Searching...(Open RP)

[Erik Masters]

William had been running from something for a while. He hadn’t seen “it” yet but he knew it was following him. Every corner he turned he knew that “it” was right behind him. He turned down a alley between to wrecked buildings and immediately regretted his choice. Dead End. All he could do now was turn around and wait for “it” to come around the corner. He took up a fighting stance and readied himself for whatever was about to come. He waited for what seemed like forever but nothing came. He slowly walked to the end of the alley and peeked around the corner. No one. Just rubble and burned out buildings. He walked back into the shelter of the alley and began to tap his fingers on the wall. He had heard “it” shouting. He knew “it” was coming for him, but where had “it” gone? Maybe he had lost “it” back a few blocks when he had run down a couple of alleys.
“Ha,” he laughed to himself “Guess it just couldn’t keep up with me. No other reason why it wouldn’t be there.” He began to tap his fingers on what used to be a dumpster lid. “Now I know they are looking for me. They must have taken Ryan to some secret laboratory near there and were worried I would find him. I will have to make my way back there sometime.” The drumming began to be come more erratic. “They must really want to keep him from me. They must know what we are capable of. I will get him back and when I do they will pay for taking him.” He felt his anger rise as he thought about where Ryan was and what they were doing to him. He picked up the dumpster lid and threw it against the wall making a loud crashing sound. The loud noise started some rodents near by and they ran from the alley.
He got up and ran for the back wall. Jumping he planted his foot on the wall and jumped off. Pushing off the wall he turned in mid air and grabbed the ledge of a second floor window and pulled himself up. From the window ledge he jumped a crossed to a partial fire escape on the other side of the alley. He grabbed the rail and used the forward momentum to swing himself up to the bar. He stood up and grabbed the bottom of the next level and pulled himself up. He swung one leg or the rail and stood on the grate. He bounced slightly to make sure it would hold his weight. Here was a small creaking sound but it would hold.

Sudden Erik was back in control. He took a minute to compose himself and looked around. He couldn’t remember why he was running he just knew that he had to run. How he had got here was a mystery. All he could remember was flashes of alleys and burned out buildings. “Great,” he said to himself, “Now where the hell am I?” He surveyed his surroundings a little more. Nothing was familiar. Now he was going to have to try and find his way back. However far way that was. He had lost control again. This much he knew. Why had he this time? Could be anyone’s guess. He sat down on the fire escape and tried to collect himself. Time for a break. He must have been running for a while by how out of breath he was. At least he knew had been running for quite some time. These blackouts had been happening more and more often as the days went by. He need to control himself more. This kind of indiscipline would be very upsetting to his little brother had he been around. No time to think of that right now. Right now he need to go back to where he used to live. After a short rest of course.

[Marcus Prasad]

It's kind of funny how often one met the most interesting people when the sun went down.

Marcus, dressed up in his usual ensemble of Cargo Pants (Navy blue this time) Black Sweater, Leather jacket and Flatcap, had been tailing this young man with the strange, strange hair ever since he caught sight of him running down an alleyway. Now you, the reader, more likely than not are wondering why on earth is Marcus
A) Out at night and B) Tailing some punk down alleyways.

You see, Marcus is what one would call a night owl. He also didn't like the idea of not knowing Long Beach as well as he knew Manhattan so he had taken it upon himself to bug out for half the night and run around the city, mapping it out in his mind.

Now as for the boy?
It wasen't quite why he was running down alleyways, constantly looking over his shoulder, but how he was moving down the narrow cluttered lanes.
Now Marcus was having no trouble keeping up with the boy from his vantage point high above, but he had to admit the ice blue haired fellow could move.

'Damn. He's as good as I was when I was his age.'
Marcus continued to watch, stopping his vigil only after hearing some shouting going on elsewhere. Mabey that was who he was running from? Marcus figured they were far enough away from Barkers border to not have to worry about any patrols. Not that Marcus would worry about them.

Truth be told though. There were always worse things that went bump in the night.

The boy seemed to have finally slowed down to a stop. Quietly the man would slip down from the rooftops into the top section of the fire escape and just sit down, feet dangling over the edge, arms resting on the bars and he would watch as the young man below would pace, growl angrily and throw his little temper tantrum.
'Somethings chasing you boy, but what? Who are you?'

Suddenly the boy would once again demonstrate his skills and jump, swing and climb his way onto the same Fire escape he himself was on.
The night would make it impossible for the boy to see the man.

“Great,” he said to himself, “Now where the hell am I?”

Marcus' lips pulled back in his signature wolflike grin.
"You're sitting on a fire escape is what it looks like to me."
the narrow alleyway would make his voice echo and make it that much harder to locate him. Marcus wasen't a mean spirited person, but that didn't mean he wasn't above friendly pranks and games here and there.
He would leave it at that and see how the boy would respond.

Looks like this night was about to get alittle more interesting.

[Erik Masters]

"You're sitting on a fire escape is what it looks like to me." Erik quickly jumped to his feet. His heart rate spiked. Was this what he was running from? Why had this man followed him? He took a second to look around. It was rather dark in the alley and he could not locate the origin of the voice. “It’s rude to sneak up on people you know.” He pressed his back against the wall and readied himself for the jump to the window ledge a cross from him. “Polite culture dictates one introduce himself when meeting someone for the first time.” There was just enough room for him to take 2 steps. His first step landed on the grat and the second step landed on the railing. He launched himself a crossed the gap and grabbed a hold of the window ledge. Pulling himself up he sat on the window ledge. “Why are you following me?” He wiped his hands on his t-shirt. He knew that who was looking for him was defiantly not this person. He had felt too much panic before. This man did not seem to want to harm him. Though for all he knew he could just be playing games with him.
He stood up on the ledge and looking around once more to see if he could see the man. The change in vantage point had done nothing to reveal the man. He didn’t like being in this alley anymore. He really wanted to go somewhere else. His thoughts turned to his little brother. Maybe this person had seen him. Maybe this person could help him find his little brother. Maybe this person was trying to stop him from finding his brother. He felt himself losing control again..

No. He thought to himself. That was ridiculous. Why would this person care about his little brother. He had no reason to assume this man knew anything about him. The paranoia was getting worse. He had to control himself or he would end up hurting someone. Or himself for that matter. He placed one hand on the window frame and waited for the mans response.

[Marcus Prasad]

“Polite culture dictates one introduce himself when meeting someone for the first time.”

Marcus damn near almost keeled over laughing when he heard that one. However he did let out an amused snort as he watched as the boy, who after noticing how damn twitchy and jumpy he was, will herefor be refered to as 'Rabbit' Until further notice, leap to the other side of the Alley.

Oh yes, rabbit certainly did have moves.

"You know, you're right. You're absolutly right!."
He responded amicabley enough.
Having said that, Marcus slowly got to his feet, swung himself over the edge and released his grip of the bar, dropping down a few feet before catching the metal bar and smoothly swinging himself back up and over so that now he was on the same level as rabbit. There was more light down here, revealing Marcus In all his terrible glory! as he tossed his braided ponytail back over his shoulder. He crossed his arms over his thick chest and looked the boy up and down. That wolflike grin never leaving his face.
"Names Marcus and I've been watching you for most of the night lil rabbit. I gotta say, I like your moves. How long have you been running like that?"

[Erik Masters]

Hearing the snort Erik crouched and prepared to jump to the next level of the fire escape.

"You know, you're right. You're absolutely right!."

He looked up and saw the man drop to to the level he had just jumped from. He examined the man quickly. The man didn't seem to be threatening him in any way. Still it was better to be ready and not have anything happen then to not be read and die. He had been on edge ever since the attack happened. He was inclined not to trust anyone. Lately had been by himself a lot and didn't mind the mans company.

"Names Marcus and I've been watching you for most of the night lil rabbit. I gotta say, I like your moves. How long have you been running like that?"

He was a bit confused now. Why had this man called him "Rabbit"? Was that some sort of code name the government had given him? Was this man here to kill him? No. That couldn't be it. If the man had wanted to kill him he could have done so without alerting him of his presence. Better not relax. Just in case. He thought to himself. Better answer the man so as not to seem rude. "I'm Erik. I don't know who told you my name was rabbit but they are mistaken. As for how long i have been doing this.... Well i guess that would be three years now." His so called friends back with his foster parents had taught him how to do it. They had used it to get away from the police on more then one occasion. After he had moved he continued to do it. To keep in practice in case he were every chased. Like today. "May I ask why you have been following me?" By how the man answered Erik would know if he were out to get him or not. He already knew the answer. The man was following him to get information for the government. The question was just to confirm his thoughts. He didn't want to attack a man who might be innocent even if all the evidence suggested other wise.

[Marcus Prasad]

Ok, this was kind of wearing thin alittle. A prank was a prank, but this boy looked like he was going to drop dead from a heart attack at a moments notice.
"Considering you look like your ready to bolt at any second, I would say Rabbit suits you. God dude, you're literaly tweaking your so freaked out right now. So Rabbit you shall be, until you give me reason to call you different."

It might have been a trick of the light, but Marcus could have sworn the boys nose was twitching. Relaxing, he swung his legs over the bar of the fire escape and planted his butt atop of it, legs swinging like a childs would.

"As for why I'm following you, well."
Marcus paused as he thought up something.
"Let's just say I consider myself something of a vigilante and It looked like you were in trouble."

Bringing a knee up, Marcus propped his elbow against it and rested his chin on his fist.
"Well? So What seems to be the problem citizen?"

[Erik Masters]

He took a deep breath and relaxed slightly sitting back down on the window ledge. He thought for a second before answering Marcus’s question. “The problem? Well to start with I have no where to live. I lost my little brother in the attack and I think I am being followed by the government. Other than that it… Everything is great.”
He sighed deeply and slumped against the window frame. The man was right. He did need to relax a little if only to stop from blacking out again. “I have been looking for my brother everyday. I have no idea if he is even alive but I know that he is my heart. I was planning on making my way back to where I used to live.” He thought about asking the man to come with him. Why not, he thought, what is the worst that could happen? “You can come back with me if you’re feeling charitable.” He brought his feet under himself and launched forward grabbing the bar that was a level down on the fire escape. He dropped to the ground and moved to the end of the alley and checked to see if the cost was clear. He turned around to confront the Marcus again. “You would happen to know which way I came from would you?”

[Marcus Prasad]

. “The problem? Well to start with I have no where to live. I lost my little brother in the attack and I think I am being followed by the government. Other than that it… Everything is great.”

Never before had there been a more effective way to wipe the grin right off of Marcus' face. When the boy spoke of losing his brother, he felt a painful pang in his chest as his thoughts went to the family he left behind back in New York City. Last he heard, his Parents and his oldest brother was traveling northwards to see if R.J. was still alive. R.J. was Marcus' second eldest brother and had moved away after marrying his long time fiancee. The two of them tended to be at odds more often than not, but there was a sibling love there never the less.
He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it quick, his face sombre.

"The Government can't be after you Rabbit. There IS no Government. It got destroyed along with everything else Barker got his hands on. The camps are pretty much split between those who are against Barker, those who are for him, and those who just don't give a fuck either way."
He explained as the boy dropped down. Marcus followed by slipping off the fire escape before landing onto a dumpster into a roll and dropping off to his feet. After brushing himself off, he Jerked his head back the way Rabbit came.
"Yeah I'll follow you to your house. Got nuthin better to do anyway. I'll tell y'what, You tell me about your brother and why the government would be after you, and I'll give you a hand in finding him."

Marcus then let a FAR MORE reassuring smile split his face.
"And If I think you're square, I'll even get you in touch with some poeple who could help as well."

[Erik Masters]

Erik stood there for a moment in shock. No government? That couldn’t be. Why was he being pursued if there was no government? “My brother was a good kid. Always went to school and came back on time. Never got in trouble. I don’t think he ever got detention.” He smiled slightly at the thought of his brother. Slowly his smile turned into a look of distress. “That was until one day. He came home late. He was out of breath and it looked like he was scared of something. When I asked him what was wrong he wouldn’t tell me. He would only say that they saw him. At first I thought maybe it was just some bullies at school who were doing something illegal and he walked in on them. A few day after that though I kept getting phone calls from people who said they were with his school. Then they started showing up to the house looking for him. These people were not from his school however. They wore suits and it looked to me like they had guns under the jackets.

“As the weeks went by Ryan’s behavior got erratic. He would be gone for days at a time and when he got back he would have cuts and bruises. I would ask him but he would always say that if he told me they would find out. When the attack happened he wasn’t home and I waited for a few days where our old apartment was but he never showed. Ever since then I search for him during the day and got back to where the apartment was at night. Just in case he shows up.” He turned to face Marcus. “I think he saw something he shouldn’t have and that the days he was gone he was running from those people.” He cocked his head as if he had heard something though there was nothing new to hear.

William was awake now. “There coming!” he yelled and broke into a dead sprint back the way he had come. The chase was on once again. That man had kept him in place too long. He seemed nice enough and would make a good ally if he could be trusted. Came to a wall 10ft high. He ran 3 steps up the wall, jumped and grabbed the edge. Swinging himself up, did a roll and was on his feet again sprinting as fast as he could. They weren’t going to get him. Ryan needed him. He looked over his shoulder to see if the man was still behind him.

[Marcus Prasad]

Well if this isn't just something straight out of a conspiracy blog. Marcus listened to the boy quietly, giving him his full attention. He had to admit, rabbit was weaving quite a tale. One that was, unfortunatly, getting harder and harder to believe. He really did want to help the boy out, but he was starting to get a sinking suspicion that quite alot of this might very well be all in his head.

'Ok, Piority one. Get this boy somewhere safe. Priority two........Fuck it, one thing at a time. Hopefully I'll get a chance to punch whatever is chasing him along the way.
He silently decided, smiling at the thought of fisticuffs. It really had been too long since he had partaken in a good rumble.

"Well it looks li-"

“There coming!”

"Or we can start running again....."
Marcus sighed, Face palming with a dull smack as he shook his head. Rabbit had a head start, but that wouldn't matter too terribly much. Breaking out into a flat run, Marcus bounded up the wall much like Rabbit had, but instead vaulted cleanly over the top, swinging his legs before him. As he fell over the other side, Marcus bunched his legs up and kicked off the wall in midair, sending him rocketing forward as he hit the ground running.

Rabbit was quick, but wolves tended to be quicker. The boy didn't get to far before Marcus caught up with him.
Acting on Impulse (As if he ever did any other way) he reached out and grabbed rabbit by the scruff of his coat and swung him off of his feet and onto his back.
With the boy now being piggybacked, Marcus took off in a run at almost breakneck speed down and eventualy out of the alleyway. Kicking off of a streetlight, he sharply changed direction and began the slow labourous process of trying to come to a halt, which took him about a half a city block.

"Alright Rabbit, Point me out where you old home is and hold on tightly."
His smile grew almost feral. This was turning into a mystery and whether hoax or no, Marcus wanted to get to the bottom if it!

[Erik Masters]

William was not used top being handled like this. Frankly he wasn’t used to being handled at all. He let it happen though as this man was going in the direction he desired. William still had his doubts about trusting this man. After the attack he had had a few encounters with people that said they meant him no harm but would still try and hurt him. Fortunately for him he was a quick learner and he learned to be skeptical of all people. It even saved his life a couple of times. Unfortunately for the offenders they did not far so well. William wasn’t exactly a calculating fighter. When he lacked in tactical skill he more then made up for in sheer ferocity. He was getting better at it but his greater instinct still took hold after a few hard hits.

When they came to a halt and the man asked where they were going he pointed down an alley. “That way for 5 blocks, then make a right. Go 10 more blocks then make a left down an alley between what used to be a Starbucks. After that I will tell you when we are getting closer so that we can take my way to the apartment. My father should be waiting for us at the apartment.” He began humming random notes to himself. Looking back he “saw” shadowy figures darting in and out of shadows a few blocks back. “Time to go. Time to go.” He mumbled to himself urging the man to begin running again. How could they have kept up? There was only one explanation and that was that he wasn’t being chased by anything human. What sort of creatures had these people sent to get him? He looked back again to see if how close there were. He caught a glimpse of one of there faces and what he saw terrified him. Red eyes, Sharp fangs dripping with some sort of liquid that caused smoke to rise from the ground, forked tongues and what appeared to be black military fatigues with numerous different weapons slung about them. “GO NOW!!!!” he screamed as loud as he could.

[Marcus Prasad]

. “Time to go. Time to go.”

"Yeah, yeah. Just stop wiggling damnit!"
So, five blocks straight ahead then? Starting off at a brisk trot, Marcus began to move down the street, counting down the blocks they passed as he went along. The area they were in had a bizzare vibe, almost surreal. Or was that his own imagination? The boy's paranoia wasen't quite rubbing off on him, but it was making him more cautious than normal. He still didn't quite know for sure if the boy was bullshitting or not, but until he did, every shadow, nook and cranny concealed an enemy.

This didn't bother him too much. Marcus had an increadible sense of spacial awareness and was always subconciously alert for any danger the second he entered a new area. culmulating into what many mistakenly called a 6th sense.

To Marcus, it was just instinct.

Rabbit was getting more and more agitated as they went along, now making the next right and continuing past broken up sections of sidewalk and dilapitated buildings. The only illumination he had tonight was the full moon above him and the few streetlights that miraculously stayed functional despite leaning precariously and looking as if a swift wind would knock them over.

Now he recognized the vibe. It reminded him of pictures he had seen of Pripyat. The city built beside the Chernobyle NPP and was completely evacuated after it blew.
A Ghost town that looked as if it's people just up and vanished all at once. He felt a chill up his spine. He would love to have time for some Urban Exploration of the area. Mabey after seeing this boy off to wherever he wanted to go.

Marcus stopped for a moment to double check if he had missed a turn or not, when suddenly the boy SCREAMED something unintelligable right in his ear. He didn't catch the words, but the urgency and FEAR behind them gave him enough incentive to break out in a flat run down the street after letting out a cry of pain. He ran, his speed almost inhuman, before reaching the next turn, where he aimed for a streetlight, Ran up it, jumped off to land on a balcony. Balancing on the rails, Marcus would move quickly from Balcony to balcony along a building that was obviously an apartment complex, slash minimart, slash cafe.

From there, he would run a creative path through a hole in a wall, along a deserted hallway, Kick a fire escape open, shoe grind his way from the railings to the wall then back to the railings as he spiraled down the stairs. Kick ANOTHER fire scape door open and find himself out into an enclosed courtyard. Tic tacking his way over the wall. From there he would, with a skill that was almost choreographed despite being completely off the cuff, use a variety of techniques to traverse the allyway, using discarded vehicles, dumpsters and fire escapes before finaly finding himself infront of the starbucks Rabbit had told him about.

Comming to a stop, legs wobbling from trying to parkour with a weight on his back (And the fact he didn't use his hands at all), Marcus finaly took a moment to look around before letting out an irritated grunt and Shrugging rabbit off of his back, letting him fall to the ground however he wished. Doubled over with his hands on his knee's Marcus panted as he fought to catch his breath.
"What......the FUCK......was that....a-....all about?!??!"

[Erik Masters]

William landed in a crouching position. He did a back flip and landed a few feet away from Marcus. He looked around franticly. He could no long see the shadows moving or the horrible images of the men chasing him. “They were almost on us. Its not safe here we must continue.” He ran down the alley beside the Starbucks. Taking three steps up the wall he pushed of with his legs planting them on the opposite wall. He pushed off with all his might and jumped through the second story open window. Dashing through the abandoned apartment he mad his was down the hall way. He came to a stair case that was partially destroyed. He ran down it until he came to a 5 foot gap in the stairs. Without braking his stride he ran along the wall to the stairs below. He came to a landing and jumped through the window and grabbed the rung of a ladder hanging there before dropping down to the adjacent alley. He ran 5 feet down the alley and stopped. He pushed a dumpster aside to reveal a man hole cover and climbed down. Running through the sewers he made a left, a right, another right, a left, a right and finally two lefts before coming to a ladder going up. He slowly made his way up the ladder and checked to see if anyone was around. The coast was clear and he pulled himself up.

In front of him was his old apartment. Still partially intact he made his way in through the front door. Looking around in what used to be the lobby. There were 2 couches against the wall and a receptionist desk. Both were charred from the fire that had raged out of control. To the left was a stair case that led up. He slowly began to walk up it. It was 7 floors before he stopped and peeked around a corner. Clear again. He made his way down to the 7th door on the right which was partially ajar and stopped. Someone had been in here since he had been gone. He slowly pushed the door open and stepped in side. “Dad? Are you here? It’s me William. Your son.” He paused for a few seconds and waited for a reply. With no response he went into an extreme rage. He began to through anything he could get his hand on around the room smashing charred lamps and tables. After a while he was exhausted and he fell to his knees.

Erik was cursed at himself for losing control again. He knew he had blacked out again. They were happening more now. He knew that that couldn’t be a good sign. All the lost time he had who knows what he has done and just cant remember. He looked around and saw what had happened to the apartment. He turned to Marcus. “Did you bring me here? How did you know this was here? What happened to my apartment? Was it like this when we came in? Was there any traces of Ryan here?” he asked the questions in rapid fire. He knew that Marcus would not have answers to them all but he felt like he needed to ask them. “Why did this happen? Why were we targeted? I don’t understand. There was noting here of any value and I don’t sleep here anymore.” He walked over to a charred photo of his family. The only thing that was visible was himself in the center as a kid. Everything else was to burned to recognize. Maybe I should just forget about Ryan he thought to himself. This charred photo was what his life had become. Nothing. No family. No home. No control. He dropped the photo and put his head in his hands.

[Marcus Prasad]

While Rabbit set about ruining the furniture, Marcus sat in the adjacent room, on the debris strewn ground with his back to a wall. Slowly but surely he was comming to the conclusion that there was something quite not right with the lad and it wasen't just the temper tantrum.
Unstable was definatly a word he would use. Still, this was the ugly truth of the war.

Homes destroyed. Families ripped apart. Loved ones lost.

Every one of the boys agonized screams was another knife into Marcus' heavy heart. It made him think about the people he himself had left behind to get here. There HAD to be something he could do for for him.
Finaly it sounded like Rabbit had calmed down. Slowly getting to his feet, Marcus brushed himself off and walked into the room.

No sooner had he had, The boy immediatly shot off a stream of questions.

“Did you bring me here?
How did you know this was here?
What happened to my apartment?
Was it like this when we came in?
Was there any traces of Ryan here?
Why did this happen?
Why were we targeted?
I don’t understand. There was noting here of any value and I don’t sleep here anymore.”

Marcus arched an eyebrow. It was as if he didn't even know what happened in the last hour, only to suddenly remember......
Without skipping a beat he rattled off his answers.
"No. You told me how to get here. A Fire I assume, you said as much. Yes, So far as I've seen, nothing yet. I have not the foggiest clue on both counts."

Rabbit was breaking down FAST by this point. Seeing him craddling his head in his hands, Marcus slowly moved towards him and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuing squeeze.
"Look, I know some people who might be able to help. Let me set you up with a place to stay for the night, it wont be no Five star Hotel, but it has a nice view of the sunset from the roof."
Of course Marcus was refering to the Apartment block outside the safe zone that had a collapsed crane caved into it's side.
"We'll find your brother Rabbit. Now tell me exactly what happened the last time you saw him. Leave NOTHING out."

[Erik Masters]

Erik was pretty sure he could trust this man even though something inside of him screamed at him to shut up. He pushed that voice to the back of his thoughts.

“Well,” he began “I came home from work and he was sitting on the floor doing his school work. It was a pretty normal night. I cooked and we at it as usual. Then I hear a loud roaring sound and suddenly everything starts to shake. The first thing I thought was that is was another earth quake. I looked out the window and I saw the explosion. I grabbed his hand and ran towards the door. When we got into the hallway it was very crowded. I tried to keep him with me but we got separated in the commotion. I yelled for him and tried to go back for him but he wasn’t there. I thought maybe he had passed me and he was making his way outside. I started to push past people on the stairs. I finally made it outside and began to look around. There was smoke and fire everywhere. I couldn’t see anything. I was getting bumped and shoved around. I got shoved extra hard and fell down. I got kicked in the head and blacked out.” He pause a minute rubbing the back of his head where he had been kicked. “When I came around I was standing over a guy in a suit. It looked like he had taken a beating. All I could think to do was run.”

He stood up and made his way to the window. He looked out a crossed the landscape. The chances that Ryan had made it out weren’t great but he knew that if anyone could have done it, it was Ryan. He turned back towards Marcus. “Thank you for your help and the place to stay. I don’t even remember the last time I actually had a whole night of sleep without worrying about someone trying to steal something from me. I can’t even remember when I had my last meal. Do you think you friends will have enough food t6o feed me as well? I don’t want to be an inconvenience.” He wiped his hands on his pants. Come to think of it he could use some new clothes as well. He wasn’t above stealing to get what he needed but he would prefer to maintain some sort of civility while he was still sane enough to do so.