Even with all of her strength, Megan could not catch up to Aria. As soon as she made it to the rusted out entrance, he had already managed to make quite some distance between the two girls. Nuh-uh. Nope. Fuck this. She wasn't going to get themselves killed over a damn golf club.
She kicked the wall, causing a sound to reverberate through the hanger. "God dammit!" Another kick. Another.
After getting the anger out, she took a deep breath and crossed her arms, trying to wrap around what the fuck they can do now. "I'm so sorry, girl...this is my fault," she apologized to Bella while facing the exterior of the airstrip. "I fucked us up." It was bad enough to get a weapon stolen, but it wasn't even hers in the first place. It was Bella's.
The Despair Game
Bella resisted the hot tears that threatened to well in her eyes as Aria ran beyond reach. She'd cried enough already, and going to pieces over something like that wouldn't do any good. What would happen if she saw someone die in front of her?
Megan was swearing profusely and kicking the side of the hangar. Bella felt tempted to join her. As odd as it would feel, she needed to get her aggression out somehow. Aria...Aria looked so sweet and innocent, and yet he'd played both her and Megan for trumps! Unless...unless he saw them as a threat somehow, and...Bella couldn't believe that. Megan was harmless, and she'd never ever had the thought of hurting Aria...
Bella rammed a fist against the wall as Megan apologised for the loss of her weapon. Bella wanted to scream and cry and curl up on the floor, but she couldn't. She knew she couldn't. Even this little transgression felt like it was overstepping the mark. Composure was everything, and she wasn't going to sink to the depths that the bastards that controlled this...game or whatever the hell it was wanted her to.
It wasn't as if it mattered though, did it? It wasn't as if she'd have any want to attack anybody, or need to protect herself against others. She'd been a good girl, sweet and nice to everybody. Well, she'd tried to be. It was hard sometimes, admittedly, and her pretty words might've been ugly to some people. Still, Aria had taken the temptation away from her. The temptation that she refused to acknowledge might surface. For that, she was thankful. She needed to be thankful, else she'd hate him with every fibre of her being.
She took a shaky breath and turned to Megan. "It's...it's okay, Megan. It wasn't your fault, truly. There's no way that either of us could've known Aria would do that. He was scared, and...well. I don't blame him, and I don't blame you. I'll stay with you, okay, Megan? What Aria did...it doesn't change anything. I don't want to lose an ally such as you."
No. I'm not losing anybody else. I'm going to find the others, and we're going to stick together, and then everything will be fine.
Megan was swearing profusely and kicking the side of the hangar. Bella felt tempted to join her. As odd as it would feel, she needed to get her aggression out somehow. Aria...Aria looked so sweet and innocent, and yet he'd played both her and Megan for trumps! Unless...unless he saw them as a threat somehow, and...Bella couldn't believe that. Megan was harmless, and she'd never ever had the thought of hurting Aria...
Bella rammed a fist against the wall as Megan apologised for the loss of her weapon. Bella wanted to scream and cry and curl up on the floor, but she couldn't. She knew she couldn't. Even this little transgression felt like it was overstepping the mark. Composure was everything, and she wasn't going to sink to the depths that the bastards that controlled this...game or whatever the hell it was wanted her to.
It wasn't as if it mattered though, did it? It wasn't as if she'd have any want to attack anybody, or need to protect herself against others. She'd been a good girl, sweet and nice to everybody. Well, she'd tried to be. It was hard sometimes, admittedly, and her pretty words might've been ugly to some people. Still, Aria had taken the temptation away from her. The temptation that she refused to acknowledge might surface. For that, she was thankful. She needed to be thankful, else she'd hate him with every fibre of her being.
She took a shaky breath and turned to Megan. "It's...it's okay, Megan. It wasn't your fault, truly. There's no way that either of us could've known Aria would do that. He was scared, and...well. I don't blame him, and I don't blame you. I'll stay with you, okay, Megan? What Aria did...it doesn't change anything. I don't want to lose an ally such as you."
No. I'm not losing anybody else. I'm going to find the others, and we're going to stick together, and then everything will be fine.
Damn. Hearing Bella slam her fist the wall like that made her realize that she had never seen Bella lose her cool. Sure, she could be a little neurotic at times, but never mad. Just the idea of Bella releasing her anger physically would of been a foreign thought until she saw it a moment ago. This, coupled with Aria running away like a little bitch, made her realize something.
Megan was going to see a lot of things she didn't know about her classmates.
But then Bella turned back to the way she was, pacifying Megan with her words. It certainly made her feel better, and Bella was right about Aria. She uncrossed her arms and said, "Yeah, you're right. I can't blame him; I'd probably do the same if I thought I was the minority in a group or something. Oh well, I hope he thinks he made the right decision, because there's no turning back now."
But what was the turning back point? When they signed up for the Disneyland trip? When they boarded the bus to the airport? When they got on the airport?
Megan looked down and kicked the floor. "I guess we can't practice our backswing now." Hopefully some humor would help lighten up the atmosphere of death.
"So... what do you wanna do? I think I saw a map in my duffel bag; we could try to make a game plan from it, or just check out some local buildings for something useful...in fact, I thought I saw a control tower outside. It's a stretch, but there might be at least something decently useful in there or something. I dunno." Megan shrugged. The last thing she ever wanted to do was make decisions, or at least decisions that would affect more people than just her.
Megan was going to see a lot of things she didn't know about her classmates.
But then Bella turned back to the way she was, pacifying Megan with her words. It certainly made her feel better, and Bella was right about Aria. She uncrossed her arms and said, "Yeah, you're right. I can't blame him; I'd probably do the same if I thought I was the minority in a group or something. Oh well, I hope he thinks he made the right decision, because there's no turning back now."
But what was the turning back point? When they signed up for the Disneyland trip? When they boarded the bus to the airport? When they got on the airport?
Megan looked down and kicked the floor. "I guess we can't practice our backswing now." Hopefully some humor would help lighten up the atmosphere of death.
"So... what do you wanna do? I think I saw a map in my duffel bag; we could try to make a game plan from it, or just check out some local buildings for something useful...in fact, I thought I saw a control tower outside. It's a stretch, but there might be at least something decently useful in there or something. I dunno." Megan shrugged. The last thing she ever wanted to do was make decisions, or at least decisions that would affect more people than just her.
"Heh." Bella managed a smirk at Megan's joke. Anything to keep up morale would be good, even if it was simply shards of humour like that. That was something Bella'd always appreciated about Megan - her sense of humour. A lot of her other friends weren't really the joking type - Bella herself wasn't exactly the most humourus of kids - but Megan was always good for a joke of sorts.
She nodded as Megan mentioned the control tower outside the hangar. Even if it didn't hold many useful items, it was still a better place to regroup and go over plans in more detail than in the hangar. Here was so...open.
"Yeah," she said, moving over towards her dufflebag. At least one good thing had arisen from Aria's theft - she wouldn't be left carrying around such a cumbersome weapon, and the possibility of a classmate's death being on her hands had just dropped significantly. "The tower sounds like a good plan."
Bella knelt over her satchel and designated bag, making sure that everything was in place. It wouldn't do to leave behind any rations or anything. As she did so her beret shifted on her forehead, sending a few loose strands of hair into her face. She'd almost forgotten it was there. After a moment of thinking, she decided to place it inside her satchel. It wouldn't do for her to lose it out there, and it was such a precious item to her.
"So...tower right? And...you've got a bottle of prop blood, right? That's better than nothing, isn't it? I'm sure it'll prove useful. A lot better than, say a board game or something."
A memory flashed through her mind, of broken board games and a movie marathon. It seemed a world away from where they were now. She'd never get to do that again. Do something as simple as watch a movie. At least, not without this experience permanently etched into her mind.
"We'll be okay, Megan."
Pulling her satchel over her arm and gently kicking her bag a few feet forward, Bella returned to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It'll all be alright."
She nodded as Megan mentioned the control tower outside the hangar. Even if it didn't hold many useful items, it was still a better place to regroup and go over plans in more detail than in the hangar. Here was so...open.
"Yeah," she said, moving over towards her dufflebag. At least one good thing had arisen from Aria's theft - she wouldn't be left carrying around such a cumbersome weapon, and the possibility of a classmate's death being on her hands had just dropped significantly. "The tower sounds like a good plan."
Bella knelt over her satchel and designated bag, making sure that everything was in place. It wouldn't do to leave behind any rations or anything. As she did so her beret shifted on her forehead, sending a few loose strands of hair into her face. She'd almost forgotten it was there. After a moment of thinking, she decided to place it inside her satchel. It wouldn't do for her to lose it out there, and it was such a precious item to her.
"So...tower right? And...you've got a bottle of prop blood, right? That's better than nothing, isn't it? I'm sure it'll prove useful. A lot better than, say a board game or something."
A memory flashed through her mind, of broken board games and a movie marathon. It seemed a world away from where they were now. She'd never get to do that again. Do something as simple as watch a movie. At least, not without this experience permanently etched into her mind.
"We'll be okay, Megan."
Pulling her satchel over her arm and gently kicking her bag a few feet forward, Bella returned to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It'll all be alright."
The hand on Megan's shoulder was the most reassuring thing from the moment she had woken up to now. It was really good to know someone had her back, and likewise Megan had Bella's. Yeah, as long as they stuck together, they could get through anything; even this game. "The power of friendship" and all that shit.
Megan smiled. "Thanks, Bella. You don't know how glad I am that you were the first person I found." She nodded her head. "Seriously, I am."
Then she noticed Bella had gotten her stuff together, so she should probably do the same. "Oh, right; one sec." Megan walked with purpose to where she dropped her things. She checked to make sure everything was still there, put on her backpack, and grabbed the duffel bag and returned to her friend.
"Okay, I think that's everything. Let's go check that tower out."
((Megan Emerson continued in: Scavengers))
Megan smiled. "Thanks, Bella. You don't know how glad I am that you were the first person I found." She nodded her head. "Seriously, I am."
Then she noticed Bella had gotten her stuff together, so she should probably do the same. "Oh, right; one sec." Megan walked with purpose to where she dropped her things. She checked to make sure everything was still there, put on her backpack, and grabbed the duffel bag and returned to her friend.
"Okay, I think that's everything. Let's go check that tower out."
((Megan Emerson continued in: Scavengers))
Bella sighed in relief as Megan smiled and confirmed her loyalty. With the two of them as a team, there wasn't much they could fail at, was there?
"Thank you, Megan," she said, leaning back down to retrieve her bags. "I'm glad as well, to have you here beside me."
Bella pulled her dufflebag over her shoulder as Megan checked her own belongings. When Megan had returned to her side she took a deep breath and locked her fingers around the leather strap of her satchel. One foot in front of the other, the two girls began to make their way out of the airstrip hangar, into the lands beyond.
((Mirabella Strong continued in Scavengers))
"Thank you, Megan," she said, leaning back down to retrieve her bags. "I'm glad as well, to have you here beside me."
Bella pulled her dufflebag over her shoulder as Megan checked her own belongings. When Megan had returned to her side she took a deep breath and locked her fingers around the leather strap of her satchel. One foot in front of the other, the two girls began to make their way out of the airstrip hangar, into the lands beyond.
((Mirabella Strong continued in Scavengers))