Ignorance In Blood, Confirmation In Lead

[Latin For Dragula]

((Don't come in.))

It had wandered for some time in the day before. No direction in mind as there was no mind. Just blur and pain and the wobbliness of being uncertain where solid earth was under the next step.
You should have killed her.
It didn't want to kill.
You don't get to want.
It disagreed.
It's not my fault. You saw it. She was going to kill you. I would die too. They'll all do that. We don't get a choice.
It didn't respond.
Only one person gets to go home. It could be one of them or it could be me. That's the way things work. Those are the rules. We know them, and we know it has to be me.
Silence.
What?
Did it get to go home?
...
Silence.
This isn't real. We know that. I'm still me. This just makes it easier. You protect me.
But when we are me there is no it. It doesn't go home.
...no. This is your home. No one will want you. Especially me.
It nodded. Sank against the the rough, wet stone of the tunnels. The air was heavy and salty. That meant something, but it was tired. Its eyes began to droop.
No wait no you can't sleep if you sleep you might not wake up and if you don't wake up you can't protect me wait wait
Annoying shrieking became buzzing became humming became silent as it drifted into sleep. It knew it might not awaken. It knew if it rested it might become we might become her might become me. It didn't consider either very long. It was very tired. Its head was so cloudy. It just wanted to rest. Not even the blaring of the loudspeakers would rouse it this time.

[CondorTalon]

((Clair Belvedere continued from Earth Sky From Venus.))

This had been a bad few days.

Sometime during the first night, probably during the trek through the woods, Clair had lost track Cody. And she couldn't find him. After an hour of scrambling around trying to reunite, Clair was forced to give up. They had been going to find shelter, and so Clair had to prioritize that above finding Cody.

It had been just over a day since then. She had been wandering along the tunnels ever since the second announcement ended. The announcements...

People were actually dead. Not just one or two, but... a lot. She didn't know how to feel. Her emotions had been in a tumult since then. And she was still alone and unarmed.

And then there was someone in the tunnel up ahead. And then Clair approached and she saw who it was. And then Clair's mind went back to the announcements.

There was a name to the face, and that name had been on the announcements. Multiple times? Maybe?

Clair looked at Katarina's slumped form. She wasn't dead. It wasn't that long since the announcements. And then Clair noticed a dim glint. A dim glint that reflected what little ambient light was seeping through the tunnels. And that glint...

Clair got closer.

She knew it was a bad idea. She knew she should just leave, just turn around and leave the vicinity of the maybe multiple killer.

But Clair was still alone and unarmed. She could eliminate one of those weaknesses. Katarina wasn't moving. That glint... she had an inkling of what it was.

This was an opportunity she wouldn't get again. It was easier to take a weapon from a sleeping killer than it was to try and take one from one who was awake.

Clair quietly crept closer. She could pull this off. She had to pull this off.

And then Clair's hand reached for the gun.

[Latin For Dragula]

Wake up.

There's footsteps. There's someone in here. Wake up.

it's real. Someone's coming. So many of them could be coming.

You have to wake up.

You have to protect me.

Something pulled at the gun. Carefully. Movements too small to be noticed.

Don't let them in.

It jerked and held the trigger down before it could even open its eyes.

[CondorTalon]

The fire erupted in her foot first.

Then, before she even realized what had just happened, it travelled. To her knee, up to her stomach, then up to her chest, then up to her shoulder.

Clair fell to the ground. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened.

She'd fucked up. She was wrong. She should have just walked away. Should have just left well enough alone. Now it was too late.

She looked at Katarina. She couldn't see her that well. Couldn't even tell if she was awake or not.

She wanted to spit out a scathing remark. She tried. It came out as a wet gurgle.

She wasn't done yet. She wasn't done. Make her pay. For killing her, and everyone else.

Clair couldn't breathe, but she could still move. She lunged toward Katarina.

Get the gun.

[Latin For Dragula]

It had seen this before.
You're not supposed to think about that.
Shut up.
It's easier if you don't think about it nothing has happened every event is isolated fresh eyes fresh instincts no guilt it's the most efficient way to handle things if you put in the effort to-
Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. "SHUT. UP."
...
Its ears were ringing with high squealing echoes. It felt numb. The recoil barely fazed it. It wasn't until it opened its eyes that it realized the last rebuke was not only in its mind, and it didn't stop when it came roaring out of its throat. It shuddered from its lips down through its arm into its finger and up into the barrel of its gun to fly straight into the body ahead of it.

[CondorTalon]

The last thing she saw was the muzzle flash. The last thing she heard was another loud bang.

Fuck you.







































.

[CondorTalon]

Clair's body collided with the wall and fell to the ground.

G23 - Clair Belvedere: DECEASED

[Latin For Dragula]

You did a good job.

You don't even need to feel bad. She came at us. She tried to rob us. She was going to kill us. That's where everybody was going to go. Just because we got there first doesn't make us any worse than them.

We do what we have to do.

This is what you do.
Is it.
Yes.
Okay. It began to move again. Tense motions that jerked its limbs into position and sent it wobbling down the way it came.
Where are you going?
You don't need to know.
I know. We're the same. That's pointless. We just like to talk.
I don't.
I already know.
Then tell me.

Where am I going?

What am I doing?

Why are you afraid?

That's what I thought.

((Its next victim to be decided))