Survival Of The Fittest

((Teo Weinstock continued from The City on the Edge of Forever))

Teo had left Nick far behind and had made his way carefully towards the lighthouse. A lone structure with a great view would be a fantastic base to wait out the remaining students until only a few remained. The smartest choice at present. The thick stucco walls of the lighthouse greeted him as he reached the apex of the last hillock. The door swung open gently in the wind and the echo of his light footstep made his ears strain.

He stepped into the building. His first approach cautious, searching each room for anyone who might be hiding in a crevice or waiting to ambush him.

He didn't find anyone. Stashing the majority of his goods behind a table he sat down with his crossbow. A few hours passed without event but sure enough he heard the sound of footsteps outside. He moved slowly, positioning himself behind the door, waiting for whoever it was to come through.

The fight would be brief. This close in the game Teo wasn't going to hold back. Short and sweet: as little energy and danger as possible. A quick move to disarm and then a few blows to the temple should be sufficient. Apart from Nick and maybe Illario, no one left alive could match him in brute force.

The door opened.

Teo tensed.

[[Jimmy Brennan continues from No One Here Gets Out Alive]]

Jimmy stumbled through the woods, his paranoia and panic increasing. His leg was hurt worse then he had thought- it was agony walking. He'd thought his bumps and bruises and fatigue was bad before, but with a bleeding leg his death was at the forefront of his mind. He could survive being thrown and being beaten, but he was bleeding. Bleeding.

The rush he felt was otherworldly. Despite the wound he proceeded fast enough, and he'd even torn off some of his pant leg to create a makeshift tourniquet
although he was sure it wasn't tight enough. This wasn't a bruise that could heal. It was a deep cut, and he wasn't sure what had even caused it. A knife blade, most probably. But how had Zach slashed him? He still wasn't entirely sure. He was about to kill him, he had him in his hands. But it had all gone to hell, and now he was stumbling through the forest in a blind panic. He wasn't even sure where Zach was.

Doesn't matter. Forest led me to Rosa, it wanted me to find Rosa. God wants me to find Zach right? If I'm going to win, I need to kill him. And I will win, I will- I'll kill them all, I'll kill everythi-

Jimmy's legs gave out from under him, and suddenly he found himself tumbling across the ground, his gun slipping from his fingers and cartwheeling down the hill. He cursed and rolled, skidding to a stop at the bottom. He looked around.

The forest had given way to a slightly swampy area. He'd seen the swamp before- he'd skirted it and walked in it. Or had he? He couldn't remember walk in in a swamp. But then again, hours, entire days, had blended together. Jimmy wasn't sure what day it was anymore. Maybe he had walked in the swamp. Pulling his gun from the muck, Jimmy began to trudge through the swamp, wiping the muck from his weapon as he walked.

----

It was later in the day when he finally reached the Lighthouse. It was almost a relief, he had thought the swamp to be never ending, and despite his best efforts he'd dipped his wound in the water a few times.

Wash it, wash it in the surf.

He'd passed a few corpses along the way. An asian girl, badly decomposed, sprawled in the muck, another girl floating in the water face down. There were a few he recognized- the mutilated corpse of Roland Harte, his face barely recognizable. Later on he stumbled over Dustin Royal and lost his footing. He'd spent a good few minutes kicking the dead boys' nose in, but it was boring. Dustin wasn't alive. He couldn't feel it.

Zach is. And he outsmarted you. Doesn't that make you angry Jimmy? Don't you hate it when people are better then you?

The lighthouse offered a refreshing break. There was a handful left now, and he'd been far too lucky. He'd nearly died at the store- multiple times- and JJ and Phil had nearly done him in earlier than that. If he was going to stay in the game, he'd have to act smart.

Jimmy opened the door-

And stared at the empty room. It was scarcely filled to begin with, and over the course of the game nearly everything of value had left it. After a second he grunted in relief. Hobbling in, careful not to inflame his injury, Jimmy let lose a sigh tossed his weapon. The shotgun clattered noisily onto a nearby table. He scanned the area, his eyes narrow.

Upstairs. Wouldn't it just be my luck, someone upstairs? Should go check it out. Should go an-

Something large and hard slammed into his head from behind.

Jimmy only managed to let out a startled gasp before the floor came up to meet his face.

Here's the thing that makes life so interesting.

The theory of survival claims only the strong will survive, and that may be so. But the theory of competition says just because they're the strong doesn't mean they can't get their arse kicked. What 'every long-shot come from behind underdog will tell you is this: the other guy may be the favourite, the odds may be stacked against you, fair enough. But what the odds don't know is that this isn't a math test. This is a completely different kind of test, one where chance has a funny way of trumping logic. Out here the results don't always add up. No matter what the stats may say or the experts predict, once the game begins all bets are off. Don't be surprised if an insignificant action whether noticed or not moves on of the variables. When something like this happens everything changes and then all of a sudden we've got ourselves a game.

Teo smiled as the butt of his crossbow contacted Jimmy's head.

Kid didn't even check his corners, I'm surprised he got this far.

He grinned as he picked up the shotgun from its resting place on the table and ran his hand slowly across the barrel. Now this was a weapon Teo could make good use of. Effective at close range and minimal upkeep to use the shotgun fitted Teo's plan perfectly. He took a quick glance at Jimmy's motionless body before dragging his satchel out from its hiding place behind the table. He Slipped the notebook from it and pulled out a pen, running it down the list of names he had written on the front page. Smiling he stopped at Jimmy Brennan and drew a neat line through the name.


He tapped carefully at Imraan and Ivan's names and underlined Illario's as well. These three were the big contenders now to him; all well-built and packing heat. The fact that they had survived this far also lent credence to them being smart enough to not make any silly mistakes. Take those three out and he had this game in the bag. Not that he ever really had a chance of losing. A low murmur drew his attention back to the barely conscious boy lying face down in the room. Casually tossing the book on to the table Teo reached down and picked up his new toy.

"May as well test this out." He strode over to Jimmy and grabbed his hair, jerking the boy to his feet. "Sorry buddy but this is the way it has to go. Nothing personal you know?" Jimmy howled in pain as the larger boy flung him against the wall and stood trembling as Teo flicked the safety from the automatic shotgun.

Teo flashed his teeth at Jimmy, giving the boy a broad grin. He wasn't actually enjoying this but no point in showing any weakness. Be prepared for anything. "Time to die."

He squeezed the trigger.

The Heckler & Koch CAW is capable of firing high-impulse, multiple projectiles with an effective kill distance of over 100 metres. Upon the squeeze of Teo's trigger finger the shotgun ejected its twelve-gauge shell directly through the barrel slamming straight in to the small but well placed dent left by Jimmy's careless misuse of the rifle. The exploding shell tore the barrel apart and ripped through the weapon sending shrapnel upwards in an arc back across shredding Teo's face with metal.


A brief blinding flash and his world went dark.



For the first time in his life Teo was scared.


[B053: Teo Weinstock] - DECEASED

The second the blow connected, Jimmy knew he was in trouble. Trouble worse then anything yet. When J.J had attacked him, Jimmy had hung on, knowing that the blows would stop eventually. He'd shot J.J. Zach had cowered in the corner. Ray had hurt him, but had run. But now, he wasn't sure who was even attacking him. His thoughts were fuzzy, his motions clumsy and numb.

He blinked back the haze and spat. He couldn't get up. The boy was across the room from him, a crossbow in his hands.

Teo. Teo Weinstock, with a crossbow. His rage beat out his fear and Jimmy let out a feral growl as the image before his eyes blinked away. He sank back to the floor, his heart pounding in tune with his head.

"Ghhh."

Teo didn't even hear him. The boy had taken out something, and was writing.

"You fucker," He mumbled, his words slurred and nearly silent. Teo continued on as if nothing had happened. He tried to lift his head again, but the world raced away and he fell back, unable to do much of anything.

I remember you Teo. I remember you, big and strong and fucking everything that I wasn't. Oh yeah, you don't think a little fuck like me would remember? I remember. I gotta remember the cunts like you, who're out for my blood.

"Wait till I ged'- I get up- You better run, you fuck, fuckin' you gotta run-"

Teo didn't hear his mumbling. Instead he reached down, toward Jimmy's shotgun.

He's not listening. He thinks I'm not going to hurt him. He thinks-

"Geddaway from that-"

No, no, he can't get the gun, getting the gun is MY job, if he has that, what do I have? No, come on-

His limbs shook, but the ground was comforting. Jimmy didn't move. The fear finally took hold then, as Teo calmly strode toward him, weapon in hand.

Oh. Oh no. No, no, Jimmy get up, you weren't supposed to go down like this, Jimmy, Jimmy you fuck, Jimmy he's going to kill you. No, no Jimmy, the gun is YOUR job but he has YOUR gun, he's got your gun, you've got to move, you fought everyone, come on, come ON-

"Geddaway from me!" Jimmy yelped, for the first time in a long time, fear evident in his voice.

"May as well test this out."

Teo wasn't listening. He wasn't listening, and he didn't care. His heart beat faster and his eyes danced around the room. Calmly, Teo reached down and grabbed a tuft of his hair, yanking him up to his feet. Jimmy yelped in pain and he finally found motion his arm weakly flailing back to slap Teo across the chest. Nothing. He was nothing in comparison to Teo.

Strong kid, the big guy on campus, why I gotta fight the big guys on campus? Why do they hate me-

"Get off me!" He squealed, panicking. Teo began to walk with him, calm and silent. Towards the wall.

Up against the wall. Oh. Oh no.

Oh no.

A pitiful whining sound arose from within him. Even in the haze Jimmy failed out at Teo, his attacks ineffective. He tried to kick, he tried to act like dead weight, he jerked and dug in his heels-

Big guy on campus, the BIG guy, the good looking kid with a group of friends- that's you isn't it? Gonna kill you. You better stop, I'll kill you for this. You fucker- You didn't let me fight. Gimme a chance, that's not FAIR-

"Play fair. You need to play fair, you gotta let me- no-," He reached up, desperately scratching at Teo's hand, his words slurring together into panicked gibberish. "Get off me, get off me! Let me go! Let me go!"

He's gonna put you against the wall. Gestapo, ain't that- ain't that just barbaric?

"You bastard! You show-off, you piece of shit! Let me go! Let me go! You can't do this, I worked! I worked for this, you can't do this to me! I cut up my arm you bastard, you can't judge me! My arm, I slit my arm!"

Teo threw him up against the wall. Jimmy hit it and slid down, his knees shaking. He turned, the barrel of the gun deadly close.

Now I'm Zach.

"Stop it, stop it!" He said, tears forming. This was the end. Not with a bang, with a whimper, he'd been outwitted and he was going to die. All he ever was was nothing. What was he supposed to think of? Someone was stronger and faster. The entire time, his death had been patiently waiting. He had nothing left to give. He was too weak.

He was weak.

"Fucking stop it Teo! You can't judge me- I WORKED HARD! I worked hard and I earned my spot- you fucking faggot, that all you are Teo, a faggot? Sulking around corners, you cheat! You faggot! You're not playing right!"

The safety clicked off. Jimmy froze, pressing himself farther back against the wall.

"Please. You don't understand Teo. I'm supposed to go home. I'm SUPPOSED to win-"

Teo smiled. All hope faded out of his mind. He was up against the locker- he had nowhere else to run. Jimmy sank down as the gun leveled toward his face.

Nothing's going to be left. Boom. Rosa died. I left Rosa to die. That's my fucking legacy.

With his last breath, Jimmy gritted his teeth.

"FUCK Y-"

-------------

Jimmy heard a terrible ringing sound. His eyes opened, and he realized he was laying in a pool of blood. The room stank, the familiar smell of death. Beside him was a twitching body.

Oh.

He wanted to scream. He'd learned to live with the pain, the constant throbbing, the cuts and scrapes and fatigue. Somehow he'd pushed through all of it. Now though, something had changed. It seemed like a never ending assault, a force never devoid of foot soldiers. Jimmy turned his head, and blood spilled down the side of his face.

It was at this moment, that he realized his left ear was gone.

That all?

He felt alive. The body was Teo- he remembered that much. Teo hadn't screamed- not many people seemed to scream as they died. Slowly and carefully, Jimmy rolled over, looking back towards the wall. He was panting in pain before he was done, and had found another source of the pain; a large cut on the left side of his belly, as if something had ripped across. His guts weren't spilling out- but the cut was bleeding and he felt sick just looking at it.

I'm supposed to be dead.

He found his ear stuck to the wall, tiny pieces of steel along with it. His brain made the connection- something had gone terrifically wrong with the gun.

I knew it. It'd never betray me.

"Haha."

Teo had taken the brunt of the explosion, and it had killed him nigh instantly. But the blast hadn't been entirely one sided. Aside from the gash and his ear, Jimmy still hurt. He stared down at his body, before realized belatedly that he wasn't clutching a piece of steel. Carefully he raised up his trembling left hand- and the three inch long piece of shrapnel impaled straight through his palm.

Oh... Fuck.

He didn't try to rise right away. He didn't try to move for a very long time. He had a lot to think about. Jimmy half expected Teo to rise up, try again. Hell, he wanted him to. Teo had died with little help from him. His death was nothing... He supposed he should feel angry. His shotgun was broken, and Teo had tried to kill him. But through some stroke of luck, he had survived. It felt stupid to be angry- no, he felt astounded. Awestruck, his existence filled with purpose. There was no questioning it now. There was a reason he was here, a reason why this was happening. God approved of all of it, that could be the only solution.

I was right. Ain't that- ain't that just something? Darkest hour, hero is up against the wall. God from the machine. I'm a hero. That's- that's what heroes do, right? No, I wasn't trying to die, I didn't rush in blind. No, no I can't die. That has to be it. God can't kill me, because he CAN'T. Hehe. Odds just changed, ain't that right, ain't that a bitch?

It was funny. Too funny. Jimmy rolled over and laughed for what seemed like forever, every movement filled equally with pain and laughter. It was pointless and it did more harm then good, but he couldn't stop. He'd continue- no matter what. Teo didn't respond, and for some reason that only made him laugh harder, until tears blotted out his pain and he was sobbing like a child, curled on the floor and crying himself to oblivion and back, dreaming of a bustling school hallway, with all eyes on him.

[[Jimmy Brennan continued in The Aristocrats]]