“This place is a dump,” Josie stated plainly.
It wasn’t the ideal Valentine’s Day evening. Not like it could be with her current company.
Their guide, an affable if dubious young man seemed to find this amusing. Neither he nor Wilson hid their chuckles. The cabin that they were in was deep within the wilderness they were currently scouting and mapping out. Josie didn’t expect to find a structure like it out here, but it was familiar in its purpose—a trapping camp, buck hunting most likely. The memory was strong enough to provoke resentment which in turn soured her more than (completely the same as) usual.
“It’s actually maintained itself pretty well considering,” the guide said with an easy smile. "The elements are very unforgiving out here and this island is very dangerous. All structures have been threatened by the might of the mountain at various points. This camp is a blessing, trust me. Though I guess in comparison the Station might be the Ritz.”
“We know this place is dangerous,” Wilson interrupted with equal parts ominousness and authority, “that’s why we’ve chosen it.”
“And this sure as shit ain’t the Ritz.”
The guide paused and looked down at his shoes. It was Josie’s turn to chuckle. She took a large swig of the beer she fished out of her backpack. She found a wall in the cabin to lean up against and did so. Josie alternated between sipping her beer and polishing her rifle. The snow, the scope, and even the booze felt very much like home.
A chorus of howling wolves interrupted their banter. The guide looked uneasy but wisely looked to Wilson and based his reaction on the older man’s. A wry smile was on his square jaw and even in the night his insistence on wearing sunglasses did little to hide the twinkle in his eye.
“You’ll need to handle that Knight.”
“Don’t like wolves?” The guide asked with a curious and doubtful expression.
“Love them,” Wilson replied. “We’re just planning to provide our own.”
Tracen strolled into the announcement booth with a cup of coffee in one hand and an easy smile on his face. The third time was the charm, wasn’t it? This had gotten so easy it was hard to imagine it was ever hard. As the game continued, he felt himself engaged in the familiar routine so much so that it became a ritual. And rituals held power. Especially over the students, the powerless. The announcement was an important ritual. It established routine, and it articulated the order of the island. It was a metronome for murder. It kept the students in line, and it served as a reminder and a constant. The announcements, the death, the sooner they accepted it and expected it…the sooner they’d have no choice but to partake in it. Routine was ritual. And rituals held power. It was worth repeating. Once these things gained momentum, they were near impossible to stop.
Tracen took a sip of his coffee and then pressed the button to send the speakers to life.
“Good morning, kids. I hope you’ve managed to stay warm and toasty throughout another night on our lovely island, but if not, you’ll have another chance to try and get warm today. The cold isn't going anywhere. But as always, I'll give you what you came for. The murdered and the murderers.
“We begin with Eve Zima who disappointingly drowned to death. Keep in mind to practice safe swimming.
“Our next death was Hector Quayle who was headbutted off a cliff by one of our local fauna. Don’t forget to respect wildlife out there as well.
“The next up was Tenshi Fukushima-Yves who was done in by Dawn Montogomery chopping her arm off. Turns out you need to go to college to be a surgeon—at least a successful one.
“Eden Zima joined his sister in the afterlife by getting stabbed in the neck after a long conversation with Katelyn Graves. Remember what I said earlier about respecting wild animals.
“Joan Leaven died sometime after being shot by Leticia May. When someone tells you to leave, don’t be Leaven.”
“Displaying bold strategy Taylor Thorne demanded to be stabbed by Katelyn Graves and then, shockingly, was stabbed. Less bold was the bleeding out.
“Next up is Dominiqua Ashmore who was shot by DeMarcus Miller. He definitely knows how to take care of things out here.
“Juanita Reid gutted Eden Glass like a fish and left them shattered. A clean and simple kill that was as clear as glass.”
“Calvin Rawls was obliterated by a wave and lost to the tides. Once more—never forget swim safety. Always bring a buddy and don’t swim at beaches without life guards present.
“Russell Fitzroy dreadfully shot and killed Mildred Platt, probably more merciful than being named Mildred in the first place.
“Finally we had Micah Flannigan who was put to pasture when he was shot in the neck by Jessica Romero.
“So now that we’re done with the business of yesterday, let us get to the business of today. The Graveyard is back open and our danger zone for today is The Hunting Lodge Bar. If you enter it without permission, your collar will be blown with precision. Please be wary.
It also brings us to our winner of the Best Kill Award for today Katelyn Graves. Congratulations! Your reward along with a meal of two all-beef ballpark hotdogs fully dressed in ketchup, mustard and relish along with a side of Boston style baked beans and a bottle of Cola await you at The Hunting Lodge Bar.
And that’s all from me for today! Do remember that a good way to beat the cold is cold blooded murder. Good luck and same time tomorrow!
Weather: Light traces of snow coat the early morning ground as temperature remains steady. High of around degrees 36F, 2.2 degrees C in the morning before eventually dropping to a low of 28F, -2.2 degrees C, as evening settles in. The sun rises at 9:07 AM, and sets at 3:19 PM. The winds from the east coast have died down and the island is still. The moon has entered its first quarter. There is a semidiurnal tide with two highs one at 2:36am and the other at 1:36pm the two lows are at 7:45am and 8:35pm.
Also please find below your roll set for this announcement:
Summary:
1. Letitia May (Laurels) Ashlee Donovan (KamiKaze, Hero Card Used)
2. Adam Lader (Kotorikun) Angelo Lee (backslash, Hero Card Used)
3. Daniel Ozanne (BlizzardeyeWonder) Henry David “Dave” Dearborn (Primrosette, Hero Card Used)
4. Alex Avanesian (Applesintime) Abhishek Panicker (Dogs231, Hero Card Used)
5. Jack Kilgore (CardboardAirplane) John Davis (Salic, Hero Card Used)
6. Jezzie Stark (AnimeNerd) Mariya White (AnimeNerd, Swap Card Used)
Also, congratulations go out to Ruggahissy and Zetsu for winning the Best Death Award! Your quote nomination threads will be up shortly!
As a reminder, there are three days for cards and for regular posting to wrap up for threads that are now in danger zones and a further seven days for leaving posts.
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