Ch 15: Duo

Anna

         Bliss is found in solitude, something I've learned after all the time spent on the big screen, and not enough time by myself. I truly think that I've made the right conscious decision to leave those idiots back at the trail. Maybe besides Esther, but her mindset is set on helping the team out, so she cornered herself into having to help Justin and crew. So what if we're approaching a supply fort soon? Doesn't necessarily mean that we'd get anything of use out of it. Justin's still broke, and I doubt that Tim's short temper will go well with the merchants. Esther will be so absorbed in looking at the animals and animal supplies, and That won't do anything out of his way unless it concerns me. I sigh and continue on, brandishing my bow and keeping it at my side. All around the forest, the flora and fauna will serve me well. Mother Nature should smile upon me now, making a living off of the land. Personally, I think I'm going to do pretty well, especially with no That to keep holding my attention back...

That Guy

                This is a total nightmare alone! Not a great decision of mine after all the time spent in the limelight... You'd think that the silence would be nice and all, but noooo! It's completely nerve-wracking! True Love may really be blind... and if that's the case, then I've made a grave error to leave them to their own devices back at the wagon! We were even that close to the next pit stop, where we could've restocked and gotten more supplies! Stupid stupid stupid! What was I thinking?! Argh! I grip my head and shake in anguish over my poor decisions. At this point, I don't know what's worse! Being alone with no clue as to what to do, or be stuck with Justin, with a higher chance of death than from nature herself!

       I continue aimlessly walking around, letting my growling gut guide me wherever it sends me. Hopefully, my luck is better than Justin's, considering how much he's had going for him. If that's the case, then maybe I could get some worker's compensation! Wait, no, nothing would really benefit me anyways. The most important thing would be some plot armor, maybe even minor plot armor, but Health Benefits are off the table, seeing how Charlie is already dead. This... I can't think straight. I can't even take actions, seeing how I've been talking to myself this whole time!

           "Why can't I do something right?!"

               Not good, not good... I have no clue what is edible or poisonous out here, I don't have any hunting supplies, and I'm alone! Just me, myself, and my wits! Why, am I such, an IDIOT?! My hindsight is worse than Justin's regular sight!

         *Beep, beep, beep*

       "Uh... Hello?"

         "Hey, I did say that we're all idiots in the intro. That doesn't exclude anyone."

           "Why do you have to constantly break the fourth wall and annoy us?! It's not always funny!"
             "Hey, the audience finds it funny."
              "Well, I might die out here, so it's NOT funny."

       I end the call abruptly, wondering about how to resolve my situation. Then, the obvious finally hits me. "I have my freaking phone." I say aloud to nobody in particular. Facepalming without hesitation, I reenter my password, and go to my contact list. Scrolling down with the slight flick of my finger, I watch the names go by. Charlie Luna Stagiz, Emily Sola Stagiz, Timothy Traveler. Bingo! First try, finding the name that I need! I push the middle of my screen, bringing up the next set of options. Might as well call Emily and ask for a ride outta here. And maybe request to use her GPS to find Anna. Justin has tracking on all of us, so that'll help with finding her.

*Ring ring ring*
"Hello! You have reached the Stagiz Station hotline. Please hold, while we try to get to your order."
"You've gotta be kidding me. I have to wait? Fudge..."

Anna

         I find the first of my prey, and steady my arm. Aiming with precision, I line up the shot, and fire! *Thunk* "Skawwwww..." "Ha! First Shot!" I slowly walk towards my success, thinking about my next set of plans. So far, I've still got lots of ammo for projectiles, as I've nailed three birds now. Good in the food department, and I was able to steal some water bottles on the way out, so that takes care of my most important needs. The trip alone has worked in my favor so far. Picking up my fallen prey, I reflect again on my decisions, still convinced that I made the right choice. Nobody really is here for helping or hindrance, not forgetting my bad hip from the firefight earlier. I feel the bloodied spot with my left hand, before looking ahead. It's been stopping me in rapid bursts so far, and with that kind of handicap, the others should have caught up by now. The pain starts to come back to me, and I look for a good tree to lay beside. "I need to stop talking to myself..." I sigh, knowing that thinking about the past is a bad habit of mine, especially with Esther pointing it out every so often. It was a touchy subject for her, considering her lonely past on the farm. She did care for her animals in every way possible, though, doing a dang good job at it. Still, a little pain can't hold me back forever, and after a little time is spent refreshing and relaxing, I'm back on the hunt for more food. The sounds of the forest envelop me once again, hearing the sounds of nature taking its course. Crickets start to chirp, signaling the return of the moon for the night. At these times, when the lighting is bad, Justin would usually start with his devious plans. He may seem insane, but he's got enough wit to think about the best plan for action. Judging by that, they would be catching up to me, so I myself need to pick up the pace. No further notice needed, I speed up my walk to a brisk sprint. With the sounds of leaves crunching and some birds flying away, my position is readily revealed to others. Not the best way to stay incognito in the forest, but I cannot take any chances with the others in hot pursuit. I have to continue considering the possibilities, however, like if they're in front of me already. Nevermind, actually. They would hear me behind them, and with that logic now in my head, I slow my steps down back to a crisp jog. "Just keep walking, Anna." I tell myself, knowing that I'm becoming overly paranoid. What if they see me? It could turn out in many different situations. Could be bad; Justin opening fire on the "danger stranger" that he sees. Could be worse, with Tim thinking about the CCC trying to kidnap him again. I laugh to myself softly, thinking about how slim the chances are for that to happen again. Followed up by a sigh, I stop thinking altogether.

"Never listen to my own advice, do I?"

That Guy
                *Click* "Hello, you have reached the Stagiz Station. What can I do for you this afternoon?" I widely grin to myself as I clear my throat. "Emily! Emily, that has to be you!" The voice is clearly recognizable from my end, with no static or other interruptions at all. The heavens clearly ordered it as clear as my love with Anna: She's my saving grace from the world. "I'm sorry sir, have we met?" This makes my jaw drop in shock, and mostly sadness ensures. "It's me Emily! Me!" The emotions in my voice are exaggerated, and she gives off a low hum, before answering. "I don't necessarily recognize you, sir. Identification, please?" She asks, making me grumble under my breath. "I'm That Guy! You met me just a week or so ago!" My tone quickly changes to fury, making her laugh a bit on the other end. "Mr. Guy, we get lots of... eccentric faces and callers at the Station, but I don't mean to antagonize any of our customers." I make a quick note in my mind about how she conducts herself on the phone. Such a businesslike demeanor is a quick departure from how she acted last time. She seemed so playful and casual, and now it's like she's a different person. Strange, what work does for some people... "Well, I have a real request for you!"  She snaps her fingers over the line. "Quick. I'm kinda on a job run right now." I don't take any time to think and answer with my intentions in mind. "Yeah, an order for pick up. I'll have the club special, put it on Justin's tab, and I'm currently in the middle of nowhere woods, past Chimney Rock and on the way to Ft. Laramie." She makes a snapping sound with her fingers, responding. "Sure thing Mr. Guy! Your order will be there shortly." I sigh in relief. "Thank you, Emily." *Click*

      Well, backup will be here shortly. Thank the heavens above for the Stagiz family. I mean, who knew that they would come from just Charlie in the back, starting with lighting, to being a permanent side character? Then the whole family is also helpful? I wonder how their parents are... Nah. Let's not think about it for now. I've got to find a good hiding spot until then. People always coincidentally find others in times of need, so I can easily bank on that, and Justin's luck that it'll happen. I suddenly freeze in my tracks. Why did I have to say Justin's luck? Now anybody could just walk over and fin- *Rustle rustle*

     "Hmm?" I say to myself as the shaking of leaves grabs my attention. "Show yourself! I don't necessarily want somebody else here with me!" The wind starts to pick up, and I hear twigs snapping in unison with the other sounds of nature. "Okay, maybe I did want some company, but I meant Anna! Emily isn't here yet, so you can't rob me for food, and I don't even know where Anna is!" Starting to strafe around my area, I try finding the cause of the insanity, while also protecting myself. It may be me and the case of loneliness, but I don't want to believe it myself. "You probably don't understand where I'm coming from, or who I'm talking about, but you don't have to attack or harass me!

I'm not the problem!"

 I shout this out in desperation, hoping to gain time to think. Most of the sounds then suddenly stop,, leaving, or rather, leafing, a bit of wind blowing the fallen photosynthesizers of trees. The majority of the noise has stopped. I sigh in relief for a second, not expecting much out of the next moments to matter much.
            As like if Justin's luck was bad enough for me, I was completely wrong. Again.

        *Click* "Huh?" BOOM!
          *-zip* "AGH?!"

     The shot zoomed past my head, veering off to the right, and instead claiming the life of one of the leaves beside me. While panicked, I still hear the scurrying and panic of whoever shot at me, the rustling fading away from it's nearby position. "S-stupid assassin..." I say, still stunned by the fact that someone would care enough to make an attempt on my life. The wildlife seamlessly returns to its natural stare, and I just slump to the ground, sapped of all my energy and will from the big moment. "Who, what, and why?" I ask myself, trying to peace together what had happened before my very own eyes.

     Couldn't have been anybody I know. Anna ran off without a trace, or a gun. Emily is fast at delivery, but she wouldn't shoot at me for no reason. And none of the others would be suicidal enough to go after me, as I'm a pretty weak link in the team without Anna as my support. Even if she refuses to help just because of me. So... who else could it be? Not the CCC in my opinion. None of them in the past have been crack enough shots to hit something as small as a leaf, unless you count Justin's luck, cause that's ALWAYS a factor. It could be an old cast member, who has it out for me though. We've had a pretty weird cast in the first original years, and because of that, there was many bad misunderstandings and vendettas that never got to fruition. Maybe besides Ivory Capulet, who's love for Charlie made her a fan favorite, the others are either dead, or away. Seriously, some are actually dead. Check the original series if the news have anything about it. Thing is, Ivory was also seen last five years ago, so I can't say for sure at all...

      What... this one should be pretty obvious. The click, shot and effect all point to a gun. Nothing else really special about it.

     What, pun intended for Justin, really bothers me though, is Why. What motive is really there for trying to kill me? Well, maybe I'm overthinking it. A roadside bandit could've stumbled upon me, for all that I know. But I haven't done anything exactly wrong or to annoy the cops, like a space time continuum shift that takes me to another universe, so it's all still a mystery to me. I do not know exactly why someone would try to eliminate me like that still... I mean, it's only the first official arc and all, yet I don't want to be next in line for kicking the bucket! Not like this! Not when I haven't even had a fair chance to get turned down by Anna this season!

...!

       The person following me... has a thing for Anna too! Therefore, he's trying to get rid of me... so that there's no competition! I see how it is... AND I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN! I'm the one and only true match for her! I'll even prove it by finding her! Well, with Emily's eventual help, after all.

Anna

         I already see Ft. Laramie in the distance, yet no sign of That, or the others in the wagon crew. Looks like I'm the first one here, as expected. I don't have any money on-hand, so going through town would be a waste of time. Not to mention that I have anything of real value on me to trade, either. Maybe I can make some arrows in the meantime... Yeah. I'll do just that. Gives me added protection, along with good utility to compliment it too. I start by backtracking for a bit, then stopping in a relatively secluded area. After digging in to what seems to be deep enough in the forest, I begin to gather some fallen twigs. Along the process, I find some branches, stones and other tools for the materials. Only after a few hours or so of gathering and forging do I hear something very unnatural. Crunching leaves, shaking trees, and the startled wildlife shows a clear sign of another human in the near vicinity. A blistering pace is being set from what I'd figure. "Who... and why are they here and not at the fort?" I say softly to myself. With this event, I put this word of caution in the back of my mind, and continue working. I've got all the materials around me, and I've lain down all the materials too. It's my third time around making a bow, so the process is already drilled into my head after trial and error, not to mention the numerous failed events that I'm not particularly proud of.

      The peace and quiet accelerates my pace, allowing me to make a reasonably good amount of arrows. Pulling on the string, I inspect my bow to pass the time. The wood seemed sturdy enough, so the durability will last me for quite a while. The string is still holding strong, not a single thread out of line. Truly the best of my creations so far. As I continue to inspect my masterpiece, my ears pick up on someone nearby.

      *Rustle rustle* "What?"

             Someone sneaking up on me? Nobody in history has done that yet, and I will not let my reputation get ruined.... but who would try to even go for me? It must be the same person from before, but they could just be horribly lost. Or... they could be incredibly smart, and be tracking me down... but in this dense forest? That could spell doom for me, especially without anything but a melee weapon. Without any hesitation, I take up my weapon and hide beside the biggest tree in the vicinity. Pressing my ear to the side, I pick up on footsteps. A hurried and unbalanced pacing leads me to think that they might be the hunted instead of the hunter. I continue to quietly tap in, but the noise suddenly stops, continues, and then stops again. I move my position slightly to the next tree, and try again, only to hear the same thing repeat. They must be doing something similar, or panicking just as much as I am on the inside. This mindgame is easily getting to my focus, and I'm losing sight of concentration. I rub my foot into the soil below me and slowly crouch down to a comfortable position. My decision is to stay put for now. They won't get any information on me, and be forced to make the first move, or rather, mistake. While my anger can be out of control sometimes, my patience in hunting knows no bounds.

The waiting war begins.

That Guy

                "Thanks for the ride, Emily."

                 "No problem. It's my pleasure to serve our customers to the best of my ability!"

                  "So... why are you going to Ft. Laramie anyways?"

                   "You of all people should know, Mr. Guy. It's a long story. Business, mainly. I'm also going to see some old friends around town too. What about you being stuck in the forest here?"

                    "Yeah... long story. Like you said."

                     "Don't be so shy, Mr. Guy! Lighten up a bit! It's just us here, nobody else to bug or be bugged at all!" Her tone sticks out from all the rest of the details that I try to take in. It suddenly goes from a bit stoic and serious to cheerful and playful. She then starts to laugh, shaking her head up and down in bubbly bursts of what seems to be her own joy. Her eyes are closed, yet she maintains a steady and straight line down along the road. Must take extreme concentration, or just sheer knowledge of how driving works. I mean, knowing how Charlie would approach something new, he'd learn it inside and out. By that logic, Emily might have been the prodigal child, already good at everything, maybe that's why Charlie wanted to separate himself from the rest of the Stagiz family line. "I really miss Charlie..." I say almost inaudibly to myself, yet provoking a reaction from Emily. "He really wanted to diversify himself as a Stagiz. He hated how... mediocre, as he put it, our family was. So he set out to do something better than work at a family restaurant." I continue to watch her, studying her figure. But no matter how much I try to study her clothes, or... well, "other parts", my eyes are constantly absorbed by looking in her face. Her expression has suddenly changed to a sad, and even forlorn frown. Out of all the time I have known everyone here, I have never seen someone as sad as her in that moment, besides Esther at the loss of her chickens. "He really was a nice guy to be around, huh?" A few tears then start to drip down from her face, and without any provoking action, she wordlessly slams her face down onto the steering wheel, sounding the horn for a few good seconds. The car swerves off the road, forcing me to take action."E-emily! Get a hold of yourself!" I shout, carelessly grabbing her by the shoulders in a very rushed and reminiscent style. Her face turns towards me, and I feel my mind quickly close the gap between memory and reality. I look straight at her face, and the features of the scene stick out to me like white in black. Her eyes are big and scream in helplessness. Her mouth is creaked open, almost dying to get words out, but no sound is heard all the same. Her cheeks are streaked with tears, missing the burns and scars from before. Her hair is orange, like the colors of fall and fire, instead of the green that I've seen before. The blackness of the environment also reminds me of the fiery red color and catastrophic feel of the scene before. My own eyes take in the sight of the picture for a brief moment, before realizing the consequences of what I'm doing. I scream out in fear and shake my whole body off, releasing my grips and seeing Emily once again, back in the reality. We both stare at each other for a second, both of us breathing heavily and in surprise at each other's actions and reactions. I let go of her shoulders, and she turns back to concentrating on the road, getting the truck back onto our lane.

"Huh.. Charlie's gonna kill me for this now..." I comment, hopefully not offending Charlie's spirit.

   Emily just says one sentence in response.

    "If only Charlie was here..."

       "So Charlie really was that distant from you guys? Even you?" She sighs in disappointment and then answers my question. "Yes... he may seem all-knowing and helpful to The Travel Log, but to us... he treated us like any other person. Not one shred of respect or even friendship towards the family." She then stares back at the road ahead of her, her hands still on the wheel this whole ordeal. She's really something special to be able to multitask like that...

      "Only after a while did he start acknowledging me as his sister, when I started to do to-go orders for the business. Since I was leaving the Station more and more, not to mention the few catering services I performed for you guys nearing the end of the original series' lifespan." I rethink back to season nine, which had a good supply of food for intermission. Makes total sense now. Emily continues on with her monologue in the meantime. "The farthest I've ever gotten with him was him calling me sis, after a good while of bugging him. Otherwise, he treated me as an equal, not as a little sister." My mouth gapes open in horror. "W-what?! But the viewers all love that! Think of all the successful animes that have pulled off the little sister trope!" She shakes her head, and just stares back at the road. "Well this isn't a fantasy we live in. You can't always have the tools at your disposal, so you have to use what you can, and make the best of it." I stare forwards to the dark road ahead too. Her voice is heard in my left ear now. "Charlie wouldn't kill you, though. I can at least talk to him and reason. Plus, he understands your problems and need for love." "Hey! At least I'm trying!" I furiously shout out, now on the defensive end of the questions. Emily's tone almost instantly picks up on this note as well, perking up to her usual cheery tone. "Speaking of which, Mr. Guy. I have a very important question for you." Rubbing my forehead with one hand in embarrassment, I nod up and down, saying "Yes?" over and over again.

         "What is your relationship with Ms. Williams?"

           "ACK?! That came out of NOWHERE!"

             "Well, it's all business here. If you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

               "Ugh... It's a long story. I'd rather not say, for now."

                 "You plan to reveal it later?"

                   "Well, story-related plot lines and such. Trust me, I have almost no idea what I'm doing, but it should work out if I depend on Justin's luck."

                     "As you wish. Mr. Guy. I wish you the best of luck with Mr. Labilles' luck."

                       "Yeah... Just get me to Ft. Laramie..."

    I say this last sentence with a bit of sarcasm in my voice, as I know that I won't be headed straight for the fort. I've gotta find Anna.
     Got to find Anna, and clear my name up.
      Clear everything up, before she gets herself killed.