thearena | Vantage Points [semi-open]

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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?

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?

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]

[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.]

[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.

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?

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?

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?

[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.

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.]

One of them is.

[The man whose cave he'd left to find more supplies. The man with a gun and a nasty streak the size of Panem at this rate. But on his own, El wasn't just the one with a conscience. He was also the most fun-loving and gore-happy of the bunch.]

Is there a problem?

[He shakes his head.]

I doubt it. Why aren't they with you now?

[Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't care too much. But out here? It probably paid to have some idea about where the other "competitors" were, and what to expect if he ran into them.]

Because he's an idiot. [simple answer, loaded with rage and uncertainty over the safety of his friend.] Is why I'm here, Garrett...I need to pull my weight an' keep tha' asshole of a man from gettin' killed.

[He nods sagely.]

I know what that's like. And people wonder why I work alone.

[He can't help but wonder what happened to Erin. What was happening to her now. Would there even be anything left for him to go home to?]

Good luck with that. I mean it.

[As he stretched his back and turned around to head out] Thanks, you keep safe all right? I don't think it'd be fair for any of us t' die after fightin' for so long.

You too. Neither of us needs to be part of their "entertainment."

Vantage Points [semi-open]

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Dammit I missed this one!

No sweat!