Survival Of The Fittest

"We've got a couple of options, really. I'll explain them with a note... Anything you don't want the camera's and hidden mikes to pick up, write down and pass around," Ernest smiled  "I'm heading inside the hospital for a couple of things, and then we'll see what happens..." He ran his alabaster hand though his equally unpigmented hair.   He pulled out his pad and wrote down everything that he'd assembled from guesswork and some proven fact.

His eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses, but it was reaching a point where he could actually see without them. Ernest's little pen scritched accross the page as carefully as possible. His unattended handwriting wasn't very readible. He could write with beautiful penmanship if she spent a while crafting the document. He passed the finished note to Peter and headed into the Hospital.

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THE CONTENTS OF THE NOTE

1. Everything you say will be picked up. There are most likely throat mikes in the collars.  If there aren't, then there are definately tons of high quality spy-equipment lying around to catch every word you say.

2. There most likely isn't a camera in the collar, it wouldn't be exceptionally useful, but it is a possibility.

3. It is most likely that the collar is completely controlled by the terroists, and not by something on the island. The danger-zone mechanism is probably controlled by satelite.

4. It is extremely likely that most kids don't want to play, but have a few scores to settle; the deaths of their enemies won't be held against them if it happens here. They probably won't attack us unless we attack first.

5. Assuming the above, we know that the collar is the primary control device, but there would still be deaths anyway, just because of the situation.

6. Escape is possible. It's not easy, but it's possible.

7. Our primary objectives will be to get the location of the island, send it to where someone will notice and deactivate the collars. People will still die, but it will be fewer  than if we don't  try.

8. if anyone has access to a cellphone, I can plot where we are and then text-message our location. This is the ideal method of getting transportation.

9. Then we figure out how to deactivate the collars. There is always a flaw in the design. Generally, they will try to shield it, but there is always a place where we can deactivate the explosives, which will render the collars defenseless. This is why I'm going into the hospital to get some scalpels and other surgical tools.

10. If cellphone service is blocked, then the only way to get transportation is to get a ride on the Terrorist's own craft. Once the collars are off, then they can't track us, except by camera. Then it's fairly simple for us to hijack a boat and take off. However, I sincerely doubt that they would come to the island by any means unless they were sure that their movements couldn't be picked up. The only other time they bring a ship to the island is after the Best Kill and Best Death awards.  Hopefully, someone will be able to pilot the boat.

Andi turned towards the note that was given to Peter, and they both read it together. After reading the contents of the note, and proceeded to take it from Peter, since he needed to read it some more, and think.

"Thanks, babe," He said to Peter, as he had it in his hand.
After re-reading most of the contents in the note... and scoffed, crumpled up the piece of paper, and threw it to the ground.

"They think it's so easy. Sure, people will die, but we can find a way out of here, oh YAY," he said in a state of sarcasm. He quickly clenched his fist, and realized what it meant. These kids were delusional.

"We're on this island. The objective is for all of us to kill each other, and they think that they can escape, when they probably already have everything planned out... it's pathetic."

Kristey walked into the area, unnoticed, but was taking note of her brother's personality. He seemed to have no sense of 'hope' and thought with logic and reality in mind. A trait she could see they had in common. She too, spoke.

"I don't know what that note said, but it seems obvious that these kids are playing an even more dangerous game of trying to escape. The fact of the matter is, is that this is an island game, where we're supposed kill or be killed."

She looked at Peter, who were currently holding hands, and she found it rather repulsive, but at the same time, she still found it rather odd that a guy like Andi would actually swing that way, he doesn't seem the type.

Andi again spoke.
"Sad to say, but she's right," as he turned his head back to Peter.
"These guys don't realize that what they're doing is impossible, and it serves no point as the terrorists probably have something planned for when they try to escape..."

Kristey then asked him a question she thought she might regret.
"So, what should we do about them, then?"

He didn't want to say it. Even though he slightly enjoyed taking the life of Matthew... slightly. I guess you could call it a way of relieving stress... he didn't want to have to do it again, but he knew that he eventually would have to.

"We either get the hell out of the hospital soon... or we kill them all, and put them out of their misery. I'd prefer the former, if it's all the same to you."

And with that, she realized just how much she and her brother are alike.

Peter gave the note a quick glanceover before handing it over to Andi.  He took no interest in it and just dismissed it as a pipe dream.  After watching the note fall to the ground after Andi was done with it, Peter went down to retrieve it to study it some more.

"So this kid thinks there's a way we can get off this island without participating, huh?" he wondered aloud, "Hah...I'd bet money that whoever wrote this will be the next kid that gets knocked off.  Then again, I don't have any money...I had about five hundred dollars saved up for the trip and I bet those bastards who put us here took it."

It was then that Peter heard screaming off in the distance.  He looked around to see if he could find the source of the screams but couldn't locate them.

"Hey, Andi?  You hear that?"

The screams were heard again, this time Peter could detect that they were coming from across the river.  He threw the note down and shuffled over to a point about fifty yards from the water.

"Do you think...?"

The sounds of distant screaming served as a blessing in a very, very good disguise. Andi figured that if they followed the screams, they could get as far away from the hospital, and these delusional misfits, as they can.

"Right, let's see who it is," he said to Peter, grabbing his hand, and running in the general direction.

Kristey, however, stood where she was for a moment, re-analyzing the situation.
Sure, her brother was a faggot, but the fact that the two are the same in many ways lead her to believe there's more to the boy than she originally thought. She was amazed and frightened of Andi all at the same time, and decided that she should tag along and see what kind of person he was before she took him out, if she decides to.

She walked in the direction which Peter and Andi were running.

"Andi, wait!" snapped Peter when he got to him, "You don't know what's out there...that's why I stopped here.  We go in there and I'm sure at least one of us dies."  He began to calmly walk away from the riverbank and toward the hospital, beckoning Andi to join him with a waving of a hand.  There was just  one more thing that he had to get from the hospital as he approached the door.

"Hey, can you hang tight, hon...I forgot something from inside.  I'll be right out."  With that, Peter opened the door and prepared to go back inside, hoping he didn't have to face any more interruptions...

"Actually, I am quite alive, Peter. And yes, the contents of the note are what I assume to be true and garner my hypothesis on. The real problem is the time factor. I know we've got 48 hours, given that at least one person died today. Are you too cynical, Andi, that you can't accept any way off this island except murdering everyone else? Including Peter?" Ernest walked out of the hospital carrying a couple of scalpels. He'd found them in a drawer in the medicine room. One of the boxes he'd assumed to be medicine was actualy full of medical implements. While the current situation allowed only doubtful prospects for a stethoscope, anything with a cutting edge was usefull.

He already knew that Andi was a cool killer; after all, Andi had just calmly talked about murdering everyone here except for Peter. The comment was more for Peter to react to, and to see how he handled Andi's answer, whatever it was. The intent was not to drive the couple apart, but to at least  get them to see reason. Nothing was flawless. This logic extended to SOTF. The defense couldn't be perfect. There was always a hole somewhere, and Ernest had a couple of theories as to their location. If these kids were too violent to care, there were probably others who would be interested in his wild theories.

"I just need to examine the collar on the corpse, and I'm fairly sure I can find something of use in the current situation." Ernest really hoped things didn't get out of hand; every second counted at this point.

Andi was walking with Peter when he heard the announcement being made. They said that the hospital would soon be a dangerzone, and that they should get out of there as fast as possible.
How convenient for them that they were already leaving. Kristey was behind him, and heard the announcement being made, and she had scoffed at the names of the people on the death list.
"Pathetic curs."

Andi took some time to think about things. And he came up with a plan.
"Kristey... do you know of anyway to barricade the door to the hospital? I think it's best we leave them in there... for our good as well as their own."

Kristey was, in a word, astounded.

You cold-hearted, scheming bastard...

Peter was in one of the exam rooms when the announcement was made, gathering supplies as he heard Danya rattle off name after name of the fallen.  None of them really stood out to him...well, maybe except for Kasumi White and Randy Blailocke, the latter being one of his rivals in the weight room and one that called him out on his sexual orientation frequently.

"Heh...good fucking riddance, Blailocke," he said with a cold snicker, "Hope you're enjoying yourself in hell, you gay bashing motherfucker!"  Peter continued to listen intently as he tried to sift through the names...he witnessed Matthew Lafferty's demise at the hands of his beloved boyfriend.  That and Lance Adams' name rang a bell; though he didn't know him personally, he sat by him in homeroom and the two often exchanged last-minute homework help.

But then the final fatality sent a shiver running up Peter's spine...and that was Sylvea Hill's.  It wasn't as much as he knew her, which he didn't, but rather the one that ended up taking her life.  He had crossed eyes with Vesa Turunen just before he disappeared into the forest...and he knew that the blade he clutched as he was spouting off in his native tongue could have just as easily been meant for him.  Peter gulped, then reached for one last item...an unused tube of lubricating gel, similar to the one used my doctors to administer rectal examinations.  A wide grin formed on his face as he threw it into his pack, along with the numerous bandages, splints and rolls of tape before closing it up.

Hefting the pack onto his broad shoulders again, Peter started to head for the door when he heard the danger zones announced, then his heart sank when he heard that familiar beeping around his neck.  "Shit...not again!"  The first one he saw was Ernest as he waved him toward the door.

"Ernest!  We gotta get the fuck outta here!" he shouted, throwing the door open.  His first instinct was to find Andi as he noticed the drizzle coming down outside.

"Andi!  Where are ya?" he called out, the steady beeping filling his ears and driving him insane.  "Why the fuck do I always get caught in the danger zones?"

Kristey heard Peter come around, and that he was calling out to Ernest.
Andi heard him as well, but Kristey was actually the one to see him first.
"Peter... your psycho boyfriend is saying we should barricade the people inside, knowing full well it's about to become a dangerzone."

Meanwhile, Andi was looking around to see if there was a board, or something heavy that they could put against the door, or something.

"Oh, no!" Peter thought, "This isn't the same boy that I love..."  He spotted Kristey and grabbed her by the shoulders, desperate to find Andi and get him to safety.  He knew that by continuing on in a danger zone, he was putting his own life at risk as he looked around frantically.

"Where is he?!?  Kristey, we need to get him out of here!" he shouted, his voice rising half an octave, "I can't lose him now..."  He then let Kristey go and proceeded back toward the hospital door, hoping to catch Andi and talk some sense into him.  "Andi!  Andi, we need to get outta here...NOW!"

"Peter... they're all going to die anyway... the one thing that was made clear is that only one person is allowed to survive this whole ordeal. Only one kid on this entire island will be left alive..."

He found a large branch, it looked like it could withstand quite a bit of assault, and he looked at the double doors that made up the only entrance to the hospital.

"If they're in a dangerzone, their collars go off... it'll probably kill them instantly. They'll feel no pain, and their suffering will end, while ours will be prolonged."

He picked up the branch and made his way to the door, ever slowly, but he did not put the branch between the two handles of the double doors.

"Plus, that means a group of people less likely to try and kill us... You're the only one I trust here... if you agree with what I have just said..."

He put the branch, which barely fit, in between the two handles, which would keep anyone who is inside INSIDE, unless they applied enough force.

"...Then you will leave them. If you don't, you can take the branch out, no problem. They still have a chance to get out, if they're willing to work together and bust this door down... or jump out a window..."

He went towards his things and gathered them.
"These are the way things are Peter... heartless as it may seem, I just want our survival."

Kristey stood by, and saw his logic. It made sense to her, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to harm someone if they didn't already deserve it. What he was capable of was absolutely evil.

While he was gathering his things, she made sure that she was not seen by Andi or Peter... and ran. Anywhere but the hospital. Anywhere but where Andi was.

That's when she knew she couldn't kill him.

(Kristey continued in We Survive by Friendship))

((I may get into some trouble for this, but...))

Ernest heard the announcement and blinked. That many had died...? Maybe my efforts are worthless... So many people want eachother dead; it's a shame. Why do they buy into the game? What makes them so sure that there is no escape?

He grabbed his scalpels and his bag; he didn't have long. 12 hours had passed since midnight. Things were not going well at all. He'd lost a number of allies just by them disappearing or running away. A couple even became killers. This was going all wrong. Maybe it wasn't that they wanted to kill people, but they had to, in self defence... but that sounded hollow.  For there to even be a reason for self defense there had to be someone willing to hurt or kill someone... Why did all these kids buy into it? WHAT MADE THIS HELL SO ATTRACTIVE TO THESE MORONS?

"Maybe we'll meet in a better world... So long."

Ernest ran in the opposite direction of those fools who wanted to join the bloody caberet...


<<Continued Elsewhere>>

Andi knew full well that him sealing the door must have been the most heartless thing he could have done, but in this place, there is no choice. THere is no escape. There is nothing other than the name implies: Survival of the fittest.

He was making sure all of his things were still on him, and then he turned to Peter.

"Peter... I love you, but I would understand completely if you wanted to seperate yourself from me after this. Those kids... there is no hope for them or for any of us, other than fighting... leave them... but, if you want to leave me behind, then I will understand... I have changed, and not necessarily for the beter."

He went up to Peter and gave him a kiss.
"However, if you're still with me on this, then come with me."
He began walking in the direction of the church.

"You coming?"

((Continued in Um Gottess Willen))

"Maybe he's right..."

Peter stared at the heavy branch that was blocking the door to the hospital as he pondered what to do next.  Of course, there was the part of him that wanted to play the hero...to dislodge the branch in a display of strength and determination that would impress anyone.  He hadn't been turned into a savage, heartless animal yet, which was why he was pondering this to begin with.  But another part of him was coming to light...the part telling him to leave well enough alone and catch up to Andi.  It wasn't his duty to protect anyone; they would be fortunate enough to receive any kind of assistance from him to begin with.

And then, there was all the taunting...the names and insults hurled at him...

Hey, faggot...whose dick did ya suck last night?

Hey Rosenthal!  It's called a lunch line, not a personal buffet!

Get away from me, you queer freak!  I don't want you to fuck me in the ass...

There goes the fat little fairy boy...hey, the ballet tryouts are that way! - No wait, he's going to wrestling...I wouldn't wanna try out with him on the team cause he'll probably hump me...

All those thoughts started coming back to him at once as Peter continued to look over the barricaded doors.  He knew that friends could come and go, but there was only one that he would give his life for.  "I love you, Andi..." he murmured, the incessant beeping of the collar starting to have an effect on him as he turned and made a cross-armed gesture at the door.  He made up his mind...he only needed one...his one as he turned and headed off toward where he last saw Andi going...

((Continued in Um Gottess Willen))