(Dominica continued from the coastline...)
It appeared that the past day and a half was a complete and utter waste of time. A waste of time. No matter. It certainly didn't matter one bit, especially now. That was then, this is now. You had to move on from the past. And yet Dominica couldn't get over the reaction she received from Julie. She seemed dead inside, filled with hatred. Filled to the brim with hate but not towards anyone specific. Just unbiased hatred for everything. Why wasn't that the case for Dominica? Why didn't she feel this way...
Maybe she did. Maybe she did.
What was the point in pretending to have hope when everything, everyone breathed and illuminated with hopelessness? How can someone still look at the bright side when everything was turned on the dark side? How could Dominica, a girl who was born to be a cynic trust their own judgment? Everything that Dominica has ever known, nay, everything she has ever stood for has been twisted and construed that she was almost unrecognizable.
She probably changed just because the circumstances called for it. Yeah, that had to be it. Once she left this island....
... she would most likely be in a body bag.
She was still looking at the bright side. She had to work on that.
Over the large hill that seemed to go on forever, Dominica finally arrived at a large gray building. Covered with rust on one side, it looked rather unimpressive when Dominica first looked at it. Seemed kind of pathetic when Dominica looked at it. Of course she was staring at the back of the building so this didn't say anything about the building itself. She was tired and exerting energy to walk around the building was about the last thing she wanted to do. Dominica did it though.... she was grumbling to herself while she was doing it, but she was certainly doing it.
A group of people... She could see a group of people at the front, she could hear talking. Talking? Alot of talking. Must meant there were alot of people there, obviously. What were these people thinking, standing around in the open having idle chats? They would become targets from some crazed lunatic who was lucky enough to draw a machine gun.
Once she reached the other end...
"W... What's going on?"
They weren't wearing collars. No collars whatsoever. What... did they find a way to remove them? Did they just go inactive? Was this just a dream? Just... If this was a dream then someone should just shoot her right now because if this was never possible, never ever possible in the whole field of probability then she'd rather be dead. Dominica felt a tear slowly fall against her cheek, sniffing loudly. No... no, this wasn't a dream. This wasn't a dream at all, it was reality, oh my lord it was reality. She was so glad. Dominica was jumping the gun but she was glad. And there, in the middle of the crowd came the biggest surprise of all...
"N-Neil?!!"
#6: Freedom or Bust
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Ciel. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Alex rubbed his neck hard. It felt good to have this,
Freedom.
He smiled at Lucy and thanked her before going to take a seat on the ground. Then, it was someone rang a dinner bell. A wave of other students started to show up, some Alex knew well, others he didn't know to well. Alex was about to stand up and greet his fellow students, when it walked the one person Alex had grown most skeptical about.
"Neil." Alex muttered his breath. Neil Sinclair, the guy solely responsible for getting, what was it, 4 or 5 people killed for no reason. It was already risky enough to have trusted Lucy to remove the collars, but now having, what Alex figured was Danya's #2 most hated student on the island here would surely come back to haunt them. The only way it could get worse was if #1 showed...
"Oh fuck right off..."
Alex looked out a small window of the building to see indeed that Adam Dodd was making his way towards their location.
This is bullshit. It's going to get us killed! W-who in here can I trust? Dorian...DORIAN, of course. My math class buddy!
Alex slowly got up, keeping an eye on the lineup of people, and made his way to where Dorian was standing.
He nudged him slightly and whispered, "Dorian, listen man, I need to talk to you now. Away from everyone else."
Freedom.
He smiled at Lucy and thanked her before going to take a seat on the ground. Then, it was someone rang a dinner bell. A wave of other students started to show up, some Alex knew well, others he didn't know to well. Alex was about to stand up and greet his fellow students, when it walked the one person Alex had grown most skeptical about.
"Neil." Alex muttered his breath. Neil Sinclair, the guy solely responsible for getting, what was it, 4 or 5 people killed for no reason. It was already risky enough to have trusted Lucy to remove the collars, but now having, what Alex figured was Danya's #2 most hated student on the island here would surely come back to haunt them. The only way it could get worse was if #1 showed...
"Oh fuck right off..."
Alex looked out a small window of the building to see indeed that Adam Dodd was making his way towards their location.
This is bullshit. It's going to get us killed! W-who in here can I trust? Dorian...DORIAN, of course. My math class buddy!
Alex slowly got up, keeping an eye on the lineup of people, and made his way to where Dorian was standing.
He nudged him slightly and whispered, "Dorian, listen man, I need to talk to you now. Away from everyone else."
Stuff. Things. Stuff and things.
"N-Neil?!!"
Neil Sinclair turned around to see that among the many new arrivals was one of the ones he wanted to see most.
Dominica.
Neil broke into a large smile and ran to the girl, hugging her, and when he let go he looked at her and said, "I'm so glad to see you."
Neil looked around for Matthew, though, he couldn't see him. Where was he? Oh no...
"Dominica...where's Matt at?"
Neil thought about the boy. Where was he? Was he safe? So many questions swam through Neil's mind. If Matthew was hurt he would never forgive himself for letting Dominica and Matt go after the Best Kill weapons alone. He should have had S.A.D.D move out as a group. He should have kept everyone together. He fucked up. If something went wrong, only Neil was to blame.
Just like those girls that died, just like Corbin. So many had died because of Neil's bad decisions.
God damnit...why...why did I have to choose to escape. Why....I could have let somebody else do it. They would have did better. So many....
Neil's thoughts were cut short however as the announcements sprung to life.
"Shit..."
Neil half expected a message from Danya taunting them, knowing that they had the collars off. Just like when Neil thought he had the game figured out. When he thought he knew how to escape, Danya only came to mess things up.
Though, what came surprised Neil.
The list of names were long, and among them was him.
Neil Sinclair was dead.
Along with every student in the room that didn't have a collar on.
Neil's mind raced as he processed this information. They were dead, Danya thought they were dead...what...no...yes?
Don't do it Neil. This isn't your fight anymore. You made it this far, don't ruin it.
Neil had to redeem himself. The heartache he caused so many, he had to do it. Neil moved towards a table and made his way on top of it. Once on top of it he looked around the now crowded room. He looked for faces. He saw some S.A.D.D members, and even Adam Dodd himself.
They even had one of the most respected people at Southridge, the class president.
Last chance Neil. Don't do this. Step off the table. You don't have to do this anymore.
"Everyone listen up! Please, quiet. For those of you who may not know me, I'm Neil Sinclair. I..uh...well...I don't know how they did it, but the fact is...we're free. Yet we're not home free. I owe my life to Andrea and Lucy. We all do. Though from what I've learned so far in trying to get out of here, we need to act fast. We can't just assume we're home free now. I...I have a plan."
Your last plan got people killed. Damnit step down. Let someone else offer plans.
"I don't know anything about the systems or whatever, so...unless someone knows otherwise, I think we should keep this to writing."
Neil pulled out his notebook and pencil and wrote. He wrote fast.
My original plan with S.A.D.D was to take out the cameras, then people would have to come to the island to repair them. We would then ambush them and get the collars off and take their form of transportation and get the hell out of here. Obviously we already got the collars off, and the cameras must already be out. So, maybe, just maybe they'll still send people here to make repairs. Look how many there are of us. If we organize, and plan, we can do this. We can get off this island.
Neil tossed the notebook into the middle of the room and said, "Who's with me? Who wants to join S.A.D.D and show these bastards what a couple kids from Southridge can do?"
Neil Sinclair turned around to see that among the many new arrivals was one of the ones he wanted to see most.
Dominica.
Neil broke into a large smile and ran to the girl, hugging her, and when he let go he looked at her and said, "I'm so glad to see you."
Neil looked around for Matthew, though, he couldn't see him. Where was he? Oh no...
"Dominica...where's Matt at?"
Neil thought about the boy. Where was he? Was he safe? So many questions swam through Neil's mind. If Matthew was hurt he would never forgive himself for letting Dominica and Matt go after the Best Kill weapons alone. He should have had S.A.D.D move out as a group. He should have kept everyone together. He fucked up. If something went wrong, only Neil was to blame.
Just like those girls that died, just like Corbin. So many had died because of Neil's bad decisions.
God damnit...why...why did I have to choose to escape. Why....I could have let somebody else do it. They would have did better. So many....
Neil's thoughts were cut short however as the announcements sprung to life.
"Shit..."
Neil half expected a message from Danya taunting them, knowing that they had the collars off. Just like when Neil thought he had the game figured out. When he thought he knew how to escape, Danya only came to mess things up.
Though, what came surprised Neil.
The list of names were long, and among them was him.
Neil Sinclair was dead.
Along with every student in the room that didn't have a collar on.
Neil's mind raced as he processed this information. They were dead, Danya thought they were dead...what...no...yes?
Don't do it Neil. This isn't your fight anymore. You made it this far, don't ruin it.
Neil had to redeem himself. The heartache he caused so many, he had to do it. Neil moved towards a table and made his way on top of it. Once on top of it he looked around the now crowded room. He looked for faces. He saw some S.A.D.D members, and even Adam Dodd himself.
They even had one of the most respected people at Southridge, the class president.
Last chance Neil. Don't do this. Step off the table. You don't have to do this anymore.
"Everyone listen up! Please, quiet. For those of you who may not know me, I'm Neil Sinclair. I..uh...well...I don't know how they did it, but the fact is...we're free. Yet we're not home free. I owe my life to Andrea and Lucy. We all do. Though from what I've learned so far in trying to get out of here, we need to act fast. We can't just assume we're home free now. I...I have a plan."
Your last plan got people killed. Damnit step down. Let someone else offer plans.
"I don't know anything about the systems or whatever, so...unless someone knows otherwise, I think we should keep this to writing."
Neil pulled out his notebook and pencil and wrote. He wrote fast.
My original plan with S.A.D.D was to take out the cameras, then people would have to come to the island to repair them. We would then ambush them and get the collars off and take their form of transportation and get the hell out of here. Obviously we already got the collars off, and the cameras must already be out. So, maybe, just maybe they'll still send people here to make repairs. Look how many there are of us. If we organize, and plan, we can do this. We can get off this island.
Neil tossed the notebook into the middle of the room and said, "Who's with me? Who wants to join S.A.D.D and show these bastards what a couple kids from Southridge can do?"
(Marnie Yaguchi continued from Students Against Destructive Decisions)
The sun was beginning to rise, painting the sky a deep pink. Bits and pieces shown through the canopy of leaves the hovered above the tiny girl's head. It was comforting to know that somewhere on the island, Dorian was staring at the same sky as her. Maybe even thinking about her, too. Marnie smiled to herself as she thought about the boy that had been her neighbor and best friend for all those years. She was sick of crying over him, it was just wasting time that she could be spending with him. He wasn't dead, he couldn't be. He was out there somewhere, looking as hard for her as she was for him.
The serenity that Marnie had felt for was instantly crushed as the ever familiar voice of Danya spread across the island. The hatred she felt toward that man was indescribable. He was the reason that they were all here killing each other, but she wouldn't give in. It's what he wanted, he was waiting for them to all go crazy and start hacking people up, but she wouldn't do it. If she had to die a horrible death, then so be it, but she wouldn't kill one of her peers.
Marnie listened intently as Danya listed the names of the dead. She tried as hard as she could not to dwell on the bad news, but as the days went on it was getting harder and harder. Some of those kids hadn't done a single thing wrong in their lives, but they still died. None of it was fair, but she'd have to get over it. There was no way she could possibly save other kids, let alone herself, so she could only worry so much. And all that effort was going straight into worrying about Dor-
"-ian Ibanescu."
It felt as though five thousand fists punched Marnie's stomach several times. She wanted to throw up over and over- anything to get rid of the feeling that had taken over her entire body.
"N-no.."
"Neil Sinclair."
The tiny girl slumped against a metal wall behind her that had gone unnoticed. Her heart had been torn out of her chest and smashed into pieces. She didn't feel like she was alive anymore, she was just a lifeless corpse like everyone else. Dorian meant everything to her, but now he was gone. She couldn't live without him, her neighbor, her bestfriend, and the keeper of her heart. Now that he was gone, she was nothing.
The back of Marnie's head methodically began slamming against the wall behind her, familiar voices beginning to fill the girl's ears. Pain was creeping up her neck and into her head, but she didn't care. Her entire body felt numb. Nothing mattered anymore.
The sun was beginning to rise, painting the sky a deep pink. Bits and pieces shown through the canopy of leaves the hovered above the tiny girl's head. It was comforting to know that somewhere on the island, Dorian was staring at the same sky as her. Maybe even thinking about her, too. Marnie smiled to herself as she thought about the boy that had been her neighbor and best friend for all those years. She was sick of crying over him, it was just wasting time that she could be spending with him. He wasn't dead, he couldn't be. He was out there somewhere, looking as hard for her as she was for him.
The serenity that Marnie had felt for was instantly crushed as the ever familiar voice of Danya spread across the island. The hatred she felt toward that man was indescribable. He was the reason that they were all here killing each other, but she wouldn't give in. It's what he wanted, he was waiting for them to all go crazy and start hacking people up, but she wouldn't do it. If she had to die a horrible death, then so be it, but she wouldn't kill one of her peers.
Marnie listened intently as Danya listed the names of the dead. She tried as hard as she could not to dwell on the bad news, but as the days went on it was getting harder and harder. Some of those kids hadn't done a single thing wrong in their lives, but they still died. None of it was fair, but she'd have to get over it. There was no way she could possibly save other kids, let alone herself, so she could only worry so much. And all that effort was going straight into worrying about Dor-
"-ian Ibanescu."
It felt as though five thousand fists punched Marnie's stomach several times. She wanted to throw up over and over- anything to get rid of the feeling that had taken over her entire body.
"N-no.."
"Neil Sinclair."
The tiny girl slumped against a metal wall behind her that had gone unnoticed. Her heart had been torn out of her chest and smashed into pieces. She didn't feel like she was alive anymore, she was just a lifeless corpse like everyone else. Dorian meant everything to her, but now he was gone. She couldn't live without him, her neighbor, her bestfriend, and the keeper of her heart. Now that he was gone, she was nothing.
The back of Marnie's head methodically began slamming against the wall behind her, familiar voices beginning to fill the girl's ears. Pain was creeping up her neck and into her head, but she didn't care. Her entire body felt numb. Nothing mattered anymore.
After removing Neil and Dorian's collars and graciously accepting Neil's compliment with a flushed smile, Andrea had retreated back into the barracks, noticing the newcomers out of the corner of her eye. The sudden swarm of students was exactly what she'd been hoping for, but after seeing how well most of them were armed she couldn't help but feel slightly edgy. The task she'd assigned to herself was not to be taken lightly, and trusting even one wrong person could end in disaster for more than just herself.
Looking over towards Ianto, she felt herself ease up slightly now that he was here. "You bet!" she offered cheerfully, trying her hardest not to let anyone see her doubts. The fact of the matter was that everything seemed to be going too smoothly, but everyone was so elated after having their collars removed that she didn't feel like removing the hope that had been re-instilled in them. Instead, she lowered her voice so that hopefully only Ianto (and possibly Izzy) could hear her, and muttered, "I'll be back soon. Take care of them for me...just in case."
She turned and exhaled after delivering the ominous direction, taking a seat between Jess and Derrick. Andrea swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and indicated the laptop with her finger, lowering her voice so only the two of them could hear her.
"I'm gonna go get more people. We can't just abandon them here..." She managed after taking a moment to compose herself, lowering her hand and giving both of her student council friends nods of encouragement. "Keep an eye on Lucy, she's probably still exhausted."
Without waiting for a rebuttle, Andrea got up and stored the laptop away in her bag, confident that by now Lucy had a good understanding of how the collar schematics worked. After withdrawing her map so that she could naviage, she zipped up her bag and threw it over her shoulder. She turned back to Derrick, more convinced that he could give an order clearer than meek little Lucy could.
"If I'm not back by tomorrow morning, get everyone to meet at..." Looking over the map, she eventually settled on a small stretch of shore that lined the eastern part of the island. "Here," she indicated with her finger, pointing to the eastern coast. "There's a trail that leads from here to that shoreline right outside, and he's never announced it as a danger zone, so I don't think many people have been there."
After making sure Derrick understood what he had to do (she was pretty sure Jess had overheard her instructions as well), Andrea moved to leave. She stopped on her way out to talk to Lucy, making sure she knew what to do.
"I'll be back by tomorrow morning. If not, have everyone meet at the eastern coast. I told Derrick and Jess, too." She smiled at the shy girl, trying her best to re-assure her. "Sorry to leave you to the rest of the collars. I'll try to bring back some other people."
Taking a moment to look around at the group that had congregated around the armory, Andrea eventually gave a faux optimistic wave and set back out into the jungle, determined to take her job as Student President more seriously than ever. Absently, she couldn't help but wonder how good this would look on a business resume.
(Andrea Vanlandingham continued elsewhere)
---
As his collar clattered to the rain-drenched earth and the sun illuminated the armory, Dorian barely had a moment to inhale the free air before Neil had rushed him, embracing him with more strength than Dorian had ever given him credit for. Hoping distantly that he hadn't squashed Lucy, he returned Neil's embrace, also rather apathetic as to what anyone else thought of the two of them. Neil was the only person on the island that Dorian completely trusted (with one obvious exception), and sure enough his faith in him had paid off. The two of them were collarless, and one step closer to being free.
Relinquishing the welcomed hug, Dorian listened intently as Neil played catch-up.
"I'm so happy to see you man! It's been a while since the barracks."
You're telling me...
Neil mentioning the barracks sent memories flooding through Dorian. Of Ivan dying and him feeling more helpless than ever before, of Bobby Jacks' cold, piercing stare, and of Dane and Dennis, both of whom were now...
"Yeah, I've got a lot to tell you."
"Oh! I found Marnie. She should be catching up anytime. Though, I've got some news..."
The rest of Neil's revelation was lost on Dorian, his mind drifting back towards thoughts of Marnie. She was safe? After nine days of endless searching, the news that the two of them would soon be reunited washed over him like a tidal wave. Having his collar removed didn't even hold a candle to how elated he was to hear that soon he'd see a wave of strawberry blonde hair emerge from the jungle...
As he was about to ask how she was, Alex Miller approached him from the side, asking if he could have a minute of his time. Unfortunately for him, almost immediately afterwards a resounding thump echoed multiple times around the area, and hearing the noise Dorian raised his newly acquired shotgun towards the jungle, cautiously approaching the source of the noise. It sounded like a banging on metal...
"Just a minute," he hissed back towards Alex, stopping in his tracks and pointing the gun straight ahead.
"Who's there!?" The booming tenor demanded, scanning the area around the armory for the source of the noise. In the panic, he had failed to notice that Adam and Bill had finally caught up to him and Izzy, and taking note of them for only a second he turned his attention back to his surroundings, waiting for whoever had created the noise to show themselves.
Looking over towards Ianto, she felt herself ease up slightly now that he was here. "You bet!" she offered cheerfully, trying her hardest not to let anyone see her doubts. The fact of the matter was that everything seemed to be going too smoothly, but everyone was so elated after having their collars removed that she didn't feel like removing the hope that had been re-instilled in them. Instead, she lowered her voice so that hopefully only Ianto (and possibly Izzy) could hear her, and muttered, "I'll be back soon. Take care of them for me...just in case."
She turned and exhaled after delivering the ominous direction, taking a seat between Jess and Derrick. Andrea swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and indicated the laptop with her finger, lowering her voice so only the two of them could hear her.
"I'm gonna go get more people. We can't just abandon them here..." She managed after taking a moment to compose herself, lowering her hand and giving both of her student council friends nods of encouragement. "Keep an eye on Lucy, she's probably still exhausted."
Without waiting for a rebuttle, Andrea got up and stored the laptop away in her bag, confident that by now Lucy had a good understanding of how the collar schematics worked. After withdrawing her map so that she could naviage, she zipped up her bag and threw it over her shoulder. She turned back to Derrick, more convinced that he could give an order clearer than meek little Lucy could.
"If I'm not back by tomorrow morning, get everyone to meet at..." Looking over the map, she eventually settled on a small stretch of shore that lined the eastern part of the island. "Here," she indicated with her finger, pointing to the eastern coast. "There's a trail that leads from here to that shoreline right outside, and he's never announced it as a danger zone, so I don't think many people have been there."
After making sure Derrick understood what he had to do (she was pretty sure Jess had overheard her instructions as well), Andrea moved to leave. She stopped on her way out to talk to Lucy, making sure she knew what to do.
"I'll be back by tomorrow morning. If not, have everyone meet at the eastern coast. I told Derrick and Jess, too." She smiled at the shy girl, trying her best to re-assure her. "Sorry to leave you to the rest of the collars. I'll try to bring back some other people."
Taking a moment to look around at the group that had congregated around the armory, Andrea eventually gave a faux optimistic wave and set back out into the jungle, determined to take her job as Student President more seriously than ever. Absently, she couldn't help but wonder how good this would look on a business resume.
(Andrea Vanlandingham continued elsewhere)
---
As his collar clattered to the rain-drenched earth and the sun illuminated the armory, Dorian barely had a moment to inhale the free air before Neil had rushed him, embracing him with more strength than Dorian had ever given him credit for. Hoping distantly that he hadn't squashed Lucy, he returned Neil's embrace, also rather apathetic as to what anyone else thought of the two of them. Neil was the only person on the island that Dorian completely trusted (with one obvious exception), and sure enough his faith in him had paid off. The two of them were collarless, and one step closer to being free.
Relinquishing the welcomed hug, Dorian listened intently as Neil played catch-up.
"I'm so happy to see you man! It's been a while since the barracks."
You're telling me...
Neil mentioning the barracks sent memories flooding through Dorian. Of Ivan dying and him feeling more helpless than ever before, of Bobby Jacks' cold, piercing stare, and of Dane and Dennis, both of whom were now...
"Yeah, I've got a lot to tell you."
"Oh! I found Marnie. She should be catching up anytime. Though, I've got some news..."
The rest of Neil's revelation was lost on Dorian, his mind drifting back towards thoughts of Marnie. She was safe? After nine days of endless searching, the news that the two of them would soon be reunited washed over him like a tidal wave. Having his collar removed didn't even hold a candle to how elated he was to hear that soon he'd see a wave of strawberry blonde hair emerge from the jungle...
As he was about to ask how she was, Alex Miller approached him from the side, asking if he could have a minute of his time. Unfortunately for him, almost immediately afterwards a resounding thump echoed multiple times around the area, and hearing the noise Dorian raised his newly acquired shotgun towards the jungle, cautiously approaching the source of the noise. It sounded like a banging on metal...
"Just a minute," he hissed back towards Alex, stopping in his tracks and pointing the gun straight ahead.
"Who's there!?" The booming tenor demanded, scanning the area around the armory for the source of the noise. In the panic, he had failed to notice that Adam and Bill had finally caught up to him and Izzy, and taking note of them for only a second he turned his attention back to his surroundings, waiting for whoever had created the noise to show themselves.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Crash. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
The sensation of the collar undoing from about his throat and falling into the muddy ground was one Ianto found he really couldn't explain to well... after days-and-days of having that thing on him with the ever-constant thought of it maybe even killing him looming in the air the now absent feeling almost caused the boy to jump in the air or something equally silly he was so happy. Though at the same time he figured that probably wouldn't be the best thing to do not to mention the fact he risked the chance of causing the girl standing in the chair beside him to topple over onto the ground. He allowed himself to smile though, which was odd because he hadn't done that for some time... not after everything that had happened so far, not to mention he still didn't have a clue as to where Brad had gone--or where Terrie might be.
Chewing a bit on his lip he glanced toward said girl standing in the chair and muttering a 'thank you' or sorts--still finding himself a little overwhelmed by everything that had just happened. Muttering out a 'sorry' next for having made the girl have to go and get a chair just so she'd be able to reach him when he could have just as easily leaned down for her. Though his thoughts drifted elsewhere as Andrea spoke, tilting his head somewhat and listening as her voice dropped to speak softly--finding himself opening his mouth and wanting to protest but nothing seemed to want to come out until she had already turned and moved away from them... vanishing into the growth that surrounding the armory.
Sighing somewhat in the end Ianto found himself running a slightly shaky hand through his wet hair, sifting the rifle on his shoulder into a more comfortable position before deciding to move inside for a moment.
Frankly Izzy wasn't paying to much attention to the student council members to hear what Andrea had said, caught up in looking at the piece of metal now slightly stained by where it had dropped on the muddy ground. It was a bit odd really, but she tried not to think about it to much--afraid if she did she'd wake up and still be bound by that collar and the knowledge that at any moment it could be what kills her. She was distracted though to the voices at her other side, watching as Dorian spoke with someone she wasn't completely sure of... at least concerning a name, face seemed familiar at least but she supposed that would be something normal considering the whole going to the same school thing. Sighing a little as she rubbed at her neck, her thoughts sifting to thoughts about other things...
Like where Adam and Bill could possibly be.
She was once again distracted by Dorian though as the boy called out--causing her to raise a brow and glance off to where he was calling toward. Rather hoping that whomever Dorian had heard was someone... well someone nice. After finally removing this collar the last thing she really needed was someone coming along and trying to kill them anyway.
Chewing a bit on his lip he glanced toward said girl standing in the chair and muttering a 'thank you' or sorts--still finding himself a little overwhelmed by everything that had just happened. Muttering out a 'sorry' next for having made the girl have to go and get a chair just so she'd be able to reach him when he could have just as easily leaned down for her. Though his thoughts drifted elsewhere as Andrea spoke, tilting his head somewhat and listening as her voice dropped to speak softly--finding himself opening his mouth and wanting to protest but nothing seemed to want to come out until she had already turned and moved away from them... vanishing into the growth that surrounding the armory.
Sighing somewhat in the end Ianto found himself running a slightly shaky hand through his wet hair, sifting the rifle on his shoulder into a more comfortable position before deciding to move inside for a moment.
Frankly Izzy wasn't paying to much attention to the student council members to hear what Andrea had said, caught up in looking at the piece of metal now slightly stained by where it had dropped on the muddy ground. It was a bit odd really, but she tried not to think about it to much--afraid if she did she'd wake up and still be bound by that collar and the knowledge that at any moment it could be what kills her. She was distracted though to the voices at her other side, watching as Dorian spoke with someone she wasn't completely sure of... at least concerning a name, face seemed familiar at least but she supposed that would be something normal considering the whole going to the same school thing. Sighing a little as she rubbed at her neck, her thoughts sifting to thoughts about other things...
Like where Adam and Bill could possibly be.
She was once again distracted by Dorian though as the boy called out--causing her to raise a brow and glance off to where he was calling toward. Rather hoping that whomever Dorian had heard was someone... well someone nice. After finally removing this collar the last thing she really needed was someone coming along and trying to kill them anyway.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler riserugu. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
With the new tide of arrivals, Lucy was feeling more than a little timid, but she knew that she still had a job to do. She edged around quietly, fiddling with one collar after another - barely noting who it was she was helping out. A kinda pudgy kid with glasses, a muscular blond jock, a girl who was so pretty as to make Lucy experience a small twinge of envy. Then there was a badly-shaven boy, followed by a girl who was even shorter than Lucy herself. As she went around she offered various concilatory murmurs to reassure them that she wasn't about to blow their heads off.
Lucy was just finishing up the last collar when she realised who it was she was attending to. Adam Dodd. A thousand and one things she could say to him ran through her head. Some were sympathetic, some were angry, others were sad. But she said nothing. Anger would be meaningless; it was hardly his fault he'd been dragged into this again. Sympathy... well, it would be inadequate. Nothing she could say would do anything but bring old sorrow back to light. Better to remain quiet and leave the ghosts of the past where they belonged for him. Lucy finished off Adam's collar and it dropped to the ground. This time, at least, he was one of the lucky ones.
She was preparing to retire to her not-so-quiet corner (given the number of people that'd arrived, things were getting a little crowded) when she was stopped dead in her tracks by just about the last person she wanted to handle right now. Neil. Lucy, thanks partially to Andrea, had managed to keep her temper earlier. But now that he was announcing his grandoise plans to the world... Lucy's hands clenched into tight fists and her brow pulled into a frown. What did he know? All his plan had accomplished was getting people killed and getting Danya pissed off. She spoke quietly at one point.
"It's alright... the collars have microphones but getting them off deactivates those too," but by then Neil had already finished writing. She was about to go read his plan when Neil said something that really, really upset her.
In hindsight, it was a stupid thing for Lucy to get wound up about. Then again, she was sleep-deprived and overwrought, as well as anxious in the presence of all of the people. Perhaps it wasn't surprising that something set her off. It just so happened that the incident that did cause her to lose her temper was a stupid one.
"Join SADD...?" Lucy spoke at little more than a murmur, but her voice grew gradually angrier and louder. "This isn't your group Neil! I'm sure you went around with the best of intentions but all you ended up doing was getting more and more people killed! Just- just accept that you got it wrong and somebody else saved your ass and stop trying to be the leader," she half turned away, then looked back at Neil. "Your 'leadership' isn't something anybody here needs," Lucy stormed out of the room, disregarding those who were paying atention to something happening outside.
Lucy did, however, pay attention to the small girl beating her head against the wall.
"...What's wrong?" she asked after a moment's hesitation. She could hardly just stand there after all.
*
Maxie remained sitting in the far corner of the room, still dazed, disbelieving, almost. She felt that if she looked at anybody too hard, they'd simply dissolve, and the whole thing would just turn out to be some cruel hallucination, and she'd be back running, looking over her shoulder, fearing to hear a heavy tread smashing through the undergrowth behind her. The pain at her very centre was all too constant a reminder of what had transpired, of what Reeves had ...taken. Even now, Maxie could feel phantom fingers crawling over her skin, lips planting kisses all over her body.
Maxie shuddered. She just didn't want to think about anything. She'd tried sleeping, but had only had her sporadic naps interrupted by nightmares. She'd tried thinking about home, but then her thoughts just drifted to Lucas, which led to the time he'd beaten down Reeves at that party, to Reeves again. Maxie had given considering the escape a shot, but her thoughts kept drifting to the fact that getting away from the island just meant escaping from the people on it...
And Adam fucking Reeves was still alive.
Out of all the people - good people, bad people, ones that were simply 'okay', that'd die, and one of them couldn't just have been that fucking cocksucker? When better than 100 people had died... urgh. How could he not have met somebody with his number yet? If he'd started as he meant to go on then... then he... Maxie flinched, burying her face in her own arm before starting to silently cry again. She'd listened intently every time the announcements rang out, but asides from a minor amount of shock as she heard her own name announced, she hadn't had any joy. Reeves was out there, and irrationally, Maxie expected any second for him to burst through the armoury doors and open up.
And then, when everyone else was lying dead or simply dying, he'd lean right down to her...
"Now, where were we?"
Maxie retched, but she hadn't eaten for a while, and she brought very little up in the end, although it was still all the same enough to mess up the too-small shirt Lucy had loaned her. Breathing heavily, Maxie went into Lucy's bag and extracted a bandage, with which she dabbed off the worst of the vomit, before rolling onto her side and attempting to block out the sounds of argument and simply go to sleep.
But she couldn't run from her dreams...
Lucy was just finishing up the last collar when she realised who it was she was attending to. Adam Dodd. A thousand and one things she could say to him ran through her head. Some were sympathetic, some were angry, others were sad. But she said nothing. Anger would be meaningless; it was hardly his fault he'd been dragged into this again. Sympathy... well, it would be inadequate. Nothing she could say would do anything but bring old sorrow back to light. Better to remain quiet and leave the ghosts of the past where they belonged for him. Lucy finished off Adam's collar and it dropped to the ground. This time, at least, he was one of the lucky ones.
She was preparing to retire to her not-so-quiet corner (given the number of people that'd arrived, things were getting a little crowded) when she was stopped dead in her tracks by just about the last person she wanted to handle right now. Neil. Lucy, thanks partially to Andrea, had managed to keep her temper earlier. But now that he was announcing his grandoise plans to the world... Lucy's hands clenched into tight fists and her brow pulled into a frown. What did he know? All his plan had accomplished was getting people killed and getting Danya pissed off. She spoke quietly at one point.
"It's alright... the collars have microphones but getting them off deactivates those too," but by then Neil had already finished writing. She was about to go read his plan when Neil said something that really, really upset her.
In hindsight, it was a stupid thing for Lucy to get wound up about. Then again, she was sleep-deprived and overwrought, as well as anxious in the presence of all of the people. Perhaps it wasn't surprising that something set her off. It just so happened that the incident that did cause her to lose her temper was a stupid one.
"Join SADD...?" Lucy spoke at little more than a murmur, but her voice grew gradually angrier and louder. "This isn't your group Neil! I'm sure you went around with the best of intentions but all you ended up doing was getting more and more people killed! Just- just accept that you got it wrong and somebody else saved your ass and stop trying to be the leader," she half turned away, then looked back at Neil. "Your 'leadership' isn't something anybody here needs," Lucy stormed out of the room, disregarding those who were paying atention to something happening outside.
Lucy did, however, pay attention to the small girl beating her head against the wall.
"...What's wrong?" she asked after a moment's hesitation. She could hardly just stand there after all.
*
Maxie remained sitting in the far corner of the room, still dazed, disbelieving, almost. She felt that if she looked at anybody too hard, they'd simply dissolve, and the whole thing would just turn out to be some cruel hallucination, and she'd be back running, looking over her shoulder, fearing to hear a heavy tread smashing through the undergrowth behind her. The pain at her very centre was all too constant a reminder of what had transpired, of what Reeves had ...taken. Even now, Maxie could feel phantom fingers crawling over her skin, lips planting kisses all over her body.
Maxie shuddered. She just didn't want to think about anything. She'd tried sleeping, but had only had her sporadic naps interrupted by nightmares. She'd tried thinking about home, but then her thoughts just drifted to Lucas, which led to the time he'd beaten down Reeves at that party, to Reeves again. Maxie had given considering the escape a shot, but her thoughts kept drifting to the fact that getting away from the island just meant escaping from the people on it...
And Adam fucking Reeves was still alive.
Out of all the people - good people, bad people, ones that were simply 'okay', that'd die, and one of them couldn't just have been that fucking cocksucker? When better than 100 people had died... urgh. How could he not have met somebody with his number yet? If he'd started as he meant to go on then... then he... Maxie flinched, burying her face in her own arm before starting to silently cry again. She'd listened intently every time the announcements rang out, but asides from a minor amount of shock as she heard her own name announced, she hadn't had any joy. Reeves was out there, and irrationally, Maxie expected any second for him to burst through the armoury doors and open up.
And then, when everyone else was lying dead or simply dying, he'd lean right down to her...
"Now, where were we?"
Maxie retched, but she hadn't eaten for a while, and she brought very little up in the end, although it was still all the same enough to mess up the too-small shirt Lucy had loaned her. Breathing heavily, Maxie went into Lucy's bag and extracted a bandage, with which she dabbed off the worst of the vomit, before rolling onto her side and attempting to block out the sounds of argument and simply go to sleep.
But she couldn't run from her dreams...
Dominica just shrugged, a jagged frown on her face. "I-I don't know what happened. We were attacked - well it was more like someone threw flames at us and ran away, but afterwards I walked away and he didn't follow me. I'm not even sure what happened to him. His name wasn't on the announcement so I can only assume that he's still alive but..." she hesitated. "Well he DOES have a shotgun. I'm sure he's..."
Dominica was trying to rationalize leaving someone behind. She didn't fully understand what was going on but she knew it had something to do with the escape. This filled Dominica with a huge sign of relief but it also gave her a huge feeling of dread about Matthew. Was he alright? Would he arrive here? Could have she done anything else to help him. Of course she had no idea that they'd actually find out how to get the collars off - hell, Dominica even had her doubts when Neil was talking about the exact same thing. The fact of the matter was that she could have helped him, she could have lead him to here. They could have had a chance to be saved, And yet she didn't. This left a bad taste in her mouth, a very bad one that made her whole mouth numb.
Neil made a pledge to the rest of the group, and no one listened more intently than Dominica. After all, she wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. She was so tired, her eyes were half shut but she listened to every single word. And it was her that spoke to him first. "I'm with you all the way Neil. I don't know what's going on, but I'm with you. I want to prove that... that there's always a way out."
Dominica was confident. Humans by nature needed something to be confident in, less they go insane. But this was different. Dominica wasn't forcing this out of desperation. She really was confident. She really imagined that this could work. Then again maybe she was in denial. Who knew...
"Hey, Neil..." Dominica inquired, giving a gentle shake as her hand nearly brushed against the collar. "Do you think you and the rest can get this collar off of me?"
While the excitement was building inside of Dominica, Brad Kavanagh was completely confused. Had he been here a day ago he probably would have caught onto what was going on but... his head was fuzzy, he felt tired as shit and if it hadn't been for the sharp pain in his leg he would have assumed that he was already dead. Why did these people have their collars off? Were they trying to escape? Really? It seemed farfetched. Brad really wanted to feel excited about all that was happening but the truth of the matter was that he just didn't have it in him.
Terrie seemed to be in much higher spirits. Ianto was here after all. She went over to him and literally tackled him to the ground - hell he was surprised that he wasn't happy to see Ianto. But for all the life in him he just couldn't get his energy up, no matter what he did. Brad wasn't exactly good in crowds - maybe that had something to do with it. Yes, he was very nervous when there were alot of people in a small place. He had a slight case of claustrophobia, although it only ever came up when he was in very tight enclosed places. Certainly not in a forest like this surely. But he felt tense and just sad all around.
I don't know who any of these people are.
Maybe that was it. He felt left out, like he stuck out. This made sense, after all he always felt this way in school, like he was different. But why the hell should he be feeling this way?
Brad edged closer to Terrie and Ianto, still looking around at all of the kids that he knew... well he recognized Neil. Hell, anyone could recognize Neil. Everyone looked like complete shit, so much so that it made it hard to tell who was who. It made him very nervous.
Terrie meanwhile seemed in high spirits (which contradicted her earlier attitude). Ianto was here, along with Neil and Izzy... why, there were so many kids! And a bunch of them were mentioned on the announcement. It filled Terrie with such warmth that the only thing she could do was to smile.
"Oh god... Ianto, I really thought something had happened to you." She let out a deep breath. "Never do that again, okay?"
This was the gods honest truth. When she was away from Ianto, she really had it in her mind that something had happened to Ianto, that someone had killed him. It made her upset, so upset that she losing all hope. But now Ianto was here and perfectly fine and there wasn't a care in the world. Well, other than the really obvious stuff that's been on her mind since they got here.
"Ianto... I really don't want to look like an idiot but what exactly is going on here? Is everyone planning something together?"
Of course she had missed Neil's little speech so she was out of the loop once again. She turned to Brad (who was looking rather spaced out at the moment) and called him over.
Brad looked surprise. "Huh... w-what?"
"Brad. Did you fall asleep?"
He shook his head. "No... I was just... thinking, that's all."
Brad responded in a very nervous tone, like someone was about to attack him from behind. It confused Terrie but she didn't pay much attention to it. "Uhh... okay Brad. Whatever you say."
Dominica was trying to rationalize leaving someone behind. She didn't fully understand what was going on but she knew it had something to do with the escape. This filled Dominica with a huge sign of relief but it also gave her a huge feeling of dread about Matthew. Was he alright? Would he arrive here? Could have she done anything else to help him. Of course she had no idea that they'd actually find out how to get the collars off - hell, Dominica even had her doubts when Neil was talking about the exact same thing. The fact of the matter was that she could have helped him, she could have lead him to here. They could have had a chance to be saved, And yet she didn't. This left a bad taste in her mouth, a very bad one that made her whole mouth numb.
Neil made a pledge to the rest of the group, and no one listened more intently than Dominica. After all, she wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. She was so tired, her eyes were half shut but she listened to every single word. And it was her that spoke to him first. "I'm with you all the way Neil. I don't know what's going on, but I'm with you. I want to prove that... that there's always a way out."
Dominica was confident. Humans by nature needed something to be confident in, less they go insane. But this was different. Dominica wasn't forcing this out of desperation. She really was confident. She really imagined that this could work. Then again maybe she was in denial. Who knew...
"Hey, Neil..." Dominica inquired, giving a gentle shake as her hand nearly brushed against the collar. "Do you think you and the rest can get this collar off of me?"
While the excitement was building inside of Dominica, Brad Kavanagh was completely confused. Had he been here a day ago he probably would have caught onto what was going on but... his head was fuzzy, he felt tired as shit and if it hadn't been for the sharp pain in his leg he would have assumed that he was already dead. Why did these people have their collars off? Were they trying to escape? Really? It seemed farfetched. Brad really wanted to feel excited about all that was happening but the truth of the matter was that he just didn't have it in him.
Terrie seemed to be in much higher spirits. Ianto was here after all. She went over to him and literally tackled him to the ground - hell he was surprised that he wasn't happy to see Ianto. But for all the life in him he just couldn't get his energy up, no matter what he did. Brad wasn't exactly good in crowds - maybe that had something to do with it. Yes, he was very nervous when there were alot of people in a small place. He had a slight case of claustrophobia, although it only ever came up when he was in very tight enclosed places. Certainly not in a forest like this surely. But he felt tense and just sad all around.
I don't know who any of these people are.
Maybe that was it. He felt left out, like he stuck out. This made sense, after all he always felt this way in school, like he was different. But why the hell should he be feeling this way?
Brad edged closer to Terrie and Ianto, still looking around at all of the kids that he knew... well he recognized Neil. Hell, anyone could recognize Neil. Everyone looked like complete shit, so much so that it made it hard to tell who was who. It made him very nervous.
Terrie meanwhile seemed in high spirits (which contradicted her earlier attitude). Ianto was here, along with Neil and Izzy... why, there were so many kids! And a bunch of them were mentioned on the announcement. It filled Terrie with such warmth that the only thing she could do was to smile.
"Oh god... Ianto, I really thought something had happened to you." She let out a deep breath. "Never do that again, okay?"
This was the gods honest truth. When she was away from Ianto, she really had it in her mind that something had happened to Ianto, that someone had killed him. It made her upset, so upset that she losing all hope. But now Ianto was here and perfectly fine and there wasn't a care in the world. Well, other than the really obvious stuff that's been on her mind since they got here.
"Ianto... I really don't want to look like an idiot but what exactly is going on here? Is everyone planning something together?"
Of course she had missed Neil's little speech so she was out of the loop once again. She turned to Brad (who was looking rather spaced out at the moment) and called him over.
Brad looked surprise. "Huh... w-what?"
"Brad. Did you fall asleep?"
He shook his head. "No... I was just... thinking, that's all."
Brad responded in a very nervous tone, like someone was about to attack him from behind. It confused Terrie but she didn't pay much attention to it. "Uhh... okay Brad. Whatever you say."
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Ciel. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
OOC: Darnell continued from the Proving Grounds.
Night was falling as Darnell forced his way through the jungle, checking his map for all the good it was and looking to see if he would run into Keith or Kallie, and it was becoming difficult to see, but when he eventually found himself reaching another clearing in front of a strange building, his eyes had adjusted enough to recognise that it definitely wasn't any building he'd seen so far in nine-ish days on the island. Curious, he held his Uzi up so that it was ready if anyone ran out guns blazing or blades swinging and advanced slowly towards the building.
What he found there shocked him. There was a large crowd of people inside, most of whom he recognised as having been announced as being dead. Needless to say, this amounted to him having a similar reaction to that of most of the new arrivals over the past few days, namely standing there with a "WTF?" look on his face.
"Okay," he finally said after lowering the gun. "You people have ten seconds to tell me just what the FU-" that's when he noticed it. Namely, that everyone except him no longer had a collar. First, he was shocked, but then a deep, relieved laughter erupted from him.
"You sons of bitches...we did it, didn't we?! Haha, I KNEW it was possible!" He said, moving more inside before closing the door behind him. "So, mind letting me in?"
This would've sounded stupid taken literally, considering he'd walked in himself and nobody had shot him, but the wink he gave the throng of other people told them what he meant; asking them to take his collar off and let him join whatever stupid plan they were enacting.
Night was falling as Darnell forced his way through the jungle, checking his map for all the good it was and looking to see if he would run into Keith or Kallie, and it was becoming difficult to see, but when he eventually found himself reaching another clearing in front of a strange building, his eyes had adjusted enough to recognise that it definitely wasn't any building he'd seen so far in nine-ish days on the island. Curious, he held his Uzi up so that it was ready if anyone ran out guns blazing or blades swinging and advanced slowly towards the building.
What he found there shocked him. There was a large crowd of people inside, most of whom he recognised as having been announced as being dead. Needless to say, this amounted to him having a similar reaction to that of most of the new arrivals over the past few days, namely standing there with a "WTF?" look on his face.
"Okay," he finally said after lowering the gun. "You people have ten seconds to tell me just what the FU-" that's when he noticed it. Namely, that everyone except him no longer had a collar. First, he was shocked, but then a deep, relieved laughter erupted from him.
"You sons of bitches...we did it, didn't we?! Haha, I KNEW it was possible!" He said, moving more inside before closing the door behind him. "So, mind letting me in?"
This would've sounded stupid taken literally, considering he'd walked in himself and nobody had shot him, but the wink he gave the throng of other people told them what he meant; asking them to take his collar off and let him join whatever stupid plan they were enacting.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the former handler Slayer.
The girl didn't reply to Lucy, and she wondered if she'd even been heard. After a moment more of waiting, Lucy decided that she wasn't going to get a response, and just went for her collar. A little while longer, and it was just so much more useless scrap. Lucy got up quietly and walked away, leaving the girl to whatever was causing her so much distress.
Lucy crept back inside in short order, disregarding what anybody thought following her outburst earlier. She entered just behind Darnell, and snagged his collar playfully (although she was careful not to pull too hard).
"Yoink," she said quietly. "Hold on just a second and I'll take care of this," Lucy reassured Darnell as she began to fiddle with the mechanisms inside. Before too long, there was another collar to add to the growing pile on the floor of the armoury. Lucy, spotting more people with collars on, gave Darnell a light pat on the arm and headed over to the far side of the room, to where Brad and Terrie were.
"If you'll just hold still..." Lucy said hesitantly. "I can uh... get rid of that for you," Neither made any move to discourage her, so she caught hold of Brad's collar and performed the moves to disarm it with the ease that came with the amount of practice at it she'd been enjoying. Soon thereafter, Lucy went and deactivated Terrie's too. Lucy was still a bit apprehensive about well, just going and grabbing somebody's collar, but most people had been either too stunned or too elated to say know. Besides, they'd seen the pile of collars right? It was silly, she supposed, but at least it avoided any potential trouble.
And what are they going to think - that we got off the collars by magic? Of course they'll expect somebody to be fiddling with them. Stop being so paranoid!
*
"What the hell is this?"
Sean looked blankly at the baseball coach, who had been helping Sean apply some facepaint underneath each of his eyes. Alledgedly, they reduced glare, although not a whole lot of people used them. Sean was one of those. However, he had no idea why his coach was now looking at his 'application' thumb and grimacing.
"What's what coach?"
The coach leaned closer, showed Sean the discolouration on his digit, a touch of pink where there should have simply been the shade of the facepaint.
"...Oh."
"This make-up Lucky?"
Sean looked down to his shoes and rolled the baseball he had ready back and forth in his hands. What exactly could he say? It was true, wasn't it? He gave a slight nod, not trusting his own voice.
"Well... try and hit the showers after the other guys..."
He sat there for a second, then stood up. If he waited, the coach would be out of the little dressing room and into the main changing room, and the entire rest of the team was there.
"Wait coach! I'm... I'm not a fag!"
The baseball coach gave Sean a slight smile, then mimed pulling a pair of doors shut. Sean knew what he meant... 'the closet'. But all the same, he denied, denied, denied. Maybe to himself, as well as everyone else.
And the lie tasted bitter on his tongue.
Lucy crept back inside in short order, disregarding what anybody thought following her outburst earlier. She entered just behind Darnell, and snagged his collar playfully (although she was careful not to pull too hard).
"Yoink," she said quietly. "Hold on just a second and I'll take care of this," Lucy reassured Darnell as she began to fiddle with the mechanisms inside. Before too long, there was another collar to add to the growing pile on the floor of the armoury. Lucy, spotting more people with collars on, gave Darnell a light pat on the arm and headed over to the far side of the room, to where Brad and Terrie were.
"If you'll just hold still..." Lucy said hesitantly. "I can uh... get rid of that for you," Neither made any move to discourage her, so she caught hold of Brad's collar and performed the moves to disarm it with the ease that came with the amount of practice at it she'd been enjoying. Soon thereafter, Lucy went and deactivated Terrie's too. Lucy was still a bit apprehensive about well, just going and grabbing somebody's collar, but most people had been either too stunned or too elated to say know. Besides, they'd seen the pile of collars right? It was silly, she supposed, but at least it avoided any potential trouble.
And what are they going to think - that we got off the collars by magic? Of course they'll expect somebody to be fiddling with them. Stop being so paranoid!
*
"What the hell is this?"
Sean looked blankly at the baseball coach, who had been helping Sean apply some facepaint underneath each of his eyes. Alledgedly, they reduced glare, although not a whole lot of people used them. Sean was one of those. However, he had no idea why his coach was now looking at his 'application' thumb and grimacing.
"What's what coach?"
The coach leaned closer, showed Sean the discolouration on his digit, a touch of pink where there should have simply been the shade of the facepaint.
"...Oh."
"This make-up Lucky?"
Sean looked down to his shoes and rolled the baseball he had ready back and forth in his hands. What exactly could he say? It was true, wasn't it? He gave a slight nod, not trusting his own voice.
"Well... try and hit the showers after the other guys..."
He sat there for a second, then stood up. If he waited, the coach would be out of the little dressing room and into the main changing room, and the entire rest of the team was there.
"Wait coach! I'm... I'm not a fag!"
The baseball coach gave Sean a slight smile, then mimed pulling a pair of doors shut. Sean knew what he meant... 'the closet'. But all the same, he denied, denied, denied. Maybe to himself, as well as everyone else.
And the lie tasted bitter on his tongue.
Matt....
Dominica left him.
Lucy was right.
Neil Sinclair only led people to their death's. S.A.D.D was a failure, and even though everyone had their collars off, and more people were coming in almost every minute, he couldn't shake the truth.
Neil wasn't a leader. He failed. Everyone was dead because of him.
He swore to everyone he would get them home. He swore that escape was possible. Most of them were dead, and those that weren't were still on the island. Very few of S.A.D.D was here, and Neil Sinclair knew he failed. Stepping down off the table Neil looked around at everyone and mumbled "sorry..."
He then looked at the S.A.D.D armband he wore. Corbin Arlen made it.
Corbin was dead.
God damn it Neil! You failed! You're not a leader! You couldn't get anyone off this island.
Neil went over to a corner and sat down, bringing his knees up and his head down. He looked at the floor and thoughts swam through his head. He was broke, the truth was swimming through him.
Neil Sinclair had no hope.
Through his time on the island he did his best to rally people to his cause. He took up the mantle of a leader, not because he wanted to lead other students but because he had to. He then saw it as his personal goal to see S.A.D.D get off the island.
Though Lucy was right.
He led most of them to their deaths. He had no use anymore. He was useless. S.A.D.D was just a broken down name now. It had no meaning. It had no power. Just like Neil. He couldn't change the past, and he certainly couldn't get everyone to escape. He thought he could, but no. He would let someone else do it. Someone who wouldn't lead everyone to their deaths.
"Fuck..."
Neil then felt a tear make its way down his cheek. He watched as it hit the floor. Crying? Was he really crying? Yes. Neil Sinclair cried. The leader of S.A.D.D cried. Not for himself, but for S.A.D.D. He cried for everyone that died because of him, and everyone that would die because of him.
Neil Sinclair no longer felt like anyone's hero.
Dominica left him.
Lucy was right.
Neil Sinclair only led people to their death's. S.A.D.D was a failure, and even though everyone had their collars off, and more people were coming in almost every minute, he couldn't shake the truth.
Neil wasn't a leader. He failed. Everyone was dead because of him.
He swore to everyone he would get them home. He swore that escape was possible. Most of them were dead, and those that weren't were still on the island. Very few of S.A.D.D was here, and Neil Sinclair knew he failed. Stepping down off the table Neil looked around at everyone and mumbled "sorry..."
He then looked at the S.A.D.D armband he wore. Corbin Arlen made it.
Corbin was dead.
God damn it Neil! You failed! You're not a leader! You couldn't get anyone off this island.
Neil went over to a corner and sat down, bringing his knees up and his head down. He looked at the floor and thoughts swam through his head. He was broke, the truth was swimming through him.
Neil Sinclair had no hope.
Through his time on the island he did his best to rally people to his cause. He took up the mantle of a leader, not because he wanted to lead other students but because he had to. He then saw it as his personal goal to see S.A.D.D get off the island.
Though Lucy was right.
He led most of them to their deaths. He had no use anymore. He was useless. S.A.D.D was just a broken down name now. It had no meaning. It had no power. Just like Neil. He couldn't change the past, and he certainly couldn't get everyone to escape. He thought he could, but no. He would let someone else do it. Someone who wouldn't lead everyone to their deaths.
"Fuck..."
Neil then felt a tear make its way down his cheek. He watched as it hit the floor. Crying? Was he really crying? Yes. Neil Sinclair cried. The leader of S.A.D.D cried. Not for himself, but for S.A.D.D. He cried for everyone that died because of him, and everyone that would die because of him.
Neil Sinclair no longer felt like anyone's hero.
((Continued from wherever they were before I vanished!))
It was just insanity. That was the truth. This entire place. This entire world. Thease people. Insanity. There was nothing even close to hope. They were all going to die. All of them. Their "heros" were dead. Neil Sinclair.... Dead. How... how did it happen? How could it? He BELIEVED in Neil. Neil had saved him. And now nothing was left. It was all over. Dominica was gone... Neil was dead... There was no more hope. Nothing left.
"Hey," A feminine voice said lightly as a hand grabbed his left shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Kyrie Joseph, Southridge's resident hippie, was now his only companion. Matt Wittany, former member of SADD, smiled lightly at her.
"Nothing... It's nothing. Let's move on. This jungle keeps getting thicker." He pointed the shotgun in front of him and continued on. Kyrie nodded and held out both handguns in case of attack.
If nothing else, having someone to watch your back made this a little bit easier. Even if they'd both all but resigned themselves to the fact that they were soon to be corpses.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
This was horrible. Matthew Wittany had found himself all but submerged in a sea of vile smelling mud. Just the thing he needed after losing one of the only people he could count on in this wretched place. If anything, he was lucky enough to have a shotgun and two handguns. Not that it was particularly useful if someone attacked him from behind. Maybe he was just being paranoid.
Or not.
Regardless, he needed to find Neil and the rest of SADD. They were his crutch. His team. He had to find them. There was no other choice. He had hope with them. That was something he needed. Desperately.
The sound of a gunshot snapped him out of his trance, and he nearly yelped in fear. Matt trembled as he lifted him shotgun and looked around. He had to keep reminding himself, he'd shot someone before... it's easy... just pull the trigger... do it...
He slowly made his way towards the sound out of some morbid curiosity. He stood behind a decrepit tree and watched the disturbing scene.
A redheaded girl had been shot. She was bleeding from her chest. She lifted the gun she held and fired at another girl. She was blown away. Matt could only stare in horror. Next the bloodied girl tried to back away. To no avail. She soon began to sink into the quicksand at her feet. Another girl approached, apparently to help her.
Wrong.
She stabbed her. Again and again and again. Matt felt tears stinging his eyes. Then a presence. Behind him! But he was too late. He was pulled back and a hand had been clamped over his mouth.
"Shh! Quiet down now luv'. We need ta' be invisible-like." He relaxed slightly at this statement. If this person (apparently a female person) had wanted to kill his she would have already. He needed to stay calm.
The two of them continued to watch the morbid scene commence. The redhead had grabbed the other girl who had stabbed her and dragged her to hell with her through the quicksand. It was like watching the Devil himself.
All was quiet for a while.
Neither of them spoke or moved.
After about five minutes of waiting, the girl released his mouth and moved beside him. Matt finally got a look at her face, and recognized her instantly.
"Sorry 'bout that sugar. Matt izen' it? Kyrie, Kyrie Joseph. I believe we've had th' pleasure before." She said pleasantly holding out her hand.
"Y-yeah! Nice t-to see you alive." He shook her hand firmly and smiled a bit.
"Nice ta' be alive shug. But we best be headin' out'ta here soon-like. I ain't too thrilled about bein' in th' presence of dead people I knew..."
"R-right!"
Kyrie smiled gently at Matt, then turned to leave in the direction she came. Matt followed, grabbing his gun from his pack and giving it to her.
"Think you'll be n-needing this soon."
"I sure hope not shug... I sure hope not..."
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
The two gun-toting students continued their trek through the ever expanding forest. The blindly kept to a direction, hoping it to lead them out of the plant infested hell. Even Kyrie, the tree-hugger that she was, was becoming uneasy without any contact with other students.
"Y'know, this ain't sittin' right wit' me... I feel some kind'a premonition."
"That's lovely to hear. Scare me a bit more will ya? I've already lost hope, my mind seems to be up to bat."
"Ahh, quiet down ya' limp noodle. We got more heat than most others're packin'."
"Yeah... but I'm kinda jumpy, so don't scare me, kay?"
"Whateva' ya' say Mattie-boy. I'll be quiet-like."
"I told you not to call me that."
"Git ova' it. Jus' cause you're a flamer don' mean ya' gotta' be snippy."
"I'm NOT a flamer, first of all, and second-"
But their ever tantalizingly fun argument was cut short when the forest opened up to reveal a building. Both teens looked at the building in shock. Matt surveyed his map quickly and could find no place on it that matched this area. Danya must have slipped up.
"What's this then?"
"I'm not sure, but... I hear voices..." Matt turned to Kyrie for a reaction.
"Ah' think we should go an' check it out."
"Maybe..."
"Ah c'mon! We got guns!"
"And so might they...."
"We'll probably die anyway, right?"
"..."
"Exactly! Let's go, shug!" Kyrie dragged Matt out of the brush and the two approached the doorway hesitantly. They counted to three and burst inside.
"None a' ya'll move!"
"We're not playing!"
That's when they noticed it. Kyrie was the first to. He nudged Matt and he took a closer look to believe it. It was impossible. It couldn't be real. It had to be a dream. It was all just a terrible dream.
Not one student in that room wore a collar.
Not. One.
And then Matt noticed something even more amazing. Dominica was amoung the un-collared people! And in the back of the room, he saw something even better.
"Neil..."
Matt felt tears coming to his eyes. It was impossible. This was the work of God. Maybe all hope wasn't lost. He felt himself moving, but he was numb. He moved past some people and ignored Kyrie's call of his name. He crouched before his leader, and smiled.
"So... do you want your gun?"
It was just insanity. That was the truth. This entire place. This entire world. Thease people. Insanity. There was nothing even close to hope. They were all going to die. All of them. Their "heros" were dead. Neil Sinclair.... Dead. How... how did it happen? How could it? He BELIEVED in Neil. Neil had saved him. And now nothing was left. It was all over. Dominica was gone... Neil was dead... There was no more hope. Nothing left.
"Hey," A feminine voice said lightly as a hand grabbed his left shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Kyrie Joseph, Southridge's resident hippie, was now his only companion. Matt Wittany, former member of SADD, smiled lightly at her.
"Nothing... It's nothing. Let's move on. This jungle keeps getting thicker." He pointed the shotgun in front of him and continued on. Kyrie nodded and held out both handguns in case of attack.
If nothing else, having someone to watch your back made this a little bit easier. Even if they'd both all but resigned themselves to the fact that they were soon to be corpses.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
This was horrible. Matthew Wittany had found himself all but submerged in a sea of vile smelling mud. Just the thing he needed after losing one of the only people he could count on in this wretched place. If anything, he was lucky enough to have a shotgun and two handguns. Not that it was particularly useful if someone attacked him from behind. Maybe he was just being paranoid.
Or not.
Regardless, he needed to find Neil and the rest of SADD. They were his crutch. His team. He had to find them. There was no other choice. He had hope with them. That was something he needed. Desperately.
The sound of a gunshot snapped him out of his trance, and he nearly yelped in fear. Matt trembled as he lifted him shotgun and looked around. He had to keep reminding himself, he'd shot someone before... it's easy... just pull the trigger... do it...
He slowly made his way towards the sound out of some morbid curiosity. He stood behind a decrepit tree and watched the disturbing scene.
A redheaded girl had been shot. She was bleeding from her chest. She lifted the gun she held and fired at another girl. She was blown away. Matt could only stare in horror. Next the bloodied girl tried to back away. To no avail. She soon began to sink into the quicksand at her feet. Another girl approached, apparently to help her.
Wrong.
She stabbed her. Again and again and again. Matt felt tears stinging his eyes. Then a presence. Behind him! But he was too late. He was pulled back and a hand had been clamped over his mouth.
"Shh! Quiet down now luv'. We need ta' be invisible-like." He relaxed slightly at this statement. If this person (apparently a female person) had wanted to kill his she would have already. He needed to stay calm.
The two of them continued to watch the morbid scene commence. The redhead had grabbed the other girl who had stabbed her and dragged her to hell with her through the quicksand. It was like watching the Devil himself.
All was quiet for a while.
Neither of them spoke or moved.
After about five minutes of waiting, the girl released his mouth and moved beside him. Matt finally got a look at her face, and recognized her instantly.
"Sorry 'bout that sugar. Matt izen' it? Kyrie, Kyrie Joseph. I believe we've had th' pleasure before." She said pleasantly holding out her hand.
"Y-yeah! Nice t-to see you alive." He shook her hand firmly and smiled a bit.
"Nice ta' be alive shug. But we best be headin' out'ta here soon-like. I ain't too thrilled about bein' in th' presence of dead people I knew..."
"R-right!"
Kyrie smiled gently at Matt, then turned to leave in the direction she came. Matt followed, grabbing his gun from his pack and giving it to her.
"Think you'll be n-needing this soon."
"I sure hope not shug... I sure hope not..."
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
The two gun-toting students continued their trek through the ever expanding forest. The blindly kept to a direction, hoping it to lead them out of the plant infested hell. Even Kyrie, the tree-hugger that she was, was becoming uneasy without any contact with other students.
"Y'know, this ain't sittin' right wit' me... I feel some kind'a premonition."
"That's lovely to hear. Scare me a bit more will ya? I've already lost hope, my mind seems to be up to bat."
"Ahh, quiet down ya' limp noodle. We got more heat than most others're packin'."
"Yeah... but I'm kinda jumpy, so don't scare me, kay?"
"Whateva' ya' say Mattie-boy. I'll be quiet-like."
"I told you not to call me that."
"Git ova' it. Jus' cause you're a flamer don' mean ya' gotta' be snippy."
"I'm NOT a flamer, first of all, and second-"
But their ever tantalizingly fun argument was cut short when the forest opened up to reveal a building. Both teens looked at the building in shock. Matt surveyed his map quickly and could find no place on it that matched this area. Danya must have slipped up.
"What's this then?"
"I'm not sure, but... I hear voices..." Matt turned to Kyrie for a reaction.
"Ah' think we should go an' check it out."
"Maybe..."
"Ah c'mon! We got guns!"
"And so might they...."
"We'll probably die anyway, right?"
"..."
"Exactly! Let's go, shug!" Kyrie dragged Matt out of the brush and the two approached the doorway hesitantly. They counted to three and burst inside.
"None a' ya'll move!"
"We're not playing!"
That's when they noticed it. Kyrie was the first to. He nudged Matt and he took a closer look to believe it. It was impossible. It couldn't be real. It had to be a dream. It was all just a terrible dream.
Not one student in that room wore a collar.
Not. One.
And then Matt noticed something even more amazing. Dominica was amoung the un-collared people! And in the back of the room, he saw something even better.
"Neil..."
Matt felt tears coming to his eyes. It was impossible. This was the work of God. Maybe all hope wasn't lost. He felt himself moving, but he was numb. He moved past some people and ignored Kyrie's call of his name. He crouched before his leader, and smiled.
"So... do you want your gun?"
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Mitsuko2. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Lucy barely stifled a cry of alarm as the entrance burst open. There was a brief moment of panic, then what one of the people that had barged in had just said sunk in. Gun-toters that they were, it seemed that they were more friends. Had they been hostile though, would it really have been such a big danger? There were so many of them in here, with so many guns...
Lucy shivered. She was glad she'd found the schematics and figured out the collars before people had started arriving. It might have seemed a forlorn hope for some... and when people got anxious when they had guns... It didn't really bear thinking about, but Lucy could definitely see why so many groups imploded. It wasn't often they got a concrete a hope as this one and well, if such a hope proved unfounded then that just made it worse, didn't it?
She firmly pushed away thoughts of the group disintergrating. There were so many of them - all collarless, that the very idea was ridiculous. Right? Lucy shook her head again then went over to one of the newcomers - partially to remove her collar, partially to occupy herself with something and drag herself from the grim train of thought.
"Let me get that off," Lucy told the newest girl quietly. "No need to have it on any longer than it needs to be," Lucy began to fiddle with Kyrie's collar and quickly, just as she had done so many times already, deactivated it. Quickly, Lucy went to the boy that Kyrie had come in with and did the same.
Just two more additions to our giant collarless family, hee.
*
Maxie sat bolt upright, snapping out of her fragile slumber almost instanteously, her reaction triggered by the pair of students entering the armoury. She'd barely suppressed a scream. Maxie couldn't recall what had been in her dreams, but she was afraid, still frightened of whatever it had been. Maxie shivered then, after a couple of seconds, looked down, realising that she'd clamped both of her hands to her crotch in her sleep. She felt... damp, oh god... her underwear was soaked. Jesus Christ. Trying not to attract attention, Maxie slowly slid her hands into the waistband of her jeans and pulled them out, just a little. Then she let go with a stifled gasp, fresh tears springing into her eyes. The area around her crotch was covered with blood, even thinking about why made her-
She shook for a couple of seconds, restraining sobs. The dream was still a mystery to her, but Maxie could take a wild guess at what it was though. The same thing that it'd been in the dreams she'd remembered better. Just Reeves and more Reeves, right?
Maxie sighed, telling herself that it was just a dream, and that they never hurt anybody, that she was merely overwrought. Even the time she'd spent in this so-called safe place hadn't done a whole lot for her nerves, and it would take a hell of a lot more down time before she stopped jumping at shadows.
The reassurance didn't ring true. A dream could do nothing... that much was obvious. But what Reeves had done... that was permament, irrevocable. He hadn't killed her, but for the lack of emotion she felt, he might as well have. Perhaps dying would've been better than... than this.
No.
No. No. Fuck. No.
I survived. I fuckin' beat th' bastard. How I feel now it's... it's... I can't describe it. But in this game, survivin' is a feat. Livin' is the winnin' ticket. These guys got my collar off, now it's just... a matter of findin' a route off of this fuckin' island. He hurt me... he hurt me... deep. But... I'm still here. I'm still here dammit. I can do this... I can ... beat this pain. I've gotta do it... Gotta try...
Lucy shivered. She was glad she'd found the schematics and figured out the collars before people had started arriving. It might have seemed a forlorn hope for some... and when people got anxious when they had guns... It didn't really bear thinking about, but Lucy could definitely see why so many groups imploded. It wasn't often they got a concrete a hope as this one and well, if such a hope proved unfounded then that just made it worse, didn't it?
She firmly pushed away thoughts of the group disintergrating. There were so many of them - all collarless, that the very idea was ridiculous. Right? Lucy shook her head again then went over to one of the newcomers - partially to remove her collar, partially to occupy herself with something and drag herself from the grim train of thought.
"Let me get that off," Lucy told the newest girl quietly. "No need to have it on any longer than it needs to be," Lucy began to fiddle with Kyrie's collar and quickly, just as she had done so many times already, deactivated it. Quickly, Lucy went to the boy that Kyrie had come in with and did the same.
Just two more additions to our giant collarless family, hee.
*
Maxie sat bolt upright, snapping out of her fragile slumber almost instanteously, her reaction triggered by the pair of students entering the armoury. She'd barely suppressed a scream. Maxie couldn't recall what had been in her dreams, but she was afraid, still frightened of whatever it had been. Maxie shivered then, after a couple of seconds, looked down, realising that she'd clamped both of her hands to her crotch in her sleep. She felt... damp, oh god... her underwear was soaked. Jesus Christ. Trying not to attract attention, Maxie slowly slid her hands into the waistband of her jeans and pulled them out, just a little. Then she let go with a stifled gasp, fresh tears springing into her eyes. The area around her crotch was covered with blood, even thinking about why made her-
She shook for a couple of seconds, restraining sobs. The dream was still a mystery to her, but Maxie could take a wild guess at what it was though. The same thing that it'd been in the dreams she'd remembered better. Just Reeves and more Reeves, right?
Maxie sighed, telling herself that it was just a dream, and that they never hurt anybody, that she was merely overwrought. Even the time she'd spent in this so-called safe place hadn't done a whole lot for her nerves, and it would take a hell of a lot more down time before she stopped jumping at shadows.
The reassurance didn't ring true. A dream could do nothing... that much was obvious. But what Reeves had done... that was permament, irrevocable. He hadn't killed her, but for the lack of emotion she felt, he might as well have. Perhaps dying would've been better than... than this.
No.
No. No. Fuck. No.
I survived. I fuckin' beat th' bastard. How I feel now it's... it's... I can't describe it. But in this game, survivin' is a feat. Livin' is the winnin' ticket. These guys got my collar off, now it's just... a matter of findin' a route off of this fuckin' island. He hurt me... he hurt me... deep. But... I'm still here. I'm still here dammit. I can do this... I can ... beat this pain. I've gotta do it... Gotta try...
((continued from Students Against Destructive Decisions))
With every step Denise fought the urge to just lie down and sleep, open and unprotected, on the ground. She likened the feeling to that of someone making their way reluctantly to the bathroom at 2 in the morning, not even bothering to turn on the harsh hallway light, just wanting to get it the hell over with and catch a few more Z's before work. Yeah, she'd fallen behind the others, in fact for a minute or two she was sure she'd lost them. But see above. Tired.
She stepped into the doorway, her eyes moving wearily across the room and just barely acknowledging the group. A few of the kids were crying. She didn't want to know; all anything was around here was bad news anyway.
"....heugh..." Denise mumbled, greeting everyone in the least energy-consuming way possible. She was barely alert enough to keep hold of her kitchen knife. Denise Dupuis was effectively a zombie.
With every step Denise fought the urge to just lie down and sleep, open and unprotected, on the ground. She likened the feeling to that of someone making their way reluctantly to the bathroom at 2 in the morning, not even bothering to turn on the harsh hallway light, just wanting to get it the hell over with and catch a few more Z's before work. Yeah, she'd fallen behind the others, in fact for a minute or two she was sure she'd lost them. But see above. Tired.
She stepped into the doorway, her eyes moving wearily across the room and just barely acknowledging the group. A few of the kids were crying. She didn't want to know; all anything was around here was bad news anyway.
"....heugh..." Denise mumbled, greeting everyone in the least energy-consuming way possible. She was barely alert enough to keep hold of her kitchen knife. Denise Dupuis was effectively a zombie.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Cyco. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
"Um... hey," Lucy said weakly to the new arrival. She looked pretty beaten up and about as tired as Lucy had felt after her five day computer session. "Can you hold still for just a second?" she was talking more for the routine than anything else - Lucy doubted Denise even heard her.
Snag it... pull that there, give this one a tug, make sure you don't that... a little twist and... there we go...
Then off the collar dropped and Lucy smiled. Although the shrill beep had once been heartstopping, it was now a relief every time she heard it. The sound... it meant freedom.
But did it really?
Lucy's heart sank a little. While they were away from the prying eyes of Danya's camera in the armoury, and similarly, they were unconstrained by the collars, were they really free? No. This wasn't America, it was still some godforsaken island in the middle of the ocean somewhere, many miles away from anywhere familiar. Although the collars were off, and (she hoped) Danya was unaware of that fact, so far the group had only been taking baby steps.
They still had a lot of big leaps in front of them, and right now, Lucy was at a loss to think of any way that they would be able to make them. 'Freedom' was a joke of the term when they were still stuck on the island.
Where there's a will, there's a way. Getting the collars off seemed impossible, but we managed that, right?
Snag it... pull that there, give this one a tug, make sure you don't that... a little twist and... there we go...
Then off the collar dropped and Lucy smiled. Although the shrill beep had once been heartstopping, it was now a relief every time she heard it. The sound... it meant freedom.
But did it really?
Lucy's heart sank a little. While they were away from the prying eyes of Danya's camera in the armoury, and similarly, they were unconstrained by the collars, were they really free? No. This wasn't America, it was still some godforsaken island in the middle of the ocean somewhere, many miles away from anywhere familiar. Although the collars were off, and (she hoped) Danya was unaware of that fact, so far the group had only been taking baby steps.
They still had a lot of big leaps in front of them, and right now, Lucy was at a loss to think of any way that they would be able to make them. 'Freedom' was a joke of the term when they were still stuck on the island.
Where there's a will, there's a way. Getting the collars off seemed impossible, but we managed that, right?