[network] @cgriffin; day 016 [open]

[coleader]

Hi, everyone. If you don't know me, my name is Clarke. I'd appreciate you introducing yourself if we haven't met - I'm trying to keep tabs on everyone and make sure they stay safe.

For those of you who have been here awhile, you know that we've been talking a lot about grouping up and establishing a base camp. And you also know that we haven't done that yet. I've made a map of everywhere I've been so far, and I think I've found a good place for us to converge on. The square labeled 20 is the convenience store - there's food there. I've been told the eastern convenience store is more reliable.

I suggest we make our way there and establish a place for us to come back to, that everyone knows the location of. I haven't been everywhere, but hopefully you've been to at least some of the places I've been. If not, feel free to ask if someone else has, and maybe they can help you with directions.

Finally, one more order of business. I know most of us know each other, but I think it would be helpful to keep a list of people with abilities that may be of use. If you're trained in some sort of fighting or you know about medicine, people might need you. If you have any skills you think might be of use, please let me know and I'll start compiling a list of who to contact in case of emergency.

If you have any other suggestions, let me know. We need to be as organized as possible. We can't keep wandering around forever.

EDIT: I've been told there's two convenience stores, one to the west (on my map) and the other to the east. I'm guessing it's actually the easternmost store that gets restocked. You may be able to find food in the one I mentioned, but if it isn't going to get restocked, it's going to be mostly empty.

EDIT 2: I've updated the map with everything you've all told me. I also broke it up into quadrants.

Comments

[maskintape]

[ He has to stop and think about that one. Alex didn't try anything violent when they met on night fourteen, but he was outnumbered and disarmed. Who knows what he'd have done if things were different?

Plus if he finds out that it seems Tim is still spreading the sickness... ]

maybe
I don't know
it's too hard to predict what he might do. what with him being a goddamn murdering psycho

[ NO PERSONAL BIAS THERE, NO SIR. Though there's one thing Tim is pretty sure he can be sure Alex will do at some point. ]

kinda more concerned about him talking to people tbh
spreading his crazy warped version of things, acting like he's the victim
there are some things he could tell people that would sound bad without context and like hell is he going to give it

[coleader]

How do you plan to stop him from that? He can broadcast to the whole town.

You're not planning on hurting him, are you?

[maskintape]

[ Oh, ouch. Tim isn't sure if he has the right to be offended by that, considering what allegedly happened to Alex back home. Annnnd also that one guy he killed that he doesn't ever want to think about ever again because holy shit does that ever still hurt. He's a murderer.

It still stings a bit being thought of as somebody who'd hurt someone. Even if it's true. He can't help but think of how people shied away from him and his 'violent episodes' as a kid, how overwhelmingly isolated he'd been...

Ugh. ]

no.
I'm not.
I can't stop him so if he says anything I guess I'll just have to give my side of things and leave it at that
if people believe him then w/e, I'm used to it just being me and Jay anyway. everybody can think whatever the hell they like
don't even know why I was worried tbh

[coleader]

[ you've only killed one guy? lol get on her level ]

You don't have to act like you don't care all the time. It's okay to be worried, if that's how you feel.

If he does say something, it won't just be you and Jay. I'll vouch for you, and I'm sure other people will, too. You've shown them you're a good guy.

[ except for that one time with masky. ]

[maskintape]

[ HE DOESN'T WANNA ]

I'm not acting. I'm fine
and that's a nice thought but idk how realistic it is
there's almost nobody here who actually knows me and you know how people can be
they believe the worst when things are hard because they want somebody they can blame for all their problems
like I said though it really doesn't matter. so

[ Shown people he's a good guy. Please. Even Tim doesn't know whether or not he's a good guy any more. ]

[coleader]

Well, if there's somebody to blame here, it's not you. You didn't do this. I've seen what happens when people get falsely blamed, and it's not pleasant. That's not going to happen again.

[maskintape]

[ The response takes a while longer than usual. He knows all this is his fault - it has to be. The tall thing brought them all here, is doing all this. Everything fits, and both he and Alex know that Tim is the source.

He still can't bring himself to correct Clarke, though. ]

are you talking about your whole treason thing
or was this something else

[ If in doubt, CHANGE THE SUBJECT ]

[coleader]

Technically, the treason thing wasn't a false accusation.

[ If you want to be a pedant, which she does. She waffles over whether or not to give details — she's been trying to remain unemotional through this all, at least outwardly. It's why she uses the text function so much rather than voice or video. Still, it's sort of hypocritical to accuse Tim of acting when she's sort of doing the same thing. ]

My best friend got murdered. I accused someone. I was wrong.

[maskintape]

[ Oh god. That sure is a feelings punch to the gut right there. Critical hit! FLAWLESS FEELS K.O. ]

I'm sorry
about both aspects of that
not going to make you go into more detail or anything. I mean obvs I know how that is

[ On multiple levels. Jay was one thing - but he'd accused Alex of being the one to have killed Brian, and he was sure wrong about that.

No. Not thinking about it. Pushing that aside again. Nope nope nope. ]

if it helps, your friend might show up here like Jay did. which sounds like a terrible thing to hope for but
some things are worth being selfish for right. haha

[coleader]

It's pretty terrible, but it's not the most terrible thing I've done. I think that counts for something.

[ No, it doesn't. There's so many reasons why Wells should stay dead; he'd be miserable here, he'd have been tampered with somehow... it's not worth it and yet, it is. ]

What was it like to see Jay? Someone you thought was dead?

[maskintape]

it was
idek
I didn't think he was real

[ It's rare for Tim to be this honest about things, but. Dead bff bros. ]

when I woke up here I wasn't in the greatest place
mentally, I mean
I thought all this was like me going nuts or w/e, so when Jay started talking to me I just thought the hallucination got more cruel
you know?
like he was ~a manifestation of my guilt~ or something. I didn't really believe he was back until we met up
and then things were
complicated I guess
we fought before he died, so we had to kind of get past all that

even then though it was great seeing him again
I hope your friend shows up too. it helps a lot

[coleader]

I fought with Wells before he died, too. For a long time. I didn't get to apologize as much as I should have.

Still, you and Jay seem to have moved past it pretty well. You seem close; that's nice. [ gay ] To have someone here who you know always has your back.

[maskintape]

ugh I'm sorry
I know how much that sucks
and how it feels like nothing can fix it
but if I got my chance to apologize for what I did then you might too. and if you got to apologize at ALL then I'm sure it was enough

but yeah
things are pretty much back to how they were before for us. defs can't complain haha

[ NO HOMO, ONLY HOBO ]

[coleader]

What happens when you make it home, though? I know they brought him back here, but doesn't everyone think he's dead?

[maskintape]

I'm not going home
idk if Jay would be able to and I won't be missed there
might as well stay here

[coleader]

Here, where nothing makes sense and you keep getting strange shots?

[ Even she doesn't hate herself that much, damn. ]

It could be dangerous here. It probably is.

[maskintape]

yeah well it's dangerous back home too
I have nothing to go back to and no real reason not to stay here
so
it's pretty pathetic but there you go

[coleader]

You and Jay can come back with me.

[ It may not even be possible, and her universe is decidedly awful, but it's the thought that counts. ]

Or someone else. You don't have to stay here.

[maskintape]

[ Argrhghh. He has to take a moment before responding, because Clarke just doesn't know what she's offering.

He can't go to anyone else's world, even if it's possible. Where he goes, the tall thing will follow. He can't do it. ]

we kind of do have to stay here
me at least
but I appreciate the thought. like, a lot
thanks

[coleader]

What the hell are you talking about?

[ It's frustrating, so frustrating, when you're trying to help somebody and something like this happens. Clarke understands that Tim and Jay are impossibly cagey about everything, but there comes a time when it's just doing themselves a disservice. Maybe it's a world thing, maybe it's a Tim and Jay thing, she doesn't know — she does know, however, that she can't escape if not everyone's going to. ]

You're not staying here.

Listen, I get it. Sometimes I feel like I'm supposed to stay here as - punishment, or something. But I'm not going to. You don't know what they'll do to you.

[maskintape]

YOU DON'T GET IT

[ Of course she doesn't get it. All he's doing is avoiding things and lying and trying to twist everything into a shape that doesn't make him look bad. He's a fucking coward and he's endangering people again and he's proving Alex right.

He remembers the shell that was Brian, broken and lifeless because of him, and he has to resist the urge to throw up. He can't keep making these mistakes. He can't. ]

it's not just a guilt thing
ok
ok. let's do this. here we go
don't you think it's weird how you've got symptoms of the sickness I told you about only a few days after we met in person
don't you think that's REALLY GODDAMN SUSPICIOUS

[coleader]

[ Don't you text-shout at her. ]

You said you didn't think I was sick.

[ She isn't sure whether she's more offended by Tim thinking she's going to become some hallucinating, murdering psychopath like Alex or by him lying about it. If she were sick, she'd want to know before she went on a killing spree. ]

You think I'm going to end up like Alex because we were in the same building, which is crazy, and you don't say anything?

[maskintape]

ugh ok no
starting over
the sickness doesn't work in exactly the way I said it did. I lied. I do that.
a lot
I'm not even sure it IS a sickness. an infection might be a better word? whatever it is, I have it. I've had it as long as I remember
I mentioned that people sometimes hallucinate a tall faceless guy right
it's not a hallucination
when you're infected, it sees you
it follows you
it makes you sick, then paranoid. you start seeing things
not just the thing itself. just
horrible stuff
it can take your memories and teleport you places and with enough exposure it can make you snap at people or get violent

sounds familiar
right

[coleader]

I don't know. Okay, yes - it sounds familiar. But that doesn't mean it's you. Does Jay have it? You've been with him, so if it was infectious, he'd have it.

[ A second later: ]

You said Alex turned murderous because he had it.

[maskintape]

ok let's get this out of the way
it IS me
I'm the source
the thing has been following me since I was a kid. they took me out of school because of it, they thought I had schizophrenia
I've been dealing with this for twenty years and I'm definitely ~patient zero~ or w/e
anyway

Alex DID turn murderous
I didn't lie about him killing Jay. and others
he tried to kill me and my friend Brian too
idk how much of it was because the sickness messes with your head, and how much of it was just ALEX
he decided the only way to stop the infection spreading was to murder everybody who had it. or POSSIBLY had it
he had a lot of direct exposure to the tall thing though and that messes with you WAY more than just being infected does so I guess it didn't help stop him being an irrational murdering psychopath

[ Neatly sidestepping the question of Jay with an infodump? YEP. ]