((Autumn O'Leary continued from Watch Your Step))
Autumn woke up in a haze of confusion for what must have been the hundredth time in the past few days. She opened her eyes, but was greeted only by darkness. Testing, testing. Blink, close eyes, open eyes. What had happened? She was running and then....
Autumn looked up and saw the hole in the earth she had fallen through. It felt like a little man was tap dancing erratically inside her head. Slowly she sat up and the rocks and dirt that had fallen on top of her were displaced by her movement, calling her attention to their presence. Autumn sucked in air through her teeth and jumped up. Bad move. The bruises and scrapes she had collected from her fall screamed at her in protest but the nervous tingle building up in her chest demanded she get rid of the dirt and grime. She furiously brushed at herself. After a few minutes she was in acceptable condition again. She sighed in relief and pushed her hair back to complete her appearance, making sure not a red strand was out. A deep breath. She had her gun and by her foot laid her bag. All in all, she would recover. The girl reached into the pack and felt around until she produced a flashlight. She flicked it on and the light illuminated the cavern.
I fell into a tunnel. That's just perfect.
The Cloud Minders
Day 4 Open
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Ruggahissy
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- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
((Ericka Bradley continued from Not An Easy Out))
Why did I do that? Not having encountered another person since the death of Lucas, Ericka had time to go over the event in her mind. She still wasn't sure why she had started shooting, she was moments away from having a safe way out anyway. How could she have such a poor understanding of her own actions? All she knew was that she couldn't do that again. She wanted to get off of the island, but a high body count would only make her hunted by the other students. She had to kill only when necessary.
She found a tunnel entrance and walked into it. She kept her left hand to the tunnel wall and her right hand on her knife. Her gun was safely stored in the holster she found for it. The knife would probably be the better choice in the closed quarters of the tunnel, but it was comforting knowing her gun was in an easy-to-access location, just in case.
After some walking Ericka came across a part of the tunnel with the roof caved in; a girl was underneath the light that filtered in from above. The other girl took out her flashlight and turned it on. Ericka felt lucky that she wasn't in a part of the area that got lit up, but she knew it was only a matter of time until her presence was noticed.
"Hey," Ericka greeted the figure, "Who are you? Name, number, AND weaponry, please."
Why did I do that? Not having encountered another person since the death of Lucas, Ericka had time to go over the event in her mind. She still wasn't sure why she had started shooting, she was moments away from having a safe way out anyway. How could she have such a poor understanding of her own actions? All she knew was that she couldn't do that again. She wanted to get off of the island, but a high body count would only make her hunted by the other students. She had to kill only when necessary.
She found a tunnel entrance and walked into it. She kept her left hand to the tunnel wall and her right hand on her knife. Her gun was safely stored in the holster she found for it. The knife would probably be the better choice in the closed quarters of the tunnel, but it was comforting knowing her gun was in an easy-to-access location, just in case.
After some walking Ericka came across a part of the tunnel with the roof caved in; a girl was underneath the light that filtered in from above. The other girl took out her flashlight and turned it on. Ericka felt lucky that she wasn't in a part of the area that got lit up, but she knew it was only a matter of time until her presence was noticed.
"Hey," Ericka greeted the figure, "Who are you? Name, number, AND weaponry, please."
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Stay calm, just breathe, just breathe. You can get a handle on all of this, but you have to stay-
"Hey,"
Autumn whipped around and her beam fell on the top half of face in the darkness. Realizing the speaker was of rather small stature; she adjusted and moved the light down. The small girl was awfully demanding, but Autumn decided to keep herself in check, at least for the moment.
"Well, you did say please. I'm Autumn."
Name, check. Number, she actually didn't know. With her foot she nudged her bag, looking for any indication of what number she might be.
"Uh, number 78 I guess."
Last was the grand prize, million dollar question; her weapon draw. Underneath her shirt and tucked into her pants she could feel the cool, reassuring metal touch of her gun pressing against her sticky skin. There was no way she was going to let some stranger in on her secret.
"I got a book of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. I ditched it a while back. It had a note on it that said I was going to need inspiration. That idiot thinks he's so funny. Funny, funny, funny," she trailed off, her forced chuckle died harshly, swallowed up by the empty, noiseless caverns.
"Who are you?"
"Hey,"
Autumn whipped around and her beam fell on the top half of face in the darkness. Realizing the speaker was of rather small stature; she adjusted and moved the light down. The small girl was awfully demanding, but Autumn decided to keep herself in check, at least for the moment.
"Well, you did say please. I'm Autumn."
Name, check. Number, she actually didn't know. With her foot she nudged her bag, looking for any indication of what number she might be.
"Uh, number 78 I guess."
Last was the grand prize, million dollar question; her weapon draw. Underneath her shirt and tucked into her pants she could feel the cool, reassuring metal touch of her gun pressing against her sticky skin. There was no way she was going to let some stranger in on her secret.
"I got a book of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. I ditched it a while back. It had a note on it that said I was going to need inspiration. That idiot thinks he's so funny. Funny, funny, funny," she trailed off, her forced chuckle died harshly, swallowed up by the empty, noiseless caverns.
"Who are you?"
So... this Autumn girl... assuming she was being truthful, that would mean she was unarmed. Ericka shifted her weight. Somehow this news was not as comforting as it should have been.
"Who are you?"
After a moment of hesitation, Ericka responded. "Uh... I'm Girl number sixty-three, Ericka Bradley. Back at Bayview, I used to volunteer at the school library. I was assigned a gun, but I also have a knife from the time I was attacked on the second day, which you might have heard the results of...."
A sense of dread began to overwhelm her, and she worried if she may have revealed too much information. She tried to calm her nerves, but it was of no use. Her eyes began to tear up.... How long was this going to last, she wondered?
"Who are you?"
After a moment of hesitation, Ericka responded. "Uh... I'm Girl number sixty-three, Ericka Bradley. Back at Bayview, I used to volunteer at the school library. I was assigned a gun, but I also have a knife from the time I was attacked on the second day, which you might have heard the results of...."
A sense of dread began to overwhelm her, and she worried if she may have revealed too much information. She tried to calm her nerves, but it was of no use. Her eyes began to tear up.... How long was this going to last, she wondered?
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Autum stumbled backwards slightly. She put her hand up to her head and groaned. The darkness wasn't helping her state of mind. It was too dark. She couldn't tell where she ended and the darkness began. It made her extremely uncomfortable, the fuzzy lines of her existence made her unsure, paranoid. How long had she been unconscious in the tunnels? She had no idea.
"I-I don't know the results actually. I missed the announcements."
Keep it together. Hold it together. You have to hold it together. You can't fall apart. You can't fall apart like-
Memories poked themselves into her thoughts. They shoved themselves in where they didn't belong. The teachers had been gunned down right in front of her, like it was nothing special. Dispassionate guards stood at the sidelines. She had looked at one man and he looked back at her and nodded to the carnage, as if they were watching a school hygiene movie and he was reminding her to pay attention.
You can't fall apart like your Spanish teacher's face did.
The girl was starting to get teary eyed. A library volunteer, a little girl, an admitted murderer was getting weepy in front of her eyes. It was all so surreal. She wasn't sure if this was all really real.
"I..uh, I'm sorry?" she offered for lack of anything better to say. "You killed someone? Did you? That's what you said right?" She was starting to feel a bit sick.
"I-I don't know the results actually. I missed the announcements."
Keep it together. Hold it together. You have to hold it together. You can't fall apart. You can't fall apart like-
Memories poked themselves into her thoughts. They shoved themselves in where they didn't belong. The teachers had been gunned down right in front of her, like it was nothing special. Dispassionate guards stood at the sidelines. She had looked at one man and he looked back at her and nodded to the carnage, as if they were watching a school hygiene movie and he was reminding her to pay attention.
You can't fall apart like your Spanish teacher's face did.
The girl was starting to get teary eyed. A library volunteer, a little girl, an admitted murderer was getting weepy in front of her eyes. It was all so surreal. She wasn't sure if this was all really real.
"I..uh, I'm sorry?" she offered for lack of anything better to say. "You killed someone? Did you? That's what you said right?" She was starting to feel a bit sick.
With tears streaming down her cheeks, Ericka fell to her knees. She tried to wipe her tears with her left hand, but they kept coming.
"E-Every da-day," Ericka stuttered through her tears, "Every day I've r-run into other people a-and at l-least one of th-them has tr-tried to kill me."
She calmed down a little. She was still sobbing but her words were a little clearer. "It's my fault I'm even here. I convinced my Mom to sign the permission slip, *sniffle* Dad wouldn't have let me come... I should have listened to Dad..."
Ericka was suddenly feeling increasingly insecure, so she sat with her back up against the wall. Then she put away her knife and drew her gun from the holster, cradling it. The gaze of her still moist eyes darted to the various dark corners of the room, searching for any threats that might have gone unnoticed.
"E-Every da-day," Ericka stuttered through her tears, "Every day I've r-run into other people a-and at l-least one of th-them has tr-tried to kill me."
She calmed down a little. She was still sobbing but her words were a little clearer. "It's my fault I'm even here. I convinced my Mom to sign the permission slip, *sniffle* Dad wouldn't have let me come... I should have listened to Dad..."
Ericka was suddenly feeling increasingly insecure, so she sat with her back up against the wall. Then she put away her knife and drew her gun from the holster, cradling it. The gaze of her still moist eyes darted to the various dark corners of the room, searching for any threats that might have gone unnoticed.
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
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Autumn cocked an eyebrow at the girl as she continued to sob and collapsed into a tearful heap.
"Stop that. Crying isn't going to help anything. Thinking about what you should have done or the way things could have been isn't productive and it certainly isn't going to make you feel any better, you know."
The girl pulled out a gun and looked down sadly at it. The appearance of a gun did nothing short of set off several alarms in Autumn.
"Hey, woah. What are you doing?" she asked cautiously. Perhaps she shouldn't have said what she did. However if things got messy she did still have her gun, safely tucked away under her shirt. Alright, backtrack.
"I didn't mean to be callous."
"Stop that. Crying isn't going to help anything. Thinking about what you should have done or the way things could have been isn't productive and it certainly isn't going to make you feel any better, you know."
The girl pulled out a gun and looked down sadly at it. The appearance of a gun did nothing short of set off several alarms in Autumn.
"Hey, woah. What are you doing?" she asked cautiously. Perhaps she shouldn't have said what she did. However if things got messy she did still have her gun, safely tucked away under her shirt. Alright, backtrack.
"I didn't mean to be callous."
"I only took the gun out because I didn't feel safe with just the knife," Ericka said, drying her eyes and standing up again, "I... was heading toward the residential district. You can come with me if you want, I guess..."
Ericka returned her gun to it's holster and took the knife back out. "If you don't want to follow then you should probably go the way I came from; there is an exit not very far in that direction. If you are following me then please turn off the flashlight; The light may be noticed by a killer, and if you keep your hand in contact with the wall you'll be sure to find your way out eventually anyway."
Ericka placed her left hand back on the wall it had been touching until a moment ago and walked passed the other girl down the tunnel.
((Ericka Bradley continued A Day at the Beach))
Ericka returned her gun to it's holster and took the knife back out. "If you don't want to follow then you should probably go the way I came from; there is an exit not very far in that direction. If you are following me then please turn off the flashlight; The light may be noticed by a killer, and if you keep your hand in contact with the wall you'll be sure to find your way out eventually anyway."
Ericka placed her left hand back on the wall it had been touching until a moment ago and walked passed the other girl down the tunnel.
((Ericka Bradley continued A Day at the Beach))
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Well that's a winning invitation she thought sarcastically.
Still, she had no idea what else to do. She had gotten separated from anyone she knew, she was alone. All alone in the dark. It was the smart choice to go with this girl. At least until they got out of the tunnels. It was mutually beneficial, safety in numbers. If she was going to kill her, the girl would have already done it by now. And she even seemed somewhat concerned about Autumn. Who knew why. Autumn nodded, then realized it probably wasn't seen in the darkness.
"Okay. Let's go. Lead the way."
She clicked her flashlight off and put her hand to the wall, following the other girl. Her legs ached with each step, the cuts on her hands lit up in pain with each jagged pieces of the tunnel wall that met them, but she bit her tongue and followed.
Still, she had no idea what else to do. She had gotten separated from anyone she knew, she was alone. All alone in the dark. It was the smart choice to go with this girl. At least until they got out of the tunnels. It was mutually beneficial, safety in numbers. If she was going to kill her, the girl would have already done it by now. And she even seemed somewhat concerned about Autumn. Who knew why. Autumn nodded, then realized it probably wasn't seen in the darkness.
"Okay. Let's go. Lead the way."
She clicked her flashlight off and put her hand to the wall, following the other girl. Her legs ached with each step, the cuts on her hands lit up in pain with each jagged pieces of the tunnel wall that met them, but she bit her tongue and followed.
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
(Inactivity save)
Autumn felt around on the sticky, slimy walls. She tried to keep up with the girl ahead of her. Her footsteps echoed in the cavernous space, mixing with the sound of Erika's footsteps. She couldn't tell if she was still following the other girl. Was it the footsteps up ahead she heard or was it just hers over and over again, fooling her? Was she tricking herself? Where was she? Where was Erika?
Touching the dirty, filthy walls was making her anxious. She hated the dirt. She hated it. Slowly, an unpleasant tingle rose in her skin, crept up from her fingers up towards her. Hair was coming loose from her head band. If she could have seen it would have made it difficult to see but as of now it just annoyed her. The feeling of the messy strands touching her cheeks tickled unpleasantly. Autumn couldn't take it, she brought her hands away from the wall to brush the loose bits back. Suddenly she realized there was no noise. She'd lost Erika. Desperately she swung her arms, trying to get back to the walls. The filthy, disgusting walls. Autumn was lost, alone, in the dark. Which way was out?
Autumn ran again. She ran and ran, and after awhile a terrifying thought hit her. What if she was running deeper into the tunnels rather than towards the exit? There was no way of knowing. For just a second, she let the despair take her. Autumn grabbed her head, shook it back and forth and screamed.
((Autumn O'Leary continued in Take Back the Fear))
Autumn felt around on the sticky, slimy walls. She tried to keep up with the girl ahead of her. Her footsteps echoed in the cavernous space, mixing with the sound of Erika's footsteps. She couldn't tell if she was still following the other girl. Was it the footsteps up ahead she heard or was it just hers over and over again, fooling her? Was she tricking herself? Where was she? Where was Erika?
Touching the dirty, filthy walls was making her anxious. She hated the dirt. She hated it. Slowly, an unpleasant tingle rose in her skin, crept up from her fingers up towards her. Hair was coming loose from her head band. If she could have seen it would have made it difficult to see but as of now it just annoyed her. The feeling of the messy strands touching her cheeks tickled unpleasantly. Autumn couldn't take it, she brought her hands away from the wall to brush the loose bits back. Suddenly she realized there was no noise. She'd lost Erika. Desperately she swung her arms, trying to get back to the walls. The filthy, disgusting walls. Autumn was lost, alone, in the dark. Which way was out?
Autumn ran again. She ran and ran, and after awhile a terrifying thought hit her. What if she was running deeper into the tunnels rather than towards the exit? There was no way of knowing. For just a second, she let the despair take her. Autumn grabbed her head, shook it back and forth and screamed.
((Autumn O'Leary continued in Take Back the Fear))