Survival Of The Fittest

Zipping the tape around the glass shards one last time, Cyrus raised the ersatz spear up and smiled.

"Broomstick should hold, glass shards might break off inside of someone...that'd be both good and bad. The shock of seeing the shards go in, but not out could buy the precious few seconds to escape...this one is good." He gently placed the spear on a counter and walked outside, only to see Karen gone, but replaced by three others. Ian was talking to them, so they SEEMED safe...but he still thought he needed to be wary. Picking up his ice axe, he started toward the group. Ian had a note(possibly from Karen), and the trio that came by seemed to be nervous as can be.

"Can't blame them. They have every right to be afraid...try to be friendly, Cyrus. Try to be friendly." He jogged over to them, smiling. "Hey there, how's it going?" Bella, Juhan, and...Tak...Tako..Takeshi! These three were unremarkable, but who knows what they were assigned? If they aren't murderers, best to stay on their good side.

Sharon was shocked. Steven, her friend, had just left. But they made a promise, a promise to stick together and change for good. She just sat there, her mouth open as her friend left and a void started to open up inside her. She felt betrayed, maybe she really should've seen this coming. She was hardly the nicest person in the world. At the same time though, she never expected him to leave like that. Her mind was confused and her head felt heavy. She didn't even feel angry at the friend who just abandoned her, she just felt empty.

The words that he said, the fact he thought that they were not being saved, echoed in her mind. She probably was stupid for believing there was another way out. A way that didn't involve killing her classmates. She was silly for believing that it could come to that. Why did she believe something stupid like that? After all, some people escaped last game. While some would see that as hope, she knew what it really meant. Higher security, higher everything. There was a very low possibility of escaping, so she wasn't going to bother.

Stuff happened around her and Sharon wasn't really paying attention. More people came, but she didn't bother to come outside. People after people after people. It was almost like a bloody party or something. She wanted some time alone. Her mind was busy trying to come up with a plan, something to do. Was she going to have to play the game? Probably. It almost was an inevitability at this point. It was the smartest option in her mind right now, provided that she didn't start immediately. What good would that do? In the long run, it would only suit to give her enemies, enemies like Steven.

No, she couldn't think of him now. She couldn't stay with these people for a long time. She couldn't. If they found out what she was thinking, they would shut her down quickly. She was small after all, a fact that she didn't like being reminded of. They also had the superior weaponry, well, the ice axe to be precise. She needed to find a way to get it from Cyrus, but she just wasn't sure how. She needed to think about it.

Was she really just going to betray her friends? Sharon ground her teeth as she thought hard about how to proceed. Was she really ready to play the game? Did she have the spirit to play the game? Steven left her, but was that justification for playing the game?  Maybe she should see how this all played out. She needed to think though, and she needed to consider her options. She didn't want to rush. She couldn't rush. Her mind and the thoughts that were in it were providing her sanity and while it didn't completely fill the hole left behind by Steven, it was sure trying it's best to.

Takeshi nodded at the offer. It'd be good to rest again, ideally without a repeat of what happened at the school. He caught sight of a boy approaching with some kind of weapon. It made him a little nervous, but being on the island was nerve-wracking enough that he understood why somebody would want to keep a tight grip on their weapon.

How's it going? Well, I saw my first death today. That kind of ruined my day a little bit.

Takeshi rubbed the back of his head. "Wishing we'd made it to Disneyland." It was the only answer that he knew how to give. Everything about this island was wrong. He didn't even know what the hell the terrorists wanted. They'd never made any demands of the US government, they didn't talk about ideals or anything. There was some talk about ratings, like it was just some hot new drama.

Is that all they want? Is this just entertainment for some sick bastard with too much time and money on his hands?

"I was really looking forward to getting one of those hats with the ears for my little sister."

((Since we've all been confused, here's the post order as of now: VysePresident, SansaSaver, Simpleinsanity, Jimmydalad, Zabriel, me))

Juhan was slightly confused when Karen left and briefly considered going after her, but why? His friends were right here.

He immediately recognized the names Ian mentioned. Cyrus was a Mormon, right? Also liked woodworking and was very helpful. Juhan could trust him. Sharon was the Scottish girl in the book club. The first thing he remembered about her was her temper, but it wasn't like that was all there was to her. He also remembered times when she could be quite nice to her friends.

He smiled at Ian and said, "Hey, thanks! We are kinda tired, to be honest." He started heading towards the mansion when he stopped mid-step and saw Cyrus jogging towards them. He had a mini heart-attack and almost let out a yelp when he saw that axe of his, but he managed to suppress it.

He looked at Cyrus and was about to speak when Takeshi answered first. He simply muttered a quick 'yeah' in agreement with him. and then added, "But other than that, given the situation, we're OK." He wasn't quite ready to bring up Gabriela, Hansel, Daniel, or Francis right now.

Not wanting to dwell on their situation again, he briskly entered the mansion and looked around. Not bad for a place which has probably been abandoned for at least a decade. At least it was better than sleeping on the floor at that high school. He noticed Sharon and greeted her with a 'hey'. He could get used to this. It seemed like they could stay here a while. At least until this place became a danger zone. He turned to the girl and said, "Sharon, are there any beds here? Or at least couches? I'm a bit tired right now."

Okay, that settled that.  Ian wasn't sure what had sparked Cyrus' decision to come over, especially after his remarks from earlier, but that didn't matter because his timing couldn't have been much better.  Whatever doubts there were that still remained needed to be put on hold, because he knew what his choice was going to be in the end anyway, and there was no longer any point to delaying.  In fact, the sooner he passed the notes off, while he could still use Karen's request as an excuse, the better.

"Oh, umm, guys, would you mind getting this paper off my hands?  They're...well, notes."  No kidding, Ian?  Let's try again.  Remember, Speech and Debate was supposed to help you with things like this.  If you could rant without pausing, surely you can handle this, right?

" You saw Karen back there, a moment ago, right?  She wanted to give these to you guys, but I had to pick them up before the wind carried them off.  It's supposed to be a message to her parents, and, well...just look at them.  You'll understand."  

With that, he was pressing them into each of the other's hands, starting with Cyrus, who seemed at least mildly interested to Ian's admittedly biased perception, and ending with Juhan when he came back out of the mansion, perhaps curious as to what had delayed the others.  So that was everyone.  He'd done a passable job of handing out the notes, and terrible puns aside, he had to admit to being a little nervous now that it was all out of his hands, if only for a moment.  He was putting a lot of trust in these people, only one of whom he'd known for longer than a day.  It had probably been the smartest choice under the circumstances, but that didn't mean it wasn't a serious risk.  The quiet, cynical voice that seemed to have permanently occupied the back corner of his mind was busy questioning if the others would recognize the danger that came with even a small gesture or gasp.  Anything that would give the terrorists some hint as to what these notes were was to be avoided at all costs.

That was why, after a moment of fretting, he decided to set the terms of their conversation himself, in a way that allowed them to approach the question indirectly. He waited until he could be reasonably sure that they all had seen the important part, and then spoke up.

"Well, guys, you're welcome to rest in the mansion for a bit, but I wanted to let you guys know I was going to be moving on.  My thought was to search for friends, or anyone else who was just looking to avoid trouble, and hold up here.  If you want to come with me, that'd be cool.  I was thinking a nice, open place like the Northern Coast would be the best place to try and meet with friends.  I'm heading inside now, to get my stuff, but I'll be back in a moment."

Truly Ian, subtlety was thy middle name, not to mention the first and last as well, just in case one didn't get the point the first time.  

Still, it was funny to think how his old plan had come in handy after all, albeit in a very different way than he'd have expected just, what, fifteen minutes ago?

So shortly thereafter, Ian found himself back upstairs with Sharon.  He hesitated a moment, considered passing one of extra notes that were now resting in his pockets to her as well, and decided against it.  Maybe he was being paranoid, but it just felt like it'd be too obvious to do it that way.  So, once again, he found himself explaining things as if he really were going to go along with his old plan.

Now, he was back at the doorway, looking thoughtfully at his shovel leaning against the door way where he'd left it before facing Karen, and for a moment, hesitation and doubt threatened to overwhelm him again.  Why was he doing this?  What did he really hope to accomplish anyway?  

Juhan.  Bella.  Cyrus.  Steven.  Maynard.  Over a hundred of his fellow students trapped on this island with no hope.

That was why.  

Sometimes it didn't matter who you were, or how qualified.  Sometimes, you had to step up when nobody else was willing to take responsibility.  He had a purpose now, one that didn't involve burying his head in the sand.  So, with one weight lifted off his shoulders, and another taking it's place, he and four others set out for the Northern Coast.  

It was all or nothing, but what did that matter when one had nothing to lose anyway?

---

Escape?

Could it really be possible?

Could it really happen?

I hadn't even dared to hope. Not after all that's happened. But if there's a chance...any chance at all...why not take it?

Bella didn't want to die.

And with killing not an option, escape was the only way out. It had to be. And if the offer was right there, extended to her, why not take it? The anxieties protested. The nerves and the panic. They clawed and screamed at her, telling of the risks and what would happen if they failed.

But they couldn't. Bella couldn't let them. She wouldn't let her demons win.

We're going to do it, Garrett! We're going to get out of here!

Her and Garrett and all of the others. The terrorists couldn't win this time. They'd escape, and they'd get their happy ending. All of them. The others wouldn't have died in vain.

Everything would be perfect.

((Mirabella Strong continued in Mischief Managed))

This wouldn't work. Sharon would follow and kill them all, or someone will have been given a note and see it as an opportunity. Feigning remorse, Cyrus frowned.

"Poor girl, she doesn't think that she'll make it through this. Wants to give these notes to as many people as possible for the off chance someone survives. She must really want her parents to think she's sorry." Sticking the note in his back pocket, he began to walk back to the tool shed. He called back at the group.

"I doubt many of y'all have weapons, so I made a spear and hammered some nails into a 2x4. Also, plenty of broken glass and cloth lying around if you want a shiv." He reached down and wrapped his fingers around a strap on his duffel bag once inside. He called out again. "I'll stay in here until you want to go." He sighed. "Otherwise a certain girl might come and take the weapons. She probably feels rather terrified as is, can't imagine the stress of her friend leaving her too. I'd say she's about to go off her rocker at any given time." As he sat, his gaze traveled around the room, stopping at each improvised weapon he made.

"Is this all I'm good for at this point? Making tools to kill other human beings? When did I turn into John Browning?" He sighed, bowing his head. He thought about all of the others. "Wonder what happened to that girl I took to prom...I'm sure she's doing rather well, all things considered. And those gunshots in the distance...wonder who those could be." He shrugged, keeping a firm hold on his ice axe. "Doesn't matter...they come through here, that's when it'll matter." He glanced outside.

"Then again, if they do, I'll probably die. Oh well. Can't win 'em all." He chuckled slightly. "If I was Catholic, I'd be going straight to Hell."

((Minor GM approved by simpleinsanity))

"Why don't you go and find out yourself." Sharon harshly replied, annoyed that her little bubble of thought was interrupted by a bunch of idiots. She was at a crossroads, a pathway which would dictate the path she would take for the rest of the game. Would she be a killer? The thought was there and there was certainly a motive. A way off this island, back home to forge a future. The thought sounded nice. All she needed to do was kill. Kill her classmates, survive to the end and then just forget about everything as she went forward on the pathway of life.

Apparently Ian had given the others notes. Probably about that gamer girl, Karen. Whatever it was, she didn't really care. It was becoming clearer to her that she couldn't just sit around and blindly hope that everything would just pass. That wasn't going to happen and Sharon felt dumb for thinking that it would work. She thought she was being smart, but in the end she was just playing right into the enemies' hands. Once this place was a danger zone, she couldn't stay. It was pretty obvious that if she stayed here for too long, she would die.

Would she play the game though? She couldn't help but ponder this. Was it the smartest thing to do? Sure, it sounded nice. Get out of jail and experience the freedom you long for, in exchange for about 100 lives. When she thought of the context though, it just didn't seem to add up. Killing would be surely what the bastards up there want. It's entertaining, watching classmates kill each other though. While she may find it sickening, there was most definitely an audience, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered with everything in the first place.

If killing was the only way to go ahead, then so be it. If she killed though, she would eventually have to face Steven as an enemy. That thought... facing a former friend. She didn't like it. Sure he ditched her, but Sharon was being a bit of a cock. She was being a coward and he was taking the brave option. The option to fight the killers. The number of kills would rack up if he did hunt them down, meaning that in others' eyes, he will be just a killer.

Yet he served a greater purpose. Greater than something that numbers or statistics could ever understand. Sharon couldn't help but admire that now. Yet, what was he going to do without a weapon? If he didn't have a weapon, he was going to be screwed when he found the players. That was where she came in. She swore she heard Cyrus mentioning something about weapons. However, from what she had said before and factoring in the somewhat paranoid behavior he exhibited, Sharon felt that he wouldn't just give her a weapon.

That was why she waited. Moving quickly, Sharon went to the tool shed and hid behind it, waiting for a sign that Cyrus was not in there. Once he left, Sharon was going to grab anything she could get her hands on for herself and Steven and then run. Then she was going to find him. It couldn't be too hard. After all, there were only so many places he could go to. She would find him. She was sure about that.

Once she saw Cyrus leave the tool shed, Sharon ran for it. She ran inside and quickly looked around. As soon as she saw the spear and the 2x4, she picked them up and ran for it. She ran as fast as she could away from the mansion. She felt bad for leaving them behind, but this was something she could do. She needed to find Steven and help him. After all, she couldn't help but see a little of Melissa within him. That was a good sign.

((Sharon Elizabeth Austin continued in Memories of the City))

Takeshi didn't want to hurt anybody, so having a weapon didn't appeal to him much, though having something to fend off an attacker could be nice. If he'd had martial arts training he could probably do some nice work with a pole or something similar. Then again, getting smacked with a solid piece of wood hurt even if the person swinging didn't have much technique. A hard poke to the nose would be enough to get him time to flee.

"My assigned weapon is a firestarter, so if we need to make a campfire I'm your guy. Might be able to burn down a house with it, if arson is ever necessary. Not going to lie, that would actually be kind of cool. I really don't think I could use anything like a spear on somebody though. Even in defense, I'm not sure how to justify lethal force."

He read the note from the girl to her parents, and then the note under it.

Escape? I can dig that.

"This note makes me feel a little guilty. I spent my night reading manga. I just wanted to hold on to that sense of normal and okay for as long as I could."

Juhan was slightly hurt by the tone of Sharon's response and didn't really understand why she had to be like that. Not wanting to make mountains out of mole hills however, he didn't reply to her and walked a bit further inside. There, he peeked into one of the rooms and saw a few couches. They'd be good enough.

He walked back to the room he entered and found that they were still outside. Wondering what the commotion was about, he walked back outside and saw Ian giving out notes. He promptly received one and looked at the text. He was touched by the first paragraph and could relate to it. While he was very close with both his sister and his mother, something which he was thankful for, his own father was a stranger to him. He only saw his face in the Skype conversations they'd have with him every month. All he knew about him was that he was a journalist in this Estonian newspaper. Juhan now regretted not taking the time to know him. He remembered seeing his father look so happy whenever he showed up in their webcam, and while he smiled as much as he could and laughed with him, none of it was genuine. It was only done out of politeness.

Before he could continue lamenting about his family, Juhan started reading the second paragraph.

Escape. That one dream they'd been begging for ever since they woke up. It was in front of them now. He acknowledged the fact that if he tried joining this plot, he'd most likely be screwed. But he was also screwed if he didn't join. What would he do? Playing wasn't a possibility for him. The other option was to find his friends and then... wait it out? Wait for the rescues to magically save them? Or until someone came and tried strangling him? If he was to die, he'd die with no regrets. He'd try to make a difference with his last few days.

He was snapped out of his thoughts yet again when Cyrus called out. While the thought of merely holding a weapon made him shudder, it was only logical that he try to get something to defend himself. No matter how creative you could get, there was simply no way one could defend himself with a party hat and some candy. Speaking of creativity... Juhan didn't know how to make a shiv. He could recite, on the spot, every formula used to get the x-intercepts, yet he couldn't for the life of him figure out how to fashion a weapon out of some shards of glass and cloth. It was shameful, really.

He shouted 'Thanks' at Cyrus and went to the tool shed to get that spear he was talking about. Yet when he arrived, he saw plenty of gardening tools but no plank or spear. He called out to the boy. "Hey, where did you put that spear, Cyrus?"

"Sharon just stole them and ran. Can't blame her." Cyrus looked around the tool shed, picking up a shard of glass. He grabbed the duct tape again, wrapping some around the duller end. As quick as he could, he grabbed his ice axe and began hacking at the nearest empty shelf. Picking up a jagged plank, he looked over at Juhan.

"Take what you can, but be quick. We don't want to be left behind." He dropped the prison-shank and the piece of wood on the table before jogging toward the rest of the group. He called back at Juhan. "Whatever you do, just don't take a mop or something stupid like that!"

It was only until Cyrus had run off that he realized he could've made another spear using a mop handle. He was mildly upset.

(Cyrus White continued elsewhere)

"Wait, wait, she what?"

He couldn't think up a reason as to why she'd run off. Had they scared her off or something? Had they irritated her too much? She did seem ticked off when he saw her just a few minutes earlier. Also, how was Cyrus so nonchalant about that? She just left their group behind and stole some weapons in the process and the only thing he says is 'Can't blame her'?

He wished he could be like that. He let stuff like that affect him too much, and he feared that that would be the death of him on this island. He said to Cyrus, "Thanks for the weapons! And yeah, I'll hurry!" He put the prison shank in a pocket in his bag and dragged the jagged plank behind him.

Juhan was perfectly aware that joining this escape plan was indisputably the dumbest and riskiest decision he'd made. However, he was also aware that it might be the most important as well. With that, he picked up the pace and ran towards his group.

((Juhan Levandi continued in Mischief Managed))

Takeshi shrugged off the theft, considering he hadn't wanted a weapon anyway. He decided to have a look in the shed, just in case there was something useful to be had. His eyes passed over the glass and wooden planks, uninterested by them. He was about to leave empty-handed when he spotted a rusting leaf rake in the corner of the shed.

The metal bit is a bit awkward, but that could be cut off, and then you've got yourself a nice poking stick...

Takeshi grabbed the rake and quickly followed after the group.

(Takeshi Yoshikawa continued elsewhere)