Survival Of The Fittest

Willow went back to get her stun gun and the manual for Sierra's gun. Katrina kept her eye on the boys as they fought. She knew at any second they could come back over towards the girls, so she needed to be ready.

Katrina kept the gun aimed at the boys. She had no idea if it was loaded or if the safety was off, but she had to at least let them think it was both. Emmett was on their side, at least, so she had to be ready to help.

It was then she saw the chainsaw go into Emmett's back. She screamed.

"Okay, we gotta do this now," Katrina said.

Emmett was probably going to die, and Jonathan would definitely come for them. Willow was still digging for the manual when Katrina saw the chainsaw smash something above them. Then she saw the collars beeping.

"Oh god no," Katrina muttered, realizing what they had just done.

That's when she saw both their necks explode, and both boys crumple to the ground. She let out another scream and waited.

Willow asked what had happened.

"They..." Katrina said, pointing at the scene. "...they destroyed a camera. So the terrorists killed them."

Katrina let out a long exhale.

"It's over."

"Oh my God," her smile was gone, "oh my fucking God."

Willow followed Katrina's eyes toward the bodies. They were about twenty feet away, still twitching and spurting. Willow went quietly. She took a step then another. It was a scene that she didn't expect. She had expected someone to get shot or to get stab or pushed over a cliff, but not... that.

"Fuck."

She said it like a prayer.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she repeated her mantra.

She looked up at the other cameras. She didn't move. They didn't move either. The forest was quiet. Everyone still held their breath, the island didn't blink, not willing to miss a moment of what would happen next. Two bodies, two boys, two people were laying in front of her, their blood gushing and spurting and- and-

"Fuck."

It smelled like blood and like death and like something else she couldn't exactly describe. The bodies' throat were effectively gone. Willow wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to describe them, really. From an angle, they looked like half-made ventriloquist dolls. They could just stand up and start moving as the puppeteer carried them from left to right.

From another, they looked like they were still alive, screaming without a mouth. Jonathan's body was fortunate enough to avoid some damage to the face but the same couldn't be said about Emmett's. His lower jaw was still attached but only by a string of flesh. The body were screaming and only Willow heard them.

Her eyes went down the bodies, away from their mangled faces. The chainsaw was broken. Willow's eyes lit up. She kinda wanted to keep a part of it. Maybe some of the teeth or the broken blade, but instead she kicked it once.

"This is kinda gross."

Katrina remained in place as Willow went to investigate the bodies. Willow sounded pretty disgusted from the sight of it all, and took her frustration out on the chainsaw. Katrina gasped and stood up.

She made her way over to the boys. She let out a loud grimace when she saw the extent of the collar detonations. She felt bile rise up in her mouth a bit, so she quickly turned away. This was way gnarlier than all the bodies Katrina had seen before. Yuko, Roxie, Sierra, Yuka's fingers, even that guy they found in the stables. They looked downright pleasant compared to Emmett and Jonathan.

Katrina shook her head and let out a long groan. She looked back and Willow, then past her a the cliff's edge.

"Let's just do a quick cliffside burial," Katrina said. "I don't think we need to say much, and I don't feel like singing or anything. Let's just give them some last rites, toss them over, take their things, and go."

Katrina felt her eyes watering. Nine days in, and this just wasn't getting any easier to handle.

Willow was more than okay to do that to Em's body. It just made sense, you know. He kinda saved from being sawed in half so he deserved some type of burial. Even if it meant nothing other than to make Katrina feel better than herself, Willow was willing to help.

But Jonathan? He didn't deserve that. She wanted to see him rot. She wanted to see bugs and animals eat his body. Willow wanted to see him break in half from the pressure of gravity as the sun cooked his insides. Perhaps she could even keep a trophy from him. Cut an ear or his nose or a finger, something to remember him when she was alone at night.

"Do we really have to do that for Jon?"

Willow crossed her arms. She didn't want to get her hands dirty, literally. They were covered in blood and gore and guts and there was a cruel lack of showers on this island. She pulled out the gloves from her pockets. They were caked with grime and dry blood, but it was better that than the actual sensation of a dead body.

"It's not like he deserves it or anything."

She bent down. Willow pocketed a missing tooth still attached to a gum piece. It didn't really matter who it belonged to, it was the more event that was important. The piece of the body was a memento that she needed, and anything would do. It would suffice for this.

"He kinda tried to kill me and all," she said, avoiding the fact she had started it, "if you really want to though, I'll still help but like... you know, he can suck a fat dick."

Willow wasn't too happy with the idea of giving Jonathan the same rites they gave to others. Katrina could understand why. He was probably the person Willow hated the most on this island, so she wouldn't want to give him the courtesy they gave people like Roxie and Sierra.

Katrina nodded.

"I know. We don't have to say anything for him, but we should at least toss him over the edge," Katrina said.

"Let's at least show the courtesy we would want for ourselves."

Katrina looked down at Emmett's body.

"Let's at least start with Emmett."

"Okay," she sighed, "I still wouldn't do this to me."

Willow went to the head of Emmett. With a better, deeper look, Willow could really take in the damage that the collar had done to him. It had shattered his throat into a pulpy mess that could be described as uncooked red meat without the bone still stuck inside. Well, that's exactly what Emmett was, really. The birds and the fish and the whatever's at the bottom of the cliff would feast on him, just like how critters ate through Sierra and Sven and... she had started to forget the names.

There was the dice, there was the taser, there was... fuck. She didn't pick up anything for them. Willow shook her head.

"Can we hurry up?"

She bent down, her stomach starting to bruise. Willow felt like vomiting but she wasn't sure what would she vomit other than bile. Her eyes went back to Katrina, her gaze lingering on her ally.

"It hurts a lot."

"Okay, yeah, we can get going. Let's start with Emmett."

Katrina could see Willow was really disgusted by the sight of the dead boys, and she was probably hurting her more by insisting on the funerals. But they could do this quickly, and still somehow remain respectful.

Katrina knelt down to grab Emmett under his armpits. Willow would probably be better grabbing the legs in her state. Once they hoisted him up, Katrina spoke.

"Emmett, we didn't really get to know you, but thank you. We won't forget you."

After a few swings, the girls released him, and Emmett went over the cliff and disappeared into the sea below.

"Okay, Jonathan time," Katrina said. "Just lift, 1, 2, 3, and toss. Let's go."

Katrina made her way to Jonathan's body and knelt down to grab him under his armpits. By going fast, it felt like they weren't even dealing with people any more. When did it all become so impersonal?

"You know you're a good person," Willow told Katrina, "right?"

Willow continued toward the place of the massacre. The blood and the guts and everything else were still spread around like a half-assed surrealist sculpture. It wouldn't be part of an actual museum. It would be put in a portfolio of a new artist. It was tragic that even in death, this didn't evoke any feelings in Willow other than mild disgust and vague hunger.

"I mean it," they were now closer to the loot, Willow's mouth watered at the idea of having new weapons to carry, "you're giving these people something like a burial."

She turned around toward her ally, the weird gun at her feet. She'd have to inspect it more. While she wasn't thrilled about the idea of running around with a rifle that would knock her down on her ass, Willow enjoyed the concept of having a range weapon other than a whip that didn't do its job.

"I know you've been tough on yourself with the whole Yukoids drama, but you're still a good person."

Willow knew she had to push on these buttons. It was the best plan she had now. Well, her best back-up plan. The first one was still this. But she wanted to know that something would be done if she were to die, that someone that deserved to win would go home. Katrina was now that person.

"At least that's what I think," she raised her index to signify she was changing subject, "let's loot the bags and just... leave. Is that good with you?"

Jonathan's body was over the cliff now, and the girls had nothing else to do but clean up what was left. Willow told Katrina how she thought she was a good person, even after everything that happened. Katrina had to smile a bit. It was the reassurance she needed right now, and she hoped she could remain as such in Willow's mind.

"Yeah, let's gather everything and go," Katrina said.

They now had several bags to carry, plus quite the stock of weapons. It was going to get difficult to carry everything around, so they'd probably have to look into consolidating the bag, or just abandoning items.

As they were gathering the items, Katrina noticed something in the distance and walked over. When she saw it, she smiled.

"Hey, Willow," she shouted. "I found Jonathan's bike."

She thought back to the day before when Jonathan hurried away from Sierra on a bike. Who'd have thought they could have something like this?

"Come on," she said. "Let's load everything here."

They could hang the bags on the handlebars and use it to carry all their good. They'd need to find shelter before sunset, and there they could figure out what to keep and what to toss.

Either way, they had resolved Willow's desire to avenge Sierra. Now they just needed to find Tyrell and Yuka and Katrina could be at peace.

((Katrina Lavell continued in What a Lovely Day))

She wasn’t sure if she felt better now. Willow should technically be happy, she should feel like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Instead, she just felt like... nothing.

It’s not like she expected to feel something that would blow her mind, but nothing? Not even a sliver of doubt or regret or even joy? Nothing? Nothing else than the cravings for salt and sugar. It was strange. It wasn’t the same feeling of emptiness she had been used to. Willow looked at Katrina again. She wondered how she felt in all this. Maybe the feeling of having done nothing was an epidemic throughout the remaining student population. She assumed there would be a day where she felt good about what she had done, but it wasn’t today.

And she knew that it wouldn’t be tomorrow.

Willow shrugged. She assumed the relief would come in a near future. There should be some type of carthasis, something that would make her feel better. She ran her tongue over her dry lips, and her body shivered. Her eyes flickered over the mess that was left by the two boys. She would join them one day, maybe sooner than later.

She bent down to pick up the gun. It had... one, two, three, four, five, six, seven barrels. Puzzled, she realized she was holding an antiquity of another time that had found its way to her hands.

“Jonathan had a bike? What?”

She turned, seeing the black bike with little painted flames on its side. Again, another puzzled look was drawn against her face. Katrina put the bags on the handlebars, smiling at her own handiwork.

Willow smiled back.

((Willow left the the thread.))