Hell's Invasion Prologue (Renata Hodges) [IC]

[Shayuri]

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"No, not that way!" Ren called out. "There's another one out there!"

She shook her head. "You know, the building's not on fire...and none of those things are in here. Maybe we're better off finding somewhere to hole up inside."

A glance was enough to convince her that this wasn't the place to make a stand. Big windows, big doors. Lots of ways in. They needed someplace they could easily barricade off. Like...

"Basement," Renata said to Mari. "Is there a basement? There's gotta be. Come on, lets find it quick!"

Probably wouldn't label it 'basement' she figured. More likely 'do not enter' or 'janitor' or something. But there had to be somewhere they kept the water heater and the other stuff buildings needed but were too noisy or ugly to have where people walked around.

"You guys, stay away from the windows!" she warned the other girls as she and Mari started their search.

Somewhere in the back of her head, she could feel herself starting to slip away. The 'reality' of the world was getting thinner and thinner. The fear was melting into a bizarre sense of absurdity that made her want to laugh out loud. They were going to run from demons through hallways? Would they need to find any colored key cards? Find guns inexplicably lying on the ground?

But she knew if she started laughing she wouldn't be able to stop. And the laughing would turn into crying...and she'd still be there, curled up, laughing and crying, when one of those things scooped her up and bit her in half.

So Renata ran, and looked for a place of refuge.

 

[perrinmiller]

The girls running out the other exit did not stop or listen to the warning. The rest were starting leave from the central doors, maybe heeding the warning. Or perhaps realizing that sooner or later whatever was in the courtyard might decide to come see who was looking at them.

Underneath the stairs coming down from the second floor was door for the basement that was atop a set stairs leading down. Renata and Mari had never been there before, but the janitor for the dorms often went down there. Besides the water heater and furnace, the junction boxes for utilities and the fuses were there too.

Mari tried the door leading downstairs. "It's locked."

Most students had no access to the basement, but the Dorm’s RAs had keys for the door. There was a storage room down there with supplies for the common room. Renata had noticed that the girl running out the far door was actually the first floor's RA.

There was girl's blood curdling scream from outside. It was soon followed by more screaming from those that witnessed what happened through the windows.

 

[Shayuri]

Damnit!

Renata looked back the way they'd come, but whatever had happened, happened outside. Belatedly she realized her phone was still on, and she hung it up. If all that hadn't been enough for the 911 dispatcher, then nothing would be. Alright. Key. Jesus.

"Sit tight here for a sec," she heard herself saying. "I'm gonna see if I can't find a key for this."

And no, I have no idea what I'm doing. Please don't ask.

With that, Renata turned and headed back up the hallway, clenching her fists as she went. She was trying hard to beat her fear into submission with anger...but it was tough this time. It was really damn tough.

It didn't sound like she got far. Just peek out...see if it's moved on, grab the key...try not to look too hard. Sure. It'll be fine.

The urge to just hunker down in the common room was strong. Or head back upstairs to the dorm. But sooner or later those things would run out of people to attack in the courtyard, and then she thought they'd start looking for more. And had she seen some with wings before their hurried trip downstairs?

She thought she had. Being high wasn't going to cut it. They had to get down. And for that they needed a key. The service door was thick and heavy and lined with metal. Not to mention it would COMPLETELY defeat the purpose of digging in if they wrecked the door to do it. She could search for a janitor, or another RA, but not only would that take precious time, it was also pure chance if one happened to be in the building.

Still repeating to herself that this was the only way, as if it was some kind of protective spell she could cast to ward off gibbering panic, Renata reached the door the other unfortunate girl had fled out through and very carefully turned the knob...then just cracked it open a hair to peek outside and see two things.

Where was she? And what was there with her?

(OOC - looks like the copy/paste thing doesn't work. I think I do have to upload it each time. I'll come back and do it later, cuz I be tired right now. )

 

[perrinmiller]

Mari stayed behind and called out as Renata went down the hall. "She left her door open, maybe the key is in there"

She entered the RA's dorm room to look for it.

The chaos of girls was scattering them all over. Some followed after Renata, a few tried to take refuse in the corners away from the windows or back in the dorm rooms... maybe to hide under their beds with pillows over their heads.

Renata looked outside.

There was one of the red-skinned creatures with wings she had seen from the window. It was atop the RA... that poor girl was dead. Her neck was at an odd angle. The creature looked up and away from the dorm's door.

Following its gaze, Renata saw a black limousine with two men getting out from the front seats on either side. She recognized the car as belonging to her father. The two men were Secret Service and they were pulling out their side arms.

 

[Shayuri]

Renata stared goggle-eyed at the car...in the confusion she'd managed to completely put out of her head that her dad had said he was sending a car for her. But here was a chance! Open the windows, get Mari over here, then make a run for the car while the MiBs filled it with bullets!

It was a good plan...she liked the idea of being able to avoid these things in a car more than sitting in a basement and just praying they didn't bother to look down there. It DID hinge on the MiBs being able to bring it down though. She tensed, watching and waiting to see if she needed to call Mari over...or keep looking for that key.

 

[perrinmiller]

The creature leaped into the air, beating its wings to gain altitude. It left a smoking contrail behind it as it flew towards the pair of Secret Service Agents.

The two men cleared their weapons from their holsters and took aim with both hands, arms outstretched. On called out for the creature to, "Halt!" The other agent yelled back over his shoulder, "Agent Falcone!"

The flying creature was snarling something guttural, perhaps a language as it continued.

The agents opened fire. The multiple shots were like fireworks going off. A few bullets tore into the creature, small holes appears in its wings. The erratic flight caused a number of shots to miss too. But about 10 feet shy of the first agent, the creature crashed to the grassy turf.

One agent exclaimed , "Jesus! What is this?" The other stepped in and double tapped the twitching thing in the head without bothering to answer the rhetorical question.

Their attention was drawn to the courtyard and they spotted something else that Renata was not able to see. Most likely they could see the ring of fire.

While the firefight was going on, a female agent that Renata recognized had exited the back of the limo and already had her own pistol drawn with a mobile phone in her other hand. She was likely the detail lead. Whenever her dad sent them to protect her, Agent Alexi Falcone was often one of the agents assigned. She was the only female agent part of the Senator's detail.

She told them, "Go make sure she is not that way. A call has already been made to the LEOs."

The two men jogged towards the front of the dorm building, likely straight towards the second of the creatures.

 

[Shayuri]

Lexi, of course. She always gave Renata the creeps. Some agents she'd met were okay guys...just folks doing their job. Falcone didn't seem that way to her. Always formal, always polite, always in charge, and never seemed to feel anything. But maybe that was a good thing now?

Renata yanked the door open the rest of the way and called, "Over here! Don't go around there, there's more! Hold on!"

She looked back up the hall and called, "Mari! Come on over here!"

It was with some surprise that she realized there were a few other girls tagging along behind her too...most likely hoping she'd had some idea what to do now.

Well. It was a big car. Hopefully big enough.

With that, Renata poked her head back out the door and waved at Lexi and the two MiB's, hoping they'd see her and come over.

 

[perrinmiller]

Agent Falcone spoke into her mic that communicated with the other two agents via their ear pieces. She called out, "Miss Hodges, stay there for a second while we secure the area."

One stopped at the corner of the dorm, facing towards the front of the building and getting a good look at the ring of fire suspended in the air. The second agent left him there and moved quickly to the dorm's side door and stepped past it, covering the other direction.

Mari had come out of the RA's room and ran to catch up. Now there were 5 girls with Renata bunched at the exit, desperately hoping that safety lay beyond. Upon seeing the dead thing and their fellow student lying yards away, one sobbed and a few stiffed squeaks of terror. With most of the girls being rather slender, the limousine would barely be able to cram them all into the two bench seats in the back.

The agent near the door said, "Okay ma'am. Head to the vehicle."

The the other agent at the corner yelled a warning as he looked up. He started firing his pistol.

The other red, flying demon had dropped down upon the agent. It appeared to ignore the few shots the man got off before it was on top of his victim and sharp claws were ripping into the man's flesh of his face and neck.

 

[Shayuri]

Renata winced at the gruesome scene, but worse than the gore was the sinking realization that their one chance at getting away was dissolving. Once that thing was done with the agent, it would cut them off from the car. Could they hold the door? Could the other agents finish it off? They really only had this one shot.

And she had a feeling that if a bunch of girls started running across its field of view, it would be attracted to that, like a dog to anything that looked like it was fleeing. Out of instinct, it would pounce.

Unless it had a distraction.

"Mari," she heard herself say...her voice sounded distant in her own ears... "Run for the car. All of you, run for it. I'll follow you across and make sure we make it."

Red. She'd seen red. Yeah, just inside the door. One of the fire extinguishers. Getting it out would set off the alarms...well, couldn't have that. Yeah, actually, no...it was fine. She broke the glass with the little mallet and yanked the CO2 foam canister out. The droning whooping of the fire alarm started up, and Renata looked at Mari directly.

"Don't stop for anything," she instructed grimly. "Just make for the car and get inside. If the agents give you any trouble, just IGNORE THEM and get in anyway. I'll be right behind you."

Renata then stepped out the door, and made sure the extinguisher was ready to 'fire.' Hell, these things looked like they were on fire, right? Maybe it'd hurt them. And even if not, it'd damn sure get their attention.

 

[perrinmiller]

Mari and the other four girls followed Renata's instructions, "Come on!" They started to make a break for it dashing out across the lawn to the limousine. Alexi Falcone was urging the girls to hustle and quickly climb inside the back.

Mari stopped and looked back to see her friend not immediately coming. "Hurry, Renata! HURRY!"

The agent by the door said, "Stop messing around, ma'am!" But he could not worry about that as he left the door to try helping the wounded agent at the corner. He was not able to shoot at first, not having a clear shot without risking a hit on his partner.

The creature ripped out the throat of the already mangled agent and let him fall with arterial spray shooting blood spurts into the air. The other agent opened fire and managed to hit the fiery creature a few times, but it still leaped at him. Even wounded it crashed into the agent and bore him to the ground.

When Renata stepped outside she found the pair locked into a grapple where the agent could not put the muzzle of his pistol against demon flesh, but he also had a forearm under the creature's chin to prevent the sharp teeth from reaching him.