It stank.
Mary Wieczorek didn't know how the military decided who would be placed where when the Program began. She figured that she either had an unlucky draw or that one of the officials hated her for some reason, because she had woken up on a dirty floor in an abandoned factory that reeked of dead fish. The smell was so pungent that Mary almost left the building immediately, but she stopped herself when she decided that blindly running out of shelter during a death game was a bad idea.
Luckily, there was a door off to her right that led into a locker room. It still stank in the locker room, but it wasn't as bad as the factory floor. She wouldn't constantly feel like retching, at least. Mary sat on the cleanest looking bench and tried to complicate her situation. It was hard for her to wrap her head around the danger she faced. She could die at any moment. Heck, she would die in the next few days, unless she was unbelievably lucky. And her luck really hadn't been great recently.
with that thought, Mary opened her duffel bag. She needed to see what weapon she had before deciding on anything else. She rifled through its contents. Rations, flashlight, harmonica... what? Why was there a harmonica? She continued looking. There was a first aid kit, a map... where was her weapon? Wait...
It hit her. The harmonica was her weapon. The bad luck continued.
Mary turned the instrument over in her hands. She had played a harmonica a few times as a kid. Whose was it, again? Her Dad's, maybe. Mary wondered if she should try playing a sad tune to lament her misfortune.
No, that was a terrible idea.
Cannery Blues
Phase 1 (0-12 Hours), Open
((James Bagstad: Start))
The first thing James noticed when he woke up was the smell of rotting fish.
The second was the cold hard ground he was laying on.
The third that he was gonna die.
The forth was that all of his friends were gonna to die.
The fifth was maybe if he didn't move he wouldn't have to kill.
The sixth was that he was an idiot for thinking that.
The seventh was that he should get off his ass and actually do something.
So he did just that. Thrusting himself into an up right position, James quickly scanned the area around him. He had remembered the video telling them they were going to a fishing village or something, so from the looks of things he was in... Something related to that? He couldn't quite piece it together, but the conveyor belts and the factory like ascetic told him this building was involved in some form of processing. What it was exactly he didn't know, nor did he care. He just knew he didn't see anyone around him, which was fine. That just meant he didn't have to fight for now.
Looking over to his right, James could see his bag laying besides him. He already knew what was going to be inside of it. Some food, water, and a weapon that would give him a unique advantage in the game. Maybe it was some kind of comfort item that would give him some kind of moral boost, or maybe it was a weapon he could use to defend himself with. Either way, so long as it wasn't a joke weapon he would be fine.
Though... Would they really do that to him? He'd done everything he could for his country from the start, he even hid his own sexuality just so he wouldn't disappoint them. There was no reason why they wouldn't give him a good weapon... Right?
With a shaking hand, James extended his arm over to the bag's zipper, and pulled the zipper to reveal a piece of paper sitting on top of his supplies. James couldn't help but to sigh in relief, thinking that maybe those were the instrustions for his weapon, however once he grabbed it he noticed it... folded over and over for some strange reason? When he tried to open it up, he could feel a small tear on the bottom of it, and upon closer inspection he noticed something there.
A staple.
“Oh please don't...” James said to himself as he quickly rummaged through his bag, looking through what was inside. Two MREs, water, breat, saltines, first aid kit. All there. But he realized his weapon wasn't inside, the horrifying realization slowly crept up on him.
That piece of paper, folded up and stapled at the end.
That was his weapon.
They had given him a fucking paper fan.
Picking it back up and inspecting the tear, James couldn't help but to start laughing madman. Not because it was funny, not even close.
But what else can you do when your country hands you a paper fan?
What else can you do when your country sentences you to death?
The first thing James noticed when he woke up was the smell of rotting fish.
The second was the cold hard ground he was laying on.
The third that he was gonna die.
The forth was that all of his friends were gonna to die.
The fifth was maybe if he didn't move he wouldn't have to kill.
The sixth was that he was an idiot for thinking that.
The seventh was that he should get off his ass and actually do something.
So he did just that. Thrusting himself into an up right position, James quickly scanned the area around him. He had remembered the video telling them they were going to a fishing village or something, so from the looks of things he was in... Something related to that? He couldn't quite piece it together, but the conveyor belts and the factory like ascetic told him this building was involved in some form of processing. What it was exactly he didn't know, nor did he care. He just knew he didn't see anyone around him, which was fine. That just meant he didn't have to fight for now.
Looking over to his right, James could see his bag laying besides him. He already knew what was going to be inside of it. Some food, water, and a weapon that would give him a unique advantage in the game. Maybe it was some kind of comfort item that would give him some kind of moral boost, or maybe it was a weapon he could use to defend himself with. Either way, so long as it wasn't a joke weapon he would be fine.
Though... Would they really do that to him? He'd done everything he could for his country from the start, he even hid his own sexuality just so he wouldn't disappoint them. There was no reason why they wouldn't give him a good weapon... Right?
With a shaking hand, James extended his arm over to the bag's zipper, and pulled the zipper to reveal a piece of paper sitting on top of his supplies. James couldn't help but to sigh in relief, thinking that maybe those were the instrustions for his weapon, however once he grabbed it he noticed it... folded over and over for some strange reason? When he tried to open it up, he could feel a small tear on the bottom of it, and upon closer inspection he noticed something there.
A staple.
“Oh please don't...” James said to himself as he quickly rummaged through his bag, looking through what was inside. Two MREs, water, breat, saltines, first aid kit. All there. But he realized his weapon wasn't inside, the horrifying realization slowly crept up on him.
That piece of paper, folded up and stapled at the end.
That was his weapon.
They had given him a fucking paper fan.
Picking it back up and inspecting the tear, James couldn't help but to start laughing madman. Not because it was funny, not even close.
But what else can you do when your country hands you a paper fan?
What else can you do when your country sentences you to death?
Mary's blood ran cold. She heard laughter. It wasn't the type of laughter someone made when they heard a funny joke, either. It was crazed, maniacal laughter. It was the type of laughter someone made when they were having fun murdering teenagers in an abandoned factory.
The laughter was coming from the factory floor where Mary had woken up. There was a door on the opposite end of the locker room which presumably led to the outside world. The rational thing to do would probably be for Mary to grab her pack and run out of there without looking back. Mary was curious, however. Who was laughing like that? Mary couldn't imagine that any of her classmates would be complete psychopaths. In fact, the longer she thought about it, the more Mary doubted her initial reaction. The other people around her were high school students, not horror movie villains. If someone was laughing like that, it was probably because they were nervous or something, not because they were enjoying the blood of the innocent. Right?
Mary rose from her bench, and crouching, she moved toward the door to the main floor. The top half of the door had a window, so Mary peeked up and looked around. She scanned the room a few times before she saw him. Behind one of the conveyor belts, James Bagstad was sitting upright. James was a jock guy, he ran in different social circles from Mary and they hadn't had much contact. From their small amount of interaction, James seemed like an alright guy, though Mary had heard stories of him being involved in some bullying. Mary didn't know how to feel about seeing him.
Mary noticed he was looking at something in his hand. Upon closer inspection, it looked like he was holding a paper fan. It looked like he had also gotten an awful weapon draw. Was that what he was laughing about? Weird.
So James probably wasn't an insane psychopath. Mary wondered if maybe she should approach him and try to form a team. There was strength in numbers, right? On her own, Mary was pretty much a sitting duck. Still, she didn't know if he would be playing or not. Even without a weapon, the guy looked like he could crush her into dust. It dawned on Mary that the decision she made here could be the most important one in her entire life.
Eh, what the heck.
Mary grabbed her bag, harmonica inside, and opened the door. She took a few steps back into the foul smelling room. There was still a good amount of distance between her and James, so if he tried anything she would be able to run back to the locker room's exit.
"Hey," she called "James, right? I'm not playing. So, uh... you okay?" It was a lame greeting, but Mary wasn't familiar with the usual Program icebreakers.
The laughter was coming from the factory floor where Mary had woken up. There was a door on the opposite end of the locker room which presumably led to the outside world. The rational thing to do would probably be for Mary to grab her pack and run out of there without looking back. Mary was curious, however. Who was laughing like that? Mary couldn't imagine that any of her classmates would be complete psychopaths. In fact, the longer she thought about it, the more Mary doubted her initial reaction. The other people around her were high school students, not horror movie villains. If someone was laughing like that, it was probably because they were nervous or something, not because they were enjoying the blood of the innocent. Right?
Mary rose from her bench, and crouching, she moved toward the door to the main floor. The top half of the door had a window, so Mary peeked up and looked around. She scanned the room a few times before she saw him. Behind one of the conveyor belts, James Bagstad was sitting upright. James was a jock guy, he ran in different social circles from Mary and they hadn't had much contact. From their small amount of interaction, James seemed like an alright guy, though Mary had heard stories of him being involved in some bullying. Mary didn't know how to feel about seeing him.
Mary noticed he was looking at something in his hand. Upon closer inspection, it looked like he was holding a paper fan. It looked like he had also gotten an awful weapon draw. Was that what he was laughing about? Weird.
So James probably wasn't an insane psychopath. Mary wondered if maybe she should approach him and try to form a team. There was strength in numbers, right? On her own, Mary was pretty much a sitting duck. Still, she didn't know if he would be playing or not. Even without a weapon, the guy looked like he could crush her into dust. It dawned on Mary that the decision she made here could be the most important one in her entire life.
Eh, what the heck.
Mary grabbed her bag, harmonica inside, and opened the door. She took a few steps back into the foul smelling room. There was still a good amount of distance between her and James, so if he tried anything she would be able to run back to the locker room's exit.
"Hey," she called "James, right? I'm not playing. So, uh... you okay?" It was a lame greeting, but Mary wasn't familiar with the usual Program icebreakers.
James' laughter came to a sudden stop once he heard the other person's voice. Turning his head, he saw Mary Wieczorek standing a good distance away from him. The first thought to enter his head was that he likely just freaked this poor girl the hell out. The second was that she could of just walked right up to him and killed him without him even noticing if she wanted to, given his previous state.
Thankfully though, she didn't. Which lead James to believe she was telling the truth. If she was playing she wouldn't of even bothered with getting his attention, she would of just ended his ass then and there. Not to mention she didn't appear to be armed, so there's that. So by all stretch of the imagination it was safe to assume she wasn't hostile, which was good. James really didn't want to deal with somebody who was actively playing right now.
"I uh... Yeah! I'm fine! Sorry!" James said, still trying to compose himself. "I'm not playing either, though it's not like I could if I wanted to..."
James flashed his paper fan, trying to make it clear he was not a threat. Though if it did come down to it he would be able to kill her. Not that he wanted to of course. Aside from the obvious 'I don't wanna kill my classmates' issue, being broadcasted as a killer in the first announcement did not sound like something James wanted. A mark like that could be death for him if people wanted revenge or wanted to get a killer out of the way, and if she didn't have a decent weapon he would of done so for nothing. He was sure he could deal with some of the kids that got bad weapon draws, after all he was stronger than most of his fellow classmates, but against anyone with even a halfway decent weapon he was toast.
Besides Mary didn't seem that bad anyway. Yeah they never interacted, seemed decent enough at the very least. A bit quiet, but nothing too bad. She was kind of cute too, in fact if they were still back in school James might of pressured her to keep up that awful flirt image of his. But now? There was no point to. Why bother keeping up a lie when you're going to die soon anyway?
Still, she might be willing to work with him here. Safety in numbers and all. If nothing else having a second person around would help them deal with people who were actually playing.
"You're... Mary, right?" James asked, double checking to make sure he had the right person. "How long have you been up? Oh and please tell me you got a better weapon than this."
Thankfully though, she didn't. Which lead James to believe she was telling the truth. If she was playing she wouldn't of even bothered with getting his attention, she would of just ended his ass then and there. Not to mention she didn't appear to be armed, so there's that. So by all stretch of the imagination it was safe to assume she wasn't hostile, which was good. James really didn't want to deal with somebody who was actively playing right now.
"I uh... Yeah! I'm fine! Sorry!" James said, still trying to compose himself. "I'm not playing either, though it's not like I could if I wanted to..."
James flashed his paper fan, trying to make it clear he was not a threat. Though if it did come down to it he would be able to kill her. Not that he wanted to of course. Aside from the obvious 'I don't wanna kill my classmates' issue, being broadcasted as a killer in the first announcement did not sound like something James wanted. A mark like that could be death for him if people wanted revenge or wanted to get a killer out of the way, and if she didn't have a decent weapon he would of done so for nothing. He was sure he could deal with some of the kids that got bad weapon draws, after all he was stronger than most of his fellow classmates, but against anyone with even a halfway decent weapon he was toast.
Besides Mary didn't seem that bad anyway. Yeah they never interacted, seemed decent enough at the very least. A bit quiet, but nothing too bad. She was kind of cute too, in fact if they were still back in school James might of pressured her to keep up that awful flirt image of his. But now? There was no point to. Why bother keeping up a lie when you're going to die soon anyway?
Still, she might be willing to work with him here. Safety in numbers and all. If nothing else having a second person around would help them deal with people who were actually playing.
"You're... Mary, right?" James asked, double checking to make sure he had the right person. "How long have you been up? Oh and please tell me you got a better weapon than this."
Oh, good. James didn't act like he was insane or murderous. Mary still didn't understand the manic laughter, but she didn't want to poke at the subject.
"Yep, I'm Mary. Mary Wieczorek." She said. She offered him a slight smile, which was about all she could muster at the moment. "I've only been up for about, um, twenty minutes, maybe. Woke up right around here." She gestured at the area near where she was standing.
"And my weapon? well..." Mary had put her harmonica back into her bag because she thought he'd be less willing to attack her if he didn't know what her weapon was than he would be if he knew it was just a harmonica. James seemed fine, though, so she unzipped her pack and pulled it out.
"Sorry, but I don't think this is any better than yours. Unless you're musically inclined, I guess."
"Yep, I'm Mary. Mary Wieczorek." She said. She offered him a slight smile, which was about all she could muster at the moment. "I've only been up for about, um, twenty minutes, maybe. Woke up right around here." She gestured at the area near where she was standing.
"And my weapon? well..." Mary had put her harmonica back into her bag because she thought he'd be less willing to attack her if he didn't know what her weapon was than he would be if he knew it was just a harmonica. James seemed fine, though, so she unzipped her pack and pulled it out.
"Sorry, but I don't think this is any better than yours. Unless you're musically inclined, I guess."
James wasn't sure if the fact that Mary also got a shit weapon was supposed to make him feel better or not, but it sure as hell didn't. If anything he was kind of hoping she'd pull out something at least somewhat useful for them to use, even if it was something stupid like extra rations or whatever. At least then it would be something of use.
But nope, they got a piece of paper and a shitty handheld flute. Actually was a harmonica anything like a flute? Who even cares, they were dead anyway so what did it matter?
Though... Were they really? People with bad weapon draws have won before, so it's not like the two of them were totally screwed. They just needed to play this a little differently is all! So maybe, in a weird way, this was just another test for James to overcome! Sure he got the worst weapon draw possible, but so what? If he could win he would be able to stand toe to toe with the greatest, most patriotic winners to have ever come out of The Program! All he needed to do is... Outlive and kill the rest of his classmates.
And suddenly, the spark of excitement and hope was extinguished just as quickly as it was lit. Sure, James wanted to win, but killing all of the people whom he had grown up with did not seem like an option to him. He didn't even want to kill the Anti-America shit stains who actively went against their great nation. Sure, he hated their guts, but in no way did they deserve to die here.
None of them did...
But still, he couldn't focus on that right now. Even if he didn't want the rest of his class to die, he sure as hell preferred living a little while longer over taking a couple bullets to the face. So he needed to get off his ass and actually do something other than waiting for somebody to end his ass.
"It's fine, it's not your fault." James said as he began to stand back up, grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulders as he did so. "We'll just need to play this smarter is all. You got any ideas?"
Naturally those words coming from the guy who had a mild breakdown over getting a paper fan for a weapon might come off as hallow, but hey it was better than saying most of the other things he could of said. All of which involved wallowing around in self pity hoping that somebody will swoop in and rescue them. Something James knew wouldn't help anyone right now. So for the time being the bullshit would have to wait.
But nope, they got a piece of paper and a shitty handheld flute. Actually was a harmonica anything like a flute? Who even cares, they were dead anyway so what did it matter?
Though... Were they really? People with bad weapon draws have won before, so it's not like the two of them were totally screwed. They just needed to play this a little differently is all! So maybe, in a weird way, this was just another test for James to overcome! Sure he got the worst weapon draw possible, but so what? If he could win he would be able to stand toe to toe with the greatest, most patriotic winners to have ever come out of The Program! All he needed to do is... Outlive and kill the rest of his classmates.
And suddenly, the spark of excitement and hope was extinguished just as quickly as it was lit. Sure, James wanted to win, but killing all of the people whom he had grown up with did not seem like an option to him. He didn't even want to kill the Anti-America shit stains who actively went against their great nation. Sure, he hated their guts, but in no way did they deserve to die here.
None of them did...
But still, he couldn't focus on that right now. Even if he didn't want the rest of his class to die, he sure as hell preferred living a little while longer over taking a couple bullets to the face. So he needed to get off his ass and actually do something other than waiting for somebody to end his ass.
"It's fine, it's not your fault." James said as he began to stand back up, grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulders as he did so. "We'll just need to play this smarter is all. You got any ideas?"
Naturally those words coming from the guy who had a mild breakdown over getting a paper fan for a weapon might come off as hallow, but hey it was better than saying most of the other things he could of said. All of which involved wallowing around in self pity hoping that somebody will swoop in and rescue them. Something James knew wouldn't help anyone right now. So for the time being the bullshit would have to wait.
James said that they could survive if they played smart. That was an easy thing thing to say, but Mary didn't know what they would actually do. Honestly, she wasn't any smarter than most of the other kids. James didn't seem to have any ideas of his own, either.
"Ideas?" Mary shrugged "No, I don't have any ideas. I haven't looked around much, just..."
Mary stopped and glanced around the room. There was the entrance to her right, and emergency exit to her left, and the locker room behind her. Mary thought, and thought, and then she had an idea.
"So there are three doors here, right?" she gestured towards the locker room. "Uh, that door goes to a locker room, and there's another door to the outside there, but I think we could block it. If we do that, we can, um, hole up in the locker room. So, there would only be one way to get to us, and we'd be able to see them before they find us. It smells better in there, too."
It maybe wasn't the best idea. No, it definitely wasn't the best idea. Still, it was better than just standing here in the main room. It was probably better than going outside, too.
"Ideas?" Mary shrugged "No, I don't have any ideas. I haven't looked around much, just..."
Mary stopped and glanced around the room. There was the entrance to her right, and emergency exit to her left, and the locker room behind her. Mary thought, and thought, and then she had an idea.
"So there are three doors here, right?" she gestured towards the locker room. "Uh, that door goes to a locker room, and there's another door to the outside there, but I think we could block it. If we do that, we can, um, hole up in the locker room. So, there would only be one way to get to us, and we'd be able to see them before they find us. It smells better in there, too."
It maybe wasn't the best idea. No, it definitely wasn't the best idea. Still, it was better than just standing here in the main room. It was probably better than going outside, too.
"Hmm..." James said, considering the idea.
Truth be told it wasn't the worst idea to try and hold set up base here, however without any weaponry to defend themselves they were all but sitting ducks here. It didn't help that there were more people in this Program than in versions before hand, so somebody was bound to come along sooner rather than later. But still, having some kind of escape plan was better than nothing. Besides, James couldn't deny the appeal of getting away from this god awful smell.
"Sounds fine to me. Though we should try to make it easy to open the locker room exit on our end at the very least." James suggested. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be trapped in a building with some psycho with a shotgun"
James quickly scanned the area, looking for something that could easily hold a door shut that they could undo easily on their end. Then, an idea came to him.
"Think there's anyway we could tie the door handle to something heavy?" He asked, not too sure himself "We should be able to undo that pretty easily, and if we do it right they shouldn't be able to get in that way."
Truth be told it wasn't the worst idea to try and hold set up base here, however without any weaponry to defend themselves they were all but sitting ducks here. It didn't help that there were more people in this Program than in versions before hand, so somebody was bound to come along sooner rather than later. But still, having some kind of escape plan was better than nothing. Besides, James couldn't deny the appeal of getting away from this god awful smell.
"Sounds fine to me. Though we should try to make it easy to open the locker room exit on our end at the very least." James suggested. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be trapped in a building with some psycho with a shotgun"
James quickly scanned the area, looking for something that could easily hold a door shut that they could undo easily on their end. Then, an idea came to him.
"Think there's anyway we could tie the door handle to something heavy?" He asked, not too sure himself "We should be able to undo that pretty easily, and if we do it right they shouldn't be able to get in that way."
James liked Mary's idea. Except for the part where they completely blocked the door to the outside. Yeah, that was a really obvious flaw. She should have probably realized that immediately. It dawned on Mary that she was completely ill-suited to surviving in the Program, even disregarding the weapon situation. She was alright at long distance running, but that was it. Many of her classmates had prepared for combat their entire lives. Mary hadn't prepared for anything.
Mary pushed the thought from her mind. Dwelling over it wouldn't help them at all.
"Ummm..." she said, looking around the room, "I don't see any rope or anything, but there are a lot of long hoses around. Would those work?"
She scratched the back of her head "And as far as heavy stuff goes, there are lockers and benches in there."
Mary pushed the thought from her mind. Dwelling over it wouldn't help them at all.
"Ummm..." she said, looking around the room, "I don't see any rope or anything, but there are a lot of long hoses around. Would those work?"
She scratched the back of her head "And as far as heavy stuff goes, there are lockers and benches in there."
"Yeah, that should work." James said, giving Mary a light nod. "I'll go ahead and grab the hose right quick then."
It didn't take James long to locate the thing, a single piece of machinery being the only thing obscuring it from view. As he began to unscrew the hose from the nozzle, James almost wanted to laugh at how fucked his and Mary's situation was. Weaponless and no idea what to do in the short term, the two had practically no options aside from make an escape plan should somebody who's actually playing enter the factory. What about long term too? James had had ideas in the past, he had 11 years to form something resembling a strategy for the Program, but all of which involved having an actually decent weapon. Now? They just had to hope their friends got decent weapons and weren't playing.
As that thought entered his head, James couldn't help but to be a little worried that maybe they were all planning to. He had always been apart of the more Patriotic crowd and this game was set up to test everyone's Patriotism. Would they... No, they wouldn't. His friends were smart, they knew full well that playing was a sure fire way to make yourself a target early on anyway. They'd at least wait until later to start killing... Right? Who the hell did they even grab anyway? Hell which of his friends could he even trust here?
"Screw it" James muttered to himself as he threw those thoughts from his mind.
There was no sense worrying about it now anyway. If they were playing, they were playing. That was just the nature of the game, and James would deal with that problem when he had to. For now, he just needed to deal with this one. So, once he unscrewed the hose, he quickly made his way back to the locker room.
"Okay, lets get to work." He said as he walked into the room.
It didn't take James long to locate the thing, a single piece of machinery being the only thing obscuring it from view. As he began to unscrew the hose from the nozzle, James almost wanted to laugh at how fucked his and Mary's situation was. Weaponless and no idea what to do in the short term, the two had practically no options aside from make an escape plan should somebody who's actually playing enter the factory. What about long term too? James had had ideas in the past, he had 11 years to form something resembling a strategy for the Program, but all of which involved having an actually decent weapon. Now? They just had to hope their friends got decent weapons and weren't playing.
As that thought entered his head, James couldn't help but to be a little worried that maybe they were all planning to. He had always been apart of the more Patriotic crowd and this game was set up to test everyone's Patriotism. Would they... No, they wouldn't. His friends were smart, they knew full well that playing was a sure fire way to make yourself a target early on anyway. They'd at least wait until later to start killing... Right? Who the hell did they even grab anyway? Hell which of his friends could he even trust here?
"Screw it" James muttered to himself as he threw those thoughts from his mind.
There was no sense worrying about it now anyway. If they were playing, they were playing. That was just the nature of the game, and James would deal with that problem when he had to. For now, he just needed to deal with this one. So, once he unscrewed the hose, he quickly made his way back to the locker room.
"Okay, lets get to work." He said as he walked into the room.
Mary followed her companion back into the locker room. She looked around for the right object to tie to the doorknob. There were four benches in the room, and they looked like the easiest things to tie the hose around. Mary tried lifting the end of one, and it was pretty easy. They probably weren't heavy enough. The lockers were bigger.. Each individual... unit? Was that the right word? Each individual unit had nine lockers in it, in a three-by-three grid. They looked pretty heavy.
"Um, you can try tying it around the lockers." Mary said. "Orrr... there's a bathroom in the next room over. The hose is long enough to tie to the toilet or the sink, maybe. They're attached to the ground, so that might be better."
Mary sat on a bench and stared at the grimy ceiling. He'd probably want to do it himself, and she didn't know how to tie a good knot, anyway. Mary realized that she was going to be spending a lot of time in this room with James, and she should try and get to know him better. Mary was terrible at small talk, though. Especially with strangers. Or near-strangers. Whatever.
"So you play football, right? Uh, back at school."
"Um, you can try tying it around the lockers." Mary said. "Orrr... there's a bathroom in the next room over. The hose is long enough to tie to the toilet or the sink, maybe. They're attached to the ground, so that might be better."
Mary sat on a bench and stared at the grimy ceiling. He'd probably want to do it himself, and she didn't know how to tie a good knot, anyway. Mary realized that she was going to be spending a lot of time in this room with James, and she should try and get to know him better. Mary was terrible at small talk, though. Especially with strangers. Or near-strangers. Whatever.
"So you play football, right? Uh, back at school."
"The sink sounds good to me, personally!" James said as he made his way to the backdoor.
Dropping the hose to the ground, James grabbed one end of it and tied it to the doorknob with a fairly simple overhand knot. Mainly since that was the only one he actually knew how to tie. Maybe he should of paid attention when his dad was teaching him and his siblings how to tie different types of knots, but he figured he wouldn't need them until his military days anyway so he could just learn there.
Guess he should of listened.
Oh well, there was no sense worrying about it now. Besides, this knot would hold just fine.
Mary then finally got around to breaking the ice and asking about James' football career that had just ended this morning. Oh well, it looked as though they'd be spending a good deal of time together anyway. Might as well pass the time.
"Oh, yeah. I was a defensive linemen actually." James said as he finished the knot and turned to face Mary. "I don't mean to brag, but I was uh kind of a big deal."
With sarcasm dripping off of his lips, and the sudden dude bro impression he threw in with that last line, it was obviously meant to be for laughs.
"You ever need somebody tackled, I'm your man." James joked, continuing the the voice before saying. "Anyway, you were apart of the Cross Country team... Right?"
He couldn't really recall for sure, but hey this was the first time they had actually talked. Nether could be expected to know everything about the other.
Dropping the hose to the ground, James grabbed one end of it and tied it to the doorknob with a fairly simple overhand knot. Mainly since that was the only one he actually knew how to tie. Maybe he should of paid attention when his dad was teaching him and his siblings how to tie different types of knots, but he figured he wouldn't need them until his military days anyway so he could just learn there.
Guess he should of listened.
Oh well, there was no sense worrying about it now. Besides, this knot would hold just fine.
Mary then finally got around to breaking the ice and asking about James' football career that had just ended this morning. Oh well, it looked as though they'd be spending a good deal of time together anyway. Might as well pass the time.
"Oh, yeah. I was a defensive linemen actually." James said as he finished the knot and turned to face Mary. "I don't mean to brag, but I was uh kind of a big deal."
With sarcasm dripping off of his lips, and the sudden dude bro impression he threw in with that last line, it was obviously meant to be for laughs.
"You ever need somebody tackled, I'm your man." James joked, continuing the the voice before saying. "Anyway, you were apart of the Cross Country team... Right?"
He couldn't really recall for sure, but hey this was the first time they had actually talked. Nether could be expected to know everything about the other.
James was a defensive lineman, which meant he tackled people. Got it. He made some sort of joke when he was talking about it, but Mary hadn't laughed. She wondered if maybe she should have laughed, just to be polite. Eh, the time for that had passed, there was no use thinking about it anymore.
"Yeah, I was on the Cross Country team." Mary was surprised that James knew about that. "I was... I wasn't that great, really. I was good enough. It was just something I did for awhile. Not a passion."
Mary wasn't good at talking about herself. There wasn't much to talk about. Mary examined the knot and her thoughts drifted to their present situation.
"I can't- I can't really wrap my head around it. Not yet. I know what's going on, yeah, but I don't feel like I'm in any more danger than I was a week ago. It's just, ah..." she trailed off and scratched the back of her head. "Do you get what I'm saying?"
"Yeah, I was on the Cross Country team." Mary was surprised that James knew about that. "I was... I wasn't that great, really. I was good enough. It was just something I did for awhile. Not a passion."
Mary wasn't good at talking about herself. There wasn't much to talk about. Mary examined the knot and her thoughts drifted to their present situation.
"I can't- I can't really wrap my head around it. Not yet. I know what's going on, yeah, but I don't feel like I'm in any more danger than I was a week ago. It's just, ah..." she trailed off and scratched the back of her head. "Do you get what I'm saying?"
Paxton Dombrowski assessed his situation.
They gave him a shotgun, which was pretty fucking cool. He’d woken up in a mansion, which was also cool. Waking up in its basement made it a little less cool, where he’d stumbled through the darkness for a good ten minutes before finding a light switch. The house was mostly empty, and at first, he thought he could just hole up in there.
Then he saw the girl’s body in the doorway.
That’s what broke him. The trail of blood, the shattered bones, the look of horror and pain frozen on the girl’s face, it was a grisly fate that had happened above his head as he slept. If he’d been unlucky, it could’ve been him.
And that’s when he ran.
Paxton bolted, cradling the shotgun right in front of him. While he was a wide receiver, even he couldn’t run for too long through some Mexican fishing village. He decided to rest in a building that hopefully nobody else would be in. The one he picked smelled like shit, and maybe that would deter anyone else. Just in case anyone was in there, though, he decided to go through a side door.
Jostling the doorknob, Paxton found it was open. He sighed in relief as he pushed through the door, right into a group of people.
“Oh, shit!” He yelled, instinctively raising the shotgun.
They gave him a shotgun, which was pretty fucking cool. He’d woken up in a mansion, which was also cool. Waking up in its basement made it a little less cool, where he’d stumbled through the darkness for a good ten minutes before finding a light switch. The house was mostly empty, and at first, he thought he could just hole up in there.
Then he saw the girl’s body in the doorway.
That’s what broke him. The trail of blood, the shattered bones, the look of horror and pain frozen on the girl’s face, it was a grisly fate that had happened above his head as he slept. If he’d been unlucky, it could’ve been him.
And that’s when he ran.
Paxton bolted, cradling the shotgun right in front of him. While he was a wide receiver, even he couldn’t run for too long through some Mexican fishing village. He decided to rest in a building that hopefully nobody else would be in. The one he picked smelled like shit, and maybe that would deter anyone else. Just in case anyone was in there, though, he decided to go through a side door.
Jostling the doorknob, Paxton found it was open. He sighed in relief as he pushed through the door, right into a group of people.
“Oh, shit!” He yelled, instinctively raising the shotgun.
So his joke didn't stick. Oh well, can't win em all. Even he had to admit it was a pretty awful one.
Then she had to say it. She didn't feel in danger, at least no more than normal. That was fine and all, but did she really need to say it out loud? That was basically like saying 'What could possibly go wrong' and not expecting something to go horribly wrong.
And as James turned his back to the door to go tie the hose to the sink pipe, things went horribly wrong.
His stomach dropped once he heard the door opened behind him, and once he heard somebody yelling behind him he dropped the hose and turned to see the barrel of a shotgun pointed right towards Mary and himself.
Though he couldn't help but to let out a sigh of relief once he realized who exactly was holding the gun. Paxton, a good buddy of his from the football team. Okay, so maybe this wasn't so bad after all!
"Oh god Paxton, you scared the shit out of me there." James said, obviously startled. "C-could you please not point that thing at us man? W-we aren't playing."
That should work, right? Paxton was a reasonable guy, surely once he realized it was James he'd put the gun down.
Or, at least that's what James thought. Until that is he realized his former wide recover wasn't lowering the gun.
Then she had to say it. She didn't feel in danger, at least no more than normal. That was fine and all, but did she really need to say it out loud? That was basically like saying 'What could possibly go wrong' and not expecting something to go horribly wrong.
And as James turned his back to the door to go tie the hose to the sink pipe, things went horribly wrong.
His stomach dropped once he heard the door opened behind him, and once he heard somebody yelling behind him he dropped the hose and turned to see the barrel of a shotgun pointed right towards Mary and himself.
Though he couldn't help but to let out a sigh of relief once he realized who exactly was holding the gun. Paxton, a good buddy of his from the football team. Okay, so maybe this wasn't so bad after all!
"Oh god Paxton, you scared the shit out of me there." James said, obviously startled. "C-could you please not point that thing at us man? W-we aren't playing."
That should work, right? Paxton was a reasonable guy, surely once he realized it was James he'd put the gun down.
Or, at least that's what James thought. Until that is he realized his former wide recover wasn't lowering the gun.