Ray pulled up behind Robert right when he caught his comment about confessing. He stepped to Robert's flank, bringing the spear to bear, trying to keep the weight balanced in his hands, with the point on Rachel. He was fairly certain he could take the girl down without it, considering she looked like she was about a buck twenty, tops. Be easier, too; he'd never touched a spear in his life. Still, he figured the intimidation factor was better to have.
"Fuck does she have to confess? She just brained that kid!" Ray said, twisting the point of the spear to gesture at Edward's body. He kept Rachel covered. The whole time he wondered if he could really do it, if could really bury the point into the girl.
No, not right now. If she attacks, yeah, I could do it. If she attacks.
Robert's religion thing was noble, Ray admitted, but when this girl had fresh blood on her hands without any sort of guilt; well, he felt that all bets were off.
Ray shifted his weight a little to his back foot, figuring that was the best way to lunge. Just like a shot. Yeah, if he stabbed this girl, he wasn't killing her. He was just at a wrestling meet, and he was about to hit a double and take her down.
Two points.
Going Round in Circles
Open
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xylophonefairy†
- Posts: 182
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:55 am
Ray was going to stab the religious girl! Neill's stomach twisted uncomfortably, though he had gained some temporary notoriety for his verbal attack on Monty Pondsworth halfway thrugh their senior year, he generally tried to avoid confrontations where death was a possible outcome. From his position a little behind Ray, Neill could see him begin to prepare, subtle things probably only obvious to him because he was looking for them. Also because he wasn't sure if Rachel was aware of his presence yet. He didn't really want her to know that he was there.
Were you more likely to go to hell if you killed a religious nut? Neill wasn't particularly religious, his family had been atheist, and he'd never really considered the possibility of a divine being; it was just so unlikely to him. But it was the sort of question that might actually matter so someone, possibly Ray. Definately Robert. Christians tended to have those kind of morals, though it was looknig like Rachel was the exception to the rule on that front.
"Aw, no," Neill said loudly without thinking. He jumped at the sound of his own voice - it was the first time he'd had the breath capacity to talk for many hours. Faltering, realising that he probably needed to find an explanation for his sudden outburst. "I mean" he gestured towards Rachel, "I was just wondering what the confessions were..." he mumbled, looking at the ground to avoid anyone's gaze.
Were you more likely to go to hell if you killed a religious nut? Neill wasn't particularly religious, his family had been atheist, and he'd never really considered the possibility of a divine being; it was just so unlikely to him. But it was the sort of question that might actually matter so someone, possibly Ray. Definately Robert. Christians tended to have those kind of morals, though it was looknig like Rachel was the exception to the rule on that front.
"Aw, no," Neill said loudly without thinking. He jumped at the sound of his own voice - it was the first time he'd had the breath capacity to talk for many hours. Faltering, realising that he probably needed to find an explanation for his sudden outburst. "I mean" he gestured towards Rachel, "I was just wondering what the confessions were..." he mumbled, looking at the ground to avoid anyone's gaze.
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Pigeon Army†
- Posts: 232
- Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2018 6:17 am
"Don't patronise me, Robert."
A sudden burst of emotion - anger. Robert thought he could coddle her, condescend to her and use her own beliefs against her, like she was crazy. She wasn't crazy.
Confession. He wasn't even a man of the cloth. Probably never would be, given his...predilections.
She refrained from swinging at him, too. People were starting to gather. The boy with the spear, behind Robert. The person behind her - she hadn't turned to look, but Robert had gestured to him. They'd seen the dead body, the smug heathen who thought he could coast on by and ignore the message. He hadn't known it wasn't a message to be ignored.
"I'm not...I'm not here to kill people, Robert." She was right - Rachel wasn't here to kill people. Rachel would never kill someone unless forced to. But kill to get across His message? Kill to make sure nobody got in His way?
She'd do that. Why shouldn't she? It was a totally rational thing to do. He had given her purpose, something to look forward to, something to work towards in the here and now. It was the least she could do in return.
"You're mistaken. I'm bringing people to the light. But...there are obstacles. I can't lead the flock to shepherd when I'm surrounded by wolves."
She eased her foot back down onto the ground, the pain rocketing through her leg. Satisfied with her balance, she let the stick go, let it drop to the ground. Then she raised her hands.
"There is no blood on these hands, Robert. Can't you see that? I'm in His service, and death is the last thing He wants. But am I to do with those who refuse to be saved?"
Slowly, calmly, she reached back down for her stick and propped herself up against it.
"People don't need to die. But I need disciples to ensure it."
A sudden burst of emotion - anger. Robert thought he could coddle her, condescend to her and use her own beliefs against her, like she was crazy. She wasn't crazy.
Confession. He wasn't even a man of the cloth. Probably never would be, given his...predilections.
She refrained from swinging at him, too. People were starting to gather. The boy with the spear, behind Robert. The person behind her - she hadn't turned to look, but Robert had gestured to him. They'd seen the dead body, the smug heathen who thought he could coast on by and ignore the message. He hadn't known it wasn't a message to be ignored.
"I'm not...I'm not here to kill people, Robert." She was right - Rachel wasn't here to kill people. Rachel would never kill someone unless forced to. But kill to get across His message? Kill to make sure nobody got in His way?
She'd do that. Why shouldn't she? It was a totally rational thing to do. He had given her purpose, something to look forward to, something to work towards in the here and now. It was the least she could do in return.
"You're mistaken. I'm bringing people to the light. But...there are obstacles. I can't lead the flock to shepherd when I'm surrounded by wolves."
She eased her foot back down onto the ground, the pain rocketing through her leg. Satisfied with her balance, she let the stick go, let it drop to the ground. Then she raised her hands.
"There is no blood on these hands, Robert. Can't you see that? I'm in His service, and death is the last thing He wants. But am I to do with those who refuse to be saved?"
Slowly, calmly, she reached back down for her stick and propped herself up against it.
"People don't need to die. But I need disciples to ensure it."
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Hollyquin†
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
[[OOC: Wandering in here to avoid inactivity- us three are gonna stay totally out of the action, so just pretend we're not here, kay?]]
[[Hayley Kelly continued from Sorry, Mom. Sorry, God.]]
Hayley had never been fond of walking.
Is it bad that I'm thinking this is the worst part of being on Survival of the Fittest? All this fucking walking? Decapitating people, horrible imminent death, no fucking biggie compared to this shit. Just like yesterday, the only thing that stopped her from incessant bitching was the fact that, oh wait, they were on Survival of the motherfucking Fittest. Plus, you know, Alex and Maddy, they're pretty important.
At any rate, they walked.
It wouldn't be a long journey...as far as she could tell. There wasn't a scale on the map or anything, but the hut and the beach seemed pretty close together, and besides, the fun fair was waaaaay further from the beach than the hut was, and getting to the beach from the fun fair had only taken...all of yesterday. And that shit was killer. Haha, killer, that's hilarious, oh god this place is making me make puns.
For the most part, Hayley followed the coastline- her skills at map-reading were remedial at best, but it seemed like they'd have to run into their destination eventually as long as they kept going north up the shore. She began to regret choosing not to borrow anyone's clothing- it sure as fuck was cooler, running around half naked, but it was also sure as fuck going to get her a massive, massive sunburn. She made a point of mostly walking in the shade, which immediately dropped the temperature at least twenty degrees and improbably made her cold.
Fuck. Nudity is overrated. Wait, did I just think that out loud? ...No, no I did not.
She shut her brain up and lit a cigarette instead.
The journey continued. Hayley found a solution to the temperature problem- chain-smoking. It helped, quite a bit, but she was down five cigarettes before she realized that she should probably still be rationing them. She counted what remained. Seven cigarettes, plus another pack in her bag. I'll be fine, she reasoned, mainly because the alternative was nicotine panic, and lit a sixth. As long as I'm in my bag anyway...she pulled out her beloved brown slouchy beanie, jamming it on her head over her still-damp hair, took a moment to finally fix her damn eyeliner, and retrieved a couple of crackers. She tried to make them last, then gave up five seconds later and finished them about ten seconds after that.
They kept walking. Hayley hummed a tune that seemed to bounce back and forth between Californication and Hello Seattle. This made zero sense and Hayley was okay with that.
And suddenly, they'd arrived at their destination. Well, not precisely at their destination- more like above it. Traveling along the coast Hayley had inadvertently led Kyle and Ema not to the groundskeeper's hut, but to the low-rising cliff that looked above it. Annoyed with herself- oh, fuck, we were going uphill this whole time, weren't we, that explains why my legs think I'm a bad person right now- she walked over to the edge of the cliff, figuring she might as well make use of her position. Strategic high ground, right? Anything's going down, we can-
Her breath caught. Famous last words. Or thoughts, even.
Quite a scene, going on below, involving exactly none of the people she'd wanted to see. She crouched down quickly, though it seemed unlikely that they'd be seen- the others seemed a bit preoccupied, and besides, the trees and such atop the cliff made for good cover. It was a great place to spy, which was exactly what Hayley was doing.
Four people. Three boys, none of whom she could name. They all looked familiar- who didn't in this fucking school, she'd had classes with everyone at one point or another- but none were familiar enough for her to properly place. The fourth was a girl whose name she did know, but not for any positive reason. Rachel Gettys, queen of overprivileged Jesus freaks. Now, Hayley had no issue with Jesus, and she had no issue with the kids who loved Jesus, but she did have issue with kids who hated kids who didn't love Jesus. And so Hayley and Rachel- very, very predictably- did not get along. At all. Ever.
There was someone else there. Edward Belmont. The gorgeous English boy, and you could be sure Hayley remembered his name. Yeah, that was one person she wouldn't have minded finding on this island, because if there were two things that made bad situations better, they were pretty boys and English accents.
So it was just Hayley's luck that Edward was the one busy being dead.
And Rachel was the one with the bloody fucking tree branch.
It was all Hayley could do not to pull Vera from her bag and just rid herself of Rachel now since holy shit I can do that now. Weirdly, the first reason she thought of not to do so had nothing to do with killing people being bad, or with revealing herself to the others, or any of that. It had more to do with where they were. Edward being here, his blood staining the ground, upset her partially because this place felt weirdly like home. It didn't even make sense as she thought it, but having woken up here, met Maddy here, been able to truly smile and laugh and relax a little here, she felt oddly protective of this place. She didn't want anyone to die here.
Anyone else, anyway.
She was faintly aware of Ema and Kyle's closeness. She found herself whispering, even though the chances of one of the others hearing her were close to zero.
"What do you think...? The others could be in the hut, but I don't think going down there and trying to get in is in our best interests at the moment..."
[[Hayley Kelly continued from Sorry, Mom. Sorry, God.]]
Hayley had never been fond of walking.
Is it bad that I'm thinking this is the worst part of being on Survival of the Fittest? All this fucking walking? Decapitating people, horrible imminent death, no fucking biggie compared to this shit. Just like yesterday, the only thing that stopped her from incessant bitching was the fact that, oh wait, they were on Survival of the motherfucking Fittest. Plus, you know, Alex and Maddy, they're pretty important.
At any rate, they walked.
It wouldn't be a long journey...as far as she could tell. There wasn't a scale on the map or anything, but the hut and the beach seemed pretty close together, and besides, the fun fair was waaaaay further from the beach than the hut was, and getting to the beach from the fun fair had only taken...all of yesterday. And that shit was killer. Haha, killer, that's hilarious, oh god this place is making me make puns.
For the most part, Hayley followed the coastline- her skills at map-reading were remedial at best, but it seemed like they'd have to run into their destination eventually as long as they kept going north up the shore. She began to regret choosing not to borrow anyone's clothing- it sure as fuck was cooler, running around half naked, but it was also sure as fuck going to get her a massive, massive sunburn. She made a point of mostly walking in the shade, which immediately dropped the temperature at least twenty degrees and improbably made her cold.
Fuck. Nudity is overrated. Wait, did I just think that out loud? ...No, no I did not.
She shut her brain up and lit a cigarette instead.
The journey continued. Hayley found a solution to the temperature problem- chain-smoking. It helped, quite a bit, but she was down five cigarettes before she realized that she should probably still be rationing them. She counted what remained. Seven cigarettes, plus another pack in her bag. I'll be fine, she reasoned, mainly because the alternative was nicotine panic, and lit a sixth. As long as I'm in my bag anyway...she pulled out her beloved brown slouchy beanie, jamming it on her head over her still-damp hair, took a moment to finally fix her damn eyeliner, and retrieved a couple of crackers. She tried to make them last, then gave up five seconds later and finished them about ten seconds after that.
They kept walking. Hayley hummed a tune that seemed to bounce back and forth between Californication and Hello Seattle. This made zero sense and Hayley was okay with that.
And suddenly, they'd arrived at their destination. Well, not precisely at their destination- more like above it. Traveling along the coast Hayley had inadvertently led Kyle and Ema not to the groundskeeper's hut, but to the low-rising cliff that looked above it. Annoyed with herself- oh, fuck, we were going uphill this whole time, weren't we, that explains why my legs think I'm a bad person right now- she walked over to the edge of the cliff, figuring she might as well make use of her position. Strategic high ground, right? Anything's going down, we can-
Her breath caught. Famous last words. Or thoughts, even.
Quite a scene, going on below, involving exactly none of the people she'd wanted to see. She crouched down quickly, though it seemed unlikely that they'd be seen- the others seemed a bit preoccupied, and besides, the trees and such atop the cliff made for good cover. It was a great place to spy, which was exactly what Hayley was doing.
Four people. Three boys, none of whom she could name. They all looked familiar- who didn't in this fucking school, she'd had classes with everyone at one point or another- but none were familiar enough for her to properly place. The fourth was a girl whose name she did know, but not for any positive reason. Rachel Gettys, queen of overprivileged Jesus freaks. Now, Hayley had no issue with Jesus, and she had no issue with the kids who loved Jesus, but she did have issue with kids who hated kids who didn't love Jesus. And so Hayley and Rachel- very, very predictably- did not get along. At all. Ever.
There was someone else there. Edward Belmont. The gorgeous English boy, and you could be sure Hayley remembered his name. Yeah, that was one person she wouldn't have minded finding on this island, because if there were two things that made bad situations better, they were pretty boys and English accents.
So it was just Hayley's luck that Edward was the one busy being dead.
And Rachel was the one with the bloody fucking tree branch.
It was all Hayley could do not to pull Vera from her bag and just rid herself of Rachel now since holy shit I can do that now. Weirdly, the first reason she thought of not to do so had nothing to do with killing people being bad, or with revealing herself to the others, or any of that. It had more to do with where they were. Edward being here, his blood staining the ground, upset her partially because this place felt weirdly like home. It didn't even make sense as she thought it, but having woken up here, met Maddy here, been able to truly smile and laugh and relax a little here, she felt oddly protective of this place. She didn't want anyone to die here.
Anyone else, anyway.
She was faintly aware of Ema and Kyle's closeness. She found herself whispering, even though the chances of one of the others hearing her were close to zero.
"What do you think...? The others could be in the hut, but I don't think going down there and trying to get in is in our best interests at the moment..."
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armeggedonCounselor†
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
((Kyle Portman continued from Sorry Mom, Sorry God.))
Kyle spent the walk thinking again. He still had enough of a grip on his mind to keep sane; honestly, Hayley's presence was probably the only thing that had kept him from collapsing into a mass of OCD-related insanity. He kept tapping his leg in patterns of three, to avoid the urge to arrange every pile of pine needles they passed into groups of three. The walk was a good distraction- menial work to keep his body occupied, while his mind sped ahead.
'What are we going to do? Hayley... she probably knows that she is putting people in danger just... just... just fucking shit fucker... by being around them. It's getting pretty bad when I think in repetitions of three.... Anyway. I need to talk to Hayley, away from Ema. Make sure she knows the stakes.'
Hayley stopped. Kyle looked up finally, blinking slightly at the sunlight. They were on a cliff overlooking what Kyle could only assume was the Groundkeeper's Hut. There were people there, which appeared to be the source of Hayley's stop- although the fall may also have had something to do with it.
"I don't think they are down there. If I remember the map correctly, they have a further distance to walk than we have- so unless they set out at first light, I doubt that that that they would have arrived here before us. Besides, considering the poor state of Alex's health and Maddy's... general lack of strength, really, no offense to her... there would probably be more than one body down there, even with Charlene's help."
Kyle looked over the edge, watching the goings on. It seemed smarter to him to avoid confrontations with people, of any sort.
"We should avoid confrontation. However... Hayley, can I talk to you? Alone?"
He didn't look at Ema when he said that- he knew she would be insulted, or hurt, or something. Dealing with that would be... difficult in his current mental state.
Kyle spent the walk thinking again. He still had enough of a grip on his mind to keep sane; honestly, Hayley's presence was probably the only thing that had kept him from collapsing into a mass of OCD-related insanity. He kept tapping his leg in patterns of three, to avoid the urge to arrange every pile of pine needles they passed into groups of three. The walk was a good distraction- menial work to keep his body occupied, while his mind sped ahead.
'What are we going to do? Hayley... she probably knows that she is putting people in danger just... just... just fucking shit fucker... by being around them. It's getting pretty bad when I think in repetitions of three.... Anyway. I need to talk to Hayley, away from Ema. Make sure she knows the stakes.'
Hayley stopped. Kyle looked up finally, blinking slightly at the sunlight. They were on a cliff overlooking what Kyle could only assume was the Groundkeeper's Hut. There were people there, which appeared to be the source of Hayley's stop- although the fall may also have had something to do with it.
"I don't think they are down there. If I remember the map correctly, they have a further distance to walk than we have- so unless they set out at first light, I doubt that that that they would have arrived here before us. Besides, considering the poor state of Alex's health and Maddy's... general lack of strength, really, no offense to her... there would probably be more than one body down there, even with Charlene's help."
Kyle looked over the edge, watching the goings on. It seemed smarter to him to avoid confrontations with people, of any sort.
"We should avoid confrontation. However... Hayley, can I talk to you? Alone?"
He didn't look at Ema when he said that- he knew she would be insulted, or hurt, or something. Dealing with that would be... difficult in his current mental state.
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Killer_Moth†
- Posts: 259
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:22 am
Wow. Whatever it was that she was doing, it was not what Bobby was expecting. She had gone completely off the deep end. She was standing there, accusing him of patronising her. Okay, so maybe he'd been a bit obvious in his attempts to get her thinking rationally, but it was not exactly the time for subtlety.
It did help that Neill and Ray were here now. He felt that he had allies. It meant that she was less likely to kill her. "Neill, the idea behind confession is that you unburden yourself of all that you've done wrong. Normally it's done in private, but not always. It's a holy sacrament between you and God. You feel bad over what you've done, you confess to a priest, or to God, or to anybody. And then you make penance."
Normally, talking about things like this, trying to take the time to explain something, it was able to calm him down. "For example, in all my years at Bayview, I've been guilty. Vanity. I liked to look good. I took pride in it. And that's a deadly sin. For that, I am truly sorry. Look at me now. My hair is limp, my clothes stained, and I don't even have my tinted contacts in. Sorrow, confession, penance." He was straining to keep his voice even, calm. Even though he was talking to Neill, he never took his eyes off of Rachel, not for one second.
"Rachel here, however, is bringing me to another sin. That of wrath. She says that she has no blood on her hands, that she has not come here to lead. OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES!" His knee gave out as he tried to step forward, and he fell, landing beside what was left of Edward. "You killed Edward. Right in front of me, you struck him down. And you can't even feel sorry for me. No, you want me to help you. Rachel, as far as I'm concerned, you can rot in hell." Tears were forming in his eyes, his voice cracking.
All that he'd gone through, ever since prom, he'd been feeling that he was guilty, he was wrong, because of how Rachel had reacted to him. He'd outed himself to Charlotte, and she was dead, and he felt guilty about that. And now he couldn't even stand up to face up to Rachel. His head sunk down, as his arms stuggled to keep his chest off the ground.
It did help that Neill and Ray were here now. He felt that he had allies. It meant that she was less likely to kill her. "Neill, the idea behind confession is that you unburden yourself of all that you've done wrong. Normally it's done in private, but not always. It's a holy sacrament between you and God. You feel bad over what you've done, you confess to a priest, or to God, or to anybody. And then you make penance."
Normally, talking about things like this, trying to take the time to explain something, it was able to calm him down. "For example, in all my years at Bayview, I've been guilty. Vanity. I liked to look good. I took pride in it. And that's a deadly sin. For that, I am truly sorry. Look at me now. My hair is limp, my clothes stained, and I don't even have my tinted contacts in. Sorrow, confession, penance." He was straining to keep his voice even, calm. Even though he was talking to Neill, he never took his eyes off of Rachel, not for one second.
"Rachel here, however, is bringing me to another sin. That of wrath. She says that she has no blood on her hands, that she has not come here to lead. OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES!" His knee gave out as he tried to step forward, and he fell, landing beside what was left of Edward. "You killed Edward. Right in front of me, you struck him down. And you can't even feel sorry for me. No, you want me to help you. Rachel, as far as I'm concerned, you can rot in hell." Tears were forming in his eyes, his voice cracking.
All that he'd gone through, ever since prom, he'd been feeling that he was guilty, he was wrong, because of how Rachel had reacted to him. He'd outed himself to Charlotte, and she was dead, and he felt guilty about that. And now he couldn't even stand up to face up to Rachel. His head sunk down, as his arms stuggled to keep his chest off the ground.
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[Sorry, Mom. Sorry, God. --> Ema Ryan]
More fun hiking, more fun heavy lifting, and more fun paranoia at every sound she heard. Yup, the island was turning out to be a whole load of fun for Ema alright. "Fun" in massive sarcastic quotes, that is. She hadn't had the heart to ask Hayley to help with her bags, as it had been her own fault for forgetting earlier, and so, cursing her selective politeness, she's spent the entire trip along the coastline with aching shoulders, not at all helped by her right hand's refusal to loosen its grip on Ema's new weapon.
On the way, trying to take her mind off of the weight pulling her down, Ema found herself wondering why her grip was so relentless. At first, she'd assumed it was fear, driving her to cling to the chance at self-defence for dear life. But since then, she'd begun to think it might be more. That she was afraid of the sword itself, of what it meant. That if she kept it in a more... casual manner, so to speak, it would make her all the more casual about using it.
"You're thinking about this too much, it's just a weapon you don't want to lose." she told herself, hushing the pseudo-philosophical internal debate for the time being. Besides, Ema had never liked wannabe philosophers - pretenders to the throne of pretense - or actual ones for that matter, and had no intention of becoming one herself.
Caught in the daydream-like trance of introspection yet again - even after constantly telling herself to stop doing it, and never succeeding - Ema suddenly became aware that, by a combination of the weight she was carrying and the ponderous pace she'd slowed to in her thinking, she was lagging quite far behind Hayley and Kyle. After the luck of meeting up with them, and forcing herself to ignore the events of the previous morning, she had no intention of losing her again. Them again, even. Two people, Hayley and Kyle. "Two of them, Captain Desperate." "Shut up, I know."
By the time she caught up, the couple had stopped at a small cliff, if it could really be called that, overlooking the Hut they'd been heading towards. The vertical difference wasn't the problem, though, it was the group of people at the bottom of it, and the one of them that was dead. Unsurprisingly, Ema didn't recognise a single one of them, given her non-existent social life, and how they'd been expecting a bit of a wait before Madelyn and the rest arrived. It seemed evident from Hayley's and Kyle's respective barely-caring reactions that they didn't know the people either. Odd, really, that only three days in it seemed perfectly normal not to care about a corpse, so long as you didn't know the person very well. Scientists did always say that the young adapt faster...
"What do you think...? The others could be in the hut, but I don't think going down there and trying to get in is in our best interests at the moment..."
Unlikely, unless the others had left absurdly early in the morning. And even if they were, she had a point, barging in through a group of very-likely-to-be-killers wasn't a great plan.
"I don't think they are down there. If I remember the map correctly, they have a further distance to walk than we have- so unless they set out at first light, I doubt that that that they would have arrived here before us. Besides, considering the poor state of Alex's health and Maddy's... general lack of strength, really, no offense to her... there would probably be more than one body down there, even with Charlene's help."
Exactly what Ema had been about to say. The distance part, at least. She did't even know who Charlene was, and could only vaguely remember an Alex. The Scottish guy? Possibly. Memories of life in the States already seemed so long ago, somehow, that Ema had trouble recalling much that wasn't everyday stuff, utterly embedded into her mind. Culture shock? Possibly.
"We should avoid confrontation. However... Hayley, can I talk to you? Alone?"
Wait what? It didn't take even a modicum of attentiveness to notice that Kyle was averting his eyes, no, his entire face, from Ema as he said it, as well. Something was up, Ema wanted to know what. But, true to form, she said nothing, waiting for whatever was happening to pan out. Passive in the worst possible way, that's Ema Ryan.
More fun hiking, more fun heavy lifting, and more fun paranoia at every sound she heard. Yup, the island was turning out to be a whole load of fun for Ema alright. "Fun" in massive sarcastic quotes, that is. She hadn't had the heart to ask Hayley to help with her bags, as it had been her own fault for forgetting earlier, and so, cursing her selective politeness, she's spent the entire trip along the coastline with aching shoulders, not at all helped by her right hand's refusal to loosen its grip on Ema's new weapon.
On the way, trying to take her mind off of the weight pulling her down, Ema found herself wondering why her grip was so relentless. At first, she'd assumed it was fear, driving her to cling to the chance at self-defence for dear life. But since then, she'd begun to think it might be more. That she was afraid of the sword itself, of what it meant. That if she kept it in a more... casual manner, so to speak, it would make her all the more casual about using it.
"You're thinking about this too much, it's just a weapon you don't want to lose." she told herself, hushing the pseudo-philosophical internal debate for the time being. Besides, Ema had never liked wannabe philosophers - pretenders to the throne of pretense - or actual ones for that matter, and had no intention of becoming one herself.
Caught in the daydream-like trance of introspection yet again - even after constantly telling herself to stop doing it, and never succeeding - Ema suddenly became aware that, by a combination of the weight she was carrying and the ponderous pace she'd slowed to in her thinking, she was lagging quite far behind Hayley and Kyle. After the luck of meeting up with them, and forcing herself to ignore the events of the previous morning, she had no intention of losing her again. Them again, even. Two people, Hayley and Kyle. "Two of them, Captain Desperate." "Shut up, I know."
By the time she caught up, the couple had stopped at a small cliff, if it could really be called that, overlooking the Hut they'd been heading towards. The vertical difference wasn't the problem, though, it was the group of people at the bottom of it, and the one of them that was dead. Unsurprisingly, Ema didn't recognise a single one of them, given her non-existent social life, and how they'd been expecting a bit of a wait before Madelyn and the rest arrived. It seemed evident from Hayley's and Kyle's respective barely-caring reactions that they didn't know the people either. Odd, really, that only three days in it seemed perfectly normal not to care about a corpse, so long as you didn't know the person very well. Scientists did always say that the young adapt faster...
"What do you think...? The others could be in the hut, but I don't think going down there and trying to get in is in our best interests at the moment..."
Unlikely, unless the others had left absurdly early in the morning. And even if they were, she had a point, barging in through a group of very-likely-to-be-killers wasn't a great plan.
"I don't think they are down there. If I remember the map correctly, they have a further distance to walk than we have- so unless they set out at first light, I doubt that that that they would have arrived here before us. Besides, considering the poor state of Alex's health and Maddy's... general lack of strength, really, no offense to her... there would probably be more than one body down there, even with Charlene's help."
Exactly what Ema had been about to say. The distance part, at least. She did't even know who Charlene was, and could only vaguely remember an Alex. The Scottish guy? Possibly. Memories of life in the States already seemed so long ago, somehow, that Ema had trouble recalling much that wasn't everyday stuff, utterly embedded into her mind. Culture shock? Possibly.
"We should avoid confrontation. However... Hayley, can I talk to you? Alone?"
Wait what? It didn't take even a modicum of attentiveness to notice that Kyle was averting his eyes, no, his entire face, from Ema as he said it, as well. Something was up, Ema wanted to know what. But, true to form, she said nothing, waiting for whatever was happening to pan out. Passive in the worst possible way, that's Ema Ryan.
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Hollyquin†
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
"I don't think they are down there. If I remember the map correctly, they have a further distance to walk than we have- so unless they set out at first light, I doubt that that that they would have arrived here before us. Besides, considering the poor state of Alex's health and Maddy's... general lack of strength, really, no offense to her... there would probably be more than one body down there, even with Charlene's help."
Hayley pouted a bit at the tone Kyle took- acting like that's such an obvious conclusion. I did figure they set out at first light, we were going to before we got all caught up with the announcement and James motherfucking Mulzet. He's right about...shit, I totally forgot Alex was hurt. Fucking...fuck. At least we know they were all alive as of...uh...this morning. Plenty of time for some shit to have gone down, though. Yeah, guess he's probably right. So what happens now? She would have pouted again at her own lack of insight had she ever stopped pouting to begin with. Instead, she sighed, shrugging in vague agreement.
She looked back down the cliff. One of those boys was yelling. At Rachel. Hayley was cool with that.
This is fun. Like I'm back home watching SotF instead of, you know, being on it. Yeah this is way better. Well...I suppose there's nothing else to do but wait, presumably they'll be here eventually, in the meantime-
"We should avoid confrontation. However... Hayley, can I talk to you? Alone?"
...
FUCK.
Yeah, she was off the island, alright, back home in high school drama land. Hayley wasn't sure where she'd rather be. In a way Survival of the Fittest was considerably simpler, now that that whole freaking-out-over-dead-people-bit was over.
...She decided to ignore the consequences of thinking that, and moved on to more pressing matters.
Why is it that the phrase "Can I talk to you alone?" never ends in anything good? Why is it never ever like, "Can I talk to you alone? Yeah, you just won ten thousand dollars, just wanted to tell you alone so no one asks you to buy them shit." Nah that NEVER happens, it's always "Can I talk to you alone? Your mom died." or "Your best friend's in a coma." or "I'm breaking up with you."
So what the fuck is he going to say to me? We're on Survival of the Fittest, the fuck would he break up with me for? Seriously, breaking up with someone now is just...not...fucking...cool. Nah, it's gotta be something else, but what? Maybe...
Maybe he wants to leave?
That thought froze her, because it actually made sense.
Maybe. He...I don't know, he doesn't have any connection to anyone in Team Campbell except me, and I'm...maybe I'm not enough for him to want to stay, I don't know. Maybe he thinks I'm crazy?
Am I crazy?
Hell if I should be answering that.
She shook her head slightly to reassure herself of nothing in particularly, then slowly, slowly, stood.
"Er...yeah. Okay."
Hayley looked over towards Ema. Poor thing. With all that crap she'd carried all the way here she had to be exhausted. Not to mention stressed. Kyle she trusted to be able to take care of himself, but Ema, she worried about. She walked over to her, getting what most people would consider 'uncomfortably close'. Not Hayley, though. Personal space was a foreign concept to her.
"Keep watch for us, aight? And sit down. Take off your...uh...giant-ass fucking bag and stay a while. Eat something! You wouldn't believe this gourmet fucking bread and water Danya gave us."
In a moment of whatever-the-opposite-of-clarity-is, she brushed a stray strand of Ema's hair behind her ear.
"Call me if you need me, girly."
And with that Hayley followed Kyle a short way back into the trees, into the cover and quiet, far enough to ensure they wouldn't be heard.
She tried to keep her face neutral, but didn't say a word, waiting for Kyle to speak.
Hayley pouted a bit at the tone Kyle took- acting like that's such an obvious conclusion. I did figure they set out at first light, we were going to before we got all caught up with the announcement and James motherfucking Mulzet. He's right about...shit, I totally forgot Alex was hurt. Fucking...fuck. At least we know they were all alive as of...uh...this morning. Plenty of time for some shit to have gone down, though. Yeah, guess he's probably right. So what happens now? She would have pouted again at her own lack of insight had she ever stopped pouting to begin with. Instead, she sighed, shrugging in vague agreement.
She looked back down the cliff. One of those boys was yelling. At Rachel. Hayley was cool with that.
This is fun. Like I'm back home watching SotF instead of, you know, being on it. Yeah this is way better. Well...I suppose there's nothing else to do but wait, presumably they'll be here eventually, in the meantime-
"We should avoid confrontation. However... Hayley, can I talk to you? Alone?"
...
FUCK.
Yeah, she was off the island, alright, back home in high school drama land. Hayley wasn't sure where she'd rather be. In a way Survival of the Fittest was considerably simpler, now that that whole freaking-out-over-dead-people-bit was over.
...She decided to ignore the consequences of thinking that, and moved on to more pressing matters.
Why is it that the phrase "Can I talk to you alone?" never ends in anything good? Why is it never ever like, "Can I talk to you alone? Yeah, you just won ten thousand dollars, just wanted to tell you alone so no one asks you to buy them shit." Nah that NEVER happens, it's always "Can I talk to you alone? Your mom died." or "Your best friend's in a coma." or "I'm breaking up with you."
So what the fuck is he going to say to me? We're on Survival of the Fittest, the fuck would he break up with me for? Seriously, breaking up with someone now is just...not...fucking...cool. Nah, it's gotta be something else, but what? Maybe...
Maybe he wants to leave?
That thought froze her, because it actually made sense.
Maybe. He...I don't know, he doesn't have any connection to anyone in Team Campbell except me, and I'm...maybe I'm not enough for him to want to stay, I don't know. Maybe he thinks I'm crazy?
Am I crazy?
Hell if I should be answering that.
She shook her head slightly to reassure herself of nothing in particularly, then slowly, slowly, stood.
"Er...yeah. Okay."
Hayley looked over towards Ema. Poor thing. With all that crap she'd carried all the way here she had to be exhausted. Not to mention stressed. Kyle she trusted to be able to take care of himself, but Ema, she worried about. She walked over to her, getting what most people would consider 'uncomfortably close'. Not Hayley, though. Personal space was a foreign concept to her.
"Keep watch for us, aight? And sit down. Take off your...uh...giant-ass fucking bag and stay a while. Eat something! You wouldn't believe this gourmet fucking bread and water Danya gave us."
In a moment of whatever-the-opposite-of-clarity-is, she brushed a stray strand of Ema's hair behind her ear.
"Call me if you need me, girly."
And with that Hayley followed Kyle a short way back into the trees, into the cover and quiet, far enough to ensure they wouldn't be heard.
She tried to keep her face neutral, but didn't say a word, waiting for Kyle to speak.
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armeggedonCounselor†
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
Hayley looked stricken at Kyle's suggestion that they go talk- it hadn't occurred to him that normally that meant bad news. To be fair, what he wanted to talk about was bad news, but at least it wasn't terrible. After Hayley comforted Ema (in a way that made Kyle's heart wrench), he followed her deeper into the woods, away from Ema.
She stood with impassive features, waiting for Kyle to speak. Kyle took the silence to arrange his thoughts, drawing it out as a small eternity. He sighed and pushed his hair back, resisting, with much effort, the urge to relieve his compulsions.
"Hayley.... I don't think there's an easy way to talk about this. No amount of social preparation makes it possible for one to do... anything here on this island."
He turned to face Hayley, allowing, for the first time in a while, the stress he felt to show on his face. It was only a subtle change, and yet Kyle looked, and felt, ten years older.
"I know that you have... familiarity with with with Survival of The Fittest, with our current predicament. And we all already know about the announcements, and the problems they cause. The long and short of it is...."
He paused, looking away from Hayley.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you that, as a killer, you put people around you in danger. I don't think you're crazy, and will attack me or Ema, or any of your friends. The danger comes from people knowing your name, knowing that you have killed- twice, now. They won't care about your reasons. They won't ever learn your reasons. They would either kill you on sight, and likely kill everyone with you- after all, they are accomplices."
Kyle swallowed, looking at his hands, which were nervously tapping against his legs, staccato rhythms of three.
"So... I guess my point is.... What are you going to do when Alex and Maddy and Charlene arrive? Discuss with them, figure out what they want? While it is harsh, I think we should discuss this information with them, the danger that you put others in, and figure out if they want to accept the danger and stay with us, or if they want to go on their own paths."
Kyle wasn't certain he had communicated his thoughts clearly- it was difficult to be clear when everything was becoming increasingly muddy.
She stood with impassive features, waiting for Kyle to speak. Kyle took the silence to arrange his thoughts, drawing it out as a small eternity. He sighed and pushed his hair back, resisting, with much effort, the urge to relieve his compulsions.
"Hayley.... I don't think there's an easy way to talk about this. No amount of social preparation makes it possible for one to do... anything here on this island."
He turned to face Hayley, allowing, for the first time in a while, the stress he felt to show on his face. It was only a subtle change, and yet Kyle looked, and felt, ten years older.
"I know that you have... familiarity with with with Survival of The Fittest, with our current predicament. And we all already know about the announcements, and the problems they cause. The long and short of it is...."
He paused, looking away from Hayley.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you that, as a killer, you put people around you in danger. I don't think you're crazy, and will attack me or Ema, or any of your friends. The danger comes from people knowing your name, knowing that you have killed- twice, now. They won't care about your reasons. They won't ever learn your reasons. They would either kill you on sight, and likely kill everyone with you- after all, they are accomplices."
Kyle swallowed, looking at his hands, which were nervously tapping against his legs, staccato rhythms of three.
"So... I guess my point is.... What are you going to do when Alex and Maddy and Charlene arrive? Discuss with them, figure out what they want? While it is harsh, I think we should discuss this information with them, the danger that you put others in, and figure out if they want to accept the danger and stay with us, or if they want to go on their own paths."
Kyle wasn't certain he had communicated his thoughts clearly- it was difficult to be clear when everything was becoming increasingly muddy.
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Ray felt like he had to stop himself from hitting Rachel. Hearing her talk, she apparently had no remorse for what she'd just done. She was hiding behind religion. Ray really wanted to show her that there wasn't any divine power protecting her here today.Killer_Moth wrote:
Robert was intent on being the gentle hand of the church, trying to talk her down. That was cool. If it was Ray had to be the fucking vicious sword, then yeah, he could do that. He'd done the same shit back at home, stood up for his sister dozens of times, taught kids you weren't supposed to fuck with people about things they didn't have any control over.
He liked Robert, had plenty of respect for him after he offered his prayer for Charlotte and Jaclyn, but the wrestler wasn't sure this girl, this murderer deserved any saving.
Ray watched as Robert fell forward, and he shored up the distance between him and the prone boy, closing in. But when Robert shouted, Ray jumped, taking him out of himself. He was unsure now, the spear wavering. Robert was down now, his head sunken.
Can't kill her, don't want to be her.
Ray wasn't much good at comforting people. The only thing he'd ever done for his sister is defend her, not deal with the aftermath. So he felt awkward when he took a hand and held it on Robert's shoulder. It was more awkward trying to hold the spear one-handed.
"What we gonna do?" He asked, eyes still on Rachel. "We can't let her run around, can we?" Ray knew now he couldn't kill the girl, but damned if he was going to be indirectly responsible for more blood on her hands.
"Er...yeah. Okay."
Not really much else Hayley could've said to that, Ema figured, it's the sort of question that makes for absurd awkwardness if you say no... though she'd sort of hoped Hayley would ask why the discussion had to be private. Then again, maybe that would've made things pretty awkward too, as if they weren't already.
Hayley made to leave, but not before a few parting words, rather... disconcertingly close, even for a close friend. "Keep watch for us, aight?" So it seemed she'd be hanging around there for a while. And sit down. "Take off your...uh...giant-ass fucking bag and stay a while." The redhead didn't need telling twice; she dropped her shoulders, letting both of her bags slide down to her elbows, then dumped them on the floor rather unceremoniously.
"Eat something! You wouldn't believe this gourmet fucking bread and water Danya gave us."
Ema considered that, and after some deliberation, decided it would probably be a good idea. She wasn't exactly hungry, but that was only because she'd eaten that morning, she couldn't be certain, but the Irish girl was fairly sure if she had eaten anything on the two days prior, it hadn't been m--
"Call me if you need me, girly."
Ordinary enough words, but they weren't what stopped the girl's train of thought in it's tracks. Not content with being closer than is strictly normal for "just friends", Hayley had decided to brush aside some of Ema's unruly hair, hooking it behind her rarely-seen ear. And the worst part; it only made the sudden blush that coloured her face all too clear, if anyone were still looking her way. "The hell is wrong with you? It's just hair, not spontaneous groping, Jesus." "But she...
Even in her thoughts, Ema couldn't think of a good excuse. Without context, it was an entirely innocent gesture. And the context she was giving it was drawing close to a year past existing. "Exactly, it's over, focus on surviving, not whose pants you still want in."
Well... damn. She had no response to her own wisdom there. And so instead, she started rooting through her bag, subconsciously deciding what was dead weight, consciously searching for the most awkward bar of chocolate she'd ever eat.
Not really much else Hayley could've said to that, Ema figured, it's the sort of question that makes for absurd awkwardness if you say no... though she'd sort of hoped Hayley would ask why the discussion had to be private. Then again, maybe that would've made things pretty awkward too, as if they weren't already.
Hayley made to leave, but not before a few parting words, rather... disconcertingly close, even for a close friend. "Keep watch for us, aight?" So it seemed she'd be hanging around there for a while. And sit down. "Take off your...uh...giant-ass fucking bag and stay a while." The redhead didn't need telling twice; she dropped her shoulders, letting both of her bags slide down to her elbows, then dumped them on the floor rather unceremoniously.
"Eat something! You wouldn't believe this gourmet fucking bread and water Danya gave us."
Ema considered that, and after some deliberation, decided it would probably be a good idea. She wasn't exactly hungry, but that was only because she'd eaten that morning, she couldn't be certain, but the Irish girl was fairly sure if she had eaten anything on the two days prior, it hadn't been m--
"Call me if you need me, girly."
Ordinary enough words, but they weren't what stopped the girl's train of thought in it's tracks. Not content with being closer than is strictly normal for "just friends", Hayley had decided to brush aside some of Ema's unruly hair, hooking it behind her rarely-seen ear. And the worst part; it only made the sudden blush that coloured her face all too clear, if anyone were still looking her way. "The hell is wrong with you? It's just hair, not spontaneous groping, Jesus." "But she...
Even in her thoughts, Ema couldn't think of a good excuse. Without context, it was an entirely innocent gesture. And the context she was giving it was drawing close to a year past existing. "Exactly, it's over, focus on surviving, not whose pants you still want in."
Well... damn. She had no response to her own wisdom there. And so instead, she started rooting through her bag, subconsciously deciding what was dead weight, consciously searching for the most awkward bar of chocolate she'd ever eat.
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xylophonefairy†
- Posts: 182
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:55 am
"What do you propose?" Neill replied to Ray, eyeing Rachel up nervously. "Tie her up to a tree or something?"
She seemed somewhat out of control and he didn't want to get too close to her. In fact, right now, he wanted nothing more than to run away in the opposite direction. How long was it before they were allowed back in the infirmary again? That was a safe place. He'd always felt that if you were going to get hurt, it was best to do it in a hospital. And while going back to the bodies of Jaclyn and Charlotte didn't fill him with a great deal of good feeling, staying here with this new one (wasn't he English?) was even worse. Especially as his apparently remorseless killer was still around.
I need a cigarette.
It was perhaps a mark of how unstressful (relatively) his experiences on the island so far had been that he realy hadn't felt like he'd needed one so far. But now, face to face with the first killer he'd seen so far, Neill could feel his stress levels rising in that characteristic way that only a cigarette could fix. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out his (concerningly empty) lighter then dropped his bag to the floor, extracting a single pack of cigarettes he'd brought with him. There were eighteen left in the pack, and he frowned. It was only going to get more stressful from here on out: he would have to be careful with them, ration them to only the most stressful moments. Or maybe buying himself out of a sticky situation, like people did in prison.
She seemed somewhat out of control and he didn't want to get too close to her. In fact, right now, he wanted nothing more than to run away in the opposite direction. How long was it before they were allowed back in the infirmary again? That was a safe place. He'd always felt that if you were going to get hurt, it was best to do it in a hospital. And while going back to the bodies of Jaclyn and Charlotte didn't fill him with a great deal of good feeling, staying here with this new one (wasn't he English?) was even worse. Especially as his apparently remorseless killer was still around.
I need a cigarette.
It was perhaps a mark of how unstressful (relatively) his experiences on the island so far had been that he realy hadn't felt like he'd needed one so far. But now, face to face with the first killer he'd seen so far, Neill could feel his stress levels rising in that characteristic way that only a cigarette could fix. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out his (concerningly empty) lighter then dropped his bag to the floor, extracting a single pack of cigarettes he'd brought with him. There were eighteen left in the pack, and he frowned. It was only going to get more stressful from here on out: he would have to be careful with them, ration them to only the most stressful moments. Or maybe buying himself out of a sticky situation, like people did in prison.
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Hollyquin†
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
"Hayley.... I don't think there's an easy way to talk about this. No amount of social preparation makes it possible for one to do... anything here on this island."
Hayley was utterly irritated at herself for the way her heart was racing. Why was it so bloody impossible for her to focus on this fucking game, on the fact that they were on Survival on the Fittest and on a deserted island, on the fact that teenage bullshit was completely irrelevant right now? Why was she having a visceral reaction this major, why oh fucking WHY did she feel like this was the beginning of a 'it's not you it's me' speech when it didn't sound even remotely like one? It wasn't his words, she knew, that were upsetting her. He was talking about the game, sort of. Her conscious mind was sure enough that this was gonna be something about the game. Why, then, was her heart off like a damn drum?
It was just his tone, she decided. He sounded like he was giving bad news and years of experience, so to speak, were convincing her that bad news coming from your boyfriend = dramatic breakup time. Whatever to my retarded instincts.
Shut up and listen, brain.
"I know that you have... familiarity with with with Survival of The Fittest, with our current predicament. And we all already know about the announcements, and the problems they cause. The long and short of it is...."
Oh. There it was, then. All crystal clear. He didn't have to keep going- the moment the word announcements came out of his mouth, she knew.
And when he turned to look away from her...yeah, definitely clear.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you that, as a killer, you put people around you in danger. I don't think you're crazy, and will attack me or Ema, or any of your friends. The danger comes from people knowing your name, knowing that you have killed- twice, now. They won't care about your reasons. They won't ever learn your reasons. They would either kill you on sight, and likely kill everyone with you- after all, they are accomplices."
It wasn't that Hayley hadn't thought of it before.
It was more that she'd never thought any of her friends would bring it up. Never thought they'd leave her for their own safety. Well, that wasn't completely true- back when she'd left the group at the fun fair, she had honestly felt, at least for a little while, that Alex and Maddy would leave her. Certainly Charlene would, but hell, she wasn't important. But at that point she hadn't thought of it at a strategical move- she'd thought of it as a consequence of Alex's natural (and adorable) nobility and morality. He wouldn't want to hang with a killer because he was way too nice for this game, not because he thought it would help him survive.
Leave it to the always-practical Kyle to bring up the real reason everyone should ditch her.
But...Fucking hell. This is seriously a no-win situation.
If I leave everyone, yeah, they won't be targeted for having a killer in their group, but who's gonna protect them? Charlene? Sure, she's got a gun, but she hasn't killed anyone, and I don't trust her as far as I could fuckin' throw her...Who else? Kyle and Ema have weapons but they're powerless against guns. They need me.
But what if they think the risks outweigh the benefits...?
"So... I guess my point is.... What are you going to do when Alex and Maddy and Charlene arrive? Discuss with them, figure out what they want? While it is harsh, I think we should discuss this information with them, the danger that you put others in, and figure out if they want to accept the danger and stay with us, or if they want to go on their own paths."
With us.
Kyle was going to stay with her, after all. Hayley felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
Honestly...I don't think they'd leave me. I don't think they would...they're not...that rational, I guess is the word? That sounds so mean but...we're all so close. I don't think they'd let the danger get in the way of that.
Hell, I'm not rational either. I get it. Kyle could've killed half the island and I still would stick with him. Same deal with the others.
She spoke, and she was calm again.
"Yeah. Of course, I will. Dammit, don't freak me out like that again, though! You had me worried that, like-" you were going to break up with me? "-it was something serious! Well, er, I guess it is kind of serious, but it's nothing I hadn't thought about. I just don't think it's likely that they'd decide to split. Up to them, though, I guess." She smiled. "Thank you, though, for staying. I know you're putting yourself in danger for me..."
Hayley suddenly thought of something and frowned slightly, her brow furrowed.
"Why'd you have to tell me that in private? Ema knows everything that's happened. Presumably she's already made the decision to stay."
Hayley was utterly irritated at herself for the way her heart was racing. Why was it so bloody impossible for her to focus on this fucking game, on the fact that they were on Survival on the Fittest and on a deserted island, on the fact that teenage bullshit was completely irrelevant right now? Why was she having a visceral reaction this major, why oh fucking WHY did she feel like this was the beginning of a 'it's not you it's me' speech when it didn't sound even remotely like one? It wasn't his words, she knew, that were upsetting her. He was talking about the game, sort of. Her conscious mind was sure enough that this was gonna be something about the game. Why, then, was her heart off like a damn drum?
It was just his tone, she decided. He sounded like he was giving bad news and years of experience, so to speak, were convincing her that bad news coming from your boyfriend = dramatic breakup time. Whatever to my retarded instincts.
Shut up and listen, brain.
"I know that you have... familiarity with with with Survival of The Fittest, with our current predicament. And we all already know about the announcements, and the problems they cause. The long and short of it is...."
Oh. There it was, then. All crystal clear. He didn't have to keep going- the moment the word announcements came out of his mouth, she knew.
And when he turned to look away from her...yeah, definitely clear.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you that, as a killer, you put people around you in danger. I don't think you're crazy, and will attack me or Ema, or any of your friends. The danger comes from people knowing your name, knowing that you have killed- twice, now. They won't care about your reasons. They won't ever learn your reasons. They would either kill you on sight, and likely kill everyone with you- after all, they are accomplices."
It wasn't that Hayley hadn't thought of it before.
It was more that she'd never thought any of her friends would bring it up. Never thought they'd leave her for their own safety. Well, that wasn't completely true- back when she'd left the group at the fun fair, she had honestly felt, at least for a little while, that Alex and Maddy would leave her. Certainly Charlene would, but hell, she wasn't important. But at that point she hadn't thought of it at a strategical move- she'd thought of it as a consequence of Alex's natural (and adorable) nobility and morality. He wouldn't want to hang with a killer because he was way too nice for this game, not because he thought it would help him survive.
Leave it to the always-practical Kyle to bring up the real reason everyone should ditch her.
But...Fucking hell. This is seriously a no-win situation.
If I leave everyone, yeah, they won't be targeted for having a killer in their group, but who's gonna protect them? Charlene? Sure, she's got a gun, but she hasn't killed anyone, and I don't trust her as far as I could fuckin' throw her...Who else? Kyle and Ema have weapons but they're powerless against guns. They need me.
But what if they think the risks outweigh the benefits...?
"So... I guess my point is.... What are you going to do when Alex and Maddy and Charlene arrive? Discuss with them, figure out what they want? While it is harsh, I think we should discuss this information with them, the danger that you put others in, and figure out if they want to accept the danger and stay with us, or if they want to go on their own paths."
With us.
Kyle was going to stay with her, after all. Hayley felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
Honestly...I don't think they'd leave me. I don't think they would...they're not...that rational, I guess is the word? That sounds so mean but...we're all so close. I don't think they'd let the danger get in the way of that.
Hell, I'm not rational either. I get it. Kyle could've killed half the island and I still would stick with him. Same deal with the others.
She spoke, and she was calm again.
"Yeah. Of course, I will. Dammit, don't freak me out like that again, though! You had me worried that, like-" you were going to break up with me? "-it was something serious! Well, er, I guess it is kind of serious, but it's nothing I hadn't thought about. I just don't think it's likely that they'd decide to split. Up to them, though, I guess." She smiled. "Thank you, though, for staying. I know you're putting yourself in danger for me..."
Hayley suddenly thought of something and frowned slightly, her brow furrowed.
"Why'd you have to tell me that in private? Ema knows everything that's happened. Presumably she's already made the decision to stay."
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armeggedonCounselor†
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:24 am
Hayley took it about as well as Kyle expected. And, fortunately for his pride, she didn't try to insist that Kyle should also abandon her. Of course, she did ask why Kyle had wanted to discuss this alone. Obviously, Kyle didn't say that it was because Ema was Hayley's ex. A different reason was necessary.
"Well, if she has already come to the same conclusion, and she decides to stay with you, then that's fine. If, however, she hasn't officially decided whether or not she'll stay with you, or hasn't thought of it, I don't want to affect her decision. It's her choice, and I don't want to sway her mind either way."
That was as good a reason as any, Kyle supposed. He looked back at Hayley, smiled slightly. He stepped closer, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. He kissed her gently on the neck, then pulled back and looked into her eyes.
"Sorry, I've been wanting to do that all day."
Not entirely true, but not a lie either. He had been wanting physical contact with Hayley, but more than that he really wanted to fall to the compulsions.
"Well, if she has already come to the same conclusion, and she decides to stay with you, then that's fine. If, however, she hasn't officially decided whether or not she'll stay with you, or hasn't thought of it, I don't want to affect her decision. It's her choice, and I don't want to sway her mind either way."
That was as good a reason as any, Kyle supposed. He looked back at Hayley, smiled slightly. He stepped closer, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. He kissed her gently on the neck, then pulled back and looked into her eyes.
"Sorry, I've been wanting to do that all day."
Not entirely true, but not a lie either. He had been wanting physical contact with Hayley, but more than that he really wanted to fall to the compulsions.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler armeggedonCounselor. 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.
(posting for Rachel Gettys with the permission of Ciel)
Rachel was bewildered at the behavior of these three men. Here she was, standing before them with a message of hope, and all they could do was to call her insane and make plots to be rid of her. Such, it seemed, was the fate of those fortunate enough to be counted amongst His brethren, that all the lesser people of the world would scheme to cast them down from their rightful places. Rachel would never count herself equal to the Son, but she could see many similarities between His ministry and her own, and much like he worked on through persecution, so too would she.
First, to attend to the matter of the man who had crushed Rachel's heart, lying prostrate before her. The symbolic nature of this situation did not escape Rachel, but her feeling of triumph turned to bitter mirth when Robert attempted to condemn her to eternal damnation. As if that could ever happen to a true believer such as herself. Leaning down on her stick so that he could see her eyes, she gazed at him and proclaimed, "Hell is a fate reserved not for the just, Robert, but for those like you, who fall away from salvation or forsake it entirely. You and your friends are walking dead, even though you may not know it until it is too late."
Honestly, what more could she do? Rachel had tried, had she not? Had Rachel not given them all the fairest of warnings? It was their ignorance that was holding them back, and try as she might, Rachel was beginning to realize that nothing she could say would pierce the clouds that had enveloped their minds and hearts.
Foolish, foolish men. Do they not realize that I am trying to help them?
"I can speak no more to hardened souls such as yourselves," Rachel spoke sorrowfully, turning away from them. "I have fulfilled my role. If you will not follow me, then you are doomed to burn in everlasting fire. It is inevitable."
For a brief moment, before she began to walk off, Rachel had been tempted to help Robert back up onto his feet, but she crushed that feeling before it could bear fruit. He had hurt her beyond all recovery, and she had sworn to never let him hurt her again. Instead, keeping her chin high despite her limping, she turned from these man and marched off on her own. She had a mission to fulfill, and nothing under Heaven would stand in her way.
(Rachel Gettys continued in Wind in the Willow)
Rachel was bewildered at the behavior of these three men. Here she was, standing before them with a message of hope, and all they could do was to call her insane and make plots to be rid of her. Such, it seemed, was the fate of those fortunate enough to be counted amongst His brethren, that all the lesser people of the world would scheme to cast them down from their rightful places. Rachel would never count herself equal to the Son, but she could see many similarities between His ministry and her own, and much like he worked on through persecution, so too would she.
First, to attend to the matter of the man who had crushed Rachel's heart, lying prostrate before her. The symbolic nature of this situation did not escape Rachel, but her feeling of triumph turned to bitter mirth when Robert attempted to condemn her to eternal damnation. As if that could ever happen to a true believer such as herself. Leaning down on her stick so that he could see her eyes, she gazed at him and proclaimed, "Hell is a fate reserved not for the just, Robert, but for those like you, who fall away from salvation or forsake it entirely. You and your friends are walking dead, even though you may not know it until it is too late."
Honestly, what more could she do? Rachel had tried, had she not? Had Rachel not given them all the fairest of warnings? It was their ignorance that was holding them back, and try as she might, Rachel was beginning to realize that nothing she could say would pierce the clouds that had enveloped their minds and hearts.
Foolish, foolish men. Do they not realize that I am trying to help them?
"I can speak no more to hardened souls such as yourselves," Rachel spoke sorrowfully, turning away from them. "I have fulfilled my role. If you will not follow me, then you are doomed to burn in everlasting fire. It is inevitable."
For a brief moment, before she began to walk off, Rachel had been tempted to help Robert back up onto his feet, but she crushed that feeling before it could bear fruit. He had hurt her beyond all recovery, and she had sworn to never let him hurt her again. Instead, keeping her chin high despite her limping, she turned from these man and marched off on her own. She had a mission to fulfill, and nothing under Heaven would stand in her way.
(Rachel Gettys continued in Wind in the Willow)