See The Needy Greedy Me We Bleed To Feed So Easily
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2018 4:03 am
((Penelope Fitzgerald continued from Haunted Reality))
Day four had been largely uneventful.
Penelope and Ben stood atop the roof of the asylum, looking out into the distance as the sun set.
She sipped from her water bottle that had been filled the day before with rainwater. The third announcements had reminded her so succinctly of the emptiness she had been feeling since she had arrived on the island and that had been steadily growing as the days went by. More deaths, the lives of entire people reduced to just a single sentence making fun of them for dying and mocking anyone and everyone who loved them in the process.
"More deaths... why... why can't they... why don't they see that this is all so wrong?"
'They're the ones we avoid, I guess. Gotta remember the names. Find the other ones that haven't been said yet, before it's too late.'
"I know I just... I don't want any more violence... none of this is fair... none of us deserve this..."
'Not gonna argue that... I looked a killer in the eye. I used to trust him. Used to think he was a friend, but well...' He pointed at his arm. 'We don't deserve it. We shouldn't fucking be here. But we're here, it's happening to us... We have a plan. About all that's left.'
"..."
It had hurt, hearing the names listed off, but what had hurt more was the fact that she didn't feel as hurt as she had felt listening to the first and second announcements. Maybe it was because the only name she really knew in those announcements was Henry's, and even then she didn't feel nearly as much hurt hearing his name as she had hearing Cristo's name or Sam's name...
She shook slightly, before gritting her teeth and regaining her composure. She briefly glanced at Ben before laying her head on his shoulder in an effort to calm herself.
More than likely she was just growing used to hearing about the deaths every single day. She was starting to care less and less, bit by bit, and realizing that tore her up inside.
And she knew that everyone else had to die if she succeeded. There would be no survivors of the kidnapping.
"I wish there was more that we could do than just condemn everyone to death in protest. I wish we could actually save everyone"
'Shit, I've never been the smart one. If we could find your friends maybe you guys would have the brain power to crack the code...'
'I guess if I have to die... Don't want to die the villain. Definitely others on this damn island who still think the same.'
"Y-yeah. Probably. Hero or martyr, it's better than turning into the bad guy yourself."
Escape from this situation was impossible. How could she possibly outsmart some of the most brilliant evil minds alive as a random girl that hadn't even graduated high school? She would just get herself killed. There was no option to be a hero, the only option was to be a martyr.
She would lament about how the only life she would ever live was going to tragically end early before it had even truly begun, but she just wasn't that kind of person. If it wasn't her life cut tragically short, it would have been someone else's instead. She didn't deserve to live any more than anyone else. She was one unimportant drop in an ocean of people. She would be forgotten quickly, and the effect she'd had on the world would be minimal at best... but she was okay with that.
The orange sky grew dark as the sun set below the horizon.
Penelope lifted her head off of Ben's shoulder, looking him in the eyes silently before taking his hand in hers.
"Let's get out of here, find a place to sleep."
Day four had been largely uneventful.
Penelope and Ben stood atop the roof of the asylum, looking out into the distance as the sun set.
She sipped from her water bottle that had been filled the day before with rainwater. The third announcements had reminded her so succinctly of the emptiness she had been feeling since she had arrived on the island and that had been steadily growing as the days went by. More deaths, the lives of entire people reduced to just a single sentence making fun of them for dying and mocking anyone and everyone who loved them in the process.
"More deaths... why... why can't they... why don't they see that this is all so wrong?"
'They're the ones we avoid, I guess. Gotta remember the names. Find the other ones that haven't been said yet, before it's too late.'
"I know I just... I don't want any more violence... none of this is fair... none of us deserve this..."
'Not gonna argue that... I looked a killer in the eye. I used to trust him. Used to think he was a friend, but well...' He pointed at his arm. 'We don't deserve it. We shouldn't fucking be here. But we're here, it's happening to us... We have a plan. About all that's left.'
"..."
It had hurt, hearing the names listed off, but what had hurt more was the fact that she didn't feel as hurt as she had felt listening to the first and second announcements. Maybe it was because the only name she really knew in those announcements was Henry's, and even then she didn't feel nearly as much hurt hearing his name as she had hearing Cristo's name or Sam's name...
She shook slightly, before gritting her teeth and regaining her composure. She briefly glanced at Ben before laying her head on his shoulder in an effort to calm herself.
More than likely she was just growing used to hearing about the deaths every single day. She was starting to care less and less, bit by bit, and realizing that tore her up inside.
And she knew that everyone else had to die if she succeeded. There would be no survivors of the kidnapping.
"I wish there was more that we could do than just condemn everyone to death in protest. I wish we could actually save everyone"
'Shit, I've never been the smart one. If we could find your friends maybe you guys would have the brain power to crack the code...'
'I guess if I have to die... Don't want to die the villain. Definitely others on this damn island who still think the same.'
"Y-yeah. Probably. Hero or martyr, it's better than turning into the bad guy yourself."
Escape from this situation was impossible. How could she possibly outsmart some of the most brilliant evil minds alive as a random girl that hadn't even graduated high school? She would just get herself killed. There was no option to be a hero, the only option was to be a martyr.
She would lament about how the only life she would ever live was going to tragically end early before it had even truly begun, but she just wasn't that kind of person. If it wasn't her life cut tragically short, it would have been someone else's instead. She didn't deserve to live any more than anyone else. She was one unimportant drop in an ocean of people. She would be forgotten quickly, and the effect she'd had on the world would be minimal at best... but she was okay with that.
The orange sky grew dark as the sun set below the horizon.
Penelope lifted her head off of Ben's shoulder, looking him in the eyes silently before taking his hand in hers.
"Let's get out of here, find a place to sleep."