Literal days had passed, and Jeff's anger had yet to subside. Every day, it was something new. The solitude had been fine, that wasn't what he was angry about. In fact, it was circumstance. Each new announcement lent a new touch of information about who was killing, who was dead, and who was left, and it was that which pissed him off each day
Sven Vee; innocent and kind. Dead.
Paloma Salt, rabid and deranged. Alive, a murderer.
Wyatt and Bret Carter, the king shits of both the football team and his would-be muggers. Dead.
Connor Lorenzen, whose shit didn't stink and who probably never took a breath that wasn't paid for by his stuck-up rich parents. Alive.
Cammy Walker-Grimsley, gentle and kind, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dead.
Jeff Greene, second-stringer who wasn't good enough to start. Alive.
Fuck that. Fuck all of that.
((Jeff Greene continued from There Is No Passion, There Is Serenity))
Perhaps it had been too much to hope that somewhere, in the back of his mind, that the people who deserved it would be the first ones to go, that the ones who managed to survive a week in this environment would be the ones who actually deserved a shot at living their lives. The more he'd thought about it, the more he wondered what had become of all of the people that he'd come across since his awakening. It was honestly insane, and as he quietly slipped into the empty cave beneath the waterfall, the most recent announcement had only added to that sense of disbelief.
Tonya was still alive, as far as the announcements were concerned. Same with Manuel and Yuka.
Cammy, Tanesha, Sal, Arjen — all dead.
So many people had died at this point. They were supposed to be home by now, attending school, finishing off whatever last-minute assignments their teachers had deemed worthy enough to throw at them before graduation. Instead, many of them were dead, and the rest were sitting around, fighting for their lives.
"Hello?"
His voice echoed into the cave, and Jeff braced and waited for a moment as he listened for a response — from a weapon or a voice, either would dictate his next move.
Nothing came.
Was he truly fighting though? He'd had a few small scuffles, and Lorenzo had almost bashed his arm out of the socket, but that little bastard was dead now, and outside of his near-misses with the Carters and with Paloma, he'd avoided any violence. Half of his class was dead, and Jeff Greene had floated by with nary an impact.
Was it time? Had time truly come for him to give in to the terrorists' wishes, to be proactive in his own survival rather than waiting for something to happen? It wasn't at all something that felt like a natural solution, but as the kills increased and the body count rose, Jeff knew that he wouldn't continue being lucky forever.
He slipped into the cave. For now, it would be a respite, and the question that he'd just asked himself was one that he didn't need to answer until the time came.
For now, he had no idea.
Mad As Hell and Not Going to Take It Anymore
Closed; day 7
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MurderWeasel
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- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
((Darlene Silva continued from Circle Of Steel))
Darlene did not believe in Jesus, but after a day of trekking around in the ever-building heat, she was coming around on the subject of hell.
It wasn't just that the whole entire world was way too hot (though it was). It was humid, too, which was way worse than open flames any day! It was like it had never stopped raining, except that the moisture didn't even have the decency to turn into full precipitation and wash away the sweat and dirt and general stickiness and funk that accumulated over the course of their travels. Darlene felt like she felt at the end of the very worst days in gym class, like the mile run, except not quite so out of breath but also without even the vague comfort of a gym shower and a change of clothes to look forward to.
Somehow, Stephanie managed not to look half as terrible as Darlene felt, which earned her periodic sharp glances. Max didn't look so bad to Darlene either, but that was different—Max looked alright because Darlene liked him and trusted him. He looked alright in spite of having obviously not slept all that much.
At least it was a teeny tiny bit cooler around the waterfall. By Max's suggestion, they had ventured due west, skirting around the lake. Darlene had made a note to, whether or not they were successful, refill all of the water bottles she had left before they departed, which was not as many as she should've had probably because she'd thrown the first away when she wasn't thinking.
Of course, there was one very good reason to avoid searching the lake too closely just yet: she half expected to just find Jonah at the edge of the water again, to spot him from the bushes and psych herself up and go talk to him once more. As long as they hadn't looked too close, that fantasy couldn't fail. And so, as the day grew hotter and hotter, they'd begun the climb.
The map noted that there was a cave somewhere around the waterfall, which seemed like a good thing to search because she could imagine Jonah and Arizona going somewhere like that to hide out or enjoy a little privacy or deal with injuries, and also (though she would never admit it ever!) because it sounded like it would probably be cooler and a good place to sit down for a little while and have some food and rest their legs. Also, if it was high up they could get a better view, as Max had pragmatically pointed out, and then maybe they could search the shore of the lake for real on their way back down!
Darlene wished they had some binoculars or a telescope or something like that, to help them make quicker progress. She wished a lot of things. She really didn't want to admit it, but a lot of the energy that had carried her was fading. She was still driven, but it was now the sort of drive that came with gritted teeth, each step forcing herself heavily forward rather than light with optimism. She really needed a rest, but she'd been the one to push so stubbornly for haste. She couldn't just go wimp out now.
Somehow, over the past few minutes of the walk, Darlene had ended up in front of the procession. She thought maybe Max was trying to help her feel better about her declining pace, or else was staying back just a bit to make sure that if she toppled over he'd notice. The Claw had lost much of what residual menace it once held, reduced to improvised walking stick, which left Darlene a strange mix of relieved and unsettled. She realized, abruptly and apropos of nothing, that they still did not have a clue what if anything Stephanie was equipped with.
There would be time to figure that out later. Right now, they were here, sort of? The path didn't precisely end, just kind of tapered off behind a roaring, thundering curtain of falling water. It was beautiful in a particularly unsettling way, because even though Darlene stood way back she could see that it was a long way down. Someone had fallen off yesterday, hadn't they? She didn't shiver—it was way too hot—but did feel just a little nauseous.
Looking around for a moment, Darlene wasn't seeing any cave. She wasn't seeing much of anything, except—no, wait, there it was!
The cave was behind the waterfall.
"I see it," Darlene called, nodding at nobody in particular. "It's over there."
She gestured vaguely in the direction, and then set out towards it. Her bag bounced along at her side, dog peeking out. She held the gun left-handed now, because her right hand had been getting sweaty and they hadn't seen anyone and besides, Beryl had taught her the gun was supposed to be held in both hands when in use so what did it matter which it started in?
The pathway wasn't as narrow as Darlene had feared, and the air immediately became cooler as she walked closer, and as it did some of the spring returned to her step. She began to hum quietly to herself (Christmas In Prison, maybe better not to do the words right now actually?) as she stepped into the dark, damp, cavernous interior.
She couldn't see anything! It was totally dark about five steps in, as her eyes failed to quickly adapt to the gloom. She could feel that the floor was slick, knew that her shoes weren't what they were a week ago, and exercised a moment of prudence, reaching to her bag and starting to unzip it and root around for her flashlight. She was a little bit proud that she remembered it was there, though probably Max and Stephanie already had theirs out and on and would be here before she even found hers amidst everything else.
Darlene did not believe in Jesus, but after a day of trekking around in the ever-building heat, she was coming around on the subject of hell.
It wasn't just that the whole entire world was way too hot (though it was). It was humid, too, which was way worse than open flames any day! It was like it had never stopped raining, except that the moisture didn't even have the decency to turn into full precipitation and wash away the sweat and dirt and general stickiness and funk that accumulated over the course of their travels. Darlene felt like she felt at the end of the very worst days in gym class, like the mile run, except not quite so out of breath but also without even the vague comfort of a gym shower and a change of clothes to look forward to.
Somehow, Stephanie managed not to look half as terrible as Darlene felt, which earned her periodic sharp glances. Max didn't look so bad to Darlene either, but that was different—Max looked alright because Darlene liked him and trusted him. He looked alright in spite of having obviously not slept all that much.
At least it was a teeny tiny bit cooler around the waterfall. By Max's suggestion, they had ventured due west, skirting around the lake. Darlene had made a note to, whether or not they were successful, refill all of the water bottles she had left before they departed, which was not as many as she should've had probably because she'd thrown the first away when she wasn't thinking.
Of course, there was one very good reason to avoid searching the lake too closely just yet: she half expected to just find Jonah at the edge of the water again, to spot him from the bushes and psych herself up and go talk to him once more. As long as they hadn't looked too close, that fantasy couldn't fail. And so, as the day grew hotter and hotter, they'd begun the climb.
The map noted that there was a cave somewhere around the waterfall, which seemed like a good thing to search because she could imagine Jonah and Arizona going somewhere like that to hide out or enjoy a little privacy or deal with injuries, and also (though she would never admit it ever!) because it sounded like it would probably be cooler and a good place to sit down for a little while and have some food and rest their legs. Also, if it was high up they could get a better view, as Max had pragmatically pointed out, and then maybe they could search the shore of the lake for real on their way back down!
Darlene wished they had some binoculars or a telescope or something like that, to help them make quicker progress. She wished a lot of things. She really didn't want to admit it, but a lot of the energy that had carried her was fading. She was still driven, but it was now the sort of drive that came with gritted teeth, each step forcing herself heavily forward rather than light with optimism. She really needed a rest, but she'd been the one to push so stubbornly for haste. She couldn't just go wimp out now.
Somehow, over the past few minutes of the walk, Darlene had ended up in front of the procession. She thought maybe Max was trying to help her feel better about her declining pace, or else was staying back just a bit to make sure that if she toppled over he'd notice. The Claw had lost much of what residual menace it once held, reduced to improvised walking stick, which left Darlene a strange mix of relieved and unsettled. She realized, abruptly and apropos of nothing, that they still did not have a clue what if anything Stephanie was equipped with.
There would be time to figure that out later. Right now, they were here, sort of? The path didn't precisely end, just kind of tapered off behind a roaring, thundering curtain of falling water. It was beautiful in a particularly unsettling way, because even though Darlene stood way back she could see that it was a long way down. Someone had fallen off yesterday, hadn't they? She didn't shiver—it was way too hot—but did feel just a little nauseous.
Looking around for a moment, Darlene wasn't seeing any cave. She wasn't seeing much of anything, except—no, wait, there it was!
The cave was behind the waterfall.
"I see it," Darlene called, nodding at nobody in particular. "It's over there."
She gestured vaguely in the direction, and then set out towards it. Her bag bounced along at her side, dog peeking out. She held the gun left-handed now, because her right hand had been getting sweaty and they hadn't seen anyone and besides, Beryl had taught her the gun was supposed to be held in both hands when in use so what did it matter which it started in?
The pathway wasn't as narrow as Darlene had feared, and the air immediately became cooler as she walked closer, and as it did some of the spring returned to her step. She began to hum quietly to herself (Christmas In Prison, maybe better not to do the words right now actually?) as she stepped into the dark, damp, cavernous interior.
She couldn't see anything! It was totally dark about five steps in, as her eyes failed to quickly adapt to the gloom. She could feel that the floor was slick, knew that her shoes weren't what they were a week ago, and exercised a moment of prudence, reaching to her bag and starting to unzip it and root around for her flashlight. She was a little bit proud that she remembered it was there, though probably Max and Stephanie already had theirs out and on and would be here before she even found hers amidst everything else.
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MethodicalSlacker
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It was hard to hear Darlene over the cacophony of the waterfall...
[Max Rudolph continued from Circle of Steel.]
...but Max had a good idea what she meant. They'd found the cave they'd spent the better part of the day searching for, behind a waterfall. If there was a place for someone who did not want to be found, this was it. The chances of finding anyone in there were slim to none, but Max felt that it didn't hurt to be thorough. Jonah and Arizona would not venture down this path unless they were wounded in the conflict with Quinn, and needed a place to take refuge. That was not an impossible circumstance, no, but it was unlikely considering the difficulty of finding this cavern and the many other shelters on the island. Still, it wouldn't take too long to investigate. Darlene could stick her head in, shine a light, even just see what she could without that, and they could be on their merry way.
Max followed from several feet behind Darlene. If she slipped and fell from the walkway, he'd have the best chance of grabbing her with the man-catcher if he could use it at its full extension and not have to finagle with it in close quarters. It'd give him the most leverage, anyhow. He watched quietly as Darlene made her way towards the opening of the cave, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, though he noted the slipperiness of the rock beneath his feet. She turned the corner, and he heard what sounded like her setting down her bag. Perhaps she did not already have her flashlight ready and equipped. Max cringed. He didn't have his, either, but that was only because he'd been counting on her to have her own out.
Silently, Max considered the possibility that letting Darlene take point had been a mistake. He started walking towards the cave mouth, closing the distance between the two of them.
"Are you alright?" Max asked as he looked into the cave.
[Max Rudolph continued from Circle of Steel.]
...but Max had a good idea what she meant. They'd found the cave they'd spent the better part of the day searching for, behind a waterfall. If there was a place for someone who did not want to be found, this was it. The chances of finding anyone in there were slim to none, but Max felt that it didn't hurt to be thorough. Jonah and Arizona would not venture down this path unless they were wounded in the conflict with Quinn, and needed a place to take refuge. That was not an impossible circumstance, no, but it was unlikely considering the difficulty of finding this cavern and the many other shelters on the island. Still, it wouldn't take too long to investigate. Darlene could stick her head in, shine a light, even just see what she could without that, and they could be on their merry way.
Max followed from several feet behind Darlene. If she slipped and fell from the walkway, he'd have the best chance of grabbing her with the man-catcher if he could use it at its full extension and not have to finagle with it in close quarters. It'd give him the most leverage, anyhow. He watched quietly as Darlene made her way towards the opening of the cave, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, though he noted the slipperiness of the rock beneath his feet. She turned the corner, and he heard what sounded like her setting down her bag. Perhaps she did not already have her flashlight ready and equipped. Max cringed. He didn't have his, either, but that was only because he'd been counting on her to have her own out.
Silently, Max considered the possibility that letting Darlene take point had been a mistake. He started walking towards the cave mouth, closing the distance between the two of them.
"Are you alright?" Max asked as he looked into the cave.
/ 
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- She wouldn't be.
Through gritted teeth and a furious rage that he was unable to control, the baseball bat swung through the air and landed a hard blow at the side of the figure's head, the resounding crack echoing almost as loudly as the sound of the waterfall.
Jeff should have done this back at the commissary; Paloma deserved it then and she did even more so now. Had she not acted like a complete psycho bitch, perhaps Sven wouldn't have run off, and then — he'd heard, of course. The guilt had only fueled his fire. So when he'd heard them coming, he'd narrowed his eyes and squinted through what he could see in the darkness. The shape, the mumbling, the voice — it was her.
For days, he'd tried to keep his temper in check. He'd tried to make genuine connections with his fellow students, he'd tried to stave off the feeling of helplessness. Where did it get him? Everyone he'd spoken to was dead, deserving or not. People like Sven or Cammy, who'd deserved better? They were gone. People like Paloma or Connor, who probably thought this was just another afternoon at the country club, they were still alive — and for what?
So he'd decided. Enough was enough. Holding back was getting him nowhere. Paloma wasn't going to step away unscathed this time. She had followed him, and this time, he wasn't going to just let her walk away.
This was for Abel, for Sven, for all of them.
All of her victims, all of the ones that he couldn't help.
That he should have, had he been smart enough to know when to try.
"Bitch," he growled under his breath as he aimed another swing towards where he supposed she'd fell. Someone else was with her, and if they got in his way, that was their own damn fault.
Through gritted teeth and a furious rage that he was unable to control, the baseball bat swung through the air and landed a hard blow at the side of the figure's head, the resounding crack echoing almost as loudly as the sound of the waterfall.
Jeff should have done this back at the commissary; Paloma deserved it then and she did even more so now. Had she not acted like a complete psycho bitch, perhaps Sven wouldn't have run off, and then — he'd heard, of course. The guilt had only fueled his fire. So when he'd heard them coming, he'd narrowed his eyes and squinted through what he could see in the darkness. The shape, the mumbling, the voice — it was her.
For days, he'd tried to keep his temper in check. He'd tried to make genuine connections with his fellow students, he'd tried to stave off the feeling of helplessness. Where did it get him? Everyone he'd spoken to was dead, deserving or not. People like Sven or Cammy, who'd deserved better? They were gone. People like Paloma or Connor, who probably thought this was just another afternoon at the country club, they were still alive — and for what?
So he'd decided. Enough was enough. Holding back was getting him nowhere. Paloma wasn't going to step away unscathed this time. She had followed him, and this time, he wasn't going to just let her walk away.
This was for Abel, for Sven, for all of them.
All of her victims, all of the ones that he couldn't help.
That he should have, had he been smart enough to know when to try.
"Bitch," he growled under his breath as he aimed another swing towards where he supposed she'd fell. Someone else was with her, and if they got in his way, that was their own damn fault.
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MethodicalSlacker
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The bat found metal before it found Darlene again, deflecting off of the pole of the man-catcher.
Max jumped into the cave with a snarl, stepping into the darkness, making his way between Darlene and the assailant. Catching the force of the impact on the pole end of the man-catcher threw him off balance, and he struggled to find his footing in the dark, but the most important thing was that he intercepted it before anyone got hurt. Before Darlene got any more hurt.
Whoever was behind the swing was strong. Dangerously strong. Max had to be careful. This was the kind of force that might well split the man-catcher in twain. He needed to get a sense for the size and shape of the person he was fighting against, and that was impossible without the chance of accidentally catching them in the claw and losing the man-catcher. Worse still was the possibility that they had some sort of night vision apparatus that he lacked. Thus, his options for a counter-attack were limited.
With a grunt, Max swung the man-catcher in the direction of the bat, hoping to collide with whoever was in the dark's central mass and get a feel for the kind of person he was up against.
Jonah didn't have a baseball bat when I last saw him, did he?
Max jumped into the cave with a snarl, stepping into the darkness, making his way between Darlene and the assailant. Catching the force of the impact on the pole end of the man-catcher threw him off balance, and he struggled to find his footing in the dark, but the most important thing was that he intercepted it before anyone got hurt. Before Darlene got any more hurt.
Whoever was behind the swing was strong. Dangerously strong. Max had to be careful. This was the kind of force that might well split the man-catcher in twain. He needed to get a sense for the size and shape of the person he was fighting against, and that was impossible without the chance of accidentally catching them in the claw and losing the man-catcher. Worse still was the possibility that they had some sort of night vision apparatus that he lacked. Thus, his options for a counter-attack were limited.
With a grunt, Max swung the man-catcher in the direction of the bat, hoping to collide with whoever was in the dark's central mass and get a feel for the kind of person he was up against.
Jonah didn't have a baseball bat when I last saw him, did he?
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
Darlene didn't feel like it or realize it at the moment, but she'd actually gotten incredibly lucky.
The blow had come just as she had, in a moment of frustration at not quickly locating her flashlight, hunched over and tilted a bit to the side fish around deeper in the bag, in case the dog was sitting on it. This meant that, when the spiky club caught her from the left, she didn't take the full impact straight on to either her skull or her shoulder, but kind of sideways and distributed among both.
It still sent her sprawling. She didn't know what it was, who it was, what was going on. Something sharp slashed through the top of her ear, the back of her scalp, punctured the flesh of her shoulder and then ripped back out. She was barely aware of her own momentum, not prepared enough for her fall to even tense up, but the bag was on the side of her body that didn't take the hit, the side that she fell on, and it got all tangled up and somehow instead of smashing her face into the rock floor, she instead smashed it into a thick, soft span of fake fur, the dog squashed under her, cushioning her from further harm.
She'd sort of forgotten that this was what it was all about. She'd sort of forgotten that they were all going to die. It wouldn't be so bad if it happened like this, she distantly thought, a quick blow from nowhere and then another and then nothing.
There was no another. There was the sound of weapons clashing, and Darlene blinked and shook her head (the side of it was wet, her left arm was wet, everything hurt all of a sudden more than anything in her entire life had ever hurt before, even the things that weren't anywhere near where she'd been hit hurt, her feet hurt) and then suddenly her breathing kicked into full throttle as she realized that someone had just tried to kill her and maybe even succeeded and now was fighting Max or Stephanie or both.
She had to help!
The fingers of Darlene's right hand brushed the left side of her face, but she didn't have time to be worried about the blood. Her glasses were missing. But it was okay. She used her right hand because her left was busy with more important things. It was...
It was empty. The gun had been flung somewhere. Darlene was on the ground, in the dark, no glasses, no gun, bleeding and head ringing and she started to shake and hyperventilate but she forced herself to all fours and began to crawl in the direction she'd been flung.
The gun had to be around here somewhere. She had to find it and help.
The blow had come just as she had, in a moment of frustration at not quickly locating her flashlight, hunched over and tilted a bit to the side fish around deeper in the bag, in case the dog was sitting on it. This meant that, when the spiky club caught her from the left, she didn't take the full impact straight on to either her skull or her shoulder, but kind of sideways and distributed among both.
It still sent her sprawling. She didn't know what it was, who it was, what was going on. Something sharp slashed through the top of her ear, the back of her scalp, punctured the flesh of her shoulder and then ripped back out. She was barely aware of her own momentum, not prepared enough for her fall to even tense up, but the bag was on the side of her body that didn't take the hit, the side that she fell on, and it got all tangled up and somehow instead of smashing her face into the rock floor, she instead smashed it into a thick, soft span of fake fur, the dog squashed under her, cushioning her from further harm.
She'd sort of forgotten that this was what it was all about. She'd sort of forgotten that they were all going to die. It wouldn't be so bad if it happened like this, she distantly thought, a quick blow from nowhere and then another and then nothing.
There was no another. There was the sound of weapons clashing, and Darlene blinked and shook her head (the side of it was wet, her left arm was wet, everything hurt all of a sudden more than anything in her entire life had ever hurt before, even the things that weren't anywhere near where she'd been hit hurt, her feet hurt) and then suddenly her breathing kicked into full throttle as she realized that someone had just tried to kill her and maybe even succeeded and now was fighting Max or Stephanie or both.
She had to help!
The fingers of Darlene's right hand brushed the left side of her face, but she didn't have time to be worried about the blood. Her glasses were missing. But it was okay. She used her right hand because her left was busy with more important things. It was...
It was empty. The gun had been flung somewhere. Darlene was on the ground, in the dark, no glasses, no gun, bleeding and head ringing and she started to shake and hyperventilate but she forced herself to all fours and began to crawl in the direction she'd been flung.
The gun had to be around here somewhere. She had to find it and help.
((Stephanie McDonald continued from Circle of Steel))
The heels may have been a mistake. They certainly fit her, but the rocks made wearing sexy sandals slightly inconvenient. Either way, she was coming down from the job well done on herself (well, mostly well done, lack of basic amenities made parts of her grooming much harder). Either way, she was in the back, behind Max and Darlene (that was her name), as they were approaching a cave of some sort. She only wished she had a camera on her. The poses she would be able to strike there would be incredible.
So when a guy called out, she was okay with it. Nothing more than a guy calling out. She was a safe distance behind, mainly because she had to take her sandals off and then go slowly to not hurt herself on the rocks.
Clang
Stephanie's head shot up at that. She had been looking for her flashlight, but her search now intensified until he found the metal shaft in her hand. She clicked it on and walked as fast as she could to find
That's not good.
Of course, she wasn't going to do anything with Max and the guy with what seemed to be a bat (because the only thing she could possibly do was take a hit to the head and die), but she did notice that Darlene was ... too close to them. She could try to help, but it would be risky.
The heels may have been a mistake. They certainly fit her, but the rocks made wearing sexy sandals slightly inconvenient. Either way, she was coming down from the job well done on herself (well, mostly well done, lack of basic amenities made parts of her grooming much harder). Either way, she was in the back, behind Max and Darlene (that was her name), as they were approaching a cave of some sort. She only wished she had a camera on her. The poses she would be able to strike there would be incredible.
So when a guy called out, she was okay with it. Nothing more than a guy calling out. She was a safe distance behind, mainly because she had to take her sandals off and then go slowly to not hurt herself on the rocks.
Clang
Stephanie's head shot up at that. She had been looking for her flashlight, but her search now intensified until he found the metal shaft in her hand. She clicked it on and walked as fast as she could to find
That's not good.
Of course, she wasn't going to do anything with Max and the guy with what seemed to be a bat (because the only thing she could possibly do was take a hit to the head and die), but she did notice that Darlene was ... too close to them. She could try to help, but it would be risky.
Survivor: UCONN - Seriously, it's awesome!
Version 8
Kaede Tsurumi: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!"
Morgan Whitney
Tyler Slomkowski
Victor Grail: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all."
Version 8
Kaede Tsurumi: "Eeep! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll try not to get in your w-way next time!"
Morgan Whitney
Tyler Slomkowski
Victor Grail: "I didn't give you the lead so that you could lose it! I guess it's up to me to carry us after all."
Whatever it was that he'd hit, it wasn't flesh nor was it bone. The baseball bat was laced with wicked-looking nails, and while they were likely some sort of metal or steel, there were only certain things that allowed that type of reverberation.
Paloma's partner in crime had come to her defense.
The din of the waterfall obfuscated whether or not he'd said anything in response to Jeff's assault, but immediately he felt a sharp pain in his side as whatever it was that had stopped the baseball bat flailed in the darkness and struck him. It felt stiff, yet flimsy. A pole? A fishing rod?
Whatever it was, Jeff could easily do one better. Squinting to try and adjust his eyes to the darkness, he grunted and unleashed a home-run swing where the attack had come from. If he had to make his way through this asshole — whomever they were — to send Paloma where she belonged, that was fine.
His blood boiled even more at the thought.
Not today.
Paloma's partner in crime had come to her defense.
The din of the waterfall obfuscated whether or not he'd said anything in response to Jeff's assault, but immediately he felt a sharp pain in his side as whatever it was that had stopped the baseball bat flailed in the darkness and struck him. It felt stiff, yet flimsy. A pole? A fishing rod?
Whatever it was, Jeff could easily do one better. Squinting to try and adjust his eyes to the darkness, he grunted and unleashed a home-run swing where the attack had come from. If he had to make his way through this asshole — whomever they were — to send Paloma where she belonged, that was fine.
His blood boiled even more at the thought.
Not today.
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MethodicalSlacker
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The collision didn't provide much information that Max could use. He successfully struck central mass, following through just enough to sell the hit and then pulling the man-catcher back. If Max's opponent was Max's own height, then he would have struck somewhere in the side of his torso. Any shorter and Max would have hit shoulder, and taller and he would have hit the waist, most likely. What he struck was hard, too, solid muscle. That meant a hit coming soon, one that Max would have to brace for,
one that had just caught him in the side.
He felt a series of pins tear holes in his skin, concentrated into an area slightly larger and longer than a fist, an impact that sent him stumbling backwards a few steps. Max grunted in pain.
There were nails in the bat.
Fuck.
It was likely his opponent could shrug off another hit to central mass. Max needed to be more ambitious.
Quickly, he raised the man-catcher above his head with both hands, reeled back, winced in pain, and brought it down on where he hoped his assailant's head would be.
one that had just caught him in the side.
He felt a series of pins tear holes in his skin, concentrated into an area slightly larger and longer than a fist, an impact that sent him stumbling backwards a few steps. Max grunted in pain.
There were nails in the bat.
Fuck.
It was likely his opponent could shrug off another hit to central mass. Max needed to be more ambitious.
Quickly, he raised the man-catcher above his head with both hands, reeled back, winced in pain, and brought it down on where he hoped his assailant's head would be.
Whomever he was fighting was quick — athletic, obviously, as they shrugged off the hit with barely a sound and returned a swing of their own with their pole that crashed down upon his shoulder. The fiery pain of his assailant's weapon cut through his collarbone, though he didn't feel any puncture wounds, it just hurt, it would leave a welt.
"Hngh," he grunted in pain, his adrenaline starting to race as quickly as the blood boiled within his body. All of the frustration that he'd ever felt seemed to fuel him; losing the quarterback spot, not getting in to his choice of college, being overlooked by the scouts — all of it came flooding back to his mind, the source of his rage aimed at Paloma and her mystery man.
They would pay; they would pay for all of it.
Jeff had a general idea of where the other guy was, so instead of swinging aimlessly with the bat, he brought the riot shield up, grasped it clumsily with both hands, and charged forward in the hopes of knocking his opponent astray.
"Hngh," he grunted in pain, his adrenaline starting to race as quickly as the blood boiled within his body. All of the frustration that he'd ever felt seemed to fuel him; losing the quarterback spot, not getting in to his choice of college, being overlooked by the scouts — all of it came flooding back to his mind, the source of his rage aimed at Paloma and her mystery man.
They would pay; they would pay for all of it.
Jeff had a general idea of where the other guy was, so instead of swinging aimlessly with the bat, he brought the riot shield up, grasped it clumsily with both hands, and charged forward in the hopes of knocking his opponent astray.
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MethodicalSlacker
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Not the head. Max connected with something, but it wasn't the head. He brought the man-catcher back and grabbed it again in both hands, ready to block whatever strike came next.
He wasn't expecting to have to block a wall.
Max stumbled back several paces before his back collided against the wall of the cave. A solid impact. The strength of his opponent was not to be under-estimated, and neither was their arsenal, their capacity for violence. Max only had two options; he could bash, or he could grab, and once he grabbed it was difficult to let go. His shoulders hurt. The back of his head hurt. His hands felt bruised.
Where's Darlene?
Stephanie?
There was no telling where his opponent was now. He didn't want to risk hitting them, but he had no other option. Max peeled himself off of the wall and started walking forward, swinging the man-catcher in long horizontal arcs as he did so. Hopefully, he could catch his opponent in the arm and knock something from their grasp. Worst case scenario? The weapon broke.
The puncture wounds on his side continued to slowly bleed.
He wasn't expecting to have to block a wall.
Max stumbled back several paces before his back collided against the wall of the cave. A solid impact. The strength of his opponent was not to be under-estimated, and neither was their arsenal, their capacity for violence. Max only had two options; he could bash, or he could grab, and once he grabbed it was difficult to let go. His shoulders hurt. The back of his head hurt. His hands felt bruised.
Where's Darlene?
Stephanie?
There was no telling where his opponent was now. He didn't want to risk hitting them, but he had no other option. Max peeled himself off of the wall and started walking forward, swinging the man-catcher in long horizontal arcs as he did so. Hopefully, he could catch his opponent in the arm and knock something from their grasp. Worst case scenario? The weapon broke.
The puncture wounds on his side continued to slowly bleed.
Grunting as he essentially rammed his opponent back into what he assumed was the wall of the cave, Jeff's breath was taken away as the impact jarred his formerly-injured arm, sending pins and needles shooting into his body. The force of the collision caused him to drop the riot shield, and he stepped back with a grunt as he gritted his teeth to swallow the pain.
Whomever this was, they were well-built and strong. Could it be Connor? Ace, perhaps? There had been other athletes on the trip, a few baseball team members and perhaps some basketball players, but Jeff didn't know their names. He would have been shocked were his opponent one of the baseball players. It was a soft sport, played by soft people, and the enemy seemed to be more of a handful than he'd anticipated.
Nonetheless, he stood in the way of—
"Fuc— agh! Dammit!"
The blows came repeatedly as the pole lashed out and smacked him. Not once, not twice, but three times the pole battered his arm and the side of his chest. One of the hits seemed to do a bit more damage than the others, and he felt something pierce his arm, the warmth trickling down his shirt a quick indicator that he was now bleeding.
That just infuriated him more.
"Get out of my way," he snarled as he grasped the bat in his good hand and started to swing repeatedly and as heavily as he were able back in the direction that the assault had come from. Thanks to the darkness of the cave, he could only see what he thought might have been shadows — in the scuffle, they'd pushed away from the light source.
It was probably Ace, he decided as he took the bat in both hands and unleashed another wicked swing. The running back who fancied himself a real prospect; Jeff had never been overly impressed. Just another quick-footed thug.
Jeff wouldn't miss him. He wouldn't miss any of them.
Whomever this was, they were well-built and strong. Could it be Connor? Ace, perhaps? There had been other athletes on the trip, a few baseball team members and perhaps some basketball players, but Jeff didn't know their names. He would have been shocked were his opponent one of the baseball players. It was a soft sport, played by soft people, and the enemy seemed to be more of a handful than he'd anticipated.
Nonetheless, he stood in the way of—
"Fuc— agh! Dammit!"
The blows came repeatedly as the pole lashed out and smacked him. Not once, not twice, but three times the pole battered his arm and the side of his chest. One of the hits seemed to do a bit more damage than the others, and he felt something pierce his arm, the warmth trickling down his shirt a quick indicator that he was now bleeding.
That just infuriated him more.
"Get out of my way," he snarled as he grasped the bat in his good hand and started to swing repeatedly and as heavily as he were able back in the direction that the assault had come from. Thanks to the darkness of the cave, he could only see what he thought might have been shadows — in the scuffle, they'd pushed away from the light source.
It was probably Ace, he decided as he took the bat in both hands and unleashed another wicked swing. The running back who fancied himself a real prospect; Jeff had never been overly impressed. Just another quick-footed thug.
Jeff wouldn't miss him. He wouldn't miss any of them.
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MethodicalSlacker
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Connections on several of the hits. This was either good if he was attacking his opponent, or bad if he was hurting an innocent, but in the dark the lines between the two were impossible to see. The shield that had previously protected him was gone, which didn't help matters, but there was some decidedly male profanity on the other end of the swing. On one hit a man-catcher tooth got lodged in them—not something he thought he could do without catching his opponent entirely, but nevertheless a technique that worked.
It was on the next swing that the man-catcher collided with the bat. His opponent had regained himself. Max decided to keep the man-catcher now close to himself, in order to parry his opponent's swipes. This plan did not survive contact with the enemy for very long—their strength was enough so that they could break the man-catcher if they hit it too hard.
The man-catcher lowered, Max was defenseless. One blow hit his shoulder, puncturing his skin again. Another his other side, and another around the area he had been wounded initially. One swing caught him square in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs. Max's eyes watered as he took a couple of steps back.
The way this is going, I won't survive.
He heard the rush of displaced air as the bat sailed through the space where his head had just been. To strike at that height, it was clear that his opponent had to be of a similar size as Max. This suspicion was borne of Max landing a hit on his assailant's collarbone as well, which was at a similar height as Max's. Denser, perhaps, but similar in vertical alignment for sure.
Max swung the man-catcher again as hard as he could. He had to put his body into it—his arms felt like they could give out any moment.
Just how sharp are the teeth on this thing?
It was on the next swing that the man-catcher collided with the bat. His opponent had regained himself. Max decided to keep the man-catcher now close to himself, in order to parry his opponent's swipes. This plan did not survive contact with the enemy for very long—their strength was enough so that they could break the man-catcher if they hit it too hard.
The man-catcher lowered, Max was defenseless. One blow hit his shoulder, puncturing his skin again. Another his other side, and another around the area he had been wounded initially. One swing caught him square in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs. Max's eyes watered as he took a couple of steps back.
The way this is going, I won't survive.
He heard the rush of displaced air as the bat sailed through the space where his head had just been. To strike at that height, it was clear that his opponent had to be of a similar size as Max. This suspicion was borne of Max landing a hit on his assailant's collarbone as well, which was at a similar height as Max's. Denser, perhaps, but similar in vertical alignment for sure.
Max swung the man-catcher again as hard as he could. He had to put his body into it—his arms felt like they could give out any moment.
Just how sharp are the teeth on this thing?
Whatever the hell this rod was, it landed yet another blow to his arm, causing yet another cry of fury and anger from the football player. This was getting absolutely ridiculous. If Jeff couldn't at least get a look at where Ace was coming from, the chances of him winning this battle were slim at best. His thuggish teammate had chosen a really piss-poor moment to team up with a murderer, though the company that he kept back home wasn't anything to write home about, either. Constantly found around the Carters, Jeff found himself realizing that while he had originally set out just to make Paloma pay, at this point Ace was going to find himself as collateral damage.
"Go and join your stupid friends and go to hell," he grunted as he aimed another swing high, hoping to catch the running back's face before he came back at him with another assault. Half-stumbling in the dark, Jeff ignored the growing pain in his arm as he swung again and again, not even caring if he hit anything.
For too many months, Jeff had dealt with the stupidity and the obnoxiousness of the George Hunter High School class of 2018. Over and over, he'd tried to let it be, trying not to let his temper get the better of him and just trying to get through it. Fate would have other ideas.
He'd never just get through this.
Being kind, working together? It was a born-to-lose deal in Survival of the Fittest. This was the only way.
Jeff only wished he'd realized that sooner.
"Go and join your stupid friends and go to hell," he grunted as he aimed another swing high, hoping to catch the running back's face before he came back at him with another assault. Half-stumbling in the dark, Jeff ignored the growing pain in his arm as he swung again and again, not even caring if he hit anything.
For too many months, Jeff had dealt with the stupidity and the obnoxiousness of the George Hunter High School class of 2018. Over and over, he'd tried to let it be, trying not to let his temper get the better of him and just trying to get through it. Fate would have other ideas.
He'd never just get through this.
Being kind, working together? It was a born-to-lose deal in Survival of the Fittest. This was the only way.
Jeff only wished he'd realized that sooner.
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MethodicalSlacker
- Posts: 1231
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There was no point in switching between attack and defense any longer. If Max was swinging, he'd collide with his opponent's swings. The only way forward was to just keep attacking. Max drew the man-catcher back and started to put his strength behind his next swing.
Suddenly, Max's vision went dark.
Darker than it had already been, anyway. The left side of his head felt like it was on fire. The bat had just clipped him, just barely missed full-contact with his skull. Something warm and wet trickled down from just on top of his ear. Max blinked a few times and yelped as a couple more swings caught him in the shoulders. A metallic smell filled Max's nose. He kept blinking, hoping his sight would return. He started swinging again with the man-catcher, getting mostly air, occasionally bumping into something, but he couldn't tell if it was his opponent or the wall.
He raised a hand to his face and rubbed at his eyes. There was dirt and hair on his face—mixed with blood, the gunk had coagulated around his eyes. Max wiped it clean and blinked it from his face.
Max could see now. There, closer than he'd thought, on the opposite end of the cave, was the mouth. In front of him was his opponent, back-lit. Their rough silhouette filled his vision, but at least now they were clearly outlined.
And that's all he needed.
With a shout, Max pulled the man-catcher back and thrust it at Jeff's throat.
Suddenly, Max's vision went dark.
Darker than it had already been, anyway. The left side of his head felt like it was on fire. The bat had just clipped him, just barely missed full-contact with his skull. Something warm and wet trickled down from just on top of his ear. Max blinked a few times and yelped as a couple more swings caught him in the shoulders. A metallic smell filled Max's nose. He kept blinking, hoping his sight would return. He started swinging again with the man-catcher, getting mostly air, occasionally bumping into something, but he couldn't tell if it was his opponent or the wall.
He raised a hand to his face and rubbed at his eyes. There was dirt and hair on his face—mixed with blood, the gunk had coagulated around his eyes. Max wiped it clean and blinked it from his face.
Max could see now. There, closer than he'd thought, on the opposite end of the cave, was the mouth. In front of him was his opponent, back-lit. Their rough silhouette filled his vision, but at least now they were clearly outlined.
And that's all he needed.
With a shout, Max pulled the man-catcher back and thrust it at Jeff's throat.