Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Once upon a time, the quarry was the source of many products on the island. Now, the large, jagged rock formation stands as a monument to the life that once thrived on the island. A large portion of it has been cleared, and the face is climbable. There are lots of indentions along the face from dynamite blasts, and who knows? Maybe they'd be a good place to hide.
RePeate*
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Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:01 am

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

#1

Post by RePeate* »

The words rang out in Monique St.Claire's head. Girl number thirteen, welcome to Survival of the Fittest... The reality of the situation had taken it's time to sink in, especially after Monique had awoken. She'd thought it was all a dream, until she realized she was nowhere near Highland Beach. The large axe in the accompanying dufflebag had helped to confirm her suspicions: this was as real as things could get. After a good fifteen to twenty minutes of crying, worrying, and thinking, Monique had risen to her feet and been on the move since.

She peered over the sheer cliff of the quarry into the gaping hole below. It was a good hundred foot drop to the water below that had naturally turned the quarry into a small lake. Monique pulled away from the edge, growing slightly uneasy from the height. She pulled out her map and tried to find where she was. Fortunately for her, the map was clearly marked into simple grids and symbols, and she had no trouble seeing what lay around her.

The quarry looked as though it hadn't seen human life for years. What little area of ground that wasn't covered by sheer rock face sprouted dense foliage and tall grass. The water below looked clean, except for a few patches of lillypads and bullrushes. She dare not drink from it, however,as she would never trust water found in nature. Full of germs and whatnot. She figured it'd be best to stick to her bottled stuff.

She sat on a large flat rock a good fifteen feet from the cliff's edge, and adjusted her hat so her ponytail would stick out through the back. When she'd woken, she found herself dressed the same as when she'd gotten on the bus for the class trip. She was wearing her red fleece jacket over her white tank top, black track pants, and had her good Reebok trainers on. Her white baseball cap started to show grime and wear from running and sweat, and her hair was fraying at the ends (a sure sign it hadn't been washed from the night before).

Monique sat and got her bearings, trying to make sense of the whole situation. This was all real... that much she knew. She also knew people were going to die, and that she was a likely candidate. She couldn't trust anyone. All her friends, her classmates, her peers... the people who'd been there for her all through high school... none of them were friends anymore, none of them could help her. The gunshots she'd heard in the distance earlier had confirmed her suspicions that someone was playing along, killing their peers. It was for this reason she felt she'd be better off running and hiding than trying to fight. Her designated weapon was a broadaxe. When she'd taken it out of the bag, she'd barely had the strength the lift it. After a few minutes of practicing, she comfortably felt she was able to use it well enough to at least fend off someone without a gun. She'd been running for the last half hour, desperately looking for a place to hide, always watching over her shoulder for others. So far she'd been lucky enough not to find anyone.

The walls of the quarry had been malformed due to the blasting, and several smallish caves had been carved out of the rock. One of these caves was easily accessable from the top, so Monique instinctively navigated her way down into the niche. It was a small fit, but she felt safer knowing that she could easily detect someone trying to come down and escape by jumping into the water. I hope it's not shallow. Mon dieu, je ne croix pas que c'arrive a moi!". She often switched to speaking french under stress. It was her first language, and a hard habit to break. She huddled alone in her cave, hoping nobody was around. Pulling out her map, she marked off a few spots with a supplied pencil that she felt would be good places to go if she needed to escape.

Her heart sunk as she realized the situation she'd gotten herself into...
Mitsuko2*
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#2

Post by Mitsuko2* »

((Continued from Perception is Everything))

"Well isn't this adorable... a big ass crater sitting there in the middle of the road. How nice." Melina sarcastacally commented. Ever since leaving the lagoon she'd been contemplating how to get her hands on a gun. Winning would be so much easier if she only had a nice, projectile shooting, gun. It was the last thing she needed to feel secure enough to acctually kill peple.

"Even better, I have to kill them. Not that I like them very much, but still... It's not like I want to kill them... I didn't want to kill Lance... But he deserved it anyway, i took him out of his misery. The idiot. He should've never even bothered with Heather. Now both of them are dead." She sighed and began to swing the chain lazily. She seriously needed something to keep herself occupied. Perhaps gaining some allies had it's perks.

"Not that people will be looking to join up with ME of all the seniors." She huffed as she started to trek up the rocks. It wasn't too difficult, luckily, and when she made it to the top, she looked down slightly. She didn't feel like falling down there.

"Yikes... That's some drop..." She shrugged her shoulders and moved over to the rocks. She let herself slide down into a seated position and dug out some water. She took a swig and capped it again.

"This is just PERFECT!" She screamed, not expecting the loud echo that her yell made.
RePeate*
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#3

Post by RePeate* »

Monique had just finished putting the cap back on the water bottle she'd been drinking from when she heard a voice echo from the rocks around her. The voice sounded female, so her mind was less restless than it could have been. She stuck her head out of the rock cave, being careful not to reveal too much of her position. It had sounded like Melina, a voice Monique recognized right away.

Her natural fear kept her from giving away her location, however, as she couldn't be sure she could trust Melina. The two of them weren't exactly close by any standards. It was more so that Monique had an unspoken respect for Melina, as she felt she was a strong female figure. But could she be trusted in this situation? Monique didn't want to risk it. She popped her head back into her hiding spot, and slowly shuffled back as far as she could. Unfortunately for her, she'd made the rookie mistake of knowcking a small rock off her ledge and into the water below. The sound of the splash resonated through the quarry.

Please don't find me. Please think it was nothing. Please just go away...

She gripped her axe hard as if she anticipated something would jump out at her. Of course, the location she'd been hiding was easily defended, and she could no doubt see anyone coming down to get her. But the axe felt secure to her. it was strange. She'd never had to rely on a weapon of any kind before. Not even a kitchen knife, let alone a large broadaxe.

Please just leave Melina. I don't want to fight you...
Mitsuko2*
Posts: 484
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2018 4:31 am

#4

Post by Mitsuko2* »

Melina was startled our of her thoughts by a loud resounding splash throughout the quarry area. She quickly got to her feet and readied both the chain and saw. There was no way someone had passed her. She was sure the sound originated from above her too. What the hell was going on? Was she being spied on? Melina wasn't one to appreciate such nonsence.

"Hey! Who's there?! Show yourself, before I come and get you myself!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. She'd already had enough of this damn island. She wasn't about to be played with. Either whoever was up there would show their face, of she'd find them, and beat their face in.

"I'm warning you! Show yourself!"
RePeate*
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#5

Post by RePeate* »

As much as Monique felt like being alone was safe for her, she couldn't shake the idea that having someone around to watch her back would be the only way to make it out of here alive.

I can't be alone anymore... not here... but can I really trust Melina? I don't know her THAT well... what if she turns out to be one of the kids playing? Arg, listen to yourself Monique. You are going to actually sit here and THINK that the poor girl up there is out to kill everyone. She's probably as scared and confused as you are. Maybe she really needs someone. How would you feel if she thought YOU were some bloodthirsty maniac? You can't assume things in this game. it's not safe. Besides, at least she's not one of the students you should be scared of, like those rough and tumble jocks or freaky punker kids. Those guys are the ones playing, not poor Melina...

"Melina!" Monique called out. "I'm down here! It's ok, I won't hurt you! I'm not playing, ok?"

I hope this was the right decision...
Mitsuko2*
Posts: 484
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2018 4:31 am

#6

Post by Mitsuko2* »

Melina whirled around at the sound of a voice from somewhere below her. She looked down and saw a girl calling up to her. Monique St.Claire, to be exact. The biggest femminist in Southridge was calling out to her, telling her she wasn't playing. This was just perfect. If Melina could convince Monique that she wasn't playing either... this would all be easy.

"Monique!" She yelled down. Melina grabbed her two packs and began to decent the rocks toward Monique. She set the bags down again and smiled at the other female.

"Oh wow, I'm so glad it's you. I thought it was another player." Now it was time to reel her in. "You know... Heather Tilmitt is dead.... Lance killed her. He ripped her baby out of her stomach..." She felt the fake tears falling down her face. Perfect. "I was so scared, that I took Heather's gun and shot him! I killed him for what he did!" She fell to her knees. Best not to overdramatize it, but still, she was having fun with this.

"And... and then... Paul Smith attacked me. He stabbed me in the elbow, and cut my forehead. I gave him the gun so he'd leave me alone...." She knew she had her now.

"I'm just so scared!"
RePeate*
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#7

Post by RePeate* »

You see Monique... she's so scared... she looks like she's been crying all day, and here you are about to not let her in because you thought you couldn't trust her. Shame, tabarnac. If your parents could see you now...

"I'm... I'm sorry Melina. I should have known you wouldn't hurt anyone. Are you hurt? Do you need some help? I know a little bit about first aid..."

The news that Heather was dead finally sunk in. "Wait, did you say Lance killed Heather?!" Her eyes grew in total shock. Monique and Heather had been close. It was hard not to be friendly around a pregnant girl. Maybe some of it was out of pity, but Heather had always been really sweet to Monique. Her death shook Monique hard. "But...but, why?... why would Lance do that?... H-heather... sh-she was so sweet... so nice... I don't.. I can't... " Monique shed a few tears. Death was something she didn't take well. A few years ago her family cat died, and Monique locked herself in her room for two days. She could only imagine the kind of emotional carnage this game would take out on her.

"It's ok Melina... you can stay here if you want..." She sniffled a bit, fighting back more tears. All she could think about was Heather. Her little baby bump. Her warm smile. Such a sweetheart...
laZardo*
Posts: 682
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2018 3:08 am

#8

Post by laZardo* »

((Renee Valenti continued from Blood and Thunder))

Reneé Valenti, Southridge's (other) raging redhead, was tired. And to be fair, she hadn't been journeying far.

Evading BB had been easy...at least with 3 or 4 out of the 24 hours to go since she left the barracks. G-11 had been fearful as she went into the jungle foliage, treading carefully with bow and arrow armed and ready to draw, though her mind had to veer off to see if BB had set any other traps than the pool of blood with two corpses floating on it she had seen as she left the building.

And oh, what a stress-inducing sight that was. BB's trap had caught not one, but two unlucky flies in that most gruesome of manners. Knowing that a fate worse than that would be in store for her at least if BB caught her in 24 hours did not do much to calm her down. She had to worry about all that as she made her way through the jungle foliage, and now, it seemed, temporary refuge was ahead, even if it wasn't in the form of a structure that rose above the ground.

The quarry she had come to thankfully didn't catch her off guard. There was even a passage down...though the vastness of the crevasse meant she was even more certain that - no pun intended - BB was watching her easier than ever. "Christ...I feel like the fucking Tomb Raider..." Renee stuttered under her breath as she traversed one of the narrow ledges. She was moving only a few inches at a time, even though the shoes she had brought with her into the game were probably more suited for this type of terrain than what others had brought. By now it felt like the bow and arrow were her new appendages, and her first priority was some place to rest. Because this was SotF, there came the inevitability that someone else would have woken up and was already scavenging the quarry for prey, though she could hardly imagine someone worse than BB. Of course, she was currently maneuvering into the darker side of the convex hill, so she was a little less visible.

A little. At least not as visible as what she heard were voices emanating from a short distance ahead and below her.

Renee ducked behind a convenient outcropping that allowed her to just peek out at the edge of the cave. She couldn't hear the conversation nor exactly make out the participants, but the tone of voice...as well as the sobbing...given her state, it wouldn't be safe to partake of any conversation just now.

She decided not to go down the ledge into the cave just yet, preferring to stay hidden in the shadow of the outcropping to listen to how it turned out. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly before slumping a bit. At least she could catch her breath...and try to think about something other than that freak in a mask.
Mitsuko2*
Posts: 484
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2018 4:31 am

#9

Post by Mitsuko2* »

Yeah... it was all working out the was she planned it. Monique was beside herself with grief. But she must have had a horrible memory or something. Heather? Sweet? Did Monique even know who the hell she was talking about? Maybe she had her confused with another pregnant girl. Whatever, it worked to her advantage. She had her in the palm of her hand.

"Thank you Monique... Thank you!" She wiped her face and smiled fakely. She didn't care for the other girl so much, but she wanted to teach a certain someone a lesson, and this girl would be as good a meatshield as any. She wanted her gun back... Paul Smith was in for a whole lot of hell.

The announcements blaring to life caught the attention of the duo. Seven others besides Lance and Heather had been killed. Melina didn't care too much, but she took note of who their killers were, and how they had died. She'd need to remember the weapons that the players had.

"Oh man... so many people are playing..." She needed to keep Monique trusting her for just a little longer.
RePeate*
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Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:01 am

#10

Post by RePeate* »

Monique was taken aback by the first announcement. As it carried on, with Danya's rambling off names of the deceased, she felt sad at hearing not only Heather's name once again, but also the horrible story of how she'd been killed by a crazed Lance. She shed some more tears, but regained her composure just in time to hear another name mentioned that struck close to home. This time, it wasn't someone who died, but rather a killer. And that very killer happened to be sitting right next to her, assuring her that all was well. Panic set in, and Monique's pulse started racing to a dangerous level.

"O-oh oh.... my GOD! MELINA!" she screamed, "You KILLED Lance!? You KILLED HIM!?". She shuffled back towards the ledge of the small cavern they were in, readying herself to escape. A look of sheer terror crossed her face. Her skin had gone completely white. "Wh-wh-why? WHY WOULD YOU PLAY?! I TRUSTED YOU!" she screamed, louder than before. No doubt anyone in the area would hear it, but she didn't care if danger found her. It already had. In her mind, Melina killing someone made her able to kill her. And Melina being able to kill her made her feel as though she would. "Get back Melina... don't come too close". She tightened her grip on her axe. It was probably too cramped in there to swing it, but holding it made her feel comfortable. She looked at her axe briefly, and then back at Melina, staring her straight in the eyes. She knew at that instant that girls were equally untrustable in this game as guys were in general. "Stay away from me" she screamed. It was a scream of absolute terror; the kind that you can only reproduce in a situation where death was inevitable. She looked behind her to see how far out she would have to jump to fall into the water below and make her escape. It didn't seem too bad, and she only prayed the water was deep enough.
Mitsuko2*
Posts: 484
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2018 4:31 am

#11

Post by Mitsuko2* »

"Fuck... and here I thought you'd make it easy..." Melina laughed and stood, wiping the fake tears away. She'd lost her meatshield. Too bad, but whatever. She'd just finish her off and put the poor girl out of her misery.

"You see Monique... nothing is as simple as you think... I killed Lance, He killed Heather... Rather justified, don't you think?" She smiled darkly. "Men are just pigs waiting to come up to the slaughter. After all, all they care about is Sex, and breaking girls into nothing." She shrugged and backed away from the other girl a bit.

"But not me. I won't let them. I'll kill them before they get the chance to kill me. You see, Paul Smith attacked me right after I killed Lance. He's running around the island with a gun now. I'd say that was pretty dangerous... I'm going to stop him... I'll take back my gun and kill the fucker. And all the other pigheaded men I meet." She laughed a bit.

"You game babe?"
laZardo*
Posts: 682
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2018 3:08 am

#12

Post by laZardo* »

"Good morning, Southridge High School!" came the announcement over the megaphones. The loudness of the greeting sent a few rocks sliding down Renee's way, although the noise alone prevented her from falling asleep. Her ears quickly got used to the announcement's sound level as she started to pay attention.

Somehow, some way, she wasn't surprised when she heard of Blood Boy's kill - and his real name. It was easy to piece blood to Blood, but it wasn't enough to quell her fear that she might be Mr. Harris' next victim. There were others playing as well, particularly the one whose name she heard suddenly screamed from the cave below.

"Melina!?" Renee exclaimed softly, but not loud enough to be heard through the din.

Melina Frost was Southridge's other raging redhead. Aggressive, mean and bossy to a fault, with a nymphomaniac complex to boot. The gossip mill had informed Renee that it had something to do with being molested as a girl and for some reason loving it. And the cherry - no pun intended - on the cake was that there were times when people confused Melina's appearance with Renee's. In fact, Melina reminded Renée of what she used to be like back in Denton.

She sighed as she started to make her way down the rocks to the cave entrance with the announcement still playing. The ledge she was on led right to the side. She seemed to take her time though, perhaps doubting that she'd be able to save the life of whoever was in there with Melina. That and Renee didn't know if Melina still had the gun she used to whack Paul with. She managed to make her way to the side of the cave, out of Melina and Monique's view as the announcement ended, trying to cut her breathing down.

Her fingers tensed their grip around the bow and arrow she had been clenching. If Melina didn't have a gun, it'd be easy pickins.

That is, if she was certain she was going to kill her.
RePeate*
Posts: 138
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:01 am

#13

Post by RePeate* »

To say Monique was conflicted would be a huge understatement. Here she was, terrified for her life, face to face with a killer she'd once considered a friend of sorts. The fact that Melina did nothing to deny it confused her even more. Her throat was sore from screaming, her head dizzy from hyperventilation. And yet Melina looked so calm, so in control. Surely if she'd wanted to hurt her, she would have done it by now. Monique couldn't understand. She wanted to eascape with all her heart; to just dive into the man-made lake and swim away from danger. But the way Melina was keeping her cool seemed to give her a moment's pause.

Is this for real? C'est vrais? What the hell... I just... je ne comprends pas que-ce qui s'passe ici... She struggled to find an answer. "Melina... I- I mean, I..." was all she could bring herself to let out. Her grip tightened around the shaft of her axe. "I can't - I mean, I don't..." She couldn't even think. She wanted to jump to safety so badly, but couldn't make her body move. "I don't HATE boys... Melina..." she said, softly with a quiver in her voice. "They just - they scare... me, is all", she said, tears welling in her eyes. Her thoughts went to Heather, and to Lance (or at least what she remembered of Lance). Maybe she was defending herself. I can see... I mean, I know how she... But her thought was left unfinished.

"What do you want from me?" was all she could manage to let slip out, without even thinking about it. Perhaps her subconcious was acting to save herself. Perhaps it saw what her concious mind could not: you can't survive in this game without the company of dangerous people to defend against those even more dangerous.
Mitsuko2*
Posts: 484
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2018 4:31 am

#14

Post by Mitsuko2* »

"I want your strenth Monique..." Melina grinned. Her plan was shaping up better than she coould have ever thought. Convince the girl that killing the men would make it easier, and she'd have herself a meatshield and partner. It was so simple. She had her in the bag. Everything would be easier from this point on.

"Monique... Don't you see... If we want to survive, killing them is the answer. They only want to hurt us. Men are dangerous. Paul tried to kill me. I want to stop him from killing anyone else. You with me? I need your help." She said with a calm tone.

Keep pouring it on Melina... She's all yours.
RePeate*
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Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:01 am

#15

Post by RePeate* »

If Melina was spinning a lie, Monique's young and impressionable mind couldn't tell. "Paul... he tried to...kill...you? I don't know- I mean that's crazy..." Meilna was strong in Monique's eyes. A total independant. If these were any other circumstances, she would easily latch onto such a strong female figure. But this was a matter of life and death. She loosened her grip on the shaft of the axe a bit, much to the relief of her chaffed hand.

"I see... he tried to hurt you, didn't he? Did he..." She pondered her next question carefully, judging on wether or not it would be appropriate. "Did he... come on to you?" She felt embarrassed for asking. From the reputation she'd heard about, Melina was a bit of a sex demon, which was completely opposite of Monique. But they did have one common ground: Melina at this time didn't seem to be too trusting of the boy players on the island. She knew they always wanted the same thing, and it disgusted Monique to her core.

"I don't know what to say, Mel... I mean, I'm just really confused right now"
I don't hate boys.... I don't HATE anyone... but I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to die.
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