Survival Of The Fittest

Terry woke up with a start, and the memory of the events that had taken place on the plane came flooding back to him. Immediately he understood the severity of the situation. All of his classmates would go in but only one could come out alive. The idea didn't appeal to him in the slightest. Despite the fact that Terry had been involved in several fights during his life, he was not a violent person by nature. But Terry also did not want to die. He didn't know if he'd be able to take someone else's life to protect his own but he was sure that others would be willing too. And he did not want to go down without a fight.

He reached over and opened his back finding a manual, a map, a piece of really hard bread and some bottled water. What about my weapon? He reached further into the bag and his hand brushed against something rectangular and flat, and it was made of...plastic? He pulled it out and looked it over for a moment before slipping the blade up into place. A box cutter? Could be worse I guess. Could be a fork after all.

He glanced around for a moment, taking in his surroundings and noticed the outline of a small house not to far away from him. He decided it would be best to get out of the open and headed towards it.

Immediately an unusual smell greeted him. Is that...blood? He glanced around and found a large stain over near a corner that looked black in the dark room. But he knew what it was from. So someone's already died here. Not a sign of good luck for me then.

He decided to stay anyway and blocked the door with a table that was lying in the middle of the room and tried to come up with a plan of action.

August’s eyes opened with a snap, breathing coming out in short, quick gasps of air as she brought a hand to her forehead brushing her long bangs from her face. The memories of the plane flooding back into her like a punch to the face, she remembered the video, Helena commenting on what a stupid joke this was. But then everything went black…

Helena!

Sitting up quickly, she glanced about the small opening she had found herself in, trying to find any sign of her friend. “Helena?” She whispered, moving to sitting on her knees as she looked around again. But when no answer came, August felt tears start to string at her eyes. She was alone…

Glancing off again, her eyes caught the bag pulling it toward her and opening it. Going through, and glancing over every object and food. Digging deeper fingers caressed cold and hard, pulling the object from the bag she gave a sick look at the bat she held in her hand.

“This is my weapon… they want me to kill with this?” She hissed, pushing her form up onto her feet, looking about once more before she begun walking. ‘I’ve got to find Helena…’ She thought hotly, if she could find her friend then they could find a way off this island.

Pulling the bag back around, August dug out one of the bottles of water, taking quick sips of it as she walked. Her long dark green skirt swaying in the light breeze about her ankles, a brown sleeve-less top covering her upper half. She cursing herself somewhat that she hadn’t packed any other pairs of shoes, feeling that sandals wouldn’t end up being the best in the end.

After a while of walking, something caught her eyes. “A house?” August mumbled stepping toward it, looking it over lightly before starting off toward it. This would be a good place to hide out intill she could figure out what she was going to do, till she could find Helena.

The bat made light sounds as it bounced against the ground as she held it in her hands, making quick movements across the ground toward the only door she could see on the building. Gripping the handle, she pushed against it but found it wouldn’t open, though the knob turned.

Pushing harder she tried to open it once again, before stopping over-looking it somewhat confused.

Terry had been studying the map that had been included in his pack very intensely when he was startled by a sudden noise. The door knob was moving, someone was trying to get in. Terry stuck his head out the window and noticed a girl trying to knock the door in. What is her name again? April or something?

"Hey you," Terry called out rather harshly at the girl from his location near the window, "Stop making such a racket someone might hear you banging on the door!"

She seemed fairly innocent looking but Terry knew her to be one of the rich girls. He wasn't particularly fond of them, but he didn't think they were murderers. But who knew what they'd do to get back to their beloved mummy and daddy. "Hey, stay still. I have a gun," he bluffed knowing that she probably couldn't see him that well anyway in the dark. "What's your weapon? Put it down and kick it away. I won't shoot unless you won't listen or try to run."

August literally jumped away from the door at the voice, she turning toward the source with a light sound under her voice. Hazel eyes narrowed, as she looked over him trying to place him. She’d remember seeing him a couple of times back at school, she even remembered maybe having a class or two with him…

‘Is it Terry? Or maybe Barry… Maybe I should just keep quiet.’ She hissed in thought at herself, though attention was brought back to the young man at the window when he mentioned having a gun. Great, she just had to go out and choose the place with a person already in it, better yet one that had a gun.

Lifting up the bat in her hand, she gave a weak smile… “This is my weapon.” She offered weakly, crouching down on her knees and placing the metal object against the ground. Though he did stay to kick it away, she wasn’t kicking anything in sandals. Instead she pushed it with her hands, the weapon traveling some feet before stopping, August moving back onto her feet, keeping her hands out before her as she awaited whatever else the boy had to say.

Terry couldn't help but smile as she showed him her weapon. Almost as pathetic as a boxcutter, he thought to himself.

Well, at least she really thinks I have a gun. And I always used to think I couldn't lie to save my life, the irony of his thought wasn't lost on him and he laughed to himself in the darkness. He had to stop pretty quickly though. He was so tightly wound that he knew if he laughed he might lose it completely and never stop.

"All right," he said getting back to business, "I am going to open the door. If you make a move to grab your bat or to pull out anything else I'm fully prepared to shoot."

He moved away from the window and grabbed his actual weapon off of the floor, stuffing in into his jeans' pocket. He moved the table away with a bit of effort and opened the door. "Come in before someone shoots us both," he said, "but leave the bat where it is for now."

August nodded somewhat, “Alright, I promise…” She muttered truthfully, she didn’t want the weapon anyway… though having to get rid of it or be shot wasn’t quite how she had planned to get it off her hands.

As he dissapered from the window, she stood still her hand lightly to adjust her glasses on her nose, a light sigh escaping her lips. Just to think, at this moment they could be on their trip enjoying their time together… they wouldn’t be here, having to fight for their lives from their own classmates who they thought for friends.

Thoughts where once again broken when the door opened, and his voice admitted another order. August quickly moved in as she was told. Moving to stand at least a distance from the other, lightly biting against her lower lip as she looked toward him. She didn't want to do or say anything that might cause him to pull his gun and shot her dead...

"Is it April?" he asked because he really didn't know her name too well.

"I'm Terry Woodard. Sorry about that whole thing, but you can't be too careful in this 'game'," he said honestly.

"August, actually. August Masbeth... But that's alright." She corrected, smiling a little more as he explained his ways just then she nodding a little. "It's alright, I understand... Suppose I should have followed what the manual had said about not running here all crazy."

Well, she wasn't quite running about the place in a crazy manner. She just didn't think before trying to break into the house, and that was just stupid.. not crazy. "You're right, about the game. We have to be careful... I just, I'm just really worried about someone is all."

He nodded in agreement, "Yes, August, you really have to be careful. You're lucky that you didn't run into someone who'd have no problem shooting you dead on the spot. I'm sure there are a lot of people playing already," he said solemnly. Terry honestly had still not decided if he was up to the challenge of playing or not. He didn't have any friends, in either grade, but he didn't have any people that he hated either. He wasn't a pushover but he didn't know if he was a murderer either.

He snapped back to reality and looked back at August, "Who are you looking for? Boyfriend?"

August nodded once again in agreement, her left arm moving rather slowly to rub against the bandages on her right… she keeping her eyes on Terry as he question who she was worried over, a light laugh escaping at the mention of a boyfriend.

“No. I—I’m looking for my friend Helena. Helena Van Garret, she um…” She paused going through her memories of school, “I think you where in our literature class with Mrs. O’Dea? You sat near… Hawley, right?” It was odd, out of all the people she could picture him sitting near, the red head was the only one she could put a name too. “Helena was the blond girl that sat beside me in there.”

Terry absorbed the information for a moment, thinking back to his Literature class (second time with Mrs. O'Dea) which he had been sitting in only a few days ago. Hawley was that kid that had that scar on his neck, who seemed even quieter then Terry. Helena was that reddish-blonde girl. Pretty big boobs, with a big ego to go along with it. She'd never done anything to Terry but she wasn't exactly an angel to everyone else.

Terry nodded at August. "Yeah I remember her," he said, "well I wish I knew where she was but I'm afraid you're the first person I've come across, gorgeous."

A shade of pink spread across her cheeks at the comment at the end of his sentence, a smile, though this one real finding her lips. “Yes… well, I suppose not many people have been seen. We’re only, least I think we’re only a few hours into the game… and I haven’t heard anything. No gunshots, no screams, no nothing…” She trailed off, glancing toward the ground.

“I wonder how many of our classmates have already snapped… I wonder if I'm going to end up being a victim to a person I shared a class with, or ate with at lunch? I always used to tell my mum when I was little, I never wanted to grow old. Though I never wanted to die young either...”

Her last comment brought up memories of Terry's mother; whacking him with her belt when he was five because he had hidden her bottle of alcohol so she couldn't get drunk again, getting an equally severe beating when the police brought him home after he had run away the first time. She probably was having a party of her own, to celebrate the fact that she'd probably never have to see him again.

He coughed into his hand clearing his throat and trying to forget about his mom. "Well, I would love to say that isn't going to happen, but it might and in all honestly it probably will happen," he said honestly, "it's hard to not play and realize that you're going to die if you don't." "I haven't heard any gunshots yet..." she had said but Terry had. Or he thought he had anyway. He might have just imagined it but before August had come he thought he had heard a gun going off and screams from a completely different place. People were definitely playing and all he had was a box cutter.

“It’s alright, I’ve already come to terms with the fact that we’re here and there’s a chance I’m going to die… but I refuse…” August muttered, voice breaking somewhat as tears started to become visible from behind her glasses. Her mind going over the words he had just spoke, she shaking her head some.

“I’m going to refuse for as long as I can… I’m not going to kill anyone. I just can’t… I can’t play this game.”

Terry stiffened up and felt extremely awkward. He could not stand girls crying.

"Um," he said gruffly, "I'm glad that you--um--aren't going to play." He stared down at his feet and shuffled them back and forth before looking up again. "H-how about you drink some of your water, eh?" he asked uncomfortably shooting her a friendly smile.