Note: Updating was based on a schedule that fell through.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.
Chapter 5
Raven and Cyborg reached Jump City with no trouble; it seemed Deathstroke was gone for now. Raven was still weakened from the ambush, so she rode in the T-Car with Cyborg instead of flying. The mechanical hybrid drove in silence for a while before deciding to say something, if only to break the tension. "Sooo. How's your side?" Raven turned her head to face Cyborg, raising an eyebrow at his unexpected apparent concern for her. "I can't heal it as quickly as I'd prefer, but I'll manage." A short silence followed. "Thank you for asking." A small grin appeared on his face.
A half-destroyed shopping complex loomed in front of them as they exited the car. "Well, we're going to need plenty of stuff if we're going to repair the tower." Raven shivered a little; the air was growing cold. "Why would we need to repair the whole tower? We just need things for the kitchen." Cyborg shook his head. "I plan on staying for a while, see what happened to the city. Maybe find Deathstroke. I was going to use the Tower as a hideou-place to stay. Er, I mean, thought I'd fix it up a little." Cyborg grimaced at his slip, hoping Raven didn't notice.
She did. "What do you mean hideout?" Who are you hiding from?" Cyborg shrugged innocently. "I don't know what you mean. I said place to stay. Who's hiding?" His lies were thinly fabricated. Raven's eyes narrowed; she wasn't buying it. "I will find out, Victor." Cyborg winced at the harsh tones lining her voice and resolved to tell her later. The last thing he needed was an angry Raven. "Look, Raven, I got into some trouble after I left the Titans. Can we get the stuff we came for? I promise I'll tell you later." She ignored the biting winds now sweeping throughout the city and walked inside, leaving Cyborg standing by the T-Car in the snow.
Cyborg gritted is teeth in frustration. He just wanted to leave this behind him. Now it was all coming back. His shoulders sagged as he followed her into the decrepit store, not noticing the shadow that followed close behind.
"Raven? Hello?" Cyborg looked around. He hadn't remembered the mall being this huge. Raven heard him and answered telepathically. "I'm in the food court. Hurry up, there's something… you should see," her voice, sounding disturbed, echoed in his head. He switched directions, walking by a clothing store with faded letters on the sign. He winced, remembering one of the many times he had been here, as a Teen Titan. His mind drifted back to those mostly carefree times as his feet took him in the general direction of the central food area.
FLASHBACK-TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT-FLASHBACK
"Friend Cyborg!" The cybernetic teenager looked up from his book to see an energetic alien floating towards him, several pink and orange bags in her arms. She seemed to be struggling under the weight of the merchandise. "Friend Cyborg, would you be so kind as to assist me with these bags? They are quite heavy, and I would appreciate it if-" Cyborg put the book down. "Don't worry about it, Star. That's what friends are for, remember?"
He removed the bags from Starfire's arms, who in turn flopped on the nearest couch in the bookstore. "Thank you so much, friend Cyborg. I have been doing much of the shopping today." She began to say something else, but stopped. "What's up, Star?" Cyborg asked, noticing the troubled look on her face. Starfire exhaled. "Robin and I have been having…the fights. I fear that the kor'hal will overcome our relationship. Oh friend Cyborg, what shall I do?" Cyborg sat down, being careful not to crush any of the things the red-haired alien had in her bags. "Tell me about it, Star. What happened? And what's the kirhaul?" Starfire giggled lightly at Cyborg's mispronunciation. "Kor'hal is similar to the rekmas, except it occurs between two people in a relationship. And I fear that it may happen to ours, friend Cyborg!"
Starfire was near tears. "Richar-Robin has been even more obsessed with catching Slade, and when I ask him about it, he becomes very defensive, and I fear that he does not have feelings for me anymore…" The alien appeared ready to burst into tears. She wrapped her arms around Cyborg's huge abdomen, searching for comfort from the metal Titan.
"Shhh, Star, it's gonna be okay, I promise. I'm sure Robin still likes you. He just a little stresses sometimes is all. It'll be fine." Starfire's eyes lit up again. "Oh, thank you friend Cyborg! I enjoy these talks we have. I must go find Robin!" Her spirits lifted, Starfire flew out of the bookstore, nearly forgetting her stuff. Cyborg smiled and shook his head as he returned to his book.
FLASHBACKTERMINATED-TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT-FLASHBACKTERMINATED
Cyborg reached the food court, clearing the thoughts from his mind.
"Raven?" he called out again, looking around. Cyborg heard an
almost inaudible whisper. "Over here." The voice came from behind
the popcorn stand.
When Cyborg looked over the counter, he instantly felt sick. Raven was kneeling next to a number of bodies. Four Girl Scouts were on the floor, their throats looking as if someone had ripped them out. Blood had splattered onto their uniforms, and looks of horror were frozen on their adolescent faces. A box of cookies, torn open and scattered across the ground, was not far from them.
But what horrified Cyborg and Raven the most were the two corpses about 5 yards down the narrow counter area. Mammoth and Gizmo, former HIVE members, were dead, apparently sacrificing themselves to save the Scouts. Their valiant efforts had been in vain, however.
The state their bodies were in was the stuff of nightmares, nightmares that would plague the two young adults for years. Gizmo's bones were going through the skin at odd angles. His spider legs were driven through his arms and legs, as if someone had wanted to pin him down. His neck was twisted, and the blood from his wounds had long dried up. His right eye was missing from its socket, and his ribcage was exposed through his ripped jumpsuit. One hand was crushed beyond any discernable recognition. Mammoth was in no better shape. A sharp piece of shrapnel was driven through his heart, and his entire lower jawbone was a few feet away from him, ripped messily from his skull. One leg was bent inwards at an unnatural position, and his left arm was gone, leaving a bloody stump. Large fang marks were found on both of them. They had been dead for weeks.
Raven turned to look at Cyborg, her eyes blank and distant. Her mouth opened, releasing one word. "Who?" She looked like a frightened child. Her jaw remained agape as she saw an emotion frozen on Cyborg's face, an expression that he had never shown in his years as a Titan. Fear; pure, unconquerable fear.
Cyborg was shaking. "No…they couldn't be here…years…can't…" Raven attempted to compose herself as much as possible, and repeated her question. "Who did this?" Cyborg began to speak, then froze. He was a complete statue for 2 seconds. Raven's eyes searched his. "What?" Cyborg was not looking at her anymore. Raven probed his mind, gasping at what she felt. There was only one thing running through Cyborg's psyche. Horror of the worst kind, its source deep within Cyborg's subconscious. Raven suddenly felt a tingling sensation on the back of her neck. Raven slowly turned around, trying to look beyond the shadows. All she saw were two faint lights, growing dimmer as time passed, until they became even darker than the shadows themselves. They also seemed to be getting larger.
Cyborg whispered one word, breaking the ominous silence. "Run." Raven whipped around to look at him. Cyborg's red eye was a very intense shade of red by this point. The dark points grew larger. "RUN." Cyborg nudged her urgently as the dark circles grew impossibly larger. Were they getting closer? The circles seemed to be taking shape. Humanoid shapes grew from the circles, but they were wrong, somehow. They seemed twisted, animal-like. Raven peered more closely before realizing that they were mere meters away. Why weren't the shadows disappearing? The light from the food court should have exposed whatever those things were by now.
She was distracted by Cyborg. He sounded scared, yet determined. "Raven. I do NOT have time to explain. Now RUN." Those were the last words she heard before a loud, inhuman screech filled the air. One of the shadows lunged towards Cyborg, tackling him to the ground. "RAVEN, RUN!!!" She teleported out of the food court as Cyborg struggled with the dark creature.
Like it? Hate it? Confused? Want more chapters? Reviews can clear these up for you.
On a side note, would someone be so kind as to help me out with the more gruesome portions of the story? My gore writing isn't the best.