text | morning | 030

[lonelynotforsaken]

[ LO431Y | TEXT | 030 ]

Hi, everyone!
Jet and I made it past all of the rivers on the west/northwest side of the island.
We took a few detours and I've been moving kind of slowly.
So, I think someone could reasonably make the journey in about four days.
We could shorten it if we can put some nice sturdy logs down across the river branches near the hotel.
I think that could really help in making it easier to get down to the base from this side of the island.

No animal attacks! :)
But we might have just got lucky.
We did hear some weird stuff going on the day before yesterday, though.
Did anyone else hear a sort of rhythmic thrumming?
I wasn't sure if it was just over by us.

Comments

text | RE419S

[aluminumandash]

glad you made it through ok
no damage to the trees where youre at?

[lonelynotforsaken]

Not that I've seen?
I mean, there's some things down from the storm, I think.

[aluminumandash]

[ Now that someone's—somefuckinghow—popped up with a video, he's less concerned about sounding insane when he says: ] they pretty well leveled the forest se of the cabin. for miles.

they were up in the trees. just kept coming.

[lonelynotforsaken]

I'm glad you're okay.
I noticed that Eduardo's callsign was gone.
How okay are you?

1/2

[aluminumandash]

how disposed are you to fret?

2/2

[aluminumandash]

[ And, switching over to private: ] he disappeared right in front of someone. cant vouch for their mental state but i believe they believe it.

Permaprivate

[lonelynotforsaken]

[He is disposed to fret a lot. But Martin keeps that to himself as he waits for the next message.]

Great! That’s just great.
This place just gets more interesting by the day!

[aluminumandash]

admit i dont know what the fuck it means. still dont know how he died.

[ But speaking of tenuous grasps on reality: ] anything going on with you? [ Haunting dreams of death by water, for example. ]

[lonelynotforsaken]

Did you just leave him?
Lots of things could have killed him.
Animals for a start.

I'm healed up from getting attacked by that boar.
Finally.
Felt like I was limping forever.

[aluminumandash]

yeah. broke his knees, took his shit. i walked him a ways beforehand but we were still within spitting distance of that cabin. most animals know to keep clear.

fuck. where?

[lonelynotforsaken]

[...

...

...

Rust is going to need to give him a moment on that one.]

At the base.
But Jesus Christ, why would you do that???
Why didn't you just tie him up and lead him on a rope or a belt, or something?
Was he trying to hurt you again?

[aluminumandash]

[ It's a more measured response than he expects from Martin. Martin, who can't bear the thought of cutting into a dead animal. ]

the thing from the cabin knew where we were. toyed [ —he hates using that word, but nothing better comes to mind— ] with us all night. movements, indistinct but close. never let up.

next day come to find out hed left something, right at the foot of the tree i was parked in. elephant bone with some kinda message scratched into it.

figured that was it. decided id cut salamanca loose, buy myself a little bit of time and head in the other direction. didnt want him dying, popping up on a beach somewhere. ambushing whoevers nearby. nobody knowing where he was. couldnt risk just tying him to a tree. what if our fucking stalker was feeling playful, let him go? cant go three feet in this place without tripping over an axe.

so i disabled him. didnt work out, fucking clearly.

[lonelynotforsaken]

Why would you think someone who was CRIPPLED would survive on their own?
In the jungle.
With a psychopath who's obsessed with him?
Oh, my GOD, exercise better judgment next time!!!

[aluminumandash]

I did. [ He says, just to be ornery. ]

wasnt banking on it long term. like i said, thought hed hang on long enough to keep the other motherfucker on my tail occupied. wanted them distracting each other.

[lonelynotforsaken]

Were your knees broken, making it impossible to walk?

[It's a colder response than he means it to be, but he's not amused by the sass from the detective at the moment. Or his idea of 'solutions.']

I'm glad you survived, Cohle.
But what you did was horrible.

[aluminumandash]

[ There's a slight pause—only as he considers the question. Lets it lie. ]

aint denying that. [ He thinks of saying he didn't do it lightly, but the truth is, for all it weighs on him—what he's done and what he's capable of—he knows he did it lighter than most. ]

[lonelynotforsaken]

Good.
I assume you'd like me to keep this to myself?
At least until Ben turns up again and tells people what you did.

[aluminumandash]

there people you think oughta know?

[lonelynotforsaken]

Generally or specifically?
The fact you're willing to do something like that seems kind of relevant to people.
I'm not saying I think you're going to go off breaking kneecaps because that's silly.
You had reasons for what you did.
But being the sort of person who would says a lot about your character.
I think people would probably interact with you differently and trust you less if they knew you would do that, if pressed.

[aluminumandash]

i should hope so martin

specifically. [ Specifically he's thinking of Maddy. People like her, with her fear, her incoherent anger. Her ex she's still handing out chances to. ]

[lonelynotforsaken]

Randvi, K, Jet, and Steph as some of the most responsible people here that others look to for help.
And they're mostly level-headed.
They should know.

[And they're practical people. He doesn't think they'll scream at Rust for what he's done. Or at least not ice him out.]

[aluminumandash]

meant a personal need. [ Those names read to Rust like a list of people Martin would trust to watch his dog. ]

cant have people coming after me. not to help, not for any reason. [ K'd been offering to hike out to the cabin even with Salamanca in the picture, and Steph ignored his last request not to track him down. ] randvis ok. only tell jet if youre sure hell stay put.

[lonelynotforsaken]

I won't tell.
But you should, Cohle.
And you should also get out of the Hunter's territory if you're still in it.
Just get out of the jungle, honestly.
Nothing good's happened to anyone in there.

[aluminumandash]

never wanted to be here

[lonelynotforsaken]

Good.
Let me know when you're out.