Thread: //.ghost/ECHO::Murphy_Was_Right:// [ClockworkCadence x Ryees]

RE .ghostECHOMurphyWasRight Shed thought everything would go smoothly. Slip inside, leave him gagging on his own blood, slip outside. Really, how much more complicated could it get? Shed thought that since he was sleeping, there was going to be no retaliation, no resistance. She could have been rid of the elusive man shed been pursuing for months, get a job well done from Vincent, and move on to much more important things in her life. It could have been so easy. It could have been so, so easy. Yet luck wasnt with .DUALITY that night. That odd feeling that she needed to be ready to defend herself wasnt just a reflexit was a warning. Shed considered the disadvantage shed be in with her plasm levels low if he were able to move past her initial attack why had she even thought of it? Shouldnt she have been more confident in her own abilities? Yet the answer lay in front of her plain as day, if only she would have paid attention to it, instead of hyper-focusing on the goal that lay before her. That lingering uncomfortable feeling she got from passing through his door was still throbbing strong in her veinsit wasnt just a layer at the door, this odd energy was everywhere in this place. It sent adrenaline pumping into her veins, waking up her senses enough for her to repeat a revelation that shed known perfectly well, yet at this moment, it made her blood run cold. You dont know what hes capable of. That statement rang true as suddenly his body jerked to life, her knife finding some part of his flesh that sent an impossible combination of blood onto the floor and a crazed cackle into the air. The unnatural response surprised her, the grip on her knife disappearing with the fear that somehow that laughing meant confidence, that he had some upper hand and he knew it. He was insane, and that meant unpredictable. Apparently, that statement extended to more than just his own actions, as his carpet inexplicably moved on its own, sending him catapulting towards her as she began reaching for the knife hidden in her boot. Her fingers recoiled as her hand brushed his skin as he slid across the floor, yet with renewed vigor darted down to snatch her original knife from his body, tearing the hole in his skin and muscle wider with the downward tug. She had to move, to adapt to whatever odd circumstances decided to happen. Maybe she was just imagining the carpet moving, maybe he had tripped. But it didnt matter now. He was cornered. No weapon, clearly wounded, now was the cha Yet as she began to move, she was suddenly staring at the floor, a soft pressure on her back that left her stunned for a split second. What just happened? The question was answered as she pushed off the object and scrabbled to the side, the new sickening angle her nose was at vaguely registering in her mind as she turned and came face to facewith a mattress? Seriously? This whole house was insane. Hell, maybe she was going insane along with him. Yet she couldnt entertain these thoughts any longerthere was still a very real danger, amplified now by the fact that she was apparently outnumbered. Swallowing the blood flowing into her mouth from her shattered nose, she tried to focus back onto her original target, but to no avail, as the mattress stood to shield him. A minor inconvenience, but surely she could dodge past it or quickly subdue it somehow Yet once again, the darkness of the floor consumed her vision, along with a searing pain in her torso that brought even darker tendrils of black nothingness licking along the edges of her perception. It took a moment to realize the mattress was on her again, not pressing and suffocating like last time, but just lying there. Her hand moved to push it away, its corners dragging through a puddle of blood that she slowly realized was hers, staining the white fabric. For a moment, her mind tried to replay what happened, grasping into the darkness of her foggy memory for some strand of the event. There was the mattress, he was behind it and The sounds. There were small, distorted pops in the sea of her mind. Momentary images of holes being ripped through the bed standing before her. And, she supposed, through her, too. But where was he? There was a sudden, still moment where she glanced around her, taking the scene in. Bits of white fluff from the mattress were soaking in blood, a few stray bullets lay scattered around her, another smear of blood where he had once been standing, and a hole, crimson dripping down its edges. Shit. He opened an .ECHO to escape. Where was he trying to go? Did he have any accomplices that could help him, or was this just his feeble attempt at trying to shake her loose? .DUALITY crawled forward, feeling the friction of the floor rip the holes in her flesh open wider. Her body was weak at best, the adrenaline dying down in the moment of feigned safety allowing her to feel the pain jolting her nerves and the unsteady shakiness numbing her arms. The blackness creeping at the edges of her vision grew like an impending fog, her focus blurring. However, none of this matteredit couldnt matter to her, not yet. She had a job to do. Shed come this farit was time to finish it. Her body slithered up to the edge of the hole, the blood still trickling from her torso falling to the floorboards and mixing with the crimson her target had left behind. With an agonizing heave, she threw herself in after him. It could have been any amount of time that she had been laying god-knows-whereseconds, minutes, days. Honestly, it was impossible to tell whether she had been unconscious or not, because for however long it was that shed been there, she hadnt moved, hadnt thought, hadnt so much as breathed, it felt. A gentle warmth tried to comfort the throbbing pain that seemed to be coming back to her, but it did nothing to mask its true viciousness tearing at her insides. She wanted nothing more than to just will it all away, but it stayed, a constant reminder that she was still alive, and that life was going to be much harder for her for a while. Emerald eyes opened to a dark expanse of clouds above, her mind suddenly registering the hard ground below. Her hands tried to push her up, but a nauseating vertigo sent her crashing back down, shaking fingers trying desperately to hold her consciousness in place to keep it from spinning so fast. Maybe if she just laid here for a little while longer, she would feel a bit better. Maybeif she didnt remember just how she got here. Vibrant copper locks tossed limply onto her face, sweeping across the dirt as she shifted her head around, gaze finding a crumpled figure a few feet away. Was he conscious yet? Did it matter? A tired, slow energy powered the hand that reached for her knife laying inches away. The determined flames shooting within her soul had decayed into a cold ember, her drive replaced with apathy and bitterness fed by her pain that told her to just get it over with. She dragged herself closer to him, not wanting to expend the energy to get up and walk, the blade dragging lines through the dry dirt as her hands pulled her forward. It seemed to take an eternity, but finally, she was face-to-face with him once again. Only this time, she actually looked at him. A burgundy hue to his hair, a rather handsome face that she hadnt quite expectedshe had come towards him with every intention of ending their conflict, and still had that desire burning dully in her chest, but instead of raising her knife as soon as he was within reach, she had paused. This was who .LAPLACE really was. This was the man shed been after. For a moment, she looked at him not as .DUALITY , but Lyra, the woman who had stayed up countless nights puzzling over what frustratingly little crumbs of information he strung her along on. It was kind of cathartic to finally have this realization, something to make her mission feel completea feeling that would come to fruition soon, as she raised her heavy hand, the crimson-stained tip of her weapon pointing at him, condemning him. A growl. Low, deep, threatening. The sound froze .DUALITY in place, eyes wide with surprise as her head snapped around. Her focus found a small pack of .WRAITHS , curiosity and bloodlust evident in their slow steps toward her. Four of them locked eyes with her, wolf-like if they didnt look so skeletal and malnourished. Chunks of their bodies here and there were heavily pixelated, blurry, or distorted. A few had missing data, evidenced by the pixels lining gaping holes in places like their legs and their chests, oozing a plasm that was colored a sick-looking green. Others were completely corrupted with the body parts of other animalsa bears paw, a cats tail, a sharks teeth, and several other random pieces that made every .WRAITH look like an experiment gone wrong, all horrifying amalgamates that formed terrifying chimera-like beings. It was with a creeping realization that it became clear they were stranded in the middle of the badlands. Slowly, shakily, .DUALITY stood, her gaze frozen on the new assailants as she spoke to her old target. If youre alive and youd like to stay that way, get up. She didnt warn him because she wanted him to liveif he ended up dying from this fight, it would just make her job that much easier. However, with her own body screaming that she might not be able to handle this on her own, her survival instincts told her that she would certainly have a better chance if he was able to fight. Another growl, more menacing this time. A paw step that was just an inch too close for comfort. Her heart skipped a beat before she lunged forward, sliding low to catch the biggest .WRAITH off guard as she stabbed the hook at the end of her knife into its throat, kicking the beast backward as the hook dragged tendons out with its escape from the furry flesh. A quick phase of her forearm saved it from being mutilated by the .WRAITH with the shark teeth, shifting the direction of her blade to bury itself into an eye socket. A sudden weight slammed into her from the side, dragging the knife through the .WRAITH s face a bit as it came loose, .DUALITY s body tumbling across the ground, the pain of her wounds paralyzing as she willed herself to move, the muscles in her body adamantly fighting against her. A blow to her headfrom the size and force of it, it must have been the bear paw. Her eyes were open, but all that was distinguishable was color. Gray, black, blueor was it green? She should have been terrified, but by this point, she felt an odd sense of calm. Was this feeling the start of death?