((Kelly Nguyen continued from Le Manoir du Diable))
Stars sprawled, sequin sequence. Sickle shape moon. A distinct pattern of stitches in disarranged, deranged amateur chaos. Beautifully picturesque in how untouched it was by humanity. A picture Kelly belonged in.
No editing needed. She stopped staring skyward then, done with a moment of clarity that assured more of her place in the heavens than below. If she recalled correctly the school had equestrian enthusiasts of some descriptions, names less stand-out than hobby. She took a few more paces around the corner of the eerily spacious stall, ears keen for the sounds of her friends, and for any sudden stoppage thereof. She had to indulge herself, and wonder if anyone who'd made it to this island had felt a compulsive draw to this place. To the familiar comforts of an old haunt, even in a new place, even long abandoned. Kelly could still remember the damp smell of the poor creatures she'd tended to in her free time once, viscerally, even when that odor had been long gone from this particular place. They'd named the cat with the broken femur who'd come into the shelter once Periwinkle, for the glint in her otherwise dull eyes.
This much time had already passed. Kelly had to assume evolution had wrung old happy compulsions from most. Given that they, like she, remained breathing and nameless to their erstwhile captor and his lovably boring morning reports.
Every day they drew closer to a resolution. Kelly was sure of how it would end, obscure as the steps between then and now remained.
She picked at her new jacket's sleeves, smoothing out the cozily thick cuffs. The hood was raised, her hair free to wildly poke out the edges. She had clothes aplenty, with some judicious cycling and creativity on her part. That part, at least, seemed invulnerable to the demanding will of change, the new spirit the smartest among them worshiped.
She wondered how long Lucas and Tonya would be for this world. Just an idle fancy, really. Simple contemplation for still simpler times. She'd make no assumptions.
The earth under her foot looked recently tilled, on closer examination. She let go of her breath with a curious tilt of her head, intended only for herself and for the moment. Gently sloping pile of loose dirt and some stubborn chunks of stone and... perhaps discarded plastics, hewn up by animals refusing to choke to death on them. She tested the dirt with a careful forward step, letting gravity settle her foot where it would. Deep- too deep. She nearly lost the entire sole of her shoe before she withdrew her presence. This entire dark and brooding corner of the stable was dug up, perhaps.
"Oh. I... think someone's buried here." She hadn't intended anyone to hear her.
I'm So Fucking Grateful
morning of day 7
-
TheLordOfAwesome
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:37 pm
- Location: Washington
((Lucas Abernathy continued from Le Manoir du Diable))
Night had fallen upon the island once more, and Lucas had found himself scanning the shadows as they traversed the island. Perhaps it was paranoia given the situation of being on an island with several killers, but if something were to happen he'd prefer to be a little cautious. It was a shame, he thought, that he was focused on what might go bump in the night instead of admiring the natural beauty of the island at night. It was much different than the nature of Tennessee, and its uniqueness couldn't be fully appreciated by him. Had circumstances been different and he had a camera, he would have been overjoyed with being able to film the area for a potential future project.
Instead they been focused on keeping on the move, navigating the island until they arrived back to the place he had started from: the stables.
It was funny in a way as he hadn't expect to come back here. it was likely an inevitability given that the island's size was not infinite. Back then things had seem so simple, he was with Cam and Max when they left, he got a chance to talk about Godzilla with them — or more accurate, talk about Godzilla at them. Then everything with Beryl happened and it just stopped being the same. Talking about movies after that day just didn't feel right.
Maybe it would have help him relax if he just started talking about them, but no matter where he traveled with his groups he just didn't have his heart into talking about something so light. Especially when he was pretty exhausted from all this walking, as well as a ever growing pain of a migraine in his head that had been developing over the last few days. At the very least he had two lovely ladies to keep him company. He could take some quiet solace in that until he found Camille.
Kelly had stopped, mentioning that someone might be buried near the stable. Lucas looked at the ground, noting the pile of loose dirt before her.
"I... Do you guys remember anyone being mentioned in the announcements as having died here?" he asked, frowning at the grave. "I only really listen for the names of some people and tune out the rest if I don't hear them. Camille, Ivy, Myles..."
Night had fallen upon the island once more, and Lucas had found himself scanning the shadows as they traversed the island. Perhaps it was paranoia given the situation of being on an island with several killers, but if something were to happen he'd prefer to be a little cautious. It was a shame, he thought, that he was focused on what might go bump in the night instead of admiring the natural beauty of the island at night. It was much different than the nature of Tennessee, and its uniqueness couldn't be fully appreciated by him. Had circumstances been different and he had a camera, he would have been overjoyed with being able to film the area for a potential future project.
Instead they been focused on keeping on the move, navigating the island until they arrived back to the place he had started from: the stables.
It was funny in a way as he hadn't expect to come back here. it was likely an inevitability given that the island's size was not infinite. Back then things had seem so simple, he was with Cam and Max when they left, he got a chance to talk about Godzilla with them — or more accurate, talk about Godzilla at them. Then everything with Beryl happened and it just stopped being the same. Talking about movies after that day just didn't feel right.
Maybe it would have help him relax if he just started talking about them, but no matter where he traveled with his groups he just didn't have his heart into talking about something so light. Especially when he was pretty exhausted from all this walking, as well as a ever growing pain of a migraine in his head that had been developing over the last few days. At the very least he had two lovely ladies to keep him company. He could take some quiet solace in that until he found Camille.
Kelly had stopped, mentioning that someone might be buried near the stable. Lucas looked at the ground, noting the pile of loose dirt before her.
"I... Do you guys remember anyone being mentioned in the announcements as having died here?" he asked, frowning at the grave. "I only really listen for the names of some people and tune out the rest if I don't hear them. Camille, Ivy, Myles..."
-
Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
((Tonya Collins Continued From Le Manoir du Diable))
Tonya did her best to keep her eyes on Kelly the whole trip. They were all safer that way, she couldn't get up to any dirt if she was out in the open and as long as she kept her hands clean Tonya didn't have to traumatize nobody with a cleaved in skull. Good plan, but it didn't work so well on the real cuz the twiggy little thing outpaced her every now and then. It's not like she could say anything without giving up the game, so she didn't. Tonya was quite as could be, and the nasty scowl on her face could be about near anything out here. Lucas had to give her at least that much benefit of the doubt, and Kelly knew where they stood. Yeah, she did, didn't she? Was she...was she doing it on purpose? Testing her? Oh she was, this bitch was getting off on poking her like Tonya wouldn't do nothing about it. Probably timing it out in her head or something, they never lost track of each other long, just enough to get her on edge. What she thought she was gonna get out of it, Tonya had no clue. She didn't like it though.
So when she rounded into the stable late behind her two companions, she was already in a bad mood. It was dark, it was hot, she was tired, this place smelled, and to top it all off somebody'd popped another murder off in the corner. She was chewing on her cheek trying to make sense of it when Lucas asked his question. They even say where the death went down in the mornings? All she remembered was who did what to who, and even the what was vague enough sometimes you couldn't be sure how they did it. No Clue-Ass "Quinn Abert In The Study With A Glock" type details, unless she'd missed it. Not like she was paying all that much attention to anything but the names, and most of those slipped by without much hassle. If Lucas was on to something she couldn't help him but she had her own theories. While the two of them gawked she went to the corner, machete in one hand and her flashlight in the other. Looked the mound up and down real narrow. Gave the dirt a kick. It came loose like it hadn't been sitting for too long, and she smirked.
"Bullshit."
Tonya didn't believe what Kelly was saying, but this time around it had nothing to do with her. Think about it for a sec. Time comes you gun somebody down or cut their throat or whatever, cold as ice or because they're coming for you. You drop 'em and you're feeling good enough you can walk away, cuz there wasn't a soul here that they'd spotted recovering or beating it into the dark. You been here for six days. Lucky if you sleeping right and let's not touch food or water cuz by now they were all starting to come up hard. You're exhausted but you're breathing and you just got a big reminder of how much it's gonna take to keep yourself that way. All that, and you decide to take time out to bury the person you just put down? With what? No shovels around here or anything else that might be useful, so you gotta get your hands even dirtier in the mud and the muck, wear yourself out, waste your resources and risk getting caught, all for a body you dropped on your own?
"No way it's a body. What kinda killer does funerals? Somebody's just trying to hide their stuff, and y'know what I say?" Tonya knelt beside the "grave" and hefted the machete towards its top end. "Finders keepers." The flat side of the blade scrapped away a layer of dirt.
It hadn't been too long yet. It probably wasn't a surprise, what happened to her, and she didn't look bothered by it. People like to talk about how the dead look so peaceful they could be sleeping, but take away the dirt and Camille could be more natural than that. Tonya could see it, that heavy hooded look you'd catch her with right before she started her closing tabs to footsteps in the library. It was almost like she was looking right at her, but like friend. Not a victim. Nothing like the wide-eyed terror haunting her conscience.
That didn't keep Tonya from screaming. Balance dropped right out from under her, machete dropping to one side and flashlight rolling away the other.
Tonya did her best to keep her eyes on Kelly the whole trip. They were all safer that way, she couldn't get up to any dirt if she was out in the open and as long as she kept her hands clean Tonya didn't have to traumatize nobody with a cleaved in skull. Good plan, but it didn't work so well on the real cuz the twiggy little thing outpaced her every now and then. It's not like she could say anything without giving up the game, so she didn't. Tonya was quite as could be, and the nasty scowl on her face could be about near anything out here. Lucas had to give her at least that much benefit of the doubt, and Kelly knew where they stood. Yeah, she did, didn't she? Was she...was she doing it on purpose? Testing her? Oh she was, this bitch was getting off on poking her like Tonya wouldn't do nothing about it. Probably timing it out in her head or something, they never lost track of each other long, just enough to get her on edge. What she thought she was gonna get out of it, Tonya had no clue. She didn't like it though.
So when she rounded into the stable late behind her two companions, she was already in a bad mood. It was dark, it was hot, she was tired, this place smelled, and to top it all off somebody'd popped another murder off in the corner. She was chewing on her cheek trying to make sense of it when Lucas asked his question. They even say where the death went down in the mornings? All she remembered was who did what to who, and even the what was vague enough sometimes you couldn't be sure how they did it. No Clue-Ass "Quinn Abert In The Study With A Glock" type details, unless she'd missed it. Not like she was paying all that much attention to anything but the names, and most of those slipped by without much hassle. If Lucas was on to something she couldn't help him but she had her own theories. While the two of them gawked she went to the corner, machete in one hand and her flashlight in the other. Looked the mound up and down real narrow. Gave the dirt a kick. It came loose like it hadn't been sitting for too long, and she smirked.
"Bullshit."
Tonya didn't believe what Kelly was saying, but this time around it had nothing to do with her. Think about it for a sec. Time comes you gun somebody down or cut their throat or whatever, cold as ice or because they're coming for you. You drop 'em and you're feeling good enough you can walk away, cuz there wasn't a soul here that they'd spotted recovering or beating it into the dark. You been here for six days. Lucky if you sleeping right and let's not touch food or water cuz by now they were all starting to come up hard. You're exhausted but you're breathing and you just got a big reminder of how much it's gonna take to keep yourself that way. All that, and you decide to take time out to bury the person you just put down? With what? No shovels around here or anything else that might be useful, so you gotta get your hands even dirtier in the mud and the muck, wear yourself out, waste your resources and risk getting caught, all for a body you dropped on your own?
"No way it's a body. What kinda killer does funerals? Somebody's just trying to hide their stuff, and y'know what I say?" Tonya knelt beside the "grave" and hefted the machete towards its top end. "Finders keepers." The flat side of the blade scrapped away a layer of dirt.
It hadn't been too long yet. It probably wasn't a surprise, what happened to her, and she didn't look bothered by it. People like to talk about how the dead look so peaceful they could be sleeping, but take away the dirt and Camille could be more natural than that. Tonya could see it, that heavy hooded look you'd catch her with right before she started her closing tabs to footsteps in the library. It was almost like she was looking right at her, but like friend. Not a victim. Nothing like the wide-eyed terror haunting her conscience.
That didn't keep Tonya from screaming. Balance dropped right out from under her, machete dropping to one side and flashlight rolling away the other.
Briefly at least Kelly was rather fond of the moment where Tonya mindlessly embraced being a complete idiot replete with beautiful real estate opportunities in her otherwise empty skull.
Kelly's own flashlight remained firmly in hand, the beam shy of directly confronting the ghoul that had erupted from the earth under their feet. Less cowardice than respect for the dead. If the spirit lingered, it probably did not want to be seen at its least composed, most decomposed, so on. The radiant prism of a cone of light almost solid in the thick darkness of the haunted evening, that fell right onto an exposed hand just limp enough that the fingers seemed to fall on the wrong side of the knuckle. Pale, ghostly colored flesh. More peaceful than Mercy had been, in her aftermath.
The face still peered at them slack-jawed, even obscured as it was by tricks of the light. Kelly caught its eye.
The name struck a dissonant chord, when it came to her. And here Kelly had thought she was used to the idea of death as a familiar friend.
"Oh god... Lucas..."
Small comfort to be reminded of her wayward humanity.
Kelly's own flashlight remained firmly in hand, the beam shy of directly confronting the ghoul that had erupted from the earth under their feet. Less cowardice than respect for the dead. If the spirit lingered, it probably did not want to be seen at its least composed, most decomposed, so on. The radiant prism of a cone of light almost solid in the thick darkness of the haunted evening, that fell right onto an exposed hand just limp enough that the fingers seemed to fall on the wrong side of the knuckle. Pale, ghostly colored flesh. More peaceful than Mercy had been, in her aftermath.
The face still peered at them slack-jawed, even obscured as it was by tricks of the light. Kelly caught its eye.
The name struck a dissonant chord, when it came to her. And here Kelly had thought she was used to the idea of death as a familiar friend.
"Oh god... Lucas..."
Small comfort to be reminded of her wayward humanity.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
-
TheLordOfAwesome
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:37 pm
- Location: Washington
Lucas didn't expect much when Tonya started digging up the mound of dirt. Part of him had hoped that, hey, maybe she was right and that it was just something someone was trying to hide. But part of him always knew there would be a body buried under that dirt. What he hadn't expected, was just who exactly it was buried in that shallow grave near the stables. The moment the face was unveiled and the light from the flashlights shined upon it, the world just stopped for Lucas.
He was stood there, staring back at the familiar face lying in the dirt, eyes still open and slack-jawed. As hiss mind processed just what exactly he was seeing, time felt like it was ground to a halt and a faint ringing was heard in his ears. Or perhaps that was Tony'a screaming that managed to break its way past the sudden stillness that his mind found itself in. Slowly things began to click together as his mind finally process that, yes, the one he was staring at was Camille and like someone had pressed play on a TV remote, the world seemed to resume back at its normal speed for him.
"No..."
Slowly he moved over to the grave, his legs feeling as though they had a crushing weight on them.
"No... No... No..."
He collapsed to his knees next to the grave, his shotgun falling to the earth next to him as he pressed his hands into the dirt.
"No, no, no, no..."
He began to dig frantically.
"No! No! No! No!"
The dirt was flung aside, Lucas not caring where or who it landed it on.
"NO! Please God, NO! Not her!"
The corpse of his girlfriend was finally unearthed, and Lucas wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her up from the bed of dirt, cradling the body in his arms. He looked at her face, trying to see any signs of life, in denial that this was truly happening. But it was. Camille was dead. She died. And he hadn't even been around. From the moment he awoke on this island, this exact scenario was the one he had been dreading the most, and there was nothing he could have done.
Lucas' face scrunched up as anguished gripped his heart. Something beautiful had been lost, and there was a hole in his heart where it once was. So many memories came flooding back to him. The times they would just hang out. The times where they would bounce their ideas off each other. The times they made love. Times together with Camille had been some of the best for him, and now they were just memories. Lost treasures that could never beheld again.
"I love you..."
Words he never got to say to her. He had intended to say them a long time ago, but he couldn't go through with it. Strange, foreign words. Something he never experienced saying to anyone he had been with. Now too late.
"I love you.. I love you... I love you..."
He wept. Tears, rushing down his face, burying Camille's head into his chest as he hugged her corpse close. She was the light of his life — beautiful girl. Now she'll never be beautiful ever again.
He was stood there, staring back at the familiar face lying in the dirt, eyes still open and slack-jawed. As hiss mind processed just what exactly he was seeing, time felt like it was ground to a halt and a faint ringing was heard in his ears. Or perhaps that was Tony'a screaming that managed to break its way past the sudden stillness that his mind found itself in. Slowly things began to click together as his mind finally process that, yes, the one he was staring at was Camille and like someone had pressed play on a TV remote, the world seemed to resume back at its normal speed for him.
"No..."
Slowly he moved over to the grave, his legs feeling as though they had a crushing weight on them.
"No... No... No..."
He collapsed to his knees next to the grave, his shotgun falling to the earth next to him as he pressed his hands into the dirt.
"No, no, no, no..."
He began to dig frantically.
"No! No! No! No!"
The dirt was flung aside, Lucas not caring where or who it landed it on.
"NO! Please God, NO! Not her!"
The corpse of his girlfriend was finally unearthed, and Lucas wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her up from the bed of dirt, cradling the body in his arms. He looked at her face, trying to see any signs of life, in denial that this was truly happening. But it was. Camille was dead. She died. And he hadn't even been around. From the moment he awoke on this island, this exact scenario was the one he had been dreading the most, and there was nothing he could have done.
Lucas' face scrunched up as anguished gripped his heart. Something beautiful had been lost, and there was a hole in his heart where it once was. So many memories came flooding back to him. The times they would just hang out. The times where they would bounce their ideas off each other. The times they made love. Times together with Camille had been some of the best for him, and now they were just memories. Lost treasures that could never beheld again.
"I love you..."
Words he never got to say to her. He had intended to say them a long time ago, but he couldn't go through with it. Strange, foreign words. Something he never experienced saying to anyone he had been with. Now too late.
"I love you.. I love you... I love you..."
He wept. Tears, rushing down his face, burying Camille's head into his chest as he hugged her corpse close. She was the light of his life — beautiful girl. Now she'll never be beautiful ever again.
-
Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
Tonya's stubbornness got her in so much trouble. It's not like she didn't think things through, she did, but only until she had it all figured. Once she knew what was what trying to slow her down was throwing your body at a freight train; luck stopped being about survival and started being about how long it took somebody to clean up the mess. Sure wasn't her, she wasn't slowing down for nothing once the course was in. If it got her in a bind then she took it on the chin and doubled down, nothing was gonna drag her out of place. It blew up time to time, especially when she opened her mouth in a way she was gonna regret. More often than not she followed it up with two or three more mistakes cuz for better or worse she was gonna keep digging.
Spat a whole lot of nonsense she was gonna regret before they saw her face, and if you wanted to get poetical about it the whole thing proved her right in a broad sense if not a direct one. Shoulda kept digging. If she didn't say a word and got the whole picture, got control of herself and what she seen...there was no keeping it cold forever but Tonya could have convinced him to bug out of here and leave the dead be to her mistake. They'd find somewhere else to hole up and when he heard her name in the morning it'd, it'd hurt, it'd fuck him up good but he wouldn't be all caked up in dirt babbling himself crazy to his girlfriend's dead body.
If nothing else he could have had one more night.
What they were seeing right now, it wasn't for them. Nobody had any business being with him right now. They weren't in some corner parlor hand on the shoulder sorry for your loss type shit. What do you say to somebody sobbing halfway tucked into a fresh grave?
Tonya had no clue. She shrank in the corner and kept her mouth shut.
Spat a whole lot of nonsense she was gonna regret before they saw her face, and if you wanted to get poetical about it the whole thing proved her right in a broad sense if not a direct one. Shoulda kept digging. If she didn't say a word and got the whole picture, got control of herself and what she seen...there was no keeping it cold forever but Tonya could have convinced him to bug out of here and leave the dead be to her mistake. They'd find somewhere else to hole up and when he heard her name in the morning it'd, it'd hurt, it'd fuck him up good but he wouldn't be all caked up in dirt babbling himself crazy to his girlfriend's dead body.
If nothing else he could have had one more night.
What they were seeing right now, it wasn't for them. Nobody had any business being with him right now. They weren't in some corner parlor hand on the shoulder sorry for your loss type shit. What do you say to somebody sobbing halfway tucked into a fresh grave?
Tonya had no clue. She shrank in the corner and kept her mouth shut.
She knew that she knew what to do. There was no aspect of his grief that did not, in some way, reflect the story of her own life. In the prostrating himself to cold earth, in the clinging desperately onto that which was long gone like he could yet make love to her- it- one last time. In the declarations of his love that would never find the ears they were intended for, never again. It was a story she was familiar with.
One she was glad, suddenly, that she'd never have to live. That she was too smart to have ever consigned herself to.
That left her, then, with her pangs of sympathy pain, come like infarction onto the heartbeat. That left her hand hovering so close to his shoulder, yet perfectly and totally un-felt and unnoticed and not there.
She glanced back at Tonya, in one moment. Judged her a coward.
Put her hand back to her side the moment after, waiting for the moment when 'she knew what to do' became something standing to one side helpless.
One she was glad, suddenly, that she'd never have to live. That she was too smart to have ever consigned herself to.
That left her, then, with her pangs of sympathy pain, come like infarction onto the heartbeat. That left her hand hovering so close to his shoulder, yet perfectly and totally un-felt and unnoticed and not there.
She glanced back at Tonya, in one moment. Judged her a coward.
Put her hand back to her side the moment after, waiting for the moment when 'she knew what to do' became something standing to one side helpless.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
-
TheLordOfAwesome
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:37 pm
- Location: Washington
It was hard to say what Lucas was aware of at this point.
He was aware he was kneeling in the dirt of a shallow grave, holding the corpse of the girl he loved. He was aware he was crying and that he was saying something to the dead body. He was no longer aware of what he was saying anymore as the words became muted to his ears as he continued to weep. He knew Kelly and Tonya were there, watching this unfold, but he was unaware of where they were exactly anymore.
What did they think of this? Do they pity him? Do they plan to offer hollow words of sympathy whilst planning ways to manipulate him while in his state of grief?
It didn't matter anymore.
The one thing that mattered to him on this whole damn island was right here.
She was all he ever wanted, and somebody took her away from him.
At some point he stopped crying. He just sat there, in the cold earth, cradling his deceased girlfriend.
"I should have been there for you..."
The words broke through the dull muteness that reigned over his hearing. Meaningless. Empty words. Silence would be the only response he'd get.
He fell back into silence. Sadly looking over Camille as he carefully laid her body back into the grave. He sat there, looming over her corpse, completely still.
He was aware he was kneeling in the dirt of a shallow grave, holding the corpse of the girl he loved. He was aware he was crying and that he was saying something to the dead body. He was no longer aware of what he was saying anymore as the words became muted to his ears as he continued to weep. He knew Kelly and Tonya were there, watching this unfold, but he was unaware of where they were exactly anymore.
What did they think of this? Do they pity him? Do they plan to offer hollow words of sympathy whilst planning ways to manipulate him while in his state of grief?
It didn't matter anymore.
The one thing that mattered to him on this whole damn island was right here.
She was all he ever wanted, and somebody took her away from him.
At some point he stopped crying. He just sat there, in the cold earth, cradling his deceased girlfriend.
"I should have been there for you..."
The words broke through the dull muteness that reigned over his hearing. Meaningless. Empty words. Silence would be the only response he'd get.
He fell back into silence. Sadly looking over Camille as he carefully laid her body back into the grave. He sat there, looming over her corpse, completely still.
-
Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
Kelly kept eyeballing her and it was like, for the couple minute minimum of mourning they could be decent. That couldn't be impossible, if Lucas could see what he seen and not snap on spot they could ease off each other's throats for that long. You'd have to be crazy selfish to try and insert yourself into this, like who the hell were either of them to Camille really? It wasn't their place, better to let him get it all out of his system and oops there she go this bitch was on the move. If there was any spine in that pretty posture Tonya might figure she was making her play while Lucas was distracted, but she didn't have the guts. Attack him? She couldn't even touch him. Girl was up there hover handing like a virgin with a pity date to the prom. Everything in her stance screamed a desire to be seen, the type who wanted to say she was there, she was involved, she was with you, but she didn't wanna get her hands dirty. Didn't wanna draw too much attention. Just whatever passed for credit. When she looked back at Tonya again those eyes hit different. She, she actually thought this was some kinda win, didn't she?
There's that thing you read about where somebody says something they know they'll regret, even as the words come out? Damn Tonya could use some of that. Her head was a full house of emotion right about now and Regret didn't make the VIP list. She didn't have good intentions to shore it up neither; you could maybe, maybe spin it to sound comforting with the right follow up but she wasn't thinking about none of that. The words were a lash aimed to scar Kelly's smug face. Girl she poisoned was somebody's girlfriend, first crush, daughter, sister, whatever the fuck, she meant something to somebody and you didn't get to take that away then play the concerned supporter when the next victim popped up. If you weren't a murderer, you were a fucking thief, and you had to be ready to wear that shit forever.
Maybe she had a point in so many words.
Tonya didn't say all that, though.
"Maybe it was mercy."
Yeah. That's all she said.
There's that thing you read about where somebody says something they know they'll regret, even as the words come out? Damn Tonya could use some of that. Her head was a full house of emotion right about now and Regret didn't make the VIP list. She didn't have good intentions to shore it up neither; you could maybe, maybe spin it to sound comforting with the right follow up but she wasn't thinking about none of that. The words were a lash aimed to scar Kelly's smug face. Girl she poisoned was somebody's girlfriend, first crush, daughter, sister, whatever the fuck, she meant something to somebody and you didn't get to take that away then play the concerned supporter when the next victim popped up. If you weren't a murderer, you were a fucking thief, and you had to be ready to wear that shit forever.
Maybe she had a point in so many words.
Tonya didn't say all that, though.
"Maybe it was mercy."
Yeah. That's all she said.
Infuriatingly petty. The lunchroom politics absolutely refused to die- unlike the rest of the old guard of George Hunter, whose ability to die was truly impressive. Hadn't it been that Kelly had spent her entire life being raised in this world, had from birth been immersed- out of the womb, into the oily water- in the chicanery? Side-eyes, thieves-quick fingers ready to pilfer pockets the moment a back was turned. Girls taking down girls, the endless cycle of drama everyone bemoaned and no one actually had the bigger picture perspective to step outside of. Waist deep, head bobbing, face scraping the pool bottom, there was no escape. Eighteen years.
Tonya, of course, had picked the precisely worst possible time to be exactly like all other girls by not being like all other girls.
"Maybe," Kelly breathed, sudden exhaustion polluting her voice. "Maybe the reason doesn't matter. Maybe we have to take time to mourn."
No one had been there for Mercy anyways. Kelly had her receipts, knew the cause and effect. Simple difference. The justification was brief. Errant, unneeded even.
"And figure out where we go after this." She hadn't been looking at either of them, that whole time.
Tonya, of course, had picked the precisely worst possible time to be exactly like all other girls by not being like all other girls.
"Maybe," Kelly breathed, sudden exhaustion polluting her voice. "Maybe the reason doesn't matter. Maybe we have to take time to mourn."
No one had been there for Mercy anyways. Kelly had her receipts, knew the cause and effect. Simple difference. The justification was brief. Errant, unneeded even.
"And figure out where we go after this." She hadn't been looking at either of them, that whole time.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
-
TheLordOfAwesome
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:37 pm
- Location: Washington
"Maybe it was mercy."
Something began to stir within Lucas as he heard those words. His own words thrown back at him while he openly grieved over the corpse of his girlfriend. Spoken by someone he had considered a friend no less. Feelings of hatred and anger slowly began to churn him him like some demonic black ichor, building up and threatening to burst through. Worse was the sense of betrayal that friend would say this to him. Slowly he reached over to his gun and laid a hand on it, his grip tightening like a vise.
Kelly spoke and at least she seemed to understand. It helped abate the gnawing fury rising within him, even if just a little.
But not fully.
"How dare you..." he said, almost a whisper. He didn't even look in Tonya's direction.
"How dare you?" he repeated, much more venomously as his head slowly turned to face Tonya.
"HOW. DARE. YOU?!" he yelled, slowly rising up from the grave. He glared balefully at Tonya, his teeth gritted and bared at her as tears began to flow once again.
Something began to stir within Lucas as he heard those words. His own words thrown back at him while he openly grieved over the corpse of his girlfriend. Spoken by someone he had considered a friend no less. Feelings of hatred and anger slowly began to churn him him like some demonic black ichor, building up and threatening to burst through. Worse was the sense of betrayal that friend would say this to him. Slowly he reached over to his gun and laid a hand on it, his grip tightening like a vise.
Kelly spoke and at least she seemed to understand. It helped abate the gnawing fury rising within him, even if just a little.
But not fully.
"How dare you..." he said, almost a whisper. He didn't even look in Tonya's direction.
"How dare you?" he repeated, much more venomously as his head slowly turned to face Tonya.
"HOW. DARE. YOU?!" he yelled, slowly rising up from the grave. He glared balefully at Tonya, his teeth gritted and bared at her as tears began to flow once again.
-
Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
A few hours down the line she would have felt bad. A day. A few days at most, okay, get off her tits. If things kept going the way they were, it would have come round on her. Probably. It was a shitty, stupid thing to say and wouldn't cut Kelly like it was gonna cut Lucas. Hadn't he been through enough already? Not wanting to hurt him was the whole reason hadn't literally cut the head off the snake wrapped up on his shoulder so yeah, great job girl, killing that divide and rescue plan! It'd set her back, all twisted up in the pit of her stomach about how she blew this one. She'd stay quiet and correct for awhile. A few days. A day. A few hours at least, get off her tits.
Least that's the way it would have played out if Lucas had decided to stick to the poor me kicked puppy routine. Grip your crowns real tight though cuz we got a miracle in the house tonight, Lucas Abernathy spontaneously sprouted a spine right here in front of God and everyone! Timing. Wild-ass timing. He had the right, of course, and Tonya deserved the rant he was picking up steam on. If you think that was gonna keep her sitting down through it though? You were crazier than Lucas would have to be to raise his gun instead of his voice. Tonya didn't come up slow and dramatic like. She was on her feet hard glaring back at him before the threepeat. "How dare me? Motherfucker how dare you?" The tip of her machete pointed towards his shotgun. "You gonna shoot me big boy? Can't put a murderer down but you got a bullet for hearing your own bullshit?"
Something came out. It was primal and frustrated and felt like release after everything she'd put up with, it snapped her head right to Kelly. "And fuck all this prim and proper politician shit! Fuck mourning! Fuck where we go! How's that even a question?" You know what? This was a blessing. The wake up call they all needed. "What's the play Lucas? You wanna find whoever did this and throw another trial?" She looked past him now, hard as it was, to Camille's face. "Or you gonna give 'em what she fucking deserves?"
Few moments ago she was thinking about what selfish bitch you'd have to be to shove yourself in here, and it was still true. You try being the one to tell her that right now, though, see how many stumps you crawl away on.
Least that's the way it would have played out if Lucas had decided to stick to the poor me kicked puppy routine. Grip your crowns real tight though cuz we got a miracle in the house tonight, Lucas Abernathy spontaneously sprouted a spine right here in front of God and everyone! Timing. Wild-ass timing. He had the right, of course, and Tonya deserved the rant he was picking up steam on. If you think that was gonna keep her sitting down through it though? You were crazier than Lucas would have to be to raise his gun instead of his voice. Tonya didn't come up slow and dramatic like. She was on her feet hard glaring back at him before the threepeat. "How dare me? Motherfucker how dare you?" The tip of her machete pointed towards his shotgun. "You gonna shoot me big boy? Can't put a murderer down but you got a bullet for hearing your own bullshit?"
Something came out. It was primal and frustrated and felt like release after everything she'd put up with, it snapped her head right to Kelly. "And fuck all this prim and proper politician shit! Fuck mourning! Fuck where we go! How's that even a question?" You know what? This was a blessing. The wake up call they all needed. "What's the play Lucas? You wanna find whoever did this and throw another trial?" She looked past him now, hard as it was, to Camille's face. "Or you gonna give 'em what she fucking deserves?"
Few moments ago she was thinking about what selfish bitch you'd have to be to shove yourself in here, and it was still true. You try being the one to tell her that right now, though, see how many stumps you crawl away on.
"This isn't the time," Kelly shot back, plainly with tone measured in teaspoons. Tonya wantonly vomited a train whistle of excuses as ugly and shrill.
Funny the comparison. Politics was an art form demanding of respect much as it had never been Kelly's formal forte. Maybe she'd always harbored her sympathies to the effect, thinking back. Balancing the contradictory needs of the many and snatching happy endings out of a thin air's worth of un-kept, unreasonable promises. Tonya, a woman among many who'd probably burned all her inevitable outrage on a hypothetical vote third party when it had most mattered, would have least had the delicate mind needed for understanding the dire complexity of patience, of compromise. The proof was plainly evident- she somehow found a way to not back down when her life was very visibly on the line. Surely the blind would have been more capable of true sighted comprehension of the situation.
There was a moment in time- somewhere in a parallel timeline where Kelly wasn't busily preparing herself for the grim if fairly excusable (in the long run) reality of Tonya's head graphically hewn off the spine by buckshot- where Kelly could have appreciated Juliette's more commendable mindset. Kelly had no particular opinion of the perversion where she'd somehow found the one idiot who could have been compare-and-contrasted with Juliette, where Juliette would have come out the winner as early as the 'Merriam-Webster defines this term as' sentence of the essay.
Kelly could surprise even herself- she'd take that as a good thing!
"Tonya's just as hurt by this, obviously." Kelly had to draw closer to Lucas, use the gravity of her presence to at least slow his momentum. Her hand could have swiped at the gun- should that move ever occur to her as a prudent use of very limited, very precious moments in time. The cuff of her jacket rolled up slightly, slouching lazily as she rapidly gestured her way through the motions of empathy. You, me, her. The only needed cardinal directions of their shared compass.
"We all have to process this." Even she did. Heaven forbid calculation and contrivance not be a valid means of experiencing grief. Kelly could easily have cried, circumstanced permitting. She felt the lurch deep in her breast. It wasn't Tonya-induced indigestion. Probably. "What beauty has been destroyed and can never be brought back-"
"It's not any of us who are at fault. We are the only ones who can see this through. Get answers- get justice. On whoever actually did this."
Palms gently gently closed in entreaty. Monkey see monkey do, right? Couldn't throw a punch or fire a bullet with soft hands.
Funny the comparison. Politics was an art form demanding of respect much as it had never been Kelly's formal forte. Maybe she'd always harbored her sympathies to the effect, thinking back. Balancing the contradictory needs of the many and snatching happy endings out of a thin air's worth of un-kept, unreasonable promises. Tonya, a woman among many who'd probably burned all her inevitable outrage on a hypothetical vote third party when it had most mattered, would have least had the delicate mind needed for understanding the dire complexity of patience, of compromise. The proof was plainly evident- she somehow found a way to not back down when her life was very visibly on the line. Surely the blind would have been more capable of true sighted comprehension of the situation.
There was a moment in time- somewhere in a parallel timeline where Kelly wasn't busily preparing herself for the grim if fairly excusable (in the long run) reality of Tonya's head graphically hewn off the spine by buckshot- where Kelly could have appreciated Juliette's more commendable mindset. Kelly had no particular opinion of the perversion where she'd somehow found the one idiot who could have been compare-and-contrasted with Juliette, where Juliette would have come out the winner as early as the 'Merriam-Webster defines this term as' sentence of the essay.
Kelly could surprise even herself- she'd take that as a good thing!
"Tonya's just as hurt by this, obviously." Kelly had to draw closer to Lucas, use the gravity of her presence to at least slow his momentum. Her hand could have swiped at the gun- should that move ever occur to her as a prudent use of very limited, very precious moments in time. The cuff of her jacket rolled up slightly, slouching lazily as she rapidly gestured her way through the motions of empathy. You, me, her. The only needed cardinal directions of their shared compass.
"We all have to process this." Even she did. Heaven forbid calculation and contrivance not be a valid means of experiencing grief. Kelly could easily have cried, circumstanced permitting. She felt the lurch deep in her breast. It wasn't Tonya-induced indigestion. Probably. "What beauty has been destroyed and can never be brought back-"
"It's not any of us who are at fault. We are the only ones who can see this through. Get answers- get justice. On whoever actually did this."
Palms gently gently closed in entreaty. Monkey see monkey do, right? Couldn't throw a punch or fire a bullet with soft hands.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
-
TheLordOfAwesome
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:37 pm
- Location: Washington
Lucas was something beyond furious. Tonya spoke, and the more she spoke the more her words became meaningless white noise to Lucas' ears. His face was red and contorted from sheer rage, tears coming down his face like a waterfall. She had the absolute gall to do this now, of all times. His hands shook and the gun in his hands rattled. He didn't want to hurt anyone, never had, but a dark thought surfaced in his head. A voice whispering in the back of his mind to harm Tonya for her transgressions. To shoot her, to kill her, to mutilate and violate her body until it was a grotesque mockery of what she once was.
It would be so easy. So very easy.
Kelly spoke words of reason. She had been nice to him this whole time and seemed to understand his pain. She may have been pretending, but it spoke volumes that someone who he hadn't considered a friend was being more of a friend to him than the other girl who he had considered a friend. She didn't mock or deride him for trying to stick with his values in the face of adversity.
Everything she said was right, of course. But even so, the dark thoughts in his head born from grief and anger tried to compel him to act against her, to harm her as he would Tonya. It was a quieting thing when he realized that he would think such things to someone who has stood by him despite having no reason to.
He closed his eyes, breathing deep steady breathes in order to try and calm himself, attempting to reign in his emotions and keep the darker impulses that whispered in his mind at bay.
"I'm sorry..." he said, his voice hoarse and choked up from crying and yelling. "I'm sorry that I didn't want to use being scared as an excuse to be an asshole like you."
He had calmed himself, but he leveled a baleful glare at Tonya. Sheer, utter contempt was practically radiating from his body language as he gripped his firearm.
It would be so easy. So very easy.
Kelly spoke words of reason. She had been nice to him this whole time and seemed to understand his pain. She may have been pretending, but it spoke volumes that someone who he hadn't considered a friend was being more of a friend to him than the other girl who he had considered a friend. She didn't mock or deride him for trying to stick with his values in the face of adversity.
Everything she said was right, of course. But even so, the dark thoughts in his head born from grief and anger tried to compel him to act against her, to harm her as he would Tonya. It was a quieting thing when he realized that he would think such things to someone who has stood by him despite having no reason to.
He closed his eyes, breathing deep steady breathes in order to try and calm himself, attempting to reign in his emotions and keep the darker impulses that whispered in his mind at bay.
"I'm sorry..." he said, his voice hoarse and choked up from crying and yelling. "I'm sorry that I didn't want to use being scared as an excuse to be an asshole like you."
He had calmed himself, but he leveled a baleful glare at Tonya. Sheer, utter contempt was practically radiating from his body language as he gripped his firearm.
-
Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
It was plain obvious to everybody that they weren't really arguing about Camille, just like they weren't really arguing about Kelly. Kelly'd picked up on it fast enough, that seemed sure from the way she was handling herself. The assholes who ran the cameras probably figured out if they paid any attention, and you kinda had to didn't you if watching these kids was gonna be your job for a few weeks straight? You'd catch some feelings and the theories would roll out if only to pass the time. Folks who knew it best were probably the ones back home seeing it all play out after the fact. They'd have the whole picture, front to back, and a whole lot more from living with her. Even Tonya, as bull-headed and allergic to subtlety as she was, knew what was really what between the three of them without putting it into words. It had loomed so large whenever she was alone. How could anybody else not see it? If there ever was anyone to miss it, it was Lucas fucking Abernathy, king of oblivion.
"There's a little girl waiting for me back home Lucas." Her voice was close to the quietest it'd been since she'd first burst in on them. "She needs me, because God knows she's got nobody else that sees her the way I do." She was calm, calmer than she had any right to be, like after all the struggling this truth was the surface of a still lake she could float on without more than a ripple. "I don't get to process," the only sarcastic dip in her tone,"I got a job to do that don't slow down when I do, all I've ever got is catch up." There was something in the water. Another shape she'd been turning a blind eye to like if she didn't see it it couldn't bite her. She couldn't dip back in without it circling her. "And I don't-" she wanted to swim away but it was paralyzing. Now that she'd started letting it out she couldn't stop the fear any more than she could stop the anger. "I don't think I'm gonna make it." Could they still hear her? Tonya didn't hear her own voice the last few words, or maybe, maybe she couldn't recognize it at hers so low, so defeated.
"I'm gonna fail her."
She went under.
But Tonya was too stubborn to drown.
Her tear-streaked face soured, gritted teeth and narrowed eyes. "I need her to know I tried. Didn't waste this last shot wringing my hands feeling sorry for myself, I did what I had to do for her-" Tonya choked, because she blinked and there were her eyes again. "For her, and if she was here, if somebody..." It didn't need to be said, and the churning in her stomach wouldn't let her speak it anyway. "I'd wanna find the motherfucker. No excuses. No trial. No mercy." What came next didn't need to be said neither. They were creative enough to figure it out.
"There's a little girl waiting for me back home Lucas." Her voice was close to the quietest it'd been since she'd first burst in on them. "She needs me, because God knows she's got nobody else that sees her the way I do." She was calm, calmer than she had any right to be, like after all the struggling this truth was the surface of a still lake she could float on without more than a ripple. "I don't get to process," the only sarcastic dip in her tone,"I got a job to do that don't slow down when I do, all I've ever got is catch up." There was something in the water. Another shape she'd been turning a blind eye to like if she didn't see it it couldn't bite her. She couldn't dip back in without it circling her. "And I don't-" she wanted to swim away but it was paralyzing. Now that she'd started letting it out she couldn't stop the fear any more than she could stop the anger. "I don't think I'm gonna make it." Could they still hear her? Tonya didn't hear her own voice the last few words, or maybe, maybe she couldn't recognize it at hers so low, so defeated.
"I'm gonna fail her."
She went under.
But Tonya was too stubborn to drown.
Her tear-streaked face soured, gritted teeth and narrowed eyes. "I need her to know I tried. Didn't waste this last shot wringing my hands feeling sorry for myself, I did what I had to do for her-" Tonya choked, because she blinked and there were her eyes again. "For her, and if she was here, if somebody..." It didn't need to be said, and the churning in her stomach wouldn't let her speak it anyway. "I'd wanna find the motherfucker. No excuses. No trial. No mercy." What came next didn't need to be said neither. They were creative enough to figure it out.