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Jan 3, 2024

TIMING: Early October LOCATION: Worm Row PARTIES: Emilio (@mortemoppetere), Wynne (@ohwynne), Arden (@stainedglasstruth), & Luci(@luci-in-the-stars) Ft Archie & Sawyer SUMMARY: The residents of Worm Row wake up to find themselves trapped inside their building. CONTENT WARNINGS: Alcoholism TW

It actually took him a few moments to notice the blacked out windows. Call it denial, blame it on the hangover, do whatever, but when Emilio first wandered into his living room, he hadn’t taken note of the fact that there was no sun streaming in through the glass. It wasn’t until he’d clipped the leash on Perro and started preparing him for a morning piss break that he noticed it. He went to glance outside, to take note of the weather, and… goo. Covering his window, blocking out the sun. He walked into the bedroom, checked that window. More of the same. Out into the hall, to the dingy window at the end of it that usually looked out into the god-awful sights of Worm Row, and more inky blackness stared back.

He wasn’t the only one in the hall. Jeff was pacing, muttering to himself. Emilio caught only a few words of it, but enough to know that the situation in his neighbor’s apartment was the same. Which meant the building was covered on at least three sides. Emilio closed his eyes for a moment, sighing heavily.

Steeling himself, he crossed the hall to the apartment next to Jeff’s, knocking on the door. When it opened, he wasted no time getting to the point of things: “There’s goo.”

—

When Wynne woke and there was no sunlight streaming through their windows, they thought perhaps they had woken up much too early, before the sun had risen. One look on their phone confirmed, however, that though they had woken a little early it was definitely past sunrise.

They got up to open their curtains, to greet the day as they always did and saw … black. Not the kind of black that came from the night, but absolute, complete pitch-black. Wynne stared at it, at their blinking reflection that looked back at them and wasn’t really sure what to do about it. They turned around, out into the hall, the kitchen – same thing – and looked to see if they could find any of their roomates.

They were about to knock on Arden’s door when there was a knock at the front door and so they moved over, opening the door, still in their pyjama. Emilio greeted them, though not really, and told them matter-of-factly what it was they’d been staring at. “Goo?” They looked at the window over their shoulder. “I thought maybe the sun had gone out.”

—

He was not asleep as the sun disappeared from the cracks in closed blinds, but he wasn’t quite awake, either. It was the pressure of dull claws and a paw on his thigh that broke the trance he’d fallen into, and Archie straightened suddenly in the seat taken on the sofa. It took him another moment to clock what Wade was trying to tell him.

Perhaps it was the remaining fog inside his skull, but Archie couldn’t wrap his head around any of this, and he was forced into fight or flight. He chose the latter. In his panicked disconnect to himself, Archie scooped up his ninety pound dog with odd ease and bolted out his front door. Did he lock it behind himself? Of course not. He ran to the stairs and down a floor, in search of any of the residents he’d come to know over the past months. Even if they didn’t know anymore than him, maybe they could think for him.

Archie burst through into the hallway, Wade still in his arms. “Is the sun gone?! Are we dying?! Is the world ending?!” Even as he reached Emilio’s side at Wynne and Arden’s door, he held Wade tightly. A child clinging to a comfort toy.

—

It had taken Arden a while to get to sleep without the assistance of the enchanted quilt, so when she awoke to the sound of her phone ringing, she was half asleep and pretty annoyed. However, upon seeing it was her boss, the annoyance mostly gave way to concern. Why the fuck was her boss calling her before sunrise? Turns out, there was actually a very good reason he was calling her, and it had to do with the fact that it was well past sunrise, but her window seemed to be covered by black sludge.

After an incredibly surreal phone call, she pulled on a pair of sweats, and wandered out of her room, intending to check on Wynne and the others. But it appeared she didn't need to, seeing as there was currently a small group of familiar faces at the door. Running a hand through her sleep mussed hair, she looked over the group. Emilio looked as over this shit as she felt, Wynne seemed confused, and Archie looked to be in a state of panic.

It was entirely too early for any of this shit.

“So,“ she started, voice still raspy with sleep. ”Apparently there was another incident in the mines, and, well,“ Arden waved a hand toward the window as she walked over to the kitchen, only stopping to scoop Hobbes up into her arms before he could run out the open door. “Anyone else desperately need some coffee?”

—

Luci was rather new, boxes still hap-hazardly stacked in her room, with only Snow’s things truly unpacked. Admittedly though, instead of using her time to unpack she had instead been watching how her window seemed to darken over time since she had gotten up early for her 8 am. Still, she figured that somewhere in the syllabus this was covered and instead of either freaking out or calling anyone about it she had spent a fair amount of time carefully writing down notes about the phenomena.

It wasn’t usually something she’d be interested in, but she figured it was cool enough to count for something. Hearing the commotion outside of her room, Luci fully dressed headed out noting the time that everyone else had seemed to figure it out in her notebook. Well accept maybe Sawyer - but she suspected he might start hearing everyone and come out too.

“Oh - the mines that make sense.” Luci said, catching the end of Arden’s statement and writing down the new information before she looked up at two people she didn’t know. “Oh - No I don’t think the world is ending. Well maybe worm row is a little worse for ware - I’m sorry I don’t think I know either of you two but probably come in instead of standing in the doorway. There’s a lot of cats here, you know? - I guess they can’t leave through the goo, but still. If you’re making a pot, Arden, I'd like some.”

____

Sawyer was woken up by a sudden shift in mood. Concern, frustration, and a mild fear all mingled with his own thoughts… not a pleasant way to start the day.

It was dark, too dark for this time of day. He opened his windows to an inky blackness- that explained the lack of light, at least. And Arden's explanation from the other side of the door took care of the question of where it came from; that still didn't sit well. Ugh.

He made his way out of his room, Emily darting out after him. Goo or no goo, he needed coffee.

“Morning.” He regarded his roommates with all the nonchalant-ness he could muster. “Feel free to use my beans and grinder, if you'd like.”

—

Jeff wasn’t the only one wandering the halls, it seemed. In a matter of moments, Archie from upstairs had joined them, too, carrying his dog along for the ride. Emilio shot him a quick glare, shuffling away from him as the familiar shiver that came when someone undead was near ran down his spine. He glanced to Wynne, giving them a quick once-over to make sure they were all right, but of course they were. The goo was outside the building and, thanks to a recent banshee scream forcing the building’s owner to replace every window, the windows were holding firm.

The rest of Wynne’s roommates joined shortly. Emilio offered a nod to Arden, eyes darting over towards a kid he hadn’t seen before and a man who was similarly foreign. New members of the household, he figured; he knew Arden and Wynne had been looking to fill the empty rooms. At the kid’s suggestion that they come inside and avoid the risk of letting the cats out, the detective grabbed Archie by the arm and yanked him into the apartment, stomping in after him and shutting the door.

“Coffee,” he agreed, trailing behind Arden into the kitchen. “With whiskey. Christ, I need a fucking drink. Estoy cansado de esta mierda, I swear.” He glanced to the two new roommates, nodding in their direction without introducing himself. Manners had never been something Emilio put a lot of stock into.

—

Though they were disturbed by the lack of natural light and Arden’s explanation offered little to satiate that disturbance, Wynne’s face still lit up at the sight of Archie and Wade. Maybe Wade a little more, because who could deny such a face? As the two men (and dog!) moved into the apartment they made room by moving back in, towards the kitchen where the small group of roommates and neighbors gathered. They were quick to flick on the light.

Wynne gave Wade a scritch under the chin, then looked at Arden, then Emilio — they often had answers, though Sawyer also seemed like the wise type. “So … mining accident? Do we know if everything is surrounded or can we get out? I have to get to work.”

That was why they didn’t move to make coffee. They would usually fret to make their guests feel served, but they were bound to make coffee all day. Or, at least, were supposed to. Wynne gave Wade another scratch, turned their head at actual scratching at the door and frowned. “Maybe we should try and crack a window to look outside? Or is the goo all the way up to the windows, like with snow?” They squinted at the window.

—

He almost missed the faces he didn't recognise. "Oh. Archie. I'm Wade's... human." He attempted a wave to accompany his airy smile, but for a moment forgot the weight he was carrying, almost dropping Wade. "I'll take a cup, Arden, thanks a million." His words were rushed and lacked an easily missed lucidity. A cup of coffee or six had long stopped sending his heart into overdrive, and long stopped giving him any kind of satisfaction. But he was desperate to keep up living appearances, so he eats, he drinks, he pretends to enjoy.

The hand on his cold arm was unexpected, and Archie nearly stumbled as Emilio dragged him into the flat. Archie scowled into the back of Emilio's head, and used his shoulder to knock the detective lightly in retaliation. The shock, however, managed to break his pure panicked state. Sometimes he could swear he could still feel his heart beating. "I'll take whiskey too." The only comfort he could find here is through old habits. "...In my coffee, I mean. If it's going."

He felt awkward playing this game, he'd never been a good liar. But it was easy enough to dance around the truth, especially when no one asks him questions. Archie smiled, nervous as he showed his teeth. Wade, the saviour of countless uncomfortable moments, began to growl once he had sufficiently enjoyed Wynne's attention, and Archie obliged in finally putting him down.

Without much effort needed, Wade pushed through the space between Archie and Wynne's legs, scratching at the door. Archie found it easier to follow his furry friend's path than to engage normally, and moved to open the door without actively making the decision to. He didn't open it wide, and he didn't have to, because Perro was inside and playing with Wade before Archie could react. When he turned, closing the door behind him, his attention locked onto Perro instantly, crouching to greet him with a wide grin. "Did your mean, mean dad abandon you? Poor little man…"

—

Okay, basically everyone wanted coffee, a full pot it was. The door now closed, she let Hobbes jump down, setting him free to annoy their guests. Then, expertly maneuvering her way around the kitchen, Arden set about to making some coffee. She waved a hand at Emilio’s comment. “Yup.” That had certainly been her plan. “Whiskey’s in the upper cabinet,” she informed him, nodding her head to indicate the exact one. “That’s where we keep all the booze.”

Once the machine was going, she turned back to the assembled group. “Yeah, so it seems like a lot of Worm Row is fucked at the moment. Gatlin Fields, too. And by fucked, I mean covered in goo that you definitely do not want to touch.” She moved to pull some extra mugs from one of the cabinets, but sparing a glance at Luci, she clarified. “It’ll harden and you can get stuck. The town council’s working on evacuations and getting people to stay away from it, but things are kind of chaotic at the moment. I don’t know, my boss said he’d keep me updated. But,” she sighed, “it seems like we might be stuck for a bit.” While the coffee brewed, she poured a bit of whiskey into her mug. They were trapped first thing in the morning, a drink seemed appropriate.

Arden had only just noticed the scratching at the door when Wade opened it, revealing Perro who scurried inside the apartment, adorable as always. “Did you leave–” She cut herself with a shake of her head, simply taking a swig of whiskey before going to pet the dogs.

—

Luci nodded at Arden’s information, turning her attention to her book before she heard the stranger cursing in Spanish. Without looking up, and almost instinctively she said back in Spanish, “Language.” It took her a second to realize she shouldn’t be admonishing a stranger and quickly continued, “Sorry. Habit. Thank you for closing the door.”

At Wynne’s question, Luci shook her head, switching back to English and finally looking up at them, “I don’t think any of us are getting outside today. With what Arden said and where the goo is I don’t think it would be wise. I would see if fire would do anything to it, but well I don’t want to burn the building keeping the goo out. Hm. I’ll put that as plan four though.” While she could recognize that the others were nervous, Luci was just more fascinated with it than anything else. Moving to sit she went back to scribbling what chemical makeup the goo might have wondering if she could change it somehow. “Oh I’m Luci by the way. I’m assuming you know the others. Nice to meet you etcetera.”

—

So he was effectively trapped. Fine, this is fine. He can work with this. … Was what he would've said had the booze not been broken out at 8:00am. Far be it for him to judge, but this early? Really?

Sawyer wasn't sure how he felt about having two other people in the room that was already pushing capacity, especially the stranger who was already pissed off. The other man (Archie, he thought) was strangely quiet with his feelings- he might not have even noticed him if it wasn't for his dog. Weird, but not unwelcome.

“Sawyer.” He introduced himself, following Luci's cue. He didn't know these people, and if they were stuck together they may as well have names straight.

—

Grunting, Emilio dragged himself over to the cabinet and dug around until he found the whiskey, pulling it out. Taking down a glass, he went ahead and poured himself a little while they waited for the coffee to finish. He’d have some in his coffee, sure, but with the news Arden was reading off for them? He didn’t much feel like waiting.

Eyes darting over to the kid — the kid who spoke Spanish, evidently — he offered a small shrug. Amusement danced behind his eyes, coupled with something like relief. It was always nice to have another person around who spoke his language in the most literal sense. “I think the situation calls for some bad language,” he replied back in Spanish, tone flat. “We’re stuck in goo. That hardens when you touch it. Come on. You can say fuck. I won’t tell anyone.”

The scratching at the door pulled his attention away, and he turned to see Archie letting Perro in with an annoying comment. Shooting the undead idiot a glare, Emilio moved over to ‘rescue’ his dog from his neighbor. “I told you to watch the couch,” he told Perro seriously. “Jeff is probably going to steal it now. And then where do you take your naps? Hm? Come here.” He bent down to scoop the little dog up, holding Perro under one arm and the glass of whiskey in his other hand.

He half-listened to the theories, but it didn’t make much of a difference to him where the goo had come from. Not when he couldn’t leave his apartment to do anything about it. (And that was going to be a problem. Emilio didn’t do well at being cooped up. The building wasn’t small, at least, but he already felt trapped, already felt antsy. He could feel it building within him.)

Introductions. Right. Decent enough distraction. He nodded to Luci and Sawyer in turn. “Emilio,” he replied. “And this is Perro.”

—

Their eyes flicked around all the people that were crowding in the apartment, feeling their stomach sink. “But — I need to get to work. I’ve not really been doing well! So I can’t just call in because of goo. Right?” Wynne tried to look outside again, growing agitated with the idea of being stuck. They frowned as they tried to accept their fate, though they certainly didn’t want to.

“Well, at least we’re in it together.” They moved around, starting to fiddle at the window but being afraid of accidentally touching the goo. “I wish we had those window wipers from cars, but like here.”

At least there was some levity at some point, with Perro arriving. Wynne abandoned the window and slid up to Emilio to pet his tiny dog, wrinkling their nose at the scent of alcohol. Much too early! They just wanted coffee. And pastries, they would like a pastry. “Hi little Perro. Don’t eat the cats.” They looked at Emilio. “Your couch will be fine. Don’t be mad at this little guy.”

—

"All I got from that was 'fuck'. You saying mean shit about me again, grumps?" Archie chuckled, not looking at Emilio, but there was no one else in that room he would dare insult. "Luci, is he being mean to me?" He'd have been stupid to take only Emilio's word, would he not? Archie only looked at his unenthusiastic neighbor when Emilio came close enough to sweep Perro away. Archie pouted then, hands extending dramatically in Perro's direction like two main characters in a film or video game, untimely separated.

He'd never known how to stay still, always the boy bouncing off every surface he could find. Archie didn't stay on the floor long, not when alcohol (that never quite cut it and certainly doesn't cut it now) was out on the counter. There was grace in how he moved from one side of the room to the other. Despite his size, there was almost no sound to his footsteps. He could have been a dancer. He could have been many things. Archie picked out a glass only because he thought it might be unacceptable to drink straight from someone else's bottle, and he hoped that his neighbors were too busy contemplating their current predicament to watch how much Archie poured for himself, and how much he swallowed in one go. He wished he could still feel the burn.

He started helping himself to coffee, and swallowed the freshly made drink as if it wasn't still piping hot. Archie found he felt safest at Wynne's side, so he gravitated there, looming over their much tinier stature despite his hunched shoulders and poor posture. "Mate, that would be fuckin' grand, wouldn't it? Think we can get the landlord to install anti-goo window wipers on the windows? 'Cause, like… Knowing this place… Shit like this ain't gonna be a one off, is it?" Archie giggles at Wynne's pleading with Perro, and Archie fights the urge to reach out and pet him between the eyes. Emilio has never liked him getting too close, and he's filled with too much anxiety to be testing those limits.

"So we're all fucked now, yeah? I can't even crack a window open to smoke?"

—

Between her poor Spanish and how quickly the two were speaking, Arden also had a difficult time following, though she was able to catch a bit more than just ‘fuck.’ Choosing to ignore Luci’s little aside for the moment, she continued to give Wade some scritches. She did not have enough caffeine and/or alcohol in her system yet to address her apparent multiple plans, one of which had the potential of burning down the building. However, she planned on fixing that, heading back over to add some coffee to her whiskey after the dog seemed satisfied.

“Wynne, I will physically fight your manager if they try to give you shit on this,” she deadpanned, leaning back against the counter. “But, maybe, let's not fuck with the windows.” She didn’t know if anything would actually happen, if the inky sludge had entirely hardened or not, but she really did not want to find out. Her mind had been sluggishly whirring since receiving the miserable wake-up call, and between their current predicament, her exhaustion, and all the people– and animals– now in her apartment, she was feeling a little overwhelmed. While their apartment was pretty big, six people crowded around the kitchen with three of the five animals currently hanging around, it was just a lot. And the idea that this might not just be a one time occurrence did not help with that whatsoever. It did make a cigarette sound pretty fucking amazing, though.

“The front door’s blocked?” she asked, looking at Emilio. “Do we know if the roof’s clear?” A moment passed before she thought to tack on, “Not that I’m suggesting we do something stupid and rash, just to get all the facts.” Another beat. “And I could also go for a smoke, if I’m being honest.” Was doubling down on her vices first thing in the morning a good idea? No. Did she care at the moment? Also, no. Besides, getting some air, if possible, would be nice. As would the space. Arden could already feel herself starting to get restless just thinking about being trapped in the apartment for an unknown period of time.

—

Luci, now more content to scribble notes than pay attention to most of the room, still was careful to make sure she wasn’t only focused on it. She didn’t particularly mind all the others in the space, more so reminded of home than she had been for a long time. Looking up at the response from - Emilio she was pretty sure his name was. She shook her head but chuckled, “I’m pretty sure most everyone here can tell if you say that even if it’s in Spanish. Also, my brother would somehow know. I can feel it. He’d be too happy about it. Happy to meet you though, Emilio.” When Perro was introduced, Luci couldn't help the chuckle. “Dog? Well nice to meet you too.”

At the question from Archie she raised her eyebrows in a ‘told you so’ motion as she looked over to the other neighbor and shook her head lightly, “No he wasn’t talking about you. He was talking to me about the goo. Are you two enemies or something? Because if so, I would ask you to refrain from fighting in the apartment.”

At Wynne’s growing agitation Luci frowned, looking at her notes again and saying, “Arden’s right. I think they will have to let you not go to work today. I’m sorry, though. I know it’s not ideal.” Seeing the coffee was ready she stood up pulling out her dolly parton mug from the cupboard to get some - sans the whiskey. Looking over to the quietest roommate she asked, “Sawyer, do you want some?”

Luci tilted her head at the idea of going to the roof, “I bet you we could. I checked the fire escape when I first got here - just to make sure I knew where it was - but it seemed like there’s a few ways up there. Worst case we could make a hole in the hallway roof. I don’t think anyone would notice.”

___

Sawyer scooped up Emily, who had been rubbing against his legs to get his attention. He held her like he usually did, sort of how one might hold a human baby. Ems could always tell when he was stressed, holding her for a bit usually helped.

“I'm fine, thank you.” Sawyer replied with a polite nod. He was particular about his coffee, and his hands were full anyway. “If we want to try the roof, I wouldn't be opposed. I have tools, if need be.” He added after a pause. Cutting a hole in the ceiling seemed a little far, but it may come to that.

___

“Then you could be more creative. What about shithead? You can say shithead. I bet nobody would be able to tell. Your brother isn’t here, is he?” Emilio glanced around the apartment, not actually sure. He’d accounted for five people, besides himself: Arden, Wynne, Archie, and these two new roommates, Sawyer and Luci. If there was another person here, they were well-hidden. The thought sent a quiet thrum of anxiety through him, uncomfortable with the idea of not knowing how many people were around him.

He glanced over to Archie as he spoke, saying “Yes,” at the same time as Luci’s no. Turning to Wynne, he nodded in agreement with Arden and Luci. “Cafe might be under goo, too,” he pointed out. “If it’s not, don’t think they can say shit. Not like you’re skipping because you want to.” Silently, he agreed with Arden; if anyone said shit to Wynne, he’d help kick their ass.

“Yeah,” he said, turning back to Arden. “Guessing this shit starts on the ground, crawls up the side of the building. Doubt it’s made it to the roof yet, but might get there in a few days. Probably want to get out sooner instead of later if that’s the route we’re taking.” Not that he thought it would be a good idea. Climbing down the side of a building covered in goo with unknown side effects probably wasn’t going to do anyone any good. “Elevator goes up to the floor just under the roof. Can take the staircase from there. Have to force the door open, but it’s not hard.” He’d been up there more than once, much to the landlord’s chagrin. “Won’t be a problem getting up there. Just don’t know how we’d get down to the street. But… Probably want to wait until we know more about the goo. What happens if we get it on us, that kind of thing.”

He glanced back to Archie as he spoke, a new anxiety building in his chest. He hadn’t even considered the fact that they wouldn’t be able to crack the window to smoke. The roof was an option for that, too, of course, but with how often Emilio smoked and how much trouble he often had getting around? He’d have to practically commit to living up there. His fingers itched for the pack of cigarettes in his pockets. “I’m going to be smoking in my apartment,” he decided. “Landlord can fuck off if he doesn’t like it. Not like we’ve got many choices.” He scratched Perro absently, offering Wynne a small nod. “He’s supposed to be a guard dog,” he said grumpily. “Bad at it.”

—

As multiple people reassured them that it would be fine if they didn’t go into work, Wynne relaxed visibly. Though there was still agitation crawling under their skin, they did think Arden and Emilio some of the smartest people in town. Luci, too, seemed like a very rational person. If they all said it would be okay, it would be. “Okay. I will just send a message then.” They didn’t want to call, afraid of their wavering voice sounding like that of a liar. They fished out their phone and tapped away an apology as the others continued to speak.

It seemed they weren’t the only one growing agitated, though. They looked around the worried faces before pouring themself a cup of hot coffee. Though Wynne didn’t like to express it, they really would hate it if three people lit up a cigarette in the kitchen.

“Maybe Sawyer, you can get your tools and maybe then we can all take the elevator up to the roof? If it’s still working, and otherwise we can take the stairs?” Standing around here was starting to get a little nerve wracking in and of itself. Wynne was just glad they weren’t looking at them to be their savior, as the people at home would have. They took a long sip from their coffee, then put the cup to the side. “Should we take the cats and dogs with us?” The thought of them staying behind made them incredibly sad.

They frowned a little at Emilio. “He’s guarding us all now. He’s perfect.”

—

The idea that the goo would entirely encase the building at some point made Arden’s stomach turn unhappily. But if there was goo crawling up the side of the building, there wasn’t exactly a safe route to climb down from the roof, was there?

She sighed, taking another swig of her drink. “Yeah, I think we should check out the roof,” she nodded. “Get a better picture of what we’re dealing with.” They needed to see exactly how fucked they were at the moment, but she didn’t want to say it like that and freak out their anxious neighbor or her younger roommates.

“Can have a nice smoke, not in your apartment, while we’re at it,” she added, raising a brow in Emilio’s direction.

Taking the animals, though, seemed like a potentially bad idea. Just thinking about it made her feel a little anxious. “I don’t trust Hobbes to behave enough, but up to you guys.” Arden shrugged, heading over toward the door to put on a pair of sneakers and her leather jacket. “I think the dogs are probably fine, especially if they’re leashed.”

“And, yeah, Perro is perfect, actually,” she nodded, backing Wynne up. “Maybe you’re just bad at training him.”

With that, she grabbed her mug and made her way out the door, careful not to accidentally let any of the animals out.

“It looks like the elevator’s working,” she called over her shoulder.

—

Luci giggled at the idea but shook her head replying in Spanish, “He isn’t, but he’ll know. Trust me. You’d like him though, you both can curse together. ” Becoming more serious in the apparent mission she gathered her own coffee and nodded. “I don’t think Snow would cause a problem, but she’s probably not going to want to leave the room unless we have to evacuate.”

It seemed a bit inevitable that they would eventually, but Luci decided that probably wasn’t what anyone was going to want to hear at the moment, so she made it a maybe. Pulling on her own coat and putting her shoes on she nodded again, carefully moving through the mass of people to get to the door too, her notebook stuffed into the front pocket of her overalls as she put her fluffy pen behind her ear.

Walking behind Arden, Luz realized she probably should text her brother - and she would as soon as she knew what was exactly happening. He was probably going to get upset with her, and she didn’t want the adventure to be sad because of that. “Oh - yeah it looks like it’s working fine. That’s a good sign I think - Wynne you should come look. It’s not so bad at all.”

___

The roof wasn’t the best plan, but it was the only one they had. Judging by the blackened windows, any attempts to open the door to the street below would end poorly, especially since none of them had any idea what the hell this substance actually was or what it did. Emilio relented with a shrug, privately liking the idea of being able to smoke without making his apartment smell like an ashtray, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

Glancing to Luci, he shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’m going to keep cursing.” He continued scratching Perro absently, trying to decide whether or not to take the dog up to the roof. “Better to leave them here until we know more, I think.” If there was something bad up on the roof, it would be easier to deal with if they weren’t wrangling cats and dogs while investigating it. And Perro had already proven himself to be a shoddy guard, no matter what Wynne and Arden said.

He trailed along behind the group as they headed up the the elevator, taking up the rear and keeping an eye out for any threats that might accost them. A useless thing, really; nothing could get in to the building any more than its occupants could get out, but Emilio felt better with something to do. He felt much better at the news that the elevator was working. His knee had been working up a protest at the mere concept of conquering the stairs.

“If there’s a way out,” he said, stepping onto the elevator, “we come back and pack quick, before that shit spreads. And if there’s no way out…” He trailed off, already fishing his cigarettes from his jacket pocket. “You guys can eat me first, I guess.”

#alcoholism tw #alcohol tw #writing #wickedswriting #collab #mortemoppetere #wr emilio #ohwynne #wr wynne #luci-in-the-stars #wr luci #wormmates

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