07-16-2016, 06:38 PM
Nanaki reluctantly turned away from his private conversation, glancing in the direction of the newcomer’s gesture. Though the forest was now nearly black as pitch, owing to the waxed crescent moon, the small amount of light produced by the beast’s flaming tail provided some small amount of useful light. Each of the trio squinted into the darkness, ignoring the tablet altogether as the vague outline of some kind of structure made itself apparent against the forest backdrop.
“Can you make that any brighter?” Christa asked, glancing at Red’s tail flame.
“It...doesn’t work like that,” Red said, hesitating somewhat as he examined the ember. It burned much lower than it normally did, now reduced from a vivacious, crackling flame the size of a softball to something only marginally larger and brighter than that of a decent candle flame. He shook his head, attempting to ignore the flame’s implication. He didn’t have the luxury of giving up just yet.
“Your toy is pointing in that direction,” Took said quietly. He craned his neck as he spoke, ostensibly to get a better look at the tablet, though it looked to Red that perhaps the man’s eyes were lingering more on Christa than her gadget.
“Well, anyone have any better ideas?” the blonde inquired, glancing first at the man, then the cat. Truthfully, Red would have liked to advise that they leave William behind, though he wasn’t sure the thought would be well received.
“We’d best make haste. Creatures of the night are ravenous, insatiable,” Took said, giving a sly smile in the direction of the huntress. “We should seek shelter.”
Nanaki remained silent as they walked, lagging back a few paces as he kept watch on the human male. Something about the man, whether it be his demeanor or the odd way that he looked at the feline’s partner, gave him an odd feeling. At this point, though, it could simply have been lack of sleep and nourishment getting to him. It didn’t help that the island as a whole seemed to put him on edge. He sniffed the air in vain, hoping his sharp senses had returned, to no avail.
”Help…”
The fiery feline stopped dead, head snapping to look to his immediate left. A beat. He felt his blood pressure spike as he stared into the darkness, his amber optics groping for any source of stimulus. His eyelids shut tightly, repeatedly, trying to force his pupils to acclimate to the low light, though it didn’t seem to make any difference. All the same, he stared; blinking and waiting.
”Red…”
Nanaki saw the figure at the same instant that the call came. Just out of earshot, he could hear the man pleading for help, voice raspy and weak. He was on his knees, crawling toward him, barely distinguishable within the darkness. He clawed at the earth, dragging himself forward with his single arm. Had the man followed them all this way? Had Nanaki unknowingly left him alone to die?
“CHRISTA!” Red hollered, altogether too loudly. He spun in place, dashing to meet the sniper. “Cyborg, he followed us here.” The feline turned to find the mechanized man, though his eyes met only darkness.
“What?” Christa inquired, squinting into the abyss. “Where?” Their guide stood behind the one-armed sniper, his face mirroring her concern.
“Over here,” the crimson Prime explained, leading her into the forest. His heart was hammering, his lungs heaving. “He was calling to me, he needed help!” Nanaki stumbled as he walked, his joints stiff from his bout of unconsciousness. “Cyborg?!”
“I don’t see anything…” Christa said quietly, listening intently. “And he was right here?”
“Yes,” Red asserted, somewhat annoyed by her questioning. “Right...where you’re...standing.” He took rapid, shallow breaths, panting heavily as he scoured the area. “He was here…”
“Alright, well, let’s check the bushes,” the sniper offered. “Fan out a little, but stay close. Easy to get lost in the dark.” The beast nodded in response; how he wished he could pick up the automaton’s scent.
“Do we think maybe the kitty was just seeing things?” he heard Took inquire as he pushed aside underbrush beside Christa. “That wound was fairly deep, and he’s not too steady on his feet. He’s lost a lot of blood…”
“No,” the beast barked, locking eyes with the naysayer. “I saw him. He’s here.”
“Well there’s nothing here now,” Took replied, giving the beast a mildly annoyed look. “Let’s get inside.”
The blonde ignored their guide’s insistence. “He’s a big guy, he can’t hide too easily. Has to be around here somewhere, keep your ears open.”
Despite the woman’s optimism and the feline’s insistence, they could find nothing. The wounded warrior seemed to have vanished into thin air. Nanaki found himself wondering if perhaps some predator has dragged him away while they searched. The minutes ticked away, their search bringing up nothing.
“Strange,” Christa said, meeting Red’s gaze. “In his state I don’t think he’d be able to go very far. I haven’t heard anything either.” She scratched her head. “Maybe it’s just some anomaly created by the island?”
“Or a figment of someone’s imagination.” Took muttered. “We should be getting inside,” the man insisted. “That toy of yours will draw attention.”
The crimson Prime clenched his jaw tightly, grinding his teeth as he glared at the pair of humans. He wasn’t about to leave Cyborg for dead out in the wilderness because some friend of the cannibals didn’t feel like getting his hands dirty. Still, someone in Cyborg’s state couldn’t have gone far, and yet he had vanished. Where had he gone? With one last glance behind him, Nanaki reluctantly headed toward the building.
Christa pushed the door to the build open slowly, ever-watchful for tripwires or other kinds of boobytraps as it swung open without difficulty. One-by-one they filed in, the feline taking the lead, flaming tail lighting the way. The tablet continued to chime away as they entered, louder and faster than ever. The huntress depressed the little button as they closed the door behind them, silencing the signal.
The newcomer had taken up the rear, glancing around with trepidation. “Someone was living here,” he suggested, finding and igniting a small oil lamp from the desk as he entered. The trio cast long shadows across the room as he held the light source aloft, illuminating pieces of the room.
“Seems like some kind of outpost,” Christa stated, cautiously peering around a corner into a smaller room. “Toilet’s filthy.”
Nanaki was thankful his nose had taken the day off, choosing to not verify Christa’s observations. Across the hall he spied what looked to be a shower stall, a slow drip dribbling from the showerhead onto the tile floor. The splotches of mildew on the tile told the Prime that it had not been cleaned in some time.
“Lots of bullets,” Took mused, retrieving one of the spent casings and fingering it thoughtfully. He held the empty shell up before him, glancing at it and then at Nanaki. “Pity,” he said, a grin flashing across his face as he dropped the casing onto the floor.
“Holes all over the walls, too,” Christa noted, touching each with her hand as if to ensure they were real. “No trace of blood or bodies.”
The trio continued to search the house, finding a few storage containers throughout that contained but a few meager rations and bottles of water. Christa pocketed what she could carry, jamming cans and MREs into her increasingly-full pockets.
They stopped as they entered the final room, what seemed to perhaps be the ‘bedroom’ or the ‘study’ for whomever stayed there. The small pine desk and end table were both entirely empty, containing only a thin layer of dust within their drawers. Overall, the room was unremarkable.
“So, no one dead, but definite signs of a struggle,” the blonde said, rubbing her chin. “They must have left in a hurry. Took all of their belongings with them, too, looks like.”
“They left some food, though, which was nice of them,” Took noted, eyeing his can of beans with disgust. He let it slip from his grasp, tumbling to the floor with an audible thud. Red watched as it rolled under the bed and out of sight, a tiny ting being heard as the can struck something.
“Looks like there’s something under the bed,” Nanaki stated, lowering his head to get a better look. He squinted, the lamp’s light providing more detail than his tail allowed. “It’s a...trapdoor?”
“Can you make that any brighter?” Christa asked, glancing at Red’s tail flame.
“It...doesn’t work like that,” Red said, hesitating somewhat as he examined the ember. It burned much lower than it normally did, now reduced from a vivacious, crackling flame the size of a softball to something only marginally larger and brighter than that of a decent candle flame. He shook his head, attempting to ignore the flame’s implication. He didn’t have the luxury of giving up just yet.
“Your toy is pointing in that direction,” Took said quietly. He craned his neck as he spoke, ostensibly to get a better look at the tablet, though it looked to Red that perhaps the man’s eyes were lingering more on Christa than her gadget.
“Well, anyone have any better ideas?” the blonde inquired, glancing first at the man, then the cat. Truthfully, Red would have liked to advise that they leave William behind, though he wasn’t sure the thought would be well received.
“We’d best make haste. Creatures of the night are ravenous, insatiable,” Took said, giving a sly smile in the direction of the huntress. “We should seek shelter.”
Nanaki remained silent as they walked, lagging back a few paces as he kept watch on the human male. Something about the man, whether it be his demeanor or the odd way that he looked at the feline’s partner, gave him an odd feeling. At this point, though, it could simply have been lack of sleep and nourishment getting to him. It didn’t help that the island as a whole seemed to put him on edge. He sniffed the air in vain, hoping his sharp senses had returned, to no avail.
”Help…”
The fiery feline stopped dead, head snapping to look to his immediate left. A beat. He felt his blood pressure spike as he stared into the darkness, his amber optics groping for any source of stimulus. His eyelids shut tightly, repeatedly, trying to force his pupils to acclimate to the low light, though it didn’t seem to make any difference. All the same, he stared; blinking and waiting.
”Red…”
Nanaki saw the figure at the same instant that the call came. Just out of earshot, he could hear the man pleading for help, voice raspy and weak. He was on his knees, crawling toward him, barely distinguishable within the darkness. He clawed at the earth, dragging himself forward with his single arm. Had the man followed them all this way? Had Nanaki unknowingly left him alone to die?
“CHRISTA!” Red hollered, altogether too loudly. He spun in place, dashing to meet the sniper. “Cyborg, he followed us here.” The feline turned to find the mechanized man, though his eyes met only darkness.
“What?” Christa inquired, squinting into the abyss. “Where?” Their guide stood behind the one-armed sniper, his face mirroring her concern.
“Over here,” the crimson Prime explained, leading her into the forest. His heart was hammering, his lungs heaving. “He was calling to me, he needed help!” Nanaki stumbled as he walked, his joints stiff from his bout of unconsciousness. “Cyborg?!”
“I don’t see anything…” Christa said quietly, listening intently. “And he was right here?”
“Yes,” Red asserted, somewhat annoyed by her questioning. “Right...where you’re...standing.” He took rapid, shallow breaths, panting heavily as he scoured the area. “He was here…”
“Alright, well, let’s check the bushes,” the sniper offered. “Fan out a little, but stay close. Easy to get lost in the dark.” The beast nodded in response; how he wished he could pick up the automaton’s scent.
“Do we think maybe the kitty was just seeing things?” he heard Took inquire as he pushed aside underbrush beside Christa. “That wound was fairly deep, and he’s not too steady on his feet. He’s lost a lot of blood…”
“No,” the beast barked, locking eyes with the naysayer. “I saw him. He’s here.”
“Well there’s nothing here now,” Took replied, giving the beast a mildly annoyed look. “Let’s get inside.”
The blonde ignored their guide’s insistence. “He’s a big guy, he can’t hide too easily. Has to be around here somewhere, keep your ears open.”
Despite the woman’s optimism and the feline’s insistence, they could find nothing. The wounded warrior seemed to have vanished into thin air. Nanaki found himself wondering if perhaps some predator has dragged him away while they searched. The minutes ticked away, their search bringing up nothing.
“Strange,” Christa said, meeting Red’s gaze. “In his state I don’t think he’d be able to go very far. I haven’t heard anything either.” She scratched her head. “Maybe it’s just some anomaly created by the island?”
“Or a figment of someone’s imagination.” Took muttered. “We should be getting inside,” the man insisted. “That toy of yours will draw attention.”
The crimson Prime clenched his jaw tightly, grinding his teeth as he glared at the pair of humans. He wasn’t about to leave Cyborg for dead out in the wilderness because some friend of the cannibals didn’t feel like getting his hands dirty. Still, someone in Cyborg’s state couldn’t have gone far, and yet he had vanished. Where had he gone? With one last glance behind him, Nanaki reluctantly headed toward the building.
Christa pushed the door to the build open slowly, ever-watchful for tripwires or other kinds of boobytraps as it swung open without difficulty. One-by-one they filed in, the feline taking the lead, flaming tail lighting the way. The tablet continued to chime away as they entered, louder and faster than ever. The huntress depressed the little button as they closed the door behind them, silencing the signal.
The newcomer had taken up the rear, glancing around with trepidation. “Someone was living here,” he suggested, finding and igniting a small oil lamp from the desk as he entered. The trio cast long shadows across the room as he held the light source aloft, illuminating pieces of the room.
“Seems like some kind of outpost,” Christa stated, cautiously peering around a corner into a smaller room. “Toilet’s filthy.”
Nanaki was thankful his nose had taken the day off, choosing to not verify Christa’s observations. Across the hall he spied what looked to be a shower stall, a slow drip dribbling from the showerhead onto the tile floor. The splotches of mildew on the tile told the Prime that it had not been cleaned in some time.
“Lots of bullets,” Took mused, retrieving one of the spent casings and fingering it thoughtfully. He held the empty shell up before him, glancing at it and then at Nanaki. “Pity,” he said, a grin flashing across his face as he dropped the casing onto the floor.
“Holes all over the walls, too,” Christa noted, touching each with her hand as if to ensure they were real. “No trace of blood or bodies.”
The trio continued to search the house, finding a few storage containers throughout that contained but a few meager rations and bottles of water. Christa pocketed what she could carry, jamming cans and MREs into her increasingly-full pockets.
They stopped as they entered the final room, what seemed to perhaps be the ‘bedroom’ or the ‘study’ for whomever stayed there. The small pine desk and end table were both entirely empty, containing only a thin layer of dust within their drawers. Overall, the room was unremarkable.
“So, no one dead, but definite signs of a struggle,” the blonde said, rubbing her chin. “They must have left in a hurry. Took all of their belongings with them, too, looks like.”
“They left some food, though, which was nice of them,” Took noted, eyeing his can of beans with disgust. He let it slip from his grasp, tumbling to the floor with an audible thud. Red watched as it rolled under the bed and out of sight, a tiny ting being heard as the can struck something.
“Looks like there’s something under the bed,” Nanaki stated, lowering his head to get a better look. He squinted, the lamp’s light providing more detail than his tail allowed. “It’s a...trapdoor?”
Quote:2400 words on the nose for both posts, according to Google Docs. (969+1431)
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