damned_institute | Nightshift 21: Hallway Outside Doctor Offices/Group Therapy Rooms

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Nightshift 21: Hallway Outside Doctor Offices/Group Therapy Rooms

[From here.]

Yuffie scrambled down the hallway as fast as she could, terrified of the thing, the monster, that she had just left behind. She definitely wasn't going to laugh at anyone ever again if they mentioned monsters in this place... Ever.

It wasn't until she was nearly halfway down the hallway that she stopped running, her heavy breathing becoming more painful with each breath. It was painful to swallow, probably even more so to speak if she'd had the courage to try. Running was only making it worse. And she certainly didn't want to run into anything else like that if she didn't have to...

Looking back over her shoulder, she waited for a few seconds to make sure she couldn't hear anything coming before leaning against the wall and sinking to the floor. Now that the initial panic was over, she was shaking from relief at having survived. That thing...whatever it was...was nowhere near being normal. Not even close.

Now more than ever, she just wanted to go home...

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Was Zack honestly going to try and fight that thing alone? He was. Great. He was probably going to get himself killed. But it wasn't like she could stick around and help him. She didn't have a weapon and couldn't use most of them even if she had one.

"You'd be smart to follow us in," was all Lyta said, shaking her head. "Before you get yourself hurt. Men." She waited for the others to get in before following as well, feeling little guilt at leaving Zack to do what he would.

It wasn't her problem if he got himself cut up.

The counter to her strike was enough to send the maid stumbling backwards; she was not particularly strong, and the heals she was wearing did not help. Even still, she was back to normal in almost an instant.

However, she did not make a move to attack, nor went to follow those exiting the area. She merely stood there as though a statue, blank.

"Mr. Zack," her head tilted to the side once more, expression lacking in every sense. "The Masters have sent me here to escort you home now." The air seemed to grow stale, one of her pale hands extending to the man.

"If you would please follow me?"

Zack was a First Class SOLDIER. Aerith understood this well, knew very well what he was capable of, it didn't slip her mind. She also understood this about Landel's: everyone trapped in it was weaker than normal, and even if he had a sword now, the things that roamed these halls at night would not go down easy.

She was caught in her fear and indecision, hands hovering at her mouth and eyes wide. How could she help him? Suddenly, she was pulled, pulled away, Zelos was urging her into the room Zack had opened. For them.

"No," she didn't have the strength to break away from Zelos, but tugged her small frame with him back toward the door-frame, desperation seeping into her tone. "No!"

"Zack! Please, don't fight it alone!"

The monster-woman was holding her hand out to him, and though the gesture wasn't clearly hostile, it sent chills down her spine.

The warnings were all heard, and heeded. Zack knew he had to be careful, or he'd be sliced to ribbons.

"I'll be right there," he urged, seeming to be addressing Aerith more than anyone else as he chanced a quick glance over his shoulder at her. "Just get inside." Once the others were safe, he could force this strange girl - woman? - he wasn't sure how to classify her, but he'd force her back and then follow in after them. Hopefully she would forget about them at that point. If she didn't, they could barricade the door.

After that first attack, she seemed to have calmed down and Zack at least had a small hope that he wouldn't have to hurt her.

She wanted to take him home, but he doubted that had the meaning he wanted it to. "Where do you want to take me?" he asked, keeping his sword held at the ready. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can go with you."

Zelos kept his grip firm on Aerith, not about to let her get herself hurt. He paused only for an instant as Zack urged her on inside, then finished tugging her into the room.

He kept his grip firm on her shoulder once inside, using one hand to lift her chin so she could look at him. "You said yourself he was a tough guy - I'm sure he'll take care of that creepy chick and be back in no time, okay?"

He loosened his grip just a bit, but kept his hand on her shoulder as he looked around at Yuffie and Lyta, making sure they had made it in okay as well.

Oh geez, this woman was creepy. She gave Yuffie the chills, too. But she didn't want to worry Aerith more by voicing that opinion...

"Yeah," she chimed in after Zelos, moving near him and Aerith. "If he's anything like Cloud, he'll be just fine. No worries, right?" She wasn't sure if she entirely believed that, but if it helped to calm her friend down, she'd say anything.

Lyta bit her tongue. There were a lot of things she could say, a lot of comments she could make, but she knew they wouldn't be apperciated.

"Look, we're in here, let's do what we came to do." She didn't have any idea which doctor called this office their own, but anything they found could be potentially useful. Lyta moved over to the desk, hoping that the rest of her group wouldn't be too worried over Zack to get things done.

The woman didn't move right away. It was almost as if she were considering those also in the area, savoring their voices. Daniella merely stared.

Until she closed the distance between her and the man, slow as her movements may be. The hand she held to him clasped firmly around the sharp metal of the other's weapon, her eyes locked onto his eyes even as translucent pink slid from her hand and down the handle, dripping slowly to the floor.

She leaned forward, excessively close to his face as she gave him a demented smile. "It is time to go home, Sir."

Her other arm stabbed forward, hot poker aimed at the man's stomach.

When Zack looked at her and told her once more to stay inside Aerith might have disobeyed, but the choice ceased to be hers as Zelos gave a few, hard tugs on her arm that forcibly dragged her into the room completely.

She squeezed her eyes shut to keep from screaming, but opened them again when Zelos forced her chin up. Her gaze softened at his words, doubt flickering in her green eyes, lidded. When Yuffie added her opinion, she almost wanted to smile. Zack and Cloud were both so very different, but they were both also incredibly strong, in more ways than one.

"Yeah," she conceded finally, in a small voice that sounded unlike her usual, bright tone. "I-- I hope-- no, you're both right."

Her hands squeezed together, white-knuckled grip, worried glances at the door. She heard Lyta and noticed her moving toward the desk, but couldn't bring herself to focus entirely on the original task at hand. Aerith remained poised and tense, as if ready to bolt out the door at the slightest hint of commotion outside.

So far, nothing.

Now that the rest of them were out of the way, Zack forgot about them - as much as he could, at least - and put all of his attention onto the girl. What he hadn't been ready for was her grabbing at his sword, crushing her hand against the sharp edge. His eyes widened as he stared at the blood that wasn't like blood at all - pink sludge, really, and it dripped slower than it should have.

She pulled forward and he instinctively reeled away, not liking her eyes or... anything about her, really. His initial instinct upon first meeting her had been right. And she'd admitted it herself, that she wasn't complete. It reminded him a little too much of the failed experiments he'd seen down in the mansion's basement.

He had been so distracted that the poker jabbed at him faster than he could react. He jumped back, but it still got him, leaving him with a sloppy stab wound slightly above his left hip.

There was no Mako here. No heightened sense, speed, strength. He could rely on nothing but himself - there was no added chemical to increase his adrenaline and chase away the pain.

Zack's left hand went to put pressure on the wound, but he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, pulling it back behind his shoulder and then leaping forward to slash down at the girl. That forced her back. Now, he could make a run for the room and they could lock the door behind them.

Without thinking, he spun on his heel and bolted for the others.

Aerith still looked unsure, so he hadn't removed his hand from her yet, simply moving it down to her back so he was leading her further into the room so they could look around with Lyta.

The second clatter was heard from outside, though, his hand gripped her shoulder again, already knowing what she was about to do.

"Hold it," he said. Damn, damn, damn. Normally he'd have been just fine and dandy away from the danger. Maybe he'd been traveling with Lloyd for too long. Maybe he was a sucker for Aerith. But he knew what he was probably going to have to do now.

Dammit.

"You stay here," he told Aerith. "I'll take a peek. But you stay here." He nodded at Yuffie, letting the younger girl know to keep a hold of her friend. Lyta wouldn't be too happy, but it was either this or let Aerith dash off into certain danger.

Moving towards the door, he walked out just enough to see Zack running towards them. He stepped back just enough so that Zack could make it in and he could quickly shut the door when he did.

"He's headed this way," Zelos said. He didn't mention Zack was now wounded.

Yuffie watched Lyta begin to search the office, but she didn't join to help. How could she even think about that? Aerith's friend was out there fighting for them! Ok, so maybe at one point she would have been like that too, but she wasn't now!

Everything was happening so fast... Aerith had calmed down a bit, but Yuffie saw the nod from Zelos. As he let go, Yuffie took Aerith's arm, ready to grab her around the waist and hold her if she tried to dash out the room. There was no way she was going to let her run out and get hurt! Even if she had to drop her weight and drag her to the floor to hold onto her back...

Lyta's head snapped up, suddenly. She felt a spike of something, a pin prick in her mind that she couldn't quite place.

When Zelos mentioned Zack was coming their way, she thought she had a good idea of what it was. Mundanes never failed to broadcast their pain, generally loudly. At least she couldn't actually feel it, if that was what she was feeling.

"I think he's hurt," she said, eyes narrowed. She'd warned him. And if he was badly hurt, they didn't have much to treat the wounds with. She could probably try and block out pain, but it would leave her drained.

There was no pain to rock her backwards, only force. There was enough of a tear from the man's strike to rip through cloths and pale flesh, enough to allow more pink to quietly fall from her body as a moan tore from her lips. She had stumbled, and he had ran.

Her eyes narrowed and she let out a hiss of breath. She would not let him get away. The Masters all get what they wished.

With a piercing shriek, Daniella raised her weapon and threw it at the retreating man, letting it soar after his shape.

She wouldn't let him leave.

The commotion indeed came, and Aerith indeed nearly bolted for the door-- had Zelos not gripped her to the spot, effectively stopping the action.

"Zelos!" Her voice was an exasperated strain, cracking at the edges. She had no intentions of obeying his command. As soon as he let go, she ordered her feet to move and follow him, but with Yuffie's tight grip on her arm, once again, she was stopped.

"Yuffie, please," she pleaded with her friend, turning to catch her eyes, pleading her desperation. "Please, I have to--"

Zelos reported just then that Zack was heading inside. She ceased her struggle momentarily, her heart lifting; dropping just as quickly when Lyta spoke after him.

Aerith turned again and pulled with all her strength toward the door. Zack was in trouble. Zack was hurt. Yuffie was more suited to physical combat and stronger than her, she knew it, but she pulled with a burst of pure determination and grit that would have her, at least, closer to the door-frame. Able to see outside.

"Zack," she called, choking on the name, watched him run, heard the scream from the woman who pursued him, watched her weapon soar through the air at his retreating form. "Zack!"

So much yelling. But this was different from the time before. There had been yelling then, but they had been gruff male voices; not female screams of rage and desperation. There had been rain, moist grass, hard ground; not dark, gritty hallways.

There were similarities - or one in particular. It was always his downfall, the way he cared so much for everyone else. Had to see to Cloud, had to make sure his friend was okay. And now, when he could have stood his ground and fought until the girl could no longer strike back, he had instead retreated, to see the others, to make sure they wouldn't worry.

He was paying for it again. Not bullets this time, but a sharp, hot tip, rusted and pointed. The throw, whether planned or not, was perfect. It stuck into him right at the back of his neck, the metal forcing in to the top of the vertebrae, right near the brain stem and all sorts of important nerves and veins.

In other words, whether she had meant it or not, she had thrown a bullseye.

His nervous system kept him moving for longer than he should have; even as the brain shut down, his legs kept straining. Eventually there were no more signals being sent and the body collapsed. There was no will or strength or being behind the flesh that hit the floor. That weapon stood starkly up out of him, a flag that marked one's victory and another's defeat.

Even here, history repeated itself.

It was like watching it in slow motion. Zelos tried to call out a warning, but there was already too much shouting and it was much too late.

He was dead, Zelos knew, but he couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Aerith was probably crying -- he couldn't tell. Everything was muffled.

The woman was simply standing there, like a doll. Zelos pushed until he felt the small string of magic left in him - a measly healing spell. It was too late and not enough.

Feeling frustrated as all hell, he took up Zack's sword, which had fallen to the ground with its owner. He twirled it expertly in his hand, ready to go after the woman himself.

Then the sun came up.

[end thread]

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Nightshift 21: Hallway Outside Doctor Offices/Group Therapy Rooms

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