CHAPTER TWENTY: A VISITOR
THE SETTLEMENTJUNE 24, 2010: 03:10
Iris
"Morning campers, it's 00:00am here in - hah, like I'd tell you! - and that means it's time for the first announcement! Alright!"
"Ahh... mah head..."
Iris had fallen asleep. Her head was pounding violently and she cringed as she held it. That numb feeling in her mouth was so strong now that she couldn't feel anything when she opened her mouth. Her jaw ached but the rest of her mouth felt absolutely nothing. She could hear the announcement loud and clear though she rolled around on the couch, clutching her hands over her ears. This girl's voice was shrill! It was making her headache even worse!
"Connor Bromwell, who, woah, got shot, but not just shot, he was shot a lot. Like seriously, that Cristo guy is a total nutjob, damn."
"...Cristo?!"
Iris sprung up from her seat, wincing as the pain in her jaw grew. Iris was not an idiot. She could put two and two together pretty easily. It didn't take much thought to realize what had happened. Cristo had killed someone and he hadn't come back to find her. He had abandoned her. Iris knew not to jump to conclusions. Perhaps he was just so shocked on how he killed someone that he couldn't bare to go see her. She sighed, rubbing her eyes as she tried to take in what she just heard. She got up from the couch, her eyes stained with dried tears as she walked to the window. She hoped she could see where Cristo was.
She didn't find Cristo. She found someone laying outside though, crumpled on the ground. Iris blinked. Who was that? She took out her pistol, holding onto it with both hands as she opened the door slowly and snuck outside. She approached the girl on the floor, her eyes growing wide. It was Holly, the girl she met from the church. She lowered to her knees, looking down at Holly. She shook her shoulder.
"Holly." Iris whispered silently. "Holly... what happened? Holly?"
She shook Holly's shoulder. She was out cold. Iris didn't quite understand it. Iris had fallen asleep but even she had woken up when the announcement came on. Holly wasn't just sleeping. IT was like she had worked on the farm for two days straight. Iris could remember the time where she worked for 39 hours straight, and she went to sleep for a whole day. Iris let out a heavy sigh as she took Holly's dufflebag and started to pick up the stuff that Holly must have dropped. She zipped up the bag and threw it over her shoulder.
"Don' worry Holly... Holly..." Holly was out cold so it was useless trying to talk to her. However, Iris felt like she should at least calm Holly. Iris smiled sadly as she managed to drag Holly up the stairs and into the mansion. Iris had enough strength to get the girl to the couch and flip her onto it, though it took her some time. Iris yawned, dropping the bag by the couch.
She looked down at Holly, rubbing her arm. Holly was about the only friend she had on this island. If Iris was going to survive, she had to keep her close. But... if Holly were to die what would happen? Would Iris have less reason to live? Iris had done alot of self-thought over the past few hours. She thought about herself, her father. Iris wanted to live, certainly. However did she deserve to live more than Holly, someone she barely knew? Iris had to think about that. For now Iris decided just to sit down in a wooden chair nearby. She decided it would be best if she rested her eyes, just for a little bit.
Holly
"Good morning campers!"
God damn it. Summer camp, always waking you up at the incorrect time. It wasn't as if she was up and rearing to go, oh no. In fact, her entire body was aching all over. They really needed to learn when to let people rest so that they wouldn't be throbbing all over the next day.
Wait a second, Alice left her radio on early in the morning again, didn't she? That wasn't annoying camp councilor, that was annoying DJ. See? The woman was going on about some nutcase named Cristo and how something was "gross". That name did ring a bell, but she assumed it was some weird new celebrity like Lady Gaga or that Ke$ha person, and they did something "scandalous" that the media would not shut up about for months on end, even though most people didn't give a shit about what celebrities did in their everyday lives.
Meh. She was too tired right now. Holly was just going to go back to sleep and find out later. Her mind could not even process this right now.
And so, she fell into a deep sleep once again.
Holly found herself back inside her Social Studies classroom. Today, there was a test. Mr. D was passing out the papers, yammering on about how the test worked, even though everyone knew how a test worked. There was a strange looking map on the board, but Holly paid no attention. She knew she was going to ace this test, anyways. She always did. Right? Right.
Wait, why was the teacher suddenly wearing a gas mask out of nowhere? God, Mr. D was so weird. But, for some reason she couldn't help but feel nervous. It should have been as stupid as the "upside-down chicken mask" thing she once saw in a video online about some game, but it really made her skin crawl, as if it reminded her of something. Holly found herself staring down at her paper, only to see the words "Solar Strength" written on it. But what... what was that supposed to mean?!
And was someone shouting? Something about not fucking with Conan... and then a series of noises. It sounded like... well, something.
Oh god... Holly's blood froze once she realized what that was. Gunshots.
And that's when she woke up.
Holly's eyes flickered open, finding herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Thank god that was a nightmare. After all, why the hell would her teacher be wearing a god damn gas mask? That was as stupid as all hell. Seriously. Sure, it was a creepy looking gas mask, and it seemed as if she had seen it before in some part of her mind in some horrible fashion, but there was no reason for him to be wearing one, right?
"Jesus... what the... fuck..." Holly mumbled, placing her hand to her head.
God, her head hurt. It was as if she had been drinking again, even though she swore not to get drunk again the first time she had tried alcohol. It didn't help that she was aching all over, or that she was unable to focus. And where the hell was she? Was she over at a friend's house? No, no friend of hers had this kind of couch that she was resting on.
Holly closed her eyes again. It was still somewhat dark, and she really wanted to rest some more. Holly was never a morning person, anyways, and she was extremely tired. Just a little bit more... maybe she'd feel a bit more awake once she got more rest....
Enter Subject C07, Johnny Marsh
How long’s it been? Could’ve been 15 minutes or 15 hours. I just need to find somewhere more secure than the top of a damn cliff and rest. Oh man I could do with a good sleep; no island in your sleep no fights no nothing.
Johnny woke with a start not long after he passed out on the cliff and began walking immediately. There was a good moon and he was walking through an open patch of land so he could see pretty well for the time being. The map showed a collection of buildings to the north and he decided to head there for the night. Just as well I woke up; I could’ve got frostbite or anything. As Johnny walked he thought about everything that had happened. Meeting Billy, the incident, crossing to the beach, seeing those girls with the boy and then that horrific climb. We all have our parts to play here. Killers, victims and those in-between. Someone else must want to fight them, get revenge for this whole shitty mess they put us in. I have to find those people. While avoiding the wrong sort.
After some time Johnny reached the settlement, a collection of six small cottages surrounding a larger manor. Johnny was smart enough to draw one of his guns as he approached, and he could feel the cold steel of Billy’s knife in his left boot. Approaching the nearest cottage cautiously Johnny avoided the front door and went to slip in through the back. Trying the handle he cursed after finding it locked. Looking around Johnny flipped the gun and swung it like a hammer, smashing a small hole in the glass. Wincing at the noise Johnny reached inside and unlocked the door before slipping inside. Spinning around Johnny checked the house for anyone else and, finding none, looked for somewhere to sleep. There was a bedroom but Johnny ignored it. That would be too obvious. First place I’d look.
With that in mind Johnny headed instead to the bathroom. Using his pack as an uncomfortable but functional pillow he slipped his gun to the side and drew the shower curtain across. Johnny lay with his knees bent as he waited for sleep to claim him for what would hopefully be an event free night.
Iris
Iris had fallen asleep. She had closed her eyes longer than she planned. Holly was out like the light. It was hot but Holly was shaking. A nightmare? Iris hated nightmares. Most of the time Iris never remembered her dreams, except for her nightmares, those were the worst. Iris felt upset. Holly was looking very tired. Iris smiled a tiny smile, fragmented but still very real. She slept almost soundlessly. Iris imagined Holly as a snorer. She had a case of the shakes though and this worried Iris slightly.
Iris, only thinking for the best interests of her only friend, went to go grab a blanket.
Any normal person would have assumed that the house had been ransacked many weeks earlier. There wasn't much in the parlor except for the chesterfield, a rather fancy looking leather couch. However Iris was sure there had to be a bed somewhere. Why would anyone clear out such a beautiful house like this? All the cabinets, furniture and other essentials were still intact but everything else seemed to have disappeared. No plates, no lamps, nothing she expected to see in a house. Just the bare minimum. For such a spiraling manor Iris would have thought there'd be more than just doors. She had to go upstairs just to find the bedrooms, there were so many rooms.
A big quilt. Yes, this would work wonders. She grabbed it and rolled it up, closing the door behind her with her foot.
She walked downstairs to find Holly shifting on the bed. It was weird. Holly had been energetic that very same morning and now she was so tired. Even now, when she was awake, she wasn't moving around that much. Was she sick? Iris knew that whenever she was sick or really tired, she found it hard to even sit up.
Iris finally arrived at the couch. Holly's eyes were closed, leading Iris to think that she was still asleep, thank lord. It was all good. Iris slowly draped the blanket over Holly, tucking her in like her father would when she was a little gremlin. That was what he used to call her when she was a kid, his little gremlin.
"There there..."
Iris smiled as Holly finally simmered down again. She felt happy. Maybe Holly will feel better in a few hours.
Johnny
Johnny had slept well, considering his bed. He’d only dreamt of Billy once, his face twice. He’d survived accidents, standoffs and a climb from hell. He survived the night. I’m going to survive this day too. And the day after that. And every other day too. I’ll keep on living and gas mask man will die. One way or another I’ll make him pay. Johnny felt the urges of morning. There was a toilet next to the bath; it even had water in the bowl still. But he was in his wetsuit. He’d have to take it off. He’d have to look at himself, his new body. NO. I’ll just close my eyes and pray my aim is good. That’s what guys do anyway judging by public toilets.
Johnny managed to unzip himself from the wetsuit and aim at the bowl. It was difficult but he was prepared to take a little longer if it meant he didn’t have to look at himself. When he was done it zipped up the suit once again. Only then did he open his eyes. The urine was dark so Johnny took a drink of water. Then he considered the problem at hand. He was in someone else’s home. It was polite to clean up after himself, but flushing would surely alert anyone to his presence. If someone came in my house and left it in a…used state, I’d be pissed off. I’ll deal with the consequences later.
The toilet was old, with a long chain hanging down. Johnny gripped the handle tightly then yanked for all he was worth. The old toilet was good for it. The plumbing system was not. The whole house was filled with a tremendous noise, a rushing, gurgling sound. Johnny swore loudly and kicked the toilet. Clutching his foot in pain he fell ungraciously back into the bath.
Nice one Johnny boy.
Iris
There was a sound. A very loud sound, Iris jumped.
"W-Wha... in tarnation?"
What was that? What WAS THAT? Iris gripped her pistol so tight that her hands turned purple. The sound, whatever it was, turned out to be so loud that she was surprised Holly's eyes didn't spring open. That girl was out like a light. Iris frowned, shuddering. She didn't have a darn idea of what that sound was, but she had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't as alone as she thought she was.
Cristo?
If it were really him then why was he avoiding her? Why wouldn't Cristo come to her? No, couldn't be Cristo. It had to be someone else. Maybe it was that black boy Cristo told her about, what was his name? Iris bit her lip. Oh god, what was happening? What should Iris do? So Iris did the only thing she thought made sense - she had to go look.
"Stay here Holly..." Iris wasn't sure if Holly was awake, but she warned her anyway. "I'm gonna go check."
Every step resounded in an incredibly loud creak. Creak. Creak. Creak.
Iris peeked in the dining room, the kitchen and the tens of rooms on the first floor. She looked all around the first floor and she was close to giving up. That was, of course, until Iris saw the door.
The door to the bathroom. It was open. Iris had opened it when she was looking for a blanket for Holly.. She hadn't looked too extensively but there wasn't anything there. She was sure of that. The curtains to the bathtub were closed. She was sure of that. Now the curtains were pushed back. Was... no. Couldn't be. No way.
"H-Hello?" she whispered.
Iris was scared. She was breathing heavily. She shook like a scared puppy but she held the gun up. Creak. Creak. Creak. Iris held her breath as she stepped into the bathroom, not sure what she would find.
Holly
A few more noises.
And then something was placed over her.
Holly opened her eyes yet again, and saw a girl. She looked familiar... like Holly had spent all day looking for her. But who was it? Was she sleeping over at someone's house after all? The name "Iris" came to mind, and she had the feeling that she had been in danger earlier and Holly had been worried.
Her facial expression turned to that of confusion. What was going on now? Why was she being woken up so late? Where was she? She could remember the sound of gunshots, something about how "Conan" was going to steal water and shouldn't be fucked with, and the words "solar strength", among other things. Whatever the hell that meant.
Wait, what was that loud noise just now?
It sounded like someone was trying to use a toilet. "Trying", however, was the key word here. Seriously, it sounded like someone had never seen one before, and was kicking and attacking it. Holly's head turned towards the noise, her expression turning to even more confusion.
"What the fuck..." she repeated, still unsure of what was going on.
Something told her that sound wasn't very good, at all. Sure, it was probably some idiot who was experiencing bathroom problems due to never even laying eyes on a toilet, but something seemed to put her on edge about it.
Iris- was that her name?- seemed to go off to check what the noise was. As she left, Holly put her hand to her head again. Ow, how it hurt! And she really needed to sleep. People kept waking her up...
But what was that mark on her arm?
Holly stared at it with heavy eyelids for a few seconds, before realizing what it was.
"Fuck..." she repeated once more for good measure.
That's right... some scientist douches had abducted them and did... things to them. Holly could vaguely remember lifting some pew. Why was she lifting a pew? She couldn't remember right now. Her mind didn't want to remember. Too tired.
So what did that have to do with some weirdo who attacks toilets? Was there some weird ability that somehow involved human feces or something? Meh... she was going to have to think about this later... or she could just get up and check it out. But her legs, and the rest of her, still hurt.
Damn, what was she doing yesterday to ache so much?
Johnny
Johnny had just regained his senses when he heard a voice. Oh my life someone’s coming. Of course they’re coming you’d have come. Why couldn’t you have just not flushed the damned thing? They seemed a little slow on the uptake though, because Johnny was caught empty handed and slack jawed when a little boy walked in. No, that’s a chick. She’s got…freckles. Johnny looked at…it while it pointed its gun at him. He took a deep breath and held it. His every muscle was tensed. It had only taken one moment of carelessness and now he was staring down the barrel of a gun. He wasn’t watching from the side lines anymore, this danger was real.
The shot didn’t come. He let out a shaky breath. The building flashback to his life so far withered and died in his brain. He searched for the right words.
A mumbled apology.
‘Sorry about the noise.’
What the fuck was that?
‘Are you going to kill me?’
Don’t give her fucking ideas!
‘I uh, erm’
You know what, just shoot me. I already ballsed this up.
Johnny’s eyes glanced around the room before he hung his head. Guess this is how you react under intense pressure ey Johnny boy? See, if you can wilt and stammer through this what'll you be like when you meet gas mask at the endgame? How will you do what’s needed then if you can’t even fucking move now?
Johnny slowly put his hands up and said in a steady voice, ‘I’m Johnny. I didn’t mean any harm; would you please point that somewhere else? Or just get it over with; I’m not one for drawn out sessions at gunpoint in the bath.’
Atta boy, you just gave her fucking free reign to decorate the walls with your head
Iris
Iris didn't say anything. She was scared and it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that. This was... who the fuck was this supposed to be? He was talking but his mouth wasn't even moving! It was like he was wearing a big sock that fit his whole body. It made her waver. She almost took him up on that offer. Clearly this boy was not a human... but... yet...
What was she thinking? Of course this was a human. He just looked different, that's all. She remembered what her mom said. Everyone was the same, deep down, blacks, whites, sock... people... Iris didn't think she'd have it in her to even fire. She just let her arm go limp. She let out a big gasp. Lord, please forgive Iris. She didn't know what she was doing, please, PLEASE understand.
"I... I-I'm Iris..." she said, her hand still holding the gun. She didn't want to let it go. She wanted to find a reason not to trust the boy in the spandex, but she just couldn't. He was a kid, just like her. Why couldn't she just trust him? What would be the harm?
She could cut the silence with a knife.
"... 'pose you ain't had the best'a days."
Iris stated the obvious. Frankly, it felt like the only thing she could do. If she was supposed to wear a damn plastic bag or whatever the hell that was supposed to be, she'd be mighty unhappy too.
Her smile wavered, now looking a little forced. "... Here. I'll help yah up. Looks like yah had a mighty loud fall."
Johnny
Johnny smiled, though you couldn’t tell for looking. The girl wasn’t going to kill him after all. Instead she offered him help. Not a player then, she would have just shot me he thought as he took her outstretched hand. It felt odd touching her with the suit on. It was as if he was, but he wasn’t at the same time. He couldn’t quite explain it. Regardless he braced his feet against the sides and climbed out of the bath. ‘Thanks’ he said. He meant it too. It may have been just a small gesture of goodwill but it was more than that. It was a small ‘fuck you’ to gas mask and his plan. Proof that human beings were good.
Or maybe he was reading too much into it. Johnny decided to help Iris at that moment. He hoisted his bag out of the bath and laid it at his feet. ‘Have you seen anyone else so far? ’ He sat on the edge of the bath. I don’t think I’ll tell her about me being with Billy. What if she thought it was me? ‘I saw these two chicks on the beach. From a distance though I didn’t want to get too close you know?’ I really made a good job of keeping my distance; I brought the whole house and its sister running to me.
His eyes flicked to the gun, still hanging loosely in Iris’s hand. He couldn’t help feeling nervous around it, but that feeling was giving way to gratitude. At least she could look after herself if she needed to. Johnny wondered if it was going to come to that. At some point he knew it would. He’d already seen violence happening and judging by that announcement other people were up for dishing it out. Someone, at some time would find them and shatter this small peace. Johnny was glad for his mask. He didn’t have to hide his feelings. It didn’t keep the tears out.
Iris
Iris didn't have any trouble helping the boy up. The whole time she reminded herself not to stare at his suit. This was a kid, just like Iris, so she shouldn't stare. Staring was rude, her father told her once. He had slapped her on the cheek, not in a violent way but hard enough to make his point clear. Iris loved Daddy and she did not want to make him mad. The boy had asked if she had seen anyone else
"Seen anyon'?" Iris gave him a cheeky little grin. "Why, I've been wit' this other girl tha' whole time. An' I've seen a few others..."
The wetsuit put Iris off just a tad, but her cheery demeanor didn't fade. What made her cheery demeanor fade was the thought of Cristo, the latin boy whom she grew fond of, out there hurting people. Her smile waned.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I been mighty rude haven't I? I didn't even tell yah my name." She smiled, "I'm Iris, Iris Landon. I-I'm from Iowa. Where y'all from? I can't tell wit' that su-"
Iris froze and suddenly felt very guilty. She just brought up the wetsuit. Darn it. Iris had tried her best to just ignore the damn thing, but it was nearly impossible. The thing just stuck out and this wasn't like a person with a different skin color than hers, it was a man in a bag. She pouted, looking down at the floor in a fit of shame.
And there was that bad taste in her mouth. Iris gulped.
"S-She's still asleep," she muttered. "The girl. Her name is Holly." She shifted nervously. "We, uhh, dun' need'tah stay in here."
Iris sighed and kept quiet. She led the boy out of the bathroom and down the hall, looking back every once in awhile to make sure here was following her. All the while Iris still had her gun out. Everything looked safe. Iris just wouldn't put it back. She couldn't put it back.
They finally arrived at the entrance. Iris's eyes went wide.
"O-Oh! Holly! Y'all awake."
Holly
Even in her... condition, Holly wanted to investigate.
Seriously, what the hell was going on? She could hear more noises, but she had no clue what exactly was happening. So, with a bit of effort, Holly was able to sit upright. Rubbing her head, she looked off at a nearby window. Early morning. Dawn. It was just getting light out. Good. At least she can see now, right? See if she's injured, head on once she's feeling better, you know, that sort of thing.
Holly swung her body around, to put her feet on the floor. She buried her face in her hands, still feeling groggy. Okay, she should try not to exert herself as much as yesterday. Didn't she spend the entire day looking for Iris? Yeah, she did. And when she stopped to take a break, Cristo...
Cristo. He killed someone. She heard it happen.
Fuck that bastard! She knew he was bad news from the start. Iris was okay, wasn't she? She didn't see any injuries or anything like that, but she seemed fine. They had to be more careful, or else-
The conversation was getting louder. She looked up, and saw Iris and... someone else? But, they were approaching. Holly lifted herself off the couch, and, taking slow steps, managed to near herself towards the hallway. Wait a second... was that the scuba suit guy? The one that had been dressed up by the mad scientists that way, for whatever reason? Holly squinted, rubbing one of her eyes.
Iris seemed surprised at her being awake. Holly couldn't help but smile that trademark smile of hers, regardless of the strangely dressed stranger and the lingering bits of tiredness.
"Yeah... awake... guess last night was rough..." she mumbled quietly. One could tell Holly was still tired as all hell.
Holly rubbed one of her eyes, and stared at Mr. Scuba Man. Why was he going around dressed like that? Did it have to do with his power-thingy? And... was he like... well, Cristo?
"Iris, who is he? And why is he dressed like that?"
Could she fight him off if he turned out to be a psycho nutjob like Cristo? She had super strength, that she could remember. Plus, she had been strong from the start. But, he had to be dressed like that for a reason, of course. She had to be careful and not do something unless she figured out what his power was and if he attacked them. But for now... she yawned.
Iris
"I-It's just a wetsuit."
Iris slumped, looking back at Johnny sadly. Iris was trying hard to make Johnny forget about the... suit.
"Tah be honest wit'cha, I didn't ask. An' I dun think it would be polite. Johnny's fine." Iris smiled at Johnny. "Johnny, this is Holly. She's been asleep, excuse her."
Holly looked at Iris for a moment. Iris turned back and felt her slump her shoulders even more. That gaze was... painful. Maybe Holly was just cranky. Iris got cranky when she didn't get enough sleep. The only time that happened was during the winter. She had a nasty cold and she was up all night coughing and sneezing. She hated it. She hated being sick. Maybe Holly was sick? She looked terrible, that was for sure. Forgetting about Johnny for a moment, Iris walked closer to Holly. She lowered herself to the couch, brushing her jeans off. She pressed the back of her hand against Holly's forehead.
"Hey hey. Dun' go movin' too much. You were out lik'a light for I dun' know how long!" Iris smiled. "You doin' alright?"
Holly mumbled.
"W-What?"
"I said yeah..."
"Oh..." Iris grew quiet. She lowered her hand. "Are you feelin' alright? I mean, y'all aren't lookin' so good."
"I'm fine..." Holly nodded weakly.
Iris sighed softly, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "I dun know. You were out for-"
"I'm fine Iris."
Iris kept her mouth shut. Holly must have been in a really bad mood. Iris had never seen her like this. Iris just nodded meekly and didn't press the subject.