Vantage Points [semi-open]

[shiftingurbulls]

Who| Ellis and the Walking Dead group or anyone who passes by
What| Meeting fellow zombie-apocalypse survivors
Where| Around the caves and glaciers
When| Week 3 before the Guido Suit massacre
Warnings/Notes| Language, talk of Gore...usual business

Ellis had to admit, the sponsors were kind to him to get him all warmed up and armed. Granted it wasn't a rifle like Nick and it was terribly lonely to wait for him to come back from whatever he was doing. He'd told the man to rest for a day in their cave, there wasn't that much need to hunt or defend themselves. Nick, this isn't Georgia, we don't have medkits lying around for us to find. Lay down an' recover, okay? But like hell Suits listened to him. He barely did back home!

Beth implied there were more survivors out there from his home state (halleluyah!) and Ellis knew that as soon as Lt. Raine gained a weapon, he'd be more than fine on his own. So the mechanic grabbed the nearest rock and scratched on the wall a message for Nick to find if the gambler came back before he did:

"LEFT FOR SUPPLIES, BE BACK SOON."

With that, bundled up and the small pocket knife on tow, Ellis set out to explore the Arena again now that the cats were gone.


A. Cave Story

The caves around this land had proven to be a challenge for the ever-curious man to explore and forage in. There was evidence of other people living in there, more experienced Tributes in the art of putting the best and bloodiest show the Capitol could see. All El could get out of these were scraps he could either consume or build trinkets to beat the boredom. Every time the mechanic ran into a campsite, he'd slow down his paces, avoid making unnecessary sounds as to not cause a fight. For all his boisterous acting, survival usually trumped his itch to say hello to anyone he met. Not everyone was as friendly as he was, Nick reminded him so many times back home.

"Hello?" Ellis called out inside, making sure he was close enough to the exit to make a quick getaway. Anyone returning his greeting would see him raise his weapon first before he relaxed.


B. Self-Imposed Challenge

"Okay, tha's impressive," El whispered under his breath as he admired the glacial majesty before him. He felt so tiny and insignificant against the massive structure. Naturally, he said to himself, "I'm gonna climb it." How he survived the Green Flu outbreak is sometimes a mystery. The thing about glaciers is the sheer difficulty that comes with trying to get footing without the proper shoe wear as the mechanic soon found out after a few unsuccessful tries at crossing the river to get to it. "Fuckin' hell," he hissed under his breath before giving up, "Coulda made for a good vantage point."

So the next best thing were the trees, something he had more experience in. It was how he kept whatever meager supplies he could find safe from any slippery hands. He was young and flexible enough to make his way up the branches. Anyone looking up will see a grinning idiot ready to say hello or pounce and get their supplies then disappear into the wilderness if they proved to be untrustworthy. Though Ellis had a fatal flaw in his plan: he wouldn't kill the target. These were thinking people, and he refused to commit murder.

Comments

[fivefingereddiscount]

I didn't realize etiquette was such a priority in a death match.

[He does put the knife away, though, and gives the kid a bit of an incredulous look.]

Is that really how you want this to go down, kid? Fighting over scraps?

[shiftingurbulls]

If I'm gonna kill someone, I ain't pullin' tha' backstabbin' shit. [As soon as Garrett puts the weapon down, El follows suit and lowers his fists]

How th' hell did ya git up there? Spiderman or something?

[He's studying the thief and squinted his eyes] Not tha' it's done any good.

[fivefingereddiscount]

Why not? It's safer than stabbing them in the front.

[Especially if they've got better weapons and training than you. Thieves that fight fair tend to die very young, in his experience.]

I climbed.

[He glares at Ellis and shifts his stance to be more defensive as well.]

You're not actually going to play their game, are you?

[shiftingurbulls]

I'll defend myself if I hafta. Don't bother me an' I won't bother you. [Ellis was impulsive but not stupid; he knew he was outclassed in sheer agility and skill.]

If you're here for supplies, I ain't got any. [That was technically true, Nick hid them]

[fivefingereddiscount]

Agreed.

[He quirks an eyebrow.]

Really? Did they give any of us any supplies?

[shiftingurbulls]

Nope...you apparently came after th' Cornucopia, did ya? [Crossing his arms now] We either make it or get slaughtered. [Beat] Why ain'tcha killin' me?

[fivefingereddiscount]

I don't take orders well, especially when they're from some faceless Nobles who want me to murder complete strangers.

[He'd been wondering about that. If they wanted a death match, why take a thief? There were plenty of assassins, thugs, and murderers back home. It can't be that he had enemies here; he knew who his enemies were, and they were much more direct about their vengeance than this.

He crosses his arms and leans against the cliff, appearing far more relaxed and casual than he actually feels.]

What's this "Cornucopia?"

[shiftingurbulls]

[Ellis was even more wary at the answer and how relaxed Garrett appeared to be. But if they're all going to die, might as well do something productive with it.]

It's this big ol' horn-like building in the middle o' the arena. Pretty much open season fer quick kills accordin' to people I've asked around. Apparently, you get real nice things that'll give you an edge. Or die trampled. It's empty now, I wouldn't bother unless there's corpses to raid.

Again, I doubt that. [He kept his eyes on the thief] Are ya with someone?

[fivefingereddiscount]

How long has this thing been going?

[Raiding corpses...while he usually considered that to be beneath him, his little knife wasn't going to be enough for much longer. It's not like the dead could object to having their valuables stolen, anyway.

He doesn't take his eyes off Ellis, either. Being suspicious of everyone had served him well thus far, and he saw reason to change his attitude.]

No. I tried working with someone once, and it didn't end well.

[shiftingurbulls]

This Arena? Apparently a few weeks, two at least. Historically speakin'? I'mma go out on a limb an' say years. It's their way of life, were jus' gracious guests.

[The correct answer would've been decades. El even points to the outside where the cameras hide.]

Well you're gonna be shit outta luck. If I learned anything, from the Zombie Apocalypse, numbers matter. Especially if there's fuckin' sabertooth cats runnin' around.

[fivefingereddiscount]

People can hold you back. You ever try slipping by a mob of enemies completely unseen with a group? It doesn't work.

["Zombie Apocalypse?" Zombies, he's heard of, but a full-on apocalypse of them?]

How'd you let zombies get that out of hand?

[shiftingurbulls]

To each their own style, I guess. I owe my life to my friends...but then again, I ain't a thief.

[What kind of question was that? At least to Ellis, all the zombies he knew were rabid]

Well, one person bit or sneezed at someone and tha's why my companion Nick keeps telling me t' wash my hands with sanitizer.

[fivefingereddiscount]

And I'd be long dead if I weren't a thief. Funny how things work out, isn't it?

[He frowns a bit.]

Sounds more like the gloom than zombies.

[Something else about what the kid said doesn't make any sense, either.]

"Sanitizer?" Never heard of the stuff.

[shiftingurbulls]

Gloom? Wha' kinda world calls th' Infected the Gloom?

[He's still having trouble grasping the multiverse as a theory, much more in practice]

Sanitizer is this alcohol based soap you use to, uh keep yer hands clean...sanitized. Are ya from the dark ages or somethin'?

[fivefingereddiscount]

Gloomers. They catch the gloom, get a bad fever, start hearing voices, then either off themselves or turn into...hell, I don't know to call them. Freaks, I guess. Spreads like crazy, too. But zombies? Aren't they just shambling corpses?

[He shrugs.]

The dark ages? No, but they weren't that long ago. I wouldn't be surprised if it's about to head right back into them, though. I'm going to take a guess here, and say you're from the future.

[shiftingurbulls]

Oh then yeah we have those! [El sighed relieved, they were finally on somewhat the same page!] We jus' call 'em zombies because it's easier to remember an'...oh.

Well shit, yeah, I'm from the year 2009. Pretty much, you?

[fivefingereddiscount]

I can't see anyone surviving an apocalypse of Freaks. Gloomers are harmless, but Freaks...nothing should be that strong. It's not natural.

[The strangeness of Ellis' answer keeps him from shuddering at the memory of crawling through a very haunted asylum full of those things.]

NRy 842. 2009? What calendar are you using?

[shiftingurbulls]

Oh...there were some that I shit you not were seven feet tall an' made o' muscle. Tha's a Freak huh? Those were Tanks an' they were bullet sponges! Shoot, I emptied an entire cartridge o' [Ellis stopped for a moment] D'ya know what guns are? Because they're here an' boy howdy, if I had one, I'd be huntin' som' bulls around here.

[Along with whoever threatened his safety. Garrett was still on a gray area, not quite on the "kill on sight" list but not in the "offer help" either]

[fivefingereddiscount]

[He shakes his head.]

That doesn't sound like them. These things were thin, with these long claws. It looked like their skin had grown over their faces, too. I've never seen a gun, but I did shoot one in the head. More than once. It didn't even slow down.

[He smirks.]

Too bad you don't have a gun, huh?

[He'd heard of them, but only as exotic weapons from far-off lands. Fortunately for him, they'd proven to be less reliable and far more expensive than a crossbow, so they hadn't caught on in The City.]

[shiftingurbulls]

[A shiver went up El's spine at the description of a Freak. It was uncomfortably similar to the second toughest Infected out on the field: the Witch. The top half of his body was laden with scars brought on by those claws]

Different worlds...same bullshit an' same unkillable pricks...

[Yeah that was a little broken, even more so when he retorted]

If I had a gun, you'd be headed for the hills. I'm a crack shot myself! Though I kinda wish I'd learned how to use bows.

[fivefingereddiscount]

Sounds like it. Did poppies start growing everywhere in your time, too?

[He smirks.]

And if I had my blackjack, you'd be on the ground unconscious right now. I guess we both got lucky, huh?

[shiftingurbulls]

Poppies? [That was a strange question] Like those red an' orange flowers? Why would yers do that? Like uh, parasitic poppies? Ew.

[At the snipe, El laughed goodnaturedly] We talk a lotta game fer newbies, huh?

[fivefingereddiscount]

No, just...blue poppies growing in places you wouldn't expect. I've seen them even growing underground, away from any sunlight.

[He shrugs a little.]

The arena's new, but I've been fighting for my life as far back as I can remember. At least the arena's cleaner than the streets back home.

[Garrett gives Ellis a very penetrating stare now.]

So, what about you? Why did they pick you?

[shiftingurbulls]

[The question reminds him that, hey, murder arena not the watercooler at the office. El straightened himself]

I survived all those things I keep tellin' ya. Me an' three other friends o' mine. Maybe tha's why I'm here unless th' universe decided t' fuck me over again.

[fivefingereddiscount]

Are they here, too?

[This kid wasn't a problem, but a group...that could be. Especially if any of them had weapons on them. Most people just naturally distrusted Garrett, after all.]