I Get It...

Chapter 2-Odd Thoughts

Lavi woke, startled out of a weird dream involving rabbits when the train suddenly jolted to a stop. There were yells from the front and he sat up drowsily, trying to make out words. They sounded distressed and he became suspicious, standing and pulling his hammer from it's harness as he made his way down the aisle of the stopped train. The shouts grew closer and there was a sudden, gruesome ripping sound and a loud, ear piercing screech that made him cringe. The metal below his feet suddenly twisted and warped and tore away and he felt something hot and sticky spray his face and arms and he stumbled back in shock, looking at his arms to see dots of red coating his skin. Blood? He looked up sharply, activating his Innocence as he caught sight of the Akuma, digging into the roof of the train and wrenching two cars apart. It looked like a giant metal lizard. It had a body in it's jaws. A bloody body. He grimaced and swung his hammer around, "grow grow GROW!" The head grew and grew as it flew through the air and smashed straight into the ribs of the weapon, denting metal and cracking bolts, immediately catching the attention of two red eyes with glaring slitted pupils. He stared back as it opened it's jaws and made some kind of noise. It was silent but loud at the same time and he felt something trickle out of his right ear and then his left. He reached up and his hand came away red. That's when the pain hit him. That heart wrenching, lung crushing, skin crawling agony that sprung through his skull. His hands flew to his head as his mouth opened in a silent scream, his eye squeezing shut as he fell to his knees, bending over slightly as the pain raced down his spine, "agh!" His hammer handle clattered against the car's floor as blood ran down his face. He grunted, looking up as he heard the faint scrape of claws on metal. Jaws were opening in his face and the sound rang out again. His green eye stretched wide in pain as the same feeling washed over him. He jerked and his eye snapped open. The train was moving and yellow light floated around him. He stared up at the ceiling of the car. What?

He sat up slowly and looked around, rubbing the back of his neck with a look of confusion. He looked at his arms and then felt his ears. No blood. No pain. His hammer was still in it's place on the side of his thigh. The train was quiet. And running. It clattered across a bridge and then landed on smooth rails again. He put his boots down on the floor and sat up more, leaning back against the seat. He stared at the bench across from him and then looked out the window. Must be morning, he thought. Just a nightmare, he reassured himself, trying to calm his heart down. He sighed slowly through his nose and brought his hands up to rub his face tiredly. Bookman had said something the night before last. Something about 'don't screw up this mission'. "I won't be there to set you straight, Lavi, so don't let your emotions get in your way when you're dealing with these people and creatures. You're there to record occurrences. Allen and Kanda will head there after you come back with more info on the strange. Got it?" He remembered the old man's words quite painfully. So this wasn't really a mission at all. He groaned. Tricked. He'd been tricked. He just realized it when it was clear as day in front of him. He berated himself for behind so naive. He looked out the window as the train curved on it's track. He saw the town that was pinpointed as his stop. The train started to slow as it crept up on the station. He stood and hiked his pack over his shoulder before walking down the aisle and opening the sliding door before the train had stopped. He jumped off onto the platform with a grim look as steam billowed out from between the rolling wheels behind him. The train stopped with a low squeal and the horn blew. More people unboarded and others boarded after they had gotten off. Lavi held the strap tighter as he walked into the station and paid a ticket before leaving through the front doors into the town. He walked between the buildings, looking around. It reminded him a lot like the Ark. Quiet. Like no body was there. Shutters slammed shut on his right and he jumped, looking over at them with a wide eye. Odd...

He got to the town square, the heart. A crystal fountain was blowing water into the air and spraying speckles of dampness over the cobblestone around the porcelain white basin. Hm. Pretty. He smiled as he watched the water fall smoothly down to the drain in the middle of the fountain. Why weren't people out? It was a beautiful day.

Suddenly, a scream echoed around the surrounding walls of the buildings circling him. It was so loud and sudden that he dropped his sack and yanked out his hammer, activating it and looking around wildly. What was that? His eyes scanned the walls and alleys. It was quiet again. Eyes. Eyes! He stared back at them as they looked at him. They were peering from the shadows of an old winery window. He watched them warily before calling out to them cautiously, "hello?" "Hello?" The voice mocked him. It was a girl's voice. A young voice. Maybe nine or ten.

"Um...can you come out so I can see you better?" "Can you come out so I can see you better," she called. He frowned. "Stop mocking me and be serious--" "Stop mocking me and--" "Hey!" "HEY," she screeched and he he grit his teeth, reaching up to cover his ears as the screech grew louder and sharper in volume. "Nng..." The scream ended and he looked back up sharply. The eyes. They were gone. The girl was gone. He looked around. She was no where. Was it an Akuma? He pursed his lips. This was super weird. "Hey, mister?" He spun, looking down at the tugging on his scarf, "whoa, hey!" "Hey," she smiled up at him. He raised a brow. She smiled wider and her teeth grew sharp, "can you come out so I can see you better?" Her voice sang sweetly.