((Irene continued from Did you really think I'd fall to my knees just to pray for some sweet simplicity?))
Hello, Danya. Fuck you.
Fuck you, KK. Irene would've liked to have a chat. Now she was gonna have to find someone who knew where the body was.
As it is, Irene's at a loss.
Wings On My Shoulder Blades, There's No Angel Anywhere
Day 7, morning; open
((Cody Jenkins continued from Die Hand Die Verletzt))
“Come on, Mom, it’s Saturday…”
Cody sat upright with a start as he realized that the loud blare which had so rudely interrupted his hard-won rest was not, in fact, one of his mother's elaborate wake up calls, but the beginning of the daily announcements. It was a real shame, honestly. Even if it was just for a few hours, it was a relief to have some time where he didn’t have to think about the fact that he was trapped on MurderDeath Island. Unfortunately, like all good things, it had to come to an end eventually.
He gave a grim smile as he realized that, for once in his life, he was actually upset about having an opportunity to ponder Survival of the Fittest. It would have been funny, if it hadn’t been so tragic. Sighing, he pulled himself to his feet as he listened to the rest of Danya’s speech, keeping track of all the new developments. If only the terrorists hadn’t confiscated his damn notebook, this would have been a lot easier. As things stood, he was forced to rely on the power of his memory. Thankfully, he had a pretty good one, or, at least, one that was better than average.
His classmates clearly didn’t seem to be keeping track very well, though, judging by the fact that they kept dropping like flies. There were a lot of mutual kills this time, interestingly. The other survivors probably didn’t realize the implications of it, but Cody wasn’t like the others. This was nothing but good news. The experienced killers were getting bumped off, both giving them the punishment that they deserved and removing them as threats to his survival. With Saachi’s ill-conceived rampage of death and destruction, it was only a matter of time before she got herself killed, and the island would mostly be clear of serial killers. The only ones left would be Wendy, Bunny, and Irene… What was it with the girls in this class?
A brief noise coming from behind the ruined wall beside him jolted Cody out of his thoughts and back into the real world. Maybe it was a person, maybe it was a small animal, maybe it was just his imagination. Whatever the case may have been, he hadn’t survived so long by taking chances, and he wasn’t about to start doing it now. Gripping his shotgun tightly in his hands, he sidled up to the wall, flattening himself up against it and mentally preparing himself to peek out and see what exactly had interrupted him.
“Come on, Mom, it’s Saturday…”
Cody sat upright with a start as he realized that the loud blare which had so rudely interrupted his hard-won rest was not, in fact, one of his mother's elaborate wake up calls, but the beginning of the daily announcements. It was a real shame, honestly. Even if it was just for a few hours, it was a relief to have some time where he didn’t have to think about the fact that he was trapped on MurderDeath Island. Unfortunately, like all good things, it had to come to an end eventually.
He gave a grim smile as he realized that, for once in his life, he was actually upset about having an opportunity to ponder Survival of the Fittest. It would have been funny, if it hadn’t been so tragic. Sighing, he pulled himself to his feet as he listened to the rest of Danya’s speech, keeping track of all the new developments. If only the terrorists hadn’t confiscated his damn notebook, this would have been a lot easier. As things stood, he was forced to rely on the power of his memory. Thankfully, he had a pretty good one, or, at least, one that was better than average.
His classmates clearly didn’t seem to be keeping track very well, though, judging by the fact that they kept dropping like flies. There were a lot of mutual kills this time, interestingly. The other survivors probably didn’t realize the implications of it, but Cody wasn’t like the others. This was nothing but good news. The experienced killers were getting bumped off, both giving them the punishment that they deserved and removing them as threats to his survival. With Saachi’s ill-conceived rampage of death and destruction, it was only a matter of time before she got herself killed, and the island would mostly be clear of serial killers. The only ones left would be Wendy, Bunny, and Irene… What was it with the girls in this class?
A brief noise coming from behind the ruined wall beside him jolted Cody out of his thoughts and back into the real world. Maybe it was a person, maybe it was a small animal, maybe it was just his imagination. Whatever the case may have been, he hadn’t survived so long by taking chances, and he wasn’t about to start doing it now. Gripping his shotgun tightly in his hands, he sidled up to the wall, flattening himself up against it and mentally preparing himself to peek out and see what exactly had interrupted him.
Irene heard some rustling, and...does she sigh? Does she grin? Can't exactly decide which one to do until she knows who's on the other side of the wall, right?
Still, even if Irene didn't exactly feel like grinning, she should at least make an effort. To be civil, if not necessarily a joy to be around.
She rapped her knuckles against the wall.
"Knock knock." Softly, softly. A wink that no one but Irene could see, to fill her throat with whiskey and pour some molten confidence into her limbs.
"Come on. I don't bite, I promise."
Unless you're an ass.
Still, even if Irene didn't exactly feel like grinning, she should at least make an effort. To be civil, if not necessarily a joy to be around.
She rapped her knuckles against the wall.
"Knock knock." Softly, softly. A wink that no one but Irene could see, to fill her throat with whiskey and pour some molten confidence into her limbs.
"Come on. I don't bite, I promise."
Unless you're an ass.
That tone didn't exactly sound encouraging. There were only two options here: either the girl on the other side of the wall was completely deranged, or this was some sort of ploy to get him to drop his defenses. Either way, he definitely wasn't going to be the first one to show himself. Cody wasn't an idiot - he could recognize a trap when he saw one.
The question still remained though, what should he do? He still didn't know who he was dealing with, or what she was armed with. If it had been a male voice, things would be a little easier, but knowing that all the major killers on the island were female made underestimating any girl a risky proposition at best, and downright suicidal at worst.
Flipping the safety off his shotgun, he called over the side of the wall, forcing as much belligerent confidence into his voice as he could possibly muster.
“I don't think so. Why don't you drop whatever weapons you're holding and come over here instead?”
She probably wasn't going to do as he said, of course, but he had at least bought himself some time by asking. Hopefully, her response would help him figure out who he was talking to and plan his next course of action.
The question still remained though, what should he do? He still didn't know who he was dealing with, or what she was armed with. If it had been a male voice, things would be a little easier, but knowing that all the major killers on the island were female made underestimating any girl a risky proposition at best, and downright suicidal at worst.
Flipping the safety off his shotgun, he called over the side of the wall, forcing as much belligerent confidence into his voice as he could possibly muster.
“I don't think so. Why don't you drop whatever weapons you're holding and come over here instead?”
She probably wasn't going to do as he said, of course, but he had at least bought himself some time by asking. Hopefully, her response would help him figure out who he was talking to and plan his next course of action.
Rude.
Not that Irene could blame him or anything. But still. Rude.
"Come on, dude. I get the sentiment, I get the paranoia, but, like...you can at least be nicer about it, y'know? Something along the lines of 'hey, I'd like to trust you, but trusting people too easily gets you killed, so I'm gonna hang on to my weapon for now, no hard feelings or anything, so basically I trust you but I'm gonna do whatever I have to do to make sure that you can't kill me if it turns out that I shouldn't have trusted you, y'know? Something along those lines. Which is what I'm saying to you, right now. As my answer. In case you didn't figure it out."
Ooh, that was a little more mocking than she would've liked. Yeah, he'd been rude to her, but that wasn't a reason to not take the high road, here.
"Uh, not to imply that you hadn't figured it out."
Phew. There.
"So while we're on the topic of manners...I suppose I should introduce myself? Irene Djezari."
Not that Irene could blame him or anything. But still. Rude.
"Come on, dude. I get the sentiment, I get the paranoia, but, like...you can at least be nicer about it, y'know? Something along the lines of 'hey, I'd like to trust you, but trusting people too easily gets you killed, so I'm gonna hang on to my weapon for now, no hard feelings or anything, so basically I trust you but I'm gonna do whatever I have to do to make sure that you can't kill me if it turns out that I shouldn't have trusted you, y'know? Something along those lines. Which is what I'm saying to you, right now. As my answer. In case you didn't figure it out."
Ooh, that was a little more mocking than she would've liked. Yeah, he'd been rude to her, but that wasn't a reason to not take the high road, here.
"Uh, not to imply that you hadn't figured it out."
Phew. There.
"So while we're on the topic of manners...I suppose I should introduce myself? Irene Djezari."
So, it was Irene who was on the other side. It was a good thing he didn't take her up on that offer, or who knows what she would have done to him. Unfortunately, while his intuition had saved him yet again, he definitely wasn't out of the woods yet. It would be a huge risk to make a run for it when he didn't know if she had a gun or not, and moving closer to her was out of the question as well. It seemed like the only option here was to get her to make the first move.
Cody grimaced as he held his shotgun at the ready. He hadn't been waiting for very long, objectively speaking, but the suspense was still killing him. Might as well continue fishing for information while he was at it.
“So, you trust me, huh? Is that what you said to James and Roy too, or am I special somehow?”
He probably could have phrased that a little more politely, but her attitude was really grinding his gears at the moment. He had heard enough of that patronizing tone back home, and he definitely wasn't any more in the mood to deal with it than he was back there.
Cody grimaced as he held his shotgun at the ready. He hadn't been waiting for very long, objectively speaking, but the suspense was still killing him. Might as well continue fishing for information while he was at it.
“So, you trust me, huh? Is that what you said to James and Roy too, or am I special somehow?”
He probably could have phrased that a little more politely, but her attitude was really grinding his gears at the moment. He had heard enough of that patronizing tone back home, and he definitely wasn't any more in the mood to deal with it than he was back there.
Irene was shocked. Shocked, I tell you. Like. Being suspicious of a known killer? Who the fuck would feel that way?
"No, you are not special! You will be relieved to hear that I have interacted with a fairly large number of people here and I have in fact managed to refrain from killing most of them. Since I'm like. Not a murderous psychopath."
It was Alice and Eris again. Eris and Alice, there it was, this 'well I'm not gonna kill anyone who doesn't deserve it but like lowkey I hope I'm the one who makes it out alive' attitude, and, well...look how far trying to stay alive got them. Dammit. She hoped that their way of clinging on to hope had been worth it, for them.
Whoops. Did Irene just imply that she'd given up hope? She hadn't said anything like that, had she? Hope meant happiness meant contentment meant having something to believe in, and Irene was all of those things.
That was the whole point.
"But, like, don't take my word for it. Take Danya's! He seems like a trustworthy fellow, does he not? Just buy into his narrative that we're all here to fight our way to survival! Just accept that there's no hope! Sure! Huzzah! Fuck you!"
Fuck you. You'd made Irene sad.
"Here's the dealio. If you promise not to try to be the last one standing, I'll put down my weapon and walk out with my hands up. That means you do the same before I come out. Or how about we both just walk away from each other so we both get to live without getting more pissed off at each other?"
"No, you are not special! You will be relieved to hear that I have interacted with a fairly large number of people here and I have in fact managed to refrain from killing most of them. Since I'm like. Not a murderous psychopath."
It was Alice and Eris again. Eris and Alice, there it was, this 'well I'm not gonna kill anyone who doesn't deserve it but like lowkey I hope I'm the one who makes it out alive' attitude, and, well...look how far trying to stay alive got them. Dammit. She hoped that their way of clinging on to hope had been worth it, for them.
Whoops. Did Irene just imply that she'd given up hope? She hadn't said anything like that, had she? Hope meant happiness meant contentment meant having something to believe in, and Irene was all of those things.
That was the whole point.
"But, like, don't take my word for it. Take Danya's! He seems like a trustworthy fellow, does he not? Just buy into his narrative that we're all here to fight our way to survival! Just accept that there's no hope! Sure! Huzzah! Fuck you!"
Fuck you. You'd made Irene sad.
"Here's the dealio. If you promise not to try to be the last one standing, I'll put down my weapon and walk out with my hands up. That means you do the same before I come out. Or how about we both just walk away from each other so we both get to live without getting more pissed off at each other?"
That explanation was… far from satisfactory, to put it mildly. That girl was just digging a bigger and bigger hole for herself. The glib attitude towards killing, plus the strangely naive view towards the whole “Survival of the Fittest” enterprise was just too contradictory to take at face value. There was something more than she was letting on, something important that she was keeping from him.
Cody sighed as he rubbed his forehead. Her idea was reasonable on the surface, but the idea of going along with it…rankled with him somehow.
There was no incentive for her to play along once he agreed to it, and if he chose to hold to the deal, he'd be at a massive disadvantage. Classic Prisoner's Dilemma, here. Walk away peacefully and risk getting attacked unawares, or start shooting yourself and come off better than getting caught with your pants down, but worse off than you would have been if everyone played nicely.
He shook his head, adjusting his grip on his shotgun. Regardless of the calculations involved, the fact remained that playing along with her offer would be putting himself at a massive risk. The only option here was a counter offer, one that she might just be exasperated enough to take.
“I have a better idea. Why don't you walk away, and I wait behind this wall and don't come out until you're gone? If I poke my head out from behind this wall, you take a shot at me, and if you come around to my side, I shoot at you.”
For both his sake and hers, Cody hoped that Irene wasn't so far gone that she wouldn't escalate this any further.
Cody sighed as he rubbed his forehead. Her idea was reasonable on the surface, but the idea of going along with it…rankled with him somehow.
There was no incentive for her to play along once he agreed to it, and if he chose to hold to the deal, he'd be at a massive disadvantage. Classic Prisoner's Dilemma, here. Walk away peacefully and risk getting attacked unawares, or start shooting yourself and come off better than getting caught with your pants down, but worse off than you would have been if everyone played nicely.
He shook his head, adjusting his grip on his shotgun. Regardless of the calculations involved, the fact remained that playing along with her offer would be putting himself at a massive risk. The only option here was a counter offer, one that she might just be exasperated enough to take.
“I have a better idea. Why don't you walk away, and I wait behind this wall and don't come out until you're gone? If I poke my head out from behind this wall, you take a shot at me, and if you come around to my side, I shoot at you.”
For both his sake and hers, Cody hoped that Irene wasn't so far gone that she wouldn't escalate this any further.
Irene weighed the scales, balanced the desires, the odds, the words that had been said.
Eh. That seemed reasonable enough.
"Fine."
((Irene Djezari continued in Though Far Away, We're Still The Same))
Eh. That seemed reasonable enough.
"Fine."
((Irene Djezari continued in Though Far Away, We're Still The Same))
Cody’s heart pounded in his chest as he listened to Irene’s footsteps getting quieter and quieter as she left. Once he was sure that he could no longer hear her any more, he sat himself down beside the wall, sighing as he set down the Jackhammer right next to him. Now that there was no hurry to leave, it didn’t look like there’d be any harm in a little rest. He rummaged through his pack, pulling out a water bottle and taking a long drink, soothing his painfully dry mouth and throat.
Now, where to go from here? With only ten students remaining, it was practically endgame. Old strategies no longer applied. Exceptions existed, obviously, but it was clear that the vast majority of students remaining would be killers, and all gunning for an increasingly small number of targets. Lying low would no longer be an option. Cody swallowed, hard, as the uncomfortable realization hit him. He would have to go aggressive now if he wanted to make it out of here.
He put a hand to his face as his encounter with Irene was suddenly put into a new light. He was such a dumbass. He had to kill at least one person to live, and who would have been better to go after than a multiple murderer? He could have easily jumped her while they were talking and blew her away with his shotgun, and best of all, she would have totally deserved it. Cody groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. Fuuuck…
There was no more time for hesitation and avoiding conflict. He was going to have to act decisively from now on if he wanted to make it home alive. Shouldering his shotgun, he set off after Irene, heading out in roughly the same direction that she seemed to have gone.
((Cody Jenkins continued in Zero Sum))
Now, where to go from here? With only ten students remaining, it was practically endgame. Old strategies no longer applied. Exceptions existed, obviously, but it was clear that the vast majority of students remaining would be killers, and all gunning for an increasingly small number of targets. Lying low would no longer be an option. Cody swallowed, hard, as the uncomfortable realization hit him. He would have to go aggressive now if he wanted to make it out of here.
He put a hand to his face as his encounter with Irene was suddenly put into a new light. He was such a dumbass. He had to kill at least one person to live, and who would have been better to go after than a multiple murderer? He could have easily jumped her while they were talking and blew her away with his shotgun, and best of all, she would have totally deserved it. Cody groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. Fuuuck…
There was no more time for hesitation and avoiding conflict. He was going to have to act decisively from now on if he wanted to make it home alive. Shouldering his shotgun, he set off after Irene, heading out in roughly the same direction that she seemed to have gone.
((Cody Jenkins continued in Zero Sum))