I Better Light Another Candle

Along the northern edge of the living site, a small strip of stores run side by side. The strip includes a convenience and grocery store, a pub, and a small gym. Each of these is still partially stocked with necessary products and equipment, and because of the effort that went into their construction, they all look fairly presentable. There is a parking lot off to the side, directly adjacent to the convenience store.
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Arscapi†
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#16

Post by Arscapi† »

Logan masked his features and resisted the urge to glance towards the bathroom. He'd balanced the water container on the top of a door in a hurry and he was afraid that it'd fall prematurely. He really had to come up with some pranks that didn't involve the bathroom.

Logan focused on what Joseph was saying. "Wait, what? We're going to the bar? I thought that was plan B and we were going to stay here."

He walked over to wear the tent lay in a heap. "'Cuz if we're moving now. There's no point in setting up these defenses again. Unless, we're thinking it'll throw people off." He paused looking at the group expectantly. "What are we thinking?"
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BetaKnight
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#17

Post by BetaKnight »

Rebecca had lagged as they filed into the store, hoping that no one would notice the little hop she was taking with each step. Her knee felt fat and hot, a sure sign that she had aggravated the old injury. Once she sat and stayed somewhere for any length of time, her knee would get stiff. Moving quickly would be a problem after that. She worried her lip, trying not to picture how a lack of speed could cause serious problems for her.

At home, it wouldn't be a big deal. Some ice, some heat, an Ace wrap and Aspercreme, rest, and she would be good as new in no time. However, she was currently facing a shortage of all those things. Of all the stupid ways to have hurt herself, walking backwards might actually top the list. She was a dancer and Leona's assistant. She moved backwards all the freaking time.

Leaning over a bit, Rebecca surreptitiously rubbed at the outer edge of her knee through her pants. Maybe with some rest, if she really babied it as much as she could, things would be fine. The nice thing was that everyone else here seemed to be on a resting trend as well. She wouldn't inconvenience anyone by voting for rest.

At Logan's question, Rebecca tentatively raised her hand. "I realize I'm the new person, but I thought the plan was to stay here if we could get inside and it was safe to stay. I thought the bar was a 'Plan B' location, in case we couldn't get in? We're in, and I'm guessing Logan thinks it's safe since he didn't come running out and he let us come in. So we're staying here, right?"

She looked hopefully at the trio.
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MK Kilmarnock
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#18

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

Jessica had made motions to putting all of her stuff down, right back in her old hideout behind the convenience store counter. There were still little single-serve sized bags of chips and crackers that she had somehow missed when packing food for a journey she thought she'd never return from... but she was glad she did. Finally, this place was theirs again. With the traps un-triggered and the back door pretty much impossible to gain access to from the outside, she could rest assured there wasn't some jackass in a dark corner of the store ready to kill her. Besides, by the time she even thought about that possibility, the theoretical assailant would have had plenty of time to kill her.

Once she had found her happy place, Jessica leaned on the counter with arms folded, looking at the others. "That actually was the plan, Rebecca," Jessica said. "At least, as far as I got it. I don't wanna fuckin' leave this place again for a while." She thought for a moment, humming. "Thoooooough... maybe there'd be something useful over there? No, no, come to think of it, fuck that. We have everything we need here."
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#19

Post by ChainmailleAddict† »

"Oh, I thought that... ah, well, uh, that works out nicely then. Just to clarify, I'd wanted to stay here. Just a... uh, a miscommunication. " Joseph said, exasperated. Well, that was that. A simple miscommunication on part of himself and nothing more. What he mistook for merely searching the bar was setting up camp there. Joseph set down his duffel bag next to him.

"My bad. Now, then... now, while we may not use the bar as permanent residence, I think it would be beneficial to search it. More thoroughly this time, though..... perhaps not today." He said. "I.... don't quite feel like it would be the best use of our time."
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#20

Post by Arscapi† »

Logan was having a hard time settling down. Having moved twice in as many days after a few days of being trapped inside, he found he had extra energy to burn off. He had to admit that Joseph's idea of checking out the other buildings on this street wasn't bad. It'd give him something to do. The only problem being that the store's defenses did him no good if he were trapped outside. While he decided what he should do, he busied himself with resetting the defenses they did have. He climbed up a shelf to rehang the tent.

When the defenses were reestablished he sighed. "I'm bored," he announced. "Anyone know any games we can play? We have to do something to pass the time. If we had something to write with we could draw a game board on the floor."
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#21

Post by BetaKnight »

From her spot on the floor, Rebecca rolled her eyes at Logan's initial statement. A bored Logan was a dangerous Logan, if only because of the unusual ways he found to entertain himself. "Oh, of course I thought to bring along a game," she said sweetly as she levered herself into a sitting position. "Let me reach into my bag o' tricks and..."

Her voice trailed off as she realized exactly the goldmine she was sitting on. Well, figuratively sitting on. Leaning forward to grab her bag, Rebecca gave Logan what she hoped was a mysterious expression. "Provde you with your heart's desire," she finished as she pulled out her 'weapon' with a flourish.

A triumphant grin nearly split her face. "Ta-dah," she sang softly as she used her free hand to indicate at the unopened package of mini Sharpies. With a lazy flick her wrist, she tossed the package in Logan's general direction. Of all the strange and random times for her practice as a magician's assistant to pay off, this one probably ranked right at the top of the list.

"Although Logan, if you draw stuff on us while we're sleeping, I swear to God, I will kill you," she warned.
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MK Kilmarnock
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#22

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

"Woah woah woah, wait..." Jessica waved her hands in front of her face. "So we're giving Logan markers now? And telling him not to draw on us. Yes. Fantastic." She switched her gaze to the boy in question at the moment.

"Just to make that clear, we will ACTUALLY kill you. I mean, we're kind of in a situation where we can get away with murder right now," Jessica said. Despite her best attempts to be angry, she couldn't help but grow a smirk at the corner of her mouth. Through all of the trouble of them being on an island where people were dying all the time and they were being informed of it, they were managing to keep spirits up. Jessica admitted to herself that most of this was probably because she hadn't seen anybody die first hand. She hadn't actually seen any bodies yet.

So far, the names were just names. A disturbing way to think about it, but if it's going to hit her, now is definitely not the time.

"So, what exactly are we playing?"
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#23

Post by ChainmailleAddict† »

Had Rebecca seriously give Logan a pack of markers? He didn't understand it. That could only cause trouble. It was about as dumb of an idea as giving a little kid ten pounds of sugar and a super soaker. From now on, he would have to watch his back. He looked at Jessica with... admittedly less concern than he would have a few days ago. Perhaps this sort of humor was her way of blowing off steam? Unsettling to say the least, but as long as she had no intent of following through on things, then it was... well, he wouldn't quite say that it was okay, but he didn't think anything he could say at this point would do anything but anger her.

Games... they said something about games... games would be... a nice change of things, actually. Joseph could use bits of his textbook for the pieces, and maybe he could pretend things were normal for once. They'd have to keep things simple, though. Not many pieces, something lighthearted... " I have no idea," said Joseph.

The gaming had lasted around two hours. Nobody was arguing, and there was even small talk. Progress, if there ever was any. While Joseph had tired halfway through, he was just too enamoured by the idea of the situation going along so nicely to stop. Besides, it looked like everyone else was enjoying things. Tic-Tac-Toe, Checkers... he'd torn pages from the back section of the textbook because they had the least colour. Once the session had ended, things went back to the way they were before. Joseph almost felt sad about it. It wasn't much longer before the four of them had fallen into a sleep.
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#24

Post by Arscapi† »

Logan was on cloud nine. He had markers now, thanks to Rebecca. He lay on his back staring at the ceiling as the others slept. Maybe he could pretend he was Michelangelo and mark up the ceiling. Although getting up there might be a problem. Logan decided he'd save that problem for a later date, like after he'd filled the walls up. Still unable to sleep he began to think of other games he could create. Everyone had seemed to have a good time that afternoon. Battleship, he thought sitting up. He'd just need pieces to mark the ships. Looking around he saw that everyone was still asleep and decided to plan a little expedition to the grocery store for supplies.

Wedging the door open he headed over to the grocery store. As we walked back he thought about Rebecca's warning not to draw on them while they slept. The thought honestly hadn't crossed his mind until she'd said something. Now he wanted too, maybe to Joseph. The boy seriously needed to lighten up. Stressing himself around friends wasn't good for his health. He'd pulled a couple items down that he thought he could use when he found saran wrap. Smiling, a plan formed in his head. He looked for a few more items and then returned to the convenience store, stopping long enough to make some preparations in the gym.

Slipping inside, Logan realized that he probably shouldn''t have left the door open with everyone inside sleeping. They'd have had no way to protect themselves. Fortunately, no one had noticed his slip. Unloading his items, he grabbed the markers and headed towards Joseph. The boy's drab wardrobe definitely needed some colorful additions. Using a variety of colors Logan drew a series of curved lines, first on Joseph''s arm. When the boy didn''t awaken Logan grew bolder and added a final set of curves and twists under the boy''s eyes and across the bridge of his nose.

Finished, Logan made sure to hide the markers so that Rebecca couldn''t confiscate them. Settling back he waited for the fireworks to begin.
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BetaKnight
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#25

Post by BetaKnight »

Rebecca murmured and rolled over in her sleep. Her injured knee pulled, making her grimace as the discomfort roused her. Through the haze of sleep, she heard someone moving around. Lifting her head and squinting into the dark, she realized it was Logan settling down. What was Logan doing up? Maybe he had gone to the bathroom, her brain sleepily supplied.

There was something about Logan being awake when she was not that seemed...not smart. But what was it?

She blinked at him several times, trying to form a coherent thought. After a few brief seconds, it came to her. "Logan? Whaddare you doin'?" she asked blearily, still mostly asleep and neglecting to pitch her voice low for the comfort of the people around her.
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MK Kilmarnock
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#26

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

Who had two thumbs and had passed out without taking a moment to really stop and think about the ramifications?

Well, Jessica WOULD point to herself, except she was too busy being unconscious to do so. Given the games, the snack eating, the cheerful banter and forgetting just where she was and why she was there for a brief though precious moment, it was almost like being at some strange sleepover. One that took place in a blacked-out convenience store.

The floor was uncomfortable, cold and unyielding as it always was. Sleeping in a sleeping bag placed on her packed clothes helped alleviate that. As she nodded off, Jessica was allowed a short reprieve from the thoughts had been bugging her while she smiled and suffered through friends.

She was going to die.

She was going to die unless she started killing.
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#27

Post by ChainmailleAddict† »

Joseph woke up to what he presumed was his fifth day on the island. The announcements had woken him. He sat intently to listen, having just woken up. It was slightly difficult to hear, given that it was raining heavily outside. He could recognize several names, however, most notably Theodore's.


So, at least he wouldn't be an issue any longer.


He rubbed his eyes and stood up. Joseph noticed a most peculiar shade of blue or... black, perhaps? Certainly wasn't his own...

It didn't take long to put two and two together. After further surveyance, he could see marker marks all over his shirt, arms, and he even caught a glimpse of something on his nose. Logan, that snide little... he wasn't taking the situation seriously at all! He'd show him. "Oh.... that is it, Logan." he said. He didn't want to hurt the guy, but what he did want was for him to realize just how dire things were. "Logan!" he shouted.


There he was.


Joseph started chasing him around the area. He had to admit that the guy was fast. There weren't that many places to run, but he kept ducking under, each miss serving only to make his attempts more frantic. Then, when he finally had him in a corner, he lunged with all the speed he could muster.


Joseph tripped, sending himself into a wall at nearly full speed and hearing an unsettling *crunch* .That little... he should be more careful next time, he thought to himself laying on the floor.


It was when he tried to stand up that he noticed his first difficulty. For one, he couldn't stand. Too much pain. And for two, there was a more than moderate amount of blood now staining his grey shirt. Too shocked to speak, Joseph wondered instead how this had happened to begin with.


It was then that his eyes careened over to a weight bar, jutting out from the barricade at roughly a 30 degree angle. And it had a new shade of red on the end.


Joseph couldn't speak. He just... stared... back to Logan, Jessica, Rebecca, more in disbelief than anything else.


He thought that he would at least have a few minutes. Maybe it had been. Time to say goodbye, perhaps, or maybe to curse the bastards which had placed him there with over 150 other people to die, but he couldn't quite tell. He rapidly found these trivial worries eliminated as his breathing became harder and harder to maintain and his grasp on what was real lessened.


It was then that Joseph Chaplin resigned himself to laying down, this action appearing no more consequential than would a rest, as a final unconsciousness overtook him.


B68- JOSEPH CHAPLIN- DECEASED
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#28

Post by Arscapi† »

Logan stood in the doorway his mouth hanging open in surprise. He turned to the girls. "What just happened? It was a joke. I swear. What do we do? Tell me what to do. I didn't mean for anything to happen," the longer Logan talked the higher and more frantic his voice became.
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#29

Post by BetaKnight »

Rebecca just sat and blinked. A lot.

She had gone from sleeping to terrorized awareness at the sound of Joseph bellowing. Before she could even figure out what he was yelling about, he was falling into things. And was that blood?

That was blood. A lot of blood.

Logan's voice was climbing into a range that made small dogs cry. She shook her head, trying to process the entire situation. "I.... Wha.... How did...." Rebecca stared at the fallen boy. He wasn't moving. That was bad, wasn't it? He wasn't moving at all.

'Yasmin didn't move either,' a small voice in her brain reminded her. 'She didn't even swing, really. She just hung like a doll from that rope.'

The images that she had tried so hard to push down rushed to the forefront of her thinking. It was really more that she could handle even if she had been more awake. Rebecca burst into tears and curled up on herself. Deep sobs wracked her body as she folded herself into the smallest ball she could make.
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MK Kilmarnock
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#30

Post by MK Kilmarnock »

"Wha..."

The horrific noises had meshed so wonderfully with a nightmare that caused Jessica to shriek and wrench herself awake, followed by the single uttering of confusion and awakening that normally led to a period of relaxation. Now, she was in the little point of time where she finally figured out it was all a bad dream, everybody was okay, and now she could go back to bed.

Jessica Sanders looked on and saw that the nightmare was very real, now. Gone were the horrific faceless monsters and the trees that grabbed at her, clawing flesh from underlying bone, and now they had been replaced with the worst monsters of all. Joseph was on the ground, blood surrounding him. When she first awoke, she could hear his muttering. Now he wasn't muttering, and he wasn't moving either.

"Is he dead.... what? What the fuck!?"

Jessica leaped to her feet, but almost immediately hunkered down again. Partially from the rush in her head, partially from something else. Logan and Rebecca were awake. Rebecca seemed to be in shock, but Logan was getting more and more frantic. An accident? A joke gone too far?

... Did Logan just kill Joseph?

Jessica felt her hand close around the boomerang, still kneeling next to her daypack in her little corner of the store behind the counter.
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