Howdy Folks

come one, come all, for anotha chapta is here!

(I don't own Re:Zero, I don't own West of Dead)

"Giving up is easy, but I don't think it suits you." - Rem, Re:Zero

First Sodom, Now Gomorrah?

As the blinding light faded, and the inexplicable pain in Subaru's chest receded, the world around him became clearer. The revolver was trapped under his stiff fingers. But overall, it seemed like he was perfectly fine. If anything, the cold from Purgatory seemed to disappear.

As the thought crossed his mind, on instinct, he checked his arms for a moment. The dust and scuffs dissipated. But even more noteworthy, the scrapes. All gone. His arm had quite a few from the jagged rocks he had to wring himself between.

As he shook his head, he caught a view of his surroundings. Mason stood nearby, his hand bracing himself on the nearby wall. The place they seemed to have found themselves in felt familiar. An alleyway of little cleanliness and an excess of filth in all its forms.

Before Subaru could voice the observation, something eerie and familiar seemed to happen…

"Well well well, what do we have…what in the fuck?!" Subaru couldn't help but release a groan. Those three scumbags. A shiver of outrage seemed to rack him for a moment, remembering the time they had stabbed him in the gut and he had died from it.

Mason seemed to groan not long after him, and as Subaru stopped rolling his eyes to get a better view at the three stooges, they appeared to be frozen in fear at the sight of Plainwalker. Subaru glanced at him briefly and he turned his head to signify he was doing the same. Then the marshal drew his own revolver and pointed it at them smoothly.

Not that they really knew what it was, or that it would kill them. And Mason seemed to realize this soon after, instead opting to lumber towards them menacingly in order to scare them off. Which seemed to work like a charm as they clambered backwards and out of the alley screaming: monster.

"Reckon this is your curse in play?" Mason asked as the sounds of their screaming tapered off.

"Seems that way. We went back to…well this isn't the same save point but-" Before they could even continue, the screaming seemed to actually increase in intensity…and then…

Almost like a cacophony of inhumanity, screams now as numerous as it was fervent. Emitting from the streets. Then thundering crashes, the sound of stone shattering. Subaru climbed up and followed the hurried pace of Mason as they wandered out of the back alley and into the wild blue yonder.

As Subaru peaked out into a busy street he may or may not have traversed before. His body seemed inert at the chaos.

Monsters. So many. Some buildings were smashed into by the larger ones and everyone from human to demi-human seemed to be shrieking and running from them in fear. Women, children, all seemed to be in their crosshairs.

A faceless humanoid Golem made of dark stone smashed into the ground near a couple and pulverized them almost immediately. Blood splattered the cobbled stone like a Pollock painting. Subaru flinched with wide eyes. Many of the monsters scattered in different directions. Jumping/flying over buildings or through the streets and running either deeper into Lagunica or into the outskirts.

This was worse than Elsa. At least then it was easy to fence in the problem somewhere small, like the loot house. But this could easily spread into a city-wide catastrophe, if it hasn't already.

"Bauer, you damn maniac…we gotta move in, partner. I'll distract that big ugly bastard, while you sneak up behind 'em and blast that weak spot them ugly Golems always have on their backs."

Subaru found himself nodding along and scowling at the carnage. He cocked his revolver and followed Mason as the Plainwalker took the Evans he had strapped on his back into his hands. He racked the lever and aimed at the Golem, the creature itself clumsily moving in their direction. It's front faced to them. With no weak spot in sight just yet.

But its attention seemed to be on someone else…a child. One passingly familiar to Subaru and jittering in the middle of the street, frozen in terror at the monster coming at them.

The appa stand guy's daughter?

As Felt…well…'felt' the bustling of the streets lull and witnessed the buildings turn more and more ramshackle, she jumped off the roofs and landed gracefully in the muddy sidestreet. The silver-haired half elf who had tried to give chase lost her, thankfully. From here on, it would be smooth sailing.

Until the wind that was supposed to be catching her sails suddenly smelled like rot. And not anything like the loot house. It was like a rotting corpse. Meat. The wind caught that stench and waved it into her nose like a traitor.

She felt her face curl, and a nauseous spell hit her. The fetor became unbearable. As the air turned into a septic hazard, growing soupy and hot with the passing seconds, Felt had to lean over a wooden railing for a small bridge, more of an oversized plank really. A small crick flowed below her and her gut pulsed.

And then it curled. Burst by burst, bile escaped her stomach and tainted the little stream below her with foul smelling sludge. Her throat burned from the stomach acid and she tried to breathe. Long seconds passed as the small stream below her washed away all the contents of her stomach.

The sick feeling still remained, much to her confusion and worry. She wasn't poisoned?! Was she? No. No, she couldn't have been. She's careful. Maybe she's just sick?

The thought was interrupted when the stream slowly started turning purple. A vapor of the same hue rising from it. A small sniff caused Felt to gag as the sick feeling grew worse. Almost ten times worse, it felt like. Yeah, that's definitely poison. She looked upwards through the tears from vomiting so hard, still stinging her eyes a bit along with the (what she now realized was) toxic vapor.

There, with a hand submerged in the water, was a gray-skinned behemoth the size of Rom. A wooden coffin strapped on its back and a massive flail in the other hand, its spikes dripping with a purple viscous liquid that emitted the same nasty vapours.

As its blubbery head turned to Felt, a sadistic grin showing far too many rotting teeth plastered its inhuman face. Eyes hollow and lifeless, like dots, seemed to follow her like she was a pie set out on a windowsill.

And she was about to be devoured.

The thing rose, lifting its decaying hand from further contaminating the water. Chains rattled as it gripped its massive flail tighter. Then its elephantine body began rumbling towards her slowly. She covered her mouth with her arm and unsheathed her dagger with the other, squinting with apprehension.

If that poison was as bad as she thought it was, then she would die if that thing managed a blow. Then again, maybe she could blitz it? It seemed slow. Things ain't always as they seem, Felt. Rom's voice echoed in her head. True to the advice, the behemoth raises his hand as if cupping something invisible. Its sick, paralyzed smile is still present as a bubbling sound like boiling water blared from a growing and bright purple sphere in his hand.

Felt used her Divine Protection to quickly dash out of the way, just barely, as the creature pummeled the ground with the ball of bubbling blasphemy. The earth seemed to crack, heading straight for her in the shape of a lightning strike. The bubbling purple glow and pestilential vapors rising from the cracks.

Evidently, she didn't get far enough away from the vapors fast enough for them to have an effect on her. As she dashed away, she stumbled and retched. Weak at the knees just from a small whiff of the stuff.

Fuck. It's bad. So bad. The smell before was like decomposing meat, but this? It was the epitome of poison. She spied the monster preparing yet another attack with its disgusting magic. She tried to move again, hustling away from where it could have clear sight of her. Preparing herself, she dashed again.

She wasn't looking where she was going, however. Before she could really take off she collided with something stern. She blinked through her queasy sick tears as rotting hands held her still heaving shoulders and dug into her skin. She gasped in pain briefly as the walking corpse gurgled and groaned at her, pale eyes boring into her, it opened its mouth even further and chomped at the air a few times. All too eager to feast on her flesh.

She tried stabbing it a few times in the gut, and for her troubles all she got was black ooze on her hand.

Felt isn't afraid of danger. She can handle that, what she is afraid of is death. Most would think that it's just a distinction without difference. But she doesn't see it that way.

Everyone dies. She is no exception to the biggest certainty of life. And she hates that. Worst of all, she hates that it has to be now of all times. She's barely had a chance to live…barely…barely…

She struggled thoughtlessly. The zombie leaning closer to her face, its stinking rot breath making the sickness return as the larger and even more terrifying creature lumbered over to her slowly.

She cried out. Terror filling her. She really didn't want to die now.

An ice spike lodged itself into the undead's temple. It's body going stiff as a statue for a moment before its hands released Felt. And she…well…'felt' like she could breathe again.

"Are you alright?" A voice off to her side. Sharply, she inhaled. Looking towards her mark. Who had somehow caught up to her. The silver-haired girl with sharp ears. Her hands still held high and her expression focused.

Before she could respond a shadow crept behind Felt and she instinctively dashed away. Her breath caught in her throat as she stumbled at the feet of the person she had stolen from.

She scrambled to her feet, dagger in her hand and at the ready, growling at the monster as if she hadn't almost had black rotting teeth tearing into her flesh just a moment ago.

"Tsk tsk tsk. You know, it's very rude to ignore someone who saved your life."

"It's ok Puck. She's just frightened of these monsters."

She was most certainly not frightened of them!

"Bullshit, I'm not scared! I'm taking this thing out!" The amethyst-like eyes of her savior (begrudgingly admitted) widened. Before her expression settled for a small smile.

"Then I'd appreciate the help!"

Mason scooped the little girl into his arms just before the golem splintered the ground where she was trembling. The shock from the fast attack contrasting to its slow movement dazed Mason briefly as he headed in the direction where the golem would have to have its back exposed to Subaru. He had just enough awareness despite the buzzing and splitting feeling of enemies all around to adjust the child and make sure she wouldn't be burned alive from being too close to his skull.

The golem pivoted a little quicker than he thought possible, and he could hear Subaru's gunshots hit pretty much everywhere on the thing's back except for its weak spot. He couldn't exactly backpedal for very long, as a veritable unclimbable hill of rubble sealed the road. A consequence from the monsters' rampage. Hell, half this town would probably be in ruins within the next few hours, but he'd do what he can. He had to.

"You wanna hurry up and hit somethin' boy!?"

"I'm trying!" Subaru shouted back at him. Mason shied away from the slow moving and stiff stone golem. He may have trapped himself by heading in this direction. Granted, he would have been able to handle it would he not have a child in his arms that was almost murdered. Lawmen rarely have wins handed to them on a silver platter, it seems.

Speaking of, he glanced down briefly to make sure the little girl hadn't been injured. Her wide frightened eyes more tethered to him then the thing that would be her certain death.

He adjusted her trembling form slightly in his grip.

"It's gonna be alright, ain't gonna let nothin' happen to you." He tried his best to sound soothing.

Once, a long time ago, a few folks walked into his office expressing concern for a one Mrs. McClaine. She had not come out of her home in town for a long time, not even for church. Nor had the townsfolk even seen her young kids. They were a young family, but Mrs. McClaine was a widow and had only her kids with her. Mason was also young at the time, newly appointed, wanting to be a good neighbor and protect folk as best as he could…

So, he set out to the McClain household to check up on the family. Of course, the door was barred and the window blinds closed. And it smelled somethin' awful from outside.

Those folks were right to be a little perturbed by the absence of Mrs. McClaine and her boys. Because it turns out, the Mrs. of the two boys had locked them in her house with only a few cans of beans and told them that she would be back, and to not answer the door for anyone but her. According to the letter that was left on their fireplace mantle.

The boys, one eight and the other six, had both been dead for about a week, and been locked in their home for much longer. Their bodies had turned pale. One of them curled up on the bed and laid there until he died of starvation. The other had sat next to his brother before succumbing to hunger as well.

That day turned out to be a long and hard one. A question on the lips of everyone in town, including Mason: How could we let this happen?

The mother never showed up, and a bounty was issued on her for fifty dollars on the grounds of something along the lines of murder. Nothing ever really came of it, she was never seen again.

After that day, he had never wanted to see a dead child again (who would ever want to, anyway?). Their sunken pale faces still seared into his mind, even after most of his memories escaped him. The godless men and women of the west are capable of some of the greatest evil he's seen on earth.

And looking down at the child in his arms, for a moment it seemed as if her wide eyes sunk into her skull and her skin turned pale and sickly. Decaying.

She let out a small cry as tears fell down her cheeks, her oddly bright Caribbean Sea colored hair matched her eyes, and the illusion shattered as quickly as it had bewitched Mason.

The Golem stiffened as a shot rang out. Mason's head snapped up to look, shutting his gaping jaw (and probably helping to not make the little girl even more terrified). The golem fell, all the rocks patched onto the monster seemed to have their stitches broken and they all rolled off the stone golem. Like the body parts sewed together on Frankenstein's monster rotted and fell off in an instant.

Before Mason's feet was now only a pile of jagged and misshapen rocks. And beyond that, just a few feet away from the remains of the golem, Subaru had his revolver raised, smoke rising from the barrel.

"Shit, that was close!"

"I am aware." Mason let out a sigh. The little girl squealed in fear at the sound and he quickly set her down. "Damn it." She backed away a little from him and fell on the ground.

He didn't quite know how to handle this situation. And it seems he wouldn't get the opportunity either. Like a blaring ship horn in his head, his sense screamed at him. He picked up the child quicker than she could react and tossed her to Subaru, much to the surprise of both of them. Subaru thankfully caught her.

"What are you-!?"

Subaru didn't have much time to question Mason's decision any further when a hulking Wendigo burst through the building next to them and grabbed Mason, picking him up like a ragdoll and using him like a boxing glove to punch at the next wall in the rampaging monster's way. He felt himself being thrown from the monster's grip and a loud grunt of pain escaped him as he hit the floor of the building he unwillfully trespassed into.

He heard the crack more than he felt it at first, the dust in the air obscuring his vision. He laid on an uncomfortable pile of rubble and tried to strain his vision. The looming silhouette of the Wendigo creeped up on him. Blood dripped from its bony gator-like teeth as well as its antlers, undoubtedly from the consumption of human flesh it so dearly desires to feast on. But the Wendigo itself was large, and incredibly strong. Strong enough to bed him down without much effort, sometimes.

As his day's in Purgatory grew, he learned not to fight these things unless he had an ace up his sleeve. But as Mason glanced at his broken arm, a black sludgy looking bone stabbing out from his forearm, he realized he may not have an upper hand here.

Heh, upper hand, that's kinda funny.

Mason chuckled through the pain as a crazy idea surged through his mind. The wendigo pounced on him and Mason tried with his strength to keep it from biting into his torso and tearing him apart.

Mason had muscle. He knew he did. He couldn't bend steel or break walls like the creature on top of him, but he could just push the things head to just the right angle…

He struggled and slipped for a moment, his heart skipping a beat, and then when a weakness showed itself…

He struck out with the jagged end of the bone sticking out of his arm, a roar escaped both him and the monster as it sank into the neck of the wendigo.

Blood spilled, and pain flowered. Likely for both of them. The wendigo, having had enough, stabbed at Mason's gut with dagger-like talons.

He grit his teeth through it all as the Wendigo bled profusely on top of him in a vicious rage. Finally, a few shots rang out. The monster stiffened, then fell to the side. Going slack in its own puddle of blood.

Mason tilted his skull upwards and once again saw Subaru. The same gun in his hands, the little girl hiding behind one of his legs and still crying silently.

He sat up minutely as he reached behind him, pulling out his flask. He downed it quickly, hoping in vain to taste whiskey.

The potion took effect quickly and his wounds healed. He shook it a little in his hand afterward. Completely empty. He had it refilled by the Barman in Purgatory but it seems like it wasn't enough, just another thing stacked against him. As he set his arm he turned to Subaru.

"You got sand, kid."

Subaru took a moment to holster his gun and walked over, helping Mason to his feet unsteadily. Mason groaned a little as they both meandered to the edge of the building's newly formed egress. The sounds of chaos rippled through the city.

"This is crazy!"

"I reckon we should look for extra bodies, help any folk we see along the way and…come up with a plan."

"Plan? This whole place is…" Subaru groaned in frustration and ran his hand through his hair. "This feels hopeless."

"No telling what'll happen when one of us…falls." Mason peered at Subaru. His face was pale and a bit sweaty at the thought. Perhaps they would be back in Purgatory, perhaps Mason would be roped back to one of them 'save points' that Subaru spoke of. It's up in the air, really.

The Witch who cursed him could barely touch Bauer as is from the looks of it, and seemed to struggle with anything Purgatory related. Himself included.

Either way, it seemed like now was the time to find out just what bothered them more. The death of others, or themselves.

"I could go find Lia, she saved me once before…well, you know. I doubt the loot house fiasco is really much of a priority anymore..."

"Alright, I'll hit the streets and try to wrangle up some help…"

"Is that really a good idea, man? No offense, but a guy with what's basically fire for a head doesn't inspire feelings of friendliness. Not to mention the fact that splitting up might not be a great idea." The boy had a bit of a point on the former, barely between hay and grass and he was the pinnacle of reason standing next to Mason.

But when it comes to the latter, he just couldn't sit back anymore. This might as well be his fault since he couldn't even stop Bauer all them years ago.

"I have to try. You know your friends better anyhow. And I been fightin' these vermin since before you were a twinkle in your pa's eye."

"Hang on, friends?! They uhh…aren't really-"

"Just handle it. Get them together. Keep'em safe. Then come meet me someplace." Subaru sighed for a moment, his gaze turning to the sky before letting out a deep breath.

"Ok, ok...How about the fountain?"

"Right you are." Mason hopped down the rubble and back out into the streets. Subaru followed, the quiet little girl still hiding behind him with puffy eyes.

"You take the girl with you too." Subaru sighed again but nodded. Mason picked up the Evans he dropped in the scuffle and racked the lever.

"I don't know how good of a decision we're making here but...be safe. Don't die." Their connection seemed to swell with a growing sense of faith.

"You as well, son. Be seeing you." Mason turned and hustled down a back alley, intent on circumventing the piles of rubble blocking the main road. As he moved away, he could hear the patter of Subaru's and the little girl's feet as they began moving away.

Here's hoping any potential allies judge him by his actions and not by his appearance.

"Come on, everything's going to be ok." Subaru tried to sound reassuring. Pulling along the young child by the hand as they moved as quick as she would allow him to.

He grit his teeth and tried to focus on not getting himself lost. Finding the loot house wasn't an issue, but expecting anyone to be there would probably set him up for disappointment.

Things have changed too much this time.

It's not like he really has any other ideas though. Like Mason had said, he knows them better than him despite the fact that they technically don't know him yet. His death seems to wipe the slate clean every time.

To add onto the cons, his ability is getting mixed with forces he scarcely understands and it's changing how it works.

He could get pulled back into Purgatory again, or he could go back to a save point. Or he could die for real this time. He really has no idea and the uncertainty makes him afraid.

But…

He can't just sit by and keep dying. To hell with how weak he is, he has to do something!

"We'll get you to your Dad soon, he owns that appa stand? Right?" The little girl seemed to nod mutely, squeezing his hand for dear life. The sounds of fighting and destruction blast from streets away. "Me and him? We're good friends! Trust me! We'll get you back to him in no time!"

Shit. He definitely sounds like a kidnapper. He cringed to himself slightly.

"H-H-He and mommy were there…the girl with the pretty hair helped me back and n-not long after, the m-m-monsters came and they…they…they…" She struggled, tears flowing a little more freely out of her eyes. She hiccuped as a bit of snot ran down her nose too.

Damn, he could guess as to what that meant. They were either separated in the chaos or…no. No, he has to focus. He kept moving with her.

As he made a few twists and turns in the streets, avoiding rubble and large clouds of dust from recent wanton slaughter and destruction (and also subtly trying to avert the gaze of the little girl from large splodges of blood that caked the ground), he realized it was borderline impossible for him to make his way back to the market area where that appa guy was anyway. Would he even be there in the first place? Wouldn't he leave after hearing all this carnage? It wasn't his plan to go off looking for her parents, it sounded like they weren't even…well…

Subaru stopped moving for a moment to catch his breath, the little girl looking up at him, still crying. He tried to squeeze her hand assuringly. Mason was right about splitting up, he seemed used to dealing with these creatures alone. And from the sounds of it has done so for a long time. But dealing with an extra pair to look after? Probably not. Then again, Subaru isn't used to this at all. Fighting. Killing. Mayhem.

This wasn't how he pictured his life going a week ago when he was sitting in his dark room, festering in his own cowardice.

He took a deep breath. C'mon focus. He can't protect this little girl alone and he can't go out looking for her father and mother with just the two of them. He has to find Lia, Puck, Felt and Rom first.

He picked up the little girl, she gave a start not expecting it but soon found herself wrapping her small arms around Subaru's neck as he took off running in the direction of the outskirts. Felt would probably have avoided the worst of this attack by now, judging by how quickly she moved when he had seen her before.

So, off he goes.

Soon the buildings faded from stone to wood and the ground from cobbled stone to mud. Sweat coated his face and he felt like he was running on fumes the whole time, but despite it all he kept pushing. He had to.

The young girl shrieked.

Subaru felt his instinct boil over and control his muscles before he even conceived of his next conscious thought, his body dropping and holding the girl close as a swish sounded above him. He gasped, as he momentarily spotted several sharp needles darting through where he was just upright and landing ahead of him. He immediately heaved himself up apprehensively and faced his opponent, the little girl still tightly clutching onto him.

"Well well well…"

Elsa.

As if he didn't have enough problems right now.

"What the hell!? I didn't do anything to you, bitch! Now back off! Can't you see what's happening right now!?" His pleas for rational thinking were all but ignored it seemed. The only response from the gut lover was a smirk and sickly sweet chuckle.

Why was she doing this? Was there even a point? Everything is going to hell and she's targeting him of all people!? The thought couldn't even be pondered on more, as Elsa began moving on him with slow confidence.

He still wrapped one arm around the little girl as he pulled the revolver out of his holster with the other. He aimed for her head, which she tilted curiosity as the barrel pointed at her, and not even a second later Subaru pulled the trigger. He inhaled, and fired as his breath left his lungs. Just as Mason told him.

What happened was…anticlimactic. The bullet pierced Elsa's skull and she flinched briefly with a look of stunned surprise, before dropping into the mud like someone flipped her off-switch. Some of her brains squelched out onto his shoes, even. Blood pooled, red leaking from the part of her skull which seemed to flower outwards from the exit wound. The little girl jumped and covered her ears at the sound as she squeezed her eyes shut so as not to look at the violence. Subaru looked on in surprise before letting out a small (extremely manic) chuckle and backing away.

"It…it's ok."

He looked at the revolver…then holstered it and turned completely. Beginning to run again in the direction of the people he hoped to save. Having a gun in a fantasy world seems to be worth its weight in gold.

"We're going to be alright…ok? Hey uh…you never told me your name." He tried to sound light. It was hard to tell if she was even doing alright, she seemed quiet to all that was happening around her. Only crying and sniffling a little here and there, and maybe making a fearful noise if something was happening.

"P-P-Plum…" She spoke.

"That's a nice name. You're going to be fine, Plum." He sounded as reassuring as he could muster from within him. Although, he couldn't tell if it was enough. Plum seemed to hide herself in his shoulder as he carried her throughout the slums. Subaru's guard now far more up then it was before.

Elsa probably wouldn't die from a bullet to the head but-

A sick smell bludgeoned Subaru in the gut like it was a sledgehammer and he wretched for a moment, having to slow down. Plum also looked a little green around the gills, she coughed a little into his shoulder as she tried to block out the smell by burying her nose into his tracksuit.

It was a truly awful stink, like rot and piss and vomit all mixed together in some unholy blend. Subaru scowled and shook his head trying to dispel the nausea that seemed to permeate his very being. He coughed sharply and with a bit of strain, gagging for a moment as he breathed out slowly, his hand leaning on a nearby decrepit wooden building.

He pushed his gaze upward, the trail leading to the loot house open and unbarred by any other obstacles aside from the stench. Or so it seemed, he strained his ear for a moment, trying to hear past the partway distant sounds of the city in turmoil. the sounds of fighting not far off. Like metal scraping and glass shattering. Subarus' stomach twisted in anxiety as he peered tiredly in that direction. He swayed away from the building for a moment, waiting for his vision to stop spinning.

Then Subaru pushed on with a frustrated growl. Just one thing after the other.

next time a few familiar faces will pop up.

leave a review if you feel so inclined.

catch ya next update.