Irvine, CA [CLOSED]

[Icarus]

"Locked doors happen to be my specialty" Icarus cracked a smirk as he spoke this pridefully. He walked towards the door while removing a small leather case from his back pocket. Icarus knelt at the door while pulling out a few tools from the case. "Tall, pale, and handsome could I get some light over here please?" he said in a joking voice. His eyes smiled at Reagan's while giving off a small squint that hinted at playful teasing. After such tense introductions, it didn't hurt for him to joke around just enough to get through this rough night. Icarus spoke over the sound of his tools poking and prodding inside the lock: "You know, I always found it odd that we give tools to the public to commit crimes than tell them not to do so. I've picked my fair share of locks, with good intentions and otherwise, and any time I have been caught I always give the same response. 'If you want to blame someone for breaking the law, then blame the people who make the tools, not the ones who use them.' But of course, they never seem to find that as enlightening as I do." Icarus let out a small chuckle before a clicking noise alerted him to his own success. He turned at the handle to find an eerily lit room that smelled even worse than the sewers. Please tell me we aren't too late.

[Reagan]

Reagan stood close to the front but off to the side. He watched the others telling their stories out of the corner of his eyes, keeping most of his attention on the filthy water underfoot. His new comrades had quite a bit to say. There must be something in the sewer, he thought humorously, a small smirk pulling at his lips. It was strange but their ease in sharing what seemed like immensely personal stories gave Reagan a bit of relief. While he was not about to spill his past out into the open he found a sort of comfort in their willingness to divulge.

Walking over to the rooms that Jack lead them too he was in the middle of flashing the light through the windows when he heard Icarus call to him. The other man's words didn't quite register with him at first. He blinked at him, a bit befuddled, before a bashful smile tugged apart his lips. He met Icarus' eyes only for a moment before looking away and smirking.

"Ya sure," he said and walked closer to the door, shining the flash light on the knob. He waited patiently as the man worked the lock open. The stench that flowed out of the room hit Reagan like a truck. It filled his nostrils and caused him to choke and cough. Stepping away from the door he placed a hand over his mouth and tried to catch his breath. Once the stench was out of his lungs for the most part he lifted up the bottom of his shirt and used it to cover his mouth like a gas mask. Stepping closer again he chuckled.

"Sorry about that guys, I'm a bit sensitive to smells." It was his really stupid curse. A thought occurred to Reagan and he glanced down at his torso. But just as he looked down his eyes flicked back towards the open door. "Well, uh, I guess we should check out what's causing that right, huh?" His voice was a bit shaky as he walked towards the door. Averting his eyes he squeezed by his partners, hoping they wouldn't notice the shadowed mark on his side. Reagan leaned into the door with his shoulder and pushed it further open. Despite the dim light already in the room he held up the light, flashing it around the room. Nothing immediately caught his attention and so he turned back to the group.

"You guys coming?" The shirt hid the smile on his face but it easily reached his glowing, purple eyes.

---

Reagan Williams

[Saal]

Shielding his eyes from the glare of the flashlight, Saal grips the silver knife in his hand tighter before flipping it over so the long gleaming blade ran parallel to his forearm. Simultaneously crouching down to decrease his target size and drawing one of his silver-loaded pistols, he moved forward into the room; thankful that his thick bandages covered his nose. Peering into the darkness he could faintly make out the shapes of what seemed to be students tied to chairs. Sudden hope filled him, prickled with shame for almost leaving the students behind. "Hold on you're going to be fine," he grunted out in a whisper as he charged forward. "Let me cut these rop-- " straightening with a jolt of shock and disgust, he swiveled around to look the other students over. Why would I wonder, why would I hope in this world. The lopsided head of the first student stared back at him with empty eyes, handing onto the neck by just a few cords of neck muscle, swaying slightly in from the new breeze.

He began the macabre task of cutting the zipties from their cold bodies and laying the corpses to rest on the ground. He took out a tin of salt and started to shower the bodies laid out before him, his boots squelching in the dank control-room. Dousing the poor victims in gasoline, he knelt to say a prayer before lighting them:

"Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritūs Sancti, Amen."

Patting his pockets for a second, he whispered solemnly to Jack, "Do you have a light?"

[Jacklyn]

Jack flinched at the rancid smell of rotting flesh that rushed past her face when Icarus opened the door. She throws her arm across her face to block the stench.

"Jesus christ," she swears, her voice muffled by her arm.

That's not a good sign.

Keeping her arm to her face, she walked into the room and looked around where Reagan pointed the light. Dusty control panels and electrical switches filled the room. It was cold and the air was still and musty. She felt a chill run down her spine as her boots clicked against the concrete. She couldn't help but feel tense; the room was just downright creepy.

The light glistened over a group of shadowed figures that appeared to be tied to chairs. She watched as the head of one of the girls slumped over and hung by the remaining unsevered tendons in her neck in front of Saal. She let out a quiet sigh and dropped her arm back to her side, I knew it. She glanced over at Icarus and Reagan with an apologetic look, twisting her mouth to the side in a doleful half-smile. She looked down and back at the bodies. She saw Saal beginning to cut them off the chairs and lay them on the ground. She decided it was only respectful to at least get them out of their bindings. She helped untie the rest of them and place them on the ground. She turned to look at Icarus once they finished, "I'm sorry, dude. I know you were hoping to find them alive." She turned back as she heard Saal begin to recite some kind of homage over the bodies. When Saal asked her for a light, she noticed the salt gleam in the dim light and gasoline started to fill her nostrils.

Her eyes widened as she was slightly taken aback by his abrupt actions, "Do you think it's really a good idea to salt and burn their bodies without even letting their parents or anyone know?"

No doubt Jack was not the type to play the sympathy card, but she has a weak spot for missing family members. If anyone found her sister's corpse, she would hope they would turn it in to the police too. "I-I mean… maybe we should at least let them bury their own children," Jack stuttered, trying to maintain her cool demeanor. She looked over at Reagan and Icarus, "W-what do you guys think?"

[Icarus]

Icarus' nostrils flared when the pungent smell of dead flesh reached is nose. His eye filled with tears, though it was hard to tell if this was from the terrible stench or the overwhelming feeling that came over his whole body the moment he had realized he couldn't save these young students. These kids were around his age, they had futures, lives, families. Families. It took Icarus a moment before realizing he was being spoken to. The man is bandages had already began his own ceremony while Jack seemed to urge a group decision. His emerald green eyes continued to shine brightly as he winced from the smell growing stronger. He looked at Reagan hoping that the man who backed him up before would once again agree with his words. "Even in their current state, I think they should be returned to their families." he said almost choking on his own words as his throat had seemed to tighten. "Besides, we are in a sewer with who knows what kind of smells and chemicals. The last thing we need to do is smoke our selves out of here and alert the authorities. We should find an anonymous way to get the bodi- these people into the right hands." Icarus tried to subtly wipe away the tears that clouded his eyes without indicating these tears were not just from the smell of feces and death. He ran his fingers through his hair, making sure to brush the sleeve of his coat across his eyes just enough to prevent and single tears rolling down his cheek. He cleared his throat and addressed Reagan who seemed to be suffering from the stench equally as bad. "What about you?"

[Reagan]

The site of the bodies made Reagan nauseous. He felt his head swirl and his stomach clenched as it tried to keep his lunch down. He pressed his eyes shut and turned away from the gruesome sight. He could hear as Saal began to move the bodies but he made no move to stop the man. Even when the sharp scent of lighter fluid and salt began to cut through the strong smell of rotting flesh Reagan said nothing, for he knew it had to be done.

But Jack and Icarus seemed to agree. Reagan could agree with their concerns but he understood Saal's reasoning. Battling the still very strong urge to vomit he turned around to look at his partners. He caught the look on Icarus' face just before he turned to address Reagan. He still held his shirt over his nose and mouth but there was a sad, remorseful look in his eyes. Somewhat reluctantly he dropped his shirt. Taking the now free hand he rested it on Icarus' shoulder and gave a slight squeeze. I looked down at the smaller man before looking at Saal and Jack.

"I agree, the families deserve to know, to have some closer but-" he sucked in a deep, hesitant breath. "Just, just look at them. These kids died a violent death. They deserve to be with their families but if we don't burn the bones we risk their spirits coming back and attacking more people. But- Maybe, check them for ID. If they have any one them maybe we could leave something for law enforcement to find."

---

Reagan Williams

[Saal]

"Death is a constant in this life," Saal began as he started searching the bodies. "If you'll let the death of innocents shake you, then perhaps a different line of work should occupy your time," he continued. Picking over the bodies he was able to find a few broken cellphones and a wallet, "that being said," he found another students' wallet and added it to the pile, "I was hasty in starting to lay them to rest without offering peace to the families." "You are right," he said looking at Icarus and Jack. "However, the families will take no peace in seeing these bodies desecrated by this infernal ooze-creature. Better to think a human killed them." He began searching through the cellphones, trying to turn them on. Once he found a working camera, he moved over to the bodies and started straightening out their necks and closing their eyes. Satisfied that they no longer looked mutilated,  Saal took a picture of each student's face; not leaving out their fatal wounds. His grim task completed, Saal put the pile of belongings in a zip-lock bag and handed them to Icarus.

Looking around at his sudden companions his stoney gaze softened. His eyes caught on their sickened expressions. He looked down at the ground and began to fiddle with the frayed edges of the bandages on his palms. Saal stepped backwards into the corner by the door. He shifted the weight of his heavy vest and gruffly, almost apologetically, "If one of you would lay them to rest."

[Jacklyn]

Jack nodded solemnly as Saal and Reagan made a valid point. She watched him as he photographed the students' bodies and handed their belongings to Icarus. When asked to do the honors, she dug into her pocket and pulled out a box of matches. She swiftly flipped it open and flicked the match against the flint. She paused as the match burned brightly in her hand, the warmth creeping down the wood to her fingertips. She dropped the match on the bodies dampened with gasoline and stepped back to watch the fire burn. She only watched for a short while before turning to the others, "We should get out of here before we do run into law enforcement." She walks out the door and leads the others to a ladder leading out of the sewer. They reached the closest parking lot and Jack stopped to talk, "Well, thanks for the help, guys." She took out a small metal case and clicked the release to reveal a business card holder. She took out three and handed one to each of her new friends. "Call me if you need any help, yeah?" The business card was very simple, embossed with small silver writing with only her name and telephone number.

[Icarus]

Icarus fumbled with the belongings Saal had handed to him as the muscles in his neck tightened in stress. He looked down at the mixture of wallets and phones held in a clear ziplock bag he now found himself responsible for. Before he knew it, the bodies were up in flames and the room grew unbearable with smell of smoke and burnt flesh. Jack made the wise suggestion of leaving the room before the police showed up or anyone could asphyxiate from the smoke. Icarus' eyes were still locked on the belongings of the fallen students; he pondered how he would get these items to the authorities or the families without indicating himself. Being in trouble with the law wasn't new, but being wanted for murder may make his life a bit more stressful than he would prefer. Jack begun to say her goodbyes and handed out a rather simple yet eloquent business card. He kindly took the card and placed it in his satchel for safe keeping. Icarus' eyes had grown empty and practical as the night had carried on for far too long with the traces of yelling, fighting, and awful stenches clouding his head. He gave a solum nod to the 3 hunters and parted his own way toward the humanities room as each left their own way.

Icarus made sure to stick to the shadows as more policeman showed up to the scene of the crime. The building had at least 6 officers keeping patrol at the entrance while others likely searched for clues in side. Needing to get inside, he brainstormed for an idea that was clever and sneaky enough to work. As luck would have it, Icarus could here an officer shout for attention to the sewers, as the room they were in just moments ago had seemed to have caught fire more than expected. Black smoke began to poor from the sewers like smoke from a train smokestack. It was evident that part of the sewer had caught fire as well, likely charring the remains of the creature it held. As several officers proceeded to investigate and the few left continued to patrol the area, he made his way to the torn apart classroom belonging to the shape shifting professor. He quickly made his way to the professors desk and emptied the contents of the ziplock bag into the top drawer. Voices and radios could be heard not too far from the entrance of the classroom as Icarus dashed out the nearest window into the dark cold night.