MIST - Shinso x Reader

CHAPTER FOUR: Pride

At least I thought it was mist, at first.

The lights were on, but they were incredibly dim, and I quickly found it difficult to breathe. Whirring and grinding was assaulting my ears, and as I pushed into the loading dock, it didn't take me long to discover the source. It was the generator, emitting a screen of smoke and steam.

Well, guess I better reset it before it blows...

That was the last thing we needed. Pulling my shirt up over my nose and mouth, I went to investigate. Clearing the way with a flailing arm, once I got close I began to cough and wheeze, squinting as my eyes began to sting. It was astounding that nobody had been able to hear the piercing noise, as it was almost deafening as soon as I had entered.

Placing the flashlight between my knees, I fumbled around with the machine, the metal burning my fingertips with short sizzles each time they made contact. Finally, when my hand found a lever, I pulled it down, the entire system shutting down with an electronic buzz. The room became as dark as night.
"Ah, shit..." I cussed, waiting a few moments for the steam and smoke to clear before trying to reactivate it. Nothing.

Great. I broke it. Wonderful.

Muttering profanities directed more towards myself than the generator, I grabbed the flashlight, clicking it on and scanning my surroundings. Boxes, dust, barrels, dust, dog food, dust...and a heck of a lot of dust. Just seeing it made my nose itch.

Taking a few steps forward, into the center of the space, I kind of wanted to just give up and head on back into the main area of the market, but I had to actually look. Eri needed to stay warm. So did (Y/N), and the older women and other young children. Who knew how long we would have to wait to be rescued.

Under my breath, I began humming a random tune, starting my search for blankets, towels, or just anything that could be used as such. I had spent enough nights staring into the dark to know that it was certainly not my friend.

Suddenly, just as I was beginning to dig into a box, a low, eerie sound made me freeze up. It was a metallic creaking, slow and heavy, and my heart began to shimmy it's way up into my tightened throat. Holding my breath, I spun around, aiming my narrow stream of light towards the opposite side of the room.

No...No, it was closer than that...

Again, the creaky echo sounded, and I gulped, my eyes cautiously casting to the side, towards the roller door. That was when I saw it. The metal barricade was being pushed in, then it eased, right before it happened again. In and out, like a beating heart. Something was on the other side, and it wanted in.

My first few retreating steps were careful and calculated, but once I hit my fourth, I was facing the opposite direction, sprinting as though my life, although not all that important to me, depended on it.

I nearly screamed once I had burst back through the door into the light, not expecting to come face to face with purple hair and dry skin.
"Oi, watch it, brat!" The man seized me by the shoulders, stopping me in my tracks, and it took me a few long moments to snap out of it and put a name to the face.

"O..oh...I..Iguchi..!" He was easy to remember. Not many people so closely resembled a reptile. "There's...there's something trying to get into the loading dock! It's pushing ag..ainst the door..!" My breath just couldn't catch up with me, and I had to pound at my chest a little so I wouldn't stop alogether.

"Yo, kid, calm down, would ya?" Another voice joined in, and I turned to see a man with straw blond hair and beady eyes, adjusting a black medical mask that sat just below his lips. "The hell are you on about?" Kind of pushing away from Iguchi, I lifted a finger, signalling them to wait so I could find my voice.