Trash Panda

Things that Go Bump in the Night [Damiann47 + Summer]

It’s cold out tonight…
But, then again… it’s always cold at night…

---

A chill wind blew through the empty streets of Tokyo. The moon above cast a silvery glow on giant skyscrapers while simultaneously bathing the impoverished areas of the city in an eerie light. It was intriguing how one thing could have two such opposite effects… perform two such opposite actions, while changing nothing about itself. The moon was still the moon, whether it was illuminating beautiful lakes or exposing horrid crime scenes in the dark. It was for this same reason that some people liked the moon, while others despised its soft glow. That two-faced overseer of the night could be so many different things, while never doing anything different at all.

Kyou Ikeda felt like the moon.

He stared up the midnight sky, that white giant reflected in his clear blue eyes. During the day he was a normal guy working a normal job, living in a normal apartment, enjoying normal hobbies. He had a normal family and spent time with normal friends. He dealt with normal problems like paying bills and juggling his time between normal activities. During the day, there was nothing spectacular about him… But at night, everything changed.

At night, he was anything but normal. Normal guys slept when the sun went down, but he chose to spend the late hours using the power of the elements to hunt monsters. Like the moon, he had two opposite effects… performed two opposite actions, while changing nothing about himself. Kyou was still Kyou, whether he was writing an article for a journal or exorcising demons from the streets of Tokyo. And the latter was exactly what he was doing that night.

Kyou turned his eyes away from the moon, sweeping his gaze slowly over the city below. He was perched on top of a tall building with a decent vantage point so that he might find his elusive target more easily. Earlier that day, he had heard reports of disappearances in the capital on the news. The bodies of the missing persons had yet to turn up, but bloodstains had been discovered that matched the victims’ DNA. There were no weapons or other evidence of a murder, which puzzled investigators but gave Kyou the confirmation he needed: This was the result of the supernatural. All he needed to do now was find out what was taking people in the night.

A brief flash of movement drew the Hunter’s attention. He wasted no time, leaping off the side of the building to pursue whatever it was he had seen a second before. He summoned a gust of wind to slow his fall so he wouldn’t smash into the ground below, touching down as lightly as if he had merely jumped off of a chair, before he took off at a sprint in the direction of the shadowy figure.

He wondered what kind of creature he would find at the end of the alleyway he was travelling down. The bloodstains from the previous victims meant it was a monster that attacked humans, so he would have to be cautious. But what sort of weapons did it use? Was it a vengeful spirit or a bloodthirsty beast? Would it be possible to reason with or would he have to fight it into submission? There were so many variables. It was going to be an interesting hunt.

Kyou slowed his pace as he neared the end of the alleyway, his eyes darting between pockets of shadows and his fingers hovering above the knives her kept at his belt. Something felt wrong. He knew he had seen something move here, but now there was no sign of motion anywhere. Whatever this thing was, it couldn’t have gotten far. He slowed to a stop as a thought nagged in the corner of his mind. Perhaps… He looked up. A drop of water fell on his cheek.

“Well, damn,” Kyou breathed. High above his head, a giant centipede was gripping the side of a building. Its body was easily more than twenty meters long. It was covered in thick, exoskeleton armor, and lined from head to tail with countless writhing legs. The most disturbing part, however, was the monster’s head. It had a human face, or rather faces that shifted and morphed—Kyou had an uneasy feeling that the faces he saw belonged to its past victims. He only had a moment to take these things in though, because almost as soon as he met the demon’s eyes it struck at him, launching down from the wall with its jaws unhinged. He sprang out of the way and drew his dagger, holding it up defensively.

“Well, well,” the centipede made a chilling noise that sounded like a cross between hissing and laughter. It looked at him with its ever-changing eyes, slithering down from the wall and filling the alleyway with its long body. Its voice shifted with its faces, alternating from deep to high, male to female, creating a haunting chorus of the dead. “It’s been some time since I’ve met a human who put up a fight. I rather missed the challenge.”

“Omukade, isn’t it?” Kyou said, guessing at the creature’s name. “Aren’t you a little far from home?” He stepped to the side as the centipede crawled around him, preventing it from blocking him off from his exit point. He narrowed his eyes as he sized up his opponent. Going into the fight, he hadn’t expected to face a demon as powerful as Omukade. He was still confident that he could defeat it, but not without a difficult struggle first.

“No one visits me at my mountain anymore,” the centipede’s faces pouted sadly. “I was famished, and this land of stone and steel is full of easy meals.” It continued to creep slowly around Kyou, attempting to cut him off from the open ends of the alley, but he continued to maneuver around its coiling body and ward off its efforts. Omukade’s faces frowned more deeply, “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to pace while speaking with someone? Why don’t you stand still and we can converse more… eloquently.”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to play with your food?” Kyou jibed. The demon obviously wasn’t going to be reasoned with, so he prepared himself to fight. As Omukade reigned its coils a bit more closely around him, he lashed out with his dagger, cutting off one of its skinny legs. The monster screeched and retracted its body away from him.

“How dare you?” it hissed. “I will tear you limb from limb!” The centipede lunged and the battle began.

Things that Go Bump in the Night [Damiann47 + Summer]

@Damiann47 She looks good! I'm interested to see what kind of a person she's going to be
I started working on my first post, so I'll have that up sometime tonight

Things that Go Bump in the Night [Damiann47 + Summer]

@Damiann47 That's fine! I don't have an expectation for my partners' CSs, so format it however you'd like to :)
I have a little bit of free time tonight, so I'll see if I can get a post up

Things that Go Bump in the Night [Damiann47 + Summer]

@Damiann47 That's okay! I've been busy until this evening anyways, so that actually works for me :)
Did you want to make the first post or did you want me to do it? I'm fine either way!

Things that Go Bump in the Night [Damiann47 + Summer]

Alias: Mizuchi “Water Dragon”

Age: 21

Specialty: Elemental magic; specifically water, though he has some power over air, fire, and earth, too

Weapon: Throwing knives and a small dagger

Day job: Freelance journalist for a local newspaper

Personality: Kyou is generally a laid back, go-with-the-flow type of guy. He is not easily stressed and tries to keep a level head under pressure due to the fact that, as an elemental magician, temper tantrums could lead to burning buildings. When meeting new people he is slow to warm up to them, but once he does he is a fiercely loyal companion and a dedicated friend. Because of his reserved nature, people often think he is always serious, but Kyou actually has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor (though he often does not catch subtle jokes or innuendoes). Overall, he has a mellow, but likeable personality.

Brief History: Kyou Ikeda was born and raised in Fukushima, Japan as the only child of a middleclass family. He lived a normal life with the usual ups and downs of childhood… except for the fact that he could manipulate the world around him. Ever since he was a small child, he was able to move and alter water, and when he got older he grew control over the dirt beneath his feet, the wind that tousled his hair, and the fire that crackled in his camping pit. He always kept his ability a secret for fear that someone might see him and think he was odd. After all, none of the other children at school could make rain fall upwards instead of down. So, he decided to only practice toying with the elements in solitude.

For years Kyou never knew what to do with his strange powers, but one day when he was seventeen, he encountered his first demon near a river: a tanuki. The spirit did no harm, but it’s sudden appearance startled him to the point of summoning a small wall of water between himself and it, scaring the tanuki away. It was on this day that he began considering the use of his powers for supernatural warfare.

Intrigued by this newfound world of spirits and monsters, Kyou started actively seeking out demons. He stopped troublemaking poltergeists from disrupting phone lines and causing chaos, and as he grew more comfortable with his own abilities, he began taking on larger, more powerful creatures. It was all fun and games until someone got hurt.

After a year of hunting, Kyou made a deadly mistake. He exorcised the children of Jorogumo, the spider woman, from a family’s house. The demon mother was filled with rage and took her revenge on Kyou by murdering his mother. He was devastated, but instead of quitting he was only filled with resolve, training to use more powerful magic and even bladed weapons in battle. He vowed to stop as many demons as he could so no one else would have to suffer as he did.

Things that Go Bump in the Night [Damiann47 + Summer]

Hey look, a new thread

Only a Matter of Time [TheDookieNut + Summer]

…reports indicate that the virus is spreading from China to its neighboring countries—

…symptoms include bloodshot eyes, unusual changes in behavior, and—

…are now being spotted in the Philippines, Thailand, Brazil—

“Jesus,” Rowen muttered to herself, shutting off the car radio. “Can’t they talk about anything else? I swear, this disease is the only thing on every station.” Her bitter remark, while intended to make light of the situation, only made her shudder in apprehension. The new virus really had become a hot topic within the last twenty-four hours. And to already be spreading to other countries, even one as far away as Brazil? It was more than slightly concerning. She hoped scientists would find a cure before there were any outbreaks in America. It was already hard enough to get through the day without having to worry about turning into a rabid freak.

Rowen spent the rest of her drive to the gas station imagining the ‘what if’s’ of the virus appearing in New York. Who would it affect? As a criminologist, would she have to deal with the insane victims that were captured? What would they do with them if there was no cure? What would she do if someone she knew caught it? What would she do if she caught it? The entire situation in her mind was unpleasant, so she abandoned it for more relaxing thoughts about her plans for the evening. She hoped to meet up with her friends after work and catch a movie at the theater or perhaps hit a local bar. Either way, she was grateful for the time to hang out and take a mental holiday from her work.

Pulling up to a self-service pump at the gas station, Rowen checked the time on her dashboard. It was one minute ‘til eight, so there was no chance that she would be on time for her shift. She just hoped the chief wouldn’t be too upset. She shut off her car engine and got out of the vehicle, entering her debit card information into the pump so she could fill her empty tank. Once it was ready and working, she leaned against the side of her and watched the numbers increase on the meter as her car was injected with gasoline. Fortunately, she had a fuel-efficient little Toyota and gas prices were currently low, so she wouldn’t be spending too much money.

After a few minutes, Rowen heard the soft click signaling that the pump had turned off. She removed the nozzle from her car and placed it back in its slot at the machine. She was about to get back in the driver’s seat and head to work when she was startled by a loud crash. Spinning around in surprise, she saw two cars in the gas station parking lot collide.

“What the hell?” Rowen exclaimed when the initial shock of what just happened subsided. She quickly reached for her phone and dialed 911, but paused when she saw a figure running towards the accident. It took her a moment to recognize him, but when she did, she realized she had seen him at the police station before. He was one of the patrol officers, Jason… something. She blinked in confusion. Either the police were responding to calls faster than ever or coincidence was very much on her side today.

911. What is your emergency?

Rowan jumped as the voice sounded over the phone. She shook her head. Right. She still had to call for an ambulance. The driver in the front car looked like she was unconscious, so she would need help. “Hi, there was an accident involving two cars at the Shell gas station on Main Street and Watterson. One of the drivers isn’t moving… I think she passed out. The other driver is still here too, but he’s still awake.”

Thank you for letting us know. We’ll send help right away.

Rowen put her phone away, halfheartedly thinking about how odd it felt to call the police station when she worked there. She didn’t recognize the voice on the other end of the line, but she still wondered if the woman recognized her. Oh God, she blanched. What if she tells the chief? I’m supposed to be at work right now! She hoped Chief Wilson might be little more understanding since there was an emergency at the gas station, but she didn’t count on it. She was a criminologist after all, not an officer. This wasn’t exactly her field of expertise.

Unsure of what to do, Rowen hesitated by her car, watching the events unfold. The woman in the first car was still out cold, but the driver in the second car was acting strangely. He was shouting what she could only guess were words in a foreign language because she didn’t understand any of them. She then noticed that he was Chinese and gave an involuntary shiver, remembering Casey’s video of the rabid man from that morning. Stop that, she mentally chided herself. You’re being paranoid.

The police officer she recognized as Jason approached the angry man and told him to get out of the vehicle. At first, the man didn’t seem to understand or care that he was being ordered by authority, but after a few minutes, he flung the door open. Rowen gasped when she got a better look at him. The Chinese man was shaking violently with pent-up energy and had bloodshot eyes… just like the man in the video. She still didn’t know if he was sick or somehow insane, but she did know he wasn’t safe to be around. And Jason was trying to apprehend him on his own.

Without a second thought, Rowen hurried towards the crashed vehicles, reaching them just as the man leaped out of his car to grab the officer by the throat. “Hey!” she shouted, drawing the Taser she kept at her waistband—she might not be a policewoman, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t armed—and firing it at the man. He seized up and fell to the ground, convulsing and screeching in an inhuman manner.

“What a way to start the morning, huh?” Rowen muttered as she put her Taser away. She glanced back at the young officer she had just assisted. “Jason, right? I don’t think we’ve ever formally met. I’m Rowen.” She paused as the sound of sirens rang through the air. “And there’s our backup.”

Only a Matter of Time [TheDookieNut + Summer]

Rowen Ashworth was blind and deaf.

At least, that’s how she felt at the club. All of her senses were muffled by the blaring music, flashing lights, and writhing bodies all around her. It was overwhelming, but she loved every minute of it. The club was a place where she could escape from her regular life and just let go; let go of the stress of her job; let go of the pain of her recently deceased grandmother (well, her adoptive mother’s mother); let go of the bitterness of her breakup with Luke; let go of everything.

Deep inside, she knew the freedom she felt at the club wasn’t real, but she enjoyed it nevertheless. Besides, not all of it was superficial. She had made some good friends here over the past two years, friends who were in the same boat as she was: Trying to get away from their problems with wild parties and late night fun. Of course, Rowen didn’t go quite as far as some of them did. She never drank herself into oblivion or used drugs, and she never slipped off into the night with strange men. She had too much self respect for those kinds of idiotic ventures. Instead, she made sure to stay sober and keep her flirting within the walls of the club.

Tonight, she sat at the bar, sipping a martini—the only drink she would be having—and watching the other people dance and flirt in the ever-changing lowlights of the club. She wanted to join them, but she had to be at the police station early the next morning and didn’t want to be completely exhausted when she got there. In her line of work, sleep deprivation could be a career killer, and she was hoping to soon get promoted to be a real interrogator instead of just a simple intern. She couldn’t afford to screw up now.

Rowen took her phone out of her purse to check the time. It was already 11:30PM. She frowned, swirling the remnants of the drink in her glass sadly. If she wanted to be home and in bed by midnight, she had to leave now. She sighed and downed the rest of the martini, then tossed the strap of her purse over her shoulder and headed out. She hadn’t had much time to escape this time, but it was better than nothing.

--

…Doctors still don’t know what’s causing the outbreak, but they believe it originated in—

Rowen hit the snooze on her alarm clock, cutting off the morning radio host’s voice. She groaned and squinted at the digital clock face. It was 7:00AM, so she only had an hour before she had to be at the police station. She rolled out of bed and threw on a blue blouse and a pair of dress pants—fortunately she had prepared her outfit the day before, so she didn’t have to think about it in her morning haze—and shuffled into the bathroom to get ready.

Once her hair was brushed and she looked presentable, Rowen walked down the hallway to the kitchen, where her adoptive mother was serving her twin brothers eggs for breakfast. Okay, yes, she was 22 and still living with her parents, but she was also a debt-riddled college graduate living on the salary of an intern. She had plans to move out on her own, but she had to wait until she had a more stable career; something that, with a little luck, wouldn’t too much farther down the road.

“Morning,” Rowen stifled a yawn and sat down with her brothers at the table.

“Think it’s real?” one of the twins, Rory, asked, completely ignoring his sister’s greeting.

“Nah, can’t be,” the other twin, Casey, replied, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth.

“What can’t be real?” Rowen inquired. She casually filled an empty plate with eggs for herself.

“This new deadly virus they’re talking about,” Rory gestured at the TV screen, which displayed an image of the anchorman for the local news.

“They’re saying it makes people go crazy,” Casey added. “The media’ll do anything to rile up its audience these days. I mean, come on. I believe there’s a disease, but it’s probably more like Ebola. People don’t lose their minds from sickness.”

“Well, I don’t know,” Rowen shrugged. “I can imagine it. I work with people who suffer from psychological disorders, after all. There are all sorts of causes for someone to go crazy.”

“Not like this,” Casey shook his head. He drew his phone from his pocket and searched a video, then handed it over to his sister to look at. “Check this out. I think it was faked, but Rory is convinced this is the real deal.”

Rowen took the phone from him and watched the video play out. The audio was loud and confusing, but after listening for a few seconds, she realized it was the sound of a number of people shouting in Chinese. They were surrounding one man, keeping him at bay with long, wooden rods. The man was making screeching noises unlike any creature she had ever heard and trying to charge at the the men with the rods. Spittle flew from his open mouth and his bloodshot eyes darted back and forth like a cornered animal. Rowen grimaced at the sight, “He looks like a rabid dog.”

“I know!” Casey threw his hands up and took his phone back. “They’re saying the virus did that to him, but I think these guys staged the video to freak people out. There isn’t any proof that this is real anyway.”

“But what if it is?” Rory interjected nervously. “I know it’s way far away in China, but still… this virus thing is pretty freaky.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it, Ror,” Rowen said, finishing the last of her eggs and getting up from the table. “If it’s fake, there’s nothing to be afraid of, and even if it is real, I’m sure they’ll find a cure for it soon enough. Our medical field is so advanced it should take no time at all. Anyway, I’ve gotta run. I’m supposed to be at the station in ten minutes. You two behave, and I’ll be home soon.”

“Have a good day, Ro,” her mother kissed her on the cheek as she dropped off her dishes in the sink. “Don’t work too hard.”

“I’ll try,” Rowen rolled her eyes. She grabbed her briefcase for work and walked out to her car. When she turned on the ignition, she cursed. The needle for her gas gauge was on E. She must have been too tired the night before to notice the yellow light on her dashboard signaling that she needed to refill her tank. “Looks like I’m gonna be late…” she muttered, backing out of the driveway and heading to the nearest gas station.

Only a Matter of Time [TheDookieNut + Summer]

[Post reserved for minor characters]

Only a Matter of Time [TheDookieNut + Summer]

Age: 22

Occupation: Paid intern for a criminal interrogator (psychology major in college)

Hobbies: Singing and visiting clubs

Personality: Rowen is friendly and quick-witted; the kind of person others are drawn to because she makes them feel like they have been her friends for years, even if they only just met her. She can be something of a flirt with men, although she tends not to realize it in the moment, and her intentions are usually innocent. This sometimes gets her into trouble when others get the wrong idea. However, she never intends to hurt or mislead anyone, and she is trusting to a fault with strangers.

Brief History: Rowen grew up in a foster care system with no memory of her birth parents. At the age of twelve, she was adopted into the middle-class Ashworth family. She was extremely grateful to them, since she came from a life of nothing to one where she had two loving parents and two siblings (twin brothers), both of whom were also adopted.

During high school, Rowen became interested in psychology because, growing up in a foster care system, she had seen psychological problems first-hand and was fascinated with the methods to handle them. So, she decided to pursue psychology as a major, as well as criminology as a minor, and she became an intern to a criminal interrogator in New York City.

Now, only three months from graduating college, Rowen is looking to become a full-time interrogator for the police.