[Paleville] Spiral

[htownshend]

The woods were just as he remembered them. Dark and foreboding, the occasional dog running out at them. Sometimes he would see something off in the distance, another one of those nurse creatures, sometimes something else- larger. He'd run after them if they were sufficiently close, always hitting them with his flashlight. He'd bludgeon them

Comments

[eileen303]

Eileen shouts his name after him but for nothing; another skull caves in, and this one wasn't even facing their way. She'd think he was getting carried away with taking his frustration out on the most obvious targets, but he doesn't look or sound frustrated. He doesn't even sound upset. He looks... well, pretty much unlike she's ever seen him. If she had to point her finger at anything, she'd say he looks more like his twin. Not exactly, not at all, but the straighter set to his shoulders, the glitter in his eyes, these things ring familiar from her experience knowing the other man. His posture evokes Henry Sherman-Townshend, yes, but at the same time... she has never before been a little afraid in his or any other alternate's presence

[htownshend]

He stares at her with a flat, dully angry expression. "And what the hell do you mean by that? I'm protecting us! What's so terrible about that, getting at the bastards before they get to us? You sound like you'd rather I just wait for them to catch us off guard. We don't know what we're going to come across in the future."

His voice is starting to sound more and more shaky, even when taking into consideration how out of breath he is. He's terrified and out of whack and he's starting to have a hard time hiding it. Eileen just pointing it out like that is really bugging him.

[eileen303]

More than once in ugly winter months, she'd wished that he'd tug-of-war with her when she'd pick up the rope, wished that when she pushed, he'd push back. He hadn't, he'd stepped back, which had bothered her immensely. Normal couples have snits; what's wrong with us that we don't? What's wrong with me that he doesn't dare go a round? A sinking feeling in her stomach accompanied her answer.

And now that he actually does rise to meet her challenge, she sparks right along with it in spite of that nagging feeling that she's failing to understand. "You know what I mean! I don't know what's up with you but I know what it looks like. You're freaking me out, you're going to get yourself hurt!" She steps closer, planting her unhurt hand on her hip. "We have to be smart about this or we're not going to get out of here, you know that. I'm not hurt that bad, I can fight and I can run and so can you, so stop... I dunno, picking fights or whatever it is you're doing!"

[htownshend]

"Picking fights?!" He's just about shouting now, not sure how he could possibly keep his voice down when she's yelling at him like that. "I don't know if you've noticed, but this whole fucking place has picked a fight with us, Eileen! If you really think it's smart to just leave these things waiting out there to swarm us later, then I don't know what the hell I can tell you. I'm not going to be surprised, not like last time. You remember that? When we were in those tunnels, chasing those ghosts down and it was all going wrong? Huh, maybe you don't. But I'm not going to let that happen again, you hear me?" Now the shaking in his voice could be attributed to emotion, so perhaps that's better. Probably not.