((S049 Letitia May: START))
Letitia pulled the chamber back, loaded a bullet, then cocked it back in according to the instruction booklet in front of her. She raised the rifle up and closed one eye, trying to see what was in her sight.
"Oh this feels fucking great."
Letitia lowered the rifle, then raised it again. She had awoken in the middle of the snowfield, having cursed and bemoaned her way to finding the rifle on top of her bag. She had looked at the instructions for the M/28-30 and had gotten it ready for use. She had to smirk a bit.
"No one," she iterated to herself, "is gonna. Fuck. With. Me."
Waking up on some shithole island as part of some psycho-terrorist circle jerk had not been on Letitia's life plan. Of course everyone hated her and would want her dead. But now she had a fuck-off rifle and the edge in most fights. Letitia figured that someone wanted her to get back home. Obviously, she'd have to get the best supplies, the best weapons, and do whatever she could to outlast the other worthless idiots around.
"Alright, time to get out of here," she said, moving the rifle strap on her elbow and moving it so she could grab her bag and purse. "There has to be somewhere I can warm my hands and feet."
Letitia adjusted her bags and the rifle. She moved the rifle back into her hands, brushing the windbreaker she had thrown over her sweater. Now that she was a bad-ass warrior bitch, and she was going to make this island fall to its knees before her.
Take a long last look at this filet mignon
Open
S053: Jacob Lang - START
Jacob shivered as he trudged through the snow, the tan daypack weighing heavily on his shoulder. A brief pat of his pockets confirmed for what must be the twentieth time that his cell phone was no longer there. It was stupid to focus on, he knew, but the lack of the familiar weight in his pocket made the unfamiliar situation he was in feel all the more disconcerting. Even more upsetting was the thought that the terrorists might have confiscated the cards that he had brought with him. It already wasn't the greatest idea to bring them along - they wouldn't be cheap to replace if he had lost them - but he had a couple friends bringing theirs, and he thought it'd be fun to spend some time playing with them in the evenings. Whatever the case, he couldn't check until he was somewhere indoors and dry. For now, all he could do was hope that none of the terrorists knew what a MACR-EN036 was or how much you could get now from selling one on eBay.
A blast of cold wind rushed past his face, bringing his attention back to his immediate surroundings, that is to say, white for as far as the eye could see. Well, this was the wilderness, so there probably was some yellow here and there too, assuming that there were animals around. Jacob rubbed his hands together for warmth as he continued his trek, scanning the area for anything of interest. Thankfully, it wasn't long before he spotted a distant figure, a welcome sight after wandering alone in the cold for hours (well, at least it felt like hours).
Of course, this wasn't guaranteed to be a good thing. The kid was too far away for him to recognize, and there was no way Jacob would be able to get close enough to get a good look without being seen himself. After a moment of staring, he decided to risk it, letting out a wave and calling out to his classmate.
"Hey! You okay over there?"
Jacob shivered as he trudged through the snow, the tan daypack weighing heavily on his shoulder. A brief pat of his pockets confirmed for what must be the twentieth time that his cell phone was no longer there. It was stupid to focus on, he knew, but the lack of the familiar weight in his pocket made the unfamiliar situation he was in feel all the more disconcerting. Even more upsetting was the thought that the terrorists might have confiscated the cards that he had brought with him. It already wasn't the greatest idea to bring them along - they wouldn't be cheap to replace if he had lost them - but he had a couple friends bringing theirs, and he thought it'd be fun to spend some time playing with them in the evenings. Whatever the case, he couldn't check until he was somewhere indoors and dry. For now, all he could do was hope that none of the terrorists knew what a MACR-EN036 was or how much you could get now from selling one on eBay.
A blast of cold wind rushed past his face, bringing his attention back to his immediate surroundings, that is to say, white for as far as the eye could see. Well, this was the wilderness, so there probably was some yellow here and there too, assuming that there were animals around. Jacob rubbed his hands together for warmth as he continued his trek, scanning the area for anything of interest. Thankfully, it wasn't long before he spotted a distant figure, a welcome sight after wandering alone in the cold for hours (well, at least it felt like hours).
Of course, this wasn't guaranteed to be a good thing. The kid was too far away for him to recognize, and there was no way Jacob would be able to get close enough to get a good look without being seen himself. After a moment of staring, he decided to risk it, letting out a wave and calling out to his classmate.
"Hey! You okay over there?"
Letitia was just about to settle on a direction when she heard someone call out to her. She momentarily froze, but then remembered where she was and what was expected of her.
"Oh fuck no," she muttered to herself.
She raised the rifle and turned towards the direction she heard someone calling out.
"Who's there?!?" she shouted back.
Letitia could make out a figure some ways away. The voice was male, not that she could identify it from the sounds. Definitely wasn't one of the guys she hung around.
"Don't try anything!" she shouted. "Or so help me I'll put you underground."
"Oh fuck no," she muttered to herself.
She raised the rifle and turned towards the direction she heard someone calling out.
"Who's there?!?" she shouted back.
Letitia could make out a figure some ways away. The voice was male, not that she could identify it from the sounds. Definitely wasn't one of the guys she hung around.
"Don't try anything!" she shouted. "Or so help me I'll put you underground."
This wasn't the first time someone had threatened to kill him. In fact, Jacob was actually quite used to it by now. Normally he'd just laugh it off; it wasn't like anyone was actually going to risk going to jail over some guy who was just messing with them a bit. This time, however, things were a little different. He still hadn't recognized this girl's voice, and he wasn't close enough to see her face, but there was one thing that he was close enough to see: the massive fuck-off rifle that she had currently pointed in his direction.
He stopped in place, staring at the weapon as his mind raced to figure out how to react. If there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was that the majority of death threats were just empty air. Even in a situation like this, he doubted many people would just turn into spree killers right off the bat. He just needed to stay calm and play this in a way to convince her that he wasn't a threat. If he played his cards right, maybe she might even lead him to... well, somewhere that wasn't in the middle of snowy nowhere, at least. He raised his voice and called out in the most casual tone he could muster, doing his best to avoid any sound of fear or nervousness from creeping into his speech.
"Whoa, easy there! I'm not looking to hurt anyone, just trying to find some shelter. You haven't happened to see any buildings or anything on the way over here, have you?"
Jacob waited a moment before beginning to walk forward again.
He stopped in place, staring at the weapon as his mind raced to figure out how to react. If there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was that the majority of death threats were just empty air. Even in a situation like this, he doubted many people would just turn into spree killers right off the bat. He just needed to stay calm and play this in a way to convince her that he wasn't a threat. If he played his cards right, maybe she might even lead him to... well, somewhere that wasn't in the middle of snowy nowhere, at least. He raised his voice and called out in the most casual tone he could muster, doing his best to avoid any sound of fear or nervousness from creeping into his speech.
"Whoa, easy there! I'm not looking to hurt anyone, just trying to find some shelter. You haven't happened to see any buildings or anything on the way over here, have you?"
Jacob waited a moment before beginning to walk forward again.
Letitia kept the rifle raised at the boy. He was talking to her like they were best buddies and continued to walk closer to her.
"Put your hands up!" she shouted, moving closer to close the gap to the boy. "For fuck's sake, don't you know how you're supposed to react when a gun is pointed at you?"
By the time Letitia finished, she could more easily make out the boy. He was a scrawny kid with pale skin and hair that needed a few passes with a comb. He definitely looked like someone she never would have dared go near back at Endecott. He just radiated abhorrence.
"Oh, and to answer your question, no, I haven't seen any buildings," she snapped at him. "If I saw any, do you think I'd be out here freezing my ass off?"
Letitia adjusted the rifle. The rifle was cool, but it was definitely heavier than she had found it before. She had to finish dealing with this worm before her arms were too weak to defend herself against someone who actually posed a threat to her.
"Put your hands up!" she shouted, moving closer to close the gap to the boy. "For fuck's sake, don't you know how you're supposed to react when a gun is pointed at you?"
By the time Letitia finished, she could more easily make out the boy. He was a scrawny kid with pale skin and hair that needed a few passes with a comb. He definitely looked like someone she never would have dared go near back at Endecott. He just radiated abhorrence.
"Oh, and to answer your question, no, I haven't seen any buildings," she snapped at him. "If I saw any, do you think I'd be out here freezing my ass off?"
Letitia adjusted the rifle. The rifle was cool, but it was definitely heavier than she had found it before. She had to finish dealing with this worm before her arms were too weak to defend herself against someone who actually posed a threat to her.
Jacob gritted his teeth, trying his best to keep a grip on his emotions. If she was going to shoot, she would have done it already, and he could easily reason that she'd have figured out the same was true about him, given the circumstances. That said, it was far too early to let himself relax. He loosened his posture, and gave a brief shrug in the girl's direction, calling out with a condescending tone to his voice.
"Thanks for the info, I guess. As for that gun..."
He paused for a moment as sharp gust of wind blew past his face.
"Well, I suppose the better question would be, don't you know what can happen when firing vintage firearms in cold weather conditions like this? The mechanism can get pretty unreliable with age. You want to risk having it blow up in your hands?"
Jacob had no idea if this was even true. He wasn't exactly a gun expert himself, but he was now close enough to get a better look at the girl and the rifle, and he had played enough video games to know that the one she was holding was pretty old-fashioned compared to what people used now. With any luck though, it'd be just convincing enough to get him through this interaction. After all, it wasn't like it was common for kids back home to have much gun knowledge anyway.
A brief flash of anxiety forced its way into Jacob's mind as he wondered what exactly he intended to gain from all of this. He knew that the smart thing would be to back off - this was way more dangerous than anything he had done back home - but somehow that extra danger only added to the rush that he was feeling. If she called his bluff, maybe the situation would change, but for now he couldn't bring himself to stop just yet.
Still, it'd probably a good idea to stop moving towards her, at least for a bit. The odds of him ending up with a bullet in his chest out here weren't super high, but still high enough that it would be worth waiting to see her reaction before he was too close to escape.
"Thanks for the info, I guess. As for that gun..."
He paused for a moment as sharp gust of wind blew past his face.
"Well, I suppose the better question would be, don't you know what can happen when firing vintage firearms in cold weather conditions like this? The mechanism can get pretty unreliable with age. You want to risk having it blow up in your hands?"
Jacob had no idea if this was even true. He wasn't exactly a gun expert himself, but he was now close enough to get a better look at the girl and the rifle, and he had played enough video games to know that the one she was holding was pretty old-fashioned compared to what people used now. With any luck though, it'd be just convincing enough to get him through this interaction. After all, it wasn't like it was common for kids back home to have much gun knowledge anyway.
A brief flash of anxiety forced its way into Jacob's mind as he wondered what exactly he intended to gain from all of this. He knew that the smart thing would be to back off - this was way more dangerous than anything he had done back home - but somehow that extra danger only added to the rush that he was feeling. If she called his bluff, maybe the situation would change, but for now he couldn't bring himself to stop just yet.
Still, it'd probably a good idea to stop moving towards her, at least for a bit. The odds of him ending up with a bullet in his chest out here weren't super high, but still high enough that it would be worth waiting to see her reaction before he was too close to escape.
Letitia waited as her hostage began to rattle off gun trivia. According to this guy, the gun she had was an older type of gun that would probably be at risk of being damaged for being out in the cold and could blow up in her hands. Letitia nodded as he spoke, trying to keep a neutral expression on her face.
"Fascinating. Fascinating," she repeated.
Letitia moved another step closer.
"Now let's respond to your question with a few other questions," she said.
Letitia quickly closed an eye to make sure the gun was actually aiming for the boy's chest. He may be an insufferable nerd trying to lord the knowledge he got from playing shooter games with one hand down his pants over her, but she wasn't an idiot. Even if she didn't know much about guns, she did have parents who drilled negotiation skills into her head since she was weaned. She could easily turn this back on him.
"Do you seriously think the terrorists who put us here would intentionally give us weapons that would instantly malfunction and kill us? Sure, they could, considering they're pricks, but could you be sure this would be one of those guns? They want us to kill each other, so why would they want to intentionally cripple us right out the gate? What's the point of this game if literally every gun becomes worthless due to the environment? That'd be some pretty fucking stupid planning on their part."
"And besides," she continued, "I had no issue loading the gun moments ago, which tells me that they not only made sure it was in working order before the game started, but that I also haven't been outside long enough for it to get into the danger zone you talked about."
Letitia adjusted the gun slightly.
"So, I guess we're actually at a standstill. I can find out if you were right and be forced to spend the rest of my life writing by holding a pencil in my mouth, or you can find out what your innards look like when I pull the trigger."
Letitia smirked.
"Should we find out? Or are you ready to submit?"
"Fascinating. Fascinating," she repeated.
Letitia moved another step closer.
"Now let's respond to your question with a few other questions," she said.
Letitia quickly closed an eye to make sure the gun was actually aiming for the boy's chest. He may be an insufferable nerd trying to lord the knowledge he got from playing shooter games with one hand down his pants over her, but she wasn't an idiot. Even if she didn't know much about guns, she did have parents who drilled negotiation skills into her head since she was weaned. She could easily turn this back on him.
"Do you seriously think the terrorists who put us here would intentionally give us weapons that would instantly malfunction and kill us? Sure, they could, considering they're pricks, but could you be sure this would be one of those guns? They want us to kill each other, so why would they want to intentionally cripple us right out the gate? What's the point of this game if literally every gun becomes worthless due to the environment? That'd be some pretty fucking stupid planning on their part."
"And besides," she continued, "I had no issue loading the gun moments ago, which tells me that they not only made sure it was in working order before the game started, but that I also haven't been outside long enough for it to get into the danger zone you talked about."
Letitia adjusted the gun slightly.
"So, I guess we're actually at a standstill. I can find out if you were right and be forced to spend the rest of my life writing by holding a pencil in my mouth, or you can find out what your innards look like when I pull the trigger."
Letitia smirked.
"Should we find out? Or are you ready to submit?"
Fuck.
Well, not every line had to be a winner, but having this one fizzle out on him was disappointing to say the least. Not that he hadn't expected it; she didn't seem like she would have trusted him even if he had been telling the truth. He still didn't think that she was about to shoot him, but that was the only saving grace of the situation. He could keep going, but...
Silence hung in the air as the girl awaited his response before being briefly broken by another gust of wind. Jacob exhaled quietly, glancing off to the side for a moment before back to the gun currently being pointed at him. He could feel frustration building as the lack of options available to him became clearer with every passing second. Just backing off didn't seem like a satisfying option either - if he were to just accept her threat now and do what she wanted, it'd be just like letting her win. If she had shown any doubt at all, he could at least take solace in leaving her nervous about whether or not her weapon actually worked, but with the way things were going she'd probably just dismiss it immediately as soon as he was out of sight.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. He might not be able to screw with her too much anymore, but he might be able to at least cause a little extra trouble before he left. He swallowed hard before finally replying to her.
"Well... these terrorists are psychopathic assholes, you know, and they did say during their presentation that not every weapon would be useful. Who's to say they didn't hand out a few that were actively dangerous to use, like, for shits and giggles?"
Jacob slowly raised his hands.
"I'm far enough away that I won't be able to pull any funny business. If you're so confident that these kidnappers haven't screwed you over, why don't you take a shot up in the air or something? If you prove me wrong, I'll leave. What do you have to lose? Are you scared?"
Well, not every line had to be a winner, but having this one fizzle out on him was disappointing to say the least. Not that he hadn't expected it; she didn't seem like she would have trusted him even if he had been telling the truth. He still didn't think that she was about to shoot him, but that was the only saving grace of the situation. He could keep going, but...
Silence hung in the air as the girl awaited his response before being briefly broken by another gust of wind. Jacob exhaled quietly, glancing off to the side for a moment before back to the gun currently being pointed at him. He could feel frustration building as the lack of options available to him became clearer with every passing second. Just backing off didn't seem like a satisfying option either - if he were to just accept her threat now and do what she wanted, it'd be just like letting her win. If she had shown any doubt at all, he could at least take solace in leaving her nervous about whether or not her weapon actually worked, but with the way things were going she'd probably just dismiss it immediately as soon as he was out of sight.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. He might not be able to screw with her too much anymore, but he might be able to at least cause a little extra trouble before he left. He swallowed hard before finally replying to her.
"Well... these terrorists are psychopathic assholes, you know, and they did say during their presentation that not every weapon would be useful. Who's to say they didn't hand out a few that were actively dangerous to use, like, for shits and giggles?"
Jacob slowly raised his hands.
"I'm far enough away that I won't be able to pull any funny business. If you're so confident that these kidnappers haven't screwed you over, why don't you take a shot up in the air or something? If you prove me wrong, I'll leave. What do you have to lose? Are you scared?"
The boy was continuing to challenge Letitia's weapon authenticity. She had to roll her eyes at this. He really thought he had a chance to win the game against her right now.
"Yeah, this isn't fucking Hamilton. I'm not following the Ten Duel Commandments here, especially if it means giving you an open to run away or doing something that would lure others here to rescue you. I'm the HBIC here, not you, so I think it's time you give up on the notion that you're in the position to make demands of the other."
Letitia moved another step closer to him.
"How about this?" she suggested. "I can let you walk out of this field alive, off to try your luck somewhere else. But you have to give me something in exchange. Hell, I'll even give you three choices of what to give me. Give me one of the options, and your life is extended. Refuse to choose or try anything funny, and I'll end you here."
Letitia adjusted her position again.
"So, are you ready to hear your options?"
"Yeah, this isn't fucking Hamilton. I'm not following the Ten Duel Commandments here, especially if it means giving you an open to run away or doing something that would lure others here to rescue you. I'm the HBIC here, not you, so I think it's time you give up on the notion that you're in the position to make demands of the other."
Letitia moved another step closer to him.
"How about this?" she suggested. "I can let you walk out of this field alive, off to try your luck somewhere else. But you have to give me something in exchange. Hell, I'll even give you three choices of what to give me. Give me one of the options, and your life is extended. Refuse to choose or try anything funny, and I'll end you here."
Letitia adjusted her position again.
"So, are you ready to hear your options?"
Aw man, this girl was no fun. Like, it was understandable that she didn't believe his initial statement, and honestly, he could respect her being stubborn enough to not give in and test the weapon as suggested. That said, it was clear that continuing the argument wasn't going to go well. It wasn't like Jacob didn't like arguing, but this wasn't the fun kind of argument - it was more like fighting against a brick wall.
Jacob took a deep breath as he saw the girl step forward. Even if she wasn't going to shoot, beating the shit out of him was definitely on the table, and he didn't doubt that she'd be able to overpower him. Back home, he was able to usually avoid that outcome by bringing up the trouble that his would-be assailant would likely get in if they actually attempted to hurt him, but out here there were no teachers or police to invoke - a fact that was rapidly becoming painfully clear to him.
At this point, with the entertainment value of the situation having long since evaporated, there wasn't much point sticking around for her to actually make good on her threat. He still didn't think she was going to shoot him; after all, if she wanted his stuff, she could easily just kill him and take it rather than engaging in this roundabout approximation of a robbery. However, time was ticking, and he didn't have much time to act before she got close enough to actually try running at him in an attempt to restrain him physically. His muscles tensed, and he took a second to let out a quick, "No thanks," before rushing off in the opposite direction, hoping that his confidence didn't end up leading to him bleeding out in the snow.
((Jacob Lang continued in Ocean Man))
Jacob took a deep breath as he saw the girl step forward. Even if she wasn't going to shoot, beating the shit out of him was definitely on the table, and he didn't doubt that she'd be able to overpower him. Back home, he was able to usually avoid that outcome by bringing up the trouble that his would-be assailant would likely get in if they actually attempted to hurt him, but out here there were no teachers or police to invoke - a fact that was rapidly becoming painfully clear to him.
At this point, with the entertainment value of the situation having long since evaporated, there wasn't much point sticking around for her to actually make good on her threat. He still didn't think she was going to shoot him; after all, if she wanted his stuff, she could easily just kill him and take it rather than engaging in this roundabout approximation of a robbery. However, time was ticking, and he didn't have much time to act before she got close enough to actually try running at him in an attempt to restrain him physically. His muscles tensed, and he took a second to let out a quick, "No thanks," before rushing off in the opposite direction, hoping that his confidence didn't end up leading to him bleeding out in the snow.
((Jacob Lang continued in Ocean Man))
No, he was not ready to hear Letitia's options. The idiot decided to take his chances running in the snow.
"Hey! You bitch!" she shouted as the boy ran.
Letitia ran a bit and raised the gun towards where he was going. This was the first time Letitia had ever fired a gun in her life. She had barely even touched a Super Soaker before this. But she raised the gun at where the boy was running and then pulled the trigger.
She then saw some snow on the ground explode and the boy disappeared into the trees.
"Dammit!" she shouted.
Sure enough, she had missed, and her target was gone. Letitia let out a long exhale.
"Great. And now I have to count bullets."
Letitia adjusted her rifle and moved back to her assigned bag. There was no point going after that boy now. Sure, she could try and follow his footprints and ice him in the woods like some Coen Brothers movie character, but that was a huge waste of time. Odds are the boy would find some other morons and tell them how she tried to rob him and fired at him when he ran. People were going to know she wasn't playing nice, and that would make her reputation worse than before.
"Well, just let them come for me. I'll be ready."
Letitia began walking towards a different part of the forest line. She wanted some space between her and the boy as she moved and made her way to some shelter. She needed to warm up, and she also needed to work on making sure she didn't miss the next time she fired the gun.
After all, she was destined for greatness, and she couldn't die like some punk in the snow.
((Letitia May continued in As Fierce as My Morning Cornflakes))
"Hey! You bitch!" she shouted as the boy ran.
Letitia ran a bit and raised the gun towards where he was going. This was the first time Letitia had ever fired a gun in her life. She had barely even touched a Super Soaker before this. But she raised the gun at where the boy was running and then pulled the trigger.
She then saw some snow on the ground explode and the boy disappeared into the trees.
"Dammit!" she shouted.
Sure enough, she had missed, and her target was gone. Letitia let out a long exhale.
"Great. And now I have to count bullets."
Letitia adjusted her rifle and moved back to her assigned bag. There was no point going after that boy now. Sure, she could try and follow his footprints and ice him in the woods like some Coen Brothers movie character, but that was a huge waste of time. Odds are the boy would find some other morons and tell them how she tried to rob him and fired at him when he ran. People were going to know she wasn't playing nice, and that would make her reputation worse than before.
"Well, just let them come for me. I'll be ready."
Letitia began walking towards a different part of the forest line. She wanted some space between her and the boy as she moved and made her way to some shelter. She needed to warm up, and she also needed to work on making sure she didn't miss the next time she fired the gun.
After all, she was destined for greatness, and she couldn't die like some punk in the snow.
((Letitia May continued in As Fierce as My Morning Cornflakes))