SOTF Archive/SOTF Classic

(OOC: This is a Day 2 thread; it has been posted as the other thread here is both a Day 1 thread and is just pending post-outs)

((Tyler Franklin continued from Obstacles In Our Path))

Tyler Franklin's first day had not gone much better for him after his first encounter with another person. Not knowing how Danya would handle it, he'd opted not to run into anyone if he could help it. By his best guess, he could last at least two days, possibly three, with the food and water that he began with plus that which he acquired. Hell, he was glad he'd packed a bit of beef jerky in his bag as well...that would make things a hair less bland.

But waiting for the announcement was hell all the same. When it came, he was relieved that his name didn't come up. Not that the incident would go unnoticed by others, but at least he didn't have to worry about the whole island knowing who he was and what he'd done. He allowed himself to relax just a little bit.

Still, he was alone and didn't have a gun. So he made it a point to try and stick to areas that were relatively isolated from his classmates. That meant the mountain, some parts of the woods...or the key that he noticed on his map. Deciding that the latter was perhaps the most isolated he could get to hunker down in for a while (the cover was less than ideal, but there was just enough of a low dune to lay low behind without being noticed, as well as a precious bit of scrub), Tyler made his way there.

It took a lot of walking, it took walking through water and mud, but Tyler got there about an hour after the announcement on Day 2. Getting on the key, he noticed the sailboat, but also noticed that it was a wreck quickly enough (not that he got too hopeful upon seeing it...one thing he'd decided from watching the show is that Danya wasn't that dumb). So he just hunkered down, moving some sand around above the high tide line to give him a place where he could watch anyone coming in unobserved, and waited...

Hey, Anderson, we'd really appreciate it if you got staff permission before bending rules like this. If you have it, please toss it in your post. Otherwise, please contact an admin for permission regarding exceeding thread limits. Thanks!

SOTF_Help wrote:Hey, Anderson, we'd really appreciate it if you got staff permission before bending rules like this. If you have it, please toss it in your post. Otherwise, please contact an admin for permission regarding exceeding thread limits. Thanks!

OOC: I forgot to mention specifically, but I did contact Crash about this through PM in chat.

((Evelyn Reed continued from The Right Thing for the Wrong Reasons))

Evelyn staggered forward, trying to maintain her balance. She had been on the move since yesterday's assault on the gazebo, sleeping in short increments before moving again. At least when you were moving, it presented a harder target to hit.

When she started running, she had no clue where she was going. Anywhere other than the gazebo was preferable. Eventually, she found her way to the coastline. Since she could no longer go forward, she picked a direction and started walking. As she followed the coast, she heard the announcement and was glad that she was walking alone. "Sally's gone. I saw that boy Daniel burn up. Staf's gone and killed someone. But Staf is such a sweetie so I'm sure that other kid *really* deserved it," she rationalized as she walked.

"I wonder if Staf has found Nik yet? Oh god, where are the useful people around here? So far all I've found is Janet, and we all know how useful *she* turned out to be."

Normal beach had transitioned into something that looked like the mangrove swamp from Jurassic Park. Evelyn briefly wondered if she'd have to worry about little chicken-sized dinosaurs running out of the shadows to swarm her with little venomous bites. Once she realized how absolutely ridiculous that thought was, she realized that sleep deprivation had set in. Being eaten by little dinosaurs? Grow up, Evelyn. What's next? The boogeyman?

Finding nowhere suitable for a quick power nap, she had pressed on. Now, it seemed she had run out of land completely. Lifting her hand, Evelyn shaded her eyes as she stared out at the glittering sea. There's nothing here. Nothing useful. A wave of despair swamped her, dropping her to her knees in the sand. Oh God. There's nothing here. I really am going to die on this piece of rock, killed by some classless, godless heathen who always hated me because I made myself something more than they were.

Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. She doubled over, her hands resting on the tops of her thighs as she wept bitterly.

((Alex Jackson continued from Mad World ))

Alex stepped out onto the beach and took a deep breath. The air was nice this close to the ocean and the water was soothing. "I should have waited to sleep here," she said gazing out over the water. When she'd left the last dead body, she hadn't had a particular destination in mind, just away. Away was good enough for her planning at the moment. It wasn't like it did much good to plan anyway. The best she could do was just search and keep searching. Where the hell are you Roman?

Glancing back over her shoulder she sighed as Jessica had yet to catch up with her. Course, Jessica was not an athlete and Alex had been upset. Upset over not finding Roman and instead stumbling over to dead bodies. She looked back and noticed the rather wide tracks she'd made in the sand. Oops sorry Jessica she thought. Then assured herself that Jessica would catch up eventually.

Forcing her gaze away from the sand, she scanned the beach and found Evie Reed kneeling in the sand, with her back to her.

"Hey Evelyn," she called waving at the cheerleader.

(Jessica Pentangeli continued from Mad World)

The ocean was beautiful. Jessica couldn't help herself. She just stared.

Jessica had never seen the ocean. Her parents always told her about the time she went to Florida but she was three at the time. The pictures, the videos, the descriptions did not even capture a fraction of just how beautiful the ocean was. The slowly falling sun reflected off the water, a beautiful picture to be sure. A Kodak moment. If Jessica had a camera.

At first, Jessica was worried that Alex herself was getting them lost. The urge to tell Alex this grew every step. Yet they did have a destination. The ocean. What a destination that was. Alex was still up ahead. Jessica stumbled out onto the sand, having difficulty keeping her balance. The sand sunk beneath her feet and she had to go very slowly. She finally made it to where Alex was. She didn't say anything. She just looked back, wondering if Joshua followed them.

Evelyn. Yes, the girl in the distance was Evelyn, one of the cheerleaders. She looked to be crying, at least from where Jessica was standing. It felt inappropriate to be calling out to her, and had she the nerve she would have called Alex out on this. Even so the cheerleaders never bothered with Jessica in school so why should she do the same in return? Jessica didn't expect much less.

As far as Jessica was concerned, the cheerleaders were just mean. They were always making fun of other kids and then act like it's loser's problem for being different. If they died than so be it. Better to have them die than the kids they tortured.

Jessica blinked. She felt her heart. It was pounding.

She shook her head and just kept quiet. She didn't know Evelyn and quite frankly she didn't want to know. Friend of Alex or not, Jessica wasn't about to trust her. Even if she were crying, even if her best friend was dead, even if SHE were dying. Let Alex do the talking. Besides, Jessica had spoken enough for one day.

Tyler saw people coming his way. More people.

Ok, it's not just one. I can't take three people at once even if I get the drop on them. Not without a gun or something.

Looking over the group carefully, Tyler assessed them for a long moment before carefully emerging from his cover.

"Uh, hey, guys..."

Tyler made a bit of a gesture brushing the sand off his pants. He didn't sense that he was in any danger. He still had the tire iron visible, but he'd managed to stick it between his belt and his jeans...not an ideal placement, but not horrible: If someone pulled a gun on him, he was dead anyway, and he was confident he could pull it in time if he got into a fight.

That said, he didn't want to say too much, didn't want to give away too much.

A group? Might not be the worst thing in the world. I'd rather be alone, but...having someone else around in a fight? I could work with that, at least for now.

"How're you doing?"

The way he asked the question, Tyler seemed to be questioning the question as much as asking it. He hadn't had a talk with anyone since he'd gotten on the bus...whenever they did. However long ago that was, it'd been a while.

Hey, nobody caught me by surprise...that counts for a lot...

Evelyn started when she heard someone call out her name. Turning towards the sound, she spotted a brunette sporting a purple streak working her way towards her. 'She obviously thinks she knows me. Should I know her? I think she plays on an unimportant sport like water polo or something.'

She wracked her brain, trying to come up with a name. 'Alice? Nooooooo, it's like a boys' name. Maybe...Andi?' The name thing became a non-issue seconds later as another girl made her less than graceful entrance. Evelyn tried to surreptitiously wipe the tears from her face. It was one thing to let her guard down around her friends. It was another to show weakness in front of regular students. Cheerleaders simply did not cry. It was not allowed.

Just as she was about to return the purple haired girl's wave, a third unknown person crawled out of the sand like some kind of beach hobo. Evelyn could feel her lips curl back in revulsion as sand trickled off him. 'Oh God, another one. Where do all of these nameless drones come from and why can't I find my friends instead?'

His next words did nothing to endear him to her. "Uh hey guys...How are you doing?"

The question was innocent enough but it was more than Evelyn could take.

"Seriously? 'How are we doing?'" She threw back her head and laughed disdainfully. The morning sun quickly dried the tear tracks on her cheeks. And now that she was laughing, no one would be surprised to see any wetness on her face. "How are we doing!"

After a moment, she got the laughter under control. "Well, I don't know about them," she said in a sickly sweet tone, waving an encompassing arm at the other girls, "But I got to walk all night after watching another person burn to death. So I'm just fan-fucking-tastic." The last word came out as a snarl.

Evelyn stood slowly, watching the boy carefully. He looked harmless enough, but then again, so did everyone at the gazebo. And according to the announcements, the Ishi-whatever girl had already racked up several kills. In less than twenty-four hours, the senior class of Bayview had embraced this sick scenario. "But I don't know you, and you sure has HELL don't know me," she ground out. "So let's cut the bullshit and how about you just tell me what you want before you make me do something you'll regret?"

Alex took a step back as a boy suddenly appeared from further down the beach. Where in the world had he come from? She stopped and focused on him for a minute. She was pretty sure he was Tyler Franklin, and he was into all that geeky stuff like her brother. She smiled at the thought, knowing that if she'd voiced that opinion with Roman around, he'd be quick to defend himself.

She couldn't complain, geeks and cheerleaders she could handle. So far there were no dead bodies and no weapons in sight, which was a definite improvement from where she'd been. Alex took this as a sign to continue towards Evelyn and Tyler.

Tyler asked how they were doing and before she could answer Evelyn went off.

"Well, I don't know about them," she said in a sickly sweet tone, waving an encompassing arm at the other girls, "But I got to walk all night after watching another person burn to death. So I'm just fan-fucking-tastic." Evelyn snarled.

"But I don't know you, and you sure as HELL don't know me," she ground out. "So let's cut the bullshit and how about you just tell me what you want before you make me do something you'll regret?"

Alex raised her arms in surrender. "Umm wow, okay. That apparently was the wrong question to ask there Tyler. I'm doing okay, I guess," she answered with a genuine smile. "Apart from stumbling across two dead bodies, a murder, and not being able to find my brother, that is. You guys haven't seen him have you? My brother Roman."

She turned her attention to Evelyn. "I can't speak for everyone else, but I'd say the only thing you can do for me is not attack me and we're golden. I was gonna take a break here by the water and have some breakfast. What'd'ya think Jessica?"

Jessica stared out over the ocean and wondered briefly if she couldn't just hide. Stay away from the crazies, keep her head low and avoid getting involved. Yes. That sounded like a perfect idea. Better than killing. Maybe she could build a raft and float, away from the death and destruction. There would be boats out there waiting for her but she didn't need to go out that far. All she'd have to do is wait until everyone else was dead. Maybe she would get lucky and get past the guards. There might be an uncharted island out there, one that Jessica could call her own. She could just land there and make a home for herself. It would be Jessica's island, no one else's. Everything would be hers for the taking.

Then Jessica hesitated when she realized she would be dreadfully alone. No one else apart from the mad animals that would no doubt kill her. Both sides of her clashed. She didn't want to be involved but she didn't want to be alone. She didn't want to hurt but she certainly did not want to shut herself away by her lonesome.

Maybe it would okay if Alex came along. Oh, but they had to find Roman too. Jessica was not really friendly with Roman but she knew him. And if she found Nick... that would be all she needed. She would be happy. She-

Evelyn started laughing, sending Jessica crashing back into the real world. She was caught off guard by the display of laughter. It seemed very out of place. Why was she laughing? Wasn't she just crying a minute ago? Jessica registered this as blunt sarcasm, a very obvious conclusion to say the least. It still didn't answer her question. Did Jessica miss something? Jessica turned to look at Alex and realized she had walked over to the others, and she felt the need to take a few steps forward. It was clear that Evelyn had not noticed her. She saw Jessica but only in the same vain of someone noticing another person on the same elevator as them. Turn to Alex. Oh, there was another girl. Turn back to Tyler. Jessica didn't expect anything less.

Jessica recognized Tyler from one of his classes. Jessica and Tyler had to work on a project together, so she was vaguely aware of who he was. Geeky, strong, friendly but not overbearing. Not like Nick, who could sound overly happy without shooting a smile. Sort of a contradiction, though one that didn't feel necessary to point out. He was cute, Jessica summarized, but nothing to write home about.

"Hi Tyler," Jessica said with a wave, and left it at that.

Jessica turned back to Evelyn. Deep under all of that superiority, she was just scared. Like Jessica. It was perhaps the only thing the two girls had in common. Evelyn was in shape, beautiful, well liked. Jessica was weak, plain, a silhouette. Even so, behind the confident sarcasm that Evelyn spat there was a ounce of fear. Maybe she wasn't so different. Jessica certainly did not like the girl but should that matter?

Alex said her name. Jessica twisted her head.

"W-What?" Jessica whimpered nervously. She hadn't been paying much attention to what Alex was saying. She quickly nodded. "O-Oh, um, yeah, sure."

Jessica turned away, looking at nothing in particular. She sat heavily on the Evelyn's words. It wasn't good though. Jessica didn't care that much for the girl but she wished someone had spoken to her, told her that she wasn't alone. Then again Jessica had never seen a man burn alive so maybe it was worse for Evelyn.

"E-Excuse me."

Jessica waved, trying to get Evelyn's attention.

"I'm not great at words but..." Jessica looked over at Alex for reassurance. "It's just... hard being able to switch off from how we used to act, y'know? I'm still in shock, everyone's still in shock. So maybe it's just hard for some people to really grasp our situation. A-And... I've never seen someone burn to death but I have seen a murderer smile at me after he had just killed someone. It's..."

Jessica's face grew sour. "It was the sickest thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life. I just wanted to crawl up into a ball and die. S-So I can understand just a little of the pain you're feeling, I think, and I know it might seem like everyone's out to get you. But... I'm- WE'RE not here because we want something from you. Alex and me are here because we're scared, just like Tyler and everyone else. If you - if we're just a pest to you, then we can just leave. The last thing I want to do is burden you. We're not here to take anything from you, and I... hope the feeling's mutual."

It sounded a lot more mopey than Jessica hoped. She almost felt like Eeyore for a second, but it got her point across. Jessica just hoped Evelyn didn't spit out her words and say that she "didn't need her pity." That would make her feel even worse.

Tyler raised his hands in surprise at Evelyn's outburst.

"Well, I don't know about them," she said in a sickly sweet tone, waving an encompassing arm at the other girls, "But I got to walk all night after watching another person burn to death. So I'm just fan-fucking-tastic." Evelyn snarled.

"But I don't know you, and you sure as HELL don't know me," she ground out. "So let's cut the bullshit and how about you just tell me what you want before you make me do something you'll regret?"

"Hey, hold on a minute here! I didn't do anything to you!" Tyler isn't sure whether to be angry or frustrated or...what. "I'm trying to be civil, you know?" Civil? That thing people try to be to one another when they're not killing eachother?

Jessica and Alex are a bit more relaxed, though...not attacking him (well, verbally) right off. "Hey, Jessica, Al...Alex? Yeah...not attacking sounds good. I think we can do that." He smiles (a bit forced, but...what isn't forced these days?) and gestures for them all to sit.

"Not that I'm enjoying this 'game' any more than anyone else. I haven't seen anyone killed, so...I'd rather not think about that for now. 'specially if we're about to, you know, eat.

"So...uh, breakfast, then? For...three? Four?" The question is an indication to Evelyn that the temper flare is...something he'll overlook. He's not going to hold something like that against someone who clearly had a worse first day than he did.

((Permission given by BetaKnight to get Evelyn the hell out of dodge))

"Hey, hold on a minute here! I didn't do anything to you!" Tyler said his voice a mixture of anger and frustration. "I'm trying to be civil, you know?" Civil? That thing people try to be to one another when they're not killing each other?

"Civil, who asked you come into my life. I don't fucking care if you're being civil," Evelyn snapped. She cast angry looks at the rest of the group. "You know what fuck it! I don't have to put up with this shit."

Evelyn shouldered her bag and stormed off the beach as the announcement rang out over the island.

((Evelyn Reed continued in Cleanliness and Lonliness.))

Jessica and Alex are a bit more relaxed, though...not attacking him (well, verbally) right off. "Hey, Jessica, Al...Alex? Yeah...not attacking sounds good. I think we can do that." His smile was a bit forced.

"Not that I'm enjoying this 'game' any more than anyone else. I haven't seen anyone killed, so...I'd rather not think about that for now. 'specially if we're about to, you know, eat.

"So...uh, breakfast, then? For...three? Four?"

Alex rolled her eyes at Evelyn's dramatics and sank into the sand, fully intending to start her breakfast. "I guess that makes it three," Alex said simply.

She began digging through her bag, but froze as the sound of the announcement came on again. Danya continued to congratulate them on how ruthless they were being and Alex tuned him out until he got to the names. She let out her breath in a rush, when once again Roman's name was not among the deceased.

However, her relief quickly turned to dread. "Shit," she said coming to her feet again. "Man, all I wanted was a little time on the beach." She let out a dramatic side. "It looks like we have to get out of here."

Reshouldering her bag, she took off across the sand, back the way they'd come.

((Alex Jackson continued in Fucking Compasses... How Do They Work?))

((OOC: Not waiting around to get blown up...))

IC:

"Shit." That's probably the mildest thing to come out of Tyler Franklin's mouth at the announcement. No, it's not at anyone getting killed or doing killing...it's that he's in one of the dangerzones now. "Shit...uh, let's do a rain check on the breakfast?"

Tyler shoves whatever he's got out back into his bag, muttering about his luck this week and all that jazz. His irritation isn't directed in any one direction, but it's clear that it's there as he grabs his stuff. He shoulders his bag after a moment, and takes off after Alex. "Let's go...somewhere else."

And like that, Tyler Franklin goes bounding off to get a safe distance from the Key. He's not sticking around for a first-hand demonstration of his collar...if his collar goes off, it's safe to say that he doesn't want to be anywhere nearby.

((Tyler Franklin continued in Day of the Dove))

Jessica's long-winded speech fell on dead ears. Jessica grew quiet again. Of course. Why didn't she see that coming? It was as if she expected her opinion to actually matter. The announcements arrived soon enough, bombarding her with a steep list of names. People Jessica barely knew. No names that really mattered. Jessica tuned it all out, same as before.

MUCH more entertaining was our next kill, with Nick-

"D-Don't you think that's a little much Nick?"

Nick looked away from his large section of pie, gaping at Jessica. "Jessie, there's no such thing as too much pie."

"-Reid doing the honours by smashing Tom Guthrie's face into a fine paste using a rock wall..."

Jessica let out a deep breath as her nerves relaxed. He was safe... Nick was being happy someplace else. The announcement arrived at it's end and Jessica's blood went cold. The announcement said something about The Key. It took her a moment to register what she had heard. Alex had told her where they were going. It had a name - the Key. They were at the Key. She was in a dangerzone. Paranoia rocked her feeble little body and she shrunk back even more. She didn't move.

Alex was leaving. Tyler was leaving

Yet Jessica stayed seconds after they started.

They didn't notice that she had not moved. Jessica would have worried about this, but not now.

The ocean. She didn't want to leave it. She wanted to stay here and watch the ocean. The ocean was beautiful.

It was stupid though, a thought popped, to stay with the ocean. The ocean will not be your friend. It doesn't care.

Jessica murmured to herself, her hand clasping over her heart. Brushed her throat. Rubbed the metal around her neck. What should she do? Should she stay?

Yes. No.

Jessica looked back behind her. Alex fell out of sight now. Jessica was alone. The announcement had ended a few minutes ago and the only sound left was the ocean's desperate cries. Every shudder and every moan that hung in the air sent a twinge of pain coursing through Jessica's spine. Her body was stiff. It made want to lay down. No, she told herself. She would have to move on. Death would come soon. Peaceful, quick, sufficient. So Jessica turned and started to walk away.

The waves beckoned to her one last time, pleading for her. Jessica stopped. She looked back at the ocean one last time before she moved on.

(Jessica Pentangeli continued in Fucking Compasses... How Do They Work?)