Ugh...this is a mess. Straight from the mouth of David Hasselhoff himself...
As he listened to the commotion that seemed to swirl around the church, Adam had a bad feeling about the future of this situation. This Matthew Wittany kid seemed to have a reputation amongst Southridgers as being somewhat of a creeper, and his little outburst about having taken pictures of Andy, and something about a "little book" left Adam confused. This was high school crap. Stuff that he neither wanted to nor cared to deal with, especially not now.
Now, there were far bigger fish to fry, and far larger problems to deal with. At the mention of Izzy's name, Andy had lit up like a Christmas tree; Vegas style, and had all but insisted that Adam would be taking them along when he left the place. Andy said it so fast, and with such conviction, that for a split-second, Adam himself was convinced of it, until he realized just who was doing the decision-making, and for whom.
Fuck that shit, I make my own fucking decisions, especially when it comes to Survival of the Motherfucking-Fittest. But...fuck, I can't go wandering around completely unarmed for the whole time, because that's a surefire way to have my head end up mounted on someone's wall, complete with a stupid expression and all...fucking hell...
Grimacing, Adam raised an eyebrow as Matt Wittany freaked out, and left the church, leaving only Adam, Andy, and Sean in the building. Sighing a bit in frustration, he looked over the other two guys quickly, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. They didn't look like they would be a burden or anything, but Adam knew full well that groups didn't generally end well. Which was something Andy was full-on wrong about. A fact that Adam decided needed immediate correcting.
"Okay."
He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words, and for someone as verbally proficient as Adam Dodd, this was a big deal.
"Here's the deal, guys. If you want to come along with me while I look for the one person in the entire school that I actually know, that's fine. If you're friends with her, I guess that's even better. But let me explain to you both something. I don't...I don't know if you guys entirely grasp just what is going on here. So I'm going to explain it to you, give you the full, unabridged version of just what this experience is going to be about for the both of you."
Adam closed his eyes for a moment, and moved over to one of the pews, stepping up on top of it, and sitting on the top part of it, his feet dropping down and resting on the flat part of the pew.
"Being in a group is tantamount to emotional suicide, and it's pretty damn close to physical suicide, too. Andy, you just told me that I, better than anyone, should know that being in a group is a good thing? FUCK, no. Yes, it's true, I was in a group last time. Yes, it's true, we were very close, and leaned on each other for support."
Adam looked up at the ceiling, his hands clasped together in his lap, and sighed.
"The problem with being in a group in a situation like this is that the name of the game is to kill other people. When you move around a small island in a large group, you become a large target. You have to realize that what's going to happen is that your group is going to die, one by one. Maybe it doesn't happen all at once, maybe it does. But if you're the last one left standing, that absolutely destroys everything that you were as a person. Think about it. You're having holiday dinner with your family. Then some psychopath busts in your front door, shoots every single one of them except you, and then blows his own brains out. Or worse - runs back out the door. How would you feel? Angry? Sad? Depressed? Fuck, how about all of that and more?"
Shaking his head, Adam looked right at Andy.
"I loved my friends. I remember their names, I'll never forget their faces, and I use the cliché that a part of them lives on within me becuase it's the truth. But you cannot to join up with a group and expect it to end well - because it won't. The likelihood that you'll have to bury somebody that you care about is almost a sure thing. It hurts, and it hurts like hell. I know from experience, guys. Trust me on that one."
Moving his glance from Andy to Sean, Adam shook his head a little.
"There's one more thing that it does to you, though. Not only does it strip away all of the good feelings that you have and replaces them with varying degrees of anguish, but it gives you a unique perspective on what it feels like to be filled with a red-hot desire for revenge. Say that the guy who blew away your family runs out the door. You know who he is, and what his name is. Imagine that you find him. After fighting for your life for a few days..."
He stopped, overwrought with emotion, and closed his eyes, taking a moment to compose himself. When his eyes opened again, they burned with regret, hate, and a deep fury that essentially nobody at Southridge had ever seen (at least up-close).
"...you have absolutely no idea what kinds of horrific things you'd be capable of. Revenge does that to you. It turns a normal, everyday, easygoing kind of guy, into the kind of guy who runs a man through with a sword and then carves a word into his dying flesh. Turns you into the kind of person who would enter into a gentleman's agreement with someone, to finish things with a ten-step duel, perfectly intending upon turning around at three and blowing the other guy to kingdom-fucking-come."
Adam spit onto the floor of the old Church, glancing out one of the half-smashed stained-glass windows and seeing that night had indeed come, and fallen.
"Survival of the Fittest destroyed the person that I'd spent sixteen years of my life creating, and replaced him with a grizzled war veteran, capable of shooting first and asking questions much, much later. I tell you guys this because obviously, you want to find your friends. That's a reasonable goal. It's laudable. But you've got to know - the odds are against you that you find all of them before they die. The odds aren't there that you find all of them who are feeling the same way that they did in school. I'll be honest, it's very possible that a lot of people you know have snapped, and are fully willing to play this sick fucking game. Some do it out of a sense of sadistic pleasure. Some snap and just go insane from the pressure. And some...some think that it's the only way to survive."
Madelaine Shirohara, if you were watching me right now, oh BOY, would you be fuckin' pissed off with who I've become...my goodness...
"So if you want to come with me, that's fine. Quite honestly, I have no weapon. I have a cell phone and an IPod. I'm as much a sitting duck as anyone who's wandering around this island. There could be as many as two hundred kids wandering around, and you're going to be running in to people in varying degrees of panic, and stress. If you guys want to come with me to find Izzy, then so be it. But know this. After last time, I do shit my way. Ordinarily, I'd be doing this alone, but like I said, I'm completely defenseless right now, and it's not smart. First thing that I need to know - what are you armed with; both of you? Second, is name one person on this island aside from yourselves that you completely trust - and if you say me, I'm going to pop whichever one of you says it in the face. I'm not looking to get my ass kissed, I'm looking for information. Finally, you have to know something."
Adam smirked at both of the boys, almost finished off with his long diatribe.
"I'm a former winner of Mr. Danya's sick game. He has cameras everywhere. He knows everything about you, he knows where you live, who you've slept with, who your friends are, and what your grandmother does on Tuesday mornings. This situation? This is going to be hell for the next ten or so days - and that's if you manage to make it to the end. I made it through that all once before, and in the eyes of probably a vast majority of people on this island - I'd say probably about 180 of 200 people, I'm probably the most dangerous person here. Odds are, at some point, Danya's going to offer up some sort of reward for my head. He doesn't like me, I cut his face up pretty badly when we first met. So if you guys come with me...you run the risk of becoming targets that are as large as I am. You've got to know, whatever rewards he offers up for killing me? He doesn't mean it. Last time, he dropped three of his incompetent yet deadliest terrorist lackeys on the island, and offered to let whoever killed them off, scot-free. I killed one, Jack O'Connor killed another, and the other blew himself up."
Adam's smirk grew in to a full-fledged grin.
"Guess who were the last two people on the island? Danya doesn't give out shit. He gives out weapons now, apparently, to people who kill creatively, as disturbing as that is. But for killing someone else? He'll laugh at you, mock you for falling for it, and as he's sitting in his chair diddling himself, he'll release an action figure of you to the masses, complete with a disclaimer that the action figure may in fact be more gullible than it appears. I warn you guys, because you seem like decent guys. You seem to have a good thing. Maybe wouldn't be my choice in romantic partners, but hey...that's fine. What I'm really trying to say is this: if you roll with me, shit is going to be heavy, it's going to be dangerous, and there's a really fuckin' good chance that you end up getting shot by somebody who wants to take me out. But I want to find Izzy, and if you do too, then I guess I'm happy to have you along."
Jumping down from the pew, Adam raised his eyebrow at the two.
"So what d'ya say? You still want to come along, or not?"
In God's House
Kallie had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the figure that had been dragging itself through the underbrush and toward the chapel. In fact, she didn't notice the rather mousy figure of Madison Conner until she seemed to spot Kallie and fall backwards, making a light thud on the ground as she landed.
Kallie couldn't control the amused smirk that spread across her features as she scrambled back to her feet. It took her a moment, but the girl finally managed to squeak out some kind of greeting to Kallie. Of course, it almost sounded like it was supposed to be a threat or warning more than a greeting, and given the fact that she couldn't even seem to stand up straight, Madison wasn't quite in the position to be making threats.
"Well, don't you look like hell," Kallie commented toward the brunette, perhaps a bit disinterestedly.
It was so dark outside that Kallie couldn't exactly make out the details of Madison's blood-covered visage, although she could cleary identify the crimson-looking substance that was covering the other girl's face. One quick glance at the blade of Madison's weapon proved that she hadn't attacked anybody, so the fact that she was covered in blood piqued Kallie's curiosity somewhat.
Normally when someone drenched in blood walks up to you, you'd tend to be panicking. Kallie, though, was still in mild shock from everything that had transpired over the course of the day. Because of that, she couldn't exactly come to terms with the situation, and therefore, she didn't know how to treat the blood covered girl except normally.
"You know, honey," Kallie mused, her eyes watching the brunette quite closely, "When you tell somebody that you 'don't want' to do something, it gives off the impression that you will, if you have to. I hate to tell you this, but considering you're flopping around like a dead fish, it might be hard for you to live up to your words if I did decide to attack you. Fortunately for you, I'm not playing."
Kallie shrugged her shoulders lightly, her hand idly resting on the sword that she'd sheathed as she had walked out of the chapel. Kallie didn't know Madison well. She was one of those people who tended to blend into the background of the school, and she seemed mousy and shy. Add that into the fact that Kallie never quite seemed to formulate good opinions of too many girls, and you get the reason Kallie had never gotten to know Madison.
Or wanted to, for that matter.
"Nobody here is playing, actually," she continued on, "There's a group in the church. Andy Walker, Sean O'Cann, Matt Wittany, and Adam Dodd. I wouldn't recommend going in there, though. That whole group was imploding on itself when I walked out the door, so who knows what's happening now?"
As if in answer to her words, the door of the church swung open and Matthew Wittany -- the student who'd been following her across the island for the entirety of the past day -- came barging out. The blonde whirled around to look at him momentarily, but instead of approaching her like she had anticipated, he moved over to the side of the building and slumped down.
If she had cared, she would have asked. Of course, she didn't. Instead, her attention turned back to Madison and she simply shrugged her shoulders.
"So, I have to ask. What in the hell happened to you?"
The girl was a complete mess. Kallie kind of thought she looked like that normally, but the whole being covered in (apparently) somebody else's blood thing was pretty out of the norm for anybody. Even if she and Madison weren't on the best of terms, any information she might have had as to who was playing and where not to head might have been helpful, especially if Kallie was really intent on heading out on the island on her own.
Kallie couldn't control the amused smirk that spread across her features as she scrambled back to her feet. It took her a moment, but the girl finally managed to squeak out some kind of greeting to Kallie. Of course, it almost sounded like it was supposed to be a threat or warning more than a greeting, and given the fact that she couldn't even seem to stand up straight, Madison wasn't quite in the position to be making threats.
"Well, don't you look like hell," Kallie commented toward the brunette, perhaps a bit disinterestedly.
It was so dark outside that Kallie couldn't exactly make out the details of Madison's blood-covered visage, although she could cleary identify the crimson-looking substance that was covering the other girl's face. One quick glance at the blade of Madison's weapon proved that she hadn't attacked anybody, so the fact that she was covered in blood piqued Kallie's curiosity somewhat.
Normally when someone drenched in blood walks up to you, you'd tend to be panicking. Kallie, though, was still in mild shock from everything that had transpired over the course of the day. Because of that, she couldn't exactly come to terms with the situation, and therefore, she didn't know how to treat the blood covered girl except normally.
"You know, honey," Kallie mused, her eyes watching the brunette quite closely, "When you tell somebody that you 'don't want' to do something, it gives off the impression that you will, if you have to. I hate to tell you this, but considering you're flopping around like a dead fish, it might be hard for you to live up to your words if I did decide to attack you. Fortunately for you, I'm not playing."
Kallie shrugged her shoulders lightly, her hand idly resting on the sword that she'd sheathed as she had walked out of the chapel. Kallie didn't know Madison well. She was one of those people who tended to blend into the background of the school, and she seemed mousy and shy. Add that into the fact that Kallie never quite seemed to formulate good opinions of too many girls, and you get the reason Kallie had never gotten to know Madison.
Or wanted to, for that matter.
"Nobody here is playing, actually," she continued on, "There's a group in the church. Andy Walker, Sean O'Cann, Matt Wittany, and Adam Dodd. I wouldn't recommend going in there, though. That whole group was imploding on itself when I walked out the door, so who knows what's happening now?"
As if in answer to her words, the door of the church swung open and Matthew Wittany -- the student who'd been following her across the island for the entirety of the past day -- came barging out. The blonde whirled around to look at him momentarily, but instead of approaching her like she had anticipated, he moved over to the side of the building and slumped down.
If she had cared, she would have asked. Of course, she didn't. Instead, her attention turned back to Madison and she simply shrugged her shoulders.
"So, I have to ask. What in the hell happened to you?"
The girl was a complete mess. Kallie kind of thought she looked like that normally, but the whole being covered in (apparently) somebody else's blood thing was pretty out of the norm for anybody. Even if she and Madison weren't on the best of terms, any information she might have had as to who was playing and where not to head might have been helpful, especially if Kallie was really intent on heading out on the island on her own.
I am an archival account used by staff to port old posts from handlers no longer active. If you are this handler, get in touch with staff and we can get your posts back for you! Lyndi avatar by Kermit.
Madison grimaced. Her hands would have formed fists at that moment hadn't she been holding onto her axe at the time. The whole situation was starting to stress her out and Kallie wasn't helping matters. Showing signs of bipolar disorder (which Madison never showed symptoms of), her mood suddenly changed from scared out of her mind to exasperation and on the verge of screaming at the top of her lungs. And Kallie's tone, while somewhat caring, was very sarcastic. So much so that she made Madison's temper boil at a high temperature. Her pants for air became those of a snarling animal, and her eyes squinted just before she started growling out a reply.
"What the hell happened to me? Are you seriously asking me that?!! I nearly got out of a war zone, a battlefield for christsakes! I'm glad I didn't get as much as a scratch on me! It just so happens that every single killer on this whole island decided to gather in one place and tries to slaughter me and a bunch of other people. It was insane! Someone's head EXPLODED! SOMEONE'S FUCKING HEAD EXPLODED! That's a once in a lifetime event! I never thought that I'd ever have to witness something like that! Have you ever seen someone's head explode?!! I bet you haven't! And this jackass, Bobby Jacks, was using me as a human shield against someone else with a shotgun! I-I was so scared, I just ran away as fast as I could! I d-don't even know if anyone else is still alive over there This is all . God damn "
Madison sighed loudly, steaming in frustration. She threw down her axe on the ground, stabbing into the ground and landed with the handle in the air. "I'm sorry this isn't like me at all but damn it! Why me? Why us?!! I've been fighting off the temptation to actually play this fucking game! I don't want to play! I don't want to kill! I want to find people I can trust and stick with them, but every time I've tried, something happens that ruins everything! I-I don't know how much more of this I can stand!"
It was starting to become very noticeable that Madison was the perfect human equivalent of a ticking time bomb. She transformed back into the meek girl that most people knew her as, her breath starting to wither down. She was having very violent visions being replayed in her mind, but tried her hardest to suppress them. She needed all the friends she could get, and yelling at them like some kind of sociopath killer wasn't going to help her cause. If Kallie was telling the truth, then Madison had nothing to fear. If Kallie was being honest, Madison had found some people whom she could trust. She would be perfectly okay. Or was that just what she wanted to believe?
"Well " Madison continued forcefully, a Mona Lisa smile painted across her face (which, surprisingly, matched with the blood coating her face). "If you aren't playing then maybe I can join you guys. I need people who I can trust. People I know aren't going to stab me in the back. I don't want to be alone in this game. I don't feel safe "
Two names struck chords with Madison. Andy Walker. Wasn't he one of the popular kids? Madison remembered what the boy looked like if only vaguely, since he was popular and all. Madison really didn't know him personally, so she could only conjure up his name and his face. Madison tried her best always not to prejudge people, but Andy appeared to be a flamer. She had no proof of this, so she just chalked it up to woman intuition. And her female intuition was usually right.
Adam Dodd. Everyone knew who he was. Even Madison knew about him and his reputation. Like Andy, Madison could only remember his name and his physical appearance, although she also knew of his infamous kill count that hung high over his head like a raincloud wherever he went. She realized that she shouldn't judge someone just because they had killed someone in the past, but she really wasn't sure what to think of him. There was only one thing that mattered at that point: that he wasn't playing the game. That was justification enough. She could trust him and the rest. Or, once again, was that just what she wanted to believe? It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that almost every player on the whole island would be looking for his head on a silver platter. Was it really that safe?
Then there was Kallie. Madison didn't have much to say about her, but she wasn't playing either. That was good enough for Madison. She studied the face of the other female's eyes, her smile still very much visible on her face. Sticking in groups seemed like a good idea and it was what Madison really wanted, but after all the events that had transpired at the tower not only a hour ago, the idea wasn't looking as good. Madison actually felt... that staying a lone wolf might actually serve to help her cause even more.
"Actually..." Madison began to reconsider. "Listen... I really don't want to be alone but... sticking in big groups of more than three people is going to attract alot of attention. I really should know... Not to mention someone like... Is Adam Dodd in there? If he is, then that just makes us even more of a target. I think... it isn't such a good idea."
The more she thought about joining up with a group, the more it felt as though their efforts were in vain. Madison was in another group not to long ago and it all exploded. No matter how she tried to deny it, the fact of the matter was that three or more people sticking together was going to attract much more attention than if there just a single person. Maybe Madison was becoming paranoid over nothing really special. She always had a habit of worrying about the small, insignificant details outside of this "game".
"Do... Are you actually with them?" Madison asked, not clearly sure Kallie was even affiliated with the group that she had said was forming inside the chapel. "Are you sticking with them?"
"What the hell happened to me? Are you seriously asking me that?!! I nearly got out of a war zone, a battlefield for christsakes! I'm glad I didn't get as much as a scratch on me! It just so happens that every single killer on this whole island decided to gather in one place and tries to slaughter me and a bunch of other people. It was insane! Someone's head EXPLODED! SOMEONE'S FUCKING HEAD EXPLODED! That's a once in a lifetime event! I never thought that I'd ever have to witness something like that! Have you ever seen someone's head explode?!! I bet you haven't! And this jackass, Bobby Jacks, was using me as a human shield against someone else with a shotgun! I-I was so scared, I just ran away as fast as I could! I d-don't even know if anyone else is still alive over there This is all . God damn "
Madison sighed loudly, steaming in frustration. She threw down her axe on the ground, stabbing into the ground and landed with the handle in the air. "I'm sorry this isn't like me at all but damn it! Why me? Why us?!! I've been fighting off the temptation to actually play this fucking game! I don't want to play! I don't want to kill! I want to find people I can trust and stick with them, but every time I've tried, something happens that ruins everything! I-I don't know how much more of this I can stand!"
It was starting to become very noticeable that Madison was the perfect human equivalent of a ticking time bomb. She transformed back into the meek girl that most people knew her as, her breath starting to wither down. She was having very violent visions being replayed in her mind, but tried her hardest to suppress them. She needed all the friends she could get, and yelling at them like some kind of sociopath killer wasn't going to help her cause. If Kallie was telling the truth, then Madison had nothing to fear. If Kallie was being honest, Madison had found some people whom she could trust. She would be perfectly okay. Or was that just what she wanted to believe?
"Well " Madison continued forcefully, a Mona Lisa smile painted across her face (which, surprisingly, matched with the blood coating her face). "If you aren't playing then maybe I can join you guys. I need people who I can trust. People I know aren't going to stab me in the back. I don't want to be alone in this game. I don't feel safe "
Two names struck chords with Madison. Andy Walker. Wasn't he one of the popular kids? Madison remembered what the boy looked like if only vaguely, since he was popular and all. Madison really didn't know him personally, so she could only conjure up his name and his face. Madison tried her best always not to prejudge people, but Andy appeared to be a flamer. She had no proof of this, so she just chalked it up to woman intuition. And her female intuition was usually right.
Adam Dodd. Everyone knew who he was. Even Madison knew about him and his reputation. Like Andy, Madison could only remember his name and his physical appearance, although she also knew of his infamous kill count that hung high over his head like a raincloud wherever he went. She realized that she shouldn't judge someone just because they had killed someone in the past, but she really wasn't sure what to think of him. There was only one thing that mattered at that point: that he wasn't playing the game. That was justification enough. She could trust him and the rest. Or, once again, was that just what she wanted to believe? It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that almost every player on the whole island would be looking for his head on a silver platter. Was it really that safe?
Then there was Kallie. Madison didn't have much to say about her, but she wasn't playing either. That was good enough for Madison. She studied the face of the other female's eyes, her smile still very much visible on her face. Sticking in groups seemed like a good idea and it was what Madison really wanted, but after all the events that had transpired at the tower not only a hour ago, the idea wasn't looking as good. Madison actually felt... that staying a lone wolf might actually serve to help her cause even more.
"Actually..." Madison began to reconsider. "Listen... I really don't want to be alone but... sticking in big groups of more than three people is going to attract alot of attention. I really should know... Not to mention someone like... Is Adam Dodd in there? If he is, then that just makes us even more of a target. I think... it isn't such a good idea."
The more she thought about joining up with a group, the more it felt as though their efforts were in vain. Madison was in another group not to long ago and it all exploded. No matter how she tried to deny it, the fact of the matter was that three or more people sticking together was going to attract much more attention than if there just a single person. Maybe Madison was becoming paranoid over nothing really special. She always had a habit of worrying about the small, insignificant details outside of this "game".
"Do... Are you actually with them?" Madison asked, not clearly sure Kallie was even affiliated with the group that she had said was forming inside the chapel. "Are you sticking with them?"
Sean sat silently as all of the others spoke, both because he didn;t want to unterrupt Adam or Andy, and because Matthew's outburst stunned him totally. He had been taking pictures of Andy? For FOUR FUCKING YEARS!? Sean didn't know whether he was outraged or merely amazed by what the guy had said. On the one hand he was angered - both because Matthew had been taking pictures of guys in their school - which was downright perverted, not to mention incredibly creepy, and because most of them had been of Andy. It was a fault, for sure, but Sean was protective of his boyfriend - he was the first person he'd ever been in an even vaguely romantic relationship with.
On the flipside he was amazed because... well, it wasn't every day you found out one of your classmates was some kind of weird stalker. Then again, it wasn't every day that you found yourself on some tropic island with the ultimatum kill or be killed looming over you...
Sean didn't even try to stop Matthew leaving - there were a number of things he knew he could have said to him - to comfort or to chastise, maybe even sympathy or forgiveness. That would have been the friendly thing to do. A minor flaw in taking that line of conversation though would be that anything Sean said would be utterly insincere and would probably have led up to a rant. The fact was, Sean wasn't the kind of person who could swallow his personal feelings and be nice to somebody, especially when it was this kind of someone.
Just go. He willed Matt silently, eyes narrowing. Get the hell out of here and don't ever come near me again... I feel sorry for you, but I'm pissed as well. Unless you want to be yelled at so hard your eardrums implode... keep clear. Sean thought all of this as Matt retreated from the building in near hysterics. Once he was gone, and Sean was sure he wouldn't come back, he turned back to listen to Adam as he spoke to them.
Sean listened, and although his mind and his heart rebelled against some of the things Adam said, he knew that he was speaking with the voice of experience. In this situation, it was more than invaluable - it was incredibly rare. Sitting there in front of him now was one of only two people in the world who really knew what going through what they were just starting to experience was like. It was a sobering thought. Sean was willling to concede on some points that Adam knew more about what he was saying than the baseballer possibly could, but there were a few things he needed to speak up on.
Shifting where he was seated into a more upright position and distractedly running his hand through his hair (it was messy already, before long it would be more like a tangled bush than hair). He took a deep breath, shaking off another pang of pain in his head, and then spoke up.
"I might not have experience any of what this whole thing is about yet, but there are still a few things I know. Hey, I could be totally wrong, I'm not a mind reader, I can't tell what people are thinking, if they're playing or not, if they're sincere or hiding something... I don't know about group mechanics either, and I guess I have to defer to your experience in this instance Adam. All the same though, you've got to understand that I'd much rather be with Andy 'till the finish, no matter what that might constitute, than be wandering around on my own and find out that the guy that I care about the most out of... hell anybody is dead. Like I said, I can't look into people's thoughts, maybe I'm putting an unfair strain on Andy if he doesn't think like I do. That's just my perspective..."
Sean paused for a moment, staring down at the floor shyly, before tipping his head back up to address Adam again, speaking quietly, but with underlying passion. This was what he believed, why hide it by pretending to be desensitised?
"I understand what you're saying about the pyschopath... I get the analogy, but in this case, there's something else to consider. As opposed to some nameless guy come bursting in to wipe your family out and leave you... this is different, and scarier, I should imagine. Rather than a faceless killer, it's somebody you know, have met around school. I can't see how I won't know anybody here - Southridge isn't that big a place. It's hardly a negative then. If I'm on my own and hear somebody I know has been killed - I'm going to know who killed them. And unlike you Adam, in Version one, it isn't just going to be a name, I can attach a face to it. It would be just as bad if they'd been killed in front of me... As for being a large target? Well, the way I see it, all I've got is ammunition for a gun and no gun to go along with it. If somebody comes across me on my own them I'm pretty much toast anyway - being a larger target won't make too much difference,"
Sean trailed off, aware that he was starting to venture into uncharted territory. Right now, inside, Adam was probably wondering who the fuck he thought he was - thinking he knew about the game when he'd spent scarcely a day in it and hadn't met anybody except friendly faces (or non-hostile ones, which was about the same). Sean glance at his shoes again, then dragged his gaze up - well, it was his opinion, he could say it if he wanted to...
"As for the rest of it, most of it anyway, well I can't really say anything about that, how could I? I haven't gone through what you've gone through Adam. I won't try to insult that kind of experience by making out I know anything about it. This... is something that nobody should have to go through. Ever. Let alone twice. Fuck, call yourself what you want, but you're a good guy Adam. I realise I've probably got no call saying that - I don't know you after all, so I'm sorry if that's offensive, but truthfully, I think you acted in the best way you possibly could when you're trapped in something like this...,"
If what he had said earlier was uncharted territory, Sean, by now, must have fallen off the edge of the map entirely. He hesitated, unsure if he was about to cause some sort of explosion (he'd caught plenty of Adam's rants in the earlier version) but decided that he had to plow on, otherwise he might as mell not have spoken in the first place.
"To be fair with the both of you, I don't actually know Izzy. I've seen her around quite a bit, but she isn't somebody I tend to talk to, exzcept in passing. Fact is, you two both want to find her, and no way in hell am I leaving Andy after having the luck to find him so early on - so if we're all working together, it might be better. On the other hand: weapons? Adam you've got nothing, basically, and Andy isn't better. I have the result of the sick kind of humour I saw from Danya whenever I watched either of the other versions. I guess there's room for improvisation but makeshift weapons aren't going to cut it against the real deal."
Sean stopped, sighed, then resolved to finish with no more breaks.
"Who else do I trust? The name you will find there is Tyson Neills. We've had some rough breaks in the past, and we aren't too friendly at the moment, but I've known that guy for ten years plus. If there anybody asides from Andy I can trust, it's most certainly him. You say again that you in a group makes it a bigger target, but, to be honest, I don't factor that in as a problem. To the people playing, everybody is going to be a target. If some lunatic comes after us because of you, so be it. I can't ditch somebody with the same goal as me just because I think it might cause problems with my own safety. If you'll have me Adam, I'll come with you - if that is some of my views aren't suited to your take on a good partner or team player,"
Finally, Sean came to a halt, and this time, didn't drop his gaze, just kept looking at Adam. Maybe there would be some backlash, maybe not, at least the V1 winner now knew exactly Sean's views on pretty much everything relevant. Good or bad remained to be seen. Sean sincerely hoped he hadn't touched a nerve or inadvertently caused offence...
On the flipside he was amazed because... well, it wasn't every day you found out one of your classmates was some kind of weird stalker. Then again, it wasn't every day that you found yourself on some tropic island with the ultimatum kill or be killed looming over you...
Sean didn't even try to stop Matthew leaving - there were a number of things he knew he could have said to him - to comfort or to chastise, maybe even sympathy or forgiveness. That would have been the friendly thing to do. A minor flaw in taking that line of conversation though would be that anything Sean said would be utterly insincere and would probably have led up to a rant. The fact was, Sean wasn't the kind of person who could swallow his personal feelings and be nice to somebody, especially when it was this kind of someone.
Just go. He willed Matt silently, eyes narrowing. Get the hell out of here and don't ever come near me again... I feel sorry for you, but I'm pissed as well. Unless you want to be yelled at so hard your eardrums implode... keep clear. Sean thought all of this as Matt retreated from the building in near hysterics. Once he was gone, and Sean was sure he wouldn't come back, he turned back to listen to Adam as he spoke to them.
Sean listened, and although his mind and his heart rebelled against some of the things Adam said, he knew that he was speaking with the voice of experience. In this situation, it was more than invaluable - it was incredibly rare. Sitting there in front of him now was one of only two people in the world who really knew what going through what they were just starting to experience was like. It was a sobering thought. Sean was willling to concede on some points that Adam knew more about what he was saying than the baseballer possibly could, but there were a few things he needed to speak up on.
Shifting where he was seated into a more upright position and distractedly running his hand through his hair (it was messy already, before long it would be more like a tangled bush than hair). He took a deep breath, shaking off another pang of pain in his head, and then spoke up.
"I might not have experience any of what this whole thing is about yet, but there are still a few things I know. Hey, I could be totally wrong, I'm not a mind reader, I can't tell what people are thinking, if they're playing or not, if they're sincere or hiding something... I don't know about group mechanics either, and I guess I have to defer to your experience in this instance Adam. All the same though, you've got to understand that I'd much rather be with Andy 'till the finish, no matter what that might constitute, than be wandering around on my own and find out that the guy that I care about the most out of... hell anybody is dead. Like I said, I can't look into people's thoughts, maybe I'm putting an unfair strain on Andy if he doesn't think like I do. That's just my perspective..."
Sean paused for a moment, staring down at the floor shyly, before tipping his head back up to address Adam again, speaking quietly, but with underlying passion. This was what he believed, why hide it by pretending to be desensitised?
"I understand what you're saying about the pyschopath... I get the analogy, but in this case, there's something else to consider. As opposed to some nameless guy come bursting in to wipe your family out and leave you... this is different, and scarier, I should imagine. Rather than a faceless killer, it's somebody you know, have met around school. I can't see how I won't know anybody here - Southridge isn't that big a place. It's hardly a negative then. If I'm on my own and hear somebody I know has been killed - I'm going to know who killed them. And unlike you Adam, in Version one, it isn't just going to be a name, I can attach a face to it. It would be just as bad if they'd been killed in front of me... As for being a large target? Well, the way I see it, all I've got is ammunition for a gun and no gun to go along with it. If somebody comes across me on my own them I'm pretty much toast anyway - being a larger target won't make too much difference,"
Sean trailed off, aware that he was starting to venture into uncharted territory. Right now, inside, Adam was probably wondering who the fuck he thought he was - thinking he knew about the game when he'd spent scarcely a day in it and hadn't met anybody except friendly faces (or non-hostile ones, which was about the same). Sean glance at his shoes again, then dragged his gaze up - well, it was his opinion, he could say it if he wanted to...
"As for the rest of it, most of it anyway, well I can't really say anything about that, how could I? I haven't gone through what you've gone through Adam. I won't try to insult that kind of experience by making out I know anything about it. This... is something that nobody should have to go through. Ever. Let alone twice. Fuck, call yourself what you want, but you're a good guy Adam. I realise I've probably got no call saying that - I don't know you after all, so I'm sorry if that's offensive, but truthfully, I think you acted in the best way you possibly could when you're trapped in something like this...,"
If what he had said earlier was uncharted territory, Sean, by now, must have fallen off the edge of the map entirely. He hesitated, unsure if he was about to cause some sort of explosion (he'd caught plenty of Adam's rants in the earlier version) but decided that he had to plow on, otherwise he might as mell not have spoken in the first place.
"To be fair with the both of you, I don't actually know Izzy. I've seen her around quite a bit, but she isn't somebody I tend to talk to, exzcept in passing. Fact is, you two both want to find her, and no way in hell am I leaving Andy after having the luck to find him so early on - so if we're all working together, it might be better. On the other hand: weapons? Adam you've got nothing, basically, and Andy isn't better. I have the result of the sick kind of humour I saw from Danya whenever I watched either of the other versions. I guess there's room for improvisation but makeshift weapons aren't going to cut it against the real deal."
Sean stopped, sighed, then resolved to finish with no more breaks.
"Who else do I trust? The name you will find there is Tyson Neills. We've had some rough breaks in the past, and we aren't too friendly at the moment, but I've known that guy for ten years plus. If there anybody asides from Andy I can trust, it's most certainly him. You say again that you in a group makes it a bigger target, but, to be honest, I don't factor that in as a problem. To the people playing, everybody is going to be a target. If some lunatic comes after us because of you, so be it. I can't ditch somebody with the same goal as me just because I think it might cause problems with my own safety. If you'll have me Adam, I'll come with you - if that is some of my views aren't suited to your take on a good partner or team player,"
Finally, Sean came to a halt, and this time, didn't drop his gaze, just kept looking at Adam. Maybe there would be some backlash, maybe not, at least the V1 winner now knew exactly Sean's views on pretty much everything relevant. Good or bad remained to be seen. Sean sincerely hoped he hadn't touched a nerve or inadvertently caused offence...
-
lovebirdjo*
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2018 6:36 am
The world was the ocean for many moments while Andy swam into a thoughtpool of many emotions, raging all at once. On one hand, he was having trouble dealing with a majority of what was going on, especially one of his few hated people leaving the room in tears. It might have been the hurt radiating from Matthew, or maybe it was the sincerity in his voice, but something made the blonde feel a deep pang in his chest akin to guilt when the other boy stormed out into the dark of the island.
It was no wonder, either, that his eyes were drawn to the many pictures of himself littering the chapel floor, strewn near multiple pews, each more beautiful than the last. One caught his attention very quickly. The rectangle was larger than the rest, a profile shot of the cheerleader. Natural lighting had been used, the sun placing gentle kisses to his cheeks; the courtyard of Southridge was the backdrop. These were lovely, with the green of the grass and the swell of the lighting, but the most amazing thing about the picture was its emotion. Andy's eyes, deep brown, were welled up with tears, streams pouring on either side of his face. His face was pulled into a bright smile. The hair on his head was from early into his freshman year, short and a darker blonde than in the present.
'That's from the day I made the cheerleading squad.'
As much of a creep as Matthew was, he really did have a gift for photography. Andy's feeling of guilt was deepened as he thought about what he had said to cause the brunette's departure from the safehaven. The blonde couldn't keep his thinking because Adam began to speak, completely ignoring the boy who had left and turning his attention to Andy. Dodd carried a commanding voice, even when he was talking to people of the same age as him, and his words brought some pretty turbulent feelings from the blonde's heart.
"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act like I know anything about all of this. Not more than you. It's just, I don't know what else to do. I can't just be alone in this, and I don't think anyone should have to face it like that," he said with his eyes somewhat downcast, "I know that this could end up with Sean or Izzy or you or someone else with us dead, and I'd grieve, but I think I'd want to know that I did everything in my power to save them from that fate."
He didn't want to be clueless on the island, and he wasn't as blessed as some people with a survival instinct. He considered the best bet to be with another person, and though he had Sean, there was something about Adam that made Andy abandon any smidgeon of doubt leftover. The blonde trusted people far too much for his own good, especially people he had just met. Always one to give the benefit of the doubt, the gymnast really had too much faith in the good of humanity. The winner of the first version of Survival of the Fittest had Andy's trust for so many reasons, many of which were personal, and thankfully Sean had decided to stay with him.
'I feel so terrible. What did he ever do to deserve any of this?'
Worse yet, what did he or any of the rest of his classmates do to deserve this sort of capital punishment? That question could be answered many ways. Melina Frost, a red haried femme fatale, was notorious for being a bitch towards just about everyone at Southridge, conniving and selfish. Then there was the violent, passive aggressive Blood Boy; he was just an overall oddity, with that creepy mask of his. So yes, there were probably some of them that deserved to be punished, but not like this. This was something closer to a punishment for the desecration of a corpse or simply murder in itself. Not a one of them deserved to be fighting for their life amongst their classmates. It was unnatural. Or maybe it was just the opposite. It was the most natural thing in the world. Andy hated nature, always had.
"Sean, thank you. You don't know how much of a support you really are," the blonde said, linking hands with his boyfriend again,"And Adam, I'm coming with you, and yea. It's... it's really important that I find Izzy."
If there was one thing in the entire world that Andy knew, it was that finding his best friend was the most important thing for him right now. As long as he found her, everything would be all right. After all, Sean was already with him. It wasn't that he wanted to die, but he could live with himself if he died with his love and his friend. Ha. Wasn't that an oxymoron? Live with himself if he died? Pondering whether or not everything would work out or not, he found himself drawing near to his blonde, athletic boyfriend. Looking at him to make sure he was ok, the other blonde began speaking about his convictions and where he stood. As for a weapon, apparently all he had gotten were some bullets.
'Great.'
Three competent people and no good weapons. Andy himself simply raised his motorcycle helmet to show it to the appraise of Dodd, and listened attentively as both boys kept speaking. Sean was pledging his allegiance, and the cheerleader couldn't stop the small smile coming on. The boy was so adorable when he was serious. Then there were eyes on him as his face became a blank slate once more. The urge to just run away from it all and wait at the altar was strong, but instead he managed to look into Adam's eyes and give him an honest answer, however weak he may have felt doing so.
"I told you already. I'm coming with you, danger or no. Targets we may be, but at least we won't be alone. Maybe we can rely on our different strengths? I don't know how we'll manage, but I just know that we can."
'I hope.'
There was also the notion of where they would go next. Where could they go in order to find Izzy? Andy highly doubted that she would go somewhere in a large group. It wasn't really her style. She also would probably go somewhere that would be sturdy and safe. The blonde knew that his friend wouldn't be playing, and the Chinese girl had probably met up with someone in order to preserve her safety until she could find something to do. In truth, Andy didn't have the slightest bit of a plan. He had just been running previously in the day, and now that it was night, he really wasn't sure of what to do. Would they wait in the church for the rest of the night, or would they set out into the darkness on a trek?
"Umm... just what are we going to do about going out there," Andy pointed towards the door as he said this, "I mean, I'm sure you both are tired. Should we stay here until early morning or something? And there might be some way we can get a makeshift weapon for both of you here, right?"
It was no wonder, either, that his eyes were drawn to the many pictures of himself littering the chapel floor, strewn near multiple pews, each more beautiful than the last. One caught his attention very quickly. The rectangle was larger than the rest, a profile shot of the cheerleader. Natural lighting had been used, the sun placing gentle kisses to his cheeks; the courtyard of Southridge was the backdrop. These were lovely, with the green of the grass and the swell of the lighting, but the most amazing thing about the picture was its emotion. Andy's eyes, deep brown, were welled up with tears, streams pouring on either side of his face. His face was pulled into a bright smile. The hair on his head was from early into his freshman year, short and a darker blonde than in the present.
'That's from the day I made the cheerleading squad.'
As much of a creep as Matthew was, he really did have a gift for photography. Andy's feeling of guilt was deepened as he thought about what he had said to cause the brunette's departure from the safehaven. The blonde couldn't keep his thinking because Adam began to speak, completely ignoring the boy who had left and turning his attention to Andy. Dodd carried a commanding voice, even when he was talking to people of the same age as him, and his words brought some pretty turbulent feelings from the blonde's heart.
"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act like I know anything about all of this. Not more than you. It's just, I don't know what else to do. I can't just be alone in this, and I don't think anyone should have to face it like that," he said with his eyes somewhat downcast, "I know that this could end up with Sean or Izzy or you or someone else with us dead, and I'd grieve, but I think I'd want to know that I did everything in my power to save them from that fate."
He didn't want to be clueless on the island, and he wasn't as blessed as some people with a survival instinct. He considered the best bet to be with another person, and though he had Sean, there was something about Adam that made Andy abandon any smidgeon of doubt leftover. The blonde trusted people far too much for his own good, especially people he had just met. Always one to give the benefit of the doubt, the gymnast really had too much faith in the good of humanity. The winner of the first version of Survival of the Fittest had Andy's trust for so many reasons, many of which were personal, and thankfully Sean had decided to stay with him.
'I feel so terrible. What did he ever do to deserve any of this?'
Worse yet, what did he or any of the rest of his classmates do to deserve this sort of capital punishment? That question could be answered many ways. Melina Frost, a red haried femme fatale, was notorious for being a bitch towards just about everyone at Southridge, conniving and selfish. Then there was the violent, passive aggressive Blood Boy; he was just an overall oddity, with that creepy mask of his. So yes, there were probably some of them that deserved to be punished, but not like this. This was something closer to a punishment for the desecration of a corpse or simply murder in itself. Not a one of them deserved to be fighting for their life amongst their classmates. It was unnatural. Or maybe it was just the opposite. It was the most natural thing in the world. Andy hated nature, always had.
"Sean, thank you. You don't know how much of a support you really are," the blonde said, linking hands with his boyfriend again,"And Adam, I'm coming with you, and yea. It's... it's really important that I find Izzy."
If there was one thing in the entire world that Andy knew, it was that finding his best friend was the most important thing for him right now. As long as he found her, everything would be all right. After all, Sean was already with him. It wasn't that he wanted to die, but he could live with himself if he died with his love and his friend. Ha. Wasn't that an oxymoron? Live with himself if he died? Pondering whether or not everything would work out or not, he found himself drawing near to his blonde, athletic boyfriend. Looking at him to make sure he was ok, the other blonde began speaking about his convictions and where he stood. As for a weapon, apparently all he had gotten were some bullets.
'Great.'
Three competent people and no good weapons. Andy himself simply raised his motorcycle helmet to show it to the appraise of Dodd, and listened attentively as both boys kept speaking. Sean was pledging his allegiance, and the cheerleader couldn't stop the small smile coming on. The boy was so adorable when he was serious. Then there were eyes on him as his face became a blank slate once more. The urge to just run away from it all and wait at the altar was strong, but instead he managed to look into Adam's eyes and give him an honest answer, however weak he may have felt doing so.
"I told you already. I'm coming with you, danger or no. Targets we may be, but at least we won't be alone. Maybe we can rely on our different strengths? I don't know how we'll manage, but I just know that we can."
'I hope.'
There was also the notion of where they would go next. Where could they go in order to find Izzy? Andy highly doubted that she would go somewhere in a large group. It wasn't really her style. She also would probably go somewhere that would be sturdy and safe. The blonde knew that his friend wouldn't be playing, and the Chinese girl had probably met up with someone in order to preserve her safety until she could find something to do. In truth, Andy didn't have the slightest bit of a plan. He had just been running previously in the day, and now that it was night, he really wasn't sure of what to do. Would they wait in the church for the rest of the night, or would they set out into the darkness on a trek?
"Umm... just what are we going to do about going out there," Andy pointed towards the door as he said this, "I mean, I'm sure you both are tired. Should we stay here until early morning or something? And there might be some way we can get a makeshift weapon for both of you here, right?"
"Bullets, and no gun? Danya, you cocksucker..."
Speeches hadn't been something that had ever come with any degree of difficulty for Adam Dodd. Ever since he'd been in grade school and they'd done speeches during class-time, Adam had always felt that he had a degree of proficiency in public speaking. He'd honed that craft by taking drama classes in high school, and all things considered, he felt himself to be a fairly effective speaker. This of course, was underscored by what he'd been through in the past couple of years, speaking publically about his experience and ranting while in SOTF. And now, that it'd occurred yet again, and he'd found himself in this horrible game a second time, Adam knew that at the moment, his public speaking abilities were the only things that were keeping him in the good books of those around him. He spoke the language of experience, and it was all that he had, at least until he found a weapon, or Izzy.
Or both.
Listening to both Sean and Andy's responses to his speech about experience and about trust, Adam found himself in the odd position of having a group of people that he would now be travelling with. He'd had but one group the last time around, and they'd been decimated a few days in.
What do the next few days hold for any of us - can we know? Fuck, for all I know, I could be dead in a day. So could Andy, so could Sean. That's fate for ya, I guess...
So at Sean's revelation that he had bullets, and yet no gun, Adam found himself shaking his head. It was just like Danya to assign various 'joke' weapons to students, knowing full well that they'd be sitting ducks for those players who managed to come out with an AK-47 or a Remington. It was a mockery that he knew very well, having come face to face with the man himself.
Though he won't soon forget that...of course, that's probably why we're all here. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this is just revenge, and he picked this group to get back at me...let's hope that nobody else thinks that, either...then I'd be nice and proper-fucked.
"Don't throw that shit away, eh? The odds are, if you've got bullets and no gun, there's probably someone with the gun that doesn't have bullets. You never know where those things'll come in handy."
Adam paused, and considered his options. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and where he wanted to go, but he still had nagging doubts. If Gabriel had stuck around...Adam finally responded to them both, but his voice was much lower, and sounded a lot calmer.
"About what you both said...it's fuckin' noble, it really is. I'll be honest. If you guys are as legit about finding your friends as you say you are - and really, I've got no reason to doubt you, but if you are? Then good on you for finding each other early. You've got to hold on to whatever hope you can. As far as your opinions...on the game, on me...guys...I've got to tell ya...last time? It was a whole lot more complicated than I care to explain. But what I do know? There's always a face. That's just it. Sometimes, you don't even know the name. Just a face...could be someone you see around school, one of the quieter kids, or something. Maybe it's a friend, a girlfriend, a boyfriend...an old flame, or even a bitter rival. The truth is, it's a whole hell of a lot worse this time around than it was when I was in this before."
Adam paused, and scratched his chin.
"Cody Jenson...the one guy in the first go-round who I can say that I actually did murder in cold blood? I'd never met him before. He was some...semi-famous hockey player who never made it anywhere. What he did was senseless, it was violent, and it had no root cause. What was worse? I could have stopped him before he even got started. But...I didn't. I arrived far too late to see who he was, and what he would end up doing later on. But I'd never met the guy, and his murder is the one that haunts me the most of all. I'm a guy who has twelve different kills to his name - something that I'm fairly certain was all around the rumour mill at Southridge...something I'm sure you probably had a hand in yourself, Andy..."
Adam smirked at Andy, shooting him a look that said that he really couldn't have cared less about any rumours, especially not now - if nothing else but to put his mind at ease.
"...but for a guy who has twelve kills to his name, it's the one person who I murdered in cold blood, in revenge for raping and murdering my heart and soul...it's that one guy that haunts me most of all. So yeah...trust me, this time around - it's gonna be a lot harder for you guys. If killing someone I'd never met before is fuckin' me up that much, just imagine how it's going to be if you're forced to kill your student council president...or maybe the star quarterback, the prom queen...it won't be easy, guys. I just...I just want you to know. This game changes you, and it isn't for the better."
Adam sighed a bit, as he looked out the broken window again. Night had fallen quickly, and Adam shook his head slightly at Andy's suggestion.
"No, if anything, we need to get moving now. Wandering around during the day is suicide, especially if all we've got are bullets, a mortorcyle helmet, and my biting sarcastic wit...something tells me that my harsh language might hurt people more than the others, and if that's the case, we're in trouble..."
Thinking again for a moment, Adam decided that his originally planned course of action would likely be the most prudent one for him to take.
"Nah, we need to get going. I understand you guys're probably exhausted. At the risk of sounding like kind of an asshole...get used to it. I didn't sleep for three days straight last time, and it may have been more. But when you're trying to stay alive, you force yourself to keeping going. We need to head towards a place that I was earlier today. It's a deep ravine with an unstable-looking bridge across it. I left my pack there earlier on, and I had a pretty wicked-looking switchblade and some fluorescent light tubes that I was using to keep people at a distance. If nothin' else, they make a pretty kick-ass noise when they shatter."
Adam shrugged.
"In case you're wondering, the switchblade was my assigned weapon, I left it when I tackled some big monster of a guy into the ravine - which hurt like hell. No, I haven't killed anyone yet, and no, I wasn't attacking the guy at the ravine...he had a big sword and was playing 'food-processing-ninja' with a couple of kids who didn't seem too keen on playing with him. I dislocated my shoulder, and in resetting it, I knocked him over and bolted the fuck out of there. Just, y'know...if you guys were curious."
Rubbing his shoulder again, Adam looked back at the door leading out of the church. He thought he'd heard voices outside, but he'd dismissed it as echoes of their conversation. He now heard the voices again, and decided that the quicker the exit, the better.
Speeches hadn't been something that had ever come with any degree of difficulty for Adam Dodd. Ever since he'd been in grade school and they'd done speeches during class-time, Adam had always felt that he had a degree of proficiency in public speaking. He'd honed that craft by taking drama classes in high school, and all things considered, he felt himself to be a fairly effective speaker. This of course, was underscored by what he'd been through in the past couple of years, speaking publically about his experience and ranting while in SOTF. And now, that it'd occurred yet again, and he'd found himself in this horrible game a second time, Adam knew that at the moment, his public speaking abilities were the only things that were keeping him in the good books of those around him. He spoke the language of experience, and it was all that he had, at least until he found a weapon, or Izzy.
Or both.
Listening to both Sean and Andy's responses to his speech about experience and about trust, Adam found himself in the odd position of having a group of people that he would now be travelling with. He'd had but one group the last time around, and they'd been decimated a few days in.
What do the next few days hold for any of us - can we know? Fuck, for all I know, I could be dead in a day. So could Andy, so could Sean. That's fate for ya, I guess...
So at Sean's revelation that he had bullets, and yet no gun, Adam found himself shaking his head. It was just like Danya to assign various 'joke' weapons to students, knowing full well that they'd be sitting ducks for those players who managed to come out with an AK-47 or a Remington. It was a mockery that he knew very well, having come face to face with the man himself.
Though he won't soon forget that...of course, that's probably why we're all here. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this is just revenge, and he picked this group to get back at me...let's hope that nobody else thinks that, either...then I'd be nice and proper-fucked.
"Don't throw that shit away, eh? The odds are, if you've got bullets and no gun, there's probably someone with the gun that doesn't have bullets. You never know where those things'll come in handy."
Adam paused, and considered his options. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and where he wanted to go, but he still had nagging doubts. If Gabriel had stuck around...Adam finally responded to them both, but his voice was much lower, and sounded a lot calmer.
"About what you both said...it's fuckin' noble, it really is. I'll be honest. If you guys are as legit about finding your friends as you say you are - and really, I've got no reason to doubt you, but if you are? Then good on you for finding each other early. You've got to hold on to whatever hope you can. As far as your opinions...on the game, on me...guys...I've got to tell ya...last time? It was a whole lot more complicated than I care to explain. But what I do know? There's always a face. That's just it. Sometimes, you don't even know the name. Just a face...could be someone you see around school, one of the quieter kids, or something. Maybe it's a friend, a girlfriend, a boyfriend...an old flame, or even a bitter rival. The truth is, it's a whole hell of a lot worse this time around than it was when I was in this before."
Adam paused, and scratched his chin.
"Cody Jenson...the one guy in the first go-round who I can say that I actually did murder in cold blood? I'd never met him before. He was some...semi-famous hockey player who never made it anywhere. What he did was senseless, it was violent, and it had no root cause. What was worse? I could have stopped him before he even got started. But...I didn't. I arrived far too late to see who he was, and what he would end up doing later on. But I'd never met the guy, and his murder is the one that haunts me the most of all. I'm a guy who has twelve different kills to his name - something that I'm fairly certain was all around the rumour mill at Southridge...something I'm sure you probably had a hand in yourself, Andy..."
Adam smirked at Andy, shooting him a look that said that he really couldn't have cared less about any rumours, especially not now - if nothing else but to put his mind at ease.
"...but for a guy who has twelve kills to his name, it's the one person who I murdered in cold blood, in revenge for raping and murdering my heart and soul...it's that one guy that haunts me most of all. So yeah...trust me, this time around - it's gonna be a lot harder for you guys. If killing someone I'd never met before is fuckin' me up that much, just imagine how it's going to be if you're forced to kill your student council president...or maybe the star quarterback, the prom queen...it won't be easy, guys. I just...I just want you to know. This game changes you, and it isn't for the better."
Adam sighed a bit, as he looked out the broken window again. Night had fallen quickly, and Adam shook his head slightly at Andy's suggestion.
"No, if anything, we need to get moving now. Wandering around during the day is suicide, especially if all we've got are bullets, a mortorcyle helmet, and my biting sarcastic wit...something tells me that my harsh language might hurt people more than the others, and if that's the case, we're in trouble..."
Thinking again for a moment, Adam decided that his originally planned course of action would likely be the most prudent one for him to take.
"Nah, we need to get going. I understand you guys're probably exhausted. At the risk of sounding like kind of an asshole...get used to it. I didn't sleep for three days straight last time, and it may have been more. But when you're trying to stay alive, you force yourself to keeping going. We need to head towards a place that I was earlier today. It's a deep ravine with an unstable-looking bridge across it. I left my pack there earlier on, and I had a pretty wicked-looking switchblade and some fluorescent light tubes that I was using to keep people at a distance. If nothin' else, they make a pretty kick-ass noise when they shatter."
Adam shrugged.
"In case you're wondering, the switchblade was my assigned weapon, I left it when I tackled some big monster of a guy into the ravine - which hurt like hell. No, I haven't killed anyone yet, and no, I wasn't attacking the guy at the ravine...he had a big sword and was playing 'food-processing-ninja' with a couple of kids who didn't seem too keen on playing with him. I dislocated my shoulder, and in resetting it, I knocked him over and bolted the fuck out of there. Just, y'know...if you guys were curious."
Rubbing his shoulder again, Adam looked back at the door leading out of the church. He thought he'd heard voices outside, but he'd dismissed it as echoes of their conversation. He now heard the voices again, and decided that the quicker the exit, the better.
Kallie quickly found herself wishing that she wouldn't have said a word to Madison Conner. She had expected the mousy girl to give her an answer, not a full-fledged rant. The blonde-headed girl sighed, somewhat annoyedly, when the brunette started spewing out the horrors of what had happened to her on the island. If Kallie had thought Madison to be capable of attacking her, she might have been a bit more concerned when the girl suddenly spaced out.
Of course, as intimidating as Madison might have thought she was being, it simply wasn't true. The girl kept ranting on and on about how she was attacked by a bunch of players and one of the contestants' heads had exploded. Of course, Kallie was somewhat stunned to hear that something so morbid and gruesome had already happened on the island, but the fact that she was still somewhat in shock over the whole incident wouldn't allow her to ask any questions about what, specifically, had happened.
Even if she'd been able to, Madison wasn't letting her get a word in edgewise.
The girl finally stopped for breath at the precise moment Kallie was certain she would fall over from lack of oxygen. She proceeded to promptly wedge her axe into the ground in frustration, eliminating any thoughts Kallie might have possibly had about her actually playing, and begin ranting again. She started going on about wanting to find a group and stick with them, and proceeded to complain that every group she had tried to join had been torn apart.
Kallie wasn't sure if Madison thought she was helping her case, but she certainly wasn't. In fact, the breakdown the girl was having right in front of her eyes simply made Kallie realize that this girl was, for certain, someone that she didn't want as an ally. Nevermind the fact that Kallie herself had had quite an outburst in the church when four people had bombarded into the building.
However, if there was one thing Madison had provided to Kallie in the middle of the huge temper tantrum she was having, it was this: information. Whether or not Madison even realized she had said it, she had told Kallie that Bobby Jacks had attacked her. That meant that he was playing the game. Of course, the announcement would have probably told her the same thing in a few hours -- dawn was approaching very quickly -- but even if Bobby hadn't killed anybody, she now knew his intentions.
And in a game like SOTF, knowledge is a powerful thing.
Madison's tune quickly changed from the "pity me" speech she was giving to one of... Kallie could only describe it as anxiousness. She quickly expressed her interest in joining Kallie's -- no, Andy's -- group. Kallie didn't really care what the other girl did. She had already made her intentions blatantly obvious to the people inside the church. She had been in the process of leaving when Madison stumbled into her.
Almost immediately after she'd said it, Madison seemed to take it back. She said she didn't want to be alone, but she also said she was afraid of big groups. To an extent, Kallie could understand the girl's feelings on large groups. They only seemed to cause trouble. If not for Ken Lawson implanting distrust in the students that had grouped together at the cottage, Kallie probably still would have been with that group. Ken had made it all but impossible for everyone at the cottage to be one hundred percent trusting of one another, though.
To be honest, of the entire congregation that had gathered at the church, the only person that might have been even a decent ally would have been Adam. Kallie had expressed her obvious distrust of him, and that distrust still stood. Still, he was the only one in the game with any kind of experience, and he was already a murderer. What difference would more bodies make to him? In the same token, she was sure he had a big target on his back. Of course, she was confident that people like Andy and Sean probably did too.
What makes you think any of your friends are different though, Kal? Everybody you know has some kind of personality flaw, even if it's just a little one. Guy's got a big mouth, Keith's done his share of picking on people in the past, Darnell's got this supposed history of violence, and to be honest, you've made a few enemies yourself.
Madison finally shut up and posed a question toward Kallie. She thought for a moment, running her fingers through her hair and watching the other girl. Was she sticking with them? Ideally, no. She had no use for people that she felt like she couldn't trust. Still, it might have been better to go back inside and grovel for forgiveness than to head out onto the island by herself. Then again, Kallie had already made her share of 'bad' decisions in the game, and she was pretty much set on her opinion of groups.
"No," she responded after a moment, "Let's just say our priorities are a little too different. I'm just looking for my friends. Once I find them, whatever happens, happens. If you're looking for a group though, I suppose those people in there are as good as any. But, before I go, maybe there's something you can help me with. I'm looking for a few people... namely, Guy Rapide, Darnell Butler, and Keith Jackson. Have you seen any of them?"
Of course, as intimidating as Madison might have thought she was being, it simply wasn't true. The girl kept ranting on and on about how she was attacked by a bunch of players and one of the contestants' heads had exploded. Of course, Kallie was somewhat stunned to hear that something so morbid and gruesome had already happened on the island, but the fact that she was still somewhat in shock over the whole incident wouldn't allow her to ask any questions about what, specifically, had happened.
Even if she'd been able to, Madison wasn't letting her get a word in edgewise.
The girl finally stopped for breath at the precise moment Kallie was certain she would fall over from lack of oxygen. She proceeded to promptly wedge her axe into the ground in frustration, eliminating any thoughts Kallie might have possibly had about her actually playing, and begin ranting again. She started going on about wanting to find a group and stick with them, and proceeded to complain that every group she had tried to join had been torn apart.
Kallie wasn't sure if Madison thought she was helping her case, but she certainly wasn't. In fact, the breakdown the girl was having right in front of her eyes simply made Kallie realize that this girl was, for certain, someone that she didn't want as an ally. Nevermind the fact that Kallie herself had had quite an outburst in the church when four people had bombarded into the building.
However, if there was one thing Madison had provided to Kallie in the middle of the huge temper tantrum she was having, it was this: information. Whether or not Madison even realized she had said it, she had told Kallie that Bobby Jacks had attacked her. That meant that he was playing the game. Of course, the announcement would have probably told her the same thing in a few hours -- dawn was approaching very quickly -- but even if Bobby hadn't killed anybody, she now knew his intentions.
And in a game like SOTF, knowledge is a powerful thing.
Madison's tune quickly changed from the "pity me" speech she was giving to one of... Kallie could only describe it as anxiousness. She quickly expressed her interest in joining Kallie's -- no, Andy's -- group. Kallie didn't really care what the other girl did. She had already made her intentions blatantly obvious to the people inside the church. She had been in the process of leaving when Madison stumbled into her.
Almost immediately after she'd said it, Madison seemed to take it back. She said she didn't want to be alone, but she also said she was afraid of big groups. To an extent, Kallie could understand the girl's feelings on large groups. They only seemed to cause trouble. If not for Ken Lawson implanting distrust in the students that had grouped together at the cottage, Kallie probably still would have been with that group. Ken had made it all but impossible for everyone at the cottage to be one hundred percent trusting of one another, though.
To be honest, of the entire congregation that had gathered at the church, the only person that might have been even a decent ally would have been Adam. Kallie had expressed her obvious distrust of him, and that distrust still stood. Still, he was the only one in the game with any kind of experience, and he was already a murderer. What difference would more bodies make to him? In the same token, she was sure he had a big target on his back. Of course, she was confident that people like Andy and Sean probably did too.
What makes you think any of your friends are different though, Kal? Everybody you know has some kind of personality flaw, even if it's just a little one. Guy's got a big mouth, Keith's done his share of picking on people in the past, Darnell's got this supposed history of violence, and to be honest, you've made a few enemies yourself.
Madison finally shut up and posed a question toward Kallie. She thought for a moment, running her fingers through her hair and watching the other girl. Was she sticking with them? Ideally, no. She had no use for people that she felt like she couldn't trust. Still, it might have been better to go back inside and grovel for forgiveness than to head out onto the island by herself. Then again, Kallie had already made her share of 'bad' decisions in the game, and she was pretty much set on her opinion of groups.
"No," she responded after a moment, "Let's just say our priorities are a little too different. I'm just looking for my friends. Once I find them, whatever happens, happens. If you're looking for a group though, I suppose those people in there are as good as any. But, before I go, maybe there's something you can help me with. I'm looking for a few people... namely, Guy Rapide, Darnell Butler, and Keith Jackson. Have you seen any of them?"
I am an archival account used by staff to port old posts from handlers no longer active. If you are this handler, get in touch with staff and we can get your posts back for you! Lyndi avatar by Kermit.
I might end up fighting somebody I've known for years... scratch that, I might end up having to kill somebody I know... Murder is bad enough, but when the person who's dead is a friend of yours, or even just an acquaintence... This is some seriously heavy shit...
Adam had spoken about people that they knew being in the game, and rather bluntly how encountering your own crazy class-mates would mess you up. Sean could imagine, without any difficulty how that would play out. Still... he couldn't exactly claim to be an authority on being shot at or life or death situations. It was true Sean used to have a fairly extreme lifestyle in his younger days, but that had been back when he was a kid, and children can be the very boldest of people. The last time Sean had done something remotely dangerous was several years back, and the rather unpleasant consequences meant he had no wish to encounter a similar situation again. However, the way things were panning out... he probably didn't have much choice in the matter.
Sean glanced at his boyfriend and smiled softly when Andy said that he was a support. He was glad he could do something to help his boyfriend, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant that might be. Sean didn't try to be comforting or concilatory - he just said what he was thinking. Sean didn't often lie, and felt uncomfortable with the general idea of deceiving other people with words. As somebody who said what he thought or what he believed in, Sean couldn't abide a mistruth. Words were for telling people how you felt or your opinions, not for trickery.
"Even if we have to move out right away," Sean began, preparing to respond to both Andy and Adam. "I guess it wouldn't do any harm to see if we could make a few weapons of our own. They probably wouldn't be very good in comparison to the real stuff, but even some sort of defence is better than nothing. But I agree with Adam, we have to get moving as soon as possible, the faster we go, the sooner we can find Izzy. I can deal without sleep for a while, I don't think I woke up straight away anyhow, I probably got knocked out again by this beauty," Sean raised a hand to the bandage on his forehaed, grimacing slightly as the wound reminded him of its presence. "But hey, I know voice of experience and all Adam... but we shouldn't push ourselves too hard. I know you don't want to stop going when you friends might be in danger, but there's no point exhausting yourself and burning your body out. Especially when somebody might pop out to try and kill you at any moment,"
Sean turned away from the conversation at that and looked at the broken window thoughtfully. Some of the glass had fallen on the inside, and several shards looked particularly sharp. Sean got to his feet, gently disentangling his hand from Andy's, and walked up the steps over there (judisciously avoiding looking at the photos scattered on the ground). Sean suqatted next to the window and looked down at the ground - several pices appeared a suitable length and shape. Carefully, so as to avoid cutting himself, he picked up one coloured fragment and waved it at the others.
"If we could find something to tie this to, it could make some sort of knife. Use a bandage maybe, get... I dunno, a piece of wood or something, and it's a weapon. Better than nothing I suppose..." Who was Sean kidding? A knife made out of glass, a bandage and a piece of wood, how would that provide protection with any degree of efficiency? Sean repeated silently to himself, inside his head. Better than nothing. Would I rather face down a killer with a makeshift weapon which, at least could injure, or would I rather go up against them with nothing but bullets with no gun to go with them, or my bare hands? It has to make some kind of difference...
Adam had spoken about people that they knew being in the game, and rather bluntly how encountering your own crazy class-mates would mess you up. Sean could imagine, without any difficulty how that would play out. Still... he couldn't exactly claim to be an authority on being shot at or life or death situations. It was true Sean used to have a fairly extreme lifestyle in his younger days, but that had been back when he was a kid, and children can be the very boldest of people. The last time Sean had done something remotely dangerous was several years back, and the rather unpleasant consequences meant he had no wish to encounter a similar situation again. However, the way things were panning out... he probably didn't have much choice in the matter.
Sean glanced at his boyfriend and smiled softly when Andy said that he was a support. He was glad he could do something to help his boyfriend, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant that might be. Sean didn't try to be comforting or concilatory - he just said what he was thinking. Sean didn't often lie, and felt uncomfortable with the general idea of deceiving other people with words. As somebody who said what he thought or what he believed in, Sean couldn't abide a mistruth. Words were for telling people how you felt or your opinions, not for trickery.
"Even if we have to move out right away," Sean began, preparing to respond to both Andy and Adam. "I guess it wouldn't do any harm to see if we could make a few weapons of our own. They probably wouldn't be very good in comparison to the real stuff, but even some sort of defence is better than nothing. But I agree with Adam, we have to get moving as soon as possible, the faster we go, the sooner we can find Izzy. I can deal without sleep for a while, I don't think I woke up straight away anyhow, I probably got knocked out again by this beauty," Sean raised a hand to the bandage on his forehaed, grimacing slightly as the wound reminded him of its presence. "But hey, I know voice of experience and all Adam... but we shouldn't push ourselves too hard. I know you don't want to stop going when you friends might be in danger, but there's no point exhausting yourself and burning your body out. Especially when somebody might pop out to try and kill you at any moment,"
Sean turned away from the conversation at that and looked at the broken window thoughtfully. Some of the glass had fallen on the inside, and several shards looked particularly sharp. Sean got to his feet, gently disentangling his hand from Andy's, and walked up the steps over there (judisciously avoiding looking at the photos scattered on the ground). Sean suqatted next to the window and looked down at the ground - several pices appeared a suitable length and shape. Carefully, so as to avoid cutting himself, he picked up one coloured fragment and waved it at the others.
"If we could find something to tie this to, it could make some sort of knife. Use a bandage maybe, get... I dunno, a piece of wood or something, and it's a weapon. Better than nothing I suppose..." Who was Sean kidding? A knife made out of glass, a bandage and a piece of wood, how would that provide protection with any degree of efficiency? Sean repeated silently to himself, inside his head. Better than nothing. Would I rather face down a killer with a makeshift weapon which, at least could injure, or would I rather go up against them with nothing but bullets with no gun to go with them, or my bare hands? It has to make some kind of difference...
(Hrmmm.... I'm feeling extremely uninspired today. I might edit this up when I get the chance.)
It really didn't take long for Madison to speak up. "No." she said bluntly. "I'm not ready to become another number to the body count. Not now. Walking around with a big name like Adam Dodd... the guy I can imagine most people only dream of overcoming.... I'll be dead the second we leave this chapel. We'll all be dead... You seem to have the good idea. I'd be glad to help, if anything. I need... some good karma..."
Madison sighed softly, rubbing the back of her neck ever so softly. Her neck still felt sore from the case of whiplash she received from her assigned bag rubbing up against her neck. "Now... I haven't seen Darnell anywhere, and I wouldn't have a clue who the hell Guy Ra-pe-de is... but if this Keith Jackson is who I really think it is then I might be able to help. I have seen A guy who was named Keith... blond hair, muscle bound... If that's him, then I think I can lead you where I saw him last... In fact... he was the guy I was talking about. The one with the shotgun. I could remember Izzy saying something about his name being Keith..."
Memories of the events at the tower started to reel through her head, and Madison's mind began to space out once more. She knew that she had shot a bullet into Izzy, whether she really meant to or not. Keith had specifically said to 'Get the hell outta' here, or he wasn't gonna' think twice 'bout shootin' her.' Yes. She remembered those words well, and she also remembered about Bobby Jacks coming up from behind her and using her as a human shield against Keith's shotgun. She was filled with so much fear and so much blind anger that she almost thought that her head was going to explode... which may or may not be an ironic way to put it.
It was quite clear that Keith had assumed that Madison was a hostile enemy, and rightfully so. She couldn't blame him for thinking that way. Still, she wanted to stay as far away as she could from him... or? If she lead Kallie there with her and she were to explain that the whole thing was just an accident. She could get back on his good side, and then she would be much safer. After all, with a guy like Keith who not only had the physique but also a very good weapon. It appeared as though he was with Izzy, so it was all a matter of bringing Kallie to them to explain what happened...
... right? Who's to say that Keith had lost his cool five minutes after the fact and blown both Izzy and the other boy's heads in? From his blind anger that certainly seemed very possible. Plus, Kallie didn't seem like the kind of person who would act as a tool. Madison felt really bad for even thinking of such a deplorable, despicable plan, but she really needed a group. She needed to feel safe.
"Listen..." Madison looked back at Kallie. "You're name's Kallie? Kallie Majors, right? I really don't know you all too well, but I'd be glad to help you. I think I can lead you right to Keith if you're really looking for him... he was right there, at the place I was... running from. With all the players. We don't have to go there per say, b-but... we can just divert into the path I saw him walking along. But... before I show you where he went... I-I want you to do something for me in return."
Madison bit her lip. She really hoped Kallie wasn't going to freak out or anything. That was the last thing Madison really wanted: another person yelling at her.
It really didn't take long for Madison to speak up. "No." she said bluntly. "I'm not ready to become another number to the body count. Not now. Walking around with a big name like Adam Dodd... the guy I can imagine most people only dream of overcoming.... I'll be dead the second we leave this chapel. We'll all be dead... You seem to have the good idea. I'd be glad to help, if anything. I need... some good karma..."
Madison sighed softly, rubbing the back of her neck ever so softly. Her neck still felt sore from the case of whiplash she received from her assigned bag rubbing up against her neck. "Now... I haven't seen Darnell anywhere, and I wouldn't have a clue who the hell Guy Ra-pe-de is... but if this Keith Jackson is who I really think it is then I might be able to help. I have seen A guy who was named Keith... blond hair, muscle bound... If that's him, then I think I can lead you where I saw him last... In fact... he was the guy I was talking about. The one with the shotgun. I could remember Izzy saying something about his name being Keith..."
Memories of the events at the tower started to reel through her head, and Madison's mind began to space out once more. She knew that she had shot a bullet into Izzy, whether she really meant to or not. Keith had specifically said to 'Get the hell outta' here, or he wasn't gonna' think twice 'bout shootin' her.' Yes. She remembered those words well, and she also remembered about Bobby Jacks coming up from behind her and using her as a human shield against Keith's shotgun. She was filled with so much fear and so much blind anger that she almost thought that her head was going to explode... which may or may not be an ironic way to put it.
It was quite clear that Keith had assumed that Madison was a hostile enemy, and rightfully so. She couldn't blame him for thinking that way. Still, she wanted to stay as far away as she could from him... or? If she lead Kallie there with her and she were to explain that the whole thing was just an accident. She could get back on his good side, and then she would be much safer. After all, with a guy like Keith who not only had the physique but also a very good weapon. It appeared as though he was with Izzy, so it was all a matter of bringing Kallie to them to explain what happened...
... right? Who's to say that Keith had lost his cool five minutes after the fact and blown both Izzy and the other boy's heads in? From his blind anger that certainly seemed very possible. Plus, Kallie didn't seem like the kind of person who would act as a tool. Madison felt really bad for even thinking of such a deplorable, despicable plan, but she really needed a group. She needed to feel safe.
"Listen..." Madison looked back at Kallie. "You're name's Kallie? Kallie Majors, right? I really don't know you all too well, but I'd be glad to help you. I think I can lead you right to Keith if you're really looking for him... he was right there, at the place I was... running from. With all the players. We don't have to go there per say, b-but... we can just divert into the path I saw him walking along. But... before I show you where he went... I-I want you to do something for me in return."
Madison bit her lip. She really hoped Kallie wasn't going to freak out or anything. That was the last thing Madison really wanted: another person yelling at her.
Without any form of warning at all, a loud crackling sound was heard across the island, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere, all at once. To most of the students on the island, this sound would take them by surprise, and cause them to jump in surprise. To Adam Dodd, it was just another certainty in Survival of the Fittest. Just like death, just like injury, just like sleep deprivation. Just another day at the office.
Except in this office, you killed your co-workers.
How quaint.
Danya's familiar voice cackled throughout the loudspeaker, and at the sound of the man's voice, he involuntarily shuddered. The man had a way with sarcasm that rivalled even Adam himself, but where Adam was bitterly sarcastic, Danya tended to lean towards the insanely sarcastic. He'd always quietly found it amazing that Danya had never been caught by anyone, and that so little was known about the man. Hell, hardly anyone had ever seen his face.
...oh, that's right, I happen to be one of those who HAS. In fact, I gave him a nice little souvenir from our little tete-a-tete. Fucking cunt, I wonder how his fat fucking face feels these days...
Scowlling at the interruption, Adam listened intently to the announcement. It was interesting, it didn't appear that many kids had taken the idea of playing the game to heart. At least, those who had didn't seem to be successful...yet. At the mention of his former high school in such a condescening way, Adam growled out loud.
"Fuck you, Danya! I know you can hear me, you cunty little bastard! Is this how it's going to be? You bring me back to make fucking little comments? You know I have a fuckin' e-mail address! It's a whole shitload EASIER, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"
As he recieved no response and Danya paused it seemed to collect himself, Adam's ears perked up and his blood ran cold at the evil man's next tidbit of information. The Danger Zones had been announced, at Adam's very location seemed to be one of them.
FUCK! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK. FUCK. FUCK! THIS LITTLE FUCK IS FUCKING DOING THIS SHIT TO ME ON MOTHERFUCKING PURPOSE, ISN'T HE! FUCKITY FUCKING HELL!
Finding himself internally raging at Danya, Adam quickly shook his head to snap himself out of it. The time for swearing and carrying on would have to wait. While he knew he'd find a time to swear at Danya via a camera later on, he needed to ensure that there even WAS a later on. Quickly turning to his two newfound allies, Adam made a split-second decision that he hoped wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass later on.
"Alright fellas, I'm gonna make this short 'n sweet, because we have NO fucking time. I'm running the way I fuckin' came - back to the bridge, to get my pack. If you can keep up, awesome. If not, we'll meet up later. My primary goal is to stay alive, and then find Izzy. From the sounds of it..."
Adam grimaced. He had heard what Danya said about her, and that she and Keith Jackson, of all people, had a hand in the death of someone already. Once he retrieved his pack, he'd have to look at the map of this island and figure out where to go. And of course, once his life was not immediately in danger, he'd have to actually think about the possibility that she might...
Nah. Fuck that shit. She can't play. She wouldn't...aw, fuck Dodd! Worry about this later!
"...anyway, it doesn't matter. Worse comes to worse and we get seperated, if you find Izzy, tell her I'm looking for her. I'll do the same if it's the other way around. Now - we have got to get the FUCK out of here, NOW!"
Immediately turning around, Adam bore down and sprinted off the way of the door. Bursting through the door of the chapel, he observed what looked to be three people in the outside area of the church.
"Shiiiiiiit!"
Not willing to stop and make friends, warn people, or get shot in the face, Adam kept on moving, hoping to hell that bullets didn't come whizzing his way. As he sprinted past the occupants of the outdoor area of the church, his final thought as he left the area was, strangely enough, for his deceased cousin, having fallen in SOTF v2.
The kid had a shitty life, but how'd he manage to do it...? Throw down and just start playing right away? And can I? Can I kill someone to protect myself again?
But Adam knew that his thought was really just lip service. He knew full well that he could kill again, and that he'd have no problem with it. It was sad, really. It was like the part of him that cared so much in the first round had died on that island with Amanda Jones. Ever since then...it just seemed to get easier, and easier...
((Continued in Yes It Is))
Except in this office, you killed your co-workers.
How quaint.
Danya's familiar voice cackled throughout the loudspeaker, and at the sound of the man's voice, he involuntarily shuddered. The man had a way with sarcasm that rivalled even Adam himself, but where Adam was bitterly sarcastic, Danya tended to lean towards the insanely sarcastic. He'd always quietly found it amazing that Danya had never been caught by anyone, and that so little was known about the man. Hell, hardly anyone had ever seen his face.
...oh, that's right, I happen to be one of those who HAS. In fact, I gave him a nice little souvenir from our little tete-a-tete. Fucking cunt, I wonder how his fat fucking face feels these days...
Scowlling at the interruption, Adam listened intently to the announcement. It was interesting, it didn't appear that many kids had taken the idea of playing the game to heart. At least, those who had didn't seem to be successful...yet. At the mention of his former high school in such a condescening way, Adam growled out loud.
"Fuck you, Danya! I know you can hear me, you cunty little bastard! Is this how it's going to be? You bring me back to make fucking little comments? You know I have a fuckin' e-mail address! It's a whole shitload EASIER, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"
As he recieved no response and Danya paused it seemed to collect himself, Adam's ears perked up and his blood ran cold at the evil man's next tidbit of information. The Danger Zones had been announced, at Adam's very location seemed to be one of them.
FUCK! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK. FUCK. FUCK! THIS LITTLE FUCK IS FUCKING DOING THIS SHIT TO ME ON MOTHERFUCKING PURPOSE, ISN'T HE! FUCKITY FUCKING HELL!
Finding himself internally raging at Danya, Adam quickly shook his head to snap himself out of it. The time for swearing and carrying on would have to wait. While he knew he'd find a time to swear at Danya via a camera later on, he needed to ensure that there even WAS a later on. Quickly turning to his two newfound allies, Adam made a split-second decision that he hoped wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass later on.
"Alright fellas, I'm gonna make this short 'n sweet, because we have NO fucking time. I'm running the way I fuckin' came - back to the bridge, to get my pack. If you can keep up, awesome. If not, we'll meet up later. My primary goal is to stay alive, and then find Izzy. From the sounds of it..."
Adam grimaced. He had heard what Danya said about her, and that she and Keith Jackson, of all people, had a hand in the death of someone already. Once he retrieved his pack, he'd have to look at the map of this island and figure out where to go. And of course, once his life was not immediately in danger, he'd have to actually think about the possibility that she might...
Nah. Fuck that shit. She can't play. She wouldn't...aw, fuck Dodd! Worry about this later!
"...anyway, it doesn't matter. Worse comes to worse and we get seperated, if you find Izzy, tell her I'm looking for her. I'll do the same if it's the other way around. Now - we have got to get the FUCK out of here, NOW!"
Immediately turning around, Adam bore down and sprinted off the way of the door. Bursting through the door of the chapel, he observed what looked to be three people in the outside area of the church.
"Shiiiiiiit!"
Not willing to stop and make friends, warn people, or get shot in the face, Adam kept on moving, hoping to hell that bullets didn't come whizzing his way. As he sprinted past the occupants of the outdoor area of the church, his final thought as he left the area was, strangely enough, for his deceased cousin, having fallen in SOTF v2.
The kid had a shitty life, but how'd he manage to do it...? Throw down and just start playing right away? And can I? Can I kill someone to protect myself again?
But Adam knew that his thought was really just lip service. He knew full well that he could kill again, and that he'd have no problem with it. It was sad, really. It was like the part of him that cared so much in the first round had died on that island with Amanda Jones. Ever since then...it just seemed to get easier, and easier...
((Continued in Yes It Is))
Madison adamantly objected to being a part of the group that had gathered inside of the church, and all because of Adam Dodd. Kallie could sympathize on that point somewhat. After all, she had blatantly told Adam that she didn't trust him. Why should she? The guy had killed a lot of people. She was beginning to understand, at least somewhat, that in a situation like SOTF it was almost unavoidable to murder at least one person... but Adam had killed like twenty. Nothing could justify that, or so she felt.
What caught Kallie a bit offguard was that Madison -- who had been screaming at her moments before about how screwed up the game was and how desperately she didn't want to hurt anybody -- was now offering her her assistance. It struck Kallie as being odd. She'd been told offhandedly once or twice that Madison didn't like her. Not that she cared. Still, having heard that rumor made Madison's offer for assistance rather awkward, at best.
It was when Madison began reiterating Kallie's list that she finally gave her full attention to the other girl, though. It struck Kallie as very strange that the girl didn't seem to know most of the members of her clique. Darnell was quite the popular student, and with his athletic ability most everyone at least knew of him. And with Guy... well, it was hard not to know Guy. She thought he'd tried to feel up every female in school at least one time. But apparently, he'd missed Madison.
But the third person she named off... Madison now had Kallie's full-fledged attention. Madison stated that she had indeed ran into a guy named Keith. Kallie didn't know another senior by that name anyway, and when she described the student's physical appearance, there was no doubt in her mind that it was the same person she was looking for. Unfortunately for Madison, her words struck quite a cord with Kallie. The guy with the shotgun... the guy she'd been telling Kallie about.
If she was telling the truth, that meant that Keith had been pointing his shotgun at her. All of a sudden, Madison perked up once again, telling Kallie that she'd have no problem taking her back to where she'd last seen Keith. Unfortunately for the brunette, her words had communicated the wrong message to Kallie. Either she was accusing Keith of playing the game, or there was a good reason why he had been pointing the shotgun at her.
"You're lying," Kallie spat out bluntly, "And you're out of your ever-loving mind. I don't know what kind of stupid game you're trying to play here, but if you're telling me Keith was pointing a shotgun at you, then you're lying through your teeth. I know Keith... a hell of a lot better than you do, and I KNOW that he wouldn't play this game."
She was angry for the accusations Madison had quite inadvertantly made, and angrier still because Madison was trying to play some stupid kind of game with her. She didn't know what the girl's intentions were, but if she was trying to gain Kallie's trust, it had backfired.
"And besides that," the blonde continued, practically staring daggers into the other girl, "If he WAS playing the game, why the hell would you be so open to going back to find him? If it's like you say it is, and Keith was pointing his shotgun at you, then why would you want to go back? Obviously he didn't want you with them or you'd still be there, right? I'm not stupid, honey. Don't play these silly little games with me."
Kallie turned her back on Madison and slung her daypack over her shoulder, preparing to head out into the jungle once again. A few faint trickles of sunlight were starting to appear on the horizon. It was about that time that Kallie realized how completely and utterly exhausted she was -- maybe she was a bit more paranoid than usual, maybe a little more irritated than usual... maybe that was why she had taken such harmless words at face value and accused Madison of some plot the girl probably hadn't even thought of.
She wouldn't have time to ponder over her decisions. The loud cracking noise nearly caused her to leap out of her skin and retract the blade she'd been issued. Fortunately, before she made a complete idiot out of herself, she realized it was the public access speakers she'd seen placed at several intervals around the island. Of course, when she finally realized what, exactly, was going on, she stopped in place, listening intently.
Danya's mocking, sarcastic tone made her angry. It was so cruel how someone could seem to get so much joy out of people maiming and killing one another. Part of her wanted to tune him out, but there was the possibility that he might provide valuable information. Besides, he was revealing a lot of the players, and that part was definitely worth listening to. Except...
She froze completely when Danya began telling his "fairytale story" of Charlie Burchman's death. Maybe there had been some truth to Madison's words after all. If Danya was telling the truth... that meant that Keith had shot somebody. But... how could someone she had been so completely positive wouldn't play the game shoot somebody? If Danya was telling the truth, that meant that Keith, Izzy, and some girl named Ivye were running around on the island murdering people.
That's... it's not true. That's not possible...
For someone who was usually quite vocal and outspoken, Kallie found herself completely stricken of speech for a moment. And that was when Danya announced the chapel as a dangerzone. Approximately thirty seconds later, a redheaded figure bolted out of the chapel doors. If Kallie hadn't known who he was, she wouldn't have even paid attention to the Flash. Of course, it could've only been one student, and unfortunately for Adam, he and Kallie's priorities seemed to be a lot more intertwined than she first anticipated.
"Adam... wait!" Kallie called out, bolting after the redheaded boy and into the unknown of the jungle.
((Continued in Discord))
What caught Kallie a bit offguard was that Madison -- who had been screaming at her moments before about how screwed up the game was and how desperately she didn't want to hurt anybody -- was now offering her her assistance. It struck Kallie as being odd. She'd been told offhandedly once or twice that Madison didn't like her. Not that she cared. Still, having heard that rumor made Madison's offer for assistance rather awkward, at best.
It was when Madison began reiterating Kallie's list that she finally gave her full attention to the other girl, though. It struck Kallie as very strange that the girl didn't seem to know most of the members of her clique. Darnell was quite the popular student, and with his athletic ability most everyone at least knew of him. And with Guy... well, it was hard not to know Guy. She thought he'd tried to feel up every female in school at least one time. But apparently, he'd missed Madison.
But the third person she named off... Madison now had Kallie's full-fledged attention. Madison stated that she had indeed ran into a guy named Keith. Kallie didn't know another senior by that name anyway, and when she described the student's physical appearance, there was no doubt in her mind that it was the same person she was looking for. Unfortunately for Madison, her words struck quite a cord with Kallie. The guy with the shotgun... the guy she'd been telling Kallie about.
If she was telling the truth, that meant that Keith had been pointing his shotgun at her. All of a sudden, Madison perked up once again, telling Kallie that she'd have no problem taking her back to where she'd last seen Keith. Unfortunately for the brunette, her words had communicated the wrong message to Kallie. Either she was accusing Keith of playing the game, or there was a good reason why he had been pointing the shotgun at her.
"You're lying," Kallie spat out bluntly, "And you're out of your ever-loving mind. I don't know what kind of stupid game you're trying to play here, but if you're telling me Keith was pointing a shotgun at you, then you're lying through your teeth. I know Keith... a hell of a lot better than you do, and I KNOW that he wouldn't play this game."
She was angry for the accusations Madison had quite inadvertantly made, and angrier still because Madison was trying to play some stupid kind of game with her. She didn't know what the girl's intentions were, but if she was trying to gain Kallie's trust, it had backfired.
"And besides that," the blonde continued, practically staring daggers into the other girl, "If he WAS playing the game, why the hell would you be so open to going back to find him? If it's like you say it is, and Keith was pointing his shotgun at you, then why would you want to go back? Obviously he didn't want you with them or you'd still be there, right? I'm not stupid, honey. Don't play these silly little games with me."
Kallie turned her back on Madison and slung her daypack over her shoulder, preparing to head out into the jungle once again. A few faint trickles of sunlight were starting to appear on the horizon. It was about that time that Kallie realized how completely and utterly exhausted she was -- maybe she was a bit more paranoid than usual, maybe a little more irritated than usual... maybe that was why she had taken such harmless words at face value and accused Madison of some plot the girl probably hadn't even thought of.
She wouldn't have time to ponder over her decisions. The loud cracking noise nearly caused her to leap out of her skin and retract the blade she'd been issued. Fortunately, before she made a complete idiot out of herself, she realized it was the public access speakers she'd seen placed at several intervals around the island. Of course, when she finally realized what, exactly, was going on, she stopped in place, listening intently.
Danya's mocking, sarcastic tone made her angry. It was so cruel how someone could seem to get so much joy out of people maiming and killing one another. Part of her wanted to tune him out, but there was the possibility that he might provide valuable information. Besides, he was revealing a lot of the players, and that part was definitely worth listening to. Except...
She froze completely when Danya began telling his "fairytale story" of Charlie Burchman's death. Maybe there had been some truth to Madison's words after all. If Danya was telling the truth... that meant that Keith had shot somebody. But... how could someone she had been so completely positive wouldn't play the game shoot somebody? If Danya was telling the truth, that meant that Keith, Izzy, and some girl named Ivye were running around on the island murdering people.
That's... it's not true. That's not possible...
For someone who was usually quite vocal and outspoken, Kallie found herself completely stricken of speech for a moment. And that was when Danya announced the chapel as a dangerzone. Approximately thirty seconds later, a redheaded figure bolted out of the chapel doors. If Kallie hadn't known who he was, she wouldn't have even paid attention to the Flash. Of course, it could've only been one student, and unfortunately for Adam, he and Kallie's priorities seemed to be a lot more intertwined than she first anticipated.
"Adam... wait!" Kallie called out, bolting after the redheaded boy and into the unknown of the jungle.
((Continued in Discord))
I am an archival account used by staff to port old posts from handlers no longer active. If you are this handler, get in touch with staff and we can get your posts back for you! Lyndi avatar by Kermit.
(4 Am... I'll add some more tommorrow. ;-; Damn it this took forever...)
"Hey! I saw what I saw, and he was holding a shotgun at me! I don't know this 'Keith as well as you do, but you certainly don't know him as well as you think you do! That fat kid could've died from those shots if he wasn't meant for his whole head to explode! The bastard didn't hesitate when he saw someone with a golf club trying to beat the life out of him! And another thing! I'm not planning anything out of the unusual! I'm not trying to play you as a fool, although I suspect you're stupid enough to fall for anything I... I..."
Madison stopped, her whole face tinted a bright purple. It appeared as though Kallie hadn't even paid Madison the time of day and had wandered off. Madison was so mad that she didn't even notice she wasn't there, and that the past five minutes that she had been screaming had been in vain. It was rude, but during her angered growl she nearly forgot the area that she was in... was near a chapel.
Madison scowled, gripping her axe and pulled it out of the ground as she made her way out of the area. "God damn it... I hate that fucking bitch. If I wasn't so peace loving, I'd kill her myself."
((Continued in Lady So Divine))
"Hey! I saw what I saw, and he was holding a shotgun at me! I don't know this 'Keith as well as you do, but you certainly don't know him as well as you think you do! That fat kid could've died from those shots if he wasn't meant for his whole head to explode! The bastard didn't hesitate when he saw someone with a golf club trying to beat the life out of him! And another thing! I'm not planning anything out of the unusual! I'm not trying to play you as a fool, although I suspect you're stupid enough to fall for anything I... I..."
Madison stopped, her whole face tinted a bright purple. It appeared as though Kallie hadn't even paid Madison the time of day and had wandered off. Madison was so mad that she didn't even notice she wasn't there, and that the past five minutes that she had been screaming had been in vain. It was rude, but during her angered growl she nearly forgot the area that she was in... was near a chapel.
Madison scowled, gripping her axe and pulled it out of the ground as she made her way out of the area. "God damn it... I hate that fucking bitch. If I wasn't so peace loving, I'd kill her myself."
((Continued in Lady So Divine))
All the colour drained from Sean's face when the announcement began to read off the death toll of the first day of their ordeal. People he knew were dead already, others might be in the process of dying. Seam shuddered as Danya kept on speaking, and quickly gathered up what glass he could (noting as he did how likely he was to get himself cut by doing this) and shoved it into one pocket.
Great, now I'm carrying around an undirectable weapon in my pockets... I'll probably end up cutting myself rather than doing any damage to someone else.
Then Danya spoke some more, and mentioned a familiar name, and it felt like a blow to his stomach. Tyson Neills was dead... His best friend (right up there with Andy) had been killed within the first day of this deathmatch called Survival of The Fittest. They hadn't been close since Sean had come out - in fact, Tyson and Sean hadn't spoken for quite some time, but the fact still remained that they had been best friends for years. It didn't matter why Tyson had been avoiding him, you don't just up and forget that length of time...
Fuck... I never even got to ask him why he was pissed at me. Now I'm not ever going to find out either...
Sean just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but as Danya's announcement reached its conclusion, Sean's head snapped up. The chapel was to become a dangerzone, there would be time to grieve later, at least he hoped so... However, there was barely time to think as Adam now turned to him and Andy once again to establish a quick plan - then got the hell out of there.
Sean looked across at Andy for a split-second, then ran across the uppermost area, leaping down the stairs and back into the part with the pews. He had time for a quick word with Andy.
"C'mon Andy, let's get the fuck out of here, otherwise we're going to find ourselves a little short at the neck," He spoke hurriedly, eager to get the hell out of there as soon as he possibly could. But he couldn't just take off without at least speaking to Andy. "Listen... if we get seperated then... ah screw it, I'll find you!"
Sean sprinted off, down the aisle between the pews, and darted between the gap in the open doors. He could see a number of others in the distance, also fleeing it seemed - and who could blame them? The furthest distant had red hair, and that was enough to make Sean's decision to follow along after him. He hoped to hell that it was Adam.
People have been killed already... but I can't use that as an excuse just to freak out and not trust anybody. There has to be a flaw in here somewhere. Besides, how many names off that list were playing for sure? Not all that many for sure. Most people won't be playing. Will they?
Thoughts all over the place, Sean just concentrated on running.
((B42, Sean O'Cann, continued in: Yes It Is))
Great, now I'm carrying around an undirectable weapon in my pockets... I'll probably end up cutting myself rather than doing any damage to someone else.
Then Danya spoke some more, and mentioned a familiar name, and it felt like a blow to his stomach. Tyson Neills was dead... His best friend (right up there with Andy) had been killed within the first day of this deathmatch called Survival of The Fittest. They hadn't been close since Sean had come out - in fact, Tyson and Sean hadn't spoken for quite some time, but the fact still remained that they had been best friends for years. It didn't matter why Tyson had been avoiding him, you don't just up and forget that length of time...
Fuck... I never even got to ask him why he was pissed at me. Now I'm not ever going to find out either...
Sean just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but as Danya's announcement reached its conclusion, Sean's head snapped up. The chapel was to become a dangerzone, there would be time to grieve later, at least he hoped so... However, there was barely time to think as Adam now turned to him and Andy once again to establish a quick plan - then got the hell out of there.
Sean looked across at Andy for a split-second, then ran across the uppermost area, leaping down the stairs and back into the part with the pews. He had time for a quick word with Andy.
"C'mon Andy, let's get the fuck out of here, otherwise we're going to find ourselves a little short at the neck," He spoke hurriedly, eager to get the hell out of there as soon as he possibly could. But he couldn't just take off without at least speaking to Andy. "Listen... if we get seperated then... ah screw it, I'll find you!"
Sean sprinted off, down the aisle between the pews, and darted between the gap in the open doors. He could see a number of others in the distance, also fleeing it seemed - and who could blame them? The furthest distant had red hair, and that was enough to make Sean's decision to follow along after him. He hoped to hell that it was Adam.
People have been killed already... but I can't use that as an excuse just to freak out and not trust anybody. There has to be a flaw in here somewhere. Besides, how many names off that list were playing for sure? Not all that many for sure. Most people won't be playing. Will they?
Thoughts all over the place, Sean just concentrated on running.
((B42, Sean O'Cann, continued in: Yes It Is))
Matt cried for a long while. He heard the voices in front of him but didn't care to see who they were. He didn't care about anything anymore. He didn't want to live. He didn't want to run. He wanted everything to be okay again. He was so depressed. He needed his safety blanket back. He needed something!
A loud crackling noise woke him up from his thoughts. Danya. Nine other students were dead... Nine... That meant that people were playing... they were playing for keeps... he didn't want to die. He wanted to live. He couldn't die... He wanted to go home! He wanted to get out... he wanted to live! The chapel was declared a Dangerzone, and Adam quickly burst out from the church. He started sprinting off, Kallie soon following. Matt had a decision to make, could he follow them? Would he be welcome? He didn't know. Sean came out next, sprinting in another direction. Matt moved to the door and looked at Andy for a split second, before sprinting off after Kallie and Adam.
'I'm not gonna die here... no way...'
((Continued in Discord))
A loud crackling noise woke him up from his thoughts. Danya. Nine other students were dead... Nine... That meant that people were playing... they were playing for keeps... he didn't want to die. He wanted to live. He couldn't die... He wanted to go home! He wanted to get out... he wanted to live! The chapel was declared a Dangerzone, and Adam quickly burst out from the church. He started sprinting off, Kallie soon following. Matt had a decision to make, could he follow them? Would he be welcome? He didn't know. Sean came out next, sprinting in another direction. Matt moved to the door and looked at Andy for a split second, before sprinting off after Kallie and Adam.
'I'm not gonna die here... no way...'
((Continued in Discord))
-
lovebirdjo*
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2018 6:36 am
The peace was broken and their entire conversation dropped to bits from the bursting sound of speakers crackling on. A voice that Andy would recognize later as that of Mr. Danya began to speak, his words creating a fearful ringing in the blonde's ears. His hands began to clench as he heard Izzy mentioned as being hurt, the blood draining from his face. More and more names were read, some of them the names of people who were dead, others of those who had taken lives.
'Oh my God. Adam was right. They're playing for real.'
Shock tampered with the boy's features when it was announced that Tanya had been offed by Eduardo. It wasn't as though Andy should have been all that surprised, but it was also hard to accept when someone he used to like murdered in cold blood. Possibly literally. Shivering from the thought, Danya began announcing danger zones, which apparently screwed them over if they stayed in them for too long. The collar around his neck felt like it was choking him all too suddenly.
And then Adam was panicking, the eerie calm that had come over Andy contrasting grandly. The redhead began to talk rapidly about leaving before doing just that, with Sean promising to meet up with him if they got separated before dittoing Adam. Rapidly everything came together and the boy realized his life was in danger and that it was in his best interest to get out of the chapel as quickly as possible and away from the area.
Grabbing his day pack, duffel bag, and helmet, Andy fled like a bat out of hell out of the church and through the nearby trees where he caught a glimpse of his boyfriend hightailing it after someone else. This was turning out more haphazard than the boy really liked, even for one as rash as he.
"Sean! Wait for me!"
'This really sucks.'
((Continued in Fall Into Neverland))
'Oh my God. Adam was right. They're playing for real.'
Shock tampered with the boy's features when it was announced that Tanya had been offed by Eduardo. It wasn't as though Andy should have been all that surprised, but it was also hard to accept when someone he used to like murdered in cold blood. Possibly literally. Shivering from the thought, Danya began announcing danger zones, which apparently screwed them over if they stayed in them for too long. The collar around his neck felt like it was choking him all too suddenly.
And then Adam was panicking, the eerie calm that had come over Andy contrasting grandly. The redhead began to talk rapidly about leaving before doing just that, with Sean promising to meet up with him if they got separated before dittoing Adam. Rapidly everything came together and the boy realized his life was in danger and that it was in his best interest to get out of the chapel as quickly as possible and away from the area.
Grabbing his day pack, duffel bag, and helmet, Andy fled like a bat out of hell out of the church and through the nearby trees where he caught a glimpse of his boyfriend hightailing it after someone else. This was turning out more haphazard than the boy really liked, even for one as rash as he.
"Sean! Wait for me!"
'This really sucks.'
((Continued in Fall Into Neverland))