Danni paused her crawl through the underbrush when the heard something collide not too far distant from her. When after several seconds the sounds of gunfire and screams did not resume, she deemed it relatively safe to continue one.
As she came upon the pair, they had their backs turned to her. The low light and curtains of rain didn't help much in the way of identification either. But the girl's clothes were tantalizingly familiar. It was Trish after all. It had to be.
Just as she lifted herself up from the underbrush to address them, a flicker of movement in her peripherals caught her attention. Her eyes darted towards the source, then stopped abruptly when they were caught by the grisly sight of the nearly faceless boy laying in the mud. She could again feel hot bile rising up in her throat. Much against her will, her eyes were drawn to the other bullet-riddled corpses as well. Then, as if summoned by this unwelcome discovery, a terrible stench hit her nostrils. The air was saturated with the reek of blood and vomit. She sought the support of a nearby tree to keep herself from collapsing.
Danni forced her eyes back up to maybe-Trish. Had she done this? The thought terrified and further sickened her. Or maybe it had been the boy? Maybe the corpses squabbled amongst themselves? Neither thought held as much comfort as she'd hoped.
She opened her mouth to speak, but instead let out a groan, a gurgle, and a splash.
At a Loss
Creeping up into sight of Sloan's corpse, Anna saw that his killers were already making their way further into the jungle, and moreover, making away with the loot. A boy and girl, seemingly on good terms, she couldn't tell who they were at the angle she saw them from. Judging from their builds though, she guessed that she could take them up close if she caught them by surprise. Like hell they were making off with Sloan's gun just like that.
If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was failure, and if they got away with the gun, the foundation of her plans, she would certainly have failed. She decided to bide her time and wait for the opportune moment to ambush the pair and make off with her prize, and hunkered down in the thick vegetation to watch them.
An odd gurgling sound from a disturbingly close range made her breath catch. She cast a glance at the corpses, but none of them were moving. Dead as dead could be. If someone else was so nearby and yet unseen, things could quickly get out of hand.
If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was failure, and if they got away with the gun, the foundation of her plans, she would certainly have failed. She decided to bide her time and wait for the opportune moment to ambush the pair and make off with her prize, and hunkered down in the thick vegetation to watch them.
An odd gurgling sound from a disturbingly close range made her breath catch. She cast a glance at the corpses, but none of them were moving. Dead as dead could be. If someone else was so nearby and yet unseen, things could quickly get out of hand.
Trish's attempts to vacate the area were being held up, and as a result she was growing increasingly more irritable. It probably looked cold and indifferent to James that she had so calmly managed to relieve Sloan's pack of all of its supplies, but in reality it was little more than a self-defense mechanism. Her survival instinct wasn't even what prompted her to initiate the process. She needed a distraction from the corpses in the immediate area, and gathering up Sloan's belongings was a means to accomplish that end. Once she had finished she wanted nothing more than to leave the brook far behind, and consequently as James tried to stop her she found herself becoming steadily more annoyed.
"Trish," he'd started, but she continued to walk away, having barely heard him. She only managed to progress a few paces, however, before she felt his hands place themselves stiffly on her shoulders. Her thoughts were racing. Every second she spent in the brook felt like more weight being added onto her already heavy heart. The thought that her and Jake would never hang out playing Nintendo or stuff their faces full of McDonalds fries again kept creeping back into her mind, and she desperately needed to get rid of it. She tried to keep moving, but James' grip managed to root her to the ground.
"Trish! Snap ou-...!"
"WHAT, JAKE!?" she exploded, turning around as she snapped out of her thoughts. James' clear blue eyes met hers, and all at once Trish felt her anger and irritation dissolve into the now all-too-familiar feelings of sadness and guilt. Her stern and annoyed expression quickly vanished from her face, replaced only by her shutting her eyes tightly in an attempt to hold back what she could only assume to be more tears. Trish had begun to develop a headache from all the gunfire and crying, and the vomiting had left her a bit light-headed. On top of that, she hated looking weak in front of other people, and crying wasn't going to solve any of that right now.
"James, I-..." she started, swallowing somewhat in an attempt to facilitate her speech. "I'm really sorry," she continued, shaking her head and opening her eyes again. Her now empathetic gaze reached his, and subconsciously part of her realized that James was still holding her shoulders as they stared at each other. Desperately, she racked her thoughts for something she could say to make James feel better. "If you hadn't grabbed Jeff's gun, Sloan probably would've had us both." Removing her right hand from the AK, Trish put her hand on James' shoulder as well. "You saved us. Thanks," she muttered, managing a weak smile. She was sure she looked like hell right now, and a large part of her wanted to just bury her head in James' shoulder and forget everything that was happening around them, but she knew that neither of them could afford that right now.
The tender and sentimental moment seemed to disappear instantly, however, as Trish heard some kind of coughing or choking noise eminate from the brush surrounding them. Instinctively she let go of James and tightened her grip on the AK, not moving to turn the safety off just yet. Whoever was there was probably harmless; if they were armed well they could've easily offed both of them already.
Barely pointing the gun in the direction of the bushes after taking a step or two away from James, she spoke up. "Whoever's there, just come out." Part of her cursed herself inwardly for sounding and looking so vulnerable, but right now it was the least of her concerns.
"Trish," he'd started, but she continued to walk away, having barely heard him. She only managed to progress a few paces, however, before she felt his hands place themselves stiffly on her shoulders. Her thoughts were racing. Every second she spent in the brook felt like more weight being added onto her already heavy heart. The thought that her and Jake would never hang out playing Nintendo or stuff their faces full of McDonalds fries again kept creeping back into her mind, and she desperately needed to get rid of it. She tried to keep moving, but James' grip managed to root her to the ground.
"Trish! Snap ou-...!"
"WHAT, JAKE!?" she exploded, turning around as she snapped out of her thoughts. James' clear blue eyes met hers, and all at once Trish felt her anger and irritation dissolve into the now all-too-familiar feelings of sadness and guilt. Her stern and annoyed expression quickly vanished from her face, replaced only by her shutting her eyes tightly in an attempt to hold back what she could only assume to be more tears. Trish had begun to develop a headache from all the gunfire and crying, and the vomiting had left her a bit light-headed. On top of that, she hated looking weak in front of other people, and crying wasn't going to solve any of that right now.
"James, I-..." she started, swallowing somewhat in an attempt to facilitate her speech. "I'm really sorry," she continued, shaking her head and opening her eyes again. Her now empathetic gaze reached his, and subconsciously part of her realized that James was still holding her shoulders as they stared at each other. Desperately, she racked her thoughts for something she could say to make James feel better. "If you hadn't grabbed Jeff's gun, Sloan probably would've had us both." Removing her right hand from the AK, Trish put her hand on James' shoulder as well. "You saved us. Thanks," she muttered, managing a weak smile. She was sure she looked like hell right now, and a large part of her wanted to just bury her head in James' shoulder and forget everything that was happening around them, but she knew that neither of them could afford that right now.
The tender and sentimental moment seemed to disappear instantly, however, as Trish heard some kind of coughing or choking noise eminate from the brush surrounding them. Instinctively she let go of James and tightened her grip on the AK, not moving to turn the safety off just yet. Whoever was there was probably harmless; if they were armed well they could've easily offed both of them already.
Barely pointing the gun in the direction of the bushes after taking a step or two away from James, she spoke up. "Whoever's there, just come out." Part of her cursed herself inwardly for sounding and looking so vulnerable, but right now it was the least of her concerns.
Danni lifted her head, making a valiant effort to answer the voice's question. She manged only to mix more vomit with the mud. By now she had fallen to her hands an knees, the support of the tree having proved too little. She realized she was pathetically vulnerable in this state. If maybe-Trish and her murderous pal wanted to strike they would hardly have to bat an eyelid.
After several more seconds of coughing and sputtering, she mustered the strength to lift herself up using the tree as an aide. She stumbled a bit. Everything was spinning. Her knees felt like that jello stuff she'd seen used on CSI. She was sure that any moment she'd go tumbling over sideways, but miraculously managed to keep herself up and the rest of her stomach in. She made a note to thank God for that later. After wiping her hands on the front of her hoodie and her mouth on her hand, she broke her cover.
Danni let out a little gasp as she noticed the gun the girl was pointing in her direction, then a burp and a moan. She went down on her left knee. Even her measly weight seemed too much to carry any longer. It seemed she was going to be added to the corpse pile after all. She was stupid to look for anyone to trust. She was such an idiot. And now she'd have to pay for it.
"T-trish? Trish McCarroll? It's Danni. You know, from art class...?"
Despite her best efforts, she couldn't keep here eyes from gravitating back to the corpses.
"Oh my God."
After several more seconds of coughing and sputtering, she mustered the strength to lift herself up using the tree as an aide. She stumbled a bit. Everything was spinning. Her knees felt like that jello stuff she'd seen used on CSI. She was sure that any moment she'd go tumbling over sideways, but miraculously managed to keep herself up and the rest of her stomach in. She made a note to thank God for that later. After wiping her hands on the front of her hoodie and her mouth on her hand, she broke her cover.
Danni let out a little gasp as she noticed the gun the girl was pointing in her direction, then a burp and a moan. She went down on her left knee. Even her measly weight seemed too much to carry any longer. It seemed she was going to be added to the corpse pile after all. She was stupid to look for anyone to trust. She was such an idiot. And now she'd have to pay for it.
"T-trish? Trish McCarroll? It's Danni. You know, from art class...?"
Despite her best efforts, she couldn't keep here eyes from gravitating back to the corpses.
"Oh my God."
When the girl that emerged from the underbrush identified herself as Danni, Trish took a moment to look her over. It was hard to make out her face underneath the hoodie, but eventually she came close enough so that Trish could confirm that it really was Danni. In short, she looked like shit. There were spots of vomit and patches of dirt caked into her clothing, and what she could see of her face lead Trish to suspect that some of the former was fairly recent. She seemed considerably apprehensive as she approached the two of them, even addressing Trish as if she was merely an acquaintance. Normally she would've been irritated, but as she realized she still had the AK pointed at Danni, Trish lowered it to her side and heaved out a heavy sigh.
"Of course I know, Danni. I'm glad you're safe," she testified re-assuringly, but Danni's focus seemed to shift rather quickly to the corpses in the immediate vicinity. Trish couldn't really blame her, she supposed; but after Danni exclaimed her more than justified shock, Trish felt obligated to explain the situation.
"Look, it's not what you think..." she began somberly, running her free hand through her hair. How was she supposed to explain something like this? It was going to be hard to relive, but deciding to go through it step by step Trish sighed once more and continued her explanation. "Jake got here a little while after James and I did, and as soon as I saw him, Jeff shot him. I guess he'd been hiding around here the whole time. I wasn't thinking straight, so...I shot him back." Trish nodded her head in the general direction of Jeff and Jake's corpses and swallowed. "After that Sloan came at me with a gun pointed at my head for no reason. He started yelling and, well...I'm sure you know what happened after that." Whether or not Danni had been there long enough to see her and Sloan's argument didn't really occur to Trish, she just assumed that she had been. That combined with the fact that she really didn't want to talk about it anymore prompted her to end her explanation there.
When her explanation was finished, Trish was surprised to find herself feeling somewhat relieved. Somehow, running through the events that had transpired over the last few hours eased away some of the guilty she'd felt just minutes prior. Her conscience still remained heavy, but now she attributed it mainly to the fact that Jake was dead as opposed to having killed two of her classmates. It was a step in the right direction at the very least.
Still, something was bugging her. Danni had seemed reluctant to approach the two of them as she made her way out of the bushes, but the noise Trish heard prior to that seemed like somebody was intentionally trying to draw attention to themselves. Did Danni have a friend waiting to ambush them? That didn't make sense either, given how nervous and distraught she seemed.
As she realized that there was probably someone else still floating around in the area, Trish turned back around to face Danni. Her face didn't show the concern or uneasiness she was feeling, and as she spoke up she tried to make herself sound as sincere as possible.
"James and I were just about to leave...if it's okay with him too, you should come with us. We could catch up on the way." In an attempt to make herself sound slightly less forceful, she spoke up again. "If neither of you mind, I mean," she added hastily, but she was fairly confident that James wouldn't have any objection. There was safety in numbers after all, and Danni was fairly trustworthy. Trish hoped the entire time that the two of them sensed how urgently she still wanted to leave the brook.
As she made her way to leave, she turned to face Danni again. "And uh...you should take what you have to out of Jake's bag. I don't know what he's got, but I don't want it."
Satisfied with how things now stood, Trish turned to leave the brook. Despite how badly she wanted to leave she kept a slow pace; partially because her ribs were now hurting considerably as a result of the hard fall she'd taken in her fight with Sloan, but also because she didn't want James or Danni to fall behind.
(Trish McCarroll continued in Cause and Effect)
"Of course I know, Danni. I'm glad you're safe," she testified re-assuringly, but Danni's focus seemed to shift rather quickly to the corpses in the immediate vicinity. Trish couldn't really blame her, she supposed; but after Danni exclaimed her more than justified shock, Trish felt obligated to explain the situation.
"Look, it's not what you think..." she began somberly, running her free hand through her hair. How was she supposed to explain something like this? It was going to be hard to relive, but deciding to go through it step by step Trish sighed once more and continued her explanation. "Jake got here a little while after James and I did, and as soon as I saw him, Jeff shot him. I guess he'd been hiding around here the whole time. I wasn't thinking straight, so...I shot him back." Trish nodded her head in the general direction of Jeff and Jake's corpses and swallowed. "After that Sloan came at me with a gun pointed at my head for no reason. He started yelling and, well...I'm sure you know what happened after that." Whether or not Danni had been there long enough to see her and Sloan's argument didn't really occur to Trish, she just assumed that she had been. That combined with the fact that she really didn't want to talk about it anymore prompted her to end her explanation there.
When her explanation was finished, Trish was surprised to find herself feeling somewhat relieved. Somehow, running through the events that had transpired over the last few hours eased away some of the guilty she'd felt just minutes prior. Her conscience still remained heavy, but now she attributed it mainly to the fact that Jake was dead as opposed to having killed two of her classmates. It was a step in the right direction at the very least.
Still, something was bugging her. Danni had seemed reluctant to approach the two of them as she made her way out of the bushes, but the noise Trish heard prior to that seemed like somebody was intentionally trying to draw attention to themselves. Did Danni have a friend waiting to ambush them? That didn't make sense either, given how nervous and distraught she seemed.
As she realized that there was probably someone else still floating around in the area, Trish turned back around to face Danni. Her face didn't show the concern or uneasiness she was feeling, and as she spoke up she tried to make herself sound as sincere as possible.
"James and I were just about to leave...if it's okay with him too, you should come with us. We could catch up on the way." In an attempt to make herself sound slightly less forceful, she spoke up again. "If neither of you mind, I mean," she added hastily, but she was fairly confident that James wouldn't have any objection. There was safety in numbers after all, and Danni was fairly trustworthy. Trish hoped the entire time that the two of them sensed how urgently she still wanted to leave the brook.
As she made her way to leave, she turned to face Danni again. "And uh...you should take what you have to out of Jake's bag. I don't know what he's got, but I don't want it."
Satisfied with how things now stood, Trish turned to leave the brook. Despite how badly she wanted to leave she kept a slow pace; partially because her ribs were now hurting considerably as a result of the hard fall she'd taken in her fight with Sloan, but also because she didn't want James or Danni to fall behind.
(Trish McCarroll continued in Cause and Effect)
Trish asked James if it was alright to take Danni with them, and James, still a bit shocked and confused about what had just happened between him and Trish, nodded blankly.
"Uh...oh yeah..um, I'm pretty sure this gun is jammed though, so lemme grab one of yours until I get a chance to clean it."
The group began their departure, and James threw one last glance over his shoulder before the brook disappeared into the trees. Seemed like if you stayed in one spot long enough people would start crawling out of the woodwork. He couldn't help but wonder just how many eyes had really borne witness to the encounter. James made a mental note to watch the groups back.
((James continued in Cause and Effect))
"Uh...oh yeah..um, I'm pretty sure this gun is jammed though, so lemme grab one of yours until I get a chance to clean it."
The group began their departure, and James threw one last glance over his shoulder before the brook disappeared into the trees. Seemed like if you stayed in one spot long enough people would start crawling out of the woodwork. He couldn't help but wonder just how many eyes had really borne witness to the encounter. James made a mental note to watch the groups back.
((James continued in Cause and Effect))
Danni clung tightly to the arms of her hoodie and nodded as Trish spoke, only letting go to lift her hand and wipe the remaining drool from her face. In other times it would be something she'd fret over, but now even she knew that the time for vanity had long since passed. She had loosened considerably once she realized that maybe-Trish really was Trish, and that she wasn't going to die in a puddle of her own puke amongst several other festering corpses, but the presence of the aforementioned corpses still had her shaken. She kept her eyes locked to the girl's, making sure not to let them wander. Other than the occasional nod and a quick smile at James, it was all she dared to do to keep them out of her sight.
"And uh...you should take what you have to out of Jake's bag. I don't know what he's got, but I don't want it."
"...Alright."
It was the last thing she wanted to hear. By now she'd figured out exactly which was Jake, despite the portion of his face she could see being completely absent. At least she'd gotten the vomiting over with. She hoped.
As the duo turned to leave, Danni walked over to Jake's body and knelt beside it. She unzipped her daypack and placed it next to his. She opened his bag and began to rummage through it, muttering a steady string of "I'm sorry" as she worked. She first removed his strange chain-like weapon. It was nowhere near as intimidating as the claymore, but it was better than her skinny fists. She set it aside. Next she removed his water bottles. She nearly cringed at the irony of it. She had gotten her bottle back after all, and even then some, but she wished it could have been in any other way.
After packing away the bottles, a first aid kit, and the half-full (or rather half-empty, her optimism had run out) tin of crackers, she closed the bag and swung it back over her shoulder. The Manriki-Gusari went over her shoulder as well.
She took a look at her daypack, and then at her duffel bag. The bright, obnoxious thing was becoming an annoyance. It banged against her thigh as she walked and the bright pink-and-chrome print was probably viewable from space. Besides, if she could say anything to Danya' credit, it was that he hadn't cheaped out on his packs. They were nice and roomy. The duffel was an ancient artifact from a time long passed. It needed to go.
She unzipped the doomed thing and transferred the more practical of her clothes. After a moment's thought, she also removed her pink-coated iPod. She wound the teal cord of the WeSC earbuds around it and slipped it into one of the daypack's smaller front pockets. Satisfied with what she had, she rezipped the duffel, picked it up out of the mud, and launched it into the nearby trees. Peace out girl scout, have a nice life.
After a final "sorry" to Jake, she went off after her newfound friends.
((Danni continued in Cause and Effect))
"And uh...you should take what you have to out of Jake's bag. I don't know what he's got, but I don't want it."
"...Alright."
It was the last thing she wanted to hear. By now she'd figured out exactly which was Jake, despite the portion of his face she could see being completely absent. At least she'd gotten the vomiting over with. She hoped.
As the duo turned to leave, Danni walked over to Jake's body and knelt beside it. She unzipped her daypack and placed it next to his. She opened his bag and began to rummage through it, muttering a steady string of "I'm sorry" as she worked. She first removed his strange chain-like weapon. It was nowhere near as intimidating as the claymore, but it was better than her skinny fists. She set it aside. Next she removed his water bottles. She nearly cringed at the irony of it. She had gotten her bottle back after all, and even then some, but she wished it could have been in any other way.
After packing away the bottles, a first aid kit, and the half-full (or rather half-empty, her optimism had run out) tin of crackers, she closed the bag and swung it back over her shoulder. The Manriki-Gusari went over her shoulder as well.
She took a look at her daypack, and then at her duffel bag. The bright, obnoxious thing was becoming an annoyance. It banged against her thigh as she walked and the bright pink-and-chrome print was probably viewable from space. Besides, if she could say anything to Danya' credit, it was that he hadn't cheaped out on his packs. They were nice and roomy. The duffel was an ancient artifact from a time long passed. It needed to go.
She unzipped the doomed thing and transferred the more practical of her clothes. After a moment's thought, she also removed her pink-coated iPod. She wound the teal cord of the WeSC earbuds around it and slipped it into one of the daypack's smaller front pockets. Satisfied with what she had, she rezipped the duffel, picked it up out of the mud, and launched it into the nearby trees. Peace out girl scout, have a nice life.
After a final "sorry" to Jake, she went off after her newfound friends.
((Danni continued in Cause and Effect))
(OOC: Because Tilt posted saying that (s)he'd no longer be able to roleplay with us, I'll move Anna out of the brook for the sake of freeing it up.)
Anna stayed hidden in the brush, surveying the surroundings carefully and waiting for Trish and James to back away. The only way she had a chance of getting Sloan's gun back was if she snuck up on one of them, and she intended to do that. She found the perfect opportunity as they seemed to be leaving, and sneaked through the undergrowth towards the rushing water...
Suddenly, a girl she hadn't seen there before caught her eye and she ducked back into the shrubbery. It was Danni, one of the more exotic-looking figures from Southridge in her humble opinion. Unfortunately, while raiding Jake's pack, Anna would've been directly in Danni's view if she chose to sneak up on Trish and James. Begrudgingly, she sat in the shrubs and waited for the girl to disappear.
Moments later, when the crowd had dispersed, Anna cursed herself for not reacting faster. She may have just lost the one opportunity she had to get some kind of protection. Unsure of what else to do, she headed off in the same direction as Trish and James, but at a much more leisurely pace, eyes darting back and forth to make sure she didn't end up like any of the boys here did.
(Anna Grout continued in Death and All His Friends)
Anna stayed hidden in the brush, surveying the surroundings carefully and waiting for Trish and James to back away. The only way she had a chance of getting Sloan's gun back was if she snuck up on one of them, and she intended to do that. She found the perfect opportunity as they seemed to be leaving, and sneaked through the undergrowth towards the rushing water...
Suddenly, a girl she hadn't seen there before caught her eye and she ducked back into the shrubbery. It was Danni, one of the more exotic-looking figures from Southridge in her humble opinion. Unfortunately, while raiding Jake's pack, Anna would've been directly in Danni's view if she chose to sneak up on Trish and James. Begrudgingly, she sat in the shrubs and waited for the girl to disappear.
Moments later, when the crowd had dispersed, Anna cursed herself for not reacting faster. She may have just lost the one opportunity she had to get some kind of protection. Unsure of what else to do, she headed off in the same direction as Trish and James, but at a much more leisurely pace, eyes darting back and forth to make sure she didn't end up like any of the boys here did.
(Anna Grout continued in Death and All His Friends)