Chapter 8- Jinks City

The 5 wolves casually walked on a discarded train track talking about paradise and teasing me outer. The sky was a brilliant blue. The clouds were fluffy yet had sighs of rain to come. Kint began to humming to herself. While Hige and Tsume argue over something stupid, Toboe walked along side her, admiring the soft notes. He stared at her amazed and feeling foolish. She was so beautiful and he never really noticed it. He felt so luckily having a friend like her.Kiba was also listening to her over they noise the gray and brown wolf were making.Kint gazed off into the sky and had a sudden erg to sing so she did. This caught Tsume and Hige's attention, and soon enough all four of the wolves stopped in their tracks to listen.Kint looked down at Toboe staring in awe at her.

"Am I bothering you guys?" she asked a little embarrassed. They shook their heads.

"What were you singing?" asked Hige walking up to her.

"Um...Torn. I song by Natalie Imbruglia, who ever that is. My mother said it was an old song her great grandmother and so on used to sing it. I sort of like it." Kint looked down feeling ashamed.

"Well, will you continue?" asked Toboe kicking the dirt shyly.

"Oh, I don't want to annoy you guys." She looked at Tsume especially, who was still trying to get their field encounter out of his head.

"I have no problem with it, what about you Tsume?"Kiba asked.

Tsume grumbled a little and turned his back to Kint. "I don't care as long as we keep moving." Toboe sighed in relief. Kiba continued to walk along side Tsume every now and then glancing behind him to get a good look at the obsidian wolf he treasured so much. Kint began to sing again skipping a bit to the beat. Toboe and Hige smiled to them sleves.They enjoyed seeing her cheerful. Tsume, unlike the others, listened to the words more than Kint's alluring voice:

I thought I saw a man brought to life.
He was warm. He came around and he was dignified.
He showed me what it was to cry.

Well, you couldn't be that man I adore.
You don't seem to know, seem to care, what your heart is for,
But I don't know him anymore.

There's nothin' where it used to lie.
Conversation has run dry.
That's what's goin' on.

Nothing's right. I'm torn.
I'm all out of faith.
This is how I feel.
I'm cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor.
Illusion never changed into somethin' real.
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky. It's torn.
You're a little late.
I'm already torn.

So, I guess the fortune teller's right.
I should have seen just what was there and not some holy light,
But you crawled beneath my veins and now

I don't care. I have no luck.
I don't miss it all that much.
There's just so many things

That I can't touch. I'm torn.
I'm all out of faith.
This is how I feel.
I'm cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor.
Illusion never changed into somethin' real.
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky. It's torn.
You're a little late.
I'm already torn.
Torn.

Ooh..

There's nothin' where it used to lie.
My inspiration has run dry.
That's what's goin' on.

Nothing's right. I'm torn.
I'm all out of faith.
This is how I feel.
I'm cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor.
Illusion never changed into something real.
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky. It's torn.

I'm all out of faith.
This is how I feel.
I'm cold and I'm ashamed bound and broken on the floor.
You're a little late.
I'm already torn.
Torn.

The 5 continued down the railroad, until Knit gasped. She ran in front of Kiba and Tsume to get a better look. It was another city. The buildings looked old and gray. Some of them had broken windows and some were cracked or falling apart. There was also a strange fog that surrounded the metropolis, must likely air pollution.

"Is that a city?" asked Toboe looking a little disgusted. "Looks like it. One thing's for sure, it does stink." Hige pretended to be puking.

"Hm...We staying here." said Kiba. Everyone except Kint stared at him like he was crazy. She was use to sleeping in bad conditions.

"I agree." She said sincerely.

"Are you serious? That place looks deserted-" said Hige trying to reason with her.

"Not to mention it gives me the creeps." added Toboe shaking slightly.

"Well we can make the best of it." She turned from the city and faced the others using that sweet smile that Kiba and Hige loved like mad.

"Then let's get going, I think it's gonna rain pretty soon." Tsume broke into a sprint after hearing thunder. The others followed close behind. They stopped when they reached the middle of the metropolis.Hige was right, it was deserted.Kiba scanned the area for shelter, while Kint scanned the area for a different reason. Someone just had to be living here. Cites not having any inhabitants in them isn't natural. The streets were messy. Trash and paper covered everything. The windows were boarded but it looked like something broke through them. Toboe was getting quite nervous.Kint noticed and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.Hige didn't fell like sniffing the air for food, it was obvious there was nothing here suitable to eat.Tsume had a stranger feeling he was being watched. He examined the tops of the building that encircled him. He stopped when he saw a black figure that seemed to be staring back at him.

"I don't think we should be out here in the open like this." He said keeping his eye on the mysterious shape.

"I agree." Kiba saw the figure as well and grabbed Kint's hand. "Let's go!" The 5 swiftly weaved trough alleyways and streets running as fast as they could.Kint looked up at the sky the clouds were moving in fast,darkening.Thunder and lighting was heard as the wind picked up. Papers flew ghostly into the air and came hurtling to the ground as it began to rain hard.Kiba was still holding Kint hand and led his pack into a broken down structure that would possible provide shelter. When inside, Kiba and Tsume slammed the double doors and grabbed random objects and placed them in front of the door.Hige joined in while Kint held Toboe in her arms. She never noticed it till now but, she was starting to feel like a motherly figure towards Toboe.The wolves were still breathing heavily from their run.

"There... that... should do it?" said Hige, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Tsume...what was that?" Kiba was referring to the dark object that was stoking them.

"I don't know." Tsume slid down to the floor. He was extremely exhausted.

Kint looked around the area she was in, still holding on to Toboe. "Where are we?" The room was actually a large foyer. It was dusty and full of cobwebs. There were three staircases, one to the left, one to the right and one from behind a counter that was in the middle of the lobby. The lights the hung from the cracked ceiling were broken. The only light they had was the random bolts of lighting in the sky that lit the area.Hige kneeled down and drew an X in the dust on the green and white checkered tile floor.

"This is one freaky mansion." said Tsume rubbing the back of his neck.Kint walked over to the counter and picked up a clipboard.

Kiba walked up behind her. "What is it, Kint?" He said softly.

Kint eyes narrowed as she blew on the dusty clipboard and gasped. "I knew it..." She said with a whisper.

"Knew what" said Toboe now standing next to her.

"This isn't a mansion, it's a hospital." She showed him the blue letters lined at the top of the clipboard.

"Jinks Community Hospital." read Toboe shaken once again.Kint stared at Kiba questionably.

"Yea, that's great and all, but where's the community?" said Hige suspiciously.

The group jumped when they heard a mechanical sound from outside.Kiba told Hige to stay with Hige and the other while he and Tsume checked it out. Tsume peered out a splintered window. The city looked terrifying. Paper and debris were flying everywhere as the wind seemed to pick up. He could hear the rain strike against the pavement and the windows outside. The dark gray sky shadowed the city. Lighting bolts cracked and thunder boomed loudly making him uneasy aimlessly.Kiba sat across from him appearing and feeling the same way. The two decided to go outside to see where that odd sound was coming from when they heard a crash from behind them. It was the black figure it fell through the ceiling causing dusty to shoot towards Toboe, Kint, and Hige.They crouched down and covered their eyes waiting for it to clear.Kiba and Tsume ran to checked on them.Tsume watched the black figure while Kiba was checking on the others.

"Are you alright?" Kiba examined Kint .Looking her carefully.

"Yea...We're fine." Kint said slowly. She was holding her breath the whole time.

"What the heck is that thing?" asked Hige as he joined in helping Kint and Toboe up.

There was a long silence. The thunderstorm was only heard.Kiba took two steps toward the object before in stood up. It was still hard to see the dust wasn't completely settled and the hole in the ceiling shone an eerie blue spotlight directly over the massive object.

"Whatever that thing is it isn't human." said Toboe bracing himself as the creature came closer. Each step the creature took more and more dust flow into the air. The foyer was now thick with it.Kiba, Tsume, and Hige stood protectively in front of the small wolves as they listened to the mechanical sounds that echoed in the air. The silence started up again while they wanted nervously staring in basically complete darkness. Kint felt something warm on her left hand and looked down at it. It was a red strip of light kind of like a....laser! She tried quietly to get Kiba's attention.

"K-K-K-Kiba? Kiba?" she whispered fearfully, feeling the laser slid up her arm. "Kiba?"

"What is it, Kint?" There was a bit of worriment in his voice.

"T-There's a laser on m-my arm."

Kiba slowly looked behind him. She was right. He recognized the laser too. That thing was aiming for Kint. "Guys, listen to me. On the count of three I want all of you to run up the right staircase okay?" Everyone nodded. Even if the dust was thick they could still see. I mean, they were wolves none the less. Kint was keeping an eye on the laser as Kiba began to count down.

"...Two...ONE!"

BOOM!!!The creature's gun fired several shots.

Welcome to Hell, my dear wolves.

To be continued.....