Horror Business

[peregrineink*]

(sorry if this is a little short, but I don't have much time and we are edging a ever closer to inactivity!)


Frodo, or whatever his name was, was damn quiet. It was getting a little suspicious to Brian. What had he said? "They gave you a gun." Was that supposed to be some sort of expression of disappointment that Boromir couldn't go around and kill everyone himself.

And then Vivian of all people had to pop out of the bushes she must have been the sneezer, though upon closer inspection it DID look at though there might have been someone else there. He never could tell with the density of this sort of foliage.

He smiled at Viv with a smile that remembered some pretty good times before she had gotten all weird, but not wasn't really the time for that. Frodo might actually be packing something.

"Why don't you come over here and give me a hug?"

It's not like Rebecca was going to be jealous of anything, they knew the score. Plus, he really needed to get Vivian close, and possibly this other mystery person, if indeed they existed. Protection was the greatest excuse for murder when you were explaining it to girls later.

[Courtography]

The sneezer revealed. Vivian. Rebecca didn't have a problem with Vivian personally. She just didn't want all these people around right now, what with Brian being how he was.

That guy hadn't reponded to Brian, was he deaf or just being freakin stupid? But then Brian asked if he could have a hug from Vivian. Oh really Brian. Seriously? She was already here, she didn't hang around with Brian when he was moving in on someone else, and especially now, right when she was trying to manipulate him. Not manipulation, just getting him on my side.

She gave a slight glare to Vivian, and her grip on the bow tightened.

[Frozen Smoke]

He watched as the boy played about subtly with his gun, it just looked like he was shuffling it in his grip, adjusting it, but he knew what he was doing, he was trying to scare him. Trying to be all "Oh look, I've got a gun". It was like those people he knew - Well, knew of - that had knives, and brandished them at every opportunity, to reassure themselves that they could take all comers, when in fact they would probably go down in one real punch.

And then he called over another girl to his side. Was he pulling these out of a fucking hat or some shit? He knew he was a chick magnet, everyone in score knew it, but Jesus, it was a potentially life and death situation if someone didn't use their brains and figure out that yes, they were going to be rescued, it was just a matter of time, and he had found the time in the hour or so they'd been awake, to not only hook up with someone, but also to cheat on said person. Seriously, what the absolute hell?

He took a little step forwards, nothing big, just turning his body so his good hand was facing Brian, knife held loosely between tense fingers.

He wanted, oh so desperately to just walk up to him, slowly and calmly until he had his back to a wall and give him a good bloody talking to, just to make sure he knew exactly who was in charge, exactly who could thump who, and exactly who was the bitch who'd never done a real hard days work, and who was the Ice Hockey player.

But, with that shotgun... Things were a little different. If he didn't get in just close enough, didn't get it just right, or if Brian was just plain psycho, then he was Canadian jam in two seconds flat.

His jaw muscles tensed as he stood there in silence, deciding what to do as the sun beat down on him.

Then, he took spoke.

"So. Are you waiting for the rescue teams?"

[shining knight*]

Continued from the the Ballard of the Coward


Lena Lazarus wandered through the shrubbery forest fearful of what she would find there. She was on her way to that abandoned town in the hopes that the boy she was crushing on was there. She got lost and now stumbles blindly just trying to find someone to help her.

It was just her terrible luck that she had been granted a shitty Kevlar vest. “I wonder if this was all rigged…give the athlete some minor protection then make her run like hell” was all she could think well aside from “hope Eoin was okay…gods….I wish I had the bottle to ask him…”

She continued onwards until she heard some muffled voices close to her. She recognised some of them as people she had passed in the school but one of them sounded familiar. It sounded like Eoin she began to move much faster in order to get closer to Eoin. It was a stroke of luck to find him so soon…possibly the first piece of luck since this thing began for her.

“Eoin!!!” she screamed as she began to run towards him.

[peregrineink*]

"Rescue teams?" Brian didn't bother to hide the disbelief in his voice. He slowly edged his way forward, making sure the Viv and Rebecca were behind him. This wasn't going to be pretty, but he might as well get this over with.

"Do you honestly think that there are going to be rescue teams? We woke up in this place, out of no where, and were given weapons." He gestured to the gun in the crook of his arm.

"We're wearing collars. They are most likely tracking us, or something. People don't just kidnap a bunch of high schoolers, arm them and put them out in the middle of a forest to rescue them, Buddy."

He glanced at the girls, and really hoped that his future plans didn't involve them freaking out at what he was about to do...

“Eoin!!!” Someone screamed, and Brian decided not to react. At least not at the voice that had just presented itself.

Clearly this voice was not on Brian's side.

He didn't want to arm Faramir with more allies that could potentially attempt to kill him. If it was one thing that Brian Larke really wanted to do right off the bat, it was at least survive long enough to get some good murder in, or possible win this game and collect the clear monetary prize that awaited at the end.

Brian cocked his fedora down and made a snap decision.

"Sorry about this, buddy."

He swung the shotgun forward, taking hasty aim and squeezing the trigger. The first shot was enough for him, with the recoil sending him back enough to bump into Rebecca. Whoa, these guns packed a punch. He looked over at her, doing his best to smile while rubbing the growing bruise the recoil had made in his side.

"I think it's best that we get out of here, sugar. Viv?"

[CondorTalon]

Vivian was definitely not expecting Brian to ask her for a hug. Also, he needed to get his priorities straight.

This is a life and death situation, Brian, not summer camp.

She dipped down under the bushes to put all her stuff back in her bag. Rising up again, she slowly made her around Eoin, behind Brian. She didn't want a hug right now, but she also didn't want to be on the wrong side of that gun.

She wondered what Samantha was doing right now. Hopefully she come out of hiding. Vivian believed in strength in numbers, and hopefully Brian would behave with more girls aroung (he really was that type of guy).

And yet she wasn't surprised at the shattered expectations that accompanied the ringing in her ears as the shotgun went off. The blast itself did cause her to jump though, as she looked at Brian with what could only be called a "what the fuck" look.

"What the fuuuuuck?!"

A logical follow-up.

[Jadedflames*]

She ran. That was all there was to do. She had seen what buck shot could do to a deer, she could not bear to see what it could do to a person.

Plan abandoned, barely enough presence of mind to take her bag. She hugged the epipen to her chest, as if somehow it would make the monsters go away.

Brian.

Brian had shot. He had meant to shoot. He had no regrets. She had seen it in the way he had held himself. She thought that his ease had meant she could scare him down with her feeble threat, showing a lack of seriousness, but it had been something completely different.

She gasped as the leaves rushed around her, tripping and falling to the ground, god knows how far away. She pulled her bag to her, playing with the straps, calming herself down.

What did I just see?

She had just seen a murder. And attempted one, anyway. Brian had shot Eoin. Why had Brian shot Eoin? Why? Why did Eoin need to die?

Die? What if he isn't dead?

He'll be badly hurt. Buckshot kills, but birdshot might have left him alive. Injured. Bleeding. Crying. Broken.

She pulled out her canteen and swallowed a mouthful of water. Breathe in.... Breathe out....

I should go check on him.

Yes. Yes. Check on him. But not until Brian is gone. Not until the gun is gone.

Not until...

Until...

What?

[Courtography]

Brian was shooting. Rebecca cringed. Wait, isn't this what you wanted? Yeah it had been. But that didn't make it less horrible, just...she wasn't sure. She wanted to survive and that meant everyone else had to die, but maybe she still didn't like it. Well yeah, dumbass, who would like being in a fight to the death?

Brian suggested they get out of there, plus Vivian. Bitch. Rebecca took off away from the scene. She could hear someone else screaming the name of the guy with the knife. Brian had suggested it, he would follow at least.

(Rebecca Clark continued in It's not like it's real or anything, right?)

[Frozen Smoke]

He started to talk again, ranting about something to do with them not going to be rescued. Ranting. Really loudly. Also, sarcasm.

Then he started to raise the rather large, rather scary gun towards him. Shit.

There seemed like there was a moment where everything hung in the air, every thing just... stopped.

Silence.

Everyone was moving now, they were running away, walking away. Just getting the hell out of dodge.

What had happened?

He started to speak. Nothing came out.

Silence.

He started to feel like his head was... Light. He felt... Dizzy.

Roomspin. Crazy, crazy roomspin.

And then he was falling.

And then his head hit the ground.

Silence.

( Continued in Ballad of The Coward )

[shining knight*]

Note: Permission given for this…

Lena pushed aside anyone in her way and bent down near to Eoin. “Eoin…wake up…please I didn’t come all this way to watch you die!” she took off her yellow tracksuit and wrapped it round Eoin. She then struggled to lift him and began to slowly drag him deeper into the shrubbery forest. Away from the asshole with the shotgun.

She made a mental note as to who shot Eoin and swore an oath that if Eoin perished then she would hunt this Brian to the ends of the earth. She may be slightly weak and have no weapon to speak of but she had a rage now. A rage, which rivalled Johnny Alpha when he witnessed his friend Wulf, is gunned down by Bubba and his bad boys.

“Please be okay…” she said eyes soaking with salty tears “Please be okay…” she continued to drag him further away until they were both gone.

Continued in Ballard of the Coward

[CondorTalon]

Vivian just stared. At what was once Eoin. At what was now...

Is he dead...?

Vivian barely registered anything going on, her eyes fixated at the gruesome scene. Even while the others were scattering, running or walking away from the scene. Even as another girl came in and begin to drag Eoin away. She couldn't stop...

Why...

She couldn't believe. Brian... he just...

What the hell was he thinking?

...without provocation. Intentionally... he did that...

Vivian backed away. She had to go with them. She needed answers; she needed closure.

She spotted Rebecca walking away. She increased her pace to catch up with her. Hopefully, Brian would follow.

((Vivian Cathwell continued in Inexplicable.))

[Jadedflames*]

Samantha had waited until she was sure that no one could have been around. Finally gathering all her strength, she stood, hunched over, and crept back to the place of the shooting. She came to the clearing, where it had all happened. There was an eerie silence in the field, surrounded on all sides by brush. Eoin was not there anymore. Maybe he had not been hit as badly as she had thought. Maybe he was fine.

But then she saw it. A thick line of red sand, lying in a groove that could only have been made by someone dragging away his still form. The line was far to wide to be a minor injury, and she winced at the thought of the pain he must be in. She walked slowly around the circle, making sure there was nothing she had missed. Finally, finding nothing, she steeled herself for what must come next. She began going over treatments in her head, accompanied by images of the dog that had been used for target practice, the deer that had been shot out of season, barely holding on, the cat with only three legs, all victims of boys with guns.

Boys with guns. Like Brian. How could he have done that? How could anyone do that? A life is sacred, any life, but human lives especially. Yet he had gunned down a classmate in cold blood, completely unfeeling. She had been prepared to defend Eoin, but that was a completely different circumstance.

But was it? Was it really? She had been willing to risk Brian's life on a half-baked plan to save Eoin. If Brian had not shot, she might have actually done it. She would have been the one disregarding life, and Brian would be the one being dragged away. Could she take that? Would she have been able to cooly walk away, talking with friends, leaving a body in the desert?

Yes. If it was to save someone, yes. If she had had the chance, she would have been able to defend Eoin. Her conscience would be clear. But she had not been fast enough, she had been too willing to run away, and now Eoin was injured, dying.

Eoin must be saved. Everyone must be saved. Those who try to prevent that must be dealt with. She could find some allies, help those who, like Eoin, should never have been injured. And she would work to save the class from this bloodsport.

She started to follow the trail of blood.

((Samantha Atterman continued in The Ballad of the Coward))

[peregrineink*]

Chaos. The best. He knew it was time to go so he ran, as best he could. However it was hard keeping everyone together, there were so many of them and they all had their own things

So he decided, last minute, to follow Vivian. He knew she would ask the least of him, that she would get along with him the best and that in the end, he wouldn't have to worry about her falling in love with him or anything like that. He smiled to himself, thinking about the recoil of the gun, of the crumpling.

It was so fucking powerful.


(Brian Larke continued elsewhere.)