Survival Of The Fittest

((Craig Hoyle continued from One of Three))

Nothing was making any sense, but that was to be expected. Sometimes life at Bayview didn't even make sense.

Craig never truly got to appreciate just how easy it was to be a high school student, because just like many high schoolers, he was pretty well convinced that it was one of the hardest things in the world to be. Grades, sports and popularity were pretty much your whole life after a while, and Craig failed pretty hard at one of those, was lucky to find his niche in the second, and the third was a tenuous matter for just about any student. Still, it was now becoming apparent just how good they all had it. If the most worrying thing Craig had to put on his plate was the algebra test on friday, then he'd gladly take that life back.

Ever since the drugs had fully worked their way out of the boy's system, Craig had been trembling. If Kevin had found him when he was fully lucid, he probably would've wet his pants. As far as Trent went, Craig kept an eye on the boy who was stumbling along as his companion. He thought that Trent's wordless revival and departure from that cabin would come to make sense as Craig realized other parts of his plight, but no such luck; Trent's mannerisms confused him even in his proper state of mind.

The important thing was, when all was said and done, they were alive. Craig was alive, Trent was alive, and everybody was all nice and happy. Okay, maybe they were just dulling out the consequences of what happened... Craig still tried to distract himself whenever the images of his teachers being shot or the voice of that man crept into his head. There was only so far the boys could delude themselves, however.

They had both heard the announcements. They heard that there was death, and that there were killers.

Nowhere was safe anymore.

((Trent Savage continued from One of Three))

So tired.

So sick of walking.

Sooooo hungry.

----

When Trent had wandered out of the ranger's station, everything was a fog. His eyes couldn't focus, and there was a constant ringing in his ears, leaving him vulnerable to the island as he stumbled through the plant-life. Luckily for him, he had a guardian angel; a giant, behemoth of an angel. With no uncertainty, he knew that he owed Craig his life yesterday after all the help he'd given with such simple things like walking, keeping them both out of danger, stopping him when he went to put his foot of the edge of a riverbank etc., but he didn't know quite how to put it into words.

He didn't even thank him after they'd camped out the night before in the woods. True, they were hidden pretty well underneath the dual layers of leaves and darkness, but without Craig there he might very well have spent his rest curled up and bloody out in the open air. But - and this was key - they had survived. They'd spent a full day and night battling creeping behind trees and watching out for signs of trouble, and somehow this unlikely duo had made it do day two. Who would've thought that someone like Craig could be this... capable? Not to mention a real man's man. At any point he could've taken down his partner; it would've been easier than dragging him halfway across the island, and yet he hadn't. This guy, who Trent had barely spent any time with back at Bayview, was now his sole protector. His life, as he saw it, lay completely in Hoyle's hands.

---

Now they sat, exhausted, in the shadow of the rec center, waiting for their breaths to return. As he rested, he felt the back of his head for the wound he'd received back at the station. Blood, dried, flaked away from his scalp, falling into the rest of his hair as he messed it slowly with the tips of his fingers. It was frustrating, not being able to see the extent of the damage, but he pushed it aside and focused on the more important things they had to worry about. Namely, he was worried of becoming a liability. Becoming? No, he was a liability. A huge one. Nobody asked the footballer to put himself in such enormous risk by keeping Trent alive, and yet he did. That meant he was willing to get himself hurt if it meant keeping the idiot safe. And how did he repay him? By adding more weight to the poor guy's shoulders. Amazing.

If only there was something he could do. Something he could say to let Craig know how much he appreciated everything he'd done. Oh, but that meant admitting that he'd done something wrong, that knocking himself out wasn't completely his own fault. The mound had been really slippery, that was all. It's not like he wanted to fall, he just did. He hadn't asked Craig to do all he had done, so why should he thank him? It'd make him seem weak, like he was some kind of project he could show off later on to prove he really was a nice guy. Then he'd pull off the mask and reveal his true intentions.

But no. That was stupid. He was being so stupid, and so ungrateful. If he couldn't grow the balls to thank the guy who'd saved his life, then he might as well rip them off right now and be done with it. Admit to the world that Trent Savage was truly rabbit-hearted. He looked over at his partner with guilt-ridden eyes. Just say it, get it out there and let him know that you're not a total sack of shit. His mouthed opened slightly. That's it, say it. Only once, then you've said it and you can stop beating yourself up.

"Cr-"

Then nothing. A rasp of his voice, and then more nothing. He closed his mouth, along with his eyes. Turning away like a coward, he hung his head and cursed himself silently within.

Nice, man. Real nice.

Paige, Everett, Warren, Keith, Chris... those were just a few of the names of students that were listed as being among the dead. Then there was another list of names, one that was just as tragic in a sense, but also more foreboding. Clio, Reiko, Ivan, Alex, Rob... those were all students who had killed their own kind, and that wasn't even coming close to a comprehensive list either. But why? Why did they succumb to the desire to kill others just to save their own hide, when they were just feeding right into the terrorists' hands? The concept was far too difficult for Craig to wrap his brain around. He didn't understand it, and he didn't even want to understand it. At the very least, he hadn'd killed anybody, and neither had Trent.

Oh right, Trent. It took a while for Craig to finally register that the boy looked like he had seen better days, but all the blood seemed to be dried for now. Still, it was reason for concern, since there was no telling what head trauma the boy had incurred. Craig truly was grateful to the boy for providing some company; Trent was doing a lot for him without ever even realizing it, Craig was willing to bet. It was all the more reason why he was so worried for the smaller boy's health. If something were to happen to him... well, the best case scenario was that the head injury damaged Trent's pituitary and caused massive growth so he and Craig could be the most intimidating things ever on this island. The worst (and far more likely) case scenario was that he could have a concussion or something similar, one of those silent killers that nabs you when you aren't even expecting it.

"Cr-"

Now, that was certainly a shock. Trent hadn't said anything in hours... hell, there was a good chance he hadn't said anything since the day prior. Craig just figured he might have been holding the internal monologue from hell, or maybe with some fallacy of teen logic, Trent somehow knew where he was going since he seemed to be on some sort of mission, hell-bent to reach a certain location. Or maybe the boy was just suffering from his severe head injury, one of those few choices. So, just when Craig was about to say something to Trent, having the other boy speak up was a nice little shock. Then again... that seemed to be all Trent was about to say.

"What is it, bud?" Craig asked, in the cheeriest manner he could muster for the time being. Now, the most he could manage wasn't exactly the most chipper thing in the universe, but considering the situation, it was still a passable tone of lightness, trying to say that whatever it was, it was cool to spit out.

"What is it, bud?"

A big smile. Trent couldn't bear looking at him. How was he still so cheery? They'd just spent the night on an island in the middle of nowhere, after being kidnapped, no less. They'd both heard the announcement, the one with that man; they both heard the list of names that'd been dropped out - the list of the dead. He hid behind his eyelids. If Craig knew he was worried it'd probably bring him down, and then they'd have no chance. They both needed this optimism right now if they were to survive, so from now on he'd stop being such dead weight. He'd do his fair share from now on, even if his body hated him for it. If his legs didn't want to walk, then he'd drag himself. If his eyes started to blur, he'd close them - rely on his other senses. And if he died? Well, that didn't bear thinking about.

"Nothin', man. I was just,"

He looked up.

"Thinkin' about where we should stay tonight. Don't wanna get jumped out here in the open."

He gave Craig his best attempt at a smile, but it didn't stay for long. With a few grunts, he slowly got to his feet. The sudden rush of blood to his head almost made him fall, but he held on to his partner's shoulder to keep himself up. After the initial dizziness subsided, he leant down and grabbed his daypack from the pile at Craig's feet. Part of him couldn't believe he'd let the poor guy carry him and his stuff around while he'd been making a nuisance of himself, but one look at his cheerful face reminded him why. A little resentment bubbled deep inside him as he lifted the bag onto his shoulders - he didn't realize how heavy it was. Craig had been carrying all of their stuff because he could. He was large enough and strong enough, where Trent was skinny and drained. People may have made fun of them both at school, but here, this is where people really proved themselves. And what was Trent doing? Being useless, that's what.

"Don't worry, I got it. S'least I can do."

His body groaned under the extra load. He'd underestimated how damage the fall had caused. Every fibre of his body shook, trembled, as he started walking down the overgrown path. Twice his knees buckled, only to send him halfway to the ground before the capable hands of his partner came to catch him. And as they made their way towards the row of empty houses, they both prepared themselves for the night ahead of them.

((Trent Savage and Craig Hoyle continued in Fountain of Youth))