guess I should post
Kinaru delivered a quick kick to Malicous' chest. "Sorry, but I don't think your getting past me that easy" he said. He again took up a defensive position. He held the sword between him and Malicous and placed one hand into his cloak. "Plus I think that you wouldn't be able to do much afterwards".

<<And I'm back>>

<<I have to go for the night, I'll see ya later!>>
Josephine blushed a bit when he put his arm around her. She wasn't used to this much affection. She shook it off and followed him. Her mind began to think of what would happen when they finally got out. He didn't have a place to go, which is why he wanted to stay in the asylum. Though, it was going to get burned down, so staying in there would be suicide. Her parents thought she was crazy so they would surely send her to another asylum, which she didn't want at all. She just wanted a way for her and Zeke to be together without having to worry about maniacs wanting to kill them.

He blushed as he stood up "alright sounds good". Zeke walked up to her and put his arm around her "let's go". Zeke began to lead them.

She sighed again and nodded. "Of course I'm okay, you dolt. You gave me your jacket and ended up getting hurt so that I could be okay", she said, trying to sound tough again. She realized it was a bit harder to act mean again when she had such feelings for him, but she would give it a shot anyways. "Oh, and...", she began to say, blushing a bit. "I love you too", she said before kissing him sweetly. "Okay, now, let's get going", she said quickly after the kiss, pretending like she never did or said anything.

He exhaled a held breath "I've been better...". He put his hand on her hand "please, I don't like it when people worry". Zeke coughed a bit as he closed his eyes. "What a day, terrible and great at the same time" Zeke sighed "you okay?".

She ignored her question, took off the jacket and immediately started checking on his wounds. She was more worried than she had ever been in her entire life. She observed his arm and the other parts of his body that got burned. The sight of those made her depressed. Usually she liked injuries and pain, but not this way, and not him. She caressed his cheek gently. "Are you okay?", she asked him softly. She had never cared for someone like this before. Then it hit her. He told her he loved her. She was speechless once this thought arrived to her head.

He took a deep breath and just before he ran into the fire he told Josephine "I love you...". Zeke ran into the fire following a specific path, his arm caught on fire and before it could spread he ripped off his sleeve. "Almost there!" he ran straight through a flame and they emerged on the other side. Zeke's arm was burned, along with other parts of his body. The burning wasen't particularly bad just painfull "hehe some party huh?" he set her down and slumped against a wall "you, okay?".

Josephine didn't seem too convinced by his words. She wanted to give Zeke his jacket back so that it would protect him, but she knew he wouldn't take it. If they stayed there and argued over it the fire would only spread and they'd be as good as dead. She sighed and wiped her tears away, then put on his jacket. She got on his back and kissed his cheek, more tears coming out of her eyes. "I'm... Ready...", she said, obviously not meaning it. The fact was that she would never be ready to go through fire and risk her life, but they had no other choice.

"Don't worry about me" he forced a grin "I'll be damned if I let fire stop me now!". In all reality Zeke was scared, he feared death. Zeke looked at the fire then back at Josephine "are you ready?"

She looked at him in disbelief for a moment. The jacket could protect her, but then what would happen to him. Her breath began to shorten. She could feel something inside her building up. Suddenly a tear rolled down her cheek. She was actually crying, which she hated herself for. She looked back at Zeke. 'Maybe he has a way to protect himself from the fire', she thought to herself over and over as a way to feel better, but deep down inside she knew that wasn't likely. She felt her chest aching, but ignore the feeling. "W-what about you?", she asked him, her voice full of worry as she tried to hold back her tears.

They turned the corner and Zeke suddenly felt intense heat. The hallway was on fire. "Fuck..." he paced back and forth trying to think of a way around it. "This is the only way to get to the exit..." he turned to Josephine and looked her in the eyes "do you trust me?". Without waiting for an answer he hugged her as tears began to well up in his eyes. "Listen I see a path through the fire but it still will be very dangerous...take my jacket and put it on, it is flame resistant so you should be OK" he turned around with his back to her "climb aboard there will be less of a chance of us getting burned if I carry you...".

Josephine ran as fast as she could with Zeke, following his directions. She was glad when he said 'only a couple more rooms to go', but didn't understand what he meant when he muttered something that sounded like 'it never mattered'. She didn't pay much attention to it at the moment, she was far more concentrated on getting out of the place. Smoke started to come from the hallways. The fire was much too big to be burning just a bunch of patients. The place was being set on fire.

Zeke ran with her, not looking back. Malicous screamed in anger as he tried to muscle his way past Kinaru "Move Damnit!". Zeke gave directions and then told her "a couple more rooms to go...". He beleived that they would be killed and it was his responsibility to save Josephine, his life didn't matter "it never mattered..." he muttered under his breath.

Josephine muttered a soft 'Oh' under her breath and held on to Zeke's hand tightly, fear beginning to take over her. She looked at Malicous take on Kinaru and decided that Zeke's initial idea of running was good after all. "Let's go then", she replied and started to run down the halls, not bothering to look back. She needed Zeke to guide her though, she didn't want to end up running further away from the exit of this place and end up trapped in it. She knew this place was going to end up being completely destroyed sooner or later. She could still smell the sent of some on the lunatics burning.

Malicous laughed as he plucked the bullet from his shoulder. Zeke took a step back as the bullet hole in Malicous healed. "That is why..." Zeke told Josephine "and his pure psychoticness". Malicous charged at Kinaru and grabbed the blade of his sword, cutting straight to the bone he growled at Kinaru. "Move...out of my way you damned soul...and I will only kill you" Malicous growled.

"Josephine," Kinaru said calmly, "you and Zeke should leave now". He took up a defensive stance between those two and their attacker, his sword held out in front of him. "It would be in the best interest of you two" he finished.

Josephine didn't understand why Zeke was so scared. They've encountered lots of lunatics in the past hour, there was nothing special about this one. She would feel weird running away. "Zeke... Why are you so afraid of him?", she asked, standing still where she was. She just wanted to get out of that place with Zeke, the last thing she needed was someone else trying to kill them. She couldn't stand it anymore, she wouldn't run away, even if it meant having to kill that maniac herself.

Zeke's eyes go wide i nfear as he shoots several shots at Malicous. Only one bullet actually hit Malicous, in the shoulder. Malicous shrugged it off as he glared at them. Zeke freaked out and yelled "RUN!!"

Josephine frowned at the scene, her eyes filled with worry, especially about what Malicous said at the end, 'I hope I can awaken your lust for blood again'. She gulped softly and took Zeke's hand in hers, holding it tightly. Kinaru stepped up to give them the opportunity to escape. She sighed and looked at Zeke. "Let's go then", she muttered under her breath.