[CENTER][img]https://i.imgur.com/pzvcW5L.png[/img] [Img]https://i.imgur.com/8BJy5WD.png[/img] [img]http://txt-dynamic.cdn.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjEyOC5hZGFhMDAuUkdWeWFXTnJJRkJoYkcxbGNnLCwuMQAA/haziness.regular.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/puXkAoM.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/tlZtumW.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/f4XE2MO.png[/img] [Sub][@Surtr][@OppositionJ][@Zombiedude101][@Savo] [b][code]Thompson Lumber Mill Inc - Interior[/code][/b] [/sub][/center][hr] In what felt like a few seconds, the resumed chorus of partygoers and pulsing music had again been replaced with the shrill cries, screaming and shouting of the crowd as people in the center tried to push their way out through the outer layers - and it was [i]real?[/i] Nate brought his hand up once again to check it and for a brief moment felt a pang of relief to see flesh instead of whatever the hell it had been a moment ago. But something [i]was[/i] going on further in the crowd and he didn't particularly want to find out - he spun on his heel, realizing after the fact that he'd knocked Kim on her ass when he'd backed up. She was pawing around on the ground for something - her glasses? A strobing light caused a glimmer to appear on the ground where the glass reflected it and he quickly knelt down, pushing the pair of glasses into her palm. "Oh, thank you," Kimberly thanked him as she put her glasses on. "Thank me when we're not about to be lined up for Columbine two-point-oh," he grunted back, offering Kimberly a hand up, which she took without a second thought as the screaming really picked up. [i]What in the world was going on?[/i] The bespectacled teen looked around to witness blood. Blood everywhere. It reminded her of the hallucinations she suffered, but it all felt very, very, real. Fresh crimson spattered across a wall and part of a low-hanging beam, almost luminescent when the strobe beams passed across it. Whatever the fuck was going on, it was close. Nate urgently yanked at Kimberly's wrist, searching for a path in the crowd which didn't lead them further into the crush as they joined over a dozen other party-goers who were desperately trying to push their way out. An elbow caught in the gut here, nearly tripping over someone there, then what felt like a blinding, searing heat erupting from just a few metres away, behind a human wall. Wooden beams and floorboards seemed to crackle and spit as flames licked across them. [i]Fire?[/i] [hr] ... what the fuck? Upon entering into the mill, some of the area had been lit on fire... smoke was filling the atmosphere, and with bloody murder and the whited eyes of those dead and alive were enough to crack Derick's uncaring bravado, just a smidgen. It was enough to cause him to take a step back, almost willing to go with the tides of people rushing out. Sucking in a small breath of air once more, he forced himself inside... they had to still be in there, right? A small thought nibbled at him, that maybe they had left, succeeded in getting out of the mill. Derick shoved his way pass another person. The smoke began to grow, shrouding the room with a black missed. Derick stifled a cough. The first thoughts were should he inspect the corpses? Derick would of frozen straight on the spot, if not for the constant fumes trying to invade his lungs. He continued to trudge on, giving no two shits about his own welfare. It was difficult to stay on balance without his walking stick, especially with the semi-rushed, semi-careful jogging he was doing that threatened to cause him to topple over at any second. Whipping his head around, he noticed a couple of corpses piled near what he assumed to be the "punch" table... Or rather, what was left of the burning pieces of equipment. The fire had raged on near it, the smell of rotting flesh approaching him slowly. Derick wobbled a bit, stifling his reflexes to throw up, gagging what dinner he had as he pressed a hand against his head, looking around. ... at this point, the flames continued to whittle away at the old mill, sputtering and flaring brighter and hotter than before. The smoke had become much more densely packed in this atmosphere, causing the boy to hack and cough just a bit. [color=aba000]"Jordan, Kim,"[/color] he managed to rasp out, gasping a bit as he stumbled forward, only to be greeted with the sounds of a cacophonous roar emanating from within the compound. This time, he froze. That guttural growling sound more animalistic - like a bear or mountain lion... but there's no way an animal got in here... the only entrance open was the one he went through... plus. ... the few bodies he saw looked like they had been hacked to pieces, comparable to lumbermen toppling trees. And they were just as flammable too... There was a minuscule creaking above Derick. Coming back to his senses, he yelped as he jumped back, plummeting onto his ass as a few pieces of the building crashed down onto where he was previously standing... Jesus fucking Christ... Catching his breath, the best he could, Derick's whole body trembled. He... he could of been crushed, his meager life snuffed out in an instant. His heart was racing, trembling a bit between the constant struggle to breathe in the thick air of ash, soot, and dread. He didn't even realize that he had fell straight onto a corpse. It was only when Derick felt some sort of sickly warm liquid wash over his hands that he scrambled off, panic surging across his body, a whole slew of curses being uttered. [color=aba000]"Holy fucking shit, this can't be fucking real damnit,"[/color] he muttered under his breath, trying to regain what little composure he had at the start. Looking at his hand, it was partially soaked with blood; it was drying quickly as he almost shoved himself up, ready to begin his search again. ... if not for the figure he barely made out in the black, ash colored fog. Derick ducked behind the fiery debris, careful to keep his distance lest he too was incinerated by the growing inferno. "... Shit man," Derick heard the deep voice of Samson, as he pushed through the smoke. While heat didn't bother him anymore, smoke sure as hell did. He kept marching forward as he looked for an exit out of this madness. He held an arm in front of his face as he marched forward. A piece of burning debris hit the ground to the side of him, and he paused. A spark of yellow flame burst off his being out of surprise, and Samson loudly gasped. He looked at his hands... which were burning with a bright yellow color. "I... I did this... didn't I?" He mused for a moment, before he figured that he'll figure it out later. After running out the building. ... did... did he just hear what he thought he said? Derick's eyes were widened in disbelief as he saw the guys hands were lit on FUCKING FIRE. His breathing almost picked up, but he forced himself to hold whatever breath he could as the man just ran straight by him, missing the shrinking boy. He thought to himself, wondering if he was hallucinating what he saw on his hands, maybe even heard. A painful pinch and a gulp of air perished that thought immediately as he began coughing softly to himself. Once he was out of sight, Derick slowly bumbled around, standing upwards as he struggled to maintain any semblance of balance once more. Pressing a palm against the his temples, he trudged on, needing to know if they were stuck or hadn't made it out... though, those pressing thoughts continued to play through his head, no different than a scratched up record. [color=aba000]"What kind of fucking super hero movie did I just walk into,"[/color] the man hoarsely mused to himself, pondering on the appearance of the Human Torch 2.0. Once more, he heard that roar. The more he approached it, the less animalistic it sounded. There was something... off, enigmatic, and wrong about it all. [hr][right][code]Thompson Lumber Mill Inc - Mill Interior Hallways[/code][/right][hr] [i]Clever clever...[/i] Now that she had circumvented all the distractions that awaited for her outside her window, Callie's self proclaimed safe room was much less secretive than it was twenty minutes ago. No more relaxing? No problem. Within moments, Callie strided swiftly and silently across the dilapidated floor that seemed willing to collapse her into some dark serial-killery basement at any moment's notice. She could hear the intensely loud music and the party-goers that had somehow managed to drown out the massive speakers into nothing more than white noise. Well, that much gave Callie a clear indication of what to avoid at least. Well, at least for the first minute or so, but when the raucous chants of dozens of kids turned into something more... panicked, Callie halted herself. [i]Screams? And no happy screams— authentic horror movie screams... What the hell happened?[/i] The idiot couldn't help herself. She turned to parade towards the main 'VIP' party area, her steps as silent as they could be. The change of pace wouldn't last, though. The girl cracked the door just in time for someone to be slammed against it, smashing the frame closed once more. The terror that raked through Callie's being as she listened to the bloodcurdling shrieks rhythmically dying out just on the other side of the door alongside a [i]thump... thump... thumping.[/i] The weak door started to be smashed from its hinges and it wasn't long before that telltale thumping gave way to a large crack. Callie nearly fell backwards reeling in response to the lumber axe that just pierced the frame inches from her inquisitive eyes. They were inquisitive no more however. Callie's form twisted like elastic as she scrambled to turn from what lied before her, stumbling into a run. Whatever the hell was going on, she wasn't interested. Hell, she wasn't supposed to be here in the first place. What lied behind her— what could have followed her, she didn't know, but Callie wasn't about to turn around and find out. She crashed her way around the labyrinthine structure, splintering through and clambering over any debris that managed to try and deter her. It wasn't an easy trip rushing through some old mill that was falling apart. It was even more difficult with Callie moving so fast that she never really knew what would lie behind every one of this maze's corners, especially that final bend she rounded... In her blind flight attempt, Callie found herself smashing halfway into someone as her momentum left her stumbling forward trying to collect herself. Callie ground to a halt, shooting a frantic gaze back towards the girl with bated breath. [i]Jordan..?[/i] It looked like Callie wasn't the only one clever enough to get inside, but then again, maybe that was what [i]wasn't[/i] clever. "We have to go," was all the girl managed. She looked ready to take off again whether or not Jordan would trail after her. Though, Callie probably didn't realize that Jordan had a bad leg... and she had knocked her over. After the initial yelp, Jordan was more surprised than angry, or any other emotion. She had quickly picked herself up, and dusted herself off, but felt the stinging pain in her leg because she landed on it the wrong way. She used the walking stick she got from Derick to prop herself up as she faced the girl whom she had encountered earlier... when the party wasn't going crazy. She told her that they "had to go," but the one thing that Jordan replied with was a strained, "Not without my friend." Because she barely knew what in the hell was going on, and she wasn't leaving Kimberly in the thick of it. She couldn't run like Callie could, but sure she could walk fast. Split decisions always messed with Callie. She wasn't one to be the heroic save everyone type, but she did have empathy... And [i]you know... Normal human compassion.[/i] The girl stuttered a moment before finally replying. "We'd better find her quick." Callie internally sighed. Just interjecting herself into a scenario she had nothing to do with. Oh well, this seemed like life or death. She really wasn't expecting an actual adventure when she climbed in that window. Composing herself, Callie stepped forward. It was only now she was realizing the pain that seemed evident in Jordan's movements. "Can you move alright?" "No worse than I normally do," Jordan answered as she looked back for a moment. "If you're gonna help, come on..." Callie shook herself a bit, as if coming back into reality. With a step forward, she offered Jordan a shouldered grasp of assistance should she have started to struggle in movement. Sure, Callie wasn't the right woman for this job. She just wasn't built for it, but damn... [i]There's just something about these crazy days that unify people.[/i] "No leads as to where she might be, I imagine?" Callie's gaze sifted through the surrounding areas, making sure there was nothing behind them more than once. "Nope," Jordan said, as she had no way of knowing if Kimberly was in here or not, all she did was continue marching forward with the help of Callie... approaching a door. As Callie trailed along with Jordan, she sighed deeply. Whatever all this unnecessary nonsense was, they just needed to find Jordan's friend and get out. As much as she wanted to bolt now, something kept her from leaving the poor girl behind. As the two approached the door, Callie offered a swift kick forwards in an attempt to push the door open. [hr] "What in the..." Kimberly said as she squinted a bit. [i]Where did all this fire come from...?[/i] Kimberly mused to herself as she took a few steps forward. There was blood everywhere - and fire, there was lots of fire. At this point, everyone had mostly cleared the Lumber Mill except for them... and one lone figure that stood in the bask of the fire, turning him into a silhouette of sorts. He turned around, and glanced at the two, and Kimberly immediately realized that there wasn't anything [i]human[/u] about him. At least, not anymore. His hulking figure marched towards the two, and Kimberly wasn't sure if this wasn't another hallucination, or... it felt real. The flames felt real. [i]Everything[/i] felt real. [i]Ohmygodohmygodohmygodhe'scomingrightowardsus![/i] The thoughts rushed through her head as the brute moved faster than what Kimberly thought. "Fuck-shit-fuck-" Nate's frantic cursing was barely a whisper over the distant cacophony of shouting and hollering. "Hurry up for fuck's sake!" Stumbling forward, he near enough wrenched her arm towards his own mass, then practically shoved her yet again, this time towards the direction of the exit. [i]Oh fuck, dumb idea.[/i] "Hey-" Kimberly tried to shout, nearly tripping, but the brute was practically right on top of them. He reached upwards towards a loose board that had been previously nailed to the wall, now glowing at the tip where the flames had licked at it, then practically tore it away from the wall and swung it towards them in a roundhouse motion like a WWE actor with one of those 'steel chairs', only this had the capacity to maim. Nate, for his overweight mass, managed to throw himself out of the (literal) line of fire, but Kimberly's foot got caught on a loose board which had no doubt been kicked around by the constant mass of people stampeding across it and she ended up falling over. She loudly screeched on the way down as she wondered how many damn times was she going to fall tonight. She immediately crawled away, gasping as the burning wood singed her along the way, then managed to force herself to her hands and knees in time to see Nate hurl a bottle at the rampaging killer. The thud of glass against skin was inaudible amidst the chaos, but the shrill note of smashed glass managed to escape after it ineffectively thunked off the killer and hit solid ground instead. [i]Not that it did any good.[/i] Instead of staggering or even crumpling to the floor as hoped, the killer turned his sights from Kimberly to Nate and growled something incoherent, then marched forth. The teen turned to run, but found his path blocked by debris and smouldering wood, desperately weaving in and out of the room as the hulking killer simply barged their way through any obstacles until the distance closed. They jabbed an arm forwards, grasping at the back of the teen's hoodie and wrenched him towards the ground, kicking over a smouldering table that had stood in their way. Nate sprawled on the floor, disoriented as the hulking killer adjusted the grip on his board so that he clasped it in both hands, raised it up like a hammer at a high striker. "No no no-" The killer brought it down and Nate fell silent, the floorboards beneath them audibly cracking at the sheer force of the strike. Disinterested, he didn't even take a moment to admire his 'handiwork', instead turning his sights back towards the girl that had evaded his wrath mere moments ago. Kimberly was frozen in place... [i]Oh my God[/i] Kimberly muttered to herself, almost ignoring the fact that the killer was turning his attention to her. He was dead... she barely knew him, but he was gone. Dead. The first time that Kimberly had ever seen something like this. She was frozen in place as shivers went down her spine, hands were shaking, and she couldn't even choke out a scream. She didn't even notice the symbol of a camera's eye burning into her forehead... the brute lunged for her, hand first, and the only defense that Kimberly had was her legs giving up, and she had fallen over. His hand missed her, and she cried as she ran over. Beginning this game of cat and mouse as the brute ran after her... In the middle of her sprint, a burning piece of wood fell from the rooftop, and the bespectacled teen barely reacted in time to stop. She could fell the heat of the flames singe her hair somewhat, and felt grateful that she was able to stop in time. However, she felt the man grab her by the back of her neck, and throw her to the ground hard. She gasped as she felt the impact, and looked over her shoulder for a moment as he raised the burning wood over his head... [hr] Jordan pushed her way through the door that she had seen, and just hoped it was where she would find Kim. And boy, she was right in the worst way possible. She pushed the door open right when Kim was thrown to the town by... a monster? She vaguely recognized him as the Sheriff's little upstart - but, he made such a jump from being a little shit, to... this [i]thing[/i], that Jordan couldn't hardly believe it. Since shit like this should [i]never[/i] happen. It was shit that she sees in horror movies. This was no movie. Jordan wished that it was a dream, a prank, as the sheriff's bastard loomed over the only friend that she had in this madness. He raised the piece of wood - not the most intimidating weapon, but with the strength he wielded, it was definitely... lethal - over his head. Jordan tried running forward in some vain attempt to save her, but she only fell over when she fell to her hands and knees. She put her hand out, loudly screaming, "[i]No![/i]" And the moment the sound escaped her lips, [i]it[/i] happened. A wave escaped her... it was beyond all understanding. It was a wave of inverted colors that overcame everything, and it was followed by everything stopping. A perfect stasis. The flames stopped, a piece of collapsing ceiling floated in air, and most importantly, the sheriff's child had paused mid swing... but, Jordan could move just fine. She looked at her hand for a moment, and waved. Kimberly screamed, but she was still alive. It stopped, and she stared right at it. She had shivered in fear for a moment, as she wondered if she was dead. But, it was a miracle. She turned her head, and looked towards Jordan, who looked completely and utterly surprised. "Kim! Move!" Jordan shouted at Kimberley, in case this wouldn't last long, and Kimberly was thrusted back into the real world. She gasped as she rolled to the side, and at that moment, time resumed. The piece of wood hit the ground, and shattered on impact. Kimberly panted, as her respite came to an end. [hr] [i]What the fuck?[/i] Colour had bled from his vision, leaving a mass of light and dark patches which encompassed the space around him, a blinding white where the flames licked at their surroundings and figures enshrouded in a void, stood solemn where bodies had been slumped moments before. He tried to find some measure of promise in the ground, pressing a palm down into the floorboards to stand, only to feel his entire mass lurch inwards as his arm sank into the ground, up to the elbow. Mouthing a silent yelp, he stopped for a moment, tried to calm himself down, then pulled back upwards, as though it were passing through [i]water[/i]. Was he dead? A ghost? [i]No.[/i] The bright masses of light - the flames, he realised - seemed to swell with each passing second, the heat that rippled off them licking at wherever his skin wasn't covered by clothes. Pain and discomfort from [i]that[/i] reminded him that he was still alive and breathing, though it was getting harder to do so by the minute as the smoke closed in. But his hand had just sunken into the floor and a part of him felt as though he could've submerged the rest of his mass in it if he'd [i]wanted[/i] to. By all rights, [i]Nate[/i] knew he should have died when that crazy motherfucker had brought a club down hard enough to shatter the ground under him, but instead he'd only felt a rushing sensation in his gut, like he'd been on a rollercoaster or something. Why? Blinking, he couldn't think on it right now - the danger was still here, still right on top of him - this time, he shifted his weight forward, drove a palm into his knee to force himself to stand and found solid ground beneath his feet. The sensation of being adrift in water dissipated and colour seeped back into view, the flickering white now a glowing orange. His path to the exit was obscured now, both by debris and by the searing heat, but he could see a tangle of figures through the smoke and flames, then... Everything [i]froze,[/i] like pausing a scene in a movie. Nate reached out and felt no searing heat from the static orange glow, then pushed forward through to the other side. [i]"Kim! Move!"[/i] Straight in front of him was the hulking mass-murderer, frozen mid-swing - and in front of him he could see Kim and the other girl from earlier, the one with the fake leg or whatever it was, scrabbling to escape. [i]Escape now, questions later.[/i] A rasping cough slipped from Nate's throat as he stumbled after them, making a clear detour around the killer and towards the exit. [hr] The pair slammed through the door only to see the exact sight they were looking for. Of course, surrounding the poor girl was a blazing inferno that felt ready to engulf the whole of the lumber mill. Callie wouldn't have stopped moving if the massive boy hadn't stood ready to maul Jordan's friend to death. Callie skidded to a halt, about to call out— a sign of warning, a distraction, anything! Something had to work. Jordan collapsed in a similar vain attempt to see use in the inevitable scenario, and that's when Callie knew that hope was beyond gone. At least, momentarily it was. Callie felt something akin to a sense of vertigo overtake her as something in her vision just seemed to... [i]stop working[/i]... The imminent danger seemed entirely diverted. Jordan's friend was safe just out of the range of the giant's strike that was aimed so perfectly seconds before. Callie was frozen for a second in her thoughts, just attempting to comprehend what she had just witnessed. By the time she came to, Jordan, her friend, and her friend's savior after her fall all beelined for what Callie could only assume was an exit, and Callie herself was meanwhile left behind. [i]Shit.[/i] Without a second more of hesitation, Callie stumbled into a rush forward after the three other [i]normal[/i] folks. No matter what happened with the girl, Callie wasn't about to stay behind and test her odds with the psycho guy. On the front of Kimberly and Jordan, the killer was split between two ripe targets. Should he direct his rage towards Kimberly who was getting away, or Jordan, the girl who was just pushing herself to her feet and attempting to flee, and was otherwise defenseless? The killing was so ripe, that the killer got excited... his eyes glowed brighter, and an aura that was seemingly a jet-black smoke manifested. However, before he could resume, he heard a voice... a strange sound that he shouldn't have been able to understand, but he could hear it [i]clearly[/i]. The killer stopped and turned around, deciding to go after Callie instead. Opting out of usage of a weapon, and instead used the best weapon he had on hand; his own two hands. Once again, Callie ripped her body to a halt as the assailant turned from his previous targets. She was frozen. What the hell was she going to do against this monster? As he tossed aside his weapon, Callie seemed entirely at a loss for ideas, but the realization struck her light pure storybook insight. The girl fumbled, shifting her weight from one side to the other as she turned 180 degrees. Determination lit across her face. [i]I am not about to die for trying to help a crippled girl.[/i] With terror in her eyes as she glanced back, Callie made to rush towards the door from which she came. Hell, anything would be better than the searing room with the psycho. She cared not to close the door, instead choosing to focus solely on forcing her still in shock body to surge on despite any pains. Whether she could outrun the massive guy, Callie didn't know, but with just a hallway in front of her, it would have to suffice for now. "Calli-" Jordan tried to cry out, but Kimberly had closed the distance between them, and suddenly yanked Jordan off. She tried to protest, but there wasn't much that the two girls could do to save Callie at this point. As much as it sucked, Callie was on her own. They were the few of the last people to leave the building going up in smokes. The brute pushed his way behind Callie, and upon going through the door-frame, he pushed the door frame down as he decided to follow after Callie. The flames that set the area ablaze illuminated him and his prey as he was quickly closing the distance between himself and his prey. He lunged at her with both hands out, quickly closing the distance as he intended to grab her. Callie was nothing special. She was just an average girl. What the hell was she thinking trying to save people? There was no way she would ever be able to match the beast in speed, so Callie's mind finally wrangled together a better strategy. If only she'd thought of it sooner. As soon as the girl darted to the side, aiming to ram through a door, her trailing hand felt a hard tug that locked her in the doorway. Inhibited from going further, she looked back, the terror ever present in her eyes mingling with the desperation that awoke in the situation. The pseudo-monster had locked its grip around her arm. [i]Shit. Shit....[/i] [i]She was no hero. She was no warrior[/i], but Callie would be damned before she tried to avert her death by some murderous, demon-possessed classmate. Her free hand wrenched backwards, spiking its knuckles towards those demon eyes that pierced her to the bone. This thing wasn't going to let go naturally. Distraction. That was her tactic. Well, for now at least. She just had to get it off long enough for her to find something useful or an escape route. Hell, if this thing didn't kill her quick, smoke inhalation would surely soon follow. The beast was hit in the face, and while it didn't injure him as much as Callie would have liked, his grip was released slightly. Time. Time was all she needed. That front of terror finally seemed to hold off. Was it gone? No. Callie was beyond terrified, but what washed over top of the terror was something more... [i]her[/i]. For a moment she was calm. She was thoughtful. Callie threw all of her weight back extending her free hand to just barely reach a length of stray wood likely fallen from the crumbling structure. Had she not been filled with adrenaline, she might have noticed the nail-ridden rotten plank spiking into her hand. Perhaps it was a good thing she didn't. In her moment of clarity, Callie fought back. The sharp protrusions of the board arced along Callie's side with another strike aimed to slam across the man's skull. All the while, she ripped her captured arm back in attempt to come loose with the blow. The beast loudly groaned as he released her, stunned for a moment. Yet a moment was all the faux-warrior needed. Once more, Callie threw her shoulder into the door just adjacent. A familiar window finally gracing her view once more. Callie wouldn't have stopped moving at all had she not tried to keep the blockhead out, but she'd need to clear away the debris before she dove for safety. With a swift kick behind her, she knocked the door shut once more, bee-lining to her safety only meters away. A few moments later, a young girl exhumed herself from the burning building full force, nearly collapsing and passing out right there in the grass. [i]That was it...[/i] [hr] The two girls also made their exit from the building... everyone had cleared the area, most likely going anywhere but here, and the two could hear sirens in the distance. They should probably get far away from the building wreckage as they could. They needed to find Derick's car and... Derick! Shit, they forgot about him in the midst of all this madness. Jordan kicked herself in the ass yet again, as she looked back at the burning wreckage. The whole decrepit building was up in smoke, completely immolated by building orange flames. She hoped that bastard went down with it. Kimberly wondered what in the world happened here. As the adrenaline wore off, Kimberly felt sore... so very, very, sore. She could feel all the wounds she received [i]sting[/i]. "What the [i]fuck[/i]," Nate broke their distant silence, "Was [i]that?!"[/i] Compared to before, he looked even more of a disorganized mess than usual. Sweat, soot and strands of shaggy hair stuck to his forehead and in some areas of clothing were abrasions, tears of dark patches where the heat had seared them. "Your guess is as good as mine," Kimberly weakly said as she tried (and failed) to ignore the pain. "Horror movies... ugh," She paused for a second. "Horror movies don't suddenly pop out of nowhere." "... Maybe there's a reason why this area's fenced off," Jordan said. "Let's just get out of here already... my friend, if he's still alive, has a car..." [hr][right][code]Thompson Lumber Mill Inc. - "Entrance" Hall?[/code][/right][hr] Derick's eyes began to well up a bit as he continued to walk within the sea of flames. The whole area was engulfed the deeper and deeper he went, more debris and flame spilling into areas he once could maneuver through. And in the flames, it hid a giant silhouette that lurked behind him. He loomed, completely weaponless, breaking a floorboard with his weight as he approached Derick from behind. Derick continued to swiftly scan the mill, finding no other traces of life aside from himself. He even gave in to he fearful desires to analyze a few of the corpses to the best of his abilities, but he didn't find anyone that looked like his friends... at least, the ones that weren't charred to a crisp... Brushing his hair to the side, Derick bent down low, trying to gulp in some fresh... air... ... Between the raging flames and smoke slurred coughs, Derick was able to make out the sound of something [i]snapping[/i] behind him. A chill shot up his spine as his heart began beating harder than ever before... the sound of breaking should of only came from the ceiling at this point. Instinctively, Derick, turned his head around as fast as he could to make sure he wouldn't disorient himself... ... and then he was certain if it wasn't for the fire and the fact that he scrambled back a bit in time to notice a floorboard come down where he was standing just a few minutes ago with a menacing thwack. He would of assumed it was just the mill coming down on him, if not for the giant of a man standing behind him... Black veins pulsing with putrid bile through them all on what he could see as the hand, and piercing red eyes that were made the more prominent through the ashen fog. [color=aba000]"... what th'fuck?!"[/color] Ok, what the fuck did he walk into?! He hacked and coughed a bit more, his eyes streaming with tears as the smoke continued to invade his atmosphere. Yeah, there was no way he was going to be able to stay calm at the moment, not with this monster of a man looming over him! The best he could do right now was slowly back up and wait for an opening to run past this fucker and get out of here! They were alright, he was certain of it! This bastard didn't get to them, did he?! With every step that Derick took, the psychopath took another step. But much closer. He wasn't letting this prey get away. He lunged, swinging his fist wide as he could As soon as he saw that arc, he had to make a gamble. Derick swiftly pivoted around where the arm was swinging, the flank of the creature exposed. Derick stumbled a bit, coughing even more as tears blurred his vision. He was ducking low a bit, struggling to maintain his balance... but thankfully, the boy did. Something whiffed over his head, followed by a crack into something else he couldn't bother looking at, followed by a low guttural growl. He couldn't keep doing this... [i]No,[/i] he... he could... come on... com[color=aba000]e on... come on![/color] Every fiber of his body was straining, his lungs struggling the most as he tried to continue keeping consciousness. He could barely make out the faint sounds of footsteps following behind his sprint. It was rather difficult to pinpoint most of the monsters steps with the roar of the flames looming over him, even more threatening than before. Derick struggled to discover a way out, the smoke fucking up most of his vision, disabling his sight. Thoughts mingled in his head, ranging from how do I get out of here to how to I kill this fucker... the latter of which was easily answered as he stumbled about. He managed to make out a corpse clutching a bottle of... some kind of alcohol; tequila or something? Whatever. If this bastard somehow wasn't on fire, he was going to figure out a way to make it on fire! Shifting and scrambling about, Derick made it to what be believed was the entrance... or rather, what looked to be the entrance... this whole fucking thing was sealed! No matter what he did to try and open it, it just wouldn't budge. He pounded and pounded, the ceiling began to creak above Derick. Much to his chagrin, there was an awful truth he began to realize here. ... that he was going to die in this hellhole. ... but if this was it for it... well, should he just let this steroid piece of shit behind him kill him? The man stood, slack jawed as more tears began welling up, his breathing becoming even more difficult. Derick could barely make out the sound of it approaching. His heart was pounding, his breathing became even more heavier than before. Slowly, Derick turned around, one hand tightly gripped around the bottle filled with alcohol, and the other one slumped, as if defeated... and through the thickening black mist, he saw those piercing red eyes once again. He barely made out two arms moving upwards in the darkening smoke, appearing to tightly be gripping on to what he assumed was its weapon. The area around them began to light up more, the fire above them both becoming more prominent than before. The creature swung, roaring out its eldritch battle cry... ... and Derick booked it, losing the last of his balance as the monster smashed into the door. He was certain he heard a few yelps and people crying out that it was breaking through. As Derick rolled onto the floor, he grunted in pain as he carefully held on to the bottle of alcohol. He heard the boards above them crack and rumble. This was the only opportunity he had left. On cue, Derick popped the bottle open, and took one quick swig of the alcohol before utilizing the last of his strength to toss it at the monster. The sound of glass crackled around them, causing the monster to bellow in rage as opposed to pain, finally giving up on trying to tear out its weapon that was thoroughly wedged into the door. As if it was on timing, Derick heard the roof finally give out, crashing onto the monster as some flames slowly engulfed it. Its roars emanated through the vicinity... but honestly, at this point he didn't feel like listening to them anymore. He did all he could, slumping down onto his back, lying amidst the fire and bodies. So this was it then... he was going to be a corpse too... it was a lot sooner than he anticipated but still. His face was ice cold, slowly melting as he did his best to contrast the fire. Smoke began bogging his vision as he let his final thoughts take over. Thoughts of his family, their diner, pictures of his two best friends who seemed to always drag him into their shenanigans. Despite the violence waging around him, he was going to do his damndest to have a peaceful death... even if he wasn't prepared for it. [color=aba000]"Later Kim, Jordan..."[/color] And with those final thoughts, two of his eyes began to close... and two others began to open...