Survival Of The Fittest

"Right, the school. Bound to be people there, although funny how we just all wanted to get out of there".

While Chris wasn't exactly estatic to be leaving behind the seemingly secure location of the Clubhouse behind, simply hiding and letting Jesse wonder off by himself was not a wise move. Nor did he wish to remain behind by himself and have Carmina go off with Jesse in his place. It was a happy medium in his mind. Sure, he may end up in more danger because of going around, but who was to say that danger wouldn't be lurking around the corner and coming to find him.

Better to take fate into your own hands than let the dice be rolled for you. He was pretty confident that if push came to shove, he would survive over Jesse. After all, if someone comes killing, the ones who seem to be in charge get targeted. At least, that is what he thought to comfort himself as he followed the other boy out into the wilderness, leaving Carmina behind to secure the base. Safety in numbers, so stay together.

((Christopher continued elsewhere))

((Jaquilyn Locke continued from Black Hearts))

Jaquilyn kept low as she moved quickly towards the side of the clubhouse. Running with her knees bent, back hunched over, and head down felt stupid and ungainly, but running regularly was stupid, and getting shot would be even less gainly. One arm around the gun, the other outstretched in front of her. Matt's bag was over her back, bouncing off her rear with every awkward step. Her open palm felt the brick side before she spun around to press her back against it. Matt's bag uncomfortably flattened itself with her butt and back.

"Midget steps" brought her to a widow, shutters painted white. Shutters were stupid. They were just pieces off wood glued to the sides of windows and painted a complementary color to the house. They didn't even fucking shut. They were lies.

Her hand touched the bottom of the shutter, and she forced herself to stand and peek into the window. She dropped almost immediately after rising and turned to Joachim to tell him what she saw.

"Tits. I didn't see anything."

The fear of her gaze being met by that of a grinning psychopath had to be swallowed. She rose slower this time. First only able to see the wooden bottom frame of the window. Then she saw glass... then, as more came into focus... blinds.

"Dicks... I can't see anything."

But nothing could see her either. She set the gun down at the corner where the side of the building plunged into the ground. If somebody were to pull the blinds up, the gun would still stay relatively hidden. If only she still had her original bag so she could pretend she still only had the candy.

Her head slowly turned and moved towards the glass. She had to be silent, and she couldn't have her fucking partner crashing into her again. If he pulled that shit after she put her ass on the line for him... she'd be looking for a new partner. Maybe she'd hold an interview at gunpoint. That would build trust.

Goddammit.

She felt the hot window on the side of her ear. The sensation of touch made her flinch back for a moment, but she continued. Slowly pressing her entire ear up against the window.

She heard nothing...

nothing...

still nothing...

nothing. She remained there with her head against the window. Something might happen.

She couldn't let her guard down.

[Joachim Lovelace, continued from Black Hearts]

Joachim followed Jaquilyn and imitated the way she ran. The differences were that he was a bit slower, a bit more careful about not making any sound, and he had a knife insteadt of a gun. Eventually, they reached a window. Joachim stood a few steps away from Jaq and watched as she tried to see into the window.

Unsuccesfully, as she it seems. Joachim did not comment on her vulgar status report. While Jaquilyn pressed her head against the window - Joachim assumed she wanted to hear now what was inside of the house - Joachim himself looked around for ideas.

There was the possibility that the club house was empty. In that case, they could stand there and wait for something to happen for hours. Yet, he hoped that this was not the case. It would be... sure, it would be more convenient if neither of them met any resistance in claiming the house, but sneaking around like that was strangely entertaining. It'd be a shame if it had no point.

Joachim crouched over to another window. He opened the shutter silently, and what he saw was blinds. But there was one blind that was broken. A bit tilted. He raised his head to see what was in that room. He saw something that looked like a person. Joachim quickly lowered himself again. A single ray of sunlight now reached into the room, it could be that the person who was in there noticed that.

Joachim stepped aside, looked into the direction of Jaquilyn and pointed at the window.

"Jaq, I think I found someone."

He pressed himself on the wall, as did the bag on his back. An uncomfortable sensation.

((I'll just take the time to note that in this thread, I'll allow very minor GMing with my character. As in obvious dialogues/responses/answers/actions. If it's something more significant, please PM me.))

Carmina couldn't sleep.

She tossed and turned for several minutes. She was worrying about everything and driving herself crazy. She wondered about what was going on outside. For all she knew, Jesse and Chris could be in a gunfight. Lauren could be dead. Yukiko could be cowered in a room all by herself, shrieking in fear. And maybe, just maybe, there were players outside the clubhouse, waiting for her to show herself so they could shoot her.

She turned again and opened her eyes. She squinted as the light from the window entered her ey-

There wasn't supposed to be any light. She knew she closed the shutters on all the windows.

She walked towards the window and noticed that the blinds of a second window had a slight glow to it. She opened the blinds to both windows, but didn't see anyone. She was now breathing heavily. She knew she closed those shutters. And someone opened two of them.

She had no idea what to do. Part of her was screaming, shouting, begging her body to go out the back door and run off to the aviary. The other part of her was begging her to talk to them. The person outside could be like Chris: lost and scared and just trying to find a nice shelter. She closed the blinds again and leaned on the wall, trying to decide.
------
What was she doing? Why was she walking towards the door? Why was she literally about to invite someone she hadn't even seen into this clubhouse?

Because as much as she was scared to die, a small part of her, the part of her that would probably get herself killed a few days later, still wanted to help. That was the whole aim of the plan, right? Provide a place for everyone to get away from the chaos and blood of the island. It was no use being selfish. If she was going to die, she'd want to die doing the right thing.

She removed the couches, removed the knot tying the handles of the front doors together, and swung it open to see one boy and one girl. The boy had a knife while the girl had some rifle.

She panicked until she recognized them. The boy was... she couldn't spell it. It sounded foreign, but she couldn't quite place what country it came from. It started with a J. All Carmina knew about him was that he was from the book club.

The name of the girl came more easily to her. Jacquilyn. She was a cheerleader. All she knew about her was that she was a flirt (something that she didn't exactly approve of) and slightly snarky.

She said, "H-h-hey. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. You can stay here for a while, if you want." She prayed that this decision wouldn't get her killed.

((Haha, in Jaq's post I was saying that the shutters were fake, but I will edit it later.))

"Jaq, I think I found someone."

Joachim pressed himself against the wall, making room for Jaquilyn to come over. She hobbled over. She saw her too. A girl. The room was dark, but it was clearly a very short girl. She was up and walking, and looking at the window Jaq had just moved away from. She felt her stomach turn as she realized their cover was compromised. She dropped down and pulled her body towards the house, laying down along it's side.

The sound of the blinds scraping the window as they rotated could be heard. Jaq's legs shifted as she tried to move closer to the house. Then more silence. The silence was the worst part.

They needed to get away from this window. They might even need to get away from the building. They had a gun, a knife that could shoot, and a few other advantages, but surprise was supposed to be on their side.

"H-h-hey."

Holy shit, that wasn't Joachim's voice. That was a stranger. Stranger danger.

She could't react. She was down and in a very prone position. Gun tucked down by her side, one arm flat on the ground, strap around her neck keeping her from getting up without some kind of carefulness. Her mouth opened, she didn't know what was going to come out.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. You can stay here for a while, if you want."

She was acting friendly. Why, though. Jaq had to find out. She pushed up and got into a standing position, removing the bag from her neck, but keeping her gun's handle in one hand.

"Are you alone? Have you seen anything?"

She snapped her head towards Joachim, "The remote. Connect it to her's." She pointed.

She turned back to the girl, looking solemnly serious. "No lying..."

When Joachim could hear the blinds open, he immediately tensed up. Held his breath. Tried not to move a single millimetre. His eyes were wide open, but they did not focus on anything. His ears did. He heard how the person inside moved to the door and... did something there. The door opened. Suddenly, a voice. It seemed friendly enough. It offered Jaq and Jo to come inside.

If it were not for Jaq and her 'remote'-plan, Joachim would have likely said yes. Night would be soon, he was tired, and the club house offered good shelter. From a purely rational perspective, it'd be wiser to get along with whoever the girl was, not for ethical, but pragmatic reasons. But there was more in his head than that. There was loyality. Loyality to Jaq. The loyal part that told him that he had to do it, because he agreed to it when Jaq proposed it. And then there was the part who enjoyed the thrill. Like when they stole Matt's gun. That frustrated Joachim. He wanted to go to Jaq and tell her to abort that plan, but something within him kept him from doing that.

Thus he froze. And petted the blade with his thumb.

((e_e I'll try to edit it later))

Carmina's heart started beating faster. She was still unsure as to whether she was letting the right people in or not. The guy, J something, hadn't moved an inch so far and looked petrified. The girl, on the other hand, looked more ready to use her gun. She wondered if they were planning something when Jaq pointed at her while saying something to the boy that she couldn't make out clearly. She hesitantly decided to answer Jaq's question. There was absolutely nothing to be gained from lying.

"Right now? Yes. If by 'anything', you mean friends, then I'm not sure. I saw this girl named Lauren as soon as I woke up. Then I saw Alice from the volunteering club. When I was heading here, I saw three people near the golf course..."

Her face paled as she recalled that one of them was also holding a gun. She then remembered that the gun she saw before look bulkier and continued speaking.

"Anyways, I went in this house and met up with two more people: Jesse and Chris. You just missed them." She inhaled sharply and said, "That's all I know. Any more questions?"

Useless information on top of useless information. Fuck yes, Jaq had more questions. Her gun seemed to be enough to intimidate the girl into answering anything, maybe the remote plan wouldn't even need to present itself. Then again, being able to manipulate another student may become much more useful later.

"Why did they leave?"

It seemed that this girl was alone now, despite having run into several students. Why was she still alone, was she awful? Was she a bitch? Did she smell? Jaq didn't really care why they left as much as she cared where they went, if they were coming back, or if they would be able to out gun her.

"What kind of weapons did everybody have?" All of her questions were blurted more than asked politely.

Maybe they could make a deal with this girl.

The girl listed some names Joachim was not familiar with, and then she stated - implied - that she was alone in this house. Excellent. Made things much easier. Less people meant less stress. Jaq went on to asking why these people left, and what kind of weapons they had. She did not seem to care about the remote plan, for the moment, as she did not react when Joachim stood still. Maybe she realized by herself that it was unneccesary. That would be good, because then Joachim would not have to discuss it with Jaq while they were in the middle of an operation. He resolved to resume thinking before acting the next time and not to simply agree because Jaq proposed something.

He noticed that Jaq's tone was a bit harsh. Well, a bit was a bit of an understatement. Joachim believed that it'd be more efficient if they were friendly... Or at least Joachim were friendly. Yeah, time to play some 'good cop, bad cop'. He cleared his throath, and then used the gentlest voice he could muster.

"My apologies, but we forgot to do a proper introduction. My name is Joachim."

He offered the girl his hand.

She wondered for a second why Jaq was asking all these questions, but refrained from asking when she looked at the gun again.

"Lauren? I don't know, to be honest. We were heading over to the shipping yard but all of a sudden, she was gone. I still have no idea where she left or.. why. Alice wasn't really willing to talk to anyone so we went our separate ways. With Jesse and Chris... they didn't abandon me. The reason why I was so welcoming to you earlier is because this house is supposed to be safe, sort of. A headquarters. Basically, they're off in the... school, I think? They're trying to gather up kids to stay here. You remember how last version there was some huge escape, it was all over the news? We're trying to do that. Two brains are better than one. I realize that this entire thing sounds ridiculous, but it's worth a try. Besides, I can't fathom doing anything else. Playing? Waiting for death to come? I don't want that at all. I can't imagine doing that. So we'll try to find a way out. You could join if you wanted. But if you don't, that's fine with me."

She took a deep breath and then resumed speaking. "As for weapons? I only know that Jesse has some action figure. I haven't seen anyone else's weapons. Well, except for this one guy over in the golf course a few hours earlier. I think he had a machine gun. I don't know, but it was huge. Anyways, they either had some sucky 'weapon' or they were hiding theirs from me."

She was taken back by the gentle tone of Joachim. It contrasted so much with the harshness of Jaq's voice. She shook his hand and said, "Hey, nice to meet you!" She giggled when she said that. Saying that reminded her of those icebreakers they'd have on the first day of school. Ironic that they were introducing each other on what might be the last days of their lives. "I don't think I've gotten to say my name yet. I'm Carmina." She looked at the girl and said, "I know you already. I think we might've had a class together? You're Jaquilyn, I believe."

Information, disregarded. None of it was useful. Other than the fact that she'd called the clubhouse a "Headquarters." She and Joachim didn't exactly have a headquarters. She'd originally thought they'd go back to the living area they'd started in, but returning to the place that the terrorists had placed them would suggest a sort of sheep like obedience. They woke up there, whatever, that didn't mean it was their base.

Joachim and the girl, Carmina, exchanged pleasantries. Carmina suggested that she and Jaq had a class together once.

What the fuck? Probably? Why did that matter? Was having that AND being on Survival of the Fittest enough in common... to be friends?

She was with Joachim, they worked well together. There was the cap, and here was an outsider. Tossing out that they might have had a class together once wouldn't merit friendship, and it certainly wouldn't inspire mercy. Then again, being friendly didn't demand an attack either.

It felt like a step backwards. On the greens, she and Joachim learned the basic mechanic's of their weapons, talked game plan, and seemed to agree on where they stood. Now, there was another student, who probably aspired to survive and be "the fittest," and he was making fucking small talk.

"Yeah." No shit she was Jaquilyn. Proper introductions were now over.

Her eyes moved to look behind Carmina, she mentioned a group. Maybe they were coming back. She said something about finding a way out too. This could be an opportunity, hidden agendas aside. She turned back to look at Joachim, wishing she could talk to him privately, wishing they had more code words. Her eyebrow was raised, and the side of her mouth curved up slightly.

"Kids can stay here, and it's safe?" She looked back to Carmina. "When's everybody coming back, and how many are you guys total?"

Hopefully she knew. It was getting late.

Joachim realized that he was not able to contribute much to the discussion. Not that it bothered him much. He never was the one to talk a lot, although he was a bit irritated with Jaq's harshness. A bit because Joachim himself tried to be a polite person most of the time, but mostly because he was convinced that the best way to success is plastered with sweet words. Or to put it less poetic: people are more likely to do what you want if they believe you care about them.

Jaquilyn asked further questions. About the group Carmina is part of. Probably useful information, but it was not what was most necessary. Joachim thought that the most important thing to have was... shelter. Yes, a place to sleep. And frankly, the best way to get that appeared to be friendly with Carmina. He took a few steps towards her and looked her into the eyes. A warm smile accompanied his softly spoken words.

"Could you let us stay in this place for the night, please? We would appreciate it a lot."

He hoped that Jaq would not object to this. Gaining someone's trust could be useful in a lot of ways. Even if it means backstabbing them somehow.

She let out a sigh of relief as she made the conclusion that she made the right decision. They really were just people looking for a safe place.

"Yes, that's pretty much the idea. They said they'd come back by the end of the day, and I have no idea how many they'll be. If we're lucky, it'll be 5 or more. If no one comes with them, it'll just be those two: Jesse and Chris."

Carmina turned to Joachim and exclaimed, "Yes, of course! That's exactly why I'm here anyways." She held open the door and gestured for them to come in. "Sorry if it's a bit messy. Just needed some safety measures. Anyways, there's some candies and nuts over in the lounge which is off to the right. There's also some whiskey, if you guys drink."

((All GM-ing approved, but more can be added/some can be removed))

Oh yes, she drank. Tonight, for sure, Jaquilyn Locke was a drinker. She followed through the door held open by Carmina and moved right to the lounge that had been described. Joachim followed, and Carmina came in behind him, closing the door behind her. Joachim looked around the room as Carmina pulled the blinds closed and made sure nobody could see inside again. A few clinks arose from the bar area as Jaquilyn took out a tall bottle of whiskey and a shot glass.

One for the money.

Joachim broke the silence. "I'll be the guard for now."

"I just laid down before, I'll take watch after."

Two for the show. She wasn't volunteering. Let the idiots burst in. She'd blast them to bits.

Jaquilyn brought the bottle and shot glass over to a lounge chair, propping up her gun in front of her. It wasn't the only gun in the game, but this one was hers. Even Joachim seemed to respect that. He had his knife, which was weapon enough, and even then the gun was probably enough for the both of them. So long as the two, three, whatever of them didn't challenge any of her plans.

She moved the gun so it was between her legs, hooking her ankles at the bottom. There was no way anybody could make a grab at it without waking her. She poured another shot.

Three to get ready.

She was tired of planning. She was tired of plotting. She was tired of this fucking game. She was so tired that she felt herself slipping, losing her grasp, and then she was asleep.

…

The announcement woke her slowly. She tried to grasp onto whatever dream of home she was having. Fuck reality, maybe she if clung back to that dream she could leap realities. She sat in fury as Dayna spoke, listening as she clenched her fists, as wishing that she could tear something up.

She looked over to Joachim, laying down. Carmina was also asleep. Somebody had fucked up their job, and Jaquilyn remembered not having volunteered. If Carmina had woken her up in the middle of the night to pass the baton, she couldn't remember. They were lucky to still be alive. SO lucky, for SO many reasons. She spoke quietly, not sure if she wanted to wake up Carmina. "Listen!"

"First to die was David Russell, who either decided he couldn't deal with the stress or went absolutely bugfuck. He walked right off a cliff, splattered all over the rocks, and earned the prestigious Remi Pierce award for lemmings…

She was speechless, and there was so much more.

Joachim was not a drinker. Neither did he intent to start drinking. Maybe it would also impair his ability to stay awake. He could not tell. Not a lot of experiences, after all. Jaq was of different opinion. He was not enterly sure if she was capable of guarding them if she was drunk, so he volunteered to take the first shift. He would wake Jaq later. Maybe. Or Carmina. He'll see about that. Jaq was asleep soon. He was not enterly sure if he was brave enough to wake the dragon.

-

It was good to be alone, even if only in a 'somewhat' way. It gave room to think. Something Joachim really wanted that night. For he realized that he met his inner demon that day. A part of him that enjoyed the thrill. A part that enjoyed the chaos. A part that was destructive. A savage beast. Someone he never thought he would be. He glanced over at Jaq. Was she responsible for awakening that part? Up untill now, he did what she told him. So in a way, he was her pet.... her animal. No, Joachim did not like that image. At most he would be her 'right hand' or something equally poetic. That, he liked better. She'd be the one in charge. She'd be the one responsible.

It was odd for Joachim to realize how important Jaq was for him. There were other people too, Timothy, for example. Joachim wondered where he was at the moment. Whether he was alive. And what he would have to do if they encountered each other. Joachim also wondered whether he would like his old friend or his 'lord' to... survive?

Certainly, an animal would not have to fight with these questions.

-

Joachim dreamed that he was in a long hallway. It had white walls and a grey floor, but stains... of some kind were splattered everywhere. The hallway was brightly lit. So bright that it hurt. Joachim walked along the hallway, his eyes closed.

Heavy breathing. Directly behind him. He did not dare to turn around.

-

Joachim woke up a bit before the sun rose. He forgot to wake on of the girls before he felt asleep. He was lucky that nothing happened, he guessed. He lay in his place for a while. Maybe a hour, maybe even two, but he could not fall asleep again. He was not tired anymore.

Eventually Jaq woke up and the announcements came on. He kept the eyes closed. At first he did it to give them some rest, but then because he could listen to the announcements better this way.

The only names that stung him were Theodore's and Daniel's. For different reasons. He liked both guys, and was a bit sad to know that Daniel died. But Theodore's double kill was unsettling. Very unsettling. The guy who rambled on and on about the concept of tarot was a cold-blooded murderer. Sure, these terrorists might spin a bit, but two kills? Well, Joachim knew whom to avoid... or whom to fight if he felt suicidal.

Oh, and K.K. got a double cheeseburger and two cokes for killing someone. A not-so-little voice in him told him that he should try to get this award too.

He pushed himself from the floor and opened his eyes.

"Morning. Was nearly getting boring... sitting around here."