#guard reader

Maybe that's why he's trying to win me over? Cause I realize he's secretly a dick? Can look at his picture; his carefully calculated, pretty boy face, on the monitors and actually see the dead as fuck eyes staring back? Like voids. As though something rotted away, where the soul was supposed to be. And now he's just pretending.

It's like being haunted by a meat suit. A fucked up, really polite, scientist-shaped "oh gosh, who me~?" Meat Suit. That for SOME REASON? Insisted on talking AT me. Not too me! Is the thing. He can't. There is no intercom. We just buzz them through. So, it's just... at. Talking AT.

Finding the door, looking up at the camera, and smiling.

Like some possessed fuckin doll, that had to look up what emotions were.

Why? Just... is he trying to make friends, ooor...? Who raised this guy? It was kinda driving me insane, you know? Creeping me the fuck out. But also! Kinda insane. What the fuck.

Absently tapping through a few different screens, it was kinda weird he hadn't shown up yet. But who knows? Maybe for once the fucker chose the wrong door! Ha! Not so perfect now, are you Mr. Creepy Doll? Ouji board quit on you? Spirits of the damned not feel like ratting out my work schedule?? Get fuuuucked~☆

I giggled. Okay, more like snorted. But no witnesses! You can't prove shit. Me an Mr. Coffee Cup are tight. He would never betray my confidence!

......God, I hate the long shifts. Only... what? Hour and a half? Til freedom? I am gonna crash so hard.

Leaning back, I half swing back and forth. Keeping my eyes on the screens. Buzz in. Nobody.... nobody... nobody... Buzz in. Again, more nobody. A janitor goes by. How exciting. Truely, action packed cinema, at its finest. Normally Amir has music at least, but his shift already ended. So it's quite.

.....should I bring music?

Can't be a book. Gotta keep my eyes on the screens, so not cross words or whatever. But like... maybe and audio book? There's a thought. Maybe one of those podcasts Jeremy is always reco-.......huh. Glancing at the clock it occurs to me.

Actually?

Where is Jeremy?

I stop rocking and turn to face the clock properly. That's...weird. Not like him. The guy is usually pretty punctual. Early, if he can help it. But his shift started over twenty-five minutes ago and he's not here? Did something happen? Come up, maybe? Pulling out my work phone, I decide to text him.

No reply.

Maybe he's sick? I shoot off a text to Amir. He should still be awake. Possibly in the mess hall. Men's dorms, at worst. He might have heard if something. But... no answer. That's not like him. I try again. Nothing. Call? It... rings out. Okay. So I can't reach Amir! I'll try Jess.

Nothing from Jess. Michael? Silence from Michael. Carter? Straight to voice-mail. He's on shift right now. He should literally be all but glued to his phone. How the actual fuck? Are the phones down?

Something bothers me. About the screens. The hallways look... fine. So what IS it? Nothings happening. Nothing amiss! So what's this...weird... I don't know, dread? The vibe. My eyes dance from screen to screen. What is it? What IS it? Finally... I catch the time.

Shift change.

I should be buzzing people in by now. Letting people out. So... so why are the hallways so silent? Empty? Sitting up properly, possibly for the first time in months, my feet brace against the tiles of the floor. I grip the edges of the desk to ground my self. I'm... I'm being silly. Ha ha... this is silly. Some horror movie bullshit. It's probably just some drill I didn't know about, right? Or... or some email thing I missed. There is a reasonable, normal, rational explanation. Don't freak out.

But I still can't find anyone.

And my calls aren't getting through.

Jeremy's late by over an hour. They would have sent a replacement to hold his shift. And that janitor is taking... taking a real long time to clean that hallway. The cameras I'm in charge of dont cover that far. But i know its a dead end, down there. Four rooms and a closet. So, why...?

The silence... is getting to me. Yeah. Thats it. It's the silence. Heavy and muffling, like hands pressed tightly over my ears. Suffocating and pressed too close. As though the world was holding a pillow over my face. But... BUT! I'm probably just freaking myself out, right? It's nothing! I'm... I think I'm gonna bring music from now on. Because this is fine. Everything's fine. I don't need to go check! Everything is FINE.

It doesn't feel fine.

The hallways are completely still. They shouldn't be. I know they shouldn't be. Something is happening. But the alarms are silent. Just another peaceful day! Ha ha... fuck. I- I have to get up. Check. It's my job to check. B-but... but normally we have partners. Backup. I'm... I'm all alone.

Fuck. Fuck! It doesn't matter!

I'm no coward! This is fine. I'm going to go out there, find everybody, and it'll be a conference or some birthday with catering no one told me about. I'll call everyone a bitch! Steal some cake! Tell them the phones are down. Yeah. That's what I'll do. Because this is FINE. (Please. It has to be.)

(I'm scared)

Nodding to myself, muscles tense, I get up. Go to the gun safe. Punch in my code. It'll log that I've taken things out, but... fuck it. Maybe they should have thought of that before going radio silent. I grab the vest too. Armoring up. Start the process of locking down my terminal. It centers me. Nice, soothing, protocol. Just do this, then do that. No need to think.

The door though... that's where I hesitate. It makes it all real. Am... am I really leaving my station? Just cause I feel a little freaked out? Really?

Yes. I decide. I am. If I get in trouble, so be it. Hesitating on last moment on the door handle, I head out. The security room's door swinging open silently. But in the ominous silence? It feels like it should have creaked. There is some... weight, some quality, to the quite here. Different from the Front. The Back is where the labs are. Researchers. Break rooms, machines, guards and scientists of all kinds.

W-why is it so quite?

My first footstep feels thunderous. The next one a thunder clap. Too loud, in this almost ringing silence. But I pushed on. Heading towards the main security office, where all the cameras connect. Everything is coordinated from there, anyway. So John should be able to tell me what the fuck was going on. It's his job too, after all.

Except...

I slowed. Except, the lights were... off? Maybe? No. No, I see some flickering. Broken, maybe? Down one of the hallways. Shards of glass strewn across the floor. Bits of metal, twisted and glinting sharply, in the brief surges of light. Doors all along the hallway were wide open. Security panels unlit dispite their open state. No green of an unlock, no red of security or lock down. Nothing.

Staring at the eerie scene, the flick-flick-flicker of the broken lights? Unease crawles like spiders up my back. That's... concerning. I tried to understate, as I figure things out. Maybe one of the experiments had some sort of energy surge? That could have taken out the phones, though, right? Yeah... Yeah! That sounds kinda right!

A curl of relief. Like light spreading and diffusing through inky waters. Everyone probably evacuated to the panic rooms. We are a high priority military site, after all. There are protocols in place. If it looks like an attack, seems like an attack, or could be an attack? Panic rooms it is. After all, our "brightest minds of their generations" are irreplaceable, etc etc. (That was on the onboarding packet and protocols list. We roasted the shit out of that in the guard rooms.)

The main security office will have lock down info. If we are in lock down. Or there was a power surge or something. I breathe, reassured by my own thought. Part of me knows it might be a lie. But... fuck it! We lie! Let's not panic until we have too, right? Ha ha... everything is normal and everyone is fine!

I pick up the pace. More broken hallways. Sheesh, the place is trashed. And I can't hear any machines. Which? From what I remember? Is bad. Some of those were never supposed to be turned off. So like... Holy Shit is someone in trouble. This is going to be ungodly expensive to fix. Hope their experiments were worth it...

Turning in to hallway B4 I'm struck by a weird smell. Sweet, sour, putrid, salt. And copper. Lots and lots of meaty, metallic, copper. Like an outhouse and a butcher shop smashed into each other, with an under tone of fancy office colognes and perfumes. Sweat, too. But not... good sweat?

Gagging a little, I slow to a stop. Trying to place what my nose is telling me. Not work out stank. Or "your buddy just got laid, ignore it" sweat. It's more... caught someone where they weren't supposed to be, sweat. When they get all nervous and panicking. And you're not buying a single on of their shit excuses. And they KNOW they're in deep trouble no-

Fear! That's fear sweat! That's what that is!

My momentary triumph at figuring it out, immediately gives way to realization. Wait. Metal? Fear? Shit? The stench is thick in the air. The normal air units still and circulating nothing. It hangs like bodies from a tree, just beyond my sight. And I have to swallow, hard, again and again, just to avoid being sick.

O-okay. So. Maybe not a power outage.

Drawing my gun, I move forward. Slowly. The main security office really is my only option, if I want to know what the fuck is going on. But to get to it? I have to get passed... this. Whatever this is. So... so I move.

At first, nothing. Broken glass and twisted metal. Same as the hallways. But then... then I reach a doorway.

Oh God.

I barely turn to keep from being sick down my own front. Stumbling back, like that will make a difference. Those-! Those can't even be called bodies anymore! Tears and terror, etched forever in dead faces. Hell, made a place on earth. Desecration. Suffering. W-who could!? WHY WOULD YOU-!? I heave again. My body rebeling against the butchery.

Making the mistake of looking up, I nearly choke on the noise that rips out of me, as I see through the open doorway, across the hall. A retch, a sob, a wail? I can't tell. Who would do this?!

They... they tried to bar the doors. Oh god. Those are desks. Filing cabinets. Where the fuck was I? How did I not hear this? T-the people I let in! Did I... oh god. I let them right into a trap! I stumble. Straighten. Mind screaming and howling, yet strangely so very far away. Pushing desperately off of the wall I find myself slumped against, I break into a run.

Horror show. Horror show! Every room a new hell.

I start seeing gaurds. People I knew! Mangled like broken dolls. Dropped like trash where they stood. Hana, with the cartoon lanyard her daughters sent. Andrei with the blue streak his girlfriend put in his hair. Hamza, curled over a rookie, because the old hardass cared so damn much. Fuck. FUCK! God DAMN IT!

Tears burn at my eyes. People I knew. Coworkers, in it for the long haul. Stuck out here for years with me. Not friends, not really, but something more then just fellow guards. Gone. Fucking GONE! And to what? To WHO?! What is GOING ON!?

I try to turn a corner, only to slide. Horrified, I realize the traction on my boots isn't catching because there's just too much gore. The blood, too thick on the ground here. At my feet, Jeremy. I recognize him instantly. Or what's left. The blonde curls he was once so damn proud off, stained, limp and ragged. Limbs at angles they should never be. Eyes unseeing.

Both his gun and radio are out. He... oh god he tried to warn me. Trailing up, along splattered rivers of red, I am met with everyone I know. Rotting and forgotten, inconveniences discarded to the floors. Just beyond them, the doorway to the main security office hangs open. Blast doors twisted open like a flower bloomed. It's almost mocking, how pretty the twisted metal is.

No. It is mocking. They took the time to make it pretty. Not just pry it open. Ha... b-bastards... oh god, y-you bastards...

The guards tried to hold the line. I... I should have been here. Died here. This last stand. How could I hear nothing? Be so thoroughly isolated? Beyond the dead, the main office is in pieces. Screens, computers, generators. Everything. They trashed it ALL. The whole site is completely dark. I... I have no idea how my terminal was even functioning.

"Ah, there you are."

I whip around, gun coming up. Too calm. That voice was too calm. Who the hell?Standing just down a converging side hall, is Dr. Kurohari. His pleasant, empty little grin, still firmly in place. Calm and almost polite looking, really. If he weren't splattered with blood. The air around him twisting and moving strangely, in a way I'd never seen before. Like a heat haze or mirage. Some sort of special effects brought into real life.

"I checked your office. You weren't there. I thought we could get lunch."

What.

The incredulity must shout from every part of me, because his pleasant little nothing smile just gets bigger. As though this is all just ever so delightful. And not a sea of death and horror.

"That's what people do, isn't it? When they are interested in each other? I already know your likes and dislikes. Plans for the future. Social, cultural, and political opinions. You're perfect. So, according to my research, now we spend time together."

Ah. Got it. Insane.

I fire.

The bullets stop midair never reaching their target. Lacking anything better to try, I go for overwhelming force. Empty my clip into him. Or, well, at him. Fuck. The smile doesn't change. He's waiting me out. I gotta fall back! Turning to run, I don't make it more then a single step before my feet wholesale leave the ground.

Like weighted blankets made of air, something grabs me. From every direction and all of me at once. It... it could tear me apart. So, so easily. It feels like one of those dogs, gently holding an egg in it's teeth. I am "thrown" against a wall, yet? All I can think? Is how easy it would have been to splatter me against it. I can't move. Oh god, I can't move.

"Ah~" he lilts a laugh, musing as he strolls closer. "Are you mad I didn't bring flowers? I apologize, it's difficult to find them out here. And I'm still new to courtship, you see. We'll get better, with time. And now that I've gotten rid of distractions, we can focus on us."

What US? There is no US! I try to squirm, but I'm utterly pinned. The doctor stands infront of me, looking alarmingly fond. As though my desperation is... is cute. His hand comes up. Cupping my cheek. Sending shudders of fear down my spine. He misreads it, deeply insane and looking for anything to fufill his narrative.

"So shy." He sighs, something twisted into a mockery of love, coating his tone like bile. His thumb brushing gently over my mouth. "It's okay, darling. I'm new to this too. We'll figure it out together. We have the whole compound to ourselves, after all. For as long as we need."

"Just you and me."

The sun was slowly turning in for the late evening, casting a beautiful hue of orange and purple across the hazy skies. You were handling your usual duties before you were requested by the councils, figuring it would be about handling a certain case. It didn’t take you long before you stumbled upon the large room, seeing all the members and your wife, standing attentively.

Grayson looked over at you as you stood next to her, flashing you a small smile before turning her serious focus back to the council members before one of them spoke, who happened to be council Mel Medarda.

“There have been reports of a group—preferably from the Undercity—causing havoc among our city, leading to the people being understandably upset. I trust that you will sort this problem, yes?”

Before Grayson could even speak, you quickly agreed with a swift nod and eager words. “Yes ma’am, of course. I can assure you this little mishap will be sorted.” In return, Mel gave you a soft smile and a firm nod before dismissing the both of you.

As the two of you soon left and walked along the long hallways, you were suddenly stopped by the large hands of your wife on your shoulders. You turned to look at her with a confused expression before she started to speak, “Sweetheart, I think it’s best if you let me take this one with you, yes? I know you’re well on your own, but you haven’t gone much in the Undercity as much as me.”

You couldn’t help, but grunt in slight irritation at her words, knowing she only worried for your safety—you were her wife for God’s sake. “Baby, I can do just as fine on my own. I’ll just take Marcus and backup with me, it’ll be fine.”

She narrowed her eyes at you, obviously not fond of the idea of not being partnered up with you for this case—especially such as these. Her eyes stared in yours intensely before softening, nodding slowly with a sigh.

“Alright…but, if I hear one bad thing goes down there..”

“It’ll be fine, Honey. I can handle it, plus I’ll have hep with me.

How hard could this possibly be? All you were doing is going down to the Lanes and making an arrest, nothing out of the ordinary.

Oh honey, you were wrong.

The night took over the golden sky, leaving the sky blanketed in a dark cover. Venturing into Zaun wasn’t the most extravagant thing, if you’re being honest. It was grimy. People giving you dirty looks. And definitely different from Piltover. Neon lights and signs crowded the dark streets, every angle except the dingy alleys.

The more and more you ventured into the streets, the more you realized how this arrest was going to be anything, but easy. You and your crew walked through the streets, looking around with hardened gaze at the peering standbys—obviously noticing the fiery glares.

Based on the information you and your crew were given, it seem that the group hung around a certain abandoned building—which didn’t take too long to stumble upon. You glared at the group, seeing how their teeth were yellow and how buffed they looked.

“We can make this easy or not so easy. All your choice.”

The group looked around at each other with disbelief before turning back to you with a chuckle, eyeing you as if you were prey—which you definitely seemed so to them. “Would ya look at that? Think you’re gonna take us in? We’re not going down without a damn fight.”

Sometimes you wondered why you even chose this damn job sometimes.

“Let me make this clear.”

That was all you said before you and another of your crew pulled your guns, aiming them directly at the group, earning a grunt of shock and irritation.

“Last chance.”

The group scowled at your crew as the rest of the crew pulled out the restraints, seeing how they dangled dangerously in their grasp. All of sudden, one of the members charged at you before you quickly aimed at the man before..

WHACK.

You don’t know how it happened or what did it come from, but all you knew was that you were on the floor and had blood dribbling down your lips—most likely from being brutally punched. Your eyes glared at the mysterious person, seeing them emerge from the shadow and saw that it was woman. You quickly shuffled onto your feet, looking over at your crew while they were busy handling the others before focusing your attention back to woman.

She had a nasty grin on her chapped lips, slipping a sharp knife from the back of her pants as she eyed you steadily—seeing how you were focused solely on her. “Oh c’mon, can’t handle a little punch?”

You grunted at her taunt before trying to reach for your gun, but saw that it was fucking gone? Fucking great. Luckily, you had close combat experience. You were steady on your feet, keeping eye contact with the woman before she lunged at you with her knife, causing you to lean back and grab her arm to pin it behind her back as she stumbled to the ground and the knife clatter out her hand.

“Made this way harder than it had to be.”

Your eyes narrowed down at the woman as you pinned her wrist behind the small of her back, only moving one hand to reach for the cuffs, but that was your biggest mistake. The woman quickly reached for a knife on her side and sliced you on the side of your stomach, earning a pained yelp as you scrambled back from the woman.

“Wonder how you made it this far..”

You sneered at the woman, panting heavily as you applied pressure to the bleeding wound before slowly standing up as did she. It started to feel that maybe—just maybe—you should’ve listen to your wife.

The woman chuckled lowly before quickly charging at you, but was quickly clocked in the back of her head by Marcus with a gun—specifically, your gun that was scattered to the side—successfully cuffing her. The rest of the crew cuffed the rest of the group, herding them back. He added the woman in with the her group as they were escorted away, shouting out streams of profanities and whatnot.

His eyes immediately snapped back to you as you huffed heavily, seeing the blood seep through the clothes onto your hand gradually. He quickly helped you, throwing your arm over his shoulder as he helped you walk.

“Shit—you ok? What the hell happened back there?” He grunted lowly as you both shuffled back through the grimy streets and onto the bridge, crossing over to piltover.

“Some fuckin’—shit—girl came from nowhere and just punched me…and stabbed me..” Your voice was strained and heavy, trying not to wince too much as the slash only continued to bleed heavily.

“God…do you have any idea how stupid it was to take this case? You know Grayson is already going to be on mine and your ass.”

“Mhm, I know…let’s just focus on me not dying, yeah?”

and brother, was he right.

You laid in the infirmary, laying slightly uncomfortably as the slash on your side was still recovering. The blood loss wasn’t too bad, but scary and a blessing that you survived. The infirmary was nice and quiet, despite having doctors check in on you and here and there, but that didn’t last long until..

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Your eyes shot up quickly at the familiar voice, seeing your absolutely enraged wife rushing over to your side, quickly embracing you before caressing your face with a firm grasp and stern glare.

“Baby, listen—“

“Don’t give me that! I told you that I didn’t feel right about you going there. I trusted that you could handle it. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I was informed to hear that my wife was in the infirmary—being treated for a stab wound? Do you really?”

Her voice was stern, but held a edge of obvious concern and worry—though she was pissed. You frowned slightly as she scolded you, which was definitely expected from her, but you knew she was only concerned and worried for you.

“Honey, I know you’re upset, but I handled a good bit on my own…” Your voice was raspy and low, due to being sleep for a good while or so. She let out a heavy sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose, looking at you with a gradually softening before her hand caressed her cheek.

“I know and I’m proud that you did, but still, it was a risky idea to even take that case in a first place…you could’ve let me handled it.”

Though she was pissed, she still was worried and highly concerned for her dear wife, who happened to look like an angel despite being injured. Her thumb brushed over your cheek, gazing at you with obvious fret in her eyes as she murmured softly, “I swear I have to keep my patience in check with you…”

“Aww, I know you still love me.”

She couldn’t help, but chuckle at your cocky little remark, looking at you with a raised brow and an amused smile etched on her lips before brushing her hand over your thighs.

“Of course, I do, love. Though sometimes you make me want to strangle you..”

“Like how that woman wanted to before she stabbed me?”

Her eyes widened in surprise at your worst-timing joke, glaring at you with a tight pursed frown on her lips as she pointed a finger at you, “That is not funny.”

“What, you brought it up!?”

It would definitely be a wild before you ever got a case to go back to Zaun…it was definitely for the best to avoid complications.