On Death's Doorstep

[kain17335]

The beast only seemed to horrify and halt Alex in his tracks. Its dull white skin the colour of bone. The blades jutting from its limbs made it looks like it were the creation of a macabre scientist who wished to see just how far the human body could be pushed. It bared a resemblance to the beast that it had met in that basement only a few nights ago. It was obvious that this one is probably far more outward with its hunting.
Alex looked around the room, his mind breaking the trance he had gained as he stared at the beast. There was no escaping this creature were it to find its way in here. And surely the unconscious boy that had wandered in had left a blood trail from the looks of his wounds. Not that Alex even had any experience in this apart from the one compulsory First Aid class he had to do for the museum. CPR was about the extent of his knowledge in terms of saving peoples lives. Gunshot wounds? Not so much.

Then again, Alex didn't know just how fragile this thing was. Though the young man did seem to attract the monsters that lurk in dark basements. Maybe they're not as safe as most think... Or Alex is just unlucky. Whether this thing will be nigh on invincible like the first, or pretty fragile like the one that masked itself with the skins of its victims Alex did not know. Though he was hoping for the latter, something told him he was not going to be that lucky.

[Rygand]

J.P gave a relieved and heavy sigh as Harrison gave his answer, nodding slightly when he finished. As Roy spoke up, the boy gave a surprised blink, and looked almost a bit touched, a lopsided smile tugging at the side of his dry mouth. However, the smile quickly turned into a thoughtful frown. J.P looked to Roy, with a somewhat worried look.

"You know, Roy... You and your family don't have to stick around with us. You doing that for us would be a great service, but..." The boy hesitated a bit, rubbing at the back of his neck. He looked at the man with an honest, caring gaze. "Why you should you put yourselves at risk for us? You might be better off looking for shelter or other people somewhere else... Secronom and its surroundings are probably the least safe you could possibly be."

[thatfallout3guy]

Before Harrison could give his response, J.P. began to speak up. Lewis immediately turned his attention to the boy, hoping that he of all people would act level headed during all of this. His thoughts were confirmed as J.P. spoke, and Lewis couldn't help but find himself cracking a smile. He was about to agree with him. He was going to just reaffirm that the group needed to bunker down, and stay safe until a more opportune time. He was about to say, "I agree," but then Harrison spoke up.

Yes. Of course he would say yes. How could he not say yes? Lewis groaned silently as he let his head fall weightless. He just stared at the ground for a few moments, not wanting to say what he was about to, but he had no choice. They had already lost Catherine without even reaching the building, and with nowhere safe to fall back to, what would they do if things went horrible? Lewis groaned internally as he finally looked back up, snarling slightly at Harrison, 'Why are you doing this, you dumb son of a bitch?' He thought to himself before speaking up, "You know, Harrison, there are things much worse than bunkering down. Like charging into a building that's likely crawling with several dozen horrible monsters that can tear you to shreds. But wanna know something worse than that?" He asked, walking towards Harrison and Davey, "Letting a friend do it alone." He said, stopping before the two of them, a look of unrelenting purpose in his eyes, "I'm going with you."

[christthesepagesarerollingby]

"I...can try," Lucy muttered, straining to not roll her eyes at the prospect of such menial work. Not that working on cars had ever been the stimulating role she'd dreamt of, but the thought of servicing the entire base, thankless, certainly did not appeal. She kept her eyes low as Migaki was shuffled outwards to whatever backalley barber doctor they had waiting, gently tapping on the stock of her rifle as they, in turn, found their places.

Lucy laid her bag down against the innermost wall, appraising their newfound trappings. Unclean, smelling of something awful. But safe - whatever that meant.
"Shelter's shelter," the mechanic replied rather too quickly, curling into a ball, facing the exit. She looked to Brian, writhing, and smiled in slight reassurance. "Age is catching up with you - and the travelling. But you don't really think this is the road's end, do you? Our luck with these sorts of places hasn't been good before." A slight pale flush reached her face.

[ballerscuba]

Davey stood in the direction of Secronom, standing his ground. He sat in thought of everyone's response. He was not surprised by Lewis' first response. Despite Lewis' seeming repulsion at the thought of shooting Davey, Lewis quickly turned to violence as a possible solution to a supposed problem. Davey was never sure quite what to make of Lewis. He knew the skill that Lewis possessed, surely, but his personality was nothing but a big puzzle to him. He had seen the man shoot another human. He was seemingly beyond salvation, but still, Lewis had shot him. Then, should the wind have turned slightly, Lewis easily could have killed everyone, Davey included, with that fire he set. Cassidy seemed to keep him calm, though. What did surprise Davey, though, was Lewis' decision to join the trip. Despite Lewis' hard opposition to Davey, he seemingly switched his mindset on a whim once Harrison decided Davey was right, even before it was decided what to do with Cassidy and the others. Davey simply did not know which Lewis would be joining them on this mission, but he would most likely need the gun. It would be best to keep an eye on him.

Davey began to rub his jaw. Ichiru may be small, but she packs a punch. Somehow, in her anger, she still managed to stay attractive to Davey. It was probably due to all that anime consumption. Davey's adrenaline was wearing out and his jaw was starting to sting. He was really no longer sure if it was actually worth it, but it probably was. He was glad a couple people were agreeing with him. He could not say the others were wrong about the need for some sort of shelter for the night, but Davey's mind was set. They needed to take care of this sooner rather than later. Who knows when the next opportunity would come up? He had a sudden urge to grab the helmet and hide inside.

Mason's hesitation was the one that comforted him the most. Should he have been luring the group into some kind of trap at Secronom, surely he would want to get that done as soon as possible. Mason did not seem the type for spy work, so if he was a spy, he would most likely press the issue to end it. J.P., though, well, who knew what J.P. was thinking? He always seemed so absorbed with himself, it was hard to tell whether or not he paid attention at all. But, it did not surprise him, based on what little he said, that he would want to be cautious.

Davey, still not accustomed to these social situations, finally managed the nerve to speak again, this time in a much more quiet voice. "The safest time to avoid zombies is indeed the morning, which was only a short time ago. That's why we're going there now. Having a good number of you decide to hide as soon as it reaches noon only shows me more than ever that this is our responsibility. If a group as large as ours is too scared to go inside in the early afternoon because of what the night may bring, then maybe the zombies have already won. Their numbers are growing every day as ours dwindles. We need to turn the tide. I'm going." Davey turned and began to walk down the street toward Secronom, giving up hope that the van was still available to him.

[lukuz13]

July 7th, 2022 Thursday. Huntington, West Virginia

-Roy turned his head to the boy standing a few feet away with a bit of a surprised look, his wife, Melissa was tending to Eric behind the van for now. Roy suddenly found himself laughing, pretty hard at that. Surprising, considering all that had happened to the man in the past few hours.
"You know, if it was anyone but you who asked me that kid, I might have taken them up on that offer." He grinned , his face however was worn and tired, like a mask. "I personally think half of you are nuts, and just want to go back to my old house back in county..." He took a deep, stuttered breath, before sighing and seeming as if he was relaxing somewhat.
"But I can't do that, now can I? I'm sure some of you folks want to go home too, but none of us can, so you help out one another, help your fellow man. That's something I can respect." He waved his hand, pausing as he gave Lewis a long look, as if he wanted to tell him something with just his eyes, before adding. "Besides..." He whispered, pointing to Melissa, who was busy worrying about Eric, not paying mind to the group's discussion. Perhaps she just trusted her husband.
"You folks helped save my world a while back. You didn't have to, but you did it anyway. For all our differences, I figured least we can do is offer to help. If that means something as little as clearing out a place to lay low, then so be it. Isn't there something about safety in numbers anyway?" He quickly added in an attempt to cover his tracks.

As Roy said so, Harrison couldn't help but give a small grin, to both him and Lewis at the reply he got.
"Heh, what, are you worried I can't handle myself? I was killing zombies before...well...alright you're older, but that doesn't mean jack." He quickly spat out, brushing the fact aside. "I'm glad we at least have the crew together though...is everyone coming?" He asked, glancing about as he took a step or two to keep up with Davey, not wanting the man to get ahead of them all too far.

-As the twisted monster stalked it's way into the doorway, slowly, scanning the room around it, it suddenly screeched and swung it's blades down on the counter nearby, smashing it more then cutting it in half as a mouse scurried out from underneath in a panicked daze. The creature crackled and gurgled a response, disappointed that it's strike did not bear a gush of blood, as it started to make it's way inside.
A decision needed to be made fast, or else the thing would bump into one of them...and goodness knows they didn't want that.

-Brian seemed surprised by her reply, but then again, he never knew what to expect from others these days. He felt...oddly uncomfortable here, as if Lucy held something against him. Perhaps it was because he hadn't gotten to know her better then he had...if only such a thing was easy. He turned his head at her reply about his age, smiling sheepishly.
"Ah, well I'm not that old...but..." He tried to defend himself. He knew she was right though. His body felt worn, just by existing day to day. As if he was always tired...he couldn't remember the last time he genuinely laughed at something that wasn't bittersweet somehow. This fact earned the woman a air of quiet, until she brought up the last part.
"...I don't." He admitted suddenly, his stare focused on his bed to be. "I...I don't." He just continued. "Not for me, at least..."

[thatfallout3guy]

"It's not you I'm worried about," Lewis responded as he slowly shifted his gaze to Davey. He groaned internally as he slowed his pace, as he wanted to have a word with J.P. before they reached the building, "I really hope you're as smart as you seem, because without myself or Harrison around, the group's gonna need a leader, and as far as I'm concerned, you're the only one I trust enough to not get everyone killed. I know it's asking a lot, and I know I'm not exactly your favorite person in the world, but I can't go to Secronom without someone keeping the others safe. Can I count on you?"

Jake looked up from the engine of the van in time to see the group moving onwards. He hadn't heard much of their conversation, only enough to know where they were going. He made haste, not wanting to get left behind by the rest of the group, "Where you want me, Lewis? I ain't that good with a gun, but I ain't no coward either. I'll bust some ass if you need me to."

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but you'd be a lot better off sticking with the group. Your wounds haven't healed up fully, and the more guns we have looking over whatever hideout we find, the better I'll feel," Lewis responded.

Jake gave a quick nod in agreement to Lewis before turning his focus to J.P., "So I'm goin' with you? Cool. Name's Jake, driver. Good to meet ya'," he said with a warm smile, extending his arm to the boy.

[kain17335]

Alex jerked backwards as he watched the sword of an arm slice through what used to be a desk. Covered in folders and files with useless number likely about the profits and losses of the company. Just what gave a human being the ability to grow such protrusions? The idea was likely something of a research topic for any surviving scientists that might be trying to save mankind. Not that it would help very much. Or who's to say they did not create this monster in the first place?
The young man stepped back, both his weapons tightly gripped in both hands as if they would comfort him. But this thing reminded him too much of the cactus like being in the basement. Though Alex hoped that if he needed to kill it, this monster would be far easier. Seen as that same beast likely still roams the streets. Hunting as if nothing had ever even attacked it.
Alex's choices were running out rather quickly, on one side were two men who he'd only just met, and beside him was a boy that had followed him. They were not in any way fit to take on something like this without attracting the attention of more infected. Its eyes slowly scanning the room, but they were pale and lifeless, like a blind man asking for spare change. Whatever strain of the virus that had infected this 'person' must have chosen the eyes to be useless accessories. The trouble was knowing what sense had replaced it. However Alex did not have any time to think on this, though it was doubtful he would come to any conclusion seen as he doesn't have any kind of experience in this kind of matter. The only thing that mattered now was what he was supposed to do. His hatchet was borderline useless right now, seen as the blades this monster had on its arms would make quick work of his chest were he to try and swing it. But his gun however, though it had a larger chance of killing it. Would probably end up attracting more infected and probably worse, seen as the sun was now setting and Alex's eyes were quickly straining to see properly. The inside of the building had no light and the wooden boards protecting the windows diminished what little light the day had left.

He took another step back, mindful that from what it seemed, the only real way out was through the door that whatever that blade-handed monstrosity is, just came through. So killing it was really the only way to be able to get past. Having something to bait the beast might help a more pacifistic route...

[bloodsrain]

Mason watched the group as they confirmed with themselves about the trip to Secronom. He still wasn't sure if this was the best choice, but if there was anywhere that the group could find some answers, it was there. With everyone agreeing about going to this place, he was glad that most of them wanted to take the slow approach. This place was dangerous, much more than everywhere else. He wasn't sure some of them understood the chances of their deaths when they get in there, but he hoped most, if not all, survived.

"It seems we are all in agreement then. That Van should get us there much quicker than on foot, but it might bring us some attention from the few infected roaming the outside. There isn't many from the last time I checked, but there might be more." he said, moving over to Davey. That kid definitely seemed determined to get to that place, he didn't know exactly why though. "Like I said, you should also be prepared for some mutations held inside. I know some of them have gotten out and I have no idea how many are still inside. Or if more are being created. We had a lot of serums and gasses in the facility to force mutations to happen to some infected, but if a line got busted that whole area might be infested." he said turning to face the rest of the group. "We best be prepared for this trip. Most if not all of you should be armed just in case, even a wooden board would be better than nothing."

[graybeardhalt]

Jake had to react quickly, or else this dumb asses behind him would most likely freak out; or worse, try to play the hero and take it on themselves. While he was willing to let anybody stupid enough to do that die in order to escape, Jake wasn't so much of an asshole that he would allow these people to die on his account. Especially not to this thing. As the beast continued to scrape across the ground, Jake bent his knees, keeping his torso straight and his eyes always trained on the infected, and clutched an empty can by his feet.

The can clinked lightly against the floor and Jake froze, knowing that his death was coming soon. But between the scrapes of its blades and its own growling, the beast didn’t seem to hear the inconsequential clink as it continued to search for the source of the blood. It was steadily getting closer to the boy’s body, its head almost planted into the ground as it sniffed the blood trail. Jake quickly stood up, gripping the can as tight as possible to stop it from making a sound. With the feeling of fear and worry in his eyes, he turned back to the two men and held up the can, silently praying that they understood what he was about to do. Taking a deep breath, he whirled back around towards the beast and threw the can as hard as possible against the far wall. Without hesitating, Jake pulled out his pistol with a practice fluidity, turned the safety off along the way, and opened fire on the beast, aiming for the head.

[sleix]

Phil thought the man's actions were brash and foolish, jeopardizing the whole groups lives for an improvised "plan" that was unsure to work, but a plan it was nonetheless. Guns were the only slither of hope they possessed when pitted against a monstrosity like this, but the beast's susceptibility to bullets was dubious and not to be relied upon in a life or death close quarters situation. Shot after shot was fired into the horror, whether it shrieked in pain or in anger wasn't clear, but the sounds silenced even the gunfire. What disturbed Phil the most was the creatures human origin, what sick transformations had this thing undergone for it to become this? He ended the thought and brought his attention back to the situation at hand.

[kain17335]

Alex raised his gun it tow with Jake before he threw the can, if they were to open fire on the beast they may as well do it all together. The sound of the gunshots together would likely not be much louder than Jake on his own. He took a step back, quickly finding his way to the other side of a horizontal wall of shelves that had begun to fall over. Some cover was better than on in this situation. He fired three shots, his arm straining to stay up as the recoil is his shoulder, the wound beneath his shirt glueing the gash probably wasn't the best thing Alex had ever done.. One shot found its way into the arms of the beast, sprouting streams of dark red blood. The second shot fared better, with it going straight into it's back while it was still turning back to him and his 'companions'. Perhaps if the boy were still awake, they might have fared better if he were still able to carry a gun. However, each shot increased in accuracy with the final only going through what hopefully used to be the temple of the being. Though the screeches that it created afterwards almost made Alex's ears bleed.

[lukuz13]

July 7th, 2022 Thursday. Huntington, West Virginia

-Jake's quick, if brash plan seemed to work, at first at least. Tossing the can over the sightless beast's head, it clanged loudly off one of the shelves of the shop, earning a loud growling hiss from the monster, as it jumped in the direction, slashing one of it's arms into the shelf. Jake's barrage of bullets that quickly followed infuriated the monster, as his bullets clanged off his chest, and head, some penetrating, others not. It hissed wildly in anger, slashing through the wooden stands, sending splinters and planks everywhere as Alex opened fire as well. The multiple directions of gunfire distracted it long enough that the two men got in several good hits-unfortunately this infuriated it further, as it charged wildly down the hall after Alex, slashing in an attempt to shred whatever it was that was filling it with lead and making such a deliciously loud noise. It's arc was wide, but reckless, and the cover he had would provide him time, but not much else if he didn't move.

[sleix]

Phil threw himself away from the creature as it shredded its way across the sports store, paving a way of destruction in its path. The thing was dangerously close to Alex, but the infected wasn't completely sure where he was due to its lack of sight, but that didn't prevent it from completely destroying every structure in its path to find its way to the target. Phil needed to lure the thing away from the two men to give them an opening to fire. Phil grabbed one of the metal shelves that lined the walls of the store and, after adjusting to the unexpected weight of it, pulled it to the ground. The infected took a fraction of a second to change its path to Phil, its speed was terrifying, but it wouldn't be distracted for long before turning its attention back to the gunfire, "Fucking kill it!" Phil continued pulling the shelves down before it got too close for comfort, its blade-like arms cut through the air, desperately trying to eliminate the source of the noise as it screamed in frustration and desperation, it seemed the thing still held a crude level of human emotion behind its grotesque visage, making the infected transformations ever more intriguing to Phil. The beast violently launched its body in all directions, manically swinging it's bladed arms through whatever it came into contact with, Phil dropped one more shelf before steering clear of the monster, watching it from a safe position as it ripped into the floor, ignorant of the bullets.

[kain17335]

Philip's distractions seemed to work for the moment. With Alex firing another 3 shots into the beasts body. Firing yet another three shots into the beast yet each shot seemingly only annoying it a little. Though the head seemed like the best thing to shoot for.
In the mere moments that Alex had he knew he could not reach into his bag fast enough to even pull out the rifle that his old follower had carried with him. Not that it would do much more damage than what he was already doing. Quickly he slung his hatchet underneath the opening in the bag on his back and reached into his coat. Pulling out the pistol that he had commandeered only a few moments earlier. Twice the firepower might be enough to take it down, he though.
His thoughts were quickly banished when all he heard as a *click* as he pulled the trigger. So much for twice the firepower... He chucked the empty and useless gun to his side and focused on just the one weapon. But soon he knew he'd have to reload, using his now free hand he pulled out one of his spare magazines, readying himself as he began to pull back away from the beast. Thankfully it was more interested in the shelves that Philip had pulled over. Giving him some much needed breathing room. Though that would not last long as its screams of pain continued to echo through the room. Each shot making it recoil only slightly.