Gone (Maka Shuriko)

[Xan]

Maka stumbled over a root in the night. She was on her way back to camp... almost home despite the fever chills wracking her body amid the gnawing hunger in her stomach. Almost -

Twisted, decadent teeth tore into her arm.

She stumbled back as the bloody puss oozed from her open wound... she slumped to one knee as her assailant stood there... watching her.

"So weak, little girl" he said. He spoke? How could this be? "It's a wonder your parents could even pay with you alone." No... it was... it was /him/. He was supposed to be dead!

The man sauntered up to her. Staring up at him in a daze, still kneeling, she could not take her eyes from the man's face. This was her Father... the Father of Shuriko. It was not until the man lifted his boot and pressed it against Maka's face that she could finally look away. He kicked her to the ground.

The man towered over her as she lay on her back, staring up at him. "If you cry again, it will be the rack this time," he sneered as he reached down for Maka's throat with his hands. She cried out and swung wildly with her blade. The flat of the blade collided with the side of the man's head and he fell to the ground beside her, squirming and moaning... clawing at the air.

The force of the blow shook the sword from her weak hand, and she lept up away from the man in surprise, not bothering to arm herself again. She felt... lost.

Lost.... Where was she? She turned about to look, eyes glazed over as her limbs sluggishly obeyed. Jonsa... the city? She scratched at her stomach in hunger, not noticing when she tore her own nails from her fingers. She had to get something to eat.... Something... anything. Gods, was she hungry.

On the other side of the fence, there seemed to be a happy family, their backs turned. An elven woman, singing to a young girl with a human man standing among them, seeming to share the woman's interest in the girl. The song, which seemed to go on for ages... sounded vaguely familiar...

// www.youtube.com/watch?v=3keX0lPIadU

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Footsteps sounded near... a sweet smell following them. It seemed to take ages to turn about to face the noise; when she did.... The flesh... was so enticing... just, maybe one... little bite.... She lurched forward towards the armored woman.

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Lifting from hip to shoulder, Shea set her crossbow in position, took aim... and fired, sending a bolt whistling through the air towards Maka. With a thud, the bolt was sent home into the center of Maka's chest. The hit caused her to stumble back a moment, then she was staggering forward again; her shield arm hung limply at her side and sword arm was thrown outstretched, grasping for Shea desperately.

"Good bye, Maka," Shea whispered as she fired another bolt into her. Maka fell to the forest floor, motionless for a final time.

Attachments:

[kennystardust]

"Is this it!?" Rudy shouted out on the field by Erith. He looks up at the sky. "Who the hells divine plan is this crap!? Shea, Knock, Maka.... What is this bulls***!"

"Mmmrgggeerrm...." One of the halfling zombies clamored towards the noise he was making.

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Rudy backed up a step before bringing his sword forward in a cresent and slicing its head off in one quick motion. "Nothing.... nothing is this simple."

Rudy turned and walked towards the waterside, looking down into it. "Maka, what you said to me in the bedroom of the inn... I told you I would take care of her just like you and that I did." He let out a long sigh. "You asked me if I regreted having you back, I was serious when I said that I would never regret that." He drops his sword to his side and wipes the tears from his face.

"I-I better not find out you brought this on yourself... I don't think you would, but if you did d**nit...I'll find a way to put you back together and hit you myself." He dropped down to his knees, his shield falling to the other side. Unknown to him as a gnome zombie has noticed his presence. "...but Maka... I hope you can still hear us when I say this... even if you can't then I have to say it for myself. I love you, Shea loves you, Reyna loves you... you are our family. We continue for you, by your honor - in your name. We'll fight on and I'm fulfilling my promise." Rudy briefly glances towards the temple, the direction that Reyna was still in. "I'll stick by her and keep her safe." He looked back up to the sky.

A gentle hand places itself on his shoulder, in which he follewed up by placing his hand on it. "Maka?" To his suprise the claws of the zombie tore into his shoulder, clawing into the flesh of his shoulder. "Gah, f***!" With a quick motion he gripped the gnomish zombies arm and flipped him over the injured shoulder. In a fit of rage he begins to pound the zombie with his bare hands, blood from his shoulder and blood from the zombie littering his armor and the grass below them.

After a few seconds he stopped and his eyes widened... "Can we do this....without you?"