Kasuka looked utterly defeated as he sat in the passenger seat of the car. Ruri was driving, following Cybil down the road out of Silent Hill with Celty taking up the rear. They had found absolutely no one and nothing. Other than the smell Kasuka had got, there were no traces of anyone living or dead in Silent Hill.
Meaning the phone call had been faked.
And that thought completely crushed Kasuka. That meant his brother was dead. He was never coming back.
His brother was gone forever.
The drive back down the mountain was sullen and silent. Not even the chatterbox Shinra dared say anything.
Once they reached the bridge, Cybil pulled off onto the shoulder. Ruri and Celty followed behind and parked. The police woman got off her bike and turned to the two vehicles. Kasuka rolled down his window while Ruri and Shinra got out to talk.
"Now, don't you try to come up here again." Cybil said. "We have constant surveillance on this road way. And we can't have civilian's wondering around up here."
No one answered.
"I'm sorry we couldn't find anything. If you want, we can go down to the station and you can file a missing per—"
"There'd be no point." Kasuka interrupted.
Cybil stared at him before sighing. "You have my condolences. I'm sorry for your loss."
Kasuka didn't answer.
"Thank you fol taking us up." Ruri said, bowing to her.
Cybil nodded. "I'll escort you into Brahms. You lot take care of yourselves after that."
"Hai." Shinra and Ruri answered.
The four got back on their respected vehicles and drove off.
Shizuo panted as he held Izaya to his chest, pressing himself to the wall of an alley. The hell had ended not long after he left the school behind. However, the skinned dogs and some strange pterodactyl monsters were chasing after them still. Shizuo easily out-ran them but he had been running around the town without stop while carrying a person so it was no surprise he was starting to tire.
The dogs ran by without seeing them, allowing Shizuo a moments reprieve.
"Would you fucking put me down?" Izaya snarled.
Shizuo jolted and looked down at the raven. He hadn't said anything the entire run till now. "Um, y-yeah."
Shizuo lowered the raven's legs so he could stand.
"Thanks, dipstick." Izaya ruffled out his red fur-trimmed coat and pushed his pants around his thighs down as if to get rid of a wedgie.
Shizuo stared at the raven, confusion setting in. The man in front of him looked exactly like Izaya—black clothes, black hair, fur-trimmed coat, exact face, body build—however, Shizuo was starting to question who this was for several reasons. One of which was his language and speech in general, which he had noticed earlier. Another is the fact that Shizuo was wearing Izaya's coat yet this Izaya had his own—albeit red instead of tan. And his eyes. His eyes were the most obvious give away. They were blood red instead of russet brown; what's more there wasn't that manipulative pleasure that was always there. The spark that flared whenever Izaya was scheming; the maniacal happiness whenever he lied eyes on Shizuo; calculating; observing. None of that was present in Izaya's gaze. Just hatred and annoyance.
"Are you...Izaya?"
The raven cocked a brow to cast him an 'are you stupid' look and opened his mouth to answer.
However, he didn't get time as Shizuo's phone began to screech and whine in his pocket. The blond looked around quickly and spotted a few dogs sniffing across the street.
"Shit." He muttered.
"Here." The raven whispered as he whacked Shizuo's arm.
He turned back to him. The Izaya-look-alike rushed over to a window and pushed it up. It jammed once but with a good push it opened all the way. Next moment he was trying to clamor in. Shizuo grabbed the raven's foot to push him up—which made it much easier for him to get in. Once inside, he turned around and held his hands out to Shizuo. The blond accepted the offer and was pulled up in the house.
The stranger closed the window, looked out to see if anything had spotted them, then shut the curtains.
"Who are you?" Shizuo asked.
"I ain't your Izaya, that's for sure." He growled, casting Shizuo a glare before heading to the fridge. "Name's Hachimenroppi."
"Hachi...men..."
"Just call me Roppi, short bus."
Shizuo glared at him.
Roppi checked the fridge, finding nothing, same for the freezer.
"What are you doing here?" Shizuo asked.
"Well, right now I'm looking for food while hiding from down syndrome dogs."
"No, I mean, how'd you get here? I thought there weren't any people in Silent Hill."
The raven hesitated. "I could ask you the same thing." He then looked at him with suspicion. "Only thing I've seen so far are monsters."
"...I'm not a monster." Shizuo glared at him.
"Last I checked, humans can't jump two stories without breaking their ankles."
"I'm built tough."
"Well, I am too." He reached over and grabbed a kitchen knife. "Give me a reason I should trust you."
Shizuo paused, staring at the knife pointed at him, then at the face that was twisted in a scowl. Then he sighed and stepped forward. "I could have killed you a hundred times over today. But I haven't."
Roppi took a step back, holding the knife steady. Shizuo continued forward.
"And if I were one of those monster's, why would they be after me too? I'm in the same boat you are: trying to get out of here alive."
Roppi just stared at him. "Got to say, pulling a deer in headlights doesn't bode well for survival."
Shizuo glared at him. "I was scared."
"You need to react, not panic, dumbass." Roppi glared at him with enough hatred to kill as he stabbed the knife into the table. "Got to say, for a monster, you're pretty cowardly."
"I'm not a monster." He growled. "My name's Heiwajima Shizuo. I'm from Ikebukero, Japan. I came here with a...friend of mine to investigate Silent Hill."
"Where's this friend?"
"He was at the school. That's why I thought he was you." Shizuo sighed in defeat. "We were so close too."
"...Hm. Then I guess we are in the same boat, if you're telling the truth. I'm looking for someone too."
"You're not alone?" Shizuo asked, surprised.
"Yeah, my...friend and I were on vacation from Japan. We took a wrong turn and ended up here." Roppi glared at the window. "He's like you, deer in headlights, only instead of running away from the lights, he runs towards them. When we got here, I swerved my car to dodge one of those dogs and crashed it. Tsuki and I ran but got separated when everything turned to...hell. At least I can assume that was hell. When it got all dark and those monsters showed up." Roppi sighed. "He doesn't know how to defend himself. I've always been the one who defended him when he was being bullied. I've fought for him more times than I can count. He wouldn't have made it this far without me and now..."
Roppi looked at the window with a defeated expression.
"Is he fast?" Shizuo asked.
Roppi looked back at him as he cocked a brow. "Yeah. He was a track star."
"Then I'm sure he's okay. He can outrun a lot of these monsters easily."
"All it takes is one dead end."
Shizuo fell silent.
Roppi sighed heavily. "He's...probably dead—"
"Don't say that! You shouldn't give up so easily!"
"I'm not giving up! I'm being realistic! He's gone! Most-likely he got killed during the hell!" Roppi glared at the ground and hugged himself. "I"m not going to stop looking for him. I at least want to find his body."
"I'm sure he's alive."
Roppi glared up at him with complete hate. "Don't patronize me. The only reason I'm alive is because I ran into you."
"Yeah and those unforeseen circumstances are why you shouln't give up. My friend was in the school. If Tsuki was there then I'm sure my friend probably grabbed him."
"...Maybe."
"I'm sure he's alright. There is hope."
"Hope? Pssh, like I'm that desperate."
"That really—"
"I'm a realist, brat. I don't ride on false-hope."
"Brat—Hey, I'm older than you!"
"The hell you know my age?"
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
"Ha! I"m twenty-four!"
Roppi rolled his eyes. "That's your way of showing your maturity?"
"Piss off!"
Shizuo's eyes widened. Deja vu hit him hard with this conversation. He was certain Izaya had said something similar...
"That's your way of showing your intelligence?"
And he had replied the same way only with a few punches added to it.
"...Hey—"
The conversation was interrupted by glass shattering. The two jumped and Roppi turned around to stare into the laundry room. One of the pterodactyl monsters had broken in, the thing screeching at them and landing on the ground. It hissed and began walking towards them.
"Shit, come on!" Shizuo grabbed Roppi's arm and pulled.
Roppi quickly turned and the two ran. They headed up the stairs, where they went to a room at the end of the hall. Roppi closed the door behind them then pulled a dresser in front of it.
Shizuo went straight to the window, moving the curtains and opening it. He peered out, relieved to see nothing in the backyard.
"Come on." Shizuo whispered, gesturing to Roppi to come over.
"Wait a sec." Roppi went to the closet.
"Iza—Roppi."
"There's a gun in here."
Shizuo's eyes widened before he rushed over.
Roppi sat knelt in the closet, a small metal safe in front of him. He tilted it up so he could look at it without lying on his stomach. Shizuo looked around before kneeling down on Roppi's left.
Roppi turned and punched his arm. "Don't think I didn't hear that."
Shizuo matched Roppi's glare. "Sorry."
"Sure thing, Tsuki."
Shizuo's glare narrowed. Roppi snorted and turned back to the gun case.
He stared at a four-place number lock. He tilted the case up more to peer underneath it, in hopes of a code but there was none.
"Hey, look around for some—"
"Yeah." Shizuo stood. "We can't take too long."
The blond began his search. In all honesty, he could easily break it open and most-likely not damage what's inside. The only reason he didn't was so Roppi wouldn't accuse him of being a monster. The last thing he wanted was for Roppi to turn a gun on him thinking he had to protect himself.
Shizuo tore apart the room, looking for a slip of paper. However, he found nothing. So he started to think.
'If I were to hide a code, it'd need to be inconspicuous. Where...?'
Shizuo let his eyes scanned the room. Where they fell on a picture frame.
'Maybe...'
He grabbed it, turned it over, and paused. He had thought that a slip of paper may be hiding behind the picture in the picture frame. However, that seemed to not be the case. There was a number drawn on the back of the frame with a black marker.
"...Huh..."
"What?"
Roppi looked over his shoulder, having been putting in random numbers till now. "Found it?"
Shizuo looked around the room, spotting three more family photos. "Maybe."
He rushed over to one and flipped it over. There was another number as he suspected. The next photo also had one, as well as the last. He grabbed all four of them and placed them on the dresser blocking the door.
"Okay. 0-2-0-4."
Roppi muttered the code as he put it in. "Nope."
"Hm." Shizuo stared at the photos.
Then noticed something. The photos themselves looked as if they were supposed to be one giant picture of the family, however it was cropped into four. Shizuo stared at them. Then rearranged the pictures so they looked to be in order. Once done, he flipped them over.
"Okay. Try 4-2-0-0."
"4-2..." Roppi muttered the code again. The lock clicked. "Got it."
Shizuo smiled.
But it soon fell away as something slammed against the door hard, shaking the dresser hard enough to make the picture frames fall.
"Shit, we've got to go!" Shizuo yelled.
"One second." Roppi grabbed a pistol—what kind Shizuo didn't know since this was the first time Shizuo had actually seen a real gun—and grabbed a box full of bullets.
Another slam to the door made Shizuo jump. He ran to the dresser and pressed himself to it while Roppi pulled the clip out of the butt of the gun.
"Hurry!" Shizuo yelled as the banging became more often and harder.
"Shut up! I'm trying!" Roppi grabbed a handful of bullets and began loading the clip.
A particularly hard slam forced Shizuo forward a few steps. He quickly pressed himself back to the dresser, however it was short-lived. Another hard slam sent Shizuo stumbling towards the bed, the dresser falling forward and the door flying open.
A strange looking monster stumbled in. It looked like a huge pair of mannequin legs without feet and instead of a torso, another pair of mannequin legs were connected by the hips. It stumbled forward on two legs slowly.
As Shizuo went to stand, one of the skinless dogs leaped towards him. His jaws spread to gnash, it aimed to grab Shizuo's throat. The blonds' reflexes kicked in fast and he raised his arm in defense. The dog sunk its teeth into Shizuo's forearm as tight as it could grip.
Before Shizuo could raise a hand to attack, a loud BANG! went off. A hole appeared in the side of the dogs head as a bullet whizzed by. The dog let go and fell to the side.
Shizuo didn't give himself time to worry about the fact that Roppi didn't hesitate to shoot at him. Instead, he jumped up, grabbed Roppi by the arm and pulled him to the window.
"Wait! The other bullets!"
"No time!"
Shizuo lifted Roppi and tossed him over his shoulder.
"Hey!" Roppi protested.
"Keep your head down!" Shizuo ordered as he ran to the window.
Shizuo crossed an arm over his face before pile-driving through the glass and wood. Once in the open, Shizuo moved his arm to see where he was landing—which he landed on a small doghouse. He automatically pushed off and leaped over the fence, landing in the alley. He then wrapped his arms around Roppi and took off running.
Izaya groaned as he scrunched his eyes before opening them. His vision was bleary and he was extremely lightheaded. He was also thirsty. With another groan he raised himself up, rubbing his head.
Once he got his bearings, Izaya took a look around himself. He was lying in a bed, small and thin, with a curtain pulled around the perimeter of the metal frame.
'Am I in the nurses office...?'
Izaya checked himself to see if he was hurt or missing anything. Then paused when the door opened. The curtain blocked his view of who it was so he remained quiet as he looked around. There was a vase on the nightstand so he grabbed it, ready to attack. The person was now by Izaya's side on the other side of the curtain.
The curtain was pulled back.
Izaya swung.
The blond-haired person screamed in shock before raising his arms in defense.
Izaya stopped himself just in time.
"It's you." Izaya said as he pulled the vase back.
"I-I-I'm gl-glad to see yo-you're awake." The blond stuttered as he backed away, holding his chest.
"Sorry." Izaya said as he put the vase down.
"It-It's okay. I pro-probably wo-would have done the same."
Izaya stared the blond up and down before sighing. As he had thought, this person wasn't Shizuo. He was way too young to be Shizuo. This kid looked like he was no older than eighteen, with big red eyes and a giant scarf around his neck. He had a similar attire as Shizuo, with black pants, black vest and a white button-up shirt underneath, however it looked as if he was a natural blond with thick glasses on his face.
"I-I have wa-water." The blond said, reaching into a messenger bag that hung on his shoulder. He pulled out a blue water bottle.
"Where'd you get it?"
"I-I had it with me whe-when I got here. I-I have food, t-too." He reached into his bag and pulled out an American-brand bag of chips.
Izaya stared at him with suspicion but took the bottle and chips.
"Thanks."
"N-no problem." The blond sat on the bed and pulled out another bag of chips.
"So...what's your name?" Izaya asked as he opened the water bottle.
"I-I'm Tsuk-Tsukishima."
"Hm." Izaya took a generous chug of water, letting out a loud exhale in relief. "I'm Orihara Izaya."
"Ni-nice to meet you."
Izaya nodded. "So, what are you doing here? Are you a resident of Silent Hill?"
"No-no. Me-me and my...brother we-were here in A-America on va-vacation. We-we were he-heading to Brahms bu-but got lost and-and ended up he-here."
"Where's you brother?"
"...I...don't know. We-we got...separated."
"Hm." Izaya opened the bag of chips and began munching. "So I can safely assume you're from Japan."
"H-hai."
"Huh. Guess I'm not alone then." He muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing. By the way, while you were in town, did you happen to come across a hotel?"
"Hotel?"
"Mm." Izaya pulled the object he had gotten from Collin the Janitor from his pocket and showed it to Tsuki. It was a key chain to a key. The corner was broken off but the letters 'tel' and half of an 'o' were visible. "I need to go to this hotel."
"Um, I-I think I saw one." Tsuki reached into his bag and pulled out a pamphlet. It was a map of the town, the same one Izaya had had before the armless man melted it away. He looked over the piece of paper then showed it to Izaya. "Here." He pointed to a spot on the map.
Izaya nodded once he saw the landmark then began charting a route to it. "We're still in the school, right?"
"Um-um, yes."
"Okay." Izaya finished off his chips, wiped off his hands, then stood.
"Wh-where—"
"To the hotel, of course."
"Bu-but!" Tsuki grabbed Izaya's arm. Izaya glared down at him. "Y-your throat is ba-badly bruised. I-I don't think you should walk around just yet."
"So, you want me to stay here and wait for the Darkness to come back?"
"N-n-no. But-but..."
"Look, I don't know how long I was asleep but I don't have time to sit around. I have to find someone and they're in that hotel. So—"
"Bu-but if your thro-throat swells up and you suffocate then-then you're not hel-helping anyone."
Izaya only glared at him.
"L-look." Tsuki took the map. "The-the hospital is-is on the way. Le-let's stop there and—"
"No fucking way. I'm not getting butchered by nurses."
"Th-there should be no-no one there—"
"The nurses are monsters. And I know for a fact they are in the hospital, regardless of time."
"...St-still, we-we may be able to find an-an epipen."
"Epipens are for allergies."
"But they also open the airway. Kids with asthma ha-have epipens."
"Asthma and strangulation are not the same."
"Still! It'll he-help. Please?" Tsuki's grip on Izaya's arms tightened. "Wha-what if you die?"
He wanted to argue that going to a nurse-infested place would be more detrimental to his health than strangulation. However, he did have a point. He could feel how swollen his throat was without even touching it and he knew how the process of strangulation-healing worked. No doubt his throat would swell completely shut—like any wound does—to try and fix the broken blood vessels and crushed muscles.
Izaya sighed heavily. "Alright, fine. I'll go."
Tsuki brightened. "Thank goodness."
Izaya rolled his eyes then pulled his arm away. Tsuki scurried off the bed after him, which made Izaya pause.
"Are you going to follow me?" the raven asked.
"U-um...well, I...I don't...want to be alone..."
Izaya sighed heavily, but understood. "Okay, fine."
Tsuki brightened again. Izaya rolled his eyes as well before they headed out the door.
'Lucky him the sun is hidden by the fog. Albino's like him would get burnt in an instant.'
"Give me the map." Izaya said one they were outside.
"Oh, um, he-here." Tsuki held it out to him.
Izaya took it, opened it, and charted a new course.
By twenty minutes, they were in front of the hospital—coming across no monsters, luckily. Izaya stared up at the ominous building, feeling fear prick at his spine.
"Listen." Izaya turned to Tsuki. "The monsters that are in here are literally nurses. But these ones will kill you rather than save you. Stay close to me and don't make loud noises. Got it?"
"O-okay."
With that said, Izaya grabbed Tsuki's hand and headed inside. Izaya slowly opened the front door, the metal scraping and echoing down the hall.
'Jeez.' Izaya glowered as he slunk inside. He held the door open for Tsuki, who rushed inside. Izaya closed the door just as slow, the echo deafening.
"We're only looking on the first floor, got it?" Izaya whispered.
Tsuki nodded.
The two turned and Izaya took note that the strange cross that was at the school was bricked into the floor in front of them. He cocked a brow, beginning to think this cross actually meant something more.
'This cross being at the school made me think it was a Christian school. But hospitals usually don't have a basis of religion. Why would this be here?'
"Orihara-san?" Tsuki whispered in question.
Izaya looked up at him and simply nodded, deciding not to explain his thought process to someone who probably wouldn't understand. He then went towards the operation desk in front of them, pulling Tsuki along. Izaya let the blond go then began checking the cabinets while Tsuki checked the drawers.
"Hey." Tsuki whispered. Izaya turned to him. Tsuki held up a first aid kit.
"Is there anything in it?" Izaya asked.
Tsuki put it on the table and opened it, exposing bandages, gauze, and a CPR mask. The bandages and gauze were in plastic wrappings so they were usable but the CPR mask was covered in dirt and grime. And there was no epipen.
Tsuki grabbed the gauze and bandages and put them in his bag then put the first aid kit back. The search continued. By the end, Izaya found nothing in the cabinets and Tsuki was also unproductive.
Izaya did not want to go into rooms where they could easily get trapped. However, the tightness in his throat told him to risk it.
They went into the first room. Izaya slowly opened the door, relieved to find nothing. He gestured for Tsuki to follow. The two entered the room, where they began ransacking. Again, they found nothing.
"I'm gonna check this room." Izaya said, pointing to the door adjoining two rooms.
"Okay, I'll look around a bit more."
"Don't leave this room."
"Okay."
Izaya went over to the door. Opening it slowly, he, again, peered in before entering. Seeing nothing, he went inside. The curtain around the bed was pulled so half the room was hidden but nothing stirred on the other side to his noise so he decided he was okay. He checked the cabinets, finding nothing again.
'Jeez, this whole thing is starting to feel pointless.'
Izaya sighed before he turned and pulled the curtain back.
Automatically, he froze in fear.
Two nurses stood in front of him, one of them twitching. When he opened the curtain, they both had let out a moan and turned towards him. Their faces were wrapped in dark bandages—most-likely soaked in someone else's blood—so there was no way they could see him. But he knew they didn't need eyes to find him. Every one of their senses were heightened, even sensitivity to light. They couldn't physically see him, which was why they stood in place without moving, but all it took was a flash of light or noise to get them to move again.
He slowly stepped back, looking where he was stepping so as not to crunch on anything. He looked back up when one twitched, however it didn't move from its place.
"Orihara-san!" Tsuki's voice echoed through the door.
Izaya stiffened as the nurses moaned They took a withering step towards the direction of the voice—which was coming from behind Izaya.
"Orihara-san!" Tsuki pushed through the door. "I found some—mm!"
Izaya grabbed Tsuki and covered his mouth. Tsuki pulled on Izaya's hand then stiffened when he saw what was in the room. The nurses have moved uncomfortably close. One more step and they'd be close enough to swing. Izaya stared down at their hands. One had scissors, the other had a scalpel. And Izaya knew just how sharp those instruments were.
Izaya held Tsuki close as he stepped back towards the door, slowly, slowly, slowly. Tsuki held Izaya tightly, his form shaking. Izaya glanced down to see he looked absolutely terrified.
'And with good reason.' Izaya thought bitterly.
Izaya's back pressed against the wall, making the raven jump in surprise. He let Tsuki go so he could open the door. He pulled it open, gestured for Tsuki to go through then quickly followed afterwards. The door slammed shut, Izaya seeing through the glass window that the nurses had rushed forward to the sound. But once the echo passed, they were again still.
Izaya let out the breath he had been holding. Then looked up and glared at Tsuki. The blond flinched.
"Why the fuck were you yelling? Are you just naturally stupid or are you trying to get us killed?" Izaya growled, keeping his voice low.
"I-I'm sorry. I-I-I found some-something that mi-might be important."
"So you had to announce it to the world?"
"I'm sorry." Tears welded in Tsuki's eyes. "I'm sorry."
Izaya rolled his eyes. "Whatever, what'd you find?"
"Uh, um...th-this." Tsuki reached into his bag and pulled out two objects—an epipen and a VCR tape.
Izaya cocked a brow at the VCR tape. "Why is that important?"
Tsuki jolted. "I-I-I just thought—"
Something slammed against the door, making them jolt. One of the nurses had its face pressed to the glass.
"Come on!" Izaya grabbed Tsuki's arm and rushed out of the room.
They ran straight out the door without looking back. Once they were nearly a block away, Izaya stopped to look around them. There was no monsters in sight and no doubt the nurses wouldn't leave the hospital. They were safe for now.
"He-here, Orihara-san." Tsuki held out the epipen.
Izaya was aware he was huffing more than he needed to be after only a short jog.
"Again, I don't know if this'll work," Izaya stated.
"It-it won't hurt to try."
Izaya sighed but took the pen-shaped instrument and pulled off the cap. Before he could stop to think about it, he stabbed it into his thigh.
"Agh! Ow!"
"I-I'm sorry." Tsuki said, reaching forward to grab Izaya's arm.
Izaya just groaned as he pulled the needle out and tossed it to the side.
"So, what's so important about the tape?"
"I...just thought—"
"Hand it over."
Tsuki obeyed.
Izaya glared at the blond then looked down. Automatically his attitude changed when he saw the masking tape that labeled the front.
'Alessa Gillepsie log 4'
"We need to find a TV."
"What the hell?" Shizuo huffed, holding Roppi's hand as they sat pressed against a wall of an alley. "How do they keep finding us?"
"Ssh, ssh!" Roppi said, putting a finger to his lips before looking around.
He quickly pressed himself to the wall as two of the dogs and a pterodactyl ran by.
Once they passed, the two let out a sigh of relief.
"Let's get inside." Roppi said before turning down a side alley. "I think I know why they're finding us."
"Really?"
Roppi nodded but gestured for silence as they crept up to a backdoor. Roppi tugged but couldn't get it open. He tugged again, where it grind against the metal but was still stuck. Shizuo looked around. Where he saw an open window three stories up.
"Hey."
"What?!" Roppi growled in annoyance.
"Come here."
"Wha—"
Shizuo pointed to the window then turned and knelt down, holding his arms out behind him.
"Get on my back." The blond said.
"You've got to be—" Roppi's words fell off when trashcans clattered down the main alley.
Deciding they had no time to argue, Roppi hopped onto Shizuo's back. The blond quickly stood and rushed over under the window.
"Hold on tight."
With that said, Shizuo jumped up. He grabbed onto the ledge of the second story window. Without hesitation, he pulled himself up, propelling himself upward. He hooked his elbows inside the open window and pulled himself up so his head—and Roppi's head—were in.
"Here, go." Shizuo said.
Roppi obeyed, sliding forward into the room over Shizuo.
"Don't lift your head." Roppi said when he was midway over Shizuo.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Shizuo chuckled, praying the thing poking his head was Roppi's belt buckle.
Once the raven was all the way in, he turned and pulled on Shizuo's arm till the blond was also in. The two now both inside, Shizuo turned and closed the window.
"You do that hardcore parkour shit, huh?"
"Parkour?" Shizuo looked confused.
Roppi sighed. "Never mind."
He stood, followed by Shizuo—who cast him a quick glare.
"We should be safe for now." Roppi said.
"Then explain how they keep finding us."
"Don't tell me what to do."
The two shared a glare.
"If we're going to travel together then we're going to need a bit of trust here. We keep butting heads, we're dead."
"'Travel together'? I don't need to travel with you."
"...Fine then. Let's go our separate ways."
"Wh—" Roppi's eyes widened.
"So you want to stay together?"
"..." Roppi opened his mouth to reply, his cheeks beginning to turn red.
'Damn he has so much pride. How is he not Izaya?'
"Just...explain. Please." Shizuo said.
The raven glared at the ground before looking up and sighing.
"That thing, back during the hell. The one on the roof."
"Yeah?"
"That stuff it puked up didn't burn us." Roppi walked over and knelt down. He pulled on Shizuo's pant leg, exposing bright green spots on his black fabric. "I think it's letting out a pheromone."
"One that the monsters can follow?"
"That's my theory." Roppi stood. "We need to get rid of our clothes."
"...Are there any in here?"
Roppi looked over at the broken, empty dresser. "I doubt it. Someone ransacked this place long ago." He looked back at Shizuo. "Do you have a map?"
Shizuo reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded up map. Roppi took it, unfolded it, and opened it. He scanned the paper before turning back to the blond.
"Here." He pointed. "There's a mall in this town. We could get clothes there."
"Wouldn't that be the first place people would loot?"
"Unless everyone figured that, too, so they wouldn't bother."
Shizuo nodded in understanding.
"So we heading that way?"
Shizuo opened his mouth to answer. However, his reply was interrupted as something hard slammed against the door. The two looked at each other then at the door.
"Should we find out what that is?" Roppi asked.
A loud hiss turned into a horrifying screech.
"Nope." Shizuo grabbed Roppi and rushed to the window. Roppi hopped onto Shizuo's back before the blond jumped out the window. "You'll need to guide me."
"Got it." Roppi said as Shizuo turned, grabbed the window sill and propelled himself up to the ceiling. "Go right."
Shizuo obeyed.
Izaya looked around the corner, relieved to see nothing. Across the street was a radio and television store—exactly what he needed.
"Come on." Izaya rushed across the street with Tsuki's hand in his own.
The two ran around a police car that sat in front of the store. Izaya was the first to reach the door handle and pulled.
"Shit. Locked." Izaya cursed.
The two looked around—Izaya looking for a way to open the door while Tsuki was looking for monsters. Izaya let go of Tsuki's hand and rushed over to a trashcan. Tsuki watched him with confusion. The raven grabbed the metal handle, pulled it to the window, and huffed to lift it. He spun the trashcan around twice before letting it go. It slammed into the glass, shattering it completely. Tsuki jolted and shielded his face.
"Come on." Izaya said before hopping onto the table under the window cill.
Tsuki hesitated but followed, nonetheless.
The two now inside, Izaya went over to the closet TV with a built-in VCR and checked to see if it worked. He pressed every button but there was no reaction. He clicked his tongue then went onto the next. The next, however, gave the same reaction—nothing. He cursed. He went on to the next.
The sound of static suddenly filled the room. Tsuki jumped while Izaya's eyes widened. He turned around, seeing the white light shining from two aisles over. Izaya felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
'Is there something in here?'
Izaya cautiously took a step towards the TV. Tsuki grabbed his arm. The raven looked at him. Tsuki shook his head, looking terrified. Izaya patted his hands reassuringly before pulling his arm away.
Izaya headed for the TV, slowly and cautiously, Tsuki following closely. Once by the aisle, he peeked around the corner. There was no one there. He took in a deep breath before stepping in front of the static screen. He looked the electronic over, shocked and confused to see the TV wasn't plugged in but had a plug-in cord. Izaya smacked the top of the TV to see if it was just a glitch. The screen still showed bright.
Izaya looked back at Tsuki who was half-hiding behind the shelf with fear in his red eyes. The raven held his hand out to him. The blond looked even more scared but he reached into his bag and pulled out the VCR tape. He held it out to Izaya, who took it and turned back to the TV. He pulled the tape into the slot. The TV made a whirring sound as it registered the tape then the static faded out as an image faded in.
A woman appeared on the screen. She was blond, American with a red jacket over a white nurse outfit. She sat down at the end of the table, where she put her arms on it, bent them up and pressed the back of her hands to her forehead in a defeated pose.
"What is it? Still has an unusually high fever. Eyes don't open...getting a pulse...But just barely breathing. Her skin is all charred! Even when I change the bandages, the blood and puss just start oozing through! Why? What is keeping that child alive? I...can't stand it any longer...I won't tell a soul...promise. So please..."
The tape ended, the VCR tape being ejected out.
'Her skin...is charred...' Izaya's eyes narrowed. 'She had to have been talking about Alessa since her names on the tape.' Izaya began to think, holding his chin in thought. 'If Alessa was burned then that would explain why my dreams are constantly filled with fire. Comparing the darkness from my dreams to this darkness, mine are much worst. Hm.'
Izaya's foot tapped.
'Something's missing here. People get caught in house fire's all the time and don't end up in a personal hell. So the question is why is Alessa special?...Actually, what even starts the darkness? Who controls it?...What if...the psychic was right?'
"O...Orihara-san?"
"What if Alessa really is a demon?"
"Eh?"
A loud slam interrupted Izaya's thought. The two jumped as they turned to the source. An armless man came stumbling in, followed by a skinless dog. The armless man had knocked over a large TV in his wanky walk but he payed it no mind as he continued walking.
"Come on!" Izaya grabbed Tsuki.
"Wai—the tape!"
"We don't need it anymore! Run!"
Tsuki didn't argue.
The two ran out of the store through their broken window.
However, they didn't make it far as Izaya stopped.
"Wha—" Tsuki started.
Izaya was looking in the cop car intensely. Then he pulled on the door handle.
"Orihara-san!" Tsuki yelled as the door opened with ease.
Izaya was certain he had seen something very useful. And low and behold, he was right. A magnum pistol sat on the floor on the passenger side. Lying over the seat he grabbed it and quickly checked to see if it was loaded. To his satisfaction it was, with five bullets.
"ORIHARA-SAN!" Tsuki yelled, a dog barking furiously.
Izaya scurried backwards out of the car. Once standing, he reloaded the gun while Tsuki pulled on his arm.
"We have to go!"
Izaya then turned, with Tsuki's wrist in one hand and the gun in the other, and ran.
Kasuka lied on the bed, just staring at the wall. Shinra was currently on the phone outside. He was talking to Shiki about their unsuccessful search and the fact that they would be coming home empty handed. Celty was also outside, preparing Shooter for the long ride home. Ruri sat on the bed by Kasuka, not sure what she should be doing.
"Kasuka-san..." Ruri started, scooting closer. "I know nothing I can say will help but is there anything you need? Or want?"
"No."
Ruri didn't know what else to say. So she scooted closer until they were touching.
"I..." Kasuka started. "I at least...wanted to find his body."
Saying that was the last drop of water needed to break the floodgates. Kasuka's form began to shake as he started to cry, his sobs silent except for the occasional sniffle. Ruri stiffened. She had never seen Kasuka cry and had no clue what to do. But she did have an idea. She scooted closer and rested herself over Kasuka, resting her head on his shoulder and hugging him. Kasuka shifted his arm just enough to grab Ruri's hand. He squeezed it tight for comfort. The room was filled with silence, the only noise being Kasuka's soft sobs.
