Around the perimeters of the school grounds: Friday afternoon [12-9-11]

[walkswithcoyote]

This was... beyond surreal. Chunks of the island were disappearing and grey suited people were attacking and Mercy just didn't know what to do. All she could think of was to check around the perimeters of the school ground, see if there might be other areas where the auditors were trying to get through. At least her nose might prove useful in that regard.

Everyone else seemed occupied, so it was pretty easy to slip out a side door to go see what she could discover.

Comments

[selfhelphero]

Billy might have been tired from the time he'd spent in the library, but he was still keeping tabs on all the important people who were left, and that included Mercy. So, when he couldn't find her, he set out searching, thankful that his magic still worked enough for a spell to get him close to where she was. When he saw where she'd gone though, he wasn't sure how happy to be. "Mercy? What are you doing out here?" he asked, jogging up to her.

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy spun around, looking shocked. "How the heck did you do that? I didn't even smell you coming."

Not answering a question? Why, what do you mean?

"I thought you were looking for information in the library."

[selfhelphero]

Two could play at the not answering a question game, as Billy ignored the first one. "I was, and I might even go back, but for now, I'm bringing you back inside. Unless you have a good reason to be out here?"

[walkswithcoyote]

He could try...

"I just thought I could sort of check around the grounds. See if those auditor things were getting in anywhere else," Mercy said. "It's not like I'm going out into the town or anything."

If any of it was even still there.

[selfhelphero]

"I don't know how much town is left to go into," Billy said, because he sucked at not saying things like that. "I guess if you're going to check around, I can help. Four eyes are better than two."

[walkswithcoyote]

"I'd kind of been avoiding saying that," Mercy said with a small smile. "But if you're sure, I wouldn't mind the company."

She looked around. "It's pretty creepy out here."

[selfhelphero]

"When all this is fixed, we'd better have some nice days of sunny weather," Billy said, moving so he was closer to Mercy, watching her back. "Do I at least sound optimistic? It's a thing I'm trying."

[walkswithcoyote]

"You sound fairly optimistic, but your scent gives you away," Mercy said, eyes scanning the area around her. "Of course, only to a coyote or a werewolf, so you're pretty safe."

She glanced at him over her shoulder. "I'm really hard to lie to. Part of why being at my Mom's was tough."

She froze for a moment, then let her breath out softly as the movement turned out to be a teal deer heading... somewhere safer, Mercy hoped.

[selfhelphero]

"So, no planning surprise parties for your birthday, got it," Billy teased, glancing around as well. "Maybe the Auditors are resting somewhere. They should have to rest, right?"

[walkswithcoyote]

"I don't think we can judge them by human standards," Mercy said with a shudder. "They smell wrong."

The edge of the nothing seemed closer than it had the last time she'd looked its way.

"Billy... is that moving in closer?"

[selfhelphero]

Billy didn't have Mercy's senses, but after a moment, he noticed the darkness getting closer too. "I think it might be...now will you come back inside with me?" he asked.

[walkswithcoyote]

"Oh yeah," Mercy said, already backing up. She was kind of afraid to take her eyes off of it. It moved when she looked away.

"Let's just..." she gestured backwards. "Quickly."

[selfhelphero]

The thing about terror was that it made thinking of escape options a heck of a lot harder. Billy put his hand on Mercy's arm to stay close to her, backing up with her as quickly as he could. Surely they could make it back to the dorms if they just tried hard.

[walkswithcoyote]

It almost looked like it was trying to surround them. Mercy was moving backwards fast, looking from side to side, trying to judge size and movement. They weren't going to make it. At this pace it would close off around them.

But maybe if she timed it just right, gave Billy a shove past the edges, then bolted herself - her faster-than-human speed might just let her clear it too.

Almost without thinking, she shoved him as hard as she could, closing her eyes for a second in relief as the additional impetus helped him make it through. Now, if she could just move fast enough...

[selfhelphero]

Of all the things Billy was expecting Mercy to do, shoving him wasn't anywhere on the list, so Billy stumbled to the ground in his surprise. "Mercy? What--" he said, before looking up and realizing how close the cloud was to closing in on her. "Mercy! Come on!"

[walkswithcoyote]

"Get up and run!" Mercy shouted at him, veering to the side as the bubble shifted and narrowed out. She tried to run down that corridor, but it was moving too quickly.

Stone of a Peach.

She spun around looking for another way out - a hole or crack or anything.

"Damn it, RUN, Billy!" she screamed again, putting her head down and shifting forms as she charged toward a rapidly narrowing opening.

Maybe, just maybe, with the additional speed of her coyote form...

It was close, but she reached the opening and made it almost halfway through before one of the edges of the Nothing touched her.

And then she was gone, leaving only the echo of her howl behind.

[selfhelphero]

Billy totally would have run, but he was a little busy staring at the space where Mercy had been. Finally, he snapped out of it, and scrambled to his feet. "I want to be behind the forcefield, I want to be behind the forcefield," he chanted, shutting his eyes against the dark as he felt the spell kick in.

When he opened his eyes, he was on the steps of the dorm building, breathing hard like he'd run the whole way instead. After a moment, the realization of what Mercy had done started to sink in, and he wasn't sure whether to feel guilty first, or angry. She was so getting yelled at when--if--she came back. For now, he'd just be here, thinking of all the ways he could have protected her instead.