I hadn't really noticed how hard it's been raining for the past couple hours. I hope that the lights went out because of the storm and not because of some member of the midnight crew creeping into my house. I clutch my laptop tighter as I descend down the stairs.
I scurry past any doors as I flit down hallways and wonder, briefly, where my mother is. I look to your kitchen to see if anyone is there and nearly crash into one of my mother's wizard statues. God, how I despise these things. No matter, I must get outside so I can connect to the internet and tell John this vital information before he does something foolish.
Grabbing a purple umbrella, I slip outside into the storm.
Rose: Be Dirk
I am now Dirk and I am gripping a weapon I haven't even looked at for nearly two years. I sheathe the sword and sigh. It's hard to believe that I'm doing this again even after everything from before has already blown over. But this isn't a time to be selfish. I'm doing this for Jake.
I'm doing this for the man I love.
As you walk down the hall, I catch my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Grimace. Sword. Shades. It's a moment of unwanted déjà. I turn and continue out to the living room.
I pass Dave as he tries to shove an xbox controller in his pocket. "That's not gonna fit, bro." I say. He looks up at you and continues pressing the handle of the controller into his pocket. I chuckle, "I'm gonna be out late. Get pizza or something."
"I'm going to John's." He replies.
I nod and head out. I'm pretty sure he didn't even see the sword.
The day before, I found a little camera with a shrunken driven into it in Dave's room when I was putting some puppets in there. It didn't look like any of the ones I used for my ironic Saw pranks, and I definitely don't remember putting it there. I pull it out and because I'm a technology god, I found a way to trace where the camera feed was going.
And that's how I found myself standing in front of a warehouse building just outside of town.
I can see poorly hidden cameras in corners pointed at me and I know that the element of surprise is a complete bust. So instead, I go for brute force, which I've pretty much got covered. I try the door to find it, no surprise, locked. So I lean against it to check its durability. Standing back, I brace for impact and shove my foot into the door, denting metal and successfully forcing it open.
It's a good thing that I start running as quickly as I can. Those bastards open fire on me as soon as the door is down. Luckily, only one bullet grazes my arm and I'm tearing through the building. I can barely see four figures brandishing weapons and I round a corner into a wide room.
There are two main rooms in this downstairs area with a set of staircases; one leading up and one leading down. I figure the head honcho would be upstairs, so I start rocketing up those stairs like a motherfucking champ.
It seemed like most of the firepower was left downstairs 'cause I'm not really met with any kind of resistance up here. This upstairs area is mostly comprised of hallways with lots of doors, though, so anything could be lurking around there.
I decide to check down the hallways to see if there are any guarded doors or anything. The leader would probably be in someplace like that. As I round a corner, I hear rushed footsteps spreading out along the floor.
Taking a moment to check to see if there's anyone following me as I run, I accidentally barrel full speed into a large mass of grey muscle. I feel an incredibly tight grip on my wrist and I look up to meet a broken pair of sunglasses.
"Oh, it appears that I have found the filthy intruder. Excellent." He grumbles in a low voice. I attempt to pull my wrist free but his grasp is too STRONG. He tosses me against a wall, which wasn't much. I've handled much worse in sparring matches with my younger brother. Doesn't mean it didn't hurt, though. I go to reach for my sword when a voice comes from a room down the hall and the giant grey man visibly tenses up.
"Don't tire him out, Zahhak. I want him at his best." He grabs me by my shirt collar and lifts me to my feet. I push at his chest only to meet muscles that felt like boulders. He drops me at the end of the hall. I stand, ignoring the minor ache on my back from the wall-throwing incident and grip my sword. "Do come in, Mr. Strider." I hear a pleasantly disgusting voice call.
I enter the room and slowly pull my sword from its sheath.
Dirk: Be John
I am now John and I am having a jolly old time killing zombies with my bro. Although, he's a little distracted. "Hey, dude, are you feeling alright?" I ask nudging his shoulder with my own. He shrugs. "Do you want to play something else? I mean, you're dying a lot, man."
He turns to me and I can't see anything through his glasses, but I get the vibe of, I-feel-like-shit-right-now radiating from him. "My bro left earlier-right before I left… And he… He took his sword with him. His good one. None of that shitty sword bullshit. I guess I'm kinda… worried."
I give him a bro hug with an extra squeeze for good measure. "Dude, I bet he's fine." I say, "When has he ever not been fine? I mean, he's your bro! He can basically do anything."
John: Be Dave
Dave: Receive the text
I am now Dave and my pocket is vibrating. I pull the device out to see a message from an unknown sender. It's a picture message. Confused, I open the file to see a photo of what looks like thick, cherry Kool-Aid on the ground. The text with it says "THE HERO OF TIME IS JUST A TICK TOO LATE."
Before my confusion can fully settle, I get another picture message of a grey hat laying in the spilled Kool-Aid.
Without a word, I'm running out of the house, John trailing after me.
OH GURL, THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GONNA BE SO FREAKIN' INTENSE, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW!
SO REVIEW ME.
CAPS LOCK GETS RESULTS. JUST ASK KARKAT.
