[S119 - Julia Guercio - continued from Swan Song]
The rest of the day before had become insignificant. Julia had spent it abandoned all by herself, lost in a plunge pool of her own thoughts.
Marshall had tried to call for a truce, and as the crow flies bullets were left flying around the mountainside and hot pools. Like with everything else that had been afflicted upon them this week, the truce had seemingly amounted to nothing more than a hazed daydream. And with that, the accompanying hope had died a quick death for now. The sound of gunfire failed to subside throughout the day, too, which only made the dire truth worse. Before yesterday, people were fighting and killing because it was a case of kill or be killed. There was no other alternative, you had to kill or you were the next person to fall victim to the next person. Paranoia was understandably rife and your friends became your enemies. As Lily said, we were victims of the game not the victims of each other.
However, yesterday the whole class had received the biggest possible beacon of hope and even then it had amounted to nothing of value. The explosion, and the chaos and uncertainty that rippled over the island in it's aftermath, had given them all a second chance at redemption yet it was clear, both from what she had seen with her very own eyes and then heard solidified in stone on this morning's announcement, that very few people had taken this olive branch as a heed to stop the violence.
Julia didn't know what to do with that knowledge, so instead had chosen to wallow inside the Sheriff's office instead. Back to where it had all started, the room bloodier than it was when she had woken up with the bathroom on the side of the office. Pools of blood lingered, soaked into the carpet floor, as the bodies of Letitia and Bethany littered the room. Julia tried not to think about them, instead choosing to return back to the bathroom where it all started and collapsing to the floor. The smell was despicable, but at least hidden in the bathroom she wasn't able to see their bodies or the shocking murder scenes that painted the office red.
If Walls Could Talk
Day 12; PM for entry
-
Ruggahissy
- Posts: 2542
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
((Leslie Romero continued from GAME OVER))
Leslie had spent the night freezing half to death in a pile of foliage. It was too dangerous to go to the houses this late -- everyone would be looking for shelter. And he was alone now, for the first time in a long time. It wasn't better to be alone; it just meant more time for his deteriorating brain to run itself to death even faster on the hamster wheel in his head. It also meant no one to depend on. OK, maybe Aracelis wasn't the most steady partner, but they had made it this far without killing each other, which meant it was a great partnership as far as the circumstances were concerned.
The announcements blared over the island and revealed what he knew to be true before he heard them. Aracelis had killed Molly. Leslie's eyes welled, but he wasn't sure exactly why. Was it because Molly was gone? Was it because Aracelis had taken the risk for no material reward, and now he didn't know where she was or what condition she was in? Was it for himself?
He remembered Molly smiling at him just before everything went to shit.
He remembered Aracelis looking up at him with two stunning eyes.
Leslie didn't get much sleep the last night due to being alone now. He probably managed like 2 or 3 hours.
The sheriff station came into view. He hadn't been back since all those days ago when he and Aracelis had that fight that caused him to throw his first aid kit against the wall. Maybe it didn't matter what was in there as long as he could be a little warmer.
Leslie slowly pushed open the door, and to his surprise, there was a girl inside.
"I -- uh --" he said, and quickly started wiping his eyes. "It's dusty in here," he mumbled.
Leslie had spent the night freezing half to death in a pile of foliage. It was too dangerous to go to the houses this late -- everyone would be looking for shelter. And he was alone now, for the first time in a long time. It wasn't better to be alone; it just meant more time for his deteriorating brain to run itself to death even faster on the hamster wheel in his head. It also meant no one to depend on. OK, maybe Aracelis wasn't the most steady partner, but they had made it this far without killing each other, which meant it was a great partnership as far as the circumstances were concerned.
The announcements blared over the island and revealed what he knew to be true before he heard them. Aracelis had killed Molly. Leslie's eyes welled, but he wasn't sure exactly why. Was it because Molly was gone? Was it because Aracelis had taken the risk for no material reward, and now he didn't know where she was or what condition she was in? Was it for himself?
He remembered Molly smiling at him just before everything went to shit.
He remembered Aracelis looking up at him with two stunning eyes.
Leslie didn't get much sleep the last night due to being alone now. He probably managed like 2 or 3 hours.
The sheriff station came into view. He hadn't been back since all those days ago when he and Aracelis had that fight that caused him to throw his first aid kit against the wall. Maybe it didn't matter what was in there as long as he could be a little warmer.
Leslie slowly pushed open the door, and to his surprise, there was a girl inside.
"I -- uh --" he said, and quickly started wiping his eyes. "It's dusty in here," he mumbled.
Where the fuck was Leslie?
((Aracelis Fuentes continued from YEAAAH!))
She had shambled her way back to the town in a dead haze after killing Molly. Her arm and elbow throbbing all the way as she kept them pinned to her body. But upon finding the house where they’d been separated Aracelis discovered it empty. Everyone else that had been inside had also bolted, which included Leslie, vanishing into the ice and snow, or the slush that had formerly been the snow.
The freezing temperatures made Aracelis consider a stay within the house, but it still smelled vaguely of chemicals and itched at the corners of her eyes. Instead she had moved a few doors down and made her way upstairs, deciding on the first bedroom she found to camp out in. It had been another cold night on a dusty bed, for the fleeting moments that she was gifted sleep. In the end she didn’t get much, due to being alone.
So she had awoken, feeling and likely looking like shit, to the details of her murder of Molly being broadcast across the island. Wherever Leslie had gone he would have known then what had happened, the exact thing he hadn’t wanted her to do and had tried to council her against.
But she hadn’t listened and as punishment her arm had nearly been severed. Although if Aracelis was honest with herself that assessment of her injury was overly dramatic. It was still horrific looking though and she still required Leslie’s help and bandages to help fix it.
Which was all well and good but she hadn’t been able to find him anywhere? She didn’t think he would have gone far, for one the places they had access to were extremely limited, for two he wouldn’t have just ditched her…right?
As she approached the sheriffs office from the side she pushed down that particularly paranoid thought. Leslie had been given better chances to cut and run before and hadn’t. He also wasn’t stupid, if the numbers were as low as the announcer had said then it would have been stupid to ditch the only reliable partner that he had available. Aracelis knew that because it was the exact same thinking she’d had.
That same thinking had managed to once again take her back to the sheriff’s office, where nothing good had ever happened. With the memories of Ashlyn and Juanita’s attempted attack and Leslie’s temper tantrum in mind Aracelis dropped off the main sidewalk and instead made her way around to the back door that they’d used all those days ago to escape.
Gently pulling it open just wide enough to fit her body through Aracelis slid inside. Once again she was encased within the reeking, dusty confines of an old ass office space filled with white guys who probably smoked a pack a day and kept beers in their drawers that they opened as soon as their shift ended. But she could also hear movement.
Aracelis made her way through the dust motes that floated in the air towards the office space, catching sight of a female silhouette highlighted against the light coming in through the windows.
She tightened her grip on the baseball bat as she watched them for a moment in an attempt to assess them with only one working eye.
“Hey!” She called over, but also glancing back over her shoulder to make sure the back door was within running distance. “You have bandages?”
((Aracelis Fuentes continued from YEAAAH!))
She had shambled her way back to the town in a dead haze after killing Molly. Her arm and elbow throbbing all the way as she kept them pinned to her body. But upon finding the house where they’d been separated Aracelis discovered it empty. Everyone else that had been inside had also bolted, which included Leslie, vanishing into the ice and snow, or the slush that had formerly been the snow.
The freezing temperatures made Aracelis consider a stay within the house, but it still smelled vaguely of chemicals and itched at the corners of her eyes. Instead she had moved a few doors down and made her way upstairs, deciding on the first bedroom she found to camp out in. It had been another cold night on a dusty bed, for the fleeting moments that she was gifted sleep. In the end she didn’t get much, due to being alone.
So she had awoken, feeling and likely looking like shit, to the details of her murder of Molly being broadcast across the island. Wherever Leslie had gone he would have known then what had happened, the exact thing he hadn’t wanted her to do and had tried to council her against.
But she hadn’t listened and as punishment her arm had nearly been severed. Although if Aracelis was honest with herself that assessment of her injury was overly dramatic. It was still horrific looking though and she still required Leslie’s help and bandages to help fix it.
Which was all well and good but she hadn’t been able to find him anywhere? She didn’t think he would have gone far, for one the places they had access to were extremely limited, for two he wouldn’t have just ditched her…right?
As she approached the sheriffs office from the side she pushed down that particularly paranoid thought. Leslie had been given better chances to cut and run before and hadn’t. He also wasn’t stupid, if the numbers were as low as the announcer had said then it would have been stupid to ditch the only reliable partner that he had available. Aracelis knew that because it was the exact same thinking she’d had.
That same thinking had managed to once again take her back to the sheriff’s office, where nothing good had ever happened. With the memories of Ashlyn and Juanita’s attempted attack and Leslie’s temper tantrum in mind Aracelis dropped off the main sidewalk and instead made her way around to the back door that they’d used all those days ago to escape.
Gently pulling it open just wide enough to fit her body through Aracelis slid inside. Once again she was encased within the reeking, dusty confines of an old ass office space filled with white guys who probably smoked a pack a day and kept beers in their drawers that they opened as soon as their shift ended. But she could also hear movement.
Aracelis made her way through the dust motes that floated in the air towards the office space, catching sight of a female silhouette highlighted against the light coming in through the windows.
She tightened her grip on the baseball bat as she watched them for a moment in an attempt to assess them with only one working eye.
“Hey!” She called over, but also glancing back over her shoulder to make sure the back door was within running distance. “You have bandages?”
Huddled in the corner of the bathroom, Julia collected her thoughts. Coming up with an escape plan was no easy feat, especially all by herself. How was she supposed to be the voice of reason and get every other person on side? The reality was that if Marshall couldn’t manage it then it would be extremely difficult, if not actually impossible, for her to achieve anything like it. Half the class, if not more, probably had little to none recollection of Julia at school.
She was to blame for that.
The fear she carried of making new friends, or even speaking up in class at the risk of getting the answer wrong, had absolutely diminished any sort of presence she held. And if she wasn’t being as quiet as a mouse in class, she was in the pool. Swimming was often a solitary sport so with exception of the occasional conversation before or after the sessions. She wasn’t one for changing room chatter so being captivated by the sport was really good for her. It was fine until her senior year, she had always felt included because of how close she was with her older sister and her friends. Marina was the antithesis of her - socialising had always come naturally for her.
It wasn’t fair.
Why would anybody want to rally behind little Julia Guercio?
To be a leader you had to be strong, you had to be believable and you had to dominant.
Why would anybody believe in spineless Julia Guercio?
She shrugged dismissively, wishing she was a more capable person.
Every time somebody had bigged her up on this island, whether it was Karen, Joshua, Timothy, Lily… she always felt invigorated. Attuned to their strength, albeit all shown in different ways. Strangers becoming friends and channelling their power into her had been her recurring story. Yet whenever it got to crunch time she just wasn’t able to act on it. What would’ve happened if she actually have the confidence to speak out against the terrorists like Marshall did? What if there were other like-minded classmates also lurking behind the rocks of the hot pool on the mountain, waiting for somebody else to make the first move so that they could join the alliance too.
There were so many possibilities, so many opportunities and paths in life. An alternative to every decision, a gazillion reactions to every action.
Yet her fears always took her destiny in the direction of inaction and anxiety.
It was too late to change that.
So instead of being out there, now the sun was shining and nearly all of the scariest killers on the island had all been felled, she was stuck in the tiny bathroom she had first woken up in all those lifetimes ago. But the soft-skinned, neatly brushed hair had been replaced by a dishevelled hollow of herself. Her hair untidy, knotted and greasy. Her skin dry, reddened and unappealing. And her lips chapped and cracked. Her outfit was stained with the blood of friends and enemies, her Converse sneakers off-colour from the weeks of trudging through the wet snow.
The sun was beaming through the smashed window just the other side of where Letitia’s body was lying. The stench of the corpses in the room intoxicated the air, but it was an unfortunate familiarity to her at this point. She’d almost become immune to the vomit-inducing scent of rotting corpses. If the walls could talk, they would surely carry many secrets of the death and horror unfolding around them. But they kept those secrets to the grave, Julia enjoyed the solitude it brought, a welcomed relief to the mayhem that was in every corner of the shrinking battlefield.
Until she was disturbed, first by a boy and then minutes later by a girl she recognised as Aracelis. It was hard to forget a name like that, especially when it had only just been on the announcement for what sounded like a brutal murder of Molly the twin killer. Instinctively, Julia stood up to greet them.
She barely had a chance to speak with the boy, Leslie. “H-hello,” she said with a fusion of hesitancy and uncertainty, “It’s Julia. A-are you alone?”
By the time she had finished she already had her answer. In followed a cheerleader she knew by name, Aracelis. They had never had personal beef or anything like that, but Julia had always been wary around the popular kids, careful about upsetting one and ending up even further down the social hierarchy. Her presence was intimidating even if not intended. Maybe it was something about her killer instincts and the graphic description that was relayed during the announcement.
“Bandages?” She called back in response, somewhat sheltered still by the open door to the bathroom. “Y-yes. Here, I’ve got some.”
Her assault rifle had been sat on the ground beside her, her hand trembling towards the handle so she could defend herself if she had to. Her grip on the rifle tightened as her eyes squinted towards her new encounters. With her other hand she dug through her bag that had also been sat next to her. She pulled out some of the bandages in her bag, the spares she’d picked up from the others, and made her way towards Aracelis.
She held out the bandages as a symbol of peace. To remind them, whether they were together or had stumbled here alone separately, that she wasn’t a threat. Just a girl who wanted to survive, but survive together not alone.
“Here, take these.” Julia lightly grinned at Aracelis as another peace offering as she reached out her arm with the bandages in her toe, her gun sheltering behind her leg with her other hand.
“I c-can help you with them.” She smiled, blushing slightly at being the centre of attention for a change. “If y-you’d like?”
With a gulp she scanned the room, using what little emotional intelligence she had left in her fatigued brain to read their body language and figure out what her next move was. Like always, she readied herself to escape through the only door of she needed to make a quick exit. But with a handful of heavy breaths, she soothed herself and readied to get to work.
People often say you have to fake it until you make it, and that’s exactly what Julia knew she had to do. To get these two on side and start building that army against the monsters that had saddled them with this chaos.
Was this finally going to be the turning point in her story?
Hidden deep within all of the doubts and hesitancies that plagued her, she actually had a good feeling about this one.
She was to blame for that.
The fear she carried of making new friends, or even speaking up in class at the risk of getting the answer wrong, had absolutely diminished any sort of presence she held. And if she wasn’t being as quiet as a mouse in class, she was in the pool. Swimming was often a solitary sport so with exception of the occasional conversation before or after the sessions. She wasn’t one for changing room chatter so being captivated by the sport was really good for her. It was fine until her senior year, she had always felt included because of how close she was with her older sister and her friends. Marina was the antithesis of her - socialising had always come naturally for her.
It wasn’t fair.
Why would anybody want to rally behind little Julia Guercio?
To be a leader you had to be strong, you had to be believable and you had to dominant.
Why would anybody believe in spineless Julia Guercio?
She shrugged dismissively, wishing she was a more capable person.
Every time somebody had bigged her up on this island, whether it was Karen, Joshua, Timothy, Lily… she always felt invigorated. Attuned to their strength, albeit all shown in different ways. Strangers becoming friends and channelling their power into her had been her recurring story. Yet whenever it got to crunch time she just wasn’t able to act on it. What would’ve happened if she actually have the confidence to speak out against the terrorists like Marshall did? What if there were other like-minded classmates also lurking behind the rocks of the hot pool on the mountain, waiting for somebody else to make the first move so that they could join the alliance too.
There were so many possibilities, so many opportunities and paths in life. An alternative to every decision, a gazillion reactions to every action.
Yet her fears always took her destiny in the direction of inaction and anxiety.
It was too late to change that.
So instead of being out there, now the sun was shining and nearly all of the scariest killers on the island had all been felled, she was stuck in the tiny bathroom she had first woken up in all those lifetimes ago. But the soft-skinned, neatly brushed hair had been replaced by a dishevelled hollow of herself. Her hair untidy, knotted and greasy. Her skin dry, reddened and unappealing. And her lips chapped and cracked. Her outfit was stained with the blood of friends and enemies, her Converse sneakers off-colour from the weeks of trudging through the wet snow.
The sun was beaming through the smashed window just the other side of where Letitia’s body was lying. The stench of the corpses in the room intoxicated the air, but it was an unfortunate familiarity to her at this point. She’d almost become immune to the vomit-inducing scent of rotting corpses. If the walls could talk, they would surely carry many secrets of the death and horror unfolding around them. But they kept those secrets to the grave, Julia enjoyed the solitude it brought, a welcomed relief to the mayhem that was in every corner of the shrinking battlefield.
Until she was disturbed, first by a boy and then minutes later by a girl she recognised as Aracelis. It was hard to forget a name like that, especially when it had only just been on the announcement for what sounded like a brutal murder of Molly the twin killer. Instinctively, Julia stood up to greet them.
She barely had a chance to speak with the boy, Leslie. “H-hello,” she said with a fusion of hesitancy and uncertainty, “It’s Julia. A-are you alone?”
By the time she had finished she already had her answer. In followed a cheerleader she knew by name, Aracelis. They had never had personal beef or anything like that, but Julia had always been wary around the popular kids, careful about upsetting one and ending up even further down the social hierarchy. Her presence was intimidating even if not intended. Maybe it was something about her killer instincts and the graphic description that was relayed during the announcement.
“Bandages?” She called back in response, somewhat sheltered still by the open door to the bathroom. “Y-yes. Here, I’ve got some.”
Her assault rifle had been sat on the ground beside her, her hand trembling towards the handle so she could defend herself if she had to. Her grip on the rifle tightened as her eyes squinted towards her new encounters. With her other hand she dug through her bag that had also been sat next to her. She pulled out some of the bandages in her bag, the spares she’d picked up from the others, and made her way towards Aracelis.
She held out the bandages as a symbol of peace. To remind them, whether they were together or had stumbled here alone separately, that she wasn’t a threat. Just a girl who wanted to survive, but survive together not alone.
“Here, take these.” Julia lightly grinned at Aracelis as another peace offering as she reached out her arm with the bandages in her toe, her gun sheltering behind her leg with her other hand.
“I c-can help you with them.” She smiled, blushing slightly at being the centre of attention for a change. “If y-you’d like?”
With a gulp she scanned the room, using what little emotional intelligence she had left in her fatigued brain to read their body language and figure out what her next move was. Like always, she readied herself to escape through the only door of she needed to make a quick exit. But with a handful of heavy breaths, she soothed herself and readied to get to work.
People often say you have to fake it until you make it, and that’s exactly what Julia knew she had to do. To get these two on side and start building that army against the monsters that had saddled them with this chaos.
Was this finally going to be the turning point in her story?
Hidden deep within all of the doubts and hesitancies that plagued her, she actually had a good feeling about this one.
-
Ruggahissy
- Posts: 2542
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Julia asked if he was alone.
"Leslie," he said quickly. "I'm, uh, I was with --"
Then Aracelis burst into the room like Kramer and the Kool Aid Man had a beautiful murderous daughter.
He looked dully on as Julia got to work tripping over herself to get out bandages.
"...her. I was looking for Aracelis," he finished.
Leslie plopped onto a desk and watched on as Julia took some deep breaths and blushed while getting the bandages. Maybe she was into cyclopes.
"Heard you got what you wanted," he said more lightly than he expected to.
He was happy to see her.
"Leslie," he said quickly. "I'm, uh, I was with --"
Then Aracelis burst into the room like Kramer and the Kool Aid Man had a beautiful murderous daughter.
He looked dully on as Julia got to work tripping over herself to get out bandages.
"...her. I was looking for Aracelis," he finished.
Leslie plopped onto a desk and watched on as Julia took some deep breaths and blushed while getting the bandages. Maybe she was into cyclopes.
"Heard you got what you wanted," he said more lightly than he expected to.
He was happy to see her.
((David Worth continued from Big Brother Is Not Watching You))
David looked around at the building. He just needed to move somewhere ... familiar that he could plan around? Unfamiliar so that people would expect him there? He didn't know what strategy to take. He just decided to go in. Maybe he could make camp there for some time. Even heat himself up a little more. Looking at the door, he let himself in, just ... ambling around, looking for people/solitude.
"Heard you got what you wanted." He heard something. David just ambled towards the noise.
The voice was familiar. Leslie. As he approached the room, he saw Leslie and two other forms. Julia? Aracelis? He wasn't certain about what was going on.
"Hngh?"
David looked around at the building. He just needed to move somewhere ... familiar that he could plan around? Unfamiliar so that people would expect him there? He didn't know what strategy to take. He just decided to go in. Maybe he could make camp there for some time. Even heat himself up a little more. Looking at the door, he let himself in, just ... ambling around, looking for people/solitude.
"Heard you got what you wanted." He heard something. David just ambled towards the noise.
The voice was familiar. Leslie. As he approached the room, he saw Leslie and two other forms. Julia? Aracelis? He wasn't certain about what was going on.
"Hngh?"
Survivor: UCONN - Seriously, it's awesome!
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
Aracelis looked between Julia and Leslie, assessing what was happening. There was no hint of violence, which...was good, she supposed. One of her arms felt like it was holding on purely by sinews, and she was exhausted.
She hadn't realized Leslie had also been in the office when she had entered and as much as it surprised her, she was happy to see him. He was a consistent presence, and despite everything that had happened he stuck around. He was the most reliable person she had met on the island, especially after Molly had betrayed her. Julia for her part didn't seem particularly shocked or scared by their presence. Aracelis supposed that made sense, Leslie hadn't killed anyone himself and she'd killed two people but Molly had also been announced as a killer. There was every chance Julia didn't perceive them as threats, because if no one had told her about them she wouldn't have known.
That worked for Aracelis' purposes, especially when Julia offered her bandages from her bag without much hesitation. She glanced over at Leslie, momentarily unsure if Julia was attempting some kind of trick, before sheepishly reaching out and snatching the bandages out of the girl's hand. Then she paused and looked over at Leslie again.
"Ok, sure, go for it." She said, passing the bandages back to Julia. She stepped back and sat on a desk, the same one that she'd sat on when Leslie had lost his shit. As she sat down she shrugged her jacket off and nodded her head at her arm, the blood caking her turtleneck, part of the cut visible through the torn fabric.
Her mouth opened as she started to explain what had happened to Julia but then Leslie's statement drew her attention, eyes narrowed, mouth clamped shut. He didn't sound or look accusatory so her face softened and she looked away, suddenly self-conscious.
"Yeah," She replied, voice quiet. "I did."
She hadn't realized Leslie had also been in the office when she had entered and as much as it surprised her, she was happy to see him. He was a consistent presence, and despite everything that had happened he stuck around. He was the most reliable person she had met on the island, especially after Molly had betrayed her. Julia for her part didn't seem particularly shocked or scared by their presence. Aracelis supposed that made sense, Leslie hadn't killed anyone himself and she'd killed two people but Molly had also been announced as a killer. There was every chance Julia didn't perceive them as threats, because if no one had told her about them she wouldn't have known.
That worked for Aracelis' purposes, especially when Julia offered her bandages from her bag without much hesitation. She glanced over at Leslie, momentarily unsure if Julia was attempting some kind of trick, before sheepishly reaching out and snatching the bandages out of the girl's hand. Then she paused and looked over at Leslie again.
"Ok, sure, go for it." She said, passing the bandages back to Julia. She stepped back and sat on a desk, the same one that she'd sat on when Leslie had lost his shit. As she sat down she shrugged her jacket off and nodded her head at her arm, the blood caking her turtleneck, part of the cut visible through the torn fabric.
Her mouth opened as she started to explain what had happened to Julia but then Leslie's statement drew her attention, eyes narrowed, mouth clamped shut. He didn't sound or look accusatory so her face softened and she looked away, suddenly self-conscious.
"Yeah," She replied, voice quiet. "I did."
Aracelis had gotten what she wanted, huh? Ominous.
It didn’t take long for Julia to decipher the somewhat coded message. She was a little concerned it had sinister undertones foreshadowing what the duo, who allegedly had both stumbled back into the same building at the same time after being apart before this, were planning to do to her, but she settled on it having something to do with Aracelis latest kill on the morning announcement. Molly had somehow murdered her own twin brother, Lucío, and Julia remembered that Aracelis and Lucío were pretty close.
Having learned this lesson the hard way herself after killing Victor, revenge was nowhere close to as harmonious as you hoped. The regret had been scratched in to her almost immediately after killing Victor and she had to spend a lot of time comforting herself to mentally recover from that regret. Aracelis appeared beaten and bruised, Julia imagined the damage to her eye must’ve been pretty catastrophic under the eyepatch, reminding her of Przemek’s unsettling injuries, and now she was probably battling some similar themes of grief and regret that Julia had skirmished with.
Well, maybe.
Julia’s plan, which had worked a few times before, was just to make herself as useful as possible. Cleaning the wounds and rebandaging it for Aracelis was a grisly job, but if she showed herself virtuous enough to be happy to help then surely they would keep her around, right? You could never be too careful on this island as she had been constantly reminded of.
Should she ask?
She daren’t.
A few seconds later David Worth, another boy she kinda recognised from school but not well enough to have had any meaningful interaction with before this, piled in too. Were all three of them together?
Shit. This felt even more like an ambush.
And Julia was backed into a corner still in the bathroom. It didn’t feel like a secure situation.
Julia had finished with the bandages and retreated back to the bathroom entrance where her bag and rifle had been left on the floor beside where she had been sat. She hastily gathered her belongings, said hello to David and then started to make strides past the three watching her and to the exit.
“I was just leav—“
Julia stopped herself before finishing the sentence and paused where she was stood, just past David but still in the building.
Her gut instinct told her that she would be better off getting the hell out of this situation as quickly as possible. But something else inside of her gave her a faint reassurance that maybe this was her moment. Her time to shine, per se. Lily had started this and maybe it was up to Julia to end it.
She started talking, still frozen on the spot but without turning her head to look at the group that had found her hiding spot.
“Crazy what happened on the announcement, hey? With the explosion?”
She finally turned her head back to make eye contact with them.
“I-I think it means we can find a way off this island,” she beckoned with conviction on her lips. “Together. We have to call an island wide ceasefire.”
Hopefully she wouldn’t regret that decision to stay.
“If you guys are in?”
It didn’t take long for Julia to decipher the somewhat coded message. She was a little concerned it had sinister undertones foreshadowing what the duo, who allegedly had both stumbled back into the same building at the same time after being apart before this, were planning to do to her, but she settled on it having something to do with Aracelis latest kill on the morning announcement. Molly had somehow murdered her own twin brother, Lucío, and Julia remembered that Aracelis and Lucío were pretty close.
Having learned this lesson the hard way herself after killing Victor, revenge was nowhere close to as harmonious as you hoped. The regret had been scratched in to her almost immediately after killing Victor and she had to spend a lot of time comforting herself to mentally recover from that regret. Aracelis appeared beaten and bruised, Julia imagined the damage to her eye must’ve been pretty catastrophic under the eyepatch, reminding her of Przemek’s unsettling injuries, and now she was probably battling some similar themes of grief and regret that Julia had skirmished with.
Well, maybe.
Julia’s plan, which had worked a few times before, was just to make herself as useful as possible. Cleaning the wounds and rebandaging it for Aracelis was a grisly job, but if she showed herself virtuous enough to be happy to help then surely they would keep her around, right? You could never be too careful on this island as she had been constantly reminded of.
Should she ask?
She daren’t.
A few seconds later David Worth, another boy she kinda recognised from school but not well enough to have had any meaningful interaction with before this, piled in too. Were all three of them together?
Shit. This felt even more like an ambush.
And Julia was backed into a corner still in the bathroom. It didn’t feel like a secure situation.
Julia had finished with the bandages and retreated back to the bathroom entrance where her bag and rifle had been left on the floor beside where she had been sat. She hastily gathered her belongings, said hello to David and then started to make strides past the three watching her and to the exit.
“I was just leav—“
Julia stopped herself before finishing the sentence and paused where she was stood, just past David but still in the building.
Her gut instinct told her that she would be better off getting the hell out of this situation as quickly as possible. But something else inside of her gave her a faint reassurance that maybe this was her moment. Her time to shine, per se. Lily had started this and maybe it was up to Julia to end it.
She started talking, still frozen on the spot but without turning her head to look at the group that had found her hiding spot.
“Crazy what happened on the announcement, hey? With the explosion?”
She finally turned her head back to make eye contact with them.
“I-I think it means we can find a way off this island,” she beckoned with conviction on her lips. “Together. We have to call an island wide ceasefire.”
Hopefully she wouldn’t regret that decision to stay.
“If you guys are in?”
-
Ruggahissy
- Posts: 2542
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Leslie settled next to Aracelis, sitting on the desk. Everything seemed cautiously under control. He took out a bottle of water and began unscrewing the plastic cap.
“Jesus fuck!” he yelled at the sudden arrival of some guy. Out of reflex Leslie whipped the bottle at the new arrival. The bottle soared and crashed against the wall a foot from guy’s head.
Leslie looked left and right, then quickly mumbled “Sorry.”
Julia, for her part, seemed unphased and after finishing her work, decided to step up to the mic and ask the assembled folks to join some ill-defined plan.
Leslie started at her.
“Yeah… Sure, we will DEFINITELY join your plan thing,” he said, eyes growing wider on the word “definitely.”
He slowly turned to Aracelis.
“Mira, Aracelis, yo se que debemos ayudar, pero este gente no paraecen tan inteligente. Creo que si nos quedamos con estas personas podemos usarlas como escudo si llega alguien peligroso. Si eso sucede, entonces correremos y dejaremos que maten a estos idiotas. ¿Estás de acuerdo?“
“Jesus fuck!” he yelled at the sudden arrival of some guy. Out of reflex Leslie whipped the bottle at the new arrival. The bottle soared and crashed against the wall a foot from guy’s head.
Leslie looked left and right, then quickly mumbled “Sorry.”
Julia, for her part, seemed unphased and after finishing her work, decided to step up to the mic and ask the assembled folks to join some ill-defined plan.
Leslie started at her.
“Yeah… Sure, we will DEFINITELY join your plan thing,” he said, eyes growing wider on the word “definitely.”
He slowly turned to Aracelis.
“Mira, Aracelis, yo se que debemos ayudar, pero este gente no paraecen tan inteligente. Creo que si nos quedamos con estas personas podemos usarlas como escudo si llega alguien peligroso. Si eso sucede, entonces correremos y dejaremos que maten a estos idiotas. ¿Estás de acuerdo?“
Aracelis started when Leslie yelped and launched a bottle of water at the new person who had stumbled inside the sheriffs' office. But luckily they weren't treated to a storm of bullets by way of reply, which was good enough for Aracelis. They had managed to get as far as they had without being shot at, and she intended to keep it that way.
After that brief pause in the talks, Julia walked across the room and outlined a grand plan. It was a plan of hope, resilience, trust and teamwork. It was inspiring, to hear how committed she seemed, how much belief she held in her own words. It was also completely doomed.
There was a pregnant pause before Leslie spoke up again, saying they'd join. For a brief moment, Aracelis looked stunned and confused, blinking her one uncovered eye. She turned as if she was going to say something to Leslie but he was already conspiratorially leaning over.
He outlined his own modification of Julia's plan. Something that if Aracelis was being honest suited her much better. Plus, given how late in the game they had been told they were, keeping extra bodies around couldn't hurt. She ran her tongue across her lips, thinking it over.
When she replied, her Spanish came out fast, matching the speed at which Leslie spoke.
"Sí, suena como un plan, solo necesitamos ser más rápidos que ellos si aparece alguien, además podemos ver si podemos lograr que compartan suministros."
After that brief pause in the talks, Julia walked across the room and outlined a grand plan. It was a plan of hope, resilience, trust and teamwork. It was inspiring, to hear how committed she seemed, how much belief she held in her own words. It was also completely doomed.
There was a pregnant pause before Leslie spoke up again, saying they'd join. For a brief moment, Aracelis looked stunned and confused, blinking her one uncovered eye. She turned as if she was going to say something to Leslie but he was already conspiratorially leaning over.
He outlined his own modification of Julia's plan. Something that if Aracelis was being honest suited her much better. Plus, given how late in the game they had been told they were, keeping extra bodies around couldn't hurt. She ran her tongue across her lips, thinking it over.
When she replied, her Spanish came out fast, matching the speed at which Leslie spoke.
"Sí, suena como un plan, solo necesitamos ser más rápidos que ellos si aparece alguien, además podemos ver si podemos lograr que compartan suministros."
"Ugh!"
David didn't have to move away from the object that clattered away to his ... left. David was just left breathing a little hard at Leslie's sudden outburst. Leslie and Aracelis were talking in Spanish. Unfortunately, David wasn't what one would call "proficient" in foreign languages. But it was what Julia said that got his gears running. An island wide ceasefire. Just get everyone to stop fighting.
"Wait, an island wide ceasefire. Just ... get everyone all over the island to stop fighting over something that happened ... what yesterday? Two days ago?" David recounted the idea in disbelief. "It can't be that simple."
David didn't know whether Leslie and Aracelis would agree with his assessment of the situation. He could only hope that his words were agreed with what they said.
David didn't have to move away from the object that clattered away to his ... left. David was just left breathing a little hard at Leslie's sudden outburst. Leslie and Aracelis were talking in Spanish. Unfortunately, David wasn't what one would call "proficient" in foreign languages. But it was what Julia said that got his gears running. An island wide ceasefire. Just get everyone to stop fighting.
"Wait, an island wide ceasefire. Just ... get everyone all over the island to stop fighting over something that happened ... what yesterday? Two days ago?" David recounted the idea in disbelief. "It can't be that simple."
David didn't know whether Leslie and Aracelis would agree with his assessment of the situation. He could only hope that his words were agreed with what they said.
Survivor: UCONN - Seriously, it's awesome!
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
In that moment, Julia felt pretty stupid.
The big Hollywood movie drama sequence that her recruitment speech had attempted to be was probably about as impressive as one of those dodgy Lifetime original movies. Her motivational speaking evidently needed some work as their faces of bemusement stared blankly back at her, as if she'd just told a really unfunny joke.
Way to make things awkward, Julia.
She felt her cheeks burning with a slice of rebellion, mixed with mostly just embarrassment. Running things back in her head it wasn't really a surprise that bewilderment and perplexity was all that she had received back.
Aracelis and Leslie spoke cryptically to each other in Spanish, unfortunately not a language she spoke past pleasantries and counting to ten. Alas, counting to ten in Spanish wasn't doing her much good now. She clung on to the hope that she would be able to somewhat understand what they were exchanging, after all lexically speaking Italian and Spanish held a very high number of similarities. Yet knowing the other romantic language didn't do any good on this occasion, the pair speaking with such speed and eloquence distorting the odd word that she could make sense of.
In a silly metaphor, Julia had already ripped off the band-aid with her first plea for a ceasefire and it was too far gone to try and work her way back out of that one now.
She thought of Lily, taking those moments of Leslie, Aracelis & David speaking to come up with her next move. Like an oddly-fitting jigsaw piece trying to be shoved in to the wrong spot of the puzzle.
"L--look..." Julia shrugged lightly.
"I know it sounds c-crazy. But..."
Before long Julia had nervously word vomited everything that was on her mind, from her encounter with Lily, the hope and the optimism that she had provided. The trouble she got herself in to, the act of insurrection that resulted in her losing her life. Salem Fox. The Salem Fox choosing not to kill her on the spot even though she was out in the open with ample opportunities for him to add her name under the rest of his growing list of victims. His hesitancy in that moment had spoken volumes, of which Julia was perhaps exaggerating slightly in the retelling.
She told them about what Lily had shared with her - the regret and the guilt mixed with the burning wildfire of insurgency.
"T-there's others too." Julia paused for a long breath, perhaps the first one since she had started her spiel.
"Marshall. I was on the mountain w-with him. He was calling for a ceasefire too. He was with..."
She felt it probably best to omit everything else that happened at that time, Kai being there and carrying Katelyn's dead body, Matthew and Shawn rocking up looking for trouble like always. All they needed to know was that they were alive still and wanting to come together in the name of peace.
It wasn't a lie. Not really. Just a shady omission of the full truth.
"He was with June," Julia nodded reassuringly. "There aren't many of us left now, and something has been off for the past two days. The explosion. The way the terrorist was speaking and the tone of his voice in the last announcement."
Julia's eyes tightened ever so slightly.
"M-maybe I'm wrong. Wrong about all of this. Maybe having hope is the worst thing for me and maybe I'll die an idiot because of that. But... I would much rather die an idiot clinging on to that hope than die an idiot with nothing left."
She felt she was losing the room, stood before them like a crazy person desperately trying to convince them of her sanity.
if the walls could talk, they would agree with her.
The big Hollywood movie drama sequence that her recruitment speech had attempted to be was probably about as impressive as one of those dodgy Lifetime original movies. Her motivational speaking evidently needed some work as their faces of bemusement stared blankly back at her, as if she'd just told a really unfunny joke.
Way to make things awkward, Julia.
She felt her cheeks burning with a slice of rebellion, mixed with mostly just embarrassment. Running things back in her head it wasn't really a surprise that bewilderment and perplexity was all that she had received back.
Aracelis and Leslie spoke cryptically to each other in Spanish, unfortunately not a language she spoke past pleasantries and counting to ten. Alas, counting to ten in Spanish wasn't doing her much good now. She clung on to the hope that she would be able to somewhat understand what they were exchanging, after all lexically speaking Italian and Spanish held a very high number of similarities. Yet knowing the other romantic language didn't do any good on this occasion, the pair speaking with such speed and eloquence distorting the odd word that she could make sense of.
In a silly metaphor, Julia had already ripped off the band-aid with her first plea for a ceasefire and it was too far gone to try and work her way back out of that one now.
She thought of Lily, taking those moments of Leslie, Aracelis & David speaking to come up with her next move. Like an oddly-fitting jigsaw piece trying to be shoved in to the wrong spot of the puzzle.
"L--look..." Julia shrugged lightly.
"I know it sounds c-crazy. But..."
Before long Julia had nervously word vomited everything that was on her mind, from her encounter with Lily, the hope and the optimism that she had provided. The trouble she got herself in to, the act of insurrection that resulted in her losing her life. Salem Fox. The Salem Fox choosing not to kill her on the spot even though she was out in the open with ample opportunities for him to add her name under the rest of his growing list of victims. His hesitancy in that moment had spoken volumes, of which Julia was perhaps exaggerating slightly in the retelling.
She told them about what Lily had shared with her - the regret and the guilt mixed with the burning wildfire of insurgency.
"T-there's others too." Julia paused for a long breath, perhaps the first one since she had started her spiel.
"Marshall. I was on the mountain w-with him. He was calling for a ceasefire too. He was with..."
She felt it probably best to omit everything else that happened at that time, Kai being there and carrying Katelyn's dead body, Matthew and Shawn rocking up looking for trouble like always. All they needed to know was that they were alive still and wanting to come together in the name of peace.
It wasn't a lie. Not really. Just a shady omission of the full truth.
"He was with June," Julia nodded reassuringly. "There aren't many of us left now, and something has been off for the past two days. The explosion. The way the terrorist was speaking and the tone of his voice in the last announcement."
Julia's eyes tightened ever so slightly.
"M-maybe I'm wrong. Wrong about all of this. Maybe having hope is the worst thing for me and maybe I'll die an idiot because of that. But... I would much rather die an idiot clinging on to that hope than die an idiot with nothing left."
She felt she was losing the room, stood before them like a crazy person desperately trying to convince them of her sanity.
if the walls could talk, they would agree with her.
-
Ruggahissy
- Posts: 2542
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Leslie would have hoped the walls couldn't talk because this was the second time he threw something at them, so it probably would have been more like swearing.
"Compartir... suministros" Leslie repeated, a little amused that the euphemisms carried over even into a language only the two of them knew. Maybe they didn't code their speech for the sake of others.
"OK," he said simply. "We already said yes. I mean, I did and then we had a family meeting," he said, looking at Aracelis and nodding slightly.
Leslie packed up the medical supplies and put them in his bag.
Leslie didn't care about Marshall, didn't care about June, didn't really give a fuck about whatever happened to the guy who was asking questions, wasn't interested in placating this girl about whether or not she was an idiot or whether or not optimism was good, nor any of the other bullshit that you can have the luxury of caring about when you aren't trying to keep you and one other person alive.
"Compartir... suministros" Leslie repeated, a little amused that the euphemisms carried over even into a language only the two of them knew. Maybe they didn't code their speech for the sake of others.
"OK," he said simply. "We already said yes. I mean, I did and then we had a family meeting," he said, looking at Aracelis and nodding slightly.
Leslie packed up the medical supplies and put them in his bag.
Leslie didn't care about Marshall, didn't care about June, didn't really give a fuck about whatever happened to the guy who was asking questions, wasn't interested in placating this girl about whether or not she was an idiot or whether or not optimism was good, nor any of the other bullshit that you can have the luxury of caring about when you aren't trying to keep you and one other person alive.
Aracelis nodded in a mirror of Leslie’s own, adding physical confirmation of her agreement to the implied agreement Leslie had outlined. They were going to “join” Julia in her plan, what it amounted to was that would travel around with her. But as soon as anyone or anything dangerous came by they would be gone. Aracelis had no intention of putting her life on the line for anyone aside from Leslie.
Like Leslie Aracelis also didn’t care about what Julia told them. Marshall and June didn’t mean anything to her, she hadn’t met either of them and couldn’t remember their names on any announcements so unless they were also going to be around to catch bullets for her like the Secret Service she didn’t care.
“Leslie convinced me.” Aracelis said with a shrug as she pushed herself off the desk and onto her feet. “We’ll come along.”
She gently tapped the end of her baseball bat on the floor.
It was good Julia was prepared to die an idiot, since she seemed intent on doing everything in her power to achieve that outcome.
“You got any water?” Aracelis suddenly asked her, “I feel super dehydrated.”
“Then you can tell us step one of this plan.”
Like Leslie Aracelis also didn’t care about what Julia told them. Marshall and June didn’t mean anything to her, she hadn’t met either of them and couldn’t remember their names on any announcements so unless they were also going to be around to catch bullets for her like the Secret Service she didn’t care.
“Leslie convinced me.” Aracelis said with a shrug as she pushed herself off the desk and onto her feet. “We’ll come along.”
She gently tapped the end of her baseball bat on the floor.
It was good Julia was prepared to die an idiot, since she seemed intent on doing everything in her power to achieve that outcome.
“You got any water?” Aracelis suddenly asked her, “I feel super dehydrated.”
“Then you can tell us step one of this plan.”
There was no way that this could work, right? Julia was still trying to convince them that it was possible (or was it herself?). Both Leslie and Aracelis were playing along ... for now. Safer for him to just stay with the group, maybe. He'd just have to watch them to make sure that the worst they did was just leave them. Or maybe he could join them, too. David had his doubts on such a plan and was only looking to make it as far as he
“This is the Interpol Incident Response team and SEALs. Your collars should no longer be active and you are not being monitored. Please make your way to the beach as soon as possible. You're going home.”
David's head turned slowly in the direction of the noise. The voice was different. Not Danya's, and hopefully honest.
David just turned back to Julia. "I think your plan might work."
“This is the Interpol Incident Response team and SEALs. Your collars should no longer be active and you are not being monitored. Please make your way to the beach as soon as possible. You're going home.”
David's head turned slowly in the direction of the noise. The voice was different. Not Danya's, and hopefully honest.
David just turned back to Julia. "I think your plan might work."
Survivor: UCONN - Seriously, it's awesome!
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE
Version 8
S001: KAEDE TSURUMI: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!" Status: ACTIVE
S024: VICTOR GRAIL: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all." Status: ACTIVE
S103: JOAN LEAVEN Status: ACTIVE
S129: DAVID WORTH: Status: ACTIVE