𝐅𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬... ❧ ᴏᴅᴜ / ɴᴄ & ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

🥀 S2 CH. Five; Resistance

❧

Your chilled hands tremble as you work on reloading your pistol's magazine.
        A crumbled wall left by the now toppled museum is what you rest your back against; trying to stay out of sight of the [NIGHTS] who are still  hunting you down.

After escaping their sights once, it was made apparent they gave up for a moment to return to what they were doing before your little interruption...
        This is because after finding your hiding spot, a huge explosion went off. The vibration of it shook you to your core; and as you hunkered down behind this same wall– you knew that the operative residences are no more.
         You haven't dared to move since.

The city is now fully covered by the darkness of night. Which hasn't been much of an issue with your improved vision... It's the smog that truly makes it hard to see, and breathe.
         Not to mention how this dust burns your eyes and lungs alike, so much so that you keep one hand clasped over the scarf on your mouth, as well as keeping your eyes half shut to keep as much dust out of them as possible.
          The [COALITION] definitely covered the city in this silent killer to make sure no possible survivors of the breach could live.
          Speaking of civilians... You wonder if any of them have made it out alive, after all, that strange radio call Benevolent received the other night ago made it sound like the train is gone; and paired with the urgency of that, you presume it's carrying some important cargo.
         You'll have to see for yourself, just to be sure. Since the train station is near the hospital, it won't take much to take a quick walk there to see whether or not it's there. If it isn't, then it might give you some hope that you aren't the last Days civilian.
         As you click the magazine back into your gun, the sound of steps crunching through the snow and debris stirs your from your thoughts, and the chilled shiver in your muscles ceases as you stiffen.
         Readying your weapon, you listen in to the approaching voices.

"Must you suck at your job so much?" The monotone voice from earlier asks, which is soon answered by the irritated chuckle of Joyous.
         "I didn't expect a scrawny civilian to be carrying a gun..."
         The footsteps stop on the opposite side of the wall.
         "And we didn't expect you to get gutted by said civilian," the smooth voice of Pleasant says, and hearing them again leaves shivers trailing down your spine.
         "Whatever..." Joyous mutters, "they can't hide forever..."
         You hear him stalk closer to your hiding spot, to which you hold your breath as the short silence drags by– a silence soon broken by Pleasant.
         "Besides your lack of coherent thoughts, Joyous, the other thing I find rather interesting is the fact that they aren't affected by this dust," Pleasant's tone is filled with intrigue, "it kills the average civilian in under fifteen minutes."
          You feel your gut wrenching when hearing at those words... "Wait, what?"
          The curt one adds a quiet comment. "Then they must be infected..."
          They all pause in thought after his remark. And Joyous is the first to realize that you're that civilian Otherworldly reported over a month ago.
          He lets out an angry grunt as he picks something up and throws it against the wall you hide behind. It cracks in half at impact, and you duck your head down before they catch you– your heart rate now soaring like Joyous' temper.
          "Ugh! I'm going to fucking kill Otherworldly when I see him!" He yells as he kicks up the snow and dirt.
           Pleasant chuckles as they watch Joyous throw his tantrum. "That is, if you can find him..."
           Your expression hardens in confusion as to what they might mean by that. Don't they know Otherworldly's location? Surely there was an actual reason Otherworldly was out by the asylum, a reason they all should know about...
           "I'll just send our mangy mutt to hunt him down!"
           "Mind you, that mangy mutt  betrayed us," Pleasant begins, "and after what [LEADER] has done to him, I doubt he's physically able to do anything."
           You swallow dryly when you hear those unnerving words. You can easily guess who this 'mutt' of theirs is. But how could it be him? He jumped into the river and escaped...
           "Do you think I care?! As long as [HORRID] keeps him alive, then I'm free to do whatever I want with him!"
           Your lips form a thin line as Joyous' words play on repeat in your head. The grip on your weapon tightens.
           "Speaking of our Leader... Let's get going while it's still dark."
          Joyous huffs in annoyance to that while Pleasant hums in agreement.
           "But Cheerless, that civilian-" Joyous begins before getting cut off by the one you know now is Cheerless. "Isn't any of our concern."
          "But the warning!"
          You can feel the air shift and thicken with Joyous' words– words that snap Cheerless' patience like a twig.
          Sounds of a struggle start, and a slicing crunch is heard along with a shocked gasp. It makes you wince, and you lift your head to peek one eye through the crack in order to grasp what is happening out there.
         Joyous now lies flat on the ground, his wide eyes staring up at Cheerless, who stands over him– the long blade of a katana has been plummeted into Joyous' left shoulder, pinning him to the ground. Cheerless pushes his weight into the katana, sliding it deeper into his shorter co-worker.
         The tremble in your body worsens as you watch the scene unfold.
         Pleasant stays quiet as they watch; yet despite the fact they're turned away from you, you're able to make out the amused smile on their lips.
         "Tell me, Joyous... Who is the commanding officer here?"
         You can almost see the hatred oozing from Joyous as he mutters his reply. "You are..."
         "That is correct," Cheerless says, bringing up his left hand to wrap it around the handle underneath the right.
         "If you weren't running low on fingers already, I'd cut another one off..." He thrusts the blade deeper after the words leave his mouth, yet it earns little to no reaction from Joyous.
         Your eyebrows knit together as you continue to observe in curiosity. A bit shocked that the other members hate each other so much; you assumed that hatred was only towards Powerless...
        "It's a shame that that civilian didn't aim higher..." Cheerless pulls out the blade from the other Night– a blade that is now slick with blood. He points the tip of it between Joyous' eyes, and for a moment your own gaze widens.
        "Right..." The tip is pressed into the thin flesh, just enough to draw blood, "here..."
        Following his words is a cold breeze that blows through the gaps and cracks of the fallen walls. After a minute of the chilly silence, Cheerless withdraws his katana and turns away from Joyous.
        "Get up," he orders, and Joyous pulls himself to his feet in reluctance. He touches a hand to the bleeding injury, while Cheerless starts marching off.
        Pleasant steps forward to stand at his side, pausing a second to giggle mockingly. "Nice one, fool~"
        Joyous gives them the death glare, and Pleasant smiles. "At least you didn't lose a finger this time!" They chirp as they start off after Cheerless.
         The remaining Night glances over his shoulder one last time, and you wonder if he's still thinking about you... Judging from his words, it appears that you and this mysterious 'warning' are connected.
         He soon enough turns to follow after his fellow Nights, leaving you alone at long last. And once you hear their steps fade altogether, you lean your back against the wall and slide into a sitting position– a relieved sigh escaping your mouth.
         Smoothing a finger along the top of your gun's barrel, you think about the lingering conversation that has now passed. It was all very intriguing, and daunting...
        "Powerless..."
         Did he get recaptured? If so, then what about Trauma? You can't imagine the Nights keeping a mere test subject alive...
         You run a hand underneath your beanie to rub at your aching head; closing your eyes, you groan at the piling thoughts and emotions.
         "There's so much going on..."
          The world around you has changed so much, and it continues to change– leaving you to readapt to random aspects of the many changes that happen every day.
          It's getting rather tedious now.
          You fix the beanie on your head so it's no longer dispositioned, before getting to your feet in a slow manner. Once standing upright, you slide your weapon back into its snug holster– and you force yourself to put a pause on the thoughts of Powerless and Trauma for now.
          After all, your current objective is to reach the hospital.
          As you begin walking your sore body over the uneven ground, a new, random image of The [SUPREME LEADER'S] Mansion flickers within your mind.
          Far beyond the hospital, and across another bridge lies the Mansion. A building always heavily guarded, a place where only higher ranking military personnel and The Leader himself are allowed.
         Thinking about it now... It's truly the only logical place the operatives would have retreated to during a breach.
         But would it be a wise idea to actually try journeying there? Especially now, there's no guarantee that the bridge is even in one piece; and even if The Supreme Leader and the other operatives are bunkered up in there, you doubt they'd let a demoted civilian inside.
         Not only that, but you're also sick of walking from one area to the next in this choking smog.
        "I'll just continue... If there's nothing at the hospital, then," you pick up the pace, "then I'll head towards the Mansion."
          With this conclusion, you trail deeper into the city that's no more... Your figure fades, now engulfed in both the smog and the blanket of night.