estdeus_innobis | Hunger knows no friend but its feeder.

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Hunger knows no friend but its feeder.

Day 245, Sunday, January 31st
Afternoon
Off to the woods

Caution isn't serving me well, it seems.

Oh it's bad for me it's bad for me
the knowledge that you're going mad for me
I feel certain my friends would be glad for me
but it's bad for me

I've grown hungrier since the incident at the river. I have some long white hairs tied around a bone in my box - no sense in keeping mementos of food, but those who get away... Well, a man needs something when he's kept up at night.

But imaginings are never as good as the real thing, and with the chills from swimming across the river the past few days have been miserable. I've kept warm and ate heavily, even dipping into my stores, and now I need to eat. And she did get my letter.

I felt 'til you whispered to me
completely left on the shelf
but since you started to woo me
I'm just crazy about myself

I've hardly thought about her since the river. A chance to get a beautiful gift and a decent meal, from someone who wouldn't be missed... the thought of her body bloated with drowning outrages me with its waste. Hopefully she hasn't been found yet - it would be tricky if Lannie tells someone where she's gone, though of course with things the way they are I can only say she didn't meet me - she never showed up, and I thought she'd simply changed her mind.

The idea occurred to me to report her missing, but why draw attention to myself? Better to stay quite and be surprised and worried.

And full, of course. She seemed interested in me, and though it's been some weeks I explained how winter creates its own duties. I hope she does come. She had a feral sort of look which was delightful in its way, and she was free and open and trusting. A bit of a fight to put an edge on things and then a week of good eating. And nowhere near the river.

It's so sweet for me it's swell for me
to feel that you're going through hell for me
yet no matter however appealing
I still have a feeling it's bad for me

[Open to Lannie, others]

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I blink in surprise when she says my name, but it slowly dawns on me.

It's him. I remember her going through the evidence, lookin' at it like it might say somethin'. Girl detective. Lannie.

The guy stands up an' tosses the knife on the ground, sayin' he surrenders. Damn right he does. I keep my gun on him an' carefully pick the knife up with a handkerchief, putting it in my jeans' pocket.

"Did you see her teeth?" he asks, all smiles. I don't know what her teeth've got to do with anythin', but maybe she bit 'em. I step back to where I was, tryin' not t' smile too much thinkin' she got him good enough t' make up for it.

"You're going to take me in, right?" Cocky bastard.

"Can either of you walk?" I ask, keepin' my eyes on him. Lannie hasn't got up, so I think she can't. Look on his face says he can't, even if he really can. He won't make it easy.

Why did I come out here alone? No horse, nothin'? 'Course I know the answer t' that. Don't have one.

"I surrender officer, Did you see her teeth?"

I look up at him with a big toothy grin, showing my now normal teeth, and I grab a handful of dirt while I struggle to stand up. I'm almost glad he saw what he did. Maybe it'll just keep him away. I bite back a yip when I try to put pressure on the foot he cut and feel lightheaded as I look at Liam. If I'm going with them, I'm gonna need some help.

"Do you have any rope or handcuffs?" After what just happened, him being so eager to go in is weird. If anything happens, I'm not going to be much help. Would be nice to rip that grin off his face though. See how much he likes losing body parts. Fucked up bastard. Too bad my pack isn't around here, I'd gladly participate in hunting this one. Verdi too.

He keeps his gun on me, picking up the knife and sticking it awkwardly in his pocket. It's a big, heavy blade and it can't be easy to move like that.

"No officer," I answer, still grinning. "Your girl here must have busted up my leg something awful when she was trying to get at my throat." I know I felt her teeth on my neck - but when she smiles up at me they look normal.

"Do you have any rope or handcuffs?" she asks him. "Yeah, officer. You must be carrying something like that around." Might be able to reach the clasp-knife in my coat, if he gets his eyes off me. Just be cooperative, and he'll drop his guard. I have that effect on people.

Yeah, didn't think so.

"We'll take it real slow, then," I tell 'im. 'Wonderin' if there's somethin' else I can do with his blade--'course maybe then we'll all go the same pace.

"Do you have any rope or handcuffs?" Lannie asks an' I nod. I ignore what the guy says. He's actin' funny. No way I can cuff 'im an' hold the gun. I glance at Lannie. 'Can't ask her t' cuff 'im.

"Lannie, you know how t' use a gun?" I ask. If not, we may well be fucked. As it is, it's gonna be a long time 'til we get t' town.

"Yeah, officer. You must be carrying something like that around."

Oh he's just being so helpful now. I hope Liam isn't falling for it. Liam nods at my question. Thank god he has something. Though shoelaces would probably work too.

"Lannie, you know how t' use a gun?"

Dropping the dirt in my hand I nod at Liam, "Yeah, I can shoot," I say grinning quickly at Benedict. Never really shot one, but its just point and squeeze the trigger thing, right? I can do that. Ripping off strips from my shirt, I wince tying them around the places where I'm cut. I hope he tries something so I can just shoot him in the head.

"We'll take it real slow, then," he says cautiously, moving slowly towards Lannie. I smile at him. "Whatever you like officer," I tell him, still smiling. "We're all friends here."

He keeps the gun on me. "Lannie, you know how t' use a gun?" She smiles at me and starts ripping up her shirt. "Yeah, I can shoot," she answers.

Every time I smile I can feel the bones in my nose grate. "Those must hurt," I say sympathetically. "You probably shouldn't move around much - they'll tear, and you've already lost a lot of blood." Wasteful, really.

Friends. I snort real quiet.

I wait 'til Lannie's ready an' hand her the gun, muzzle aimed away from 'er. Then I pull the handcuffs from my back pocket an' move over t' the guy.

"Hands behind your head." I'm hopin' he'll stay agreeable, but I'm not stupid as I look.

"We're all friends here."

Whatever, Asshole. I wonder what he does to people he doesn't like. Not really. Rolling my eyes at his comment about bleeding out, I take the gun from Liam, cocking the hammer back. "Yep. Friends," I say, smiling a toothy smile at Benedict again.

"I'll live." I think I will, but then I've never been this tore up before. Or this dizzy, and it does hurt to move, but I know better than to show him that. I tilt my head, still grinning, "Will you?"

This is the last date I'm going on.

The boy hands his gun over to her and then starts towards me, cuffs held out. "Hands behind your head," he orders as she cocks the hammer on the gun back and smiles at me.

"I'll live," she tells me. "Will you?"

I nod, shifting and trying to get the boy between her and me. "I've had worse," I tell her. Though if I don't get to eat, I'll be worried about my leg. "Oh, right," I say to the boy - the deputy, I see - as he approaches warily.

Hands behind my head? Gladly. Please officer, stick heavy steel onto my arms and then let me keep them in front. I smile at them. "This is all a misunderstanding, of course. See how cooperative I'm being?"

I circle 'round behind 'im an' close one cuff on his wrist.

"This is all a misunderstanding, of course. See how cooperative I'm being?" I frown to myself as I swing his arm down in front an' then bring it up behind his back.

"Whaddya want, a prize?" I ask an' bring his other arm t' cuff it to the right one. I look over at Lannie. He's right--she might bleed out. We're gonna have to go easy.

"This is all a misunderstanding, of course. See how cooperative I'm being?"

Is he serious? I snort a half laugh at what Liam says to him. "He really wasn't trying to KILL ME! I just fell on to his knife, REPEATEDLY, " I shout, making every slash and cut on my skin all but howl with my voice.

It'll just be an accident when I unload this gun into his head too. I just hope there's bullets in it, I forgot to check. I'll have to tell Ri what a good guy Liam is .... Because I'm such a good judge of character... I'm just glad I'm the one with the gun in case Liam's in on it too. "You go ahead and I'll follow," I tell Liam, grinding my teeth with each limp forward I take, "Just duck if he makes any funny moves."

The boy seems t'know what he's doin' after all, as he pulls my arms down one-by-one. "Whaddya want, a prize?" I smile, feeling the drying blood crack on my lips.

"Just drawing attention to my good behaviour deputy," I tell him. She scoffs. "He really wasn't trying to KILL ME! I just fell on to his knife, REPEATEDLY," she shouts, her voice rising higher as she goes. "Take a deep breath," I suggest when she stops. "And I'm pretty banged up too - why not call it even?"

She glares at me. "You go ahead and I'll follow," she tells the boy. "Just duck if he makes any funny moves."

I settle my arms comfortably behind my back, trying to ignore how tight the cuffs are at my wrists. Me in front, then him, then her? I could work with that. The trick will be to get him before the bridge. In sight of the Carnival would be best - there's always some who'd rather bury a few bodies than have trouble come down - but in the tall grass I could lose her.

The cuffs are a problem, though. Fall, step through them, get him, get my knife, ambush her. I grunt as my knee takes my weight, and we start walking.

I look over at Lannie while she's talkin'--well, yellin'. The guy tells her t' take a deep breath an' I'm thinkin' I agree with him--but I sure as Hell ain't tellin' her that. I step back from him an' look hard at Lannie.

"You sure you can do this?" I don't know what else we'd do; I can't carry her an' hold a gun on him at the same time. Wish I had a horse. Maybe we can borrow one. Once we get close t' houses or the carnival or somethin'. I push his back lightly. "Yeah, OK, let's move." When I take a step, the knife in my pocket gets in the way. Maybe the damn thing'll fit in my boot. Can't just leave it. I start t' pull it from my pocket, wonderin' what the fuck to do with it.

"And I'm pretty banged up too - why not call it even?"

I roll my eyes. We'll call it even when I'm the one jumping you in the woods, pal. Though I guess he did get a little surprise when he thought he was luring a regular girl out there to kill. Asshole. He's lucky Liam's here.

"You sure you can do this?"

"Mhm. I'm fine," I say with my best reassuring smile. I hobble along slowly after them. That's the thing about guns, you don't have to be up close. I'm not used to being on this side of one. I just have to make sure I don't shoot myself or Liam or pass out. I didn't think we were this far out...

She dismisses me and reassures the boy as he prods me to get moving.

My damn knee keeps flaring, and I move slowly. If this takes long enough she'll need him to carry her, or we'll need to go to the Carnival, and won't that be fun.

We're close enough that I hear when the boy pulls my knife out of his pocket, the soft ring of steel on cloth music to my ears. Normally I'd jump up close and get my legs through my arms, but with my knee this way I don't think that'd work. Instead I stumble and fall, pushing my arms down and using the fall to hook my bad leg under the cuffs.

I cry out at the pain to allay suspicion, and manage to get both legs under me, and under my coat. I should be able to keep it hidden long enough to stand and then - grab for the knife at my knee collapses under me, sending me crashing into the boy as I wrench at the knife in his hand.

The guy falls an' I stop short, gettin' ready to pull him back up when he moves an' grabs at the knife, knockin' us both to the ground.

I shoulda fuckin' known better. He got me by surprise an' it's his knife, so he's got a better feel for it. My grip ain't good enough an' I lose it. All I can do is try t' roll away from him an' hope I can make it.

I'm an idiot for leavin' myself unarmed. The knife I keep in my boot got lost last week. Lannie's got the gun. I'm an idiot.

Can't die now. No way Lannie'll make it to town on her own--even if he lets 'er live.

Benedict falls and I stop quickly, gnashing my teeth together when I accidentally put weight on my bad foot. Sweat breaks out all over me and I hope that maybe he just passed out.

No such luck.

In a matter of seconds he cries out and lunges at Liam. My palm stings as I grip the gun tight between my hands and point it at the tangle of guys on the ground. "STOP," I shout raising the gun into the air, firing off a round.

My ears are still ringing when I lower the barrel back to the two of them. I can't tell who's got who and who's got what at this point, but if he hurts Liam, whatever's left in this gun is going right into his head.

"Get away from Liam," I growl. Just to show him I'm serious, I aim for Benedicts' leg, sound splitting through my head as I pull the trigger again.

PLEASE LET ME HIT HIM AND NOT LIAM, PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE.

There's a crack and a shout as the boy and I wrestle for the blade. I'm bigger and heavier and meaner, and I get it in my hands and try to roll him over so I stick it in him. Hard. And then her, and then I'll eat them raw right here.

There's another crack as I stab down and someone's bleeding, and there's a thump as someone hits my leg. I stand up, eyes red and take a step towards her. "I'm going to gut you," I say as I fall down. I don't think I'm bleeding, but there's a hole through my calf.

I might actually be in trouble, now. And it's me, bleeding. That's not right.

She's shooting an' I'm just tryin' not t' get hit--swear I heard that last one go right by. At the same time he moves an' I move an' then there's a pain in my side. It's sharp, like...well, like a fuckin' knife. I grit my teeth an' try t' stay low, scooting away from 'im. Can't help thinkin' Lannie an' me are gonna die out here an' there's no way t' stop it. I can just see him gettin' up an' I wish another time that I had a weapon.

"I'm going to gut you," he says an' I tense, wonderin' if I can stop him from gettin' to her. Then falls down an' all I can do is stare.

I think I hit him. I actually hit him! Then he gets up. My hands shake and I raise the gun level to his head.

"I'm going to gut you,"

The thick scent of blood fills my nostrils and my lips pull back from my teeth, as I growl, moving my finger to the trigger. One more step and I'm painting these trees with his brains.

He falls to the ground and I jump back, yipping at the sharp pain in my cut up heel and the sound of the gun going off in my hand. Pausing for a minute, I wait for another sharp pain indicating where the bullet went. Nostrils flaring, I glance at Liam and he just looks stunned. Benedict is still on the ground. I don't know where it went, probably into a tree or something. Taking a deep breath, I sigh and hobble over to Benedict as quickly as I can, praying that he doesn't grab my ankle as I kick the knife out of his hand. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea cause everything spins for a minute and I think I'm gonna pass out or be sick. I try to focus on something other than cold sweat, blood and the throbbing, burning pain shooting through my leg.

I can hear his heart beat and the sound of his breath. "He's still alive," I call over to Liam, squeezing the gun tighter so he can't see my hands shake. I'm half tempted to hit him with the back of the gun just to make sure he's knocked out. "Tighten the cuffs, maybe?" I suggest, trying to smile. I fucking hate this town.

Continued here. (http://community.livejournal.com/estdeus_innobis/372726.html)

Edited 2010-08-09 04:21 (UTC)

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Hunger knows no friend but its feeder.

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