The Dark Secret of the Borton Islands (Yuna & Malin's 1x1)

Thomas felt like he had punched himself the gut. There was a lot that he was starting to question, but feeling Nicole's tears on the back of his neck warned him of what he had almost become here. Holding Nicole he was careful to carry her so that her wounded leg didn't move. Walking along and refusing to say a word he put the river bank behind the two of them as they walked.

He swallowed lightly wondering if he could even start to repair the damage he had done to his friend. Hearing her warning about going against her again and what another outburst like the one he had done to her would cost him caused him to shiver lightly, and so for the moment he focused on the only thing he could trying to find help. He set himself on a course away from the river wanting nothing to do with the place, but since he was carrying another individual he had to worry about her safety. As well as the facts that the pirates would probably never stop hunting them even if they did think they were both dead. That bastard would want their bodies as proof and so he had to assume that the river wasn't a safe place to stay.

The problem really came from their need of help. There had been people fighting those bastards last night that was true, but he had no idea where they could even find anyone on this island or even where this island was. He let out a long sigh after walking in silence for what felt like an hour.

Turning his neck so that he could look at Nicole's face He adjusted slightly so that he could look at her without hurting either him or moving her leg. "Listen, Nicole..." Now the regret was starting to kick in, it had taken time, once his phisical impulses had faded and he started thinking more rationally it had started to sink in to him exactly what he had done to her. He swallowed after a moment of deliberation. "I understand if after we get you treated you never really want to talk to me again. Just... I still..."

Thomas bit his lip for a moment after what he had done he had no right to say that he still loved her, but he knew what his feelings were saying. He knew how he felt towards his oldest friend, and he adjusted her so that she would be pressed closer to his back. "I still care about you." His words were just under a whisper as he resumed walking. As twisted as his actions had been, it was clear that his mind was allowing him to return to normal now. The stress was passing, and with it came regret, and pain as well as a sense of loss.

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Save for the soft sobs, Nicole also stayed quiet during the walk back. Where that would lead, well, only time would reveal she guessed. As Thomas spoke, Nicole swallowed nervously. She hadn't really expected him to talk, guessing - and glad to see - that he was indeed feeling horribly guilty about everything he had just done. It was good in the sense that it reassured her he wasn't truly lost, per se. It had definitely seemed as much but Nicole had tried to insist this wasn't yet true, simply because he stopped with the sexual assault. Now, however, Nicole had a much more definite bit of evidence.

But honestly, was it enough? For all they knew, she may never be able to walk or run again. And if that was the truth ... he may as well just leave her out for that bastard to find while he escaped. She'd be much slower and definitely get him caught again. Her teeth gripped her own lower lip as the mere thought of her plea to free Thomas, even at her own safety, was becoming more and more likely.

".... It's odd to admit. I shouldn't be saying this, in fact. But ... I know you're telling the truth. Why? Because you wouldn't have stopped otherwise. So ... " She gently nuzzled the nape of his neck, sighing softly against it. "I can hear it. Part of me is screaming 'Girl, the fuck is wrong with you?! Give up on him!' And yet, I ... I can't. Not yet. However, you're going to have to prove yourself again with that promise to date me."

It seemed like a fair enough compromise. If she couldn't forget about him, Nicole decided she would take steps to prove to him her words were completely genuine. Him having to regain her faith and trust was far more than fair; at least in her mind and eyes. If he failed to take steps in the right direction, then she would give up. Until then, however, Nicole wanted to keep holding onto him.

A small smile rolled across Thomas's face as it seemed not all hope was lost for him. Oh there was a lot that needed to be repaired, and He would have to work hard to make sure that he didn't slip back into that monsterous persona again, the last thing he wanted was for Nicole to become afraid of him or worse hate him. In fact that would be the absolute worst thing that could happen in there current situation.

The thought of permanent damage had occured to him of course, heck if they couldn't stop the bleeding or the wound got infected in some way permanent damage would be the least of their concern. However he also really didn't Nicole to die on the account of his actions. If they were put in a position where one of them was going to be captured again, He would honestly have rather it be him then her. They would likely only kill him, but her they would make suffer far worse.

As he was thinking he came across an opening in the under brush. A small dirt road spanned out in front of them, and on the other side of that was a cliff, but his eyes wondered just a bit down the clearing there was a tower of some sort. He blinked a few times looking up at the thing it looked old, and kind of busted but if he was correct that was a radio tower of some sort. It spanned upwards high into the sky, and looked like it was about ready to fall over. He bit his tongue for a moment as he hid back in the bush.

"If I climbed that thing... we would have a good view of this island, or at least a major chunk of it." He spoke under his breath. There was no way he was going to be able to climb the thing, and carry Nicole, which meant that he would have to leave her here in the underbrush. At the same time He would be completely exposed, and at the mercy of any sniper who saw him. Or worse that entire thing could collapse fall off the edge of the cliff, taking him to his death.

Looking at Nicole He lowered her off his back, and took out the knife he had stolen from the pirates. It was still the only weapon the two of them had, and he handed it to her handle first. "I'm gonna go for it, stay here, and protect yourself." He said biting his lip. "Once I'm all the way up there I should be able to see where we can get help.. It's the least I can do after all I have done."

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Mainly due to all the blood that had been lost, it began to slow simply because there was little more of the crimson liquid that could fall from the wound. But the agony was still very much there, as if the bullet had gone through her flesh a few minutes ago as opposed to about twenty or so. She was trying, however, to keep it hidden as to how badly she was in pain. They both, now more than ever, needed to be strong for one another; or at least themselves. Granted, this entire trip plus the earlier torture had torn away a lot of her strong front. But that was just all more the reason to cling onto what bits remained.

Her head gently lifted up off of Thomas's shoulder in time for her blue eyes to notice ... the hell was that? Some massive and very unstable looking tower. While all of what Thomas said was indeed probably true, that just ... was it really worth the climb?

She found herself staring right up at the damn thing, her focus going to Thomas right as he gave her the knife.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you fucking serious?! Is that going to even support you?! I -- "

Her head fell against a tree as a defeated sigh passed her lips before finally turning and studying the tower once more. If he really could get there, it truly was their best shot. But was leaving her on the ground a smart idea?

Not likely, especially with the ability to stand mostly taken away.

"Just ... gods. Please be careful."

Her eyes closed as she gave an approving, affirmative nod to Thomas. Not that she could have made him stop like this anyway. Not physically. Maybe with words but ... he was right. They needed to find help and quickly.

Finally, her eyes moved from the tower to the knife as they opened again. It was light and easy to swing she saw as Nicole tested it out. But .. could she use it, even if it was in a non-fatal manner? Nicole had no idea. She'd need to if it came down to it. And especially if one of ... that pirate leader's men wound up being the ones who found them.

But somehow, it still felt wrong to take a life even though they themselves had been so close to losing theirs.

A weak chuckle passed her lips as she let out a long sigh.

"Who'd have thought a mere cruise would turn into a trip to hell?" she murmured weakly, shaking her head in disbelief. "Un-fucking-real .... goddamn."

It was then that another idea clicked. While Thomas was checking that out, she grabbed her phone, with her right hand, keeping the knife in her left and frantically began turning it on.

Even if it's weak, please let there be a damn signal ...

Her teeth gripped her lower lip as she waited for the screen to light up and reveal if this would be able to help them out in some form or fashion.

Thomas swallowed heavily as he walked up to the tower. Jumping and grabbing onto the first level of the tower he heard the metal creaking under his weight, and as he stood up he felt the entire thing shudder. Standing up he started very risky climb up. Nicole had been right to worry about the stability of this thing, as he walked along the metal base he started to worry as each step seemed to echo with a new worrying sound.

The ladder was the worst part. The bottom half of the thing had broken off, and forced him to jump and grab hold of the bottom feeling the entire tower shudder as he had to pull his weight up the rickety metal. Every single step was a problem at this point, but it only got worse the higher up he went. By the third floor of the tower parts of the railings had fallen off, and the actual floor of the tower wasn't much better. The entire thing left him exposed.

In some twisted attempt to repair a problem with the tower the last people to come here had even set a wooden board over a large hole. The wood it's self was old enough that he could smell the mold on it from rain, and nothing looked like it had even been tied down, but the gap was too large to jump. Stepping down on the wood he did his best to try and put as little weight on it as possible as he tried to step over, however something snapped, and as he tried to hop it, his leg caught the jagged metal.

Thomas let out a scream as he felt his leg collapse against the sharp metal. Breathing hard he winced looking down. His right leg was impaled on the sharp metal It caught him just above the ankle, and peirced his skin cutting him deep, as he got up he had to use the hand rail, and physically pull the metal shard out of his body. It hurt, worse then just about anything he could imagine it hurt. But at the same time he turned and still did his best to try and climb the rickity old tower. There was no going back down now, he just had to do his best to make it to the top and hope that he could find another way off.

He limped, feeling his body not want to put any pressure on his right leg. It gave the moment he touched it to the ground but did his best to try and keep up. Even as he tried to climb. He swallowed his pride knowing full well this was karma for what he had done on the river. At least he hoped it was karma. Otherwise he wasn't going to be able to survive this if there was more of this kind of torture coming his way.

He swallowed bitterly as he tried his best to climb to the top all the while he had to curse one thing that was on his mind. "This was supposed to be a vacation. Come on relax on a boat with your closest friend. Have a good time, maybe confess all those awkward feelings." 1 out of three... "This vacation fucking sucks!"

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It had only been a few minutes but finally, the screen came into view of Nicole's eyes. Everything loaded up and ... oh gods, was she seeing things correctly?! She bit hard on her lower lip. The sting made her realize .. it was for real! Finally, a sign of hope! The damn thing had a practically perfect signal!

"Thank fucking gods yes!"

Finally, something was going right! Or at least it had seemed that way until she heard Thomas cry out in pain. Her head glanced up as a frown crossed her face. It might be risky to call out to him, she knew. But it'd be stupid if she let her imagination and assumptions get too wild.

"Thomas?! You okay?! Just ... hang in there! I got it! I got a signal! I'm gonna see about finding stuff out so we can leave!"

With the hopes that would inspire him to continue on, her attention went back to her phone as she eagerly pulled up a browser and GPS. Her head tilted as she looked at the result of where they supposedly were in confusion.

"The fuck do you mean you don't know where this is?" she murmured, not bothering to hide her annoyance. A quick scroll around of the map, however, did hint it wasn't too far away from Australia. But that was the most of a hint she was getting.

Still, it was much better of a hint than what they'd had in the past day or so. Was there an embassy here? Or some way to get a hold of the military? Should she even try to contact them first? Would it be better to try to get a hold of her or Thomas's parents? All of those questions and so many others raced through her head as her heart beat quickly in her chest.

Finally, she settled on trying to get a hold of Thomas's parents. Pulling up the list of contacts, she found the one for Thomas's house and, with a shaking hand and set of fingers, hit the "Send" button.

Please answer, please answer ....

Her eyes closed as she began to breathe quickly through her nose. They'd managed one major turning point. If they could get another series of those and figure a way off of here, they'd be ... well .... not perfect by any means. Especially in the mental departments. But fuck, it'd be a start. And they needed something, anything to help them out.

Thomas cussed and curred as he continued to try and limp up to where he needed to be. Honestly he didn't have a clue as to what he was doing at this point. every time he had to jump it felt like agony. Pulling himself onto the last and final platform he heard Nicoles voice calling out to him, he was more then a little worried that she was giving away her location to check up on him even though he also found it more then a little heart warming. "I just tripped!" He yelled back not wanting to tell her how bad his actual injury was.

Once he was on the radio tower, and able too look out on all that he could survey it wasn't hard to spot certain locations.

There was some kind of settlement not far from where they were actually. Whether it was part of that mans crew or part of the resistance was yet to be known but it was pretty clear that if they were gonna find a doctor it would likely come from that place. Checking over the other land marks he could see they weren't far from a beach, but from what he could see it wasn't the beach they had came in on, and he couldn't even see the stream or the pirate base from here so that was all a rather good sign.

As he surveyed and looked out, something caught his ear. The noise was a sign that someone wasn't trying to be stealthy, Rather it was a group of about five men in what he could best describe as a War Time Jeep Playing very loud and obnoxous music

And of course the worst part was that it was traveling right towards Nicole. He bit his lip looking around for the fastest way down from where he was. What he found was one of the steel cables that were meant to keep the tower bolted to the ground. It was rusted and not very safe looking. "I'm coming down!" He yelled not wanting to yell any more then that. As he took of his shirt, and was hoping against hope that it wouldn't simply rip apart before he got to the bottom. It was okay though... he had seen this in the movies.

~~~

The phone rang for a moment or two until it was picked up by thomas's younger sister. The twelve year old child had just gotten home from summer school and was wanting to relax when the phone had buzzed and no one else was around. Seeing the caller ID was Nicole he was assuming that it was either her brother checking in. Or Nicole calling to contact them about something. "Hello? This is Tabby speaking how may I direct your call?"

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A soft sigh of relief passed Nicole's lips. Granted, the trip probably hadn't felt good. But it could have been worse. Oh the irony of not knowing the truth, for it was .. very much so in fact. Her good leg tapped quickly against the ground. She found herself becoming more and more impatient with each ring. True, she could leave a message. But there was no guarantee she'd ever be able to make a call to anyone ever again. And it was for those very concerns that she was pleading for someone, anyone to pick the damn phone up!

And finally, someone did; Thomas's sister. The music coming from the nearby vehicle, however, caught her ears at almost the exact same moment Tabby had picked up.

Shit! No, no, no, no! Go away!

At this rate, Nicole was beyond caring if these people belonged with the bastard they'd just escaped from or not. She just wanted a damn day without being pestered. With how things were going, that seemed .. practically impossible to obtain. Her mind and heart raced as she thought quickly on how to reply.

Her voice lowered but stayed audible enough for Tabby to hear her speak back. "Tabby, listen carefully. Tell your parents me and Thomas are in trouble. The cruise ship got into a bad storm. We're on an island a bit south of Australia. There are really bad people who have threatened to sell us into slavery. Get them to get us off of here, somehow. Please ... "

Her left hand trembled as she kept the dagger held firmly in her hand. She didn't want to but if push came to shove, she'd gladly use it should those people in the jeep stop. Hopefully, they'd just leave and drive on by. In her state, she was no doubt the worst person to be using weapons. She could hardly stand without support; she'd likely miss even if she could muster up the courage to stab someone with the damn thing.

As long as she could hear from Tabby herself that she understood and would relay the message, things would begin to get better.

Thomas wasn't really able to focus on what he was doing. In truth he really didn't want to, because the moment he did the moment he would realize just how stupid it was. He still wasn't sure if this was a good plan but every time he considered how close Nicole had been left to the road, and the fact that these guys were fast approaching the tower he already knew they had both been spotted.

It's like we can't catch a single fucking break. He thought darkly even as he tossed his shirt up onto the metal wire that helped to hold the tower down. Aside from one instance this place had been great about holding his weight, and not simply falling over off the cliff. Now however he was about to take a 3 story dive, and all he had to do was hold onto a flimsy shirt.

Taking a deep breath as he braced himself, and was almost certain that he was going to die here and now, but if he didn't take the short way down there was a larger problem. Taking a step with his bum leg he tossed his body weight off the tower, and breathed to himself. "Just gotta keep one jump ahead!" The last word became a long cry instead of what should have been a comforting song as his body weight carried him and the shirt down the wire. He could hear the shirt ripping as it carried him closer towards the ground. It finally gave out after carrying him a while longer then he had expeceted. By the time the shirt finally ripped in half it was only a small distance between his body and the ground and while it was going to bruise it was probably non fatal.

"ow."

~~~

On the other side of the phone call, there was a heavy wind storm, and the reception at the house wasn't great to begin with. Tabby had a hard time making out all the words, something about the yacht they were on being caught up in a storm, and then just as she was about to say something there was a loud sort of crack, as the powerpole outside was hit by a falling tree. and the house suffered a black out.

The girl let out a eep and dropped the phone before picking it back up, but not hearing anything. "Hello? Nicole could you repeat that?" She said quickly before looking at the phone and realizing that it was dead along with everything else in the house. "Guess I'll have to tell mom and dad." She said kind of worried for the sake of her brother and her brothers best friend.

~~~

The jeep finally stopped in the clearing outside of where they were, as the five men all seemd to nod to one another, and grab guns. Walking out into the clearing two went to go grab thomas, but the other three stayed with the jeep. Pointing out to the under brush the nodded and started walking towards the forest to check if there was anyone else.

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"Tabby? You heard all of that, right? Tabby?!"

Nicole was quietly hoping, praying the silence was either the preteen thinking over her words or even relaying the news to Thomas's parents. Maybe they'd been home but hadn't heard the phone? It was worth hoping. But as she looked at the screen of her smart phone, she saw the phone number blinking and the words "Call Ended" near the top. Her head and body shook. Were it not for the fact the phone had indeed worked in helping her find where they were - kind of - she would have gladly hurled the damn thing at a tree and not cared if not broke.

"No, no, no, no, noooooooooooo! Fuck!"

Poor Nicole was more than ready to toss her hands up and beg for death. At the rate things were going, it was one of the most merciful things to ask for. Soft whimpers began to pass Nicole's lips as a trembling hand slid the phone away into her pocket after turning it off. But the next part was by far the worst. Her hands rested upon the ground, still keeping the dagger held, before Nicole began to force herself into a standing up position.

It hurt ... oh gods did it fucking hurt. But her teeth quickly found her lower lip as she muffled herself, not wanting to give her location more away.

From her position, Nicole could see they were going the wrong direction for her. Common sense suggested they were heading for Thomas. And even if he had merely tripped, that didn't mean Nicole wanted anything bad to happen to him despite all he'd recently done to her. Worse than that, her temper had finally snapped. She was more than ready to use the damn blade, no longer caring about consequences or even if it actually killed someone.

No, pure adrenaline and the will to live was rushing through Nicole.

Nicole tried desperate to keep her steps as quiet as possible while attempting to sneak up and take out one of the men. Five against two - let alone two wounded people - were horrible odds. But if she could dwindle it down ... maybe there would be a chance. Maybe. But it was more than enough to fuel her to try.

Thomas groaned, it feel like his entire body had broken on impact with the ground, and all because of his leg wound. He looked around dazed still as he saw two men lingering over him. Each of them were holding guns and everything gave him the impression that he was about to be captured again which was probably the last thing he wanted. He tried to stand up, only to feel his now aggravated leg buckle under his weight and his body collapse again. He let out a heavy caugh and groaned.

Fuck Karma

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Nicole trying to sneak up on the men who were now surrounding him. He bit the inside of his cheek wanting nothing more then to tell her no, to signal that she needed to leave him. He had done enough damage to her, he wasn't worth them both getting recaptured. He didn't want to see her be vulnerable or caught off guard. He glared towards the men who walked up towards him, and the next thing he knew he got the back side of the rifle upside his head.

Thomas went black as he felt his body pass into unconsciousness. Two of the men laughed however the third turned abruptly a flash of light that was the sunlight reflecting off of Nicoles blade catching his attention, pointing the gun towards her the men blinked.

"Easy!" one of the men shouted. looking at the girl and then to the male they had just knocked unconcous. A slow thought donning between the villagers. "You are not pirates... They do not have women among them... who are you two." There was a soft click as the men unhooked the safty of their weapon suggesting that she speak rather quickly and candidly.

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Nicole was so close .. and yet so far. All she had to do was thrust the damn blade forward! So why?! Why couldn't she just stab the bastard?! Her hand shook as she felt her legs beginning to try to collapse. Her head shook no angrily as she tried one last time, finally managing to start moving her arm. It quickly stopped, however, as the new gun was pointed toward her. Their inquiry made a new - slightly odd but existing - sense of hope enter Nicole.

These weren't pirates! If anything, they were against the very same people they'd just escaped from! A long sigh of relief left as her head quickly moved from side to side.

"N-no! No, we're not! I'm sorry, I thought you were one of them myself. We ... we just got away from the bastards. Please ... don't shoot. I know my own actions look really hypocritical ... but let me make up for it. He - we both - need medical help. Please .. we were actually trying to look for a village. We'll leave this island once we both get healed up, I swear. We never meant to come here; our cruise ship got into a bad storm and we wound up here. I swear ... "

The gun and lingering threat had done more than enough for Nicole as she spoke swiftly but still made sure the words were audible. To try to help prove she wouldn't hurt them if they weren't associated with the pirates, she put her arm back down at her side, limping towards Thomas at a slow and steady pace. It wasn't just gradual because of all the pain she was feeling, mind you, though that was a contribution. There was also the simple fact that if the weapon being put away wasn't enough proof, hopefully the lack of any sudden moves would work for these men.

Her eyes slowly gazed up towards the foreigners as she looked desperately at them, holding Thomas near her.

"Please ... we just want medical help and then to leave .... " she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

The men glanced at one another then to the girl. They didn't have any way off the island but looking at the two of them and how they have been injured it honestly didn't look like they would be able to survive on their own in this place. "Come with us, and we will take you to our village leader." He said pointing her towards the back of the car.

Two men moved towards Thomas's unconcious body and picked him up. Dragging him rather unceremoniously to the back of the car and throwing him inside. Thomas didn't wake up, but his body let out a low groan of pain. The five men piled back into the jeep, turning the ignition as they drove both Nicole and Thomas back the way they came.

"The pirates you escaped from control the Harbor that makes up the only ways on and off this island. They turned it into their home of operations some two years ago. Sorry to say you are trapped here like everyone else." The men said as they put the safety back on their gun. "We do not have time for tourists. So the most we can do is take you to our villages leader, he will give the final verdict on what happens to you."

"When we saw your friend climbing the radio tower we assumed he was a pirate trying to mess with our communications. So we were gonna shoot him till you showed up."

The village was more or less a collection of huts, it honestly wasn't much to look at. The camp the pirates had been using was far more organized and made with better matterial. Here they were made from spare parts, and drift wood. Really it looked like they were designed so that they wouldn't be that expensive to repair if a bomb or some other sort of attack went off. However the village had something that the pirate camp didn't.

Small children were running around, and there were a few women here or there. It didn't look like much but there were actual families here that was more then just a bunch of murders and pirates in a camp.

A slightly older man with white hair walked up, wearing a military uniform. "What did you bring back here?"

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Yes, because I totally look capable of walking ... tch ...

All the same, they were finally getting somewhere. They were being given an opportunity to be taken into civilization and - hopefully - be able to get out after a few days of rest. So as much as it pained her and made her whimper, Nicole obliged as she forced herself up to her feet and into the car. Her body continued to shake as shot after shot of pure agony rushed through her. She had never felt anything like this before and it would only get worse when she got the medical treatment along with the bullet removed.

Yes, when and not if. Whether these people helped out or not, she was more than ready to have Thomas or even herself take care of the damn thing. It wasn't the smartest idea, no. But in case they refused to help, she was preparing herself to do it on her own.

Her head slowly moved from side to side as they explained their - somewhat unfortunately - valid points of view. "N-no. He was just looking for somewhere to go to so we could hide away. I'm sorry we gave you the wrong impression. The last ... forty-eight hours or so have been a living hell for us though. We're just trying to do everything we can to live."

Had it even been two days yet? She hardly knew anymore. It was close to around there though .... at least as far as Nicole could recall. Her head fell against the seat as she remained silent the rest of the ride.

The sight of the camp genuinely made Nicole ecstatic. Any fears that these men were lying vanished as the sight of women and children came into view. Yet again, she forced herself to walk, wincing through gritted teeth as she did. Even with all the agony, however, Nicole never once left Thomas's side, staying as close to him as she could while trying to keep too much pressure off her knee.

She had almost replied before the others .. but stopped. She wasn't sure if this man would even want to hear from her; not yet anyway. So she'd let them speak first. Her main goal and focus, more than trying to explain herself, was getting medical help for her and Thomas.

"Marcel We brought back these two." One of the men spoke quickly pointing to Nicole and the unconscious body of Thomas. Marcel raised an eyebrow understanding the situation. and nodded. Looking at the fact that both the man and girl were hurt rather severly he let out a small sigh. they didn't have the resources to deal with this kind of thing.

"How did two american's end up on Borton island?" He said addressing Nicole. He wasn't aware there was anyway on or off of this island except for the harbor and the boats parked there, but at the same time there were many other concerns that he needed to deal with. Looking at their legs it was obvious they needed a medic. "Run ahead to the doctor, and tell him to get ready for surgery."

as soon as he gave the order one of the men jumped out of the car and ran off towards one of the larger 'homes.' Looking at Nicole he frowned slightly, there weren't many woman like her, and it was clear to him that they had already met the pirates in the area. He shook his head. "We don't have much in the way of resources, but we will patch you up. It's the least we can do considering you survived an encounter with Damian." He said lightly.

Anything that pissed off that pirate bastard was something that made Marcel a little happier in his day. Several of the pirate camps had been more then active around these parts, and everyone was in a panic searching the island. Up until now he had no idea what they had been searching for, but now he understood. However patching up these two would be all they could afford to do, Supplies and food weren't cheap to come across in this world, and he doubted these two had anything of value aside from their bodies. They were also tourists, which meant they had almost no chance of actually surviving.

the group returned and pulled out some stretchers, loading Thomas and her onto them. Maybe there was some role these two could play, but as of right now he was very doubtful of that.

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"We were on a cruise ship. It got caught in a really bad storm and ... we wound up here. I'm ... I'm sorry, even though we never intended to arrive here." Her head bowed as she gripped her lower lip. Gods knew how many times she had tried to tell that pirate bastard the truth. Would this one believe her? She felt herself ready to get defensive or do anything needed to talk herself and Thomas out of this if needed. A deep sigh left upon hearing the mentioning of doctors. This was all about to hurt like fuck but ... it'd be worth it.

Damian. Finally! They had been given a lead and name on the bastard to avoid. "We ... thank you. We just want to get healed then leave. We never meant to bother you or this Damian, really."

It suddenly dawned on her as the stretchers arrived that there was a good chance she may end up staying conscious to this; not out of spite but possible lack of supplies.

....Oh shit ....

Her fists clenched slightly as she helped push herself onto the stretcher, trembling as she lied down. While at least the bullet hadn't hit a vital location, there were still so many ways surgery could go wrong. Suddenly, she began wandering if this would even be worth it. It was one of those damned if you did and damned if you didn't types of scenarios.

Her hands finally raised as they continued to shake before she closed her eyes. Whatever was about to happen, she just didn't want to look. True, that may not be a concern after some time. But until she knew if she'd pull through or not, Nicole wasn't sure if she could actually watch the surgery.

Some sort of anesthesia would no doubt be preferred. But this was a fucking island! Just the village hadn't really looked well prepared.

All she could do was wait and hope it seemed.

Walking with her as she was taken towards the 'hospital' that they had set up in the village. He wasn't too worried about them, bullet wounds were not exactly uncommon and while this may have looked like a small village in a third world country the island provided them with medical treatments that were unlike anything else in the world. They weren't going to feel better instantly no one would in their situation, however they would certainly get the care they needed to not die out.

Hearing Nicoles's story made Marcel raise an eyebrow. These two people had perhaps the best stroke of bad luck he had ever heard of. They could have died at sea, and instead htey ended up on this island, and all from a cruise ship. He shook his head. However when she spoke of leaving he shook his head.

"You two will not survive on this island, and there is no where to go. This is one of the few safe places left on this island, where would you go? You will die in the wild, or worse Damian will get his hands on you two again. If you want to survive here, you are going to need to learn how." It wasn't a lession he was looking forward too, but at the same time it wasn't exactly like he had a choice. They were victims same as him, and the rest of his people. There was a sense that he wanted to help them, but if he waisted too much time and resources on them it would just be another thing his village couldn't afford.

The doctor pulled out a needle of some sort, pulling off the cap, he looked at Nicole when they set her down on an operating table. "Easy, your gonna be fine."

as He spoke he checked her arm, and then injected her with something that would allow her to sleep through the procedures. By the time she and Thomas woke up the surgery would be over and done with.

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"What do you mean no way off?! We have nothing! We can't live here! There has to be! There's a reversal for everything .... " A new set of tears began to form in Nicole's eyes as she stayed lying down on the stretcher. "I -- don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for what you're doing and all. But this is not our home! We can't just ... stay here .... " Her hands pressed tighter against her face, keeping most of the tears hidden away. A few slid out from between her fingers but it was better than letting this stranger see just how badly she was sobbing.

Nicole's arm instinctively tensed up as she felt the syringe pierce her flesh. To her surprise - although in a better way than possible - she felt her arms slipping off of her face as they fell beside her. The medicine did it's job in a matter of seconds, coercing the young woman into a deep sleep.

It was likely a few hours but not because of too much medicine being pumped into her. No, poor Nicole had been genuinely exhausted. And now, as she woke up, she felt incredibly cold. A quick glance showed the reason that at least contributed to why; her jeans - of course, had to be removed.

But they had at least been kept in reach, a blessing in Nicole's mind.

Slowly, she reached down and began pulling them up. They were dry enough though even if they weren't, Nicole wouldn't have cared too much. Her pace slowed as the fabric got closer toward and over her kneecap. Moments after zipping and buttoning the denims up, she reached over and took a hold of one of Thomas's hands, gently rolling the thumb of her hand over his palm.

"Thomas?" she called softly, wondering if he was still asleep or not.

Thomas stirred when his hand was touched his eyes opening and the first thing he noticed was that the pain in his leg was gone. Looking down he could hardly notice anything except for the stitches where his leg had been sealed up. The case was the same with Nicoles leg, everything was patched up to the point where it honestly didn't even look like anything had happened.

For a moment Thomas was confused he had assumed that the people that had taken them were pirates, but they had recived medical attention on pare with the best hospitals. Thomas glanced over to Nicole who was holding his hand and gripped her tighter. For a moment he didn't even know why she was holding his hand. He didn't feel at all like he deserved it. In fact if anything it confused him considering what they had said to each other. "Nicole? I thought..."

He looked at Nicoles face for a moment. He wasn't sure why but he had been sure that she was going to leave him now that her leg was healed. He hardly deserved anything more then to be abandoned by her. His face burned a deeply ashamed and slightly pained red as he looked at her. He hardly deserved anything from her.

Marcel walked into the hospital and smiled at the two of them giving a small wave as he walked in. His demenor was both serious and cheerful at the same time as he walked in to check on the two of them. "I see you two are finally awake."

"The doctor says your both going to make full recoveries, we are very used to treating bullet wounds, and despite some grinding around the bullet from your walking, and other things your leg should be good enough to walk on. We had to do some surgery about the knee cap though, but it's hardly going to stop you from being an adventurer." He gave a small bow. "The doc says you should take it easy for a day or two and let the islands medicinal herbs work their magic, but I know from experience that both of you should be good enough to walk... if you aren't by now then really I may as well just shoot both of you now and be done with you."

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"I said -- "

That was as far as Nicole got before Marcel waltzed back in. Nicole's teeth gripped her lower lip once more as she remembered the last words he'd said to her. That had been a joke.. right? About no way off the island? But when he said the word 'adventurer', it seemed as if she hadn't misunderstood things. While still keeping her one hand intertwined with Thomas's, she used her free hand to push herself, wincing slightly. The bullet may have been gone but the stitches made her knee ache and burn.

"... Look ... on the adventurer part I mean ... what in the hell do you expect us to do? We've got a hunting knife on us from those pirates back there, I've got my wallet and smart phone. That's literally it. How in the hell do you ... what do ... ?? Really, this is not where we belong. We can't just live here and forget of our families. That's not ... "

"Right! Normal! Anything like that?!"

As badly as Nicole wanted to scream her thoughts out loud, she went silent. This would definitely be a much worse wake up call for him to hear than feeling her holding his hand. Moreover, she'd give this guy a chance to elaborate and explain.

Not to say she'd be easily persuaded. But .. if all he was saying was the honest to gods truth ... she'd give this a chance. It was likely the very least she could do; hear him out and maybe see about helping. He and his men did, after all, save them and tend to hers and Thomas's wounds. And they sure as hell didn't have to; common sense made that fact very clear and obvious to her.

Marcel gave a small shrug at her protests. "You miss understand me." He said lightly. "I have no intention of keeping you here, but Damian on the other hand has other ambitions. This island has been taken over by pirates and slavers, the only way on or off is through one of their boats, anything else sinks before it has the chance to leave the island."

Marcel let out a long sigh. "We have little to no supplies here and what we can get our hands on comes from supplie drops or things that we manage to liberate from the pirates."

Thomas patted the ground for a moment testing his leg as he stood up it felt like his leg was asleep, but at the same time it was at least better then the terrible pain he had been in. "Okay so just because your not the one keeping us here, we still have no way to get off the island, and see our families or do anything! do you expect to just let everything slide off?"

Marcel looked between the two of them reaching into his back pocket he pulled out a wad of cash. "If you two really want off of this island, then you are going to need to learn to survive it, the only way off is through the pirates, so weather you like it or not if you ever want to go home you just became soldiers in this war. Take this money, it should be enough for the two of you to buy some guns. after that I guess your gonna have to learn how to shoot."

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This all was just fucking insane. First the cruise ship got hit by a god-awful storm. Then they ran into Damian. And now they were being told the only way off here was, more or less, to start learning how to use weapons?! To fucking take lives?! The idea just blew her away. Even back when she'd thought Marcel's men had been pirates, she couldn't find it in her to stab them. Granted, that may have been for the best given they were more along the lines of allies and it would have looked worse if she had. Still, if she had failed to do that .. what in the hell made this man think she could go through with doing so to someone who no doubt deserved it?

And yet, Marcel was right. She definitely wanted to be anywhere but here. Her teeth gripped her lower lip as her gaze lowered to the floor. Her mind was racing, trying frantically to figure out why a gun may be easier for her to use than a mere knife.

Because it's faster in concept? Just pull the trigger and ... done?

Assuming, of course, the bullet landed in a vital enough spot, yes. But all in all, the thoughts were otherwise true.

Her fists clenched for a few moments before Nicole pushed herself against the edge of the table she'd been set down on. She stared long and hard at the money, allowing what had been a minute or several - though no more than three - pass by. Finally, her hand reached out as she accepted the cash.

Marcel watched as she accepted the cash, it was the first step for the two of them into a brand new world, however it wasn't a world that either of them were going to want to be a part of. "We will start with something easy, the best way to learn to shoot, is for the two of you to go on a hunting trip." Of course there was a small catch. Most of the animals on this island would have wanted them dead as food, not the other way around. So it will be important that the two of them learn to hunt things that will actually be hunting them.

Thomas grimaced, both at the idea of shooting someone, and the idea that there was no way off this island except to shoot someone. It was a hard reality that they were facing, and honestly he wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to any of this new information. It all seemed so heavy and painful, but it was the truth.

Walking out of the hut along side Nicole he turned to her, still worried about the chance that she was going to leave him on this island alone to suffer. Walking out into the village he let out a small sigh. "Do you know anything about guns?" He asked towards Nicole, for a moment not even really sure if he knew enough to fire one let alone pick out which gun would be good for a given situation. Luckily for them when they actually got to 'the shop' there honestly weren't many choices.

There was the basic assault riffle, and a few hand guns, and considering everyone else on this island had automatics Thomas was not exactly willing to not have a riffle.

Once the two of them were alone again, standing outside in the village, Thomas slowly turned to Nicole. Taking a deep breath he looked at her, and felt a strike of worry running through him, he wanted to ask her how she was holding up, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was an awkward, "hows your leg feeling?"

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Nicole gripped her lower lip with her teeth the second her knee ached. It was definitely not nearly as bad as it had been prior to the surgery. But fucking hell did it still sting. She gave Thomas a small nod and smile as she looked over to him. "Yeah, actually. My dad used to be in the military. He still has quite a few firearms around and has taught me how to use some. He hoped I'd go into the military myself but ... he seemed satisfied enough when I chose my own path." Just like now, Nicole had told her dad the same thing her mind was trying to insist; she wouldn't have the stomach to pull the trigger. But now ... she had to.

That being said, it took a mere scan for one in particular to get Nicole's attention. It had definitely been tempting to see about a sniper rifle, but something that could be used both far and close range would be needed. If they got one, or their own money, maybe she would consider the sniper rifle. Until then, she picked up an AK-47, slipping the strap and thus firearm over her shoulder.

"I ... It's been better. Fucking hell, everything has been. This is ... wrong. Ugh. Anyway," a small smirk crossed her face as she looked back to him, lowering her voice slightly. "I said you would have to regain my trust, yes. I didn't say a damn thing about not giving a shit about you until then. So hey, I'm allowed to worry. Until they explained themselves ... I thought for a sec that those weren't Marcel's men and ... it ... it all could have gone bad, very much so."

Her gaze shifted back up to the weapons as she looked to Thomas after a few moments. "If you're going to choose between close or far range, I'd try to lean a bit more towards far. It'll give us an edge. But otherwise, choose something that ... that you can see yourself wanting to learn to use. I know this isn't easy. I feel sick even thinking of doing this. But .. he's right. I wanna get home and I'm pretty fucking sure you do too. The smart phone does still work - or it did back near the radio tower at least. So maybe we can use it for calling home every now and again to .. use as a reminder?"

The only other advice was suggesting to Thomas for him to think of most of the unfamiliar faces as Damian himself. It'd work - hopefully - especially since he had seen said bastard. Nicole didn't know of his appearance since she'd had the blindfold on.

Thomas grimaced seeing the options for guns. His head felt a little twisted as he looked through them, the last time he had handled a gun was in a video game and he had never really thought that he would end up using one in real life. Let alone to actually take a life, still now that he had no choice he wasn't sure how exactly he was going to make the choice of which killing machine to buy with their money.

It took him a moment to recognize that they didn't have that many choices to begin with. The sniper riffles were really expensive, and he could only think that either of them would just waist ammo if given the chance to actually use one. However turning just past those was the shotguns, which were honestly cheep as dirt, but that would also mean getting in close with an enemy and that wasn't something Thomas was willing to do right now. Past those were the smg's and those were some weapons he not only recognized but could start to get behind.

"Do you have any semi automatics?" Thomas said blinking for a moment as he was pointed towards the G3KA4 Picking up the more sleek amarican made gun and looking at it for a moment Thomas settled on buying it. The fact that it wasn't a fully automatic weapon, but apparently fired in short bursts was bound to end up saving them ammo... if he could actually hit something with it.

Swallowing as he slipped the strap over his arm and turned to walk away from the store he let out a long sigh. "I'm glad, honestly... I keep expecting you to leave me alone at this point... I honestly wouldn't blame you." He said the last part under his breath. They had gotten medical help, but now they were conscripted into a resistance. Neither situation was great, but as they walked to the edge of the village they met with marcel.

"Great, now that you have some guns you will need to learn how to shoot them." He pointed to a board that had a bunch of fliers on it. "These are jobs, that can and will take you all over the island. People from this village will pay for everything from hunting deer, or other more exotic animals on the island for food and hide and other things, too killing someone that has wronged them. The best way for you two to learn anything is on a job. I told you I don't have the time to babysit tourists."