Re: The Gradual Massacre (GBS2G4) [Round 4: Misty Swamp]
01-05-2012, 07:03 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by MalkyTop.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you,” he told the girl next to him.
The girl was someone important. But her features were ever changing and he couldn’t quite grasp what her voice sounded like. But she was someone important. “I’m sure you’ll remember soon enough,” she said in what was probably a consoling manner. Everybody talked to him in a consoling manner. He tended to need some sort of consoling for one reason or another.
He shook his head. “Once I forget something, it’s gone forever. I can’t get it back.”
I can remember for the both of us.
“How pessimistic of you.”
“Well, it’s true.”
The girl laughed, which seemed to him a very inappropriate reaction. And so he turned away and pouted.
Do you hate me?
“Aw. I’m sorry.” The girl’s face seemed to be stabilizing. But, at the same time, she seemed to be getting further away. “Did I hurt your feelings?”
But we’re partners.
“No…it’s just…”
I help you, you help me.
“I don’t like it when someone knows more about me than I know about them.”
I need you.
“Can’t you give me a name, at least?”
You need me.
“Please?”
”Algernon?”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Algernon groaned and woke up.
“It looked like you were mumbling. I’m sorry if I woke you up.”
“’S cold…where’re m’clothes…” He blinked. His vision cleared. There was a slim man…wait, no, it was a woman. She turned around with something in her hand and a smile. Forced smile? No, it was just a plain smile, probably, a plain smile and something in a bowl.
“Drink this,” she said.
“But my clothes,” Algernon protested, finally fully aware that there was barely anything covering up his skinny frame. His tongue felt swollen and seemed to stick in his throat and he mostly wanted to collapse again because consciousness was shaping up to be a horrible thing right now. He tried covering himself with a blanket that was on the bed, but the woman tugged it away, which seemed rather forward. She held out the bowl again. The liquid was rather pinkish and he could see some sort of flakes of red settling at the bottom.
“What’s this?”
“It’ll make you feel better.”
Who was he to argue with something like that? And so he drank it. And subsequently choked on it.
He leaned back into bed and closed his eyes, but the woman pulled him up again. “No,” she said. “Stay awake.”
“I’m tired,” he whined. “I don’t think I can.”
“Then let’s talk.”
His mind was already feeling much clearer, and as he thought back a little, he realized something.
“How’d you know my name?” he asked.
“Have you seen any of the others?” said the woman at approximately the same time.
They stared at each other.
“You don’t remember?” the woman said in a tone that balanced on the edge of incredulity.
Yes, there was that phrase again that he had been hearing far too often during his stay here. That cold realization and the awkward silence and the hasty covering-up so that he was kept in the dark about some horrible secret that would surely be too much for his sensitive heart to take. “What ‘others’?” he asked and, predictably, she said, “Never mind.”
He stared sullenly downwards, which reminded him that he was still rather naked and cold, so he stared off to the side instead.
Acacia, for her part, struggled to think of another subject to talk about and then decided it would be better to say nothing at all. She had thought that Algernon accepted the brew with the knowledge that she was who she was, as introduced by the Controller. They certainly never had much opportunity to chat, so she thought maybe that was why he seemed to trust her, despite the whole battle-to-the-death thing which was all in the past anyways so did it even matter anymore? But no, he forgot everything. And nobody apparently saw fit to clue him in on any remote detail.
Why not? Why didn’t anybody ever tell him? That seemed ridiculous. Maybe she should go ahead and reveal the whole secret. But then again, if she told him, would he still trust her, trust the medicine she gave him? Hm. Maybe she could tell him after he was all cured.
“…Do you know someone named Cherry?” he suddenly asked.
Who the hell names their kid Cherry? “No, sorry,” she replied. He seemed to look confused and disappointed at the same time.
“Well, I was, uh, out there, you know, with her. And then I left her. I think she’s still out there and wandering…so…do you think someone can go look for her? I probably shouldn’t have left her alone…”
No, nobody’s going to go out and find your girlfriend because it’s dangerous out there and judging by what your state was when you came in, she’s probably dangerous too and just sending people out with no clue at all what area she could be in would be just stupid. “I’ll talk to someone and see what I can do.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you,” he told the girl next to him.
The girl was someone important. But her features were ever changing and he couldn’t quite grasp what her voice sounded like. But she was someone important. “I’m sure you’ll remember soon enough,” she said in what was probably a consoling manner. Everybody talked to him in a consoling manner. He tended to need some sort of consoling for one reason or another.
He shook his head. “Once I forget something, it’s gone forever. I can’t get it back.”
I can remember for the both of us.
“How pessimistic of you.”
“Well, it’s true.”
The girl laughed, which seemed to him a very inappropriate reaction. And so he turned away and pouted.
Do you hate me?
“Aw. I’m sorry.” The girl’s face seemed to be stabilizing. But, at the same time, she seemed to be getting further away. “Did I hurt your feelings?”
But we’re partners.
“No…it’s just…”
I help you, you help me.
“I don’t like it when someone knows more about me than I know about them.”
I need you.
“Can’t you give me a name, at least?”
You need me.
“Please?”
”Algernon?”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Algernon groaned and woke up.
“It looked like you were mumbling. I’m sorry if I woke you up.”
“’S cold…where’re m’clothes…” He blinked. His vision cleared. There was a slim man…wait, no, it was a woman. She turned around with something in her hand and a smile. Forced smile? No, it was just a plain smile, probably, a plain smile and something in a bowl.
“Drink this,” she said.
“But my clothes,” Algernon protested, finally fully aware that there was barely anything covering up his skinny frame. His tongue felt swollen and seemed to stick in his throat and he mostly wanted to collapse again because consciousness was shaping up to be a horrible thing right now. He tried covering himself with a blanket that was on the bed, but the woman tugged it away, which seemed rather forward. She held out the bowl again. The liquid was rather pinkish and he could see some sort of flakes of red settling at the bottom.
“What’s this?”
“It’ll make you feel better.”
Who was he to argue with something like that? And so he drank it. And subsequently choked on it.
He leaned back into bed and closed his eyes, but the woman pulled him up again. “No,” she said. “Stay awake.”
“I’m tired,” he whined. “I don’t think I can.”
“Then let’s talk.”
His mind was already feeling much clearer, and as he thought back a little, he realized something.
“How’d you know my name?” he asked.
“Have you seen any of the others?” said the woman at approximately the same time.
They stared at each other.
“You don’t remember?” the woman said in a tone that balanced on the edge of incredulity.
Yes, there was that phrase again that he had been hearing far too often during his stay here. That cold realization and the awkward silence and the hasty covering-up so that he was kept in the dark about some horrible secret that would surely be too much for his sensitive heart to take. “What ‘others’?” he asked and, predictably, she said, “Never mind.”
He stared sullenly downwards, which reminded him that he was still rather naked and cold, so he stared off to the side instead.
Acacia, for her part, struggled to think of another subject to talk about and then decided it would be better to say nothing at all. She had thought that Algernon accepted the brew with the knowledge that she was who she was, as introduced by the Controller. They certainly never had much opportunity to chat, so she thought maybe that was why he seemed to trust her, despite the whole battle-to-the-death thing which was all in the past anyways so did it even matter anymore? But no, he forgot everything. And nobody apparently saw fit to clue him in on any remote detail.
Why not? Why didn’t anybody ever tell him? That seemed ridiculous. Maybe she should go ahead and reveal the whole secret. But then again, if she told him, would he still trust her, trust the medicine she gave him? Hm. Maybe she could tell him after he was all cured.
“…Do you know someone named Cherry?” he suddenly asked.
Who the hell names their kid Cherry? “No, sorry,” she replied. He seemed to look confused and disappointed at the same time.
“Well, I was, uh, out there, you know, with her. And then I left her. I think she’s still out there and wandering…so…do you think someone can go look for her? I probably shouldn’t have left her alone…”
No, nobody’s going to go out and find your girlfriend because it’s dangerous out there and judging by what your state was when you came in, she’s probably dangerous too and just sending people out with no clue at all what area she could be in would be just stupid. “I’ll talk to someone and see what I can do.”