OO1 }{ AUDIO }{ CALLSIGN: MZ114C }{ DAY 17

[somethingintangible]

[ The voice that comes over the network is a young woman's - late teens or early twenties. A little deep, throaty, but still obviously belonging to someone quite young and female.

It's shaky though, like the person on the other end of the radio is really struggling. Maybe like she's even been crying, although it's hard to tell. She definitely sounds distressed, though.

This is also clearly someone who has never actually used a walkie talkie before, as the message periodically cuts in and out. Maddy was mostly able to figure it out by playing with it, but she's not used to having to keep pressing the button down. You don't do that with touch screens! ]

Um... Hey...

I don't know if anybody can hear me. Or if [ brief silence; she has lifted her finger off the walkie so whatever she says is missing; her voice picks up again later-- ].

--name is Maddy Perez. My mom's name is Sonia Perez, my dad [ she lifts her finger again, so her dad's name isn't heard ] -- I go to East Highland High School. I think I'm lost. I don't know where I am. I need help.

[ There's a pause; this time, it's not because she lifted her finger. There's distraught breathing on the other side of the radio. ]

Please, somebody help me! I'm lost. I don't, I don't know where I am. I -- I think I'm in a jungle or something? I'm not sure where to go next.

[ Then there's a quiet, sound -- sniffling, and a mechanical huff of someone breathing into the walkie too hard. ]

Comments

AN394Y | voice.

[pigsfeet]

[He'd planned on ignoring the walkies for as long as possible, until he heard this. After everything, he still can't resist the plaintive cries of teenagers. Daryl's words are mush-mouthed, his accent distinctly southern.]

You know how to build a fire?

[somethingintangible]

No... [ *sniff* She tries to pull herself together. Deep breath. She takes note of the sound of his voice; it's a new voice, not one she's heard on the walkies before.

His accent, and the gruff mushmouthedness of how he talks in general, is kind of cool. But she doesn't have time to be focused on that right now. ]

How do I do that? Don't you, like, rub two sticks together? Or something?

KY321B | voice

[backsassin]

Hi Maddy. My name's Zam. You've gotta keep your finger pressed down on the button when you're talking. Otherwise, we can't hear you.

Can you see anything near you besides the jungle? Rivers, debris, anything that's not just trees?

[somethingintangible]

Hey Zam. Cool name. I don't know anybody with a name like that. [ Maddy is slightly skeptical, but she does as she's told, carefully keeping her finger pressed down on the button. ] Is this better?

Oh. Uh. I was just by a river before this. I can try to find it again. Should I retrace my steps?

[backsassin]

Yeah, I'm not from around here. And yes, I can hear you better now.

Fresh water is going to be hard to come by outside of the river, so I'd recommend not losing track of it. Me and some others have set up camp at an old airfield and resort; it's got two big flight towers, so it's pretty easy to spot from the beach. We're west of one cluster of rivers on the island, so there's a chance you can find us if you follow your river in that direction.

Or you might not; depends on how many similar clusters of rivers there might be on the island, and honestly, I've got no idea about that.

Let me know if you figure out what side of the island you're on, though. If you're close enough, we might be able to send someone to find you. The people here are real big on dashing rescues...

[somethingintangible]

Is anybody from "around here?" [ She means the island. ] Where are you from, Miss Zam? [ Zam is an adult who's trying to help her, so she aims to be respectful. That kind of deference doesn't come naturally to her so it's a little stiff, but she's trying. ]

I can trace my steps back to the river. How do I know which way is west? [ Good luck, Zam. You've got your work cut out for your with this one. ]

Dashing rescues? [ You can hear the faint smile in Maddy's voice. A dashing rescue sounds good, right now, but she's a little lost. She has to admit, though: ] I don't know if I could be like that. I think I only know how to look out for myself.

[ Well, herself and kids, anyway. She probably wouldn't go off to rescue an adult or another teenager - not unless she knew them personally - but she would definitely put herself in danger to save a kid. ]

[ Deep breath. She sniffs. She has to pull herself together somehow. ] If I figure out where I am, I'll tell you...

Thanks for helping me... Do you know... how we got there? I don't remember anything.

OR817S | voice

[cuteandquarky]

Hi! My name is Jade. I think I am in the same jungle as you, so... at least you're not alone! Did you wake up on the beach too?

[Jade's trying to keep her tone gentle but positive. She doesn't really know how to help, but at least hearing a friendly sounding voice might calm Maddy down a little?]

[somethingintangible]

[ Oh! It sounds like another girl close to her age. Instinctively, Maddy relaxes and although Jade can't see it, she can probably hear the slight change in Maddy's voice. ]

Hi, Jade. Are you okay? Nobody, like, hurt you did, they? Or did anything to you? If they did, I'll kick their fucking asses. [ How will she accomplish this??? Unclear. But it's her nature to feel protective over someone so cheery and sweet. ]

Yeah! Um, yeah, I woke up on a beach. What did it look like where you woke up? Do you think it was the same place? I could try to get to you, but I'm not sure where to go.

[cuteandquarky]

I'm okay! I am kind of used to being on my own in jungles, and I have not run into anybody other than some little animals. And they didn't hurt me. They just ran away.

[She's not typing, but the cutesy ":(" can practically be heard as she talks about the animals running away. Maybe best not to mention that they ran away because she was trying to hunt those little animals down for a midnight snack.]

I got here last night, so I didn't get a good look at the beach because it was pretty dark. I kind of just went straight for the jungle, since I figured that would be the best place to find food! I did find some eggplants. And... also a giant hole in the ground. I don't know where that is in comparison to you, but... I think I'm headed south?

[somethingintangible]

Ran away? [ Maddy thinks about it. ] Like, from you? Or from a bigger animal? [ It would make sense for bigger animals to be in the jungle, even though the thought makes Maddy's stomach twist with anxiety. Also: ewwww, does that mean she has to watch out for stepping in animal poop? Gross. ]

Last night? Did you see who took you? Where were you before? Do you remember? I mean, I remember where I was, but I don't know how I got from here to there...

[ There's a giant hole in the ground TOO??? What the fuck even is this place? ]

South? Uh. How do you know which way you're headed? Sorry if that's a dumb question. [ Pause. ] ...Are you and your friend always like this? Like, I'm suuuuuper happy you found each other or whatever, but-- you guys are talking a lot. I can't hear everyone.

HE412T | text

[timaeus]

[Sorry, he's threadjacking because hello, that's a somewhat familiar voice and name.]

Jade English?

[cuteandquarky]

[Oh cool, this thing has texting! Too bad she can't set a fun text color like on pesterchum. :(]

no thats not me!
my name is jade harley
though jade english is a pretty cool name o:

[timaeus]

[Was he mistaken...?]

No relation to Jake, then?
Ectobiological or otherwise.

private; voice; callsign: AK324N

[wingbound]

[ With some help, Levi has been sort of figuring out how to use the radios... but he still doesn't want his name, or callsign, or whatever, as public knowledge. So he waits for the frightened young woman to finish speaking, and then sends her a message directly. ]

There's a storm coming in. You need to find cover.

[ Well hello to you too. ]

[ He'd be tempted to still try to go out and find her, but 1) it could still be a trap somehow and 2) she did just say she has no idea where she is. "Jungle or something" describes about 90% of this fucking island, and they'd both end up in the downpour. ]

[ But he can at least make sure she doesn't do something stupid, like meet the storm by a river or on the beach or in a tall tree. ]

I'm guessing you're not lucky enough to end up near a cave.

private;

[somethingintangible]

[ It takes Maddy a little bit of time to figure out how to message someone directly, but not too long. Unlike a lot about the walkies, the concept of DMing someone is actually fairly straightforward for her.

Under normal circumstances, she might find his brusque manners and lack of introduction off-putting, and tell him so. But nothing about this is normal. In this situation, though, she can understand the need not to mince words. Fortunately, she's a little calmer than she has been. She focuses on just answering his question. Or implied question, anyway. ]

No... I'm in a jungle. I can't see anything very far in front of me. It's almost dark. There's a lot of trees. [ It's a good thing he warned her now; she's nowhere near the beach and, without him, wouldn't have realized anything was amiss until nighttime when the sky started to look crazy. ]

Where should I go? [ Inside, obviously, but that clearly isn't an option. ]

I'm Maddy, by the way. [ She already said that, but she hopes sharing her name will prompt him to share his. ]

not me viciously googling "how to survive in the wild" at midnight,

[wingbound]

[ Is it getting dark already, or is she in some really thick jungle?.. ]

[ Unfortunately, his lack of manners also means that he is not, in fact, sharing his name without being specifically asked for it. He does remember hers, though. At least his voice shouldn't be too off-putting; it's calm and quiet, somewhat tired-sounding. ]

...You should still have a few hours. Try to look for some cover.

You don't want to be anywhere near water, rocks, or big open spaces, so stay away from the beach for now. High ground is also dangerous - make sure you're not the tallest thing around.

[ (THAT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY, LEVI...) ]

A building would be safest, but let's assume you can't find one in time. If there's a valley or a dry dip in the ground, go for that. If you have any spare clothes or fabric, try to layer up as much as you can.

[ Except if there's also heavy rainfall, it might complicate things further... but he did tell her to stay away from water. And it's better to get soaking wet than electrocuted. ]

I'm not familiar with this type of woods, so it could be different here, but generally, avoid tall trees. You want to find a thickly grown cluster that's below the height of surrounding forest, it should still give you some protection from wind and rain.

HAHAHA I do the same thing

[somethingintangible]

And you are? [ Her tone is blunt, a little, mostly because that's just how she is. Levi might not care about niceties, but Maddy appreciates having something to call him.

She is listening, though, as evidenced by her silence while he's talking. He sounds like he knows what he's doing — and that might not be good enough, but it's not like she's in any position to be picky about help. Someone who "sounds like" they know what they're doing is actually the closest thing she'll get.

Levi can probably hear her inhale through the walkie. ]

Okay... Away from the river. No beach. Dry dip in the ground. [ There's a pause. ] But if I go into a dip, what if it floods?

Cluster of trees, not too tall... Okay. Got it. Anything else?

YL078T | Voice

[doomcame]

[God, twenty-five years. It's been twenty-five years since she had to comfort a scared teenage girl facing a traumatic survival situation... back when she was one herself.

For a moment she actually just listens to the others responding. There's some good advice being given by people she hasn't spoken to yet, but it isn't long before those voices blend together with more familiar ones. Old voices, that aren't coming from her walkie-talkie...

At first, they're too indistinct for her to make out. But the voices of the girls who never came home from Flight 2525 get louder. Antagonistic. In another flash, the doomed teens themselves seem to be standing right in front of her.

She forces her eyes closed and focuses everything she has on replying to the girl on the radio. It's the best way she can think of to try and drown the hallucinations out.]

Maddy, my name is Taissa. [She speaks slowly and a little too loudly at first, but quickly regulates while still making herself clear.] You're going to get through this.

I'm with a group that is heading southwest to the airfield that Zam spoke about. [Another "non-human" being otherwise very rational and slowly stoking her existential crisis.] You can use the movement of the sun and moon to help get your bearings. If you can find or make shelter on your way, take it. There's a storm coming and I don't know how bad it'll get.

As soon as it passes, I'm sure we'll be able to get someone out to help you. [Taissa pauses and exhales deeply off-radio. It's quieter now, just herself speaking.] You're not alone here.

[somethingintangible]

Hi, Taissa.

[ *sniff*, *sniff*. Her voice sounds wobbly, still, and it makes her sound a little bit younger than she really is.

At least Taissa's presence is calming, soothing. She has a commanding air, but she isn't mean. She clings to what Taissa said — that she'll get through this — and tries to will herself to believe it.

She doesn't, though. ]

I don't... How are you so sure? You talk like everything is going to be okay. How do you know that?

[doomcame]

I've been through a crisis like this before. I can tell you, the shock passes and you're capable of much more than you might think. Everyone is.

[Taissa's become so good at publicly wringing encouragement and inspiration from the "official story" told by the Yellowjackets team that her voice in no way indicates the darkness behind the latter half of her statement. She does genuinely want to help Maddy, she's just also prepared to say whatever it takes to do so.]

[somethingintangible]

Yeah? You think so?

[ She doesn't sound totally convinced, even though she wants to believe what Taissa is saying. Capable of more than she might think? She doesn't get it from Taissa's voice, but Maddy's mind still jumps involuntarily to Cassie when she thinks about people being capable of things you never would have thought possible.

She tries hard to steel herself. There's no point in thinking about that right now. Not when she's trapped in the fucking jungle. ]

This is just... this is a fucking lot, you know? Like, what the fuck is happening? How did I get here?

VL121R | voice

[meadqueen]

Maddy, my name is Randvi. I'm at the settlement that Zam mentioned. We are near the sea on the southwest coast and have seen a storm gathering. None of us have experienced a true storm on this island yet, but I have seen evidence of severe lightning strikes, so please be cautious.

Avoid open spaces and be careful near trees. Try and touch as little of the ground as possible when you're resting. If you can, crouching on your feet is safest.

If you can determine your location when the sun sets, I may be able to let you know if there are any structures near you. I have been working on a map.

[somethingintangible]

Hi, Randvi. [ She's a little calmer now, a little less sniffly. Still on edge though, her voice a little hesitant.

That's a lot of advice... Fortunately, at least some of it mirrors what the other people say, so Maddy just sucks in a breath and listens along. ]

Okay... Rest on my feet. I'll try.

Where are you from?

[meadqueen]

I grew up in Norway, but I live in England now. When I was a girl I used to go sailing often and hunt alone in the mountains. It happens sometimes, getting caught in an unexpected storm. You can get through it.

[somethingintangible]

You...you went sailing? And hunting? Holy balls! [ Maddy claps a hand over her mouth, not that anyone can see it. She swears all the time around other teens, it's not like she's that innocent, but around adults who aren't her parents, she usually tries to watch her mouth unless she's really angry ]

Your family must have been rich, girl! I'm jealous. I wish I could live like that someday. Maybe not, like, hunting, but I'd love to go sailing someday!