Racing the Storm

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

"Aaauugghhh!" Emilena let out a shrill screech that seemed to go on for over a minute. Tears welled in her eyes as she struggled in vain with her bonds. "Eeeurgghhh…" she coughed up another large swallow of blood which splashed on the stones below her and trickled down her chin. Her fur was slick with blood but her face was deathly pale from blood loss.

Then abruptly her heaving was laced with the vestiges of a chuckle. "You…" she panted, but couldn't finish talking without recollecting her strength. "You…you…couldn't finish…" she grinned weakly. "...You might be more like Nairda than I thought…"

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

"We can't pay you, we have no money and the police are watching our bank accounts. You can have what's in Axel's wallet when he gets back…" Lily accepted the cup of water and drank until her stomach hurt. "Can we call him? When will he get back? Is Soren with him? Where did they go?"

She could barely breathe she was talking so fast.

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

"I don't know, but that's not important." Foley lowered his voice so Flora couldn't hear. "What worries me is that it's implying they're still watching us."

"I heard that!" screeched Flora, eyes going wide. She raced back into her room and threw on as many layers of clothes as she could. "Oh my god we've got to get out of here!!!"

She raced to the front door and screamed again. "Oh my god! Hal!"

"Jesus, what is it now--" Foley groaned, but his breath caught in his throat when he walked in and saw the decomposing severed head staked to their door.

Flora stumbled backwards, babbling incoherently. "I we leave must god oh oh oh Emi Hal dead have help we've--!!!" she lapsed into gibberish, curling into a sobbing ball in the corner.

Foley went eerily silent. Then he left to his room and didn't return for ten minutes.

[Serris]

Soren swore as he ducked and backed away from the slashes. He snatched a garbage can lid to fend off the knife strikes.

He pushed forward with his improvised shield, hoping to knock the knife from his opponent's grasp. The Iguana dodged and stuck his foot out, causing Soren to trip.

"Shit!" Anne exclaimed. She picked up a garbage can and threw it at the man, knocking him down.

Soren saw the knife skitter by him. He dove for it at the same the thug did. He yelled as the thug stomped his hand to make him drop the weapon.

[Nick22]

' We dont know where they are, they could be halfway across town for all we know. Rose said ' Look we'll eat the costs of having you two stay with us. we're friends. Yes soren and Anne are with him " Marita said ' Axel 's phone is bugged, so using it isn't an option. you'll have to use ours. Hold on, I'll call soren and let them know you're safe at the apartment and to come back.' Marie came into the kitchen' Lily! you made it! The guys will be relieved She said with  a smile. " your bed is ready is case you want to take a nap.'
- Marita pulled out her phone and dialed Sorens number.

[bushwacked]

Axel's eyes widened as he saw the final thug stomp hard on Soren's hand, then make for the knife himself. Snarling, Axel sprinted up to the two struggling men, and just as the Iguana's fingers tightened around the knife's hilt, the rat jumped heavily onto his back, forcing him down onto his stomach on the hard cold ground.

As the iguana struggled beneath him, Axel tightened his legs around the thug's arms, pinning them to his sides. Drawing his arm back, Axel pistoned his fist forward, punching the iguana in the back of the skull. With a grunt, the thug's head collapsed forwards briefly. His lips peeled back in rage, Axel punched him again. As the iguana's struggles grew weaker, he grabbed the sides of his head, pulled it back, then slammed it down onto the floor. Again. And again. And again. When he heard a low crunch, Axel let his head drop to the floor with a wet splat. Winded, sucking in breath, the rat rolled off the thug's body lay next to him, gasping and looking at Anne and Soren. "I... fucking... hate Purifiers..." he managed. As his body started to shake, the adrenaline leaving him and the reality of what happened started to sink in, Axel heard the unmistakable wail of police sirens approaching - someone must have heard the commotion and dialed for the cops.

"Crap... we need to get... to get going. Now," Axel grunted, struggling to his feet. Right now, the cops were the last people he wanted to meet.

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

Rio heard Flora's screams, heard Foley retreating to his room. "What? Guys, what... what's going on?" Apart from Flora's babbling, there was no reply. Sliding from the couch, he wobbled on his feet unsteadily, then tottered across the room to a large, beaten up armchair on which was lying one of Foley's dark green hooded tops. Still unsteady on his feet, the boy pulled it over himself - it was much, much too large for him, the waist almost coming up to his knees, the sleeves hanging loose - then wandered across to the entrance.

"What is it?" Rio's eyes moved over the open door, and his mouth gaped open at the sight of Hal's severed head. For several moments, the boy stood there, staring at the gruesome scene, feeling horribly numb. That couldn't be Hal, he... he couldn't be dead... Rio had known him for years. How could anyone want to harm that harmless, nervous wreck? Whoever took Emi...

He started to move towards the entrance, to... do what exactly? Bury Hal's head? Pay it respects? Rio felt he needed to do something... but as he approached, the boy's stomach started to roil. The head might belong to someone he'd known for years - but it was still a rotting severed head. Trying not to throw up, his stomach coiling in disgust and shame, Rio pushed the door shut, leaving the last remains of his friend staked to the outside, and locked the door.

Trying to control his shaking, shocked tears blurring his vision, Rio stumbled across to the sobbing Flora, kneeling next to her and wrapping his arms around her as the tremors finally got the better of him. Someone had cut off his friend's head...

[Serris]

Soren got up. "Thanks, I owe you!"

He looked around as he heard the sirens. "Good call."

Anne pocketed the dead mare's brass knuckles and trotted out of the alleyway after Soren and Axel left.

By now, the sun was up and the night shift oil farmers were heading home. Several other people were buying things at the many rough looking bodegas, noodle shops and corner stores in the area. Soren bumped into a Komodo Dragon dressed in a blue jumpsuit. "Sorry man," he said. The Komodo Dragon ignored him as he went into a grungy noodle shop. Soren didn't even want to think about how many health code violations there were in the place.

His phone rang in his pocket. Knowing that taking it out in the Algae Works District was an invitation to getting mugged, he ignored it.

The Human sighed as he sat down on a dilapidated bench. A sign pocked with holes and graffiti indicated he was at a bus stop. "So do we walk home or take the bus?"

Anne pulled her hands out of her pocket. "Unless you or Axel have some creds, we're gonna be walking."

[Nick22]

Marita waited for a few seconds   then hung up she then sent Soren a text " have Lily. shes safe at the apartment. get back here.-Marita" and sent it. " They arent responding, hopefully they get that text I sent.' she said turning to lily. " In the meantime, help yourself to whats in the pantrty.' she smiled.

[Pterano]

Edited to avoid forum violation.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

Emilena heaved as he kicked her in the stomach, gagging and choking violently. It's a good thing she'd been too tired to eat anything after her long plane flight or she would have certainly vomited.

She swallowed shakily, trying to catch her breath, but then the second kick came too quickly and her tongue caught in her throat. Her joints screamed in protest as she writhed feebly in her chains.

"You're going to kill my parents?" she gasped once he stopped kicking her. "Why didn't you…say so in the…first place? You need their address?"

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

Foley returned to the front room, lugging a large sack of clothes and electronics.

"What're you doing?" Flora uncurled just enough to give him a panicked look.

"I'm leaving. I'm done," he replied curtly. He opened the door to the outside.

"No, Foley, please don't--!" Flora sprang to her feet and rushed forward pleadingly, but he threw Hal's head in between them and she recoiled in horror. He slammed the door behind him.

Flora shuddered, and tears welled in her eyes. Dropping to her knees, she wrapped her arms around Rio and sobbed in equal parts disbelief and panic. "He left us! He left us!"

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

Lily shook her head. "I'm not hungry," She crossed to the window and looked with worry out at the streets below. "I hope they come home soon…"

[Pterano]

"I already have their address... don't worry. Plus I know you go back there every time you need to... so don't act like you could do without them. Soon you and your own family will be nothing but a distant memory... but I've got a special toy for you. So just wait there... I'll be back in a few." He wiped his palms again, and headed for the only door in the room, leaving the knife stuck right where it was.

The moment the door closed, Vergil shifted his orange eyes upwards, and he began focusing. "Uggggh!" he groaned out, as the effort felt like he was trying to punch his way through molasses or tar, but suddenly, the bindings on his wrists and ankles snapped off, releasing him with four simultaneous snaps. The gecko tumbled to the floor, exhaling painfully and uttering a soft cry as he simply lay there for a second or two, trying to regain his strength. Panting heavily, the gecko groaned as he lifted himself up to standing, and began wobbling over to Emilena.

"You've got to get out of here." he barely managed to say as he fumbled with her bindings. "They pumped me full of something... made me tired as hell... I can barely move right now..." He undid one, then another, making sure to do one side first so her lower or upper ends wouldn't smack onto the floor when she was free. Unleashing the last of her feet, he didn't bother getting the last of her wrists, since he figured she could do that now that she had three of our four limbs free.

Collapsing back into a sitting position, he pointed weakly at the door, unable to say anything further.


"That oughta do it." Tony mumbled, having replaced the two flats with the two spares. "OK... now to get this baby rolling and see what I can do." Opening the driver's side door, Tony turned the key, pushed his foot on the starter switch, and listened to the straight eight come back to life. Shifting into gear, he turned the wheel and conducted a U turn away from the castle. Heading down the small road, he kept his eyes peeled for any side roads that might approach the castle from a different direction... or give him some sense of where in the hell he was.

His patience was rewarded, for a few moments later, he saw a road that led off to his left. OK... let's try this. Turning the Model J onto the new path, he slowly drove along what looked like a road that led deeper into the woods... well... it had to end somewhere...

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

Emilena groaned as she fell heavily to the ground. Relieving her imprisoned arm from its bondage, she gave herself sixty seconds to lay exhausted on the floor of the dungeon and catch her breath. "I was hoping you'd eventually make use of my distraction…" she panted. "I did my damnedest to command the bulk of his attention…"

She moaned loudly as she hoisted herself onto her knees and elbows. "You were in…South America, weren't you?" she muttered. She noted with disappointment that he was also unclothed; she would need to find something to bandage her knife wound or she risked bleeding out. "Had something of a temper."

Using the chains to pull herself to her feet, she staggered to the nearest portable torture device; she had to keep the knife embedded in her side until they found some cloth. Picking up a flail made of spiked chains and hefting it approvingly, she nodded at the door at the top of the stairs. "Get up. Magic the lock off and let's get the hell out of here."

[Pterano]

"I don't remember you being there..." he said hoarsely, still sitting on the ground. "But I can't..." he answered. "I think that was my last... gasp. That thing they pumped me with... it's suppressing my powers... I'd love to throw that door off its hinges but... can't." he replied, shaking his head as he tried to regain what strength he could. The room suddenly spun around him. What the hell had they shot him up with? Bastards...

"I know you might not have the strength... but try removing the hinges... it's a medieval looking door after all... shouldn't be too hard to bypass." He was still sitting, still panting, but they were slower now... more spaced out.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

"You bloody slashed my hamstrings open!" she exclaimed. Staggering over to the door, she observed its thick wooden frame. Breaking it down would be too slow. But Vergil was right, the hinges were far more fragile. Swinging the flail at the top one repeatedly and taking care not to disembowel herself with the chains, she dented the metal until she could get her fingers between it and the door. Digging splinters away from the heavy set nails with her claws, she grunted and slowly got the top hinge off. One to go...

She took a break to pant heavily and glower at Vergil still sitting in the center of the room. "For Christ's sake, get up. You didn't just get raped and stabbed. You gonna be useless and cry about your missing magical powers or get your balls off the ground and help me with this door?"

[Pterano]

"Did I?" he asked with confusion. "I can't recall..." He got wearily to his feet. "Well... the drug... whatever it is... is making me feel like I should just lie down and sleep... physical torture yes... but chemicals acting on my body..." he then gave her a skeptical look as she asked him to help. "I'm a little over four feet tall and not exactly the most ripped guy in Corona. What do you expect me to do, strain weakly at the bolt while you sit there and laugh?" he asked.

But he could see she was in no condition to pull that second hinge out, so he tried with his hands. Straining, he felt even weaker than usual, and couldn't use his psionics to supplement his strength either. "Ugh! This isn't gonna work..." he replied, shaking his head. "Hold on..."

He turned to look around, and found the heretic's fork sitting on a table nearby. "This better work..." he mumbled, shoving the fork under the hinge now. "Urrrgh!" he groaned, starting to lever it up. It creaked and was forced upward, coming out of its slot. He reached down and now that he had a good grip, wrenched it out and flew backwards, landing on his back. "Ooof!" he uttered, lying there for a minute.

[bushwacked]

Rio blinked, tears shimmering in his eyes as he stared first in horror at the severed head now lying on their floor, a single maggot wriggling free from the decomposing flesh, then at the door through which Floley had just stormed. "What the fuck... Foley!" he choked out. "Foley!" Seconds passed, but the man didn't have a change of heart, throwing back the door and saying that they should stay together no matter what. He and Flora were on their own.

As Flora came back and hugged him, Rio held on to her tightly. How the hell had this happened?! Just yesterday they were all together... a team, a family... and now... Rio's breath grew ragged as thoughts of who could have done this rushed through his mind, terrifying him. Whoever it was, they'd had no problem butchering Hal - and, somehow, they'd been able to kidnap Emilena while the rest of them slept in the same area. If they came back to finish the job, Rio and Flora wouldn't stand a chance. We need to get out of here...

After a few minutes of struggling to get himself to calm down - the body part glaring blankly at them wasn't helping - he struggled to his feet and pulled weakly at Flora's shoulder. "Come on, we've... we've gotta go." But where? It's not like Rio had a huge list of friends who could help out. He and Flora could try and hide out in some dump in another part of the slums, but finding them wouldn't be hard if the person was looking hard enough. We need people watching our back...

Rio sniffed and pulled on Flora again. "I know where Lily lives. We can't stay here, but maybe she'll help us..."

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

Axel leaned on the bench and shook his head. "No... I've got nothing. Goddammit..." The rat swore, the side of his face a throbbing, swollen mass of pain from the repeated blows he'd taken to the face. Taking a short moment to catch his breath, he spat blood to the side and glanced between his two friends. "I don't know how much longer we... we can keep looking for her like this - and with the cops around..."

He swallowed then nodded at Soren's pocket where he kept his cell phone. "That didn't get busted up did it? Any news from Marita?"

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Dead leaves crunched under William's boots as he took light, careful steps down the huge stone stairs leading from the castle to the grounds surrounding it. Reaching the bottom, he scanned the edge of the forest surrounding the property, sighing contentedly as the sounds of the sound of the trees whispering through the trees reached his sensitive ears, branches creaking, animals rustling through the undergrowth. An engine, very distant now, heading even further away... but not vanishing altogether. Whoever the intruder was, they weren't leaving yet.

The corner of his pallid, grey-hued face twitching briefly, William ran a finger delicately along his sniper rifle then slung it over his shoulder, feeling for the satisfying weight of his hunting knife sheathed on his hip as he did so. That done, he moved forwards, quickly, soundlessly, and disappeared into the forest.

[Serris]

Soren took out his cell phone. It appeared to be mostly intact. He tapped the screen and noticed the trio had texted him about ten times.

"Are they fucking kidding me!?"

He pocketed the phone. "Lily's back at our apartment. Would have been nice to know before we ended up in this shithole!"

Several very hostile stares came his way and a burly Human clad in the blue jumpsuit of an oil farmer began to stomp towards Soren.

"Hey asshole! You think your rich ass can insult my home and my workplace! I provide the oil you need to produce all your valuable shit!" He pushed Soren against the bus stop.

"Fuck off before you end up like the last guy who pissed me off." Soren replied between gritted teeth.

"Whyó"

"Hey! Cut it out!" Anne exclaimed, getting between the two. She turned to the man. "Sorry, he's a bit drunk."

Mollified, the oil farmer returned to his seat.

"What the hell's gotten into you!?" the Shetland Pony mare exclaimed. "Are you trying to start another fight!?"

Soren glared at her. "Well sorry for not being in a good mood after getting ambushed in a dark alleyway in a futile attempt to find Lily!"

Anne shook her head. "Let's just walk home." She hissed as her broken rib began to ache. The mare got up and headed down the now brightly lit but still grimy road.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

"There we go…" panted Emilena, resting her hands on her knees. "That's what I'm talking about. Just use me as, like, a baseline for how physically competent you should strive to be."

She made to exit, then hesitated and helped him to his feet. Maybe she's being too harsh on him. "Look. I'm gonna be honest; I'm not the nicest person, especially to assholes, which is what you are. You may have lost your memory, but trust me on that. But right now I need…we need you to focus on what you can do instead of what you can't. You try to do that, and I'll try to stop belittling you for being a psionically-castrated one-trick pony."

Emilena led the way down the hallway. Probably not the most inspirational motivation she'd ever come up with, but she'd been having something of a bad day.

The hallway was very wide and completely devoid of light. It was also apparently slightly slanted; Emilena walked into the jagged stone wall several times, until both of her big toes were as bloody as the hole in her chest. But suddenly the wall was her best friend when the sound of a door echoed and footsteps approached them from the other end of the hallway.

Emilena glanced at Vergil and noticed that she could just make out his white skin in the darkness. Dragging him onto the floor, she pressed him into the wall, covered him with her body as well as she could and held her breath. She feared her heart was pounding so loud they would be discovered. Hopefully Stryker's eyes haven't adjusted to the dark…

* * *

Flora's eyes grew wide. "Omigod you're right we need to get out of here!" she leapt to her feet, grabbed him by the arm and barreled out the door. "Take us to Lily!" she screamed, not slowing down enough to actually give him the opportunity to lead.

[Pterano]

"There's no comparison between us physically." he muttered hoarsely as she dragged him to his feet, the gecko letting out an exhale as he listened to her words. "Which would make you an asshole too, wouldn't it?" he asked sarcastically as she described how she treated others. "Only difference between me and you I see is I'm trying to curb those tendencies, nor do I feel I'm innately one. Also, belittling you'll quickly learn has no impact on me whatsoever." he stated curtly. "You won't get one further inch of effort out of me regardless. I know my limits... and right now... it's why I'm insisting you should probably go on ahead now that we're out of here." he stated. "I wouldn't hold it against you." He knew she had a point though... best stick together for now... at least until they could escape from... wherever they were.

He watched her leave, gathered his strength, and kept after her as best he could. Goddamn drug... whatever it was, it made him feel like he'd woken up after getting roughly two hours of sleep... where were the energy drinks when you needed them?

Struggling to avoid leaning against the wall to try and sleep, he stumbled along, hearing every time her feet ran into the walls. After a moment or two, he could feel her blood under his feet, and he knew she was stubbing herself to the point of breaking her skin. He only hoped Stryker would be clothed when he walked back down this way...

Speaking of Stryker, the door at the far end opened, and Vergil's eyes went wide. Crap... but before he knew it, Emilena was beside him, then pushing him into the ground, and he didn't argue, closing his eyes to conceal the bright orange they would undoubtedly give off in the dark. He dared not say anything, and held his breath as the sungazer lizard got closer and closer... and then passed them by. But he stopped about two steps beyond them, and Vergil was sure they'd been discovered...

Then a sneeze erupted from the lizard's snout, and he continued on his way. Vergil would've exhaled but kept his breath in check until Stryker was well past them.


Entering the torture chamber, Stryker stood there for a moment, staring at the empty chains. He then gave a derisive snort from his nose and grinned before pulling out his radio and buzzing William's ear. "Oh William..." he began. "You mind explaining to me what the FUCK you are doing? You sure as shit ain't watching the monitors, because I'm pretty sure if you were, you would've told me my birds have flown the coop. Quit jerking off and get your ass back to security... NOW!" he shouted, lowering the communicator slightly.

Turning around, Stryker's eyes blazed. He had no idea how those two had escaped... but they wouldn't be getting far... he'd make damn sure of that...

[bushwacked]

"Soren, just... just cool it," Axel said, nudging the human's shoulder and wincing at the throbbing in the side of his head. "You want to get beaten to death after... you know, you just avoided being beaten to death?" He nodded in the direction Anne had just walked off in. "Let's just get back in one piece, okay?"

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

"Flora! I can't... slow down!" Rio cried as Flora raced down the streets, trailing the boy behind her as his feet practically dragged on the floor. "You're going too fast! It's a left down here... a left!"

Almost twenty minutes later, they turned onto Axel and Lily's street. Rio glared up at Flora as they slowed their pace, grime smeared onto the front of his top and an old piece of lettuce stuck wetly onto the side of his head. "You didn't need to drag me through that pile of trash..." he muttered, pulling the leaf off. He opened his mouth to say more, then gaped. "Oh fuck, wait!" Grabbing Flora's wrist, he pulled her to a stop and pushed her into the shadows of a front yard adjacent to them, pointing up the road. Parked in front of Axel and Lily's house was a police car. The lights were off, but across the street from the vehicle two officers were engaged in conversation. Rio could see their breaths steaming in the cold air. Crap... what the hell is this... Had Axel and Lily been arrested? No, that wouldn't make sense, why would a police car still be here?

He chewed his lip, then glanced at Flora. "Maybe Lily's still there. We should go see..."

"What are you two doing here?"

Rio jumped slightly and turned around to look behind, to see who the low voice had belonged to. He couldn't see anything, just an empty front yard, shadows thrown across by the fencing and the shrubbery. That voice had sounded kind of familiar though...

Suddenly, a short shape materialized in front of him, as if from nowhere, and Rio flinched. It was some kind of... small lizard thing, staring at them with yellow, dead eyes. Wait... she was...

"You two were part of the group going through our vehicle in Bolivia," Triste said lowly, confirming what had been going through Rio's mind. She could feel the weight of her knife sheathed on her forearm - she didn't think she'd need to use it. Yet. These two didn't look like they'd be much of a threat, but if they were going to get in the way of her investigation here...

"What are you doing?" she repeated, switching her gaze from the child to the woman standing next to him.

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

William's brow creased in annoyance as Stryker's voice cracked through his earpiece, disrupting the peaceful sounds of the forest around him. "They've escaped you? They were chained down." The corner of his mouth twitched. "My, that is unprofessional."

Stepping over a dead, rotting log, William continued. "As much as I'd love to... assist you, it seems we have a trespasser. I'm tracking them now." His voice quavered slightly as he considered what he could do when he'd caught up with the intruder. He cleared his throat as he continued to move silently, almost ghost-like through the trees, his voice even again.

"Just focus on getting them back. They won't be able to get far. And if they manage to get out here, I'll deal with them," William muttered.

[Serris]

Two hours later, Soren unlocked the door to his apartment. The scent of Marita's cooking made him smile. He rubbed a bruise on his cheek.

Anne went to her room to put her brass knuckles and studs away.

The Human poured himself a glass of water as he turned on the TV. He reached for the bottle of headache pills on the counter. He then saw Lily sitting on the couch.

He sighed and put his head on the table. "I go into a shitty section of town, almost get killed and Lily's right here!?" he exclaimed. "Fuck me! What's next?"

Anne munched on her hay and oat burger. The spicy avocado spread and algae and yeast "cheese" really tied the flavors together. "Hey, who made this?" she asked. "It's really good!"

[Nick22]

I did' marita said to Anne with a smiler ' As for Lilly we  called you as soon as she came in. you didnt answer. I guess you guys were busy doing something and didnt hear the phone ring.' She said to Soren. "It happens. Now thwe question is, what do we do now that we're all back together?"