Survival Of The Fittest

((Continued on from Playing Macgyver))

As soon as the announcement had been made, Shameeca decicded to head towards one of the now safer buildings that had recently been danger zones. Figuring out that they would be vacant and that she would be the first one there due to her proximity, the Mess hall was the best place to get a rest and seek a reprive from the constant rain. Walking in, soaking wet with hair plastered to her head, the chicago born girl needed somewhere with a roof to rest, fot at least a while. Carrying her sodden bag with her, she entered the building, slightly glad of its old usage. Food was her thing, something that she was good at and even in a wierd way, the building gave her a little bit of a pick-up. That was until she saw what was inside.

At first, the tables showed some signs of a disturbance, the symetrical feng shui of the room changed by some of the tables that had obviously been moved. Deciding to head towards the backroom, Shameeca walked into the back room, only for a horrific sight to meet her eyes. A body was on the floor, shot to death. It wasn't the first body that she had seen on the island, but this one seemed so raw. The girl looked familiar, the name escaping Shameeca for the moment. But who ever it was had met a brutal end and Shameeca swiftly moved out of the room, a taste of bile rising in her throat. Gagging slightly, all thoughts of finding a weapon forgotten, she moved back into the main room, leaning against a table, tears brimming in her eyes. Blinking furiously, Shameeca reached up and removed her contacts, the small green eyes going back to their natural brown.

No, she would stay here for a while with the body, maybe find something to cover her with, having some respect for the dead. Deciding to go back and look in the other side of the back, she kept her eyes away from Serenity's corpse. There was a large freezer door and Shameeca had a brainwave. If she moved the body into the freezer, then it would have some dignity in not being eaten by insects and to have a resting place not in the open. It was a slightly macarbre way of thinking but Shameeca needed that bit of peace for the other girl.

The door was heavy, with some holes in it, but still she persisted, putting all of her weight behind her pushing. The smell that came with the door opening, of rotting meat and death greeted her nose before anything else. In the freezer was the body of a boy, dried blood around him. Shameeca let out a little shriek and pushed the door closed again, running back to the main room for the second time, determined not to throw up but just needing to get away from the corpses.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god!!" she rambled, head in her hands, her breath coming in short breaks. A few minutes passed and Shameeca regained her composure. She wasn't going to end up dead and alone in some freezer. She wanted to live, but she couldn't do that by herself on this island. No, she needed some help if she was going to survive. So she sat, listening to someone approaching, her "weapon" in her hands. Not that it was going to do her much good, but the feeling of protection from it was a little comforting for the scared girl.

((B95 Start.))

James Martinek had managed to avoid death this long. He was very glad for that. If he had been needlessly killed off, it wouldn't have been good news for him. Though survival was important, he was looking for one thing. Briana. Bree. The girl he loved and proposed to. Was she here? More than likely. Could he find her? He sure hoped so.

He had been wandering from place to place for days, trying to avoid people. When he did see someone, he didn't stick around for long. Just long enough to check for Bree, then leave. He knew she wasn't dead yet. Her name hadn't been announced on the daily announcements.

He sat in a brush as he listened to the announcements. The deaths were overwhelming...It seemed like a lot of them. He was a little dishearten that his schoolmates were killing each other like that. Should he be surprised? He knew if he got into a confrontation, it wouldn't be long before his death. All he had with him was a dictionary. He would have ditched it earlier, but it could possibly come in handy somehow.

Checking his map, James realized he was close to the Mess Hall. Peeking out of the brush, he could see it. It had just recently been cleared of its danger zone. Deciding against entering it, he turned around to leave, then suddenly heard a scream. It was the scream of a girl!

Mustering up his courage, James shouldered his bag and emerged from the brush, walking up to the Mess Hall. He entered the main room, his feet leaving small water marks on the floor from the rain. His hair looked utterly disgusting. Taking a few steps further in, walking in between some tables, he called out. "Hello?"

Hearing the footsteps, Shameeca ducked by a table, grateful for the shadows that she used as a cover. Obviously, her scream earlier had attracted people. This was she had wanted but she was regretting it now beacuse of the fact that she realised that one of those killers from the announcements could be coming to claim her as their next victim. So she crouched, holding her "weapon", ready to strike if needed. Shameeca didn't want to play, but neither would she be just easy prey to be bumped off by some pyscho wanting to get a higher kill count. She heard the footsteps come closer and closer, the small splash of water dripping off the figure as they walked in. Suddenly she realised that she had left her bag on the nearby table. Stupid! Stupid girl! Now they would know that someone was there.

She could see the legs from her hiding place, trousers, probably a guys or a masculine girls wear. Slowly she raised her body, holding out the weapon in her hand, its black shape contrasted with the lime green of what had been the toothbrush, topped off with the white bandages. It shook slightly in her hand, her nerves betraying her attempt at looking serious. Looking at the figure, she realised that she knew him.

It was James something, the guy from the rowing crew. Shameeca knew him, had probably met him a few times, but never had more than a few passing words with him. However the friendly face and the fact that he didn't seem to have a weapon on him, which was a good thing. He did look a mess but then again, Shameeca didn't look a prize picture herself. Hopefully he wouldn't try to attack her, he looked strong and although she would fight her all, Shameeca doubted she could take him as she was.

"James?... Its me, Shameeca. You playing?" she proclaimed trying to sound tough, the sharpened toothbrush attached to the phallic object in her hands in a type of aggresive gesture. If he was safe, she would be cool and drop it, but if he tried anything, Shameeca would try to get out or at least get in a few good blows. She wanted to survive, but she wouldn't become a monster doing it.

((Lenny and Elizabeth continued from The Taste of Blood))

It had been a short night. Though, once again the Priestly twins didn't talk much. Elizabeth kept close to Lenny as they traversed through the jungle, never knowing where they were going, but knowing they were headed somewhere. Lenny was lost in thought. Elizabeth wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but didn't. He was changed, and she knew there was nothing she could do about it. Her brother would forever be different. She would too of course, but not in the same way he was.

Dawn had broke, and Lenny and Elizabeth stopped while the looked at their maps against the new light in the sky. Together they marked the new danger zones and made a check of where they were now free to go. Lenny still had his handgun in his pants, his prize for his kills. He was proud of that profoundly, and despite what his sister thought, it was this new side of him that was keeping them alive.

Or was it?

His sister has always been in most danger when he let his violent side loose...maybe he had to keep his promise to his sister. Maybe he truly had to contain his emotions and feelings. Maybe he had to suppress the dark urge inside of him. The urge to be in control. To have power.

To kill.

The twins continued to make their journey, quicker through the jungle by daylight until they ran into the mess hall. Vines were covering the old building on the outside, and Elizabeth looked at her brother.

"It's still raining, maybe we should go inside?"

"There's probably people in there Liz. Everyone has the same idea as you."

"I'm willing to take that chance. Not everyone's bad Lenny. Not everyone wants to kill."

Lenny looked at his sister then said, "Ok. Come on." Taking his handgun out, Lenny quietly went up to the side of the front door and pressed flat against the wall. His sister did the same thing behind him. She began to ask him a question when he said, "shhh..."

Lenny heard voices inside.

He whispered to his sister.

"There are people inside. Maybe we should wait this out for a bit to see if any shooting or struggle goes on inside."

Elizabeth didn't say anything, knowing her brother was probably right.

James walked further in, looking around for the person the scream belonged to. A bag caught his eye and he looked over. It appeared like someone really was here. Of course, this could be the belongings of someone already deceased, but he had just heard a scream. So probably a living person. A living girl. This girl could possibly be Bree.

Suddenly, the figure revealed herself and he couldn't help but make a face. He looked pained with disappointment. Suddenly, he relaxed his tense expression as to not scare the girl. He had no intention of harming her, especially since her weapon didn't look too destructive, much like his. Well, maybe she could do more damage with that then he could with a dictionary.

However, James recognized her. Probably just from passing her by in the hallways. Her name was Shameeca, right? As if to encourage her that he was in no position to play, he pulled out his dictionary.

"No no! Of course not..I mean, I only have a dictionary. But..but if someone does want to attack me..I will not hesitate to fight with all I can..", James muttered, almost lost in thought for a second. He would just have to throw down that dictionary and use his past judo knowledge to help him. Would it come into much use with anyone wielding a gun? Probably not.

"Anyway...I'm looking for a girl named Bree..Have you seen her?", James asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Staring at James, her soft brown eyes holding a steely glint inside, Shameeca slowly started to let her guard down when he revealed the dictionary. Looks like he had drawn the same short straw that she had by being given a near to useless weapon. Her face came out of the shadow she was standing in, revealing tear stained cheeks that she wiped away in a rough motion, trying to look strong. As she heard his side, the girl deceided to trust him, at least for now.

"Ok, I'll trust you for now. Theres two people back there, but they ain't alive. I didn't kill 'em, they were like that when I got here. So that means that somebody killed them and that it ain't safe to be alone, so safety in numbers yeh?" she spoke outloud, her thoughts seeping into her words. It made sense to team up with someone, they were less likely to be attacked in a group, and they could defend themselves better than if they were alone. It was like what she used to believe. She had felt no fear in her gang, would spit authority in the eye and take no prisoners. Of course, she was a stupid kid back then, doing stupid crimes to try and make a name for herself. Obviously, now she knew that the real way was to be herself, not some fear figure that others wanted her to be, as another excuse to keep her as she had been.

Bree... the small girl that did the running? Not someone that Shameeca would count as a close friend but yeah, she knew her well enough to know that the body in the back room wasn't her. Wait a second, her mind raced trying to remember all that gossip from cookery class. Didn't those two have a thing going on? Well, he obviously wanted to find her for some reason and a man on a mission probably could go either way, but Shameeca wasn't really in a position to pick and choose who she could be stuck with.

"I think that Bree's ok. She's not in the back and I haven't heard her name being called out on anouncements, so she must be round on the island. I don't think shes here though. Maybe we could go look for her, I mean this place is pretty big, and ya know what they say about many hands making light work" Shameeca eleborated, giving a sign of her trust that she could help with the search for Bree. The fact that James looked more imposing than her was also a helper. Ain't no point being with someone who made Shameeca look like a powerhouse. No, she could do worse than helping out James. Picking up her bag and slinging it around her shoulder, she made a gesture towards the door.

"Maybe we should go look"

Maybe we should go look.

Lenny was able to make out those words from inside. From what he had heard, there was no fight, and judging by the last words spoken, whoever is inside must be on at least neutral terms. Of course, that didn't solve the question of how many, who, and what weapons. Of course, wasn't that the great mystery of the island? The appeal of killing? To kill to go home was useless. To have an adventure, to put yourself at risk, now that was worth while. Though Lenny couldn't put himself at risk with his sister around. He had to protect her.

Elizabeth heard the words too, and knew that whoever was inside would be coming to the door soon. She knew her brother would act, but how? Would he take the safe decision and leave? Or would he stay? If he stayed...how would he react. Would he act like he did with Anna? Keiji? Or is he going to continue to be more benign in his actions. Like Denise, Raven, Jordan. She looked at her brother, trying to discern from his features what he was going to do. She watched as he raised his handgun up and knew that his decision wasn't what she wanted.

She worded "please don't" but knew her brother didn't care even if he did see it. Lenny was in a different mind set. He was playing a different game than everyone else. A game she couldn't figure out. A game not even he could figure out.

So Lenny Priestly stepped in front of the door, his handgun aimed inside, and his eyes immediately shot towards a boy and girl. Turning towards them, his handgun aimed at them, Lenny said coldly and calmly, "Both of you, hands up high now. One mistake and I might get a little trigger happy."

He was looking right at James and Shameeca. James was a tall boy, who Lenny had talked to a couple times in school. He was in the rowing club, and looked like he had the muscle to be quite good at it. Then there was Shameeca Mitchell. The black girl who always wore the colorful clothing. Lenny never talked to her, but knew Elizabeth talked to the girl at least a couple times in school if only about swimming.

This might be fun.

James walked towards Shameeca slowly and put his dictionary back into the bag slung around one shoulder. He noticed her tear stained face and suddenly looked concerned. "Hey, are you okay?", He asked apprehensively.

After telling James that she would trust him, James grinned and held out his hand to shake. "Alright, and I'll trust you too.", He told her, trying to seem as trustworthy as possible. He didn't want Shameeca to think he was untrustworthy and shady. That wasn't how James wanted to be perceived in this game. He didn't want to be an enemy unless he had to be. And right now, he didn't have to be.

He cringed at the mere mention of the dead bodies in the back, but his expression brightened when Shameeca offered to help him find Bree. "You will? Seriously? Thank you so much.", He couldn't help but smile widely. He was suddenly filled with more hope than previously, knowing soon he could be with his love and protect her. "Alright then, let us go."

Just as James headed towards the door, a figure came in and James' heart jumped. He immediately stepped back, in front of Shameeca. His eyes frantically looked at the figure. It was someone he had spoken to a few times. But the most important detail of all was the fact that he had a gun. He had a gun and James had nothing except his feet, fists and a dictionary. Useless in this situation.

Following the Lenny's command, James threw his hands up and dropped his bag to the ground, in case Lenny wanted to search it. Wouldn't find anything, but James didn't want to chance anything. "We don't have anything.", James told him, his heart pounding immensely.

Nodding her head as she acknowleged his question, Shameeca approached James, shaking his hand in hers. She was as fine as she could possibly be in the situation that they were. The skin on his hand was rough on hers, the weather and terrain not kind to anyone. Shameeca wondered how many times Bree has held this hand, been touched by it. It seemed odd that she was thinking these things, but when surrounded by death, Shameeca only saw signs of life, a chink of her optimism coming through the depression and break-down that threatened her mental state. Not normally one to be known as level headed, Shameeca was shocked at how well she was dealing. Maybe she was a natural survivor, maybe she could make it. James smile made her grin too, a flutter of hope alive.

That was until she saw the twins come through the front door, the male one aiming a handgun at them and telling them to put their hands up. Everything went into tunnel vision for a brief instant, not even noting her old swim team friend, Elizabeth. All of her focus was on that small metallic object that could kill her in less than a second, in the same way that a bullet had claimed her natural fathers life and destroyed most of her childhood. She was shocked, the dark girl with the shoulder-length black hair, so much so that she froze, not moving her arms in Lenny's request.

Not until James moved in front of her, ever the hero, to protect her from the potential gunfire that may come their way. Snapping out of it, she slid the bag off her shoulder, its brown colour falling onto the floor. From her hand, her weapon fell, bouncing off the floor before coming to a stop in front of her, the sharp tip pointing towards the gun in a sort of failed face-off.

Raising her hands in the air, she took a small step sidewards, making herself more open so to help James by taking the focus off him. It was there when she saw Elizabeth, someone who she would class as a friend, albeit not a close one. Lip starting to wobble a little, she stared wide-eyed at Elizabeth, wondering how it had all gone this way.

"Elizabeth... why?" she asked quietly to the brown haired girl, appealing to her better nature. They were un-armed against a gunman and his twin who could have a gun as well. Something in her head told Shameeca that trying to take Lenny down wouldn't help them to live longer than five minutes. With her hands in the air, any sudden movement on her part would end up with a bullet in her chest and probably James's too.

Lenny watched, pleased, at the two students both raised their hands. Elizabeth was less than enthuised, and felt sickened when she saw Shameeca look at her and ask her why. Elizabeth had no answer to give her. It wasn't her doing this, it was her brother. Slowly, he was getting less unstable, and Elizabeth felt like she was losing control of him. Before she could shape his actions, but now he was starting to act on his own accord. It was only a matter of time before he resorted to killing again.

No.

Elizabeth wouldn't let that happen.

"Lenny, don't pull that trigger. I swear to god Len, I love you, but if you hurt them I'll make you shoot me too."

Lenny flinched. Glancing at his sister, he said, "Elizabeth, stay out of this. I'm protecting you."

Elizabeth moved in front of her brother, so his gun was pointed at her.

"No you're not. You're playing your own sick twisted game and I want nothing to do with it anymore! Let them go now Lenny!"

Lenny lowered his gun, and thought of his options. His goal was to protect his sister, to make sure she got home. Though, ever since Keiji he's been deprived of his own pleasure. The pleasure he got from power. The pleasure he got from having others do what he wanted. To fear him. To curse him. His sister was safe. He would protect her. It was his time to have some fun.

"Elizabeth, get behind me. Please, I swear I won't kill them."

Elizabeth looked at her brother, her eyes pleading. Reluctantly agreeing, she moved behind her brother and watched as he raised his gun again at the two students.

"You're both very lucky you know that? Though, I wasn't gonna kill you anyways. That's so boring. I don't understand students like Wade Wilson or Bobby Jacks who are runnin' around with high kill counts. Killin' as many people as you can isn't always the answer. Me? I'm gonna make sure my sister gets home, but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun til then. So what do you say we play a little game?"

Lenny smiled at the two students before him.

"James, you are playing hero by stepping in front of Shameeca. Now, I wonder, Shameeca, how far would you go to help out James? Let's make a deal. I bet that if I was to take James hostage right now and leave, you wouldn't track us down and take him back. I'll even give you til the morning announcements to get to us. He put his life on the line stepping in front of you, but are you willing to put your life on the line to help him out? If you don't take him back by the morning announcements, I'll kill him."

Lenny looked at James, then to Shameeca.

"Now, this won't be as simple as just coming in and saying 'tag your it. I found you'. No. Expect a fight for him. I miss that adrenaline feeling, don't you? Don't you love it when fear and excitement mix to give you that ultimate thrill? So, what do you say? Want to have some fun, or do I have to shoot you both dead right now?"

Elizabeth stepped back.

She was now terrified of her brother.

James still felt like he was staring into the face of death. The barrel of the gun pointed at him and Shameeca. He was vaguely aware that Shameeca had stepped back, so James moved back a little more. He didn't want a defenseless girl to get shot over nothing. She wasn't even playing, why should she have to die?

James moved his eyes from Lenny to the girl beside him. The girl didn't seem to be hostile, she seemed more scared...

Suddenly, the female stood in front of Lenny's gun. As the two conversed, James came up with the conclusion that the two were either close friends or related somehow. James had no clue that they were actually twins. Though he had spoken to Lenny once or twice, he had never made the connection about Lenny and his twin sister.

However, he did make the connection that Elizabeth didn't want Lenny to kill James and Shameeca. Good choice. If James could have, and not have risked his life, he would have hugged Elizabeth and maybe even cried. But this situation wasn't over.

He lowered his gun for a second, while Elizabeth moved out of the firing range, and then raised it again. James' heart immediately began beating again. He knew this was it.

Lenny claimed he wasn't going to kill them. James didn't exactly believe him. Escpecially when Lenny proposed a game. A game? Weren't they already playing a game? James wearily listened to Lenny's proposition.

After hearing it, James' mouth dropped open and his eyes were the size of baseballs. "No way! I only protected Shameeca because it's not right for her to die! She hasn't done anything, she's not playing! I'm not trying to be a hero, I'm just doing the best I can..This is a crazy idea..", James said, apprehension showing in his voice.

He knew that Lenny would kill them if they said no. If Shameeca said no, but James said yes, there wouldn't be a game, would there? So, James would probably die too. But if they did play and Shameeca didn't show up, James would also die. The chance of him living through this game within a game was a little slim but he had no choice.

"..I guess I don't have a choice..", He muttered, apprehensively. His voice sounded dry and ragged. He was tempted to reach down and grab his water bottle but didn't want to make Lenny think he was grabbing for a weapon.

A flutter of hope arose in Shameeca's chest as Elizabeth turned against her brother, hoping to stop him from killing them both. The edge of her mouth turned up in a small grin, that was hidden when James moved to protect her again, despite the fact that chivalry was definetly not needed in this situation. Hopefully, Elizabeth could talk some sense into her seemingly homicidal brother. The bond between twins seemed to have saved the day and Shameeca thanked whoever had been up there that Lenny had been given a sister. It seemed to work as he lowered the gun as she moved behind him. Then came the revalation that made the Chicago born girl's jaw drop.

"What?!?" she gasped as the propostition came out of Lenny's mouth. They were already in a sick game, and this bastard wanted them to play along with his twisted version of hide and seek? He wanted to take James and then bet that she would turn coward and abandon the only good thing that she had encountered on the island? Well Shameeca was many things, but she wasn't stupid. If she said no, James would die. If she said yes and ran, James would die and she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. But if she played his game and even if she managed to save James, what were the chances that she would be allowed to leave with him alive? And then how would they be able to find Bree if they were dead. No, the only way out of this would to be playing along and hoping that Lenny stuck by his word. If not, well then she could try her best to not go down without a fight.

"I ain't gonna abandon James with you, ya sick fuck. You take him, I will track you down and I will take him back. Some people here haven't turned into monsters like you! And you can bet your life that you will have that rush, cause you have just fucked with the wrong girl. You think your a big man behind that gun, well you aren't. How your sister can still be with you when she's seen what you are?" she spat out, venom in her voice. Turning around, she put her hands on James face, looking into his eyes.

"I will get you back and then we will find Bree. Listen to me, I swear that I will find you again" Shameeca said, her voice urgent. Then stepping back, she glared at Lenny, pure fury in her eyes. Let the games begin.

"Ah, so she says she'll come after you. Better hope that's not a charade James, cause this girl is all that stands between you and death."

Lenny smiled. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but it felt right. It felt fun. He wouldn't be like those other students who wanted to go home. He wouldn't run around killing everyone he saw. No, he would just make sure his sister was safe. Though, if he could have a little fun, why not? It would be genuinely fun to see if Shameeca would come for James. Maybe she would recruit others to hunt down Lenny? Maybe she would go alone? Maybe she would just say screw it, and never come.

Lenny couldn't wait to see what would be the end result. Who would be alive and who would be dead come dawn tomorrow.

Elizabeth didn't say a word. She was mortified when he tortured Anna, and she was sad when he killed Keiji, but now her brother was reduced to playing games with his classmates. He didn't even kill them outright now, he just played with him. His game was going to put her in danger too, and she was scared. Though not for her own life, for her brothers.

Lenny backed up, and ended up outside of the building. His handgun still pointed inside towards James, Lenny said, "Come on now. We got a long walk ahead of us. Shameeca, you can start following us in 30 minutes or go off in any direction you want right away. If I even think you are cheating by following close behind, I will shoot James. We got to make this fair don't we?"

Lenny smiled and motioned towards the jungle.

"Come on James, lead the way."

James stood completely still, as if his emotions had been subdued. His face was scrunched up in confusion, as if he couldn't comprehend his situation. It seemed extremely grim. In a way, he felt like crying, but that definitely wouldn't have suited his image. He simply felt pathetically small, like a young boy being forced to do something he didn't want to.

James was quite relieved when Shameeca agreed to Lenny's strange plan. If they made it through this ordeal, he would have to find a way to thank her.

As she grabbed his face(which he found strangely comforting) he tried his best to smile at her. "Thank you..For agreeing to this. You don't even have to..And you are. Yes, we will find Bree. I trust you, Shameeca.", James told the girl, flashing another dull smile and pulled away, walking over to Lenny.

When Lenny suggested that Shameeca could be putting on an act, a charade as he called it, James just shook his head firmly. "No way. I trust Shameeca..", He said in a slightly wavering voice. Sure, he didn't exactly know Shameeca too well, but he couldn't help but put his trust in her. He had no choice. Plus, she had offered to help him find Bree, that definitely scored her more brownie points.

When Lenny told James to lead the way, he paused for a second, then nodded, brushing past Lenny. He started wandering in the direction that Lenny motioned to. "Alright alright...But could you please put the gun down?", He asked weakly.

((James Martinek continued in Ratio Decindendi.))

"We'll see how much I can trust you before I lower the gun."

Lenny watched as James took the lead started to walk towards the jungle. Lenny cast a glance back at Shameeca and said, "Remember, the morning announcements."

With that, he was behind James, his gun in hand, ready to pull the trigger. He just needed a reason. Elizabeth followed behind Lenny. Usually she would walk next to him, and even in their normal silence she would feel connected to him. Not now though, not now.

She felt alone.

She felt as alone as James probably felt. Yet she didn't have the gun pointed at her.

It would be a long day.

With that, Lenny and Elizabeth continued their journey towards a destination unknown. Except now they had another member in tow. A hostage. An unwitting player in another sort of game. A game that only Survival Of The Fittest could bring out in people.

Lenny let a small smirk form.

This will be a fun day.

((Lenny and Elizabeth continued in Ratio Decidendi))