Rated: PG-13 ~ Warnings: mild horror, angst ~ Pairing: none ~ Notes: N/A "We have to make this as seamless as possible." "Seamless, my arse." Joshua snorted. "This won't be a seamless escape. We're already wasting time to escape and people are flooding in the apartment as we speak." "Then lets go," Lucas insisted, two small duffels in his hands. "I will not wait any longer, discussing how exactly we're going to escape." "How to expect us to escape, Lucas?" Joshua asked, pinning Lucas with a look. "There are hundreds of people, thousands even, that are downstairs, trying to figure out how to use a simple staircase." "Then we climb through a window," Lucas said, opening the window. "How in the hell do they no remember how to use a staircase?" Rowen asked, clearly confused. "The parasite," Joshua mumbled. "It eats away at your insides, making careful measure to not eat any vital organs." At this, he shuddered. "It also fucks around with your mind, causing you to totally forget something as simple as using a staircase or using a toilet." "So, while the troup of stupids is downstairs, trying to figure out the staircase;" Rowen gestured to the open window; "Let's beat a hasty retreat before they figure it out." "And how, may I ask, do you believe we're getting onto the ground safely without breaking any bones or getting molested by the aforementioned stupids?" Joshua asked, raising a brow. "First, we'll use sheets tied together and then to something stable," Rowen replied. "As for being unsure of getting molest and/or killed by the stupids; I really don't know. We'll just have to be careful, I guess." "Yes and once on the ground, beat a hasty retreat in the direction of the safe house," Lucas said. The safe house. It was one of the very few sanctuaries the boys had against anybody and everybody. It was an underground home, filled to the brim with all the basic essentials and enough non-perishables to feed all four boys comfortably for at least a year and two years if they conserved. It was originally made by a person who wanted an underground home before abandoning it upon death. It was a shelter, perfect for a time as dire as this one and thankfully, no one forgot about it and no one who wasn't supposed to know about it didn't. "We all remember where exactly the safe house is?" Kyle questioned after a moment of silence. All heads nodded and they went to work on getting safely out of the house. It seemed that some of the people downstairs finally remembered the usage of stairs and made a hasty climb upwards with the rest following soon after, but soon became lost when faced with closed doors. They may have seen Kyle open the door and forget to close it, but the parasite eating away at their insides and mind, they had no idea how to open a door. "What...do?" One spoke up; one of the very few who could. "Knock...door..." Another spoke up, far worse off than the first. It appeared that those who still had part of their sanity still intact were the leaders of the group, but the quick killing parasite swiftly diminished that number fairly quickly. Of course, even through the speech difficulty - rasp and all, not even they could figure out what they just said, resulting in a mass confusion and eventual frustration. "Boy...need...cure...." The one who spoke had the voice of nails on a chalkboard, her voice lilting in different pitches, and sounding similar to an old record player. "Cure!" As one, thousands of voices screamed out the simple word, causing them to shift like an ocean wave. The word alone held power over the mass, leaving no room for confusion and just the simple need to be cured of the parasite. All the boys jumped when they heard the screams and doubled their efforts, tossing the makeshift rope out the window after securing the end to a bedpost. Quickly, but not enough to harm, Kyle ushered the boys through the window and down the tied sheets, glaring balefully at the closed door where the sound of people tossing themselves against the door could be heard. It was only a matter of time before the door broke, forcing Kyle into practically throwing Lucas out of the window before following him soon after. And just like that, they were left to run to the safehouse after landing on the ground. It was only sheer luck that they didn't run into someone, intent on having Lucas and his 'cure'. It was the worst kind of luck that Lucas passed out, heart pounding with the fear of being killed...all for a cure. ~-~ The nightmares had returned, but this time, there were thousands of people staring at me with wide eyes, their mouths watering at the simple sight. They all looked like walking skeletons; sickly pale skin covering too thin bones, their blood seen far too easily for the human eye. Suddenly, their skin boiled over before red-hot blood split their skin open, sending river upon river of crimson liquid to the ground. Many of their eyes burst from their sockets in a wild display of white and red while others simply hung limply from wiry muscles, holding them there, dangling precariously. The blood would pool around me, building up as if I were stuck inside a chamber with no way out. I would fight to keep the blood from pouring into my mouth and drowning me...to no avail. You may think it ends there, but it doesn't. It just gets worse...it always does. Cool darkness envelops my body as I drown in blood, only to wake sharply, believing to have woken up. Sweat coats my being as I stand and make my way to Rowen's room, like I always do when I wake up from the nightmares. I open my door, expecting to see a hallway, but all I see is bodies; thousands of them. They're piled as high as a two story building, leaning dangerously to the side, but it never topples; not like that. Blood coats every single one of them and I can only stare on in horror as each body opens eyes darker than the night, pinning me with their unseeing gaze. As one, they all scream and reach for me, toppling the two story tower of bodies. The sounds of bones breaking and flesh slapping against flesh are heard and those able to walk; they do. They stand drunkenly, staring right into my soul before an ear-splitting screech comes from their open mouths, lunging for me as one. Several bodies fall to the floor, on account of not seeing the body lying before their feet, but they still make an effort to get to me. I can hear the word 'cure' over and over again like a mantra as they reach for me, mouth salivating with saliva and blood at the thought of having a cure for the madness they endure. Bodies touch me on all sides, grabbing to tear into my skin and taste my blood, to taste a cure. Nails of all shapes and sizes bite into my skin, skin touching my own feels like I'm being shoved into a freezer far below standards and a scream tears through me as more and more bodies pile onto me, intent on tasting the cure. The horrors don't end there. No. I'm pulled back into the desolate street that's been haunting me for months, but there is no sound this time; not even the wind. A pained cry is heard and, like every other dream, I'm pulled into finding who made the noise and make sure they aren't harmed in any kind of way. Coming closer to the pained cries, I realise that they don't sound like the cries I've been hearing in my dreams, they sound almost...hungry, in a way. Before I could even blink, I was tackled to the ground with a snarling body above me. I had no time to think before jagged teeth tried to tear open my neck and blunt nails tried to tear up my clothes to get to my skin. I was too terrified to move, too terrified to think about what this thing could do to me should I move at all. The nails tore through my clothes, leaving bleeding trails where harsh attempts were made. The first rough scratch to my chest with the successful bite into my neck startled me into action, struggling with all my might to dislodge the body above me. With me moving so frantically, I knew there'd be no good way to get a good bite out of me...but it appeared I was wrong in that thought and right about the thought of it going ballistic when I moved. It gave out a nasty screech and lunged for my neck, hitting spot on and holding tight with its jagged teeth. It shook its head like any kind of predator would with prey, tearing the skin of my neck due to the force. Releasing my neck, it screeched again. "Cure!" I had no idea what it meant by a cure, nor did I even fathom to know that this thing could actually speak. With that one bellow of a word, it collapsed on top of me, unmoving. ~-~ "He's going to be ok, right?" Rowen bounced around on his feet, chewing at his lip. "He should be," Kyle replied, "but we can't be sure. They got to him before we could and they did tear into him pretty roughly." Rowen sighed softly, falling unceremoniously into the chair next to the bed Lucas lay on. Lucas had somehow passed out before making it to the safehouse and the deranged, parasite infected people took that as a signal and pounced on him, all of them screaming at the top of their lungs and tearing at his clothes and body without a second thought. Kyle had found Lucas under a pile of people with more lunging at him and tearing into him and the people above him. It hadn't been easy, but Kyle eventually got to Lucas after moving away all the bodies with great difficulty. All sound and motion stopped when Kyle picked up Lucas, but like a play button on a VCR, the deranged people went after Kyle and his cargo as he stood and ran. With all the blood and dirt cleaned from his body, Lucas was a mess of gashes, scratches, and even a broken rib or two. Rowen was fearing for his twin's life, but Scott was more worried about the parasite and how it was highly probable that Lucas now carried it. It was unlikely Lucas didn't carry the parasite, but it was more likely that his body had destroyed it before doing any real damage. If curing Joshua from the parasite was anything to go by, Lucas shouldn't be able to have the parasite...right? Caught up in his thoughts, Rowen didn't realise Lucas' sudden stress, but he did hear the soft whimper coming from his throat. Twisting his head to look at Lucas, Rowen watched as Lucas started struggling, as if he was trying to remove something from pinning him down. It was over in seconds and Lucas' eyes suddenly snapped open and a harsh gasp escaped his throat. Sitting up quickly, Lucas didn't feel any pain and immediately started to feel his body, his eyes widening as he brushed over the gashes. Slowly, as if possessed, Lucas looked over at Rowen, fear plainly seen in his eyes. "What happened?" Lucas' voice was a mere whisper, but it carried in the quiet room. Rowen swallowed. "You fainted," he replied softly. "Kyle saved you from them and got you here." He bit his lip. "You're in pretty bad shape now; broken ribs, scratches, and a fair amount of gashes." Lucas started shivering, as if cold. "I won't die," he whispered, turning his eyes back to Rowen; "will I?" "We don't know." Rowen got up from the chair and made to sit on the bed, but Lucas shook his head. "If I have it," Lucas said slowly and softly, "I don't want you to have it." "I was here when Kyle brought you in here," Rowen cut in. "So, if you have it, Kyle and I will, too." "We'll die," Lucas whispered, tears making their way down his face. "We'll die and infect Scott and Josh when we do." "But you cured Josh of the parasite, Luc," Rowen reminded, sitting on the bed. "Surely that has something solid to say about you and your body. Maybe your body destroyed the parasite trying to infect you." "But if not me or you, then Kyle," Lucas said. "He isn't immune and neither is Scott. They'll get the parasite and they'll die." "Not if we make them immune," Rowen said. "By drinking some of mine, yours, or Josh's blood, they would become immune." "But..." Lucas was shushed when a finger landed on his lips. "No more buts," Rowen said, smiling lightly. "We're going to live and the others will, too." Lucas looked like he wanted to say something, but kept his mouth firmly shut at the look Rowen was giving him. Slowly, he nodded, which made Rowen smile. "Get some rest, Lucas." Rowen stood from the bed, gently forcing Lucas to lay down. "Everything's going to be fine." "Will you still be here when I wake up?" Lucas asked softly. "Of course I will," Rowen replied, smiling softly. "Rest now. You need it." Lucas nodded and let his head fall on the pillow, falling asleep almost instantly as he did so. ~-~ Lucas found himself swimming in darkness, feeling or hearing nothing, but the soundless chamber didn't scare Lucas like it had when he dreamt of the abandoned city. Slowly, the darkness faded into the silent city, void of all sound. It didn't scare Lucas, as he had expected it to, but it relaxed him more than he wanted it to. Looking around revealed the city to be covered in years of dirt, buildings falling apart as time slowly ate through it. That did scare him, but not as much as he felt it should. It was a scary sight, yes, but it was also one of amazement; that time and nature could tear apart a building so cleanly and effortlessly. Lucas felt as if something was gnawing at his stomach, which prompted him to look at what it was. His eyes widened upon meeting the sight of his stomach being chewed out by what looked like a large black centipede, it's mouth tearing off chunks of flesh as it still mostly resided inside his body. Blood poured out of the wound the centipede had made in its effort to remove itself from Lucas' body, but Lucas didn't scream or shout out. Instead, he gazed at the centipede inside of him before gazing at the blood at his feet; his blood. Slowly, as if to not startle the beast in his stomach, Lucas brought a hand down, swiping away some of the blood and bringing it up to his face to examine it. His blood was dark, almost pitch black in colour. Lucas stared at the blood on his hand for a long time before taking a long swipe of the blood off with his tongue. Flavour exploded in Lucas' mouth; rich and sweet mixed together, forming a deliscious and tantalizing taste that had Lucas licking the blood from his hand without a second thought, mewling softly. The centipede crooned softly, encouraging Lucas to have more of his blood as he tore away at the flesh of Lucas' stomach, and Lucas obeyed the silent command. With shaking hands, Lucas swirled his hands in the blood coating his stomach, bringing them to his lips to taste his lifeblood that was dwindling as more and more dripped away and onto the floor. Knees weak, Lucas let himself drop to the ground, uncaring so long as he still had some of the sweet and tantalizing blood. Letting his gaze wander, Lucas saw several more of the large centipedes crawling towards him, each of them crooning softly, forming a demented melody that had many of the centipedes and Lucas swaying. Lucas smiled at the centipedes, holding out bloody hands as if to welcome them to a feast of flesh. They took the offer without blinking, latching onto a part of free skin and tearing into it, their crooning becoming more pleased than soothing. It snapped Lucas out of whatever trance he'd been held in. Pain sweeped up and down Lucas' body, forcing a pained scream from his throat as he struggled in vain to remove the centipedes from his body. The centipedes felt no desire let Lucas go and, forgetting their feast of flesh briefly, they attacked Lucas, lunging at his throat and face with tiny, razor sharp teeth. The one in his stomach had crawled out, but merely turned and dove back in, forcing its way inside Lucas' body, pushing aside and organs and tearing through everything just to get to Lucas' head. It had reached Lucas' esophogus and became glued to the spot as Lucas tried to gather air around the centipede. Lucas screamed as he was attacked, but it was nothing compared to the pure force of pain the centipede inside him was making, shoving aside anything and everything as it climbed its way up inside of him. He tried to breathe, but found he couldn't; the centipede had lodged itself inside of his esophogus; probably not its idea of killing him, but it sure was effective. He felt it trying to move in between his pants of air, only moving mere centimetres before it got stuck again. It gave up and Lucas thought it was just going to let him suffocate, but soon felt it suddenly becoming larger, expanding and lengthening slowly. It was going to tear him in two or even three pieces as it slowly expanded inside of him. He felt his body expand with the centipede, stretching him to its limits. He could hardly believe he was still alive as it completely cut off his air supply, but he could still feel every single centipede on the outside, eating away at his skin while the one inside of him continued to grow in size and length. It was only a matter of minutes and suddenly, it stopped growing, making Lucas belive it was over. Such a silly thought that was with the centipedes still eating him on the outside and the one inside of him as big as an anaconda; how it was still inside him without tearing him open was a mystery to him. Seconds passed and the smaller centipedes backed off, crooning softly. It was then that Lucas felt tingly all over, like someone was prodding him with thousands of tiny pins. Feeling to his body returned, but Lucas felt no pain, just the tingles all over and the massive thing lodged inside of him. It hurt, but it somehow wasn't painful and he could still breathe. It was then that Lucas realised how he was still able to breathe; he wasn't breathing with his lungs - he could tell from the lack of lift and drop of his chest - but the centipedes. He tried to lift his hands, but found he couldn't and as he looked over to see his hand...they weren't there. No bloody stump in place of his arm and hand, nothing. Eyes wide, Lucas looked to his other hand to find that it, too, along with his arm, was gone. The giant centipede inside of him slowly crawled out of him, purring as if it were a giant cat instead of a giant centipede. Lucas closed his eyes tight, wishing he had his arms back, that he were out of this insane dream, but as he opened his eyes - he was still in the dream, but his arms had returned. Only...they looked a little diffrerent. Sitting up, Lucas took a long inspection of his arms before staring at the giant centipede. "What is this?" Lucas wasn't really expecting an answer, but miraculously got one. The giant centipede brought itself up to Lucas' eye level and purred softly. "One of us." The voice itself was hard to understand, but distinct enough for Lucas to understand. "I..don't understand," Lucas whispered, staring down at his hands again. "You will." More purring was heard before; "in time." ~TBC~ |