"Grace" Under Pressure

[Little Boy†]

((Jay Holland continues from The Various Downsides of Becoming "Paranoid as Balls"))

Jay sat in the shade underneath a tree in the middle of the woods, panting and spitting gobs of flem. His throat felt like it had been torn out, and his heart wouldn't stop pounding in tune with his head. The stoner hadn't gotten much in means of rest since the Fair. But that was only to be expected. He'd been fucking around and fucking up for too long. How much longer could he go for? How much longer could he make it, jittering around without a strategy, without any sort of plan? It wasn't long, if the scene at the fair had been any indication. Teo had been out for blood, and frankly it was miraculous he'd encountered a bloodthirsty psychopath so late in the game.

That's not true. There was the girl... with Maria. Jesus fucking Christ. I'd just been talking to the girl, and bam. She's dead. I wonder how Fatty John is doing... I wonder how Jojo is doing. Jesus Christ, I've gotta' find that guy. And Alex. Need to find'em, fucking fast.

There was no doubt in his mind that someone, somewhere, was formulating an escape plan. One of the nerds, Alex Campbell, someone like that. But that did him little good, being the waste of space he was.

And lost in the fucking forest to boot...

Jay didn't know how long ago, but at some point another announcement had gone out. Jay wasn't keeping track by any means, but he'd stopped to listen. Like always, it had been hard hitting. Kids he'd known, kids he'd seen in the hallway, now killers and victims respectively. It was crazy. And it wasn't going to end, not for him.

Fucking God... Rizzo is dead. Wasn't he that kid who could do all the flips 'n shit? Fat lotta' good that did him. Etain, Jesus Christ, Etain...

The news of the skaters death was terrifying. If there was anyone Jay had expected to survive, Etain would have been close to the top of his list. The Irish boy was friendly enough and had possessed an old school style long-board, something Jay had always admired. He'd tried to ride it one day, and fallen flat on his ass, much to the amusement of Alex. The news that someone, specially a stuck up prick like the Fiametta kid, had wasted someone like Etain was enough to make Jay feel sick.

God Damn... how many have died? Close to fuckin' 100 by now, it's gotta be. And they just keep coming... Who's gonna waste some crazy fuck like Teo? Jojo? Kid has balls, but Jojo doesn't stand a chance. Maybe it'll be Fatty John with his big ass shotgun. Heh... What if he ended up winning? Jesus Christ... I mean really, Jesus Christ...

Finally recovering his breath, Jay let out a sigh. It was a nice enough start for the day, but his guilt plagued him. He'd left his pack back in the Fun Fair and he was starving. Not to mention he'd abandoned Janet back there. The last he'd seen of the blonde haired bombshell, she'd been grappling with Nick LeMonde. The idea of Janet being dead left him a nervous wreck, despite the fact he'd run away. He'd considered turning around, heading back to the Fair to check but the area was a danger zone, marked as of the last announcement. Even still, the idea of running into a pissed off Janet was perhaps more frightening. Jay liked the girl, hell, nearly loved her. She was kickass and he'd been left speechless at their first meeting. But she wasn't someone to cross.

The boy she'd killed knew that.

Jay had tried to piece together what exactly had occurred prior to the ambush (as he called it), but he couldn't separate truth from fiction. Janet had told him that the other boy had attacked first. For all he knew, that was the real story. Or was it? There was no reason to believe it or not... But he wanted to believe it. The idea of Janet being a killer was just too much. And she hadn't killed him, had she? She'd stuck beside him even when she could have turned and worked with Teo. She hadn't been a lure, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Just keep thinking that. Easier that way... Christ almighty. Killers, fuckin' cold blooded killers. Hayley, she's got two of them now, doesn't she? Hayley Kelly. Chill, a great drinking buddy. Now what? She's got a double-kill. One more and she gets a kill streak, don't she? Ridiculous. When the fuck have I ever been in a situation where I've gone 'Oh, better kill this fucker.' How the fuck can people just accept that? This is fucking crazy. I can't do this shit, no no sir, I can't... I can't believe they're actually fucking GONE. I mean... just what? A week ago, they were there, in the halls.. Now...

Jay raised his hands, rubbing his eyes. He was vaguely aware he was still shaking. He desperately yearned for sleep. With a yawn, Jay carefully removed his pistol from his jacket pocket. He didn't know enough to know how to unload the gun... Instead, he placed it carefully next to him. Next, Jay reached into his back pocket to remove his spare cli-

What the...?

Jay awkwardly groped around in his back pocket, pulling at a strange tangled mass stuck underneath the magazine. A look of confusion on his face, Jay removed a pair of bright pink panties, strung around the magazine. His eyes opening wide, Jay tossed the spare magazine aside, unfolding the prize.

The fuck is this fro-... Wait.

WAIT.

MARIA. 'DAT ASS. JESUS CHRIST ALMIGHTY.

Jay began to laugh a nervous high pitched laugh. Giggling with excitement, he yanked off his black toque and placed the panties around his head, kicking his legs into the dirt with glee.

OHMYGODTHESESMELLSOAWESOMEAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Clapping his hands, his face going red, Jay laughed and laughed for a good while. The coincidence, the sheer fucking absurdity... the fact he was on prime time TV. Same old Jay Holland, Lord of the Panty Raids....

"I'm going to hel-el! I'm going to hel-el!" He chanted crazily, leaning up against the tree. His growling stomach could wait for later. The world itself and all it's unpleasantness could just take a minute and back the fuck off.

Life was terrible all around. But for a moment, just a moment, Jay felt like Jay again.

[armeggedonCounselor†]

((Janet Binachi continued from The Various Downsides of Being Paranoid as Balls.))

To say Janet was angry would be the understatement of the year. Her anger had transcended the limits of the English language. If you had to describe it in such a limited scope, she would be livid to the point of being homicidal. She had traipsed through the forest for hours, to find the trail of Jay. He was the target of the majority of her rage, and she intended to extract pain from his miserable hide in order to assuage her blinding anger. She had found his trail (it wasn't difficult, as he had blindly crashed through the underbrush at breakneck speed), and she had followed him to here.

And now he was acting like a complete idiot. He had some girl's panties on his head and was chanting about his future as a sinner.

"You may be going sooner than you realize."

Janet stepped into view, jaw locked and death glare on her face. Her every word dripped with malice and anger. She did not yet have her Hockey stick in the ready position, but she made certain her body language dictated her want to smash Jay in the face. She took another step forward.

"Explain."

[Little Boy†]

Jay couldn't speak. His balls had retreated up into his body. His body itself, lacking anywhere to retreat to, shut down. He damn nearly pissed his pants. After what seemed like an eternity his brain kicked back into high gear, shouting commands to the rest of him. Scrambling, his face going white with fright, Jay reached down for his pistol. His hand touching it, he hesitated.

What am I doing!? What are you doing!

He retreated a fraction from the gun, scared at his own inner thought process. How'd he been so quick, jumping to that? Calm. That's what he needed. That's what he kept telling everyone. Jay left the gun at his side, looking back towards Janet.

Pissed was the only word that came to mind. It didn't fit Janet. Janet didn't get pissed. Janet deserved something more eloquent. Furious maybe. Yes, furious went well. Jay was barely aware of his surroundings, his entire body was shaking. He reached up to his head, adjusting the panties on them, moving them away from his mouth and eyes.

I must look like the biggest fucking pervert ever right now.

"I... I... I..." Jay's mouth continued to flap open without the assistance of rational thought. He was dead. Janet had killed that other boy, now she was pissed off. And when Janet was pissed off, people did what she said. And given their relationship at this point, Jay was sure he was going to die. And never again get laid. What answer could possibly be good enough? There wasn't any. Jay had ran like a coward, as simple as that.

"I... I, oh Jesus. I don't know! I don't know man, I really- I just I don't know. I don't know anything, but ye- yeah, you knew that already, right? But see- I wasn't running because YOU were in trouble, I was running because I was in trouble, I- so... In a way, inawayinaway, I didn't bail on you- I- it was- TACTICAL, at the time! To run I mean, I mean- a TACTICAL EXIT. Teo, man, did you see Teo? I mean- I don't know, I- I'm not good with this, this stuff. Did you really think, when we got here, did you really think that maybe, just maybe Jay Holland, fucking stoner, fucking slacker, was going to come out on top? Exactly, y'know! So- so what do you want me to do? Kill people!? I can't kill people! It's not easy, not for me! It might be for some people, but-

Bad fucking word choice Jay, BAD WORD CHOICE. BACKPEDAL.

But see- I, I dunno what you wanted me to do y'know! You just threw me a gun, and like- Shoot'em? Teo, did you SEE him? He was in a fucking rage, hardcore. That kid was gone man. He's in it to win. And- and I mean- why not man? You- You're not like that. Nick- he wasn't even really like that man. Just- surprised me is all. But see- Nick was nothing, you probably kicked his ass but- but me and Teo? Look. I'm not a coward, but I REALLY don't wanna die anytime soon okay? I don'tnonono. Like- Like, Shit! I was there, and he took a shot. Arrow, whizzing by like, like, INCHES. INCHES FROM MY HEAD. I didn't mean to run Janet! You're a great girl, fucking beautiful, fucking awesome- forgiving! Straight up, I think I even told you earlier, straight up- I'm not good with any of this. This... thinking, and all this heavy shit. It's fucking killing me! It's morbid, and this entire place is just batshit crazy! No one is calm, everyone is freaking out, no music, no drugs ANYWHERE and I've been shot at! Also, people are dying! I wasn't trying to abandon you or anything I- I mean- I can't really think straight, okay? I'd be dead if it wasn't for you. But really, it wasn't my fault! I didn't do ANYTHING! Just- just-"

Jay paused, out of breath. He was making little sense, talking insanely fast. He doubted Janet was even listening. He reached up to scratch his head, accidentally knocking the panties back down around his head. Jay blinked in surprise, adjusting them so he could see.

"Um. Um. Okay. So, I panicked? And... and then I ditched. But- but I did scare off that one girl. Before I ran away I mean. So, it's not that bad...?"

Hesitantly, Jay raised his hands, giving Janet an awkward thumbs up. He shrank back slightly at the inevitable response. Whether it was a tirade of insults or a whack over the head with the hockey stick, he probably deserved it.

[armeggedonCounselor†]

((GMing approved by Little Boy.))

Janet found this mildly cathartic, watching Jay's reaction. The moment she entered, he looked so frightened she almost took pity on him right then. It was... an interesting feeling. Again she could understand why the killers acted as they did, for that feeling of being feared was like the finest wine. It was delicious, and though you know it couldn't last, you always wanted another glass.

As Jay babbled away, Janet considered the important points. And, seeing it from his perspective.... She still couldn't understand it. Teo had a crossbow- lethal, certainly, but a gun could fire much faster. And Teo had fired at her, not Jay- that much was obvious from him calling her a murderous whore. It was abject cowardice, nothing more.

And why the hell was he still wearing panties on his head?

As Jay finished his excuse and cowered again, Janet considered her options. While it would be easy- and, perhaps, smart- to smash him into the ground and destroy him, it wasn't an easy thing for her. Everett had been easy because she hadn't known him. Jay.... He was a worm, and he had wasted his life as far as she was concerned, but still he had some charm to him. She dropped her hockey stick, face still set in a glare of death.

"First, get rid of this stupid thing," she snarled, stepping forward and, none too gently, tearing the panties off of Jay's head. She saw, with slight satisfaction, that the elastic had dug into his skin slightly when she pulled on them.

"Now get up!"

She grabbed Jay by the front of his shirt and hauled him up, then shoved him back against the tree. She got right up in his face, snarling slightly as she continued.

"Don't try to sell me that crap, Jay. You could have easily had the upper hand in that fight if you had any balls. All it was was cowardice. You do something like that again, and I'll make certain you regret it."

She stepped back slightly, turning away. Almost as an after thought, she turned back.

"Oh, before I forget."

She grabbed Jay by his shirt again, pulled him close, and kissed him, lingering for a moment before letting him go.

"Subtlety was never my strong suit."

[nowave†]

((David Matson continued from Burn the Louvre))

David crept through the bushes as silent as he could be. He had to go slow. The asthma attack at the houses couldn't have happened at a worse time. Running away from shooting at someone, hell of a time for your lungs to cripple you. It was fortunate that no one had come to after him. He paused then and smiled softly. Not fortunate. Fated. It was gods will he get off this island. He was meant for greatness. This was... a trial. Nothing more.

"I'm going to hel-el! I'm going to hel-el!"

Correct. David smiled to himself and began to creep slowly towards the sound. A boy... with... Oh.

Oh yes.

David's smile grew. His grip on the gun tightened. A pervert. He had known nothing about the others, but if this one was any example, David couldn't have wished for a better target. He nearly made a move, then the girl showed up. He watched silently.

They spoke and initially he thought they were going to attack each other. Good. It would lighten his load. But then they seemed to lose the aggression towards each other. Then, even David had to raise his eyebrows when she kissed the boy.

He emerged from the forest and trained the gun on Jay. "A slut and a pervert." he muttered. "I doubt the lord values your lives highly." he said.

[Little Boy†]

Jay could hardly believe what had happened. He was a dead man, he was almost sure of it. Janet had closed in, and he had literally felt his resolve fail, crumble in the face of her anger. She'd called his bluff. He couldn't shoot her, not JANET. And saying sorry seemed to have only made it worse. Backed up against the tree, Jay tried his hardest to avoid pissing his pants. He didn't want to die, he didn't want to get hurt. Who in their right mind would want to?

This is the worst death ever.

Janet ripped the panties off his head, yelling at him in a curt demanding voice. He flinched back, unwilling to do anything. He couldn't fight back. Even with his perfectly fine gun, mere inches away... Had he accepted it then?

If I accepted my death, I wouldn't be freakin' the fuck out right now!

And oh was he ever freaking out. Jittering like crazy, trying his damnedest to throw in a word or two. He couldn't do it. He'd failed, and Janet was going to kill him. Unless he ran. Unless he ran far away, ditched his supplies, his weapon. That was always an option. Running was ALWAYS an option, and had proved to be his best friend, prior to meeting Janet. And now that he thought of it, after meeting her too. Running wasn't just an option, it was always a good option as well. For in the face of adversity, fear, panic and doubt Jay Holland could run as fast as h-

Suddenly, Jay felt himself propelling forward towards Janet. For a split second, he was sure his death was going to come. In a way, it had. Jay's lips met Janet's and he seemingly melted, his strength suddenly gone. He wobbled.

Maybe running can be my... backup plan for awhile...

Finally, Janet pulled away. Jay was disappointed, to say the least. But he wouldn't be complaining. Probably not ever again. He leaned back against the tree, the breath stolen from his lungs.

"Ohmyfuck." He finally managed. The effort of getting any form of legible words out was strenuous. Jay found a grin attached to his face that he couldn't seem to get rid of.

"I- I think subtlety is overrated, personally. I'm much more a fan of getting naked. And doing thi-"

"A slut and a pervert."

Jay blinked. Was he hearing voices? No, Janet had reacted too. He wasn't hearing voices. That was bad. Very bad. His heart was going to give out if this kept happening to him. Over his shoulder he could see a figure stepping into view, a boy with-

OH JESUS CHRIST A GUN.

Jay collapsed on his butt, springing down towards his weapon. He fumbled as he raised it in the general direction of the other boy. Jay slunk low to the ground, unsure of what exactly he was doing. All he knew is he felt safer the lower he was. When Fatty John had pointed a fucking shotgun at him, hoping around serpentine style didn't help much.

ITHINKIDIDN'TPAYATTENTIONTOTHATMOVIE

It didn't matter now. The world was moving insanely fast. Janet was still standing. Jay was amazed how fast he'd dropped, how quick he was to go for the weapon. Was this it? A new Jay? He certainly didn't feel like a new Jay. A new Jay wouldn't be crapping their pants in fright. His eyes were huge, he refused to blink.

"THEFUCKISWRONGWITHYOU!?" He hollered over towards the other boy. He was in no position to be making demands. Jay was a terrible shot. He hadn't ever fired attempting to HIT anything, but he knew it in his bones. He was a lousy shot. And unless something happened fast, Jay was going to die.

Janet is going to die...

That wouldn't happen. He'd just told her, it wouldn't happen. Or well, she'd demanded it wouldn't happen.

...So that won't happen. Logic. LOGIC I FOUND YOU.

Jay tried hard to stifle a laugh. For a second he wondered if he was going crazy. His eyes were beginning to water.

"Whatthefuckisgoingon!?!" Jay shouted a second time.

He had no idea if the boy could even make out what he was saying. All he knew was, the next few seconds would make him or break him. For good.

[armeggedonCounselor†]

((Hey, nowave? This is kinda a friendly... informative sidebar. In the future, although it's not technically a requirement, it would be polite to ask before moving into a thread, even if it is open. Just for future reference.))

Janet turned quickly, although (somehow) Jay had dropped for his weapon faster. She dropped and grabbed her hockey stick, feeling (again) that she really needed to get a proper ranged weapon. There were two in front of her.... Although obviously killing Jay wasn't really an option. Well... it was a last resort.

Now then, this newcomer was... troubling. She recognized him from school, although his name escaped her. More important was the gun in his hands. First step, make it so his targets weren't close together. Next, get into cover. The gun (probably) couldn't shoot through a tree, so that was something. Final goal was to get in melee range, preferably without being shot. First step.... Go.

She launched away from Jay, diving headfirst into the bushes at the edge of the clearing. She rolled to get behind the tree and sat up into a crouch. First step, and (hopefully) second step, covered.

[nowave†]

He gritted his teeth as the other boy went for the gun, nearly firing. It was different up close, harder to pull the trigger. They looked just like normal people now. He mentally reappleied his names for them. The pervert and the slut. There, that made it easier. But now the pervert had his gun and had trained it on David. He tightened his grip on the trigger. If I die, I take you with me. But the pervert's gunshot never came. He glared down at him as the slut ran off into the forest.

He didn't look away from Jay. Eyes narrowed down in a stark contrast to the other boy's panicked reaction. He was firing off questions. Didn't want to fire first off. Not a murderer then, but a coward. With sinner's running rampant, while David was bringing god's will to them, this boy was hiding with panties on his head or making out with his slut. The girl! Where was she?!

"Shut up!" he shouted down at Jay.

"You come back out here girl!" he shouted out. "Or I'll shoot your little boytoy in the head!"

The girl definately seemed to be the more together of the two. He was listening, listening for any surprises from behind. Meanwhile his eyes never moved from Jay. Mentally he hoped that neither figured to attack at the same time.

"If either of you try anything, the boy will definately die!" he called out.

[Little Boy†]

Jay was panicking. The kid was ranting, yelling at Janet, wherever she was. He couldn't see her anymore, he didn't dare blink or even take his eyes off the kid in front of him. He was ignoring him for the most part, shouting at Janet.

Obviously the more deadly of the pair, even with my gun...

"Stop shouting at her!" He yelled out, keeping his sights locked on David. "And quit ignoring me you fag! Who are you!? Whothefack are you!?"

He didn't know how it was possible, but his grip on the gun seemed to tighten. He felt as if he had blinders on, all he could see was the boy in front of him. What was Janet up too? Had she ditched? For a split second, Jay was sure she'd ditched, left him to die. But why track him all the way from the fair, just to ditch him? No, it was a coincidence. She'd been after him, for once. She was up to something, that was the only logical reason.

The boy didn't respond to Jay, simply taunting and calling him 'boytoy'. The term was chilling to say the least, especially given the fact the kid was evidently a hardened killer. Would he shoot? He most definitely would. But could Jay shoot? It was hard to say. He was laying on the ground, nearly completely exposed. Could he hit him from where he was? Jay didn't know how to control a gun. His shakes were making it hard to think straight let alone shoot straight. If he missed, what would he do? Cut and run? He didn't even have that many bullets.

"I'm not going to die fuckwad!" He cried out, his voice shrill and high. No, he wasn't intending to die anytime soon. Everything the other boy said seemed to piss him off, more and more. He hadn't broken his gaze to look for Janet, like Jay hoped he would have. Everything in his eyes seemed to scream murder.

Everything in my eyes probably screams HOLYFUCKWHATTHEFUCK

An idea formed in his head. Jay struggled to not glance over to his right, where the tree and safety was. This was some super secret strategy shit he was working on. Something he'd always thought about in movies, something he'd always told himself and his friends he'd do in a firefight if he'd ever get a chance.

Well now I get my fuckin' chance! I could make it. I know I could. Just gotta' time it right, not give myself away. Doesn't even- don't even have to hit him. Just. Just calm Jay. Calm your shit. Calm!

"Calm! I'm calm!" He yelled out, trying hard to keep the fear from leaking into his shouts. "I'm calm okay?! Now first off, I'm not gonna' die fuc-- I'm- I'm not gonna die kid! Not gonna happen! You know why kid? I'm tough shit! I'm not even joking, I'm balls nuts! I've seen all the SAW movies! I've got guns pointed at me before, and I've seen this movie! You know what happens!?"

He paused, for dramatic effect. Made him giddy, like he was living out a fantasy.

"Well in firefights, the people always pause before they pull the trigger, like, like, end of a sentence, like, like in that one movie, Snatch, I remember there's the one part with uh, with the pikey, Brad Pitt, he's going around and he-"

BLAM.

The gun jumped in his hand, spitting fire. Jay gave a shout and bolted, diving to his right, towards the tree. Rolling more or less into cover his heart beating a thousand miles a minute, Jay let out a whooping laugh. He slammed his back up against the tree, breathing fast. Had he got him? It was unlikely. He didn't bother to aim, not in the last second. But he'd done it.

He'd fired at someone, intent to kill. Jay felt a smile crack across his face, even as the gun continued to shake in his hands.

That wasn't so fucking hard...

[armeggedonCounselor†]

The boy did not, as Janet had expected, fire at her as she dove for cover. Instead he turned his gun on Jay, but didn't shoot. He missed his chance. Threats came after, though Janet didn't pay attention. She started to cut through the brush to get around the boy. She peeked over the bushes just in time to see Jay's gambit. Good on the kid.

The kid. He was probably the same age as her. Guess it was about attitude.

She didn't wait to see if the bullet had struck its mark. She lunged forward, swinging her hockey stick down toward the boy's gun. Make the opponent as harmless as possible.

[nowave†]

The bullet erupted from the gun and carved a tunnel through the air towards David's head. It missed him, mostly. His ear wasn't quite as lucky. It tore through it with an ungodly force, ripping the majority of it from his head. He let out a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a howl.

"GraaahHH-You FUCKING ASSHOLE" he roared as the force of the bullet flung him backwards off his feet, his free hand clutching at his ear. He seen nothing but blood streaming down over his face. NoNoNONO!

A flash of movement, that could only be the whore charging out of the forest. He seen the stick come up into the air, swinging down towards his hand holding the revolver.

"NO!"

He whipped the gun out of the way, feeling the impact mere milliseconds later as the stick hit the ground. He raised the gun and fired blindly upwards in the direction he felt she should be, three times, before scrabbling wildly to the left.

[Little Boy†]

Jay was feeling pretty good. He was behind cover, the gun smoking in his hands. He'd been in this situation before he realized, on the first day. Waking up and crouching behind a tree, in a Mexican standoff with Johnny and that crazy bastard, Daniel. Except now the situation had changed. Shots had been fired, and if the other boys screaming was indication, Jay had hit him.

He'd ACTUALLY FUCKING SHOT SOMEONE. It sent chills down his spine just thinking about it. His last standoff had ended without gunfire. Daniel had walked away, and Johnny had trusted him, if only for a little while. But now Daniel was dead, killed by some fucking whackjob not too long after. Jay had no idea what'd happened to Johnny and J.J, and that prick Sunil who'd tried to kill him.

I didn't mean to shoot him that time, just like this time! I didn't mean anything!

The actual gunshot had come easy. He didn't expect to hit the poor kid, it was just too unlikely. Had he intended to kill him? Jay wasn't sure now, which was perhaps even scarier then the screaming from the other side of the tree. Jay shut his eyes, humming to himself a nervous upbeat rhythm. It didn't do any good. He was behind cover, his eyes closed and yet he could see the kid as clear as day, writhing on the ground, shot in the gut, or worse, the balls.

What've I done?! What'd I do, oh shit, that was so easy, why'd I go and fuckin-

And then, yelling. Crashing noises on the other side of the tree, had Janet come at the boy too? What was going on? He wanted to peek. But could he risk it? Jay pressed his back up against the tree, trying in vain to calm himself down. He couldn't peek. Something was going on, the other boy was yelling like crazy, at him, at Janet...

He wanted to apologize oddly enough. At least say he was sorry for shooting him in the fucking face, or wherever. But what the hell kind of message would that send, especially to Janet? As scary as the boys screaming was, Jay had a feeling Janet would be worse if he gave the kid a lick of sympathy. He just needed to rationalize it, as insane as that was.

How am I supposed to rationalize shooting someone in the FUCKING FACE, as easy as that was!? It's not li-

Jay jumped as three gunshots rang out in quick succession. He let out a cry of fear as he heard the shots whiz past, one snapping a branch. What was going on? Janet didn't have a gun. That meant...

"Janet! What the fuck's going on!?" He called out, his voice high and fearful. Suddenly the gun was heavy, very heavy in his hands. Awkwardly Jay turned around, reaching around the tree to aim blindly with his weapon. He didn't know what to expect, he didn't even know what he was aiming at. His finger twitched, tightening around the trigger.

My mom must think I'm such a fucking asshole right now...

"Janet! What's going on!? Janet! Fuck! Fuckin' FUCK STOPSHOOTING!"

[armeggedonCounselor†]

Janet lost track of the boy's movement for a moment as her hockey stick struck dirt and jarred her arm. Which really kinda hurt. She saw the boy's arm come up, the muscles in his forearm tighten, and she spun to her left as three shots rang out. She fell in an undignified heap, a slight amount of panic entering her. Her shoulder was searing in pain, but it was still unbroken and she could move, so she assumed she had only been grazed. She jumped to her feet, circled around the boy, who was dazed and bloody, and swung her stick for his hand. Needed to disarm him- getting shot was not on her plans, especially fatally shot.

She had never played hockey before. Honestly, she saw no point in competitive sports. Sports and similar activities were specifically for keeping in shape, according to her. Still, she swung with a fairly decent slap shot. Hopefully it would break his hand, and it would at least disarm him.

Jay was yelling something. Pansy. What was he panicking about; there was a tree between him and the gun.

[Little Boy†]

Jay was sweating bullets. The boy was shouting still, and the smell of smoke filled his nose. Gunpowder?. Jay in his heightened state wasn't sure just what the fuck was in the air, but it reminded him of fireworks. And the last time he'd shot a firework off, he'd accidently hit his friend in the nads. That wasn't good.

THIS was even worse. He couldn't even crack a joke he was so terrified. Janet was over there, somewhere behind him, where the shots were being fired. He was shitting himself behind a tree. How would she be feeling? Not good. Even worse if she saw how he was behaving. Jay was afraid of the screaming and the gunshots, but the thought of Janet mad at him again, especially so soon, was a thousand times worse then they could ever be.

She'd probably kill him.

She'd admitted it point blank, Janet had killed before. It was cold hard fact. Self defense, but fact. Was she doing it again? Would he walk around the tree to find Janet decapitating the poor fucker, ripping out and eating his heart? Maybe smearing blood over her chest like Rambo. Or eating his liver. His mind was going wild with the possibilities.

"Gahhhh!" Jay dropped the gun to the ground. He was shaking, his entire body was shivering as if he'd just jumped in freezing cold water. What had he done? He'd said it'd been easy. He'd fired, whether to kill or not was irrelevant. He said it was easy.

Jesus fucking Christ, what's wrong with me?

Jay jumped to his feet, scrambling around the tree. Janet was on her feet, standing near the boy. Obviously looking for an opportunity to separate his head from his shoulders.

Back at the fair grounds. Just like then! The stoner always dies in these movies, what the fuck am I- Holy fuck, what amIfuckingdoing!?!

Raising his hands, Jay flashed the peace symbol, slouching even as he rushed forward towards the pair across open ground. It felt as if there was a rock stuck in his throat, and it seemed to take all his energy to clear it and shout at them.

"Wait! Peace! Timeout!" He croaked, painfully aware of how old and weak he sounded. He still hadn't stopped shaking, and for a second he felt as if he was about to collapse from heart failure. His mind was screaming at him, questioning his sanity. But he had something to prove. He had to get out there, show what he was worth to Janet. And not just that. He'd shot the fucker, he needed to apologize stat.

Actionhero I am NOT.

"CanwejustHOLDUP on the killing and the- shit! Please!? Just- kid, KID, we've got you, you're down, you're shot! Just, if you want to get out of this without fucking dying- super sorry- justfuckingcalmdown! Please, just both of you- we can just walk away, there isn't any reason to get our hands dirty, please?"

Jay couldn't explain it. He was terrified, almost on par as when John had pointed a shotgun at his face. But he wasn't in danger anymore. It was this kid, this psychopath who'd burst out trying to kill HIM. He was bleeding, not Jay. He was the one calling people whores, acting like a fucking maniac. If Janet had shot him straight up, he probably wouldn't have cared. Freaked out a shit ton, maybe crap himself, but he wouldn't have cared in the end. But this was his fault, his bullet. Jay couldn't lay the blame on anyone else, not anymore. If the boy died, the death was on him. And that was something more terrifying then anything he'd faced yet on the Island. He had to stand up, speak his piece.

Tell Janet why they shouldn't kill the psychopath. That explained his fear. But it didn't exactly explain why he'd begun to cry.

"Fucking crap Janet, please...?"

[nowave†]

He'd been just trying to draw a sight on Janet again when he'd seen the slapshot swinging wildly towards his hand. He whipped it up and out of range, scrabbling backwards further. He was painfully aware of the other kid with the gun.

He looked at Janet. Oh, you are clever, he thought to himself suddenly. Get in good and close. Makes the gun much less useful. Note to self. Aquire melee weapon.

He was suddenly uncomfortable with that thought. He was enjoying this. He shouldn't be enjoying this. This was the lesser of two evils.

"But I'm bringing god's justice to these people. Isn't it right for me to enjoy this."

"I swore earlier as well. Since when have I done that."

He suddenly became aware that his inner monologue had become an outer muttering. Talking to himself like some subway hobo. That was new as well.

Where was the bitches hockey stick. He should have been dodging another shot by now. He looks over, seeing Jay's pleas for peace. He looks to Janet.

"Alright. Alright." he said. He said. Something won out in him as he looked into the eyes of the other girl. "Kid. Set your gun on the ground. I want it. Consider it an apology gift. Your girlfriend here is twice as dangerous anyway. Then I'll let you go. I'll let you both go. Or we can keep trying to kill each other. I've still got three bullets left. I only need to get lucky once." he said.