The city had it all.
It had buildings; some even touched the hazy sky. And hundreds of shops. It offered change and opportunities that the countryside could not. Liv McKenna was someone.
It took her a long time to admit this. But no matter how much she tried to ignore her past, the countryside where she was born was hard to let go of. Her heart died in the mountains of southwest Montana a long time ago and Liv had been running ever since.
The city was a fresh start.
It's how Liv ended up on a tiny motorboat heading towards the north shore of the Rook Islands in the Pacific Ocean. An opportunity came knocking, and she took it.
Scrolling through her phone to occupy her time, despite not having service, Liv viewed some of the images in her gallery. The further down she went further she went back in time; from San Francisco to Montana. Her first ever picture was taken in front of the F.A.N.G. Center – Friends of the Animal Nursing Grounds – in the Whitetail Mountains. She was thirteen. A man in his late 30s stood next to her near the enclosure where Cheeseburger, a diabetic grizzly bear lived.
The aging man beside her was her father. He didn't look too thrilled about having his picture taken but Liv knew that he honestly didn't mind. He was a great man.
Her eyes stung with tears as she stared at the picture. Had she known that he was sick, she would have taken more than one of them together. It was far too late now, however. What influenced her to go back to that day? Perhaps she wanted to torture herself a bit; to remind herself that the alcohol and the drugs were not worth going back to, even when her memories haunted her.
Liv buried her teeth into her bottom lip to suppress a sob and reached down to her belt loop where an inch in diameter button dangled from a keychain. The faded silhouettes of three men with weapons – one carried a flamethrower – were printed on the front in a snow-covered background with the title "The Thing" beneath them. It was a present from her father, and at times of need, it grounded her.
"That's a cult classic," a man with short-cut blonde hair stated.
Liv turned her stormy blue eyes to him and forced a smile. She had almost forgotten that she was sharing a boat with three others – one was the driver.
"It's my favorite movie."
"Somebody in this camp ain't what he appears to be. Right now that may be one or two of us. By spring, it could be all of us," the man quoted in his best MacReady voice.
Liv snorted.
"I know you gentlemen have been through a lot. But when you find the time... I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!"
"That's a good one," the man replied. He offered his hand to her. "My name is Barry. And I understand that you're the freelance cinematographer that Ubisoft hired."
Liv hummed in agreement, taking his hand. The video game company brought her on to help promote their new Farcry game, inspired by the Rook Islands; the same islands that she was now heading to.
"It's Olivia, but yeah, I'm the new hire."
"Me too." He pointed to the camera in his lap. "I'm the cameraman."
Liv aahed and took back her hand.
"Then I reckon we'll be working together quite a bit on this project."
"It seems that way," Barry retorted.
A sudden beep drew her attention to the front of the boat where a familiar actor sat, arguing into his walkie-talkie with his agent. Liv wasn't sure how to react to working with Chris Mintz-Plasse on this project; seeing him in person was an entirely new ball game compared to seeing him on the big screen.
"Actors, right?" Barry asked beneath his breath.
Liv suppressed a laugh.
"I liked him as McLovin. And his character in "Kick-Ass" was also pretty funny."
"Whaaat? You're a fan," the blonde mentioned with a laugh. "I'm so going to tell him."
Liv tightened her jaw and gently pushed his arm.
"I will toss you into the sea."
Barry snorted and turned his eyes forward; the boat was nearing the shore. Once it was docked on the beach, he grabbed his gear and stepped out, offering Liv a hand.
She took it and thanked Barry, turning to survey the area. It was stunning. The warm air smelled of the sea and the white sand shimmered like diamonds in the sun. Liv lifted her Olympus and took some pictures to commemorate her arrival. When she was content, she peeked over her shoulder and watched as the driver took the boat back out into the water, leaving the trio alone in the sand.
"So," Chris asked. "Where do we start? I'm ready to get this over with."
Liv turned her eyes to Barry and watched him tinker with his camera.
"Yeah, so, Ubisoft wants you to make an introduction to promote their new game. We should begin with that," Barry answered.
"Maybe in an open area," Liv mentioned as she looked around. "And near the water."
Spotting an area further down the beach, she pointed to it.
"Down there, across from the rock formations is good."
Chris raised a brow.
"Who are you?"
"Olivia McKenna. I am a freelance cinematographer, but I was also hired to take pictures to go along with the TV series," she answered.
Barry came to her defense.
"She makes you look good, Chris."
"I know what a cinematographer is, asshole."
He flipped his cameraman the bird and then walked down the beach towards the area that Liv pointed out; she and Barry followed. Setting up the camera, Liv advised Chris where to stand, then kneeled beside Barry to snap pictures as the cameraman counted down, motioning for the actor to begin.
"Hey guys, Chris Mintz-Plasse here," he announced, walking towards the camera. "Just hanging out on the island that inspired Assassin's Creed. We're gonna stay here––"
"Hey, Chris... Chris, it's Farcry... Farcry 3, not Assasin's––"
Chris leaned forward.
"Farcry 3?"
He looked to Liv for answers to which she replied with a nod.
"No, I don't think you're right," he stated.
"It's Farcry 3," Liv uttered.
She wondered if he had listened to a word his agent had said. Asking him to start again, Liv aimed her camera as the latter assumed his current position, starting again.
"Hey guys," Chris repeated. His tone was lighter, more spirited. "Chris Mintz-Plasse here. Just hanging out on the island that inspired Farcry 2. Ubisoft told me to come here––"
"Chris! It's... it's... it's Farcry 3; the third one," Barry explained, interrupting him once again.
Liv glanced out at the ocean in awkwardness as the two exchanged words, ending in Chris shouting a curse. She stood and brushed the sand from her knee, motioning towards the edge of the jungle.
"I'm going to snap some pictures of the flora for the website," she uttered.
Barry gave her a pleading look.
"Don't leave me."
She suppressed a laugh and walked past him towards the edge of the tree line. Perhaps Chris would get it right this time; there was still so much to do.
As she took some pictures, she heard Barry shout something in anger at the actor. Turning to face them, she noticed a party boat in the distance between two rock formations. Loud music echoed down the beach occupied by the sound of cheering and screams of excitement. Liv shook her head in annoyance and returned to her two companions.
"Holy shit, dude!" Barry exclaimed. "Is that your girl?"
Liv opened her mouth to inquire about what the cameraman was talking about but Chris quickly reached out and pushed the camera down by the lens.
"Did you see that?" Chris asked her.
See what? Liv shook her head no.
"I don't know––"
"Let's move on," Chris ordered, walking past her and towards the tree line.
She looked to Barry for answers, but the cameraman was too occupied with cleaning the lens of his camera, shouting at Chris about the cost of it. She could relate; she'd probably bury him in the sand if he touched her camera.
Once the trio was ready, Chris led them into the jungle in search of water. Liv took pictures along the way, ignoring the constant bickering of her two companions. Even when Barry dragged her into the conversation, she merely shrugged and continued to ignore them; at least until they found a water source.
The stagnant pool stunk something horrible as they approached. It was shallow but diluted with mud and who knows what else.
"I don't think drinking that is a good idea," Liv uttered, curling her nose in disgust.
Someone was going to get sick.
"He'll be fine. Chris is an expert after all," Barry retorted aiming his camera at the actor. The latter flipped him the bird.
Liv turned up her eyes; these two.
"The first rule of survival is to find a water source," Chris said to the camera. "If you don't have water for three days, you will die."
"A-are you serious?" Barry asked as the actor walked towards the shallow pool.
Chris turned and narrowed his eyes.
"I don't know man. I just made that shit up. Stop asking so many questions."
He struggled to take the machete from its sheath on his back, yanking it over his shoulder as he trudged through the murky water.
"Well, the reason I ask is because this water doesn't seem very clean man," Barry explained.
"I know, but I will find clean water. OK," Chris argued back.
Liv took a deep breath.
"Guys, enough! No, the water isn't safe to drink, but Chris is right, as a general rule of thumb, a person can survive without water for about 3 days. Organ failure will result in death."
"I told you," Chris said.
He trekked through the water, chopping at vines as he moved along.
"Besides, Ubisoft hired me for this shit. They hired you to push some buttons. Oh my God... Zoom in, zoom out."
"They hired me because I'm a good cameraman, OK," Barry retorted.
Liv was so annoyed with them. She was almost tempted to put in her headphones and listen to music as they argued with one another. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Can we just––"
"Oh my God! Snake!" Barry suddenly shouted.
Liv squeaked in fear and lept away from the water. She heard Chris shout as Barry insisted that the snake was near his leg; he swung wildly at the water with the machete. It took Liv a moment to realize that he was making a joke. She was livid.
Barry laughed and flipped Chris the bird.
"Fuck you, dude."
"That's not funny!" Chris shouted in reply.
Liv turned up her eyes and shoved the cameraman's arm as she walked past him, hesitantly stepping into the water. She hated snakes; he was lucky she wasn't carrying a weapon.
In the jungle, further in, the trio found a narrow brook with fresh water. Liv was relieved. She spotted a waterfall in the distance and left Chris and Barry to film the next scene as she walked upstream to take some pictures. It was beautiful. The cool spray of the water hit her heated face as she eased closer. Once she was content, she leaned down to gather some water into her hand and drank it.
Something shiny caught her attention. Liv reached in and pulled the object out of the water, frowning as she realized it was a shell casing, most likely an assault rifle. What was it doing here? A sense of dread consumed her. She stood and backed away from the water, looking around. There was no one nearby, but the bullet didn't sit right with her. Who needed an assault rifle in the jungle?
Hearing Chris shout in fear, Liv raced downstream to where she had left them, witnessing Chris puke up the contents of his stomach; Barry was roaring with laughter.
"What happened?" She asked in concern.
"Chris ate a dead monkey's guts," Barry answered.
Liv turned and noticed the decaying body of a small monkey on a rock; its blood leaked into the water being carried downstream. She hummed in sadness; poor thing.
"H-how are you not sick?" Chris asked, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
"I guess I'm used to it. I was born in Montana where there are cougars and bears; it's not that unusual to find the chewed-up carcass of a hare nearby," Liv answered.
Chris snorted.
"She just made you look like a bitch."
"I can respect that," Chris uttered. "But I swear, you better not put that shit on the fucking internet."
He should have known better. Barry was going to upload it once he got back to the mainland for sure.
Hearing a loud and distant noise, the trio darted their eyes around in search of the source. It sounded like a horn.
"Bambi!" A voice shouted.
"What is that?" Chris asked.
Was there someone on the island? It was meant to be uncharted. Remembering the bullet she found, Liv frowned. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Let's go take a look," Chris mentioned.
Liv wasn't sure that was such a good idea but she swallowed her fear and followed Chris and Barry in the direction where the shout was first heard.
The jungle opened up on top of a grassy knoll that overlooked the sea. It was rather stunning. But there was no one around. Walking further into the clearing the trio heard another shout – Bambi! – accompanied by the sound of a horn. It was much closer than before.
A loud guttural scream came from the tree line to the left, startling them.
"Holy shit! Was that a deer?" Barry asked.
Liv had never heard a deer make a noise like that before.
"I think that was a human," Chris remarked.
"No, that was for sure a deer dude," Chris argued.
Liv shook her head. It was no deer.
From the tree line, a blond man stumbled out wearing the remains of a deer like a raincoat. His head was peeking out from a bloody hole in its back and his hands were tied to short sticks that were connected to the deer, keeping him from removing it.
Liv was stunned. Was something wrong with him?
"Sir," Chris addressed him. He was in utter disbelief.
The unnamed man turned and started like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Please... Please don't kill me."
Why would he assume they'd do such a thing?
"No, I won't. I won't kill––"
Loud gunshots interrupted Chris, and the clearing was pelted with bullets, knocking up clumps of dirt in their wake. He turned tail and ran. Barry grabbed Liv by the arm and dragged her into the bushes with Chris, peeking out at the clearing from beneath the bowed trunk of a fallen tree.
Where did the man wearing the deer run off to?
"We have to find that guy," she uttered. "He needs help."
"Not right now. Stay down," Chris ordered.
Liv hated to admit it but he was right. She only hoped the man was okay. Hiding behind the two, she waited in fear. She had no clue what the fuck was going on, but as far as she was concerned, the fun and games were over.
Hearing the voice scream out again, closer than before, Liv saw two men walk into the clearing with assault rifles; each was wearing something red on their person. In the rear stumbled a saddled man with a person on his back; this person was also wearing red; a red tank.
"Oh, fuck! Hold up. Hold up," the rider ordered. "I think my horse needs a break."
Was he serious? That was a fucking human he was riding on, not a horse.
Stepping down from the makeshift saddle, the rider with the mohawk gauged the exhausted man. He groaned and took him by the head, shoving it back.
"My poor pony. My poor little pony. Such a good little horsie, you know that? Hmm?"
Taking a gun out from the back of his pants the man in the red tank aimed it at his horse. Was he seriously about to shoot the man?
"You were many things in this life. But you were a better horse than you were ever a man."
The frightened individual cried in protest but the other man shot him through the head.
Liv could see the blood as it sprayed onto the grass. She covered her mouth to suppress a gasp.
"Fuck!" Chris exclaimed under his breath.
The man in the tank suddenly looked in their direction as if he heard them and began to walk towards the bushes.
"Do you smell that?" He asked his men, waving the air toward his face.
What was he talking about?
Liv could only smell her shampoo and the scent of body odor from one or both of the guys. Could he somehow smell their fear? A gunshot made her jerk in fear. She reached down and grabbed the keychain, pinching her eyes shut.
Shit! Shit! We're going to die.
But suddenly a person screamed, drawing away the attention of the man in red.
"Bambi!" He shouted.
Liv heard the horn bellow out again, but she refused to open her eyes.
"I'm sorry I shot your momma Bambi!"
More gunfire echoed across the clearing then the noise began to grow fainter. For a moment or two, all she could hear was the sound of the grass rustling in the breeze.
This was not mentioned in the job description.
