((Alessio Rigano continued from She Swallowed Burning Coals))
Alessio and Serena were exploring. They wanted to figure out where they were, so the two of them walked upstairs. As Serena had thought, she explained that they were not in the library depicted in the map, but in a different one instead. Their plan was, after all, to go find the place where Serena could use her key. Al wished it was a key to a big boat that was able to drive them all home. But, that wasn't the case. He did not even need to ask.
They found themselves in a large room with chairs (a broken one?) and a sofa. Al had no clue where they were.
The chess pieces however, reminded him of home. Not his home, but the US, civilisation. It was such a calm, unthreatening room. Not so scary like the library. A room they could relax in. They could even play chess to distract themselves. He had to think about Maxim and Alvaro. They were dead like him, too. That was sad, since both were great people, who certainly would have had a better future, deserved one better than this. Alvaro, a hard-working boy, would have become successful, Al was sure. Same as Maxim, a really smart guy. But now they're both dead. It was hard to imagine.
"Do you know what this room is?"
He looked at Serena, hoping she had a plan, knew what to do.
Okay, Al smelled a disgusting smell. Vomit? Blood? He wasn't sure.
This room was not reminding him of home anymore. This was scary.
Go to a school trip they said, it will be fun they said
Private, apologies
Go to a school trip they said, it will be fun they said
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((Serena Waters continued from She Swallowed Burning Coals))
Looking around the building confirmed Serena's suspicions, they were at the asylum's library rather than the library near the depot, which meant they would have to cross the bridge to get there. She felt a sense of dread about it, a small part of her had hopes that this would just be close to it and they wouldn't have to worry about traveling outside and potentially getting attacked, but she would have to put aside any fear of that if she was to get there with Al.
Wandering the asylum was uneventful outside of talking with Al. Finally they reached a room that had seen some action in it. One of the chairs were broken and a foul smell emanated in the room. Something bad had happened here. Al walked in first with his weapon out and asked what the room could be. With how the chairs were setup along with the sofa and TV, Serena had a pretty good idea.
"Looks like a lounge." She walked into the room and sat down on one of the chairs and looked over her map, trying her best to ignore the smell. If they were gonna travel safely, she would have to plan out a good route there.
Looking around the building confirmed Serena's suspicions, they were at the asylum's library rather than the library near the depot, which meant they would have to cross the bridge to get there. She felt a sense of dread about it, a small part of her had hopes that this would just be close to it and they wouldn't have to worry about traveling outside and potentially getting attacked, but she would have to put aside any fear of that if she was to get there with Al.
Wandering the asylum was uneventful outside of talking with Al. Finally they reached a room that had seen some action in it. One of the chairs were broken and a foul smell emanated in the room. Something bad had happened here. Al walked in first with his weapon out and asked what the room could be. With how the chairs were setup along with the sofa and TV, Serena had a pretty good idea.
"Looks like a lounge." She walked into the room and sat down on one of the chairs and looked over her map, trying her best to ignore the smell. If they were gonna travel safely, she would have to plan out a good route there.
(Adopted from Dannyrulx)
Al awkwardly stood around, while Serena sat down reading the map. Perhaps he should also sit down. A lounge is a place where people sat, so Al took a seat on a chair that was a couple of chairs away from Serena. He dropped his pole to the ground and took out his rubik's cube from his hoodie pocket.
He shuffled it, and tried to solve it.
While looking at the cube, he floated another question.
"Where...What now? Do you know where to go?"
He shuffled it, and tried to solve it.
While looking at the cube, he floated another question.
"Where...What now? Do you know where to go?"
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler RC. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
As she mapped out a route to the depot, she could hear Al walk in and sit down in one of the other chairs. She briefly looked over at him to see what he was doing, he was playing with a rubix cube. She didn't mind whatever he did so long it kept him from breaking down. Then he asked if she knew were to go, not taking his eyes off the cube.
"There's a bridge not far from here, if we follow the path and cross it we'll be just about there, just a tiny walk left at that point." She turned the map around and traced her finger along the path to show him. As long as no one has bombed the bridge like an idiot, they would get there in half an hour or so.
There was one more thing that needed to be said. "When we get there, you have to be ready." She pointed towards his weapon, their sole defense. "We're likely to meet others there, there's no guarantee they're gonna be friendly." It was a grim thought, but a necessary one. There are always going to be people who kill, this has been happening for years and there were always stories of good kids turning into monsters during it. Better safe than sorry.
Even so there was one thing she wasn't sure how she would react, it was the thought of one of her friends doing so that made it feel like a knot was being tied up inside her. She tried to shake that thought away, there was no way they were gonna do that, Alice was a shy pacifist, Abby wouldn't hurt a fly and Jeremy was... Jeremy, she couldn't picture him killing people, but the thought still lingered in the back of her head, festering.
"There's a bridge not far from here, if we follow the path and cross it we'll be just about there, just a tiny walk left at that point." She turned the map around and traced her finger along the path to show him. As long as no one has bombed the bridge like an idiot, they would get there in half an hour or so.
There was one more thing that needed to be said. "When we get there, you have to be ready." She pointed towards his weapon, their sole defense. "We're likely to meet others there, there's no guarantee they're gonna be friendly." It was a grim thought, but a necessary one. There are always going to be people who kill, this has been happening for years and there were always stories of good kids turning into monsters during it. Better safe than sorry.
Even so there was one thing she wasn't sure how she would react, it was the thought of one of her friends doing so that made it feel like a knot was being tied up inside her. She tried to shake that thought away, there was no way they were gonna do that, Alice was a shy pacifist, Abby wouldn't hurt a fly and Jeremy was... Jeremy, she couldn't picture him killing people, but the thought still lingered in the back of her head, festering.
A quiet voice responded, still looking at the cube.
"Hm, okay."
Al still focussed on solving the cube, nodded at what Serena had said. Being ready and shit. Expecting people to kill them. Well, who would judge a person killing them? Everybody wants to live.
He repeated, this time shortly looking at Serena before looking back at the cube.
"Alright..."
A bridge. It seemed like this place had a bridge, probably even more interesting locations, like the library or this weird building they were in. Places they could explore. Discover the history of the island, gain knowledge and experience before they eventually die. Find out more about the arena they were put in. He hated exploring. He should have not went to the science trip, disliking exploring.
He disliked being confronted with death, too. He needed to be ready, Serena said. A command. But, it was not the only option. He did not need to be ready. If she was already ready, why should he be?
He could also not be ready, the result wouldn't be that different. If other people would come and tried to kill them, there would not be much that they could do. They would not be able to stop them, would they? Al thought it might be better to not be prepared. To die quickly with being surprised, instead of constantly worrying that they will die, which he was something he did more and more before sitting down and being distracted with something much more pleasant.
Ah, solved the cube. Reshuffle.
"Hm, okay."
Al still focussed on solving the cube, nodded at what Serena had said. Being ready and shit. Expecting people to kill them. Well, who would judge a person killing them? Everybody wants to live.
He repeated, this time shortly looking at Serena before looking back at the cube.
"Alright..."
A bridge. It seemed like this place had a bridge, probably even more interesting locations, like the library or this weird building they were in. Places they could explore. Discover the history of the island, gain knowledge and experience before they eventually die. Find out more about the arena they were put in. He hated exploring. He should have not went to the science trip, disliking exploring.
He disliked being confronted with death, too. He needed to be ready, Serena said. A command. But, it was not the only option. He did not need to be ready. If she was already ready, why should he be?
He could also not be ready, the result wouldn't be that different. If other people would come and tried to kill them, there would not be much that they could do. They would not be able to stop them, would they? Al thought it might be better to not be prepared. To die quickly with being surprised, instead of constantly worrying that they will die, which he was something he did more and more before sitting down and being distracted with something much more pleasant.
Ah, solved the cube. Reshuffle.
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((Mia Rose continued from They say the hangover after you get drugged and kidnapped by terrorists is the worst))
Mia knew that this whole thing wasn't going to be easy, but she hadn't quite accounted for just how many things were going to be a hurdle.
Walking, it turned out, was one of them. When Mia was on her own she didn't exactly walk most places, she was generally running or jogging, even if she just needed to grab some milk from the grocery store round the corner. But when she did walk by herself, during her brief rest and cooldown periods, or on those rare occasions when she just felt like taking it slow and enjoying the sunshine, she could just plug her earphones in and be content with everything around her, with Pepper and Casey by her side. At school and with friends, it was even easier, aside from the few times that Mia's excited nature caused her to get a few strides ahead of everyone else. She almost always had something to say, some story to tell that would inevitably become ridiculously convoluted as she tried to recount every minute detail. If she didn't, then she was always eager to hear what her friends had been up to and what they had to say, so even the longest walks practically flew by for her.
Now that she was on the island, even walking felt like it was taking all the energy out of her seemingly endless wellspring. At another point in time, in another life, this place would have been fascinating to explore. It was a literal ghost town, up and abandoned in a hurry, human activity frozen in time like footprints on the moon, with nature slowly creeping up to reclaim what rightfully belonged to it.
But not right now. Right now, every nook and cranny was a potential hiding spot for a would-be murderer, rather than a place to explore in greater detail. Every spot of shadow required several seconds examination, and every small movement caused Mia to double-take, until she was certain that the culprit was a bird or some small rodent. Any creak or unnatural sound caused the blood in her veins to freeze, whether it be their own footsteps on a loose step, or simply the wind whistling through these old buildings. Even the huge metal bridge spanning the bay had an air of ruin to it, like it was about to collapse at any moment whilst they were walking across it.
It wasn't exactly easy to drum up conversation, either. What exactly was there to talk about? The scenery? The weather? Candice's interests, when she had never spoken to this girl until today? Or how about the murder island they were currently stuck on, with any of their former classmates a potential killer? That was a good conversation piece, right?
Mia tried, she really did. Topics appeared in her head and faded away just as quickly, none of them feeling appropriate. A few others did manage to leave her mouth, but dying off after one or two words, drifting off into the wind and nothingness. Maybe it was simply due to her not knowing Candice, not knowing what she would be okay with talking about, especially not in a situation such as this. Maybe it was due to their poor start earlier that Mia didn't want to say anything, in case she messed up again, in case she fucked up even worse this time.
Whatever the reason was, for the most part, she walked alongside Candice in silence, crossing the bridge, and wandering towards the biggest landmark they could see; the asylum. And why not? It was just as safe as anywhere else on the island right now, after all. Whether that was comforting or frightening was a matter of perspective, of course, but Mia chose to see it as the former. It didn't matter where they chose to go right now; nothing was a bad choice. The front door, huge, heavy and made of solid wood, swung upon with surprising ease. Mia craned her neck to look back at Candice and mustered up a small grin.
"Wow, guess I really don't know my own strength, huh?"
Mia turned back to look into the depths of the building, blinking a few times to adjust to the gloom. They had no real prerogative, here; simply pick a direction, wander about and... hope for the best, really. As such, Mia employed the time honoured tradition of 'eenie-meenie-minie-moe', taking a few moments to do so mentally, before pointing in the victorious direction.
"Might as well just head this way and... see what's going on, right?"
Mia bounded up the steps two at a time, her instinct from back home momentarily kicking in, somehow managing to avoid every crack and chip by sheer dumb luck. She had wanted to wander, but she didn't really want to stay in these corridors for much longer than she had to. This place was just... eerie. The other building across the bridge had been squalid and rundown, but at least the stacks of beer bottles and overturned furniture suggested that life had been enjoyable there. Here, there were metal bars, locks and gates everywhere you looked. Mia hadn't checked her map, so she had no clue of the true purpose of the building she was currently wandering about in, but she could tell from the imposing fence outside and the dark, oppressive interior, that it wasn't pleasant.
After a few minutes of walking, something managed to break through the endless squalor and gloom, interrupting Mia's current task of peering into each and every room that was unlocked. There were voices from one nearby, a couple of doors down. Mia screeched to a halt, shakily pulling the gun out of her pocket, breathing a sigh of relief that it had miraculously stayed in there through her trek across the island. Her finger moved towards the trigger, trying to prepare herself to do... something if she heard anything unsavoury.
Then, one of the voices floated out of the door clearly, and Mia lowered the gun instantly, eyes widening as she moved towards the door.
"Al? That's you, right, Al?"
Mia knew that this whole thing wasn't going to be easy, but she hadn't quite accounted for just how many things were going to be a hurdle.
Walking, it turned out, was one of them. When Mia was on her own she didn't exactly walk most places, she was generally running or jogging, even if she just needed to grab some milk from the grocery store round the corner. But when she did walk by herself, during her brief rest and cooldown periods, or on those rare occasions when she just felt like taking it slow and enjoying the sunshine, she could just plug her earphones in and be content with everything around her, with Pepper and Casey by her side. At school and with friends, it was even easier, aside from the few times that Mia's excited nature caused her to get a few strides ahead of everyone else. She almost always had something to say, some story to tell that would inevitably become ridiculously convoluted as she tried to recount every minute detail. If she didn't, then she was always eager to hear what her friends had been up to and what they had to say, so even the longest walks practically flew by for her.
Now that she was on the island, even walking felt like it was taking all the energy out of her seemingly endless wellspring. At another point in time, in another life, this place would have been fascinating to explore. It was a literal ghost town, up and abandoned in a hurry, human activity frozen in time like footprints on the moon, with nature slowly creeping up to reclaim what rightfully belonged to it.
But not right now. Right now, every nook and cranny was a potential hiding spot for a would-be murderer, rather than a place to explore in greater detail. Every spot of shadow required several seconds examination, and every small movement caused Mia to double-take, until she was certain that the culprit was a bird or some small rodent. Any creak or unnatural sound caused the blood in her veins to freeze, whether it be their own footsteps on a loose step, or simply the wind whistling through these old buildings. Even the huge metal bridge spanning the bay had an air of ruin to it, like it was about to collapse at any moment whilst they were walking across it.
It wasn't exactly easy to drum up conversation, either. What exactly was there to talk about? The scenery? The weather? Candice's interests, when she had never spoken to this girl until today? Or how about the murder island they were currently stuck on, with any of their former classmates a potential killer? That was a good conversation piece, right?
Mia tried, she really did. Topics appeared in her head and faded away just as quickly, none of them feeling appropriate. A few others did manage to leave her mouth, but dying off after one or two words, drifting off into the wind and nothingness. Maybe it was simply due to her not knowing Candice, not knowing what she would be okay with talking about, especially not in a situation such as this. Maybe it was due to their poor start earlier that Mia didn't want to say anything, in case she messed up again, in case she fucked up even worse this time.
Whatever the reason was, for the most part, she walked alongside Candice in silence, crossing the bridge, and wandering towards the biggest landmark they could see; the asylum. And why not? It was just as safe as anywhere else on the island right now, after all. Whether that was comforting or frightening was a matter of perspective, of course, but Mia chose to see it as the former. It didn't matter where they chose to go right now; nothing was a bad choice. The front door, huge, heavy and made of solid wood, swung upon with surprising ease. Mia craned her neck to look back at Candice and mustered up a small grin.
"Wow, guess I really don't know my own strength, huh?"
Mia turned back to look into the depths of the building, blinking a few times to adjust to the gloom. They had no real prerogative, here; simply pick a direction, wander about and... hope for the best, really. As such, Mia employed the time honoured tradition of 'eenie-meenie-minie-moe', taking a few moments to do so mentally, before pointing in the victorious direction.
"Might as well just head this way and... see what's going on, right?"
Mia bounded up the steps two at a time, her instinct from back home momentarily kicking in, somehow managing to avoid every crack and chip by sheer dumb luck. She had wanted to wander, but she didn't really want to stay in these corridors for much longer than she had to. This place was just... eerie. The other building across the bridge had been squalid and rundown, but at least the stacks of beer bottles and overturned furniture suggested that life had been enjoyable there. Here, there were metal bars, locks and gates everywhere you looked. Mia hadn't checked her map, so she had no clue of the true purpose of the building she was currently wandering about in, but she could tell from the imposing fence outside and the dark, oppressive interior, that it wasn't pleasant.
After a few minutes of walking, something managed to break through the endless squalor and gloom, interrupting Mia's current task of peering into each and every room that was unlocked. There were voices from one nearby, a couple of doors down. Mia screeched to a halt, shakily pulling the gun out of her pocket, breathing a sigh of relief that it had miraculously stayed in there through her trek across the island. Her finger moved towards the trigger, trying to prepare herself to do... something if she heard anything unsavoury.
Then, one of the voices floated out of the door clearly, and Mia lowered the gun instantly, eyes widening as she moved towards the door.
"Al? That's you, right, Al?"
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
((Candice Banks continued from They say the Hangover after you get drugged and kidnapped by Terrorists is the worst))
Candice felt a massive sense of relief upon hearing Mia greet whoever was in the room ahead of them. She had been on edge from the moment they had heard voices coming from somewhere in this run-down building. Well, it would probably be accurate to say that Candice had been on edge since the morning began, and saying that the prospect of running into people of unknown temperament had caused her to become nervous was really only true in a relative sense.
Naturally, seeing Mia ready her gun before checking the room had not helped in the slightest. She had thought to herself earlier that the two of them having a gun might act as a deterrent against hostile classmates, but now that they had reached a situation where it might be used, Candice found that the events of this morning were still weighing on her mind.
Being so well armed seemed to be the sort of thing that would provoke a fight as soon as it would prevent one.
Luckily, it seemed that this unknown person was an friend of Mia's. Someone they could trust.
Well, assuming that it was actually a friend and not just a classmate whose name Mia knew.
Assuming that it was a friend who could really be trusted.
Candice recalled the video the terrorists had shown them during their "orientation". She wondered morbidly if she and Mia were going to end up starring in the teaching aid for the next batch of students thrown into this madhouse?
She did her best to shake those doubts from her mind. There were plenty of reasons to not assume the worst situation in this case. It had sounded from earlier as though this Al had been speaking to somebody-- in other words, they were somebody who was interested in getting along with people. Besides, Mia seemed to trust this person, and that should be enough. "Too Trusting" was not really a phrase that Candice would use to describe her companion.
Besides, they had managed to meet somebody without gunfire factoring into the greeting, which was a vast improvement over their prior record. It would be a waste to alienate a potential ally this early on when they'd finally managed to not immediately screw the first encounter up. Candice cautiously moved up behind Mia, hoping to catch a glimpse of this new student while remaining behind Mia.
Candice felt a massive sense of relief upon hearing Mia greet whoever was in the room ahead of them. She had been on edge from the moment they had heard voices coming from somewhere in this run-down building. Well, it would probably be accurate to say that Candice had been on edge since the morning began, and saying that the prospect of running into people of unknown temperament had caused her to become nervous was really only true in a relative sense.
Naturally, seeing Mia ready her gun before checking the room had not helped in the slightest. She had thought to herself earlier that the two of them having a gun might act as a deterrent against hostile classmates, but now that they had reached a situation where it might be used, Candice found that the events of this morning were still weighing on her mind.
Being so well armed seemed to be the sort of thing that would provoke a fight as soon as it would prevent one.
Luckily, it seemed that this unknown person was an friend of Mia's. Someone they could trust.
Well, assuming that it was actually a friend and not just a classmate whose name Mia knew.
Assuming that it was a friend who could really be trusted.
Candice recalled the video the terrorists had shown them during their "orientation". She wondered morbidly if she and Mia were going to end up starring in the teaching aid for the next batch of students thrown into this madhouse?
She did her best to shake those doubts from her mind. There were plenty of reasons to not assume the worst situation in this case. It had sounded from earlier as though this Al had been speaking to somebody-- in other words, they were somebody who was interested in getting along with people. Besides, Mia seemed to trust this person, and that should be enough. "Too Trusting" was not really a phrase that Candice would use to describe her companion.
Besides, they had managed to meet somebody without gunfire factoring into the greeting, which was a vast improvement over their prior record. It would be a waste to alienate a potential ally this early on when they'd finally managed to not immediately screw the first encounter up. Candice cautiously moved up behind Mia, hoping to catch a glimpse of this new student while remaining behind Mia.
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Al's responses left a bit to be desired, his eyes barely left the cube as he spouted his support of the plan, it made Serena wonder if he was actually on board with her plan and not just saying things to appease her, it made her conscious of questions that she had been conveniently ignoring.
They had a route and a plan now, but what about when they get there? What if there is no jeep and she just wasted their time? These thoughts stirred around in her mind to which she had no answer, she had hoped to come up with something along the way rather than focus on it before they had even enacted on the plan.
She decided to push these thoughts away and leave, staying in this place was affecting her in some way, something about it's oppressive atmosphere. As she was getting up from her chair however; a voice came out from the hall, Serena felt herself tense up as the voice addressed Al, it sounded familiar and whoever it was wasn't threatening them, but it didn't make Serena feel any better about it.
They had a route and a plan now, but what about when they get there? What if there is no jeep and she just wasted their time? These thoughts stirred around in her mind to which she had no answer, she had hoped to come up with something along the way rather than focus on it before they had even enacted on the plan.
She decided to push these thoughts away and leave, staying in this place was affecting her in some way, something about it's oppressive atmosphere. As she was getting up from her chair however; a voice came out from the hall, Serena felt herself tense up as the voice addressed Al, it sounded familiar and whoever it was wasn't threatening them, but it didn't make Serena feel any better about it.
A voice. The flow of solving the cube was interrupted. Al had no clue anymore how to solve it, all solutions were completely swiped off his mind. All he could focus on was the voice coming from the outside. Perhaps the last voice he would hear. He put his cube into his pocket and then slowly his brain recognised the voice and the meaning behind it.
But he did not reply.
Mia. A great person too. Also destined to die here. He could trust her, he could have said 'yes, I am Al and I'm here'. But he did not dare to say anything. He looked at Serena, hoping she knew what to do, how to respond. She stood up, and her face did not show signs of smiling and happily letting Mia in to drink a tea at the lounge.
He knew that she would not trust Mia. Not because she would dislike Mia, no, Mia is a wonderful person that can not be disliked. No, she would not trust her, because of what she had said earlier. Preparation. Be prepared to meet people, like Mia. Al could trust her, but it would also make sense not to.
That probably is what Serena would do. But Al himself? He liked Mia. It would be unfair to not trust her just to be prepared. It was not fair to not be able to be trusted. Everybody here was in the same situation.
Besides, Al knew Mia well. She was a kind person. One thing he associated with her was Pepper.
Pepper. Casey. Michelle. Julius.
His cats. Her cats. Meow. He misses them already.
But he did not reply.
Mia. A great person too. Also destined to die here. He could trust her, he could have said 'yes, I am Al and I'm here'. But he did not dare to say anything. He looked at Serena, hoping she knew what to do, how to respond. She stood up, and her face did not show signs of smiling and happily letting Mia in to drink a tea at the lounge.
He knew that she would not trust Mia. Not because she would dislike Mia, no, Mia is a wonderful person that can not be disliked. No, she would not trust her, because of what she had said earlier. Preparation. Be prepared to meet people, like Mia. Al could trust her, but it would also make sense not to.
That probably is what Serena would do. But Al himself? He liked Mia. It would be unfair to not trust her just to be prepared. It was not fair to not be able to be trusted. Everybody here was in the same situation.
Besides, Al knew Mia well. She was a kind person. One thing he associated with her was Pepper.
Pepper. Casey. Michelle. Julius.
His cats. Her cats. Meow. He misses them already.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler RC. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Mia waited patiently, eagerly even, for Al to reply to her, still staying outside the door on the off chance that she had misheard and it was a totally different boy with a similar voice inside. She was almost certain it was Al though. Like, 99.9% certain it was him. She liked to think she knew her friends well enough to identify their voices, after all.
As Mia waited, a twinge of sadness started growing inside of her, as she realised that if Al was in fact in that room, then... well, that meant he was here with her, on this island. It was a double edged sword on the island, being a popular girl with a wide circle of friends. She wanted nothing more than to see them here, to see Nathan again, to see people like Sandra and Conrad and Oskar one more time, just to make sure they were all alright. But all that would mean was that they weren't all right, not if they were all on the island with her, and Mia wanted little more than for them to all be safe and sound back home.
If this wasn't motivation enough for her to try and find a way off of this place, to escape, she didn't know what else would be.
Gosh, Al was taking his sweet time in replying, wasn't he?
Mia waited.
And waited.
And as the seconds went by, the sadness in her heart turned to fear. Maybe Al just hadn't heard her. Maybe it really wasn't Al and she was going to look like a complete idiot. But Mia just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right here.
"Al?" Mia called out again. "Is something wrong in there?"
Mia stole a quick glance back at Candice, raising the gun slightly. She edged closer toward the doorway before speaking again.
"I'm gonna come in after 5 seconds, even if I don't get an answer, alright?"
Mia slowly started to count down in her head.
As Mia waited, a twinge of sadness started growing inside of her, as she realised that if Al was in fact in that room, then... well, that meant he was here with her, on this island. It was a double edged sword on the island, being a popular girl with a wide circle of friends. She wanted nothing more than to see them here, to see Nathan again, to see people like Sandra and Conrad and Oskar one more time, just to make sure they were all alright. But all that would mean was that they weren't all right, not if they were all on the island with her, and Mia wanted little more than for them to all be safe and sound back home.
If this wasn't motivation enough for her to try and find a way off of this place, to escape, she didn't know what else would be.
Gosh, Al was taking his sweet time in replying, wasn't he?
Mia waited.
And waited.
And as the seconds went by, the sadness in her heart turned to fear. Maybe Al just hadn't heard her. Maybe it really wasn't Al and she was going to look like a complete idiot. But Mia just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right here.
"Al?" Mia called out again. "Is something wrong in there?"
Mia stole a quick glance back at Candice, raising the gun slightly. She edged closer toward the doorway before speaking again.
"I'm gonna come in after 5 seconds, even if I don't get an answer, alright?"
Mia slowly started to count down in her head.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Candice wasn't entirely sure what she was hoping for from this encounter anymore.
At the very least, it seemed as though they didn't have to worry about a gunfight breaking out at the moment. There'd be no real reason for Al and whoever else was in the room to not have opened fire already if they had been planning on doing so.
Well, the thought that they could be stalling while an ally of theirs snuck up behind Candice and Mia to catch them off guard had crossed her mind. But in the end, since it seemed that everybody's cell phones had been stolen, it wasn't like the people in the room would have any way to coordinate with people outside, so that concern could be ruled out.
It seemed as though Candice and Mia had once again had the luck to encouter somebody who wasn't hostile.
The trouble, of course, was where to proceed from there. Mia's attempt to reach out to them had apparently fizzled out without so much as an acknowledgement of their presence. If it were the case that Al didn't want to talk to them, it's not like they could force him.
Candice briefly considered calling out on her own as well, but stopped just short of doing so. If they weren't willing to open up for an acquaintance, would adding a total stranger really change anything? It was probably best to just write this meeting off as no meaningful outcome.
We may as well move on, was the conclusion that Candice had reached, but before she could bring this subject up to Mia the other girl plainly announced her intent to enter the room, one way or another.
"Is this really a good idea?" Candice whispered urgently.
At the very least, it seemed as though they didn't have to worry about a gunfight breaking out at the moment. There'd be no real reason for Al and whoever else was in the room to not have opened fire already if they had been planning on doing so.
Well, the thought that they could be stalling while an ally of theirs snuck up behind Candice and Mia to catch them off guard had crossed her mind. But in the end, since it seemed that everybody's cell phones had been stolen, it wasn't like the people in the room would have any way to coordinate with people outside, so that concern could be ruled out.
It seemed as though Candice and Mia had once again had the luck to encouter somebody who wasn't hostile.
The trouble, of course, was where to proceed from there. Mia's attempt to reach out to them had apparently fizzled out without so much as an acknowledgement of their presence. If it were the case that Al didn't want to talk to them, it's not like they could force him.
Candice briefly considered calling out on her own as well, but stopped just short of doing so. If they weren't willing to open up for an acquaintance, would adding a total stranger really change anything? It was probably best to just write this meeting off as no meaningful outcome.
We may as well move on, was the conclusion that Candice had reached, but before she could bring this subject up to Mia the other girl plainly announced her intent to enter the room, one way or another.
"Is this really a good idea?" Candice whispered urgently.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Muninn. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
There was no response from Al, his cube was back in his pocket and he looked to be in thought, could he trust this person? He looked over at Serena as if she had the answer, she would have to be blunt and tell him she had no clue what to do. All this situation did was remind her how poorly thought her idea was, first person they meet and they're terrified of them without even seeing if their good or not.
The voice rang out again, asking if there was something and then stating they were going in. There came a tense feeling over the room as the seconds starting going down, would this person take no for answer? Would they leave them alone if told so? She couldn't shake the feeling of distrust inside her. The video from earlier was repeating itself in her mind, the man said they were friends and yet one killed the other with barely any words said. There's always more to a story than what you're shown, but she had nothing else to go on. If they let this person in and trusted them, would this be like the video. Them walking in, killing them both and then walking out without a word? She was determined to make sure it didn't happen to them.
Serena walked over to Al and whispered to him "From the sounds of it they aren't looking to fight, I won't blame you if you trust them, but let's be cautious." She took a quick look over at the door and said out loud "You get in once you say who you are, who you're with and what weapons you have." Blunt and short, exactly how it should be.
The voice rang out again, asking if there was something and then stating they were going in. There came a tense feeling over the room as the seconds starting going down, would this person take no for answer? Would they leave them alone if told so? She couldn't shake the feeling of distrust inside her. The video from earlier was repeating itself in her mind, the man said they were friends and yet one killed the other with barely any words said. There's always more to a story than what you're shown, but she had nothing else to go on. If they let this person in and trusted them, would this be like the video. Them walking in, killing them both and then walking out without a word? She was determined to make sure it didn't happen to them.
Serena walked over to Al and whispered to him "From the sounds of it they aren't looking to fight, I won't blame you if you trust them, but let's be cautious." She took a quick look over at the door and said out loud "You get in once you say who you are, who you're with and what weapons you have." Blunt and short, exactly how it should be.
Alessio would have kept being silent. Luckily, he had Serena. She was smart and knew what to do. She confidently told Mia what she had to do in order to go into the room.
If Al had the guts to reply to Mia, he would have told her that something was wrong in here. He had a metal collar around his neck and he smelled vomit. He was with a person in a room, he knew would die with him on this island. Alessio did not need to speak anything.
He hugged his knee.
If Al had the guts to reply to Mia, he would have told her that something was wrong in here. He had a metal collar around his neck and he smelled vomit. He was with a person in a room, he knew would die with him on this island. Alessio did not need to speak anything.
He hugged his knee.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler RC. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Mia had always worn her heart on her sleeve. She led with it more often than her head. A lot of people labelled that as a personality flaw but she had never seen it that way. Call her naïve as much as you wanted, Mia would always prefer to be too trusting than not enough. She fell in, and inevitably out, of love easily, and not always with the best people either. But she knew enough Shakespeare to remember that it was better to have loved and lost than to be a loner forever. Or something close to that.
Some people might expect the idea of deception to be another thing Mia had a poor grasp of, with her trusting and carefree nature. In some regards, maybe. She'd never been good at acting, for a start, and had never even come close to becoming one of the theatre kids. Little white lies or minor secrets were the worst things to trust Mia with; inevitably she'd crack a smile or let out a giggle and end up spilling the beans in their entirety.
But she'd always been good at pretending things were alright when they were anything but. Even when she was stressed out about the homework she was behind on and absolutely clueless about she could put on a smile and a cheerful wave. Even when she was still dealing with a panic attack because somebody lit a match too close to her, she could still join in and joke with her cheerleader buddies. Even when she was terrified that all of the effort she'd put into her sports would be for nothing, she would always be there with an encouraging word, or a high five or a fistbump or a hug.
So now felt like the perfect time to actually do something useful on the island. Mia craned her neck to look at Candice, and gave her best, most confident smile.
"I know Al," she whispered. "He's a sweet guy and absolutely wouldn't harm a fly. It'll be fine. You can trust me. Honest."
Mia realised she was still holding the gun up like she was about to burst into a firefight, and hastily lowered it until it was pointing at the ground, barrel aimed a few inches away from her foot. Al wasn't about to run out and start attacking them, and it didn't sound as if the girl with him wanted to do so either. Mia cleared her throat before replying.
"There's just two of us out here! Just Mia Rose and Candice... uh..."
Shit. Now was not the time to have total brain freeze. A couple of seconds of awkward silence passed.
"Candice Banks! Only real weapon we've got is a gun, but I'm not planning on shooting it, I swear. Scout's honour."
Mia looked back at Candice and silently mouthed the word 'Sorry'.
Some people might expect the idea of deception to be another thing Mia had a poor grasp of, with her trusting and carefree nature. In some regards, maybe. She'd never been good at acting, for a start, and had never even come close to becoming one of the theatre kids. Little white lies or minor secrets were the worst things to trust Mia with; inevitably she'd crack a smile or let out a giggle and end up spilling the beans in their entirety.
But she'd always been good at pretending things were alright when they were anything but. Even when she was stressed out about the homework she was behind on and absolutely clueless about she could put on a smile and a cheerful wave. Even when she was still dealing with a panic attack because somebody lit a match too close to her, she could still join in and joke with her cheerleader buddies. Even when she was terrified that all of the effort she'd put into her sports would be for nothing, she would always be there with an encouraging word, or a high five or a fistbump or a hug.
So now felt like the perfect time to actually do something useful on the island. Mia craned her neck to look at Candice, and gave her best, most confident smile.
"I know Al," she whispered. "He's a sweet guy and absolutely wouldn't harm a fly. It'll be fine. You can trust me. Honest."
Mia realised she was still holding the gun up like she was about to burst into a firefight, and hastily lowered it until it was pointing at the ground, barrel aimed a few inches away from her foot. Al wasn't about to run out and start attacking them, and it didn't sound as if the girl with him wanted to do so either. Mia cleared her throat before replying.
"There's just two of us out here! Just Mia Rose and Candice... uh..."
Shit. Now was not the time to have total brain freeze. A couple of seconds of awkward silence passed.
"Candice Banks! Only real weapon we've got is a gun, but I'm not planning on shooting it, I swear. Scout's honour."
Mia looked back at Candice and silently mouthed the word 'Sorry'.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
Just as Candice had been about to vocalize her doubts that there was any point in trying to talk any further, there was a voice from behind the door. It was... well, if they were getting a response it was at least some kind of progress. They still weren't exactly being welcomed with open arms, but them finally having their presence acknowledged was rather nice.
For that matter, it was probably unrealistic to expect anybody to just roll out the welcome mats for Candice and Mia without having some kind of ulterior motive. Finding somebody who was initially guarded and suspicious of them was probably the best they could hope for.
"It's just me and Mia out here," she called to the person behind the door.
Having said that, the words now sounded stupid. She'd thought it would be a good idea to speak up and confirm it was her and Mia, but fumbled when thinking of what to say, and in the end she'd basically just ended up repeating what Mia had just said. It wouldn't really work as reassurance, either, because from the perspective of the people on the other side of the wall there could be others who just weren't speaking up.
Speaking of others who weren't speaking up, there'd been absolutely nothing from this Al person. No greeting, no response... hell, the girl who had responded hadn't even made mention of him. Maybe Mia had just been mistaken when she thought she'd heard him?
"Who all's in there with you?"
For that matter, it was probably unrealistic to expect anybody to just roll out the welcome mats for Candice and Mia without having some kind of ulterior motive. Finding somebody who was initially guarded and suspicious of them was probably the best they could hope for.
"It's just me and Mia out here," she called to the person behind the door.
Having said that, the words now sounded stupid. She'd thought it would be a good idea to speak up and confirm it was her and Mia, but fumbled when thinking of what to say, and in the end she'd basically just ended up repeating what Mia had just said. It wouldn't really work as reassurance, either, because from the perspective of the people on the other side of the wall there could be others who just weren't speaking up.
Speaking of others who weren't speaking up, there'd been absolutely nothing from this Al person. No greeting, no response... hell, the girl who had responded hadn't even made mention of him. Maybe Mia had just been mistaken when she thought she'd heard him?
"Who all's in there with you?"
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Muninn. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.