Night 41: West Wing, North Hall 1-B

[toxicspiderman]

[from here]

North or south? That was an easy decision to make. Playing amateur National Geographic anthropologist-cum-documentarian didn't appeal. Not when humans were the only endangered species around here. Besides, he'd never perfected the well-oiled half-British half-asshole (if there was a difference) accent.

S.T. pivoted his body to the right, swung the rolling pin out ahead of him (in case the door was closed -- a black eye from actually running into a door was not something he wanted to have to admit to) and stepped into the next hall.

[to here]

Comments

[thirdboywonder.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630007.html?thread=53215735#t53215735)]

Damnit. There was a dilemma here. Which way to go, which way to go...

Tim thought back to where he'd been during the day. The geography wouldn't have changed. He remembered where the Sun Room was - where he'd met Bruce-that-wasn't-quite. That meant the other patient block was...

Okay. No big deal. He'd get there. Hopefully, Jaime would have a map.

[thirdboywonder.livejournal.com]

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630419.html?thread=53216915#t53216915)]

[lawful_perfect]

[From here]

Before von Karma could get further away from the door to the north, he suddenly felt dizzy and weak from the sprint from that crazy motorist in the field. He braced himself against the wall and slid down into a seated position so that he could rest and catch his breath.

As he sat there, looking around cautiously for more potential threats, it slowly dawned on him that this was indeed the same hallway in which he had last encountered the boy... and that miserable defense attorney whom he had glared down in the Sun Room earlier this day. From what he could tell, however, neither of them were present here. Good. Especially since he was still unarmed.

He cursed to himself as he though of how that simple mission had failed tonight. Mr. Javert had indeed told him that the field was guarded during most nights and that it was imprudent to head out alone. Very well. Perhaps tomorrow night, he could convince some fool to serve as unwitting bait for any adversaries who might be stationed there. Of course, that person would have to be trustworthy enough; von Karma despised double-crossers.

Furthermore, this unexpected detour had directed him in a somewhat different path than he had originally planned. Taking advantage of his respite from travel, he pulled the journal out of his pocket and studied the map. It appeared that it was a simple matter to just follow this hallway down to the main one in the south, and then head east towards the building's entrance. Barring any more diversions, he should arrive at his destination soon.

After a few moments of rest, he felt as though he had regained enough energy to resume his trip. However, as he headed towards the doorway to the south, he ruefully thought of how much easier it would have been for him had he been able to retrieve another bat from the activities shed. Despite its inferiority as a true weapon, it still would have aided him in walking.

[To here]

[should-be-dead.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630007.html?thread=53313015#t53313015)]

As predicted, he entered yet another hallway. If the map he had acquired earlier had been correct, left would be in the direction of the closest outside area.

Thus far he hadn't encountered any guards - or threats for that matter. It meant the information had still been correct thus far, but he was not going to believe any of those mad stories until he had personally seen one of these 'monsters'.

[should-be-dead.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/632438.html?thread=53313910#t53313910)]

[longlivetheking]

[From here]

There was one man sitting around in this hallway (some place to be sitting around), but aside from a brief glance to see whether he was a threat, Scar payed him no mind. He headed South, which would eventually bring him to one of the main hallways.

[longlivetheking]

[To here]

[rectifies.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/629509.html?thread=53320709#t53320709).]

Two doors later, Ken had managed to reach the outer hallways. The lack of a flashlight resulted in more difficulty when it came to mobility, but thanks to memory and borrowed light, the boy was well on his way to the female block.

He continued on, one head brushing against the west wall.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/631395.html?thread=53321315#t53321315).]

[no-barbarian.livejournal.com]

He needed to pay attention, there were things in the halls that he wasn't keen on dealing with by himself, but Teisel was distracted with thoughts of how awkward tonight was going to be. Nothing was ever easy in here...

[no-barbarian.livejournal.com]

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630561.html)]]

Yuuhi didn't wait long when he reached the main hallway. There weren't many people out just yet, but he'd taken a bit to get ready, so it was hard to say exactly how late it was. He would only stay a few minutes, he told himself, just long enough to make sure Ururu was alright and then he'd leave to find Subaru.

[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/632438.html)]]

[fourtharcana.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630561.html?thread=53439009#t53439009) and waiting on S.E.E.S.]

He didn't want to, and wouldn't, admit this, but Akihiko was feeling nervous. He knew he had to keep the nerves under control, for everyone's sake, but...the feeling that something could go wrong and they wouldn't be able to do a damned thing about it wouldn't subside. It would be one thing if it were just himself, Mitsuru, and Ken out there, but with someone else in the picture...

"Dammit!" The curse echoed off the wall. It was probably for the best that none of the others were around to hear it, or to see the punch he threw against the wall. Why the hell did I crack like that under pressure? It's a bad idea to have someone else here. We should tell her to leave the minute she gets here, if she shows.

He still had too much nervous energy and no way to really expend it. He sighed, leaning back against one wall and watching for the others.

[marin-karin.livejournal.com]

She hadn't been down this way since Amada found herself and Akihiko on their first night, but it wasn't terribly different than any of the other halls. If there was one good thing about this place, it was that it didn't change nightly, like Tartarus did.

It didn't take her long to spot Akihiko waiting against the wall, but Amada was nowhere to be seen. Neither, she assumed, was his friend. "Sorry I'm late. Is it just you so far?"

[arc-wrench.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/632438.html?thread=53374838#t53374838)]

"Statement: Well, that was interesting." HK remarked as soon as he was inside again. "It isn't all that often that you're attacked by your giant inorganic roommate." Who he would have to track down and compliment some more later.

[quickdrawbkiddo.livejournal.com]

Beatrix shut the door quickly behind her. She took a few steps inside and, having assessed that there were no immediate threats HK-47 couldn't handle on his own, leaned heavily back against the wall. Not that she was away from Lockdown and the threat he presented, the pain her hood-jumping caused flooded back into her conscious and she closed her eyes, drawing in a few breaths. Damn snake-bitch had done a number on her the other night and she was still far from recovered to handle a fight with anything more intelligent than a large dog.

"Yes, it was," she replied, her voice not betraying her pain though she was certain the droid could tell. "I had been starting to think I'd seen everything. Good to know I haven't."

[manwiththecoat.livejournal.com]

It was just a hall. Walter hadn't actually been expecting that. After the brief mention of monsters earlier, he had assumed it would be much more like his own world. Still, he kept his head up, listening carefully, and turned back to the roommate.

"Which way?" he asked quietly.

[justlovesyogurt.livejournal.com]

Michael wasn't sure why Walter had moved ahead of him just to ask for directions, but he said nothing. At least he wasn't complaining about the darkness. He seemed equal parts professional and mad, and it made Michael wonder whether the madness was an act. Maybe Walter already knew the way, and only stopped to ask for directions when he realized he was blowing his cover. Maybe this was the test he'd been expecting since he got here.

Michael nodded down the hallway in the direction of the entrance, then waited for Walter to walk ahead of him. He needed to keep an eye on this guy.

[number-crunch.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630007.html?thread=53491959#t53491959)]

Like some kind of shooting star with a drunken vector, Minamimoto shot out of the M-C block and into the corridor, turning a perfect hyperbole as he nearly hit the wall, his bag of junk slamming loudly against it as he took off at with an ever-increasing speed function towards the front of the institute.

[number-crunch.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630419.html?thread=53496211#t53496211)]

[falseblack]

[From here.]

For the number of patients in the vicinity, the surroundings were relatively noise-free, inconsequential. It was quiet enough for the child to hear his own footsteps, to catch his thoughts pounding loudly at his ear. If not for that, Nigredo might have found the circumstance rather peaceful. Outside of logistics, he hated listening to his own noise for the sake of it. So the child softened his walk and--with some effort--tuned himself out.

The silence, however, failed to hold. Nigredo had wandered a few steps down the hallway when a prompt forced him dead in his tracks. Someone had opted to 'talk' again and with it, came the familiar dread of not knowing. And confusion. This time, the elder sounded...off.

He clutched the flashlight closer to his chest. {...Albedo.}

[falseblack]

What came was a series of things Nigredo could not properly describe. In them, he found an age-old unease: something was wrong. He couldn't say much regarding the details, and there existed the temptation to fall back on doubt, but the sentiment won out. The youngest grew concerned.

{What is it?} he gently prodded.

[To here.]

[timeleaper.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/629509.html?view=53555973#t53555973)]


The hallway echoed with the sound of people's voices, both close by and far off. There really were a lot of people around here. That in itself was worrying, especially when taking into consideration all of the new people who had arrived during the day. New people. Ronixis snorted softly. He'd been here three or four days at most. He was still clueless.

[timeleaper.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630961.html?thread=53504689#t53504689)]

[thereforeitis.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630419.html?thread=53592723#t53592723).]

This wasn't any different from before, either. Kino knew not every room or hall beyond a door was the same thing, given the trips to the sun room and cafeteria, so she wondered when she'd come across something different; and perhaps even interesting, if not useful.

There was yet another door at the end of this hallway, much like the previous ones. She decided she would give this one a try, too.

[thereforeitis.livejournal.com]

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/632438.html?thread=53722998#t53722998).]

[mister-fine.livejournal.com]

((From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630007.html).))

So far the coast was clear. Nothing out of the ordinary at all, except for the fact he was wandering around a hospital hallway with a big smiley face plastered on his chest. Actually, it was pretty quiet for a place that was supposed to be dangerous. Which...might have made things scarier, but right now Apollo was feeling more unsettled and irritated than anything else.

Okay, well, maybe he was kind of scared too, if his trembling flashlight beam was anything to go by. He could admit that. Most people would feel frightened in this situation, unless they were insane like Aya.

For the first time, he saw a couple patients up ahead, and he was a bit relieved that he wasn't the only one out here. Apollo considered approaching one of them, but standing around and chatting in the hallway didn't really seem like the best idea, now that he thought about it.

A quick glance behind told him there was an exit on the other end of the hallway. It probably led to some backyard or something, though. If he wanted to find a telephone or more clues concerning where they were, the front was likely the place to do it.

((To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630419.html?thread=53596819#t53596819).))

[briar-thorns.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630007.html?thread=53535479#t53535479)]

Aya stopped when he stepped out into a larger hallway. He heard voices and saw the bouncing, moving lights of flashlights further down. Flattening against the wall he kept still and listened until it was confirmed they were just other patients.

The swordsman flicked off his flashlight as he moved northwards first. He'd pointed out at least three areas where patients were kept in coming back from the courtyard, but it wasn't sure if there were more. He did his best to avoid being noticed by the other people in the hallway but eventually had to turn around and head back south as he noticed the doors ahead led outside. Not what he wanted. South it was then.

[briar-thorns.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630419.html?thread=53644947#t53644947)]

[donetakinorders.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630007.html?thread=53657591#t53657591)]

At least four people in this hallway, though they all seemed pretty happy to keep to themselves. Raphael half-considered seeing if anything was up with either group, but that'd just take up time he could be spending hunting down the nutso that had brought them all here and using a little 'persuasion' to make him send them back.

Sticking to the shadows, he crept past and through the open door.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630419.html?thread=53683603#t53683603)]

[manhattan-red.livejournal.com]

"Well, I've heard there's a clinic that some of the other patients have set up, but I've never actually been there. And some people can heal, I think. But you'd have to be near either of them at the time, and that doesn't always happen." Brooklyn led them quickly out of the block and into the main hall. A lot of patients were out and about already. He made sure not to go too fast, or Alfred was bound to lose him in the dark.

"I didn't," he replied simply to Alfred's question. He wasn't human, but he didn't have any abilities. Though the fact that he was currently walking around the darkened hallways without a flashlight in front of him might have made the older man think otherwise. He supposed he could count night vision as an ability...

[thebatbutler.livejournal.com]

"Is that right? Do you happen to know where these clinics are located, or who I might speak to about them?" It seemed as though the people who ran this place cared minimally about the well-being of their "patients". While they did tend their wounds, they seemed to do nothing about the attacks that were, apparently, occurring every night.

Alfred easily kept pace with Brooklyn, not lagging or trying to pull ahead. He could move quickly if necessary, but if all the monster stories were true, it might be best to conserve his energy. As they walked, he glanced over each group that they passed, finding it interesting that so many people were up and about in a place that claimed to be so dangerous.

"If you had no abilities, then were you human as well, young sir?" Most of the non-humans that Alfred knew of had some sort of ability, but it was possible to be a non-human and possess no special talents. Alfred had made it clear that he'd been little more than a human before his arrival at this institute, but Brooklyn had said very little about himself on the matter.

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/632438.html?thread=53373558#t53373558)]]

Yuuhi was feeling a little ill and had to lean on the wall a couple of times as he regained his balance and tried to shake the numbness from his arm. Neither worked very well, but at least he could walk straight after a few moments. And he hadn't lost his flashlight. The going was slow, but not terribly so as he made his way back to the rooms.

[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630561.html?thread=53402657#t53402657)]]

[demon-beast.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630419.html?thread=53706643#t53706643)]


He wasn't here. Argilla frowned as she looked along the corridor searching for the familiar figure. He wasn't anywhere around here. He normally was waiting, even if they hadn't specifically made plans. It made her frown in worry. He had been there, she knew he had. She'd seen him at least one shift. He wouldn't have disappeared. She smiled a little in relief as the thought occurred to her. Maybe he'd just been taken to be Indra for the night. That might be it. She hoped in that case that he found some food.

[overdoingit.livejournal.com]

Cross closed the door behind him with a frown. He didn't like leaving those that could use his help, but right now he didn't have much help to offer. Not only would he be running to them without any sort of light source, but he would tire out far too easily with his still healing wounds. Right now he just needed to find someone to travel with - preferably someone with a flashlight.

There was a woman standing off by herself as though looking for someone. Either she was waiting for a specific individual, or she was in the same boat he was. He approached her with a smile. "Are you waiting on a friend?"

[heraldric.livejournal.com]

Recognizing the woman with the pink hair, Leon paused only long enough to realize she was already engaged in conversation with someone. Not wanting to interrupt, he went on ahead. Outside wouldn't be an option, not when he was by himself, so he headed off towards the main hall - his favorite place to run into others.

[heraldric.livejournal.com]

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630961.html?thread=53746609#t53746609)]

[not-rly-fai.livejournal.com]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630561.html?thread=53402657)]]

So far so good. "I'm not great with the upstairs," he admitted as he led them both down the hall, staying ahead and slightly to the right to try to cover the boy's blind spot. That was also like Syaoran, but at least Syaoran hadn't lost his eye in a bloody accident. His was for a different reason entirely.

"You know the way, right?"

[broken-babylon.livejournal.com]

Subaru definitely appreciated Fai's efforts to cover his blind side, but it also made it a bit unnerving because that meant Fai was effectively in his blind spot. He kept having to resist the urge to turn his head to look and make sure Fai was still there. It helped when Fai spoke, certainly. "I do. It's to the east side, on the second floor. But the area above the Sun Room is often guarded, so we should probably make our way across on the ground floor before going upstairs."

[chocomancer.livejournal.com]

[skipping two halls from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/629509.html?thread=53800965#t53800965)]

The patient blocks safely behind him, Wonka wandered down the hallway, past the lights of two or three other groups headed in roughly the same direction. There wasn't much to see, but for once he wasn't letting his mind wander - rather, he kept an eye out in all directions, making those quick, sharp jerks of the head that once had a man comparing him to a "quick, clever old squirrel". Hopefully there wouldn't be any owls out tonight to make a snack of this one.

[chocomancer.livejournal.com]

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630961.html?thread=53804209#t53804209)]

[numberonemonkey.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630007.html?thread=53920247#t53920247).]

This next hall seemed livelier, but still it was just patients on the move. Chihaya wasn't eager to meet a monster, but a part of him wanted to get it over and done with, just to see what they were dealing with.

And he hoped Tamaki was staying in his room tonight.

[selfavenging.livejournal.com]

It seemed like every time Chihaya said something stupid he balanced it out a second later with some kind of major compliment. It was going to be hard not to like him, at least superficially. "You know, I think you and I are going to get along just fine," he said, smiling in the dark.

He was just going to ignore the horns comment. Horns, honestly. "Anyway I do have wings, but I don't have to show them, just like you don't have to show yours," he added as he followed Chihaya. He hadn't bothered to try it thus far, and it didn't occur to him to try it now.

[for-marian.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/630007.html?thread=54002167#t54002167)]

This sort of night was exactly why Leon had never been able to buy into religion. The world just sucked too damn much. Not only was he saddled with Stahn, but now this nutcase roomie, too! "That door to the north leads outside. There are monstrous birds and other things out there, so try not to be too stupid."

[from-lienea.livejournal.com]

"Hey, I'm not out of practice or anything," Stahn objected. "I still go Lens-hunting with Rutee a lot." It was pretty much the fastest way to earn Gald without getting too far from home, and they were supporting a lot more kids than just Kyle.

"What kind of monsters?" It was definitely best to be prepared,and he'd only learned so much from the board.