Mason Reynolds (maseinyourface) wrote in undeadsiegeic, @ 2015-05-26 08:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | mason |
WHO: Mason
WHERE: Haven
WHEN: May 26, 2015; late evening/night
WHAT: A bit of quiet reflection.
CHALLENGE(S): No challenge. Was randomly inspired.
Mason stood up in the bell tower of the local church in Haven, watching the infected meander about below. Minutes before, he witnessed a scavenger making her way through the streets. She’d caught the notice of the infected, had a large tail of them on her by the time she found a door that was unlocked. The steel had clanged loudly when it slammed shut, catching even more attention. The infected, however, were their usual dumbass selves. Not enough of a mind left to figure out how doors worked. They clawed and banged pointlessly at the door for nearly half an hour. Soon the crowd scattered, having lost interest in their prey. The appeal of watching someone’s struggle with the infected had long since dulled. Mason only watched with half interest anymore. He lent a hand on occasion. It depended on what the person looked like, as dubious as that sounded. He didn’t bother lifting a hand to help those who obviously didn’t need help. That was a waste of his time. He didn’t help the majority of the assholes who lived here. They could fucking fend for themselves, and would sooner shoot him as ask him for a hand. Some, though, like those who looked like they desperately needed an extra pair of eyes or an extra pair of hands to bang some heads together; those he bothered to help. As long as they were women. Shifting his stance, he turned his gaze up to glance at the sun and judge the time. He had watches and clocks back in his shop, but there was no point in wearing the former anymore. A watch only got in the way. Two more hours, give or take, before sundown. He wasn’t worried. Had a couple flashlights to give him light, if he needed it. The moonlight was enough, and it was more peaceful after dark. He turned and leaned against the low wall, contemplating the church bell. Mason never gave two shits about religion. Didn’t need it. It had never done him or anyone he was close to any favors. That wasn’t why he came here. No sense of piety or even bitterness. No one gathered for services at the church anymore. It was an empty building, like many. It was simply a place to be. A new point of view in the literal sense. Sometimes he wondered what sort of effect ringing the bell would cause. No doubt it would bring an entire horde of infected to investigate the commotion. If he rigged it to ring constantly, would it be enough to draw the attention of every zombie in the city? And, if so, would it keep that attention, make it so the rest of the city was safer? He never tested the theory. Wasn’t afraid to, but it seemed pointless. Someone would come along and stop the bell from ringing, and Mason wouldn’t give enough of a shit to stop them. Besides that, he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with having every zombie in one place. That much of a congregation, if the bell stopped ringing, would flood Haven. The city had already been plagued enough by a high concentration of infected. Still, he found himself contemplating the bell every time he was up this way. A gun barked somewhere nearby. Mason turned to face the street, judging where the sound came from. Near the old loan office. The female scavenger or someone else? He ran his hand over the stubble on his face. The living killed the living as often as the dead killed the living. That was just the kind of society they were existing in while Kamong was under quarantine. It didn’t bother him as much as it bothered the majority that they were all stranded here. Yeah, it fucking sucked not having the freedom to leave, and even worse that his cousin was being kept here against her will while undead fuckers roamed the island. But it granted him an odd sense of normalcy. For the first time since he could remember, his mind felt as tranquil as it had ever been. There had been no need for his defense mechanism, his second identity, to take control. Phillip was content in the chaos. Mason wasn’t constricted by laws and rules. The only consequence was death and he could and did fight tooth and nail every day to make sure he and Ren stayed among the living. Anyone who crossed his path and meant him harm was dealt with swiftly and without remorse. Phillip took joy in it and was satisfied. Mason had control again and a big part of him hoped the quarantine would last a good long time. He never mentioned that out loud to anybody, not even to his cousin, but it was a thought always in the back of his head. In a fucked up way that didn’t even make sense to him, zombies had saved his sanity. Made him feel normal. No less angry, no less violent, but at least he was the one controlling his own actions. People took for granted how their conscience and all that shit helped them make decisions. They didn’t have to live with a second, separate identity hiding beneath the surface, making those decisions for him. A year ago he’d thought he’d been in control of his life. He had his shop, he had his freedom, he felt at home. But that was a mere whisper of how he felt now. Now he could make his own choices. Now he had complete freedom. And because of that, he wasn’t sure he even wanted to leave once the quarantine was finally lifted. Kamong was a husk of what it once was. Mason had thrived in that husk. Straightening up from the wall surrounding the bell, he registered the blanket of darkness covering the city. He raised his chin and peered down his nose at the last few infected in the area. One stood idly on the footpath, swaying with jerky movements. Another sat near a fire hydrant, slumped against it. Out of one of the shop fronts he watched a torso crawl its way out into the street. Haven was peaceful at night, even now, reminding him of exactly why he chose to move to a resort island. It wasn’t the tourists (although fucking the loose women was a huge perk). The island was just that fucking beautiful. All the more so since he’d managed to hunt down the assholes who’d been working to keep him locked to the city for so long. Once again, the entire island was an open domain to be explored. He smiled at the view before him and felt all right. |