The adrenaline coursed through her veins as she ran, strands of hair flying away from her. Sharp breaths pierced her lungs, her own trembling causing her to stumble. Her heartbeat kept pounding against her ears so loudly she could barely hear her own footsteps. The panic was pressed against her chest, with a silent scream building inside her throat. Her eyes kept darting from corner to corner, trying to find somewhere to hide, or at the very least, to calm down. From the floors, she could see the same feral shadows chasing after her, their maddening eyes fixated onto her. Akiza gritted her teeth, and continued running.
She still had the needle in her pocket, though she doubted it'd do her any good now. She had to leave the board behind, since it only slowed her down. As for finding the security room; she had absolutely no idea where she was going. And though she still maintained her calm demeanor, even that facade was beginning to slip away. She couldn't do much of anything, couldn't think straight, couldn't even pull back the eerie tranquility she had from before. It was as if that prowess had just faded from her, from the moment she stepped into the darkness. Her thoughts became flurried and flustered, her thoughts now focused solely on surviving; a multitude of times she thought of getting out of the hospital and calling for help elsewhere, though her pride said otherwise.
The hallways had the same bodies, with the same silhouettes pursuing her; everything looked so similar, and it felt like she was going in circles. She couldn't even find the balconies, and she knew better than to take the elevators. There was only one staircase didn't lead to a dead end, but that'd take her to the lobby. And because of that crippling paranoia, she was stuck here, on the same floor, until otherwise.
She clenched her fists, and swirled around, shakily holding the needle in hand. Where was Yusei? Was he even alive? Did those things get to him? And what about Sayer? Did she screw those vents tightly enough? Were those things banging against the door right now, trying to get in? Most likely.
The questions disappeared the moment she saw those things again.
There were three of them this time. They looked a bit like the monster she saw the last time, though they were more inhuman, with an edge of savagery adorning their expressions. They were prowling around her, their black claws scratching against the floor, leaving bloody handprints on the floor. Saliva cascaded from their mouths, which formed clear puddles beneath their jaws. Just behind them, crimson was splattered throughout the tiles, and when they looked up, she saw their white corneas reflecting back at them the sea of gore they left behind. It seemed the only thing they understood was the fact that Akiza was alive and well, with a beating heart they needed to taste.
There was absolutely no way they'd let her leave. The most she could get from them was that they'd make sure she passed out from the pain of being eaten alive. And even that was risky, considering the screams she's heard from before.
She took a deep breath then. The one on the middle was closing in on her, the avariciousness so clearly evident in its eyes. The other two, however, seemed to shy away from it, and though the same greed possessed them, they were more than willing to allow the middle one to go first. No, they wanted it to lead. Either they were afraid of the middle one, or they were simply allowing its primitive instincts to take over and go for the kill. She squinted her eyes, and saw the exact same scars covering on all three of their bodies. She held the needle tighter, and took a wary step back. No dominance nor supremacy; a disorganized pack then.
The one on the middle was going to attack first; it won't be able to hold itself back much longer. The one on the right seemed more primitive than the last, and the one on the left was the most similar to the creature she fought from before. Unlike the other two, the one on the left was the only one who knew when to strike, when to instinctively back away. But though it was the most intelligent, in the end it carried the same, animalistic logic the others had. It was through that Akiza steadied herself and looked down. Slowly, she bent down, and took over both her pumps with a single hand. As expected, their gazes followed her hands.
Then, in one fluid motion, she threw the heel in the middle one's eye. In that same moment, she moved herself forward, leaving the other shoe behind. The one on the right was moving in, as the one on the left. They both had their claws outward, fangs barred, ready for her flesh. They wanted her to go left; it'd be the most natural thing she'd have done. Go left, and they'd be waiting for her. Go right, and she'd be cornered. The straight shot was narrow, but all the same, it was her only way out.
Without thinking, she grabbed the shoe and tore it into the creature's eye, the howling screams piercing her own ears. Still, she cuffed the neck of its hospital gown, and thrust the creature toward its companions. When she did, she quickly dodged yet another lunge, and tore the needle into one of their necks. Without waiting another moment, she grabbed the needle and dragged it across its throat, the blood streaming out from its glands. She froze for a split second, causing the third one to come after her. It was only when she felt its leg on her teeth did she turn, and see it there. She winced at the pain, as she quickly drew the needle up again, and pried away its mouth, before dragging the needle upwards and slicing away at its gums.
She jumped back, and grabbed her other shoe. She attacked the mouth, and since it was still holding itself, she had a while before it tried moving in again. The first one was nearly decapitated, and though it was still moving, Akiza shoved the shock away, forcing herself to calm down. She could see the veins coming back together, as she had the last time, and though it was slowly regaining its senses, in the end it wasn't an immediate threat. But it was clear cutting off the head wasn't going to do any good. The drug she used before had killed the last one instantaneously, but of course, who's to say if they'd react the same way? And even if they did, there wasn't enough of the drug to stimulate the same response. But she clutched the needle, and dived in again.
One of the claws attempted cracking her skull open, but she dodged it. She jammed the needle into the arm, and slashed it open, revealing traces of bones upon the floors. When it paused, she twisted back, and stabbed it in the eye. She tore it out just then, twisted its arm, and threw it at the others. She was about to go in again, when she flinched at the sudden pain erupting from her leg and arm. Though it was but a mere second, it was that single moment when she saw the other two lunge for her.
Shit.
She held up her other arm, all the while moving away. She fought down a painful cry, as she held her balance. They were tearing at her coat now, trying to force through it, if only to catch a glimpse at the meal in front of them. She cursed silently, as brought the needle against its face, and stabbed it once again. Nothing.
She yelped in pain and looked down, seeing those hands now clawing at her legs, leaving three bloody scratch marks on her skin. Automatically, she stomped the creature to the ground before it could bite her, smashing its face to the tiles. She turned her attention back to the other creature; she could feel its fangs against her knee, endeavoring to twist it away, trying to break her apart with each thrust it made. She lost her balance, and fell to the floor.
It started dragging her down the halls. As it did, its fangs sank deeper and deeper into her skin, so much so she could feel every vein snap into two. She fought the urge to close her eyes in pain, the fatigue severely weighing her down. If this thing ran into some body, there's a good chance she might lose that leg.
A body.
She tossed the needle aside. She ignored the burning sensation erupting from her leg, her own blood running across the floors, as she searched desperately for something, anything. There was another limb there, somewhere, hidden within the darkness. She couldn't help but smile, as she grabbed it, and threw tossed it ahead. The creature stumbled then, and immediately let go, surprised by yet another meal presented in front of it.
She rolled back, but managed to land on her feet. She unwrapped her corset then, and raced toward the creature, as it was still there, savoring the arm. Before it knew, she wrapped the corset around its throat, and began suffocating it. Her tiny hands held the corset tightly, urging herself mentally not to let go, else she'd become the next victim. She ignored its claws, as it tore apart her skin, her blood racing through the lines of her hands. She ignored its whines, as it began screaming its noiseless screams, the sight of its pitiful life flashing before its eyes. She heard a familiar crunch, before finally, the creature fell limp. She shoved it away then, the corset still in her fingers as she did.
Decapitation won't work, but drugs and suffocation will. Crushing them to death helps too, but other than that, nothing else would do. They healed fast, faster than any normal human could, though they were clumsy, uncoordinated. Unlike the one from before, they didn't walk like a normal person. They ran like dogs, and whenever they look up, that same primitive mindset took over, their nightmarish desires laid out for her to see.
And yet, despite that, there were times when they seemed more than submissive. Though they were more animal than human, from their faces, as well as from the creature's execution just now, they did feel something. They knew full well they wanted to stay alive, meaning they probably wandered in here because they wanted to survive, some more than others. They had more than food on their minds, and it was through that sensation did they operate. Locking her in a room with Sayer, that creature waiting outside for her, coinciding with the obvious reality that these creatures were attacking the hospital staff; they were put here for a reason. They haven't completely lost themselves yet though, that much was certain. After all, no living thing wanted to die.
And besides which, she's seen those eyes before. She's seen those lights, those eerily familiar orbs reminding her of Alexis, somehow, someway.
Alexis.
Alexis Rhodes.
She could hear sounds racing toward the hallway, the same screeches callously making their way toward her location. She narrowed her eyes, staring briefly at the empty space in front of her, before turning back to the creature. This one was blind, but it knew where it was going. Meaning there were other senses it could rely on, and if that was the case, it'd more than likely rely on smell and, judging from the wild chaos coming toward her, sound. These things kept eating everything in sight, and since it was dark, those two senses were the only guides they had to go off of.
Those things were following sight and sound. How precise they were in detecting her from those two senses alone, she was about to test that.
She saw the familiar coat up ahead, grabbed it, and came back. This thing had her blood all over it, and if they were as primitive as animals, they'd probably come racing here first. They didn't have the capacity to think anything strange of this situation.
She stared down at her coat for a brief second, before pressing it against her leg. She winced at the pain, but continued, the blood already drenching the fabric. She then dropped her coat and the corset on top of the creature, and stared up at the ceiling. The tiles were always loose; she'd noticed that, ever since she came out of the hospital. Almost anyone could reach up and hide in the attic, and it was through that memory that she did so. She came to the windowsill, placed a single footprint onto the sill, and brought herself up to the ceiling. She forced the tiles open, and climbed in. She moved the tiles back, and waited there, in the darkness.
Cold sweat dripped from her forehead, as she scanned the shadows, her pupils adjusting to the already dangerous situation. Nothing here.
The vents were nearby, but it seems she wouldn't need to climb through them after all. If she was lucky, those things won't even know about this place. Distract them long enough, then she'd be able to find something for Sayer to walk with, have enough time to see if Yusei was alright or not. That, at least, was something she'd be able to do.
She closed her eyes, as the feral sounds drew nearer, with her own friend returning to her once again. Her friend, and the creatures below.
Alexis always told her she loved fire, for one reason or another. Whenever she talked about it, her eyes would become the same, darkened color that the creatures here held in their expressions. The girl would go on and on about how much she liked burning things, so much so Jaden would have to take the lighter away from her whenever she did. There were times when even Jaden would come up to complain to Akiza about how the girl's antics have gotten them into serious trouble. Oftentimes, Akiza would just laugh, and brush the entire thing aside.
There was one time when Akiza lit a candle for Alexis's birthday. She put the flame on a cupcake, and handed it to the girl, telling her to make a wish. The blonde never did; she just stared at the candle, enchanted by its warmth and light. She tried to touch it, but Jaden held her back. Akiza extinguished the flame, and that was that.
Says if I went there with him, I might as well have just burned down the whole station.
She clutched the tiles. By now, those things might already be down there, sniffing around, trying to catch her scent, hear her breaths. Her clothes won't hold them for long. She bit her lip, as she kept searching and searching.
And then she found it.
The power box.
The electrical wires were there, just hanging from the wall.
She bit her lip, and began dragging herself towards that box. It was strange, how something like this was just up here. Normally, it'd be in the storage room. And besides which; the roof was a bit risky, wasn't it? There's no telling what could happen up here, what kind of hazardous materials would be up here, ready and waiting to burn everything to the ground.
But wordlessly, she began creating the spark, the smell slowly diffusing through the air. She grimaced at the heat, the familiarity of the situation still drifting toward her. And all the while, Alexis's words kept pounding against her mind, their supposedly forgotten conversation softly evoking an unpleasant emotion, deep within the pit of her stomach.
Alexis loved things like this.
And though he'd never admit, Jaden did too.
She's seen them done this before, many times over.
Yusei slammed the creatures against the walls, its spine breaking at his forceful suggestions. Frustration permeated from his frame as he walked through the corridors, his eyes carefully scanning the cameras as he did. His fists clenched, with a quiet, seething rage present in his frown, he swept past the hallways. All the while, those things kept away from him, silently whimpering at his own brutal presence. Though they were animals, nonetheless, they still kept themselves out of trouble. None dared cross him.
Akiza.
Akiza's here.
What the hell is she doing here?
Explanations kept racing across his mind, as he shifted through every possible excuse he could come up. Was Sayer involved in this? And what about Amrbosine? Did Akiza know about them? Was she here because of the Black Rose, or because of something else? More importantly, what was she even thinking, staying here at a time like this? Why wasn't she going toward the lobby? What'd those two idiots do to her?
The last time he saw Akiza, Yusei caught her running away from the very same creatures that bowed to him now. Frightened, shaking, with nothing but a needle in her hand, she was doing everything she could to try and get away. He could only stare at the tense moments for a brief second, before flying out of the room. He never took care to pay any attention to the hallways, knowing full well they were all the same on the floor she was on. He never bothered seeing what'd happened next, whether or not she'd prevail against her assailants; he didn't want to stick around to find out whether or not she'd be able to use her powers against them. Nor did he want to see the same, bloody mess he saw back at the mall; he was going to take care of it. She didn't need to get involved.
She must be scared out of her mind.
And yet, it was his fault she got caught up in all of this.
Yet another body lay there, on the floor, dead at his feet. Then another, then another, then another, all of whom were ready and willing to accept whatever punishment Yusei would give them. It didn't matter if they were with those Violets or not; in the end they weren't worth his time.
Yusei bit his lip.
She'd died, right in front of him.
And now here she was, alive again, running like a madwoman.
Just then, he heard a loud explosion resound from the hallways. And with it, bright flames that engulfed everything around it.