Survival Of The Fittest

Lulu just stood silently, holding her scythe limply in her right hand. She was still upset about the departure of Amanda. The inner-Lulu was trying to convince herself that Amanda was of little importance at this moment. Who really cared, they'd probably be dead at the end anyway. Lulu felt extremely angry at herself for this line of thinking, but did nothing except stare at the dirt.

But she did know that there was another problem. The newcomer. Looking up and examining his face. There was something strange about him, but Lulu couldn't place it. She raised her eyebrows when he started ranting about something or another. About being attacked, or someone being killed. His partner running away. Then he started erratically shouting about hating his situation.

Her eyes widened slightly and she took a step back. She had an urge to run but restrained herself. She nodded quickly at Anna, when she asked about this boy being out there. She really wanted to go, she didn't want to die.

Anna began speaking to him, asking about some girl named Wednesday. Lulu never heard of her before. She simply listened, hoping nothing bad would happen.

(OOC: This scene between dinah and I takes place many miles away from the current action, in a completely different part of the jungle. Therefore we'll have our own post order between the two of us. Thanks!)

(Jim Middleton continued from Time and Time Again)

"Shit," Jim grunted disdainfully, poring over his map for what must've been the hundredth time since he'd entered the maze of a jungle. He'd never had to worry before about being lost; since he'd been travelling by himself, where he ended up didn't actually matter all that much to him. Now that he'd lost Rick and Dawson, however, he felt a sense of panic building up slowly inside him. He had no idea when or where they'd gotten separated, or for that matter where the two of them could've ended up. They hadn't decided upon any particular destination, after all.

After a few more minutes of trying to determine where he was, with no luck, Jim put his map away and once again continued to trudge through the vast green expanse of the jungle. With every step he took he could swear the Taurus grew heavier, threatening his and his classmates' existence with just its presence. Josh's death hadn't hit him very hard originally, but the fact that he'd just murdered one of his peers had been slowly sinking in since he departed from the sea cliffs. He supposed it was a justified reaction - Josh had declared his intent to kill the two of them and made the first move - but it didn't lift Jim's spirits to think about it that way.

Resigning himself to his distress and misery, Jim found a log nearby and took a seat. Slowly, he began to unzip his daypack and removed one of the bottles of water, gulping at it with no particular care as to how much he wasted. After it dried out he tossed the empty bottle to the ground in frustration and once more withdrew his map, poring over it with the end of his gun to attempt to locate where he was.

Liam cleared his throat. It seems his outburst was a silly thing for him to do. Perhaps he should refrain from doing that in the future. 'Cos it was making one of the girls suspicious. "Bugger... I'm sorry, the stress has been getting to me, what with being dumped here and killers walking around, you know? Some people find it hard to keep a level head in this situation..."

Liam was about to respond to Anna's first question, but then she changed her mind and asked another, more obscure question... The first one was simply asking if he was going to stab them all in the back, and secondly... Wednesday's middle name. Wait, WHAT?

Why the heck...?

A curious question indeed. Normally, middle names don't come up in conversation, even amongst friends, from what he knew of socializing with others. Her middle name MIGHT have come up in conversation. He just couldn't remember. So he decided to stall for time by answering the first question smartly. "Believe me, I wouldn't dare cross any of you, considering you all have better weapons than I do. And my priorities don't involve killing anyone I see. One of my goals is to find a group... For the sake of survival on this stupid island. Strength in numbers, you know."

Liam took a deep breath. Her middle name... Curses. It hadn't surfaced in his memory. He was better off telling the truth at this point. "To be honest, I don't know. Or at least, it hasn't popped up in my memory, I'm afraid. I'm not sure middle names would come up in regular conversation, even amongst friends. But why do you ask?"

He decided to squat down, looking up at Anna, hands on his knees, with a curious expression. Anyone who had seen Death Note would have images of L in his regular sitting position right about now. It was only a coincidence that Liam was a nutty but intelligent teen from England...

Carson noticed the rather odd position Liam was sitting in and immediately caught the possibly-unintended Death Note reference.

"I'm going to take this potato chip... and EAT IT!" he yelled in an intentionally-melodramatic voice. He then laughed.

"Sorry, couldn't help it there," he said somewhat sheepishly.

Anna shrugged slightly. "Me neither. I was one of her friends believe it or not, and even I didn't know." She smiled. "I was just checking... I guess it'll be alright if you join us, I've no problems with it..." She didn't say anything else, just sitting in silence. Is this a good idea? I've got a bad feeling about this... She looked over at Lulu, whispering in her ear. "Keep a good look out for him. I'm not sure but he makes me feel nervous."

She wasn't the only one who was nervous, it appeared. Believe it or not, Lulu appeared physically nervous of something and while what she couldn't tell what the girl was scared about, Anna could take a very easy guess. She smiled, which seemed about the only thing she could do to get Lulu to calm herself. If either of them were nervous in front of Liam then he would know that there was something going on. She held onto her bag tightly, looking over at Lauren.

"Are you coming along with us dear?" Anna asked, her tone slightly motherly.

((Eris from Finsternis))

Eris' headache was still insufferable as she tramped drunkenly through the forest, another quarter of the bottle had gone. She'd barely comprehended the annoncments when they had come roaring on, and spent most of the time cursing Danya f or tlking so bludy loudley.

gud Lord, myh hed!

her Head felt as thug h it had ben stufedd wth cottoon ballse. SHe walked for a re ally long tiem that felt lik forevere. eirhs did"NT notise JIm sittng on teh logg guntil she had neerly triped over it hersef.

Comingg out of her dase for a moment,, the girl realized that she had indeed tripped over the fallen log, and was now holding onto Jim's shoulder for support. she looked at him, Puzled.

"Jim," she said, stoic, and trying with difficulty to focus on his face.

"Jim."

Jim's frustration with his current situation was reaching a paramount now, evident by his fervent glances back and forth across the map and his poking and prodding of it with the Taurus. Despite all his attempts he still hadn't come up with even the slightest clue as to what part of the jungle he was now in, and now that he had people to worry about he found himself growing increasingly more edgy. His face contorted as he continued to poke at the map, desperately trying to-

*rip*

Stunned, Jim took a second to notice that his gun had poked a hole right through the center of the map. The rain had evidently waterlogged it so much that it needed very little pressure to tear apart completely, and Jim tore the rest of it up in a fit. All the while, of course, he hadn't noticed the girl behind him's first attempt to address him.

"Jim," she muttered practically in his ear, and it was only then that he noticed that somebody was leaning on his shoulder. Surprised and still choleric from the newest of his troubles, Jim spun around harshly and removed her hand from his shoulder, lowering and hardening his gaze.

"Don't do that!" he nearly shouted after taking a second to realize that the girl seemed unarmed. "You scared the shit out of me," he continued, still not sounding any less distressed. After a moment, he recognized the girl as Eris, one of the prim and proper types around Southridge. One of the people born from the fabric of society that found people like Jim annoying and intolerable. She looked far from prim and proper now, however; infact she looked and sounded like a mess.

"...What do you want?"

Lauren wasn't quite sure what to think of Liam's sudden appearance. He seemed a little...erratic, to say the least. Within the space of a few seconds, he had gone from being pleasant to angry, then back to a more pleasant manner of speaking. While it was understandable for everybody to be a little off in cases such as this, it was still rather unnerving to realize that Liam could shift moods completely with little warning. It was even worse once she realized that it wouldn't just be him... after all, hadn't the same thing happened to Amanda? They were all probably a little more tense then they suspected.

She broke off from her thoughts when she realized that Anna was talking to her. "I'll come," Lauren said, repeating the decision she had stated earlier. With everything that had happened, her earlier remark must have either gone unheard or been quickly forgotten. "Where is this new place that we'll be moving to? Is it very far?"

Lulu seemed a bit relieved when Liam had begun to calm down. He was acting more or less normal now. His purpose was believable; just to find a group he could join to survive. Was that so wrong? Lulu felt more safe in groups herself so she could relate. Cursing herself for being over trusting, she couldn't help but accept this Liam guy, even if she would end up regretting it later. It was better than being paranoid.

Carson and Liam began doing something, maybe it was an inside joke. Lulu didn't exactly understand, maybe it was from a movie or a cartoon or something. Lulu was never one for TV and movies. It all seemed a little mindless to her and definitely not something to worry about in this situation! She said nothing, just adjusted her glasses for a second.

Lulu diverted her eyes from Carson and Liam and looked over at Anna. Anna made her feel so comfortable. Her nervousness melted away. She nodded slowly at Anna. How could she keep her eyes on him? Lulu doubted she could do much if he was acting suspicious. Would Lulu even catch onto it? Who knew?

Soon, she realized that they were accepting Liam into the group. She wasn't as nervous as earlier, but she wasn't about to deny anyone from a group where everyone wanted to survive. "Yes, where is this new location?", Lulu asked Anna. After forgetting about Liam and thinking about Anna's proposition to a new area, memories of Amanda flooded back into her head. She felt terrible for apparently "betraying" Amanda, even though the two of them had done nothing, really.

Liam smiled at Anna's acceptance. When in doubt, tell the truth. As for Carson's remark... He had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, so he ignored it.

He looked at the others. Who else was there...? The other two girls... Lulu and Lauren, was it...? Lulu wasn't anything remarkable, just... Normal. Sucks to be her. The worst thing anyone could be, in Liam's opinion, is normal. Lauren, on the other hand, was another story - she was an obviously athlethic girl. Best not to mess with her. Then again, he didn't plan on messing with anyone in the group.

He stood up, nodding to Anna. "Thanks. A friend of Wednesday is a friend of mine... This will be interesting."

Then he caught wind of plans to get moving. To be honest, it was a fairly good idea, he was starting to get sick of this jungle. "I'm wonderfully curious as well. I'm getting sick of this jungle, where are we going?"

Anna looked over at Liam, smiling even more. "Well," Anna began, "basically we'll be moving from the jungle... to another patch of jungle." She giggled in a strange fashion, brushing her hair back. "Actually, a patch of jungle with a tarp over it. Makes it a better place to stay if you ask me... and you should ask me because I was the one who made it. Isn't so hard to understand, huh?"

Anna turned back to Lulu. "I suppose there's no reason to stand here like this... Let's get moving!" She said energetically, starting in the direction she came from. She had marked the spot down on her map and she had a good sense of direction but she was heading in the wrong direction.

Oh dear. I wonder if it's going to take awhile getting there.

(continued elsewhere...)

Carson figured he may as well go; there was no harm to be had in following that wouldn't be three times as worse otherwise.

He started following Anna, since she was the one who suggested the whole deal.

(Continued elsewhere.)

More jungle? By the time this whole ordeal ended, they would probably all be sick of trees. Still, Lauren couldn't deny that it was much easier to hide out amongst the trees than it was to try hiding out in an open area somewhere... and while it was nowhere near as comfortable as it would probably be to find a building somewhere, it also meant that they were much harder to find. Lauren could stand to stay in the jungle a little while longer if it helped them to stay alive, and Anna's place was certainly better than right here.

Wordlessly, she grabbed her pack and followed after the others who were leaving.

((Lauren Howard continued in One by One))

Liam grinned in happiness. At least he wouldn't be trudging on mud and roots. A tarp... Finding this group got him the jackpot. While it would still be in the jungle, it would be a bit more comfortable, and this group would be harder to find than in a building or out in the open. "A tarp, you say? Hehehehe... Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! I'm glad I joined up with you guys!"

He did a silly little dance for a few seconds, then realised that the others were leaving without him. He ran after them. "Oi, wait for me!"

((Liam Black continued... Elsewhere.))

Lulu looked around at everyone else, realizing that they were all walking off. "Ooh, better hurry.", She said to herself. She wasn't sure where they were going, but she put her trust in Anna. Reaching down, she picked up her bags and slung it over one shoulder. She realized a spider had crawled up the side and she gasped sharply, brushing it off. Lulu had a slight fear of spiders like most people. Something relatively creepy about their nimble bodies and long legs. Or small bodies and short legs...

Adjusting her glasses again, Lulu jogged after the others, tripping over several branches on the way. She wasn't the most graceful girl out there. A few drips of rain fell onto her forehead, a dreadful reminder of the lingering rain. She let out a sigh and eventually caught up with the others, but not before tripping and bumping into Liam. She took a step back. "S..Sorry about that.", She apologized. She walked forward, a little closer to Carson and Lauren.

((Lulu Altaire continued elsewhere.))