Last of the Alderbrooks

[K-Robe]

Katie had gone to Rebecca.

Leo went after her.

Oh, not such a good idea, but Renee didn't protest. Renee hoped that he knew what he was doing and remembered the fact that he had a gun and that he should use it. That was a mistake that Renee had made earlier on, when she decided that not shooting Julia Wilson despite the fact that she was waving a gun around was a good idea. Renee rectified that with Rebecca's foot. She just hoped Leo wouldn't get bogged down by memories of Holly. However cold that may have sounded, Renee realized it was probably the truth. They needed to act pragmatic for now. Once Rebecca was out of the way, then they could act moral.

The past can't get you down. That will never help. Sam was proof enough of that. In fact, Sam was proof of a lot of things. Renee was proof of it, too.

Well, no more melancholy for now. Got a wound to fix.

Renee picked up the first aid kit and put herself to work, grabbing some alcohol wipes and cleaning out her wound. She gasped in pain, but she held back any noises. As she worked, she watched as Leo lumbered away.

[Courtography]

She had lost her focus. Too darn concentrated on standing up than what was important. Being ready to fire when someone went through the door, that had been important. But now instead it took Katie's shout, although it sounded close to a whisper in Rebecca's ears.

A handgun was pointed at her. Her own sawed off shotgun pointed back. Could she do it? Katie was one of her best friends. She hadn't killed a friend yet. Acquaintances, even good ones. Brian didn't count as a friend. A makeout buddy and attractive, but not a friend.

Rebecca knew she should have just squeezed the trigger, but that gun was pointed back and how much more damage could her body take anyway? Her voice sounded pathetic and ragged, "Wait."

[KamiKaze]

Katie's hands shook as she held the gun, pointing it towards Rebecca.

Here she was. She could just fire a shot into her. Rebecca Clark was now here, and ready to be murdered. It wouldn't make Katie feel completely better, but that was a start.

So why was she hesitating? Why was Rebecca hesitating?

A small word came from Rebecca.

"Wait."

Katie's eyes narrowed. Why should she wait? What was she waiting for? For Rebecca to shoot her full of bullets? Well, no. Katie wasn't going to wait for that.

So why should she wait?

Some part of her remembered Jacqueline. Katie remembered how she had teared up when she had seen Sycanus, and it was hard to forget the rage in her eyes once Simon was... gone. It was hard to forget about her at all, really. And she did something that truly messed Katie up; she revealed to her that someone loved Simon. There was something someone could love about him.

So what about Rebecca?

Katie knew Rebecca well, of course. There was still something someone could love about her, right? Maybe. Katie didn't know.

All she knew was that Rebecca was the main person killing. She killed so many of their friends and classmates, it wasn't even funny.

"Why... why should I wait?" Katie found herself distantly asking.

She heard Leo walking up behind her, but she didn't pay notice.

[Acidic*]

Katie didn't acknowledge Leo as he walked up, but he was more interested in what Rebecca had to say.

We should just shoot her, Leo thought while rolling his eyes.

He actually thought about it too, how easy it could've been. Just to aim his gun and fire, but too much could've gone wrong. With Katie and Rebecca aiming at each other it could blow up and he'd be caught in the cross fire.

Backing up a small step he made eyes at the nearest form of cover.

[K-Robe]

Grab bandages. Wrap. Muffle sounds of pain with sleeve.

Renee could see the blood soaking the bandages and she vaguely wondered if she'd applied it wrong. Her head was feeling light at the moment and she couldn't help but feel a little dizzy.

Whatever. Doesn't matter now. A bloody shoulder isn't going to affect me that much.

She saw Leo go through the door. For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence. Then, she heard Katie and Rebecca talking. No gunshots, no nothing. And Leo wasn't doing anything either, as far as she could tell.

Oh, screw that.

Now was definitely not the time to try and talk to the person that was most determined to get them all killed. Renee would have to stop whatever farce was about to happen and fast.

Shaking, Renee pulled herself up. She hefted the MP5 in her right hand. Her shoulder was busted, which meant that she'd have a much harder time aiming the thing. If things went downhill, Renee would be in a bad spot but she still had a gun.

She lumbered toward the door.

[Courtography]

Fuck.

Rebecca hadn't known what she was going to say next. She had just been stalling off what seemed like incoming death. She didn't want to kill Katie. She may have been trapped in the rut of killing out of a lack of choice, but she had wanted just a moment of peace from it. A time out, just a way to put off spilling more blood.

"Because..." she trailed off. What was a reason? A good reason? She realized she was low on arguments against killing someone. She hadn't used them to stop herself from wandering around the desert and shooting arrows into classmates she had known for years. The only reason she could think of was that she felt like shit and wanted to stop. But what did that really mean? She had been injured, that could have all that was bothering her.

She took an aching step towards the edge of the bed. The shotgun still pointed forward.

[KamiKaze]

The two girls continued pointing.

Katie's eyes narrowed slightly. Rebecca seemed to fumble for a reason. But none came out. The gun still felt heavy in her hands.

However, she didn't want to fire.

Katie, deep down, knew of a reason. But she didn't want to say what it was. She kind of disliked admitting why she was hesitating. There were honestly a lot better reasons why she should kill her, rather than why she shouldn't. The list of reasons was pretty long.

Rebecca killed many of their friends and classmates. Rebecca could kill all three of them. It would make Katie feel better, even if slightly. Rebecca wouldn't go home safely. The list went on and on.


"Rebecca... I don't want to do this".

The words had started to drift out of her mouth.

"But how many people, Rebecca?" her voice came out darkly.

Katie knew that she killed a lot. But it was going to be over soon. Rebecca wasn't going to get away. After that, it was time to deal with the Sheriff. It was her own brand of justice, of vengeance.

But Jacqueline still drifted in the back of her mind.

[Acidic*]

This isn't going anywhere. Leo thought, rolling his eyes. He should've thought that this was a ploy yo buy some time, but something about fighting to the death made him want to be optimistic.

Now Katie, Renee, and himself all had the chance to finish this.

As did Rebecca with her shot gun.

Leo wasn't a gun expert by any means, but everyone who functioned with more than a brain stem knew how shot guns worked by spreading.

This, as far Leo knew, possibly put Rebecca in the advantage if she had in fact fired only one round (while having a second already loaded, obviously). He couldn't remember because of the panic he had experienced when Rebecca had first fired.

With four armed teenagers occupying such a limited space it was risky just standing here. Leo scolded himself for his weakness, and stupidity for walking into this situation so blindly.

He slowly backed away.

[K-Robe]

Renee lumbered toward the other car.

Now, she could see the situation much more clearly. Rebecca and Katie with guns pointed at each other. Stalemate. That wasn't good, not at all. Renee gripped the MP5 with both hands, but her shoulder was still giving her a large amount of pain.

Her shoulder was weak and she knew that would impede her aim, but this stalemate had to be broken or something stupid was bound to happen.

She rushed up next to Leo and pointed the gun in Rebecca's direction. Her aim was wobbly and it wasn't entirely due to the shoulder wound, either.

This could be it. This could be the end.

Renee put her finger on the trigger and got ready to fire.

[Courtography]

In a burst of energy she didn't know she had, Rebecca finally landed on the floor. The pain wasn't important as she lifted the shotgun and fired twice down the hallway.

She stumbled along backwards, feeling the recoil of the shots as she fired. She thought she couldn't hear before but now it was truly gone.

She had refused to answer Katie's question. She didn't want to answer it. Didn't want to acknowledge the answer. It was around ten, she knew that much. Ten, enough to get her life in prison four times over. Ten.

Definitely not the thought she needed.

[KamiKaze]

Rebecca didn't answer her question. She knew that Leo was right nearby, and Renee wasn't too far off. So what, then? It was clear that Rebecca didn't want to answer her question. Either that, or didn't want to admit it. In any case, the question was still left hanging in the air like smoke in a destroyed building.

Rebecca had killed a lot. Maybe even she didn't know the exact number. That could be the explanation. Katie wasn't exactly good with numbers, herself. But in any case, Rebecca was a mass murderer. She had willingly killed their classmates. Sure, the Sheriff told them to kill everyone, but that didn't change a thing! She still did it. The question of Jacqueline still floated in her mind, but still. Rebecca wasn't coming home that easily, not without something happening.



And that's when Rebecca fired.



"Shit!"

Katie instinctively ducked, throwing herself to the ground. She felt the two shots crack near her ears. A course of pain slid up and down her bad leg again, further irritated by the movement.

She should have just shot her! Why did she hesitate so much, damn it? She wasted time asking questions when she could have just finished the job! Gah, she was so stupid!

[Mini_Help]

((Prior to his last post, Acidic was notified of terminal inactivity, it being the fifth time he exceeded the post deadline in the current Endgame. As he did not appeal prior to the deadline set for that, Mini_Help is taking over the handling of Leo Raclaw.))

By the time Rebecca fired, Leo had made it back further than Renee. He was backing up, so he saw the crazy girl raise her gun, and he managed to dive behind cover again. He thought he heard the pellets glance off of the seats. In retaliation, Leo raised his gun and fired four times towards Rebecca, heedless of anything except his desire to keep her distracted. He was pretty sure that both Renee and Katie had been between him and Rebecca when the shots went off, and he was equally pretty sure at least one of the girls was still alive. He didn't want to hurt or kill them, but a little chaos was needed for him to get clear.

The problem was, they had been playing this dumb. Lazy Leo may have been, but he wasn't stupid, and he wasn't ready to give up and die. If they just chased Rebecca, it would turn into a firefight, and the winner would be determined by dumb luck. That wasn't a bet he wanted to take. He glanced around, saw that nobody was about to open fire again, and darted back, heading into the next car, out of the line of fire. He could still do this. Rebecca wasn't very smart. She'd shown no ability to do anything other than shoot straight at people, no proclivity for playing tactically at all. It was like with Delilah. He'd catch her unaware, and that would be it.

Leo was moving quickly, continuing on to the next car, or more specifically, the connection between cars. He wobbled with the motion of the train, but kept his balance. There, just as he'd been hoping, was a ladder. There were all kinds of warning stickers on it, but Leo ignored them. So this would be dangerous. So was charging a girl with a shotgun. He started up the ladder, hoping that Katie and Renee would hold Rebecca's attention long enough for him to pull this off.

Leo was pretty sure he'd just be able to scamper across the tops of the cars, get behind Rebecca, and pop her in the back of the head. He managed to keep hold of his weapon as he pushed the hatch that led outside. He let it fall back again behind him, let the clang reverberate through the train. They probably knew something was up, but he'd have to hope nobody pieced together what.

The wind was howling past, and Leo tried to stand, only to realize how hard it would be to keep his balance on the smooth metal roof. Instead, he took to crawling, making slow progress, glancing behind him to see if there was any pursuit.

It was during one of these moments where his attention was towards his rear rather than forward that the train took a turn. Leo, mid-movement, was taken by surprise, only realizing something was wrong as he pitched to the side. He scrambled for a hold, but his gun fell away, and still he didn't gain any traction. He had two seconds of horrible clarity as he slid towards the edge of the train car, which he used to scream (though he couldn't say if it was audible over the sound of the wind), and then he was falling, and then he hit the ground and everything instantly and mercifully went black.

M10, LEO RACLAW: GAME OVER
3 STUDENTS REMAIN

[K-Robe]

Renee pulled the trigger.

It was one moment too late. Rebecca dropped to the ground, and Renee's eyes widened as she realized what was happening. The shotgun, Sam's shotgun, fired off two shots in their direction. A burst of split-second adrenaline coursed through Renee, letting her swivel to the left, opposite Katie. Fortunately, Rebecca was standing far away enough that the shots dispersed a bit before reaching Renee.

Unfortunately, they still reached Renee.

"Oh no."

Renee felt two bullets tear through the middle of her leg at the thigh, ripping the fabrics of her jeans and punching through bone. She dropped the MP5 and gasped in pain. Three bullet wounds now. Renee scanned for anywhere there might be cover. A quick look identified a small door that probably led to a storage closet or a washroom. She didn't care; she just needed to reach it.

Painfully, she threw herself close to the door. She grasped at the door handle and slipped inside, slamming the door shut the moment she was inside. It was dark and she fumbled for the lights. Once they were on, she realized she was in a washroom. The pain in her leg led her to sit up against the wall, opposite the door.

"Goddamn it!" Renee kicked the door in frustration, which caused her to groan even more and grasp her leg. She felt foolish. Why did she hesitate? She could've killed Rebecca right then and there! This wasn't a goddamn movie, why was she being dramatic and holding her trigger finger?

Renee felt like crying again, but the danger was still outside and so was her MP5. Now, she was stuck inside a washroom, weaponless, with a maniac with a shotgun loose outside. Great, fucking great.

"Brian would be fucking laughing his ass off, I bet. Goddamn it."

[Courtography]

Rebecca heard Renee's gunshots hit the floor and walls around her, but in some line of luck, she wasn't hurt. For once being on the other end of a gun hadn't hurt her. It was almost insane to think about, given her previous experience.

Katie was on the floor near her. Renee was gone. Leo was gone. Rebecca doubted they were dead. Dead bodies didn't just disappear out of nowhere. This wasn't one of those video games where bodies just poofed. Although that would have been nice, in her opinion. Too many reminders.

She struggled back on her feet and pointed the shotgun down at Katie. Leo and Renee would come back, after all, she was the "bad" one, and the already knew where she was.

Come on Katie, don't do anything stupid, I don't want this situation to end like this, come on.

[KamiKaze]

Katie's heart raced as the bullets flew above her.

She had heard Renee and Leo run for it, but she didn't care about that right now. Instead, what she cared about was the fact that Rebecca was pointing her gun straight at her. It was, honestly, hard to care about anything else.

Her gun -Benny's- lay just an inch near her hand. Swiftly, she grabbed it and pointed back once more.

Damn her. She shouldn't hesitate any more, because Rebecca clearly wasn't the kind of person to wait. Even if that little voice in her head, that memory of Jacqueline, that memory of watching Benny die, haunted her, she knew she had a goal.

Revenge. Justice.

That was the point of all that. It was the point of everything she had ever been through. It was what had been driving her ever since the first announcement, through hunger, through pain, and through close to everything. And what? Hesitating?

Even if she knew what she was doing was "wrong", she knew she had to finish her goal.

And here was the goalpost.

Her hands shaking, she thought it was time to check to see if the gun worked after all.



Her finger reached for the trigger and slowly began to press down.