( ??? - WEEK 4, AKANE )

[abhoth]

[It's late, more Monday morning than Sunday night. The execution has come and gone, undoubtedly as gruesome as all those before it, and those who are still capable of sleep have retired to their beds. Others, haunted by the events of the last three weeks, may not be able to rest so easily. But curfew is curfew, and no one has yet to experiment with what would happen if that rule were broken.

In the relative safety of whatever room Akane has chosen to rest in tonight, she'll find herself suddenly on alert. Someone (or something) is messing with the door's lock.

What now?]

Comments

[18x0]

[She hasn't been sleeping easy to begin with. It's not the gruesomeness of Mira's death that bothers her, or any feeling of regret over voting for her execution. No, it's thoughts of home that disturb Akane's rest. She's been thinking about the devastation of her world, and whether or not she should be actively working to win the game to prevent it, ever since the first week. The trial simply brought those thoughts into an even sharper focus.

And now, all of a sudden, she's shaken out of her contemplation by this bullshit. Surely it's too early for someone to be attempting murder?

For a moment she hesitates, thinking of Nagasone with his harpoon gun and hidden cleaver, but doesn't even bother lifting the sheet hanging between their sides of the room. If someone's coming for her, she won't have time to try waking someone who can't be woken.

Instead, she steps over to the door and calls out to the other side.]

I can hear you.

[abhoth]

[The rattling continues even as Akane approaches the door. It's only when she speaks up, calling out to the other side, that the noise suddenly stops. There's an eerie silence in the room, broken only by Nagasone's even breathing. In and out, in and out, and then — something wet hits the other side of the door.

The voice that responds to Akane is far too distorted to be human, the words unintelligible to her ears. She only has a second's warning before something shoots out from underneath the door and wraps around her ankle, yanking hard.

Think fast, Akane.]

[18x0]

[Oh, fuck. This is much, much worse than someone attempting to get an early start on the murdering.

She's completely unprepared for the sudden tentacle assault, and only has time to scream and flail around her for something, anything to grab hold of. Her hand hits the bedpost, almost managing to grasp it, but her reflexes are just not fast enough to get a strong enough hold before she's getting yanked at the door.]

[abhoth]

[Indeed, being attacked by an abomination isn't exactly what one expects out of their Monday morning. And after Dave's unexpected death last week, it seems this is only a sign that more people will die from here on out.

Akane ends up impacting the door at full force. The door gives, wood splintering while Nagasone peacefully sleeps on and Akane's body aches from the force of it. She will find herself dragged out to the outdoor hallway, sun still on the horizon. If she's fast enough, she might be able to grab one of the sharper pieces of wood before it's too late.]

[18x0]

[The door breaks, and it's more than likely that parts of Akane do as well. It hurts like hell.

It's not the worst pain she's suffered, though. After what she's been through, there's no way she's letting something like this take her out of commission. Maybe that's why she has her wits about her enough to grab a wood fragment and drive it into whatever's got her by the ankle as hard as she can.]

[abhoth]

[The monster hisses in agony, its tendril receding enough for Akane to move freely if she's still able to. If she went anywhere near the electrical room on Monday, she may recognize it as the same kind of beast that was found in that room. Covered in eyes and mouths, all moving independently of each other and making sickening sounds as the monster moves. But that doesn't matter much right now.

If she doesn't get moving soon, the monster will lunge at her with the intent to drag towards the indoor hallways.]

[18x0]

[She doesn't bother taking a close look at the creature. All that matters right now is getting away.

With some effort, she manages to push herself up to her feet and begin limping away. After hitting that door, though, she's not going to be moving fast enough to avoid getting grabbed again.]

[abhoth]

[Sorry, Akane. Seems like this is just cruddy luck for her, as everything else in her life.

She only manages to crawl a couple of feet again before the monster lunges at her. It wraps its tendrils tight around her, black sludge sluggishly staining her clothing from the injury she gave the beast earlier, and then it begins to drag her. It doesn't take her genius intellect for her to notice she's getting taken towards the Dark Room. As this happens, however, she'll hear a feminine voice laugh in her ear.]

[18x0]

[For a moment, she gives up in her mind. She's seen too much, suffered too long. Maybe it would be easier to just let go and allow this horrible place end her life.

But then she hears that laughter. She's being mocked. Whether it's the mysterious Mother or Mira from beyond the grave, they're laughing at her misfortune. They know how much she still has left to do, how many people's lives depend on her. They think they can stop her.

It's the flare of anger brought on by that thought that gives her the strength to keep fighting. Ignoring the ache in her body, she tightens her grip on the piece of wood that's still in her hand and stabs it into the monster once again.]