We survive by friendship

[baby_g†]

Nothing could express the feeling of relief that sweptover Tori's body when she heard that Bryan was still alive. She was surprised to hear the name Stephanie called. She knew her from a long time ago and that friendship ended quite harshly. The fact that Steph had killed Mari's friend ment that she was in deep shit, as far as getting out of Mari's grasp. Steph was done for.

The thing that she didn't get was why Mari insisted that Tori stay behind. Sure someone needed to stay for Bryan when he came, but was it really safe for her to be by herself? Before she could even object, Mari had left the school and was hiking off into the distance. She left her, her axe as Tori nodded a promise about not dying on her new friend. Not wanting to see the site of the dead girl Lavvy anymore, she pulled the body to the back of the room and found some left behind jackets to drap over her.

Tori continued to pace back and forth as her worry about what would happen next continued to creep up her whole body, until she felt the urge to throw up. Though she didn't, the feeling was still there, somewhat like the dry heaves that make you just want to kill yourself.

"Where the fuck are you?" She whispered as she perched herself next to the window. In the distance she could see Mari running, she was so determined and convinced that she could kill Stephanie. Silently she added one more person to her prayer list...

[Xaldien†]

She had been standing outside the school for sometime now. Just thinking, scheming, wondering where to go now. She knew that there were a few places that were now dangerzones, and was trying to remember which ones.

"Oh, fuck me..."
Either way, she needed to get away from the school soon, so she can start one-upping that Mari woman.

Chiaki decided that she needed to find some people, but she couldn't think of anyone other than that blonde bimbette who had beat her down that time before.

And off she went.
((continued elsewhere))

[Cyco†]

((continued from Cold Cash and Colder Hearts))

The school got closer and closer as Bryan hurried his pace, eager not only to get out of the rain but to meet up with his three friends. The second daypack wasn't much of a burden, but to be honest he was curious about what the tall boy had been issued as a weapon. He wasn't going to get his hopes up, though; if it hadn't been worth taking out of the pack, it was probably nothing special. Maybe it had been that brick he'd so enthusiastically introduced to Bryan's head a while ago.

He touched the side of his temple and wasn't surprised to find that it still stung when he did so. He couldn't see it, and he hadn't had the time or interest to look in a mirror, but it didn't feel swollen or anything. He'd had worse.

'Should I tell her about the tall kid? Or the three amigos?' he thought as he came upon the front walk of the school. He didn't see the others, but then again they would probably wait inside. After a moment he decided that he would have to explain at least about the dead boy, considering he was carrying his rucksack.

[baby_g†]

Tori had now finished off her second bottle of water. There might be somewhere in the school where she could refill it, or maybe at the river even. Either way, she'd have to wait until they showed up. With it being afternoon now, and her stomache becoming more upset as the hours went on, she could have sworn her eyes were playing tricks on her. Maybe there was something in the water... maybe it was the dead body in the room taking her imagination away from her... maybe it was the rain hitting the window, making her eyes believe something was there.

Either way, there was no denying that there was someone coming towards the school in the distance. At first glance she would have thought that it might have been Mari coming back, though, as the figure got closer, it was easy to see it was a man. He almost seemed to be jogging somewhat. Tori's heart began to beat faster as she soon realized who it was. Bryan seemed to have finally made his way to the school.

Letting out a little gleeful squeek, she grabbed only her axe and ran ourside to meet him. When she got up to him, she wrapped her arms around in a big hug, like the one she had given him the first time she ran into him on the island.

"It's about time!"

[Cyco†]

Bryan was just the slightest bit uneasy when he saw Tori running at him with an ax, but all-in-all he was glad to see her alive and in one piece. Of course, he received her embrace with a slight impatience, interested in the whereabouts of the other two members of their little team. He noticed that the ax was the one Varella had been carrying before.

"Where's Mari?" he inquired. He gave her a quizzical look. "...you didn't kill her, did you?"

No, that wouldn't make sense; then she would have been on the announcement.

[baby_g†]

This had been the second time that Tori had been happy to see Bryan. It had also been the seond time she'd given him a hug, because she had been so happy. Thus, this was also the second time that he just stood there like a pillar, doing nothing to return the embrace. Obviously perterbed by this fact, she couldn't help but answer somewhat snappy.

"No. We were fine. Her friend came in and died because stupid Steph stabbed the shit out of her, Okay!? She left me the axe cause all I had was the blade thing. Nice to see you too."

Turning on her heal, Tori began to walk back into the school to get her stuff, hoping that they'd be on their way soon. She hadn't really slept yet, and she could feel her body shake here and there due to it. Now that Bryan was here, she might be able to get some shut eye. Then again, he probably hadn't slept either...

[Cyco†]

'What's with her?'

"Sorry..."

'You shit, you don't even know what you're sorry for.'

"Who's Steph?" Bryan called to her as she went back through the front door. He was tired and wasn't 100% sure what was going on, but he followed her inside shortly after and waited for her to return to the front hallway.

"Hey, where're you going?" he asked, letting his bags fall on the floor so he could stop her with one hand as she came past. "We still have to wait for Seth." He wanted to add 'and I'm tired!' but he would probably sound like a pussy.

[baby_g†]

"Steph is a crazy chick who stabbed Lavvy.... Mari's friend." She said as she met Bryan back in the front hallway. "Why should we wait? If he hasn't come by now, he's probably not going to show."

Bryan dropped his bags and held out his arm to stop her from getting to the doors. She had been stuck in this building now for some odd hours with no sleep and a dead body. As of this moment she wouldn't care if she was sleeping in the rain.

"Listen, I'm tired, and I can't stay in that room anymore! If we don't keep moving.. we might get ourselves in trouble...."

She trailed off as her eyes scanned down to the bags he had just plopped on the ground. "Carrying a little extra baggage with you now?"

[Cyco†]

Bryan nodded, thinking back to the morning announcement. "Yeah, I knew Lavvy," he said, leaving it at that because, frankly, he didn't really miss her that much.

Tori asked why they should wait, adding that if Seth hadn't come yet, he probably wasn't going to show. Bryan scoffed. "There's your problem; expecting Mattlock to show up at school...uh, but I was late. He could be, too." This wasn't so much for Seth as it was for mending Bryan's exhaustion.

She said was tired, too, but for some reason she wanted to leave. That didn't make a whole lot of sense. Bryan wrinkled his nose and puzzled about it for a second when suddenly Tori enquired about his extra pack.

"It's for you. You're welcome."

[baby_g†]

"Whaat? Meeee?"

Tori chuckled to herself as she picked up on of the bags and took out a piece of bread, dropping the bag back on the floor. There was nothing like some good old childish talking to add some humour to a damp situatioin. The bread itself wasn't great, but it helped get rid of her hunger pains, and the extra water was sure to come in handy also. She thought about hugging him again, in gratitude, but given the previous embrace she figured he probably just wasn't the 'hugging type'. Shame really...

"Thanks." Tori picked up her new bag, along with her own and nodded at Bryan to follow her down the hall a bit to the principals office up ahead. Inside there was a old leather couch, which had probably seen better days. She placed her bags down on the ground by the couch, still with the bread in her hands, and sat at one end.

"If you're not one for hugging, you're probably not one for sharing... You can have that end." She said between nibbles, pointing to the other end of the three seater couch.

[Cyco†]

Bryan wrinkled his nose at her last comment.

"...whatever."

He sat down where she'd instructed him to and let his bag (which he'd picked up again) sit next to him in the middle of the couch. The SPAS-12 he would thumb the safety back on and let sit on his lap as he sat. It felt really nice being on some kind of cushion, a luxury he'd gone without for a little over two days. Truth be told, he wanted to fall asleep on the spot, but then that would be another rookie mistake he had supposedly rid himself of on day one.

Reluctantly and with a fair amount of grumbling, he got back up and made his way over to the office door, closing it and locking it from the inside. It wouldn't keep anyone out, really, not with the glass window situated in it, but it would let them know if anyone was trying to get in. Just in case.

"We can take turns sleeping on the couch," he offered as he came back to his spot on the weathered piece of furniture. "You can go first; I'm not really that tired."

'You lying fuck...'

[baby_g†]

Picking up Bryans bag and placing it on the ground she stretched out her feet. She felt bad, being the first one who got to have to shut eye. She had to admit that closing and locking the office door was a good idea. She should have thought of that... to bad the comfy old couch looked much more appealing.

"We can both nap. There's space for the two of us to lay down on here, and if you're uncomfortable sharing with me, we can go head to toe. Chances are we're going to be sleeping lightly, so we'll still wake up at sounds." She patted the seat next to her, and motioned for him to sit back down.

"Atleast sit here, and I can use your leg as pillow."

[Cyco†]

"F'they got a gun," he replied, making the according gesture with his fingers and shooting it at her playfully, "it probably won't matter what we hear."

Bryan complied though, setting his bag on the floor and sitting beside Tori, making sure that the shotgun wasn't in her way. He could at least afford to sit down comfortably, right? Besides, he reminded himself, if he wrecked himself like this for too long he would pass out from exhaustion, and then it was game over.

"So Mari's gonna get her back, then? For Lav?" he asked, letting her sit as she pleased and just enjoying the sound of the rain outside. As much as Bryan hated the rain, he did love the sound of it pouring outside late at night while he was warm in bed. He would often smile and think, 'yeah, I hear you comin' down out there, but I'm all comfortable in here and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it.'

[baby_g†]

"Basically," Tori managed to say between a yawn and bite of bread. She layed down with her head in Bryans lap and legs stretched out towards the other end of the couch. "Steph's done for if Mari finds her. Frankly I don't care. Steph's a bitch anyways."

She managed to squeeze one arm around Bryan, between his back and the couch, and the other stretched over her head. She had always had an odd way of sleeping, but hey, it worked for her. Bryan could still hold his gun and get up at ergent notice if something happend. She'd just be somewhat thrown in the process... that's all.

"Thanks..." She murmured as she felt herself slowly drift into light sleep. In her mind, not even the best sex in the world could compair to the satisfaction she was getting right now, just sleeping on a couch, listening to the rain, knowing she had someone to watch over her again.

[Cyco†]

Bryan felt like, despite everything, he was doing his job as Tori's bodyguard well. The evidence being that she could sleep as soundly as she did, without one eye open, trusting him to watch over her. It hadn't been easy so far, and it didn't make a whole of sense, but it seemed like the right thing to do, protecting this person he'd just met a few days ago. He looked down at her, keeping his left arm propped over the back of the couch. The other hand held on tightly to the SPAS-12, and he was sure to remain vigilant even in his comfort.

"You're welcome," he mumbled softly.

~~~

((Continued from You Can Feel What You Don't See...))

Shae felt like a drowned rat. Sopping wet, hungry, exhausted; he was a textbook example. He kept a steady pace after the other boy a stretch ahead of him, marvelling at the fact that he hadn't been spotted throughout the duration of their trek to the school building. Then again, night had fallen, and the multitude of charcoal stormclouds in the sky would have all but blotted out the sun anyway.

Yes. His initial destination had been the mall complex. What a shame that, when he'd been so confident that he'd found the ideal shelter, another announcement had blared from a nearby PA to inform the island-dwellers that the treasure trove of goods and perhaps even makeshift weapons had become a dangerzone. He had stopped just short of the parking lot asphault to get the latest stats; it seemed quite neccessary to be aware of which students had been accumulating the most kills. It was true that some would only be out to defend themselves, and he would keep that in mind, but it was likely that those cutting through the competition like a knife through butter were to be dealt with carefully, assuming he could identify them in any way.

'Alright then,' he'd thought, a little discouraged by his misfortune but still quite at ease. He'd pretty much committed the island map to memory by that time. 'So the residential district is off-limits, as is the industrial sector. Those combined with the mall form a Berlin wall of sorts. I have to pick a side.' There was a hotel to the west, but how likely was it that after three days it was still the secure haven it had once been before? Chances were the first player to reach the building would have hoarded every room key for extra insurance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Shae had spotted another moving figure along the border of the parking lot, ducking behind an adjacent car so he wouldn't give away his position as he watched him or her. A 'him' actually, as he could just make out through both front-side windows of the automobile, and apparently he hadn't seen Shae at all. The stranger had eventually decided his direction (east) and begun to depart from the vast parking lot. Shae had felt compelled to follow him, from a distance of course, for two reasons: firstly, he'd seemed to have all the motivation of someone working at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and second, Shae'd had no choice but to head east anyway. So he'd tailed him, hoping that he wouldn't notice, and sure enough he hadn't. Shae had felt a bit like a lurking predator as he followed the other boy silently through open ground and pouring rain; it had been quite a tense pursuit, but at the same time...to be honest...exhilirating.

So here he was, approaching the school, pondering whether the time was right to close in on his 'prey'; he'd gained a little on him, and Shae still couldn't make out what the other boys small handheld weapon was. He had a vague idea, though. 'A handgun would present quite an advantage,' he thought, wrinkling his nose as he glanced at the Chinese sword in his hand. 'At the same time, though, there's a lot of risk involved...'

The dilemma was finally solved as the other boy had decided to take refuge in a small utility shed on the school grounds. Shae could hear the rusty door squeal open even from a distance, and as it made its way noisily shut again his assumptions were stoutly confirmed: ambush was now impossible. Although this was just as dissappointing as his attempt to utilize the mall to his advantage, he did find himself a little more at ease now that the threat of a firearm had been removed. Besides, the school building would be a much more suitable place to set up camp for the night, or at least until the rain stopped. Shae made his way to the front entrance, taking moderate caution as he let himself in quietly. He eased the door shut and was about to venture onward, but there was something lying at the mouth of the front hall that caught his attention.

A body. It was draped with a few jackets in what seemed like a half-hearted attempt to cover it. Shae got closer and inspected the lifeless form, removing the jackets one by one and trying to decide if this building was indeed safe. It was a girl, no one he recognized. Brown hair, hazel eyes, slightly plain features, wearing a purple sweater and jeans. Blood stained her front and had left a slight trail from the doorway to where she now lay. The blood hadn't dried yet. Taking that into consideration, coupled with the fact that she didn't seem bloated and gave off no foul smell, Shae concluded that her corpse was still fresh. The question still remained, though: where was her killer?

He crouched down and prodded the dead girl with the butt of his da dao, studying her closely. His curiousity winning out over his reluctance, Shae lifted her sweater up just enough to expose the mutliple puncture wounds that had apparently been the cause of her demise. 'Stabwounds...so if whoever did this is still around, at least they're probably not packing a firearm. That's good to know. The jackets...I doubt a psychotic killer would bother to cover her body...it might have been in self-defence, but I can't really be sure.' The idea arose to check if the coast was clear, and Shae decided that he would do so. It was, as far as he could tell. Even if anyone was residing in the school, he had a good view down the first hallway and there didn't seem to be an immediate front office; he could relax a bit, for now.

Another thought occurred, one that had been in and out of his mind for a while now. Strange as it was, the more Shae thought about it, the more it intrigued him. He knelt down again to look the dead girl over and bit his lip, deep in thought. He wasn't satisfied at all by what the terrorists had offered him, and after nearly four long days of this game he was really getting desperate. There were various alternatives around the island, but none that would satisfy his selective pallet. There was the moral dilemma to it, but then again right and wrong held little value in a place like this. Did it really matter?

No, it didn't, Shae finally decided. He tightened his grip on the handle of the Chinese sword, scratching his nose quietly for a moment with his free hand as he decided just how to go about doing this. 'Better get the pants off first,' he thought, placing his bag on the floor and crouching over her. He removed her shoes one at a time. Then he undid her pants and slid them off down her legs, tossing them to the side absentmindedly and leaving her in her white cotton panties. 'Looks good.' Shae set the da dao on the ground and patted up and down the dead girls left thigh with both hands. He had made up his mind; it was a dark notion, cutting up the dead body for food, but he was going to go through with it.

Grabbing the da dao back off the ground, Shae gripped the dead girls exposed hip and let the blade float over her thigh for a moment; it was very quiet. Taking a deep breath, he furrowed his brow and made the first cut in a forward sawing motion. Blood seeped from the wound, but he was unsure if it could be described as bleeding seeing as it had finished circulating some time ago. He drew the blade back towards him, widening the incision by nearly double the size. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before; almost mesmerizing. Shae cut further in, severing the femoral artery and spilling more blood down the inside of her thigh. Soon he could feel the texture fluctuating, and he found himself curious as to what the whole thing would look like when he finished the job. Perhaps he would have made a decent surgeon or something similar, because the procedure wasn't bothering him at all. He worked feverishly until he could cut no further; it was the bone, the femur. The strongest bone in the human body.

'I can't saw through this,' he thought, halting his work for a moment to think. 'Although I suppose I could, uh...it's worth a try.'

He stood back up, throwing his hips forward and stretching his back. It was especially convenient that he had such strong legs. Shae gritted his teeth as he raised his knee up over his work, and soon the rhythmic sound of his heel against the inanimate limb echoed down the front hallway, over and over again.