On the edge

[Moss]

**A small figure weaves through the fog with a slight smile. Today is one of those days, where anything could happen. A cold wind had blown clouds to Seabrook, and today, the whole town was covered in fog so think you could barely see across a street. It had rained a little that morning, but now the precipitation had stopped, and wet air overshadowed wet ground. The entire town was cold, damp, but App was happy about it. He'd always had a thing for spooky days, and today, this one suited his purpose perfectly. Ever since Kimarie had told him about there maybe being ghosts in the town, he'd been practically obsessed with the idea of finding one. So, today, App shivers through the fog, listening to his footsteps squishing into the wet grass as he head to the Nevermore house. Of course- if any ghosts were here, that's where they would stay, isn't it?
He takes a long slow breath, feeling the odd cold wind drip into his lungs. Eyes open into the fog, he suddenly stops.
There, in the white void, is a ghostly silhouette of a house. Judging by how far it is, he must barely be at the edge of the cemetery. He stops, feeling the odd buzz he'd gotten at the Hangman's Tree creep up into his limbs. His head tips back up, to see the house. It's rather incredible. He's seen it inn the sunlight, but it's nothing like now. Now, the dark outline of the house stares possessively over the surroundings, and, with it's surrounding of ghostly trees, sets the stage perfectly for a nightmare.
And, as if it's proud to have been finally introduced, the nightmare starts, with App's next step. It doesn't take him long to realizes his mistake. One step, towards the dead house, and the buzzing grows louder, stronger. Suddenly, looking into the mist, he hears voices, jumbled, talking. Voice of people that aren't there.
The voices grow louder, until one distinguishes itself. It grows louder now, the other falling back, and, as it comes forward, blossoms into a bouquet of horrid sounds. A scream- made up of thousands.
The scream of protesters attacked by protectors
The scream of men dieing from gunshots
The scream of a woman attacked by an animal in the wilderness
The scream of a lost child during an attack on his city.
The screams of the hundreds of App's memories, that stretch back to far... Over the din in his ears, the boy's thoughts fall over each other like a waterfall, only one making itself clear. It's happening... I'm.... I'm... I'm loosing my mind....
And may be true. After all, his body may now be conditioned to live forever, that doesn't mean his brain is. There's only so many memories a human's head can hold before something is bound to happen...
So, his conscious thoughts fade to black as, before his eyes, scenes of his life flash, in no particular order. Random memories present themselves, as if trying to be chosen to stay. Pain bursting fireworks in from of his too-full head, App throws his hands over his ears and, opening his mouth to a scream that doesn't come out, he folds over on himself, falling to the ground. His body landing into the wet grass, he stops moving, mind overtaken by too many years of age, fits of memories, that incessant many-voiced scream.
Had he still a rational part of his mind, he might try to move, to realize that much much longer in the freezing weather might just be his end, if his memories aren't. But right now, App can't move, can't think, can't talk.
So the huddled form of a thousand year old boy remains in wet grass, at the mercy of the elements and the memories.....


((sorry for the crazy long post- I felt like doing something crazy and over-dramatic. Feel free to save him, whoever- he's not quite dead yet.... ))

[Marcescens]

((OOC: Tis okay. This one will be huge too. lol and I hope you didn't mind me moving him a little, he was unconscious after all, and Fritz wouldn't just leave a man behind. If there's anything wrong, I can always change it!))

Fritz thought he had gunshots, but when he arrived, there was nothing but fog. The tombstones were erie shadows that morphed from the dewy air and vanished when he passed. The House wasn't too far away, Fritz new his exact position. Expertly weaving to and from tombstone and grave, he zig-zagged his way home. Base. Safety. His steel toed, leather boots were caked with mud from years ago, his army soldier forest green uniform was faded and dirty; round rimmed hat sat on his head, titled at a smart angle.

A figure came into view. Low in the grass. His pace cut instantly slower and Fritz inched forwards, arm silently taking his rifle. Breaking it, he slid two rounds into the chamber and clicked it back. Bringing it up defencively, he continued his advance. Eyes narrowing in the fog, he noticed the figure was now coming more into a human shape.

But it wasn't moving, which meant it was one of two things; an enemy... or dead. Either one, it would end up dead. With the patience of a hunting cat, he took step by step slowly and carefully. Something made him hesitate in shooting right here and now, which was normally odd. Clenching his teeth and swearing under his breath, he got closer. And closer, and closer still.

It was a boy. A non moving boy, laying in the grass. Why is he not moving? He dropped to an even lower crouch, sitting on his heels and freezing in the long grass. Nothing moved. The fog made the air thick. Enemies? If there were, Fritz couldn't see them, and this made him a little anxious. This boy was lying on the ground... but with no danger... gas? He sniffed quietly at the air. Nothing.

Sucking nervously on his teeth, he clicked the safety on his rifle, shoulder it, and crawled towards the boy. Frowning, he checked for a pulse. Something about this... boy... made him feel quimish. It seemed as if he were on a different scale, he felt... odd. He rolled the boy over and sighed. He couldn't find a pulse... but something told him he wasn't dead. Putting one of the kid's arm around his shoulder, he hoisted him up to a sitting position, then to a standing one. Taking as much of the weight as he could and remaining hidden from more enemies, he workies his way deeper into the cemetery.

~*-=-*~

How Fritz was able to start a fire in this fog, he will never ever really figure out, but a very small one was lit once the close was clear. It was mostly coals to create as little smoke as possible. Not that anyone would see smoke, it was the smell Fritz was worried about.
His face was creased in a frown, and his eyes constantly darted inbetween the tombstones and the forest at every crack and snap.

His gear was withing reach, a blanket serving as a pillow for the boy, whom Fritz had lay directly opposite him, with his back to a tombstone. Other then that, all of Fritzel's things were right next to him.

He had scouted the area four times in the short time already, and nothing was comign to retrieve Fritz's 'companion'. So with a little lighter ease on his concience, he felt the need to sit back. Proping his back up against an old stone tombstone, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it from the coal in the fire, and turned his gaze to look at the boy; whom still gave the weird feeling.
The frown stayed in place, and the steel hat slid forward to tilt on his forhead, making the dew that had gathered there drip onto his lap.

[Moss]

OOC: it's totally fine ^^

**App suddenly begins moving. He's been completely in this state through the entire Fritz episode. But slowly, maybe because of the fire, or maybe because of the presence of another being, he slowly begins to move. Unfortunately, his mind isn't doing any better, so all he's capable of doing is curling in tighter on himself. His mouth opens and closes spasmodically, like a fish out of water. No sound comes out, and with his arms clamped around his stomach, he continues to press into himself, like someone with the worst stomach ache in the world. More frightening then the rest though, his eyes do the same. They blink, opening and closing, but the iris are almost completely rolled back, only a small half circle of grey showing, and it's obvious App isn't seeing the slightest thing. His breathing comes in strangled gulps- the one thing that is definitely an improvement. After all, if your brain isn't getting any air, there's no way you can function normally. So, he continues to pant, frozen into a tight fetal position, eyes and ears only seeing and hearing what his memories command.
More screams ring through his temples, and more sights and sounds fly across. Only the back of his mind, something not really conscious, more of an instinct, tells him, there's someone else there. Unfortunately, in the grip of his madness, apart from unblocking his capacity to move, it hasn't solved anything else.....**

[Marcescens]

Fritz smoked his cigarette calmly, and he watched the smoke blend into the fog around him before turning his gaze back to the boy. The cigarette landed in the dirt, while the soldier leaned forward. He was not doing well, not at all, and Fritz was really no medic. He gritted his teeth, eyes shifting back and forth.

Fritz tried to think positive.
"Breathe kid! BREATHE!" Right. Give an order to some... half dead stranger. Perfect. As if he could listen anyways. 'Come on, come on...' Fritz raked his brain for things to do.
Placing a hand on the boy's forehead, he gently tried to make him lay flat.

"Kid, hey! Kid!"

He rolled him over onto his back, and kept a firm hand on the forehead. 'Hold him steady, no good if he goes about trying to bite his tongue and choke.' One thing was certain, the kid was definitely trying to gulp in air; hopefully being layed on his back might ease that.
He stayed right close to the boy, keeping his knees pressed against the kid's side to prevent him from rolling over. Stomach! Maybe he was sick? Maybe he swallowed Dynamite.

[Moss]

**App's breathing slowly steadies a little and his eyes stop blinking. He closes them again, and begins to look more like he's thinking while he's hyperventilating, then loosing his mind while hyperventilating. Unfortunately, the second one is still what's really going on, so apart from that nothing much is changing. Then again, on another hand, more breathing was a noticeably good improvement, not something to be overlooked. At this rate, he might start thinking again soon...**

[Marcescens]

Fritz felt a little more at ease now that this 'kid' was appearing to calm down. Still, he wasn't breathing... well... very well for that matter. He frowned, and stiffened when he heard footsteps approaching. Backing up away from the boy, he grabbed his pack, rifle stashed at his side, grabbed the blanket and shoved it into a pocket before retreating to hide a few tombstones away. He lay there, belly against the ground, in watch.

~*-=-*~

Kimarie couldn't believe the fog that had rolled over so quickly. It was just after dinner, and already the fog had misted out her way. This wasn't really helping her nerves any. She was already creeped out about going down the Nevermore Street, but the house itself? She had never actually been this close to it.

The shape of the mansion stood out vastly, the old frame being just as she expected... old. Creeping closer, she noticed that App wasn't here yet, but a faint smeel drifted her way. Smoke? Cigarette smoke? App didn't smoke did he? Frowning, she inched her way to the gate and gripped onto the bars. Gosh this was frightening. Swallowing visibily, she crept forward and quickly jogged to the far side of the house. Fog. There was a cemetery back here... where, Kimarie didn't know. But this was WAY to creepy.

"APP?!" She called, getting slightly nervous the more she crept to the back of the house. "APP?!" She tried again. There was a light glowing from imbetween the grass. Curious, Kimarie ran it's way. Maybe it was App? or maybe something else. This made her stop in her tracks, so she inched forward.

"App?!" Tombstones. Oh crap this was creepy. The only thing keeping her here was the curiousity. 'It'll kill me someday...' Kimarie thought bitterly to herself, before peering around the tombstone. There was a body.

"OH MY GOSH A BOD--- APP!!!"

Realising who it was, she bolted forward. He wasn't doing to good. Great.

"App! App!" She shook his shoulders gently. "App!! Oh my gosh... App! Don't die! Don't say the ghosts got you!"

[Moss]

**Suddenly, with a racking cough, App's eyes snap open. Maybe it was finally being around someone who wasn't dead or enchanted. This time his grey-green irises are facing the right way. He struggles to sit up, coughing more, the way someone who'd just been revived with CPR might. Slowly, the tendrils of memories float away, and the voices die down. He gulps for air, shaking his head, not noticing Kimarie. Doing his best to get into a sitting position her puts both hands around his head. His eyes grow in amazement as her feels his skull, hair face, all there, all feeling very real, and very alive. A smile smile cuts across his now pale face. He'd though he was loosing his mind. He might have for a little bit. but somehow he'd gotten out of it. How...
His gaze flips up to see Kimarie, and he makes a little jump of surprise. She wasn't supposed to se him like that. Who knew what she would think? She already though he was a little odd, now that she'd seen this... Excuses come tripping through his head... He'd tripped? No. He'd seen a ghost? no. He'd... uh... had a seizure? Yeah! That one sounded plausible... So he waits for her to say something, looking up with slightly guilty eyes.**

[Marcescens]

Fritz frowned and poked his head out from around the tombstone. So the kid was called, App, that was settled. But was startled him was that this girl... this FEMALE came and interupted him, let alone saved the boy. He exhaled sharply through his nose in a sort of 'harrump', but other thne that, kept very still.

~*-=-*~

Kimarie watched as App sprang back to life. She gently helping him to a seat position, and making sure he didn't fall back over or anything. She looked at him with a frown, concern. He seemed relatively... well... alive. What happened?! Seisure? That's what it seemed like. What ever it was, creeped her out big time.

"Dude... App.... are you alright? You kinda... died right there... or well, dying, but you seem alive now..." She narrowed her eyes slightly, wondering if to ask for an explanation. "You okay?"

[Moss]

Uhhhhh....
**App groans, accepting her help as he sits up. His mouth feels dry, but at least his mind feels comfortably empty. He looks around him, trying to realign his mind to be able to talk. Words... in the right order.... uhh..... suddenly, his eyes lock on the fire, slowly dieing a smoky death in the wet air. Had Kimarie done that? He looks around him. He certainly hadn't been here when he'd collapsed. Finally finding his words, he chokes out.**
Yeah.... I'll be okay.
**Motioning to the fire with one weak arm, he adds.**
Thanks for... that....

[Marcescens]

Kimarie turns slightly pale. He was so weak. Kimarie never really had the feeling, not even when she was really sick. It was kinda sad actually; part of her didn't really believe him, but she guessed she had no choice but to trust him.
But what was he talking about? She followed his gaze to the fire, or well, the dying fire.

"Erm.... thanks? But... I-.. well that's how I found you... actually..." Her face went white. If App didn't start the fire, and Kimarie certainly didn't... who did?!?! surely it couldn't have been sitting there... maybe there were ghosts?! Schivers danced up her back and back down again.

~*-=-=*~

Fritz couldn't help but feel left out, but he didn't want to frighten the kids, seeing how one of them was practicly DEAD just about. He sighed rather loudly, and shuffled closer to the tombstone to watch. They obviously appreciated his fire, and that made him beam slightly.

[Moss]

Uhhh.....
**App begins again, eyes suddenly widening.**
You mean you didn't make that?
**He looks around him, feeling those shivers go up and down his spine. the same energy bursts that popped through his body when he'd entered the cemetery. Did that mean.... a... ghost?? App would have passed out again, if he hadn't suddenly remembered he'd come looking for ghosts. Great- i walked right into that one... He can't help but think. Suddenly though, Firtz's sigh reaches his ears and he sits bolt upright.**
Kimarie..... Did you hear that?
**He asks slowly, eyes wandering around them rather paranoid-ly.**

[Marcescens]

Kimarie's head cocks to one side, listening. "Hear what?!" She glances around the foggy landscape, the tombstones jutting out of the ground and the distant shape of the house.

If this was an attempt to scare her, it was working. The hot dog in her stomach seemed to flip as she strained to her something she couldn't. "I-I don't think so?"

~*-=-*~

Fritz couldn't help but roll his eyes. Wow. If these were enemy soldiers, not only would they have been dead already, but he would have been heard easily by now. He set his head in the grass, faceplanting into the cool dirt and breathing in the musty feeling of the grass. Oblivious, completely oblivious. It was dead certain that these kids haven't seen the harshness of the war yet. After all, this area was pretty clean of fighting. Fritz hadn't seen enemies in days; still it never stopped him!

[Moss]

**App's face, dead serious, doesn't show any of the kidding Kimarie is afraid of. He Stands and looks around. suddenly, a figure catches his eyes, and he stumbles backwards, almost falling on Kimarie. He points to where Fritz is lying, eyes bulging. Suddenly, a though pops into his head. Only he can see ghosts. She can't. So she'll just think he's kidding with her. to prove his point, he tiptoes over to where the form of a man is, and hesitantly reaches out to poke it.**
Uh... hello?

[Marcescens]

Fritz doesn't let App touch him. He remained still and frozen, hoping he'd appear invisible, but of course that's impossible for soldiers to do, so he simply rolled over and away from App, getting to a kneeling position lickedy split. He straightened his steel hat to sit evenly on hi shead before looking at App with a small sniff.

"That was MY fire, kid." He grunts. Dusting off his sleeves, he placed a hand on a knee and rose to his feet. "You feeling better?" His face was relatively emotionless, blank, yet behind his soldier 'mask' his eyes reflected worry.

~*-=-*~

'Great! He's dillusional!' Kimarie told herself. What was he hearing? What was he seeing? Maybe App was trying to trick her and freak her out.

"Really App? This isn't so funny..." She said dryly, sitting back on her heels as she watched him tiptoe around. She sighed, yet watched in silent curiousity. He reached to touch something, but she couldn't see. "App who are you talking to?!" an eyebrow definitely raised, and she walked a little closer to her companion.

Then she heard it. A voice. From no where. It wasn't App's, and there was no way it was hers.
A lump rose in her throat as she tried to say something. "Wh-wh-wh-what?" She hesitated, struggling with words as this voice continued to speak.

"Wh-wh-who?!?! Where?!"

[Moss]

**App takes a cautious step back as the shot moves towards him, and nods a little.**
Uh... yeah... sure... Thanks.
**The ghost looked a little miffed... as to why, he had no idea. Turning quickly to Kimarie, he motions to Fritz.**
Right here! Can't you see him?
**His face falls, as he suddenly remembers something. Only he can see ghosts, even when they don't want too. Kimarie can't. So, he'll need to get this guy to agree to be visible, if he doesn't want her to think he's crazy. Not that he isn't... but, well, that was another problem. So, he turns to Fritz and says, very seriously.**
Alright. she's heard you anyways, so you might as well make yourself visible!
**It comes out sounding more like an order then anything, so he soften up and adds.**
Please? It would really help us out.....