#chapt 7

Red had shot him. She'd fucking shot him. In complete and utter disbelief Vaas had simply stared down at the culprit, who showed zero signs of remorse. Anything but, really. Red was all too happy to knock him back onto his ass entirely after she'd removed Blondie from his grasp. She shot him. All at once shock had given way to anger as he stared up at the girl. He wanted to scream at her, wanted to get back up and hit her or shoot her himself. But his earlier observation was nothing short of spot on where Sorcha was concerned. She liked to hurt people and it showed in her careful manipulation of Vaas and his wants. It showed in how deliberately-placed her shot had been; no man just up and walked off a hit to the gut like she'd given him. And she liked to taunt... It wasn't... Quietly answered to his question not even a minute before, all while she took aim again to deliver another bullet, this time throwing aside all pretenses and leveling the sights on his head. But it was like they always said. The third time was the charm, and with this fourth time Sorcha held him at gunpoint she ultimately didn't pull the trigger. The air just wasn't coming in the amount Vaas wanted it to no matter how hard he tried, even with his hands pressed to his freely-bleeding wound in an attempt to stop the flow. There was no breath with which to tell her exactly how bad she'd fucked up, no breath to tell her not to pussy out and pull that trigger. None to tell her that he'd be back on his feet a lot sooner than she wanted him to be, and once he was... It was her he'd be chasing down. What his mouth couldn't say, though, he said plainly with his eyes that never once left the redhead's. The rest he said with the smile that came to his face, mouth stretching to the limits that no sane man's could despite the agony in his stomach. From somewhere distant-sounding Benny's voice rang through the jungle, and a blink later Sorcha and Ash were gone. Finally Vaas let his head fall back against the grass, teeth gritted against the pain that if he tried hard enough, he could almost pretend was tolerable. Even as hard as he tried to ignore it, he couldn't ignore the fact that Benny's words were sounding real hazy and indecipherable right then, as though the man was trying to talk to him with a mouthful of cotton or something. All at once it was brought back into highly unwelcome clarity when the American lifted him from the ground to throw over his shoulders. "Fuck," He ground out in not much more than a snarl, unsure of whether the word had actually left his mouth or not. He certainly thought it, along with several other obscenities put together in one long meaningless string. "She fucking shot me." The words came out in an almost inaudible whisper with seemingly no emotion to them and spoken to no one in particular. Over and over again he saw it happen; himself extending an arm to draw in the downtrodden-looking Sorcha, the moment of false submission, then that look on her face when she'd met his eyes and pulled the trigger. Looking at it after the fact he kicked himself for not seeing it for what it was- an act, pure and simple. It was an act she'd used three times in a row now, and as had been stated... Third time was the charm. A fourth wouldn't happen. So far Vaas had played gently, and every time now Red had only thrown it back in his face and spat back at him to boot. The girl wanted to play hardball, and he was more than happy to oblige her. It was his game after all, and only he knew all the rules but Sorcha had challenged him anyway. It would work out fine, though. It was his game, and as his boss so liked to say, the house always collected in the end. "And I'm gonna fucking collect."

- The redhead liked to think she was a strong individual, all fire and hot coals when it came to defending the ones that she loved. And a calm, but sometimes rough, wind when her friends and family enjoyed her company. Even when the world became black and demons hide behind the eyes of every one she loved she stayed on her feet. She kept her head high and battled through the stinging barbs of words and disasters that the world caused in her her life. She was always a leader, she always had her brood following close behind her while they nurtured their own woulds and dried their tears. When life seemed too hard to bear they always came to her, always clung to her clothes, always the same cry for help. I can't do itThey say as they bury their faces against her breast. You can. She'd always say to them and feel satisfaction in their smiles and small nods. That's just what she was in the end, an idol of power that the weaker of heart flocked to to gather their own strength to face the battles of life. But what happened when that idol wasn't strong enough, capable enough, willing enough? What happened when the pillar cracked and crumbled down to dust and pale comparison to its former beauty. What happened when it was the leader who couldn't do it anymore? What happened was...things went awry quickly. What happened was that people, good and evil, go hurt. And that leader stopped leading. Sorcha had been defeated she just didn't know it yet even though it showed plain as day. But she still had some fight in her, she would always have more fight in her, no matter how wounded or lost she became – she would always fight right down to another bitter end...and it would seem that not even death had the stones to take her down. Vaas had seen her defeat...and the fool thought it was his victory to reap the rewards of – and like a fool he put his hand right onto those hot coals and that fool had gotten himself burned again. But this time, seriously so. But there was no satisfaction in pulling the trigger nor watching him fall to the ground. Only a numbness in her bones even as he sneered upwards at her. In that moment she was god over him and he knew it. But this wasn't the end. She could have killed him but she didn't and for only one reason why. She wanted him to soak in his own humiliation instead and realize that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. Because when you mess with a lion's cub – there ceased to be gods or order, not even structure. The entire world reverts right back to chaos and in that chaos no one wins – no one is king of anything. Because in that moment when a mother's brood is threatened there is only one force that rules – nature. And nature doesn't discriminate. Nature doesn't care about man-gods nor kings. Nature gives and nature takes all the same...the only difference was that some were smart enough to stay out of natures way...and then some just weren't. That's what the civilized world liked to call Natural Selection. And such was in the nature of the American pirate to come running to the aid of his wounded leader, like the pack of wolves they were they would come. And no matter how big Sorcha might have felt right then... not even a lion could defend herself and her own against a pack of starving Hyenas. So nature told her what to do – run. With Vaas down and bleeding they wouldn't pursue them for a while. They would tend to their fallen king first and only when he was able enough to draw breath to bark commands would they come after the two of them more fiercely then ever. Because now...now it was very personal. They'd run for what seemed like hours into the thick of jungle tree's and an ever changing green canopy but in no clear direction. The idea was just to get away and get to there quickly, the more distance between them and the pirates the better...even if it didn't help them all that much. The fact still remained was that they didn't belong here and they had no idea how to navigate the tropics nor survive the things lurking around. In places like this even the tree's could kill you if the poison in the bark happened to inexorably cut across your skin. In places like this one often was concerned with the bigger things, bears and tigers and snakes. But those were just simple beasts...avoidable beasts. But in the jungle it was most often the smaller things that got the better of a man. Small things like parasites in the water and mosquitoes carrying Malaria. Those were the real threats to these regions. Threat that neither she nor her sister had even the faintest clue about. And it had all happened entirely too fast to recount. Ash had finally slowed and Sorcha did the same. Her body ached something fierce, every inch of her throbbing in some fashion or stinging or cramping. And the rush of blood in her head was perhaps the worst as she breathed out a sharp and exhausted breath as her shambling body seemed somewhat incapable of walking in a straight line and slowly she just seemed to zig zag from the right to the left and back again...and it wasn't to avoid rocks nor roots. Are you ok? The fated question that had been lingering and gone unspoken for far too long. And it was Ash to ask it first. Sorcha merely nodded in response as she wiped the sweat from her lashes and blinked at the tree's. The answer was obviously not and it showed when she suddenly fell forward into all fours, having lost the battle against a grassy incline that was meager in appearance but far to great a beast for her ailing bones, panting and shaking in her skin. “I just ….need a minute....” She breathed, “I'll be fine in a minute.” The redhead insisted and she slowly sidled over onto her side. - At pretty much any other time it might have almost been comical, the way Sorcha nodded to answer that she was alright before pitching forward onto the ground just a moment later. In this case it was anything but, and spurred Ash forward to tend to the failing redhead. Just looking at Sorcha's face was enough to give the blonde sympathy pains, knowing full well her sister was just about at the end of her rope. She absolutely would not be fine in a minute, that much was evident at a moment's glance as the girl laid herself out to catch a much-needed rest. Which would have been fine itself had it not been for the situation at hand, regardless of whether Vaas had been put down for a bit. The two girls were still very much out in the open and more vulnerable than ever with one of the two hurting so badly. For just a few seconds, however, Ash allowed herself to stay knelt at Sorcha's side, hands unconsciously bringing her rifle up into an at-ease state to be ready of whatever the islands would throw at them next. So far it seemed as though she hadn't held much back up until now, and it stood to reason things would not get easier simply because a member of the duo was wounded. True to the observation, a glance skyward showed that the sun was on its was to setting, and it would likely only be a few hours before night would fall. The question remained then, where the hell did they even go from here? Stuck in the middle of the unfamiliar grassy hills and thick patches of trees, Ash couldn't even be sure what direction was the right way anymore. One thing was certain now though, the two needed to move. The role of leader and protector was one that came easily to Ash after years of having done it for her sisters, although this was an entirely different brand of either role. It was cruel to ask Sorcha to keep going when she so clearly wasn't up for much else, this much Ash also knew. But if the island, cruel beast that she was, had taught her anything in the short time they'd been here... It was that the right thing and the necessary thing didn't always go hand in hand. "Come on," Ash murmured, coaxing the redhead back onto her feet as gently as possible. "We can't stay here." Though she would have liked to offer more support than just giving Sorcha her left arm to steady herself against, more than that Ash needed her gun hand at the ready. Another thing she'd learned to appreciate was the cruel irony of Murphy's Law- if something could go wrong, it would. And had things ever gone wrong here, starting from the very moment Doug had ever laid eyes on their little motley crew. Again the faces that so often tried to make their way into her vision were shoved aside with practiced ease now as Ash instead focused on the layout of the jungle ahead. Though she really had no clue of where to go, that in itself wasn't so impossible to figure out. She certainly knew the direction they'd come from... Which meant the best direction to take was the exact opposite of that, and slowly Ash led what she knew would be an arduous trip. Thankfully the steep hills were empty save for the girls and the group of crows they startled on their way up, though the sudden flurry of movement drew Ash's eye from where she guessed the best path would be to where the birds had taken off to. From where they stood it looked like an impossible to climb plateau of sorts, made all the more hard to reach by the unforgiving rocks supporting it and the large trees providing a natural cover with their leafy branches. That kind of thing was exactly what they needed- a vantage point to raise the odds more in their favor. Again Ash paused to look Sorcha over, the exhausted look on the girl's face giving her a pang of guilt for dragging her along like this. Unbidden, all at once Dennis' earlier words came back to her as clear as if they were being spoken to her again, Let your instincts guide you. As of yet her instincts hadn't failed her, and they now moved her feet onward again to a still unknown destination. With nightfall only getting closer Ash kept their pace at the fastest Sorcha could manage in her state, all the while keeping an eye on both their surroundings and the sky. In doing so, the sight of the giant cross atop the rocky plateau almost startled her in its sudden appearance, though the religious icon brought no kind of comfort. Rather, it just seemed oddly out of place on the island, the structure just strange enough that it would wind up committed to memory whether it was wanted there or not. It would at least make for a good landmark, if nothing else. Ash doubted either of the two would ever wind up needing a giant crucifix in whatever travels this place took them. Though in all reality it took the two no more than 30 minutes to finally reach a break in the unending hilly landscape, it felt like far longer until Ash again set Sorcha down to rest a few minutes while she recalculated their traveling route. Up to this point she'd mostly just been walking in the direction she felt was right until they found themselves sitting at the base of a cliff face, mirrored on the other side of the road ahead by another. It didn't look quite as well used as the main roads she'd seen so far, but its presence still meant this was not a place to stay for very long. Why the hell did I come this way anyway? As if in answer to the blonde's unspoken question, a flock of colorful birds at the top of the opposite cliff took off suddenly, and their perch... It looked distinctly like Citra's temple. Broken, yes, but without a doubt now Ash knew that was where they needed to be. With a newfound energy she knelt to coax Sorcha back to her feet, motioning to the cliff top with a nod of her head. "That's where we're headed. Looks like there's something up there." Though the sounds of passing trucks could be heard somewhere in the near distance, the smaller road ahead was still mercifully empty of pirates or their vehicles. Still... Walking out into the middle of the road was a highly unattractive prospect with the two of them exhausted and undergunned. For a moment longer Ash hesitated until another sound was heard in the much nearer distance- not far off, some huge beast of the jungle behind them gave an almost lazy-sounding yowl. Doug had said there were tigers on the island... And she'd seen one already in that camp of Vaas'. Whatever the creature was, dealing with it was a far more unappealing option and made finally bolting across to the other cliffside an easy feat, where the path up was easy enough to find despite it being fairly disguised into the hill. And having reached the top, the little enclosed section of broken temple pieces was possibly the most welcoming sight ever in the reddening light of sunset. Still her feet moved forward of their own accord, not stopping again until they'd reached what had once been a temple door, but now only led into a tiny cave. And if one ducked to get past the gate into the enclosure, it made not too shabby of a camping spot for the night, if a little rocky. In that moment it didn't matter how comfortable it was, as it meant the chance to finally rest and recover some. "Get some sleep," Ash breathed out in a sigh of relief of her own, finally taking the chance to sit down nearer to the makeshift doorway, keeping the business end of her rifle trained on the opening. For now... All she could do was try to plan ahead, and eventually try to get a few hours of sleep in herself if it would come to her. - Shit had gone from bad to hell in a hand basket all in a single pull of a trigger. A sound that he still heard in his head as loud and clear as if it were playing on repeat. It was like one of those moments where you just knew that something very bad had happened and you didn't know why...but you felt it in the pit of your gut. Something had gone wrong...and in a place like this – you had to know what had gone wrong before all the other domino's started to fall out of place. It had started with the two girls already, having jostled their way out to some half assed idea of freedom that could end at any single moment in time. And from there it had all just slowly been crumbling down around them, like a crack in a glass container full of cold water it just seemed to spread and splinter and leak until finally the pressure over came the compromised container and it all shattered apart and you had to replace all the floor boards. Benny didn't even wanna think about that one. Because if there were things that needed to be replaced it was the bodies in positions that couldn't bring about the right results – bodies that the big boss knew he wouldn't miss and he would enjoy removing personally. One body was displayed on the broad of his back, the red hulking mass of muscles and bulging veins and shot nerves. Vaas the undefeated force of rage and fire and destruction... dropped down by one little girl with a gun. If it sounded like a shock ...it was. But Benny couldn't allow himself to be shocked, he wasn't one to question any woman's competence when she had a mighty need to survive and protect the ones she loved. Benny knew better then to look down on any woman in any situation like that. He might have been bigger, faster, stronger just as Vaas was... but survival was a lot stronger then any man was. Benny knew of women who had killed for less done to them then what had already been done to that girl...he knew that Vaas had been lucky to come out the end of it. Even if he didn't feel so lucky right now...Benny knew that he knew that it could have ended a whole lot worse for him. A whole lot worse. But now this only meant it could only get that much more worse for those girls as a consequence. You didn't just shoot the boss and skip off into the sunset together...the boss was going to have his vengeance in one of many unsavory ways and in no particular order either. Benny respected the play of the cards in this case... after all it wasn't like Vaas didn't have it coming. It wasn't like any of them didn't have it come in...and sure as hell they all deserved what those girls did and would do to them. Karma was a bitch like that. He just hoped that he could save himself some of the pain and mutilation that was gonna come to all of em very soon. But for now he had other things to worry about, for now those girls had won and he hoped that they found a place to hide and hide there well...cause no man was gonna sleep tonight. For now Benny's only objective was to reach the Cliffside Overlook and get man on his should down onto a cot before he bled to death. Vaas' sudden screaming only urged the his pirate lackey to move through the jungle far more quickly, cutting clean across the grasslands and tufts of tree's to the pillar of smoke that slowly but surely grew larger on the the horizon. He felt the man he carry jerk suddenly and the American had almost lost his grip on his wrist in the process as he jumped down the small incline into the beginnings of a canyon with rock structures lining a still moist, but dried river bed of a darker colored mud and hurrying down the pathway it cut across the earth he growled as he adjusted Vaas and tightened his grip. “Fucking stop!” Benny snapped, the strain clear in his voice as he hobbled the short distance to the north end of the canyon where it opened up back into the lushness of the jungle and the road split apart by a sturdy wooden bridge. Practically leaping up the embankment the American hustler hurried down across the bridge and veered off the road to cut across the clearing of only a few tree's that lead him straight to another much less traveled road that winded upwards and curved right into the waiting camp. The Cliffside Overlook wasn't a particularly sturdy built camp consisting only of the typical red doored shack, a few scrap vehicles, an ineffective sheet metal fence line and an unfinished and ruined cement building to tie it all together in a filthy, post humanity, ramshackle display. Hardly what one would consider an unbowed fortress but they always did say never to judge a book by it's cover. Quickly as he appeared in sight was the sniper's red aim dead set upon him before he realized he was one of their own and the look of sheer horror on his face when he recognized the freakishly large mass attached to their fellow brethren stirred the sniper into action, calling out to the rest for attention. “Ey! The boss is hurt you assholes go get the medkit!” The sniper yelled as Benny huffed and hobbled the last length towards the red door which a different pirate with an AK in hand promptly opened for him. The inside was dusty and dank and no place for a wounded patient at all...but it would just have to do for now and mercilessly he dropped Vaas down upon the cot on the inside and barely managed to avoid the sucker punch that came very soon afterward. “Yo!” Benny yelled towards the door, “Get your asses in here and hold him down! Get me anything sharp, bandages, and fishing wire!” The America commanded as the little red rats scurried in the sudden excitement that had befallen them. “Who did dis?” Droned the voice of a heavy gunner as he easily pushed the raving Rakyat back down into his bed with mild force at that. “Ain't got time for that man.” Benny replied as he snatched and dug through what sad little first aid kit that had appeared, “Shit...” He breathed as he looked down at that ever increasing wet spot upon Vaas' abdomen, “Better get the booze too...” If there was any skill that Benny had ever picked up in his life that was even remotely useful...it was how to dig into a body and stop what ever was bleeding from bleeding as much. In the army he had seen a lot of worse things...men's legs blasted clean off by land mines, others missing half their jaws from a whole lot of good aim and bad luck. In the battlefield the doctors weren't there...and sometimes a brother wasn't going to make it back to them without help right then and there. So all soldiers had to learn what to cut and sewn and burn and tie off just well enough to buy their comrade just enough time to make it to help and safety. It wasn't any different now as it was back then...just the scenery had changed. And deep down in his bones Benny knew...he knew that this world was better off without this kid raving around in it. He knew that he should have left him right here to die in a pool of his own blood and save those two girls a lot of pain and suffering... Benny knew and he wanted to just reach in with his knife and slice open an artery or his spleen or finish whatever job the bullet hadn't managed to do on it way through... he wanted too but he couldn't. He wouldn't. Because while he loathed Vaas with all his soul... Vaas was just the tip of the iceberg and Hoyt wouldn't so much as blink if he was gone. No...Hoyt would just install a newer version to rule this island...and Benny didn't want any part of that noise. So as Vaas screamed and fought his own men who fought to keep him still Benny did was a proud American soldier always did – he helped his comrade. But he was no surgeon nor a doctor...but he didn't need those brains to know by looking at it that Vaas was going to need more then his Frankenstein needlework to make it back from this. He was gonna need a doctor soon or sepsis would kill him in a week. At point point Vaas had quieted down he assumed in shock of some kind...which was just unavoidable really but he had faith in the Rakyat to pull out of it on his own and it wasn't until all the bodies had dispersed to patrol the camp for invaders come to finish the job that Benny finally allowed himself to finally breath as he wiped his bloody hands on his pants. Vaas would life for now...for a little while – that was all that really mattered in the end but when he finally stood up and kicked aside the empty medkit he chuckled as she shook his head and produced from his pocket his phone. “You aren't gonna believe this.” He said, touching his ear as he turned and trained the small device upon Vaas' lying shape upon the cot, “Look what she did to him...I don't know whether she's brave or stupid.” The door swung open as if to respond and quietly cursing Benny hide away his phone just as the lanky shape of another familiar face emerged through the doorway with his face shielded by a red bandana but missing the sunglasses that hid his slanted eyes. It was hard to think of such a young kid like him being Vaas' right hand... but then again...it was no different with Doug either. You think he was the most lazy useless fuck to ever grace the island until he was beating faces red on command. Carlos and Doug were a type all in the same, outwardly they looked harmless...but they were the most poisonous snakes on the island. And that was exactly why Vaas kept them around. “Tā huì zhù zài nǎlǐ?” The boy chimed, looking expectantly at Benny who for the most part didn't understand a word of shit that kid was saying to him. “English motherfucker.” Benny replied blankly as he slowly blinked and earned himself some Chinese insult that only sounded like noise to him. “He lives?” Carlos repeated slowly in heavy and thick accent. “Yes he'll live...” Benny replied calmly as Carlos nodded and mumbled something else mainly to himself before he looked suddenly in Benny's direction again. “Jiang Shi?” Benny only sighed as he looked long and hard at the almost faceless man as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Uh...undead?” Carlos replied with some difficulty and a stutter in his words. Benny chuckled as he shook his head again, “Yeah. That bitch got him good.” The America informed as he glanced over Vaas' shape again still utterly amazed that such a big man could be rolled by a much smaller girl – karma really was just a bitch. “So what do we do now uh right hand?” He asked as Carlos looked at him with even more slanted eyes, slowly processing his words through his terribly redneck accent of his own. “Mauve.” Carlos replied after a brief pause and Benny felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach at the thought, “Is he really necessary?” Benny replied cautiously but tried with all his might to not think about the man called Mauve. Carlos merely gestured to Vaas as if the sight of he alone was answer enough as he turned and wrenched open the red door again and Benny sighed as he made for it. “I'ma get some beers.” He added as he pushed past the skinny Asian and out into the humid jungle air. “Yo fuckers! Couple of y'all go find Mauve. Carlos' orders!” That thing he had said earlier about things getting worse? Well... they'd just gotten very worse for everyone involved. - Some things in life, suffice it to say, were just complete bullshit. Getting shot in the gut point blank by an escaped slave was most definitely one of those things, no questions about it. Only after the fact did Vaas fully understand the looks the two girls had been exchanging, and realized he'd read them completely wrong. That look Blondie had been giving Red wasn't anything even close to Do what he wants so he won't hurt me. No, it had flat out been a silent plea to shoot her captor where he stood. And Red had taken it a step further than just that, dangling his falsified victory right in front of his nose before yanking it away to instead deal more of that pain she so liked to dish out. With the immediate shock beginning to wear off now it was becoming more and more evident just how bad the situation really was. Vaas, who walked off injuries that killed the average man in minutes, found himself unable to push himself back to his feet and barely even able to keep his eyes from closing. This was not an injury to simply walk off, and it left him wholly reliant on Benny to get him somewhere that wasn't here. On some level he knew the American was trying to save his life by hauling him up onto his shoulders, and yet that animal instinct part of him only reacted to how badly everything hurt. "Follar bajarme, fuck," Vaas snarled in little more than a guttural rasp, unable to even attempt to ignore the agony with the uneven gait of Benny's run on the jungle floor. She was an unforgiving bitch at the best of times, and it was no different now that one who practically ruled everything on the north island was less than his best. And though none of that was Benny's fault, it didn't stop the onslaught of curses and dark promises of pain to come being hurled at him in the throes of the agonizingly rough trip. Fortunately for the man in question, the words were nothing more than that with how valuable an asset Benny had always been. While not every single pirate under Vaas' rule was completely idiotic, he would have doubted that very many of them would have had the presence of mind to do as Benny was. The entirety of the trek back to the outpost was nothing more than a red-hued haze of moving colors and too much jostling for Vaas, filled with the sounds of his own swearing and muffled voices of his men as they neared the outpost. As he lifted his head to survey his surroundings the haze cleared only long enough to realize he was being laid out on a cot in the dingy outpost shack, surrounded by a number of his men he couldn't possibly hope to count in his disconnected state. His head might have been off in the clouds in a shock-induced state, but there was still that animal instinct of his that spurred his body to lash out at the first splash of antiseptic that turned the powerful ache of the wound back into a blaze of pain. It wasn't as though Vaas had never been injured and needed medical attention before; far from it. Plenty of times he'd been on the wrong end of a rebel's gun, or in one case at the wrong end of a shopkeep's shotgun after he'd poked that particular bear one too many times. But this one... Fired point blank, muzzle of the gun pressed right into his skin before the trigger got pulled in a clean through-and-through shot. What all it had damaged Vaas didn't exactly know, only that this was going to need better attention than his men could give once morning came. Not to mention one or two of the boys who'd held him down for Benny to work now needed a little attention of their own after having caught the brunt of his thrashing limbs. In the aftermath it all wasn't quite so bad anymore. Benny had made sure to force booze into his mouth, and from there the rest was history. A little more than halfway through a second rather large bottle of rum and Vaas was finally beginning to relax again in a pain and booze-fueled stupor, eyes blankly staring up at the ceiling as he continued to work his way through his bottle. "No fucking way they're city," He slurred under his breath before taking another long pull off the bottle. This much he was certain of by now- neither of those girls came from any city. City girls didn't know how to turn into animals like that, and city girls didn't pick up guns and start shooting men down. Red and Blondie were something else entirely, and Citra had seen that too without a doubt. Otherwise neither of them would have made it out of the temple in one piece, not to mention even given a shiny new rifle. "Fuck." With a wordless growl Vaas let his head fall back against the balled-up blanket serving for a pillow, eyes again wandering upward to stare at nothing and blink slowly at the ceiling. All at once he blinked and found himself back in his little shack at the prison camp, right where he'd left off with Red herself at the precise moment she'd leaned forward to press her lips to his. Even distracted as he was, somewhere in Vaas' head he dimly noticed the ruined green shirt Sorcha wore was as it had been last time he saw her, all stained with blood both fresh and not. Here it didn't matter, and it mattered even less when he stripped the stained garment off her to toss somewhere else. When exactly he'd lost his own shirt he wasn't sure, but it saved him the task of pulling it off himself. One hand rose to tangle itself in her hair that had fallen loose at some point unknown to Vaas while the other went straight to the prize waiting beneath her skirt, only for the pirate to freeze suddenly. Red's hands were busy as well, having worked their way past his belt while one hand dipped down below that and in an instant he forced the girl off him and onto her back with a snarl. "I know what the fuck you're up to. You ain't getting me with that bullshit again." To his utter confusion, Sorcha smiled in response like he'd said something that struck her as funny. "Look at you," She purred in a voice so obviously not her own, one that made unpleasant emotions real their ugly heads from where Vaas had shoved them away. "So big, strong, powerful..." Again Vaas forced himself away from the girl, this time with a desperation that hadn't been there before as he swore harshly under his breath. As if nothing was wrong Sorcha simply followed after him, still wearing the same smile that so reminded him of one he wanted to just forget. "Shhh... I am helping you." In her hand suddenly was a knife, carved from bone and etched beautifully in designs Vaas knew by heart, and yet it was a knife he'd gladly taken and destroyed years ago. Inhumanly fast Sorcha lunged forward, again so she was straddling his lap as she brought the knife down into his left eye. With a whole body jolt that set the wound to aching again Vaas woke, eyes wide as he found nothing but the tiny shack around him and the welcome feel of the rum bottle still in his hand. "FUCK that shit." Ignoring the ache this time he propped himself up on one elbow to chug the rest of the contents, welcoming the burn of the alcohol as it went down and even more welcoming of the numbness that would follow. Waiting for him up on the table nearby was yet another bottle, if he could just sit up to get it... Better yet, he noticed, was the little black radio someone had left next to it. With a grimace he leaned forward enough to get his fingers around the device, bringing that back to his cot first before sitting a little further to get his third bottle and flop ungracefully back to his spot. Somehow, he knew Red had kept that radio she'd borrowed from that heavy gunner. How exactly Vaas knew, he didn't know, but he did anyway. Red liked to taunt and she liked to hurt, and she'd gone through the trouble to get it off that pirate... Hadn't he even seen her carrying it? Even if they weren't listening now, they would be. The radio towers made sure the pirates' radios didn't lose signal no matter where they were on the island. And wherever those girls had found to crash for the night, Vaas honestly hoped they were just as comfortable as he was. "Hey, nenas," He rasped into the radio, pausing to clear his throat before continuing. "You found somewhere to sleep, yeah? I hope so. Because as soon as I am up again we are all gonna play, ok? And you are gonna need a lot of energy for that." Again he stopped, this time to pry the seal off his new bottle to discard the cork, throwing it elsewhere in the shack. He wouldn't need it anyway; this one was going to wind up empty just the same as its predecessors. "It's my fucking island. Mine. You think you can hide from me forever, uh? Crees que no te puedo encontrar? Yeah... No one ever tried that before. I always find them. And you... I got a special eye out for you. I hope you sleep good tonight. You'd better." - Overall it would have gone better then how it had gone. And it also could have gone a whole lot worse. Because if there was any fact of the matter here? It was that Vaas was a machine. An insensitive, wordless, and powerful machine when it called for it – concerned only with the glitch in it's system and or the failure in one of his circuits. Every man knew that he could tear their head's damn near clean off their necks if they let him, if he was mad enough. That was why they all kept their distance from him when he was put into compromise – usually that didn't save any of them anyway but they acted out of self preservation. The men that held him down against the cot all knew that he might just get up in two hours and come hunting for their ballsacks for doing him like they did, that was why the population of the outpost had dwindled down to just a few meandering bodies with AR's nestled against reeking red shirts by the time to sun had sunk down below the horizon. Because no matter how much you helped Vaas, no matter how good your intentions, he would still come after you to remind everyone and you that he wasn't weak. And with these last few days being rough – Vaas was going to come down on all of them even harder then usual, because he was angry, because he knew his reputation had been torn apart, and there was nothing so bad as a crazy man with a busted up ego. The King would do what the King did best – what he always did that got him to where he was in the first place. And if he couldn't get this hands around the necks of a few pretty American girls then it was gonna be all his men that would be the next best thing. Benny imagined he would be the first victim so Benny did what the crafty son of a bitch that he was always did – he pandered to the wants of the crazy kid before he even knew what he was wanting to begin with. After all Benny hadn't been here for a decade and lived because of his charming good looks. So he has pushed a thick brown bottle into the pirate's hands while he lied there, sliding slowly into shock on that cot after the haphazard medical attempts that left him looking worse then before. Benny knew Vaas well enough to know that when things like this happened? When shit just didn't go right, when the kid was hurting, that the only way to smother the the snarling beast was to drown him with the good stuff, the kinda stuff that made him forget why he cared in the first place. The good stuff in this case happened to be a crate of Rum – ironic really. But it was Vaas' poison in the end and hell be damned if he didn't accept the smooth to touch and sexy sort of sleek object as a personal apology from the ex-soldier who sat across from him in a rickety old chair nursing a beer of his own through the first bottle – if only to make sure the boy didn't choke on the stuff. The first bottle disappeared quickly and the second had been promptly passed to him and like a babe in the crib Vaas nursed this bottle absently, as the shock of what had happened to him finally took hold. It was something that couldn't be avoided really but it wasn't like he hadn't been here before. And each time Vaas just had to be left alone to process through the overload of emotions and triggers and crazy. So Benny had taken his leave eventually, about halfway through that second bottle, and emerged out into the humid outside to find Carlos seated upon a munition's crate as he contemplated the face if his phone. Slowly Benny had approached and looked downward upon the device who's name read “Big Boss” and quickly Benny stole the phone from the masked Asian's hands. “He don't need to know.” Benny stated, waving the phone in a sort of scolding gesture at the seventeen year old. “He do.” Carlos argued, slanted eyes closing slightly in agitation. “Boss got enough of a shitstorm coming his way, if Hoyt's gonna hear it from anyone it's gonna be from him, we mind our business – did we find Mauve?” Quietly the Asian shook his head, and Benny growled in was seemed like annoyance but really it was relief. The last thing any of them needed was to suffer the presence of that particular beast. And at the very least...tonight would be quiet for once. - The Library will be closing in ten minutes. Her chest heaved as she lifted up from the warmed surface of paper and black typeface. Amber eyes blinked open and wandered the scene before her, a familiar sight of the college library top floor. A spacious display of white matte walls and wooden tables and rows of towering bookcases and computers that lined the wall. Sudden relief washed over her as her fingers shot up to touch upon her chest , finding only smooth uninterrupted skin that was just slightly erect in the chill of the library so late at night. No grotesque wound threatening to scar and no pain as she lifted and moved her arm freely, a feeling that she'd all too quickly forgotten what it was like. She blinked again as she groaned, fingertips sliding across her eyelids as she jostled her thin reading glasses sideways upon her face. “God...” She grumbled, shaking her head as her eyes trained over the rims of her glasses upon the book she'd made good use of as a pillow that laid out mercilessly on it's spin on the table. Fingers fluttered through the pages of exotic beaches and old carvings of jades and bronzes and old ships and cloudy dragons in the sky as she turned the book to close. History of Southeast Asia The title had read and she sighed deeply, taking in the scenery again. Had it all just been one bad dream after another? The library will be closing in five minutes The announcement rang out again and quietly she remembered where she was and why she was here, here was where she came to study after classes and as part of a requirement a History class was a part of that roster. It all seemed so long ago, so unnatural and strange to sit here back in civilization where people didn't walk around with guns and and knives. It was almost foreign even. And as she leaned back in her chair she looked upon the title of the textbook again as the Malaysian and Spanish character reformed in her mind. Those darkened eyes that almost looked yellow and the smell of harsh cigarettes and sweat. The feel of his rough hands and the hardness of his body...and the sound of his voice. He seemed so real... all of it felt so real and yet – it was all fading away into a hazy blur of images and colors and sounds and dialogue that you knew was said but couldn’t remember. At one moment it was reality and the next it all blew away like fine grains of sand, lost into the folds of memory to be forgotten and stored away but always bode the chance to be jostled free by the right trigger. But there was no forgetting him, that man called Vaas. That was a face and a voice, a man real or fiction that would be with her forever and as her phone suddenly buzzed to life again – reminding her for the umpteenth time that it required her attention lured her out of her thoughts and sliding the thin device across the table into her digits she rose from the uncomfortable plastic chair and gathered up her books and packed them all away in the same routine she always did, the big ones first then the notebooks and the smaller books in front. And at the end she was left with a bag that felt as heavy as an elephant and a reminder to see the chiropractor again as she shuffled quickly out of the library before the staff went for their daggers. Outside she addressed her phone as the fall heat blazed upon her skin and the stink of the bayou crept into her nostrils as she weaved through the long arms of the campus willow tree to cut across to the street to get back home. Her hear sank in her chest to find eleven text from her mother waiting for her, each one consisting of various different and creative ways to ask her just where in the hell she was. And sighing she shook her head as she punched the digital letters to smooth her mother's worry with a simple 'Sorry, fell asleep in the library, going home now. I'm fine.' I'm fine. Famous last words those were and she just had to wonder if she really was all that fine... if she was able to create the devils that she had in that dream of hers. Just the very idea that they were figments of her own mind left her feeling uneasy as she shambled down the sidewalk to catch the last street car of the night that would take her relatively close to her residence, where she assumed Ash and Scha'tzi were at that very moment – both no doubt also wondering just where she was. Hurrying down the street the muggy air was almost suffocating as she breathed out in mild frustration of the heavy load on her shoulder and the heat making the process harder then it needed to be. At the corner she saw the familiar street lamp...flickering tonight for dear life to which she grumbled. Being out alone at night around here was one challenge, being alone on the street in the dark was a whole different sort of beast. And coming to stop at the corner her phone buzzed again with knew life in her hand and idly she lifted it, the bright light from the screen forcing her to squint at the new text. 'Hey~ how about the Philippines for graduation?' She felt her lips begin to part as she stared at that dark haired face smiling away in his contact picture. “Brian...” She whispered, feeling a cold stiffness in her chest to look at him in what felt like an eternity ago as images of his bloodied body ran through her might with a new vengeance and the guilt followed suit as the figure of another body ambled up the sidewalk to come to stand at her side as respectable distance. And all at once she began to feel uneasy where she stood...as if the ground had tilted diagonal as her knee's buckled slightly as the street car puttered by at a slow, unnatural pace. New Orleans was knowing for its colorful attractions, and those trolleys were no exception....except for this one that glided by like a ghost and shell of its former glory. Covered in rust and jagged sheet metal edges and broken in head lights as the street lamp suddenly flicked into a neon purple sort of hue, casting an ultraviolet glow onto the red spray painted letters scrawled across the tram's broken up body. Hunt. Fuck. Kill. The tags read as the vehicle screeched by and her bag slipped from her shoulders. Looking down at her feet she began to drown in her thoughts again as a wetness spread across her clothes and the fatal white glow of markings etched into her skin drew her attention to her arm and the blazing feathers of the phoenix burned into her eyes and the smell of cigarettes invaded her senses. Her jaw tightened as the red blotch on her chest continued to spread down the whiteness of her tank top, turning it crimson, as she turned her head slowly to find the taller, lean shape of the man who'd come up the sidewalk earlier. He stood there in jeans and boots and a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head. She watched him tensely as he plucked his cigarette from his lips and exhaled a slow pillar of smoke as he flicked the ash and embers to the sidewalk at his feet. “Hola cariño...” He finally spoke as he tilted his head to leer past his hood at her with a knowing grin, eyes yellow in the neon light, “Did you really think you were safe here?” Amber eyes snapped open in the darkness at the sound of his voice reverberating upon the dank cave walls as her head snapped upwards to find him....but in the dark was almost impossible. Her chest hammered as she breathed quickly and shallowly, a new wave of sickness overtaking her as the pain in her bones left her paralyzed upon the hard ground. As her eyes darted around he continued to speak through static so calm and alarmingly gentle as the sleep was banished from her eyes. Silently she listened as she found Ash's dim frame in the darkness that did little to hide the fear on her face before she realized where the static was coming from. And swallowing hard Sorcha's trembling digits slid down to find the plastic casing of the two way radio she'd taken from a very unfortunate pirate earlier in the day and pulled the clip free from the hem of her cargo pants. The little red button in the darkness was all she could see as if flickered green with each incoming message from the demon of her dreams and each word he spoke chilled her blood just a little bit more. Did you really think you were safe here? He whispered in her ear over and over again and she found Ash in the darkness again as she held the radio above her chest with trembling hands. This place was no dream...no matter how badly she wished it to be...this as reality right here...and reality wasn't about to cease to be either. And part of her knew the second she pulled the trigger that things would become so much worse then the worse they were already in...but she had no one to blame but herself for it. - The crackle of the radio was all that it took to draw back the attention of all his men who had forgotten about their misplaced boss by now. And it was the slow purr of his voice that had interrupted the conversation being held just outside the shack in which he rested and quietly Benny leered down at the radio he wore on his belt, realizing the boss was away...and the stupid kind of drunk too boot. The kinda drunk where shit got said that should never had gotten said...and where true emotions reared their ugly heads. And even though he sounded calm...they all knew he was anything but. Booze might have helped him to unwind himself from the thread splitting knots he was always in...but it didn't do nothing for how he really felt at the end of the day....just candy coated it. And quickly Benny was off his crate and stalking towards that little red door with Carlos on his heels. - It always was the best-laid plans that went astray. In this case, the plan had been for Ash to stay awake with her borrowed rifle trained on the entrance to the little cave. Sorcha needed what precious hours of sleep she could get, and in that time it seemed logical that the other should keep watch for safety's sake. While it didn't seem likely that the pirates would find them here, one never knew what surprises this place was just waiting to spring on them. If whatever had been prowling about down by the road was still on the hunt for a meal, it would have found a very easy one in the two exhausted women tucked away in the cave. But for all of maybe thirty minutes Ash had managed to keep her eyes on the door way, all the while doing her best to ignore the hunger and thirst that were beginning to nag at her now that she'd allowed herself a moment of some rest. That on top of the fatigue and soon the blonde's head had leaned back to rest against the wall she'd propped her back against, eyes closing of their own accord. Let your instincts guide you. The words again ringing in her head as clearly as if they'd been spoken in her ear, Ash's eyes snapped open again and immediately she brought a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun beating down on her face. As her eyes adjusted the surroundings slowly became more clear; the steep drop of the cliff to her right, the thick grass that in some places gave way to drier terrain and the slope of the ground that led out to the tiny beach below. Altogether the place was completely unfamiliar, and yet somehow it felt as though it was exactly where Ash needed to be. Blinking back the remaining effects of the light she pushed herself up to her feet to peer over the edge of the cliff and out at the ground below her. The beach was actually smaller than it had appeared before, the vast majority of the coast made up of huge rocks in this part and the sand only making up the spaces between some of them before stretching out in the opposite direction. A glance behind her, however, proved to have even less to offer with the impossibly thick trees blocking access to anything beyond the cliff and beach. Like some kind of video game, ham-fistedly telling her This is the way you have to go, not that way. “Perfect...” She muttered, eyes drawn again to the beach as she spoke. The largest of the rocks there extended out a ways into the crashing surf, and strangely enough it felt for all the world like that was where Ash needed to go next. “It's just a rock though...” Still her feet moved forward, traveling down the incline to the sandier ground as she made her way for the largest rock. Several times she nearly sent herself tumbling down the rugged formations, having placed her feet in spots where the waves had crashed hard enough to soak the area, but eventually it only became a matter of getting to the top of the largest rock. The goal finally reached, Ash straightened to look around better... and found nothing. This was where she'd needed to be, she was sure of it, but on all outward appearances it looked to be a completely ordinary, run of the mill rock. “Then what the hell...?” Ash sighed and threw her hands to the air in frustration, letting them simply fall back to her side after to minor outburst. Hey, nenas. That voice... In a panic now Ash whirled on her heel to find the man belonging to the voice, in the process losing her balance as the world seemed to tilt beneath her feet. In an instant there was only air in place of the solid surface as she fell to the water below, only briefly noticing in her fall that the front of the rock she'd fallen from was black and echoed her scream back to her. Before she could register exactly why this was she hit the water hard enough to stun her, and closed her eyes against the sting of salt water. When she opened them again she was back in the tiny cave... But Vaas was still talking. The flutter of panic now returning Ash raised the rifle at the cave opening, finding nothing there and the talking continuing from inside the cave. “Wha...? Oh...” At the sight of the radio in Sorcha's hands Ash quieted, listening intently to the message the pirate king was broadcasting for their benefit. It was all completely intended to scare them, to unnerve them into making mistakes and become easier to catch in the short term. The worst was knowing it wasn't just empty words- I always find them. Whoever those unfortunate souls had been who'd been caught again, they'd made the man confident in himself to the point that the thought of failure simply did not exist. Altogether it sat just fine with Ash- failure was very rarely a word that ever made its way into her vocabulary as well. And with the situation at hand, to fail was to simply die if they wound up that lucky. Being taken alive would without a doubt be the absolute worst possible scenario, and it meant that just as it was not an option for Vaas to fail... It wasn't for the girls either. But still, one thought nagged at Ash uncomfortably more than any other, even after Vaas' radio message had reached a point of silence. "You don't think he's going to find us all the way up here, do you...?" She murmured, managing to find Sorcha's face in the darkness of the cave. - Though he still had much more to say, as Vaas so often did once he'd gotten started, a much more pressing need had taken hold and that was to take several more long pulls off his bottle of rum. The burn of the alcohol going down did little to completely soothe the dulled pain radiating from his abdomen still, but it did make it much harder to pay attention to said pain. Anything was better than being left to the mercy of his subconscious anyway, even if it was only trying to distract himself from the now. What made it even easier to do was talking, though just as Vaas had raised the radio back to do exactly that the door to the outpost was flung open again. "Benny, hermano," He greeted with a leering grin, raising the entire bottle to wave rather than release it for even a moment. "Oh fuck." He swore under his breath as the neck dipped dangerously close to spilling his precious booze all over the grimy outpost floor. "What got you looking so upset uh? You worried? Oh shit, I didn't even see Carlos. How are you tonight uh?" - She'd stared at that red button for ages it felt like. One bright gleaming color in the darkness of a cold and hard hole she'd crawled into like some wounded animal that thought it had escaped the predator that had bitten it. But she'd done nothing more then corner herself here, she and Ash both. In a place like this... tight and enclosed spaces were the last places anyone wanted to be with a meandering army and psycho on the prowl. Movement was what counted in a place like this and the freedom to do it. But who could blame the animal for seeking out shelter in the storm? To run and hide was what had been taught to them since childhood when a bad man was in the midst. And by habit they did just that when any danger was afoot, remove themselves from sight. But the phrase 'out of sight out of mind' rarely applied...if at all. Keeping out of sight was a bother, a bother that would drive the mind into wild and dark places the longer they stayed underground. A sort of bother that didn't smooth over well with a man just like Vaas – who was self aware that he could not even think about allowing them to truly escape. But rather then admit it to himself...instead he made it into a little game that they didn't even know they were playing – a game called Tag. And if that red little button was any indicator then so was his voice that purred over the radio waves. Sweet little words and a pleasant tone that couldn't have been any more poisonous even if he'd swallowed bleach. This was just the first grope for a hold upon them, the ultimate warning before the attack – like a tigers growl or the hiss of a snake. He was reminding them that he was still there...out there, waiting and watching. Reminding them that no matter how hard they tried there was no victory waiting at the finish line for them because they had already lost. No matter where they hid...he would find them eventually. No matter what they did – there was no one here to help them. And once he found them...and he would find them... then they would know what true hell was and what happened to disobedient little girls. And when the red button blinked off to signal the closure of the feed Sorcha was left to struggle for breath against the incessant aching and the thundering of her heart in her chest. Left to think long and hard about what to do next. And the last thing she wanted was to be sitting in darkness. Cringing she'd turned onto her side, quiet as she forced the mechanisms of her body to twist and turn and bend unwillingly against the pain and the exhaustion. Like rusted hinges they all most an inch at a time until the muscles had relaxed and shaking she drew up to her feet knowing well that their moment of rest was now over. They had to keep moving if they were ever going to make it to this doctors house at the other side of this hellish island. But in the thicket of the jungle and at their permission of the predators in it...it seemed almost an impossible feat for two scared city slick girls with a couple of guns and a little ammo left. But what was really worse? Being eaten by some savage beast, bitten by a snake or spider, impaled by boars in the pursuit of survival and help? Or giving up to be taken back into the thick, veined arms of a wild eyed junkie on a power trip and a bruised ego? She couldn't speak for Ash...but Sorcha preferred the elements to man any day. Even if she couldn't make it...she had to try to and if she tried hard enough she would crawl through that doctors doorstep. But staying here on neutral ground and standing wasn't in their best interests right now. What was in their interest was to put more land between they and him and all his own. The time to rest was for later...when they were safe. And right now they were not safe. “He can and he will if we stay here.” Sorcha replied grimly, though it was the last thing she wanted to do... but it was so much worse to give false hope. The fact was there was more of him then there were them and Sorcha ventured to guess that at least a percentage of them were smart enough to use tracking skills. They might have been smugglers and traffickers and dealers but they'd all made a home here in some degree, a hostile takeover by the looks of things, they knew these parts – knew them a lot better then two American girls. Sighing she limped across the cave floor and emerged out into the milky blue light of a high moon above the canopy that shined down in silver rays onto the jungle floor, pulling her tattered, stained, and stinking with sweat over shirt off. It still bore the rip through the fabric and the deep, disgusting, greenish brown stain from her own blood on it's front as she twisted the sleeves around her hands for a moment. Anyone would have throw it away but she held onto it...a sordid reminder of events that she'd forgotten. And coiling the garnet she wiped the sweat from her neck with it and tied it around her waist after. She'd thought it had been hot during the day...the night felt five times worse and looking around the jungle scape she could hear the howls of the animals hiding inside of it. Monkey's yowled and bellowed, but the birds were silent, while other inexplicable things sang and shouted. Some where there was a growl that could only have belonged to a larger cat and quietly she stepped back beneath the cave's stony eave for a moment as she fumbled for the radio clipped to the hem of her pants. “We have to leave...” She informed her blonde companion as she raised the radio to her lips with an idea, but looked at the girl to stop judging her. It was better that they gained a head start while he was down and out...even if he meant to frighten them Sorcha knew pain when she heard it...and the gravel of his tone was an obvious sign that he had been lying down for his entire message. - The sight of the pirate king was ...something to behold. To put it gently. The mangled bundle of nerves and blood shot eyes from rage and eyes so dark it was like he was missing them entirely. He looked even more a lunatic then usual...like a crackhead in need of another hit. And Benny knew that was exactly what he was in need of. It'd been hours since his last hit on the boulder...and Vaas was already down to about forty five minutes in between so he knew, they all knew he was on the edge. He could see the sweat dripping down his skin and the quiver in his limbs, that hiding desperation in his eyes all masked and dulled by the poison in his hand. Vaas was already on his third bottle of sweet and bitter stinging rum – the only reason the man was as docile as he was. Because ironically enough...the boss was an angel when he was intoxicated – but when he was high? He was a walking hazard. Benny found him, like a child caught being naughty trying to grin it all away even though he was making the situation so much worse. And if Benny knew something...he knew enemy actions. They didn't have to worry about those girls coming for them in the middle of the night...but they did have to worry about them getting farther away. Because that was what fear did to people who felt like they had no way out. And crossing the cabin he snatched the radio from Vaas' hand, never mind it was like prying a toy from a two year old and sighed as he leaned back against the edge of the table, hooking his knee over the corner as Carlos snaked into the cabin as well. “We don't know where they are Boss. And you keep taunting them.” Benny stated, the radio loose in his fingers as he removed his yellow shaded sunglasses for once in not often enough. “Now they gonna run even farther and we're not gonna be able to follow after them because you gotta do see Dr. E in the morning.” Not that parenting Vaas was ever really effective but Benny did hate it when the best laid plans went awry, and loosing those girls was not a loss he was willing to have on his record – not with his real boss who was counting on him to corral them in the right direction so they could survive this place with some sort of dignity. Carlos, the right hand, was silent of course – never being a man of many words until those words were truly needed and quietly he crossed the room to inspect the bloody bandages and choppy stitch work hiding underneath with a frustrated sigh. “Jiangshi must pay.” He stated, leering past his own sunglasses to his mentor left for dead on that cot by some uppity American slave girl, “Jiangshi will pay.” “What the hell does that even mean?” Benny questioned as the radio crackled to life in his hand sudden. ”Good luck.”Her voice rasped with pain and sleep and exhaustion that made his blood run cold. “It mean....undead.” Carlos replied, where truer words had never been more spoken. - Sorcha paused then at the mouth of the cave from a pace she had settled into just long enough to deliver her disobedient and rebellious message to Vaas and anyone else who was listening. Waiting patiently for the desired effect that she hoped it would earn her...assuming he had passed out or died anyway. “Don't look at me like that.” She growled towards Ashley as she cradled the radio against her chest to muffle any impending sounds so that any other radios in the area would be far louder and unintentionally give way all positions of any pirates in their area. - Even with Benny's warnings, Vaas could only snort his amusement, shrug and take another long pull off his bottle. "Don't matter if they run, Benito," He chuckled almost good-naturedly as he paused to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. As was often the case with liquor it had made Vaas a little more sloppy than usual, very nearly pouring some of his rum onto the floor again in a sweeping gesture of his arm that very nearly toppled him off his cot. "Where the fuck they gonna go uh? Where they gonna run to? You know where they got to go? Some bullshit little hiding places, yeah- on MY fucking island. Plus now I know what bitch smells like." He snickered at his own joke that neither of these men would get- hell, Vaas himself didn't exactly know why he found it so funny, couldn't even remember why the phrase was in his head- and began to raise the bottle again when the radio crackled back to life. In an instant Vaas had frozen, eyes going just a little bit wild at the sound of Sorcha's voice coming through. Good luck. Good luck? "Who the fuck this bitch think she is?" With the visceral rage beginning to bubble up despite the thick blanket of alcohol in his system, he managed only a strangled whisper, and something distinctly not right had set into his eyes. "Gimme the fucking-" Immediately Vaas was lurching forward, barely managing to stay on his feet but succeeding in ripping the radio from Benny's hands to clench in his own. The rum bottle was quickly forgotten to clatter to the floor and spill the contents across the dirty concrete, but either Vaas didn't notice or didn't care. He was already lost in making his drunken fingers work the talk button on the device, swearing under his breath until he'd finally achieved his goal of making himself heard. "You think you're fucking smart? Uh?" He demanded, swatting absentmindedly at Benny to keep him from retrieving the radio from the infuriated pirate king's grasp. "You think just because you popped a shot off you won this game? I am so fucking disappointed!" No doubt his voice had carried all the way to the few men still standing guard outside, but again it was either a matter of not noticing or simple indifference. Vaas was on a roll, and wouldn't be stopped until he was good and ready to stop or until he simply ran out of steam. Most times it was anyone's guess which of the two would come first, and the same held true now with the wild look in the man's eye. Some snarky little American girl had seen fit to poke the tiger with a stick and set it to snarling now, and unfortunately this was a creature that held onto grudges for dear life. "Crees que puedes venir a mi casa y me jodas? ME?! Huh? You have no fucking idea con quién estás jodiendo. None. So good fucking luck to you. You are gonna need it when I come looking for you. You don't got anything to say now uh? I know you still listening chica. Did you tell Blondie that everything's gonna be ok, uh? It's not. You run as fast as you can chica. But I'ma catch up real quick." Finally he stopped to draw in a rattling breath, now becoming acutely aware of the pain he'd set ablaze again in his abdomen. Some small presence of mind allowed him to release the button before letting out a guttural gran as he laid himself gingerly back out on the cot, his free hand groping along the floor blindly until he'd located his rum again. "This is some bullshit," He rasped shortly before chugging the depleted remains of his third bottle and waving it carelessly in Benny's direction. "Benny, man. I think I need another one. Fuck this shit..." To be sure, Sorcha was right. No one could deny that and Ash certainly wouldn't. The fact of the matter was that they did need to keep moving, just as much as the painfully short rest stop had been needed. Though what Ash guessed to be roughly three hours and maybe some change was nowhere near enough rest for either of them, they were just going to have to make do. While hiding was what was instinctive, being on the move was what would put distance between them and Vaas and make it harder to be found. And ultimately that was the number one priority right now, to keep away from that man to keep on surviving. Otherwise Sorcha was right again, he would find them like he'd found countless others. So without further hesitation Ash pushed herself to her feet again to climb out of the little hiding spot to follow Sorcha back out into the night. The one silver lining of sorts was the light of the moon that shone down unimpeded by any city lights, illuminating the island much better than one would think. The one downside, of course, was that to make use of said light they would also potentially give themselves away just as well. The sight of Sorcha raising that radio gave her pause in surveying the moonlight island laid out around them, her brows furrowing in confusion. She was answering him, the man who'd just finished threatening them and promising to make good on those threats? With wide eyes she only watched as Sorcha gave her short, taunting answer with what little energy she had, staring up at the girl in vague horror. Vaas was going to be out for blood now if he wasn't before, unless by some miracle he hadn't heard her answer. Such was not the case, given evidence by the sudden explosion coming from the radio that Sorcha tried to muffle. With the looks Ash was getting, the pseudo-plan dawned on her then as somewhere a little ways off the putter of a vehicle was coupled with the same shouting that emanated from the radio Sorcha held, though it quickly faded again as it passed by unaware. "I'm not judging or anything, just... Well. He's mad," She answered quietly, nodding toward the radio that no amount of muffling could totally drown out. How long he would continue was anyone's guess, which meant they really did have to get moving, and right now. Thankfully Sorcha seemed a little more there than before, so to speak, but she was still in bad need of proper medical care. "Alright, the village is that way... And Dennis said the doctor wasn't much further than that. Let me see the- Oh." She broke off to frown at the thought; with the pilfered cellphone still off and powering it back on was not an option, it left them with no map and therefore no means of navigating properly. "We don't have a map now. And we kind of need one." Somehow going back to Amanaki to ask for one seemed like it was going to be totally off the table, after whatever Vaas had done to terrify those poor people as Dennis had predicted he would. "...we'll figure something out on the way there," She sighed, looking over the rifle before beginning the trek back down the side of the cliff. Going back down was far easier than trying to climb up it while exhausted half to death, though what was far more concerning than a few climbs was the jungle ahead. It was eerie at night, more so than it could ever hope to be during the day, with the way the canopy blocked what little light was shining down and the chorus of whatever creatures made it their home. It felt for all the world like they were about to walk into some scene of a nightmare, giving Ash a final moment to pause and draw in a breath to steel her nerves. "You're gonna be ok?" - If there was anything consistent about this island it was the noise. No matter the time of the day or where the sun and the moon was there was always something to break the silence. The laughter of men, the cry of an exotic bird, the howl of monkey's and snarls of tiger's, even just the breeze rattling through the leaves was enough. The island was always alive in some way...sometimes in stranger, frightening ways then one would expect. Always there was a song... but in that moment there was no more singing, there was no more smiles, no endearment...not even breathe. Just cold, crushing silence. A quiet so intense that you'd have heard a pin drop across the room when that wild look ignited in Vaas' hazel eyes. The kind of quiet right before Armageddon. And Benny knew, deep in his heart, that is was coming...and it was gonna hit harder then usual, they all knew what was about to happen. Carlos had drawn distance between he and that cot...but Benny he couldn't so much as blink before their young King had scrambled up from that cot like bat out of hell and ripped the radio right out of his white knuckled hand, mindless of his own wounds and the ripping of stitches as madness drove him forward to lash back at the defiance of the slave on the other side of that radio – that steadfast creature, that one that got away. Benny wasn't wrong... the wave of rage hit him like the angry waves of the ocean in the storms, his fingers ached from the violent removal from the device held in his hand, and Vaas' rage filled slurs held them all frozen in their place. No one dared to move, to speak, not even to blink. It didn’t matter that he wasn't addressing a single one of them, but the inexplicably toned voice over the waves, but by proxy they all felt the same amount of dread that that girl might have been feeling herself at the moment. Except for Benny, ever steely in his endeavors. He had seen worse men then Vaas, worse then Hoyt even. He was a carefully molded soldier right down to the very end. He'd seen the battlefields and survived the mortars and land mines. He seen his comrades die slowly and painfully, or quickly and in pieces, hell he'd had to put down a few of them out of mercy. He also been inside the lions mouth so the speak, had to smile and agree and laugh along with the monsters that terrorized the innocent, he had to become just like them to survive, play mimic for the greater good. And in the process perhaps he'd lost his sense of self ...and when Benny wasn't able to act he was just absolute, a nothing, a drone waiting for an order and recording every detail. And the details were both gruesome and confusing. It didn't take much anger this cockatoo. The kinda drugs he took did that to people, the more you take the sorter the temper and weaker the high. So you took more to get to that place in the clouds where all the pain stopped and all the betrayal didn't mean a thing without ever realizing just how much of you crumbled away each and every line that was blurred. And sometimes when a person fell apart like that...something was left standing there in its place, that deep manifested darkness that drove them to medicate in the first place, the demon that tormented them – finally given freedom to act as it would desire too. Such a demon was what Vaas became more and more each and everyday. It was this demon that screamed right now in fatal attempt to remind that girl that she couldn't, and wouldn't win. It was this demon that every man here feared and respected. But there was something so very different in Vaas' tone. It wasn't just anger or insult, it wasn't just the raving of a madman, hell it wasn't even some deep and unconscious fear. Benny could see it in the intensity of his eyes, a fire much hotter then wrath burning inside of him, he wanted to call it excitement... but it was so much more then that. Benny dared to wonder if it was some kind of primal, male born, desire in his eyes and his brow creased as he on autopilot tried to take the radio back to stop the kid from hurting himself even more, and failed even that simple task. Benny didn't even know why, it wasn't like he wanted him to live or anything. He just did...because it was his act. He had to be one of them right now. And the silence returned amongst them, as Vaas dropped himself back down onto his cot with a groan they all felt in their chests. And Benny moved from the table to try again for that radio, only for Vaas to inexplicably move it further from his reach and beg for another bottle of rum. Benny almost felt like a babysitter, maybe even like the father of a two year old post tantrum...but it was all still too damn quiet. And that meant that this wasn't over... he knew Vaas – and he liked to think he knew that hotheaded girl. Last thing she was going to be was silent. Vaas was out of steam right now... but that wouldn't last forever, and the way he kept the radio from him was indicative behavior. Vaas was waiting for her to reply, hoping for it. He wanted her to speak again...because it would allow the game to continue, allow him to find that edge and her weakness', it would allow him into her world again where he would be a man of great importance and it didn't matter if he was the villain or the hero, only that he existed there. “I'll get you another one.” Benny replied reluctantly as he drew back from the cot, having lost the battle for ownership of the radio and turned on his heels, heavy steps announcing his and Carlos' exit from the shack. And Benny was right, Sorcha wasn't a silent sort of person, she also wasn't easily intimidated either. And put together she was an acidic molotov of tempered flames and ice cold steel. She wasn't always the brightest bulb in the box...but she was the quickest one to light up out of the rest. A week in this place had already changed her beyond recognition, something that her companion sorely noticed, but a week in this place had also granted her bearings that slowly but surely were rooting deeper into the soil so much so that the sharp and white hot abuse that made the radio quiver and crackle in overblown agony in her digits had a lessened reaction from her. Benny was almost right about her silence, maybe a week ago she'd have immediately screamed some insult right back into his face but that girl... she wasn't here anymore. What stood in her skin was a pale comparison of the bright eyed, stoic, and cruel young girl – what stood was a husk of cold and bitter resentment, a standoffish shadow with a mind of meticulous gears and cogs that ever turned, something unnatural and devoid of almost all reaction and feeling. A pretty, broken, and savaged creature that was beyond anger but not beyond revenge. Pain was what this man had given her and all those around her, pain and fear that left one of them dead, another frozen in fear, and a good, strong woman shaking in her boots – looking at her like she didn't even recognize what she was looking at anymore. It took a lot to make Ash doubt her company like she was right now. But Sorcha couldn't help that anymore, she could just be someone that died when a bullet ripped open her chest, someone who's soul had been taken right out of her the second that man jumped on top of her. All that pain and anguish was her friend now, and she would make sure they all felt her dread in every kind of way. In her silence she was frowning in response to Vaas' raging words, understanding every single one of them but she was only half listening to the noise. Somewhere on the road a vehicle roared by completely unaware to their vicinity, each radio blasted with the same voice, the same words, across the same entire network of red shirted pirate that plagued this island. In that pale darkness she learned where the road was and she learned that they were not alone. It was hard to distinguish at first but when jungle had silenced itself she'd heard it just well enough, an echo of Vaas' voice both far off on that road and in her ear yet slightly further off in the opposite direction. In that very moment Vaas had aided her, in that moment she'd zeroed into the stray fawn that ignorantly wandered away from it's mother. But the outburst had ended almost as quickly as it began and Sorcha merely shook her head. “I'm past mad.” Came her cold reply to the girl as she tried to reason with her in the only way she knew how, reminding her that Vaas was like hornets nest – a nest in which she continued to poke at. But despite whether or not Sorcha had any true sense or sanity, the fact remained that there was prey nearby...and she was onto his scent. All that mattered was finding it as she lurched down the hillside at a truly pitiful pace to say the least, cringing often with each other step that forced any kind of resistant pressure onto her wounded leg while she cradled her half dead arm against her once more. The nerves had deadened sometime during sleep, and with it the pain was almost unnoticeable. It was far from healthy, nor good, but she would take it. Halfway down the hillside she'd begun to speed up, ignoring the jarring discomfort in favor of gravity helping her off the hill more quickly and once her feet hit level ground Vaas' handgun was produced from the hem of her pants and she idly pulled back the slide to launch the next bullet into the chamber of the gun. But Sorcha only mildly chuckled at Ash's next question as she turned the radio in her fingers, “Yes.” Came her only reply seconds later as she rose the radio to her lips again. “Ah, don't flatter yourself , sugar.” Sorcha began, staring intently into the void of the jungle as she motioned for Ash to stay behind her, “Your needle dick did nothing for me, really. I almost wish I'd gotten Douglas.” Now all that was left was to wait and watch. -

"Yeah ok. I'ma be here." Like there was anywhere he'd be going with the extra damage he'd done to his own self, really. With the promise of another bottle on the way Vaas let his head fall back against his makeshift pillow, blinking slowly up at the ceiling. Had it not been for the redhead taunting him over the radio he likely would have already drifted off and given in to the shroud of booze, but such was not the case now. Now his head spun from both bottle and seething fury directed at the louder mouthed of the two escapees. Already Vaas had begun to imagine how exactly he'd go about recapturing the two runaways; more specifically his head was swirling with thoughts of what would befall that redhead once he'd already caught them. Those were pleasant thoughts, enough to make him start to relax his tensed muscles again and stare up at the ceiling with an almost-smile playing at his lips, the images of his shack and his compound house and maybe even Pirate Cove if he decided to be a little adventurous. Those were good thoughts finally. Red wouldn't be barking nearly so loud once Vaas managed to convince her otherwise, and let himself idly stare at the wall as the possibility of sleep with good dreams began to drift closer. From somewhere far away Sorcha's voice had somehow made its way to his attention, the realization making him blink in incomprehension until the slight vibrations from the plastic box in his had made Vaas understand why he'd be hearing it. All at once he snapped back to attention, just in time to catch the redhead's next choice words crackling out of the speaker. If he'd been furious before Vaas didn't even know a word to describe what this was and could only listen in wide-eyed rage as Sorcha went on. Now she really was just fucking with him, he knew full well, but Vaas above all things was a creature with a massive but easily bruised ego, an ego that this redheaded slave had set to dealing blows to. I almost wish I'd gotten Douglas. If Sorcha had been looking to strike nerves she'd achieved her goal spectacularly, leaving Vaas laying in his cot looking nothing short of a lunatic. In that moment words failed the motormouthed pirate for nearly a solid 30 seconds before he sat straight up to rise from the cot again, ignoring the newly-flared agony. The nerve of this bitch. It evaded his attention entirely at that moment that the aforementioned dick couldn't possibly have done anything for her seeing as he'd never gotten the chance, and right then he wouldn't have cared even if it had occurred to him. "You think you are just so fucking big and bad uh?" He snarled into the radio, not noticing that he'd begun to pace like a caged wild animal. "Ok. Ok I'ma remember that when I find your ass, and I better not hear any fucking crying when I do. You don't know how fucked you are, not yet. But it's ok, it's all ok. You just wait for me chica." It was his normal M.O to break things when he was angry, everyone knew this of Vaas. When the man was on a warpath he left a literal trail of destruction behind him, and it rarely mattered what he got his hands on, it would end up broken more often than not. The same was about to hold true for the radio, he'd even cocked his hand back to dash the device against the wall when a strangely lucid thought made its way to the front of his mind. She'd gotten the radio from somewhere hadn't she? He'd even heard the strangled dying scream of the man she'd taken it from. He moved like a man possessed and flung the door open, the resulting bang making the nearby men jump and swear, only able to watch in something like awe as Vaas stalked off into the darkened jungle. "Is he for real-? EY, Benny!" The sniper atop the roof called out, but the pirate king was already lost among the trees even to the sniper's eyes. Though very little light shone down to assist him in traversing the jungle, Vaas needed none of it at all to hone in on the place he'd been shot at. The pain became something like a distant memory with his new goal laid out before him, a fact that he'd likely pay for later when he had to deal with all the haphazard stitches he'd ripped but in the moment it didn't matter. All that mattered now was getting there, locating the downed heavy gunner and discerning how exactly he'd fallen. Why he needed to know all of a sudden, Vaas just plain had no fucking idea. He just did. It was easiest to just let his feet carry him along without thought and he was far happier to just do that instead of pay attention to what he was only making worse, or pay attention to the dark red beginning to seep through his shirt. Eventually he found himself standing among the clearing, glaring down at the dried blood stains on the grass and scanning the jungle floor. It had been hours ago but he still vividly remembered the direction she'd come from and still had the energy to follow it, and wasted no time in doing exactly that. Whatever Vaas had expected, this wasn't it at all. This man in his prime had been a good 300-something pounds and strong as an ox, but here he was, very dead and very much no longer in his prime. "Fuck, man..." Where the heavy's left eye had been there was only a bloodied stick in place, driven far back into his skull that an experimental tug on it only resulted in lifting the dead man's entire head. It was only standing in front of the man that Vaas then understood why he'd needed to see it; it proved him right about that girl. Sorcha liked to hurt and taunt about it, and if this and his own wound weren't enough proof of that then he didn't know what was. All that together was enough to draw a burst of harsh laughter from the pirate that set his wound alight again, and yet his smile stayed in place. If this was how she could play, that was good. That was really good, because that just meant he didn't have to play nearly so gently. Good luck... They'd need it once he was fixed up the right way. From somewhere in the near-ish distance another radio squawked with Vaas' infuriated answers, though the sound only half registered as Ash looked over the redhead. Something was off in a bad way about Sorcha, almost enough to make her not recognize the girl she'd called her sister for some time now. But of course that was going to be the case; wasn't she herself going to be a little off after all this so far? Whether it was just the mixture of trauma and pain or something deeper that made her act this way, it was still up in the air. Even that chuckle had sounded wrong to Ash's ears, but she could only hope it was something that would right itself with time and care. They still had survival to worry about, and though it was dangerous Sorcha's plan did seem to work wonders. Her next taunt was a low blow, enough to make Ash wince as she listened in. If she didn't know better she'd have almost started to think Sorcha was just enjoying herself, goading the injured Vaas into his furious fits of temper while he was helpless to only yell at her. This time, however, there was no yelling like before. Vaas' tone was all animal, bringing to mind images of a snarling dog ready to bite the moment it got the chance. Frankly Ash would have preferred the yelling, it felt safer somehow than this not quite quiet threat. At the very least, the man carrying the radio on his own made it easy enough to locate him still in the darkened jungle. "...ugh, it burns like a mother when I piss," The pirate complained to the unfortunate tree he'd chosen. "Should have used a rubber." Trailing behind Sorcha as they slipped further into the treeline, another somewhat unwelcome memory resurfaced from the forest she and the reverend had frequented on hunting trips. Walk like I taught you or you're gonna scare everything off from here to Dallas, his voice snapped at the younger self in her head. Though her teeth automatically grit together her feet nonetheless fell into the familiar hunter's tread, each step coming down carefully to not rustle the thick grass below. They'd approached the nature-called pirate with apparent health problems, but the question foremost in Ash's mind was Now what? With how Sorcha's pace had quickened she'd known there had to be something she had in mind, but what that was hadn't been made readily apparent yet. She could hazard a guess that the night was going to end badly for their plagued prey only yards away relieving himself, and could further surmise it would end with the bullet she had ensured was chambered.

-

You thought my dick was just fine when you was in my little shack, your girl did too. Vaas' tone was noxious and sickening as his Spanish tones crackled through the radio in her hand and it was enough to white wash any shade she had in her already shadeless skin. But he didn't stop there as her fingers tightened, holding the radio in a vice grip, as he continued to talk. The image of neon lights returned in full force, reds and pinks and blues left spots on her eyes as the manic scratches upon the walls surfaced from some dark recess of her mind. Imagines of white chalk eyes scratched and cut into the rusted metal walls, all with pupils downward towards the mattress' and old smelly pillows...all of them watching like some dark master over the entire room. She felt her stomach turn as the bile rose in her throat anew and her entire body suffered a shudder that radiated from tense shoulders down to her knee's which almost buckled. She closed her eyes, banishing the memories, and swallowed down the terrible need to vomit again. For him she had no more words, the threat of tears stung her eyes behind closed lids and silently she lowered the radio and clipped it back into the loop of her pants. She couldn't think about that right now and though shaken she reminded herself of her purpose here. Get Scha'tzi, keep Ash, and leave this hell hole.

This man had a legendary temper to say the least. Always something visceral to say and aimed where it would hurt the most. Always having the last word because he thought it meant he won, even if he didn't. But it wasn't about who shut up first, it was about who had done the most damage without either one touching the other. The simple fact was she didn't know this man, she didn't know the peak of things he was capable of and she didn't want to find out. But it didn't change the fact that he was coming, and whether she liked it or not, that was the reality of the situation. Whether she wanted to or not he was going to come hunting her down like some animal, and the reality was she was going to have to either run and hope for survival or kill him first. It didn't matter if she provoked him or pretended like he didn't exist, it wasn't going to stop him from finding her. That was the absolute, and while Ash didn't understand it, Sorcha wanted this to end sooner rather then prolong suffering. It was her fatalist design and she hoped that Ash never became a part of it, she hoped that her sister could retain some shred of innocence after this place. Because if anyone was getting off this rock, it was going to be Ash, be it either with friends or alone. That was all Sorcha could guarantee her, freedom.

As her feet slid down the loose leaves she paused upon the incline with eyes set upon the dark, moving creature beneath the cover of leaves and weeds while he burped disgustingly loud at the tree he'd chosen to piss on. Her nose already wrinkled at the smell that would hit her eventually anyway, as if the stench of three day un-washed, sweat, booze, vomit, piss, and disease wasn't burning her nose enough from the distance that she was away from him – might as well add whatever he had eaten recently on top of it too. Even as Vaas' tones continued to hiss and snarl through the radio the man barely seemed to flinch as he focused on his task, as if it was a daily occurrence to hear Vaas threatening bodily harm onto some poor fool, never mind that it was the escaped slave that this man was supposed to be keeping an alert eye out for. But judging by his stance and the way that he simply flicked off the power knob of his radio to shut the man up told her that this individual rightly gave no fucks about any lost slaves on the island. “Christ... someday im'a put a bullet in his mouth. Yeah. Then I’ll be da King!” The pirate spoke in a gravelly tone and Sorcha quickly mimed, silencing her radio as well as her digits tightened upon the smooth, heavy handle of her enemies handgun she still held close to her hip. And sliding down the remainder of the incline the man snorted as he jostled himself back into his pants with a whispered swear about the smell of it.

“Betteh go see da Doctah.” He quietly commented after a moment of examination of what she could only gather was his gnarled up dick. “You want a band aid for that, sugar?” Sorcha asked as the barrel of handgun pressed into the man's dreadlocks and he froze in place, “Oh fuck,” the man managed to utter as the pistol bellowed out a mighty roar that banged through the jungle and startled away the birds and the monkey’s that had been peacefully dreaming not seconds ago as red sprayed across her face and blinked away the stung of it in her eyes as she stumbled back slightly in recoil. From the trees the black bodies erupted into the sky to flee sharp sound while the other animal's yowled for one another from the canopy. The pirates body fell immediately with a sickening thud as brain matter and red began to paint the jungle floor a whole new color and call out to scavengers to come feast as she wiped her hand over her face and glanced down at the handgun's barrel. Still looked like there was some ammo left in it, though how many more rounds she could be sure of.

And stepping over the body the eruption of manly laughter close by forced her to pause over the dark skinned man's corpse as amber eyes scanned the terrain in shock.

“Hey Juan! What happened? Did a leopard attack your balls man?” A new voice bellowed outwards from the twisting grime of nature while a reprise chorus of deep laughter followed. Seemed this boy wasn't alone. Slowly she turned to look at Ash as she canted her head in the direction of the voices before she finished her step over the dead man and shuffled through the bodies of trees, coming to crouch down as the jungle ended and the main road began where two red painted vehicles stood parked right in the middle off the road with a small herd of meandering red shirted bodies lazily sat upon them. “....roadblock?” Sorcha asked quietly as she moistened her lips.

-

Smokes That was the idea behind Benny's movements after he'd stepped out of the shack on his simple mission for more booze for their hapless boss. Yet the last thing Benny knew he shoulda done was leave that boy alone in there to his own devices. The boss was the boss for a reason and he had bad habits like everybody else, but Vaas' were more harmful then simple nose picking. That kid didn't understand his own threshold of pain and when he shoulda stopped he just kept going, fueled on pure rage and malice alone. Benny had seen it more then once. Each and every time some new asshole decided to rise up to defend those savages in the woods – Vaas lost his shit just a little worse each and every time. But what Vaas never done is loose to one of em either. Sure a few of them had managed to put some scratches on him, even less had put him down for a night or two, but at the end it was their body strung up on Calvary Point as another sick reminder of who ran this island. But something was too different this time...and it bothered him in his bones. Why women? That was the question burning in Benny's brain as he stopped short of the supply locker to dig into his pants pocket for the old crumpled box of smokes he had stashed away. And tapping the white box still half wrapped in plastic against his palm he was looking through his yellow tinted glasses at the world around him. That sister of Vaas'... he wondered what that girl was up to now. Either she had a mighty dislike of these girls or she had some kinda plan cooked up in her little rocky hole.

Benny sighed, “God help em'.” He mumbled to himself as the little white cigarette slipped between his lips and the flash of orange illuminated his face. As the embers ignited against the pull of his breath he sighed contently as he held the smoke in his lungs an waited for the edge of nerves to weaken when the shout of the Sniper startled him out of his concentration.

“Is he for real – EY BENNY!” The bald American only could sigh out the smoke in his lungs as he glanced upwards just in time to see the wry man point yonder into the thick of the jungle where Vaas had stormed off into. “Goddamn it.” He swore as he threw his cigarette into the dirt and hustled after the vanished Pirate King at a soldiers jog. Just where that kid thought he was going was anyone's guess, Vaas didn't need a reason to do anything at any given moment ninety-nine percent of the time and as he ducked down beneath the vines and low hanging branches he could saw some lingering shadow slithering off even farther through the tree's. “Vaas!” Benny cried, motioning for two soldiers to follow right behind him just in case as he broke into a run to pursue Hoyt's favorite little toy, and Benny did not want to have to make that phone call telling him they lost him either. But trying to find a Rakyat warrior in a dark jungle? You didn't. And it almost didn't seem worth it to even try but Benny had to now didn't he? Somewhere in the distance Carlos was calling his name as well and Benny only hoped he'd kept the radio on him.

The soldier broke out of the treeline then to find himself at the canyon he had carried Vaas through originally, spying in the mud and dirt fresh tracks, size eleven combat boot. Benny knew then where Vaas had run off to, he'd gone off to track that girl and hurrying through the canyon and through the grassy knolls he found his boss by happenstance in the corner of his eye, standing precariously still while he looked at something. “Vaas!” Benny called as he looped around the hillside only to stop dead in his tracks at the realization of what Vaas had already been looking at...and the sight of it made his stomach turn just a little bit.

“Jesus Christ,” He whispered, cringing at the sight and smell the burnt and very dead Heavy lying in the middle of a blackened patch of grass where there obviously had been some kinda fire. “...how is that even possible?” Benny added as he touched the stick as well out of some human borne curiosity and quickly regretted it when the man's entire head moved instead of the stick. “Who the hell did this, not that girl?” He hoped not that girl, nothing possibly human coulda done this to someone this big.

-

At the crack of gunfire Ash winced with the noise of the action, tensing to listen for any more pirates. The answer was swift in the form of raucous laughter and jeering not far off, ridiculing the fallen man for what his companions clearly took as a misfire or something equally ridiculous. Their mistake, She chided inwardly as she met Sorcha's eyes with a nod and followed after her toward the sound of the pirates. Roadblock? From where they crouched near the dirt road it gave the perfect view through the dense brush at the two cars and their passengers, who still meandered in the road oblivious to their missing member's fate. "Looks like it. That's a problem," Ash sighed out in barely a whisper, eyes still surveying the scene. Not counting the dead man, she counted five more of the chatty pirates standing around near their Jeeps, all but one not even bothering to keep their rifles at ease. It was a plain stupid idea to try and shoot them all down as they were now, if only for the noise factor. While they were effective weapons, neither girls' gun was particularly quiet in any fashion and would only serve as a giant sign pointing in their direction. Better to just distract them and leave, maybe, except... As Ash had opened her mouth to say just that, the folded paper tucked haphazardly into one of the Jeep's visors caught her attention. It had been hard to tell at first, but after a few moments Ash realized she was looking right at a map, the very thing she'd said she needed not even minutes ago. "They've got a map." How to get it was the only question now. Getting them to look in one direction long enough to sneak by would have been one thing, but getting them all away from the vehicles long enough to steal from them was another. Still lost in thought Ash pulled her lower lip between her teeth to bite down absentmindedly, eyes darting between the map and the pirates. What was it Dennis had said, to trust her instincts? They were telling her now she and Sorcha both needed that map and whatever else the pirates may have stashed away in their vehicles, but both instincts and logic agreed that trying to shoot them head on was still a stupid plan. Maybe it would have been a possibility if Sorcha was at her best physical state, but still the redhead was trying to cope with the wounds she'd gotten in such a short amount of time. As it obviously was not going to be the answer to the current obstacle Ash released the rifle to sling it across her back, tugging on the leather strap to tighten the gun to her. Without that she had no way of fighting these men, save for the knife still dangling freely at her hip. At this point she'd almost forgotten about Hoyt's knife, but now her hand went to it to look it over again in the moonlight. It really was a fantastic blade, having kept its razor edge even without being kept in a sheath for some time now, and it was every bit as deadly a weapon as when she'd first snatched it. Not to mention it made no noise. With that thought in mind green eyes flickered back to the pirates ahead, who'd begun peering into the jungle for their oddly silent companion. “Ey! Juan!” One called out, following up with a whistle to get the man's attention. “Ok... If you go get that map, I can take care of them. If they've got more laying around so much the better,” Ash murmured, taking the first few steps back into the shadows of the treeline, only daring to rise from her crouch once she was safely shrouded in the darkness again to pause at one of the trees nearby. “Where the fuck is he? Juan!” With an exaggeratedly pained sigh, the first pirate shook his head and started into the jungle, muttering foully under his breath. As he progressed further Ash trailed after him, careful to still keep her footsteps quiet as she padded along to place herself behind the man. How exactly she was going to go about this, she hadn't quite planned out yet, but the moment of needing to make a decision was rapidly approaching as the pirate poked his way through the trees in search of a man whose deceased status was unlikely to change. Do something now, the inward voice nagged as the pirate came within a few feet of literally stumbling over the dead one. Before she could psyche herself out Ash darted forward as the pirate turned after the sudden faint sound of footsteps behind him. He never got the chance to cry out, the blade piercing his throat as easily as cutting paper and surprising Ash with how simple the motion of the stab had been. Gurgling his last the second pirate fell to his knees, hands grasping weakly at his punctured neck and wide eyes staring up at the equally stunned girl standing over him. One down, four more to go. As long as she picked them off one by one it couldn't be all that hard, and so much the better if she could keep all their attention on her and not Sorcha. While the pirate gave a final whisper of a breath Ash slung the blood off the knife onto the jungle floor, peering around the side of the tree in the direction of the remaining pirates. With two men gone they'd begun to get nervous, that much she could tell from the edge their chatter had taken. “Juan! Eldad!” One of them called out, squinting into the darkness as he motioned for the three others to come along. “Quit fucking around!” Narrowed eyes watched carefully as four pirates began to sweep the area, each one spreading out from the others to comb through the jungle with guns shouldered now, an added factor that gave Ash a moment of pause. None of them displayed trigger discipline at all, even in the barely-there light she could see all their eager fingers resting right on the triggers. While on one hand it only showed just how incompetent they really were despite how tough they tried to look, on the other it made the threat of accidental discharge very real if she wasn't more careful. Speaking of threats, another one had made itself apparent in the form of another pirate coming her way now. Where exactly the three others were Ash couldn't be entirely sure, but the sounds of their boots clumsily traversing the ground told her none were terribly far off. As the man neared where she and the dead ones lay, she edged further around the tree, all the while listening to his footsteps to judge where he was. It was a dangerous game that would only get worse here on out, one that she knew next to nothing about save what she'd already seen. What disturbed her more than that was just how quickly she'd begun to pick up on it to play along. Within moments she'd maneuvered herself to be right behind the pirate, one hand reaching out to yank his head back while the other drew the knife across his throat in one clean motion. While the second victim pitched forward Ash stepped back to listen again to the sounds around her, more specifically those of the pirates. One she could hear stomping about to her left, the other two off to the right at a distance she couldn't quite determine. With a deep breath to steel her nerves and repeating the action of slinging off the blood, Ash gripped the knife again to set off for the left pirate. He was on his own, and she still needed a moment to think on the dilemma of the two pirates that had paired up. Thankfully, Mr. Left was loud in both his footsteps and in his displeasure with the situation. “This fucking island is too much,” He spat under his breath, pausing to kick at a patch of bushes near him. “I told them they're fucking dead already... I hope the leopard gets them too. ” His movements were more erratic than the other two, jerky and unpredictable as though he was a marionette having its strings yanked around. Somewhere in the back of her head that little voice nagged again, hissing into her ear He's high. He's dangerous. The voice wasn't wrong at all, and it was enough to make Ash slow her approach. The very last thing she needed was to get ganged up on by three pirates, and on top of that Sorcha was still off somewhere nearby as well and in much worse shape than Ash. Hadn't she said she'd take care of this? And far be it from Ash to not follow through when she said she would do something. With that in mind she edged forward after the pirate with no shortage of apprehension, observing the man's odd shuffling steps. “Need another hit soon, fuck this,” He snarled at a nearby tree as he passed it, while Ash used the moment of his outburst to close the distance between them. In nearly the exact moment she'd raised the knife with the plan of ending his life in a slit throat as she did with his other companion, without warning stopped in place and cocked his head to one side. At once the blonde froze, every muscle in her body tensed almost painfully. He knows he knows, her thoughts repeated over in one long loop while she barely even dared to breathe. The time passed couldn't have been much more than three seconds but felt like an eternity, spent desperately hoping that this man wasn't about to completely undo what Ash had so hoped would work. She flat out couldn't afford to let him. It was this thought that spurred her to action, bolting forward to close the last few feet between them and turning the blade in her hand to bring it down into the side of the pirate's neck. The man himself never made a sound, but in his moment of shock drew his finger down on the trigger of his rifle and sprayed the ground with the remaining handful of bullets in it. There could have been no louder sound in that moment, the rapid cracks of the AK piercing the night air and startling several birds from where they'd been roosting. “What was that? Ed??” “Go check, man, c'mon!” Her eyes wide with horror Ash reeled away to press her back to the nearest tree, a sinking feeling already forming in the pit of her stomach at the panicked shouts of the other two pirates. Somehow she needed to fix this fast, starting with relocating the two pirates. Their crashing footsteps had stopped after they'd run to the approximate source of the gunfire, and now they apparently had learned to walk quietly because there was little besides a few gentle shifting noises of grass here and there. Forcing her breathing down to normal levels Ash squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, opening them again to peer around the edge of the tree. No sooner had the plan entered her head than one of the pirates stepped from around the very tree she happened to be using for cover. He hadn't noticed the panicking blonde just to his left, but of course the slightest turn of his head and that would change in an instant. “Oh, fuck, I found Ed! Wha-?” No sooner had the words left his mouth than the bit of motion in his peripherals turned into a glint of steel and blur of blonde, to which he let out a wordless cry of alarm that was cut short by the viper-quick hit to his chest. For a moment he wasn't even sure why it had taken away his breath as it did until he realized he'd been stabbed, at which point he snarled and lunged forward for his attacker to drag them both down to the ground. Only now was he feeling the stab wound, one that might have been deadlier had he not turned at the last second when he did. In a fury his fist swung down to collide with the blonde's face only to have the gesture returned. As he'd begun to raise his hand again Ash rose hers as well and something cool pressed into his jaw. This too confused him for a split second until the girl he'd pinned gave a snarl and a sharp jerk of her hand, twisting the knife she'd stabbed up through the underside of his jaw. The last thing he was aware of was being shoved off the blonde and into the ground, his consciousness not lasting long enough to feel the blade being yanked away. “Holy fuck.” At once Ash sprung back to her feet with knife at the ready, rising to watch the retreating form of the last pirate fleeing. Well... He was gone at least. Five total dead and one gone on the run counted as the problem being taken care of. One last time the blood was flung off the knife edge, the remainder wiped off onto Ash's pant leg. As something of an afterthought she glanced back down at the nearest dead man to look him over, reaching down to remove the magazine from the rifle he'd carried to inspect it. 14 more shots that she stashed into her back pocket for the time being, pausing again to remove the knife he had strapped to his hip. The man's blade she discarded without much further thought; it looked as though he'd been chopping rocks with the damn thing and without a whetstone she wasn't going to bother even trying to do anything with it. But the sheath was useful, this she attached to her own hip to stow away her knife. Not hers, really, but she was still in the process of borrowing it without plans to give it back. With all said and done Ash got back to her feet to break into a jog for the vehicles, eyes scanning the place for Sorcha. “Sorcha? You're still ok?” As she made it back to the Jeep a hand rose to rub at her left arm where the skin had begun to sting slightly, not devoting the moment to inspect the tatau in favor of looking over her friend. “I think we should probably just take one of these. That... kind of didn't go like I wanted it, exactly. You find anything good?” - Who the hell did this, not that girl? If he hadn't been in so much pain Vaas might have laughed out loud, gone off about all the other possible things it could have been. A monkey, a shark, one of the tortoises even, but now the pirate king just found that he was in little of a mood for jokes. It was unlike him and he didn't like it at all, but goddamnit he hurt. “Yeah, it was her. Fuck, man... I'ma kill this bitch. No, get the other one first and have Red watch,” He gritted out as he swayed slightly on his feet, jamming his fist against Benny's shoulder to regain his balance. “They won't know what the fuck hit them...” Against the wave of pain and the head rush that came with it Vaas grit his teeth and leaned a bit heavier against Benny, a moment later shoving himself away once the rush has passed. “Need more rum. And I wanna go see the doc. This is bullshit here.” For just a few moments the pirate honestly thought he'd been about to be sick, until the crack of a solitary gunshot rang through the air. It was nowhere near them, but sound carried in this place and doubly so at night when it quieted down. It wasn't as thought gunshots were unusual to hear. It was pretty much part of a day to day life, always someone or something getting shot at somewhere. Call it paranoia or just another one of Vaas' gut feelings, though, but this single shot gave the man pause. “The fuck was that?” He muttered, his brow furrowing as he stared in the direction of the sound. Of course he wanted to think it was because of one of those girls, maybe one of them had been shot... But that was the problem, one shot meant one girl. “Benny, man, you heard that right?” His tone had picked up an edge now as accusing eyes glared at his American companion, as if daring Benny to say that he hadn't. “I don't fucking like it. Hermano.” As he began ambling off again he gave a sharp whistle to alert the pirate that he should follow after him, never mind the fact that he was quite literally bleeding everywhere. Not even a few minutes later more gunshots rang out, this time probably from an SMG or an assault rifle. If before Vaas had looked murderous his expression had somehow only grown worse as he shook his head in response to the noise, answering some unspoken thought in his head. “I don't fucking like it,” He repeated, inhaling sharply when the radio at his waist crackled to life. It was going to be Red again, he just fucking knew it was and she was going to taunt him about whatever else she'd done and- “Ey, Boss? Boss!” At the sound of the rough Jamaican accent coming through Vaas' shoulders released only a fraction of their tension. It wasn't who he'd been expecting. But he didn't like that panicked tone to his voice, not one bit. “What?” He rasped back, waiting not very patiently for the pirate to respond. “You at the cliffside right? Shit happened, boss.” Shit happened. It wasn't an untrue sentiment, especially not in Rook. “Yeah I'm there. Benny... gonna go hunting in a minute hermano. See what this asshole done now...” Somewhere in trying to reattach the radio to his belt his pain and booze-clouded head fumbled the clasp and let the device simply clatter to the ground, although as was the case with Vaas sometimes he either didn't notice or didn't care. By the time the king and his unofficial escort had made it back at the pace of the injured Vaas' steps, the asshole in question was already perched on the hood of the gutted truck that had been sitting in the place for God only knew how long now. At Vaas' arrival he slid down to greet the man, swallowing thickly at the sight of the bloodied and dark-expressioned pirate king. “Shit happened. What kinda shit?” He demanded, completely ignoring the concept of personal space as he ambled up to the darker skinned man to loom over him until he was forced into sitting again on the truck hood. “I... we was out on the road.” “Uh huh.” “And Juan went to take a leak.” “Right, ok.” At the pirate's hesitation Vaas waved his hand, motioning for the man to keep going despite the boss' proximity. “So... he went out and there's a shot. We just thought, I dunno, he got scared of some shadow.” “What. Kind. Of shit. Happened?” “It was like... We all went into the jungle and no one else came out, boss, I don't really know what the fuck happened. Everyone got dead and some little bitch jumped Ivy and killed him so I got away. There was five of us and they dead.” At the pirate's hastily spoken words Vaas' brow crinkled again in equal parts confusion and existing fury. Some little bitch? That just didn't sound right to him, Red wasn't little. “Chu mean, it was a little bitch? The redhead one uh? There's two bitches.” “No boss, the other one. The fuckin', the little one, Blondie.” “Then where the fuck was Red?” The pirate gave a helpless shrug, not daring to meet Vaas' eyes right then. He didn't need to look to know what kind of mad fury would be dancing there and all directed at him. It was Vaas' way. The phrase “don't shoot the messenger” meant fuck-all to Vaas Montenegro, and to be the unfortunate sucker to be that messenger usually meant your life ended there. “So... ok, hermano. This is what I heard right now, ok? You had six fucking guys out there, yeah? And you don't know how but they got dead. And you saw the bitch that did it. You saw Blondie, all alone, out in the fucking jungle, and you turned around and fucking ran?!” The boss' voice had risen to a shout that echoed through the camp as his voice always did, making it known to every single man in camp that the boss was back. “You caught the bitch red-FUCKING-handed and you didn't do SHIT about it?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! ...It's ok, man.” Without warning Vaas stepped away and ran a hand over his rather disheveled mohawk, nodding to himself. “I ain't mad at you hermano, is been a long fucking day uh?” In total incomprehension the Jamaican pirate blinked once, twice, three times as he stared up at Vaas. He wasn't going to die? Vaas looked for all the world just dog-tired and bemused now, even offering him a hand up off his perch. “Yeah... long day,” He agreed, letting out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in a shaky laugh. That was it, he was ok. As if it were perfectly natural Vaas pulled the man to his feet and clapped a hand on the back of his neck, throwing the arm over his shoulders and nearly making him stumble with the sudden added weight of the king's massive bicep. If the Jamaican had wanted to go anywhere he wasn't now, already knowing how futile it was to try and free oneself from Vaas' grip when he'd decided he wanted to drag you somewhere. “Ey, you know what hermano? You can have the night off too.” “For real?” “Yeah... for real.” Vaas' other hand rose up lightning fast to grip the other side of the captive pirate's head and gave a mighty wrench, his neck making a sickening crack that was audible to everyone nearby before Vaas simply released the man, dead before he ever hit the ground. “Anybody else wanna pull some shit like that? Uh?” He called out, gesturing to the dead pirate at his feet. “You see a bitch, you fucking catch the bitch. You don't tuck your dick between your legs and fucking RUN!”

-

Of course it was a roadblock. They may have been pirates but it didn't mean they were entirely stupid...then again. They were blocking the road of all places in an attempt to recapture two slaves that were traveling most likely on foot. Two slaves whom were probably more likely to be found anywhere else but on the road. Unless the roadblock wasn't for them? Who else they could possibly wish to intercept was anyone's question at this point. This island had a great deal of people on it and who knew just what sort of people they were, especially those Rakyat sort. Especially them. But they weren't important right now...what was important was getting to that old Doctor's house and praying that he helped them and kept his mouth shut about it. But the more Sorcha thought about that the less hopeful she became...there was not a soul on this rock that was willing to help them without some kind of favor done in turn for them. Dennis helped them seemingly for nothing until it wasn't anymore and they found themselves being stared down by some jungle cunt with big men surrounding her. Talking all kinds of nonsense about warriors and paths and bullshit like that. Yet it wasn't rightly clear what the woman wanted from them and rightly they wouldn't know until they brought her the things she asked for. Which just wasn't going to happen if she had any say in the matter. Those lot....they looked nice when they smiled, but it was always the cute ones that bit the hardest. And the fact that Ash wanted to trust them made her sting with anger. And she wondered if this doctor would be no different, just what was he going to want from them in return for his services? They'd be damn lucky if they ever got to find out....with men like Vaas out there and angry about it. When the pirate turned to look into the jungle for his lost friend Sorcha hissed quietly, drawing back away form sight and into the cover of the leaves with Ash, who said something about a map. Quickly Sorcha looked with certain motherly intensity at the shadows behind her, absent Ash. Her heart hammered in an instant as a pure and utter confusion washed over her. Ash was gone? Why was she gone? She didn't even know what to do about it either....her mind was a blank as wide eyes drifted back to find the heavy footsteps of said pirate coming to look for his lost buddy named Juan. Sorcha wanted to call out to her friend but not at the expense of these men hearing her, somewhere in her heart she knew these men would not be kind enough to take them back to Vaas right away and the very idea of that caused another shudder as she pressed back into the leaves, biting her lips shut as she covered her nose with her hand to stifle the noise of heavy breaths as he passed by her without notice. But he was just one of five and for what felt like the longest time she was frozen in hiding as each pair of feet passed by. When they had gone into the embrace of the jungle she finally emerged, scrambling quickly out without even making sure that there was in fact no others hanging around. And standing at the jungles edge she still was unsure of what to do in that moment as her hands racked through the loose strands of her hair ridden with burs and leaves and dirt.

Sorcha knew Ash was in there alone in the dark with four armed men who all were a lot bigger then she was. And quietly she cursed the girl for doing something so utterly stupid but in her mind she knew going in there after her wasn't the best option, not in her condition. But leaving her in there felt like an even worse one. What sort of friend was she if she didn't go running to protect her? Yet she stepped backwards into the road, moving sluggishly towards the jeep. Maybe there was something in there that could help her? Ash had told her to get the map...but what good was a map if she died before she ever got to have a closer look at it. But maybe...maybe there was grenades in the trucks. She'd seen them walking with those dangling at their hips, hell even that fat fuck she stabbed in the face had them...but she hadn't thought to grab them in light of the situation at that moment. Ash was in trouble so she'd left the man to rot with all his worldly possessions, now she was in trouble again. And again Sorcha had to do something.

“Goddamn it Ash.” Sorcha growled as she pivoted on her heels and ripped open the jeep door and toppled down into the drivers seat. Climbing over the stick shift she was upside down, peering beneath the seat at a collection of beer cans and bottles and wrappers from snacks and something that utterly smelt dead. The last thing she was going to do was reach under there and coming back up she cringed against the pain in her chest as she flung open the latch of the glove box next, only for the entire drawer to come topple down on her knee's from years of neglect and being over stuff with all manner of shit. Hissing quietly she reached downward, jostling the drawer onto the jeep's floor as she picked at the contents of it. Fingers grabbed at the trash inside of it, throwing crumbled wrappers and papers that probably weren't important in a pirates hands until they closed around a small, opened box, and pulling it out slowly she blinked at the black box unable to make out the words of the brand without squinting against the sudden blurring her eyes often turned to when looking at letters without her glasses. In that moment she realized she'd gone without them for days and she wondered what had even happened to them... but knowing these men they probably had smashed them into pieces by now. After all what does a sex slave need reading glasses for anyway? Right annoying for her right about that moment in time as she brought the box nearly to the bridge of her nose, squinting at the dark little gold letters that the darkness was doing absolutely no help in deciphering and tilting her head she caught the faint shape of a T. Blinking a little harder the R and O became slightly visible as her headache sharply worsened and she leaned back from the box, fingers dipping into the box instead to find it's contents rather then trying to read what it was.

Second's later she pulled out the string of little packages, vacuum sealed around something round set inside and instantly she dropped the contents of her hands in realization of what they and it were. And growling in mild disgust she returned to her frantic task, producing a can of dog food next, which also was thrown into the drivers seat. More trash followed to which she threw into the road instead, another box with weight that by the clink of its contents told her it was bullets of some sort – possibly useful. Throwing them into the drivers seat as well her fingers closed around another light box, what she assumed was yet another box of condoms she'd made to throw it onto the floor only to realize the box was a familiar white and red color and a cheeky looking camel adorned it's face. Cigarettes. She thought and calmly stuffed the box into her bikini instead before her fingers grazed upon something cold and metallic. Ripping her hand back at first her heart skipped a beat at the idea that it might have been another needle or even some sort of dirty knife but a closer lean in at the dark little drawer told her the object was slightly rounded. And with widened eyes she felt a flutter in her stomach as she reached for it, wondering if it could honestly be what she'd been looking for in the first place? “Christ there is a God and he loves me.” Sorcha whispered, producing the heavy grenade from the glove box. Now if only she knew how to properly use it... but there was no time to actually think about that one when the suddenly fire of an AK from the jungle startled her straight out of the jeep's passenger seat. Ash! Sorcha's heart was hammering again as her vision swam and she began around the jeep's hood in the direction of the gunshots, fearing the worst for her friend. “Ash!” Sorcha shouted as the sudden flash of headlights blinded her when a vehicle veered around the corner at a speed that she was certain was dangerous on such a narrow and winding road. “Shit!” The redhead cursed and moved back, colliding with the jeep's body as she ducked down behind it, crawling quickly to the rear of the jeep, and huddling down to cling to the car's rear tire as the new vehicle sped past, careening dangerously into the grass to maneuver around the sudden roadblock and rumbling back onto the road while also clipping the jeep and by proxy knocking Sorcha over in the process when the butt of the jeep was jostled into her direction to accommodate for the force the other had directed into it. Hitting the dirt she scrambled up to her feet again, watching as the other vehicle continued casually down a road that she could see was widening and shrinking and stretching further and further away. And blinking slowly again she shook her head to shake the disturbance in her vision. Those weren't pirates...they would have stopped. She told herself as she jogged back across the road, running quickly to the edge of the jungle with the grenade ready.

But something about the sight of the darkened treeline made her stop dead in her tracks as something in the darkness turned suddenly and almost seemed to glide behind the cover of a tree. Something that looked like it was on legs. Tension rose in her shoulders as she breathed heavy through her nose, fingers falling upon the stolen radio upon her belt, as a feeling of dread sank into the pit of her stomach. The last thing she wanted to do was to tune in to the news that her friend had been shot and wounded or worse shot dead to the glee of who ever the asshole was to do it, but part of her knew that if she was broadcasting chatter and or more of Vaas' death threats then whom ever was hiding behind that tree might just mistake her for a pirate...or if she was lucky for Vaas himself. If whatever that was was even human at all. And turning the knob with a flick of her fingers the radio pinged to life as she ripped out the first handgun she found with her other hand, which happened to be the Kimber Aegis II she'd bought from the shop in Amanaki. She'd never fired it before and couldn't be certain how it handled considering it was new … and possibly clogged with dust and other grime from sitting around, while also being a completely different beast from Vaas' well maintained little Kimber Warrior. If there was anything Ash had taunt her about gun care it was that “a gun was a gun” was an entirely false statement, and any new weapon needed to be handled with extreme care. And bringing her hand to cup the bottom of the handle upon the 1911 she moved slowly into the tree line with eyes set upon the place where the shadow had ducked behind and holding her breath she listened to her surroundings. Silence. It was too quiet around here, especially after that spray by the AK. Far too quiet indeed and quickly she turned around the tree, finger finding the trigger as she expelled her breath only to find more jungle and such and no two legged body in sight. But it offered her no comfort as she felt that feeling of being watched....rather intensely at that yet no matter where her eyes scanned she couldn't see anything of worth in the poor lighting. But she knew that something...someone was there, watching her. Then quietly she paused as a leaf zipped down, grazing against the tip of her nose, and stalling her breathing again before her eyes turned upwards into the milky blue black patches of the side and black swaying branches of the canopy above.

How did it go up so quickly? That was the thought that ran through her mind as she stared into the dark abyss above her head, bringing the handgun to aim upwards cautiously. “I know you're up there!” Sorcha snapped, trying her best to sound as intimidating as possible but she could hardly mask the pain and exhaustion in her tones. And almost immediately in response the branches moved violently as the shadow, choosing no longer to blend in, almost looked as if it was lunging for her and full instinct had taken over and drove Sorcha to gasp and stumble backwards before running quickly out of the tree line and into open air where she could see better, and with the gun trained on the branches of the tree she waited for it to come out...but it didn't. Instead it was Ash's voice to signal her return. But the tension hardly left her as her eyes snapped onto the blood spattered blonde come running from the jungle with bloody knife in toe. She didn't need to ask her what had happened obviously...but it didn't make her relieved and it didn't make her happy to see her. Only miffed that the girl would just run off like that by the seat of her pants and go play Rambo against four very armed men. And lowering the Aegis she shoved it back into her belt. “Christ, you scared the fuck out of me!” Sorcha growled, hand rising up to wiped across her face, while her eyes narrowed at the girl, “What in the hell were you thinking!?”

'Ey! Boss! BOSS!' The radio had crackled to life just in time to save Ash from the verbal Southern lashing she was about to receive and Sorcha's eyes dropped to the little device upon her belt with apprehension. 'What?' Vaas rasped in response, sounding for the world like the dead themselves. 'You at the Cliffside right? Shit's happened?” The redhead glanced upwards to find Ash's face, and judging from it Sorcha assumed that this chatter was about what had just gone down in that jungle. And an obvious loose tie and well... remained loose. This nightmare was far from over but hell be damned if they weren't prepared for the storm this time and sighing out through her nostrils Sorcha glanced once back at the tree's where that something might still have been, but whatever it was it wasn't important seeing as it was clearly minding it's own business. “Get in the jeep.” Sorcha ordered, turning on her feet and hobbling across the grassy bank back towards the Jeep she'd been in the process of ransacking. “There's ammo and other junk...and I found a Grenade.” She added, holding up the object for her to see briefly. -

Benny cringed at Vaas' words, knowing full well the man was probably more serious then he ever was before. He didn't doubt him for a moment that he would end that girl if he got his hands around her neck, nor that he'd make her watch him do unspeakably horrible things to the blonde til she died of trauma, exposure, or mere shock alone. That was the kind of man that Vaas was and it wouldn't have been the first time he'd turned savage on a slave or on a guy who got too cocky with him. There were many levels to Vaas, each one different in their methods...but it took a certain amount of provocation to bring out the real beast in him. And it was an ugly beast indeed that Benny rightly just did not want to lay eyes on ever again. Vaas had leaned against him, turning old faithful Benny into his human walking stick for a moment while the pirate reached back to holster a grip upon the straps of his Boss' wifebeater to help him stay a float, after all the last thing that anyone wanted was for Vaas to literally fall down and rip open whatever already strained stitches that were still intact – and literally holding all of him inside of him. “Ey, you don't mean that.” Benny reminded him sternly, “Hoyt wants his money – and he'll take it out of our asses if he can't take it out of theirs.” Benny paused, feeling like an absolutely horrible person to even speak about such things but continued on with his act, “Better them then us right? They got the parts for that.” He really was going to hell he felt it in his bones. When the shot rang out instinctively Benny's eyes gazed off into the direction of the sound as Vaas wigged out in his usual, highly paranoid way when something happened that he perceived as odd. Usually though, that paranoia was justified, Vaas did still have a Tatau adorned upon his arm and though Benny hardly believed in magic ...he believed that that thing had a way to it. He'd seen Vaas run into bad situations with an obvious death wish and come walking out without so much a scratch before and everyone dead behind him, he'd seen him walk on a broken leg without so much as a complaint, he'd seen him take a shotgun blast to the chest at point blank range and be out running with Carlos and Mauve the next morning when they were all so sure that he was dead. No magic wasn't a thing he had room for in his mind...but it was hard not to buy into that native bullshit sometimes when one saw it in action on more then one occasion. But despite all this he still worried about the amount of blood the Boss was painting the white roses with so to speak and quickly the American Mercenary jogged after him, but the irony of it all almost made him smile while he watched Vaas shuffle off. He looked exactly like that redhead did, ambling about like some creature from Night of the Living Dead, bleeding all his juice all over the place, despite all the injury and the pain still moving along at a brisk pace with a destination in mind. But Vaas had his nerve to get mad about her doing to him what had already been done to her. But again it only reenforced Benny's belief in that mystical voodoo bullshit ink that they now both wore...for some fucking reason it just kept them going when they should have been dead.

But the night was far from over when they had returned to Cliffside after a frantic cry for help over the radio waves had sent Vaas into some kind of state that Benny could already vouch that no one was gonna like, himself included. But at least he'd finally gotten the radio from him...even if Vaas had to drop it for such a seemingly simple task to be achieved. And upon arrival Benny had seen the ghost faced pirate patrolman sat upon the junkyard looking shell that had just kinda been left to rust in the yard, knowing full well this guy used to be damn near black in skin tone but now looked more like a mocha instead. That alone spoke for itself...but the situation was about of Benny's hands at this point and he did what the rest did. He stood close by and listen and watched as the poor guy tried to explain himself in the face of the snarling demon that was practically drooling on him and baring his teeth. But in reality it wasn't hard to notice when you fucked up and your punishment was coming on swift wings. See the thing with Vaas was, if he was still yelling at you you were still safe...it was when he stopped that meant the world was just about to end for you, and only a few special people had ever managed to turn the tides into their favor when Vaas was done with them. Of course logic and smarts didn't come around these parts often and when Vaas' tone suddenly shifted Benny already knew what was coming and he steeled himself with a hand laid upon his belt and he looked away as the crack of bone erupted through the air, silencing any snickering, giggling, snorting, or small talk that had been happening around.

In a second all his men stood at full attention, alert, focused, and armed while the bellowed out to them their single and final warning. You see a bitch you catch the bitch. There was no in between, no running away, if you got shot you better just get your ass up do your job, there ain't no mess with em first before bringing them home either. Vaas had made it perfectly clear who had claim over them girls, he himself and him. And by proxy...Hoyt. Speaking of Hoyt... “Eyyy mon! Dont you worry nuttin, if I see em I make sure dey nevah walk again!” A voice had rang out from higher ground from the resident Sniper of Cliffside whom everyone had nicknamed “Happy” for his incessantly cheerful demeanor no matter what he happened to be doing...and obviously not even what was happening around him ever threw a damper on his good mood. But Benny thanked the man for distracting Vaas, whom either was about to have a painful laugh or shout out the guy to shut the fuck up, didn't matter which while Benny quietly dismissed himself and strolled down the hillside just out of earshot as he produced his phone and punched in the speed dial. “Hoyt... it's Benny. No...Vaas' Benny. Yes. Listen...Vaas got on the wrong side of a bullet again. It was a...hunting accident. He's alive but he ain't done himself no favors let's just say that, all the tweeking. We're gonna take him in the morning...but I'm not sure he'll make it through the night – he's lost a lot of blood... yes sir I will.”

-

Sorcha was angry, that much Ash could tell from a glance at the girl. And to a point she could understand exactly why, understood perfectly well how dangerous what she'd just done had been. Hell, hadn't it almost gone badly toward the end? But what was done, was done now, leaving them with a jungle full of only bodies and whatever else lurked about. Not to mention the radio chatter. That runaway man had certainly wasted no time in tattling to the boss, but at the very least it was unlikely Vaas himself would reemerge to play for the moment. “You're teacupping,” She noted almost absentmindedly, nodding toward the grip Sorcha held on the handgun as she jogged for the driver's seat. A grenade, though. Not at all as if they couldn't find a good use for that here, making it a definite welcome sight. With a quick look around them to ensure they were still without red-garbed visitors, Ash paused to comb through the 'ammo and other junk' Sorcha had mentioned. A disorganized box of ammo for an AK47, she read off the box after a few moments of squinting at the faded lettering. Fantastic, they'd need all the bullets they could get. This she left in the front seat, pushed over to the side. A can of dog food, noted with a confused grimace as she glanced over the can before tossing it in the backseat. They didn't have a dog and that was unlikely to change, but one never knew. Without much forethought she held up the string of condoms, realizing what they were after a split second of confused staring. “Oh, ick,” She muttered with a wrinkled nose, tossing the condoms over her shoulder to land carelessly on the side of the road. Back to business then. Driver's seat cleared now, Ash scooted up into place and yanked down the map to spread out over the steering wheel, casting another glance up at the jungle nearby to scan for anything amiss. It was enough to give her pause, feeling for all the world like the place was watching them somehow... But nothing emerged or looked strange enough to deserve any further thought. And they had places to be. Namely Dr. Earnhardt's, and with that she returned her attention to the worn map. Thank whatever god must have been watching over them at the moment, the map was labeled in marker with messy, spiky penmanship. The sight of a place labeled 'cliffsid overlook' too close for comfort had her reaching for the keys in the ignition to bring the Jeep rumbling to life, yet another suspicious glare sent out at the surrounding area. Never mind the fact that the pirate driving had simply left his keys so helpfully in place... No one had accused these men of being smart, she supposed. But that runaway had mentioned the cliffside specifically and that made her more than a bit nervous now, hastening her attempts to locate the doctor's. The moment she'd found the jumbled letters reading 'doc e', she almost had to laugh out loud and not because of the cramped writing. As Dennis had said, it was in fact past Amanaki village, but so out of the way that Ash was sure they may never have found the damn place on their own. “At least it exists.” And their stolen Jeep was a hell of a lot faster than trying to walk there. For a few moments more she waited to push the car into gear, eyes still poring over the map to memorize the way there as she chewed down on her lip absentmindedly. It was a winding way no matter what direction she chose to take, but ultimately the one that didn't take them past 'amanaki outpost' was by far the better option. Still very much feeling like the jungle darkness had eyes somehow, it brought no shortage of relief to bring the vehicle around to begin the drive the opposite way. The roads, there's cliffs. The realization dawned on her only after she'd begun pressing more heavily on the gas, and quickly she eased up as they reached the first curve in the road, one that ran right alongside the river she'd only seen once they were right at the edge. Apparently not even the roads could be safe in this place, a fact that didn't even surprise her after everything else they'd seen. In one small show of some kind of small blessings, the questionable roads were for the most part the only real danger with the painted Jeep in their possession. The other Jeep had been emblazoned with the strange eye marking as well, and Ash would hazard a guess that the other vehicles in possession of Vaas' men would also be painted the same way, red with the staring eye on the hood. Little wonder no one would look twice at the speeding Jeep. In the light of day the drive might not have been so bad, but between the rational fear of more pirates and whatever it was lurking about in the jungle darkness it made for what felt like an eternity of winding roads. Atop the cliffs faint lights could be seen in the windows of the house, which was in fact much bigger than Ash had been expecting. Already they'd passed by several small shacks and this was most decidedly anything but that. Even from the base of the cliff it was obvious the house was much bigger than the standard living spaces on the island, and as they'd driven by she was almost positive there was even a gazebo overlooking the edge. Too late the headlights illuminated the dilapidated fence blocking access to the rest of the road, and with a harshly muttered swear Ash brought the Jeep to a grinding halt, the slight impact thankfully not seeming to cause any damage. “Sorry, I wasn't... I didn't see it. But it looks like we're walking from here.” But they were here, at least. That meant volumes enough to her. This time when the Jeep was turned off, Ash opted not to simply leave the keys in the ignition, instead shoving them into her back pocket as she exited the car finally. The AK47 she shouldered again as she paused to scoop up the box of bullets Sorcha had found; if this doctor was friendly then they'd have time to reload the magazines and that was a stroke of luck by itself. Cautiously she padded forward to the gate, ducking the bent metal to squint into the darkness ahead and listen. Up here it was silent save for the occasional bird call or sound from elsewhere that had drifted over on the wind, nothing showing her a reason to turn back now that they'd come so far. “Looks ok,” Ash called back only loudly enough to be sure Sorcha heard her as she continued forward to survey the rest of the area once before doubling back to hold the gate open more. The redhead still looked about as worse for the wear as she must have felt and it was enough to cause a pang of something Ash couldn't quite place, like a combination of sympathy and guilt. “Just about there now... There's a path leading up to the house.”

-

Happy. Vaas knew that damn voice anywhere and despite his piss-poor mood he still found his mouth turning up into a grin at the man's reassurances. His good mood was infectious as ever, and in his blitzed mind the sight of that smiley face bandana was more than enough to have him smiling too. “Yeah? No, I mean don't like... fuck them up all bad, s'my job. You just take out a leg or something, man, you do you. EY! Someone clean this fucking shit up, uh?” He added in a bark, having stumbled to face the dead man again and gesture at him ineffectively. “Fuck, man, you guys don't clean up after yourselves like goddamn children. Ain't your maid...” And with that Vaas was shuffling back for the outpost door on pure autopilot mode now. Where Benny had slithered off to, he didn't know and didn't much care at the moment anyway. Benny was not a bed and a bed was what Vaas wanted most right now. This day had just gone from slightly shitty to a gigantic clusterfuck in barely the time it took to blink and it was safe to say Vaas was simply done with it all. At this point he was too drained to even keep being angry, too drained to even imagine what all he was going to do when he got his hands on two little girls and hopefully he was just drained enough that sleep would bring him no dreams this time around. Upon finally reaching the bloodied cot he'd laid on earlier he simply deposited himself onto it in a bodily slump forward, not caring that the position he landed in looked uncomfortable enough to make a normal man cringe at the sight alone. Blindly his hand crept out over the floor until it found a smooth glass surface, fingers dragging the bottle up to his lips to keep tipping upwards until he finally realized he was receiving no rum because it was empty already. “And I need more rum!” He announced to no one, about two seconds before crashing to sleep and making the demand effectively moot. He wouldn't be down for too long, Vaas never was... But some time at all was more than anyone could ever hope for on even a good day.

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