She’d barely had any time to react. One moment, Verity was firing. The next moment, her gun had stopped. The moment after that, Akeno had rammed into her chest, had pushed her out of the room, was completely unstoppable as Verity careened closer and closer to the pool.
((continued from Hotline Miami))
She’d at least been able to throw Timothy’s gun somewhere before there was no more ground beneath her. Before gravity took over. Before there was air, then air, then… water. Not glass. She hadn’t fallen hard enough for that, this time. Her eyes were closed and everything felt cold but not like the ocean had been. That had been down to her bones. This was only on her skin. Her body responded just fine when she made it kick the wall, propel her to the other side in the space of seconds. She was worried that the next minute would involve her trying to heave her own weight up over the poolside — like how it happened every time she tried to get out of the pool back at home and was too stubborn to do it the easy way — but making her eyes squint revealed stairs. A quick way out. Another breaststroke, a couple of steps before air. Before ground, again.
And when she was out, she turned around, as quick as she could. She couldn’t open her eyes because there was still so much water in the hair flopping on her face but she afforded herself a squint, as she grabbed her hair, pulled it back, squeezed it. She saw that she was on the side of the pool facing the back side of the ship. She saw her bag on the deck next to her, dragged through the pool with her. She saw the weapons attached — Alyssa’s trident, Gregory’s… string ball thingies — and she…
And she saw the other side of the pool. The side Verity had come in from. The side with the banquet hall. The side where the fight was. Where she needed to get back to.
But there was a problem with that. She could see it, even while squinting. A closed door. Something she couldn’t make out tying the handles together, keeping it that way.
And Miss Deja Vu herself, right in front of the door. Standing there. Staring Verity down.
It was hard not to laugh.
“We have to-” Verity paused. Took a breath. Getting plowed into the pool had taken more out of her than she’d realized. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
Thunderdome
Two enter... ((content warning: eye gore))
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Wham Yubeesling
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The bottom edge of the doorframe caught Akeno’s foot as she charged Verity through it, stopping her momentum and her plan. She fell forward, giving the heavier girl one last shove as she did so and expected to hear her hit the ground a moment after she herself did. Instead she was met with a splash.
Raising her head, Akeno saw the plume of water receding back into the pool, the last trace of Verity’s abrupt dive into it she could see from this angle. Pushing herself up she sprang into motion, abandoning her old idea and taking the opportunity, the time this gave her to do something else. She ran back towards the banquet, the large double doors she had just thrown the two of them through, and closed them. Hurrying to take off her jacket she began threading it through the handles, tying the arms into a knot that would make it difficult for anyone on the other side to come through without putting some serious effort into it. She and Verity would be alone until this was over.
All the while she ignored the sounds coming from within. It was fine. They were fine. Ivan could handle Fisk by himself.
By the time she was done and turned around, Verity was just pulling herself out of the water. On the other side, the pool in between them, her gun no longer in her hand but her bag and its assortment of weapons right next to her. Akeno walked forward as the other girl caught her breath. As Verity spoke, she pulled another harpoon out of her pocket and began feeding in into the barrel of her gun; loading it, preparing it for another shot.
“We will.”
How many chances had she had to kill this girl? Three? Four? It had never felt like the right time to do so, the circumstances had never aligned to put her into a good position to end this girl who had been like her personal boogeyman since her first conversation with Emmy. There was always someone in the way, or she didn’t have a good enough weapon, or enough time. Alyssa in the corridors, Leah and Rebecca in the Bowels. Fisk.
Now it was just them, Akeno had a weapon and they weren’t going to be interrupted.
“This’ll be the last time.”
Raising her head, Akeno saw the plume of water receding back into the pool, the last trace of Verity’s abrupt dive into it she could see from this angle. Pushing herself up she sprang into motion, abandoning her old idea and taking the opportunity, the time this gave her to do something else. She ran back towards the banquet, the large double doors she had just thrown the two of them through, and closed them. Hurrying to take off her jacket she began threading it through the handles, tying the arms into a knot that would make it difficult for anyone on the other side to come through without putting some serious effort into it. She and Verity would be alone until this was over.
All the while she ignored the sounds coming from within. It was fine. They were fine. Ivan could handle Fisk by himself.
By the time she was done and turned around, Verity was just pulling herself out of the water. On the other side, the pool in between them, her gun no longer in her hand but her bag and its assortment of weapons right next to her. Akeno walked forward as the other girl caught her breath. As Verity spoke, she pulled another harpoon out of her pocket and began feeding in into the barrel of her gun; loading it, preparing it for another shot.
“We will.”
How many chances had she had to kill this girl? Three? Four? It had never felt like the right time to do so, the circumstances had never aligned to put her into a good position to end this girl who had been like her personal boogeyman since her first conversation with Emmy. There was always someone in the way, or she didn’t have a good enough weapon, or enough time. Alyssa in the corridors, Leah and Rebecca in the Bowels. Fisk.
Now it was just them, Akeno had a weapon and they weren’t going to be interrupted.
“This’ll be the last time.”
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Wham Yubeesling
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“Did we-”
She stopped. Took a breath. Felt the water weigh down her clothes. Felt the cold — felt why she never wanted to leave the pool, when she was younger. She stuffed all her hair from two hands to one, and used her now free arm to wipe her face with her jacket. There. She could open her eyes now. She could see the pool in full HD glory — her on one side, Akeno on the other, so many more who had fallen in-between the two of them. In the pool. On the other two sides of the rectangle.
And by one of the corpses on the poolside — brown skin, brown hair, some senior who’d been in the musical band with her — Verity could see where she’d thrown her gun. A juxtaposition of black amongst the abundance of brown and red. The corpse must’ve stopped it from sliding right on into the sea. She’d have to thank Nadine when this was all over. She’d get the chance to, one way or another.
But that was for later. Right now was the time to… talk, apparently, to Akeno. A moment of respite. A bit of calm before what was obviously going to be a storm.
“Did we even talk to each other, before this?” Her body felt heavy. All the water her clothes had soaked up was weighing her down. She took one foot off the ground for a second and when she put it down again there was an audible squelch, as her sock ejected then reabsorbed all it held.
“Did I… even know you, outside of this game?”
She stopped. Took a breath. Felt the water weigh down her clothes. Felt the cold — felt why she never wanted to leave the pool, when she was younger. She stuffed all her hair from two hands to one, and used her now free arm to wipe her face with her jacket. There. She could open her eyes now. She could see the pool in full HD glory — her on one side, Akeno on the other, so many more who had fallen in-between the two of them. In the pool. On the other two sides of the rectangle.
And by one of the corpses on the poolside — brown skin, brown hair, some senior who’d been in the musical band with her — Verity could see where she’d thrown her gun. A juxtaposition of black amongst the abundance of brown and red. The corpse must’ve stopped it from sliding right on into the sea. She’d have to thank Nadine when this was all over. She’d get the chance to, one way or another.
But that was for later. Right now was the time to… talk, apparently, to Akeno. A moment of respite. A bit of calm before what was obviously going to be a storm.
“Did we even talk to each other, before this?” Her body felt heavy. All the water her clothes had soaked up was weighing her down. She took one foot off the ground for a second and when she put it down again there was an audible squelch, as her sock ejected then reabsorbed all it held.
“Did I… even know you, outside of this game?”
“No.”
They must have seen each other around school. They probably shared classes with each other without realising. Three or four years walking the same halls with hundreds of other people, you were bound to cross paths with all of them once or twice in that time; the same must have been true for her and Verity. A hundred little interactions that never registered; went unnoticed.
But they didn’t know each other. Emmy had told her to watch out for Verity the first time they spoke to each other, but when Akeno ran into her a few minutes later she didn’t even realise who it was she was talking to.
“I didn’t even know your name before this.”
They must have seen each other around school. They probably shared classes with each other without realising. Three or four years walking the same halls with hundreds of other people, you were bound to cross paths with all of them once or twice in that time; the same must have been true for her and Verity. A hundred little interactions that never registered; went unnoticed.
But they didn’t know each other. Emmy had told her to watch out for Verity the first time they spoke to each other, but when Akeno ran into her a few minutes later she didn’t even realise who it was she was talking to.
“I didn’t even know your name before this.”
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Wham Yubeesling
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“Well…”
That was right. They hadn’t known each other. Verity was a loner and Akeno was one of the sporty girls — two completely separate social spheres. They’d never talked. They’d never made an impression on the other. Verity hadn’t even known Akeno’s name until Vasily or James or someone had filled her in the night she’d killed Keegan. It’d been obvious, but she’d asked anyway. Whatever story they had together had been built entirely by this game. Whatever actions led them to be facing each other down at this very moment hadn’t been born from any history, any interaction back in Mangrove Garden. They’d been born together from here. From now.
“Well, I’m… Verity. Stewart. In case you didn’t already know that. I think we're in the same grade.”
And… honestly, Verity still couldn’t say she really knew Akeno. Even after all of this.
Because who was she, actually? Was she just the person who’d stepped in during that first meeting of Verity and Alyssa, there to stare Verity down, there to spook them off? Was she just the person who’d appeared in the bowels, there for Verity to point a gun at, there to remind her that violence was going to follow her from that point on? Was she just an enemy inherited from Fisk, an obligation placed onto her since Verity, too, had become a Respect? Did it matter that she’d been the one to finish off Sofia, even though she’d been dead the moment she’d disappeared from Stokes’ shop?
Verity didn’t know.
And it bugged her. Everybody else — Timothy Torales, Keegan Garcia, Alyssa Tibbett, even Junji — she knew who they were. She could keep them in the back of her heads not forgetting who they truly were. And, ultimately, when it’d been time to kill them, she’d had a reason to, one way or another.
Could she really say the same for Akeno? If… if this somehow went her way, could she truly consider herself capable of remembering her? They were standing off at opposite ends of the pool. Akeno was blocking the way out of here. She was holding a weapon, and seemed willing to use it on her, once this conversation had ended.
Was that enough?
Did Verity even have a real reason to do this?
…
…
She didn’t know.
“And I guess…"
But there wasn’t really a choice. She picked her two weapons from the ground.
“And I guess we’re doing this.”
This was it. The final round.
Match point.
Winner take all.
Three.
Tw-
That was right. They hadn’t known each other. Verity was a loner and Akeno was one of the sporty girls — two completely separate social spheres. They’d never talked. They’d never made an impression on the other. Verity hadn’t even known Akeno’s name until Vasily or James or someone had filled her in the night she’d killed Keegan. It’d been obvious, but she’d asked anyway. Whatever story they had together had been built entirely by this game. Whatever actions led them to be facing each other down at this very moment hadn’t been born from any history, any interaction back in Mangrove Garden. They’d been born together from here. From now.
“Well, I’m… Verity. Stewart. In case you didn’t already know that. I think we're in the same grade.”
And… honestly, Verity still couldn’t say she really knew Akeno. Even after all of this.
Because who was she, actually? Was she just the person who’d stepped in during that first meeting of Verity and Alyssa, there to stare Verity down, there to spook them off? Was she just the person who’d appeared in the bowels, there for Verity to point a gun at, there to remind her that violence was going to follow her from that point on? Was she just an enemy inherited from Fisk, an obligation placed onto her since Verity, too, had become a Respect? Did it matter that she’d been the one to finish off Sofia, even though she’d been dead the moment she’d disappeared from Stokes’ shop?
Verity didn’t know.
And it bugged her. Everybody else — Timothy Torales, Keegan Garcia, Alyssa Tibbett, even Junji — she knew who they were. She could keep them in the back of her heads not forgetting who they truly were. And, ultimately, when it’d been time to kill them, she’d had a reason to, one way or another.
Could she really say the same for Akeno? If… if this somehow went her way, could she truly consider herself capable of remembering her? They were standing off at opposite ends of the pool. Akeno was blocking the way out of here. She was holding a weapon, and seemed willing to use it on her, once this conversation had ended.
Was that enough?
Did Verity even have a real reason to do this?
…
…
She didn’t know.
“And I guess…"
But there wasn’t really a choice. She picked her two weapons from the ground.
“And I guess we’re doing this.”
This was it. The final round.
Match point.
Winner take all.
Three.
Tw-
Akeno fired first.
They were doing this. They had no other choice. Whatever relationship they may or may not have had before this didn’t matter now; whether they knew each other, whether they were in the same grade, same class, same social spheres. This show, the bandanas they were randomly assigned, made almost all of that irrelevant.
Kill your friends, watch them die, because they wore black or pink and you wore white. This person is your friend now, because we said so. This person is your enemy, because we said so. Listen to this stranger’s voice, trust them, rely on them. As much as she said she didn’t need her team, Akeno had leaned into that mentality pretty hard for the most part. Played the game by the rules given to her.
Verity wasn’t wearing her colours. If nothing else had happened between them, that would still be enough reason to do this.
As the other girl rose with weapons in hand, Akeno raised and aimed her harpoon at her before pulling the trigger. As usual she didn’t wait to see if her shot hit before she began to move; her aim had been inconsistent enough so far that she couldn’t rely on herself to end this cleanly, so she assumed that it missed and acted accordingly. She ran. Across the deck at an angle, circling around the pool towards Verity; the girl she didn’t know, the girl who might be in her grade, the girl whose name she only knew because this show and their own choices had driven them to this point.
They were doing this. They had no other choice. Whatever relationship they may or may not have had before this didn’t matter now; whether they knew each other, whether they were in the same grade, same class, same social spheres. This show, the bandanas they were randomly assigned, made almost all of that irrelevant.
Kill your friends, watch them die, because they wore black or pink and you wore white. This person is your friend now, because we said so. This person is your enemy, because we said so. Listen to this stranger’s voice, trust them, rely on them. As much as she said she didn’t need her team, Akeno had leaned into that mentality pretty hard for the most part. Played the game by the rules given to her.
Verity wasn’t wearing her colours. If nothing else had happened between them, that would still be enough reason to do this.
As the other girl rose with weapons in hand, Akeno raised and aimed her harpoon at her before pulling the trigger. As usual she didn’t wait to see if her shot hit before she began to move; her aim had been inconsistent enough so far that she couldn’t rely on herself to end this cleanly, so she assumed that it missed and acted accordingly. She ran. Across the deck at an angle, circling around the pool towards Verity; the girl she didn’t know, the girl who might be in her grade, the girl whose name she only knew because this show and their own choices had driven them to this point.
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Wham Yubeesling
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The harpoon sailed across the pool long enough for Verity to clue in. She bolted, but not quick enough. The blade of the spear sliced through her jumper, sliced through her shirt, went through skin, went through vein. Blood spurted out from her right tricep as she reeled to her left, and sheer pain like she’d never felt before — not in this game, not anytime before it — burned the area halfway between her shoulder and her elbow, but she could barely feel it. She’d compartmentalized. Pushed it so far within it was almost like she was reminiscing back on it already.
Because this was it.
The climax.
Do or die.
She’d never been here before. She’d never had to fight for her life. Timothy, Keegan, Alyssa, Junji, all those had been over the moment she’d stepped in. This was different. A whole new experience.
And under flesh, under muscle, as her movement stopped came something Verity didn’t ever think she was going to feel again. A fire in her body. An adjustment of her diaphragm. She was breathing quicker, more ragged. The hair on her arms bristled, stood on edge. She could hear her heartbeat in her head as it got faster and faster, harder and harder. Everything she felt when anxiety took over, but there was a different underlying emotion underneath it all. This was how she’d felt when she was in a fighting game, ready to fight an opponent she knew she could beat. This was how she felt when she daydreamed about duels and climatic bouts, her character alone, sword drawn against the final boss.
This was her body telling her to move. To fight. And she was ready to give it exactly what they all wanted.
She ran around the pool, the same side as Akeno. Rushed for the gun.
Because this was it.
The climax.
Do or die.
She’d never been here before. She’d never had to fight for her life. Timothy, Keegan, Alyssa, Junji, all those had been over the moment she’d stepped in. This was different. A whole new experience.
And under flesh, under muscle, as her movement stopped came something Verity didn’t ever think she was going to feel again. A fire in her body. An adjustment of her diaphragm. She was breathing quicker, more ragged. The hair on her arms bristled, stood on edge. She could hear her heartbeat in her head as it got faster and faster, harder and harder. Everything she felt when anxiety took over, but there was a different underlying emotion underneath it all. This was how she’d felt when she was in a fighting game, ready to fight an opponent she knew she could beat. This was how she felt when she daydreamed about duels and climatic bouts, her character alone, sword drawn against the final boss.
This was her body telling her to move. To fight. And she was ready to give it exactly what they all wanted.
She ran around the pool, the same side as Akeno. Rushed for the gun.
How many times had she done exactly this? This setup? This arrangement? An opponent facing her, a space between them, a pause before the fight began, wondering if she was mentally and physically prepared, too late to change anything now if she wasn’t. Just do your best. Then the signal, followed by a walk, or a run, as they both closed the distance and met each other somewhere in the middle. One winner. One loser. Yet to be decided.
The context was different between then and now, higher stakes, but the feeling was the same; comparable at least. As such she’d done this dozens of times, hundreds of times; only three or four that actually mattered and all of those in the last few days.
Verity rushed to meet her and as they both ran alongside the edge of the pool they looked set to meet each other halfway. Or at least, that would be the case if the other girl was running straight towards her; she wasn’t. She ran at an angle and wasn’t even looking her way; Akeno followed her line of sight and saw why. A gun. Her gun; the one she had just used in the ambush. It hadn’t fallen in the pool, it had been thrown aside and Verity was looking to get it back. Akeno changed her path and pumped her legs faster to get there first.
She did, reaching the corpse ahead of Verity and managing to kick the pistol out of both of their reaches. Then she turned, squaring her shoulders in front of the charging Verity, and swung the butt of her now empty harpoon gun towards the other girl’s face.
The context was different between then and now, higher stakes, but the feeling was the same; comparable at least. As such she’d done this dozens of times, hundreds of times; only three or four that actually mattered and all of those in the last few days.
Verity rushed to meet her and as they both ran alongside the edge of the pool they looked set to meet each other halfway. Or at least, that would be the case if the other girl was running straight towards her; she wasn’t. She ran at an angle and wasn’t even looking her way; Akeno followed her line of sight and saw why. A gun. Her gun; the one she had just used in the ambush. It hadn’t fallen in the pool, it had been thrown aside and Verity was looking to get it back. Akeno changed her path and pumped her legs faster to get there first.
She did, reaching the corpse ahead of Verity and managing to kick the pistol out of both of their reaches. Then she turned, squaring her shoulders in front of the charging Verity, and swung the butt of her now empty harpoon gun towards the other girl’s face.
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Wham Yubeesling
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Maybe the adrenaline hadn’t fully kicked in yet. Maybe the water sogging her clothes actually slowed her down. Maybe it’d been stupid to think she stood a chance of actually running faster than someone else, but Akeno got to the gun just before Verity did and fuck, fuck, she kicked it back towards the door. Away from Verity. Her way of ending this quick had evaporated. Now she had to-
Her body moved, on its own. Brought the trident up as Akeno swung the harpoon gun downwards. There was a clang, as the weapons hit, that reverberated the trident hard enough to shake Verity’s bones. They both held in place. Clashed their swords. Her strength against Akeno’s. It took everything she had to not get driven back. Her arm — lifted above her head, taking nearly the full force of Akeno’s push — was in pain now. It wasn’t the searing flame it’d felt like when the harpoon had sailed through her skin. This was like… a building already burned. Charred. Waning. Achey. Her bones was groaning and she knew it couldn’t hold forever but she kept it going. Another second facing off like this was another second Verity spent alive. Another second Verity spent alive was another second that could give her a chance to get through this. She had to keep holding on.
(but why, though? what’s the point?)
(its you or her, right?)
(why do you want it to be her?)
…
Verity took a step back. Akeno took a step forward. The clash of weapons continued, a little bit closer to Verity’s side of the pool than before.
(do you even have a reason?)
(for any of this?)
…
Verity took a step back.
Another.
Another.
Her body moved, on its own. Brought the trident up as Akeno swung the harpoon gun downwards. There was a clang, as the weapons hit, that reverberated the trident hard enough to shake Verity’s bones. They both held in place. Clashed their swords. Her strength against Akeno’s. It took everything she had to not get driven back. Her arm — lifted above her head, taking nearly the full force of Akeno’s push — was in pain now. It wasn’t the searing flame it’d felt like when the harpoon had sailed through her skin. This was like… a building already burned. Charred. Waning. Achey. Her bones was groaning and she knew it couldn’t hold forever but she kept it going. Another second facing off like this was another second Verity spent alive. Another second Verity spent alive was another second that could give her a chance to get through this. She had to keep holding on.
(but why, though? what’s the point?)
(its you or her, right?)
(why do you want it to be her?)
…
Verity took a step back. Akeno took a step forward. The clash of weapons continued, a little bit closer to Verity’s side of the pool than before.
(do you even have a reason?)
(for any of this?)
…
Verity took a step back.
Another.
Another.
They clashed. The butt of her gun was stopped by the shaft of the trident Verity wielded and Akeno leaned into the attack to keep them locked together. The wooden body of her harpoon gun ground against the metal bar of the polearm as they pushed against each other, a test of strength to see who could overpower the other. It wasn’t a good position for either of them to be in, perilous; if either of them backed down at all then the other would be on top of them and from there it was likely a downward spiral into death.
They were closely matched and for a couple of seconds neither of them moved an inch. Akeno had some muscle, but she was thin, more lithe than bulky, not a powerhouse. Verity had more weight to put behind her push, more weight that Akeno had to try and move. The two more or less evened each other out.
Verity gave first. She took a step back and Akeno followed, then another and another. Akeno tensed up, preparing for the moment when the stalemate would break; she could make it happen herself if she pressed forward now, forced another surge of strength through her arms and pushed Verity back, pushed her over. Instead she let up, disengaging from the struggle so suddenly it would hopefully leave Verity reeling.
As the other girl stumbled as she found herself pushing back against nothing Akeno hopped back, landing on one foot and turning her body so that she was side-on to Verity. Lifting her other foot she lashed out, leg extending in a straight line directly into her opponent’s stomach.
They were closely matched and for a couple of seconds neither of them moved an inch. Akeno had some muscle, but she was thin, more lithe than bulky, not a powerhouse. Verity had more weight to put behind her push, more weight that Akeno had to try and move. The two more or less evened each other out.
Verity gave first. She took a step back and Akeno followed, then another and another. Akeno tensed up, preparing for the moment when the stalemate would break; she could make it happen herself if she pressed forward now, forced another surge of strength through her arms and pushed Verity back, pushed her over. Instead she let up, disengaging from the struggle so suddenly it would hopefully leave Verity reeling.
As the other girl stumbled as she found herself pushing back against nothing Akeno hopped back, landing on one foot and turning her body so that she was side-on to Verity. Lifting her other foot she lashed out, leg extending in a straight line directly into her opponent’s stomach.
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Wham Yubeesling
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It was a weird feeling. Like what had happened with Timothy, that very first day. She’d let go of her bag, while the two had been struggling for it, and somehow — as if everything she’d learned in physics had been a lie — that’d caused him to fly off. Hit the deck. Break his knee, wake her up, and cause all the hell that’d followed. It was like that. Akeno backed off, Verity’s body was suddenly moving forward, and it took almost all of her effort to course correct. To swing back. To stop herself from flying, just like Timothy had.
Which meant that there was no effort left to defend herself when the kick came towards her stomach.
It connected. Head on. The breath was stolen from Verity’s body as she was launched back, as the trident left her hands, as she landed, on her back, parallel to the corner of the pool. There was a second spent reeling. A second spent figuring out what had just happened. A second spent in reconfiguration, finding out where she was, figuring what to do next.
A second where everything was clear. Where she could see Akeno in the horizon of her eyes and knew that she had to move now. She looked around. Saw the trident clattered to her right, half of it balancing over the water. She reached f-
Which meant that there was no effort left to defend herself when the kick came towards her stomach.
It connected. Head on. The breath was stolen from Verity’s body as she was launched back, as the trident left her hands, as she landed, on her back, parallel to the corner of the pool. There was a second spent reeling. A second spent figuring out what had just happened. A second spent in reconfiguration, finding out where she was, figuring what to do next.
A second where everything was clear. Where she could see Akeno in the horizon of her eyes and knew that she had to move now. She looked around. Saw the trident clattered to her right, half of it balancing over the water. She reached f-
Akeno brought her foot down on Verity’s grasping hand.
With her other foot she kicked the trident away; it didn’t slide as far as the gun had, only a foot or two, but that was far enough to keep it out of Verity’s reach forever. Even so she brought her foot up again and slammed it back down on the back of the other girl’s hand before grinding her heel into the delicate bones.
Akeno stepped away from Verity, releasing the hand from under her foot as her own hand fell to her pocket and withdrew one of her spare harpoons. Only a couple left now since she hadn’t retrieved the ones from Sergio’s body and had fired two misses since then. She didn’t reload it; she didn’t have anything to reload it into, having left the harpoon gun by the pool. Instead she gripped it like a knife, like a shiv, and stepped forward to finish Verity off.
With her other foot she kicked the trident away; it didn’t slide as far as the gun had, only a foot or two, but that was far enough to keep it out of Verity’s reach forever. Even so she brought her foot up again and slammed it back down on the back of the other girl’s hand before grinding her heel into the delicate bones.
Akeno stepped away from Verity, releasing the hand from under her foot as her own hand fell to her pocket and withdrew one of her spare harpoons. Only a couple left now since she hadn’t retrieved the ones from Sergio’s body and had fired two misses since then. She didn’t reload it; she didn’t have anything to reload it into, having left the harpoon gun by the pool. Instead she gripped it like a knife, like a shiv, and stepped forward to finish Verity off.
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Wham Yubeesling
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The joke was that she wouldn’t have even gotten the trident anyway. Her hand had been fully outstretched and she was nowhere near far enough to even grab the thing.
It wasn’t very funny, though. She’d barely even had any time to think about the humour of it all before Akeno’s foot came down on her hand. There was a sharp pain — like a needle piercing through and through her body — as the nerves squeezed. There was a crack, audible, somehow, as the joints in her knuckles got crushed. And as Akeno’s foot finally left the ground, there was just a tingly sensation, buzzing where the bones had been. Like pins and needles. Like she’d slept on her hand and woke up the next morning to find out that she couldn’t feel her arm anymore.
No more right hand.
No more playing piano. No more holding a violin bow. No more holding a mouse, moving the arrow keys in a game, typing out a chapter or an RP post during a lunch break. She’d known she couldn’t go back to that the moment this game had started. She’d known that… even if there was a future after this, it wouldn’t be anything like before. Wouldn’t be anything good. No-one got through this unscathed.
She was just lucky enough to last this long without finding that out.
And she had to last longer. She had to find a way out of this. Keep living however many more seconds she could. Her fate wasn’t in her hands anymore; her life was determinant on who came through that banquet hall door and how long they took to open it. Everything was uncontrollable. Her story had been chosen for her the moment she’d been selected and her final page had been drafted the moment she and Akeno had met for the first time. Her days had been numbered the moment the writers had placed her in this game, devised exactly who she could be.
All she could do was buy a few extra seconds.
Her left hand rushed to her side. Fumbled, frantically, to find her pant pocket. She found it, went in, grabbed the shiv, pulled it out. Swung it in the empty space between her and Akeno.
She didn’t realize until the moment Akeno's fingers curled around her wrist that she’d grabbed it wrong. That the blade was pointed towards Verity.
It wasn’t very funny, though. She’d barely even had any time to think about the humour of it all before Akeno’s foot came down on her hand. There was a sharp pain — like a needle piercing through and through her body — as the nerves squeezed. There was a crack, audible, somehow, as the joints in her knuckles got crushed. And as Akeno’s foot finally left the ground, there was just a tingly sensation, buzzing where the bones had been. Like pins and needles. Like she’d slept on her hand and woke up the next morning to find out that she couldn’t feel her arm anymore.
No more right hand.
No more playing piano. No more holding a violin bow. No more holding a mouse, moving the arrow keys in a game, typing out a chapter or an RP post during a lunch break. She’d known she couldn’t go back to that the moment this game had started. She’d known that… even if there was a future after this, it wouldn’t be anything like before. Wouldn’t be anything good. No-one got through this unscathed.
She was just lucky enough to last this long without finding that out.
And she had to last longer. She had to find a way out of this. Keep living however many more seconds she could. Her fate wasn’t in her hands anymore; her life was determinant on who came through that banquet hall door and how long they took to open it. Everything was uncontrollable. Her story had been chosen for her the moment she’d been selected and her final page had been drafted the moment she and Akeno had met for the first time. Her days had been numbered the moment the writers had placed her in this game, devised exactly who she could be.
All she could do was buy a few extra seconds.
Her left hand rushed to her side. Fumbled, frantically, to find her pant pocket. She found it, went in, grabbed the shiv, pulled it out. Swung it in the empty space between her and Akeno.
She didn’t realize until the moment Akeno's fingers curled around her wrist that she’d grabbed it wrong. That the blade was pointed towards Verity.
She expected the shiv to come out. Akeno had seen them enough times to know what to expect when Verity started digging into her pockets, so she stopped, waited for the first swing, then stepped in and grabbed her wrist. Her fingers tightened around Verity’s arm and she forced it back, smashing it back into the railing once, twice, three times before the other girl’s grip loosened and the makeshift weapon tumbled out of bruised fingers.
It hit the deck point first and cracked, shattering into multiple pieces with a clear note of breaking glass.
In the wake of that sound Akeno brought the harpoon around in an arc with her other hand and drove it into Verity’s eye.
It hit the deck point first and cracked, shattering into multiple pieces with a clear note of breaking glass.
In the wake of that sound Akeno brought the harpoon around in an arc with her other hand and drove it into Verity’s eye.
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Wham Yubeesling
- Posts: 1256
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:15 pm
- Location: there is a man standing behind you
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The second last thing Verity saw from her left eye was the faint reflection of herself in the sunlight. She didn’t see that. She just saw the shiv. The weapon she — in a roundabout way — had earned from ending the life of her best friend. The weapon that had forged her and Fisk's working relationship. The thing that proved that she was one of them. One of the Respects. It was what she thought could maybe break her out of the death spiral. A plan, a twist in her story that would maybe keep fueling her flame. Prevent her from burning out. Give her an arc that could truly progress beyond being a vector to get this game running.
The last thing Verity saw was Akeno slamming the shiv against the floor. Was the glass shattering, scattering, scuttling across the floor in every direction. Of herself, no weapons left, completely defenceless from what was about to come.
Then there was red, then black, then nothing more, as the harpoon pierced straight through her eye.
The last thing Verity saw was Akeno slamming the shiv against the floor. Was the glass shattering, scattering, scuttling across the floor in every direction. Of herself, no weapons left, completely defenceless from what was about to come.
Then there was red, then black, then nothing more, as the harpoon pierced straight through her eye.