Reap what you sow (solo)

OOC: Gods I like that title, pun included

Franklin, Virginia

The city was small, but there had been a string of attacks in the area surrounding the city. Arawn was 'volunteered' to check it out. More than anything he was happy to take the assignment. The size of the town meant the search couldn't take that long. The city was indeed small. But the people seemed happy with it. He began his scanning at the north end of town. He walked through town. He didn't like the idea of jumping on people's houses. Being the city the concrete buildings felt so lifeless. The choice left him much time to observe the people. Farming seemed to be the main staple. He passed quite afew ranches before reaching the town proper. The day wore on as he made his way long the paths and roads. At first it was like a maze, he made several high jumps to get a view of what lay ahead. Alost of farmland and swamps created from previous floods, or that's what the info from the phone told him. Scans proved to be normal, but the pattern of disappearances and attacks around the town were not. Either the hollow was hiding in the area, or this area was next to be attacked. The deeper he ventured the more he figured that it was next or was being overlooked due to it's size. It almost felt like there was more land than people the way it was set up. A single district in Rukongai felt bigger than this place. He dialed his phone to make a report of his finding thus far.
"Hello?" The reception was horrible here, wasn't sure why. "Can you read me?" There was static
"Yes....can.....read." Laggy connection was better than none.
"I've covered most of the northern part of the city. All clear, taking to eastern side now." he spoke he pressed buttons sending his scanning to the command center in the 12th squad.
"Roger." was all that was said after several second of silence. Arawn closed his phone and sighed. The sun was high in the sky, and even as a shinigami, he felt hot. He almost wished he could have come in a gigai and taking some kind of refreshment. With one more look to the north he and just came from he moved toward the eastern section as planned.

The eastern section took longer than expected, there was more farm land to cover an even more twisting paths. He had to skirt the edge of a swamp since it was outside the expect search area. He was glad he didn't have to wade through it's murky waters. The day of light was slowly fading, and his hope of ending the scans in one day faded with it. The populace was still quite active even with the coming nightfall. Things were needed to be done before the it got completely dark, no point in lamenting. While the city was busy and active at night, the town proved less so. Although he didn't like crowds and loud noises the empty town scape was boring. He tried to continue his scans, but the dark made the fields and paths even more tricky. In the end he called headquarters.
"I've completed two sections, but it's gotten too dark to navigate." Static was the only response, until a voice crackled.
"Take...tzzz....post in town til daylight....tzzz.....patrols keeping sweep of other cities." Scans had become patrol, but at least he wasn't alone. He couldn't see the logic of the situation, chances are the hollow might strike during the day when people were more active, why would come out at night? The center of town had afew people up and about, it was abit after eight o'clock. A party or two was bound to be going on even in such a small town. And there were always bars open late. The town itself seemed to be going to sleep. It was relaxing, an Arawn felt himself doze as he sat invisible in the roof of the sheriff's office.

The sudden chirping of his phone startled him awake. It was completely dark now, the rays of the sun had vanished on the horizon long ago. How long had he been out? The phone chirped again and he fumbled in his shirt to find it. He pulled out the phone and looked at the time. It was after 10pm, the street was nearly empty below him as he looked around. The town was utterly quiet. The phone chirped again and he pressed the button.
"Hello?" he said still half asleep
"We.....tzzzz......readings.......tzzzzz.....they're coming from.....tzzzzzz.....on alert!" the static was even worse than before, and the message was disturbing. Something was happening. He hung up the phone and switched it over to the radar. The screen came alive with several blips on the radar. One, two, four, six, ten. There were ten signals in his vicinity. If the phone hadn't gone off he might have found himself as a hollow's snack. But why so many signals so suddenly? Why at night? Looking at the radar again he jumped from the room to the next building. Running on the ground would take too long, he jumped from building to building towards the nearest signals. There were three of them clustered together as he drew closer, his hand rested on his sword handle. Would he have backup? There were patrols going around the other cities, how did they reach this location then?

As he got closer to the location the radar started to go berserk, the picture blanked out completely. Arawn stopped moving and looked down at it. The screen flickered on, but the picture was skewed. Without the radar he tried to best approximate the location of the signal from the last reading. As he peeked over the edge of a building he noticed motion on the ground below. Laying on his belly he inched closer. Two strange creatures scurried behind the home as he edged slowly closer for a better look he felt a vibration from something hitting the roof. "SHIT!" is all he can utter, and quickly rolls over before something pounces. The shape hits the roof were he had just occupied, and comes into full view. There is just enough moonlight for him to get a better look at the creature. Up close it's body is close to that of a flea, it's main body covered in white bone like a hollow's mask. Along it's spine are several long spikes. It's legs are like spiders; eight hairy and insect like legs, the tips like small spears with barbed hooks on the end. The whole thing could be no more than two feet long and two feet wide in body. It turns around to face him, it has but a single eye of a dull brown color, and a small mouth filled with teeth. It hisses and leaps again. Arawn dives to the side as the monster flies at his face. Forgetting where he is the dive nearly sends him falling off the roof to the ground below. While it's a small drop, he quickly remembers the other two creatures below. If they haven't joined the third up on the roof, they must be still be low. He slides to a stop, and gets up in a kneeling position. The bug like hollow paws the roof, watching. Arawn's hand goes to his blade and he slowly stands on the edge of the roofing. He eyes the creature; it raises two of it's legs and releases another hiss, and leaps. This jump doesn't go as well for it, since it's coming straight at him, it's easy to put the sword out in front and the stupid creature impales itself. It hisses a final time then dies. It's body crumbles and fades into dust. Before he can breathe a sigh of relief two more hisses can be heard below him. Somehow there a thump as another creature comes into view. Another thump on the roof just to his right as the spider creature slashes it's legs at his right foot. The small barbs bite into his flesh easy enough and Arawn screams, reflexively he swats at the bug with his sword the blade hits and sends the monster off the roof. He takes his eye off the first creature but only a moment. He looks up too late. It had flung itself into the air at him. The ankle biter had been knocked off the roof by the swing, but now the blade was too far away to stop the incoming attack. Again by reflex he moved, raising his left arm to protect his head. The motion does protect his face, but the creature latches onto his arm and starts to bite at him. The bites tears through his robe, and barely pierces the flesh. Arawn flails his arm wildly, not willing to use his weapon so close to his own body. Going to his knees he slams the arm and creature on the roof. The beast is stunned and Arawn jumps back and slashes through it repeatedly still frantic from the last attack. He stops swinging and look around. He's unsure if the one at his foot is dead, the swing might of just knocked it down from the roof.

He checked his phone again, the screen was fine now. There were no blips on the radar. He tried to call the dispatcher. the signal was weak but he managed to connect.
"I've made contact with something." he quickly blurted out, he wanted to relay the info before the signal was lost. "Some kind of bug monsters. They don't seem to be the hollow we're looking for, perhaps some kind of cast off. They're quick little buggers. Radar going haywire, trying to track signals before it crashes. I'll keep this line open."
The only response is static, but Arawn decided to switch his phone line to an open channel of transmission.
"This is Sohten from squad 10, I got movement on the west side!" the sound exploding from the phone surprised him. "They just popped out of the ground. I've got....tzzzz" The voice fades out. Arawn turned and darted west, phone radar in one hand sword gripped tight in the other. Blips suddenly showed up on the screen and the radar started to malfunction once again. It seemed these things were the cause of the interference. Arawn recalled the poor reception earlier in the day, could they have been there the entire time? The last image on the radar showed at least four hostiles. He tucked his phone into the pocket and slowed his approach, his eyes peeled for any movement.


He came up a stop when he spotted the targets. From the small yard facing a house one of the bug creatures was pulling itself from the grassy lawn. Two others sat on the house's porch chewing a body, the third walking up the steps to join them. Arawn noted three other holes in the ground similar to the one the fourth hollow spider was now making. They really were coming from the ground, they sit underground and them come up to attack? The question was when they were placed. How long do these things wait? The question would have to wait, he drew his sword and jumped down right on top of the still emerging creature. As he sailed through the air, he pulled his blade high over his head and brought it down. He cleaved the beast in two, not wasting a moment he sprung towards the porch. The third creature not turned around, and the two eat had stopped to look up. Even as it saw him the third didn't have time to completely dodge the incoming strike. Arawn's diagonal slash missed the body and cut off 3 of it's legs, it out a small shriek of pain. Unbalanced it fell to the ground and it's remaining legs twitching. Now on the steps the shinigami found himself staring at the remaining creatures and their half finished feast. The two left on the porch hissed and one leap into the air the second follow it. He hadn't thought of how to face two at once, and it would be impossible to block them both. He threw himself backwards and left off the steps. He slashed at the closest bug. The blade cut through the monster out stretched legs and pierced it's face. It's body went right as he fell to the left into the soft grass. He had landed painfully on his left shoulder, ignoring the fire shooting through his arm he rolled and got to his feet quickly. The second bug's jump had carried it into the yard as well just past where he landed. The both spun around to face each other. The two circled each other they both looked like crabs as the moved sideways across the grass. Arawn expected a jump, but it never came. Why was this one acting different? If he struck first and missed he would leave himself open. Hitting a smaller target had it's risks. The dove forward and aimed a horizontal slash at the creature, as expected it jumped right at him to dodge the attack. This one was indeed smarter, but Arawn's blade had stopped before reaching the target. It was a feint; in one motion Arawn brought the blade upwards as he stepped back. The edge found the monster's underbelly and cut through. A bit of the monster's blood splattered on Arawn's face as the two halves landed on either side of him. The radio came to life again with voices.
"All points report in." It was the dispatcher.
"This east side reporting in, we cleared all targets. No sign of the main body"
"North end reporting all clear as well." A moment later
"South is clear."
Arawn pressed the button and spoke "I'm sitting between the middle and west, all clear." He looked a the now dissolving bodies. "Sohten? Do you read me? Are you clear?" there was no response.
"Control can you get a reading on Ashten?" One of the other voice pipped in.
"Still getting alot of interference, all units to the western sector for support." Arawn put away the phone and started running.

Arawn was the third to arrive despite his proximity to the west section. They found what could only be the remains of a shinigami. A robe torn to shreds and a zanpukto covered in blood. The area they found him was an isolated farm house near a small swamp, there were holes in the ground all around the area. Other than the now familiar holes from the burrowing creatures there was nothing else to be found. There were no people living in the house it had been abandoned.
"Then why so many creatures be in this area?" None of them knew the answer. Now that they knew abit more about the attacks, the could be be better prepared for the next one. Or could they? As the portal opened, Arawn wondered if they really had accomplished anything that day.