Survival Of The Fittest

Missed again, shit! Good thing he’s never been able to shoot himself with the damn thing, otherwise Emmett would probably fuck that up too.

It wasn’t a complete farce though, bits of blood littered the ground where Jon was. It may have only been a glancing hit, but it’s still a hit. Emmett started to reload. He was getting low, probably only had enough for two more volleys after this one.

Emmett started to circle the tree, barrel pointed to where he thought he’d find Jonathan. It felt so wrong to actively hunt someone like this. It wasn’t like with Myles, now Emmett knew he had the intentions of killing someone, and it made him feel sick.

“Come on out, let’s finish this already!”

Jonathan felt his heart freezing for a few seconds and he was sweating a little, feeling that he was about to go into a panic attack at any moment. But he had to keep it together if he was going to end things with Emmett. He never really thought that he wanted to hurt people before but now.... It seemed like something so easy for him to do. It felt so WRONG.

"...."

He remained silent. He didn't want to made his location easy for Emmett to shoot at him again. He really didn't like guns at all....

He peeked around the tree and noticed that Emmett was walking pass him, making him hold his breath a little.

He shuffled up to his feet and he was just standing inches behind Emmett.

Just do it! Stop hesitating...!

He felt his vision start to cloud over with blurry tears.

Stop wussing out and live for once in your life, Jonathan!

He started up the chainsaw again and he swung the saw right at Emmett's left side of his body, knowing that he could never take this back ever again.

The rev of that damned chainsaw coming to live made Emmett nearly shit himself as he turned around, using the rifle to brace for impact, sparks flying as he narrowly avoided getting decapitated right then and there.

Emmett became pinned to the tree behind him as the distance between him and the saw got smaller and smaller. He screamed as sparks burned into his face as the blade struck the barrel, before the corner of the chainsaw managed to press into his shoulder, cutting through flesh into muscle and sinew.

Emmett brought his leg up, and push kicked Jon in the chest, sending him stumbling back so Emmett could get out of that situation. He stepped forward, and whacking Jon across the jaw with the butt of his gun, before bringing his arm back, and smashing him in the nose with it.

He growled as he leveled the barrel at Jonathan’s chest, ready to fire, before Jon smacked the barrel with his chainsaw, sending the shots skyward.

All Emmett had now was an unwieldy bludgeon, but honestly it’s doing him better as that than an actual gun. He parried a swing from the saw with his barrel, and pushed it forward into Jon’s gut jabbing him with it like it was a spear before running him into a tree.

He lurched back, ready to swing the butt of his gun into Jon’s face again.

Jonathan was not the best fighter. He knew that to be true but he was trying his best against Emmett and all he could do was take a lot of hits from the other boy. But he managed to fight back quite a bit. He was bleeding from his broken nose once more and now his back was against a tree, his back was aching painfully from the impact. He couldn't let Emmett win this fight. He selfishly wanted to live and he really did have to get rid of Emmett if he wanted to make that all true. He couldn't give up on life now. He just couldn't give up on everything.

He noticed the butt of the gun aiming for his face and Jonathan let out a small howl of frustration as he swung the chainsaw squarely at the weapon. Pushing it aside, now he had a more clearer shot at Emmett's defensive body. He drive his fist straight into the side of Emmett's cheek and he was satisfied as he heard something cracking in the process. He had broken a bone and he knew that it was sick and disgusting to feel pleasure from hurting someone else. But he couldn't stop now. He had to finish the job soon.

He used his free, bleeding hand to grab Emmett by the back of his hair and he slammed his knee into Emmett's stomach with a determinated force, hoping to knock the wind out of the other boy to make him collapse and not get up again. Then Jonathan could finish him off without any more problems from Emmett and then he would leave the girls alone to go after other people who didn't deserve to go back home.

"F.....Fuck off!"

Emmett stumbled backwards, tripping over his feet and landing on his ass. He coughed and held his chest, gasping for air as he rolled over and spit a tooth onto the ground. He remembered the hallucination yesterday, and how real it felt. It couldn’t prepare him for this, he wasn’t a fighter. He was already worn out and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep up.

He grabbed the barrel of his gun, and swung it upwards with all of his force like a baseball bat, an audible crack heard as it collided with Jon’s head, knocking him down. Emmett screamed and grasped his shoulder where Jon had cut him up. The adrenaline was wearing off way too fast and he was starting to feel everything that was happening to him.

He forced himself to stand up and started to hobble over towards Jonathan. He had to finish this while he still had the energy. He drug the rifle through the dirt behind him as he tightened his grip on the barrel.

He couldn’t mentally prepare himself for the pain he’d feel from his shoulder when he raised the makeshift club above him in a downward swing, so he did the only thing he could.

Emmett screamed.

Jonathan didn't want to die and he closed his eyes as Emmett screamed above him with the weapon of choice.

He didn't want to die.

Didn't want to die.

Didn't want to....

I want to die....

Jonathan snapped his eyes open as Emmett was swinging downwards and he rolled his body to the side, feeling more dizzy from the whack to his face that he had received from Emmett. He felt like he was about to throw up at any moment and he swallowed back that sick feeling. He sat up and he picked up the turned-on chainsaw that he had dropped gingerly. He forced himself up to his feet slowly and he was trying to focus on Emmett in front of him, feeling it was a bit hard to breathe through his nose and he was breathing through his mouth with a bit of a struggle.

"N....Not yet. I can't lose this. I won't let you win, I won't let you, I won't let you, Emmett!" He was muttering softly to himself but he was sure that Emmett had heard him and he wobbled on his feet slightly. He had to finish this soon. He couldn't let this go on between them. "...End this all."

Emmett just stared at Jon while he spoke. Emmett gave him a choice and this is what Jon chose to do. He didn’t want to be here, he didn’t want to do this, he wanted Jon to have another chance, but that wasn’t gonna happen, not now.

The taste of iron filled his mouth as his jaw throbbed. Any movement sent fire down his arm. His shirt was already soaked red in blood. When Jon told him to ‘End this all’ Emmett felt that.

One more time he screamed. One more time he swung.

Jonathan felt himself screaming in the process as well while Emmett was screaming and swinging his weapon again. He just wanted it all to stop, stop, stop, stop! He didn't want to do any of this any more. He just wanted to stop all of this. He hated it all.

"JUST STOP IT!!"

He felt himself yelling and he was now swinging the chainsaw in a blind mind. Not care if it hit himself or Emmett anymore.

Emmett missed his swing.

Jonathan...


Didn’t.

Emmett felt the chainsaw tear into his back and through his ribs as blood jettisoned out of his mouth. He dropped his rifle and stumbled forward into the tree, gagging and gasping for air.

This fight was as good as over, and once again, Emmett failed to do anything worthwhile. Only difference now was that it was finally him paying for it.

Blood dribbling out his mouth, he struggled to stand, holding onto the tree as if it was the thing keeping him alive, as if he still had a chance.

Gasping for air, he could do nothing but stare at Jonathan.

Jonathan could only stare back at Emmett and then he stared down at the chainsaw that now had Emmett's blood on it. He was trying hard to not let himself panic over hurting Emmett like this and he felt himself breathing more heavily and nervously. He couldn't let himself get distracted by the look on Emmett's face and he could feel the guilt sinking in again. Emmett had always been right....

Jonathan never wanted any of this. But now he had to put Emmett out of his misery.

He felt himself hesitating from doing the job. He frowned at himself for having a moment of hesitation and he forced himself to take slow steps towards the wounded boy.

"I...." He felt himself staring at what he had done to Emmett and he felt his voice breaking down. "I'm sorry, Emmett...."

He stopped his hands from shaking and he raised the chainsaw to swing it once more at Emmett, breaking down more shakily.

Through labored breaths he could only look at Jon and his reaction to what he did. This was... fair. Emmett caused Jonathan to do this, and now he was going to die to him. He could handle that. It was far too late to apologize, Emmett knew he deserved it.

But... what happens after him? What about Willow, or Katrina or someone else? Jon wasn’t going to stop with Emmett, he knew that. He saw Cecil, ran through by Adonis. He saw Emil’s face broken into nothing. He saw Sapphire bleeding out, helpless and scared. It was too late for Emmett, and it was too late for Jon. No matter what, he couldn’t let Jon leave to hurt someone who didn’t deserve it.

So when Jon swung the chainsaw, Emmett ducked, and caught the engine block. With all his might he pushed up, struggled against Jon to push the blade back into him. Obviously he didn’t have the strength to do that, Jon was much stronger in his state, and the saw came right back. All Emmett could do was push upwards and redirect where the blade landed. The saw passed above his shoulder and skidded up on the tree, sending wood chunks into Emmett’s head, followed by sparks, then a loud CLANK as the chain broke. The saw was now toothless, and would kill nobody else.

At the very least, Jon would have a lot more trouble killing people now. Emmett breathed as much of a sigh of relief as he could. All those people who died by that thing, Emmett was the last one.

His eyes trailed to the ground as he looked at his own blood pooling below him, and the bits of wood and... metal? That floated along in-

It was over for the both of them... Jon wouldn’t kill anyone else either. Those bits of metal were the remains of one of Danya’s cameras. They just broke the most important rule of this fucked up game. You know what that means.

There were two simultaneous beeps coming from Emmett and Jonathan’s collars. Emmett looked back up at Jonathan.

“No Jon... I’m sorry.”

Another beep.

Jonathan could only stare at the broken saw and the broken pieces of the camera. He felt his heart sinking more as his and Emmett's collars were starting to beep and he felt himself laughing softly. Feeling that he was finally free from this nightmare and he felt like he could thank Emmett for saving him from himself. He didn't need to fight anymore and now he could just die without getting his hands more dirty. He felt bad for forcing Emmett into this fight where they would both now die.

"....T....Thank you, Emmett. You stopped me and I'm sorry for making you have to..."

Another beep.

"I made you do this. I'm.... I'm glad you did. H-Haha.... ha...."

He felt himself shaking as he moved beside Emmett and he was felt himself shaking. He was scared of dying. Of course, he was. But it was better this way.

"You're a good friend after all."

He felt himself starting to cry. He couldn't hold back anymore.

“It’s not your fault Jon. I did this. We’re here because of me. I fucked up.”

Their collars beeped again.

“I fucked up and it cost me everything.”

Another beep.

Emmett forced himself off the tree, and stumbled forward to Jonathan. His legs were shaky, numb. Regardless of the collars he didn’t have much time left anyways. He wrapped an arm around Jonathan.

Beep.

“It’s okay Jon, its’s okay.” He held him close. Let him cry.

Beep beep.

Hell, Emmett’ll cry too.

“Not your fault.” It was a lie, both Jon and Emmett’s decisions brought them here, but there wasn’t any purpose in rubbing salt into the wound. Jon has made his choices, and while they were his, he made them because of Emmett. “It’s not your fault...”

The beeping was getting faster.

All the time he had spent on this island, he wondered why it was him who had to live on and watch his friends die. What was the point of keeping him around? What was his purpose. He understood now.

The pace increased.

They were going to die, but Jon and Emmett’s deaths were the best possible outcomes for everyone else. With their deaths, the odds are better stacked that someone good can make it home. Two bad people dying so someone good can live, it was a fair trade. Emmett didn’t know who it would be in the end, but that was okay, he did his best. He earned his right to die. His arm tightened around Jon.


Beeeeee-

Emmett’s world went up in a flash of white, and he was finally at peace.

Jon felt Emmett's arm around him and he felt himself hugging Emmett back. It was all that he could do. He wasn't going to die alone. This was the better outcome for the both of them and he felt himself laughing sadly as Emmett was the one who was trying to comfort him. Emmett was in a worst state than him and the beeping of the collars were starting to buzz inside of his head. He felt like everything was going to be okay now. They both didn't have to worry about anything now.

He was so tired.

"It's not your fault either. Everything's just so fucked up here."

Beep, beep, beep.

"We were just broken by everything..."

The beeping was getting faster and he felt himself tensing up as he was hugging Emmett more tightly and he wasn't going to let him go. He closed his eyes and he was trying to relax. He wanted to be prepared for their end together. He was going to be able to see Declyn again. He hoped to see Sierra and apologize for his actions. He wasn't going to see people back at home. But this was okay for him. He had been doing things that he shouldn't have and now he was just hoping that someone who was not a bad person... He just hoped that they could go back home.

Beeep. Beeep.

"Emmett, thank you. I'm sorry...."

Beeeeeeeeee-

Jonathan felt a bright light taking over his world and he was taken into a world of darkness, peace and quiet.

After the first few shots, she had assumed one of them was dead, and whoever had survived would come back to haunt them.

The forest was quiet for a brief moment. Willow went back to get her stun gun before helping out Kat with the gun. They had to figure it out. It shouldn't be too complicated. It's a gun, it's not rocket science.

Or maybe it was because as Willow started to fumble with it, searching the instructions as she kept throwing looks out into the forest, she started laughing again. She hadn't recovered from eating shit so she still sounded like a car with a very, very sad muffler. She shook her head, throwing another look at the woods.

"One of them should be back, right?" She giggled. "Right? Or did they leave that would be so-"

The first explosion shut her up.

But the second explosion gave her the opposite reaction.

She guffawed. Her cheeks were hurting, her stomach was doing a backflip and her back was probably literally killing her and the best she could do was laugh. And she laughed hard until it felt her mouth was about to split in half. Her dry lips were bleeding from the smiling.

"Kat, uhhhh," she laughed, "what's going on?"