The breath was sucked out of Hazel and she felt a lightening strike of pain through her abdomen, before suddenly meeting with the ground. Everything was silent for a moment and all Hazel could see was the moon shining down on them above the numerous silhouettes of tree branches.
This is it, huh? At least it was nice and quick, wasn't it? I didn't even know there was someone there. I didn't even have the time to be scared.
Noise crashed back through when she realized Min Jae was screaming. Her hands had reflexively gone up to her wound, trying in vain to keep the blood from leaking out. A light shined brightly on her and she blinked a few times, tears rolling over her cheeks.
"Don't do that," she said simply. Her voice came out a little more gravely than usual. "I'm tired of pretending things are ok." They'd finally hit the point where avoidance was no longer an option, though it probably would have been good if she would have reached this point before blood was pouring out of her. She didn't mean any harm by it, she just couldn't bring herself to say how things were most of the time out of consideration for others.
Her hands tingled and she couldn't feel much, which was probably for the best. Hazel shakily sat up, despite protests from Min.
She and Jordan had been spared from seeing the terrible things on the island and she wasn't going to break that. She also didn't want for Min to have to suffer the experience of watching her come to a slow end.
"Hey Jae," she offered him a bright smile, and leaned in to brush her lips gently across his cheek. "Changed my mind. I forgive you." She shakily got to her feet.
With that she mustered all her strength to half run, half hobble past him into the dark.
Gift for the Darkness
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
No no no no she was fine. She was going to be fine. He still had bandages and gauze in one of the first-aid kits in his bag, he could fix this, he could-
Hazel sat up and Jae was stunned and confused enough from her words and the kiss that it took him another moment to try and get to his feet and follow, but by then she was far enough away that he only got a handful of the jacket draped around her shoulders when he tried to pull her back and he just managed to pull the jacket off.
Jae stood there for what was probably a good few seconds at most, staring at the jacket. His jacket. How often had he bitched about how he wanted it and the cigarettes in the pocket since he left her?
The sound of Hazel stumbling through the brush somewhere ahead of him broke his trance and Jae slung the jacket over one shoulder and followed the noise, the yellow beam of the flashlight sweeping through the dark landscape as he tried to locate her. "Hazel!" They would have been one hell of a pathetic sight if anyone could see properly, but Hazel managed to outstrip him even with her injury.
"Come back here!" He might have sounded demanding, almost threatening, if his voice didn't break near the end.
Hazel sat up and Jae was stunned and confused enough from her words and the kiss that it took him another moment to try and get to his feet and follow, but by then she was far enough away that he only got a handful of the jacket draped around her shoulders when he tried to pull her back and he just managed to pull the jacket off.
Jae stood there for what was probably a good few seconds at most, staring at the jacket. His jacket. How often had he bitched about how he wanted it and the cigarettes in the pocket since he left her?
The sound of Hazel stumbling through the brush somewhere ahead of him broke his trance and Jae slung the jacket over one shoulder and followed the noise, the yellow beam of the flashlight sweeping through the dark landscape as he tried to locate her. "Hazel!" They would have been one hell of a pathetic sight if anyone could see properly, but Hazel managed to outstrip him even with her injury.
"Come back here!" He might have sounded demanding, almost threatening, if his voice didn't break near the end.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Hazel zigzagged around a few trees before her legs gave out. She fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Her black hair covered half her face as she lay quietly among the leaves and grass. She rolled onto her back and stared wide-eyed up at the stars with her hand clamped over her mouth, muffling the occasional whine or gasp of pain. The wound was deep. The other girl had buried the knife up to the hilt in her right under her left ribs.
She loved them too much to have them watch her die, even if it meant she had to die alone. It wasn't so bad dying alone, because she knew that there were people who cared and just because they weren't right in front of her, didn't lesson their feelings. She loved them more than she loved herself, it made her happy to know that they wouldn't have to sit through the whole song and dance. Oh no, you're dying. Oh no, how sad. A thousand death scenes in a thousand plays.
As the color started to leave her once rosy cheeks and her hands became cold and heavy, Hazel could hear Min Jae trying to find her. Her glassy eyes didn't move from their position, reflecting back the scintillating sky. She felt bad about leaving Jordan, she didn't even say goodbye. He was such a good friend, they had so much fun together, even if half of it was just pretending until the fun became real. She hoped both of them weren't too mad at her and she secretly hoped Min Jae would find her after all just so she could see him one more time.
Hazel moved away some of the leaves by her hand and drew a heart in the dirt with her index finger. Her other hand fell away from her mouth.
Hazel Jung: Deceased
She loved them too much to have them watch her die, even if it meant she had to die alone. It wasn't so bad dying alone, because she knew that there were people who cared and just because they weren't right in front of her, didn't lesson their feelings. She loved them more than she loved herself, it made her happy to know that they wouldn't have to sit through the whole song and dance. Oh no, you're dying. Oh no, how sad. A thousand death scenes in a thousand plays.
As the color started to leave her once rosy cheeks and her hands became cold and heavy, Hazel could hear Min Jae trying to find her. Her glassy eyes didn't move from their position, reflecting back the scintillating sky. She felt bad about leaving Jordan, she didn't even say goodbye. He was such a good friend, they had so much fun together, even if half of it was just pretending until the fun became real. She hoped both of them weren't too mad at her and she secretly hoped Min Jae would find her after all just so she could see him one more time.
Hazel moved away some of the leaves by her hand and drew a heart in the dirt with her index finger. Her other hand fell away from her mouth.
Hazel Jung: Deceased
"Hazel, wait!"
Gone.
Nadia disappearing over the edge of the bridge. Asha bleeding out in his arms. Henry gone without Jae so much as seeing him.
Lily pitching forward as the bolt struck her in the back. Sam black and blue, hardly any face left.
The flashlight's beam finally swept across her. Her eyes were wide open and glassy. There was something traced in the dirt by her hand.
It took a moment for Jae to realize that he was sobbing.
Part of him still wanted to yell at her, grab her by the shoulders and shake her, tell her don't do this to me, don't you dare until she came to her senses because the last person he had left couldn't just die without even giving him a chance to try and explain himself. He wanted to tell her that she couldn't just change her mind about being mad at him so quickly. He wanted to tell her the truth, tell her everything, and he wanted to lie one last time that he loved her because at least then she wouldn't have to die cold and alone because some psycho bitch that Jae didn't even like thought she had been doing him a favor.
He couldn't get close to her. He leaned against a tree instead and clicked the flashlight off, letting it drop to the ground and burying his face in his hands.
Gone.
Nadia disappearing over the edge of the bridge. Asha bleeding out in his arms. Henry gone without Jae so much as seeing him.
Lily pitching forward as the bolt struck her in the back. Sam black and blue, hardly any face left.
The flashlight's beam finally swept across her. Her eyes were wide open and glassy. There was something traced in the dirt by her hand.
It took a moment for Jae to realize that he was sobbing.
Part of him still wanted to yell at her, grab her by the shoulders and shake her, tell her don't do this to me, don't you dare until she came to her senses because the last person he had left couldn't just die without even giving him a chance to try and explain himself. He wanted to tell her that she couldn't just change her mind about being mad at him so quickly. He wanted to tell her the truth, tell her everything, and he wanted to lie one last time that he loved her because at least then she wouldn't have to die cold and alone because some psycho bitch that Jae didn't even like thought she had been doing him a favor.
He couldn't get close to her. He leaned against a tree instead and clicked the flashlight off, letting it drop to the ground and burying his face in his hands.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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randomness
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2018 6:48 am
And suddenly everything had happened at once.
His mind was reeling from the contact, unable to understand what just happened
Was he happy with this? This was what he wanted, right? To be there for someone, to mean something to someone. But it was only part of him that was happy, that same deep, dark part that was jealous, that was angry, that wanted to snatch up the whole world and covet it.
Why wasn't the rest of him happy? Why was he feeling guilty? Hazel did it of her own free will, and he didn't do anything but try to help. It wan't supposed to be wrong. It wasn't supposed to be wrong.
This wasn't what he needed right now, even though he wanted it and oh my god he was about to burst into tears if this kept up.
And the best part was that Jay was here too, right now, in this already burning trainwreck of a moment. As if he didn't have enough trouble just dealing with the insides of his own mind.
She was crying and he couldn't do anything again, all that earlier conviction gone, evaporated over the past few days. He couldn't help as she walked closer towards, Jae, returning to where she-
Hazel punched him. He didn't understand. There was another girl and she was running, and everything was too bright with that flashlight. By the time he was able to do anything the fight was over, the girl gone and so much blood everywhere.
He was the worst. He'd tried to make keep them both safe , but when push came to shove, he was useless. Standing around like the useless git he was.
And she was bleeding and he couldn't help.
"Hazel?"
She didn't hear him. He didn't hear himself either and he wasn't even sure if he had actually said it.
And then she was down on the ground, and they were right next to her.
She wasn't moving.
It didn't feel real. It was fake. A nightmare. Some cruel simulation by a madman scientist. Not working. He couldn't even manage to delude himelf.
He wanted to be angry. Maybe scream. Shouting at Jay for being the dick who'd set this whole trainwreck in motion. Something stupid and movie-like. And maybe he might even get killed for his efforts. That almost sounded like a good idea in the stupid cloud of adrenalin he found himself in. But all he could muster was a profound emptiness.
It was funny. They'd spent so long looking for Jae together. It was just an excuse of a purpose, but it was a purpose in the end.
"I'm sorry, Hazel."
Somehow, he couldn't think of words that were any emptier.
His mind was reeling from the contact, unable to understand what just happened
Was he happy with this? This was what he wanted, right? To be there for someone, to mean something to someone. But it was only part of him that was happy, that same deep, dark part that was jealous, that was angry, that wanted to snatch up the whole world and covet it.
Why wasn't the rest of him happy? Why was he feeling guilty? Hazel did it of her own free will, and he didn't do anything but try to help. It wan't supposed to be wrong. It wasn't supposed to be wrong.
This wasn't what he needed right now, even though he wanted it and oh my god he was about to burst into tears if this kept up.
And the best part was that Jay was here too, right now, in this already burning trainwreck of a moment. As if he didn't have enough trouble just dealing with the insides of his own mind.
She was crying and he couldn't do anything again, all that earlier conviction gone, evaporated over the past few days. He couldn't help as she walked closer towards, Jae, returning to where she-
Hazel punched him. He didn't understand. There was another girl and she was running, and everything was too bright with that flashlight. By the time he was able to do anything the fight was over, the girl gone and so much blood everywhere.
He was the worst. He'd tried to make keep them both safe , but when push came to shove, he was useless. Standing around like the useless git he was.
And she was bleeding and he couldn't help.
"Hazel?"
She didn't hear him. He didn't hear himself either and he wasn't even sure if he had actually said it.
And then she was down on the ground, and they were right next to her.
She wasn't moving.
It didn't feel real. It was fake. A nightmare. Some cruel simulation by a madman scientist. Not working. He couldn't even manage to delude himelf.
He wanted to be angry. Maybe scream. Shouting at Jay for being the dick who'd set this whole trainwreck in motion. Something stupid and movie-like. And maybe he might even get killed for his efforts. That almost sounded like a good idea in the stupid cloud of adrenalin he found himself in. But all he could muster was a profound emptiness.
It was funny. They'd spent so long looking for Jae together. It was just an excuse of a purpose, but it was a purpose in the end.
"I'm sorry, Hazel."
Somehow, he couldn't think of words that were any emptier.
Jae almost would have preferred that Jordan yell at him. At least then he could yell back, shift the blame to someone else, be angry again instead of... this. Feeling like he had been torn open from the pit of his ribcage and knowing that it was mostly his own damn fault.
Do you love me?
In the end, he didn't say anything to Jordan. He didn't say anything to the body that had housed a girl who tried to love him, either. He limped away back through the trampled brush to his bag and the staff, contemplated whether he should try to pursue Dorothy wherever she went, and decided he didn't have the energy.
The jacket was still slung over his shoulder. Jae thought there might have been blood on it. Once upon a time, he would have been royally pissed at the idea of anything staining his favorite jacket - real leather, almost still new when he'd found it in the thrift shop and he'd managed to buy it at a steal - but now he just looked at it for a few minutes in the wan moonlight before shrugging it on and zipping it up against the chill night air. He patted the pocket and found that his lighter and cigarettes were still there, seemingly untouched.
Do you love me?
I tried to.
I'm sorry.
No, I don't.
Back into the night with the other monsters you go, boogeyman.
((Min-jae Parker continued in This Is The End Of His Story))
Do you love me?
In the end, he didn't say anything to Jordan. He didn't say anything to the body that had housed a girl who tried to love him, either. He limped away back through the trampled brush to his bag and the staff, contemplated whether he should try to pursue Dorothy wherever she went, and decided he didn't have the energy.
The jacket was still slung over his shoulder. Jae thought there might have been blood on it. Once upon a time, he would have been royally pissed at the idea of anything staining his favorite jacket - real leather, almost still new when he'd found it in the thrift shop and he'd managed to buy it at a steal - but now he just looked at it for a few minutes in the wan moonlight before shrugging it on and zipping it up against the chill night air. He patted the pocket and found that his lighter and cigarettes were still there, seemingly untouched.
Do you love me?
I tried to.
I'm sorry.
No, I don't.
Back into the night with the other monsters you go, boogeyman.
((Min-jae Parker continued in This Is The End Of His Story))
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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randomness
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2018 6:48 am
And then he left too.
Leaving Jordan for the first time, completely, properly, alone.
From moment one, it had been him and Hazel. Through whatever insanity this island threw at them, it was the one thing he really enjoyed.
And yet, he couldn't say anything more. That was all he could say. Sorry.
As if that meant anything to anyone at any time.
God, he barely even knew how he felt about her, and her dying right now only fragmented his thoughts even further. How much of it was the fear? The sense of shared comraderie in the face of death? How much of his thoughts of her were being rewritten by this new undeniable fact?
How much was he lying to himself when he said he was sorry?
They had been together almost a week. Over a week?
He suddenly wasn't sure what day it was anymore, and he shouldn't even be caring about that given what was right in front of him.
And he was freaking out even more because he had no idea how long he'd already been here.
It was frustrating, how it felt as if Hazel dying was somehow the lesser of the problems in his head. It wasn't. It couldn't be.
Taking several unsteady steps, Jordan started moving away from her.
He didn't know where he was going.
He didn't know why.
He just walked.
((Jordan Green continued in In Cups of Coffee, In Strife))
Leaving Jordan for the first time, completely, properly, alone.
From moment one, it had been him and Hazel. Through whatever insanity this island threw at them, it was the one thing he really enjoyed.
And yet, he couldn't say anything more. That was all he could say. Sorry.
As if that meant anything to anyone at any time.
God, he barely even knew how he felt about her, and her dying right now only fragmented his thoughts even further. How much of it was the fear? The sense of shared comraderie in the face of death? How much of his thoughts of her were being rewritten by this new undeniable fact?
How much was he lying to himself when he said he was sorry?
They had been together almost a week. Over a week?
He suddenly wasn't sure what day it was anymore, and he shouldn't even be caring about that given what was right in front of him.
And he was freaking out even more because he had no idea how long he'd already been here.
It was frustrating, how it felt as if Hazel dying was somehow the lesser of the problems in his head. It wasn't. It couldn't be.
Taking several unsteady steps, Jordan started moving away from her.
He didn't know where he was going.
He didn't know why.
He just walked.
((Jordan Green continued in In Cups of Coffee, In Strife))