damned_institute | Nightshift 30: M-A Block Hallway

Shadow may have known the way to the Sun Room, but they weren't going to get there. The pair of cats lay just out of view, flattened against the ground on opposite sides of the hallway. The three patients would have to walk toward them to leave this area and when they did - the cats would spring.

Three against two weren't the best odds, but then the cats had claws and the element of surprise. They didn't need a pesky light to see in the dark either. Slowly creeping forward, the pair of hunters waited for an opportune moment to attack.

[Kaze]

"Look, the halls here are all but empty, you said the monsters don't come near the patient blocks, right?" Shana countered, twisting her wrist, but not breaking free of Valyn's grip. His fingers felt warm and she didn't miss the fact that he'd shed his elven jacket.

"I wasn't going far, I just didn't want to stand around arguing over it all night. I wouldn't have gone much further without you," she added, as Keman joined them. "At least now we're moving, right? Why don't you two take the lead, then, since you're armed?" Shana added diplomatically, motioning Valyn and Shadow on ahead of her with her free hand

"I said they don't come in the rooms, and it's rare for large ones to venture this deep into the barracks!" Valyn corrected. "I've been attacked in the barracks before. You shouldn't just run off like that! What if you had been attacked?"

Didn't she realize he was only worried. He was squeezing her wrist firmly, as though trying to get his feelings across through touch.

"I know where the sun room is, I'll take the lead. Shadow, you take the rear. You're better at picking up on unseen danger than I am, anyway. If anything starts following us, you'd know before me."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Shadow said, stepping back and allowing the three others to begin walking in front of him. He was just happy they were beginning to move that he didn't pay attention to the way his hair was standing up on the back of his neck. Shadow rubbed his hand against his neck, shaking off the strange feeling as he shut the door to Valyn's room.

"Let's move fast, ok?" he said, unable to shake the uneasy feeling. "All of this talk about attacks is making me paranoid."

One more step. Just one more...

The cats didn't announce their presence with any sort of noise, attacking silently as a fourth joined them. The felines sprang in unison, one going to Valyn in the front, the other attacking the middle group. Claws outstretched, they slashed at whatever was unfortunate enough to be in front of them.

With them being outnumbered, it would be unwise to remain for long, so the cats quickly ran off into the darkness again, unwilling to give their victims a chance to strike back. Letting them catch their breath could be just as dangerous though and soon they were back, attacking from the rear this time.

Shana sensed them at the last moment, her own instincts long since honed from living all her life in the wilderness. Even as she turned with her light, searching for the predators hidden in the darkness, she called out a warning to the other three.

"Look out, they found us!" she called, just as a large feline lunged at them. Weaponless, she struck out with the only thing at hand - at the moment, the flashlight she held. Being careful of claws, she sidestepped, trying to bat the monster away.

Valyn had next to no sense for these things at all, and was caught off guard when the creature slashed at his chest, tearing his shirt and the bandages beneath. Damn it, he should have realized! Why had he bothered yelling at Shana?

The elven Lord staggered back, lifting his knife and lashing out with it, ignoring the thin ooze of blood down his front. He'd suffered far worse, and the others were still in danger. He aimed for the nearest creature, attempting to get his blade in the thing's back.

Shadow cursed as he saw the creatures attack his friends and he rushed forward, pulling his knife out and slashing at the large cat that attacked Shana. The attack didn't last long and when they ran Shadow turned, knowing what to expect.

"They're coming back," Shadow said as he was suddenly rushed. The creatures breath was rancid and foul as it lunged at Shadow. He reacted without thinking, trying to stab at the beasts neck as sharp claws raked down his arm.

"Get back in the room," Shadow shouted as he ignored the pain and casted a levin bolt though he was sure it would only stun rather then incapacitate.

Too slow for the first attack, but now the cats had lost the element of surprise. They had to be careful and agile and quick. The patients attacked and the cats fled, skidding to a stop and raising their hackles at them. They hissed, eyes reflecting the light from Shana's flashlight. Blood ran down the side of one of them, Shadow's knife having cut its left flank. The other had run before Valyn had been able to sink a hit.

Now they had a particular conundrum - there was light speeding at them. The cats split and ran as the bolt came at them, but the injured one couldn't get away fast enough. The magic hit it and it hissed, screaming as its muscles spasmed and it fell against the floor. The other turned and growled, darting back toward the group and attacking Shadow again.

"One's down!" Shana disagreed, seeing one fall, aiming a kick at the one lunging at Shadow. She wasn't armed, but she knew how to fight with or without weapons. She could have sent another levin bolt like Shadow's, but she held off, knowing it would weaken her, wanting to make sure it would be worth the use of magic, when other means were still available. "Valyn, your knife! Quickly!"

Despite his own injuries and fear, Valyn was spurred to fight when the thing went for Shadow. His eyes narrowed and he summoned a firebolt in one hand and raised the knife in his other, risking the drainage in the face of his cousin's danger.

"Shadow!" He hurled the fire at the creature as he lunged without any direct aim with his dagger, shoving Shana out of the way and hoping she got the hint to get behind him.

The bolt had taken a lot more then Shadow had expected and he was weak the moment the cat attacked him. He put his arms in front of his face, feeling the heavy weight topple him over onto the ground. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion and he only vaguely heard the sound of Shana and Valyn screaming his name. The claws dug into his shoulder as he felt the creature's jaws clamp down on his already scratched arm. It was such a surreal moment that he didn't even scream. Instead, he lashed out with his knife once more and prayed that the creature didn't think to pull his arm off and run away with it.

Keman wasn't proud of it, but he had frozen as soon as the cats attacked. It was...like he'd been far away, watching from a distance. Everything seemed so surreal.

It wasn't until one of the filthy, rotting excuses for felines went for Shadow that his brain finally kicked into gear and the world sped up. He wasn't as good with his arms and legs as Shana was, but he still knew a few tricks from watching her grow up. He dropped to the floor and aimed a low kick at the cat that was already injured, hoping to break its neck. Even if it was down, it wouldn't be out until he killed it. Shadow and Valyn had the other one to take care of, and one more person attacking would just make the situation more chaotic than it already was.

So many things happened at once, but when Shadow hit the ground and the cat got a good bite in, it was satisfied for a moment. In that moment, however, two people attacked it and it fled again, singed and cut down its right flank. These people were attacking too quickly, too many numbers and it could see its companion receiving a grevious injury. The stunned cat couldn't move fast enough and Keman's kick hit it hard, putting it out for the night.

Too many people and not enough power meant this battle couldn't be won. The cat hissed at the four patients and then darted off into the darkness, leaving the other cat to die.

"Fire and Rain, Shadow!" Shana exclaimed in worry as she dropped to her knees beside the fallen halfblood. Acting quickly, she ripped off the bottom hem of her shirt, even as she leaned over him, quickly examining the seriousness of his wounds. Valyn was wounded too, she'd seen - slashed - but at least he was still upright, And Keman...

"Is it dead?" she called to her brother, asking about the remaining downed feline. She kept glancing over her shoulder warily, making sure the other one didn't decide to return.

"We need to get the bleeding stopped and the wound cleaned and bound," she said quickly, most of her attention still on Shadow. "Yours, too," she added, flicking a glance at Valyn.

"I'm fine." Valyn didn't even pay attention to his own wounds, he was on his knees beside Shadow as soon as he had his thoughts about him. His own injuries meant nothing in the face of his cousin's.

His own clothes were no good for bandages, bloodied as they were. "Keman, could we use your shirt?" He certainly wasn't going to ask for Shana's.

The pain made Shadow feel lightheaded and delirious. He smiled at Shana as she ripped her shirt, laughing as he realized he was at the perfect angle to look up and see quite a bit of what was underneath. "Is my arm still attached?" he asked, not bothering to look at the source of the horrible pain. He was enjoying the view as it was and looking at his arm would just spoil his good humor.

"I...think so," Keman called back, trying to catch his breath. "But I'm going to make sure." Standing up, he walked over to the pitiful creature and examined it. He almost felt...bad for it, and his earlier conversation with Orihime came to mind. They didn't have a choice in this, no more than the nurses did. Reaching down, he grabbed its head and made sure its neck was firmly snapped.

There. Now, at least, it wouldn't have to suffer.

He blinked when Valyn asked for his shirt. Oh, right. Bandages. Stripping, he tossed the shirt over to his friend.

"Yes, it's still attached, but it's bleeding pretty badly. And Valyn. While Shana treats Mero, I'm going to take care of your wounds, all right? Same goes for you, little sister. You've got to let me take a look once you're done with Shadow."

"Don't worry about me, it missed. For once. Apparently it found Shadow tastier than me tonight," Shana retorted, bent over the task of seeing to Shadow's wounds.

She ripped Keman's shirt into several strips, handing a couple to Valyn. "Let Keman bandage you up, I can see to Shadow." Or she could try. She'd seen worse, but with limited magic and so few supplies, treating injuries was tricky here. Especially with no water.

She really needed to find something tomorrow she could sneak back to her room to shift into a canteen or container of some sort. Who knew how useful it could end up being?

"I'm fine," Valyn insisted, trying to wave away the attention. He was more focused on his cousin than anything else. "I've had far worse, it's just a few scratches." That were bleeding, yes, but they'd stop stop soon enough.

"Everyone is fine," Shadow repeated, deciding he'd heard enough of everyone talking about seeing to him. His arm hurt and his fingers felt cold, but he could easily wrap a bandage around it and go on. He hoped, at least.

Shadow began to push himself up, his face pale as he kept his arm pressed to his chest. "Those things might come back. We need to move and Shana needs a new shirt."

Keman grabbed the bandages out of Valyn's hand and started to bandage the elf (in spite of his protests). "We really should get to the clinic...but I don't remember what room it's in!" He'd been a little too...unconscious at the time.

"Mero," he said firmly. "You're not fine. You're as white as a sheet, and I'm not usually given to hyperbole. To hell with exploring! We need to make sure that you and Valyn don't lose any more blood than you already have. Bandages won't work, for long."

"M35," Shana answered quickly, recalling the room Tamaki had taken her to the other night. "It's halfway up that hall there."

She put her hand on Shadow's chest to keep him from moving. "Don't sit up until I have you bandaged, we don't need you passing out on us, and you're too heavy for me to carry," she chided him, then quickly bent to work bandaging up the bite on his arm. It was makeshift, but it would hold till they got to the clinic, or till morning, whichever came first.

That done, she turned to his shoulder, next.

"Shadow's the only one of us who needs the clinic," Valyn pointed out. "I really am perfectly alright." He frowned. He knew Shadow and Shana had wanted to explore and get things done.

"I'll take him there" he said, batting Keman away just long enough to pull off his white silk shirt and offer it to Shana to replace her own. "I'd like this back, please" he told her, "and if possible, no more ripped than it is now. The two of you can at least get something productive done."

The fact that exploring was now completely out of the question for him did not put Shadow in a good mood. He frowned as he let Shana bandage his arm, knowing that if he tried to squirm she'd only hold him down. "What are the chances that you'll forget the way I look and let me come exploring with you?" he asked, knowing his answer before they even spoke it.

"Fine. I'll go to the clinic but I want a report of everything you find. We really need to begin to find a way out of here. I don't fancy being cat food every night. I'm sure I don't taste that good."

Nightshift 30: M-A Block Hallway

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