graveyard part 3

[gamehead]

hunter's game the graveyard You wake up in an unfamiliar cabin. At first, it almost seems like you're in an entirely different place and that everything had been just a dream. The interior of the cabin looks nothing like the run-down, old-timey shacks that you had been living in before. Everything in here is sleek and modern, from the enormous flat-screen TV mounted on the wall to the fridge and mini-bars stocked with all your favorite foods. There aren't any individual rooms in here, just a common area large enough to house everyone comfortably, no matter how many more people join you...and there will be plenty more people joining you before the week is over. Because if you look outside the window, it quickly becomes clear that not only are you still in Prayer's Pass, but that you are no longer among the realm of the living. Judging from the tombstones directly outside, you're now in what had been the abandoned broken-down cabin in the graveyard. The cabin's not all that changed; the world outside has gone completely grey and everything you see appears to be faded and blurry. The only things that remain sharp and in color are what's inside the cabin, including your fellow ghosts. Occasionally, people who are still alive may enter, but it's clear that what they're seeing is completely different from what you're seeing. The door's unlocked; however, a mysterious force prevents you from stepping beyond the threshold, no matter how hard you may try. After all, this cabin is a cage for the dead - a gilded one, perhaps, but a cage nonetheless. On the flat-screen TV plays everything that is currently happening in the town. It will shut off once night starts...and something else will appear instead.

Comments

[asapplepie]

[America doesn't exactly go easily. It's a slow death that ends with him finally going into shock, unable to breath, and when he arrives in the graveyard he's still gasping for air and closing his eyes.

It's only when he realizes he's not choking anymore, not in pain, that he opens them.]

So...

[motheringnation]

[You get a sad smile and wave from Ukraine.]

Hello America. Welcome to the graveyard.

[asapplepie]

[Scanning the room quickly before smiling at her.]

Hey! Glad you're okay!

[motheringnation]

[The sad smile is still there. She's gotten over her anger at him for a while now.]

Thank you.

I'm sorry that happened to you. It was unfair, even for this place.

[asapplepie]

[He's honestly already forgotten she was mad at him.]

Yeah, it was bullshit.

[tsunneverset]

[He chucks his bottle in America's general direction when he hears his voice, although it cones nowhere close to hitting him.]

Save yourself. That's all you had to do.

Also you were wrong and ghosts are real. Surprise.

[asapplepie]

Engl -

[He's about to sound happy to see him, but stops mid-speaking when England throws something at him and says that. This isn't anything different than their normal banter and giving each other a hard time, but this time it hits him really hard. He's pretty much kept himself going the past few days on determination to listen that what England's letter said and fight for his life, and this morning it had all seemed to be going so well. He'd been honestly happy since the game first started, feeling like he was going to really succeed and prove himself.

Even though getting shot wasn't something he expected or thought was his fault, he already feels horribly guilty for not being able to accomplish the one thing he was asked to do and survive. He failed everyone but most of all England, who died wanting to make sure he would do that, and all of that after truly believing this time he was going to show everyone he could really do it.

Instead of greeting him or shooting something insulting back, he bites on his lip until he can push back the tears that want to come, and once he does, instead turns on him furiously.]

Fuck you! No one wants to hear that from someone who just gave up!

[tsunneverset]

[He can't see America's expression or how much his words hurt him; while he can tell from his voice that he's genuinely upset, he assumes it's from whatever leftover anger there is from the result of England's trial.]

I didn't give up. I played to the best of my ability, and I made sure the hunters knew where they could find my journal when it became clear I wasn't going to make it. I didn't put myself in the line of fire for the prey, who shouldn't even--

[He cuts himself off, breathing heavily. The truth is...he knows he has no right to be angry at America simply for playing the game and actually saving someone. He can't blame him for not knowing that the hunters had been armed or getting shot. He can't even blame Ada for doing whatever it took to win. There's only one reason why he's furious at all, and it's because...]

You were supposed to live. [Everything he worked for, every trick he pulled...all of it made useless by a single bullet.]

[asapplepie]

Well, I'm sorry!

[He picks up the first thing he can get his hands on, which happens to be a can of soda, and throws it back at England.]

Your side fucking cheats, but I guess it's all my fault! Everything is all my fault in the entire universe, good to know!

[notyetlost]

[Poland greets America with his hands, or really just the one hand, on his hips.]

Hey, like I thought you promised that you were totally gonna protect my stuff back home for me!

[Hi America!]

[asapplepie]

[He doesn't take the hand; he's not really in the mood for joking around it seems.]

Sorry, I just died, but that was the number one thing I was worried about.

[notyetlost]

[Who's joking?] Like as if I care what you're worried about, I'm still holding you to that promise.

What are you so crabby about?

[asapplepie]

I don't know! Maybe getting shot sucked! Maybe that!

[hintcoinplz]

[Luke waits until America is more coherent before tossing a pillow in his face. He's been waiting to do this.]

[asapplepie]

[Too bad he's just not in the mood for this shit.]

What's your problem.

[hintcoinplz]

That was for all the stupid things you said at the previous trial.

[asapplepie]

What things, the things where I got shot?

[fortissimos]

[ aaaand here's the man of the hour. She casually rests her head against her remaining arm while she talks, still frowning from watching the trial. ]

... It's probably not worth much now, but you did a good job last night. I'm glad you managed to save someone.

[ She almost feels bad about insulting him the other day. ]

[asapplepie]

Thanks...

[He feels a little awkward though. She did well, but then the last night.]

You mostly did good, too, but it was kind of way harsh to do that to Damian.

[fortissimos]

Yeah, I... Critter brainwashed me. I wouldn't have done that if I had a choice.

[ She knows excuses won't cut it — but she would have been less brutal, would have made sure she was only targeting hunters. ]

I think we've got a good chance now, though. Even if we lost you, we still found another one of those guys.

[asapplepie]

Oh.

[Nah, he seems perfectly friendly after that information.]

That's bullshit, Critter never is fair. And all the hunters are like 'oh no, wahh, it's not fair,' but they have guns. I still think we'll win, though.

[futilities]

[ She's gonna be super-rude sorry. ]

I wish it had been slower.

[asapplepie]

Wow.

[But when he looks at her, his defensive tone kind of falters.]

I guess that's fair.

[futilities]

Exactly.

[ Her face is dark and set, and she debates saying something else, but it wouldn't make her feel better. Wouldn't bring her back to life, wouldn't help the Prey, wouldn't contact her brother or stop Radical-6 or -- no if she thinks about everything she's never going to do outside she's going to start crying.

She turns away from him and sighs heavily, clenching and unclenching her fist at her side. ]

Thank you for saving Fukawa. You at least did that right.

[asapplepie]

Okay, well...for the record, I didn't let you die out of being mad about Ema or anything like that.

[He shrugs]

That's what Critter was talking about when he said someone betrayed the prey. I didn't want to let you die, but it seemed like the only way to help keep England alive.

But it turned out to be pointless, so...I really regret it.