[log] justin! he's punching all my blood out! [closed]

[bywolves]

Characters: Royce Melborn and Alfie Solomons
Location: House 12
Date: Day 351ish
Summary: We'll see if they both last the night, honestly.
Warnings: violence, extra stuff will be cw'd in the subject lines.

BUILDING 12: This bizarre house, while fully intact, only consists of one very large empty room and a hatch that leads to the maintenance tunnels.

Comments

[bywolves]

[ Ah.

Of all the things, he wasn't expecting the hatch to open. But it does, and that sure is a person crawling up out of the hatch, and Royce immediately is on the defensive. He knows who this is - he's seen Alfie's face in the conversations Royce has saved, he's seen the pictures and videos on his tablet of this same guy, over and over, this man that seemed to know his impostor better than anybody in this hellhole. The man who lied to him, over the network.

Royce grabs his straight razor and is on his feet fast as he can, glaring, ready for a fight. ]

[devoutish]

I'm not gonna attack you.

[He says, just to get that out of the way. He slides the rest of the way out of the hatch, tugging his bag along behind him.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce doesn't answer that. He's cornered, like an animal on the defensive, watching Alfie. Not going to attack him, sure. Sure, Royce is going to believe that. ]

Out. [ Royce says, sharply, standing up, shifting the razor in his hand to a more aggressive position. ] Get out.

[devoutish]

No, I'm fucking exhausted; I'm gonna stay here.

[He sets about settling on the floor a few feet from the hatch, pulling out his blankets and the collapsed air mattress.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce stares at him - and then starts to gather his own things together, putting them away, packing them up. Fine. He'll leave. He'll just have to try to get to another house before lockdown, which is - in twenty minutes or so. ]

[devoutish]

You're not gonna go out that door, I hope. There's no building nearby.

[bywolves]

Then I'll die.

[ Logically, he knows he can't make it to another building, but he's not spending the night in this building with Alfie. He refuses. ]

[devoutish]

Don't be fucking stupid.

[bywolves]

Don't talk to me.

[ All of his hackles are raised - he wants out, away from this, doesn't need this sort of complication. He's still packing - quickly, because he knows his time is running out. Is it twenty? Or is he misremembering the time the doors lock? It's only been a day or two and he's been inside far before it even got close - he hasn't chanced it like this before. ]

[devoutish]

We don't fucking know each other; calm down. Do you act like this around everyone?

[Despite his exhaustion, he shifts to a standing position.]

I'm not gonna let you run out into the snow and kill yourself.

[bywolves]

[ Royce freezes when Alfie stands. A beat, and then he snatches up his cloak, putting it on. He doesn't believe this for a second - he's not having it, he's not letting someone fuck him over again. That's the only reason someone would pretend so steadfastly like this. ]

If you don't know me, then why do you care? [ Royce asks, voice sharp. He takes a step forward, hood up, razor at the ready. ]

[devoutish]

I've come to realize the sanctity of life and all, in the time that I've been here.

[He stays put, not approaching Royce but not backing off either.]

Now fuck off back into the corner.

[bywolves]

[ Right. No, absolutely not. Royce pulls his things closer, and goes ahead and heads towards the door. ]

[devoutish]

Not this way.

[He takes a few long strides over to the front door, positioning himself between it and Royce.]

[bywolves]

[ No - no, he doesn't want to be cornered. And this is about where instinct kicks in, Manzant's steep learning curve taking over. Royce is small and weak and underfed, but he's used to his body being this way. He knows how to move and he knows how to get up in someone's space without effort - he darts forward, sinking down and then up, slashing the razor through the air at Alfie, not caring so much where he lands the hit. As long as he does.

And then he'll aim to hook Alfie's feet out from under him with his own, so he can get at the door.

Not that it matters. His hearing isn't as good as it's supposed to be, and he misses the click of the door locking as he sweeps his leg out to knock Alfie down. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie instinctively jerks an arm up to block the knife, and so it catches him in his forearm, giving him a long, deep cut that stretches nearly from elbow to wrist. He yells in pain, striking out with his uninjured arm to aim a punch to Royce's face, but Royce trips him and he goes down instead. And that's where he'll stay, as Royce makes a break for the door.]

[bywolves]

[ Alfie goes down - there's the smell of blood in the air, and he's satisfied, only... the door is locked. The door is locked, and Royce immediately turns, pressing his back to it, staring down at Alfie. He's calculating as quickly as he can, trying to figure out his options. The hatch is probably closed as well.

He's stuck.

Twirling the straight razor in his hand, Royce steps forward, ready to finish it. He has to. It's the only way to avoid being killed in his sleep. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie, already ill and in pain even before the brutal stab, isn't exactly in a good state to jump right up and fight back. He groans, clutching his heavily-bleeding arm, and looks around wildly for his bag - his bag that's several feet away from him, still over by the hatch.]

[bywolves]

[ There's a long pause, as something in Royce resists - he should just get rid of Alfie now. But he can't. There's something stopping him, and he just... takes a few steps back instead. Moves back to his corner, hood up, cloak pulled close.

It should be easy. He's sick and frail and half-dead. But... ]

[devoutish]

[When Royce moves away, Alfie lets himself go boneless on the floor, breathing heavily and closing his eyes. He just needs to rest for a second. He needs to pull himself together. And then he can patch himself up.]

Toss me my pack.

[He says, sharply.]

Just throw it.

[bywolves]

[ Nope. Sorry, Alfie. He stopped himself from killing you, there's no way he's going to give you any advantages. He scoots away from Alfie, pressing himself against the corner and blocking his stuff off. ]

[devoutish]

Throw me the bag, I said.

[He snaps through gritted teeth- but he knows it's a lost cause, so he starts the painful process of picking himself up off the floor. He's woozy from blood loss, but he manages it.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce scowls at him from under the hood. ]

Get your own bag. [ He shouldn't say anything. But. ]

[devoutish]

Fuck off.

[Hand against the wall for support, he makes his way over to his things, leaving a trail of blood behind him as he goes. Once there, he drops down heavily onto the floor.]

[bywolves]

[ Should've killed him. Why did you stop? Why can't you do it? Should be easy. Royce stares at Alfie as he drags himself to his things, frustrated. Quietly, Royce sinks down and runs a finger along the handle of his straight razor, hating the uncertain feeling in his chest.

You're alone, and you have no allies. He lied to you. He tried to stop you. He orders you around like you're some sort of animal. It makes him angry, but not enough to stand up and finish the job. You warned him. And now you just don't sleep, for the rest of the night. Just in case. ]