((Alice Gilman: Continued from What a Rush.))
By the time Alice's group reached the Nuclear Plant proper, they were too worn out from both the long walk and the encounter at the convenience store to do anything except find a room in the offices to stay for the night. The room didn't contain especially noteworthy, except for a few desks and file cabinets; which were pushed in front of the door to create a rudimentary barricade.
Apart from the sort of subdued conversation you'd expect from such a situation, nothing much of note happened that night, with the group agreeing to sleep in shifts, having one person stay awake to keep watch; which Alice privately considered to be a rather pointless gesture. Without any real weapons, the only thing it changed was saving them from having their throats slit in their sleep.
We get to have them slit while we're awake, instead. Joy.
Regardless, Alice tried to sleep while she still had the opportunity to do so in relative peace. She spent a while reflecting on the day's events, which had proved to be surprisingly kind to her. Carmina had been irritating; but ultimately harmless. She had met up with a friend and Carlos, who while unfamiliar, still seemed trustworthy. Even their stop at the convenience store, pointless as it was, could have turned out much worse.
How lucky. Instead of getting eliminated while things are still relatively sane, I get to witness the inevitable moral decay and descent into chaos myself.
Despite such cynical thoughts, Alice eventually managed to drift off into sleep, finding herself at the scenic overlook once more, now vibrant and clean. Alice could feel the warm summer breeze as she sketched the view from her bench, and though no people could be seen, she could still hear fragments of warm, earnest conversation.
It was quite a disappointment when she was woken for her shift, lying on the cold ground, staring up at the cold gray ceiling.
After a few hours had passed, Alice desperately yearning for her sketchpad, or at least anything to draw on, anything to give her something to do, she was rescued from the tedium by the sound of the morning announcements.
Despite her resolution to stop caring, to reduce the other students to statistics, the first death still hit Alice hard. She may not have been particularly close to Dave, but she had still liked him. He had always been incredibly kind and enthusiastic in his volunteering work. Before she could finish processing the fact that he was dead, the second death struck Alice with even greater force, though not due to the victim.
Theo? That can't be right, there's no way he would ever-
Any hope Alice had that she had simply heard the announcement wrong, that everything was just a terrible mistake was wiped out as Theodore Fletcher's name was attached to a second murder. Alice simply sat there in shock. A small portion of her mind tried to take in the rest of the deaths and killers, but the rest of Alice was too stunned to even care.
Theo was one of her best friends, the one who had taken her to Prom, one of the few people Alice felt that she could trust. All that was torn away in an instant, leaving her feeling empty. Alice knew that situations like SOTF changed people, hell, she was fully prepared to change, herself. But she hadn't expected to be confronted by it so soon, for one of her friends to be the first to kill, for her trust to be betrayed.
Unable to do anything else, Alice stared blankly at the wall, trapped once more by her own thoughts.
A Safe Rest
(Carlos Lazaro continued from What a Rush )
Carlos woke up the second the announcements started. His eyes were still welded shut, and he quickly rubbed at them with the back of his sleeve. Though still drowsy, Carlos could hear the announcement loud and clear. It was like he had imagined it to be. No, actually, it was a bit worse. The jokes were terrible. As ridiculous as it sounded, Carlos really wished Dayna was still around. Hell, he'd like Dayna doing the announcements, in some ironic sort of way. The 'ironic' he usually dealt with, not the textbook definition.
As for the names themselves, none of them... really hit Carlos. David Russell came to mind, though it wasn't like he was friends with him. Carlos barely had any friends for that matter, a fact that he was still pretty sour about. Frankly he was just glad that the number was so low. That was good, wasn't it? And two of them were accidental! So there were only...what, like six people out there killing?
... why the fuck was he happy about that?
Carlos turned to look at Alice. He couldn't read a reaction off of her, mostly because she was turned towards a wall. The announcement ended, and he rubbed his eye again.
"They have the announcement every morning," Carlos said absentmindedly. "On the dot. Never imagined it'd be this loud though."
He looked over to see if Casey was awake too. He felt bad about Dave but at least they were still okay.
Oh. Shit. That was right. The volunteer club. Alice was in that, wasn't she? Carlos almost forgot. She would have known Russell, wouldn't she?
"I'm surprised that Dave... you know." He mumbled, turning back to look at her.
Carlos assumed Alice's reaction was based on David's suicide, not Theo. Carlos didn't like Theo.
"But the announcements, they don't lie. Dave was the helpful type, he would never..." Carlos suddenly sneered, and fearing the silence, he quickly added, "but only nine, that's really low. Last time, you should have seen, had to be twenty in one whole day. This is way better."
He was trying to reassure Alice. Carlos knew plenty about the game from back home so he could certainly had reason to try. He just... had no clue how to start. Maybe if he smiled, it would make it all less weird.
Carlos woke up the second the announcements started. His eyes were still welded shut, and he quickly rubbed at them with the back of his sleeve. Though still drowsy, Carlos could hear the announcement loud and clear. It was like he had imagined it to be. No, actually, it was a bit worse. The jokes were terrible. As ridiculous as it sounded, Carlos really wished Dayna was still around. Hell, he'd like Dayna doing the announcements, in some ironic sort of way. The 'ironic' he usually dealt with, not the textbook definition.
As for the names themselves, none of them... really hit Carlos. David Russell came to mind, though it wasn't like he was friends with him. Carlos barely had any friends for that matter, a fact that he was still pretty sour about. Frankly he was just glad that the number was so low. That was good, wasn't it? And two of them were accidental! So there were only...what, like six people out there killing?
... why the fuck was he happy about that?
Carlos turned to look at Alice. He couldn't read a reaction off of her, mostly because she was turned towards a wall. The announcement ended, and he rubbed his eye again.
"They have the announcement every morning," Carlos said absentmindedly. "On the dot. Never imagined it'd be this loud though."
He looked over to see if Casey was awake too. He felt bad about Dave but at least they were still okay.
Oh. Shit. That was right. The volunteer club. Alice was in that, wasn't she? Carlos almost forgot. She would have known Russell, wouldn't she?
"I'm surprised that Dave... you know." He mumbled, turning back to look at her.
Carlos assumed Alice's reaction was based on David's suicide, not Theo. Carlos didn't like Theo.
"But the announcements, they don't lie. Dave was the helpful type, he would never..." Carlos suddenly sneered, and fearing the silence, he quickly added, "but only nine, that's really low. Last time, you should have seen, had to be twenty in one whole day. This is way better."
He was trying to reassure Alice. Carlos knew plenty about the game from back home so he could certainly had reason to try. He just... had no clue how to start. Maybe if he smiled, it would make it all less weird.
((Casey Malkovich continued from What a Rush))
It had been a quiet night. Well, as quiet as a night in this place could be, anyway. Casey had spent most of the time before she went to sleep looking around their little hideaway. It wasn't much to see; just a bunch of old and rusted junk that they had piled in front of the doorway almost immediately. But that hadn't always been the case, had it? This place had been an office once, like the one her father had shown her to every Take Your Daughter to Work Day until Casey had decided that the excursion was too childish for her. The filing cabinet had been new, the decks had been clean, and the room would have smelled like paper and ink.
It was a weird thing to think about, but Casey fell asleep quickly enough, and she didn't have time to ponder why it was that she gave a shit about the fucking filing cabinet.
Her shift had been equally uneventful. Casey had finally gone through her bag, hoping to find something useful for their situation. She didn't have much luck. There were still some of the things she brought, excepting electronics. It wasn't as if Casey was going to start playing her PSP as she waited to be attacked, but still. It pissed her off to know that the terrorists probably had it. Her phone too, all the texts her friends from Canada or Germany or Singapore sent her, pictures of her latest projects, a note to buy her mom a birthday card She didn't want them to see any of those.
Maybe that was a petty concern of someone about to die, but whatever. Casey hoped no one bothered to look through the students' things in detail. It just seemed vaguely voyeuristic to her, that was all.
In lieu of anything else, she started playing with her assigned weapon, the knife. Not a knife that would really protect Casey if anyone intruded upon them, of course. But it was an X-Acto knife, something that Casey had used often enough that it seemed more hers than some of the items she had actually packed. In a weird sort of way, the thing was almost a comfort. There was a knife just like it in Casey's room at home, and holding the aluminum shaft somehow made her feel connected to the world she had left.
A lot of the shift was spent trying to figure out if that was a bad thing.
After Casey's internal debate on whether or not she should cling to her little knife, she woke Alice up for her shift and fell back to sleep. And that was that, until the announcements came on.
During the entire stupid speech, Casey sat still, the rest of the world out of her interest. Hearing the names, both the deceased and the killers, was almost otherworldly. Casey had thought that she would cry when the first announcement was read, but instead she just continued to sit and listen. It didn't seem real, that was it. It didn't seem like anything that had actually happened, like anything that could actually happen. In her mind, Casey knew that they were dead, but something instinctive in her just didn't accept it.
She tried to remember every name, anyway. About halfway through Casey thought of using the knife to carve them into something, but that might have been too sentimental. She knew of these kids, sure. They were good at music and on sports teams and Dave Russell was even in the Volunteer Club and she spoke to him sometimes, but it wasn't as if she knew them well. To be so dramatic felt cheap, and unfair to the kids who wouldn't see this day.
Carlos was talking, and Casey quickly snapped back into reality to listen. According to him, the number of students who had died was fairly low, which was interesting. A dark part of her figured that potential murderers wanted to stay on the down-low and not make any waves the first day or so, but that was nothing to dwell on.
"Yeah. It's not a bad sign, at least." She turned to Alice, who seemed to be in her own little world. That was strange. Had any of her friends died? Carlos had mentioned Dave, but those two had never seemed super close. It took Casey a second, mind muddled by fear and confusion, to realize that she was looking in the wrong direction.
Theodore Fletcher, someone Casey barely knew, despite sharing a decent amount of interests with. He was close to Alice, wasn't he? Hell, hadn't they gone to Prom together? Shit, he was currently the island's most wanted, even if only by one kill.
"A-anyway, let's not make any snap judgments based on any of that. That kind of thing always ends in misunderstandings, right Carlos?" Casey could only hope that previous SOTF games would prove this logical-seeming hypothesis, and that Carlos would have proof of that. "We don't know anything about the circumstances of these deaths, and I'm not exactly going to take a terrorist's word as god right away."
There. She didn't bring up any personal notes that might had upset Alice, and she had said what she had believed. Or what she could believe, if she tried. Casey could be content with that.
"Let's have some breakfast, at any rate. We'll make ourselves sick if we don't eat."
It had been a quiet night. Well, as quiet as a night in this place could be, anyway. Casey had spent most of the time before she went to sleep looking around their little hideaway. It wasn't much to see; just a bunch of old and rusted junk that they had piled in front of the doorway almost immediately. But that hadn't always been the case, had it? This place had been an office once, like the one her father had shown her to every Take Your Daughter to Work Day until Casey had decided that the excursion was too childish for her. The filing cabinet had been new, the decks had been clean, and the room would have smelled like paper and ink.
It was a weird thing to think about, but Casey fell asleep quickly enough, and she didn't have time to ponder why it was that she gave a shit about the fucking filing cabinet.
Her shift had been equally uneventful. Casey had finally gone through her bag, hoping to find something useful for their situation. She didn't have much luck. There were still some of the things she brought, excepting electronics. It wasn't as if Casey was going to start playing her PSP as she waited to be attacked, but still. It pissed her off to know that the terrorists probably had it. Her phone too, all the texts her friends from Canada or Germany or Singapore sent her, pictures of her latest projects, a note to buy her mom a birthday card She didn't want them to see any of those.
Maybe that was a petty concern of someone about to die, but whatever. Casey hoped no one bothered to look through the students' things in detail. It just seemed vaguely voyeuristic to her, that was all.
In lieu of anything else, she started playing with her assigned weapon, the knife. Not a knife that would really protect Casey if anyone intruded upon them, of course. But it was an X-Acto knife, something that Casey had used often enough that it seemed more hers than some of the items she had actually packed. In a weird sort of way, the thing was almost a comfort. There was a knife just like it in Casey's room at home, and holding the aluminum shaft somehow made her feel connected to the world she had left.
A lot of the shift was spent trying to figure out if that was a bad thing.
After Casey's internal debate on whether or not she should cling to her little knife, she woke Alice up for her shift and fell back to sleep. And that was that, until the announcements came on.
During the entire stupid speech, Casey sat still, the rest of the world out of her interest. Hearing the names, both the deceased and the killers, was almost otherworldly. Casey had thought that she would cry when the first announcement was read, but instead she just continued to sit and listen. It didn't seem real, that was it. It didn't seem like anything that had actually happened, like anything that could actually happen. In her mind, Casey knew that they were dead, but something instinctive in her just didn't accept it.
She tried to remember every name, anyway. About halfway through Casey thought of using the knife to carve them into something, but that might have been too sentimental. She knew of these kids, sure. They were good at music and on sports teams and Dave Russell was even in the Volunteer Club and she spoke to him sometimes, but it wasn't as if she knew them well. To be so dramatic felt cheap, and unfair to the kids who wouldn't see this day.
Carlos was talking, and Casey quickly snapped back into reality to listen. According to him, the number of students who had died was fairly low, which was interesting. A dark part of her figured that potential murderers wanted to stay on the down-low and not make any waves the first day or so, but that was nothing to dwell on.
"Yeah. It's not a bad sign, at least." She turned to Alice, who seemed to be in her own little world. That was strange. Had any of her friends died? Carlos had mentioned Dave, but those two had never seemed super close. It took Casey a second, mind muddled by fear and confusion, to realize that she was looking in the wrong direction.
Theodore Fletcher, someone Casey barely knew, despite sharing a decent amount of interests with. He was close to Alice, wasn't he? Hell, hadn't they gone to Prom together? Shit, he was currently the island's most wanted, even if only by one kill.
"A-anyway, let's not make any snap judgments based on any of that. That kind of thing always ends in misunderstandings, right Carlos?" Casey could only hope that previous SOTF games would prove this logical-seeming hypothesis, and that Carlos would have proof of that. "We don't know anything about the circumstances of these deaths, and I'm not exactly going to take a terrorist's word as god right away."
There. She didn't bring up any personal notes that might had upset Alice, and she had said what she had believed. Or what she could believe, if she tried. Casey could be content with that.
"Let's have some breakfast, at any rate. We'll make ourselves sick if we don't eat."
Alice distantly noticed that both Carlos and Casey had woken up, distantly heard their voices as they discussed the announcement. Though they had both attempted to reassure Alice, neither managed to give her much comfort.
Less people died because we have less people, total. The exact numbers are different, but the ratios haven't changed at all.
There would always be people like Dave, poor souls who couldn't handle the situation, instead choosing to remove themselves from the game early. There would also always be people like... like Theo. Though Alice did not know what his motivations were, she felt she could guess easily enough. Panic. Fear. Having your mind clouded enough that gunning down not just one, but two of your classmates seems reasonable, seems to be the only option you can take.
Nine people dead on the first day, and things had only just begun. Nine deaths, even while people still tried to futilely cling to their normal lives, while people hadn't yet grasped the true reality of their situation. In the following days, when sorrow turned to rage and fear became all-out paranoia, things would only get worse.
Alice wasn't willing to believe in Casey's statement, either. The terrorists had no reason to lie. If they did, the entire premise of their game would be invalidated. Twist the truth a little, maybe, but they wouldn't straight-up fabricate anything. Nothing could change the fact that Theo was a murderer, that Theo had already become just another person playing along with the terrorist's game, that Theo had betrayed Alice's trust.
Casey's comment about breakfast did manage to bring Alice back to reality, in body if not spirit. It gave her something to focus on, something to think about besides betrayal, besides the question that if she couldn't trust one of her best friends, why was she trusting Casey and someone who she barely knew before the island?
No. I can't start doubting them, now. They've been nothing but supportive the entire time we've been together. This group won't last forever, but I'm not gonna be the one to break it.
Alice dug inside her duffel bag for food, silently beginning her tasteless breakfast of a ration bar and the remainder of her first bottle of water.
Less people died because we have less people, total. The exact numbers are different, but the ratios haven't changed at all.
There would always be people like Dave, poor souls who couldn't handle the situation, instead choosing to remove themselves from the game early. There would also always be people like... like Theo. Though Alice did not know what his motivations were, she felt she could guess easily enough. Panic. Fear. Having your mind clouded enough that gunning down not just one, but two of your classmates seems reasonable, seems to be the only option you can take.
Nine people dead on the first day, and things had only just begun. Nine deaths, even while people still tried to futilely cling to their normal lives, while people hadn't yet grasped the true reality of their situation. In the following days, when sorrow turned to rage and fear became all-out paranoia, things would only get worse.
Alice wasn't willing to believe in Casey's statement, either. The terrorists had no reason to lie. If they did, the entire premise of their game would be invalidated. Twist the truth a little, maybe, but they wouldn't straight-up fabricate anything. Nothing could change the fact that Theo was a murderer, that Theo had already become just another person playing along with the terrorist's game, that Theo had betrayed Alice's trust.
Casey's comment about breakfast did manage to bring Alice back to reality, in body if not spirit. It gave her something to focus on, something to think about besides betrayal, besides the question that if she couldn't trust one of her best friends, why was she trusting Casey and someone who she barely knew before the island?
No. I can't start doubting them, now. They've been nothing but supportive the entire time we've been together. This group won't last forever, but I'm not gonna be the one to break it.
Alice dug inside her duffel bag for food, silently beginning her tasteless breakfast of a ration bar and the remainder of her first bottle of water.
No one spoke after Casey commented about breakfast. Carlos was willing to blame it all on the act of actually opening the bags and taking the food out, but it remained quiet after that. You could literally cut the silence with a knife.
Carlos wasn't exactly hungry. He understood why Casey brought it up, after all dying of thirst and starvation would be a pretty pitiful way to go. He just... didn't feel hungry. And he kept himself hydrated during his shift so it wasn't like he was thirsty. No, he just sat back on the floor while Casey and Alice took care of what they had to do.
Carlos crossed his arms, thinking over what Casey had just said. It made sense, theoretically, but in practice it sounded silly. Considering that he actively watched the show before he came to Washington, Carlos knew for certain that they did not fabricate a thing, even though at the time he believed the opposite. He had thought the exact same thing as Casey when he started out; they had to be faking. They just had to be. Finding out that everything that he had seen, all the killing, was not fake at all filled Carlos with so much dread that it lingered with him for weeks.
So no, Casey had to be wrong. The worst you could pin the announcements on was exaggeration. The terrorists wanted to encourage killing after all, and turning Theo into an active killer would raise suspicions. It stood to reason that Theo could have killed in self-defense; perhaps Gabriella had intended to kill Theo at first but begged Theo to show mercy when the tables were turned. Theo was only human, and it wouldn't be the first time someone killed in a fit of rage.
Fuck. This silence was driving him crazy. He couldn't think about this, let alone talk about it out loud. What would Alice and Casey think if he let slip that he was thinking about this kind of shit? Horrible small talk over the breakfast table, for one. Two... well, they might think that he was planning something. He wasn't, but how the heck would they know that?
Carlos shifted uncomfortably, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He went to check his watch, before realizing that... he didn't have it on. Carlos cursed inaudibly. His watch was electronic! That thing was expensive! They had better not be pawning that shit off. He looked in the direction of Casey, then over at Alice. They were busy eating.
This silence, it was seriously driving him nuts. He had to say something, make small talk, anything just to keep him from getting paranoid!
But what?
"So, uhh," Carlos turned to Casey suddenly. He paused, having no idea where he was going with this. "I've been wondering. What's the getup all about?"
Realizing that Casey might not understand, she gestured to her clothes with a hand. Alice had commented on it the day they met but Carlos wisely kept his mouth shut about it. It was something to talk about, at the very least.
Carlos wasn't exactly hungry. He understood why Casey brought it up, after all dying of thirst and starvation would be a pretty pitiful way to go. He just... didn't feel hungry. And he kept himself hydrated during his shift so it wasn't like he was thirsty. No, he just sat back on the floor while Casey and Alice took care of what they had to do.
Carlos crossed his arms, thinking over what Casey had just said. It made sense, theoretically, but in practice it sounded silly. Considering that he actively watched the show before he came to Washington, Carlos knew for certain that they did not fabricate a thing, even though at the time he believed the opposite. He had thought the exact same thing as Casey when he started out; they had to be faking. They just had to be. Finding out that everything that he had seen, all the killing, was not fake at all filled Carlos with so much dread that it lingered with him for weeks.
So no, Casey had to be wrong. The worst you could pin the announcements on was exaggeration. The terrorists wanted to encourage killing after all, and turning Theo into an active killer would raise suspicions. It stood to reason that Theo could have killed in self-defense; perhaps Gabriella had intended to kill Theo at first but begged Theo to show mercy when the tables were turned. Theo was only human, and it wouldn't be the first time someone killed in a fit of rage.
Fuck. This silence was driving him crazy. He couldn't think about this, let alone talk about it out loud. What would Alice and Casey think if he let slip that he was thinking about this kind of shit? Horrible small talk over the breakfast table, for one. Two... well, they might think that he was planning something. He wasn't, but how the heck would they know that?
Carlos shifted uncomfortably, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He went to check his watch, before realizing that... he didn't have it on. Carlos cursed inaudibly. His watch was electronic! That thing was expensive! They had better not be pawning that shit off. He looked in the direction of Casey, then over at Alice. They were busy eating.
This silence, it was seriously driving him nuts. He had to say something, make small talk, anything just to keep him from getting paranoid!
But what?
"So, uhh," Carlos turned to Casey suddenly. He paused, having no idea where he was going with this. "I've been wondering. What's the getup all about?"
Realizing that Casey might not understand, she gestured to her clothes with a hand. Alice had commented on it the day they met but Carlos wisely kept his mouth shut about it. It was something to talk about, at the very least.
Alice had started on her breakfast, which was all the cue Casey needed to dig in to her own poor excuse for a meal. Not as if she was going to complain, though. After all the walking yesterday, any substance was more than welcome. The ration bar tasted like mush, but Casey finished it off with a long swing from her water bottle.
She should probably start being more careful with her reserves, but for right now it was probably best to slowly wean herself off of her usual habit of eating much more than necessary for survival. If Casey started on a survivalist's diet cold turkey, she would most likely just make herself sick.
As she completed her breakfast, their little camp was nothing but silent. Casey hadn't noticed while she was preoccupied by the food, but now it felt a little weird. At any point, the silence was going to give her more time to get lost in her own thoughts, and that wasn't exactly something she wanted to do. Casey had never really been a talkative person, but even inane chatter had to be better than sitting around and wondering when you would die. So when Carlos turned to her and started to speak, she was grateful.
Until he actually got to his question, that was.
There were a million and one weird things happening on this island. Even avoiding the morbid, there had to be tons of possible conversation starters. Plans for the next day, maybe. Discussion about how they could use their resources. They could even speculate about the fucking weather. But, no, it had to be her outfit.
Okay, calm down. Being embarrassed about that kind of thing in this place was almost unbelievably ridiculous, considering the...well, the situation itself. And hadn't she agreed to wear it on the trip so that she could learn to stop being self-conscious? Alice had even called her clothes kickass earlier. So if she could handle a literal island of death without completely losing her cool, Casey could damn well handle discussing her outfit.
"Y-you mean me, right?" Casey was looking at the ground, fiddling with her little knife. She was probably too red-faced to look Carlos in the eyes right now. "It's nothing. Kind of silly, actually. I was talking to some of my friends about making this for practice...Sewing practice, I mean. It's a bit of a hobby of mine. And I was showing them my progress and they said there wasn't a point to taking so much time making something like that if no one was going to use it and they knew I was going on this trip so they kind of...dared me, I guess. It was like 2am, so of course I agreed."
As she got into the quick and rambling explanation, Casey felt herself slightly smiling. It was dumb, but it felt good to talk about her friends. They were doing fine, she was sure of that. And somehow, knowing that life and lame jokes and stupid post-midnight conversations would still go on in New York or England or Singapore or wherever was comforting. It didn't make much sense, but nothing really did to Casey right now. Her thoughts and emotions were too jumbled to make much sense out of.
"I'm grateful I have these boots, at least." Casey finished. "Hiking around in flip-flops would be hellish."
She should probably start being more careful with her reserves, but for right now it was probably best to slowly wean herself off of her usual habit of eating much more than necessary for survival. If Casey started on a survivalist's diet cold turkey, she would most likely just make herself sick.
As she completed her breakfast, their little camp was nothing but silent. Casey hadn't noticed while she was preoccupied by the food, but now it felt a little weird. At any point, the silence was going to give her more time to get lost in her own thoughts, and that wasn't exactly something she wanted to do. Casey had never really been a talkative person, but even inane chatter had to be better than sitting around and wondering when you would die. So when Carlos turned to her and started to speak, she was grateful.
Until he actually got to his question, that was.
There were a million and one weird things happening on this island. Even avoiding the morbid, there had to be tons of possible conversation starters. Plans for the next day, maybe. Discussion about how they could use their resources. They could even speculate about the fucking weather. But, no, it had to be her outfit.
Okay, calm down. Being embarrassed about that kind of thing in this place was almost unbelievably ridiculous, considering the...well, the situation itself. And hadn't she agreed to wear it on the trip so that she could learn to stop being self-conscious? Alice had even called her clothes kickass earlier. So if she could handle a literal island of death without completely losing her cool, Casey could damn well handle discussing her outfit.
"Y-you mean me, right?" Casey was looking at the ground, fiddling with her little knife. She was probably too red-faced to look Carlos in the eyes right now. "It's nothing. Kind of silly, actually. I was talking to some of my friends about making this for practice...Sewing practice, I mean. It's a bit of a hobby of mine. And I was showing them my progress and they said there wasn't a point to taking so much time making something like that if no one was going to use it and they knew I was going on this trip so they kind of...dared me, I guess. It was like 2am, so of course I agreed."
As she got into the quick and rambling explanation, Casey felt herself slightly smiling. It was dumb, but it felt good to talk about her friends. They were doing fine, she was sure of that. And somehow, knowing that life and lame jokes and stupid post-midnight conversations would still go on in New York or England or Singapore or wherever was comforting. It didn't make much sense, but nothing really did to Casey right now. Her thoughts and emotions were too jumbled to make much sense out of.
"I'm grateful I have these boots, at least." Casey finished. "Hiking around in flip-flops would be hellish."
Breakfast continued on in silence for a bit, Carlos and Casey digging out rations from their respective bags. Alice welcomed the quiet. At the moment, she just wanted to be left alone to her thoughts, try to come to terms with Theo's new status as a murderer. As preferable as it would be to try and deny it, try to justify it, try to do anything besides accepting it, that wasn't the way to survive.
Theo was dangerous, Theo couldn't be trusted. Thinking anything else could very well lead to a bullet in the back, for her trust to be betrayed even further.
Focused as she was on her thoughts, Alice didn't pay Casey and Carlos much mind as they talked in the background, sticking to the safer topic of Casey's outfit. Safer by the standards of their situation, but even more dangerous to Alice. The topic brought with it thoughts of home, fatal thoughts if one dwelt on them. Alice had already bid farewell to her past life; she couldn't afford to think of it once more.
Alice stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and faced the others, though she didn't look at either directly. She still hadn't fully accepted Theo's betrayal, but she needed something to occupy herself. "Done eating? We should move, explore the facility. We can return here when we're finished."
Theo was dangerous, Theo couldn't be trusted. Thinking anything else could very well lead to a bullet in the back, for her trust to be betrayed even further.
Focused as she was on her thoughts, Alice didn't pay Casey and Carlos much mind as they talked in the background, sticking to the safer topic of Casey's outfit. Safer by the standards of their situation, but even more dangerous to Alice. The topic brought with it thoughts of home, fatal thoughts if one dwelt on them. Alice had already bid farewell to her past life; she couldn't afford to think of it once more.
Alice stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and faced the others, though she didn't look at either directly. She still hadn't fully accepted Theo's betrayal, but she needed something to occupy herself. "Done eating? We should move, explore the facility. We can return here when we're finished."
Carlos kept his arms crossed. He noticed a look on Casey's face, and his blood went cold for just a moment. Shit. Was her outfit a touchy subject? If it turned out that Casey was wearing something as some sort of weird tribute for someone who died, man, would he feel like an asshole! It wasn't his fault though! How could he have guessed like that? He barely knew her!
It didn't help that she came back and asked if he was talking to her. Carlos blinked.
"Uhh, yeah. 'Course I'm talking to you." That sounded rude, Carlos noticed. He quickly backtracked. "I mean, yeah, it's a bad time I know. Just. If you don't wanna answer, that's okay. Was just curious."
Casey did answer though. She spoke vaguely, calling it a silly hobby. She sewed the whole outfit herself. Carlos was... impressed. He couldn't tell that it was handsewn. He just thought she was a hipster who bought these clothes on the cheap. But now that she told him that she made it all herself, he didn't feel like sneering. Casey even smiled, which made him feel guilty for judging. Carlos wasn't quite sure what to make of that smile. He adjusted his seat, scratching the side of his head. Well, whatever made her happy.
"Good point," Carlos said with a half-laugh. "Boots are better suited for outdoorsy stuff, I'm guessin'. I'm just worried about the weight. Those clothes look pretty heavy, yeah?"
Carlos kept talking to make up for Alice's silence. He looked over at her quietly. He wanted to ask her if she was alright. Ever since the announcements came on, Alice looked as though she had seen a ghost, which stuck out even further considering that Alice was pale to begin with. Before he could bring the concern up, Alice spoke up.
"Explore?" Carlos said, rubbing the back of his neck. He stole a glance at Casey. "Sure?"
And so timed passed. They explored the The conversation looked to be sparse, and it wasn't like they had anything else to do. Most of the time was spent exploring the rest of the plant. Carlos split from the group several times, but he felt more comfortable sticking with someone else. Even though he was the only one with a weapon, being alone made him feel powerless.
With the clouds slowly climbing over him, Carlos could not rely on the sunlight inside buildings. Carlos was never afraid of the dark as a kid. He was a curious child, sure, but he never relied on a night light or any of that shit. Even so, the abnormal darkness permiating the plant made his heart quicken. The shadows from foreign objects shimmered into unusual shapes, and considering his every step echoed... It gave him the distinct impression that someone was following him.
It turned out to be nothing. No one was following him. Just his imagination. Thinking otherwise would just be silly. But still... It nagged him.
Eventually they came back to the office at dusk. Carlos finally ate. A repeat of the last night, with each other switching off during the night.
Carlos was the last one on shift, allowing him the pleasure of the sunrise. He watched it with what could only be described as abject indifference. His eyes were in a tired squint, slowly turning to look back at Alice, who was laying down close by.
Carlos sighed. Would this be how Carlos died? Waking up, exploring the plant, going back, eating, sleeping, rinse, repeat until he just dropped dead? Yes, in theory. He would prefer this to giving in, but he would rather die than give in so that meant very little.
Carlos rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. He sighed.
The announcement would be coming on soon. He didn't know when, but it was around this time when the last one came on. His plan from day one turned out to still be on the cards. Despite his original intention to simply go it alone, the plan was still working perfectly. They were still alive after all. That was the most important thing, wasn't it?
How long would that last? He wondered in his tired mind.. They would have to be ready for it, when it did happen.
It didn't help that she came back and asked if he was talking to her. Carlos blinked.
"Uhh, yeah. 'Course I'm talking to you." That sounded rude, Carlos noticed. He quickly backtracked. "I mean, yeah, it's a bad time I know. Just. If you don't wanna answer, that's okay. Was just curious."
Casey did answer though. She spoke vaguely, calling it a silly hobby. She sewed the whole outfit herself. Carlos was... impressed. He couldn't tell that it was handsewn. He just thought she was a hipster who bought these clothes on the cheap. But now that she told him that she made it all herself, he didn't feel like sneering. Casey even smiled, which made him feel guilty for judging. Carlos wasn't quite sure what to make of that smile. He adjusted his seat, scratching the side of his head. Well, whatever made her happy.
"Good point," Carlos said with a half-laugh. "Boots are better suited for outdoorsy stuff, I'm guessin'. I'm just worried about the weight. Those clothes look pretty heavy, yeah?"
Carlos kept talking to make up for Alice's silence. He looked over at her quietly. He wanted to ask her if she was alright. Ever since the announcements came on, Alice looked as though she had seen a ghost, which stuck out even further considering that Alice was pale to begin with. Before he could bring the concern up, Alice spoke up.
"Explore?" Carlos said, rubbing the back of his neck. He stole a glance at Casey. "Sure?"
And so timed passed. They explored the The conversation looked to be sparse, and it wasn't like they had anything else to do. Most of the time was spent exploring the rest of the plant. Carlos split from the group several times, but he felt more comfortable sticking with someone else. Even though he was the only one with a weapon, being alone made him feel powerless.
With the clouds slowly climbing over him, Carlos could not rely on the sunlight inside buildings. Carlos was never afraid of the dark as a kid. He was a curious child, sure, but he never relied on a night light or any of that shit. Even so, the abnormal darkness permiating the plant made his heart quicken. The shadows from foreign objects shimmered into unusual shapes, and considering his every step echoed... It gave him the distinct impression that someone was following him.
It turned out to be nothing. No one was following him. Just his imagination. Thinking otherwise would just be silly. But still... It nagged him.
Eventually they came back to the office at dusk. Carlos finally ate. A repeat of the last night, with each other switching off during the night.
Carlos was the last one on shift, allowing him the pleasure of the sunrise. He watched it with what could only be described as abject indifference. His eyes were in a tired squint, slowly turning to look back at Alice, who was laying down close by.
Carlos sighed. Would this be how Carlos died? Waking up, exploring the plant, going back, eating, sleeping, rinse, repeat until he just dropped dead? Yes, in theory. He would prefer this to giving in, but he would rather die than give in so that meant very little.
Carlos rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. He sighed.
The announcement would be coming on soon. He didn't know when, but it was around this time when the last one came on. His plan from day one turned out to still be on the cards. Despite his original intention to simply go it alone, the plan was still working perfectly. They were still alive after all. That was the most important thing, wasn't it?
How long would that last? He wondered in his tired mind.. They would have to be ready for it, when it did happen.
It seemed that Casey's initial reaction to Carlos' question had taken him aback. That had not been her intention, and she quickly attempted some backtracking of her own. "Oh no, no. It's nothing, really." Reluctant as she was to discuss her strange choice of clothing, Casey was grateful for Carlos' attempt to talk about things as mundane and normal as that.
It was kind of surreal, wasn't it? On one hand, the morning announcement assured them that their classmates had given into panic and murder, that it had taken less than a day for the whole place to go all Lord of the Flies on them. On the other, Casey and Carlos were having a conversation like nothing had happened, as if they were still at home. Why the hell was that?
Well, waxing philosophical wasn't going to help anyone, and it wasn't like Casey was very good at that kind of thing anyway, even though she was finding herself lost in thought quite often here. Not like that really should have been a surprise; there wasn't much to do on the island besides thinking.
"The weight's not that bad, honestly." The walking had been a pain, but it probably would have been a pain no matter what she had been wearing. Lighter clothes might have left Casey more open to scratches and bruises anyway. "When I was walking I was worried that I might get too hot with all this on, but that wasn't an issue. I guess I can just deal with being too hot better than I can with being too cold." Casey had been sweaty and tired, sure, but it probably could have been a lot worse.
Looking on the bright side of life on the island of murders, huh? Well that sure was something.
Alice suggested they explore the facility, which seemed to be a pretty great idea. They couldn't hole up in here forever, after all. Casey nodded to Carlos. "Yeah, I'm finished with my food. Let's see what we can find."
She wanted to say something more to Alice, to reassure her friend that everything would turn out fine, that Theo probably had his reasons or was defending himself or was anything but a cold-blooded killer. At the very least, she wanted to be cheerful or encouraging or something. It would all be a pack of lies, of course, but Casey wasn't a bad liar. Still, she just couldn't do it. Couldn't think of what to say, couldn't make herself say it, couldn't come up with anything that didn't sound hokey or fake.
Knowing what to say to people was a challenge even back home. Of course it was even more difficult here. Still, Casey regretted not being able to be a better friend.
And so she went off to scavenge without coming up with anything good to say. The plant was foreign, difficult for Casey to navigate. Every time she split from Carlos and Alice, she felt as if she might never find her way back again. It was like some horror movie shit, wasn't it? Creepy abandoned building, teenagers, splitting up from the group God, it felt like something was going to jump out at her all the time. But it wasn't a movie, right? There were no monsters or madmen for Casey to worry about.
Okay, there were definitely madmen for Casey to worry about. But she didn't run into any of them. She also didn't run into anything of much use, which was a tad disheartening. Still, considering the dangers all around her, Casey could probably consider herself lucky.
As the sky grew darker, they returned to the office they had set off from. Casey ate a quick and tasteless dinner, if it could really be considered as such. She made light conversation, being certain to avoid topics of fellow classmates, terrorist plots, and inevitable death. After that, Casey started first watch.
With Carlos and Alice asleep, or at least attempting to be asleep, Casey was once more alone to have her same-old confusing and frequently contradictory thoughts. She wanted to survive, but she didn't want to play and win this game. She wanted to be smart and not get too attached to people, but she already cared too much about her friends. She wanted to face the reality of the situation like an adult, but it still seemed too fantastic for Casey to wrap her head around...Shit, her head was spinning.
It was a pain to make herself fall asleep after waking Alice up for her watch, but Casey did. And she didn't wake up until a few minutes before the next day's announcements, stretching her arms out and yawning.
It was kind of surreal, wasn't it? On one hand, the morning announcement assured them that their classmates had given into panic and murder, that it had taken less than a day for the whole place to go all Lord of the Flies on them. On the other, Casey and Carlos were having a conversation like nothing had happened, as if they were still at home. Why the hell was that?
Well, waxing philosophical wasn't going to help anyone, and it wasn't like Casey was very good at that kind of thing anyway, even though she was finding herself lost in thought quite often here. Not like that really should have been a surprise; there wasn't much to do on the island besides thinking.
"The weight's not that bad, honestly." The walking had been a pain, but it probably would have been a pain no matter what she had been wearing. Lighter clothes might have left Casey more open to scratches and bruises anyway. "When I was walking I was worried that I might get too hot with all this on, but that wasn't an issue. I guess I can just deal with being too hot better than I can with being too cold." Casey had been sweaty and tired, sure, but it probably could have been a lot worse.
Looking on the bright side of life on the island of murders, huh? Well that sure was something.
Alice suggested they explore the facility, which seemed to be a pretty great idea. They couldn't hole up in here forever, after all. Casey nodded to Carlos. "Yeah, I'm finished with my food. Let's see what we can find."
She wanted to say something more to Alice, to reassure her friend that everything would turn out fine, that Theo probably had his reasons or was defending himself or was anything but a cold-blooded killer. At the very least, she wanted to be cheerful or encouraging or something. It would all be a pack of lies, of course, but Casey wasn't a bad liar. Still, she just couldn't do it. Couldn't think of what to say, couldn't make herself say it, couldn't come up with anything that didn't sound hokey or fake.
Knowing what to say to people was a challenge even back home. Of course it was even more difficult here. Still, Casey regretted not being able to be a better friend.
And so she went off to scavenge without coming up with anything good to say. The plant was foreign, difficult for Casey to navigate. Every time she split from Carlos and Alice, she felt as if she might never find her way back again. It was like some horror movie shit, wasn't it? Creepy abandoned building, teenagers, splitting up from the group God, it felt like something was going to jump out at her all the time. But it wasn't a movie, right? There were no monsters or madmen for Casey to worry about.
Okay, there were definitely madmen for Casey to worry about. But she didn't run into any of them. She also didn't run into anything of much use, which was a tad disheartening. Still, considering the dangers all around her, Casey could probably consider herself lucky.
As the sky grew darker, they returned to the office they had set off from. Casey ate a quick and tasteless dinner, if it could really be considered as such. She made light conversation, being certain to avoid topics of fellow classmates, terrorist plots, and inevitable death. After that, Casey started first watch.
With Carlos and Alice asleep, or at least attempting to be asleep, Casey was once more alone to have her same-old confusing and frequently contradictory thoughts. She wanted to survive, but she didn't want to play and win this game. She wanted to be smart and not get too attached to people, but she already cared too much about her friends. She wanted to face the reality of the situation like an adult, but it still seemed too fantastic for Casey to wrap her head around...Shit, her head was spinning.
It was a pain to make herself fall asleep after waking Alice up for her watch, but Casey did. And she didn't wake up until a few minutes before the next day's announcements, stretching her arms out and yawning.
Surprisingly enough, Alice lived to see another day.
It'd been eerie, walking around the old, abandoned facility; especially when she had split off from the rest of the group, knowing that there could be someone lurking behind every corner. However, it was also calming, in a way. Aside from Carlos and Casey, Alice didn't run into a single living soul, nor any recently created corpses.
Alice had been free to simply wander, investigate, uncover what traces remained of the people that had once worked there. Though the day was spent without finding anything particularly useful, there was still something oddly beautiful about an abandoned building. It was almost serene, seeing how parts of the facility had begun to crumble away, begun to let nature reclaim it.
It was the perfect subject for one of Alice's landscape sketches, and after a while of being tormented by the lack of her sketchpad, Alice eventually gave in and foraged for paper and writing utensils, after which she spent a happy hour simply taking a seat by a particularly pretty scene and drawing.
Though the facility acted as a fortunate distraction, Alice still hadn't been able to completely take her mind off of Theo or the situation at large. It certainly helped to calm her down, to clear her head; though, and by the end of the day Alice had managed to almost fully accept that one of her best friends had become a murderer.
The night was uneventful. Alice slept a light, dreamless sleep until she was woken by Casey to take the second shift. She spent the majority of her shift idly sketching her surroundings on the paper she had scrounged up, passing by the time before she was able to wake Carlos for his shift and once again attempt to sleep.
Alice continued to drift in and out of sleep for the rest of the night until she woke up to the sun's rays lighting the room. The announcement came soon afterward, Alice simply closing her eyes and listening.
She'd gotten better at distancing herself. Alice felt no reaction (or at least had managed to convince herself that she felt no reaction) to most of the listed names, but two gave her pause. Carmina had gotten herself killed the day after she had discovered Alice, sitting shell-shocked on the bench by the scenic overlook. Alice hadn't known the girl, hadn't even liked the girl, but it was still jarring that someone she had seen only two days before was now dead.
Theo's third kill no longer came as a surprise, Alice practically expecting it. It was twisted, but Alice was almost glad. A third kill only confirmed what she had spent the entire previous day convincing herself of. Theo could never be trusted again. Simple.
After the announcement finished, Alice slowly sat up, leaned her back against the wall, put her glasses on. She sighed, looking at the others. "Guess we've made it through another day, then."
It'd been eerie, walking around the old, abandoned facility; especially when she had split off from the rest of the group, knowing that there could be someone lurking behind every corner. However, it was also calming, in a way. Aside from Carlos and Casey, Alice didn't run into a single living soul, nor any recently created corpses.
Alice had been free to simply wander, investigate, uncover what traces remained of the people that had once worked there. Though the day was spent without finding anything particularly useful, there was still something oddly beautiful about an abandoned building. It was almost serene, seeing how parts of the facility had begun to crumble away, begun to let nature reclaim it.
It was the perfect subject for one of Alice's landscape sketches, and after a while of being tormented by the lack of her sketchpad, Alice eventually gave in and foraged for paper and writing utensils, after which she spent a happy hour simply taking a seat by a particularly pretty scene and drawing.
Though the facility acted as a fortunate distraction, Alice still hadn't been able to completely take her mind off of Theo or the situation at large. It certainly helped to calm her down, to clear her head; though, and by the end of the day Alice had managed to almost fully accept that one of her best friends had become a murderer.
The night was uneventful. Alice slept a light, dreamless sleep until she was woken by Casey to take the second shift. She spent the majority of her shift idly sketching her surroundings on the paper she had scrounged up, passing by the time before she was able to wake Carlos for his shift and once again attempt to sleep.
Alice continued to drift in and out of sleep for the rest of the night until she woke up to the sun's rays lighting the room. The announcement came soon afterward, Alice simply closing her eyes and listening.
She'd gotten better at distancing herself. Alice felt no reaction (or at least had managed to convince herself that she felt no reaction) to most of the listed names, but two gave her pause. Carmina had gotten herself killed the day after she had discovered Alice, sitting shell-shocked on the bench by the scenic overlook. Alice hadn't known the girl, hadn't even liked the girl, but it was still jarring that someone she had seen only two days before was now dead.
Theo's third kill no longer came as a surprise, Alice practically expecting it. It was twisted, but Alice was almost glad. A third kill only confirmed what she had spent the entire previous day convincing herself of. Theo could never be trusted again. Simple.
After the announcement finished, Alice slowly sat up, leaned her back against the wall, put her glasses on. She sighed, looking at the others. "Guess we've made it through another day, then."
(I'm seriously sorry about the wait with this guys.)
Carlos felt his lips purse involuntarily when the announcements started. Really, he wish he could just ignore them, just force them out of his ears and thoughts entirely. However, even if the vibrations from the speakers weren't so noisy his morbid curiosity could not be sated. He cracked a smirk Naomi Bell and Summer Simms were mentioned, though he quickly hid it from the others. Carlos missed Danya though, the old one. This guy wasn't nearly as good. What happened to the old one?
Smudges of sweat still dotted his forehead, despite the temperature. Carlos would have normally complained whenever the temperature moved past fifty, having been used to much warmer weather, but his body felt unusually warm. He could not fathom why. Stress? That was the only real explanation he could come up with. He sat up at his place, stealing a glance at Casey as she was just waking up.
The announcements ended soon after. Carlos crossed his arms and sighed. As much as he was glad that they were safe for another day, paranoia kept nibbling at his shins. They were probably lucky enough to not be in a danger zone! Still, it took him a very long time until he managed to respond to Alice.
"Yeah, I guess we have survived another day."
Carlos trailed off, but sighed soon after.
"Look, I'm pretty sure this is a gamble," he said, "but our best option is to hole ourselves up in here as long as we can.
He paused, looking between Alice and Casey.
"It would be silly to just leave right now when we don't have to. We haven't seen another soul for ages. That ain't reason enough to flat out assume no one will come along and find us, I'm pretty sure this place is better than wandering around outside."
Carlos paused a second time, looking out the window. The clouds above looked darker, more foreboding. It didn't sit right with him.
" 'Sides, it looks like it might rain. I don't know if it will or not, just looks nasty. If they make this place a dangerzone tomorrow, no problem. We just put our stuff where we remember so we can book it real quick. Sounds pretty simple, yeah?"
Carlos might have been oversimplifying. He knew quite well that they recorded everything students did or said, which meant they had to know there were people holing up in an office building. But would that be enough of a target? As far as Carlos knew, no one had stumbled across their little hiding spot. Perhaps the people running the show would just forget about them? Didn't seem very likely but they had to try.
Whatever. The final decision would be up to the other two. Carlos would be perfectly fine staying another night if it meant staying safe.
(Carlos Lazaro continued in Waking up to Ash and Dust)
Carlos felt his lips purse involuntarily when the announcements started. Really, he wish he could just ignore them, just force them out of his ears and thoughts entirely. However, even if the vibrations from the speakers weren't so noisy his morbid curiosity could not be sated. He cracked a smirk Naomi Bell and Summer Simms were mentioned, though he quickly hid it from the others. Carlos missed Danya though, the old one. This guy wasn't nearly as good. What happened to the old one?
Smudges of sweat still dotted his forehead, despite the temperature. Carlos would have normally complained whenever the temperature moved past fifty, having been used to much warmer weather, but his body felt unusually warm. He could not fathom why. Stress? That was the only real explanation he could come up with. He sat up at his place, stealing a glance at Casey as she was just waking up.
The announcements ended soon after. Carlos crossed his arms and sighed. As much as he was glad that they were safe for another day, paranoia kept nibbling at his shins. They were probably lucky enough to not be in a danger zone! Still, it took him a very long time until he managed to respond to Alice.
"Yeah, I guess we have survived another day."
Carlos trailed off, but sighed soon after.
"Look, I'm pretty sure this is a gamble," he said, "but our best option is to hole ourselves up in here as long as we can.
He paused, looking between Alice and Casey.
"It would be silly to just leave right now when we don't have to. We haven't seen another soul for ages. That ain't reason enough to flat out assume no one will come along and find us, I'm pretty sure this place is better than wandering around outside."
Carlos paused a second time, looking out the window. The clouds above looked darker, more foreboding. It didn't sit right with him.
" 'Sides, it looks like it might rain. I don't know if it will or not, just looks nasty. If they make this place a dangerzone tomorrow, no problem. We just put our stuff where we remember so we can book it real quick. Sounds pretty simple, yeah?"
Carlos might have been oversimplifying. He knew quite well that they recorded everything students did or said, which meant they had to know there were people holing up in an office building. But would that be enough of a target? As far as Carlos knew, no one had stumbled across their little hiding spot. Perhaps the people running the show would just forget about them? Didn't seem very likely but they had to try.
Whatever. The final decision would be up to the other two. Carlos would be perfectly fine staying another night if it meant staying safe.
(Carlos Lazaro continued in Waking up to Ash and Dust)
The announcements came on, more names that Casey could put faces to. Still, she didn't cry. The whole thing was too far away from Casey for her to cry. Instead, she breathed a silent thanks or prayer or whatever to the luck that had allowed her to find Carlos and Alice.
On that thought, the announcements ended. There was silence for a second, until Alice's sigh broke the morning quiet. After that, the other girl made a simple statement that Carlos echoed. Casey said the same thing, quietly enough that she wasn't one hundred percent sure the others could even hear it.
"Another day."
Coming from all of them like that, one after the other, Casey couldn't help thinking that it sounded almost like a mantra.
More pressing to their situation was Carlos' suggestion. Staying in this place for more time was risky, Casey knew. It was probably luck that had kept them out of trouble for the last couple days, and it was only a matter of time before someone stumbled across there little hideout. But wasn't that true wherever they went? Wouldn't it be better to have the confrontation, if there had to be one, on familiar ground?
"I think you have a point." Casey responded, fidgeting with her little knife. "Whether we leave or stay here, it's going to be a gamble. Anyway, we know this area's going to be safe tonight, and if it's a danger zone tomorrow, we can just leave then. Maybe it's better to take our chances here than to risk getting lost out there, at least for now. Plus, I'm sure we can scare away any intruders."
Casey's slightly sleep-deprived mind had meant the last part as a joke, and she punctuated it with a grin to Carlos. As soon as she realized it wasn't really funny, Casey quickly broke eye contact and became extremely interested in the office floor.
The rain was another consideration. Casey was no weatherman, but she had lived in Seattle long enough to know when rain seemed like it was coming, even if only a little. Perhaps it was silly to even consider rain an issue in a situation where their lives were on the line, but to Casey death was still a far-away and strange possibility, while rain was a known quantity. Besides, she hadn't been sleeping or eating very well since she got here, and there was no reason to add another annoyance to her list, even if it was just a little one.
"Anyway, what I'm saying is that I'm fine staying here for longer. What do you think, Alice?" Casey asked her friend while unwrapping tonight's breakfast. The food wasn't great, but in the grand scheme of things, she was fine.
They had made it another day.
(Casey Malkovich continued in Waking up to Ash and Dust)
On that thought, the announcements ended. There was silence for a second, until Alice's sigh broke the morning quiet. After that, the other girl made a simple statement that Carlos echoed. Casey said the same thing, quietly enough that she wasn't one hundred percent sure the others could even hear it.
"Another day."
Coming from all of them like that, one after the other, Casey couldn't help thinking that it sounded almost like a mantra.
More pressing to their situation was Carlos' suggestion. Staying in this place for more time was risky, Casey knew. It was probably luck that had kept them out of trouble for the last couple days, and it was only a matter of time before someone stumbled across there little hideout. But wasn't that true wherever they went? Wouldn't it be better to have the confrontation, if there had to be one, on familiar ground?
"I think you have a point." Casey responded, fidgeting with her little knife. "Whether we leave or stay here, it's going to be a gamble. Anyway, we know this area's going to be safe tonight, and if it's a danger zone tomorrow, we can just leave then. Maybe it's better to take our chances here than to risk getting lost out there, at least for now. Plus, I'm sure we can scare away any intruders."
Casey's slightly sleep-deprived mind had meant the last part as a joke, and she punctuated it with a grin to Carlos. As soon as she realized it wasn't really funny, Casey quickly broke eye contact and became extremely interested in the office floor.
The rain was another consideration. Casey was no weatherman, but she had lived in Seattle long enough to know when rain seemed like it was coming, even if only a little. Perhaps it was silly to even consider rain an issue in a situation where their lives were on the line, but to Casey death was still a far-away and strange possibility, while rain was a known quantity. Besides, she hadn't been sleeping or eating very well since she got here, and there was no reason to add another annoyance to her list, even if it was just a little one.
"Anyway, what I'm saying is that I'm fine staying here for longer. What do you think, Alice?" Casey asked her friend while unwrapping tonight's breakfast. The food wasn't great, but in the grand scheme of things, she was fine.
They had made it another day.
(Casey Malkovich continued in Waking up to Ash and Dust)
Alice smiled slightly as the others echoed her statement. Their futures were still bleak, but all three of them had managed to survive unscathed through the first three days of the game, which was far more than could be said for most of their classmates.
She nodded at Carlos as he suggested that they stay put for another day. Past performance definitely did not guarantee future results, but their isolated little corner of island had so far kept them hidden from any hostile eyes.
Rain, though a lesser concern, would still best be avoided if possible. Alice did, in fact like the rain, when she had a place to take shelter. It was a very peaceful thing to fall asleep or draw to, after all. However, an attempt to travel across the island while dealing with a storm would not be anything close to a good idea.
Also, her glasses would get all wet, and thus incredibly hard to see through. Even when in life or death situations, some things were just way too much of a pain to deal with.
Casey sounded her agreement with Carlos, though Alice was very put off by what seemed to be an attempt at a joke. As unlikely as it seemed to be, Alice was, in fact, terrified of the possibility of someone trying to break into their shelter. Casey's small knife wouldn't provide any real protection, and they'd be at the mercy of their assailant.
Casey seemed to realize her mistake, though, and prompted Alice for her opinion. "Yeah." She said quietly. "It's safer here, no real reason to leave, yet." With that decided, Alice started eating her own breakfast. They'd have to go scavenging for more, eventually, but for now their supplies would last a while.
Remembering Casey's words, Alice did her best to just try and avoid thinking about the ever-present possibility of a violent and almost certainly excruciatingly painful death. She definitely avoided thinking about how it'd feel to be shot, to be stabbed, to see the corpses of your friends as you slowly faded away, yourself.
Alice realized that she was very bad at not thinking about things.
((Alice Gilman: Continued elsewhere.))
She nodded at Carlos as he suggested that they stay put for another day. Past performance definitely did not guarantee future results, but their isolated little corner of island had so far kept them hidden from any hostile eyes.
Rain, though a lesser concern, would still best be avoided if possible. Alice did, in fact like the rain, when she had a place to take shelter. It was a very peaceful thing to fall asleep or draw to, after all. However, an attempt to travel across the island while dealing with a storm would not be anything close to a good idea.
Also, her glasses would get all wet, and thus incredibly hard to see through. Even when in life or death situations, some things were just way too much of a pain to deal with.
Casey sounded her agreement with Carlos, though Alice was very put off by what seemed to be an attempt at a joke. As unlikely as it seemed to be, Alice was, in fact, terrified of the possibility of someone trying to break into their shelter. Casey's small knife wouldn't provide any real protection, and they'd be at the mercy of their assailant.
Casey seemed to realize her mistake, though, and prompted Alice for her opinion. "Yeah." She said quietly. "It's safer here, no real reason to leave, yet." With that decided, Alice started eating her own breakfast. They'd have to go scavenging for more, eventually, but for now their supplies would last a while.
Remembering Casey's words, Alice did her best to just try and avoid thinking about the ever-present possibility of a violent and almost certainly excruciatingly painful death. She definitely avoided thinking about how it'd feel to be shot, to be stabbed, to see the corpses of your friends as you slowly faded away, yourself.
Alice realized that she was very bad at not thinking about things.
((Alice Gilman: Continued elsewhere.))