Nightshift 45: Outside the Institute- North

[herr-inspektor.livejournal.com]

[from here]

Lunge landed on the other side of the wall with a soft but heavy thump that shot up through his legs, even if he did manage to take most of the shock through his knees, and he stumbled and had to put out a hand to steady himself. Immediately he took the flashlight out of his coat pocket and flipped it back on, sweeping the area twice before letting himself relax.

The terrain was uneven and coarse even under his feet, moreso to the north, and he made a note to be even more vigilant with his footing while they were still in the open. The last thing he wanted was to fall and twist his ankle before they even found the ruins, even less so while he was working with Laurier. A shiver began in the base of his spine but he stopped it before it could get any further; they were exposed out here, yes, but as long as they kept to the Institute walls they would always have something to their back.

Speaking of which... he eyed the wall behind him critically; no vines here. It was, ironically enough, going to be even harder to get back in than it was to get out; if the night didn't end before they reached the Institute there was a good chance they were going to be trapped in the wilderness until dawn broke.

Good. He liked a challenge.

The light from Lunge's torch flashed over the top of the wall. "Can you get over by yourself?" he called, careful to moderate the volume to a level that Laurier alone would be able to hear. Attracting unwanted attention was certainly not at the top of his priorities. Not that he was going to go back over for the man if he were stuck, of course, he wasn't his father...

Comments

[ryuuzaki]

"Yes. I can." Useless, now, for Daniel to tell Lunge that he wasn't sure they could depend on the vines supporting their weight, or for him to mention the wound on his leg. The vines were obviously strong and stable enough, and he didn't think climbing the wall would put notable stress on his injury unless he somehow managed to scrape it. The jump from the top of the wall concerned him, especially after he heard the heavy thump of Lunge's landing; even so, it probably wouldn't be too difficult. Lunge was twice his age.

There was some commotion on the field behind him, what appeared to be several other patients in some kind of altercation. Daniel stayed in the shadows, grasping one of the thick vines with his hand. A tug showed it to be secure. He hauled himself up, wincing at the strain on his calf, particularly when he used the right leg to bear his full weight at an odd angle. But soon enough he was on top of the wall, perched, and then quickly over it.

His landing was awkward. There was a stretch at the injury as his knees bent to absorb the shock of the fall, a twinge of discomfort, and he made a little unvoiced cry, more of a startled whisper than anything else: "Ah!" He panted a few times, in the darkness, then looked around for his companion.

Not for the first time, he wondered what had happened to his leg to begin with, why he had no memory of a cut on his leg that had not been there the day before -- but there was no point in wondering. Figuring it out wouldn't make the cut go away. He offered no explanation for his heavy landing.

It would be embarrassing if they couldn't get back inside this way; Lunge would be able to climb the wall again, but Daniel was not confident of his own ability to do so. In that case, the only obvious solution would be to present himself, sheepish and penitent, at the front door of the Institute first thing in the morning. Exhaustion and exposure in the pre-dawn hours would be risks, although not such serious risks as to bear deep consideration before the time came. Anyway, there was every chance that Lunge would alert a nurse to Daniel's predicament, if he could find one; he was unlikely to have to spend the entire night outside in the cold.

After catching his breath, he began to move along the wall towards the east. "We should stay close to the building, yes? At this point, I would rather not be seen."

[herr-inspektor.livejournal.com]

As Lunge's breath returned to him he heard a scuffle overhead, then suddenly a shadow swung over the top of the wall and dropped down a foot or so away from him with a soft gasp and a conspicuously heavy thwump. The beam of his flashlight immediately swung up to meet L, only to find that the man was already moving on and talking to him as though nothing were wrong. Hmm.

At least his partner seemed to understand the need for discretion, if not the gravity of the reasoning behind it. Seen by what? was the first thing that sprang to mind, but they seemed to be doing so well in indulging each other so far that Lunge decided against voicing his thoughts- and indulging each other they most definitely were, between his own forced informality and Laurier's wary acceptance of all things unusual. The knife was still reassuringly cold in his waistband; focusing any concerns he might have had on that seemed a suitable way to stifle them.

"Certainly. Besides which, I don't like the idea of straying too far off track," he added, following suit. 'East' was about as vague as possible in terms of directions and that alone made the possibility of getting lost all the more real, never mind whatever mind-tricks Landel had in store for them. "The Institute is the best landmark we have."

[ryuuzaki]

Daniel's leg still hurt, a persistent mild stinging, nothing worthy of serious attention. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his torch without turning it on. If other patients were out and around, he'd rather not be seen by them, and for the time being, Lunge's flashlight was enough.

They had to be somewhere behind the cafeteria now -- indeed, the wall broke into a turn, then resumed closer to the building. What looked like the roof of a greenhouse was visible in the enclosed area.

"If our destination is to the East of the Institute, then it might be easiest to turn right with the turn in the wall, and follow it for a while before breaking away. Depending," he said, peering out into the moonlit darkness, "on the terrain in that direction. Alternately, we can follow the wall to the front of the complex before turning east, or we can just walk due east from here. What do you think?"

[herr-inspektor.livejournal.com]

They were, as it registered vaguely in the back of his mind, still speaking in hushed voices. Hmm. It still irritated him that he was forced into caution over something as overwhelmingly irrational as monsters, but he could swallow it so long as it was sugared with the reminder that almost everything here was impossible.

"I doubt the terrain will be too challenging if indeed there is- or was- a town in that direction. I'd suggest following the wall and breaking away," Lunge answered, not taking his eyes away from his surroundings (still nothing, but nothing could mean anything in the night), "just to err on the side of caution."

Up ahead, the wall gave way to a crisp ninety-degree angle. As if to underline his point he marched ahead and, pausing to glance around the corner with the aid of his flashlight, nodded at Laurier and followed it round.