damned_institute | Night 45: West Wing, South Hall 1-B

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/752872.html?thread=62492392#t62492392)]

For now, everyone in the hall outside of the women's block seemed safe. Not that it would have mattered much: there were still enough people that someone would play the chivalrous role, and if he and Kakashi stopped, there was a good chance they'd be implicitly inviting a guest along for the evening. Neither of them could afford that: they had a mission, even if this was the safest part of a test mission given by Kakashi. Again, he turned off his flashlight.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/753420.html?thread=62492684#t62492684)]

Edited 2009-11-30 08:19 (UTC)

[ from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/758058.html?thread=62501418#t62501418) ]

Stepping through this door brought Spike to an area that looked... exactly the same. Greaaat. He sighed in frustration for a moment before trying to wrack up some more memories of his unpleasant nightmares. Now he was really starting to doubt they were 'nightmares' though. What kind of asshole just let the patients run around unsupervised in the middle of the night?

That Head Doctor guy, from the sound of it, but... no, someone must have broken into his office and started screwing around with stuff. That explanation was much more reasonable and less horrifying than the alternative one "Rolo" came up with.

Spike just got better, so he wasn't about to entertain the idea that "Rolo" was right and sink back down into that delusion again, so he forced himself to keep going. Still, he couldn't stand how tense the air seemed - it was like he was on the lookout for something he couldn't quite see yet.

[From here.]

It was a miracle in itself that Stephen mustered up enough energy to stand up, let alone make it out into the hallway with enough effort. If Claude had inflicted any more damage then there would’ve been no hope of leaving the bathroom. His body was weak from blood loss, and his mind had grown fuzzy by the time he stepped out into the female block. Willing his legs to stop shaking, Stephen forced himself to keep going. Each step was like murder on his back, his swollen muscles mercilessly stretching his shoulders and bringing a sharp stab of pain to where the bones had broken.

By the time he reached the door his vision was threatening to give out. Whether it was because of the darkness was uncertain, because by then the teen had just stopped fighting back.

He wasn’t Sync. Maybe there was a chance that his body really had experienced the constant stress of a fighter, but he was Stephen now. He was nothing more than a normal kid who’d lived a normal life until four years ago. The teen had no endurance for these kinds of things, which was why he slowly gave into his exhaustion despite his stubborn willpower. His steps became fewer and fewer until he just couldn’t take another, swaying heavily in his spot.

Without warning Stephen leaned forward, falling against the door and making no move to pull back when his weight forced it open. He closed his eyes, feeling himself collapse onto the floor with a loud cry.

Spike had a nasty habit of jinxing himself. Just as he thought to himself that it would suck if something came barreling out of the door he was about to pass... There was a creaking noise, and then a loud thump as something crashed through the door.

"WHAT THE FU- OW!!"

Shit! That scream that came out of his mouth was anything but manly, and Spike actually fell backwards on his ass out of shock. The boy groaned, taking a minute to compose himself and grab the flashlight that had fallen out of his grasp to take a look at the thing that 'attacked' him.

That 'thing' turned out to be a person, and that person turned out to be...

"Oh my god..." To say the kid was "fucked up" would have been generous. Savagely beaten was more like it. The bright red of blood stood out, and the fact that this kid looked like he barely even made it to the door somewhat terrified Spike more than whatever his imagination cooked up. It took him a moment to realize that he should be helping the kid, but what could he do?

Nurse, gotta find a nurse. The kid needs help. Spike edged closer, trying to see if the kid was still awake. The kid wasn't... dead, right?

"Hey... hey, can you hear me?" Spike bit down the urge to ask him if he was 'OK' since the kid was clearly not. He touched a shoulder, trying to shake the kid a little and revive him. Was that OK? Damnit, who the hell even did this to him? This had nothing to do with finding Brendan but it wasn't like Spike could just walk away and let the kid bleed out.

Since Stephen was on the verge of passing out, he didn't really register the fact that he'd accidentally knocked into someone on his way down. Yet it was the latter's scream that kept him conscious, barely taking into account that he was no longer on his feet. His aching body refused to move at first, but that was no longer the case once he felt something shaking his shoulder.

"Ah..." The response was somewhere between a gasp and a moan, the innocent touch causing his shoulder to flare up. Stephen's body finally moved on its own, slowly twisting onto his back so that he was now facing upwards. The temptation to drift off had grown considerably, but he forced himself to look up at the new person, watching him quietly through half-lidded eyes.

"..."

Spike fumbled with the flashlight, trying to get a good look at the kid without blinding him. What he saw... wasn't pretty. He knew the back of the kid's shirt was stained with red (blood, he was sure), and his face... Spike had to look away for a moment, wondering what the hell happened to this kid.

Did he just run into one of the patients here? That was the only explanation he could think of: Some crazy asshole just attacked this kid. Maybe... he thought about this morning, about that guy who kept insisting he saw a ghost. Suddenly, it made a horrible amount of sense as Spike put two and two together.

Oh god, he knew Brendan had enough sense to probably not go out, but Spike didn't think it would be that dangerous. But he had to... he couldn't just leave the kid here to the wolves.

"Um..." He had to get the kid up somehow, trying to loop his arms under the kid's shoulders to get him up. "Can you get up? C'mon, I'll take you back to my room." He would just... get the kid to his room, and then go find a nurse. Was there even one here? Goddamnit.

As selfish as it may have been, Stephen was so happy that someone had found him, if only just for company's sake. Despite how strangely familiar his voice may have sounded, it was a person he had no prior relations with, someone that Sync had yet to touch. The very thought made the teen smile softly, even if the latter wasn't exactly experiencing the same joy. Yet the pain soon grew unbearable, especially when the brunet tried to help him off the ground.

"Ah..." Stephen had still been unaware of how he looked, but if his aching body meant anything then the latter's urgency was to be expected. Not wanting to burden the other patient any further, he tried his best to move to his feet, using the other boy's body to keep from falling.

"You... you don't... have to..." He murmured tiredly. His own room wasn't very far from the female block, so it might've been a better idea to go there instead.

Was this kid serious? He didn't have to? The cruel part of Spike wanted to retort that the kid could have said that earlier, but Spike wasn't that much of a jackass. He knew he could have just let the kid lie there, but... he didn't know who (what?) did this to the kid, so it wasn't safe to leave him out there.

He didn't want someone else's blood on his hands, after all.

"Shut up," Spike muttered, out of panic more than anything. Talking wasn't very good for an injured person, was it? Or was that only in video games. Now that he had the kid up, Spike looped one of the kid's arms around his shoulder, and then held the kid's back with his other arm. It felt... He could feel the gash on the kid's back, trying to position his hand so his fingers wasn't digging into it.

Just... what happened?

"Look, just... I'll take you to my room, and you lie down, and I'll get someone, OK?" Spike felt better speaking his plans aloud, feeling more grounded. Right, he just... If he did that, then he could keep the kid safe (oh god, though was he hurt in his room?) and then he had to find Brendan and a nurse, and then everything would be fine.

Right. Yeah. Fine.

Stephen seemed to take the latter's words to heart, knowing that he wasn't doing anything good for either of them. He had no idea where the other patient's room was, but he could only hope that it wasn't so far that the trip would exhaust the brunet. The teen at least tried to hold his own weight, and yet it became apparent almost immediately that he had no choice but to rely on the other completely.

"Thanks..." If that were the case then Stephen was determined to show his gratitude, trying his best to smile despite the agony. He leaned a little closer then, if only to make sure that his weight could be more concentrated so the latter wouldn't have to work as much.

"... What's your... name...?"

This kid... he was oddly calm despite being beaten half to death. Actually, it was starting to creep Spike out a bit. This whole scene was so surreal and he just didn't know how to handle it. The sooner he found Brendan, the better. Brendan would know what to do - or at least, what not to do.

"Uh, it's Spike," Spike answered, about to ask for the kid's name when... right, didn't he just tell the kid to not talk? Talking was bad for you when you were half beaten to death. On the other hand, his brow furrowed when he remembered all those movies he watchered where the dying guy was told to talk for some reason. Which was one was he supposed go with?

Sighing, Spike adjusted the kid's weight one final time and started to herd him towards the door. He already said he was gonna take the kid back to his room, so he had to honor that now.

[ back to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/758058.html) ]

[ from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/753097.html?thread=62503881#t62503881) ]

At first glance, it seemed like the building remained the same. She should have been in the hallway in front of the F Block. Then, from here, straight down would lead her to the main hallway. She would then turn, and make her way down to the Sun Room...

It was easier said than done though. Naminé tried not to look too scared as she clutched her flashlight and continued down the hall.

[ to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/753420.html?thread=62501900#t62501900) ]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/752872.html?thread=62329320#t62329320)]

Argilla continued down the corridor casually, every muscle of her radiating indifference to the darkness, to the threat of monsters. The only thing that was giving her pause now was Heat and his condition and she had to find him first. If he didn't accept that he was a demon, then he was defenceless and hungry and probably desperate.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/757752.html?thread=62569720#t62569720)]

No lights here, either, though Todd had seen that much from a distance. What was weird, though, was the continuing lack of any nurses or orderlies at all. He knew there was a nurses' station somewhere around this area, so where were the nurses?

In any case, it looked like he and Frank would be on their little expedition a while longer. The quiet was awkward. "So," he tried, "what do you..." He trailed off, uncertain. "Do you work?"

Hmm. There wasn't much here, either, and it looked and sounded just as abandoned farther down the hall. Maybe it was best to turn around. They'd get nowhere fast down here.

[skipping back through the hallway to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/759345.html?thread=62712625#t62712625)]

Not bothering to search the darkness with her light (how much could a hallway change in twenty minutes?), Asuka sped down the corridor, her shoes making unavoidable squeaks with every step. But she would be damned if Shinji and Kaworu beat her back to the rendezvous point.

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/758058.html).]

They were heading towards the main halls, according to the map Jade had memorized and, more than that, his own personal experiences. He still had no actual plans for where to go specifically, or what to do when they got somewhere, but it seemed like the sun room would be an excellent starting point, since the rest of the institute more or less spread out around it. If there was anything to find, that seemed like the best place to begin the search.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/753420.html?thread=62153996#t62153996).]

_{[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/757073.html?thread=62666833#t62666833)]}

Where had her roommate gotten off to, anyway?

Another corner fell out of sight behind her, and although there were people around Yoshiko, she couldn’t make out any of their faces. (And to be honest, didn’t want to, in case they confirmed that what she was seeing was real. Or not-real. It was confusing.) Either way, other people doing the same thing she was was a recipe for disaster, whether they were aware of how bizarre wandering around the hospital at night was, or thought it was another ‘normal’ monster-filled nightshift. People were going to get hurt at this rate.

A sigh left her, one that was more like a tense exhale. This was so, so bad, to put it euphemistically.

A lot of it had to do with about a dozen different variations of fear coursing through her--fear she was sliding back into Yomi again, fear of what was in the darkness--and the hand closed around the flashlight was rapidly becoming clammy with sweat.

Nurse’s station isn’t far now…

_{[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/753420.html?thread=62621196#t62621196)]}

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/757073.html?thread=62590289#t62590289).]

The area grew and extended; the corridor she now occupied did indeed appear to be a major traffic area. Not from the amount of people in the hallway-- On the contrary, it was the lack that tipped Ange off. As a rule, one did not find humans in transition.

Nevertheless, a few found her sights: two in an altercation, others in movement. The former touched curiosity as that, too, was highly unusual. Unusual but none of her business. Best to move on before being caught up in another's matter.

She glanced at both directions before picking north.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/758058.html?thread=62686762#t62686762).]

Edited 2009-12-06 22:43 (UTC)

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/752872.html?thread=62342120#t62342120)]]

The main hall wasn't far and Kagura lit the way, checking carefully before proceeding. There'd been too many accidents to be careless. She had enough scars already, she didn't need to add more to the tally.

"Stay close," she whispered, reaching for his hand. Even if it was silly, it felt a lot safer to have someone to hold onto.

Bridget squeezed her hand reassuringly, keeping his bat at the ready just in case. "Right," he said, matching her soft tone.

He didn't want to attract any attention tonight...

It was easier to smile back when his hand was around hers, whether or not he could see it in the darkness. She led the way further down the hall, on the lookout for anything dangerous.

[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/753420.html?thread=62735628#t62735628)]]

Night 45: West Wing, South Hall 1-B

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