((Sycanus Applettin continued fro No Country For Teenagers ))
Nearing the forest, Sycanus grew worried even more. Thoughts of her being shot up by anyone were starting to fill her mind.
Look, we'll get out of this. I'm sure of it...
"I... I dunno, Tobeyn..." she whispered. "What if Benny-"
Don't worry about him for right now. He's just- Oh look, there's Benny and Katie, hunched over a bush. Wait, what?!
"Right... over... there..."
... Coincidence, I think. Sheer coincidence. That, and we've been following him for quite some time. Wanna see what they're looking at?
"Might be useful or something..." And so, Sycanus walked over to the bushes, holding her stuffed bear in front of her to get a better look.
Sycanus. Get closer.
"Why? What could it-" And there was her answer. An injured student, lying in the bush. Crying as it seemed. "Oh dear... this isn't good..." She began to reach for her first aid kit...
Don't bother with the first aid. Katie's got it. Nodding, Sycanus tried to get a closer look.
Hm... goth clothing... silent... I think I know who she is... but... hm. Was it Corduroy? No... wait, Conroy. That's it, she's that Conroy girl... Nuts, what was her first name again? And then it hit her. From class. She knew who she was staring at.
Think you oughta speak up...
"C-Cameo...?" she whispered.
Rebel Without a Clue
Open Thread
-
widespreadinman*
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2018 4:15 am
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the former handler widespreadinman.
((Katie Tanaka continued from No Country For Teenagers))
As they walked, even with her goal in mind, to a casual observer Katie seemed almost exactly the same.
But she didn't feel that way. Nope.
She had only really been focused on her goal. Occasionally she would be distracted by the odd grumble in her stomach from not eating much, thanks to losing most of her supplies. Sometimes she would be distracted by the ache in her bad leg from all the walking. But the entire time, what she was thinking about was Simon.
Unusually, she didn't say much. They walked mostly in silence, not really speaking much since they left the building.
She needed to get Benny and Sycanus to understand why exactly she wanted to do it.
And right on cue, he asked.
Katie winced a bit, both from the leg and what he had to say. He still wanted to avoid him, huh? But he was killing everyone! Not only was he killing, but so was Delilah and Rebecca and god knew who else! He had to be stopped. Katie wanted to see him pay.
So she asked the obvious question. "Why?"
Benny had just proved her point. He was killing everyone. He had to pay. Of course he did. Katie would have loved to see him get what he deserved. So there you go. One good reason to track him down. He had already killed their friends, and was probably killing more.
Katie ended up pointing this out, and it went silent. As she looked at Benny, she noticed that he was looking at something. Following where his gaze led, Katie stopped short, and all thoughts of Simon went out of her head for the time being.
Her heart stopped. There was a girl, laying in between the bushes. Katie thought she had been killed, but as she and Benny ran closer she saw that she was still alive. Well, not completely uninjured actually. She was clearly injured, judging by the blood on her clothes, gleaming in the dim light.
That was... that was Jacqueline Conroy, right? The goth girl? Katie didn't know her well. But she had to help her. She couldn't see where exactly she was hurt, but there was blood, and lots of it.
Katie took a gasp of air, trying to remember first aid. A long time ago, she had learned first aid in scouting, which resulted in a special badge for it. She had only used her knowledge a few times, mostly while hiking. Even then, it was minor and not... well, anything like this!
That's when Katie noticed the distinct shape of a first aid kit laying next to her, and she swiftly grabbed it, fumbling a bit to get it open in her panic.
Benny told her to disinfect it. But first things first; the bleeding needed to stop altogether or else she'd bleed to death! But how? She remembered that you were supposed to apply pressure to serious injuries before you disinfected them. So she grabbed a bit of dressing, and looked again.
A closer examination revealed that she had been shot in the shoulder and thigh. Okay, so apply pressure to those bits. She reached to apply pressure to her shoulder, with baited breath. It had been a while since she had taken that first aid class in scouting, so she could be doing this wrong for all she knew.
"Hey. You guys wanna help? I think she was shot in the shoulder and leg. We need to stop her from bleeding first! All... just apply pressure to it, it's not hard I don't think", Katie got out, her voice wavering.
As they walked, even with her goal in mind, to a casual observer Katie seemed almost exactly the same.
But she didn't feel that way. Nope.
She had only really been focused on her goal. Occasionally she would be distracted by the odd grumble in her stomach from not eating much, thanks to losing most of her supplies. Sometimes she would be distracted by the ache in her bad leg from all the walking. But the entire time, what she was thinking about was Simon.
Unusually, she didn't say much. They walked mostly in silence, not really speaking much since they left the building.
She needed to get Benny and Sycanus to understand why exactly she wanted to do it.
And right on cue, he asked.
Katie winced a bit, both from the leg and what he had to say. He still wanted to avoid him, huh? But he was killing everyone! Not only was he killing, but so was Delilah and Rebecca and god knew who else! He had to be stopped. Katie wanted to see him pay.
So she asked the obvious question. "Why?"
Benny had just proved her point. He was killing everyone. He had to pay. Of course he did. Katie would have loved to see him get what he deserved. So there you go. One good reason to track him down. He had already killed their friends, and was probably killing more.
Katie ended up pointing this out, and it went silent. As she looked at Benny, she noticed that he was looking at something. Following where his gaze led, Katie stopped short, and all thoughts of Simon went out of her head for the time being.
Her heart stopped. There was a girl, laying in between the bushes. Katie thought she had been killed, but as she and Benny ran closer she saw that she was still alive. Well, not completely uninjured actually. She was clearly injured, judging by the blood on her clothes, gleaming in the dim light.
That was... that was Jacqueline Conroy, right? The goth girl? Katie didn't know her well. But she had to help her. She couldn't see where exactly she was hurt, but there was blood, and lots of it.
Katie took a gasp of air, trying to remember first aid. A long time ago, she had learned first aid in scouting, which resulted in a special badge for it. She had only used her knowledge a few times, mostly while hiking. Even then, it was minor and not... well, anything like this!
That's when Katie noticed the distinct shape of a first aid kit laying next to her, and she swiftly grabbed it, fumbling a bit to get it open in her panic.
Benny told her to disinfect it. But first things first; the bleeding needed to stop altogether or else she'd bleed to death! But how? She remembered that you were supposed to apply pressure to serious injuries before you disinfected them. So she grabbed a bit of dressing, and looked again.
A closer examination revealed that she had been shot in the shoulder and thigh. Okay, so apply pressure to those bits. She reached to apply pressure to her shoulder, with baited breath. It had been a while since she had taken that first aid class in scouting, so she could be doing this wrong for all she knew.
"Hey. You guys wanna help? I think she was shot in the shoulder and leg. We need to stop her from bleeding first! All... just apply pressure to it, it's not hard I don't think", Katie got out, her voice wavering.
CYBERS:
HARERAISER (Winter Castillo)The synthwave bunnygirl programmer roller weeb!
Currently: Confused? Horrified?
SECOND CHANCES
Junko KurosawaThink Johnny Knoxville but a teenage girl.
Currently: Ridng a shopping cart (in-between threads)
Bella Bianchi
Ballet dancer with pressure.
Currently: In the student lounge
(Meanwhile in the past...)
((Apologies for this terrible terrible holdup))
The boy wasn't helping her. She never in her life took the meaning of lothario to mean sociopath, but Brian had looked over her helpless body and treated her with such disdain and amusement she couldn't help but wonder if Simon had not been the only one to go insane here. He leaned down and let his gun touch her face, treating her like he was a gorilla ripping the legs off its prey and playing with it before it died, and she wanted to kill him. She wanted to lean up and remove his head from his body through any means necessary.
But he left her. He basically spat in her face, and ran off.
And everyone else that was still alive went with him. Her body and her pain was no issue to them, either that or she was as invisible as the day she came here, and they were blind to it.
But there was one girl. One girl who stayed behind, one who looked like she cared just a bit. Cameo could only see a bit through the craning of her neck. A small girl, who looked like she wanted to help, because Cameo needed help and nobody was helping her. Why wasn't anybody helping her?
But the girl didn't help her. She did nothing, and then she ran off. Her throat felt like warm hands were wrapped around it and squeezing ever so tight, but she wanted to scream for help. For once in her life, she was helpless, and nobody was listening to her want to remove the hands.
"Don't...leave...me..."
Her eyelids felt heavy. Common sense told her to stay awake, but she felt so dizzy just lying there on the ground, and she wanted it to be over.
Time could have passed for all she knew, everything was so out of focus and it was like going down some kind of slippery slope and there was no way to stop. She couldn't move, Cameo could almost feel her muscles relaxing to the point where they would never move again.
But once again, there were voices.
She could hear worry, and she could hear fear, and suddenly she could see people coming into her field of vision. She tilted her head only slightly to the side and suddenly, people. Different people, people who looked worried for her, and suddenly she didn't feel so numb. They were speaking, they were yelling, they were doing things, and the girl by her side was saying she would help her.
"Thank..." Cameo started, and she almost caught herself as she said that, trying her best to lean her body up. That word, that phrase, such a foreign concept. She'd never thanked her parents in her entire life. She'd never thanked Clover in their entire friendship. She'd never even thanked Mark despite how much of a parent he was to her in place of her own parents. Now it came out, days before she was due to die. Such poetic justice for all.
Just as before there were four people here alive, there were four people here still alive. The Asian girl was helping her up to look at her shoulder, the boy was on her other side, while the other girl was standing in the background. For once, she was glad. She almost smiled at the two people who were almost this close to tending to her wounds.
The other girl of the three new arrivals was standing there, and her name, Cameo's name, hung through the air as she said it. Three things came to mind as she looked the new arrival over.
One was the fact that a teddy-bear was clutched in her hands.
Second was the gun clenched right with the bear.
And the third was the voice. That was a voice if she ever knew one. In fact, it was downright scary how much it resembled the voice at the cabin-
That girl. The one at the cabin.
She was with the first one. With Simon. And a gun.
And she was with the others.
She knows. She has tried to kill.
"..."
And suddenly, everything in her time here made perfect, perfect sense.
"You."
The boy wasn't helping her. She never in her life took the meaning of lothario to mean sociopath, but Brian had looked over her helpless body and treated her with such disdain and amusement she couldn't help but wonder if Simon had not been the only one to go insane here. He leaned down and let his gun touch her face, treating her like he was a gorilla ripping the legs off its prey and playing with it before it died, and she wanted to kill him. She wanted to lean up and remove his head from his body through any means necessary.
But he left her. He basically spat in her face, and ran off.
And everyone else that was still alive went with him. Her body and her pain was no issue to them, either that or she was as invisible as the day she came here, and they were blind to it.
But there was one girl. One girl who stayed behind, one who looked like she cared just a bit. Cameo could only see a bit through the craning of her neck. A small girl, who looked like she wanted to help, because Cameo needed help and nobody was helping her. Why wasn't anybody helping her?
But the girl didn't help her. She did nothing, and then she ran off. Her throat felt like warm hands were wrapped around it and squeezing ever so tight, but she wanted to scream for help. For once in her life, she was helpless, and nobody was listening to her want to remove the hands.
"Don't...leave...me..."
Her eyelids felt heavy. Common sense told her to stay awake, but she felt so dizzy just lying there on the ground, and she wanted it to be over.
Time could have passed for all she knew, everything was so out of focus and it was like going down some kind of slippery slope and there was no way to stop. She couldn't move, Cameo could almost feel her muscles relaxing to the point where they would never move again.
But once again, there were voices.
She could hear worry, and she could hear fear, and suddenly she could see people coming into her field of vision. She tilted her head only slightly to the side and suddenly, people. Different people, people who looked worried for her, and suddenly she didn't feel so numb. They were speaking, they were yelling, they were doing things, and the girl by her side was saying she would help her.
"Thank..." Cameo started, and she almost caught herself as she said that, trying her best to lean her body up. That word, that phrase, such a foreign concept. She'd never thanked her parents in her entire life. She'd never thanked Clover in their entire friendship. She'd never even thanked Mark despite how much of a parent he was to her in place of her own parents. Now it came out, days before she was due to die. Such poetic justice for all.
Just as before there were four people here alive, there were four people here still alive. The Asian girl was helping her up to look at her shoulder, the boy was on her other side, while the other girl was standing in the background. For once, she was glad. She almost smiled at the two people who were almost this close to tending to her wounds.
The other girl of the three new arrivals was standing there, and her name, Cameo's name, hung through the air as she said it. Three things came to mind as she looked the new arrival over.
One was the fact that a teddy-bear was clutched in her hands.
Second was the gun clenched right with the bear.
And the third was the voice. That was a voice if she ever knew one. In fact, it was downright scary how much it resembled the voice at the cabin-
That girl. The one at the cabin.
She was with the first one. With Simon. And a gun.
And she was with the others.
She knows. She has tried to kill.
"..."
And suddenly, everything in her time here made perfect, perfect sense.
"You."
-
Cash Money*
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2018 4:14 am
Katie started getting out some bandages and pressing down on Cameo's shoulder. Benny was about to say something, but then Katie asked for help compressing the wounds to stop the bleeding, and then he realized: what good was disinfecting the area if she was going to bleed all over everything and die anyway? Better to stop that from happening first.
Benny grabbed some leftover bandage from where Katie had taken some off. He folded it a few times and then prepared to press it down onto her leg. The sight of so much blood in the first place was already freaking Benny out; it wasn't so much anything intrinsic to the blood itself as it was the fact that Benny should not have had to see this much of it in the first place, not like this. The place where he had to press was obvious from the hole in the cloth. It was trivial that there would even be a hole there, but it was still disconcerting to see one, and to see what was inside. That alone was enough impetus for him to cover the wound immediately. He pressed down hard, hands overlapped and elbows locked, just like in CPR class back at school.
He looked toward the sky. An attempted thank you drifted in from somewhere, but Benny was too busy pressing downward and staring upward, unwittingly adopting the pose of a coyote howling at the moon. Benny didn't say a word, though; he just wanted answers.
And then an answer came. Not from the sky, but from Cameo herself. It wasn't the one he'd wanted, but rather the one he'd never even thought to fear. It came in the form of a single, accusatory word: "You."
Benny looked down at where Cameo was looking. It was at Sycanus.
There was so much he wanted to do right then, but he instead waited. There was no way he could run anymore. Not that he didn't have the energy. He just knew that whatever Cameo had started, he needed to let her finish. Even if it meant disaster.
Benny grabbed some leftover bandage from where Katie had taken some off. He folded it a few times and then prepared to press it down onto her leg. The sight of so much blood in the first place was already freaking Benny out; it wasn't so much anything intrinsic to the blood itself as it was the fact that Benny should not have had to see this much of it in the first place, not like this. The place where he had to press was obvious from the hole in the cloth. It was trivial that there would even be a hole there, but it was still disconcerting to see one, and to see what was inside. That alone was enough impetus for him to cover the wound immediately. He pressed down hard, hands overlapped and elbows locked, just like in CPR class back at school.
He looked toward the sky. An attempted thank you drifted in from somewhere, but Benny was too busy pressing downward and staring upward, unwittingly adopting the pose of a coyote howling at the moon. Benny didn't say a word, though; he just wanted answers.
And then an answer came. Not from the sky, but from Cameo herself. It wasn't the one he'd wanted, but rather the one he'd never even thought to fear. It came in the form of a single, accusatory word: "You."
Benny looked down at where Cameo was looking. It was at Sycanus.
There was so much he wanted to do right then, but he instead waited. There was no way he could run anymore. Not that he didn't have the energy. He just knew that whatever Cameo had started, he needed to let her finish. Even if it meant disaster.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Cash Money. 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.
((Because of the circumstances surrounding this character being killed off, the death will be taken care of by the staff exclusively. Thank you))
Cameo looked back at Sycanus, almost spitting out the single word, 'You'.
To Sycanus, it sounded vicious, hate-filled, accusatory, all rolled into one.
Sycanus, we need to go...
Sycanus backed up one step, then another.
"S-sorry... m-maybe I should go."
Clutching her bear, Sycanus bolted, the voice in her deluded her mind urging her on all the while.
((Sycanus continued in Hope's End))
Cameo looked back at Sycanus, almost spitting out the single word, 'You'.
To Sycanus, it sounded vicious, hate-filled, accusatory, all rolled into one.
Sycanus, we need to go...
Sycanus backed up one step, then another.
"S-sorry... m-maybe I should go."
Clutching her bear, Sycanus bolted, the voice in her deluded her mind urging her on all the while.
((Sycanus continued in Hope's End))
Katie continued applying pressure to the shoulder, her thoughts blurring.
All her thoughts were focused on making the bleeding stop. There was... quite a lot, to say the least. Her own heart racing, her hands clasped the wound with the gauze as best as she could.
"Come on..." she mumbled under her breath.
Luckily, Benny had stepped in to help. He had taken the leg, applying the pressure there as well. She wasn't going to bleed to death, right? Not with two people applying pressure and stuff. Yes. She wasn't going to bleed, she was sure! She just... needed to get the wound disinfected and all that, right?
The girl started to say something. It sounds like she was trying to say "Thank you?" Apparently. And Katie smiled.
There was something nice about that.
As Katie applied pressure to the wound, the atmosphere slowly changed. She didn't know what exactly changed, but you could feel it in the air.
Then Jacqueline said only one word.
All it took was one "You."
Katie then realized she was referring to Sycanus, who was standing there, with horror in her face. They knew each other. The tone didn't sound so good, like Sycanus had killed Jacqueline's pet or something. It meant only one thing. If it wasn't handled now, it could mean something foul could go down. Something had happened between them at some point.
And with that, Sycanus spun around and ran away.
"Wait!"
Looking back and forth at the injured girl and her other traveling partner very swiftly, she said "Should... should we go after her?"
How could they? Jacqueline was still clearly hurt, so that meant she and someone else had to stay behind while someone else went off to look.
And then another question that came up in her distressed mind.
"Jacqueline. Do you know her?"
All her thoughts were focused on making the bleeding stop. There was... quite a lot, to say the least. Her own heart racing, her hands clasped the wound with the gauze as best as she could.
"Come on..." she mumbled under her breath.
Luckily, Benny had stepped in to help. He had taken the leg, applying the pressure there as well. She wasn't going to bleed to death, right? Not with two people applying pressure and stuff. Yes. She wasn't going to bleed, she was sure! She just... needed to get the wound disinfected and all that, right?
The girl started to say something. It sounds like she was trying to say "Thank you?" Apparently. And Katie smiled.
There was something nice about that.
As Katie applied pressure to the wound, the atmosphere slowly changed. She didn't know what exactly changed, but you could feel it in the air.
Then Jacqueline said only one word.
All it took was one "You."
Katie then realized she was referring to Sycanus, who was standing there, with horror in her face. They knew each other. The tone didn't sound so good, like Sycanus had killed Jacqueline's pet or something. It meant only one thing. If it wasn't handled now, it could mean something foul could go down. Something had happened between them at some point.
And with that, Sycanus spun around and ran away.
"Wait!"
Looking back and forth at the injured girl and her other traveling partner very swiftly, she said "Should... should we go after her?"
How could they? Jacqueline was still clearly hurt, so that meant she and someone else had to stay behind while someone else went off to look.
And then another question that came up in her distressed mind.
"Jacqueline. Do you know her?"
CYBERS:
HARERAISER (Winter Castillo)The synthwave bunnygirl programmer roller weeb!
Currently: Confused? Horrified?
SECOND CHANCES
Junko KurosawaThink Johnny Knoxville but a teenage girl.
Currently: Ridng a shopping cart (in-between threads)
Bella Bianchi
Ballet dancer with pressure.
Currently: In the student lounge
(Meanwhile in the past...)
"No."
The girl was running away. She could see the freak and its little teddy bear slink into the darkness, and all pain fell to the background.
"No."
Long nails gripped the ground and tugged at the roots of the grass.
"GET BACK HERE."
Cameo's voice screamed through the night as she heard the light pitter-patter of feet, and every single distant step infuriated her as she realised all too well that she was getting away.
Suddenly, Cameo could run a marathon. She could run across the barest and driest of fields and she could stop the mightiest of kicks and she could catch the loons that ran about this godforsaken place as she made it only a few steps from her puddle on the ground before falling to her hands and knees again and screaming.
"YOU DON'T GET TO RUN!"
That freak was getting away. She didn't deserve to get away, but she was. It was so easy for her to as well, she taunted Cameo as her footsteps streaming through the forest became all so distant and disappeared.
"YOU DON'T GET TO RUN AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO HIM!"
The skin on her face prickled in the night and felt moist, like a spritz in the face from perfume or a light rain. It was sweat, it was rain, it was tears, she had no idea. Every iota of her body screamed bloody revenge as she sat prone there in the night, wanting to run this marathon once more but her body was a return to normality once it realised the pain it was in.
"You're the reason...he's..."
And there it was.
"...not...my Simon..."
Her body buckled to the wayside as she felt the pain of her wounds throb and etch into her skin. She could not do a thing anymore now that she was simply forced to stare through the trees in the darkness, and nothing more. Her face felt even wetter. It wasn't just the sweat anymore.
The girl was running away. She could see the freak and its little teddy bear slink into the darkness, and all pain fell to the background.
"No."
Long nails gripped the ground and tugged at the roots of the grass.
"GET BACK HERE."
Cameo's voice screamed through the night as she heard the light pitter-patter of feet, and every single distant step infuriated her as she realised all too well that she was getting away.
Suddenly, Cameo could run a marathon. She could run across the barest and driest of fields and she could stop the mightiest of kicks and she could catch the loons that ran about this godforsaken place as she made it only a few steps from her puddle on the ground before falling to her hands and knees again and screaming.
"YOU DON'T GET TO RUN!"
That freak was getting away. She didn't deserve to get away, but she was. It was so easy for her to as well, she taunted Cameo as her footsteps streaming through the forest became all so distant and disappeared.
"YOU DON'T GET TO RUN AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO HIM!"
The skin on her face prickled in the night and felt moist, like a spritz in the face from perfume or a light rain. It was sweat, it was rain, it was tears, she had no idea. Every iota of her body screamed bloody revenge as she sat prone there in the night, wanting to run this marathon once more but her body was a return to normality once it realised the pain it was in.
"You're the reason...he's..."
And there it was.
"...not...my Simon..."
Her body buckled to the wayside as she felt the pain of her wounds throb and etch into her skin. She could not do a thing anymore now that she was simply forced to stare through the trees in the darkness, and nothing more. Her face felt even wetter. It wasn't just the sweat anymore.
-
Cash Money*
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2018 4:14 am
Sycanus started to run.
"Wait!"
"No."
"Should..."
"NO."
"...should we go after her?"
Benny decided they should.
Cameo's screams echoed in his ears as he started an all out sprint. It hurt. His knee hurt, the pounding of his feet against the ground hurt, even the effort to force too-cold air into his lungs too fast hurt. But Cameo, who he trusted, at least a little, wanted her back for some reason. The least Benny could do was oblige her.
But it hurt. It hurt too much after too few steps. He'd never been on his feet so much in his entire life, and it showed as they practically cried out for rest. The world started to dim as his body quickly decided it took too much effort even to keep his eyelids lifted, and his spit turned to sour syrup in his mouth. The wind blew into his face, impeding his progress and his ability to see where Sycanus even was. Somehow, even his teeth ached as he sucked breath after breath of icy air into lungs that couldn't take the pace, grunting with the effort. And in too short of a time, they failed him.
His footsteps had slowed too quickly. He'd wasted so much of his surface energy doing things that, it now occurred to him, were irrelevant - fidgeting, panicking, being animated, being interesting and interested - and now that he actually needed it, the one time (ignoring that other time at the saloon) that he needed it, it wasn't there anymore, and now he was left to mine a shallow reserves. He knew there was no way he could catch up to her now. He wasn't going fast enough, couldn't speed up in his current state. So he quit, and almost immediately he dropped to the ground.
He'd never been on reserves before, not in his whole life. It made him feel hollow. Like his life force, the thing that animated him and made him Benny rather than just some other kid, wasn't there. He would have wondered if that meant he was a zombie now and was therefore given a free pass to eat brains, but he didn't have the wherewithal even to think that much.
He rolled over on his back. He managed to prop himself up on his hands, looking down out of a desire not to have to prop his head up. In the process, he got a glimpse of what his shirt said. It gave him an idea he could use after he caught his breath.
Several minutes later, he called out, "BAND MEETING! What do we do now?"
"Wait!"
"No."
"Should..."
"NO."
"...should we go after her?"
Benny decided they should.
Cameo's screams echoed in his ears as he started an all out sprint. It hurt. His knee hurt, the pounding of his feet against the ground hurt, even the effort to force too-cold air into his lungs too fast hurt. But Cameo, who he trusted, at least a little, wanted her back for some reason. The least Benny could do was oblige her.
But it hurt. It hurt too much after too few steps. He'd never been on his feet so much in his entire life, and it showed as they practically cried out for rest. The world started to dim as his body quickly decided it took too much effort even to keep his eyelids lifted, and his spit turned to sour syrup in his mouth. The wind blew into his face, impeding his progress and his ability to see where Sycanus even was. Somehow, even his teeth ached as he sucked breath after breath of icy air into lungs that couldn't take the pace, grunting with the effort. And in too short of a time, they failed him.
His footsteps had slowed too quickly. He'd wasted so much of his surface energy doing things that, it now occurred to him, were irrelevant - fidgeting, panicking, being animated, being interesting and interested - and now that he actually needed it, the one time (ignoring that other time at the saloon) that he needed it, it wasn't there anymore, and now he was left to mine a shallow reserves. He knew there was no way he could catch up to her now. He wasn't going fast enough, couldn't speed up in his current state. So he quit, and almost immediately he dropped to the ground.
He'd never been on reserves before, not in his whole life. It made him feel hollow. Like his life force, the thing that animated him and made him Benny rather than just some other kid, wasn't there. He would have wondered if that meant he was a zombie now and was therefore given a free pass to eat brains, but he didn't have the wherewithal even to think that much.
He rolled over on his back. He managed to prop himself up on his hands, looking down out of a desire not to have to prop his head up. In the process, he got a glimpse of what his shirt said. It gave him an idea he could use after he caught his breath.
Several minutes later, he called out, "BAND MEETING! What do we do now?"
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Cash Money. 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.
((All GMing approved by Inky and Roy))
And that's when everything got chaotic once more.
Jacqueline tried to stand up and run after her, only to fall like a newborn lamb taking its first steps on solid ice. Katie heard her screaming as she attempted to run. Who couldn't hear that? Thing was, though... she was screaming that Sycanus did something to someone.
Benny ran past her, which meant that he was the one going after Sycanus. Heart racing, Katie saw Jacqueline fall to the ground, unable to run very far. Katie jogged back over where Jacqueline had fallen, and heard the words that changed everything.
"You're the reason... he's... not... my Simon..."
It was quiet, but there it was. As Katie stopped near Jacqueline, she paused. "Her" Simon. Simon. She had the feeling she wasn't talking about Leroy.
Noticing the first aid kit still in her hand along with the bloodied gauze, she pulled out a few more supplies. Jacqueline, Jacqueline knew something. And that's when Katie had to say it.
"... I want you to tell me everything."
Jacqueline murmured in response "When you say... everything..."
"What?"
Katie briefly fidgeted. Here she was, talking to a severely injured girl, who knew something about the person she was chasing after most likely. As her hands continued applying pressure to the still-somewhat bleeding wounds, she couldn't help but think a bit more until Jacqueline spoke up again.
"I met him when I woke up."
"Who?" Katie asked, but she had the feeling she knew who she was referring to.
"Simon."
Yes, exactly who she was referring to.
"He didn't try to hurt you, did he?!" Katie found her voice raising slightly.
Jacqueline paused, as if something was on her mind. And when she spoke again...
"...He didn't. He wasn't hurting anyone."
What? How was what he was doing not "hurting anyone"? That? That was bullshit, plain and simple.
"Then... why has he killed like... four people?!" Katie yelled.
"I don't know. He was fine the last time I saw him yesterday. We separated when we had to look for something. And, when I saw him again..."
That's when Katie realized that Jacqueline had been tearing up the entire time. At first she thought why her face looked wet was because of dew or something, but it was clear she was upset by what's happening. But Katie had to say it. She had to say it. It was the first thing that came to mind.
"He... he killed some friends of ours" she said quietly.
Jacqueline went completely silent. Katie took a deep breath. Breathing helped when you're nervous and trying to talk. She had learned that a long time ago in drama. She couldn't help but go on.
"We... we were in the saloon. And he showed up and... and... he tried to kill us all. I had dynamite, and it was on the ground, and one of my friends tried to get it away from the bullets, and..."
Katie felt her hands start shaking as she continued trying to fix up Jacqueline's wounds. A familiar wet pressure was at her eyes. She didn't want to cry, though. This entire time, she had been trying to focus on simply getting revenge. But her memory replayed the moment of the shootout, everyone hiding, Ramona's screams at her to get the dynamite away, her attempts to push it away from the door, the explosion. Everything.
"I... I don't think I could ever forgive him!" Katie snapped.
She knew deep down she was talking about Jacqueline's friend, but honestly. Simon had to pay. She knew what he had done, and will most likely continue doing. She couldn't just sit there while he went unpunished.
A silence came over the two, and the only sounds she could hear were the occasional sounds of wilderness. Somewhere in the back, a bird cooed. For the moment, Katie was only focused on fixing her up.
Some time later, Jacqueline spoke again.
"When I saw him again, his name had come up on those... things. By that man. He wasn't making sense, he kept on saying something about... something about a girl, with a gun. He said she was with the ones who had died. He said that she's tried to kill. He wasn't making any sense at all. Until I saw her for myself."
Katie knew who she was talking about. It was obvious. There was no way it could have been. She was a little out there, certainly, but...
"... Who..." she began, but she was unable to finish.
"The one that just ran off."
Katie's eyes widened. Her mind went back to the saloon. She remembered that just before everything went... wrong, Sycanus had shown up. Katie had invited her in, only thinking she was a little weird at most. That's when Simon entered the picture. And then once they left, she had followed them out. There was no denying it. Maybe she was right.
"Wait, so she was... she was trying to...?" Katie whispered, dumbstruck.
Jacqueline seemed to grow more tense.
"I don't know", the goth girl said. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know..."
Katie could only continue staring at her.
"I thought he was going mad. But she's the reason he's not the Simon I met on the first day."
Katie fidgeted again, staying mostly quiet as she dressed the wounds.
"She's... she's always been a little loopy..." she quietly spoke, mostly to herself. "... talking to a bear... but... but..."
She stayed silent for a beat until the familiar voice of Benny came through the air.
"BAND MEETING! What should we do now?"
Katie slowly stood up. Jacqueline's first aid was, for the time being, almost complete. She was, however, unable to figure out what to say. Not after all that. What could she say? Another deep breath.
"We... we should go."
Katie had just realized how difficult it was for her to talk ever since the explosion. Katie was usually the one who knew what to say. But now, it was hard for her to even say something like that. She looked back at Jacqueline.
"H-hey. Can you stand?"
Katie winced. That was a stupid question. Of course she couldn't, not that well at least. She decided to rephrase it.
"Er, need help?"
Jacqueline seemed to hesitate for a beat, and then Katie saw her head slowly nod. Katie reached downwards, pulling her arm over her shoulder to pull her up and help her walk.
She didn't know what to do, not at this point.
((Katie Tanaka, Benny Lightfield, and Cameo Conroy continued in Bring Me The Head of Simon Mattheson))
And that's when everything got chaotic once more.
Jacqueline tried to stand up and run after her, only to fall like a newborn lamb taking its first steps on solid ice. Katie heard her screaming as she attempted to run. Who couldn't hear that? Thing was, though... she was screaming that Sycanus did something to someone.
Benny ran past her, which meant that he was the one going after Sycanus. Heart racing, Katie saw Jacqueline fall to the ground, unable to run very far. Katie jogged back over where Jacqueline had fallen, and heard the words that changed everything.
"You're the reason... he's... not... my Simon..."
It was quiet, but there it was. As Katie stopped near Jacqueline, she paused. "Her" Simon. Simon. She had the feeling she wasn't talking about Leroy.
Noticing the first aid kit still in her hand along with the bloodied gauze, she pulled out a few more supplies. Jacqueline, Jacqueline knew something. And that's when Katie had to say it.
"... I want you to tell me everything."
Jacqueline murmured in response "When you say... everything..."
"What?"
Katie briefly fidgeted. Here she was, talking to a severely injured girl, who knew something about the person she was chasing after most likely. As her hands continued applying pressure to the still-somewhat bleeding wounds, she couldn't help but think a bit more until Jacqueline spoke up again.
"I met him when I woke up."
"Who?" Katie asked, but she had the feeling she knew who she was referring to.
"Simon."
Yes, exactly who she was referring to.
"He didn't try to hurt you, did he?!" Katie found her voice raising slightly.
Jacqueline paused, as if something was on her mind. And when she spoke again...
"...He didn't. He wasn't hurting anyone."
What? How was what he was doing not "hurting anyone"? That? That was bullshit, plain and simple.
"Then... why has he killed like... four people?!" Katie yelled.
"I don't know. He was fine the last time I saw him yesterday. We separated when we had to look for something. And, when I saw him again..."
That's when Katie realized that Jacqueline had been tearing up the entire time. At first she thought why her face looked wet was because of dew or something, but it was clear she was upset by what's happening. But Katie had to say it. She had to say it. It was the first thing that came to mind.
"He... he killed some friends of ours" she said quietly.
Jacqueline went completely silent. Katie took a deep breath. Breathing helped when you're nervous and trying to talk. She had learned that a long time ago in drama. She couldn't help but go on.
"We... we were in the saloon. And he showed up and... and... he tried to kill us all. I had dynamite, and it was on the ground, and one of my friends tried to get it away from the bullets, and..."
Katie felt her hands start shaking as she continued trying to fix up Jacqueline's wounds. A familiar wet pressure was at her eyes. She didn't want to cry, though. This entire time, she had been trying to focus on simply getting revenge. But her memory replayed the moment of the shootout, everyone hiding, Ramona's screams at her to get the dynamite away, her attempts to push it away from the door, the explosion. Everything.
"I... I don't think I could ever forgive him!" Katie snapped.
She knew deep down she was talking about Jacqueline's friend, but honestly. Simon had to pay. She knew what he had done, and will most likely continue doing. She couldn't just sit there while he went unpunished.
A silence came over the two, and the only sounds she could hear were the occasional sounds of wilderness. Somewhere in the back, a bird cooed. For the moment, Katie was only focused on fixing her up.
Some time later, Jacqueline spoke again.
"When I saw him again, his name had come up on those... things. By that man. He wasn't making sense, he kept on saying something about... something about a girl, with a gun. He said she was with the ones who had died. He said that she's tried to kill. He wasn't making any sense at all. Until I saw her for myself."
Katie knew who she was talking about. It was obvious. There was no way it could have been. She was a little out there, certainly, but...
"... Who..." she began, but she was unable to finish.
"The one that just ran off."
Katie's eyes widened. Her mind went back to the saloon. She remembered that just before everything went... wrong, Sycanus had shown up. Katie had invited her in, only thinking she was a little weird at most. That's when Simon entered the picture. And then once they left, she had followed them out. There was no denying it. Maybe she was right.
"Wait, so she was... she was trying to...?" Katie whispered, dumbstruck.
Jacqueline seemed to grow more tense.
"I don't know", the goth girl said. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know..."
Katie could only continue staring at her.
"I thought he was going mad. But she's the reason he's not the Simon I met on the first day."
Katie fidgeted again, staying mostly quiet as she dressed the wounds.
"She's... she's always been a little loopy..." she quietly spoke, mostly to herself. "... talking to a bear... but... but..."
She stayed silent for a beat until the familiar voice of Benny came through the air.
"BAND MEETING! What should we do now?"
Katie slowly stood up. Jacqueline's first aid was, for the time being, almost complete. She was, however, unable to figure out what to say. Not after all that. What could she say? Another deep breath.
"We... we should go."
Katie had just realized how difficult it was for her to talk ever since the explosion. Katie was usually the one who knew what to say. But now, it was hard for her to even say something like that. She looked back at Jacqueline.
"H-hey. Can you stand?"
Katie winced. That was a stupid question. Of course she couldn't, not that well at least. She decided to rephrase it.
"Er, need help?"
Jacqueline seemed to hesitate for a beat, and then Katie saw her head slowly nod. Katie reached downwards, pulling her arm over her shoulder to pull her up and help her walk.
She didn't know what to do, not at this point.
((Katie Tanaka, Benny Lightfield, and Cameo Conroy continued in Bring Me The Head of Simon Mattheson))
CYBERS:
HARERAISER (Winter Castillo)The synthwave bunnygirl programmer roller weeb!
Currently: Confused? Horrified?
SECOND CHANCES
Junko KurosawaThink Johnny Knoxville but a teenage girl.
Currently: Ridng a shopping cart (in-between threads)
Bella Bianchi
Ballet dancer with pressure.
Currently: In the student lounge
(Meanwhile in the past...)
-
Cash Money*
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2018 4:14 am
And elsewhere...
The street corner where Benny had written instructions to his friends lay still in the moments directly after the announcement. The letters remained engraved in the dusty ground, calling out to two people, only one of whom could properly answer.
Then a clamor rose up from across town. First shouts, then gunshots carried through the streets. The events were imperceptible from as far away as the corner, but something was happening.
Two more sounds. Breaking glass, and then a whoosh. Heat rose from the source of trouble, and then started to dissipate into the neighboring atmosphere. The wind kicked up, carrying warmth away from the house, bending around corners and snaking its way around the neighboring houses.
As Benny helped Cameo up from the ground, a breeze ruffled his hair. Miles away, the same breeze blew dust into the air, erasing Patrick and Pepper's names from the earth.
The street corner where Benny had written instructions to his friends lay still in the moments directly after the announcement. The letters remained engraved in the dusty ground, calling out to two people, only one of whom could properly answer.
Then a clamor rose up from across town. First shouts, then gunshots carried through the streets. The events were imperceptible from as far away as the corner, but something was happening.
Two more sounds. Breaking glass, and then a whoosh. Heat rose from the source of trouble, and then started to dissipate into the neighboring atmosphere. The wind kicked up, carrying warmth away from the house, bending around corners and snaking its way around the neighboring houses.
As Benny helped Cameo up from the ground, a breeze ruffled his hair. Miles away, the same breeze blew dust into the air, erasing Patrick and Pepper's names from the earth.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Cash Money. 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.