More colonies of cave bats screeched overhead as Sam and Faye snuck around the corner of Haley's house and looked out towards the town square. It was crawling with monsters as it had been earlier. In the near distance, the saloon's door was ajar.
"Wanna check it?" Sam whispered nervously.
"I'm NOT in the mood to deal with Shadow Brutes and Metal Heads though," Faye muttered, thinking quick. She turned back around, rummaged through her pack, and in no time held a bomb in her hand. "Thing is, Gus is already in Emily's house, so the saloon should be empty. I think we should just beeline for the clinic after I chuck this bomb."
"Seriously?" Sam's eyes widened with a disbelieving chuckle. Faye snickered incredulously at herself as well as they snuck to the other side of the house towards where Evelyn's gardens and the empty lots were.
"I know it's a long shot, but maybe it can distract those creatures while we sprint for it," she said readily as she stood and heaved the ticking bomb towards the lot. As she predicted, the monsters nearby ran for it.
Taking the cue, the two of them ran for it, and by the time monsters noticed undecimated humans behind them, Sam and Faye had shut the door closed behind them in Dr. Harvey's clinic. It was dark inside save for a light coming from one of the back rooms. A loud explosion outside made them jump.
"That better have killed some of them out there," Faye said, peeking out the lobby window. Indeed, there was a small scene of guts and resources she would have snatched up on a normal day.
"Harvey's either there or upstairs," Sam noted, "I hope there's nothing hiding out in here."
"That, or more hostages," Faye muttered as they stepped carefully around the dark lobby. As they headed slowly towards the light in their present dark in fear of hiding monsters, their walking slowed, vision began blurring, and their skin began itching.
"Is it just me or,.?" Faye started, gasping slightly for air.
"No, it's not...my lungs, and...my nose," Sam wheezed as he clutched at his chest.
"The air…! Go for the light!" Faye choked as they lurched forward on limited air. Their chests tightened and their heads throbbed the longer they dared not to breathe. They pushed their way through the door: one of Harvey's patient rooms. When they took a cautious breath of air, it was clean, and they both immediately doubled over and began to take it all in large gulps.
"Oh, it didn't get them. They figured it out."
"Maybe something more immediate next time."
When air circulated in their lungs again and everything came back into focus, Maru and Harvey were leering down at Sam and Faye curiously. Sam and Faye looked up at them when their vision cleared, still reeling from the onslaught of poison. Their eyes were both pitch black. Behind them was a slew of glass beakers and flasks, some filled with colored liquids and placed over activated bunsen burners.
"Mustard gas," Faye murmured.
"They're practically committing suicide. We're kinda done for whether or not we get out of this room," Sam griped. The gas has become a faint yellowish color in the light spilling outside of the room. True enough, the distance from the back to the entrance was a long stretch.
"I'm impressed. They know some chemistry," Maru snickered, doing a slow clap.
"I have the switch to turn on the vents to dispel all the gas, but first, a test," Harvey grinned as he gestured towards the now-chemistry table, "Get it all done right, not only will I switch on the vents, but I will give you this." And out of his pocket appeared the corrupted Stardrop. Faye jumped at the sight of it. It was way too easy.
"Are you serious? You're insane!" Maru protested, her voice raspy as she grabbed at the Stardrop. Harvey danced out of her reach.
"That's it? A simple chemistry exam and we got it?" asked Sam incredulously. He looked to Faye, who was equally just as anxiously pale.
"Yes. Now get going over there," Harvey ushered them, "We either asphyxiate here or get the chance to survive." With no other choice or idea, Sam and Faye took up their positions at the table, which had similar chemicals and equipment.
"Alright. What do we do?" Faye asked darkly, trying to hold in her frustration. This was taking up too much time where she could just stab them down and be done with it.
"Take up that bit of ammonium nitrate there and crush it to powder with that pestle," Harvey instructed. As the two got to pounding, he added, "It's such a good thing you came to town, Farmer. The availability of fertilizers is so helpful."
"You're welcome. Now what?" Faye spat. The fumes emitting from everything in front of her was not failing in making her head hurt. The sooner that were done here, the sooner they could all get fresh air. Is this just gonna end as a slow death?
"Pour all that into the beakers of clear liquid I've generously laid out for you," Harvey went on. Maru stifled a giggle of excitement as both Sam and Faye did so. The reaction was immediate, and the mixture was already changing colors.
"Now, take those beakers and turn around with them so that Maru and I may see how you did," Harvey finished, his black eyes glinting with malicious excitement matching his sneer.
As the two did so, Faye gave Sam a look of distrust towards Harvey, Maru, and the mixture in their hands. The fumes seemed to help him get the message across as they both faced the two. The next few moments flashed in an instant.
Maru and Harvey made a sudden dive to smack the beakers in Sam's and Faye's faces. At the same time, they threw the mixtures into Maru's and Harvey's faces. The contact proved correct in their guesses. Maru's and Harvey's faces immediately began to burn and blister as they clutched them in pain, shrieking bloody murder as Faye and Sam stepped back and began looking around for the vent switch and arming themselves.
"You SHITS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Harvey bellowed, his voice cracking in between the hissing of smoke emitting from his skin.
"Never trusted you," Faye replied smoothly, "That's all."
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Sam screamed in panic, wielding his cutlass as Faye toyed near the patient bed for the vent switch. Maru and Harvey were crumpled on the floor as the same familiar black essences oozed out of them like slimy liquid, Their skin was becoming blotchy and smokey in radiant shades of yellow, red, and black.
"Nitric acid. Irritates the lungs, burns through skin, all that beautiful stuff," she replied, her voice muffled by the pillows smushed in her face as she reached down to reach the switch. "That clear liquid he had us pour into was hydrochloric acid." With a flick of the finger, the faint whirring sound brought some comfort as the mustard gas outside began to thin.
Maru and Harvey suddenly pounced, their forms demonic and vicious. Harvey's new claws sank into Sam's back, resulting in a surprised yelp and thrashing around in the patient room. Faye found herself tangled up with Maru, who attempted to drive her sharpened teeth into Faye's torso. She grabbed at the Stardrop and tucked it into her pocket for the time being as she drew her sword and hacked at Maru's stomach.
At the same time she was immediately flung towards the room door, Harvey was sent flying into the patient bed, both unconscious. Both cutlass and Galaxy Sword were pointed at them, their bearers hunched over in throbbing discomfort.
"They just tried to maim us," Sam mumbled uneasily, "I hope we didn't permanently disfigure them." They both inched towards Maru's and Harvey's still bodies gingerly.
"I think they'll be fine," Faye muttered back. The black essences soon materialized in front of their eyes into two Void Spirits. Before they could charge their magic, the two blades hacked them in halves that dissipated almost immediately.
"Not sure what's worse tonight. Haley chopping herself up or these two running dangerous chemistry experiments," Sam thought aloud, "What else could go on tonight?"
"Don't hold your breath. We haven't seen anything of Abi, Seb, Penny, and the others yet, Sam," Faye reminded him as she poked the unconscious Maru in the shoulder.
Upon turning Maru's and Harvey's bodies over, Sam and Faye laughed in relief. Their acidic burns and blotchy skin had disappeared, leaving them close to normal again. When they finally came to, they sat up.
"Faye, Sam. What are you doing here?" Harvey asked, puzzled. They looked at each other.
"It's a long story, Doc. We need to get out of here," Sam told him quickly. Faye shook her head.
"Not before we tend to your back. My god..." There were 10 puncture wounds visible, and the proof was spilling crimson all over his shirt. Sam waved it off.
"It doesn't feel that deep." Maru ushered him on the bed, and after some slight protesting, he laid out on his stomach and she peeled off his bloody shirt. She examined it as Harvey grabbed some supplies from a nearby rack and handed them to her.
"Sure, they're not deep. But untreated any longer and you could probably bleed to death," she told him in a semi-scolding tone. Faye bit back a smirk until she noticed Harvey observing her as well.
"And you, young lady, have been sustaining nasty wounds yourself. It's a good thing you know how to crudely wrap yourself up," he sighed readily, "I'll go ahead and re-patch this properly."
Thank Yoba my wounds don't require me to strip Faye thought to herself as her old and ragged bandages were taken off. Her wounds were mostly reduced to dull bleeding at this point in the night.
And with some quick work, wounds both new and old were rightfully restrained. It was not long after their medical deeds did the gravity of the situation begin to hit again.
"This place reeks! We need to get out of here," Maru coughed, scrunching up her nose at the faint smell of chemicals still in the air, "I don't know what's been happening tonight, but after seeing you two all banged up, I'm not so keen on knowing."
"This place reeks! We need to get out of here," Maru coughed, scrunching up her nose at the faint smell of chemicals still in the air,
"I don't usually allow this, but let's head upstairs to my place," Harvey suggested as he straightened his glasses, "All this gas will kept sunk down here. Get some towels and cover your mouths and noses."
After rummaging through the room cabinets, they braced their mouths, noses, and breath supply as they flung the door open and headed up the only flight of stairs in the building. Chlorine gas still hung in the air as they ascended. Upon walking into Harvey's room, they shut the door leading to the clinic and breathed in more fresh air.
"Now...We need to change out of these clothes," Harvey muttered. When the other three turned to look at him with skeptical looks, his eyes widened. "It's all safety precaution, I promise! It's not safe to let all these chemicals get absorbed into our skin."
"You have something women-sized?" Faye asked, cocking one eyebrow as Harvey already started chucking a set of clothes at Sam's face.
"I don't, but MAYBE we could sneak next door under such dire circumstances," he called back. He signalled to Maru, who nodded and threw open his bedroom window opening up to the second floor of Pierre's store.
"If we can get through to Abigail, maybe we can borrow her clothes for a while?" Maru proposed, shrugging and sporting a sheepish smile.
"You two are a REAL tag team," Faye grinned, impressed, "The town's lucky to have you running the clinic."
"Why do you think I keep her around?" Harvey beamed, wrapping an arm around Maru's shoulders, "Sam, are the clothes okay?"
"Yeah, but you should get more casual stuff, Doc," Sam answered behind them as he stepped out in a loose white button-up and gray jeans, "You can't really be semi-formal like this all the time." He strapped his cutlass and pistol securely as the four of them walked over to the window.
He strode beside Faye quietly. "Are you ever gonna tell them what they did?" Faye looked at him thoughtfully.
"Maybe someday, if we all live through this mess," she said, "You okay?"
"Considering all this, yeah. I think I'm good," Sam nodded as he rolled up his shirt's long sleeves, "You?"
"I'll feel better when I have a change of clothes," Faye chuckled quietly.
"Ladies first," Harvey offered, stepping aside from the window as they looked out, "You two can scavenge for clothes once you make the jump." He gestured to Faye and Maru.
The distance seemed doable. Faye looked out and targeted the flower box guarding the windowsill. "I'll go first, so wait for my signal just in case there's something there waiting to jump someone." The other three nodded and stepped back, allowing Faye space for a running start.
In actuality, she was already bracing herself for a potential attack from Abigail. With luck, facing her would be as easy as confronting Harvey and Maru. As if she was not uneasy enough, she remembers not seeing Abigail's parents anywhere. Good Yoba, I hope Pierre and Caroline are okay.
A/N: Had to deal with being sick while writing this one out. I always thought Maru and Dr. Harvey were quite precious together (whether or not they were game canon). Hope you enjoy! :3
