Vanessa considered herself lucky in that she had managed to avoid any fighting on the first day. The announcements did away with any presumption of actual luck, though. People were still killing each other, and in some pretty messy ways from the sound of it. She had already come across a few bodies during the day, and they made her sick. Literally, she became nauseous after coming across one in particular that she wanted more than anything to push out of her mind.
But she couldn't forget it. It was still there, a constant reminder of her situation.
But she was still alive, and that was what she had to cling to. And if she was going to survive, then she had to be smart. Fortunately, smarts came naturally to her. She was rationing her supplies and doing what she could to avoid fights. She wouldn't say that she was comfortable in her plans, but it made her feel better to know that she wasn't running around aimlessly. She was methodical in her survival.
But it was late, and she needed rest. Plus, wandering around in the darkness with limited visibility sounded like a very bad idea. If she were to lose her glasses out there, she would be a sitting duck. So for the time being, she ducked into a shop and laid down in the small area behind a counter. It wasn't much, nor was it comfortable, but at least it was something.
Vanessa felt weird when she woke up the next morning. She opened her eyes, but everything was a blur. She couldn't feel her glasses. She knew that she wasn't supposed to fall asleep with them on, but it had seemed like a special circumstance, so she knew that they were still on the previous night. What had happened since then?
Even though she could barely see anything in front of her, it became clear that something was different, and it felt very wrong. The room she was in was dark for what she thought was the morning, and the air felt dusty. Also, she was sitting up, when she hadn't put forth the energy to do so after she had woken up.
She tried to move her arms to stretch, but they wouldn't respond. Feeling panicked, she tried to move again, but it was no use. Her hands were trapped behind her. She tried to move her legs, but found no success there either, only momentarily feeling the chair move ever so slightly.
Vanessa started to panic. She was bound, and she didn't know what was going on. That was when a figure appeared in her field of view. It was a person, she could tell that much. However, she couldn't make out any details due to how bad her eyesight was unassisted.
"Where is Mina Mashall?"
The figure talked, and the only thing that Vanessa knew now was that he was a man due to his voice. But she didn't know why he was looking for MIna, or why he thought she would know.
"What?"
"Where is she?"
He answered her firmly by repeating his question. She didn't know what to tell him. She sincerely had no idea where Mina was, so she had to be honest.
"I don't know."
A blur, and then pain. The person struck her across the face. She had a few moments to register what had happened before the questioning resumed.
"You're her friend. You know where she is. Tell me."
He thought they were friends? Vanessa had worked with Mina on a science project for class about a month ago, and they did hang out a couple of times, but friends? She did think that Mina was cool, but she didn't think that they were really that close.
"I'm sorry, I don't know."
She braced to be struck again, but didn't feel a second impact. When she opened her eyes, she instead saw the figure holding something out to her. With it being so close, she could make out what it was: her glasses.
"Do you want your glasses back?"
This was a strange act of kindness from someone who had just slapped her, and she wasn't sure as to whether or not she should trust it. But since she didn't have many choices in front of her, she chose to be hopeful.
"Yes please."
The glasses were placed on her face. Her vision returned to her, and she had just enough time to make out who she was talking to before the grip of a handgun came down and shattered her glasses where they sat.
Unjustifiable
Phase 3 (25-36 Hours)
(Scott Whitman continued from There's No Greater Lie Than "A Good Day To Die")
Scott was frustrated by the lack of progress he had made. He didn't know precisely how long his interrogation had lasted, but he had learned precisely nothing from the girl. No matter what, she refused to give him any information about Mina or her whereabouts.
She claimed ignorance, but Scott wouldn't accept that. He had seen her fraternizing with Mina before. That meant that the two had some sort of connection, and he could use that connection to get to her. This was the closest he had come to a lead when it came to tracking Mina, and he didn't want to let it go.
But no matter what, she wouldn't talk. No matter what he did, she always said that she didn't know anything. Scott was annoyed by her refusal to cooperate, and that fueled his aggression further. He figured that eventually, she would break and tell him what she knew. After all, that was how it was supposed to work. But it seemed that her loyalty to Mina came before her concern for her own well-being.
Scott turned around and approached the girl again. She had long since fallen out of the chair he had propped her up in and was now lying on the floor. The top half of her face was cut up from her broken glasses, and the rest was marked with bruises. The rest of her body had seen significant abuse as well, with a variety of wounds to tell the tale. Her inability to escape after being removed from the chair could be explained by her knees, both of which were visibly damaged.
He crouched down and put a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch and tense up at his touch. He returned to the same question he had been asking her.
"Where is Mina Mashall?"
Vanessa whimpered. Moving was painful, and even talking was difficult. However, she couldn't speak anything but what she had already said.
"I... I don't... know..."
Scott's frustration reached a fever pitch. He had already tried everything else he could think of, so he had one option left. He planted his knee on the girl's neck and put his gun to her head. He retained the stern voice he had kept throughout, which only unnerved her even more.
"You have one more chance. Tell me what I want to know."
Vanessa's labored breathing was the only noise that escaped her mouth. She knew what he was doing, and after what he had already done, she had no doubt that he would go through with it. Fear continued to dominate her thoughts, and she could do nothing in response.
Scott took her silence as an answer in itself. He had grown bored and frustrated, and how he wanted to end this interaction. He didn't want to leave it simply, though. He wanted to make her regret her refusal to talk even more.
For that purpose spoke to her one more time.
"Just remember that everything you got, Mina gets twofold."
The horrified look on Vanessa's face was frozen as Scott pulled the trigger and set the bullets through her head. Once the deed was done, Scott used a nearby rag to clean off his hands and departed through the front of the store. He had other business to attend to.
(Scott Whitman continued elsewhere...)
Vanessa Carson: Deceased
Scott was frustrated by the lack of progress he had made. He didn't know precisely how long his interrogation had lasted, but he had learned precisely nothing from the girl. No matter what, she refused to give him any information about Mina or her whereabouts.
She claimed ignorance, but Scott wouldn't accept that. He had seen her fraternizing with Mina before. That meant that the two had some sort of connection, and he could use that connection to get to her. This was the closest he had come to a lead when it came to tracking Mina, and he didn't want to let it go.
But no matter what, she wouldn't talk. No matter what he did, she always said that she didn't know anything. Scott was annoyed by her refusal to cooperate, and that fueled his aggression further. He figured that eventually, she would break and tell him what she knew. After all, that was how it was supposed to work. But it seemed that her loyalty to Mina came before her concern for her own well-being.
Scott turned around and approached the girl again. She had long since fallen out of the chair he had propped her up in and was now lying on the floor. The top half of her face was cut up from her broken glasses, and the rest was marked with bruises. The rest of her body had seen significant abuse as well, with a variety of wounds to tell the tale. Her inability to escape after being removed from the chair could be explained by her knees, both of which were visibly damaged.
He crouched down and put a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch and tense up at his touch. He returned to the same question he had been asking her.
"Where is Mina Mashall?"
Vanessa whimpered. Moving was painful, and even talking was difficult. However, she couldn't speak anything but what she had already said.
"I... I don't... know..."
Scott's frustration reached a fever pitch. He had already tried everything else he could think of, so he had one option left. He planted his knee on the girl's neck and put his gun to her head. He retained the stern voice he had kept throughout, which only unnerved her even more.
"You have one more chance. Tell me what I want to know."
Vanessa's labored breathing was the only noise that escaped her mouth. She knew what he was doing, and after what he had already done, she had no doubt that he would go through with it. Fear continued to dominate her thoughts, and she could do nothing in response.
Scott took her silence as an answer in itself. He had grown bored and frustrated, and how he wanted to end this interaction. He didn't want to leave it simply, though. He wanted to make her regret her refusal to talk even more.
For that purpose spoke to her one more time.
"Just remember that everything you got, Mina gets twofold."
The horrified look on Vanessa's face was frozen as Scott pulled the trigger and set the bullets through her head. Once the deed was done, Scott used a nearby rag to clean off his hands and departed through the front of the store. He had other business to attend to.
(Scott Whitman continued elsewhere...)
Vanessa Carson: Deceased
