Clad in Embers, Pandemic

[flames]

Flames was interrupted from his meditation by the commotion in the distance. How could anyone expect him to improve his condition if they kept on breaking his state of being just as he was about to accomplish zen?
Barring his teeth, he shut his eyes once more, furthering his futile attempts to keep insanity at bay and conquer sorrow...

[Arke]

Shadow strode with a fair degree of confidence down the hall. And why not, he was wearing a doctors lab coat. And back in his cell two orderlies were in quite a fair deal of pain, bound by the restraints meant for him. He had given himself a thorough cleaning, although the scent of blood was painfully obvious to him. And since the full-blown fiasco in the courtyard had the attention of most of the staff he was almost guaranteed his passage out, even in spite of his eye. Now he just needed to reach the exit.

[scarypuppy]

Howard watched the fur cross his path and strolled behind him, clasping his hands behind his back. "I really dont think you're going to make it far in that get up."

[Goblin Cat 😸]

Name: Rigor Mortis
Disease: Psychosis
Occupation, past or present: Test Subject / None.
Personal Description: Tends to be out of touch with reality. She suffers from hallucinations and delusions... Often sometimes being depressed or homicidal. She has trouble connecting with people socially and with thinking clearly. Her thoughts are often jumbled and disorganized. Though she looks like she can't do much, she can really do some damage due to being an early experiment.
Physical Description: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1353537/ , except with different attire, an oversized white quarter sleeve length shirt and pants stained with random spots of crimson (Unless the orderlies cleaned it or got her to change into a new set).
Fun facts:She was found wandering with blood stains all over her, mainly around her throat and on her torso.. When they cleaned her up, she had stitches that were never removed embedded in horrible scars from where she had 'died', her throat slit and a Y-incision. The doctors could never tell if the blood was hers or not.

x x x x x x x x x x

Rigor Mortis lay on her stomach in her room. It was white, clean like her clothes, except for one drop of Crimson in which she smeared and used as finger paint to illustrate a picture on the floor. It was deadly quiet  with the exception of the clatter of her chains as she hummed, using the white floor as a canvas in which to paint. She painted a monster, with its lips pulled back in a distorted grin, some of its fangs broken and chipped.. Others stained with an unknown substance.. It's eyes were empty sockets, surrounded by what looked like a draconic mask resting on its maw... Its horns striped, and it wore a noose around its slitted throat. Adding the finishing touches to it, she finished her song and tilted her head to the side smiling contently with her work, sucking the blood off of her finger.
"Viola!" She announced to the empty room.. The floor covered with many pictures of similar creatures twisting around each other, mutilating others. She was unsure of where all the blood had come from.. It certainly wasn't hers. "A beautiful piece, wouldn't you say?" she said standing to her feet which smeared her pictures with every step she took until she reached the wall in which the chains that had been bound around her wrists and ankles attached. She wasn't even sure of how she got all the way around the room, if it was her who had painted the entire piece...

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

A stretcher was wheeled over to the knocked out Ember and lowered to the ground. Two orderlies lifted her limp body the little ways they had to and placed it on the stretcher, then they stood it back up. They strapped her down with the special straps on the stretcher, just in case...

Ember's world had gone from just plain black and was thrown into a wild spin, and then, she was thrown into one of her nightmares.
She was just going on with her normal life when all of a sudden a mysterious van pulled up and she was taken away. Away from everything that she knew and everyone that she loved, especially her boyfriend...but that was just normal part of the nightmare...
Her nightmare tossed her into a hell-ish looking place. All of the surroundings were deformed in one way or another and there was fire blazing up practically everywhere. Then there were these deformed creatures that started coming at her from practically everywhere. She rose to her feet to try to run and she did, for a bit, but all of a sudden, she felt a lot of pain and she couldn't move. She was stuck to the ground; her feet melted into it. The creatures surrounded her and she had no way out. She struggled to try to free her feet but they wouldn't budge and when she looked back up at the creatures, they had all sorts of different weird and cruel-looking instruments. She started panicking and struggling more, losing her balance but stopping herself by placing her paws on the ground. Another wave of pain shot through her and she saw that her paws were now melted into the ground as well. She tried to fight against it but nothing would happen and the creatures had closed in. She feared for her life. Then, there was an opening in the mob and she saw two creatures...with her boyfriend in tow. They dragged him by chains until he was right in front of her. He tried to reach out to her but they swiftly moved behind him and held his arms back as the lower part of his legs melted into the ground. She could see the pain in his eyes as she looked at him. And then the torture began...on him. She was made to watch as he was tortured with all the deformed creatures' odd instruments and cried the whole time. Having to see the pain in his eyes was how she was tortured. And finally, he spoke and she could tell he was weak. "I love you, Ember. I'll wait for you..." She spoke shakily as her crying became worse. "I love you too. Please don't leave me..." She begged him. "I'll always be with you, baby. Always..." He said, his voice fading and then his eyes closing as his neck went limp so his head was hanging. He was dead. As soon as she saw his eyes close and his head drop, she knew he was dead and started bawling her eyes out. "No..." She sobbed as all the deformed creatures left her to be tortured by the sight of her boyfriend's dead body.
And this was one of her lighter nightmares.

In the meantime, the two orderlies had taken her back to her room and strapped her down with the straps on her bed since she struggled and thrashed in her sleep. Then they left her there to sleep, knowing full well how bad it could be for her.

[Arke]

Shadow turns and places a paw on Howards shoulder, immediately extending his claws. "Ahh, but you forget. These people are imbeciles, bustling about their lives in this place, keeping us pent up because they are scared of us. And they should be. Without their delusions of superiority they would see themselves for what they really are; vermin. Each and every last one of them nothing more than a pest waiting to be exterminated. But we, my friend, can see through their petty charade. See the weakness underneath... the fear... the things they hide from even themselves. But somehow they find the gell to lock us in here, seclude us from their world because they know we will end them in the only manner they deserve. But that is all beside the point at hand, which is that you keep your mouth shut, or this place will be the last of your worries." He removes his paw, the claws tearing Howards flesh as he continues on his way to the exit.

[Goblin Cat 😸]

Rigor's eyes changed as she carefully inspected the piece, from a dull white to now self illuminating orbs of light. Her scales shifted in a wave, changing from lime with light teal stripes to various shades of blue with yellow and orange swirls similar to the pattern found on the background of Picasso's Starry Night. She looked as if she herself was a piece of art of all its own.. Stroke like patterns running along her body as if she had been painted. "I believe it is indeed a beautiful piece." The Abstractionist agreed affectionately admiring the illustrations on the floor that hadn't been damaged by Rigor's own footsteps. "I am, however, ashamed that I cannot use a beautiful hue of colors..That you can only supply me with the color red. After a while it can become a bit redundant, I suppose." The abstractionist complained tilting her head.. Her scales quickly shifting to an expressionist red explosion piece as a doctor entered the room, irritating her further than she was already: The mind of him interrupting a critique on top of Rigor's inability to supply her with sufficient materials to work with. His mouth hung wide open in awe at the creation that laid before him.

"Rigor..?" The gray wolf managed to utter, somewhat concerned at the sight before him. There was a vixen orderly dead in the corner.. A syringe protruding from her neck. The blood on the floor was from her... It was obvious that his patient was not stupid; for the medicine that was supposed to be administered to her was emptied on the floor.. Indicating that Rigor had inserted an air bubble into the vixen's blood stream via syringe.

The chameleon hybrid's lips pulled back in a toothy smile as one of her eyes became visible from the blackcherry hair that shaded her face. "I am The Abstractionist. Not this Rigor you speak of.. She can only supply me with the materials in which I paint with.. While I supply her with nightmares to fuel her imagination..." she laughed.

[Color Symbolism would REALLY come in handy for understanding this character, as would some artistic experience.]

[Goblin Cat 😸]

[Handle this in PM. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING. Posts removed.]

[flames]

In, out, in, out. Flames breathed slowly, clearing his mind of empathy. His breathing could be compared to life, but then again, many things could be compared to life if you thought about it long enough. What was so frustrating to him at the moment, besides the people trying to 'help' him, was that the Storm of Sorrow prevented his mind from reaching a state of clarity, of Zen.
He hadn't realised it, but by trying to force himself into such a state, he was making things so much worse as a great sadness engulfed his conciousness, clouding the once clear waters of his mind, forcing his being into a state of grave unrest.
He needed a release, something, anything that could release the many diamonds of memory stabbing his insides, the poison in his veins, the ice gripping his heart. He looked for a release...and he found one...

[Goblin Cat 😸]

"Rigor, I ask you nicely. Snap out of this... Your alter cannot be strong enough to snuff out yourself.. Fight it off; remember who you are." Dr. Clawtooth pleaded with the Abstractionist.

"I admire your ability to try and rid the body of its soul.." the Abstractionist smirked, creeping closer towards the black wolf. "You cannot untwist something that has been warped beyond repair; no matter how much medication you supply.. You see, without me, Poor Rigor would not be able to rid herself of the nightmares that afflict her mind. I control them. I decide what monsters should prowl in her mind.. Essentially, she would fall apart mentally if I were not here to control them. Nightmares would run wild. I refuse to rid her completely of this sickness. Without it, there would not be beautiful ideas to base my art upon.. "

"You are the sickness." He growled, "Which is why we're trying to help her. You're the one that draws the worst out of her." He with drew a needle and a vial from his pocket, puncturing a hole in the lid of the vial and drawing the clear liquid into the syringe. "Now, Rigor, I want to help you. Don't listen to your alter.." He assured her.

[Arke]

Shadow had been captured, and as heavily sedated as usual, long before he reached the door...

But it was Shaun who awoke in the padded cell with Dr. Schecter looking down at him with that everything-is-fine smile. Shaun, however, was terrified. He knew every time 'Shadow' reared his ugly head he came closer and closer to killing someone. "How bad was it this time, Doc?" "Just a handfull of bumps and bruises, and nothing that won't heal. But don't worry about it, this is the first time that's happened in almost a month. I think we're making real progress here Shaun." It was fascinating to the Doctor, really. Shaun had developed minor schizophrenia just as his major illness had set in. In thruth, Shaun was perfectly safe, and sane. It was Shadow who needed to be bealt with. Shadow exibeted all the signs of The Bane, and at his stage he would have killed himself or someone else if he were in full control. But Shaun was the dominant personality, and Schecter was certain that if he used Shauns schizophrenia to his advantage, he could cure The Bane.

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember's eyes shot open rather quickly for being so heavily sedated before. Her fur on her cheeks was a little matted from the large amount of tears that had escaped her eyes during her nightmare. She tried to sit up but couldn't due to the straps that held her down and the fact that the sedatives made her too weak to do much, which was the point of course. She growled and struggled the little bit that she could, trying to get out of the straps that restrained her. The nurse strode into the room to find Ember struggling and growling. "Ember, what's wrong? What are you doing? You know the straps are just for your own safety while you sleep..." "I need to see him." She growled. "I need to make sure he's okay." She continued trying to get out of the straps. The nurse kind of tilted her head to one side. "See who, dear? Make sure whose okay?" She asked, not understanding. "They took him away! They tortured him! I'm afraid he's dead! They killed him!" She yelled, tears starting to escape her eyes again as she struggled more. The nurse finally released that it had been something from one of Ember's nightmares and spoke in a comforting and reassuring tone. "Ember, no one has been taken away and tortured. No one's dead." "What are you talking about?" She snapped. "I saw it happen! He was tortured and killed right in front of me!" "No, it was another one of your nightmares, dear. It wasn't real. It was the disease." "This doesn't haven't anything to do with my disease, you old bat! He was tortured and killed! Right in front of my eyes! I saw it happen!" She yelled at the nurse, her struggling ceased because she was busy trying to make the nurse understand what she thought was real. The nurse came over and slowly unstrapped her, knowing that she'd be fine in a few minutes and this wasn't a case where the nightmare would cause her to lash out and hurt anyone. "Dear, it's alright." The nurse said calmly as she finished. "The disease affects your mind through nightmares. I know you remember. The nightmares seem so real so they slowly tear away your sanity bit by bit until there's nothing left of it. You can't let the disease control you, you have to fight it." "But-" Ember started to argue but stopped when she saw a figure in the doorway. "Hey baby..." He said, standing there with a half-smile on his face and holding a vase of flowers, her favorites, White Lilies. Ember couldn't talk or think. She was in total shock that he was standing right in her doorway after what she had seen in her nightmare. Her body moved all on its own and in one quick, smooth movement, she was across the room and hugging him tightly. "I love you...don't ever leave me..." He looked a little confused, but smiled more. "I love you too...I never will..."

[scarypuppy]

Howard thumbed through the small diary he found tucked into one of the crowded shelves of the facilities library. It was yellowed with age and the writing was barely legible, but still, Howard felt there was something within it that could help him, for the first entry read, "And so I Tread upon the Embers.....and looked upon a horror to which I shall never awaken." He continued reading and found several passages that he felt he should keep in mind. One passage told of how the disease was repelled by childhood memories, or mental tokens of them, for in one nightmare the unknown author had clutched a small wilted flower that reminded him of his grandmother, his only caregiver when he was a child, and the Sickness had howled in pain and began to melt away as it tried to creep closer. Howard thought of his own nightmares, he had always been in isolated cities, devoid of life, or vast countrysides that were swarming with the hidden multitudes of the diminuative Yorks. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, tucking the book into his jacket and walking swiftly out. As he made his way back to his room, he heard a doctor and a patient arguing, the word, "Abstractionist" emerging several times. He slid in close to the wall and peered inside and saw the pair squaring off, more a battle of stares than fists.

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

The nurse exited the room, leaving the couple alone.

And as quickly as Ember had been happily welcoming her boyfriend and telling him not to ever leave her, she released him from her hug and turned her back to him, moving away from him some. "You need to leave..." She said, not sounding like her normal self. "But...you just said..." He said, confused. "She, I mean, I don't know what I'm saying sometimes. You need to go." She said, still sounding different. Ember referring to herself as 'she' made something click in his head. "I'm not talking to Ember right now. You're the disease. She would want me here." "No, you're talking to me. I mean, how can you talk to a disease anyway? That's ridiculous. Plus, I've told you to leave before and I've told you not to come at all." She said pretty convincingly. "I know it's the disease. You slipped up and now I know. This is a special kind of disease, I know that and Ember knows that, not that she likes to accept it. Now...I want to talk to Ember." He said. She turned around and glared at him, her eyes totally black which wasn't normal, even with her mood swings. "Ember isn't here right now...would you like me to take a message?" She asked, smirking slightly. He glared back, noticing the difference in her eyes after already hearing the difference in her voice before. "Let Ember go." He growled, setting the vase of flowers on a table. She grinned evilly. "No. I'm having fun here. I need her." He kept glaring at her. "Well, she doesn't need you. Let her go now." He growled. "No." She snapped. "You don't seem to understand...she does need me...I could cause total havoc on her mind, but I lighten it up cuz she protects me sometimes." "She's not protecting you, she's protecting herself. She doesn't want to be given drugs that make her not understand what's going on and dull her senses. You have nothing to do with it. Now, let her go." He growled protectively. "No. You don't understand us. We need each other." "She doesn't need you, you just need her. She needs me. Release her." "Never." She growled. He snarled and called the nurse back into the room. "The disease is controlling her, she needs her medicine." The nurse nodded, left, then came back with her medicine. "I won't take it. Not willingly. You know that." She growled. "I know..." He said softly, then quickly moved to her and held her against her will, or, the disease's will. The nurse came over and forced her to take the medicine while she struggled. Once she ingests the medicine, her body relaxes in her boyfriend's arms. He lays her down on the bed gently and pushes some hair from her face, smiling down at her. She rubbed her head a little, looking confused. "What's happened?" "The disease took you for a bit, but you're back now." He smiled. She sighed and made unsure face. 'Yeah, I'm back...' She thought. 'For now...'

[Goblin Cat 😸]

"Nonsense. She cannot hear you." She smiled, her scales rippling into a black canvas with various streaks of lime that almost seemed to glow in tribal patterns. She stepped closer to the doctor, her chains dragging the ground until the tension allowed her to go no further. Her eyes dulled to a white, and her face seemed to change to its regular colors, lime with teal stripes.

"That's it.." The doctor whispered, "Fight it."

"You traitor!" The Abstractionist growled in frustration as her body no longer obeyed the signals in which the brain was sending. "If he suppresses me, it will be HELL, Rigor, HELL."

Rigor treaded towards the doctor helplessly. She could not speak, for her lips had been sewn shut by her alter. She felt dead, but she could see what was going on. Shadows swooped around her pushing her back, screaming shrilly and clawing at her arms. Her body, confused began to claw at itself as a war waged within it.

"Stop it!" Rigor screamed, "STOOOP!" Her scales pulsed with different spots of her normal colored skin and black as she ripped at herself, trying to get the shadows off of her; she drew blood, and swung at things that weren't there.. The chains restraining her from hurting the doctor himself. While she was distracted, Clawtooth lunged forward, injecting the medicine.