Post by Ulf Hednir on Jul 12, 2021 18:15:11 GMT
OOC: The people in the RP that are non-IWF affiliated are NPCs, for the exception of Lyric. Lyric is a friend to Ulf outside of IWF. I did send it to Chris for proofreading, and ensure that everything looked good.
July 09, 2021
Location Unknown
The parking garage was attached to an old mall that had long since been closed down for refurbishment that they had never gotten around to, and was not blocked off to the public as its support seemed to be crumbling. It could collapse at any moment. The sound of water dripping rang through an empty parking garage. It was strange to see a place that felt so… empty. Treadmarks littered the ground as if vehicles had peeled out, but it had been a long time since this particular garage had any vehicle grace it with its presence. Despite all of the warnings to not enter the premises, there were several more sounds that intruded the vacant space from the critters that roamed between the cracking walls; the sound of vehicles from the highway could be heard in the distance.
On this particular night… The sound of the dirt crunching beneath the tread could be heard as several motorcycles’ engines roared toward the abandoned parking garage and came to a halt. One of the members swung his leg from the motorcycle and walked toward the blocked opening; the gate was rusted shut and there was too much debris… he beckoned for them to follow. The insignia worn on the back had “Wolves of Odin” on the top, and “PROSPECT” on the back. The last man to walk toward the building pulled his phone from his pocket, and after a few taps, brought the phone up to speak. The line rang for several seconds before the person on the other end answered.
”Hello?” The voice said.
“Hey. Lyric. We’re at the last sighting, and I think this is it… I think we’ve found her.” he said. There was a part of him that wanted to be more excited, more enthusiastic about the situation but the setting made even the fiercest foe uneasy.
”That’s great! I’m on my way--”
“We can handle it…” the prospect insisted.
”Robi specifically told me to be there when you find the girl. I’m on my way.” Lyric had said from the other end with a more commanding tone than she had the first time, and this time, she hung up before the prospect had a chance to protest.
He shook his head but ventured in further with the rest of the pack as they began their search of the abandoned parking garage. They had brought out their own flashlights to give them just a glimpse of their surroundings; it seemed… out of this world… the light almost vanished into the darkness, not giving them more than fifteen feet of visibility wherever their light was shone. They didn’t dare split up. They wanted to sweep through the first floor before moving onto the second, but it was at that moment that they were met with a haunting laughter that turned into a sob. The sound of a child.
“Second floor.” One of them called out. By the sound of it, that’s where the sound had originated from and that would be their next destination. They opted to use the ramp that vehicles would have used when the parking garage used to be full, and it took them a little bit longer than the staircase would have been; however, it was safer. When they finally did reach the second floor there was an obvious spotlight down the center lane; it seemed too good to be true… an obvious trap… despite the darkness clouding everything else, they could see that one spotlight as clear as day. And in the center of it: a little girl.
“That’s her--” one of them called.
One opted to charge… they had already taken long enough, the girl had already been missing for weeks, and perhaps he felt that he would make Lyric, or even Robi particularly proud to hear of his bravery in his charge. The rest of them raised their hands to protest, but he was already out of arms’ reach. His feet stamped against the ground at a rapid pace before the single light went out and a sinister laugh. The laugh was immediately followed by the sound of glass shattering, and a short brawl… what was truly more of an ambush. The light comes back on, but rather than being solid, is flickering this time. The Wolves see their fallen friend in the center of it where the child once sat, and in unison, they ran to check on him this time.
As they knelt beside him, one had reached into their pocket in hope of calling for help but there was no signal.
”Wolves of Odin!” the voice called out in a mocking tone, ”I see nothing more than dogs begging for scraps!” Abraxes continued. ”LEAVE. NOW.” Abraxes commanded this time… the light went back out, and in the darkness, you could hear each man readying themselves for a fight. But the lights came back on and all of them looked unscathed.
“Bring us the girl!” one of them shouted, “You already know the Wolves are going to be relentless, until--”
The light went back out, but another light went back on. The light was at least fifty yards away and they could see the little girl sitting there again. They didn’t want to leave their friend alone, but knew they also had their mission. A few nudges seemed to bring the man back to consciousness as he groaned… “Are you good?” one asked, and all he could do was mutter a few inaudible words before waving them forward. He knew the girl’s safety was the top priority. He was right, though, and they knew it; they readied themselves for a fight as they walked toward the little girl, and they knew another ambush was coming. The distance was closing, closing, closing, and finally when they were only twenty-five yards away: the light went out. It came back on to show Abraxes standing in the center of the spotlight, turning his head to and fro as he eyed each of the Wolves.
”Thea!” a voice called out from below… It was Lyric finally arriving on the scene. There was a sigh of relief from every one of them that stood against Abraxes, as he chittered his teeth together several times whilst simultaneously tilting his head back and forth.
“MUTTS!” Abraxes called out to them before the spotlight went out, and as if Lyric’s own presence had dismissed that of Abraxes, the darkness in the shadows seemed to evaporate and light seized control. Thea, the little girl, was back in the center of the spotlight. Three of the men rushed forward without fear… it was as if they knew that Abraxes was just… gone. The others went back to help their colleague up, and they did not want to waste any time getting out of this wretched place.
Lyric did not take long to arrive at their location, with a number of Wolves standing behind her. She knelt down beside Thea, and gave a genuine smile; Thea felt immediately safe, and wrapped her arms around Lyric as Lyric lifted the child into her arms. “You’re okay, sweetie. We’re going to take you home.” Lyric said in a tone that was comforting and soothing for the three-year-old.
“Where’s Abby?” Thea asked.
Lyric was confused by the name; she had had conversations with Robi that made her feel like she already knew Thea as well as anyone else, as if Thea had been her own child, and she had never heard the name: Abby. Lyric held Thea carefully with one arm, and got her phone out with her other hand to make the call. The cell service had been fully restored after Abraxes vanished.
“Robi-- we have her.”
Well howdy there pardner.