2D and I had just snuck out of Murdoc's room and onto the lift when I heard the first shout. Murdoc's scream of frustration reached us even through layer upon layer of plastic and building, even through the water that separated us from each other. He had found 2D's empty room. He was now coming for us.
"Stu, we need to go!" I exclaimed, panic rising in my voice. "He knows you're not in your room. He's going to find us!"
2D looked terrified. I knew what happened when 2D got terrified. He froze, his feet glued to the floor. His eyes widened in terror and he mouthed speechlessly at me.
"Stuart!" I cried, trying to snap him out of his helpless state "We need to go NOW."
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "R-right." He sputtered, frantically pushing buttons on the lift. It sputtered to life after he finally found the button to the entrance.
We took no time in lingering when the doors opened. We sprinted past Tattoo, barely staying long enough to hear him shout "The lift. The lift, Boss!" at us. I could see the beach. It looked beautiful. I smelled the salty ocean on the air. I had forgotten how beautiful the outside was. I hadn't seen it since I had woken up on the strange beach. I caught a glimpse of 2D as I was scanning the horizon, he had a happy smile on his lips and I realized he probably hadn't been outside since Murdoc abducted him who knows how many months ago.
"Where's the boat?" I hated ruining his good mood but I honestly didn't want to get caught by Murdoc or that weird robot thing that followed him around.
2D looked around and then shrugged at me.
"You don't know where it is?" I sighed exasperated.
"Well it's not like Mudsy and I are best friends now, is it? Do you think he would tell me something like that?" he hissed.
We glared at each other for a moment. Just as I was about to angrily retort that maybe if he hadn't been so fucking scared of that bloody whale then he would have paid more attention to where Murdoc had kept his get-away vehicle a waving sail caught my eye.
"There it is!" I explained, catching 2D's wrist as I sprinted past him. He stumbled in the pink sand behind me.
It had a cover over a majority of it but the wind or water must have knocked it loose not too long ago. It looked really clean for a boat that Murdoc owned. It was small but decent size; there was a cabin that went down below to a kitchen-y area. The fridge was stocked with beer and various other alcohols. The cupboard had snack foods of all different kinds. It lifted my heart in a feeling I hadn't had in awhile. Hope. We might actually have a chance at getting away.
While 2D tried to steer the boat I was given the task of pushing it away from the dock. It unnerved me at first; considering the fact I'm basically pushing away my way off the island but 2D tried to comfort me telling me that if I did it right I could make it back on the boat without getting much more than a splash of water on me.
I had the rope in my hand when I saw the panic rising on 2D's face.
"What? What's going on?" I asked too terrified to turn around and face whatever was behind me.
BANG. Pain. Blood. Oh God, what just happened?
I touched my hand to my shoulder. When I looked back down at my fingers I realized they were wet. And red.
"Stu?" I asked. My vision was getting blurry. How much blood am I losing? How much blood can I lose?
"ELLE!" 2D screamed. He was in turmoil. If he got off the boat we could risk losing our way off of the island. If he stayed on the boat he could risk losing me. I stumbled toward the boat but lost my footing and fell face first into the sand. I hissed as it clustered in and around my wound.
2D abandoned the boat, sprinting toward me on those long legs of his. I heard the click of a gun as who-ever shot me got ready to finish the job. I felt 2D's arms encircle me.
"No, no, no, no." He was chanting. "I'm dead without you. I'm dead without you. Stay alive. Please."
I could feel my consciousness slipping away. "Wha-what are you talking about?" I managed to murmur.
2D ignored me and pulled me against him. Somehow he managed to get his arms around me before he lifted me off the ground. I screamed in protest, my shoulder was shooting pain from my fingertips down to my toes. Who would ever want to be in this much pain? Why did they even invent guns?
"I'm dead without you. I'm dead without you." 2D continued to murmur under his breath. I could hear the shells of more bullets impacting the sand and plastic around us. As 2D loped back to the boat I caught a glimpse of who was shooting us over his bony shoulder.
Android Noodle. That freak of nature was shooting at us and she had succeeded in hitting me. It pissed me off and part of me wanted to go back to her and rip that tiny robot head off her robot body. But 2D's arms were too tight around me and I was too weak to fight against them. For one small moment I wondered what had sent her off on this rampage but then I saw him.
Murdoc Niccols. He had been an object of my pity not even an hour ago. Now he was sending psychotic robots that looked like old friends after us. Murdoc was quite possibly the most confusing man on the planet. Sure, 2D had left me because he "needed to be alone" but I understood that decision more than the sudden decision Murdoc had made to kill me and his claim to fame.
"M-Murdoc."I tried to say but I was too weak. I had lost too much blood.
"Don't die." 2D replied, "I'm dead without you."
"Why?" I murmured to the man I knew wouldn't hear me. "Why?"
2D paused to clear some blood stained hair out of my face. I realized that we had somehow made it onto the boat. It was strange I didn't remember 2D wading through the water. I didn't remember the sting of the salt water on my legs, or worse, my wound.
"Elle, look at me." He whispered. I struggled to keep my eyes open as he swiped his thumb across my cheek. "Please don't die. I love you. I need you. I'm dead without you."
I gave a weak smile at him. "I love you too 'D. I'll get right on that no dying thing." I tried to laugh but it made my shoulder ache.
He smiled and placed a kiss to my forehead before placing me on the small table in the boat and skipping every other step back to the steering wheel. I heard the engine kick into gear and pull away from the dock. I heard bullets ring across the hull but none actually punctured it. 2D was weaving the boat first left and then right. I rocked against the table groaning at the sharp pains in my shoulder every time I rolled onto it.
I drifted in and out of consciousness as we sped away from the island. At one point I swore I could see that bug looking man sitting across from me just staring but when I blinked my eyes he was gone. Throughout the whole ordeal the pain of my shoulder was almost unbearable. Was I going to die? I knew it hadn't hit my heart, otherwise I would've—but I didn't want to think about that. Had I lost too much blood? I was getting a little woozy.
I heard 2D coming down the stairs, tripping in his haste to see me.
"Elle," He gasped, "don't worry, we're ok, we're far away from that island."
I tried to respond but my vision was cloudy and I wasn't entirely sure he was really there or if it was just an illusion.
"Elle?" He asked frantic. "Elle?"
I heard him take a ragged breath as he convulsed in dry sobs. "Don't die. Please don't die. I'm dead without you. I'm dead without you."
I coughed, wincing at the pain in my shoulder. "You keep repeating that, what does it even mean?"
He looked up at me and smiled weakly, "Elle? You're ok?"
I choked up a laugh again wincing at my shoulder "Well, I've been shot in the shoulder and I'm not entirely sure if you're really there or if you're just an illusion. But otherwise I'm just peachy. You?"
He forced a laugh and tucked some of my hair behind my ear.
"You didn't answer my question." I murmured, unable to speak much louder than that. "You keep repeating 'I'm dead without you.' What does that mean?"
He paused and I saw a darkness flit across his face. "I had a dream where you dying from a hole right about where you were shot. It's just gotten all too real for me."
I licked my lips, they felt like sand paper. Is this how you felt when you were dying? That you were slowly running out of fluids? I lifted a hand to 2D's cheek, using a majority of my remaining energy.
"2D," I started but I didn't know how to finish. What was I supposed to tell him, that I was going to be ok? Because I wasn't even sure I was going to be.
He stared at me for a moment, a hopeful look on his face. He wanted me to tell him that everything was going to work out fine. He wanted me to tell him that I would survive and that we would be together but deep down he knew things didn't always work out that way. He retreated into a far corner of the boat and curled into a ball. I didn't need to hear the echoing sobs or see his shaking shoulders to know that he was utterly hopeless.
Because that was how I was feeling.
Is it really bad that I actually enjoyed shooting Elle? Maybe I just like a little drama and shooting is the top notch of drama.
So she probably wouldn't die from a shoulder wound but lets just say she's losing a lot of blood because Elle has a lot of blood in...that particular shoulder. Or something. Whatever, suspend your disbelief people. Be worried for Elle.
Do not worry, this isn't the last time you will see Plastic Beach, Murdoc, or the lovely Android Noodle.
Because everyone wants to see the face off between the faux and the real deal.
Leave a comment and stay classy. :)