[10-15] The Docks

[Remilia Scarlet]

The prime duo zoomed across the road away from where their battle for survival had been, neither of them in a mood to turn back and see if their mutated enemy pulled itself out of the deep waters of the dock. They followed the emerald colored signs that pointed toward the exit back into the city, their overclocked forklift scooted along with surprising speed along the abandoned road towards their destination. Pride swelled in Gin as the vehicle made its way across the island without issue, the machine birthed from his knowledge proof that his experience had meaning. An accumulation to everything he’s gone through, giddy joy as he held the gas pedal down. Remilia’s focus was more on the constant agony in her leg and the resulting bodily cringe.

“Could you please drive smoother?” Although by this point Remilia couldn’t believe that she would get anything she wanted, but she still at least hoped for it. If nothing else, Gin might listen to her out of friendliness.

“Not happening, that would involve slowing down” Gin answered, his mind still on the ghoul they had beaten back and escaped from. Although he had taken a good effort to not hit any potholes, Remilia silently grimaced at the floor of the forklift (and her leg by proxy) as she accept this unfortunate situation until she could escape the island and punch Karl repeatedly.

In vain, unfortunately, for when they took a sharp turn into the exit they found that the bridge that connected the docks to the city at large had been collapsed, both of them separated by their plan by a drainage ditch. Their ride would have only gotten stuck if they tried to ford over it, and between Gin’s attachment to his creation and the savage injured between both of them neither were willing to give up the vehicle. With a grunt of annoyance from the redheaded fighter he backed up and zoomed off the other way.

“So much for that” Remilia snarked as the industrial crate mover beeped useless to all the people not there that it was going in reverse, before it turned back and the headed down the other road. Neither were happy that they were closer to danger with their u-turn, but at least the scarlet sister seemed to enjoy herself in a bitter way.

But once they’ve cut across the front of the shipping lot they found that a herd of zombies had migrated towards the docks. Vapid thoughts ran through their heads as they had heard the sound of some struggle but came up empty handed. Now they waited for some new stimuli to jostle their cloudy minds, and it arrived in a a yellow, beat up forklift. Gin and Remilia looked at each other in silent contemplation as the horde advanced towards and a smile went across both their faces. The back wheels of vehicles squealed on the pavement as they moved faster than safety regulations would allow.

The tongs slammed into the front rank of the twisted monstrosity and sparks flew as the attached batteries sent volts through the ghoul’s body and knocked them back in great arcs over the head of their fellow zombies. The two primes whooped in laughter as they watched their past tormentors now laid low under the tires of their vehicles and those that had managed to survive the initial hit take rebar to the head. Soon they were out on the other side with only one of the monsters skewed through.

“Well that was worth it” Remilia said as she threw the piece of rebar back into the bucket of supplies above them. Gin’s own reaction was to rub the dash affectionately before moving on.

But as they passed through the horde they found something much bigger than their own power lifter. What had once been a prized animal had lost its hair with only a few gangly patches over pale skin stretched across unnaturally bulging muscles. It had not merely been corrupted but mutated, greater in size than any dog either of the two had seen and baring teeth that overloaded the mouth like shellfish on a rocky shoreline. The only notion of normalcy was the leash around its neck, wrapped around rather than connected to a collar such that it during its expansion where it’s owner was now stuck to the neck like a macabre rider, either too stupid or maybe even to scared to let go.

And with a howl to the endless night it charged right at them.

The fighter put the petal to the metal as he decided to play chicken with the beast, sure that his creation could take the hit (which saving the launcher for a particular threat). Remilia, however, saw what such a reckless charge would do and grabbed the wheel away and turned it at the last second, the ghoul monster took a prong to its side and electricity raged through it before the two zoomed off. Enough to stun, but not kill it.

“I could have killed it!” Gin yelled at his passenger for her sudden burst.

“And you would have killed yourself in the process!” She didn’t like to be so blunt about what her power told her, but this was too important to be vague and mysterious about. She did not want to be left here alone, something that was clear on her face despite her best to keep that hidden, and Gin’s own anger dropped. “Turn right” She pointed back towards the maze of shipping crates and they burned rubber.

“It’s going to catch us if we go this direction”

“It’s already faster than us” And sure enough, the mutant dog was already up and after them. Remilia unbuckled herself from the seat and stood on her good leg with a hand wrapped around the roll cage. She pulled a spell card from her pocket and with a shout of the command word a red spear erupted from her hand. She waited as her target closed, she did not want to miss this shot, and when it seemed ready to sink it’s teeth into the scarlet devil like chew toy she flung the red projectile into it and it flailed as it passed through. It stumbled in its run slammed face first into the corner of a crate as the duo slipped into the maze.

But the wall was only a temporary obstacle to the monstrous mutt and with shrapnel logged in its face it rammed into the backside of the vehicle and nearly caused it to spin out. Remilia’s grip of the metal bar slipped and the vampire nearly tumbled onto the tarmac were it not for the quick hand of Gin with a grab to her arm. She crawled back in as they weaved through the many boxes, the ghoul dog’s size held it back as the skinnier forklift cut corner and kept itself ahead.

Until they hit the end of the road, the boundless sea ahead of them. And Nothing else. Their luck had run out alongside the solid earth beneath them, the slavering growls sounded their approaching doom. But Remilia pointed out the nook behind them and they backed in as far as they could.

The dog sprinted past the last corner, poor traction and self control nearly sent it over the edge. It pulled inwards, besides a crate that had been left there to be picked up by Karl's goons. And that was when Gin struck, the forklift peeled out of its hiding spot as it rammed the fork into the monster’s exposed flanks and pinned it to the create. It squirmed and shook as it was electrocuted by the power routed through it, before it laid cooked and partly melted. The rider laid there confused and unaware, which it remained even after its head was bashed in tiny little fists.

“Awesome” said as he walked out of the driver’s seat. Normally he would start on his companion’s action, but with a turn of the key he was just happy as it turned over as well as it did before “It’ll take a bit to get this off. Don’t run off to far”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll stick around” With the wound still sharp Remilia couldn’t get very far even if she wanted to, and that was before she was walking on it. Using her umbrella as a makeshift crutch, she hobbled over to a white washed shack they were near. A sign read “offices” on the front door, but with a swipe of her claws the lock on the garage door on the same wall. She pulled it up and when no zombies came she cautiously walked in, making sure Gin was always in her sight. If there were lucky, perhaps she could find a boat.

If there were really lucky, they’d never gotten on this blasted island in the first place!