One Step Forward...

[Cyco†]

The attacker effectively dealt with, Harry turned quickly back around to face the rock again. His heart was racing painfully fast and he was getting a headache.

'Yeah, that's right...' he thought, grabbing the for the GPS around his neck. 'You see what you get when you try to jap Harry Tsai--'

There was a sudden and confusing crack of breaking glass beside him followed immediately by an explosion of flames. Harry scrambled frantically away from it the moment it went off, but he wasn't fast enough to escape the ring of fire that swept quickly across the ground and caught his pant leg on fire.

"AAAAAAH! SHIT!!" Harry raced to put it out, stamping and swatting at the flames. First that hidden revolver and now they were pulling firebombs out of their asses? At this point he wouldn't have been surprised if the guy behind him leaped up and revealed he'd been wearing a bulletproof vest all along.

"Now!" cried one of the three assholes, and Harry snatched the GPS from around his neck again. To his horror, they were charging the precipice on opposite sides. A pincer attack.

'Fuck this,' he decided hastily, swinging his daypack onto his shoulder and ducking low to make himself less of a target as he raced into the trees. He didn't even glance at the dying boy on the ground as he passed him.

It was getting easier to ignore.

((continued elsewhere...))

[blastinus]

(On account of Llama's recent weather problems, I'll make this a quickie.)

A chill ran over Jimmy at first when he heard the sounds of fire. His vision had mostly faded at that point, such that it appeared that he was looking through a blizzard. He couldn't even see Harry later running past him, but he could hear someone moving close to him. Whatever was happening, Jimmy couldn't say, but the noises sounded like their attacker was gone. Attempting to get to his feet, the half-blind man suddenly felt another spasm of pain which sent him back onto his back. "Gagkh...E-Eddie," he forced out, every thing he said feeling to him like someone was shoving a knife in his ribs. "Somebody..." coughing a little bit, and feeling an iron taste in his mouth, he finally forced out, "S-Someone help! Please..."

[Super Llama†]

Laeil couldn't help but conjure up a sadistic grin as Harry turned tail and ran. What's the matter? When things stop being to your advantage, you're just gonna run away? She raised her revolver to Harry's fleeing back as she prepared to fire off another shot at this asshole that had caused them all grief just a moment ago-

"S-Someone help! Please..."

Laeil's blood froze in her veins as she heard a familiar distressed voice, turning to look in it's direction and seeing an injured Jimmy lying on the ground. So when he was turning to shoot at something, he was shooting at...

"SHIT!"

Any thoughts of hostility quickly left her mind as she turned around and dashed towards her pack, picking it up and carrying it over to Jimmy, diving inside to retrieve the first aid kit. As she pulled it out, she looked over Jimmy's injuries and noticed that it was highly unlikely that anything she had would save him.

"Shit, no..."

[DetectiveArcher†]

Closing in, Eddie pumped another round into the Remington and fired again. The student who'd been attacking knew when he'd worn out his welcome and fled the scene. Eddie doubled over and rested his hands on his knees, smiling at the small victory. "Gagkh...E-Eddie." His heart skipped a beat. "Somebody... S-Someone help! Please..."

Forcing strength into his legs, he raced towards the sound of Jimmy's voice, all fatigue forgotten. He called the boy's name, racing to his side. Lyn had already retrieved on of the first aid kits, but she seemed at a loss for what to do. Jimmy's lips were already speckled with blood. Eddie knew enough to understand what that meant. He shook his head, a sinking feeling settling into the pit of his stomach."Oh fuck...."

Kneeling down, he wondered if he should say something. "Uh...hey, J-Jim," he managed to sputter. He wasn't sure what else he could come up with. "Th-that's not so b-bad. Lyn'll p-patch you up, we'll rest a b-bit, and you'll b-be j-just like new." He swallowed a lump in his throat. Eddie'd always been a piss poor liar.

[blastinus]

In the haze, Jimmy could barely make out movement, though it was hard to even figure out what was moving. The voices of his friends could be made out, but they sounded warped and distorted. They were trying to tell him he'd be okay, but by the language which he could make out, he looked as bad as he felt. By what they were saying, there was nothing they could do. He was done for.

I wonder how it'll feel to die. Right now, it feels like crap.

Wincing again after attempting to shift his eyes to look at Eddie, Jimmy finally stopped struggling to sit up and just lay down on his back. "I'm dead. I can't believe it," he said, before coughing up some more blood onto the front of his shirt. Feeling another wave of pain going through his body, Jimmy looked up at nowhere in particular and smiled. "All this time...what a waste of time." Laughing weakly, the half-blind man steeled himself against the pain to say one last thing to his two friends. They would need to know this, otherwise the weapons they had would be useless.

Turning first to Lyn, Jimmy told her, "That revolver.....I don't have the ammo. It's in the Storehouse, on a corpse hidden behind some boxes. Please, get it. As for you, Eddie, the ammo for that rifle is in my bag. Take it all. You'll need it." His voice had been steadily getting more hoarse as he talked, and he finally just coughed again, spattering his shirt more with his blood. "One last thing....please, shoot me. This...this hurts! I'm dying now, and nothing will stop that, and it hurts! I don't...don't want to die coughing my guts out." His voice was beginning to get really scratchy, and he knew it would soon get impossible to talk. "Please," he croaked, "just...just make it quick!"

[Super Llama†]

"No...there's nothing we can do for him now." Laeil said in response to Eddie's attempt at feigning optimism. There was no point in sugar-coating it, she was sure even Jimmy knew what was going to happen to him.

"Hey, who are you? Are you okay?"

"Fuck!" Laeil shouted in frustration. The second person she could remember to have ever done anything good for her, and she went and let him get killed. And worst of all, his killer got away. Just like Melina had gotten away all those times. Even with that feeling of power she had longed for for the longest time, she couldn't do a damn thing.

"That revolver.....I don't have the ammo. It's in the Storehouse, on a corpse hidden behind some boxes."

She looked back in surprise as Jimmy revealed that what was in the revolver was all he had. Fiddling with the gun for a moment, she managed to open up the chamber, and sure enough, there was only one bullet left (but she was sure that she only fired four shots. Jimmy must've shot it before they met up.) She felt another chill as the Storehouse was mentioned. She REALLY didn't want to go back there, not after her experiences last time. But...it looked like there was no other choice if she wanted to keep using the revolver.

"One last thing....please, shoot me. This...this hurts! I'm dying now, and nothing will stop that, and it hurts! I don't...don't want to die coughing my guts out."

Lyn looked up at Jimmy as if he were asking the impossible. Sure, she'd contemplated it a few times before, but when it came down to it, she really couldn't do it. But as much as she was sure she couldn't do it, she was even MORE sure that Eddie couldn't.

It had to be her.

"A-alright." Lyn's voice caught in her throat as she spoke, and she could barely get the word out. Pushing the chamber back in place, she absentmindedly gave it a spin. Cursing as she realized what she did, she shook her head and put the barrel of the gun against Jimmy's temple, her hand trembling.

"...see ya."


click









click









click









BANG!

[DetectiveArcher†]

Opening and closing his mouth, Eddie tried to say something, anything, to the dying boy that might very well have been his only friend. The words wouldn't come, catching in his throat as James Trejo asked to be put out of his misery. No, this wasn't happening. He was imagining it. Clamping his eyes shut, Eddie wished the whole situation away.

When he cautiously opened one eye, the boy who, without any insentive, went out of his way to be a help was still bleeding all over the ground. Eddie's white knuckle grip on the Remington would have begun to ache if he could feel anything.

"A-alright." Lyn's tired agreement to Jimmy's last request snapped Eddie back to his senses. The girl in grim reaper black checked the pistol's cylinder. No, he couldn't let her just shoot Jimmy. That was sick! What do you propose she do, then? He's dead. You know it, Lyn knows, Jimmy knows it better than either of you. The dark haired boy didn't want to accept it, but the stark reality of the situation would not be denied.

"If it's okay, do you mind if I come along with you? I've got another weapon, and I can navigate better than you might think."

The memory hit like a kick in the stomach. Eddie gritted his teeth. "J-Jimmy. I'm sorry. I'm so f-fuckin' sorry," he said, fighting back tears, "I di-di-didn't mean for this t-to happen." Lyn cocked the hammer on her revolver. Eddie cleared his throat and tried to compose himself. "Hey, n-no w-worries, right? G-guy like you'll g-get nothing b-but the b-best in the hereafter. S-save me a g-good seat, alright? Later, J-Jimmy." Lyn gave her own curt goodbye, waited a moment that stretched into hours, and pulled the trigger.

[blastinus]

Jimmy swallowed hard to try to hold down his tears. All the things he wanted to say to the two of them, all the things he wanted them to know, he probably wouldn't have the ability or opportunity to say. With Lyn's revolver pressed against forehead, and an assent already exiting her mouth, it was clear that he would not have the time to do anything. And he didn't have the strength anymore to say anything anyway. Oh well, it was good, I suppose. Might as well just take it with a smile. What's taking so-

Click.

Jimmy had gasped involuntarily when the trigger had been pulled. Noticing though that he was not dead, he decided to make use of his free time. He would start with a goodbye to Eddie, the stuttering and somewhat overweight fellow he had met standing on an island in a swamp. Ed, man. If you can hear me, I just want to say good luck to you. You need to work on your confidence, but I think you've got a chance in this game. Don't let Lyn bother you, and please try to work with her to make it up to the-

Click.

Another one! What was Lyn up to? Was she playing a game of Russian Roulette with him? Jimmy noticed then that his heart was starting to pound like a jackhammer. He needed to hurry this up. He moved on then to Lyn, who he had found and saved from a shocked state in the Storehouse, the place he was sending her to now. Lyn, I know I can't agree with how you do things. I just don't think these people deserve to lose any chance of getting good stuff. Still, I want you to know that I'm rooting for you. Watch Eddie's back, and don't let his stuttering get to you. He's really a nice-

Click

This was getting intense. Jimmy was now sweating like a dog and breathing hard. Three barrels had been emptied, leaving him with two misses or less. It was time for the conclusion. You two, the both of you, are going to have to fight each other eventually. There can be only one, after all. But until then, please stay friends. Work hard, work together and kick some ass for me. Lyn, Eddie, I'll-

BANG

As Jimmy's head snapped back, his eyes flew open, showing him, for just a moment or two, the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. There, looking down at him, were the true faces of the people he had called friends, brightly lit up by the orange glow of the setting sun.

B93 - JAMES TREJO: ELIMINATED

[Super Llama†]

Lyn knelt there, staring blankly at Jimmy's body for what seemed like the longest time. She couldn't help but feel as if she had done something truely horrible, even for her. Finally, she stood up, making her way over to Jimmy's pack, and opened it up, rifling through it. She felt completely hollow, and like her body was just running on autopilot. Setting aside the ammo for the Remington, she picked the pack up and walked out into the water a little ways before rearing back and hurling it into the lagoon.

She watched as the pack, and its contents, sank into the water, which slowly turned a dark tint of blood red.

...wait, what?

Lyn looked further down, and indeed the water around her had turned blood red all of a sudden. In fact, it actually seemed to be eminating from her.

And then she saw her reflection.

She was covered in it, from head to toe. It was soaked into her clothes, her hair, it covered her skin. It was no part of her that wasn't free from it.

Blood. So much blood.

She stared at her reflection as a rush of emotions churned just underneath, all trying to be felt at once, yet so muddled she couldn't make out one from another.

Then the reflection grinned at her. A cheshire cat grin devoid of any humanity. And yet it seemed so welcoming, so familiar.

Lyn blinked, and in that moment it all disappeared. She wondered where her mind had wondered off to there for a brief moment before turning back around and walking back onto dry land. Picking up the ammo, she went over to Eddie and handed it over, her eyes looking even more dead than usual. Then picking up the Colt and shoving it into the back of her pants, then grabbing the map out of her pack and slinging the pack over her shoulder, she headed off into the brush without a word.

"Aww, why so down? It wasn't like that blind fuck was going to make it out of here alive. You thought I was wrong, didn't you? Well, even if I was, look what it got him! So tell me, how does it feel to murder one of the only people you could consider a friend?"

She didn't answer.

{{continued elsewhere}}

[DetectiveArcher†]

Another puddle of blood. Another dead body. Another fuck up. Jimmy's blank eyes stared out into the dark sky. Somewhere along the line, night fell and Eddie hadn't even noticed. Before it had been inaction, hiding in the shadows and keeping safe till the monsters had gone away. He'd lost Jodene because he hadn't done anything. Now, here he was, kneeling next to his friend's cooling corpse, knees soaked in blood, despite everything he'd done to help.

What a worthless friend. He couldn't do anything right. A voice chuckled at the back of his memories. Sitting in the dark, next to his dead friend, Eddie thought of Kimmy Redmond. "Just stop right there, Ed. Maybe there's some scared girl out there waiting to put her life in your incapable hands and end up dying for it, but that girl isn't me. I mean, seriously. You expect me to trust you with my life when you can't even protect yourself? You're useless to me, Ed. Completely and utterly worthless." She was right. How pathetic. He would have cried if he could force himself to feel anything but the guilt gnawing away at his insides.

He distantly recognized the sounds of Lyn moving. A splash from the lagoon. The aching in his hand let him know that he was still holding the rifle in a white knuckle grip. The weight of it felt suddenly comfortable. The warmth of where he held the Remington felt welcoming. It felt like coming home. For a long while he thought about putting the muzzle under his chin and pulling the trigger. But, a calm voice between his ears kindly said, if you do that you'll lose you know. Lyn will be left to her own devices, Jimmy will have died in vain, and you'll prove Kimmy right.

Eddie thought for what seemed like hours until more splashing from the lagoon brought him back to the world around him. Picking his head up, he watched as Lyn walked past him and toward treeline. He stood up to follow, but the look in the thin girl's eyes gave him pause. There was something wrong with that gaze. Hurrying to pack up what she'd set aside for him, Eddie realized what was wrong. It wasn't that there was something in her gaze that made him nervous. She was lacking something. Looking back at Jimmy's body Eddie shivered. "Those eyes are as dead as his."

Gathering up everything, Eddie began walking to catch up with Lyn. And, if there was a quickness in his step to get away from the place that held such terrible memories, he hid it well.

((Edward Sullivan continued elsewhere))