damned_institute | NIGHTSHIFT 42: BLACK ROCK HOTEL

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NIGHTSHIFT 42: BLACK ROCK HOTEL

Snake jerked his head away from Fox's hand and shot to his feet, disorientated slightly by the sudden shift. The grout in the tiles was black with what looked like old blood, and the stench of rot heaved in his throat. Something was badly wrong. He sensed threats - left, faint shapes in the dark outside the large windows - Fox - something creaking in the ceiling - a long groaning voice off to the right, past the walls - and something moving in the back of the room -

It staggered towards him, and before he fully knew what he was doing he ripped the match from the book and struck it with his left hand alone, popped the cap off the hairspray, and blasted a tongue of flame at the aggressor, aiming for its face. He saw, in the flickering light, long hair and long nails and the skin on its rotten face peeling and cracking and bubbling in the heat. It gave a long, screaming cry, and toppled to the floor. Its arms and legs writhed and kicked furiously, an automatic, animal gesture, before it finally lay still.

"Here?" he snapped at Fox, wrapping his fingers around the can of hairspray. "This place gets better and better. It's like a theme park." His voice quaked with anger. The place now stunk of something far worse than rotten meat, and for a fraction of a second he thought he could hear Big Boss's voice saying something he couldn't make out before he realised that it had come from inside his own head.

"At least I don't have to be the only thing here back from the dead," he growled. The woman zombie was leaking something he didn't want to think about. He guessed that the decomposition must have trapped methane and other flammable gasses inside the body, hence why it went up like a candle.

That said, he didn't really think he could burn anything else again. For a while.

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[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/677442.html?thread=55857986#t55857986)]

Inns. Inns were good. Granted, the doorway had already been kicked open and the stupid things were in here as well, but that could be handled too. Mostly. And so maybe her weapon was useful, but it wasn't the best for going unnoticed. The second they walked in, those things turned to them, reaching out to eat them like some snack. Just because she was tired didn't mean she was going to lie down and take this!

"Upstairs?" She almost had to scream it over the roar of the circular saw and the added noise around them while she cut into the corpses coming at her. The roof would be their best bet, most likely, but the question was how to get up there.

Despite the fact that the fog surrounding them was as thick as ever Sync managed to catch a glimpse of a building not to far from where they were. Yet it wasn't until they were a dozen yards away did he realize it was the very structure they were looking for.

Alas, it looked as if a few other patients had the same idea, but he didn't bother to stop and survey the damage. In fact, the moment he saw the inn a new wave of adrenaline hit him, sliding through the mangled entrance before leaping into the air and performing a spinning heel kick at the group of monsters that'd gotten too close.

When Dahlia mentioned going upstairs Sync glanced over at the set of stairs nearby. However, it seemed to be partially blocked with splintered debris, meaning it'd probably take the redhead a little time to maneuver through it with all the bulk she was carrying.

"Go! I'll hold them off!" Sync yelled back, already taking his spot at the foot of the stairs and attacked anything that was stupid enough to get near. Any other time he would've been more than happy to sacrifice another life, but at the moment he didn't want to lose his investment.

Ha. Like she needed to be told twice to ditch him. Dahlia shut the saw off and began the laborious task of pulling her legs over and around the various piles of rubble someone had made around the stairs. Ugh, dead bodies (the non-moving kind, specifically. Though the moving ones were fond of Sync at the moment), splinted wood, charred... something. Sometimes still on fire and burning. Just so charming, all of it. It took more than a few moments to get past it all, considering the flames and instances of nearly falling flat on her face after tripping up on some loose debris (sneakers? Not so good for this), but she made it through and to the top of the stairs. She turned back, watching him fight down below.

...But oh, he told her to go. The question was, should she keep going? Sy was fun and all, but she got what she wanted and was somewhere she could hide perfectly well on her own. He had served his purpose and she had every right to turn around and leave him behind.

Oh, like she would waste her new bodyguard like that. The redhead waved an arm at him from her current position with one of those disgustingly pure smiles on her face, cheering him on. "Come on, Sy! You can do it!"

While Dahlia took her dear sweet time climbing up the stairs Sync had busied himself with fighting off the waves of monsters clambered over to him. Every punch and kick was aimed where it mattered, but even as they fell one by one more and more seemed to come each second. The God-General gritted his teeth when one of the creatures tried to bite into his hand, the metal of his glove preventing its teeth to sink into his skin. In practically no time it fell to the floor, jaw broken from the uppercut it suddenly endured.

By the time Dahlia finally reached the top Sync felt as if he could collapse any second now, sweat pouring down his face and neck while his breaths were harsh and ragged. Sync had to roll his eyes when he heard her 'cheer' him on though, finally turning away from the monsters to make his way up the stairs. However, unlike Dahlia, who was so slow and sluggish that she probably would've died in the process (useless trash), Sync merely dashed up the stairs, climbing up and hopping over any pile of debris that got in the way.

It only took a few seconds for the teen to reach the redhead, stumbling a little as his knees buckled slightly from exhaustion, but he was quick to compose himself.

"Knock it off. That look doesn't fit you," Sync stated simply, matching her bright smile with one of his own before immediately replacing it with a look of apathy. Even now he could hear the moans from the monsters that were making their way over to them from the second floor, but Sync knew it was only a finite number now with the stairs mostly blocked. After what they'd gone through this should be a cakewalk.

"Let's go."

Ugh, she was exhausted. It was time to find a room, or a roof, or something, because she couldn't do this all night. From the looks of it, Sync couldn't either. He did get points in her book for not complaining about it, though. Whiny men were the worst.

"You don't think nice girls are cute, Sync?" She flicked her hair over her shoulder and gave a little giggle before going back to her usual (well, for this night) expression of annoyance. She was debating turning the saw back on, but it might be better to hold off on that until she had to. In the meanwhile, they had to find a nice place to hold themselves up in.

"Right behind you."

The prospect of finally getting some rest was a tantalizing one, but Sync wanted to make sure they were permitted as long of a break as possible. This was why he began to pick up or push over any piece of furniture inside the nearby rooms and shove it down the stairs, further blocking the path more so than it already was. Each creature that tried to lunge at him was quickly met with a solid punch before they were pulled over the balcony to the floor below.

By the time he was satisfied there was a formidable blockade between them and those monsters, but he knew it probably wouldn't last the entire night. Sync sighed, finally motioning Dahlia to follow him as he ran up the next set of stairs down the hall to the third floor. As expected there were hardly any of those monsters here, and Sync made sure to dispose of the remaining ones as quick as possible before slipping into a random room.

He waited until Dahlia was inside before closing the door and locking it, taking a nearby chair and leaning it underneath the doorknob for extra insurance.

Well, if Sync just wasn't an endless supply of energy. Dahlia just let him do what he was going to, staying out of the way as much as possible until he decided to move on into a room and locked it behind them. Why should she do anything if he was going to do it for her?

The first thing she did once inside was toss both the saw and her bag on the floor before stretching out on the bed. It felt so good to be off her feet. She didn't know how long they had been running around, but she knew she was covered in bruises and cuts, her feet were probably covered in blisters, and her foot just hit something on the side of the bed, what the hell.

A quick glance proved it to be a normal suitcase (not something she would have to have Sync pummel for her) and, since it's not like she had anything better to do than rifle through it, why not? She pulled it off the floor and onto her lap, and began poking through it (thankfully, it wasn't locked, though it wasn't like it would have stopped her if it had been). Hm. Sunglasses, maps, chapstick, suit. Everything that wasn't interesting just got thrown onto a nearby chair, but at the bottom...

"How cute." Whether she actually meant that or was just acting again was up to debate. Regardless, she still wouldn't mind changing out of these blood-stained clothes and this dress would do just fine.

The moment he finished blockading the door Sync's knees buckled a second time, forcing him to fall back into the wall and slowly slide down its surface. His vision had gone blurry for a second, but he used every ounce of willpower to remain conscious for the time being. The last thing he'd want was to get ambushed while unconscious if those monsters somehow broke the door down.

Every joint in his body ached and swelled, his hands and feet threatening to fall off any minute, but the God-General had long since learned to grin and bear the pain. To occupy his time Sync had shakily pulled off his gloves, unsurprised to find the skin on his knuckles scratched and torn underneath all the blood. Yet he refrained from cleaning them off for now, glancing up at Dahlia when she finally spoke up.

"Haven't you got any respect for other people's things," Sync teased with a tired smirk, more than aware that they had stolen half a kitchen’s worth of supplies along with other things.

The thought that Dahlia had respect for anything other than herself just made her laugh. "Ha! Only when they becomes mine."

The point still stood that she needed out of these clothes. She unfolded the dress from the bottom of the suitcase and, without any warning, began to strip off her gore stained outfit, tossing them into a corner so she could change into something clean. Modesty? That was for someone who hadn't been in prison for five years--you get used to taking off your clothes in front of strangers. Besides, Sync was more womanly than she was. Chances were slim that she didn't have anything he did.

Sync watched with disinterest as Dahlia shuffled around, not bothering to turn away when she suddenly began to undress. After living his entire life as a soldier he'd grown desensitized to seeing a naked body. Though that wasn't to say that he had gone completely unscathed, for under the blood and grime that smeared his face was a color so slight that even he didn't notice the heat.

Of course, there were better things to do than watch the redhead make lewd gestures towards him. And so he finally stood up, turning away from the latter as he made his way to the nearby bathroom. Dahlia had the right mind to change into a different set of clothes, but he'd rather attempt to wash off some of the rotten blood first in case it carried some kind of disease.

However, he was met with disappointment when he found the water from the faucet to be so murky that it was nearly black, coming to the same conclusion when he tried to turn on the shower as well. In the end Sync pulled a nearby towel off its rack, wiping it gracelessly over his face to remove as much sweat and blood off his skin as possible. He then grabbed another, stepping out of the bathroom and tossing it lazily onto the bed near Dahlia.

Her? Make lewd gestures at him? Ha, right. As if he could get her.

If she was thankful for the towel he tossed her way (and chances of that were slim), she didn't show it. It was just picked up wordlessly and she did the best she could with getting that muck off her before it too was tossed aside and she slipped her new dress on. It wasn't exactly her size, but considering her frame, what else was new? It'd work. Besides, she looked awfully nice in it, if a few narcissistic swaying motions on her part said anything.

"The suit's on the chair."

Sync didn't really pay much attention to Dahlia after that, instead more interested with the window nearby and strode towards it without a sound. It'd been rather obvious from the start that the town was now swarming with these monsters, but even then it was interesting to see the sea of bodies that crawled through the streets, attacking anything that wasn't vile like themselves.

Even if those things didn't seem all that bright he'd rather not take a risk and open the window, instead glancing over his shoulder when Dahlia finally spoke.

"..." For a moment he said nothing, staring at the latter with a rather blank expression. However, that silence didn't last long, and in the end the God-General finally let out an undignified snort of laughter. Sync's expression immediately changed into something more belittling, watching the redhead with a dirty smirk as he walked over to her.

"Suit yourself." And for a time she almost fooled Sync into thinking that she actually had some brains. Ha! Only a moron would go out in that dress, most of her upper half exposed to those monsters.

Turning away from her, the God-General glanced over to where the chair stood, quirking an eyebrow when he finally saw the suit in question. However, anything was better than the mess he was wearing now, and it looked as if his limbs would at least be protected from the long sleeves (unlike Dahlia's dress). In the end he merely shrugged, tossing the towel off to the side before he began to undress in the same, composed manner.

Gasp! "Oh, no, my prince is being condescending! What ever will I do without a clean tissue to cry heavily into?" She sobbed and made a little swooning motion as Sync came toward her, then just kept on walking to pick up her bag and saw. Toys in hand, she circled around to the bed again and lounged back on it, flipping through the instructions on battery and blade replacement as Sy changed. If they were going back out, she'd probably need to change them before disaster struck.

As far as she was concerned, though, Sync could keep on laughing. She never said anything about going out alone. Wasn't that what her darling bodyguard was for? He'd done such a good job on spoiling her already with his daring feats of strength and determination! Ha! Even when he didn't like her, even when they both knew about their true colors, he was still protecting her and leading her to safety! So what in the world was he thinking, assuming this dress wouldn't work out for her? She didn't need sleeves. She had an idiot!

And also this circular saw. Although, she wasn't too amused with having to shake bits of gore and bone and... ugh, onto the floor in an effort to clean the thing out before she could replace the blade. Disgusting. If she had known it would be this messy, she would have done this before she got dressed--it sort of defeated the purpose.

In the end, Sync didn't really care what Dahlia did. If she wanted to get eaten so badly then it was of no concern to him. After all, she was the one who needed him, and he had no interest in keeping this 'saintly' act up if she grew too weak or injured to continue.

His filthy clothes were tossed away in the same matter that Dahlia had done, but since his outfit consisted of more pieces it was only expected for him to take a little longer. In comparison to most people he was rather short, so it was no surprise when he was forced to fold up all of the ends to avoid tripping over himself, but at least the suspenders helped keep his pants up. In reality, while it took longer for Sync to get dressed than Dahlia, hardly a few minutes passed before he was fully clothed from head to foot, though he skipped the hat that went with it for now.

"..." Unlike Dahlia the teen was rather neutral about his suit; it certainly got the job done with protecting his arms and legs, but it was rather bulky and loose, much unlike what he was used to wearing.

"It'll do for now."

By the time Sync was nice and dressed, Dahlia had at least finagled a new battery into her saw and starting to work on the blade.

...or she was, until she looked up and saw the result of Sync's outfit and burst out laughing.

"Aww, and you thought I looked ridiculous," she managed to get out with a self-satisfied smirk after her laughter died down. He looked like a fifteen year old girl trying to pass herself off as a man! She just wanted to pinch him on his cheeks and watch him storm off in embarrassment! Really, how was he any better off than she was? Now they just had more to grab onto if they wanted a Sy-Sandwich, and she wasn't coming to his rescue.

If Sync was the least bit embarrassed about his outfit then he didn't show it, even when Dahlia suddenly burst out laughing.

"You still do," Sync answered coolly as he matched her smirk with one of his own. However, now wasn't the time to dawdle around, especially when they didn't know how long they could safely stay here.

After a minute the God-General walked over to his clothes, pulling out every item that he had on him and began to stuff the extra items into the coat's pockets. Since the knives were already wrapped there was no threat of them tearing into the material, but he put two to the side with full intentions of replacing the last pair he had used. Situating himself on the floor, Sync began the process of securely tying them to his shoes.

"Then at least we match, honeycakes," Dahlia shot back with her patented sweet smile, still fiddling with the bla- oh, there it went. She slid the offensive piece of metal out, careful not to spill any remaining blood onto her new dress, and started putting a new one in.

Twelve hours ago, she wouldn't have listened to any of this garbage. Twelve hours ago, she was still convinced this was some nasty trick or a really bad reality show premise. Even farther back, she had thought her only future was a noose and revenge on Mia Fey, her charming little sister, and idiot friend. Now here she was, maintaining a circular saw while hiding in a rundown inn, stuck with a kid who had as much of a two-face as she did, and surrounded by the living dead.

Funny how things worked out, huh?

Ah, there we go. Dahlia put the saw down for now, her job complete, and went to stare at the shoes she had taken off to change. Still covered in gunk as they were, she wasn't stupid enough to leave without anything covering her feet... Well, not unless they had some spares lying about. She got to work looking for some.

Chuckling softly at Dahlia's retort Sync briskly stood up once he finished, smoothing out his outfit and making his way over to the door without a sound. He'd pressed himself up against the wood, resting his ear against the cool surface and quietly listened in for any abnormal sounds. Even now the God-General could make out those ghastly moans, but they were still too far to be considered alarming...

To be honest, the fact that their lives were being threatened was almost soothing to him. Of course, these feelings weren't entirely out of place given his background, and Sync found himself calmly embracing it as he let his body relax. He knew when it'd be time to take initiative, so for now resting took the highest priority.

Jackpot. Some nice, white shoes stashed under the bed to match her nice, white dress. She managed to pull them out from under there with relatively little effort and sat back on the bed to try them on. Hmm... They were a little too big for her, like the dress, but she wasn't going to start complaining about it. It didn't really look like Sync was fully up to going back outside right now, though, so it wasn't like it mattered.

Whatever. She was fine with just relaxing after all the hell they went through to get up here. They could figure something out later.

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NIGHTSHIFT 42: BLACK ROCK HOTEL

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