually make everything around them cold...

As they approached the commotion ahead, Rukia heard voices and a thud; probably someone ramming a door. She didn't really pay attention to what was being said, though, as Renji stumbled ahead of her.

"Renji?" she asked, her teeth chattering. She felt strangely sluggish and hopeless. Why were they even bothering to try and rescue anyone? They were all stuck here, anyway, with no chance of escape-- Shaking her head slightly, Rukia frowned. What was she thinking? The sense of despair was still there, though, and her fingers were going numb as frost slowly began to form on Sode no Shirayuki's blade.

[lighthearted]

It had been a long time since Sora had felt coldness like this. It wasn't like being in the snow - that much he could handle, and he'd done so while in The Land of Dragons. This was different; it was worse.

It chilled right through, past bones and to the core of a person, closing them off and deadening everything warm. He had felt like this - useless, hopeless - only twice in his life before now, as far as he could remember.

When he had been a Heartless, and when he had found out that all of the work he had being doing, all of the darkness he had been killing, had just been helping along the organization he had been trying to stop.

He breathed hard, and it became visible in front of him. His face and his fingers were stinging and going numb from the cold, and he just couldn't find it in him to do anything about it. He remained near the door, and nothing was motivating him to keep moving.

[norainu]

"I think that..." Renji had to collect his thoughts and try again. It was hard to concentrate when all he wanted to do was give in and lie down. All that prevented that urge, coupled with the depression he'd felt earlier, from overtaking him was that he'd never given up in his life, not once. And Sora and Rukia were there; he needed to be strong for them, and lead.

"From what Potter said... I think that's a Dementor. It eats your happiness and will to live. And then it'll eat your soul. Don't let it near you." He could almost curse the boy for not telling him how to kill them, but it wasn't Potter's fault. It was a real thing, if it was one of these Dementors, and that meant that maybe they could use their swords on it, or kidou.

...it wouldn't work anyway, so why bother trying...

He shook his head. Potter had also said it was best to just run away as soon as one appeared, but that wasn't something they could do. They had a mission. And they had to take care of this thing before the other group showed up.

"Okay." He took a deep breath, forced himself to think. This would work, damnit, it was worth fighting. "Okay. I think... let's try to hit it with kidou to stop it, and then attack. Maybe swords will work, or your keyblade, Sora." He knew they wouldn't work. Nothing would work, ever again, but damnit... He shook his head again. "Okay, Rukia, can you do a binding on it? Or do you need my help? And Sora, let's be ready to attack if--" He stopped himself, and started again, "--when it takes."

[bored-narrator.livejournal.com]

Kyon slowly worked his way down the hall, one hand on the wall, the other grasping his lower abdomen. It was starting to get harder to fight back the smell.

A few more feet, and Kyon collapsed to the floor, weak and hungry as the doctor had taunted him.

[son-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/229563.html?thread=16601787#t16601787)]

Clark finally put two and two together (Robin Hood and a fox Robin Hood) and was on the verge of asking Robin if he was serious about being the Robin Hood - from that Disney movie, right? - or what was this about "magic" powers. He'd run into his fair share of people with powers humans simply didn't have and he had to say that the prospect of finding some here was both a relief and kind of a problem, considering the track record of all the previous encounters. Any questions he had were put on hold as they went deeper into Landels.

He realized he didn't really need his flash light to see - there was a dim, faintly reddish light in this area, enough that he could sorta see now.

It was also cold, far too cold to be natural. Nevermind that he saw what looked like movement (fighting?) down the hall; maybe other patients, but there was also just this generally horrible, icy feeling, like a physical weight pressing down on him.

That was before Clark came upon someone lying on the floor. Heart racing - were they okay? He hoped they weren't dead - he knelt next to the person.

"Guys, over here!" he said, bending down over the still body. He could see it was another young boy their age, looking deathly pale in the reddish light.

[broken-exorcist.livejournal.com]

Allen's expression became puzzled as Robin kept talking. A fox? That wasn't possible. He'd know if Robin wasn't in his proper body, wouldn't he? It seemed his eye was only complicating things, not helping. There were so many different people here from different worlds that it wasn't any use at all.

Had he done something wrong again? Rinali's mood didn't seem to be improving. Maybe... maybe it was just this place and the strange reddish light and the monsters sneaking through the halls and... and...

Why was it so cold? There was a distinct change in the air around them and realized with some surprise, that he could see his breath in front of him, by the dim light of the portable torch. It wasn't a natural kind of cold, though he couldn't figure out just why. It reminded him of the Akuma that he and Rinali had fought before. Its icy fire that was so cold it burned. It wasn't anything like that, was it? He tried to scan the hallway, but he couldn't see far enough to make much out. The shinigami were up ahead, but they couldn't do something like this, could they?

He diverted his attention when Clark shouted. There was a boy lying on the ground, collapsed. Allen hurried over and shook the boy's shoulder lightly. He wasn't Akuma, he wasn't a ghost, so... so it was alright, wasn't it? "Hello?" Allen said gently "Hey, are you alright?"

[boot-i-licious.livejournal.com]

Rinali gasped as she entered the next room. She wasn't expecting the sudden chill of the room. It was hopeless. They were going to waste away here, and she was never going to see Komui again. Why were they even bothering with this? Tears welled up in her eyes but refused to fall. "Allen..." she whispered quietly. "I'm sorry." Sorry for being so weak, for not being able to be there for him while he had been trapped here all this time. She was a horrible friend and deserved to be trapped here.

But Allen was being strong. She had to be strong for Allen's sake. She wiped the tears away, then spoke up louder. "Let's get him out of here," she said. She wouldn't allow herself to think like that as long as Allen was here. If they were doomed, at least they were doomed together.

But what if Allen died first? Then Kanda and Ravi...and then she'd be trapped here in this horrible place alone forever. She'd grow old waiting for a rescue from her brother that wouldn't come.

That didn't matter right now. Allen was here. Everything was going to be okay. It had to be.

[dawning-dreams.livejournal.com]

[ From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/237448.html). ]

It'd be accurate to say that stepping through that door was like stepping into some kind of warring hell. Cid didn't think he'd ever seen so many people fighting off monsters in one place, not even when he'd run into Vincent during his berserker stunt, and the inexplicable feeling of dread and hopelessness seemed to have increased tenfold.

"Shit..." He grunted, glancing around as he kept near the wall. On one hand, he felt like lending a hand to these other patients would be both the right thing to do and conducive to their cause, but on the other hand, he didn't want to be mistaken for some other hooligan and become the victim of friendly fire. He glanced back to his group and yelled over the ruckus: "Any ideas?"

[bigshotbarret.livejournal.com]

[From Here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/237448.html)]

Barret followed Cid once he confirmed their route. He trusted the pilots' instincts, and it was clear that chaos had already erupted. The noise was loud and near deafening. It was clear that other rescues were being attempted and thwarted, much to his dismay. He felt the urge to aid those who may need it, but at the moment they had a mission to follow through with.

"Cloud, got something in that bag I can borrow?" He asked before turning his attention to Cid, trying to think quick on his feet, "There are probably multiple rooms down there--one of them gotta hold Rufus. We'll search 'em and try to avoid the fights for now. Once we got Rufus, we'll cover the rescue team," he jerked his head toward the group behind them, "and get the fuck out of here."

He half turned toward the other team, "Hear that guys? We'll search each room, steer clear of the battlefield, and get the President the fuck outta here!" He turned back toward the Hallway, "Y'all ready for this?"

[dementorkiss.livejournal.com]

It was indeed quite a scene to say the least. The Dementor was still in the centre of the hallway although it was backing up quick enough. The horrible smell of rotted meat and dust was clogging the air although at the edges it was starting to pull away along with the intense cold. Hopelessness and despair were still hanging in the air, trying to get a fingerhold on these new people even as the Dementor was slowly pulling back. The closer they got to it, the worse it would become. Every bad memory or feeling would be pulled to the forefront of their minds while any good would be drawn out.

More rats scrambled over the pile of victims at the other end of the hallway, the cat-sized creatures squeaking in rage. Beady eyes fixed on this new prey, three of them scrambled over the MU patients and headed for Cid's group.

[1mperturbable.livejournal.com]

Stepping forward behind his group, Cloud peering around Barret’s arm to survey the situation. It was fairly clear that they had to work in their own little chaotic box. He shifted his weight as the three large rodents charged for Barret and Cid and noted that it really did appear that he was the only one to bring weapons.

Leaping up and over Barret’s head, he dropped the blade in his left hand down to Barret’s hand as he passed over. He flipped in the air, surveying the rats as he went before he twisted around to settle on the ground behind all three. He drew the second blade from the make-shift bag even as he swung out with his baseball bat to take the rodents by surprise.

He tightened his grip on the blade before tossing it back the way that he had come to Cid. At least if they were all armed, it would lead to less damage on everyone. “They are on lend. I charge interest outside of battle,” he called to his companions.

[offduty.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/237448.html?thread=16747912#t16747912).]

Oh hell. Even Reno hadn't quite been expecting this. It wasn't just a fight, it was fucking chaos.

Someone was gonna lose an eye tonight.

In any case, Barret spoke his thoughts - avoid the battle, skip to the rescue. But he could feel something in the air. Distracting and chilling, enough for him to stumble to a stop and for the first time, he wondered what the hell he was even doing. Keep the President safe, right? Wasn't that in his job description? Yeah, he was just doing wonders in that department...

"Sonofabitch." He shot a look at Elena, trying to shake off the sensation but ultimately failing. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time. "Just me or...?"

[dementorkiss.livejournal.com]

Like the others before, the Dementor was thankfully not focused on Reno's little group although its area effect was still there. It weakened some as the creature was drawing backwards, but to get to the victims they would have to pass by it since it currently hung in the middle of the hallway. The further it retreated, the closer it came to the MU victims.

The rats were pretty much engaged all around although a particularly nasty one the size of a cocker spaniel was perched on Rufus' shoulder and eyeing Reno's party. Its black oilspot eyes fixed on them, a filthy paw waving at them before it rested it on Rufus' temple. Sharp yellow teeth chattered as it squeaked challengingly.

[materianinja.livejournal.com]

Yuffie wasn't sure what she expected when entering the room, but a miniature battlefield wasn't it. She had seen fights before on her world, had lived through two wars, had seen more than a few of the creatures that roamed these halls at night, but this? There was something about this and the wraith-like thing in the middle of the room that sent an uncomfortable chill down her spine.

Her fingers tightened uneasily around her pillowcase. 'Walking' was sounding a whole lot better now, even in the face of being scolded for ditching the mission. But no, she was here on pure determination now. She wasn't going to be the only one to back out. She would never live to hear the end of it if she did.

Past the wraith, Yuffie could barely make out the forms of bodies lying on the ground, but without her own flashlight, distinguishing who they were was nearly impossible for her. They could be the kidnapped patients, or they could simply be injured ones...

"I think there's people lying over there." The ninja motioned towards the other end of the room, forgetting her annoyance at the two Turks for the moment.

[beforehertime.livejournal.com]

"N-no." Elena's voice was at least an octave higher than normal. "Not just you."

What was this? The hallway was crowded, and yet the sounds were oddly...muted. And it was cold. So very, very cold.

It all seemed to be coming from that huge...cloaked...thing in the middle of the hallway. She could feel the wounds Kadaj had inflicted on her several nights before begin to throb, feel (if just for a moment) the despair she held felt then. It was getting colder, she could see her breath...

Yuffie's voice snapped her out of it. Elena's eyes followed the other girl's hand, trying her best to make out the shadowy figures.

"Reno. It's your call. You want to go over and investigate?"

[full-score.livejournal.com]

((From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/231795.html?thread=16787827#t16787827) ))

Claude emerged out into the hallway, eyes narrowed as he gazed around. He didn't have his flashlight out right now, but between the lights from the other patients, he could make out where the exit was. The room temperature had gone back to normal. As far as he knew, there was no sign of the creature, which was a huge relief. Ashton had suffered enough. He didn't want to expose him to that thing, whatever it was.

Many of the patients seemed to be fighting what could only be those mutant rats he'd seen earlier, which, to be honest, were much more preferable to dark creature from earlier. "Oh, it's just them," Claude said, relieved and perhaps a little smug at the realization. Giant rats seemed like a walk in the park compared to the stuff they'd faced before.

Still, that didn't give them any reason to hang around here. They needed to run out before something attacked their group. "Stay focused, guys," he quickly added. "Let's stick close together so we aren't separated. Come on." And with that, he began to lead everyone towards the hall's exit.

[full-score.livejournal.com]

(( To here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/229563.html?thread=16790971#t16790971) ))

[screwthegods]

[From here]

The hallway was empty.

It seemed such a minor thing, but Homura knew better. The last time he was here, the passage had nearly been bursting with both people and creatures, the sounds of battles echoing off the walls. He shone his light up the way slowly, eyes wary for anything that might be lurking in the dark.

"This is it. These rooms are where the victims are kept." Homura motioned to the doors, having little doubt Okita would spring ahead of him now. But his instincts told him to be wary, perhaps not of monsters, but of his own companion. Something was very wrong with the scene, and the demi-god couldn't help but focus his attention more on Okita himself than on anything sinister that might be hidden in the dark.

[notachick.livejournal.com]

Homura was right to assume that Okita would take the lead from here on, but he didn't go as quickly as Homura would have guessed. He was still cautious despite the tension knotting in his chest. If something was here and he ran ahead recklessly, it would do more harm than good for the rescue.

Why weren't there more people here?

Okita slipped into the hall and began methodically checking all the rooms. Like a pale ghost he slipped in and out of them one by one. The first room had been slow, a careful sweep for enemies preceded his entry. The second was only a quick check for anything lurking in the darkness. After that, it was desperation. He almost ran into the last room and for a long while, he didn't emerge.

Emptiness.

It was empty. Hijikata wasn't here. He'd either been rescued earlier or...

He hadn't been there at all. Okita hadn't seen anything, felt anything that reminded him of the man he'd devoted his life to serving. It was as if he'd never been.

"...Hijikata-san?" he called, as if the shadows could be hiding him. If only that were true. Standing in the final room, staring at a bloody and empty table, Okita felt something begin to stretch all too thin within him. His voice echoed in the room, a whisper that sounded far too loud. "Hijikata-san?"

He lied. He isn't here.

Okita gripped the sword so tightly he could hear the metal creak in his palms, his nails digging into his own skin, drawing blood. Quietly, he stepped from the last MU room, keeping his head low to avoid Homura's eyes. Liar, he wasn't here. I wasted time coming to this place when he had been taken elsewhere. Crimson blood was beginning to trace veins down the sword, but Okita didn't notice.

"...where is he?" he asked. His voice was deeper than Homura had ever heard it, but it was controlled, heavy, and definitely dangerous.

[screwthegods]

Homura stayed back, letting Okita search, hoping Okita would find. But as the man went from one room to the next, Homura became increasingly aware of the emptiness around them, a void that made the dark seem emptier, Okita's voice more hollow.

Then he emerged from the final room, looking far more vicious than a man should. Controlled, contained, but only just barely, and Homura readied his sword for when that control snapped.

"I don't know." Homura watched, keeping his eyes on Okita, unwilling to drop his guard for his ally. The man was reckless, prone to emotion, and that made him a liability in so many ways. But Homura would do what he had to in order to tame the man, because the wild was no good for his purposes.

"This is where they bring the patients to be tortured. If he isn't here, then I don't know where they would have taken him."