[Manwol blinks -- once at seeing herself on the screen, and then once more at hearing the sound of her own voice. It isn't that strange, honestly. Obviously it's some kind of low tier illusion created by whatever's trying to pull all of their strings in this suburban horror nightmare. Just another notch in the long post of whatever purgatorial punishment is about to be sprung on her yet again --
But when she sees the man on the screen? Smiling? And then sees herself? Smiling back?
She flinches -- physically jolting back, sudden enough that she almost falls over her own feet. Maybe she catches herself on the side table, and usually this is the part where she'd freeze in shock and let the others investigate the scrape-scraping sounds next door, but Manwol just as quickly lurches forward, seizing a photo frame and then hurling it across the room at the television.
Fortunately, she misses! Unfortunately, she tries to grab another photo frame for another try, already forgetting that the others are around her.
she's like 5'2'' and spindly and easy enough to stop, but there's something Wild in her eyes that's clearly bent on Destruction, and she's barely making any sense between her clenched teeth as she snarls out curses and names, her eyes on the screen as she tries to lift the second frame --]
[ this can't pan out any way but fucking terribly.
kon does the same as the other two, but then manwol snaps, and he doesn't know why, but he knows that she can't keep going. not when this might be trying to taunt her, or draw her in. not when she's wild like this.
she's almost a full foot shorter than him, and they're both brought down to only human like this. ]
Manwol, stop - [ his arm goes around her waist, and he picks her up, moving closer to bradley and alphinaud while grabbing a vase in his free hand. ]
[ Now that's a reaction Alphinaud wasn't expecting. He looks behind, watches as Kon forcibly lifts her up away from her violent burst of anger. He was on the mark, but it was clearly not a good memory. ]
[it's really for the best that Kon's taking her away. That way she can't see the television anymore, and the ringing noise in her eyes dulls down to a soft roar, just enough so she can hear Alphinaud and Bradley speak to her --
"get the best of you" "under your skin"
but it's that person, she wants to say, but getting the words out feels like more effort she can manage while being carried. She's shaking hard enough that her elbows probably keep knocking accidentally into Kon's side, she just wants to scream and rage. instead, she curls a hand over Kon's shoulder -- ]
I'm -- [she swallows, I'm going to kill them. Like everyone else we -- no, she can't, she drops the frame hanging from her grip. it's taking all she has right now to try and pull herself together, so much so that she doesn't say anything else.
Until finally, she stiffly pats Kon's shoulder in her best attempt of 'let me down'.
She's still shaking, but not so much that she won't be able to find her footing on her own.]
[ there's a beat, between her patting his shoulder and kon actually putting her down. the struggling and the elbowing doesn't really bother him all that much, and it's not - it's not like he doesn't get it. they're all pretty shaken up, and she just had this thrown into her face.
so once they're actually moving to the dining room to get to the bathroom, because he's not sure going upstairs again is the best idea, he sets her back on her feet. his hand stays between her shoulders, though. ]
Edited (mira why is bradley like this) 2021-06-17 12:49 (UTC)
[ When they all look into the bathroom, the most obvious thing is that there's a giant hole in the wall. None of them will recognize it, so they'll know they didn't decide to make another murder hole overnight. In front of the hall, there's fallen pieces of meat that smells horribly.
Close by, but not in the bathroom itself, they can hear the sound of something thudding against the wall. Bradley can also hear it from where he's standing. ]
[ Alphinaud pauses outside of the bathroom, pressing a hand over his nose. The stench assaults his senses as soon as the meat comes into sight, and he grimaces. ]
'Tis a foul stench...
[ As the thudding continues, he glances at the other two. ]
[Like Alphinaud says, the stench really is a slap in the face -- and while it just adds another layer of 'BAD' to all of this, it's so visceral that it distracts Manwol momentarily from thinking too much about what she just saw. That, and Kon's hand too -- his presence is a reminder that whatever's going to happen is probably going to involve them all.]
-- Where is it coming from?
[the kitchen? the garage? it's probably not the living room, and even if it is Manwol doesn't think she's ready to peek back in there]
Hell - [ technically an answer of where it's coming from, but he brings his other hand up and covers his nose and mouth with his wrist for a moment. he still has the somewhat tacky vase in his hand, in case he needs to throw something, but he half wants to get into the kitchen to find an actual weapon in a knife, half wants to not even go in that direction. ]
The meat was in the fridge and the garage, right? [ ... kon moves forward a little bit, into the doorway of the bathroom. can he see anything more about the hole from here? ]
[ It's fairly dark, but if he squints he can see that there's more room in there than they would have expected. Actually, more room than should probably be possible considering the layout of their house.
Probably from whatever we remember doing in this house.
[Is it from their 'victims'? Is it just 'meat'?
Manwol doesn't say that out loud, instead she backs away from the bathroom and starts moving towards the direction where the thudding is coming from. The kitchen, maybe? The large bathroom hole is clearly very bad, but the smell coming from it is worse. For now. Who knows what's in the kitchen. They didn't even clean the fridge?]
Sound might - shit, I can't stand this - sound might be coming from where the meat did.
[ gagging, he exits the bathroom and closes the door as he does. if there's something in the hole, he doesn't want to see it unless he absolutely has to. if there's something in the hole and it comes out, maybe the door will slow it down. (if the door is still there, anyways.) ]
Rotten meat was in the fridge, and Manwol found some in a car in the garage.
[ As they head to the kitchen, they'll hear another loud thud against the wall. It's very loud, so they found the right room. There's another thud. And another. It's hitting it so hard the wall shakes a bit.
There's also a sound. The same voice from the phone. ]
[His left hand stays over his jacket hood, but the other one trains this pistol on the wall.]
Hey! You! Shut the fuck up 'nd come out here!
[Anxiety doesn't suit him, but anger absolutely does. How dare whatever's been messing with them stay in hiding. His actions are supposed to be his own, and only his own.
He doesn't step into the kitchen. Looking the room over, he's certain the voice will break in soon enough.]
[Manwol can get behind Bradley's strategy, honestly. Anger is a familiar emotion, and there's some comfort in hearing it in his voice. Also, he has a weapon? She's not about to step in front of him and block his line of sight, so she stays just outside the kitchen too.
'You're next'. If they're next, then they'll see whoever it is sooner or later. She glances at the others, at the bathroom Kon closed earlier, at the dining room that they're in. can she open the china cabinet? the dishes are probably rattling on their shelves as the wall shakes,]
kon lets bradley and his gun take the forefront, but he doesn't hang back. even if he's not the most combat experienced of winter dorm, he still has a temper and he still knows how to fight - and he knows how to improvise in a fight. the vase is set aside, because it doesn't have much use against something that shakes the walls except to piss it off. a chair probably won't, either, but if he can grab one from the dining set and take it, he's going to. ]
You said we'd see you tomorrow, right? It's tomorrow, asshole - let's go!
But their taunting seems to get a reaction, because what it is screams. It screams, and it's a sound familiar to them. It's ear shattering, and pained, and they can hear the individual screams of every person they killed mingled into it. From the bus, to Lila, to the people burning in the house-- they're all there.
There's another shake, and then something bursts out of the wall. Debris flies into the room, Kon and MANWOL getting hit with smaller pieces, Bradley getting hit with a more medium sized piece of wood. Alphinaud, however, is slammed into by the thing in question-- a giant, squirming pile of meat. It looks like a thick, pulsating worm made out of flesh and, if they look closely, there's body parts sticking out points. An eyeball that looks like Nier's eye color. Lila's hair. A part of Kuchiha's face.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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'Tis a memory?
[ But, hm. Scratch, scratch. He glances off, then looks at Bradley. ]
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Closer to the front door, or more towards the dining room? Or can he not even tell from this spot?]
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But when she sees the man on the screen? Smiling? And then sees herself? Smiling back?
She flinches -- physically jolting back, sudden enough that she almost falls over her own feet. Maybe she catches herself on the side table, and usually this is the part where she'd freeze in shock and let the others investigate the scrape-scraping sounds next door, but Manwol just as quickly lurches forward, seizing a photo frame and then hurling it across the room at the television.
Fortunately, she misses! Unfortunately, she tries to grab another photo frame for another try, already forgetting that the others are around her.
she's like 5'2'' and spindly and easy enough to stop, but there's something Wild in her eyes that's clearly bent on Destruction, and she's barely making any sense between her clenched teeth as she snarls out curses and names, her eyes on the screen as she tries to lift the second frame --]
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kon does the same as the other two, but then manwol snaps, and he doesn't know why, but he knows that she can't keep going. not when this might be trying to taunt her, or draw her in. not when she's wild like this.
she's almost a full foot shorter than him, and they're both brought down to only human like this. ]
Manwol, stop - [ his arm goes around her waist, and he picks her up, moving closer to bradley and alphinaud while grabbing a vase in his free hand. ]
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As for the sound, it seems like it's coming from the first floor bathroom. It happens again. The scraping. ]
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You mustn't let it get the best of you!
[ You have the lead, Bradley. ]
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Still, it seems she's being restrained, if not entirely calm yet. ]
Don't go letting it get under yer skin. They're toyin' with us.
[ He will start moving towards the staircase and slowly moving up it. ]
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"get the best of you" "under your skin"
but it's that person, she wants to say, but getting the words out feels like more effort she can manage while being carried. She's shaking hard enough that her elbows probably keep knocking accidentally into Kon's side, she just wants to scream and rage. instead, she curls a hand over Kon's shoulder -- ]
I'm -- [she swallows, I'm going to kill them. Like everyone else we -- no, she can't, she drops the frame hanging from her grip. it's taking all she has right now to try and pull herself together, so much so that she doesn't say anything else.
Until finally, she stiffly pats Kon's shoulder in her best attempt of 'let me down'.
She's still shaking, but not so much that she won't be able to find her footing on her own.]
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so once they're actually moving to the dining room to get to the bathroom, because he's not sure going upstairs again is the best idea, he sets her back on her feet. his hand stays between her shoulders, though. ]
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Close by, but not in the bathroom itself, they can hear the sound of something thudding against the wall. Bradley can also hear it from where he's standing. ]
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'Tis a foul stench...
[ As the thudding continues, he glances at the other two. ]
You hear that as well?
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If it's still here, he's taking it and bringing it back downstairs with the rest of the group.]
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-- Where is it coming from?
[the kitchen? the garage? it's probably not the living room, and even if it is Manwol doesn't think she's ready to peek back in there]
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The meat was in the fridge and the garage, right? [ ... kon moves forward a little bit, into the doorway of the bathroom. can he see anything more about the hole from here? ]
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The smell hits him even worse. ]
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[ He remembers. Alphinaud also finds it difficult to press forward. ]
I cannot stomach this smell.
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He pulls up the hood of his jacket to cover up his nose and mouth. It might not do much, but it's better than nothing at all.
The gun is in his right hand as he makes it back to his group.]
Gross... Where'd it come from...?
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[Is it from their 'victims'? Is it just 'meat'?
Manwol doesn't say that out loud, instead she backs away from the bathroom and starts moving towards the direction where the thudding is coming from. The kitchen, maybe? The large bathroom hole is clearly very bad, but the smell coming from it is worse. For now. Who knows what's in the kitchen. They didn't even clean the fridge?]
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[ gagging, he exits the bathroom and closes the door as he does. if there's something in the hole, he doesn't want to see it unless he absolutely has to. if there's something in the hole and it comes out, maybe the door will slow it down. (if the door is still there, anyways.) ]
Rotten meat was in the fridge, and Manwol found some in a car in the garage.
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There's also a sound. The same voice from the phone. ]
Next. Next. I'm next. You're next. You're next.
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Sorry guys, but Alphinaud is not leading this. As much as he's trying to keep a collected front, he's pretty anxious. ]
Twelve forfend... Is is trying to take down the walls?!
[ Whatever it is. ]
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[His left hand stays over his jacket hood, but the other one trains this pistol on the wall.]
Hey! You! Shut the fuck up 'nd come out here!
[Anxiety doesn't suit him, but anger absolutely does. How dare whatever's been messing with them stay in hiding. His actions are supposed to be his own, and only his own.
He doesn't step into the kitchen. Looking the room over, he's certain the voice will break in soon enough.]
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'You're next'. If they're next, then they'll see whoever it is sooner or later. She glances at the others, at the bathroom Kon closed earlier, at the dining room that they're in. can she open the china cabinet? the dishes are probably rattling on their shelves as the wall shakes,]
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kon lets bradley and his gun take the forefront, but he doesn't hang back. even if he's not the most combat experienced of winter dorm, he still has a temper and he still knows how to fight - and he knows how to improvise in a fight. the vase is set aside, because it doesn't have much use against something that shakes the walls except to piss it off. a chair probably won't, either, but if he can grab one from the dining set and take it, he's going to. ]
You said we'd see you tomorrow, right? It's tomorrow, asshole - let's go!
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But their taunting seems to get a reaction, because what it is screams. It screams, and it's a sound familiar to them. It's ear shattering, and pained, and they can hear the individual screams of every person they killed mingled into it. From the bus, to Lila, to the people burning in the house-- they're all there.
There's another shake, and then something bursts out of the wall. Debris flies into the room, Kon and MANWOL getting hit with smaller pieces, Bradley getting hit with a more medium sized piece of wood. Alphinaud, however, is slammed into by the thing in question-- a giant, squirming pile of meat. It looks like a thick, pulsating worm made out of flesh and, if they look closely, there's body parts sticking out points. An eyeball that looks like Nier's eye color. Lila's hair. A part of Kuchiha's face.
It roars, in the voice of all of the victims. ]
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