[attr="class","framed69"]

[attr="class","biglowe69reescroll"]

[break][break]



They all just take.



[break][break]



She’d left the house to get away from it all. Seeing Wendy in that interview naming Elara, being so cruel; the papers weren’t even signed yet. Eel had been trying and failing to shop the fourth installment of her novel series out to zero luck. The writer was seemingly radioactive.



[break][break]



She’d left the house that was no longer her’s to get away, because they all just take. Nothing but the phone in her pocket, the black hoodie with the stylized bee on it Wendy had given her, comfortable fitted leggings and the beat up shoes that she used for exercise. Eel wandered into the rain, knowing she was getting soaked to her core. It was windy, the storm whipping the droplets at an angle and into Eel’s face. She was aware she was cold, but it felt like nothing compared to all this loss. Skyward facing, she felt the water flowing to the back of her neck and soaking her hair; the inside of the turned up hood was completely wet.



[break][break]



Still she found it in her to cry. What she really wanted was to scream, to yell, to find some sense of meaning in all this agony. Instead Elara’s stomach churned, and she had to contort herself to vomit just a bit of bile- she hadn’t eaten in two days.



[break][break]



“Gods…where can I even go now? What am I supposed to do?” She looked between the firs surrounding the small pathway of the park she’d walked to in a daze, looking between them as the wind shook the branches with abandon and the occasional flashes of distant thunder illuminated the trees slightly.


[break][break]



Another flash, this one far too bright to be lightning. Maybe she’d just conduct and get to leave all this-



[break][break]



...



[break][break]



It was like blinking, but messed up. In an instant it wasn’t raining anymore; Elara was indoors, in a dusty apartment staring at a ceiling fan gone still, rife with the webs of spiders who it seemed had plenty of time to make this place their own. This place hadn’t been lived in for quite awhile.



[break][break]



“Huh?” Her clothes were still soaked through, the cold of it against her skin pulling her out of her reverie as new air found it’s way in when she shifted slightly. Framed photos behind a tv, a couch in front of her, the smell of mildew. From the looks of it a small family had lived here. Were the pictures of that couple and their child taunting her? Had Elara finally broken with reality, her grief overriding every other sense to create this illusion? Or had the world taken the last thing it could?



[break][break]



“Maybe it was the lightning.” A few more tears ran down her cheeks, but the panic attack had calmed a little. Eel felt a small reprieve of catharsis, though it was by definition going to be temporary. She swiped at the blue message in front of her, dismissing it like one might an errant hallucination. Words from "Earth" or some such, her peripheral had caught the word "class". It was of no matter right now. "So this is death."



[break][break]




She wandered through the apartment a little, taking stock of these lives left behind before heading to one of the shuddered windows. Pulling open the blinds was a simple task, they still operated fine with all the dust. The sight outside though, well, this city didn't seem to be operating. She was in a building, and if the ones around it were any indication, they were impossibly tall, overtaken by nature. The roads in either direction were either worn and chipped or outright gone, caved into streetlit canyons. Then came the yelling. With a bit of force Eel was able to pry open the window and step out onto the small balcony, stepping over small planters that had long overgrown with new life, and from there was able to spot a couple of shapes out there in the street, less than a block away.



[break][break]



"Where the hells is this?"

[attr="class","big69"]

[attr="class","frame"]

[attr="class","lowe2reescroll"]
[break][break]
The area was poorly lit, not aided by deteriorated lamp posts and broken down store fronts. It felt oddly homey, especially so to somehow who had frequented the dreary spaces between buildings. Turning around, Gleeford took in the area. It was more worn down than he had anticipated. Even the 'street' he stood on was flayed open, revealing a muddy footpath between slabs of crumbled asphalt. Out of the corner of his eye, something caught his interest.

[break][break]

Like a cat honed onto the most minute of movements, Gleeford's gaze flicked towards the object he had spotted. It was a silhouette, definitely a person, and they were walking away from him. Why hadn't they responded to his call? The corners of his mouth rose as he contemplated this little query. He knew why. Silently skulking away from a guy shouting in what may as well be an alley? The cause was likely fear or annoyance. Both were fine for the egocentric rapscallion.

[break][break]

"Hey hey hey, pal." With uncanny grace, he raced down the street, navigating through and around potholes, roots and rubble. He announced his coming with a playful cadence, trying to come off less threatening than he was. It would wind up anyone to be approached in the dark like this, so it took skill to navigate the interaction in a more innocent-seeming manner. Reaching forward as he went, Gleeford moved to make contact but something took the wind out of him. It was a murky feeling. Almost sticky. The air around the young man he closed in on was... thick. Gleeford had to blink a few times to catch his bearing. He must have hit his head earlier, or something.

[break][break]

"Eghmm. Why the rush, bub? I was just shou-asking for a little help. Ain't no reason to be slinkering off like this, yeah?" Gleeford had maneuvered his arms over the lad's shoulders, stretching forward in a clingy manner until he had a solid grip. Leaning in, he continued to speak in a disarming manner. Reaching up with one hand, now that he had a solid hold, Gleeford tussled the youth's hair.

[break][break]

"Pffft, what are they teaching the kids these days? Runnin' off like that. This. Is. A. Confusing. Situation. We got'ta help one another, yeah?" There was a noticeable shift in tone as Gleeford annunciated each word he spoke. Annoyance was palpable, but he quickly shifted back to that same bubbly voice he had started with. As if unaware of personal space, Gleeford continued to lean on the stranger. He even gave a few pats to the chest to really assert himself. The domineering way in which he moved contrasted with the way he was speaking. He probably would have maintained the facade longer if not for an interruption.

[break][break]

"Oh? Who's'at now?" An outburst of a more gravely baritone resulted from being told to 'keep it down'. Utter lack of impulse control had lead Gleeford into shouting. The bark echoed down the dimly lit corridors, as his eyes scanned for who could have said it.

[attr="class","frame2"]

[attr="class","framed69"]

[attr="class","biglowe69reescroll"]



[break][break]



"So this must be purgatory of some sort." Elara couldn't help but wince at the shouting, but scanned around as other distant voices filtered in through the chilly apartment, made all the more cold by Eel's sopping wet clothes. "Dead or alive, I'm not sure I can just live here." The woman moved from her perch on the balcony back into the apartment, surveying it a little more. Nothing particularly useful stood out, but perhaps the umbrella in the rack by the door could serve as a makeshift weapon in the event of any of unsavory types accosting her- she of course assumed she was in a hell of some kind. Eel moved the umbrella under one arm with a 'squelch' and set the other hand to the door, but alas-



[break][break]



"It's stuck." Of course it was stuck. Of course nothing could go easy, her passage through life and now death consistently hampered by some thing or happening, some person or beings unseen making sure that Eel would not find a sense of peace ever again. "Gods damned!-" she moved a foot to the side of the door at the wall, bracing herself and pulling, but her wet hands failed to grip the metal doorknob and she fell back onto the floor, hitting her head on the ground. "-door." She stayed there on the ground for a moment, bringing her hands to her face and curling up slightly, and she wept quietly, her breaths shallow. The one consolation of this moment was that her tears were warmer than her skin. Elara stayed like that for a minute, maybe two. It stretched on regardless, and finally it ended with a low sigh. She sniffled and rose to a sitting position then peeled off her drenched hoodie before draping it over one shoulder and gathering the umbrella she'd dropped. Her next words were so quiet that Eel herself barely heard them, and she wondered if she'd even spoken aloud. "Fire exit."



[break][break]



She moved back to the balcony and, while it wasn't a fire escape, she was only one story up from the ground. A nearby drainage pipe ran along the building's wall, just a jump away from the railing she stood on. Eel tied the hoodie around her waist and began to climb the rusted metal, but had second thoughts and went back inside, drying her hands on the old dusty couch. From there it was back the balcony and a careful shimmy over the side of the railing so that she was positioned on the outer part, one hand on the metal and the other at her side, ready to reach out and grab the piping. From there it would be a simple climb down. Elara sighed to herself. This was like something one of her heroines might have done if her novels were in a different setting, but here it was just dangerous. Wouldn't do to die again- Elara had no idea what happened if you died in purgatory. She braced, breathed, and-



[break][break]



"Hup!"



[break][break]




For a moment she was weightless, the air whooshing past her and highlighting her cold-but-drying skin, the old first-print band shirt Wendy had given her whipping behind her slightly despite clinging to her like a freshly pressed cheese cloth. In that split moment of flight she genuinely thought she would mess up, miss the grab on the pipe, sail unceremoniously to the ground and break her legs. But no, Eel had jumped far enough, her fingers found purchase on the dingy metal, she didn't even slide down it right away or overshoot. The maneuver had worked, somehow.



[break][break]



The pipe didn't, however. It creaked, then groaned, the struts buckling as bolts scraped against their inlay and popped free from the wall. Elara was able to move down a couple of inches in response to the sudden jolt, but it wasn't far enough at all- the piping broke free from the wall and Eel fell the final fifteen feet or so to the ground, landing hard.



[break][break]



"Guh-" The wind was knocked from her as pain shot through her back, and she found herself curling her arms around the pipe and moving onto her side. "Shhh-shhh-shit-" the words escaped like air gurgling from a hose, and she tried to rise to her feet. Her body hurt but Elara knew she couldn't stay in such a vulnerable position, and nothing felt broken. She let go of the pipe, gathered the umbrella, and scooched her back to the building and struggled to breath, her gasps ragged. She surveyed the area around her. There were two- no, three individuals nearby, and other voices filtering in from somewhere out of eyesight. No doubt someone had her the commotion of her fall. She clutched her improvised weapon and just watched, catching her breath. Elara wasn't sure whether to be happy that there were other people at this point.

[attr="class","big69"]

[attr="class","frame"]

[attr="class","lowe2reescroll"]
[break][break]
"What in the heck? Why you whispering this creepy shit to me? I was just makin friendly, kid, and now you're moaning about meteors and obby... lisks. Whatever the heck that is." Grinding his fist in the youth's head, Gleeford would give the lad a hefty noogie. He wasn't pushing that hard, and was mostly aiming to dishevel the hair in a humorous manner. This was cut short.

[break][break]

"..." What had transpired caused Gleeford to go wide eyed. He seemed completely off guard, his mouth agape. Taking a few steps forward, Gleeford gave a hefty shove as he released the sad sap he had been accosting. Another target had grabbed his attention, so the runt could be left alone for the moment. It took a moment of rummaging through his thoughts to put the series of events in order. The weird lady had done some silly shuffle with her umbrella out, and then nearly got smashed by a big lump attached to a drain pipe. Stepping forward, Gleeford would leer down at the fallen 'lump'.

[break][break]

"Bahahahaha! What an idiot!" The moment he realized it was a person, Gleeford couldn't help himself. He leaned back while pointing at the young woman, chest heaving between laughs. His ill-natured sense of humor was on full display, and didn't pause as the girl backed up against the building in a defensive manner. Even when he didn't find it funny anymore, Gleeford continued to cackle to really rub salt into the wound. It wasn't in him to show any semblance of concern, and the opportunity to bully was too good to miss. This even took priority over his sense of self-preservation. The racket he was making was quite loud.

[break][break]

"Wait." Whipping his head to the side in a dramatic fashion, Gleeford turned his attention towards the sophisticated woman who had done umbrella maneuvers. He was clearly puzzled, and showed a slight sign of agitation. She had clearly just spoken to him, but something was confusing about it.

[break][break]

"How in'tha heck did I understand what you just said?" Gleeford puffed out his chest and approached the woman in a huff. He was not... a particularly educated man, and he definitely didn't know any French. How had he understood her greeting? He clearly heard a different language, but knew what it meant. That didn't seem right.

[attr="class","frame2"]

[attr="class","framed69"]

[attr="class","biglowe69reescroll"]

[break][break]



Elara hadn't been prepared to be approached, and she hadn't been ready for the shriek that had alerted her to the new person's presence as Eel had clattered to the ground. It had been part of the reason she'd taken her defensive stance-huddling against a wall, shivering and cold, so quickly. All these new faces, so much attention. She huffed and sucked air back into her lungs as best she could, eyeing the regal-looking woman before her. The wide brimmed hat and parasol somehow seemed redundant, but Elara wasn't really one for fashion. She appraised the outfit a bit more, her own hands going to her waist to make sure her jacket was still secured there. Thankfully it had stayed during the fall.


[break][break]



"Bonsoir?" Huh. 'Good evening.' A simple statement, not spectacularly complicated, but one Elara knew for a fact she should not have understood. It took her a moment. Language must be universal in some way here in death, then. That made a kind of sense, even though it really made no sense whatsoever. Even the afterlife was a world of duality. Eel straightened in her sitting position slightly, tensing as someone else made their way to her.



[break][break]



And even here in death, people were mostly the same. Rude, obnoxious, determined to make every waking moment one of torment in any way possible, even by way of schoolyard-level bullying. Any other day really, and Eel wouldn't have even paid someone like Gleeford any mind. She'd suffered plenty of harassment, some much more innocuous, some far more vitriolic. This would have barely registered even on one of her worst days. But this was the worst day. Elara had no energy left to suffer this kind of indignity. Not from her editor, not from Wendy, and certainly not from a stain of a person like this man. The younger looking one coming up to double up on the abuse, the crony apparently vying for some type of approval, because why else would he mock someone the way he had? They both deserved anything coming from here.



[break][break]



Elara grit her teeth and clenched her fists, restraining what might have come out as a hiss before standing, still cold and shaking slightly, if not from the temperature then from anger. She was fine that the instigator had turned his back, she could just stare daggers at him. She could... Eel impulsively, instinctually swiped a hand in his direction, not really at him so much as through the air in front of her. She would see it, but it was uncertain whether anyone else would- whether anyone else was really paying attention. A ghastly, fallowed face, gaunt as if from starvation, skin so thin you could see every bit of skull, eye sockets sunken and empty, teeth jagged as if filed and chipped on bone and rock. It leapt out of thin air and bit down on Gleeford, probably causing some kind of sensation but not causing any real damage. Well, unless you count feeling immensely guilty and regretful of your behavior as damage- it could certainly be damaging to an ego.



[break][break]



She stood there glaring, still shaking from frustration, turning her furious eyes toward Torashiki, as if in warning. A caged animal in this moment, if Elara had had hackles, they'd be raised, if she had fangs, they'd be bared. "I'll give you an apocalypse." She wasn't able to speak the words, her mind not really thinking them so much as willing them. She honestly hadn't even understood that the strange 'attack' had come from her, but Eels' body language probably said enough.

[attr="class","big69"]