Island Church (??? World)

[scribble_puppet]

Voices

Crackling

Headache

Ash

Amber blinks.

White dress

Charred bars

People in robes

Torches

"SHIT!" She scrambles up, briefly tangling herself in the trailing sleeves of the dress that she has never worn before.

A brief flash of horrified realization- someone else changed her clothing- flickers in her brain before she takes in the greater horror.

She's in a cage. Suspended over a large brazier filled with wood. The woman is there, and Johnny, and people she doesn't know, all holding lit torches. The circle symbol is patterned on the floor. The woman is chanting something. Everyone is focused on Amber, with strange, reverent expressions.



Amber screams, rattling the cage door.

Comments

[futures_of_ash]

That particular smile from Rachel was something her team never, ever got to see. It'd scare them.

"We can do that. If you're ready to step back into reality."

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

"Let's fuck its shit up."

REVENGE!

[futures_of_ash]

"Want a weapon?" Rachel asking in passing as the scenery around them began to fade. "I've still got hands on it back in the real world, but you might not want to go hand to hand with it." She could feel it writhing and wiggling in confusion back with her body, but it didn't feel particularly weaker, hence her worry.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

"Got a gun," Amber comments. "...somewhere." Provided she can find her bag.

"...yeah, that'd be good."

[futures_of_ash]

"I'll try to keep it's attention on me." She promised simply. More and more of the real world was leaking in around them. Sounds, tastes, the real, actual weight of their bodies...

...and the real, actual weight of a weapon appearing in amber's hand. What? Rachel knew swords, not guns. The blade was swimming flame that sometimes still enough to seem like metal, but the handle itself was utterly real and solid.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

Right now, she is not totally keen on the fire thing.

On the other hand, it's a weapon, and the thing that was using her is scarier.

And there's a building tide of rage inside, toward this parasite and all it represents

the frustration
her mother's suffering
the isolation
the coopting of her

It's going down.

[futures_of_ash]

It was Rachel's nature, she couldn't change that. Besides, a blade like that could do a hell of a lot of damage, which really was preferable at this point.

And their back, utterly and completely. Surrounded by the scent of char and blood. Ringing by wide-eyed cultists and with Rachel simply holding on to the thing that they're calling an angel.

Yeah, she'd had better days.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

Amber doesn't really have any sort of martial training.

Then again, she doesn't really NEED it, when there's a burning sword and a somewhat stationary target. And a rage boiling on adrenaline and emotion.

Her swings are wild, but hard, and she's aiming to destroy.

[futures_of_ash]

That was another good reason not to have a particularly solid blade. It meant Rachel didn't have to duck and dodge anything from Amber's end of the fight, the blade instead sliding around and through her without harm.

Yeah, she was just going to let Amber go at the monstrous thing until the girl felt better.

Or until she had to turn her attention elsewhere.

Either way.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

[OOP: Sorry for taking forever to tag again!]

The congregation has scattered. Some remain, through faith or through an inability to move.

The old woman is there, hands tight on her son, face impassive as she stares hard at the battle.

The young man's head is bowed, his face scrunched up in desperate concentration.

"I give to you unreservedly, my body and my eternal soul," he murmurs. "Whatever darkness may befall me, I will endure with you beside me."

Light. Blood. His clothing glows, purged of the blood and soot and any color at all.

A new host.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

The monster moves, flowing toward him.

Amber roars and lunges after it, sword of flame swinging with purpose and emotion.

"Like fuck I'm letting you assholes win!"

[futures_of_ash]

The star-crossed, mis-informed, pan-dimensional IDIOT. She felt the 'angel' in her hands slip and slide, dripping away from her to scramble to a new host and she screamed.

A hawk's scream.

A predator's scream.

The boy had no idea what he was getting into.

And given how unnatural and horrid the thing was, Rachel wasn't sure she should let the thing take the boy entirely. No telling what it would do with all the energy of a willing sacrifice instead of one that fought tooth and nail. The body was given, so no hope there, instead Rachel reached out with flame and desperation to peel the boy's soul away. Keeping it safe. Keeping it clean.

It was just another form of energy after all, life energy, and that was HER domain. ::FOOL:: she snarled at him before setting that soul safely behind her. That was at least a little energy the thing couldn't grab now. It couldn't be complete. Now they just had to finish cleaning up.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

No!

It struggles, a martyr fighting his way back toward the slaughter.

I won't let you hurt her!

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

The young man's body spreads its arms, baptising the room with blood-red fire.

Amber's mind is too clouded to notice the pain. There is only the focus of "kill the monster." The thing that destroyed two lives, just so it could try to exist. That nurtured itself on suffering.

Fuck that thing. Shittiest god ever.

Blood splashes across his gleaming robes.

[futures_of_ash]

::Oh shut up.:: Rachel snapped at the soul, holding it back with ease. ::You don't have eyes now, so look with other things at what you've been worshiping.:: Being just a soul could help clear things up. Sometimes.

Honestly she really didn't care if he saw or not though. For all intents and purpose he'd become irrelevant.

Now it was all about protecting Amber from the flame as the world lit up around them.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

God! GOD!!!

NO!!!

Blood

God's blood (his blood?)

His mother is burning

Everything is burning

His body is a doll
in hands of shadow and flame and mist

and he knows that the one using him doesn't care

doesn't care any more than anyone at Wish House cared about the toys there

and it's too late now

he's broken.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

Everything is red. Everything hurts.

And then a screech louder than the roaring in her ears echoes across the room.

Time stretches as the glowing boy falls, a descent like a drowning victim in water.

The god doesn't move.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

The boy does.

"why..."

He reaches a shaking arm up toward Amber.

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

She watches him dispassionately, her shoulders heaving with the effort of breathing, her legs shaking with the effort of standing.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" she demands, offering no further specifics.

His arm falls.

She just stares, a statue of red and white.

[futures_of_ash]

"A lot." Rachel answered, a whisper of rage and sadness from behind Amber. Still hovering, still protecting...but some things simply needed to be done alone. "Abuse, misery, fear, all twisted around a sick and perverted hope. This place isn't good for people." It was as simple, and as complicated, as that.

"Are you ready to leave Amber?"

[OOP Note]

[hollow-way.livejournal.com]

I'm not really sure whether it'd be better for Johnny to be dead or not. :/ Thoughts?

Re: [OOP Note]

[futures_of_ash]

*Shrug* Rach can restore him and stick his soul back in later if we want, leave him in charge of Silent HIll after they leave...or he can die. No real need/desire either way. :)