((Paloma didn't have to wait long, either.))
Paloma spotted the body from a ways away, instinctively lowering herself, glancing around. Silence, save for the sound of rain. She wasn't necessarily alone, but she couldn't see anyone else present.
She drew forward slowly, teeth gritted, hands clenched. The corpse was fresh; the blood was still runny and red in the rain. She tried not to look at the face, but the glances she took told her all too much. Reuben was the mascot, something she was surprised she remembered about him. Weird guy. Nerdy type. Dead now.
Once she was pretty comfortable she wasn't getting sniped at from out of vision, she ran, a stumbling, desperate spring towards his bag. It was a miracle for her. He was dead, and that was sad, but now she was less likely to die. She could take what he didn't need, and she hadn't had to do anything to get it. Someone was looking out for her, apparently.
Paloma dropped to her knees and started ruffling through it immediately. She audibly gasped when she looked inside. It was full of...everything. Food bars, bread and water, med supplies, everything she'd had and lost.
She didn't pause to think. She sat down, bag in her lap, and ripped open one of the bars and started devouring it. She was interrupted partway though only as the sudden influx of material into her stomach made her flinch and retch. After a moment of catching her breath, she opened a bottle of water and guzzled half of it.
Paloma panted quietly, and tilted her head back as the rain fell into her face. She was so relieved, she couldn't stand it. She started laughing, a quiet, whispered chuckle. She exhaled, crossing her arms and digging back into the food bar.
Moss and Bones
Open
((Aliya Kimia Nemati continued from Excursion))
What a piece of-Aliya stopped herself there. She couldn't blame Justin, actually, she could but she was trying very hard not to. It wouldn't have done any good. He was gone. They had given chase, at least, they had tried too as well as they could given she was carrying twice the load Justin was and the jungle was a nightmare to navigate. They had lost Justin, because of course, they would. It would have been difficult to keep up anyway.
"Fucking Justin," She muttered to herself as they continued through the trees. High-stress situations caused people to act irrationally, that was something she knew. She supposed it didn't help that Justin didn't seem to be emotionally coping with everything well. The news of Benny's death had driven him over the edge she guessed. She still felt bad for him, but she was also angry at him for running off. It wasn't going to solve anything in the end. She hoped he'd find whatever he needed, but she doubted it was going to end well.
His sudden exit had also left her and Tony with another day of wandering aimlessly through the wilds of the island. They were completely lost by the time they had given up on chasing Justin and the map didn't help much in that regard because it was hard to figure out where you were in the green flood of the jungles. So a day wasted effectively.
Then as if things couldn't get worse. She had gotten the news. The speakers had turned on and told her of the death of her best friend. Mercy had been poisoned by Kelly Nguyen. It made sense. There was no way Kelly would have been able to stand up to Mercy in a face to face fair fight. So she'd resorted to a trick. A dirty fucking trick had killed her friend. Aliya had bounced the name around. Kelly Nguyen. It had been given prime real estate for a while. Just sitting there, the focus of all her thoughts. Things she would do if she ever saw her. She knew her face and what she looked like. She knew Kelly was small and she doubted she would be tough in a fight. She did archery or something but she clearly didn't have a fucking bow because she had poisoned Mercy. The weather had then decided to match her mood because that was when the rain had started to fall. It was still warm so the rain didn't offer much escape from the humidity.
As the treeline thinned out Aliya saw the lake and the smaller pond closer to them, containing what looked to be cages. That wasn't what attracted her attention though. Instead, her eyes were drawn to the person. The person whose name had been on the first announcement, the one who was looting a corpse. Aliya's already dark mood went pitch. She was filed with an intense feeling of emptiness. But her focus was like a laser. She tore the bags off, both Berts and hers, tossing them aside and onto the grass.
"Hey!" She yelled at Paloma as she advanced. "The fuck are you doing?"
There was a part of her that knew the other girl deserved a chance to explain herself. But the other part of her knew that the answer didn't matter.
What a piece of-Aliya stopped herself there. She couldn't blame Justin, actually, she could but she was trying very hard not to. It wouldn't have done any good. He was gone. They had given chase, at least, they had tried too as well as they could given she was carrying twice the load Justin was and the jungle was a nightmare to navigate. They had lost Justin, because of course, they would. It would have been difficult to keep up anyway.
"Fucking Justin," She muttered to herself as they continued through the trees. High-stress situations caused people to act irrationally, that was something she knew. She supposed it didn't help that Justin didn't seem to be emotionally coping with everything well. The news of Benny's death had driven him over the edge she guessed. She still felt bad for him, but she was also angry at him for running off. It wasn't going to solve anything in the end. She hoped he'd find whatever he needed, but she doubted it was going to end well.
His sudden exit had also left her and Tony with another day of wandering aimlessly through the wilds of the island. They were completely lost by the time they had given up on chasing Justin and the map didn't help much in that regard because it was hard to figure out where you were in the green flood of the jungles. So a day wasted effectively.
Then as if things couldn't get worse. She had gotten the news. The speakers had turned on and told her of the death of her best friend. Mercy had been poisoned by Kelly Nguyen. It made sense. There was no way Kelly would have been able to stand up to Mercy in a face to face fair fight. So she'd resorted to a trick. A dirty fucking trick had killed her friend. Aliya had bounced the name around. Kelly Nguyen. It had been given prime real estate for a while. Just sitting there, the focus of all her thoughts. Things she would do if she ever saw her. She knew her face and what she looked like. She knew Kelly was small and she doubted she would be tough in a fight. She did archery or something but she clearly didn't have a fucking bow because she had poisoned Mercy. The weather had then decided to match her mood because that was when the rain had started to fall. It was still warm so the rain didn't offer much escape from the humidity.
As the treeline thinned out Aliya saw the lake and the smaller pond closer to them, containing what looked to be cages. That wasn't what attracted her attention though. Instead, her eyes were drawn to the person. The person whose name had been on the first announcement, the one who was looting a corpse. Aliya's already dark mood went pitch. She was filed with an intense feeling of emptiness. But her focus was like a laser. She tore the bags off, both Berts and hers, tossing them aside and onto the grass.
"Hey!" She yelled at Paloma as she advanced. "The fuck are you doing?"
There was a part of her that knew the other girl deserved a chance to explain herself. But the other part of her knew that the answer didn't matter.
-
VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1539
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
((Amber Yates continued from F))
The rain was unrelenting.
Walking along the lake shore, gripping the strap of her bag, Amber sighed after tripping on some debris, nearly losing her balance, again. She was exhausted. It felt like she had circled the whole island just looking for people to talk to. Resting at night hadn't helped, either. The dampness kept her from getting any decent rest, and now here she was, once again, walking for no particular reason. She had a headache, she wanted a smoke, she wanted the rain to go ahead and stop already...
Amber, are you okay?
No.
What's wrong?
She gestured to her surroundings, her arms briefly spread wide before returning to their position holding the strap of her bag.
What isn't? My friends are dying and I can't do anything about it. Mercy died. Mercy! She was my best friend besides you, and now she's gone. Maybe it didn't sting as badly hearing her name as it did with Abel, but...
She coughed. She couldn't finish the thought.
My only coping method is... just... not thinking about it. Not letting it get to me. It feels wrong, like I'm disrespecting everyone who's died...
You can cope however you need to, it's okay. This situation is really fucked up.
She kicked at some gravel beneath her feet as she approached some kind of pond next to the lake. It looked like it had... cages, in it? That was weird, but then again, everything in this place had a different kind of awful flavor of weird to it. It'd be a great place to set a movie, not really a great place to spend the last days of her life.
It doesn't matter, anyway, I'll be dead soon and that's that.
You know I don't like it when you say stuff like that so flippantly...
She scratched at the top of her head. There were people there, too, from the looks of it. One was sitting by the pond, the other moving in from further away. They were sorta obscured by the surroundings, but it didn't look like anyone she needed to be scared of. Not like, say, Wyatt.
At least the little funeral helped me cope with Abel's death. I'm not so sure I'd be able to keep that up for all of my friends though-
Wait.
She stopped in her tracks as she finally got close enough to see who the figure next to the pond actually was.
Gritting her teeth and sighing, Amber began to stomp closer with haste, her face turning beet red as her rage began to build. Paloma. Of all the random people to run into twice in a row, it had to be her. Of course she was also crouched over Reuben's corpse. He was probably yet another innocent person she ruthlessly killed. Seeing her again ripped the scab that had been forming off the emotional wound that she had left behind, and now everything was leaking out yet again.
It seemed like the girl that was approaching alongside her was Aliya. They were both approaching Paloma aggressively, Aliya being much closer than Amber was, and that was good. Paloma deserved it. Amber was fine with Aliya for other reasons, too; she liked Mercy, Aliya liked Mercy, so they already had that common ground.
Aliya was closing in, shouting something to Paloma. Maybe she wouldn't even need to say anything herself, though her seething anger would likely cause her to awkwardly insert herself into the situation anyway. After all, Paloma got away from her the first time, but she wasn't going to let that happen again. She was going to get her answers, she was going to know why, she was going to...
Amber pointed an accusatory finger at Paloma, still a fair distance away, not waiting for Paloma to respond to Aliya or to even be within an easily audible distance before she started to speak.
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-" she stammered loudly, trudging closer all the while, raw anger and sadness overwhelming her to the point where she couldn't even finish a single word. "Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-"
Amber. Stop.
Why? Why should I stop? Why does she deserve anything else?
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-"
Because being angry at her will only hurt you. Being angry at her won't bring Abel back, and it won't make her regret what she's done. There is no point in it. If all you really want is answers, you'd be better off trying to be friendly.
But she's a monster. She killed my boyfriend, who was a sweetheart, by the way. She doesn't deserve my kindness.
Maybe not, but do you even know her side of the story? Maybe when she woke up she was just scared and lashed out. Maybe she regrets what happened already.
Now only a small distance away from Paloma, Amber stopped her stuttering. She lowered her hand to the ground before turning her gaze in the same direction. She hated it, but Blue was right. Anger wasn't going to get her anywhere, and truth be told, she didn't actually know what went down with Abel and Paloma on the first day. For all she knew, maybe he was the one that panicked and attacked her. She didn't think it was likely, but there was the possibility...
She finally got close, somewhat rudely ignoring Aliya in the process, avoiding eye contact with either of the girls. Instead of opting to speak, Amber stood there in silence, brooding. Waiting for Paloma to respond to what Aliya had asked, and considering her own words in the process.
The rain was unrelenting.
Walking along the lake shore, gripping the strap of her bag, Amber sighed after tripping on some debris, nearly losing her balance, again. She was exhausted. It felt like she had circled the whole island just looking for people to talk to. Resting at night hadn't helped, either. The dampness kept her from getting any decent rest, and now here she was, once again, walking for no particular reason. She had a headache, she wanted a smoke, she wanted the rain to go ahead and stop already...
Amber, are you okay?
No.
What's wrong?
She gestured to her surroundings, her arms briefly spread wide before returning to their position holding the strap of her bag.
What isn't? My friends are dying and I can't do anything about it. Mercy died. Mercy! She was my best friend besides you, and now she's gone. Maybe it didn't sting as badly hearing her name as it did with Abel, but...
She coughed. She couldn't finish the thought.
My only coping method is... just... not thinking about it. Not letting it get to me. It feels wrong, like I'm disrespecting everyone who's died...
You can cope however you need to, it's okay. This situation is really fucked up.
She kicked at some gravel beneath her feet as she approached some kind of pond next to the lake. It looked like it had... cages, in it? That was weird, but then again, everything in this place had a different kind of awful flavor of weird to it. It'd be a great place to set a movie, not really a great place to spend the last days of her life.
It doesn't matter, anyway, I'll be dead soon and that's that.
You know I don't like it when you say stuff like that so flippantly...
She scratched at the top of her head. There were people there, too, from the looks of it. One was sitting by the pond, the other moving in from further away. They were sorta obscured by the surroundings, but it didn't look like anyone she needed to be scared of. Not like, say, Wyatt.
At least the little funeral helped me cope with Abel's death. I'm not so sure I'd be able to keep that up for all of my friends though-
Wait.
She stopped in her tracks as she finally got close enough to see who the figure next to the pond actually was.
Gritting her teeth and sighing, Amber began to stomp closer with haste, her face turning beet red as her rage began to build. Paloma. Of all the random people to run into twice in a row, it had to be her. Of course she was also crouched over Reuben's corpse. He was probably yet another innocent person she ruthlessly killed. Seeing her again ripped the scab that had been forming off the emotional wound that she had left behind, and now everything was leaking out yet again.
It seemed like the girl that was approaching alongside her was Aliya. They were both approaching Paloma aggressively, Aliya being much closer than Amber was, and that was good. Paloma deserved it. Amber was fine with Aliya for other reasons, too; she liked Mercy, Aliya liked Mercy, so they already had that common ground.
Aliya was closing in, shouting something to Paloma. Maybe she wouldn't even need to say anything herself, though her seething anger would likely cause her to awkwardly insert herself into the situation anyway. After all, Paloma got away from her the first time, but she wasn't going to let that happen again. She was going to get her answers, she was going to know why, she was going to...
Amber pointed an accusatory finger at Paloma, still a fair distance away, not waiting for Paloma to respond to Aliya or to even be within an easily audible distance before she started to speak.
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-" she stammered loudly, trudging closer all the while, raw anger and sadness overwhelming her to the point where she couldn't even finish a single word. "Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-"
Amber. Stop.
Why? Why should I stop? Why does she deserve anything else?
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-"
Because being angry at her will only hurt you. Being angry at her won't bring Abel back, and it won't make her regret what she's done. There is no point in it. If all you really want is answers, you'd be better off trying to be friendly.
But she's a monster. She killed my boyfriend, who was a sweetheart, by the way. She doesn't deserve my kindness.
Maybe not, but do you even know her side of the story? Maybe when she woke up she was just scared and lashed out. Maybe she regrets what happened already.
Now only a small distance away from Paloma, Amber stopped her stuttering. She lowered her hand to the ground before turning her gaze in the same direction. She hated it, but Blue was right. Anger wasn't going to get her anywhere, and truth be told, she didn't actually know what went down with Abel and Paloma on the first day. For all she knew, maybe he was the one that panicked and attacked her. She didn't think it was likely, but there was the possibility...
She finally got close, somewhat rudely ignoring Aliya in the process, avoiding eye contact with either of the girls. Instead of opting to speak, Amber stood there in silence, brooding. Waiting for Paloma to respond to what Aliya had asked, and considering her own words in the process.
((Hello, I'm the new Paloma handler.))
There was something about busking and art commissions that had changed how Paloma interacted with the world. It wasn't drastic, but noticeable when you interacted with her for a certain period of time. Paloma had developed a shell. An instinctive shield that was raised when people came around, deflecting their comments. Perhaps, it always have been there, but clearly, it didn't get any weaker.
There was a no-man's land that surrounded Paloma, and there wasn't a lot of things that could survive within it. However, there was one thing on this island that could breach this little barrier, and she was standing in front of her. Abel's girlfriend with her accusing finger made it clear that her day went from bad to fucking terrible in the span of three second.
There was also the problem of Aliyah, who appeared to be 7 feet tall. Paloma knew for a fact she wasn't that tall, but still, she felt tiny next to her. So, using her baseball bat as a cane she raised herself from the ground as fast as possible, causing her to get slightly dizzy. She was still smaller than the two girls, and it didn't change the fact she was terrified, but her dizziness helped her bravado. Aliya had thrown her bags to the side and onto the grass and continued her angry advance. Fear changed to adrenaline, and suddenly, Paloma was more angry than scared.
"Back off," she knew that anything she would say couldn't take away the fact she had killed Abel. Her grip around the handle tightened. Her voice went back to its fearful as soon as she noticed that Aliya wasn't stopping. "Don't."
There was something about busking and art commissions that had changed how Paloma interacted with the world. It wasn't drastic, but noticeable when you interacted with her for a certain period of time. Paloma had developed a shell. An instinctive shield that was raised when people came around, deflecting their comments. Perhaps, it always have been there, but clearly, it didn't get any weaker.
There was a no-man's land that surrounded Paloma, and there wasn't a lot of things that could survive within it. However, there was one thing on this island that could breach this little barrier, and she was standing in front of her. Abel's girlfriend with her accusing finger made it clear that her day went from bad to fucking terrible in the span of three second.
There was also the problem of Aliyah, who appeared to be 7 feet tall. Paloma knew for a fact she wasn't that tall, but still, she felt tiny next to her. So, using her baseball bat as a cane she raised herself from the ground as fast as possible, causing her to get slightly dizzy. She was still smaller than the two girls, and it didn't change the fact she was terrified, but her dizziness helped her bravado. Aliya had thrown her bags to the side and onto the grass and continued her angry advance. Fear changed to adrenaline, and suddenly, Paloma was more angry than scared.
"Back off," she knew that anything she would say couldn't take away the fact she had killed Abel. Her grip around the handle tightened. Her voice went back to its fearful as soon as she noticed that Aliya wasn't stopping. "Don't."
Someone else arrived. Another girl. She did say anything, instead, she stood there watching.
Paloma noticed her and turned around. The girl's hands gripped a baseball bat tight. No doubt the weapon she had used to kill Abel. She told Aliya to stay back and Aliya knew that would have been the best course of action. The best thing to do would have been to take a step back and take a breath, but Aliya wasn't thinking like that. She had one goal and one master at that moment. So she didn't stop, she just kept moving forward.
And then once she was close enough she sent her fist crashing into Paloma's face.
Paloma noticed her and turned around. The girl's hands gripped a baseball bat tight. No doubt the weapon she had used to kill Abel. She told Aliya to stay back and Aliya knew that would have been the best course of action. The best thing to do would have been to take a step back and take a breath, but Aliya wasn't thinking like that. She had one goal and one master at that moment. So she didn't stop, she just kept moving forward.
And then once she was close enough she sent her fist crashing into Paloma's face.
-
VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1539
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
To say that Amber was shocked when Aliya punched Paloma in the face would be an inaccurate statement. Using the world "shocked" would imply that the surprising turn of events was, in some way, unpleasant. While Amber was certainly surprised, she hadn't really wanted a fight after all, she was not in any way bothered by this new turn of events.
If anything, she was ecstatic.
Total lady boner right about now.
Or maybe a justice boner?
Some kind of boner, for sure.
Amber, priorities.
People are fighting while you ponder metaphorical erections.
Stop them before someone gets killed!
Oh right, shit.
"Hey wait!" She shouted, hastily. "Nobody needs to get hurt!"
She glanced at Reuben's body again, now that she was closer. She felt bad for him—she knew him from her cheer-leading after all—but she did not have the time to properly mourn him, due to the present circumstances. Instead, she focused on his wounds. It looked like he had died to some kind of stab wound and bled out, and Paloma had a baseball bat, not a blade, so she couldn't have done it.
"P-Paloma didn't kill Reuben!" She continued. "She did kill Abel but she might've had a reason for that! Even if I'm gonna be skeptical of it! There's no need to fight right now!"
While Amber wasn't looking for a fight, and while she did want the present situation to calm down, she was more than willing to start the fighting back up if Paloma ended up lying about what happened between her and Abel. Whatever it was that went down, so long as she got the truth, she wouldn't fight. But if Paloma pretended that it was all Abel's fault, something that definitely wouldn't be the case, well...
She hoped it didn't need to come to that.
If anything, she was ecstatic.
Total lady boner right about now.
Or maybe a justice boner?
Some kind of boner, for sure.
Amber, priorities.
People are fighting while you ponder metaphorical erections.
Stop them before someone gets killed!
Oh right, shit.
"Hey wait!" She shouted, hastily. "Nobody needs to get hurt!"
She glanced at Reuben's body again, now that she was closer. She felt bad for him—she knew him from her cheer-leading after all—but she did not have the time to properly mourn him, due to the present circumstances. Instead, she focused on his wounds. It looked like he had died to some kind of stab wound and bled out, and Paloma had a baseball bat, not a blade, so she couldn't have done it.
"P-Paloma didn't kill Reuben!" She continued. "She did kill Abel but she might've had a reason for that! Even if I'm gonna be skeptical of it! There's no need to fight right now!"
While Amber wasn't looking for a fight, and while she did want the present situation to calm down, she was more than willing to start the fighting back up if Paloma ended up lying about what happened between her and Abel. Whatever it was that went down, so long as she got the truth, she wouldn't fight. But if Paloma pretended that it was all Abel's fault, something that definitely wouldn't be the case, well...
She hoped it didn't need to come to that.
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 12:39 am
((Colin McCabe continued from The Definition of Insanity))
Colin huffed and puffed as he moved through the area surrounding the lake, trying to balance the need to cover as much ground as he could and to keep an eye out for someone that could help him, his left hand never leaving the side of his head as it held his bandages in place.
Finally, he managed to catch sight of three people and hoped by all that might ever be considered good that they weren’t a gaggle of psychos like Volker.
However, realizing that running in there covered in his and Volker’s blood might do him more harm than good, Colin decided to stop for a moment before continuing to approach at a slower pace.
Now, not only did he have to face the indignity of failing to stop Volker, but he would have to throw himself at the feet of three randos and hope for mercy. This day just kept getting better.
He was about to announce his presence to the trio, one of them stepped up and punched another in the face.
“Woah! What the fuck?” He shouted on instinct, before rushing in closer. It was there that he found his eyes were drawn to the punch-taker. It was Paloma Salt, the girl responsible for the first death in this fucking place.
Why? Why was everything like this?
Colin huffed and puffed as he moved through the area surrounding the lake, trying to balance the need to cover as much ground as he could and to keep an eye out for someone that could help him, his left hand never leaving the side of his head as it held his bandages in place.
Finally, he managed to catch sight of three people and hoped by all that might ever be considered good that they weren’t a gaggle of psychos like Volker.
However, realizing that running in there covered in his and Volker’s blood might do him more harm than good, Colin decided to stop for a moment before continuing to approach at a slower pace.
Now, not only did he have to face the indignity of failing to stop Volker, but he would have to throw himself at the feet of three randos and hope for mercy. This day just kept getting better.
He was about to announce his presence to the trio, one of them stepped up and punched another in the face.
“Woah! What the fuck?” He shouted on instinct, before rushing in closer. It was there that he found his eyes were drawn to the punch-taker. It was Paloma Salt, the girl responsible for the first death in this fucking place.
Why? Why was everything like this?
(Tony Acardi continued from Excursion)
Come on, Tony! Get your head in the game!
Tony berated himself for falling far behind Aliya once again, in what seemed to be a recurring problem for him. Every few hours, something would happen that either held both of them back, or caused him to wind up way behind her. Whether it be him getting distracted by something in the woods, to getting something painful stuck in his show, to having to take a leak at an inopportune time. Just his luck, apparently. He was surprised that he hadn't been left entirely in the dust by now.
He was jogging after Aliya, getting his next apology for nearly getting lost ready while trying to glean whatever new info he could from the announcements. This process consisted primarily of trying not to flinch at the names that got called and making sure that he wasn't about to run into an area that would get him killed. He wasn't sure what a "Menagerie" was, but since his collar didn't start beeping, he assumed that he was safe.
That presumption of safety only lasted a few second afterward, as something new began to unfold in front of him. He could see Aliya stop and start yelling, then she left his field of vision. He didn't know what was going on, but his gut told him that this couldn't be good, so he ran faster to get on the scene.
And once he got there, he saw Aliya unloading a huge punch right into another girl's face.
"Fuck, man!" He shouted before running over and reaching out to try to pull Aliya away. "The hell you doing?"
Come on, Tony! Get your head in the game!
Tony berated himself for falling far behind Aliya once again, in what seemed to be a recurring problem for him. Every few hours, something would happen that either held both of them back, or caused him to wind up way behind her. Whether it be him getting distracted by something in the woods, to getting something painful stuck in his show, to having to take a leak at an inopportune time. Just his luck, apparently. He was surprised that he hadn't been left entirely in the dust by now.
He was jogging after Aliya, getting his next apology for nearly getting lost ready while trying to glean whatever new info he could from the announcements. This process consisted primarily of trying not to flinch at the names that got called and making sure that he wasn't about to run into an area that would get him killed. He wasn't sure what a "Menagerie" was, but since his collar didn't start beeping, he assumed that he was safe.
That presumption of safety only lasted a few second afterward, as something new began to unfold in front of him. He could see Aliya stop and start yelling, then she left his field of vision. He didn't know what was going on, but his gut told him that this couldn't be good, so he ran faster to get on the scene.
And once he got there, he saw Aliya unloading a huge punch right into another girl's face.
"Fuck, man!" He shouted before running over and reaching out to try to pull Aliya away. "The hell you doing?"
Paloma had never been punched like that.
It was a new experience and if she had to rate it, she would probably put it on the lower end of the spectrum of unenjoyable things. She wasn't sure if Aliya made the punch better or worse. Getting punched by an amateur wrestler trying to go pro should be a honor, but the ringing in her head reminded it her that it sucked ass.
Aliya would have probably followed up with another punch as Amber was squealing. Maybe she wasn't squealing, but the left side of her face was burning so everything other senses were both amplified and nullified. She only felt the worst part of everything she was feeling. For example, she was only able to taste the blood in her mouth and smell the mud in the air.
Well, it was more mud in the ground because the punch sent her backward then trip over her bag. Since she was holding to her bat, she couldn't stop herself from landing face first in the muddy soil.
However, the second anticipated blow never came. Instead, someone called out. Honestly, Paloma had stopped caring about who or what was around her: she just wanted to get Aliya into the mud with her. Her knees held her up, and as Aliya turned around, Paloma swung her bat like a sword toward the pseudo-wrestler's knees.
It was a new experience and if she had to rate it, she would probably put it on the lower end of the spectrum of unenjoyable things. She wasn't sure if Aliya made the punch better or worse. Getting punched by an amateur wrestler trying to go pro should be a honor, but the ringing in her head reminded it her that it sucked ass.
Aliya would have probably followed up with another punch as Amber was squealing. Maybe she wasn't squealing, but the left side of her face was burning so everything other senses were both amplified and nullified. She only felt the worst part of everything she was feeling. For example, she was only able to taste the blood in her mouth and smell the mud in the air.
Well, it was more mud in the ground because the punch sent her backward then trip over her bag. Since she was holding to her bat, she couldn't stop herself from landing face first in the muddy soil.
However, the second anticipated blow never came. Instead, someone called out. Honestly, Paloma had stopped caring about who or what was around her: she just wanted to get Aliya into the mud with her. Her knees held her up, and as Aliya turned around, Paloma swung her bat like a sword toward the pseudo-wrestler's knees.
(( ACT TWO, SCENE ONE ))
EXT. SERENITY CIRCLE - DAY
Camera pans over from the lakeshore group over to ((G031)) kneeling and obscured by a bush near the edge of the treeline, bear trap in hand, a wry grin on her face.
So, like... let's start from the top, I guess?
Announcements came and went, ya know, yadda yadda yadda. The highlights were that Desiree and Terra both got totally BTFO'd in separate ways, that Nona girl that ran away at the lake killed some girl (or like, guess they're Marco now. Trans Rights!), and Jessica and her sis were still running around which might get problematic later on but eh it wasn't that big of a concern. The REAL kicker, though? Reuben wasn't on there.
Honestly? Kinda not surprised. Should've brought out the sextuple tap strat before dumping him at the lake since Reuben seemed the kinda guy who'd hang on like a cockroach anyway, so this was kinda on her.
THE BEAR TRAP GIRL didn't half ass shit, though. Not even two-thirds ass. Nah, she went full ass. Gran'ma would beat her otherwise.
So! She decided to return to the scene of the crime, tie up loose ends, maybe set up the bear trap with Reuben's stuff she left behind. She was proud of coming up with that one on the trip over.
She just had to get 10 more minutes of her beauty sleep, so she ended up getting here later than anticipated. And wouldn't you know, another crowd already started forming by Reuben's corpse.
Ain't that a God damn bitch?
But ya know what? Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. It was hilarious to see Paloma and Amber here because that was a classic comedy setup considering the whole Abel murder thing, but then Aliya had to go and throw the first punch.
So like, maybe BEAR TRAP GIRL didn't have to use the bear trap just yet. Clown town was congregating in front of her, so how could she top the chaos as is? Nah, she was getting a free show. Shadenfreude was acceptable for now.
BEAR TRAP BUSH GIRL was perfectly fine right where she was. Maybe she'd leave, maybe she wouldn't. Might fuck around anyway. Who knows!
It was as if her punch had snapped everything into action at once. As Paloma fell Amber cried about no one needing to get hurt. It was pretty rich considering she had allowed Aliya to throw the punch in the first place. Another voice joined the chorus as someone else yelled something the distance. Yeah, whatever. Paloma stumbled back and fell over her bag to sprawl face-first into the mud. It was a good feeling, even though she knew Paloma had nothing to do with Mercy. Paloma had killed Abel at the beginning. She had been the first killer. She was the perfect representation of everything, and the perfect target to let all of her frustrations out on. To focus all her negative energy into.
They had been kidnapped for Survival of the Fittest. She was never going to see her sisters again. The initial group falling apart. Justin being a killer and running away. Mercy dying before they could see each other. Every time she had tried to do the right thing something else happened. There were no rewards because nothing ever went right. But then here was Paloma, who had killed and gotten away with. Paloma who had been about to rob a corpse and get away with it. So maybe sometimes you just had to lash out and show the world you had teeth. Sometimes someone had to be given the receipt for what they had done.
Then she heard Tony and felt him as she grabbed her. In that moment the spell was broken. Her head snapped around and she relaxed. The rain continued to fall around them as her snarl softened. The will to fight draining out and being replaced with nothing. She turned to face Tony, forgetting about Paloma.
That was a mistake. Paloma had held onto the bat the entire time. Aliya had seen it, but she hadn't taken it in. It was a detail she should have considered. But emotions made fools of everyone.
And she certainly felt like a fool when the bat impacted with her legs and sent her sprawling into the mud with a vicious crack and pained yell.
They had been kidnapped for Survival of the Fittest. She was never going to see her sisters again. The initial group falling apart. Justin being a killer and running away. Mercy dying before they could see each other. Every time she had tried to do the right thing something else happened. There were no rewards because nothing ever went right. But then here was Paloma, who had killed and gotten away with. Paloma who had been about to rob a corpse and get away with it. So maybe sometimes you just had to lash out and show the world you had teeth. Sometimes someone had to be given the receipt for what they had done.
Then she heard Tony and felt him as she grabbed her. In that moment the spell was broken. Her head snapped around and she relaxed. The rain continued to fall around them as her snarl softened. The will to fight draining out and being replaced with nothing. She turned to face Tony, forgetting about Paloma.
That was a mistake. Paloma had held onto the bat the entire time. Aliya had seen it, but she hadn't taken it in. It was a detail she should have considered. But emotions made fools of everyone.
And she certainly felt like a fool when the bat impacted with her legs and sent her sprawling into the mud with a vicious crack and pained yell.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1539
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
"Wait, where the fuck did you two come from?!" Amber shouted, indignantly.
She had been taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of two more people arriving on the scene just as the conflict was starting to escalate. A visible look of confusion plastered her face, in response to her somehow missing two different people running up on them in this relatively clear area. At least one of them was trying to stop the fight, albeit not very well, since Paloma just used the opportunity to take out Aliya's knees with that blood-stained bat of hers.
She was going to have to get involved, physically, and she was not happy about it.
"Hey, stop that!" She shouted, rushing through the mud towards the two of them. Seeing Paloma rear back for another swing, she took the chance to grasp onto the damp bat, digging her heels into the mud and yanking it backwards, wrenching Paloma rearwards along with it. Paloma fought back, perhaps unsurprisingly trying her best to maintain possession of the bat, which wasn't a part of the plan that Amber didn't have going into this situation.
Maybe I should've thought this out.
Her grip slipped slightly, the water making the bat much more slippery than it would be otherwise. Suppressing the urge to start saying "shit" over and over in a panic, Amber clutched harder, doing her best to maintain her hold on the bat better than Paloma could. She was bigger, stronger, all she had to do was make sure Paloma lost faster than she did.
"Just. Stop. Fighting. God. Dammit!" She screeched, struggling as she yanked harder on the bat in the most dangerous and still somehow dumbest game of tug of war she had ever been in. She hoped that maybe all she had to do was make it clear that nobody needed to get hurt, and they would stop fighting, this fiasco would be over, and she'd finally have the chance to talk.
She hoped.
She had been taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of two more people arriving on the scene just as the conflict was starting to escalate. A visible look of confusion plastered her face, in response to her somehow missing two different people running up on them in this relatively clear area. At least one of them was trying to stop the fight, albeit not very well, since Paloma just used the opportunity to take out Aliya's knees with that blood-stained bat of hers.
She was going to have to get involved, physically, and she was not happy about it.
"Hey, stop that!" She shouted, rushing through the mud towards the two of them. Seeing Paloma rear back for another swing, she took the chance to grasp onto the damp bat, digging her heels into the mud and yanking it backwards, wrenching Paloma rearwards along with it. Paloma fought back, perhaps unsurprisingly trying her best to maintain possession of the bat, which wasn't a part of the plan that Amber didn't have going into this situation.
Maybe I should've thought this out.
Her grip slipped slightly, the water making the bat much more slippery than it would be otherwise. Suppressing the urge to start saying "shit" over and over in a panic, Amber clutched harder, doing her best to maintain her hold on the bat better than Paloma could. She was bigger, stronger, all she had to do was make sure Paloma lost faster than she did.
"Just. Stop. Fighting. God. Dammit!" She screeched, struggling as she yanked harder on the bat in the most dangerous and still somehow dumbest game of tug of war she had ever been in. She hoped that maybe all she had to do was make it clear that nobody needed to get hurt, and they would stop fighting, this fiasco would be over, and she'd finally have the chance to talk.
She hoped.
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 12:39 am
Of course this shit didn’t stop once Colin had raised his voice.
Aliya Nemati, who had been the puncher and Colin recognized from the gym and who was a cool chick that was apparently a legit fighter, was knocked to the ground by Salt, and some other girl (um, Amber… last name TBA) shouted at him before grabbing a hold of the bat.
There was somebody else here too, but he wasn’t really paying attention to that.
This moment was go time, decision time, even if he’d already been fucked up.
One person here had killed. His ear could wait just a bit longer.
Colin stepped in and quickly stomped down on Paloma’s head as he shouted at Amber “Fucking pull harder!”
Aliya Nemati, who had been the puncher and Colin recognized from the gym and who was a cool chick that was apparently a legit fighter, was knocked to the ground by Salt, and some other girl (um, Amber… last name TBA) shouted at him before grabbing a hold of the bat.
There was somebody else here too, but he wasn’t really paying attention to that.
This moment was go time, decision time, even if he’d already been fucked up.
One person here had killed. His ear could wait just a bit longer.
Colin stepped in and quickly stomped down on Paloma’s head as he shouted at Amber “Fucking pull harder!”
Tony regretted pulling Aliya away only moments after he did it. Sure, the girl with the bat would have still been taking a beating, but at least she wouldn't have gotten the chance to take a crack at Aliya's knees.
"Fucker!" He yelled, moving himself between the two of them as someone else tried to subdue the attacker, acting as though his body was a shield. His mind was racing like mad, panic raising his heartbeat and jumbling his thoughts.
Piece of shit, trying to pull some shit like that after I keep Aliya from pounding her face in. Ungrateful asshole. Fuck, Aliya's hurt. This ain't good. Can she even walk? Fuck man, I ain't cut out to deal with this...
He remained crouched over Aliya, his back turned to her attacker and the rest of the people present, and hurriedly tried to talk to her, to get some information before the chick with the bat had the chance to break free and go berserk on them again.
"You alright?" He asked, roughly and a bit too loudly. "Can you get to your feet?"
"Fucker!" He yelled, moving himself between the two of them as someone else tried to subdue the attacker, acting as though his body was a shield. His mind was racing like mad, panic raising his heartbeat and jumbling his thoughts.
Piece of shit, trying to pull some shit like that after I keep Aliya from pounding her face in. Ungrateful asshole. Fuck, Aliya's hurt. This ain't good. Can she even walk? Fuck man, I ain't cut out to deal with this...
He remained crouched over Aliya, his back turned to her attacker and the rest of the people present, and hurriedly tried to talk to her, to get some information before the chick with the bat had the chance to break free and go berserk on them again.
"You alright?" He asked, roughly and a bit too loudly. "Can you get to your feet?"
Paloma let go of the bat.
It wasn't a hard decision.
Well, it wasn't a decision. Her mind started to get foggy. Her thoughts became sluggish. She struggled to make out sounds, especially voices. They all sounded too quiet. She wondered if she was dying. If anything, it was karma. Dying in the mud, alone but with people watching, uncaring of her fate.
She could crawl, but the darkness suddenly punctured her mind. There were holes in her logic. Her hands waved around frantically, trying to both move away and push Colin's foot off her face. It simply didn't work, but she kept trying. Her hands grazed something made of wood, but it was anchored into the ground. It had a different texture from the baseball bat. It was raw and unpolished. Something that would give you a nasty splinter.
Between her grunts and wimpered, mud had managed to get inside her mouth. Suddenly, the granola bars and the moldy bread tasted much better compared to literal shit. In that moment, she stopped moving.
Her body, tired of everything the island had brought to her, finally found rest in the rain and the mud.
It wasn't a hard decision.
Well, it wasn't a decision. Her mind started to get foggy. Her thoughts became sluggish. She struggled to make out sounds, especially voices. They all sounded too quiet. She wondered if she was dying. If anything, it was karma. Dying in the mud, alone but with people watching, uncaring of her fate.
She could crawl, but the darkness suddenly punctured her mind. There were holes in her logic. Her hands waved around frantically, trying to both move away and push Colin's foot off her face. It simply didn't work, but she kept trying. Her hands grazed something made of wood, but it was anchored into the ground. It had a different texture from the baseball bat. It was raw and unpolished. Something that would give you a nasty splinter.
Between her grunts and wimpered, mud had managed to get inside her mouth. Suddenly, the granola bars and the moldy bread tasted much better compared to literal shit. In that moment, she stopped moving.
Her body, tired of everything the island had brought to her, finally found rest in the rain and the mud.