((Hazel Jung continued from Where WIll You Stand When the Flood Comes? ))
There was something about Hazel's mindset since they had heard about Jeremy that just made her angry and depressed at everything. Jordan had stepped on a twig. She flinched and glared. Birds chirped. What the fuck did they have to be so happy about? Nate sniffled and her fist clenched. She didn't say anything to them. It was a horrific tangle of not wanting to be a bother and at the same time feeling like they wouldn't understand how she felt, and she resented them for both.
She wanted to scream, to hear her voice pierce the sky above them, for at least some part of her to reach high up enough to escape this nightmare. Not possible though, and it would call attention to them.
Hazel hardened in her anger and her anxiety and her fear of everything. Jordan hadn't tried to talk to her about it. She thought they were friends, but maybe they weren't. She wasn't sure what to do with Nate. Since they'd picked him up a feeling in her throat had started to grow like she always had to cry, but was just on the wrong cusp of being able to. She vacillated between being mad at him for who knew why and thinking that maybe he was right. They were trapped in Hell and why shouldn't they stretch out their stay? She didn't know he'd leave on his own accord soon.
They'd gone to bed for the night near some trees a safe distance away from the edge, which had some ancient fencing as an extra precaution. She turned over in the middle of the night, restless, unable to sleep. Hazel debated for who knew how long about what to say and if she should say it. She stared at the Jordan-shaped horizontal body not far from her and pulled up the jacket she was using as a poor man's blanket.
"Jordan?" she ventured. He seemed to stir.
"Nate's gone..." she said quietly.
"Jeremy's gone too."
Gift for the Darkness
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Ruggahissy
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randomness
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2018 6:48 am
((Jordan Green continued from Where WIll You Stand When the Flood Comes?))
This was becoming a pattern. A horrible ongoing trainwreck disaster of a pattern.
People came, people left, and it was the two of them again.
Jeremy was dead. Nate had disappeared off in the middle of the night, like everyone else who they had met on the island. And then he'd end up dying or killing just like everyone else.
It was weird. They'd never seen any of it happen. Only what was left. Was it any better that they didn't see it? Or was it wearing down upon them more than actually
It wasn't like they weren't trying to help. And it at least felt like they were less murderous or suicidal than at least half the people left alive on the island. And yet, everybody left anyway.
What was he supposed to say to her?
It wasn't like he had any reply.
Or more specifically he had too many, each and every one wrong in their own special way, and maybe that was the point, that you could never be perfect and that sometimes you couldn't do anything but hurt someone else no matter what you did. But he didn't want to hurt anyone, and all he could do was try not to look depressed or angry, hoping that the realisation that not talking about any of this was just making everything worse would go away.
"I- N-never mind."
He was too stressed. He almost said something dumb. Stupid. Insane. Some other synonym that his tired brain was failing to think of right now. It'd had been fun being with Hazel, and maybe that was part of the problem.They couldn't get themselves out of this stupid place because they were having fun, and avoiding everyone and everything, both by fate and by choice.
Maybe he understood Nate just a little now. Too little, too late though. He wanted to break down and cry but somehow he couldn't. Not just because she was watching him. Not just because the world was watching him. No, his emotions were so much of a mess on the inside that it couldn't even cohere into a breakdown.
"Why... do they keep leaving?"
He shouldn't have asked that.
Not out loud.
He could see it in her eyes.
And it was only now he realised that she had said the same thing, only with different words.
This was becoming a pattern. A horrible ongoing trainwreck disaster of a pattern.
People came, people left, and it was the two of them again.
Jeremy was dead. Nate had disappeared off in the middle of the night, like everyone else who they had met on the island. And then he'd end up dying or killing just like everyone else.
It was weird. They'd never seen any of it happen. Only what was left. Was it any better that they didn't see it? Or was it wearing down upon them more than actually
It wasn't like they weren't trying to help. And it at least felt like they were less murderous or suicidal than at least half the people left alive on the island. And yet, everybody left anyway.
What was he supposed to say to her?
It wasn't like he had any reply.
Or more specifically he had too many, each and every one wrong in their own special way, and maybe that was the point, that you could never be perfect and that sometimes you couldn't do anything but hurt someone else no matter what you did. But he didn't want to hurt anyone, and all he could do was try not to look depressed or angry, hoping that the realisation that not talking about any of this was just making everything worse would go away.
"I- N-never mind."
He was too stressed. He almost said something dumb. Stupid. Insane. Some other synonym that his tired brain was failing to think of right now. It'd had been fun being with Hazel, and maybe that was part of the problem.They couldn't get themselves out of this stupid place because they were having fun, and avoiding everyone and everything, both by fate and by choice.
Maybe he understood Nate just a little now. Too little, too late though. He wanted to break down and cry but somehow he couldn't. Not just because she was watching him. Not just because the world was watching him. No, his emotions were so much of a mess on the inside that it couldn't even cohere into a breakdown.
"Why... do they keep leaving?"
He shouldn't have asked that.
Not out loud.
He could see it in her eyes.
And it was only now he realised that she had said the same thing, only with different words.
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Ruggahissy
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- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Hazel moved the hair away from her face and sat up, bringing the jacket around to cover her shoulders. She scooted forward until she was sitting in front of Jordan. The wind came through and she shuddered, pulling the fabric tighter to her body. Her heart felt heavy. She looked at the dirt by Jordan rather than at him.
"Dunno why. I guess..."
A few seconds of silence passed with nothing but the nearby sound of the ocean.
"People deal differently."
Her responses were short and choppy like she was trying to say as little as possible. Her right hand left the jacket she was holding around herself and went to the ground where her stare was concentrated. Hazel's fingers walked forward towards the boy like a spider.
"There's not a lot of people left. I thought for sure we would be toast by now, but..." she swallowed loudly. "...we might have a shot. Would you....kill? "
"Dunno why. I guess..."
A few seconds of silence passed with nothing but the nearby sound of the ocean.
"People deal differently."
Her responses were short and choppy like she was trying to say as little as possible. Her right hand left the jacket she was holding around herself and went to the ground where her stare was concentrated. Hazel's fingers walked forward towards the boy like a spider.
"There's not a lot of people left. I thought for sure we would be toast by now, but..." she swallowed loudly. "...we might have a shot. Would you....kill? "
((Min-jae Parker continued from Rear-End Collision))
Things had been surprisingly uneventful since Jae and Dorothy had left the staff buildings and Lily's body behind. Maybe surprisingly was the wrong word, given the dwindling numbers on the island, but Jae had come to expect disaster around every corner now. They had gone a full day or so without encountering anyone else, and on one hand that was good.
On the other, it meant that Jae had to listen whenever Dorothy opened her mouth, and every loopy thing she said annoyed the hell out of him. He didn't know why he was letting her tag along. It wasn't like he liked her, and he got the feeling that she didn't like him either. He couldn't get away from her with his bad leg without threatening her away though, and she'd probably try to tase him if he did that. So they continued on, a maybe slightly crazy person limping along with a definitely more-than-slightly crazy person in tow.
There had been voices at the vehicle depot, but none of them were voices Jae had cared to investigate. He was restless again, so they were wandering without aim in the dark, the same way he always seemed to end up. If Jae had been sentimental, or an idiot, he might have thought there was poetry or something in that.
There were voices as they approached the cliffs too, hushed ones. Jae stopped short when he heard them, holding his arm out to stop Dot as well. He wasn't about to get any closer or announce their presence before he could tell who it was over there and whether they were trouble.
Of course, trouble always seemed to find him whether he wanted it or not, but Jae didn't feel like taking any chances right now, now that his name had come up again that morning.
Things had been surprisingly uneventful since Jae and Dorothy had left the staff buildings and Lily's body behind. Maybe surprisingly was the wrong word, given the dwindling numbers on the island, but Jae had come to expect disaster around every corner now. They had gone a full day or so without encountering anyone else, and on one hand that was good.
On the other, it meant that Jae had to listen whenever Dorothy opened her mouth, and every loopy thing she said annoyed the hell out of him. He didn't know why he was letting her tag along. It wasn't like he liked her, and he got the feeling that she didn't like him either. He couldn't get away from her with his bad leg without threatening her away though, and she'd probably try to tase him if he did that. So they continued on, a maybe slightly crazy person limping along with a definitely more-than-slightly crazy person in tow.
There had been voices at the vehicle depot, but none of them were voices Jae had cared to investigate. He was restless again, so they were wandering without aim in the dark, the same way he always seemed to end up. If Jae had been sentimental, or an idiot, he might have thought there was poetry or something in that.
There were voices as they approached the cliffs too, hushed ones. Jae stopped short when he heard them, holding his arm out to stop Dot as well. He wasn't about to get any closer or announce their presence before he could tell who it was over there and whether they were trouble.
Of course, trouble always seemed to find him whether he wanted it or not, but Jae didn't feel like taking any chances right now, now that his name had come up again that morning.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
((Was this all a nightmare?))
Dorothy started to get used to the island. She went to bed somewhere that wasn't a bed. She slept through the night, a knife in her hand and taser in the other. She would open her eyes by moment when a noise was heard then went back to sleep when she found its source. Her dreams were either bland or horrible: it was either her before all of this or her after all of this.
For example, her last dream was about graduating. It started as a bland dream. She was with her friends, her parents were in the audience and she was waiting to be called on stage. She fiddled around, looking at her cellphone, talking to her friends and trying to stay calm while the principal went through the list of students.
When she was called, it went from a bland dream to a horrible one. She got up, clutching her hands together. She received her diploma then turned around toward the crowd. The students that were there a couple seconds earlier were all gone. Their seats were empty. She looks toward her parents and they were gone too. Not in the kind of disappearance but they were dead. The other parents had killed them, out of spite. At least, that's what she assumed after waking up. They were probably mad their daughter went home and it was their children that were dead. Her dream ended. Just like that, her eyes opened and she stared directly in the wall.
Then the announcement played. She was getting used to that too. The guy tried to sound peppy or something. It could have work on the first few days but right now, it mainly felt like a bad effort to piss them off. She wondered if he felt bad. If he had to take pills to sleep at night, would that mean he felt bad or just suffered from insomnia? She wondered a lot these days, maybe a little too much.
She was still thinking when she was walking beside Jae. She commented on everything. She heard a bird's wings and whispered things under her breath. When she stepped on something that made her sound, she apologized to the creature she killed. Even most of the time they were only a branch, she still felt horrible when her foot crushed it. Jae was probably finding her annoying but she didn't care much. There was no escape from her never-ending chatter.
So when an arm blocked her way, she was kinda shocked. Was Jae done with her? No, there was something else. She wasn't able to hear under her own whispering but when she stopped running her mouth, she heard it: voices. Dot went on autopilot. She crouched, put her bag on her knees, opened her bag, grabbed her knife and her taser, then zipped it close.
She turned her head toward Jae, waiting for his orders.
Dorothy started to get used to the island. She went to bed somewhere that wasn't a bed. She slept through the night, a knife in her hand and taser in the other. She would open her eyes by moment when a noise was heard then went back to sleep when she found its source. Her dreams were either bland or horrible: it was either her before all of this or her after all of this.
For example, her last dream was about graduating. It started as a bland dream. She was with her friends, her parents were in the audience and she was waiting to be called on stage. She fiddled around, looking at her cellphone, talking to her friends and trying to stay calm while the principal went through the list of students.
When she was called, it went from a bland dream to a horrible one. She got up, clutching her hands together. She received her diploma then turned around toward the crowd. The students that were there a couple seconds earlier were all gone. Their seats were empty. She looks toward her parents and they were gone too. Not in the kind of disappearance but they were dead. The other parents had killed them, out of spite. At least, that's what she assumed after waking up. They were probably mad their daughter went home and it was their children that were dead. Her dream ended. Just like that, her eyes opened and she stared directly in the wall.
Then the announcement played. She was getting used to that too. The guy tried to sound peppy or something. It could have work on the first few days but right now, it mainly felt like a bad effort to piss them off. She wondered if he felt bad. If he had to take pills to sleep at night, would that mean he felt bad or just suffered from insomnia? She wondered a lot these days, maybe a little too much.
She was still thinking when she was walking beside Jae. She commented on everything. She heard a bird's wings and whispered things under her breath. When she stepped on something that made her sound, she apologized to the creature she killed. Even most of the time they were only a branch, she still felt horrible when her foot crushed it. Jae was probably finding her annoying but she didn't care much. There was no escape from her never-ending chatter.
So when an arm blocked her way, she was kinda shocked. Was Jae done with her? No, there was something else. She wasn't able to hear under her own whispering but when she stopped running her mouth, she heard it: voices. Dot went on autopilot. She crouched, put her bag on her knees, opened her bag, grabbed her knife and her taser, then zipped it close.
She turned her head toward Jae, waiting for his orders.
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randomness
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2018 6:48 am
"They do, but it seems insane. Everything's insane.
He'd never really thought about it, and he never really wanted to. He wouldn't, plain and simple and the only question left in his head was why.
Because it was morally wrong? Because his reactions were as fast as a sloth captured on a slow motion camera? Because he would spend far too long agonising over the decision if it ever came to be?
And even if he needed to kill, say in self defense, then what then? Try to garotte someone to death with hemp rope? Like he could actually pull it off. It was better for everyone involved if he didn't even try really.
"I don't think so. But I dunno."
He didn't dare throw the question back at her.
He'd never really thought about it, and he never really wanted to. He wouldn't, plain and simple and the only question left in his head was why.
Because it was morally wrong? Because his reactions were as fast as a sloth captured on a slow motion camera? Because he would spend far too long agonising over the decision if it ever came to be?
And even if he needed to kill, say in self defense, then what then? Try to garotte someone to death with hemp rope? Like he could actually pull it off. It was better for everyone involved if he didn't even try really.
"I don't think so. But I dunno."
He didn't dare throw the question back at her.
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Hazel exhaled shakily while listening to Jordan. It hurt her that he seemed defeated, not in the same way as Nate, but that he didn't think that he could make it to the end. It was weird, but she wanted him to believe in himself. However, a "Believe in yourself!" talk probably wasn't appropriate when the ultimate goal is to kill or otherwise outlive all your friends and classmates.
"I'm not sure," she said, looking at Jordan. She half-smiled, though it didn't reach up to her eyes.
Hazel leaned forward, and at once both her hand and her lips made contact with him. She tilted her head and swooped up from under while the heel of her hand rested just under his ear, fingers going back around his neck.
"I'm not sure," she said, looking at Jordan. She half-smiled, though it didn't reach up to her eyes.
Hazel leaned forward, and at once both her hand and her lips made contact with him. She tilted her head and swooped up from under while the heel of her hand rested just under his ear, fingers going back around his neck.
Caution was good in theory. Not taking any chances, being strategic, not rushing headlong into things. All good tactics to throw around when he was just making plans that would inevitably unravel.
Jae heard her voice and he forgot all of it all over again.
He only caught a few words, but it was enough to be sure. He staggered forward automatically, not bothering to try and quiet his uneven footsteps, only keeping enough presence of mind to keep gesturing for Dorothy to stay back so that she would know this wasn't an attack.
"Hazel?"
Jae heard her voice and he forgot all of it all over again.
He only caught a few words, but it was enough to be sure. He staggered forward automatically, not bothering to try and quiet his uneven footsteps, only keeping enough presence of mind to keep gesturing for Dorothy to stay back so that she would know this wasn't an attack.
"Hazel?"
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
For a second, Dot's grip on her blade tighten when Jae started to walk forward, calling out for a girl's name. She attempted to follow him but Jae waved his hands toward her, wanting her to lower her weapons she had raised. The tone of his voice said it all: this shouldn't be a violent encounter. Perhaps even a nice one, she may befriend someone and make an ally. Dot wasn't sure about that last part but she hoped they wouldn't turn out to be evil.
Hazel is such an ugly name. That's like naming your kid Brown or Gray. That's ugly, especially if you are going for a color-themed naming pattern. If her parents were going for food-themed naming pattern, that'd be worse. If she had any siblings, were any of them called Nut or Banana? That's a question she would need to ask her.
Dorothy bit her lips. She had another question but the person she wanted to ask it was dead, killed by Min-jae. It would make sense that Jae would kill Hazel because that's what happened with Lily. Dot had a question for Lily and Jae killed her. Now Dorothy had a question for Hazel, would that mean Jae will kill Hazel? She squinted and sighed. She mentally took a step back and realized she had been searching for a logic where there was none. Jae couldn't have known that Dot had a question for Lily and he killed her. These two things were not related.
She decided to look into it later, discarding her feelings for the assumption to focus on the situation.
Dorothy didn't move an inch as instructed by Jae's gestures. Instead, she analyzed the situation. Hazel was speaking to somebody, and Jae and Dot couldn't see who was that person. Jae appeared to know Hazel. Maybe she was a friend or something, or like someone he met on the island and she wasn't mean toward him. Whatever was the reason, Jae didn't raise his crossbow, walked toward Hazel's voice and pull the trigger.
She had nothing to do, nothing to say, nothing needed to be done other than to wait for the situation to resolve. Hopefully, no-one would die. And if someone die, hopefully it wouldn't be her.
Hazel is such an ugly name. That's like naming your kid Brown or Gray. That's ugly, especially if you are going for a color-themed naming pattern. If her parents were going for food-themed naming pattern, that'd be worse. If she had any siblings, were any of them called Nut or Banana? That's a question she would need to ask her.
Dorothy bit her lips. She had another question but the person she wanted to ask it was dead, killed by Min-jae. It would make sense that Jae would kill Hazel because that's what happened with Lily. Dot had a question for Lily and Jae killed her. Now Dorothy had a question for Hazel, would that mean Jae will kill Hazel? She squinted and sighed. She mentally took a step back and realized she had been searching for a logic where there was none. Jae couldn't have known that Dot had a question for Lily and he killed her. These two things were not related.
She decided to look into it later, discarding her feelings for the assumption to focus on the situation.
Dorothy didn't move an inch as instructed by Jae's gestures. Instead, she analyzed the situation. Hazel was speaking to somebody, and Jae and Dot couldn't see who was that person. Jae appeared to know Hazel. Maybe she was a friend or something, or like someone he met on the island and she wasn't mean toward him. Whatever was the reason, Jae didn't raise his crossbow, walked toward Hazel's voice and pull the trigger.
She had nothing to do, nothing to say, nothing needed to be done other than to wait for the situation to resolve. Hopefully, no-one would die. And if someone die, hopefully it wouldn't be her.
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Ruggahissy
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- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
((Skipping around to get this done, apologies!)
Her eyes snapped open and her head whipped in the direction of the noise. The slight butterflies in her stomach soured and died.
Her breath caught in her throat, her eyebrows knitted upward in concern. She pulled away and drew her hand back like Jordan's skin was a stove top she'd touched.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, panicked.
Thoughts were zooming around in her head and crashing into each other. Happy he was back, bitter he left her to begin with, scared that he had killed two people, worried about him. Hazel's eyes welled up as she looked out into the darkness, waiting for him to materialize.
Hazel fell backwards away from the source of the sound, still staring. Her eyes narrowed and the tears threatened to spill over. Hazel was frozen to the spot.
Hug me, don't kill me, I hate you, stay by my side, go back to being my friend, talk to me, leave me alone, be my last memory, wait for me on my break and we can smoke, you're a murderer
Her eyes snapped open and her head whipped in the direction of the noise. The slight butterflies in her stomach soured and died.
Her breath caught in her throat, her eyebrows knitted upward in concern. She pulled away and drew her hand back like Jordan's skin was a stove top she'd touched.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, panicked.
Thoughts were zooming around in her head and crashing into each other. Happy he was back, bitter he left her to begin with, scared that he had killed two people, worried about him. Hazel's eyes welled up as she looked out into the darkness, waiting for him to materialize.
Hazel fell backwards away from the source of the sound, still staring. Her eyes narrowed and the tears threatened to spill over. Hazel was frozen to the spot.
Hug me, don't kill me, I hate you, stay by my side, go back to being my friend, talk to me, leave me alone, be my last memory, wait for me on my break and we can smoke, you're a murderer
.
Oh.
They broke apart when Jae came to a halt a few feet away, but even with the lack of visibility it was glaringly obvious what was going on here.
He didn't have any right to feel hurt by it. He had left her in the first place. He was pretty sure at this point that he didn't even like girls like that, and he didn't want to remember what had happened between them in the back of the car. All of that didn't stop the painful squeeze in his chest.
Somehow it was worse that she apologized.
He couldn't make out Hazel's face in the darkness from this distance. She sounded scared. Startled? Or scared of him, specifically?
Jordan (Jae assumed it was still Jordan there and not somebody else that had come along, some other guy, and fuck him for any creeping thoughts of just like back home that tried to rise up because she didn't deserve that, especially not from him) didn't seem to have any greeting or anything Jae could snap at.
"Yeah," he said, haltingly. "Me too."
Oh.
They broke apart when Jae came to a halt a few feet away, but even with the lack of visibility it was glaringly obvious what was going on here.
He didn't have any right to feel hurt by it. He had left her in the first place. He was pretty sure at this point that he didn't even like girls like that, and he didn't want to remember what had happened between them in the back of the car. All of that didn't stop the painful squeeze in his chest.
Somehow it was worse that she apologized.
He couldn't make out Hazel's face in the darkness from this distance. She sounded scared. Startled? Or scared of him, specifically?
Jordan (Jae assumed it was still Jordan there and not somebody else that had come along, some other guy, and fuck him for any creeping thoughts of just like back home that tried to rise up because she didn't deserve that, especially not from him) didn't seem to have any greeting or anything Jae could snap at.
"Yeah," he said, haltingly. "Me too."
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Ruggahissy
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- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
She felt around behind her, hitting the canvass of her bag. Hazel dragged it in front of her and alternated quick looks. Up at him, down at the bag, back up, back down. She found the flashlight and flicked it on, pointing upward towards the mass.
Tears trickled down her face steadily seeing his blinking, confused face. She covered her mouth to muffle the sound and clumsily got to her feet. The beads clinging to her eyelashes blurred with the sudden light, making him something of a water color smear. She hiccuped and moved the back of her hand across her face, dropping the flashlight. It clicked off and it was dark again.
Her heart ached and she swallowed hard. He spoke and she felt her hand clench. She walked towards him.
"You should be," she said a little too loudly, a little too casually. He'd abandoned her when she was at her most vulnerable without a word, just left her while she was asleep.
Hazel punched Min Jae square in the left cheek.
Tears trickled down her face steadily seeing his blinking, confused face. She covered her mouth to muffle the sound and clumsily got to her feet. The beads clinging to her eyelashes blurred with the sudden light, making him something of a water color smear. She hiccuped and moved the back of her hand across her face, dropping the flashlight. It clicked off and it was dark again.
Her heart ached and she swallowed hard. He spoke and she felt her hand clench. She walked towards him.
"You should be," she said a little too loudly, a little too casually. He'd abandoned her when she was at her most vulnerable without a word, just left her while she was asleep.
Hazel punched Min Jae square in the left cheek.
Dot was wrong.
This was a bad situation. At first, it seemed like two friends meeting after a long period without seeing each other. They could have embraced, kissed, hugged or even smiled at each other and Dot wouldn't had cared one bit. She would probably be smiling and be happy for them. Two friends meeting after a while, how nice. A very nice thought. A very, very, very pretty event that could have been captured right in front of Dot's eyes.
But.
Dot was wrong.
This wasn't a lovey-dovey meeting. They didn't kiss. Ran to each other, their arms wide open in slow motion. No, the girl blinded them with a flashlight. She was crying or something. This wasn't a pretty and cute meeting. She was angry and Jae was, well, himself. Dot started to dig her fingers into her knife. She then heard the sound she didn't want to hear.
It wasn't gunshot or anything. Yet, Dorothy still jumped when she heard it. It was the sound of a fist hitting someone's face. The knuckles cracked, Jae probably smirk, raising his hand to defend himself.
Dot didn't allow that to happen.
She stepped forward and elbowed Jae out of the way. Maybe she went a little too hard and hurt him a little bit, but she was doing it to help him so that was the right thing to do. A girl on TV punched another girl in the face to stop her from drunk driving. Was this similar? Yeah, kinda. Or totally not, but she felt it was appropriate to think about. She was defending Jae even though she kinda hurt him and she may have opened a wound or two.
But who cares?! Obviously not Dorothy, who was now lunging on the girl, knife first.
The stab connected, landing somewhere on the girl's body. Dorothy, having the advantage, made Hazel fall backward and landed on her. Her knife still in hand, she struggled to get it out of the girl's body but once it was done, she was ready to stab her again.
This was a bad situation. At first, it seemed like two friends meeting after a long period without seeing each other. They could have embraced, kissed, hugged or even smiled at each other and Dot wouldn't had cared one bit. She would probably be smiling and be happy for them. Two friends meeting after a while, how nice. A very nice thought. A very, very, very pretty event that could have been captured right in front of Dot's eyes.
But.
Dot was wrong.
This wasn't a lovey-dovey meeting. They didn't kiss. Ran to each other, their arms wide open in slow motion. No, the girl blinded them with a flashlight. She was crying or something. This wasn't a pretty and cute meeting. She was angry and Jae was, well, himself. Dot started to dig her fingers into her knife. She then heard the sound she didn't want to hear.
It wasn't gunshot or anything. Yet, Dorothy still jumped when she heard it. It was the sound of a fist hitting someone's face. The knuckles cracked, Jae probably smirk, raising his hand to defend himself.
Dot didn't allow that to happen.
She stepped forward and elbowed Jae out of the way. Maybe she went a little too hard and hurt him a little bit, but she was doing it to help him so that was the right thing to do. A girl on TV punched another girl in the face to stop her from drunk driving. Was this similar? Yeah, kinda. Or totally not, but she felt it was appropriate to think about. She was defending Jae even though she kinda hurt him and she may have opened a wound or two.
But who cares?! Obviously not Dorothy, who was now lunging on the girl, knife first.
The stab connected, landing somewhere on the girl's body. Dorothy, having the advantage, made Hazel fall backward and landed on her. Her knife still in hand, she struggled to get it out of the girl's body but once it was done, she was ready to stab her again.
The light blinded him, but before he could raise his free hand to shield his eyes, Hazel up and punched him in the face.
Jae yelled and took a stumbling step back, but even though the impact set his bruised face throbbing again and might have reopened the gash, he didn't strike back. He pressed his free hand over his face and hissed through the pain, gritting his teeth and himself not to swear or snap at her. Maybe it wasn't exactly what he deserved for all the shit he had done, but it was close enough. He could let Hazel have this.
He had just opened his mouth to say as much when Dorothy reminded him of her presence by elbowing him in the ribs and setting off a whole other collection of injuries stinging. He would have snapped at her, but then she was on Hazel and any coherent words were lost in Jae's horrified shout and no no no no what the fuck was happening-
"DOROTHY!" The crossbow was in his bag and he couldn't see, the flashlight knocked out of Hazel's hand and rolling away somewhere on the ground, but he had the staff and with a swing that might have made Vanessa proud, he cracked it against the side of Dorothy's head.
He dropped his bag and the staff to shove Dot away from Hazel after the strike threw her off-balance. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"
He couldn't be sure, but he thought that she might have looked hurt and confused when he shoved her again and something about that made revulsion twist in his stomach. He could have strangled her if she didn't move out of his reach.
"Can I get a thank you?" She spat at him. All she got was a furious screech in reply, and she scrambled away as he lunged for her, leaving him landing on his elbows in the dirt. She was gone before he could gather himself enough to go for the bag and the crossbow, and a pained gasp from behind him jolted Jae back to the more important matter.
"Hazel! Hazel!?" Where the fuck was Jordan!? Jae wheeled around enough to find his bag in the dark and drag it over. He had a flashlight too, right?
"Hey," he said as he fumbled through the bag, finding the flashlight finally and clicking it on. "Hey, you're okay. You're going to be fine."
He saw the dark stain that was beginning to spread on Hazel's jacket and had a feeling that he was a liar.
Jae yelled and took a stumbling step back, but even though the impact set his bruised face throbbing again and might have reopened the gash, he didn't strike back. He pressed his free hand over his face and hissed through the pain, gritting his teeth and himself not to swear or snap at her. Maybe it wasn't exactly what he deserved for all the shit he had done, but it was close enough. He could let Hazel have this.
He had just opened his mouth to say as much when Dorothy reminded him of her presence by elbowing him in the ribs and setting off a whole other collection of injuries stinging. He would have snapped at her, but then she was on Hazel and any coherent words were lost in Jae's horrified shout and no no no no what the fuck was happening-
"DOROTHY!" The crossbow was in his bag and he couldn't see, the flashlight knocked out of Hazel's hand and rolling away somewhere on the ground, but he had the staff and with a swing that might have made Vanessa proud, he cracked it against the side of Dorothy's head.
He dropped his bag and the staff to shove Dot away from Hazel after the strike threw her off-balance. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"
He couldn't be sure, but he thought that she might have looked hurt and confused when he shoved her again and something about that made revulsion twist in his stomach. He could have strangled her if she didn't move out of his reach.
"Can I get a thank you?" She spat at him. All she got was a furious screech in reply, and she scrambled away as he lunged for her, leaving him landing on his elbows in the dirt. She was gone before he could gather himself enough to go for the bag and the crossbow, and a pained gasp from behind him jolted Jae back to the more important matter.
"Hazel! Hazel!?" Where the fuck was Jordan!? Jae wheeled around enough to find his bag in the dark and drag it over. He had a flashlight too, right?
"Hey," he said as he fumbled through the bag, finding the flashlight finally and clicking it on. "Hey, you're okay. You're going to be fine."
He saw the dark stain that was beginning to spread on Hazel's jacket and had a feeling that he was a liar.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
So that was the thank she get. She stabbed a girl that attacked him and she gets hit in the face then shoved around.
Normally, she would have thought about rude that was but the pain stopped her from thinking any deeper. She put her left hand on the side of the face that was a stumbled away.
Her ear was making that weird sound. She tried to remember the name, it was a very complicated and ugly name. As she walked away in zigzags, she tried to remember.
Tetanus? No, that was when you get stabbed by a knife in the dark.
Tinnitus? Yeah, that was it. That was when you were hit by someone you thought was your ally.
As much she wanted to raise her taser and shoot Jae in the back, she started to feel dizzy. Her head really hurt and her neck hurt too. She couldn't have known that Jae was going to punch her so she wasn't able to protect herself. Her neck had twisted in a painful position when he hit her.
She was out for the night.
((Dot continued her nightmare.))
Normally, she would have thought about rude that was but the pain stopped her from thinking any deeper. She put her left hand on the side of the face that was a stumbled away.
Her ear was making that weird sound. She tried to remember the name, it was a very complicated and ugly name. As she walked away in zigzags, she tried to remember.
Tetanus? No, that was when you get stabbed by a knife in the dark.
Tinnitus? Yeah, that was it. That was when you were hit by someone you thought was your ally.
As much she wanted to raise her taser and shoot Jae in the back, she started to feel dizzy. Her head really hurt and her neck hurt too. She couldn't have known that Jae was going to punch her so she wasn't able to protect herself. Her neck had twisted in a painful position when he hit her.
She was out for the night.
((Dot continued her nightmare.))