Closed / To be Deleted

[Dradogo]

Joke hesitated before giving a small nod. He didn't really feel comfortable letting the man get any closer, but there was the slight chance that he could help. Joke looked up at the dark sky worriedly, wishing it weren't so dark; but their escape was depending on the lack of light now. Unsure of how Mortimer and Biddy would react to the man, Joke glanced at his friend nervously.

[*-Insano-*]

Alex looked up at the lights and then back at him. She bit her lip and nodded. "I'll try it." she was still terrified of the nightmares and it made her scared to fall asleep. SHe shook her head and pulled the blankets up around her. She looked around the room. "How did you get the voices to go away?"

[Iilyda]

Without waiting for any further permission, the man waded into Dead Man's creek and crossed over to their side of the water. The calves of his jeans were soaked by the time he got to them, kneeling down beside Mortimer and Biddy. Mortimer cringed away from the man, bringing Biddy along with him. Bruiser trotted right up as well, standing between his master and Joke. The hunter reached out a hand to touch Biddy, and Mortimer pulled further away.

"Come now, boy, I don't bite," he drawled, putting the palm of his hand against Biddy's back. The Doberman whined softly, scrabbling free of Mortimer's arms, but Mortimer wouldn't look at the man in the flannel shirt. He hadn't seemed to notice Mortimer's being undead just yet, but it couldn't be long. The man had the beam of his flashlight directed towards the bullet wound in Biddy's side. "Now how did that happen?" the hunter asked, his curiosity piqued. He looked up at the two boys with mild suspicion. "You two boys 'aven't been foolin' with guns, now have you? Or did your dog here get 'imself shot at by one of 'em hunters 'round here? Old man Warwick, he's a tough 'un. He'll shoot at anythin' with legs." Not knowing what else to do, Mortimer nodded silently, keeping on hand on Biddy's flank.

Ezra had been walking back to his chair, but came up short at Alex's question. He wasn't quite prepared for it. "I... well, I don't really know," he said, sitting down and plucking up the newspaper from where it had fallen to the ground. "I suppose... I just got angry. I was always so angry at myself, and my dad, but I guess I just found myself angry at the voices eventually too. I realized I wanted them to stop. So I just sort of... told them to." Ezra scratched at the back of his neck uncomfortably. His years with schizophrenia weren't something he talked about usually - not even with his fiancé, Jenny. Ezra didn't like to think of his youth, or of the image that was eternally affixed to the memory of those days.

[*-Insano-*]

"I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to know. I have never met anyone like me." Alex said. She sat back up and looked at him. She had locked herself in her room to many times. She hadn't ever been able to talk to anyone. "I cut because I need to. I cut because my knife is the only person that knows how I feel when I see the blood running down my arm or feel it run over my other scars."

[Dradogo]

Joke completely ignored everything the man was saying, keeping his attention on the man's dog. Still feeling unsafe, Joke backed away a little, glancing at Mortimer quickly. He could that see his friend was feeling even more uneasy than he was, and it didn't really help Joke's confidence to know that. "The bullet came out." He mumbled, not really caring if the man heard him or not. It probably wouldn't help much to know anyway.

[Iilyda]

Ezra gave a small shake of his head, folding his newspaper into his lap. "No, you didn't upset me. It's natural for you to want to know more." Ezra paused a beat. "If you don't mind my saying, but I hate blood. Hate the smell of it." Ezra was looking down into his lap, though his gaze was seeing past the newsprint laid there. He shook his head again, as if clearing thoughts away. "It feels satisfactory, I know, cutting yourself. Justified. At it suits the purpose. Am I on the right track?" Ezra asked, looking up at Alex again. He didn't want to assume too much of her.

The hunter grunted, his calloused palm brushing against the gunwound tenderly. He looked to be thinking to Mortimer, but he only continued to edge away. "Well, you aught to get a bandage for that," the man said eventually, leaning back onto his haunches and then getting to his feet. Mortimer stayed on the ground, with his legs still calf-deep in the icy creek. He shook his head firmly. Mortimer didn't want to go anywhere with this man - he didn't trust him. For all Mortimer knew, the hunter knew the guards at St. Auron's, and would have them arrested as soon as he got to a phone. The man looked confused at the two boys. "Come now, boys, like I said I ain't gonna bite. My house's up over that hill," he said, gesturing to back the way he had come, "and a little west of the old quarry. Ain't far to walk, an' I'll carry yer dog." When Mortimer continued to shake his head, faster, the hunter gave an impassive roll of his shoulders. "Suit yourself," he said, and putting his fingers in his lips to whistle sharply, he and Bruiser turned on heel and waded back into Dead Man's Creek. Mortimer looked up at Joke and back to the hunter, pale faced and panicked. Were they supposed to follow? The man had offered them help. And he'd told them the nearest vet wasn't for miles around. What if this hunter and his dog were their only option? But how were they supposed to trust him? Biddy continued to wriggle in Mortimer's arms.

[Dradogo]

Watching the man turned to walk away, Joke sat down next to Mortimer. "What now?" He mumbled sadly, wishing they could at least have some idea of what to do. Joke couldn't stand this feeling, of being lost. They could just walk around and hope that they stumble across some help, or... or they could just give up. Joke was unsure about that one. The thought of going back to that place terrified him, but as far as he could tell, it could be their only option.

[Iilyda]

Mortimer didn't answer Joke. He looked from his friend to the hunter and his dog, who had reached the rise of the hill and were beginning to descend down to the other side, past their line of view. Mortimer had an idea. He stood up and walked out of the creek, laying Biddy down on a patch of leaves a fair ways away from the waterfall. Straigtening up and pointing to Biddy, he then pointed to Joke. After a pause he then gestured to himself and to the man as he disappeared into the dark wood. Maybe if Mortimer followed the hunter, he'd find something to help Biddy. Or a road that led into town. Mortimer felt bad leaving Joke or Biddy behind, but the dog was still whining, and would probably just reveal Mortimer. And someone had to watch over Biddy. Without waiting for further answer, Mortimer crouched down low and took off across the creek, wading through as quietly as possible to the other side. He would be back as quick as possible, he told himself. Mortimer kept low to the ground as he climbed up over the hill after the man and his dog.

{Joke can follow after Mortimer, of course, if he wants. ^^}

[Dradogo]

Joke moved closer to Biddy, staybing put as he watched Mortimer follow after the strange man. He knew Mortimer would come back, so it was probably easier to stay where he was and wait. Not exactly sure of what Mortimer was doing, Joke did his best to try and get Biddy to calm down. He stoked her ears carefully as she whined softly.

((Sorry for such a short post. I'm just heading off to school. xD))

[*-Insano-*]

Alex looked down at her arms and ran a finger across several scars. She thought about the question for a moment but finally looked up at him. "Yeah." She hadn't ever talked to anyone about her cutting and she wasn't very comfortable with it yet. She knew she needed someone to understand though. She looked down at her arms again and sighed. She knew why each cut was there. She could tell you the time and place she had made each cut and she knew how that must sound to other people.