Saffron stared at the blood that coated her fingers, forming thick, sticky drops before falling to the dirt beneath her, and the increasingly large wet spot on her stomach made it clear that the same was happening from her wound.
She still didn't want to believe it. More than anything, she wanted to convince herself that she was fine, and she could keep going on. That she and Katie would escape the island together and live happily ever after together in an apartment back home. Saffron joining that dance theater that she had her eye on, while Katie follows her boxing career. She tried to grasp that fading dream before it left entirely, needing to hold on to at least one hope to keep herself going.
Then she saw Katie fall too, with a similar wound leaking through her torso. She had been shot too. Both of them were injured and bleeding out, with no medical assistance, and the only other people in the area fleeing their position. Even in the most optimistic parts of her mind, Saffron could see where this was going to go. There was no trick or stroke of luck that was going to get them out of this.
There was very little left that Saffron could do, but there was only one thing within her power that was important to her. Despite the pain and growing weakness, she clawed at the ground and pulled herself towards Katie, crawling along until she could successfully reach out to her girlfriend.
"Katie..." Her voice came out shakily, but with purpose.
Zero Sum
Early afternoon of Day 4, private.
There were more bullets flying overhead, that same, now familiar crack noise resonating through the clearing. They carried other sounds with them, indistinct and unfamiliar, but all lacking that sickening thud that had signaled the twin punches to the gut, of her and Saffron’s blood being spilled. She would have been thankful, if her mind had been set on that.
She could hear somebody screaming - one of the two boys, she couldn’t tell who. Lying on her side with her face in the dirt, she could feel the thudding sound of footsteps - or maybe it was her own heartbeat, desperately thudding away, knowing how close to the end it was. Her side burned. Blood spread, across her hoody and into the ground.
Through it all, there was clarity, carrying both the blessing of revelation, and the curse of it having arrived far too late. This would have happened at some point eventually; it didn’t matter when and it didn’t matter where, eventually somebody with a gun and an agenda would have run into them, and they’d either end up bleeding out or dead without time for second thoughts. Whether they fortified and holed up or ran from place to place, whatever plans they made and whatever decisions they took, this game wouldn’t end without both of them dead.
The end result would always have been the same. So nothing would have changed if they’d spent their last days together in comfort and peace, spending every hour like that night in the broken house, wrapped in each other’s arms, focus entirely dedicated to the other. No need to fight. No need to beat Ty to a bloody pulp. Just living their twilight days to the very best they could.
Katie could see movement through her blurred vision, of Saffron dragging herself closer to her, inch by inch, her own name struggling its way out of her mouth. She pulled herself forwards too, body roaring like it was about to fall apart, fingers digging into the dirt and scrabbling until they were touching Saffron’s. She tilted her head up, the weight of the universe resting on it, looking at her girlfriend through the hair fallen in front of her eyes.
“Saffron…”
She blinked. Her vision grew blurrier, tears welling up in her eyes. Damnit. Goddamnit. She didn’t want to let Saffron see her like this, not even now. She never wanted her to see her this terrified, this openly hopeless. She inched closer to her girlfriend, tears and blood falling as she moved.
“I’m sorry…”
Sorry for what? Sorry for attacking Ty like she had? Sorry that she hadn’t found her until now? Sorry for the life they’d never lived, that they’d never managed to move out of Chattanooga together, get an apartment, get a dog, make a career out of dancing and boxing, fall asleep together every night, in the same bed, sharing the same life?
Sorry for dying?
“I’m so… sorry…”
She didn’t know. She said it anyway.
She could hear somebody screaming - one of the two boys, she couldn’t tell who. Lying on her side with her face in the dirt, she could feel the thudding sound of footsteps - or maybe it was her own heartbeat, desperately thudding away, knowing how close to the end it was. Her side burned. Blood spread, across her hoody and into the ground.
Through it all, there was clarity, carrying both the blessing of revelation, and the curse of it having arrived far too late. This would have happened at some point eventually; it didn’t matter when and it didn’t matter where, eventually somebody with a gun and an agenda would have run into them, and they’d either end up bleeding out or dead without time for second thoughts. Whether they fortified and holed up or ran from place to place, whatever plans they made and whatever decisions they took, this game wouldn’t end without both of them dead.
The end result would always have been the same. So nothing would have changed if they’d spent their last days together in comfort and peace, spending every hour like that night in the broken house, wrapped in each other’s arms, focus entirely dedicated to the other. No need to fight. No need to beat Ty to a bloody pulp. Just living their twilight days to the very best they could.
Katie could see movement through her blurred vision, of Saffron dragging herself closer to her, inch by inch, her own name struggling its way out of her mouth. She pulled herself forwards too, body roaring like it was about to fall apart, fingers digging into the dirt and scrabbling until they were touching Saffron’s. She tilted her head up, the weight of the universe resting on it, looking at her girlfriend through the hair fallen in front of her eyes.
“Saffron…”
She blinked. Her vision grew blurrier, tears welling up in her eyes. Damnit. Goddamnit. She didn’t want to let Saffron see her like this, not even now. She never wanted her to see her this terrified, this openly hopeless. She inched closer to her girlfriend, tears and blood falling as she moved.
“I’m sorry…”
Sorry for what? Sorry for attacking Ty like she had? Sorry that she hadn’t found her until now? Sorry for the life they’d never lived, that they’d never managed to move out of Chattanooga together, get an apartment, get a dog, make a career out of dancing and boxing, fall asleep together every night, in the same bed, sharing the same life?
Sorry for dying?
“I’m so… sorry…”
She didn’t know. She said it anyway.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
It still hurt, but Saffron pushed the pain away as she dragged herself closer, ignoring the blood trail that she left on the dirt. Her fingers touched Katie's, and she could still feel the spark that she had gotten the first time that they touched. She still pulled herself ever closer, not willing to compromise anything to keep this moment from being just right.
She knew that her time was extremely limited, and nothing else mattered anymore. Not Luca and Julien, not the girl shooting at them, not Ty, nothing. There was just herself and Katie, lying on the ground, and maybe a minute, possibly less, to do what she needed to do.
She reached up and gently placed her hand against Katie's cheek, and summoned a smile to try to comfort her. Her torso was still burning, but she tried not to let any of it show.
"It's okay... I'm here." She said. She was breathing heavily, and it took time for her to form her words, but she needed them to reach Katie's ears. "I'll stay with you... I promise..."
A pause, then one more thing that she had to say. Even with all of the willpower that she had left, she couldn't stop the water forming in her eyes.
"I love you, Katie."
She knew that her time was extremely limited, and nothing else mattered anymore. Not Luca and Julien, not the girl shooting at them, not Ty, nothing. There was just herself and Katie, lying on the ground, and maybe a minute, possibly less, to do what she needed to do.
She reached up and gently placed her hand against Katie's cheek, and summoned a smile to try to comfort her. Her torso was still burning, but she tried not to let any of it show.
"It's okay... I'm here." She said. She was breathing heavily, and it took time for her to form her words, but she needed them to reach Katie's ears. "I'll stay with you... I promise..."
A pause, then one more thing that she had to say. Even with all of the willpower that she had left, she couldn't stop the water forming in her eyes.
"I love you, Katie."
Katie felt Saffron’s hand on her cheek, and saw her muster up the strength to smile, and even though she knew it wouldn’t be, everything suddenly felt like it was going to be alright.
No need to hide her tears anymore. No need to pretend, to act. With Saffron, she could be open and vulnerable. She could be scared and hurt and confused. She could be anything she wanted.
“I know… you will…”
She formed her own smile, weak and trembling, gently pressing her cheek into Saffron’s palm, feeling how warm she was, the safety radiating from her touch.
“It’s all okay… if you’re here…”
There were so many words left unsaid. So many things that could have been, so many whispers and murmurs and bold heartfelt statements, and not enough time to even start any of them. There was no need to force any of them out. She knew Saffron felt the same way. She only had a few moments left, so she said the only thing she could say. The only thing that mattered.
“I love you too… Saffron…”
Katie felt her energy slip away, and she closed her eyes, felt Saffron’s fingertips against her cheek, and let herself go. It was easy, in the end.
Easiest thing in the world.
G035 - CAITLYN “KATIE” AGUSTIEN: DECEASED
No need to hide her tears anymore. No need to pretend, to act. With Saffron, she could be open and vulnerable. She could be scared and hurt and confused. She could be anything she wanted.
“I know… you will…”
She formed her own smile, weak and trembling, gently pressing her cheek into Saffron’s palm, feeling how warm she was, the safety radiating from her touch.
“It’s all okay… if you’re here…”
There were so many words left unsaid. So many things that could have been, so many whispers and murmurs and bold heartfelt statements, and not enough time to even start any of them. There was no need to force any of them out. She knew Saffron felt the same way. She only had a few moments left, so she said the only thing she could say. The only thing that mattered.
“I love you too… Saffron…”
Katie felt her energy slip away, and she closed her eyes, felt Saffron’s fingertips against her cheek, and let herself go. It was easy, in the end.
Easiest thing in the world.
G035 - CAITLYN “KATIE” AGUSTIEN: DECEASED
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Saffron saw Katie's smile and heard her last words, and she closed her eyes contentedly. Katie's smile and the affirmation of her love, those were the last memories that she would keep.
With the last of her energy, she shifted her body to lean closer to Katie's, the closest thing to a final embrace that they would have. Her hand remained on Katie's cheek, both because she had no strength left to move it, and because she didn't want to.
Saffron loved her. It was one of the strongest truths that she knew. And in both this world and the next, that would never change. Whatever happened after this, she knew that their souls would be intertwined as they made their next journey.
And with that knowledge nestled deep in her heart, she could let go.
With the last of her energy, she shifted her body to lean closer to Katie's, the closest thing to a final embrace that they would have. Her hand remained on Katie's cheek, both because she had no strength left to move it, and because she didn't want to.
Saffron loved her. It was one of the strongest truths that she knew. And in both this world and the next, that would never change. Whatever happened after this, she knew that their souls would be intertwined as they made their next journey.
And with that knowledge nestled deep in her heart, she could let go.
G050- Saffron Fields: Deceased
112 Students Remain
112 Students Remain
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MethodicalSlacker
- Posts: 1231
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For a while, Lucas lay there facing up towards the sky. He imagined that the girls were writhing in pain and screaming in pain in the clearing as they bled to death. It was impossible to hear them over the sound of bullets impacting the tree trunks above, raining clusters of sawdust and wood flecks onto the ground. Sweat trickled down his forehead in a steady stream. His breathing was labored and heavy. Julien was alive. He had to comfort himself with that. Lucas had just done the most physically intensive thing in perhaps his entire life, and survived, and so had Julien.
Slowly, his exasperation was replaced with rage. His heavy breathing became less and less unconscious. If he was right, and Erika was behind this, then she had just taken the lives of two more innocent people. It didn't matter what he thought of their characters. She was killing innocent folks who were just trying to help someone in need. He couldn't help it anymore; he lifted himself off the ground and stood up behind a tree, trying his best to hide himself from the shooter's line of sight.
Julien had been screaming. His bleeding needed to be stopped. Lucas didn't know jack shit about first aid, but he still had his kit. He looked around for his bag and saw it still hanging off a branch. Erika must not have seen it. Not wanting to move from his cover, Lucas unhooked the light-saber from his belt and extended it to full length, using it to give some extra reach to his wingspan. He managed to get the blade part around the strap of the bag and wiggle it to the edge of the branch before he turned the saber around and used the hard end to pull it down. It fell with a soft thud on the dirt. He took a lunging step over to where the bag was and picked it up off the ground, darting back behind cover.
Now crouching low to the ground, Lucas scurried over to where Julien was laying and put his stuff down, unzipping the pack to retrieve his med-kit. He had to toss the foam Minecraft sword out in order to fish it out, but once he did he started getting to work on, at the very least, stopping the bleeding. Which, well, how fucking hard could that be? Lucas knew how to put on a band-aid. Same rough idea, right? Just disinfect and cover.
"Sorry if it stings," Lucas whispered as he began to dab at the wound with antiseptic wipes.
Slowly, his exasperation was replaced with rage. His heavy breathing became less and less unconscious. If he was right, and Erika was behind this, then she had just taken the lives of two more innocent people. It didn't matter what he thought of their characters. She was killing innocent folks who were just trying to help someone in need. He couldn't help it anymore; he lifted himself off the ground and stood up behind a tree, trying his best to hide himself from the shooter's line of sight.
Julien had been screaming. His bleeding needed to be stopped. Lucas didn't know jack shit about first aid, but he still had his kit. He looked around for his bag and saw it still hanging off a branch. Erika must not have seen it. Not wanting to move from his cover, Lucas unhooked the light-saber from his belt and extended it to full length, using it to give some extra reach to his wingspan. He managed to get the blade part around the strap of the bag and wiggle it to the edge of the branch before he turned the saber around and used the hard end to pull it down. It fell with a soft thud on the dirt. He took a lunging step over to where the bag was and picked it up off the ground, darting back behind cover.
Now crouching low to the ground, Lucas scurried over to where Julien was laying and put his stuff down, unzipping the pack to retrieve his med-kit. He had to toss the foam Minecraft sword out in order to fish it out, but once he did he started getting to work on, at the very least, stopping the bleeding. Which, well, how fucking hard could that be? Lucas knew how to put on a band-aid. Same rough idea, right? Just disinfect and cover.
"Sorry if it stings," Lucas whispered as he began to dab at the wound with antiseptic wipes.
It didn't just sting, it burned like fuck.
But feeling hellfire chafe against raw nerves helped to ground him a little, somehow. He could still see himself bleeding, hear his heart trying to climb out of his throat, and feel the pain. There was some comfort in that, in not being dead just yet. Death was not absolution.
If only the same could be said for Katie, or for Saffron. When had he learned her name, he wondered... well, it mattered not at this point. He might have been safe behind that tree, not bleeding to death yet, but that didn't mean there was nothing to worry about. Right now Julien needed to be able to look after himself, as best he could. Avenging them could come in time.
Come on, come on... Need to breathe, be calmer than this.
"Right," his voice still shook, much like his hands, but he could speak coherently and that was enough, "I, uh... dealt with something like this before. You can't..." Finding the words took a minute. As much as he made an effort to clear his mind, it was hardly so simple in the face of everything. "No stitches. Just have to pack it full, cover it up."
But feeling hellfire chafe against raw nerves helped to ground him a little, somehow. He could still see himself bleeding, hear his heart trying to climb out of his throat, and feel the pain. There was some comfort in that, in not being dead just yet. Death was not absolution.
If only the same could be said for Katie, or for Saffron. When had he learned her name, he wondered... well, it mattered not at this point. He might have been safe behind that tree, not bleeding to death yet, but that didn't mean there was nothing to worry about. Right now Julien needed to be able to look after himself, as best he could. Avenging them could come in time.
Come on, come on... Need to breathe, be calmer than this.
"Right," his voice still shook, much like his hands, but he could speak coherently and that was enough, "I, uh... dealt with something like this before. You can't..." Finding the words took a minute. As much as he made an effort to clear his mind, it was hardly so simple in the face of everything. "No stitches. Just have to pack it full, cover it up."
They were too far away to hear clearly, but she knew they were speaking to each other. That was enough. Any more and Erika knew she'd fall back into the hole she just climbed out of. Like she'd told herself earlier, she'd have time to feel guilty about all of this if she lived. Time to find ways to atone for it. To hate herself. Trying not to end up as insect-ridden sustenance for this green hell precluded any of that.
Every waking moment still felt surreal, and wrong. Junk thoughts continued to plague her mind; things like at least they died together or people will understand, there wasn’t any other way. Erika knew herself well enough to know that her mind was searching for some way to make this easier, and understood the situation well enough to know how hollow and desperate any justification would’ve been. Things like that only helped people who thought there was some clean way out of this.
She shifted on the ground, still prone and watching the set of trees now pockmarked with bullet holes. The dirt up by the lookout was grainier than down near the infirmary, and tiny pebbles in the rough ground chafed against her body. By this point she’d stopped really paying attention to how much dirt and debris she was picking up on her clothes, or how badly she probably smelled. If anything, masking the more colorful elements of her clothing was probably a good thing.
Erika liked being colourful, once. That was how she’d wanted to be known. Someone who’d smile at the slightest thing. A person who could lighten up a room with a funny anecdote. Somebody who didn’t shy away from odd looks, but embraced them. She wanted to make people comfortable, to radiate compassion instead of anxiety. She’d been so close.
Even if she saved herself, she couldn’t save that girl. The colour had faded, and it was hard to imagine how it would return.
The minutes wore on, and Lucas nor Julien broke cover. Out of curiosity, she activated the illumination on the crosshair, finding it useful though not altogether necessary. With this much time to prepare, there wasn’t much of a chance she was going to miss the next shot she made regardless. Lucas reached out at one point with - some kind of extendable stick, and grabbed hold of his bag. It was too quick to take a shot, but it kept her on her toes.
Going for his bag meant it was likely he was trying to treat Julien. Maybe Lucas had thought it through, or he’d just felt compelled to. It was a waste of supplies. She didn’t know him well enough to guess. Even here, she doubted basic first aid was enough. It wasn’t just bleeding they had to stop. In a place like this, the chance of infection was high enough she’d have been surprised if Julien lasted more than a few days. That’s assuming he didn’t become a target for someone else’s “mercy.”
Lucas had to have known just as well as she did that if he tried to move beyond the copse of trees, it would be the last thing he’d ever do. She understood well that no one who saw firsthand what just happened to Katie and Saffron would think of much else than killing her, as soon as her name became associated with it on the announcements. Perhaps more than most, they had to die sooner rather than later.
The time didn’t come, though. She kept waiting. They stayed hidden. Occasionally she looked away from the scope, watching for someone else to arrive. Since moving off of the path, she no longer had a clear vantage point on the way up to the Lookout. Anyone could’ve been heading up, and she might not have noticed right away.
This was taking too long. Maybe she could’ve flanked them, but it was entirely possible Lucas could leave cover and catch her off guard. There were too many places to hide out here. Too many places to stage an ambush. It was why she’d chosen it in the first place, but it was becoming clear to Erika she was just as much entangled in this situation as they were.
Julien and Lucas would have days, then. Not minutes, or hours. A few days of misery left. As quietly as she could, Erika closed the bipod on her rifle and left her position, muscles aching as she slung her bag over one shoulder, and the rifle over another.
Leaving those two alive was a potential delay in her escape, but it wasn’t worth letting herself fall prey to someone else who came stalking through the area. Given the state they were in, they’d likely fall victim to Quinn or another killer before long. Ultimately she knew she’d taken two more people out of the game, which meant two more steps towards survival.
That doesn’t make sense.
They hadn’t been taken out of the game. They hadn’t gone anywhere, they were just gone. Katie and Saffron weren’t lying on the ground, their corpses were. Empty shells, rotting away until the terrorists came to clean up the mess they'd made. The seventh time around, she had to imagine they were efficient at it.
Their mess. Not mine, it's not mine. I'm just trying to survive. This is on them.
There was no way to put enough distance between herself and what she’d just done. Nevertheless, she took off as quickly as she could.
Every waking moment still felt surreal, and wrong. Junk thoughts continued to plague her mind; things like at least they died together or people will understand, there wasn’t any other way. Erika knew herself well enough to know that her mind was searching for some way to make this easier, and understood the situation well enough to know how hollow and desperate any justification would’ve been. Things like that only helped people who thought there was some clean way out of this.
She shifted on the ground, still prone and watching the set of trees now pockmarked with bullet holes. The dirt up by the lookout was grainier than down near the infirmary, and tiny pebbles in the rough ground chafed against her body. By this point she’d stopped really paying attention to how much dirt and debris she was picking up on her clothes, or how badly she probably smelled. If anything, masking the more colorful elements of her clothing was probably a good thing.
Erika liked being colourful, once. That was how she’d wanted to be known. Someone who’d smile at the slightest thing. A person who could lighten up a room with a funny anecdote. Somebody who didn’t shy away from odd looks, but embraced them. She wanted to make people comfortable, to radiate compassion instead of anxiety. She’d been so close.
Even if she saved herself, she couldn’t save that girl. The colour had faded, and it was hard to imagine how it would return.
The minutes wore on, and Lucas nor Julien broke cover. Out of curiosity, she activated the illumination on the crosshair, finding it useful though not altogether necessary. With this much time to prepare, there wasn’t much of a chance she was going to miss the next shot she made regardless. Lucas reached out at one point with - some kind of extendable stick, and grabbed hold of his bag. It was too quick to take a shot, but it kept her on her toes.
Going for his bag meant it was likely he was trying to treat Julien. Maybe Lucas had thought it through, or he’d just felt compelled to. It was a waste of supplies. She didn’t know him well enough to guess. Even here, she doubted basic first aid was enough. It wasn’t just bleeding they had to stop. In a place like this, the chance of infection was high enough she’d have been surprised if Julien lasted more than a few days. That’s assuming he didn’t become a target for someone else’s “mercy.”
Lucas had to have known just as well as she did that if he tried to move beyond the copse of trees, it would be the last thing he’d ever do. She understood well that no one who saw firsthand what just happened to Katie and Saffron would think of much else than killing her, as soon as her name became associated with it on the announcements. Perhaps more than most, they had to die sooner rather than later.
The time didn’t come, though. She kept waiting. They stayed hidden. Occasionally she looked away from the scope, watching for someone else to arrive. Since moving off of the path, she no longer had a clear vantage point on the way up to the Lookout. Anyone could’ve been heading up, and she might not have noticed right away.
This was taking too long. Maybe she could’ve flanked them, but it was entirely possible Lucas could leave cover and catch her off guard. There were too many places to hide out here. Too many places to stage an ambush. It was why she’d chosen it in the first place, but it was becoming clear to Erika she was just as much entangled in this situation as they were.
Julien and Lucas would have days, then. Not minutes, or hours. A few days of misery left. As quietly as she could, Erika closed the bipod on her rifle and left her position, muscles aching as she slung her bag over one shoulder, and the rifle over another.
Leaving those two alive was a potential delay in her escape, but it wasn’t worth letting herself fall prey to someone else who came stalking through the area. Given the state they were in, they’d likely fall victim to Quinn or another killer before long. Ultimately she knew she’d taken two more people out of the game, which meant two more steps towards survival.
That doesn’t make sense.
They hadn’t been taken out of the game. They hadn’t gone anywhere, they were just gone. Katie and Saffron weren’t lying on the ground, their corpses were. Empty shells, rotting away until the terrorists came to clean up the mess they'd made. The seventh time around, she had to imagine they were efficient at it.
Their mess. Not mine, it's not mine. I'm just trying to survive. This is on them.
There was no way to put enough distance between herself and what she’d just done. Nevertheless, she took off as quickly as she could.
((Erika Stieglitz continued in Leviathan))
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MethodicalSlacker
- Posts: 1231
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"Got it," Lucas said, "no stitches. Not that I know how to put them in you anyway, but if I wasn't planning on it before I sure as fuck am not planning on it now."
He pulled another antiseptic wipe out and now set to work on clearing some of the blood from the wound so that he could actually tell where it was. He'd fallen off a bike before and skinned his knee really terribly, bled a good bit, but been surprised when he looked down after he wiped it all away and saw the wound was actually reaaaaaaaaaally fucking small. Like quarter sized. And it bled out all over his knee. Lucas expected something similar, here, a smaller wound than the blood around it. It didn't take too long to find, partially because Lucas was sort of just wrong. The wound was smaller than the collected blood, but still pretty nasty looking and big. He discarded one wipe—the pile off behind him steadily growing in height—and used another to just apply some pressure for a little while. Just to get the bleeding to subside.
"You have nice legs," Lucas observed.
Then, he removed the wipe from Julien's wound and took out a sterile dressing. It felt sticky, like it would hold itself in place, but he took out some adhesive tape as well just to be absolutely sure. Carefully, Lucas extended the dressing over the wound, holding it down with one hand while he tried to start the taping process with the other. He felt like an absolute klutz, trying to keep the dressing tight and tape it down at the same time. His hands weren't quite working the way he wanted them to. A crap-shoot. He grunted in self-admonishment as he got the first piece of tape down and decided to just use both of his hands for the next. Went a lot quicker.
"There we go," he said, leaning back away from the wound, "that's basically all I can do."
He pulled another antiseptic wipe out and now set to work on clearing some of the blood from the wound so that he could actually tell where it was. He'd fallen off a bike before and skinned his knee really terribly, bled a good bit, but been surprised when he looked down after he wiped it all away and saw the wound was actually reaaaaaaaaaally fucking small. Like quarter sized. And it bled out all over his knee. Lucas expected something similar, here, a smaller wound than the blood around it. It didn't take too long to find, partially because Lucas was sort of just wrong. The wound was smaller than the collected blood, but still pretty nasty looking and big. He discarded one wipe—the pile off behind him steadily growing in height—and used another to just apply some pressure for a little while. Just to get the bleeding to subside.
"You have nice legs," Lucas observed.
Then, he removed the wipe from Julien's wound and took out a sterile dressing. It felt sticky, like it would hold itself in place, but he took out some adhesive tape as well just to be absolutely sure. Carefully, Lucas extended the dressing over the wound, holding it down with one hand while he tried to start the taping process with the other. He felt like an absolute klutz, trying to keep the dressing tight and tape it down at the same time. His hands weren't quite working the way he wanted them to. A crap-shoot. He grunted in self-admonishment as he got the first piece of tape down and decided to just use both of his hands for the next. Went a lot quicker.
"There we go," he said, leaning back away from the wound, "that's basically all I can do."
Had he actually just...
Fuck it, it didn't matter. And he appreciated it, in its way; cringing was preferable to screaming. It helped that Julien did also have nice legs, and had worked hard to.
"Appreciate it."
Besides, the wound was patched up at least somewhat. That was the most immediately important thing. Julien slowly shuffled himself up to stand, resting most of his weight on the tree for support. It took a minute, and he had to keep on thinking about how he balanced on his feet, but he got there.
"Right... Erika is probably gone." If she was still here, with the time it had been since she'd given them any actual sign of her presence, it would make little sense for her to still be stationary and watching them. The sound of gunfire carried a long, long way and someone was liable to come looking, so she would want it over and done with quickly to avoid being in the wrong place at the right time herself.
But it had been a while and neither of them had been shot at from elsewhere, so it stood to reason that she'd decided to cut her losses and leave.
"So," he said, "Katie and Saffron. We, ah... their things are still there, I'm guessing." It was cold of him, yes, but what could be done for them at this point except wish them well wherever they ended up? Salvation for the kind, hopefully. It was almost funny to him, how he could wish such mercy upon others and spare none for himself.
As if it could be any other way for someone who killed another because she hurt his fucking feelings.
"I know I could use some more, and I'm assuming you could too... One bag each, yes?"
Fuck it, it didn't matter. And he appreciated it, in its way; cringing was preferable to screaming. It helped that Julien did also have nice legs, and had worked hard to.
"Appreciate it."
Besides, the wound was patched up at least somewhat. That was the most immediately important thing. Julien slowly shuffled himself up to stand, resting most of his weight on the tree for support. It took a minute, and he had to keep on thinking about how he balanced on his feet, but he got there.
"Right... Erika is probably gone." If she was still here, with the time it had been since she'd given them any actual sign of her presence, it would make little sense for her to still be stationary and watching them. The sound of gunfire carried a long, long way and someone was liable to come looking, so she would want it over and done with quickly to avoid being in the wrong place at the right time herself.
But it had been a while and neither of them had been shot at from elsewhere, so it stood to reason that she'd decided to cut her losses and leave.
"So," he said, "Katie and Saffron. We, ah... their things are still there, I'm guessing." It was cold of him, yes, but what could be done for them at this point except wish them well wherever they ended up? Salvation for the kind, hopefully. It was almost funny to him, how he could wish such mercy upon others and spare none for himself.
As if it could be any other way for someone who killed another because she hurt his fucking feelings.
"I know I could use some more, and I'm assuming you could too... One bag each, yes?"
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MethodicalSlacker
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Lucas stood too, offering his arm to Julien for support if he needed someone to lean on. Julien decided to take Lucas' theory about Erika being the shooter as truth. They'd find out either way in the morning, but for now it felt nice to have his gut feelings vindicated by someone else's intuition.
Then Julien tried to say something about Katie and Saffron that Lucas just didn't really want to hear.
"Ah, nah, come on," Lucas said, "I just saved your life, man. I think I'm going to decide what I take from here. We're gonna have to talk about this a little more intelligently than that. Like, I don't know, let's look at how much we both have, how much we both need, and also our individual need for such things as, I don't know, weapons, because I need something better than what I have now that my one actual functional sword got destroyed and if I'm going to hunt down Erika I'm going to need more than plastic to do the job. I hope I don't sound unreasonable, but you gotta understand where I'm coming from, here."
Words were something, but Lucas desperately needed some way to actually take control of the situation. He moved away from Julien and walked over to where the bags were, trying to avoid looking at the fresh corpses on the ground. Lucas didn't have a leg that was literally shot out, so if Julien tried to fight him, Lucas could just attack the weak point. Assuming he didn't trip and fall on his way over here. He hoped it didn't come to that. Maybe he could dress this little bit of a maneuver in terms that obscured his meaning, no? Put his own kind of spin on things?
"Let me sort through the stuff, so you don't hurt yourself any worse," he said, "All I'm really asking for from these bags is sixty percent of the remaining water, 60% of the remaining energy bars, and my choice of weapon. You can have literally anything else. How's that sound?"
Then Julien tried to say something about Katie and Saffron that Lucas just didn't really want to hear.
"Ah, nah, come on," Lucas said, "I just saved your life, man. I think I'm going to decide what I take from here. We're gonna have to talk about this a little more intelligently than that. Like, I don't know, let's look at how much we both have, how much we both need, and also our individual need for such things as, I don't know, weapons, because I need something better than what I have now that my one actual functional sword got destroyed and if I'm going to hunt down Erika I'm going to need more than plastic to do the job. I hope I don't sound unreasonable, but you gotta understand where I'm coming from, here."
Words were something, but Lucas desperately needed some way to actually take control of the situation. He moved away from Julien and walked over to where the bags were, trying to avoid looking at the fresh corpses on the ground. Lucas didn't have a leg that was literally shot out, so if Julien tried to fight him, Lucas could just attack the weak point. Assuming he didn't trip and fall on his way over here. He hoped it didn't come to that. Maybe he could dress this little bit of a maneuver in terms that obscured his meaning, no? Put his own kind of spin on things?
"Let me sort through the stuff, so you don't hurt yourself any worse," he said, "All I'm really asking for from these bags is sixty percent of the remaining water, 60% of the remaining energy bars, and my choice of weapon. You can have literally anything else. How's that sound?"
"You," Julien stopped, reaching into his bag for water he desperately needed.
Much better.
"You know we, ah... we don't need to do this little dance, you know that, right? There's a common goal here of wanting to make Erika fucking dead and I am happy to help you in any way you need. So you can take all the water and energy bars if you'd like, or take the cut that you want and we can destroy what's left after we're done here, I honestly don't care either way. I have all the food and water I'll need."
Lucas was right in that they needed to think more intelligently about this part, though Julien felt that his immediately trying to gain leverage by spinning an attempt to take control as taking work out of the hands of someone who's life he had indeed saved, and who would therefore be naturally grateful to him unless they had no brain at all to speak of, was a questionably intelligent decision.
Still, he had been reasonable, and Julien was not going to escalate this to an argument. Not the way he was, and not after the last time.
The bangle still sat on his wrist, feeling too much like a trophy.
Much better.
"You know we, ah... we don't need to do this little dance, you know that, right? There's a common goal here of wanting to make Erika fucking dead and I am happy to help you in any way you need. So you can take all the water and energy bars if you'd like, or take the cut that you want and we can destroy what's left after we're done here, I honestly don't care either way. I have all the food and water I'll need."
Lucas was right in that they needed to think more intelligently about this part, though Julien felt that his immediately trying to gain leverage by spinning an attempt to take control as taking work out of the hands of someone who's life he had indeed saved, and who would therefore be naturally grateful to him unless they had no brain at all to speak of, was a questionably intelligent decision.
Still, he had been reasonable, and Julien was not going to escalate this to an argument. Not the way he was, and not after the last time.
The bangle still sat on his wrist, feeling too much like a trophy.
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MethodicalSlacker
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Lucas nodded his head. Maybe he was a little too suspicious of Julien. He thought it was only natural, given that he didn't really know him all that well, but if Julien was serious about not needing any food, then he'd take that, sure. He still wasn't going to take all of it, because he knew better than anyone that he wasn't that physically fit. The last thing Lucas wanted was to become over-encumbered and way, way too slow in tracking down Erika. That'd just turn him into an easy target. So, he'd take roughly what he stated he'd take. That was fair.
"Sure," Lucas said, "that still leaves the weapons. Let's see what they got."
He knelt down and went and fished through their bags. One of the weapons he didn't really need to do all that much searching for; a pool cue. Not much use it all. Lucas kind of sucked at pool. He wasn't able to hold a cue very well, and the cue ball often just jumped up and all over the place whenever he hit it. Generally, he passed on offers to play, knowing full well that he'd get absolutely nothing out of the experience except for shame and social pain. Lucas knew he didn't need to be playing pool to feel those.
The other weapon took a bit more time to find. A knife. Lucas took it out by the handle, careful not to let the blood touch his skin. It seemed decently sharp, and it had a weird fork on the end. To test it out, he took it to one of the day-pack straps and tried to cut through. It didn't take much time at all to realize that the knife was absolutely incredibly sharp. It may have been, dare he say it, the sharpest knife in the world.
But Lucas didn't want it.
It didn't really fit his general vibe, for starters. Secondly, it had absolutely no range whatsoever. If he was going to fight Erika, he needed something with a bit more reach. Something, say, like the last weapon he found. A crowbar. This was more like it. It was a dumb geeky weapon, because it was in that game his brother played, Gee Mode or something like that. So, in a general, sense, it went with the Minecraft sword and the light-saber as far as entrance into his horrible pantheon of terrible weapons went. It was pretty hefty, too. If he swung it with all his force, he could hit someone pretty hard. Half his force, and it'd hurt. Throw it, and it could knock someone out.
He wanted this one.
"Pool cue, crowbar, knife," he said, turning back over his shoulder to look at Julien again, "I don't want the cue. I want the crowbar. You can take the knife."
A pause.
"But, ah, you wouldn't happen to have any, uh, really bad weapons on you? Like, stuff that's supposed to be from some video games or movies or something? I'm kind of collecting them, and if you've got one I can take it off your hands."
"Sure," Lucas said, "that still leaves the weapons. Let's see what they got."
He knelt down and went and fished through their bags. One of the weapons he didn't really need to do all that much searching for; a pool cue. Not much use it all. Lucas kind of sucked at pool. He wasn't able to hold a cue very well, and the cue ball often just jumped up and all over the place whenever he hit it. Generally, he passed on offers to play, knowing full well that he'd get absolutely nothing out of the experience except for shame and social pain. Lucas knew he didn't need to be playing pool to feel those.
The other weapon took a bit more time to find. A knife. Lucas took it out by the handle, careful not to let the blood touch his skin. It seemed decently sharp, and it had a weird fork on the end. To test it out, he took it to one of the day-pack straps and tried to cut through. It didn't take much time at all to realize that the knife was absolutely incredibly sharp. It may have been, dare he say it, the sharpest knife in the world.
But Lucas didn't want it.
It didn't really fit his general vibe, for starters. Secondly, it had absolutely no range whatsoever. If he was going to fight Erika, he needed something with a bit more reach. Something, say, like the last weapon he found. A crowbar. This was more like it. It was a dumb geeky weapon, because it was in that game his brother played, Gee Mode or something like that. So, in a general, sense, it went with the Minecraft sword and the light-saber as far as entrance into his horrible pantheon of terrible weapons went. It was pretty hefty, too. If he swung it with all his force, he could hit someone pretty hard. Half his force, and it'd hurt. Throw it, and it could knock someone out.
He wanted this one.
"Pool cue, crowbar, knife," he said, turning back over his shoulder to look at Julien again, "I don't want the cue. I want the crowbar. You can take the knife."
A pause.
"But, ah, you wouldn't happen to have any, uh, really bad weapons on you? Like, stuff that's supposed to be from some video games or movies or something? I'm kind of collecting them, and if you've got one I can take it off your hands."
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- Julien had just the thing for Lucas, as it happened. "Like this, you mean?" He held out the Keyblade.
He did think it was a strange sort of thing to be collecting, but people did strange things even at the most mundane of times, and so he saw nothing truly bizarre in that.
"And yes, I will gladly take that knife off your hands." If somebody managed to make him fall and got atop him, nothing that he had or wanted to use could really help him fend them off, especially feeling like he did. So a knife would be excellent, since being cut open would be enough to make most pause without harming them too badly and would afford him time from there to do something else so that he might get away.
He did think it was a strange sort of thing to be collecting, but people did strange things even at the most mundane of times, and so he saw nothing truly bizarre in that.
"And yes, I will gladly take that knife off your hands." If somebody managed to make him fall and got atop him, nothing that he had or wanted to use could really help him fend them off, especially feeling like he did. So a knife would be excellent, since being cut open would be enough to make most pause without harming them too badly and would afford him time from there to do something else so that he might get away.
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MethodicalSlacker
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Wow, that looked fucking stupid.
"Sure," Lucas said, walking over with the knife. He handed it to Julien in one hand and took the Keyblade with the other. It wasn't all that heavy. He'd just strap it to his bag with some bandage tape or something. Maybe he'd cannibalize some from one of the dead people behind him, if he ran out. Maybe it wouldn't be strong enough with only one roll's worth, but he'd do a lot of testing. Lucas figured that the worst case scenario of just having to put it in the bag or, if it didn't fit, just carrying it around, wasn't so bad. Might get tiring but he could deal with it.
Turning it over in his hands, he looked at Julien. He didn't look all too bad for being shot. Lucas felt a little proud at that. He'd done a good thing. Hero points.
Maybe...
"So, uh, that was probably Erika Stieglitz," Lucas said, looking off into the woods.
"She killed my friend, a day or two ago. Desiree. Same way, basically. Shot her from really, really far away. Like a coward. So I've been hunting her down. Revenge, I guess. And, she's kept killing, too, even besides this, behind me. Blake."
He lightly kicked at a tuft of grass on the ground.
"Even if you don't want to help out, wanna come with me for a bit?" Lucas asked, "I could use the company, and you could use the support, in case I fucked up and you need me to redress the wound."
"Sure," Lucas said, walking over with the knife. He handed it to Julien in one hand and took the Keyblade with the other. It wasn't all that heavy. He'd just strap it to his bag with some bandage tape or something. Maybe he'd cannibalize some from one of the dead people behind him, if he ran out. Maybe it wouldn't be strong enough with only one roll's worth, but he'd do a lot of testing. Lucas figured that the worst case scenario of just having to put it in the bag or, if it didn't fit, just carrying it around, wasn't so bad. Might get tiring but he could deal with it.
Turning it over in his hands, he looked at Julien. He didn't look all too bad for being shot. Lucas felt a little proud at that. He'd done a good thing. Hero points.
Maybe...
"So, uh, that was probably Erika Stieglitz," Lucas said, looking off into the woods.
"She killed my friend, a day or two ago. Desiree. Same way, basically. Shot her from really, really far away. Like a coward. So I've been hunting her down. Revenge, I guess. And, she's kept killing, too, even besides this, behind me. Blake."
He lightly kicked at a tuft of grass on the ground.
"Even if you don't want to help out, wanna come with me for a bit?" Lucas asked, "I could use the company, and you could use the support, in case I fucked up and you need me to redress the wound."