Chapter Five

"Its...its still empty..." Kara muttered softly, moving past 2D to press her fingers against the ice cold glass that they were all staring out of. Just beyond, a disturbing scene that was the cause of 2D's emotional discomfort greeted everyone's gaze.

The street running parallel with the building's side was shrouded in a thick, disconcerting fog. It was the same still fog that 2D had noticed upon exiting the car park, however it had risen, blotting out everything outside of a five foot radius and giving an overall claustrophobic sensation to the building. Adding to it was the presence of what appeared to be thick, grayish snow floating down inside the fog, landing and vanishing on the street the second it touched. Nothing moved outside, almost like the entire town had sucked in one large breath and was holding it so as not to disrupt the unnatural stillness. Everything seemed to be pressing in on their location, trying to suffocate them like a giant pressing a heavy blanket down upon the city.

Kara's breath steamed up the window as she touched her nose to the glass, her eyes squinting as if looking hard and long enough would bring normalcy back to the city and return everything to the way it once was. 2D watched the girl for a long time before placing a hand on her shoulder, bringing her mind back to reality. She looked at him slowly, her eyes baleful and eyebrows scrunched up in a strange, pained expression.

"This was my home, 2D. All the people that were here..." she trailed off, her voice still hushed and cracking slightly. Her fingers trembled visibly on the window, leaving uneven streaks through the damp mist her breath had left behind.

"I know," 2D replied, uncertain of what else he could say to comfort her, "I 'unno wut t' tell you, girl..." he admitted after a long pause. Noodle watched the two, her own face natural but her mind far from it. She felt bad for the girl. While they were all in the same predicament, Kara had an emotional attachment to the city of Portland that the band did not, and beyond that she had an attachment to the people she knew and loved there, people who's fates were uncertain as of that moment. Noodle could only imagine what kind of things would be wracking her own mind had this occurred in Essex rather than in the states.

2D opened his mouth to say more but was interrupted by the sounds of Russel and Murdoc coming back through the door. All three heads turned towards the noise as the other two members of the band came in to view, arms laden with supplies. Both carried a mismatched collection of items, from random vending machine snacks to police issue black four and six cell D battery Maglite flashlights. It was clear they'd simply gone in looking for anything and everything that could assist them.

"Oi, dullard, get over 'ere," Murdoc grumbled, stopping near the desk. 2D crushed the end of his cigarette out on the wall and proceeded over to the older man, tossing the butt in a small metal trash bin.

"Yeah? Oomph!" 2D grunted as he found a pile of supplies suddenly thrust in to his arms, a few heavier objects jabbing in to his stomach, "Wut 'is?" he asked after the momentary ache in his gut subsided. Murdoc reached down and plucked a long six-cell Maglite off the top of the pile.

"Russ 'n I are gonna go ou', check things, see if there's 'ny way t' ge' us ou' of this mess," Murdoc explained as he checked the flashlight over, pressing the button and momentarily drenching the ceiling in a sickly yellow light. 2D's eyebrows pressed together as he continued, dropping the flashlight to his side as he looked up in to the young singer's blank eyes, "Ge' this stuff loaded up in t' the bags Russ 'n I found while we're gone. Yer stayin' with the girls 'til we ge' back, understood?"

2D went to protest their decision but was suddenly cut off and rather roughly shoved to the side, by a suddenly frantic Noodle who'd come running up the second she caught what Murdoc was saying. She grabbed him roughly by the bottom of his jacket, causing him to stumble a little and give a grunt of surprise at her sudden arrival. 2D grumbled as he rose from the desk where he'd fallen against, a few small items dropping from his arms.

"You can't! Murdoc-san, I told you there are-"

"Monsters," Murdoc finished, peeling Noodle's hands off of his shirt and holding her back by her wrists. Slowly he crouched down until he was eye level with the girl, staring in to her baleful gaze with a stern expression, "Noodle girl, I'm no' callin' you a liar, bu' even wit e'erything tha' happened, I'm havin' a bloody hard time believin' that monsters are havin' 'nything t' do with wut's goin' on,"

"Then what caused that?" Kara interjected from the window, her head turned to stare at the trio. Russel seemed to be ignoring the lot of them as he was crouched on the floor, stuffing a few random supplies in to the backpack he'd grabbed from their rental car after the crash.

"Yeah, Murdoc," 2D agreed, shifting his load on to the desk and using his newly freed hands to gesture to the mess that Kara had been indicating, "If sum creature did' do 'at, then wut did?"

Grumbling in annoyance, Murdoc released the Asian teen's wrists and turned his murderous glare on to 2D.

"A car," he said dryly, raising an eyebrow in a nonverbal challenge for 2D to deny that it could be anything but what he'd just stated.

"...a car?" 2D echoed, his own eyebrows lifting in absolute disbelief. His head turned to stare at the damage for a brief moment before he turned back and raised one narrow, bony finger at the wreckage, "Does THAT look like a bloody CAR t' you, Murdoc?" he demanded, voice rising in pitch and volume as he spoke.

Murdoc's lip twitched in to an angered sneer and his hand twitched, longing to grab the blue haired singer by his skinny neck and throttle him. A lingering pain in his gut reminded him that Noodle was within arm's length of his more sensitive regions, and not wanting to feel that pain anywhere else; he refrained from inflicting agony on the singer and simply looked down at Noodle instead.

"Yer scared?" he asked gruffly.

"Why should I not be? It is not like we are safe here." Noodle snapped back in a rather huffy tone.

"We won' be gone long, bu' if yer really tha' worried, 'ere." Fishing something out of the pile of items that 2D had placed on the desk, Murdoc turned and handed a small but wicked looking riot baton to the teen. She frowned at it, giving the object an experimental twirl before responding to Murdoc with a muttered thanks in her native tongue. She turned away from him, shoulders hunched in clear irritation at Murdoc's incessant belief that nothing short of a manmade object could have torn through the MAX.

Just because you do not see something, Noodle mused as she went to stand by Kara again, her arms crossing over her chest, does not mean that it does not exist. You would think that some one who blatantly worships the Christian devil would be able to see past the veil of the 'normal' world, especially after everything that has happened...

Kara's bright teal eyes turned towards Noodle, her twitchy, nervous frown pulling a little deeper in to her pale toned face. Gently she rested a gentle hand on the girl's bony shoulder, causing Noodle to blink and look up at the woman who was merely a stranger only hours ago. Kara's mouth managed to lift in to a comforting smile, and Noodle couldn't help but return the gesture. They stood in silent agreement and understanding, grateful for one another's company.

2D on the other hand was unable to enjoy such mental camaraderie. Instead he was watching Murdoc gather his own supplies with an irritated, dark expression. As Murdoc grabbed the last of what he wished to carry, he finally afforded the younger man a glance.

"Don'," he warned in a menacing tone.

"You shouln'-" 2D started, only to be rudely cut off by Murdoc's hand being thrust in to his face. The bassist shoved an army-issue shoulder bag in to 2D's arms as he began talking in a slow, even voice, giving a thinly masked attempt at keeping calm rather than flying off the handle as he so often did.

"I said don', Tusspot. Maybe I'm no' actin' i', bu' I'm fully aware tha' sum'in's goin' on. I'm tryin' t' keep our happy arses alive an' fin' a way OU'. 'unno abou' you, bu' I would much rather be a' home a' Kong, safe an' doin' our own thin', dealin' wit our own crap, an' not here. So 'ows abou' you shu'p an' do wut I said?"

2D's dark eyes gazed at Murdoc's oddly colored ones as the office filled with the same suffocating silence as before. Finally 2D gave a reluctant, defeated sigh and turned to the desk and the items piled on top.

"Fine," he replied in a tiny voice, yanking the ties of the bag open and angrily shoving things in to it, "Bu' if you ge' yerself killed, don' 'spect me t' care."

"Never asked fer you t'. No' like I'd care if you bi' the bulle' either," Murdoc grunted, shouldering the bag that he had and pushing the end of the Maglite in to his pocket. After situating another cigarette in his mouth he headed over to where Russel was waiting with his bag and light. The train had left just enough clearance on the right side of the building for a gap that could be crawled through carefully. Beyond the space thick fog gave the world a gray, blank slate appearance.

Russel gave Murdoc a strange, unidentifiable look, but if he was going to scold him for being so mean to 2D or comment on his disbelief of the situation, he said nothing. It was on his mind, but he wanted to get out and get home as much as the bassist did. Following Murdoc out of the gap, he decided it wouldn't have done any good to speak his mind anyway; he was simply too stubborn to admit he was wrong until his error came up and slapped him in the face, and even then it was debatable as to whether or not he admitted the mistake after that.

Kara felt her heart give a jump as she heard the two men shuffle through the pile of broken concrete that lay at the base of the hole, her head craning over her shoulder to watch their movements through a veil of red from her wavy bangs hanging before her eyes. Within a few minutes they'd slipped through, and their forms were quickly swallowed by the grayness beyond.

A soft muttering tugged her train of thought away from the two leaving and caused both her and Noodle to turn in 2D's direction. He was still throwing things in to the army bag, his movements jerky and tense as if he were trying to push the very energy of his anger in to the bag with the supplies. Kara sighed, rubbing a hand over her mouth and then over her tousled hair, adjusting her glasses before taking a few steps towards the angered man. Once near the table she picked up the remaining bag, catching 2D's attention long enough for him to look up at her with a questioning expression.

"Wut...?"

"No point in just standing around doing nothing," Kara explained, a half hearted smile breaking the monotony of her almost constant blank facade. She held the bag up to indicate what she meant when his eyebrow raised in uncertainty. After a pause of deliberation, a thought crossing his mind that he should just be left to the task himself, he realized that he would actually enjoy the company. He said as much, adding in silently that it was better than worrying about some one who couldn't even bother to so much as listen to what his band mates had to say.

--------

"Russ,"

"Yeah, Muds?"

"There was a bridge 'ere, yeah?"

"Yeah. Was,"

"Den where the bloody hell is i' NOW!"

Murdoc's voice echoed loudly despite the heavy fog that surrounded them, the word 'now' bouncing like a verbal ping pong ball and shattering the deafening silence. Murdoc stood with his arms open wide as he and his African American companion stared at a very unnerving sight.

Where a road should have continued onward towards the famous Portland Steel Bridge that spanned over the majestic Willamette River, a sheer drop stood in its place, as if a giant of epic proportions had simply come tearing through the very earth itself and decimated everything in and beneath its path. Even the buildings themselves that once stood river side had simply been broken, blasted through with bits of cement, rebar, and various other attachments simply hanging limply from their foundations. All around them the endless fog pressed ever closer, the mist and strange grayish flakes falling from the sky blotting out everything beyond the view of the shattered road, and from where they stood the gap seemed to stretch on forever outward and down. The edge of the world that the skeptics of old spoke of to the adventurous Christopher Columbus had appeared in reality, leaving the two men standing at it to wonder what they were going to do next.

Murdoc took the end of the cigarette out of his mouth and leaned over the precarious edge, casually flicking the still smoking butt in to the chasm. He and Russel watched it fall and eventually vanish in to the substantial, disturbing mist. The two exchanged slightly nervous looks and Russel bent down to lift a chunk of torn up asphalt in to his large hand, rising up a second later and holding it out from the edge. His fingers opened and the blackened piece of road decended at a rapid pace before it, too, simply vanished in to the fog. They waited, listening to the thick silence that surrounded them. Some estimated three minutes passed and the sound of the stone hitting solid ground never reached their ears.

"…well that's a mite disconcerting, mate," Murdoc muttered, shoving his hands in to his pockets as his gaze traveled over their immediate surroundings. Russel gave a non committal grunt and scratched at his bald head uncertainly, his lips pressing together tightly as he tried to formulate some other plan.

Chances were, at the rate things were going down hill for them, that it wasn't the only area in that condition, and the pressing fog along with the distinct lack of transportation or life left them with very little options. It didn't help that what Noodle had said about monsters was still weighing heavily on his mind, even if Murdoc had dismissed it as mere hearsay. At that moment things weren't dire, but even with the absence of monsters they were still injured, and their gained supplies from the police office would only last so long. Russel found himself chewing nervously on his lower lip, a habit he hadn't done in years. He wasn't so much afraid as he was worried, especially about his band mates. While Murdoc may have been the eldest member, that didn't mean he could be counted on to keep everyone safe. Murdoc put himself first and foremost in any thought in that deranged mind of his, even if he did occasionally do something selfless.

His thought process drawn back to the greasy bassist, Russel looked up to speak to him and found that Murdoc was no longer at his side. A quick scan showed his form slowly receding in to the fog, his steps slow as he, too, seemed to be contemplating something. He was mostly moving because he was absently kicking a dented soda can along the road with his boot and appeared to be following its movements more than going on his own will.

"Muds, man, where the hell you goin'?" Russel demanded sternly. Murdoc waved a hand in the air, showing that he'd taken another cigarette out but still hadn't lit it yet as it rested untouched by flame between two fingers. He grumbled something that was completely incoherent and only served to annoy Russel greater, "Niccals, git yer scrawny ass back here!"

Murdoc stopped shuffling along and slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder, a scowl tugging around his jagged, discolored teeth as she prepared to yell at Russel for his choice of wording. He instantly changed his mind, though, when a large, dark figure became visible in the shrouded air near Russel. His mismatched eyes squinted in to the distance, trying to identify what exactly the thing was. Russel continued to call his name, attempting to get his attention with a series of insults and demands that seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

As the thing got closer, Murdoc realized that it wasn't just flying; it was flying at them, its altitude steadily decreasing as it approached at a surprisingly quick pass. When he was able to distinguish some sort of features through the vapor, he could barely make out large moth-like wings that were far too big to belong to any sort of insect and, if he was counting correctly despite the movement, eight long vaguely human-ish arms.

His mind barely had time to register the fact that Noodle had actually been right all along before the thought switched over to the fact that Russel was completely and utterly unaware of what was bearing down on him. The reactions following were automatic, unbidden but done before he realized just what he was doing. He ran back in the direction he'd been ambling from previously and grabbed Russel's large right forearm, yanking the bigger man down with a cry of "Look ou'!"

They tumbled to the debris strewn ground, Russel letting out a long shout of curses and baffled questions as the strange creature buzzed dangerously close to their ducked down heads, a loud hissing and inhuman shrieking noise filling the air as it narrowly missed them and careened out of control momentarily. Above them a light sprinkling of blue-black dust was left behind, and upon inhaling both men began coughing harshly, the seemingly innocent powder causing the inside of their lungs to burn.

"'at thing almos' took yer 'ead off, Russ!" Murdoc managed to choke out between fits of hacking. Russel winced and looked up, watching as the strange, two headed moth-like being spun in the air and regained its bearings, preparing for another swing at the men. Russel struggled for enough breath to warn Murdoc that the thing was returning, but was unable to do so as the remaining dust seemed to hover around them, causing the particles to be inhaled every time one of the breathed.

The moth-thing began its rapid decent towards the helpless band mates just as a bellowing cry filled the still air.

"I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU! GET BACK HERE!"

Out of the fog another, humanoid figure emerged from the shroud, running full tilt in Russel and Murdoc's direction. Their heads jerked in the direction of the noise and saw the person, details becoming clearer as he rapidly approached. Even the strange moth creature had stopped in mid air to stare, its two bizarre heads tilted to the side as if uncertain of what this human was doing.

The man came closer, his feet pounding the asphalt with loud, echoing sounds. In his fist he clutched a long metal pole about five feet long, and right as he neared the two huddled figures on the ground he slammed the flattest end in to the ground, hurtling himself in to the air. With a war-cry like yell he swung the pipe, connecting with the creature before it had a chance to react. It knocked in to the first head with a sickening crunch, sending it careening in to the wall of the nearby building. The man landed on one knee and hand, the pipe still clutched in his fist. An arrogant smirk was worn upon his lips, a triumphant air about him.

"Whoa…" Russel muttered, having watched the whole scene as his coughing subsided. Both he and Murdoc stared dumbfounded, shocked at the fact that another living being was still around in the emptied out town. Slowly the man rose to his feet, dusting off his oversized drab olive colored jacket and baggy black pants with his hands, humming to himself as if he had not a care in the world.

Murdoc and Russel traded concerned looks and slowly detangled themselves from the ground and their own limbs, Russel clearing his throat to call the attention of the stranger to them. The man gave a twitch of his shoulders and spun on his heel, his head canting to the side at the duo standing before him. Brushing a shock

"So…who the hell are you and why the hell aren't you armed? In case you haven't notice we're in the middle of a goddamn freak circus..."

--

"2D?"

"Hm?" 2D muttered, looking up from the desk as he sorted through the remaining items, attempting, with Noodle's help, to divvy up the food supplies that the other two had brought out. Kara was checking over the Maglites and a few other non-food things, making sure that what they had worked and would stay working, although at that moment her gaze was on the blue haired singer rather than the flashlight in her hand.

"I uh...well I don't mean to be rude but curiosity is going to get the better of me. What's with your eyes? I mean...well..." she trailed off, a light pink tint coming to her cheeks as she quickly averted her attention back to the object still clutched between her fingers. She fiddled with the button, watching the flash feature come on and blink a cone of pale yellow light across the floor.

"Me eyes?" 2D echoed, blinking a few times as he tried to comprehend what the redhead was getting at, "Oh! Dat. Yeah. I 'ad an acci'ent when I wus younger. Couple, actually. Fractured my eyes and made them dial...di...erm..." stumbling over the word, 2D looked down at Noodle with a vaguely pleading expression. The younger girl gave a small smile and looked up at Kara.

"2D-san fractured his pupils, and made them dilate permanently," she explained with a nod, "It was Murdoc-san's fault, from what I was told. Two car accidents, separate times. Each time he was injured badly and hit his head on something. I believe the second time was the curb of a sidewalk."

"...and you can still see after all that?" Kara asked, her eyebrows knitting together as she was clearly suprised at this revalation. She carefully put the flashlight in a bag and picked up a large box of matches that had been placed in with everything else.

"Well...yeah! Bu' I ge' these migraines, see. Dat's the only side effect. I even ge' me vision tested sumtimes an' the eye doctor person says me sigh' is fine. Though...he makes a weird face when he says i'."

"I can imagine why!" Kara exclaimed, giving him a crooked grin.

"2D-san! Show her the face!" Noodle chimed in, tugging on his shirt to get his attention. 2D let out a half snort-half chuckle and screwed up his face in to something that was clearly mocking confusion and disgust. Kara couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous he looked, and at that moment the laughter felt more liberating than it ever had. It reminded her that she, and the others, were still alive even in their bleak situation.

"That's horrid! He really looks like that?"

"Yeah! Me doc kinda does the same thing, an-"

"SHH!" Noodle suddenly hissed, her hand tightening on 2D's arm so hard that her knuckles turned white. Her deep eyes went wide behind her purplish fringe and she stared over her shoulder at the nearby window.

"Noodle?" Kara questioned, setting down the box of matches and moving closer to the frightened girl. Noodle held her other hand up, causing Kara to stop moving only a few inches from her. Noodle's finger then moved to her lips, instructing the other two to listen.

Somewhere near by, something very loud was buzzing.

--

"...and after we go' ou', Russ suggested findin' weapons,"

"But the place where we crashed had crap. We found a riot baton and some Maglites and that was about it," Russel and Murdoc finished explaining to the young man. Before they'd begun their tale, the man had introduced himself as Samael McLean, a resident of Portland who'd only moved to the large city from the east coast only a few months prior. The two had also gone to the trouble of introducing themselves and explaining that they were only part of a five person group that had come off of the train wreckage.

Sam had been leaning against the hood of a small blue Geo Neon that had stopped a few feet before the chasm, listening to their story intently. His arms crossed over his chest, metal pole laid across his lap and his legs sticking out in front of him, he gave simple nods and grunts in response to the entire story until Russel finished.

"What were you expecting to find out here? After you left, that is," Sam asked, picking at a bit of grey substance that had fallen on to his jacket.

"People, weapons, a way ou'," Murdoc answered, scuffing the tip of his boot against a few scattered pieces of broken road at his feet. His hands were shoved in to his pockets again, his whole demeanor strangely thoughtful and distant, not like his usual self by any stretch of the imagination. Then again, Russel didn't quite feel himself either. He figured it was some sort of belated shock for both of them, most of it stemming from what had just happened with the strange creature and the newcomer.

"Weapons, yes. I can lead you to some. Way out? Not likely, at least I haven't found anything. This," Sam said, indicating the broken, shattered road with a twitch of his first finger, "is the second area I've found like this, but I haven't gotten very far. There may be a chance. As for people? Sorry, but you're the only living, non freakazoid things I've found since everything went to hell."

"...well inni' tha' just bloody lovely," Murdoc muttered, his foot going still as he stopped fidgeting, his oddly colored eyes rising to look at Sam with a disgruntled expression. Russel ran a hand over the back of his neck, making a few noises of irritation at their worsening predicament.

"Well, we can't just sit around doin' jack crap about it. If anything we've gotta keep movin', get the hell away from things like-"

His words caught in his throat, a queer, sick sensation flushing down from his face to his stomach as his hand gestured to the building and his eyes landed on the spot where the creature was, where the creature should have been. Instead all that greeted his vision was a dark spot on the sidewalk where it had eventually fallen after being whacked by Sam's pole, rather than the heaped up form of the injured moth thing.

Both Sam and Murdoc's heads twitched in the direction of Russel's hand, expressions going curious with hints of worry lining both their mouths.

"...no way. I hit that thing, it should have stayed down," Sam muttered, pushing himself off the car in to a completely standing position.

"If th' thin's no' dere, den where-"

Somewhere in the fog, through the resounding silence, glass shattered. All heads turned towards the sound just as a shrill, blood curdling scream filled the air, warning of danger and pleading for help all in one breath...