This Can't Be Me

[Courtography]

Johan had comments in the conversation, like, "That's reassuring...", but after Ben's joke he told her in a more serious way, although ending with a chuckle, "If you want to leave right now, go ahead. I don't know how good of an idea that would be though, for all we know the fighting is just starting up outside. Still, I probably wouldn't want to be in a room with two strangers, one with a gun, who may or may not want to kill me - oh wait, I already am."

I- well, I hate to go so soon, but yeah. I don't. Not really. I think you understand." she said. He did kind of, but not, too many negatives in her sentence to put together. "I'll go this way now." She said, pointing out the doors, towards the outside. "Uhm.. God Bless America. Or, whatever you're supposed to say." That's right God Bless America, the country you should be proud to live in. "Bye.

He turned to Johan, finally feeling up to explaining his reasons for having the safety off, "You probably don't trust me a bit, do you?" He raised an eyebrow, and let his deep blue eyes bore right into Johan's.

[Un67*]

"I- well, I hate to go so soon, but yeah. I don't. Not really. I think you understand."

Abby seemed to be finally leaving. Johan figured he couldn't blame her, he too would probably have done the same thing if he was in her situation.

"I'll go this way now."

She pointed towards the door, to the outside. Johan nodded. There wasn't exactly much he could say.

"Uhm.. God Bless America. Or, whatever you're supposed to say."

America, the nation we all know and love, he thought sarcastically, with a slight smile.

His thoughts were then disrupted when Ben spoke, almost glaring at Johan. Johan looked back into his eye confidently, or at least, as confidently as he could.

"You probably don't trust me a bit, do you?"

Johan chuckled slightly, and said with an almost remorseful smile, "To be completely honest, no, I don't."

[Courtography]

Johan smiled, and chuckled a bit, "To be completely honest, no, I don't," he replied. Of course. He let out an audible sigh. "Let me explain. I woke up in that warehouse over there," he said pointing at the door he came through. "I sat there for a bit, then there were gunshots and screaming. So I turned off the safety and walked around, ya know to protect myself. Then I ran into some guy, didn't know him, and he had a gun. I figured that he had been shootin around, so I tried to talk to him and he tried to grab his gun. I...I panicked and shot at him, and ran away. I don't know if I hit him or not."

He heard a rumble come from his gut. He would have to eat soon. "So there's my story."

[Un67*]

Ben gave an explanation about why his gun's safety was on. Apparently he ran into someone else reaching for his own gun, and shot him and ran. The story relieved Johan a bit, but then again, it was just a story. Still he had the feeling that it would be better to trust him then to act suspicious and get shot himself.

"Well, I guess that's helpful," Johan said.

He then heard Ben's stomach rumble slightly. Figuring it was probably a good idea to get on his good side, or at least for now, Johan said, "Want some of my food? I figured you might be hungry."

He then took out some of his bread, ripped out a hunk, and then ripped that again into two pieces.

"Probably should eat this bread, this'll go bad first."

[Courtography]

"Well, I guess that's helpful," Johan said.

Apparently he had heard his stomach rumble, "Want some of my food? I figured you might be hungry." He tucked the gun into his jeans and swung his duffel bag to the ground. "No thanks, I've got my own in here."

Johan started eating some white bread he had pulled from his own bag. "Probably should eat this bread, this'll go bad first." Ben pulled out his own bread, already bagged and sliced. How nice of them. "Good Point." He ate three slices quickly before thinking he should slow down. He had always been a big eater though, so he ate another slice before putting away the bread.

"So you'd wake up here?"

[Un67*]

Ben asked Johan, "So you'd wake up here?"

Johan then shook his head no. "I woke up outside, and I ran in here for shelter. Then I found Abby, and only a few seconds after that, you came in."

He ate a hunk of his bread, and took a sip of water.

Always a good idea to be hydrated...

Johan noticed Ben was eating his bread quickly. He wanted to tell him to slow down, but he saw that Ben was pretty much done so he decided to do otherwise. Trying to find a bit more about him, Johan asked, "So, what did you do before they sent us here? I don't really remember seeing you in school..."

[Courtography]

Johan shook his head, "I woke up outside, and I ran in here for shelter. Then I found Abby, and only a few seconds after that, you came in." Ben realized that despite looking at his map he had next to no knowledge of the compound they were thrown in. He had seen the high walls when they were taken off the bus, but that was all. "What's it like out there?"

He broke the seal on his water bottle and took a long drink from it.

"So, what did you do before they sent us here? I don't really remember seeing you in school..." Johan inquired. "I'm in the marching band. Bass drum. I also work at Bobby's Burger House, if you've ever gone there." His stomach rumbled again, a burger sounded really good to him right then. He forced himself to wait though, he would eat in a little bit.

[Un67*]

After Johan took a drink of his water, Ben asked,

"What's it like out there?"

Johan simply shrugged. "I don't know. I was only out there for about thirty seconds or so, I woke up pretty close to here."

He then asked Ben about what he did, to which he replied,

"I'm in the marching band. Bass drum. I also work at Bobby's Burger House, if you've ever gone there."

Johan then pondered for a second and realized, "Ah, I think I knew who you are. I don't really go out much, but I think I've seen you at the burger house once. I'm on the track team, in case you don't know. Most people don't, since I usually keep away from people afterschool..."

[Courtography]

Shrugging Johan responded, "I don't know. I was only out there for about thirty seconds or so, I woke up pretty close to here." So Ben wasn't the only one in the dark about what was happening out there.

"Ah, I think I knew who you are. I don't really go out much, but I think I've seen you at the burger house once. I'm on the track team, in case you don't know. Most people don't, since I usually keep away from people afterschool..." Johan continued. Ben could relate, he probably wouldn't have gone to the burger house himself if he hadn't gotten a job there. Actually he didn't go out much at all, went to the movies sometimes, but usually he was working, or doing band practice. Or of course playing at a football or basketball game.

"The track team, one of the sports I don't have to play at. Of course it wouldn't have hurt me to have gone out, fatass that I am."

[Un67*]

"The track team, one of the sports I don't have to play at. Of course it wouldn't have hurt me to have gone out, fatass that I am."

Loosening up, Johan laughed and said, "Well, it made sense for me to join the track team. One, adrenaline has a tendency to confuse me, and two, I'm a beanpole. Still, it'll come in handy in here. I could probably run a few laps around this whole place without getting too tired, although I'd probably get shot before I finish."

Johan then took another sip of water, sobered up, and asked, "Anyways, what sport do you play? You look like a football player to me. Then again, that might just be me wildly guessing. This wouldn't be the first time."

[Courtography]

Johan laughed, apparently Ben still had his humor in this place. "Well, it made sense for me to join the track team. One, adrenaline has a tendency to confuse me, and two, I'm a beanpole. Still, it'll come in handy in here. I could probably run a few laps around this whole place without getting too tired, although I'd probably get shot before I finish."

He responded, "And leave me all alone? You know I couldn't keep up." It was true, Ben was terrible at running, still it could be worse, he could be bad at walking. "Anyways, what sport do you play? You look like a football player to me. Then again, that might just be me wildly guessing. This wouldn't be the first time." Johan asked. "You're guessin, I don't play sports. Just egg em on from the side."

[Un67*]

Ben replied to Johan's comment on running, "And leave me all alone? You know I couldn't keep up."

Johan chuckled and said, "No, I wouldn't leave a comrade behind." If Ben paid close attention, he would probably notice how Johan filches slightly after the word 'comrade', perhaps doubting the wisdom of his word choice. Still, he quickly regains his composition. He then asked Ben about what sport he played, to which he replied,

"You're guessin, I don't play sports. Just egg em on from the side."

Johan blinks his eyes for a second, and then says, "Oh, that's what you meant. Like I said, not the first time. Still, that doesn't sound too bad either. Actually, that sounds pretty fun, but I have no guts to do that kind of stuff. I guess I don't have much of a choice now, though." He smiles meekly at his last point.

[Courtography]

"No, I wouldn't leave a comrade behind," he replied. Comrade, like the military. He could respect that, he had planned to go into the military after high school, of course it was required anyway, of course he was serving his country a little earlier than expected.

He then explained the lack of sports, and Johan responded, "Oh, that's what you meant. Like I said, not the first time. Still, that doesn't sound too bad either. Actually, that sounds pretty fun, but I have no guts to do that kind of stuff. I guess I don't have much of a choice now, though." It was true, no one had the chance to try anything new now. Well other than killing, he hoped that would be something new for everyone. The realization hit him, like it had when the gunshots happened. "Yeah it is, even if we don't win. Get to hang out with friends too."

[Un67*]

Johan said to Ben about how he didn't really have a chance to do anything, and Ben replied, "Yeah it is, even if we don't win. Get to hang out with friends too."

He then thought over what Ben said over a moment. True, 99 times out of 100, he would probably be dead, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. Anyways, if he was going to die, might as well die happily and have some fun before doing it, right?

Johan grinned, this time not nervously or half-heartedly in any way. He then said, "Damn right. Even if we're basically being condemned to death, we might as well have fun and meet people while we do it. And of course that would be assuming that we are going to die. I think we two can do decently. Maybe not to the end, but we can fight. What we don't have, I think what the other has makes up for it."

[Courtography]

"Damn right. Even if we're basically being condemned to death, we might as well have fun and meet people while we do it. And of course that would be assuming that we are going to die. I think we two can do decently. Maybe not to the end, but we can fight. What we don't have, I think what the other has makes up for it." Johan responded.

He wasn't planning on fighting if he didn't have to. He might not have started out the best way on that plan, but he wasn't in that situation now. He had made up for it though, finding someone who wasn't trying to kill him. Sure he had failed to get Abby to join them, but you couldn't have everything in life.

He had to admit they might stand a chance, Johan had some sports javelin thing, it probably wouldn't hold up too well. It could be worse though, Johan could have drawn a PEZ dispenser or something like that. Still maybe it was good Johan didn't have a real weapon yet, there was no guarantee he would have been as friendly if he had say, an assault rifle. He had his military handgun though, it would do to defend them. Still he hoped people would join them rather than try to mow them down.

"Yeah we could do well, you can run, I've got this gun. Plus we don't have to fight unless someone attacks us."