Something on the horizon let’s Kyle know he is fucked. Sensing the approach to his vehicle. Catching the stray blurr of gore in the side mirror before it happens. His location is struck by some sort of static, the hair on his body stands at full attention, prickling under the worst pressure he’s ever had the displeasure of encountering. It swept him up, an inescapable illness in him, rewiring his brain in an instant. The explosive shattering of his precious vehicle window folds him, nearly retching in the face of something he can’t quite wrap his mind around.
One glance starts up a pretty horrified, high pitched scream. The mutilated body in the back opened its mouth and uttered some not so soothing things to him. Be not afraid. The years of bible study struck Kyle like a truck. Was this an angel? Had he been running from the feeling of Angels all his life? Biblically accurate Angels were horrifying he had heard. And the others. Wielding the wind. Encountering the creature– Woman– Thing, as if this were a normal Tuesday for them. A common occurrence. All of them seemed to have some sort of weapon on them.
“What the fuck! Oh my God, what the fuck!” Kyle’s words nearly blur together in the speed he shouts them. “I am afraid!” He blurts. And against better judgment, under the pressure of this hulking fear he cranks the engine again. This time he’s aware it won’t light back to life. The air around him stills. In the breadth of a millisecond, in the twitch of an eye, he knows where to go. Calculates his chances of making it out alive. Senses where the danger lies ahead of him.
A second passes, slowly sucking air in through his nose.
Kyle thrusts his left fist through the window, scooping up glass and hurling it into the eyes of the eldritch horror in his back seat. His right hand gripping the unconscious girl's arm in tandem. Then it’s as simple as a light jerk of the passenger door handle. Rolling them onto the asphalt before the blinding LED headlights of a black SUV. The mechanical grinding and squeal of tires is a symphony of freedom. Rolling them with the momentum till the woman is draped across his shoulders yet again. A human scarf of sorts. Rising and darting as the SUV screeches to a halt beside Cocopuff. Using the vehicle as cover to dip into another alleyway.
Kyle is silently thanking the SUV. Thanking god for letting him slip through the cracks once again. Panting with the exertion of it all. The wind cannot cool his heated skin, cannot slow him in the slightest. Bolting towards 7th. If he could make it to seventh he could make it to people. Make it to help.
And he desperately needed help. The skin of his arm burned where he had run it through the glass, shoulders roughed up from the unforgiving road and the added weight.
Kyle really could not afford to be caught now. Not ever. He had been running from this feeling so long it would be a disservice to his being to fail. And his Ma, she would be so sad if he didn’t make it back for Christmas. Even if she disapproved of him dropping out of college, she still missed him. And he missed the sweet potato casserole she was so damned good at whipping up.
He could not die here. For casserole and for himself.
And for the young woman Kyle slung across his body. Despite the uncomfortable emotional burden she was leaking into his back, he could tell she was good, somewhere buried deep. Could tell that there was something inexplicably important about her. There was no way to justify picking her up besides a gut feeling. All he needed to do was get her to safety. But where? It was possible that thing would just waltz into a hospital. The probability felt high, unsure of how powerful it was. Assuming it could wipe out a hospital if it could run around with its guts leaking out.
Perhaps the others he sensed as well meaning could help. Or would they try to kill him too. The violent throbbing of his pulse made it all so hard to decipher. His body is screaming at him to avoid it. Whatever this was. And so he headed to 7th, darting across the slowly filling street. Earning his fair share of honks and horrified looks. Making his way at max speed to a little place called Saucy’s. Nearly throwing himself down an all to claustrophobic cracked staircase, into the hidden door of the basement below. Clicking the lock into place behind him.
It was empty of life besides him and his human backpack. Kyle set about situating the seemingly unwell woman against a concrete wall. She was in bad shape. Bruised. Bleeding. The teen swallowed thickly, attempting to find a pulse and frustratedly realizing he hadn’t a clue how to do that. She was breathing though.
Water. Water. Water.
The old basin down here did in fact work, snagging a cloth off the stack and wetting it. This was for all intents and purposes, a slightly disorganized storage room. Parker shouldn’t have shown him this place. Kyle could tell it was relatively safe. The scent of fresh pizza dough was already making its way down into the basement and it would only be a matter of time before one of his future coworkers would manage their way down the old wood step to see the mess of blood the two of them were leaving.
The teen couldn’t find a way to care, slipping to his raw knees to press the cloth gently to the woman’s cheek. Wiping up the blood there. Grimacing at the thought of how much pain the poor thing was probably in.
One glance starts up a pretty horrified, high pitched scream. The mutilated body in the back opened its mouth and uttered some not so soothing things to him. Be not afraid. The years of bible study struck Kyle like a truck. Was this an angel? Had he been running from the feeling of Angels all his life? Biblically accurate Angels were horrifying he had heard. And the others. Wielding the wind. Encountering the creature– Woman– Thing, as if this were a normal Tuesday for them. A common occurrence. All of them seemed to have some sort of weapon on them.
“What the fuck! Oh my God, what the fuck!” Kyle’s words nearly blur together in the speed he shouts them. “I am afraid!” He blurts. And against better judgment, under the pressure of this hulking fear he cranks the engine again. This time he’s aware it won’t light back to life. The air around him stills. In the breadth of a millisecond, in the twitch of an eye, he knows where to go. Calculates his chances of making it out alive. Senses where the danger lies ahead of him.
A second passes, slowly sucking air in through his nose.
Kyle thrusts his left fist through the window, scooping up glass and hurling it into the eyes of the eldritch horror in his back seat. His right hand gripping the unconscious girl's arm in tandem. Then it’s as simple as a light jerk of the passenger door handle. Rolling them onto the asphalt before the blinding LED headlights of a black SUV. The mechanical grinding and squeal of tires is a symphony of freedom. Rolling them with the momentum till the woman is draped across his shoulders yet again. A human scarf of sorts. Rising and darting as the SUV screeches to a halt beside Cocopuff. Using the vehicle as cover to dip into another alleyway.
Kyle is silently thanking the SUV. Thanking god for letting him slip through the cracks once again. Panting with the exertion of it all. The wind cannot cool his heated skin, cannot slow him in the slightest. Bolting towards 7th. If he could make it to seventh he could make it to people. Make it to help.
And he desperately needed help. The skin of his arm burned where he had run it through the glass, shoulders roughed up from the unforgiving road and the added weight.
Kyle really could not afford to be caught now. Not ever. He had been running from this feeling so long it would be a disservice to his being to fail. And his Ma, she would be so sad if he didn’t make it back for Christmas. Even if she disapproved of him dropping out of college, she still missed him. And he missed the sweet potato casserole she was so damned good at whipping up.
He could not die here. For casserole and for himself.
And for the young woman Kyle slung across his body. Despite the uncomfortable emotional burden she was leaking into his back, he could tell she was good, somewhere buried deep. Could tell that there was something inexplicably important about her. There was no way to justify picking her up besides a gut feeling. All he needed to do was get her to safety. But where? It was possible that thing would just waltz into a hospital. The probability felt high, unsure of how powerful it was. Assuming it could wipe out a hospital if it could run around with its guts leaking out.
Perhaps the others he sensed as well meaning could help. Or would they try to kill him too. The violent throbbing of his pulse made it all so hard to decipher. His body is screaming at him to avoid it. Whatever this was. And so he headed to 7th, darting across the slowly filling street. Earning his fair share of honks and horrified looks. Making his way at max speed to a little place called Saucy’s. Nearly throwing himself down an all to claustrophobic cracked staircase, into the hidden door of the basement below. Clicking the lock into place behind him.
It was empty of life besides him and his human backpack. Kyle set about situating the seemingly unwell woman against a concrete wall. She was in bad shape. Bruised. Bleeding. The teen swallowed thickly, attempting to find a pulse and frustratedly realizing he hadn’t a clue how to do that. She was breathing though.
Water. Water. Water.
The old basin down here did in fact work, snagging a cloth off the stack and wetting it. This was for all intents and purposes, a slightly disorganized storage room. Parker shouldn’t have shown him this place. Kyle could tell it was relatively safe. The scent of fresh pizza dough was already making its way down into the basement and it would only be a matter of time before one of his future coworkers would manage their way down the old wood step to see the mess of blood the two of them were leaving.
The teen couldn’t find a way to care, slipping to his raw knees to press the cloth gently to the woman’s cheek. Wiping up the blood there. Grimacing at the thought of how much pain the poor thing was probably in.