The civilian was a young man, probably not long out of high school, but stocky and strong-looking, though he was short. Jordan crouched down and felt for a pulse in the guy's wrist, and was only slightly reassured to find that it was strong and even. It was entirely possible that the guy was already infected, but this was, at least nominally, a rescue mission.
Jordan got an arm under the unconscious civilian's shoulders and went to stand, expecting to heft the man easily; to his surprise, his burden felt heavy, and it was actually difficult to haul the limply sleeping body upright. What?
The fog, Ferros said. It's sapping us.
Great. Jordan hauled the civilian up, getting him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry with a concentrated effort. We can't fight like this.
We can't fight when we're hauling someone anyway, Ferros pointed out.
OOC
Name: Jordan Miller Faction: Hunter Suspecies/Division: Sun General appearance: Lean and tall, with blue eyes and reddish-blond hair worn in a ponytail. There are claw scars across the left side of his jaw and neck. He is wearing a Sun division coat. HP: 60/60
Character's name: Micah Lambert Character's faction: Apartments Character's journal link:Journal Character's survival stats: Micah BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF MY CHARACTER Squarish, short, and irritable. He has short, sandy brown hair in a slightly spiky style, brown eyes, and glasses with a coppery wire frame. Wears practical, tough clothes, jeans or work pants with steel-toed or hiking boots, and a flannel or jacket over a t-shirt. He has a small gold wire earring in his left ear and a star tattooed on the back of his right wrist.
They'd gotten a pretty good distance away from the portal. Just our luck this guy decided to take a nap HERE.
Could be worse, Ferros said. He could have been on the other side of the city.
I suspect anyone asleep on the other side of the city is unlikely to be found, Jordan said, a little grimly, and they both fell silent, sharing the undercurrent of knowledge that it was very likely that some of the survivors were going to be missed, with the fog so heavy and the window of time available for rescue shorter than might be ideal. Instead of dwelling on it, they concentrated on picking their way back through the rubble without stumbling over anything in the fog or running into any of the wandering Infected.
The civilian was surprisingly heavy in spite of being a small person, and the fact that he was sleeping deadweight didn't help at all. Jordan's shoulder was beginning to ache, and the uneven ground made keeping the guy balanced an active chore. He hadn't been this limited for some time, and while he appreciated the weapon-enhanced strength that he usually wielded, he rarely noticed it any more. Being weakened to a more normal level was reminding him sharply that he shouldn't take his advantages for granted.
By the time the glow of the portal came into view through the white haze of the fog, he was thoroughly relieved to see it. He might as well just step through carrying the guy, he decided.
The other side of the portal was very decidedly not anywhere familiar. Jordan squinted in the bright light, blinking at the pavement stretching away in front of and behind him, and twisted around to look for the portal. Nearby was a skyscraper, strangely isolated, its top floors shattered, covered in vines. Jordan took a step back, feeling a sudden chill shoot down his spine, suddenly and sharply aware of the mark of the grail on his arm. s**t. His head ached slightly. Probably not a good sign.
The ground trembled, and he turned, his gut sinking in anticipation. The thing behind him was almost familiar/familiar/unfamiliar, a thing like a horse, as huge as the Horsemen's forms but different, strange, bulbous and glowing and made of vines that unraveled and twisted out towards him.
Is it not natural for you to accept us?
The voice tolled in his head like the deep booming of the bells over a funeral (was it familiar? it might have been), and visions flashed through his mind, making his skull feel as though it was going to split. Fear, despair, hatred, anger, loathing, and it took Ferros's furious roar to split the maelstrom long enough for them to get their bearings and run, awkwardly hefting the civilian, but enough of their strength returning that they could run.
The thundering behind them and the shaking of the earth beneath their feet told them that the thing behind them was following.
prolixity rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-6)
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:54 am
Vines crawled out of the ruins of the city, accelerated and ominous, and Jordan didn't bother looking behind him. He just kept going. There were scattered wrecks of cars on the road outside the city, and some that looked like they were still working, but Jordan didn't have any keys and he had no idea how to jump a car. And the horse-creature was far too close to try to figure it out, even if he'd known. The earpiece buzzed in his ear. Ten kilometers to the exit where the portal waited. He slowed just enough to heft the unconscious civilian into a more solid carry, then ran for it.
Vines reached from behind him, wrapping and tearing at his shoulder and at the man he carried. He hissed a curse and put on a burst of speed, tearing away from what pursued.
The rumbling, pounding sound of the horse's hooves receded a little. The radio in Jordan's pocket squawked, but he ignored it for the time being in favor of running for his life. It might have been easier without the burden of an unconscious human on his shoulder, but he still held out some hope that the civilians were actually going to be rescued.
The burning, ripping feel of thorns raked across his back, and he staggered with the force of the blow.
Distance: 7 - 4 = 3
Micah's HP: 40/50 Jordan's HP: 50/60
prolixity rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1Total: 1 (1-6)
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:57 am
The stumble cost Jordan ground, and he couldn't outpace the horse for long this time. Its vines reached out to grasp at them, and he fumbled one of his daggers out of the sheath inside his bag, slicing at the vines wherever he could reach. Some of the vines were cut away, some recoiled, and he tore loose and sprinted as well as he could with the burden he carried.
The exit was in sight, and down at the bottom of the dip Jordan could see the gleam of the portal. He dodged down the slope, risking a glance back over his unoccupied shoulder as he did so. The horse was far behind, large but slow. They'd make it.
As he moved towards the portal, though, the man he was carrying stirred, and Jordan breathed a sigh of relief, stopping long enough to set the guy down. If he was conscious, the guy could step through the portal himself, or at least be supported, and Jordan's shoulder ached.
The man grabbed for his arm, and Jordan moved to help keep him balanced. He had only a brief glimpse of the feral blankness on the guy's face, just long enough to realize that something was wrong, before the civilian drew back a fist and punched him. He had just enough time to turn so that the blow hit his side rather than his gut. "What the ******** wouldn't summon on an unarmed human, and the look on the man's face suggested that the lights were on but nobody was home right now. Instead, Jordan fended the man off, blocking punches and kicks and an unnerving snapping of teeth, and he'd just managed to catch hold of the guy's other wrist to restrain him when the civilian froze, going briefly stiff and still, eyes rolling up in his head. Jordan just managed to catch the guy as he dropped, going limp like a puppet with its strings cut.
