RE419S | audio | Day 7

[aluminumandash]

[ Rust's voice comes over the walkie, urgent and forceful. ] Anyone in the area between the concrete structures where Martin and me were held—that's the foothills with, ah, a river to the south and the jungle ten hours to the west of the northeast coast, check in right the fuck now.

[ He thinks to type the rest out—some semblance of a record, something for people to refer back to for the while it's around—but five minutes punching little keys and he can't take it anymore. So his voice returns, matter-of-fact. ]

Officer de Guzman's dead. [ If anyone was hoping for a eulogy, it's not fucking happening. ] Took an arrow to the shoulder then was executed, from the sound of it, likely with his own firearm. He was in the region I just described, about a kilometer away from a wood cabin with no defenses or occupants he could discern. Guessing he walked into some kind of a trap. [ He concludes, irritation seeping into his voice. ]

Much as I hate to state the obvious, circumstances compel me to say: do not seek out the cabin. Hell, I'll say it twice: do not seek out the fucking cabin. You find yourself in an area suspiciously quiet and bereft of animal activity, turn around and go back the way you came.

The individual who killed him had a message for us. It follows.

[ After a short delay: ] The next animal I find here will die a much slower death. Tell your friends for me.


OOC: Replies subject to even more robust threadjacking than usual from Lalo!

Comments

morning 008

[salamanca]

[ this text comes early on morning 008 ]

hey! dont worry abt it man. im ok now. even if i wasnt not your fault. guess we all owe shaw an apology, right?

text

[lonelynotforsaken]

['Even if it wasn't not your fault.' The double-negative there twists something in his chest, but Martin ignores it. He's had a rough night. At least Ben is alive.]

You're alive.
That doesn't mean you're okay.
Not even approaching it.

text

[salamanca]

[ Noooo, Martin! ;_; Read it again. Even if I wasn't [okay], not your fault. He means "I am okay now. And even if I wasn't okay, it wouldn't be your fault that I wasn't."

And though Lalo definitely allowed himself an eyeroll and some less-than-charitable internal monologue about Martin's "martyr act" when he saw Martin's first text, it really wouldn't cross his mind to blame Martin for what happened. He made his bed, he knows how to lie in it.

Commas: it turns out they actually matter, folks! ]

yeah well
not like i was ok before anyway ha
so not much changed
just take of urself
dont worry abt me
like i said b4, it wasnt your fault so dont beat yourself up over it
u dont owe me anything
i was rude 2 u

[lonelynotforsaken]

Being rude doesn't mean I think you should die.
You're not the first person and you won't be the last.
You still brought us food and water when we needed it.
You helped save my life.
Being a dick doesn't just negate that.
Anyway.
Where are you?
You should probably try to head to the airfield.
Seems like it's safe over there.

[salamanca]

[ Less than two days ago, Lalo would have laughed his ass off at the implication that he, of all people, needed to go somewhere to be "safe", and would have been intensely self-satisfied at his powers of deception if he still had everyone else believing he was that bumbling. But now that he's grappling with a very real and very stupid failure, the idea that anyone thinks about him, that he needs to be somewhere "safe", just stings.

He does want to see the airfield, though. He's been curious about it since he first spoke to Randvi on the network, so he's not lying when he says... ]

yeah the airfield, that's where im going :)
& u guys?
jet and the kid?
doing good?

[ Something else occurs to him. He's happy that most of the details about the nature of his demise in Cohle's post have been buried under the magnitude of his fuckery, there's one that sticks out as something that's maybe worth keeping in mind and Martin is smart - might be good to see what he thinks -

the next text is posted several hours after lalo's first couple texts to martin and subsequent spree of emoji-related idiocy, after he's had some time to decompress: ]

weird that whatever it was knew death wasn't permanent u think? "tell your friends for me"

[lonelynotforsaken]

As well as we can be doing.

[Given the circumstances, that's not great. Martin leaves it at that as he deals with the fish and various people reaching out to him. When he sees Ben's text later in the day, it's just after he's dealt with a dinosaur attack.]

Not really.
There are other people on this island.
If there's a cabin and all those traps, they've been here a while.
It would make sense they know the 'rules' with how dangerous it is.
We've run into a giant bear and a dinosaur since you left us.

[salamanca]

[ Lalo recalls a row of bent trees, viewed from upside down. How expertly the rope had been woven.

Then he feels stupid for even asking, for bringing it up. Feeling stupid is worse than dying, he decides. He hasn't done a lot of either up until now, but that's the verdict. He'd hoped that maybe he'd found confirmation of something, that the words said to him at least confirmed something, that something that happened to him meant anything - but it doesn't. He feels a sudden little burst of rage and he's not sure who's he angry with, only that he's angry.

Giant bear and a dinosaur, huh, though? Lalo pictures Kokichi being devoured by a bear and smiles to himself. ]

right. what was i thinking?
feel dumb for bringing it up haha
im gonna go crawl into a hole or something and not come out
bye forever <3
take care
u can throw ur fish in there so the bears chase me and not u
do us both a favor
devoured by bear better than feeling like this
that ofc was a joke
don't want to get eaten by bear
nobody hurt from bear or dinosaur?
rawr
o /\/\/\ o
i just invented that one
dinosaur with teeth rawr
a nice dinosaur
he won't chase u

[lonelynotforsaken]

[This man is... difficult. Martin frowns at the text. It's reminiscent of their encounter at the cell block. He swings so wildly around in tactics and emotion. It would be suspicious if Ben hadn't admitted to not being okay. PTSD can make people act strangely. But then, from the conversations Martin's listened in on and read elsewhere, it seems more like all the silliness is a front for something.

Not being an actual cop. What else is he lying about? Again, Martin keeps those thoughts to himself, but they go into his mental file on "Ben the Cop" for later consideration. Right now, he's clearly distressed and trying to use humor to paper over it. Martin won't deny him that.]

That's a cute face!
Rwar. :)

But it's not dumb, by the way.
Between you and Cohle and Shaw, we know where the danger is and just how dangerous it is.
That's important, Ben.
I think it's more interesting that they called us 'animals.'
That's a pretty big leap to make for someone when they recognize you as a person capable of language.
It's either a very messed up human we're dealing with.
Or someone who isn't human and views us as lesser.

But don't worry about us.
Everyone is safe for now.
The bear just ate our food.
And we scared the dinosaur off.
Strength in numbers.
That's why it's important for you to get to other people.
Avoid the jungle if you can along the way.
Even with what happened with the drone, I think the beach is going to be a little safer while you're alone.

[salamanca]

^_^;
; means embarrassed
but not in a bad way
just bc u said the face was cute
im glad u like it

hey thanks man
you're a good guy u know that?
i don't know if u always know
it doesn't seem like u do
but thanks
for letting it mean something
everybody loves u
gotta use that to your advantage more
that's what i was gonna tell you b4 in the cell

[ any speculation about the person who killed him, he realizes, he wants to skip over. lalo is 99% sure the thing that killed him isnt human, based on the way it growled, but he's sure cohle will happily supply that info the way he shared lalo's other personal private business with everybody. ]

high tide here almost
good for surfing i hear
jk
find people
airfield
thank you
ill be ok
safe

[lonelynotforsaken]

[Again, there's that insistence that people like him, that he's important. That he should take advantage of it. It grates, it raises his suspicions. Just who is Ben de Guzman? Not a cop, but someone with a gun. Who panics at drones, but throws himself toward them insistently. Homophobic and incredibly insecure in his own sexuality. Someone from before Martin's time. Maybe he'll send K and Randvi a little extra warning to keep an eye on the man while he's at the airfield.

Whatever else Ben is, he seems to be reckless, and that's... not necessarily good for everyone else he's with.]

Sure! Here's a little dinosaur for you:
owwo
A friend for the big dino.
Take care and talk to you later.

[salamanca]

[ At first, the sight of the "small dino" makes Lalo practically light up with glee, thinking he's finally found an "in"... a way to bridge the gap that plagues every interaction they've ever shared.

But then Martin cuts him off again, ending the conversation just when Lalo was planning to spam him with more dinosaur emojis, and his eyes briefly cloud with anger. Partly, like any sociopath, it's simple frustrated rage at feeling like a manipulation attempt has failed. He doesn't know yet just how badly, having no idea that Martin is texting others about him.

But there's something else too and deep, deep down, under the surface narcissistic rage of realizing someone has outsmarted him — yet again, for the second time in as many days — there's the tiniest wisp of the bitter sting of rejection, of realizing someone doesn't and never will like him, that even if he dropped any attempts at manipulating anyone, even if he wasn't a criminal, even if he wasn't a homophobe... Martin would still never like him. He would always be too loud, too much. And he opened up, even, to Martin, let the demons that were whispering in the corners of his psyche leech into the front of his mind for the first time in years... to someone who immediately ended the conversation as soon as he did.

Why the fuck did he do that? Try to ascribe meaning to what happened to him, why did he let this asshole let him start to believe there was? Of course there's no meaning to it; he's happier, he realizes, when he can be honest with himself about that. Maybe there's a lesson somewhere.

What the fuck is this place doing to him? He's been here eight days! This is really pathetic shit. More pathetic than getting himself killed hanging upside down? Hard to say.

More importantly, why the fuck does he even care? Why's he being so pathetic about this? Is he still rattled from yesterday? Frustrated and worried that someone who has dirt on him already has seen through him? Whatever. It doesn't matter. Fuck this nerd. Who gives a shit what he thinks. Can't please everyone; gotta please yourself. It'd be nice to have Martin's favor, sure, but who gives a fuck? He fucked up, no biggie. Time to just close the book on this one and move on.

But all he says in response is: ]

ttyl
thanks again
for everything