Survival Of The Fittest

"Well, I'm not with them for two reasons. One, I was actually in the middle of using a bush as a toilet, and two, if we're going to start smashing the camera's, well it'd be good to spread out I think," Reg said chuckling, "To be honest, not sure where they'd be about now. They may have spread out from the jungle or stayed together. My only fear is I have no idea what to do after we lure Danya's flunkies out here. Hold them hostage, or would we actually have to kill them?"

It was something that really disturbed Reg. All his life, being taught to seek the non-violent path, but here he had really been forced into it. Reg actually in a way admired Danya for being able to create an environment where people had to choose between what they believed in, and what they had to do to survive.

Clever guy, clever guy.

Killing terrorists? That sounded fun. Lenny slowly smiled and said, "Reg, I like your thinking. Though, I assume if we want to get off we can't kill them all. Maybe we should hook up with that group you were talking about? If they're even still alive that is."

Lenny wasn't into optimism. He would die on this island. That was sure. How he died though was mostly up to him, and he didn't want nothing less than to go out with a bang. Maybe that's what drove him to kill Anna and Keiji. Maybe that's whats still driving him to kill people. Not only did he have a job to protect his sister, but he had a job for himself.

The ultimate thrill, the ultimate rush. All of these things were obtainable here.

Elizabeth reached out and grabbed Lenny's arm. She didn't like the dark. She never did. Being here, talking about escape scared her even more. She wasn't sure what her brother was up to now. One moment he was wanting to attack this group, now he was conversing with a boy about escape.

Could she ever understand Lenny?

Lenny just thought for a moment more and said, "So basically, all we have to do is run around smashing cameras up? As much as I would love to take on those terrorists alone, I got a bigger job. I'm getting my sister off this island, got it? So I suggest while we're running around smashing cameras up we try to find those other escapees."

We also shouldn't be talking about it out loud. Sure, it was raining and that was probably helping them right now, but talking would only mean Danya would find out about the plan.

"GAHHHHH, FUCK SHIT PISS....CUNT! ASS!"

Denise threw the Satan trap down in frustration. Standing up, Denise turned to the group behind her and said, "There's a rabbit caught in a bear trap here, but I can't open it!" Her eyes pleaded for help. "We could cook it if we find something dry to burn," she explained. "I have matches."

She'd been listening to the conversation up until then, and didn't quite know what to think. They were lucky these kids were pacifists, and not wielding guns. That crazy fuck, he could've gotten himself and his sister killed. That was not the case, however, so Denise decided not to bring it up later. However, her distrust in Lenny was growing stronger with every passing minute.

Squinting at the students in the trees behind her, she saw the outline of someone familiar. She had not recognized his voice right away for some reason, but there he was. Smiling, Denise made her way towards the tall boy. She stopped just short of him, and patted his left cheek with a little more force than necessary. "Reg..." she said in good humour, hugging her longtime neighbour. "You dirty fuckin' hippy!"

Danni continued as silently as she could through the dark. She still couldn't see the group, but their voices were getting louder. They could be right next to-

"GAHHHHH, FUCK SHIT PISS....CUNT! ASS!" CRASH

The startled girl let out a yelp and lost her balance, falling into the underbrush on her side. Her cheek hit the hilt of the sword hard. She let out a moan, then tried to scramble to her feet, forgetting the weight of her baggage and falling once again.

You stupid fucking klutz! You're dead now, good going!

Lenny was surprised when Denise practically assaulted Reg with her love. What was up with all this happiness and stuff anyways? This wasn't a reunion.

"This isn't passion island. Let's get moving and at least attempt Reg's plan."

Lenny didn't have much to say when he heard a crash, and heard a girl yell. Elizabeth gripped tighter onto Lenny's arm, afraid of what was going on, and Lenny reached back for his hatchet, but didn't take it out.

Looking at the figure on the ground, Lenny saw that it was too dark for him to make the girl out.

Shouting, Lenny said, "Alright, who are you! If you don't get up slowly and do what I say I'm going to cut you up like a piece of bad meat, got it!?!"

Lenny enjoyed letting that side of him take over. The side of him that he could be powerful. The side that let him threaten to kill. To kill. He loved it. Though, this talk about escape. It would definitely put a damper on his ability to be who he wanted to be on this island. Ah well, as long as Elizabeth got off it would be ok. For Lenny was definitely going to die on this island.

He had no doubt about that.

Danni let out another moan, this time out of fear. She felt like she was going to vomit. She slowly raised herself up by her arms as she spoke to the figure threatening her.

"M-my name's Danni. Danni Champney. I was just looking for ... someone to help me. Please don't hurt me."

Thus far she had managed to speak without crying, but after that she let out a little sob she couldn't contain. So she was going to die after all. Tough luck.

Lenny thought for a moment. He could easily kill the girl. Yes, that would be fun. Exciting. Though, useless to the future cause. If this Reg guy was serious about escaping, they would need themselves a group. Lenny could kill later. He felt Elizabeth tugging on his arm, as if she was telling him not to do it.

Which in fact she was. Elizabeth saw what her brother was capable of on the island. She thought he was making progress by allowing Denise to join the group, and by avoiding conflict with her. He made even more progress talking to Reg, even though it was after a failed assault. Maybe he was changing. Maybe he meant the promise he gave her back at the hospital.

Though none of that was true. Lenny wasn't changing, he was just doing what was in his best interest. Though, he didn't feel the need to kill anymore like he did right after he killed Anna. Then, it was like a compulsion. Like a sick, twisted drug he needed. Now, it was just a temporary high. Something he could push back with the thought of getting his sister off this island.

So, if he was going to follow Reg around the island smashing cameras, it was probably best he didn't kill this girl. Probably best she joined the group. What if she didn't want to join? Oh, she would.

Lenny took his hand off his hatchet which was still in his jeans in the back tucked under his shirt and said to the fallen girl, "Danni. It's me Lenny. Get up. You're with us now. Reg will fill you in with all the nice little details. Don't think of running, trust me. You're safer with crazies like us instead of out there."

Danni was both relieved and unnerved to learn her potential attacker was Lenny. Relieved because she wasn't going to die yet, and because she finally found someone she knew who wasn't mangled horribly, but unnerved at how he'd sounded before. There had been so much anger and violence behind it, she hadn't even recognized his voice. Had the past six days really changed them all that much?

"Oh, Lenny. Thank God. I've been looking for people for days..."

Danni grunted as she got to her feet. She felt something running town her cheek and realized she'd been crying. She wiped it away. She also felt a bit of wetness elsewhere, but she'd have to worry about that later.

"I've never been much of a runner anyway. There's not a fucking chance in hell I'm going to start wandering off on my own now, I've seen enough-"

She started crying again. She couldn't help herself. She could feel herself getting hysterical.

"Kristin, and Anna, and... everyone's dead. What's going on? Why the fuck is this happening?"

Denise made a face at Lenny while his back was turned. Nobody seemed to care that she had found something with actual nutritional value to eat, but whatever. Maybe no one was hungry yet.

She turned to face Reg. He was the same naive boy next door, it seemed. She hadn't seen much of him since she moved out with Leo, but sometimes they'd talk at school. Denise would normally support her friend's ideas but this...this was getting stupid.

No one's leaving the island, unless it's in a body bag. Did they even bother moving the bodies after the game?

"Well, brother, good luck. I wouldn't count on escaping, though. I'm sure Danya already knows about your plan, there are microphones everywhere...you should be more careful. I'll just be on my way."

She then addressed the twins. "Thanks for everything. Take care."

Upon reaching the trap, Denise decided on a different approach. She unzipped her duffle bag, and removed a very old and worn out Patti Smith t-shirt. She then ripped the trap out of the ground, spikes and all, wrapped it in the shirt, and placed it in her duffle bag. She zipped it back up, and left.
((Denise continued in The Stench of Reality))

((OOC: Alright guys, as Crash pointed out here there is a lot of plotholes in this thread. Go read it up, but my suggestion is to make most of the conversations that happened non-canon, and start the conversation over again. As it stands now, Reg and Lenny should both have no idea about SADD's plan to escape, and by even talking about this plan they would have no idea about, they jeopardize SADD's plan itself.

So before we continue any farther, we should all agree on how to handle this. My suggestion is that we just all state the conversation was non-canon, and we re-start the conversation with Reg saying he would like to escape and he was with a group that wanted to, and we should look for other people. That way, we can move on from this topic, and everything's realistic.))

EDIT: ((OOC: Alright guys. Reg has a rewrite and all he did was over-see other people smashing cameras so more or less we're back on topic. There are some other minor mistakes in the writing, Lenny mainly, but there's no need to go back and edit those.

ALL WRITING THAT DOESN'T FIT IN WITH THE CONTINUITY IS NON-CANON

I just had to say that, so when SADD does actually try to escape, people can't be like, well they were casually using their plan so the terrorists overheard. Nope, didn't happen. Not anymore Alright guys, let's get this back on course shall we?))






Lenny thought.

There were kids smashing cameras? Why?

Maybe Reg was right, by smashing the cameras the terrorists would send people in. It had happened in that other game aired hadn't it? Didn't the storm knock out the camera and there was a group sent in?

Lenny remembered watching that. He never could figure out if Survival of the Fittest was real or not. He thought it seemed stage the cameras being knocked out by the storm and a group sent in to fix it, though you only caught fleeting glimpses of them in the aired footage.

It didn't matter. What mattered was that there was a group running around smashing cameras? Why they were doing it was unknown.

"Maybe we should make an attempt to find this other group."

Denise had left. Before she left she had been right. There were microphones even on their collars. Talking out loud was stupid. If they were really going to try to escape, they would have to be smart about it. Though escaping by hitting a couple cameras? It seemed stupid. Though, Lenny was up for anything if it meant it would keep him and his sister alive a little longer.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this now."

Lenny made it obvious he was looking at Reg's collar.

"Catch my drift man? Do you know who these kids were? Where they are now? Are they even alive still?"

Danni was crying. Talking about her dead friends. She had mentioned Anna. Would it be Anna Vaan? Then she would be pretty pissed when she found out Lenny had killed her. Though at the moment it didn't matter.

Elizabeth Priestly, being more kind than her brother, put an arm around Danni and said, "It's ok. You're with us now. The four of us will figure this out I'm sure."

Lenny wasn't so sure.

Danni had a puzzled look on her face as she listened to the two boys. She wished she had been paying attention to the conversation as she had snuck closer to the group, but she was too worried for her own hide to care. Besides, they were bing terribly vague. She wondered why they couldn't just come out and say it...

The collars. She had completely forgotten about them. Her hand shot up to her neck, confirming that hers was still there. Her heart dropped to her stomach. How could they even think of escape with bombs strapped to their necks?

She flinched and let out another small yelp when she felt the arm cross over her shoulders. It took her a moment to realize it was Elizabeth. She hadn't even noticed her there next to her brother.

Danni gave the girl a grateful smile. She doubted the girl meant what she said, as Danni doubted it greatly as much as she wanted to believe it, but she was happy for the comfort nonetheless.

"You really think we can get away?"

Elizabeth took her arm away from Danni and said, "Yeah. We just got to stick together."

Elizabeth was surprised that Denise left. Then there was Olivia. Who still hadn't joined the group yet. Elizabeth nudged Lenny and said, "Len, Olivia's standing over there. Maybe we should call her over?"

Lenny didn't like people.

He wanted to go away with his sister again.

Back into the jungle.

Maybe back at the airfield.

Now he was surrounded by people. Hippies like Reg who just wanted to escape. Even though he had no better plan than to smash cameras cause he saw other kids doing it. So if he saw other kids jumping off cliffs would he do it too?

Probably. It would save Lenny the trouble of killing him.

He felt a sudden knot in his stomach. Killing. He wouldn't mind doing it right now. He wanted to be someone else. He wanted to feel that feeling. He wanted to be powerful. Though right now wasn't a good idea. He was with a group now that was going to smash cameras cause other kids did it.

Maybe they would find another group.

If they did, Lenny might join in. Anything to get his sister off the island. Maybe there was a flaw in the system, and they could exploit it. That would be easier than winning the game and getting his sister home.

Wouldn't it?

He would wait and see.

In the meantime, it was time to call Olivia Swan, the royal heinous over.

"Hey, miss Swan. I know it's dark, and we're in a jungle, but if you aren't over here conversing with our little group in about thirty seconds I'll revert your swan self back to your ugly duckling years."

Olivia didn't even care enough to join the little congregation that had begun behind her. She was much too preoccupied on how asinine they were all being. What was the point of escape? What little retched lives did they have to return to? Olivia had goals. Goals she was so close to reaching. That acting school in new York had accepted her, and she was well on her way to broadway.

But them… these idiots didn't have a thing to return to. She had a career to make.

Perhaps Survival of the fittest would be good to put on her resume once she got out?

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the male twin. What was his name again? Larry? Lonny? Lenny? That was it, Lenny. Well, he was being quite the rude peasant to her at this moment. Ugly duckling years? Please. Olivia had never been ugly a day in her life. This miserable fool didn't understand. It was the elite's privilege not to be bothered with such trifles. Commoners didn't understand.

"Hmph…. So I'm useful now? I seemed to be excluded for most of your little tirade of question and answers. It doesn't matter. I'm here to do whatever I can I suppose. Yadda, yadda and all that good stuff." She sighed and wiped some of her wet hair from her face. Olivia walked closer to the little gathering, standing near the other two females. If anything, she could at least pretend to like them for the duration of this island hell.

"So… what happens now? Do we just wander aimlessly?"

Oh, great. Danni glared at the figure. Just the fuckin' person she wanted to see. She found it surprising that she could hate the girl even in this situation, but she supposed that was more a testament to Olivia Swan's notoriously terrible attitude than it was to Danni's own problems. Olivia was the only person she knew whose head was so far up their ass it could be used as an enema. But she should count herself lucky. A massive bitch Olivia may be, but she was no murderer.

Danni made a conscious effort to wipe the scowl from her face. "It seems like they've got some sort of plan."

She gave a nervous glance in the direction of the boys. "Um.. you do have a plan, right?"

Lenny ignored Olivia's comments and went straight into answering Danni's question. Did we have a plan? It seemed like Lenny was just hoping Reg knew something. Knew people on the island who had a real plan.

"Reg's got the plan. Me and Elizabeth here are just along for the ride. Though, how far his plan will take us is debatable. I'm sure he'll have to come up with something because numbers are dwindling on this island, and I'm sure every one of us wants to be in that final pocket of students that are alive."

Lenny smiled.

He would be in that group. Elizabeth would be in that group.

Though, maybe there was a small chance of another way off. Any way of getting Elizabeth off this island was a possibility that Lenny needed to explore. So he would stick with Reg. He needed these other people to stick with Reg as well. Lenny didn't really care for any of them. He had conversations with Reg before and he was alright. Danni wasn't even that bad. Olivia was just a bitch.

Though, in a group they could be formidable. Lenny knew that there were other people out there who were playing to win. People out there who were capable of winning. A group could get him farther into the game, could protect his sister.

He smiled and said, "Look, we all want to make it to the end. We can hack and shoot each other up then, but the fact of the matter is until then, we got to stick together. Reg, tell us what we're going to do. I'm in, and I expect the rest of you to be in too. Let's face it, any of us who leave will be dead by night tomorrow."