7530/Hell House

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Hell House
Date of Scene: 18 May 2019
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Zombie-Girl, Shadow, Omnis




Zombie-Girl has posed:
An amost unconscious feeling of dread has spread across the Bronx. Not blatant enough that anyone would comment on it. But mothers brought their children in early, birds hide away in trees and ignore the seed spread by old men in the park, and even the criminals who skulk the dark back alleys decide to stay in for the evening. If they had the senses they would recognize that Hell has come to the Bronx in a literal sense. The skein between the world and the underworld has grown thin.

At the center of this feeling of forboding is a run down apartment building run by a slum lord. The old building suffering from decades of neglect is ablaze, and going up like a pile of old dry newspapers. The fire department is attempting to quench the licking flames enough to enter the builing, but the water seems to be boiling away before it can even touch the flames. Standing just outside the tape put out by the NYPD is a woman in a hooded coat, who seems to be attempting to pump herself up to run into the inferno.

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow.. Is not unaware of the phenomenon. While Natasha herself is not particularly magically adept, the Shadow Network now encompasses a few minor practitioners - and several of them have reported troubling forebodings, even if they couldn't quite narrow it down to where and how until after the fire was already burning.

    Benny curses under his breath as he looks at the blaze from behind the wheel. "That one don't look natural, boss," he comments, having seen quite a few buildings burn over his long life.

    "Agreed," Natasha replies. "Drop me off one street over, I'll make my own way from there..." she finishes as she slips her scarf in place around her face...

Omnis has posed:
Racing toward the area, Omnis has seen it from much farther than usual. She stares in stark confusion at what she is feeling and seeing. It's completely unreal and unnatural. She herself is in many ways unnatural but this is worse. Her speed pours out as she races forward, leaping from building to building and occasionally using momentum plus her ability to keep herself aloft to cross large gaps. As she arrives at the burning building, she doesn't even make a show of being careful, stealthy or otherwise. She lands inside the tape with a skidding stop.

She is in a three point stance as she skids sideways and stands up, looking up at the burning building and it is very possible the fire reacts to her even as the people around feel the temperature drop starkly with her arrival, her blue aura flowing around her like she were giving off her own form of dark light. She stands up straight and then looks up toward the top of the building before she gestures back to the cops, "Fear not, I am here! Keep everyone back and away from this building. This is not normal fire. Do what you can to contain it but do not try to enter."

With that, she takes a breath and squats down a little before she lines her eyes up with a higher up window and leaps.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
Zombie-Girl slides off to the side and out of view of the fire fighters just before Omnis arrives, though not out of view of Shadow. She shrugs of her coat and performs a series of stretches. It's an odd sight. On one hand she looks like a normal woman getting ready for a college wrestling match, with her singlet and headgear. But her gray skin and luminous yellow eyes that burn with a flame that looks eerily like the flames of the building shows that she's anything but ordinary.

"Okay, this is for all of the marbles," she says and picks up the backpack she was carrying and slings it up over her shoulder and starts toward the flames.

A firefighter steps in front of her to prevent her from crossing the line. "Sorry ma'am you can't... can't... uh," when he gets a better look at her he stops and looks unsure if he should let her cross or not.

"Uh-huh," she says to him. "I know right?"

Zombie-Girl has posed:
Omnis gets a closer look at the flames from where she comes to a stop. The heat feels off, more like it's heating the marrow of the bones rather than being felt on the skin. If one really looks close, they can see what looks like faces and hands formed from flame, though this could just be a pareidollia effect. A police officer on the radio nods curtly to Omnis and starts barking out orders to keep everyone back.

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow contents herself with studying the blaze from afar, for now - she is no more fireproof than any other human, nor do her abilities lend themselves to this kind of rescue operation...

    Omnis' dramatic pose and announcement warrant a raised eyebrow, and she keeps a close eye on the young woman -- both young women, as the other girl goes in as well...

Omnis has posed:
Her attempt to enter the building is briefly interrupted by what she is seeing. Omnis stares at the flames before her, looking them over and wondering about the feeling of the heat. She stares for a long moment and then shakes her head and just leaps for the window. She will have to figure this out after investigating the building. She's not precisely fire proof as much as she is a great deal of things proof.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
Where Omnis tries to leap into there's a sudden small eruption of flame followed by a wall of force that reverses her trajectory mid-leap, sending her backward. Zombie-Girl takes a step to walk to where Omnis is going to land, but the fire fighter again steps in to block her. She gives him a look that says "really dude?" and he backs off. She steps around trucks and over the hoses laying on the ground and approaches Omnis.

"Hey. Gotta use the front door," she gestures with her thumb," she says in a casual way. "Not that I'd suggest it or anything," she adds.

Shadow has posed:
    "And what /would/ you suggest instead?" comes a voice from unexpectedly nearby -- and when people turn to look, one of the shadows cast by the flickering blaze seems to peel itself away from the wall, thickening and solidifying until a tall figure in a dark cloak and red scarf glares out at Zombie-girl from under a black slouch hat. "You mention that is no ordinary blaze. What do you know, and how can we help those still inside?"

Omnis has posed:
Falling back, she flails a little at the unexpected action by the fire, skidding to a stop on her back and then rolling up to her feet. She's agile and tough at least. She frowns a little and then puts on a smile and looks back to the people watching with it before looking to Zombie-Girl, "Front door, got it." She then looks over at Natasha with a blink. Both at this point could probably feel the cold radiating off of Kally. Her very being wicking away the warmth. She looks briefly to Zombie-Girl, "If you have any suggestions, now would be the time. That's for sure. Otherwise, I'm going in. There could still be people in there and I will not leave them to their fate." She shakes her head.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
Zombie-Girl turns on her heel to where Shadow is and jumps. "Geez! Sneak up on people why don't you? Gonna give some one a heart attack." She places a hand on her chest to drive home the point. Not that she has a heartbeat or anything. "Long story short, Inside of the building fell into Hell. There's a cult that's trying to merge Earth and Hell, long story. So I'm going in to slam the gate shut before this infection can spread. Gonna save anyone who can be saved. But keeping this contained is job one."

Shadow has posed:
    "Again?" the Shadow asks, one raised eyebrow barely visible underneath the brim of their hat. "Presumably this cult will not stand idly by while you undo their efforts. You could use some backup..."

Zombie-Girl has posed:
Zombie-Girl shrugs and says, "Yeah sure. The more the merrier. Like a field trip, except awful." She holds out the backpack that she's holding for one of the two to take. "Mind carrying this? It's making my skin itch," she adds.

Omnis has posed:
A look at Natasha and she nods her head, "I will do what I can." She then looks to Zombie-Girl and looks at the backpack. She moves to take it but then halts and stares for a moment, "I move fast and get into fights a lot. Probably best for me not to hold it." She nods her head and looks instead to the front door. She swallows, "I can lead our way in. I'm assuming I'm the toughest though I can't be sure." She looks to Zombie-Girl and then at Natasha for confirmation.

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow reaches out with their left hand to take hold of the pack, giving a brief shake to test the weight before pulling it out of Zombie-girl's hands without apparent effort. "Lead on," they intone.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
Zombie-Girl shrugs and says, "Don't know how tough you are. But let's go." She starts to the front door. The flames seeming to part as she does so. She drives a heel into the charred wooden double doors, completely destroying the lock. Then a force from within the building pushes the door outward. The gale that comes out of the door is followed by a chorus of moans and screams. All around the fire fighters and officers look ready to bolt. One man even drops to his knees and puts his hands over his ears. It's the kind of sound that can cut through willpower like a surgeons blade.

The hallway inside looks... wrong, too long, and it seems to tilt and bend in awkward angles.

Omnis has posed:
A shudder runs down Kally's spine and she takes a breath. She has been around the dead for as long as she can remember. For her terror is a normal thing in a lot of ways but even this makes her shake slightly. She swallows deep and then she hears the fire fighters, the officers, and others behind her. She stands up straight, as if their very presence was forcing her to put on her brave face and she smiles back at the men and women in uniform, "Do not worry." She calls out, "We will take care of this. Stay and hold this spot until we return." She then looks inside and looks to Zombie-girl. Her eyes are not easily seen through the goggles but they do not hide her fear. SHe walks inside all the same and states, "I'm tough enough to take a bullet and not care." She shrugs, "Not sure wat what level that puts me compared to others but I don't usually worry much about being hit." She nods her head, "Even though I've been told sometimes I should." She sounds a lot more shakey at this range than the loud words she spoke for the civilians and uniforms.

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow doesn't so much as twitch at either the screaming or the distinctly non-Euclidian geometry of the interior. "Try to avoid it either way," they comment to Omnis as they follow Zombie-girl into the burning building...

Zombie-Girl has posed:
The interior doesn't seem to be burning, as much as smoldering. The air feels too thick, like some kind of a middle ground between a gas and a liquid, and it leaves the lungs feeling greasy and unwell. Veins have grown along the charred surface of the wall and beat in rhythm to some fel unseen heart. Down the way a door slams open and three figures emerge dragging a forth behind. The man being dragged is an old man in a tweed vest and dress pants. His assailants are far stranger. They look like what a skeleton covered in a human shaped garbage bag might look. Their dark black flesh glistens beneath the flickering bulb on the ceiling. When they see the heroic trio they freeze in place.

"Take the tribute. He is hungry," one says to the others in a voice like a razor playing over a piano wire. A single of these creatures continue to drag the crying man while the other two stand shoulder to shoulder in the hallway.

Omnis has posed:
A frown and Omnis watches for but a moment as the man is dragged off. She doesn't say a word, instead she takes off like a shot. She's fast and agile even in such an environment. Omnis races right for the pair of skeletons and attempts to land a right cross right into the face of the one on her left. She isn't sure at all what these things are but they are pretty obviously the enemy in her book, "Let him go!" She declares as she punches and while she isn't using her fully strength, she is using more force than she'd usually use on a human foe given the inhuman thing she's fighting.

Shadow has posed:
    There is a metallic snicking sound as the Shadow draws a gun with their free hand and points it at the... things. "We will not ask again." they intone.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
The demon that Omnis punches is knocked back from the blow. The feeling of the fist was punching a block of clay. There is even an indentation left in its face in the shape of Omnis' fist. It crawls back to its feet and lets out a hiss.

Zombie-Girl rushes in and tackles the other one around the abdomen. Its bone like talons dig into the wall and holds on as its drug backward from the blow. But rather than being knocked of its feet its arms stretching keep it upward.

"Fucking hell, it's like fighting a Stretch Armstrong," Zombie-Girl quips. "We can't waste time on these shit-tier demons. Ideas?"

Omnis has posed:
"These are demons?!" She asks and points at the creature before she turns to it and she pulls back before letting loose with a much more powerful punch toward it. She frowns deeply as she looks at the creautres and then looks over at Natasha a moment before letting out a breath and considering, "Really, my big trick is punching things. That and well." She shrugs, "I can see through things, sorta. Hard to explain but here it seems to not be working all that well. I can try to sense where living people are though and attempt to go there?"

Shadow has posed:
    "We can try this," The Shadow comments while pulling the trigger. Their gun roars, sending a pair of cold iron slugs through the body of the demon dragging the old man.

    The Shadow lowers the pack to the ground and draws a second pistol, bringing both of them to bear on the demons.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
The bullet drives through the demon and causes a splatter of glowing yellow fluid to erupt from its chest. It drops the old man and staggers against the wall. It looks like it's trying to scoo the liquid back into the hole.

"Uh, yeah, that worked," Zombie-Girl says as she wrestles with the demon in her grasp. Its fingers let go of the wall and its arms snap back to their former length. It rakes its claws down her back, leaving ten gashes in her gray skin. Strangely she seems to bleed the same luminous yellow fluid as the other demon.

"I can smell the bounty on your soul," the demon in ZG's grasp says loud enough for everyone around to hear. "How about this, we'll trade you ten humans for the single dead girl. Quite the bargain," it says to both Omnis and Shadow.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
Ignoring the demon ZG looks to Omnis and says, "Yeah, go for it. Me and the spooky one will handle things here."

Shadow has posed:
    Two more shots ring out, the rounds catching both demons in the head. "No deal," The Shadow replies coldly, striding forward to help the victim back to his feet. "Can you get out on your own? The way should be clear... For now."

Omnis has posed:
A nod is given to Zombie-Girl and Omnis briefly looks back at Natasha before looking forward. She points back at the Shadow, "What she said, but I have a new deal." She loosk to Zombie-Girl, "We all need to move...this is bad. Very bad. People are vanishing." She then looks to the demon before her, "The deal is I use one of you as a battering ram and we go straight for the source." She suddenly rushes forward with incredible speed and attemps to grab hold of the demon before she starts racing for the area she senses humans in as straight a line as possible. She holds out her arms, demon included, to try to burst right through walls if she can and make it to where these people are.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
In short order Omnis finds the center of the building where there is a staircase. Before the time when the building was transformed it spiraled up ten stories. But now it is reversed. The building is somehow inverted, and what was once a staircase leading up, is now a pit leading downward for what seems to be a mile. The deeper it goes, the less it looks like plaster and wood, and the more living it appears. Teeth line the upper half of this. All the while demons are dragging people from their apartments and they are throwing them down the gullet of this beast.

"More! More! More!" a demon yells out. This one different than the others. He stands near ten feet tall and almost that much as wide. It has a massive copulent form covered in bleeding sores. It its hand is a whip that looks like the spine of some amazingly long beast.

Zombie-Girl wipes the glowing bile off of her face after the head of the demon she was grappling with suddenly vanishes. "Gross," she gags and does her best to wipe it off.

Shadow has posed:
    But, apparently, effective," The Shadow replies. "Can you take your bag again? I think I'll need both guns..."

    With that, they follow the path of property destriction Omnis has left in her wake.

    Once they arrive at the central pit, they need a moment to take in the scene before growling in disgust. "Your meal ends here, demon." they snarl, opening fire at what in human anatomy would be considered vulnerable or sensitive spots.

    "We need to get those people away from here. Deny its food source..."

Omnis has posed:
A wince as she looks at what she finds. Omnis takes a step back and stares though her head turns to the side, as if she could perhaps see this differently if from another angle. She shifts in her spot and then looks to Natasha as the woman arrives and nods to her before looking back to the creature, "I don't know what you are besides demon but I do know you are going to stop this here and now."

She smiles for the sake of the people who are in trouble and she goes to the head of the line of demons trying to throw people into the pit. She then attempts to free the person at the front of the line before kicking the demon away, "You will release these people and return to your own realm and leave them to theirs!"

Zombie-Girl has posed:
Zombie-Girl takes back the bag from Shadow and sticks her hand down inside and pulls out the contents. In all likelyhood whatever Shadow thought it was, she probably couldn't have guessed this. She pulls out a human skull. Wires are leading out of it leading to a kitchen timer which appears to have been hot glued to the surface of the skull. Zombie-Girl looks awkwardly at the skull then back to Shadow. "Uh, meet Sister Mary Catherine. Don't worry, she was dead when I found her. And considering the circumstances I doubt she would have minded."

Omnis manages to save a ten-year-old boy right before he's thrown over. The kick disrupts the line and a couple of people use it as a chance to break free and sprint back down the hall.

The corpulent demon pushes his way past the underlings, even knocking a few of them over the railing and into the maw of whatever greater demon the building itself has become. He pulls a great, fat arm back and lets loose with a swing of his bone whip toward Omnis.

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow's guns roar again, sending several cold-iron rounds into the massive demon's shoulder and where she estimates its elbow joint would have to be. "Whatever you intend to do, speed would be appreciated," they reply to Zombie-girl before turning back to pepper the massive demon with fire and draw its attention away from where Omnis is liberating its victims.

Omnis has posed:
As teh whip comes down toward her, Omnis turns to it and sucks in a breath. Her right hand glows brighter, well, bright isn't the right word. The dark blue aura about her gathers at her hand at a greater rate before she plants her foot and punches upward, attempting to punch right into the whip as it comes down with right at 50 tons of force. The powerful punch meaning to perhaps break the whip and maybe more if it goes through. Either way she then hears the bullets and smiles back at Natasha before nodding to her, "Thanks!" ANd then she'll turn her attention to the demons attacking the normal people.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
The rounds from Shadow's guns imbed in the corpulent demon's shoulder, but it's hard to see what kind of damage it did beneath the mass of folds. Still it had some effect, as it causes the aim of its whip to go wide. Rather than striking Omnis, it collides with the midsection of one of the lesser demons, cutting it straight in half at the waist.

Zombie-Girl fiddles with the timer before rejoining the fray. She rushes a group of the lesser demons. She impacts the frontmost one, sending him flying back a good five feet into the group behind him, and pushing them back another good foot. One of the demons grabs her about the waist from behind. But rather than fighting against it, she throws her weight into the grab, causing it to be slammed into the wall hard enough to leave an impression in the vague shape of the demon in the drywall.

The punch from Omnis is able to send the whip even further off course, causing it to imbed itself in the ceiling. The corpulent demon grunts in frustration as he tries to pull it free.

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow takes advantage of the large demon's distraction to shoot a few more of its minions -- and to /concentrate/. Fortunately, an angry and already distracted mind is easy to influence...

    By the time it finally works its whip arm free and looks at the fray again it becomes harder and harder for it to tell minion from foe as flickering shadows cloud its perception...

Omnis has posed:
Looking to the placement of the whip, Kally turns instead to face the other demons. She rushes for the nearest one that still threatens a human. She attempts to boot the demon right in the chest before helping the victim to scramble away. Every time she moves though, she keeps looking back at the presumed leader, trying to make sure he doesn't sneak up on her.

Zombie-Girl has posed:
One of the underlings attempts to grab the "holy hand grenade" from Zombie-Girl's hands. But when its fingers touch the boney surface its hands ignite into flame and his falls back howling in pain. There is even a slight bit of smoke coming from under Zombie-Girl's hand where her own hand is touching the skull, but the reaction is less than that the demon suffered.

Through the combined efforts of Omnis and Shadow the line that was feeding the building residents to the building demon is all but disrupted. The demons have given up keeping hold of their prisoners, seeking instead to make a final rush at the pair in a last attack. One of these demons manages to leap onto Omnis' back and sinks its teeth into her shoulder. Shadow on the other hand has to deal with the demons who have begun to swarm around her by crawling along the walls and ceiling, hoping to surround them.

Zombie-Girl makes a break for it with the bomb, ready to spike it down the hole. But she's cut short when the corpulent demon lets go of the whip in the ceiling and grabs her about one arm. She manages to shift the bomb to her free hand right before he places the fat palm of his other hand on her torso and pulls back. There is a sound like wet tearing cloth, and a crunching of bone, before her arm is pulled clear off of her body. He bellows a laugh before opening his wide mouth and swallowing the limb like a snake.