((Nina Clarke's story continues from Walk the Streets so Mean))
Nina had left the two assholes a while ago, and wandered off by herself for the rest of the day. She hadn't met anyone, somehow, which wasn't especially good or bad.
Tons of time to think, though.
Nina wasn't sure what she was going to do. Die, of course, unless there was a rescue, but Nina didn't want to count on it. So she had to have a plan. What she wanted to do was to live up to her mom's wishes, so killing was a terrible plan, as was anything stupid or obviously immoral. Not to mention it wasn't going to keep her alive if she gunned people down for no reason.
(Though certain people *coughtheodorefletchercough* hadn't figured this out yet)
So when Nina found out that Theo killed again, it made her laugh. What was wrong with him? Murdering for the fun of it, what a twisted bastard. Other deaths caught her eye, too; Summer murdered Naomi? Why? Did she hate her enough to kill her in apparently a brutal enough way to win a prize?
Nina stood in the aged lobby of what was otherwise a nice hotel. A shame that all this was wasted by people too busy dying to care about such a nice place they were in. She sat down on an upholstered chair, stretched, and waited.
For what, she didn't know.
Nemesis
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VoltTurtle
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((Madeline Wilcox continued from Setting Up Base Camp))
((Minor GM'ing of the nose approved))
Maddie approached the tall, almost imposing, figure of the hotel. She had spent quite a bit of the day roaming around the island, conveniently not finding anyone during her time spent travelling. She had finished off her last water bottle as she walked around though, as much as she was trying to ration her water. She needed to find some way to get more water, but in the meantime she decided to see if there was anything she could find in the large hotel building, at least from a rudimentary search.
She figured that after searching the hotel's lobby she could find a stream or brook, refill her water bottles, and use a few drops of the iodine she found included in the first aid kit to purify it. Her dad taught her how to do that when they went camping when she was younger. She stopped walking next to the doors of the hotel. She couldn't say she missed those times, she didn't, but she sure missed her home. She would do anything to be home right now, safe and sound in her room, playing TF2. She almost began to cry out of homesickness, but she didn't. She needed to stay resolute, it was her only hope for getting home, being safe. Thinking of how much she wanted to go home wasn't going to make her go home. This isn't the Wizard of Oz. This is murder.
She opened the door of the hotel lobby. A quick examination of the interior proved that this hotel was once a pretty snazzy place, but was now rather dilapidated, it's formerly shiny floors now lackluster, it's atmosphere foreboding in a sense. It was quiet in the hotel, silent almost. Dark, as well. With no power the hotel was dimly lit only from the windows around the lobby. She walked a bit further into the lobby, attempting to stay close to the door in case anything or anyone jumped out at her. She walked a bit further into the lobby. That's when she heard it, a sneeze, from across the room. She turned to the source of the noise. And there she was. The worst person she could possibly meet again this side of a murderous psycho.
Nina Clarke.
((Minor GM'ing of the nose approved))
Maddie approached the tall, almost imposing, figure of the hotel. She had spent quite a bit of the day roaming around the island, conveniently not finding anyone during her time spent travelling. She had finished off her last water bottle as she walked around though, as much as she was trying to ration her water. She needed to find some way to get more water, but in the meantime she decided to see if there was anything she could find in the large hotel building, at least from a rudimentary search.
She figured that after searching the hotel's lobby she could find a stream or brook, refill her water bottles, and use a few drops of the iodine she found included in the first aid kit to purify it. Her dad taught her how to do that when they went camping when she was younger. She stopped walking next to the doors of the hotel. She couldn't say she missed those times, she didn't, but she sure missed her home. She would do anything to be home right now, safe and sound in her room, playing TF2. She almost began to cry out of homesickness, but she didn't. She needed to stay resolute, it was her only hope for getting home, being safe. Thinking of how much she wanted to go home wasn't going to make her go home. This isn't the Wizard of Oz. This is murder.
She opened the door of the hotel lobby. A quick examination of the interior proved that this hotel was once a pretty snazzy place, but was now rather dilapidated, it's formerly shiny floors now lackluster, it's atmosphere foreboding in a sense. It was quiet in the hotel, silent almost. Dark, as well. With no power the hotel was dimly lit only from the windows around the lobby. She walked a bit further into the lobby, attempting to stay close to the door in case anything or anyone jumped out at her. She walked a bit further into the lobby. That's when she heard it, a sneeze, from across the room. She turned to the source of the noise. And there she was. The worst person she could possibly meet again this side of a murderous psycho.
Nina Clarke.
Nina barely had time to process the sudden rush of light into the room when she sneezed. Nina wasn't a big sneezer; when she sneezed, it sounded almost petite, "achew!" rather than "AAAAACHOOOO".
It was apparently enough to catch the eye of the entering person. Nina stood up from the chair and turned slowly to identify the source of light that had appeared. She wondered if a window or wall had collapsed, but that didn't make sense because there was no noise
Maddie.
What
the
fuck
was she doing here how the hell why what this island was so big how did they meet up again what
the bitch who'd robbed her before.
"Hey!" Nina shouted as she stormed across the room to face Maddie. "Hey, Maddie, the fuck is wrong with you?" She demanded. After a few moments she stood directly across from the other girl, though she was shorter than Maddie so it was somewhat less threatening than she'd hoped. "How dare you drug me? How dare you rob me? How dare you?"
It was apparently enough to catch the eye of the entering person. Nina stood up from the chair and turned slowly to identify the source of light that had appeared. She wondered if a window or wall had collapsed, but that didn't make sense because there was no noise
Maddie.
What
the
fuck
was she doing here how the hell why what this island was so big how did they meet up again what
the bitch who'd robbed her before.
"Hey!" Nina shouted as she stormed across the room to face Maddie. "Hey, Maddie, the fuck is wrong with you?" She demanded. After a few moments she stood directly across from the other girl, though she was shorter than Maddie so it was somewhat less threatening than she'd hoped. "How dare you drug me? How dare you rob me? How dare you?"
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VoltTurtle
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It seemed that Maddie did not go unnoticed either. She wanted to turn around, to run out of the hotel and maybe have Nina lose track of her, but she found herself rooted to the spot out of panic. Nina started interrogating her. She stammered. "I-uh... I-er... I..." She had no idea what to say. She had not planned for this exact possibility, which was foolish of her. She should have known it was possible for her to meet Nina again on the island, however unlikely. Her legs managed to finally start moving, and she began backing up slowly as Nina came right up next to her.
Then she realized that the gun-knife, the weapon she had stolen from Nina and that was essentially her only self defense besides her poorly constructed spear, was inside her bag, which was currently slung over her shoulder. Given all of her careful planning, she had forgotten to constantly be prepared to fight. Perhaps the dehydration caused by having limited water rations was finally getting to her. She began unzipping her bag very slowly with one hand, keeping her eyes trained on Nina. "I... I just thought that..." She needed to talk, to keep Nina from noticing that she was unzipping her bag. "I... I just needed a weapon, like, a real weapon, you know? I was nervous and scared and... I had a moment of weakness, so I drugged your water and stole your gun."
The bag was part of the way open. Just big enough to fit her hand inside of it. Any larger and it was incredibly likely Nina would notice. "It's all just water under the bridge now, isn't it?" She readied her hand over the small opening. "Can't we just let this all go? Forget all this ever happened?" She was not expecting Nina to let it go at all; in fact, she was expecting quite the opposite. She gave a sheepish, uncomfortable smile. "What do you say?"
Then she realized that the gun-knife, the weapon she had stolen from Nina and that was essentially her only self defense besides her poorly constructed spear, was inside her bag, which was currently slung over her shoulder. Given all of her careful planning, she had forgotten to constantly be prepared to fight. Perhaps the dehydration caused by having limited water rations was finally getting to her. She began unzipping her bag very slowly with one hand, keeping her eyes trained on Nina. "I... I just thought that..." She needed to talk, to keep Nina from noticing that she was unzipping her bag. "I... I just needed a weapon, like, a real weapon, you know? I was nervous and scared and... I had a moment of weakness, so I drugged your water and stole your gun."
The bag was part of the way open. Just big enough to fit her hand inside of it. Any larger and it was incredibly likely Nina would notice. "It's all just water under the bridge now, isn't it?" She readied her hand over the small opening. "Can't we just let this all go? Forget all this ever happened?" She was not expecting Nina to let it go at all; in fact, she was expecting quite the opposite. She gave a sheepish, uncomfortable smile. "What do you say?"
((Minor GM'ing of the hand approved))
"No."
Nina glared Maddie right in the face for a moment after the other girl finished talking. Oh, she had something to say to Maddie. She wasn't going to let this slide. Nina was sick of people giving her bullshit, of all the fucking crap she'd seen so far. People were dead, stealing, murdering, for all she knew they might well be raping, too, because there was no law left on this island.
Nina wasn't going to let a thief get away from her. Not after what had been done to her.
She reached for Maddie's wrist, realizing it was inching towards the opening in her bag. She had an idea, now. "Okay, here's what you're going to do. I might, might be willing to let it go, if and only if you hand over my weapon and whatever else you stole from me."
Nina took Maddie's wrist in her hand, grabbing it tightly. Her expression was cold.
"Are we clear?"
"No."
Nina glared Maddie right in the face for a moment after the other girl finished talking. Oh, she had something to say to Maddie. She wasn't going to let this slide. Nina was sick of people giving her bullshit, of all the fucking crap she'd seen so far. People were dead, stealing, murdering, for all she knew they might well be raping, too, because there was no law left on this island.
Nina wasn't going to let a thief get away from her. Not after what had been done to her.
She reached for Maddie's wrist, realizing it was inching towards the opening in her bag. She had an idea, now. "Okay, here's what you're going to do. I might, might be willing to let it go, if and only if you hand over my weapon and whatever else you stole from me."
Nina took Maddie's wrist in her hand, grabbing it tightly. Her expression was cold.
"Are we clear?"
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VoltTurtle
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Maddie was right, unfortunately. Nina wasn't about to let it go. In fact, Nina grabbed Maddie's hand as she was just to pull out the gun-knife to defend herself. She wanted Maddie to return the gun-knife and... anything else she stole from Nina? She didn't steal anything except for the gun-knife. She didn't quite know where Nina got the idea that she had stolen anything else from her. Her mind raced for a solution. Certainly there must be a way around this, a way to keep a fight from happening, a way to get Nina's guard down and use the chance to run.
She couldn't yank herself away from Nina; Nina was much stronger than her and it would likely just make her angry. There's no way she could fight Nina one on one, either. While Nina might not kill her per say, she could easily beat Maddie within an inch of her life. She needed to avoid a fight, and if push came to shove and she needed to fight Nina then she needed a significant advantage. No, what she needed was a way out, an escape. Oh how could she have let herself get cornered like this? She was better than this, smarter than this. The only peaceful way out, she presumed, was to give into Nina's demands, or at least pretend to before running for it.
"Okay... fine. I will return your weapon. For your information, however, I didn't steal anything but it. I wanted protection, I didn't want to kill you." She looked down at her hand that was currently in Nina's grasp. "The gun-knife is at the bottom of my bag; let go of my hand and I can give it to you." She looked back at Nina. "Frankly I find the prospects of fighting you more frightening than being left without a proper weapon, so there's no need to keep hold of me." She was lying, obviously. Nina wasn't very threatening; there were certainly way more people on this island that were more threatening than her. Although her demeanor was definitely serious, there was no way she had the heart to try and genuinely kill Maddie.
She hoped.
She couldn't yank herself away from Nina; Nina was much stronger than her and it would likely just make her angry. There's no way she could fight Nina one on one, either. While Nina might not kill her per say, she could easily beat Maddie within an inch of her life. She needed to avoid a fight, and if push came to shove and she needed to fight Nina then she needed a significant advantage. No, what she needed was a way out, an escape. Oh how could she have let herself get cornered like this? She was better than this, smarter than this. The only peaceful way out, she presumed, was to give into Nina's demands, or at least pretend to before running for it.
"Okay... fine. I will return your weapon. For your information, however, I didn't steal anything but it. I wanted protection, I didn't want to kill you." She looked down at her hand that was currently in Nina's grasp. "The gun-knife is at the bottom of my bag; let go of my hand and I can give it to you." She looked back at Nina. "Frankly I find the prospects of fighting you more frightening than being left without a proper weapon, so there's no need to keep hold of me." She was lying, obviously. Nina wasn't very threatening; there were certainly way more people on this island that were more threatening than her. Although her demeanor was definitely serious, there was no way she had the heart to try and genuinely kill Maddie.
She hoped.
Maddie...agreed? Nina was almost surprised, but somehow it made her angrier. She wanted an excuse to get angry, mentally grasped momentarily for an excuse to stay angry. She wanted to take out all her pent-up frustration and despair on this girl.
Easy target.
"No, I will not let go of your hand." Nina snarled. "In fact, I think you should drop your bag right now, and I will take my weapon back myself." She squeezed Maddie's skinny wrist tighter, and reached over for Maddie's bag. A funny feeling filled Nina; she felt powerful, in a sick way. She'd never really had a temper issue, so she never really needed an outlet.
But after being drugged, robbed, threatened at gunpoint, verbally abused and now faced with a dirty criminal, all the while the threat of violent death looming over her, she finally cracked. She was so fucking sick of this bullshit, of trying to be nice, and now she was...she was done.
She'd make Maddie pay for what she'd done. And...and then...and then she'd make the killers, the sick, murdering bastards, they'd pay too. She'd punish them.
The thought almost made her feel good.
and scared.
Easy target.
"No, I will not let go of your hand." Nina snarled. "In fact, I think you should drop your bag right now, and I will take my weapon back myself." She squeezed Maddie's skinny wrist tighter, and reached over for Maddie's bag. A funny feeling filled Nina; she felt powerful, in a sick way. She'd never really had a temper issue, so she never really needed an outlet.
But after being drugged, robbed, threatened at gunpoint, verbally abused and now faced with a dirty criminal, all the while the threat of violent death looming over her, she finally cracked. She was so fucking sick of this bullshit, of trying to be nice, and now she was...she was done.
She'd make Maddie pay for what she'd done. And...and then...and then she'd make the killers, the sick, murdering bastards, they'd pay too. She'd punish them.
The thought almost made her feel good.
and scared.
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VoltTurtle
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((GM'ing approved))
In a single moment Maddie went from confident that she could get away, if a bit nervous, to terrified. Nina wasn't letting go of her hand. In fact, Nina was squeezing her wrist so hard that it started to hurt. The way that Nina was talking, the way she was acting right now, it was very out of character for her. It seemed that Nina, just like everyone else on the island, had finally gone off the deep end. Which meant Maddie's life was in danger. After all, what would Nina do after she got the gun-knife out of Maddie's bag? Kill her with it, most likely. Stabbing her, shooting her, taking away her only defense and then beating her to death for thrills, it was all the same. Which meant there was no more choice in the matter. She had to fight. But what would she do?
For the lack of any better ideas, she slammed her head into Nina's head, causing her silver pill box to rattle around inside of her hat. She felt dazed, but the headbutt seemed to work, as she felt Nina's grasp on her wrist lessen and then release. Free of her aggressor's grasp, Maddie dazedly turned her back on Nina and bolted for the door of the lobby. She clumsily yanked the gun-knife out of her bag, her head still foggy from the skull on skull impact, and began fumbling to pull out and load a musket ball into it in case Nina chased her as she ran for the door. She had no idea what was about to happen, what Nina was going to do to her.
One thing was certain though.
It was Maddie or Nina.
In a single moment Maddie went from confident that she could get away, if a bit nervous, to terrified. Nina wasn't letting go of her hand. In fact, Nina was squeezing her wrist so hard that it started to hurt. The way that Nina was talking, the way she was acting right now, it was very out of character for her. It seemed that Nina, just like everyone else on the island, had finally gone off the deep end. Which meant Maddie's life was in danger. After all, what would Nina do after she got the gun-knife out of Maddie's bag? Kill her with it, most likely. Stabbing her, shooting her, taking away her only defense and then beating her to death for thrills, it was all the same. Which meant there was no more choice in the matter. She had to fight. But what would she do?
For the lack of any better ideas, she slammed her head into Nina's head, causing her silver pill box to rattle around inside of her hat. She felt dazed, but the headbutt seemed to work, as she felt Nina's grasp on her wrist lessen and then release. Free of her aggressor's grasp, Maddie dazedly turned her back on Nina and bolted for the door of the lobby. She clumsily yanked the gun-knife out of her bag, her head still foggy from the skull on skull impact, and began fumbling to pull out and load a musket ball into it in case Nina chased her as she ran for the door. She had no idea what was about to happen, what Nina was going to do to her.
One thing was certain though.
It was Maddie or Nina.
((GMing also approved))
Nina was just realizing that Maddie wasn't obeying when
*BAM*
she felt a crushing blow strike her in the face. she staggered, felt her hand lose its grip and she fell flat on her ass. nina groaned, trying to sit up but her head hurt too much.
she saw Maddie bolting for the door.
"Get back here you little bitch!"
Nina staggered to her feet and chased the other girl. After a few seconds, as Maddie reached the door to push it open, Nina slammed into her, bringing both girls to the ground in a pile. Nina, luckily, was on top of Maddie.
She realized Maddie had the gun-knife in her hand, and knew what she had to do. She started slamming her fists into the back of the other girl's head, not thinking, just attacking. She wanted to beat this girl into submission, do anything it took to get her revenge.
Nina was just realizing that Maddie wasn't obeying when
*BAM*
she felt a crushing blow strike her in the face. she staggered, felt her hand lose its grip and she fell flat on her ass. nina groaned, trying to sit up but her head hurt too much.
she saw Maddie bolting for the door.
"Get back here you little bitch!"
Nina staggered to her feet and chased the other girl. After a few seconds, as Maddie reached the door to push it open, Nina slammed into her, bringing both girls to the ground in a pile. Nina, luckily, was on top of Maddie.
She realized Maddie had the gun-knife in her hand, and knew what she had to do. She started slamming her fists into the back of the other girl's head, not thinking, just attacking. She wanted to beat this girl into submission, do anything it took to get her revenge.
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VoltTurtle
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Pain.
That's all Maddie could feel in that moment.
Blow after blow hit the back of her head, her hat having fallen to the ground from the force of Nina's tackle.
She guessed this was it. This is how she died. Beaten to death at the hands of the only person on this island that she had wronged.
She figured it was a sort of poetic justice, the person she had wronged getting their revenge in the form of her life.
There was nothing she could do. No matter what she could possibly try, Nina would just resume her savage beating.
She guessed that it was for the best that she gave up, accepted her fate.
...
No.
She couldn't just give up now, she had things to live for; she couldn't just let someone kill her. She needed to try something, anything, to get her assailant off of her. She only had one chance at this, one chance to make sure she lived to see another morning. With one last surge of strength she flipped herself over, knocking her assailant off, and slashed out with the gun-knife near where she thought her assailant would be. She felt the blade connect with flesh as she lied flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. She was exhausted. That beating and her one final movement took what little energy she had left. She could do nothing else but stare at the ceiling of the hotel as she passed out from exhaustion.
That's all Maddie could feel in that moment.
Blow after blow hit the back of her head, her hat having fallen to the ground from the force of Nina's tackle.
She guessed this was it. This is how she died. Beaten to death at the hands of the only person on this island that she had wronged.
She figured it was a sort of poetic justice, the person she had wronged getting their revenge in the form of her life.
There was nothing she could do. No matter what she could possibly try, Nina would just resume her savage beating.
She guessed that it was for the best that she gave up, accepted her fate.
...
No.
She couldn't just give up now, she had things to live for; she couldn't just let someone kill her. She needed to try something, anything, to get her assailant off of her. She only had one chance at this, one chance to make sure she lived to see another morning. With one last surge of strength she flipped herself over, knocking her assailant off, and slashed out with the gun-knife near where she thought her assailant would be. She felt the blade connect with flesh as she lied flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. She was exhausted. That beating and her one final movement took what little energy she had left. She could do nothing else but stare at the ceiling of the hotel as she passed out from exhaustion.
Nina kept going until the other girl rolled over and stabbed her.
It caught her off-guard, to say the least, when she was suddenly gutted like a fucking fish.
Nina felt the blade embed itself in her stomach, really right between her sternum and her stomach, and immediately let out a shriek. She had never hurt so bad, not even when she broke her hand. It felt wrong, just the feeling of metal inside her, cold and the burning. Then it pulled out of her chest, and she saw through blurry, running eyes that red was flowing from her chest.
Oh. Dear god.
Maddie had stabbed her, probably fatally. Nina was kneeling, clutching her chest and sobbing as more blood spilled out, and Maddie just lay there. Nina crawled forward, towards the other girl, she was only a foot or so away when her arms gave out and she fell flat on her face, unable to move. Her breathing hurt, she was going numb. As her body shut down, Nina managed an introspective.
Nina had fucked up. She should've accepted Maddie's apology, should've just let her give her the weapon and leave, should've just let her run, shouldn't have done anything she did. Every move she made was a mistake, every action stupid, and it led to this, this horrible pain that Nina wanted to just stop. Nina felt regret, a bitter feeling, painful, but not as bad as the stab wound.
Nina could no longer move, barely even breathe, she was blacking out, but she didn't want to die, she was scared, she had so much to say and so much to do and so many things that would never happen for her all because she had gotten unlucky they all had and now they were all going to die and it was nothing she could do.
Nina's eyes slowly slid shut as the blood loss caused her to pass out. A few minutes was all it took for it to cause her brain to shut down and stop her breathing forever.
Nina had made a mistake and it ultimately ended up being the worst kind of mistake. It had cost her the most important thing in the world, it had cost Nina her own life.
And thus, Nina Clarke would never have the revenge she never should've needed. She died instead.
G026: NINA CLARKE: DECEASED
123 students remain
It caught her off-guard, to say the least, when she was suddenly gutted like a fucking fish.
Nina felt the blade embed itself in her stomach, really right between her sternum and her stomach, and immediately let out a shriek. She had never hurt so bad, not even when she broke her hand. It felt wrong, just the feeling of metal inside her, cold and the burning. Then it pulled out of her chest, and she saw through blurry, running eyes that red was flowing from her chest.
Oh. Dear god.
Maddie had stabbed her, probably fatally. Nina was kneeling, clutching her chest and sobbing as more blood spilled out, and Maddie just lay there. Nina crawled forward, towards the other girl, she was only a foot or so away when her arms gave out and she fell flat on her face, unable to move. Her breathing hurt, she was going numb. As her body shut down, Nina managed an introspective.
Nina had fucked up. She should've accepted Maddie's apology, should've just let her give her the weapon and leave, should've just let her run, shouldn't have done anything she did. Every move she made was a mistake, every action stupid, and it led to this, this horrible pain that Nina wanted to just stop. Nina felt regret, a bitter feeling, painful, but not as bad as the stab wound.
Nina could no longer move, barely even breathe, she was blacking out, but she didn't want to die, she was scared, she had so much to say and so much to do and so many things that would never happen for her all because she had gotten unlucky they all had and now they were all going to die and it was nothing she could do.
Nina's eyes slowly slid shut as the blood loss caused her to pass out. A few minutes was all it took for it to cause her brain to shut down and stop her breathing forever.
Nina had made a mistake and it ultimately ended up being the worst kind of mistake. It had cost her the most important thing in the world, it had cost Nina her own life.
And thus, Nina Clarke would never have the revenge she never should've needed. She died instead.
G026: NINA CLARKE: DECEASED
123 students remain
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VoltTurtle
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Maddie awoke some time later after passing out. The lighting had changed due to the shifting of the sun, judging from it, it was sometime afternoon.
Wait a moment...
Why wasn't she dead? She had passed out while she had a psycho over top of her beating the stuffing out of her; she should be dead and her corpse should have been looted.
Unless...
She moved her hand a bit in an effort to get up and felt something wet brush her fingertips. She bought her fingers close to her face. Blood. It was blood. She turned her head to the side, hoping that what she knew she was going to see was not actually the case. But there she was, Nina, in a large pool of blood, just lying there, dead. She screamed and scrambled away from the corpse. She stared at Nina's lifeless body, the bloody gun-knife next to her, and the realization dawned on her. She had killed Nina. Her final movement before she had passed out ended up killing Nina. She vomited onto the ground next to her.
Sure, if she had not done that she would have no doubt been killed by Nina, but that didn't change the fact that she ended another human being's life. Another human being who probably wanted to live just as much as she did. She noticed that her sleeve felt damp. She looked at it. It was partly soaked on one side with Nina's blood, and in fact she had little spatters of Nina's blood dotted over the side of her jacket. She retched. She shook. She had killed someone. She took another person's life away. She did it out of self defense sure, but she had never really taken a life before, except for a few bugs she had swatted over her lifetime.
She was really no better than the killers she was keeping track of in her head. Taking a life is taking a life, no matter the circumstances. No doubt the terrorists would make her out to be some monster on the announcements next morning, and she would forever be branded a killer by her fellow students. Perhaps that was what happened to some of the other killers. Maybe they killed in self defense, or on accident, and the terrorists just twisted what actually happened to make it seem like the killers were cold blooded murderers or utterly psychotic.
She stared at the floor. She couldn't bring her eyes up to Nina's body, she couldn't stand the sight. She needed to get out of this place, collect her thoughts, and try to focus on living. Nina died so Maddie could live, in a sense. Everyone had to die if she were to live. She forced herself to stand. She had to live now, to make sure Nina's death wasn't pointless, to make sure everyone's deaths weren't pointless. She picked up her bag, partly soaked by Nina's blood, and picked up the gun-knife. The instrument of murder. The weapon she stole from Nina. She could barely bring herself to look at it. It had changed. It was no longer an instrument of defense, something to ensure people didn't harm her. It was an instrument of murder, and would now always be that way. She cleaned the blood off of it with her already bloodied jacket and placed it inside her bag. There was still no logical point in not keeping it at least.
She went through Nina's bag, grabbing her empty water bottles and unused rations, and placed them inside her bag. Nina wouldn't need them now, so Maddie might as well make sure they didn't go to waste.
She walked to and opened the door of the lobby. She walked out into the sunlight of the afternoon. She looked up at the sky, trying to clear her head, but nothing would get rid of the thought that sat at the back of her mind. The thought that wouldn't leave her alone as she made her way away from the hotel, not looking back.
She was a murderer.
((Madeline Wilcox continued in Nowhere to Go))
Wait a moment...
Why wasn't she dead? She had passed out while she had a psycho over top of her beating the stuffing out of her; she should be dead and her corpse should have been looted.
Unless...
She moved her hand a bit in an effort to get up and felt something wet brush her fingertips. She bought her fingers close to her face. Blood. It was blood. She turned her head to the side, hoping that what she knew she was going to see was not actually the case. But there she was, Nina, in a large pool of blood, just lying there, dead. She screamed and scrambled away from the corpse. She stared at Nina's lifeless body, the bloody gun-knife next to her, and the realization dawned on her. She had killed Nina. Her final movement before she had passed out ended up killing Nina. She vomited onto the ground next to her.
Sure, if she had not done that she would have no doubt been killed by Nina, but that didn't change the fact that she ended another human being's life. Another human being who probably wanted to live just as much as she did. She noticed that her sleeve felt damp. She looked at it. It was partly soaked on one side with Nina's blood, and in fact she had little spatters of Nina's blood dotted over the side of her jacket. She retched. She shook. She had killed someone. She took another person's life away. She did it out of self defense sure, but she had never really taken a life before, except for a few bugs she had swatted over her lifetime.
She was really no better than the killers she was keeping track of in her head. Taking a life is taking a life, no matter the circumstances. No doubt the terrorists would make her out to be some monster on the announcements next morning, and she would forever be branded a killer by her fellow students. Perhaps that was what happened to some of the other killers. Maybe they killed in self defense, or on accident, and the terrorists just twisted what actually happened to make it seem like the killers were cold blooded murderers or utterly psychotic.
She stared at the floor. She couldn't bring her eyes up to Nina's body, she couldn't stand the sight. She needed to get out of this place, collect her thoughts, and try to focus on living. Nina died so Maddie could live, in a sense. Everyone had to die if she were to live. She forced herself to stand. She had to live now, to make sure Nina's death wasn't pointless, to make sure everyone's deaths weren't pointless. She picked up her bag, partly soaked by Nina's blood, and picked up the gun-knife. The instrument of murder. The weapon she stole from Nina. She could barely bring herself to look at it. It had changed. It was no longer an instrument of defense, something to ensure people didn't harm her. It was an instrument of murder, and would now always be that way. She cleaned the blood off of it with her already bloodied jacket and placed it inside her bag. There was still no logical point in not keeping it at least.
She went through Nina's bag, grabbing her empty water bottles and unused rations, and placed them inside her bag. Nina wouldn't need them now, so Maddie might as well make sure they didn't go to waste.
She walked to and opened the door of the lobby. She walked out into the sunlight of the afternoon. She looked up at the sky, trying to clear her head, but nothing would get rid of the thought that sat at the back of her mind. The thought that wouldn't leave her alone as she made her way away from the hotel, not looking back.
She was a murderer.
((Madeline Wilcox continued in Nowhere to Go))