The place from which there is no return

[Xorcist's Reaper]

Footsteps. The dull taps of footsteps was the first sound that Gath became aware of. His body flexed and heaved against the restraints which held him to the portable medical bed. Something covered his eyes making it impossible to see the cracked, white halls around him.

"Where... where am I?" Gath thought too himself. As if the flood gates had been opened all of it flashed back to him.

Something had happened to him at the church. Yes, something had entered him after he touched the doll. It was some other-worldly thing. He knew it was in him he could feel it burning away his soul into a cloud of ash and hate. He had gone into some sort of seizure, and now he was here.

"Hello, boy...."

Suddenly the cart stopped moving after they rounded a turn. The loud click of the lock's tumbler twisting and coming to a stop bounced its way up and down the hall. Rust and dust popped off the hinges as the door swung open with a loud creak. Gath bed bumped into the entrance of the door way as they carted him into his new accommodations. Nobody removed his restraints, his blindfold, or he gag that kept him from speaking. They simply exited the room and locked the door leaving Gath alone with the thing inside him.

 

[Levy]

Dusk swept the town in a foggy haze. Moonlight met Penelope's skin as soon as she woke, sleepy hands shifting to rub sleepy eyes. It took a moment of processing to realize that she had fallen asleep, that she was late, that if she didn't move right now, her precious plan would fall to ruin. She sprung from her mattress, bound for the rusty air vent settled near the ground beside the door.

Penny had every minuscule detail of her plan embedded in her memory, the very plan that took her weeks of arrangement, that cost her night of sleep to instead observe the patterns of the guards' rounds, that would lead her to finally feeling raw earth beneath her feet. She wasn't about to falter simply because she'd overslept. Penny worked quickly, using the plastic knives she'd swiped during mealtime to unscrew the vents. Upon its snapping, she cursed and grew a bit of crystal. Rust made the task a little more difficult than she'd thought; she would freeze each time the screws hissed against their dwellings.

With that, she was off, armed with a sketchy layout of the facility. An hour or so of frustrating maneuvering and straining eyes against dim light later, she found herself unable to pinpoint her location on the map. Lost. Penelope was utterly and hopelessly lost. She crumpled her last hope in her hands and continued her voyage, stopping only when her head started to spin.

"Ah, I guess this was a dumb idea any-" She gasped as the vents gave out beneath her--too much weight on too little area. The only reason she hadn't broken every bone in her body was because she landed on a soft clump of flesh. A person.

 

[Xorcist's Reaper]

For a long while Gath had lost himself to the oblivion that was sleep. He was oblivious to everything around him. This included the girl that was currently falling out of the ceiling vent in his room.

Gath awoke instantly. His muscles once again flexed against the restraints that held him. Pain spread through his hip joint where the girls knee had landed. His stomach and chest were also in pain but in those places the girl had spread out the weight of her fall so the pain was not quite as intense. For a few seconds after the girl had fallen on him, Gath's eyes remained closed, but now they were open. The thing that covered his eyes was not really a thing at all. It was his eyes themselves. Something was wrong because he could barely see out of them.

When the girl wiggled Gath's attention snapped back to her. Slowly his head lifted off the table and he gazed upon the girl that lied on him. The only thing Gath could register was a slight bewilderment as to why she was here.

"Get off me," Gath wheezed out through his gag as he realized the girl's fall left him out of breath. As the words slipped out his head slumped back against the bed.

 

[Levy]

Penelope winced, for both her pain and the boy below her. It was more of a dull ache than anything, the majority of her pain was concentrated in a her head, a migraine, she concluded. She shifted. It took her a moment of processing to realize what had happened.

"O-oh! I'm terribly sorry!" She managed, flopping off the boy she had so gracefully landed upon. Penny stumbled a little, not quite used to solid ground yet, head reeling. Once settled, she glanced around, eyes falling on the restraints that held him in place, along with the gag in his mouth.

"Oh dear," she murmured under her breath. With a well enough understanding of what was happening, Penny drew a sharp piece of crystal and began cutting the ropes that restrained him. When she noticed him about to protest, she raised a finger to her lips. She knew the sound of her crash likely alerted the guards nearby, and it was best if they didn't draw more attention than needed.

The sound of the makeshift blade on rope was less than pleasant, though that was the least of their worries. Once she'd successfully snapped all his restraints, she motioned for him to sit up so she could untie the gag.

 

[Xorcist's Reaper]

Slowly but surely Gath made his way to a sitting position. His fingers went hurriedly about the task of removing the gag from his mouth. Once he had successfully removed it he sat and breathed in the foul smelling air of his room for a few seconds.​

​

Once again his attention was back to the girl. He couldn't quite see he very well due to how far away she had backed up. She was holding something, probably a knife, that she used to cut the bonds on his arms and legs. His white gaze shifted from her to the hole she had fell out of. The grate from the vent in the ceiling hung open on its hinges. Gath glanced to the girl again.​

​

"She wants to hurt you....," Growled Gath's demon.​

"No, if she wanted to hurt me she would have just stabbed me with the knife," Gath reasoned back.​

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With caution Gath slid slowly off the table and backed into a corner. They were on opposite sides of the room now with the door to Gath's right and his restraint table to his left. He couln't see her anymore so he angrily called out at her.​

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"Who are you? What is this miserable place?"​

​

​

 

[Levy]

Penny watched intently the boy's actions, they were stiff an cautious. Reasonable, she thought. After all, she'd been the same. The anger in his voice was evident. She flinched a little.

"Hey now, calm down." She spoke quietly, withdrawing the crystal from her hand. She raised them beside her head, showing that she had no ill intentions. She sighed, gave up on the hope of trying to make as little noise as possible. Her crafty little plan flopped, there's no use in trying to undo what she'd already done. They'd trace it back to her anyway. They always do.

"We don't have a lot of time, they'll be kicking down your door soon enough." She started, stepping closer. "They'll tell you why you're here, but for now, let's see what we can do." She said, sitting down in front of him upon noticing his squinting.

"I'm Penelope. Call me Penny." She said, shooting him a grin, holding her hand out to shake. A formal greeting. Or, as formal as it could get at this point.

 

[Xorcist's Reaper]

Initially Gath flinched at the gesture of her sticking out her hand. Slowly he felt his muscles relax a little as he reached out and placed his hand palm against hers. They shook briefly and then both retracted their hands. Her hands were soft but hard at the same time. The coolness of them took him by surprise.​

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"Don't trust her..."​

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"My name is... Gath, Gathinian Rone."​

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Gath slumped his way down the two walls and into a sitting position in the corner. He brought his knees close to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. His gaze met hers and for a few seconds they both stared at each other.​

​

"Penny, what are you doing here? How did you fall out of the vents? Where did the knife go?" Gath asked all of these questions all the while acting more calm and collected, as much as he could muster. If he was to learn anything from this girl he must not be as harsh as he was the first time.​

 

[Levy]

Noting his flinch, Penny knew that she was treading on eggshells; she'd be as delicate as possible. She didn't want to scare the boy.

"Oh my, you sure are full of questions," She bubbled with a chuckle. Understandably so, she thought.

"Alright, now. This was all kind of an accident. I meant to escape, but I guess things quite go as I planned. Let's see, I suppose I put too much pressure on one spot," She speculated. "These aren't exactly world class ventilation systems, you see. Ah, right, then there's this," Penny raised her palm so that it was in his view. Shimmering pillars of geodes rose from her hand, tinted lavender, though when she tilted it, it shone pink. In spite of its small size, it gleamed radiantly.

"I used this to cut your restraints, though, they were a little less showy than this," Penny noted with a laugh.

Outside us, the guards were livid. The guard who was to be monitoring the camera had dozed off, and the guards patrolling the halls knew the new ones were usually loud, so it wasn't given a second thought. It wasn't until it was discovered a camera had gone out, that a commotion began to stir within the staff. Penny had made sure to destroy the camera in her room, but she left the one in Gath's untouched. She didn't find too much use in tampering with it.

 

[Xorcist's Reaper]

Wonder showed in Gath's eyes as he stared amazed at the newly grown crystal. He leaned forward out of his otherwise defensive position. The thing was simply mesmerizing. How could something grow from nothing but the palm of her hand?​

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"Escape, hmmm? Shouldn't you still be trying to do that? I can hear whoever runs this place moving around," Gath smirked back. "What happens when they catch you in my room and me free?"​

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"They will kill you both. Hurt them before they hurt you...." It was at this time the demon once again tried seizing control of Gath. The boys whole body began shaking violently just as it had the first time. His breathing halted and his eyes turned to rage. His hands came to both sides of his head and squeezed with all of his might.​

​

He regained control for a second and muttered the words, "I'm sorry. I can't control it," The words came with a wince.​

​

Just as the demon seized Gath the cell door flung open. Two guards rushed in with old blood stained batons. Of the future of the next few minutes nothing was certain.​

 

[Levy]

Penelope smiled gingerly as Gath shifted from his defensive pose. She would never grow tired of the wonder in people's eyes upon first witnessing her crystal. She drew back and closed her palm, letting it fall to her side.

"Ah, well, I think it's a little redundant to try now... Gath? Hey, Gath, wh- what's wrong? What's happening?" Penny grew frantic as the boy grew with rage. She drew close to him, reaching out as if her hands could heal, but moments later he seemed to have gained control. Though, she could still see him quivering slightly. She collected herself as she realized the likelihood of that, whatever that was, getting him facilitate here.

"It's all okay," She murmured as the door flung open. Penny grew crafty as she bounced to her feet, knowing what she was about to do would get her in intense amounts of trouble.

"Atten-tion! Stand firm, soldiers!" Penny called out, her voice rigid and unyielding. The soldiers stood in army position, and for a moment, she held the same stance. The dense army call was followed by a girlish giggle. Penny was buckling. The soldiers held a humiliated rage in their eyes.

 

[Xorcist's Reaper]

"Get away from her!" Gath screamed out in rage as one of them went to grab her. Within seconds Gath was across the room. With a rough anger driven shove Gath moved Penny out of the guards reach. With his other hand Gath grabbed the guards forearm and pulled it toward while curling his own. A sharp jab with his elbow was all it took to break the guards nose.​

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With a loud scream the guard fell onto his back as blood flowed from in between the hands that covered his face. Gath Leaped over the first fallen guard and immediately began assaulting the next. He was several punches in before the guards ripped him off their comrade and slammed him against the floor. It took four of them to hold all his limbs and one to sit on his chest.​

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"That's it boy! Embrace me!"​

​

For several minutes Gath struggled to get up. Then as if the demon had grown bored it left Gath. The boy lied there under the pile of guards half unconscious. As Gath's head rolled to the side he caught glimpse of Penny. A smile barely graced his lips as his eyes closed and once again he was claimed by the oblivion that is unconsciousness. Even as he lay there they beat him steadily for several minutes. ​

 

[Levy]

Penny stumbled back from Gath's shove, catching her footing on the wall. Her jubilant grin faded to something unreadable, akin to placidity. The next couple minutes were hazy. Upon screaming his name a few times, she discovered it was of no use. It wasn't him that was acting.

One of the guards held Penny's arms back loosely, she didn't put up too much of a fight. She kept her gaze steadied at her feet, but when the screams and shouts of the men didn't fade, she glanced up. Penny felt a pang in her chest, something she hadn't felt in a long time. Fear gripped her by her knees, she stumbled forward.

"Stop! You're killing him!" She screamed, catching the man off guard. Another guard had to come and restrain her, but none faltered in their slaughter of Gath's unconscious body. Within moments, a cloth was held to her nose and she was restrained once more. She clenched her fists.

Pillars of geode erupted from the ground next to Gath, throwing off all the guards next to him. And with that, Penny lost consciousness with a faint smile.

 

[Xorcist's Reaper]

"Fucking freaks!" one of the guards yelled at the two bodies on the floor. One last kick was sent Gath's way before he tried to help his wounded brethren to their feet. In total three guards lay dead. One to Gath's crushing his wind pipe and two to the geodes that sprung up around Gath.​

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Several hours later both were stuck in separate and new rooms. Several times along the way they were both beaten severely. This time they left Gath unrestrained in his room. As for penny he could not be sure.​

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When Gath finally regained his consciousness all his senses could register was pain. He knew what had happened to him. He also knew he deserved it.​

A small spattering of blood was smeared on the floor around him. Gath knew it was his.​

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Penny. Gath started to trying to lift himself off his side. It was useless his body was beaten and battered. Almost worthless.​

"Penny..." Gath whispered. "What the fuck is this place..."​

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"Forget her all you need is me boy. Did you not see what I did. Did you not feel my power? Forget her...."​

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"No. I wont forget her."​

 

[Levy]

Penelope was frantic. When the guards came to give her their routine beatings, she didn't shield her body with a thin coat of crystal and she didn't crack any fucked up jokes. Depending on their mood, they either grew bored or grew power hungry. She couldn't bring herself to do anything about it. Really, she didn't bother to do anything. Through the course of the next week, Penny lived in a state of deprecation. It escalated to the point where the guards had to come and force food down her throat. After all, they were required to keep them alive. Even just barely.

"Shit." Penny muttered under her breath. She lifted herself from the ground and found her clothes on the opposite end of the room, winced, then fell to the ground again. Pain was her only company.

"I hope Gath is doing better," Penny murmured, falling back into unconsciousness.

The next day was their weekly assembly, which also happened to be the day of Gath's orientation. Everyone was rudely awakened and thrown out of their rooms and into the main hall. Its original intention was a sort of group therapy, to allow all the outcasts to mingle within themselves. Over the ages it's been warped and twisted into a game of strength. Two patients would be chosen to battle each other, and the winner was to be awarded with the best living standards. Before, the prize was freedom, but the winner was never awarded, thus the game lost value and patients refused to play.

 

[Xorcist's Reaper]

"Wake up you lousy shit," The guard growled as he kicked Gath in his side. Gath winced from the pain but propped himself into a sitting position none the less. "It's time to introduce you to the rest of the misfits. Get on your feet."​

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Gath did as he was told but with much hesitation and sluggishness. His will had almost been broken, at the very least severely damaged. The guard outside the door opened it and jabbed Gath in his ribs, one of which was most certainly broken. Gath doubled over into a kneeling position. At this point he was nothing more that a bruised bag of broken bones. A shove from behind meant it was time to move again. Several long corridors and turns later Gath arrived at the intended destination.​

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It was a large room full of mainly people. Few chairs and tables were littered around the room. The patients white clothes almost seemed to blend with the walls and chairs they sat in. A large clearing was set in the middle of it all. One patient lie on the floor, a heaping bloody mess, as the other walked out of the center.​

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"Good luck," the guard whispered into Gath's ear before shoving him into the crowd and laughing as he took his position with the rest of the guards.​

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"Penelope," Gath whispered to himself. With those words he began making his way through the crowd.​

 

[Levy]

Penelope woke up to her clothes slung at her and the door thrown open, she caught a sliver of chestnut hair out of the corner of her eye. A guard stood outside. "Get your ass dressed before I throw you out like that," She spat. Women guards were uncommon, but still present within the walls of the asylum. They tended to be lesser cruel, but that isn't to say there weren't kind men and barbaric women.

With a heave, Penny threw on her clothes and stepped outside with a bit of a limp. She entered the hall with a rising morale as she spotted a couple other patients she had spoken to. The guard that woke her pulled Penny close and whispered "Stick to the sidelines if you know what's good for you," and let her go with a violent shove. Penny interpreted it as mild concern.

Penny's eyes cast down to the bloody body strewn at the center of the clearing. It wasn't too hard for Gath to spot her, she swiftly made her way to the person and swept one of their arms around her shoulders. Penny concluded it was a girl. She stirred.

"Easy does it, bud. Everything's gonna be okay." She reassured, scanning the crowd for Gath. Today was the one day the patients were able to roam the building as they pleased. Of course, there were security cameras set up at every corner, guards still did their daily rounds and all doors and windows remained locked.The majority of people found no interest in the curiosities of the asylum, however, so they mainly just stayed to watch the fight. Morale for escape was usually crushed within the first month.

"Gath," She tried to call out, though her voice was drowned in all the commotion.

 

[Xorcist's Reaper]

As Gath made his way through the crowd he caught glimpse of Penny. He noticed the limp she walked with. She seemed to be stopping and throwing her arm around someone. Gath began making his way toward her. Several times he brushed against others. Even though the part of the crowd he was in did not have many people they were all tightly packed together. Halfway to Penelope Gath's arm was grabbed from behind.

"I haven't seen you before. Your the new one aren't you. You do know what happens to the new one don't you?" The man smirked and licked his lips as he glared at Gath.
Gath gave him a blank look and went to continue on his way. Once again the hand reached out for him, but this time Gath was simply out of reach. The man no longer followed Gath, but rather he watched the boy walk over to Penelope.

Several seconds later he was standing by Penelope's side. She hadn't noticed him yet so he just watched her for a second.

"Why do you trust her? She brought you only pain so far. Her pathetic attempt to escape brought you sever beatings as well as the pain from her fall from the ceiling. What is so special about her?"

"She is all i have known in this place. She tried to help me when i was pinned by five of them." Gath reasoned back to the demon.

"I am the only one you can trust boy. Nobody else but me."

"You don't....." Gath's reasoning was with the demon was brought to a halt when Penelope's gaze landed on him.

"Hell.... Hello again Penny."

 

[Levy]

"You don't have to do this-" The girl slung around her shoulder mumbled, her voice garbled. Penny paid no heed to her concerns and continued with jubilant small talk, though, upon spotting Gath, she cut herself off.

"Do they feed you the same things daily or... Oh dear lord," She breathed, and with her free arm, caught a hold of Gath's hand. Sensing his bewilderment and likely confusion, she hushed him and muttered an "Ask questions later, listen now,"

Penny knew her way through the crowd. Of course, at her height, slithering through the traffic of people came only naturally, though she was tempted to stop by and chat with her fellow patient mates. She wasn't entirely certain about how Gath was holding up. Past the masses, up the steps, down the halls, through a few stumbles an tumbles, Penny finally arrived at her destination, Gath and the girl whose name she was still unaware of, in tow.

Atop the door frame was a faded plaque that read "Infirmary". There was no door to step through, only a mere curtain to lift. The infirmary consisted of sickly walls and pale sheets, stiff beds and littered latex gloves, injured guards and patients alike. At the very back of the room was a door that was most likely the nurses' quarters. Cabinets peppered with over the counter medication and the basics were kept open to the public--anything more serious than that was to be tended to by the nurse. At least, that was what was written on paper. The patients knew words didn't reflect action.

Penny released the tight grip on Gath's hand she didn't know she held and gingerly placed the girl onto the nearest infirmary bed. By that the point, she'd already slipped back into unconsciousness. Penelope turned and threw her arms around Gath, the only loving gesture she thought to be correct.

"I'm so, so sorry." Her voice was barely audible.

 

[Xorcist's Reaper]

Gath kept quiet as he was tugged along in tow by Penny. Her limp was more noticeable as they went. She clung tightly to his hand as if she was afraid he was going to become separated and lost from the trio. Her hand was once again cool to the touch. The same hand led him through several corridors and turns. Soon Gath was lost in the maze that apparently Penny knew well. The three of them came to a stop inside the "Infirmary".

"Sorry? What have you to be sorry for?" Gath asked with a wince after the girl had hugged him. "And what reason are we here for? I don't need any special treatment." He rested his arms around her copying her embrace.

Gath looked himself up and down. Bruises littered his body where once a tanned smooth skin once had been. A giant Inflamed patch of skin was visible even through the white clothes that he wore. Below that patch of skin was his broken rib or ribs. Gath could not tell. Other than his ribs he had no major injuries. At the worst were his broken ribs and at his best he was still alive.

They embraced each other for almost a minute. Gath felt a little emotion at first but soon it faded. His soul and emotions were being eaten, slowly eaten by the demon. At the moment he felt content but nothing more. Gath soon enough would not be the boy he once was.

 

[Levy]

Penny hadn't budged from her spot. If you listened close enough, you could her the faintest of whimpers, muffled a little by clothing. And then, she broke.

"I'm sorry because I didn't say hello back to you when you greeted me and I'm sorry because I fell on you and probably cracked one of your ribs and I'm sorry because it was my fault that they came into your room and I'm sorry because I caused you so much unnecessary pain and suffering and I- I killed two people, Gath, I killed them." She held on for just a little longer, before letting go, turning around, and rubbing her face.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Penny said after a moment, composing herself with a laugh. She kept her gaze directed at her feet.

"You should go lie down," She prompted.