The fire extinguisher slipped out of her hands, clattering on the ground. Her breath came and went in rapid beats.
She had finally found him.
((Bella Bianchi continued from The Jellies Experience. Going with details discussed over PM. If this needs fixing, lemme know))
It had been a few hours, maybe, she was thinking, but she had found him. In those few hours, she had been walking with Yagmur. Bella honestly didn't remember if they had any actual conversations, but it was clear they both had one goal in mind.
Find Gene.
Bella remembered feeling on edge as she searched during those hours. It was the most twisted thing in her life. She was going off with someone she had just met, to kill a classmate. An old drama club member. Gene. A few times since she had left the aquarium she had wondered how exactly her life got here. Sometimes she would wonder if the others should have stopped her the second she mentioned it. Bella wasn’t sure if that was what she would have wanted if it happened, though.
Gene was going to do something again, though. That she hung onto for dear life. He could easily kill more people, more friends of theirs. Will was gone now, because of him, and so was a girl who he had killed before. Each time her conscience protested, she would be reminded of Aidan's tears and Will's battered face. She had to keep going, she decided.
Yagmur, too. It was clear he felt a certain responsibility for Gene, even if he was "just" a team mate. She still wasn’t sure what kind of a person he was, other than him being on Gene’s team and his appearance. She didn’t know if he would turn on her next after they found Gene, or worse. If anything, her main desire after Gene was to return to the aquarium, hopefully where Aidan and Cathryn and everyone else was still.
Bella had stopped for a moment, focusing on the cold. Even now, she wondered if she should put on the sweetly bright dress, even just for a moment of warmth. As she wrapped her arms around herself, she saw him, right outside the tower. It was hard to mistake that outfit.
A deep breath.
This was it, then.
Yagmur had seen him too, and as Gene slid inside the tower she saw him hand her his gun. Bella had stared at it for a beat, but followed what he said:
Make it quick.
Bella slid closer, and pointing it straight at his back, she pulled the trigger twice.
Gene fell to the ground, but he still moved. He was still alive. Bella pulled herself just a few feet away from him, hearing him curse.
Two hits from the fire extinguisher. That was all it took. Two hits, straight to the skull. She felt something crack with the second hit, almost too easily. That’s when he stopped moving.
Bella felt tears run down her face again, gasping heavily. She leaned herself against the nearest wall, trying to keep herself from fainting. Bile had risen in her throat again, as she tried to keep it down. While she had dropped the extinguisher, the gun was still in her hand. It was over. Gene’s actions were over. Gene was over.
She knew what she did, but her mind kept trying to justify it. He was a murderer. He hurt Will.
But she needed a moment to pull herself together. To think about what she had done. To think about coming back. To think about what she was going to do. And to be honest, she still didn’t know the answer to the girl’s question.
Rock the Flock
DEATH APPROACHES; still open, though.
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General Goose
- Posts: 318
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:51 pm
((Yagmur Tekindor continued from The Jellies Experience.))
"You did the right thing."
Comforting someone, especially some enigmatic stranger he had barely known for a few hours and with no knowledge of her emotional stability, no emotional reference points...that was not exactly Yagmur's strong suit. The extreme circumstances didn't make it any easier. Yagmur was standing over Gene's body. The poor, stupid kid. It certainly didn't look like Bella had done the right thing.
Physically, Gene was a mess. Holes. Wounds. Blood. Missing fingers. A look of despondency, exasperation, suffering, still etched on what remained of his facial features.
And this body in front of him was more than just a killer. He had hopes, ambitions, loved ones, individual quirks and dreams. Yagmur couldn't let himself forget that.
But it was the right thing regardless.
Dropping his bag on the ground, a foot away from Gene's growing blood pool to prevent any clumsy sleep-deprived accidents that were his trademark, Yagmur knelt down, looking at his teammate.
"You did the right thing," he repeated. "This. This quick death. That's the best thing any of us have left to look forward to."
"A lesser person would have drawn it out."
Yagmur spat on Gene's corpse, a final farewell to the teammate that had brought him such trouble. He wasn't sure if it was hypocritical or not.
"You did the right thing."
Comforting someone, especially some enigmatic stranger he had barely known for a few hours and with no knowledge of her emotional stability, no emotional reference points...that was not exactly Yagmur's strong suit. The extreme circumstances didn't make it any easier. Yagmur was standing over Gene's body. The poor, stupid kid. It certainly didn't look like Bella had done the right thing.
Physically, Gene was a mess. Holes. Wounds. Blood. Missing fingers. A look of despondency, exasperation, suffering, still etched on what remained of his facial features.
And this body in front of him was more than just a killer. He had hopes, ambitions, loved ones, individual quirks and dreams. Yagmur couldn't let himself forget that.
But it was the right thing regardless.
Dropping his bag on the ground, a foot away from Gene's growing blood pool to prevent any clumsy sleep-deprived accidents that were his trademark, Yagmur knelt down, looking at his teammate.
"You did the right thing," he repeated. "This. This quick death. That's the best thing any of us have left to look forward to."
"A lesser person would have drawn it out."
Yagmur spat on Gene's corpse, a final farewell to the teammate that had brought him such trouble. He wasn't sure if it was hypocritical or not.
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Pippi
- Posts: 1121
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:32 pm
- Location: I'm Pip!
- Team Affiliation: Stephanie's Buccaneers
Bunny, similarly to how Regina had moments earlier, nodded in response to what the other girl was saying, smile still affixed to her face. So, now she knew the status of three other people on the resort. It didn’t sound like a lot, but it was three more than she had a minute ago, and any information could be life saving. So Tucker was currently downstairs, a guy named James had a shotgun but Reggie hadn’t listed him as a threat, and a guy called Erik WAS a threat. Sorted.
Bunny hadn’t expected Regina to seriously believe that she had killed Mr Pink Bandana, especially given that her frying pan hadn’t displayed the ability to spray bullets just yet. It was still a very definite relief to hear Reggie say she thought she was innocent. God, Bunny wished she’d found Regina and all of her other friends when she’d first woken up instead of Cor and Saachi and Forrest. She’d felt more secure in the past few minutes than she had for the entirety of the previous day.
In response to Regina’s question, Bunny tapped her finger against her left cheek in thought. Did she have any plans? Technically, yes, yes she did. Some part of her had hoped that, whilst she was part of a group, something would just fall into place and she’d instantly know what to do, or that, even better, they’d manage to escape. But of course, that hadn’t happened, and now Bunny’s only plan was, well... killing. And she wasn’t going to reveal that to Regina, or anyone if she could help it.
Before Bunny had time to lie to her friend, a new voice suddenly made itself heard from the top of the stairs. This time it was a guy, and a complete stranger to boot. He looked, to be blunt, completely awful. He looked like he’d been in the middle of a warzone than anything else, in Bunny’s mind. She was about to release her double threat of the questions ‘Oh hey there who are you’ and ‘Oh my gosh are you alright do you need some first aid’ when the stranger revealed his grand plan. Bunny listened, a slight frown born from confusion appearing on her face. The new guy’s idea was... well...
It was pretty crap, to be totally honest. It was barely the skeleton of a true plan on top of that. Sure, people had probably thought of doing the exact same thing already, but new guy didn’t even have a potential way of removing the collars. Nor did he know where exactly they were, or that he was certain that the producers wouldn’t just up and execute them some other way before they could escape.
What he said next, however, drove all of that from Bunny’s mind. Standing in front of her was Gene Steward. Gene ‘Valerie Killer’ Steward.
Bunny felt frozen, mouth hanging open, as Gene half-heartedly tried to defend himself. He didn’t seem to feel any remorse for killing Valerie, even as he tried to pass it off as an accident. He was acting as if strolling up a flight of stairs after killing a girl and losing your fingers was a totally normal occurrence. There was a chance, a very small chance, sure, that Gene was telling the truth. That Valerie had bumped into Gene hard enough for her to fall down a flight of steps. That the injuries he currently had were the result of some other crazed player attacking him for food and another precious kill.
Bunny just couldn’t see it that way, though. Not with everything she knew about Valerie. Not when all the evidence she had to go on was Gene’s own, hardly credible account of the tale. Not when her decision could allow a wannabe killer into her and Regina’s midst.
If anyone knew acting it was Bunny, and she just wasn’t convinced by this performance.
“Oh, hey, of course you can stay here! If you need anything, like food or first aid or stuff like that, I’ve got a whole bunch in my bag!” Bunny said, taking a few steps out of the gift shop in order for Gene to hear her more clearly.
First things first, she had to act like everything was still totally peachy. She had an opportunity now for her plan to be put into motion, but she couldn’t let Gene suspect anything or let Regina know that she wasn’t currently her chipper confident self. Luckily, Gene seemed to be so preoccupied with something that he hadn’t actually heard Bunny speak. Bunny took several deep breaths, screwed her eyes shut then reopened them, before looking behind her to make sure Regina was also occupied with something else.
Bunny raised her frying pan. She was seconds away from killing someone else. She didn’t know the guy, and he had murdered someone already. If anyone heard the announcements, they would probably assume Gene’s death had been a product of self defence, or maybe they’d just be glad another killer had been removed from the game.
Any ‘and yets’ that might have been floating around Bunny’s brain were put to one side as she swung the frying pan straight at Gene’s head. She wanted to survive, and she wanted the whole world to be fixated on her. This was the only way she could achieve both. As Gene turned, Bunny hit him again, screaming as she did so.
“Regina! Regina, help me!”
Self defence. That was what Bunny wanted everyone to believe this kill was. And everyone started with her friend. Maybe Regina would have been fine with Gene dying, but Bunny wasn’t willing to take that chance. She needed to convince Regina that Gene had started this, not her. Bunny swung the pan one more time, sure that it would be enough to knock Gene down, before she quickly looked back at the gift shop to see what Reggie was doing.
The next second, Bunny was stumbling backwards, pan falling from her hands in shock, all air disappeared from her throat. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, couldn’t cry out for help that she now desperately needed, couldn’t even think. She could only watch as Gene swung the metal bar at her throat again, knocking her down this time. She could hardly feel the pain as he carried on swinging, only the fear and realisation that everything had gone horribly wrong, before she heard a crunch and breathing became an impossibility.
Across the world, millions of people cut and pasted, burnt and downloaded, rewound and fast forwarded that moment, adding it to their countless highlight reels, montages and recaps.
Bunny Barlowe was immortalised behind plasma screens and everything she’d ever wished for had come true.
BUNNY BARLOWE-SILVER SCORPION 1-DECEASED
45 STUDENTS REMAINING
Bunny hadn’t expected Regina to seriously believe that she had killed Mr Pink Bandana, especially given that her frying pan hadn’t displayed the ability to spray bullets just yet. It was still a very definite relief to hear Reggie say she thought she was innocent. God, Bunny wished she’d found Regina and all of her other friends when she’d first woken up instead of Cor and Saachi and Forrest. She’d felt more secure in the past few minutes than she had for the entirety of the previous day.
In response to Regina’s question, Bunny tapped her finger against her left cheek in thought. Did she have any plans? Technically, yes, yes she did. Some part of her had hoped that, whilst she was part of a group, something would just fall into place and she’d instantly know what to do, or that, even better, they’d manage to escape. But of course, that hadn’t happened, and now Bunny’s only plan was, well... killing. And she wasn’t going to reveal that to Regina, or anyone if she could help it.
Before Bunny had time to lie to her friend, a new voice suddenly made itself heard from the top of the stairs. This time it was a guy, and a complete stranger to boot. He looked, to be blunt, completely awful. He looked like he’d been in the middle of a warzone than anything else, in Bunny’s mind. She was about to release her double threat of the questions ‘Oh hey there who are you’ and ‘Oh my gosh are you alright do you need some first aid’ when the stranger revealed his grand plan. Bunny listened, a slight frown born from confusion appearing on her face. The new guy’s idea was... well...
It was pretty crap, to be totally honest. It was barely the skeleton of a true plan on top of that. Sure, people had probably thought of doing the exact same thing already, but new guy didn’t even have a potential way of removing the collars. Nor did he know where exactly they were, or that he was certain that the producers wouldn’t just up and execute them some other way before they could escape.
What he said next, however, drove all of that from Bunny’s mind. Standing in front of her was Gene Steward. Gene ‘Valerie Killer’ Steward.
Bunny felt frozen, mouth hanging open, as Gene half-heartedly tried to defend himself. He didn’t seem to feel any remorse for killing Valerie, even as he tried to pass it off as an accident. He was acting as if strolling up a flight of stairs after killing a girl and losing your fingers was a totally normal occurrence. There was a chance, a very small chance, sure, that Gene was telling the truth. That Valerie had bumped into Gene hard enough for her to fall down a flight of steps. That the injuries he currently had were the result of some other crazed player attacking him for food and another precious kill.
Bunny just couldn’t see it that way, though. Not with everything she knew about Valerie. Not when all the evidence she had to go on was Gene’s own, hardly credible account of the tale. Not when her decision could allow a wannabe killer into her and Regina’s midst.
If anyone knew acting it was Bunny, and she just wasn’t convinced by this performance.
“Oh, hey, of course you can stay here! If you need anything, like food or first aid or stuff like that, I’ve got a whole bunch in my bag!” Bunny said, taking a few steps out of the gift shop in order for Gene to hear her more clearly.
First things first, she had to act like everything was still totally peachy. She had an opportunity now for her plan to be put into motion, but she couldn’t let Gene suspect anything or let Regina know that she wasn’t currently her chipper confident self. Luckily, Gene seemed to be so preoccupied with something that he hadn’t actually heard Bunny speak. Bunny took several deep breaths, screwed her eyes shut then reopened them, before looking behind her to make sure Regina was also occupied with something else.
Bunny raised her frying pan. She was seconds away from killing someone else. She didn’t know the guy, and he had murdered someone already. If anyone heard the announcements, they would probably assume Gene’s death had been a product of self defence, or maybe they’d just be glad another killer had been removed from the game.
Any ‘and yets’ that might have been floating around Bunny’s brain were put to one side as she swung the frying pan straight at Gene’s head. She wanted to survive, and she wanted the whole world to be fixated on her. This was the only way she could achieve both. As Gene turned, Bunny hit him again, screaming as she did so.
“Regina! Regina, help me!”
Self defence. That was what Bunny wanted everyone to believe this kill was. And everyone started with her friend. Maybe Regina would have been fine with Gene dying, but Bunny wasn’t willing to take that chance. She needed to convince Regina that Gene had started this, not her. Bunny swung the pan one more time, sure that it would be enough to knock Gene down, before she quickly looked back at the gift shop to see what Reggie was doing.
The next second, Bunny was stumbling backwards, pan falling from her hands in shock, all air disappeared from her throat. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, couldn’t cry out for help that she now desperately needed, couldn’t even think. She could only watch as Gene swung the metal bar at her throat again, knocking her down this time. She could hardly feel the pain as he carried on swinging, only the fear and realisation that everything had gone horribly wrong, before she heard a crunch and breathing became an impossibility.
Across the world, millions of people cut and pasted, burnt and downloaded, rewound and fast forwarded that moment, adding it to their countless highlight reels, montages and recaps.
Bunny Barlowe was immortalised behind plasma screens and everything she’d ever wished for had come true.
BUNNY BARLOWE-SILVER SCORPION 1-DECEASED
45 STUDENTS REMAINING
Tucker had zero clue about what just happened, though he and Regina had just watched a girl get killed by a pogo stick to the neck. The killer, the boy he'd been tailing, had thrown his bag at him before tumbling down the stairs like some sort of freaking maniac. If Tucker wasn't in the thick of it, he probably would've laughed at the entire situation, maybe snickering about it with some friends and adding it to some sort of highlight reel. But being in the situation itself, having just witnessed another person's life end sucked all the fun out of it.
Upon closer inspection, the fact that he knew the girl made it all more jarring.
Bunny Barlowe. The two of them were acquaintances at best, but Tucker knew that she liked SOTF and he always thought of her in a good light. Other than Regina, so far Bunny was the only Whittree student he'd encountered, albeit briefly. So far his classmates seemed to have an edge over the other school, but obviously Bunny didn't make the cut.
His stomach lurched as he looked at the now-dead Bunny. He couldn't bear to look at her for any longer, but he saw the silver of her bandanna and noted that she wasn't a lost teammate. The killer's team was still unknown, though Tucker concluded that due to his hostility he decidedly wasn't a teammate. At least he was gone...
Tucker was at a loss for words. He looked up at Regina, eyebrows raised and silently asking for guidance. The practical solution was to loot her corpse for anything good, but for Pete's sake she was a familiar face. It just seemed insensitive to search her right after she'd died.
Upon closer inspection, the fact that he knew the girl made it all more jarring.
Bunny Barlowe. The two of them were acquaintances at best, but Tucker knew that she liked SOTF and he always thought of her in a good light. Other than Regina, so far Bunny was the only Whittree student he'd encountered, albeit briefly. So far his classmates seemed to have an edge over the other school, but obviously Bunny didn't make the cut.
His stomach lurched as he looked at the now-dead Bunny. He couldn't bear to look at her for any longer, but he saw the silver of her bandanna and noted that she wasn't a lost teammate. The killer's team was still unknown, though Tucker concluded that due to his hostility he decidedly wasn't a teammate. At least he was gone...
Tucker was at a loss for words. He looked up at Regina, eyebrows raised and silently asking for guidance. The practical solution was to loot her corpse for anything good, but for Pete's sake she was a familiar face. It just seemed insensitive to search her right after she'd died.
[Rargh, wedding, blargh. I apologise particularly to General Goose and KamiKaze particularly for the lateness of this.]
Within about fifteen seconds of meeting Gene Steward Regina had concluded he was an idiot, which was possibly the worst thing that could have happened to the situation. Wild cards disrupted the balance of things, and this was a wild card that had already killed. Not a smart thing in itself, but so many did on the first day. For so many reasons. In truth, his reasons for killing Valerie did not matter, and as soon as Bunny had welcomed Gene she tried to take a breath; allow her thoughts to slow so that she could figure out what to do next. After she told the newcomer how completely ridiculous his plan was, never mind how he looked brandishing a pogo stick.She wondered about Tucker, took a step towards the broken windows; had he hidden from Gene, or had he-
The scream kicked in the adrenaline, Bunny’s reliance triggering the right persona as Regina turned, ready to defend herself and Bunny – there was a difference between actively helping an opponent and letting them get murdered – from the apparent psycho that had come into their conversation.
Regina had hit pause, rewind, and then play over and over. Deaths in slow motion, deaths in snippets – analysing, learning. It was easy to distance yourself from your emotions when you were watching strangers die on a screen; when it was part of your life and something that your father did as a job. Desensitisation to watching strangers die, however, meant shit all when someone you knew was in that position. And she wanted to fight – there was anger right there, begging to be used in a few powerful swings of the Nulla Nulla. To kill the brat who had tried to play on their sympathy, fucking up all her plans – quite literally.
But instead she stood there, white as a sheet as Bunny was brutally murdered, grip painfully tight on her weapon. Retreating to her safe place – to sanctuary, to a place that Douglas would find her and make it all okay. In her mind, she called him. The phone kept ringing, and Bunny did not get back up as Gene swiped her bag, and added insult to injury as he crowed his victory.
It hurt more than she could have ever described as pain forced her to brace against the wall, because suddenly she could feel again. Regina wanted to rail and scream, protest as loud as she was able – the only acceptable vent for the disappointment.
“I want to go back.”
It was a soft plea, muffled under the clanging of Gene making his escape and leaving Regina with a corpse and Tucker. Not Douglas, but the ally that needed her support at the exact moment where she could barely stand, let alone think and speak coherently.
”Watch his eyes.”
There was no effort to conceal the sob as Regina clenched her free hand into a fist, feeling the nails that had needed cutting before the game has started cut into the soft flesh of her palm. Meeting Bunny’s dead, open-eyed gaze was, in those long moments, the hardest thing she had ever done.
The anger that flooded in next begged for violence, and she answered Tucker’s silent question with a cold glare at the door behind him.
It was the only way to make it up to herself – to tell herself that she was capable of getting past this. Deep breaths as Regina focused on the fact that she could, if she chose, be in control. That the pain was only temporary. Walking hurt, but not as much as the realisation that she might not be capable of everything she wanted to do.
And it definitely did not sting as much as the fact that Tucker had seen her falter. No more fucking up – no more letting people die because she was useless.
“We kill the fucker. We are going to march down those stairs and hunt hi-”
An unfamiliar, yet terrifyingly recognisable sound interrupted Regina. Gene had not had a gun. They were not alone. Another shot, and this time she rallied against her pain and self-doubt to limp over to the doorway, peering down over the edge as she thanked whatever gods there were that she had never been afraid of heights.
“Never mind,” Regina growled, slow progress taking her back to the corpse of Bunny, tried to crouch. Searing pain lanced through her right leg, and this time she could not grit her teeth, or let the adrenaline numb everything. She fell backwards, sitting on the floor and eyes almost level with the destruction that a bloody pogo stick had caused.
Reeling from dizziness, shock and pain, Regina threw up what little food she had eaten from breakfast that morning. “Go see if you... recognise anyone down there. Don’t fucking let them see you,” she bit out between ragged breaths, wiping her mouth with her hand. It was good to know who they were up against, she told herself as she rifled through her backpack to find some painkillers and whatever was left of the bottle of water she had cracked open last night.
The truth was, of course, that she could not have sanctuary if he was inside its walls.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Imehal. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
The right thing.
It was an act of mercy, she supposed. Gene, from what she remembered of the aquarium, as painful as it was, had completely snapped. He treated killing a girl as if it was nothing to be concerned about. That's not even going into what he did to Will.
Killing Gene didn't bring back Will, though. But it did put a stop to everything. Just that it was... well, permanent. She did what she could for Will, though, didn't she? She had done nothing when Gene hurt him, the most she could do was to get his killer back.
Bella felt herself let out another sob. The stench from before had returned, filling up her nostrils and reaching inside her skull. She didn't want to look at Gene, knowing she would feel the need to vomit if she even got a peek. But as she turned her head and looked down, she saw what Yagmur was referring to.
Gene didn't look so good. She could see several injuries on his body, both from earlier and more recent. Bella didn't want to look too close, but he seemed to be missing a few fingers. A few other injuries, including her gunshot wounds, were around his torso.
Bella firmly tore her head away, feeling her knees wobble. Yagmur's words hung in her mind.
The best any of us had to look forward to.
Was this it?
She had seen the show before, but she didn't think it would be like this. Of course people died in it, and that killing was part of the whole point. It was just... she had no idea how hard it was.
Bella's eyes laid on a camera, hanging a few feet to her right. It appeared to zoom in on her. She tore her eyes away just as quickly.
The metal in her hand reminded her of something. She turned around, looking at Yagmur. Bella wasn't sure if she should do it. He could take the gun and shoot her. But she had to.
Bella slowly reached to hold out the gun, making sure to keep the barrel down.
"You... you probably want this back", she said, a waver to her voice.
It was an act of mercy, she supposed. Gene, from what she remembered of the aquarium, as painful as it was, had completely snapped. He treated killing a girl as if it was nothing to be concerned about. That's not even going into what he did to Will.
Killing Gene didn't bring back Will, though. But it did put a stop to everything. Just that it was... well, permanent. She did what she could for Will, though, didn't she? She had done nothing when Gene hurt him, the most she could do was to get his killer back.
Bella felt herself let out another sob. The stench from before had returned, filling up her nostrils and reaching inside her skull. She didn't want to look at Gene, knowing she would feel the need to vomit if she even got a peek. But as she turned her head and looked down, she saw what Yagmur was referring to.
Gene didn't look so good. She could see several injuries on his body, both from earlier and more recent. Bella didn't want to look too close, but he seemed to be missing a few fingers. A few other injuries, including her gunshot wounds, were around his torso.
Bella firmly tore her head away, feeling her knees wobble. Yagmur's words hung in her mind.
The best any of us had to look forward to.
Was this it?
She had seen the show before, but she didn't think it would be like this. Of course people died in it, and that killing was part of the whole point. It was just... she had no idea how hard it was.
Bella's eyes laid on a camera, hanging a few feet to her right. It appeared to zoom in on her. She tore her eyes away just as quickly.
The metal in her hand reminded her of something. She turned around, looking at Yagmur. Bella wasn't sure if she should do it. He could take the gun and shoot her. But she had to.
Bella slowly reached to hold out the gun, making sure to keep the barrel down.
"You... you probably want this back", she said, a waver to her voice.
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General Goose
- Posts: 318
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:51 pm
Yagmur gently and slowly took the gun from Bella, giving her a brief reassuring smile in the way of thanks. He also mumbled "thank you", too, because there was no reason not to be polite.
A few moments of awkward silence passed.
Yagmur didn't want to order Bella about, or tell her what to do now. He had no preference, so just said "So, where should we go now? Back to the Museum, check upstairs?"
A few moments of awkward silence passed.
Yagmur didn't want to order Bella about, or tell her what to do now. He had no preference, so just said "So, where should we go now? Back to the Museum, check upstairs?"
Regina seemed...broken. Shock, jarred, signs that the true nature of the game had finally gotten to her. He followed Regina's gaze towards the door the boy had left from. Was she contemplating going after him?
Her next words surprised him: she opted to straight out kill the boy, go down those stairs and hunt him down. Tucker did know that they'd have to kill someone at some point, but he didn't want to think about that. Before he could protest or at least try and calm Regina down, two gunshots echoed from downstairs. He jumped back from the stairs, but Regina hobbled over to the edge and looked down. She grumbled something and went back to Bunny's corpse.
There were other people here, Tucker was sure of it: he was pretty sure that the murderer didn't have a gun on him or he would've shot Bunny. No, someone else was down there, shooting the murderer or doing something similar. His heartbeat sped up as he gripped the knife. They weren't going to leaving this tower if that guy was lingering downstairs. Was there another way out? It didn't seem like it.
Tucker heard a thud as Regina collapsed to the floor and threw up, he immediately rushed to her side, but she propped herself up on her own. Told him to scout out their enemy and nothing more. He didn't want to leave her here, but she was most likely being smart about this situation.
He only nodded as he dropped his bag on the floor, exiting onto the stair's landing and peeking down. He heard muffled voices, barely audible from this height. Great, now they had to get past several people if they ever wanted to leave.
Her next words surprised him: she opted to straight out kill the boy, go down those stairs and hunt him down. Tucker did know that they'd have to kill someone at some point, but he didn't want to think about that. Before he could protest or at least try and calm Regina down, two gunshots echoed from downstairs. He jumped back from the stairs, but Regina hobbled over to the edge and looked down. She grumbled something and went back to Bunny's corpse.
There were other people here, Tucker was sure of it: he was pretty sure that the murderer didn't have a gun on him or he would've shot Bunny. No, someone else was down there, shooting the murderer or doing something similar. His heartbeat sped up as he gripped the knife. They weren't going to leaving this tower if that guy was lingering downstairs. Was there another way out? It didn't seem like it.
Tucker heard a thud as Regina collapsed to the floor and threw up, he immediately rushed to her side, but she propped herself up on her own. Told him to scout out their enemy and nothing more. He didn't want to leave her here, but she was most likely being smart about this situation.
He only nodded as he dropped his bag on the floor, exiting onto the stair's landing and peeking down. He heard muffled voices, barely audible from this height. Great, now they had to get past several people if they ever wanted to leave.
Yagmur had taken the gun, with a small "thank you". Bella smiled, or at least attempted to do so. Smiling was something that was difficult right now.
A few quiet moments had passed, with what seemed to be just the two of them, three if you count Gene. No one said anything.
But Bella, after Yagmur asked, wasn't sure if she wanted to stick around. The now familiar smell wasn't going away any time soon. It was like rusted metal, and unpleasant. And she didn't want to continue standing around Gene. The memories of Will's cries of pain and Gene wrestling against Aidan and Yagmur still stained her thoughts. And for the past few moments her mind kept replaying what just happened.
Her with the gun. Her shooting, the smell of gunpowder and the recoil going off. Gene falling to the ground. Her beating him with the fire extinguisher. His head cracking. It just played over and over, like a looping movie.
She wasn't sure if she could go back to the aquarium. Even though they knew why they left, it would feel strange with them knowing that she actually went through with it. But it was justified, wasn't it? He killed Will, and likely would have killed again. And he was injured and was losing it.
Gene had friends, didn't he?
But she had to go back. She promised.
"We need to go. Soon", she said, her voice low with thought. "Just... give me a few minutes."
A few quiet moments had passed, with what seemed to be just the two of them, three if you count Gene. No one said anything.
But Bella, after Yagmur asked, wasn't sure if she wanted to stick around. The now familiar smell wasn't going away any time soon. It was like rusted metal, and unpleasant. And she didn't want to continue standing around Gene. The memories of Will's cries of pain and Gene wrestling against Aidan and Yagmur still stained her thoughts. And for the past few moments her mind kept replaying what just happened.
Her with the gun. Her shooting, the smell of gunpowder and the recoil going off. Gene falling to the ground. Her beating him with the fire extinguisher. His head cracking. It just played over and over, like a looping movie.
She wasn't sure if she could go back to the aquarium. Even though they knew why they left, it would feel strange with them knowing that she actually went through with it. But it was justified, wasn't it? He killed Will, and likely would have killed again. And he was injured and was losing it.
Gene had friends, didn't he?
But she had to go back. She promised.
"We need to go. Soon", she said, her voice low with thought. "Just... give me a few minutes."
[Wedding. Sick. Exhausted. Not enough sorries in the world. Let's get on with this, shall we?]
Seconds past, but they felt like minutes – hours as Regina deliberately breathed slowly, crouched beside Bunny. It became harder to not look as she focused – reaching inwardly for something, anything, that would stabilise the chaos for just long enough.Flashes of friends were discarded. Family shoved aside.
A woman dressed in a white robe. A lion, its tongue out in submission.
Another moment passed. Then Regina was throwing herself into the imagery, remembering readings, cross-legged on a couch that she refused to remember too well. Strength. There was no room for unbridled anger; no time to be surprised. Both had got so many killed, in and out of this game. Both would get her killed.
The painkillers would not kick in for about half an hour, but she gritted through the pain to stand, holding firm the imagery in her mind. Calm outside, a fire within. The third time she looked at Bunny she let her eyes linger, feeling empty inside but strangely unaffected without. It was a thin veneer, one that Tucker had seen through, but one that needed to hold. She would make it stay, and that meant moving.
The cap was screwed firmly back on the bottle, and it was thrust back into the bag as her weapon became an odd sort of support – they – she- would need to find something better for long term. For now, it would do.
By the time she made it to Tucker’s side, there was none of the instinctive rage, but deep breaths. In minutes, maybe an hour, it would become more natural again. Until then, her heart was still racing, her heart breaking a little as Regina locked everything down and looked down.
The voices were quiet, barely audible from this height. But... “I think I recognise one of them,” Regina whispered tersely. “We can’t stay up here forever. Start making our way down, slowly, and hope they leave before we reach the bottom?”
It was the last thing she wanted to do, especially on her knee – but she wanted to be away from here as quickly as possible. Regina did not know where sanctuary was any more, but it was not at the top of the Sunshine Tower. And so she gripped the hand rail, and tried not to wince every time her knee screamed in protestation.
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(Skipping, blah blah inactivity)
Tucker listened as Regina proposed a plan. It may be risky, but it was really all they could do besides sitting around. He nodded in reply and motioned behind them, going back to grab his bag. The feeling of finally having a bag was quite nice, and it made him feel like he finally had some supplies. He hoped that this could last him for a long while.
Regina was already making some progress when he got back. He followed suit, edging down the spiral staircase behind her. It took Tucker a good amount of effort to silence his footfalls, trying to keep any sound from echoing down the stairwell. He silently begged whoever was down there to go away.
Tucker listened as Regina proposed a plan. It may be risky, but it was really all they could do besides sitting around. He nodded in reply and motioned behind them, going back to grab his bag. The feeling of finally having a bag was quite nice, and it made him feel like he finally had some supplies. He hoped that this could last him for a long while.
Regina was already making some progress when he got back. He followed suit, edging down the spiral staircase behind her. It took Tucker a good amount of effort to silence his footfalls, trying to keep any sound from echoing down the stairwell. He silently begged whoever was down there to go away.
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General Goose
- Posts: 318
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:51 pm
((Apologies.))
"Of course. We wait."
He allowed himself to settle into an automatic stupor of sorts. His mind was blank. He just scanned the area, gun at the ready, looking for any obvious threats. His senses were numb. Emotions, fears, complex situational analysis, his deluded ambitions of addressing things far beyond this one game - they were all on temporary unpaid leave.
Bella needed a few moments. What Yagmur didn't know was that he needed a few too.
Soon, however, his brain clicked back into gear with a blink and a furrowing of his brow, and restlessness kicked in.
"I'm going to pop upstairs. See if Gene had anything...useful."
As he climbed the stairs and called out a hello, Yagmur realised he felt bad about scavenging. And though he had not been contemplating the idea of playing, he knew then that he had no chance of doing the things needed to survive.
He shook his head, and forced himself back into autopilot.
"Of course. We wait."
He allowed himself to settle into an automatic stupor of sorts. His mind was blank. He just scanned the area, gun at the ready, looking for any obvious threats. His senses were numb. Emotions, fears, complex situational analysis, his deluded ambitions of addressing things far beyond this one game - they were all on temporary unpaid leave.
Bella needed a few moments. What Yagmur didn't know was that he needed a few too.
Soon, however, his brain clicked back into gear with a blink and a furrowing of his brow, and restlessness kicked in.
"I'm going to pop upstairs. See if Gene had anything...useful."
As he climbed the stairs and called out a hello, Yagmur realised he felt bad about scavenging. And though he had not been contemplating the idea of playing, he knew then that he had no chance of doing the things needed to survive.
He shook his head, and forced himself back into autopilot.
So here it was, then.
Bella nodded as Yagmur said he was going to go upstairs to check for supplies. She wondered if he would be alright going up by himself, or if she would be alright down here. But, she remembered, Yagmur had the gun. If something were to happen, he could easily... well, take care of it.
Hopefully he wouldn’t have to.
Bella watched him approach the stairs, and then turned her head around nervously. The smell was getting so bad for her that it was probably good for her to find someplace to sit down. There were more corpses around than she had realized. There was one wearing some kind of crumpled lace outfit, and another with blonde hair. She didn’t want to take a close look to see if either of them was anybody she knew. It was bad enough seeing Gene’s and Will’s so far, she didn’t want to see any more.
Her eyes, however, ended up back at Gene. Feeling her stomach lurch, she crouched down. The pogo stick had fallen just a few feet away from him. With shaking hands, she pinched a bit of the plush pony’s mane, tugging it upwards. Her other hand grabbed the cold steel pole.
It was so strange. She remembered seeing it last time, back at the aquarium. Bella felt odd, holding something that she knew killed her friend. Holding it only kept the memories around. But if they came back before the announcement, bringing it with them would prove that they got him right on the spot.
Oh, that’s right, the announcement.
Next announcement, everyone was going to know about what happened with Gene. It was another thing she tried to push to the back of her mind. Sometimes, when she watched the show, it was difficult to convince people of the full story even when you had only killed one person. It was something to expect, that reaction.
She pulled herself back up, and dragged herself as far away as possible from Gene and the other bodies. Bella sat against the wall, holding the pogo stick across her lap. The air was still chilly, no doubt, and she couldn’t help but notice how weak her knees were when she moved, or how her heart beat harder just from sitting down.
The worst part, she decided, was that she still hated Gene. He was dead now, but nothing had changed for her. Among the other emotions she felt when she remembered what he did to Will, anger was still there. A few times when she had been walking with Yagmur, she would feel disgust and horror as the memory came up, but it only reminded her of what they were doing and why.
It was the right thing, though. Wasn’t it?
Bella smoothed out a bit of the pony’s mane. There was something comforting about stroking it.
If Yagmur had any trouble, he could easily call out as well. She wasn’t sure what a girl with a pogo stick who was feeling ill could do in comparison to someone with a gun, but she was willing to help him if anything happened upstairs. Whether or not she could, though, was another issue.
Bella nodded as Yagmur said he was going to go upstairs to check for supplies. She wondered if he would be alright going up by himself, or if she would be alright down here. But, she remembered, Yagmur had the gun. If something were to happen, he could easily... well, take care of it.
Hopefully he wouldn’t have to.
Bella watched him approach the stairs, and then turned her head around nervously. The smell was getting so bad for her that it was probably good for her to find someplace to sit down. There were more corpses around than she had realized. There was one wearing some kind of crumpled lace outfit, and another with blonde hair. She didn’t want to take a close look to see if either of them was anybody she knew. It was bad enough seeing Gene’s and Will’s so far, she didn’t want to see any more.
Her eyes, however, ended up back at Gene. Feeling her stomach lurch, she crouched down. The pogo stick had fallen just a few feet away from him. With shaking hands, she pinched a bit of the plush pony’s mane, tugging it upwards. Her other hand grabbed the cold steel pole.
It was so strange. She remembered seeing it last time, back at the aquarium. Bella felt odd, holding something that she knew killed her friend. Holding it only kept the memories around. But if they came back before the announcement, bringing it with them would prove that they got him right on the spot.
Oh, that’s right, the announcement.
Next announcement, everyone was going to know about what happened with Gene. It was another thing she tried to push to the back of her mind. Sometimes, when she watched the show, it was difficult to convince people of the full story even when you had only killed one person. It was something to expect, that reaction.
She pulled herself back up, and dragged herself as far away as possible from Gene and the other bodies. Bella sat against the wall, holding the pogo stick across her lap. The air was still chilly, no doubt, and she couldn’t help but notice how weak her knees were when she moved, or how her heart beat harder just from sitting down.
The worst part, she decided, was that she still hated Gene. He was dead now, but nothing had changed for her. Among the other emotions she felt when she remembered what he did to Will, anger was still there. A few times when she had been walking with Yagmur, she would feel disgust and horror as the memory came up, but it only reminded her of what they were doing and why.
It was the right thing, though. Wasn’t it?
Bella smoothed out a bit of the pony’s mane. There was something comforting about stroking it.
If Yagmur had any trouble, he could easily call out as well. She wasn’t sure what a girl with a pogo stick who was feeling ill could do in comparison to someone with a gun, but she was willing to help him if anything happened upstairs. Whether or not she could, though, was another issue.
A hand came off the rail, motioning for Tucker to stop even as Regina realised that going back up was not an option. Holding together, and not needing to focus on it every second that the pain threatened to fracture it completely, was nowhere within mental reach, or awareness yet.
“Yagmur.”
The single word, breathed out, was possibly the best thing that could have happened at this moment. It would be a test, but it meant that at least one of the people who had ended Gene Steward was potentially a friend. Not that they knew that for a fact, but Regina allowed herself a little hope that the bastard had not gotten far after damaging her this badly.
There was no way to get past him on the staircase without being seen, and even if they could have, Regina knew she could not outrun him. One more dent to her emotional shield, just to get away, then she would be free to act on her goals. There would not be another Tucker.
“Play along, and get us out of here,” she whispered. Then without a second thought or chance to doubt, she purposely, and hating herself for the faith once again placed in Tucker, let her full weight onto the injured leg. Though playing the injured, defenceless girl had been an act, the scream of anguish that escaped was not, nor the way she felt her consciousness swim slightly when she tried to stand again. It was the only way, she told herself again and again – but it did not help against the disappointment that for every small step forward that she took, there was at least one large step back.
It would be worth it, all of it. It had to be.
“Yagmur.”
The single word, breathed out, was possibly the best thing that could have happened at this moment. It would be a test, but it meant that at least one of the people who had ended Gene Steward was potentially a friend. Not that they knew that for a fact, but Regina allowed herself a little hope that the bastard had not gotten far after damaging her this badly.
There was no way to get past him on the staircase without being seen, and even if they could have, Regina knew she could not outrun him. One more dent to her emotional shield, just to get away, then she would be free to act on her goals. There would not be another Tucker.
“Play along, and get us out of here,” she whispered. Then without a second thought or chance to doubt, she purposely, and hating herself for the faith once again placed in Tucker, let her full weight onto the injured leg. Though playing the injured, defenceless girl had been an act, the scream of anguish that escaped was not, nor the way she felt her consciousness swim slightly when she tried to stand again. It was the only way, she told herself again and again – but it did not help against the disappointment that for every small step forward that she took, there was at least one large step back.
It would be worth it, all of it. It had to be.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Imehal. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
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General Goose
- Posts: 318
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:51 pm
Whenever he turned around a new corner on the spiral staircase -
No, that wasn't right. Spiral staircases didn't have corners. That was kind of their thing.
-no, whenever a new part of the staircase came into view (fuck it, saying corners was a lot easier and less clunky, pedantry be damned), he made sure his gun was ready, his eyes and ears open for any sign of a threat. And then he turned, and saw Regina and Tucker.
Not people he exactly cared for, but familiar faces that were not completely idiotic psychopaths, and that was more than enough.
His standard for "friend" had dropped quite considerably.
Before he could do anything but raise his hands and point his gun upwards to demonstrate his peaceful intentions, Reggie said something he didn't quite hear, and then let out a scream, her leg apparently having too much weight put on it.
Oh great, an obvious injury. Fucking great.
Rushing forward and sliding his gun into his belt, he rushed forward, and put his hands out to help her stabilise.
Yagmur didn't have the patience to wait for her to go down the stairs of her own accord, so scooped up the petite girl into a bridal carry.
"You guys heading out from this tower?" he asked, answering the question for them by turning to go down the stairs, motioning for Tucker to follow. "We were after this Gene shithead...fucking psychopath. He didn't get far."
He began making his way down.
No, that wasn't right. Spiral staircases didn't have corners. That was kind of their thing.
-no, whenever a new part of the staircase came into view (fuck it, saying corners was a lot easier and less clunky, pedantry be damned), he made sure his gun was ready, his eyes and ears open for any sign of a threat. And then he turned, and saw Regina and Tucker.
Not people he exactly cared for, but familiar faces that were not completely idiotic psychopaths, and that was more than enough.
His standard for "friend" had dropped quite considerably.
Before he could do anything but raise his hands and point his gun upwards to demonstrate his peaceful intentions, Reggie said something he didn't quite hear, and then let out a scream, her leg apparently having too much weight put on it.
Oh great, an obvious injury. Fucking great.
Rushing forward and sliding his gun into his belt, he rushed forward, and put his hands out to help her stabilise.
Yagmur didn't have the patience to wait for her to go down the stairs of her own accord, so scooped up the petite girl into a bridal carry.
"You guys heading out from this tower?" he asked, answering the question for them by turning to go down the stairs, motioning for Tucker to follow. "We were after this Gene shithead...fucking psychopath. He didn't get far."
He began making his way down.