Matthew Todd's Story

Television Room
1020 - 1035

He glanced fleetingly at Jack when the boy answered his thanks. Friend? They were friends now..? Were they all friends, maybe only because they had little other choice? Besides the real crazies like Aveline and the scarecrow boy, of course. But was the relatively stable group friends by default, just by being trapped in the same situation? Was that how friendship worked?

At any rate, Matt was thankful for Jack's kindness, and for their potential friendship. Friends were not something Matt had ever had a lot of. A small smile he couldn't quite resist timidly played across his lips, and he stepped closer to the red-headed boy. Since Jack was too tall for his face to be reached, Matt placed a brisk kiss on his arm instead, and then rather abruptly hugged him. Though its timing was awkward enough to suggest Matt hadn't had much practice embracing, the sincerity of the gesture suggested otherwise - the youth hugged Jack tightly like a child reunited with a missed parent. The embrace was brief, nonetheless, and Matt pulled away to gaze up at Jack with a cheerful smile.

The scruffy boy shifted his gaze upon picking up on Sarah's question to Keiko regarding the answers she had sought after earlier. But Keiko had had as much success as the rest of them. It sounded so far like all the staff was that elusive about answers… His dark eyes flitted to Sam, and Matt wondered if the nurse had any more to offer them; Sam seemed friendlier than the others. He seemed more like a real person than a trained robot. With all the time Sam had spent with the group, Matt wondered if there was any chance he could be persuaded to be more honest with them.

He then glanced to the teal-haired girl, who had murmured something and was starting to head out the door, but she was stopped by Sam. Matt was only any good at video games, but television didn't sound bad. When Sarah, and in turn the others, requested a change of clothes, Matt piped up, too. "Do you have our clothes..?" He asked quietly. "I would like my clothes…" His tone was somewhat cautious; he didn't want another ugly uniform, nor did he want random street clothes, even if they were better than a uniform. He only wanted his jeans and his hoodie. But when Sam instructed the boys outside, Matt nodded anyways, and followed obediently. He couldn't help a building excitement fluttering through his heart at the idea of getting back in his own clothes, even if it wasn't a sure thing yet.

This flutter abruptly stopped once out the door, though. Toothpaste. Toothpaste coating a male scent; the odor of the wild-haired scarecrow boy, relatively nearby - or perhaps he had been recently, at least. He had to be out in the open; not close enough to be approaching, but nearby nonetheless. But Matt kept silent. He didn't dare check around the corner for the boy, as the youth's gaze unnerved him and he had no desire to meet it again. As long as the scent didn't move closer, Matt felt reasonably safe in Sam's presence.

Leisure Room 2
1045 - 1050

Matt followed Sam closely as the nurse migrated them to a different room. The recent smell of the scarecrow boy made him too nervous to even cast a glance back into the main hall behind them, and once inside the new room he was thankful not only to escape being out in the open but also that he wouldn't have to change out in the hall. He soon picked out jeans - of the closest size and shade of blue he could get to his own - and a plain, black T-shirt. Before he could begin changing, however, he peered warily past Sam as the teal-haired girl appeared in the hall outside, having burst out of the television room. Sam stood between Aveline and them, but Matt wondered if the nurse was just going to let her watch…

He looked up at Jack as the taller youth scooted closer. Just the other boy's vicinity made a tiny smile form on Matt's lips; it at once comforted and amused him to think someone else would seek his company, especially for potential protection. But his face fell blank as he pondered Jack's words. His gaze shifted to Aveline thoughtfully. After a minute, he left Jack to step past Sam and approach the teal-haired girl out in the hall with unusual calm - not to mention bravery.

"Hi, Aveline," the scruffy boy offered as casually as greeting a friend in the hallway at school. Included was a little wave with more his fingers than his hand. "I know you really like that hat. It's a… pretty neat hat. My friend Jack would really like to try wearing it for a little bit, though, because he thinks it's pretty neat, too. Would you mind letting him borrow it? It would make him really happy. I would kiss you, if you wanted. I promise I don't have cooties… or any other contagious diseases."

It was the lengthiest piece of speech Matt had offered anyone since waking up here. The words were as soft-spoken as usual, but also surprisingly sincere and kind. Although he did not see it himself, Matt knew many girls thought of him as 'cute', and had learned from experience his kisses could be offered to them not only as thanks but as a bargaining tool, too.


Outside the Infirmary
1025

Devan was relieved when his ally finally gave up on recruiting the quivering girl, and was quick to follow him through the facility. His gaze carefully took in everything they passed, and he tried to mentally map out everywhere they went so he could navigate on his own in the future. He wouldn't mind knowing every nook and cranny of this place as Tori seemed to, but he didn't want to invest quite as much time figuring it out, either.

After awhile, he couldn't help but begin to wonder if Tori was leading them in circles, or at least taking a nonsensical, unnecessary route to wherever they were headed. Devan certainly wouldn't put it past the man to waste time like that.

But eventually they did come to a pause. Devan felt no need to follow Tori's example in crouching and slinking along - at least not yet - so he followed with his usual lax stride. The wild-haired youth arched a brow at his companion; his wordless response emphasized all the more that he could be trusted more than anyone to be 'super, super quiet'. Of course, this building was not perfectly designed to sneak around in - Devan did much better in darker environments, but despite the lack of camouflage the place offered, he was nonetheless confident in his stealth. He knew he could move quite quickly with very little sound, even on tile floors like these.

Devan found the idea of having his soul eaten actually quite intriguing, but it sounded like it would get in the way of his acquiring a weapon, so perhaps it was something he could explore later. Tori regained his full attention at the mention of 'interesting things'. Devan's dark eyes sparked in muted excitement. He waited patiently for Tori to lead the way in; his muscles, meanwhile, braced for the stealth they would soon have to exercise… and also in case of a sudden sprint should Tori open the door to be met with a staff member as had happened earlier.

Television Room.
1100

Sarah shrugged and sat the movie back down on the shelf.
"Wouldn't be very fair to the guys to start something without getting their opinion, would it? I mean, what if they want to watch something else?" She started out the door, looking both ways before figuring out where the others had gone. There were raised voices, so she followed them down in time to hear Jack yelling at Aveline. She didn't hear it all, just enough to catch that Jack's brother was dead and Avaline was being what looked to be her normal bitchy self. Sarah tamped down the urge to slap the little idiot, it wouldn't do anybody any good for things to get violent. For one thing, Jack was about half again as big as her. She shook her head as she glanced between the two of them from the door, feeling just the tiniest bit of ironic amusement.
"Listen, Av. Bit of a tip for pissing people off. You need to pick on somebody a bit closer to your own size."

She looked over at the guys and bit her lip. Jack looked to be right on the edge and Matt was standing near him as if the two of them were guarding each other. With a tiny crooked smile, she held out one hand to the both of them; ignoring Aveline for the moment.
"Come on guys. Let's go hang somewhere together and just breathe ok? We're all going through hell and we need a moment to get things together, right?" She finally spared a glance for the other girl. "And if you could manage to not infuriate everyone in your immediate vicinity, that would be really cool."

Leisure Room 2
1105

He studied the girl's face carefully, watching as she tilted her head until the hat fell off. She scrambled to retrieve it, though Matt didn't make a move for it in the least. The boy's face didn't change at all at Aveline's response to his offer - it was almost unnerving how deadpan his expression remained after her enormous insult. He was still as a statue for a few seconds, until finally he seemed to breathe before speaking up again. "… I know," he replied lightly. A small smile flickered across lips, no less kind than it had been during his offer, though vaguely rather melancholy.

Matt tilted his head to glance back at Jack upon the boy's input. He smiled softly - but it faded as Jack's speech devolved into tearing down Aveline. He didn't entirely make sense of the girl's retort… but he knew he hadn't lost anybody. At least, he thought he hadn't lost anybody, since Jack hadn't recalled losing anyone when he first awoke here. But Matt didn't have a lot of 'anybody' to lose. He glanced over again when Sarah turned up in the doorway. He hadn't gotten a chance to change yet, so he took a couple of backward steps to tug gently on Sam's sleeve. "I still have to change," he said quietly, like a child too timid to talk to anyone but their parent.


Infirmary
1030

The wild-haired youth followed his smaller ally through the doors, gaze scanning over the room they entered not only for people, but for weapons… and not necessarily the obvious ones. Devan tilted his head slightly at mention of bodies. It didn't alarm him, and it didn't much surprise him, either, that the facility killed people. He wouldn't put it past any government or research institution. The thought made his entire being itch, however - a familiar itch. It was like the implacable discomfort wrought through someone fever-stricken in bed; how no matter which way they might toss or turn, no amount of shifting, no arrangement of pillows or blankets, could quite persuade their body to lie still and rest. But Devan's was a fever that could not be sweat out.

How many hours had it been since he had awoke here? And how long had he been here before then? How long had it been since he had killed something? Even holed up in his room for hours, his house had its share of pests he could exterminate. This place was clearly much cleanlier; he doubted there would be mice or bugs here. Other animals seemed even less likely. There were just people. And if there had been a murder as Tori had mentioned, some other patient with an insatiable bloodlust had already beaten Devan to the punch.

A faint scowl crossed his features. He needed a real weapon. He needed to kill something, not gander at what was already dead. When Tori turned to gather his answer, Devan grabbed him by the collar, insistently swiping his finger across his throat in the same signal he had made before for a knife. There would be no detours or sightseeing on this little trip.

Leisure Room 2
1110

Matt followed Sam closely further into the room, then using the nurse as most of his cover while he changed into the simple jeans and T-shirt he had picked out. He took his time, however, cowering away from Jack's shouting. Such volume made him anxious. He remained behind Sam until the yelling had quieted. The youth then peered tentatively around the nurse to check on what was happening… Jack had sat down on the floor and Sarah had moved to kneel beside him. Matt eyed Aveline warily before stepping closer to his redheaded friend, coming to sit on the floor beside him.

In human form, he didn't much know how to help any. Maybe just sitting would be good enough. Sarah seemed to be doing most of the work, anyways, talking in a soothing tone.

His brows knit when he realized he heard something else, though. A murmur on the edge of his hearing in no particular direction, just quiet enough that he couldn't make out what it had said… But it was a familiar sound, one he wasn't going to dwell on. Medicated or otherwise, glimmers of Matt's hallucinations sometimes manifested, however briefly. His medication subdued his reaction to them, so even when one fleetingly broke through, he could shrug it off - without worrying about it, without dwelling on it, and without gradually devolving into a psychotic episode as tended to happen without his medication.


Infimary
1035

Devan rolled his eyes, his wild head of hair following them to roll over his shoulders and exaggerate the gesture. However useful, Tori was beginning to wear on him. He wondered how long it would be before he could take off through the place on his own… Maybe only as long as it took him to get his hands on a real weapon.

Icarus. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. Whether or not she could be killed sounded like a challenge. Devan released Tori as the man pulled out of his grip, then following until they paused next to someone in a bed Tori introduced as doctor Bedlam. Two other patients had killed someone already..? Devan scowled somewhat down at the body. Bedlam was hooked up to all kinds of things like he was being kept alive, but he didn't look very alive. Devan's gaze flitted to Tori at his proposition before studying the man in the bed some more thoughtfully.

There wasn't much point. If the doctor was alive, Devan would kill him in pulling apart his life support… But there would be no fight. There would probably be no moaning or screaming, or blood. The doctor would most likely just drift away and that would be the end of it. How boring. And if the doctor was dead, what use was there in even having him hooked to life support, let alone abruptly taking him off of it?

No… Another stupid side trip on Tori's little adventure. Devan turned to suddenly knock his hand across his ally's head - with what might have been enough force to send Tori stumbling sideways, or otherwise at least inflict a headache. He made his knife signal again, dark eyes growing impatient. No more stupid side trips.

Leisure Room 2
1115 - 1120

Matt watched a female nurse approach, but she did not offer any soothing words or gestures as Sarah had, only studying the situation with a somewhat worried expression. The small, quiet girl who had been trailing after Sarah, however, spoke up to also encourage Jack. Matt eyed her carefully; his gaze was intense, as of a dog wary of a stranger at the door. Something about the girl disquieted him since they had found her at the scene of the murder. She did not look or even smell any different... but something about her was different than before. Something about her was off, and Matt didn't like it.

He shifted his attention to Aveline, then, who had gone unusually quiet. Her green eyes were wild and electric with some spark of an idea Matt was sure was no good. He frowned. A short giggle spilled out of the teal-haired girl, and she moved toward Sam.

Matt stood swiftly, but just as he followed after Aveline, she hauled Sam into another room and shut the door behind them - by then Matt pounced on the doorknob, throwing the door open. No sooner than he had opened the door, the boy was a dog again, his clothes hanging awkwardly on his form, but before he had quite reached the commotion, Sam had taken charge. Matt froze just inches from Aveline's leg, his furred face wrinkled into a snarl and his lips curled back to bare his teeth in threat. A low, barely audible growl poured steadily from deep in his chest, his dark eyes focused on Aveline's face above. In the little distance it had taken to nearly reach the girl's leg, his newly acquired jeans had been left behind, though he hadn't taken the time to yet wriggle out of his shirt.

Dogs are said to be some of the most observant creatures of the animal kingdom. In combination with instinct, Matt had been quick to notice Aveline up to no good... And what he had seen so far, along with his instincts, told him Sam was a good man.

His keen eye had also managed to catch Sam regaining control of the situation, so that Matt was able to refrain from biting Aveline just in time - though his muzzle remained frozen beside her leg readily, as he did not trust her, and he was determined not to let Sam be harmed.


Infirmary
1040

Devan's eyes grew wide with alarm, and he swiftly recoiled from where Tori had been, as if scared the space left behind might burn him. His gaze darted to the floor to study the strange, gaseous substance that accumulated there, and he took a few more steps back, only to whip around at the sudden and unanticipated return of his ally's voice. Only the youth's dark eyes showed any signs of panic as they scrutinized Tori's regenerated form; the rest of Devan's face remained as calm and serious as moments before.

He had made the mistake of assuming Tori was human... a mistake he now made a mental note not to make again, with anyone, as long as he was here.

His gaze darted through Tori's features, frantically taking in all signs of anger or hostility, a reflexive precaution Devan used to gauge just how mad someone was and to what extent they might exercise their anger. Analyzing facial expressions was something Devan had grown to be very keen on, as in his household he had always had to be very careful about what kind of mood his father was in. And later, when he took to fighting at school and in the streets, such observational skills proved very handy in a fight.

Tori was obviously upset... but did not appear to be especially, genuinely angry. Despite the man's hurt tone, like a child's bitterness at having a toy stolen, Tori did not seem to have changed too dramatically from his usual disposition.

Devan was frozen for a moment, studying his ally. He had not anticipated his short lapse in self-control to have quite such an impact; he did not have a knife yet, and, according to Tori, this area was dangerous. And if Tori wasn't human, that was all the more reason to have the man on his side.

Eyes still wide, Devan lifted his hand forward to rapidly wave his open palm back and forth in a silent, desperate plea for Tori to reconsider. He even dared a tentative step forward, keeping his posture slumped and submissive like he was approaching a skittish animal he didn't want to scare off.

Leisure Room 1
1030

Aveline writhed in the nurse's grip, struggling to put some distance between her and Matt, but he didn't move, his intense gaze unwavering. His attention only shifted when Sam said his name, an ear swiveling in his direction. It was obvious the nurse was tense... but there was also confidence in his tone. He was clearly trained for this. So when instructed to, Matt hesitantly took a couple of steps back to give him some space, still eyeing Aveline warily.

After a minute, reassured Sam had things under control, the canine continued to backtrack until his front paws stood on where his pants had been left behind. He turned so his back was to the two before returning to human form; as his frame pulled upright, his paws turned into hands quick enough to grasp his pants as he stood, so that he could hastily pull them on once a boy again. He hadn't bothered to get out of his shirt this time, so it was still on. Once clothed and human again, he turned to check on Sam, staying put just in case. The youth's dark eyes again focused on Aveline.


~


Infirmary
1040 - 1045

His gaze darted in alarm to the latest presence in the room; a dark-haired boy who looked vaguely familiar... Devan had seen him earlier that morning, moving off down a hall by himself. That felt like so long ago.... It was difficult to recall through all that had happened, and also difficult to gauge just how much time had passed since he awoke here. The other youth was staring interestedly at Tori. Somewhat hesitantly, Devan returned his attention to his ally as the man spoke up again.

His dark eyes shifted away. He had never said anything about apologizing - so to speak. But he knew averting his gaze made it look like he was at least reluctantly admitting he had not been nice. His eyes moved back to Tori as he continued, watching him carefully as he retrieved two small, wrapped objects from a drawer. As much as he studied Tori's features for signs of what he was doing, the man held an unusually blank expression.

Devan's face lit up at sight of the scalpels, not unlike a child on Christmas morning spotting presents under the tree.

Like a starving man diving for food, the wild-haired youth pounced on the scalpel slid across the floor his way - and before the other had quite reached his would-be adversary, he lunged for the boy, probably without even hearing Tori's words of encouragement. Devan not only hoped to tackle his opponent and at least keep him from receiving his weapon, but perhaps to take the second scalpel for himself, too, should he get the chance. As it was, the scalpel he had acquired was aimed to stab whatever proved most convenient, likely the boy's shoulder, chest, throat, or face - assuming his attack made contact. It would take serious reflexes to avoid at least getting tackled, though; Devan moved like he had been trained for dog-eat-dog survival all his life.

Leisure Room 1, Leisure Room 2
1030 - 1040

His focus seemed interrupted when Aveline turned his way to shout at him. He jumped, reflexively taking a step back, and then appeared to flinch somewhat before a troubled look swept over his features. His gaze wandered from Aveline to flicker back and forth as if he was looking for something. At the girl's shouting, murmuring had picked up again, louder and more insistent this time though still only barely above a whisper and too busy to be intelligible. Matt's brows knit as the noise continued at the back of his mind. He looked up again when he heard his name. His face still looked troubled, as it was harder to listen with the incessant murmuring in the background, but he was able to make out what Sam said nonetheless and slowly stepped backward into the hall as instructed. Besides being told to leave the room, he didn't put much mind to whatever else Sam had said, too distracted by the white noise of murmuring. After another minute, the sound was fading in and out of his hearing.

The noise paused as a voice came calling from another room. Matt turned to look in the direction of the voice curiously. Just as the murmuring began again, albeit quietly, Sam strode out and moved for where he had been called for. Matt followed as he was told, shuffling hastily to keep up with the nurse, though he did glance back to check if Aveline was coming.

Once in the other room, his gaze darted around to piece together what was going on, but stopped at Jack, who appeared to be having some kind of episode. Matt's lips fell into a small frown, a hint of concern hovering through his features. He felt his heart race for a second with a familiar burst of anxiety, and as a result his breathing spurted into a short fit of hyperventilating, though it was thankfully brief. The youth rubbed his head at the thought of what kind of shape he would be in without his medication right now.

He looked not without some amount of worry at the nurse that approached him, feeling his heart and in turn his breathing pick up for another second, but he looked and felt fairly calm despite it. Though he gazed back at Jack, he drifted after the nurse back out to the hall when prompted. He frowned at the announcement that rang out through the facility. When would he be able to come out again? How would he know if Jack was alright?


Infirmary
1046

Devan was as quick to scramble to his feet as his opponent had been to worm out from under him, and raced after the other boy. With his long legs, it took only seconds to catch up, at which point Devan grabbed whatever he could reach of the youth to haul him sideways, attempting to hurl him in a different direction than the scalpel while simultaneously slashing his own weapon across the boy. Where and how deep he struck his adversary depended on his success in throwing him, but doubtlessly his small blade would manage a cut somewhere this time. He barely heard the announcement, or Tori, as he whipped around to dart for the second scalpel once his opponent was, at least for the moment, out of the way.

Main Hall
1050

Despite lacking canine hearing in human form, there was no way Matt would have missed Aveline's conversation with her nurse once ice cream was mentioned. After that, he barely heard what his own nurse was saying, and soon turned to the man to gently tug on his sleeve like an insistent child. "... I want ice cream," he requested, his tone as soft as usual but nonetheless stern. "She's-... She's getting ice cream. I want ice cream." Suddenly Matt did not seem quite so content to follow as he had been all morning, and ended up trying to lead his nurse more than the other way around - specifically, in what he remembered being the direction to the dining room. Now that something sweet had been brought into the equation, the young man would think of nothing else, and the matter of what to do besides eating ice cream once he got to his room would have to be left for later.


Infirmary
1048

Once Devan had his second scalpel, he afforded the time to pause and check on his progress, dark eyes scanning his opponent up and down but freezing at the cut on his arm. A small, euphoric burst swept through him then; some blissful blend of endorphins and dopamine that even wrought a soft sigh through his excited breath. Inflicting blood and pain was like a drug for the wild-haired youth - he hadn't had a fix all morning, and now that he had started, he needed more.

At an unusually leisurely pace compared to his mad rush a moment before, still drifting down from his short high, he placed both scalpels in one hand. Devan preferred one-handed weapons, as he didn't like not having at least one grip available for him. Though two scalpels might double the damage, Devan's only real reason for swiping up the second was to keep the other boy from using it. Just as he was about to pounce again, however, he glanced at the thin, transparent line of tube tossed to the floor between him and his adversary. He eyed it not without some thought, but when his gaze lifted to his opponent, he shot off again for the boy before giving him much chance to dive for the tubing. Strangling certainly appealed to Devan, but stabbing and drawing blood was much more to his taste, especially when he could not afford giving his victim too much time. This was not some feral cat he faced now, after all; this was something that could think and plan, and maybe even overpower him given the right position.

Tackling would not be his aim this time. Now that he was armed, it was more reasonable to keep his distance, so instead he would swipe and stab like a striking snake - and just as relentlessly. Of course, Devan wasn't just all about the offense, either; fighting experience had made him adept at dodging and ducking on the turn of a dime, as his eyes could suck in every bit of body language his opponent had to offer that might warn him of an incoming attack. This was not to say he never got hit... A keen eye and a swift dodge didn't do anything for you if your opponent was simply faster, after all.

Dining Hall
1050 - 1055

Upon entering the dining room, Matt's gaze stuck itself immediately to the tray a cook toted out from the kitchen. The youth bounced a little on his heels as if filled to the brim with excitement he couldn't help but express.

He jumped at a sudden shout, though, flinching into a slight crouch out of reflex as he turned to find Aveline rushing at him only to be swiftly caught by his nurse. His bristling soon settled and he stood straight again. Absently, he wondered for a moment if he had made any kind of startled sound; he couldn't recall. He knew it was something that sometimes happened when he was taken by surprise enough, but he could not remember if such a noise had escaped him just now. Oh well.

He eyed the teal-haired girl for a moment more, but shifted his attention to his nurse when the man spoke up. If Matt had had a tail just then, it almost certainly would have wagged. He didn't always take praise well, but good manners were certainly something he tried to pride himself on, even if he was far from perfect at them... Especially in the personal space department. The youth grew all the more excited when told he could choose a flavor first. Dark eyes sweeping over the tubs on the tray, it took him a couple of minutes to decide. God, he wanted all of them. He wanted every one of those tubs of ice cream stashed under his bed in his room. Then he wouldn't ever even need to leave his room again - except maybe for the toilet - and he would be the best-behaved patient here, perfectly content to sit in his room with his horde of ice cream and not bother anybody. But then there would be no ice cream for anyone else... And even if Aveline didn't deserve ice cream, she probably needed some to calm down her volatile temperament... and Jack needed some, too, probably more than anyone right now. Yes, Jack really needed some ice cream. Matt looked at his nurse. "... Will Jack get ice cream, too?" He asked softly.

When his gaze returned to the tray, he only took a moment more to decide what flavor he wanted. "Hmn.... Black cherry, I think." He nodded once as if to affirm his choice, and, once permitted, grabbed the tub of black cherry ice cream off of the tray. "Thank you." He looked at the cook and at his nurse as he said it, unsure of who exactly he should be thanking.


Infirmary
1050

Devan paused after being pushed away by the long, metal pole his opponent had swiped up. Damn. A blunt object was always effective, especially a longer one; why hadn't he thought of that..? Scalpels, that's why. Sharp objects were always quicker to catch his eye in any split-second hunt for a weapon. But now that he had them, he certainly wasn't giving them up even if for a drip stand of his own.

Without noticing in the least that Tori had disappeared, Devan rushed forward again, this time moving to grab the drip stand so it could not shove him away so easily. Though there was little hope of wrestling it out of his adversary's grip one-handed, he could at least hold it in place so he had a better shot with his scalpels. Of course, that plan depended on his strength against his opponent's... And when he held the drip stand with just one hand while his adversary held it in both, Devan's opportunity to strike would undoubtedly be a short one. Even with adrenaline pumped through his arms, there was only so much muscle there to work with.

Knowing his chance was going to be brief, he used the momentum of his lunge to lean over the drip stand and swipe his scalpels for the other boy. No matter how short the opportunity was, Devan intended to make the most of it, so he did not hold back - not that he ever held back - aiming to cut as deep as he could reach... which, if his adversary didn't move back fast enough, could be dangerously deep considering the youth's long arms.

Dining Hall to Room 11
1055 - 1100

Just as his fingers began prying at the ice cream lid, he was reminded he would be going to his room. His gaze shifted over to the magenta-haired nurse who had originally been with Aveline. "... Okay," he murmured indifferently in answer. Matt held his ice cream close to his chest as he followed after his second nurse. She talked a lot, but he decided that was okay, because he was a good listener. He would rather be with someone talkative because then the talking wouldn't have to be left to him - which was not something he often obliged, anyways. Silence didn't bother him, but it seemed to irritate most other people.

He nodded periodically, both to the nurse's questions and statements. When he found an opening, he piped up with something completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. "I like your hair," he said quietly. "I know a girl with pink hair. She's friendly like you, but..." He paused. The nurse was sincere enough, but exhibited more cheerfulness than seemed natural for her; the typical overtly friendly behavior of a nurse or someone who looked after children. It wasn't so exaggerated as to be called fake, but Matt wasn't quite fond of its tone, either. The pink-haired girl he knew was just as cheerful but in full sincerity, all the time, to everyone. ".... Hmn... different." He finally finished.

The youth couldn't help hesitating at his door for a moment as the thought crossed his mind how long it might be before he was out of his room again. He decided not to be too concerned about it; he would have his ice cream, after all, and if he got bored he could always sleep. Though as he stepped into his room, he thought of something else to ask for. "Could I have... some more pillows? And maybe a thicker.. blanket?" He asked tentatively, glancing at his bed. His bed at home was a constant mess of lush pillows and comforter blankets. Most of the time Matt was not a picky sleeper, and could sleep anywhere in just about any position if he put his mind to it, but he certainly preferred to be curled within a cocoon of comfy blankets and pillows.


Infirmary
1052

His grip was so firm on the drip stand that when his adversary gave the pole a sharp turn through the air, he was thrown off balance, stumbling forward - but he kept focused, still reaching with his scalpels for the other boy even as he tottered forward and his target moved back. Next he knew, the end of the stand was shoved his way, and - being already unbalanced - Devan did not have the stability to dodge as the five bases of the pole caught him in the chest, so he was sent reeling backwards. More out of reflex than anything, however, he grabbed onto the end of the drip stand still held in his direction if only to keep from falling over. He used it to quickly re-steady himself and then gave a hard yank forward, hoping to pull the opponent on the other end of the pole his way, scalpels at the ready.

Room 11
1100

Again, if Matt had had his tail at that moment, it certainly would have wagged. Anything. Wow. He would have to think on that one. He had ice cream now, so he didn't really need more food. Blankets and pillows were on the way. He was in better clothes. Yes, he would have to think for awhile. For now, ice cream. Matt remained standing when the magenta-haired nurse left to fetch blankets and pillows, while he pried open his ice cream to dive into it with his spoon. The thought occurred to him a spoon, even a plastic one such as this, could be a weapon if he wanted it to be. You could scoop out people's eyes with spoons. But he wasn't interested in scooping out anyone's eyes... just ice cream.

He smiled, mouth full of ice cream, when the nurse returned with a pile of comfort in her arms. When he finished his bite of ice cream, he replied. "Uhm... I like meat, and sweets. And potatoes?" Maybe that's for dinner... "Hm..." He couldn't say he wasn't picky, but it would be complicated to explain what he didn't like. He paused to think about what he did like, which might be simpler. "... Mac and cheese... But I hate hot dogs!" He said rather suddenly, albeit with no change in volume. "But I like meat. So, burgers, or pizza with all kinds of meat on it.. or... chicken alfredo.. mmhm... Any of that. Vegetables.. are only okay in stir fry." There were other ways he liked vegetables, but he was picky about them. "I like soda, too. But water is okay if that's not allowed," he added.

He helped the nurse deposit the blankets and pillows onto the bed before sitting on the bed himself, tub of ice cream in one hand and spoon in the other. "Thank you." He might have given the nurse a thank-you kiss, but he wasn't sure how well the facility would regard such behavior, so as it was he shoveled another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth contentedly.


Infirmary
1054

Devan's twin scalpels swiped through air when his opponent abruptly vanished - or, more like, dropped into a haphazard dodge. He didn't hesitate to adapt, moving as swiftly and automatically as if this exact fight was something he had rehearsed for weeks - and Devan couldn't care less where he hit his adversary, so long as he hit at all. One second the youth realized he had missed, and in the next he relocated his target... and that was all it took for Devan to readjust his grip and drive his blades downward for his opponent's back, now that the other boy was positioned directly under his hand. All the while, Devan maintained his grip on the drip stand; he would hold onto it so long as he wasn't certain his adversary had let go of it.

Room 11
1100 - 1120

He gave a small wave in answer as the nurse moved past the window in his door. By then, already the boy was halfway through his ice cream. He predictably moved to the window when the sound of a vehicle caught his attention, though he kept at his ice cream all the while. He winced a little at the screeching gate - a sound followed by another brief burst of unintelligible murmuring which quickly faded away. Matt disregarded both noises.

He continued watching, though most of the activity after that he could only hear and not see. By the time the van moved off, Matt had taken a seat on his bed again, setting his ice cream down on the floor and absently wishing there was a trash can in the room.

His tongue swept out to lap every sticky remainder of ice cream off his lips as he lay down on his back. Dark eyes flickered to the door. He wasn't very tired... He could sleep if he wanted, but he wasn't sure he wanted to just yet. There was lunch to look forward to. What time was it, anyways? How long would lunch be...? The youth began eyeing the ceilings and walls, but they were blank. He even rolled over to take a peek under his bed, but there was nothing there either. Maybe he should've asked for something to do, after all... Would they have allowed a Gameboy? They probably didn't have one anyways, or at least not a game he would like.

It was too quiet. Murmuring picked up again, quietly - barely detectable, but for the silence in the room. Maybe I should sleep... Matt sighed. Conscious thought was a mistake; at the sound of his thought, the murmuring grew slightly louder as if to rival his mind's volume. But it died back down once he let his thoughts sink back into his subconscious.


Infirmary
1056 - 1058

Just as his eyes lit up at the sight of the blood he had brought forth, Devan next found his vision whipping up toward the ceiling as his leg was knocked out from under him. His breath hitched in surprise, catching again when he hit the floor with his hind end and elbow. Not too hard a fall - no big deal - have to get back up. No sooner had he hit the floor than he was scrambling simultaneously backward and to his feet, scalpels raised in front of him defensively. His gaze was at first glued to his adversary, but shifted in and out of focus on his scalpels, their tiny blades now dripping with a fresh coat of red. Focus. Focus.

When he got to his feet, however, the wild-haired youth found concentration even harder. He felt a vague pressure in his head. It wasn't like Devan to get headaches... Yet he had had so many today.

He tried to stare ahead at his opponent, but found his vision blurring as the pressure in his head fluctuated rhythmically. Red was quick to catch his eye once it appeared; his gaze darted to the source, what had been the restful body of the man on the bed now a mutilated corpse, complete with blood and gruesomely-colored insides spilling out.

His dark eyes went wide. He could hear his breathing pick up. Some other urgency nagged at his mind, something important he seemed to be forgetting.... but it couldn't be bothered with now, not anymore. He stepped slowly toward the body, tentatively, as if it might disappear if he moved too quickly. His heart was fluttering like a 15-year-old's looking at the girl of his dreams. Yet Devan knew this couldn't be right... The body hadn't been that way a moment ago. And his vision was hazy, dream-like almost, the patches of blood coating the rest of the room flashing in and out of existence like a broken television changing channels. It was making him dizzy. Something wasn't right - and there was something he had just been doing, something important... But his eyes, his attention, couldn't pull away from the ripped open carcass of the man, and he continued moving toward it as if in a trance, fingers slowly reaching forward in anticipation of digging into all that blood...

Room 11
1125

With nothing to do but stare at the ceiling, boredom alone quickly made Matt grow drowsy. He perked up slightly when he thought he heard a sound... but then decided not to pay it too much mind, assuming it was another auditory hallucination trying creep up on him. He was driven not to dismiss it, however, when it picked up a second time, and gained enough volume that Matt felt compelled to check it was not just in his head.

He did a double-take at the window. It changed. But he had taken his medication... Visual hallucinations were very rare and very subtle under medication, even more so than the auditory ones. He stood from the bed to walk back to the window, peering out it somewhat warily, confusion and some amount of worry etched into his features. He jumped slightly at the sound of a desperate howl, light sparking in his face at the idea of a nearby canine. But he shook his head and took step back. He had watched the window view change - it couldn't be real. But why was he hallucinating so vividly on medication?

He felt the hair on his arms stand up at the gradual chill building in the room. His breath hitched for a second at a short rush of anxiety. This was so confusing... Why was this happening? Had the medication been fake? Why would this place give him fake drugs if it was supposed to be helping him? He glanced out the window again, but turned to sit back down on the bed, scratching his head nervously. The sound of footsteps almost sounded like it was in his room; an unpleasant notion for some reason. His gaze flickered around his empty room fearfully. Like a child nervous of monsters under the bed, he pulled his feet off of the floor and brought his knees up to his chest to hug them there.


Infirmary
1058 - 1100

Devan nearly had tunnel vision for the mutilated, blood-covered corpse - but the imperfections flickering through his peripheral vision kept him from being perfectly focused. When some shining metal caught the light, he made out the drip stand just enough to know he needed to duck; but by the time he was about to move to do so, the metal pole found its mark.

Whacked in the throat, the youth tottered backward, lips parting to mouth uselessly for air that wasn't coming in or going out. A pained look came over his face as his body registered the impact. He fell over flat on his back, clutching at his throat with his free hand - unlike most people who would be more likely to drop their weapon upon getting hit, Devan's hand remained clinging all the tighter to his two scalpels. But his dark eyes grew dazed, his vision and the rapidly fading blood of the room blurring.

Finally, when black was beginning to creep into the edges of his vision, his windpipe seemed to recover at least enough for him to gasp desperately. He writhed somewhat, torn between scrambling to his feet and pressing against the floor as if to disappear in it. His instinct was screaming to get back up and fight before his opponent took advantage of his dazed state, but Devan found his body unwilling to cooperate just yet, intent on first regaining its breath. His sight was still blurred... He blinked rapidly to try to clear it, and meanwhile clutched his scalpels, keenly aware of how vulnerable he was on the floor. His breathing came in hard, hoarse gasps.

Room 11
1127 - 1130

Voices continued on only the edge of his hearing, making their words indistinguishable. It sounded not unlike the muttering his own mind sometimes produced; which made him all the more anxious. Matt had stopped watching the window for fear of its view changing, and so did not notice when it returned to as it originally was... though soon enough, he picked up on the muted hiss and the distinct, invading odor of a veterinary clinic. Of illness and medicine and hospital and death.

A long whimper escaped him. The boy crawled back across the bed to press his back against the wall, quickly withdrawing his legs again to hug them close and bury part of his face in his knees - including his nose, just in case he wasn't hallucinating. Though he doubted it would help for long. Shivering swept over his small frame, and it wasn't because of the ice cream.


Infirmary
1100 - 1102

Senses dimmed by his deprivation of oxygen, Devan didn't even notice his adversary approaching until the drip stand's feet were positioned over top of him. He realized the other boy had him pinned, then, but still couldn't muster the strength to fight his way out of it... and it didn't look like his opponent was looking to kill him, anyway. Still lying flat on the floor, he glowered wearily up at his adversary, dark eyes dazed.

But he was by no means finished. The second his body recovered, the fight would continue...

... Or so he thought, until there was an abrupt slam of the doors immediately followed by the click of their locks. Devan jumped, nearly driven to sit up out of a moment of panic, but his opponent held him down with the metal claws of the drip stand. The unpleasantly bright lighting of the infirmary dropped into a dark red that faded in and out in time with what sounded like a fire alarm. Devan scowled at the noise... and at the fact some activity seemed to be going on that he wasn't certain he was responsible for. He glanced fleetingly at the scalpels still clutched in his hand, then cast a venomous glare up at his adversary again. He wanted to keep fighting... He wanted to kill something. Somebody.

Room 11
1130 - 1140

The room gave a violent jerk, and Matt yelped, arms extending to clutch the bed for balance as a clattering sound picked up. Movement caught his eye by the window but he did not let his gaze linger there for fear of what he might find next; in fact, he shut his eyes tight, yet he could still feel the shifts of balance in his stomach, an uncomfortable swaying back and forth like he was being carried in a great bucket.

He didn't understand. He had taken his medication. He had never hallucinated this much even without it - the most imagined motion he had ever endured was a subtle quivering of the earth. This was on a much greater scale, and that alone terrified him more than any situation he may have been able to gather from the hallucination going on now. Conversation drifted in and out of focus as he struggled not to pay it any mind, more familiar murmurings kicking up as if they felt rivaled by the other voices.

He kept his lids locked down tightly to at least avoid seeing anything that might go on, but the sounds and sensations assaulting him continued persistently. He could feel panic rising in his chest even through his anti-anxiety medication; drugs wouldn't stop it at this rate.

Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up... "Stop..." He whimpered softly, clutching his head. "Stop, please stop-" His voice dwindled to a near whisper. "Shut up... Shh.. Shhut up... Shut up...."


Infirmary
1105 - 1107

Devan braced against the floor when a curved figure clad in a gas mask appeared in the waves of red light. The woman spoke out over the alarm briefly before pulling a lever that brought the alarm to a stop, the lights abruptly flickering back to a blinding intensity that made him cringe. He squinted, blinking several times to try to spur his eyes to adjust.

Xavier. The other boy was Xavier. Devan eyed the other boy, but didn't understand whatever the woman was telling his opponent; it seemed to be a return to a conversation he had missed.

His dark eyes flickered back to the masked woman when she turned her attention to him. His breathing picked up in desperation for escape, and he jerked once against the drip stand pinning him, but Xavier maintained the hold. Anxiety sifted through his features, layered with the violent hunger to continue the fight. His head rested back against the floor, chest heaving, brows knit in a vaguely troubled look. He didn't know what this was about, but he didn't care; he just wanted to get free and rip somebody open.

His gaze drifted down his arm toward the scalpels he clung to, which he slowly withdrew somewhat closer to his side in the hopes the woman might not notice them. Though he felt sure she already had, nothing and nobody was going to pry the tools from his hand until he was thoroughly incapacitated, and the dark look he cast the woman said as much.

His adversary chuckled quietly, and shifted his grip on the drip stand - a cue Devan promptly took to jerk abruptly to the side in the hopes of pulling free.

'Us' must have been the joke. There would be no 'us'. Devan didn't plan on doing anything this woman or anybody else instructed him to unless it involved violence against a living, breathing, bleeding creature - staff members and other patients included.

Room 11
1145 - 1148

Through the noise of his own mind and his steady stream of whimpers, there came a distinct and very near splash, appropriately accompanied by a short spray of water. The boy flinched and yelped, opening his eyes just as the room gave another sudden tilt. He clung to the bed and felt his muscles brace with panic; an itch spread under his skin. His instinct was to shift into canine form again, but he knew that if something happened, a human frame would likely offer him better means of escape.

Yet in another corner of the room, water had begun to pour in across the floor. Matt pressed back against the wall and clutched the bed for stability as the room swayed as if put off balance by the flood. A petrified look of terror was spread over his features. He wanted to cry for help, but found his voice catching in his throat uselessly, so the most he could utter was only more whimpers of gradually rising desperation.


Infirmary
1110 - 1114

Pitch dark eyes locked onto the woman as she began to step slowly closer. Gears turned in his brain as he watched her approach; the vigilance of a predator waiting in ambush, carefully calculating the perfect distance and timing to strike.

Follow along with getting sedated. Right. Devan's gaze flickered briefly to his captor, and he wondered if the other boy was as sickeningly well-behaved as the woman's civil tone seemed to suggest.

Another moment, and the gas mask-clad staff member was finally in range. But Devan didn't move, though his hand clutched onto the scalpels close at his side. His attention moved to Xavier, who met his gaze with a warning in his eyes before hesitantly pulling the drip stand away and then backing off for a safer distance. Devan's eyes darted between Xavier and the woman for a moment, frozen, seemingly assessing his situation. He rolled away suddenly then in the opposite direction of the woman, moving deftly to his feet, and in the same fluid movement stepping back away from the other two with the patient steps of a cornered cat. His posture shifted somewhere between relaxed and fight-ready, not overtly aggressive but subtly on the defense nonetheless, and his scalpels remained close at his side, not yet bared as an open threat. But his unrelenting gaze served as warning enough that he was not going to make capture easy.

Room 11
1305

Soon the water was rushing over the bed. Matt did not stand to keep away from it, though it was cold when it reached him; it seemed he would have to swim sooner or later, at this rate. And it wasn't much longer before he was driven to do so. He kept his feet on the bed for support for as long as he could, until he had to tread water to keep his head at the surface. It felt heavy to swim in his clothes... And his breath was already hard with panic, and his muscles were weary with adrenaline. But his biggest fear was not wearing out and drowning, but the whole of his room being filled until he had no other choice but to drown.

As the water continued to rise, he noticed with a pained look that the ceiling appeared strangely sky-like. He was in a critical situation, and his mind still found the vigor to hallucinate...? His mental stability must have been really hopeless. The air was feeling stuffy so Matt more easily took notice of how little of it might be left... But he found himself growing unusually and suddenly tired, more like he had been swimming all day. A few more soft whimpers escaped him. He kept swimming, but his frame felt so tired, and his eyes so heavy, until just as his face started to bob below the surface, he had a vague feeling of someone lifting him from the water, and a blurred vision of a foggy figure above.

~

The sound of his name pulled him slowly from sleep. Was that just his mind...? The remnants of a dream? Or had he really heard it? His eyes fluttered drowsily open; he felt exhausted.

His most recent memories hit him like a truck. Matt bolted upright in bed, breathing hard. A panicked look around revealed he was still in his empty room at the strange facility, but it was not full of water. His hands clutched the bedsheets, then his jeans, then his shirt, then his scruffy head of hair, but none of it was wet in the least. It had been more than a dream, but it had been so much more than even a hallucination... He had been dying, he was sure of it.

His name... Had he heard his name? His gaze shifted to the door, which was open. A short whimper, and he was toppling out of bed and scurrying to the door - his muscles ached. He paused to clutch the doorframe and peer around the hall for anybody who might've been the source. He spotted a girl passing by, with long, black hair pulled into a braid. What was her name... He knew her name.... "... S... Sarah..?" He called quietly. It felt difficult to muster his voice, as if he feared the breath wouldn't come to him.


Infirmary, Room 6
1305

The woman smiled curtly at him, but almost immediately took to talking again. She rambled about her family. Names he didn't know. People she was drawing associations about - comparing him to someone he had never met. It both bored and annoyed him. He glanced at Xavier and had the fleeting notion to launch into another fight with the boy, but the masked woman carried too much of a.. presence. He didn't want to take his attention off of her for too long.

Finally, she started to approach. But as she stepped closer, the air he was breathing began to feel thicker in his lungs... No, no, no, shit, no. Devan stumbled back against a counter behind him, his head feeling progressively unbalanced and his eyelids suddenly heavier. He lifted his arm to try to breathe into the pit of his elbow, but his legs were growing weak beneath him, until he needed both arms to cling to the counter and try to keep himself upright. He tried to keep his eyes on the woman drawing nearer but could barely keep them open, and it wasn't a minute more before he slumped to the floor, still clutching the scalpels in his hand.

~

A very nearby voice roused him abruptly. He blinked, feeling drowsy with the kind of heavy sleep he did not like - the kind of sleep rarely achieved on his own. But he lifted onto all fours and shook his head persistently to wake himself. His empty hands closed on the bedsheets then, and he looked down at them, a vehement scowl bleeding its way into his features.

Devan tore himself off the bed and moved briskly across the room to kick the wall hard. His breath came heavily with fury. He had finally gotten hold of a worthwhile weapon, two of them, and they were both gone now. His head tilted toward the door, which sat open patiently for him.

The youth stormed out the door, promptly kicking it as he passed as if he meant to knock it off its hinges. His pitch dark eyes lifted to sweep for familiar faces - Xavier, Tori, or the gas mask-clad woman who had taken his hard-earned scalpels. Or perhaps, in his present mood, anyone he could throw a fist into.

"... S... Sarah..?"

Sarah spun in place where she was on hearing her name. The relief she felt when she saw he was still around vanished when she saw the state he was in. Not normally a physical person, she reached him in two long strides and wrapped her arms around him in a brief hard hug.
“It’s all a game to them,” she whispered in his ear. “Whatever you saw, whatever they did, it was all to mess with you.” She released the younger boy and reached up to grip the sides of his head gently, looking him in the eye and willing him to believe her.
“We’re going to get through this, so long as we stay strong, ok?” She leaned back and watched him for a moment before smiling encouragingly. “Hey now, let’s go find Jack, ok? Everything’s a bit easier to deal with when you’re together, huh?” She turned around and looked down the hall, coming to an abrupt halt when she saw Aveline standing there. While there was a slight chance that the other girl wasn’t going to start screaming and try to jump on them; she wasn’t going to be the one to make the first move. Instead her shadows wrapped around their feet in a protective tangle. If crazy girl made any sort of move, they’d be ok.

Residential Hall
1305 - 1307

He watched the girl swivel toward him and her face light up with both recognition and some amount of alarm; another few seconds and she had moved briskly in his direction. Matt flinched at her sudden embrace, taken off guard, but returned the hug - tentatively at first, and then tighter before pulling away as she did as if bewildered it was already over.

His mind flickered over his not-dream as Sarah tried to reassure him. He flinched again at her grasping his head to try to meet his gaze, though his dark eyes moved away somewhat anxiously. Her words didn't help him. He didn't want to think over what had happened or almost happened. But as the girl studied him and cast a soothing smile, he offered a small smile in answer if only to try to make her feel better.

Jack. Matt perked up then, finally lifting his gaze to fleetingly sweep Sarah's face. "Is Jack okay..? Where is he? What time is it.." His eyes flitted over the walls then in search of a clock as Sarah began leading the way down the hall, but instead he found a familiar head of disheveled, teal hair a ways away. Aveline cast an eerie grin and giggled quietly; it made Matt shift his feet in discomfort at her presence. He jumped a little upon noticing the tangle of shadows ensnaring the floor around him and Sarah, and couldn't help bristling as they appeared to coil and writhe angrily like snakes. He glanced at Sarah when she placed her hands about his shoulders like a protective parent... but didn't want to look away from Aveline for too long either, despite the rather unnerving black tendrils at his feet. The way she had smiled, he liked the idea of Aveline leaving them alone...


~


Residential Hall
1305 - 1308

There was no one in sight in the hallway. He paused in the middle of the hall to peer back at the restrooms, gears churning in his head as he mulled over if there was anything he could make a weapon out of in there besides the toilet seat cover he had used before. That wasn't exactly convenient to tote around. He soon decided it wasn't worth it, and continued down the hall, freezing just around the corner.

A girl... He knew her name... Sarah, or something, maybe. By a scruffy boy he recognized from before. And further off, the teal-haired, throat-poking bitch.

It felt a little too crowded for his taste. Especially with Sarah, who he recalled had some kind of weird shadow power, which he spotted writhing dangerously at her feet just then. Dark eyes flickering between the figures in the hall, Devan took a couple of cautious steps back nearer to the corner he had just rounded, his posture subtly withdrawing as if to make him less noticeable. For all the hostility burning through his brain now, he remained wary of taking on a group, especially one with something like Sarah in it... and as his body belatedly caught up in waking, his stomach felt violently empty, enough that a brief grimace crossed his features. He hadn't eaten since getting here... and he didn't even know how long that had been. Appetite was not an overtly bothersome issue for Devan, as it was not often that his was roused, nor did it take much to put off his hunger. But that certainly wasn't to say he never got hungry.