Survival Of The Fittest

((Kimberly Nguyen continued from Blackout))

It'd been a long day, not the least because Kimberly'd spent the first hour or so just waiting for her collar to go. She'd expected it, come to terms with it. Been all prepared to die in several ways. She'd had no regrets. And yet, at the end of it, they hadn't blown her up. Maybe Danya was smarter than she'd thought. Maybe he really understood. Actually, scratch that, this whole thing, this whole game, meant that he understood, in ways beyond what Kimberly could comprehend. It bothered her, it really did, because she was starting to understand Danya's thinking, too, and it almost made sense.

Of course, whether he understood or not, Danya was no good at his own game. Kimberly understood this now, too. Killing was the ultimate expression of defeat. Danya exulted in controlling other people, and popping collars meant he was letting them go. He probably hated that, probably got off on making his captives make those tough choices. And hey, everyone had hobbies. Kimberly actually shared that one, but was pretty sure it didn't make her a totally irredeemable person, especially since it had positive effects, too. She was teaching people, in a way. Sure, she was controlling them, toying with them, playing games with their emotions, but it all had a good end, a positive end. She was teaching them how to survive. She was taking them apart and reassembling them into the sort of people they had to be to live in this place, sparing them the weaknesses that had plagued her for the first day, that had cost her the use of her left arm.

She'd been thinking about her encounter with Liz in that light, and had come to realize just how well it had gone. She didn't even regret losing the gun. Easy come, easy go. There were plenty of guns here. She'd find another, if she needed it. Really, though, that was unlikely. She was pretty fucking confident she could call who would shoot her and who wouldn't by now. She'd survived offering two separate people—two separate killers—the chance, and she was still alive.

She was alive, and she was on the move. She'd caught a little sleep in the past few days. Not as much as normal, but fuck it, she didn't have time. She'd eaten most of her food, but there'd be corpses to rob. That was one taboo she'd pretty well kicked by now, after Daisuke. Of course, she had some other ideas, too, which was why she was headed towards the docks. It was possible, albeit unlikely, that some fishing equipment had been left behind. Kimberly didn't have the first clue about fishing, but Jeremy Franco had taught her the value of the fine art of bargaining, and she figured she could either split the haul with someone who did know how, or find another weapon and threaten them into helping her.

Kimberly was close, now, could see that there was a little bait shop at the shore side end of the dock. She walked over to it, and was hit by the smell. Not fish. Rot. This close to the sea, it was pretty bad. She nudged the door open, took a glance, and paused.

Okay, maybe she wasn't quite used to corpses yet. Especially not out of the tunnels, out in the fucking real world where she could think clearly, where it wasn't just a dream cast in the flickering of a flashlight. Kimberly backed away at a nice, quick clip, backpedaling down the dock until she was at its end, back to the water, breathing deeply the scent of the sea. Fuck it. That was no good at all. She'd have to take a few deep breaths, then march right back and search the place. After all, if it kept her out, surely the more squeamish students would stay far away too. There could be a real treasure trove of things to find.

That would be in a moment, though. For now, she turned and stood, looking out to sea, at the end of the dock.

Of course, she couldn't be too careful, so she was listening not to the pounding of the waves, but for the telltale creak of the water-saturated planks behind her.

Steven was tired. He had been walking for most part of the day, and his knee was already telling him to stop. But he couldnt stop. Not now. He had seen and heard on the distance sounds of gunfire, screams and even a couple of explosions, but he had been to tired and too scared to investigate them. The announcements had come and go. He had left the Logging Road after watching that poor girl being carried by the river, and he had been walking upstream during the next couple of hours, stopping now and then to rest a little bit. He had crossed the bridge that led to the other side of the river a little bit after that, and he had been walking until coming across the Docks. He had always had found the crashing of the waves relaxing, but that wasn´t really nothing that could help him feel relaxed right now.

He had been thinking. Or trying to think. When he first woke up, the person that he just met had been killed in front of his eyes. Eric Lorenz. Pushed out of a cliff by a ravenous psychotic mass of muscles. He hadnt been able to put a face to the person that had sent Eric plumetting to his death, he had been too scared running away to turn his head around.

He checked his weapons again. He sighed. A cricket bat and a knife. The knife itself could be useful, but again, he was dealing with people that would be, in some cases probably, carrying guns, and you didnt have to be a genius to know that in a fight between a knife and a handgun, the handgun is the winner.

"Man, this is so shit..." he muttered under his breath, biting his upper lip

He couldnt break down now. If he broke down then he would become an easy prey, and if he became an easy prey, someone would come around and kill him.

"And what is the other option?" he asked to himself "To become a killer... to go home spilled with the blood of other people... to see their parents, their siblings, their lovers, and feel the weight of their eyes upon your soul...?" he was gradually becoming more and more dramatic in his monologue, but Drama had always been a big passion of his, and in cases like this it was the only thing that could keep him sane.

He knew that there were other ways out of the game, other than to become a "player" or be killed. He had seen it on the last season (everyone had seen it on TV). Battling the system was possible.

"Yeah, but seriously,what are the odds of something like that happening again...?" he breathed heavily. He knew that the people that made the game were careful enough to not to let the same mistake happen twice. These terrorists, this Mr Danya... they knew that they screwed up on last season. They were not going to let it happen again anytime soon. But he had heard the last two announcements. He had heard that a girl (Liz Polanski, he reminded himself... would have to write that name down somewhere) had managed to override her collar. How had she done it, Steven had no idea, but the fact that one of them was already free and out of the terrorists control were good news every day.

Of course, the fact that she had been destroying the cameras and Danya had made the point to kill three random students to "punish" her made it somewhat bittersweet, but he was not on the mood to complain.

He didnt want to end up like poor Eric, tumbling down some cliff in a God-forsaken island far from home. He didnt want to end up like that poor girl on the river, killed by some random natural event just for not being careful enough. He didnt want to end up with his head separated from his body just because someone thought that he deserved a lesson. He wanted do survive. No, better than that, he just wanted to live.

"Aw, fuck it" he commented, getting to his feet, ready to start walking once more "It happened once, it can happen twice. Maybe I will get to survive. And if I dont... well, then thats it, at least I can tell I tried to do so..."

"I hope they are hearing this", he said, looking down to his collar "Because they thought they could keep this shit running forever and ever. They were wrong. Last season their system fucked up. And this season is as likely to fuck up too. They just sit and watch..."

He had some interesting ideas... and he wanted to share it with the terrorists someday (especially with Mr. Danya). He will may go down by the hands of a classmate, or Danya himself, but he would make sure that they were gonna be annoyed as hell when that would happen.

He watched some movement out of the corner of his eyes. He turned to stare at it. There was a girl there. How long had she been there, he had no idea. He really didn´t want to think right now. She seemed to be alone. And unnarmed.

Instantly, something clicked in the back of his mind. A dangerous thought that he somewhat didn´t fancy at all. She didn´t seem dangerouns at all. She was just there, standing, at the end of the dock. It would be so easy to... he didn´t even need the cricket bat or the knife, he could just push her out in the water. Just like that girl had died...

No.

Just merely, sincerely no. He was not going to let that smug snake of Danya win. He could not let him have his fun. He would rather die, any day.

The girl just stood there, without moving at all. Had she noticed him at all in any of the moments he had been there, pondering what to do? He shrugged. He didn´t really care.

He breathed slowly... he was tired of running in circles. He didn´t want to keep doing that shit until he lost his sanity or somebody blew out his brains, whatever happened first.

Well, here goes nothing.

"Hello..." he said, unsure of what to do while he stepped closer to the girl "Look, before you say or do anything, I am not playing. I have got weapons but I won´t use them against you..."

((Aislyn McCreery continued from Birdland))

Aislyn concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. She had been on the move since the debacle down by the greens. She had only allowed herself on a handful of twenty minute nap/ water breaks since leaving the other girls in the Infirmary. It was enough to keep her moving but not enough to help her feel rested.

She wasn't sure why she retraced her steps, travelling from the greens back to the Infirmary and now, farther north. Maybe she backtracked because of the lack of perceived threat. It was safe-ish, sort of, to travel within the shadow of the infirmary since she knew not a one of the girls huddled inside would be a threat.

Dismissing thoughts of her old group, Aislyn concentrated on her current situation. For the first time since this whole thing started, the situation was looking up. She had managed to procure more supplies at a minimal cost to herself, and now she was heading home. At least, it felt that way.

For as long as she could remember, she had lived near the sea. No matter where in they had been stationed, because of the nature of her father's job, they lived within a few miles of the ocean. The cool, briny air and soothing sounds of waves breaking on the shore were familiar and comforting because they never changed. No matter where she was, those were a constant.

Right up until they moved to Minnesota. Not that there had been a shortage of water in Saint Paul, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't home. The lakes were nice to swim in, but they weren't the ocean. They didn't call to something inside her the way the ocean did, like it was doing now.

Her pace picked up as the siren call of the sea thundered in her ears. On this godforsaken island, she had found a small piece of home. Docks were a familiar part of her childhood. Maybe she would be able to find a defensible position here, some place secure where she could grab a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Aislyn thought about trying to slip down to the shore and swim a bit, allowing herself to unwind and clean the lingering remnants of the swamp mud off, but she dismissed the idea. Her fresh water supply was limited so there would be no way to rinse the salty residue off afterwards. And with no one to keep watch while she swam, the whole thing left her far too vulnerable. Unwilling to scrap it entirely, she decided that maybe later she would, after it was dark.

Over the sound of the breaking surf, she heard a voice say perhaps the dumbest thing she had ever heard. "Look, before you say or do anything, I am not playing. I have got weapons but I won´t use them against you..." The sheer stupidity of that statement stopped her dead in her tracks.

Is this guy for real? Was that supposed to be reassuring? I have a weapon but I won't kill you? And welcome to the trip, dumb fuck. We ALL have weapons. She had to figure out what member of the Bayview Brain Trust had allowed that crap to fall out their mouth. Creeping closer, she put eyes on the speaker. The guy seemed vaguely familiar and super earnest. Right up until she remembered where she had seen him before. He was Stan or Steve…something. And he was super into the school's theater group. Super earnest my ass, actor boy.

He was talking to a girl who was standing out on the docks. Aislyn squinted as she tried to make out the girl's features. The last thing she needed or wanted was to stumble onto a conflict-in-the-making. Better to call out Steve on his crap before the situation ramped up any more. Stashing her gear in a convenient hidey-hole, she gripped her make-shift spear tightly before approaching.

"Really? Wow, how considerate of you," Aislyn said, her voice flat as she made her presence known. "If you're not gonna use them, why not give them to someone who wants them? Give others a fighting chance." She rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen up her muscles. "Unless you have every intention of using them,w hich makes you a liar. And I just can't stand liars."

It was quiet. Subtle. The sort of thing Kimberly would never have picked up on, had she not been specifically prepared for it, listening for it with all her attention. She'd had a hunch someone would turn up. She was, after all, intentionally making herself a target, intentionally playing up the inattentive angle. It had a point; specifically, it would likely help her run a scam if she had to, get some help for her fishing experiment. Well, that and she'd really, really needed a minute to exhale the stench of the corpse.

She did not turn when she heard the first signs of the interloper. Turning would have been the easy choice, but also the stupid one. She strongly doubted most of her classmates would shoot her in the back. No, they'd need some form of provocation, some justification so that they could still sleep at night. There would be talking first. They'd have to paint her as the villain, or the helpless victim, or something of the sort. And, of course, the mystery stranger might well not have a gun, in which case they would likely approach striking range before opening the dialogue.

Sure enough. Creak. Kimberly smiled. Smiled wider as the voice spoke. So predictable. He had to get the first word in. Had to prove his innocence. Had to establish that he was not, in fact, the aggressor. He was a sheep, just another mindless drone lost to the game, whether as a killer or a target. Didn't matter which. Didn't matter if he was lying about his willingness to fight or not. Kimberly was gonna fuck with him a while, see if she could get anything useful from him, and then send him off to get killed on his own time. It was almost becoming routine, almost becoming boring, and that disturbed her. She didn't even have to think about her speech; she would call him out on his idiocy or lying, leave the choice of which label to accept to him, but force him into one of the categories.

She didn't turn. Better, far better to play up the drama, to address him without facing him. Kimberly opened her mouth, ready to speak—the words from behind her closed her mouth in an instant, transformed her smile into a grimace of rage and disappointment. Really? He gave that speech with an ally? But... no. The person wasn't helping him, was actually lambasting him, stealing the words right out of Kimberly's mouth. She paused, still facing the sea. Could it be? Had someone else on this island finally figured out this whole fucking thing on their own? She wanted to laugh, but didn't let herself. Instead, she spoke.

"Of course he's a liar. C'mon, what the fuck do you think happens if I turn and take a run at him with a knife? If he was unwilling to use his weapons, he wouldn't have mentioned them. The implicit threat is designed to prevent aggressive action on my part."

Kimberly paused for a moment.

"Unless, of course, he's an idealist. In that case, he's fucked if I decide to turn around and throw him off the pier. A threat without force behind it is no threat at all, not if your target has a clue. And, you know what? He's just out of luck, because while I can abide liars fine, I just can't stand idealists."

As she had spoken, Kimberly had dug one of her cigarettes out of her pocket, as well as a match; now, she turned to face the two, striking the match on the coarse rope attached to her grappling hook, slotting the cigarette into her mouth, and lighting it, in a fairly smooth motion. She was getting used to having only one good hand. As she took a drag, she finally looked at the others. She knew their faces, but their names weren't coming to mind immediately. Whatever. Wasn't like she really gave a fuck who they were. All that mattered was that the guy was a chump and the girl had a clue.

And that... that mattered quite a bit.

Steven just looked at the two girls, his eyes gazing from one of them to the other. He didn´t really had noticed the other one... he couldn´t really remember her name... Ashley or something like that ? He remembered her from Bayview, but he had not really talked to her at all, she was just one more of the hundred faces he encountered on the school halls. Damn! He hadn´t see her come until he had just heard her call him out on his words...

Had they just called him a liar? He sort of wanted them to swallow their words, but he wanted to be cautious first. If he was going to try and team up with them, he just couldn´t go around screaming at them... but then, the question just hung around his head like an angry hangover... did he really wanted to talk them into working with him? He swallowed hard again. He seemed like a frickin faliure. First people he tried to form a group with, and the first thing they did was call him a liar. Didn´t seem fair at all, but at least they hadn´t tried to shoot him.

He looked at that Ashley... or was it Aislyn? Yeah, Aislyn sounded more like it. Then he began to talk.

"Look..." he started, trying to sound as reasonable as he could be "My only weapons are a cricket bat and a knife... if you think you stand a chance with them, you just can take it if you want, because I don´t think they are really useful..."

Then he looked at the girl who was standing just there in the docks, now smoking a cigarrete, like she didn´t have a care on the world. Steven had to admit, even if he didn´t swing that way, that she was quite cute. Now that he was looking straight at her he could bring a name to her face... she was Kimberly, or something like that.

"Look... I don´t give a fuck if you think I am an idealist or not... but I have been walking without stopping for the last three days. The people that I have already met on this island are dead or dying. I dunno about you, but Im tired of running. I just want to be around someone... even if it´s for a few hours... I just wanna talk and see what we are going to do. It´s just that"

He stopped, pausing to see their reaction.

[Boy #61 - William Hearst. Continued from It's Everything's Nature to Fall.]

Will left them behind.

He didn't know why or when he decided it, but when he looked back during his trek to find that they were not with him, William made no attempt to go back and find them. He left them behind and ignored everything that told him to stay with his friends, to stay with a group he knew. This just wasn't the time to wander off on his own and yet, that is what he had done. No one was there to help him up if he fell and there was no one to help deal with the cards he had been dealt. Death was never easy to cope with, let alone in this horrid place. William took Everett's death hard on that second morning. He took Trevor's death hard. He took the news that Peter had killed someone in stride.

Now, he's lost Tiffany and he just... didn't know how to react.

It was hard, watching her die. Staying by her side and being completely helpless to help her when she needed it most. He took out his anger on the one responsible in the only way he could. He lashed out and tried to kill the boy. He would have done it too, if Brook hadn't been there. If he hadn't been as strong as he was. William would have more than one students blood on his hands if Brook hadn't been there to knock him for a loop.

Am I supposed to be thankful?

Will was alone with his thoughts for much of the day. He didn't even react to the announcements when they came. He just kept walking. There was nothing left for him to react to, really. Some bitch had fucked things up, and lots of people died. But it didn't matter anymore. None of it really mattered without her around.

"I promised to keep her safe..."

He hadn't eaten much and hadn't even managed to sleep. Neither one of them seemed to matter to Will. He just wasn't hungry and just couldn't bring himself to sleep. All he could bring himself to do was walk. So, he walked. For hours on end, he walked without direction and without motivation. When he decided to start heading east, he didn't really know. He'd passed this way once before with her, but they were trying to run from death. All he saw of this place was a distant glance as they passed in a rush. It hurt when he thought back on that time. It hurt his legs and it hurt his chest.

Eventually, he pulled a notepad from his backpack and a pen. Without reason, he started to write while he walked, unsure of who he was writing to or why, just content in the catharsis of writing. Maybe it was a letter home or perhaps it was a note to Tiffany. It could even be something to leave behind for his future killer. Whatever it was that William wrote, he took solace in the words, focusing on them and ignoring everything that went on around him. He did, at one point, take time to catch something to eat. Something other than bread and crackers to settle his stomach, cooked over a quickly made fire. But it didn't satiate him. Not really.

He burned his books then, too. It was pointless to carry them. They were worth more as tinder than as entertainment.

"Hm?"

Finally, William's focus shifted to the here and now as the sound of his footsteps went from hushed plodding on dirt or sand to the loud, hollow thumps on the wood of the dock. The smell of the sea and the sound of the waves brought him back. To Trevor and Kari. Time spent near the water never seemed to end well for Will. Perhaps he should turn around and start walking in the other direction. Maybe that would be better. But when he saw the three at the end of the dock, outside that little shop, he couldn't turn away.

This is what happened on the island. Pain and death were common and if it was going to happen, it was going to happen. There was no point in trying to run. After all, hadn't William resolved to use that gun in his hand when it came down to it?

He put away the pen and pad. He checked the gun in his hand.

Remember. Seven shots left.

William continued down the dock. He didn't bother to speak. Not yet.

Let them make the first move.


React accordingly.

"Oh...", it was all that Steven could say as he saw the boy approaching them. He would have been more eloquent if he had not seen the gun that the boy was carrying. Instantly, his blood froze. But he tried to remain as calm as he could. Clearly, the boy didn´t look like he was playing. If he had been, he would have shot at them in the same moment he had seen them. Unless, of course, he just wanted to come closer to try and shoot at them without risk of them dogding the bullets. Which actually would make a lot of sense...

The boy was just there, standing, with the gun in his hand, without saying anything at all. Steven´s gaze fell between the young man, the two girls, and the gun in the boy´s hand.

Damn! Was everyone without a group in this fricking island just popping around in this docks? It certainly looked like it. So far, so good; unless someone who was playing came along and decided to finish them off. They were practically sitting ducks there, out in the open.

Seeing that no one of his companions were saying anything, Steven tried to break the ice.

"Well..." he said, gesturing to the newcomer "I guess we should make an introduction to the gentleman with the gun, before he thinks we are any dangerous...", he paused briefly, before continuing, adressing the boy "Well, I don´t know if you know who I am, but I recognize you from Bayview as well... your name is William ,isn´t it? I am Steven Hunt, and before you do anything with that gun, you must know I am not playing... and even if I were, my weapons are practically shit, so you don´t have nothing to worry about..."

He made a stop, trying to guess any reaction from the boy, before remembering the two young women that were with them at the docks.

"Oh, and about the ladies... I don´t think they are playing, so far no one of them has tried to kill me, which is really considerate, having in mind that I just met them five minutes ago... but beggars can´t be choosers"

He hoped, really hoped, that the boy just didn´t shoot at him. Those would have been a very poor choice of last words.

((Just a friendly reminder to please keep to post order so everyone gets a chance to interact in turn. If you've got any post order questions, PM me.))

"I just wanna talk and see what we are going to do."

What *we're* gonna do? Aislyn said nothing but raised an eyebrow at Steven's presumption that somehow, the three of them running into each other made them a group. She thought about saying something but the sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention.

She turned slightly and saw a guy approaching them. He wasn't saying anything but he was openly carrying a gun. This…this is not good, her brain supplied. Get something between you and the potential shooter.

Steven seemed to decide he was the de facto leader of this meeting and would make the introductions. Aislyn let him get distracted with the social pleasantries as she slowly tried to creep past Steven, allowing him to be her human shield. Plus, it put her farther out over the water. That way, if…

Aislyn narrowed her eyes and realized that the newcomer was Alex White's best friend. His name was…Will, Will Hearst. If Will decided to open fire, she could just bail over the side and hit the water.

Aislyn was contemplating just jumping over the side and getting the hell out of Dodge when Steven's last comment caught her attention.

"Oh, and about the ladies... I don´t think they are playing, so far no one of them has tried to kill me, which is really considerate, having in mind that I just met them five minutes ago... but beggars can´t be choosers."

"Well, I'm so glad you've decided we poor little girls aren't a threat, *STEVE*," Aislyn snapped, irrationally angry at his high-handed behavior. "Especially since you've *repeatedly* assured us that, despite the fact that you have multiple weapons, you're not looking to hurt anybody. Well, it looks like Will there is gonna call your bluff. Because, call me crazy, he looks a little pissed off AND he has a gun."

"Well, well, well," Kimberly said with a grin. So, that's how it was gonna be, eh? Steven thought he could fuck with her some, thought he wouldn't have to put his money where his mouth was. Well, Kimberly knew words meant jack shit without actions, and whatever the fuck Steven was playing at, he'd just lost hardcore. He'd tipped his hand too far, offered too much, and Kimberly was gonna make him fucking pay for it. She was only mildly distracted when some other guy (Will, his name was, like she gave a fuck) came walking down the dock, nice and casual, gun in hand.

Things escalated pretty damn quickly. Of course they did. Everything escalated on this island. Kimberly just had to make sure it worked to her advantage. She had to make sure she walked out of this situation on top, in control. She didn't really need a better weapon, but hey, neither did these fucks.

Will was being silent. Ominous. Kimberly wanted to laugh. He was an amateur when it came to drama of that sort. A silent menace could hold out for a while, but it'd make you look pretty dumb if you didn't know when to break it. As the others talked, Kimberly took a couple lazy drags off her cigarette. She listened to them speaking. Steven sucked up to the guy with the gun. Predictable. He was afraid. If the island was an ecosystem, Steven was prey. Will, Will was probably a predator. Kimberly was pretty sure he'd been on the announcements. It didn't worry her. He wasn't a smart killer; had he been, he'd have started shooting right away. If he was going to hurt them, he'd talk first. Kimberly could step off the side of the dock if he did, though swimming to shore on one arm with a bag of stuff would fucking suck.

Steven introduced her and Aislyn, much to her consternation. Painted a nice, unflattering portrait of them, too. Beggars can't be choosers? What a fucking compliment that was. Well. She'd just have to see that they paid. Both of them. Aislyn was alright, but Kimberly was damn well pissed at the boys by now.

It came in a flash.

"Nah," she said, once Aislyn had finished talking. "Will's not calling any bluff. I am. Steven, you said you'd hand over your weapons if we thought we could do well with 'em. I do. I think a knife would be an awful useful tool, and I think Aislyn here would probably like that bat to dissuade anyone from taking a shot at her."

As she spoke, Kimberly cast a meaningful glance at Will.

Then she stepped up next to Steven, nice and close, getting into his bubble, nearly letting her side touch his, and reached her good arm in front of him, palm up.

"Come on," she said. "You're not a liar, right?"

Liar. The word sort of shocked him. He had been expected to be called a coward (after all, he had been spending the last few days running around in circles trying not to encounter anyone), but actually the last thing he expected to be called was a liar. And certainly not by the first person he had met on the last few hours, the first person he had actually tried to communicate with. But certainly, this girl had some serious trust issues. She had called him a liar at least three times since they had bumped into each other.

Actually, Steven was beginning to think that maybe try and befriend this people was not really a good idea. He had been looking at the girls all the time, following their body movements as they were talking. The other girl, Aislyn, had walked until positioning herself behind him. Steven didn´t have to be a genius to know she was trying to be as far from Will as possible, using him as a sort of human shield in case she was right and Will just decided to shoot at them. Reality was slowly catching up to him. He was losing control of the situation. And he knew it.

It was just great. First people he happened to meet in days, and they turned out to be a mostly uncommunicative boy and a pair of shallow girls who snorted at his offer of teaming up. Steven had never been great at developing his social skills, and clearly, starting to do so on an island full of high school kids who were out to kill you was not really the first place to make an attempt to do so.

He didn´t particularly liked the way Kimberly was looking at him, the way she had slowly crept up onto him, invading his personal space. Steven had seen that sort of look before. She appeared similar to a cat toying with its prey, carefully examining it before deciding if it was worth eating or not. He wondered if he shouldn´t had just followed his thoughts and pushed her out to the water on the moment he had seen her. At least that way she wouldn´t bitch at him. He had to admit, even if he didn´t swing that way, that the girl was sincerely cute. But he hadn´t walked up to this docks just to admire the views.

"Well..." he said, looking at Kimberly and her hand, raised in front of him "First of all, maybe I chose poorly on my words before. Maybe you are dangerous, after all... but that doesn´t matter. At all"

He paused for a brief moment, before continuing to talk.

"You are right in one thing. I will give you my weapons. I have no doubt that you can defend yourself well with a knife, and Aislyn here looks like she would really give someone a run for their money with the cricket bat. So there is no need to keep calling me a liar or interpreting my words as lies. But I only demand one thing in return... and that is that you allow me to go with you. I have been on my own since this blasted game started... and I am quite tired of it. I just want to be around someone. That is all... besides, you haven´t told me if you have got any weapons yourself. If I am going to show you mine I would rather see what yours are... just to make this situation equal"

He looked at Aislyn, and this time he tried to choose his words carefully. He knew that one wrong sentence and that was it. The girls would probably laugh him off and they would leave him behind. That if Will didn´t just kill them all first.

"Look", he started, trying to look her in the eye to show her he was trying to be as frank as possible "You had just said it. Will has the gun. He is basically in charge here. So, the least we could do is just ask him what his thoughts are on the matter at hand..."

He turned to look at the boy, and merely shrugged.

"So, William, what do you think of all of this? Do you think we should try to team up and form a group, or would you rather prefer us to leave?"

So, there was it. A sincere offer. The boy could either take it and join them, or let them leave... or he could raise the gun he had been silenty holding during all the conversation the other three had shared and blow their fucking brains off.

Steven knew it was a leap of faith. But at the same time he looked at the edge of the docks and wondered if his knees would allow him to run in time and jump out to the water just in case Aislyn was right and Will decided to use his weapon against them.

Time seemed to stand still.

William stood in relative silence as the three of them carried on, each one taking more than a few moments to themselves to speak up and give one another a piece of their mind. Or two, in some cases, as William glanced to Steven and balked at his numerous statements, keeping a straight face despite the urge to do otherwise. Did William really looked pissed off, as Aislyn so put it? Will thought he looked rather apathetic, if he had to be honest about his own appearance. He was filthy and ragged and didn't look to have slept in some time, not to mention he barely cared enough to make any sort of facial expression beyond a blank stare.

They're noisy...

"My name was on the announcements, Steve."

William finally chimed in with his own two cents, probably giving weight to Aislyn's statement regarding Will and Steven's bluff. It was true, William's name had been on the announcements just a few days prior. He had been responsible for Trevor's death and as far as anyone else on the island knew, William had done it in cold blood. The only person who could really vouch for his state of mind at the time was dead, so that was William's identity now on the island. A killer. He was a murderer, and he was alone. Honestly, he preferred it that way now. Peter and Eiko, he'd left the two of them behind. On purpose or by accident, he'd made the choice to be alone after losing Tiffany. Would he keep that mindset?

"I'm nothing but a killer now, you should know that. I'm not to be trusted."

William's voice was flat and held no malice, nor was it mocking. It was a statement, simple as that. Will just didn't care enough to be angry with the loud-mouthed boy or put any effort into mocking him out of spite, as it looked like Aislyn was intent on doing, picking at his statements. Nor did he care enough to give much thought to Kimberly and what she said, what she did. In this game, each and every one of them was playing some sort of role, whether it was that of an outright killer or a manipulator. Will didn't wish to stick around long enough to figure out which roles Steven, Kimberly or Aislyn had chosen to play it this. But their cards became a little more apparent in the time William spent just staring, listening, as they carried on in front of him.

Steve was an idiot.

Aislyn was kind of bitchy.

But Kimberly? She was a tougher nut to crack. Not easy to read, yet her intentions were as clear and plain as the day was long. Still, things were murky as they stood.

"Now, what do I think? I think you're an idiot. I think she's kind of bitchy, and I think that one back there is playing you for the fool."

Well now, that certainly was out of the blue, at least when compared to his earlier statements and rather unwavering calm. Will spoke up with a bit more determination in his voice, deciding that standing there and staring probably wasn't going to help things and while speaking up may make things worse, it at least changes the situation.

"I think we're all going to make an attempt at being civil for as long as civility can last here. We're all going to die eventually, but that doesn't mean we have to be at each others throats. After all, as you said just a moment ago, if we really wanted to kill each other, we could have found a way to do so already."

Before you opened your mouth and stuck for foot in it, to boot. That'll get you killed here, one way or another.

Will didn't look to be too eager on moving from his spot, but he wasn't making any aggressive moves either. His grip on the gun in his hand hadn't tightened or loosened since he showed up there on the docks, but it didn't appear that he was intent on putting a bullet in anyone. Nor did he look to be letting his guard down any time soon. Will didn't trust any of them, not Steven nor Kimberly nor Aislyn there with her snappy comebacks. Will didn't expect to get along with any of them either, despite what they might have had in common back when the biggest thing they had to worry about was whether or not they studied everything that would be on the test that afternoon.

On the island, it was best to follow the rule. Don't trust anyone.

"Now, I suggest that we all sit down for a while and try to avoid strangling each other. Has anyone searched the bait shop for supplies? I'm hoping to catch dinner before it gets too late."

William had decided to end this little stand-off with the offer of food. Everyone needed food, and fish was a sight better than stale bread and crackers. He didn't know about the rest of them, but he was tiring of bread and water and had long since run out of salty sweet snacks. With the beach came the bounty of the ocean and even as close to the shore as they were, they could at least get lucky.

"How does that sound?"

Without hesitation, William offered a smile was he finished speaking.

Whatever happened to the rules?

"Well...First of all, maybe I chose poorly on my words before. Maybe you are dangerous, after all... but that doesn´t matter. At all"

It took every ounce of self-control Aislyn had not to rush STEVE and punch him upside his useless, empty, fuck faced head. He was doing it again.

He was dismissing her as a threat, as anyone of any importance. She tried to rationalize that it was a good thing, that it just meant that he was less likely to try and attack her. She wanted to be able to let it go. But he…JUST…KEPT…TALKING. It was all she could do to keep herself from pulling her own hair and screaming.

Steve just kept making all these demands and assumptions without actually getting any input from her or Kimberly. Not that he wasn't talking AT the girls. He was definitely doing that, with all of his demands and assumptions. That they were a group, that Will was the biggest threat just because he was openly carrying his weapon, that it hadn't been one of the biggest tactical mistakes EVER to leave her standing at his unguarded back. All while ‘the menfolk' talked.

Not that William was saying a whole lot. He copped to being a killer and realized that that label had compromised people's ability to trust him. The fact that he had taken a life and reminded them of it did not bother her overly much since she only had Danya's spin on the event. Mad men with God complexes were not reliable sources of information.

Besides, she knew her father had taken the lives of people before. It wasn't anything personal. It was just what was necessary at the time. And it was never people who didn't deserve it. Having neutralized threats didn't make him a bad man. It just made him someone who would do what was necessary to ensure the continued safety of what was important to him.

Maybe that was what happened to William. Maybe he met someone who made him choose, and like a smart boy, William chose himself. Besides, there was a difference between a single kill and many. One kill was self-defense. Seven kills was a psycho who needed to be put down for the safety of the group.

Aislyn scowled at Will's off-handed comment that they were all going to die eventually. "Maybe you asshats are gonna die here," she muttered in mutinous, low tones. She knew in her heart that her father was coming and she was going home. There was no reality other than that.

But at least Will was talking about civility and being rational. Aislyn liked rational. None of her previous group had been able to stay rational and focused, when it came down to it. And unlike her old group, Will was being practical in pointing out that everyone could use a nice protein infusion in their diet right about now.

"How does that sound?"

"I could eat," Aislyn agreed. "I'm all for seeing what we can gather or catch. But before we do, since he's being *ever so helpful*, why doesn't *STEVE* hand over his weapons so we can get this bivouac on the road? After all, he's not going to use them."

Oh, lovely, everyone decided to be even fucking louder and more talky and less intelligent than ever. Whatever. She'd manage. It was pretty damn simple, actually. And hey, at least Steven acknowledged that she was a threat. Maybe she should turn it up a notch, get intimidating? Nah, no way, not if she wanted to actually get anything out of him. And hey, even after all that, he was still going to hand over the weapons? Right on. He had a bunch of bullshit conditions and terms to go through first, but that was alright.

He didn't like being called a liar. Lovely. Kimberly had to remember that. It was a tool, a piece of leverage. He wanted to go with her. Yawn. But hey, wasn't like he'd asked to lead, and Kimberly had her own plans for how things would go down. He wanted to know her weapons. She could do that.

"I've got a grappling hook," she said, gesturing at it on her belt, her hand moving from in front of him. This was dangerous, removing her hand like that. She figured that this was the action that was most likely to draw their attention to the fact that she was only using one arm, that the other was hidden under her little towel-cloak. She really didn't want to be asked about it, not again.

"It's no good for defense, or as a tool," she continued. "I had a gun once, but I gave it to someone."

And Steven also said that Will had the gun, so he was in charge. That, that made Kimberly's blood boil, made her body temperature rise. Will was in control? Like fuck Will was in control. Will would have control the second he seized it. No, for now, for this brief moment, they were all equals, all on even footing. It was anyone's game; Will just was showing some high cards.

Will then admitted to the killing. Also said he couldn't be trusted. A nice gambit, but it didn't do jack for Kimberly. He was a rank amateur when it came to mind games. He then gave a nice assessment of everyone else around. Oh, hey, Kimberly was playing Steven. What a shocking development. Clearly, no one could see that. Thing was, Will was playing Steven too, was trying to sow doubt in his mind. Will was a predator for sure, and he could tell things would change a good bit if Kimberly got her hands on a decent article of protection.

Will suggested they be civil, sit down, chat. Oh, Kimberly could talk. He was transitioning nicely into her arena, now. She just had a few little things to take care of, a few bets to hedge. First, though, he wanted to search the bait shop. Perfect. She had this so fucking under control it wasn't even funny.

"I haven't checked the shop, Will," she said. "That's a good idea. Let me know if you find anything."

Enjoy the corpse, you meddling fuck.

And all throughout, Aislyn was the sensible one, the one who knew when to stay quiet, when to talk. Kimberly actually found herself liking the other girl. Especially when Aislyn reminded Steve of turning over the weapons. Kimberly's hand was right back up, a nice big smile plastered across her face.

"I'll take gutting duty," she said. She waited a beat, then added, "If we actually catch anything."

Oh yes. Just play along, boys. You know what you're doing. You're calm and cool and you have this all under control. No way you're being dumb. No way a couple of girls are each individually smarter than the pair of you combined.

Yeah. Kimberly was in control now. She had a series of surprises lined up. Everything had fallen into place more neatly than she could ever have arranged.

After all, it took two hands to work a fishing pole.

((OOC: Sorry if it´s a little bit short compared to the other posts, I just wanted to make something quick))


"Well..." Steven said, somewhat half-heartedly, while he reached into his backpack and pulled out the knife and the cricket bat. He handed out the first one to Kimberly and the second one to Aislyn "There you go... just be careful with them, right?"

He sort of felt naked without the weapons. Unprotected. Vulnerable. He eventually even began to reconsider if coming to the docks had even been a good idea. But he had traded them for a space in this group. And he was willing to show both Kimberly and Aislyn that he was in no way a liar.

Besides, he thought to himself while they took the weapons out of his hands, maybe for some reason they end up killing each other or getting killed somehow and then I will have the chance to grab them again

He inmediately criticized himself for having thought that. He was part of this group now, he wasn´t out there in the island on his own. He actually should be grateful for that. He was a follower, not a leader. Never had been one, at all. However, something on the other kid´s words had bugged him a lot, and he had a few questions to ask before moving on.

"Well, William, I think that checking the store is a good idea... maybe we could even use it as a sort of shelter, even spend the night on there... if nobody else comes along".

He paused for a moment, thinking if he should better omit what he was about to say. But he went ahead anyway.

"If I am to be frank, William... I haven´t heard your name in the announcements. I have been too busy running around in circles, trying not to encounter anyone. When that bastard´s voice comes over from the loudspeakers, the only thing I do is write down the names of the Danger Zones... of course sometimes I notice a name from someone I know, but I didn´t really noted yours..."

He hoped that this wouldn´t make the other boy mad, or he would have hell to pay.

"So... the thing is" he continued, trying to look at the other boy in the eyes "I don´t think you are a murderer. You are just like the rest of us. Like Kimberly. Like Aislyn. Like me. A survivor. So please, pull yourself together, because if we are going to stick together for the rest of this nightmare, we might as well use someone who can defend both himself and us well with that gun. We are not going to judge you if you have used it against someone or if you are going to use it against someone. Because I think I am speaking in the name of everybody else in here, we might do the same if we were on your place..."

He turned to Kimberly, raising his eyebrows.

"You said you had a gun... right?" he inquired, trying to sound polite in contrast to his demanding tone from earlier "Well... may I ask, who did you give it to? Because you don´t seem the sort of gal who gives away weapons for free"