Nightshift 34: Bus Unloading Area

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

[from here]

Wally shivered as he stepped out into the cool night air. They seemed to be in some kind of parking area - a few buses were throwing huge shadows across the ground which, combined with the general lack of lighting and cold breeze, sent a chill down his spine. Not that he was afraid or anything, it was just a little creepy, that was all.

He looked around, trying decide which would be the best direction to try for a phone. Probably the one the road was leading in. Duh, he mentally berated himself.

First things first, he had to lose Kal. Not that he really had that much of an issue with the guy normally, but he really wanted to get to a phone and call the League and he couldn't do that with a kid following him around the place. Wally glanced over his shoulder to check that Kal hadn't followed him yet. The coast was clear and it was probably too dark for him to be seen, he decided. He smirked as he kicked into speed and ducked behind one of the buses, figuring he could hide until Kal gave up and left on his own.

Hunkered down in the shadows, Wally pressed his head back against the bus and supressed a whimper. His stomach was painfully empty now and it was making him feel a little light-headed. He wasn't sure any more if he would even be able to run all the way to a nearby town. It was looking like he'd be lucky to make it over the fence, let alone however many miles away a town would be. It was hard to imagine this night getting any worse.

Comments

[son-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately for Wally, Clark did see him this time.

It was kind of hard not to when he had some moonlight to go by and Wally just seemed to vanish. There was a faint blurring of the air, like a mirage, and suddenly the guy wasn't there any more. There was even a puff of air in his face as he stepped forward. Clark wasn't going to let him get away that easily.

The farmboy ran after Wally. It was surprisingly easy to track him, what with how he kept finding bits and pieces of what he assumed were Wally's shoes. It was like some weird bread crumb trail. Clark followed them...only to come face to face with a row of dead, silent buses. He came up short, his breath hitching. Dread ran down his spine. Clark could almost hear the nurses's agonized scream, the stench of her burning on his skin. It'd been an accident, he hadn't meant to hit her, he hadn't been able to control it.

Clark had to fight to bring himself under control. He took a deep, shaking breath, trying to push away too vivid memories, and then pressed on, moving into the buses' shadows and following the shoe scraps until he eventually came upon a form huddling against a bus. Wally.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

Wally jumped and cursed softly at the sound of Kal's voice. He'd been too preoccupied with his own problems to remember to keep an eye on the kid's location. He straightened up and forced a smile. "Just peachy," he said, fighting to keep the sarcasm out of his voice."Look, is there something you want? Cause I've got other things to worry about right now than your weird belief that I need your help to look around." He shivered again and swallowed against a wave of nausea.

He'd had enough of Kal's questions, he just wanted to get away from him. Unless the kid produced a chocolate bar or something in the next few minutes, Wally couldn't think of any other reason to put up with him. Not when he was feeling so awful.

"Why are you so eager to keep following me around anyway? And how did you find me here?" he asked on a whim. He'd been certain Kal couldn't have seen him. Well, mostly certain. Maybe.

[son-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Clark didn't believe Wally was "peachy". He looked like he was beat.

"I followed you," Clark said. He held up one of the shoe scraps as evidence. "And I know you're not normal. You were there and suddenly you weren't. So either you can fly really really fast or run really really fast, take your pick."

He dropped the shoe fragment, the piece fluttering to the ground like the flimsy piece of cloth it really was. Clark crossed his arms over his chest. Was this guy another kryptonite-infected guy? It'd explain how he knew about the stuff...but not what it was called and not what it did to him. Knowing Wally wasn't the normal guy he passed himself off as didn't help: it just opened up even more questions.

Clark stood there with a determined look, waiting for an answer. He'd just follow Wally again if he tried to take off. Or he could try to just restrain him (he was close enough), but he wasn't sure how smart that'd be - his strength was probably as unreliable as his other powers. He could either hold down Wally or get his arm pulled off.

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

Wally froze, his face a mix of shock, guilt and how-can-I-get-out-of-this-now. He glanced down at his feet and the tattered remains of the slippers. He hadn't even noticed them giving out while he was running. On the plus side that probably meant that his aura was still protecting his skin pretty well.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he began, but it sounded weak, even to him. He couldn't think of what to do and at this point was too desperate to try and come up with a good excuse. Better to make a run for it and have J'onn mind-wipe the guy later or something.

He shuffled his feet a little and edged to the side as subtley as possible. Hunger pains aside, he was pretty sure he could at least make it over the fence from here, then he could worry about where to go from there. His whole body tensed and he lunged to try and move past Kal.

[lady-general.livejournal.com]

[Fromhere (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/429677.html?thread=34881645#t34881645)]

Celes unsuccessfully masked her surprise and if she were a lesser woman, would've likely kissed him for the present. "Why, thank you, Master Luxord." The blade was small, certainly, but it was a step up from her scalpel. Not too terribly different from a dagger, really, but far to small to perform any Runic.

Outside, there were two men arguing, and Celes was quick to dismiss them. Those that were too loud would certainly attract those monster birds, and the General had little mind for that kind of tomfoolery. "They're not very careful, mm? Children, really," she murmured to her companion as they passed them.

[clockmongler.livejournal.com]

"No need to thank me, my lady. I merely assumed you'd more of a use for it than I."

Luxord would have kept smiling down at the general and down her shirt, yet all the chattering outside got his attention. He glanced at the source and chuckled a bit to himself. "I could not have said it better. Shall we leave these boys to themselves?"

[lady-general.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Celes agreed readily, not wishing to be scooped up by a bird that would certainly come. There was quite a bit of road down to the gate. "The last thing I would want is to be caught without actually accomplishing anything." Which, for Celes, had occurred far too often these days. If it were Vector, or still with The Returners, her head would be on the chopping block, literally and metaphorically.

Celes was quiet for a bit, taking in the cool night air and continuing her arm-in-arm walk with Luxord.

[clockmongler.livejournal.com]

Ah, such a wonderful night. The cool air, a beautiful woman by his side, and two obnoxious children were begging to be eaten by something large and unpleasant. No Xigbar to bother him or ruin his plans, no Keybearers to stifle his mood. Luxord continued along with their slow stride to the gate, humming to himself and wondering why he hadn't let the self-pity go until now.

"You plan to accomplish anything of importance on a night such as this?" he asked after a while and turned his head to smile at Celes. "If it comes down to a battle of wills between one of many monstrosities here, I suppose, but merely spending what Time we have in a less perturbing way could prove most desirable." He leaned in a little to the general, grinning playfully, but not so as to be overwhelming. "And I can imagine nothing more desirable than spending my Time with you, my love."

[sugarsweetblood.livejournal.com]

Stepping out was amazingly... simple. Rhode hadn't ever thought it would just be so easy to go right out the front door. Why hadn't she thought to do so before now?! She went out a little ahead of Rainier, letting go of his hand to trot out into the nighttime air. It was a little thrilling to be out of the building and out of the sight of the people in white like this. More like the freedom she liked.

She twirled a bit on the grass and looked up towards the sky, specifically the roof. "I don't see any."

[deathandfudge.livejournal.com]

Well, that had been... easy. Remarkably so. And it instantly put Ranier on guard because things should not be so easy. It just didn't make any sense to have them locked up and then make it so simple to just walk outside. He followed her gaze up to the roof, noticing the distinct absence of birds. "I noticed," he said with dry amusement, glad that he wasn't about to be used as a shield at this particular moment in time. He would protect the lady to the best of his abilities, but he wasn't about to hope for something to attack in order to do that.

[sugarsweetblood.livejournal.com]

Rhode wasn't so much on edge as she was excited. It usually took a lot to put her completely on edge anyway, even with her powers being what they were. Some habits were just hard to break.

Her attention came away from the roof and she looked out around the place. There were others there, most human (she thought), but none close enough to where she and Rainier were to matter. Maybe they really could just walk right on out.

[deathandfudge.livejournal.com]

Rainier on the other hand, had been on edge since arriving here, and that was unlikely to change any time soon considering he was a Warlord Prince, dragged out of his own world and thrown into danger without a Queen around to reign in his temper. He watched his surroundings carefully as they headed towards the gate, noticing the other people and tensing up slightly, even though they probably weren't the threat here.

"I suppose that we just keep heading towards the gate then?" he murmured to the girl. It seemed far too easy and easy was something that he distrusted here.

[0bnoxious.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/429677.html?thread=35284077#t35284077)]

Albel hadn't been sure what to expect when he stepped outside. His expectations ranged from not being able to open the door to being ambushed by some rotting scum, but in the end stepping outside had been incredibly easy. Maybe a little too easy.

This was the same area the buses had stopped during that little fieldtrip, and if he wanted to get anywhere, Albel figured he should go for the gate further up ahead. Ignoring the other maggots present, he began walking.

[transgenix.livejournal.com]

[Coming from here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/429677.html?thread=35597933#t35597933)]

Max slipped out into the darkness, crouching down as soon as she was outside. Her eyes quickly scanned the darkness. They weren't as alone as she'd thought from inside - there was a struggle going on not far away, as well as a few stragglers who had wandered out ahead of them. She waited for Citan to join her, keeping her back to the wall, even as she made sure there was nothing currently targeting them to take them by surprise.

[reanalyze.livejournal.com]

Citan could only hope that this young woman wasn't the sort to rush off and try and help those who were involved in some sort of a fight. As soon as they were outside, and he was aware of potential problems in the vicinity, his body language shifted. More alert, more focused, ready to fight if need be.

It seemed as though they weren't about to go joining the fray any time soon.

"Where did you intend on going?" he asked, moving close to her and keeping his voice low.

[transgenix.livejournal.com]

"I didn't have a set place in mind," she answered, casting a quick glance over her shoulder at him. "Plus I don't know what's out here. My goal was to explore, for the most part. See if there was anything useful. Scout out the surroundings."

Find out where the hell they were.

"Does that work for you, or is there something pressing you need done first?"

[reanalyze.livejournal.com]

"Nothing pressing," Citan said, shaking his head. He did wish he'd found something to tie his hair back with, but that was hardly a pressing matter. There would be monsters outside as well as inside. He could do his work in any condition, should he need to.

"But I suggest we make haste, before some of the unpleasantness out here turns its eye to us."

[hajike-tobiume.livejournal.com]

[from here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/429677.html?thread=35749997#t35749997)

Momo followed right behind Signum, eyes immediately going to the sky to look for those giant birds. She didn't see any, but she kept a vigilant eye just in case. There were two patients fighting a monster, and, for once, the shinigami simply looked at the fight and moved past it. They didn't have the time and her compassion was being overruled by her need to accomplish her mission.

Barbed-wire on the outer walls, the knight had told her a week ago. She started toward the gate to look at it. It necessary, they could go over the wall, but she'd prefer to avoid dealing with the barbed wire.

[blazing-general.livejournal.com]

For Signum, ignoring the fight wasn't so easy- right now, more than anything like accomplishment, she just wanted to kill something. Get unstuck. But she could bury that too, just sink into that strange half-real half-faked submission that came to her so easily and follow Momo's lead.

When they'd reached the gate Signum threw one of her bats over immediately, testing for a barrier or anything motion-activated, and when that failed to provoke any sort reaction decided that was the most information she was going to get right now on that front and set about getting them over.

Or, rather, asking Momo how she wanted to go over. "If I use my magic I should be able to cut the wire or cover it with my coat," the knight offered, leaving the decision in her friend's hands. She was doing the deference thing right now, after all.

[hajike-tobiume.livejournal.com]

"Let's keep your magic in reserve and use the coat," Momo replied. "The fabric of my uniform is tightly woven and should also offer some level of protection."

Since she was unsure what they'd find on the other side, the shinigami was hesitant for either of them to use their magic. Mundane means were better right then, Momo narrowed her eyes at the top of the gate. Right then, she hated being short.

"I''ll need your help up; I'm too short."

[blazing-general.livejournal.com]

Signum nodded, and the rest of her gear followed her bat over the wall in a series of short, unceremonious flights. When her coat was empty the knight folded it and threw it over the barbed wire topping the gate, producing a narrow section that could hopefully be traversed without injury.

"Here," the knight said, answering Momo's request with a pair of cupped hands. Lifting her ought to be easy enough...

[her-lion.livejournal.com]

Unsurprisingly, the doors opened out into a parking lot, a few scattered buses here and there, shielding a full view of the forest beyond them. The vampire kept his senses on edge, knowing how easy it would be to have an ambush waiting in the wings.

Beyond the lot was a road leading straight south (or south from the Institute, at least. Who knew what direction they were even facing?) As easy as it would be to see from the stars, the knowledge wouldn't benefit in any way. Not without some slight knowledge of the area.

A smell lingered dully with the mist surrounding the area; ...blood? It wasn't human blood, at least. More like a crushed insect's fluids.

As wary as ever, Edward waited patiently to make sure his family was close behind him.

[flawed-sight.livejournal.com]

Alice slipped out of the door behind him, sticking close to his back as her eyes searched the moonlit darkness of the surrounding area. Her nose wrinkled as she, too, caught the scent, but she didn't comment.

She was frowning again. Stepping outside had not returned her sight, and once again, it was as if it had vanished, or if something was effectively blocking it. There seemed to be no pattern to how it came or went, which only served to frustrate her further.

"Have either of you been out here before?" she asked, glancing up at Edward and then back over her shoulder at Bella.

[his-singer.livejournal.com]

That had been very anticlimactic. Bella stepped quickly out of the door after Alice and Edward, making sure to no get left behind. It wasn’t that she was frightened, she was just … nervous.

Stepping out into the air, the normal teenager, unlike the other two eternal teenagers, could not smell anything different than air, and said nothing. “I’ve been out here before,” She told Alice, her eyes instantly looking to the sky as a memory ran through her head. “All the patients were stuck on the buses after the trip to the town and you had to escape out the windows. I broke a window.” Giving Alice a shrug, she continued. “But … there were some monster birds flying around. It doesn’t look like there are any here now, but …”

This conversation had her wondering where Rika was. She’d have to look tomorrow.

Moving closer to Edward, she kept her grasp on the flashlight and pipe tight, eyes frequently lifting to the sky.

[gald_digger]

[From here]

Anise went ahead, taking a few steps away from the door and looking around - making sure to check the sky for any danger as well - before turning back to face the doorway. She gave Ion a nod to confirm that it was safe to come out.

The quiet, dark exterior of the institute was nothing like it had been a week ago. Anise could see the silhouettes of other patients moving about, though it was hard to make out much more than that. The girl rubbed at her arms a little, trying to resist the chilly night air. It was still way better than stale hospital air, as far as she was concerned.

"That radio lady said there was stuff to find outside, but..." Anise gave the scenery another hard look, as though trying to see farther into the distance than she had seen before, to no avail. "It looks like a whole lot of nothing to me..." She knew from the trip to Doyleton that following the road would just lead to miles and miles of trees and hills and nothing noteworthy at all. Maybe around the other side of the institute?