Everything moved so fast that Luciano barely had time to process what had happened before he was on the ground. Whether or not his blade had made contact, he couldn't tell, only that he had been shoved back somehow. The boy lay there for a moment before struggling to get himself upright, his hand slipping on a wet spot nearby. It was at this moment that he realized that he was currently lying in a pool of blood... his blood.
Panic began to set in as he lifted up the now dark red hoodie he had been wearing, only to be met with an up close and personal view of the worst stab wound he had ever seen. The nausea returned as he instinctively turned away, adrenaline still dulling the worst of the pain. To say this was bad would perhaps be the understatement of the century - this was catastrophic, and he knew it.
How was he even supposed to deal with this? Bandaging it up seemed woefully inadequate, but... what else could he do? His studies had unfortunately not contained much knowledge of medicine at all, let alone anything about fixing a bleeding stab wound. With an enormous amount of effort, he pulled himself to his feet, not even noticing the rifle that still remained pointing towards his position, before taking a few steps towards the other door before having to break his fall by leaning against the wall. His head was spinning as he reached out to the final lifeline he seemed to have left, looking down to his collar and whispering frantically, "Jewel, Jewel, what should I do here?"
If anyone could tell him, it'd be her. He hoped that he had got through to her, because it was getting awfully cold in here, and waiting to find out what that meant probably wouldn't work out too well for him.
It All Fades Away
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3442
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
A few seconds pass before the reply arrives, the voice faintly distorted and crackling, a quiet whisper barely audible more than a few steps from Luciano.
"Okay. Keep calm, as much as you can. You'll need to get somewhere away from danger, stop the bleeding as much as you can, and hope. If you're trying to fix it, I mean.
"It's a long shot. This isn't something easy to patch up. If you don't want to go that route, the other option is to throw yourself at whatever you want, as hard as you can, with nothing left to fear.
"Okay. Keep calm, as much as you can. You'll need to get somewhere away from danger, stop the bleeding as much as you can, and hope. If you're trying to fix it, I mean.
"It's a long shot. This isn't something easy to patch up. If you don't want to go that route, the other option is to throw yourself at whatever you want, as hard as you can, with nothing left to fear.
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Applesintime
- Posts: 836
- Joined: Sat Jul 04, 2020 11:57 am
- Team Affiliation: Ben's Crabs
Luciano got up, and Anthony's finger tensed on the trigger. But he paid no heed to him, taking a few steps towards the exit, out of the room before stumbling to lean against the wall, probably for balance or something. He was no threat. Hell, judging by the pool of blood Luciano had just left on the floor, he'd be another name to add to his collection in like, ten minutes If he was lucky, that is. About five minutes if he wasn't. Turning his back to him, Anthony slipped the sling of the rifle back on, carrying it in one hand as he carefully stepped towards the open door he had just came from. The rifle poked out to the left. Then to the right.
No gunfire. That meant Amanda hadn't moved from her position at all. Or she had run away. Either way, he didn't fancy getting shot by a ricochet or something. He needed to regroup, maybe try to kill her later, somewhere more open than a corridor. Holding the rifle with both hands, finger on the trigger in case Amanda made a sudden appearance like Luciano, Anthony made a run for it, the sound of his footfall echoing off the metal walls.
((Anthony Golden continued in Dogma))
No gunfire. That meant Amanda hadn't moved from her position at all. Or she had run away. Either way, he didn't fancy getting shot by a ricochet or something. He needed to regroup, maybe try to kill her later, somewhere more open than a corridor. Holding the rifle with both hands, finger on the trigger in case Amanda made a sudden appearance like Luciano, Anthony made a run for it, the sound of his footfall echoing off the metal walls.
((Anthony Golden continued in Dogma))
That...really wasn't very encouraging. At all.
Luciano looked around frantically, his movements by now becoming disturbingly slow. He couldn't panic. Time was of the essence here, and any time spent on having an anxiety attack was time not finding a way to patch himself up. There was a first aid kit in the bag, he knew, but to use it he would have to get to the bag first. His heart sank when he realized he had left it back in the hallway with Amanda.
Mustering whatever remained of his courage, he took a step forward towards the door he had originally used to enter the room, the origin point of all the bad decisions he had experienced so far. Blood poured out from behind the hand he had pressed against his stomach as he pressed forward, his peripheral vision darkening as his focus remained on his intended destination. Each step was agony, the movement agitating his wound, but he knew that the only alternative was to lay down and die, and he wasn't about to let himself do that.
Seconds ticked into minutes as he continued his journey, a trail of blood following him behind him like the gruesome parody of the snail whose pace he was clearly emulating. His breathing began to slow as a surge of weakness came over his body, causing him to lose his footing just a few steps from the exit. He struggled to push himself back up, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't seem to do it. Deciding to abandon the futile effort for now, he began to crawl forward, clawing at the smooth ground as he approached his only hope for salvation. He wasn't going to die here, not if he had anything to say about it.
Luciano looked around frantically, his movements by now becoming disturbingly slow. He couldn't panic. Time was of the essence here, and any time spent on having an anxiety attack was time not finding a way to patch himself up. There was a first aid kit in the bag, he knew, but to use it he would have to get to the bag first. His heart sank when he realized he had left it back in the hallway with Amanda.
Mustering whatever remained of his courage, he took a step forward towards the door he had originally used to enter the room, the origin point of all the bad decisions he had experienced so far. Blood poured out from behind the hand he had pressed against his stomach as he pressed forward, his peripheral vision darkening as his focus remained on his intended destination. Each step was agony, the movement agitating his wound, but he knew that the only alternative was to lay down and die, and he wasn't about to let himself do that.
Seconds ticked into minutes as he continued his journey, a trail of blood following him behind him like the gruesome parody of the snail whose pace he was clearly emulating. His breathing began to slow as a surge of weakness came over his body, causing him to lose his footing just a few steps from the exit. He struggled to push himself back up, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't seem to do it. Deciding to abandon the futile effort for now, he began to crawl forward, clawing at the smooth ground as he approached his only hope for salvation. He wasn't going to die here, not if he had anything to say about it.
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Spindarene
- Posts: 252
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 11:34 pm
After a few moments of silence, Amanda got up from her hiding place and began to move cautiously down the hallway, holding her gun by her side. She had no idea what had just happened, but it had sounded like a fight between the two boys. She kept her eyes peeled for the boy with the gun, but was startled when she rounded the corner and saw the other boy, the one she had followed, crawling along the floor leaving a trail of blood behind him.
"Oh god," she murmured, setting her gun down and rushing over to help him. She'd left her bag back by the crate, so she took off her jacket and used it to apply pressure to his wound but it was so deep; his torso was soaked in blood.
"Hey, hey," she murmured, "I've got you, it's okay, just hang in there, you're gonna be..." her voice trailed off as she looked at him. He was dying and she knew it. For reasons she couldn't understand, her eyes filled with tears as this reality set in. She sniffled and bit her lip, applying more pressure to his wound even though she knew it was useless.
"Oh god," she murmured, setting her gun down and rushing over to help him. She'd left her bag back by the crate, so she took off her jacket and used it to apply pressure to his wound but it was so deep; his torso was soaked in blood.
"Hey, hey," she murmured, "I've got you, it's okay, just hang in there, you're gonna be..." her voice trailed off as she looked at him. He was dying and she knew it. For reasons she couldn't understand, her eyes filled with tears as this reality set in. She sniffled and bit her lip, applying more pressure to his wound even though she knew it was useless.
It seemed that even in his lowest moment, this girl still wouldn't leave him alone. Telling her to leave would be useless as this point - it wasn't like he had much strength left to stop her, anyway. In the best case scenario...
Well, there wasn't going to be a best case scenario here. As much as he hated to admit it, there didn't really seem to be a way out of this. Lying here and taking the time to look over what had happened really had driven home just how screwed he really was. Even with professional medical attention, his chances of survival would still have been vanishingly small, and with the amount of blood he had lost so far, it was really a miracle that he had made it this long.
Still... everything he had worked for may have been crumbling around his ears, but he still had some dignity left to preserve, and hell if he was going to just lie here with someone crying over him like in some kind of soap opera. Luciano looked up at Amanda, his breathing becoming shallower with every passing second. Unfortunately, he didn't really have much to say. He had never been good a comforting people, and there was nobody back home who he really felt like asking her to deliver a message to.
With nothing important to add, the least he could do would be to at least get her to give him a little bit of peace on his way out. He reached out and weakly grabbed her hand, pushing it away from him.
"No...I'm not. You know it, and I know it, so you might as well stop wasting your time."
Well, there wasn't going to be a best case scenario here. As much as he hated to admit it, there didn't really seem to be a way out of this. Lying here and taking the time to look over what had happened really had driven home just how screwed he really was. Even with professional medical attention, his chances of survival would still have been vanishingly small, and with the amount of blood he had lost so far, it was really a miracle that he had made it this long.
Still... everything he had worked for may have been crumbling around his ears, but he still had some dignity left to preserve, and hell if he was going to just lie here with someone crying over him like in some kind of soap opera. Luciano looked up at Amanda, his breathing becoming shallower with every passing second. Unfortunately, he didn't really have much to say. He had never been good a comforting people, and there was nobody back home who he really felt like asking her to deliver a message to.
With nothing important to add, the least he could do would be to at least get her to give him a little bit of peace on his way out. He reached out and weakly grabbed her hand, pushing it away from him.
"No...I'm not. You know it, and I know it, so you might as well stop wasting your time."
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Spindarene
- Posts: 252
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 11:34 pm
Amanda's feelings were hurt by his rejection, and she was about to say something nasty and leave, but looking at him she just couldn't. He was dying, he was vulnerable, it was probably like when a wounded animal bites, right? It wasn't really about her.
She sat there for a moment, looking at him, this boy that she didn't even know but who had felt familiar to her from the first moment she saw him.
Finally, she said, "I can go, if you want. But I can also stay. No one should have to...if it were me, I wouldn't want to be alone."
She sat there for a moment, looking at him, this boy that she didn't even know but who had felt familiar to her from the first moment she saw him.
Finally, she said, "I can go, if you want. But I can also stay. No one should have to...if it were me, I wouldn't want to be alone."
Luciano sighed as he lay back, looking up at the ceiling, the edges of his vision darkening as the girl's voice began to sound distant, as if underwater. He really didn't feel like arguing anymore.
"Fine."
Being alone or with another person, what did it matter? He had been alone his entire life, constantly watching from the sidelines at the social lives of others - their friendships and their rivalries, their loves and their betrayals. If there ever was a time in his life where he didn't feel like an outsider, the memories had long since faded away. It had been a long and painful process, but by now he had been forced to accept the fact that he just wasn't meant to be around other people. He wasn't sure if it was something with how he was born, or maybe a collection of habits he had picked up through years of being treated like garbage, but whatever the reason, the world of other people was not one that life would allow him to participate in. His needs and desires never factored into it.
The only thing he could rely on was himself, and even that had failed him. No matter what he had done, it had ended poorly. In retrospect, he had been doomed from the start - without physical strength or charisma, there was no way anyone could win. Maybe if he had been given a gun or something, things would have gone differently, but... there was no sense spending his last moments going over all those possibilities. There was only present, and it was this one, the one in which the biggest challenge he could ever face was put in front of him, and he had failed miserably.
Perhaps his dad had been right, that he was never going to make anything of himself. He wondered what the old bastard was doing right now, if he was watching the show - or if he even cared at all. Not like that mattered either, the guy hadn't cared about him when he was alive, and if he was about to start now it was too little, too late.
A chill ran through Luciano's body, pulling him out of his thoughts. He couldn't even feel the wound anymore, or much else for that matter. It was like he was barely inside his body at all. If he had been religious, he'd probably be feeling some comfort, that he was finally being pulled off to the afterlife or something else equally stupid. Maybe this would have been a good time to start wondering if anything was going to happen once he had finally shuffled off this mortal coil, but to be perfectly honest, he was just too weak and exhausted to care. He just wanted to get this over with.
JL02: Luciano Ascencio - DECEASED
"Fine."
Being alone or with another person, what did it matter? He had been alone his entire life, constantly watching from the sidelines at the social lives of others - their friendships and their rivalries, their loves and their betrayals. If there ever was a time in his life where he didn't feel like an outsider, the memories had long since faded away. It had been a long and painful process, but by now he had been forced to accept the fact that he just wasn't meant to be around other people. He wasn't sure if it was something with how he was born, or maybe a collection of habits he had picked up through years of being treated like garbage, but whatever the reason, the world of other people was not one that life would allow him to participate in. His needs and desires never factored into it.
The only thing he could rely on was himself, and even that had failed him. No matter what he had done, it had ended poorly. In retrospect, he had been doomed from the start - without physical strength or charisma, there was no way anyone could win. Maybe if he had been given a gun or something, things would have gone differently, but... there was no sense spending his last moments going over all those possibilities. There was only present, and it was this one, the one in which the biggest challenge he could ever face was put in front of him, and he had failed miserably.
Perhaps his dad had been right, that he was never going to make anything of himself. He wondered what the old bastard was doing right now, if he was watching the show - or if he even cared at all. Not like that mattered either, the guy hadn't cared about him when he was alive, and if he was about to start now it was too little, too late.
A chill ran through Luciano's body, pulling him out of his thoughts. He couldn't even feel the wound anymore, or much else for that matter. It was like he was barely inside his body at all. If he had been religious, he'd probably be feeling some comfort, that he was finally being pulled off to the afterlife or something else equally stupid. Maybe this would have been a good time to start wondering if anything was going to happen once he had finally shuffled off this mortal coil, but to be perfectly honest, he was just too weak and exhausted to care. He just wanted to get this over with.
JL02: Luciano Ascencio - DECEASED
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Spindarene
- Posts: 252
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 11:34 pm
Amanda sat quietly and watched the boy die. She didn't want to touch him again after he'd pushed her away, but she didn't want to leave him either. There were no more tears from her, she just sat in silence until she was sure that he was dead. Then she stood up and walked over to the crate she'd hidden behind during the gunfight to retrieve her bag. Her jacket was ruined with the boy's blood, so she left it behind.
Gathering up her bag and her gun, she found the first doorway that led to some stairs and started to climb them. She didn't care where she went next, as long as it was far away from the cruise ship. At this point it didn't matter where she went or what she did, she was always going to be alone.
((Amanda Brooks continued in If It Were Me))
Gathering up her bag and her gun, she found the first doorway that led to some stairs and started to climb them. She didn't care where she went next, as long as it was far away from the cruise ship. At this point it didn't matter where she went or what she did, she was always going to be alone.
((Amanda Brooks continued in If It Were Me))