Survival Of The Fittest

River couldn't be bothered to pay attention anymore. As far as he was concerned, he was doomed, everyone here was doomed. What was the point of all this, this mindless chatter and introduction? Getting attached to these others would only sadden their eventual end, as was inevitable. Hadn't they read the manual? That should've made it clear, this situation was hopeless, there was no way off, no way except death itself. New students were coming in, every few seconds it seemed, and each and every one of them wanted to kill him. They were all watching them, he could see them, looking out from the buildings, from every last bush, they were there, always watching ,always waiting...Even Adam had joined the crowd of ever watching eyes now, as did Hawley, Amanda and...everyone, everyone here.

Why were there so many people everywhere? Talking to each other, plotting something, not even paying attention to the fact that River was there. He was just an object to them now, a commodity, no more, no less. Why'd they have to come and ruin everything? River was just fine in his little group of two here, but now these new people came and took them away. They took everyone, everyone but him. Was he the only one who knew? The only way to win in this game...is to get away from people. People could hurt you, kill you, betray you, manipulate you...

He snapped out of it. How? How could he be thinking this about his friends and classmates like this? They were as human as he was, in every way. There was still time to save them, time to get them away from this game, only River knew how to save them now. He had known all along, there is one way to get them away from the lunatics and the watchers and everyone who wanted their blood to pour...

There was one place where there was nobody. No one but a few animals. One place of all places where no one could get him, one place where he would never have to fear the outside world as long as he could stay, and he was quite sure he'd be welcomed with open arms. He suddenly stood up and ran outside without warning.

"I know a way!" he said, laughing wildly, "I know a way to make sure! To make sure...that no one will get us! It'll work, I promise you, follow me!"

The woods. He saw the woods in all their glory, not a human soul within their boundries. Damned teacher tells no one to go there and thgey don't. It was perfect, an amazing sanctuary where no one else would dare go. Why? What was the reason? River didn't know, but he knew that it was safe. Far enough into those woods and not a blade nor bullet could touch him.

He found the strength to run. Faster and faster, faster than he had ever gone before, even on his skates. Safe, he was going to be safe, he was coming home now, no one could get him ever again. Back at the house...they weren't crazy, were they? No, he could trust them to keep his plan a secret. If they knew they were safe, there would be no reason to kill anybody.

Beep, beep, beep, beep...

He began to hear something as he ran farther into the woods. His watch? His alarm clock? He wasn't sure what it was, but in a way it sounded almost comforting. Faster and faster it went, now seeming to beep along with River's steps. It must be some sort of alarm, ha, this twisted game had realized that River had beaten it. Figured out it's dirty secret, he had won it all. He would see his home again, his friends, everyone...

BOOM.

He fell to the ground. He was knocked back by a searing pain in his neck...And the next thing he saw was black. The next thing he thought was blank. Nothing. There was nothing. Nothing and no one, no more game, no more guns, no more anything. He didn't even have time for one last thought, not even one last scream. If he could've thought one more thing, he would have known that he had beaten the game...

No one could get him now.

Boy #07, River Garraty...Dead.

Madelaine caught the sound of rapid footsteps from someone hastily exiiting the house. She turned her gaze just in time to see the running blur that was one of the company taking off out into the open. What is he? Crazy? she thought incredulously, dropping the diary as well as the photograph on top of it.

She immediately got up to her feet and stood at the doorway, amazed at the distance the troubled boy had covered in merely a few seconds. He appeared to be shouting something in an insane, maniacal laughter. Though his words were incoherent underneath the sound of the rainfall, Madelaine could just barely make out something about 'a way to make sure no one will get us'.

Wait a minute... Madelaine thought suddenly, gripping the side of the doorway with one hand. Heart racing, she looked beyond the shrinking figure known as River Garrety, and saw in the distance a dark mass framed by trees. He's heading towards...

"But...." Her voice shuddered slightly. "He's heading towards a Danger Zone...."

By the time she had realized what was happening, it was too late. The sound of a distant explosion ripped through the air, echos reverberating back towards the house.

Madelaine felt her legs go weak as a cold wave rendered her mind numb. Still gripping the doorway, her hands turned pale under her tan. Slowly, she let herself sink to the floor in wordless shock.

Hawley’s attention lifted from where he had been looking at his map when a running blur passed by his vision. He lifting himself off the ground, trying to make out the figure running into the rain, his laughter growing as they screamed at them to follow him of the plan he had figured out.

Watching lightly from his spot, he watched the other run off into the underbrush leading into the woods surrounding the area. He blinking lightly as he glanced down at his map, though Madelaine just confirmed what he figured. The woods had become a danger zone in the last announcement… and River was running right into it.

Lifting onto his feet, he moved outside of the building and into the rain somewhat, intent on doing something… anything to try and stop what was going to happen, but as he went to again an explosion sounded though the area halting both his movements and his thoughts.

Lifting his hand, he bit down on the end of his thumb shaking his head of the images now flashing through his mind of the metal collar about River’s neck starting that horrid beeping sound like August’s had. And then without any thought to it exploding and bringing the person to the ground in a spew of blood.

Stepping back he dropped his hand, and moved back into the house… lightly pacing in the main section of the house, want caused River to go off like that? What was saying that it couldn’t happen to one of them… to him? He couldn’t stay with these people – he couldn’t… He couldn’t stay with this group.

Adam stepped into the door of the small house and was almost immediately bowled over by a blur of a shape that rushed by him in quite a hurry. Blinking in surprise, he retrieved the shotgun which he had fumbled as he was bumped into and turned around. Perplexed, he saw River running off into the rain. As Amanda stepped through the doorway with a puzzled look on her face, Adam couldn't help but look at the others. Where the hell was HE going off to in such a hurry? As he tried to make heads or tails of the matter, he looked at Hawley and shrugged.

"Dude, what's going on?"

As he spoke, his mind clicked together, in place. The woods was a danger zone. The blood drained from his face as the realization hit in, and Adam rushed out into the rain after him, but only got as far as five steps before they heard the unmistakable sound of a collar exploding. Adam knew that sound. He had heard it before when he watched August's collar explode. If he were to trust his own senses, then he could come to only one conclusion: River was dead.

Adam stumbled disbelievingly into the house, the look on his face one of shock and horror. One of his friends - a guy he'd played hockey with, laughed with, and told stories to - one of his friends was dead. Slumping against the wall, the anguished look on his face said it all. This game was surely taking its toll on most of the students, not the least of which was Adam Dodd.

---

As the room grew coldly silent in the wake of River's demise, Amanda stepped forward and gently put her hand on Adam's shoulder. The poor guy looked absolutely devastated. She couldn't blame him. Although she hadn't known River very well, she definitely knew him, and it was a bizarre feeling to know someone who had died, who wasn't coming back. She put on a strong face. What had just transpired had taken its toll on the majority of the students in the cabin. Kneeling down beside Madelaine, she gently rubbed the girl's shoulder as well, taking note that the shocked girl was likely in a state rivalling that of anyone in the room. Something needed to be done here, and quickly, or else the rest of their group was going to fall completely apart. She stood up, and looked at the rest of them. Adam and Madelaine looked absolutely shaken beyond any form of belief. Hawley had been pacing in the main section of the house, his eyes lost in thought. Marcus simply slumped over in the other corner of the room, his eyes not betraying his thoughts, a stoic expression on his face, and David Jackson simply said nothing, his eyes at the floor. The room was dead quiet. That is, until Amanda spoke up.

"Adam...Adam, tell them about the phone call. ADAM!"

Shaken out of his shock and horror, Adam weakly looked at Amanda and tried to make sense of her latest words. Finally they came together for him, and he weakly pulled himself up, bracing himself against the wall. As he spoke everyone could tell just how much of a toll that the game was taking on him, as his words lacked the usual happiness and cheer that they had before.

"Oh...uh...I just got a phone call...on my cell phone. It was, ah...from my buddy Andrew. Who's also stuck on this island too. Apparently he's with a bunch of people...Umi Martin and Aiden Ambrose, as well as some others...and he said they have a plan to escape. I got cut off before he could tell me where they were though. So uh...if everyone's still wanting to go somewhere, we could meet up with them. Or we could continue looking around for people, search for a way off or something. Maybe splitting up would be a good idea? God, I don't know..."

His voice broke at that point, and he turned around and stepped outside, shotgun in hand. Adam was extremely upset, and he stepped out without a word. Amanda could tell that Adam was nearto his breaking point, as the poor guy couldn't take much more of seeing people die. From what he had told her, he had seen far too much of it already.

Amanda was at a loss, really. She had to wait to see what everyone else was going to do. But one thing was certain - she wasn't leaving Adam's side. Now that she had found him, and...things had happened...now she was sticking by him more certainly than ever. She slumped down in the corner of the room and shut her eyes.

"You guys decide what you want to do..."

Sighing, she put her head against the wall and attempted to get some sleep, listening to only the pitter-patter of the rain against the roof of the house.

OOC: Alright guys, I'm gone until Monday. So...be good.

"We shouldn't go to them." David said, breaking his silence. Standing up and coughing into his hand, he continued. "For all we know, it's an elaborate trap and as soon as we get there we'll be killed while off guard. It would be best to find our own way off."

Madelaine herself barely listened to the buzz of discussion going back and forth between the company, but she had already sense the tension formed by distrust and uncertainty. There was no need to deny otherwise: the 'alliance' they shared was on the verge of falling apart.

With her mind in its numbed state, she almost did not notice Amanda's hand on her shoulder. Given her current state, she was unable to acknowledge Amanda's sympathetic gesture. Still, Madelaine was grateful, for she began to feel gradually relaxed afterwards.

Her shock faded, leaving behind low, grim spirits. She slunk off on her own to the nearest unoccupied corner, catching Adam's mention of a group up with a friend....or something. Whatever he was talking about, Madelaine barely had the heart to listen at the moment.

She had no idea what to do now. It seemed as though the group was more than ready to split up. For all she knew, she could end up on her own again once all was said and done. But Madelaine lacked the heart and energy to mill over this concept. In this game, to trust someone was probably the hardest thing to do...but right now, all Madelaine wanted was to trust. Someone. Anyone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by yet another sneeze. However...this was not just a single sneeze. Before she knew it, Madelaine had been caught in a fit of sneezes, accompanied by a few congested-sounding coughs. She curled up, hiding her face behind her hands. She shivered slightly. Was this the effect of shock, strain and frustration that she had buried so deep inside of herself, never letting it out? As soon as this game had started, she had taken everything thrown at her with silence, keeping everything hidden under a proud mask. Now it was redoubling back at her. Furthermore, it probably did not help that she had been standing in the rain for a good several minutes.

Madelaine quickly took out her handkerchief and covered her face with it. Her rasping voice, already distorted by congestion, was muffled by the handkerchief.

"I...I don't know...if I should move at all..."

Hawley’s light pacing halted when Amanda’s voice broke through his thoughts when she begun telling Adam to tell them about the phone call he had gotten, so someone had gotten through? Listening lightly he blinked, hadn’t Adam told him that Andrew hadn’t been on the trip?

Shaking his head he listened as he went on to tell about the group that Andrew was part of, the two names spoken bringing back images of the group of three that had come by the old hospital just hours before Alan and Adam had. Adam suggesting that maybe they try and find them… though the location of where they where was unknown at the moment.

Splitting up? Well… the idea was decent but with the group they had it was probably not going to happen. The girls would want to stay together, David would probably to stay with the two he knew best, and Adam no doubt would want to keep close to Amanda. That left Marcus, and himself he didn’t know anything about the bigger boy, of anything that could be going through his mind.

Listening lightly to David’s comment on the group he found himself sighing some, he doubted that, that could be the case with what he remembered about them. They seemed more like the type that would try and find a way of the island, not plot traps. And not to mention those three probably didn’t trust Hawley as far as they could throw him, unless of course it was over a cliff – after all he had shot at them, and got one of them, which if he remembered faces correctly was no doubt Aiden.

Sighing, he moved over to his unzipped daypack grabbing at all his stuff which lay near it and begun gathering them shoving things back into them. Shoving the pistol lying off to the side into his side pocket, as well as his glasses picking up the bag and swinging it onto his shoulder. If River – a person who was further on the side of sanity than himself could just snap so quickly and end up dead, how long would it be before it happened to someone else and they pulled a gun on the group.

How long could it be before it happened to him?

He could kill he knew he could, and he knew he could do it again… Hawley knew damn well he had promised himself not to kill without reason in self-defense but slowly watching the scene with River found himself breaking that promise. “You’re right… we should split up there’s not much use for us in such a large group, we’re walking targets. I can’t stand myself being with a group anyway – So I think I'm just going to go on my own, the rest of you lot can figure out what you want to do.”

David nodded silently in regards to Hawley's comment. It would indeed be best to split this large group into smaller ones, each working on their own way off the island. But what if there was no way off, short of playing.

"As bad as it sounds, there may not be an alternative to playing. We have to consider that possibility."

Madelaine removed the handkerchief from her face, looking up in surprise at David's remark: "As bad as it sounds, there may not be an alternative to playing. We have to consider that possibility."

His words shot through her mind and chest, the realization of what he was saying hitting her like a bullet at point-blank. In her mind, she felt as though something had snapped. Before she knew it, she was up on her feet. Her vision spun wildly for a moment, but she leaned on the wall to support herself, taking a deep breath before the words came spilling out.

"You know what....by saying that, it just sounds like that all you're doing is giving up to the terms of Mr. Danya and all those creeps who stewed up all this. But do you realize what exactly you're giving up by playing this game? You're not only giving up hope for an alternative, you're giving up your free will, your sense of self, your right to choose whether or not you want to become a murderer of your own peers. By playing this game, you'll end up giving more than you'll ever know." Her voice sounded coarse now, but even as she was out of breath, she was unable to stop her words from spilling out.

"And if even if you survive....how much of yourself will be left? Just how much have you given up? More than you'll know at this point. Even if you survive, you lose. You're defeated. Unless you're some kind of machine, but this is not some kind of video game."

"Its fine if ANY of you..." She cast glances at each individual of the company. "...are just going to give up. Because that's exactly what THEY want. You can obey their whims if you like, it's none of my business really. As for River, my guess is that he simply snapped. One by one, people will snap at this game, and this is what THEY expect from us." By now her face was tinged with red, probably due to the fact that she probably had caught everyone's attention at this point, but also because this was one of the rare moments she had ever let out her true feelings on the matter.

"But perhaps I've said to much, have I...? Since this alliance seems to be splitting up, I'll let each of you do whatever you want. As for me.... I'll never give up myself. I'll take anything thrown at me, but I'll never give up a part of myself. I'll never play this game. Rather, I'm going to continue fighting this game. And should I die in the process... then so be it. I'd rather die than be defeated anyways..."

She finally dropped to the floor, exhausted. Between low gasps, she uttered, "I'm sticking with Amanda....I made a promise, to protect the both of us. You made a promise to protect her too, didn't you...David?" She leaned against the wall, wearily. Somehow, she felt better, as though she had shed a huge burden from her shoulders.

At Madelaine's outburst, Amanda; who had finally fallen into a little bit of a sleep, was startled awake. From the corner of the room, she watched the girl basically snap on David and every single other person in the room. She watched the reactions of Hawley, Marcus, and David, and finally, of Madelaine herself. Amanda instantly drew into herself. This was a side of Madelaine that she had not expected to see. She was pure, she was exposed, she was raw. The essence of what she had said, the way with how she had said it - all of those things, and emotions flooded the room in a way that crackled the air with each second that the silence hung around.

Amanda decided that she needed to leave, and soon. This group, as motley a crew as they were, it seemed to be coming to the end of it's life. As short a lifespan as they had, it seemed that it, like many of the kids on the island itself, was as doomed as they were. She pulled herself to her feet. As she did so, she could feel all eyes on her. It was almost an intrusive feeling. With all eyes on her, she knew that what she said in the aftermath of the emotional outpouring would be key on deciding what happened next. It could even determine the fates of any or all of the people inside of the room. With that in mind, she looked at the group.

"We need to find a way to get out, that much is certain. That should be our primary goal - as far as playing being the only way out..." She looked at David and shook her head. "I'm not willing to consider that. Do so if you must, but so help me God, if that's the way you decide to go, then feel free to walk out right now, and don't come back."

She glanced at Hawley, who had also declared his wish to take his leave. "And you...I guess if you want to leave, that's fine. I only ask that if we do meet again, keep in mind as to what our goal is, keep in mind what we're doing here. Don't shoot on sight. And good luck."

She turned around to look at the fallen Madelaine, who seemed exhausted enough as it was. Kneeling down beside the fallen girl, she again clasped her shoulder, and thinking of the only thing she could really do, she leaned in and hugged the girl. Pulling away, she looked at Madelaine and her emotionally-charged eyes.

"We need to go...me, you, Adam..we need to leave this house, we need to get out of here. Come on...you need to be with friends...I'm not leaving you here, and to me, you're a friend, a friend that I desperately need by my side. Come on...we have to go."

Hawley thoughts halted at David’s comment, opening his mouth to respond but found himself only snapping his mouth shut when Madeline outburst began… and found ever word coming from her mouth to be something that since this game had began he had been fighting against intill recently.

But no matter how much he wanted to take back what he had done – he couldn’t, he gave up everything when he decided that Helena Van Garret had to die for something as silly as a school grudge. For something that could though it had hurt him deeply didn’t mean the girl should be labeled for something like death.

When he had discovered the weapon they had given to him – he felt at top of the world, deciding to take down all that had done something wrong to him since as long as he could remember. He had given up on everything when he pulled the trigger of that shotgun and given the finally blow to Helena… and he continued to give up when he had killed both August and Terry.

He had played this game without any remorse, and he couldn’t take any of it back. Even if there was some other way off this island without everyone having to kill each other, he could never go back to his normal life. He would have to return to the world outside of this game with four deaths breaking him… replaying over and over in his mind for as long as he lived.

Closing his eyes lightly, he found himself moving to pinch the bridge of his nose, “That’s why I can’t stay with this group… I gave up a long time ago, I gave into this game when I pointed that gun at Van Garret. And I gave up everything that I ever held close, everything that I ever could go back to if I got off this island when I killed Helena. I held nothing back when I did it – and I enjoyed it… I enjoyed killing another person.”

Gulping lightly, he straightened himself up sifting his bag. “And I continued to let myself be their little puppet when I killed August and Terry… I keep telling myself, I had to kill them because they would have killed me. August was there to kill me because of what I had done to Helena. If I had taken my time to go over all this, try and find another that I could get off this island, but I didn’t I was too worried about getting revenge…” Hawley found himself admitting weakly, reopening his eyes and glancing over the group.

“I was too busy thinking that here I could prove myself to all those who had wronged me. But really all I was doing was letting myself become what Danya and all the other’s wanted.” He muttered, allowing his hand to drop as he undid his daypack digging through as he brought a small bottle of clear liquid medicine, and a syringe.

Walking toward where both of the girls sat, he crouched down somewhat holding both out to the flush looking Madeline. “You’ll need this a whole lot more than I ever will, you have much more of a chance than I ever could to getting off this island without giving yourself up to them. I’ve already failed, and now the best I can do is to help those who can do something – it’s penicillin… it should help you’re cold before it becomes something worse.”

Madelaine's face lifted as Amanda drew near to give her a comforting hug. Immediately, she forgot her exhaustion as the two held onto eachother tightly. Somehow, it warmed her and pained her at the same time, as though a sting had burned into her chest. Swallowing hard in gulps, Madelaine felt her throat contort, threatening to break out into fit of sobs. But as mercy would have it, only a few sparse tears trickled down the sides of her face. The ache in her chest faded as Amanda pulled away, urging Madelaine to come away with her as friends, friends who trusted and desperately needed one another.

Even as tears fell down her face, she smiled, almost wholeheartedly at her friend. Awkwardly, she wiped at her eyes with the back of her fingers. "Don't worry...I'm going with you. No matter what, I'll stick with you...always....always trust you...." More tears came out, and she quickly covered her eyes with a soaking palm, the hint of a smile still flickering on her mouth behind the shape of her wrist. "Don't ask me why....I just do...and that's enough for me."

A brief moment of silence stretched out, but it was enough for Madelaine to recover. Through bleary eyes she looked up as Hawley began to speak. Her smile faded as she solemnly, intently listened to his retelling of the accounts of all he had done: how he had given up on everything, and had given in to this nightmare. Somehow, even as he spoke of his murderous acts and his intent on killing, Madelaine was unable to feel any sense of repulsion or disguest for this person, whom she had never met until now. After all...he, like herself, and everyone involved were only human.

She continued to watch in stunned silence as he took out the bottle and syringe, surprised as he approached her, letting her know of his intent to help her.

Words almost failed her. "Th-thank you...." she murmured quietly. She unbuttoned the cuff of her sleeve and drew it back, folding it over until her upper arm was exposed. She held it out to him slightly, milling over what all that he had said. Though she struggled to keep her mouth shut, everything seemed to spill out again.

"Actually...the desire to feed on the misery of others...the desire to hate....it actually a very normal human thing. Selfishness is natural, and in my opinion, so is hatred.... That said. Who says we can't choose to rise above all that? Humanity may seem weak and pathetic in some respects....but in fact, we have a special strength within ourselves." She smiled gently at him.

"There are some things that can't be taken back. But the fact that you realize that there are some things that you have given up on is proof enough that you can still be strong, and at least make some kind of difference. Even if you feel you've completely given up....." She took a deep breath.

"It's not over until it's over. I'm sure there is still something left of you that you haven't given up on." Realizing how much she had spoken, she blushed and looked away. Who knew that she could babble so much? Perhaps her positive ideals and outlook on humanity were foolhardy...But after all....she did have the heart and mind of a writer. She looked back and smiled again at him.

"I think you've already made some kind of positive difference, by helping me. So don't give up what you have left, no matter how insignificant it may seem. It may as well be the most important thing in the world to you."

After intently listening to the others, and hearing Amanda say they were leaving, David stood up. "Don't worry, I actually have no intention of playing this game, I'm only saying we may not have a choice eventually. Sooner or later something will force us to kill, just like when I shot Andrew and that other person. I still have a promise to keep to you Amanda, and I will keep it to the best of my ability." stopping breifly to pick up his gun, David holstered the weapon and continued. "Hawley has already admitted being too weak to fight the game, and we don't know who else is taking part, so we should go quickly-if at all- before a player turns up."

((Continued from B35 - Starting Point))

Devi walked quickly and silently with her bag.

"I should find someplace to rest."

Seein a small house she stopped and decided to do up to it. She knocked on the wall next to the door and yelled" Hello. Is anyone there? please im really scared and i dont want to play. I think it'll be better in number and i need someone to stay with. please...i promise i wont try to hurt you."

Patiently she stood and waited at the broken door. She had run into no one yet, and no one had answered her but maybe this time she would have a little more luck.

"Come on come to the door,"she whispered to herself.

Hearing the voice, David took his gun out and slowly walked to the door. "Who is it? How do we know you're telling the truth?" he asked as he parted the cloth from the window, looking out at Devi.