I've been getting really into 'hell'.

Both as a mindset and as something to strive for, in an organizational sense. (Open!)

The housing in the town is made up of simple two-story houses, most of these of built in the style of 70s and 80s American suburbs despite being far removed from such a setting. Many of the houses have similar layouts with some divergence: most feature a bottom floor consisting of a kitchen, dining room and living room, a second floor with a master and secondary bedroom, and a bathroom with a tub. A few of the houses have garages, but the vehicles they contained are either gone or have been rendered inoperable.

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almostinhuman
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I've been getting really into 'hell'.

#1

Post by almostinhuman »

((Jacob Winters continued from Burning Down The House (Naive Melody)))

Everything fucking hurt.

Jacob had gotten injured more than a few times in his life. Urbexing could be dangerous if you weren't careful, and Jacob often wasn't, though thankfully the worst that'd come of it was a twisted ankle. He'd fallen off his bike when he was fourteen and smashed his wrist on the pavement, breaking it. When he was younger still, he'd gotten into a nasty fight with a boy for calling him a faggot that'd knocked out a baby tooth and left him with a black eye.

This hurt way, way fucking worse.

His right wrist didn't quite feel broken at least, but it was clearly injured somehow from his failed attempt to kill Salem. His whole right arm ached miserably, though at least he could bear to move it somewhat. Thank fuck for that, too. If he hadn't, he'd have bled out from the chunk of flesh missing from his left leg. Getting grazed wasn't like in the movies, where you gritted your teeth like a badass and soldiered on. The pain was almost fucking blinding. At least he'd managed to bandage it up reasonably well, but he wasn't sure how much longer it'd go on bleeding for. He didn't feel safe moving on it too much until it stopped.

That left him with precious little to do. And having nothing to do was a real problem when you shared a room with a dead body. The body of someone who'd saved your life, that you'd been powerless to save in turn.

Jacob had at least tried to position Greg in a slightly more dignified way than Salem had left him in. He'd also covered his face with one of the many filched windbreakers - though given the state of his head, that was as much for Jacob's sake and it was for Greg's. He wanted to do more, maybe move him upstairs and lock him in a bedroom so nobody fucked with the body, but the state of his leg made that impractical. These little things would have to do.

Jacob sat, legs sprawled out over the couch, feet bare and left pant leg rolled up to the knee, revealing the bloody bandages. His boots lay on the floor by the couch, while his sunglasses and choker lay on the coffee table nearby. He had his jacket draped around his shoulders like a blanket, with his arms pulled out of the sleeves. In his lap lay Greg's weapon and the spare ammunition he'd found in the other boy's bag. He was busy reading its instructions as best he could through the pain. He would need to learn how to properly hold and fire the thing. Both to defend himself, and...

Well, he wasn't in any state to cross that bridge yet. But when he was, he'd be showing off what he'd learned to Salem. It was only fair he pay him back for what he'd done. And it was the only goal he had right now. The only thing keeping his mind off Greg, off home, off the agony he was in, off how even more likely his own death was looking.

Through all this, he was careful to keep an ear out. Never knew when an intruder might wander in.
[+] V8
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Corbin Azinger
"I did everything I was supposed to, and it landed me here."
1 2 3 4 5
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Jacob Winters
"I'll be back. Once I splatter that motherfucker's brains over the ground. I promise."
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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Ingrid Wilde
"Well, I'm glad not to be your fuckin' victim, too."
1 2 3 4
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Kiera Hayes
"This is some grim shit we're in, huh?"
1 2 3
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AnimeNerd
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#2

Post by AnimeNerd »

An intruder was, in fact, coming. One Jacob would even recognize.

Not that that would be a comfort or anything.

[[Enter Jezzie Stark, staring at the collar tracker as she walks, gun in her other hand pointed at the ground.]]

After the disaster that was trying to kill Shawn and maybe get Julia to be her ally, she was alone again. She wouldn't say it was a bad thing, especially when she thought about the majority of the people she had to deal with on this island. Crazies and assholes and generally people she couldn't trust. And the ones who weren't like that? Well, they were dead, or hated her guts. She was better off being a solo act.

Still, a stupid part of her wanted someone to talk to. Someone she could commiserate with over the whole shitty situation. They'd been here for over a week now, everyone had to have seen or experienced something horrible at this point, and a good number of them had done things that could be considered horrible. There had to be people that were willing to talk to her and not try to kill her. She just had to find them, if she was desperate enough to look for them.

And when you're dealing with Survival of the Fittest, feeling desperate at some point is just a given. It will happen, the only question is when.

And, oh, would you look at that, she has a device that lets her know when someone is near her.

Yeah, it's probably a bad idea, but that's why she's got the gun out too. Anyone tries to fuck with her, and they eat lead, or whatever is in the bullets. And so long as she actually is looking at the tracker this time, there's no way anyone can sneak up on her now!

It would just be her, and the person in this house.

There was a knock knock knock at the door, though Jezzie stood to the side of it, rather than directly in front. It was obvious that this whole thing was foolish, but that didn't mean she had to be an idiot about it. Now, if someone tried to shoot at her through the door, they'd only waste bullets.

And her next rant to the cameras would be justification over her brutality here, if people took shots before they even knew who she was. Why bother with friends if even strangers wanted to kill faceless strangers?
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almostinhuman
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#3

Post by almostinhuman »

A knock upon the door caused a jitter to run down Jacob's spine. A perfectly ordinary sound, heard in the last place you'd think to hear it. Nobody knocked anymore; they just barged in full-throttle. Pretty much every encounter he'd had with someone had been them barreling in on him alone or with Greg, and not one of those people had bothered to give a heads up before inviting themselves in. Why would someone start now?

Jacob turned back to look at the door, staring silently. It wouldn't be Salem, for certain, because why would he knock on the door of a room he'd fled hours ago, containing a boy he'd killed and a boy who wanted to hunt him down? But whoever it was, they probably weren't good news either. Dozens of their classmates were dead, so odds were good whoever was knocking was a bit of a motherfucker. Who's to say they wouldn't come in just to finish what Salem had started?

But if they wanted to, why bother knocking? Maybe they were looking for allies, or maybe they'd leave once they realized the building was occupied. And if they did try something, well...

"... who's there?" He replied, his hand silently reaching for the gun in his lap. He wouldn't fire first, but he'd definitely fire back.
[+] V8
Image
Corbin Azinger
"I did everything I was supposed to, and it landed me here."
1 2 3 4 5
Image
Jacob Winters
"I'll be back. Once I splatter that motherfucker's brains over the ground. I promise."
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Image
Ingrid Wilde
"Well, I'm glad not to be your fuckin' victim, too."
1 2 3 4
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Kiera Hayes
"This is some grim shit we're in, huh?"
1 2 3
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#4

Post by AnimeNerd »

A voice responded, and immediately the tension in her body melted away. Jezzie's shoulders slumped, the breath she had unknowingly held in was released, and she felt more at ease.

Jacob. The good one that hadn't stabbed a guy or whatever. The naked guy she'd found at the hot spring, the one that hadn't drowned. That Jacob.

Someone she didn't have to worry about, thank GOD!

Could he have gotten a decent weapon since then? Maybe, after all Salem did and was on a rampage now, so she shouldn't underestimate him. Still, it was someone she'd interacted with before without death involved, or him being an asshole from the start, or showing any signs of being insane. Someone that might trust her, and she'd take whatever small chance that 'might' would be.

The gun goes into the bag for the moment - best to look no more armed than she was before.

She readies her voice, making sure it sounds unsteady. Wary. Fragile, but not horribly so.

"A...a friend, I think. If you'll have me."

Perfectly pitiable, even if it was fake. Completely fake. Insincere as hell.

And anyone that thought otherwise could go chug piss from a heavily used bong.
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#5

Post by almostinhuman »

The reveal it was Jezzie only partially eased his nerves. They'd at least gotten through a conversation without her trying to kill him, so that was a point in her favor. But she certainly hadn't been nearly so kind to some of the other people she'd bumped into. If she hadn't knocked, if she'd just barged in, Jacob might very well have pointed the gun at her and told her to fuck off.

But she had, and Jacob figured bare-minimum politeness may as well be met in kind.

"... come in," he muttered, letting go of his grip on the gun. "Just, uh..."

He looked at Greg, still propped up in the chair and fully visible despite the makeshift shroud over his face.

"... don't freak out, but there's a dead body in here."
[+] V8
Image
Corbin Azinger
"I did everything I was supposed to, and it landed me here."
1 2 3 4 5
Image
Jacob Winters
"I'll be back. Once I splatter that motherfucker's brains over the ground. I promise."
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Image
Ingrid Wilde
"Well, I'm glad not to be your fuckin' victim, too."
1 2 3 4
Image
Kiera Hayes
"This is some grim shit we're in, huh?"
1 2 3
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AnimeNerd
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#6

Post by AnimeNerd »

"That's...that's fine."

Wasn't like the whole island wasn't already a graveyard. Expecting anything else at this point was just not realistic.

The door creaked as Jezzie pushed it open, it's hinges old and rusted. Made her think of a haunted house. Wouldn't be a surprising outcome for this set, if it came true. The door was shut behind her. It was cold out, they don't need hypothermia.

The steps were slow and careful. She didn't want to provoke any unnecessary hostility.

That turned out to be smart, once her eyes landed on Jacob. Where the fuck did THAT gun come from?

Jezzie's eyes darted to the corpse on the chair.

Okay, dumb question.

Back to Jacob. Feet shifted slightly, weight being put on one foot as the other leg's knee bent, and Jezzie's now free hand went to grab the elbow of her other arm, limp at her side, but hand still clutching the people tracker-student tracker? Collar tracker? Tracker thing.

"Hey."
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almostinhuman
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#7

Post by almostinhuman »

Jacob halfheartedly waved at her, not even managing a smile.

"Hey."

Jacob's eyes fell to his lap. The gun sat fully loaded, pointing vaguely Jezzie's way; not exactly the warmest welcome he could give. He grabbed it and turned it to face the ceiling before he began fumbling with the clip, try to remove it.

"Sorry. Just trying to figure out how to use this thing."
[+] V8
Image
Corbin Azinger
"I did everything I was supposed to, and it landed me here."
1 2 3 4 5
Image
Jacob Winters
"I'll be back. Once I splatter that motherfucker's brains over the ground. I promise."
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Image
Ingrid Wilde
"Well, I'm glad not to be your fuckin' victim, too."
1 2 3 4
Image
Kiera Hayes
"This is some grim shit we're in, huh?"
1 2 3
User avatar
AnimeNerd
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#8

Post by AnimeNerd »

He didn't fake a smile, and neither did she. Life was shit and neither of them wanted to pretend otherwise.

Jacob began fiddling with the gun, and she had an internal debate over the situation. On one hand, it looked like a good gun, and if she wanted to take it, she'd have an easy time doing so when it had no bullets. On the other...she really just wanted to talk to someone. Not worry about death for once. Complain about shit. Even hear complaints someone else had. Something that felt close to normal and made her feel human again. Ever since this started she felt like she was on stage, under the biggest, brightest, heaviest spotlight, just waiting for something to break and it falls and crushes her. She just wanted a minute backstage, behind the curtain, and she'd be happy.

Fuck it, if he was willing to do this up front, he probably wouldn't try shooting her, right?

"A-actually," Jezzie said, hating the stutter she hadn't meant to include. "You...you can keep it loaded, if you want. I...I just..."

When was it so hard to remember her lines?

"I wanna talk. If that's okay."
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#9

Post by almostinhuman »

Jacob stared at her for a moment. Then he nodded, before setting the gun down beside him on the couch, pointed away from the both of them.

"Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "I can do that."

Jacob pulled himself back to sit a little more upright, wincing in discomfort as the movement irritated the wound in his leg. He hoped realizing he was injured didn't change her mind about just wanting to talk, but it's not like he could hide it once he invited her in. He was just gonna have to trust that her intentions were genuine.

Well, it wasn't merely that he had to. It was also that he wanted to. He wanted to believe her when she said she wasn't a threat and just wanted company. After what Salem had done, Jacob could not only use the company, he could use having his faith in his classmates restored. It was hard not to think less of everyone left when it seemed they were all so eager to jump into the slaughter.

"So... what's on your mind, I guess?"
[+] V8
Image
Corbin Azinger
"I did everything I was supposed to, and it landed me here."
1 2 3 4 5
Image
Jacob Winters
"I'll be back. Once I splatter that motherfucker's brains over the ground. I promise."
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Image
Ingrid Wilde
"Well, I'm glad not to be your fuckin' victim, too."
1 2 3 4
Image
Kiera Hayes
"This is some grim shit we're in, huh?"
1 2 3
User avatar
AnimeNerd
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#10

Post by AnimeNerd »

If God is real, they are testing her right in this moment, SHE FUCKING KNOWS IT-

To review. Powerful looking gun, now separated from Jacob - not very far, but enough that he couldn't immediately shoot her if she made a move he didn't like. Trusting enough to put said gun in that place, maybe even more manipulatable if she played the right card. An injury that impedes his movement, meaning any reaction he has to her action is slowed more than it usually would be. A gun in her bag, hidden only by a sweater vest and a prayer, easily removable when she needed it. A distance so short between them, she wouldn't need to think to aim and get a kill shot. Essentially, an opportunity gift wrapped in gold foil on a silver platter with pink diamond studded ribbons tied around it.

Anyone and everyone in the audience could see it. They knew she could see it. They all expected the same thing. A part of her screamed to follow the script. It's right there! You know it is! Just do it now, before they cut the take short!

Jezzie took a breath in.

The bag fell from her shoulder as she let it out.

She kicked it away, maybe a foot or two, before joining it on the ground, sitting with her knees pulled to her chest.

"A lot, really."

But a place to start? That's easy.

"Do you think we ever had a chance? Having normal, happy lives and stuff?"
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almostinhuman
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#11

Post by almostinhuman »

"... I mean, yeah?"

Jacob didn't intend for his reply to sound so pithy, but it sure had come out that way. It seemed pretty self-evident to him, though.

"Like, if we didn't get dragged here? Totally. I mean, like, shit wasn't awesome for me at home, but..."

His voice hitched a little, a lump formed in his throat. He took another deep breath, swallowing it back.

"... I think it still coulda been okay. I'm sure it's the same for you. It's this shithole and these fuckheads that upended it."
[+] V8
Image
Corbin Azinger
"I did everything I was supposed to, and it landed me here."
1 2 3 4 5
Image
Jacob Winters
"I'll be back. Once I splatter that motherfucker's brains over the ground. I promise."
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Image
Ingrid Wilde
"Well, I'm glad not to be your fuckin' victim, too."
1 2 3 4
Image
Kiera Hayes
"This is some grim shit we're in, huh?"
1 2 3
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AnimeNerd
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#12

Post by AnimeNerd »

"Yeah, I know it-it sounds stupid, when you really think about it, I just..."

Was she really about to spill her guts to a guy she barely knew? It felt like fan fiction, or some crazy ass thriller story where two people bond despite being completely different and needing to kill each other eventually if they wanted to survive. It was insane. Idiotic.

Well, she'd already been stupid when seeing Jacob again. Several times over, in fact. Why not add another factor to the equation?

"Don't laugh, but...I had a whole plan for my life. Was so determined to see it happen, that I...I thought it was destiny, or fate, or whatever spiritual crap you believe in. That it couldn't not happen. Now I don't know if I'm even making it to my 18th birthday."

Jezzie gave a lackluster shrug.

"I don't know if I believe in fatalism, but...it makes me wonder what really is destiny and meant to be, and what's actually in control for any of us."

A beat of silence.

"You're probably right, though, I just-I've been alone for too long. Only had the cameras to talk to."

And the audience doesn't give you much to work with, when they're not live in a studio.
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almostinhuman
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#13

Post by almostinhuman »

"... hm. I get ya."

Jacob shifted around on the couch until he was facing forward, feet planted on the floor and looking straight at Jezzie, wincing a bit as his leg once again made its displeasure with the movement known.

"Like... I didn't really have a 'plan' or whatever. I'd talked over moving in with my sister and her friends in Boston to maybe go to college there, but like... I dunno. I don't know what I really wanted to study there anyway. And I'd be leaving my boyfriend and a bunch of my other friends behind, too. But I also couldn't stay, because shit at home sucked and I was desperate to get out, fast."

Unconsciously, he frowned, gently biting his lip. If Jezzie was gonna vent to him, he figured the mutual offer needn't be said.

"But even so... like, whatever might've happened next must've been better than this fuckshit, right? It feels like I got dicked out of a future I didn't even get to know about, and..."

He grabbed his jacket and pulled it a little closer around himself.

"... and it doesn't really matter what I do anymore. It all ends in the same place."
[+] V8
Image
Corbin Azinger
"I did everything I was supposed to, and it landed me here."
1 2 3 4 5
Image
Jacob Winters
"I'll be back. Once I splatter that motherfucker's brains over the ground. I promise."
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Image
Ingrid Wilde
"Well, I'm glad not to be your fuckin' victim, too."
1 2 3 4
Image
Kiera Hayes
"This is some grim shit we're in, huh?"
1 2 3
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AnimeNerd
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#14

Post by AnimeNerd »

It was...nice. Getting a proper response back, rather than just the silence that came with talking to a camera.

She knew people were watching and listening. Even disregarding the terrorists, some fucked up person probably watched this snuff film online. A good number of them, in all likelihood. And that meant a number of eyes on her. She was never truly alone. Not when the audience was always there.

But with out hearing them. Claps. Laughter. Cries of anguish or cheers of encouragement. Whenever she was alone, it felt like...

Like she may as well not even exist, without someone else around her.

Jezzie took in a breath at that thought, somehow successfully keeping it from turning into a sob.

Fuck, no more of that, she was not focusing on that, she will take literally anything else.

"I think-yeah, you're definitely right. Whatever we could've had before, it would've been better than this. Even if it was only living to see next Christmas, it would've been nicer than being here."

Not really a controversial opinion, but one she couldn't help but voice. Suddenly the idea of just giving the gifts under her bed to her family was something she'd lay down her life for.

And as for Jacob's last line...

"If it makes you feel better, we pretty much have an audience at all times now."

A hand gestures to the most prominent camera in the room, a ceiling mounted one in the corner.

"If you're bitter enough over your home life, you can call them out. I'm not going to judge."

They may not be able to change the bad endings, but they could take others down with them, if they so wanted.
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almostinhuman
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#15

Post by almostinhuman »

Jacob visibly cringed at the mention of the cameras. Obviously, he knew they were there; they were everywhere and usually plainly visible, and they'd been explicitly pointed out to them at the start of this whole nightmare. But they also didn't do much to draw attention to themselves, so it was easy to ignore them. Jezzie almost seemed comforted that they were being recorded, but all it did for Jacob was remind him that he'd never have a private moment, ever again. Every remaining second of his life was now captured on film, all for...

Who, even? Nobody normal watched this shit. Just for some dipshit 'point' some random asshole and his buddies wanted to make. Somehow that part made Jacob angrier than the kidnapping itself. It was cruel and voyeuristic, and it didn't even have the decency to pretend to be anything more than that.

He momentarily glared at one such camera from the corner of his eye, before looking back to Jezzie.

"... nah, I... I don't have anything to say to whoever the fuck's running this, nor to anyone who'd seek this shit out. And I don't want my family or friends watching it. And like..."

He took a deep breath, in and out.

"... I know I just badmouthed them, but... I do still love my parents, y'know? Even if sometimes I'm... not sure they love me."
[+] V8
Image
Corbin Azinger
"I did everything I was supposed to, and it landed me here."
1 2 3 4 5
Image
Jacob Winters
"I'll be back. Once I splatter that motherfucker's brains over the ground. I promise."
A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Image
Ingrid Wilde
"Well, I'm glad not to be your fuckin' victim, too."
1 2 3 4
Image
Kiera Hayes
"This is some grim shit we're in, huh?"
1 2 3
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