Survival Of The Fittest

{{post order breaking to dodge inactivity}}

The smell

The pain

The smell

The pain

Karma

The pain that felt like her leg was burning burning just Francine did you're going to hell for what you did Maria Graham you're going to hell but first you'll know hell on Earth

They're going to die. They're all going to die, and then it'll be just you, all alone, and you'll want to help them but you can't. You can't do a damn thing to help them.

And they'll all hate you, because you could've done something but you didn't, you were just a useless burden, and you'll be all alone. You'll be all by yourself, and no one will care, and eventually someone like Lombardi will just walk by and gut you like a fish and you'll be gone, and no one will give a shit.

Not Zack.

Not your mother.

Nobody.

Max, where are you?

Why are you even still alive?

Max, please come back...

You could put an end to this at any time. What are you waiting for? Just pull it.

I don't want you to die. I don't want to be useless. Please, you're the only one left, I have to keep you safe...

Just do it.

If I can't keep someone safe, there's no reason for me to be here. There's no reason for me to...

Do it.

"Maria...Maria listen to me."

Maria was snapped out of her self-destructive thoughts as she heard Tabi speaking to her, moving her very carefully, as if she were a piece of fragile china. She nodded wordlessly and did what she said, taking long, deep breaths, trying to settle down, trying to ignore the constant pain in her leg and the fact that it was so hot and the horrible smell WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE JUST PUT A STOP TO THAT SMELL?

Maria swallowed hard, trying to quell the panic starting to build up again. Yeah, they should get out of here. Max clearly isn't here. They just need to go, far far away from that horrible smell and hopefully Max hasn't gone too far and Lombardi hasn't popped up and decided to go for a threefer DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT.

Maria was trying so hard not to panic and it was only barely working while the pain was making it hard to focus and there was that other guy who didn't really look at all happy about the current situation and there was the other girl with a gun but Maria had this odd paranoid feeling like there were so many other people lurking around just out of sight and it was starting to make Maria feel just a little claustrophobic and GET ME OUT OF HERE

(for sake of reference for anyone reading this in the future, as of this I am Maddy's handler)

Madeleine was visibly disappointed by Ivan's answer. Not that she was expecting anything less. If it were that easy then she wouldn't still be asking. Then again, if she had been more focused on finding the Violet or Anna, then maybe she would have actually found them. So what should she do now? Probably continue her search....

Maddy snapped out of her thoughts as someone else entered their area. The other two immediately went to her aid, and for good reason. She looked like hell. Really, it was amazing that she was still alive from the look of her. Ivan spoke to her, saying something about having to leave.

"Oh, ummm... yeah. I-I think I'll just l-let you two.... uhh, take care of h-her." Maddy said to Ivan. Watching the two help out the other girl for a little while, the brown haired girl decided it would be best for her to leave them be. Removing the clip from her gun, she folded it back up, placing it back into her bag. Maddy stood there for a couple more seconds, determining whether or not she should say anything to the others before leaving, but decided against it as they were otherwise occupied.

((Madeleine Smith continued elsewhere))

As debilitating as it may have been to their current situation, Ivan's mind strayed further and further from keeping an eye out on his surroundings, and thought only about how to deal with Tabi's endeavors. Their security was never something he'd disregard, but for the moment, Maddy had made herself to be no obvious threat. He sure as hell didn't trust her to any significant measure, but if that gun wasn't pointed at anybody, he could afford to spare a moment to deal with other things that were going on. For the moment, the most pressing matter was how to somehow convince Tabi that leaving her friend to die was the most logical way of going about things.

It only took a couple steps to position himself close to the opposite side of Tabi, keeping a peripheral view of Maddy as he peered down at the two. If the bloodied girl couldn't even walk, then what use would it be to try and take her? Both he and Tabi would need to be alert in order to stay alive, as well as armed. They couldn't afford to carry dead weight, emphasis on the part of 'dead'; with injuries like those, how likely was it that Maria would even survive? Ivan frantically rehearsed just how he would have to tell this to Tabi as she fretted over her friend and even lifted her up to her own level.

"Tabi... we really, really have to get going..." Ivan started, but he felt like he was talking to a brick wall. Or maybe he had just muttered too softly, but whatever the case may be, Tabi just kept caring for Maria, struggling to keep her awake. After some delay, Tabi looked up at him. Whether or not it was actually in response to what he said, her eyes may have well punched holes through him and his stupid, cruel plan. Telling Tabi that they'd have to leave Maria behind was practically a death sentence for the bonds they shared at the moment, but even with that looming over his head, he couldn't let her be in any danger. Dragging this poor girl along, as desparate as she may be, had to be condemning one or both of them... right?

There was movement in the corner of his eye, and Maddy had said something. Ivan looked up to her and gave a single, short understanding nod. The two of them would likely never see each other again alive, but it was nice to run into somebody on this island that was actually somewhat sane. Just before he looked back from the departing girl to Tabi, Ivan watched Maddy's hands as they fiddled with the gun. A tense moment was followed by a wave of slighly melancholy... maybe the right word was pride, or perhaps it was trust of some sort when Ivan registered that the girl had unloaded her own weapon. The gesture was a powerful one, enough to allow Ivan to focus more on the two girls at his feet.

His focused mind still found trouble in trying to convince Tabi of what must have been the right course of action, however. She seemed so intent on doing what she thought was right, when he had such a different idea. Sighing, Ivan tested the waters by dropping his right hand on Tabi's shoulder. The fingertips were the only things touching at first, but the palm followed shortly thereafter. He gave his companion a light squeeze then cleared his throat with his mouth closed. "Um, Tabi, what do you think we can do? We can't..."

As long as she didn't look at him like that again, maybe he'd get his way.

No answer.

He swallowed, tensed, staggered on for two or three steps and then almost immediately broke off and leaned against a tree, his head swimming. A vague thought, more wordless suspicion than anything else; what if they had heard him? What if someone was lying in wait, or some armed kid, just as scared as he was, saw him and was just a little too quick with a trigger? Was he going to die just because he couldn't control his hunger?

Fuck it. I can't run anymore.

He stumbled on, head still spinning, barely able to put one foot in front of the other. He was hungry. He was thirsty. He was tired. Someone had found the ability to cook food (Philly cheese steak, he thought dumbly, and then shook his head and stumbled on), someone had some shred of comfort and goodness, something to erase his endless anxiety. Something...

He stumbled out into the open. Stumbled over a charred, blackened, and all-too-human form.

His mouth was flooded with saliva, and he bent forwards and tried to vomit as his stomach convulsed. There was nothing to throw up; he hadn't eaten in too long. A thin stream of acidic green dribbled from his lips and hit the ground.

I'm still hungry.

The thought him heave again and again, stumbling backwards as little dribbles of bile dripped from his mouth and spilled onto the dirt. He hit a tree, turned, kept stumbling, crashing through the woods, he needed to get away from that smell and from the terrible rumbling in his stomach.

Jay crouched in the bush next to Janet, one hand tight around his gut, the other tight around the pistol currently held at his side. He could see them now, through the thick foliage, along with the charred corpse of... a girl, at least he thought. He kept it in his peripheral vision, trying his hardest to avoid looking at the terrifying sight. Janet didn't need him puking what little food he had up, alerting the others to their position. He shivered slightly, snapping his vision back towards the others, some feet away from the corpse, apparently still unaware of what they'd stumbled upon.

Stay focused Jay. This is dangerous now...

He glanced toward the noise, then back towards Janet. Once more she'd brought up that oh so sensitive topic. The fact that she was in reality, not some sweet, sexy blond chick, but a double murderer. Jay opened his mouth, struggling to find what to say next.

"Uh... No. No, I don't think you getting killed would be good at all. So... we should probably bug out, very fast."

He craned his neck, catching another fleeting glimpse of the group ahead of them.

"Actually, I think one of them ditched. Not sure who, but- yeah. Yeah, yeah one of the girls up and ditched." He whispered frantically, relaying the information back to his partner.

"I think it 'cus of that guy- Ivan... Ku..Kuzne- The y'know, the tennis player, Ivan the Russian, Ivan the Terrible. Whatever. He must of scared her off, because he's the only one really standing over there now... Shit. Pretty sure that guy has some kills. Yeah, we should ditch, especially if he's travelling with others. Dunno who the other two are, I ca-"

There was a crashing sound over to the right. Jay jerked back into the bush, hugging the ground as another boy came into view, stumbling over the burned corpse, crashing to his knees and puking his guts up. Or rather, he would have puked his guts up, given the noises coming from him. Instead the boy groaned in discomfort, spitting out a thin strand of gunky green... Jay closed his eyes for a second as his stomach rumbled in discomfort.

Ew... Ew... Poor bastard must have lost his supplies. Doesn't have anything left in him... He must...

Suddenly it dawned on him. Jay leaned in closer to Janet, frantically pointing in the direction of the newest arrival.

"David, David fuckin' Meramac! He's that twitchy kid, he was always on the track when I stopped to chill with Jasper!"

Jay gawked at the boy. It was something else, seeing another of his classmates alive, but only just. If his current appearance was any indication, David had been having a far worse SotF then Jay. He watched in fascination and terror as David got to his feet, stumbling backwards into a tree. The boy looked half-dead, his eyes sunken, driven by hunger.

Jesus fucking Christ, just what the fuck is ON this Island that could do that to a kid? Fuckin'... Decapitations. Fuckin' charred up BBQ corpse. This class is fucking deranged!

Jay watched as David continued to stumble away, feeling guilt inside him. David had been an alright kid, easy and always ready for a joke. And now he was watching as David stumbled away, clearing in pain, probably to get killed by some psychopath, or die of starvation. He'd done nothing to help. No, instead, he'd sat in the bushes watching, with Mrs. Double-Murder at his side. Jay looked towards the ground, too ashamed to continue watching the other boy. He wanted to punch himself.

"Janet, what do you want to do?" He whispered.

Janet jumped slightly as the boy crashed through the bushes. She moved back slightly as he tripped and spat-up. Jay recognized him, pointing frantically. Janet... really didn't care. He wasn't a threat. The others were more threatening to her and Jay, but....

"I think we should retreat. My presence here can only make a tense situation even worse. We should return the way we came, then... find another path."

She began making her way backward without waiting for an answer. Quietly, she stood up behind a tree and began walking in the direction she had originally come from.

((Janet Binachi continued elsewhere.))

Well, this was a terrible idea.

No, seriously, it was a terrible idea, sitting there and waiting for something to happen, waiting for people to leave just so she could take out any stragglers. Jackie realised that unless she moved quickly, she'd probably be waiting there for days until someone did something, or she got found out and promptly shot.

She had to make a move now, then. Whether it was to make herself known, or to hurry her ass out of there didn't matter. She just had to move before she found herself stuck in place.

Making herself known was the riskier option. There were people throwing guns around there like it was no one's business, and it was too risky to pop up and scream "Surprise, bitches!" without becoming a lead sponge.

Running, however, had the risk of her becoming the same lead sponge, only with the added risk of being shot in the back while it was happening. That was bad. But being shot in the face was worse. She'd take her chances running away.

She waited until no one was looking at where she was hidden directly, checked that every chain and piece of jewellery was in her pockets, and that there was nothing hanging loose she could trip over, she began to run.

Moving quickly and staying low, Jackie Myrie vanished off into the trees.

((Jacqueline Myrie, continued elsewhere.))

((Magic Adventures in Post Order Breaking))

The other girl had left, and Maria felt like the area around her was becoming less crowded. That was good at least. But she still didn't want to be here. She knew she was saying that a lot lately, and in truth there really wasn't a single place on this island she wanted to be, but she really, REALLY didn't want to be here.

Soon, she felt somebody trying to lift her up, get her into a standing position, and as Maria looked over she noticed it was Tabi, continuing to reassure her. It still hurt like hell, though, the burning intensifying as she put pressure on her leg, Maria letting out a mix of a gasp and a whimper through the pain. Braced against Tabi, the two slowly and mercifully made their way out of the forest, away from the horrible smell, the boy Tabi was with close by, eying Maria warily, as if she were something that'd get them all in trouble.

{{continued Maria Graham's Series of Unfortunate Events}}

Jay couldn't help but agree. As painful as it was to see David, he couldn't help him, not with so many people lurking around. He'd have to leave him... probably never see him again. Jay inched back, retreating with Janet, trying to push the thought of the wounded David out of his mind.

He'll be fine. He's...

Jay bit his lip. No. David wouldn't be fine, that much was obvious. It was useless to pretend otherwise. His gut was killing him, and he felt like a huge asshole, but Jay couldn't do much to help. Instead he stuck close to Janet, his pistol once more shoved down in his pocket. David would die alone, sick and probably in a lot of pain. Jay shuddered, hoping the same wouldn't happen to him. Death... death was not something he wanted to think about.

"Okay, let's get outta here." He whispered, disappearing into the foliage.

((Jay Holland continues elsewhere))

((Edited my last post to say I was leaving. Nothing new to say on the matter.))

Rustling in the trees. David looked up, startled, and tried to swallow the bile still in his throat (deep, acidic rottenness flooded over his tongue and greased the sides of his esophagus). His legs quivered as he tensed, waiting for something--for whatever weapon had burned this kid alive and left his charred body out in the open, with its blackened face long beyond recognition and its savory porkchop scent floating into his nostrils, making him salivate and making his stomach rumble and making him wonder if he even knew the kid that well, if anyone would notice if he-

He turned and stumbled into the woods, trying not to gag on the taste of his self-disgust. He was out into the open, with people rustling through the trees around him. He as out in the open, next to a body: he was hungry, he was tired, he was parched, he was...

Oh, Christ, it's gonna happen to me.

He'd been afraid since he got here--that's why he'd set to running, blindly, without worry for himself until he was stopped by that boy with the sword. But until this moment he hadn't grasped the full inevitable reality of his situation: hadn't realized the full weight of his doom. He'd seen...how many people now? Too many, he reckoned, to be many by far, decent people, people who were just trying to do what they had to do or what they could do. People who had died in spite of all their best efforts, cut down in a heat of blind, crushing violence.

Staring at this burnt, enticing corpse made him realize--this would be him soon. Someone would find him, someone would kill him--someone he'd known for years, someone who was scared or horrible or just a little sloppy. He could end up like that poor man in the forest--skin blackened and body beyond recognition as some weak and hungry sonofabitch thought about the moral ramifications of eating a fellow human being.

I'm going to die.

Confronted with the inevitable reality of his death, confronted with the bitter hopelessness of his situation and the fierce hunger he felt deep in his stomach, David did what he always had in the face of his problems--of his mother's distance, of his father's quiet desperation,, of his ultimate loneliness.

David ran.

(David Meramac concluded in Four Minutes).

Tabi felt Ivan's hand rest on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw his eyes, they were uncertain and they weren't staring directly at her. Tabi moved one hand away from Maria's and onto that of her partner. She listened to him speak and although he had said little, it was as if a large weight had caused her shoulders to sag.

He couldn't have suggested it. No, there was no way they could leave her alone like this. She was in no condition to be left alone. She would die!

There was still a chance that she could do something. She could help her out. She could stop her from feeling the pain. It was just like back in the skatepark. Maria was always someone that was out to be wild and have fun. But Tabi was the go to girl for dealing with scrapes and bruises. This...this was just a larger version. She could help.

She shifted her body back up and stared back into Ivan's eyes, making direct contact.

"Ivan...Please...I-I can..."

Ivan turned his head away. His body deflated, but his hand remained locked in her own. The silence between them, made her shift in place. Readjusting her position.

"All right," Ivan said, turning back to her, "I'll get everything else, lets get out of here."

Tabi gasped, failing to contain her smile. She turned back to Maria and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Alright Maria, we're going to go now. I need you to come up with me."

Tabi slowly started to lift her up. The moans of pain from Maria caused Tabi to wince in discomfort, but she remained positive. She could help her out. There was still a chance.

"Easy Maria. Easy. There we go, deep breaths. Step with me. One. Two. Three. There we go."

It was a slow effort. But it would be worth it. She could stop the pain. She could make things right.

She turned back to Ivan and flashed him a smile. A silent thanks between them. The three of them made there way out of the forest. Tabi supporting her friend. Much like she had been supported by Ivan.

((Tabi Gweneth and Ivan Kuznetzov continued in Maria Graham's Series of Unfortunate Events))