Sole Survivor

[Juliet Ross]

THEY THINK YOU ARE MADE OF STONE
THAT JUST MEANS YOU AREN'T AFRAID OF MAKING THE TOUGH CHOICES
TAGGED @vero	The landing was impossibly rough. When they hit the ground, half the station tore away with all those on board with it... it dethatched and landed elsewhere on the way down. Though it was hard to see it looked like it landed somewhere in the Atlantic. For those who survived that, there was another harsh landing to be had. When they hit the ground, they landed against a rocky shore that killed damn near everyone. Those who weren’t crushed by the impact were wounded so badly they didn’t last half a day... Juliet had stayed on the beach, tending to the five survivors as she was able to move. Unlike the rest her wounds weren’t fatal. She’d suffered a shard of shrapnel lodged into her arm, but she had been able to stop the bleeding with a long strip of tape wound tightly around her arm. She tried to help the others... but she wasn’t a doctor and one by one they bled out... One of them was a damned kid... She was forced to leave the beach to find fresh water, so she took with her two guns and a bag with a few sets of clothes and limited supplies. Truth be told, she’d been stone since the landing. It had been so long since Juliet had completely reverted into her own protective shell... turning everything off was once considered a disability, but now it was a necessity. She was too delicate to deal with this... She had friends that died in the crash and she knew that there were grounders. She also knew that they were nowhere near the kids... Right now she had to focus on water... and food. She was famished... it had been hours, and even more walking through the wilderness. Finally she found a pond. It was swampy and probably irradiated but she didn’t care. She collapsed to her knees in the dirt and drank feverishly. Quickly she splashed water on her face and even cleaned up her arm—but she heard something. It was faint; probably an animal but it pulled a very violent response from her. Quickly she turned around and picked up her gun; staying low. She held it, ready to fire... though, she didn’t know anything about what life had survived. She just knew she wasn’t alone. Under her breath, she hissed, hoping to scare off any small animal while her eyes combed the bank. She didn’t call out for anyone; she wanted to see them first. Her vision was clouding though—blood loss and hunger made it so difficult to focus.

pyxis ★

[Deleted]

Tag: Juliet Ross

blood and battle

ARE ALL I HAVE EVER KNOWN

Everyone had seen it fall from the sky. It was impossible to miss. The only thing was that Vero was not with the others. He had been on his own patrol and as soon as he saw it, he knew that chaos would ensue. They would send out groups of warriors to explore the source of it . . . but Vero was not far. It would make more sense for him to pursue the fallen object while the others would eventually join him. Drawing out his sword, he was quick on his feet, moving through the heavily wooded area. He only stopped when hearing a nearby rustle. It was not too far from where he had believed the craft to land, but far enough. It wasn't difficult to assume what this was. More skaikru. Word was that one of them had made such threats and now, they seemed to be proved true.

When Vero approached the source, his sword was drawn and extended before him, gaze between a stoic expression and a glare. Sky Person. "Joken Skaikru," he stated, his insult basically summing up his feelings towards the other group. But she had a gun, and guns were . . . not something that they dealt with. They were the weapons of their enemies. How joken fitting that she held one now. "Drop it," he demanded, continuing to tightly grip the hilt of his sword, stance indicating he was ready for combat. His tone held authority, and despite the advantage she held in weapon . . . Vero expected her to listen, if she knew what was good for her. "Hurry up!" He further demanded impatiently, hardly leaving her with time to compy with his first command.

[Juliet Ross]

THEY THINK YOU ARE MADE OF STONE
THAT JUST MEANS YOU AREN'T AFRAID OF MAKING THE TOUGH CHOICES
TAGGED @vero	Juliet stiffened and backed up slightly when she saw the grounder holding his sword. She’d never... seen anyone like him before. His clothing was strange, and whatever he’d said when he saw her she didn’t understand but he surprised her more by speaking English. She held the gun steady as she tried to figure out her options, but under pressure it wasn’t easy. She wanted to shoot him and if she could have, she would have done it without hesitation. Her finger locked over the trigger and wouldn’t move—as deep down, she couldn’t kill him when he was giving her the chance to surrender. Self preservation always came first. Most people had a sense of safe and unsafe all on their own but Juliet struggled with completely different identities all having a say. Let it go; drop it, every thought urged it and she fought it hard. “It won’t help,” she muttered to herself just above a whisper before she gave into it and let the gun hit the ground. Her hands had begun to cramp up something fierce and honestly; she didn’t have the strength physically to fight it. She held up her hands hesitantly and swallowed hard as she stared at the grounder. Her feet were positioned defensively; ready to run if she had to. She was also ready to pick up the gun... “I just want to find my people,” she muttered; not wanting to address him. He spoke English though... there was hope to reason with him. “There were more ships—“ it wasn’t a threat, but her tone made it hard to imagine it wasn’t. “I need to find them,” she couldn’t tell him she was the only survivor of their crash. It would ensure that he’d know nobody was coming to find her. He could kill her without consequence... He’d do it anyway she was sure of it. She couldn’t help noticing other things... his voice carried with authority, but she couldn’t imagine a leader being out here alone. There had to be others with him... she cast a nervous look at the surrounding trees before looking back at him. “Are you alone?” She thought.... maybe; if he was, it would be enough proof that killing him was the right choice. Shoot him and run for her life... not back to the wreck though. Somewhere west instead. Yet... she'd lost so much blood that she knew it was unlikely that she'd make it far.

pyxis ★