Dead Island: The Survivor Stories (IC; Open)

[Cylarn]

(OOC Thread: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=184236)

1520 Hours
Royal Palms Resort
Island of Banoi

It was just another beautiful day on the island of Banoi. Thanks to the Royal Palms Resort, the island has gained an influx of wealth. The small resort on the island is booming with activity as hundreds of tourists lounge and play at the lush beach. At the front entrance to the grand hotel of the resort, cars, luggage and people crowd the area as many come and go. The employees were also hard at work on the beach, preparing for the large show that is going to take place later. The famed rapper Sam B, as well as other musicians, are going to perform live at the resort. While some employees set up the stage, others prepared the bar and transported large amounts of booze to the bar.

Emerging from the shore in a black wet suit with a BCD (Buoyancy Compensator Device) and tank on his back, his dive mask around his neck, a free-shafting spear gun and his fins in his right hand, and a 5 ft.-long giant grouper in his right hand, Scott Walsh approached the local dive shack to return the gear he rented. The shack owner, a 65-year-old Australian Vietnam War veteran named Ned Harper sat out front in a lawn chair smoking a cigarette and drinking a can of Foster's beer when he saw the Marine come back to his shop dragging a 5 ft.-long giant grouper to his shop. The old man grabbed his wooden walking stick and lifted himself up since his right leg is now a prosthetic leg after infection from a wound he suffered at Long Tan took his original leg. He chuckled as he slowly made his way other to Scott and took the spear gun and fins, allowing Scott to carry the grouper in his arms.

"Good catch, Jarhead," the old man said, his cigarette hanging from his mouth as he put the gear inside. "I'll buy that Queensland groper from you."

Scott chuckled as he stood outside the door with the large fish.

"If you really want this grouper, I'll give it to you for free," Scott said in his southern accent, putting the fish on a nearby table and removing his heavy gear.

Ned carried the gear inside and returned with Scott's clothes. After putting them on a chair, the man dragged the grouper inside the shack while Scott went over to a changing area.

After a few minutes, Scott exited the changing area wearing a pair of brown swim trunks, his brown sandals, an OD green USMC t shirt, his dogtags, his Desert MARPAT cover, and a pair of black aviators. He then proceeded to head over to the bar and order a Foster's, after which he sat on the beach in a lawn chair and watched the ocean, drinking the beer from a frosted mug.

[Lancearc]

Nate had carried out everything Mr. Henderson had wanted. He'd wiped down one of the rich man's many cars, cleaned up around some of the larger areas on the estate, and had done just about every other thing a person could imagine. Now, it was time for relaxation, and the rich bastard payed Nathan well for his work. He counted the money as he walked away from beach house and down the white-sandy shores, shoving the money into his pocket.

As he walked he spotted a friend, Will, riding a wave on what looked to be a brand new surfboard. The surfer waved, following the wave he was riding in on and hopping off his board. Nate greeted him with a grin. "Man, I was hoping to distract you, it's fun to watch you fall on your ass." he said, though under normal circumstances he wouldn't have. Had to act all primm 'n proper around Henderson.

"You kidding? You'd have to shoot me before I'd fall on a wave like that." was Will's response. He joined Nate in his walk down the shore. "So, headin' over to the bar?"

"You know it, man. The swim up bar, because I'm feelin' so casual, can't you tell?" he said, ironically due to his formal attire. Will only laughed in response.

Once they'd reached the changing booths Nate changed into something more suitable, plain red swim trunks and lowered himself into one of the pools, filled with tourists, locals, and other people simply having a good time on Banoi. It was a beautiful island, the Pearl of the Pacific, some liked to call it. Nate sat at the half-underwater bar with a simple beer, leaning back slightly, in a relaxed state and nothing better to do but waste a day away in paradise.

[Imperial--japan]

In the meantime Mina was at the hotel, helping her parents bring their belongings to the hotel room. Not too long earlier they had just arrived from the airport, and already was she itching to head down to the pool, or the beach, or one of the islands many fun places. True she wouldn't be able to join her parents in the bar, but she would be fine. After all she brought her laptop to keep her busy. Mina sighed when the last of the baggage was brought up with the help of some kind employee's. Now then it was time to enjoy the time this jewel of the Pacific offered as Mina stayed with her parents for the time being, going to see layout of the hotel and the different locations.

[Sentinel XV]

1520 Hours
Royal Palms Resort
Island of Banoi

The ruddy afternoon sun washed down upon the pristine beaches of the Island of Banoi, the gentle tongues of heat lapping over those on the sands as much as the waves do for those in the water. One particular beach-goer was Earl Redford, ex-gas station attendant at the small town of Silas Springs, Alabama, and now a happy resident of the Royal Palms Resort thanks to over 20 years of scrimping and saving. Despite the fact that he had arrived just a few days ago, and already Earl could tell that he could get used to this life: laying out at the beach all day, as much booze as you could stomach, and a wealth of gorgeous ladies. That, and he was finally away from the bigoted, close-minded, xenophobic community of Silas Springs. But that's another story altogether.

Lounging in a tattered lawnchair that he had brought along with him, Earl had his feet in the sand, his head in the clouds, a Marlboro cigarette in one hand and a bottle of Budweiser in the other. He was genuinely happy for what seemed like the first time in decades.

Gazing out across the ocean, Earl smiled as gentle waves washed around his ankles. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a muscled diver surface with a spear gun and a huge fish. Not a damn catfish, at least, chuckled Earl to himself, watching as the diver waddled up to a surf shack, changed, and proceeded to order a beer and do much the same as Earl was doing: relaxing in a lawnchair with a beer.

Cocking his head, Earl determined that the man was decidedly American, ex-military or active duty by the dogtags and Marine Corps by his shirt's logo. Deciding that great minds must certainly think alike, Earl decided to holler at the guy.

"Ey man," he yelled out to the Marine, hoping to catch his attention. When the Marine looked up at him, Earl nodded in return and flashed a smile, hoisting his Budweiser above his head, "great idea, ya got there. Soakin' up tha sun, heh heh."

[Cylarn]

Giving a slight smile to the man, Scott sat up in his chair and proceeded to give the man a fistbump. Although the resort attracted tons of tourists from around the world, Earl Redford was one of the few fellow Americans he had interacted with on the island, the other being a female receptionist at the hotel of whom Scott had a one-night-stand with. By what Scott could see, the man was pretty chill and a fellow Southerner at that.

"Pull up a chair man," Scott said casually. "Name's Scott. What 'bout you?"

[Sentinel XV]

Holding his cigarette between his lips and his bottle of Bud in his hand, Earl used his free hand to pick up his lawnchair and sidled up next to the Marine. Seating himself, he exhaled smoke through his mouth and nose and took a swig of brew. The Marine, who had identified himself as Scott, had a Southern twang that, while not as pronounced as Earl's, was noticeable. A Southern Brother then, Earl thought to himself with a chuckle, who woulda thunk it?

"I'll do just that," said Earl, offering Scott a handshake, "Earl, Earl Redford. Where you'za comin' from, huh?"

[Cylarn]

Scott would give Earl a strong, firm handshake.

"Jacksonville, North Carolina," Scott said. "What 'bout you?"

[SRFS]

Pierre sat by his room window, gazing at the beautiful beaches, the new scenery, a new life. He was finally out of the horrible projects in which he lived in, and was on a exotic island, selling his art. In fact, his good mood brought him to the beach. He saw two men talking, neared them with a, "Hey, nice night out today!"

[Imperial--japan]

"Sweetie why don't you go down to the beach. Just remember the Floor, room number, and if you need help one of the nice employee's will help you". Mina's mom said. At this point it was obvious her parents were going to go down to the bar so she would just comply. "Yes mom". Mina said and went to find a bathroom to quickly change into her swimsuit. As she exited the stall and took the elevator down to the first floor her face was flustered with excitement. Rarely was she ever able to go on a vacation let alone with everyone together. When the elevator opened she darted out and ran towards the beach. This month was going to be great and Mina would make the most of it.

[Cylarn]

Scott gave another slight smile at the Frenchman who approached them.

"What's up man? Pull yourself up a chair," Scott said. "Goin' to that party t'night too?"

[Sentinel XV]

Scott would give Earl a strong, firm handshake.

"Jacksonville, North Carolina," Scott said. "What 'bout you?"

Earl nodded enthusiastically. He had read a little about Jacksonville, mostly in his social studies books, where it talked about the city in relation to the Civil Rights movement.

"Ey, I done heard 'bout dat North Carolina. Good place, they'za tell me, yessir," Earl said with a smile, "Now I come from 'ole Silas Springs, Alabama. Deep heart o' the South, it is."

Craning his head to catch a glimpse of the newcomer, Earl vaguely recognized the French accent.

"Ay, how you doin', bud?"

[Lancearc]

After a few drinks, Will had returned to the swim bar and brought his board as well. "Say Geoffery, what say we head down to the shore and frolic amongst the waves, it'll be a jolly good time!" he said in a mock British accent, that was actually pretty close to Mr. Henderson's. He grinned in response to his mocking.

"Sure thing man, maybe I'll try that out." he said, motioning towards the board tucked under his friend's arm. He stood and the two waded out of the pool and towards the beach, jogging down to the beach. Will handed over the surfboard, shaking his head. "Man, I'm worried, you sure you even know how to do this?" he joked with a smirk.

"Yeah, I used to surf the sewers back in Tulsa all the time!" Was Nate's false, equally joking reply.

Will shook his head, patting him on the back as Nate lay across the board, propelling himself out onto the waves. Once he was in deep enough water, he stood on the board. He struggled with balance at first, but as soon as a decent sized wave began rolling in he righted his balance, and the wave lifted the board over it as it rolled under.

He steered the board with his feet as he struggled slightly to stay on the wave, though he was doing an okay job of riding the wave back to the shore. He saw Will cup his hands around his mouth and shouted urgently, "NATE! I SEE A FIN, GET OUTTA THERE!" At that Nathan looked backwards so fast he fell off the board. Ah fuck. was his thought as he waited to be face-to-face with one of the many Black-finned reef sharks that patrolled the areas off the shore sometimes.

As he swam back to shore Will was cracking up. "Dude, are you still scared of those damned sharks?" he said, continuing his laughter.

"Hey, you don't know what it's like, we don't get landsharks back in Okie-ville! The ocean ain't my domain." he said, punching his friend lightly on the shoulder.

[SRFS]

"Much, much better. You have no idea what I've been through! By the way the name's Pierre, and yours my friend?" He replied cheerfully in his heavy accent.

[Sentinel XV]

"Much, much better. You have no idea what I've been through! By the way the name's Pierre, and yours my friend?" He replied cheerfully in his heavy accent.

Reaching out, Earl would grip the Frechman's hand in a vice-like grip and give him a hearty handshake, then returning to his reclined position he would take a long drag from his half-spent cigarette and a drink of his frigid Budweiser.

"Well ah'm Earl," he said cheerfully, "Earl Redford, from Silas Springs Alabama. Gud ta meetcha, mister Pierre. Ah'ma guessin' yer a Frenchman. You from 'ole France, huh?"

[Cylarn]

Looking out towards the water, Scott would see the shark fins in the distance. He chuckled as he looked back at the two guys who were sitting with him.

"Call me a fuckin' liar, but when I was out there spearfishin' earlier, a 12-foot great white swam right past me," Scott said. "I about rushed my ass to the surface. Thing was covered in scars and shit."

[SRFS]

"It is a great pleasure to meet you, and how did you guess I was French?" Pierre said jokingly. And you my friend what is your name?" Pierre said to the man gazing at the shark fins. Shark fins? What were sharks doing in water of a populated resort like this?

[Lancearc]

As Will was doubled over in laughter and Nate was pushing salt water out of his ears, Will had heard one of the men sitting in chairs a bit down the beach say something about a twelve-footer, a great white no less.

"Hey now, I'm callin' bullshit on that one pally!" was Will's response as he walked over, though he held a grin all the same. Nate decided he had no alternative and followed him towards the group, picking up the surfboard as he tagged along with his friend. "Yeah, there damn well better not be any Great Whites out there, I'm happy with the Black-Fins thank you." he said, spitting to get the salty taste of sea water out of his mouth.

[SRFS]

"Hey man come over here, the more the merrier!" Pierre yelled to the men just out of the water

[Cylarn]

"Name's Scott," Scott said. "I'm from North Carolina."

Scott would hear Will's response as he approached. The Marine would chuckle as he looked at Will.

"Just don't piss 'em off, and you won't get a big chunk of your ass bitten out," Scott said. "And there are a bunch of sharks out there."

[Lancearc]

Nate nodded. "Kind of hard not to piss off a shark when you look like a tasty turtle floating on the surface, though. That's why I'm not taking up the sport of my friend here." Nate said, motioning towards Will. Will smirked slightly, taking his board back as Nate handed it over. "Yeah, but at least I ain't cleanin' a rich guy's house every day like the maid." Will said, snickering quiety.

"Yeah? Well at least I've got money." Nate replied with a cold-yet-joking stare. He turned back to the man who'd introduced himself as Scott. "Nate, or Nathan, I don't give a damn. Nate Riddle, and my dubmbass friend here is Will." he said, motioning towards him.

[SRFS]

"May I just ask, why are deadly sharks swimming around a well populated area, filled with tourists, and motor boats, so why?" Pierre asked everyone with complete seriousness.

[Cylarn]

Scott would give the men each a firm handshake.

"I take it y'all are all goin' to this concert t'night?," Scott said. "I don't care much for rap, but I'm sure I could find an attractive chica to dance with and to "service"."

[Lancearc]

"May I just ask, why are deadly sharks swimming around a well populated area, filled with tourists, and motor boats, so why?" Pierre asked everyone with complete seriousness.

Will smirked, looking up from examining his board and making sure that Nate hadn't damaged it during his bailing. "You know, the locals around here have a pretty interesting theory. They say that every so often, the sharks start getting closer and closer to shore with each day that passes. And they say that usually when this happens, a major disaster soon follows." he said in his best 'village story teller' voice. Nathan just shook his head.

"Don't listen to him, he's an idiot. To be honest, I don't know, and the chances anyone else does is slim to be sure." Nate said, taking a seat in the sand.

Nate looked up at Scott then to Will, nodding. "Yeah I'll be at the concert, it'll be a far cry from being all proper in some formal stuff all day, I'll take any chance I can get to get away from that."

[SRFS]

"No, not tonight I'm in the middle of a painting, so I just want to finish it to get it off my chest you know?" Pierre replied.

[SRFS]

"May I just ask, why are deadly sharks swimming around a well populated area, filled with tourists, and motor boats, so why?" Pierre asked everyone with complete seriousness.

Will smirked, looking up from examining his board and making sure that Nate hadn't damaged it during his bailing. "You know, the locals around here have a pretty interesting theory. They say that every so often, the sharks start getting closer and closer to shore with each day that passes. And they say that usually when this happens, a major disaster soon follows." he said in his best 'village story teller' voice. Nathan just shook his head.

"Don't listen to him, he's an idiot. To be honest, I don't know, and the chances anyone else does is slim to be sure." Nate said, taking a seat in the sand.

Nate looked up at Scott then to Will, nodding. "Yeah I'll be at the concert, it'll be a far cry from being all proper in some formal stuff all day, I'll take any chance I can get to get away from that."

"A disaster? Now? Thats nonsense! Everything is finally going well for me!" Pierre said with a laugh.