Survival Of The Fittest

Hayley had the odd idea that she wasn't the only one distracted.

I'm right about this. I know I'm right about this! I'm not the only one. They get it, they understand. They don't want to die either. The fact that they're still here, with me, proves that they're...well, they're not okay with killing, can't say that, but they're at least desensitized to it enough that they can swallow the idea of killing Liz Polanski. Of course, only one of us can do it. Only one of us can have prize.

It should be me. Will be me. they don't have the guts She partook in some mental revisionism. ...I've already killed. It won't make me any worse off in everyone's eyes for killing her. It won't change me. Who knows what it'll do to them? Yeah, it would only be the right thing to do.

Right thing to do. Yeah. No selfishness at all.

Hayley blinked down at the map, trying to concentrate on the taste at hand. After all, they weren't hunting for Liz Polanski- where would they even start? it wasn't like Danya had given them any hints- no, right now their priority was finding Alex and Maddy before some bad shit went down. She nodded absentmindedly at Ema and Kyle's suggestions.

"Yeah, the forest seems like a good bet. Gotta be careful, though. If they got lost in there we might too. Especially considering that I have the sense of direction of...something with a crappy sense of direction." What has a crap sense of direction? I don't even know. I need to look these things up when I get- right. Nevermind. "So one of you ought to keep direction. I'm gonna stay up front- I've got the gun and all that jazz- but someone ought to tell me which way we're going."

She wasn't sure whether to expect a protest at that. It was only logical that she stay in the front- she had the best weapon, if someone came running at them she'd sure as hell be able to stop it- but it seemed fairly likely that Kyle would insist on taking point. Well, he's smart. He knows this makes the most sense. Actually what would make the most sense to him would probably be giving him my gun for the trip, and, hah, as if. My gun. My Vera.

She stretched, shaking out her limbs- a full day of sitting around had left her stiff but eager to get moving again. She vaguely considered changing clothes again- this might be her last chance, after all- but then decided against it, figuring that sitting around the hut hadn't exactly gotten her dirty. She did give herself thirty seconds to fix her eyeliner before replacing her makeup in her daypack along with The Color of Magic.

"So. We'll be going now, then? No sense in waiting around all day for nothing to happen. Again." She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, wait, just a second-"

She retrieved her own duffel bag- she felt rather sorry about leaving it here again, but truthfully it would only slow her down- and dug out another garment. A light jacket, forced onto her by her mother who insisted the nights might be cold. They weren't, Hayley knew now by experience, but at least now she'd have pockets.

Hayley grabbed her second- and last- pack of cigarettes, along with her lighter, and put them in her new pockets. After a moment of misgivings, she opened that pack, flipped over her lucky, and lit the first cigarette of the last pack of her life.

Probably.

"Now we're ready."

And she walked out the door.

[[Hayley Kelly continued in Make/Break]]

Opinions were shared, maps gotten out, decisions made. Kyle suggested the woods, to which Hayley gave the very response Ema was about to herself, and it was settled that they'd search there, and if that turned up fruitless, they'd go check the Gazebo. Or that's how Ema interpreted it at least. She wondered, briefly, what exactly they meant by a gazebo. It was an odd word, one she'd heard before but never really known the meaning of. Some sort of outdoor shelter kind of thing, probably. It seemed like it should be one, given the few contexts she'd heard it used.
"You're thinking about this too much, get a move on."

"So. We'll be going now, then? No sense in waiting around all day for nothing to happen. Again."

No time like the present, as the saying goes. Ema likewise extricated herself from the sofa, packed away her loose things which she'd been too lazy to sort out the previous evening, and made ready to get moving.

"Oh, wait, just a second-"

She paused halfway through shifting her coat into a more comfortable position about her shoulders, thinking Hayley had something important to say. As it turned out, it was just a pause to get a jacket and yet another cigarette. Probably just the tension, but Ema was pretty sure Hayley had never smoked as much as this beforehand. Or maybe she was just remembering wrong. Either or, really.

"Now we're ready."

Regardless, she somewhat mirrored the gesture, grabbing a lollypop - from the stash of junk food transferred to her daypack the previous day - and putting in in her mouth before zipping up the bag and slinging it over her shoulder. The weight, although slightly increased by the few things she'd kept from her personal belongings, was comfortingly familiar, in an odd way. Putting the strange thought from her mind, Ema shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans - briefly noting that she'd been wearing them for four nights straight - adopted her usual semi-slouching posture, and followed Hayley outside, looking back through the open door to make sure Kyle was bringing up the rear.

She caught up to Hayley, and with a wry grin and a tone layered with sarcasm, commented; "Those things'll kill you, you know."

[Ema Ryan --> Make/Break]

Hayley agreed with Kyle's assessment of the situation. After some dithering about not getting lost (a ludicrous notion. Kyle was never lost. He was occasionally misplaced, but never lost), she gathered some additional clothing and another cig. It was all Kyle could do to keep himself from straightening her clothing and hair- a habit that would be adorable back home, but here was nothing more than a needless distraction.

With everyone prepared to leave, Kyle again shouldered his day pack. His impromptu carved spear settled nicely in his left hand. And then they left.

((Kyle Portman continued elsewhere....))