Dark Necessities

[D/N]

(Kaitlyn Greene continued from Greene's Gulch)

There was some big old bloodstain off in a corner.

Kaitlyn wrinkled her nose. Better than the alternative, she guessed. She spun on her heel and went back to the entryway, looking out to the busted truck outside and the island beyond.

She guessed she liked this southern point of the island the best. There were the docks, and the nearby ocean. And a gnarly helicopter wreck on the roof. And she could hear the waves. Funny how she'd spent her entire fucking life cooped up in the desert only to find out here of all places that she was kinda liking the sea. Kaitlyn always was a bit an outdoors girl, but she'd figured that was limited to desert life. Who knew? Layers.

And she definitely preferred outside to this fucking place, which unlike the pub and the library had no comforts of civilization and reeked of rat piss and... well she'd already seen at least some of what else. There might be some good stuff somewhere, but unless she knocked through every moldy box and pried open every splinter-filled rotting crate, how was she gonna know? The one she had opened out or curiosity had been empty. So yeah, she'd stick with what she'd earned for now. She had more than enough to last.

Once this latest drizzle stopped she'd head back out, maybe hang at the docks a while. Boss windbreaker or not, staying out in the rain wasn't great news. Meanwhile, she'd pass the time here however she could. Wander around, take a breather and give her body a little while longer to--

Speaking of her body, there was a familiar clenching feeling.

"Uggggggh."

Shit.

Like, literally.

Kaitlyn wiped her brow and glanced back and forth. Fucking cheeseburger. She... she couldn't do this outside, could she? But how disgusting was any bathroom in this building going to be even if she found it?

She took one step outside, changed her mind, and jogged back in.

In the end, she couldn't even find a bathroom, but at least the one janitor's closet or something she ran into had a bucket it it. Kaitlyn rested one hand on the wall while the other zipped open her bag. Just in case someone came by. And, well she'd need some... fuck. Maybe she shouldn't have tossed Peter Pan in the ocean after all.

[Slam]

((Vanessa Stone continued from Shock Me))

She hadn't slept much. Yesterday was kind of a blur, a day she'd rather forget but obviously could not, the proof of it still wrapped around her arm in the form of a colourful bandana. Her mind was swarming with memories: the fun times she'd had with her BFF that she thought would last forever, the bitter arguments that were so fucking stupid and pointless then and now just felt like they'd spat on what precious time the two of them had shared, the two weeks they hadn't talked because of something as ridiculous as who was the frontwoman of the band. She felt guilty that she hadn't been a better friend in the unpredictably too-short time they'd had.

Alessio Rigano. He was the one who'd killed Cams, that's what the announcement had said, and he'd kept going since then. He was a fucking dead man, that had been decided before she even knew his name. The least she could do, she figured, was even the score.

Too bad she didn't have a clue who Alessio Rigano was.

She was far from the asylum, and she preferred it that way. She'd rather never return, never have to risk going past that closet that had become a crypt. The place was already filling up with the ghosts of her dead classmates, she didn't need to think about Cams haunting it too. Shit, Cams would probably get a kick out of that: floating around, scaring the crap out of anyone who had the bad luck to be walking down those empty hallways. She'd probably be in full makeup when she did it, too.

She chuckled, just a little, and then inevitably felt guilty. She dismissed it though; she wasn't going to get caught up grieving, not when there were things to settle.

She'd been clutching her chair leg for a few hours now; the grisly nail sticking out of it was ready for action. It had just been a deterrent before, just a weird prop in her pretense of going along with the whole affair, never really carried with any knowledge of how it was going to be used. Now it knew its purpose, and now everything felt more real. It wasn't going to go into the first person she saw, but it was certainly going to be shoved up someone's ass before all this was over.

In her search for Alessio, Vanessa had entered the storehouse not long after Kaitlyn had opted not to do her business outside. She'd looked at the room full of crates and immediately felt uncomfortable. It was a subconscious feeling, but the place was far too reminiscent of the storage closet. Wanting to avoid the sight, she decided to check the corridors first, looking for a different view.

As she walked down the hallway, no longer running her hands along the wall or quietly humming to herself, she passed the janitor's closet. She paused; she could've sworn she'd heard faint grunting coming from inside.

"Yo, someone in here?" she called out, hand already on the knob and opening the door, failing to heed anything from the last times she'd blindly walked into rooms.

[D/N]

Let this be a lesson.

Of what, she had no clue.

So, at least Kaitlyn was pretty much done. She'd been using that survival guide or whatever useless garbage the pamphlet from the terrorists was supposed to be. It gave her an internal smile as she did.

And she'd been relaxing and meditating a bit on that smile, letting her mind go blank. It was a nice fucking moment. Enough of one for her to ignore any outside interruptions until she heard a footstep outside the door.

Kaitlyn opened her eyes just in time to see the door open and a glimpse of Vanessa's face.

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

She stumbled forward, dropped onto her knees and shoved at the door.

Okay, fuck this. And that. And everything.

"I've--- what the hell! Knock!"

Her knees knocked together and she pitched forward onto her stomach. FFFFF.

She gave half a second's thought to pulling up her shorts and instead tried to reach to her bag instead and drag it towards her.

[Slam]

Nice.

Vanessa stood there, the way any of us would if we walked in on someone wiping their arse after taking a dump in a janitor's closet. Were the skit to play out in full, she'd have slowly shut the door and noped right back out of there. She had enough bullshit going on without actual shit joining her thoughts.

Kaitlyn had intervened on her little peepshow before Vanessa could really enjoy it all, but she'd seen enough, and was left staring at the door to the former's impromptu toilet.

A snicker. Of all the things she'd seen so far, that was probably one of the most messed up.  A burst of laughter.

She laughed hard, pausing only to wipe the tear from her eye. "Kait, that you?" she called back in through the giggling fit, having picked up on the familiar voice and face from softball as she desperately scrambled to stop Vanessa from witnessing the dirty deed. "Fuckin' A', this what you do when you're not at school? Or should I give a heads up to the janitors?"

Her words were coming out in-between the laughter, one she had been very much needing, but one that was perhaps just a bit too much in light of the past few days.

[D/N]

"Ugggh."

Ass in the air, Kaitlyn groaned and relaxed the grip on her bag as a couple seconds passed and it was clear Vanessa wasn't about to charge in guns blazing.

Holy Christ. Worst fucking way to die possible.

Instead she pushed up to her knees and started pulling her shorts back up. She stared dully at the door as -- of course -- Vanessa's laughter started seeping through.

"Yeah, me. Yeah laugh it up."

That just seemed to set Vanessa off even more. Or maybe the other girl wasn't even listening, what with the pointed questions and all.

"Whatever. I'm coming out!"

Kaitlyn stood there and tried to figure out the best way to do that for a sec, then nudged her bag towards the door with her foot, cracking it open. She stepped out, still pushing the bag with her foot, hands dangling but wrists twitching. Like she was mentally fighting the urge to either stick her hands in the air or dive down into her bag again. But no need for either of that Kaitlyn. Just Vanessa. All cool.

"Couldn't find a real bathroom. Like... it would've been disgusting anyway. You know?"

Katilyn stared at Vanessa. Finally she laughed herself. Not for long mind you. But good to get out.

"Yeah."

[Slam]

Vanessa finished her laugh alongside Kaitlyn, venting a lot of negative feelings in that comedic moment. The pain was still there, but it felt good to open the valves in a time where it didn't seem possible. She was actually smiling, even if it was a cocky teasing smile.

Out of the people she could've ran into at the time, Kaitlyn wasn't a bad pick. The two got on well enough in softball, no major fights or the like. They weren't best friends, but that option wasn't on the cards anymore anyway, so a buddy would suffice.

"So, what've you been up to?" Vanessa asked, arms folded as she took as relaxed a pose as she could still muster, as if she wasn't concerned about talking to a girl with a kill to her name. Then again, Vanessa had been so fixated on Cameron and her killer that the rest of the announcement had been a relative blur. Her guard was down.

"Apart from taking a dump in closets, I mean."

[D/N]

They finished laughing. And Vanessa stepped back and it was cool for a second until that question.

Kaitlyn froze.

"...Is some kind of joke, Vanessa?"

The tension started in her jaw and worked its way out from there. Vanessa was putting on some relaxation pose and asking that question? What the hell was she working at, why would she--

"Is..."

Just like that? Oh, how you doing? She knew, the announcement and the prize and Vanessa knew just like everyone else did. Was she mocking Kaitlyn or something still, or--

"Fucking up to... I-- I was with Alan Banks, OK? He'd told me he had this plan, and we needed a gun, and he jumped Mia and I didn't fucking know what was I was doing when he told me to stick her!"

And the words spilled out before Kaitlyn looked up again.

"I'm not some crazy killer, I'm just..."

And saw that Vanessa's look now was... ah. Funny. Who knew, maybe the girl had slept straight through the announcements or something and this was all news to her.

"Yeah. Taking a shit in the closet.

"...You?"

[Slam]

Woah, talk about hitting a nerve.

From the sound of it, Vanessa probably should've paid more attention to that announcement, since Kaitlyn's denial was doing nothing to mask the actions that were written across her face. It sounded like Vanessa was face to face with someone who, by all accounts, had probably committed muder. Her first conversation with a confirmed killer.

She felt a lump form in her throat, but she was able to swallow it surprisingly quickly. Did Kaitlyn unnerve her suddenly? Maybe a little, but she still looked like she had back at school, on the whole. There was no deranged twinkle in her eye, not like Nancy had had. Kaitlyn still seemed to have her faculties intact, so she probably wasn't about to try and axe her a question.

Maybe she was being too trusting. Maybe she was starting to not care.

"...Cool." She finally said, trying to maintain that air of indifference. It was difficult, but she thought she was managing. The lingering traces of that startled moment were still showing on her face, though.

"I've just been looking around, I guess." She was speaking slowly, thinking on the words in case she could still set Kaitlyn off like she'd already done. "Looking for Alessio Rigano, actually. You know who he is?"

She wasn't about to announce her murderous intent, but she felt awkward leaving the question hanging. Maybe she just wanted to share her plans with someone, even if it was indirectly.

"Let's just say I want to talk to him."

She tightened her grip on her chair leg as she said the words.

[D/N]

So hey. Vanessa... didn't seem to care.

Unexpected, that.

So maybe this was OK? Maybe Vanessa realized the whole, y'know, REALITY of this situation. She hadn't thought anyone else could, but hey, Kaitlyn could admit she underestimated folks at times.

"I... Thanks. Yeah."

The words were surprisingly tough to get out. She was feeling something here, like an groundswell of emotion building up from her guts, and Kaitlyn wasn't sure she liked it. She'd been trying to avoid that kinda stuff, but then all of a sudden this happens.

Because Vanessa Stone, of all people, fuckin UNDERSTOOD. And it gave Kaitlyn hope. That everyone would. They'd all just... understand shit, like she did.

She blinked and was glad there weren't any tears there.

And thankfully, Vanessa had moved on to her own issues.

"Alessio?"

Kaitlyn tried to think. It was a weird fucking name. There was a kid in school with that name. That was about it.

"Sorry. Only like, really vaguely. He a junior?"

He'd also of course been there on the announcements. Killed someone... oh yeah. Cam Herrig. Yeah.

"But yeah, I probably couldn't even tell you what he looked like. Wish I could help ya. Would if I could, you know?"

[Slam]

"Yeah, kay. Thanks."

The disappointment was obvious in Vanessa's voice, but it would've been too easy to get pointed in the right direction straight away. It was cool, she had all the time in the world to hunt down Cam's killer; he could enjoy running around whilst he still could.

What he'd do in that time, Vanessa was trying not to care. It sucked for other people who got in his way, but it wasn't like there was anything she could do about that anyway. Better to focus on what she had to do rather than what he was doing.

There was a slight awkwardness as she wondered what to say next. Kaitlyn wasn't her best bud, but it was still nice to see a familiar face. Made it almost feel like old times, back before everyone was running around on murder island with a bomb on their neck. A nice change of pace from sleeping out in the woods and trying not to cross paths with people who'd gone off the deep end.

Of course, Kaitlyn had danced on the edge of that end. She didn't look crazy, no, but she'd still killed someone. It may not have unnerved Vanessa completely, but to say it had no effect would be a lie.

Hence, the slight awkwardness.

"Soo...." She began, putting the words together. She was curious, but she still wanted to stay on Kaitlyn's good side. Just asking outright about it may have been considered a dick move, but at the same time on some level Vanessa wanted to understand the killer motive. After all, it was her motive now too.

"You got any plans? Now that you're sticking it to people, I mean."

As the words left her lips, she winced just a little. That definitely meant to come out subtler.

[D/N]

"I'm not... Jesus."

Sticking it? Seriously? Well, literally too.

Kaitlyn bit her lip at that.

So what exactly was Vanessa's angle here? She was going after that Alessio kid, that much was obvious. And that worked for Kaitlyn. Long as it wasn't her. And she wasn't showing the fear.

Kaitlyn couldn't help but be impressed. Cause maybe she could work with this. After all, she had someone of her own to look out for, didn't she? Someone who knew exactly what'd happened with Mia and could cause trouble with that. Someone who was kinda losing it himself. Someone who wouldn't be missed.

And someone who Kaitlyn knew was gonna show up somewhere specific tomorrow.

"Hey, maybe we can help each other out. Get each other's backs, ya know?"

That old thrill rolled itself back in her stomach. And it wasn't cramping this time. Hopefully.

"Alan told me he'd be at that chapel tomorrow. I wanna head there. He was... he was really starting to lose it when I took off from him. Like, dangerous. And... if you help me out with him, I'll totally help you out with that Alessio, if we find him.

"Whatcha think?"

[Slam]

It was an unexpected offer, to say the least.

"What, you mean like some kind of 'criss-cross, I kill them, you kill them, we're all winners' deal? I don't know, it sounds kind of..."

Fucked up?

She'd been absolutely planning to settle the score with Alessio, and she was going to do so, but he was the only person she had beef with. Yeah, this whole thing was about being the last person standing, and as much as she was trying not to think about it too hard, sooner or later she was going to have to come face to face with introducing people to the Grim Reaper. Still, she was really hoping she could avoid it until absolutely necessary (which ideally would be never, not counting Alessio); going out of her way to help Kaitlyn settle her own score would in turn make her a cold-blooded killer.

On the other hand, she was starting to get lonely since she split off from Jae, and the remnants of her best friend hanging from her wrist wasn't doing much to help that. She may have been a killer, but Kait was still kind of sort of her buddy, at least from softball anyway. Hanging out with someone who was headhunting certainly wasn't typical, but then that was exactly what she was doing, so maybe she shouldn't be being so judgemental.

The indecisiveness was written all over her face and came out in a long sound of uncertainty, as she turned the chair leg in her hand.

[D/N]

Nononono.

See, Kaitlyn was starting to realize to herself why she needed this. It was the check and balance aspect. Yeah, go off. Meet up with Alan and all the mystery and danger that would come with it.

Bring Vanessa along. A backup. A kindred spirit. And one you controlled; even better. Keep that trump card in your pocket.

And you win that way.

So Kaitlyn was absolutely not about to let Vanessa get away with begging off like this.

"Yeah but... look you're not some crazy kid here Vanessa. I mean, obviously I'm not too cause I'm not going for my gun and shooting you right now, right? So..."

She took a step towards Vanessa and lowered her voice. Secrets between friends, huh?

"Isn't it better if we, y'know, do what we gotta do, but keep it to those kids that are nuts like that? Don't it look better at least?"

Yeah. Best of both worlds. She grinned and stepped back.

"'Sides, you got like... a chair leg there. Are you gonna take out anyone with that? I got a gun and a crossbow. You help me out, we can see about giving you some help for 'Lessio."

[Slam]

Maybe Vanessa had been too trusting before, because Kait was certainly showing that unsettling glimmer in her eye right now.

None of this was about 'doing what they had to do', not as far as Vanessa cared; this was about revenge for her best friend, plain and simple. Anything that happened beyond that was the fucked up consequences of the terrorists' actions, but that didn't mean she had to go along with what they wanted for even a moment. Alessio was only getting his because he'd decided to go the route he had in the first place.

Stlil, Kait did make a good point about the chair leg. "It's got a nail in it." She pointed out in its defence, but she knew that it was only going to do so much in the long run. If Kait had guns 'n' ammo and was willing to share, then she was hardly in a position to decline.

So, against her better judgement, Kait's suggestion won out. Vanessa was still against indiscriminate murder, but at least this way she'd be hanging out with a friend, company she could really use, and get something out of it at the same time.

"Alright, you've got a deal. We'll go find Alan and then play it from there. Who am I to say no to a gun, anyway?"

[Slam]

The two were leaving when a nasty thought came over Vanessa's mind.

She was agreeing to help Kaitlyn commit another murder. Kait, who'd already killed someone under circumstances that she wasn't entirely familiar with. Kait, who she kind of knew, but not really all that well. Kait, who from the sounds of it was prepared to start killing more people as long as they counted as 'crazy'.

It was, she realised, a rather risky commitment.

Sure, she was only planning on going after Alessio and then being doing with it, but going this route she seemed at risk of getting roped into more. Yeah, she could really use a gun, like fuck-yeah firepower and all, but she might've been biting off more than she could chew here.

"Hey, uh," she started, rubbing the back of her neck. Time to slip away without a stir.

"I actually forgot....my bag?" She glanced down at her which was obviously slung over her shoulder. "I mean, another bag. Yeah. I left it behind one of the crates down there because...it's heavy?"

Fuck it, that sounded believable.

"I'll be right back, I'll just go grab it. It's like, other way to the entrance."

She turned on heel and bounced down the hallway, calling out 'won't be a moment' and 'wait right here' as she did so, trying to be quick enough that Kait couldn't just chase straight after her. Hopefully.

((Vanessa Stone continued in Resident Evil))