For the Night is Dark and Full of Terrors

Some men just want to watch the world burn.

[sickest-fires]

demolitionsandexplosions replied to your post: He’s been stalking them for days now, but they...

;;

hey I dunno man maybe he didn't do it :V

[sickest-fires]

He's been stalking them for days now, but they never give him a fucking chance.

Finding that trio of idiots once he'd finally woken up hadn't been all that hard, though keeping away from any of the other clones or mercenaries had been harder. But no matter how he waits, no matter what he plans, the three of them stick so close together he doesn't have the chance to make any sort of move.

Over and over he curses himself. How could he have let his moronic other self get the drop on him so easily? Why did he have to land in such a way that he broke all the rest of his molotovs, lost all his bullets save the one still in the chamber of his gun? And that one, he's saving. Randy told him to, and he knows why.

But he could have still saved it. It would have been easy. Even if he can't kill all three of them now, all it would take would be one, wouldn't it? He's seen how much his counterpart cares about those other two, and they care about him. Killing just one would be a devastating blow, and if his counterpart is the one he can get to, all the better.

But they never give him a fucking chance.

They're obviously alert, now. They never stray more than a few yards from each other, and even if one is out of sight of the other two, he knows they're still close enough that a single shout would bring the others running. He watches them, filled with disgust, as they sleep, huddled together for warmth and comfort, one of them always with their eyes open.

How dare he. How fucking dare he. He has this, not just one but two people willing to care for him, protect him, even after all he'd done to hurt them. And what does the clone have? Nothing. His own fucking allies have abandoned him, near as he can tell, and anyway they were as useless as everyone else in the end. They let their counterparts escape. They weren't strong enough.

He's pretty sure his broken nose is infected. His face feels swollen and he's long given up on breathing through it. And he knows better than to think that any sort of medical help will be forthcoming. They've lost, he can feel it, even before the day he makes his way close enough to the bases to see the tank and the men swarming the compound.

They lost. They never stood a chance, really. The things he knows now.

The clone pulls the gun from the waist band of his pants and stares at it for a long time.

He's got one bullet left. And he knows what it's for.

[shawarmachameleon]

Visit Original Link

[sickest-fires]

I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind There was something so pleasant about that place. Even your emotions had an echo In so much space And when you're out there Without care, Yeah, I was out of touch But it wasn't because I didn't know enough I just knew too much Does that make me crazy? Does that make me crazy? Does that make me crazy? Possibly And I hope that you are having the time of your life But think twice, that's my only advice Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you, who do you think you are, Ha ha ha bless your soul You really think you're in control Well, I think you're crazy I think you're crazy I think you're crazy Just like me My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on a limb And all I remember is thinking, I want to be like them Ever since I was little, ever since I was little it looked like fun And it's no coincidence I've come And I can die when I'm done Maybe I'm crazy Maybe you're crazy Maybe we're crazy Probably

[sourcandykisses-a]

-The slap to the face is jarring, and enough to cause Max to stir. She’s not sure how long she’s been out, or even where she is; all that’s clear now is that her head is killing her, she’s tied to something, and her clone is saying something about…a present?

Max looks around, feeling rather dizzy and disoriented, and tries to focus on something, anything, that might help her piece together what’s going on. The other woman has her back to her now, and is saying something that she can’t quite make out. She’s speaking to someone. Max’s eyes dart around the clearing until she sees them. Her vision is hazy, but she can still make out the mass that is Donny- and the realization that he’s been dragged into this snaps her out of her haze.-

Donny?! Donny, are you okay? Where’s Calvin? He…

-She trails off as she gets a better look at the other figure in the clearing. Oh god, it’s… Donny. But. Not her Donny. He’s been terribly burned and he looks like he’s been out in the wilderness for quite some time. All Max can manage to do is stare, wide-eyed at the clones.-

[donny-american-dragon]

*At first, Donny struggles to comprehend what he sees. It shouldn’t really be so hard, considering exactly who has been dragging him through the woods all this time, but maybe it’s just something you never get used to. Because there are two Maxes in the clearing, one unconscious, tied to a tree, and the other-as she can see as she turns towards him-with a bloody bandage over one eye. His eyes widen in apprehension as she reaches out to touch him, every nerve in his body telling him this is wrong. The smile on her face, the touch of her hand, it makes his skin crawl.

This isn’t Max.

But then she turns away, walks back across the clearing to the bound and unconscious Max. Donny winces as she slaps her.*

Wh-stop it! 

*He starts to struggle, pulling against the other one holding him back. But Max is blinking awake, looking around at him, and something like relief floods through him.*

Max! I-I’m fine, I don’t know where he is, we got-

*His clone’s word’s sink in, then. They’re going to torture her. He redoubles his efforts, struggling harder, straining against the rope around his wrists.*

No! No don’t hurt her! Do whatever you want to me but let her go!

*He flings his head back, and more on accident than anything else, feels it collide with something hard with a rather sickening crunch. That sounded like a broken nose.*

[themotherofharlots]

I dunno, I was thinking more along the lines of taking both.

-Maybe not at once, but she does intend to blind Max completely. Fair’s fair after all…When the woman tied to the tree begins screaming, Max grabs her face harshly and leans in close to her.-

What? You weren’t really stupid enough to think that you were the only one lucky enough to get a twin, did you? -After a moment, she takes a deep breath and smiles, glancing back towards the men on the other side of the clearing.- You should see Calvin. He was supposed to be here too, but you know how he is. Unpredictable. Sloppy. Your other little boyfriend is probably dead already. Or worse.

-She grins pulls out the butterfly knife from her pocket. Pushing Max’s face up so that her neck is exposed, the clone runs the blade lightly across her skin, with just enough pressure to make things uncomfortable for her. It’s then that she hears the crunch of bone from across the clearing. 

Shit.

Clearly he’s got more fight in him than either of them anticipated.-

[sickest-fires]

Whatever. Do it.

*The clone grits his teeth, fighting to contain his captive, who's rapidly becoming harder and harder to control. Damnit, after how easy he'd been to take down, and how little fight he'd shown on the walk over, he'd thought this would be just as easy. If things don't start moving along more quickly he might have to do something drastic; break a leg, maybe, though he'd really hate to advance that far so soon. He gives Donny another hard jerk, trying to twist his arms up painfully behind his back.*

Quit fighting it you fucking pussy and watch your girlfri-Aaugh! Shit!

 *Stumbling back in shock, the clone's hands fly up to cup his face. His nose is gushing blood, and though pain has long been a dull sensation for him this pain is definitely one he can feel. Sharp, real, and absolutly awful. The feeling of cartilage sliding against bone is actually enough to make him queasy.

The asshole headbutted him! He'd actually caught him off guard! The clone bares his teeth, the expression made all the more horrible for the blood in his mouth, and positively roars in anger.*

You cheap bastard!

*He charges towards Donny, swinging a fist at his head.*

[donny-american-dragon]

*Donny has no idea how long he’s forced to walk through the dark woods. It feels like hours; no matter how many times he stumbles or falls, the other one yanks him back up, shoves him forward, lashes him with verbal abuse. Despite it all he feels numb and hollow; any fight he had drained from him. Randy’s dead. The thought keeps running through his head, alien and unreal. The other could be lying, he wants to believe he is. But… …but what if he isn’t? One thing the other said is true, though; no one is coming to save him.  He’s alone now; nobody but Calvin had known he was out here, and judging by the figure he’d seen, and the other’s words, Calvin is probably in just as much danger as he is right now. It’s nobody’s fault but their own, too. Running into the woods without weapons or any idea what they were getting into. All of it is their fault. They’re coming up to a sort of clearing, now. Donny feels a hand in his hair, and his head is painfully pulled up. There are figures in the clearing, two of them he thinks, though the dark and smoke and watering of his own eyes makes it hard to be sure. He blinks rapidly.* …Max?

[themotherofharlots]

-She feels marginally better now that she’s properly bandaged. Her eye still hurts like hell, but the pain’s ebbed into something more like a dull throbbing. Frowning, she throws an irritated look at her prisoner; she’s still unconscious and not providing much in the way of entertainment.  Neither Donny nor Calvin are back yet, and she’s getting antsy. Typical. They probably got caught or got lost or something equally as irritating.

And that’s when she hears him.-

Donny?

- She whirls around to face the two, and for a moment, her face lights up. God, she’d almost forgotten how attractive he was. He wasn’t this… charred thing that the clone was. She missed him. She walks over to them, and Max gingerly cups a hand to Donny’s cheek, offering him a small smile, before shooting an annoyed look at the clone.-

You took your sweet time getting here. I was starting to get bored. Calvin’s not back yet, and I’m not waiting any longer. Let’s get this over with.

-She turns and strides back to the tree where she’s got Max tied up. The clone grabs a handful of the other’s hair and, after pulling her head up, brings her free hand across Max’s unconscious face. When she begins to stir, the clone grins, and pats Max’s cheek.-

Wake up. You’re gonna miss all the fun.. Look, we even brought you a present.

[sickest-fires]

*This is starting to feel like more trouble than it's worth. As fun and satisfying as abusing his counterpart had been at the start-reminding him of all his faults, telling him about all the ways he was considering killing him and his friends-he's quickly getting annoyed with him. It would have been easier to just kill the sniveling idiot back when he first grabbed him. When they finally reach the clearing, he pulls Donny's head up by the hair. He needs to see what's waiting for him. The smug smirk on the clone's face falls, however, when he sees how Max-the one he's rather frustratingly started to think of as his Max-reacts to the arrival of the impostor. The way her eyes... eye lights up, the tender way she touches the fake's face. Why does it make his blood boil? With a grimace, the clone jerks Donny away from her.* He struggled. *The clone growls in annoyance.* What? How can he not be back yet, we took them at the same time! *This is just fucking perfect. He should have known that letting Calvin take his counterpart on his own was a bad idea. The asshole doesn't even have two working arms! The counterpart probably escaped, or overpowered him. Well, they'll just have to do the best with what they have. He watches as Max slaps the other one awake, giving Donny's hair another painful yank.* We can start without him. No reason to kill them quick. Maybe start with taking out her eye, see how she likes it.

[donny-american-dragon]

He can still see Calvin as he’s dragged away.

Read More

[themotherofharlots]

-Max rolls her eyes (her good one, anyway) at the Pyro. God, what a drama queen. Of all the things to get riled up about, he chooses the fact that apparently his counterpart is getting laid on a regular basis. She’s about to comment on it when Calvin suggests splitting up. That’s enough to get a grin out of her.-

That sounds like my kinda plan. 

-At least if the other two take off for now, it’ll give Max a chance to tend to her wounds a little more thoroughly, maybe even verbally abuse her counterpart a little more. Nodding lightly, she points in the general direction of where she’s got the other Max tied up.-

She’s about twenty yards that way. There’s some sorta clearing nearby; you’d have to be blind to miss it. 

[cherryfission]

-Nodding, Calvin glances toward where she’s pointing, making a mental note of where to go. He’s been trying to memorize the paths and the trees to make it easier to navigate; he’s fairly certain that he knows what clearing she’s talking about. Should be easy to find. With navigation so simple, he should have plenty of extra time to play with his toy a little bit.-

What happens if yer half blind?

-Smirking, Calvin rocks on his heels a little.-

But yeah. We’ll meet there. Hopefully these idiots won’t be too hard t’ find. Just, uh, be careful or whatever. Might be carryin’ weapons on ‘em, might be travelin’ with othah people. Max, give Donny some bandages n’ shit before he runs off, them bullet wounds ain’t gonna heal themselves, n’ I’m not puttin’ up with a bunch of infections between da two of ya.

[sickest-fires]

*Donny huffs a bit, he'd hoped they wouldn't notice his wounds. He doesn't need to be coddled, they need to get moving, every second they waste now is another second their counterparts could use to find their captive.

It's nothing. She barely grazed me.

*That unnerving smile comes back.*

I shot him, though, the other Randy. Couldn't stay and make sure, but he's probably dead. And I blew up their truck, they were trying to escape.

*No time for reminiscing right now, though. he turns to Max and holds out his hand.*

Fine, if you've got bandages, give them to me. I'll fix myself up. We need to find them, before they have a chance to figure out what's going on.

[the-frozen-flapper]

Rosie stumbles after Randy to avoid the deafening explosion, the heat of the flames intense against her skin. Fortunately, she’s unharmed, but frazzled and scared out of her mind. She stares at Donny, at a complete loss for words, what was he doing?!? What’s happened?? This was NOT the same Donny she knows. 

His voice has no cheer, his features are twisted into something sinister. This couldn’t be Donny. Donny wouldn’t do this. 

She gasps when he aims the gun. “NO!!” 

Her heart nearly stops at the sound, the pained look on Randy’s face, the deep red blooming from underneath his clothing.

“RANDY NO!!” 

Rosie screams and immediately goes to grab him, trying to shield him with her small frame. He’s been shot, oh god he’s been shot, this..this wasn’t happening. Randy could die, if respawn was destroyed, he’d die. No, no he can’t die, not her sweet Randy. She has to protect him, she has to save him! Angry tears sting at her eyes as she stands to face this abomination posing as Donny. The pistol she kept by her bedside table was now concealed in the pocket of her nightgown; now was a good time to practice that shoddy aim, Rosie. 

“Bastard!!” She snarls and pulls out her gun, taking care to not miss when she starts firing. 

[sickest-fires]

*He laughs when he sees Randy stumble backwards, yes perfect! Wait till he tells the other Randy, he'll be... well he better be damn proud, or something.

And he keeps laughing, till he hears the whiz of bullets and feels the sting as a couple graze his arm. Damnit! He stumbles back a step, reaching his hand up to his shoulder, pulling it away to reveal red. That bitch! Donny bares his teeth at her, looking almost feral.

He contemplates shooting back at her, but... no. He can't get tied down here, and he's only got so many bullets left. Some of them have very specific names on them, and none of them are for this lady he's never met. Even if she is a fucking bitch who shot him.*

You're gonna die too! You're all gonna die!

*Okay, maybe it's not the most original threat, but he means it with every inch of his being. His message sufficiently delivered, he turns and runs back towards the treeline, ducking low to avoid any more shots.*

[themotherofharlots]

-Max takes a large step back when Donny approaches her, god what a creep.-

I’ve got her tied up in another part of the woods. No one should be able to find her, but we should get going before she comes to. She’s got a set of lungs on her; if she screams, someone’ll hear.

-She’s about to turn to go when Don’y questions stops her. Max lets out an annoyed huff and turns back to him.-

They care. Apparently the three of them are fucking on a regular basis. So.They’ll come for her. 

[cherryfission]

-Calvin winces uncomfortably at the bluntness of her statement. He had already heard the news, but that doesn’t make hearing it any easier. It’s the weirdest damn thing he’s ever heard. Glancing sideways at Donny, he takes a step back, just to be cautious. Last time he got wind of the other Donny’s relationships, he had a fit and nearly knocked Calvin out. If possible he’d like not to repeat the scenario.-

Basically, they’ll be out lookin’ fer her, we know that now. Hell, they’re probably already out in da woods lookin’ fer her, given they haven’t found reason not to.

If we split up, we can probably nab ‘em both. Meet up in da middle, take all three of ‘em out. Easy as pie, triple da fun.

-Adjusting his jacket, he looks between the two of them. So maybe that was bending the truth a little; he wants some time to Calvin alone. Doesn’t mean he’ll kill him, though. And they never have to know.-

[sickest-fires]

*Donny looks sharply back at Max.*

They-what? Why would they-

*He growls and shakes his head. Damnit, it's not important right now. Whatever they'd been doing, soon they won't be doing it anymore.*

...alright, fine. We can split up, find them, bring them to wherever it is you've got the slut. If they care about each other so much, they can watch each other die.

*Huffing, he leans back and crosses his arms. He's feeling antsy again; the adrenaline from the attack is losing it's edge. And with that comes a sharper acknowledgement of the place those bullets had grazed his skin. He rubs at his shoulder irritably. Fucking bitch.*

Where is she, anyway? We need to know where to meet.

[themotherofharlots]

-Max takes the bag from Calvin and mutters a low ‘thanks’ to him as she slings it over her shoulder and follows him. She walks in silence as they search for Donny, she feels a little woozy- probably due to the massive amount of blood loss she’s suffered.

When Donny comes rushing past them, she almost doesn’t register that it’s him. His entire presence is different; and she hates to say it, but right now, she prefers the other Donny.

The look she gives him in response to his question is one of absolute disbelief mixed with irritation and she has to resist the urge to throw a balled up fist right into his stupid, smiling face.-

I fell down some stairs- what does it look like? She stabbed my eye out. 

[cherryfission]

-Sighing, Calvin leans over a little, putting his hands on his knees. Through the brush and the trees, he can see flames. He’s not sure if it’s the bases or whatever it was that Donny just lit up, but it earns him a little smirk. It’s a little unnerving, sure, seeing the damage, and seeing the look it put on Donny’s face… but unlike Max, Calvin also finds it a touch endearing. Much better than that stoic bullshit that he’d been pulling for the longest time now. This kid was finally getting what he wanted, and he was happy about it. If that wasn’t hope for the future of this operation, Calvin doesn’t know what is.

After another minute he stands again, angling himself between the other two. Max doesn’t look happy, and rightfully so. Maybe Donny can help them with that.-

She has da othah Max. Fought back, did a lil’ damage, but she’s in our hands. Oughta take care of her before it’s too late. Or use her as bait. Eithah way, we’re gonna need an extra set of hands… n’ eyes, ‘pparenty.

[sickest-fires]

She-

*He steps back as Calvin inserts himself between him and Max, frowning darkly at her over his shoulder. At what he has to say, though, his face lights up again, and he quickly steps around the former Scout, getting uncomfortably close to Max, staring at her intently.*

You have her? Where!?

*He looks over at Calvin again, looking intensely thoughtful. Part of him aches to find out where she is and kill her now, maybe burn her like a witch at the stake. But if she could be used as bait... maybe he won't have to hunt for the most important person on his list.*

Do you think the others will come looking for her? Why would they care? After he-after what you told me.

[the-frozen-flapper]

Rosie nervously scans the smoking wreck of RED base, the doors, the windows, there’s no sign of anyone. Perhaps they made it out already..she hopes so. She finds herself shaking with fear and cold as she glances between the truck and the mess before her. What was going on? Why was this happening? 

She turns, startled at the sudden sound of someone’s voice. Oh thank god it’s Donny, but- 

No.

The bottle shatters, spraying its contents on the roof of the truck, igniting it immediately. Rosie’s eyes widen with terror, the faint smell of gasoline fills her nose. 

“RANDY!! GET OUT!!” 

[goldencityespionage]

-Donny’s voice isn’t registered; it blends in with the white noise of the chaos. Randy’s too occupied with the task at hand under the dashboard—or, rather, his best attempt at it with shaking, jittery fingers. The wires slip from his hands and his mind continues to blank despite the urgency in his movement. The gravity of the situation well aware to him but only leading him to gasp desperately and continue to fumble. 

Only when he finally thinks he’s making progress does he hear Rosie-

I’VE ALMOST GOT IT JUST HOLD ON!

-Under the dashboard he can’t see the spray of fire. But as it spreads he can feel it, it’s too hot this far from the base. His first instinct is to jump upward rather than outward, smacking the top of his head with the bottom of the dashboard. The fire’s already inside when he finally yanks out and he doesn’t pull free without the back of his head and neck being grazed. But once he’s out Randall just bursts out and away, pulling Rosie with him. There’s no saving it and he’s not going to stand there when it explodes. 

And in doing so he see’s the Pyro and pauses- 

D-donny!? 

[sickest-fires]

*The grin just gets wider. He does love watching them as they scream and scramble. Donny steps forward slowly, into the light thrown from the flaming truck. The burns on his face, the blackened hands, it all should be quite clear now. He reaches into the waste band of his pants for the gun. Given to him by the other Randy. Now that's just hilarious.*

That's right! I'm the real one! Who's the chick, Randy?

*The gun is pointed at Randy's chest.*

Not that it really matters much.

*He laughs then, grating and horrible in his burned throat.*

Hey, remember that time you taught me to shoot? Thanks for that. Sorry though, you gotta die. We can't have two, you know.

*With that, he pulls the trigger.*

[themotherofharlots]

-Regardless of how much she doesn’t want it to, her good eye begins to swell with tears. She’ll be damned before she cries. Especially before she cries in front of Calvin. Luckily his next statement is enough to snap her out of her self pity. She takes several large steps back and resumes clutching the dead eye.-

No. Fuck no. I’m not letting you anywhere near my eye if you’re gonna talk about shit like that. We’ll find a medic to do it later just- let’s just… go find Donny, okay?

[cherryfission]

-Don’t think he doesn’t notice, Max, he’s three inches from your damn face. Out of whatever goodness is left in his heart, though, he doesn’t say anything. Probably because he’s been there, he’s done that. He’s not a nice person, but there’s something to be said for having a bit of decency toward a person he had warm feelings for at some point.-

…Fine. I ain’t gonna force myself on ya, but don’t come cryin’ t’ me when dat shit gets infected.

-Sighing, he offers her some dry bandages. And, while he’s at it, he offers his bag of supplies. She won’t need it all now, but… in case something happens, she’ll need it later. Her wound is fresher than his.-

Da antiseptic will help, ‘least fer a while. Da bandages will keep da dirt out n’ keep it from bleedin’ too much. In case we get separated just… keep it clean ‘til ya find someone who’ll look at it.

Now let’s go.

-Wordlessly he takes off, hoping she’ll follow behind. Donny’s gotta be out here somewhere.-

[sickest-fires]

*They won't have to look too far to find him. There's a loud commotion from the direction of the treeline, and Donny comes crashing through the undergrowth, looking like he intends to run right past them. He stops when he sees who they are, though, panting for breath but with a wide, somewhat unnerving grin on his face.

The sullen demeanor of the previous several months seems to be completely gone. In it's place is a sort of twitchy intensity, a fierce, terrifying joy. He'd been waiting for this. He's been waiting for it and it's just as great as he was imagining.*

Did you see it?! All lit up! Them running like rabbits?! It's amazing!

*He looks back and forth between the two of them, eyes finally settling on Max.*

What happened to you?

[the-frozen-flapper]

“Yeah, yeah we should get a truck goin’. I have no idea how to do that, though, do you?? You’re right though, we do need to get somewhere safe. If this place is destroyed, respawn..oh god.” Rosie makes a tiny sound of panic, not caring at all that her slippers are getting soaked from the snow at this point.

“I hope everyone is okay…this is..oh..” Good lord girl don’t cry. Save it, Randy needs you to help him! 

[goldencityespionage]

“Of course I know now come on!” 

There’s just some things you pick up on the SFPD that aren’t exactly advertised. Randall doesn’t slow down despite the smaller woman whose hand he’s grasping, nor does he stop yelping at every explosion  (like the incredibly masculine individual he is). But it gets them to one of the parked base trucks.

“Keep your eyes out for Donny, Sophie, or Alex—Fuck, I should have—No, no they’re fine they have to be fine—”

Randy says as he bashes the trucks window in with a rock, unlocks it hastily (and cutting his sleeve on a shard of glass), and opens the door to stick himself under the steering wheel.

“—fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK GOSH DARN! Keep your eyes out for them! We’ll have to go back for them!”

Because if he’s going to save anybody it’s going to them the four of them. 

[sickest-fires]

He's keeping to the shadows still, avoiding the mercs for now, focusing on flushing out the base. So much fire. His face hurts from grinning, it's all just too beautiful. He hasn't seen his counterpart yet, or the Soldier, or the others on his list, but when he does...

That's when he spots them. It's Randy-the other Randy, it's weird, seeing him as he used to be, without that fucking hole in his face-and a woman he doesn't recognize. They're trying to get a truck started. Can't have that, now can we? Running for help just isn't part of the plan.

A grin slowly spreads over the clone's face as he straightens up, reaching into his pack for another gasoline filled bottle. Well, there was really no use hiding anymore, was there? And this looks like way too much fun. Fishing for his lighter, he finds and lights the wick.

"Hey! Catch!"

And he lobs the molotov directly at the truck.

[sickest-fires]

*Well, if that explosion isn't just about the sweetest sound he's ever heard.

Quickly pulling a gasoline filled bottle from his pack, the clone moves through the shadows next to RED base. No doubt those idiots inside will soon be pouring out like ants after their hill gets stepped on, but why not give them a little extra encouragement? He lights the strip of cloth stuffed into the neck of the bottle, and lobs it through one of the windows. The smashing glass is quite satisfying, and the sudden rush of sound and heat as the flame explodes inside is even more so.

Now to go give them a few more of these...*

[this-man-of-pyrite]

So. 

-There’s no point to prolong things any further… Randy doesn’t see everyone accounted for. But that’s okay, he didn’t expect that much to begin with. And what happens to the rest is beyond his ability to help, nor does he think they really want it. Now or never, he thinks as he glances at the others. Deep breaths- 

This has ‘een ‘ore than enough time squandered, don’t you think?

Erika, ‘ax, you’re u’ first. You should go now so you’re synchronized.

Don’t screw it u’. 

[sickest-fires]

*With a rather horrible grin, he hoists his pack of molotovs over his shoulder.

Finally.

He's got s certain window to go find.*

[sickest-fires]

*Donny takes the gun, a little hesitantly. He doesn’t have to ask what Randy means when he suggests to save the last bullet. He swallows thickly.*

…I will. It… don’t worry. When it’s over, we… we can go home, maybe. Or somewhere.

*His voice is flat as he says it, and the words sound hollow to his own ears.*

[this-man-of-pyrite]

Don’t huorry a’out ‘e.

-The last thing he needs Donny to do is concern himself over him when he’s got everything else. But it’s… nice that he’s thinking about him now. It makes him feel good just to hear about home. 

Mrs. Xiao would never forgive him for allowing this- 

Just kee’ yourself safe okay? ‘e s’art… 

-For a moment he motions his arm up, as if considering giving Donny a hug… but he settles for squeezing his shoulder again before stepping back- 

‘etter get your things kid. 

[sickest-fires]

*He looks up, and flashes what may just be a tiny smile at Randy, before tucking the gun away and moving off to collect his improvised firebombs. Shouldn't be long now.*

[sickest-fires]

*This time, he allows the contact. It feels… familiar. There are so many things he’s unsure of, things he’d been sure of, but he’s not anymore… At least Randy’s somewhat consistent. Even like he is. Eyes still on the ground, he shakes his head.*

No. Just the molotovs. Had a knife, but I gave it to Liam for food.

[this-man-of-pyrite]

-It hits Randy just now that he really should have thought about this. Donny is usually the first (and often only) person he thinks about besides himself. He knows he won’t be able to protect him… even if he could be there physically. 

Suddenly the urge to call this all off hits him strong and quickly. And he flatters it for a moment, he really does. But he knows not even Donny himself would go along with it. After a moment of consideration he releases his hand and hands him the gun from inside his jacket, along with a small handful of bullets- 

In case you—just… save one. And ‘e careful.

-He laughs nervously, grateful the disguise hides his watering eyes-  

Try not to forget a’out ‘e.

[sickest-fires]

*Donny takes the gun, a little hesitantly. He doesn't have to ask what Randy means when he suggests to save the last bullet. He swallows thickly.*

...I will. It... don't worry. When it's over, we... we can go home, maybe. Or somewhere.

*His voice is flat as he says it, and the words sound hollow to his own ears.*