Taryn put her hand up to Kate's face. Played with her hair. Kate figured she was trying to comfort her.
She told her it was okay. They were almost there. Almost. Almost out. Then they could both go home. Then they could both go home to their corny fantasy of going back to New York at Christmas and Kate could see her family again.
That was what made Kate feel the worst, though. That they were almost there, almost at the end. The thought that they could be so close to the end. To being off this island. To sleeping back in her own bed instead of hunched over a rock. To not having to fear for her life every waking moment. To not having to attack and steal to survive. The fact she was so close to being home and yet things could still go so badly was what made her feel the worst.
In a way, Taryn was almost giving her a test. Smile. Show she could get through it. Show she could get through to the end.
Kate forced a small smile.
"I... uh, Thanks." She quickly ducked her head back down before talking half under her breath. "We, um... We sould probably get moving."
Samantha had to have heard that, because she decided to stand up, say some choice words about how she was going to live, that if she couldn't win, they needed to do their damn best to, before turning around and walking.
Kate almost shouted at her to turn around, to come back. Samantha was the first person they'd seen who hadn't wanted to kill them and she'd just upped and left them. Something stopped her, though. Something was yelling at her "No. Let her go." So she listened to it. Stayed silent. Let Samantha go. She made a quick note of which way Samantha headed off for when she and Taryn made their own ways out, and left it at that.
Again though, Kate found a downside. Something that again made her feel like crap again, as she watched Samantha leave. Kate now realised that if they met again, it'd be under much different circumstances.
Miseria Cantare
The Beginning (cool kids ask before joining)
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Carrion Queen
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"I- Hey! Wait!" she called out to Samantha. It was clear the other girl was dead set on leaving though and there wasn't much Taryn could say to dissuade her. Maybe it was better this way. Maybe Samantha was the one who knew best. Watching her go, Taryn felt that this was their first and last meeting. She said she was going to live. She wished them luck.
"Same to you," she said finally.
And the blonde was gone again. There was nothing to prove she had ever been there to begin with other than the fact that each girl was now up one bottle of water and one loaf of bread. Kate suggested they get moving again and after some time Taryn nodded. She stood up and hauled her bag up with her. Looking down she noticed a hole near the toe in her left ballet flat. She looked at Kate, tired and dirty. Taryn gently wrapped her hand around Kate's wrist and they began to walk again. She didn't really know where they were going, though she had it in her head to go back to the beach eventually. At least it was pretty there and there were shady trees and maybe even a fruit tree or two. Past that, she didn't know. The question that Samantha had asked her and that she had returned still lingered. What was she going to do?
"Kate."
She paused, not quite sure of how to say what she wanted to say.
"I need to tell you something. This whole time, since the moment we met....I've been using you."
"Same to you," she said finally.
And the blonde was gone again. There was nothing to prove she had ever been there to begin with other than the fact that each girl was now up one bottle of water and one loaf of bread. Kate suggested they get moving again and after some time Taryn nodded. She stood up and hauled her bag up with her. Looking down she noticed a hole near the toe in her left ballet flat. She looked at Kate, tired and dirty. Taryn gently wrapped her hand around Kate's wrist and they began to walk again. She didn't really know where they were going, though she had it in her head to go back to the beach eventually. At least it was pretty there and there were shady trees and maybe even a fruit tree or two. Past that, she didn't know. The question that Samantha had asked her and that she had returned still lingered. What was she going to do?
"Kate."
She paused, not quite sure of how to say what she wanted to say.
"I need to tell you something. This whole time, since the moment we met....I've been using you."
For a while, they just sat there in oddly comforting silence. Again Kate had to stop herself from drifting away to sleep. It was peaceful now, the emptiness being something of a blessing. It had given them both a chance to catch their breath. After a while, however, it started to become all too apparent to Kate that this wouldn't last forever. They needed to move. Away from the corpse, away from the place they’d stayed for hours now. On the off chance that Samantha came back, Kate kinda didn’t want to be there. As much as she knew that probably made no sense, she just wanted to avoid meeting her again. They’d be enemies. Kate didn’t want to be on opposing sides of a fight with Sam.
She silently motioned Taryn, asked if they wanted to move.
Taryn nodded, grabbed her things, and stood up. Taryn grabbed her wrist. They started walking, Kate taking slow, methodical steps, like something was going to jump out at any moment. They avoided passing by the naked body.
"H-huh?" Kate looked over. "W-Why are we...?"
And then Taryn spoke. Something important. Something worth stopping over. Kate swallowed. Bad news. She started with Kate's name. At first, Kate felt nothing.
...
...
Then there was shock. Grim realisations set in, clouded Kate’s vision. A cascade of half-formed thoughts, flooding her mind. Everything they'd done so far, everything they'd lived through, it all started to blur together in her head. So many things. So many things she wanted to say right now. Kate wanted to get angry. She wanted to scream. Kate was breathing heavily now, trying to hide it by breathing through her nose. Kate tried to calm herself, shortening what she was going to say, revising it in her head. As she got calmer and calmer, the words got smaller and smaller, until she got it down to something she could say without stuttering or tripping over her words.
"Taryn," Her Voice wavered. Kate shook her head, looked down at her shoes. She'd shortened it down to three words. Deep breath, tried to get some confidence built up. "...No you haven't."
Denial? Kate wasn’t sure.
She silently motioned Taryn, asked if they wanted to move.
Taryn nodded, grabbed her things, and stood up. Taryn grabbed her wrist. They started walking, Kate taking slow, methodical steps, like something was going to jump out at any moment. They avoided passing by the naked body.
"H-huh?" Kate looked over. "W-Why are we...?"
And then Taryn spoke. Something important. Something worth stopping over. Kate swallowed. Bad news. She started with Kate's name. At first, Kate felt nothing.
...
...
Then there was shock. Grim realisations set in, clouded Kate’s vision. A cascade of half-formed thoughts, flooding her mind. Everything they'd done so far, everything they'd lived through, it all started to blur together in her head. So many things. So many things she wanted to say right now. Kate wanted to get angry. She wanted to scream. Kate was breathing heavily now, trying to hide it by breathing through her nose. Kate tried to calm herself, shortening what she was going to say, revising it in her head. As she got calmer and calmer, the words got smaller and smaller, until she got it down to something she could say without stuttering or tripping over her words.
"Taryn," Her Voice wavered. Kate shook her head, looked down at her shoes. She'd shortened it down to three words. Deep breath, tried to get some confidence built up. "...No you haven't."
Denial? Kate wasn’t sure.
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Carrion Queen
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Taryn let go of Kate's wrist. She wouldn't look at her, but there wasn't much else to see in the vast empty landscape. Her fingers found their way to the edge of her shorts and she tugged, just as a way to keep her hands busy now that they had left the other girl.
"I have," she said steadily. There was no denying it. Not even if Kate wanted to brush it under the rug and pretend she hadn't said it. This was.....really for her own good. Though it was also for Taryn. She had to get rid of the guilt. She had to tell Kate the truth now that they had made it as far as they had.
"I found you on the beach at the very start of the game and I thought, well, I thought you'd make a good distraction if we came upon someone really dangerous. That was after I learned your power. I knew I could stay near you and I'd have the upper hand. But then I...it became something else."
Now she stopped toying with her shorts. She brought her large eyes up, slowly, to meet Kate's. There was almost a question in her gaze.
"By the second day.... I really liked you. Honest to God, I thought you were so sweet and so shy and I thought I wanted to protect you. But now I realize that was just a ploy too. If I was protecting you I could kill without guilt because I could tell myself 'It wasn't for me. It was to protect Kate.'"
She tried to gauge the reaction, but it was too hard to say. Too close to call. She couldn't have stopped herself now even if she'd wanted to.
"I wouldn't have to own up to what I did if I said I did it for you. I could twist my thoughts so that I was a good guy. But I'm not a good guy. And I killed those people just as much for myself as for anything else because.....because I AM selfish and because I wanted to be the last one. I'm sorry Kate. I.....I'll understand if you leave."
"I have," she said steadily. There was no denying it. Not even if Kate wanted to brush it under the rug and pretend she hadn't said it. This was.....really for her own good. Though it was also for Taryn. She had to get rid of the guilt. She had to tell Kate the truth now that they had made it as far as they had.
"I found you on the beach at the very start of the game and I thought, well, I thought you'd make a good distraction if we came upon someone really dangerous. That was after I learned your power. I knew I could stay near you and I'd have the upper hand. But then I...it became something else."
Now she stopped toying with her shorts. She brought her large eyes up, slowly, to meet Kate's. There was almost a question in her gaze.
"By the second day.... I really liked you. Honest to God, I thought you were so sweet and so shy and I thought I wanted to protect you. But now I realize that was just a ploy too. If I was protecting you I could kill without guilt because I could tell myself 'It wasn't for me. It was to protect Kate.'"
She tried to gauge the reaction, but it was too hard to say. Too close to call. She couldn't have stopped herself now even if she'd wanted to.
"I wouldn't have to own up to what I did if I said I did it for you. I could twist my thoughts so that I was a good guy. But I'm not a good guy. And I killed those people just as much for myself as for anything else because.....because I AM selfish and because I wanted to be the last one. I'm sorry Kate. I.....I'll understand if you leave."
Taryn carried on, listing the reasons why she was a horrible person, listing the reasons why Kate should have just forgot about her and walked when she had the chance. How she was so selfish and how Kate would do so much better without her and how she was just using her as a distraction against players, how even when she started to warm to her she was just using her as an excuse to kill without guilt.
She could stop talking. Right now. Kate didn't care. Not out of ignorance, or trying to sweep it under the rug, she just didn’t care. She didn't care whether or not Taryn was as bad a person as she was making herself out to be. She didn’t care if she’d been strung along; believing in something that Taryn was telling her now was a lie. She'd believed in more far-fetched things than there being a girl who actually cared enough to keep her alive all this time. What she cared about was that Taryn was the closest thing she'd had to a friend in a long while, and she wasn't going off on her own to leave her become someone like Ashley.
Would that happen to Taryn? Kate didn’t want to think of the possibility. Could it happen to her? Kate didn’t think it could, but in some dark corner in the back of her mind, the thought of it happening to her lingered.
This wasn’t a good place for either of them to be, Kate decided. They needed to focus on getting to the end, not on the fact that they’d lied to each other- Kate didn’t want to make her part of the lies apparent. That would come another time, when she- when they were out of the game.
Then could come the doubt, then she’d let it all sink in, but not now.
"T-Taryn..." Kate looked down at her shoes, struggling even more than usual to find the words she was trying to say. Deep breath. Cleared her head. "...I'm not going anywhere, okay?"
“I don’t care what you’ve said, or what you’ve done” She wrapped her thin, weak arms as tight as she could muster around Taryn, resting her head on her shoulder.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
She could stop talking. Right now. Kate didn't care. Not out of ignorance, or trying to sweep it under the rug, she just didn’t care. She didn't care whether or not Taryn was as bad a person as she was making herself out to be. She didn’t care if she’d been strung along; believing in something that Taryn was telling her now was a lie. She'd believed in more far-fetched things than there being a girl who actually cared enough to keep her alive all this time. What she cared about was that Taryn was the closest thing she'd had to a friend in a long while, and she wasn't going off on her own to leave her become someone like Ashley.
Would that happen to Taryn? Kate didn’t want to think of the possibility. Could it happen to her? Kate didn’t think it could, but in some dark corner in the back of her mind, the thought of it happening to her lingered.
This wasn’t a good place for either of them to be, Kate decided. They needed to focus on getting to the end, not on the fact that they’d lied to each other- Kate didn’t want to make her part of the lies apparent. That would come another time, when she- when they were out of the game.
Then could come the doubt, then she’d let it all sink in, but not now.
"T-Taryn..." Kate looked down at her shoes, struggling even more than usual to find the words she was trying to say. Deep breath. Cleared her head. "...I'm not going anywhere, okay?"
“I don’t care what you’ve said, or what you’ve done” She wrapped her thin, weak arms as tight as she could muster around Taryn, resting her head on her shoulder.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
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Carrion Queen
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Kate had made her choice. She was going to stay with Taryn. The girl put her arms around Taryn and she felt the slight weight of her head on her shoulder.
Taryn hesitated for a few seconds, then encircled her arms around Kate in return. Her grip was solid, but not as strong as Kate's. There was an emptiness in the pit of her stomach.
Was it a mistake to like you?
She was jealous of her capacity for forgiveness, for her optimism which she had only been faking. But she was still overwhelmingly fond of her all the same. Kate had chosen to stay.
I hope you made the right choice.
"To the end."
Taryn hesitated for a few seconds, then encircled her arms around Kate in return. Her grip was solid, but not as strong as Kate's. There was an emptiness in the pit of her stomach.
Was it a mistake to like you?
She was jealous of her capacity for forgiveness, for her optimism which she had only been faking. But she was still overwhelmingly fond of her all the same. Kate had chosen to stay.
I hope you made the right choice.
"To the end."
Kate pushed herself away from Taryn and nodded. “To the end.”
The announcement blared, hurting Kate's ears. Though she'd been on this island for almost three days now- though it felt like an eternity- she'd never quite gotten used to noise. Any noise was making her jumpy at this point. Blame Ashlie for that. Kate’s stomach was rumbling now, empty from both a lack of food and the results of her chucking up her guts almost constantly over the past day or so. Blame Ashlie for that, too. The introductions had finished, and the annoying lady had begun reading off the deaths. Then, for the first time, a name was read off that meant something to Kate.
Samantha Reynolds.
That… stung. Of all the names that had been read off, Samantha’s hit the hardest. Whether it had been because Kate had actually known her as opposed to the list of names she’d never hear before or again- the ones that meant nothing, or that she’d helped them out with the spare food and water, or maybe the fact she was the only one not to attack them. Kate’s hand traced the faded cut on her neck and shivered. It didn’t matter now. The only person who had been even remotely hospitable to them on the island was dead.
When the announcements returned from a pause that Kate really wished wasn’t what she thought it was, it all went a bit quiet. The other voice, the male one, came on and told them where they needed to go. The Black Forest. Kate checked her map.
“We’re close,” She turned to Taryn. “It shouldn’t take us too long to get there.”
Then came the mystery. The man told Khalid to stay safe. Khalid? Who the hell is Khalid?
That wasn’t the point, though. They could find out later, maybe meet him. He’d probably be a nice guy. Hopefully. Maybe. Three out of Five wouldn’t be bad. Right. Focus, Kate. They now knew that yes, they were two of the last... Five, maybe? It’d make sense for there to be a final five or something.
“T-Taryn…” Kate shook her head and threw her bag over her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
Pack your bags, we’re leaving.
We're headed home.
((Kate Black, continued in Endgame.))
The announcement blared, hurting Kate's ears. Though she'd been on this island for almost three days now- though it felt like an eternity- she'd never quite gotten used to noise. Any noise was making her jumpy at this point. Blame Ashlie for that. Kate’s stomach was rumbling now, empty from both a lack of food and the results of her chucking up her guts almost constantly over the past day or so. Blame Ashlie for that, too. The introductions had finished, and the annoying lady had begun reading off the deaths. Then, for the first time, a name was read off that meant something to Kate.
Samantha Reynolds.
That… stung. Of all the names that had been read off, Samantha’s hit the hardest. Whether it had been because Kate had actually known her as opposed to the list of names she’d never hear before or again- the ones that meant nothing, or that she’d helped them out with the spare food and water, or maybe the fact she was the only one not to attack them. Kate’s hand traced the faded cut on her neck and shivered. It didn’t matter now. The only person who had been even remotely hospitable to them on the island was dead.
When the announcements returned from a pause that Kate really wished wasn’t what she thought it was, it all went a bit quiet. The other voice, the male one, came on and told them where they needed to go. The Black Forest. Kate checked her map.
“We’re close,” She turned to Taryn. “It shouldn’t take us too long to get there.”
Then came the mystery. The man told Khalid to stay safe. Khalid? Who the hell is Khalid?
That wasn’t the point, though. They could find out later, maybe meet him. He’d probably be a nice guy. Hopefully. Maybe. Three out of Five wouldn’t be bad. Right. Focus, Kate. They now knew that yes, they were two of the last... Five, maybe? It’d make sense for there to be a final five or something.
“T-Taryn…” Kate shook her head and threw her bag over her shoulders. “Let’s go.”
Pack your bags, we’re leaving.
We're headed home.
((Kate Black, continued in Endgame.))
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Carrion Queen
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Announcement time.
As always the ever cheerful announcement girl came on to deliver the awful, blood soaked, but perky daily news. A few more people had passed. Just as always they didn't mean a thing to Taryn until Samantha was announced as dead. She looked over at Kate who seemed to notice too. Taryn had called her an angel for helping them out. It seemed kind of ironic looking back.
"That really sucks," she said softly to the floor.
A man came on and told the remaining people to go to the black forest and according to Kate it wasn't that far away. Taryn walked over to her bag and picked it up.
Not long now. There weren't many people in that first room they'd gotten orientation in and many names had been read off since that time. If she had to estimate Taryn would have said there were only four or five left among them. That was close, dangerously close to the end. Dangerously close to going home.
"Well, I didn't hear Ashlie's name," Taryn said. She took her gun out of the waist band of her shorts and checked the magazine. Full. She clicked it back into place.
"We owe her a gift from Samantha. Lead the way, Kate."
((Taryn Jones continued in Endgame: Paper Dolls ))
As always the ever cheerful announcement girl came on to deliver the awful, blood soaked, but perky daily news. A few more people had passed. Just as always they didn't mean a thing to Taryn until Samantha was announced as dead. She looked over at Kate who seemed to notice too. Taryn had called her an angel for helping them out. It seemed kind of ironic looking back.
"That really sucks," she said softly to the floor.
A man came on and told the remaining people to go to the black forest and according to Kate it wasn't that far away. Taryn walked over to her bag and picked it up.
Not long now. There weren't many people in that first room they'd gotten orientation in and many names had been read off since that time. If she had to estimate Taryn would have said there were only four or five left among them. That was close, dangerously close to the end. Dangerously close to going home.
"Well, I didn't hear Ashlie's name," Taryn said. She took her gun out of the waist band of her shorts and checked the magazine. Full. She clicked it back into place.
"We owe her a gift from Samantha. Lead the way, Kate."
((Taryn Jones continued in Endgame: Paper Dolls ))