B-118: Jacob Charles - Start
A groggy, huge, and largely confused American boy jolted up out of his enforced sleep, to find himself surrounded on all sides by wilderness. At first, Jacob Charles, hence from then on, known only to the terrorists as B-118, was still opening his eyes when he realised he was not where he was meant to be. The camping trip, all his friends, Reiko, Amber, Carol, Ben, Paige, they were all going to get cabins near each other so that they wouldn't have to go far to find each other. Then....
The memories of the previous day or so came flooding back to him. The bus, him being with Paige, them talking about what they'd do when they got past graduation, let alone the trip, and then.....the dark room, the guy on the screen, every one of his classmates being tied to the chairs, him being one of them.
And then he realised:
He was on Survival of the Fittest.
Clasping his hand to his collar, he felt what he didn't think he'd ever feel in his lifetime. The touch of metal.
Oh GOD! NO! NO! NONONONONONONO! PLEASE! COME ON! THIS HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF JOKE!
Jacob's eyes shot open as the realisation came crashing down on him like a tsunami. The surroundings weren't anything like what he was supposed to be in, what he signed up for. His parent's could barely afford this trip, and now.....
His senses clocked into overdrive as he finally sprung up and got a good look at his surroundings.
A small house.
A mountain.
Pile after pile of rocks.
And all he could register was him, standing there, spinning around and around, trying to figure out what he was going to do.
Survival of the Fittest, no, god, please, shit, it can't be...PAIGE! WHERE'S PAIGE?
Raising his voice, and, with a slight cracking still present from his depravation of sleep, he started to scream.
"PAIGE! PAIGE! PLEASE PAIGE? WHERE ARE YOU?"
Shit, this wasn't good. Shit, THAT was the understatement of the fucking century. Was he going to die? No! He wasn't! He couldn't! He...
Realising he was about to pass out again, Jacob fell onto the ground on his hands and knees.
On the brink of stopping himself from bawling his eyes out, he paused. A bag, the numbers and letters B-118 upside down and wrong way up was sprawled across the ground next to him. Eyes lighting up, almost forgetting his troubles, he ripped the zip open, and emptied the bag onto the damp grass beneath him. Mountains of belongings poured out; food, a map, a flashlight, his own bag, and.......a small roll of mint-flavoured mentos hit the ramp that was his pile of belongings and rolled out in front of him.
Those......THOSE FUCKING CUNTS! YOU SONS OF BITCHES! PEOPLE ARE GOING TO TRY AND KILL ME HERE AND YOU GAVE ME...YOU GAVE ME MENTOS!
Before he started to scream in anguish, he realised with a small amount of dumbstruck awe that made him realised he was so stupid to even think what he was thinking: he knew these people. These were his classmates, who he shared classes, friends, groups, all this stuff with. Why would they kill him? What POSSIBLE reason could they have for killing the son of a mechanic? No-one would actually play this stupid game would they? This wasn't like those other schools; they had gangs, and all these psycopaths in them. But Bayview....hell, no-one at Bayview he knew, not Phil Ward, or that pipsqueak Jimmy Brennan, or even JJ Sturn could even think of taking part in this, could they?
...could they?
Jacob stayed in the same position for god knew how long, simply perspirating and trying to think. Fuck, why did this have to be so hard?
Wordlessly, he scooped everything he owned, and the last things he would ever own, back into his bag. He had enough common sense to know that his yelling would attract attenti-
STOP THINKING LIKE THAT, IDIOT! NO ONE HERE IS GOING TO PLAY!
Trying to remain as calm as he could, he took up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and headed towards the small house in his sights. He had to stay away from people. Even...even all his friends. If someone saw him, and had something, and thought he was going to play...
The sad thing was, that Jacob already had second thoughts about going on the trip. He wasn't an imbocile, he knew that those fucking terrorists attacked schools at this time, and he just wanted to be safe, stay home, work on his car...but Paige had convinced him otherwise. It was only after he propsed to her that she told him how fun the trip would be. He...he gave in rather quickly, to say the least.
Opening the door, he found that the house was rather small, but not nothing he wasn't used to. A lounge and a kitchen first caught his view, and without a second word, he flung his bag next to the large red chair, walked solemnly closer to join it, and, with the little amount of willpower remaining inside of him, slumped himself on the couch.
He wanted to save Paige, he knew he could do it. Some people had beaten it before, hadn't they? Could he do it? Would SOMEONE think of trying?
It couldn't end like this...
Misty Mountain Hop
((B069: Ben Powell - start))
Man, you've got to wake up.
I don't wanna wake up let me sleep weekend sleep in
It's not the weekend, Ben.
Oh, come on let me sleep
Wake up. Please. Our lives depend on it.
"PAIGE!"
what? No, that was a dream.
it was a dream, right?
"PLEASE PAIGE?"
a dream
no.
Giving a yelp, Boy Sixty-Nine launched himself upwards from the bed, his head throbbing in pain. His throat was dry to the bone, his vision blurred, everything spinning around. It couldn't be. It was a show. Fiction. Not reality. They couldn't be here. Not on the island. Not forced to kill each other.
Not condemned to die.
Gasping for air, he stumbled and fell out of the sweat-stained bed onto the floor with a crack. With a moan, he struggled to get up, his arms and legs like lead. Slowly, they started to feel again as he held onto the wall to steady himself.
"The hell "
His voice sounded alien to him, crackly and dry.
"Water."
Slapping himself awake, he looked around the room, before spotting a bag on the floor. Imprinted on the side was four characters: B069. He dived for it, unzipping the top and pulling out a plastic bottle. The water ran down his throat, sweet water
Ben. Do you know where we are?
Blinking, he looked around, breaking the flow of water and screwing the lid back on. It was a cabin. For a second, his heart fluttered. It was a dream, he must have been knocked out on the bus and they brought him in or something. Anything but the dream. Anything.
No. It's real. That's not your bag. This isn't the cabin.
He shook his head. "Shut up, brain. That was a dream."
feel your neck.
Ben blinked. It was cold, yes, but it wasn't usually, it was metallically cold. He rose a hand, his eyes widening at the feel of something around it, constricting him-
"HOLY SHIT!"
Ben jumped to his feet and gave a swallow. "Shit! SHIT!" He looked into the bag. It had his own bag, first aid kit, food a book. Danya's Survival Guide. And a weapon. A paintball gun? He ran his hand through his unkempt hair.
Holy shit, this is not my day. The hell?
"What am I goi-"
He heard the door open, his blood run cold.
OHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT- gottacalmdowngottacalmbreatheinbreatheoutbreatheinbreatheout
Closing his eyes, he nodded. He needed to calm down. The person on the other side would probably hear him freaking out from a mile away, let alon-
The door opened.
Man, you've got to wake up.
I don't wanna wake up let me sleep weekend sleep in
It's not the weekend, Ben.
Oh, come on let me sleep
Wake up. Please. Our lives depend on it.
"PAIGE!"
what? No, that was a dream.
it was a dream, right?
"PLEASE PAIGE?"
a dream
no.
Giving a yelp, Boy Sixty-Nine launched himself upwards from the bed, his head throbbing in pain. His throat was dry to the bone, his vision blurred, everything spinning around. It couldn't be. It was a show. Fiction. Not reality. They couldn't be here. Not on the island. Not forced to kill each other.
Not condemned to die.
Gasping for air, he stumbled and fell out of the sweat-stained bed onto the floor with a crack. With a moan, he struggled to get up, his arms and legs like lead. Slowly, they started to feel again as he held onto the wall to steady himself.
"The hell "
His voice sounded alien to him, crackly and dry.
"Water."
Slapping himself awake, he looked around the room, before spotting a bag on the floor. Imprinted on the side was four characters: B069. He dived for it, unzipping the top and pulling out a plastic bottle. The water ran down his throat, sweet water
Ben. Do you know where we are?
Blinking, he looked around, breaking the flow of water and screwing the lid back on. It was a cabin. For a second, his heart fluttered. It was a dream, he must have been knocked out on the bus and they brought him in or something. Anything but the dream. Anything.
No. It's real. That's not your bag. This isn't the cabin.
He shook his head. "Shut up, brain. That was a dream."
feel your neck.
Ben blinked. It was cold, yes, but it wasn't usually, it was metallically cold. He rose a hand, his eyes widening at the feel of something around it, constricting him-
"HOLY SHIT!"
Ben jumped to his feet and gave a swallow. "Shit! SHIT!" He looked into the bag. It had his own bag, first aid kit, food a book. Danya's Survival Guide. And a weapon. A paintball gun? He ran his hand through his unkempt hair.
Holy shit, this is not my day. The hell?
"What am I goi-"
He heard the door open, his blood run cold.
OHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT- gottacalmdowngottacalmbreatheinbreatheoutbreatheinbreatheout
Closing his eyes, he nodded. He needed to calm down. The person on the other side would probably hear him freaking out from a mile away, let alon-
The door opened.
All Jacob could do in the interim time he spent waiting, wandering, wishing for something to happen, he didn't happen to notice the racket going on in the room behind him. Yelling, shouting, all the racket he needed to avoid. All Jacob wanted to do was just confine himself to the fact he was going to die. Paige was going to die. Reiko was going to die. Carol was going to die. Amber was going to die. Ben was going to-
More yelling in the room behind him caught his attention, making him realise how stupid he had been. There was no place for stupid here at all, so he was just being incredibly thicker than usual, assuming that the terrorists had simply dropped them there, instead of placing everyone in places throughout. What if this person had decided to take out competition early? GOD, he could believe he was so fucking THICK!
Realising he didn't have squat to defend himself, he looked around the room. There was a kitchet, these chairs and.....that table.
Grinning, for once in his time on this island, he sat up from the couch, and used the table in front of him to get up. With that in mind, he grabbed the leg of the table, lifted it up from the ground, flipped it over and, using all his strength, grabbed onto a singular leg and jerked it out of it's place in the table.
Apart from much splitting and cracking occuring in the table itself, the leg came out okay...after about 5 more tries at yanking it out. But Jesus Christ it was hard. Thankfully, it must have been made of sub-par materials, and it came out. Still remaining ever vigilant, Jacob armed himself with the splintery, naily, and somewhat dangerous table leg. Still on guard, he slunk around to the door to the room behind him, and readied himself. Grabbing the door handle, he gulped, twisted the knob, and came through the door, leg raised above his head to get anyone who would happen to be there.
Of course, what he didn't count on, was that one person in the room in front of him being Ben Powell.
Ben was basically his best mate at Bayview, and they knew each other through their girlfriends. Reiko was basically the only reason he was a part of the group, and Paige was his rock as well. They connected, and thought they had basically nothing in common, they were there for each other.
Before Jacob could reminisce anymore about their somewhat subtextual friendship, Jacob started to speak to the small, thin Australian boy in front of him.
"Fuck man, you don't look too worse for wear".
He dropped the table leg behind him and grabbed the young teenager in a bearhug.
"Some shit we're in, huh?"
Releasing him moments later, he stepped back from Ben and stopped himself from asking the question that he wanted to ask. He knew Ben, it could never happen anyway.
More yelling in the room behind him caught his attention, making him realise how stupid he had been. There was no place for stupid here at all, so he was just being incredibly thicker than usual, assuming that the terrorists had simply dropped them there, instead of placing everyone in places throughout. What if this person had decided to take out competition early? GOD, he could believe he was so fucking THICK!
Realising he didn't have squat to defend himself, he looked around the room. There was a kitchet, these chairs and.....that table.
Grinning, for once in his time on this island, he sat up from the couch, and used the table in front of him to get up. With that in mind, he grabbed the leg of the table, lifted it up from the ground, flipped it over and, using all his strength, grabbed onto a singular leg and jerked it out of it's place in the table.
Apart from much splitting and cracking occuring in the table itself, the leg came out okay...after about 5 more tries at yanking it out. But Jesus Christ it was hard. Thankfully, it must have been made of sub-par materials, and it came out. Still remaining ever vigilant, Jacob armed himself with the splintery, naily, and somewhat dangerous table leg. Still on guard, he slunk around to the door to the room behind him, and readied himself. Grabbing the door handle, he gulped, twisted the knob, and came through the door, leg raised above his head to get anyone who would happen to be there.
Of course, what he didn't count on, was that one person in the room in front of him being Ben Powell.
Ben was basically his best mate at Bayview, and they knew each other through their girlfriends. Reiko was basically the only reason he was a part of the group, and Paige was his rock as well. They connected, and thought they had basically nothing in common, they were there for each other.
Before Jacob could reminisce anymore about their somewhat subtextual friendship, Jacob started to speak to the small, thin Australian boy in front of him.
"Fuck man, you don't look too worse for wear".
He dropped the table leg behind him and grabbed the young teenager in a bearhug.
"Some shit we're in, huh?"
Releasing him moments later, he stepped back from Ben and stopped himself from asking the question that he wanted to ask. He knew Ben, it could never happen anyway.
"Fuck man, you don't look too worse for wear".
Ben almost choked at his luck. He managed to gasp out a line of "Jacob? Mate?", before being crushed in the bearhug, all the air in his lungs escaping. Jacob Charles, probably the most kickass person he knew outside of fencing, and certainly one of his best friends. Sure, they met through slightly weird circumstances (being Reiko's ex didn't help matters) but it was hard not to like Jacob anyway once you got to know him.
"Some shit we're in, huh?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we're in it."
Breathing deeply as Jacob let go, he gave a small chuckle. "You gave me a heart attack!" Blinking, he looked into the man's face, noticing...
"No. I'm not. You're my friend. Here till the end. OK?"
Ben gave a lazy salute and chuckled. "Of course, you'd probably crush me in your manhug before I could do anything," he laughed out. Shaking his head, he moved over to the bed, looking onto his bag. "I only got a paintball gun. Doubt that'll do much damage. And I'll bet you a million dollars they took my pocket knife." Sure enough, his Eagle Scout present was gone, declared a weapon by Danya. Turning his head to Jacob again, he rose an eyebrow. "Paige isn't here?"
Ben almost choked at his luck. He managed to gasp out a line of "Jacob? Mate?", before being crushed in the bearhug, all the air in his lungs escaping. Jacob Charles, probably the most kickass person he knew outside of fencing, and certainly one of his best friends. Sure, they met through slightly weird circumstances (being Reiko's ex didn't help matters) but it was hard not to like Jacob anyway once you got to know him.
"Some shit we're in, huh?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we're in it."
Breathing deeply as Jacob let go, he gave a small chuckle. "You gave me a heart attack!" Blinking, he looked into the man's face, noticing...
"No. I'm not. You're my friend. Here till the end. OK?"
Ben gave a lazy salute and chuckled. "Of course, you'd probably crush me in your manhug before I could do anything," he laughed out. Shaking his head, he moved over to the bed, looking onto his bag. "I only got a paintball gun. Doubt that'll do much damage. And I'll bet you a million dollars they took my pocket knife." Sure enough, his Eagle Scout present was gone, declared a weapon by Danya. Turning his head to Jacob again, he rose an eyebrow. "Paige isn't here?"
Jacob took a breathe of relief after finding out, without even having to ask, that Ben wasn't playing. He showed off his weapon, and lamented about losing his pocket knife. Now there was something he could have used. Even if it would have just been taken off him anyway.
"Paige isn't here?"
Jacob's smile suddenly left his face. Paige. He still needed to find her. There was no giving up on himself until he knew that she was safe. He couldn't let her die on this island, scared and alone, with all her friends gone.
"I....I dunno where she is. I just woke up, and all I had was a bag like that, and.....a Roll of Mentos."
Jacob smiled nervously after reaching into his pocket and pulling out the roll of mint-flavoured sweets, before tossing them on the bed.
"No use for them, anyway. I got this."
He picked up his improvised weapon, and raised it up for better view.
But something else was on his mind at the moment.
Jacob needed to ask Ben something. He wasn't sure how to go about it, but...okay, he was going to ask anyway.
"Do we know anyone who could actually...play in this game?"
If he was going to stay alive, and more importantly, keep Paige alive, he needed to know who to watch out for. He had no idea, himself. He wasn't into the St. Paul social scene like anyone he knew.
"Paige isn't here?"
Jacob's smile suddenly left his face. Paige. He still needed to find her. There was no giving up on himself until he knew that she was safe. He couldn't let her die on this island, scared and alone, with all her friends gone.
"I....I dunno where she is. I just woke up, and all I had was a bag like that, and.....a Roll of Mentos."
Jacob smiled nervously after reaching into his pocket and pulling out the roll of mint-flavoured sweets, before tossing them on the bed.
"No use for them, anyway. I got this."
He picked up his improvised weapon, and raised it up for better view.
But something else was on his mind at the moment.
Jacob needed to ask Ben something. He wasn't sure how to go about it, but...okay, he was going to ask anyway.
"Do we know anyone who could actually...play in this game?"
If he was going to stay alive, and more importantly, keep Paige alive, he needed to know who to watch out for. He had no idea, himself. He wasn't into the St. Paul social scene like anyone he knew.
A roll of Mentos?
Well, at least he'll have fresh breath.
No. Just. No.
Giving a look at the makeshift club, he gave a grin. "Batter up." Slowly the smile fell, lost in thought. It seemed that Paige was somewhere on the island with Carol, Amber and Reiko. As far as things went, this was down there as horrible. And his other friends as well, they were out there too...
"Do we know anyone who could actually...play in this game?"
Ben swallowed. "...there's a good two hundred people out there, mate. I know that it may sound silly, but..." He paused, thinking. "We've been told the last person alive gets to go home. If no-one dies, we all die. I doubt that nobody will take up the mantle to stay alive and win. The question is, who would."
Shaking his head, he sighed. "From now on, we need to forget everything about our classmates. They could be killers, they could be completely innocent. We don't know until they tell us the announcements."
Bending down, he got out a box. A paintball gun. Not for killing, although a shot in the eyes... Shaking his head, he opened it up, pulling out the air cylinder and the hopper. It felt cold, unnatural. He had never played paintball before. Then again, he'd be in the same situation with an actual weapon. Attaching them to the actual marker, he looked in the box and got out the paintballs. Thirty. Not a lot.
He turned to Jacob.
"What is the greater advantage? Find friends and run or stay here and hole up?"
Well, at least he'll have fresh breath.
No. Just. No.
Giving a look at the makeshift club, he gave a grin. "Batter up." Slowly the smile fell, lost in thought. It seemed that Paige was somewhere on the island with Carol, Amber and Reiko. As far as things went, this was down there as horrible. And his other friends as well, they were out there too...
"Do we know anyone who could actually...play in this game?"
Ben swallowed. "...there's a good two hundred people out there, mate. I know that it may sound silly, but..." He paused, thinking. "We've been told the last person alive gets to go home. If no-one dies, we all die. I doubt that nobody will take up the mantle to stay alive and win. The question is, who would."
Shaking his head, he sighed. "From now on, we need to forget everything about our classmates. They could be killers, they could be completely innocent. We don't know until they tell us the announcements."
Bending down, he got out a box. A paintball gun. Not for killing, although a shot in the eyes... Shaking his head, he opened it up, pulling out the air cylinder and the hopper. It felt cold, unnatural. He had never played paintball before. Then again, he'd be in the same situation with an actual weapon. Attaching them to the actual marker, he looked in the box and got out the paintballs. Thirty. Not a lot.
He turned to Jacob.
"What is the greater advantage? Find friends and run or stay here and hole up?"
As Ben finished his little impromptu speech, Jacob...was, well, in disbelief. It wasn't possible for him to take that all in, so all there was to do was sit down on the bed with his improvised weapon, and push it back in his mind. No. Ben was wrong. They couldn't actually play...could they?
Ben had asked him what they needed to do. Should they stay holed up and hope for the best? Or go out there, find friends and...run?
Jacob stayed silent for a few moments, then got to his feet.
"I'm goin'. I'm not leaving Paige out there to die. I'm no nature man, but there are heaps more things other than people that she could die by. And...if those fucking terrorists took her meds..."
Jacob knew that Paige was an easily fragile girl. She almost drowned herself twice in the last year, and even though she insisted the second time wasn't her fault, he had to protect her. That's why he wanted to marry her. Just so he could have someone to...
Realising he was trailing off in his own mind again, he turned around to Ben.
"You comin' with?"
Ben had asked him what they needed to do. Should they stay holed up and hope for the best? Or go out there, find friends and...run?
Jacob stayed silent for a few moments, then got to his feet.
"I'm goin'. I'm not leaving Paige out there to die. I'm no nature man, but there are heaps more things other than people that she could die by. And...if those fucking terrorists took her meds..."
Jacob knew that Paige was an easily fragile girl. She almost drowned herself twice in the last year, and even though she insisted the second time wasn't her fault, he had to protect her. That's why he wanted to marry her. Just so he could have someone to...
Realising he was trailing off in his own mind again, he turned around to Ben.
"You comin' with?"
He nodded. There was no real choice for Jacob. Either he was going to find Paige or die trying. And in this situation, that was a very real possibility...
The greatest strength is also the greatest weakness.
I know what I'm doing.
Of course. I'm your brain, I've seen every calculation you've made. And as much as you know that a mentally depressed girl with suicidal properties will not be a good partner here, you have decided to go and find her.
Biting his lip, Ben got up and started to adjust his dufflebag. Stuff would have to be taken out, his hike pack readjusted to fit in the food. Opening it up, he chucked out a few t-shirts and pants. Useless weight for where he was hiking.
"What you take me for, mate? 'course I'm coming!"
Looking at his bag of scroggin, he opened it up and handed Jacob a green snake. "Gonna have to be careful on the foodstuffs here."
You want to know why I'm going? Because Jacob is my friend. So is Paige. If I can help them... If I can help them, I can do anything.
The greatest strength is also the greatest weakness.
I know what I'm doing.
Of course. I'm your brain, I've seen every calculation you've made. And as much as you know that a mentally depressed girl with suicidal properties will not be a good partner here, you have decided to go and find her.
Biting his lip, Ben got up and started to adjust his dufflebag. Stuff would have to be taken out, his hike pack readjusted to fit in the food. Opening it up, he chucked out a few t-shirts and pants. Useless weight for where he was hiking.
"What you take me for, mate? 'course I'm coming!"
Looking at his bag of scroggin, he opened it up and handed Jacob a green snake. "Gonna have to be careful on the foodstuffs here."
You want to know why I'm going? Because Jacob is my friend. So is Paige. If I can help them... If I can help them, I can do anything.
With all Jacob's hopes bent on him knowing that he couldn't stay out there alive, Ben agreed with him. He would have hugged Ben, but they needed to get going. If Paige was hurt, Jacob would never forgive himself. If any of his friends were hurt...
Ben handed him a green snake, and Jacob looked at it confused. Sweets? It wasn't really what Jacob had in mind for a meal, but he took it and tore it apart with his mouth anyway.
"Thanks mate. For everything."
Making his way out of the bedroom, he realised that, even though they had no plan whatsoever, they needed something.
As they walked past the upturned table, Jacob stopped.
"Hold on a sec', Ben."
Turning the table over and, very cautiously, putting the leg back into place so that the table wouldn't topple, he got out his map and compass, and placed it appropriately. He found north, and placed the map accordingly.
"So yeah, where should we go? I can't read a map for squat so...your call man."
Ben handed him a green snake, and Jacob looked at it confused. Sweets? It wasn't really what Jacob had in mind for a meal, but he took it and tore it apart with his mouth anyway.
"Thanks mate. For everything."
Making his way out of the bedroom, he realised that, even though they had no plan whatsoever, they needed something.
As they walked past the upturned table, Jacob stopped.
"Hold on a sec', Ben."
Turning the table over and, very cautiously, putting the leg back into place so that the table wouldn't topple, he got out his map and compass, and placed it appropriately. He found north, and placed the map accordingly.
"So yeah, where should we go? I can't read a map for squat so...your call man."
With a final glance, he pulled tight the strings on his rucksack and buckled it in. Heavy rearranging had been required, and as he rolled his shoulders and heaved it up, Ben thought he done pretty well. All of his clothes had gone except for a extra pair of underwear, his jumper and heavy-duty rainjacket (he secretly thanked his mother for forcing him to pack this). Gone also was his books although he kept the small notepad and a few pens, his spare shoes and most of his toiletries except for a spray can of deodorant. He decided to keep his sleeping bag, as it could be unzipped and used as a blanket as well, and warmth would be needed here. Everything else was thrown on the bed, a small note on it saying 'Don't need this anymore, Ben Powell'. The food, the first aid kit, the flashlight, the manual to the paintgun and the map and compass were inside his bag, as well as Danya's game rules. As much as he hated to say it, he would have to read it eventually.
Stepping outside the bedroom, he was stopped by Jacob. His map was on the table, held up shakily by the broken leg. Giving a smile, he walked over to it, examining it. His mind started to play scheming music.
"We're in the ranger station, I think." He glanced outside. Sure enough, the view was exactly like it was on the map. "Yeah, we are. In that case, we're near a mine. That's the name of the dangerzone. The town is over here," he pointed halfway across the map, "that'll take about 3 hours, light terrain, probably lots of people, passing dangerzones the infirmary and the pari-"
Ben gave a blink. "Infirmary! What if Paige worked out she could try to find medication there?" He gave a laugh. "Even if she's not there, we could try to see if they've left anything that she can take. You know what kind of drugs she takes, right?"
Taking the compass, he measured the bearing and the distance. "About three hours, give or take. Depends on how well you feel hiking. We can take this path around." Grinning, he turned around to Jacob. "Come on! What you think, mate?"
Stepping outside the bedroom, he was stopped by Jacob. His map was on the table, held up shakily by the broken leg. Giving a smile, he walked over to it, examining it. His mind started to play scheming music.
"We're in the ranger station, I think." He glanced outside. Sure enough, the view was exactly like it was on the map. "Yeah, we are. In that case, we're near a mine. That's the name of the dangerzone. The town is over here," he pointed halfway across the map, "that'll take about 3 hours, light terrain, probably lots of people, passing dangerzones the infirmary and the pari-"
Ben gave a blink. "Infirmary! What if Paige worked out she could try to find medication there?" He gave a laugh. "Even if she's not there, we could try to see if they've left anything that she can take. You know what kind of drugs she takes, right?"
Taking the compass, he measured the bearing and the distance. "About three hours, give or take. Depends on how well you feel hiking. We can take this path around." Grinning, he turned around to Jacob. "Come on! What you think, mate?"
And so the two started to plan. From what Ben could tell Jacob and Jacob would understand from Ben, they knew that some places were dangerous, some places had a lot of people...and one place would most certainly have medication and drugs; The Infirmary.
Of course! She'd go there! If they did take her meds, then that would be...but if she doesn't have a map...It's the only chance we've got.
"Right! We've got somewhere to go now!" Jacob smiled and replied to Ben. From where they were now, it would be a while until they got there. Jacob scooped up his bags with everything he had, stowed away the map, and took his only weapon. The table thudded as it fell lopsidedly onto the ground.
"You'd better keep that gun handy. No knowing what we could find out there," Jacob was forced to face the high possibility that people would be playing, and he wasn't about to let his best mate die. Not this early anyway.
And so, the two young men finally made their way out of the Ranger Station. One was armed with a table leg, and knew he had a single goal in mind.
Save Paige.
Facing an endless forest before him, Jacob Charles and his best friend for the next few days of his life started their way.
((Jacob Charles continued Intravenous Nightmare))
Of course! She'd go there! If they did take her meds, then that would be...but if she doesn't have a map...It's the only chance we've got.
"Right! We've got somewhere to go now!" Jacob smiled and replied to Ben. From where they were now, it would be a while until they got there. Jacob scooped up his bags with everything he had, stowed away the map, and took his only weapon. The table thudded as it fell lopsidedly onto the ground.
"You'd better keep that gun handy. No knowing what we could find out there," Jacob was forced to face the high possibility that people would be playing, and he wasn't about to let his best mate die. Not this early anyway.
And so, the two young men finally made their way out of the Ranger Station. One was armed with a table leg, and knew he had a single goal in mind.
Save Paige.
Facing an endless forest before him, Jacob Charles and his best friend for the next few days of his life started their way.
((Jacob Charles continued Intravenous Nightmare))
The olive fabric of his worn-out wide-brim hat was now in his hands. Shrugging, Ben examined it. If there was a hike or a camp, he wore it. No exceptions. It was ripped on the inside, the brown rope on either side fading from too much sun. With a sigh, he shoved it on his head.
"Just think of it as a camping trip. From hell."
Heaving the backpack on and buckling up around the waist and chest, he nodded at Jacob. "Hey, it's not a gun, it's a paintball marker. Still..." He checked the safety buttons and nodded again. All locked and loaded. He held it loosely, like one of those solders in the war films through the jungle.
You're going to have to use it sooner or later.
I know.
Just... when the time comes, don't wuss out please? I like living.
Heh. Don't you trust me, brain?
And so, the two young men finally made their way out of the Ranger Station. One was armed with a paintball marker, and knew he had a thousand goals in mind.
Help Jacob. Stay alive. Find Paige and Reiko and the fencing team and all my other friends. Get this goddamn collar off of my neck. Stay alive. Go home somehow. Get everyone off the island...
Facing an endless forest before him, Ben Powell and his best friend for the next few days of his life started their way.
((Ben Powell continued in Intravenous Nightmare))
"Just think of it as a camping trip. From hell."
Heaving the backpack on and buckling up around the waist and chest, he nodded at Jacob. "Hey, it's not a gun, it's a paintball marker. Still..." He checked the safety buttons and nodded again. All locked and loaded. He held it loosely, like one of those solders in the war films through the jungle.
You're going to have to use it sooner or later.
I know.
Just... when the time comes, don't wuss out please? I like living.
Heh. Don't you trust me, brain?
And so, the two young men finally made their way out of the Ranger Station. One was armed with a paintball marker, and knew he had a thousand goals in mind.
Help Jacob. Stay alive. Find Paige and Reiko and the fencing team and all my other friends. Get this goddamn collar off of my neck. Stay alive. Go home somehow. Get everyone off the island...
Facing an endless forest before him, Ben Powell and his best friend for the next few days of his life started their way.
((Ben Powell continued in Intravenous Nightmare))