Inverness said:
It's too early to really give a concrete opinion on things. I'm not really sure where this is going to go. I'll just say make sure you have a plot thought out and don't write yourself into a corner because you're winging it.
I got a plan. Something of one at least. But yeah, the first two chapters? I was winging it. I wasn't quite decided if the character should trigger or not, and what his powers should be when it happens.
Anycase, new chapter again. I am not to happy with the first bit of it and I am not sure why, but I am more content with the rest of the story after I part ways with the survivors.
Length: ~5k words. Huzzah!
-----------Chapter 1.3-----------
The thing about pain is, it is not the most pleasant thing, but there is no better reminder that you are still alive.
----
With a wet cough and a gasp I awake as cold water splashes into my face, forcing me to blink again and again to clean my eyes as I stare around and try to move, only to realize that I am tied down to a chair. Just great.
Still coughing and gasping for breath from the water I see some blurry shape move out of my field of vision. I don't even have a chance to mutter anything as something presses into my shoulder wound, making me yelp in pain and see black dots dance in front of my eyes again. A gruff voice then speaks up.
"Who are you?"
A simple question, so I tell them my name. No need to hide anything. Would be stupid too when I am tied up and at their Mercy. I still see spots dance in my vision, I still can't ignore this constant humming sound in my ears and I can't see straight but I am not stupid enough to taunt the one who has something pressed into my wound. So I sing. Like a bird. I answer all of their questions in as much detail as I can. I tell them my name, my favorite color, my favorite weather, hell, they need to shut me up so I stop blabbering.
Fortunately are those questions just mainly about 'Who I am' 'Why I am here' 'And why I threatened them'.
"I didn't threaten you!" I yell, only to wince when everything starts to spin again and I need to close my eyes for a second to catch myself.
When I open them again I see someone staring at me. Probably my torturer. Bastard. He's smaller than me, then again everyone is when you stand two meters tall. But he is holding a baseball bat and I am not, so, no commenting on that on me.
"Yes you did. You charged in, yelled some gibberish and then drew your knife. Plus you were covered in blood from head to toe."
I hardly can say no to the later part. But the former? Sure, my memory is kind of fuzzy sometimes but I am pretty sure that I was speaking English.
"I swear I am not a psycho!" I yell. I am many things. But a psycho? Well, I admit, I had a little laps of SANity there. Hehe. SANity. I snicker a little, which gets me another weird glance by the guy.
"Sitting there and snickering to yourself does not earn you any points regarding our trust, you know."
"Yes. I am sorry. Really am. It's just… I have been through a lot."
"So have we."
"Riiiiight..." I pause for a moment. Feeling majorly awkward right there. "Alright let's compare notes then."
This just gets me another raised eyebrow. Fine. I might seem quite happy to share stories. Maybe something will finally make sense. Like where I am for example. Whatever the case I guess my torturer has nothing better to do as he looks past me. Probably at the other people who were in this place and who are hiding behind me. I'd do the same. That way I won't see what they are armed with or where they are, so that even if I should get free somehow they could attack me from behind.
------
Honestly though. I have no idea how or why he agreed finally, or why the rest joined in talking to me. But I am glad. I am not good with talking with people and my small talk abilities are mediocre or almost non existant at best. But right now, right here, I could talk about all the crap that I am suddenly finding myself in a place that I have never seen before.
"…nd so suddenly something just makes the wall explode and throws me back." I say with a little sigh, the memory still shaking me. Poor star. I wonder what has become of his corpse.
"That probably was the wristband he was wearing." Chimes one of the women in. Jeanne? Janie? It's something with J. I am bad with names, really. Usually takes me a few weeks to learn the name of someone. I guess my confusion was apparent on my face as the woman sighed.
"Joanne." Hah. I knew it. Something with J.
"So… Where are you from originally?" asks the scruffy guy with the baseball bat, the one I have dubbed Scout but who is actually called… Jack? Joe? Something with J again.
"Germany."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
I glance between the four, my hands nervously shifting under the ropes. Oh yeah. I was still tied down. Really, can't blame them at all. I'd do the same thing in their case.
"What?" I ask finally as I stare at them. "Did I say something wro- Oh don't tell me Germany has been wiped out? Oh, wait worse idea. World War two wa-"
"No. No." Joanne stops my train of thoughts, "Nothing like that. You are just a whole continent away! You are in Madison"
"What?" I mutter as I stare as her and hear a chuckle. This once it's not me who is chuckling but the other woman, blonde, name starts with R. I guess I am not the only one having a hard time dealing with all of the trouble that is going on.
"Isn't Madison a girls name?" Did I mention I am not good at Geography and that we didn't cover much more than our homecountry in these classes and even that was pretty crappy?
I guess my confusion is enough to make the third silent member, the second guy, chuckle dryly.
Which brings me to my next question.
"Bear with me there but... what is happening outside here?"
"The Simurgh." Is the solemn answer, as if that would explain everything. It doesn't really. Not to me at least.
"Come again?" I ask as I stare at them.
"The Simurgh. You know. Angelic creature that f*cks with your mind? Has more wings than you need and is covered in feathers?" Explains Jack, the guy with the baseball bat. But when they mention angelic creature with more wings than I can count can I only think of two things. The first thought makes me chuckle as I recall the 'endless wings' special and I have a hard time not bursting out giggling. The second idea is… not so pleasant. Kinda reminds me of Genoveva. Or Sephiroth.
"So… that is that bad?" Cut me a break here. It is like someone introducing you to all sorts of new terms in an RPG when you never even heard the term RPG. I am still learning.
"Bad is an understatement." Again, a pause. As if that would explain everything. I managed to stay quiet for about ten seconds before muttering an answer.
"Could you… maybe explain that a bit more?" Again they stare at me. Did I suddenly turn into an elephant? What was wrong with asking questions? It reminded me to much of my past. People mocking me for not understanding things.
"You know. Nevermind." I guess I was pouting. "I don't care anymore."
Once more there was a pause until finally they speak up again.
"You really don't know?"
I guess I am still quite miffed as my answer is more of a growl and my voice gets louder.
"No. I just like to play stupid and get hit by baseball bats and scare people and I just love to have my computer be smashed and get chased by monsters and what not!"
And as I was talking my voice grew louder and louder until I was almost screaming. Like a friend of mine once said 'When you speak and get nervous and get louder are you soon screaming at people and scaring them'.
That is when they finally took their time to explain just what is out there and what is happening.
"I can't believe you haven't heard any of these things about before from Earth Aleph." Mutters Jake, the guy who was silent most of the time but turned out to quite enjoy explain stuff.
"Earth Aleph?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
Again the four people stare at me and I feel cold and hot shivers run over my spine in embarrassment. What did I do wrong now?
"You don't know about Earth Aleph?"
"No?"
"Earth Bet?"
"Should I? Wait, is there an Earth Octa too?"
Again they just stare at me before sighing.
"Probably." Hooray. I was right in one thing.
Again there is a pause as no one explains just what is happening or what I should know.
"Soooo…?" I break the silence as I stare at them. Wink. Wink. Nudge Nudge. Explain stuff to me damnit.
And then they started explaining. Just the general gist though. Who the Simurgh is. What an Endbringer is. And where I am. Well, FML.
-----
Somewhere in the middle of the short explanation did one of the women give me a glass of water, mixed with some painkillers they had stored, and allowed me to drink it. Granted. I am still tied to the chair but I at least can move my arms and hands now and drink something while feeling the painkillers kick in. I almost moaned when all of the pain was seeping slowly away. You never really know just how much you are hurting until it finally stops.
Granted, I still had this large hole in my shoulder and I am pretty sure that if I don't get it fixed anytime soon I will get a nasty infection. I already know I will get a scar, that much is sure. Got enough scars already through stupid things already but I guess this one will take the icing.
"So. How do we get out of here?" I ask as I look at the four, getting amused laughter from them.
"We don't."
"What? Why?"
"Quarantine Protocol. No one gets out, those who try get shot and when we are finally released we will undergo psychological evaluation for six more month's to check if we are turned into ticking timebombs by the Simurgh."
"I hate that plan. It's a bad plan. I want a new plan." I mutter to myself while my eyebrow twitches a litt.e
"And I want a pony but we don't always get what we want!" snarls Scou-Err Jack at me.
For a moment I stare at him in utter confusion and shock before I burst out laughing.
"Alright. I admit that was good joke, but seriously, what are we going to do?"
"We will hold out here. You on the other hand." Dramatic pause.
Uh-Oh. This can't be good.
"We can hardly let you go. You know where we are, so, I am quite sad to s-" That was the point I really stopped listening and just had a mental BSOD. Seriously?
"Wait!" I scream. Just in time for him to stop swinging the baseball bat down on my head.
"I got another idea!" I blurt out. Anything so that they don't bash in my brains afterall.
"Blindfold me, spin me around and drag me away! I… I have no idea how I got here anyways and when you lead me out without a way of finding a way back will you lot still be safe!"
I could taste the distrust. Well, not really. I can't taste anything at all but I figure that they were thinking just –how- I could screw them over.
-----
"Ninety-Five. Ninety-Six. Ninety-Seven. Ninety-Eight. Ninety-Nine. One Hundred…" I counted quietly before I reached up and removed the blindfold and glanced around. Yeah. If I was lost before I was lost even more now. The Survivors lead me away and somewhere and finally I had to count up to one hundred, praying that none of the monsters would attack me in the meantime.
Fortune was on my side though as I was left alone. Hell if I know how, how. No Monsters nibbling on me at all. Hey, they even left a note behind on my backpack, describing the shortest route to a nearby hospital to look at my shoulder. Great. They did take my food though. Not so great. But I'll survive that. There should be other places to scavenge foo-
And before I can finish my thought a shrill shriek pierces through my head and I fall to the ground, hands pressed against my ears as the cacophony grows louder and louder before subsiding again.
"Damned Simurgh." Yes. Obviously it was the Simurgh, or so I was told. This tune, or however you want to call it, is something it does. It's supposed to drive you insane. Hah. As if I would need any more to push me over the edge. The painkillers are still working too, I am feeling better than I did in the last few hours than I ever did before.
Hours. Has it really only been a few hours since this started? It feels much longer. A day perhaps.
Once more I shake my head as I grab my backpack and my stick. They also took my knife. Guess they didn't want me to trust me with it. But hey, stick! Blunt Trauma. Far better.
Grumbling I stand up again and tighten my backpack over my shoulder, wondering just how much time I got before the painkillers run out while glancing at the note. Well, it was more of a drawn map. Of what the city looked like before. Right now though.
I look up at the building that is laying across the street and then back down at the map. Yeah. This is gonna suck.
Making my way around the fallen house I slowly head towards the hospital and either are the painkillers wearing off already, which they shouldn't do. I mean, I am not an expert, but they usually last at least one hour. Possibly two. And it has been barely an hour since I am out here. So, why is my shoulder hurting like this again? Oh… Ooooh… Crap.
I think one of the Monsters I saw before just stepped out on the streets and is gnawing on something. It hasn't quite noticed me, I pray at least, and its back to me.
Keeping my gaze steady on the Monsters back I glance to the side. To the right there is an open park. To the left… more alleys. Then I spot some movement. Was that a hand waving to me? f*ck it. More human than a Monster at least and who knows. They might not beat me up.
As I slip into the house I notice a distinct lack of persons standing around. Aka, there was no one there. There is also a distinct lack of walls and places where someone could hide. Am I seeing things again? No. Come on. I need to stay focused.
Shaking my head I glance over my shoulder back at the Monster which is still munching on something. I hope it's something and not someone. At least I got away from that problem and I still should be able to make my way to the hospital to get my shoulder checked out. But as soon as I turn around I see a shape dash through my field of vision. And I am sure. I totally did not imagine that. It was just a blurry shape, yes, but I am sure. I saw it.
I can't yell right now though. I am still in range of that Monster. So I make my way over towards I saw that shape move. Said track takes me out of the back of the house again and over a street which is piled with cars. Climbing cars for once is actually rather fun. I never quite did that stuff when I was in my world but here. Right now? It was kind of cool. And then I see the shape moving again. It's... a woman in a white dress? I have no idea. Could be a guy as well for all I can make out. Still. The figure makes its way into yet another house. Just how many broken and destroyed houses are there anyways!
Again. I am rambling. Must be to preserve my sanity. Or just to hear a voice. Something to drone out this constant humming and throbbing and pulsing in my head from the song. Even the painkillers are not helping against it. Heh. If they would then I think they would be given out more freely and it would be kind of a weak sauce weakness.
Still lost in thoughts I miss a step while climbing a pile of rubble and find myself rolling it down, landing rough on the ground and staring up again. Note to self. When climbing unsteady stuff do not let your mind wander. Climbing to my feet and groaning I start to brush of the dirt from my clothes.
As for the groan, it was not so much out of pain or feeling horrible from the fall or other things, Hooray Painkillers, but more out of the reason that you do so when you fall. A bad habit you might say. That is when I spotted something white in the distance in an… office building? No idea what it was. Slowly I step closer. It's a scientist. I think. He is wearing a labcoat at least so he must be a scientist or a Doctor or something else. Nudging him carefully with the stick gets me no reaction, so I move closer, warily. I mean, come on. He could be playing dead for all I kno- No, he is dead. I don't think your neck is supposed to feel so… squishy… not while getting your pulse checked. Crap. I wonder what he was doing here?
Not much reason I can see for why there should be a scientist in this building. Unless they got a hidden laboratory here. Hey. If they got any, maybe I can find something to bandage my arm again. Something better than the makeshift bandage I used so far.
It is almost as if thinking about the wound allows it to make itself noticeable again as a piercing pain surges through my head. No. It's not my shoulder that is hurting. It's the Simurgh.
Stumbling back I clutch my temple and press my hands against it to ease the pain. It's something I used to help against headaches before, but right now it doesn't do anything. My head feels as if it is about to split open and my brain will soon liquefy itself.
And then the wave of pain is over, reduced to just a sullen throbbing behind my eyes. It's not better. Not by a lot. But it is more manageable. Black dots dance around my vision again and I faintly notice that something sticky is running over my hand down. Glancing down I notice that I seem to have clenched my fingers so hard that my nails dug into my skin and drew blood. Plus one broke. Again my fingers start to shake, its not so much pain but terror and feeling horrified as I start to bite and nibble on the nail, slowly biting it off and leaving my bleeding fingertip alone. That is when I spot two metal briefcases.
Grabbing one I start to pry it open and take a peek at what is inside. Maybe they were transporting drugs here. But no, inside is a single vial and some documents. No first aid kits, no drugs, no bandages. Just boring documents and some vial. Oooooh boy. A vial.
I swear, if this vial contains a zombie virus.
That is when I hear voices. Crap. Well, I'd go crap usually anyways if I'd be hearing voices but those sound like other people and not just voices from my mind. And considering the last meeting with a group I'd rather not make the mistake. sh*t. Running with the briefcase is to suspicious, so I swiftly throw my shoulder forwards, backpack sliding forward and stopping at my front.
Yeah, it is a maneuver I have practised a lot. Allows me easy access to all of the zippers. Sadly I don't have enough time to be careful plus I can't really use one of my arms as I grab the vial and some of the papers and just stuff them into the front pocket of my backpack, zipping it shut and then running again, moving the opposite way from where the voices are coming from, not stopping until several minutes pass and I am sure I am haven't been followed.
That is when I realize. Well, crap. Now I have no idea again of where I am and the map won't be that helpful at all. sh*t. Glancing around I see something. A lone open door and again someone is waving to me. Oh come on. No. No. I am so not going in there. No. I am turning around right this very moment and walk down this street instead. I am not following some waving arm into an old abandoned building. I might be crazy but I am not insane.
Walking the street slowly down and glancing at the map I got I try to verify where I am. I might be down here but nothing looks similar. I can't even check the street names as those signs are largely missing. Just great. Just. Great.
And then I spot a familiar name. Granted, it is not familiar in the sense that I know it, but I have read it on the map. I am somewhat north of the hospital. Awesome. That means that if this street is this and this one is this.
Yeah. If I turn left on this street I should arrive at the hospital. Finally.
-----
When I finally reach the hospital am I taken aback by how it looks. It's… Well, it is not how I remember the hospitals. Might have been the modifications done to the place too. Half of the entrance hall is boarded up with plastic. Plus there are armored people standing around who, I think, glance at me. I admit. I am standing a bit taller than they are, but they are armed! How much trouble could I cause.
"Why Plastic?" I wonder before shrugging and wincing. Yeah. The painkillers are finally running out and I can feel the scrapes, the bruises, the headaches, the small cuts, all slowly acting up again, a constant small assault of pain that keeps growing.
"Please wait." A voice suddenly says and it makes me jump. I didn't quite expect that.
"Hey. I... I am sorry but I am cut up here and bleeding and I need some painkillers and probably stitching and more and a brain scan and oh f*ck I have no idea what I all need." I start to ramble only to be stopped when the voice speaks again.
"Please wait."
Well, damn. They are the Doctors, they know best I guess. But waiting… well, not so different from my place. Even if you had an appointment you still had to wait. So I lurch over to one of the chairs and sit down with a weary grunt. Might as well put that time waiting to good use. Grabbing the sheets of paper from my backpack I start to read over them. Sure. They are incomplete and I have no idea what they are about when they go into chemicals and reactions. I kinda skipped that class in school, besides, the teacher there was crappy anyways.
The next page is equally uninteresting. It was more technical jargon I didn't understand. Though the next page gets my interest. Superpowers in a bottle? I glance around the empty hospital and nod towards a lone newcomer when they step in. I don't really pay attention to them. Not that I can see them as anything aside from a blurry object anyways and I don't really feel like chatting with some random stranger.
But superpowers in a bottle. If that is true then why are there not more people fighting these Endbringers? I mean, if I could create this I'd only charge the price I need for making them and share them with as many people I co- Oh right. Most humans are bastards. I'd need to evaluate them too, see that they don't become criminals. Yeah. I can imagine how that would take more time and cost more. Still. I peek into my backpack and eye the vial resting inside of there before suddenly a voice wakes me up from my reverie.
"Sir?"
"Huh?" Very eloquent said. Go me.
"Sir. You said you were hurt." says the nurse as she peers down at me while I glance up at her.
"Uhm. Yes. Yes I am. I kinda…" I take a deep breath, "Bruises mostly. A few cuts too. The biggest thing is my shoulder." As I point to it and peel the jacket to the side, wincing as I tug out the cotton I used before and place inside of it. Crap. It must have opened when I fell again and started bleeding.
"Alright Sir. We will take a look at it and meanwhile you can take a look at these forms you need to fill out."
Forms?
"Sure I guess." I say as I get up and glance at the Nurse. Did I mention I am tall? Yes. I was dwarfing her in size and she had to crane her neck to stare up at me. I pause for a moment.
"Maybe I should remain sitting for that."
"This might be best Sir."
I follow her into the back of the hospital and sit down in a chair, letting her take a closer look at the wound.
"We will have to stitch this up Sir."
"I kind of feared that. Can I get some painkillers to ease the pain please?"
"Certainly Sir. There is just the question of how you will pay for it."
Pay for it? Ohhhh. Not good. I don't think they would accept my Credit Institute. Then there is the whole matter of not being from this world, so even if I should exist, I don't think that my card will be any good.
"P-Pay? I… I don't have any money with me."
"Don't worry Sir. You can provide the name of your financial institution-"
"Yeah. I… I kinda don't have one you see."
That seemed to make her shut up and frown a bit.
"Look. I got some cash and I c-"
"I am sorry Sir, but that is not an option." Always this constant Sir calling. I don't think I will get used to that.
"What would be an option then?"
"Unless the injury is life threatening Sir am I not sure I can do anything without knowing your financial institution. Please understand Si-"
"No. No. It's alright. Really." I smile. Or smirk at least. Try to look reassuring. I am not sure how much that gets across. "I can understand that. Can you just… Uhm… stitch it up then?"
"Without painkillers." I wince.
"Yes."
My hands grow cold and wet I think as I grasp the chair and grit my teeth together. This will hurt. A lot.
------
Granted. I had worse pain once when I got my teeth drilled without narcotics, but still, getting my shoulder stitched up without narcotics is not something I want to repeat again. I think I nearly fainted once or twice. At least the nurse was nice enough to disinfect it, something I thanked her for profoundly. Sure. My shoulder is hurting a lot more now but at least it might heal better and now it won't get infected.
Eithercase, I am waiting in the entrance again and got the forms on my lap I need to fill out. The heck is that?
Ten month's of psychological oversight? Weekly sessions of counselling and psychiatric evaluation until I should die? Well, they didn't phrase it that way but it is basically the same.
Pot-a-toe, Po-Ta-Toe. Doesn't matter how you spell it, its the same. I keep reading. I am not allowed to meet more than ten people at the same time? Well, alright, this is easy enough. I never was one for groups anyways so I could abide by that. Hold on. I need to get a tattoo too? Oh come on. The Irony of that is just crushing. I also need to inform people I work for that I was here. Yeah. Also people I rent an apartment from need to be notified too. Just great.
"This is bullsh*t." I grumble and glance around then, looking at the armored people and at the almost empty entrance before seeing two of the nurses move past, both of them idly chatting.
"…or Teenagers…"
"…un from Myr…"
"…cape from the quara…"
Wait, what? I blink lightly and stand up, moving towards the other corner to sit down down closer to the nurses and listen to their conversation.
"… magine. He ran away with this poor girl. Teleported out and then moved out from the Quarantine border."
Wait? That was an option.
"… 've triggered when being here. Assaulted Myr..."
Alright. So… Someone used their superpowers to escape. Not so much an option since I didn't 'trigger' so far, which is something that I am surprised about. With all the sh*t I have seen. Just how bad do you have feel so that you can get a trigger event, when almost dying is not enough to make yourself trigger?
I pause. Wait a moment. I open my backpack again and glance at the vial. Then at the nurses. Then at the half filled out forms. Screw this. I always wanted to have superpowers anyways and kick ass and whatever.
I've always played it safe. Time to risk something. I mean, superpowers. I will be able to do some good. Help people and sh*t and fight this Endbringers. Give them some payback for bringing me here.
Zipping my bag up I walk past the nurses.
"Excuse me Sir." I freeze and slowly turn around to look at one of them.
"Yes?"
"Do you have fire?"
I stare at her bewildered before shaking my head.
"Sorry, I don't smoke."
"Oh. That is a pity, Sir." Always this 'Sir'. It's driving me bonkers.
"Is that all?" I ask as I look at her.
"Yes." And I turn around and proceed to walk away once more only to freeze up when I hear her yelling again.
"What is it?" I ask as I turn around to look at her, only to see her looking at the half filled out forms. Oh crap.
Instantly I turn around and start sprinting away. My legs are pretty much protesting as hard as they can against being used so soon and I am sure I will have them complaining in the morning. But hell no. I am not letting someone tattoo me and restrict me like that. I hell of doubt I'd get a job here anyways, having no credentials, no visa, nothing at all. And traveling back to my country? Doubtful if I'd be allowed to do that anyways. No future there. No future here. The choice is easy, isn't. So, Superhero life, here I come.
