Nightshift 29: Gardener's Shed

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

[ From here. ]

Peter was breathing hard as he crashed into the shed, and almost fell forward onto his face. He managed to regain his balance at the last minute, and had the presence of mind to quickly spin around and shut the door behind them once he was certain Brooklyn had made it inside.

It was completely dark inside, and the sense that something might be in there with them had him swinging his flashlight around wildly until he was certain they were alone.

"What were those things," he said with a hard exhale, speaking mainly to himself.

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[manhattan-red.livejournal.com]

Like he was supposed to know? "Not friendly," was Brooklyn's answer, also giving the shed a once over. He'd half expected to run in only to find something big, ugly, and man-eating awaiting them on the inside. He was especially glad this wasn't the case.

From the looks of things, this was a simple gardening shed. It seemed a bit too ordinary for a place that could turn gargoyles human and was home to the occasional monstrous critter. All the same, he wasn't going to complain. Gardens required tools to be kept neat, after all.

Glancing over the shelves, he hefted down a shovel, getting a feel for it in his new human hands. He wasn't used to using any sort of weapon - with their strength and claws, gargoyles didn't need them. Here, though, he had a feeling it would be a necessity.

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

As Peter recovered and calmed down somewhat, he also looked the small shed over in more detail. Most of the items were more or less useless, but there were a few things that might be able to pass as weapons. He had honed in on the shovel as well, but Brooklyn beat him to it, and he figured the younger patient probably needed it more than he did.

After looking around a little more, he realized there was more than one shovel to choose from, but he decided to weigh his other options. The rake might work, but Peter was pretty sure that the tines would break and snap pretty easily if they were used to stab something. The idea of trying to fight mutant animals was still unsettling, but at the same time, he knew he had to be realistic.

Then he spotted the plant trimmer. That was made of metal, which meant there wasn't much of a chance of it breaking, but it was meant to cut, not stab. Peter didn't think trying to fight something with those would work too well.

So in the end, he grabbed for a shovel as well. It was simple, but a blunt instrument to swing wildly with was definitely the most practical option. It was heavier than it looked, but he would manage.

"Did we want to wait around in here until those things go away, or try to help?" They did have weapons to fight with now, but those things could fly, which would make them a lot more difficult to actually hit.

[manhattan-red.livejournal.com]

Brooklyn hesitated, feeling the weight of the shovel in his hands and wrapping his fingers tightly around the wooden handle as though this would offer some type of reassurance. It wasn't right, hiding in here. He did feel better about thinking this now that he was armed.

"We've gotta help them," he answered, wondering who he was really speaking to as he said it. "I haven't heard anything else outside, have you? It's just those things, right?" Just big bats. They could handle bats. The irony wasn't lost on him, however. Gargoyles had often been referred to as giant bats by some of the less supportive people of New York.

He moved to the door again, opening it just enough to get a view of the grounds directly outside. Seeing nothing, he opened it further. The path to the wall should be clear, though the uncertainty remained. "We're going to run for it," he said decisively, not taking into account the possibility that Peter might not be for this. "Let's go."