The Hunter's Run ~ RP

[Dominicy]

A necessary sacrifice?  Who does man take me for?  Who does this man take himself for?

I armed my gun, sidestepping and rolling underneath each of the bullets fired by the strange, elderly man that he perhaps vaguely recognized.  It was sheer dumb luck that I had even dodged the bullets, my clumsy legs only carrying me so well after I had been knocked out cold not long ago. "Hah.  A necessary sacrifice?  Killing a nobody from a tiny town in northern Europe, saving the world?  I find that a bit hard to believe..." I called out with a manic laugh, extending the barrel of my gun for the man's head.

"Die..." I hissed out before letting several balls of hot lead spray from my gun with a satisfying blast, one simple goal in mind: destroy the living gunfire that so foolishly challenged me.

[HobomasterXXX]

Trent was slowly but surely beginning to tire. His old body couldn't take as much as it once could. The strange Scandinavian man would eventually outlast him. Unless he somehow ended it before that ultimatum. Then he thought... the gem. It got him through many a battle years ago... maybe now it could....
Trent emptied the half full cartridge from his pistol, and did not load another one. He could see his opponent was bewildered. Trent then shoved his hand into his pocket and withdrew the gem. It began to shine intensely. He then shoved it into the empty space where a cartridge would go in his deagle. He had no idea what would happen, but he believed it would be enough.
Bright light erupted from the gun and flooded the room. When it cleared, Trent's Deagle was gone, and an all the more sophisticated weapon remained. Trent's weapon from his own time. The Bullpup Lightcaster Heavy Pistol. A dull purple gun the size of a SOCOM, with a small dial on the side with several settings.
Trent: Meet your worst nightmare bastard!!!
Trent fired off 3 rounds. This gun did not fire bullets, but heavily intense light that burned into metal and flesh alike. It singed the man's clothing when it skimmed past him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please note that this is not some uberpowerful ultra killing weapon, it is just a decent chunk more powerful than your standard pistol. And yes, Trent is from the future. Explains a lot, eh?

[Dominicy]

"Cute.  Your toy light gun's going to run out of batteries though, I still have plenty of bullets left..." I reminded him, gently cocking back my gun, listening to the satisfying ring of three spare bullets, each in their individual cartridge.  The question was left, what the hell was that thing?  I didn't care, I could figure that out from his dead body, any sooner, I didn't want to know...

One... two... three... I counted each bullet as they were fired from the hot barrel of my gun, the tiny killing machines I had fired for the elderly man's wrinkled forehead thirsty for blood, and lots of it. "You don't know what nightmares are." I howled out in an almost hollow threat.  Why had I even said that when I know, he knows that I had nothing to back myself up with.  Perhaps the same reason you'd try to fool a bear into believing they were no match for you.  This was different... I was ready to die, ready to kill to defend myself.

Hah... dying to defend myself, how ironic...

[HobomasterXXX]

The heated battle continued, and in the two's concentration, they did not notice the shadow demon descend from the roof.
It raised a hand, and the two were snared in vines of shadow and darkness. Some invisible force knocked their weapons out of their hands and out of reach. The strange beast began to clap.
Shadow: Bravo! Bravo!
Trent: What in the hell are you doing here?
Shadow: I am merely observing. And testing my new power that all this aggression has given me. The power to possess weak minds.
Cyrus emerged from the shadows with his head bowed. As the two men spotted him, he raised his head. Looking into his eyes was like looking into a pool of black ink. His shadow looked like some foul demon from the underworld. This was not Cyrus anymore. It was something else....

[Dominicy]

I didn't hesitate for even a moment.  As far as I was concerned, all three of these men, 'men', were my enemy, all three had to accept the same fate at the end of my gun, where-ever it had fallen. "What the hell are you?" I managed to struggle out between gritted teeth, feeling the tendrils of the very incarnant of darkness itelf coil around my legs.  I was immobolized, hopeless.

I could feel it, I was losing my grip on what was real, what was not.  My eyes widened voluntarily as I struggled either of my wrists free of the iron-clad blackness licking at my feet.  I began to panic, my chest erratically heaved, my head throbbing, my legs struggling to move, if only to tell me that I still had even had them. "What are you...?" I managed to redundantly spit out, teeth still clamped against one another in a tight bond.

[HobomasterXXX]

A sinister grin appeared on the creature's face.
Shadow: Now for some fun.
Suddenly the shadows moved like water and formed a dark barrier, making the dead end into a small room. Cyrus, Trent and that man were alone together. They could see the shadow on the other side.
Shadow: Here's the plan; Trent and Ulrike, you will try and take out my new puppet. He's a tenacious one though, so watch out. And don't bother squabbling amongst each other, it will just give Cyrus an opening.
The shadow flowed through the air into Cyrus's eyes. Cyrus began to move.

[Dominicy]

"Done and done..." I gave a sinister, guiltless scowl at the orders, letting the empty case of my gun fall to the amorphic, liquid shadow at my feet, sliding a fresh clip into the slot, taking close aim at the man dubbed 'Cyrus''s head, firing a single bullet, watching absorb into his head, the flesh seeming to engulf the bullet, the man staring at me with a sickening, empty grin.  This wasn't a human any more, this was something else.  Something more...  He lurched toward me, a heavy looking shot-gun borne in one hand, a pistol borne in the other. "Use that thing of yours!" I barked to my sudden comrade in an unforgiving tone, carelessly, clumsily dodging out of the way of the blast of the shot gun.

[HobomasterXXX]

Trent picked up his gun and turned the small dial in the side. He fired off a shot at Cyrus's arm, which caused it to spasm and release his pistol. Trent ran up and claimed it for his own, wielding it in his off-hand.
Shadow(speaking through Cyrus): Impressssive. But isss it enough?
Cyrus fired of two bursts from his shotgun. One of the pellets hit Trent's leg, burrowing deep into his flesh. Trent was knocked down, and the Shadow's hulking puppet was approaching to finish the job, when Ulrike snuck up behind Cyrus and slit his throat. Black liquid spilled out, and the thing that was once known as Cyrus let out a roar of pain. It fell to the floor and twitched around uncontrollably. Trent approached it.
Trent: I never liked you much anyway.
Trent pointed his two guns at the hulking man's head and fired both. The body stopped twitching.
Trent: This battle is won.
Suddenly, black liquid spilled out of the corpse's eyes like water, flowing to one point and forming the shadow creature. The body regained it's more humanlike features, and it's shadow returned to normal
Shadow: You have done well.

[Weerd Thing]

Mirdoran: Not well enough, I'm afraid.

A metallic hand grasped Ulrike by the neck and held him high.

Mirdoran: Neither of you knows what a nightmare truly is.

He threw the captive away like a ragdoll.

Mirdoran: My nightmare... is knowing that this power is within my reach, at last...

He slowly stepped towards the shadow creature.

Mirdoran: ...and two buffoons are in my way to take it.

Shadow: Crusssader, you have returned. But not in time. You misssed a good show...

It descended from the ceiling to approach the armored man.

Shadow: Your willingnesss to ssserve, however, isss notable.

Those words were spoken almost as if he had expected him to make that decision.

Shadow: We're going to have sssome more fun... with you...

Slowly, but surely, the demon slipped into Mirdoran, melding with his form, until it was out of view.
When Mirdoran turned around, a definite change was noticed.
His metallic armor had bound with his flesh, making it as malleable as the skin, but as durable as the chitinous exoskeleton of a human-sized insect. When he spoke, the helmeted head produced a mouth for it to speak with.

Mirdoran: Now this... this is TRUE strength! True power, at last...
Shadow: Hold your own against my new puppet, and perhaps I shall grant you a favor...

When he withdrew his sword, it seemed different... alien. Then it became clear. The enormous zweihander and Trent's blade had merged together into one weapon. The demon had planned well...

Mirdoran: Have at you, heathens!

With a speed that seemed impossible for such a large man, he leaped towards the pair, intending bloodshed. He swung his blade horizontally, to strike the two, with nothing but cold murder in his once-human eyes.

[Rayonius]

Ray woke up and saw a man lying unconscious next to him, struggling to breath. There was an open wound on his head. He looked around and saw five other people packed into what appeared to be the back of a truck, covered by a window-less camper. One of the men was shrieking in a foreign language, pounding on the wall that separated the camper and the cabin. The temperature in the Sahara outside was pushing 45'C (113'F), and the temperature inside was even hotter, but Ray was still shivering. Ray groaned in pain as the truck hit a speed bump. Speed bump!? Where are the hell are we?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Requesting permission to unload, over," the radio crackled.

"New shipment today?" the responder asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, and some of the scum are getting pretty restless," the driver of the truck replied, a banging sound in the background.

"Clearance granted. Proceed to loading dock 3."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   The people in the truck started clamoring when they realized the truck was stopping. Ray glanced over at the man who had been struggling to breathe. His breathing had calmed. The doors of the truck slammed shut, and the crew opened the tailgate. They were shouting, but he couldn't understand them. They had guns, and were pointing to a door behind the truck.
   One of the captives got out of the truck and started running, and was instantly shot in the back. Ray cringed, and the captives were silent. The workers pointed to the door again, and people started getting out and walking to the door.

   Whatever you do, don't get killed.

   Ray went and stood against the wall next to the door with the others, watched by one of the guards. The other two had pulled the unconscious man out of the truck and threw him off to the side of the truck, laughing. They pushed him down into a grungy, wet, hole, presumably into some sort of drainage pipe, and he went tumbling down. One of the captives roared and charged the two guards. His fate was the same as the last.
   Ray was fighting back tears as he was led into the building by the guards. They were in an empty white room with two doors. The guards said something then walked out, grinning as they talked to each other. There were two doors in the room, one led back outside, though it was locked by by the guards. Nobody dared touch the other for several minutes. One of the captives muttered a swear in a foreign language and opened the door. He looked around, and walked out. Another followed soon after. Ray huddled in the corner near the door and, despite being terrified, fell asleep. When he woke up he saw the other captive in the room asleep. He went and shook him awake.

   In English, Ray said, "Wake up p-please, I'm scared."

   The man leaned up. "What's your name, son?"

   "R.. Ray Autery," he said, startled by the question.

   "Okay Ray, I'm John. Let's get out of here."

   They walked out of the room, and glanced both ways. On the left was a short distance to a turn, and the right went on for a long ways, with multiple doors on each side of the hall.

   John turned to the right and started walking. They walked down the hallway for quite a ways, checking the doors, and Ray couldn't help but notice John was limping badly. Behind each of the doors there were either more hallways, leading in all directions, or empty white rooms. Ray opened one of the doors and saw a dead man in the corner. John was about to ask if there was anything behind the door when he smelled the decomposing flesh, and kept walking.

   "Gesł Cristo," Ray heard John mutter. They were nearing the end of the hallway, when they heard somebody running towards them. John was frozen in place as Ray scampered behind one of the doors. Ray heard John talking to someone in the hall, and he looked around. Another dead man was in the room. Ray closed his eyes tightly and looked away, but eventually looked back at the man. He looked like he was in a lot of pain when he died. He had been strangled with metal wire, and the coil was left by the body.

   Suddenly Ray felt calmer than he had ever felt in his life. "Taaake ittt...." A quiet voice said. Ray grabbed the coil, and the calmness went away when he heard three shots ring out in the hallway.

   "We have to go. Now." John said as he burst into the room.

   They took off running down the hallway. What was that? He glanced down at the metal coil in his hand. And why the hell did i grab this? After they had been running for a while, they came to a room with an open door. They looked inside and saw a man hunched over a dead body. 

   John put his finger on his lips in a gesture to be silent, and they glanced in the room. He turned to Ray and whispered, "he was on the truck with us." John stuck his head in the room and said "We mean you no harm. What is your name?"

   The man jumped, spun around, and pointed a pistol at John. After he saw John's face, he lowered the gun.

   "Call me Theo."

   "Where the hell did you get that gun, Theo?" John asked.

   "Found it next to this guy. There's only one bullet left, but there's no blood in here anywhere. Just this black ****." He stuck his finger on the ground in a pool of black ooze. "Smells horrible." He tasted it. "Tastes horrible too. What are we waiting for? Let's get out of here."

   They took off jogging down the hall. Suddenly Ray felt a chill run through his body. He glanced over at the other two captives to see if they felt it too. John looked incredibly weary, but not scared or cold. "D...did you feel that?" Ray asked.

   "Feel what?" John asked.

   "I felt it." said Theo, flatly. "I felt it earlier, too. When i first walked in the room with that dead guy."

   That feeling... it felt... weird. I'm scared...

[HobomasterXXX]

Trent dived out of the way of the massive blade. He could see Ulrike do the same. This would be a difficult battle. Trent looked for a gap to aim into. There were none.
Mirdoran: This power.....
Mirdoran swung his sword at Trent madly. Trent jumped away from each strike, still searching for a weak point. From a distance, Trent could hear footsteps. More captives?
Then Trent realized. When Mirdoran spoke, a mouth opened on his helmet. Trent had found his weakpoint. Now to coax him into opening his mouth.
Trent: You're nothing more than demon scum now Mirdoran!
The massive swordsman opened his mouth to reply, but instead got searing hot light straight down his throat. Mirdoran's whole body shook, and his hands released the massive demon blade. Trent ran up and claimed the sword for himself.
Trent(thinking): Now how do i get my sword out of this thing?

[Rayonius]

The three captives were sprinting through the hallway, gasping for air. They went into a door and rested for a few moments. John sat in the corner, rubbing his knee. Ray sprawled out on the floor, gasping for air, and Theo bent over, hands on thighs.

   "I don't think I can keep going, guys. My leg hurts too much," said John between breaths.

   "We'll have a look around. You stay put, okay?" Theo reassured.

   As Ray got up to follow Theo, he turned to John and said, "be c-careful John." They walked out the door and down the hallway. They were checking doors as they went, but none seemed to stand out.

   Suddenly they heard a pistol shot. Theo took off running towards the room John was in. Ray stood motionless. The darkness was back.

   "Lisssten uppp.... Bring the man into thisss room...."

   "Come on, kid!" Theo cried. A shotgun blast rang out.

   "It's too late for him." Ray said with a surprising calmness.

   "We have to help him!" Theo pleaded.

   Ray gestured to a door as he said, "no, we need to hide."

   Two more shotgun blasts.

   "Now."

   'Who is this kid?' Theo wondered.

   As they entered the room, Theo knew something was up. His teeth were chattering, and his breath was steaming. He looked around the room, and saw a black, ink-like substance coating the walls.

   "It's that black stuff! We need to get out of h..."

   Suddenly Ray lunged for Theo's waist, grabbing the gun and taking several steps back, with the gun pointed at him.

   Theo was shocked.

   "What the... what the hell are you doing kid?"

   "Turn around. Put your hands behind your back."

   Ray grabbed the metal coil from his pocket and started wrapping it around Theo's wrists. He pulled out his pocket knife and was trying to flip it open. Theo sensed Ray's hesitance and spun around, hitting him in the side of the head, knocking him out. By now the entire room was covered with the black tar.

   As Theo bound Ray's hands and feet, he said, "I don't know what you were thinking, kid."

[Weerd Thing]

Mirdoran: Filthy creature! Thought you could take advantage of this, did you?

With a swift uppercut, he smashed his fist into Trent's jaw, sending him sprawling backwards and catching his blade on the backswing. The creature inspected it for damage. Nothing. Good stuff... it helps in a murder when the weapon is sharp.

Mirdoran: Ironic, isn't it? The very blade you hold so dear... about to rip you into detached pieces! I find it funny.

He heard a noise, hands and feet scrabbling on cold concrete. When he looked there, he saw Ulrike, crawling desperately, trying to get up and escape.

Mirdoran: You're weak. A burden on humanity. It's why you're here.

He took swift strides towards the downed man, grabbing him by the neck and raising him in the air, stretching his arm outwards to prevent any cheap strikes. Almost artistically, he swung the sword around before holding it parallel to his arm, tip pointed at Ulrike.

Mirdoran: Now do you understand?
~~~~~~
A voice rung out all around Theo and Ray. They weren't alone anymore.

Shadow: He wasssn't. I WASSS.

A great big glob of the black substance began to descend from the ceiling, and as moments passed it took on shape and form until it looked like a black shadow of a man was standing up on the ceiling, upside down.

Shadow: Weak sssoul. Your flesssh will remain yoursss. I have no ussse for an aluminium man...

With those words he addressed the fallen Ray. However, when it turned its 'gaze' towards Theo, a different tone was taken...

Shadow: You, on the other hand... you may prove to be entertaining.

It motioned with its 'hand', and black hands sprung from the tar puddle that had formed beneath their feet, immobiizing them.

Shadow: The handsss of the dead will make sssure you'll not be essscaping yet. I ssstill have ussse for you. Asss for your friend...

Another gesture, and something was produced from the back wall... A compartment that held the body of John, motionless, dead.

Shadow: Thisss isss what happensss to the weak lambsss... they get SSSLAUGHTERED. But that doesss not mean they have run out of their usssefulnesss...

[HobomasterXXX]

Trent pulled himself up from the ground. He could see Mirdoran holding Ulrike at swordpoint. Now was Trent's chance. He ran up to Cyrus's corpse and grabbed Cyrus's sawn off shot gun, holstering his own weapon. This shot needed to count. Trent slowly crept up on the giant, making as little noise as possible. He reached the beast and saw a slight opening in the armor at the back of the neck. He pointed the shotgun at it and fired. Black liquid sprayed all over Trent, staining his white singlet. Mirdoran lurched back, dropping his sword and holding the back of his neck. Ulrike hit the ground with a thud. Trent yet again grabbed the sword, and with it, cut off the beast's hands.
Trent: I don't think you'll be needing this anymore.
Trent threw the sword away, drawing his pistol again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BTW Weerd, I don't intend the hand removal to be permenant, i mean for them to be regenerated by the shadow or something. I wouldn't do something so horrible to you... yet.

[Rayonius]

   "Y..you! DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Theo swung into the mass of darkness, striking nothing. He pulled the gun out of Ray's hand and made for the door.

   "Where do you ssssupose you're going?"

   Theo ignored the shadow and tried the handle. Locked! His hand was covered in black goo, and the putrid scent was invading his nostrils.

   "Sssssnared, like a ssssewer rat in a trap!" The shadow hissed.

   Theo punched the door with all his might, but it didn't give. The sound woke Ray, whose hands and feet were not completely bound, Theo having been interrupted.

   "Your sssoul is MINE!"

   The goo on his hand was spreading over his entire body, freezing his hand and arm, and up through his chest.

   "Errrrrrghh!!" Theo roared.

   "Sssso feisssty! Hah hah! I like it!" The shadow cackled.

   Theo was pulled through the ceiling by the shadow, and the gun clattered to the floor. The shadowed figure was gone, but the ooze was still there.

   Ray looked around. John was dead next to him face down, missing a large portion of his head.

   "Ssssee your fat friend? Tie him up."

   "W-w-what!? Are you ins-sane?"

   Then he thought, 'Am I the one that's insane??'

   The black ooze started rising from the floor in front of him, and Ray shrieked.

   "I...I'm doing it." Ray said, quivering. He grabbed the metal wire and stared at John, blinking back tears.

   "Do it!"

   Ray wasn't even hiding it anymore, he was crying as he bound John's hands together. After he tied it off he crawled through the sludge to John's feet. While he was binding John's feet, he noticed there was a large bulge in the back pocket of John's slacks.

   After he finished, the shadow said, "Good... now leave, thisss is not the place for you.."

   Ray grimaced and reached into John's back pocket and bolted for the door. Tried the knob.. it opened! He glanced at what he had in his hand; cigarettes and a lighter.    Great, cigarettes. Just what i need right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   The shadow enveloped John's corpse. "Now the real work can begin." John's head was 'repaired', making him an unrecognizable, disgusting, though functional meat bag.

   Outside, a huge man walked up to the door.

   "What's 'dis then? Can't say I've seen this before. May as well check it out."

   The door opened, and Cyrus walked in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Ray came to a rusty iron door and heaved it open. He heard a shotgun blast from behind him.   What is it this time?

   The sound of running water entered the hallway when the door was open. He stepped inside and nearly choked on the smell. For several hours, Ray wandered around in the sewers, until he found a place to rest. He tried to stay awake, but eventually nodded off.