((Connie continued from Inverted Hostility))
"So, nice weather we're having."
"Actually, it's terrible. Cold blizzard with a chance of corpses."
"Honestly not even like a chance. Just a ton of dead bodies. All over the place."
"Research station? Morgue like charnel house."
Connie put her face in her hands and resisted the urge to giggle. Giggling would be a bridge too far, she thought.
Of course there were dead people everywhere. She'd been here for over a week and folks were murdering each other the whole time. With it being cold as hell, they'd gather inside and then yeah. Stab, shoot, strangle.
Each body in here was shrouded. Could be anyone and the mystery was just fine by her. Vaguely she hoped that none of them were Kelsey. Not likely that they were, seemed to have been dead a while and if Kelsey was dead it happened kind of recently.
Connie unfolded from the table she was sitting, swinging her legs around and rising. She walked to the nearest of the trio, covered in a blazer. Then she backed up a few and pulled out her facemask. Yeah, this was mask hours for sure. Connie returned to the body. Self-consciously, she rubbed her hands on her pants, and then she gingerly, via the blazer, took a grip under what she thought was the armpits. Kinda heavy. Deadweight, who knew?
She dragged them off into the corner.
Corpse two, same thing. And three, same after that. She thought much too much about how soft they each felt under her hands. Putrefaction. Great word.
Three shrouds in a little row. Connie looked over them for a second, and then went and grabbed one of the tables, flipping it onto its side and creating a kind of barrier between the bodies and the rest of the room.
At length, she retreated the whole way to the opposite side of the room, kicking some of the furniture shrapnel scattered around the place. It was cold as fuck. She wanted a campfire.
Beautiful Dead
Open
((Ellis Wheaton continued from Friar's Club))
Ellis and Kathleen had managed to get away from the Danger Zone in time. They still had no clue where Jack had gone, and now they lost their place for him to return. He had to be somewhere nearby, so they had to move around the research station.
The two had moved around and we're close to the research lab. Ellis was leading the way and still had the knife he had from the first day out.
"Okay, I guess this is the next place," he told Kathleen. "I'll go first."
Ellis slowly opened the door.
Ellis and Kathleen had managed to get away from the Danger Zone in time. They still had no clue where Jack had gone, and now they lost their place for him to return. He had to be somewhere nearby, so they had to move around the research station.
The two had moved around and we're close to the research lab. Ellis was leading the way and still had the knife he had from the first day out.
"Okay, I guess this is the next place," he told Kathleen. "I'll go first."
Ellis slowly opened the door.
((Kathleen followed Ellis.))
Kathleen started to worry for Jack. To the point it started to affect her. At least she was out of the danger zone, no more danger here. Well, if you really think about it, this entire god forsaken place was a danger zone.
I mean, shit, we are talking about a death game. A battle Royale. Last man standing wins. That last part scared her. Last man standing.
Two samurai enter one samurai leave type shit. It was them or her. And...she really didn't want to kill someone. Especially if it has to be someone she cares about.
"Huh, what?" Kathleen was barely listening. "Oh, yeah, right. Be careful, please."
And Kathleen would try to look over his shoulder at the other side of the door.
Kathleen started to worry for Jack. To the point it started to affect her. At least she was out of the danger zone, no more danger here. Well, if you really think about it, this entire god forsaken place was a danger zone.
I mean, shit, we are talking about a death game. A battle Royale. Last man standing wins. That last part scared her. Last man standing.
Two samurai enter one samurai leave type shit. It was them or her. And...she really didn't want to kill someone. Especially if it has to be someone she cares about.
"Huh, what?" Kathleen was barely listening. "Oh, yeah, right. Be careful, please."
And Kathleen would try to look over his shoulder at the other side of the door.
Connie looked up from her gathered pile of wood scraps.
"Sup."
...
"Knife to meet you."
"Sup."
...
"Knife to meet you."
"Okay, I'll be care-"
Sup.
"-fucking hell!" Ellis shouted, moving his elbows close to his side and tensing up.
He quickly looked around the room and realized there was a girl near what looked like a bunch of wrecked furniture.
The girl made a pun, and Ellis, to his surprise, let out a quick chuckle. The joke wasn't even that good, but Ellis was realizing he appreciated any humor at this time. Besides, it put him to mind of some of the puns he had to make with Armand, so sure, just laugh.
"Oh, uh, hi," he said, waving at the girl with the hand holding the knife. "We...uh..."
And now he couldn't think of a knife joke to toss back. Hopefully Kathleen was quicker on the draw.
Sup.
"-fucking hell!" Ellis shouted, moving his elbows close to his side and tensing up.
He quickly looked around the room and realized there was a girl near what looked like a bunch of wrecked furniture.
The girl made a pun, and Ellis, to his surprise, let out a quick chuckle. The joke wasn't even that good, but Ellis was realizing he appreciated any humor at this time. Besides, it put him to mind of some of the puns he had to make with Armand, so sure, just laugh.
"Oh, uh, hi," he said, waving at the girl with the hand holding the knife. "We...uh..."
And now he couldn't think of a knife joke to toss back. Hopefully Kathleen was quicker on the draw.
"Normally his humor is a cut above the rest, but he's having some trouble, so I'll take a stab at it."
Kat jumped when Ellis yelled, but quickly came down and her mind went into autopilot - and instead of choosing fight, flight, or freeze, she chose funny. Kat basically looked over Ellis' shoulder - or tried to at least.
"Making a fire or something?"
Kat jumped when Ellis yelled, but quickly came down and her mind went into autopilot - and instead of choosing fight, flight, or freeze, she chose funny. Kat basically looked over Ellis' shoulder - or tried to at least.
"Making a fire or something?"
Connie shifted around when the first response was a yell, putting down one hand flat on the floor in case she had to launch off.
Second response was better. She relaxed ever so slightly, a small smile playing across her face. Okay. Workable. Not that she could pick out either person particularly well.
That felt very odd. Not all that many of them alive and she couldn't even remember everyone properly. But hey. Hadn't exactly been keeping an itemised list of her year group ahead of them turning into corner cadavers.
She glanced at her growing collection of debris. The corner of her mouth twitched upwards once again.
"Yeah. It's cold and someone did me a solid and pre-broke a bunch of the decor. Easier than trying to chop wood with a hockey stick, right?"
Second response was better. She relaxed ever so slightly, a small smile playing across her face. Okay. Workable. Not that she could pick out either person particularly well.
That felt very odd. Not all that many of them alive and she couldn't even remember everyone properly. But hey. Hadn't exactly been keeping an itemised list of her year group ahead of them turning into corner cadavers.
She glanced at her growing collection of debris. The corner of her mouth twitched upwards once again.
"Yeah. It's cold and someone did me a solid and pre-broke a bunch of the decor. Easier than trying to chop wood with a hockey stick, right?"
Kathleen saved the day by coming in with a better joke than he could think of at that moment. But either way, the girl in the room didn't immediately try to kill them.
Instead, she was building a fire in the room.
"Oh, a fire? That's cool," Ellis said.
He glanced around the room.
"Is that a good idea indoors though?" he asked. "Is this room ventilated or whatever?"
Instead, she was building a fire in the room.
"Oh, a fire? That's cool," Ellis said.
He glanced around the room.
"Is that a good idea indoors though?" he asked. "Is this room ventilated or whatever?"
Ellis nodded to Connie's shrug.
"Uh, ok. I guess I'll just prop the door open a bit and we can talk at a reasonable level."
Ellis picked up a small scrap of wood off the floor and walked over to the door of the room. He opened the door and jammed the wood in so there would be a slight crack.
"Oh god, this is what's going to kill us, isn't it?" he muttered to himself.
"Uh, ok. I guess I'll just prop the door open a bit and we can talk at a reasonable level."
Ellis picked up a small scrap of wood off the floor and walked over to the door of the room. He opened the door and jammed the wood in so there would be a slight crack.
"Oh god, this is what's going to kill us, isn't it?" he muttered to himself.
"That's like, a hazard. I think."
Kathleen didn't particularly care either way.
Kathleen didn't particularly care either way.
Ellis's back was to Connie when her smile faded away. Hmph. Fine.
She cast another glance across the room. There was more wood for the taking if she wanted, and she could create extra fuel if she put in the extra effort to break up more furniture. However, she didn't move to collect more. In fact, she stopped even with what she was pushing together, instead nudging the remaining unpiled shards of wood off to one side with her foot.
She was kinda cold, just not enough for derailing what she'd finally settled on.
There were still risks, still issues. It was just otherwise, what, keep sitting around doing nothing much?
Nah. No way.
Connie lit up one of the smaller scraps with the first aid kit's lighter, nudged it together with a few other pieces.
The fire went out with a wisp of smoke.
Oh. This was a little harder than she thought.
Alright, one more.
The second attempt went better, and this time, the kindling actually caught. Connie pushed the new flame alongside the collected wood, and soon enough, it spread across to a larger piece.
"Today, I'm Prometheus," Connie announced, looking at neither of her. audience.
She sat crosslegged there as time started slipping by for the three of them in the lab. Throughout, Connie watched the smoke, watched the exits, thought about how it all moved.
Oh, she surely had an ember.
She cast another glance across the room. There was more wood for the taking if she wanted, and she could create extra fuel if she put in the extra effort to break up more furniture. However, she didn't move to collect more. In fact, she stopped even with what she was pushing together, instead nudging the remaining unpiled shards of wood off to one side with her foot.
She was kinda cold, just not enough for derailing what she'd finally settled on.
There were still risks, still issues. It was just otherwise, what, keep sitting around doing nothing much?
Nah. No way.
Connie lit up one of the smaller scraps with the first aid kit's lighter, nudged it together with a few other pieces.
The fire went out with a wisp of smoke.
Oh. This was a little harder than she thought.
Alright, one more.
The second attempt went better, and this time, the kindling actually caught. Connie pushed the new flame alongside the collected wood, and soon enough, it spread across to a larger piece.
"Today, I'm Prometheus," Connie announced, looking at neither of her. audience.
She sat crosslegged there as time started slipping by for the three of them in the lab. Throughout, Connie watched the smoke, watched the exits, thought about how it all moved.
Oh, she surely had an ember.
This day ended up being like the last several. Just Ellis and the two ladies sitting around an indoor fire while the madness of the game occurred outside their space. There were intermittent conversations and observations. Ellis moved around to stop inhaling smoke and to check on the ventilation.
And once again, he slept.
After everything, Ellis was glad that he was somehow able to sleep here. It was cold and uncomfortable, but at least he could drift away for a bit.
Then the announcements shattered that like a bowling ball dropped on a glass coffee table.
And once again, he slept.
After everything, Ellis was glad that he was somehow able to sleep here. It was cold and uncomfortable, but at least he could drift away for a bit.
Then the announcements shattered that like a bowling ball dropped on a glass coffee table.
Another announcement, another day. Yeah. You know how it goes.
"Ellis, uh." A big yawn.
"Wake up, we uh..uhm. Oh, uh, thanks for the fire and uhm...I think we'd better keep moving.."
"Ellis, uh." A big yawn.
"Wake up, we uh..uhm. Oh, uh, thanks for the fire and uhm...I think we'd better keep moving.."
"Alright We'll be back. I promise. Going to look around."
She nodded to Connie, before turning...
She did not wait for Ellis to follow.
((...and continuing on..))
She nodded to Connie, before turning...
She did not wait for Ellis to follow.
((...and continuing on..))