Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Drobabes]

"What? No! No, I don't want it! Get awa-"

He shut his mouth tight as the man approached, his jaw clenching with the force of steal. Vin had thought the madman was going to take a taste, not force him to eat it.

Tears started to run down his face again as he turned his head away, the absolute dread and disgust at what was being presented to him pushing his heart to a new limit. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew his mouth would fall open, he might have let himself pass out. The smell, however...the smell was too much.

He found himself gagging, and then puking, though it didn't come up in a stream. Instead it sprayed though the gaps in his teeth, leaking out the corners of his jaws. Somehow, he found the will to override his basic instincts and keep his mouth shut through it, though some of the puke not-so regrettably landed on the man's hand.
____________________________

Bowie hissed, and Quint almost replicated him. The nauseous smell that over took them all had him jogging away, dropping a few profanities until he was a well enough distance out that he wouldn't be overwhelmed by it.

"Goddamnit Sabastian! You would have had better luck just digging straight through the fucking ground!"

He raised his hand up over his nose, finding no relief.

"Let's go back inside" Cora said, picking up her gun and handing Damien his back. She didn't want Sabastian to get any bright ideas from Quint's words and end up hitting a pipe or something that could be full of backed up gas, or who knew what else. It wasn't like their modern day society had any workers now, to help maintain things. Likely the actual cities may become very dangerous to be in soon, but that wasn't something that she was worried about at this exact moment, so much as she was worried about Delvin, and Sabastian's short fuse.

"We'll find the entrance inside. Vin's a big guy. I don't think he would have been able to carry him all the way out here in the time that we were all looking the other way. Bowie?"

The snakes purple eyes looked over at her as his head lifted. He didn't seem to want to flick his tongue out, lest he take in even more of that awful stench.

"Can you help us find him? I know the perfume stings honey, but Vin's in danger."

 

[Poprockz]

An impatient and annoyed growl left the madman's mouth through teeth that were clenched almost as tightly as Vin's, taking a moment to wipe Vin's vomit off onto his own shirt. With his other hand, he attempted to grab Vin's jaw and turn him toward him, squeezing it hard in an effort to get him to open his mouth.

"Come on now, don't be like that you ungrateful shit, eat the damn meat!" Though Vin's mouth didn't open and he only became more frustrated. The meat was pressed against Vin's lips, wet and slimy. It was warm, as though the life had barely left it. Whatever Vin tried to do, the hand would follow, looking for any opportunity it could find to get it in there.

After a moment, the only success the madman had was being able to force his way through Vin's lips, that small strip of protein now rubbing against the Vin's pearly whites. Try as Vin might, he could not prevent a bit of blood from coming between his teeth, squeezed out by the pressure at which it was being forced upon him.

--------------------

Damien had watched the unfortunate string of events play out with Sabastian, thinking to himself that the stress of the situation was definitely impacting his ability to process. It was probably a booby-trap just in case a strong or regular zombie came after him, but it could have also just been the culprit's secret stash of smell grenades. Whatever the case was, he really didn't like the situation Vin was in. Who knew when the man from the other zombie's vision would turn to butchering their tattoos friend?

He glanced at Cora and the rest of them as they retreated and suggested going inside, but he stood his ground. "We may not have time to search for another entrance. I can go in there and see if there's a way in. Besides, my mom wore a lot of perfume, so in some ways I-"

"Ugh... What happened here?" The voice belonged to the fast zombie, who seemed to have arrived just as they turned to go back in. She squinted her eyes at the shed and gave a confused look to them all before giving a report. "I checked, and I couldn't find any humans anywhere. All I found were stashes of perfume and little red wagons all over the place."

Sayori's eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. It was possible that the wagons were there for transporting the people the guy kidnapped!

 

[Drobabes]

He fought like the trapped animal that he was, jerking this way and that, until the man finally had him pinned enough to slip that slimy meat between his lips. As soon as he felt it start to rub against his teeth and gums, he started moaning his displeasure.

"Nngg! Mm-huaa!"

He was puking full force suddenly, the texture and metallic tang of the blood leaking through his teeth and to his tongue sending him into a full on convulsion that overtook his whole body. His mouth opened at last, but it was quickly spilling with white and green bile that splashed all over the side of the gurney and floor. It stopped for a brief moment, just long enough for him to sob and gag, and then he was heaving once more.
____________________

Bowie had slithered down from Quint's chest, making his way over to Cora quickly and climbing up over her shoulders. He then pointed his little head in the direction of where they had come from, though whether he was up to the job would have to be seen. Still, they didn't have a choice. If the half zombies couldn't go in, then she and Damien would go in to get him. In a way, she was too tired to be scared of death anymore-there was only rage.

"No! You stay with us!" Quint growled, his eyes all but burning into Damien as he took a step forward.

"I don't need you running off and-"

"Ugh... What happened here?"

Cora looked over at the young women, her brows pinched in worry and annoyance with her brother. This wasn't the time to be pulling his shit, and how far did he think Damien was going to get anyway? Even if he didn't trust him? Trying not to shake her head in annoyance, she looked over at Sayori, unconsciously wanting to tally her party. Upon seeing the look on her face, she got curious.

"Sayori?" she asked, taking a step closer and encouraging her to speak up.

 

[Poprockz]

More of it got onto the man's hand and he grunted in frustration, once again wiping off his hand. It looked as though he wanted to grab Vin and slam him down again, but he was able to breathe through it. His chest rose and fell visibly as he glared at Vin, his eyes accusatory and full of impatience.

After a moment though, he looked at the meat again and sniffed it, seemingly not finding anything wrong with the smell. Though he did become a bit thoughtful after something occurred to him. "You probably want me to cook it for you, you spoiled bastard... Yeah... probably not used to raw meat." He chuckled as if it was funny, as though Vin was a child who was refusing to eat his broccoli.

Th chuckling devolved into full-blown laughter before he winded down, wiping some spit from the corner of his mouth onto his sleeve.

"Alright, your majesty. I'll cook you up some meat. When I come back, you're going to eat it, or I'm gonna break your teeth and feed it to you after." A snicker followed that sentence, the man turning and bending over to go into the other room after grabbing a few more slices of meat.

------------------------

"No! You stay with us! I don't need you running off and-"

Quint's fiery gaze was met with a heated glare of Damien's. Normally he could deal with Quint's pettiness and hatred for him, but he didn't back down like he usually would to preserve the peace.

Vin's life was on the line, and the humans going into the shed was the rational choice. If there was another entrance in the mall, then the zombies would find it and beat them to it. If that happened, he would be satisfied, but he couldn't condone leaving the shack unsearched just because Quint didn't want him out of eyeshot. It made him angrier than he thought it would, surprising himself a little. It felt as though something in his gut was screaming for him to pursue Vin as quickly as possible. The thought of losing Vin... made his stomach tight.

Just as he opened his mouth to reply to Quint, Cora brought his attention to Sayori, Sabastian also looking over through bleary eyes.

Broken out of her internal brainstorm, Sayori blinked and looked over at Cora to respond.

"The wagons, the perfume. They're put around the mall to make it easier for the guy to kidnap people! Instead of wheeling one around the mall, he leaves them in certain places so that he only makes noise when he's leaving. It also explains how he was able to get Vin away so quickly!"

It was at that time that the other human spoke up, the man from the pharmacy. "My brother was only away for like ten minutes before he disappeared and we went looking for him. You don't think he's down there too..?" He looked as though he almost didn't want to know the answer, looking as though he might crumble within seconds.

 

[Drobabes]

The heaving stopped after a few seconds, and while the mad bastard was breathing through his rage, Vin was simply quieting down into unintelligible mumbles and crying, his eyes closing tight as he simply tried to exist. He couldn't really take in what his torturer was saying, his thoughts suddenly turning to his mother as a wave of need rushed through him. It wasn't really something he could put into any spoken words, but her face was all consuming in his mind as the shock of being force fed another human beings flesh all but broke him. He didn't even try to move when the man left, simply lying still.
___________________________________

Damien's glare was met with an even angrier look, Quint taking it as a challenge and obviously still very untrusting of the tall man. He didn't even bother to look away when Sayori started speaking, his blue blazing eyes only moving slightly when Cora stepped up into his line of sight and gave Sayori a nod. The next thing he knew, she was taking Bowie off of her shoulders and handing him over to Sayori, and that only made him more agitated because he knew what was coming.

"My brother was only away for like ten minutes before he disappeared and we went looking for him. You don't think he's down there too..?"

Cora looked over at him, and although she didn't want to do it, some of her doubt was betrayed through her gaze.

"You should go with Laneesha's group and look for him. Me and Damien are going to head down there" she said, giving a nod towards the shed.

"Since most of you can't go in."

"No" Quint growled, taking a step towards her. His postering and nostril flaring was only met with the stubborn-ness of a sibling, knowing that the other couldn't boss her around. She turned her chin up the slightest bit, squared her shoulders back, and cocked her gun.

"We'll be fine Quinton. I've gone through a lot these past few weeks, and don't forget who drug you out of that burning building" she said with cold anger, not even bothering to entertain him with a glare of her own, but rather simply letting the truth sink in and do it's own justice. With that said, she turned to Damien and took his hand, quickly running over towards the door of the shed and trying to hold her breath.

Meanwhile, Quint was left standing there for a moment, his fists clenched and shaking until he suddenly turned away and started stomping towards the mall.

"Come on" was all he said, just assuming that Sabastian was going to be through the doors faster than he would, but not really caring if anyone else bothered to follow.

 

[Poprockz]

A sizzling sound came from the other room, presumably from the meat being cooked. How he was doing it wasn't apparent, but it almost sounded like he was cooking it in a frying pan. Vin wasn't aware, but in the other room the man not only had a large meat grinder, but also a small stash of food and a plug-in burner. The meat actually started to smell pretty good, somewhat like seasoned chicken.

Boom!

It wasn't extremely loud, so the madman just assumed Vin was fucking around, yelling, "shut up! Don't be so impatient!" He didn't realize that the sound had actually come from above at an angle.

Not a moment later, he entered the room with a plastic plate and a plastic fork. It had several strips of cooked, seasoned meat on it, all for Vin's pleasure. The man had a big grin on his face as he approached. "See? It wasn't so long, was it?" He skewered one of the pieces with the fork and gave it an appreciative sniff. "Mmmm... Now that's some good meat. Here, I made it just for you..." It was then lowered within a centimeter of Vin's lips.

“It’s either this or a hammer to your teeth.” Those eyes were wide with anticipation, the man practically salivating as he waited to see if Vin would eat.

————————————

There was no backing down when Quint’s look intensified. He actually wondered to himself if Quint was going to try to physically enforce himself. He wouldn’t stand a chance against him, but at least Sabastian would likely keep things from getting too far.

Meanwhile, Sayori accepted the snake, knowing that while she too was a human who could go down there, she didn’t want to be near Damien more than she absolutely had to. If they encountered anything, at least Cora had a good head on her shoulders. The woman gently rubbed Bowies scales, feeling a bit comforted by his weight upon her.

"You should go with Laneesha's group and look for him…”

To the side, The guy looked a bit nervous from her tone, opening his mouth before a light brown hand landed on his shoulder. Upon looking up, he saw Laneesha standing tall and looking upon him with her brows furrowed slightly. “Come with us like she suggested. We need you to help do a more thorough search of the mall. If he’s here, we will find him.”

One might have expected her voice to be overbearing and cold, but while her words weren’t honeyed one bit, they put forth a feeling of seriousness and strength. It seemed to do the trick, the man nodding before sighing.

Upon Cora’s swift verbal kick to Quint’s ego, Damien followed her without hesitation. Honestly, he felt a bit awkward about her mentioning that he saved Quint. It wasn’t as though he had saved Quint because he knew or liked him, it was for Cora. He had never expected nor wanted thanks from him, so he hoped they could simply not mention it in the future. Things were rough enough between himself and Quint as it was.

God, the smell was pretty bad, Damien plugging his nose and trying to breathe through his mouth. It burned his throat, the man having to clear it a few times as he looked around. The maintenance shed had a lot of what you would expect: tools, a mall cop moped or two, and various stores items. However, there was a hatch to the side of the place on the wall, roughly 3x3 feet.

He motioned to Cora and led them over, grabbing the large, rusty handle and pulling off the door. It was heavy, the man grunting as he moved it to the side and leaned it against the wall. Before them was basically a tunnel, one that slanted downward at a diagonal. Obviously, they would have to go down, but it filled him with a bit of an ominous feeling and he hesitated for a moment.

———————-

Something in Sabastian’s gut was telling him that the shed was the way to go, but he couldn’t get any closer. He felt angry, frustrated, guilty, and it didn’t help that Quint was also now in a foul mood. Wiping his eyes, he silently stalked into the mall with the rest of the group.

Sayori followed as well, wondering if there was something she could say to Quint to make him feel better.

 

[Drobabes]

The smell of cooking meat only seemed to sink him further into his panicked and broken state. His brown eyes opened again eventually, drifting around the room from the zombie and over to the butchered man besides him.

That was his future. That sack of human flesh leftover on the gurney, once a man but now no more than skin, muscle, and bone. Maybe that crazy bastard truly believed in rising up from the flesh when it was all over, but Delvin almost wished it were not the case. He didn't want to see himself like that; nothing but a torso with no legs or arms, half-hazardly chopped and fed to the beast beside him.

BOOM

"Ah fuck!" he cried, jumping and looking around wildly. His brain was on high alert, not knowing from which way it was coming, but only knowing that there was danger. Here, and now!

"See? It wasn't so long, was it?"

He jumped again, his head jerking to the side and looking at the man with wildly wide eyes. When he approached with the plate, Vin tried to scoot away, not giving two shits if it smelt 'appetizing'.

"Please...fuck, please, don't, I can't!" he sobbed, trying to turn his head away, though he had lost much of his fight. After all, he had already had it in his mouth...dripping across his teeth and leaking down onto his tongue...

"It's, it was a person! For fucks sake, please!"

His whole body shook with another sob, his wide wet eyes going up to meet that crazy bastard in the hopes that he would be given mercy.
___________________________

Cora's eyes were watering as well, the smell not only overbearing, but the fumes also getting directly into her eyes. She had to wipe the tears away several times. When she caught Damien motioning to her, she swiftly walked over, letting out a rough sneeze as he managed to lift the heavy piece of metal up.

The darkness below was chilling, a feeling of extreme dread coming over her. Barely two days ago, she had ascended down a similar path-a path leading to pain. But this wasn't her own pain she feared now, but that of her friends.

With her fingers gripping her pistol tightly, she brought it in front of her slowly and looked to Damien. Her rock, her world. She was scared, but he was by her side again.

"We can do this" she said, her voice a bit shaky.
__________________________

With no way to vent his frustrations, which were truly only manifestations of his fear and worry, Quint simply focused all of his energy on finding one of the wagons that Sayori had mentioned. He could feel the fear through the link, pounding at the back of his mind like the blood rushing through one's head when they had a terrible migraine, and soon it drove him to start jogging. And, after a few quick steps, his focus was finally able to shift more to his own accord.

There was a life on the line right now, and his own worries needed to take a back seat.

 

[Poprockz]

Unfortunately for Vin, mercy was not on the menu at the moment. The man glared at Vin, obviously pissed that he had gone through all that trouble and still didn’t get Vin’s compliance. Leaning over, he grabbed Vin’s jaw he’d and squeezed it, his rank breath being smelt as he hovered just close enough to be out of range if Vin got any headbutt ideas.

“You’re going to eat it if I have to fucking break your teeth. I mean it.” His voice was a low, intimidating growl. “I have a hammer and chisel in the other room. I’ll put you out and when you wake up, my woman will have them in her belly.”

Roughly, he let go of Vin’s jaw before insistently pushing the forkful of meat against Vin’s lips, the warm piece of protein steaming slightly. “You’re going to eat it with or without your teeth, make no mistake.”

———————

Damien nodded. Though he might be a bit anxious for whatever awaited them below, Cora was right there beside him. Survival nor safety were guaranteed, but they stood together in solidarity, hoping that they wouldn’t be too late and that neither of them would be harmed. There was great comfort in having his lover there with him, someone he knew had his back.

“We can do this,” he repeated, his own voice steady. Giving her a soft smile, he then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His weapon was holstered and he bent over, moving into the tunnel. It wasn’t large enough for him to walk, so he crawled forward, feeling the pull of the downward slant.

It made his heart beat fast with fear, knowing that there was the possibility that this tunnel wasn’t structurally sound, or that it could drop off at any given point. He had to remind himself that he could feel ahead and make sure nothing like that happened. The other man likely got himself and Vin down safely, so they should be fine.

There wasn’t any really guarantee that this really was the right way though. They could be going into an unused tunnel, possibly trapped and in need of rescue if things turned out badly.


——————

Sayori stayed near Quint, but not too close. She was having a hard time coming up with anything that might help. To her, it only seemed like his bad mood was continuing its simmer as he searched. It wasn’t like she could say that Damien wouldn’t run off. She kind of wished he would if she was being honest with herself; everything would be much more relaxed that way.

She couldn’t claim they would be safe either, not knowing what might happen and not particularly trusting Damien still. The small woman let out a sigh, wandering to another store. As she did so, she could see Sabastian still single-mindedly searching everywhere as though it was his only mission in life. She felt really bad for him, knowing how it must be twisting up inside himself.

 

[Drobabes]

That grip on his jaw was bruising; patronizing. He felt like a little boy again, sitting there at the table and glaring into his fathers eyes. Except that here, there was no one to save him and he lacked the stubbornness born from childish ignorance. He still held hate, hate for the man before him especially, but the fear and instinct to live far outweighed it.

With his eyes wondering a bit, not being able to look at him any longer, he slowly, almost painfully, opened his mouth. He then hesitantly reached forward and took a single slice between his teeth. After that, he simply remained like that, frozen for a long few seconds before he could force himself to start chewing.

Each time his teeth sank into the meat, he gagged, barely managing to hold it between his lips. When the heat and seasoning of it graced his tongue once more, and he found it to not be absolutely appalling to his tastebuds, he gagged again and almost dropped it, only managing to catch it at the last second and then, with nothing but fear driving him, quickly swallow it down.

For one full moment, it lodged in his throat, and Vin was scared that it was going to come back up. Coughing and swallowing hard again, he forced it down by sheer force of will and laid his head back on the table, closing his eyes again.

There. It was done. It was over now, surely...
________________________________________

Cora wished she had a flashlight on her, only being able to go off the light that was leaking through from the surface which was quickly fading the further they went. She made sure to keep her gun pointed down towards the ground, not trusting herself if her foot snagged on something and she tripped, or if something simply jumped out at them.

"Be careful Damien" she said in a whisper, moving a bit closer. The stench of the perfume was still all over them, but it was a mere background thought in her mind.
_________________________________________

Quint hadn't noticed any wagons when they had originally made their way through the mall, so after another turn, he slowed down a bit, panting.

"Do you guys see anything?" he asked to no one in particular.

 

[Poprockz]

“That’s it…” the man said eagerly, watching with satisfaction as Vin choked down some man meat that wasn’t familiar to his mouth. It didn’t matter that he was struggling or that he almost didn’t get it down- all that mattered was that he had actually eaten the meat the man had prepared.

Reaching up, the man scratched his chin through his beard, a few flakes of skin drifting down while the remainder was now trapped under his fingernails.

“See now? You got it down. And you’ve still got your teeth. How did it taste? Was it like chicken?” The man’s voice changed from patronizing to curious, an undertone of deranged hunger behind it. One could hear a growl from his stomach, the man unconsciously licking his lips as he waited for the answer.

——————-

“I will, don’t worry,” was the soft whisper she got in reply.

Having almost bumped his head (thankfully his hand had saved him in time), he discovered that the tunnel was almost like a winding staircase in a rectangular way, each corner being flat before the continuation of the downward vent. If Cora hadn’t caused him to pause, he surely would have crawled right into the end of the hallway.

“There’s a corner here,” he warned in a hushed voice.

He tried to continue to crawl quietly, which wasn’t too hard. It was a bit echoey in there, but the tunnel didn’t make the same noises a vent might. It was also amazing to be away from the perfume, though his nose was a bit runny and his throat still felt slightly irritated. There was still the vague smell of it lingering, but it was still miles better.

Soon, he started to see a bit of light from down the tunnel. It was at that point that he stopped, the. Moved forward very slowly he didn’t want to make any unnecessary noises before reaching the exit.

————————

The fast zombie girl walked over to him and shrugged. “I already told Laneesha where the wagons are and I can show you on the map if you want… like no pressure or anything.” She put her hands in her pockets and glanced elsewhere before continuing.

“I think now we’re doing a thorough search of the mall to see if there are any hidden rooms or compartments the dude could be hiding in. Nothing found so far.” There was a bit of a pause where she looked at her shoes and then over to Quint.

“I’m really sorry about your friend. I hope we find him. But like… are you okay?” She quickly shook her head and mumbled, “of course you’re not. Shit. Sorry, just forget I said anything.” Salina then began to shuffle away.

 

[Drobabes]

Through his bleary vision, he could see the filthy caked layers of dead skin beneath those cracked, almost troll like, fingernails. It didn't disgust him nearly as much now, after what he had just been forced to eat.

"How did it taste? Was it like chicken?"

His bleary vision moved away from that dirty beard and up to those crazed eyes only briefly before he looked away and up towards the roof. There was a fly up there, buzzing around almost as if in anticipation of the feast it would be able to feed it's larvae.

"I...I don't know. Why don't you try some?" he said quietly, barely able to manage a clear thought, let alone words, but knowing that he did not want to endure that again. Maybe the man would eat it instead...
__________________

"There’s a corner here..."

Though she was shorter than him, she was still above average height, and found her own scalp scraping against the stone roof as they descended. She hunched down automatically, but the sudden reminder of their confinement in that tight space only served to make her feel horribly claustrophobic, her face suddenly feeling cold as she took a quick step towards her lover before gaining reason and forcing herself to back up a bit again. When he rounded the corner, she took a quick second to breath before she followed.

When the light finally came into view, Cora felt her heart leap up with a mixture of relief and fear. She paused when Damien paused, only daring to breathe again when he began to move, and she almost mirrored his footsteps. She could only slightly see around his shoulders, with how small their space was, so she was relying on him to let her know if there was danger. Something that she trusted him completely with, as he had more than proven himself capable of being stealthy.
________________

"I think now we’re doing a thorough search of the mall to see if there are any hidden rooms or compartments the dude could be hiding in. Nothing found so far."

He tried to smooth his features into a more neutral expression for the young women, giving her a nod after she spoke. It was a good idea, and he had no doubts that Laneesha would see to it that the job was done thoroughly.

"But like… are you okay?...of course you’re not. Shit. Sorry, just forget I said anything."

"Hey, no, it's fine" he said quickly, not wanting her to do those crazy teleportation moves before he could speak.

"I'm just not used to having someone else's feelings influencing my own so strongly."

Okay, maybe that was a teensy white lie-Cory certainly influenced his mood, but he ft like it was fair to say that was different. He could walk away from that.

"Sabastian!" he called out, stopping briefly to try and wave him back over to them.

"She can show us where they saw the wagons!"

After he had his attention, Quint turned his head and looked down at Sayori before reaching back and putting his hand on her arm, just above her elbow, in a light touch.

"You doing okay?" he asked, checking in with his friend. He trusted Bowie to keep her safe, but they had all had a pretty good shake up, and unlike with Sabastian, he couldn't feel what she was feeling.

 

[Poprockz]

He eyed Vin for a moment, as though seriously considering it, before letting out a half-hearted chuckle and shaking his head. “No. If I eat the meat, then it might hold up his ascension. After I went through all this trouble for him, it would be a waste to throw it all away for my own curiosity. So, I know you can tell me a little more about-“

Clunk…

The man looked up, suddenly looking a bit bewildered and alarmed. “Rats in the tunnel again..?” He murmured to himself, quickly putting the plate and fork down next to Vin.

“They want her, you know. They want to nibble on her when I’m not looking.” Vin was given an expression of agitation and insane paranoia, the man moving over to the shelf before returning. Vin couldn’t see what he held in his hands until he heard the sound of tape being stretched. It was the familiar sound of duct-tape, and before Vin could react, there was a strip firmly laid across his mouth.

“Don’t want you to spook’em now do we?” He chuckled darkly before moving to the vent’s side. Once he could hear the noises getting closer, he undid the latch on top, letting it fall open while remaining hidden. A pocketknife was taken out of his pocket, the man silently opening it and waiting with the blade poised.

———————————

Damien had been trying to crawl as quietly as he could, but small noises were unavoidable. He could hear muffled conversation, at one point thinking he might have heard Vin’s voice. It had been too quiet to tell, unfortunately, but it gave him a bit of hope. The fact that there was someone down here at all boded well for them. If they didn’t have Vin, then they damn well knew where he had been tucked away. He didn’t care what he had to do- he was going to get that information from this man.

Soon they drew close, and he could almost see slightly out of the vent. It had looked as though there was some movement, but he wasn’t sure what was going on.

Suddenly though, the vent swung open on a hinge from the bottom of it. It took Damien by surprise, having just reached forward to get a feel for it. In shock, his hand moved forward and down near the edge of the vent floor, and in that moment he could see the room.

He got the sight of the two gurneys, Vin being strapped down, and… the other man who looked to not be moving. It was all so fast that he couldn’t tell whether the other man was truly dead though. Where was the abductor though?

Not a second later, he got his answer.

The unkempt man had fast reflexes, and the knife came down without hesitation- right down into the middle of Damien’s right hand.

“Aaugh!” Damien reflexively cried out in pain, flinching and bumping his head and shoulder on the side of the vent. He then quickly crawled forward and out, cradling his hand and trying to get to his feet.

The other man was just as shocked, stumbling backward with wide eyes and leaving the blade in Damien’s hand. He soon realized his mistake, grabbing the carving knife from the gurney, still covered in blood and small bits of meat.

———————————

“Sabastian!”

The zombie in question looked over with a glare. It wasn’t as though he was really angry at Quint, as he was simply in a foul mood in general. It was fear, mostly. Fear that had been morphed into several other emotions that were easier to deal with for him. However, the mention of the wagons got his attention and his expression became a bit less hostile as he marched over to them.

“Well?” He said to Salina, being a bit short with her.

She merely looked a bit awkward, shrugging and replying, “hold on a sec. Let me send you an image. I haven’t done it much, so bear with me.”

He crossed his arms impatiently but nodded nonetheless. And thus, she closed her eyes and started to send him the image of the mall map with red stars where the wagons were.

Meanwhile Sayori responded to Quint’s touch, making eye contact before rubbing her arms almost as though she was chilly. “I’m okay. I just… worry too much.” She gave him a bit of a smile before turning the question back on him, “what about you?”

 

[Drobabes]

Anger began to bubble up through dread and disgust once more, his eyes opening slowly to look up at the man with a weary expression, his brows knitting a small bit while his lips still quivered. He was just opening his mouth to try and say...something, he didn't quite know what, but something that would hopefully get him out of eating anymore of that...of that man...but no sooner had he thought of something, then they heard it. Something in the vents.

The paranoid look did not go unnoticed, but Vin doubted a mere rat could have made that much noise. He didn't voice his thoughts out loud, though he was about to let out a shout of warning when he found a strip of tape being quickly placed over his lips. Letting out a grunt of anger and a good shake of the gurney, he outright glared at the lunatic as he walked away....
_________________________

Perhaps she should have knocked on wood.

"Damien!" she cried, trying not to outright shout, as at first she thought perhaps he had only cut his hand on something. Though the way he quickly scrambled out of the vent put a knot of dread in her throat. She followed forward quickly, though when she reached the vent herself, she hesitated, bending down to look through to see if anyone was standing there. She couldn't quite see anything, but when she heard muffled shouting and the sound of someone struggling on a gurney (sounds she was all too familiar with), her hesitation blew out with her hot breaths.

She crawled through quickly, her gun already raised and ready to shoot if anything came at them, and she almost pulled the trigger when she saw the horrors before them.

A man, or rather, what was left of him, laying on a table. His limbs were gone, his chest no longer moving, and beside him...

"Oh god, Delvin..."

He was alive, thank god, but his eyes were wide and bloodshot and he had obviously been tortured, the fear in them so strong. He didn't even seem to have the will to be relieved to see them, or perhaps, no-

"Mm! Mmf!"

Shoot him! Shoot that sick fuck!, Vin thought, wishing he could voice it out loud.

Cora's hazel eyes traveled over to the crazed man, their gaze meeting briefly before her own traveled down to the carving knife. She sucked in a breath, but instead of backing up or being completely overtaken by the implications of what was on that blade, she instead took a step forward and raised her gun, aiming right at his chest.

"Don't move! Drop it, right now! You fucking drop it or I'll unload my whole clip into you!"

There was no tremor in her voice as she shouted, and he would receive no warning shots. Not only would it be extremely dangerous to shoot within such a confined space, but Cora had been taught that you never aim at someone unless you have the intent to kill them. And despite the fear, her intent was crystal clear.
____________________

Quint gave a little half smile, nodding in understanding.

"I don't think you're worrying too much."

The circumstances they were in were abnormal and stressful, and to say her fears were 'too much' was just plain wrong.

"what about you?"

Dropping the smile, he looked over towards Sabastian and Salina for a brief second before looking back at her.

"I'll be fine. Just focused on finding Delvin and then getting us the hell out of here. We'll have to go shopping somewhere else" he chuckled, tugging on the corner of his, now her, shirt briefly.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien knew better to remove the knife from his hand, knowing that it would only make him lose blood faster. He instinctively reached for his gun, but found that while his fingers would twitch, the rest of his hand was numb and unresponsive. That sent an ice-cold shiver of terror down his spine. The knife must have hit a very important nerve, rendering his right hand essentially useless. He didn’t know how to fight without his right hand, nor did he think he was going to be very accurate with a pistol with his left. Nonetheless, he drew forth his pistol clumsily and pointed it at the man as well.

The man with the knife seemed disturbed by her demands, his wild eyes traveling from her, to Damien, to Vin and back.

He did not drop the knife, his gaze fixing on Cora before he spoke. “How did you get in here?! I used an iron bar on the door… Mm, I guess that doesn’t matter. You can’t kill me or they won’t be able to ascend!”

This put a slightly bewildered look on Damien’s face. This man was absolutely crazy- who knew what in the world he meant by “ascension.” Perhaps he was like those religious nuts, or a more far-gone version. All he knew was that he didn’t seem to have a good grasp on reality.

Licking his lips nervously, the man continued, “Put down the gun, girl, or you won’t be able to ascend either. She’s been getting hungrier, so I guess I could help you and your friend too. Come on now…”

The man started forward toward Cora with the knife raised, obviously having tried to act harmless before launching himself at the woman with the gun. She wouldn’t kill him- he was on a mission from God!

As he was a bit shocked from the knife wound, Damien hadn’t pulled back the safety, so when the man came forward, he began to fumble with it.

———————————

“Hm..” Sayori nodded, thinking to herself that they seemed to be on the page. Though the little tug on her shirt reminded her that he had given her that under the pretext that they were trying to hide their identities. Now that they were out in the open with the other group, she had no business wearing it.

“Oh! Your shirt!” She reached down and pulled the shirt up, the edge of her own shirt rising a few inches before falling back down. It was a shame she had to give it back, as it smelled really nice. Slightly of sweat, yes, but also of Quint himself. She secretly inhaled as her face was hidden, getting one last sniff before pulling it off and holding it out for him.

“You should probably put the shirt on before the bitches come calling.”

 

[Drobabes]

"...You can’t kill me or they won’t be able to ascend!"

"Put, it, down" she growled, taking another step towards him. She didn't want to be within swinging distance, but she needed an accurate aim. If she missed, he could stab any one of them.

"She’s been getting hungrier, so I guess I could help you and your friend too. Come on now…"

BAM! BAM!

BAM BAM BAM!

The slight shift in his posture was all it had taken for her to fire the first two rounds, her ears and chest already anticipating the shattering echo and reverberation of the gunshots. When he had dropped, she had unloaded three more for good measure, taking a lesson from her brother and not wishing to leave anything up to chance.

The silence that echoed after was almost as loud as the shots, and it was only broken when she let out a shuddering breath, her hand lowering only slightly. She had one more bullet in her chamber, and if he so much as twitched...
__________________

"Hmm? Oh, you don't have to-"

"You should probably put the shirt on before the bitches come calling."

A smirk almost tugged his lips up into a full on grin, as even now, she still had a way of making him laugh during the most intense situations. If it wasn't for the memory of that harsh smart to his knuckles last night, when Sabastian had been angry with him, he might have let out a boyish giggle. But this was rather serious, and it was his friend who was in pain and fear, so despite the joke, he choked it down and simply took the shirt and put it back on quickly.

He didn't intend to, but as he was pulling it down over his face, he got a good noseful of something uniquely sweet, and it made him feel comforted. It was just something warm and familiar, he told himself, no need to get weird about it.

 

[Poprockz]

Her aim was true, and the man showed no signs of getting back up. Blood pooled underneath him from the holes in his head and chest, and there was no doubt that not even a zombie could come back from that.

The gunshots were loud, Damien cringing from the ringing in his ears. Cora had just taken a life, and he hadn’t been able to help. He would have preferred for the man’s blood to be on his hands, but his hand had his own blood on it at the moment. It stung, the man feeling a bit incompetent. How was he supposed to protect her with a hand that wouldn’t work? Even if they were to be an equal partnership in terms of relying on one another for defense, in the shape he was in he couldn’t even do that.

Still, he couldn’t help but think to himself how brave and competent she was. She hadn’t budged, standing fast as she subdued the lunatic. He wanted to give her a hug, but a movement from Vin caught his attention and he realized that the man probably didn’t want to spend any longer than necessary on that gurney.

Approaching quickly, he undid the belt straps on Avon’s legs, torso, chest, and wrists before reaching down for the tape. “I’m taking it off on the count of three. One-“ he ripped it off immediately, hoping that it would help lessen the pain.

——————————

“Come on! It can’t be that hard to show me!” Sabastian suddenly snapped in frustration.

Salina looked a bit discouraged, flinching at his words. “I’m sorry, it’s just I’m having a hard time connecting with you and getting my thoughts straight and-“

“Whatever, I’m just going to go fucking look around myself,” he replied through gritted teeth. With that, he stomped off in another direction to look. Why did she have such a hard time with this?! It wasn’t like it was rocket science! Even he and Quint had been able to share basic images between themselves. It was irritating, and he didn’t have time to wait for her to get her shit together.

Sayori watched the whole thing with wide eyes, looking over to Quint. She sympathized with Sabastian, knowing that he was likely just scared and frustrated, but there was no need to take it out on the zombie girl.

“Hey,” she addressed the zombie woman. “Don’t worry about him. It might be better if you just showed Quint or the other zombies maybe.”

Salina nodded and cleared her throat. “I’m not super good at all this mind-linking stuff, sorry.”

 

[Drobabes]

Cora's hands shook as she was finally able to lower her gun, her breathing picking up the pace now that the threat had been stopped. But to think of it as merely a threat was too simple, her mind already trying to grapple with the fact that she had just killed someone.

Luckily, years of having to push it down and swallow it back allowed her to rip her gaze away and focus once more on the reality of what was still going on. She holstered her gun, a small sob scratching her throat as she ran to their side.

For Vin, the pain of the tape being ripped off was absolutely nothing in comparison to what had just happened. Of course, he immediately sat up and got his legs to the ground, his whole body quivering and shaking as he just sat there for a second, in a daze. He then looked back over his shoulder, almost as if he couldn't quite believe that the lunatic was really dead, before his gaze travelled to the butchered corpse. Tears started pouring down his face once more, and he found he didn't have the strength to get up, though he tried.
______________

"It's alright" Quint said, shooting a worried look over in Sabastian's direction as he stepped up to the young women.

"But there is a life on the line here, so let's all just take a deep breath and try to focus."

With that said, he reached out with both his hands, putting his palms up for her, and gave her a grin.

"Here, we'll do some weird Jedi shit. Put your hands on mine and close your eyes. Release your mind, you must" he said, trying his best to imitate Yoda's voice. It wouldn't help anyone if she were tense.

 

[Poprockz]

As a witness to Vin's tears, Damien couldn't help but feel a knot in his stomach. Here was this large, strong man in front of him, crying from the sheer horror that he had endured. Normally Damien wasn't fond of putting himself in other people's shoes as it formed attachments that most often lead to more suffering. However, he felt a wave of empathy for the man whom he cherished as a companion. Try to deny as he might, he knew deep down that he was attached to Vin and thus it hurt to see him with such deep mental wounds.

He could see Vin shaking, trying to find his strength but failing. It seemed as though both the relief and fear had culminated into a moment where he simply couldn't find his own feet.

"Vin." It was said softly, as though Damien was asking for his attention. He didn't want Vin to have to look at that grotesque sight any longer, knowing that it was entirely possible that his butchered companion may have been alive until very recently. If Vin had witnessed his demise... then the best thing to do was to get Vin away from the darkness and death of this underground butcher's.

"We found you. And now we're going to get you out of here." His voice broke slightly, the man swallowing a bit. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it felt like he had a bit of a lump in his throat. His eyes averted away from Vin for a moment to try to recover before he swallowed again.

Reaching out slowly, Damien took one of Vin's arms and pulled it over his shoulder, holding his wrist to keep him there. The knife was still in his right hand, so he couldn't hold his waist for support, but he used as much strength as needed to gently pull Vin off the gurney so that he was supporting most of the man's weight.

"I've got you." He said simply, not trusting himself to say anything more.

-------------------------

Sayori smiled at the Yoda impression. Normally she might have snorted or giggled, but the circumstances didn't have her feeling particularly mirthful at the moment. Still, she wondered if Quint would have been a good teacher had the world not ended. It was noteworthy how he seemed to be able to boost people's confidence while also keeping them goal-oriented. Perhaps that was more of a leader quality in these times.

The other zombie girl let out a breathy, "ha. that was funny." She didn't seem prone to laughter as much, but one could tell that she wasn't just saying it for Quint's benefit.

Taking a breath, she put her hands up against his and closed her eyes. For a moment, Quint could only feel the fact that they were weakly connected, like a static image on a tv. However, he soon started to get images. There was the image of a red wagon next to a shelf of books, a wagon near some shiny jewelry, then there was the image of her telling Laneesha about the wagons. The image devolved into a slightly hazy image of Laneesha in a hospital gown, being carried out of a small, sterile room, a lab-coated man on the floor in a pool of blood.

The link broke for a moment and Salina shook her head, trying to get her thoughts back on track. Soon she was able to show the image of a stash of perfume, and finally, a map of the mall that had been marked with red X's in certain places. She focused on that image harder, and it became much more clear in Quint's mind.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin's eyes were so focused on the mans face, his vision almost tunneling until there was nothing in the room but that relaxed face, which could have easily been mistaken for merely sleeping...if it weren't for the fact that all his limbs were gone.

"Vin."

Cora wondered if he was going to be able to pull away, her hand going to cover her mouth as she put her pistol away. Tears welled up in her eyes as they flicked up to Damien, and then back down to the gentle nomad, her feet carrying her across the floor slowly, unsure if she would need to physically block his view in order to break the trance. It wasn't needed, though, as not a moment later those scared eyes finally pulled away and looked towards Damien.

"We found you. And now we're going to get you out of here."

The expression he got on his face seemed to be as if he were noticing Damien for the first time, while also questioning if he were really there. Perhaps he had been killed by the lunatic before Cora could pull the trigger? Surely it hadn't been that quick and simple.

His body remained rather placid when he was pulled from the gurney, not too far off from how Vin had been when the tall man had helped him up the stairs, on that night when he had had one too many, after trying to drown his sorrows and the fear of losing Sabastian. It wasn't until he was up on his feet that he really started to look around, and attempt to hold himself steady.

"I've got you."

Vin's chest started to shake, and had it not been for the fact that a sob ripped through him, it could have been mistaken for mad laughter. His lose hand, quivering, came up to touch his own face loosely, somewhat near what was left of his ear, and then it moved away and towards Damien's shoulder. In the next second he was hugging the tall man, his whole body shaking now as the tears poured freely down his face and his breaths hitched and gasped, the shock of it all truly hitting him. He couldn't get a clear word out, or any string of thoughts that would make sense, but he was so grateful to Damien for just being there. They had saved his life, but Damien was saving his sanity as well, for he had truly thought he was going to die on that table-fed to the beast beside him like mere dog food.
______________________________

Keeping the smile on his face to help her feel at ease, he relaxed his shoulders and bent his head a bit, closing his eyes in order to help them focus.

It was strange how much weaker their link felt. Even before Quint had known who was above him, in the cells, the link had still been tangibly felt. The emotions had been clear, and though it had taken a bit of practice, simple words had come easy. Was this a side effect of her own skill being focused on speed? Was it her age? Or lack of practice? He was curious, but they were questions for later, as right now he was beginning to get the images.

Books, jewelry, Laneesha...

What the hell was that?

His eyes opened, staring first down at the ground and then shooting sideways in Laneeshas direction. He could feel her serious demeanor, though he didn't pursue it further, as that was another question for a later time. A question, however, that he seriously considered pursuing before they all split ways.

The image of the map was coming in more clearly now, and as he closed his eyes again, he let out a slow breath and focused on Salina. There was...something, in their link. It was a strange feeling, and maybe it was different for everyone, but he almost felt like he could reach out, and...fill in the picture. As if he were taking a pencil and helping her to fill the page... Or perhaps, he was just letting his own mind open, to allow her to fill his eyes with the image of the map.

Sabastian...

He knitted his eyebrows, concentrating and trying to reach out to the little blond, and between the three of them, act as a conductor for the image.

 

[Poprockz]

The moment Vin's arms went around him, it overwhelmed the grey-eyed man. Those dark pools of grey welled up and tears started to escape down his cheeks, stoic though he tried to be. It was startling for him that he could cry for anyone other than Cora. She had his heart, but perhaps that didn't mean that others couldn't occupy a space there too. It used to be that he thought that Cora was the only one who would truly show him kindness and kinship, even knowing what he was and what he'd done. Nevertheless, Vin had chosen to embrace him, seeking comfort from him.

His head rested on Vin's shoulder and he closed his eyes for a moment, using his right arm to wrap around him (though he did make sure he wouldn't harm him with his injured hand). It didn't feel sexual, or wrong, or even uncomfortable. All he could feel with Vin was a sense of warmth and relief.

Who knew if Vin would still feel this way toward him after he was safe and more stable, but Damien wanted to believe with all his heart that Vin considered him to be a friend.

Nearby, a slight clink of chains was heard, Elizabeth idly stirring a bit. Those milky white eyes seemed to drift in the direction of the most movement, which happened to be Cora at the moment. It let out a soft groan, angling its shoulders as though reaching for her with arms that weren't there. Saliva dripped out of its toothless mouth as it hung agape, perhaps anticipating another snack soon.

------------------------------

During the little "mind-meld," Sayori simply watched curiously, taking note of when Quint seemed to look up a bit disconcerted. It was as though something had broken their concentration, though she couldn't guess what it might have been.

Sabastian had stomped a little ways away, but he still felt and heard the call in his mind. He didn't want to answer, didn't want to stop. As far as he was concerned, it was a waste of time and he didn't think that humoring her was worth even a mere moment that Vin could be in danger. Still, he knew Quint wouldn't be reaching out to him unless he had something. At least he thought to himself that that better be the case, or he was going to be pissed.

The blonde sighed and closed his eyes, opening up his own mind to the two of them. This time, he did get the full image of the map seemingly burned into his memory. Finally, he had something to go off of.

Thank you.

It was a combination of the words and the feeling intertwined, directed at both Quint and Salina. Though he had been a bit annoyed with her, she had admittedly been trying to help.

With that, he jogged away to search the first wagon area in a department store.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora had merely watched the two men, not quite knowing what to do or say. Her mind was simply consumed with sadness, and anger, for what had been done to Delvin. However, when that clink of the chain sounded, both herself and Vin jumped a bit. Cora reached back for her gun again, but stopped when she saw that the zombie was restrained. With a hard swallow, and a few tears spilling down her cheeks, she turned away from it.

"Let's go" she said softly, coming up to put her hands on the boys backs gently. Vin had moved away from the hug, but hadn't pulled completely away, his arm still slung over Damien's shoulder for support. All he could manage was a nod, his eyes then looking around wearily for the exit, drifting towards the other room in which the man had gone into before.
__________________________

Quint put his hands down, giving a little nod as if Sabastian were standing next to him. His eyes then opened and he looked over at Sayori.

"Let's go with him."

He started to follow, but then stopped and looked down at Salina.

"I'm not sure if you're coming with us, or going back to Laneesha, but I would like to talk to her before we all leave, if we get the chance."

His feet were still carrying him backwards as they walked, not wanting to get too far from Sabastian encase he needed help.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien also flinched, glancing over at the zombie before pursing his lips and looking away. A zombie, chained without arms or teeth- one could only guess what that lunatic was keeping her for. Judging by the smell of the place though, he assumed that she had been receiving his affections. It was disgusting, seeing as how he was defiling her body, not respecting the fact that the person who used to reside there had moved on.

"Let's go."

Damien sighed and nodded; he couldn't agree more. Getting out of this place was going to be a breath of fresh air for them all, despite the perfume at the top.

Leading Vin over to the Vent, he paused, trying to figure out how they were going to do this.

"So... as far as I'm aware, this is the only way in or out. The slant isn't too steep for climbing out, but it's too small for me to carry you. Do you think you'll be able to make it?" He looked at Vin and then Cora as though unsure. If Vin couldn't, then he wasn't sure what their recourse was.

------------------------

She assumed he was talking about Sabastian, Sayori nodding and starting off in that direction, looking back when she noticed that Quint wasn't next to her. As such, she stalled for a moment to wait for him, preferring to stay in a group if at all possible.

When Quint addressed her, Salina shrugged and wiped her hands on her shirt- her hands had become a bit sweaty while resting up against his.

"Oh yeah, she still hasn't given you the ZUHD pitch anyway, so that will probably work out good for both of you. Anyway, I'm going to search with Zach while Laneesha searches with Jeremy. If we find anything, one of the big-brain guys will contact you." With that, she zoomed away, likely headed for the red-head in question.

Sayori shook her head as Quint caught up, "wow. She's like a hummingbird. I wonder if she ever runs into walls or things when she does that. It can't be easy to just zoom around like that."

 

[Drobabes]

"Do you think you'll be able to make it?"

He gave a small nod, putting some weight on his own feet and pulling his arm back and down to his side. His eyes looked at the entrance to the vent as he spoke.

"Yea. I still got my legs..."

His brown eyes flicked down briefly, checking to make sure that was still a fact, and then he looked over towards Damien.

"Your hand."

His voice was quiet, but steadier now, and as he made the observation out loud, it brought Cora's attention to it. It wasn't that she hadn't noticed it before, but Damien was simply so stoic that she hadn't had it at the forefront of her mind.

"Oh baby, come here..." she cried a bit, turning to look around the room. There was nothing there that was to her standard of clean, to use as a bandage, but there had to be something. Vin had a clean bandaid on his ear, and those stumps on what was left of that poor man... She shuddered, her eyes quickly averting and noticing the other entrance for the first time.

"We need to at least wrap it. If you bump it while we're trying to get out, it could cause some major damage."
__________________________

Before she zoomed off, Quint tried to give her a thumbs up, but she was gone before he could even raise his arm. Goddamn she was fast, a look of wonder on his face as he turned to Sayori. The fear was still leaking through their link strong, so he wasn't able to crack a smile at the idea of the teen slamming face first into a wall if she took a corner wrong, but he did give her a nod.

"Her eyes are way different, so maybe it's got something to do with that."

Sabastian wasn't far ahead, so he picked up the pace a bit. He was worried about Vin, but not so much for the man as he was for Sabastian. Delvin was someone who was very precious to the little blond, the man having been willing to leave the nomad behind if it meant keeping him safe. He knew that wasn't an easy decision-he had felt it in their link, and through their shared memories. They had to find him, and get him back alive.

 

[Poprockz]

"Your hand."

Damien raised it and looked at it, cringing slightly. The knife was still firmly entrenched in his skin, blood trickling from his wound and winding around his wrist and through his fingers. Still, it could have been a lot worse if he hadn't left the knife in until the encounter with the madman was over. It didn't hurt as much as he assumed it would, and he knew that it was likely due to shock. Once that wore off, it would start getting quite painful.

Upon Cora's exclamation, he moved closer to her, looking around in search of bandages as well. There didn't seem to be much in the room that could help them, as he could see a shelf with food and a couple other items, mostly tools. The rest of the room was pretty scarce, but he too noticed the other little room, and it seemed as though all of their eyes gravitated to it.

He didn't want to admit that he already couldn't move his hand freely, almost afraid of what it would mean to say that out loud. They needed to focus on getting out, then they could worry about the functionality of his hand. Damien didn't want to think about it, not wanting the fear in him to take over his thoughts at the moment. For this reason, he walked forward slowly and ducked under the doorway to the other room.

"Let's see what else..."

The man stopped, simply staring as though time was the last thing on his mind. There was a pile of clothes and possessions, and next to it was a large, clean pile of bones. Though he estimated that it wasn't more than four people, it still looked like a lot when it was piled in one spot. The bones looked as though they had been sucked (or he assumed gummed) clean. There was a work bench with an electric burner and a skillet, and in it were a few pieces of... meat?

He knew at that moment that it wasn't. Not in the way he wanted or wished it would be. That was likely human flesh in that pan, the man likely having been a cannibal, eating and sharing the meat with his zombie companion. It was such a violation of human nature that he couldn't help but feel nauseous, his mouth becoming dry at the very thought of consuming another human being. Had Vin been forced to watch as this lunatic ate the other man in front of him?! He hoped to god that hadn't been the case.

The next thing he noted was another vent near the ceiling that looked a bit worse for wear, a courter of it seemingly having been chewed on or warped. It was right above the meat grinder that also rested on the bench. It emitted a meaty, scent, one that was stale and pungent. It didn't look like the man had ever cleaned it. In the corner of the room, there as a long stick with a knife duct-tapped to the top as a makeshift spear. It had purple blood on the blade, making Damien wonder just what the hell the man had been doing. Fighting zombies? Why? Couldn't he just retreat back into his tunnel?

What Damien hadn't noticed yet was a small shelf with the drawer open, bandages and antiseptic being visible if one looked.

--------------------------

"Oh, you're probably right." Sayori replied thoughtfully. Perhaps the zombie's eyes compensated for her speed by slowing things down or letting her take in more information at once. It truly seemed like something you would see in a comic of some sort, not the real world.

When they reached Sabastian, he merely glanced at them as they approached. He hadn't expected for them to follow along with him, but he supposed it didn't really matter. As long as they didn't get in his way, things would be fine. They began searching one of the department stores where a wagon sat inconspicuously near one of the mannequins, as though it was part of the display.

At one point, Sayori passed Sabastian but paused with a concerned look, debating on whether to offer her support or not. Bowie, currently resting around her shoulders, stretched out his body so he could try to slither onto Sabastian's shoulders. However, Sabastian held out his hand and dismissively pushed Bowie's head away, furrowing his brow and saying, "not now, Bowie."

The snake hissed softly and retreated reluctantly. When he was back around her shoulders, Sayori gently patted the snake's head before moving on and continuing their search.

Sabastian was so focussed on searching that he didn't notice that the presences had changed. When they entered the mall, they had been able to sense three presences below them. Now there were only two, one of which was approaching the other.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora followed behind him closely, unsure of what would be in that room but knowing that she wasn't about to leave her lover to go in on his own. When he stopped, she bent a bit sideways, looking around him to see what it was that was bothering him.

"What..."

Her voice shook, her hand coming up to cover her mouth at the horrors before her. The bones were picked clean of their flesh, now doubt fed to that chained zombie that he had in the other room. So this was why he been kidnapping people.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is in that pan."

Her hand came up to her forehead, fresh tears spilling down her face as she pushed her hair back. A sound from behind her caused her to jump and swivel on her feet, but when she realized it was just their companion, she started to relax.

Delvin hadn't wanted to be left alone in that room with his deceased companion, but seeing where the lunatic kept the remains of his victims was making his knees weak once more. However, what made him lose his footing was the sight of the leftover flesh, likely still hot to the touch if he were to reach into that pan and pluck another piece. The room spun before him, and the next thing he knew, he was on his knees against the entrance, Cora shouting out his name as that one piece of human flesh came up his throat so fast that he projectile vomited it onto the floor before him. Once it was out, he gripped onto the wall with shaky hands and stared, his eyes welling up with tears once more.

"Don't! Don't look at it!"

After seeing the way his eyes had widened when they landed on that pan, Cora had quickly connected the dots. She ran over to him and got down on her own knees, reaching out and pulling him by his arms and shoulders, forcing him into a hug. Her own scared eyes then looked down at the sloppy, chewed, piece of flesh on the floor before they went up to Damien, as if she simply couldn't believe that this had really happened to their gentle friend.
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As soon as they got there, Quint made his way to one side of the room and started searching. His eyes and fingertips covered every inch of wall, carpet, product, and vent, until he reached the roof. Once there, he took a quick glance up and then started to thoroughly comb his way back down, all the while keeping his movements quick and moving to the side, ensuring that he didn't stay in one spot for too long while also not losing track of the ground that he had already covered.

Something was itching at the back of his mind, and it caused him to falter in his search for a moment before he tried to shrug it off and continue. However, it itched once more, almost a nagging sensation as if he had forgotten something, like leaving the stove on at home.

He stopped, his hand paused in the air as his head turned towards the entrance and his brows furrowed. He tried to reach out with the link for a moment, feeling the other zombies in Laneeshas group, but, that wasn't it...

Very slowly, and with an even more confused look on his face, he started looking around towards the ground. It was coming from down there, that itch.

Seemingly finding something on the floor to stare at, he looked at it for a long moment, and then his eyes suddenly shot up in the blonds direction.

"Sabastian. There was three of them before, wasn't there? Where did the other one go?"