A Not So Beautiful Beach

[Irina Ivanov]

Was that screaming? No, that was the sound of birds.

Was that the feel of the rough carpet? No, that was sand.

Was that wet gum she felt on her hand? No, that was bird crap. Disgusting.

Molly hadn't opened her eyes, and she was already confused. Why was there sand in the classroom? And birds? Just after the...scary men came in, she was knocked out. She was in the back of the group, but from the sound she heard just before she passed out, she didn't like the situation. Was the teacher...dead? Where were the other students? Why was Molly here? In the beach?

Having had opened her eyes, Molly sat up, barely seeing due to the glare of the sun. First thing she did was wipe the crap off her hand, shivering in disgust despite being sunburnt. Taking a look around, Molly shriveled out her nose in disgust. What a gross beach, do those lifeguards not know of cleaning? Oh well, she couldn't complain, since she...

must have escaped. And passed out. And that's why there was no other kids. And why she was stuck on the beach. That must be...right?

Feeling the unfamiliar feel of...something on her other hand, Molly turned around to look at it. An olive duffel bag? This didn't seem to be a school bag. So why...

Everything clicked. The Americans. The gas. The warehouse. America. The Program.

The ultimatum.

F13 - MCKENZIE, MOLLY: START

Molly hysterically screamed. Loud. Primal. It hurt her vocal cords. Everything hurt. Molly couldn't stop. But she had to. Molly wrapped her long fingers around her neck to try and stop it, it was so hard to breathe. But it worked. All the air had left her body, and she couldn't take anymore due to those nails cutting into her skin. She finally stopped, wiping off some small, tiny tears. Molly just hugged herself, her nails cutting into her arms.

She didn't want to die. And that scream that everyone nearby must have heard was one step backwards. How many more steps would it be until she fell into a void? Eterally falling?

[Primrosette]

Kian had heard the girl's scream from some distance away and his head was still feeling a bit groggy due to the drug that the Americans had used on him. His hand had just barely touched the bag that had been beside him on the sandy beach and he pushed himself to get up to his feet slowly.

Did he want to run towards the voice of a screaming girl? Did he want to put himself at risk? Or did he want to run away from anyone that was in danger?

He rubbed the side of his temple to make himself think more clearly and he stared down at the bag that was gripped by his own hand loosely. Okay, okay. He needed to help the girl that could either be in trouble or he could be getting into a trap. Well, it was worth the risk to him.

He started to dash forward, kicking up some bits of sand in the process.

M02 - KIAN BANKS - START

It had felt like a nightmarish dream. Seeing his teachers getting killed right in front of him, getting kidnapped by the Americans, being told that they had to kill each other, being drugged and then sent to whatever this place was. His sister would have been up for this, not him. Not that he would force this onto Faith. No, he was relieved that his twin sister was at home with their parents. He couldn't bear the thought of her being here.

He then noticed the girl not that far in front of him and he stopped running just a few steps away from her. It looked like it was Molly. His memory was a bit vague on names at the moment and he barely even knew her. To be fair, he had been avoiding her whenever he could. But now he had to deal with her.

Man, he could really use a smoke right now.

"Hey...." He said after he took a few breathes in and out and he was feeling pretty calm at the moment. It should have felt strange for him but Molly wasn't doing anything threatening towards him. But he was going to keep his distance away from her a little. Just to be safe. "Molly, right? I heard you screaming and I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."

He paused for a few moments and he glanced around at their surroundings. It looked like there was no one else there and Kian felt a wave of relief go through his body.

"I know this will be a stupid question to ask but.... You're not hurt, are you?"

[Irina Ivanov]

Molly, facing the sea, didn't see Kian. But she did hear him. And before she could think (not that she could, everything was so fuzzy, so crazy, she didn't even want to think.), Molly let out a breathless, but still loud gasp, and she froze up, unable to move. All from the sound of a few footsteps. If she had the rationality to think, then she would have called herself pathetic. But she couldn't. Everything that she was doing was on irrational impulse. And she blurted out things loudly that she didn't even think about.

"Who are you? Are you going to hurt me?"

Molly turned herself around, and rapidly stood up in response. (Nearly tripping over from the sudden change in balance.) It didn't need cognitive skills to know that crounching down won't help her against fend off an enemy. Since she didn't currentely have the presence of mind to open the heavy bag that contained a weapon, Molly held her bag to her chest defensively.

....He seemed to be unarmed, so...he was alright? Molly let herself take a deep breath while Kian's words finally reached her mind. She spoke slowly, but in staccato, due to still being somewhat out of breath from trying to choke her scream out earlier. But luckily, it was apparent that a deep breath didn't just restore air to her lungs, but also some rationality back to her.

"Yes, It's Molly. No, I'm not hurt....Why do you want to know anyways? To see if I'm a good victim or not?

Molly stopped herself right after she said that. And she frowned, at both Kian, and herself. She didn't trust Kian, but she was also kicking herself. This was..what? An hour after the whole kidnapping thing she didn't want to think about? Certainly, everyone's still their normal selves, right? And Molly is, no, was the queen bee of the normal world. She couldn't turn into such a wimp so soon. She was no better then those girls in those mobies that let themselves die a worthless death to the hand of a killer otherwise. And Molly was going to live, not die. But first, she had to get allies, and not antagonise everyone.

"Sorry about what I said before...but yeah. I'm a-alright, and I don't think anyone's h-hurting anyone yet. H-Hopefully not anyways. But..."

Wait, who was this stranger who must have attended her school?

"Whoever you are, are you planning to...k-ki-kill? Because I have a w-weapon in this bag that I could use if you get any c-closer."

Of course, that was a bluff, Molly hadn't even checked inside her bag yet. But judging by the fact she could blugeon someone wth the bag alone, there might be something that she could use inside.

[Primrosette]

Oh, right. Molly wouldn't know who he was because they barely knew each other. Kian should have told her his name before. He really was a bit out of it and he needed to make sure that she wasn't going to freak out more. Nevermind. It looked like Molly was making herself more paranoid without him really doing anything.

This was not how he wanted things to turn out in this situation. He had to defuse the problem before it got worse.

"You know if I had wanted to kill you, I would have done a better job of sneaking up on you and.... I dunno, hit you over the head with something, I guess." He said with a simple shrug out his shoulders and he kept his focus on the girl in front of him. "But I'm not like that. Heck, my sister would be more willing to do something like that than me."

Okay, putting Faith in a bad light was maybe a bit messed-up. But that was due to how honest he is and even Faith would have agreed with him if she was here right now.

"Kian. Kian Banks is my name."

Kian raised an eyebrow at Molly's stuttering words and he wondered why she thought that he would do what the Americans had told them to do. He didn't move from where he was standing and he raised his free hand in a 'I surrender' kind of way. He really did not want things to get worse between them.

"Man.... Definitely don't want to kill anyone. That's just wrong and pretty screwed up. Why would I even want to kill my friends and classmates?" He asked in a steady tone of voice and then he was silent, thinking about what he wanted to say next to her. "...Do you want to kill anyone? If so, you are playing right into their hands."

[Irina Ivanov]

Molly flinched at Kian's attempt of a justification at why he wasn't a killer. Sure, it sounded truthful, but Molly didn't need to hear anything remotely physical. Or anything remotely about siblings.

Oh god, her parents.

What would they think about this? Would they even know yet? Would they be trying to rescue her? Or be watching with tears in their eyes? Would they even cry, or just watch stoically? Would they leave her to rot? Probably...one of them. Molly hoped not the last option. And Diana? What will that witch do? Throw away any memories of her little sister, just because they were just too much to think about? Or will that perfect sister break down completely? Molly wished that would happen. If she was going to die, she was going to take someone with her to...nothingness. She was so selfish, wanting company in death. But oh well, it isn't like anyone mattered.

"Kian. Kay then, nice to see you, I suppose."

Molly replied, distant, and daresay, disinterested. She was focused all on Kian's last few words.

You. Kill. Anyone. Playing.

Kian. That boy in front of her. Was he really saying the truth? Molly didn't have prior knowledge of him prior, and that means he can't be trusted. But he couldn't be untrusted, then, right? Besides...he seemed harmless, she didn't see any weapon on him, and besides, Molly couldn't take out anything in her bag. Come on, she was(n't) better then this. She was the queen bee. She knew how to make friends. And enemies.

"...I won't kill anyone, because I'm not crazy or a deranged psycho. And I won't be anyone's puppet."

"But I want to go home. And....if the army doesn't come, then....I'm not sure what to think."

Molly was looking at the floor, eyes away from Kian. All of these thoughts she was having was nonsense. The Brits will come to their children's rescue. And they WILL go home. But if she was athletic, and whatever was inside was heavy, but not too heavy for her. She could kill. But that was inconcieveable. But she could. And then she would hate herself for it.

But that thought lingered.

[Primrosette]

Kian knew the feeling of wanting to go back home and the only way was to do what the Americans wanted them to do. To kill each other. What was the point in all of this? Kian didn't want to be a part of this; but now he was and he had to deal with the situation. He couldn't just sit on his butt and wait for someone to take him out. He didn't want to die like that.

He didn't think that they would being getting rescued at all. He felt like they would be too late to save him and his other classmates and friends. If he had no idea where they were, then there was no way that the Brits would be able to find them in time. He was looking at it in a realistic manner and he didn't like the odds of it. He really didn't like to think in such a negative way.

"You're not the only one who wants to go back home, Molly. No one wants to be here and forced to do something so inhumane to each other." He said, hoping that was true and that there were no classmates that were willing to kill to just go back home. He didn't want that horrid thought in his mind.

He was silent as he was trying to mull over his own thoughts and then he looked down at his bag that he had in his hand. It didn't feel heavy to him and he didn't know if he was relieved or worried about it. What if he did have to use a weapon as self-defence? Or if he did have no choice and had to get his hands dirty? ....With blood.

It was a terrifying thought.

He looked back at Molly and his eyes were lingering on her bag now. "Do you think that we should look at what we got?" He asked without any hesitation and he was still keeping his distance from her for his own safety.

[Irina Ivanov]

Molly stared at Kian intently, even though she herself didn't know why. Molly's thoughts were all jumbled up and so loud, they overlapped each other into a drone of noise that turned into undecipherable static. Irrationarlities clashing with the rational. And winning.

Killing was evil, inhumane, monterous. And Molly may have hated killing with a murderous vendatta in the past, but now...it seemed less so. Kian was right, everyone wanted to go home. No one wanted to kill. No one wanted to die. Perhaps Molly, least of all. But she wanted to live, she wanted to live so badly. She didn't want to disappear into nothing. She didn't want to leave the world, least of all, like this. Just another name in an imfamous incident. Forgotten. Mourned, sure. But her personarlity, and everything before this point in time, forgotten for something that she didn't want to be remembered by.

Molly broke down into tears. Silent tears, pushing through even though she tried everything to not cry.

She didn't want to die. She would do almost anything to live. Anything.

Was Molly staring at Kian to make sure he didn't try anything fishy? Or is it because she saw him as....something in the way of her winning? Everyone but her needed to be dead, after all.

Molly hated herself so much for thinking that. So much. Now, the desire to survive, was also accompanied by a desire to let herself die. She was so despicable, for wanting herself to survive over everyone else. Over someone better then her. Maybe she should just die, jump into a lake, to let someone else wi-

Molly, having have heard Kian's voice, replied. But it hardly sounded like her saying it. She barely could feel herself open her bag, and although her vision cleared up quite a bit at the sight of a sledgehammer. At least she got something she could use. But everything was so...blurry, she felt like she was underwater. Drowning.

[Primrosette]

Kian noticed the tears on Molly's face and he wished that he could do anything to comfort her in this messy situation. But something was holding him back, like he didn't want to get too close and have her screaming or yelling or hitting him out of a blind rage. Something like that.

He was too focused on unzipping his bag to notice Molly opening up her own. He hesitated as he saw the head of a pink stuffed toy rabbit and he felt both somewhat relieved and disappointed at the same time. Relieved that it was not a dangerous thing for him to use. Disappointed that it would not be something that would really help him out.

"Well...."

He got the bunny out by picking it up by its ear and he was looking towards Molly with it. His heart suddenly felt like it was dropping down into his stomach and he was trying not to look nervous about what Molly had gotten. He had not thought that it would have been a sledgehammer. Now he wasn't sure whether he wanted to stay near her. Maybe he should leave her be?

"Whooooaaa, man. That's, uhhh...." He couldn't get his words out and he just forced himself to stay quiet.

[Irina Ivanov]

This was so stupid, so ridiculous. Every time that she was called to be strong, she turned into a mess of tears and snot. Sure, she was lucky she wasn't the kind to gasp and sniff loudly, but still. Everytime she was harrassed or bullied back, everytime someone questioned and critqued her, everytime someone questioned her mental health. The reasons got more and more pitable, and Molly knew she was even more weaker then she thought with each incident.

Wiping off her tears, she tried to smile at what she got. Sure it wasn't a gun, sure it wasn't maybe say, a crossbow, but it was something better then strangling someone with a blazer. Wait. What weapons did other people get? Did everyone get guns, or something like that? Because if so, then...

Oh. So that's what the boy got. A cute pink rabbit. One that she could just crush with her sledgehammer.

Molly laughed. But it was somewhat hard to tell it was even laughing in the first place. She felt tears coming out of her eyes, and she didn't even know if it was laughing tears or tears of fears or neither of them. She didn't know why she was laughing. Was this what hysteria was? Laughing at nothing? Laughing at the smallest things? Molly looked up to talk, and noticeably had a more energetic expression and was smiling, although she wasn't happy.

"I know. Nice weapon right? Better then yours. Well, atleast in terms of combat. You win the appearance factor of a weapon."

Molly was talking so fast, that Molly herself didn't really understand what she was saying. Should she reassure him by saying she won't use it? Because that would be a lie. She was going to use this. Just probably not on Kian.

[Primrosette]

Kian was taken aback by Molly's laughter and he was wondering if the girl was breaking down more. If she was (she really looked like she was losing it), then he wasn't sure what he could do for her in this moment and he rather not offer her a hug. In case, she decided to smash his brains out. He wasn't being paranoid himself, he was just being overly cautious. He hoped that it would help him in the long run unlike his pink companion that he was barely gripping onto.

"Hah. Yeah, mine is definitely more cute-looking, right? Yours will definitely be more helpful if you have to use it on someone else." He said and then he winced at the words that came out of his mouth. "Not that I would want you to actually do it. Sledgehammers are just pretty brutal, I think?"

Kian felt like he was being too hopeful about Molly. How would he know whether or not she would snap? Start attacking others with it? Attacking him with it? He didn't know how the girl's thoughts worked. Maybe they were more different from his. He knew that his sister would be telling him to manipulate Molly, take the weapon from her and then use it against her. But he wasn't Faith, he was Kian.

"So do you have any plans of what to do now, Molly?" Kian asked, staring down at the pink rabbit in his hand. He was not going to let the Americans get to him. He was not going to play right into their hands. He wasn't that weak-willed and he hoped for Molly's sake that she wasn't either.

[Irina Ivanov]

This was hysterical, irrational. Molly couldn't stop it. And if she was Kian, she would have kicked the sobbing girl in front of her. Maybe that would do some good. Maybe life was like a story, where a deluded state could be snapped out of by a slap. More irrational thoughts that Molly couldn't stop. She briefly grasped a sane thought that a physical slap would result in nothing more then more tension, before that thought fell away into more, evergrowing insane thoughts. But that didn't mean she was going insane, right? She needed reassurence from anyone that she wasn't going insane. Even though she knew that it was a falsehood. Just like the falsehood slowly falling out of her tongue.

"If this was the r-real world, and we met h-holding these things. I might have asked you if we could swap. But....this isn't the real world, a bunny isn't going to help me..uh...defend myself."

The lies were chokingly heavy on her conscience, like dirty honey pouring out of her throat. But surely, telling a sweet but empty lie was better then the truth, right? At least for her. Maybe this was insane...but by lying, she felt...what was it? Back in control? No longer just a powerless victim of the Americans? It was wrong, but she somewhat enjoyed that tiny power.

Molly has never seen a dead body in real life before. But although she tried her best to avoid such things, she HAS seen dead bodies while researching. Children dead from starvation. Men dead from gas poisoning. Murders. Each and every single time, Molly closed her tab quickly, and went on to look at some cute, happy pictures. But here, if she had to use this on someone...she couldn't close it, and no sugery picture will help the fact that her hands were dirty.

Maybe the falsehood she was telling was the truth? And her goal to win, at the cost of blood on her hands..was that the lie? Molly couldn't tell.

"I won't use the sledgehammer on anyo-anyone who isn't a th-threat. Do-don't be af-afraid, I don't t-think I c-can use it on y-you...I think...I think I'll look for some safe shelter first, before I decide to do anything else."

Molly tried to think that the stammering was just from crying, but maybe she was just choking on her viscious lies. Justice for a liar.

[Primrosette]

Man, this 'game' for the Americans was really twisted and messy. He just felt a sinking feeling in his gut as Molly just continuing to jumble up her words and he was surprised that he could even understand all of it. So as long as he wasn't a threat to her; then she wouldn't crush his face into a rotten-looking mushy mess. Just thinking about it was making him feel unwell and he shivered a little.

"Well, I'm pleased to know that you aren't planning to use it on me, to be honest." Or anyone else for that matter, I hope, he thought to himself quickly and he looked back down at his unzipped bag. "Wait, I think I might have something to help you look for somewhere to stay hidden."

He didn't even know why he wanted to help her out. Maybe because he didn't want to leave her in a bad situation and maybe she would feel safer if he came up with a solution for her.

He put the pink bunny (He didn't even want to name it) down on the sandy beach and he reached into his bag once more, getting out a map that he unfolded and he started to look at all the locations that were on it. Huh. Looks like there was a place nearby that would be useful for Molly to stay at.

Kian held out the map towards the girl and he pointed at a building that was near them. "So this seems to be a customs office building and it looks like it is not far from here. Maybe you could hide out there." He suggested before lowering the map and he was wondering what he should do himself. Should he try to find his friends? He wasn't sure at that moment. "....Do you want me to come with you?"

[Irina Ivanov]

She wouldn't use the sledgehammer, no she might. Maybe she would. But then, that imagination of her conjured up the aftermath of her using her sledgehammer; Her, covered in tears and blood, the corpse giving out an noxious gas of death, iron smelling blood, and maybe even the foul smell of bodily waste. And worst of all, a frozen familar face. Whether Molly mustered up the courage to maybe even use this in self-defense (although really, she knew that wasn't her true intention.), she got scared by that vivid imagination of hers, and it was back to square one. God, she was pathetic, wasn't she? Of course she was.

"Wh-why would I use it on you? It isn't like you could hurt me with that b-bun-bunny."

Molly failed to hold her giggles. It was true, she wasn't about to lose it completely and attack someone, well, hopefully not. But at the very least, she knew that she would win in a fight between that boy and her.

"B-besides. I'm not t-that men-mentally weak. I'm not i-insane, or p-psychotic..."

Molly's voice sort of faltered. That wasn't true, she wasn't insane. She was just having extremely dark thoughts. But...isn't that pretty much insanity? But as Kian unzipped his bag and took out a map, Molly's fuzzy vision and even more fuzzy and unreadable thoughts cleared up slightly, giving way into thoughts of confusion.

"So, why a-are you doing this? You sa-said you won't...hurt an-anyone, but...th-that doesn't mean I should trust y-you."

So was that it? Was the words coming out of his mouth just really nothing but dirty, syrup-like lies? Was that it? How was she to know this boy wasn't a liar? Hugging her duffel bag, and gripping her sledgehammer so tightly it was cutting her circulation off, Molly gave Kian a failed glare.

"What a-are you...going to d-do a-afterwards? What are yo-your plans?"

[Primrosette]

What was with all these questions? Kian wasn't sure why she seemed to be acting like he was an enemy now and he didn't like how things were turning out between them. He needed to defuse whatever was happening and if that didn't work, he could always just leave. Even if it didn't feel like the right thing to do.

"You mean why I am helping you? Isn't that a normal thing that people do? I just worry that there are some people out there that will end up murdering other people and I just want to make sure that you can be in a safer place. Not out in the open. Like this place. I guess I do think people would really do it. As much as I would like to be in denial about it. Man...."

He glanced around at their surroundings and he was still relieved to see that there was no one else around. Well, he would be more happy to see a friend. Like Dan. He remembered seeing Dan in the chaos before and then he felt more determined to find him.

"My plans?" He raised an eyebrow at the question and then he was slowly putting the map back into his bag for safe-keeping. "Well, I was actually planning on looking for a friend if he is here and then.... Well, whatever will happen next will happen."

He shrugged his shoulders, never taking his eyes off of Molly and her sledgehammer.

"I think that it would be better if I go now." He said in a cautious tone of voice, as he took a step back and he wasn't going to dare turn around. He wasn't stupid. If he wanted to get betrayed by turning his back on her, then he would kind of deserve it.

[Irina Ivanov]

Molly's words came back to hurt her after Kian. It was impulsive, it was an outburst. Molly didn't want to be here. Well, no one wanted to be here, but her espicially didn't want to be here, in this open beach. Even though the beach was as open as can be, Molly wasn't happy despite always hating the indoors in the real world, in fact, it felt that the skies and birds around her were closing in. And sure, walls could close in as well, but they wouldn't hurt her. The open spaces where anything could lurk were more dangerous.

"I-I don't rea-really understand? N-nothing's normal h-here, a-and it's not like I'm-I can help y-you. S-so why are you do-doing t-this?"

Molly knew that maybe, this boy was telling the truth, that he just wanted to help a random person find shelter. And maybe that was normal, to help someone, despite the fact that Molly would have never done this for anyone. But what if? What if Kian was tricking her? And leading her....somewhere? Maybe. As Molly said, despite Kian saying this was normal, Molly knew this whole situation wasn't normal. So why would Kian be an exception?

Of course, Molly knew exactly what was stopping her from accepting help. Pride. Molly thought it was so stupid, pride didn't matter here. But...she didn't let anyone help her, nor did she help anyone back then. And she was the queen bee, and accepting help from a drone? Sure, it was stupid, it was dangerous, it was irrational to be thinking of her old life just an hour ago and clinging onto it so tightly. But it didn't stop the fact that she was indeed, prideful to a fault, even now. Wasn't that just so...what word could describe it?....Deplorable.

"Nononononoplease, don't leave!"

Molly yelled that, surely a shocking tone after all those quiet and fast words. And then, she felt a sudden chill, washing over her like if someone had pushed her into a pool (which was well-deserved for her.) That was once again, another impulsive outburst. Another outburst, completely opposite to what she said earlier. But as much as Molly didn't want to let someone help her, she also didn't want to be alone. Picked off by those more stronger then her.

"P-please. A-atleast p-point to where it i-is."

There it was, broadcast all to see; Molly was really just a blubbering, sobbing, begging loser.