When There's Nothing Left to Burn, You Have to Set Yourself on Fire.

[Kermit]

"Yeah, Bunny. You're right. I am a coward, and you are too, because cowards are just people who care about living."

Everett didn't know what to do. He couldn't just shoot her; Bunny was still a person. A bad person, but still a person.

All this time Everett'd been too preoccupied with his mental infighting to notice Bunny pull a gun, but then Wendy threw the cooler she'd had with her at Bunny, and for a few seconds he'd thought that maybe, just maybe Bunny'd been telling the truth. As Wendy was running towards him, his aim began to shift towards her, but then he glanced over at Bunny stumbling around, seeing the gun in her hands. She was pointing it at him.

"Oh."

There was a rapid, sustained popping noise. Everett felt multiple impacts in his chest—through his chest, each leaving a horrible, burning, aching, stinging sensation. He didn't need to look down at his chest to know what had just happened. He knew.


He was done.


He leveled the revolver back at Bunny's head, blood trickling out through his gritted teeth. He pressed his finger against the trigger, stopping just shy of actually firing the thing but then...



...then the gun dropped out of his hand—his limp, dying hand.


"Oh...oh God..."

He fell to his knees, trying his best to hold his hand to his chest, maybe try to stop the bleeding. He could feel one of his fingers slip into his chest.

He looked up at Bunny. She was aiming the gun towards Scarlett and Wendy now.

"What...what the fuck is wrong with you?"





He collapsed, landing face down; blood and tears mixing with the ashes. Every breath felt like a power-drill tearing his lungs apart.


He wasn't ready to go. There was so much left that he needed to do. To apologize to Aaron's family. To find Michael. To stop Blaine. To say goodbye to mom and dad and Owen and Steven.


To let Scarlett know none of this was her fault.


But he couldn't do that now, because he fucked up and now he was dying, and soon Scarlett and Wendy would be too and there was nothing he could do about it because he was an idiot.

He could feel everything getting numb, he knew that this was probably it, that he'd never be able to do anything ever again, but he didn't want to go.




He didn't want to go......



B28: EVERETT TAYLOR, DECEASED

[Lord_Shadow]

It all happened so fast, just like at the lake. A repeat incident.

Suddenly Tania realized just how stupid she was.

Bunny was not her friend. Bunny was not a good person. Bunny was going to kill her someday.

And there was nothing Tania could do about it. Nothing left to do but scream.

It wasn't for Everett's sake, nor for Scarlett or Wendy who would be sure to follow. Tania screamed because she realized now, she chose wrong.

And her best friend was going to be her killer.

She screamed and made herself small. Hopefully that would be enough to stay off the radar. Maybe she could live through the day.

[Primrosette]

......



......




........




Everett...? Blood...? Dying....? Dead....? Gone...?

Tania's scream snapped Scarlett out of her shocked state and she realised that Everett was really gone. Her friend was gone all because of Bunny. Because she couldn't just let them leave like she wanted to. Scarlett wanted to cry and scream and curled up into a baby.

She didn't do that. She did something else. She reacted with hatred and anger. She was looking red. She was willing to kill Bunny for what she did. No mercy for the wicked.

"NO!!" She screamed out loud in a horrifying howl of sorrow over Everett; she knelt down beside Everett's body and she felt tears rolling down her cheeks. She hadn't been able to save him. She had been too late to do anything. Like with Aaron. She wouldn't let Everett's death be in vain.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you, you bitch!"

She let out a roar of rage as she picked up Everett's gun and she pointed it towards Bunny's direction.

She pulled the trigger once.

[Pippi]

It was nearly impossible for Bunny to fool herself into thinking she’d done something for everyone else’s good anymore.

She watched as Everett fell to the ground, blood already streaming out from his body to form a sanguine ocean beneath him. She watched as Scarlett ran to his side, her knees quickly staining to her namesake as tears splashed down onto his lifeless body. She heard, as if she was underwater, Scarlett’s cry of anguish, Tania’s cry of fear. She couldn’t even feel the bruises from the missiles Wendy had flung at her right now, though she knew that they were there. No-one reacted with this much anguish to the death of a stone-cold murderer.

Scarlett, Wendy and Everett had never believed her act, and, doubtless, Tania wouldn’t be swallowing it any more. She really couldn’t work in these conditions, so why try? Why try and convince herself she had no choice but to do this? Murder was murder. She’d just shot one of her classmates to death. She had done a very very very bad thing.

That thought honestly didn’t affect her too much.

And nothing could really affect her when she felt like she was floating. Nothing could tell her that shooting someone was the wrong thing to do, the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach cancelled out by the high her head was feeling.

Well, nothing that wasn’t physical. Bullets could definitely still affect her.

The gunshot ripped through the air, parting the water surrounding Bunny’s mind, and everything came into focus again, bruises and cuts peppering her body hitting her as if they were freshly made. She had just enough time to begin to move to the side when the bullet hit her, slamming into her side and ripping through her jacket, punching air and a strangled cry of pain out of her. Instinctively, her finger squeezed the trigger, firing at the others for as long as she could bare before her hand started to shake, and it slipped down to her side, another cry of anguish spilling out of her.

She looked up, tears streaming down her face, blood coating her fingers, a manic grin visible through her tangles of hair.

“These… These people don’t care about you, Tanny!” Bunny yelled out, voice harsh and strained. “First sign of weakness they see they’ll… they’ll turn on you! Just you wait!”

And with one last attempt at a perky wave, Bunny scrambled off, hoping that Scarlett’s aim was as good as her choice in allies.

((Bunny Barlowe continued in Or Te!))

[Cake]

As the bullets flew and Everett dropped, so did Wendy.

Unlike Everett, she was untouched by the man-ripper as she crawled with forearms and thighs to his laying figure, a palm resting atop his back. Scarlett was right next to her, next to him, kneeling, tears in the girl's eyes, on her face. Wendy's bottom lip trembled as she heard the roar of the Scarlett warrior's battle cry and the roar of the raging judge magnum. She knew what this meant and her mind flashed back to the bus, with the horrible shadow man, with Will across the aisle from her, with their teacher on the floor, much like Everett was now.

Through the whole thing, she had worked herself up to a sitting posture and rolled him over immediately to prevent the boy from having to nuzzle so shamefully into the dirty ash walkway. A dry, delicate hand went to his plump face, mindful of the new crimson on her forearm and grey at her wrists, to keep things color free. She watched him in silence; the screaming, the yelling, the booming shots in the small confined area much like the case two days ago all too familiar and now one she had grown acquainted to.

She stayed there, gazing at her old study buddy, the flying bullets, loud noises and tense excitement merely background noise as she gently caressed his cheek in the most nurturing way possible, dusting the ash from his still warm face, his eyes already closed. She ignored the new color on his usual clothing.

Scarlett had taken the magnum, had used it to fend off the rabid Bunny. The wave of bullets scattering into everything around them, including the contents of her dropped cooler. Water bottles strewn around rolling into the ash and dust, water flowing out from the holes Bunny made. Mr. Dolph laid covered and house by the opened, upside down blue cooler surrounded by spilled ice.

Wendy didn't notice these things. She stayed there, unwavering despite everything.

A slight flow of new reflection and introspection within. On the outside - there was only silence.

[Lord_Shadow]

Tania was stunned, her scream faded and a look of horror was left on her face. Her legs were wobbly, so she dropped onto her rear. She didn't care about the mild discomfort. She watched as Bunny's violence and bloodlust worked their way to Scarlett. She watched Wendy go over to the dead boy's side and try to give him some dignity in death. She brought her hands up to her face, buried herself in them and gave another now muffled scream.

This was not what she had wanted to happen. None of this was supposed to happen. She snapped her head out of her hands, her face streaming with tears. Bunny was gone now. It was over for her. Scarlett wouldn't want anything to do with Tania. She would probably just execute her and be done with it.

She had to say something to avoid that fate.

"I-I'm" Her voice faltered. What could she say in this situation? "I didn't mean... I couldn't..." She tried to wipe the snot running from her nose. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Maybe if she repeated it enough she'd get to live.

[Primrosette]

Scarlett watched as Bunny ran off like the devil she was and Scarlett let the magnum drop to her side. She was relieved that Bunny's aim had completely missed her and Wendy. They were still both alive but they had also lost someone that hadn't deserved it. She had wanted to chase after Bunny and make sure that she couldn't hurt anyone else. But Scarlett didn't. She didn't want to go before she could say goodbye to Everett. If only she could have done something right for once.

Tania was still there. Trying to apologize. Trying to pretend that this had not been partially her fault. Scarlett wanted to scream and yell at her. Make her take all the blame. But Scarlett knew that the only one to blame right now was the one who took Everett's life.

Bunny....

She turned towards Everett and Wendy. It pained her to see his face like that. The life had been drained out of him right in front of her. She moved a hand over his hair, gently touching it. It felt so unreal, so unrealistic, so surreal. She wondered if he was okay, whatever he was right now. She let out a broken sob. She had to do something for him. She had to make his murderer pay for this.

"I....I'm sorry, Everett. I should have tried harder to make you leave with me. Too late now. But I promise you this, I will make Bunny pay for what she did to you. I promise you that." She sniffed, as her hand brushed over his cheek and then she glanced over at Tania. "Tania.... I'm not going to hurt you but you are a bit responsible for this, so I would like you to leave and never come back here."

[Lord_Shadow]

She let out a gasp of genuine distress. They wanted her to go alone? That was dangerous, especially now that Bunny was clearly choosing to kill. She couldn't do this alone. She couldn't survive by herself. She didn't even have her—

THAT BITCH!

"She took it. She took my vest. She took it. She-she." Tania hit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Her eyes held a fire now. "It was mine. She had no right!" She raised a fist up and clenched it hard.

She looked at Scarlett. "I-I mean I just..." She stared down to the ground. This wasn't what she wanted to do, wanted to say. She had to be assertive now. "You want me to leave? F-fine. But this wasn't my fault. I didn't do anything!" She got up, wiping tears from her face and the blood from her lip.

"Y-you can shove it. I did nothing wrong! None of this was my fault!" She turned and ran. If everyone was going to hate her anyway she might as well do something to be hated.

She just had to find out what.

((Tania Chell continued in she lit the bridge and burned it.))

[Primrosette]

"C-Coward...." Scarlett muttered under her breath bitterly as Tania left them and she then focused her attention back on Everett and Wendy. "...."

She had to say something, right? She couldn't let this silence go on, right? She had to keep on going, right? She shouldn't give up, right?

"W-Wendy...?"

She didn't know what to say to the other girl. She was just filled with guilt and sadness over losing Everett. She prayed that Michael was safe and sound. She had to find him.  

[Cake]

"I - I just found him," Wendy spoke in monotone. "We needed his help. But-I."

Couldn't help him.

She let it trail again, silently. Eyes up. She looked at the other girl, around at new mess around the floor of the charred ruin. Water soaked into the ashy floor from the bottles she had let fall from her cooler, in attempt to distract the rabid Bunny's attack. Both she and Tania had fled from the might of this Scarlett warrior and the raging judge with her. The fear of them needed to be subdued. She promised it for daddy, Kasumi and Mr. Dolph so she had to make due.

Besides, there was something she noticed they all had in common. The shadow man - Victor Danya, K.K, the rabid Bunny and Scarlett all held power in their hands. How fearless Scarlett became in an instant. Embracing it instead of trembling in fear of it like Wendy herself would. They could do something about their plight. They all had the right idea.

Carefully she slipped her tangled, worn-down plaid skirt from her legs, stepping briefly out of her Uggs boots and back in again. Finally out of them, her legs felt free although slightly exposed, with only the boy-shorts to cover her thighs.

Wordlessly, she covered Everett's riddled abdomen with the plaid cloth, hiding the Grenadine ooze directly on his pudgy, but trunk like torso.

Wendy stood tall. Her colorful clothing, specifically pink shirt, contrast with the dark, brooding setting and strawberry stained aftermath, much like the print on her boy-shorts. At least she wasn't wearing black lace lingerie or something nonsensical like that. She wrapped her fuzzy blue hoodie around her waist, warmth returning to the skin of her lower body somewhat.

"Scarlett. I - we - Kasumi - she needs help."

Wendy's eyes wandered, scanning through the room, widening for a second as she saw the cooler upside down, flakes of ice chips scattered beneath it, Mr. Dolph surely within. She had to help him soon too, but shook the thought for a moment to look at her study buddy once again. He looked like he was sleeping, with a plaid blanket, but that was merely pretend wasn't it.

"Or she'll end up like this, like Everett."

They both seemed to have the same mutual friend, based off the outpour of emotion she had so expressively shown. Would she help her? Wendy gazed at the warrior, hopeful.

"Really need to find some pants too."

[Primrosette]

Scarlett was quiet as Wendy spoke to her and she felt herself staring down at Everett's face again. She had to make sure that if she ever saw Bunny; she had to make sure that she should wouldn't hesitant to shoot her. Take that evil witch down. To make sure to avenge Everett's death and to stop Bunny from hurting anyone else. She couldn't allow that to happen.

But Wendy needed her help. Sounded like Kasumi - a possible friend of Wendy's - was in a critical condition. She needed Scarlett's help. Scarlett was willing to trust the other girl. More than Bunny and Tania for an obvious reason. Wendy was no threat to her.

"....Okay. I'll come with you. I'll try to help you all I can with Kasumi, Wendy." She nodded towards the other girl, picked up the magnum beside her, held onto Everett's limp hand with her other hand -saying goodbye in her mind - and then she stood up with a look of determination on her face.

"Alright. Lead the way, Wendy."

[Cake]

Scarlett was so sweet, it's no wonder Everett liked her. Wendy fluttered her lashes and lifted the corners of her mouth into somewhat of a smile.

"Oh. Before we go," Wendy started to say as she tiptoed her way through the room, picking up the non-shot bottles of water she had gathered from Bridgette and her own initial bag yesterday, ready to place them back into the cooler. However, she noticed something. There was a bit of a tiny hole in her beautiful cooler. The ice was also tainted with the dirt and ash of the scorched building. This wouldn't do at all.

She lifted the cooler right side up, to find Mr. Dolph lying flat on the blackened floor, her bottom lip trembled for a brief second.

A bullet hole, straight through his scaly flesh, right next to the knife wound Bridgette had given him.

Oh no, no no no, this couldn't be. She promised to keep him safe, earlier today but she had failed, like she did a few minutes ago. But no, no. Not this time, there was still time. She would bring Mr. Dolph to Kasumi and they'd both be helped at the same time. There was time.

Wendy forced a smile and placed her scaly companion back into the damaged blue cooling unit, along with the remaining bottles of water. She grabbed her bag, opened it, pulling out an assorted bundle of flower variety she had picked from the captivating flower fields.

"Here," Wendy said as she pulled one single rose from it and handed the rest of the colorful bundle to Scarlett.

Wendy stood over and looked quietly at Everett, laying the rose upon his resting form while humming a melancholy Bette Midler tune of the same name. She stood over him a while longer, before turning away, back to her belongings, picking up, then putting down and leaving her freshly damaged tar stick. She would need to get another. Bunny or Tania had broken it.

She peered into her bag: only the purple colored flowers Clio had cut down, remained. Looks like she needed to get some more of those too. Some pants also.

"Kasumi is at the tar pits," Wendy said as she started to walk away with her bag and blue cooler. "I'll be outside."

[[Wendy Fischer Continued To: Wendy Fischer Want Pants, Too!]]

[Primrosette]

Scarlett watched as Wendy left her alone with Everett's body and she stared down at the flowers that Wendy had given her. She looked down at Everett and felt herself start to cry again. If only she had been able to save him from such a horrible fate. She couldn't go back now. She knew that to be true. She had to keep on going forward. She couldn't give up now. She still had things to do, people to see and find.

She placed the flowers neatly on Everett's chest and she stopped crying after a while. "Don't worry about me, Everett. I'll make sure to keep surviving. I won't give up now. I promise you that." She said, smiling somewhat sadly. "I'll make it through this. I have to."

She still needed to help Wendy with her friend, Kasumi. She still wanted to avenge Everett by taking Bunny down. She still needed to find Michael and to make sure that he was alright.

She gave one last look to Everett before she left to follow Wendy to their next destination.

((Scarlett McAfee continued to: Wendy Fischer Want Pants, Too!))