Matt stood silently, not thinking anything different from what Garrett had thought. Not wanting to say anything Garrett hadn't already said. That was a lie.
Matt knew he was just as culpable as Jaquilyn for the deaths of their peers. They all were. His survival was ultimately contingent on the death of everyone else. His survival each day was contingent on someone else doing what he was too smart, or scared, to do.
Matt said nothing, for there was nothing for him to say.
Internecine
Private. Tagging Matt, Bella, and Jaq!
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BROseidon†
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umop-ap!sdn†
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It seemed everybody's favorite topic had recently become Jaquilyn's murders. Now, it made sense that other people may be curious, and of course they would be cautious, but did it always have to be the first thing people brought up?
"Yeah I killed Grace. I helped kill Carmina, too. Adonis was all Joachim, but only because he told me to stand down."
Her eyes didn't leave Bianca.
"I was scared. I still am. I was afraid I was going to die... and I still am."
Not for today's kill though. Karma left this body in plain view, as if it wanted her to realize what she'd sowed and reaped.
She started laughing, "And I was fucking stupid to think I could change things. I mean look, clearly the game doesn't need me to keep it going." She laughed again, "I actually tried to stop the killing yesterday, and then like ten more kids died!"
She swallowed the last of the bar.
"My plans were stupid, and I got fucking reckless." Understatements of the century. "I just want to get off this island... What are your guys' plans?"
"Yeah I killed Grace. I helped kill Carmina, too. Adonis was all Joachim, but only because he told me to stand down."
Her eyes didn't leave Bianca.
"I was scared. I still am. I was afraid I was going to die... and I still am."
Not for today's kill though. Karma left this body in plain view, as if it wanted her to realize what she'd sowed and reaped.
She started laughing, "And I was fucking stupid to think I could change things. I mean look, clearly the game doesn't need me to keep it going." She laughed again, "I actually tried to stop the killing yesterday, and then like ten more kids died!"
She swallowed the last of the bar.
"My plans were stupid, and I got fucking reckless." Understatements of the century. "I just want to get off this island... What are your guys' plans?"
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Emprexx Plush
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The fog had become a pressure in the air. He felt it pressing all around him, enclosing him in its tight embrace as he listened to Jaquilyn speak.
"Your plans?"
His muscles ached. He felt restrained by the air around him. Still, he held the mask. The outer calm remained as he stared back into her eyes.
"I see. Our plans are similar. We want to get off the island. Specifically, we want to increase the length of time people have to find us. The main threat to that, it appears, is people who won't stop killing."
The knife shifted in his hand.
"Are you one of those people, Jaquilyn? What exactly were these plans that went so awry?"
"Your plans?"
His muscles ached. He felt restrained by the air around him. Still, he held the mask. The outer calm remained as he stared back into her eyes.
"I see. Our plans are similar. We want to get off the island. Specifically, we want to increase the length of time people have to find us. The main threat to that, it appears, is people who won't stop killing."
The knife shifted in his hand.
"Are you one of those people, Jaquilyn? What exactly were these plans that went so awry?"
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BROseidon†
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Jaquilyn had honestly thought that she personally needed to kill each day.
What a stupid bitch.
Matt had made that bet on the first day, that others would kill. And he'd been right. Of course he had; there were others out there who were weaker or stupider than him who would kill for him. At least for a while.
But Jaquilyn had also proven that she could kill. That made her dangerous to them, and someone that needed to die.
What a stupid bitch.
Matt had made that bet on the first day, that others would kill. And he'd been right. Of course he had; there were others out there who were weaker or stupider than him who would kill for him. At least for a while.
But Jaquilyn had also proven that she could kill. That made her dangerous to them, and someone that needed to die.
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umop-ap!sdn†
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"Won't stop?" She felt her eyebrow raise.
"I'm not sick. I'm not, like, addicted to killing people."
Her arms crossed in front of her uncomfortably. This group wasn't hostile, but the questioning wasn't getting any less aggressive. She looked back over her shoulder towards the door, wondering if it was too late to run. This group didn't trust her, and apparently she didn't trust them either. She looked back towards the blonde corpse in the room and took a few steps towards her. This wasn't her first time seeing Bianca's blood. It had shown up on the occasional scraped knee. It shined like spilled nail polish at a sleepover.
Everybody liked Bianca. Bianca was the prom queen and all american girl. She wasn't supposed to die in a shit covered building on a island of terror in a cruel, godforsaken world. She could have been anything... and now she was a pile of flesh, a couple of bones, and a pool of blood.
"I'm alive, afraid and angry, but I'm not addicted."
She touched Bianca's curls, petting her dead friend. It would have been nice to have been around an old friend at a time like this.
"I tried to stay safe. I tried to keep everybody in the black. I tried to stop the game."
She pulled her hand back and stood back up, facing the group.
"I couldn't."
"I'm not sick. I'm not, like, addicted to killing people."
Her arms crossed in front of her uncomfortably. This group wasn't hostile, but the questioning wasn't getting any less aggressive. She looked back over her shoulder towards the door, wondering if it was too late to run. This group didn't trust her, and apparently she didn't trust them either. She looked back towards the blonde corpse in the room and took a few steps towards her. This wasn't her first time seeing Bianca's blood. It had shown up on the occasional scraped knee. It shined like spilled nail polish at a sleepover.
Everybody liked Bianca. Bianca was the prom queen and all american girl. She wasn't supposed to die in a shit covered building on a island of terror in a cruel, godforsaken world. She could have been anything... and now she was a pile of flesh, a couple of bones, and a pool of blood.
"I'm alive, afraid and angry, but I'm not addicted."
She touched Bianca's curls, petting her dead friend. It would have been nice to have been around an old friend at a time like this.
"I tried to stay safe. I tried to keep everybody in the black. I tried to stop the game."
She pulled her hand back and stood back up, facing the group.
"I couldn't."
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Emprexx Plush
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((GMing Approved.))
"I can."
As soon as he spoke the words, the pressure around him exploded.
On a subconscious level, he was aware that he was moving. Running. Consciously, it didn't feel that way though. He was gliding. Effortlessly flying forward, weightless except for the knife in his hand, which grew dense and leaden as he was carried away.
There was a crash, an entangling of bodies, a series of screams. Jaquilyn's, Bella's, Matt's, his...he couldn't tell. The words in his ears had become a chant, drowning out all other noise as the immense weight in his hands fell downward again and again.
I can, I can, I can...
With each blow came another name.
Katarina, Theo, Makatala...
Another face.
Hansel, Amaranta, Joachim...
Another mistake he'd let walk away.
Tyler, Travis, Iselle...
And as the stinging liquid pouring from his eyes dripped down to mix with the warm fluid that covered his hand with every wet smack of steel penetrating flesh, he stared down into the eyes of one last face, watching the light of life dimmed away inside them, and thought one last name.
Jaquilyn Locke.
"I can..."
"I can."
As soon as he spoke the words, the pressure around him exploded.
On a subconscious level, he was aware that he was moving. Running. Consciously, it didn't feel that way though. He was gliding. Effortlessly flying forward, weightless except for the knife in his hand, which grew dense and leaden as he was carried away.
There was a crash, an entangling of bodies, a series of screams. Jaquilyn's, Bella's, Matt's, his...he couldn't tell. The words in his ears had become a chant, drowning out all other noise as the immense weight in his hands fell downward again and again.
I can, I can, I can...
With each blow came another name.
Katarina, Theo, Makatala...
Another face.
Hansel, Amaranta, Joachim...
Another mistake he'd let walk away.
Tyler, Travis, Iselle...
And as the stinging liquid pouring from his eyes dripped down to mix with the warm fluid that covered his hand with every wet smack of steel penetrating flesh, he stared down into the eyes of one last face, watching the light of life dimmed away inside them, and thought one last name.
Jaquilyn Locke.
"I can..."
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BROseidon†
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"Holy shit."
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umop-ap!sdn†
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"I can."
Jaquilyn looked up, wanting to hear this genius's plan. She was instead tackled to the ground. She yelped as they hit the floor. Then again as a sharp, flat object penetrated her side. Jaquilyn flinched as the blade was quickly removed, and then plunged back in. She screamed, feeling the warm blood on her leg, and starting to feel cold. Another stab came. Then another. Then another. Each thrust inspired a softer, weaker cry. Her struggling slowed as blood drained out of her.
She wasn't going home. She wasn't going to embrace her family, they weren't all going to cry tears of disbelief and joy when she was back and alive. She wasn't going to go to college, she wasn't going to hear back from that agency. The only thing Jaquilyn Locke was going to be before she died was the scapegoat pincushion of an over compensating coward with a superiority complex. Her body went limp as the stabs continued. Adrenaline kept her focused on the pain, there was no blocking this out.
You fucking asshole! She was way to weak to speak, but she could at least curse him in her mind. Nobody else had to die today. Her eyes closed and she started to shake. Breathing had never been so hard, she'd never felt so dizzy. It'd all be over soon, this nightmare of a life was ending.
Jaquilyn huffed. Jaquilyn puffed.
Jaquilyn died.
G017, JAQUILYN LOCKE: DECEASED
Jaquilyn looked up, wanting to hear this genius's plan. She was instead tackled to the ground. She yelped as they hit the floor. Then again as a sharp, flat object penetrated her side. Jaquilyn flinched as the blade was quickly removed, and then plunged back in. She screamed, feeling the warm blood on her leg, and starting to feel cold. Another stab came. Then another. Then another. Each thrust inspired a softer, weaker cry. Her struggling slowed as blood drained out of her.
She wasn't going home. She wasn't going to embrace her family, they weren't all going to cry tears of disbelief and joy when she was back and alive. She wasn't going to go to college, she wasn't going to hear back from that agency. The only thing Jaquilyn Locke was going to be before she died was the scapegoat pincushion of an over compensating coward with a superiority complex. Her body went limp as the stabs continued. Adrenaline kept her focused on the pain, there was no blocking this out.
You fucking asshole! She was way to weak to speak, but she could at least curse him in her mind. Nobody else had to die today. Her eyes closed and she started to shake. Breathing had never been so hard, she'd never felt so dizzy. It'd all be over soon, this nightmare of a life was ending.
Jaquilyn huffed. Jaquilyn puffed.
Jaquilyn died.
G017, JAQUILYN LOCKE: DECEASED
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Garrett and Jaquilyn spoke for what seemed like forever, each second seemingly stretching into hours as Bella stood to the side, teeth digging into her teeth and heart thumping loudly with a mixture of anticipation and dread. As much as she knew this was the right path to take, it did nothing to stop the trepidation that coursed through her system and her sharp intakes of breath. Any minute now, and she'd find out just how sure she was in her resolve. Any minute now, and they'd be down another threat, down another killer, down another monster.
She almost smiled at the thought, turning her attention away from the conversation at hand to glance around her surroundings once more, sure that whatever happened would be for the best.
And then it happened.
Chaos seized the room before she had an adequate chance to react; Garrett was on Jaquilyn, and the blade was embedded within her chest, a dark pool of red quickly blossoming around the wound. It was like her battered sneakers were rooted to the floor, her eyes glued on the scene as it unfurled before her, forcing her to watch every thrust of the blade, every droplet of blood as it splattered onto the walls and floor around her.
The world felt as though it were some broken videotape, unevenly speeding up and slowing down at sporadic points. Her hearing and vision felt muffled, as though someone had wrapped a blanket around her head and was pulling it tight. She was vaguely away that she was screaming, her throat burning as her shrieks pierced the air. She wasn't sure why; what Garrett had done was right, wasn't it? Had she merely been shocked by him, the boy she loved, actually going through with the act? Was it some overreaction to seeing the light in Jaquilyn's eyes flicker out? She couldn't be certain, but whatever it was was making her scream until her lungs ran dry.
And then it over, silence returning to the area as quickly as it'd fled. Bella felt her legs give way beneath her, sneakers finally relenting their iron-like grip upon the floor, and found herself on her hands and knees, dry-retching as she struggled to return air to her burning lungs. It was over. They were one more monster down, one less killer away from some semblance of safety, and yet this was her reaction? There was something wrong with her, she knew it. There had to be, if her reaction to such a triumph was anything but positive.
She just hadn't expected so much blood.
She almost smiled at the thought, turning her attention away from the conversation at hand to glance around her surroundings once more, sure that whatever happened would be for the best.
And then it happened.
Chaos seized the room before she had an adequate chance to react; Garrett was on Jaquilyn, and the blade was embedded within her chest, a dark pool of red quickly blossoming around the wound. It was like her battered sneakers were rooted to the floor, her eyes glued on the scene as it unfurled before her, forcing her to watch every thrust of the blade, every droplet of blood as it splattered onto the walls and floor around her.
The world felt as though it were some broken videotape, unevenly speeding up and slowing down at sporadic points. Her hearing and vision felt muffled, as though someone had wrapped a blanket around her head and was pulling it tight. She was vaguely away that she was screaming, her throat burning as her shrieks pierced the air. She wasn't sure why; what Garrett had done was right, wasn't it? Had she merely been shocked by him, the boy she loved, actually going through with the act? Was it some overreaction to seeing the light in Jaquilyn's eyes flicker out? She couldn't be certain, but whatever it was was making her scream until her lungs ran dry.
And then it over, silence returning to the area as quickly as it'd fled. Bella felt her legs give way beneath her, sneakers finally relenting their iron-like grip upon the floor, and found herself on her hands and knees, dry-retching as she struggled to return air to her burning lungs. It was over. They were one more monster down, one less killer away from some semblance of safety, and yet this was her reaction? There was something wrong with her, she knew it. There had to be, if her reaction to such a triumph was anything but positive.
She just hadn't expected so much blood.
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Emprexx Plush
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((Sorry for the abrupt exit, but danger-zone.))
He knelt on top of her in silence.
When he spoke, his voice cracked and faltered.
"S-shut up and multiply."
Weakness ebbed through him. The shock was fading out as his rational mind returned. He kept staring down into the eyes of the corpse in front of him.
"Shut up and multiply."
More confidence this time. He was able to stand. To wipe the blood from the knife on a clean patch of Jaquilyn's shirt. To face his companions.
"Eliezer Yudkowsky. Rationalist philosopher. It's one of his more famous claims. 'Shut up and multiply.' It's meant to say that every time you face a serious ethical dilemma, you don't moralize. You don't search your feelings. You shut up and multiply, you run the math, and whatever option creates the most good, that's what you do."
Dead eyes stared up at him. He ignored them.
"She didn't feel any guilt about killing Carmina, or Adonis, or Grace. She was just upset that her plan, whatever it was, didn't work. We all heard it. With that attitude, killing again was a statistical certainty. Killing multiple times was probable."
The knife dangled in his hand, before being pulled up into a more solid grip.
"I multiplied. Then I subtracted. That's what we do now. That's how we keep the most people around."
Bella was still on the floor. Matt was staring at him in disbelief. He simply shrugged. "I did what needed to be done. It's not pleasant, it's not easy, and that's good. That means we're still better than them. Hold on to that."
He gestured towards Bianca's bag. "Gather her things, and gather yours if you're still coming with me. I don't think the others are coming after us. It's been too long."
Wordlessly he climbed back up the stairs and arranged his notes into his bag, except for Jaquilyn's. He had something in mind for her's. After making a few alterations, he carried them back downstairs past Bella and Matt and laid them over her face.
Jaquilyn Locke.
Accomplice in the murder of Carmina Maliski.
Accomplice in the murder of Adonis Alba.
Murderer of Grace Faraday.
Unrepentant Killer.
Survivalist.
Object lesson.
Learn from her mistakes.
~Garrett Wilde
((Garrett Wilde Continued Prayer For Someone Who Is Somewhere Dying))
He knelt on top of her in silence.
When he spoke, his voice cracked and faltered.
"S-shut up and multiply."
Weakness ebbed through him. The shock was fading out as his rational mind returned. He kept staring down into the eyes of the corpse in front of him.
"Shut up and multiply."
More confidence this time. He was able to stand. To wipe the blood from the knife on a clean patch of Jaquilyn's shirt. To face his companions.
"Eliezer Yudkowsky. Rationalist philosopher. It's one of his more famous claims. 'Shut up and multiply.' It's meant to say that every time you face a serious ethical dilemma, you don't moralize. You don't search your feelings. You shut up and multiply, you run the math, and whatever option creates the most good, that's what you do."
Dead eyes stared up at him. He ignored them.
"She didn't feel any guilt about killing Carmina, or Adonis, or Grace. She was just upset that her plan, whatever it was, didn't work. We all heard it. With that attitude, killing again was a statistical certainty. Killing multiple times was probable."
The knife dangled in his hand, before being pulled up into a more solid grip.
"I multiplied. Then I subtracted. That's what we do now. That's how we keep the most people around."
Bella was still on the floor. Matt was staring at him in disbelief. He simply shrugged. "I did what needed to be done. It's not pleasant, it's not easy, and that's good. That means we're still better than them. Hold on to that."
He gestured towards Bianca's bag. "Gather her things, and gather yours if you're still coming with me. I don't think the others are coming after us. It's been too long."
Wordlessly he climbed back up the stairs and arranged his notes into his bag, except for Jaquilyn's. He had something in mind for her's. After making a few alterations, he carried them back downstairs past Bella and Matt and laid them over her face.
Jaquilyn Locke.
Accomplice in the murder of Carmina Maliski.
Accomplice in the murder of Adonis Alba.
Murderer of Grace Faraday.
Unrepentant Killer.
Survivalist.
Object lesson.
Learn from her mistakes.
~Garrett Wilde
((Garrett Wilde Continued Prayer For Someone Who Is Somewhere Dying))
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BROseidon†
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- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:08 pm
Matt hadn't expected it to be so visceral.
Jaquilyn's screams had resonated through the air. The high-pitched waves resonated all around him. Matt was witnessing a murder for the very first time.
Garrett justified it with the fact that she was going to kill again. That, at the end of the day, she only cared about her own survival. He tried to say that they were still better than the killers, because it had been hard. It hadn't looked hard. And using someone else's interests to convince them to be the hand that killed for you wasn't good.
Matt didn't sleep well that night.
((Matt Vartoogian continued elsewhere))
Jaquilyn's screams had resonated through the air. The high-pitched waves resonated all around him. Matt was witnessing a murder for the very first time.
Garrett justified it with the fact that she was going to kill again. That, at the end of the day, she only cared about her own survival. He tried to say that they were still better than the killers, because it had been hard. It hadn't looked hard. And using someone else's interests to convince them to be the hand that killed for you wasn't good.
Matt didn't sleep well that night.
((Matt Vartoogian continued elsewhere))
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Bella remained on the floor for a few minutes more, still trying to steady her breath and collect her thoughts. It didn't take her long as she'd expected to regain her composure, but it was still too long for her liking. She hoped it'd get easier as time went on, but what if it didn't? What if every kill elicited the same reaction from her? Garrett and Matt might excuse her the first time it happened, but what about the second, or the third, or the fourth? If she kept freaking out and screaming every time they took down a monster, how likely was it that they'd stay with her? She wasn't contributing to the group, wasn't pulling her weight. Garrett might've felt obliged to stay with her, but she wasn't about to continue being naïve and pretend that would last forever. If she didn't prove her usefulness, then Garrett and Matt would leave her, and she wouldn't have anybody.
She knew that Garrett was determined, that he wasn't flaky like she was. One he set his mind to something, he'd go through with it. So they were stuck on this path, stuck with killing monsters and trying to survive. It was a good path, the right path, she knew that. She just had to hope that next time she wouldn't do what she'd done this time. Next time she'd be calm and collected, would show just how much she deserved to be at Garrett's side. She didn't care what it took; she needed her Garrett, and she didn't know if he needed her. So she'd prove herself, make him need her. She didn't know how she'd go about it, but there had to be a way, didn't there?
As she set off from the aviary, adjusting her bags as she followed in Garrett and Matt's footsteps, she didn't pay attention to the bodies lying haphazardly upon the ground, or the copious amounts of blood splatter, or even to the note Garrett had left behind. She thought only of one thing, thought only of what she could do to show that she was more than some anxious clingy damsel-in-distress.
By the time they'd reached their next destination, she knew what it was.
((Mirabella Strong continued in Prayer for the Someone Who Is Somewhere Dying))
She knew that Garrett was determined, that he wasn't flaky like she was. One he set his mind to something, he'd go through with it. So they were stuck on this path, stuck with killing monsters and trying to survive. It was a good path, the right path, she knew that. She just had to hope that next time she wouldn't do what she'd done this time. Next time she'd be calm and collected, would show just how much she deserved to be at Garrett's side. She didn't care what it took; she needed her Garrett, and she didn't know if he needed her. So she'd prove herself, make him need her. She didn't know how she'd go about it, but there had to be a way, didn't there?
As she set off from the aviary, adjusting her bags as she followed in Garrett and Matt's footsteps, she didn't pay attention to the bodies lying haphazardly upon the ground, or the copious amounts of blood splatter, or even to the note Garrett had left behind. She thought only of one thing, thought only of what she could do to show that she was more than some anxious clingy damsel-in-distress.
By the time they'd reached their next destination, she knew what it was.
((Mirabella Strong continued in Prayer for the Someone Who Is Somewhere Dying))