[Worm]

UPPERSIDE

"So here we are." Rin stood at the entrance to Upperside. His body was still pale, still scarred, but he now had a look of desperation. He no longer wished to be a hunter. This was his last spoil.

"Do you think Val will actually be there?" Drishe teased. She was also unchanged, for the most part. She liked to tease people's shadows and fears. All that had changed physically was her shade of purple, now more red. Once in a while, she would have outbursts - they started after the big feast.

"They have to be there." Rin sighed, tired of his own reluctance. "We can't have done this for nothing..." And he pushed the door open. It was suctioned shut. It made a squeezing sound before slamming open. Steel hit steel and white light poured into the entryway. Rin slid his goggles down, barricading his face with arms. Only now did he realize that he hadn't been Upperside in months now.

He felt a nudge at his shoulder, Drishe pushing past. "Well, c'mon then." She smiled. Soulless. She was a soulless creature.

Rin nodded and followed her through the door. Nothing remained. Doe-eyed and confused, Rin held a hand to his brow to examine the space. But there was nothing. No trees, no buildings, no anything. He flipped to Josef. The only one who might remember what this place used to look like. "What the hell happened here?" He turned back. The ground was white and cracked. There were small tracks where the check-in station used to be. Had he finally gone mad?

"What's the matter, tough boy? Never seen a nuclear fallout before?" Drishe grinned devilishly. She strode backwards now, taunting him. Maybe the rumors were true... Maybe, everything he'd once known was gone. Rin looked back to the entrance of the SBM. It seemed tantalizing, like a world separate from reality. A buzzing filled the air. It was silence.

[sylvanSpider]

Ashi jumped back with a yelp, her skin giving a brief sizzle the second the sun hit her skin. She knew that the upperside had the sun, and that she had to be careful of it, but there was no way of knowing what time of day it was when being underground for so long. She sucked in deep through her teeth squeezing her eyes shut, “We couldn't have chosen to come out at night, huh?” She instinctively placed her hand over the burn on her arm wincing and blinked away the tears that threatened to spill.

The woman herself still looked very much the same as when they'd entered, excepting that she was now able to walk without a limp. Her introduction to the hunters was a rough one, but after all they'd seen, the bullet in her foot was the last thing on her mind at the moment. Her hands fumbled in her pocket eventually producing a small vial which she quickly emptied into her mouth. “There. That should afford me a bit of time, but we'll have to find shelter quickly—I don't know how long this lasts.”

“Here, lemme see,” Josef, a blonde man of slim, cut stature took the vial from the punk vampire's hands, looking to see if there was a label. “Three hours on average, it says. Five if you've fed recently, which we all know you have,” he looked over at Rin who was still observing the dismal remnants of the upper world. He rolled his eyes and looked back at Ashi, “If we move quickly, we should be able to find you something, right?” The man, once full of vigor, full of some sense of higher justice was now drained of his once full complexion. His face was pale, dark circles squat under his eyes, his lips were chapped from dehydration.

He took out a pack of cigarettes that he'd looted from one of the corpses along with a lighter and with shaky hands lit it. “The rumors were true. We killed them all for nothing,” he shook his head and sighed. “I guess not nothing. The shithead leeches are dead, so uh. I guess that's a good thing.” His eyes did not convey the optimism that leaked into his speech and he groaned running both hands through his hair,[b] “What the fuck do we do now? Find a place that wasn't hit? Shit, find a building or something. If we're being generous, we have five hours to either find a place up here or retreat back into the black market, or Ashi will die.”

Ashi flashed him a look that could only be described as saying Awh, you do care! and Josef returned this look with an eyeroll. “One thing is for sure, we need to find people. She needs to feed somehow, right?”

[Worm]

No it didn't make sense. Rin ignored Ashi's pleas for shade. He was much more concerned about the issue of unpaid bounty. Plus, he had no idea what they were bound to encounter here. While Upperside was always a shit show of human waste, it was always much worse in the SBM. Now, it was desolate. A warm wind whipped across the dry terrain. "No, I know Val. He would be the last person on Earth if it came down to it. We just need to find him."

Rin spun a dial on his goggles, heat sensors. It wasn't as hot as it looked, but he saw a rising pool of heat in the distance. "That way." He pointed to the right. The entrance to the black market was just a hole in the ground now, no markers or anything. So if they wanted to find their way back it was up to them.

"So, you're just going to ignore the fact that Ashi can't survive for very long out here?" Drishe prodded, galloping to catch up to the adamant hunter.

"I'm not ignoring it, I'm trying to get us somewhere safe as fast as possible." He avoided eye contact with the djinni, focusing forward.

"This is all about you and your bounty isn't it?" Drishe sneered.

Rin stopped in his tracks. "What the hell am I going to do with my share? Huh? In the middle of a wasteland?! I'd be surprised if I could even find food, or a rock to sleep on." The stretch of desert seemed to go on forever, and nothing to landmark. It was incredibly flat.

"Then how do you you know where you're going? How do you know, that my master will be safe?" Drishe was rising in temperature now. This was her only mission. Keep Ashi safe. She stood in front of Rin, a head taller than him, glaring down into his eyes.

"I know, because I want her safe as much as you do." He growled.

"Hah, that is impossible human." She scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Josef, I could really use one of those stogies if you've got another..." He snapped his fingers in irritation.

"And that is a habit that will most certainly need to be extinguished." Drished muttered.

"Look djinni, instead of bitching about my habits and our relationships with each other, maybe you could actually help us get somewhere safe. Okay?" Rin was fed up with her shit. He was in a new environment with god knows what could happen, and she was a devil whispering in his ear.

"Yes, Master." She snarled sarcastically.

Rin lead the way, following the pool of heat towards more flat land. Luckily it seemed as though the sun was setting. They got there at a decent time, although night would've been preferable. When the sun got low enough to emanate a warm red glow, a low buzzing of insects gave hope that there was still life on this planet. After walking for a couple of hours and seeing only flat death, Rin was starting to wonder if they'd even see another human being. But then again, he knew Val. And he knew that that fucker was around here somewhere.

The chatter of insects could only soothe for so long. It began to stir up fear of other things. Like what was still alive?

Along the way, Drishe had been stamping purple sigils into the ground to help them find their way back if needed. She'd remained mostly quiet after Rin's brash comment. When the sun finally set, an aura of fire glowed on the horizon. That most likely meant civilization, or some form of it. Rin smiled again, and a weight was lifted from his shoulders. "I'm coming for you, Val."

[sylvanSpider]

Ashi kept her head down, watching her feet as they walked forward. Even with the cordial, the sun was bright. So very, very bright. Vampiric eyes, regardless of whatever potions she drank, could never full adjust to being out in daylight. It was for this reason that the young vampire stared at her feet with squinted eyes. She couldn't look up to see where Rin was pointing, but she could remember from her days as a human that the day was almost over. The sun was getting ready to set, and Ashi couldn't remember the last time she'd seen a sunset. She hoped she'd be able to kind of look at this one, if even through glances.

“I get it. You both love Ashi. Can you please stop arguing about it and fucking move? We don't know if the information on the bottle was correct or not,” Josef growled bopping Rin on the back of his head, not hard enough to actually do anything, but just enough to show that he meant what he said. This, in and of itself, was his way of saying that he also gave a shit about Ashi, but wasn't willing to actually say it out loud.

Rin's relief was shared by the other hunter and the formerly hunted. Ashi lifted her gaze just long enough to take in the rich reds, oranges, and subsequent blues. It was beautiful. She'd missed this. Her spirits lifted with nightfall, however, as her eyes were finally getting the break they so desperately craved. “So we're still hunting down Val even if the bounty is worth almost nothing? Where are you going to spend it?” she asked, tilting her head at Rin.

[Worm]

The night blessed them all with a cool sigh of relief. When the sun was finally down, it was easy to see where to go. The plume of light in the distance didn't seem too far away. "He doesn't necessarily need to pay us in cash, if the shit's gone useless here." Rin spit on the ground, looking back at a disconcerted djinni.

"But he does owe us something. And if that means adequate housing, status, weapons, food, whatever - I'll take it. I mean to survive in this hellhole, as I'm sure you all do. And I just know it... I can't explain it... But I know he's alive here somewhere." Rin walked while talking, no patience anymore it seemed.

"And what if we don't find him? Besides how do you expect to measure those sorts of things fairly? We easily made 500k each with this bounty." Drishe held her hands on her hips, not giving in so easily.

"We will find him." Was all Rin said, still walking towards the bit of light in the distance. It formed a silhouette around his bulky frame.

"Hah. Well if we don't find him in the next day or so, I am going to go back to the market. It is in the best interest of my master, and I don't see the point in scavenging this god forsaken place any longer." Drishe growled.

"Fine then. I'm not looking after anybody anymore. You can come and get what's yours, or not." As he continued further, the light hum of civilization grew warmer.

"Do you hear that?" Rin turned, a hopeful smile on his scarred face. "There's people there." Drishe shrugged, rolling her eyes.

Little did they know how much had actually changed. Not far from where they were standing was a checkpoint. The guards would sift through any incomers and check them for radiation sickness and any genetic mutations. Vampires and djinnis surely wouldn't pass this test.

[sylvanSpider]

The darkness covered Ashi with a cool air of contentment and she closed her eyes again, seeing spots—the remnants of the day that would soon be over. “So you're just planning on taking all that from him though? How are you going to do that?” Ashi asked, cocking an eyebrow at the hunter. At this point, Ashi was only interested in gaining freedom from being hunted. She wanted a clean slate—get her name off the list. Now, it didn't look as though there'd be a list.

Josef took a long drag off of his cancerstick, making eye contact with Drishe as his own act of silent defiance. He exhaled and turned his gaze to the back of Rin's head, “Shit, we could take over the old hive for shelter if worst came to worst, right?” In the distance, the soft glow of some sort of camp or town could be seen orange against the black of night. “But. For once, it may not come to the worst. So uh. What's our plan when...if...we come across Val? Ask nicely? Tell him 'Oh hey, we killed a bunch of vampires, not that it matters anymore, but pay us'?”

“It might still matter. Vampires can be a threat to the remaining populace, you know? Maybe? I'm reaching, but I think it would make sense. There don't appear to be many people uh... left, so the need to protect the remaining ones would be important,” mused the vampire, scratching her chin.

[Worm]

Rin was frustrated, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and around his goggles. As they got closer to the pulsing light of a new habitat, his goggles became more useful. At the point they stood now, he could track almost thirty people. "I don't think any of you understand. And I'm surprised that you, Josef, don't know how this works." Rin growled, lacking nicotine and any patience he might've had at one point.

"He must be a man who knows what he wants." Drishe joked, her voice turning deep and sultry for added effect. Rin rolled his eyes.

"Yes, he does. He's the one who sent out the bounty for the hive leader, Elizabeth. He is the one who will pay us, and he will have every reason to accommodate us. Plus, he's my brother." He stated matter-of-factly, continuing to move forward.

"Huh, you never told us about your family life. Older, I'm guessing?" Drishe floated next to him, prodding for answers. Honestly, she didn't care that much, just wanted to find a place to lounge.

"I'm just leaving it at that. He's my brother. We were never really close." Val was good at his job. It wasn't good to get attached in a position like his. As a professional bounty hunter, and a kingpin, Val was very powerful. He was also a weasel in Rin's book. He always found his ways to survive off of the suffering of others. But if you were on his good side, you were safe and paid well. After killing off his huge bounty, plus all their cronies, it was only fair to get paid back. Rin knew that Val would kill to preserve his position, he also knew that Val would reward Rin for his loyalty in great sums. And at some point, Rin might be the new target. He knew how this worked.

Slimy weasel...

"Electric fence." Drishe pointed ahead. "I don't know how far they'll let us go in..." She whispered over her shoulder to Ashi. "Worst comes to worst, I will protect you." She reached her hand back, behind her cycling hips. She hoped to touch Ashi's fingers in confirmation. It was her job after all.

Two men. Scrappy clothes, big guns. Drishe wasn't too worried.

Rin lifted up his hand "Wait, let me go ask. I'll be right back. You guys be my eyes for now." He made sure to make eye contact with Josef. For the first time all day, Drishe nodded in agreement. She placed her hands on Ashi's shoulders and leaned on her softly.

[sylvanSpider]

“Yes. I'm well aware of how this works, Rin. I just didn't know if the same rules applied given the fact that the upperworld has turned into a fucking wasteland,” Josef growled, narrowing his eyes at Rin. “You act like you need a fucking cigarette, a snack, and a nap but maybe not in that order.” Josef had finished his cigarette and was now fishing around his pack to give one to Rin.

Ashi bit back a grin. Over the course of the past couple of months, she'd grown to like the hunters' snark when they spoke, particularly to each other. Generally, they learned to leave her out of the equation whenever biting remarks were made if only because she was now being followed around by an all powerful being whose sole purpose was actually to protect and serve her.

At the mention of 'brother,' however, Josef raised his eyebrows, “Val is your brother? Shit, you could have mentioned that sooner. Again, though, I'd like to point out that we're in a wasteland. Brother or no, do you really think the same shit still applies?” For the last sentence, Josef actually brought his tone down to be almost conversational and he brought his eyes up to look at the fence that was looming in the distance.Well, whatever happens happens I guess...

Ashi perked up with Drishe's sudden closeness to her ear. One moment she was lingering by Rin and the next she was right beside her. “You've...you've done a good job so far,” Ashi whispered back, unsure why they were whispering, “I don't see how you'd fail at that now..” She swallowed watching Rin as he made his way over to the guards.

[Worm]

Rin rolled his eyes, wondering if Josef had even heard him the first time he'd asked for a cigarette. When he was finally tossed one, he lit it and shut up. It took him a few seconds to really breathe in the fumes. And then he headed towards the entrance. To be quite honest, Rin just didn't want to admit that the world had changed. He wanted to believe that they hadn't gone through all this trouble for nothing.

But, in reality, it might've been this job that saved all of them from nuclear fallout. Now, they just had to survive in the wasteland.

There was a slight decline of a hill towards the electric fence and guards. Rin's speed increased as he tread down. His boots kicked up clouds of dust. He heard the stiffening of rifles. He raised his hands up to show compliance. Rin was armed, but he'd hoped that he wouldn't have to give up his baby in any altercation.

"Woah woah. Sorry to bother you fellows." He continued forward with his hands up. The two looked at each other briefly before returning their glances to the newcomer.

"Registration?" The bigger one asked.

"I-I've got an ID?" Rin was nervous, smiling with a shivering grin.

The second one held open his hands and gestured for Rin to show him. Rin walked up the extra few feet to be in their proximity. He shuffled through his satchel for a leather wallet, cigarette still dangling from his lower lip.

"Ah, here." He was relieved to still have it.

"Its expired." The man stated. His eyes were a cold blue.

"Uh, well you see - I - When did this all happen?" He chuckled with anxiety. The two guards looked at each other, a grin on each face.

"You've got to be kidding boy." The bigger one laughed.

"Five weeks ago." The second just continued to smile, one hand on his gun, the other handing back Rin his ID.

"Oh uh. Well, me and a few friends have been traveling. Looking for somewhere safe. What exactly is this place?" Rin grabbed his ID and took a few steps back.

"Sounds likes someone's been living underground." The bigger one said, his voice had a drawl. Rin gulped at the last word, unsure if they could sense his supernatural friends.

"Well, lucky for you. This is a safe zone. And I presume you and your friends, aren't human." The second one grinned again. It was particularly unsettling because of his missing teeth.

"You, might be correct." Still nervous to admit the truth.

"This here is Natesville." The big one stated. He hacked and spat up something right afterwards.

"Might be the last safe zone for your kind. Might say you're real lucky." The skinny toothless one took a step towards Rin.

"Not sure what you mean, buddy." Rin took a long drag and finished his smoke.

"Where the hell have you been boy?" Both of them ogled the hunter with disbelief.

"You know about the war right?" The skinny one asked.

"The wa- oh. Yeah. I watched some of the stories on the news til the televisions went out." He was telling the truth there. But the televisions didn't just go out. The whole hive went out.

"What sort of friends do you have?"

"Depends, what sort of facility are you running? Are you gonna let us die out here, or are you gonna give us some shelter?" Rin was getting defensive in his nervous state.

"Look, like we said - we's a safe zone. We take mutants, rad sickness, all of it. Just let us give y'all a once over to know where to section you." The bigger one rolled his eyes. Though this was surely the most that he'd had to do all day at his post.

"You asked for registration? What if we don't -" Rin was cut off.

"You get registration once you get sectioned. If you n' your friends haven't been sectioned yet, you ain't got one." He spat again, making Rin cringe.

"Okay. Is that a problem?" He was really getting worked up now. Sweat pooled at his chest.

"Nuh. We haven't met our quota. More people means more funding. You can ask the people at the registrar if you need more information."

"One more question, how many of these places are out there?" The two just smiled eerily.

"Next one's about two hundred miles east. Hard to say how many of these places are up and running. We ain't got no communication. All I know is that lots of 'em will kill mutants, or do wicked tests on 'em. This place ain't about that. We try to research rad sickness in the bay, find a cure. But its gonna take some time... And new patients." The skinny one seemed proud about this.

"Alright. Well if you so far as touch my friends without permission, I will kill you." Rin warned before turning to signal the group.

From the distance, Drishe could only make out the silhouettes of Rin and the guards. She grew nervous as time passed. "Do you think we should help him?" She looked back at Josef. "I mean, they're getting pretty -" Her feet were at the edge of the small hilltop, just as she was about to start down it, she saw Rin waving his hands towards her, towards all of them.

"Yes! C'mon!" As she rolled down towards the guards, she noticed something - they were sick. Well at least one of them was. She noticed a green smog around the both of them. As she got closer, she also noticed the scowl that they gave her and the others. Did Rin tell them? She looked over to him with vindictive eyes.

"The hell's that?" One of them shot at Drishe. "Never seen a mutant with purple skin before. That's serious." They both grimaced. Drishe was entirely confused. One of the two guards walked up to her and began circling around her. "You always been so tall?" He asked naively. Drishe had her fangs bore, ready to bite.

"Calm down, Jessie. Its a Genie." The big one growled, right about them living underground. That's where they'd spent the entire fallout. Now Rin wondered how many people survived, how many were underground now, and if this really was the best place to be. He was a bit ashamed and entirely nervous.

[sylvanSpider]

From a distance, Ashi surveyed the safe zone, looking up at tall barbed wire fences then to the shoddy thrown together building below. The buildings were new, probably, but they didn't look it. They were quite obviously thrown together from debris from old buildings, the ones from before. What she saw before her was an imitation of an imitation of civilization, and she found herself briefly wondering how many others in the black market were unaware that this is what the surface looked like now.

Josef, on the other hand, was watching the other hunter kick up clouds as he made his descent and talk to the guards. He stiffened, hearing the guns cocking even from where he stood, but it wasn't the first time Rin had a gun in his face, and knowing them, it wasn't going to be the last. The conversation went on for what seemed like forever, Josef watching closely for any signs that he might need help, his hand lingering next to where his gun sat against his hip. He breathed a sigh of relief when Rin motioned for them to come down and now the rest of the group was kicking up their own cloud of dust.

A small crowd of onlookers gathered at the other side of the fence, not expecting anyone to be coming as the nearest safe zone was rumoured to be over 200 miles away. However, there wasn't a common murmur, just a few stopped to turn their gaze, stare for a moment, then go back to their now daily business.

The guards were obviously judging them as they passed through, special looks going to Ashie's genie to have her pursing her lips as the guards interrogated her. “If...if at all possible,” Ashi said, fidgeting with her hands, “I'd like to be placed with her. If not, I won't lie, we'll probably end up in the same room anyway.” There was a tone of indignance in her voice that would have only been noticed by the most astute observer as sweet, shy overtones took dominance. She also (intentionally) decided not to mention that she was a vampire, despite the fact that at least one of the guards recognized Drishe for what she was. He'd know vampires existed, but that was a fight she didn't want to have at the moment.

[Worm]

Even though Drishe stood out like a sore thumb, the guards knew a vampire when they saw one. Well, they knew something was definitely wrong with her. And these days, they mainly suspected some sort of mutation when someone looked off. "Don't think we don't hear you, but you're awfully pale - and kinda skinny." The guard nudged his shoulder back towards the other who was circling Drishe. "You feeling sick at all? Where you from?"

Rin looked back at Ashi, then to Drishe, who was finally adjusting her size. She now stood at eye level with Rin, 18 inches shorter than her natural height. "She's from the black market. And these two are both supernatural beings."

"We have no intention of feeding on humans. Especially tainted ones." Drishe spat onto the end of Rin's sentence. She was nervous, the first time Upperside in a millennia and they were still torn by religion and racism. She hated most humans, to be honest. It would be the first time Drishe was travelling with humans by choice. She'd had several human owners in her past. Never, had they helped her. Now she was blessed with her undead master. It was something unforeseen and incredibly different.

"Yeah, alright. You guys can shack together. But eh- I'd like you all to go to the medic first." The guard still beside the door said. The second one looked back and grunted. He opened the gate with an eye scan. The metal gate door slid open. One guard followed them into Natesville. He had blonde, buzzed hair which caught a glimmer of the last bits of sunlight. "You see that building down there?"He pointed straight down the long road which welcomed the pack into Natesville. At the end there was a small salvaged building which waved with the heat. Rin nodded, the guard looked back at the others for conformation. "I want all you's to get checked in over there. We've got eyes on you. I'd like to know though, what sorta supernat is the girl? For records." The guard grinned antagonistically.

"Vegan vampire." Rin scowled, staring at the man. He looked over at Ashi, then to her keeper and then back around to the blondie and Rin.

"Alright. I'll be walking with you to the hospital. And whoever is leaving the hospital tonight, I'll help you get settled in." He sighed, brushing it off with a bit of relief on his face. Sweat which was pooled on the crease in his forehead finally spilled over. His shift ended at 7 AM the next day. Until then, he had to monitor the new citizens.

[sylvanSpider]

Ashi pursed her lips with the guards' incessant questioning, (I feel fine, thank you very much.) but she said nothing. Right about now, she was feeling the equivalent that every woman feels on a day where she feels pretty enough that she doesn't wish to wear makeup only to be asked if she was sick. It was the first time she'd seen the sun in only the gods knew how long, and prior to meeting these gents was actually feeling quite alright with herself.

She shot Rin a look as if keeping her identity was still important. If Ashi ever visited the Upperside, she knew that acting, and looking, like a human were necessary, and she didn't know if those rules still applied. Drishe had her back though, and her face softened as she looked up at the genie, shifting in her seat. It was obvious Rin was taking the lead when it came to speaking for them, and Ashi was more than happy to let him do it. She'd always been particularly shy, and her vampirism made it all the worse with humans.

Josef on the other hand fiddled with his pack of cigarettes bringing one out as they were led to the medic, “I don't see the point of all this. The sickness you guys mentioned about? None of us have heard of it. We've been underground literally this entire time. We're fine. All of us. Shit, even Miss Vegan Vampy over here is fine; she's been feeding on us. Uh, willingly, mind you. She's alright to have around.” He was prattling away as the group approached the entrance.

The building itself was only slightly less shoddy than the rest of the buildings in its immediate area, giving off the impression that it was a relatively important building. More effort was put into it. Inside, it even smelled like a hospital, sending shivers up Ashi's arms. The last time she'd been in a hospital, she was told she had a terminal illness. How very different to be immortal coming into a place like this than when she was mortal.

[Worm]

The guard raised his eyebrow with Josef's comments, but that's all he did. When he was done, the guard stated simply "Well, she's not vegan then." and continued guiding them towards the hospital. He seemed only mildly intrigued by the newcomers and their backstories. Probably too strung out, and too exhausted to care. Rin, however, shot a critical glance over to Josef. Ashi's feeding habits were not necessary information for the guard. As long as she wasn't feeding from other humans, it shouldn't matter right?

The building was blown out at some point. All that was left was a skeleton of infrastructure, which it seemed that the residents of Natesville worked to repair. Now there was sticks, 2x4s, planks and even plastic bags used for insulation and paneling. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. When they got inside, the smell of the hospital hit Rin hard. It reminded him of his mother on her death bed. It reminded him of the dripping of her intravenous medication. It reminded him of the flat line sound. He looked down at his feet, taking a deep breath to settle himself. "Alright, I'll leave ya here." The guard tipped his invisible hat. "Suzie, we got four newcomers!" He yelled in the direction of a red head woman. She looked to be in her 60s and in just as bad shape as the building. She hacked up a response. "Thanks Larry!" She waved as he backed away from the group.

The redhead made her way to the group quickly, but hobbled on a bad leg towards them. "Hello fellas. I see we've got two unnatural, and two healthy. Is that right?" Rin looked at the nurse then back at each group member.

"Depends on what you mean by unnatural." He chuckled nervously. "Hell, depends on what you mean by healthy." He smiled coyly.

"I mean that these two -" She waved a clipboard over Drishe and Ashi's figures. "Need to be prioritized for radiation testing." She was unamused, a wrinkled grimace drooped from her face.

"How can you tell if someone's sick? What happens?" Rin questioned, the nurse swung an arm to gesture the group forward. She led them through the entrance towards a badly lit hallway. "That's what the tests are for, honey. You've never seen someone with radiation sickness? You must be hella lucky." She hacked up a sarcastic laugh.

"We've been underground. So this whole - world is new to us." Rin mentioned, a bit ashamed of his naivety. The nurse shook her head. "Surprised. I heard its seeped its way down there. What were you guys doin' underground anyways? I heard that's a place for nasty sex trade stuff." She had a disgusted look on her face now, probably judging her new patients. She pointed to a chair next to a blood pressure monitor and some scales. "First up, sit." She held her finger over the designated chair. Rin looked back at the group for assurance before going first. He sat down, her boney fingers worked to get the blood pressure cuff over his muscled arm.

"It's a long story to be honest. None of us were raised there. It was just a coincidental meeting. And yes, there is definitely some nasty stuff that goes on down there. I was actually excited to return up here. I'd only heard rumors of what had happened." The nurse looked at Rin in disbelief, pumping up his cuff with her hands.

"Rumors? How did you not hear the bombs go off? The people screaming? Oh my god - it was awful." She shook her head again, a sinking feeling hit Rin.

"I suppose we were lucky." He actually had some sympathy for the woman, for all the people still upper side.

[sylvanSpider]

“No shit. An actual vegan vampire would be a feral one. I suppose that's better?” Josef spat back, glaring at the guard. He didn't like this guy, not even a little bit. Ashi, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind that she was the object of discussion, choosing to ignore the conversation completely, instead paying attention to her surroundings. She hated hospitals. She hated how they reminded her of then. Of when she could feel her body dying, giving out around her.

They'd decided that by the time they found the cancer, it was pointless to continue with chemotherapy. She was too far gone. It would do nothing but put her in more pain. Because of that, she had a full head of hair, continuing to live life as she had before the news. In her memories, she'd always preferred to skip the hospital scene. The one of her sitting on the bed, in nothing but one of the hospital gowns leaving the rear exposed. She vowed then to never step foot into another hospital. When they found her, imprisoned her, she told them she was sick, that she wouldn't taste as good. They disagreed, saying that those in pain were tastier. Cancer wasn't contagious, and less so to vampires. And then there was Beau...that was the end of her trips to the hospital, or so she'd hoped.

“They're healthy. Why would be unhealthy?” he cocked an eyebrow at the nurse. He was getting sick of his friends being treated like second class citizens, oblivious to the fact that he was one who regularly hunted those like them. Ashi bit back a grin, shaking her head as he spoke on her side.

“We really were lucky,” Ashi murmured. “But no, we didn't participate in any of the 'nasty sex stuff'” she added wryly, mentally adding the words with anyone but her...

[Worm]

The nurse copped an attitude with the blonde, Josef. She chose not to respond to his curt responses, instead looking to Rin, Ashi and Drishe with her responses. When her eyes rolled over to Josef, she snarled unintentionally and pulled away quickly. "They may seem healthy, but the radiation has a clever way of disguising itself. It'll hit you hard, and you will change." She sighed a deep painful breath. Rin had to wonder how much they would change, and if perhaps the nurse had witnessed it first hand. "It changes your DNA, mixes it up. Most don't survive." She shook her head, finishing Rin's vitals and moving to Drishe.

Drishe was curious, intently trying to imagine how the sickness worked. She sat down without much guidance, besides the now open seat. The nurse began pumping her arm too. Rin could only assume that he was fine, since the nurse had nothing to say to him. "Most? Do some make it out okay? Is there a cure?" Drishe perked a brow, looking up at the nurse as she continued to pump her arm. The nurse choked up a bit before releasing another sigh.

"Yes. Some do make it out. But I wouldn't say they're okay. They can grow extra limbs, scales in certain area, and some say they can develop strange abilities. When it - when it happened to Douglas..." She began to choke up again, holding down tears. "When it happened to Douglas, I couldn't even tell who he was anymore. Its like it takes over your mind... Your soul..." Her eyes hollowed, staring into space for a moment before releasing Drishe and motioning for Ashi to sit next.

"Well, how do you check for it?" Rin was curious how his new friends would be treated in the process.

"Bloodwork. But also - the afflicted will usually get a small hive breakout in their armpits and crotch area. It has a unique arrangement. It usually appears before the changes happen." She forced an awkward smile.

"So is there anything that can prevent the sickness from progressing?" He pressed the woman further, Drishe clinging to his arm. Rin shoved her off, but she was just so curious about this new age disease.

"Some say vampire blood will help." She laughed cookily. "Yeah right, as if vampires even have blood. Hell, some are desperate for any supernatural blood. Doesn't make sense to me." She shook her head, a disappointed laugh falling from her chapped lips. After finishing with Ashi, she motioned for Josef, finally giving him eye contact and a warm-ish smile. Her arms were saggy, her face was too, but she looked warm and huggable. Rin wondered if the sags under her eyes were due to recent events. She had an aura of disdain which seemed to coat the entire facility. After Josef was done, she marked quick notes on her clipboard.

"Alright, you all look good. Gonna take you guys to a room back here and I'm going to talk to each of you individually and check you out. You'll get gowns and I'll also take some blood." She forced another smile and allowed the group an exchange of glances before guiding them towards the back of the facility. She led them into a room which had about ten cots, each separated with a sliding curtain. "Take your pick. Change, and I'll be back in just a few to finish up with you guys." Each cot had a dingy looking gown on it. Rin took one furthest back and began changing without shame. He was undressed and dressed so quick that the woman hadn't time to leave.

[sylvanSpider]

Josef kept his sulking face on, going so far as to keep his lips pursed as the nurse prattled on about the rad sickness. Ashi, however, furrowed her brows with concern, seeing the pain that the nurse was holding back as she talked. She couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the nurse's arm. There was little she could do now for the nurse or those that had been affected by rad sickness in the nurse's life, but she wasn't alone. And Ashi certainly wasn't going to make this more difficult for her.

“Well. I have blood. Kind of. It's different from when I was human,” Ashi murmured, “It's there, but it's closer to black and it's more viscous.” She gently squeezed the nurse's hand, guessing that this 'Douglas' was probably the woman's husband at some point. Or son. Regardless, it was still sad, even imagining what this woman had gone through.

“Is that why you're separating us into quarters? Because supernatural blood has some value now?” Josef asked tilting his head. He was not going to be pleased if anyone tried to lay a harmful finger on Ashi. Drishe, he couldn't care less for--she'd been mean to him since the beginning—but Ashi was kind even when she had every right to snap back. He was beginning to think of this girl as a little sister despite her being decades his senior, but he was protective. She was too nice and too many people (including himself, he hated to admit) took advantage of that. Drishe was mean. She could take care of herself.

Ashi forced a smile back to the nurse's own forced smile. Needles freaked her out, a fear that never left her since she accidentally forsake her identity, but she was willing to try to look past it. Josef on the other hand groaned and stomped into his own little curtained room. “There's no ass in these gowns. What the fuck? Why?”