The Hardest Button to Button
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 5:47 am
{{continued from Running of the Fallen}}
{{OOC: Hope you don't mind me making a new thread over the old one, since everyone's already vacated that one}}
So fifteen percent of 200 is what, 30?
Laeil ran the math through her head one more time to make sure. It was tough to believe; for as long as it went on, the game seemed never-ending. But it was ending. Soon. Maybe within the next day or two if the rate of deaths kept up the way they had.
Only 30 people left. 30 people in my way. 30 people hardened by 11 days of death and mayhem, armed with guns, rifles, shotguns, grenades...ugh...
Thinking about it didn't help at all. Despite being so close, the end still seemed so far away. With more and more areas being declared dangerzones, they'd all be forced into smaller and smaller spaces. Still, it didn't matter if there was still a hundred students, she'd kill them all herself if she had to, all so she could beat this game once and for all and...and...
Laeil shook her head. The fact that she still had nothing to go home to was still a wall she kept running into once she started thinking about the long-term. All she had was this stubborn will to survive at any cost, brought on by an intense fear of death.
----------
"So what've we got here" Police Chief Crawford asked as he stepped out of his car. There was another police car parked just outside the house, with it's owners standing just outside, one male and one female.
"Looks like a pretty clear cut of homicide." The male officer said. "Husband and wife got into an argument, husband shot the wife and ran off. We've got witnesses, and the we just got word that the husband got caught several blocks away, and he was carrying what we think is the murder weapon. Even if he doesn't confess to it, I'm pretty sure he'll get convicted anyway."
"I see." Crawford said as he stepped into the house, the other two officers following after, "So the question we have now is, if it's so clear cut, why did you feel that I need to be out here?"
"Well, you have the most experience out of all of us, so you'd probably know how to deal with...that." The female officer said. As they walked into the kitchen, the first thing they saw was the body, lying face down on the floor amidst a pool of rapidly drying blood, with a hideous gaping wound in her forehead.
And to the side of it was a small girl, with dirty-blonde-ish hair. She knelt to the side of the body, nudging with her hands. Every once in a while, she spoke up. "Come on, mom, get up. You have to go to work tomorrow. Don't worry about the mess, I can clean it up." There was something in her eyes that showed that she was clearly not all there. "P-please, you're scaring me, mom. Say something." Her tone got more desperate as she continued.
"They have a 12 year-old daughter." The female officer explained, "We found her like this when we came in. She hasn't responded either of us."
"She's disturbing the crime scene." Crawford said simply.
"Uh...well..." The female officer stuttered. "We would've taken her out of here, but...well, it just doesn't seem right."
Crawford sighed. It made sense, they were both just rookies. They had no idea how to deal with a situation like this. Stepping forward, she put a hand firmly on the girl's shoulder, which finally got her attention. Turning to look at the man, the girl shrank back a bit. "W-who are you?" Crawford didn't blame her for the frightened reaction, he did have a rather intimidating presence.
"Listen, kid. Your mom, she's not going to wake up. She's dead. She's gone. She's not going to come back anymore."
"...b-but she can't be. She has to go to work tomorr-"
"She's not going to work tomorrow. She's not going to work ever again. Because she's dead."
The girl stared in confusion at Crawford for a second, then at the body, then at Crawford again. Slowly, things began to click, and as they did her eyes began to tear up, and she finally began to sob openly.
"Okay, get her out of here." Crawford said, the male officer stepping forward and leading the sobbing girl out of the house, the female officer staring at Crawford with a surprised look on her face.
"You...you didn't have to handle that so insensitively." She said. "I mean, she could have watched her mother get murdered right in front of her."
"Yeah, I guess I could've handled it better." Crawford admitted. Stating something like "Your mother is dead" so bluntly to a 12-year-old was a pretty horrible thing to do. Still, he never was that good at this kind of thing. They expected him to handle the situation as if he were an expert on breaking terrible, life-changing news to little kids, but he was just as in the dark about it as they were.
Wordlessly, Crawford stepped outside, followed by the officer, as flashing lights from the window signaled the arrival of the ambulance.
----------
The fog that had blanketed the spot where Laeil and Riz had fought each other had disappeared a while ago, and as Laeil continued, she came upon a break in the trees, with a building smack dab in the center of it. Still mulling the announcements, and her fight with Riz, over in her head, she approached the building, gun out in case someone else had decide to take up residence there before her. However, she found the place empty, stepping right inside. However, as soon as she did, she was hit with an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
"Wait, isn't this where..."
She turned around.
"Oh, son of a bitch."
Sure enough, lying on the ground, just next to the exit, was Anthony's corpse, which had attracted a multitude of flies, their incessant buzzing heard throughout the small building. He had also picked up something else...
"God, Anthony, you smell like shit."
"Well, I have you to thank for that, after all."
Laeil let out a sigh of annoyance. That voice, a voice that should belong to a dead man, might have been frightening back when she was utterly exhausted and at her wit's end, but now it was just irritating. "I hate it when the dead don't stay dead. Even though they ARE dead, but they keep acting like they're not dead and...ARGH!" This shit was starting to give her a headache. "So what? You're like my negativity or something? My paranoia? Ready to just jump in with you're little bits of advice and commentary? Well guess what, asshole! You're last little piece of advice, it was bullshit! Jimmy and Eddie didn't try to kill me!"
"Nope. Instead, you killed Jimmy and left Eddie to fend for himself."
She froze. "That...that doesn't-"
"Oh, you just KNOW karma is gonna bite you in the ass for that one."
"You mean just like it did you?" She sneered "Besides, I don't believe in that karma bullshit."
"Really? Well, think of it this way. How many times have you fucked up here on the island?"
To say Laeil was confused was an understatement. "What does that have to do with anythi-"
"When that kid rushed you with the revolver at the church. When Melina hit you in the face with the shotgun. When you fell asleep out in the open. TWICE. Each time you could've easily been killed, but you didn't. How long do you think that's going to last?"
Laeil stared down at Anthony's corpse. For a moment, it seemed like Anthony was talking to her from there, instead of as a voice in her head.
"Sooner or later, you're going to screw up, and you WON'T get out of it. No, in fact, I'd say it'll make up for all the times it missed, and hit you HARD."
Anthony may have been a complete asshole, but he was right. Laeil knew he was right. So many mistakes, and it was only a matter of time before she made THE mistake, and all it took was just one of those. Just one, and it was all over.
"What...what the hell do you want?"
"Me? I just want to watch you squirm."
Laeil felt panic digging away at the edge of her thoughts. The end seemed even further away than it did just a few minutes ago. In fact, it seemed almost unattainable. She would die here, in this hellhole, and there was nothing she could do about it. She fought to push all these negative thoughts and feelings away, and after a few moments, finally smiled a twisted smile.
"You know, you've always been such a big help. Being my first kill, and then providing me with all this helpful philosophical advice. 'Anyone who could help you, they'd rather just watch you die' or 'Sooner or later, you're going to fuck up and die.' You're a regular Confucius, aren't you? If only there was some way I could return the favor..." She snapped her fingers. "Oh, I got it!"
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a molotov. "I probably should save this for when I really need it, but I think you're definitely worth it." Pulling the rag from the top of the bottle, she then proceeded to empty its flammable contents over Anthony's body before pulling out her lighter.
"Do you really think this is going to change anything?"
"No, but it'll make me feel better."
And with that, she lit a corner of the rag on fire before dropping it onto Anthony's body and stepping outside, watching as the corpse lit up in a matter of seconds, charring flesh and bone, and scorching the inside of the building. If it was made of the right materials, she wouldn't be surprised if the whole building went up in flames.
"Fuck you, Anthony." Laeil said as she watched Anthony's funeral pyre, wondering where she should go next.
{{OOC: Hope you don't mind me making a new thread over the old one, since everyone's already vacated that one}}
So fifteen percent of 200 is what, 30?
Laeil ran the math through her head one more time to make sure. It was tough to believe; for as long as it went on, the game seemed never-ending. But it was ending. Soon. Maybe within the next day or two if the rate of deaths kept up the way they had.
Only 30 people left. 30 people in my way. 30 people hardened by 11 days of death and mayhem, armed with guns, rifles, shotguns, grenades...ugh...
Thinking about it didn't help at all. Despite being so close, the end still seemed so far away. With more and more areas being declared dangerzones, they'd all be forced into smaller and smaller spaces. Still, it didn't matter if there was still a hundred students, she'd kill them all herself if she had to, all so she could beat this game once and for all and...and...
Laeil shook her head. The fact that she still had nothing to go home to was still a wall she kept running into once she started thinking about the long-term. All she had was this stubborn will to survive at any cost, brought on by an intense fear of death.
----------
"So what've we got here" Police Chief Crawford asked as he stepped out of his car. There was another police car parked just outside the house, with it's owners standing just outside, one male and one female.
"Looks like a pretty clear cut of homicide." The male officer said. "Husband and wife got into an argument, husband shot the wife and ran off. We've got witnesses, and the we just got word that the husband got caught several blocks away, and he was carrying what we think is the murder weapon. Even if he doesn't confess to it, I'm pretty sure he'll get convicted anyway."
"I see." Crawford said as he stepped into the house, the other two officers following after, "So the question we have now is, if it's so clear cut, why did you feel that I need to be out here?"
"Well, you have the most experience out of all of us, so you'd probably know how to deal with...that." The female officer said. As they walked into the kitchen, the first thing they saw was the body, lying face down on the floor amidst a pool of rapidly drying blood, with a hideous gaping wound in her forehead.
And to the side of it was a small girl, with dirty-blonde-ish hair. She knelt to the side of the body, nudging with her hands. Every once in a while, she spoke up. "Come on, mom, get up. You have to go to work tomorrow. Don't worry about the mess, I can clean it up." There was something in her eyes that showed that she was clearly not all there. "P-please, you're scaring me, mom. Say something." Her tone got more desperate as she continued.
"They have a 12 year-old daughter." The female officer explained, "We found her like this when we came in. She hasn't responded either of us."
"She's disturbing the crime scene." Crawford said simply.
"Uh...well..." The female officer stuttered. "We would've taken her out of here, but...well, it just doesn't seem right."
Crawford sighed. It made sense, they were both just rookies. They had no idea how to deal with a situation like this. Stepping forward, she put a hand firmly on the girl's shoulder, which finally got her attention. Turning to look at the man, the girl shrank back a bit. "W-who are you?" Crawford didn't blame her for the frightened reaction, he did have a rather intimidating presence.
"Listen, kid. Your mom, she's not going to wake up. She's dead. She's gone. She's not going to come back anymore."
"...b-but she can't be. She has to go to work tomorr-"
"She's not going to work tomorrow. She's not going to work ever again. Because she's dead."
The girl stared in confusion at Crawford for a second, then at the body, then at Crawford again. Slowly, things began to click, and as they did her eyes began to tear up, and she finally began to sob openly.
"Okay, get her out of here." Crawford said, the male officer stepping forward and leading the sobbing girl out of the house, the female officer staring at Crawford with a surprised look on her face.
"You...you didn't have to handle that so insensitively." She said. "I mean, she could have watched her mother get murdered right in front of her."
"Yeah, I guess I could've handled it better." Crawford admitted. Stating something like "Your mother is dead" so bluntly to a 12-year-old was a pretty horrible thing to do. Still, he never was that good at this kind of thing. They expected him to handle the situation as if he were an expert on breaking terrible, life-changing news to little kids, but he was just as in the dark about it as they were.
Wordlessly, Crawford stepped outside, followed by the officer, as flashing lights from the window signaled the arrival of the ambulance.
----------
The fog that had blanketed the spot where Laeil and Riz had fought each other had disappeared a while ago, and as Laeil continued, she came upon a break in the trees, with a building smack dab in the center of it. Still mulling the announcements, and her fight with Riz, over in her head, she approached the building, gun out in case someone else had decide to take up residence there before her. However, she found the place empty, stepping right inside. However, as soon as she did, she was hit with an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
"Wait, isn't this where..."
She turned around.
"Oh, son of a bitch."
Sure enough, lying on the ground, just next to the exit, was Anthony's corpse, which had attracted a multitude of flies, their incessant buzzing heard throughout the small building. He had also picked up something else...
"God, Anthony, you smell like shit."
"Well, I have you to thank for that, after all."
Laeil let out a sigh of annoyance. That voice, a voice that should belong to a dead man, might have been frightening back when she was utterly exhausted and at her wit's end, but now it was just irritating. "I hate it when the dead don't stay dead. Even though they ARE dead, but they keep acting like they're not dead and...ARGH!" This shit was starting to give her a headache. "So what? You're like my negativity or something? My paranoia? Ready to just jump in with you're little bits of advice and commentary? Well guess what, asshole! You're last little piece of advice, it was bullshit! Jimmy and Eddie didn't try to kill me!"
"Nope. Instead, you killed Jimmy and left Eddie to fend for himself."
She froze. "That...that doesn't-"
"Oh, you just KNOW karma is gonna bite you in the ass for that one."
"You mean just like it did you?" She sneered "Besides, I don't believe in that karma bullshit."
"Really? Well, think of it this way. How many times have you fucked up here on the island?"
To say Laeil was confused was an understatement. "What does that have to do with anythi-"
"When that kid rushed you with the revolver at the church. When Melina hit you in the face with the shotgun. When you fell asleep out in the open. TWICE. Each time you could've easily been killed, but you didn't. How long do you think that's going to last?"
Laeil stared down at Anthony's corpse. For a moment, it seemed like Anthony was talking to her from there, instead of as a voice in her head.
"Sooner or later, you're going to screw up, and you WON'T get out of it. No, in fact, I'd say it'll make up for all the times it missed, and hit you HARD."
Anthony may have been a complete asshole, but he was right. Laeil knew he was right. So many mistakes, and it was only a matter of time before she made THE mistake, and all it took was just one of those. Just one, and it was all over.
"What...what the hell do you want?"
"Me? I just want to watch you squirm."
Laeil felt panic digging away at the edge of her thoughts. The end seemed even further away than it did just a few minutes ago. In fact, it seemed almost unattainable. She would die here, in this hellhole, and there was nothing she could do about it. She fought to push all these negative thoughts and feelings away, and after a few moments, finally smiled a twisted smile.
"You know, you've always been such a big help. Being my first kill, and then providing me with all this helpful philosophical advice. 'Anyone who could help you, they'd rather just watch you die' or 'Sooner or later, you're going to fuck up and die.' You're a regular Confucius, aren't you? If only there was some way I could return the favor..." She snapped her fingers. "Oh, I got it!"
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a molotov. "I probably should save this for when I really need it, but I think you're definitely worth it." Pulling the rag from the top of the bottle, she then proceeded to empty its flammable contents over Anthony's body before pulling out her lighter.
"Do you really think this is going to change anything?"
"No, but it'll make me feel better."
And with that, she lit a corner of the rag on fire before dropping it onto Anthony's body and stepping outside, watching as the corpse lit up in a matter of seconds, charring flesh and bone, and scorching the inside of the building. If it was made of the right materials, she wouldn't be surprised if the whole building went up in flames.
"Fuck you, Anthony." Laeil said as she watched Anthony's funeral pyre, wondering where she should go next.