A very merry Halloween! [Mingle]

[ourearth]

Date: 31st of October
Characters: Open!
Warning: Non-sexual desecration of formerly buried corpses

---

On the morning of Halloween, when people first step out of their houses, they will almost step into something.

A bucket of water. Every flat and every house in the Mossgate Boundary has a bucket placed in front of its entrance door (and sometimes, especially in Folkton and Moss Manor, the back door too), in which scary apples are floating. A little sign taped to the bucket reads: Have fun bobbing!.

But that's not the only thing that happened. The second thing that people will notice is that there are billions of spiders of all sizes crawling all over the town and villages, the military base, the Manor House... everywhere. And they certainly did their job - trees, lanterns, the higher attractions on the pier, and everything else that is high all over Mossgate Council is covered in thick layers of cobweb.

And lastly... those who pass by a church will notice something about the graveyards around them. Namely, that someone placed skeletons on top of most of the graves... Awfully real looking ones. Really, really awfully real looking ones. To some of them, the soil of the graveyard still clings, and the graves underneath them are in a state that betrays that they were dug up during the night. DNA tests would show that, indeed, the skeletons belong to the individuals buried in the graves.

Comments

[iamnotgod]

Walter's approach into the alleyway is slightly more casual than Ben's - though by that point it's clear no one has noticed them anyway, much to Walter's relief.

Ben's reaction drives Walter to kneel down on the ground as well, but not out of an Echo; even though he can't see at first what Ben's expression is, it's clear something is up, and he puts a hand on Benjiro's shoulder in an attempt to ground him...

And then Ben starts, making Walter snap that hand back in a hurry - and, just as quickly, run with him.

"I'll say," he replies, once the meaning of what his friend is saying sinks in.

"Another memory?"

[warped_replica]

That distant impression of contact at his shoulder helped him to keep silent, and he blinks his wide eyes as he looks to Walter next to him away from the grave. He takes in a slow, deeper breath as he nods in confirmation, “Yeah... From the other one. Apparently he and his brothers got attacked by some skeletons at a door. Red light... They seemed mindless but they were not stopping even being broken into pieces.”

Gaze turning out to scan the graves around them, he takes what comfort he can that these are not armed and currently immobile.

“Sorry, let’s get back to it,” he offers in apology for the alarm. Bringing his backpack around, he fishes out a pair of disposable gloves to pull onto his hands and rolls up the sleeves of his hoodie.

[iamnotgod]

"Brothers?"

That knowledge must have come with the memory, then.

Walter shudders.

"So, skeleton zombies?"

He neglected to bring gloves, unfortunately, which leaves him standing guard.

"Need a hand?"

Oooh, that might be an unfortunate pun.

[warped_replica]

More reinforced by the memory than illumiating of the relationship, as it came with the undercurrent of worry for family and had been preceded by a flicker.

Backpack secured on his shoulders once more after preparing his hands and arms to make contact with the disturbed grave, he mulls over the label before shaking his head slowly, “Not quite, more like puppets. There was this voice with the light calling for...well, possibly for them. They started moving when it shone from above a golden door underground.”

There is an unfortunate edge to the phrase as Benjiro remembers literally disarming one of the skeletons, but it is met with nothing more that a pop of a brow. The teenager looks at the skeleton with hesitation, then replies, “Verbal suggestions will suffice.” Not allowing himself to delay further, he approaches to kneel down and look more closely without yet touching any part of the scene.

[iamnotgod]

The world Ben is getting his Echoes from appears more bizarre each time they talk about it...

"Probably had something done to them beforehand, if the affected skeletons were specific to a room."

Otherwise it could have been as wide an epidemic as they felt was needed.

Kneeling down again cautiously (even though he's short, he's not taking the risk of someone spotting his head above the stones), he nods.

[warped_replica]

Despite sharing that impression regarding the world of his gifted memories, he can take comfort in knowing Sadie has similar oddities contrasting with science.

“Seemed like they were. All I saw otherwise was a staircase out, and the room itself seemed centuries old. Come to think of it, the skeletons appeared to be dressed from different time periods…”

After Walter joins him, he tentatively reaches to the skeleton and begins to assess its state. Applying minimal pressure with contact, he lifts a finger of the hand tentatively to see how well it sustains the connections of the delicate joints with movement. He does not expect it to fall apart, yet he’s not about to jostle it outright. When it remains intact, he lifts the whole hand and the forearm with it, supporting under the wrist. Two fingers pinching the distal end of the radius, he applies a slow and steady increase of pressure to listen for a crackle that would indicate weakening with decay. This set of bones does not smell of rotting marrow, but the wind is bringing that noxious scent to them from other graves.

[iamnotgod]

"Whoever decided all of that was a good idea was utterly bonkers."

Given their current situation in Mossgate, however, the two of them are only somewhat better.

Walter holds his breath in anxious anticipation as Ben starts putting pressure on the bone.

"Checking for artificial aging, or the real deal?" he asks, gaze flickering up to the gravestone.

[warped_replica]

"They went there out of necessity. A friend had lost her brother behind the door and when she tried to follow, the light appeared," he recounts with his brow furrowing slightly at the essence of worry in the memory. He hopes it turned out okay.

"Essentially," he confirms for Walter, and it takes only seconds more before he hears the first crackle. Pressure released, he examines the bone under where he had his fingers. A slight, hairline fracture now present, Benjiro feels more certain, "Brittle. That didn't take much pressure at all."

Laying the hand down, he moves on to scanning the uncovered legs of the skeleton, and gingerly turns them at the hip to look more completely around each of the larger bones. Nothing apparent about the legs, he then looks to the skull, peering in through open sockets and gaps in the bone.

"Walter, can you get my flashlight out? Front pocket."

[iamnotgod]

"Not that - why would someone keep that many skeletons in one place, only to animate them to attack people?"

He lets out a huff of breath.

"I can only hope that the friend's brother was saved from that fate," he adds softly, inadvertently voicing Ben's thought.

He gingerly moves forward at the instruction, lifting it out deftly to hand it over to Benjiro.

"Better not be a spider in there..."

Since there's nothing to keep them out either.

[saveournpcs]

As Ben looks the skeleton's skull in the eyesockets, he has, for an intense moment, the feeling of being looked at. A soft thump like form a hesitant heartbeat seems to resounding from the skeleton, only audible to Ben, and there is a feeling of emptiness, but this time it is a very defined emptiness - like someone has taken everything but his bones away from him.

And then it is gone, and there is no dizziness, but Ben has a fresh new plot echo.

[warped_replica]

"It didn't sound human, but either way...probably because it could," he reasons. There are a number of possible explanations for the attacks, not limited to simply trying to keep that door closed. Without another memory of the situation, he might not ever discern it, and yet he hesitates at the possibility of learning more about something or someone that can animate the dead. At least to the matter of the brother, he can agree, "Me too..."

Staring into the orbits of the skull with focus placed to one of the optic canals, Benjiro feels Walter pulling on the zipper of his bag to retrieve the flashlight with the comment about a spider. He smiles wryly as he starts to reply, "At this point, I wouldn't...be..." only to trail off as he gets the feeling of something staring back. The sound of the heartbeat makes him look down at the chest of the skeleton. Then nothing.

The focus of his eyes vanishes as his breath passes from his lungs without return. His expression slackens and his hands drop to the ground by his hips as that nothingness swallows his thought, his mind, his soul, his body and leaves only the vaguest notion of a remnant in bones no different than simply another skeleton resting in the graveyard. Lifeless.

Seconds tick by in this state before he inhales with a struggling gasp born of everything rushing back with the addition of a hefty memory covering hours of time and his muscles cramping from head to toe. Grunting in the pain of his muscles pulling every direction simultaneously, he curls forward in a flexion synergy reflexively with his hands clawing into the grass and dirt. Staccato words taut and breathless, he struggles to speak with lungs starting to burn, "..noh...ga...nn..!"

[iamnotgod]

"Ben?"

There's very little warning before the teen goes silent, and Walter's own heart definitely skips a beat in response.

"Ben!"

The flashlight is no longer important - Walter presses below Benjiro's shoulder blades, next shifting to start moving Ben away from the grave.

Asking him to say what's wrong might be a little much right now.

[warped_replica]

The effort to drag Benjiro away from the skeleton and the grave is made easier by the lock of his muscles initially. Then all at once his muscles release to the level of wet noodles, and the teenager sprawls in the direction of the pull. Laying out on his side in the grass, he shivers as he relies on his diaphragm to gasp for air in an effort to recover the oxygen debt left behind.

As his breathing starts to slow, he rests limp the ground as he makes another effort to speak with far more success, "...t-that one h...hurt."

[iamnotgod]

"I'll say."

It had hurt to watch, frankly, and Walter's attention is divided between their immediate area and Ben's well-being; this is not somewhere they want to forget anything.

Relying on previously-used tactics, he rubs Ben's back softly yet firmly, pressing circles.

"Hospital-worthy hurt, or just hurt?"

There are degrees to this sort of thing.

*he rests limp on the ground

[warped_replica]

Backpack still in place, gloves remaining on his hands, and the flashlight having never been accepted, there should not be anything else from the teen to keep track of in terms of collecting items to avoid leaving evidence.

His muscles quiver subtly, the flickers of contractions palpable on contact with his skin or through his shirt under his hoodie. The pressure draws out stronger twitches as Walter rubs his back under or around the backpack, but Benjiro still finds comfort from the motion as he allows his eyes to close momentarily.

“No, no need. R-really sore...that’s all,” he quickly denies at the mention of a hospital, his jaw sore as the rest of him simply speaking. They have Mary Ann available if it were an emergency, but this is not one. His greater concern lies in avoiding detection, “...i-is anyone nearby?”

[iamnotgod]

"Rest, then," Walter asserts.

"As long as it's not here, anyway," he adds, resuming his check of the area - apart from a gust of wind, there's no noise to immediately draw his attention.

"... No, but if we're relying on luck, I wouldn't expect it to last much longer. If I carry you, will it hurt more?"

That flashlight's getting put back, either way; the light would very easily draw attention.

[warped_replica]

Here is certainly undesirable being at the border of a graveyard they do not have permission to enter and with the air temperature beginning to drop steadily with shadows deepening.

Not one to rely on luck for anything, Benjiro draws in a deeper, shaky inhale and opens his eyes. Movements slow and in stages, he removes the gloves from his hands, turning them inside out with one tucked into the other, and stows the wad into his pocket. The effort to perform the simple task is excessive for something so small, and it indicates how limited his effort to leave will be - meaning they have to get going immediately. To the option of being carried, he hesitates, "I don't think so, but I might be too heavy for you..." Thanks to his recent growth spurt adding more than ten kilograms to his mass.

Rolling prone, he gathers himself one limb at a time to edge his way up onto his hands and knees. The tremor of his muscles makes it difficult, but the soreness is tolerable enough that he keeps his position once there. "Hhnn...I could definitely use a hand up though."

[iamnotgod]

Walter doesn't respond, though he does follow Ben's indications and lends that hand.

And then a second one, because more leverage might be useful in this situation.

"I think I hear someone," he says, sudden, muscles tense. It may be a false alarm, they may not be coming in, but nearby is risky enough, isn't it?

[warped_replica]

One hand taken and then the other, he shifts to a half kneel and pushes through with a grunt to rise into standing with his muscles threatening to cramp in resistance despite his reliance on Walter for support through his arms. Staggering a step once he makes it upright, he clings to his friend with a drawn expression.

Barely on his feet when Walter alerts him to the possible presence of another person, he strains to listen himself as he weighs their options. Walter could certainly get out of the area in a hurry if necessary were he not limited by the teenager. One person is harder to spot than two together.

Voice lowered to a whisper, he replies, "Think you can help me to the trees? I can hide there."

[iamnotgod]

Walter has to lock his own knees to keep up the support, for what that's worth; the clinging is at least a little mutual.

"On it," he whispers - the only downside to running, however, is that there are leaves on the ground, and those will certainly make noise.

So it's 'slow but stealthy' for the two of them.

[warped_replica]

Noise only matters if that person nearby manages to get a look at Walter in the process.

The strain on his friend is picked up by the teenager as they start to walk back towards the trees through the stiffness of his steps, so he shifts his weight back to his own legs as much as he can stand to lighten the burden. A couple times, a knee buckles before catching midway downward, and Benjiro forces himself to stay up until they reach the cover of the tree line. Breathing harder from the effort and trembling worse, he reaches out for tree further back that has a lower branch he can loop his arm over to hold then transfers to lean against the tree rather than Walter.

"...I-I'll be okay here."

[iamnotgod]

"I'm not leaving you here, either."

Sure, he knows Ben can take care of himself - ordinarily.

But this isn't ordinary, and the effort it takes to even get to the trees doesn't quell Walter's worries any.

"Our most basic options are - we call for help,"

Text, most likely. Probably Mary Ann.

"Or I stay by you until we're both sure you can walk home."

[warped_replica]

“I’d rather you didn’t, but if we have to separate temporarily to avoid being spotted, then I can stay steady here or lower myself down,” he responds in a hurried whisper.

Worst case scenario he can be caught and Walter can slip away unseen without the teenager slowing him down.

Given the two options, he does not have to think about his preference, “If you can wait with me about ten minutes I might be okay. I feel like I’ve been treading water for hours...”

No plausible Echo to come to Walter's rescue here, sadly.,

[iamnotgod]

Walter quietly wishes he knew more about how to help Ben while he was like this. He'd never had cause to learn this type of training...

Something in him hurts when Ben makes that simile, and he leans on the tree as well, aiming to steady the teen.

"We can lower you down so you're sitting, would that help?"

That he is willing to stay with Ben is enough <3

[warped_replica]

The nearness to his friend is reassuring in itself, and likely why he hasn't been overwhelmed by his state complicated by the lengthy memory. When Walter suggests they get him to the ground now rather than wait, Benjiro hesitates only enough to breathe in deeper before he answers, "Yes, but getting up again is going to be a chore." A warning for expectations.

Prior to making any effort to remove himself from the branch, Benjiro glances downward. He sees no signs of vines or possible culprits of irritation growing at the base, even in the fading light and shadow. Furthermore, he checks for signs that the person Walter noticed has not gotten close to them by listening and looking for any artificial light moving nearby. Satisfied they have a little more space and time, he summons what strength he retains to bring one arm from over the branch followed by the other to stand. Muscles quivering, he waits for Walter to give him some cue before he pushes his back against the tree to slide down carefully as he can manage - dropping the final quarter meter down. Despite a slight cringe, he settles quickly to lean entirely against the bark of the tree.

"Can you tell how long until they pass by us?"