Lori sat in the middle of the bush and watched as two of the people pulled their water from the bags near the foliage. Success. Perfect. Brilliant.
However, there was a third shape. That was a problem, as whoever this was hadn't put their bag near enough to the plants for her to be able to reach into discretely. Not a problem, though. The third person would be so distracted by the chaos of the other two that Lori would be able to make off with at least one bag. Lori would just have to wait...
In the meantime she settled down and leaned in to listen to what they were talking about. It seemed like a great opportunity. Back at home she would have loved to be able to secretly sit in on a conversation of her peers. Sadly, this conversation was kind of boring right now. Lori tried to will the conversation to move towards how these people felt about her or people she knew, but failing that, she sighed and started inspecting the leaves.
Don't Stray Off the Path
Day One/Two, Open Thread
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Mackenzie and Joanne had decided it was breakfast time, and Billy couldn't help but agree. They both started eating some of those "Ration bars" the terrorists had given them; Billy hadn't touched his so far, assuming they'd be disgusting, but he might has well start if he wanted to have enough energy for the trek. After taking out one of his own bars and biting a huge chunk off of it, Billy came to the conclusion that he'd been entirely right about them.
"Eugh, sorry. Didn't think I'd need anything for the bus ride." he took another bite and washed it down with more water. He supposed if this was the most unpleasant thing he'd have to deal with that day, he'd consider himself incredibly lucky.
They sat around for a while, eating their disgusting bars and preparing for the day ahead. Billy spent most of the time looking at his map and thinking. The other two had agreed to his suggestion that they go to the village, but it still didn't sit completely right with him. Thinking of going into a likely high-population area full of buildings for killers to hide in gave him the shivers. The assholes on those conspiracy forums would probably call him an idiot for even considering it. But what else were they supposed to do? He couldn't think of any other place where they would be more likely to find someone who could help them.
He stared at the map, eyes going in circles and circles around it, looking for something he might have missed. That's when he noticed it. it was small at first, but it grew bigger and bigger. In the upper-left corner of the map, where the woodlands were, a spot was forming. It was like the green color of the woods was slowly retreating, opening up a secret area before him. The spot was blue- like the water, but he knew it wasn't water. It was a little lighter than the water. It was something entirely new.
"Uh, do you guys see this?"
Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. Billy put his hands over his face and rubbed his eyelids. He rubbed harder and harder, and the heat from the friction became overwhelming. If there was something in his eyes, he hoped he'd burned it out. Billy took his hands away and opened his eyes again, blinking to refocus them. He looked back at the map. He couldn't see the spot anymore, but he could feel where it had been. It was still there, it had just went back to being hidden from view. The secret place, the place where they'd find salvation.
"There." he said, pointing to it. "We should go there. That's where we'll find someone."
"Eugh, sorry. Didn't think I'd need anything for the bus ride." he took another bite and washed it down with more water. He supposed if this was the most unpleasant thing he'd have to deal with that day, he'd consider himself incredibly lucky.
They sat around for a while, eating their disgusting bars and preparing for the day ahead. Billy spent most of the time looking at his map and thinking. The other two had agreed to his suggestion that they go to the village, but it still didn't sit completely right with him. Thinking of going into a likely high-population area full of buildings for killers to hide in gave him the shivers. The assholes on those conspiracy forums would probably call him an idiot for even considering it. But what else were they supposed to do? He couldn't think of any other place where they would be more likely to find someone who could help them.
He stared at the map, eyes going in circles and circles around it, looking for something he might have missed. That's when he noticed it. it was small at first, but it grew bigger and bigger. In the upper-left corner of the map, where the woodlands were, a spot was forming. It was like the green color of the woods was slowly retreating, opening up a secret area before him. The spot was blue- like the water, but he knew it wasn't water. It was a little lighter than the water. It was something entirely new.
"Uh, do you guys see this?"
Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. Billy put his hands over his face and rubbed his eyelids. He rubbed harder and harder, and the heat from the friction became overwhelming. If there was something in his eyes, he hoped he'd burned it out. Billy took his hands away and opened his eyes again, blinking to refocus them. He looked back at the map. He couldn't see the spot anymore, but he could feel where it had been. It was still there, it had just went back to being hidden from view. The secret place, the place where they'd find salvation.
"There." he said, pointing to it. "We should go there. That's where we'll find someone."
It was nice actually, just sitting around and enjoying(?) a breakfast together. Mackenzie didn't care for the flavors of the bars either, but food was food. To a starving person, a trifle was a feast. Actually, she could go for some trifles right about now, anything sweet in general. But alas, such a treat would have to wait until she found her way home.
She shared a bit of small talk with Joanne, just casual innocuous comments to fill the air, until Billy suddenly interjected. He was staring at the map rather intensely, almost as if he was attempting to burn a hole in it with his laser-like gaze. Something appeared to have caught his attention, and Mackenzie perked up immediately.
"Oh, you found something?" she asked, and walked around to get a look at what he was indicating. This was exciting! It could be a major breakthrough!
He was pointing at a bunch of trees.
Mackenzie didn't get it.
"Uh...are you certain about that, Billy?" she asked innocently. "I mean, there are PROBABLY people in the woods, but how will we find them?"
Wasn't he the one who came up with the idea of looking for people in the village anyway? Why the sudden change in attitude? This was really, really strange.
She shared a bit of small talk with Joanne, just casual innocuous comments to fill the air, until Billy suddenly interjected. He was staring at the map rather intensely, almost as if he was attempting to burn a hole in it with his laser-like gaze. Something appeared to have caught his attention, and Mackenzie perked up immediately.
"Oh, you found something?" she asked, and walked around to get a look at what he was indicating. This was exciting! It could be a major breakthrough!
He was pointing at a bunch of trees.
Mackenzie didn't get it.
"Uh...are you certain about that, Billy?" she asked innocently. "I mean, there are PROBABLY people in the woods, but how will we find them?"
Wasn't he the one who came up with the idea of looking for people in the village anyway? Why the sudden change in attitude? This was really, really strange.
The trees had been breathing for around five minutes when Billy spoke.
Joanne had been making small talk with Kenzie, side comments about how rank the food was, the two of them in training to become the next Ebert and Roeper of survival food, At The Island™, when she looked over Kenzie's shoulder to see the nearest tree exhale. And, it had been the breeze, she thought, except it still felt hot as shit, you know? And there was no wind, just the tree moving. And then, she looked around and saw they were all moving too, expanding and contracting, inhaling and exhaling. She looked to Kenzie's face for a sign, any sign whatsoever that this was happening, but their small talk proceeded on as normal, so either she didn't see anything or she was in on it, somehow, and both possibilities sounded terrifying.
It couldn't have been that it wasn't happening, because it was, she closed her eyes, and she could still see them breathing, leaves fluttering, taking in the air around them. And, this is what her teachers had been talking about back in fifth-grade biology, right? Trees taking in carbon dioxide, letting out oxygen. Or, no, it was the other way around, right? No, no, she had it right, they were like people, but backwards.
They were like people.
They were breathing, so, maybe, they were conscious. They were conscious, she knew, and they knew she knew, and she knew they knew she knew, so, she shouldn't speak about it. Whether or not Kenzie was in on it or not, the truth was she hadn't seen anything like this before, the trees had only shown themselves to her now, and there was a reason they had hidden this from everyone for so long. So, she had to speak about it, or else. She didn't know what 'or else' was, but those two words never meant anything good, so she wouldn't try to find out.
And so they had gone, for the next few minutes, making small talk, pretending things weren't normal, pretending the forest wasn't alive, when Billy spoke. His voice was loud, but he wasn't shouting. She couldn't tell if he was mad or excited, or if things had just gotten louder in general, and all those choices made sense. But, he spoke, and said they should go somewhere. She looked over his shoulder at the map, and he was pointing at the woods.
The trees on the map were breathing. The map was breathing.
Her eyes widened, she shook her head.
"No, I... don't like that, yeah. I don't like that at all. I don't like the woods anymore, and I don't think they like me. We should go somewhere else."
She had to get out of here, she realized. The trees were oppressive, telling but not telling her to keep their secret, but she had enough secrets and thoughts to keep hidden as it was. She couldn't stay here.
Joanne had been making small talk with Kenzie, side comments about how rank the food was, the two of them in training to become the next Ebert and Roeper of survival food, At The Island™, when she looked over Kenzie's shoulder to see the nearest tree exhale. And, it had been the breeze, she thought, except it still felt hot as shit, you know? And there was no wind, just the tree moving. And then, she looked around and saw they were all moving too, expanding and contracting, inhaling and exhaling. She looked to Kenzie's face for a sign, any sign whatsoever that this was happening, but their small talk proceeded on as normal, so either she didn't see anything or she was in on it, somehow, and both possibilities sounded terrifying.
It couldn't have been that it wasn't happening, because it was, she closed her eyes, and she could still see them breathing, leaves fluttering, taking in the air around them. And, this is what her teachers had been talking about back in fifth-grade biology, right? Trees taking in carbon dioxide, letting out oxygen. Or, no, it was the other way around, right? No, no, she had it right, they were like people, but backwards.
They were like people.
They were breathing, so, maybe, they were conscious. They were conscious, she knew, and they knew she knew, and she knew they knew she knew, so, she shouldn't speak about it. Whether or not Kenzie was in on it or not, the truth was she hadn't seen anything like this before, the trees had only shown themselves to her now, and there was a reason they had hidden this from everyone for so long. So, she had to speak about it, or else. She didn't know what 'or else' was, but those two words never meant anything good, so she wouldn't try to find out.
And so they had gone, for the next few minutes, making small talk, pretending things weren't normal, pretending the forest wasn't alive, when Billy spoke. His voice was loud, but he wasn't shouting. She couldn't tell if he was mad or excited, or if things had just gotten louder in general, and all those choices made sense. But, he spoke, and said they should go somewhere. She looked over his shoulder at the map, and he was pointing at the woods.
The trees on the map were breathing. The map was breathing.
Her eyes widened, she shook her head.
"No, I... don't like that, yeah. I don't like that at all. I don't like the woods anymore, and I don't think they like me. We should go somewhere else."
She had to get out of here, she realized. The trees were oppressive, telling but not telling her to keep their secret, but she had enough secrets and thoughts to keep hidden as it was. She couldn't stay here.
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Lori lay in the middle of her temporary sanctuary with her feet flat on the forest floor and her knees up. Some determined rays of the sun managed to get through all of the leaves and make a puzzles pattern on her face. She had to be patient. She wondered how Ivy, Ace and Declyn were doing. Probably fine, they had each other which was more than she had.
Lori also wondered truly if they would understand or forgive her if she ran into them again. She wondered if that had really been a good idea as she was in the midst of doing that exact same idea again.
Presently the conversation changed. It had taken affect. Lori sat up and peered through the leaves again. It seemed things were actually going according to plan, which was a shock.
Maybe she could speed this up a little.
"Billy," she whispered ominously.
Lori also wondered truly if they would understand or forgive her if she ran into them again. She wondered if that had really been a good idea as she was in the midst of doing that exact same idea again.
Presently the conversation changed. It had taken affect. Lori sat up and peered through the leaves again. It seemed things were actually going according to plan, which was a shock.
Maybe she could speed this up a little.
"Billy," she whispered ominously.
"Yeah, I'm certain. I'm completely certain. Don't you see it?"
Billy glared at Joanne as she talked about how she didn't want to be in the woods because they didn't like her or something. What kind of crazy talk was that? She was being stupid, or maybe she was intentionally trying to ruin it for them. That seemed like something she'd do.
"No, we're going." he snapped. "I can tell. I can feel it. This is it. Just deal with it."
Billy
The voice, soft and haunting, called his name. He whirled around, grabbing his can of pepper spray and holding it back at the woods. Someone was there, calling to him. Or maybe... something. It didn't seem human, just hearing the voice made a pit of dread open up in his stomach. Maybe the terrorists were messing with him from their speakers. Maybe it was a ghost of one of the dead, calling out to him from the place between the physical world and the realm of the dead. Or maybe Joanne had been right and the woods themselves were turning against them... no, that one was stupid.
"Who's there!?" he shouted. "And what do you want!?
Billy glared at Joanne as she talked about how she didn't want to be in the woods because they didn't like her or something. What kind of crazy talk was that? She was being stupid, or maybe she was intentionally trying to ruin it for them. That seemed like something she'd do.
"No, we're going." he snapped. "I can tell. I can feel it. This is it. Just deal with it."
Billy
The voice, soft and haunting, called his name. He whirled around, grabbing his can of pepper spray and holding it back at the woods. Someone was there, calling to him. Or maybe... something. It didn't seem human, just hearing the voice made a pit of dread open up in his stomach. Maybe the terrorists were messing with him from their speakers. Maybe it was a ghost of one of the dead, calling out to him from the place between the physical world and the realm of the dead. Or maybe Joanne had been right and the woods themselves were turning against them... no, that one was stupid.
"Who's there!?" he shouted. "And what do you want!?
"Easy, folks, I'm not trying to pick a fight."
Not even Mackenzie could miss that her friends were acting somewhat erratic. It was the words they said, and the way they said them. They sounded confused...almost out of it, like they were seeing things that weren't even there. She figured that some kind of madness was taking them, whether from accumulated stress or just exposure to the elements, and it was only due to her ability to cope with a disappointing life that she wasn't being affected.
Then the trees started whispering Billy's name. She would have ignored the noise as just a figment of her imagination, but Billy reacted too, looking around for the source just like she was, albeit he'd drawn his pepper spray. Something (or someone) had clearly just whispered the word "Billy", and between that and her friends' erratic behavior, Mackenzie was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, the one who was going crazy was a bit closer to home.
But wait a minute, wait just one minute...if Billy was reacting to it too, then were they both sharing the same delusion? Or was she imagining that Billy was hearing it so that she wouldn't feel as crazy as she apparently was? Assuming she herself was not crazy though, that put a hole in that theory, because she'd read from comic books that it was impossible for two people to share the same illusion unless superpowers were involved. Probably unlikely in this case.
This was a tough one...But for the sake of argument, she figured that she should assume she was entirely sane for the moment, unless new evidence presented itself. Question is then: what set her friends off? Everything seemed fine until they'd had...breakfast...
"Oh."
That's all she could say, just, "Oh." Even if she wanted to warn them, they probably wouldn't hear her. Instead, she simply turned to them and said, "You know, you're right. We should get away from these trees. There's a footpath we should get on between here and the woods. There won't be any whispers there."
She began to pack up in a hurry, not just her bags but her friends' as well, scanning the treeline for any movement in the process. If someone had poisoned their food, then they needed to get as much distance as they could before they all keeled over.
Not even Mackenzie could miss that her friends were acting somewhat erratic. It was the words they said, and the way they said them. They sounded confused...almost out of it, like they were seeing things that weren't even there. She figured that some kind of madness was taking them, whether from accumulated stress or just exposure to the elements, and it was only due to her ability to cope with a disappointing life that she wasn't being affected.
Then the trees started whispering Billy's name. She would have ignored the noise as just a figment of her imagination, but Billy reacted too, looking around for the source just like she was, albeit he'd drawn his pepper spray. Something (or someone) had clearly just whispered the word "Billy", and between that and her friends' erratic behavior, Mackenzie was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, the one who was going crazy was a bit closer to home.
But wait a minute, wait just one minute...if Billy was reacting to it too, then were they both sharing the same delusion? Or was she imagining that Billy was hearing it so that she wouldn't feel as crazy as she apparently was? Assuming she herself was not crazy though, that put a hole in that theory, because she'd read from comic books that it was impossible for two people to share the same illusion unless superpowers were involved. Probably unlikely in this case.
This was a tough one...But for the sake of argument, she figured that she should assume she was entirely sane for the moment, unless new evidence presented itself. Question is then: what set her friends off? Everything seemed fine until they'd had...breakfast...
"Oh."
That's all she could say, just, "Oh." Even if she wanted to warn them, they probably wouldn't hear her. Instead, she simply turned to them and said, "You know, you're right. We should get away from these trees. There's a footpath we should get on between here and the woods. There won't be any whispers there."
She began to pack up in a hurry, not just her bags but her friends' as well, scanning the treeline for any movement in the process. If someone had poisoned their food, then they needed to get as much distance as they could before they all keeled over.
The trees' exhales had taken shape, Joanne realized. They had taken the shape of 'Billy,' and they were speaking to him too. And, maybe the exhales had always had a shape, but it was only now that she had seen them. They knew about him too, and even though he had no fucking right talking back at her like that, she, Joanne, a saint, the very patron of patience, would forgive, because he didn't know yet, he didn't know what he was dealing with, but he would realize soon enough, he would soon see the trees leaning over, exhaling more than inhaling, growing in size, growing together, closing in almost imperceptibly.
Then, Billy's voice strengthened, he was shouting this time, she was sure of it, and he spoke back to the trees, to a nearby bush, he had shouted at them, and they would be angry now. And "come on, we have to go now, come on," she whispered or spoke, she wasn't sure, said while tugging on Kenzie's sleeve, afraid of them listening in on her, eyes wide, flicking back and forth, trying to sense if they turned towards her, picked up on her words, words said in between deeper and deeper breaths.
She didn't even know why this was happening to her, why they had chosen to attack her at this time. She didn't litter, she donated to candidates with good environmental policies, she was a good person, she thought, maybe, she believed maybe, she didn't have any problems with trees up to this point in time, and then they had chosen to come for her for no reason, and she had so much to deal with, she had so much to worry about, and they had to add on, and she was scared, God, she was scared, but they had no right, and maybe they had power over her, numbers over the three of them and shit, but Joanne never let anyone pick on her or her friends for no reason. She didn't back down like that, that wasn't her style.
So, when Kenzie suggested they leave, she nodded vigorously. Best idea homegirl had had since Forever, if only she showed this much wisdom with her fashion choices! She nodded vigorously, went to her side, and put the straps around her shoulder, but before she left, she just had one thing to say. Or ask, she guessed. She turned towards the bush, the one that had spoken to Billy.
If they could speak, then they could answer.
"WHY DO YOU HATE ME, BITCH?"
And then she realized she should have asked nicer if she wanted answers and not retribution, so, she made off with two of her bags, running along the path, away from the bush as fast as possible.
((Joanne Coleman continues in D.R.E.A.M.))
Then, Billy's voice strengthened, he was shouting this time, she was sure of it, and he spoke back to the trees, to a nearby bush, he had shouted at them, and they would be angry now. And "come on, we have to go now, come on," she whispered or spoke, she wasn't sure, said while tugging on Kenzie's sleeve, afraid of them listening in on her, eyes wide, flicking back and forth, trying to sense if they turned towards her, picked up on her words, words said in between deeper and deeper breaths.
She didn't even know why this was happening to her, why they had chosen to attack her at this time. She didn't litter, she donated to candidates with good environmental policies, she was a good person, she thought, maybe, she believed maybe, she didn't have any problems with trees up to this point in time, and then they had chosen to come for her for no reason, and she had so much to deal with, she had so much to worry about, and they had to add on, and she was scared, God, she was scared, but they had no right, and maybe they had power over her, numbers over the three of them and shit, but Joanne never let anyone pick on her or her friends for no reason. She didn't back down like that, that wasn't her style.
So, when Kenzie suggested they leave, she nodded vigorously. Best idea homegirl had had since Forever, if only she showed this much wisdom with her fashion choices! She nodded vigorously, went to her side, and put the straps around her shoulder, but before she left, she just had one thing to say. Or ask, she guessed. She turned towards the bush, the one that had spoken to Billy.
If they could speak, then they could answer.
"WHY DO YOU HATE ME, BITCH?"
And then she realized she should have asked nicer if she wanted answers and not retribution, so, she made off with two of her bags, running along the path, away from the bush as fast as possible.
((Joanne Coleman continues in D.R.E.A.M.))
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Ruggahissy
- Posts: 1593
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:13 pm
Lori was on her knees leaning forward to try and take in what was happening from her hidden locale. Mackenzie was trying to get a handle on the situation, but it would be too difficult for her to try and reign in two people tripping out and search the area. She fell backwards onto her butt when Joanne questioned why she hated her and called her a bitch.
Her blood froze and she locked up. Lori maybe hated some things about her that she knew from a distance, honestly she didn't know Joanne that well. But that didn't stop her from hating, she thought. That hate was tainted with the dangerous poison of jealousy for anything Joanne had that Lori didn't and contempt for anything she didn't have that Lori did.
But....
She eventually realized that Joanne wasn't even talking to her. She didn't know she was in the bush or what she had done. Lori scolded herself for behaving stupidly and thinking it was a direct attack. Her brows furrowed and when Joanne grabbed her two bags, Lori's hand reached out of the leaves and dragged the third bag backwards to join her. She clutched her old bag and her new bag and tumbled out of the bush, tripping on some of the branches. Quickly, she made sure she had everything and then took off running in the opposite direction from Joanne.
((Lori Martin continued in Just Dropped In))
Her blood froze and she locked up. Lori maybe hated some things about her that she knew from a distance, honestly she didn't know Joanne that well. But that didn't stop her from hating, she thought. That hate was tainted with the dangerous poison of jealousy for anything Joanne had that Lori didn't and contempt for anything she didn't have that Lori did.
But....
She eventually realized that Joanne wasn't even talking to her. She didn't know she was in the bush or what she had done. Lori scolded herself for behaving stupidly and thinking it was a direct attack. Her brows furrowed and when Joanne grabbed her two bags, Lori's hand reached out of the leaves and dragged the third bag backwards to join her. She clutched her old bag and her new bag and tumbled out of the bush, tripping on some of the branches. Quickly, she made sure she had everything and then took off running in the opposite direction from Joanne.
((Lori Martin continued in Just Dropped In))
Billy's eyes darted between the trees and bushes. He could swear they were closing in on him, surrounding him, mocking him. The voice, that horrible voice, was hidden in there. What would it do with him? His hands were shaking uncontrollably, he wasn't sure if he could even point the spray right. Even if he did, would it do anything? He was vaguely aware that Mac was talking about something, but he didn't feel like he could take his attention away from a trees. If he listened really closely, maybe he would hear it again.
Billy
There it was ! It was even harder to tell the direction, though. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. They could be hiding anywhere. He needed to concentrate, abosolutely-
WHY DO YOU HATE ME, BITCH?
The new sound came at him with a force of a tidal wave. His ears felt like broken glass. Had his eardrums ruptured? He spun back around To see Joanne departing. That horrible bitch had finally insulted him outright, and now she was running. Now of all times. She had to break his concentration, she had to destroy his hearing, when he needed it all so dearly. The rage came up out of him like a volcano erupting.
"I HATE YOU 'CAUSE YOU'RE A BITCH, YOU BITCH!"
He clamped down on the nozzle and sprayed wildly at her direction, hoping to get at her before she was gone. His ears were just buzzing.
Billy
There it was ! It was even harder to tell the direction, though. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. They could be hiding anywhere. He needed to concentrate, abosolutely-
WHY DO YOU HATE ME, BITCH?
The new sound came at him with a force of a tidal wave. His ears felt like broken glass. Had his eardrums ruptured? He spun back around To see Joanne departing. That horrible bitch had finally insulted him outright, and now she was running. Now of all times. She had to break his concentration, she had to destroy his hearing, when he needed it all so dearly. The rage came up out of him like a volcano erupting.
"I HATE YOU 'CAUSE YOU'RE A BITCH, YOU BITCH!"
He clamped down on the nozzle and sprayed wildly at her direction, hoping to get at her before she was gone. His ears were just buzzing.
It was fortunate actually that Mackenzie had begun to prod them along when she did, because if anything, their conditions became worse. Joanne screamed to the trees and ran off into the woods, and before Mackenzie could even tell her to wait, Billy spritzed his pepper spray in her direction, and her world was set on fire.
"B-Billy?" she coughed out, before her head started spinning and she fell on her side, hacking and wheezing.
Her eyes, her lungs...she couldn't see, could barely breathe. She felt dizzy...nauseous, like she'd been spun in place for 15 minutes. She was stumbling backwards, sometimes falling, not knowing which way she was going, but only vaguely aware that she was leaving Billy's shouting behind. She occasionally brushed against a tree, or fell over a branch, until she eventually just began to crawl, not daring to walk for fear she'd brain herself.
She stopped to gag, retching up what she'd just eaten, before she eventually just lay on her side, coughing and trying to avoid choking on her own vomit. She was blinking it out, slowly but surely, and as the world came back into focus, as she dared to raise her head, she realized that she was alone, someplace unfamiliar and strange.
This wasn't fair. She'd tried to get them away, and they...ATTACKED HER! She felt tears well up, real tears, not because of this gunk in her eyes, and she just lay there for a bit before finally rising back to her feet.
She needed water. And food, since she'd just spewed out her breakfast. More importantly, she needed to find a way to wash this stuff off. She really hoped they'd let her keep her soaps, because water wasn't going to cut it with this oily mess. Once she got herself cleaned up, she could search for them again and...and what? If they were crazy because of a poison or something, they were already...
This was so messed up. This whole thing was so utterly, ridiculously...HORRIBLE! These terrorists...if she ever got off this island, she would make them PAY for what they'd done!
(Mackenzie Baker continued elsewhere)
"B-Billy?" she coughed out, before her head started spinning and she fell on her side, hacking and wheezing.
Her eyes, her lungs...she couldn't see, could barely breathe. She felt dizzy...nauseous, like she'd been spun in place for 15 minutes. She was stumbling backwards, sometimes falling, not knowing which way she was going, but only vaguely aware that she was leaving Billy's shouting behind. She occasionally brushed against a tree, or fell over a branch, until she eventually just began to crawl, not daring to walk for fear she'd brain herself.
She stopped to gag, retching up what she'd just eaten, before she eventually just lay on her side, coughing and trying to avoid choking on her own vomit. She was blinking it out, slowly but surely, and as the world came back into focus, as she dared to raise her head, she realized that she was alone, someplace unfamiliar and strange.
This wasn't fair. She'd tried to get them away, and they...ATTACKED HER! She felt tears well up, real tears, not because of this gunk in her eyes, and she just lay there for a bit before finally rising back to her feet.
She needed water. And food, since she'd just spewed out her breakfast. More importantly, she needed to find a way to wash this stuff off. She really hoped they'd let her keep her soaps, because water wasn't going to cut it with this oily mess. Once she got herself cleaned up, she could search for them again and...and what? If they were crazy because of a poison or something, they were already...
This was so messed up. This whole thing was so utterly, ridiculously...HORRIBLE! These terrorists...if she ever got off this island, she would make them PAY for what they'd done!
(Mackenzie Baker continued elsewhere)
Billy's eyes stung and started watering. The pepper spray was sone powerful stuff. Blinking through it, he tried to find Joanne in the mist. She wasn't there, though. It was just Mackenzie. She was stumbling away, eventually disappearing behind the trees. Shit, had he hit her? He'd forgotten she was there...
Billy wondered if he should try to catch her, apologize for getting her caught in the crossfire. But then he heard it again.
Billy
He spun around. He could sense the direction now, but it was getting farther away. It was going towards the spot. It created a distraction so it'd get there before him. Fuck! He grabbed his bag and ran towards the sound. Mac would- wait, hadn't he been stricken deaf a few moments earlier? Weird, it must've been temporary. Anyway, he had to catch it, Mac would have to wait. Billy sped off towards his sanctuary.
((Billy Trevino continued elsewhere))
Billy wondered if he should try to catch her, apologize for getting her caught in the crossfire. But then he heard it again.
Billy
He spun around. He could sense the direction now, but it was getting farther away. It was going towards the spot. It created a distraction so it'd get there before him. Fuck! He grabbed his bag and ran towards the sound. Mac would- wait, hadn't he been stricken deaf a few moments earlier? Weird, it must've been temporary. Anyway, he had to catch it, Mac would have to wait. Billy sped off towards his sanctuary.
((Billy Trevino continued elsewhere))