Survival Of The Fittest

Marcus had done a good job blending in. He was standing several feet behind the small group, looking over the ruins of the coppace. Once his idea had been out voted, he had withdrawn a bit, and sat out the tail end of the conversation. When the boy, River...ran away...he had been in the other room. He had dozed off and when he awoke, the boy was gone. He had hoped to be able to follow Adam when he heard about some kind of plan, but so far no one had included him in the festivities. Maybe they think I'm stupid. I should not have said anything!! Big Dumb Marcus... Marcus just stood, watching the smoldering bamboo chutes, waiting for someone to make a decision on the groups next move

"Fuckin assholes!"Devi yelled. "I'll kill them all. Just wait and see they'll all get what they fucking deserve. Sitting down shelooked at her leg and traced one of the scars she made. "Damn i wish i had something to cut myself with."

Then she remembered the pencil that they gave her along with the map. Breaking the point off from the pencil, she started rubbing the pencil on the ground sharpening it. When it was sharp enough she cut herself, smiling slighty as the blood ran down.

Yes that's right kill yourself.

"Shut up i will not resort to that...again. They will pay though."
Getting up she removed the map from her bag deciding where to move to next.

<ooc: just incase your all going sharpening a pencil won't do anything....believe me it will i should know...in other words hehe my characters so lonely no one will hang with her...>

Amanda looked at the desecrated bamboo with disdain. Seeing the bodies in the distance wasn't really helping her have any more hope, and she figured that in such a place - as Hawley had described it, would have kept Adam away. If she knew Adam well enough, and she really thought that she did, he'd be looking for Lipson, and then looking for a way off of this place.

"I think we should head towards the warehouse - it might be an idea, just because if Adam's lost, he's probably looking for a way out, and that warehouse might have some kind of equipment to help us out. What do you say? I think we should give it a shot."

She glanced back at Marcus, who looked almost glum as he towered behind the group.

"Hey, Marcus...what do you think we should do?"

A slight brightening in Marcus' dark features registured for a second, then was replaced by his normal blank stare. He looked at the girl, Amanda, he thought her name was. He leaned against a tree at the edge of the coppace, and thought about her suggestion for a second. The Warehouse...A good staging point, though all the things that they had said about the lighthouse applied to there as well.

We just need to go somewhere...Its a good a spot as any.

Marcus gave her a slight nod, signifying his approval, then began writing a small message on the pad of paper he had taken from the house.

We should be careful about adding many more people to are group. I feel that we have been very lucky with the general sanity of the group to this point, but I dont know how long that luck can last.

"The warehouse huh...?" Madelaine replied, though her voice seemed only half-hearted. Her attention seemd to be focused upon the ruined, smouldering coppice before her, and the charred corpse or two that lay among the bamboo spikes that jutted from the ground like needles.

Looking towards the pad of paper, Marcus wrote on, her eyes fell on the words 'sanity' and 'how long that luck will last'. She nodded, a sigh escaping her lips. Already, she decided that for now, it was not a good idea to allow any more into their group. After all, the alliance had nearly fallen apart thanks to River's sudden and unexpected suicidal act. But that was not her main concern at the moment.

She walked forward, slightly detaching herself from the group. Quietly, she gazed up towards the sky. The rain fell down in a light sheet of mist now, sending a light spray across her face, but at least now she was warm and dry under the protection of her blazer. She took a deep breath. Though she felt that there was not much point in telling the group what she was about to say...she decided that while she was still alive, she might as well let them know everything she had decided from the beginning.

"Sanity...huh?" She murmured quietly, still looking away from the group. "I suppose I should let you know....You don't have to worry about me, since I'll make sure I'll get killed before I lose my sense of self. In fact..."

She turned around to face the group, a strange smile on her face. "It isn't my intention...to survive this game at all."

Amanda looked at Madelaine as if she had suddenly gone and grown a second head. And perhaps, in essence, she had. Eyeing the girl slowly, she walked right up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"What're you talking about, you're not here to survive this game? You're damn right you're going to survive. We're going to get out. We just need to find Adam and...well, then we can work on a plan!"

She then had a bit of a brain movement, and something twinged in the back of her head.

"Wait...maybe the warehouse isn't such a good idea. Any players who're looking for easy kills might assume the same thing we did. Maybe we should head somewhere like the Gazebo on top of that hill...might be a good place to gather ourselves and decide what to do next..."

Marcus heard Madeline's statement, and raised his eyebrows in alarm. He immediatly moved towards the other two members of the group, putting himself between them and her.


Marcus turned and gave Amanda an exasperated look. He then wrote somthing else on his peice of paper

It really does not matter where we go. We have an equal chance of meeting psychos almost anywhere. We DO have to make a decision though, because we are REALLY exposed here

Hawley had allowed himself to kept quiet through most of the talk between the group, eyes lingering on what was left on the coppice and the outlines of charred bodies with in it.

Not snapping out of this till her heard Madeline begin to talk, he turning to face where she was walking off to. Telling them all of her plans to not survive this game, he blinking in sudden surpise.

Though still he kept his mouth shut, only lightly listening when Amanda began to talk, his two-toned eyes still lingering off to where Madeline stood.

His attention finally drifted though when he caught sight of Marcus's writing on the pad of paper he had gotten back at the house, showing them what he had wrote soon after. He nodding in light agreement, "We just need to get out of the open, find somewhere where we could figure out where Adam could have went without the chance of someone coming out and jumping us."

Madelaine only looked on placidly at Amanda with a neutral expression as Amanda abruptly grabbed her by the shoulders, promising that she'll survive. Upon telling the others what she had decided from the very beginning. she had been prepared for reaction. Though she remained calm, not allowing any emotion other than a faint smile to unfold onto her face, inside she was moved by what Amanda had promised her.

She looked at Amanda evenly. "Don't worry. Even though I've decided, I'm still going to keep my promise to you." Her tone had a sense of finality, as though there was to be no more say on the matter. After a moment of silent contemplation, she turned her focus back towards their current predicament, deciding to offer her input.

"Given the Gazebo's location, which is atop of a hill, it would allow us to expose ourselves to an attack. Even if Adam himself were looking for us, I doubt that he would remain in such a vulnerable position, even if it did provide a good view from afar. Since the warehouse is a building, we could easily barricade it while we make plans.

"This only from a defensive point of view, however. We could run into anybody either way. If we do....well, the least we can do is protect ourselves."

Marcus looked at both girls, who seemed to be sofly arguing about where they should go. He wrote yet another message for the group to read, then held it over his head.

I still think the lighthouse is our best bet. It is high, and it is fortified. We have the gunpower to end pritty much anyones attack unless it is a large group, and I doubt there is a large group of PLAYERS around.

(Continued in: Shelter from the Rain)

Amanda stopped speaking and looked at the message that Marcus had written for the group. He was almost entirely correct in what he was saying - er, writing.

The poor guy, he probably feels so left out.

Looking at the rest of the group, Amanda nodded to Marcus.

"I'm actually going to go with Marcus on this one. He's right, the lighthouse seems like as good a place to stay as any."

Hawley looked over the wet paper from his spot, nodding lightly at both Marcus's suggestion, and Amanda's comment. Even if he didn't have the best memories at the lighthouse... he still had to admit they probably wouldn't have left if it hadn't became a danger zone.

"I have to agree as well, it's a good place to rest and figure out our thoughts of where to go next not to mention that you can get a good look of the island from the top."

"That is true...." Madelaine added, resting her fingers against her lips as she considered this for a moment. "I'm sure that we'll be able to spot Adam, even from afar from the top of the lighthouse." She confirmed her agreement by nodding. Taking out her map and compass, she gazed intently at a moment before pivoting, turning to look near the horizon, where the tall shape of the lighthouse peeked out just beyond.

"I hope that we won't have to go through any confrontations. If we do then....it cannot be helped. But in any case, since we've pretty much decided, shall we get going?"

He took another glance out over the remains of the coppice, before sighing and straighting out and nodded lightly. "Yeah, Standing out here any longer is called for either for someone to attack us, for we're all going to get sick."

Adjusting his pack, he undid his map from his pocket looking over for the best way to get to the lighthouse. Folding it away, Hawley let out another sigh before he begun walking in the direction that the lighthouse was waiting in.

((Continued in: Shelter from the Rain))

As Hawley started off towards the lighthouse, Amanda nodded to the rest of the group. She prayed that Adam was somewhere near, as she had a very bad feeling in her heart. She didn't know what would happen if she were to find him dead.

How could you react if you found the one you were in love with dead?

She shook her head and walked towards the lighthouse, as she did she took ahold of Madelaine's hand in hers, her hands obviously shaking. She was terrified, and needed some form of comfort, hoping that the lighthouse would be a beacon of solace for them all.

((Adam continued in: Fifty Thousand Names All Engraved Upon A Stone))

((Amanda continued in: Shelter from the Rain))