(IC) An Unceasing Hunger [Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf]

[WindStruck]

Thankfully Chelsea got the cabinet completely closed (or at least as closed as it could just about possibly be) and just in time too, as it was obvious someone was coming again. But what Chelsea heard was .. unexpected. It definitely wasn't the crazy guy talking to himself. Or was it? Maybe he could pretend to have a different man and a woman's voice, but that just seemed even more strange. And why?

And that's when Chelsea realized.. there were still other people here? She was thinking, connecting the dots. Maybe it was the guy she briefly talked to (or kind of shouted at) at the lake, and the other woman that got her leg bitten? So they would know about the crazy cannibal guy. Or what if it was two different people, somehow? Regardless, they had to have walked by the burning truck and all the wrecked vehicles, plus the whole lobby area that was an absolute mess. And the yelling guy on the rope. They had to know something was wrong. Yet their current conversation seemed so calm and vapid.

But then Chelsea realized something else. She was almost completely naked. And.. oh boy. She was starting to feel more flustered and embarrassed by the second. Should she come out of the cabinet? Did she even want to do this?? It wasn't comfortable here being crammed in the dark. But then again, there was a crazy cannibal guy on the loose.

And Chelsea started feeling like something really terrible was about to happen. Maybe he realized he'd been tricked, or at the very least thought he lost her and was coming back. Maybe it would be better if she just stayed in the cabinet? Save her some embarrassment.. and maybe save her life?

[MaltholLoth]

"You know what, I think it'd probably be best if as soon as you've got your coffee we go see if we can get a ladder for that guy... Unless you want me to see if there's another first aid kit to change your dressing? I doubt any pain killers we find around will help me much. Having that extra set of hands would be handy if that freak returns." he says as he still opens the fridge to check there first before moving onto the next door cupboard and drawer, he can at least check while waiting. Snacks? Plus Carine had gone quiet, was she that in need of coffee or had he been too rude. Pain killers. Knowing his luck, he'd blown any chance regardless if they manage to get out of here. Anything? Talk and say too much or something silly, or don't talk and give the impression you're not caring... Silence can be comfortable with the right person. Snacks?

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 4
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes, a door handle?
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat
Emotional/mental state: weary, temporarily more sore, hungry ish, concerned about time for the guy but sad for the loss of the woman

[Metastachydium]

Facing what's probably going to be the hardest decision of her life so far, Carine stares at the Machine for a long moment, throws a glance at Jim as he rummages through the room and then stares at the Machine some more. But as she inhales sharply, it happens. Her mind sinks back from the Preceptial Constituent and the supernal level of the analytic triad, away and into the realm of the vegetative urges.

Her brain might need coffee, but she's not her brain. Jim? she calls out turning around and trying to meet the man's gaze. Look… Let's forget the coffee. And my ****ing leg. You're right, there's other stuff and it needs doing. And if you're done there and… with an expression of profound misery on her face, she bites her lower lip and begins limping towards him. And if you're not too mad, um, can I have your hand back?

Spoiler: Carine

Show

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze, her shame, a modest proposal (that doesn't involve eating babies)

[MaltholLoth]

Closing the fridge, "I'm not mad, just unlucky... With some things at least". As he walks over to Carine with a goofy smile on his face, he closes the cupboard door under the sink. Out of place, reflex action memory, just as with that infernal cupboard at work that has a habit of being left ajar because it has a little bit of resistance just before closing. The number of times he'd caught his leg on that door wasn't worth the moment he'd now developed in watching for it and closing it at every passing occasion.

"My hand is at your command! Let's go get that man down. Never know, he might know how to pilot some helicopter that's hidden on the roof! Haha! So, let's see that smile, can I have that back?" offering out his hand to be taken.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 4
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes, a door handle?
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat
Emotional/mental state: weary, sore, hungry ish, concerned about time for the guy but sad for the loss of the woman, giggly happy

[Metastachydium]

It's all yours. Carine mutters as cheerfully as one can mutter things, a beaming, relieved smile taking shape on her face as she reclaims Jim's hand. Looks like her subconscious is still smarter than her reasoning apparatus, after all. Hopefully so is Jim's. A helicopter sounds nice. Now, let's get rolling. she adds still smiling and drawing closer to Jim's side. Preferably not on the floor this time.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze, a smart subconscious, Jim's hand (recaptured!) and the joy that comes with it

[7LayerDipstick]

Chelsea hears as two pairs of feet walk into the break room, and, though it is ever so slightly muffled, she can listen to all of their conversation from within her hiding place. During the exchange between the two outside, she sees that sliver of light shrink further, presumably as the male voice's owner closes it that last bit.

Jim pulls open the refrigerator to see an assortment of meals packed in plastic: sandwiches, a few different containers of the same chili, and one larger plastic container on a lower shelf has a spread of sushi with a heart-shaped sticky note stuck to the lid. Looking over the door before moving to the cabinets, Jim does see, along with a glass quart of whole milk and assorted condiments, a few bottles of cough syrup that, if memory serves, do contain some painkiller. His glance into the cabinet shows a lot of disorganized containers of oats.

Carine meanders forlornly toward the coffee machine and, moving a sticky note covering the screen ("Tim, if you put pre-ground Folger's garbage in here again, I will personally throw you into the lake. -Sam"), she can see that this device is the kind that stores and grinds its own beans and it looks like it brews espresso exclusively and waters it down to varying degrees. She doesn't get very far into its assorted menus before turning away to speak with Jim.

Before the two not currently hiding in a cupboard can exit the room, everyone in the room hears the screeching sound of metal tearing and distorting echoing down the hall. In her hiding place, Chelsea can hazard a guess that the noise is coming from the storage room she saw earlier, though what exactly the sound comes from is a mystery.

[WindStruck]

Chelsea was still so indecisive about whether she should come out and say something, or if she should stay hidden away. Honestly, would even hiding help?

She managed to listen to the two's conversation about coffee and helicopters and.. they seemed pretty strangely cheerful for the horrible situation they were in. It was almost like listening to two best friends chat away...

Still the horrible feeling in Chelsea's gut remained, and while she still hadn't decided to reveal herself, maybe she wouldn't have to. Maybe she'd be found anyway? But it seemed they were about to go somewhere else to look for a ladder.

It was a great idea, if not for the fact that the crazy guy was probably coming back. Any minute now. The rumble and screeching of metal all but confirmed Chelsea's fears.

Yep. That was him. Good luck you two. And.. God save us all.

Spoiler: Chelsea

Show

Blood Tokens: 5
items: half a bikini
-excellent swimmer
-fairly dirty

[MaltholLoth]

As the sound, Jim freezes. Swallows and whispers "I don't know what that was... But I think we're too late for that man's help". Taking a step back, he gives a quick look about. "Quick, behind the counter" he hisses "If he comes in here, at least we'll have the counter to give us some range over him"

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 4
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes, a door handle?
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat, Carine's hand (yay)
Emotional/mental state: tense and afraid, sore, hungry ish, concerned about time for the guy but sad for the loss of the woman them

[Metastachydium]

As it would seem, that smile was never meant to last. With a startled squeal, Carine shudders and presses herself tightly against Jim's side. To make matters worse, moving so quickly makes the room spin around her and she's almost pleased to feel that even her good leg becomes heavy as if filled with lead, figuring that it should at least anchor her in place.

Jim's whispered words, ringing in a manner positively otherworldly, so much so that she can hardly make out the words. Still, his pull on her hand speaks clearly enough and she lets the man drag her into the relative safety of the realm behind the counter. She wishes it were over at long last, but walking-into-the-very-physical-sunrise-with-Jim kind of over, but apparently, that would be way too easy. Why can't life be easy, for a change, she wonders adjusting her grip on the spade and doing her best to brace herself for the Shia that cometh.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze, Jim's hand (recaptured!), some dumb doubts and dumber questions

[MaltholLoth]

"It's almost a shame you didn't make that coffee, a scalding hot drink could be handy to throw over him" he says but more to himself than to Carine.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 4
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes, a door handle?
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat, Carine's hand (yay)
Emotional/mental state: tense and afraid, sore, hungry ish, concerned about time for the guy but sad for the loss of the woman shia walking in

[7LayerDipstick]

While Jim and Carine take the closest thing to cover they can find, and Chelsea continues to hide in her cupboard, all three can hear the thumping of running feet coming down the hallway, followed by the slam of a door colliding with a wall. However, the entrance to the breakroom remains undisturbed, and there is a brief moment of silence broken only by the sounds of each individual's heartbeats. Unfortunately, the silence is short-lived as behind the rightmost wall is heard the clattering of objects of all kinds colliding with what can be presumed to be the floor, and, nearly drowned out by the cacophony of disarray is the cracking of compacted gypsum as the two not in cabinets see the wall next to the coffee machine bulge outward. Another moment of silence passes before the wall section erupts in a plume of dust, revealing the unmistakable, albeit dust-covered form of Shia LaBeouf lodged halfway through the wall and quickly pushing himself fully into the room while glaring at the two visible survivors.

Chelsea, meanwhile, has the slight misfortune of the cupboard door by her feet popping open slightly when the walls shake from an entire human body lodging itself into the nearby drywall.

[Metastachydium]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Carine's heart misses a beat as Shia forces his way straight through the freaking wall of the room. She hears herself mutter a confused and inane There was a door., but by then, the scared animal in her is already beginning to put her on auto-pilot. Holding onto Jim's hand (he mustn't rush ahead, he did that once before and it was horrible!), she stands (or, at any rate, makes an attempt to do so) while pulling the man up with herself, trying to get ready for whatever's to to hapen next.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze, Jim's hand (recaptured!), half a battle plan

[MaltholLoth]

As Shia passes the door, Jim keys of a little shaking breath of relief. The thoughts of other man hanging upside down now start filtering through to his mind. Oh no.

His thoughts were in vain for the sudden thump against the wall drives the fear for his own life and Carine right back to the fore. Only for the head of shia to appear through the wall! "Aeeerrr!?!" Standing with Carine he takes a pace forward and starts to pull at the hands of Carine for a simultaneous attack. She pulls back though, and he pauses to take a brief look at her on confusion. Was it terror that held her frozen? At least run if you can't fight... Wait, what was that look, Carine pulls him back... What was she thinking? He's halfway through the wall, isn't now the best time?
"Come on, together?" he urges with a hope to rouse her from inaction.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 4
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes, a door handle?
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat, Carine's hand (yay)
Emotional/mental state: confused and afraid, sore,

[Metastachydium]

And it works! Jim's words punch through the haze. Carine blinks and then nods. Together. Yes, that'll do.

Adjusting her grip on the spade, she surges forward as fast as her limping allows for, trying to rely on some borrowed momentum from Jim, and lines up a clumsy, sideways chop on the cannibal.

Spoiler: ATTACK!

Show

(1d6)[2]
Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze, Jim's hand (recaptured!), a newfound determination

[MaltholLoth]

Spurred from her shock, Carine hobbled forward at quite the pace, leaving Jim to help push her along as much as catch up. Then with his forward momentum drives the knife forward at the dusty form of Shia.

"Fricken die!"

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 4
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes, a door handle?
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat, Carine's hand (yay)
Emotional/mental state: afraid, sore, vengeful

Successful...?
(1d6)[3]

[WindStruck]

aahh!

It felt like a freaking earthquake was happening! What the heck was going on?! With the huge disturbance in the building and rumbling, the cabinet door near Chelsea's feet opened a little. All she felt she could do was try to curl herself up tighter to try to keep her feet away from the crack.

It sounded like they were trying to attack the guy who literally just plowed through a wall?

Spoiler: Chelsea

Show

Blood Tokens: 5
items: half a bikini
-excellent swimmer
-fairly dirty

[7LayerDipstick]

The two armed survivors lunge toward the partially emerged form of Shia LaBeouf with weapons raised. Shia does not deign to lock eyes with either of the two even as they close on him. His eyes instead focused on the space between them. The moment Jim and Carine make to strike, Shia's arms move in a blur of motion, coming away from the wall and bringing his hands in the path of each of their respective strikes.
Carine's swing is intercepted with the crack of handle against palm, leaving her feeling the reverberations of the sudden stop rushing along her bones. Shia's fingers grip around the shaft of the spade, and Chelsea suddenly finds herself bearing part of Shia's weight as he begins to pull, either bringing Carine closer or pulling himself further from the wall. In either case, the gap between the two begins closing.
Jim finds his strike similarly interrupted. However, he is carrying a blade, and the point of this blade is first to reach Shia's grasping hand. With the velocity of their collision, the tip finds no issue in piercing the skin and driving through the flesh of Shia's hand, forming a vertical slit. In that brief second between the tip of the blade striking the palm and the handle reaching that same point, Jim can feel a slight grinding sensation as the edge of the blade rubs against one of the metacarpals, undoubtedly scoring the bone. The moment the blade comes to rest, fully embedded in Shia's hand, Jim feels the fingers of that hand wrap around his own with a powerful grip. Jim notices the partial weight Shia places on him as he begins to pull the gap between them close, just as he does with Carine. Jim also notices that while Shia's grip is still firm, it isn't as strong as it was in the cabin, and Jim can see why. On this hand, the flesh around each of Shia's knuckles is swollen and inflamed, the skin visibly purplish-red even through the layer of dust covering the madman.

Chelsea is now taking up slightly less space in her cupboard. She notices particles of gypsum dust making their way into the cabinet through the slightly open door.

Spoiler: NOTICE

Show

Shia LaBeouf has lost blood tokens

[MaltholLoth]

The unified fighters both strike true, though only a hand in each case. Jim focuses on where his attack landed. That graunch from the bone felt wrong, and those knuckles look... Look bleurgh! Still he tries to reclaim the knife... Up, down, forward, back, it was no avail, even with a weakened hand from those knuckles. If only he had a way to... He releases Carine's hand and checks his pocket, a quick rummage and he draws forth... What the! Oh yer, that handle. It's not quite the pocket knife he'd thought of but still hard and though not pointy and sharp, it still has a finer point to deliver blows with than his hand.

Holding the handle as you ordinarily would, he slams the end down onto the knuckles, over and over, squeaming and squirming to release the knife and his hand from that grasp.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 4
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes, a door handle?
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat, What the... Shia's hand 😱😰
Emotional/mental state: afraid, sore, missing that soft touch, not missing the strong hand

(1d6)[3]

[Metastachydium]

Carine gasps as Shia just casually stop the spade mid-air with enough force that she's pretty sure the hit was more painful to her than to its intended target. That's bad. Really bad. Let go! she squeals tugging at the tool. That's her spade!

Within the fraction of a second, to top it off, things get worse. Just as her poor useless legs begin to feel the burden of Shia's sheer weight who pulls her closer with little effort, Jim's hand suddenly slips out of hers. She flashes a nervous glance at the man, only to see him in an all too familiar predicament. Her eyes widen and then narrow. That's her Jim! And stop grabbing Jim! she shrieks, as she clenches her newly available fist and leaning forward, aims a punch straight at the creep's eye, as if he was one of those stupid movie sharks.

Spoiler: Shark Punch!

Show

(1d6)[4]
Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (co-owned with some cannibal guy)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze, anger and desolation

[WindStruck]

Oh god, oh god, what to do?? For the time being, Chelsea continued hiding, not sure if the others could handle the situation they were in, not sure if she should help, not sure if they would die..

It sounded like a tense and chaotic situation. Perhaps, she told herself, she would just get in the way or be some awful distraction. Who would her awkward presence throw off balance more? The cannibal or the survivors? Probably not the guy who views her as a tasty rack of ribs.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Still there, moving things along. Good luck.

[7LayerDipstick]

Jim extracts the metal handle from his pocket and strikes repeated blows against the swollen, angry flesh of the madman's knuckles. With a low, bitter growl, Jim can feel Shia's grip loosen and free him of the weight as the cannibal pulls his hand away with a sickly squelch when the blade comes free of the impromptu stigmata. Jim's momentum and sudden lack of force to pull against send him staggering back away from his assailant. As his position is suddenly modified, he can see Carine swinging a blow directly towards Shia's face as she shrieks in... rage?

Carine yanks at her spade, trying to free it from the malevolent grip of Shia, when she loses Jim's hand and, seeing him in related trouble, reacts with a cry and a vicious swing toward their assailant's face. While her strike is true and powered by a desire to not only survive but to protect, Shia unexpectedly shifts his body, pulling his arm away from Jim and suddenly putting extra weight on Carine and her single load-bearing leg. The twisting of his torso and the sudden excess weight do not stop her strike but do adjust its point of impact slightly. Carine feels a dull pain lance through her knuckles as they impact the space just below Shia's eye. Shia's head twists down thanks to her fist catching just against his cheekbone, and hopefully, the pain Shia feels is on par with the pain Carine just developed in her hand. It very well may be as, for a moment, Shia's incessant pulling contest weakens.

Spoiler: Information:

Show

Fighting [Shia] barehanded will not do any lasting damage...

[Metastachydium]

Inevitably, Carine gets to learn that she's not exactly built for fistfights and Shia's probably not a stupid movie shark. She also comes to realize that she might be in dire straits here: her whole body hurts and her good leg might give in any moment now. An undignified grunt of pain escapes her as her knuckles bounce off Shia's hard cranium, and with the immediate threat to Jim kind of resolved, her courage begins to melt away. Her heart rate steadily rising, she desperately tugs at the spade again while trying to awkwardly shuffle back and away.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

(1d6)[3]
Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (co-owned with some cannibal guy)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze, a brand new source of pain

[MaltholLoth]

Jim stumbles back but his current reason to be (a crutch), was still engaged in a tussle over Carine's spade. That spade had saved Carine and him, he knew these were bad memories to share but they were memories all the same. If it was precious enough to her that she fought for it, then it was enough for him to fight for it too... Well, it also happens to be a handy weapon and they needed all the help they could.

As inspiring as it was to watch Carine put fist to face, it was also as clear that it wasn't making much of a impact on proceedings. The balance had changed, both senses of the phrase. This he could address, he takes a pace out wider, initially thinking to go behind and then at least one of them should be free to attack without facing the crazed celeb. That said, it would also leave the other seemingly alone and he wasn't sure Carine would forgive him for that so he comes back in from the side and aims for the one place that should be hard to block, cause Carine to regain her spade, and leave any man in pain, super freak or not. A slash to the family jewels.

Spoiler: Jim acting below the belt

Show

Blood tokens: 4
Item(s): multitool with torch, bloody cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes, a bloody door handle?
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat, What the... Shia's hand 😱😰
Emotional/mental state: agitated, afraid, sore, missing that soft touch, not missing the strong hand

(1d6)[6]

[7LayerDipstick]

As Jim skirts around the tussle, Carine, losing her composure, is granted a minor boon as she pulls against the grip of Shia LaBeouf. In one fortunate moment, Carine manages to twist the gardening tool, which wedges between the tip of Shia's pinky and his palm, and with that bit of leverage, Carine's tugging pulls the rest of his fingers away and frees her spade. Now no longer fighting against the madman's strength, Carine finds herself mimicking Jim from mere moments ago in staggering backward, luckily with her grip still holding her spade.
In a less fortunate moment, Jim selected the instant just before Carine freed herself to attempt a strike on Shia's delicates. As he lunges forward, knife outstretched, toward the sensitive space, Shia, suddenly having two free hands again, slams his hands against the wall and brings his knee out of the last remaining section of drywall that kept him from entering the room entirely. In either a stroke of tactical genius or plain dumb luck, this movement also happens to bash Shia's thigh against Jim's encroaching blade, leaving little more than a slight cut in the cannibal's track pants and completely deflecting the attempt to cut his coin purse.
Shia snarls at Jim, a visceral, animalistic noise, and brings his wounded hand to grasp Jim just under his woefully unprotected armpit and, in one motion, swings Jim off the ground and hurls him toward the cupboards on the far wall. As he is being flung, Jim hears a pop from his shoulder, followed by a red-hot pain in the joint and a tingling numbness down the arm. It is painful enough that Jim almost doesn't feel the renewed pain from his tortured ribs as he slides on his back across the floor and slams against the cabinet just next to the sink.
With Jim now thrown to the wayside, Shia turns his gaze to Carine and, in the sudden moment of silence broken only by the fridge's compressor and the sound of dripping water from somewhere near Shia, the cannibal develops a grin all too familiar to Carine, but he doesn't move an inch. The only change is the grin and a joyous twinkle of fluorescent light in his eyes.

In her cupboard, Chelsea hears the sounds of combat outside her safe haven, interrupted by another crumbling crack of drywall followed shortly by something heavy hitting the concrete floor. Whatever it is, she feels her room shudder as it slams into the outside of the cabinet and cracks the door near her head, leaving it crooked on its hinges and letting in a couple little slivers of light.

[MaltholLoth]

Jim hadn't seen the the arm coming out.. And even if he had, he wasn't expecting to learn to fly. Then "Ahhh! Ooof!" as his shoulder pops and then he lands sprawling out on the floor. Isn't this the part in films where they then spit up blood? He wouldn't like to spit regardless but what those films don't show is the pain from flying and landing with a dislocated arm, not to mention that rib or two which of they weren't before, now most certainly were broken.

Jim let's out a whimper, his conviction in the fight wavering, only held in by the other now stood alone against their adversary. "Ahh uh huh huh". Moving slowly trying to avoid causing the pain to flair further, he uses his good right arm to lift himself up, bouncing off of the cupboard to his side grasping at the edge of the sink as the door looks ready to fall off. If he'd been in a good condition he'd have dealt with it, either trying to pull it off to use as a shield or having just fixed it off life had not been... This. Standing for a moment, slightly droopy to his left side, he realised his weapon isn't in his hand anymore. Luckily just a short step away along with the door handle, which he quickly takes the chance to lower himself to it, gasping his left arm as he goes down, but letting it dangle as he rises. Now looking at the situation with Carine and weighing up what to do.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 3
Item(s): multitool with torch, bloody cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat,
Emotional/mental state: pain, afraid, more pain, missing that soft touch, regret

[Metastachydium]

Carine tries to project an air of triumphant defiance as she clumsily tries not to land on her behind, but despite all her efforts and despite becoming the sole, proud owner of the folding spade again, she is soon forced to drop all pretenses (and her jaw is likewise forced to just, well, drop) when Jim gets tossed. It feels wrong on so many levels. She winces as he lands and for a moment, she's paralyzed with indecision. She must help Jim. She shold just run… Erm, limp there real fast! Which would let Shia get through unopposed. Cold shivers begin to climb up and down along her spine, her arms, her esophagus (how's that even possible?) and everything seems slow and dull. Even her anger. Even the pain.

Fortunately enough, Jim might be easy to put down, but quite clearly a lot harder to keep there. Carine can hear him groan and see him try to scramble back on his feet. It's not yet over. An emergency supply of fresh blood streams into her head. She's had enough. She hurls herself forward with reckless abandon, going for a rapid thrust instead of the usual chop, aimed straight between the creep's eyes.

Spoiler: Carine

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(1d6)[5]
Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze, a brand new source of pain, a fury that hell hath not

[7LayerDipstick]

Jim rises from the ground and retrieves his weapon in time to see Carine lunge toward Shia with the tip of her spade pointed directly toward his face. Jim can also see Shia's familiar unconcerned demeanor and malignant grin as he drops into a crouch and simply lets the point of the spade pass harmlessly over his head. With Carine much closer and himself in a lower position, Shia propels himself upward, his head slipping between her arms as the top of his head impacts Carine's chin, slamming her jaws together with a sickening crack. Jim, despite his distance, can hear the sound like a thunderclap and can see as Carine is again sent staggering backward before colliding with the table in the middle of the room and losing her grip on her spade.

Carine barely has a moment to process Shia's movement before she feels blistering pain in her mouth, leaving her vision blurred with welling tears. The crack of her jaws slamming together reverberates in her skull, and she tastes the unpleasant metallic tang of blood. Her tongue, still functional despite the disaster area her oral cavity has become, finds a shard of something hard moving loose in her mouth. It takes her a moment to realize it to be a shard of one of her teeth. It takes another moment for her to realize that she's leaning against something solid, probably the table and that her spade is not in her hands where it belongs. Carine, vision still swimming, and Jim both see the dust-covered lunatic take two steps toward Carine and, with his injured, bleeding hand, begin to reach to grasp at her head.

Spoiler: Notice

Show

Carine has lost a Blood Token

Delayed Notice: Jim has lost a Blood Token

[MaltholLoth]

Things seem to be going from bad to worse, with Shia seemingly taking all they could throw at him and still keeps going, they need to get out of there. Now though, is tricky as it will get given Shia it's closing in on Carine. They were to do things together, he can't leave her in this situation, undefended.

Grunting through the pain, he stumbles a run forwards, building his aggression as he does (I'm thinking this is side on to the situation, so let me know if not and I'll adjust). Those outstretched hands, they weren't to lay over finger on her! He seemed to have the advantage though, from here he was already nearly behind him and that would be better... He hoped. The neck and spine, a good strike there should really slow this... This monster! So taking a couple of paces to the side to come more from behind. Then strike!
"Leave her alone!"

Spoiler: Jim

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(1d6)[5]

Blood tokens: 3
Item(s): multitool with torch, bloody cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt (tear near shoulder) and lightweight waterproof coat,
Emotional/mental state: pain, quite afraid, more pain, missing that soft touch, regret

[Metastachydium]

At this point, all Carine feels is fear and pain. Her only consolation is a faintly pulsing, little thought in the back of her mind: at least he's not after Jim for the moment. That's got to be something.

She could now do the "spitting blood" trick on Jim's behalf, but that would require her to still be capable of thinking straight enough to remember her tropes, which she really isn't. Instead, she flails a trembling, panicked arm towards Shia, trying to swat the reaching hand away while attempting to roll on her side and, perhaps, off of… Whatever she was slammed against: the Spade is down there and Shia isn't.

Spoiler: Carine

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(1d6)[3]
Blood tokens: 3/5
Item: folding spade (whereabouts currently unknown)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze, pain, fear and a faintly pulsing little thought

[WindStruck]

Meanwhile...

Chelsea is still cowering in her cabinet. Although at this rate, it seems her hiding place will fall apart if they keep trying to fight in this room.

A metal clattering catches her attention an old door handle slides into her limited view. She still doesn't exactly know what she's looking at, but the growing proximity of activity towards her makes her feel even more nervous.

Spoiler: Chelsea

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Blood Tokens: 5
items: half a bikini
-excellent swimmer
-fairly dirty