David grimaced as Claudia opened the floor about making a mega group with the six of them. He didn't say anything, though; he'd let them sort it out. He'd play nice for now, but if these dudes thought he'd stick his neck out for any of them, we'll, he'd probably not.
So, he just kept fiddling with his daypack as an excuse to not talk. He was too busy taking stock, after all.
Raja called his attention and did some movements with his hands. Probably sign language or something, but to David he might as well've been blabbering in Chinese. He seemed frustrated at the crickets chirping and pointed to- tried to say something about the map? David just kinda kept staring blankly at him, at least until the buzzing started. And got louder. And was behind them, near the stairs.
David watched Raja fight with the cricket and subsequently saw the incoming tsunami of insects along with their queen in the depths below.
His eyes popped out of his skull like a cartoon character as he barreled for the front door, not caring if he trampled over anyone or anything in the way.
"I fucking told y'all!" was the last thing he cried as he kept running.
((David runs away.))
The Dream Machine Takes All of Us
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carduinal-cyn
- Posts: 324
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- Team Affiliation: Emmy's Selkies
The bugs were upon them before Raymond's parched brain had a chance to comprehend the situation. Alliances? Discussions? Everything crawled away from them, David and Raja included — not that he would miss those two much.
The swarm arrived.
Insects, arachnids, flying black blurs filled the room with millions of legs and all the wing-thrumming of a plague of locusts. Ray was no stranger to scenes that made mothers clutch their pearls and grown men weep. He drew it all for a living: monsters, pustules, tentacles, horrors far beyond mankind's comprehension. Arguably, one could consider him one such horror: those two cowards certainly did. Yet in the face of Isabella Lugosi and her primeval army, even his skin visibly quivered with discomfort. She was humming some macabre nursery rhyme to herself. Something about maggots.
The beldam had arrived now. He could only pray she lacked its fondness for buttons.
The swarm arrived.
Insects, arachnids, flying black blurs filled the room with millions of legs and all the wing-thrumming of a plague of locusts. Ray was no stranger to scenes that made mothers clutch their pearls and grown men weep. He drew it all for a living: monsters, pustules, tentacles, horrors far beyond mankind's comprehension. Arguably, one could consider him one such horror: those two cowards certainly did. Yet in the face of Isabella Lugosi and her primeval army, even his skin visibly quivered with discomfort. She was humming some macabre nursery rhyme to herself. Something about maggots.
The beldam had arrived now. He could only pray she lacked its fondness for buttons.
It all went so far downhill so fast. One moment, Claudia was asking about how they could make a bigger group. The next moment, Raja was slapping a cricket off his neck. The moment after, a Biblical swarm of insects came from every visible and invisible crevice in the room, with their primordial queen Isabella Lugosi not far behind them. Claudia had never seen her like that before. It was as if she'd transferred her consciousness into into each bug, dividing her sapience, her sentience, into each and every one of them. It was something Claudia had never seen before, and never wanted to see again.
She felt something rise in her chest, and she had only a split second to process what exactly was going on. Maybe it was the stress of today, the stress of learning that she and her classmates were being forced to kill each other for some arbitrary reason cooked up by some cartoon villains on meth. Maybe it was the dread of realizing she had an astronomically low chance of seeing her parents, of seeing her siblings, of seeing her girlfriend ever again. Maybe it was just the sheer shock of seeing a true hivemind waltz up the stairs with her hundreds of insectoid puppets surrounding her. Maybe it was a combination of the three. In either case, the cause wasn't what mattered now; it was the effect, and it was an effect that Claudia had not felt in a long, long time.
In an instant, Claudia's vision was completely white. She heard nothing but a painfully loud ringing in her ears. She almost toppled backwards before catching herself on the wall. Even through all of this sensory assault, one thought flashed in her mind:
No. No. No no no no no no no no. What have I done?
She felt something rise in her chest, and she had only a split second to process what exactly was going on. Maybe it was the stress of today, the stress of learning that she and her classmates were being forced to kill each other for some arbitrary reason cooked up by some cartoon villains on meth. Maybe it was the dread of realizing she had an astronomically low chance of seeing her parents, of seeing her siblings, of seeing her girlfriend ever again. Maybe it was just the sheer shock of seeing a true hivemind waltz up the stairs with her hundreds of insectoid puppets surrounding her. Maybe it was a combination of the three. In either case, the cause wasn't what mattered now; it was the effect, and it was an effect that Claudia had not felt in a long, long time.
In an instant, Claudia's vision was completely white. She heard nothing but a painfully loud ringing in her ears. She almost toppled backwards before catching herself on the wall. Even through all of this sensory assault, one thought flashed in her mind:
No. No. No no no no no no no no. What have I done?
Standing just outside the doorway, Anatoly didn't know what was happening. The group inside was beset with sudden, horrific panic. Then Anatoly started to see the bugs coming out of the shadows. Flies, spiders, scorpions- a flood bursting out of the dark halls and rising through the floor itself. Dylan broke the hardest, barreling through the door and shouldering Anatoly out of the way.
"Shit, dude!" Anatoly rubbed is arm and swore, but the buff glowing boy had already bolted into the desert, followed by a trickle of spiders and centipedes that dispersed across the sands. Anatoly turned back to the open doorway and, without hesitation, stepped through. Later on he might justify it as bravery, but at the moment his decision was driven by a dangerous curiosity.
Anatoly looked into the face of the swarm. He knew Isabella. A girl with a weird name and an even weirder obsession. The other kids had whispered about her behind her back, told jokes that were always tinged with revulsion. Anatoly wasn't one to judge. He'd thought she was kind of cute, in her own way. He wasn't currently thinking that. Isabella had talked about becoming part of a hive, and in this dirty abandoned desert building, she'd succeeded. Bugs crawled over her frail features and uneven lumps writhed under her clothes.
A chill ran through Anatoly's body. He wanted to scream but only let out weak gasp. He didn't know what she was planning to do. He didn't even know if she still had reason. He had to do something. Anything.
"H-"
The world went white. Anatoly finally let out that scream.
"Shit, dude!" Anatoly rubbed is arm and swore, but the buff glowing boy had already bolted into the desert, followed by a trickle of spiders and centipedes that dispersed across the sands. Anatoly turned back to the open doorway and, without hesitation, stepped through. Later on he might justify it as bravery, but at the moment his decision was driven by a dangerous curiosity.
Anatoly looked into the face of the swarm. He knew Isabella. A girl with a weird name and an even weirder obsession. The other kids had whispered about her behind her back, told jokes that were always tinged with revulsion. Anatoly wasn't one to judge. He'd thought she was kind of cute, in her own way. He wasn't currently thinking that. Isabella had talked about becoming part of a hive, and in this dirty abandoned desert building, she'd succeeded. Bugs crawled over her frail features and uneven lumps writhed under her clothes.
A chill ran through Anatoly's body. He wanted to scream but only let out weak gasp. He didn't know what she was planning to do. He didn't even know if she still had reason. He had to do something. Anything.
"H-"
The world went white. Anatoly finally let out that scream.
Selene saw the one boy move his hands. Although Selene was good with the flick of a wrist, she couldn't sign. It would have been a fun thing to learn if she wasn't kidnapped for this shit, but that could be one more regret for her death bed. It didn't look like anyone else could sign, so the boy would probably be silent going forward.
However, before Selene could say or do anything else, she could see the folks inside were reacting to something. Selene, who was still outside the building and a bit away from the others, couldn't immediately see what they were reacting to. She moved a little over, just as the buff guy barreled past and nearly knocked Anatoly over.
"Woah, what the-"
Selene could see a girl emerging. She remembered who this girl was. The girl with the name like that vampire actor and who was bringing some of the plagues onto Egypt and this building. Selene quickly stepped back, trying to make distance from the entrance. She wasn't like most girls who was unsettled by insects, but that was usually for minor insects and in single or small batches. Not entire swarms.
"Oh fuck all-"
Once again, she was interrupted by a large flash that seemed to emanate from Claudia. Selene let out a yell and closed her eyes, curling her body inwards and crouching a bit. She glanced away from the entrance, spots filling her eyes as she opened them again.
Everything seemed to be going crazy already, and Selene knew she may have to book it into the desert if things were going to get worse with the swarm.
However, before Selene could say or do anything else, she could see the folks inside were reacting to something. Selene, who was still outside the building and a bit away from the others, couldn't immediately see what they were reacting to. She moved a little over, just as the buff guy barreled past and nearly knocked Anatoly over.
"Woah, what the-"
Selene could see a girl emerging. She remembered who this girl was. The girl with the name like that vampire actor and who was bringing some of the plagues onto Egypt and this building. Selene quickly stepped back, trying to make distance from the entrance. She wasn't like most girls who was unsettled by insects, but that was usually for minor insects and in single or small batches. Not entire swarms.
"Oh fuck all-"
Once again, she was interrupted by a large flash that seemed to emanate from Claudia. Selene let out a yell and closed her eyes, curling her body inwards and crouching a bit. She glanced away from the entrance, spots filling her eyes as she opened them again.
Everything seemed to be going crazy already, and Selene knew she may have to book it into the desert if things were going to get worse with the swarm.
G014: Mayumi Tendou
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DerArknight
- Posts: 685
- Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2021 9:47 pm
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
((Gary Greer-Wheatly contined from darkness))
When the swarm surfaced, Gary was resting on a bed not too far from the group.
After deciding against entering the dark creepy basement like a character in a dumb horror movie, he had searched the compound for anything useful. What he had found where not much, but not nothing, either.
There was broken medical equipment that might be used to make makeshift-weapons. or tools.
There was a hole in the ceiling, or rather in the ground of the second floor. Meaning he would have to be careful when he went there.
And there were beds and living facilities, hinting that back in the day this might have been some kind of prison or hospital. Whatever it was, it had been constructed in the middle of a desert, far away from the public eye.
While sitting on the bed, Gary had pulled out his notebook and marked the first task as done. At this point, it was clear that this was no hidden camera prank. Especially with all the cameras out in the open.
Now he had to move on to step 2: Find a way to remove the collar.
One possible solution was the girl he had followed for quite a while. One thing Gary was nervous about was communication. If they talked openly about their plans, the terrorists might just blow them up. For that reason, he wrote into his notebook:
Please don't react openly, we are being watched.
Can you send out your insects to leave the area and find help?
Can you make your insects inspect the collars, maybe trying to enter them?
Use the phrase "bugging me" during this conversation if one of those things are possible.
He would have to find a way to show her this page and hope she would catch on.
And it looked like he would have an opportunity very soon. Because in this moment, he saw a few insects crawling around again. Gary quickly stood up and packed the notebook away. There was only one staircase, so unless there was some sort of secret exit he wasn't aware of, missing her was impossible. But he was not going to take any chances.
Leaving the room, he entered a small corridor that ended in a door maybe fifty meters to his left. Behind this door was a bigger corridor, which housed the stairwell and the exit out of the building.
Fifty meters were left behind easily, and Gary's hand touched the doorknob. On the other side of the door, he could hear voices.
And then there was a flash, only visible trough the cracks in the door.
When the swarm surfaced, Gary was resting on a bed not too far from the group.
After deciding against entering the dark creepy basement like a character in a dumb horror movie, he had searched the compound for anything useful. What he had found where not much, but not nothing, either.
There was broken medical equipment that might be used to make makeshift-weapons. or tools.
There was a hole in the ceiling, or rather in the ground of the second floor. Meaning he would have to be careful when he went there.
And there were beds and living facilities, hinting that back in the day this might have been some kind of prison or hospital. Whatever it was, it had been constructed in the middle of a desert, far away from the public eye.
While sitting on the bed, Gary had pulled out his notebook and marked the first task as done. At this point, it was clear that this was no hidden camera prank. Especially with all the cameras out in the open.
Now he had to move on to step 2: Find a way to remove the collar.
One possible solution was the girl he had followed for quite a while. One thing Gary was nervous about was communication. If they talked openly about their plans, the terrorists might just blow them up. For that reason, he wrote into his notebook:
Please don't react openly, we are being watched.
Can you send out your insects to leave the area and find help?
Can you make your insects inspect the collars, maybe trying to enter them?
Use the phrase "bugging me" during this conversation if one of those things are possible.
He would have to find a way to show her this page and hope she would catch on.
And it looked like he would have an opportunity very soon. Because in this moment, he saw a few insects crawling around again. Gary quickly stood up and packed the notebook away. There was only one staircase, so unless there was some sort of secret exit he wasn't aware of, missing her was impossible. But he was not going to take any chances.
Leaving the room, he entered a small corridor that ended in a door maybe fifty meters to his left. Behind this door was a bigger corridor, which housed the stairwell and the exit out of the building.
Fifty meters were left behind easily, and Gary's hand touched the doorknob. On the other side of the door, he could hear voices.
And then there was a flash, only visible trough the cracks in the door.
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Wham Yubeesling
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The world went white. Anatoly let out his scream. For a moment, it was like everything had exploded.
And then it all came back, piece by piece. The room faded from white. The screech that pierced the room dialed down, let itself join the noises of the room, the chorus of the insects. The afterimage faded, the saturation left, and everything became visible again. Everybody was in their corner, on the ground, trying to recover from the blast. Flies and crickets and cockroaches writhed on the floor, their bodies lit aflame. There was chaos. There was noise. Nothing was calm anymore.
And in the middle, on the staircase, the vessel still stood. The cloud that had held her weight dispersed, moved forward, ascended the stairs at the same time she did.
A set of feet found themselves firmly on the floor everybody else scrambled to get off of.
A set of eyes opened. Lifted. Stared.
And a set of voices all spoke through one.
“Leave. Now.”
And then it all came back, piece by piece. The room faded from white. The screech that pierced the room dialed down, let itself join the noises of the room, the chorus of the insects. The afterimage faded, the saturation left, and everything became visible again. Everybody was in their corner, on the ground, trying to recover from the blast. Flies and crickets and cockroaches writhed on the floor, their bodies lit aflame. There was chaos. There was noise. Nothing was calm anymore.
And in the middle, on the staircase, the vessel still stood. The cloud that had held her weight dispersed, moved forward, ascended the stairs at the same time she did.
A set of feet found themselves firmly on the floor everybody else scrambled to get off of.
A set of eyes opened. Lifted. Stared.
And a set of voices all spoke through one.
“Leave. Now.”
Dan had the right idea in bolting, but though Raja was already backing away, he couldn't tear his eyes away from Isabella. From the swarm. It was just like when you noticed an ant crawling along the ground, and then another, and another, and another, until you realized that there were hundreds if not thousands streaming past, to go swarm over some dead thing, only the dead thing was Isabella, and she was still talking.
Raja had been backing towards Claudia, so he didn't see most of the blast, but he heard and felt it. He almost didn't register the bang in terms of sound, but he felt the concussive blast throw him forward again, leaving his ears ringing and his limbs scrambling to keep himself from pitching onto the bug-covered floor. He could feel them, he could feel them, and he started slapping at himself in a futile attempt to keep them off. He swore he could feel them in his hair, on his skin, they were under Isabella's clothes right up against her body, and he tasted bile. His head spun, and it could have been for any number of things.
He spun, disoriented, tiny chittering things crunching under his feet as he stumbled, and finally the bright rectangle of the open doorway aligned in his vision.
He ran for it and didn't look back.
((Rajender Narang continued in Nothing Breaks Like A Heart))
Raja had been backing towards Claudia, so he didn't see most of the blast, but he heard and felt it. He almost didn't register the bang in terms of sound, but he felt the concussive blast throw him forward again, leaving his ears ringing and his limbs scrambling to keep himself from pitching onto the bug-covered floor. He could feel them, he could feel them, and he started slapping at himself in a futile attempt to keep them off. He swore he could feel them in his hair, on his skin, they were under Isabella's clothes right up against her body, and he tasted bile. His head spun, and it could have been for any number of things.
He spun, disoriented, tiny chittering things crunching under his feet as he stumbled, and finally the bright rectangle of the open doorway aligned in his vision.
He ran for it and didn't look back.
((Rajender Narang continued in Nothing Breaks Like A Heart))
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carduinal-cyn
- Posts: 324
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- Team Affiliation: Emmy's Selkies
Raymond tried to stand his ground in the face of the literal Crawling Chaos. A nervous titter escaped his lips as he stepped back from Isabella and her swarm. He wasn't scared. Not in the least. Flies might carry countless diseases and suck horse-blood, but they were basically harmless. Ditto for crickets. Even cockroaches, filthy as they were, could never be lethal.
And then the bomb went off.
At least, he thought it was a bomb — what else could cause a burning-bright explosion violent enough to knock a 220-pound boy off his feet? Raymond was dizzied, his vision swirling as he crumpled to the ground. Tinnitus screeched in his ears for almost a minute after the blast. A rancid smell, like charred lobster, filled his nostrils.
"Leave now," hissed a million voices at once. Whose Gift was that? Why hadn't they joined the Duniway High School chorus? (Was it simply impossible to sing with so many throats?)
A second speaker crackled to life from overhead, rendering Raymond's old worries moot. They were quickly replaced with a fresh crop of shiny new concerns for his very life. If at least one of you hasn't killed someone else by the end of today, then we're going to start popping one of you at random every hour on the dot, the woman threatened.
Humans, even more so than insects, were cowardly creatures.
It was only a matter of time before Ray's classmates killed and died...
And then the bomb went off.
At least, he thought it was a bomb — what else could cause a burning-bright explosion violent enough to knock a 220-pound boy off his feet? Raymond was dizzied, his vision swirling as he crumpled to the ground. Tinnitus screeched in his ears for almost a minute after the blast. A rancid smell, like charred lobster, filled his nostrils.
"Leave now," hissed a million voices at once. Whose Gift was that? Why hadn't they joined the Duniway High School chorus? (Was it simply impossible to sing with so many throats?)
A second speaker crackled to life from overhead, rendering Raymond's old worries moot. They were quickly replaced with a fresh crop of shiny new concerns for his very life. If at least one of you hasn't killed someone else by the end of today, then we're going to start popping one of you at random every hour on the dot, the woman threatened.
Humans, even more so than insects, were cowardly creatures.
It was only a matter of time before Ray's classmates killed and died...
Claudia recovered quickly, propping herself up on the wall while she waited for the sound and the afterimage to fade. When her eyes and ears cleared, she saw Raymond on the ground and Isabella being lowered by the swarm, landing on her bare feet, which she noticed had some dried blood on them. She barely had time to think about that when the voice of the legion suddenly echoed throughout the room, emanating both from Isabella and the numerous surviving bugs that were surrounding her.
"Leave. Now."
Before Claudia could even stop to consider the demonic voice that was speaking to everyone at once, another voice crackled to life, this time from the speakers above the compound.
"If at least one of you hasn't killed someone else by the end of today, then we're going to start popping one of you at random every hour on the dot..."
She didn't hear anything more. She didn't need to. It was the terrorists, specifically the one in the owl mask with the height and ego of Napoleon. Those crazy bastards. Why? Why were they doing this to them? What the fuck had they ever done to these monsters? Claudia just couldn't understand, and doubted she ever would. But she knew that with this new threat, some of her classmates who were already prone to violence would be pushed to kill. A sinking feeling filled Claudia's chest. Some of her classmates, some of her friends, would be dead by the end of the day. By the time she woke up tomorrow, some of the people that she saw and interacted with every day would be gone and never coming back. That is, of course, if she was still alive to wake up tomorrow.
What a tragedy. What a waste.
She quickly brought herself out of her thoughts, and tried to bring herself back to the present. She probably wouldn't be waking up tomorrow if she didn't deal with an angry Isabella. Claudia tried to bring out her friendly demeanor to try and calm her down. She didn't want to think of the consequences if she failed.
She cautiously approached Isabella and clasped her hands together.
"Hey! Isabella! Uh... look. I know you're probably stressed to hell and back. We all are. We were... taken. By thugs. They dumped us here. They're trying to make us kill each other. But... but we can't give into them. We're not killers. We're your classmates. Your friends. Please, we can help each other. We can figure something out, maybe how to get out of here. Just... just calm down, okay? Please. We're not your enemies here."
"Leave. Now."
Before Claudia could even stop to consider the demonic voice that was speaking to everyone at once, another voice crackled to life, this time from the speakers above the compound.
"If at least one of you hasn't killed someone else by the end of today, then we're going to start popping one of you at random every hour on the dot..."
She didn't hear anything more. She didn't need to. It was the terrorists, specifically the one in the owl mask with the height and ego of Napoleon. Those crazy bastards. Why? Why were they doing this to them? What the fuck had they ever done to these monsters? Claudia just couldn't understand, and doubted she ever would. But she knew that with this new threat, some of her classmates who were already prone to violence would be pushed to kill. A sinking feeling filled Claudia's chest. Some of her classmates, some of her friends, would be dead by the end of the day. By the time she woke up tomorrow, some of the people that she saw and interacted with every day would be gone and never coming back. That is, of course, if she was still alive to wake up tomorrow.
What a tragedy. What a waste.
She quickly brought herself out of her thoughts, and tried to bring herself back to the present. She probably wouldn't be waking up tomorrow if she didn't deal with an angry Isabella. Claudia tried to bring out her friendly demeanor to try and calm her down. She didn't want to think of the consequences if she failed.
She cautiously approached Isabella and clasped her hands together.
"Hey! Isabella! Uh... look. I know you're probably stressed to hell and back. We all are. We were... taken. By thugs. They dumped us here. They're trying to make us kill each other. But... but we can't give into them. We're not killers. We're your classmates. Your friends. Please, we can help each other. We can figure something out, maybe how to get out of here. Just... just calm down, okay? Please. We're not your enemies here."
Anatoly's scream peetered out and he lost his balance, falling forward. He reflexively extended his hands to catch himself, and he got a jolt of pain as his palms slammed into the hard floor. He stayed in that position until his vision cleared and the ringing died down. Anatoly felt something wet under his left hand, and he really hoped it wasn't his own blood. As soon as he could put his thoughts together, he realized Claudia must have used her power. Not a bad idea in itself, but she could have warned them first.
After a minute, his sight started to come back, spotty and doubled. Looking down, Anatoly saw that he was not bleeding. Actually, his hand had landed on some sort of dark beetle, crushing it's midsection into goo. To one side of his hand, it's head rested; to the other, it's hind legs still twitched. The corpse didn't scare the other bugs away. Across both his hands, he saw and felt ants and centipedes and God roaches crawling over his skin. Anatoly wasn't a squeamish guy. Of course he wasn't. But this made him almost throw up his breakfast.
Anatoly jolted back to his feet, violently shaking his arms and legs to throw off the pests. As he did, he heard Isabella's command, distant and dulled. He hoped the echo in her voice was just an aftereffect of the ringing in his ears. He looked up as the two images of her combined back into one. Blue eyes glaring out from the darkness.
Before Anatoly could respond, the Owl lady decided to interrupt with a very poorly timed threat. Any pride he could have felt from his classmates refusing to kill each other was superseded by the dread of knowing Isabella just gotten yet another reason to set the swarm after all of them. There were millions of venomous bugs in the desert, and she could kill them all with a single command if she wanted.
Anatoly stayed quiet as Claudia spoke, staring intently at Isabella. Claudia was okay, at least. In the corner of his vision, he could see Ray as well. No sign of Selene or Raja. He hoped they were recovering from the blast, but he didn't look around for them. He didn't want to let Isabella out of his sight. After Claudia finished, Anatoly spoke up.
"We mean no harm, really." he said, smiling and holding out his hand in a gesture of peace. He then realized he was holding out the hand with all the bug gunk on it, so he swiftly jerked it back. "Uh, we wanna help, b-but if you want us to leave we'll do it. No trouble."
He wiped his hand against his hoodie. "R-right guys?" he asked to the room at large.
After a minute, his sight started to come back, spotty and doubled. Looking down, Anatoly saw that he was not bleeding. Actually, his hand had landed on some sort of dark beetle, crushing it's midsection into goo. To one side of his hand, it's head rested; to the other, it's hind legs still twitched. The corpse didn't scare the other bugs away. Across both his hands, he saw and felt ants and centipedes and God roaches crawling over his skin. Anatoly wasn't a squeamish guy. Of course he wasn't. But this made him almost throw up his breakfast.
Anatoly jolted back to his feet, violently shaking his arms and legs to throw off the pests. As he did, he heard Isabella's command, distant and dulled. He hoped the echo in her voice was just an aftereffect of the ringing in his ears. He looked up as the two images of her combined back into one. Blue eyes glaring out from the darkness.
Before Anatoly could respond, the Owl lady decided to interrupt with a very poorly timed threat. Any pride he could have felt from his classmates refusing to kill each other was superseded by the dread of knowing Isabella just gotten yet another reason to set the swarm after all of them. There were millions of venomous bugs in the desert, and she could kill them all with a single command if she wanted.
Anatoly stayed quiet as Claudia spoke, staring intently at Isabella. Claudia was okay, at least. In the corner of his vision, he could see Ray as well. No sign of Selene or Raja. He hoped they were recovering from the blast, but he didn't look around for them. He didn't want to let Isabella out of his sight. After Claudia finished, Anatoly spoke up.
"We mean no harm, really." he said, smiling and holding out his hand in a gesture of peace. He then realized he was holding out the hand with all the bug gunk on it, so he swiftly jerked it back. "Uh, we wanna help, b-but if you want us to leave we'll do it. No trouble."
He wiped his hand against his hoodie. "R-right guys?" he asked to the room at large.
Selene continued to blink to try and get her vision back. The deaf kid was running away, and Selene was sure she heard Satan commanding them to leave. Or maybe it wasn't. It had been a weird day, so she wouldn't be surprised if the dark lord showed up through his insect-covered avatar.
Already, Claudia and Anatoly were treating the other girl like a monster who needed to be talked down. Selene was fine to let them talk. There was another, louder voice talking.
Apparently, no one had died since they arrived here. Wow, turns out her classmates weren't such awful people after all. Except now the fuckers behind this were threatening to pop collars if no one else died.
That told Selene that everyone would start to kill soon. They didn't have a ton of motive before. Killing their teacher in front of them could only do so much to motivate them. A direct threat like this was going to turn the tides to a red one.
Selene simply nodded at Insect Girl as Anatoly and Claudia spoke. She was still a bit away from them and was willing to let them take charge if it meant she could bail before Isabella decided to fill Selene's skin with insect eggs.
Already, Claudia and Anatoly were treating the other girl like a monster who needed to be talked down. Selene was fine to let them talk. There was another, louder voice talking.
Apparently, no one had died since they arrived here. Wow, turns out her classmates weren't such awful people after all. Except now the fuckers behind this were threatening to pop collars if no one else died.
That told Selene that everyone would start to kill soon. They didn't have a ton of motive before. Killing their teacher in front of them could only do so much to motivate them. A direct threat like this was going to turn the tides to a red one.
Selene simply nodded at Insect Girl as Anatoly and Claudia spoke. She was still a bit away from them and was willing to let them take charge if it meant she could bail before Isabella decided to fill Selene's skin with insect eggs.
G014: Mayumi Tendou
-
DerArknight
- Posts: 685
- Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2021 9:47 pm
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
Light. Screams. Bugs. Terrorists making more threats.
All of a sudden, Gary was no longer so sure if opening this door was a good idea right now.
First of all, there were obviously several other people with isabella. Second of all, once the light (he was pretty sure it was Claudia, a classmate of him) faded, there was the voice of the legion telling whoever else was there to leave. Gary had no clue who this voice could belong to. Maybe someone with a voice-changing gift?
After that, the Owl lady made a return to voice her displeasure that no one had died yet. Gary found himself grinning about this. However, his smile faded when the new terms of the game were announced.
Finally there were the footsteps running away coupled with voices. Apparently they tried to calm down Isabella? Was she the one with the scary voice?
Gary only knew rumors about her gift, so he had no clue how being able to control insect would change your voice. He needed to confirm what was going on.
Carefully, he opened the door a crack. Only wide enough for him to get a peek.
The door, obviously unused to being oiled or otherwise taken care of since decades, made a loud creaking noise.
Crap!
All of a sudden, Gary was no longer so sure if opening this door was a good idea right now.
First of all, there were obviously several other people with isabella. Second of all, once the light (he was pretty sure it was Claudia, a classmate of him) faded, there was the voice of the legion telling whoever else was there to leave. Gary had no clue who this voice could belong to. Maybe someone with a voice-changing gift?
After that, the Owl lady made a return to voice her displeasure that no one had died yet. Gary found himself grinning about this. However, his smile faded when the new terms of the game were announced.
Finally there were the footsteps running away coupled with voices. Apparently they tried to calm down Isabella? Was she the one with the scary voice?
Gary only knew rumors about her gift, so he had no clue how being able to control insect would change your voice. He needed to confirm what was going on.
Carefully, he opened the door a crack. Only wide enough for him to get a peek.
The door, obviously unused to being oiled or otherwise taken care of since decades, made a loud creaking noise.
Crap!
-
Wham Yubeesling
- Posts: 1257
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:15 pm
- Location: there is a man standing behind you
- Team Affiliation: Stephanie's Buccaneers
- Contact:
“She is not here.”
The vessel hadn’t moved. The announcement had not taken away its attention. It was still on the stairs. Still standing. Still staring.
“We are-”
It stepped forward.
“-the swarm.”
It raised its arms.
“This hive-”
And it stared at each person at the room, all at the same time.
“Is ours.”
The vessel hadn’t moved. The announcement had not taken away its attention. It was still on the stairs. Still standing. Still staring.
“We are-”
It stepped forward.
“-the swarm.”
It raised its arms.
“This hive-”
And it stared at each person at the room, all at the same time.
“Is ours.”
-
carduinal-cyn
- Posts: 324
- Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2020 5:56 pm
- Team Affiliation: Emmy's Selkies
ISABELLA: We are... the swarm.
(She stares out at the other STUDENTS.)
This hive... is ours.
(RAYMOND rises to his feet. His eyes dart around the compound. His flesh bubbles with terror.)
RAYMOND: (whispered) Oh, hell no.
(Exit RAYMOND, pursued by a bug.)
(She stares out at the other STUDENTS.)
This hive... is ours.
(RAYMOND rises to his feet. His eyes dart around the compound. His flesh bubbles with terror.)
RAYMOND: (whispered) Oh, hell no.
(Exit RAYMOND, pursued by a bug.)