So here they were. The fancy people zoo. The place where animals were kept as symbols to be witnessed as an extension of wealth and status. Forrest didn’t feel comfortable. Her surroundings were one part of that, the second was that she had fallen asleep in a pile of hay. The end result was a confused, dry mouthed, itchy morning. The kind of morning you half-remembered as a murky haze.
She pushed a hand through the half of her hair that existed, knocking loose particles down to join their friends on the floor. The bare part of her scalp was extremely itchy and she could feel the raised skin where a rash had come up. Instinctively she reached for her bag and opened it to find nothing but her own clothes.
It was a harsh reminder of what her current goal was, and how little progress she had made towards it. She had gotten things done, they’d traveled through the woods and down to the Menagerie. But it was tough going. Forrest had never been physically fit, she’d missed that boat when she’d had chronic fatigue syndrome as a kid. The essential life experiences of running around the playground playing tag with friends or doing sports were missing from her upbringing. Therefore she had never had any urge to take part. Not that her early time spent playing on the Super Nintendo was bad. It just didn’t help her traverse a real life 576mp island.
Long story short, her legs were feeling it. Standing, she moved to the end of the stable and looked out into the enclosure. As she leaned there, wishing for water or rain or just something to parch her first true thirst there was a loud crackle from above her head.
“Jesus!” She yelped as her body instinctively jumped back, causing her broken arm to bang off the wall. “Ow! Man...ow.” Forrest weakly rubbed her cast as a voice began to speak and run down the previous days events.
It was a lot to take in, so for once in her life Forrest shut up and listened.
Skin Feels Off
Open
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 682
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: The Zone™
[Meilin Zhou continued from Rise Great Undead Lord Dread]
According to the map, they'd essentially crossed the whole island. Of course Meilin wasn't gonna say it out loud, but she was pretty sure that Forrest's bag wasn't around here. It couldn't have gone that far from the lookout thingy, right? Right?! Maybe a really big bird carried it away. This looked like the kind of place that would have really big and freaky birds.
In the end, they had to find a place to sleep for the night. So they did, in the stables. While she was trying to sleep she couldn't help but remember that one scene from some movie she walked in on her parents watching as a 12 year old where a couple went for a roll in the hay, literally, and when she thought of it in her current situation- how?! No seriously, hay was the worst thing to sleep on in the literal sense, and all the scratchy pieces of grass around while sex, with all its fiddly bits and exposing of skin, was occurring? No thanks. Though she managed to fall asleep eventually.
In the morning, she lifted her head off of the bag she'd turned into a makeshift pillow- her clothing bag, the other one was full of tough things she'd rather not rest her head and neck on, that was asking for a pain in the neck in the morning. But yes, she had woken up and was slowly standing up. Looking around, she could see Forrest at one end of the stables. Meilin pondered greeting her with a friendly smile and a good morning, if just to lighten the mood a little, when a sharp sound rang out, and Forrest bumped her bad arm against the wall.
"Oh! Are you-"
Meilin fell silent. A voice filled the air, coming from a speaker above them. Those... those were the names of their classmates who already died. And- and their killers. All of them were accompanied by killers. What the- Tirzah, she was dancing with her at prom just a few weeks ago! And she was with Toby! How did she go killer- especially on her own prom date?! Why did any of them?! Wait, someone's throat got torn out? Holy- no. No, this couldn't be happening, surely there was some sort of deception involved-
Beryl... was killed by Nick. Yeah, Nick was her ex and she had to admit he had some unsavoury parts to him but... but surely- there's no way he actually-!
Her eyes remained wide with shock, as the announcements continued to play. Dante... Dante was dead. Why did he have to die? This wasn't the class she knew. GHHS' senior scene had its drama, and not everyone was a saint, but she never imagined any of them would be murderers.
"I don't understand..." she murmured.
According to the map, they'd essentially crossed the whole island. Of course Meilin wasn't gonna say it out loud, but she was pretty sure that Forrest's bag wasn't around here. It couldn't have gone that far from the lookout thingy, right? Right?! Maybe a really big bird carried it away. This looked like the kind of place that would have really big and freaky birds.
In the end, they had to find a place to sleep for the night. So they did, in the stables. While she was trying to sleep she couldn't help but remember that one scene from some movie she walked in on her parents watching as a 12 year old where a couple went for a roll in the hay, literally, and when she thought of it in her current situation- how?! No seriously, hay was the worst thing to sleep on in the literal sense, and all the scratchy pieces of grass around while sex, with all its fiddly bits and exposing of skin, was occurring? No thanks. Though she managed to fall asleep eventually.
In the morning, she lifted her head off of the bag she'd turned into a makeshift pillow- her clothing bag, the other one was full of tough things she'd rather not rest her head and neck on, that was asking for a pain in the neck in the morning. But yes, she had woken up and was slowly standing up. Looking around, she could see Forrest at one end of the stables. Meilin pondered greeting her with a friendly smile and a good morning, if just to lighten the mood a little, when a sharp sound rang out, and Forrest bumped her bad arm against the wall.
"Oh! Are you-"
Meilin fell silent. A voice filled the air, coming from a speaker above them. Those... those were the names of their classmates who already died. And- and their killers. All of them were accompanied by killers. What the- Tirzah, she was dancing with her at prom just a few weeks ago! And she was with Toby! How did she go killer- especially on her own prom date?! Why did any of them?! Wait, someone's throat got torn out? Holy- no. No, this couldn't be happening, surely there was some sort of deception involved-
Beryl... was killed by Nick. Yeah, Nick was her ex and she had to admit he had some unsavoury parts to him but... but surely- there's no way he actually-!
Her eyes remained wide with shock, as the announcements continued to play. Dante... Dante was dead. Why did he have to die? This wasn't the class she knew. GHHS' senior scene had its drama, and not everyone was a saint, but she never imagined any of them would be murderers.
"I don't understand..." she murmured.
"No sun to rise would be okay with me... Everyday, every day is okay"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
((Bill Dover continued from Lonely as the Sound of Lying on the Ground of an Airplane Going Down))
Bill sighed as he brought a hand up to wipe the rivulets of sweat running down his forehead as he approached the stables. There was no doubt about it now. He was completely and utterly lost, and more importantly, he had no idea at all where Drew was.
His eyes slowly traveled to the extra bag he was carrying as he came to a stop. How could he be outrun by someone who was so badly injured? Sure, he was out of shape, and exhausted, but this was a whole new level of pathetic. His heart sank as the painful realization began to set in that his weakness had cost Drew all his supplies. What a terrible excuse for a human being he was. Not only was he certainly going to die in this terrible place, but he couldn't even help those around him before he went.
The crackle of the announcements pulled him out of his pity party, but did nothing to assuage the feeling of hopelessness weighing his body down like an anchor. Nine classmates whose who wouldn't make it to graduation, nine lives that had been cut short, nine faces that he would never see again. Why did they have to go before him? Beryl, Violet, Yuki's sister... they didn't deserve this. Why would God allow this to happen?
This line of thinking probably would have lead into some sort of introspective internal dialogue had he not noticed the sound of female voices coming from within the stable. It didn't sound like Drew, obviously, but Bill couldn't help but feel the irrational swell of hope as he began stepping towards the entrance to the stable, calling out to its inhabitants in a hoarse voice.
"Hello? Drew, are you there?"
Bill sighed as he brought a hand up to wipe the rivulets of sweat running down his forehead as he approached the stables. There was no doubt about it now. He was completely and utterly lost, and more importantly, he had no idea at all where Drew was.
His eyes slowly traveled to the extra bag he was carrying as he came to a stop. How could he be outrun by someone who was so badly injured? Sure, he was out of shape, and exhausted, but this was a whole new level of pathetic. His heart sank as the painful realization began to set in that his weakness had cost Drew all his supplies. What a terrible excuse for a human being he was. Not only was he certainly going to die in this terrible place, but he couldn't even help those around him before he went.
The crackle of the announcements pulled him out of his pity party, but did nothing to assuage the feeling of hopelessness weighing his body down like an anchor. Nine classmates whose who wouldn't make it to graduation, nine lives that had been cut short, nine faces that he would never see again. Why did they have to go before him? Beryl, Violet, Yuki's sister... they didn't deserve this. Why would God allow this to happen?
This line of thinking probably would have lead into some sort of introspective internal dialogue had he not noticed the sound of female voices coming from within the stable. It didn't sound like Drew, obviously, but Bill couldn't help but feel the irrational swell of hope as he began stepping towards the entrance to the stable, calling out to its inhabitants in a hoarse voice.
"Hello? Drew, are you there?"
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
((Dane Lennox continued from Rise Great Undead Lord Dread.))
Weren't they supposed to have been looking for Forrest's bag? Yeah, what happened to that? It really felt like they were getting side-tracked, and Dane didn't like it when he got side-tracked. The only thing keeping him from just leaving was that they did seem like they were looking for the bag, and didn't get swept away by some other goal.
They were just... apparently, really bad at looking for bags. Or following maps. It had to be something to that effect.
So when the day had rolled over, and they had made no progress whatsoever in finding the bag, Dane was understandably annoyed. And when the announcements sounded, he simply snarled as he listened.
Names. Names that Dane didn't really care about, either the killers' or the victims'. They were just names after all. And perhaps there had been a person attached to each name, but that was no longer the case. Dane wasn't surprised, though. Couldn't be surprised. His long-term plan hinged on the assumption that this would happen. By listing out the names of the deceased and the killers, the terrorists had proven him right.
So no, he wasn't surprised, but apparently the others were.
"What isn't there to understand?" Dane asked, his voice a bit on edge. They were just names, but it was still not pleasant news. "This is the nature of the game. And some people, whether you like it or not, are scared enough, desperate enough, or even cruel enough to participate."
The sooner they understood this, the better. A harsh truth now would be much better than a long, drawn-out denial.
Another voice called out.
"Who's there?" Dane asked, "If you're looking for trouble, I suggest you leave."
Weren't they supposed to have been looking for Forrest's bag? Yeah, what happened to that? It really felt like they were getting side-tracked, and Dane didn't like it when he got side-tracked. The only thing keeping him from just leaving was that they did seem like they were looking for the bag, and didn't get swept away by some other goal.
They were just... apparently, really bad at looking for bags. Or following maps. It had to be something to that effect.
So when the day had rolled over, and they had made no progress whatsoever in finding the bag, Dane was understandably annoyed. And when the announcements sounded, he simply snarled as he listened.
Names. Names that Dane didn't really care about, either the killers' or the victims'. They were just names after all. And perhaps there had been a person attached to each name, but that was no longer the case. Dane wasn't surprised, though. Couldn't be surprised. His long-term plan hinged on the assumption that this would happen. By listing out the names of the deceased and the killers, the terrorists had proven him right.
So no, he wasn't surprised, but apparently the others were.
"What isn't there to understand?" Dane asked, his voice a bit on edge. They were just names, but it was still not pleasant news. "This is the nature of the game. And some people, whether you like it or not, are scared enough, desperate enough, or even cruel enough to participate."
The sooner they understood this, the better. A harsh truth now would be much better than a long, drawn-out denial.
Another voice called out.
"Who's there?" Dane asked, "If you're looking for trouble, I suggest you leave."
((Katie Agustien continued from Rise Great Undead Lord Dread))
Katie was in an utterly foul mood when she woke up.
Where did she even begin with the reasons why? Their little expedition had gone on for an unbearably long time; they’d been walking into and out of the forest all day, taking them all the way to nightfall. That wouldn’t have been so bad if it had been just her by herself; she’d have torn up the entire island in a few seconds flat in order to find Saffron. But she was in a group, at least half of whom the concept of heavy exercise seemed foreign to, and as Meilin had the map, she served as pacesetter, rather than Katie. They trudged, rather than hurried, taking way too many stops for her liking, and eventually they had stopped for the night within a building that turned out to be a fucking stable, of all things.
Sleeping in a stable was exactly as godawful as she’d expected, too. She could feel hay getting into every nook and cranny of her clothes, scratching her bare skin and tickling her nose whenever she rolled over, but eventually she had found a position that wasn’t too uncomfortable. The worst part was the smell. Everything in the building was slowly decaying around them as they tried to sleep, and she was almost certain that nobody had mucked out the stall next to her before they’d left.
And now here she was, stiff and tired, and listening to the combined efforts of Danya reading out the list of the killers and the killed, and to Dane talking to Meilin with all the grace and charm or a flaming bag of dog shit on someone’s doorstep. She rolled her eyes, bit her tongue, and looked at her cigarette packet again, face growing darker as she did so. She’d burned through way more than she’d liked the previous day, a futile attempt to keep herself calm and to stop herself from freaking the fuck out. And look how well that had gone.
Worst part was, Dane had a point. This… thing, this bullshit Danya called a game, couldn’t have happened 6 times now without at least one person deciding, for whatever reason, that they had to kill to survive as soon as possible. Something was going to snap for somebody, some tiny thing would be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and soon they’d have blood on their hands. The catalyst that caused people to follow suit, and for others to stop people from following, with lethal force.
But to just out and say such a thing was a real dick move. Katie could recognise almost every name listed. She’d had a crush on Christine, once. Paloma too, long ago. She’d never done anything about them except to stutter and blush and run off, resolving to float a suggestion their way at a later date. Now she’d never get the chance to, both for different reasons that ended up returning to the same point. Dante was dead, too. She’d never liked the idiot, hitting on her even when it was clear she wasn’t interested in him, or any other boy. But she’d never wanted him to drop dead. Someone had. Someone had wanted somebody dead nine times over. And even though the majority of names were just people she’d heard of, rather than people she knew, it made her feel sick to her goddamn stomach.
There was one name, though, that briefly managed to wipe away all of her bad mood and leave her staring at the stable wall for a moment, gazing right through it as her mind simultaneously churned and went blank, churned and went blank, churned-
Then somebody called out from outside the stable, snapping Katie back to reality and back here, not up there. She slipped off of her bed of hay, grabbing the knife from where she’d left it on the ground, and walked cautiously out of the stall to join the others, unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes again as Dane decided to be the diplomat in this situation.
“Yeah, dude really sounds like he’s angling to pick a fight,” Katie muttered. Her fingers gently drummed against the knife handle.
Katie was in an utterly foul mood when she woke up.
Where did she even begin with the reasons why? Their little expedition had gone on for an unbearably long time; they’d been walking into and out of the forest all day, taking them all the way to nightfall. That wouldn’t have been so bad if it had been just her by herself; she’d have torn up the entire island in a few seconds flat in order to find Saffron. But she was in a group, at least half of whom the concept of heavy exercise seemed foreign to, and as Meilin had the map, she served as pacesetter, rather than Katie. They trudged, rather than hurried, taking way too many stops for her liking, and eventually they had stopped for the night within a building that turned out to be a fucking stable, of all things.
Sleeping in a stable was exactly as godawful as she’d expected, too. She could feel hay getting into every nook and cranny of her clothes, scratching her bare skin and tickling her nose whenever she rolled over, but eventually she had found a position that wasn’t too uncomfortable. The worst part was the smell. Everything in the building was slowly decaying around them as they tried to sleep, and she was almost certain that nobody had mucked out the stall next to her before they’d left.
And now here she was, stiff and tired, and listening to the combined efforts of Danya reading out the list of the killers and the killed, and to Dane talking to Meilin with all the grace and charm or a flaming bag of dog shit on someone’s doorstep. She rolled her eyes, bit her tongue, and looked at her cigarette packet again, face growing darker as she did so. She’d burned through way more than she’d liked the previous day, a futile attempt to keep herself calm and to stop herself from freaking the fuck out. And look how well that had gone.
Worst part was, Dane had a point. This… thing, this bullshit Danya called a game, couldn’t have happened 6 times now without at least one person deciding, for whatever reason, that they had to kill to survive as soon as possible. Something was going to snap for somebody, some tiny thing would be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and soon they’d have blood on their hands. The catalyst that caused people to follow suit, and for others to stop people from following, with lethal force.
But to just out and say such a thing was a real dick move. Katie could recognise almost every name listed. She’d had a crush on Christine, once. Paloma too, long ago. She’d never done anything about them except to stutter and blush and run off, resolving to float a suggestion their way at a later date. Now she’d never get the chance to, both for different reasons that ended up returning to the same point. Dante was dead, too. She’d never liked the idiot, hitting on her even when it was clear she wasn’t interested in him, or any other boy. But she’d never wanted him to drop dead. Someone had. Someone had wanted somebody dead nine times over. And even though the majority of names were just people she’d heard of, rather than people she knew, it made her feel sick to her goddamn stomach.
There was one name, though, that briefly managed to wipe away all of her bad mood and leave her staring at the stable wall for a moment, gazing right through it as her mind simultaneously churned and went blank, churned and went blank, churned-
Then somebody called out from outside the stable, snapping Katie back to reality and back here, not up there. She slipped off of her bed of hay, grabbing the knife from where she’d left it on the ground, and walked cautiously out of the stall to join the others, unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes again as Dane decided to be the diplomat in this situation.
“Yeah, dude really sounds like he’s angling to pick a fight,” Katie muttered. Her fingers gently drummed against the knife handle.
"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
People were dead. It shouldn't have felt like a shock but it was. She didn't get why. They had been sent here to die and dying they were, but at the same time it all suddenly felt so real. There was only one way everything was going to end and what did you do with that information?
Luckily for Forrest she wasn't given any time to dwell on it. As a voice called to them from outside the stable building. Although she guessed the stable building was actually just called a stable. She was good at words. Her mouth opened to respond to the call, to let the person know that Drew wasn't there but Dane stepped forward to take the lead. Considering the context of the situation Dane wasn't the person she would have chosen. He seemed irritable based on what she had seen and that wasn't helpful. But she said nothing as he spoke, merely pulling a face when he mentioned the voice looking for trouble.
"Don't think that's necessary." She said, quietly so that only the group could hear her. "Gotta agree with Katie here."
She didn't want a fight to break out. That was the last thing she needed when she was only armed with a bag of her own clothes.
Luckily for Forrest she wasn't given any time to dwell on it. As a voice called to them from outside the stable building. Although she guessed the stable building was actually just called a stable. She was good at words. Her mouth opened to respond to the call, to let the person know that Drew wasn't there but Dane stepped forward to take the lead. Considering the context of the situation Dane wasn't the person she would have chosen. He seemed irritable based on what she had seen and that wasn't helpful. But she said nothing as he spoke, merely pulling a face when he mentioned the voice looking for trouble.
"Don't think that's necessary." She said, quietly so that only the group could hear her. "Gotta agree with Katie here."
She didn't want a fight to break out. That was the last thing she needed when she was only armed with a bag of her own clothes.
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 682
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: The Zone™
Meilin felt frozen in time, hanging her head so all she could see was the floor.
Well, what did she have to say for herself? She was so scared yesterday, and now surprised- but what did she think would happen, when she was so scared of getting shot? Did she forget that bullet would be linked to a gun held by one of her own classmates?
Dane was right, though his helpful advice came in a rather unwelcoming package.
Dane was right, and she had been wrong about her classmates. Hopefully not all of them- but she was wrong about Nick, wasn't she?
Perhaps it was best that news wasn't broken gently.
There was someone else there, looking for a guy named Drew. Drew... she was sure she had a classmate with that name, but she couldn't link a face to it. She supposed she never talked to him.
Everyone seemed to be on edge. Meilin looked to her bag. The knife... no, she wouldn't need that right now, would she? Whatever the others seemed to think, maybe this guy wasn't hostile.
Well, what did her trust in her classmates earn her?
She kneeled down and unzipped the bag, and fished out the knife thingy. Oh, there was the paper again, "Haladie", did she read that before? Oh well. She lifted her head. Where did the calling come from again?
"We'll come in peace if you do!" she called, as she stood up, gripping the Haladie-thing. Not exactly an olive branch, but right now wasn't the time to take risks.
Yet, they couldn't all be like that... right?
Surely some of the announcements were twists of the truth- accidents, self-defense- right?
But could they really all be that?
It wasn't worth taking the risk, no matter how much Meilin wanted to believe.
Well, what did she have to say for herself? She was so scared yesterday, and now surprised- but what did she think would happen, when she was so scared of getting shot? Did she forget that bullet would be linked to a gun held by one of her own classmates?
Dane was right, though his helpful advice came in a rather unwelcoming package.
Dane was right, and she had been wrong about her classmates. Hopefully not all of them- but she was wrong about Nick, wasn't she?
Perhaps it was best that news wasn't broken gently.
There was someone else there, looking for a guy named Drew. Drew... she was sure she had a classmate with that name, but she couldn't link a face to it. She supposed she never talked to him.
Everyone seemed to be on edge. Meilin looked to her bag. The knife... no, she wouldn't need that right now, would she? Whatever the others seemed to think, maybe this guy wasn't hostile.
Well, what did her trust in her classmates earn her?
She kneeled down and unzipped the bag, and fished out the knife thingy. Oh, there was the paper again, "Haladie", did she read that before? Oh well. She lifted her head. Where did the calling come from again?
"We'll come in peace if you do!" she called, as she stood up, gripping the Haladie-thing. Not exactly an olive branch, but right now wasn't the time to take risks.
Yet, they couldn't all be like that... right?
Surely some of the announcements were twists of the truth- accidents, self-defense- right?
But could they really all be that?
It wasn't worth taking the risk, no matter how much Meilin wanted to believe.
"No sun to rise would be okay with me... Everyday, every day is okay"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
Bill stood at the entrance for a moment, staring at the door as he considered his options. The initial impression that he got was far from promising, and the low, unintelligible muttering following Dane's statement from his companions didn't provide much encouragement either. It hadn't even been 48 hours yet, not everyone could have lost their sense of humanity, could they?
Honestly, the fact that he hadn't heard Drew's voice in the first place meant that the guy probably wasn't here anyway. It wasn't like he and Bill were close, but still, in a position like that most people would have no problems asking for someone to hand their bag back over, especially if they had a squad of friends backing them up.
Unless, of course, he was too badly hurt to be able to do that in the first place...
Swallowing hard, he muttered a quick prayer as he put a hand on the door, pushing gently on it. As it began to swing open, he raised his hands in the air, speaking slowly and calmly as he hoped desperately that he had not just signed his own death warrant.
"I...I'm not looking for any trouble, I'm not even armed. I'm just looking for Drew, he... he's hurt and he ran off without his bag..."
Honestly, the fact that he hadn't heard Drew's voice in the first place meant that the guy probably wasn't here anyway. It wasn't like he and Bill were close, but still, in a position like that most people would have no problems asking for someone to hand their bag back over, especially if they had a squad of friends backing them up.
Unless, of course, he was too badly hurt to be able to do that in the first place...
Swallowing hard, he muttered a quick prayer as he put a hand on the door, pushing gently on it. As it began to swing open, he raised his hands in the air, speaking slowly and calmly as he hoped desperately that he had not just signed his own death warrant.
"I...I'm not looking for any trouble, I'm not even armed. I'm just looking for Drew, he... he's hurt and he ran off without his bag..."
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
They didn't get it.
They were too trusting of an unknown variable. When it came to situations like this, it didn't hurt to be too cautious. Even if the person outside wasn't looking for trouble now, circumstances could change. Even considering the best-case scenario that the person outside was really as meek as he sounded and wasn't just putting on an act, desperation, impulse, whatever, could drive them to do...
Something.
It seemed, though, that Dane was in the minority here. And continuing to voice his discontent with this would be detrimental to the group's well-being.
When did he start caring so much.
But it meant that Dane was going to be the reactive one here, waiting on high alert for the other person to act first. Dane... didn't enjoy that feeling. He was a take-charge kind of person and this kind of role didn't suit him.
Whatever. For now, at least, he supposed there was no harm in letting them in. He couldn't help but be just a little bit on alert.
The person on the other side slowly pushed open the door, before announcing that they... he was looking for someone. Someone who was hurt.
"He's hurt?" Dane asked, one eyebrow raised, "Who hurt him?"
Crazy how his mind immediately went for the option of someone hurting him, rather than it being caused by an accident or self-inflicted or something. Except... it wasn't crazy at all.
The announcements were a good way to listen for names to be wary of, but they only happened once a day. Additionally, they only announced kills. If people were going around robbing, hurting, whatever, but leaving their victims alive, then the announcement wouldn't announce that. Those were also names to be wary of, so any information would help here.
They were too trusting of an unknown variable. When it came to situations like this, it didn't hurt to be too cautious. Even if the person outside wasn't looking for trouble now, circumstances could change. Even considering the best-case scenario that the person outside was really as meek as he sounded and wasn't just putting on an act, desperation, impulse, whatever, could drive them to do...
Something.
It seemed, though, that Dane was in the minority here. And continuing to voice his discontent with this would be detrimental to the group's well-being.
When did he start caring so much.
But it meant that Dane was going to be the reactive one here, waiting on high alert for the other person to act first. Dane... didn't enjoy that feeling. He was a take-charge kind of person and this kind of role didn't suit him.
Whatever. For now, at least, he supposed there was no harm in letting them in. He couldn't help but be just a little bit on alert.
The person on the other side slowly pushed open the door, before announcing that they... he was looking for someone. Someone who was hurt.
"He's hurt?" Dane asked, one eyebrow raised, "Who hurt him?"
Crazy how his mind immediately went for the option of someone hurting him, rather than it being caused by an accident or self-inflicted or something. Except... it wasn't crazy at all.
The announcements were a good way to listen for names to be wary of, but they only happened once a day. Additionally, they only announced kills. If people were going around robbing, hurting, whatever, but leaving their victims alive, then the announcement wouldn't announce that. Those were also names to be wary of, so any information would help here.
It occurred to Katie, as sweat built up in her fist, and her knuckles turned white against the handle of the knife, just how goddamn poorly their group was equipped. Obviously, Forrest had her own issue regarding supplies, but even putting that aside, they had a knife, and… man, Katie didn’t even know what Meilin had. Some kinda… two-bladed knife, or short sword. The thing looked like it’d slit your own wrist before you could stab somebody with it. Bottom line was, it wasn’t something she was about to rely on.
They only had one gun. And sure, one gun was better than zero guns. But all it took was for the person outside to have one gun themselves, and for them to cast their aim on Dane, and their sole advantage would be gone in a flash and a bang.
That was, of course, the other downside of the gun; that it had to be in Dane’s hands.
Before she could think about their situation any further, the door started to swing open, and she jolted, getting herself all coiled up and ready to leap either forwards or backwards, depending on who it was that walked through the entrance.
Oh.
Turned out, she didn’t need to do either. Bill Dover wasn’t a threat. That wasn’t her making a rash assumption, that was just a goddamn fact. The dude was unfailingly polite and friendly to everybody, and that included the flies he wouldn’t be able to hurt. From what Katie could see, that fact was just amplified out here. He didn’t have a weapon. He didn’t look like he was about to cause trouble. He looked petrified.
Her expression softened as she lowered the knife, then hardened again as she scowled at Dane. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could spend around the guy. The worst part was, it wasn’t even because she disagreed with him; quite the opposite, in fact. She knew as well as he did that there were people they could no longer trust, and people who would shoot first and ask questions never. But she didn’t need to be constantly reminded of that fact, and she didn’t need Captain Charisma over here to put everybody on edge at the first sign of anything.
Of course, the group’s problems didn’t end with Dane. But it was easier for her to pin all the blame on the least likeable member.
“Christ, dude.”
Katie rolled her eyes at Dane, moving forwards to focus her attention on Bill.
“Sorry. We haven’t seen him. Only person we’ve seen that isn’t standing in this building is… uh, Erika.”
She slid the knife into her pocket, folded her arms, and glowered at the wall.
They only had one gun. And sure, one gun was better than zero guns. But all it took was for the person outside to have one gun themselves, and for them to cast their aim on Dane, and their sole advantage would be gone in a flash and a bang.
That was, of course, the other downside of the gun; that it had to be in Dane’s hands.
Before she could think about their situation any further, the door started to swing open, and she jolted, getting herself all coiled up and ready to leap either forwards or backwards, depending on who it was that walked through the entrance.
Oh.
Turned out, she didn’t need to do either. Bill Dover wasn’t a threat. That wasn’t her making a rash assumption, that was just a goddamn fact. The dude was unfailingly polite and friendly to everybody, and that included the flies he wouldn’t be able to hurt. From what Katie could see, that fact was just amplified out here. He didn’t have a weapon. He didn’t look like he was about to cause trouble. He looked petrified.
Her expression softened as she lowered the knife, then hardened again as she scowled at Dane. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could spend around the guy. The worst part was, it wasn’t even because she disagreed with him; quite the opposite, in fact. She knew as well as he did that there were people they could no longer trust, and people who would shoot first and ask questions never. But she didn’t need to be constantly reminded of that fact, and she didn’t need Captain Charisma over here to put everybody on edge at the first sign of anything.
Of course, the group’s problems didn’t end with Dane. But it was easier for her to pin all the blame on the least likeable member.
“Christ, dude.”
Katie rolled her eyes at Dane, moving forwards to focus her attention on Bill.
“Sorry. We haven’t seen him. Only person we’ve seen that isn’t standing in this building is… uh, Erika.”
She slid the knife into her pocket, folded her arms, and glowered at the wall.
"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
Forrest had kinda hoped that Bill was just going to offer them the bag. She could just imagine it 'Bag for sale! Bag for sale!'. She'd have probably bought it, because y'know, hers was gone or lost, the correct word was lost. As in, she had lost her bag because she was a fucking moron of galactic proportions. But so far she hadn't managed to trip over a rock and die so bonus! Unlike, some of the people on the-wow her brain had been about to go there.
"Yeah, and we don't even know where she went," Forrest said, in an attempt to offer something to the conversation. She was distracting from Dane's perfectly valid question by doing so but he'd get over it. He seemed a happy-go-lucky sort. Plus he had cut her off earlier so...
Now the thing was that Forrest did really need her bag because she was huuuungry and thirsty and other words that ended in y and described her physical state, like itchy. On a serious note though, she was extremely hungry. Her stomach growled as she stood there watching the conversation play out. It didn't look like violence was on the cards, which was good because again, broken arm. Although they had Katie and she was apparently both physically fit and a trained boxer, so if things got hairy Forrest's plan would have been to just hide behind her.
Bill Dover didn't seem like a violent sort though, plus his name sounded like Ben Dover. Hehe, she was five. It was a good sign he seemed peaceful though because while her plan may have been to hide behind Katie she was more likely to try and run away and she was terrible at that.
It was at that point Forrest deliberately bashed her arm off the wooden door of the stall.
"Ow shit!"
"Yeah, and we don't even know where she went," Forrest said, in an attempt to offer something to the conversation. She was distracting from Dane's perfectly valid question by doing so but he'd get over it. He seemed a happy-go-lucky sort. Plus he had cut her off earlier so...
Now the thing was that Forrest did really need her bag because she was huuuungry and thirsty and other words that ended in y and described her physical state, like itchy. On a serious note though, she was extremely hungry. Her stomach growled as she stood there watching the conversation play out. It didn't look like violence was on the cards, which was good because again, broken arm. Although they had Katie and she was apparently both physically fit and a trained boxer, so if things got hairy Forrest's plan would have been to just hide behind her.
Bill Dover didn't seem like a violent sort though, plus his name sounded like Ben Dover. Hehe, she was five. It was a good sign he seemed peaceful though because while her plan may have been to hide behind Katie she was more likely to try and run away and she was terrible at that.
It was at that point Forrest deliberately bashed her arm off the wooden door of the stall.
"Ow shit!"
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 682
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: The Zone™
Meilin nodded as she listened to Bill's story- Bill, she saw that guy around sometimes, he didn't seem like a bad guy at all. Drew was without his bag too, huh? Hurt and without his bag... but unlike Forrest, he probably wasn't hurt before he got here, right? Maybe it was an accident, but Dane- Gah, that guy was getting way too many points for someone who was so, uh. Harsh? She wasn't sure how to describe him but the last word she was going to use was amicable.
Also- yeah where DID Erika go? She whispered something, and then ran off. Not a terribly good sign. But Erika seemed like the sort who could handle herself, and it wasn't like she was going slip off the deep e-
No, no, no, no, no no no nonono.
There was no reason for her to want to stop thinking about Erika, but somehow, somehow, she felt like she couldn't take chances. But it wasn't like she didn't trust Erika, she didn't do anything wrong- as far as she knew- she probably wasn't- she ran off after what she said, awfully suspicious- that wasn't inherently...!
Meilin shook her head. She could pass it off as saying she didn't see Drew either. Forrest hit her arm against the wall again. Wait, why did she do that? It didn't seem to be an accident- ah well. She turned back to Bill.
"Poor guy. He's not here, but hopefully he's found something or someone- you know? I guess we really are all looking for something," she observed.
Also- yeah where DID Erika go? She whispered something, and then ran off. Not a terribly good sign. But Erika seemed like the sort who could handle herself, and it wasn't like she was going slip off the deep e-
No, no, no, no, no no no nonono.
There was no reason for her to want to stop thinking about Erika, but somehow, somehow, she felt like she couldn't take chances. But it wasn't like she didn't trust Erika, she didn't do anything wrong- as far as she knew- she probably wasn't- she ran off after what she said, awfully suspicious- that wasn't inherently...!
Meilin shook her head. She could pass it off as saying she didn't see Drew either. Forrest hit her arm against the wall again. Wait, why did she do that? It didn't seem to be an accident- ah well. She turned back to Bill.
"Poor guy. He's not here, but hopefully he's found something or someone- you know? I guess we really are all looking for something," she observed.
"No sun to rise would be okay with me... Everyday, every day is okay"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
Bill swallowed hard as his eyes adjusted to the lower light level inside the stable. He took a deep breath before answering Dane's question.
"It...it was Gervais. He would have shot me too, if a bunch of other guys didn't jump him right after... I'm not sure what happened next, because Drew just...just ran off, and I went after him.
His heart sank as the realization hit in that he may have lost track of the guy for good. The extra bag in his hand felt twenty points heavier as he stood for a second, staring forward as the group in front of him began to move.
He couldn't stay here. These guys all had each other, but Drew...he had nobody. His name wasn't on the announcements, so that meant he was still alive. It would be completely irresponsible if Bill just gave up on him now. They didn't have to team up or anything, but still...they guy should at least get his bag back. He coughed, nodding at the others before speaking quickly.
"Thanks guys, but I should probably get going now. He's probably not very far, and I should try and see if I can catch up."
He most likely was very far, to be honest, but what else was Bill going to say? He turned to leave, looking over his shoulder with a few parting words at the group behind him.
"Good luck, all of you."
((Bill Dover continued elsewhere))
"It...it was Gervais. He would have shot me too, if a bunch of other guys didn't jump him right after... I'm not sure what happened next, because Drew just...just ran off, and I went after him.
His heart sank as the realization hit in that he may have lost track of the guy for good. The extra bag in his hand felt twenty points heavier as he stood for a second, staring forward as the group in front of him began to move.
He couldn't stay here. These guys all had each other, but Drew...he had nobody. His name wasn't on the announcements, so that meant he was still alive. It would be completely irresponsible if Bill just gave up on him now. They didn't have to team up or anything, but still...they guy should at least get his bag back. He coughed, nodding at the others before speaking quickly.
"Thanks guys, but I should probably get going now. He's probably not very far, and I should try and see if I can catch up."
He most likely was very far, to be honest, but what else was Bill going to say? He turned to leave, looking over his shoulder with a few parting words at the group behind him.
"Good luck, all of you."
((Bill Dover continued elsewhere))
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
Gervais, huh?
Maybe if Dane had a bit more time, he'd be able to put a face to that name, and know how to look out for, but as it was right now, he had nothing.
His name wasn't on the announcements, but if Bill's word was reliable, then it just meant Gervais was unsuccessful in getting a kill.
Before Dane could say anything else, though, Bill chose that moment to leave. Off to look for Drew. Alright then.
And then it was just the four of them again, back to... whatever it was they were doing before this.
...Reeling from the announcements, wasn't it?
"So... that's yet another name we have to be wary of," Dane said.
Maybe if Dane had a bit more time, he'd be able to put a face to that name, and know how to look out for, but as it was right now, he had nothing.
His name wasn't on the announcements, but if Bill's word was reliable, then it just meant Gervais was unsuccessful in getting a kill.
Before Dane could say anything else, though, Bill chose that moment to leave. Off to look for Drew. Alright then.
And then it was just the four of them again, back to... whatever it was they were doing before this.
...Reeling from the announcements, wasn't it?
"So... that's yet another name we have to be wary of," Dane said.
“Yeah. Guess so.”
Katie muttered her response as she stalked back to the stall she’d been using for a bedroom, not wanting to give Dane any more attention than necessary. So, that was one issue out of the way. Crisis averted, yadda yadda. Bill, to everyone’s surprise but dumbass Dane, wasn’t a threat in the slightest, and just wanted to find his lost friend. Great. Now onto the next pressing issue.
Forrest’s bag had fallen into the woods surrounding the lookout point. They were conspicuously nowhere near the woods any longer.
What the fuck were they doing here, in the stables? Sure, she got it, they’d gotten lost and they needed to find some place to rest for the night. But how had they gotten lost this far afield from their goal? Did Forrest somehow think she’d launched her bag to the other side of the island? She’d managed to somehow smack her arm against the stall door from a seated position, so maybe she was just that unnaturally clumsy. Did Meilin have absolutely no sense of direction at all? Was Dane… ugh, no, she’d already exhausted everything negative she could say about Dane, and she could feel her temperature rising as she thought about him.
They were just wasting time. She didn’t want to hate the other three, or two of them at least, but this aimless walking around in circles was making it hard not to. She just wanted to find Forrest’s bag and get the hell out of there to look for Saffron. Now it seemed as though it’d be another full day before she could search for her.
Katie grabbed her bag, rummaging briefly through the hay to make sure she hadn’t dropped anything, then slung it onto her shoulder and walked back out to the main corridor of the stable.
“All right, everyone’s awake, yeah? Let’s get a move on, we’ve got a bag to find.”
She pushed open the stable doors again, gesturing for Forrest or Meilin to lead the way again. She’d give ‘em one more chance, she supposed. But if they didn’t find the bag soon, she was gone without a second thought.
You couldn’t find a bag, then Katie certainly couldn’t trust you to help find a girl.
((Katie Agustien continued in ieatnothing))
Katie muttered her response as she stalked back to the stall she’d been using for a bedroom, not wanting to give Dane any more attention than necessary. So, that was one issue out of the way. Crisis averted, yadda yadda. Bill, to everyone’s surprise but dumbass Dane, wasn’t a threat in the slightest, and just wanted to find his lost friend. Great. Now onto the next pressing issue.
Forrest’s bag had fallen into the woods surrounding the lookout point. They were conspicuously nowhere near the woods any longer.
What the fuck were they doing here, in the stables? Sure, she got it, they’d gotten lost and they needed to find some place to rest for the night. But how had they gotten lost this far afield from their goal? Did Forrest somehow think she’d launched her bag to the other side of the island? She’d managed to somehow smack her arm against the stall door from a seated position, so maybe she was just that unnaturally clumsy. Did Meilin have absolutely no sense of direction at all? Was Dane… ugh, no, she’d already exhausted everything negative she could say about Dane, and she could feel her temperature rising as she thought about him.
They were just wasting time. She didn’t want to hate the other three, or two of them at least, but this aimless walking around in circles was making it hard not to. She just wanted to find Forrest’s bag and get the hell out of there to look for Saffron. Now it seemed as though it’d be another full day before she could search for her.
Katie grabbed her bag, rummaging briefly through the hay to make sure she hadn’t dropped anything, then slung it onto her shoulder and walked back out to the main corridor of the stable.
“All right, everyone’s awake, yeah? Let’s get a move on, we’ve got a bag to find.”
She pushed open the stable doors again, gesturing for Forrest or Meilin to lead the way again. She’d give ‘em one more chance, she supposed. But if they didn’t find the bag soon, she was gone without a second thought.
You couldn’t find a bag, then Katie certainly couldn’t trust you to help find a girl.
((Katie Agustien continued in ieatnothing))
"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