((Joshua Krakowski continued from Dude, how come I feel like i'm not in Kansas anymore?))
For the past hour or so, the only thing reminding Joshua that he was in SotF was the increasingly uncomfortable collar around his neck. Apart from that, he could have almost sworn he was back home in Minnesota enjoying the morning breeze as he strolled on through the park. Only, instead of a park, he was nearing the base of a particularly tall looking mountain. Not that it was any less pleasant. The weather was clear, the temperature almost perfect, and from the top he could spot at least one particularly gorgeous looking beach just begging for him to make sandcastles on it. If it weren't for the fact that they were all in serious jeopardy it would have made for a truly awesome vacation. Ah well, least they didn't dump us in the middle of a desert or something...
He'd been walking along at a leisurely pace. After all, why rush? Its not like they were in a big hurry or anything... And personally, there was nothing Joshua loved more then a simple stroll to get his thoughts into gear. He wasn't exactly sure why Everett had taken it upon himself to rush on ahead like that. Still, as long as it made him happy... Besides, Joshua was positive that he'd be fine as long as he remained in plain sight.
But as the wannabe rockstar followed along silently, listening to AC/DC on his favourite IPOD, his thoughts couldn't help but drift to the inevitable question of how the hell they were going to get off this damn rock anyway? Even if they DID get the collars off, there was still one heck of an ocean between them and dry land...
Still, unless this island's in the middle of the Pacific ocean or something, there must be land SOMEWHERE nearby. People used to live here, right? So surely this island must be chartered on some map or something... Hell, I bet airplanes must have flown over this island dozens of times.So what's to stop...
... Airplanes? Hmm... Hey now, theres an idea! What if I get together a huge big bunch of rocks, then lay them out on the beach so that they can spell out the word "HELP!" or something so that the next airplane, or helicopter or whatever that flies over can call the CIA to come on over and save our asses! IN-FREAKIN'-GENIUS! This plan if practically fool-proof!
... Actually, wait. Surely if airplanes flew over this island, they'd be able to tell that something fishy was going along anyway 'cause of all the people running around screaming their heads off? Come to think of it, what IS stopping the CIA from finding this place on their own anyway? Don't they have, like, satellite technology an' stuff? And for that matter, couldn't they somehow track Danya through the illegal broadcasting? Hell, the more I think about it the more confused I am over how we HAVEN'T been rescued yet. The only explanation I can think of is...
... GASP! Of course! Its all obvious! Danya's being funded by THE GOVERNMENT! Why else haven't the CIA spotted us by now? Who else could empty what looked like a once-inhabited island so that it could be used as the set of a deadly gameshow? What else could have been able to afford all those fancy collars? Holy 'effin crap! It all. Makes. Sen... GAAHRGH!
All of a sudden, his train of thought was inexplicitly interrupted as he tripped over a rather awkwardly positioned stump, landing face first in a sparse patch of grass with a loud thud. OW! I really ought to look where i'm going more often... He stumbled back onto his feet, spitting out several of blades of grass as he eagerly observed his surroundings. At first he wasn't exactly sure what he was looking at, but after a while it dawned upon him that he was surrounded on all sides by hundreds upon hundreds of tree stumps, scattered about for what looked like miles amongst fallen logs and the occasional bush to spice things up a bit. The sight was... Eerie, to say the least. Like some large woodland graveyard. He half expected the logs to suddenly rise up and start shambling about looking for some fresh brains to munch upon (They didn't of course, much to Joshua's relief). The fact that it'd gradually gotten a lot cloudier didn't help matters much...
"Man... Pretty creepy, huh Everett?"
"......"
"... Everett? Yo, Everett man!"
It was at that point that it clicked that Everett was nowhere to be seen. As he spent the last twenty-odd minutes daydreaming, the poor guy must have gone on ahead of him without even realising it! For what seemed like the first time ever, Joshua began to genuinely panic. Oh shit, where'd he go?!? No way a guy like him's gonna last alone for five minutes!
"EVEREEET! YO, EEEEVEREEEET!"
Damnit! He couldn't be too far. Poor bastard's well oughta shape... Maybe if I hurry I can still catch up!
He didn't waste any time as he sprinted in the general direction they'd been heading as fast as his legs could carry him, desperate to catch up with Everett before it was too late. No way he was gonna get separated from the first living person he'd come across so soon! He dodged past various logs and stumps on his way, calling out Everett's name every second or so. He eventually found himself scaling a tall hill, which slowed his previously fast pace greatly. Maybe I can spot him from up here... Hell, I bet he's waiting for me on the other side! Just sittin' on a log somewhere, tapping his feet impatiently... Yeah, thats right! I'm sure he's fine! Hakuna Mata...
That was when he finally spotted him. When he finally got to the top of the hill to look down and find his newly acquired companion laying down with his head against a bloodied stump.
"......No... No no no, Oh god! Oh SHIT! OH SHIT, EVERETT!"
His heart started pumping as he dashed towards his fallen comrade at breakneck speed, desperate to figure out what had happened to him in his absence. No, no, fuck you this isn't happening! FUCK YOU, THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! By the time he made it, it had already become all to clear that Everett wasn't waking up. He was just laying there, lifelessly. His face bloodied and screwed up as if it'd been beaten in with some blunt object, fresh blood covering his shirt and the stump his head was laying against. At first, Joshua thought he must have fallen over or something and cracked his head open. But... No, then why was his stuff missing? And why was his nose broken like that?!? There was only one conclusion Joshua could make... One that he'd been dreading ever since he'd realised that he was in the middle of Survival of the Fittest...
"No... No, this can't be right! No! People can't be playing! H... How could anyone... Anyone DO such a thing?!?"
It was at that point that Joshua did something he hadn't done for at least 13 years, something that nobody would have ever thought him able to do... He cried. And not just a little cry, like the kind you'd have while watching a sad movie. But a proper, all-out, tearfest like none he'd ever had before in his life... Not even when he learnt that one his best friends in the world, Danny, had died from a drug overdose had he ever felt so depressed. So stricken with grief to have actually caused him to physically weep uncontrollably on the spot. He barely even knew Everett, barely ever talked to the guy back at Bayview before all this Survival of the Fittest bullcrap. But... Barely minutes ago he was alive and well! They were gonna try and figure out a way off the island together as a team! He was gonna get Marty and Daniel and they were all gonna fight the system TOGETHER! But now... Now he just lay there lifelessly, like some twisted ragdoll reminding Joshua exactly why they where here in the first place... To kill or be killed. The realisation hurt far more than any bullet wound or brutal stabbing could possibly inflict.
He was quickly reminded then of the guy they found earlier. The one whose head had been blown into smithereens... He wasn't sure why the reality hadn't hit him at that point, like it had now. Maybe it was because he actually knew Everett, actually SPOKEN to him. Or maybe it was because whilst that other guy died by accident, THIS proved without a doubt that people out there WERE actually willing to play, something that Joshua hadn't been willing to believe until this point.
It was also at that point that he realized that if he hadn't of been such a slowpoke, then maybe Everett would still be alive...
"Aw shit! SHIT man! This is all MY fault... Fuck, I'm so sorry Everett! I really am... I shoulda been there! Shoulda been there to look out for you! To make sure this kinda thing didn't have to happen!" he cried, clawing at his long hair as he did so. "Oh, FUCK you Joshua! You stupid-ass fucker! You fucked up BIG time, just like you always do! All you had to do was look out for the poor guy, and NOW LOOK! He's dead, an' its all your fuckin' fault you lazy-ass BASTARD!"
He was surprised at just how angry he was at himself. How angry he was with the world in general. This was Joshua Krakowski, AKA: mister Nice Guy. The living anachronism. The most optimistic guy in the whole freakin' world... And here he was, crying his heart out over the corpse of a guy he barely even knew... He could see now why Everett had been so shellshocked back there by the headless guy. He'd realised it, realised the truth. The truth that they were all gonna end up dead on this island just like Mr Headless... He knew that this exact kind of thing was going to happen sooner or later. And now, Joshua was almost certain that it'd only be a matter of time before it'd be his turn on the chopping block too.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now?!? Some fuckin' hero i'm turning out to be... Could barely save ONE guy, let alone the rest of the class! And now... Oh god! Oh god, i'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
And on that note, he just lay there on his knees, crying his heart out like he'd never done so before in his entire life. There wasn't the slightest bit of doubt in his mind at that point that this would only be the beginning, and that it wouldn't be long until the entire island was engulfed in this pointless conflict. A conflict which Joshua happened to be standing right in the middle of, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Mad World
Open (Please, not too many all at once...) / TOPIC CLOSED
Mad World
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((R.J. Lowe continued from A Pit Stop of Sorts))
Somewhere between the small town and the evergreen graveyard, R.J. had lost Kris' trail. Normally, he was a fairly competent tracker. Skilled, one might even say. Unfortunately, today wasn't his day. As he slogged through the maze of logs and stumps, he was bogged down by stress, guilt, anger, and the dirt that had clouded his eyes since he first woke. The dead quiet of the felled forest was punctuated only by the sounds of students arguing far off in the distance, the occasional gunshot, and no less than two explosions, one to the north, one to the east. It was the last one that troubled the young giant the most, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, concentrating on why he came this way in the first place. All he could really do, in any case, was hope Kris wasn't at the center of either.
"Everett? Yo, Everett man?"
His thought process was interrupted by the sound of another voice. It was still distant, but for the first time since leaving the town, he could make out what someone was saying.
EVEREEEEEEETT! YO, EVEREEEEEEEEETT!
R.J., neither recognizing the voice nor knowing an Everett, paid no heed to the young man's cries. The only action he took was to sigh and slap his palm against his forehead. God, shut the hell up. You're gonna get yourself and your buddy killed if you keep up with that sh-
Suddenly, his train of thought was derailed once more, as the distant young man's tone saw a marked change.
"......No... No no no, Oh god! Oh SHIT! OH SHIT, EVERETT!"
Oh balls... don't tell me...
Against all common sense, R.J. ran to the source of the sound. Oh shit, tell me that wasn't because of what I think it was. By the time he reached the top of the hill, no one was there, but it didn't take long to spot what he was looking for from the higher vantage point. To his dismay, it was precisely what he thought it was. Another student, bawling his eyes out, babbling to no one in particular, kneeling over the corpse of what was once presumably Everett. R.J. approached the scene slowly, hands hanging helplessly at his sides. This can't be happening. He couldn't make out who the crying boy was, approaching from behind and all, nor did he recognize the broken and bludgeoned corpse, though as badly battered as his face was, he wasn't sure he'd recognize him if he did know the kid. This can't be fucking happening. He couldn't do anything but stand there, staring in horror at the scene that played out now mere yards in front of him, unable to believe what he was seeing.
It's already started...
It was the first time he'd ever seen a dead body, at least one that had previously been human. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He didn't know what he could do. So at that moment, R.J. simply did what instinct instructed him to do: he crossed himself and in the privacy of his mind, began to pray.
Our father, who art in heaven...
Somewhere between the small town and the evergreen graveyard, R.J. had lost Kris' trail. Normally, he was a fairly competent tracker. Skilled, one might even say. Unfortunately, today wasn't his day. As he slogged through the maze of logs and stumps, he was bogged down by stress, guilt, anger, and the dirt that had clouded his eyes since he first woke. The dead quiet of the felled forest was punctuated only by the sounds of students arguing far off in the distance, the occasional gunshot, and no less than two explosions, one to the north, one to the east. It was the last one that troubled the young giant the most, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, concentrating on why he came this way in the first place. All he could really do, in any case, was hope Kris wasn't at the center of either.
"Everett? Yo, Everett man?"
His thought process was interrupted by the sound of another voice. It was still distant, but for the first time since leaving the town, he could make out what someone was saying.
EVEREEEEEEETT! YO, EVEREEEEEEEEETT!
R.J., neither recognizing the voice nor knowing an Everett, paid no heed to the young man's cries. The only action he took was to sigh and slap his palm against his forehead. God, shut the hell up. You're gonna get yourself and your buddy killed if you keep up with that sh-
Suddenly, his train of thought was derailed once more, as the distant young man's tone saw a marked change.
"......No... No no no, Oh god! Oh SHIT! OH SHIT, EVERETT!"
Oh balls... don't tell me...
Against all common sense, R.J. ran to the source of the sound. Oh shit, tell me that wasn't because of what I think it was. By the time he reached the top of the hill, no one was there, but it didn't take long to spot what he was looking for from the higher vantage point. To his dismay, it was precisely what he thought it was. Another student, bawling his eyes out, babbling to no one in particular, kneeling over the corpse of what was once presumably Everett. R.J. approached the scene slowly, hands hanging helplessly at his sides. This can't be happening. He couldn't make out who the crying boy was, approaching from behind and all, nor did he recognize the broken and bludgeoned corpse, though as badly battered as his face was, he wasn't sure he'd recognize him if he did know the kid. This can't be fucking happening. He couldn't do anything but stand there, staring in horror at the scene that played out now mere yards in front of him, unable to believe what he was seeing.
It's already started...
It was the first time he'd ever seen a dead body, at least one that had previously been human. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He didn't know what he could do. So at that moment, R.J. simply did what instinct instructed him to do: he crossed himself and in the privacy of his mind, began to pray.
Our father, who art in heaven...
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(Jessica Pentangeli continued from Ten Shades of Gray)
"I think we're lost..."
Jessica stated the obvious because it was the only way for her to get a grasp of her situation. They were hopelessly lost in a open field that stretched for miles, and had only just come across a large field of stumps. Jessica could have made some sort of observation, like "wow, there must be some sort of logging factory around here". She was way too tired to be bothered though. All she saw were stumps. Just stumps. Friggin stumps. She almost tripped on one and it hurt her foot.
Time to get a grip. Think.
Jessica had just pulled her best, no, not her best friend, she didn't know Alex well enough to call her that. Jessica had just pulled her ONLY friend out of the ONLY place with people in it to follow two people that she didn't even know. Just to give her the happy fuzzy feeling belonging in a group because she thought it might be the only thing that could save her. Alex had gone along with the idea, but Jessica had to tug on her shoulder to get her to do it. It was Jessica's fuck up.
"Oh god." Jessica sighed, stopping in her tracks.
Jessica had the map clenched in her one hand. When she first tried to traverse the woods using it, when she first started to realize that she might have went past Nik and Fiona. Jessica wasn't used to leading someone else. She really wanted Alex to do it, but Alex thought Jessica knew where she was going and Jessica had been stupid enough to believe that. So she pulled out her map and the compass and she tried to coordinate exactly where the two of them were, but everything looked the same. Every piece of grass and every tree stump looked too much alike and it made her stomach queasy. So she said screw the map, stuffed the compass in her pocket and just held onto her rifle for dear life. Now who was going to protect them? Jessica had a dart gun! How was she going to protect Alex, much less herself?
Jessica looked back at Alex. "I..."
Jessica felt her eyes well up. Oh god, she had just lead her friend into even more trouble. Oh no. She grabbed Alex's hand and squeezed it, not registering the fact that she dropped her map. Jessica didn't care.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-I thought they went this way and I... I don't wanna-"
"EVEREEET! YO, EEEEVEREEEET!"
Jessica clammed up. She turned her head. Southwest she believed. She shrunk back, picking up the map and hastily putting it in her pocket.
"I... I think it came from over there."
Jessica hesitated. The ground curved upwards into a large hill, stumps laying all around. In the distance she could make out a boy all the way at the top of the hill. Too far to make a clear face. Jessica turned to Alex, letting go of her hand finally. She grabbed the rifle and crept up the side of the hill, looking back at Alex the whole time.
The hill was steep. Jessica could make out who was screaming until she finally got to the top of the hill. Jessica wasn't expecting roses, but the dead body and the boy who appeared to be crying over it. Another boy was walking, slowly, hands out on either side. Jessica couldn't make much else out, faces, intentions, nothing. This scared Jessica.
So she did the only thing she thought she could do - she turned her head away and tried to pretend the body wasn't there.
"Alex," Jessica whispered, hoping Alex would tell her that the body wasn't there.
It was all just a trick of the moonlight, she told herself. Had to be. The boy was just crying for his own life. Yet Omar came rushing to her head and she wondered if that boy would be alright. Shouldn't Jessica do something? And yet she doubted herself, holding the butt of her gun close to her side.
"W-What should we do? Do you think that boy might try to kill him? S-Should we go down there?"
So many questions. Jessica's mind was spinning.
"I think we're lost..."
Jessica stated the obvious because it was the only way for her to get a grasp of her situation. They were hopelessly lost in a open field that stretched for miles, and had only just come across a large field of stumps. Jessica could have made some sort of observation, like "wow, there must be some sort of logging factory around here". She was way too tired to be bothered though. All she saw were stumps. Just stumps. Friggin stumps. She almost tripped on one and it hurt her foot.
Time to get a grip. Think.
Jessica had just pulled her best, no, not her best friend, she didn't know Alex well enough to call her that. Jessica had just pulled her ONLY friend out of the ONLY place with people in it to follow two people that she didn't even know. Just to give her the happy fuzzy feeling belonging in a group because she thought it might be the only thing that could save her. Alex had gone along with the idea, but Jessica had to tug on her shoulder to get her to do it. It was Jessica's fuck up.
"Oh god." Jessica sighed, stopping in her tracks.
Jessica had the map clenched in her one hand. When she first tried to traverse the woods using it, when she first started to realize that she might have went past Nik and Fiona. Jessica wasn't used to leading someone else. She really wanted Alex to do it, but Alex thought Jessica knew where she was going and Jessica had been stupid enough to believe that. So she pulled out her map and the compass and she tried to coordinate exactly where the two of them were, but everything looked the same. Every piece of grass and every tree stump looked too much alike and it made her stomach queasy. So she said screw the map, stuffed the compass in her pocket and just held onto her rifle for dear life. Now who was going to protect them? Jessica had a dart gun! How was she going to protect Alex, much less herself?
Jessica looked back at Alex. "I..."
Jessica felt her eyes well up. Oh god, she had just lead her friend into even more trouble. Oh no. She grabbed Alex's hand and squeezed it, not registering the fact that she dropped her map. Jessica didn't care.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-I thought they went this way and I... I don't wanna-"
"EVEREEET! YO, EEEEVEREEEET!"
Jessica clammed up. She turned her head. Southwest she believed. She shrunk back, picking up the map and hastily putting it in her pocket.
"I... I think it came from over there."
Jessica hesitated. The ground curved upwards into a large hill, stumps laying all around. In the distance she could make out a boy all the way at the top of the hill. Too far to make a clear face. Jessica turned to Alex, letting go of her hand finally. She grabbed the rifle and crept up the side of the hill, looking back at Alex the whole time.
The hill was steep. Jessica could make out who was screaming until she finally got to the top of the hill. Jessica wasn't expecting roses, but the dead body and the boy who appeared to be crying over it. Another boy was walking, slowly, hands out on either side. Jessica couldn't make much else out, faces, intentions, nothing. This scared Jessica.
So she did the only thing she thought she could do - she turned her head away and tried to pretend the body wasn't there.
"Alex," Jessica whispered, hoping Alex would tell her that the body wasn't there.
It was all just a trick of the moonlight, she told herself. Had to be. The boy was just crying for his own life. Yet Omar came rushing to her head and she wondered if that boy would be alright. Shouldn't Jessica do something? And yet she doubted herself, holding the butt of her gun close to her side.
"W-What should we do? Do you think that boy might try to kill him? S-Should we go down there?"
So many questions. Jessica's mind was spinning.
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((Alex Jackson continued from Ten Shades of Gray ))
Alex drug her feet in the dirt making little tracks in the dirt as she went. She'd meant to follow Nik and Fiona, but somehow they'd gotten separated. Alex was in the middle of blaming Jessica totally, when she confessed what Alex had suspected for the last couple of minutes.
"I think we're lost..."
'Well that's just fantastic isn't it,' Alex thought. Why did I decide to let her lead? I can read a map; although I don't think the compass is gonna help me much. She rolled her eyes as Jessica tripped over a stump. Kind of jumped up and attacked you, did it?
"Oh god." Jessica sighed, stopping in her track and looked back at Alex. "I..."
Alex looked at her expectantly hoping maybe she'd figured out the map. Instead Jessica grabbed her hand and squeezed, dropping the map in the process.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-I thought they went this way and I... I don't wanna-"
Alex sighed mostly over the whole situation. She'd covered a lot ground today and was tired and she still hadn't found Roman. Someone screaming about Everett, before Alex could react Jessica was dragging her towards the hill. As they crested the hill Alex surveyed the scene below. What kind of twisted luck is this, she thought. How is it I have managed to find two dead classmates?
Before she could reply to Jessica's stream of questions she heard a crackle of static, followed by the voice she was hoping to never hear again; the voice of the man who had trapped them all in this ridiculous game. Then he began recounting the deaths and Alex was shocked at the number of classmates who they'd lost. But even more disturbing was the willingness of the others to play this game. She heaved a huge sigh of relief as Danya finished the announcement. Roman, Roman was safe for the time being. Now if only she could find him.
"Since neither of those guys looks like Janet, I'm thinking it's a fairly safe bet that we can go down there. At the very least we can ask them if they've seen Roman," she said and then without waiting for a reply Alex headed down the hill.
Alex drug her feet in the dirt making little tracks in the dirt as she went. She'd meant to follow Nik and Fiona, but somehow they'd gotten separated. Alex was in the middle of blaming Jessica totally, when she confessed what Alex had suspected for the last couple of minutes.
"I think we're lost..."
'Well that's just fantastic isn't it,' Alex thought. Why did I decide to let her lead? I can read a map; although I don't think the compass is gonna help me much. She rolled her eyes as Jessica tripped over a stump. Kind of jumped up and attacked you, did it?
"Oh god." Jessica sighed, stopping in her track and looked back at Alex. "I..."
Alex looked at her expectantly hoping maybe she'd figured out the map. Instead Jessica grabbed her hand and squeezed, dropping the map in the process.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-I thought they went this way and I... I don't wanna-"
Alex sighed mostly over the whole situation. She'd covered a lot ground today and was tired and she still hadn't found Roman. Someone screaming about Everett, before Alex could react Jessica was dragging her towards the hill. As they crested the hill Alex surveyed the scene below. What kind of twisted luck is this, she thought. How is it I have managed to find two dead classmates?
Before she could reply to Jessica's stream of questions she heard a crackle of static, followed by the voice she was hoping to never hear again; the voice of the man who had trapped them all in this ridiculous game. Then he began recounting the deaths and Alex was shocked at the number of classmates who they'd lost. But even more disturbing was the willingness of the others to play this game. She heaved a huge sigh of relief as Danya finished the announcement. Roman, Roman was safe for the time being. Now if only she could find him.
"Since neither of those guys looks like Janet, I'm thinking it's a fairly safe bet that we can go down there. At the very least we can ask them if they've seen Roman," she said and then without waiting for a reply Alex headed down the hill.
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-
KingKamor†
- Posts: 212
- Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:43 am
(Eva Lancaster, continued from Rest and Relaxation)
Explosions, gunshots, screams, shouts, everything that Eva suspected would be heard in a war zone felt as if it all was being broadcast straight into her head. The announcement that went off earlier barely reached her ears in her rush to get away. From what, she did not know.
She let out stifled grunts as she ran through what looked like something that used to be a forest. It was entirely dead, everything cut down to the ground. The girl didn't even notice that she had arrived in such a place until her breath had completely ran out. Her throat had grown as coarse as sawdust and her mouth just as dry. Crashing to her knees, Eva managed to keep herself from face planting into the ground with a stiff arm to hold her up. A bead of sweat fell from her chin, and her sweater was practically glued to her back.
"Fuck!" She shouted. Eva tore her sweater off over her head-- no small task with the duffel bags strap over he shoulder-- and threw it off to the side, revealing a black tank top underneath. The light blue colored bit of clothing stuck out in stark contrast with the dirt and sawdust around it. Her breathing still not getting any softer, she looked over at it. "...Why did I keep this thing...?" She said as if to someone other than herself.
The sweater was the sweater that she bought while at the mall with Jen one day. Her friend didn't approve of it, but Eva bought it anyway. Thinking back on that day, it was probably rude of her to simply throw away her friend's advice like that.
Then, a thought occurred to her. She's on this island, too, isn't she? Oh, God. I wasn't listening to the names called during the announcement! What if she was one of the people who died? She struggled to her feet. "Shit! God damn it! This is the fucking stupidest thing ever! Fucking a!" Just as she was about to kick a nearby stump out of frustration, a sob escaped her breath. "Why...? Why the hell would they...?" As she trailed off, she picked herself up and continued in the direction she was heading.
As it turned out, just down the "road" were several figures. It was a rather picturesque moment, to her. Having spent so long in art class after hours, she instantly thought of a name for that scene. Title: Fallen Leaves. Upon closer inspection, she saw that one of the figures was crying his eyes out. The one on the ground wasn't moving.
He's dead. She told herself.
Eva's eyes widened. Who killed this guy? Was it the big guy standing next to him? Was it an accident? Didn't she hear a gunshot earlier? And screams, too? She instantly tore the zipper of her duffel bag open and grabbed the crossbow gun, the rest of the bags contents spilled all over the ground in the process, but she didn't pay any mind to it. With tears streaming down her face and a shout of anguish, she shot a bolt towards her fellow students, not even caring if it hit them or not.
Explosions, gunshots, screams, shouts, everything that Eva suspected would be heard in a war zone felt as if it all was being broadcast straight into her head. The announcement that went off earlier barely reached her ears in her rush to get away. From what, she did not know.
She let out stifled grunts as she ran through what looked like something that used to be a forest. It was entirely dead, everything cut down to the ground. The girl didn't even notice that she had arrived in such a place until her breath had completely ran out. Her throat had grown as coarse as sawdust and her mouth just as dry. Crashing to her knees, Eva managed to keep herself from face planting into the ground with a stiff arm to hold her up. A bead of sweat fell from her chin, and her sweater was practically glued to her back.
"Fuck!" She shouted. Eva tore her sweater off over her head-- no small task with the duffel bags strap over he shoulder-- and threw it off to the side, revealing a black tank top underneath. The light blue colored bit of clothing stuck out in stark contrast with the dirt and sawdust around it. Her breathing still not getting any softer, she looked over at it. "...Why did I keep this thing...?" She said as if to someone other than herself.
The sweater was the sweater that she bought while at the mall with Jen one day. Her friend didn't approve of it, but Eva bought it anyway. Thinking back on that day, it was probably rude of her to simply throw away her friend's advice like that.
Then, a thought occurred to her. She's on this island, too, isn't she? Oh, God. I wasn't listening to the names called during the announcement! What if she was one of the people who died? She struggled to her feet. "Shit! God damn it! This is the fucking stupidest thing ever! Fucking a!" Just as she was about to kick a nearby stump out of frustration, a sob escaped her breath. "Why...? Why the hell would they...?" As she trailed off, she picked herself up and continued in the direction she was heading.
As it turned out, just down the "road" were several figures. It was a rather picturesque moment, to her. Having spent so long in art class after hours, she instantly thought of a name for that scene. Title: Fallen Leaves. Upon closer inspection, she saw that one of the figures was crying his eyes out. The one on the ground wasn't moving.
He's dead. She told herself.
Eva's eyes widened. Who killed this guy? Was it the big guy standing next to him? Was it an accident? Didn't she hear a gunshot earlier? And screams, too? She instantly tore the zipper of her duffel bag open and grabbed the crossbow gun, the rest of the bags contents spilled all over the ground in the process, but she didn't pay any mind to it. With tears streaming down her face and a shout of anguish, she shot a bolt towards her fellow students, not even caring if it hit them or not.
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It wasn't that he didn't hear the girls approaching. They weren't as quiet as they might have thought they were. It just didn't matter at that moment, standing over the stinking remains of a former classmate. Burying him crossed the young man's mind, as he swatted away a fly that deigned to buzz too close to his face. He deserves better than to just rot on a tree stump like this, doesn't he? He may not have known the kid, but it seemed the least he could do. However, he didn't have very long to think about that. The piercing sound of stereo feedback bore down on R.J.'s eardrums, derailing his thought process.
"Kids, I have to say that I'm truly impressed with your first day showing."
Oh, go fuck yourself.
"Blood! Tragedy! Explosions! Mayhem! You've utterly smashed the record for first day kills; it makes an old man proud to see you all taking his instructions so thoroughly to heart! Congratulations to those of you that are still alive, because you've already outlasted 19 of your classmates."
Wait, hold up. Fucking nineteen? That... that can't be right...
The gleefully uncaring voice listed off the names of the fallen and, where applicable, their killers. Remi Pierce, Dallas Reynolds... Oh man, Tex? This early? ...Warren Brown, Omar Burton, Eric Lorenz, Alex Rasputin... Was that a fucking pun? How sick is this guy? ...Reika Ishida... Except Dallas, no names yet that he recognized, though to be fair, he wasn't good with na-
...Kris Hartmann...
...No way... I was that close to a killer? I had my gun pointed right at her... I let her go... I knew there was a chance she had, but it never really... I wanted to help her...
...Clio Gabriella, Chris Davidson, Reiko Ishida, Sally Connelly, Cyrille LaBlanche... The tiny little figure skater? Really? ...Nick Reid, Daniel Vaughan, Petrushka Ivanova, Clio again, Megan Nelson, Resident Bear, Everett Taylor, Janet Binachi... Wait. Did he say bear? Oh fuck, there's a bear here?! Sweat dripped down R.J.'s brow. Lord knows he was scared shitless of bears.
...Keith Christoph, Ivan Kuzen... Kuzna... Kucinich... Fuck, what'd he say? ...Rob Jenkins, Paige Strand, Ra Ra Rasputin again, Robert Lerger, Brent Shanahan...
No... That can't be right. Shanny can't be dead... Of all the names so far, Brent was the first R.J. counted as a friend. The two had been on the baseball team together since freshman year. Not much of a hitter, but he'd saved R.J. at least one game with his glove. But that wasn't important. Baseball was just a game. Shanny was a friend. His knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, palms beginning to bleed as his nails dug into them. There was no choice. He had to find the one responsible and stop them from killing again.
...Staffan Kronwall...
That name, R.J. knew. Hockey prospect, Swedish or something. Murderer. R.J. was going to find him, and he was going to blow him off this mortal goddamned coil.
...Maria Santiago, Jackie Broughten, Tony Russo, Colin Falcone, Amber Whimsy... Kris again...
Kris... son of a bitch, if I'd stopped her then and there, I could have saved Amber... Fuck it, that's it. I need to find her now. I won't make the same mistake twice. I'll stop you and Staffan both. Fucking watch me.
He knew he might not remember them tomorrow, or even in ten minutes, but right now, he took each and every name to heart. He would honor those who had fallen. He would end those who felled them. And most of all, he would get as many people as he could off this rock alive. He looked back to the crying boy, then to Everett.
There was a click. Then a snikt.
There was a crossbow bolt lodged in the side of Everett's neck.
Without thinking, R.J. drew his weapon, which was already cocked from the standoff in the town, and - Pow! - fired off a round at the figure standing in the direction from which the bolt had come. He didn't bother looking to see if it had hit before diving behind a log for cover. Shit, think, shit, think. What the fuck just happened? Who's shooting at us? He raised his head up over the log to get a look, then ducked back down. Girl. Didn't recognize her. Armed. Crossbow pistol. Still there.
In one swift motion, he stood up.
Aimed for the upper torso.
Prayed for forgiveness.
Pulled the trigger.
Pow.
It wasn't that he didn't hear the girls approaching. They weren't as quiet as they might have thought they were. It just didn't matter at that moment, standing over the stinking remains of a former classmate. Burying him crossed the young man's mind, as he swatted away a fly that deigned to buzz too close to his face. He deserves better than to just rot on a tree stump like this, doesn't he? He may not have known the kid, but it seemed the least he could do. However, he didn't have very long to think about that. The piercing sound of stereo feedback bore down on R.J.'s eardrums, derailing his thought process.
"Kids, I have to say that I'm truly impressed with your first day showing."
Oh, go fuck yourself.
"Blood! Tragedy! Explosions! Mayhem! You've utterly smashed the record for first day kills; it makes an old man proud to see you all taking his instructions so thoroughly to heart! Congratulations to those of you that are still alive, because you've already outlasted 19 of your classmates."
Wait, hold up. Fucking nineteen? That... that can't be right...
The gleefully uncaring voice listed off the names of the fallen and, where applicable, their killers. Remi Pierce, Dallas Reynolds... Oh man, Tex? This early? ...Warren Brown, Omar Burton, Eric Lorenz, Alex Rasputin... Was that a fucking pun? How sick is this guy? ...Reika Ishida... Except Dallas, no names yet that he recognized, though to be fair, he wasn't good with na-
...Kris Hartmann...
...No way... I was that close to a killer? I had my gun pointed right at her... I let her go... I knew there was a chance she had, but it never really... I wanted to help her...
...Clio Gabriella, Chris Davidson, Reiko Ishida, Sally Connelly, Cyrille LaBlanche... The tiny little figure skater? Really? ...Nick Reid, Daniel Vaughan, Petrushka Ivanova, Clio again, Megan Nelson, Resident Bear, Everett Taylor, Janet Binachi... Wait. Did he say bear? Oh fuck, there's a bear here?! Sweat dripped down R.J.'s brow. Lord knows he was scared shitless of bears.
...Keith Christoph, Ivan Kuzen... Kuzna... Kucinich... Fuck, what'd he say? ...Rob Jenkins, Paige Strand, Ra Ra Rasputin again, Robert Lerger, Brent Shanahan...
No... That can't be right. Shanny can't be dead... Of all the names so far, Brent was the first R.J. counted as a friend. The two had been on the baseball team together since freshman year. Not much of a hitter, but he'd saved R.J. at least one game with his glove. But that wasn't important. Baseball was just a game. Shanny was a friend. His knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, palms beginning to bleed as his nails dug into them. There was no choice. He had to find the one responsible and stop them from killing again.
...Staffan Kronwall...
That name, R.J. knew. Hockey prospect, Swedish or something. Murderer. R.J. was going to find him, and he was going to blow him off this mortal goddamned coil.
...Maria Santiago, Jackie Broughten, Tony Russo, Colin Falcone, Amber Whimsy... Kris again...
Kris... son of a bitch, if I'd stopped her then and there, I could have saved Amber... Fuck it, that's it. I need to find her now. I won't make the same mistake twice. I'll stop you and Staffan both. Fucking watch me.
He knew he might not remember them tomorrow, or even in ten minutes, but right now, he took each and every name to heart. He would honor those who had fallen. He would end those who felled them. And most of all, he would get as many people as he could off this rock alive. He looked back to the crying boy, then to Everett.
There was a click. Then a snikt.
There was a crossbow bolt lodged in the side of Everett's neck.
Without thinking, R.J. drew his weapon, which was already cocked from the standoff in the town, and - Pow! - fired off a round at the figure standing in the direction from which the bolt had come. He didn't bother looking to see if it had hit before diving behind a log for cover. Shit, think, shit, think. What the fuck just happened? Who's shooting at us? He raised his head up over the log to get a look, then ducked back down. Girl. Didn't recognize her. Armed. Crossbow pistol. Still there.
In one swift motion, he stood up.
Aimed for the upper torso.
Prayed for forgiveness.
Pulled the trigger.
Pow.
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He didn't think things could get any worse... After all, what could POSSIBLY be worse then finding out that the first living person he'd befriended on the island had been brutally beaten to death without him being able to do a single thing about it? Or, worse then the realisation that if he'd made more of an effort to keep up then maybe he could have been able to prevent it from happening in the first place...
But as the morning announcement began to play out, informing the inhabitants of the island as to the fate of their friends and colleagues, things as it turned out for Joshua Krakowski had gotten far worse then he could have ever possibly imagined...
"Kids, I have to say that I'm truly impressed with your first day showing. Blood! Tragedy! Explosions! Mayhem! You've utterly smashed the record for first day kills; it makes an old man proud to see you all taking his instructions so thoroughly to heart!"
W, w... What?!? What does he mean by that?!?
...Congratulations to those of you that are still alive, because you've already outlasted 19 of your classmates."
......19.
Words could not have describe just how deeply his heart had sank upon hearing that simple piece of information. Couldn't describe just how thoroughly shattered all his hopes and dreams were by the revelation. That 19 people..... REAL people..... People he'd known personally since 2nd Grade..... People who were his friends, acquaintances, rivals, even childhood crushes..... Were now dead, never to come back. No extra lives, no continues, no lame-ass retcons... They were just gone. Just like how Everett was gone... And worst of all, most of them had died at the hands of their own classmates.
NO! No, no, how could... How COULD THEY? This isn't right! This can't POSSIBLY be the same Bayview I grew up in! I must have gotten mixed up with the wrong school or something... The people from the Bayview I know would NEVER of done such a thing!
Sadly, unless he'd been mixed up with a school which also had students called Remi Pierce, Alex Rasputin, Kris Hartmann, Clio Gabriella and their own pair of Ishida twins named Reika and Reiko... There was no denying the fact that these were Bayview students being listed out.
He wasn't sure which he hated hearing more... The name of the people who'd died, or the name of the people who'd killed them. Both hurt him equally as they were listed out one at a time... Like a constant punch to chest made worse by the fact that Danya was actually MOCKING them as he did so! Like... What the FUCK man!?! You can't joke about stuff like that! Its just... just... Its just WRONG man! Seriously freaking WRONG!
"Hold on just a second kiddies, I'm placing an order. Hello? Is that the Nick Reid take out? Yeah, I'd like to order a number 23. That's right, the extra crispy Daniel Vaughan in the Molotov sauce. Alright, thanks a bunch..."
D, D... Daniel? No... No, no. Oh god, DANIEL! Oh shit, not you too!
The news of Daniel's death was without a doubt the painfullest Joshua had heard so far... Unlike the others, Daniel and Joshua had been close friends back at Bayview. He wasn't his BEST friend per se, but the two were close buddies. Kindred spirits. Real amigos, y'know? So hearing now that even HE was dead as well... Joshua wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.
"Everett Taylor was our next victim, he died at the hands of Janet Binachi after a healthy dose of hockey stick."
Janet Binachi... Joshua didn't really know much about her. SHE was the one who killed Everett? Joshua just couldn't believe that someone like her would DO such a thing to the poor guy... Then again, neither did he believe that Omar, Alex, Kris, Clio, Reiko, Nick, Ivan, Rob, Staffan, Jackie, Or even Colin Falcone (Yes, THAT Colin Falcone!) would actually be sick enough to play along...
Has the world gone NUTS? Has everyone I know gone COMPLETELY FREAKING INSANE?!?
Wait...... What if..... What if Marty's playing as well? No, no way. Nah ah, not in this lifetime. Marty would never even CONSIDER doing such a thing! Sure, the guy's a bit of paranoid, but he ain't a freaking MURDERER!
Thankfully, Marty's name wasn't mentioned during the announcement. If he had, Joshua may have very well just given up on trying to survive altogether. Without Marty, who'd be there to make sure he didn't do something stupid by mistake? Or make sure that he kept his eye on the ball and frigging CONCENTRATE once in a while! He'd already lost one of his closest buddies because of his absent-mindedness, but to lose his best friend as well? No way in hell Joshua was going to let that happen...
It was at that point that a crossbow bolt shot out of nowhere and hit Everett's corpse in the neck.
Wait! W..wha..w..w..WHAT?!?
The sheer suddenness of the situation brought Joshua back to reality almost instantaneously. It was only at that point that he started noticing the various people that had assembled around him, such as the kinda-hot-ish chick up by the hill, the fairly average-looking chick who'd fired at him with a crossbow, and the REALLY tall guy who was... Oh fuck, actually SHOOTING back at the her!
Oh shit, oh SHIT! PLEASE tell me none of this is happening to me right now!
He had to do something... Anything! As long as it stopped the two of them from killing each other pointlessly... Enough people were dead now already without THESE two adding each to the already way too large deathlist. With this in mind, Joshua stood up and tried to calm the situation down before it escalated any further.
"Woahwoahwoah, CHILL THE HELL OUT! Quit it before one of us REALLY gets hur..."
BANG!
...........
......Oh god.
But as the morning announcement began to play out, informing the inhabitants of the island as to the fate of their friends and colleagues, things as it turned out for Joshua Krakowski had gotten far worse then he could have ever possibly imagined...
"Kids, I have to say that I'm truly impressed with your first day showing. Blood! Tragedy! Explosions! Mayhem! You've utterly smashed the record for first day kills; it makes an old man proud to see you all taking his instructions so thoroughly to heart!"
W, w... What?!? What does he mean by that?!?
...Congratulations to those of you that are still alive, because you've already outlasted 19 of your classmates."
......19.
Words could not have describe just how deeply his heart had sank upon hearing that simple piece of information. Couldn't describe just how thoroughly shattered all his hopes and dreams were by the revelation. That 19 people..... REAL people..... People he'd known personally since 2nd Grade..... People who were his friends, acquaintances, rivals, even childhood crushes..... Were now dead, never to come back. No extra lives, no continues, no lame-ass retcons... They were just gone. Just like how Everett was gone... And worst of all, most of them had died at the hands of their own classmates.
NO! No, no, how could... How COULD THEY? This isn't right! This can't POSSIBLY be the same Bayview I grew up in! I must have gotten mixed up with the wrong school or something... The people from the Bayview I know would NEVER of done such a thing!
Sadly, unless he'd been mixed up with a school which also had students called Remi Pierce, Alex Rasputin, Kris Hartmann, Clio Gabriella and their own pair of Ishida twins named Reika and Reiko... There was no denying the fact that these were Bayview students being listed out.
He wasn't sure which he hated hearing more... The name of the people who'd died, or the name of the people who'd killed them. Both hurt him equally as they were listed out one at a time... Like a constant punch to chest made worse by the fact that Danya was actually MOCKING them as he did so! Like... What the FUCK man!?! You can't joke about stuff like that! Its just... just... Its just WRONG man! Seriously freaking WRONG!
"Hold on just a second kiddies, I'm placing an order. Hello? Is that the Nick Reid take out? Yeah, I'd like to order a number 23. That's right, the extra crispy Daniel Vaughan in the Molotov sauce. Alright, thanks a bunch..."
D, D... Daniel? No... No, no. Oh god, DANIEL! Oh shit, not you too!
The news of Daniel's death was without a doubt the painfullest Joshua had heard so far... Unlike the others, Daniel and Joshua had been close friends back at Bayview. He wasn't his BEST friend per se, but the two were close buddies. Kindred spirits. Real amigos, y'know? So hearing now that even HE was dead as well... Joshua wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.
"Everett Taylor was our next victim, he died at the hands of Janet Binachi after a healthy dose of hockey stick."
Janet Binachi... Joshua didn't really know much about her. SHE was the one who killed Everett? Joshua just couldn't believe that someone like her would DO such a thing to the poor guy... Then again, neither did he believe that Omar, Alex, Kris, Clio, Reiko, Nick, Ivan, Rob, Staffan, Jackie, Or even Colin Falcone (Yes, THAT Colin Falcone!) would actually be sick enough to play along...
Has the world gone NUTS? Has everyone I know gone COMPLETELY FREAKING INSANE?!?
Wait...... What if..... What if Marty's playing as well? No, no way. Nah ah, not in this lifetime. Marty would never even CONSIDER doing such a thing! Sure, the guy's a bit of paranoid, but he ain't a freaking MURDERER!
Thankfully, Marty's name wasn't mentioned during the announcement. If he had, Joshua may have very well just given up on trying to survive altogether. Without Marty, who'd be there to make sure he didn't do something stupid by mistake? Or make sure that he kept his eye on the ball and frigging CONCENTRATE once in a while! He'd already lost one of his closest buddies because of his absent-mindedness, but to lose his best friend as well? No way in hell Joshua was going to let that happen...
It was at that point that a crossbow bolt shot out of nowhere and hit Everett's corpse in the neck.
Wait! W..wha..w..w..WHAT?!?
The sheer suddenness of the situation brought Joshua back to reality almost instantaneously. It was only at that point that he started noticing the various people that had assembled around him, such as the kinda-hot-ish chick up by the hill, the fairly average-looking chick who'd fired at him with a crossbow, and the REALLY tall guy who was... Oh fuck, actually SHOOTING back at the her!
Oh shit, oh SHIT! PLEASE tell me none of this is happening to me right now!
He had to do something... Anything! As long as it stopped the two of them from killing each other pointlessly... Enough people were dead now already without THESE two adding each to the already way too large deathlist. With this in mind, Joshua stood up and tried to calm the situation down before it escalated any further.
"Woahwoahwoah, CHILL THE HELL OUT! Quit it before one of us REALLY gets hur..."
BANG!
...........
......Oh god.
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Alex slowed her approach as another girl came into view. Her eyes widened in surprise as the girl pulled a weapon and fired a...a arrow at the two boys. She skid to a halt and put an arm out to stop Jessica's progress. What the hell?!? Had she missed something? She hadn't heard any conversation, the girl had just opened fire, and...and it hit Everett There was some kind of horrible irony to shooting a corpse. Alex had only seconds to contemplate this when R.J. lifted a weapon of his own and returned fire.
"Look out," Alex cried and dove for the ground, taking Jessica down with her. Alex landed with a groan and then flattened herself as close to the ground as she could get. "I think we should get out of here, but I'm kind of afraid to move," Alex confessed looking over at Jessica. "And if we get out of here, I definitely get to lead next time."
Alex slowed her approach as another girl came into view. Her eyes widened in surprise as the girl pulled a weapon and fired a...a arrow at the two boys. She skid to a halt and put an arm out to stop Jessica's progress. What the hell?!? Had she missed something? She hadn't heard any conversation, the girl had just opened fire, and...and it hit Everett There was some kind of horrible irony to shooting a corpse. Alex had only seconds to contemplate this when R.J. lifted a weapon of his own and returned fire.
"Look out," Alex cried and dove for the ground, taking Jessica down with her. Alex landed with a groan and then flattened herself as close to the ground as she could get. "I think we should get out of here, but I'm kind of afraid to move," Alex confessed looking over at Jessica. "And if we get out of here, I definitely get to lead next time."
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-
KingKamor†
- Posts: 212
- Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:43 am
Every face she saw in that small crowd around the body had a familiar face. They were faces she had seen in the halls for the past four years. She had spent most of her time in the art room and even then she was able to recognize them at least a little, though she knew not their names. Every single one of them looked exhausted, as if they had nowhere to go.
Pow
A bullet whizzed past her arm, the hairs on the skin standing up at the sharp rush of air as it passed. See? Everyone she knew was out to kill poor Eva because they were succumbing to the hatred caused by Survival of the Fittest! But Eva won't die. Of course not! She has too much to do-- too much to accomplish-- to die such a miserable death in a place like this.
I am an artist! She shouted in her mind as she dug around in her bag for another bolt to place in her crossbow. All I have to do is go through art college, paint some masterpieces, and everything will be fine. Even Dad will have to admit that I've done well! If these people plan on getting in my way, then...!
It was all she could do to keep the memories from flooding back to her. It wasn't her style to dwell on the past, but several things always lingered in the back of her mind. Her eyes flooded with tears of every emotion as the images flashed before them.
A young preteen girl with bob-cut hair of every shade of blond ran around the house, holding in her hands a canvas that was almost larger than she was. "Dad!" she called out through the white pastel innards of the triple story house. Her feet made muffled stomps as her heart-covered socks beat against the hardwood floors in search of her father. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him sitting at his desk in his office. He was always there, but she never paid attention to the little details.
A sigh. "What is it, Evangeline?" he asked without looking away from the computer monitor.
With some difficulty, she raised up the painting to face him, revealing the image of a man wearing glasses with graying hair. The man sitting in front of her. "I made this for you! What do you think?" An ear-to-ear smile spread across her face in anticipation. "Let's see... Title: The Working Man. Kinda simple, but I like it."
A glance, then back to work. "How nice."
Her head cocked at his reaction. "But... you barely looked at it. it's supposed to be you, you know."
His hands stopped their typing, and he turned to her in his chair. "Shouldn't you do something else? Show it to your mother if it is so important to you. Either way, it's a useless talent, if you could call it that. Get back to your homework. I'm sure you haven't done it yet."
But she didn't stop, even after that day. Looking back, the painting sucked. Almost child's play compared to what she was capable of during her Senior year at Bayview. Hours upon hours of practice cause her art room locker to nearly burst. Charcoal, pencil, pastels, water colors, oil paints, pointilism, negative and positive space, textures, she learned how to use them all over the course of seven years, starting in middle school. No friends, no school clubs, no sports, no nothing. Everything else paled in comparison to showing her father that any talent was useful no matter what it was, and she was going to show it to the greatest extent of her ability.
She sniffed and wiped her nose on her arm. Pointing her crossbow at the student who shot at her, the tears still wouldn't stop. Her hands trembled as they held onto the weapon, but she could not aim it at all. Once the tears filled her eyes so much that they could not stay open... What am I thinking...? Enough... Her hands fell to her sides, and she let the crossbow fall to the ground.
Pow
An intense pain filled her entire body, but it lasted only an instant before she began to fall.
Shot through the heart.
A smile spread across her face as she fell back onto the ground. In a way... that's what I've always wanted to do... shoot you through the heart... the only way I know how...
One last look at the sky showed her something she never saw while practicing inside: a beautiful display of red clouds and blue sky. Brushes of several colors across the edges of the vapor made believe that a vast, majestic river flowed through the sky. With the last of her strength, she lifted her arms in front of her vision, framing the scene with her thumbs and forefingers.
A smile remained on her face, despite the scene fading from her vision. "Title..."
FEMALE STUDENT NO. 88 - EVA LANCASTER - DECEASED
Pow
A bullet whizzed past her arm, the hairs on the skin standing up at the sharp rush of air as it passed. See? Everyone she knew was out to kill poor Eva because they were succumbing to the hatred caused by Survival of the Fittest! But Eva won't die. Of course not! She has too much to do-- too much to accomplish-- to die such a miserable death in a place like this.
I am an artist! She shouted in her mind as she dug around in her bag for another bolt to place in her crossbow. All I have to do is go through art college, paint some masterpieces, and everything will be fine. Even Dad will have to admit that I've done well! If these people plan on getting in my way, then...!
It was all she could do to keep the memories from flooding back to her. It wasn't her style to dwell on the past, but several things always lingered in the back of her mind. Her eyes flooded with tears of every emotion as the images flashed before them.
A young preteen girl with bob-cut hair of every shade of blond ran around the house, holding in her hands a canvas that was almost larger than she was. "Dad!" she called out through the white pastel innards of the triple story house. Her feet made muffled stomps as her heart-covered socks beat against the hardwood floors in search of her father. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him sitting at his desk in his office. He was always there, but she never paid attention to the little details.
A sigh. "What is it, Evangeline?" he asked without looking away from the computer monitor.
With some difficulty, she raised up the painting to face him, revealing the image of a man wearing glasses with graying hair. The man sitting in front of her. "I made this for you! What do you think?" An ear-to-ear smile spread across her face in anticipation. "Let's see... Title: The Working Man. Kinda simple, but I like it."
A glance, then back to work. "How nice."
Her head cocked at his reaction. "But... you barely looked at it. it's supposed to be you, you know."
His hands stopped their typing, and he turned to her in his chair. "Shouldn't you do something else? Show it to your mother if it is so important to you. Either way, it's a useless talent, if you could call it that. Get back to your homework. I'm sure you haven't done it yet."
But she didn't stop, even after that day. Looking back, the painting sucked. Almost child's play compared to what she was capable of during her Senior year at Bayview. Hours upon hours of practice cause her art room locker to nearly burst. Charcoal, pencil, pastels, water colors, oil paints, pointilism, negative and positive space, textures, she learned how to use them all over the course of seven years, starting in middle school. No friends, no school clubs, no sports, no nothing. Everything else paled in comparison to showing her father that any talent was useful no matter what it was, and she was going to show it to the greatest extent of her ability.
She sniffed and wiped her nose on her arm. Pointing her crossbow at the student who shot at her, the tears still wouldn't stop. Her hands trembled as they held onto the weapon, but she could not aim it at all. Once the tears filled her eyes so much that they could not stay open... What am I thinking...? Enough... Her hands fell to her sides, and she let the crossbow fall to the ground.
Pow
An intense pain filled her entire body, but it lasted only an instant before she began to fall.
Shot through the heart.
A smile spread across her face as she fell back onto the ground. In a way... that's what I've always wanted to do... shoot you through the heart... the only way I know how...
One last look at the sky showed her something she never saw while practicing inside: a beautiful display of red clouds and blue sky. Brushes of several colors across the edges of the vapor made believe that a vast, majestic river flowed through the sky. With the last of her strength, she lifted her arms in front of her vision, framing the scene with her thumbs and forefingers.
A smile remained on her face, despite the scene fading from her vision. "Title..."
FEMALE STUDENT NO. 88 - EVA LANCASTER - DECEASED
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She let go.
R.J. stood there, gun still pointed where he had aimed it. His hands shook. His everything shook. She let go. His teeth clenched in horror as blood sprayed through the air behind the girl. She fell backwards, holding nothing but air in her hands. Her crossbow lay unmoving on the ground. She let go.
His hands fell helplessly to his sides. I... I only wanted to defend myself... to defend these people...
People R.J. could not bear to look in the eye. He knew they were looking at him. He could feel it. He couldn't bear to look back at them. He had surrendered that right the moment he pulled the trigger. But... hadn't it been for the right reasons? She had shot first. It was justified. It's never justified. She could have killed someone just now. And that's why she dropped the weapon. Unconsciously, his feet carried him toward the wounded girl. He couldn't understand why; least of all, he deserved to face her. He kept the gun in hand, unable to let go. It had become an extension of his physical body. As befits one who would take a life so callously. SHUT THE HELL UP! IT WAS SELF FUCKING DEFENSE! Internally, the tall young man was in utter turmoil, but his exterior belied none of that. Visibly, he remained as taciturn as he had since he'd been on this island. He had to stay strong, to not show any signs of weakness, lest it be taken as an opportunity to attack him. Not that you don't deserve it. I said SHUT UP!
He stood over the girl, as she lay in the dirt, only barely still alive. The bullet had pierced her heart, however, so she wasn't long for this world. Why couldn't I have aimed wide? As he stood there, gazing into her fading eyes, she raised a hand toward him, index finger and thumb framing his face, before uttering a single, final word. "Title." Her arm then collapsed limply to her side as she breathed her last, blood trickling from her mouth as her lips curled into a smile. He stared into her glazed-over eyes, before glancing over to her bag, stenciled on which were the words "G088 - EVA LANCASTER." Eva... so that was your name. Taking a deep breath, he knelt down beside her, laid her hands over her stomach, then closed her eyes. The latter wasn't as easy as it looked on TV - really, it took him about three tries. Then again, maybe it was just nerves. With that smile on her face, she seemed so... peaceful. As angelic as her name implied. I'm glad you could at least find peace, Eva. Please, forgive me for showing it to you the way I did. I promise you, I'll do whatever it takes to make it right. As long as I live, I promise I won't forget your name. I promise I'll honor your memory.
Whether God will forgive me is in His hands.
Standing once more, he crossed himself, took the short walk a few feet away to the crossbow, and used his foot to leave a message in the dirt beside the discarded weapon.
TAKE THIS
DON'T DIE
With that, he set out in whichever direction he was facing at the time, not particularly caring which. He had work to take care of, and for now, he had to do it on his own. He couldn't let anyone else be burdened with what he was about to do.
((R.J. Lowe continued in Clap For The Killers.))
R.J. stood there, gun still pointed where he had aimed it. His hands shook. His everything shook. She let go. His teeth clenched in horror as blood sprayed through the air behind the girl. She fell backwards, holding nothing but air in her hands. Her crossbow lay unmoving on the ground. She let go.
His hands fell helplessly to his sides. I... I only wanted to defend myself... to defend these people...
People R.J. could not bear to look in the eye. He knew they were looking at him. He could feel it. He couldn't bear to look back at them. He had surrendered that right the moment he pulled the trigger. But... hadn't it been for the right reasons? She had shot first. It was justified. It's never justified. She could have killed someone just now. And that's why she dropped the weapon. Unconsciously, his feet carried him toward the wounded girl. He couldn't understand why; least of all, he deserved to face her. He kept the gun in hand, unable to let go. It had become an extension of his physical body. As befits one who would take a life so callously. SHUT THE HELL UP! IT WAS SELF FUCKING DEFENSE! Internally, the tall young man was in utter turmoil, but his exterior belied none of that. Visibly, he remained as taciturn as he had since he'd been on this island. He had to stay strong, to not show any signs of weakness, lest it be taken as an opportunity to attack him. Not that you don't deserve it. I said SHUT UP!
He stood over the girl, as she lay in the dirt, only barely still alive. The bullet had pierced her heart, however, so she wasn't long for this world. Why couldn't I have aimed wide? As he stood there, gazing into her fading eyes, she raised a hand toward him, index finger and thumb framing his face, before uttering a single, final word. "Title." Her arm then collapsed limply to her side as she breathed her last, blood trickling from her mouth as her lips curled into a smile. He stared into her glazed-over eyes, before glancing over to her bag, stenciled on which were the words "G088 - EVA LANCASTER." Eva... so that was your name. Taking a deep breath, he knelt down beside her, laid her hands over her stomach, then closed her eyes. The latter wasn't as easy as it looked on TV - really, it took him about three tries. Then again, maybe it was just nerves. With that smile on her face, she seemed so... peaceful. As angelic as her name implied. I'm glad you could at least find peace, Eva. Please, forgive me for showing it to you the way I did. I promise you, I'll do whatever it takes to make it right. As long as I live, I promise I won't forget your name. I promise I'll honor your memory.
Whether God will forgive me is in His hands.
Standing once more, he crossed himself, took the short walk a few feet away to the crossbow, and used his foot to leave a message in the dirt beside the discarded weapon.
TAKE THIS
DON'T DIE
With that, he set out in whichever direction he was facing at the time, not particularly caring which. He had work to take care of, and for now, he had to do it on his own. He couldn't let anyone else be burdened with what he was about to do.
((R.J. Lowe continued in Clap For The Killers.))
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Stark. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
(Thanks to Rugga. I think this turned out great.)
Dayna was just telling her... names. She knew these people. Not all that well, but she KNEW the names. That was it though. They were just names.
Warren Brown. Omar Burton shot him in the chest with his own gun, which would really have been quite embarrassing if he wasn't dead and all.
Jessica squeezed her eyes closed.
"... bastard."
Jessica wanted to hit something.
She wished she had done something. It wasn't her fault, she wasn't blaming herself, but if only she had opened her eyes a few minutes earlier she might have saved Warren. She felt no sympathy for the boy, at least not past her own feeling of complete failure. She could have done something. Yet she didn't Jessica was useless, a fact that she knew all too well.
Jessica ignored the announcements. She tried to block it all out. Almost impossible seeing how loud the speakers were. People were killing. That was all Jessica cared about. Names didn't matter. It was selfish, Jessica knew this. The only names that mattered to Jessica now were only a few.
And then Danya went on a tangent.
"Hold on just a second kiddies, I'm placing an order. Hello? Is that the Nick-"
Yes, pie sounded fine right about now.
What kind of pie though?
A kid named Nick bought her and a bunch of other people to a pie shop. Jessica never loved pie. She was more of a cake person but Rita's only sold pies. It wasn't like Jessica to complain though. Desert was desert, if it was then Jessica would like it. There were so many pies though. She wasn't sure what she was going to get. Jessica never really had pie. Her mom liked Key Lime Pie for some reason. Tasted too sour for Jessica though. Lemon? No, Jessica never had lemon. Cherry? Cherry... nah. She never liked cherries.
This was stupid. Here was Jessica, standing in the middle of Rita's just staring at the pies in the window. The cashier had asked her if she was ready countless times, and every time Jessica just shook her head. She wasn't ready. Jessica couldn't remember how long she had been standing there, hands clutched together, just looking.
"You okay Jessie?"
Jessica blinked and turned to the boy named Nick. Where did he come from? Wasn't he over at the other end of the store a minute ago?
"O-Oh, nothing," Jessica said, turning her head away.
"Are you sure?"
Jessica shook her head. "Really. I just don't know what I want..."
Nick didn't respond. He just looked at Jessica. His eyes lined her face in this strange up and down movement that just confused her. Jessica turned her head back and stared back at Nick, her eyes wide. Was something on her face? Nick scratched his head. A minute passed and he still didn't say anything. Then Nick smiled.
"Apple pie."
"Uhh, w-what?"
"You look like an apple pie kind of person. I think you'd like apple pie. Just not ala mode. It weakens the legs."
"Uhm," Jessica fidgeted. "I-I don't know. Is that the only reason I should get it?"
"Well," Nick looked back at the cashier, "that and I'm getting a whole apple pie anyway. So you can have some of it. I don't mind."
Jessica shrunk back. Why was he being so nice? This was all very sudden and she was not sure what to say. Her head said to refuse, buy your own pie. Her heart said to just go along with it. Share the pie. It wasn't like Jessica was going to eat more than a slice anyway. What was she... what... She made a decision.
"Sure," Jessica said with a tiny smile. "Sure, I'll have some of that."
It was the best pie she had ever had.
"-Reid take out? Yeah, I'd like to order a number..."
Jessica exhaled. Her whole body shuddered. Why did she tense up suddenly? Nick. The Nick she knew, Nick LeMonde, he wouldn't kill anyone. This was ridiculous. Why was she worried? Nick was just so nice. Jessica looked down at her feet. Maybe she was worried that he was hurt? Nick was capable. He was a wrestler! Even if he got a feather, he would be able to protect himself. Yeah. Yeah, Jessica was just being dumb. Being paranoid. No one would blame you Jessica. Nick is one of the few people she knows. How many people would she remember from the name alone? Alex... Nick...Josie... Meridith... that was it. Calm down Jessie. Calm down.
Jessica was so focused on calming down that the gunshot spooked her. Then Alex suddenly flew forward, ramming into Jessica, throwing her to the ground. What had just happened? Jessica gasped, wiggling like a crushed worm. Someone had just fired a gun? This was crazy. Alex was suggesting that they had to leave.
"L-Leave?" She gasped, holding her rifle to her chest. "Then what are we waiting for?!"
With her hands wrapped around the dart gun, she squeezed out from under Alex. She had to get up. They had to run. She got to her feet and peaked up to see -
Nothing. Nothing other than another dead body.
Jessica's heart sank.
"W-Wha..."
The boy from before was still on the ground
Jessica didn't think. She took a step forward, then another, and another. Before she knew it she was at the foot of the hill, looking down at the body of Eva Lancaster. A girl that Jessica had no interest in knowing in school and certainly . Jessica wanted to look away like she did before, but she found that impossible. Tears were streaming down her cheeks at the sight. Just like Warren. The tears weren't for Eva but for reasons that not even Jessica knew for certain. She held the rifle out with the end pressed against her stomach. How could - why would someone do this? She found herself turning to the boy on the ground, who had stayed quiet the whole time. She stared at him. His name was Joshua. Jessica didn't know anything else about him, much like the rest of her class.
Jessica said nothing. She just looked at Joshua with a look of shock on her face. Tears were staining her face.
She wanted to ask him what happened. Jessica stopped herself. Deep down, she really didn't want to know.
Dayna was just telling her... names. She knew these people. Not all that well, but she KNEW the names. That was it though. They were just names.
Warren Brown. Omar Burton shot him in the chest with his own gun, which would really have been quite embarrassing if he wasn't dead and all.
Jessica squeezed her eyes closed.
"... bastard."
Jessica wanted to hit something.
She wished she had done something. It wasn't her fault, she wasn't blaming herself, but if only she had opened her eyes a few minutes earlier she might have saved Warren. She felt no sympathy for the boy, at least not past her own feeling of complete failure. She could have done something. Yet she didn't Jessica was useless, a fact that she knew all too well.
Jessica ignored the announcements. She tried to block it all out. Almost impossible seeing how loud the speakers were. People were killing. That was all Jessica cared about. Names didn't matter. It was selfish, Jessica knew this. The only names that mattered to Jessica now were only a few.
And then Danya went on a tangent.
"Hold on just a second kiddies, I'm placing an order. Hello? Is that the Nick-"
Yes, pie sounded fine right about now.
What kind of pie though?
A kid named Nick bought her and a bunch of other people to a pie shop. Jessica never loved pie. She was more of a cake person but Rita's only sold pies. It wasn't like Jessica to complain though. Desert was desert, if it was then Jessica would like it. There were so many pies though. She wasn't sure what she was going to get. Jessica never really had pie. Her mom liked Key Lime Pie for some reason. Tasted too sour for Jessica though. Lemon? No, Jessica never had lemon. Cherry? Cherry... nah. She never liked cherries.
This was stupid. Here was Jessica, standing in the middle of Rita's just staring at the pies in the window. The cashier had asked her if she was ready countless times, and every time Jessica just shook her head. She wasn't ready. Jessica couldn't remember how long she had been standing there, hands clutched together, just looking.
"You okay Jessie?"
Jessica blinked and turned to the boy named Nick. Where did he come from? Wasn't he over at the other end of the store a minute ago?
"O-Oh, nothing," Jessica said, turning her head away.
"Are you sure?"
Jessica shook her head. "Really. I just don't know what I want..."
Nick didn't respond. He just looked at Jessica. His eyes lined her face in this strange up and down movement that just confused her. Jessica turned her head back and stared back at Nick, her eyes wide. Was something on her face? Nick scratched his head. A minute passed and he still didn't say anything. Then Nick smiled.
"Apple pie."
"Uhh, w-what?"
"You look like an apple pie kind of person. I think you'd like apple pie. Just not ala mode. It weakens the legs."
"Uhm," Jessica fidgeted. "I-I don't know. Is that the only reason I should get it?"
"Well," Nick looked back at the cashier, "that and I'm getting a whole apple pie anyway. So you can have some of it. I don't mind."
Jessica shrunk back. Why was he being so nice? This was all very sudden and she was not sure what to say. Her head said to refuse, buy your own pie. Her heart said to just go along with it. Share the pie. It wasn't like Jessica was going to eat more than a slice anyway. What was she... what... She made a decision.
"Sure," Jessica said with a tiny smile. "Sure, I'll have some of that."
It was the best pie she had ever had.
"-Reid take out? Yeah, I'd like to order a number..."
Jessica exhaled. Her whole body shuddered. Why did she tense up suddenly? Nick. The Nick she knew, Nick LeMonde, he wouldn't kill anyone. This was ridiculous. Why was she worried? Nick was just so nice. Jessica looked down at her feet. Maybe she was worried that he was hurt? Nick was capable. He was a wrestler! Even if he got a feather, he would be able to protect himself. Yeah. Yeah, Jessica was just being dumb. Being paranoid. No one would blame you Jessica. Nick is one of the few people she knows. How many people would she remember from the name alone? Alex... Nick...Josie... Meridith... that was it. Calm down Jessie. Calm down.
Jessica was so focused on calming down that the gunshot spooked her. Then Alex suddenly flew forward, ramming into Jessica, throwing her to the ground. What had just happened? Jessica gasped, wiggling like a crushed worm. Someone had just fired a gun? This was crazy. Alex was suggesting that they had to leave.
"L-Leave?" She gasped, holding her rifle to her chest. "Then what are we waiting for?!"
With her hands wrapped around the dart gun, she squeezed out from under Alex. She had to get up. They had to run. She got to her feet and peaked up to see -
Nothing. Nothing other than another dead body.
Jessica's heart sank.
"W-Wha..."
The boy from before was still on the ground
Jessica didn't think. She took a step forward, then another, and another. Before she knew it she was at the foot of the hill, looking down at the body of Eva Lancaster. A girl that Jessica had no interest in knowing in school and certainly . Jessica wanted to look away like she did before, but she found that impossible. Tears were streaming down her cheeks at the sight. Just like Warren. The tears weren't for Eva but for reasons that not even Jessica knew for certain. She held the rifle out with the end pressed against her stomach. How could - why would someone do this? She found herself turning to the boy on the ground, who had stayed quiet the whole time. She stared at him. His name was Joshua. Jessica didn't know anything else about him, much like the rest of her class.
Jessica said nothing. She just looked at Joshua with a look of shock on her face. Tears were staining her face.
She wanted to ask him what happened. Jessica stopped herself. Deep down, she really didn't want to know.
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...H, he... He actually did it... He actually wasted her..... Wasted her right in front of me.........
He wasn't fully aware of what was going on for the next couple of minutes or so. Everything that had happened ever since he'd arrived at this spot, from discovering that Everett had been murdered to witnessing one happening right before his eyes, had caused Joshua to become temporarily detached from the rest of the world around him as he was overwhelmed by a seemingly endless sea of depression.
He wasn't crying anymore... For one, he'd already used up most of his tears after realising that Everett died because he hadn't been there to watch out for him. Besides, he didn't particularly feel like crying his heart out anyway. He'd seen this happen before in movies and stuff, where the main character suffers miniature-breakdown after experiencing a traumatic event similar to the one he'd just experienced. Back then, he always used to think "Man, if I was in that situation I wouldn't be all mopey about it!"
Now on the other hand, he could see exactly where they were all coming from.
For the first time in his entire life, Joshua honestly contemplated suicide. He felt so tempted to just tug on his collar and end it all right there, before he had to endure even MORE suffering. Before he had to listen to another announcement telling him about which of his friends were playing, and which had died whilst he was helpless to do anything about it. After all he'd been through, he wasn't sure he could take it any more. He couldn't save Everett, or Daniel, or even Eva from dying pointlessly in the name of some sick game.
He found himself raising his right arm, his hand touching the metal collar he was forced to wear around his neck. How many people had died already because of these damn things? He recalled there being a name mentioned alongside Remi's in the announcement who'd apparently tried to remove it himself... Were they the only ones? Were there others who'd done the same after they listened to the announcement? Who just like him, had considered ending it all here and now so that they wouldn't have to continue on with this bullshit any longer? Joshua had no idea...
And, as his hand grasped the cold metal ring that had been irritating him ever since he'd woken up, it looked as though he'd never have the opportunity to find out......
Stay safe Marty......
................................................
........Wait, what the hell are you doing?
What does it look like?
It looks like you're giving up, that's what.
Well... What the hell else am I supposed to do?!? I'm screwed either way aren't I?
C'mon dude, since when did The Josh give up so easily? You've barely been here for a day, and already you're about to blow your friggin' head off! The Joshua Krakowski I know wouldn't give up so easily!
Yeah, well, give me ONE good reason why I should't just end it all right now and get it all over with?
Dude... You already know why..... Just think about it for a sec......
.....................................
.....................
.......Marty!
That brought him back to reality, and onto his feet for that matter.
Thats right, Marty. Now if YOU'RE feeling like crap right now, imagine how he's feeling? You really gonna just leave him to die at the hands of some pyscho like what happened to Everett and Daniel? FUCK no man! You're get your ass in gear, go out there and friggin' BE there for him! Sure, you're both probably gonna get wasted in the end... But its your job to make sure that when the time comes, neither of you has to die alone and uncared for. Its too late to do the same for Everett and Daniel, nothing could change that now. So STOP living in the past, HONOUR their memories rather then be all emo about it, and for god's sake FREAKING MAN UP!
"Yeah... YEAH! HELL YEAH! Don't worry Marty, it ain't over yet! We're gonna get out of here together, just you wait and see!"
He knew it was a longshot. That their chances of survival was practically zilch, and that most likely are he'll probably never see Marty again. But he had hope. Hope that he and Marty could fight against the odds, achieve the impossible, beat the system and return home just in time to watch the latest episode of Family Guy. Sure he was doomed to fail, but dammit he was gonna try anyway!
As he declared his plans to the rest of the world, it suddenly occurred to him that a girl had been watching him the whole time. And a cute one at that... Must... Resist... Urge... To... Stare... At... Awesome... RACK...
He immediately began to blush when he realised that he just made himself look like a complete moron in front of her. Whilst it wasn't the first time he'd done something like that in front of another girl, it didn't make what he did any less embarrassing.
"Um... Hey, uh, I guess... I don't suppose you've seen a guy called Marty around have you? Short, blonde hair, checkered shirt, paranoid look in his eyes... Ring any boobs, I mean, bells?"
Crap. Way to make a good first impression there Josh...
He wasn't fully aware of what was going on for the next couple of minutes or so. Everything that had happened ever since he'd arrived at this spot, from discovering that Everett had been murdered to witnessing one happening right before his eyes, had caused Joshua to become temporarily detached from the rest of the world around him as he was overwhelmed by a seemingly endless sea of depression.
He wasn't crying anymore... For one, he'd already used up most of his tears after realising that Everett died because he hadn't been there to watch out for him. Besides, he didn't particularly feel like crying his heart out anyway. He'd seen this happen before in movies and stuff, where the main character suffers miniature-breakdown after experiencing a traumatic event similar to the one he'd just experienced. Back then, he always used to think "Man, if I was in that situation I wouldn't be all mopey about it!"
Now on the other hand, he could see exactly where they were all coming from.
For the first time in his entire life, Joshua honestly contemplated suicide. He felt so tempted to just tug on his collar and end it all right there, before he had to endure even MORE suffering. Before he had to listen to another announcement telling him about which of his friends were playing, and which had died whilst he was helpless to do anything about it. After all he'd been through, he wasn't sure he could take it any more. He couldn't save Everett, or Daniel, or even Eva from dying pointlessly in the name of some sick game.
He found himself raising his right arm, his hand touching the metal collar he was forced to wear around his neck. How many people had died already because of these damn things? He recalled there being a name mentioned alongside Remi's in the announcement who'd apparently tried to remove it himself... Were they the only ones? Were there others who'd done the same after they listened to the announcement? Who just like him, had considered ending it all here and now so that they wouldn't have to continue on with this bullshit any longer? Joshua had no idea...
And, as his hand grasped the cold metal ring that had been irritating him ever since he'd woken up, it looked as though he'd never have the opportunity to find out......
Stay safe Marty......
................................................
........Wait, what the hell are you doing?
What does it look like?
It looks like you're giving up, that's what.
Well... What the hell else am I supposed to do?!? I'm screwed either way aren't I?
C'mon dude, since when did The Josh give up so easily? You've barely been here for a day, and already you're about to blow your friggin' head off! The Joshua Krakowski I know wouldn't give up so easily!
Yeah, well, give me ONE good reason why I should't just end it all right now and get it all over with?
Dude... You already know why..... Just think about it for a sec......
.....................................
.....................
.......Marty!
That brought him back to reality, and onto his feet for that matter.
Thats right, Marty. Now if YOU'RE feeling like crap right now, imagine how he's feeling? You really gonna just leave him to die at the hands of some pyscho like what happened to Everett and Daniel? FUCK no man! You're get your ass in gear, go out there and friggin' BE there for him! Sure, you're both probably gonna get wasted in the end... But its your job to make sure that when the time comes, neither of you has to die alone and uncared for. Its too late to do the same for Everett and Daniel, nothing could change that now. So STOP living in the past, HONOUR their memories rather then be all emo about it, and for god's sake FREAKING MAN UP!
"Yeah... YEAH! HELL YEAH! Don't worry Marty, it ain't over yet! We're gonna get out of here together, just you wait and see!"
He knew it was a longshot. That their chances of survival was practically zilch, and that most likely are he'll probably never see Marty again. But he had hope. Hope that he and Marty could fight against the odds, achieve the impossible, beat the system and return home just in time to watch the latest episode of Family Guy. Sure he was doomed to fail, but dammit he was gonna try anyway!
As he declared his plans to the rest of the world, it suddenly occurred to him that a girl had been watching him the whole time. And a cute one at that... Must... Resist... Urge... To... Stare... At... Awesome... RACK...
He immediately began to blush when he realised that he just made himself look like a complete moron in front of her. Whilst it wasn't the first time he'd done something like that in front of another girl, it didn't make what he did any less embarrassing.
"Um... Hey, uh, I guess... I don't suppose you've seen a guy called Marty around have you? Short, blonde hair, checkered shirt, paranoid look in his eyes... Ring any boobs, I mean, bells?"
Crap. Way to make a good first impression there Josh...
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Fiori. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
"L-Leave?" Jessica gasped, holding her rifle to her chest. "Then what are we waiting for?!"
Alex nodded glad that the two of them were on the same page. However, Jessica's next actions totally contradicted her words. Alex's mouth dropped open as Jessica went running towards where RJ was just disappearing. And we're running towards potential killers why?
She recognized the boy Jessica was running to. She'd seen him a bunch of times in passing, usually in the library. M something. Mark maybe? Alex shrugged and gave up on trying to figure it out. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted anything to do with a boy who sat by and let someone get shot. Not that she'd done much, but she was halfway up the hill.
Alex decided she wanted no part of more dead bodies and drama. She needed a break, where she was gonna find one on the island she had no clue. But she wasn't going down there to invent more drama. She was leaving. She sighed, she didn't really want to leave Jessica. However, she really, REALLY, didn't want to go down there. She glance around looking for a solution to her problem. "Yes," she said under her breath as she caught sight of Jessica's duffle bag. Picking it up, she smiled took aim and tossed the bag at Jessica. She smiled widely as the bag hit exactly where she was aiming...a few feet behind Jessica.
Once she had Jessica's attention, she motioned Jessica back up the hill and then pointed back over the hill the way they had come. She picked up her own bag and headed in the direction she'd indicated.
((Alex Jackson continued in Cold, Wet, and Tired))
Alex nodded glad that the two of them were on the same page. However, Jessica's next actions totally contradicted her words. Alex's mouth dropped open as Jessica went running towards where RJ was just disappearing. And we're running towards potential killers why?
She recognized the boy Jessica was running to. She'd seen him a bunch of times in passing, usually in the library. M something. Mark maybe? Alex shrugged and gave up on trying to figure it out. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted anything to do with a boy who sat by and let someone get shot. Not that she'd done much, but she was halfway up the hill.
Alex decided she wanted no part of more dead bodies and drama. She needed a break, where she was gonna find one on the island she had no clue. But she wasn't going down there to invent more drama. She was leaving. She sighed, she didn't really want to leave Jessica. However, she really, REALLY, didn't want to go down there. She glance around looking for a solution to her problem. "Yes," she said under her breath as she caught sight of Jessica's duffle bag. Picking it up, she smiled took aim and tossed the bag at Jessica. She smiled widely as the bag hit exactly where she was aiming...a few feet behind Jessica.
Once she had Jessica's attention, she motioned Jessica back up the hill and then pointed back over the hill the way they had come. She picked up her own bag and headed in the direction she'd indicated.
((Alex Jackson continued in Cold, Wet, and Tired))
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Arscapi. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Jessica was in shock, it was plain to see. Thinking rationally was an impossibility because, frankly, logical thinking had never been her strong point. She had a sharp head on her shoulders but she was very impulsive. Jessica forgot about Alex for the moment and continued to stare at the boy. Joshua? Yeah, that was his name. Wasn't he talking when she heard the gunshot? Yeah, he was talking, but Jessica couldn't remember what he was saying. She was daydreaming. Worried about Nick. Maybe he was doing the job that Jessica should have done. Maybe he tried to save this girl but couldn't. Jessica's heart sank even more before...
Wait...
Was he staring at her breasts?
The brunette never dealt with people staring at her chest, so the thought that someone was doing it made her cheeks flush. Was she was just being paranoid? No one had really payed attention to her in school, why would they now? Oh god, did she have something on her shirt? Joshua was asking her about whether she had seen someone else.
Jessica blinked. Did he just say... boobs?
"I-I'm sorry, what?" Jessica blinked, blushing from ear to ear. It sounded like he said boobs, but that's ridiculous. He meant bells right? She thought about it for a moment, quite intensively, before she remembered his question. "O-Oh, umm," she looked left, she looked right. "Marty? D-Do you mean Martin? Martin Lovett? I-"
Jessica's eyes were darting all around, stumbling over every word. It was like she had forgotten everything she'd done over the past day. Think. THINK. Did you see Martin? She closed her eyes tightly. The guy was in her reading class, didn't talk to alot of people but he wrote this one paper on Qin Dynasty, it was like twenty pages! She should remember. She HAD to remember.
"I-I don't know!" she half-screamed, before shrinking a little and lowering her tone. "I mean, I don't, uhhm, no, I-I haven't seen him. Not Martin... s-sor-"
Jessica turned around. Alex wanted to... what? What was she doing with her hands? Did she want to leave? Couldn't she see that she was talking to Joshua? Why were they leavin- Oh, right. Someone had just died. Jessica bit her lip. How could she be so stupid? How the hell could she just forget?
Jessica made a move to leave but bumped her foot on something. A gun... or a crossbow? Jessica had never seen one. Especially one that was so small. The words on the ground read TAKE THIS and DON'T DIE. Jessica didn't understand. Who could have wrote this? She looked over at the little crossbow on the ground again. It wasn't loaded, or at least she didn't think so. With a dainty little move she took Eva's bag and the crossbow, balancing the rifle in her arms. She didn't need a crossbow but maybe Joshua did. He wasn't such a bad guy. Maybe his eyes wandered too much but he wasn't bad.
"Umm," She stammered, plopping the bag on the ground right at Joshua's feet. She placed the crossbow delicately on top before turning her attention back to the boy. "I, ahh, my name is Jessica. I-I know we don't know each other," She forced a smile, "but you can come with us. I-I don't think Alex would mind."
Jessica turned around to look at Alex. She was gone. Jessica gasped, grabbed her dufflebag and ran off, up the hill and after Alex.
"W-Wait up Alex!"
(Jessica Pentangeli continued in Cold, Wet and Tired))
Wait...
Was he staring at her breasts?
The brunette never dealt with people staring at her chest, so the thought that someone was doing it made her cheeks flush. Was she was just being paranoid? No one had really payed attention to her in school, why would they now? Oh god, did she have something on her shirt? Joshua was asking her about whether she had seen someone else.
Jessica blinked. Did he just say... boobs?
"I-I'm sorry, what?" Jessica blinked, blushing from ear to ear. It sounded like he said boobs, but that's ridiculous. He meant bells right? She thought about it for a moment, quite intensively, before she remembered his question. "O-Oh, umm," she looked left, she looked right. "Marty? D-Do you mean Martin? Martin Lovett? I-"
Jessica's eyes were darting all around, stumbling over every word. It was like she had forgotten everything she'd done over the past day. Think. THINK. Did you see Martin? She closed her eyes tightly. The guy was in her reading class, didn't talk to alot of people but he wrote this one paper on Qin Dynasty, it was like twenty pages! She should remember. She HAD to remember.
"I-I don't know!" she half-screamed, before shrinking a little and lowering her tone. "I mean, I don't, uhhm, no, I-I haven't seen him. Not Martin... s-sor-"
Jessica turned around. Alex wanted to... what? What was she doing with her hands? Did she want to leave? Couldn't she see that she was talking to Joshua? Why were they leavin- Oh, right. Someone had just died. Jessica bit her lip. How could she be so stupid? How the hell could she just forget?
Jessica made a move to leave but bumped her foot on something. A gun... or a crossbow? Jessica had never seen one. Especially one that was so small. The words on the ground read TAKE THIS and DON'T DIE. Jessica didn't understand. Who could have wrote this? She looked over at the little crossbow on the ground again. It wasn't loaded, or at least she didn't think so. With a dainty little move she took Eva's bag and the crossbow, balancing the rifle in her arms. She didn't need a crossbow but maybe Joshua did. He wasn't such a bad guy. Maybe his eyes wandered too much but he wasn't bad.
"Umm," She stammered, plopping the bag on the ground right at Joshua's feet. She placed the crossbow delicately on top before turning her attention back to the boy. "I, ahh, my name is Jessica. I-I know we don't know each other," She forced a smile, "but you can come with us. I-I don't think Alex would mind."
Jessica turned around to look at Alex. She was gone. Jessica gasped, grabbed her dufflebag and ran off, up the hill and after Alex.
"W-Wait up Alex!"
(Jessica Pentangeli continued in Cold, Wet and Tired))
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Ciel. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Oh crap, she's blushing... Damnit Josh, You did it again!
If there was one natural skill which Joshua wished he DIDN'T have, it'd be his unprecedented talent of embarrassing himself in front of cute girls like the one right in front of him. No matter what the situation, he always ended up finding himself saying something either incredibly stupid or unintentionally perverted right in front of them. He just couldn't help himself, really...
"Marty? D-Do you mean Martin? Martin Lovett? I-"
"YEAH! Have you seen him?!?" he asked enthusiastically.
"I-I don't know!"
He was somewhat taken aback at first by her sudden tone of voice, worried that he may have inadvertently offended her. Although this fear was later averted when she then calmly added "I mean, I don't, uhhm, no, I-I haven't seen him. Not Martin... s-sor-"
"Oh... Nah, don't worry about it." he sighed, trying to hide his disappointment as best as he could. In retrospect, he probably should have seen this answer coming. It was a pretty damn big island after all, and knowing Marty he was probably hiding for his life in some creepy cave somewhere. After all, for all his sarcastic comments the little guy was a total scaredycat at heart. He remembered this one time they were at the Aquarium where Marty totally freaked out when he looked through a glass window to find a big friggin' shark staring right back at him! Poor guy was so scared that he LITERALLY pissed his pants and everything! Man, what a day THAT was...
He barely even noticed Jessica as he recalled the pleasant memory of a time when he DIDN'T have to worry about being murdered by his own classmates. It was only when she dropped Eva's duffebag onto the ground directly in front of him that he finally snapped out of his little daydream.
"I, ahh, my name is Jessica. I-I know we don't know each other, but you can come with us. I-I don't think Alex would mind."
Jessica huh? Name KINDA rings a bell, I guess...
He was tempted then to take her offer and follow along, after all you're more likely to survive in a group then you are alone. Strength in numbers and all that... But then he remembered about Everett's body lying there all alone and unaccounted for out in the open, sprawled out in a pathetically undignified position. No way he could just leave him lying there for somebody with less respect for the dead to come across. There were plenty of sick bastards out there, and god knows what they'd do should they come across Everett's body unattended.
"Nah, you go on without me. Theres something I have to do here first..." he said, barely even noticing that Jessica had already left as he walked on over to where Everett lay. He scratched his head in puzzlement as he looked over the body, trying to think how best to go about giving his former comrade a decent burial. It was the least he could do to make up for not being there for him... Only problem however was the fact that he didn't have any practical means to dig one. Hmm... I could always try using my hands I guess.
After spending ten fruitless minutes trying to dig a hole with his bare hands and failing miserably, he decided that perhaps this wasn't such a bright idea after all.
"Dang... Well, at the very least I can leave you in a more dignified position an all..."
For the next couple of minutes or so, he positioned Everett's prone body so it was lying neatly on his back rather than in a sprawled mess. He took the crossbow bolt from his neck, straitened his legs out, folded his chubby arms over his chest, and cleaned up as much blood as he could with some tissues he found in Eva's bag. After he'd finished, he took a moment to observe his handiwork. It wasn't exactly the respectful burial Everett deserved, but at least he looke more at peace now. Guess Everett's kinda lucky in a weird sorta way... At least he doesn't have to worry about any of this crazy shit anymore...
He sighed, closing Everett's eyes over as a finishing touch. "Rest in peace man..."
After spending another three minutes or so paying his respects to Everett before heading out, grabbing the crossbow pistol on his way. As much as he didn't want to carry a weapon that was potentially dangerous, he knew that NOT taking it would of been a really dumb idea. What with the island full of gun-wielding maniacs and everything.
He stopped briefly by Eva's body on his way out, taking the opportunity to pay his respects for her as well. He was going to close her eyes too, but from the looks of things the guy who'd shot her had already beaten him to it. Ah well, at least it proved that the guy wasn't as deranged as Joshua first suspected.
"Sorry for not being prompt enough... Maybe if I didn't sit on my ass all the time, then none of this crap could have happened in the first place. Then again, maybe not... Oh well, not much I can do about it now right? At least YOU don't have to worry about possibly losing your closest buddy... Anyway, I really ought to get going. Can't spend all day talking to a dead body like some kinda loon, right?"
He took a deep sigh, glancing back at Everett's body one last time before finally leaving the dreadful sight behind him.
Don't worry Marty... I'll make sure nothin' like this will ever happen to you. I promise...
((Joshua Krakowski continuedin Life's a Beach)))
If there was one natural skill which Joshua wished he DIDN'T have, it'd be his unprecedented talent of embarrassing himself in front of cute girls like the one right in front of him. No matter what the situation, he always ended up finding himself saying something either incredibly stupid or unintentionally perverted right in front of them. He just couldn't help himself, really...
"Marty? D-Do you mean Martin? Martin Lovett? I-"
"YEAH! Have you seen him?!?" he asked enthusiastically.
"I-I don't know!"
He was somewhat taken aback at first by her sudden tone of voice, worried that he may have inadvertently offended her. Although this fear was later averted when she then calmly added "I mean, I don't, uhhm, no, I-I haven't seen him. Not Martin... s-sor-"
"Oh... Nah, don't worry about it." he sighed, trying to hide his disappointment as best as he could. In retrospect, he probably should have seen this answer coming. It was a pretty damn big island after all, and knowing Marty he was probably hiding for his life in some creepy cave somewhere. After all, for all his sarcastic comments the little guy was a total scaredycat at heart. He remembered this one time they were at the Aquarium where Marty totally freaked out when he looked through a glass window to find a big friggin' shark staring right back at him! Poor guy was so scared that he LITERALLY pissed his pants and everything! Man, what a day THAT was...
He barely even noticed Jessica as he recalled the pleasant memory of a time when he DIDN'T have to worry about being murdered by his own classmates. It was only when she dropped Eva's duffebag onto the ground directly in front of him that he finally snapped out of his little daydream.
"I, ahh, my name is Jessica. I-I know we don't know each other, but you can come with us. I-I don't think Alex would mind."
Jessica huh? Name KINDA rings a bell, I guess...
He was tempted then to take her offer and follow along, after all you're more likely to survive in a group then you are alone. Strength in numbers and all that... But then he remembered about Everett's body lying there all alone and unaccounted for out in the open, sprawled out in a pathetically undignified position. No way he could just leave him lying there for somebody with less respect for the dead to come across. There were plenty of sick bastards out there, and god knows what they'd do should they come across Everett's body unattended.
"Nah, you go on without me. Theres something I have to do here first..." he said, barely even noticing that Jessica had already left as he walked on over to where Everett lay. He scratched his head in puzzlement as he looked over the body, trying to think how best to go about giving his former comrade a decent burial. It was the least he could do to make up for not being there for him... Only problem however was the fact that he didn't have any practical means to dig one. Hmm... I could always try using my hands I guess.
After spending ten fruitless minutes trying to dig a hole with his bare hands and failing miserably, he decided that perhaps this wasn't such a bright idea after all.
"Dang... Well, at the very least I can leave you in a more dignified position an all..."
For the next couple of minutes or so, he positioned Everett's prone body so it was lying neatly on his back rather than in a sprawled mess. He took the crossbow bolt from his neck, straitened his legs out, folded his chubby arms over his chest, and cleaned up as much blood as he could with some tissues he found in Eva's bag. After he'd finished, he took a moment to observe his handiwork. It wasn't exactly the respectful burial Everett deserved, but at least he looke more at peace now. Guess Everett's kinda lucky in a weird sorta way... At least he doesn't have to worry about any of this crazy shit anymore...
He sighed, closing Everett's eyes over as a finishing touch. "Rest in peace man..."
After spending another three minutes or so paying his respects to Everett before heading out, grabbing the crossbow pistol on his way. As much as he didn't want to carry a weapon that was potentially dangerous, he knew that NOT taking it would of been a really dumb idea. What with the island full of gun-wielding maniacs and everything.
He stopped briefly by Eva's body on his way out, taking the opportunity to pay his respects for her as well. He was going to close her eyes too, but from the looks of things the guy who'd shot her had already beaten him to it. Ah well, at least it proved that the guy wasn't as deranged as Joshua first suspected.
"Sorry for not being prompt enough... Maybe if I didn't sit on my ass all the time, then none of this crap could have happened in the first place. Then again, maybe not... Oh well, not much I can do about it now right? At least YOU don't have to worry about possibly losing your closest buddy... Anyway, I really ought to get going. Can't spend all day talking to a dead body like some kinda loon, right?"
He took a deep sigh, glancing back at Everett's body one last time before finally leaving the dreadful sight behind him.
Don't worry Marty... I'll make sure nothin' like this will ever happen to you. I promise...
((Joshua Krakowski continuedin Life's a Beach)))
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Fiori. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.