| Wake Up, Dead Man; Jimmy's Awakening [Open] | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 18 2013, 05:11 AM (263 Views) | |
| Sumitomo | Dec 18 2013, 05:11 AM Post #1 |
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"Hey, Takahara. Takahara, get back to work." A cigarette was held between trembling fingers. A drag, then the hand came back to his chest. The voice wasn't someone he recognized - but it reminded him of someone. "Takahara, new guy?" The voice said, with a touch of indigence, "Are you even listening? Hey!" He took another drag, staring off into hole. Who'd said it? An old phrase from his school days. 'Stare too long into the abyss, and it stares into you.' He was sure he was paraphrasing. But the hole, the sinkhole that had caused so much commotion in the hospital parking lot, ached and oozed in his mind like a wound, a sore. That all-encompassing blackness. That void. His crew leader, Kanji Mochizuka, muttered something about having to rappel into the hole to completely survey the gap in the earth. The thought terrified James 'Jimmy' Takahara. Jimmy thought the hole was death. Nagashima, the town, felt like death. Like a novel he read once, about a town with a dark secret or some such other horror cliche. He'd always thought it was such a trite trope, an overused sentiment; funny what you think until you found yourself living in one. "Takahara! Wake the FUCK up!" A hand grabbed him on the shoulder, and turned him around. A gaunt corpse stared at him. Jimmy's eyes widened in terror. He knew the voice. Kyosuke Tsu. A member of hi s road cew he'd only known for a day - then disappeared. Kyosuke looked like shit, gaunt, and pale. No rot had set in, but an... off smell permeated from him. Clods of dirt, as if freshly dug from a shallow grave stuck to his shirt. "Takahara." The corpse smiled. Tsu's eyes had milked over, beginning to decay. "I got something to say to you." Jimmy's mouth worked up and down, and his hand trembled, and his cigarette fell to the floor, scattering its cherry. Kyosuke's mouth opened, and a black goo seeped from his open mouth, nose, and eyes. It spread down and onto the arm that grabbed him, spreading, covering them both. The ooze smelled of rot and pollution, decay and pestilence, as if being buried alive in a medical waste dump. Takahara opened his mouth to scream, and the ooze moved to his open mouth. As he choked and died, a single, golden butterfly flew between them. His eyes were drawn to it, a moth to flame, a gunsight that finally found a target to align to. The ooze receded, and Kyosuke was no more, an ash statue. He disintegrated, a stiff breeze blowing his remains to the winds. The butterfly flapped its wings, hovering in front of him. Jimmy got a (completely ridiculous) notion that the butterfly wanted him to follow it, then the notion grew to an urge, then the urge to motion. The butterfly flapped, and Jimmy walked after it, firmly in its hold. ------------------------------------------- Jimmy's eyes snapped open, and he rubbed them, lazily. He never really remembered his dreams, but that last one was vivid, disturbing. No one really knew what dreaming was for - Jimmy believed they were just a mental dump, a mind purge, the brain doing its nightly ablutions. For him a dream was sensory mess of pictures, sounds, and feelings that formed a barely coherent whole, but this one... Too much. It was as if it was being written to a page, described to him. He felt the hand, smelled the black death. And the butterfly... He reached over to flick on the lamp in his apartment's bedroom, and that's when Jimmy realized he wasn't in his bed at all. Or in his room. Where his hand expected to find a lightswitch, he found a cracked tile wall. When his hand went back to himself, he wasn't surprised to find himself in his work clothes, a pair of dirty blue coveralls instead of his pajamas. Panic engulfed him. He wanted to scream. He bit his hand, hard, and a frustrated moan escaped between the clenched teeth and pursed lips, out of the seal he'd made when he'd bit. He did this until his hand's knuckles were white, and blood trickled down his arm. The fear he felt was all-encompassing, consuming. With it in his mind, thought was impossible, planning a joke. He scrabbled backwards, kicking over what felt like a shelving unit, and sat down hard on something metal with edges. He yelped more in surprise than pain - and loud enough to provoke another spike of fear. He hadn't been awake long, but the silence in that closet - he was guessing storage closet - was maddening. That yelp felt like screaming into a tomb he was trapped inside, a mad sound, an insane sound. He froze for a few minutes, curled into the fetal position. A voice, deep, stabbed into his mind. It was... singing? A man's voice, rough, but a good singing baritone. It held a tune well. Yo' the one we dependin' on... Jimmy blinked. "H-hello?" he whispered. He didn't want the voice to go away. Swing that hammer with all yo' might... The voice hummed the melody after that, slowly trailing off. Hammer. Hammer! If he was in his work clothes... He scrabbled around, searching. After a few tense seconds of listening to himself scratch and scrape in his surroundings, his hands closed on the haft of his sledgehammer. The heavy sledge was an immediately comforting presence - why wouldn't it be? So if he was in his work clothes... he pondered. Work clothes meant he probably fell asleep on his couch with the TV on, his hammer tipped against the couch. But how'd he get here? He remembered following the butterfly in his dreams... did that translate into the real world? Did he walk here in a trance? At least he had the presence of mind (unlikely, even as it seemed to Jimmy, but he wasn't complaining) to grab the sledge. At least if he died here... he'd die with a hammer in his hands. The voice chuckled. Thought like that, you'd make a fella think you was a steel-drivin' man. "Who... who are you?" Jimmy peered into the darkness, his eyes slightly adjusted to it by now. His initial suspicions were correct - he was in a closet, but couldn't tell much more. That's an easy one, fella. I'm you, and you is me. Anyways, you got more problems than this here voice in ya head, don't ya think? "I... I guess." Jimmy let out a shuddering breath. "W-where am I?" The voice didn't respond. Jimmy sat back down in the corner he curled up in, yelping in pain and standing straight back up when he sat on the edged metal thing he kicked earlier. Now, I ain't a learned man. the voice said, And maybe that don't mean you be interested in listenin' to me, but I need ya to pick up the welder's mask ya done sat on. Ya gonna need it. Just like ya sledge. Jimmy didn't bother with an answer - he was getting few enough on his own end. He didn't question why the voice in his head wasn't speaking Japanese and he was still understanding it - he didn't question why it knew what was in this room and he didn't. He just picked up the welder's mask, and didn't flip the visor down. That's good. I know we just met today, but ya gonna need ta trust me if'n we want ta make it through this. Th' name's John Henry. "Jimmy." he said in response. "Jimmy Takahara. I'm... pleased to meet you?" A deep chuckle, like a mountain moving, echoed in his head. I won't be too mad witcha if you ain't pleased to meet me until we both safe, but the feeling's mutual. Now, you ready? Jimmy nodded. He got up, and felt around for a door handle. He liked this new voice in his head, despite the strangeness. Was this what insane people felt like? He decided no. John Henry's voice was not his own, superficially, but when Henry's voice spoke... well, despite not being from his mind, it felt of it. His hand clasped the handle, and with a deep breath, Jimmy turned it. |
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| Prince Arjuna | Dec 18 2013, 07:38 AM Post #2 |
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-insert something witty here-
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"Thanks for coming with me down here, dude," said the red-haired boy who was bringing a pickaxe with him to another boy, who was black-haired, carrying a nodachi. "Need to train hard so I can grow stronger, y'know?" the red-haired boy, Karma Akatsuchi, grinned as he walked alongside the other boy, the eternally-lost boy Kakeru Kagami. "Don't mention it, Karma," Kakeru replied. "It's not like I can go here alone, so having someone accompanying me is good," he said. He looked around him to see if there were Shadows roaming around the area. Somehow, as they entered the ruins, the weak Shadows ran away from them, probably due to Kakeru's presence. "Keep your eyes peeled open, though. You don't want to get ambushed, right?" he warned the other boy. "You don't say?" Karma replied. So far, they were doing good and occasionally had some encounters against the Shadows, which were easily dispatched by the duo. As they continued walking, they heard a clicking sound not too far from them. "You hear that?" Karma asked Kakeru, holding his pickaxe with both hands, bracing himself for another encounter. "It's coming from that door," Kakeru said, pointing at a door not too far from them. There were two possibilities. One, it was a Shadow. Two, it was another poor sap who got himself or herself spirited away by the golden butterfly. Unsurprisingly, he preferred the latter than the former. "Be prepared. Let's wait until the door's opened." Putting his hand on the hilt of his sword, he waited for that someone behind the door to open it. Due to the lack of scanner in their group, they had to be extra careful, right? |
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| Sumitomo | Dec 18 2013, 07:58 AM Post #3 |
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With a deep breath, Jimmy began to turn the handle - but stopped. He heard voices. His eyes widened. His mouth worked up and down, a fish out of water. He took his hand off the door - it sounded like two voices, but young. Were they? He thought he was making an awful lot of assumptions about two people he couldn't see. But still - the probability of two people outside a closet you just woke up in against your will is pretty slim. He pressed his ear to the door, hoping to make something out. There was a little conversation before his ears became accustomed to listening through a wooden door. The only sentence he heard clearly was: "Be prepared. Let's wait until the door's opened." ...Prepared for what? He felt a sudden kick in his system, a fight or flight response. He gripped the haft of his sledge, and his mouth turned to a snarl. He turned the handle down, intending to charge out, to swing, but John spoke in his head once more. Trust me fella. Most of what you and me are gonna see don' speak perfect Japanese. I ain't saying come out with an olive branch... but don' go off half-cocked. This calmed him. John's voice had a way of doing that. He took another deep breath, and stepped out. Two boys, barely more than kids, stood against him. One a pickaxe, another a sword - a katana it looked like, but Jimmy wasn't a sword man. Of all the things he thought to see... He felt a smirk, then a laugh. The laugh shook out of him, and a few tears rolled down his face. He doubled over, holding his gut with one hand and his sledge with the other. "I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Jimmy said through tears, "I just, I wasn't..." Another burst of stress-laughter. He wasn't laughing at the kids - he was laughing at himself, his predicament. It was hysterical laughter, and he fought it down with a lot of trouble. He didn't like the insane edge that cackling had. "Forgive me. I'm..." Jimmy paused, at a loss for words. These kids looked so much more prepared than he did, what could he say? "I'm... not an enemy. What is this place? Where am I?" |
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| Prince Arjuna | Dec 18 2013, 08:13 AM Post #4 |
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-insert something witty here-
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And so, there was a person, much to their relief. Well, Karma was a little disappointed because it wasn't an enemy, but that's not really the point. As expected, this guy was confused, probably due to him suddenly finding himself in the middle of nowhere. "Whoa, relax man!" Karma said, trying to reassure that they weren't dangerous, at least not to him. He lowered his pickaxe to prove it. "We know that. We just thought you're another enemy, you see? Well, be grateful that you're not," he glanced at Kakeru. "So, what're we gonna do with him?" he asked the other boy, pointing at Jimmy. "Let's bring him out," Kakeru said. "First, are you alright? Are you injured?" he asked, looking at Jimmy as he spoke calmly. "I know this is a little confusing, but we'll explain to you later. We need to bring you out of this place before-" he was distracted by the noise of something approaching him before he could finish his words. "Oh, great, now we have to 'deal' with them first..." he sighed. The noise was getting louder and both boys prepared themselves, brandishing their weapons. Their masks appeared on the side of their heads. "I know you got, like, a million questions to ask, but first, we need to deal with 'them' first..." Karma said as he put on his mask, the crimson skull-like mask with segmented mouth. "And, oh... in case you hear a voice inside your head, you better listen to it. It may save your life in one way or another..." he said. Kakeru also put on his mask, the one with crescent-shaped visor. They waited for the source of the noise to show up. |
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| Sumitomo | Dec 18 2013, 08:38 AM Post #5 |
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A little reassurance, no answers. The two peculiar boys brandished their weapons at a noise Jimmy didn't catch. He stood, dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. Let these kids protect him? They knew what they were doing... He looked at the hammer in his hand. His heart began to race. John knew that wouldn't happen. More importantly, he knew it wouldn't let it happen. His heart was, perhaps, writing a check his ass couldn't cash, but... If he died, he'd die with this hammer in his hand. "I know you got, like, a million questions to ask, but first, we need to deal with 'them' first..." One boy said as he put on his mask, the crimson skull-like mask with segmented mouth. "And, oh... in case you hear a voice inside your head, you better listen to it. It may save your life in one way or another..." he said. The other also put on his mask, the one with crescent-shaped visor. "Right. And, I'm not injured. At least, I don't feel like it." Jimmy said. He hefted his hammer into a ready swing position, as if to emphasize his good health. "I... I guess I can fight." Following the boy's lead, he swung his welding mask down, and he felt invigorated. Powerful. A grin cracked his face. It was strength... somehow he knew it to be John's strength. His sledge felt like a tree branch. "Ain't sure what help I can be, but..." He trailed off. Ain't, why would he say that? Stress, he guessed, was imparting John's style of speech to his... Or maybe, with the mask down, he was John now... what did he say after all? Jimmy boy. Calm down. He could hear John's laughter. Remember, I'm you, and you is me. And right now, we both steel-drivin' men. Just us and the job. Stop worrying so much, your questions are makin' like a beehive up here. John's voice helped. Again, he was glad his new imaginary friend was such a calming influence. Edited by Sumitomo, Dec 18 2013, 08:51 AM.
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| Prince Arjuna | Dec 18 2013, 04:15 PM Post #6 |
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-insert something witty here-
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"You can fight, huh? Good for you," Karma said, speaking to Jimmy. "Alright, let's get it started, then. They're coming," and so, the source of the noise showed up. They were a pack of monstrous-looking wolves, the weak ones that usually showed up to hunt the recently-awakened Persona-users. They had no weaknesses, but had no resistance either. "You going to fight, samurai dude?" he asked Kakeru. "Feel free to deal with them," Kakeru said, letting go of the hilt of his sword as he stepped back to watch Karma. "Alright, thanks a bunch!" Karma grinned in excitement before he shouted. "Get 'em, Angra Mainyu!" with that, a humanoid figure wrapped in red-blood clothes showed up, displaying a sneer on its face. The Persona launched an Agi attack towards one of the wolves. The wolf was pushed back. Then, two of the wolves charged towards both Karma and Jimmy. "Alright, big guy. If you wanna live, deal with that thing first," he said before he used his pickaxe to fight the wolf that came towards him. Another wolf went after Jimmy. |
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| Sumitomo | Dec 19 2013, 06:45 AM Post #7 |
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The boy summoning his persona in front of Jimmy's eyes stunned him into obliviousness. The voice in his head... John Henry, could he appear like that too? What exactly had happened to him? "Alright, big guy. If you wanna live, deal with that thing first," The words barely registered - a folly act. Jimmy just wasn't grasping what survival in this place meant yet. Boy, ya need ta focus! He blinked, and the wolf was on him. A surprised yelp was all he could manage before the canine jumped him, and the two combatants went sprawling. The wolf's jaws closed around the arm he defended himself with, sinking in, but strangely... No pain. The force imparted to him had knocked him over, but the jaws of the wolf weren't rending his flesh. His face lit up in wonder. Attack like that, you ain't really gotta worry anymore. You're a steel-drivin' man now, same as me. Jimmy's non-bitten hand was gripping his sledge just under the hammer head. He brought it up and short-checked the wolf with a satisfying crunch! of steel meeting skull-bone. The wolf's eyes rolled into the back of it's head and fell off of him. It staggered for a second, unsteady on it's feet. Lemme help ya, friend. "How?" Jimmy said. The wolf was still reeling. All you gotta do is ask. We friends, ain't we? Jimmy blinked, and raised his hammer above his head. He bellowed, "John Henry!" For a second, he felt foolish. But, like Angra Mainyu before him, his guardian spirit manifested. Unlike the blood-red dervish that sprouted from the boy with the pickaxe, John Henry was a tall man, with dark skin - and a twenty pound sledgehammer. He swung in a mighty downward arc - the head of the hammer smashing the wolf from a standing to a laying position. Jimmy thought for sure the stupid thing was dead. He peered at it. "Did... did I kill it?" |
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| Prince Arjuna | Dec 21 2013, 04:02 AM Post #8 |
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-insert something witty here-
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With two of the wolves were killed, the other ones were prepared to attack, but Kakeru already stepped forward and cast Evil Smile, inflicting Fear into the remaining wolves. The visor of his mask glowed eerily as he looked at the pack of wolves. "Don't look at me, you two..." Kakeru told both Karma and Jimmy, because they might end up being paralyzed in fear if they looked at him directly. As a result, most of the wolves were paralyzed while others fled. "So, they're sitting duck now," Kakeru told the two, "Finish 'em..." he said, turning his back to the paralyzed Shadows, telling the two to finish the job. Note |
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| Sumitomo | Dec 21 2013, 04:25 AM Post #9 |
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"Don't look at me, you two..." Kakeru told both Karma and Jimmy. He didn't need John telling him that was a good idea. Even with his back turned, Jimmy felt a pure radiance of spite and hate, enough to prickle his skin into goosebumps and make him think he was being watched - as if the Eye of Sauron had passed over him in a JRR Tolkien epic. He got the sense that the samurai child was more powerful than either of them - The pickaxe boy seemed new, like himself. That burst of fire his persona (a blood-red dervish of hate, Angra Manyu or something? he'd ask later) had produced had been seemingly lackluster, though Jimmy admitted he lacked a frame of reference besides himself. John wasn't exactly a swiss army knife either, it seemed. "So, they're sitting duck now," Kakeru told the two, "Finish 'em..." Let's put the fear a' God hissself into 'em! John said, Show 'em to mess with steel-drivin' men! Jimmy wasn't sure how he felt about fighting - he'd swung his hammer at something... living? for the first time in his life, but with John by his side, he felt right. Good, even. He could probably go on swinging that sledge 'til the sun came back up. He ran forward, hammer raised over his shoulder, and crashed into the wolf pack, swinging at anything that growled or bared its teeth. |
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| Prince Arjuna | Dec 21 2013, 04:31 AM Post #10 |
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-insert something witty here-
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The paralyzed wolf didn't stand a chance. Karma also went to attack the other wolf with his pickaxe. With two wolves being killed due to the attacks, only one wolf remained. Like its slain kin, it was also paralyzed due due to Kakeru's Evil Smile. "Alright, that one's yours," Karma said, pointing at the remaining wolf. Angra Mainyu was floating above him, showing a malicious smirk as the slain wolves started to melt into black mud. Meanwhile, Kakeru just watched the scene, folding his arms casually. |
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