Say No to the World

[Applesintime]

((Matthew Bell continued from "Man, this SOTF thing sucks."))

When people talked about SOTF, the news readers and the experts and the politicians, they always framed it as being this ultra-terrifying and chaotic thing, where if you stepped outside or coughed or so much as looked at another person funny they'd shoot you and eat your body or some sensationalist horseshit. What Matthew had discovered in his own time on SOTF, being cooped up in a house while he waited for his ears to unfuck themselves, was that most of the time you weren't scared or worried or shit like that.

Most of the time, you were just fucking bored.

He didn't really have much to do here. Pacing around a bedroom on the upper floor of a house across the street from the safehouse (they hadn't wanted him to be there, Matthew got that, but he was still nearby, just in case Katelyn and her little friend decided that today was the day they'd go and murder the safehouse crew) that he'd spent pretty much all day and all night in, he sorta tested his hearing. Knocked against the wall with his gun on both sides of his hearing, shouted. Not exactly hospital-certified hearing tests, but he didn't exactly have a better option. The results were what he figured; left ear was worse than the right, because that's the side that the grenade launcher had exploded on.

As the sun rose in the sky and gradually brightened the little sleepy town, he cast another glance out of the window, moving the closed blinds aside a little. Even though it wasn't exactly a warzone, seeing the streets all empty and deserted felt just plain weird. There weren't really any bodies out in the street, he figured they'd all be in houses and shit, but, uh... it kinda reminded him of Salem at Christmastime. Streets should be filled with carolers and people putting their last-minute touches on their Christmas decorations, but instead there was just the occasional crack of gunfire from deeper within the town.

His right ear was a bit better, he could hear out of it somewhat normally now, but the left one was another story. He'd need another day, maybe. It had cleared up to the point where he could hear himself speak, but it still felt muffled and heavy, like someone'd shoved a wet cotton bud right inside.

He could hear the announcement starting, too. Matthew had no pen or paper, but despite what some people might say, he did have a brain, so he was committing it all down in memory. He was there, of course. Josh had murdered another person - he should have taken the fucking shot. Now this fucking shithead was running around murdering everyone he saw - all girls. Maybe he was some weird fucker when it came to women.

Corbin hit him harder, though. At his name, Matthew let out a low growl, staring down at the bed he'd been sitting on. The fucking Lord of the Rings or whatever name bitch had killed him. She'd swung the sword, but he'd set her up for it by abandoning Corbin. One of his only friends on the island was gone.

"FUCK!" Not caring who saw it, who heard him, he yelled in frustration, slamming both of his hands down on the bed. He'd find that bitch and he would fucking end her, mark his goddamn words. She was a murderer like them all, but she had killed his goddamn friend, and she would goddamn die like Jack and Ren did, afraid and alone. Well, he didn't know that Ren died alone, no, but he assumed Katelyn would just run away or dump them or something.

The rest of the news washed over him like a tide against a rock. Salem was a murderer now, too. Scratch another friend off the list. Fuck, he needed to find Shawn now before some fucking psycho shot him and scalped him or whatever psychotic shit they'd end up doing. Salem and Corbin. All the other names went by him. His focus was singlemindedly on those two. But, but, he couldn't go out, not with that fucking ear! Fucking Katelyn. He could have done something, he could have saved Corbin if not for her. And for that, he'd wipe her out.

Pulling his gun out, Matthew stared at it for a second, reaching over to pull the manual out of his bag. While he had the downtime, he may as well practice reloading quickly. It was all pretty intuitive, but practice made perfect. He was going to need it in the future. For Katelyn. For Daenerys. For Salem.

For a lot of people, really.

'Least Danya had given him enough ammo for the job.

((Matthew Bell continued in I Hail From Nowhere))