Three thing that cannot say Hidden Long

Alter · Senior Member

Three thing that cannot say Hidden Long

Jack Simmons · Soldier

Jack frowns and walks over to the sketch pad, bending down to pick it up and look at what's drawn on it. After a moment, he shows the picture to Carl. "Told you something was going on here. Let me get the rest of my gear off the bus and we'll go on foot the rest of the way."

Carl Schreiber · Craftsman

"Yeah, okay." Something was going on, then. Something big, and something bad. Karl slapped his wrench against his palm. It was a familiar action. This wasn't his first rodeo.

Of course, those hadn't been serious. A couple of guys decided they wanted to rob him, and he had shown them why you shouldn't argue with the guy with the wrench. This was.. this wasn't something he could hit and make go away.

This wasn't something he could deal with.

Jack Simmons · Soldier

Jack stepped back into the bus and retrieved his carry on luggage before emerging and opening up the spaces under the bus to retrieve the remainder of his belongings. All easy enough to sling over his back/shoulders and carry, although that didn't seem to work for him as he got a large backpack out of the bus and started loading it up with general field supplies and leaving behind any nice-to-have items. When all was said and done, he looked like he was ready to go into combat, wearing whatever wouldn't go into or clip onto the pack, including a bullet proof vest. Just in case. Plus it matched well with the machine gun he had at his side.

It was clean, quick, efficient, and he seemed to pay no mind at all to the personal items left behind. "Got off the plane in DC this morning direct from overseas. Lucky for me I didn't have time to go home first," he comments as he gives the rifle a once-over to make sure it's in specification order.

Carl Schreiber · Craftsman

"Please, please tell me you're a soldier and not a mafia hitman or something?" Carl stood, mouth agape, at the fact that the guy who was sitting next to him was decked out for full out war.

Alter · Senior Member

Carl Notices the piece of paper the little girl dropped at his feet.

Jack Simmons · Soldier

"Master Gunnery Sargent Jack Simmons, United States Marine Corps. Just got back from a tour in Iraq and, like I said, never went home yet to drop off my stuff. Damn lucky, too, if you ask me. We've just walked into a whole lot of mess and I don't like to walk into even a little mess without a full clip." He nods and pats his weapon.

Carl Schreiber · Craftsman

Carl nodded, and then glanced down, doing a double take. He picked up the note and opened it with shaking fingers.

Alter · Senior Member

There is a child's drawing of house, it's been done in dark colours showing no touch of bright children's colours, there is a stick figure that can be seen in one of the windows like they are pounding on the window.

"Moon at Hoem." Is writen along the botton in crayon.

Jack Simmons · Soldier

Jack walks over and peers over Carl's shoulder at the image. As soon as he sees it, he swears. "I knew I saw her..." he mutters, shaking his head. "Let's go. We're walking to the orphanage now."

He starts off walking, simply assuming Carl will follow him. Unless he wants to be left behind in the fog...

Carl Schreiber · Craftsman

"What the hell is going on..." Carl sighed and followed after Jack, keeping an eye open, and a firm grip on his wrench.

Jack Simmons · Soldier

"Don't know, doesn't matter, don't like it either way. It's something bad, and I've got a full clip. S'all I need to know for the time being." He looked around at the streets as the walked, on full alert for anything that might even be maybe a person in the shadows.

His fingers drum a steady beat on the side of his rifle as they walk, never far from the trigger so he can grab it in the blink of an eye if need be.

Alter · Senior Member

There is a creaking sound in the distance follow by something like the rush of wings, the sound is eerie and echoes so it's hard to tell where it's coming from, there is also and odd sound, is it tearing? It's hard to make out with the other sounds.

Carl Schreiber · Craftsman

"What the hell is that?" He turned around, and then back around. Unlike Jack, Carl had never been in a situation like this. He was 100% pure civilian. Still, he kept up, and decided it was better to keep his voice down.

Jack Simmons · Soldier

Jack freezes, and brings the gun up, trying to get a pin on the sound. Slowly he lowered the weapon back down, muttering to himself, "Just a bird...don't freak out over just a bird..."

Turning to Carl, he frowned, "How would you feel if we picked up the pace a bit?" he asked even as he began to walk faster.

Alter · Senior Member

The creature that descends upon the two men is like a massive bird, it's wing span is as long as a man is tall, however it seems to not be just large, it seems to be made out of clock work and flesh, gears grinding together.

It let's out a shriek like bone being ground by heavy machinery and extends razor sharp talons it's target appears to be Carl.

the oddest thing is it seems to be put together in such a way that the gears cause it pain which happens every moment it moves or flaps.

Carl Schreiber · Craftsman

"Jesus Christ! That is not just a bird!"

Carl had a couple of choices. Either he could wait until it approached, and then attack it.. or he could do the smart thing and go full defensive. He decided on the later option.

(Taking a full defensive action! I believe that has the effect of doubling my defense, which should make it 6)

Jack Simmons · Soldier

Jack saw the bird and, as his eyes were turning up to look at it, the gun was a split second ahead. As he saw it coming down, he pulled the trigger, attempting to shoot the...thing out of the sky. "Goddammit!"

Alter · Senior Member

Carl manages to evade the creature that swoops towards him and the thing let's out a cry like tearing flesh when it's shot and it flutters back a bit regaining itself before flying towards Jack it opens it's mouth and there is the sound of metal cutting and crusting flesh and bone.

Carl Schreiber · Craftsman

Okay, he had managed to get out of the way, but now it was turning its attention on his best chance for survival.

Carl ran after it, and if a spot on the creature looked like it was not immediatly going to rip his arm off for hitting it with a wrench, he was going to hit it with his wrench.

Jack Simmons · Soldier

Jack stood his ground and continued to fire, adjusting his aim to try and hit it in that gaping maw. The sounds it was emitting hit him in a very deep, visceral, terrifying way but he tried to keep it stiffled and just get through this in one piece.

Alter · Senior Member

The creature is knocked back and makes another shrieking sound maybe it's anger or maybe it's the eminence pain the creature is in, then Carl's Wrench comes down on the creature knocking it to the ground, the creature moves on the ground the gears twisting into it tearing it's flesh and spilling crimson blood to the ground.

Carl Schreiber · Craftsman

With the creature down on the ground and seemingly dying, Carl reared back and delivered a strong-soccer kick to the creatures head, hopefully killing it, putting it out of its misery, or whatever emotion the thing was in.

Jack Simmons · Soldier

Jack took his finger off the trigger and fired one or two bullets at the thing's head, trying to finish it off. "What the hell is that thing?!" he demands, knowing that neither of themwould have any sort of an answer.

Alter · Senior Member

The thing stopped moving after it was given the kick however the bullets are quite satisfying, the girl appears to be gone.

If Carl and Jack are going to get to the Orphanage they need to get to the other side of town, taking Nathan Ave is the fastest route. However those creatures...

Carl Schreiber · Craftsman

"I have no idea." Carl shook his wrench. It was covered in creature juice.

On the plus side, that thing didn't seem really dangerous if you stayed alert. That is what he would do now, walking slowly and carefully, choking up on the weapon in his hands, heading towards Nathan Avenue.

Jack Simmons · Soldier

Jack nods and keeps going towards Nathan as well. More risk, but more direct. And at this point, shelter seemed a priority. "I'm liking this less and less."