The two of them were at an advantage now. Two against one, both of them with weapons, and Kyle just got himself a gun. On the surface, everything was coming up their way, till one remembered one thing.
Mercedes had lasers.
He heard her snarl from across before a blast came out from the fog and flew above him into the wall. Kyle ducked down after that, his right hand reaching above his eyes. He was lucky that it wasn't his head that the beam hit.
Kyle had the gun in his hands, but he did not have a clue how to use it. He had never been trained with this kind of stuff, he had never even held an airsoft gun- mostly cause his mother had a distaste for these kinds of things- It was not just that, though, he was worried about hitting Lily in the process. He could not take the chance.
The smoke cleared up after that and he could see Lily just a few feet away from Mercedes. A tackle after and the two of them were soon tangled together on the floor. Or, that was what Kyle assumed was happening since Lily had a light show going with so many colors at once.
He wished he had some sunglasses right now.
And then all the effects were gone, the lights, the frost, everything. He could see them on the floor, Lily on top. Looking tired as hell. She was holding down that stinging arm of Mercedes before she managed to burn another person to death.
He stepped towards them, carefully making sure that his finger was not near the trigger- one of the few things he knew to do with a gun- and patted Lily on the shoulder as if to say "Good job.".
Your Actions Have Consequences
here be a death thread
Moderator: SOTF Supers Staff
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Pippi
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She felt as though she was going to explode any second now.
The pressure in her skull had grown with each passing second, a headache that was crushing and squeezing down on her brain as she tried desperately to keep her bearings and her balance. The ringing in her ears had refused to let up; if anything, Lily’s smoke and mirror bullshit had made it even worse. One arm was shattered, able to move at the shoulder but not at the elbow. The other itched and stung like crazy, like there was something burrowed inside of it, trying to escape.
Breathing was torture, moving was worse. But no matter how much pain wracked through her body, no force on this goddamn Earth was gonna stop her from fighting for her life. She’d spent every second of every fucking day burning up from the inside, living a life where a sudden spike in heat or unexpected exertion could kill her on the spot. She’d adapted to it. Built and worked around it. She had made herself a world she could be happy in, a future to look forwards to, a life to be proud of.
It would have been so goddamn easy to have just walked into the desert on the very first day and let the sun claim her. She’d never even considered that route. So Kyle and Lily could beat her black and blue all they fucking wanted. If they were gonna take the fight to her, she wouldn’t stop until they were lifeless at her feet.
As if on cue, as if by magic, there was her once-upon-a-time friend, the smoke vanishing into nothingness as if it had never been there. They locked eyes. Mercedes had enough time for her hand to twitch before Lily barreled into her, the last remaining breath in her lungs knocked right out of her. A burst of stars appeared in her eyes. Something brand new cracked in her side as she hit concrete. She felt herself black out for just a moment.
When her vision reappeared, Lily’s heel was digging into her wrist, palm pressed down into the ground. She groaned, trying to rock herself onto her side to stop her shattered ribs from pushing against the floor, but her body wouldn’t move. She couldn’t force it any further. She huffed, and panted, and seethed, glaring up at Lily through her sweaty, bloody hair.
“You’re… fucking… stupid…”
The pressure in her skull had grown with each passing second, a headache that was crushing and squeezing down on her brain as she tried desperately to keep her bearings and her balance. The ringing in her ears had refused to let up; if anything, Lily’s smoke and mirror bullshit had made it even worse. One arm was shattered, able to move at the shoulder but not at the elbow. The other itched and stung like crazy, like there was something burrowed inside of it, trying to escape.
Breathing was torture, moving was worse. But no matter how much pain wracked through her body, no force on this goddamn Earth was gonna stop her from fighting for her life. She’d spent every second of every fucking day burning up from the inside, living a life where a sudden spike in heat or unexpected exertion could kill her on the spot. She’d adapted to it. Built and worked around it. She had made herself a world she could be happy in, a future to look forwards to, a life to be proud of.
It would have been so goddamn easy to have just walked into the desert on the very first day and let the sun claim her. She’d never even considered that route. So Kyle and Lily could beat her black and blue all they fucking wanted. If they were gonna take the fight to her, she wouldn’t stop until they were lifeless at her feet.
As if on cue, as if by magic, there was her once-upon-a-time friend, the smoke vanishing into nothingness as if it had never been there. They locked eyes. Mercedes had enough time for her hand to twitch before Lily barreled into her, the last remaining breath in her lungs knocked right out of her. A burst of stars appeared in her eyes. Something brand new cracked in her side as she hit concrete. She felt herself black out for just a moment.
When her vision reappeared, Lily’s heel was digging into her wrist, palm pressed down into the ground. She groaned, trying to rock herself onto her side to stop her shattered ribs from pushing against the floor, but her body wouldn’t move. She couldn’t force it any further. She huffed, and panted, and seethed, glaring up at Lily through her sweaty, bloody hair.
“You’re… fucking… stupid…”
((Lincoln Guenther continued from Shine a Little Light on My Dark Day))
If Lincoln had shown up earlier, he probably would’ve taken a different approach.
He was used to his sister getting in over her head from time to time. She’d picked fights over stupid things, and blown her top over matters that would’ve worked out if she’d just taken a moment to think about it. While he admired the crap out of his sister’s boldness and bravery (not that he’d tell her, of course), her brashness did have a flip side.
So if he’d shown up a couple of minutes ago, and seen Mercy trying to pick a fight with two people, both armed with rebar, over what amounted to absolutely nothing worth fighting about, he would’ve done his level best to calm the situation down. De-escalate it before someone could get hurt for no good reason, you know?
But Lincoln floated into the scene a few minutes too late, attracted by the sounds of violence and Mercedes’ groaning. He was greeted with the sight of Lily digging her foot into his sister’s hand, Kyle standing nearby with his unreadable eagle face. Mercy was in immense pain, it wasn’t hard to figure out. She hadn’t looked like this when he had last seen her.
The conclusion was immediate.
It was his turn as the Guenther sibling to ignore rationale and charge ahead. He didn’t have any arms to fight with any more, couldn’t pin Lily to the floor in a Judo floor, so he did the only thing he think to do. He rammed himself at top speed straight at Lily, colliding with her square in the ribs.
It was disorienting, but it didn’t hurt. Even if it had, he wouldn't care. He floated between Mercedes and the other two aggressors, trying to regain his balance after that precision orbital strike.
“𝔾𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕦𝕔𝕜 𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕞𝕪 𝕤𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣!”
If Lincoln had shown up earlier, he probably would’ve taken a different approach.
He was used to his sister getting in over her head from time to time. She’d picked fights over stupid things, and blown her top over matters that would’ve worked out if she’d just taken a moment to think about it. While he admired the crap out of his sister’s boldness and bravery (not that he’d tell her, of course), her brashness did have a flip side.
So if he’d shown up a couple of minutes ago, and seen Mercy trying to pick a fight with two people, both armed with rebar, over what amounted to absolutely nothing worth fighting about, he would’ve done his level best to calm the situation down. De-escalate it before someone could get hurt for no good reason, you know?
But Lincoln floated into the scene a few minutes too late, attracted by the sounds of violence and Mercedes’ groaning. He was greeted with the sight of Lily digging her foot into his sister’s hand, Kyle standing nearby with his unreadable eagle face. Mercy was in immense pain, it wasn’t hard to figure out. She hadn’t looked like this when he had last seen her.
The conclusion was immediate.
It was his turn as the Guenther sibling to ignore rationale and charge ahead. He didn’t have any arms to fight with any more, couldn’t pin Lily to the floor in a Judo floor, so he did the only thing he think to do. He rammed himself at top speed straight at Lily, colliding with her square in the ribs.
It was disorienting, but it didn’t hurt. Even if it had, he wouldn't care. He floated between Mercedes and the other two aggressors, trying to regain his balance after that precision orbital strike.
“𝔾𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕦𝕔𝕜 𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕞𝕪 𝕤𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣!”
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VoltTurtle
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Lily didn't have a chance to react before a white orb flew in from around a corner and slammed into her ribs. The impact made something crack in her chest as she stumbled backwards, off of Mercedes. She coughed, and the pain hit her all at once, stinging like white-hot daggers shooting through her whole chest.
A mix of emotions whirled through her head. Surprise, confusion, panic, only for it to all be replaced by a bestial, defensive rage. She twisted, retaliating on instinct, and rocketed the rebar into the orb, slamming it into the ground and reeling away from her.
Then that familiar, protective darkness engulfed the hallway.
A mix of emotions whirled through her head. Surprise, confusion, panic, only for it to all be replaced by a bestial, defensive rage. She twisted, retaliating on instinct, and rocketed the rebar into the orb, slamming it into the ground and reeling away from her.
Then that familiar, protective darkness engulfed the hallway.
Things were going well, they had Mercedes restrained, and it looked like they had control. Finally, things were going their way, and a start to making things right around here.
But Kyle had forgotten that this place was hell no matter what; something or other spilled out from around the corner and reminded them of how hopeless things really were.
In this case, an orb appeared. It rammed into Lily at Mach speed and knocked her off Mercedes, freeing her. It was Lincoln. The voice was weird, coming from the orb and all. Was that something he was able to do? Where was he? He could not be that far away from here.
It was not like he could look anyway once the darkness encompassed their area. Kyle swallowed, and his grip tightened on his weapons. He could not be taking chances on this. One had already shown a willingness to step beyond the law, and the other was too willing to help. Kyle knew that Lincoln was not deaf; he had to have heard the announcements. He must have known that Mercedes was a killer, and sibling or not, that meant that he was helping a murderer try to escape justice. That he could not forgive.
But Kyle had forgotten that this place was hell no matter what; something or other spilled out from around the corner and reminded them of how hopeless things really were.
In this case, an orb appeared. It rammed into Lily at Mach speed and knocked her off Mercedes, freeing her. It was Lincoln. The voice was weird, coming from the orb and all. Was that something he was able to do? Where was he? He could not be that far away from here.
It was not like he could look anyway once the darkness encompassed their area. Kyle swallowed, and his grip tightened on his weapons. He could not be taking chances on this. One had already shown a willingness to step beyond the law, and the other was too willing to help. Kyle knew that Lincoln was not deaf; he had to have heard the announcements. He must have known that Mercedes was a killer, and sibling or not, that meant that he was helping a murderer try to escape justice. That he could not forgive.
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Pippi
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She recognised that voice.
It could have been muffled in a crowd of a thousand or more, and it would still be the one to stand out the most. She’d been subjected to it all her life, quite literally from the very moment of her birth. She’d compared it to a number of things over the years, particularly in situations strikingly similar to this one, where he’d faced up to people bigger than him, taller than him, stronger and better prepared than him, as if pure guts and fury would make him suddenly invincible.
Maybe that last trait was hereditary.
‘A chihuahua picking a fight with a great dane,’ that was how she’d described it on more than one occasion - normally long after the fact, when he was fussing about looking for bandages and she was holding a bag of frozen peas to her brand new shiner after she’d waded in to make sure he stayed the hell out of harm’s way. He’d say the same thing each time as well, that he could look after himself just fine, that he didn’t need to be coddled like that, and she would nod and apologise and promise not to jump into his defence like that again, knowing full well she would break it into pieces the moment she thought he was in even a hint of danger.
And now, even after she’d run away from him, even after she’d refused to accept what she was seeing and who he was, even after he’d lost everything but his voice and, if such a thing existed, his soul, he was still here. He’d still found her. He’d still wanted to find her. And he was once again staring down aggressors bigger and stronger than him, with even less of a way to defend himself than usual.
How could this be anyone but her brother?
She had just enough time for this revelation to sink in and to push herself up into a seated position now that Lily had stumbled off of her, before the crack of a home-run swing echoed through the corridor, and she saw Lincoln collide with the ground and spin away into the engulfing darkness.
And in that so-called protective gloom, Mercedes Guenther was back on her feet, risen from the grave, throat ripped to shreds from her cry of pure anguish. She could feel her heart beating fast and heavy inside of her, adrenaline spiking it to dangerous heights, her entire body thrumming with energy as it thudded a wild, crazed beat. She couldn’t feel anything else right now. Her broken bones, the deep dark bruises coating her body, the bloody cash carved into her forehead, all of it had been numbed by the boiling blood rushing through her veins.
Her second wind was born from molten fury, but if that was what it took to keep her going, so fucking be it.
“Don’t… you fucking DARE… touch him!”
There was another explosion of plaster and mortar as she blindfired once more, a section of wall somewhere in the corridor disintegrating, dust sizzling in the dark.
It could have been muffled in a crowd of a thousand or more, and it would still be the one to stand out the most. She’d been subjected to it all her life, quite literally from the very moment of her birth. She’d compared it to a number of things over the years, particularly in situations strikingly similar to this one, where he’d faced up to people bigger than him, taller than him, stronger and better prepared than him, as if pure guts and fury would make him suddenly invincible.
Maybe that last trait was hereditary.
‘A chihuahua picking a fight with a great dane,’ that was how she’d described it on more than one occasion - normally long after the fact, when he was fussing about looking for bandages and she was holding a bag of frozen peas to her brand new shiner after she’d waded in to make sure he stayed the hell out of harm’s way. He’d say the same thing each time as well, that he could look after himself just fine, that he didn’t need to be coddled like that, and she would nod and apologise and promise not to jump into his defence like that again, knowing full well she would break it into pieces the moment she thought he was in even a hint of danger.
And now, even after she’d run away from him, even after she’d refused to accept what she was seeing and who he was, even after he’d lost everything but his voice and, if such a thing existed, his soul, he was still here. He’d still found her. He’d still wanted to find her. And he was once again staring down aggressors bigger and stronger than him, with even less of a way to defend himself than usual.
How could this be anyone but her brother?
She had just enough time for this revelation to sink in and to push herself up into a seated position now that Lily had stumbled off of her, before the crack of a home-run swing echoed through the corridor, and she saw Lincoln collide with the ground and spin away into the engulfing darkness.
And in that so-called protective gloom, Mercedes Guenther was back on her feet, risen from the grave, throat ripped to shreds from her cry of pure anguish. She could feel her heart beating fast and heavy inside of her, adrenaline spiking it to dangerous heights, her entire body thrumming with energy as it thudded a wild, crazed beat. She couldn’t feel anything else right now. Her broken bones, the deep dark bruises coating her body, the bloody cash carved into her forehead, all of it had been numbed by the boiling blood rushing through her veins.
Her second wind was born from molten fury, but if that was what it took to keep her going, so fucking be it.
“Don’t… you fucking DARE… touch him!”
There was another explosion of plaster and mortar as she blindfired once more, a section of wall somewhere in the corridor disintegrating, dust sizzling in the dark.
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VoltTurtle
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Lily felt flecks of very real plaster hit her face as Mercy's laser cut through the dark right by her head. She felt the sheer heat from it hit her face in a wave, and she covered her mouth with her hand to suppress a scream as one of her legs buckled out from underneath her, sending her to the ground.
Her head felt like it was burning just as much as the inside of her chest. She didn't know how long she could consciously maintain her illusions like this. It was so much easier when she was asleep, and all she had to do was let them leak out. With the stress of it all weighing on her neck, she knew she didn't have much time left before she would pass out. The best she could hope for was using what little power she had left to leave the darkness up and run, but she couldn't do that without leaving Kyle behind, ready for Mercy to blast him apart.
That wasn't an option. They could both still get out of this. Nobody had to die. She could always try something else, something lighter on her mind, twist the world around her into a pretzel instead of suppressing it behind a veil of shadow, and use the confusion to knock Mercy out, if it came to that.
She started to sit up, but something in her chest popped, and the whole world went out the window as she saw stars erupt all around her, before they and the darkness faded away, revealing the hallway, and leaving her eye to evil eye with Mercedes standing a few feet from her.
Her breath caught in her throat as the full force of pure panic slammed into her.
"Kyle," she yelped, "help!"
Her head felt like it was burning just as much as the inside of her chest. She didn't know how long she could consciously maintain her illusions like this. It was so much easier when she was asleep, and all she had to do was let them leak out. With the stress of it all weighing on her neck, she knew she didn't have much time left before she would pass out. The best she could hope for was using what little power she had left to leave the darkness up and run, but she couldn't do that without leaving Kyle behind, ready for Mercy to blast him apart.
That wasn't an option. They could both still get out of this. Nobody had to die. She could always try something else, something lighter on her mind, twist the world around her into a pretzel instead of suppressing it behind a veil of shadow, and use the confusion to knock Mercy out, if it came to that.
She started to sit up, but something in her chest popped, and the whole world went out the window as she saw stars erupt all around her, before they and the darkness faded away, revealing the hallway, and leaving her eye to evil eye with Mercedes standing a few feet from her.
Her breath caught in her throat as the full force of pure panic slammed into her.
"Kyle," she yelped, "help!"
Lincoln’s reflexes may have been honed from years of self-defence training, but those same reflexes were only trained for his human body. His orb had always stayed in the corner of the room or in his bag during training, because how was he going to fight with an orb? 'Better to keep it out of harm’s way', was the advice that had always been given by people who didn’t understand the nature of his Gift.
Unfortunately, that meant he had never really learned how to duck as an orb.
Lily’s rebar hit him square, even as he saw her coming straight at him. There was a sickening sensation of something breaking, and moments later he was rolling along the ground, his whole world spinning. He felt nauseous and dizzy, which didn’t make any sense as he didn’t have a stomach or inner ear any more. Despite a lack of a nervous system to tell him that he was in pain, he instinctively could tell something was really wrong.
There was a large dark spot in his spherical vision. There had never been a large dark spot before.
Lincoln couldn’t see for himself, but a vicious crack ran down his side. The light of his orb thrummed out from himself as normal, if more rapidly than it would in a calm situation, but that same light faded to nothing at the thick fracture. He had managed to avoid splitting open, but barely. It was the sort of injury that could take months to heal.
Months he didn’t have. He saw Mercy get up, still stubborn as ever, but fuelled by white hot rage that blasted out of her palms. It had been so long since he had seen her fire her laser so recklessly, not since they were kids. The last time had been when she’d blown a hole in their living room wall, barely inches from their dad’s shoulder. He had been so scared then, and she’d cried so much afterwards.
None of that guilt was there now. Now she just had that remorseless look on her face when she sensed people trying to mess with her baby brother. He always had the sense she would rip someone in half on his behalf if she was pushed far enough, and now he was seeing it live.
Honestly? Considering what Kyle and Lily had done to her, and had just done to him? He wasn’t going to stop this. He had been attacked, murdered, turned into a fucking orb because of this, and now people were trying to kill his sister?
Fuck them! Fuck all of this!
He floated back upwards, a terribly unbalanced affair as he bobbed up and down like a ball on a rubber band. He struggled to maintain a level height, as if the air was dropping out from underneath him. It didn’t matter how hard it was though, he only cared about keeping his sister safe. The darkness erupted around him into a new constellation before vanishing, and he could see Lily only feet from his sister, rebar still in hand. He couldn’t see the panic in her eyes, only the violent intent that had been etched into her face the second he arrived on the scene.
“𝕀 𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕕 𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕌ℂ𝕂 𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕙𝕖𝕣!” he yelled, charging in a teetering path towards her once again.
Unfortunately, that meant he had never really learned how to duck as an orb.
Lily’s rebar hit him square, even as he saw her coming straight at him. There was a sickening sensation of something breaking, and moments later he was rolling along the ground, his whole world spinning. He felt nauseous and dizzy, which didn’t make any sense as he didn’t have a stomach or inner ear any more. Despite a lack of a nervous system to tell him that he was in pain, he instinctively could tell something was really wrong.
There was a large dark spot in his spherical vision. There had never been a large dark spot before.
Lincoln couldn’t see for himself, but a vicious crack ran down his side. The light of his orb thrummed out from himself as normal, if more rapidly than it would in a calm situation, but that same light faded to nothing at the thick fracture. He had managed to avoid splitting open, but barely. It was the sort of injury that could take months to heal.
Months he didn’t have. He saw Mercy get up, still stubborn as ever, but fuelled by white hot rage that blasted out of her palms. It had been so long since he had seen her fire her laser so recklessly, not since they were kids. The last time had been when she’d blown a hole in their living room wall, barely inches from their dad’s shoulder. He had been so scared then, and she’d cried so much afterwards.
None of that guilt was there now. Now she just had that remorseless look on her face when she sensed people trying to mess with her baby brother. He always had the sense she would rip someone in half on his behalf if she was pushed far enough, and now he was seeing it live.
Honestly? Considering what Kyle and Lily had done to her, and had just done to him? He wasn’t going to stop this. He had been attacked, murdered, turned into a fucking orb because of this, and now people were trying to kill his sister?
Fuck them! Fuck all of this!
He floated back upwards, a terribly unbalanced affair as he bobbed up and down like a ball on a rubber band. He struggled to maintain a level height, as if the air was dropping out from underneath him. It didn’t matter how hard it was though, he only cared about keeping his sister safe. The darkness erupted around him into a new constellation before vanishing, and he could see Lily only feet from his sister, rebar still in hand. He couldn’t see the panic in her eyes, only the violent intent that had been etched into her face the second he arrived on the scene.
“𝕀 𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕕 𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕌ℂ𝕂 𝕒𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕙𝕖𝕣!” he yelled, charging in a teetering path towards her once again.
He stood still in the darkness, unsure what to do. Right now, he didn't have a shot at either of them, and if he tried to take one, how likely would it be for him to head Lily instead? For now it was a risk that he could not take. But the longer this fight goes without them using this advantage, then more likely they were to lose and die.
Another laser shot flew across the room, somehow cutting through the darkness. Plaster flew about from the wall that got hit. This time further away from Kyle, but nonethless a frightening display. After that shot, it was like an explosion of stars, as if they were in space itself. Both the starts and the darkness did not take long to disappear, but the light revealed more bad news.
Mercedes. Mere feet away from Lily. Staring at her with eyes ready to do the worst. Lily sounded panicked; she asked for his help. Lincoln was flying at her, screaming in that hellish voice, aiming to deal more damage. And maybe, go further than that...
Just like his sister... With every action Mercedes had taken in this encounter, it only emboldended the thought inside Kyle's mind that she needed to go down, and it was not a temporary measure anymore. Lincoln had seen to that.
Kyle's hands were shaking and sweating; he knew what he had to do now. Even if it meant going against what Lily had explicitly told him; but he... He could not lose her, not like this! And he was not going to allow some fucking orb to make it real!
He dropped the rebar to the floor, put both hands around the gun handle and aimed it at the flying orb. He held his breath before letting out a shriek and pulled the trigger.
Again and again.
Another laser shot flew across the room, somehow cutting through the darkness. Plaster flew about from the wall that got hit. This time further away from Kyle, but nonethless a frightening display. After that shot, it was like an explosion of stars, as if they were in space itself. Both the starts and the darkness did not take long to disappear, but the light revealed more bad news.
Mercedes. Mere feet away from Lily. Staring at her with eyes ready to do the worst. Lily sounded panicked; she asked for his help. Lincoln was flying at her, screaming in that hellish voice, aiming to deal more damage. And maybe, go further than that...
Just like his sister... With every action Mercedes had taken in this encounter, it only emboldended the thought inside Kyle's mind that she needed to go down, and it was not a temporary measure anymore. Lincoln had seen to that.
Kyle's hands were shaking and sweating; he knew what he had to do now. Even if it meant going against what Lily had explicitly told him; but he... He could not lose her, not like this! And he was not going to allow some fucking orb to make it real!
He dropped the rebar to the floor, put both hands around the gun handle and aimed it at the flying orb. He held his breath before letting out a shriek and pulled the trigger.
Again and again.
Lincoln did not reach his target. He saw Kyle moving for the gun, but he wasn't paying attention to his eagle-headed classmate. He was too focused on hurting Lily.
He heard the sounds of gunshots, but he had already been blown away. He hit an opposite wall, colliding with a loud thunk before dropping to the ground, more noises following as he bounced to a stop. A bullet was embedded in him. It radiated hideous lines in every direction. There was a huge dark spot in his vision now.
He tried to get back up, because he could still see Mercy, and she still needed his help. But he couldn’t move. He couldn’t fly any more.
His light grew weak.
He heard the sounds of gunshots, but he had already been blown away. He hit an opposite wall, colliding with a loud thunk before dropping to the ground, more noises following as he bounced to a stop. A bullet was embedded in him. It radiated hideous lines in every direction. There was a huge dark spot in his vision now.
He tried to get back up, because he could still see Mercy, and she still needed his help. But he couldn’t move. He couldn’t fly any more.
His light grew weak.
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Pippi
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The gunshots were little more than background noise, now. They were muffled, like somebody slamming their fist into a pillow, and they blended in with the rest of her numbed senses, joining the low, soft fuzz that surrounded her. And even if the noise had been clear as day, she had her eyes set on one thing and one thing only now, anyway.
Lily’s illusions had ripped themselves to shreds, nothing more than tissue paper in the face of her fury. She still clutched the rebar in her hand, knuckles stark white, but she was as good as defenceless without the use of her Gift. She didn’t have a goddamn clue if any of the bullets had even hit her, everything was that muted, but she didn’t think it would have mattered a damn if they had. She’d keep moving while riddled like a fucking sieve, until every last drop of blood had leaked out of her. She was going to kill Lily, now. The other girl had proven, over and over, that she didn’t have the drive to actually live. She didn’t even have the goddamn guts to take down a proven murderer. Mercedes would be doing her a kindness with this; better to die at her hands than to be slowly starved to death by hope. She would make it quick.
The gunshots hadn’t stolen her attention away. The impact crack certainly did.
She saw a blurry spherical shape drop to the ground out of the corner of her eye. Saw it roll a few feet past its landing point. Saw him come to a stop, resting against a chunk of rubble, a dark hole punched into his front, spiderwebs of cracks and static spiraling away from it. He reminded her, briefly, of a TV someone had put their foot through.
In that moment, he couldn’t have been less human. In that moment, as his light flickered, he couldn’t have been more Lincoln.
Her palms had already been raised, prepared to execute Lily, but now they were pointed towards Kyle. Her arms shook wildly, hands rapidly switching their arm from his head to his torso to his limbs. She wished the numbness would totally consume her again. She wished her heart hadn’t broken through the veil so violently. To goddamn hell with being quick. To goddamn hell with every friendly interaction, every wave shared in the corridors, every moment of safety and shelter they’d shared in some distant memory.
She wouldn’t stop until Kyle was ash in the breeze.
She roared herself hoarse as tears streamed down her cheeks, and piercing blue light burst from both hands, shooting towards Kyle, skin on her palms burning and flaking away.
Lily’s illusions had ripped themselves to shreds, nothing more than tissue paper in the face of her fury. She still clutched the rebar in her hand, knuckles stark white, but she was as good as defenceless without the use of her Gift. She didn’t have a goddamn clue if any of the bullets had even hit her, everything was that muted, but she didn’t think it would have mattered a damn if they had. She’d keep moving while riddled like a fucking sieve, until every last drop of blood had leaked out of her. She was going to kill Lily, now. The other girl had proven, over and over, that she didn’t have the drive to actually live. She didn’t even have the goddamn guts to take down a proven murderer. Mercedes would be doing her a kindness with this; better to die at her hands than to be slowly starved to death by hope. She would make it quick.
The gunshots hadn’t stolen her attention away. The impact crack certainly did.
She saw a blurry spherical shape drop to the ground out of the corner of her eye. Saw it roll a few feet past its landing point. Saw him come to a stop, resting against a chunk of rubble, a dark hole punched into his front, spiderwebs of cracks and static spiraling away from it. He reminded her, briefly, of a TV someone had put their foot through.
In that moment, he couldn’t have been less human. In that moment, as his light flickered, he couldn’t have been more Lincoln.
Her palms had already been raised, prepared to execute Lily, but now they were pointed towards Kyle. Her arms shook wildly, hands rapidly switching their arm from his head to his torso to his limbs. She wished the numbness would totally consume her again. She wished her heart hadn’t broken through the veil so violently. To goddamn hell with being quick. To goddamn hell with every friendly interaction, every wave shared in the corridors, every moment of safety and shelter they’d shared in some distant memory.
She wouldn’t stop until Kyle was ash in the breeze.
She roared herself hoarse as tears streamed down her cheeks, and piercing blue light burst from both hands, shooting towards Kyle, skin on her palms burning and flaking away.
He had gotten a direct hit. His finger went off the trigger the moment he saw that he did. A couple of shots were blown at the hunk of junk, but he was out of the picture, and now they could deal with the real threat. Get that bitch before she killed more people.
Before he could shoot, though, she fired at him with another wave of beams.
This time she did not miss.
The beams went through him, into his stomach area; they burned his jacket and his shirt, ripped through his skin and bone; the pain was unimaginable; he shrieked the entire time as Mercedes stood across with her burning hands. The smell was horrid, a mixture of burning flesh and parts of his clothes being set on fire, searing themselves into the skin beneath.
There was a time when Kyle was in elementary; he had accidentally touched the end of the iron, and he had wanted to see if it was on or not. For a long time that had been the hottest thing he had ever touched, and his index finger had to be held underneath a sink for almost half 'an hour before it felt even sort of fine.
That was nothing compared to this.
This must have been what she did to Moose. She was showing exactly what she was always capable of. She... needed to...
Kyle tried to lift his hand but found he had no strength in either of them. He dropped the gun on the floor as his legs buckled underneath him and he fell forward down on his stomach. He was coughing and wheezing for breath, his eyes stinging with tears falling onto the floor. His insides liquefied and dropped alongside his blood onto the plaster-covered floor.
Before he could shoot, though, she fired at him with another wave of beams.
This time she did not miss.
The beams went through him, into his stomach area; they burned his jacket and his shirt, ripped through his skin and bone; the pain was unimaginable; he shrieked the entire time as Mercedes stood across with her burning hands. The smell was horrid, a mixture of burning flesh and parts of his clothes being set on fire, searing themselves into the skin beneath.
There was a time when Kyle was in elementary; he had accidentally touched the end of the iron, and he had wanted to see if it was on or not. For a long time that had been the hottest thing he had ever touched, and his index finger had to be held underneath a sink for almost half 'an hour before it felt even sort of fine.
That was nothing compared to this.
This must have been what she did to Moose. She was showing exactly what she was always capable of. She... needed to...
Kyle tried to lift his hand but found he had no strength in either of them. He dropped the gun on the floor as his legs buckled underneath him and he fell forward down on his stomach. He was coughing and wheezing for breath, his eyes stinging with tears falling onto the floor. His insides liquefied and dropped alongside his blood onto the plaster-covered floor.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Lily shrieked as the blast tore through Kyle.
She hadn't meant shoot them. She didn't want anyone to get well and truly hurt. And now, Kyle was...
Everything was wrong. This couldn't last any longer. With fear and rage running through her veins, a surge of strength overtook her as a wall of fire erupted behind her. Pain faded away like a distant memory, and with the newfound life coursing through her, she whipped the rebar straight at Mercy's face. It hit, but Lily didn't see that, only hearing the metallic crunch of bone on metal as she pushed off the ground and scrambled for the gun Kyle had dropped, desperate for the means to defend herself.
She felt the warm metal press into her hand as she got to her feet, the barrel now pointed straight at Mercy's chest. Lily's finger wrapped itself around the trigger, tears welling up in her eyes as they met Mercy's own. She knew that she had to do, to make the conscious decision to kill someone she knew and once loved. There was no other way, no way back from this precipice that she had so foolishly jumped off.
Yet, her hand shook, hesitation freezing her in place, frost creeping up her legs.
In spite of everything, she still couldn't do it.
She hadn't meant shoot them. She didn't want anyone to get well and truly hurt. And now, Kyle was...
Everything was wrong. This couldn't last any longer. With fear and rage running through her veins, a surge of strength overtook her as a wall of fire erupted behind her. Pain faded away like a distant memory, and with the newfound life coursing through her, she whipped the rebar straight at Mercy's face. It hit, but Lily didn't see that, only hearing the metallic crunch of bone on metal as she pushed off the ground and scrambled for the gun Kyle had dropped, desperate for the means to defend herself.
She felt the warm metal press into her hand as she got to her feet, the barrel now pointed straight at Mercy's chest. Lily's finger wrapped itself around the trigger, tears welling up in her eyes as they met Mercy's own. She knew that she had to do, to make the conscious decision to kill someone she knew and once loved. There was no other way, no way back from this precipice that she had so foolishly jumped off.
Yet, her hand shook, hesitation freezing her in place, frost creeping up her legs.
In spite of everything, she still couldn't do it.
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Pippi
- Posts: 1118
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:32 pm
- Location: I'm Pip!
- Team Affiliation: Stephanie's Buccaneers
Her left arm stung like hell, as the beams shut off and she turned away from Kyle, feeling her stomach churn as she just caught the sight of melted torso skin slough off and drip to the ground, and the stench of scorched flesh and fabric filled her nostrils. Even with all these other sensations - her pounding skull, her choked sobs and gasps for air, the heat coursing through her body, the realisation that her friend and her brother now lay dying on the ground to the side of her - crashing against her like waves on a rock, or perhaps more accurately like zombies trying to break through the walls of her safehouse, the itching feeling was impossible to ignore. Maybe it was because it was the only sensation that wasn’t muffled by that numbness surrounding her, maybe it was cause she didn’t have a fucking clue why it was happening.
She had to ignore it and push through, though. Lily was still standing, she was still alive. Mercy needed to put her to rest. It wouldn’t take long. She could breathe again soon. Recharge. Cooldown. See what debris or whatever bullshit had embedded itself in-
CRUNCH
Mercedes howled as the rebar slammed into her face, her voice deep and raspy, barely recognisable as her own any longer, and this sudden influx of pain was more than enough to distract from the itching in her forearm. She could feel blood streaming down her face from the ruined mess that had been her nose, and flood her mouth from where she’d bitten down hard on her tongue. There were white spots in her vision, and her head felt like it had cracked down the middle, each thud of her migraine splitting it open wider and wider. She stumbled backwards, spitting out blood and shards of teeth onto the ground.
“MotherFUCKER… you…”
She coughed and hacked, a mix of blood and bile spilling out of her mouth, as she stood hunched over, squeezing her eyes shut and opening them to force the double vision and blurry white spots away. She looked up. Her eyes locked with Lily’s. She saw her own gun in the other girl’s hands, pointed right at her chest. She saw her finger on the trigger.
But her hands shook. A moment of doubt had seized her mind, making her second-guess herself, making her hesitate.
Something Mercedes had always known she could never afford to fall prey to.
Her arm shot up, hand splayed, palm facing Lily. She grimaced, face twisted into a snarl, as fire coursed through her arm, down to her wrist, tendrils of smoke wisping out and curling around her fingers. The itching sensation had returned, stronger than it had ever been before.
And as the beam exploded from her hand, blasting a hole straight through Lily’s chest, her arm finally gave way and ruptured, ripping down the side like someone had run a knife down an invisible seam. For a moment, bright blue light wreathed it, from shoulder to fingertip. Then, with the force of a wildfire, it ignited, every inch engulfed in flames, searing through muscle and skin, burning up from the inside out.
Mercy shrieked, fear and pain jostling for control, as she swung her arm at the wall, trying to beat the flames away, the beam, now growing thinner and fainter with each passing second, jutting away from Lily at a wild angle. It lanced across her body twice more, as Mercedes flailed and her skin melted, before it shut itself off, a sudden backdraft erupting from the hole in what was left of her palm, turning her fingers to ash.
The corridor was filled with smoke and the crackle of flames. The air was ripe with the stench of burnt flesh and scorched bones.
But it was over.
Lily was falling.
She had to ignore it and push through, though. Lily was still standing, she was still alive. Mercy needed to put her to rest. It wouldn’t take long. She could breathe again soon. Recharge. Cooldown. See what debris or whatever bullshit had embedded itself in-
CRUNCH
Mercedes howled as the rebar slammed into her face, her voice deep and raspy, barely recognisable as her own any longer, and this sudden influx of pain was more than enough to distract from the itching in her forearm. She could feel blood streaming down her face from the ruined mess that had been her nose, and flood her mouth from where she’d bitten down hard on her tongue. There were white spots in her vision, and her head felt like it had cracked down the middle, each thud of her migraine splitting it open wider and wider. She stumbled backwards, spitting out blood and shards of teeth onto the ground.
“MotherFUCKER… you…”
She coughed and hacked, a mix of blood and bile spilling out of her mouth, as she stood hunched over, squeezing her eyes shut and opening them to force the double vision and blurry white spots away. She looked up. Her eyes locked with Lily’s. She saw her own gun in the other girl’s hands, pointed right at her chest. She saw her finger on the trigger.
But her hands shook. A moment of doubt had seized her mind, making her second-guess herself, making her hesitate.
Something Mercedes had always known she could never afford to fall prey to.
Her arm shot up, hand splayed, palm facing Lily. She grimaced, face twisted into a snarl, as fire coursed through her arm, down to her wrist, tendrils of smoke wisping out and curling around her fingers. The itching sensation had returned, stronger than it had ever been before.
And as the beam exploded from her hand, blasting a hole straight through Lily’s chest, her arm finally gave way and ruptured, ripping down the side like someone had run a knife down an invisible seam. For a moment, bright blue light wreathed it, from shoulder to fingertip. Then, with the force of a wildfire, it ignited, every inch engulfed in flames, searing through muscle and skin, burning up from the inside out.
Mercy shrieked, fear and pain jostling for control, as she swung her arm at the wall, trying to beat the flames away, the beam, now growing thinner and fainter with each passing second, jutting away from Lily at a wild angle. It lanced across her body twice more, as Mercedes flailed and her skin melted, before it shut itself off, a sudden backdraft erupting from the hole in what was left of her palm, turning her fingers to ash.
The corridor was filled with smoke and the crackle of flames. The air was ripe with the stench of burnt flesh and scorched bones.
But it was over.
Lily was falling.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
There was a brief flash of pain when the beam shot through Lily's chest. However, it didn't last long, with any nerve endings capable of feeling the pain seared off in an instant. What she felt instead was the force of it slamming through her, the ripple it sent through her body, and then the alien sensation of a chunk of herself no longer being part of her, followed by the realization that she could no longer feel her legs.
As she began to topple over, the beam cut across her chest twice more, and this time she felt it. The searing, burning pain rippling across her skin, setting her clothes and hair ablaze. In that instant, her whole body tensed up, and the finger that refused to budge before now finally squeezed the trigger. The subsequent roar of gunfire sent a shockwave running up her arm, rattling her battered chest, as she watched and felt a spatter of blood erupt from Mercy's own.
Then, she saw nothing more of her former friends, as the spatter of blood did nothing to abate the burning of her flesh, her vision now engulfed by nothing but smoke and flame.
When she hit the ground, she finally started screaming, crying, panicking, thrashing. She had stopped and dropped, but although she might want to, she could not roll, her legs refusing to work, now nothing more than unnatural weights binding her to Earth as she cooked from within and without. Her arms flailed wildly all around her, trying to stifle the blaze, everything falling away from her in those few, last, precious moments besides the flaming agony and her desperate need to stay alive in spite of it all.
Eventually, her arms stopped moving. Her eyes stopped working. Her skin stopped burning.
When the blaze finally died down of its own accord, Lily was was left unrecognizable, her skin and clothes charred to cinders, her eyes melted and leaking out of their sockets.
But her efforts had not been for naught. She was still alive.
For now.
As she began to topple over, the beam cut across her chest twice more, and this time she felt it. The searing, burning pain rippling across her skin, setting her clothes and hair ablaze. In that instant, her whole body tensed up, and the finger that refused to budge before now finally squeezed the trigger. The subsequent roar of gunfire sent a shockwave running up her arm, rattling her battered chest, as she watched and felt a spatter of blood erupt from Mercy's own.
Then, she saw nothing more of her former friends, as the spatter of blood did nothing to abate the burning of her flesh, her vision now engulfed by nothing but smoke and flame.
When she hit the ground, she finally started screaming, crying, panicking, thrashing. She had stopped and dropped, but although she might want to, she could not roll, her legs refusing to work, now nothing more than unnatural weights binding her to Earth as she cooked from within and without. Her arms flailed wildly all around her, trying to stifle the blaze, everything falling away from her in those few, last, precious moments besides the flaming agony and her desperate need to stay alive in spite of it all.
Eventually, her arms stopped moving. Her eyes stopped working. Her skin stopped burning.
When the blaze finally died down of its own accord, Lily was was left unrecognizable, her skin and clothes charred to cinders, her eyes melted and leaking out of their sockets.
But her efforts had not been for naught. She was still alive.
For now.