[ 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.
[ The shrill pierces his ears. Alphinaud winces, throwing both hands over his ears, and it's all the distraction that's needed.
A crash comes through the wall, and in the next moment, Alphinaud feels a force slamming him into the nearby kitchen cabinets, letting out a pained yell. ]
[Manwol's swear gets lost in the scream that seems to reverberate around them -- she's seen a lot of creatures and heard so much of their pain, but this? This is different. This is what this place thinks they did -- is making them think they did.
She doesn't have a gun or a vase or a chair, only the emergency china in her hands, but she doesn't need any of that to run to Alphinaud to try and yank him away from this giant pulsating disgusting creature while Bradley hopefully gets its attention --]
[ they don't have enough to face this. but kon, staring at it in shock and turning against the wood that pelts him and manwol, is a little more grounded. sick to his stomach, seeing the faces, but grounded.
this is just an ayakashi. he's seen things like this before in amatsuki, screaming and clawing and vengeful. just think of it like that, for all that it's doing this to them, and it'll be fine.
manwol books it for alphinaud, so - ]
Better be ready, Bradley - hey! [ he grabs the vase again, and chucks it full force over bradley and into the monster. ] Over here, you piece of shit!
[ Good news! The distraction technique works! The bullet hits the creature-- or, specifically, it hits what is probably Mandricardo going by the scream of pain he lets out.
It turns its direction to Kon and Bradley and charges for them, heading more towards Kon since he's the last one who hit it. ]
That isn't him. None of these people- none of this was real. The time they spent here, the things they did. It only makes him angrier.
Whatever this amalgamation of flesh is, it isn't any of the people they care about, no matter what it's making itself look like. As a wizard, he's perfectly aware of illusion magic.
He'll hit it with another bullet, trying to convince it to come after him instead.]
Hey you! Go back t' whatever hell ya came from!
[There were only ever the two bullets in this thing. Without anything else in it, it's near worthless as a weapon.]
[The knife? The knife! Manwol drops to the floor beside Alphinaud and immediately rifles through his clothes -- probably with more force than necessary in her haste -- and finds it, and while she'd love to stab it into the monster herself, they don't have time when it's already charging towards the other two --]
-- Kon!
[she's still on her knees so she slides the knife as hard as possible across the floor in his direction, possibly at the same time Bradley fires his second shot. they need the knife more than they do -- and grabs for Alphinaud's arm to try and haul him up none-too-gently onto his feet]
[ shit, shit, shit. he'd already made his decision, to make sure manwol could get safely to alphinaud, so he knew this would probably happen. really doesn't mean he has to like it, though.
mandricardo's voice screams out, but he thinks of it the same way bradley does: it's not real. (it can't be.) ]
Go to the garage! If there's not anything in there that can help, at least get the door open! [ the gunshot is hopefully enough of an annoyance that he can dodge past it, but even if it isn't, he has to try. with a deep breath - despite the rot - kon darts forward, ducking down to grab the knife on the way to his escape towards the kitchen. ]
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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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A crash comes through the wall, and in the next moment, Alphinaud feels a force slamming him into the nearby kitchen cabinets, letting out a pained yell. ]
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The gun stays aimed on the monster. Disgusting.
It looks like that? When it's the been one who's been taunting them with the "victims"? His teeth are grit behind the hood.
It's a cruel joke.
It shouldn't exist.
His center is steady as he holds the pistol up and takes a shot. It's not enough, there's just two bullets in it.
At the very least, he should get the monster's attention.]
Shut up!
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She doesn't have a gun or a vase or a chair, only the emergency china in her hands, but she doesn't need any of that to run to Alphinaud to try and yank him away from this giant pulsating disgusting creature while Bradley hopefully gets its attention --]
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this is just an ayakashi. he's seen things like this before in amatsuki, screaming and clawing and vengeful. just think of it like that, for all that it's doing this to them, and it'll be fine.
manwol books it for alphinaud, so - ]
Better be ready, Bradley - hey! [ he grabs the vase again, and chucks it full force over bradley and into the monster. ] Over here, you piece of shit!
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It turns its direction to Kon and Bradley and charges for them, heading more towards Kon since he's the last one who hit it. ]
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Oh, gods. How are we to contend with such a fiend...?!
[ This horrible, awful conglomeration of a beast. ]
The knife, Manwol—take it back.
[ It'd be more useful in her hands. Where is it on his person? idk it's somewhere. ]
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That isn't him. None of these people- none of this was real. The time they spent here, the things they did. It only makes him angrier.
Whatever this amalgamation of flesh is, it isn't any of the people they care about, no matter what it's making itself look like. As a wizard, he's perfectly aware of illusion magic.
He'll hit it with another bullet, trying to convince it to come after him instead.]
Hey you! Go back t' whatever hell ya came from!
[There were only ever the two bullets in this thing. Without anything else in it, it's near worthless as a weapon.]
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-- Kon!
[she's still on her knees so she slides the knife as hard as possible across the floor in his direction, possibly at the same time Bradley fires his second shot. they need the knife more than they do -- and grabs for Alphinaud's arm to try and haul him up none-too-gently onto his feet]
We can't kill it. We need to get out of here!
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mandricardo's voice screams out, but he thinks of it the same way bradley does: it's not real. (it can't be.) ]
Go to the garage! If there's not anything in there that can help, at least get the door open! [ the gunshot is hopefully enough of an annoyance that he can dodge past it, but even if it isn't, he has to try. with a deep breath - despite the rot - kon darts forward, ducking down to grab the knife on the way to his escape towards the kitchen. ]
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