Start for Girl #5

[Kuze*]

(occ I kind of put small lapses in time Eh I'll edit it in 8 min when an auction im monitering ends,alright

/Edit/ Slayer and I made a chompromise because alot of it would be changed if we edit it the outcome will be changed

/EDIT2/ will add IC to this post)

Heather fell back from the force of of the boy's throw casuing the boy's bullets to miss entirely.'If i dont run now im dead.'.

Heather sat up and slowly reached for her bag the was behind her with her wounded arm and started to drag it towards her,and got ready to stumble away from the boy.

Heather slowly stood up with bag in hand and started to slowly stumble away towards the dirt path where she was headed to anyways.

(possibally continued in the dirt path)

[LadyMakaze†]

Madelaine had fallen silent and still, as the scene unfolded in front of her. She had been startled into silence when Heather suddenly appeared, sensing the tension of yet another confrontation. Watching quietly, Madelaine prayed inwardly that the girl would just listen to David's warning and just run away. However, she could not overlook David's harshness when he took away her weapon, threatening to kill her if she came any closer.

For sure, this was someone who was totally prepared to kill if needed. Perhaps this was only natural for someone who wanted to protect another...but watching as he shot at her, again and again, that sort of attitude seemed almost cold and abnormal to her.

Unable to act, unable to speak, she remained frozen in place, only relaxing once the girl had scrambled off. The poor girl... Madelaine thought to herself, angered at herself for remaining passive while the confrontation heated up even more. At least....at least no one was killed this time.

Now that her nerves had calmed, she raised her chin slightly towards David with a scathing look that was calm, yet held a trace of contempt. She gazed at him, holding that piercing look for several silent moments. Inside, her heart stung.

Without a word, she broke that gaze and abruptly continued her way. She silently walked ahead in brisk strides, leaving the two somewhat further back, but not walking in a pace that could not easily be matched.

[Cactus]

Amanda had been shocked at the shooting - so much so that she had simply stood there with her mouth agape, watching the events unfold. To say that she had wanted to say nothing would be completely incorrect. Amanda had intended to shout, scream out to David that this girl didn't look like a threat...but her voice caught in her throat, coming out like a small croak. As the shooting progressed, she felt something being placed into her hands, and looking down, she saw her hands full of a gun - and it's spare ammunition. She looked at the horror of it all - the fact was, she wasn't used to handling guns. This, of course, put her into more of a shock. When the girl finally ran off, there was a silence for a second, before Madelaine seemed to purposefully start walking quite a bit faster than Amanda and David.

Oh hell no, you're not leaving me alone with him...the hell with that...

Amanda professed to herself that protector or not; she was afraid of David. He had shown that he was in a position to kill, and he wouldn't be afraid to do it. Amanda glanced at the neutral expression on David's face, and then ran to catch up with Madelaine. The other girl looked absolutely horrified, and her pace was rather difficult to keep up with. Amanda found herself almost jogging beside her, and it was then that she finally found her voice again - albeit it came out dry and hollow-sounding.

"Madelaine! Madelaine, slow down..."

[LadyMakaze†]

A piercing wave of numbness flooded through Madelaine as she blindly strode through the field, clouding her sight and sense of hearing. Her teeth clenched together behind pursed lips in a grim expression. Her face had paled under its light tan while David mercilessly shot at the panic-stricken girl. Now, her expression tensed as she cursed silently.

Beneath her coldly resolute mask, pain and frustration welled up inside her, begging to be let out in a sudden outburst of fury and anguish. But she suppressed it, knowing that no good will come out of losing her temper(rather, worsen the situation). Her pursed lips trembled slightly. Inside her mouth, she tasted blood.

It took her a while to register that Amanda was speaking to her. She was startled, then became suddenly ashamed at herself. Forgetting her completely, she had run off on her own on impulse, leaving behind this girl who had made an effort to befriend her despite the grim situation they were in.

She stopped in place. Her anguish suddenly abandoned her, and she turned around fully to look back at Amanda, who was struggling to keep up with her. She waited silently for Amanda to catch up, face downcast.

"...Sorry. I didn't mean to leave you back there, and...well..."

Her slightly raspy voice had trailed off, cut short by the heavy lump growing in her throat.

[Cactus]

Amanda looked Madelaine up and down. It was quite evident that the shooting had tweaked some far ingrained emotional trauma within the girl and it was evidently taking its toll on her. To be honest, Amanda found that the shooting was taking its toll on her as well. As she had thought before, it would be in their best interests to make haste across this long field, and get to that house sooner than later. Amanda, however, figured that it would be best to put on a strong face and support those around her...but if I'm all by myself and I keep everything inside, I won't be able to go at it for long...

Perhaps that was all they needed.

"Hey, it's okay. Really, I was probably about ready to do the same thing. We need to get to that house, then maybe we can rest, or find some friendly faces, or something. Everything's going to be fine, don't worry."

Amanda managed a weak smile, and put her hand on the other girl's shoulder in a gesture of friendship.

[LadyMakaze†]

Madelaine gazed at Amanda for a while, listening as always. She felt comforted, feeling Amanda's hand on her shoulder. The tension inside her chest gradually eased, leaving a slight ache that was somehow relieving. Madelaine let out a small sigh before returning the smile. At least, she thought. At least I'm still able to smile. Even though I might not survive this...at least I can still smile. For some reason, such a trivial matter, being able to smile, seemed to matter more to her than surviving.

She nodded at Amanda, feeling calmed despite everything that has happened to her so far. "Yeah....rest..." she murmured. It was almost exhausting to speak, but each word she let out seemed to relieve her. "I'm sure that there are people who haven't given in yet. Perhaps, if we bump into them, we'll be able to form a group. It'll be safer for us." She smiled, warmly this time.

Feeling a sense of renewal, she walked ahead again, though this time, she walked at a relaxed pace. She turned towards Amanda again, walking backwards with a serene expression on her face, waiting for her companion to catch up.

[Cactus]

Amanda jogged to catch up with Madelaine, figuring that it would be better off to walk in a group than by herself. Who knew what could happen if you were to wander around by yourself? As she settled into a relaxed pace beside Madelaine, she glanced back to see David further behind her. The boy's blank expression unsettled her a little, and she turned back to Madelaine.

"Hey...look. About David, I don't...I don't really trust him completely. I mean, he seems like one of those kids who's really patriotic towards the US and all, and when he first saw me he basically knew who my dad was and vowed to protect me. Kind of like in the Terminator, you know, with Ah-nuld?"

She smiled. It was funny thinking of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governer of California, as the cold robotic Terminator. She had personally met him on more than one occasion; in fact her father and the Austrian governer were fast friends. No matter what anyone said about him, she liked the man, as he was always very kind to her whenever she visited with her father.

I'm sure Arnold will help get us out of here...become a real actuon hero...

Her expression turned serious and she lowered her voice.

"But as much as I don't think David would hurt me, I'm concerned that he might try and do something to you, especially if I...go somewhere, or something. So...I think that you need this a little more than I do."

Amanda removed the pistol that David had given her earlier out of her pocket, and then fished out the extra ammunition.

"Here...just in case he tries something...or hell, just in case of anything at all. Just...I guess, try not to shoot Adam if you see him?"

Amanda smiled weakly at Madelaine and held the gun out to her, handle-first.

[LadyMakaze†]

Madelaine felt her insides run cold as Amanda mentioned David, though she did her best to ignore the feeling of caution and distrust for the boy. Though she and David had been somewhat cold to eachother just after she had bumped into the group, Madelaine did her best to tolerate David, despite his lack of remorse for killing Andrew. But the encounter with the girl only a few minutes ago crossed the line. Any feeling of security she felt while in his presence was now smothered away by his lack of emotion.

She nodded with agreement to what Amanda was saying about him, smiling slightly as she compared him to that guy from Terminator. Humour aside, she understood just what Amanda was saying, for she felt the same as well.

"I don't trust him either...I mean, he's already proven that he is willing to kill, supposedly to protect you, but... it seems almost unnatural." A chill ran down her spine as she remembered his blank expression as he fired: only once at Andrew, but several times at Heather. Even if she was the one under his protection...there was no way she could possibly feel safe.

She was about to continue when Amanda suddently interrupted, then handed the gun to her. It was the Smith & Wesson that David had held onto earlier, but Madelaine could easily care less about the name.

Hesitantly, she carefully took the gun with both hands, looking only at Amanda. Delicately, without placing her finger against the trigger, she held it by the grip in her hand, where it seemed to fit perfectly against the contours of her fingers.

She knew not whether to feel happy or afraid. But nonetheless she was grateful. Carefully, she placed it inside her right hand pocket and looked back towards Amanda. She opened her mouth to speak, voice cracking a bit.

"...Thank you....," she said weakly. She swallowed hard. "I was on the archery club for a while...so I have a good eye. So if anything happens..."

She hesitated, not knowing how to finish the sentence. If something happens...I'll be able to kill the other party? Maybe catch the guy between the eyes, thus showing off my superb marksmanship? Eliminate the competition completely?" No...that was not what the gun was for.

"...I'll be able to protect myself. I'll be able to protect you," she said finally, smiling fully now. "I can protect the both of us."

[Cactus]

Amanda smiled at the declaration, and as Madelaine took the gun. Most people would probably balk at giving up a gun willingly in such a game, but Amanda frankly couldn't shoot worth a damn, and as such, felt better giving the gun to Madelaine, someone she thought that she could trust.

As for David...well, I guess I trust him not to hurt me, but beyond that...who knows. If we can't get out of here any other way but winning, and it comes down to him and I...I'm sure he probably won't hesitate to shoot me...

The thought made Amanda shudder. Getting shot, albeit something she hadn't experienced, was one of those 'I'll be happy if it never happens' kind of things. Unfortunately, the odds were seeming better and better.

Her gaze had carried to the ground as she hacked off some grass that seemed to be getting thicker...getting thicker...?

Amanda looked up and almost recoiled. FINALLY! They had arrived at what looked to be a forested area. Inside, Amanda could faintly make out the outline of a small house. Excited, she turned to Madelaine and grinned widely.

"Oh, man...it's about fucking time we got across this damned field! Come on, I can see the house from here...let's go!"

Her feet hurt, and hopefully soon, she'd be able to sit down for a second.

Hopefully she wouldn't find herself dodging bullets instead.

((CONTINUED IN: Hiding))

[LadyMakaze†]

Madelaine followed the direction of her gaze and saw the distant shape of the house sticking out of the seemingly endless open field. It seemed almost out of place, like a blemish, but Madelaine had no reason to worry about that.

She gave a large sigh of relief. Here they were, finally, after trudging through nothing but dirt and grass for what seemed like a lifetime. She grinned back at Amanda in spite of herself. The excitement was contagious.

Finally, she would be able to rest and recouperate, at least for a while before they had to start moving again, but Madelaine pushed that thought out of her mind for the moment.

"Wonderful...I'd become sick of this field a long time ago," she remarked excitedly as she began to hurry towards the tiny building, being careful not to leave Amanda behind. Already she was formulating in her mind the first thing she was going to do once she entered the house: survey the place, set up a barricade, and then finally settle. Perhaps she'll even have time to write an entry in her diary. Lord knew just how much she wanted to finally let everything out, thoughts and feelings alike, after all that has happened to her today...

She began to pick up the pace, as the outline of the house grew larger and larger.

((To be continued: Hiding))