1st Cut -- [Audio | Cellphone] -- [Forward-dated to around 3:00am on the 4th]

[twopercent]

[Somewhere in a suburban neighborhood, there's two loud gunshots, one right after the other.]

[Less than five minutes after that (for those that might have heard it), there's a comment on the network -- and for those receiving voice, Jack sounds on edge. What the hell. If he's lost it, then maybe he should just give in and join the rest of the crazy crew.]

Some of you were talking about strange animals? If anyone's awake out there, you might want to check your doors and windows. All of them.

Comments

[ audio; cellphone ]

[secondcomingof]

[ Forget the warning. Casval's just honed in on the sound of guns. Which he did, in fact, hear, if distantly from his personal apartment. It triggers something distinctly unpleasant in his mind and his reply sounds appropriately shaken when it comes. ]

Is there something going on out there? Where are you?

[ audio; cellphone ]

[twopercent]

[Jack's particularly terse tonight. He's still listening to see if he can hear anything else outside.]

Just had some visitors. Looks like they came in upstairs. Bedroom window.

[secondcomingof]

You're alright, then?

[ Calm down. Calm down. At least Jack can't hear his heart racing over the phone. It feels like it's going to explode. ]

I hadn't seen any myself. [ Though he saw that post about the crows, along with the pictures. Yeesh. ] They're coming inside now?

[shiromadoushi]

[[Bakura normally doesn't bother turning his phone off before bed because who on Earth calls anyone in the middle of the night?

If it had just been the phone ringing, he could have ignore it. But the sound of gunshots earlier had already partially awoken him so when the phone did go off, it woke him the rest of the way.

And he's not at all happy about that.]]

I'm awake now. The hell is going on?

[twopercent]

Yeah. ... I'm fine. [Wound up and hyper-aware of every little creak in the house. More than usual, even. But calmer than you'd expect, considering the situation.]

Looks like it. Got one, but the others ran. Might still be one in here somewhere.

[twopercent]

[Gasp, language, young man.]

Bakura? [Okay, he doesn't want to alarm him, but...]

Do you know if anyone left any windows open before you went to bed?

[shiromadoushi]

[[It's 3 am. Like he's awake enough to filter his language to keep up that "always polite" thing he knows he should]]

...I live in a city. [[it's said with the air of 'What, do you think I'm stupid?]]

[twopercent]

[Jack sighs.] I know. Look, just humor me, okay.

[shiromadoushi]

I never leave the windows open. Like hell I'm going to leave an opening for someone to break in to my grandparents house....

[[cursing, rough voice, hair sticking up... midnight Bakura is rather a different variety than the daytime one]]

[twopercent]

[Fortunately Jack isn't really in the mood to comment on Bakura's language, even if he does take note.]

Look, can you just go check. The locks on the doors, too.

[One of them had... fingers. If what Bakura says is true, he's probably fine. But there's no harm in checking.]

[shiromadoushi]

[[have some muttering in Japanese for your trouble, Jack.]]

Fine.

[[The phone gets dropped onto the bed and more, much harder to hear Japanese can be heard in the distance. Looks like he's not the only one up. About three minutes later, he's back, and no less cranky.]]

They're all locked.

Next time just tell me someone got shot if that's what you're worried about....

[secondcomingof]

[ And thanks for that, now he is too, rolling out of bed and giving up on the fitful sleep he'd been trying to entice his way in favor of reaching for his gun. Eying his own window with building paranoia. ]

Do you know what attracted them?

[twopercent]

No idea. Thought I'd heard something on the roof a couple nights ago, but by the time I checked, there wasn't anything there. And after seeing that crow...

[Yeah, it was a bit overkill, but if you're already the kind of guy that prowls around the house with a gun late at night when you can't sleep... Jack hasn't heard any new noises, so he cautiously reaches out a toe and prods the furry scraps of what had been a young raccoon on his carpet. Seems a bit morbid to take a picture of it. Network will have to live without.]

[Audio]

[chalicejoker]

[Hajime does not appreciate being woken up like this. He's kind of grumbly and wishing he could just go punch this guy in person because thanks for the wake up call.]

...you do realize you sound like a poorly timed public service announcement, right?

[Like he's awake enough to process the voice as sounding on edge.]

[twopercent]

Nobody got shot. It's fine.

But you know, you should probably go back to bed. [Kid has to have school tomorrow, right?] Get some rest.

[shiromadoushi]

Next time tell me that before you wake me up and get me to check the windows and doors.

Grandpa said there were shots. And I'm awake. What's going on. [[The question was said very flatly in a tone that seemed a little too old for the teen it was coming from. Not that Bakura had sounded like himself much this conversation at all, really.]]

[Audio]

[twopercent]

Yeah. Sorry about that.

[Jack's response is pretty flat -- definitely not sarcastic, but not exactly an apology either. Still tense.]

It's still probably a good idea.

[Audio]

[chalicejoker]

[There's noise that suggests Hajime's moving around now...along with a thump and quiet swearing that suggests he's just stubbed a toe on something. At least it helped him wake up some.]

Yeah, everything's locked. What's this about?

[twopercent]

[It's hard to come up with an innocent-sounding rationale for gunshots, although Jack does pause a moment to try.]

Just scaring off some animals that got into the house somehow.

[It sounds less worrying that way. Just ignore the gun part, Bakura.]

[Audio]

[twopercent]

You saw that crow that was posted a day or two ago?

[Audio]

[chalicejoker]

The one with the teeth? Yeah.

[He's thinking. Birds with teeth? Locking all doors and windows?]

I'm not sure I like where this is going...

[Audio]

[twopercent]

Yeah. Not just birds, either. I just had a few late-night houseguests.

[secondcomingof]

[ Point taken. Still ready to bust a cap in the ass of whatever unfortunate hellspawn happens to cross his path, though. ]

Then they're getting bolder. That doesn't bode well. [ At all. ] Anything notable about the remains? Traces or clues it left behind?

[twopercent]

[Jack flips it over with his toe. One small critter and two 9mm rounds.. it's kind of unpleasantly messy. Just a poor, dumb animal. Nothing special.]

Nothing I can see. And the other ones ran as soon as they heard the first shot.

[Jack hesitates before adding:]

It was like there was something wrong with it, before. Now, nothing.

[secondcomingof]

...rabies?

[ A shot in the dark (harhar), but it's the closest thing he's got to an explanation. ]