70. [DREAM/DREAM/DREAM/DREAM]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[So while the rest of Johto alternately panics, cries, or rushes around trying to capture as many of the soulstealing insects as possible, there are dozens of souls floating around in that dream limbo, drifting in and out of each other's slumbering thoughts and visions. Whether it's nightmarish flashbacks or just those dreams where you're at school taking a really hard test, and then Dracula shows up, and then everybody's naked ... anything is possible when it comes to what people see in their sleep.]

[But what appears in the darkness in this particular spot in the spaceless, shifting mass of dreaming souls... is a door.]

[It's old, and covered with boards and bolts, rusted near-through in some places. The lock is broken-- mangled and half-melted and wrenched out of the keyhole. The only thing on it that doesn't look ancient is a scrap of torn notebook-paper that's taped up on it at roughly eye-level. It reads only a single phrase:]</sub>

Fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh.

<sub>[More importantly, though... the door is ajar. Through the gap come the scents of rust and metal-- and something organic, fleshy-- and a low, deep hum of industrial machinery. It's not a door that anyone in their right mind would want to go through. ... But for anyone who may have stumbled this far into the dreams of their fellow lost souls, either in flight from some other nightmare or just pure, wandering curiosity... there's just no other place to go but through the door.]




[Go on. Open it. After all.... it's only a dream.]</sub>

[ooc: SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG, GUYS. Thanks for being patient! If you commented on that planning post, there's something spooky planned for your character to do here so please feel free to tag or not tag as it pleases you!]

~*~

[ooc: This is the IC post for what was announced over here! Even if you didn't comment there, feel free to participate! I'm still happy to whip up Silent Hill scenarios for folks!]

Comments

[foolishwren]

<sub>[But the funny thing is, if he feels his way around the room... it's the same size it was earlier. ... But that doesn't stop it from feeling like it's shrinking...]

[The air is getting thick. ... And smoky. That deep woody smell is almost cloying.]</sub>

[exeggutorhead]

[When Envy realizes that, it only serves to frustrate him more. If feeling of shrinking space is coming from his own mind, then that certainly doesn't mean anything good. He can't let himself panic like this, be weak like this, because he's Envy and he's the strongest thing in his entire world. He punches a wall again and forces himself to stop pacing, not that that helps much because he's starting to shake.]

[Then he notices the air and freezes entirely, trying to figure out what exactly that smokiness means.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[It probably won't take him too long to figure out.]

[The room is still dark, but the air is getting hotter... and if he listens closely, he'll be able to hear the sound of crackling coming from beyond the walls.]</sub>

[exeggutorhead]

[Oh. Oh, son of a bitch. Envy redoubles his attempts to break his way out of the room, shouting.] Let me out, you bastard! I'll kill you and beat you into a stain on the fucking floor with your own arms, let me out!

[Envy's been burned to death before, plenty of times. It's a very unpleasant way to die, and if he's stuck in here when the fire reaches him, he knows he'll probably be trapped in it, cycling between the flames and death until he either gets out or there isn't anymore fire to burn in.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[As he can expect, the door is slammed shut firmly once again, with another scream from the monster cutting in above the rapidly-growing roar of flames.]

[Burning to death was INDEED a hideous way to die... especially when you keep on coming back to life each time. But it's getting hotter and hotter...]

[... And then the monster screams again. Something smashes hard against the door-- is there a struggle going on outside?]</sub>

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy almost doesn't notice the sounds as a struggle, he just assumes it was the monster again.]

[But this time seemed different, and really, what did he have to lose? So he starts pounding exclusively on the door, hoping that maybe it will just open this time.] Hey! Hey, is someone out there?!

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Unfortunately, there now seems to be a lot of... dead weight against the door. Phooey.]

[... But then it's being dragged away-- ... and something's pounding ON the door in return.]</sub>

[exeggutorhead]

[Even if it's just another enemy, Envy doesn't even care at this point. He'll deal if it is, so long as he gets out. He braces his shoulder against the door and shoves as he tries to open it.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[And AS IT SO HAPPENED... the door was being opened on the other side-- just as he was shoving.]

[CUE SLAPSTICK.]

[There's a loud WHUD and an "OOF!" as Envy sort of... shoves the door open INTO somebody. He'll find himself likely tripping over something that had to be the the monster's body-- and INTO the person he just whacked with the door.]</sub>

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy certainly has enough momentum to trip and go careening right into that person, letting out a noise that very suspiciously resembles a yelp.]

[And man, what with being covered in drying blood from that trampling and looking pretty wide-eyed, he does not look very good. He doesn't take a close look at who he ran into right away, both because of his eyes adjusting to actual light and figuring that hey it's a person and not a monster, good enough. He is also not polite enough to say 'oh sorry for hitting you with a door' or 'are you okay', he's already turned his attention to looking around the hall because WHERE IS THE FIRE THAT I HEARD.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[A quick glance around the hallway will tell him-- .... nothing.]

[It's just... the same hallway he ran away from the monster down... there's no fire anywhere... not even embers, or smoke.]

[... What there IS, however, is a reflexive fist coming flying at his face from below. Sorry, Envy... it's nothing personal. You just kind of exploded out of a closed door at her. It's instinct.]</sub>

[exeggutorhead]

[Just...staring down the hallway because there was definitely fire...]

[Hello, fist to the face. Instinct or not, Envy's already on his last nerve, and that pretty much stomps on it. He and Silent Hill are officially Not Friends. He's only stunned for a moment before his face twists into a furious snarl and he pulls his own arm back to deliver a return punch to whoever had just DARED to--]

[Wait. Hold up, stop that punch halfway.] ...Heather?

[foolishwren]

What the HELL, Envy!

_{[Yeeeep. She's pinned underneath him, and looks reasonably grubby-- but definitely not on fire.]}

[exeggutorhead]

What do you mean, 'what the hell Envy', you punched me in the face!

[At least he's getting off of her now.]

[foolishwren]

Because you just exploded out of a broom closet at me without warning!

[exeggutorhead]

Yeah, because the closet was on fire! [Or had been about to be. Or seemed to have been about to be. SAME DIFFERENCE.]

[He crosses his arms.] And there was warning, didn't you hear me yelling?

[foolishwren]

What the HELL are you TALKING about?

_{[She points-- past the slain monster, and into the -- ... well, NOW it's a supply closet... a little dinky thing with some mops and a few bottles of disinfectant. And there's not a sign of fire anywhere...]}

[exeggutorhead]

[He looks back at the closet when she points, and stares. Silent Hill, why you do this to him.]

It didn't look like that before. It was wooden and there were things written all over the walls. That thing [He jabs a finger in the direction of the monster] chased me in and wouldn't let me back out.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Because it loves you, bb.]

[Heather just... stares.]</sub>

... Well, it's not like that now.

<sub>[Him saying that the Closer chased him in there doesn't surprise her in the slightest, though.]

[She starts to pick herself up.]</sub>

C'mon, let's get the fuck outta here.

[exeggutorhead]

I can see that. [He sounds almost huffy about it because now he looks like the crazy one.]

[He's gotten to his feet already, and holds out a hand for her. Least he can do after knocking her over.] Gladly.

...So this is your dream, I'm assuming.

[foolishwren]

_{[But maybe you were always the crazy one, Envy... you never know...]}

Dream...?

_{[She pauses before taking his hand. Yeah... that's right. It was a dream. That was obviously the only way Envy could be here, after all...]}

... Yeah. Or something like it. C'mon, we can talk... later. Yeah.

[exeggutorhead]

Fine with me. You know the way around here?

[Envy would like to not walk into any more creepy closets thanks, and he's not too proud to follow her if she knows the way. Then he looks thoughtful.]

If you killed that monster, I'm guessing you had a better weapon than I did. You wouldn't happen to have any extras?

[foolishwren]

More or less.

_{[It's a terse reply, and her mind is elsewhere. But she IS listening, which she proves when she yanks something out of her pocket. It's a stun-gun.]}

Take it. It's not fantastic, but it's better than nothing.

[exeggutorhead]

[Envy reaches to take the stun-gun, looking it over. He's...actually never used or seen one before because haha 1914, but he's fairly sure he'll be able to work it out if need be. He does give her a half grin, though.] Thanks.

...For getting me out of that closet, too. [And it's actually one of those rare genuine thank yous, too.]

After you. [He looks down the hall; normally he might have made some ridiculous flourishing gesture with his arms, or smirked, or laughed, but he just doesn't feel like it right now.]

[foolishwren]

... Hey, don't mention it.

This place is kind of awful for claustrophobia.

_{[She gives his shoulder a friendly pat before starting to walk. She's not quite as happy-go-lucky as normal, either...]}