Survival Of The Fittest

((GMing of Finn approved. Making some assumptions about the sequence of events based on Zab's post, pm me if something's off))

For some reason, Finn told Matt about the gun and let him have it. That was good; it meant he was building trust. Trust that he could betray in that instant. Matt felt that empty hollowness rise from within him at that realization. He didn't deserve that trust.

Still, Finn was also worth a lot more alive than dead, even if only for Matt's sanity.

He took the gun and went outside, only to see the back of one person, and Juhan.

"Uh, hi," Matt said.

Juhan seemed a bit skittish, though. He said that he was just leaving, and was waiting for his friend. Ian Williams came out of one of the rooms eventually, and the two of them left.

Matt and Finn stayed there the rest of the day, and again slept in the two rooms. When the announcements played and the hotel was called as a danger zone, Matt could feel the adrenaline pumping. He had to get out of there.

He and Finn were out well before their collars would have blown.

((Finn and Matt continued elsewhere))

---

It shouldn't have been so hard to cross a freaking doorway.

Ian heard Juhan calling, he tried to answer, but then he was gagging, choking back the bile in his mouth again.  It was so stupid.  He'd known it was coming, he'd known he'd have to leave sooner or later, but always he'd hesitated and delayed.  

There'd been plenty of excuses, after all, between the rain and what all.  It was impossible to pinpoint any particular moment they'd decided to stay the extra day. They hadn't really come to a consensus, they'd barely even mentioned it.  The day had just sort of slipped away, and perhaps that was for the best.

The truth wasn't something he could explain, after all. The others didn't understand, and perhaps they couldn't.  He didn't even fully understand himself.  There were no words to describe the sheer terror he'd felt facing Paulo, no way of explaining what it meant to realize you could die at any moment.  To be helpless.

But they were calling.  They'd leave.  He had to go.   Being alone was worse.  He didn't want to worry them.  That wouldn't be right, he wasn't supposed to be the problem.

He stood up, will alone allowing him some semblance of control as he faced the door again.  He hesitated, took a deep breath, and stepped across.  It shouldn't have been so hard.  He turned to face Juhan and another person.

The false smile died on his lips as quickly as it had come.   The other boy had a gun.  He stared for a moment, his expression uncertain, his body frozen.  Helpless.  

The other boy said something awkwardly, and walked back into the room.  Ian stood a moment longer, then nodded to Juhan.

"Sorry."

He was silent for a long time afterwards.

---

Juhan simply looked oddly at Takeshi as he suddenly left. That was Dawn of the Dead he was talking about. The version he watched ended with the mall being overwhelmed by zombies, and the survivors escaping to an island that was also infested. He didn't really see what was wrong with the hotel. It was a literal labyrinth of rooms, and they were only getting out to get some supplies. This was what Juhan thought until Matt came out.

With a gun in his hand.

Despite the fact that he had been on SOTF for a week by now, and that most of his friends had died by now, he had still never been confronted by someone with a weapon. Not one player had come after them.

"Hi. We're just leaving, don't need to... just waiting for someone," Juhan stuttered out.

Words escaped him right now. Ian still wasn't here, and he had no idea what to do.

Thankfully, Matt went back in, and Ian came. Juhan glared at him, and ran. He ran down the stairs, past the corpses, and continued doing so until he was out the hotel.

((Juhan Levandi continues in Glass))