"Alrighty," Asha said with a shrug; not believing Jae but respecting his decision to leave it at that. Not like she could fault the guy for being hesitant to bare his soul in front of the cameras. If he changed his mind about wanting to talk later, she'd still be there for him. Ideally.
These thoughts were driven from her mind immediately when Dot bolted up and started freaking out, shaking and muttering inaudibly. She'd had a fucked-up dream, from the looks of it, and not the fun, humorously demented kind either. More of a creeping mortal dread behind every corner, ghostly faces peeking through your bedroom window at 3 AM type dream; where even if none if it was real, how you felt about it was real and terrifying.
Asha quickly hopped up from her pew and headed to Dot, sitting down beside her. She gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. We're all still here, and we're all still okay."
Happy Hour with the Deicide Squad
Evening/Night Day 3; PM for entry please
Dorothy almost jumped when Asha laid her hand on her shoulder. For a moment, she felt outside of the island. Outside of all this, somewhere in Arizona, where it was hot and she enjoyed talking a walk in a park. Somewhere else than her prison that was the island she was forced to fight on. She was on the verge of hyperventilating when Asha started speaking.
Asha's reassuring words echoed in her head, calming down Dot's heart and bringing a stop to the air eroding her lungs. She shallowed hard and turn her body and her head toward Asha. For a second, nothing happened until Dot lunged to wrap her arms around Asha. It was the third time she did something along the lines of jumping on Asha to hug her friend. Maybe she should change strategy to keep her friend on her toes? She gasped,
''I had the worst dream ever! I was in pain and it sucked!''
She untied her arms from her prey then wrapping them around herself. She took a look around, Jae was also awake. She wonder what time was it, but it was obviously getting later in the day with the available sunlight showing its nose through the holes of the church. She chewed on the inside of her lips, thinking about all the things that happened during the day while she was asleep.
''Anyways, did I miss anything?''
Asha's reassuring words echoed in her head, calming down Dot's heart and bringing a stop to the air eroding her lungs. She shallowed hard and turn her body and her head toward Asha. For a second, nothing happened until Dot lunged to wrap her arms around Asha. It was the third time she did something along the lines of jumping on Asha to hug her friend. Maybe she should change strategy to keep her friend on her toes? She gasped,
''I had the worst dream ever! I was in pain and it sucked!''
She untied her arms from her prey then wrapping them around herself. She took a look around, Jae was also awake. She wonder what time was it, but it was obviously getting later in the day with the available sunlight showing its nose through the holes of the church. She chewed on the inside of her lips, thinking about all the things that happened during the day while she was asleep.
''Anyways, did I miss anything?''
"Nope," Jae muttered. "Sharing time floor is yours, if you want it. I guess." Sharing time for him was over, at least. He didn't know Dorothy like he knew Asha, and continuing to spill his guts in front of her would just make things awkward. He was still coming to terms with everything himself - trying not to think about the fact that he probably wouldn't be able to come to terms with it all before he died - and he didn't need to bring yet another person into the mix.
He didn't have any words of comfort for Dorothy regarding her nightmare. He hadn't had any dreams that he could recall in the times he'd managed to sleep here. He was probably lucky in that regard.
With a sigh, Jae sat forward and eased his feet into his boots again before returning his water bottle to his bag and discarding the protein bar wrapper without care. He spared another glance for the window; what was left of the light was rapidly fading away as the rain began in earnest now. It was going to be the kind of night that merited curling up with a book and a cup of tea and his favorite music in the background. Three more items to add to the rapidly-growing list of things he would never have again.
Another draft blew through the building and Jae shivered. "Don't suppose it would be a good idea to try starting a fire in here..." he said to nobody in particular. Did they even have anything to burn? The meager plant life poking through the cracks in the floor wasn't very promising, and all of the wooden furniture was too sturdy to try burning unless they could break down one or two of the chairs. They should have taken Michael's axe.
He didn't have any words of comfort for Dorothy regarding her nightmare. He hadn't had any dreams that he could recall in the times he'd managed to sleep here. He was probably lucky in that regard.
With a sigh, Jae sat forward and eased his feet into his boots again before returning his water bottle to his bag and discarding the protein bar wrapper without care. He spared another glance for the window; what was left of the light was rapidly fading away as the rain began in earnest now. It was going to be the kind of night that merited curling up with a book and a cup of tea and his favorite music in the background. Three more items to add to the rapidly-growing list of things he would never have again.
Another draft blew through the building and Jae shivered. "Don't suppose it would be a good idea to try starting a fire in here..." he said to nobody in particular. Did they even have anything to burn? The meager plant life poking through the cracks in the floor wasn't very promising, and all of the wooden furniture was too sturdy to try burning unless they could break down one or two of the chairs. They should have taken Michael's axe.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Oh, Asha was a glad victim of the return of Dot's patented attack hug technique. As long as that powerful weapon remained in their arsenal, things could never get too dark or dreary. The lovely double-edged sword had thankfully worked its magic on Dot, too; and whatever flavor of demons had been hovering over her bedside, they must have been banished in a single flash of good cheer.
Tragically, all hugs eventually had to come to an end. Asha smiled at Dot, after she was released. "At least the pew didn't, like, give you a sliver while you were sleeping? That would really suck. But yeah, Like Jae said, we've just been talking."
The rain kicked into high gear, crashing down on the roof above them. This was the kind of night where Asha would sit on the porch of her house, uncaring of the cold; watching the drops fall through the streetlights, listening to the torrential downpour surrounding her, feeling comfortingly insignificant next to nature's enormity. The only thing preventing her from doing the same thing that night was the fact that it wasn't nearly as fun when you didn't have a heated house and a cup of coffee to return to.
She turned to Jae and shrugged. "I mean, I've kind of always wanted to be an arsonist, but I don't think that'd be very productive." As much as she loved the sight of a roaring fire, irrevocably turning all it touched into an ashy skeleton of itself, she couldn't really get behind destruction for destruction's sake. "We might just have to pretend to be penguins and huddle for warmth."
Tragically, all hugs eventually had to come to an end. Asha smiled at Dot, after she was released. "At least the pew didn't, like, give you a sliver while you were sleeping? That would really suck. But yeah, Like Jae said, we've just been talking."
The rain kicked into high gear, crashing down on the roof above them. This was the kind of night where Asha would sit on the porch of her house, uncaring of the cold; watching the drops fall through the streetlights, listening to the torrential downpour surrounding her, feeling comfortingly insignificant next to nature's enormity. The only thing preventing her from doing the same thing that night was the fact that it wasn't nearly as fun when you didn't have a heated house and a cup of coffee to return to.
She turned to Jae and shrugged. "I mean, I've kind of always wanted to be an arsonist, but I don't think that'd be very productive." As much as she loved the sight of a roaring fire, irrevocably turning all it touched into an ashy skeleton of itself, she couldn't really get behind destruction for destruction's sake. "We might just have to pretend to be penguins and huddle for warmth."
Like penguins? Dorothy wasn't so sure about that. Didn't they only do that when their wives went away to eat fish and they had to keep their babies safe? In this case, they had no penguin-equivalent of babies to protect and no penguin-equivalent of wives. The intention was good. She'd rather spent the night lukewarm than becoming a popsicle. Those things were really good, especially when it was hot outside, but the idea of becoming one wasn't interesting her. At least, not at the moment.
A girl has to keep doors open for her future, you know.
She looked at her gnawed fingers, her nails eroding away when her teeth chewed on them. They were messy, some had sharp edges, others were barely visible. Maybe that last point was because of the lack of light but the thought of having no nail on a finger scared her.
What would happen when she grabbed something? Would her finger cave in where there was once a nail holding it together? Or would blood start flowing and hiding her hand behind a red curtain?
Those thoughts made her jump on her thumb's skin, the one that was kinda white and she assumed dead or dying. Her teeth connected. Snip, snip. She removed a small bit of skin, hanging on the edge of her nail. She took a bite out of it and peeled a layer of skin off her thumb. She shallowed her meager meal and started thinking about what Jae said. A fire would be destructive and it could hurt them.
But, it could be an enjoyable experience if they weren't inside the church. She giggled a bit and let an arsonist wet dream out,
''Maybe before we go tomorrow, we could set this place on fire? That'd be fun, right? Unless you wanna' stay here longer, I'm cool with that too.''
A girl has to keep doors open for her future, you know.
She looked at her gnawed fingers, her nails eroding away when her teeth chewed on them. They were messy, some had sharp edges, others were barely visible. Maybe that last point was because of the lack of light but the thought of having no nail on a finger scared her.
What would happen when she grabbed something? Would her finger cave in where there was once a nail holding it together? Or would blood start flowing and hiding her hand behind a red curtain?
Those thoughts made her jump on her thumb's skin, the one that was kinda white and she assumed dead or dying. Her teeth connected. Snip, snip. She removed a small bit of skin, hanging on the edge of her nail. She took a bite out of it and peeled a layer of skin off her thumb. She shallowed her meager meal and started thinking about what Jae said. A fire would be destructive and it could hurt them.
But, it could be an enjoyable experience if they weren't inside the church. She giggled a bit and let an arsonist wet dream out,
''Maybe before we go tomorrow, we could set this place on fire? That'd be fun, right? Unless you wanna' stay here longer, I'm cool with that too.''
Jae couldn't help but snort in amusement at Dorothy's remark. The idea of burning down the chapel in the morning had a certain appeal to it. It definitely sounded cathartic. He didn't have his lighter, but he was pretty sure there were some in the first-aid kits. The building was probably too solid to burn without some kind of fuel, unfortunately. "Probably won't work, but it's fun to think about. Might as well cross arson off the bucket list while we're here."
Asha's sense of humor always did rub off on him when they spent time together.
"But nah, I've been here for like twenty-four hours and I want to get a move on in the morning. Places to go, people to see, you know." He paused, absently scraping the heel of his boot over the floor. "...I'll stick around though, if you guys want me." He didn't want to leave Asha, and Dorothy was alright. There was a little more bite to her than Jae would have first assumed.
"You should get some sleep though," he said to Asha. "You guys can penguin huddle or whatever, I'll stay up now." A watchman probably wasn't really necessary with the barricade they'd erected, but it wasn't like he had much else to do.
He settled back against the side of the pew and set the crossbow in his lap, and waited.
Jae had dozed off again in the early hours of the morning, but he awoke as the sky outside lightened through the stained glass windows, sending a weaker image of the rising sun across the floor again. The rain had petered off, though the light was still soft and gray instead of sunny. He stood and stretched, noted Asha and Dorothy still soundly asleep nearby, and made his way over to their barricade at the front of the chapel. The announcement would come soon, and they couldn't afford to waste any time if they needed to jump ship.
With a grunt, Jae began pushing the chairs and pews out of the entryway. It was hard not to wonder whose name he would hear - Brendan? Michael? He wouldn't be overly surprised if either of them had gotten themselves killed. He wasn't sure he would mourn, either.
That was the thing, still. Most of these names, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have mourned. Michael could have driven his stupid motorcycle into a brick wall a week ago, and maybe it would have been a rude shock, to know that someone he saw almost everyday was gone and never coming back, but Jae couldn't honestly say that Michael's loss would have hurt him personally. Same for a lot of other people. He had thought about that before and hadn't been sure what, if anything, it said about him. He still wasn't sure.
Jae stopped to lean against the wall and catch his breath once he had cleared a decent pathway. The girls were starting to stir, probably roused from the noises of moving furniture.
Danya didn't keep them waiting long.
And almost immediately, instead of the vague loss and disquiet, there was horror.
Cameron? Vanessa's Cameron? Dead - and how she had died, that was the kicker. Alessio Rigano. Pickaxe. Jae wouldn't have had a face to put to that name, had he not seen it less than a day ago.
"Son of a bitch, are you kidding me?" They'd seen him. They had seen Alessio and the blood on the pickaxe, and Jae had never really paused to consider whose it might be. Had Vanessa found her, before-?
Jae was still sputtering his disbelief as Danya went on, barely hearing the next few names. Cameron Herrig. Alessio Rigano.
Henry Spencer.
"What-"
He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see, there was static in front of his eyes, and that wasn't right, he couldn't have heard right.
Henry Spencer. Alessio Rigano. That wasn't right. Henry couldn't just be fucking dead without them so much as seeing each other in passing. Alessio was nobody, what gave him the fucking right to be alive when Henry wasn't?
"Wha- I-"
Henry wasn't alive anymore.
"I should have shot that little fucker right in his fucking face!"
Jae couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. He pressed his hands over his face and screamed like a wounded animal through his clenched teeth.
Asha's sense of humor always did rub off on him when they spent time together.
"But nah, I've been here for like twenty-four hours and I want to get a move on in the morning. Places to go, people to see, you know." He paused, absently scraping the heel of his boot over the floor. "...I'll stick around though, if you guys want me." He didn't want to leave Asha, and Dorothy was alright. There was a little more bite to her than Jae would have first assumed.
"You should get some sleep though," he said to Asha. "You guys can penguin huddle or whatever, I'll stay up now." A watchman probably wasn't really necessary with the barricade they'd erected, but it wasn't like he had much else to do.
He settled back against the side of the pew and set the crossbow in his lap, and waited.
Jae had dozed off again in the early hours of the morning, but he awoke as the sky outside lightened through the stained glass windows, sending a weaker image of the rising sun across the floor again. The rain had petered off, though the light was still soft and gray instead of sunny. He stood and stretched, noted Asha and Dorothy still soundly asleep nearby, and made his way over to their barricade at the front of the chapel. The announcement would come soon, and they couldn't afford to waste any time if they needed to jump ship.
With a grunt, Jae began pushing the chairs and pews out of the entryway. It was hard not to wonder whose name he would hear - Brendan? Michael? He wouldn't be overly surprised if either of them had gotten themselves killed. He wasn't sure he would mourn, either.
That was the thing, still. Most of these names, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have mourned. Michael could have driven his stupid motorcycle into a brick wall a week ago, and maybe it would have been a rude shock, to know that someone he saw almost everyday was gone and never coming back, but Jae couldn't honestly say that Michael's loss would have hurt him personally. Same for a lot of other people. He had thought about that before and hadn't been sure what, if anything, it said about him. He still wasn't sure.
Jae stopped to lean against the wall and catch his breath once he had cleared a decent pathway. The girls were starting to stir, probably roused from the noises of moving furniture.
Danya didn't keep them waiting long.
And almost immediately, instead of the vague loss and disquiet, there was horror.
Cameron? Vanessa's Cameron? Dead - and how she had died, that was the kicker. Alessio Rigano. Pickaxe. Jae wouldn't have had a face to put to that name, had he not seen it less than a day ago.
"Son of a bitch, are you kidding me?" They'd seen him. They had seen Alessio and the blood on the pickaxe, and Jae had never really paused to consider whose it might be. Had Vanessa found her, before-?
Jae was still sputtering his disbelief as Danya went on, barely hearing the next few names. Cameron Herrig. Alessio Rigano.
Henry Spencer.
"What-"
He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see, there was static in front of his eyes, and that wasn't right, he couldn't have heard right.
Henry Spencer. Alessio Rigano. That wasn't right. Henry couldn't just be fucking dead without them so much as seeing each other in passing. Alessio was nobody, what gave him the fucking right to be alive when Henry wasn't?
"Wha- I-"
Henry wasn't alive anymore.
"I should have shot that little fucker right in his fucking face!"
Jae couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. He pressed his hands over his face and screamed like a wounded animal through his clenched teeth.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Asha snorted at Jae's implication. "What, didja think that was even a question? Of course you're sticking around. Freaking nerd." They hadn't come this far just to ditch a friend for... reasons. She figured the only reason that Jae would ever doubt that was because he still felt guilty, or like he was being a burden. She'd have to keep an eye out in the future to decapitate those nasty little demons of insecurity if they showed their heads again.
"But yeah, I do need some sleep. Thanks for keeping watch, Jae; we can all decide in the morning if we wanna burn God down or not," Asha said before she gave Dot a quick hug and went to find a pew that looked comfortable enough to pass out on.
-
Asha dreamed that she was working at a video rental store in the summertime, alongside a cool girl. When she woke up she felt a vague sense of loss, and along with being slightly confused because who the fuck even remembers video rental stores.
She remained lying down on the pew for a few minutes while she woke up, watching Jae clear her barricades. On the one hand, it probably wasn't very nice to let the injured guy do all the work. On the other hand, she really didn't want to move yet. She and Dot were the ones who had put them up in the first place, so it was also kinda fair for Jae to be the one to take them down, right? Asha would definitely get up and help him with the rest of the debris. In just a few minutes.
Her lazing about was interrupted by the announcement, which she should have expected but didn't. She sat up with a groan, empty stomach feeling suddenly nauseous. She glanced at Dot to confirm that she was awake, too; then listened and waited to learn which of her friends she'd never see again.
Alessio had killed before he ran into the church, but Asha had already sort of assumed that had been the case, hadn't she? Jae seemed legitimately shocked, though. Funny, she considered him to be a hell of a lot more cynical than she was.
Wayne's death came as more of a shock than Asha had thought it'd be. She definitely hadn't been hoping that she'd have to hear his name read, but she had half expected to hear that he'd fucked up and crossed a Nancy or Isabel; and then she'd sigh and mourn the loss of a human life in the abstract but not much beyond that.
She never thought that he would end up killing himself.
That brought to mind uncomfortable questions of his fear, and guilt, and second-guessing and second chances; shattering the one-dimensional demonisation that had colored her perception of him ever since he had ditched them on that first night. "Wayne, you stupid fucking asshole," Asha muttered to herself, choking up a little. "You could have just apologized." Of course, in reality it wouldn't have been that easy, but even at her pettiest she had never wanted him to die
Henry Spencer.
Wayne was forgotten about, for now; replaced by the knowledge that another killer that she had been happy to let free had killed another one of her friends. Isabel hadn't changed, either.
Asha stood there, stunned; helpless as Jae cried and screamed his soul out. She wanted to help but couldn't; couldn't even fully process it herself, and latched on to the most pressing news of the announcement.
She slowly walked up to Jae, placed a hand on his back. "Jae, I'm - I'm sorry but we gotta get the fuck out of here. Now." There would be time for tears when their heads weren't about to be blown off.
Then Asha, Jae, and Dot got out of there.
((Asha and Dot stuck together.))
((Jae made a detour.))
"But yeah, I do need some sleep. Thanks for keeping watch, Jae; we can all decide in the morning if we wanna burn God down or not," Asha said before she gave Dot a quick hug and went to find a pew that looked comfortable enough to pass out on.
-
Asha dreamed that she was working at a video rental store in the summertime, alongside a cool girl. When she woke up she felt a vague sense of loss, and along with being slightly confused because who the fuck even remembers video rental stores.
She remained lying down on the pew for a few minutes while she woke up, watching Jae clear her barricades. On the one hand, it probably wasn't very nice to let the injured guy do all the work. On the other hand, she really didn't want to move yet. She and Dot were the ones who had put them up in the first place, so it was also kinda fair for Jae to be the one to take them down, right? Asha would definitely get up and help him with the rest of the debris. In just a few minutes.
Her lazing about was interrupted by the announcement, which she should have expected but didn't. She sat up with a groan, empty stomach feeling suddenly nauseous. She glanced at Dot to confirm that she was awake, too; then listened and waited to learn which of her friends she'd never see again.
Alessio had killed before he ran into the church, but Asha had already sort of assumed that had been the case, hadn't she? Jae seemed legitimately shocked, though. Funny, she considered him to be a hell of a lot more cynical than she was.
Wayne's death came as more of a shock than Asha had thought it'd be. She definitely hadn't been hoping that she'd have to hear his name read, but she had half expected to hear that he'd fucked up and crossed a Nancy or Isabel; and then she'd sigh and mourn the loss of a human life in the abstract but not much beyond that.
She never thought that he would end up killing himself.
That brought to mind uncomfortable questions of his fear, and guilt, and second-guessing and second chances; shattering the one-dimensional demonisation that had colored her perception of him ever since he had ditched them on that first night. "Wayne, you stupid fucking asshole," Asha muttered to herself, choking up a little. "You could have just apologized." Of course, in reality it wouldn't have been that easy, but even at her pettiest she had never wanted him to die
Henry Spencer.
Wayne was forgotten about, for now; replaced by the knowledge that another killer that she had been happy to let free had killed another one of her friends. Isabel hadn't changed, either.
Asha stood there, stunned; helpless as Jae cried and screamed his soul out. She wanted to help but couldn't; couldn't even fully process it herself, and latched on to the most pressing news of the announcement.
She slowly walked up to Jae, placed a hand on his back. "Jae, I'm - I'm sorry but we gotta get the fuck out of here. Now." There would be time for tears when their heads weren't about to be blown off.
Then Asha, Jae, and Dot got out of there.
((Asha and Dot stuck together.))
((Jae made a detour.))