Prayer for the Someone Who Is Somewhere Dying

The first floor is the reception and lobby. There are many plastic chairs in front of the desk. A murky fish tank no longer has any water in it; a few small fish skeletons litter the bottom of the tank, atop multicolored pebbles. Behind the desk are several phones and racks and racks of patient files, though all of the information on the files has been blacked out. Past the desk are several offices with white sheets thrown over the desks. Further down are the emergency rooms. Gurneys covered in dried blood and brown splatters on the floors have not been cleaned.
Ciel*
Posts: 859
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:30 am

Prayer for the Someone Who Is Somewhere Dying

#1

Post by Ciel* »

Mallory wasn't killed in the hospital. She was carried by someone else and dumped at the entrance. Could have been alive long after she was shot.

It was all pure deduction, really. The first place people turn to when someone is wounded is a hospital, and the knot tied around Mallory's leg suggested a hasty repair.

The other bodies, they appeared to have fallen on their own terms. Whoever carried Mallory in dropped her like a sack of potatoes.

Ami Flynn found herself clenching her fists tightly. She tried to relax. Tried.

No respect for the dead.

...

(Ami Flynn continued from Tell No Tales.)

Ami needed a cigarette. She didn't look like the type to smoke. American Spirit, it was supposedly addictive-free, but staring down at Mallory's corpse and noting she looked more asleep than dead, peaceful in a way, she craved an entire pack, all at once. She wished she could, too, her father found her pack the morning of and... That was how the fight began. And. Well. Not even a lighter, so far as she knew.

It all lead back to her father, of course. Everything did, somehow. If he were with her now, he wouldn't have thrown Mallory's corpse on the floor. The body looked in fine condition despite having been out in the open for a few days. Open casket, maybe. Bet she could have worn the same shirt she had on. Ami had trouble imagining Mallory with a dress. Her father would have insisted on her wearing something else. But the outfit she had on, with the Seahawks, fit her pretty well.

Ami smiled despite herself. She remembered that Mallory liked football. Never did understand that. That was just the sort of person Mallory was.

She looked around, shining her flashlight on the other two bodies. Carlon and Alex. She didn't know them, just their names. They weren't friends like Mallory was, but she stared at them too all the same.

It was beginning to rain. People would be coming, she realized. They were probably already there, further inside. They would have to come through the front doors to get inside. It wouldn't be very smart to stay there though. If she was going to take shelter, she'd have to move away from the entrance too.

But, no. This wasn't right. It just wasn't. Not just for Mallory but for Carlon and Alex too.

Behind the front counter, there were offices. She found what she was looking for soon enough; large sheets. She tugged a few of them off the desks, dragging them across the floor.

With both hands she held the corners of the sheets, throwing them so that they covered each corpse. It was as close to a burial as they were going to get so she made sure they were covered fully. Carlon first, then Alex. Would her father be proud? She hoped so. Saving Mallory for very last, she picked her flashlight back up and dragged the last sheet over to her. Ami was about to, too, when the speakers went on.

That was when she remembered. She stopped on a dime.

"Yukiko Sakurai expired a good while after having her head smacked against a truck by Jenna Rhodes."

...

"Just goes to show that you should be careful how you handle your friends. They can break easily."

...

"Ami Flynn demonstrated much the same, when she bludgeoned Sara Cor-"

She let out a shrill scream and chucked the flashlight. The flashlight went out as it hit the wall, plunging her into darkness. Her eyes could have adjusted if she hadn't shut them The cloth she had in her other hand fell too, fluttering to the floor.

Her hands tugged at her hair as she stood there, doing absolutely nothing.

Eventually she would shuffle until her back pressed against the wall. When she did, she slid until she clattered onto the ground. Palms tied turned upward, head lolling, eyes staring at the opposite wall, no Holy Marys or Hail Fathers, silence, not simmering, silent.

Outside, the rain came harder. Ami Flynn let it infect her ears until all she could hear was white noise.
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Latin For Dragula
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#2

Post by Latin For Dragula »

((Garrett Wilde Continued From Internecine))

Garrett checked his materials under a balcony jutting from the hospital's side. This was a safe place to set up out of the rain, as long as he kept track of the papers. He would have preferred to get inside first, but it was announcement time. They were always at the same time. He'd become better at getting ready over the last five days. Bella and Matt stood nearby, staying out of the rain with him while he worked.

He edited Katarina and Hansel's sheets, as well as creating ones for Travis, Stacey, and Eliza. When Theo's name was read, he merely crumpled up the sheets and tossed them into the rain in front of him.

Ian's name came like a slap in the face. He nearly missed the next set while taking it in. Perhaps he'd just been lucky, but so far no one he'd consider truly close to him had ended up as a killer. It was something that didn't even factor into his plan. As he scrawled the name down on the list of kill tallies, though, he had to consider what would happen if Ian killed again. And maybe again. And again.

If he crossed the thresh-hold and started a pattern, what would they do?

He decided not to think about that.

"Let's get out of the rain, yeah?"

Yesterday was still weighing heavily on all of their minds. He considered that a good sign. What happened shouldn't fade fast. It was going to happen a lot more, unless they were really lucky, but the second they started getting used to it was the second they might as well throw themselves on the list.

He pressed open the door to the hospital slowly, making sure to look around carefully as they entered. It was dark. It took his eyes a little while to adjust. As soon as they did, he bolted forward. He saw Ami Flynn.

Ami Flynn surrounded by what appeared to be covered bodies.

Thoughts raced through his mind as he rushed towards her. She killed yesterday. Sara, I just wrote her name down. She must have killed again. Killed a lot. It didn't occur to him that he didn't have the knife out. He didn't have any sort of plan. His body just...reacted, spurring him towards the carnage to catch her while she appeared to be unaware.

A breeze in his wake caught one of the sheets. He glanced down, and noticed a familiar face. In an instant, he realized he was wrong. Ami hadn't killed these people, at least not this one. He'd been dead for a few days. Garrett hadn't let his name sink in when it was read, or when he wrote it down, or in Makatala's notes, or even when Cammy had mentioned seeing his death. He'd kept it pushed away as a personal distraction that distracted him from the greater goal.

Looking down at Carlon's slowly decaying face stirred something in him, though. Maybe it was the fact that this was the first true friend he'd found dead. Maybe it was how fresh the memory of Jaq's death was in his mind. Maybe it was the fact that just a few minutes ago, he'd been thinking about how he might have to kill a similar friend, and now he couldn't look towards Carlon without seeing Ian, with his blood on Garrett's knife as he lay on the floor. Maybe all of these caused him to stumble over the sheet as his body spasmed from a sudden dry heave, made him crash to his knees and catch himself painfully on his hands, made the flood of emotions he'd been holding back for five days finally come bursting out as he wept uncontrollably next to the corpse.

Maybe it was foolish. But for the moment, he just couldn't care.
[+] SotF Characters
[+] V5 Characters
ImageG056, Alda Abbate(Adopted)
It was difficult to nail down exactly when the anger started. Remembering a time when it wasn't there, coiled up and waiting to strike or alive and thrashing, was growing more and more challenging. It'd been with her for so long that it no longer felt like an intruder in her mind. It felt like a part of her.
ImageB062, Garrett Wilde
I multiplied. Then I subtracted. That's what we do now. That's how we keep the most people around.
ImageB014, Joachim Lovelace(Adopted)
Your turn.
[+] V6 Characters

ImageG037, Abby Floyd:This place was vile. Overwhelmingly, terribly vile. Character Theme: Everything's Alright-Emily Scholz
ImageB016, Ty Yazzie: You ever wonder if you still got a home to go back to? Character Theme: Warrior People-Medicine For The People
ImageIsaac Brea(Adopted from Espi): Isaac's well of fucks was bone-dry. Character Theme: The Whiskey, The Liar, The Thief-Patent Pending
ImageG011, Caedyn Miller:So...how did you wanna do this? Feeling an open casket? Or is that dumb? Nah, don't say it, that's dumb. We'll be soup by the time they send us home anyway. Character Theme: Sleep-My Chemical Romance
ImageG032, Irene Djezari(Adopted from CicadaDays): Death was not worse than Meme Hell. Character Theme: A Beautiful Lie-30 Seconds To Mars
[+] V7 Characters
ImageB066, Blaise d'Aramitz: I am not fucking dabbing on a corpse, Carl. Character Theme: The Nurse Who Loved Me-A Perfect Circle
ImageG032, Helena 'Hel" Fury: I hope my family’s waiting. The one I made out here. I hope you’ll be a part of it again. Character Theme: Fix Me-10 YearsImage
ImageB073, Jeremiah Anderson: "GO--GO--GO." Character theme: The Big Sleep-Murder By Death
ImageG066, Marco Hart: I'm not satisfied anymore. I don't think I'd want to be if I could. Character theme: Maurice's Monsters-Small Leaks Sink Ships
ImageG080, Nikki Nelson-Kelly: The fools. The morons. The aBsOlUtE cReTiNs. Character Theme: Movement-The Whip
ImageG062, Tonya Collins: The girl, the person, the thing, the shape on the screen, that wasn't her. Character Theme: Get Down-Isador
Sansa
Posts: 364
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:47 pm

#3

Post by Sansa »

More people had killed and more people were dead. It was the same old news, the same things she'd heard time and time again, but that didn't lessen the sting of Danya's words, nor did it make the cuts seem any less deep. She was able to disregard the names of those with whom she wasn't acquainted, but this time they were unfortunately few in number. It wasn't until the crackle of the speakers and the dulcet tones of their announcer's voice faded away that she let any of it sink in. Megan was dead, the escape having completely and utterly failed. She'd lost hope in its success once she'd fled from the group; the fervour displayed by their leader and her hopeless idealism having been fully drained from her system once she'd left, but the knowledge that one of her best friends had died as a result of some naïve plot made her stomach drop, made her woozy and struggle to stand. Michelle was dead too, another one of the swimming girls gone. Herself, Rosemary, Meera, Jessica; it was just four of them left now, just four remaining of a group of girls that'd once been so tight-knit.

And Ian had killed.

Ian couldn't be like the others, could he? He couldn't be like the irredeemable monsters he'd been listed alongside. She'd travelled with him, talked with him, trusted him. Was it her fault? Had her staying with him been the only thing preventing him from killing? It seemed a fairly egotistical thing to think, but there was some logic to it, wasn't there? And wasn't her reasoning behind Hansel and Garrett the same? If anybody other than her boyfriend had suggested what Garrett had, then she would've likely labeled the plans as deplorable. But it was different with Garrett, because he had to be right.

She just had to keep praying that she never laid eyes on either Hansel or Ian ever again.

((Mirabella Strong continued from Internecine))

Bella hadn't spoken much since they'd left the Aviary, but this time it wasn't through choice.

There just hadn't been anything to say, and despite that Bella had to fight a growing urge to start up a conversation, to talk about something, anything, just to make sure that her Garrett hadn't fallen over the edge. The internal ultimatum she'd made with herself was all for him, and she didn't know what she'd do if she was further sacrificing her once-precious morals for someone who was too far gone. She'd mulled over her decision for awhile, trying to come at it from as many angles as possible without falling into the introspection and nerves that'd caused her so much trouble so far. It was the right and logical thing to do, but in spite of that she couldn't help but feel more than a little apprehensive about it. Garrett made it look so easy; but then again, he made everything look easy.

They approached the hospital drenched in rain and glided through the entranceway, Bella scarcely taking in any of her surroundings as she followed Garrett; eventually finding herself in the lobby and surrounded by corpses. Her eyes widened as she gazed over in the bloody sight before her, but before she could take it in or fully comprehend the nature of the scene, she noticed Ami pressed against a wall, fists clenched and eyes looking at nothing in particular. For a moment, Bella wondered if that's what she looked like, back in the Streets, before the realisation of where they were and what was happening finally hit her. Ami was a friend of hers; not an exceedingly good one, but a friend at that. And a murderer too.

Bella took a step backwards, retracting inwardly. She hadn't expected to find herself face to face with another killer so soon, and especially so soon after the kill must've taken place.

"Ami..." She began to whisper, taking a few steps towards her. Garrett had approached Jaquilyn with diplomacy and calmness, so it only made sense for her to do something similar. Before she could do anything else, however, she heard a soft wail nearby, as her Garrett collapsed beside one of the bodies; that of Carlon Wheeler. Her heart caught in her chest as she saw his distress and she hurried towards him, any regard for talking with Ami lost as she knelt by his side, gently rubbing her palm against his back.

There'd be other killers, but there would only ever be one Garrett.

"Shh, love," she whispered, attempting to make her voice sound as soothing as possible in spite of the tears that threatened to surface. "It'll be okay, love. I'm here for you. Don't worry."
Will*
Posts: 124
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:24 am

#4

Post by Will* »

((Finn Grant continued from A Classy Place to Meet))

Finn was slumped up against a wall in one of the corridors leading down from reception. He was as white as a sheet, and if it wasn't for the fact that he was breathing heavily, he could have been mistaken for being dead by any passersby. He made a poor job of stitching up the gash on his calf and had spent most of day five cleaning the wound, re-bandaging it and taking pills to ease the pain. Finn had run out of medical supplies later that day, so on the early morning of day six, he made his way to the hospital.

After roughly two hours of being at the hospital, the morning announcement came on. One of the first things announced was the incident at the hotel on day four between himself, Mara, Summer, Sophie and Alex. Finn thought it was a bit strange they didn't state it on the day five announcement, they must have forgotten. What he found even stranger was that Mara's name wasn't read off the death list. There must have been a mistake, Finn had seen Mara with his own eyes, she was dead. He didn't check her body though, he was too scared. That must mean Mara was still alive. He was such an idiot, he should have checked on her. Now Mara was out there on her own and it was his fault.

Slipping further down the wall, Finn flung his hands onto his face. As he continued to think about Mara, even worse news was announced. Miranda and Kat had been killed by Stacy Ramsey. Finn felt a lump form in his throat. He wanted to cry but no tears formed, only dry sobs. He'd spent more time crying in the past six days than he had in past six years. He felt empty: emotionally and physically drained. All his friends were dead, sure there was still Mara, but no doubt she'd die soon enough, especially if she was still in the state she was in when he last saw her. Stacy would pay for this.

There was a scream and several voices coming from reception. If this were a few days ago then Finn would have hightailed it out of there right there and then. However, currently he was injured and on his own. He wouldn't be able to survive out here for long if he continued the way he was. He was going to have to adapt.

Using the wall for support, Finn slowly got up from the floor. With his bag over his shoulder, Finn stumbled down the corridor to reception.

"Hello?" Finn called out with a croaky voice. Turning the corner into reception, Finn was encountered by four people and several bodies.

"My leg's been hurt, can you help me please?"

He looked at each of his classmates briefly, he recognised their faces but no names initially popped into his head. They seemed to be pretty upset, perhaps now wasn't the best time to ask for assistance.
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BROseidon*
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#5

Post by BROseidon* »

((Matt Vartoogian continued from Internicine))

Matt was smirking, just a little bit.

Theo's name came up on the announcements, and Matt's lips instinctively curled just a bit. He made sure to cut it off before it had turned into a full blown chuckle, but the smirk was there. Half of the smirk was of celebration; Theo's early killing sent him to an early grave. The evidence was there that Matt was doing this right, letting other people mess up before him. Half of the smirk was in mourning of his friend. He couldn't afford to linger on that half, though. There would be therapists when he got out of this mess.

Now Matt found himself inside the hospital, face to face with Ami. She had just killed, hadn't she? That quiet book girl Sara. Ami was probably dangerous. He would let Garrett take the–

Why was Garrett on the floor weeping? God dammit he didn't want to have to deal with this shit. Garrett was going to be the one to take care of the killers. He didn't want to have to talk, that was Garrett's job.

And of course Bella was on the ground making sure Garrett was okay. Great, now he had to deal with Ami.

"Ami, so," Matt began quietly, pausing as he collected his thoughts. He didn't know quite how to approach the situation. "What –"

Matt's attention was interrupted by Finn. For someone who normally looked so stunning, Finn looked like shit. His right leg was mangled in a way that made Matt want to pass out.

"Uh, yeah, Finn. Let me help you with that," Matt switched gears almost immediately to helping Finn. He dropped his bag and quickly dug for the medical equipment. They'd been given bandages, right?

"And you, Matt said at Ami as he dug through his bag. "You try anything funny, and you're fucking dead. Got it? Killing us now is just asking for our friends to kill you later, ya hear?"

Matt found the bandages and held them up at Finn, to show that he was unarmed. He started moving towards the boy.

"So what the fuck happened to you?"
Ciel*
Posts: 859
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:30 am

#6

Post by Ciel* »

Ami saw Garrett before the door even fully opened. Her eyes, already adjusted to the dark, caught the sound of the door and the outline of his face. She didn't react though, merely kept him in the corner of her eye. His body jerked, and immediately she knew it wasn't just because of the bodies. It didn't surprise her. It would have surprised her if he smiled and waved.

Ami's features softened, the corners of her lips turning downwards. But she did not say anything else. She stared at Bella, noting the sympathy in her voice. It was a good thing Garrett started crying because Mirabella missed the moment when Ami's frown changed into a full-on sneer. It did not last for very long. It disappeared when Ami realized Bella had moved on to someone else. What else was new?

When you grow up with cadavers in your basement, you get used to a lot of things. The smell of steak being left out for days on end. Walking in on your uncle with a corpse's chest opened up. And people grieving. Crying is a natural reaction, it's more selfish relief than anything.

So when Ami saw Garrett hunched over Carlon's bloodied corpse, one word to describe her reaction would be underwhelmed. When Bella went over to press her hand against her back, she felt nothing. Mallory was still fresh in her mind, not to mention everything else, and she just couldn't find herself caring all that much.

Then Matt Vartoogian said something. He looked away from her, at something out of view.  He said for her not to try anything. Acting like she was about to leap at them and rip them apart like a wild animal.

"Fuck you." Her eyes said. Her mouth stayed closed.

She turned her head down and started staring at the patterns along the floor. Then her attention returned to Garrett and Mira. The crying was making her headache worse. She reached her hand up and almost rubbed at her eye. Then she remembered the blood staining her hands and thought better of it.

She couldn't hear the rain anymore, just Garrett crying.

"They were here when I arrived. The other two are Alex Ripley and Mallory McCormick. Somebody dragged Mallory here, god only knows why. They probably thought they could help her here." She sat up straight against the wall. "Didn't check the other two. So far as I know, they died here at the same time."

It occurred to her that neither of them could have been listening to her. Ami turned her head to look down the hallway, seeing Matt and Finn Grant. Pretty boy. Looked like he was hurt, not as pretty as he usually was. Her attention did not linger for very long. It seemed to be waning, flipping from one place to the other without any rationality.

"I was the one who put the sheets on."

If it was any consolation for her, the sheet meant for Mallory was covering her face.
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Latin For Dragula
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#7

Post by Latin For Dragula »

Garrett wanted to believe Bella as he listened to her soft words and felt her softer touch. He needed time to process everything and sort out the sickening feeling in his gut. Nothing would be better than retreating inward and sorting things out with her, seeking shelter from every new horrible decision and just finding a new center.

That's what he wanted, but it was impossible. There were too many voices, too much movement around him. Beyond Bella, he heard Matt speaking to someone, something about an injury. He also heard him threaten Ami. For some reason, that made him feel angry. His hands on the floor clenched into tight balls. Stupid. Stupid Stupid Stupid.

Everything was falling apart. Ami wasn't one of their targets. She didn't fit the profile yet, and Matt was pushing her closer and closer with his hostility. His instinct screamed for him to get up and try to get control back. He could find out why Ami killed Sara. He could figure out who was injured and why. He could get the group solidified and figure out their next move.

Except he couldn't stop crying. Every time he tried to push up or choke the tears back, reality smashed into his psyche again. He could smell the death in the room, so much more thick and virulent than it had been with Gabby, or Joey, or Bianca. It felt like it was saturating the air around him, coating his clothes and seeping into his pores until he could never be rid of it.

Another dry heave racked up through his chest into his throat at the thought. If he kept dwelling, the next one would bring vomit. In a small, weak way, he was determined to not get to that point. Shakily, he pushed himself up on his knuckles, and stared over at Ami.

"Why?"

A handful of questions could have finished the question. Why did you kill Sara? Why did you shroud the bodies? Why are you here? Why are you just standing there? Why haven't you tried anything yet?

The word was left to stand on its own, though. For the moment, it was all he could choke out.
[+] SotF Characters
[+] V5 Characters
ImageG056, Alda Abbate(Adopted)
It was difficult to nail down exactly when the anger started. Remembering a time when it wasn't there, coiled up and waiting to strike or alive and thrashing, was growing more and more challenging. It'd been with her for so long that it no longer felt like an intruder in her mind. It felt like a part of her.
ImageB062, Garrett Wilde
I multiplied. Then I subtracted. That's what we do now. That's how we keep the most people around.
ImageB014, Joachim Lovelace(Adopted)
Your turn.
[+] V6 Characters

ImageG037, Abby Floyd:This place was vile. Overwhelmingly, terribly vile. Character Theme: Everything's Alright-Emily Scholz
ImageB016, Ty Yazzie: You ever wonder if you still got a home to go back to? Character Theme: Warrior People-Medicine For The People
ImageIsaac Brea(Adopted from Espi): Isaac's well of fucks was bone-dry. Character Theme: The Whiskey, The Liar, The Thief-Patent Pending
ImageG011, Caedyn Miller:So...how did you wanna do this? Feeling an open casket? Or is that dumb? Nah, don't say it, that's dumb. We'll be soup by the time they send us home anyway. Character Theme: Sleep-My Chemical Romance
ImageG032, Irene Djezari(Adopted from CicadaDays): Death was not worse than Meme Hell. Character Theme: A Beautiful Lie-30 Seconds To Mars
[+] V7 Characters
ImageB066, Blaise d'Aramitz: I am not fucking dabbing on a corpse, Carl. Character Theme: The Nurse Who Loved Me-A Perfect Circle
ImageG032, Helena 'Hel" Fury: I hope my family’s waiting. The one I made out here. I hope you’ll be a part of it again. Character Theme: Fix Me-10 YearsImage
ImageB073, Jeremiah Anderson: "GO--GO--GO." Character theme: The Big Sleep-Murder By Death
ImageG066, Marco Hart: I'm not satisfied anymore. I don't think I'd want to be if I could. Character theme: Maurice's Monsters-Small Leaks Sink Ships
ImageG080, Nikki Nelson-Kelly: The fools. The morons. The aBsOlUtE cReTiNs. Character Theme: Movement-The Whip
ImageG062, Tonya Collins: The girl, the person, the thing, the shape on the screen, that wasn't her. Character Theme: Get Down-Isador
Sansa
Posts: 364
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:47 pm

#8

Post by Sansa »

Bella continued her soothing rubs and utterances, content to remain by Garrett's side as Matt became Ami's accuser. She tried to block out whatever conversation Ami and Matt were having, fearful of interjecting and messing everything up, instead focusing her efforts on ensuring that her Garrett was okay. She knew he was the only secure ally she could find in this place, and though she was trying to be stronger and planned to prove just how deserving she was of his companionship, Bella knew that she had to be there for Garrett just as much as she herself needed him.

Back home, Bella had always considered her relationship with Garrett to be one of equals and she was desperate to retain such an equilibrium, even in a place such as this. That's why she was so reluctant to leave his side as he uttered one solitary word towards Ami; though she was vaguely aware of how inappropriate and inconvenient it'd be to cling to him whilst he and Ami talked, it also meant that she'd be unable to help him, unable to prove just how much help she could be.

Instead, as she retracted backwards and away from her Garrett, she shifted her focus to the newly arrived Finn Grant - who looked much worse for wear than usual, his body marred with a breadth of injuries. He'd called for help as he entered the reception, and though Bella had initially dismissed Finn's cries - he was nowhere near as important as Garrett, after all - he'd taken on a heightened level of significance in Bella's eyes. She was far from skilled with first-aid and the like, only having a basic level of training as well as the tips and pointers that her dad had given her over the years, but that was almost entirely irrelevant. Her eyes fixated on his injuries, noting the relative freshness of the bruises dotted across his body. The thought passed through her mind that he could've sustained them a few days ago, but she quickly dismissed it as far too optimistic. No, it was all too likely he could've garnered them as recently as this morning, which meant that he easily could've killed someone - someone the announcements hadn't yet accounted for.

It made sense, didn't it? She wasn't well acquainted with Finn, but knew that he was rather catty when he wanted to be. In a place like this, it wasn't too much of a jump to think that he might've killed someone, right? Bella knew that her thoughts hadn't recently retained the level of rationality they once had, but she hadn't slipped so far as to think someone innocent could be a murderer, right? She was still the same Mirabella Strong who'd protested and claimed that accidents had caused the initial deaths - she wouldn't do a complete 180, would she?

Bella didn't know, but she did know that she had to prove herself to Garrett and if Finn was truly the murderer he could be, then she knew what she had to do. But all the same, rushing blindly into things had never - and she suspected would never - work out in her favour. No, she had to approach things calmly and smartly, just like Garrett had done.

She stood up and smoothed out her skirt, concern etched across her features as she swiftly moved towards where Finn was positioned, shortly after Matt did. For a second, anger flared within her, anger that she'd been robbed of a chance to prove herself, but it quickly dissipated. Matt couldn't handle all of that on his own, could he? And she still might be able to squeeze some information out of Finn too, just as Matt had done by asking what'd happened. No, there was still a chance, however slightly diminished it might've been.

"Aww, Finn," she murmured, gazing over his injuries once more and shifting to Matt's side, before turning to address him, a warm smile quickly taking the place of her frown. "I can do a little first-aid too, so I could help if you'd like."
Will*
Posts: 124
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:24 am

#9

Post by Will* »

Finn felt a sense of relief when one of the boys made their way over to him while the other three stayed in place. At least he'd get some help now, and he was one step closer to joining a group.

As the boy got closer, he recognised him as Matt Vartoogian. The only things Finn knew about Matt was that he was gay and was apparently up himself. Matt threatened one of the girls before he reached Finn, she must have killed someone, or at least be pretty dangerous.

"I got attacked by Summer about a day and a half ago." Finn responded to Matt. "I was in the hotel with Sophie, Alex and Mara – you know, the ones that were on the announcement just now? Summer came in and threw a grenade, it killed Sophie and Alex and I got a chunk of marble stuck in my leg from the explosion." As Finn finished, he nodded down to his injured leg.

The girl who Matt had threatened made a statement about the bodies in the room. The other three must have thought she had killed them or something. As Finn's eyes focused on the girl, something suddenly clicked. She was just on the announcement – Ami Flynn – she had killed Sara Corlett by beating her to death with what the announcement led him to believe to be her gun. Maybe Finn hadn't chosen the best people to ally himself with if there was a murderer amongst the group. Then again, he could just be jumping to conclusions; Ami could have just killed Sara by accident, or in self defence like Mara had.

Finn's eyes then drifted towards the boy crying on the floor. Garrett Wilde. He'd probably heard some bad news on the announcement, or maybe one of the dead people in the room was one of his friends.

The girl who was comforting Garrett turned her attention to Finn and soon followed Matt in assisting him. The girl whose name Finn now recalled as Bella Strong offered her help to him. Perhaps Finn hadn't chosen such a bad group after all; two of the four members came to his aid straight away without knowing anything about him.

"Thanks." Finn said in reply to Bella as he smiled slightly at her.

Finn took a few steps back and slid down the wall. He outstretched his injured leg and rolled up his jeans so they wouldn't get in the way.

"I kind of fucked up the stitching." Finn added whilst looking at the mess of stitches spaced out unevenly across his wound.  
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BROseidon*
Posts: 298
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:08 pm

#10

Post by BROseidon* »

Finn's story aligned roughly with the facts that Danya had given them. Summer kills two people; Mara takes her out in response. Matt would have to remember to tell that to Garrett later. He couldn't quite remember whether Mara was at two or three kills, but a kill in self-defense was something that they probably shouldn't press. At the very least, she'd proven that she could defend herself.

Matt nodded at Finn to indicate that he'd gotten the story when he realized he probably was being off-putting to Ami. Oh great, stupid bitch. She was probably harmless, and not some cold-blooded killer, and hopefully she could see her perspective here? She'd literally just killed someone, so Matt wasn't going to apologize for being careful. Still, some damage control never hurt.

"Ami, sorry if I'm a bit harsh" he said, not turning back at her. "These bodies were obviously here for a while, but that doesn't change the fact that you killed someone yesterday. I'm not going to apologize for being wary."

Bella offered to help with Finn's wound. That was fine. Matt didn't really care what Bella did, so long as she pretended to be useful. Matt looked at Finn's leg. The stitching job was pretty sloppy, but looked all right all things considered.

"Hmm, I'm no expert, but that stitching job looks all right. Did you sterilize it?" If he hadn't, god knows what bacteria he trapped inside. He could undo the stitches and clean it out. The first aid kit should have iodine. That would do the trick.
Ciel*
Posts: 859
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:30 am

#11

Post by Ciel* »

Garrett asked Ami why. Ami looked at him but soon diverted her gaze. She couldn't look at him straight in the face. There was a long pause before she responded.

"Because Mallory deserves better. And Carlon and Alex deserve that same respect."

Did she know that he was asking about why she killed Sara? Of course she knew he was asking about why she killed Sara. She wasn't an idiot. He didn't specify. She still wouldn't have answered, but he should have specified.

Ami pushed the question out of her mind and forced herself to stand. Her back still pressed against the wall, her knees buckled. The wall was chilly against the nape of her neck, causing a shiver not just from the cold tile from the possibility of mold and germs.

She realized that it had been close to a week since she last took a shower, or changed her clothes for that matter. Her hand went to her hair, fingers running mindlessly through frizzy locks.

She looked around the room, glancing at Finn, Bella and Matt. Her gun and dufflebag were nearby too, only a sidestep away. It would be easy to leave, she realized. All she would have to do is grab her things and walk out. Clearly she wasn't wanted here. Most had already moved onto pretty boy Finn. Not even Bella seemed too concerned with seeing her. That was okay, they weren't even that close. Still, a hollow sting buzzed through her chest and it made the desire to leave even stronger.

It was raining outside, she remembered. Not a smart move to leave. It would let up soon. Until then, she was stuck.

She was content with just standing there. It was like prom all over again; she could have stood there forever and not said anything. But then Matt had to pipe up and explain, in clear English, why he had no intention of apologizing for what he said. She didn't even respond to him, but clearly she did something that he had to talk to her again.

These bodies were obviously here for a while.

Clearly he paid no attention to anything she just said.

Ami Flynn looked straight at the back of his head, damn near scoffed.

"Pretty ballsy, coming from a deadbeat like you, Matt." Her attention moved to Garrett before finally landing on the door and the opposing wall. "I'm surprised you turned away from your computer long enough to even come on this trip."
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Latin For Dragula
Posts: 1802
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
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#12

Post by Latin For Dragula »

Space was good. He needed space now. He'd need Bella later, but right now he had to be on his own.

Matt spoke again, even more caustically this time. Shut up shut up shut up! his mind screamed as his eyes darted for Ami's weapon, trying to pick up what they were dealing with. If he kept pushing her, they could all be in serious danger. They were going to have a long talk, if they made it out of here.

It took effort, but he managed to pull himself up on his knees and look into Ami's eyes. "You did the right thing. I...I didn't know Alex or Mallory that well, but Carlon was...I appreciate it." As he spoke, he pulled the sheet back over Carlon's face. It helped, if only a little bit.

"If you could both stop fighting, though, that'd be fantastic." he stated as he shot a brief look over his shoulder at Matt. "Forgive the cold response, Ami. We're a little on edge about killers right now. I don't think you're a bad person, though, or a maliciously dangerous one."

He moved just slightly closer, trying to keep a calm, straight face, with just a hint of compassion. Control was seeping back in. He could do this.

"What happened, Ami? Did Sara threaten you, or someone you were with? Was it an accident? Because I don't think you're the kind to just do that without a reason. Let's talk this out."
[+] SotF Characters
[+] V5 Characters
ImageG056, Alda Abbate(Adopted)
It was difficult to nail down exactly when the anger started. Remembering a time when it wasn't there, coiled up and waiting to strike or alive and thrashing, was growing more and more challenging. It'd been with her for so long that it no longer felt like an intruder in her mind. It felt like a part of her.
ImageB062, Garrett Wilde
I multiplied. Then I subtracted. That's what we do now. That's how we keep the most people around.
ImageB014, Joachim Lovelace(Adopted)
Your turn.
[+] V6 Characters

ImageG037, Abby Floyd:This place was vile. Overwhelmingly, terribly vile. Character Theme: Everything's Alright-Emily Scholz
ImageB016, Ty Yazzie: You ever wonder if you still got a home to go back to? Character Theme: Warrior People-Medicine For The People
ImageIsaac Brea(Adopted from Espi): Isaac's well of fucks was bone-dry. Character Theme: The Whiskey, The Liar, The Thief-Patent Pending
ImageG011, Caedyn Miller:So...how did you wanna do this? Feeling an open casket? Or is that dumb? Nah, don't say it, that's dumb. We'll be soup by the time they send us home anyway. Character Theme: Sleep-My Chemical Romance
ImageG032, Irene Djezari(Adopted from CicadaDays): Death was not worse than Meme Hell. Character Theme: A Beautiful Lie-30 Seconds To Mars
[+] V7 Characters
ImageB066, Blaise d'Aramitz: I am not fucking dabbing on a corpse, Carl. Character Theme: The Nurse Who Loved Me-A Perfect Circle
ImageG032, Helena 'Hel" Fury: I hope my family’s waiting. The one I made out here. I hope you’ll be a part of it again. Character Theme: Fix Me-10 YearsImage
ImageB073, Jeremiah Anderson: "GO--GO--GO." Character theme: The Big Sleep-Murder By Death
ImageG066, Marco Hart: I'm not satisfied anymore. I don't think I'd want to be if I could. Character theme: Maurice's Monsters-Small Leaks Sink Ships
ImageG080, Nikki Nelson-Kelly: The fools. The morons. The aBsOlUtE cReTiNs. Character Theme: Movement-The Whip
ImageG062, Tonya Collins: The girl, the person, the thing, the shape on the screen, that wasn't her. Character Theme: Get Down-Isador
Sansa
Posts: 364
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2018 11:47 pm

#13

Post by Sansa »

Bella bit back a gasp as Finn revealed his wound to her and Matt, furrowing her brow and biting down on her lower lip as she surveyed his injury in more detail. It seemed pretty painful, but she agreed with Matt's consensus - mostly because he was undoubtably much more learned than she was with medicine, and because it was pointless disagreeing or pressing a point. Finn explained that he'd received the wound during the massacre at the hotel in which Summer had taken out two other students before herself being put down. That made perfect sense, though she still felt a bit of unease. No, it wasn't unease. It was caution, logical caution. He could've still been lying about it - maybe he'd seen the damage and concocted his own story - but for now she was content to believe him. She made a mental note, though, to check the validity of his story with Mara if she ever saw her - it was the smart thing to do. Wasn't it?

As Matt busied himself with the first-aid pack and inquired further about the gash running along Finn's leg, Bella let her attention drift over to Ami and Matt's conversation. Apprehension prickled along the back of her neck as they spoke - neither seemed in the greatest of moods - Ami seeming understandably angry as hell and Garrett continuing to cope poorly with what was happening around him. She needed to put a stop to any potential fight between them now, before either of them spoke rashly or did anything stupid. She couldn't live with herself if something bad happened and she didn't try to stop it.

Swirling on her heel, Bella glanced between the two of them, offering a cough as a means of drawing their attention. "Please, guys," she said, more and more sincerity leaking into her voice with every word. "Don't fight. There's better ways to solve all of this, I know there is."

For a moment she felt as though she were back in debate club, delivering one of his passionate rebuttals against an ‘opponent' - who'd, in actuality, be one of her friends more often than not. Here was not that different, really. They'd been labeled opponents by the terrorists, but they weren't. They were friends, and though Bella felt sure that she'd readily respond with violence if necessary, she wanted to avoid that - especially between her boyfriend and a classmate with whom she'd been quite friendly with.

Something Ami said struck a chord with Bella, though, something she couldn't let lie. She'd called Matt out on his computer habits, making a pointless jab at a hobby of his without much reason. Sure, Matt hadn't been the most welcoming of people to Ami, but there was no real reason for something like that.

"Oh, and Ami - don't be a bitch. I believe you and I trust you, but if you're going to say things like that then I don't think I can keep being so pleasant." She paused for a second, fearful that she'd been a bit too caustic in turn. She didn't want another Francis to happen. "I'm sorry, but that's just what I think."
Ciel*
Posts: 859
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:30 am

#14

Post by Ciel* »

(Sorry dudes and dudettes, we have to jet!)

Ami turned her head away so Garrett wouldn't see her rolling her eyes. He started asking questions that she had no intention of answering. She didn't owe him anything, let alone an explanation. Her eyes turned to look straight at Finn, Mira and Matt, an opportune time to see Bella make eye-contact with her.

Mirabella told her to stop being such a bitch.

That she wasn't going to be so pleasant if Ami kept that up.

Ami stared straight at her, teeth knitted.

"Oh, hi Mira. Didn't think you saw me when you first came in."

She kicked the front of her shoe against the floor, hand firmly on hip.

"For a second there, I could have sworn you were avoiding me. Oh, I saw you looking at me, maybe you thought I was corpse? But then you rush over to that asshole like it's nothing."

She motioned to Finn, that jock. That alone made Bella's eagerness to help him all the more baffling - did she honestly expect Finn to ever return the favor? Ami huffed.

"Well, apparently I must be a real bitch, because Ruby did the exact same thing to me. Just leaves like I don't exist. Yeah, having you guys as friends, I can just feel the trust washing over me."

She could have kept going on. Just chucked every little squabble at Bella until she made her cry. Maybe she could have scrounged up how Bella didn't invite Ami to her birthday party, just to be extra petty!

But, no. Ami ground herself to a halt, forced herself. She clenched her fists, trying to calm herself. There was no reason to get angry at Bella.

Ami turned her head to look straight at Garrett.

"Okay. Alright. You want to know why I killed Sara? You really want an explanation? Here's your answer: I don't know."

She paused, swallowed.

"And I'm not saying that because I blocked it out of my memory. I remember everything. It just happened. I killed her, I - "

Ami stopped talking. She squinted her eyes shut. Rocked on the balls of her feet, back and forth. Sighed. Damp cheeks turning more puffy.

"I was with Ruby Forrester, we ran into Sara and Sean Mulcahy. Sean, he, like, he's completely lost it. Acting like some kind of pirate, holing himself in a abandoned ship, like all of his friends aren't dying. At the time I thought it was cute, like 'Okay, this is weird, but it's not like he's hurting anyone!' "

Ami scoffed, ran a hand through her hair.

"So when the announcements come on, I run to grab Ruby and Sean, he, he pulls out a knife and lunges and - and I'm just worried about him hurting Ruby so I start hitting him. Then Sara steps out in front and she's crying and I, I just, I was just so mad -"

...

"She was probably trying to stop me from hurting him."

...

Ami Flynn shook her head.

"There you go. Sorry if I'm breaking all your preconceived notions over my leg because, apparently, you're giving me too much credit."

Ami stared straight at Garrett, arms crossed.

"So, that's it. There's nothing else to talk about. And even if there was, I- It's over. I'm done."
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Latin For Dragula
Posts: 1802
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
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#15

Post by Latin For Dragula »

((Sorry, Sansa, Ciel, and I have to break order a couple times to get this death moving!))

"You did the right thing."

The words were quiet, and weak. But they didn't stop.

"S-Sean killed. He showed you he was willing to kill again, and you thought he was doing so unprompted. If Sara saw that and was still helping him, she..."

He managed to look into her eyes for the first time during the conversation.

"She was just as guilty."

Standing. At some point he had started standing. His voice was still weak, but the tremor was gone.

"You defended your friend, tried to stop a killer, and put down his accomplice. You did the right thing, and I..."

I almost tried to kill you for it.

"I need some air."

Control was so close, but he couldn't grab it. He was too sick with himself. There wasn't even a pause before he bolted from the hospital lobby. He didn't look back at Ami. He didn't see if he moved the sheets again. He barely even registered Bella's foot-falls in the rain-spattered ground behind him. Fear and disgust pushed him on, driving step after step between him and the hospital, but never moving him fast enough to pull the scent of dried blood and decay from his nostrils.

((Garrett Wilde Continued in All Battles Are Fought By Scared Men Who'd Rather Be Some Place Else))
[+] SotF Characters
[+] V5 Characters
ImageG056, Alda Abbate(Adopted)
It was difficult to nail down exactly when the anger started. Remembering a time when it wasn't there, coiled up and waiting to strike or alive and thrashing, was growing more and more challenging. It'd been with her for so long that it no longer felt like an intruder in her mind. It felt like a part of her.
ImageB062, Garrett Wilde
I multiplied. Then I subtracted. That's what we do now. That's how we keep the most people around.
ImageB014, Joachim Lovelace(Adopted)
Your turn.
[+] V6 Characters

ImageG037, Abby Floyd:This place was vile. Overwhelmingly, terribly vile. Character Theme: Everything's Alright-Emily Scholz
ImageB016, Ty Yazzie: You ever wonder if you still got a home to go back to? Character Theme: Warrior People-Medicine For The People
ImageIsaac Brea(Adopted from Espi): Isaac's well of fucks was bone-dry. Character Theme: The Whiskey, The Liar, The Thief-Patent Pending
ImageG011, Caedyn Miller:So...how did you wanna do this? Feeling an open casket? Or is that dumb? Nah, don't say it, that's dumb. We'll be soup by the time they send us home anyway. Character Theme: Sleep-My Chemical Romance
ImageG032, Irene Djezari(Adopted from CicadaDays): Death was not worse than Meme Hell. Character Theme: A Beautiful Lie-30 Seconds To Mars
[+] V7 Characters
ImageB066, Blaise d'Aramitz: I am not fucking dabbing on a corpse, Carl. Character Theme: The Nurse Who Loved Me-A Perfect Circle
ImageG032, Helena 'Hel" Fury: I hope my family’s waiting. The one I made out here. I hope you’ll be a part of it again. Character Theme: Fix Me-10 YearsImage
ImageB073, Jeremiah Anderson: "GO--GO--GO." Character theme: The Big Sleep-Murder By Death
ImageG066, Marco Hart: I'm not satisfied anymore. I don't think I'd want to be if I could. Character theme: Maurice's Monsters-Small Leaks Sink Ships
ImageG080, Nikki Nelson-Kelly: The fools. The morons. The aBsOlUtE cReTiNs. Character Theme: Movement-The Whip
ImageG062, Tonya Collins: The girl, the person, the thing, the shape on the screen, that wasn't her. Character Theme: Get Down-Isador
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