As the group stopped at the side of the road, all but the milky eyed canine looked to their left. Fyr meanwhile sniffed curiously at the pavement. Ryan was the first, and only one to step out on the one way street. A strong blaring of a car's horn snapped the man's head to his right. A large car was stopped only a couple meters from him, headlights at full blast in the midday light. The driver honked the horn again, prompting the large vagrant to look to his left and around at the various signs and markings showing one way. The car should not exist, and yet the engine revved and the bulk of metal lurched forward at him. Not missing a beat, Ryan sidestepped up to the bonnet, laying his torso across the vehicle and crying out in mock fear and pain. "Ahhhh! I've been hit" The driver climbed out of the still running vehicle and strutted up to the large man. As soon as the driver pulled his fist to strike the 'wounded' man, Ryan stood up and grabbed the man by the top of his head. Turning the unwilling skull to the ground nearby he asked in a tone not unlike when one explains what a child did wrong; "Which way is that arrow pointing?" The man complied and pointed. "What does that sign say?" the man complied again before he was turned to face his own vehicle. "Do you see a problem here?" The driver grumbled, complaining about having to do a block to get his parking spot, but promptly climbed into the vehicle and turned it around.
At his signal the group of pokemon, with Chuey and her serpent in the center, crossed the small one way street to one of the exits from the grand Lumiose city. The gate in the wall was fairly unused, the receptionist laid pack in his chair with both feet on the counter in front of him. The old man seemed confused as to whether he should put his feet down, or if this armada of red was just a hallucination of some form. Ryan didn't stay to witness the man's decision, instead stepping out in to the small area outside the city. Thick overgrown grass covered the area, winding through the slats of the park benches and distributed as merely patches of long greenish brown hair in the sand pit. Rusted but solid bars still held up the swings and greying metal slide, the brown and grey steel both fit and contrasted the background. A thick mass of trees with stale water around their roots and branches that reached down as clawing beasts stretched onward to the north and in the area around the small playground. Light streamed through holes in the canopy of the trees, spotlighting the water. Small wooden spikes rose from the liquid around the base of the trees, natural spears shooting up from the shallows, hinting at the more that could not be seen.
The northern swamps were a familiar scent to the large man. Ryan lowered his weight onto one of the wooden board, hanging by chains from the pole above him. His hands sat in his lap, refusing to rub any of the flaking rust off the chains next to him. Quietly he rocked back and forth, straightening and curling his legs to move him only slightly as he looked around. The playground was suffering a sad snowballing effect. Parents wouldn't let their kids play here anymore, because of how ruined and horribly overgrown it had become. However, the last time he laid eyes on the area only a couple years ago, it was in perfect condition and yet the parents didn't want their children playing in it. Every breath he took was in his mouth, out his nose while he watched his group of companions investigating the area. Fyr's sniffing of the long grass, led him to sneeze. Each slightly flammable sneeze caught with the thick pungent air and twisted into a huge burst of hot air that turned all grass he was facing to ash. The large man picked up the canine, placing it on his lap as he rocked back and forth, ignoring the thick smell of decaying plants and animals from the north.
The large, long haired lioness placed her front paws on the swing beside the vagrant. With difficulty the feline attempted to pull herself up on the small wooden board, only succeeding in ending her knees such that her chest was pressed against it. A squawk from the enormous hawk grabbed her attention. It's little head poked through the top of the grass as it squawked again at the lioness. Ryan could see Embeee stepping away from the swings to follow the little red feathered head bobbing through the grass out of the corner of his eye. The man's attention was more drawn to the rusted metal slide and the shadows beneath it. Something was reaching from the dark, muddy ground beneath the slide. The more he watched, the clearer he saw the small fingers twitching, their nails covered in a mix of dirt and blood. Throwing himself off the swing, with Fyr still in hand, the vagrant strolled over to the rusted metal. Placing the milky eyed canine beside him, Ryan reached under the slide. As his hands sunk into the dirt to throw clumps away to the side, little cream covered furry paws joined him in digging. The childs arm kept going until it branched off into a mass of root. After shaking his head, the small dead shrub became clearer.
With a sigh, the large man stroked the head beside him, looking around at everyone in the part with him. Noting that no matter where he looked, the fiery puddle was no-where to be seen. Chuey rocked back and forth on a swing, the dark clouds rolling in over her head appearing as some heavy aura. Leveyr sat perched on the crossbeam above her, but the lioness was no-where to be seen. The vagrant stood, leaning back against the rusted metal slide as he looked around. The more concerned he got the clearer it became that neither the Slugma nor the Pyroar were anywhere nearby. A gentle squeaking slowed but didn't stop, and as the man's eyes fell upon the swing he watched it rock back and forth, empty and abandoned. She was gone, they were gone. Desperately he reached down and siezed the old pup, clutching the fluffball close as the last squawk of the large bird echoed in his ear, being slowly replaced by the rolling peel of thunder. Annwn stared at him, confused, the man's face painted thick with concern and fear. Where were they all? Where did they go?
"Annwn, come here" Ryan called, not taking his eyes off the large fox, gripping Fyr close to himself. Turning again and again on the spot, he could not see any of them. The only person he saw was a little girl, standing between two trees not too deep into the forest. The shadow of the canopy and the blackening sky hid her features, but she was obviously a girl, and she was clearly looking at him. Slowly, carefully, the large man strode across the abandoned playground, striding toward the trees with Annwn by his side. She didn't move, only stood there watching him come closer. Only two meters from her, the cloaked man lowered himself to his knees, trying to get a better look at her face. "Are you okay?" His concern was evident, the forest was dangerous, and he was already afraid. After a moment more of staring at him, the little girl turned and ran, her feet not sinking at all into the water of the swamp, not that Ryan noticed anyway.
As quickly as he could pull himself to standing, Ryan made chase. It wasn't safe, clearly, for a child to be out here. The little light that did break the canopy and the clouds was only just enough to know vaguely where the trees were. It wasn't long before the little girls shape was gone completely. Looking around frantically, it was at this point the vagrant realised that even Annwn was gone. A tongue licked at his lower jaw, prompting him to pat the milky-eyed dog's head gently. He was lost. Ryan had no clue which way was Lumiose, no idea which way he had intended to go. All he knew was that the darkness was heavy, and closing in, and his clothes were being pulled by fingers in the dark. Snapping branches as he ripped himself away from unseeable hands that groped for him in the dark.
A snap of wood nearby, someone was close. Someone was following him. Blinded by shadows, the vagrant rushed as much as he could toward the sound, only to hear it again from some other side, turning to pursue it again. Everytime he got close- Something grabbed his leg. Only once, but a hand grabbed his jeans leg. Turning around, the vagrant could see clearly in a rare beam of light, the figure of a small boy. The child's legs were beneath the surface as he clung to the man's leg. "Help me" he pleaded, trying to reach higher up Ryan's jeans as he sank deeper. "Mr. Cabberin! Help me!"
Terrified of letting go of his oldest, and final, friend, Ryan clung to Fyr with one hand as he reached down with the other. Upon grabbing the child's wrist, he watched as blood seemed to pour from large holes along the small arm. Colour drained from the boy's face, his eyes becoming sunken as his face locked into a final scream. The cold, white shape being pulled quickly below the surface after the blood stopped flowing. On his knees, Ryan reached into the murk with one hand, frantically scraping and searching. A sharp clicking sound grabbed his attention, forcing the man to look up, along the barrel of the gun pointed at him and to the shadowed figure holding it. With a blink both the man and the gun were gone.
Reaching out, the large man's hands grabbed a nearby rock, pulling him away from the murk and mud that seemed intent on dragging him below. As he pulled, a boot pressed against his fingers, grinding them down against the rock. Reflexively, Ryan reached out, grabbing the foot with his other hand and ripping it off, ignoring the figure to which it belonged. With both hands firmly on the rock he pulled himself up against it, half standing, half collapsed. Looking around in horror. The couldn't hear Fyr, he couldn't see the little white tufts of fur anywhere. No matter how he called and bellowed, nothing happened.
With his head in his hands, the large man staggered away, pushing away from the trees as he went; calling, pleading for Fyr. Though his begging was cut short when he entered a small clearing, wherein he could see two children. A young boy, and a young girl, stood in the middle of the little light there was, lit well enough to show off the myriad of bleeding holes all across their chests and arms. A point below the eye of the little girl making her appear to be crying a single stream of red tears. The teacher rushed over, dropping to his knees in front of the children, who collapsed against him. Their skin and muscles peeling away at an accellerated rate, insects crawling across them as their bodies shriveled and decayed. It wasn't only the three of them however, Ryan and the bodies were joined by a great many figures. Shapes standing in a continuous circle all around the clearing, watching him.
Not three meters from the tearful man, set upon his knees, stood a tall figure cloaked in shadow. A shape that held a gun by it's side, which it slowly raised. Body shaking, Ryan dropped the two children in his arms and charged the figure. Launching himself from his knees to midstride easily. His body collided with the shape, slamming it against a sturdy wooden wall. A wall that had not existed before, he was sure of it.
The figure wore a mask to hide it's face, which Ryan ripped off quickly. What he saw was his own face, smiling back at him, covered with blisters and boils as it grinned at him. the figure raised the gun to it's chin. In a flash of light, blood sprayed up the wooden wall before the shape and all its remnents vanished. The vagrant only saw his own reflection in the dirty, unkept window, a face that for a moment was replaced by the face of a golden creature, who'se head was shaped as a pentagram. In the reflection, behind his own face he could see familiar green hair and a concerned expression. Spinning on the spot he saw Chuey, her eyes furrowed, though widening as she realised he could see her. Fyr at her feet and Annwn at her side. The large man slid down the wall until a jolt as he hit the ground. They were all there. They would all watch as he placed his head in his hands.