Survival Of The Fittest

OoC- I'd appreciate it if this was closed to me and the lovely Miss Makaze, y'know, personal thread and shit. Once we're done, I'll put up a similar lil' OoC note, opening it and shit.

((Continued from Alive out of Habit))

Guy Rapide, was fast.

Perhaps unbelievably so, he was fast out of necessity. Exits? Yes, Guy was skilled at making exits. He had walked out on many a persons life, you could ask all his ex-girlfriends, most of them where thankful that he did. He had walked out on responsibility, from pregnancy scares to group projects, Guy had lived his life on a full out battle against responsibility. No, let me rephrase that, Guy had spent his life running away from responsibility.

It seemed as if there wasn't a weekend where Keith or Kallie didn't have to pick up Guy who had gotten in some sort of trouble or a class period in which he didn't need to borrow someone's homework to copy. Guy, was a tough person to be friends with, but he was a likeable person. As to why? Well even he was confused as to why the people that liked him did, but the point was that Guy, had a tough time being responsible for himself. Why had he placed himself in the responsibility of Alice?

Perhaps it was convenience.

Though Guy prefered not to think of it as such, Alice, was useful in her own ways. His wound cleaned because of her. Her opinion had saved him from people (in the Graveyard and at the hospital) and even though she didn't speak that often, the two relied a lot on non-verbal communication, and hand holding...though right now, he wasn't exactly holding her hands.

No, Alice Jones was on his back and Guy Rapide hadn't stopped running since he left the hospital. Now on the overgrown trail he noticed that he was far ahead from Kallie and Keith, putting Alice down, the realization hit him like a ton of bricks: he had abandoned his friends to save his own skin. He had run off, without a thought of their safety. Kallie and Keith who had driven down to San Fransisco at 2 AM to pick up a drunken Guy. Kallie who had joked with and comforted him whenever there was a problem, Kallie who had taught him how to play black jack, Kallie...the big sister figure that literally always had his back.

Keith. The brash sports star who had saved Guy from many a physical confrontation. The guy who had given him advice on girls and everything in between, these people, these people who meant more than his family did, he had abandoned him. And for what? His own neck. And he supposed Alice's by default.

Images of their exploding necks hit Guy's brain like a ton of bricks as he turned to Alice and smiled weakly. The thought. The thought that she was the only thing resembling a friend that he might have in this game, he had kicked out Wittany because he only wanted to put his neck out for Kallie. However, the thought of his neck exploding had sent him running.

Not only are you a wordsmith, you're a hypocrite...

"A-Alice?", he stuttered hesitantly for the first time in the game, "I think, I think we're on our own again..."

(Likewise continued from Alive out of Habit)

Alice didn't even get a say in the matter as Guy picked her up and placed her on his back, taking them both out of the hospital at top speed before it became a Danger Zone. Not being given the chance to get a word in, Alice had little choice in the matter but to cling onto Guy's back for dear life, eyes shut tight, scared to death that she'd fall off, or he'd drop her somewhere and leave her behind. Or that they wouldn't make it before the device in their collars went off...

The fact that Guy was yet still shirtless was beyond her concern at the moment.

Did they just jump over a tree? Alice was feeling somewhat dizzy right now...

She opened her eyes when she saw that Guy suddenly stopped in place, having brought them to a place she didn't recognize, overgrown and occupied by the local vegetation.

Loosening the grip of her arms around Guy's neck, she looked around a bit, still feeling a bit dazed. Feeling the top of her head, she realized that her woollen hat was gone. She must have lost it in mid-run...

Looking towards Guy, she blinked somewhat, still not quite knowing what to make of what just happened. It seemed that for the second time, he'd saved her life. Well, both of theirs this time, getting them both out of the Danger Zone. But really, he could have left her behind if he wanted to...

But he didn't. He never did. Alice realized there and then. No matter how much she kept dragging them behind, no matter how much she tripped and fell and lost her way, he'd always been there to wait for her to catch up. Whenever Alice looked forward, Guy was never too far ahead. She realized that she'd become rather accustomed to the sight of him standing there beside her, or in front of her, since she'd arrived on the island. And somehow, when she was with him, everything else seemed much less frightening.

Still on Guy's back, she looked at him puzzledly. The way he paused, he seemed deep in thought. Come to think of it, they'd left the others behind, didn't they? Looking back, Alice saw no sign of them following...

Surely, they too made it out alright, right...?

"Y-yeah....I think so too..." She said, a bit shakily. Noticing that she was still sitting on his shirtless back, she turned a bit red and murmured lightly, "Um....Can I....Can you let me down...?"

As Guy put Alice down, he felt her petite form slip off his shoulders and as he stared at her in the eyes, he couldn't help but try to subdue the tears that where welling up inside him. As he tried to make excuses in that he couldn't save them, that they might have gotten away, he nearly punched himself. Things could never. They would never be the same as they where before, Guy had ran out on them, and even if they could forgive him...he could never forgive himself.

He was stupid. He had left all of his belongings. His T-shirt. His knife. The food supplies he was living off of, all for the intention of saving Alice. Saving someone whom he was confused about, who he couldn't read. Who probably wouldn't admit to liking him, even if he could admit to liking her.

Which he couldn't, so what was the point?

Hold your breath, dear
This ship is going down
We're all downhill
Running with our timebombs
These shins are cracked and splintered
These lips are crusted shut
These squinting eyes just sting me
These veins are drying me up

"Yeah, sorry", he muttered in a weak voice, "I can't believe that I left them behind...but, at least your safe, right? We just gotta stick this out and we'll be fine...we'll find 'em, unless..."

He didn't want to think, but the thoughts came as soon as he tried to stop them. He just stared at Alice, awkwardly as he swayed his hands and stared at the floor, unable to say anything and not really listening to what she had to say. Things had gone by so fast. One moment they where joking, Kallie making insinuating remarks about him and Alice and then the next Guy was running. Now? Now he was lightly sweated. Bandaged. And crying.

His brown hair messy, his blue eyes reddened. His finger nails dirty. His teeth yellowing. Guy? Guy finally realized how much of a toll this game had on him, a toll he himself was ignoring in favor of just thinking he and his friends could wait it out. Some would say Guy didn't want to escape because he had accepted death, but that was a lie, Guy didn't want to escape because he didn't think death would come and escaping would be admitting to that. Now? Now that the possibility that it would come to his doorstep or had already was enough to send him on any attempt to escape, but...he realized soon that it was already too late.

They had wasted too much time and the killings had already begun to slow down...if he wasn't picked off by the end of the day or if the collars didn't already explode, they would be dead. Now? Now Guy's logic was jumping from one point to another, his fear of committing to something had not only cost Keith and Kallie their lives, but had cost everyone on the island theirs.

Your sense of self worth is never as high as it is when you're blaming yourself for something.


All my limbs
They're just tools
We're all stilted vechiles
These joints rust
These pores leak
Time gets selfish
Time is SPEED

Though, he still had done something right, he still had kept Alice alive. His responsibility, the only one he hadn't run away from was still alive. Perhaps there was hope? Yes, Guy was now going through the rapid jumping from one mood to another that was coupled with a strange sense of stress, examining the issues he had failed in one respect and gained a point in the other. He had lost his best friends. But he still had Alice, did he like her? At this moment in time he liked more than anything. She was more than a homely little girl. More than a responsibility. Alice was the living proof that Guy had not failed in keeping his friends alive. He needed her to stay alive, he needed to keep her alive.

"I'm not too good at ‘splainin' these things...I...I don't have anything left," he shook his head, "It's just me and you until we find them again and...well...I know you're not much of a talker and that I talk too much...but I'm glad that at least I have you right now."

And he kissed her right then and there.

The sweetest dreams...
Have murdered me.
They murdered me.
They murdered me.

The kiss wasn't spectacular by any means. He had failed to grab at her all, it was ruined by the breath of two people who hadn't brushed their teeth in three days. The dehydrated lips where crusted and in need of chapstick. Not to mention that Guy was crying through it, Guy accepted that Alice wouldn't react much. Hell, he accepted that he was probably reacting too much for feelings that probably weren't even there. This whole experience didn't allow for ultra romantic moments or even moments resembling nice ones, the kiss reflected that. It lasted about five seconds and when Guy was finished he retracted.

And then he just stared overwhlemed with the fear that she would now run off or just stammer and say nothing.


Like the fear of unskilled labor
In the nuclear family
It's the nightmare of digression
That engulfs a history

Time. Time that he didn't seem to have so much of had slowed down by the sheer amount of tension in the air, this was never, this could never be a little happy memory. This game had taken him away from that and until he found his friends again or heard their deaths he would be hell bent on trying to maintain whatever he had or would never have with Alice. He would survive. At this point he had no other option. The game, was reaching it's half way point and the dead bodies where reaching the fifty body point. Their class? Their class had about 100 maybe 200 people, Guy wasn't good with numbers. Soon. Soon everyone would die and it'd just come down to his mind and whatever he had to take with him in this game. If all he had was a gun and a girl to defend, well Guy was fine taking those two to the end.

All my limbs
They're just tools
Duplicated, mass produced
Running down
Losing speed
Time escapes us
Timing's everything.
Everything.

Alice was never one for television. Never one for movies. Never one for the way they portrayed aspects of real life while warping it with the embellishments of tasteless drama, cheesy cliches, and poor scriptwriting. If she had watched more television, seen more kissing scenes, she might have worried more about how long the kiss should've lasted, how she should react, and when she should breathe. But instead, she was completely off guard, not even realizing what in the world was happening....rather, what had just happened.

It was a brief moment that left Alice completely bewildered. She stared at him for a moment, with a rather vague expression of mild surprise. Blinking somewhat, she realized... in that moment, his lips touched hers.

Looking down for a moment, Alice took the time to recollect her thoughts, and for a while didn't say anything. Why in the world Guy had just kissed her, of all times, of all places, and of all people even, even if she asked him right there and then, would she get a straight answer? Would it even be within her comprehension? She had never kissed, been kissed before, nor had it ever been in her immediate plans. And while they were running for their lives, of all times...

It felt strange and out of place. And yet...it felt like it wasn't so strange and out of place either.

Alice picked up the woollen hat from where it had dropped, having fallen from her head at some point in time. She took a moment to shake off the dirt it had picked up from where it had fallen on the ground, but she didn't feel like putting it back on at the moment. Instead, she tugged at it with both of her hands in an almost contemplative manner.

"You...you know..." She started, in a quiet murmur, pulling at the knitted pink fabric of the woollen hat, meekly looking at the ground. "Before all of this, I always wondered.... why do I even exist? I-I know it's probably depressing, but... I didn't think I was of any value, or of any worth. Not to my family, not to anyone else, not even to myself. Far from that...I thought I was just a burden to the people I know. An eyesore. I mean...I'm no good at anything, I'm weak and I'm slow...I don't have a good personality, and I'm not really good at making friends.... I guess I thought of myself as unimportant. Petty, trivial.... Inconsequential. I felt like I didn't matter to anyone."

She started pacing around a bit. "And then I found myself in this SOTF thing... I didn't really know what to do, and to be honest, I STILL don't....only that I'm gonna die sooner or later, and that's about it. I didn't tell you this, but.... to be honest, it didn't occur to me that my death would be that big of a deal. I mean...people barely know my name. My family might cry for a while, and then move on. Or maybe they won't even notice at all. Whether or die or not doesn't matter. I'm just not important enough. That's what I thought..."

She shook her head and shrugged a bit, standing a bit straighter. "But then I realized, it's not that simple. You came along, and you made it all complicated. I kept wondering for the longest time why you even bothered putting up with me. When you let me tag along, I thought it was because you felt sorry for me. I kept waiting for you to get tired and leave me behind once you ran out of pity for me. And yet you didn't. You always waited for me to catch up, looked out for me, never left me behind. For the longest time I couldn't understand why."

Alice smiled lightly, rubbing the back of her head a bit. "And to be honest, I still don't, you know? It's funny how things work out like that! I mean, you're all talkative and you've got lots of friends. I'm just a nobody who stumbles and trips on her own words as much as she does on her own feet. How could I be of any worth to you? And yet I still am. And I can't even begin to understand it."

"Or maybe it doesn't need to be understood. Somehow, just knowing that I am important in some way, that I'm not worthless....that alone is enough for me." She laughed a bit. "It's strange and refreshing at the same time. For once I'm not just a burden, not just 'spare luggage' as my sister calls me. I'm worth something, and I'm not completely useless."

She looked towards Guy, folding her hands behind her back. "Because...I'm important to you, that's what I am, aren't I? I'm so glad." She took ahold of one of his hands with both of her own, holding onto it tightly. "Because you're important to me, too. And I know now that I want to see you through this, whatever it takes."

OoC- Thread now Open to anyone and anything, I'll post after we get some visitors.

((Clive continued from Slouching Towards Bethlehem))
((Lilah continued from Alive out of Habit))

"Clive, you get the fuck back here!"

As if there weren't enough problems going on around here, the fact that Clive ran into his ill fated ex, Lilah, seemed as a little bit of an ironic annoyance. He remembers trecking some of the island before hearing the announcement and hearing the hoof beats of an angry monster, with a beeping collar, and a PMS attitude.

He took such a joy in seeing her freak out even after her collar gone off, like a little girl crying out for mommy. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the world, she managed to get out of the zone in time, and even more unfortunate was that she had a mind to hurt him, which would normally sound like an appealing chance, but at this point in time, such action would have been meaningless and would just get in his way.

After seeing a few people within the area, Clive stopped and took a bit of a breather, waiting for Lilah to get closer to their field of vision.

"Someone help me," he screamed out in an Emmy Award Winning display of fake tears, and forced fear.

"She's going to kill me!"

If these idiots fall for this shit, then I win.

She spoke.

To be honest this was the first time he'd heard Alice's voice so much, it was certainly an odd voice, quiet and tender. Articulate yet not overtly so, but what was different about this was that...well that she wasn't stuttering. I don't know if any of you remember falling in love in high school, but the culmination of everything that could've been and might never be all into one moment, heightened by a certain sense of recklessness that is only apparent when facing death head on. As she grasped his hands and he simply nodded to whatever she said, amused, happy.

He brought her in close to him, but the hand she grasped and kissed her once again, slipping his hands underneath her shirt and trying miserably to unhook her bra all the while faking a bizarre sense of foreplay by rubbing her milky white stomach. The bra was proving to be a difficult hurdle to jump and he almost decided to forget it when his ears perked up and he heard the screaming of Clive, not paying attention to what he was creaming Guy simply opened his eyes-his mouth and tongue still exploring Alice's- and felt his eyes widened as he immediately backed up and drew his gun.

"What. The. Fuck."

He said plainly, noting that it was very similar to when the girl busted into the hospital looking for supplies, he felt Alice get behind him and grip his shoulders as he stared at the crying boy, but he didn't even care at this point. He had promised to protect Alice and his friends -if they where alive- and he couldn't allow even the kid begging to mercy to get near him, but what struck him the most was that someone was chasing the kid.

Just my fucking luck! Riding off the failure of not being able to undo a bra so I can see my girlfriends tits before I die I have to deal with an idiot bringing players near me. Fuck!

"Get down on the floor right fucking now! Hands on your fucking head before I DECIDE to blast you all the way to fucking Hong Kong you extra chromosome having piece of shit!"

The command saturated with foul language was merely a facade to get the boy down on the floor so Guy could focus on what apparently, was another incoming threat.

Behind the crocodile tears, and the facade of a young man pleading for his life, Clive was almost impressed by this half-wit's ability to draw a gun even on someone who, at first, would seem harmless. It really shows his commitment to this orgy of blood.

Or, at least, his commitment to the delicious little treat that he was busy playing tongue tag with. She seemed so small, and she needed her big knight in shining armor to protect her, on his valiant steed. Then he'll whisk her away and make love to her... then they'll have 3 kids, live off welfare, and live happily ever after, from the demeanor of the guy. If it weren't for his weapon adding points to his intimidation factor, this guy would be highly beneath Clive. And he'd probably kill him quickly. Then see what fun can be had with the little girl.

Arrogantly, and noticeably arrogant at that, Clive stood up and got past the crocodile tears into his sarcastic, near patronizing demeanor.

"I would do as you say, however, there's one slight problem. I'm HER kill, apparently"

He turned around with a smirk on his face to show Lilah pointing the gun in his direction. The young woman was sweating, and it was quite a show given that she was soaking wet while wearing a white blouse, which has now become amusingly see through. Her hair ruffled, face ruined by the sweat running from the potential hazard of a blown up neck.

Oh, Lilah, you were capable of being so pretty even after a work out. I'm disappointed.

Clive and Lilah stared at each other for a moment that seemed long lasting. It'd be great if we could say they embraced, mended their ways, and became happy... but all he did was smile at her. This is a smile you'd see in Hell. This is a smile the devil greets you with. This is a smile that shows evil. Pure, undoubted, Grade A evil.

Lilah noted that Clive had turned his head toward her, so Guy and Alice could not see the way he is taunting her. And, she knew what he was planning, and why he would win. If she shot him now, she'd be killed by Guy who's probably annoyed with her already. Also, if she did kill him, Guy would kill her anyway because then he'd see her as a threat to protecting Alice, which is probably his aim in the game right now. The other win for Clive would be she let him go, which it seems she may have no choice but to.

"Well, Lilah, aren't we in a bit of a situation," Clive asked, in a voice so low that Guy surely wouldn't have heard it.

"So, what's it gonna be? Kill the poor, sweet, and innocent Clive in front of people who are armed... or are you going to let the beast continue to roam outside it's cage?"

Kallie and Keith both knew something about Guy.

Well, cross that they knew several things about Guy, but what they knew about him was that despite the hilarious results, saying no to Guy when he had his mind on something -i.e. when he was pissed- was ill advised. Mostly because the boy was prone to throwing himself in a flurry of fists at them, this usually wasn't a problem for Kallie who could calm Guy down. Or Keith who could pick Guy up. And it probably wouldn't be a problem for Clive, barring that Guy had one thing on him. One thing that changed everything.

A gun.

As soon as Clive refused a now horny, tit deprived Guy he had initiated a storm. As he turned around to talk to the girl, he was shaking. Alice would've felt it, but Guy was pissed and at the moment that he turned Guy had the gun pointed at the boys chest and pulled the trigger three times, this was before Clive had a chance to even smile at Lilah, right before he turned around even. The gun exploded in sound the moment Clive turned to her, it was aimed with the true and perceptive eyes of the Parkour practitioner, adept at choosing thin surface to sprint across he would have no problem aiming with perfect accuracy.

"What the fuck big guy, when I say do something you fucking do it, alright?!", he looked towards Alice and smiled lightly to show her that he wasn't going insane or anything, just doing what he had to do to save them.

Whether it was right or not didn't matter.

((If I can get away with this, good. If not, let me know))

The boy was aiming well, that was for damn sure. But Clive knew that he was about to be shot at. To that extent, Clive quickly jumped out of the way, but managed to get hit in the left arm by at least one of the bullets. It was an intoxicating feeling, getting shot... the most painful experience possible, but at the same time the most hypnotizing, that all the pain one could feel is caused by one little bullet. What a wonderful creation that bullet was. It gave him the experience of pain and pleasure all at the same time. He quickly got up and held his hand over the bullet wound.

The bullets were in no way headed towards Lilah, who knew enough to not worry about it.

Lilah smiled at Clive, signaling the fact that she is hereby accepting his challenge and willing to play the game on his rules. And a little bit smiling at him getting shot.

If anyone is going to play him at his game and win, it was going to be her.

Which made her extremely angry at Guy for firing at him, and even angrier that he shot someone who previously was showing signs of pleaded mercy. He's either overprotective, or a complete and total douchebag with nothing but his dick following him.

And she was guessing it was the latter.

"Get out of here, Clive. I'll deal with you later."

Clive looked at Lilah and smiled, and then looked at Guy. If Guy weren't a complete idiot, then Clive would have fun with him, in many many ways. Guy seemed like a good person to torture.
Or have sex with.
Or both.

He winked at him and then went on his way past Lilah, but still keeping within the area, hiding. He wanted to see how this would play out.

Lilah quickly pointed her gun at Guy.

"Is that how you plan on gaining the trust and affection of a girl, Guy? By acting like a jackass and shooting at everything that moves with a bloodthirsty vengeance? Is that what turns her on?"

She had her gun aimed at his right wrist. She wanted the shot to hurt, not kill, should a shot need be made. But this kid was just crazed. Rambling on, cursing.

"or are you using protecting her as justification for being just as much of a murderer as the people in the announcements?"

Clive was looking from being the area, well hidden, but still able to hear. He was listening to her lecture with a combination of awe and disgust. The simple idea of talking common sense into that animal was about as likely as making a bomb out of duct tape and cheese. He couldn't help but think of her as a fool with a heart of gold, and a champion with good skills. He knew that if she had to, she could kill Guy quite easily.

Meanwhile, he couldn't help but fixate himself on the wound.

I will have to share this amazing pleasure with you, Guy. It'll be a nice experience for the both of us.

Well of course Alice would have been completely lying if she'd said that things had not suddenly become rather....weird, right there and then. -o.o-;; She couldn't quite explain the giddiness that result from that alien feeling of Guy's tongue in her mouth, nor that which resulted from his hand going up her shirt. Nor did she even try, it was probably just as well that she didn't think too much about it...given that they were probably going to die anyways. Somehow, she didn't even care about that right now.

...Well, come to think of it, she WAS of age. And it was probably about time already. ->_>-

But it all evaporated, returning to an acute sensation of fear and apprehension as Lilah and Clive suddenly arrived...two faces, figures, and names she barely recognized....

Were they going to die right there and then? Alice couldn't help but cringe and cover her ears a bit when Guy suddenly fired several shots towards Clive...

As always, Alice knew that she was absolutely useless in this kind of situation. Even after all she'd said about working to make sure Guy got through this safely, she couldn't do anything, could she? All she could do was hide in a corner, and hope that someone would just take care of the problem for her. That was it, wasn't it? She felt too incompetent to do anything by herself. Was it really lack of confidence? Or was it simply a lack of motivation?

Of course, all of that pretty much evaporated as Lilah spoke. She bit her lip, knowing more than anything that it was further from the truth, what she said about Guy. She knew it was probably not the most important thing to get worked up about....but still...she couldn't just let it go.

Alice quickly moved in front of Guy and gave Lilah a shove, more out of a sudden spurt of recklessness stemming from indignation more than anything. "What do you know, anyway? Guy isn't a cold-blooded murderer! Don't go making up stories about people you don't even know."

Lilah found herself in a position where she, the queen, would assume the role of pawn in Clive's clever little game. She would have to play mind games with Alice just like Clive would do with anyone else.

As much as she hated becoming like Clive, even if it's to prove a point, she knew she had to.

"Well, then, maybe it speaks of you then, little girl. Do you enjoy seeing Guy shoot at a harmless person? The way he was shouting like an idiot, he made it pretty clear he wasn't shooting to protect but simply because someone wasn't following his orders."

Lilah made sure never to break her concentration. She was aiming. Very carefully. And at Guy's right shoulder in case he even dare decide to try and shoot or move suddenly.

All the meantime, Clive is getting antsy. His overwhelming desire for Lilah to shoot Guy was almost being overridden by his desire to get shot again. It felt good to him. Too good, almost.

Was this feeling really something people are afraid of? Is it terrifying? Scarring? Why, Clive was finding no such thing. He loves the pain and pleasure that the gunshot provided him.

Now he wants to share that feeling with Guy.

Shoot him, already.

"Guy, put down the gun now, or I will I'll shoot you and then her. I don't want to have to do it, but if you're going to play murderer, I'll play along too."

She kept her calm. She felt like she was on a showdown with the Fates. In her heart, she couldn't bear to think of harming either one of the two, but she wasn't about to let him use this as a justification for being a bloodthirsty warlord.

"There's a very, VERY big different between defending someone you love and using that as an excuse to kill. A noble cause does not equate justification for murder."

Hypocrite. Lilah felt as if the word should be stamped repeatedly onto her head for the rest of her natural life. She had no justification for her threat to kill them, nor will she for anything that happens down the road.

What makes her any better?

"Nothing does."

Clive said this aloud in a voice that Lilah could hear. Almost as if he had read her mind. Then again, why should she be surprised. No one was better at getting into her head than Clive.

Nor she his.

"Eddie."

That name made Clive's smirk go away and go into a groan of extreme annoyance. While she returned her attention to her aim and positioning.

"I'll put down the gun as soon as you do, in fact why don't you just turn around and leave me and her alone, alright? The guy that I shot left, you should to...I don't want no problems, but I really don't give a shit about you right now, alright Quick Draw McGraw?"

Truth be told, he was proud of Alice right now and her ability to stand up to the girl, but he was also becoming extremely antsy...things weren't looking good and the way things seemed he wouldn't see Keith and Kallie today. First of all, he didn't understand what she was saying, he didn't kill anyone and yet she was accusing him of becoming a murderer.

"So...Me and Alice are going to back away, we're just going to keep going up this trail and you're going to go the other way...", he paused as he heard Clive speak, "And prolly to what seems to be a fucking amazing person waiting for you."

He sighed.

"As for being a warlord, how about this one, I got good reflexes, good aim too...yeah I've been hunting before, we're a lot more open about that shit in France. You shoot, I put one between your eyes the moment I hear a gunshot...I'm sure that'll be a fucking tragic scenario that we both wanna avoid, eh?"

"Right, well... I'll be going now. There's no reason for anyone to die here," said Lilah, as she began to walk away from Guy and Alice. She had her finger up against the trigger just in case Guy decided to grow some balls and try to shoot her.

Clive watched as she slowly walked in his general direction. He stood up as she got close and the two had a stare down, as she walked past him. He then decided to follow her, uttering three little words.

"We should talk."

((Clive and Lilah continued in SOS (Anything but Love)))

((Mary continued from Lilacs and Lolita))

The blood drained out of the face of Guy Rapide, and internally, he cursed to himself. Standing in front of him was the one person that could screw everything up for him, the one person who he'd hoped desperately to avoid while dealing with this situation, this 'fight to the death'. Alice wasn't sure what was going on, really - after the others had left, they hadn't really moved around too much. But now...?

"Aw, shit."

Now, it was trouble.

---

It'd been summertime, cottaging with the buddies, and Guy had been planning to do nothing else except catch some rays and get wasted. They'd driven down to the beach, and the five of them had rented a cottage for the weekend, with hijinks and mayhem the only thing in mind. Naturally, Keith Jackson had been the one to actually organize everything, and was the one who'd been driving, and undoubtedly was the one whose fault it had been in the first place.

If it hadn't been for Keith Jackson's incredible sense of planning and connections, Guy wouldn't have made the worst mistake of his life. As it stood, Guy Rapide was a lot shorter than the rest. While this generally made him look a little strange standing next to taller guys like Keith and Darnell, he never let it faze him, and it generally didn't tend to interfere with his luck in the ways of the woman.

That, of course, would be the other objective throughout the weekend for the group of guys - like most guys in the summertime, the sole intention was to get laid, and get laid as quickly and as many times as possible. Sure, the beach was close to where they all lived, but this was California, where inhibitions seemed to lessen with every passing day. Guy had figured that his chances were pretty good, but knew that he'd probably have to compete with the attention that Keith and Darnell might recieve instead of him. Guy had figured "the hell with it", and just figured that he'd make the best of whatever he could get.

As soon as they'd arrived, Keith (who had been chuckling over some secret the whole way there) let the cat out of the bag - he'd chosen the spot based solely on the fact that a huge group of girls from their school, as well as another were having a big cottage party scheduled for this same weekend, and that aside from any boyfriends that might have come along, they'd probably be the only guys with a cottage near the beach. Guy had figured it was a stroke of genius, but still had his worries. Girls at his school could be a little bitchy, and get in the way of normal social life. Wouldn't be a good thing to have some girl getting all attached, now would it?

It'd all really started the next night. Guy was already absolutely destroyed; having a drinking contest with Darnell, Keith, and Jason wasn't the smartest thing in the world, and Maxim; being the ladies man that he was, was already off flirting with a whole group of girls somewhere down the beach. After losing miserably in the drinking game, Guy had stumbled outside and wandered right into a campfire, stumbling over it and knocking over a few lawn chairs in the process. That was when he'd first met her. She'd been one of the people who he'd knocked over, and (while seeming a tad inebriated herself) had seemed very concerned at his well-being.

Things had really just naturally progressed from there. Guy had introduced himself, worked his drunken charm, and had been forward enough to kiss her on the beach when they'd been wandering around talking. One thing lead to another, and before he knew it, she'd lead him back to her cabin and the two were in bed, fucking like rabbits. She was a hottie, Guy remembered that much, but barely realized what was going on after they'd finished, passing out and not waking up until much later in the night. By that point, she was out like a light, and Guy knew that the best thing to do was probably to jet. She was a cheerleader, and while that was HUGE for him personally, if her friends found him here, it might not be a good thing.

He'd never told anyone about the experience, aside from his buddies, who he'd told that he'd 'gotten some', just not who from.

This would prove to be a very, very good thing, when all was said and done.

---

She'd come out of the bushes and (in Guy's own mind) had very likely given Alice a near heart-attack. Obviously, she'd not been looking to stumble upon Guy, but she had, and the look of surprise on her face was obvious. Feeling an uncomfortable moment coming on, Guy had not greeted the girl as he had Clive, and kept the gun at his side, sighing in a mixture of relief and anxiety. She wouldn't be looking to kill him, that he knew, but that only left one alternative: protection.

As the girl stood in front of him, visibly surprised and looking relieved, Guy shook his head and glumly sagged his shoulders.

"...Mary."

---

She'd found out on a Tuesday afternoon. Her period had been nonexistant, and the constant throwing up in the morning concerned her to no end. She'd gone to the drug store to get some stomach medication, when something in the back of her mind had guided her to the section with the home pregnancy tests, and just to 'rule it out' (or so she'd convinced herself), Mary found that she was trying to convince herself of something that she already felt was probably the case. The positive result hadn't been an enormous shock, but it was still a heavy burden upon her shoulders.

Time passed, and she had debated whether or not to tell anyone, and what she was going to do with the child. She had the option to try and get an abortion, but something in her mind just knew that it would be...wrong. She grappled with this for a few months, and by then, it was starting to show on her. She knew that she'd have to tell her parents at some point, and they were understandably unamused. They were supportive, especially when she informed them (much to her own surprise) that she was going to keep the child, but still seemed to look down on her a tad for her transgression.

Nonetheless, things weren't going that poorly for her, until she confronted the father about it...

---

"Guy! I've been looking all over for you! Thank goodness we've run into each other! I heard over the announcement that you'd been attacked, and I was so worried..."

Grimacing, Guy looked at Alice and shut his eyes, knowing that the shit was about to hit the fan. The last time he'd spoken to Mary, he hadn't exactly been...nice. Coupled with the fact that they were in a deadly game to kill the others, it could very well that Mary wasn't wanting protection at all, but to cut Guy's face off and feed it to the vultures.

"Uhh...yeah. I'm fine. Nothing I couldn't handle, of course. Uh, how're...how're you doing?"

Awkwardly, Guy shifted his position and glanced around the trees, and then back at Alice, who was looking at the whole thing with a baffled look of confusion on her face.

"Guy, it's been horrible! I've seen people die, I've been attacked...I found a group of people who were protecting me, but I've lost them, and...it's just so concerning!"

What concerned Guy wasn't the lack of emotion in Mary's voice, but rather the thought that she was now undoubtedly going to ask to come along with him and whatever he was doing. After debating the idea of telling Mary that he was a player, he decided against it, and instead turned to Alice.

"Hey, Alice? I need to talk to Mary about something, would you mind...um, would you mind maybe taking off for a few minutes?"

This was probably going to get ugly, and as Alice nodded quiety, and wandered further down the trail, Guy sighed a bit. It'd probably end up just like before...

---

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? IT AIN'T MY FAULT THAT YOU CAN'T KEEP A DICK OUT OF YOUR PANTS! JEEZ! THIS ISN'T...there's no way!"

Guy was loud, but then, that was Guy. He didn't generally care if people were loud, obnoxious, or whatever. If he had something to say, it was going to be said, no question. And now, he was freaking out. Of course, when a girl comes up to you and tells you she's pregnant, you're the father, and it was a one-night-stand, how else is a guy to react?

"B...but Guy, that's not how it is at all. I haven't slept with anyone since you and I had sex, and...it was too dark, we were drunk, and...you didn't wear a condom."

Shaking his head, Guy held his hands up. "No. No way. Fuck that. So what if I didn't wear a condom. You didn't fucking take the pill. What the fuck. You can't be fucking pregnant, no. This is unbelievable. It has to be someone else. Come on, you're a cheerleader, your legs're open for anyone and everyone, right?"

Frowning, Mary corrected him. "I'm on the MUSIC COUNCIL, Guy. And it's your child. I can arrange for a DNA test if you'd really want to know the truth. But it's all right. I don't blame you. I think it's wonderful, and I've decided to keep it. You and I ca-"

"WHAT!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND!? YOU CAN'T KEEP IT!" Guy was getting red in the face now. "No, you can't keep it, you're in high school. That's your life - over, before you know it. Failure central. I refuse to let this ruin my life. There's no way. And there's no 'you and I'. You were a one-night-stand. A hookup. A random girl who got some Rapide. A hole that I stuck my cock into. That's it! You were a fucking cock-hole to me, and nothing more! If YOU hadn't taken advantage of me, you wouldn't be in this fucking predicament!"

Mary was aghast at Guy's angry words. "You...Guy, you can't mean that...this is OUR child...it's..."

"NO. This isn't OUR anything. This is YOUR child, it isn't MY problem, and from here on out, you're on YOUR own. This conversation is OVER. Don't fucking talk to me about this ever the fuck again, please."

With that, Guy stormed off down the hall, leaving a devastated Mary in his wake.

---

Scratching his neck with his gun, Guy winced as he was now alone with Mary, who seemed none the worse for wear. Gesturing to the way he'd come, Guy started walking, Mary close behind him. He wanted to be out of earshot; Alice didn't need to hear this.

"So, uh...Mary. You, uh, you've been looking for me?"

She nodded.

"And, uh...why?"

Sighing, Mary rubbed her elongated stomach. "Guy...I know that things between us have been...well, nonexistant since you found out, but...Guy, I'm really scared. This whole thing has us trying to kill each other, and I...I'm in no position to do anything for myself. I need someone to help me, and..."

She trailed off.

"...Guy, whether or not you want to admit it, this is your child too. I've been attacked already, and this is your flesh and blood that I'm carrying right now.. If you don't want to help me, that's fine, but you should be wanting to help out your unborn child. Take some responsibility, Guy. Please."

Guy, who had been kicking a very large rock that he'd unearthed with his foot down the path as he listed, kicked the textbook-sized rock forward a bit and stopped walking. Shutting his eyes, he sighed and turned around to face Mary.

"Alright. Mary, I think I owe you an apology. Being as we could all be dead at any minute, it's the least I can do. When you told me that it was my kid, I freaked out. I didn't know what going on. I refused to believe it. I wanted to forget it, pretend it never happened. Unfortunately...I can't. I said some things, some really awful and mean things that I regret, and I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that, and I just never really got a chance to say I'm sorry. So, um, I am. Sorry, that is."

Guy smiled weakly at Mary, whose whole body seemed to perk up at Guy's words. The sense of dread that she'd been carrying around evaporated, and a smile came upon her face.

"Guy, I accept your apology. I was so worried tha-"

"But...Mary, I'm sorry, but I can't look after you. This is a fight to the death, and I'm doing a piss-poor job of looking after myself. You heard the announcements. I came damn close to getting killed. I don't know if my friends are alive, dead, or trying to kill everyone, and I've never really been the protector type. And, uhh...Alice is kind of...well, you know. I've already committed to her. So while...while it's nice to see you...I'm sorry, but I can't look after you. Or your child. You'd be a liability, I'm sorry to say."

Mary looked at Guy, and said nothing. The blank look that came over her told the story, and her emotions were obviously exploding within her. Seeing this, Guy started moving forward, past her.

"Look, if you want, you can come with us until the end of this path, but we're going to have to go our seperate ways. I need to find Keith and Kallie again, and they don't want any outsiders..."

As Guy walked forward, Mary's legendary sense of control shattered into tiny pieces. Guy Rapide had managed to do what very few had ever before done, and that was damage Mary McKay so violently that her rage that she kept within herself began to boil up to the surface. Her eyes drifting to the large rock that Guy had been kicking, Mary quickly looked at Guy, looked at the rock, and stepped over to pick the heavy object up.

"...it's nothing personal, it's just that out of everyone, we only figure that we can trust each other. I could try and get you in, but I do-"

CRACK!!

Lights out, Guy Rapide.

---

As he came to, the first thing that Guy Rapide noticed was that he was tied and gagged. Panic set in quickly, followed shortly therafter by a sharp pain in the back of his head. He'd been smoked with some sort of a blunt object, and it hurt like hell. Trying to cry out, his choked voice was muffled by the gag in his mouth, which looked like a part of a t-shirt. Glancing down, he saw that he was bound with what looked like a similar material. Vision swimming, he tried to look around to see who had attacked him, but he had a feeling that there was really only one possibility.

Had to be fucking Mary...SHIT...

It was Mary who came into his line of sight next, carrying a cross-cut saw and waving it up and down, a look of pure indignation on her face. Frankly? She looked PISSED. A feeling of dread formed in the pit of Guy's stomach. This would prove to be a problem.

"Guy...all I wanted was someone to help me out. That's ALL I WANTED, GUY. I FIGURED...oh, maybe the father of my child will give me a hand, but...but no. You turn your back on me; on your UNBORN CHILD!? What kind of a person are you, Guy?"

Mary's face was ablaze, her eyes cursing with rage.

"You're a worthless piece of trash. I may as well have fucked a dead fish, because I would have gotten about as much support. I really thought we had a connection, Guy, and...and I guess I was wrong."

Mary smiled a grim smile.

"I suppose...I suppose that if we're supposed to kill our friends, who better to start with than the asshole who got me pregnant?"

The blood drained from Guy's already pasty face. Now would be a really good time for Alice to show up. Especially as Mary took the saw, and held it above his right ankle.

"You didn't think you were going to live anyway, did you, Guy?"

With a second of hesitation, Mary brought the saw down and started furiously sawing away at Guy's ankle, causing him to scream in agony - much of the noise which was muffled by his gag. Taking care not to harm her stomach in any way, Mary furiously sawed away, blood flowing everywhere as she cut through veins, tendons, and right through to the bone. As she hit the bone, the cutting got a little harder, and she was forced to stop halfway through. Wrenching the saw out, she glanced at Guy's face.

Agony and pain reflected upon his visage, as well as a horrid anticipation of what was to come next. All Guy could think about, though, were his friends. Keith, Kallie, and Darnell. It was looking mightily likely that he may never see them again.

Damnit Keith, indirectly, this is all your fault!

Gasping as she sawed away at his other ankle, she did so until she actually managed to cut through the bone, cleaving through the other side and seperating his foot from his body. Weakened and feeling immense pain, Guy managed to spit the gag free, and screamed. Glancing at the screaming boy, Mary picked up his foot and tossed it into the bushes.

"You're not going to be needing that anymore, I'm afraid. Let's continue with the organ that got you in this mess in the first place..."

A look of horror on his face, Guy could only watch on as Mary cut through the restrains keeping his legs bound. Weak from blood loss, Guy couldn't find it in himself to move, and simply watched as Mary (painfully) pulled down his pants, and his boxers, leaving him naked from the waist down. Leaning close to his genitals, Mary looked up at him and took his penis in her hand, looking at it as though she was fascinated. The fury that had overtaken her had completely enveloped her, and what little remained of Guy's will to live didn't even recognize her.

"So, Little Guy, we meet again. You know, Guy. Someone needs to teach you how to keep it in your pants. Of course, it's too late for that now, and since you weren't able to, I think I'm going to take it as a souvenir."

Giving his penis a soft stroke, Guy choked out "NO!" as Mary did it again, causing what little blood he hadn't lost to flow towards his gentials. Satisfied with what she'd done, Mary took the saw and began to cut into Guy's genitals. She started off softly, and then began moving more furiously, rupturing his testicles, and severing his actual penis at the base. Blood squirted out freely, and Guy howled in pain; a howl that was getting quieter as she sawed more. Finally, she reached the point where Guy was simply just whimpering, and stopped sawing. Blood dripping EVERYWHERE, Mary held up her trophy in the air, and looked at it. Smiling, she placed it on Guy's chest, and looked him right in the eyes, smiling sweetly at him.

"Guy, honey. It's time to say goodbye now. This time though, you aren't going to wake up and run off. This time, you're not going to wake up at all. Goodbye, honey. I'll make sure your son knows what kind of a man his father was. You can be sure of that."

Guy could do nothing but shake his head - for he was virtually dead already. As Mary placed the saw above his neck, Guy began to cry. This wasn't how things were supposed to end for him. Not in so much pain, not in so much blood...

What a waste it was...fucking women...

With one quick thrust of the saw, Mary cut into Guy's throat, severing his jugular vein and as she cut deeper, his blood sprayed out of him, killing him within seconds. She cut until she was able to cut his head clean off, and picked it up by the hair, looking into Guy's dull eyes.

"Perhaps I'll leave it as a warning to all of the men around here..."

Taking the head, Mary wandered down the path for a few minutes until she came to a large rock that she had passed while getting here. It was flat, and was at eye-level with the path. Putting the head on it like one might put a trophy on a shelf, Mary adjusted it, content, and wandered back to the body, her hands rubbing her stomach (which, with the rest of her body, was covered in Guy's blood). As she arrived back at his body, she looked at her handiwork. Guy's body was missing a head and an ankle, and he was naked from the waist down, his genitals mutiliated and cut off, his penis sitting on his chest.

Thinking for a moment, she walked over to the corpse and picked up the penis off of the body. It felt like a piece of meat in her hands, not being attached to anything or anyone. She looked at it as a child might look at a new toy, her madness having spread and irrevocably scarring her. With a single disturbing thought, Mary looked at the severed penis, and then put it in her mouth and began to chew.

I shalt consume the flesh of thy enemies...

It was fleshy, rough, and tough to chew, but she forced herself to do it. It took a few moments, but finally, the severed penis was chewed enough that she swallowed it. Choking a little, she put her hand to her mouth to keep her meal in, and with a big swallow, she downed the whole thing, swallowing a few times to ensure that the large piece went all the way down. Mary stood, a contented look on her face (which could also be construed as madness), when a voice to her right broke the silence.

---

Unbeknownst to her, a figure had stood in the bushes and watched as Mary removed Guy's head and wandered off with it. A figure that had stood silently by and watched Guy's final moments, and then still remained as Mary returned to the body. As she picked up Guy's sexual organ and consumed it, the figure standing in the bushes had winced, and watched in shock and awe. As she swallowed it, the figure quickly vomited behind himself, and then shook himself out of his daze and stepped out of the bushes. Still in shock, he looked at Mary, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Look, I know that I've gone completely fucking insane and all, but that? That's ridiculously excessive by a regular crazy person's standards! Good God, woman! You...you just, you went ahead and ATE HIS PENIS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

And when Wade Wilson is the one calling you out on your insanity, you know you've got a serious problem.

Wade stood, feeling the pain of men everywhere, and watched the obviously-more-disturbed-than-him-which-really-was-quite-an-accomplishment girl look him up and down with a polite look on her face. Since he'd left the Lagoon, Wade had been having flashes of his own sanity returning to him. He couldn't figure out why, It seemed that things would return to normal and he'd retain control over his own body for anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, and then things would just go all haywire again. The first time, he'd simply started sobbing, having remembered what he'd done to those poor people.

I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that...ever...

He'd wandered in a daze after that for a bit, but then his insanity had returned. THe next time that his sanity returned, it'd only been for a few minutes, but he surmised that the stress of his situation was seriously damaging his psyche. He'd lost it again after that, but now he'd been in a nicely lucid state for at least an hour, and had come across a sight that would drive any sane man crazy. Mary didn't respond, but only looked at Wade curiously, trying to decide what she should do with him. Of course, Wade wasn't about to let her, so he asked again.

"Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?! Why is it that every single time a class finds itself in something like this, half of them turn out to have these hidden psychopathic desires? That ain't supposed to happen in real life, for fuck's sakes! You mean to tell me that I've gone to school with a whole bunch of psychopaths for all these years? At least I have an excuse, I have a medical condition! GOD!"

Mary looked at him and tilted her head.

"I'm not crazy. I'm perfectly fine."

Wade looked at her in disbelief.

You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me!

He was about to respond further to the point when Mary's already-large stomach started pulsating, as though something were about to pop out of it. His jaw dropping in horror, Wade watched as Mary's stomach exploded outward in a shower of blood and gore, and an Alien emerged from within her. It didn't come all the way out, however, and instead just stuck it's head and arms out.

It must be controlling her! What the hell!? I saw the movie, and now Danya's tossing Aliens on here? Well fuck this, I'm not about to let these things start breeding!

Knowing that the Aliens had acid for blood (he loved the films, they were amongst his favourites), Wade knew that he would need to act fast, while it still possessed it's host, who obviously hadn't died yet. Grabbing his kukri knife that he'd taken from the succubus, Wade lunged forward and stabbed deeply into Mary's chest, skewering the Alien as he did so. He heard it scream, and extracted his blade, hearing the telltale hissing that informed about Alien blood. Quickly, he stabbed again, twisting the knife. Mary cried out in agony, and the Alien did the same. With one more mighty thrust, Wade buried the knife into her stomach and twisted around so he had access to the gaping wound it had left. He took the knife and sliced around inside of her stomach, cutting up Alien and internal organs alike. After a few seconds, the screaming stopped - first the Alien, and then Mary. The whole ordeal had lasted maybe a minute or two, but he'd done it - he'd prevented the Aliens from spreading.

Removing his now-bloody hand from Mary's now-dead body, Wade pushed her with his other hand, so she landed on the ground, leaning against a tree. Sighing in disgust, he shook his head and wiped his hand on his pants. Looking at the knife, he then saw that the Alien had actually ended up stuck on the end of the blade. Grimacing, he took his hand and pushed it off and to the ground.

"Eeew, yick."

Shaking off the knife, he examined it. The acid hadn't burned it too badly, and it looked like it would live to fight another day. He pocketed the knife, and then spotted what looked like a couple of packs lying on the ground nearby. The first he went through had nothing in it but some supplies, which Wade saw were basically used up. Tossing it aside, he found that he'd hit the jackpot in the other. A whole bunch of ammunition, and a bayonet were inside of it, which he eagerly pocketed, along with a bottle of water.

Ammo, but no gun?

Hesitantly going up to the body against the tree, Wade searched the pockets and found nothing. Scowling, he then glanced down at the mutilated corpse on the ground. Shutting his eyes and sighing a bit, Wade knelt down and felt around inside of the pockets of the corpse. Thankfully for him, the weapon was inside, fully loaded and looking to be in working condition. As he stood, Wade decided to hold on to the gun.

Can't be a demon hunter with just a sword. Good to have some sort of projectile weapon. If I'm sticking to the video game motif, maybe arrows might have been nice, but nothing beats a gun. I mean, except a bigger gun. And rockets. Oooooooh, shiny ones. That'd be nice...

Lost in thought, Wade wandered down the path, stopping momentarily to say hello to the head that stood on the rock, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

"Hey there, um...head."

"Jolly good day to you, sir!"

The head responded in an English accent that threw him off a tad. Opting not to get into a conversation with the awkwardly English head, Wade simply waved goodbye and set off down the path.

"Um, gotta go, have a good one!"

"Right-o, chap. Happy trails!"

He couldn't help but admit it - this was the weirdest damn day that he'd ever had.

---

Finally as Wade left the area, there was silence. Mary's corpse lay on the ground, chest open (similarly looking to the Alien movies NOW) as though something had burst from it. A foot away lay a stabbed, lifeless unborn fetus, which had landed cradled between the arm and side of the mutilated corpse of Guy Rapide.

Further down the path, Alice Jones had heard the scream, and unfortunately (or fortunately, for her) had gone the wrong way, and was now just beginning to come up the path towards where the carnage lay.

((Wade Wilson continued elsewhere))

B38 - RAPIDE, GUY - DECEASED
G14 - MCKAY, MARY - DECEASED