((Natali Greer and Kyran Dean continued from A Pity Sight for The Magpie))
"Think we should continue going forward?"
Natali was still holding on to Kyran as they continued to piggyback across the island, trying to make sure that she didn't fall off, and didn't like hit her head on a rock or something. That would suck. A lot. Anyways, she was starting to notice that there was now a creaky-ass bridge coming up, which she would have found mildly interesting, were it not for the mild rumbling in her stomach that started to occur. The adrenaline from literally her entire time here on this hellish-ass place seemed to be wearing off, and so she gradually began to feel the nervous energy in her bones began to fade away, slowly replaced by a dull ache, perfect to go along with what she felt in her knee.
The walk here had been slightly more eventful, what with her trying to point out where exactly she should go, and Kyran responding in the affirmative, but still, there wasn't exactly much conversational ground for them to build upon, really. So, another awkward silence it was, but that pit of emptiness within her body reminded her that they couldn't just continue to traipse around Death Island all willy-nilly or something. She knew she'd have to do something eventually, kill or be killed, even the guy who she was currently relying on to move beyond a few feet, but that wasn't exactly a pleasant thought, was it? As she tried to look for something else to occupy herself with, she noticed one very important detail:
That Kyran didn't have a duffel bag on. Like, the duffel bags that literally everyone was given, weren't they? If she wasn't mistaken, he did have his on in the forest, but with the whole shooting thing, the almost getting murdered bit, the knocked down by an ex-football player, she did see why he could've lost it. So, that meant as long as she was took in this...partnership, she guessed, they'd have to be sharing one person bag of resources, sharing that food.
Unless, well unless they stole somebody's bag to get their stuff, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to go off the deep end that quickly. It wasn't a sprint after all, more like a really really long run, which she had forgotten the name of that in that exact moment, but same moral. It was all in the pacing. If you burned bright and burned out just as fast, it wasn't worth it, was it? No need to get a target put on your head for trying to do some really stupid shit, and with her leg being as messed up as it was, Natali wasn't sure she could run away from those repercussions, figuratively or literally. That stung, and so did the fact that she hadn't eaten since she woke up here.
She wasn't exactly trying to sound obsessed with food, but resting up and stuff was important. Couldn't keep going on this wild chase, after all.
"I mean, we've searched for...how long, already? Just going round here again isn't gonna really make a difference, just saying. If we stop for a bit somewhere else, get that nasty thing on your face cleaned up, don't you think that'd be good?”
Mainly, it was so she could try to actually do something about her leg, but he didn't need to know that. They both needed to rest, didn't they?
That was the important part.
Lonely Rivers Flow To The Sea
(Dusk, Day One)
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Somersault
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"Yeah, Ok. Off."
Thought she'd never ask.
Then oh. Ah. Ah-yeah. Ok. Getting that literal weight off his back, at this moment in time was like the best thing ever.
Nothing against Natali of course, it just felt like she wasn't getting any lighter - in fact from his perspective it was like she gained .5 pounds every consecutive step, with the rate slowly increasing in multiples per decimal with every scenery change, but he was probably wrong in that account, considering that the girl had not eaten yet and weight, at least by American standard probably wasn't measured with decimals points, probably fractions or something, but maybe he was wrong in that too. Math wasn't his fav.
Was his own fault for offering to carry her around then let her give directions and lead. They'd been traveling this darn island for a while now, the sun finally seeming on sinking as some coastline came into view, granted from a high up elevation, but with no signs of Kristina Hartmann anywhere in sight before then. The burden of Natali was not exactly helping their search and neither was the super, subpar navigation skills.
What if though, what if he hadn't volunteered to be Natali's personal Hodor?
No, he'd have left her to suffer, maybe even die. Girl couldn't walk. How could you not feel sorry for that.
Then again, he'd be moving way faster, as evidence from when he'd made his way across the island earlier that day, away from the warehouse to the forest, without much of a sweat. Probably would have caught up with Kris easily, without an extra weight to bear, to keep out of dangers way, tiring him up quicker. Maybe he would have found his friend by now. With a glance down, he saw the bruise on the leg again and shook the thought.
Dean, you bum, Mr. Big Vet on Campus. It would be like abandoning an injured pup. What the fu--
That thought was interrupted by an ear ringing squawk. Seagulls, everywhere, swooping down into the abyss. Alright, looks like, maybe he didn't like every form of wildlife after all. He sat around the tuft of grass, near the trees lining the trail path leading to the bridge, next to Natali.
"Right. Do your thing, we'll find a building after," somewhere safe, to hide out and pass time in reasonable seclusion. Sun was on the verge of wanting to set.
"Just wanna take a break."
Legs and back were hurting. Maybe not as much as Natali's were for her, but even an athlete in top notch physical condition needed time to recover a little bit, especially after this recent half day work out with added burden. It was one his fitness crazed, athletic director of a father could be proud of. Kyran felt like he was probably going to become pretty ripped after all this exercise. Or end up RIP, more likely.
Man, he'd rather just get fat and old in an office at his mom's clinic someday.
Well, there he goes again. Thinking about normal things and then get back to the fact they were facing potential death. He hoped Kris was safe. That was the only close friend he'd seen so far, but he'd failed in finding her. There were others though, others he'd seen on the bus. More friends that he'd hope were okay. Friends like Chuck; he was missing that guy and his freakin' hat even if he'd seen him not even a day ago. Is this how those people felt like on Survivor? It always felt like it was silly when they'd cry and get all emotional during family or loved one visits. Now though, he was starting to understand.
Aside from Kris, there weren't many girls Kyran was particularly close with. However, there were a bunch of decent guys who were on good terms with him. Too many to really list completely. Heck, there was a football team full of them: Roy Benson, Aaron Chalmers, Brandon Baxter, that bad ass, Johnny Lancer, even Alba sorta counted, to name a few.
Adonis struck him in the face though, busted his lip back open a little on the same damn spot as last time and plowed through him, almost left him for dead by Tina's bullets and Kyran was still sort of annoyed about that. Jerk.
Who else? Hm. Jason Andrews was on the baseball team too, nice kid. Paris was ok. Michael Crowe was quite a boisterous goofball, but he's cool. Hopefully he hadn't ended up like that other goofball he had been on good terms with, Jay. If Captain Ahab was in fact Jay of course. Seeing as there weren't many ginger males on that bus aside from Roy, who had a cast on and Saachi's partner didn't have a cast on, it probably was Jay though. That sucked. Jay had been ok.
Jay Harland. Saachi Nidal. Tina Luz. Blaine Eno. Four names on the danger list so far. He wondered who else in his class whom he hadn't encountered would be on this list too. Not another one of the people Kyran actually liked, he hoped.
Kyran fiddled at his snapback, staring at the bullet hole Tina had made through the serenity print dove on it, as he sat with the packed-up AK-47 next to him. His mind flashed back to the corpse of that bird from the coastal woods from when he shot at those branches earlier, the bird that he had killed and he couldn't help but sigh.
"This sucks," he spoke, his tone hushed, not meant for anyone else. He put down the cap.
His hand went to his neck, initially feeling the warmth of the formerly cold steel of death metal, binding him like the collar of a tracked animal and suddenly he started to miss his small, fluffy, sandy-beige-brown, Pomeranian friend, Bella. Always nipping, always smiling. He might not get to see her again ever.
Finally, his fingers found what he was originally looking for, as he lifted the heart shaped pendant from his neck. Kyran opened his mouth wanting to share something personal, as the thought of his mom, who had given him this treasure, and the rest of his family came flooding back in. He looked over at Natali, whom he barely knew. After a second’s deliberation, he chose not to. Not now at least.
Kyran let the heart pendant drop back to his neck. The heartfelt thoughts flowed through the air: Mom. Dr. Angela Dean. Animal Doctor. Influence. Future. Save lives. Not end them. Dead bird. They lingered for a moment before dissipating in the leisurely chilling ocean breeze.
Instead, topic shifted back to what Kyran had been asking right before Tina had begun shooting.
"What happened again," he nodded attention to her leg, just like last time as more seagulls flocked. Mild interest on what was down over there, growing.
Usually, Kyran Dean wasn't the first to break silence and technically he wasn't the first this time. Others usually had to break the ice with him first though. Nevertheless, if Natali were to travel with him for some length of time, then it was probably best to build some mutuality or rapport. For sanity sake, of course.
Thought she'd never ask.
Then oh. Ah. Ah-yeah. Ok. Getting that literal weight off his back, at this moment in time was like the best thing ever.
Nothing against Natali of course, it just felt like she wasn't getting any lighter - in fact from his perspective it was like she gained .5 pounds every consecutive step, with the rate slowly increasing in multiples per decimal with every scenery change, but he was probably wrong in that account, considering that the girl had not eaten yet and weight, at least by American standard probably wasn't measured with decimals points, probably fractions or something, but maybe he was wrong in that too. Math wasn't his fav.
Was his own fault for offering to carry her around then let her give directions and lead. They'd been traveling this darn island for a while now, the sun finally seeming on sinking as some coastline came into view, granted from a high up elevation, but with no signs of Kristina Hartmann anywhere in sight before then. The burden of Natali was not exactly helping their search and neither was the super, subpar navigation skills.
What if though, what if he hadn't volunteered to be Natali's personal Hodor?
No, he'd have left her to suffer, maybe even die. Girl couldn't walk. How could you not feel sorry for that.
Then again, he'd be moving way faster, as evidence from when he'd made his way across the island earlier that day, away from the warehouse to the forest, without much of a sweat. Probably would have caught up with Kris easily, without an extra weight to bear, to keep out of dangers way, tiring him up quicker. Maybe he would have found his friend by now. With a glance down, he saw the bruise on the leg again and shook the thought.
Dean, you bum, Mr. Big Vet on Campus. It would be like abandoning an injured pup. What the fu--
That thought was interrupted by an ear ringing squawk. Seagulls, everywhere, swooping down into the abyss. Alright, looks like, maybe he didn't like every form of wildlife after all. He sat around the tuft of grass, near the trees lining the trail path leading to the bridge, next to Natali.
"Right. Do your thing, we'll find a building after," somewhere safe, to hide out and pass time in reasonable seclusion. Sun was on the verge of wanting to set.
"Just wanna take a break."
Legs and back were hurting. Maybe not as much as Natali's were for her, but even an athlete in top notch physical condition needed time to recover a little bit, especially after this recent half day work out with added burden. It was one his fitness crazed, athletic director of a father could be proud of. Kyran felt like he was probably going to become pretty ripped after all this exercise. Or end up RIP, more likely.
Man, he'd rather just get fat and old in an office at his mom's clinic someday.
Well, there he goes again. Thinking about normal things and then get back to the fact they were facing potential death. He hoped Kris was safe. That was the only close friend he'd seen so far, but he'd failed in finding her. There were others though, others he'd seen on the bus. More friends that he'd hope were okay. Friends like Chuck; he was missing that guy and his freakin' hat even if he'd seen him not even a day ago. Is this how those people felt like on Survivor? It always felt like it was silly when they'd cry and get all emotional during family or loved one visits. Now though, he was starting to understand.
Aside from Kris, there weren't many girls Kyran was particularly close with. However, there were a bunch of decent guys who were on good terms with him. Too many to really list completely. Heck, there was a football team full of them: Roy Benson, Aaron Chalmers, Brandon Baxter, that bad ass, Johnny Lancer, even Alba sorta counted, to name a few.
Adonis struck him in the face though, busted his lip back open a little on the same damn spot as last time and plowed through him, almost left him for dead by Tina's bullets and Kyran was still sort of annoyed about that. Jerk.
Who else? Hm. Jason Andrews was on the baseball team too, nice kid. Paris was ok. Michael Crowe was quite a boisterous goofball, but he's cool. Hopefully he hadn't ended up like that other goofball he had been on good terms with, Jay. If Captain Ahab was in fact Jay of course. Seeing as there weren't many ginger males on that bus aside from Roy, who had a cast on and Saachi's partner didn't have a cast on, it probably was Jay though. That sucked. Jay had been ok.
Jay Harland. Saachi Nidal. Tina Luz. Blaine Eno. Four names on the danger list so far. He wondered who else in his class whom he hadn't encountered would be on this list too. Not another one of the people Kyran actually liked, he hoped.
Kyran fiddled at his snapback, staring at the bullet hole Tina had made through the serenity print dove on it, as he sat with the packed-up AK-47 next to him. His mind flashed back to the corpse of that bird from the coastal woods from when he shot at those branches earlier, the bird that he had killed and he couldn't help but sigh.
"This sucks," he spoke, his tone hushed, not meant for anyone else. He put down the cap.
His hand went to his neck, initially feeling the warmth of the formerly cold steel of death metal, binding him like the collar of a tracked animal and suddenly he started to miss his small, fluffy, sandy-beige-brown, Pomeranian friend, Bella. Always nipping, always smiling. He might not get to see her again ever.
Finally, his fingers found what he was originally looking for, as he lifted the heart shaped pendant from his neck. Kyran opened his mouth wanting to share something personal, as the thought of his mom, who had given him this treasure, and the rest of his family came flooding back in. He looked over at Natali, whom he barely knew. After a second’s deliberation, he chose not to. Not now at least.
Kyran let the heart pendant drop back to his neck. The heartfelt thoughts flowed through the air: Mom. Dr. Angela Dean. Animal Doctor. Influence. Future. Save lives. Not end them. Dead bird. They lingered for a moment before dissipating in the leisurely chilling ocean breeze.
Instead, topic shifted back to what Kyran had been asking right before Tina had begun shooting.
"What happened again," he nodded attention to her leg, just like last time as more seagulls flocked. Mild interest on what was down over there, growing.
Usually, Kyran Dean wasn't the first to break silence and technically he wasn't the first this time. Others usually had to break the ice with him first though. Nevertheless, if Natali were to travel with him for some length of time, then it was probably best to build some mutuality or rapport. For sanity sake, of course.
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Somersault
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With that, Natali found herself on the ground, peering at the mess that her knee was. Had it gotten even more purple since the last time she saw it? She fingered her braids as she continued to look at it. It was one way to pass the time, she guessed. Not get murdered, sit for a bit, let the guy who had carried her like halfway across the island take some time to rest. It sounded real good.
At least, until the seaqulls started squealing. Shit. If there was one thing she hated and was related to water, it was seagulls. They just looked odd, were odd, and squawked as if their heads were about to be cut off. It wasn't as if they were chicken, who actually had that happen to them, or like those mudskippers that she saw in that odd internet video. They were just annoying for the sake of being so, and that was something she just couldn't get behind.
She heard Kyran say he just wanted a bit of a break, some time to rest, and then the journey for shelter would begin again. Searching, searching. Nat wasn't sure if she had managed to get them anywhere closer to a building or not, but she hadn't managed to lead them off a cliff or to a crazy person, so in her book, that qualified as doing an a-OK job. Survival was the name of the game, after all.
Perhaps she should say thanks to Kyran, tell him her gratefulness for picking her up off the ground like she was a Disney princess or something, but the thing was, deep down, she wasn't exactly sure if she was all that grateful. It was a really great for him to do yes, but she still didn't know anything about the guy, did she?
In fact, with the people who had been on the class trip, Natali was pretty sure none of her close friends had really been on the trip. People she had been friendly with, yes, but she wasn't sure about any close friends. Maybe Paris, but she wasn't sure how to feel about that relationship either? She was his sometimes confidant?
But in the end, out of all of them, only one person would be left, right? She remembered the cold steel in her bag, her safety line, her pocket rocket or something like that.
Still, couldn't hurt to have an ally, someone to watch your back. As long as they didn't shoot you in the back, it was good, and she figured that Kyran was nice enough to not try to attempt that. For herself, though, she felt a vague chill. She shook it off.
She looked at the knee again. Something needed to be done.Something to prevent her from becoming a mess of bandages and death, and dying because of an infected knee or something. Maybe a wrap and some ice would do? But, it did seem that Kyran was thinking the same thing as her, inspecting the injury and asking her again to tell her tale.
"Well, I woke up in the showers, to start with. Met a guy...," She nodded, seemingly agreeing with herself. Should she talk about Simon? Talk about how she left someone to die? No, couldn't risk it, couldn't at all. "But then he left. So, I have my bags, ready to just go out, and then Blaine comes in, grinning like an idiot or something. Walk over, wave, then BAM! He hits me with the hammer thingy. I get my gun out, scream at him, he scurries off, I limp to the woods." That was believable, right?
Better safe than sorry. She couldn't seem untrustworthy. Wouldn't do well for her. She hoped the nervousness wasn't easily seen, that he thought it was just the stress of being here, which weighed on her just as much, honestly.
But one winner. One winner, no one else.
At least, until the seaqulls started squealing. Shit. If there was one thing she hated and was related to water, it was seagulls. They just looked odd, were odd, and squawked as if their heads were about to be cut off. It wasn't as if they were chicken, who actually had that happen to them, or like those mudskippers that she saw in that odd internet video. They were just annoying for the sake of being so, and that was something she just couldn't get behind.
She heard Kyran say he just wanted a bit of a break, some time to rest, and then the journey for shelter would begin again. Searching, searching. Nat wasn't sure if she had managed to get them anywhere closer to a building or not, but she hadn't managed to lead them off a cliff or to a crazy person, so in her book, that qualified as doing an a-OK job. Survival was the name of the game, after all.
Perhaps she should say thanks to Kyran, tell him her gratefulness for picking her up off the ground like she was a Disney princess or something, but the thing was, deep down, she wasn't exactly sure if she was all that grateful. It was a really great for him to do yes, but she still didn't know anything about the guy, did she?
In fact, with the people who had been on the class trip, Natali was pretty sure none of her close friends had really been on the trip. People she had been friendly with, yes, but she wasn't sure about any close friends. Maybe Paris, but she wasn't sure how to feel about that relationship either? She was his sometimes confidant?
But in the end, out of all of them, only one person would be left, right? She remembered the cold steel in her bag, her safety line, her pocket rocket or something like that.
Still, couldn't hurt to have an ally, someone to watch your back. As long as they didn't shoot you in the back, it was good, and she figured that Kyran was nice enough to not try to attempt that. For herself, though, she felt a vague chill. She shook it off.
She looked at the knee again. Something needed to be done.Something to prevent her from becoming a mess of bandages and death, and dying because of an infected knee or something. Maybe a wrap and some ice would do? But, it did seem that Kyran was thinking the same thing as her, inspecting the injury and asking her again to tell her tale.
"Well, I woke up in the showers, to start with. Met a guy...," She nodded, seemingly agreeing with herself. Should she talk about Simon? Talk about how she left someone to die? No, couldn't risk it, couldn't at all. "But then he left. So, I have my bags, ready to just go out, and then Blaine comes in, grinning like an idiot or something. Walk over, wave, then BAM! He hits me with the hammer thingy. I get my gun out, scream at him, he scurries off, I limp to the woods." That was believable, right?
Better safe than sorry. She couldn't seem untrustworthy. Wouldn't do well for her. She hoped the nervousness wasn't easily seen, that he thought it was just the stress of being here, which weighed on her just as much, honestly.
But one winner. One winner, no one else.
"Who's the guy?"
Maybe it was someone he knew, it was a start and they could continue from there. Turns out it was Simon, as Natali immediately answered him back in response. So, ok, not a friend of Kyran's. He didn't push the questioning from there. He turned attention back to the leg.
"I'd help you with that, but I only have this gun. Left the assigned bag in the woods, cause I couldn't carry everything."
Speaking of all the stuff. Where was his own stuff, his own school backpack, the stuff he'd taken on the field trip? His Go-Pro was in there, ready for some Aquarium filming, since animal stuff, even aquatic life was actually fun for a budding vet-tech. That camera still had some of his adventurous footage and maybe even some forms of video blogging, and it was expensive.
Hey wait. He still had his finger-less skate gloves on hand, with the assortment of collected wristbands below it, but where the hell was the white wrist watch on his other hand? Why the hell would they take that from him? On top of kidnapping them, they were also taking claim with his shit. He really liked that watch. Those bastards.
Kyran pitched a small rock from where he sat, meters away into the nearby ravine. He heard some squawks from beyond sight, down below, following his action. A seagull flew up and away a moment later.
It was interesting to hear what Natali had experienced. Blaine was definitely trouble if he had really come in and attacked for no apparent reason while grinning like a mad man.
"Got this from Saachi," Kyran began as he traced the diagonal red slit on his cheek, almost near his eye. His eye socket area hurt a little too though; had Adonis given him a minor black eye on top of the elbow Kyran had taken to the lip from that tackle too. Eff you Adonis.
"Woke up in a warehouse. Heard some noise. Saachi and I think, Jay, were fighting or something, then they stopped and started plotting about partnering up and killing everyone. Even gave each other some dumbass nicknames like 'Captain Ahab' and 'Chop Susie'."
Well okay maybe they weren't dumb names. Pretty funny in hindsight, but they were still trying to murder their way through the island.
"One had a fish net, the other had a meat cleaver. They tried to hunt me. So I knocked some boxes onto Jay and took Saachi down with an old garden hoe. Not before, she swiped me with her cleaver, though. My blood is probably still there, got away at least." Kyran shrugged.
Ok, so the events sort of sounded amusing when saying that whole thing out loud, if you didn't think about the fact that he could have been killed.
"That all happened before Tina started shooting at us - for no reason -," Kyran said with extra emphasis on the last part to his immediate classmate.
"Saachi, Jay, Blaine and Tina. That makes four, there are probably more like them."
Kyran paused. Voice level, he spoke again.
"You're not planning to join that list, are you?"
Maybe it was someone he knew, it was a start and they could continue from there. Turns out it was Simon, as Natali immediately answered him back in response. So, ok, not a friend of Kyran's. He didn't push the questioning from there. He turned attention back to the leg.
"I'd help you with that, but I only have this gun. Left the assigned bag in the woods, cause I couldn't carry everything."
Speaking of all the stuff. Where was his own stuff, his own school backpack, the stuff he'd taken on the field trip? His Go-Pro was in there, ready for some Aquarium filming, since animal stuff, even aquatic life was actually fun for a budding vet-tech. That camera still had some of his adventurous footage and maybe even some forms of video blogging, and it was expensive.
Hey wait. He still had his finger-less skate gloves on hand, with the assortment of collected wristbands below it, but where the hell was the white wrist watch on his other hand? Why the hell would they take that from him? On top of kidnapping them, they were also taking claim with his shit. He really liked that watch. Those bastards.
Kyran pitched a small rock from where he sat, meters away into the nearby ravine. He heard some squawks from beyond sight, down below, following his action. A seagull flew up and away a moment later.
It was interesting to hear what Natali had experienced. Blaine was definitely trouble if he had really come in and attacked for no apparent reason while grinning like a mad man.
"Got this from Saachi," Kyran began as he traced the diagonal red slit on his cheek, almost near his eye. His eye socket area hurt a little too though; had Adonis given him a minor black eye on top of the elbow Kyran had taken to the lip from that tackle too. Eff you Adonis.
"Woke up in a warehouse. Heard some noise. Saachi and I think, Jay, were fighting or something, then they stopped and started plotting about partnering up and killing everyone. Even gave each other some dumbass nicknames like 'Captain Ahab' and 'Chop Susie'."
Well okay maybe they weren't dumb names. Pretty funny in hindsight, but they were still trying to murder their way through the island.
"One had a fish net, the other had a meat cleaver. They tried to hunt me. So I knocked some boxes onto Jay and took Saachi down with an old garden hoe. Not before, she swiped me with her cleaver, though. My blood is probably still there, got away at least." Kyran shrugged.
Ok, so the events sort of sounded amusing when saying that whole thing out loud, if you didn't think about the fact that he could have been killed.
"That all happened before Tina started shooting at us - for no reason -," Kyran said with extra emphasis on the last part to his immediate classmate.
"Saachi, Jay, Blaine and Tina. That makes four, there are probably more like them."
Kyran paused. Voice level, he spoke again.
"You're not planning to join that list, are you?"
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Somersault
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Oh, hell. He noticed that he didn't have his bag. She guessed that she should have expected him to realize that sooner rather than later, but still, kind of a bummer. Yay for somewhat one-sided partnerships.
But then again, he was the one carrying her, so maybe he did have a point. Still, the leg did need to get fixed up quick, so Natali unzipped her daypack, rummaged around for it, and found the first aid kit. Gingerly putting it down next to her, she opened it, and pulled out the gauze, staring for a bit.
Sighing, she put it back on top of the kit. Best to leave it for when they were entirely prepared or something, she supposed. Making sure that her knee was properly wrapped up was probably better than just making sure it was wrapped up it all, but she did hope they would get around to that topic soon. Injuries weren't exactly patient.
Kyran nodded at her retelling, and she squinted at the wound that was on his face again. It looked way too fresh to be something he got before all of this, and she was pretty sure he couldn't have gotten them from being tackled to the forest floor.
Then again, Nat wasn't really the most interested in football, and there was that movie with Will Smith with the concussions and suicide, so maybe they were a bit more serious than she would've thought. Either way, he was talking, probably about he got into the shit that had landed him that wound, so she sat down and listened. Well, continued to stay down.
Wait, Saachi tried to kill him? "Seriously, Saachi?" She kind of couldn't believe it, considering the other girl was probably one of a few people on track to become Valedictorian at the end of the year, and already resorted to violence this early. Maybe she was a bit crazy. But moreover, why would someone go ahead and try to kill this early on? There was too much attention, best to bide your time and wait for the right time to strike like a shark. Chomp, chomp, dead. Not that she would ever voice those concerns to Kyran.
To be fair, she could expect Jay to try to kill people. He was already kind of pissy on a day to day level, so maybe it wasn't that big of a stretch, especially if he got something good. Kyran did beat the both of them though, apparently only with whatever he could find in the warehouse, which was something Nat tucked away in her mental notes, although she really wished she had some paper with her or something. There was a reason she preferred just taking photos for the paper rather than writing.
Kyran was dangerous. That was the gist of it, and what she would try to remember, if she couldn't guess from the big-ass rifle he had with him.
Of course, then he had to throw a verbal swipe at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, raising her eyebrows, but said nothing. Keep it civil, keep it calm. There was no use in making enemies this early, after all.
She stayed silent until he began to list players. She continued to stay silent until he directly asked her if she was playing.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Was she acting that off? Was he just naturally suspicious of people? In any case, Natali then took a deep breath, and looked him straight in the eye.
"No, not at all. If someone dies because of me, it's only gonna be 'cause they had it coming. Nothing else. Okay?"
If one said "had it coming" included any obstacles to Natali's own survival, which naturally included fellow students, she technically was telling the truth.
That made it easier for her to sleep at night.
But then again, he was the one carrying her, so maybe he did have a point. Still, the leg did need to get fixed up quick, so Natali unzipped her daypack, rummaged around for it, and found the first aid kit. Gingerly putting it down next to her, she opened it, and pulled out the gauze, staring for a bit.
Sighing, she put it back on top of the kit. Best to leave it for when they were entirely prepared or something, she supposed. Making sure that her knee was properly wrapped up was probably better than just making sure it was wrapped up it all, but she did hope they would get around to that topic soon. Injuries weren't exactly patient.
Kyran nodded at her retelling, and she squinted at the wound that was on his face again. It looked way too fresh to be something he got before all of this, and she was pretty sure he couldn't have gotten them from being tackled to the forest floor.
Then again, Nat wasn't really the most interested in football, and there was that movie with Will Smith with the concussions and suicide, so maybe they were a bit more serious than she would've thought. Either way, he was talking, probably about he got into the shit that had landed him that wound, so she sat down and listened. Well, continued to stay down.
Wait, Saachi tried to kill him? "Seriously, Saachi?" She kind of couldn't believe it, considering the other girl was probably one of a few people on track to become Valedictorian at the end of the year, and already resorted to violence this early. Maybe she was a bit crazy. But moreover, why would someone go ahead and try to kill this early on? There was too much attention, best to bide your time and wait for the right time to strike like a shark. Chomp, chomp, dead. Not that she would ever voice those concerns to Kyran.
To be fair, she could expect Jay to try to kill people. He was already kind of pissy on a day to day level, so maybe it wasn't that big of a stretch, especially if he got something good. Kyran did beat the both of them though, apparently only with whatever he could find in the warehouse, which was something Nat tucked away in her mental notes, although she really wished she had some paper with her or something. There was a reason she preferred just taking photos for the paper rather than writing.
Kyran was dangerous. That was the gist of it, and what she would try to remember, if she couldn't guess from the big-ass rifle he had with him.
Of course, then he had to throw a verbal swipe at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, raising her eyebrows, but said nothing. Keep it civil, keep it calm. There was no use in making enemies this early, after all.
She stayed silent until he began to list players. She continued to stay silent until he directly asked her if she was playing.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Was she acting that off? Was he just naturally suspicious of people? In any case, Natali then took a deep breath, and looked him straight in the eye.
"No, not at all. If someone dies because of me, it's only gonna be 'cause they had it coming. Nothing else. Okay?"
If one said "had it coming" included any obstacles to Natali's own survival, which naturally included fellow students, she technically was telling the truth.
That made it easier for her to sleep at night.
"Mmh."
Kyran wasn't sure he liked that answer. He stared at her briefly for a good number of seconds, taking it all in, studying her expression as she spoke up. The deep breath was the first hint. Her eyes were centered, a bit too over focused, almost forced in her response. She was becoming dubious all of a sudden.
He said nothing and nodded a 'fair enough' in response.
This building rapport thing wasn't exactly working out for the better, was it.
The first aid kit was out, Natali brought it to the forefront, pushing it forward. He nodded at that too, and went to work.
A few moments passed as they figured out the contents of the kit and what to do. Kyran was no expert in medicine or first aide, but he knew enough.
If there was anything Kyran was particularly good at aside from his hobbies, it was watching and observing.
He'd observed enough of his mother's work at helping animals with hurt limbs and such, his dad's expertise at physical fitness and related injuries, and his team sports physicians assistance with each games injury, including his own where he learned a thing or two. Not to mention the fact that Kyran had gotten hurt so often in his life that the Nurse's office was like a second home, certainly helped a ton with that sort of knowledge.
He felt he did a pretty good job. Natali's knee was now wrapped up, covering that swollen purple welt. It was for the better, because that thing was gross. He'd also given her some aspirin or pain reliever. Kyran's own wound, was cleaned up, washed out, then wiped with antiseptic and alcoholic pads, dressed and then bandaged. So at least it probably wasn't going to be infected now.
Natali was eating, drinking, satiating herself on the side of a tree, in shade, as Kyran walked about, observing the area, with Natali's map in one hand, the carrying case for the AK-47 in the other.
He was fortunate to have such a weapon in his possession, instead of the thought of someone else, someone legitimately dangerous having something so fierce. If it remained with him or someone he felt was trustworthy enough, then the island was just a little bit safer. He had considered Natali earlier that day as one of those options, but after how she acted with what she said a few moments ago, he reconsidered and trusted her a little less.
The case contained several sets of ammo, more than enough to keep folks at bay. Included were clips of individual rounds here, several cartridges there and a big ass drum magazine, dumped in as well.
He'd have to practice with it soon, get used to it, to accurately use it. Even if he didn't want to. There were easy targets immediately available in the form of seagulls, but Kyran wasn't cruel enough to do something like that, even if they were like pests. He wasn't about to kill another bird. One was enough already.
Island layout as shown on the map was enlightening. There were a few buildings in reasonable distance if they crossed the bridge over the ravine. Most notable and closest of all would probably be the lighthouse, what looked like only a short hike from the other side. There was also a parish somewhere close-by but not as close as the lighthouse and strangely enough, the damn warehouse from where he started was near too.
If he wanted, he could also back-track toward the lake they'd missed, which wasn't too far away, according to the map. There was a little house symbol there, so it was worth checking out, if it was an actual thing. If not, at least maybe it had some fresh water to potentially use. His own bottles of water were now gone, having left them behind within his abandoned rucksack. Unfortunately now, Kyran was feeling a bit parched in the throat.
The sun was starting to hide, blocked beside the growing amount of clouds, lighting the wild blue yonder in pastels of orange and ruby rather than the regular. Kyran marched over to the far end of his side of bridge to test its stability. It wasn't particularly flimsy, seemed to hold human weight, but it was of course in obvious disrepair from years of being unused or maintained. Then the squawking began again. The birds were crowding. Using the area, seemingly as their roosting zone.
Kyran finally looked down into the ravine. Down there, floating back and forth in the currents between the tide and the coastline below was the body of his classmate with a seagull roosting on his shoulder, a classmate Kyran Dean was very familiar with.
In his shock, Kyran took a step back from the bridge, back onto land, tumbling over an uneven part of the ground, landing on his backside, much like he'd done when Adonis sacked him hard. He couldn't get up, not because he was in any significant physical pain, but because he just couldn't believe it. Could not believe what he had just saw.
Richard Ormsby was dead.
Kyran wasn't sure he liked that answer. He stared at her briefly for a good number of seconds, taking it all in, studying her expression as she spoke up. The deep breath was the first hint. Her eyes were centered, a bit too over focused, almost forced in her response. She was becoming dubious all of a sudden.
He said nothing and nodded a 'fair enough' in response.
This building rapport thing wasn't exactly working out for the better, was it.
The first aid kit was out, Natali brought it to the forefront, pushing it forward. He nodded at that too, and went to work.
A few moments passed as they figured out the contents of the kit and what to do. Kyran was no expert in medicine or first aide, but he knew enough.
If there was anything Kyran was particularly good at aside from his hobbies, it was watching and observing.
He'd observed enough of his mother's work at helping animals with hurt limbs and such, his dad's expertise at physical fitness and related injuries, and his team sports physicians assistance with each games injury, including his own where he learned a thing or two. Not to mention the fact that Kyran had gotten hurt so often in his life that the Nurse's office was like a second home, certainly helped a ton with that sort of knowledge.
He felt he did a pretty good job. Natali's knee was now wrapped up, covering that swollen purple welt. It was for the better, because that thing was gross. He'd also given her some aspirin or pain reliever. Kyran's own wound, was cleaned up, washed out, then wiped with antiseptic and alcoholic pads, dressed and then bandaged. So at least it probably wasn't going to be infected now.
Natali was eating, drinking, satiating herself on the side of a tree, in shade, as Kyran walked about, observing the area, with Natali's map in one hand, the carrying case for the AK-47 in the other.
He was fortunate to have such a weapon in his possession, instead of the thought of someone else, someone legitimately dangerous having something so fierce. If it remained with him or someone he felt was trustworthy enough, then the island was just a little bit safer. He had considered Natali earlier that day as one of those options, but after how she acted with what she said a few moments ago, he reconsidered and trusted her a little less.
The case contained several sets of ammo, more than enough to keep folks at bay. Included were clips of individual rounds here, several cartridges there and a big ass drum magazine, dumped in as well.
He'd have to practice with it soon, get used to it, to accurately use it. Even if he didn't want to. There were easy targets immediately available in the form of seagulls, but Kyran wasn't cruel enough to do something like that, even if they were like pests. He wasn't about to kill another bird. One was enough already.
Island layout as shown on the map was enlightening. There were a few buildings in reasonable distance if they crossed the bridge over the ravine. Most notable and closest of all would probably be the lighthouse, what looked like only a short hike from the other side. There was also a parish somewhere close-by but not as close as the lighthouse and strangely enough, the damn warehouse from where he started was near too.
If he wanted, he could also back-track toward the lake they'd missed, which wasn't too far away, according to the map. There was a little house symbol there, so it was worth checking out, if it was an actual thing. If not, at least maybe it had some fresh water to potentially use. His own bottles of water were now gone, having left them behind within his abandoned rucksack. Unfortunately now, Kyran was feeling a bit parched in the throat.
The sun was starting to hide, blocked beside the growing amount of clouds, lighting the wild blue yonder in pastels of orange and ruby rather than the regular. Kyran marched over to the far end of his side of bridge to test its stability. It wasn't particularly flimsy, seemed to hold human weight, but it was of course in obvious disrepair from years of being unused or maintained. Then the squawking began again. The birds were crowding. Using the area, seemingly as their roosting zone.
Kyran finally looked down into the ravine. Down there, floating back and forth in the currents between the tide and the coastline below was the body of his classmate with a seagull roosting on his shoulder, a classmate Kyran Dean was very familiar with.
In his shock, Kyran took a step back from the bridge, back onto land, tumbling over an uneven part of the ground, landing on his backside, much like he'd done when Adonis sacked him hard. He couldn't get up, not because he was in any significant physical pain, but because he just couldn't believe it. Could not believe what he had just saw.
Richard Ormsby was dead.
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
Maybe she hadn't stated that in the best way possible. Kyran didn't exactly seem happy with her answer, but being happy in a place like this did seem like kind of a stretch, so maybe he wasn't on to her yet. Or he was just being nice. Either way, Natali would take it. It wasn't as if she could do much on her own anyways.
Now, he at least seemed to be helping her wrap up her knee, which was definitely a very good thing. At least when she looked down at her knee she wouldn't just see it pretty much staring her in the eye, just beckoning her to get grossed out by it, and he was patching himself up too, which she also supposed was good. Wouldn't do much good to just walk around with injuries all over the place.
She was nibbling on one of the ration bars they were given, and drinking some water with it to chase down the taste. She coughed a bit as she did so. She wasn't exactly sure what the hell they'd put in those things, but she was definitely sure it did not taste good.
Leaning back up against the tree, she saw the sky slowly shift from blue to orange, morning to afternoon, reminding her of how long she had been on this godforsaken island. Anything was better than dead, and a gun was better than a lot of things.
Quickly checking behind her to make sure Kyran wasn't looking, Natali opened her bag and peered inside at the contents.
Of course the gun was there, that was the obvious bit, but there also seemed to be ammo, as well as a small instruction manual or something like that. Surreptitiously picking it up, she opened the pamphlet and began to read.
So, yes: there was a safety thingy after all, which she prudently made sure was already set to the correct position, because accidentally shooting one wasn't something she was trying to do, after all.
After that, it was a list of important features to remember about the gun, proper maintenance of it, how much ammo it held, and she continued to scan through, trying to jot down all of the most important tidbits into her head. Nat wasn't the biggest fan of book learning, but she supposed it had it's usage.
Perhaps she should've tested her gun on a tree or something, see how actually firing the gun felt, see if she could really do it in the end, go through with her actions, and -
She gulped. Maybe, maybe not. Right now though, she was simply trying to learn about her weapon, and find some quiet underneath a tree. There would be time to consider shit later.
At least, that was what she was thinking about, when she abruptly heard someone just fall over. Grabbing her pistol and making sure it was loaded, she quickly peered from behind her tree, ready for any and all threats, not scared anymore, ready to -
find Kyran flat on his ass, just off the bridge. The hell had he managed to get himself into? Trying to put her gun back in her bag in a way that didn't scream rushed and impatient, she called out to Kyran, putting her hands around her mouth. "Hey, what happened? Need something?" Just two quick questions to find out what was going on, establishing how everything was about to work out, and hope that was everything was okay.
It probably wasn't, but she could hope, she guessed.
Now, he at least seemed to be helping her wrap up her knee, which was definitely a very good thing. At least when she looked down at her knee she wouldn't just see it pretty much staring her in the eye, just beckoning her to get grossed out by it, and he was patching himself up too, which she also supposed was good. Wouldn't do much good to just walk around with injuries all over the place.
She was nibbling on one of the ration bars they were given, and drinking some water with it to chase down the taste. She coughed a bit as she did so. She wasn't exactly sure what the hell they'd put in those things, but she was definitely sure it did not taste good.
Leaning back up against the tree, she saw the sky slowly shift from blue to orange, morning to afternoon, reminding her of how long she had been on this godforsaken island. Anything was better than dead, and a gun was better than a lot of things.
Quickly checking behind her to make sure Kyran wasn't looking, Natali opened her bag and peered inside at the contents.
Of course the gun was there, that was the obvious bit, but there also seemed to be ammo, as well as a small instruction manual or something like that. Surreptitiously picking it up, she opened the pamphlet and began to read.
So, yes: there was a safety thingy after all, which she prudently made sure was already set to the correct position, because accidentally shooting one wasn't something she was trying to do, after all.
After that, it was a list of important features to remember about the gun, proper maintenance of it, how much ammo it held, and she continued to scan through, trying to jot down all of the most important tidbits into her head. Nat wasn't the biggest fan of book learning, but she supposed it had it's usage.
Perhaps she should've tested her gun on a tree or something, see how actually firing the gun felt, see if she could really do it in the end, go through with her actions, and -
She gulped. Maybe, maybe not. Right now though, she was simply trying to learn about her weapon, and find some quiet underneath a tree. There would be time to consider shit later.
At least, that was what she was thinking about, when she abruptly heard someone just fall over. Grabbing her pistol and making sure it was loaded, she quickly peered from behind her tree, ready for any and all threats, not scared anymore, ready to -
find Kyran flat on his ass, just off the bridge. The hell had he managed to get himself into? Trying to put her gun back in her bag in a way that didn't scream rushed and impatient, she called out to Kyran, putting her hands around her mouth. "Hey, what happened? Need something?" Just two quick questions to find out what was going on, establishing how everything was about to work out, and hope that was everything was okay.
It probably wasn't, but she could hope, she guessed.
Get yourself together Dean.
He sat up slowly and stayed there, looking past the ravine, into the horizon. He wasn't sure he could cross the bridge now. Afraid to look back down. Natali was speaking, or yelling questions from the sound of it. She was too far back and Kyran didn't feel like shouting. Didn't really feel like talking either.
Richard Ormsby was no friend. That douchebag-dick was a part of Kyran Dean's life which he had dubbed "The Dark Ages".
Dude used to torment him for a while, when Kyran was younger, smaller, way shorter. He remembered how the guy messed with him, shoved him around, stole from him, constantly asked to "borrow a dollar", harassing him at every opportunity, pouring the contents of his backpack onto the pavement to make sure Kyran 'wasn't lying' about that dollar, generally making middle school a living hell for him, for personal amusement, just because it was easy.
Kyran didn't have the guts to fight back then, preferring to cover it up himself with excuses like "fell off my bike" when coming home with bruises. That is until the pivotal day after school. Stand up for yourself - His dad would always say. A man should be tough. So that's what the youngest Dean did. Richard left him alone after that.
Despite all those negative memories, Richard didn't deserve this. Kyran didn't like the guy, probably never did. Dick was a bonafide bully and prick. However, no matter how much Kyran did not like the guy, he would have never wished any of this to happen to him.
Sure, he'd like to believe that maybe it was just an accident. That Richard just fell off the bridge into the ravine. That his classmates were better than that. After the encounters with Saachi, Jay and Tina though, he knew better. Realistically, it was probably an attack before Richard got unceremoniously dumped over the edge.
Without turning or standing, Kyran lifted an index up through the fingerless gloves into the air, then swiftly adjusted it into the opposite direction, pointing downward into the ravine.
A non-verbal: See for yourself.
He sat up slowly and stayed there, looking past the ravine, into the horizon. He wasn't sure he could cross the bridge now. Afraid to look back down. Natali was speaking, or yelling questions from the sound of it. She was too far back and Kyran didn't feel like shouting. Didn't really feel like talking either.
Richard Ormsby was no friend. That douchebag-dick was a part of Kyran Dean's life which he had dubbed "The Dark Ages".
Dude used to torment him for a while, when Kyran was younger, smaller, way shorter. He remembered how the guy messed with him, shoved him around, stole from him, constantly asked to "borrow a dollar", harassing him at every opportunity, pouring the contents of his backpack onto the pavement to make sure Kyran 'wasn't lying' about that dollar, generally making middle school a living hell for him, for personal amusement, just because it was easy.
Kyran didn't have the guts to fight back then, preferring to cover it up himself with excuses like "fell off my bike" when coming home with bruises. That is until the pivotal day after school. Stand up for yourself - His dad would always say. A man should be tough. So that's what the youngest Dean did. Richard left him alone after that.
Despite all those negative memories, Richard didn't deserve this. Kyran didn't like the guy, probably never did. Dick was a bonafide bully and prick. However, no matter how much Kyran did not like the guy, he would have never wished any of this to happen to him.
Sure, he'd like to believe that maybe it was just an accident. That Richard just fell off the bridge into the ravine. That his classmates were better than that. After the encounters with Saachi, Jay and Tina though, he knew better. Realistically, it was probably an attack before Richard got unceremoniously dumped over the edge.
Without turning or standing, Kyran lifted an index up through the fingerless gloves into the air, then swiftly adjusted it into the opposite direction, pointing downward into the ravine.
A non-verbal: See for yourself.
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
He was looking over the bridge. That made more sense, she guessed. And now, he was asking her to come over. What, so he could push her into the ravine, which looked larger with every passing moment?
She tried to brush that thought away from her mind. Still best to be careful, but he did carry her halfway across the island, so he probably wasn't about to dump her like a sack of dead fish. Probably. Natali silently put the gun and the manual back into the bag, and left it by the tree she was resting at. She'd come back for it later, but it didn't exactly seem prudent right now to bring it with her while she did some good old looking over the ravine-ing or the bridge or whatever.
The bag wasn't the real problem, anyways. It was her knee, the one that just got wrapped up and still probably looked quite shitty, that was the problem. Seeing if it would support her weight and stuff like that. She started to slowly scoot herself up against the tree, trying to use it's weight to help her stand up.
Slowly and unsurely, she found her way back to her feet, only to find herself falling almost as quickly as she had gotten up, stopped only by her holding onto the trunk of three. She would try again, on the count of three.
1. She breathed in.
2. She exhaled.
3. She stood up, and this time did not fall over.
Instead, she trudged forward to where Kyran was at, trying to find a good feel for her leg. Too fast, she would probably manage to tip over or do some stupid shit like that, and too slow, and he'd probably think she was doing this on purpose, and Nat was pretty sure that saying that you weren't being slow on purpose, just incompetent wouldn't really help matters much.
Putting one foot after the other, slowly, methodically, she eventually managed to make her way to where Kyran was sitting, and turned to him. "What down there is even that interesting? Like, anything there?"
She was met with silence. Deciding that she had to satisfy her curiosity eventually, she looked down, into the ravine.
She instantly regretted it.
"Fuck."
The dead body of that bully dude was laying at the bottom of the rocks, without an eye.
Yes, she definitely regretted looking down.
She tried to brush that thought away from her mind. Still best to be careful, but he did carry her halfway across the island, so he probably wasn't about to dump her like a sack of dead fish. Probably. Natali silently put the gun and the manual back into the bag, and left it by the tree she was resting at. She'd come back for it later, but it didn't exactly seem prudent right now to bring it with her while she did some good old looking over the ravine-ing or the bridge or whatever.
The bag wasn't the real problem, anyways. It was her knee, the one that just got wrapped up and still probably looked quite shitty, that was the problem. Seeing if it would support her weight and stuff like that. She started to slowly scoot herself up against the tree, trying to use it's weight to help her stand up.
Slowly and unsurely, she found her way back to her feet, only to find herself falling almost as quickly as she had gotten up, stopped only by her holding onto the trunk of three. She would try again, on the count of three.
1. She breathed in.
2. She exhaled.
3. She stood up, and this time did not fall over.
Instead, she trudged forward to where Kyran was at, trying to find a good feel for her leg. Too fast, she would probably manage to tip over or do some stupid shit like that, and too slow, and he'd probably think she was doing this on purpose, and Nat was pretty sure that saying that you weren't being slow on purpose, just incompetent wouldn't really help matters much.
Putting one foot after the other, slowly, methodically, she eventually managed to make her way to where Kyran was sitting, and turned to him. "What down there is even that interesting? Like, anything there?"
She was met with silence. Deciding that she had to satisfy her curiosity eventually, she looked down, into the ravine.
She instantly regretted it.
"Fuck."
The dead body of that bully dude was laying at the bottom of the rocks, without an eye.
Yes, she definitely regretted looking down.
Just add a 'this' at the end and she'd be taking the words right from his mouth. Seriously.
She could walk though, not very well, but way better than last time, so that was some good news. One positive thought within a dozen bad ones, but a good one nonetheless. His back and legs were eternally grateful.
The sun was already setting and Kyran found himself instinctively looking at the empty wrist where his white watch used to be. He hoped it had somehow gotten placed into the day pack he had discarded over in the forest instead of having it stolen, so he'd at least have some chance at getting it back. For now, he'd settle on the imaginary one he'd have to use to guesstimate intervals of time. Right now, he believed it was time to move.
He folded the map, ready to offer it back to Natali. The image of it was already added to his photographic memory bank. Locations in mind, already set.
"Natali," he finally spoke, voice mellow to the girl still looking below. "Do you have any friends here, anyone who was on that bus?"
"Or any plans on how to survive this. Long term."
She could walk though, not very well, but way better than last time, so that was some good news. One positive thought within a dozen bad ones, but a good one nonetheless. His back and legs were eternally grateful.
The sun was already setting and Kyran found himself instinctively looking at the empty wrist where his white watch used to be. He hoped it had somehow gotten placed into the day pack he had discarded over in the forest instead of having it stolen, so he'd at least have some chance at getting it back. For now, he'd settle on the imaginary one he'd have to use to guesstimate intervals of time. Right now, he believed it was time to move.
He folded the map, ready to offer it back to Natali. The image of it was already added to his photographic memory bank. Locations in mind, already set.
"Natali," he finally spoke, voice mellow to the girl still looking below. "Do you have any friends here, anyone who was on that bus?"
"Or any plans on how to survive this. Long term."
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
The sky was starting to turn orange, starting to set, replacing the glare thad seemed a bit too shiny on this hellhole. Not that Natali noticed, of course. She was still staring at the corpse down below.
Her stomach gave a weak gurgle, and so she was scared that she was gonna end up throwing up or something. She tried to calm her breath, try to not end up expelling the contents of her meager lunch down the ravine. It was gross enough already, after all.
She heard Kyran ask her about friends, plans. Should they really be trying to find people out here, people they were close to? Just to go and watch them die? Shouldn't keep on thinking on that, if she really wanted to make a plan. Too much emotional baggage, but she wasn't exactly sure if she wanted just check it in and fly off without it already. Was it really possible to let go, just like that?
No, she realized. That wasn't the case. But she could try to bury all of that, at least for now. There were plans to be made, goals to set, things like that. Concrete things.
Nat finally looked back up, and saw Kyran looking at her, holding her map in his hand.
"Well," she responded, voice somewhat scratchy from the yell she had to hold in, "there's Paris, I guess? Kitty too, most of the newspaper people, really. Lot of people I'e taken photos for." There was that kind of awkward conversation with Jasmine at that amusement park place, but she wasn't exactly sure if that meant they bonded. Best not to mention it, probably.
"But yeah, plans? Like, maybe go and find shelter? Try to stay away from people who're like killing or whatever, but maybe not let in large groups?"
That made sense, right? Just stay clear of the killers. No point in trying to make an enemy out of them, and Natali was pretty sure they had already done that.
Making plans was good. Anything to keep her from looking back at the very dead body below was good.
Her stomach gave a weak gurgle, and so she was scared that she was gonna end up throwing up or something. She tried to calm her breath, try to not end up expelling the contents of her meager lunch down the ravine. It was gross enough already, after all.
She heard Kyran ask her about friends, plans. Should they really be trying to find people out here, people they were close to? Just to go and watch them die? Shouldn't keep on thinking on that, if she really wanted to make a plan. Too much emotional baggage, but she wasn't exactly sure if she wanted just check it in and fly off without it already. Was it really possible to let go, just like that?
No, she realized. That wasn't the case. But she could try to bury all of that, at least for now. There were plans to be made, goals to set, things like that. Concrete things.
Nat finally looked back up, and saw Kyran looking at her, holding her map in his hand.
"Well," she responded, voice somewhat scratchy from the yell she had to hold in, "there's Paris, I guess? Kitty too, most of the newspaper people, really. Lot of people I'e taken photos for." There was that kind of awkward conversation with Jasmine at that amusement park place, but she wasn't exactly sure if that meant they bonded. Best not to mention it, probably.
"But yeah, plans? Like, maybe go and find shelter? Try to stay away from people who're like killing or whatever, but maybe not let in large groups?"
That made sense, right? Just stay clear of the killers. No point in trying to make an enemy out of them, and Natali was pretty sure they had already done that.
Making plans was good. Anything to keep her from looking back at the very dead body below was good.
Kyran listened in silence, noting the names of Natali's friends, short nods when necessary. Solid plan. Definitely a thinker. Just wasn't his.
"Good plan," Kyran replied, handing the map to her, content that she could walk a bit and could probably defend herself with her gun or feisty words. She already had the mindset.
"Take a look at your map. There's a lighthouse over there. You can see it from here."
He stood up, peering over to the other side of the ravine, the shape of the tower peaking up from beyond the skyline, in the not so distant distance.
"Cross the bridge and you'll make it there before nightfall."
"Good plan," Kyran replied, handing the map to her, content that she could walk a bit and could probably defend herself with her gun or feisty words. She already had the mindset.
"Take a look at your map. There's a lighthouse over there. You can see it from here."
He stood up, peering over to the other side of the ravine, the shape of the tower peaking up from beyond the skyline, in the not so distant distance.
"Cross the bridge and you'll make it there before nightfall."
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
He was nodding, listening to what she had to say. She had to admit, it was nice to have someone listen to her and not think she was an emotional wreck or something like that.
Being listened to? She did have her fair share of that, being an only child and all, but on Murder Island, she supposed it was a lot harder to have one's voice heard, especially because of all the crazy motherfuckers just running around the place. That was a big issue.
Maybe a swim would clear her head, but she couldn't afford to get distracted, as much as she longed for the sea. The waves, rushing in and out. Calm her nerves, rest a bit.
Kyran handed her the map, taking her out of her wishful thinking. The map, yes, the map. He was pointing out the lighthouse, which didn't seem all that far, actually, at least according to the map. Maps did make everything look a bit smaller than they needed to be, but she supposed that was the point.
Nat was just about to ask if they should head off right now, ask if they should backtrack, and go and try to find his bag, when his words hit her. Telling her to cross the bridge, an order. Without him?
"So, guess this is goodbye?"
She could only guess. Like, Natali was fairly sure she was right in her assumption, but who knew? But, at least Kyran was a friendly idiot, with a big-ass gun. Hopefully he'd find his friends or something, find a way off the island, but she knew that was a moot point. Not going to happen.
She considered saying good luck, but she wasn't sure if that was a good idea.
With a tentative wave, Natali turned back, looking at where she had left her bag next to the tree.
It seemed a lot further away now.
Being listened to? She did have her fair share of that, being an only child and all, but on Murder Island, she supposed it was a lot harder to have one's voice heard, especially because of all the crazy motherfuckers just running around the place. That was a big issue.
Maybe a swim would clear her head, but she couldn't afford to get distracted, as much as she longed for the sea. The waves, rushing in and out. Calm her nerves, rest a bit.
Kyran handed her the map, taking her out of her wishful thinking. The map, yes, the map. He was pointing out the lighthouse, which didn't seem all that far, actually, at least according to the map. Maps did make everything look a bit smaller than they needed to be, but she supposed that was the point.
Nat was just about to ask if they should head off right now, ask if they should backtrack, and go and try to find his bag, when his words hit her. Telling her to cross the bridge, an order. Without him?
"So, guess this is goodbye?"
She could only guess. Like, Natali was fairly sure she was right in her assumption, but who knew? But, at least Kyran was a friendly idiot, with a big-ass gun. Hopefully he'd find his friends or something, find a way off the island, but she knew that was a moot point. Not going to happen.
She considered saying good luck, but she wasn't sure if that was a good idea.
With a tentative wave, Natali turned back, looking at where she had left her bag next to the tree.
It seemed a lot further away now.
She understood.
He had spent the day quite literally carrying Natali on his back and she hadn't freaked out or cried when she realized. Yet she understood. She was tough. Resilient. Kyran had to respect that.
They had to go their own separate ways. At least for now.
"Naw. I don't say goodbye. I'll see you later."
It was 2017. He hoped that wasn't already cliched.
At this point Kyran's thoughts raced to find an adequate gesture to close this off. He never could find a proper sendoff motion when it came to girls, except for awkward hugs or waves. A handshake or fist-bump didn't seem the way either, that was more for guys. Neither did a lame thumbs up, too corny.
He nodded, put a finger to his brow line and flicked it forward in a casual single finger salute. Got to keep it cool. Rite?
He had spent the day quite literally carrying Natali on his back and she hadn't freaked out or cried when she realized. Yet she understood. She was tough. Resilient. Kyran had to respect that.
They had to go their own separate ways. At least for now.
"Naw. I don't say goodbye. I'll see you later."
It was 2017. He hoped that wasn't already cliched.
At this point Kyran's thoughts raced to find an adequate gesture to close this off. He never could find a proper sendoff motion when it came to girls, except for awkward hugs or waves. A handshake or fist-bump didn't seem the way either, that was more for guys. Neither did a lame thumbs up, too corny.
He nodded, put a finger to his brow line and flicked it forward in a casual single finger salute. Got to keep it cool. Rite?
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
Natali couldn't help but smile a little at Kyran's one-finger salute, looking back at him. It was a nice gesture after all, something nice to part ways on, not something bitter and left her with that knot in her stomach.
"Yeah, I guess I'll see you around too."
It was sincere, her smile, but it had become much more bittersweet over the course of the last few seconds. Realistically, they probably weren't gonna see each other again on the island, but on the other had, it was nice to hope. Nice to dream. Nice to think about something that wasn't the inevitable outcome of this situation.
As she stood up and began to walk back towards her bag, there was a niggling fear in the back of her head. That Kyran would suddenly decide to act, suddenly decide that now was the time to strike, kill her and crush all of her dreams. Was that really true, though?
He was impulsive, yes, but had he really been all that irrational? She guessed not, but that still didn't mean she could trust blindly. For every Kyran, there was a Tina, a Blaine, or perhaps even a Simon, and perhaps they would all be like them in the end.
Natali was still picking up her bag, putting it on her shoulder, carrying the gun in one hand and the map in the other, but she wasn't exactly concentrating on that at the moment. It was all mechanical, one motion after another.
She turned back around, and started her journey to the lighthouse in earnest, hearing the creaking sounds of the bridge as her shoes continued to press on the fragile foundations of the planks. She had half a mind to go look back, see what Kyran was up to, maybe offer a final farewell or something, but she decided not to go through with it. There was no looking back now. Had to stick with her decision, stay on it's course, wherever it lead her.
Living, yeah, that was the goal. Follow the plan she made. Kill? She'd get over that bump eventually, probably. Hopefully.
Still wasn't going to apologize for the argument earlier, though. Was too late now.
At least she was already wearing her tennis shoes.
((Natali Greer continued in She Wondered If There's A Way Out Of The Blue))
"Yeah, I guess I'll see you around too."
It was sincere, her smile, but it had become much more bittersweet over the course of the last few seconds. Realistically, they probably weren't gonna see each other again on the island, but on the other had, it was nice to hope. Nice to dream. Nice to think about something that wasn't the inevitable outcome of this situation.
As she stood up and began to walk back towards her bag, there was a niggling fear in the back of her head. That Kyran would suddenly decide to act, suddenly decide that now was the time to strike, kill her and crush all of her dreams. Was that really true, though?
He was impulsive, yes, but had he really been all that irrational? She guessed not, but that still didn't mean she could trust blindly. For every Kyran, there was a Tina, a Blaine, or perhaps even a Simon, and perhaps they would all be like them in the end.
Natali was still picking up her bag, putting it on her shoulder, carrying the gun in one hand and the map in the other, but she wasn't exactly concentrating on that at the moment. It was all mechanical, one motion after another.
She turned back around, and started her journey to the lighthouse in earnest, hearing the creaking sounds of the bridge as her shoes continued to press on the fragile foundations of the planks. She had half a mind to go look back, see what Kyran was up to, maybe offer a final farewell or something, but she decided not to go through with it. There was no looking back now. Had to stick with her decision, stay on it's course, wherever it lead her.
Living, yeah, that was the goal. Follow the plan she made. Kill? She'd get over that bump eventually, probably. Hopefully.
Still wasn't going to apologize for the argument earlier, though. Was too late now.
At least she was already wearing her tennis shoes.
((Natali Greer continued in She Wondered If There's A Way Out Of The Blue))