Fountain of Youth

Day 3 - 6am start (wait 'til Craig Hoyle enters to post)

The center of town is picturesque, flower beds surrounding a large fountain. Large amounts of graffiti mark the fountain's edge, most of it pertaining towards the fact that the centerpiece of the fountain is a carved naked woman with arms outstretched. A well-traveled road leads down to the docks, and a second road leads towards the felled forest. This area also includes the houses closest to the center.
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Grim Wolf
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#16

Post by Grim Wolf »

((Mk's note: Try not to skip people if it can be helped, bud.))

David swallowed.

They weren't going to kill him, at least ostensibly. They had no intention of killing him, if what they were saying was true. And the simple fact was that David had no reason to disbelieve them. Everyone he had run across in the past few days had treated him with respect; it was only those on the outside, those who weren't in a group, that really posed a threat.

People like him...

"I'm sorry," he breathed, forcing himself to his feet. "I...sorry." He hesitated, then stepped closer. "Sorry," he repeated. "I was...was with some people, but we got split up." He looked down at his hands and swallowed again. "There was...we got attacked last night, and I-"

He looked down at the ground, thinking of Cody.

"We got scattered," he whispered.

Guilt surged up in him at the lie, and he forced it down. He couldn't stand to be alone on this desperate island, he need their reassurance, he needed to feel safe.

"Anything I can do to help," he muttered, looking sheepishly at his feet.
Those Whose Time Has Come]

Terra Johnson (female student no. 73, DECEASED): Oh...duh...Abel's...dead...the one who...lives is...

Tom Swift (male student no. 60): It didn't matter what he wanted anymore.

Daria Bhatia (female student no. 56): "I pity you, and everyone who knows you. Because if you can live with this, I don't...I don't think you're human anymore.”

[+] Those Who Have Gone Before
[/url]

V6

Alex Tarquin (male student no. 32: "No more...masks..."

Tara Behzad (female student no. 12): "They don't get to decide how I die."

Lizzie Luz: "I don't want to go."

V5

Tyler Lucas: "I had fun. You?"

Karen Idel: Game over.

Xavier Contel: "G-gotta...trust people, Arthur. G-g-gotta try. C-can't be afraid."

v4

Naoko Raidon (male student no. 54): Dying like...this isn't...so...bad...


Mirabelle Nesa: "I'm a weak little girl who couldn't save anyone, even myself, but god damn it I beat you and god damn it you are going to remember that because I am Mirabelle Nesa and I am a hardened goddamn warrior and I am not going to fucking give up now!"

Simon Grey: "I never was a hero, but, God help me, I tried."

David Meramac: "Running towards nothing. Running from nothing."
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MK Kilmarnock
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Location: On one of the coasts, generally

#17

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

((Okay, as hypocritical as this seems, I have shit to get done that's on a deadline. So I'm skipping.))

The sudden appearance of yet another newcomer was nothing. Others would get a bit nervewracked at an area like this growing in population, but the more kids that joined the party at the fountain, the more everything felt like Bayview all over again. It was a feeling that lifted Craig's spirits, and brought him further and further away from the one tiny corner of his mind that understood the darkness of the situation. The problem, however, was that this person was Staffan Kronwall.

Or... or was it Nik? Staffan? Nik? It was one of the Kronwalls, and Craig was positive he had heard 'Kronwall' come up in the announcements. What's more, he had heard the name come up on the side of the killers, and not the deceased. This meant that the boy approaching the group had a pretty good chance of being the killer and, while Craig wasn't really that good at math, it didn't take an A student to figure out the chance of that being so was 50%. In a life or death situation, 50% was a lot.

"Uh.... hey, look, but... could you leave?" It hurt him to say such a thing, but Craig was trying to look out for everybody else at the fountain. He'd tolerate many things, but he was trying to stay away from the fact that people on this island had killed. There could be a killer in front of him right now. "I don't care if it was you or your brother, I can't even remember... but one of you... one of you kinda killed somebody, and I can't even wrap my head around that statement right now. So, um... go away?"

If things went well, everything was going to stay in the territory of hunky-dory. Nik or Staffan or who-the-fuck-ever would beat it, and everybody at the fountain would be just fine. If the hockey player (Craig knew they both engaged in that sport, and thus they at least had a common descriptor) persisted, though, Craig knew he might have to pull a tough-guy routine, and that could be more risky. Still, if he had to do it, he'd do it.

Anything to keep everybody safe.
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Ares
Posts: 557
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#18

Post by Ares »

"Uh.... hey, look, but... could you leave?"

"Excuse me?" Nik replied. The fat guy Craig had stepped apart from the group and decided to confront Nik and dismiss his arrival. The tone of Craig's voice sounded almost fearful.

Nik opened his mouth to speak again, but Craig beat him to the word,

"I don't care if it was you or your brother, I can't even remember... but one of you... one of you kinda killed somebody, and I can't even wrap my head around that statement right now. So, um... go away?"

Nik's eyes widened at the statement and question. He could not believe that he was here, trying to explain that he was just passing through, trying to protect someone himself, and this big guy in front of him was literally and figuratively blocking his path.

"You think I killed someone? You think me or my brother killed someone. Well you're right," Nik paused as he tried to slow down the angry thumping in his head. He struggled to find the next words in English, "You...giving me no chance to explain why I'm here. No chance to just walk by. You just assume that because you heard my last name that it was a bad killing? How do you know that Staffan wasn't defending himself?"

Nik Kronwall you hypocrit...

"Maybe Staffan was right about you Americans all along. Maybe I should take a more American approach to things yes?"

Nik fished the Colt 45 out of his bag and began to wave it around sarcastically at Craig.

"Maybe the answer is to just shoot first and ask questions later? Use my fat American ass to make assumptions about people!"

Was Nik about to shoot Craig Hoyle? No. The rush of blood to his head had turned his face red. Nik was sick of this stupid situation. He was sick of being reminded that Staffan killed someone. He just wanted to get Fiona and himself to one of the houses where they could rest, and if it took scaring the shit out of Craig Hoyle and his friends, Nik was ready to do just that.

Nik looked up into the eyes of the giant in front of him.

"Let me pass Craig. I have enough shit to deal with as it is."
Stuff. Things. Stuff and things.
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Hallucinojelly†
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#19

Post by Hallucinojelly† »

Trent looked on as the sixth member of the fountaineers crept his way into their not-so-hidden hideout - one of the hockey players. What was his name... the Swedish one... oh! Nik! Nik Kron- shit. Shit, shit, shit. He was one of the Kronwall brothers; bad news for guys like him in Bayview, but here? They may as well just shoot themselves now and be done with - oh wait they didn't have guns; perfect. He could almost hear someone laughing at him.

Hopefully Nik would just move along though. Sure he was feeling a little better now, but even in full health there was no chance someone that skinny could take on a fucking hockey player. His eyes slipped down to his hand. The club? Well, it was a weapon; a heavy one at that. If he got the right angle - no, what? Now he was planning to kill the guy? The guy whose only crime so far was being better at sports than Trent.

Nice, man. Real nice.

The wind started playing with his hair as he let out a heavy sigh. The two were still talking, but he was noticing a change in Craig's behaviour. He seemed scared - something he'd never really seen in the guy before now. Did he think Nik was dangerous? Would he be right? The guy did seem a little suspicious, but then again so did the three in the background. Hell, if it weren't for Craig teaming up with him, he'd be pretty high on the suspicious list himself, wouldn't he? Half-dead, half-loner - a winning combination when it comes to gaining a person's trust.

"Uh.... hey, look, but... could you leave?"

Ohh, shit. Craig, what're you doin'? Don't tell him to get lost, that's just askin' to get everyone killed. Gotta play it cool, keep the guy nice and calm so he doesn't go Jason Voorhees on our asses.

"I don't care if it was you or your brother, I can't even remember... but one of you... one of you kinda killed somebody, and I can't even wrap my head around that statement right now. So, um... go away?"


Shit.

Well, they were all fucked now. Nice going, really.

Trent gave his hand another glance. The club... If things got shitty, would he be able to do as he promised? Would he be able to protect himself - no, everyone? He knew Craig was trying to keep them all safe, but he was doing a pretty lousy job, and now the guy looked majorly pissed off.

"You think I killed someone? You think me or my brother killed someone. Well you're right,"

Oh, shit.

"You...giving me no chance to explain why I'm here. No chance to just walk by. You just assume that because you heard my last name that it was a bad killing? How do you know that Staffan wasn't defending himself?"

Oh, shit, shit.

"Maybe Staffan was right about you Americans all along. Maybe I should take a more American approach to things yes?"

Ohhh, Shiiiit.

"Maybe the answer is to just shoot first and ask questions later? Use my fat American ass to make assumptions about people!"

A fucking gun?!

SHIIIIIT!

"Let me pass Craig. I have enough shit to deal with as it is."

"Shiiiiit!!!"

He leapt off the fountain, arms raised, fingers curled tightly around the handle of his club. The spikes were arcing through the morning air, cutting through the coldness of it as Trent ran forward while uttering that single word out loud. There was no thinking, no plan; only a moment's hesitation before he launched himself across the square. This was it now, he could feel it. In a few split seconds he'd bring the wood down into that Swedish fucker's face and become a real hero. He'd save everybody in a single swing, and they'd leave him here to die in a cruel twist of fate.

Forgetting, however, that Nik wouldn't just stand there and take it.

His gun carved an arc of its own as it came down through the air, connecting with the back of Trent's head as he lurched forward and missed his target completely. The sound that came was painful to all, but to Trent it only sounded like a faraway explosion. He fell, face-first onto the worn cobbled street, and the word he was shouting before crumbled into a indistinguishable mess of grunts and moans.

----

The demons greeted him with their familiar vacant smiles.
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ZombiexCreame†
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#20

Post by ZombiexCreame† »

((Fiona Sparki continued from They Fucking Work Because Unpaired Electrons...etc.))

((Also note: Feel free to skip me at all times. Fiona isn't very important to this scene, she's just in the vicinity because she followed Nik. So yea))

Fiona's legs were beginning to ache. She didn't think it would be possible after her years of cheerleading. She was used to standing up for hours, flailing around her arms, shouting ridiculous mantras, and holding up other cheerleaders for the various pyramids they would construct. She was used to having sore limbs... for the first year, at least. But she considered herself experienced now. Maybe even a little fit. Fiona didn't get sore and rarely out of breath.

But now? Achey, achey legs! The ground was calling to her. The ground was calling to her with an angel choir in the background. It was saying, "Come, sit on the grass!" And the angel choir was singing, "The graaaaass loooooks soooo lovely toodaaayy!" Fiona rubbed her forehead. She needed water.

She looked up and realized the familiar town center was ahead of him. She almost expected to see the previous congregation of students there (Jessica, Alex, Maria, some girl whose name began with a C), but they were replaced with a new gang of students. It appeared to be mostly males, but upon further examination, she realized there was also a girl. Fiona continued to strut forward, probably about to announce her presence with a loud, "Hulllooo there! What'chu guys up to?" But she didn't. Nik was motioning for her to stay back.

And she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Flattered that Nik was making sure that everything was safe before she could approach? Or disappointed that Nik thought she wouldn't be able to handle herself if trouble did strike. She had a fucking axe. She was like... Annie from Misery or that psycho guy from American Psycho. She could wield it! ...Probably.

But she didn't refuse or insist that she came along. She merely nodded and ran a hand across her blondeygreen dreads. "Okay," she said simply. Now she would get to sit upon the godly grass. She plunked down onto the grass, placed her axe in her lap, and opened her bag. She could eat a bite or two while she waited. She was sure that everything would be safe. Everyone would prove to be friendly, and Nik would wave her over in no time.

She took a bite out of her loaf of bread and choked on it. What the fuck. Why was Nik waving his gun at the larger dude? This was like watching a silent movie. She didn't hear much of what was going on (other than the occasional word or two), but this was not making much sense. Fiona was about to yell some encouraging words to Nik, but she kept her mouth shut. If that large boy (who was she to call someone large?) was being hostile, she could be next on the chopping block. ...And now her axe didn't seem so threatening.

Another guy, not the large one, threw himself at Nik. Oh shit! Fiona was about to hop up and maybe help out, but she just proceeded to take another bite of bread. She didn't want to defy Nik. He obviously wanted her to stay back. She hadn't a single damn clue as to why there was so much hostility that arose within five seconds, but... Her heart beat faster. The boy fell face-first into the ground after being smacked in the back of the head with Nik's gun. ..Damn!

She took another bite of bread and washed it down with water.

Be safe, Nik... He really was right. Those guys are hostile. I guess it was a good thing I didn't follow. She looked over at her axe and shook her head. Not so useful.
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MK Kilmarnock
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#21

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

((You can safely assume posting order will be hopelessly butchered for the remainder of the thread as we move on towards progress))

By the time that he had even noticed him running by, Trent was already on the ground. Felled by the gun that had just been pulled on him.

Oh god... he's got a gun... he said Staffan did it? Then this is Nik.. and he's got a gun too! Trent was just trying to help! Oh fuck... Trent!!!

Craig let loose a desperate yell and ran for the boy with the gun. Funny, how the distance between himself and Nik was just long enough to enable him to hit his top speed, and thus his charge wasn't all that different from football. Granted, his top speed was pathetically slow, but many a lineman from an opposing high school team had to hold their aching backs after the giant of Bayview with 'Hoyle' written on his back came crashing down on him. Nik looked like he could withstand anything Craig threw out, but at the moment, his mind could be best described as 'single track'.

The fucker had knocked down Trent. No... that wasn't the right way to think. Trent was going to die of Craig didn't do anything!

The initial force of his bull rush was just enough to drive Nik back, and that's what Craig wanted. His massive arms looped around the well-built hockey player, locking around behind the boy's back and pinning Nik's arms the best Craig was capable of doing. If Nik decided to shoot Craig at this point, well... there wasn't much that Craig could do. But it wasn't Trent getting shot, or any of the other innocent children. There was a plus...

"GUYS!" Craig screamed to any of the kids behind him that were willing to listen. "Please, just get Trent and get out of here! RUN! NOW!"
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Shake&Bake†
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#22

Post by Shake&Bake† »

((I honestly have no idea whose turn it is to post now, and yeah the order has been butchered and stuff but I'm back and need to post anyway so...Here goes))

Too many people...Not just people, boys. Maybe if there had been another pair of XX chromosomes in the vicinity, Haruka's nerves might have not been so frazzled. She was aware that she wasn't the conventional example of an attractive girl, if anything she had a childlike frame and hardly any curves to speak of, but the scary thoughts just swirled around in her head.

I'm weak, they could snap me like a twig and...and...Boys, they have a higher sex drive, don't they? Especially teenage boys...All they talk about is...I don't have one, I'm a virgin...Some guys like that and...Oh no...There aren't any rules here, not in this place, the island where you can do as you please...Scared boys, lonely, dirty, desperate boys wanting to lose their virginity before someone shoots them and...I'm alone with a whole group of them, and I can't defend myself and... and...

Nik Kronwall.

Nik Kronwall was here, and of course Craige Hoyle, the de facto leader of the...the fountain group was going to welcome him with open arms like he did everyone else. His friend Trent with the sleazy eyes, herself without so much as a question the others...and now Nik. Everything was oh so perfect. You feel that in the air, huh? That's your chance of survival dropping right there, that is.

However, Craig went against his previous routine, and he seemed to have pissed Nik off now. Haruka wasn't listening, in a weird way her own thoughts were drowning out the surrounding sound, she hadn't even noticed the boy approach until she noticed the others staring in his direction. Her ever helpful inner monologue, when it wasn't calling her out on being a mere insect it seemed to do nothing more than fuel her paranoia or cause a distraction. And then of course, Nik pulled out a gun.

Haruka raised her hands to both sides of her face and let out a shrill scream, she didn't care if it was corny in its simularity to the nubile victims in B movies or the bimbo soap actress stumbling into a murder scene, she didn't even care if she was making a spectacle out of herself. Nik Kronwall was waving his gun around at Craig, and right there and then, Haruka knew things wouldn't work out well.

She hadn't seen a gun on the island yet, the deathgirl had some sort of net cannon thing but that didn't count. A real bonafide gun that either the corrupt businessman or the spurned wife would carry in their gloved hand, ready to eliminate the rival or philandering husband. She knew that death in reality wasn't as clean or painless as it was on primetime television, no graceful fall or slow last words to loved ones...Writhing about clutching at your wound, bleeding out a slick puddle of red...Red everywhere running down your chin, oozing between your fingers...

The dog that split open...

Maybe Nik would realise the error of his ways and leave, or he could just shoot them all execution style. Maybe Craig could overpower him, or Trent with his clubthing or Duncan with the sticks...Maybe she could run away and never look back and live to another day. Maybe just maybe the situation would resolve itself in the next few minutes and everyone would laugh awkwardly and scratch at the back of their heads. That would be nice...That would be--

Trent rushed forwards with the spiked club.

Haruka shut her eyes, and told herself to prepare for a fast sprint. As usual, her little visions and ideas had been disproven by reality. Whether they were nightmarish thoughts that induced paranoia or soft and fuzzy optimism, reality always found a way to shatter it into little tiny fragments.

Haruka opened her eyes, Trent was on the floor now, Nik had clubbed him or something. Haruka didn't need to investigate it any further, and turned, facing away from the group. Her eyes were slowly brimming with tears as once again, she realised she was dangerously close to death, and maybe this time, she didn't have the option to flee. She held her hands over her heart and took gentle babysteps forwards, trying to drown out the booming shouts behind her.

The dog and...I don't want to end up like that...
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Super Llama†
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#23

Post by Super Llama† »

Looking back up, Duncan took a better look at the people he was surrounded by, one of them looking like absolute hell and the other...looking rather huge and intimidating.

Jesus hell, you walk right in, focus on the girl and miss THAT? Duncan was definitely doing a good job not looking like a stalker. Fortunately, nobody looked like they wanted to throw down, so it seemed like for the moment, him and the girl were safe.

And then, right on cue, the powers that be did what they could to insure that definitely wasn't the case, as another big guy, who may or may not have killed somebody as it seemed, showed up, and after a few words that were probably better left unsaid he pulled out a gun and started waving it around. And then the guy who looked like hell went all Leeroy Jenkins and got himself knocked out. And then the big guy told everyone to run while HE decided to try for the exact same thing. Pretty much the only way this could get any better was if the third guy spontaneously combusted or something.

Duncan sure as hell didn't need to be told to run at this point, but as he made to get out with the quickness, he looked back at the guy on the ground, then back up at the big guy, tackling the other big guy with the gun, then back to the guy on the ground.

Son of a bitch.

Duncan got much closer to the brawl than he would care to and reached down, giving a grunt of exertion as he attempted to pull the guy up. This proved to be quite the effort, though, as being a skinny, geeky-ish guy who never worked out a moment in his life, he wasn't really in the right shape to be lifting up unconscious bodies that weighed as much as he did. Then he looked back at the girl, who seemed to be having another freakout, and the other guy.

"Uh...yeah, running really seems like a good idea right now, but could one of you give me a hand here?"
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Zabriel†
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#24

Post by Zabriel† »

((Owen Rothschild returning from Where Do You Go From Here?))

Owen could see the fountain, and immediately knew something was wrong. Everything had turned into chaos in the short time he'd been away. Craig was attacking another boy, and screaming for people to run. He didn't know what was going on. He gripped his bokken more tightly and watched the scene in horror.

Owen wasn't exactly brave, or noble. He was more practical than anything. The law of self-preservation dictated that he needed to get out of there, but this was Craig. They'd been best friends forever, and he'd left without a word to look for supplies for himself. Owen couldn't have forgiven himself if he didn't go back. He even tossed aside the bag he'd picked up without looking inside, just to get back faster. And he was too late. What could he do with a wooden sword against a big guy like that? Some people might think that Craig could handle himself, but Owen knew better. He was a big teddy bear, and not a very strong one at that. Maybe the two of them together though?

"Craig!"
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Ares
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#25

Post by Ares »

Why wouldn't they just move? Why couldn't these people see that he was not the killer here? Nik had hoped that pulling out his gun and looking threatening would scare them off but no! They just kept standing there, staring at him like he was a monster of some kind...and then one of these fountaineers grew a set of balls.

It took everything Nik had to restrain himself from just pulling the trigger out of instinct. Instead he was able to dodge to charge and deliver a swift blow to the head of the person he now recognized as Trent...Trent...oh screw his last name, he just tried to turn Nik's head into a baseball.

Nik glanced down at the boy who was now nothing but a crumpled heap of knocked the fuck out. Nik was about to declare once again that he didn't want to fight them, he just wanted to get to one of the damn houses, but the next thing that filled his field of vision (every last bit of that field) was the massive Craig Hoyle coming straight at him.

Nik braced himself for the impact and was able to absorb most of it, but Nik had never been hit by someone that large, and there is only so much force one Swedish hockey player can stop. Nik was rocked backwards by the hit, enough that Craig now had him in a bear hug of sorts. Nik quickly tried to flail his way out of it, but this big bastard was strong. Craig began to thrash Nik a little bit as both boys fought for some semblance of footing. Craig yelled something to his group of friends, but Nik couldn't make out what it was thanks to his head being buried in the sweat-mop Craig called a shirt. Craig flailed Nik again, causing him to lose the grip on his gun.

Fuck...

Nik's brain tried to fire him into panic mode, but once again Nik was able to fight off the urge. He needed to get out of this hold before someone else did something really really stupid. As if by sheer stroke of luck, Craig turned Nik's body just enough for Nik to be able to plant his left and deliver a solid knee to Craig's inner thigh muscle. The footballer released his grip on Nik and staggered backwards. Nik fell backwards on his ass as he tried to catch his breath. He needed to get his gun back. The gun was his main negotiator now.

Nik spotted the Colt a couple feet away, unfortunately closer to Craig than himself. It was still his only hope. Nik got back to his feet and dashed towards the pistol in the dirt.
Stuff. Things. Stuff and things.
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MK Kilmarnock
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#26

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

The main objective was to send Nik down to the ground off his feet, and make him drop his gun. That was all Craig really wanted to do, but fear was pushing him onward. The fear in itself was potent enough to drive his actions, and that in itself terrified him. Right away, just from a glance of Nik's build, Craig knew that he'd have to hold on tight and do all he could to fight for everybody's safety, but even his flailing the boy around struck him. Craig was stricken by his actions just as bad as he had been to watch Trent fall trying to save him.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Craig repeated with every shake, gasping and wrenching to try and disorient the boy. Why did it have to come to this? The exact flow of events was lost to him, but Craig knew he didn't want this. He could only hope for the soul of the boy in his grasp that he didn't want it to come down to violence either, but none of that could be changed the moment Trent rushed ahead. The moment he was sent face down in the hard, cobbled ground.

This was all the Kronwall's fault, Craig had imagined for a moment. It was just enough anger, enough rage to put that extra 'oomph' in his thrashing, which he immediately regretted... that was, until he heard the clatter of something fall. Still holding Nik, Craig peered down to see the gun had fallen off to the side, slightly behind him. That was good... then nobody could be shot, Craig could push the boy back, explain what was going on and that he could do whatever he wanted, but not stay-

WHAM!

The blow that had struck him was a near miss, near enough to possibly trim a few unmentionable hairs, but the shot suffered to Craig's thigh was more or less just as debilitating. The boy's tall, obese frame threatened to crumble as his leg bowed, and in order to stay standing without clutching onto Nik, he pedaled his feet to the right. That had hurt, but... after what he had done, he deserved it. At least a little bit, it was just a quick shot to the groin, nothing severe...

Then the Kronwall dove for the gun.

No... this wasn't the way it was supposed to go! They were supposed to talk, work things out or... or something! There had to be some reason here for what was going through each of their minds, but Craig was at a loss to explain it. There was no proof denying some diabolical thought, aside from the fact that Craig knew... he just KNEW that there was no true comic book villains here. Not on this island, not from his class. They were all heroes, upstanding or not. Craig, stumbling forward through the pain, headed for the gun to remove it, to give them both enough time to understand. Even jerks like Wolverine and The Punisher were heroes, after all.

"Giddit to me!" Craig shouted, flopping for the gun, putting all the energy he could to getting there like it was a fumble he was going to pick up to win the game. Only, somebody on the opposite team had gotten there first. Then they had turned over, the ball facing upwards. And then Craig landed on the player as well as the ball. And then there was a loud noise, the loudest Craig had ever heard in his life, as the crowd going wild produced a shock that could be felt through his entire body.

A shock that was caused by the bullet pulverizing his liver.
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Shake&Bake†
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#27

Post by Shake&Bake† »

Haruka let out a long scream.

Her palms were drawn to her cheeks, her body slowly going crooked as she doubled over, her legs bending. Her pale face had a red tinge to it, her eyes were screwed up trying to erase what had just happened.

She had been still moments before, still and scared and not wanting to move, waiting for the storm to blow over, but the lightning struck. The fight, the two boys fought against each other briefly after Trent had been clubbed. There was a shrill intake of breath as she silently begged for Nik to lose the battle, anything, just anything to send him away. She barely trusted the company she had, let alone the athlete waving the gun around.

It had happened too fast, Craig had the upper hand, or so it seemed, but then a pained expression formed on his round face. Nik dove for the gun and Craig did too, but Nik had the headstart and...bang. Please no, not him! I liked him, I thought he was okay and, please no! Haruka felt as if she was going to vomit, but knew there was little in her to be brought back up. He's gonna shoot us all...Me next and...He's gonna shoot us! He shot Craig!

Haruka covered her eyes with her forearm and blindly staggered forwards, clawing through the air with her outstretched fingers. Trent...He was Craig's friend and he was weird and kinda creepy but he was his friend and right now he was unconscious and...Craig's dying and he's gonna get his friend! Haruka's fingers met the strap of her bag and she quickly pulled it over her shoulder and darter forwards, dropping to her knees.

She shook at Trent's shoulders, the hot tears streaming down her red face. "Wake up! Please! Wake up!" She squealed, slapping her balled fists into his back. "Just get up, damn you!" She nestled her chin into chest, too afraid and ashamed to turn her head and watch Craig as the last moments of his life began fading away.
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Ares
Posts: 557
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 5:25 am
Location: Canada

#28

Post by Ares »

Nik had managed to beat Craig to the gun. In the split-second between grabbing the gun and what was about to happen, Nik mentally thanked his plyometrics coach. As Nik's thoughts turned back to the situation at hand, he looked up to see that once again his field of vision was entirely filled by the enormous frame of Craig. This time though Nik had no time to brace himself. Craig fell right on top of Nik. Nik was knocked flat on his back. Then out of nowhere, Nik felt his right hand shake furiously and an incredible roar filled the air and space around them.

The force of Craig landing on Nik had driven Nik's elbow into the ground, causing him to involuntarily squeeze the trigger of the gun.

After shaking off the disorienting buzz ringing through his head, Nik felt something warm on his stomach. With a low grunt Nik pushed Craig's body off of his own. Nik recoiled in shock at the sight. That warm feeling on his stomach was Craig Hoyle's blood. Craig had a gunshot wound to his lower torso and the blood was flowing like a raging river.

"Shit..shit no," Nik scrambled over to Craig, trying to talk to the boy, "I-I didn't mean it Craig! I didn't mean it...I just wanted to pass through."

Nik's voice was shaky as he ripped Craig's shirt open around the wound, covering his hands with Craig's blood. He needed the first aid kit, he needed something, anything.

"Somebody get me a fucking first aid kit!" Nik bellowed out, tears forming in his eyes.

"FIONA! BRING MY BAG! DO IT NOW!!" Nik screamed out in the direction of the area he'd left Fiona to hide.

Nik you idiot, you have a bag...

The little voice in his head broke through the panic, in turn causing Nik to scramble quickly to his bag and pull out the first aid kit. Nik could hear Craig coughing a few feet away.

"Craig! Stay awake!" Nik roared as he finally pulled the kit of his bag.

Nik slid back over to Craig's side medical kit at the ready, except...now what? Nik had no idea what to do now. Any injury he'd ever had was attended to by a trainer or doctor. Nik was not one or the other.

"One of you help me dammit." Nik yelled at the retreating fountain group.

"Craig, Craig, come on man, can you hear me? Come on man, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry man, I didn't mean it..."
Stuff. Things. Stuff and things.
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MK Kilmarnock
Posts: 1931
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:28 am
Location: On one of the coasts, generally

#29

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

Sometimes, Craig liked to wonder which was stranger: real life, or fiction? 'Stranger' wasn't always the right word in any situation, but it could usually be filled by 'more dramatic' or 'more intense'. The moment when a hero has been felled, dropping in front of the villain for the entire city to see. This all brought him back to the first time he found that issue of Superman in the comic book store, the one where Superman died (and it wasn't much of a spoiler, seeing as it was right there on the stupid cover). Sure, that particular issue might've been a bit overrated or the impact was somewhat lost when Superman came back, but it was a scene that no Superman fan, Craig included, would ever forget.

Here, in the time of his own defeat, the perception of the world was blocked... disjointed. There should have been a whole lot more pain shooting through him, yet Craig felt very little. Even things that weren't pain were hard to feel, as though his skin had decided to take a vacation. He felt himself roll off of Nik and flop to the ground on his back; the ground was there, but none of its hostility seemed to be at work as Craig struck it.

Hearing was out of the picture for now as well. The sound of that blast still rattled around in Craig's head, having disoriented him at first... or maybe that was being caused by something else. Eyes squinted shut, fought the blurriness that threatened to steal precious sight away from him, then opened to see Nik tearing away at his Punisher shirt... his favorite shirt. He seemed concerned, like something was wrong, like somebody was at great peril. The words of the boisterous young man pushed through the ringing to finally reach Craig, dividing the overpowering ringing sound.

"....mean it Craig! I didn't mean it...I just wanted to pass..."

Craig struggled to sit up, to lift his head even with the discomfort of the collar and prop himself up on his elbows so he could look down at what Nik was so concerned about. In the instant he had managed to view his own torn body before the strength in his arms gave out, Craig saw the blood plastered over his front. The amount that there was just seemed unnatural for what had to have happened. He was shot... that fact had now made itself apparent, but how or when it had happened... those details blurred together into a murky soup that Craig just didn't have the time or energy to pick apart.

"Craig, Craig, come on man, can you hear me? Come on man, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry man, I didn't mean it..."

Now the pain had decided to kick in. Far from how Craig had expected after seeing so much blood, it came in waves. A burst of pain would rip through him, then it would subside, then another tsunami of senses would pulse through him again. Breath was stolen away by the rushes, but as they thankfully slowed down to an occasional beat, he found himself able to talk. Nik just seemed so worried all of a sudden, Craig couldn't deny him an answer.

"H... Ha, I know!" He gasped, finding the first few words the hardest. "I know y- ungh!" The knot in his stomach tightened up, knocking the wind out of him more violently than any of this had before. After a few more desperate breaths, Craig struggled on. "I know... t-this really got out of control, huh? S-... sssorry about that..." With that, Craig smiled. The pain couldn't stop him from smiling, nor could the blood, nor the bullet. His will to smile, as long as somebody near him was in pain and needed to be cheered up, was indominatable. Right now, Nik needed that more than anybody.

"Don't blame yourself... th-... people make mistakes. D-Doesn't mean you're any less of a good guy!" Craig chuckled, even if the agony had made sure that another laugh would never escape his throat.

Everything was going to be alright. Craig was wrong... this guy before him, he really wasn't so bad, he just wanted shelter. His doubt had gotten in the way just for a bit, and it got somebody hurt. That wouldn't happen again, not as long as he was around. Everything was going to be alright, Trent would get up and he probably didn't suffer a major head injury... once Craig was all better, maybe he and the Kronwall could both team up and protect them.

Everything will be fine.

Craig wanted to say it, but for the moment, the pain in his abdomen had spread to his lungs, making it rather difficult to breathe. Instead, he smiled at Nik. He smiled, and he closed his eyes.

So slept the gentle giant of Bayview Secondary.

B083 Craig Hoyle: DECEASED
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Grim Wolf
Posts: 743
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2019 8:40 pm

#30

Post by Grim Wolf »

(GMing with approval)

Maybe David was just stupid, but for the first few moments he didn't see any threat of violence in the words between Craig and...one of the Kromwalls, he wasn't sure which one. Had he heard the name on the Announcements? Was one of the brothers dead? That would be too horrible, David couldn't even imagine-

What-

I-

What?!


And suddenly there was a gun in the air, and David's mouth went try as he turned around and took two running steps away. They had lied to him, there was going to be violence, someone might die and David would be damned if it was him, he could outrun them all, he would be safe, he would be free, he would be-

And then Trent burst past him.

David didn't see the interchange--didn't see the actual blow struck--but he did see Trent collapse. At once the image of Cody Jenkins interposed itself--Cody falling to the sound of gunfire, as David turned to run.

And to his great surprise David found himself stopping.

Craig and the Kromwall locked arms almost at once, struggling together, and David turned around and grabbed Trent around the shoulders. Had to move, had to move, had to get the hell away but Trent was so god-damn heavy and David wasn't sure he could do it by himself, his arms weren't very strong--

Duncan grabbed the other arm, and David, a flighty relief and gratitude surging up through him. They hurried backwards, not watching the fight, not watching what happened as-

BANG.

Oh God.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from Kromwall, even as he tried to save Craig's life, even as he tried to bandage up Craig's wounds. He and Duncan stopped pulling Trent away; only watched.

Only watched.
Those Whose Time Has Come]

Terra Johnson (female student no. 73, DECEASED): Oh...duh...Abel's...dead...the one who...lives is...

Tom Swift (male student no. 60): It didn't matter what he wanted anymore.

Daria Bhatia (female student no. 56): "I pity you, and everyone who knows you. Because if you can live with this, I don't...I don't think you're human anymore.”

[+] Those Who Have Gone Before
[/url]

V6

Alex Tarquin (male student no. 32: "No more...masks..."

Tara Behzad (female student no. 12): "They don't get to decide how I die."

Lizzie Luz: "I don't want to go."

V5

Tyler Lucas: "I had fun. You?"

Karen Idel: Game over.

Xavier Contel: "G-gotta...trust people, Arthur. G-g-gotta try. C-can't be afraid."

v4

Naoko Raidon (male student no. 54): Dying like...this isn't...so...bad...


Mirabelle Nesa: "I'm a weak little girl who couldn't save anyone, even myself, but god damn it I beat you and god damn it you are going to remember that because I am Mirabelle Nesa and I am a hardened goddamn warrior and I am not going to fucking give up now!"

Simon Grey: "I never was a hero, but, God help me, I tried."

David Meramac: "Running towards nothing. Running from nothing."
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