InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I left my aura there!"

Kevin Ford (becomedeath) wrote in devolve,
@ 2011-01-31 01:26:00

Entry tags:

kevin_allen, kevin_ford

Who: Kevin, Kurt and Freakshow
What: 'clean-up' run
Where: not too far off the grounds
When: Monday
Rating: probably PG...but maybe higher depending on your thoughts on decomposing corpses?
Status: Incomplete

Kevin glanced to where Kurt had taken up a position on a nearby rooftop with a good view in all directions before tugging off his gloves, shoving them in his hoodie pocket and pushing up his sleeves as far as they'd go. It was cold, of course, but he didn't really mind, and even if he did it wouldn't matter. He couldn't do what he needed to unless he was bare handed. One major bonus of the cold was the fact that at least it didn't smell too bad, which was far from being the case when they made these runs in the height of summer. Triple digit heat and humidity wasn't a good combination with rotting flesh, and sometimes between the stench and the flies Kevin would tie a bandana around his face.

Today, though, there was only a faint charnel-house reek to the air from the bodies strewn haphazardly around the street, and Kevin barely noticed it as he got to work. There were only a couple dozen in sight from where he stood, though Kurt had said there were more in one of the nearby houses. The two days since he'd been out on Saturday was enough that his powers were hungry again, though the world out here was full enough of death and decay that he wasn't entirely sure if his death sight was currently active or not. It had been flickering in and out since sometime last night, and while Kurt had been whole and intact when he'd glanced at him a moment ago, Kevin had the feeling that if he looked back up at him now he wouldn't be anymore. He didn't look.

"You sure you're going to be okay with this?" he asked Freakshow instead, not looking at the other boy either as he stood over the first body, skin itching with the desire - the need - to bend down and touch. "It's pretty disgusting, and if you want to move farther away Kurt can probably give more than enough warning from where he's stationed."

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becomedeath
2011-02-03 06:22 am UTC (link)

Kevin was just drawing up and scrambling for his Glock when Freakshow's tail was suddenly around him again. He managed to keep his grip on the gun through the surprise of being held tight and hoisted into the air and he turned his gaze in the direction Kurt had indicated. He caught sight of the men Kurt had spotted in the shadows at the far end of the street - it looked like they'd been inside one of the warehouses - just as the scout's voice crackled back to life over the walkie-talkies.

"They're human. Heading your way...and they just saw the dragon." The statement was immediately followed by the sharp report of gunfire, and then a series of startling 'pings' closer to home as two or three bullets bounced off Freakshow's metal hide.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked over his shoulder as he dropped into a crouch and moved towards the edge of the roof, Glock out and safety off even as Kurt appeared behind one of the gunmen. He was almost surprised that it was only the man's gun the scout apparently 'ported away at first, but there was always a chance they just felt threatened rather than being truly aggressive.

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freakydeaky
2011-02-03 06:41 am UTC (link)

"Aaaaaah!" Freakshow's shout was more out of surprise than pain, barely feeling the bullets bounce off him, staring down at himself to see if they'd even made a dent. "Yeah, I'm okay." His attention moved to the group coming toward them, and in a well-practiced fashion, he braced both sets of talons on the edge of the building, peering over to hiss threateningly at the men in an effort to get them to back off. He wasn't exactly sure what they were supposed to do about them, but he sure as heck wasn't going to act like he was happy to be shot at.

Still, they were people. Living people, not infected. He wasn't even entirely sure that they really existed anymore other than at the colonies, even if the scouts and supply runners mentioned them once in a while.

"What do we do?" He craned his head back toward Kevin. He didn't know the policy on actual attacks, but he didn't imagine they were actually going to start killing perfectly healthy humans.

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becomedeath
2011-02-03 06:53 am UTC (link)

The man Kurt had taken the gun from spun in shock and no little terror, and Kevin could hear his voice carrying over the distance between them. A thin screech of, "mutie freaks!" as one of his companions spun and shot at the last place Kurt had been. Too late, of course, and then the scout was back for another gun, golden eyes ominous from within his cloud of dark smoke.

The others were still focused on them, though, and Kevin ducked as a bullet chipped at the concrete edging the roof disturbingly close to his head, others bouncing harmlessly off Freakshow again as well.

"We stay down and make sure they don't just think they're defending themselves." He didn't look back. He was taking careful aim with the Glock, though he didn't fire yet. The range was too far unless they got closer...which two of them looked to be doing as more bullets bounced off the concrete coping and Freakshow both.

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freakydeaky
2011-02-03 07:13 am UTC (link)

"Oh....those kinds of people." Freakshow drawled lightly, the dragon managing to look less than impressed as more bullets popped at him, and he sat and took them like any proper metal lizard would. Seeing that Kevin was having a more difficult time of things, he shifted one claw to the other side of the older boy, becoming extra cover for him.

He contemplated roaring, but knew the sound would likely draw even more unwanted company. Instead, Freakshow reached his head over the edge of the building, opening his wide maw, and sprayed the area in front of them in a wide cone of ice. It wasn't anywhere near close enough to hit the shooters, but now there was a nice shell of gleaming, slippery fun. It wasn't much different than the rest of their surroundings, but he hoped either the presence of the obstacle, or just the show of power would deter them from coming any closer.

"Does this happen a lot?" He managed to ask amidst the shooting, nervousness in his voice as he looked to Kevin, moving his tail now to better protect him.

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becomedeath
2011-02-03 08:03 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, those kind," Kevin answered, attention still focused on keeping the Glock aimed on the nearest of the humans, though he shifted to take advantage of the cover provided by Freakshow's claw. He definitely didn't want to take a bullet, not as the only person in the damned community Foley couldn't heal if something went wrong.

He watched in appreciation as Freakshow covered the area between them and their attackers with ice, and then as Kurt appeared in a burst of smoke to take one more gun away from them, saying something he couldn't make out at that distance as he did so...and then they were all breaking and running, throwing curses and insults over their shoulders as they went.

"Not...a lot." He stood up and leaned against the metal claw in front of him, bracing a bare hand tentatively against it. "But enough. Sometimes they just feel threatened, or they're looking for help and...sometimes they're not so easy to run off." And those days he invariably had another body or more to add to his tally.

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freakydeaky
2011-02-03 08:22 am UTC (link)

"Well, it's nice to know tolerance hasn't improved much." Freakshow snorted through his nostrils, watching as the attackers fled, looking back to Kevin, then out once more to make sure they were really going. "We should....probably go before they get help, right?" His tail raised, poised to help Kevin get back down again, still peeking over to make sure more attackers weren't on their way.

"And sometimes they're just assholes with guns?" He sighed, his head shaking a little. "Here, come on, I'll get you back down there again so we can get the heck out of Dodge. Maybe we should just....leave the rest of them? The bodies, I mean." He felt a little bad about that, considering they came so far out to do the job, but with potential danger was it really worth it?

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becomedeath
2011-02-03 08:35 am UTC (link)

Kevin nodded as Kurt reappeared on a roof across from them, his back to them as he apparently tracked their assailants retreat.

"There's no sign of any other movement," his voice came across the walkie-talkies again. "Get in the truck and be ready to head out while I make sure they're not rounding back on us or going for reinforcements. I'll be back in two to three minutes max."

"Yeah," Kevin told Freakshow, tipping his head back to look up at him with a cockeyed smile. "We never stick around after something like this. We'll probably just head straight back now, not worth the risk they might try to track us and catch us off guard later. And, um, thanks." He tapped the claw Freakshow had shielded him with as he re-engaged the safety on his gun and tucked it away again. "Really a fan of not getting shot by bigoted rednecks."

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freakydeaky
2011-02-03 09:05 am UTC (link)

"I'm cool with you not being splattered everywhere too." Freakshow replied with a nod, sliding the tail up, but pausing before hooking it around so Kevin was ready this time. When he was loaded on, Freak carefully swept down to the ground again, carefully unloading Kevin near the car before changing into his real form again a safe distance from Kevin. He planned on returning to metal form, but needed a moment to compose once more. Too much excitement, too many new additions to forms.

"Home is...good." He nodded a bit, climbing into the bed of the truck once more, shifting into metal without becoming any sort of creature. "I'm okay with not doing this again for a few more days, just for the record. Not that it hasn't been a boatload of fun." The sarcasm was a little thick, but his mind was relaying that it could have been a lot worse, that their attackers could have hung around, that one of them could have been wounded. "You guys have serious balls, you know that?"

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becomedeath
2011-02-03 09:42 am UTC (link)

"It'd be a real mess," he agreed, cockeyed half smile still in place as Freak hoisted him into the air - a bit less abruptly this time - and took him back to the truck. He stepped a bit farther away reflexively when the other boy reverted to his natural form, and pulled his gloves out of his pockets to tug rapidly on. He could almost feel the bodies still waiting for him, but he hadn't been kidding when he'd said it wasn't worth the risk.

"Yeah. A wall is a...really good thing." He slipped back into the driver's seat as Freak climbed into the bed again, snorting at his comment about how fun it had been. And as for having balls....

"It scares me just about shitless every time we come out here," he admitted, biting his lip as he turned to look back at Freak and relaxing slightly to find him metal again. "But it needs doing and...honestly?" He shifted his attention back out the front windshield, shoulders hunching slightly. "I...I kind of have to, um...have the outlet. For my powers. Now." It wasn't like Freakshow wouldn't figure it out sooner or later if this was going to be a regular gig, after all. Might as well just put it out there. And try very hard not to think about what he'd do in the world Dr. McCoy was trying to regain for them, a world where the streets weren't littered with decaying bodies needing to be disposed of.

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freakydeaky
2011-02-03 10:12 am UTC (link)

Freakshow was watching through the windshield in the direction the group had disappeared in, not really thinking that they would be back, but wanting to keep an eye out just in case even as he and Kevin spoke. He rested his chin on the sill of the back window as they both waited for Kurt to return, and when Kevin mentioned his powers, Freakshow felt as if it was a golden opportunity to bring up a few of the things that had come to mind in reference to them. He'd wanted to ask before, but it never seemed like there was a good time, and the little tact he had told him it was probably a touchy subject. If Kevin was going to bring it up on his own it seemed to be now or never.

"That makes sense," he replied, still keeping his gaze forward through the glass, determined to continue on with his job until Kurt showed up again. "Like, they sort of build up?" He didn't know the full context of them, but got a vague idea that he got some sort of relief out of it, even if the truth was a lot darker than that. "I mean, I wouldn't be able to do it unless there was something like that. It's good what you do. With the bodies and all that. Not just for cleaning or whatever." He shifted a little bit, his gaze slightly relaxing, though he wasn't paying any less attention than he was before. "It's sad to think of all the people who are just...out here. If I were...like that I think that if I had any idea of what happened after I died I'd someone to do something like that for me so I'm not just...here. It's better than being left there without anybody caring, and at least this way someone can be like 'hey, I don't know who this person was, but I can acknowledge they existed and send them on their way'."

He was quiet for a second before he laughed a little sheepishly. "Sorry, I've just been thinking about it for a bit and didn't want to bring it up before. I don't try to be insensitive about stuff, it just sort of happens sometimes. I figured this was as good a time as any."

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becomedeath
2011-02-03 10:36 am UTC (link)

That hadn't really been the answer he'd expected, and almost glanced back over his shoulder again, away from where he'd been scanning the shadows lining the buildings along the street. Almost, but not quite, and he kept his gaze on their surroundings as Freakshow...well, babbled, really. But for once he really didn't mind it.

"It's...it's okay," he answered after a long moment of silence, still watching out the window for danger or any sign of Kurt's return. "And, uh, yeah, it's...I guess? I mean, I never really thought about it. Caring about after." His voice was very quiet and slightly strained. Because really? He never had let himself think about it for himself. Tried not to really think about any of it beyond that brief, meaningless prayer and the rush of power. He knew it was disgusting and more than a little wrong, no matter how essential it was, and he figured everyone who actually thought about it felt pretty much the same way. It wasn't exactly something he tended to table for discussion.

"I say a prayer. For each of them," he added, quieter and more tentative after a moment. "I'm. Not really sure why. It's not like I believe or anything," he added, faintly defensive even as the words ran unbiddent through his mind. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.

He was almost irrationally relieved at a flash of blue coming back over the rooftops towards them. He wasn't sure why he'd opened his mouth in the first place. really, and he put the truck in gear as Kurt burst into existence a few yards away and trotted towards the passenger door.

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freakydeaky
2011-02-03 06:50 pm UTC (link)

"It's better than nothing, and they deserve something, you know? I think that's-NYA!" Freakshow jumped back in surprised when Kurt popped into their presence in his line of view, feeling a bit like a jackass, and that his nerves were wound a little too tight for the moment. Not that anyone could blame him. He looked sheepish, watching as the blue figure came toward them, his hands moving to the edge of the windows to hold on in preparation for the drive home.

He wasn't sure how much he would want to talk about, knowing he still wanted to find Jimmy and hang out with him just for sanity's sake, but he had a lot to think about considering all that had happened that day. During the drive home he was quiet, thoughtful, honestly considering if he could keep doing this more. After all, he'd helped Kevin a lot, hadn't he? And he'd probably seen just about the worst things he could...maybe. It was something to consider, but he didn't feel like he had to do it all on the ride home.

Home, thank god.

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