MATTHEW VERNON- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Telekinesis & Binding
#d48848 | Outfit
ADAM LAUREN- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pain Suppression & Empathy
#967575 | Outfit SADIE ROSETTE- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mimicry & Camouflage
#319345 | Outfit
They hadn’t been walking long, most of their time had been spent keeping out of sight and for the most part bickering back and forth. Sadie couldn’t stop herself when it came down to it. For some reason, she felt strangely inclined to mother him. Hovering when he started to drift too far to the side of her. She lagged at times, her physical limits exerted. There were various odd pains that kept flaring up, internal things as well that kept her from moving fast.
“Where is everyone?” Adam asks, scratching his inner arm for the hundredth time. He notes that Sadie pointedly avoids looking at him for too long. He tries to do the same, the feeling of knowing and yet not knowing her too painfully confusing to handle. He simply wanted to know why he couldn’t remember, where his memories had gone. He could almost swear she felt the same, like a prickling of a feeling that radiated from her in waves. He couldn’t quite pin down how, or why he knew this. More mysteries that simply made him feel like hell.
They were drawing nearby a cross section now, the corner ahead of them looming on. When they turned, it would civilization return? Sadie knew for sure that they needed to get to a hospital but the way things looked, the state of sudden, startling disrepair and utter lack of people led her to believe that wouldn’t be so easy. She is the first to hear, before seeing the person that happened to be heading right for them. She did not examine them too closely, blinded by the sudden suffocating need to get some answers. But she had just barely opened her mouth when Adam stopped her, looking ill faced and ready to bolt.
“Get behind me.” He told her, though he looked more afraid than she could even begin to feel. She didn’t take kindly to him assuming she needed protection, especially protection that came from a kid half her height. “I’m good,
kid.” She resumed to her former plan of getting the persons attention but now she can see that something is most certainly wrong with them. Rushing towards them in a way that suggested they were five seconds from being attacked rather than having a chat – and the blood, oh god. She has no idea what to say or do – or whether they should be turning tail and bolting until suddenly, and quite startlingly there is a man coming out of a building.
Not through a door, nor window, nor hole. But out of the wall, as if it were an illusion all its own. He proceeded to take aim at the person – creature – whatever it is, and take it down without a second thought. Sadie stood stock still for a long, drawn out moment without even breathing. Adam, unsurprisingly was the first to speak in reply to the man. He couldn’t even begin to think about the sudden, waves of new emotion that washed over him. It felt oddly unlike himself, outside of his own body when the tidal wave of nerves came rushing over him. He pushed past it, determined to get a handle of himself.
“Ho-oly shit. That was fucking awesome!” It really was, no matter how odd the situation he couldn’t believe what had suddenly happened. Even as it had happened right before his eyes. It reminded him, in a way of something a superhero would do, only, the guy didn’t look much like a hero. Maybe a vigilante.
“How did you do that?” He felt his own surprise and excitement, magnified for whatever reason.
“Adam.” Sadie spoke, quiet but authoritative.
“Shut up.” She didn’t mean it so harshly, but the kid shut up instantly. She didn’t share in his enthusiasm, instantly suspicious.
“Thank you,” she didn’t know if she should be thanking him, but it felt right given the situation. Besides, the man could easily turn his weapon on them and she didn’t think they’d be able to outrun him.
“My name's Sadie, he’s Adam.” Adam threw up his hand, waving an awkward greeting.
“Do you happen to know what’s going on?” She asks, feeling self-conscious out in the open. They probably shouldn’t be standing out in the open, but Sadie didn’t feel inclined to voicing her fears aloud.
Matthew clicks the unlock button on the FOB, trying to discern which car is his in the parking lot. The subsequent flickering headlights from a jet-black SUV catch his attention. However, there’s a car parked directly in front of it and a sideways Mazda crashed into the back of it – lovely. Blocked in on all sides. He decided to check it anyways, hoping for some sort of weapon. From the state of the store and the streets outside there’s no telling what sort of trouble he’ll find himself in. He peered into the Mazda as he walked by, wincing at the sight within. A woman lay face down on the wheel, blood spreading out around where her forehead rested against it. She didn’t move, not even when he tapped his knuckles on the window. The passenger side door hung wide open, maybe someone had escaped the crash and gone to get help.
He turned away, disgusted, and got into his SUV. Shuffling through the glove box and visors, checking out random scraps of paper and noting that whoever he is, he’s prone to speeding tickets. He sets those aside and digs around behind the seats, in the pockets on the backs of them. In the one behind his seat, he hits gold, finding a knife that doesn’t look like something anyone would legally be carrying on them. He fit it to his belt, glad to have some form of protection. There wasn’t much else to be found, though he did come across a handwritten letter, that he simply skimmed to catch the gist of.
Looked like he was on bad terms with some girl named Hana, although he can’t remember her, he can tell by the emotion of the letter that they had been together. Perhaps recently. He checks the address, wondering if he should go there. If he can even figure out how to get there. He kept the letter just in case, climbing over the back seat to get to the trunk. Half of it smashed in by the Mazda’s hood. The rest packed with junk, odds, and ends, and luckily a backpack that only looks a little beat up. It looks well used but he gets the feeling that it’s been in the trunk for a while now.
Matt takes it too, putting the letter in the front pocket for safe keeping. He leaves his car, stopping by the Mazda once more.
”What the hell?” He looks in through the window again, the woman is gone but he hadn’t heard a single thing while digging through the car. She couldn’t have gone far, not with those injuries. He stood, and turned, feeling before hearing the creature behind him.
”Fuck! The woman had her hands fisted in his shirt before he could do much of anything. He wrestled away from her, stronger despite his own exhaustion. She didn’t look right, her face bloody and busted up. A chunk of her arm gone, that arm hanging down further than the other. He doesn’t have time to notice much else before she’s swinging on him again, gargling out these awful noises that no living person should make.
Matthew grabs the knife at his belt, fumbling with its casing as she continues to catch him off guard. Thick saliva sliding from her mouth, jaw just slightly crooked. He smacks her away, moving further from the cars so as to not get trapped on them. He should just run – he turns to do so when he see’s more of them. The sound of their scuffle having brought people out of the silence. They looked to be in similar states of disarray, bodies mangled but some perfectly together. He can tell they’re all the same, by the rage in their eyes.
He knows when to pick his battles. He turns back towards the cars, past the women, and slides over the Mazdas busted hood. Hoping they won’t catch up to him as he took off down the street. His lungs burn from the exertion, legs already tired by the time he’s put some distance between himself and the creatures. He stops to take stock of his unfamiliar surroundings, still quite a few store fronts. He doesn’t want to stand still for too long, knowing that there could easily be more of those people lying in wait.
For a few seconds, he keeps up an even paced jog, pushing past the ache in his side. He hasn’t run like this in forever – he’s, not sure how he knows that. About half up the road he stops, noticing another person. Albeit, someone who doesn’t look quite as busted up as the ones that were after him. He pauses, unsure of approaching them even if he looks normal. Matt purses his lips, quiet as he watched the man for a few moments. Steeling himself to run again,
”Hey!” he calls out, hand going to his side where the knife is still sheathed.