Capítulo 47: Chapter 46: Carnage
Water is quite the amazing substance. Tasteless and as clear as glass. Composes entirely by only a simple chemical formula that anyone could spout out off the top of their heads, One Oxygen and Two Hydrogen. Despite how simple it seemed, the substance was still considered a cornerstone for life on Earth. So much so that it became the very thing scientist looked for on distance planets to indicate life. It was everywhere. In the air, plants, animals, underground, food and even in the human body.
From just a simple puddle off the side of the road, to mist after the sun has gotten it's mitts on it. Then from the troposphere, these large bodies of moisture come together to form those fluffy clouds many of children have spent their afternoon watching. White blotches in random shapes against the backdrop of a light blue sky. But all goods things must come to an end.
After merging together to such a degree, critical mass is achieved and the cloud grows darker before expelling drops of water. These raindrop hammered ruthlessly against the ground, slowly eating away at the surface until a new puddle is formed. And thus the cycle repeated itself. On and on, for billion of years.
For some, rain meant much more than just this scientific simplification. Some saw it as a cleansing, a way for the world to wash away the happenings of life. To scrub away the filth and move it somewhere else out of sight and out of mind. Something humans did this through the use of those precious tears.
But despite rain's cleansing symbolism and power, it couldn't scrub away the travesty before them. No matter how fast Albert ran nor how focused he was, various glassed over eyes still looked on at the pair. Their remaining limbs seeming to reach out to them, a bloody river streaming down the storm drain. Fingers clawing, feet scrabbling, mouth open wide in a silent scream that violently shook the soul. Like nails on the chalkboard, scratching away at his own humanity.
[SAN: 36/45]
The decimation and bloodshed blurred together at the edges of his vision as they ran, splashing through bloody puddles and forgotten slabs of flesh. Broken down doors, shattered windows and literal entire walls pulled down to expose the living space behind them. Empty homes, devoid of the warmth that came of people living. Some even still having their television still playing in the background. It painted a new sadder edge to this macabre painting, as though the artist wished to truly showcase the life that was snuffed out.
All he had eyes for was the blonde who was already out of arms reach, her own heavy boots steps crunching through the bones that he tried his best to avoid. Her bright golden hair that drooped depressingly in two loose approximation of pigtails stuck to her neck, refusing to let go despite her speed. Usual pale skin now looked as though it had been replaced with sheets of blank paper, seeming thinner and more fragile than before.
They had been running for….he didn't know how long. Combined with his own panic, the seen of carnage and the running, he just lost track of time. No. More like time stopped mattering in that moment. All he did know was that his heart felt as though it was beginning to revolt, it's loud thumping overshadowing the heavy rain that punched into him from above. Lungs straining and burning with the effort to take in more sickly sweet air.
Despite the cold drops of water that sunk through his layers of clothing and onto his skin, sweat still profusely dripped into his eyes. Salty liquid that stung with every blink. It got so bad that he couldn't tell if it was sweat or rain that caused his rain to stick like glue to his skull. But despite how vision narrowed, or how his side felt as someone had stabbed him, or how his chest made him feel as though he was a dragon ready to wheeze out a stream of fairytale fire to purge the sight before him.
'...Definitely air deprivation kicking in.' Albert nearly stumbled at that draconic analogy,' Or I'm just going crazy.'
But no matter much the teen wanted to just collapse into a nearby nightmare pool, he pushed on. Not only to escape from the judgmental stared that he felt drilling into him from all sides. But also for a very simple feeling that dwelled deep in his chest. A primal emotion that both helped humans to survive and also first fear those creatures that scuttle in the dark. Fear. Fear of whatever that caused this sticking around long enough to tear him apart like it did….this entire block and more.
As the old adage goes, there's safety in numbers. And he would much rather run into whatever caused this with the suddenly serious blonde than alone.
And he also knew one very, very important thing. Something that Psychology and his own experience blared out to him whenever he thought of stopping. An undeniable truth that hammered home his own terror and forced him forward.
'Harley will not stop, she'll leave me behind without even blinking.'
It was a rather chilling realization that didn't match her actions these last couple of days. He was sure if anyone else was in this situation, they would probably assume that she would at least stop to check up on them if they couldn't go on further. Maybe even a glance back to make sure they were alright. They would be sadly mistaken.
The blonde hadn't looked back once since they started running, her gaze locked to the front with seemingly no intention of wasting energy to speak. Albert was sure she only knew he was still following behind her because of his heavy breathing and footsteps. But honestly, he didn't believe she cared in that moment. She had a goal and nothing in this world, not even death, would stop her.
It was that classic and coveted loyalty in all it's grandeur.
Plus besides, not only would he have to worry about the monster that did all this stumbling across him alone but also knew that he would be lost without even a bucket to piss in. He didn't know which would be worst. Being found surrounded by all these corpses by the monster or police. Mutilated to death or eaten? Both sounded like terrible options.
Just as they prepared to pass into the alley that led into the shelter, Harley's phone rang out in a jaunting tune that belied the current atmosphere. Maybe even making everything seem a bit creepier as the carnival music played through the silent streets. Quickly on shaking fingers, she whipped her phone out and held it up to her ear.
"Red!" She breathed out, concern and relief evident in that single word," Are-"
The blonde was cut off suddenly and fell silent as the soft murmurs slipped past his ability to hear. He didn't care in that moment and leaned against the alley wall, taking in deep lung fulls of air through his burning organs.
'I really need to work out more.'
Everything hurt, aches permeating his entire body and all he wanted to do was to pass out into that shelter. How deeply he wished that this would be the end of their journey but it seems Gotham truly wasn't satisfied with only fucking him once.
"I'll be right over!" She swore solemnly, already taking off down the alley," Stay on the phone!"
As he watched her back quickly get smaller, his mind froze. Soul freezing in place as his heart thumped madly in his ears, consuming the world as he knew it with those thumps. It felt like he was at a crossroads in this life, a diverging path that would forever affect him.
He could succumb to his exhaustion here and now, sleeping away the physical exertion for a few hours. Hide away in the safety of the relative safety of the bunker and just wait for the cops or the Bat Family to mop up whatever caused all this. But who truly knew how long that would take. They might even come too late and more tragedies could happen.
If the three survived this run-in, he knew while they wouldn't blame him for hiding away, it would indubitably mark him as unreliable. Someone who would quit when things got tough. While enjoyable to hang out with occasionally, not worthy of developing anything deeper than a surface level friendship.
While not the ideal outcome, it was certainly better than his other option. Possible death. Now it wasn't the act of dying that he was terrified of, it was of what came after.
'What if there was another mistake?'
Albert would do anything and everything not to ever go back to the void. If it meant he had to abandon the system all together and silently develop outside of Gotham then so be it. But he, in his frantic state, knew that wasn't tenable for long. This was the DC universe. A place where normal people like him are ruthlessly slaughtered just to prove a point to the audience. In a world full of gods, heroes, villains, demons, monsters, rogue AI and aliens; when wouldn't his life be at risk? Would he truly continue running from anything that was dangerous?
'Wasn't that the reason why I chose Pulp Cthulhu?' He breathed out deeply, eyes still glazed over in thought. An internal war raging deep within his very spirit,' I wanted at least a fighting chance against the things in this world?'
While being highly skilled was nice and all, there was a VERY clear plateau to the classical system. For instance, his HP wouldn't even be a half of what is now. If that wasn't bad enough, LCK would become an infinitely more valuable resource than anything else in this world. So much so that there was no way in hell it would ever get used for anything besides extraneous circumstances. Like Darkseid invading or something. And even worse, he would have no access to his ever useful Resourceful or any other talent!
He already knew going into this that it would be a life fraught with perils, there was truly no place on this planet that wouldn't be affected by the darkness of this world.
"Wait up!"
Albert cried out as he ran to catch up those blonde locks that quickly disappeared out of the alley. His limbs protested fervently with his groaning organs, seeming as though they were at the edge of mutiny. Cursing all the while, he ignored all that as his shoes stomped clear the blood into a clean puddle.
There were various variables that inevitably affected his choice. Despite only knowing them for less than a week, it was true that surviving together had made him a bit more predisposed to them. There he admitted it. He actually liked these people. Darnell's gruff attitude, Harley's annoying personality and Ivy's lazy demeanor. These folks that he never would've ever even thought of speaking to, the two super-villains be the most surprising.
Despite knowing those two were not good people, having terrorized the city in their own way multiple times, he still enjoyed their company. Maybe that would change once their actions had him as collateral damage but until then, he would treat them as recovering supervillains.
But what really tipped his thoughts over to a leading side were those large yellow eyes that watched him from a nearby dumpster seeming to act as a witness to his indecisiveness.
'What are you waiting for?'
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It honestly hadn't taken Albert long to be in the exact same situation he was in previously. Huffing and puffing as he followed behind a resolute blonde but instead of being right on her heels like last time, she was far ahead of him. Being well outside arms reach and even a good couple steps outside of that.
His chest ached as those lungs bellowed like an angry miner, hammering down with every step. Shoveling large mouthfuls of air like coal to feed into the bottomless engine that stuttered every once and awhile. Sweat pooling down his back, fighting a loosing battle against the cold rain that soaked into the jacket. He just knew that him coming down with the flu after all this was over was a near certainty at this point.
He could barely hear Harley's voice as she spoke frantically into the phone over the roaring downpour of rain from above, having picked up in ferocity and dropped in temperature. Falling drops more akin to swords of frozen shards that stabbed deep into his bones, sapping their price from his very soul.
Trying to move past the discomfort, he gaze cursory glance at the buildings they streamed past. If he had expected things to get better, then he was sorely mistaken. Before the rain had enough time to wash away the majority of the blood, leaving only behind a bloody river that prickled at the senses. But now? It was much, much worse.
Crimson streaks left their scars on the surrounding buildings, doors ripped off their hinges, entire windowsills torn apart with a type of force that prickled at the top of the head. The bodies were now haphazardly sprawled out, now not even fully chewed. As though the monster had either gotten full from it's most recent gorging or found something else that had attracted it's attention. Cars flipped over into brick walls, torn up sidewalks and pulled out street lights laid littered amongst the chaos.
In simplest terms, it was like walking right into a horror film. It was the kind of scene that would've had him screaming into the screen for the sorry schmucks to turn around. The kind of thing that would've made him immediately quit out of the game and never pick it up again.
But sadly, this wasn't a movie nor a game. And there were no convenient power-off buttons anywhere in sight.
Closing his eyes wouldn't help here either, as it left imprints in his mind's eye. Burning the image bright in his lids. Their silent cries of torment, fingers grasping towards an absent deity, hands gripping their loved ones as they faced the end together. Torn apart dreams, lives and bodies. In homage of exactly how vulnerable life truly was in this new world.
A cruel reminding that one day, if he wasn't careful, could be in their exact positions easily enough.
So pushing past his wheezing lungs, wildly thumping heart, he ran pass the real life nightmare.
'Marcy is going to have a lot of work on her hand..'
Suddenly, he heard a roar that rattled his already shivering bones. It wasn't like anything he's ever heard before in either life, having not the cobble together roar of a dinosaur nor the iconic lion roar before most childhood movies. He was so surprised to hear such a loud noise after an eternity of silence that when his foot slipped in a nearby blood puddle, there was nowhere near enough time to steady his footing before tumbling down besides a nearby arm.
"AH!"
A primal scream of terror escaped his lips before he could stop himself and quickly scrambled away from the severed limb. Breathing quietly, he rose up to his feet only to spot those platinum locks disappearing behind a corner. And for the first time, Albert felt truly alone since this first started. The press of the dead seeming to understand this and circle in on him.
They grasped at his very being, sending out cries of pain and unwillingness. Those eyes looking up at him with a vindictive, accusatory gaze that hammered into his soul. It was maddening. Truly an utterly maddening to see so many dead. He just knew whatever did this was just beyond that corner.
He could hear it now, those roars of whatever creature had did all of this. It was a strange. Beyond strange in fact. But despite that, if there was one thing it told him above all else; the monster must be massive. Nothing else could expel such a bone rattling cry without having lungs the size of most people's bodies. And judging from the damage left behind in it's wake, it's size must only further compliment it's strength.
Strong enough to flip caps, rip open doors and break through literal brick walls to get at it's desired prey. Just thinking of it made him gulp audibly as he lightly jogged in that direction.
It was like the world had zoomed in on that single corner. A dark and menacing air being expelled, weighing down heavily on his shoulders. A large fist clenching his lungs as a knife was being ran up and down his spine. Every notch sending a further spike of panic coursing through his body.
'My gun!'
Albert quickly reached for his gun, fingers fumbling the pinkish handle. The usual cold handle felt warm to the touch, which was quite worrying but he would have to examine himself at a much later date. Breathing deeply as that weighty feeling slightly eased his heart, he tried to fall into a less frantic state. He didn't think accidentally shooting of his shelter-mates would earn him any favors.
He tried to close out the sounds of conflicts further ahead, his mind racing as a plan slowly began to build up, brick by brick.
'I'll just take a peek.' The teen reasoned, as though to reassure his shaking legs,' Just one. Real quick. Less than a second. A quick in and out.'
The sound only grew louder and more chaotic as he was now pressed up just an inch beyond the corner, the ground rumbling with each most assuredly massive step. After closing his eyes with a heavy exhale of breath, the teen poked his head out like a gopher.
Albert honestly wished he hadn't.
'What...the...fuck…'
And honestly who could blame him?
Just a few tens of feet away, the rain soaked blonde was truly showcasing her years of gymnastic mastery. She spun and flipped through the air, effortlessly dancing on seemingly invisible platforms to twist in ways that most assuredly went against multiple anatomical constant. But despite her feet hardly every touching the ground, that bat still swung with enough force to send reverberating thumps through his chest.
At a nearby alleyway, Darnell was firing buckshot after buckshot with almost mechanical ease. Deftly taking aim and expelling those loads of death before unloading the empty shells onto the ground before reloading. Each time only taking less than a heartbeat. The obvious ease in which the old man did these actions painted could've painted an image. A lone figure staring impassively at an array of foes who laid dead, their comrades looking up in a mixture of awe and fear as they stood a distance away. Hoping, praying that the reaper would overlook them just this once.
It took him a few instances to actually locate the final member of their party, her forest green skin making her stick out like a sore thumb in this gray jungle millions of people called home. Ivy usually always seem like a pretty stoic person, nothing beyond her interest really moving her in the slightest. Sure, mention anything environmental and she'll be all over like pollen on bees. Besides that, she was just content lazing around. And it wasn't strange to see her not move around for hours on in.
But now? It was like she was a completely different person. Her vibrant red hair stuck firmly to that obnoxious bubble coat, which had a few rips and tears in it. Exposing green skin within those slight windows. Her beautiful face scrunched up in concentration, a single vein bulging on her temple as her slender fingers hovered above the nearly flooded streets. He could see a few stray weeds waving through cracked cement, slowly in directions that didn't match the wind. In real-time, he could see them further break apart the ground itself, allowing for more plant-life to be exposed the sky above.
And finally, what he saw next took him a few moments to actually register. It was just too out of the norm. Ever since coming to this world, Albert had only really came across humans. Normal everyday humans, with Ivy being the most monstrous looking so far. But this...thing made him want to apologize to the poison mistress.
The creature was humanoid in nature. Two arms, a torso, a pair of legs and a head. But that's where the similarities ended. It stood an astounding nine feet tall, easily towering over them like humans to ants. It's wide shoulders held massive muscles that bulged incessantly, wriggling with every twitch. Hands that looked like they could easily engulf a person wholly, jagged claws dripped thick crimson drops. Clawed feet dug themselves deep into the concrete as it rampaged against it's foes.
Dark green scales glistened under the rain, nearby fallen street lights highlighting the streaks of red all across it's body.
And final, that face…
Just catching a glimpse of it, made every hair on Albert's body stand on in. The creature was bald, with not even a hint of hair anywhere in sight. Those small yellow eyes glowed maliciously, carrying a type of reptilian intelligence. But what really freaked the teen out was the entirely much to large mouth with multiple overlapping teeth that practically spilled out of it's maw. Blood dripping down its jaw like a sloppily eating toddler.
'Killer Croc?!'
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