[1] HOUSE OF CROWS | Haikyuu!! (Murder of Crows) ✓

HOUSE OF CROWS | 13

Hinata had Tsukishima pinned to the forest floor. The blond was thrashing and struggling beneath him; his glasses were missing, and sweat was running down his forehead and into his eyes. You knew that Tsukishima should be stronger than the smaller boy, and yet he was clinging on with fierce determination, digging his fingers into Tsukishima's throat. 

"Hey! Get off him!" You shouted, running towards the two boys. Hinata didn't appear to hear you, and he didn't notice as you crept behind him, digging your heels into the miry earth. With a grunt, you grabbed Hinata by the shoulders and gave a single, forceful tug. He went tumbling over, rigid with surprise, and you yanked Tsukishima to his feet, digging through the leaves to unearth his glasses. The boy looked dazed as you slipped them onto his face, tugging him after you. "Quickly, before he's back on your feet," you urged, just as Hinata began to pull himself up.

The Crow was still nowhere to be seen, leaving the path towards the house empty. The door slammed closed behind you as soon as you made it inside, pitching you into complete darkness. A chill crept over your neck at being back. You knew you'd just trapped yourself in the spider's web, but none of you were in a fit state to run blindly through the forest either. 

"Hurry. We need to find the others," you said, noticing Tsukishima still had that glazed look in his eyes. You gave him a gentle shake. "I know you're hurt, but we have to move quickly."

Tsukishima nodded, his voice shaky when he spoke. "Which... way did they go?"

"Let's try upstairs." The staircase was steeped in shadow, and you felt a chill on your ankles as you began to climb, blindly reaching out with your feet. You could nothing except your own breathing, and the rustle of Tsukishima's jacket behind you.

The stairs seemed to go on forever. You didn't remember there being this many before, but it felt like you kept climbing, and climbing, until the staircase finally twisted to the right, and you almost tripped on the last step, finding it sudden and unexpected. 

Calling out into the dark would be a mistake, not knowing who would hear you, or what would answer back. But you also didn't want to risk checking each room, in case something you didn't expect waited on the other side. 

"Kuroo?" You whispered, keeping your voice low. Yet it seemed to echo and distort in the shadows, until it became something twisted and unfamiliar. "Akaashi? Are you up here?"

Peering down the corridor, you realised it was longer than you remembered. Before, you were certain you could see the wall at the end of it. But now it stretched on into darkness, like a tunnel with no end. "There's something seriously wrong with this place," you muttered, clenching your hands tightly. Tsukishima said nothing, and you glanced back to check he was still there. "You good?"

His movements were sluggish, but he managed a nod.

"Hang in there. We're gonna get out of here."

When you turned back around, the darkness seemed thicker than before, and you could barely see in front of you. You stuck out a hand to feel ahead, but for a brief horrifying moment, you thought you felt the phantom sensation of a hand grabbing yours, the skin and cold and damp. But when you pulled back, there was nothing there. You shivered. "Kuroo? If you're up here-" The words died in your throat as a figure materialised in the gloom, pale and clammy and wild-eyed. "A-Akaashi?"

"Quickly," the boy gasped, gesturing for you to follow him.

At first, you wondered if this was another trick, if your friend was merely an illusion sent to lure you deeper into the house. But the fear on his face was real enough, and you found yourself following him into the dark.

You and Tsukishima were ushered through a door, which Akaashi wedged firmly closed behind you, trapping you in a small, windowless room. The air inside was moist and tinged with mildew. After helping Akaashi push a broken table in front of the door, you went over to Kuroo, who was lying on his back in the corner, breathing raggedly.

"Kuroo?" His skin was ashen and his eyes were so dark they looked like trees at night, glimmering faintly beneath a silver moon. He groaned when you touched your fingers to his cheek. "Can you sit up?" He gave a noncommittal grunt, and you offered your hand as he struggled upright, resting his back to the wall. His throat was a mess of bruised skin, and you couldn't look away despite how much you wanted to. "I'm so sorry this happened." 

He shook his head quickly, then winced, reaching up to touch his bruised neck. "No, I'm the one who should apologise."

"You already have," you told him quietly, pulling his hand away from his throat. He said nothing when you didn't let go. "Guilt will get us nowhere. We have to figure out how to get out of here."

"Do you really think we can?" Tsukishima said hoarsely. His shoulders were trembling slightly, but you couldn't tell if it was because of fear or anger. "That thing out there... it's not just going to let us leave. What if we all end up like Hinata, huh? The second we step out there, they'll be on us."

"So what do you suggest we do?" You said, your voice tense. "Just stay here and wait for them to come to us? We're hurt, we're tired, and we're not going to survive long if we sit here and do nothing."

"[L/N] is right," Akaashi said quietly, cradling his arms against his chest. "We can't stay here. We need to at least... try and find a way out."

"We don't stand a chance out there," Tsukishima insisted. "Kuroo can barely move, we're too tired to run, and we have no idea how to get out of the forest. We'll be dead the second we leave."

"And we'll be dead if we stay here. I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather die at least trying to escape."

Tsukishima fell quiet, slumping heavily against the wall. His shoulders still trembled, and you realised now it wasn't anger. He was just scared. You let go of Kuroo's hand and walked over to him. "I know you're scared to go out there," you whispered softly. "So am I. We all are. We don't know what's waiting for us out there, and it's terrifying. But what I do know is that I don't want to stay here a second longer than we have to. And I know you don't either."

Tsukishima parted his lips with a quiet exhalation, and he eventually nodded. You gave his arm a gentle touch, then returned to Kuroo. "Right then. First we need to come up with some kind of plan. Tsukishima was right about not standing a chance out there if we go rushing blindly into danger."

"The main problem is the Crow," Kuroo spoke up, his voice low and gravelly. 

"Yeah, I mean... he's not exactly human," you muttered as the other two joined you, sitting on the dusty floor in a circle. Akaashi flitted a glance towards the door, making sure the table was still in place. You hadn't heard any movement throughout the rest of the house yet, but that didn't mean you were safe. 

"So you finally believe in the supernatural, huh?" Kuroo said with a weak smile.

You gave him a pointed look. "Given everything that's happened, that's not really important anymore."

Kuroo lowered his head, silent. 

"Can he be hurt?" Akaashi asked.

You nodded hesitantly. "When I tried to hit him with my camera, he moved away as if he was scared of being struck. So there must be something physical we can hit. But at the same time, there's something quite... insubstantial about him. Like he's made out of air or shadows." You knew your explanation sounded absurd, but nobody disagreed with you. "The truth is, I don't really know."

"So, he can change his 'form' in a sense, but he still assumes a physical body at times," Akaashi reiterated, frowning in thought. "We just need to get him when he's like that, and we'll be able to hurt him, right?"

You pursed your lips. "Yes. But only if it comes down to it. I personally don't fancy my chances in physical combat. But at least we know he's not entirely untouchable."

"You're right," Kuroo said, and you all ignored the break in his voice as he spoke. "We have a fighting chance, and that's all that matters."