Survival Of The Fittest

"Will you give it a rest already!?" Lauren snapped at Liam. She hadn't intended to speak quite so forcefully, but various irritants and the whole situation in general were starting to get to her. It was all she could do to stop herself from throwing in some comment about Liam's own trustworthiness. Now was not the time to make enemies and cause trouble within the group.

"It's bad enough that you're calling Lenny and Elizabeth liars, but James? Why would he lie about something like that? It's completely ridiculous! The entire concept is ridiculous!" Lauren stopped raving at the boy for a few seconds in order to give herself time to compose herself again. There was nothing to be gained by shouting at each other, even if it did feel good to let out her anger.

"Maybe Shameeca killed some people this morning. Maybe she was responsible for some of those kills yesterday... you know, the ones that they didn't name the killers for. Or maybe, just maybe, she didn't find any targets before James, or has some sort of vendetta against him, or any of the hundreds of theories that are more likely than the one that you came up with. Honestly, who would take a hostage in a situation like this? There's no point to it! You'd have to be completely batshit insane to even think about keeping an enemy with you all the time. Why not just hand them a knife and turn your back on them, while you're at it?"

She was losing her temper again. Stress sometimes makes people do things that are really against their better judgment. Oh well, it wasn't as if changing the last few seconds of her outburst would have made everybody forget about the shouting she had done right at the beginning, and now that it was out of her system, Lauren really did feel a little better. Unfortunately, in a group this large there was probably at least one person staring at her after the sudden outburst, so the tiny bit of stress relief was outweighed by the discomfort of knowing that she'd probably just embarrassed herself in front of everybody. The fact that 'everybody' included just about the entire nation was something she tried not to think about too much.

"Don't worry, James," she remarked. "We'll make sure Shameeca doesn't get to you." It probably wasn't really necessary to say it, given her previous display, but she felt like reaffirming her position anyway. If this were a movie or a play she probably would have crossed over to the other side of the tree as a symbolic gesture, but doing so seemed silly in reality... not to mention she didn't really feel like moving or drawing even more attention to herself at the moment. Nothing left to do except wait for something else to happen.

((OOC: My character is really cool, guys.))

Eris Marquis walked briskly down the trail, making good time towards a large, hollowed tree.

That's neat, she thought, squinting through the dark night. She wanted to see if anyone was inside, or around the area. The effects of the large bottle of vodka had completely worn off, and her headache had faded away to a feeling of slight nausea. In short, it was nothing too serious. What had passed in the jungle between herself and Jim Middleton felt like a dream, and Eris wondered what had really transpired, if anything at all. It was bad enough that she had dirt caked under her nails, and that her clothes were damp and becoming smelly; she didn't need to go and look (even more) undignified on camera.

Even though Eris was still too far away to see clearly, she heard a loud voice boom triumphantly from the general vicinity of the tree.

Normally, she would have turned tail and run as far away as possible, but she felt braver after having spent some time in the jungle learning how to work the gun (a Taurus PT 111, she recalled with pride). She'd read the manual four times, and practiced dismantling, reassembling, loading and shooting repeatedly. It was always enjoyable to learn, even in such dire circumstances.

Furrowing her brow, Eris stalked quietly towards the hollow tree.

Upon arriving, she had already heard and recognized the voices of all the people who were there(or at least the ones who were speaking). The only one that really mattered to her was the annoying and pompus asshole who could only be Liam Black.

He talks like he's forty, she thought, not without some irony.

This will shut him up.

Eris took careful aim at the back of Liam's knee and depressed the trigger four times. His back had been turned, and at least one of the bullets should hit him, and if nothing else, he should at least empty his bowels in the most embarrassing manner.

To Liam, Lauren just didn't get it. Only he was smart enough to understand, at this rate... Why wouldn't anyone listen?!? "Now, look he-"

That's when a bullet entered his leg. A surge a pain went through his body immediately. Didn't hit the knee as intended, though. Liam immediately, out of reflex, lifted his leg, the other bullets whizzing past. He dived for the cover of the tree's interior, catching a glimpse of Eris. Eris Marquis. What. A. Bitch.

Liam took out his garroting wire. He'd leave her to Lenny, who also had a gun... But he might just get a chance to kill her. "Hey, hey, HEY! ERIS, YOU BITCH! GET PERMISSION BEFORE YOU SHOOT AT SOMEONE!"

He looked at Lenny, sternly. "Alright, argument suspended! We've got company, this ain't Shamecca, but she's trouble, alright! Also, I call dibs on her gun! Compensation, ya know."

Liam looked at his wound. Not to bad for a bullet wound, he could walk for a bit without too much trouble, and there wasn't much bleeding either. Must be the place where it was lodged. Still hurt like fuck, though. He got onto his feet, and rushed over to Lenny, whispering, "I'll try and get her from behind, if I do, I'll whistle, alright?"

Then he rushed over to the other exit of the tree. He could sneak around, and get Eris from behind, unawares. In this light, Eris wouldn't be able to notice him in the middle of a firefight, especially if Liam was careful.

Liam snuck around the side, and hid, waiting for his oppertunity to arise. If he could get Eris' gun, his time on this island could go all the more smoother...

((And slight edits, just to note that the bullet wound did indeed hurt like hell.))

"He's insane," Anna said rather bluntly towards Lulu. "He thinks that if someone twitches then there's a reason for it. Only a foolish fool would foolishly be fooled by this fool... yes, I quite like how that came out. I liked that alot." She smiled, turning towards Lenny for a brief moment. "Lenny... I don't know if you'll listen to me, but I doubt Shameeka would go after James by herself. Either he did something to really twist her gears or... she's bringing friends. I suggest that we-"

A gunshot rang out and the sound made Anna jump. She didn't know what a gunshot sounded like but she took a very educated guess. Anna winced as she turned around to look at Liam stumbling across the ground, blood pouring everyone. How is it even possible for him to be able to walk? "Oh dear... I regret to say this, but I feel as though I'm in the uncanny valley right now... oh my, did that inside joke come out alright? I hope I did..."

Anna became serious. She turned over to Lulu and gave her a smile. "We're leaving. I knew something like this was going to happen to us." She turned to Lenny. "Lenny. If you want you can follow us. While this girl is distracted with killing Liam me and Lulu will be slipping out the back. Don't hesitate to come along, we're only on your side."

She looked over at Lulu, sighing slightly. "Are you ready Lu-doll? We should bring Lauren along with us. Can't just go with just the two of us."

Lulu listened to Lenny's speech. He had a point. She had never trusted Liam before. He seemed crazy and violent, always ranting about something or another. He never made sense. But Lenny...He seemed logical. He seemed like he was sound of mind, like he had a real plan. In Lulu's head, she wanted to believe him.

When Lenny asked her if she would stand by them, she nodded and stood up, picking up her scythe. "Alright!", She said excitedly. Elizabeth's request of help confirmed Lulu's decision. She would stand by this group and help. She just hoped Liam wouldn't object. Hoping he wouldn't argue further.

James was staring at Liam. This boy was indeed smart, figuring it out. He had a feeling that Liam wasn't just your average student. If Lenny, James and Elizabeth had happened upon anyone else, would they have figured it out? James had no clue, but he wouldn't...Couldn't, reveal the truth. He had to keep playing his part. He prayed deep in his heart that if Shameeca did come to his rescue, she wouldn't get injured. He'd have to concur with Lenny about that situation later, if possible.

James realized that Bree hadn't entered his mind in awhile. He felt terrible about it, but Bree was honestly the least of his problems. He took a deep breath and looked over at Liam. "Fine. Believe what you will. Believe your little delusions. Lenny is my friend. Elizabeth is my friend. They're protecting me. And yes, Liam. You made yourself clear all right. Clear that you're an absolute delusional psychopath!", James spat. He thought he was playing this role too well. Was he starting to believe that he really was Lenny's friend?

A wave of relief washed over James when Lauren supported his case. Well, slight relief. He was still worried that harm would come to Shameeca, which would be absolutely terrible. He nodded at Lauren. "Thank you.", He said with a grin.

Lulu however, was surprised by Lauren's outburst. It was unlike her, but in a way, Lulu respected her. She grinned at Lauren as she stood up for James, Lenny and Elizabeth. She knew that she was with good people and felt comforted.

However, when shots were fired, Lulu screamed. She covered her head and dropped her scythe, since she had no clue where the shots were coming from. James flinched as well, looking around. That's when he realized that it was Liam who was being shot at. He couldn't help but grin a little. Grin? At someone being SHOT at? "Geez, this game really is twisting me."

However, Liam was trying to convince everyone to attack Eris. James thought it was kind of ridiculous. Liam went and called Lenny, Elizabeth and James liars and then wanted them to kill off someone that was trying to kill him? Geez, like that was going to happen.

James realized that Anna was preparing to leave, which was a smart choice. Anna wanted to bring Lulu and Lauren along, which was a good idea. Those girls seemed reasonably nice and sane. She told Lenny that they could come with them if they wished, that she was on their side. James nodded at Anna. "Alright, thanks for the offer.", He told her. He leaned in closer to Lenny. "What should we do?", James asked, addressing the whole situation. What should they do about the girl shooting at Liam..Where should they go? It was a lot to think about.

Lulu immediately rushed over to Anna, nodding rapidly. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. "Yes, we really should leave..Are you coming Lauren?", She asked the other girl, she girl who so bravely stood up to Liam. She also glanced over at James, who looked like he was thinking.

((OOC: Sorry for fucking up the post order, but meh.))

Carson had been listening for a bit. He honestly wasn't sure who to stick with; being his own little faction wouldn't do him any good, since all he had was a dinky little corkscrew.

He eventually decided to leave with the girls, but not until this firefight was over. He put his DS away, stood up, and turned to them.

"We aren't leaving one of our own behind. Liam may be a bit crazy, but he hasn't hurt us yet, and he could be one hell of an asset if we keep him. We've got cover, so we can wait this firefight out pretty well... failing that, Lenny, Liam, and I can at least severely injure this Eris bitch and get her gun. The only problem here, in my opinion, is whether or not we want to integrate Lenny's little group into our own, which may be a good idea."

He sighed.

"Even if my idea sounds like it has no chance of working... zero percent chances are like one hundred percent chances to me."

(Ehh fuck it, breaking post order.)

Anna sighed, looking over at Carson in a string of annoyance.. "You know... YOU are in no position to give orders around here boy. Sitting away from us, playing that... thing, whatever that is. And you think you have a full grasp of the situation?" She gave the boy a cold stare. "Liam got into the situation himself, and a few minutes ago he was trying to break us apart. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, waving his arms around like a lunatic and he attracted trouble. I don't see why we should save him. What I hate more than a deceitful bastard is a man who tries to play hero. Besides the only person here who is capable of defending themselves from an attack is Lenny, Lulu and... Me. Certainly not you, YOU don't seem like the type who would know how to fight fisticuffs."

She smiled. "Then again, there's nothing stopping you from running out there and attacking the girl yourself. She's close to the tree, she probably won't expect it. She'll still shoot you but it'll distract her enough so we can get out of here. Quite frankly I don't care what happens to him but you can certainly kill yourself to save Liam, a boy you don't know, a boy that could kill you in one second. Certainly doesn't matter to me."

Carson pulled his corkscrew out of his daypack. It had a bit of dried blood on it, but he figured it would work.

"You know, Anna... I'll take you up on that offer. It's 3 on 1 odds, our favor." He calmly walked out of the hollow tree. Right as he neared the exit, he stopped and cocked his head over to Anna.

"Oh, and I quit playing my DS a couple hours ago. I've been listening. Like I said, even if Liam's a bit crazy, he's a hell of an asset." He was bluffing about not playing the DS, but he had been half-listening to the ongoing conversation even so. He resumed his steady walk over to Liam's exit and walked around the side, just as the wounded man had. He looked at Liam.

"Got your back, man," he whispered.

As the shots rang out, Lenny and Elizabeth both ducked down.

This could be it.

Shameeca could finally have came, finally have reached them.

Lenny felt his grip tighten on his handgun, ready to fight against anyone who came to threaten his sister or take James away from him. Liam was the one who got shot, and not too surprisingly, the bullet didn't put him down, it only spurred him on.

Leaving the cover of the hollow tree Liam went on a flanking mission. Now, Lenny had a couple choices. Help Liam fight the mysterious intruder who could very well be Shameeca, though by now she would have called Lenny out, so he doubted it was her.

Or he could take the advice of the girls and leave. Not only would he be safe from Liam and the shooter, but he would be with a group that genuinely believed James was in trouble. A group that would fight with him. Boy would Shameeca be surprised when she came.

Then Carson made his stand, against everyone and siding with Liam, only to take off to help Liam fight the intruder.

"Let them both go get killed."

Lenny looked at everyone else.

"I want to live to see the dawn, so I'm getting out of here. Thanks for sticking by us. I'll take the lead."

Lenny kept in a crouch as he moved to the opposite exit, and as he walked away he looked at James. He hoped the boy knew if he tried to escape he would be put down quick. Lenny didn't even need to be a good shot at this range.

He wouldn't miss.

Elizabeth was grateful for the company of Anna, Lulu, and Laura. It seemed a lot of problems were coming from the testosterone fueled power trips, and to have sane females would help things. Especially if she was going to help James live to see tomorrow night. Despite her brother's lie, she was glad that everyone was falling for it. Even James was going in on the act. Not that she approved of the lie, or the game, but she knew following Lenny was the safe thing. At least for now. He had a good weapon, and despite his...rapidly decaying mental state he seemed more sane than half the killers on the island.

He was an enigma she couldn't understand, but knew if she wanted to live she should stick by him. She knew that Carson was making a mistake. To come with Lenny would mean protection, and to stay with Liam would mean putting yourself in unnecessary harm.

She sighed, as she followed her brother into the dark.

((Lenny and Elizabeth Priestly continued at When We Die))

Anna was flabbergasted. "Uhh... well," she exclaimed, curling her lips up. "I certainly underestimated his stupidity." She turned to Lauren and Lulu. "Just leave them. We have no reason to help them if their only wish is to be foolish... or something along those lines. I was thinking about this very good analogy but I've forgotten..." Anna shrugged and followed after both Elizabeth and Lenny quickly.

(Continued in When We Die))

"Oh, piss."

Liam whispered to himself and Carson, groaning. Those jackasses had abandoned them. Including the only bastard with the gun. Then again, Lenny would just LOVE to get rid of him, due to the huge thorn he was being in his side. He took note of the direction they ran off to. And Carson was his only ally... The only person who would stick by him. He actually called him "one hell of an asset".

Liam smirked at Carson, whispering, "Thank you. Seriously. That's one of the very few times I have EVER said those two words. Very few people have ever trusted me... Not even my own family liked me, because they blamed me for mum's death... Wednesday is dead, and Clive was merely an aquaintance, I didn't like him much either. Now, as for Eris, I'll-"

He tried to make a stealthly movement with his wounded leg... Then a pain shot through it. His eyes widened, as he realised how bad his situation was. He whispered, "Fuck, fuck, fuck... My leg is gonna hold me back. That argument got me so pumped that I didn't even notice the pain before..."

He took a quick glance around the corner. They were surprisingly damn close to Eris, and she apparently hadn't noticed, and with the way Liam had moved around, he was sure Eris wouldn't have a clue where he had went. He looked back at Carson. He continued to whisper, sure that his volume wouldn't be heard by their attacker. "Okay... You get her first, try and get the gun - try and tackle her or some other movement that would stop her from fighting back with the gun. Make good use of your corkscrew, too. I'll be right behind you, and I'll try and strangle her with the wire. If she turns towards us, find another hiding spot, we'll be hard to spot in this darkness. If we get out of this alive... We'll wait for Shamecca, lead her to Lenny, and I'll try and get the whole story out of her."

He motioned for Carson to make his move, preparing his garroting wire, keeping watch on Eris, being careful not to be spotted.

((And one note: I should have clarified before that that entire argument scene was basically planned by me and Theseus, and he thought Liam's accusation was pretty awesome as well.))

After shooting off her gun Eris didn't move. She stood in the same spot drooling like an idiot.

((OOC: I guess that's what I get for thinking that no one would jump the gun and skip Munnin's/my turn in post order. Whoever wanted to have their characters leave with Lenny should just ignore my post and get them out ))

Then again, Eris did have time to stand around and do nothing but listen to everyone she just shot at in the tree have an entire conversation about the finer points of being attacked, and how they should proceed. After all, she could hear every word they were saying since she was just outside the one entrance. Did they know? She had rolled her eyes a little bit when Liam and Carson expressed their desire to take her down with garroting wire and a corkscrew. Laughable.

All the same, it was scary to think that someone was plotting to kill you in the immediate area. She'd just wanted to show him that he wasn't as great as he seemed to think he was. This was a little more than she'd bargained for.

Then again, she still had a huge advantage: the gun. As much as these boys thought they knew how to disarm a person, the fact was that they were all high school kids and definitely did not have that kind of knowlege in their everyday arsenal. The same could be said of her, though. Eris didn't know evasive manouevres, except to run really really fast.

But I never really was a runner...

Keeping a firm grasp on her Taurus, Eris edged away from the forest and into the middle of the trail. She then stepped into the hollow tree, pointing her gun at whoever had not followed Lenny out.

"I'm not going to shoot you as long as you stay back."

"...Please."

(Diiiinahh, I like your icon. <33 very adorable!)

Lulu cringed when Carson called Liam 'one of their own.' She didn't really think of Liam as part of the group. Besides, sticking with them would just risk their lives further. She had no qualms about sticking with Lenny's group and getting the hell out of there.

Lulu just watched as Anna chided Carson. She definitely had a point. Why would Carson help someone he barely knew? Lulu honestly had no clue and didn't want to question it further. It was about this point that Carson teamed up with Liam. Honestly, it made sense. Liam and Carson were similar, in ways. It was only natural that they would team up.

James looked over at Lenny, analyzing his facial features. He appeared to be thinking. Probably about this situation. Would he stay or would he leave? It didn't really matter to James. James had no say. If Lenny stayed and fought, James would have to help. If Lenny left, James would have to follow. Honestly, James wanted to leave but his preference didn't matter.

As Lenny got into a crouch and led the way, his eyes met James. James just stared back, a steely look in his eyes. It seemed to say, "I won't betray you as long as you don't hurt Shameeca or me." but that would have been one hell of a look. So his eyes looked more or less apathetic and a little anxious. James got into a crouch, following Lenny and Elizabeth. He looked behind to see if Anna, Lauren and Lulu were coming.

Grabbing her bag and her scythe, Lulu followed behind James. She wasn't sure where they were going, but Lenny was in the lead. Maybe he knew a nice safe spot. A safe spot away from Shameeca. It scared Lulu to think that if James was attacked, she would have to fight. She would have to help him. She wasn't too sure what her war scythe could do and she had no real skills with weaponry, so she probably wouldn't be the best help, but she would try. She would try her hardest, even if she died. If she did die, she'd be okay with it. At least she tried.

((Lulu Altaire and James Martinek continued at When We Die))

((Breaking post order ONE last time, since I have an idea, and Liam won't be able to attack Eris anyway. I'm so sorry.))

Liam suddenly motioned for Carson not to make a move, as Eris had moved into the tree. Shit. Their ability to sneak-attack her was now comprimised... Unless... He immediately whispered to Carson, "Go to the other side of the tree, and I'll distract her. Hopefully, you can get the oppertunity to attack her from behind. If I can negociate a cease-fire with her, don't attack."

He took a step out from behind the tree that he was positioned behind, and limped over to the hollowed tree, a little off to the side so he could move to avoid any shots being fired by hiding behind the outside of the tree. His terribly un-stealthy steps would have alerted Eris to him. He held his hands up to show that he had no intention of attacking her, and that he was too wounded to fight her anyway.

"Why the hell did you shoot me, Eris?"

The gunshot wound throbbed. Liam groaned from the pain, but tried to shake it off. "Honestly, if you wanted to make a good impression, you shouldn't shoot people! Especially on this island! People would think you're playing! So if you're not intent on killing everyone, then why did you shoot me? Do you hate me? I am in NO mood to kill anyone, I've had a horrible enough time on this island as it is. But you forced my hand, fight-or-flight, self-defense, you know how it is."

He sighed... He wanted to be convincing. If he could get Eris on his side... Another person to use against Lenny. Perfect. "All I was doing... Was trying to convince my fellow students not to completely trust that jackass, Lenny. He says that he's protecting James from Shamecca, and I don't trust him. I could tell he was holding poor James hostage. Shamecca is coming to rescue James, and Lenny is telling everyone that she's the enemy. I know she isn't, and poor James was forced to lie in his defense. You can help us take down Lenny, if I'm right!"

Liam stared at Eris, and made his final statement. "Eris. If you're not playing, help us. Help me find the full truth. I might be wrong, sure, but I wasn't trying to break anyone apart. You don't trust people who deliberately lie to their own group. If I did something to make you hate me, then I apologize deeply for that. I'm not a social person. Heck... Even I think I'm a bit crazy. But together, we can watch each others backs, help each other survive."

He finished his little speech, with, "So, if you hate me that much to put a bullet in my brain, do it. If you're not playing, don't shoot. We could prevent unecessary blood from being spilled. And really, I can only do bugger all on my own. Lenny's got a gun, I don't. I'm not Jesus Christ, I'm just a bloody high school kid with a bullet wound, a garroting wire and a stapler. What the hell am I supposed to do on this island, alone?"

Carson answered Liam promptly.

"Will do," he said with a nod. He kept his crouching position, and walked slowly over to the other side of the tree. He then waited intently while Liam gave Eris a speech that would either work perfectly or do absolutely fuck all to help the not-so-dynamic duo. Carson was leaning a bit towards the latter, based on what he knew of Eris, which amounted to her name and the fact that she shot Liam without any provocation whatsoever.