NIGHTSHIFT 42: BLACK ROCK HOTEL

[stiffserpent.livejournal.com]

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.

Comments

[beloved-less.livejournal.com]

Apparently Soubi was in the dog house and he wasn't getting out. Why did he have to throw choices at Soubi like that? It was...cruel. Even if the cruelty was unintended.

Forcing his face to remain blank was easy. It was harder to stop his eyes from showing anything. Particularly the surprise that Ritsuka....had guessed Soubi might be worried about Kio. He told himself it was a normal reaction. Which was exactly why he couldn't follow it.

"That wasn't an order," he said, moving away and staring out the window. He was worried about Kio and Ritsuka wanted him to be 'normal', but he couldn't leave his Sacrifice here. The choice was too difficult, even if Soubi had the right to make one. All the more reason to leave it up to his master.

Maybe he could light his cigarette now. There wasn't much noise outside their door.

[uruz-vii.livejournal.com]

"Looking for supplies," Sousuke replied stiffly, holding up a rather musty and gauche shirt. Honestly, it even offended his non-existent fashion sensibilities, and the man had worn fatigues his whole life. He tossed the shirt aside.

"Preferably something to fight with," he finished, producing a shaving razor from a bathroom kit. He frowned at it--this wouldn't do anything at all. He tossed it aside and continued rifling through the drawers and suitcases. So far, the poker was looking like his best option.

[forgot-it-all.livejournal.com]

Miku seemed to be calming, but whatever bad feeling she had, it had to be big in order to get her this worked up. Ritsuka had a hard enough time just trying to settle his accepted reality with what was going on around him, so he had no idea how difficult it had to be for her. Miku had said she had powers, too, but even with powers or abilities, it didn't change how terrifying the night was. Right now, though, things were quiet. The silence itself was bad enough, like a prelude to something worse coming, but he couldn't think of that. One thing at a time.

Sliding off the bed, Ritsuka went over to Soubi and stood at his side, watching out the window with him. "No, it was a question and you didn't answer it." There were no noises outside the door, just the sight of the world crumbling outside. Unconsciously, Ritsuka moved closer to his Fighter, lowering his voice so only Soubi could hear. "...Go find him. I know you're worried about him."