Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

[SansaSaver]

((Marcus Redder continued from Balls Deep))

The orchard was littered with bodies.

That was the first thing Marcus noticed as he made his way towards the wooded glade, his sneakers leaving soft imprints on the snow beneath his feet as he did so. He wasn’t accustomed to seeing corpses, had only seen them on television and the like, and even then only for the briefest of time. It wasn’t something he liked thinking about, didn’t want to acknowledge or linger upon for more than the briefest of seconds. For a moment he considered turning back, but he knew that no matter what area he travelled to, it would surely be dotted with just as many kids, both classmates and strangers alike - and none of them had quite as much draw to him as the orchard did.

His mentor had tasked him with finding the remainder of his team, and although he’d set off with the full intention of locating them, it struck him only minutes into his quest what a difficult task that would be. He didn’t know who was on his team, or how many of them were still alive, and while he was eager to please the man who’d come to him when he needed someone the most, he just wanted a little time to think and recuperate before dedicating himself to the task once more.

He shivered as he took another tentative step into the orchard, hugging his new outfit tightly against his skin. He’d shed his bloodstained clothing, having replaced it with what he could find within Eden, Jaxon, and Angie’s belongings. A pair of snug navy blue sweatpants with a prominent brand-name imprinted upon them had taken the place of his tattered jeans, and his t-shirt had been replaced by an oversized lime green hoodie emblazoned with the Pepsi logo. Even through them, the moderate cold of the afternoon still nipped at his skin; as though his entire body was coated in a layer of ice. He wanted nothing more than the comforting warmth of home; bundled up in blankets with a hot water bottle clutched tightly to his chest, wrapped in colourful knitted cover. His mother was world-class when it came to knitting, and when she’d gifted him a pair of bottle covers as a Christmas present one year he’d kept them with him as often as he could. He’d even taken them on school camps and the like, just for the slice of home they provided him.

He wished he had something like that here.

But instead he had his mentor, whose words continued to run through warmly him long after he’d left the Daycare Centre behind.

He paused beneath the winding branches of a fruit tree dusted with ice, placing his belongings beneath it with as much care as he could manage before shifting towards a particularly thick layer of snow. It’d clustered along the edges of a moss-laden branch, and the majority of it fell into his hand as he gently shook it away, before compacting it between his fist and gingerly placing it at his feet. His fingers prickled with cold, but he ignored it as he balled together another scoop of snow and added it to the mound before him. It was something he’d done time and time again in his youth, having played in the snow for countless hours with his siblings every wintertime. They were amongst some of his fondest memories, the stories of which he was now cheerfully reciting to his mentor as he compacted more snow between his hands.

“My favourite was when I was about... nine, I think? The twins were still super young, so papa and mama wouldn’t let them play with us, but Elena and Isolde and I felt so sorry for them that we decided to make them a treat to make up with it. We grabbed a tin of treacle from the pantry, a small tray, and a couple spoons each, and then we filled the tray with snow before drizzling the treacle onto it in all sorts of shapes. It froze super quickly, and it made the nicest sweets. Florian and Fiona were so happy when we gave them to them - I don’t think I’ll ever forget the smiles on their faces.”

His fingers traced along the edge of his collar, the brightness in his voice diminishing as he continued.

“Did you ever do stuff like that with your siblings? I know you can’t say anything to me right now, so you can just tell me later. You’ll come back as soon as you can, right? Please don’t leave me like the others. Please.”

[Carrion Queen]

((Norma Jean continued from United))

It was a place that probably would have been very pretty given the right time, but now wasn't the right time obviously.

Norma sat beneath an empty, barren tree with dark branches jutting into the sky in harsh shapes. Near her some rotting apple cores probably eaten by the animals lay undisturbed.

Well, her team was alive for the most part, but no longer together. She wandered off to take a break from the bunch but they were gone when she got back. She was starting to think there was something wrong with her. Everyone had left her and she didn't know why. She was a nice person right? Well….most of the time she was. She was cute, wasn't she? Didn't she have a stellar backhand spring?

It was hard to judge what people counted as good company here. Her thoughts were interrupted by some kid wandering through. She could tell right away that whatever people wanted in a companion on this show, this was not it.

"Um are you like… talking to anyone? Or just crazy?" she shouted over, gripping her spear.

[SansaSaver]

Marcus began to hum tunelessly as he compacted yet another layer of snow to the gradually increasing mound before him. It wouldn’t be all that long before he’d completed the second and third rounded layers, and then it would just be a matter of gathering some twigs to make the arms, as well as finding something to act as its eyes and nose and buttons. Back home, what they used tended to vary from snowman to snowman; sometimes they used coal, others chunks of gravel. They’d never been the prettiest or the biggest, at least compared to what the other kids in the neighbourhood were able to build, but that had never mattered to him. Just being able to work together on something with his siblings - or his friends, for that matter - was what he truly enjoyed about the activity.

He clasped his hands to his collar and began to speak, adding a quiet whisper to what he’d already said to his mentor. “I never did get your name, by the way! I’m Marc-”

But before he could finish, a voice cut through the air, causing him to whirl around on the spot to face the newcomer standing before him; the look of apprehension that marred his features quickly giving way to a warm smile. It was good to see a familiar face, albeit one he wasn’t particularly close to. He and Norma-Jean had cooking class together, and he’d seen her cheerleading at sporting events and the like, but their relationship wasn’t much deeper than that.

She hadn’t bolted at the sight of him, at least, which meant things were looking up.

Maybe she’d even want to stay with him, although he wouldn’t blame her if she chose not to - his name was permanently tarnished, now, and he always had his mentor to keep him company. If she did want to stay, however, then he’d embrace that wholeheartedly. Any friend who wanted to be with him was a welcome one, in his eyes.

“Hey Norma!” He exclaimed happily, shifting forwards slightly as she spoke. “I was just talking to my mentor is all, he’s really nice. What’ve you been up to?” He turned to check back on his piece, as if to ensure that it hadn’t collapsed while his back was turned, before returning his gaze to meet Norma’s as he continued. “I’m making a snowman. D’you wanna help?”

[Carrion Queen]

She picked herself up and brushed her dress down and straightened it. With her bag and her spear she ventured cautiously over. There was a feeling of deja vu. Norma tilted her head to the side and spun a lock of hair around her finger with one hand and held her weapon with the other.

"Oh right, mentor," she said, looking down at her own collar. She hadn't heard so much as a peep from hers. Norma chewed on her bottom lip. She looked around for a moment to see if there was anyone else around. Maybe this was an incredibly weird trap set up to confuse people with a snowman or something.

When she returned her gaze to Marcus he was still building a snow man. "Um, not much. My friends left me and some people who are NOT my friends yelled at me so I walked off. Don't you think...this is maybe not the best activity for right now? Like.....people are killing each other and stuff."

She circled around the snow man. It seemed ordinary. Norma popped her head out beside the snow head.

"You know, you're out in the open and....this is a snow man," she said putting a hand on its head. Norma pulled a face as her eyes moved over the bodies strewn about. Something was off about this guy.

[SansaSaver]

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Marcus said softly as Norma relayed her story of what she’d been through so far. He truly meant it, a surge of sympathy and sadness having risen within his chest as she spoke. He’d never taken well to being yelled at, having to fight back tears whenever anybody chastised him - it wasn’t a common occurrence for him, so he’d never built up an adequate resistance against it as many of his peers had. And to think that her friends had left her too was almost unbearable - he didn’t want anybody else to feel the abandonment and anguish that he had, and if Norma had endured something similar, then how many of their fellow competitors had similar stories to tell?

He figured she might’ve been talking about Sissy, with whom he shared History class and had caught a glimpse at during their initial briefing. She’d always seemed more than a little outspoken, but he never thought she’d do something like abandon Norma, who’d always struck him as a kindhearted and sweet girl from what he’d heard. She hadn’t been listed on either of the announcements, so he hoped she and Norma could reunite in the future. It would’ve been sweet to see, and something he’d likely never get the chance to have personally with his own friends.

Marcus’s eyes flitted about the orchard, taking in the corpses strewn around the pair as Norma gestured towards them. His eyes widened at the sight, as though fully noticing them for the first time, before quickly closing his eyes and planting his lower lip firmly between his teeth in an effort to expel the images from his mind.

“I was lonely. Am lonely,” he said quietly, his expression turning downcast as he dug his toe into the snow. “All my friends have left me too, and now I’ve just got my mentor. I wanna go home, I wanna be with my family again so badly. And we used to play in the snow all the time, y’see? So it’s almost like they’re right here with me.”

He brushed away the tears that had begun to trickle down his cheeks as he spoke, and glanced around the area once more, in search of some broken branches or tinder he could use to complete what he’d made.

“I need to get some twigs to make the arms,” he chirped delicately. “Could you help me?”

[Carrion Queen]

"Well…I hate to say it but…no duh you wanna go home. I don't think anyone wants to stay here. Probably not even under normal circumstances, these places usually rent out their grounds to Survival of the Fittest for a tourism bump from looky-loos when the show is over. I read all about it on a behind the scenes blog."

Personally, she didn't like the snow much. It was a nice excuse for winter fashions, but she could do without the cold and the wet so she couldn't relate on that front. He asked her to help him finish the thing and for no reason that she could really explain, she obeyed. Maybe it was to avoid addressing the fact that he was crying.

Norma went off and looked briefly around the orchard. She found two twigs that would make adequate arms and third. The third was a curled branch, the shape of a half circle. Norma stared at it, thinking and then picked it up.

"Sorry about your friends" she said quietly as she stuck one twig arm into the torso of the snow man. "I'm not sure if reliving old memories is the best way to deal with stuff though," she said as she stuck in the second arm.

"And I'm also sorry to tell you…" She took the curved branch and fit it around the snow man's pudgy neck. Now he really did look like them, with a matching collar. "….that I don't think the mentor counts as company."

[SansaSaver]

Marcus stifled another sob as Norma replied, pointedly saying that he wasn’t alone in wanting to go home. It was a truth he’d almost willed himself not to acknowledge, because doing so forced him to confront how it was also true of Eden, of Jaxon, and of Angie. Three people, all of whom had wanted to go home just as much as he did and he’d robbed them of that opportunity. He didn’t want to focus on, wanted to leave those actions behind, but deep down he knew he never could. Even if he never lowered himself to that point again, even if he spent the remainder of his days repenting, none of it would erase the fact that he had murdered three innocents. He swallowed as the notion forced itself to the forefront of his mind, holding back sick as it danced dangerously close coming up.

Yet even through that, even though he knew there was no way he could make up for what he’d done, he still had his mentor and his voice like treacle and pure warmth that sounded so much like home. If it weren’t for him, there’d be no more reason for him to keep going, truthfully. He was all he had.

Although, he still had Norma, for as long as she wished to stay with him. He hoped it would be for awhile; he cherished his mentor beyond words, but having somebody in his physical company - someone who didn’t seem likely to run away or hurt him - was a form of comfort in its own right. She’d helped him finish his - their - snowman, adorning it with a circlet around his neck in addition to his arms, and he couldn’t help but be impressed by her decorative skills. For the briefest of  seconds, he recalled the cakes she’d made during cooking class and the way she’d decorated them; with multicoloured icing and floral ornaments. He missed cooking too, though he missed the boy he’d done it with even more so. He wondered what Graham would think of him if he saw he’d done, and threw the thought from his mind as quickly as it’d arrived.

The answer to that was obvious, and not one he wanted to dwell on.

He’d listened thoughtfully to his words so far, but it was Norma’s last statement that forced Marcus to give pause. Their mentors didn’t count as company? He’d always tried to understand everybody’s viewpoint in the past, but that notion brought him naught but confusion and befuddlement. His mentor had been the only true source of comfort he’d been able to scrounge in this place, and Norma was questioning its legitimacy? His mouth contorted as he struggled to find words to reply to her claim, eventually and after much deliberation, settling on;

“But he... he’s so nice to me, even after what’s happened. He hasn’t left me, doesn’t judge me. He’s my friend. You understand that don’t you?”

Marcus cast his gaze to Norma, doe-eyed and lip quivering. He reached up with his uninjured hand to dab away at his face, leaving a trail of mucus glistening on his palm, before his eyes flickered towards their now-complete snowman, a light smile quirking at the corners of his lips.

“He looks nice. What should we call him?”

[Carrion Queen]

"Just 'cause someone is nice doesn't mean they've got your best interest at heart, even I know that," she said emphatically.

Then the announcements started up. She hadn't paid proper attention to the last ones, but this one contained two very interesting pieces of information. One, this crying puddle of a kid who she could probably snap in half had killed two people. You got that? 10 seconds enough to process that, Norma? Too bad, because the next piece of information didn't leave a lot of time for pondering.

The cogs in her mind were just starting to turn regarding Marcus' murderer status when they announced that the nature walk was going to be a danger zone. The nature walk which she had crossed to get into the orchard. The nature walk which, in fact, completely encircled the orchard.

"Oh Christmas," she swore. "We'll be trapped in here!"

Quick decision time. She looked at Marcus for a moment deciding if she should flee with him or alone. He was a killer, but there was safety in numbers. Do the numbers count if one is a killer?

Tick tock.

She couldn't process all of the various options and outcomes of both choices in the time given. Norma decided to act on impulse, what she did best.

"Let's book it, bean pole or we're stuck!"

Norma grabbed his hand and started running out of the orchard.


((Norma Jean Torkelson continued elsewhere))

[SansaSaver]

Marcus bit his lip and tried to regulate his breathing as Norma gave her reply, the truth behind her words unmistakeable. All the same, his mentor had given him so much comfort, and despite the potential illegitimacy of his words, he’d take whatever he could get in a place so devoid of hope such as this one.

Before their conversation could progress beyond that, the announcements suddenly cut through the air and Marcus’s heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach.

As the announcer’s voice emanated from the loudspeakers that pocketed the Orchard and wafted around them, Marcus could feel his stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot and bile rise sickeningly within his throat. His eyes stung with tears, and it was all he could do to prevent himself from crying out as his name was listed off, with Jaxon and Angie’s names and their causes of death alongside it. Even after the handful of seconds dedicated to his crimes, the surging of emotions within him did not cease as his friends were listed off - both as killers and as the killed. Vahka had struck once more, taking down Vincent, and Jewel had extinguished yet even more flames. One name stood above all of them, however; Bunny Barlowe. Bunny, who had been so sweet and kind towards him, had always treated him with respect and friendliness, a girl who he’d scarcely known but felt so at ease around - she was gone, with only half a second’s worth of tribute and her death treated like some sort of joke.

It was almost impossible to breathe, as though all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air at once and an icy hand was digging its fingernails into his lungs as the announcer’s words imprinted themselves onto his mind. He could barely comprehend it, couldn’t acknowledge how many more people had been lost. It was as though everybody else he knew - or thought he knew - was succumbing to the show as well, letting themselves be overwhelmed by fear and anger, just as he had. That singular thought alone was enough to make his stomach do somersaults, to want to curl into himself and lay upon the undergrowth and refuse to acknowledge what was happening anymore.

And for a moment Marcus stood stock-still and doe-eyed, lost in the maze of his own thoughts before being sharply brought back to reality by a tug upon his arm.

His eyes widened even further as he noticed Norma was still with him; surprised not only at the fact that she was still with him, but that she seemingly wanted to stay with him, even after his status had been announced.

And it was with a mixture of undulating surprise and relief added to the plethora of emotions swirling within him that Marcus fastened his grip on Norma’s hand and hurriedly grabbed his belongings from where he’d left them, following directly in her footsteps as they raced from the orchard and into the world beyond.

((Marcus Redder continued in Psycho Beach Party))