Alex was only vaguely aware of what was going on around her, so it was a surprise when Jessica wrapped her arms around her. Alex let her friend fold her into a hug, sobbing against her friend's shoulder.
"He's
he's gone. He's really gone. One
one of them took him from me," she thought as she tried to get her tears under control.
"ALEX! OI! Over here!" Jason practically laughed. "Is everything okay, well, relatively?"
Alex stiffened in the hug and pulled away from Jessica a little. She shook her head as Jason's enthusiastic greeting. He always seemed to have a knack for sticking his foot in his mouth. He'd managed to do it more that once when they were at the bowling alley after prom. Not that Roman had helped things along much. Roman had taken an instant dislike to Jason and they argued about it off and on for the next week.
Roman. Alex's gaze once again drifted to her brother's body and for the first time she noticed the note someone had
had TAPED to his body.
"... C-Could you give her a minute?" she put it simply.
Alex leaned forward and ripped the note from Roman's shirt, balled it up and threw it as hard as she could away from her brother. She stood and looked at her two friends. "I'm okay. Well no, I'm not, but I can function, somewhat. Just bear with me. K," she said rambling, needing to fill the air with words.
If it got quiet she'd drift back to Roman and then she'd be a sitting duck once more, lost in memories and what ifs. Better to focus on what was going on now. Focus on Jessica, Jason, and Acacia. Acacia would pay for taking her brother from her. Roman had trusted her and she'd killed him. Well, if that's how she was going to play this sick game, then Alex was in. And Jojo, she had a few choice words for him as well.
Instinct
"... C-Could you give her a minute?" The other girl with Alex requested. What was her name, Jocelyn, Jennifer, no, wait. Jessica. That was it. What was going on ...
"I'm okay. Well no, I'm not, but I can function, somewhat. Just bear with me. 'K," Alex looked at him after shaking her head, and he noticed the tears. Wait, what? What's going on?
"Alex, what happened?" Jason's face fell as his jubilation was suddenly replaced with concern. He noted Roman's form. Funny. Roman should have woken up, what with Jason practically announcing his presence. In fact, as Jason stepped closer to Roman, he noted that Roman's shirt, it was stained red, and when he knelt down, Roman didn't seem to be doing ...
Oh, no. Jason moved back slowly. That's what had happened. Admittedly, Jason and Roman hadn't been on the best of terms, but still ...
"Oh, my ... Alex, I ... I am so sorry." Jason stammered. Now he felt like a right prick. "I'll, I'll just stay right here if you need me." He didn't risk saying anything more. No way was he going to make Alex feel any worse than she did now.
"I'm okay. Well no, I'm not, but I can function, somewhat. Just bear with me. 'K," Alex looked at him after shaking her head, and he noticed the tears. Wait, what? What's going on?
"Alex, what happened?" Jason's face fell as his jubilation was suddenly replaced with concern. He noted Roman's form. Funny. Roman should have woken up, what with Jason practically announcing his presence. In fact, as Jason stepped closer to Roman, he noted that Roman's shirt, it was stained red, and when he knelt down, Roman didn't seem to be doing ...
Oh, no. Jason moved back slowly. That's what had happened. Admittedly, Jason and Roman hadn't been on the best of terms, but still ...
"Oh, my ... Alex, I ... I am so sorry." Jason stammered. Now he felt like a right prick. "I'll, I'll just stay right here if you need me." He didn't risk saying anything more. No way was he going to make Alex feel any worse than she did now.
Survivor: UCONN - Seriously, it's awesome!
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
It was as if Jessica had not comforted Alex at all. She really wasn't surprised - it was all understandable, she figured. Roman was... Alex was tormented, that's all that Jessica needed to know. She couldn't truly understand how Alex felt about it. Jessica was an only child after all. She turned to Jason, who seemed to have connected the dots pretty easily... not that there were many dots to connect in the first place.
Maybe... Maybe they wouldn't be alright.
Jessica stayed silent. There was nothing else for her to do at this point. She looked up at Jason, took a step away from Alex and turned away. Maybe it would be best just to leave Alex alone... she needed to be alone. That's what she said right? Bear with her?
Maybe... Maybe they wouldn't be alright.
Jessica stayed silent. There was nothing else for her to do at this point. She looked up at Jason, took a step away from Alex and turned away. Maybe it would be best just to leave Alex alone... she needed to be alone. That's what she said right? Bear with her?
-
Hollyquin*
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
[[Hayley Kelly continued from Make/Break]]
No one can run forever.
Least of all Hayley Kelly.
She did pretty well though, all things considered. She didn't realize until it was way too late that she had no idea what direction she was running in, and that they could easily run afoul of the dangerzone'd Fun Fair. Of course, if their collars started beeping, they'd just turn around and run the other way, yeah? Though running away from mister-trigger-happy meant that turning around probably wasn't a good idea. Besides, passing the infirmary- which she was quite certain was north of the forest- brightened her up a bit. So they were going north.
That's new.
It was a quiet run, if only because running away from a guy with a rifle didn't seem like much of an occasion for chatter. Especially because Hayley didn't particularly want to talk. The obvious thing, the most obvious thing to think would be that she was still coming to terms with what she'd done. Still trying to grasp that she'd killed someone, Skank Jen Romita, with planning (ish) and full intent. Not an accident, not a panicked mistake, not self-defense. Murder.
But no, she was totally aware of that.
She was more trying to come to terms with exactly how few fucks she gave.
I killed someone. Killed someone. Murder, like. Without justification or reason or any of that. Killed someone! Why is this not bothering me? Aren't I supposed to freak out and start crying and be all, OH, KYLE, EMA, I'M SO SORRY, I MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE. I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON. YOU SHOULD LEAVE ME. OH, BOO HOO, BOO FUCKING HOO, why am I not doing that? I need to tell them, I know that, I'm not waiting again, fuck! Why don't I feel guilty? That would be normal, am I going crazy out here now? Am I gonna go all, like, Rizzolo on everyone's ass?
Were you particularly normal to begin with?
No. I know. But I didn't. Don't. Kill people.
Yes, you do.
Yes I do. Shut up. Aren't inner voices supposed to give, like, advice and shit. Helpful advice? That doesn't make me wish I could stab my own internal monologue in the head?
This really isn't a monologue, girly, it's a dialogue. Two voices, you know.
Is it still a dialogue if they're both me?
Her inner voice had no answer to that one.
Eventually they stopped running. There hadn't been a gunshot since the first, and unless the boy had been stalking them in silence (unlikely), they'd lost him. And covered quite a distance, it seemed like. Hayley kept walking, but she sighed a loud sigh of obvious relief.
But she still didn't want to talk to them. That was understandable. Just because she wasn't feeling guilty didn't mean they weren't gonna crucify her for it.
She blocked out the awkward silence, and the pressure to speak, by singing. Quietly. To herself.
Wake up on your own, and look around you, cause you're not alone...
Release your high hopes and they'll survive, cause this is the future, and you are alive...
That kind of emphasized the whole crazy thing, actually.
Also, terrible song choice on my part.
She stopped, giggled nervously, why am I giggling that is a terrible reaction to this situation oh god I sound like I'm cracking and let the awkward silence fill the air around the trio with its...awkwardness. Whatever. It was oppressive, oppressive enough to keep anyone from talking.
At least until they ran smack into another group.
Well. Ran smack into wasn't the right what is that? it's not a metaphor, not really a euphemism either, fuck if I know. Anyway, ran smack into implied that they actually collided, or at least that both groups saw the other. What actually happened was Hayley spotted another group in the near distance. Two girls and a boy, apparently freaking out over something. Hayley didn't know and she didn't really want a part in it, so she pulled the other two behind the nearest tree stump (and hell, there were plenty of those to go around) and sat down herself.
"Well," she whispered. "This has been a wonderfully eventful day so far. What should we do? They could be friendly, or, you know, probably not. I mean...it's day five."
It seemed counterproductive speaking now, but as long as they had something to talk about that wasn't the vicious murder of Jen Romita, which Hayley did not give two shits about, all was well in the world. Besides, she had to figure this out. She'd rather know what the other two were thinking before she told them that her outlook on this whole deal had gotten a hell of a lot more brutal in the last few hours.
You could always kill these guys too. They're not any different than Skank Romita.
Guess not.
No one can run forever.
Least of all Hayley Kelly.
She did pretty well though, all things considered. She didn't realize until it was way too late that she had no idea what direction she was running in, and that they could easily run afoul of the dangerzone'd Fun Fair. Of course, if their collars started beeping, they'd just turn around and run the other way, yeah? Though running away from mister-trigger-happy meant that turning around probably wasn't a good idea. Besides, passing the infirmary- which she was quite certain was north of the forest- brightened her up a bit. So they were going north.
That's new.
It was a quiet run, if only because running away from a guy with a rifle didn't seem like much of an occasion for chatter. Especially because Hayley didn't particularly want to talk. The obvious thing, the most obvious thing to think would be that she was still coming to terms with what she'd done. Still trying to grasp that she'd killed someone, Skank Jen Romita, with planning (ish) and full intent. Not an accident, not a panicked mistake, not self-defense. Murder.
But no, she was totally aware of that.
She was more trying to come to terms with exactly how few fucks she gave.
I killed someone. Killed someone. Murder, like. Without justification or reason or any of that. Killed someone! Why is this not bothering me? Aren't I supposed to freak out and start crying and be all, OH, KYLE, EMA, I'M SO SORRY, I MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE. I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON. YOU SHOULD LEAVE ME. OH, BOO HOO, BOO FUCKING HOO, why am I not doing that? I need to tell them, I know that, I'm not waiting again, fuck! Why don't I feel guilty? That would be normal, am I going crazy out here now? Am I gonna go all, like, Rizzolo on everyone's ass?
Were you particularly normal to begin with?
No. I know. But I didn't. Don't. Kill people.
Yes, you do.
Yes I do. Shut up. Aren't inner voices supposed to give, like, advice and shit. Helpful advice? That doesn't make me wish I could stab my own internal monologue in the head?
This really isn't a monologue, girly, it's a dialogue. Two voices, you know.
Is it still a dialogue if they're both me?
Her inner voice had no answer to that one.
Eventually they stopped running. There hadn't been a gunshot since the first, and unless the boy had been stalking them in silence (unlikely), they'd lost him. And covered quite a distance, it seemed like. Hayley kept walking, but she sighed a loud sigh of obvious relief.
But she still didn't want to talk to them. That was understandable. Just because she wasn't feeling guilty didn't mean they weren't gonna crucify her for it.
She blocked out the awkward silence, and the pressure to speak, by singing. Quietly. To herself.
Wake up on your own, and look around you, cause you're not alone...
Release your high hopes and they'll survive, cause this is the future, and you are alive...
That kind of emphasized the whole crazy thing, actually.
Also, terrible song choice on my part.
She stopped, giggled nervously, why am I giggling that is a terrible reaction to this situation oh god I sound like I'm cracking and let the awkward silence fill the air around the trio with its...awkwardness. Whatever. It was oppressive, oppressive enough to keep anyone from talking.
At least until they ran smack into another group.
Well. Ran smack into wasn't the right what is that? it's not a metaphor, not really a euphemism either, fuck if I know. Anyway, ran smack into implied that they actually collided, or at least that both groups saw the other. What actually happened was Hayley spotted another group in the near distance. Two girls and a boy, apparently freaking out over something. Hayley didn't know and she didn't really want a part in it, so she pulled the other two behind the nearest tree stump (and hell, there were plenty of those to go around) and sat down herself.
"Well," she whispered. "This has been a wonderfully eventful day so far. What should we do? They could be friendly, or, you know, probably not. I mean...it's day five."
It seemed counterproductive speaking now, but as long as they had something to talk about that wasn't the vicious murder of Jen Romita, which Hayley did not give two shits about, all was well in the world. Besides, she had to figure this out. She'd rather know what the other two were thinking before she told them that her outlook on this whole deal had gotten a hell of a lot more brutal in the last few hours.
You could always kill these guys too. They're not any different than Skank Romita.
Guess not.
[Make/Break --> Ema Ryan]
Whilst running, the opportunity to think presented itself after a while. The immediate danger seemed to have passed, and being followed couldn't be easy; when none of the three of them seemed to know where they were going, how could anyone else figure it out? So Ema started thinking again. The fourth gunshot had definitely been different to the first three, but going by the difference in sounds in Call of Duty, and common sense with regards to the passage of events, Hayley had been the first to shoot. But that wasn't to say she'd instigated the situation, especially considering that the mystery other person apparently had a gun of their own, and probably a bigger, more dangerous-looking one.
She was halfway through wondering if it had been a pre-emptive strike when the trio emerged from the trees, into a vast field of stumps. Ema had been here before, a few days previously, and knew straight away that they must've been going North, not South. Which put them further from the presumed location of Alex and friends.
Before Ema had a chance to catch up to Hayley and Kyle and bring the realisation up, another group came into view. She couldn't tell why, but they seemed to be agitated. Some shouting, a lot of less audible conversation. Hayley came to a stop, using one of the taller stumps for cover. Ema followed her lead, and hid behind a similarly large ex-tree.
"Well, This has been a wonderfully eventful day so far. What should we do? They could be friendly, or, you know, probably not. I mean...it's day five."
Good point. By now, the majority of people would be either out for blood, or expecting everyone else to be. Most of them would've already had a brush with combat, and be wary of anyone that wasn't in their own little group. Just strolling up to them, armed to the teeth as they were with two blades and a handgun, definitely not a great plan.
Getting the jump on them might help. They might have more guns. If not, extra food's always good.
By now, that voice had been meeting less and less objection. Ema certainly agreed with the utility of the idea, if not the morality. She turned to Hayley, replying "I didn't see if they were armed, but... best to play it safe, right? Don't give them a chance or a reason to murder us dead."
That was a vague enough response. Didn't imply she was starting to see other students as sources of supplies and firepower outright, at least. Hayley and Kyle could take from that what they would.
Whilst running, the opportunity to think presented itself after a while. The immediate danger seemed to have passed, and being followed couldn't be easy; when none of the three of them seemed to know where they were going, how could anyone else figure it out? So Ema started thinking again. The fourth gunshot had definitely been different to the first three, but going by the difference in sounds in Call of Duty, and common sense with regards to the passage of events, Hayley had been the first to shoot. But that wasn't to say she'd instigated the situation, especially considering that the mystery other person apparently had a gun of their own, and probably a bigger, more dangerous-looking one.
She was halfway through wondering if it had been a pre-emptive strike when the trio emerged from the trees, into a vast field of stumps. Ema had been here before, a few days previously, and knew straight away that they must've been going North, not South. Which put them further from the presumed location of Alex and friends.
Before Ema had a chance to catch up to Hayley and Kyle and bring the realisation up, another group came into view. She couldn't tell why, but they seemed to be agitated. Some shouting, a lot of less audible conversation. Hayley came to a stop, using one of the taller stumps for cover. Ema followed her lead, and hid behind a similarly large ex-tree.
"Well, This has been a wonderfully eventful day so far. What should we do? They could be friendly, or, you know, probably not. I mean...it's day five."
Good point. By now, the majority of people would be either out for blood, or expecting everyone else to be. Most of them would've already had a brush with combat, and be wary of anyone that wasn't in their own little group. Just strolling up to them, armed to the teeth as they were with two blades and a handgun, definitely not a great plan.
Getting the jump on them might help. They might have more guns. If not, extra food's always good.
By now, that voice had been meeting less and less objection. Ema certainly agreed with the utility of the idea, if not the morality. She turned to Hayley, replying "I didn't see if they were armed, but... best to play it safe, right? Don't give them a chance or a reason to murder us dead."
That was a vague enough response. Didn't imply she was starting to see other students as sources of supplies and firepower outright, at least. Hayley and Kyle could take from that what they would.
"What happened? What happened is," Alex threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know what happened. I know that when I went to sleep Roman was alive and there were five of us and when I woke up Jessica and I were here and Roman was," she choked fighting back a sob. "So you tell me Jason what happened."
Alex turned and looked back towards Roman and sighed. Her first day on the island she'd come across a dead body and wanted to bury it. She would do no less for her brother. Kneeling on to the ground she began digging.
Alex turned and looked back towards Roman and sighed. Her first day on the island she'd come across a dead body and wanted to bury it. She would do no less for her brother. Kneeling on to the ground she began digging.
"What happened? What happened is ... I don't know what happened. I know that when I went to sleep Roman was alive and there were five of us and when I woke up Jessica and I were here and Roman was ... so you tell me Jason what happened."
Fantastic. He made things worse. Jason swore inwardly as Alex started digging. This "trip" had been one disaster after another. As he looked over the scene, he thought he saw someone in the distance, but he couldn't make out if it was actually somebody or just a trick. Jason just shook his head at his, what? Bad timing? Awkwardness? Complete inability to articulate anything inoffensive?
"Alex, I ... I don't know what to say ..." Jason now felt like a genuine prat. He moved towards Jessica. "Welcome to the worst week of our lives," he mumbled.
Fantastic. He made things worse. Jason swore inwardly as Alex started digging. This "trip" had been one disaster after another. As he looked over the scene, he thought he saw someone in the distance, but he couldn't make out if it was actually somebody or just a trick. Jason just shook his head at his, what? Bad timing? Awkwardness? Complete inability to articulate anything inoffensive?
"Alex, I ... I don't know what to say ..." Jason now felt like a genuine prat. He moved towards Jessica. "Welcome to the worst week of our lives," he mumbled.
Survivor: UCONN - Seriously, it's awesome!
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
-
armeggedonCounselor*
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
((Kyle Portman continued from Make/Break.))
Kyle was mostly silent during the long walk. He noted the direction they were going, and that it wasn't where they wanted to be. More pressing was the gunman behind them. Plus... if he was being honest with himself, he didn't really care about the others they were supposed to be finding.
Which was kinda terrible, but whatever.
So he wasn't surprised when they emerged from the forest and into the clear cut portions of the island. Were he a more sane person, he would probably find the clear cut forest upsetting. Were he a more sane person, of course, he probably would have left Hayley by now. Bonds of affection didn't really matter here, where the question was how well you knew the people you spent every day with. And the answer was always, "Not very well."
The other group was the target of Hayley's recently uttered question. With an objective eye and calm mind, Kyle stared at the other group from behind the stumps.
After Emma's very... safe response, Kyle sighed slightly. "I think we should pick our battles carefully. You're the only one with a ranged weapon worth anything. Then again, from a cursory look, I don't see a firearm among them. It is possible that we could take them."
Kyle was mostly silent during the long walk. He noted the direction they were going, and that it wasn't where they wanted to be. More pressing was the gunman behind them. Plus... if he was being honest with himself, he didn't really care about the others they were supposed to be finding.
Which was kinda terrible, but whatever.
So he wasn't surprised when they emerged from the forest and into the clear cut portions of the island. Were he a more sane person, he would probably find the clear cut forest upsetting. Were he a more sane person, of course, he probably would have left Hayley by now. Bonds of affection didn't really matter here, where the question was how well you knew the people you spent every day with. And the answer was always, "Not very well."
The other group was the target of Hayley's recently uttered question. With an objective eye and calm mind, Kyle stared at the other group from behind the stumps.
After Emma's very... safe response, Kyle sighed slightly. "I think we should pick our battles carefully. You're the only one with a ranged weapon worth anything. Then again, from a cursory look, I don't see a firearm among them. It is possible that we could take them."
-
Hollyquin*
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
"I didn't see if they were armed, but... best to play it safe, right? Don't give them a chance or a reason to murder us dead."
Wait, was Ema...basically agreeing with Hayley's current immorality streak? That was...unexpected, like. She'd kind of been counting on Ema, at least, to be all you know we really shouldn't be shooting people in the face, it's kind of uncool. Somebody had to, yeah? You couldn't have a group of three kids who were all completely okay with face-shooting, that would make them...the bad guys. But we're not the bad guys, I mean, we're high school students! We can't be villains, we're too...I dunno, young. And too awesome. And on Survival of the Fittest. Are there bad guys on Survival of the Fittest? Hayley knew, of course, that the answer to that one was an obvious yes. She'd been watching the show for years, after all. Well...well, whatever. We're still not bad. We're not, like, Maxwell Lombardi status. We're trying to protect each other, right? That's just...logical.
I just want us all to live. I know that's impossible but fuck if I'm not gonna try.
She looked at the three. Didn't recognize any of them, not that that was a surprise. They didn't look like party kids, and with the exception of some outliers (present company definitely included), those were her friends. They seemed distracted. Their mouths were moving, and she could hear voices, but she couldn't make out words. Something was happening. But what?
Does it matter?
It probably didn't, but Hayley was weirdly curious.
"I think we should pick our battles carefully. You're the only one with a ranged weapon worth anything. Then again, from a cursory look, I don't see a firearm among them. It is possible that we could take them."
God, he was so calm about these things. Clinical, almost. It was so hard to keep feeling morally wrong about these things when it was so obvious that her companions were totally with her on this whole "lets just kill people, why not" deal. Well, that was easy for them to feel when they weren't killing people, she supposed. They'd left that burden on her.
Not that you mind.
I should mind, though. I should be pissed, I should be all 'if you really want to kill them, kill them yourself'. But I don't want them to have to kill anyone. Like, I...I dunno, it's not bothering me now, but the first time, I broke down. I don't want them to have to break down. I want them to be safe and happy and all that crap and this is the only way I really know how to do that. With all this blood knight bullshit.
You sure you're not just enjoying this?
Shut up. Okay?
Maybe a little.
She scanned the other three again. Their opposition. Their targets, even. They were students, like her, but that didn't matter. They had families and friends, but that didn't matter. They were people, too, but that didn't matter either. Survival of the Fittest. If I don't know them, I'm not gonna think about them. Pretend it's a video game, yeah? Get a kill streak, all that? Damn, that's cold even for me though...fuck. Well.
"I killed someone back there," she blurted suddenly, unable to contain it anyway longer. "Because she was there and because I wasn't planning on missing the guy she was with. I've killed three people. I'm sure I'm on everyone's hit list right now, and I'm pretty fucking sure the whole wait-and-see-if-they're-friendly thing isn't actually gonna work, you know? Anyone who knows my name is gonna take me down. And, like, I love you two. Both of you. And I don't want to see you die, or get hurt, or any of that. And I know at least two of us are going to eventually, but that's besides the point, cause right now, we don't have to. If you think you'll live longer without me, then go. I'm not gonna make anyone stay with me just because I'm a selfish bitch and just because I'm afraid of being alone, dying alone on this fucking island. If either of you wants to leave after this, leave. But as long as you're with me..."
She paused.
"...I know I've said this before, but. As long as you're with me, I'm not gonna let you die. And I'm not gonna make you kill anyone, either. That's all on my...heart, mind, soul, whatever you want to call it. It's all on me. I'm the girl with the gun. Either way, get ready to run. Whether or not you're coming with me, we might just have to."
Hayley shut up, looked out from behind the tree stump, and took aim.
The boy was probably the biggest threat.
Is that sexist?
Whatever.
And fired.
BANG
BANG
Wait, was Ema...basically agreeing with Hayley's current immorality streak? That was...unexpected, like. She'd kind of been counting on Ema, at least, to be all you know we really shouldn't be shooting people in the face, it's kind of uncool. Somebody had to, yeah? You couldn't have a group of three kids who were all completely okay with face-shooting, that would make them...the bad guys. But we're not the bad guys, I mean, we're high school students! We can't be villains, we're too...I dunno, young. And too awesome. And on Survival of the Fittest. Are there bad guys on Survival of the Fittest? Hayley knew, of course, that the answer to that one was an obvious yes. She'd been watching the show for years, after all. Well...well, whatever. We're still not bad. We're not, like, Maxwell Lombardi status. We're trying to protect each other, right? That's just...logical.
I just want us all to live. I know that's impossible but fuck if I'm not gonna try.
She looked at the three. Didn't recognize any of them, not that that was a surprise. They didn't look like party kids, and with the exception of some outliers (present company definitely included), those were her friends. They seemed distracted. Their mouths were moving, and she could hear voices, but she couldn't make out words. Something was happening. But what?
Does it matter?
It probably didn't, but Hayley was weirdly curious.
"I think we should pick our battles carefully. You're the only one with a ranged weapon worth anything. Then again, from a cursory look, I don't see a firearm among them. It is possible that we could take them."
God, he was so calm about these things. Clinical, almost. It was so hard to keep feeling morally wrong about these things when it was so obvious that her companions were totally with her on this whole "lets just kill people, why not" deal. Well, that was easy for them to feel when they weren't killing people, she supposed. They'd left that burden on her.
Not that you mind.
I should mind, though. I should be pissed, I should be all 'if you really want to kill them, kill them yourself'. But I don't want them to have to kill anyone. Like, I...I dunno, it's not bothering me now, but the first time, I broke down. I don't want them to have to break down. I want them to be safe and happy and all that crap and this is the only way I really know how to do that. With all this blood knight bullshit.
You sure you're not just enjoying this?
Shut up. Okay?
Maybe a little.
She scanned the other three again. Their opposition. Their targets, even. They were students, like her, but that didn't matter. They had families and friends, but that didn't matter. They were people, too, but that didn't matter either. Survival of the Fittest. If I don't know them, I'm not gonna think about them. Pretend it's a video game, yeah? Get a kill streak, all that? Damn, that's cold even for me though...fuck. Well.
"I killed someone back there," she blurted suddenly, unable to contain it anyway longer. "Because she was there and because I wasn't planning on missing the guy she was with. I've killed three people. I'm sure I'm on everyone's hit list right now, and I'm pretty fucking sure the whole wait-and-see-if-they're-friendly thing isn't actually gonna work, you know? Anyone who knows my name is gonna take me down. And, like, I love you two. Both of you. And I don't want to see you die, or get hurt, or any of that. And I know at least two of us are going to eventually, but that's besides the point, cause right now, we don't have to. If you think you'll live longer without me, then go. I'm not gonna make anyone stay with me just because I'm a selfish bitch and just because I'm afraid of being alone, dying alone on this fucking island. If either of you wants to leave after this, leave. But as long as you're with me..."
She paused.
"...I know I've said this before, but. As long as you're with me, I'm not gonna let you die. And I'm not gonna make you kill anyone, either. That's all on my...heart, mind, soul, whatever you want to call it. It's all on me. I'm the girl with the gun. Either way, get ready to run. Whether or not you're coming with me, we might just have to."
Hayley shut up, looked out from behind the tree stump, and took aim.
The boy was probably the biggest threat.
Is that sexist?
Whatever.
And fired.
BANG
BANG
(Gmining with permission from Decoy and Arscapi.)
Jessica silently volunteered to keep guard. She didn't support the idea of burying Roman any more than she supported burying Warren. It was just a waste of time and energy. However Jessica kept her mouth shut for the most part. It made her no less of a human to stand guard. Feeling nothing for the dead was not bad, not really. If she were to laugh at them, mocking their deaths with a tiny chuckle then yeah, that wouldn't be right. However, just not showing any remorse for the dead was -
... something was in the distance. Was it an animal? No, couldn't be. It was getting dark but the shadows still formed. It wasn't right. Didn't feel safe. Jessica wasn't sure though. She had to be sure.
That's when she heard it. A voice. The silence that enveloped the Felled Forest had proven to be an advantage, because Jessica could make out a voice from beyond. That was just it. A voice that she could not recognize, but a voice nonetheless. Empty. Without any direction other than "up ahead" What was it saying? Wait, no, she shouldn't be worried about that! Someone was coming up. Jessica took a step to the side and looked around. It took a moment. She spotted the tree stump. There was someone behind it... was there? It was hard to tell, but she could see something pressed up behind it...
Hayley Kelly popped out of her cover, and Jessica knew exactly what was going to happen. She lifted her rifle.
"Guys, you -"
Jessica liked to believe that she was alert. Not many things escaped her. She could hear things from a good distance away. She could just feel when someone was looking at her. It was just genetics at work. She never thought she would have any use for that... but she had proven herself wrong before. What happened next was surprising to her. For the first time in the past few days, despite constant hesitation and indecision, Jessica Pentangeli took charge.
Things slowed down. Everything was clear. It became obvious that there was more than one person back there, but from where Jessica was standing she could only get a clean look at one of them. The advantage from that very spot was that Jason nor Alex could fire back - it was the perfect spot to ambush someone. The disadvantage? Jessica had made a clear line of fire. Distance wasn't that far off, and while the target had some bit of cover, actually popping out from behind a tree stump had pretty much diminished that cover. As Jason fell, as globs of dark blood flew out like an exaggerated fountain, as the recognition of her own impending doom surfaced -
Jessica took that shot. Didn't even hesitate. She thought it would be harder, the first time she actually shot purposefully.
The ringing in her ears was louder but Jessica could simply feel the noise. It was loud, louder than she ever expected. It was a tranq gun but it sounded more like a canon! She kept the gun steady though, she assumed it would meet her intended target. Assumed because Jessica was on the move before she had a chance to check. There was no time to check whether she hit, that was the last thing on her mind.
Her mind ran. Three bags. Two guns - one lethal, one non-lethal. Jessica had one of those guns. Alex had the other. The third bag, the mystery one that Jason had, was flung to the ground when Jason was digging. Provisions. There could be another gun in there for all she knew. Jessica leaped. Her mind was moving at a mile a minute, everything blurred together as she leaped over Jason.
Jessica just realized. She had forgotten about Jason. Maybe he was still -
She looked back but only for a second. Then she swiped the bag up. He was... lost. Nothing she could do.
Bags in tow, Jessica spun around and went to go grab Alex. Alex was still on her knees. Jessica was panicking! Had she not noticed? It happened right in front of her! She looked like she had seen a ghost though. Maybe she was in shock? Jessica quickly ran over - She couldn't let her die, not now, she made a promise to herself goddamn it! They had to forget about Roman! Roman was gone too! There was nothing they could do for him! Didn't she know? Her heart was pounding furiously.
"Alex?!" Her body had a mind of it's own and she moved to grab Alex by the arm. Alex had a pistol but this wasn't the time to be fighting back. Jessica didn't want to fight back, she did all of the retaliating she could manage! "Alex, get up! Come on!"
Jessica silently volunteered to keep guard. She didn't support the idea of burying Roman any more than she supported burying Warren. It was just a waste of time and energy. However Jessica kept her mouth shut for the most part. It made her no less of a human to stand guard. Feeling nothing for the dead was not bad, not really. If she were to laugh at them, mocking their deaths with a tiny chuckle then yeah, that wouldn't be right. However, just not showing any remorse for the dead was -
... something was in the distance. Was it an animal? No, couldn't be. It was getting dark but the shadows still formed. It wasn't right. Didn't feel safe. Jessica wasn't sure though. She had to be sure.
That's when she heard it. A voice. The silence that enveloped the Felled Forest had proven to be an advantage, because Jessica could make out a voice from beyond. That was just it. A voice that she could not recognize, but a voice nonetheless. Empty. Without any direction other than "up ahead" What was it saying? Wait, no, she shouldn't be worried about that! Someone was coming up. Jessica took a step to the side and looked around. It took a moment. She spotted the tree stump. There was someone behind it... was there? It was hard to tell, but she could see something pressed up behind it...
Hayley Kelly popped out of her cover, and Jessica knew exactly what was going to happen. She lifted her rifle.
"Guys, you -"
Jessica liked to believe that she was alert. Not many things escaped her. She could hear things from a good distance away. She could just feel when someone was looking at her. It was just genetics at work. She never thought she would have any use for that... but she had proven herself wrong before. What happened next was surprising to her. For the first time in the past few days, despite constant hesitation and indecision, Jessica Pentangeli took charge.
Things slowed down. Everything was clear. It became obvious that there was more than one person back there, but from where Jessica was standing she could only get a clean look at one of them. The advantage from that very spot was that Jason nor Alex could fire back - it was the perfect spot to ambush someone. The disadvantage? Jessica had made a clear line of fire. Distance wasn't that far off, and while the target had some bit of cover, actually popping out from behind a tree stump had pretty much diminished that cover. As Jason fell, as globs of dark blood flew out like an exaggerated fountain, as the recognition of her own impending doom surfaced -
Jessica took that shot. Didn't even hesitate. She thought it would be harder, the first time she actually shot purposefully.
The ringing in her ears was louder but Jessica could simply feel the noise. It was loud, louder than she ever expected. It was a tranq gun but it sounded more like a canon! She kept the gun steady though, she assumed it would meet her intended target. Assumed because Jessica was on the move before she had a chance to check. There was no time to check whether she hit, that was the last thing on her mind.
Her mind ran. Three bags. Two guns - one lethal, one non-lethal. Jessica had one of those guns. Alex had the other. The third bag, the mystery one that Jason had, was flung to the ground when Jason was digging. Provisions. There could be another gun in there for all she knew. Jessica leaped. Her mind was moving at a mile a minute, everything blurred together as she leaped over Jason.
Jessica just realized. She had forgotten about Jason. Maybe he was still -
She looked back but only for a second. Then she swiped the bag up. He was... lost. Nothing she could do.
Bags in tow, Jessica spun around and went to go grab Alex. Alex was still on her knees. Jessica was panicking! Had she not noticed? It happened right in front of her! She looked like she had seen a ghost though. Maybe she was in shock? Jessica quickly ran over - She couldn't let her die, not now, she made a promise to herself goddamn it! They had to forget about Roman! Roman was gone too! There was nothing they could do for him! Didn't she know? Her heart was pounding furiously.
"Alex?!" Her body had a mind of it's own and she moved to grab Alex by the arm. Alex had a pistol but this wasn't the time to be fighting back. Jessica didn't want to fight back, she did all of the retaliating she could manage! "Alex, get up! Come on!"
((GMing of Jessica Pentangeli done with permission from Ciel))
The Taurus PT99 can hold fifteen bullets in the magazine plus one in the chamber. A 9 millimeter round fired from it leaves the muzzle at 1225 feet per second, or about Mach 2.359. Jason didn't know any of that beforehand. The only reason he even had any idea of what happened was when Jessica yelled "Guys, you - ", and the momentary push he felt as he was thrown onto the ground as he heard two deafening cracks, the wind knocked out of him. He tried to speak, but only one word came out as the pain hit:
"Oooowwwww." He looked around. Tried to reach his sword by his right hand. Couldn't do it. Saw the red.
Wait. My shirt is blue. Did I get any blood on me when I cut ... shit. The growing red stain said it all as he looked at his chest. He'd been shot.
"Aaaggh." He grunted. He was done for. Where had it all gone wrong? Had it been when he'd let Evie go? When he'd broken down and cut off Alex's arm? Or had it been just bad luck? Fact of the matter was, it had nothing to do with any of that. It had been a matter of inches and seconds. Just like in Survivor, although that was never going to come for him.
"Bollocks." Crack Didn't feel anything (although that was because it was by Jessica at whomever shot him, so it didn't matter anyway).
"Alex?! Alex, get up! Come on!" Jessica had been able to react. He had to tell Jessica what he had. It wasn't like he had much time left. He couldn't really feel the ground under him.
"Shit. Alex, Jessica. Don't forget the ... sword. It could help. Also, back of map ... listed everyone who's got a kill. Uurgh ... get out of here." Jason wondered whether he could have made any better choices, if he should have looked for Alex from the get-go. Didn't matter. It wasn't going to do anything, unfortunately, there was no damage control for this one. He chuckled to himself as everything went swimmy. She was actually pretty cool. Definitely deserved to win this thing ... okay, not fair. Other than Maxwell Lombardi, Reiko Ishida, Clio Gabriella and Danya, he really thought that everyone in Bayview deserved to win, and they were all pretty good people. "Get out of here, survive this thing, and tell Danya ... to ..." he coughed "... go fuck himself."
And with that, his eyes closed, almost as if going into a nice deep sleep, hoping that Alex and Jessica (okay, and everyone else in the class, no matter how much of a git he had been on the island) would make it out okay, except this time, he wasn't going to wake up ...
The tribe has spoken for
MALE STUDENT #16 - JASON CLARKE: ELIMINATED
165 STUDENTS REMAIN
The Taurus PT99 can hold fifteen bullets in the magazine plus one in the chamber. A 9 millimeter round fired from it leaves the muzzle at 1225 feet per second, or about Mach 2.359. Jason didn't know any of that beforehand. The only reason he even had any idea of what happened was when Jessica yelled "Guys, you - ", and the momentary push he felt as he was thrown onto the ground as he heard two deafening cracks, the wind knocked out of him. He tried to speak, but only one word came out as the pain hit:
"Oooowwwww." He looked around. Tried to reach his sword by his right hand. Couldn't do it. Saw the red.
Wait. My shirt is blue. Did I get any blood on me when I cut ... shit. The growing red stain said it all as he looked at his chest. He'd been shot.
"Aaaggh." He grunted. He was done for. Where had it all gone wrong? Had it been when he'd let Evie go? When he'd broken down and cut off Alex's arm? Or had it been just bad luck? Fact of the matter was, it had nothing to do with any of that. It had been a matter of inches and seconds. Just like in Survivor, although that was never going to come for him.
"Bollocks." Crack Didn't feel anything (although that was because it was by Jessica at whomever shot him, so it didn't matter anyway).
"Alex?! Alex, get up! Come on!" Jessica had been able to react. He had to tell Jessica what he had. It wasn't like he had much time left. He couldn't really feel the ground under him.
"Shit. Alex, Jessica. Don't forget the ... sword. It could help. Also, back of map ... listed everyone who's got a kill. Uurgh ... get out of here." Jason wondered whether he could have made any better choices, if he should have looked for Alex from the get-go. Didn't matter. It wasn't going to do anything, unfortunately, there was no damage control for this one. He chuckled to himself as everything went swimmy. She was actually pretty cool. Definitely deserved to win this thing ... okay, not fair. Other than Maxwell Lombardi, Reiko Ishida, Clio Gabriella and Danya, he really thought that everyone in Bayview deserved to win, and they were all pretty good people. "Get out of here, survive this thing, and tell Danya ... to ..." he coughed "... go fuck himself."
And with that, his eyes closed, almost as if going into a nice deep sleep, hoping that Alex and Jessica (okay, and everyone else in the class, no matter how much of a git he had been on the island) would make it out okay, except this time, he wasn't going to wake up ...
The tribe has spoken for
MALE STUDENT #16 - JASON CLARKE: ELIMINATED
165 STUDENTS REMAIN
Survivor: UCONN - Seriously, it's awesome!
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
The events that followed were the sort that would usually go in slow motion in a film, with hindsight. But for Ema, in the very centre of it all, everything went terrifyingly fast. Kyle said something to the effect of "We could take them.". Apparently this overrode her own "Play it safe.", as she would soon become very aware of.
First, though, the obligatory dramatic speech. Had Ema realised what it preceded, she'd have done something. She wouldn't have just sat there, listening intently, ignoring the context that should've seemed all too obvious.
"I killed someone back there," Good start, had Ema convinced it was an apologetic confession, not a warning. And, oh god another diatribe. Not much of it went comprehended, though, the tally of three went without saying, then suddenly "And, like, I love you two. Both of you.". The next half of the speech was lost on Ema from that point on, being too hung up on what Hayley had meant by that. She snapped back to reality soon after, to the harsh sound of gunfire. Two shots. Which she would later learn were brutally accurate.
Personal safety took a back seat to shock, and Ema likewise took to her feet, yelling "What in the bloody hell are you doing!?". Then a third gunshot tore through the air. Not realising it wasn't aimed at her, nor how unlikely the dart was to go far enough astray to hit her, she dived to the ground, regretting the lack of awareness instantly.
Ordinarily, she would've panicked, perhaps thrown her sword - dead weight when fleeing from gunfire - aside and fled. Ordinarily she was that easily shaken. But something told her to wait. The trio had cover, one of them had a gun. They didn't have to run away, she didn't have to hide from the danger when it was probably just as afraid of her as she was of it.
The epiphany got dangerously close to "We could win this fight game.", before Ema shook the thoughts from her head, instead, in a more hushed tone than before, asking her companions "Now what?", assuming either was still there...
First, though, the obligatory dramatic speech. Had Ema realised what it preceded, she'd have done something. She wouldn't have just sat there, listening intently, ignoring the context that should've seemed all too obvious.
"I killed someone back there," Good start, had Ema convinced it was an apologetic confession, not a warning. And, oh god another diatribe. Not much of it went comprehended, though, the tally of three went without saying, then suddenly "And, like, I love you two. Both of you.". The next half of the speech was lost on Ema from that point on, being too hung up on what Hayley had meant by that. She snapped back to reality soon after, to the harsh sound of gunfire. Two shots. Which she would later learn were brutally accurate.
Personal safety took a back seat to shock, and Ema likewise took to her feet, yelling "What in the bloody hell are you doing!?". Then a third gunshot tore through the air. Not realising it wasn't aimed at her, nor how unlikely the dart was to go far enough astray to hit her, she dived to the ground, regretting the lack of awareness instantly.
Ordinarily, she would've panicked, perhaps thrown her sword - dead weight when fleeing from gunfire - aside and fled. Ordinarily she was that easily shaken. But something told her to wait. The trio had cover, one of them had a gun. They didn't have to run away, she didn't have to hide from the danger when it was probably just as afraid of her as she was of it.
The epiphany got dangerously close to "We could win this fight game.", before Ema shook the thoughts from her head, instead, in a more hushed tone than before, asking her companions "Now what?", assuming either was still there...
Alex ducked instinctively when the shots rang out and then everything happened at once. Jessica was shouting at her and she knew that she was right, that they should get out of there. She really didn't want to leave Roman, out there in the open like that. Then she glanced over at Jason and watched in horror as his blue shirt started turning red and all the color drained from his face.
"Jason," she cried not believing she was about to lose someone else she cared for. She turned to rush towards him when Jessica's voice broke through her scattered thoughts.
With a long last look of regret at her brother, she scooped up Jason's sword and stood.
"Leave us alone," she screamed and then twisted her body, the sword held out in front of her, and heaved it at the figures in the distance in one fluid motion. Not bothering to see where it landed, she ran up to Jessica, caught her by the hand, and continued away from this horrible place.
((Alex Jackson continued in Where House? Jessica Pentangeli continued elsewhere))
"Jason," she cried not believing she was about to lose someone else she cared for. She turned to rush towards him when Jessica's voice broke through her scattered thoughts.
With a long last look of regret at her brother, she scooped up Jason's sword and stood.
"Leave us alone," she screamed and then twisted her body, the sword held out in front of her, and heaved it at the figures in the distance in one fluid motion. Not bothering to see where it landed, she ran up to Jessica, caught her by the hand, and continued away from this horrible place.
((Alex Jackson continued in Where House? Jessica Pentangeli continued elsewhere))
-
armeggedonCounselor*
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
Kyle was not surprised by Hayley's news that she had killed somebody back there. It made sense as to why they were running away from someone with a gun. Even less surprising was when she sat up and took aim at the smaller group. Kyle felt terrible about it- they had been three, which was good. Two shots fired, then one returned. Hadn't been expecting return fire.
Now what? Now they wait to see who stayed and who left. Who lived and who died, and then... what their spoils would be. Killing for supplies, for weapons... was it more noble than killing to win? Who knew.
Now what? Now they wait to see who stayed and who left. Who lived and who died, and then... what their spoils would be. Killing for supplies, for weapons... was it more noble than killing to win? Who knew.
-
Hollyquin*
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
BANG
"JESUS BLOODY CHRIST-"
Hayley saw, at the same moment she was squeezing off another two bullets in the direction of the boy who was going to be dead several seconds later (she figured), one of the girls. Holding a rifle. Pointing it at her. A lot of thoughts went through her mind in that instant, such as they're unarmed my ass and I really maybe should have noticed the big-ass gun and I should think these things through and yeah that was sexist, should've gone for her. Most of her thoughts at that moment, however, were dominated by loud, mostly incomprehensible cursing.
This was perfectly normal.
She hit the ground the moment the second bullet left her gun, praying silently it would be enough.
And it was.
She'd dodged the bullet. Literally. Or more likely, the other girl had missed. Hayley quickly looked at her companions, making sure the projectile hadn't gone off course and hit either of them. But no, they seemed to be fine and not dying. Which was good. She waited a long, silent moment broken eventually by a whispered "Now what?" from Ema, which she didn't answer for another long, silent, increasingly tense moment. Eventually she couldn't help herself any longer. She popped back up, as little as should could, gun at the ready, peeking over the tree stump-
They were gone. The two girls were gone.
A bubble of laughter escaped Hayley's lips, and she could only hope the other two would interpret that for what it was (nerves and relief) rather than what it probably sounded like (psychosis). But really- she'd been in a battle of life and death and survived. Came out victorious, even. 1-0, right? Victory was clean-sounding and appealing and good and she'd achieved it. She couldn't help but feel a weight lift off of her, and a dreamy sort of happiness settle in. She tried to shake it off- she wasn't supposed to be happy about this, it was supposed to be a necessary evil and she should feel guilty guilty guilty- but the adrenaline rush (or at least she'd blame it on the adrenaline rush) was keeping a smile on her face. She turned to give Ema an overdue reply.
"Well, girly. Now I think it's time to see what's left."
She stood, stretching dramatically because why not, and strolled over towards the scene of the crime, pausing for a moment to notice a dart sticking out of the trunk they'd been hiding behind. The fuck is this...a tranquilizer? So I wouldn't have died even if she had hit me...heh. Bugging out over nothing as usual, Hayley Kelly, As she continued to walk she noticed something on the ground, metal shining in the sunlight. What are you, then...huh.
Hayley picked it up, examining it from all angles. It was...a sword. A really weird sword. A hook sword.
Oh fuck, that is too cool! Why's there only one, aren't these things supposed to come in pairs? Like, we could do some massive Jet and the Freedom Fighters shit right now if I had another one...
Keeping the sword in hand, she made her way over to the body. She looked down at him- it. It, the corpse, whatever. Yup, dead all right. She wrinkled her nose a bit- this wasn't pretty, though she was getting a bit desensitized at this point- and then looked pointedly away. If she looked for too long she was liable to feel guilty and I kind of wish I did feel guilty but at the same time I really don't want to because that's gonna make my life on this island really difficult...ah, hell. She moved her eyes to the area around the body instead, looking for supplies, bags, whatever the fleeing pair had left behind, and she found...absolutely shit-all.
"Ah, fuck," she cursed, though good humor still infused her voice. "They must've taken everything. Ah, well, you know, none of us have eaten much, we should be fine on supplies for a while. The only thing I really need restocking on is cigarettes..." Just talking about it made her stomach rumble. She took a moment to take a quick swig from her water bottle and realized that she could probably do for a refill of water too. I'll figure it out. No big deal. "This sword's pretty sweet, though. Better than a knife," she said, looking at Kyle.
Of course, the deal right now was she kinda had to face the music.
Hayley faced the other two. Took a deep breath.
Hope this works.
"So. Sorry I didn't...discuss this with you guys ahead of time. I just feel like it's time to face the music, you know? It's day 5. There's a ton of killers out there and I don't know who most of them are. Better safe than sorry. Play to win. Insert another obvious cliche here, yeah? I think we can do this, I really do. I mean, yeah, later'll be an issue, but we can think of that we're not dead at endgame, right? We're three attractive, intelligent, and well-armed teenagers! We're perfect. Everyone else, at this point, is kind of...obstacle-ish. If that makes sense. I know I probably sound like I'm at least a little insane right now but dammit, Survival of the Fittest calls for temporary insanity sometimes.
In the real world, this is insanity. In Survival of the Fittest...it's playing to win."
"JESUS BLOODY CHRIST-"
Hayley saw, at the same moment she was squeezing off another two bullets in the direction of the boy who was going to be dead several seconds later (she figured), one of the girls. Holding a rifle. Pointing it at her. A lot of thoughts went through her mind in that instant, such as they're unarmed my ass and I really maybe should have noticed the big-ass gun and I should think these things through and yeah that was sexist, should've gone for her. Most of her thoughts at that moment, however, were dominated by loud, mostly incomprehensible cursing.
This was perfectly normal.
She hit the ground the moment the second bullet left her gun, praying silently it would be enough.
And it was.
She'd dodged the bullet. Literally. Or more likely, the other girl had missed. Hayley quickly looked at her companions, making sure the projectile hadn't gone off course and hit either of them. But no, they seemed to be fine and not dying. Which was good. She waited a long, silent moment broken eventually by a whispered "Now what?" from Ema, which she didn't answer for another long, silent, increasingly tense moment. Eventually she couldn't help herself any longer. She popped back up, as little as should could, gun at the ready, peeking over the tree stump-
They were gone. The two girls were gone.
A bubble of laughter escaped Hayley's lips, and she could only hope the other two would interpret that for what it was (nerves and relief) rather than what it probably sounded like (psychosis). But really- she'd been in a battle of life and death and survived. Came out victorious, even. 1-0, right? Victory was clean-sounding and appealing and good and she'd achieved it. She couldn't help but feel a weight lift off of her, and a dreamy sort of happiness settle in. She tried to shake it off- she wasn't supposed to be happy about this, it was supposed to be a necessary evil and she should feel guilty guilty guilty- but the adrenaline rush (or at least she'd blame it on the adrenaline rush) was keeping a smile on her face. She turned to give Ema an overdue reply.
"Well, girly. Now I think it's time to see what's left."
She stood, stretching dramatically because why not, and strolled over towards the scene of the crime, pausing for a moment to notice a dart sticking out of the trunk they'd been hiding behind. The fuck is this...a tranquilizer? So I wouldn't have died even if she had hit me...heh. Bugging out over nothing as usual, Hayley Kelly, As she continued to walk she noticed something on the ground, metal shining in the sunlight. What are you, then...huh.
Hayley picked it up, examining it from all angles. It was...a sword. A really weird sword. A hook sword.
Oh fuck, that is too cool! Why's there only one, aren't these things supposed to come in pairs? Like, we could do some massive Jet and the Freedom Fighters shit right now if I had another one...
Keeping the sword in hand, she made her way over to the body. She looked down at him- it. It, the corpse, whatever. Yup, dead all right. She wrinkled her nose a bit- this wasn't pretty, though she was getting a bit desensitized at this point- and then looked pointedly away. If she looked for too long she was liable to feel guilty and I kind of wish I did feel guilty but at the same time I really don't want to because that's gonna make my life on this island really difficult...ah, hell. She moved her eyes to the area around the body instead, looking for supplies, bags, whatever the fleeing pair had left behind, and she found...absolutely shit-all.
"Ah, fuck," she cursed, though good humor still infused her voice. "They must've taken everything. Ah, well, you know, none of us have eaten much, we should be fine on supplies for a while. The only thing I really need restocking on is cigarettes..." Just talking about it made her stomach rumble. She took a moment to take a quick swig from her water bottle and realized that she could probably do for a refill of water too. I'll figure it out. No big deal. "This sword's pretty sweet, though. Better than a knife," she said, looking at Kyle.
Of course, the deal right now was she kinda had to face the music.
Hayley faced the other two. Took a deep breath.
Hope this works.
"So. Sorry I didn't...discuss this with you guys ahead of time. I just feel like it's time to face the music, you know? It's day 5. There's a ton of killers out there and I don't know who most of them are. Better safe than sorry. Play to win. Insert another obvious cliche here, yeah? I think we can do this, I really do. I mean, yeah, later'll be an issue, but we can think of that we're not dead at endgame, right? We're three attractive, intelligent, and well-armed teenagers! We're perfect. Everyone else, at this point, is kind of...obstacle-ish. If that makes sense. I know I probably sound like I'm at least a little insane right now but dammit, Survival of the Fittest calls for temporary insanity sometimes.
In the real world, this is insanity. In Survival of the Fittest...it's playing to win."