Survival Of The Fittest

((Rick Holeman continued from Time and Time Again))

With dawn came the announcements.

With dawn came light.

With dawn came a slight reprieve from the rain as it became lighter, yet it was always there. The dark, ominous clouds still hovering above the island. The wet, cold rain still falling. Maybe it would always be that way. Maybe this very rain would wash the blood off of Rick's body when he was dead.

Yes, he would die. He sealed his fate back at the sea cliffs with Jim and Dawson. Dawson wasn't exactly informed of the plan, but was allowed to come along. Rick wouldn't play the game, yet he wasn't content with just hanging back while people died. That left him with trying to escape or killing the killers. Escape wasn't an option. Rick wasn't smart in any ways that could give him a plan to escape. He has yet to run into anyone who could escape either. So that left him with killing the killers.

Very paradoxical. He would become a killer himself by trying to help everyone else survive.

His Desert Eagle was tucked in his pants. He and Jim already killed someone. He could do it again. He would have to. It was the only way to help the others. The only way.

He found himself alone as he approached the now clear danger zone. Out front he saw a couple bodies. He remembered the announcements talking about how Neil Sinclair, the camera smashing guy and some of his group killed someone here. They also lost a friend here.

Rick stopped in the clearing, and decided to head back to some brush to hide. Anyone could be in the tower, and he had to wait for Jim and Dawson. Hopefully they didn't get lost. Maybe someone else would show up. It was just a waiting game now.

(Kimmy Redmond continued from Kimmy, Kimmy, Candy Eater)

Kimmy licked her lollipop, which was nearly gone, as she traversed through the jungles twists and turns. Frustration engulfed the tiny girl as she made her way to the lighthouse. Her plans weren't going accordingly and that pissed Kimmy off.

She had been on her way to the lagoon when the announcements blared across the island. Despite how many she heard, each announcement sent a chill down her spine. The fact that she could die at any moment was absolutely terrifying to Kimmy. And then the icing on the cake came when the lagoon was made into a danger zone. Great.

Deciding to cut her losses, Kimmy changed her destination to the lookout tower, hoping to wait the game out as long as she could. It was just cleared, so people probably wouldn't be there yet.

---

The trees began to get sparse as Kimmy approached the lookout tower. She could see the mighty tower in the distance. It was a magnificent sight. As she checked out the surrounding area, Kimmy's theory was proved right.

Nobody was here yet.

Spirits raised, Kimmy climbed the slop towards the tower.

((Continued from High Voltage))

Passing through the foliage, Edward did his best to keep from making too much noise. The air was still cold, but at least the thick jungle canopy sheltered him from the light rain. I guess Butler was right. I hope he got out ok. The trees began to thin as the boy pushed onward. Taking out his map, Eddie tried to determine where, exactly, he was. After much fussing, swearing, and, eventually, having to turn the map right-side up, Eddie managed to discern that he was somewhere near the lookout tower.

Shoving the map back in his pack, Edward headed in the direction he was fairly certain the tower laid. The going was slow, as he kept his steps light and went out of his way to disturb the foliage as little as possible. It wouldn't do any good if a player managed to find him through his carelessness; Edward had nothing to defend himself, having discarded the rock back at the jailhouse.

Edging through the trees, Edward was graced with the tower peaking through the now sparse canopy. Grinning, Eddie almost completely missed the faint sound of someone's approach. Cursing under his breath, the sharp eared student quickly took up a hiding spot among one of the denser clusters of plant life.

Holding his breath, Edward's heartbeat hammered in his ears as the figure passed him by. Ok, Eddie. Just calm down. They've got their back turned. If you hurry, you can knock ‘em down and maybe take their weapon. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and it'll be Wade? Steeling his nerves, Eddie hopped up from the foliage, ready to charge at the student.

Before he could do anything, Edward noticed who he was about to attack: Kimberly Redmond, a cute kid that looked like she had no place in high school, let alone a battle to the death. Stumbling back in shock, the strength went out of the boy's legs, sending him crashing into the brush. His breath coming ragged, Eddie couldn't believe what he'd almost done. I...I almost attacked an innocent person. I could have really hurt a girl who's done nothing wrong. I'm starting to fuckin' lose it.

Clenching his teeth in frustration at what he was being forced to do and the shame of almost attacking such an innocent person, the disgusted boy did everything he could to keep from crying. Not because he felt he was too macho to cry or it would be an overreaction to the situation. He fought off the tears because he knew that if he let them start, he wouldn't be able to stop them.

Rick watched from his hiding spot as a girl came walking by. She was some distance away, but from the looks of it she was heading towards the lookout tower. Jim was nowhere in site, either was Dawson.

Damnit Jim.

Rick didn't want to go against the island's players alone, yet without Jim he knew he would have to. Maybe he should just leave now? He didn't want to have to confront the girl. Whoever she was. He didn't want to feel obligated to keep her safe, cause then he couldn't do what marines did best.

Kill bad guys.

Though, maybe it wouldn't hurt to see who she was. Crouched, his Desert Eagle in hand, Rick Holeman made his was forward a little bit to get a good look at the girl. It was none other than Kimmy Redmond. Rick didn't know much about the girl, as he only talked to her once or twice. She was a short girl, who looked extremely young. He could imagine her being picked on every school year probably being labeled as a "freshman". Rick was guilty of always treating the freshman bad himself.

Rick was about to turn away. To forget about the girl. To block her out of his mind so he could focus on his mission. Then he saw a boy come into view. He seemed to just appear from the foliage, and Rick for a second believed he was going to attack the girl. The boy didn't though. Getting a closer look he saw that the boy was Edward Sullivan.

Rick didn't know much about the slightly chubby boy either. He didn't belong to the same clique that Rick belonged to, which unfortunately in High School life meant they rarely crossed paths.

Turn away. Walk away. Find Jim.

He couldn't though. Maybe they could help him at least. They could point him in the direction of a killer. Of someone who was playing the game. Then Rick could begin his "quest" of sorts to help save his classmates by taking out the ones who were corrupted. He just couldn't get attached to the two students, for Rick didn't want to put anyone else in danger.

Standing up, Rick pointed his Desert Eagle at the two students and said, "It's Rick Holeman. You guys playin'?"

Oh, God… dammit! Not now!

Kimmy's heart fell into her stomach when she heard rustling behind her. Her head whipped around fast enough that she could have potentially gotten whiplash. It didn't necessarily have to be a human. There were animals on the island, right? That's probably what it was.

Wrong.

A figure clumsily stumbled out of the underbrush, causing Kimmy to let out a shrill scream. For a moment it looked as if it was going to charge at her. Kimmy's first instincts were to high-tail it out of the area, but then it just… fell.

Kimmy stood there. Her heart was racing and tears clouded her eyes, which made her vision vaguely blurred. Despite the blur, Kimmy could peg the identity of her would-be attacker.

Edward Sullivan. He was that creepy kid who always listened to other people's else's conversations. Kimmy had never really spoken to the boy and that most likely wouldn't change. The boy offered nothing that she wanted, not to mention the fact the he nearly attacked her. She didn't know if he collapsed because he was clumsy or if he had just changed his mind. It was a mystery to her. Fucking freak.

Before she had a chance to yell at the kid, another person emerged from the underbrush.

Jesus Christ! Do people fucking live down there!?

Kimmy eye'd up the newcomer and a smile slowly spread on her face.

Rick Holeman was exactly what she needed. Strong, intimidating, and the boy was incredibly good looking. She could stick close to him and then off him when the need arose.

"It's Rick Holeman. You guys playin'?"

"I-I'm not sure about him," Kimmy started, pointing at the chubby boy on the ground, "But I'm definitely not."

Kimmy silently hope that Rick would forget about her bitchy ways back at Southridge. She'd be in trouble if he decided to hold anything against her.

((Dacey continued from: Time and Time Again))

*Huff, huff*

Despite being one of the more fleet of foot students around, Dacey had fallen behind earlier, mostly due to the others setting off so quickly and her own hesitation as she considered what going along with them would entail. However, finally, Dacey the back of one of the people she had seen earlier - Rick. But where was Jim?

It wasn't important right now though - since it looked like Rick was actually pointing his gun at somebody, and loth as she was to put herself in the way of potential harm, she had to back him up somehow. If Dacey were to help out, she would have to start here. It might have been a futile and empty gesture, but at least Rick would feel supported.

She walked up to stand just behind him.

"Trouble?" 'Dawson' asked, echoing 'his' words from the day before, though those had been directed at somebody else.

Dacey looked from one person to another, a tiny little girl and a somewhat overweight boy - neither of which she recognised, except as a vague note somewhere that the girl was quite the bitch back at school - which didn't necessarily mean she's be playing of course, so it was almost irrelevant.

Hopefully her size (heck she even topped Rick, and he wasn't exactly a titch) would dissuade the others from causing any trouble, though Dacey knew she was kidding herself by thinking her height would be a bigger deterant than Rick's gun.

So... what's going on here?

((Amanda Redder continued from Kimmy, Kimmy, Candy Eater.))

Amy was pissed. Her near-betrayal had left her cynical, bitter, and, honestly, quite hurt. She had left the jungle in a hurry, and probably wandered in circles for a while, before finally taking enough time to get her bearings, and mark the new dangerzones. The teen had then decided that an above view on the island would be useful, and made a beeline for the lookout tower.

By the time she arrived, several others were already there. Amanda Redder had made the mistake of trusting others once. She wasn't about to leave herself completely open a second time. The Mexican Standoff that was taking place didn't exactly help her desire to be peaceful, either. The jacket came off of her weapon, and the grenade launcher was loaded in a few moments. Only then did Amanda come out into the open, weapon semi-ready. She made no attempt to hide herself, or her intent, though she drew no attention to herself.

One of the boys was wielding a Desert Eagle. An oversized weapon with a ridiculous kickback. If he was anything like most of the hotdogs from school, he'd probably fire it one-handed, and hit nothing but air. Well, not at this range, but if he shoots at one of those two...

Shit, shit, shit. Eddie ground his teeth together. The game is starting to get its hooks into me. Kimmy Redmond. I almost attacked Kimmy Redmond. The thought recycled itself in Eddie's mind, on endless repeat. Shaking his head, he did his best to rationalize the event. At least you didn't hurt her. You managed to stop. That's more than a lot of others can say. Make up for it. As long as you're around her, take care of her. Butler has the right idea. Just protect who you can.

Opening his mouth to apologize to the small girl, Eddie heard the approach of a second person. Head snapping in direction of the sound, the habitual eavesdropper couldn't believe his eyes as Rick Holeman appeared from the brush. He snuck up on me? Damn, he's good. Holeman was part of JROTC and, word was, he was heading into the marines. It wasn't such a surprise that he'd been able to remain hidden from Eddie's eyes and ears.

Equally unsurprising was when Holeman raised his oversized pistol in Eddie's direction. His voice as steady as his aim, the would-be soldier announced himself and asked the question that was no doubt on everyone's mind. Kimmy, of course, denied playing the game, which left only Eddie to assert his non-player status. "N-no. I'm not playing. I j-just…" Trailing off, the nervous boy cast a look at the girl he'd almost accosted. "Jesus, I'm sorry Kimmy. I didn't...I thought you were someone else. I really wasn't gonna' hurt you."

Someone else was coming. This one, being not nearly as stealthy as Holeman, Edward could hear coming some time before they actually made their appearance. "Dawson" Ashcroft came into view, taking a supportive stance behind Holeman. The soccer player and army recruit apparently had made a team. That was just as well, the two of them could probably watch each other's back. Edward wasn't stupid enough to think "Dawson" would be useless in the alliance. Even without a weapon, the tall girl was intimidating.

The scene, tense as it was, looked like it had the capability of going downhill in a hurry as Amanda Redder made her approach, toting a very large weapon. In fact, if Eddie didn't think the idea was completely ridiculous, he'd say she was carrying a grenade launcher. But wasn't that overkill?

Nodding at Redder, Eddie tried not to sound alarmed. "H-hey. You're Amanda R-redder, right? I r-really hope you're not p-playing. None of us are, s-so maybe we don't need to f-fight."

Rick glanced back as "Dawson" made "his" way over to him. With light now shining, Rick was able to get a better look at Dawson, who was a large, boy, yet there was still something off about him. Rick never knew anything about Dawson though, and only heard his name in passing in school, so he didn't know, or care right now about what was different about the boy.

Rick focused his attention back on the small girl and Eddie and said to Dawson, "Yeah, trouble."

Eddie then stammered, telling Rick he's not playing, then apologizing to the girl he was obviously thinking of attacking. Rick kept his gun trained on the two students ahead of him for a couple seconds then lowered his weapon a bit and said, "It's fine Eddie, none of us are playing. Everything's gonna be ok." Rick was a little worried that Jim never caught up, he must have gotten lost. That was something he would have to worry about later though.

Then Amanda Redder came into view, toting what appeared be a granade launcher. Eddie went to work telling the brown haired girl that no one was playing, and Rick decided to join along. The last thing he wanted was a fight. Not with innocent people around. Turning to the new girl, Rick aimed his gun at her and said, "Lower yours and I'll lower mine. Eddie's right, none of us are playing."

Ah! Damn. Forgot to put the shades back on.

Dacey tugged the sunglasses out of her pocket and put them back on, ignoring the rain which was still pattering down lightly, although not to the torrential extent it had been earlier. The minor inconvenience of having to rub the lenses clear of water droplets was easy enough to put up with for the benefit of concealing her eyes, which were distinctly feminine - one of the more obvious clues about her in fact.

Dacey gave Amanda a sidelong glance before turning to face her, but remained silent, both because she wanted to keep her talking to a minimum and that a sudden volley of denials that they were playing would probably strike her as suspicious. Besides which 'None of us are playing' encompassed her too.

I hate walking into difficult situations. That's a grenade launcher she's got there, if she decides to pull the trigger we're all more or less screwed. Hopefully she isn't planning on using it, but who knows? She hasn't said anything. Not that she's attacked either, which is something, but she could always be delaying.

But then, wasn't danger what Dacey had signed up for when coming along with Rick and the still-absent Jim? This was never going to be a protection only deal, she had to help out somehow, and that meant putting herself in harms way. There was no use complaining about something which was her own fault.

"I... hope she isn't trigger happy," 'Dawson' muttered, half to 'himself' but loud enough that those nearby could probably hear as well.

Kimmy groaned when Dawson emerged from the treeline. She didn't know him all to well and never really cared enough to talk to him, but by the looks of it, he was an ally of Rick's.

Her heart began to beat fast when Rick agreed that there was trouble. With the gun pointed at her face, Kimmy started to panic. She had know idea whether or not Rick would kill her. This was all that fucking chubster's fault.

Kimmy glanced over at Edward, scorn in her eyes. It was his fault they were in this mess. He's the one that tried to attack her and now she's being punished because of it? Her irritation only got worse when the boy start started apologizing. Who could he possibly have mistaken her for?!

The situation only worsened when Amanda Redder showed up, carrying some kind of bazooka or something. Whatever it was, it most likely wasn't good, especially in the hands of Amanda Redder.
Kimmy didn't know a whole lot about Amanda, besides the fact that she had horrible fashion sense and that she was incredibly tomboyish.

All hell broke loose when Amanda threatened the group. Eddie began stuttering some hippie crap and Rick pointed his gun at Amanda. The tension was thick between the group as everyone started talking, giving Kimmy no time to reply.

Kimmy believed this to be a blessing in disguise.

As the other four students talked, Kimmy began to back away slowly towards the lighthouse. She prayed the other students would be to busy talking amongst themselves to notice her.

After a few feet, Kimmy broke into a full sprint towards the lookout tower. She'd barricade herself in and wait for the action to die down.

Amanda's arrival seemed to exacerbate the chaos, enough so that one of the students was attempting to extract herself from the situation. The armed student was indeed aiming it at her, but said he wasn't playing. She didn't trust the kid as far as she could throw him, but it could be beneficial to have him think she feared his weapon. "Alright..." The first words Amanda had spoken in hours came out rather calmly, and she was surprised by how gentle she sounded, when in reality, she was still absolutely seething. Perhaps there was an equilibrium that came from wanting to scream and cry at the same time.

The tube lowered, but Amanda did not approach right away. They had height, and were standing on sloped ground. In all honestly, her weapon was probably useless, given the circumstances. Hopefully, no one else thought so.

Her eyes met the edging-away Kimberly. "Might want to keep a closer eye on that one." She indicated Kimmy with a nod of her head. "About to skip out on you." Kimmy may not have remembered her, but she remembered Kimmy. Kimberly Redmond. Napoleon complex, the kind who fights to win. Who shoots to kill. "Yeah, it's Amanda. And I'm only playing if I have to."

There was a tense moment that seemed to stretch for hours. Lowering the muzzle of her weapon, Redder uttered her first word to the group. "Alright…" Eddie let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as the girl took a less threatening stance. Some of the menace left the air, leaving Edward feeling optimistic. Maybe this situation would be beneficial after all. Redder was a kind of rough and tumble girl, Ashcroft and Holeman seemed to be an effective team and Kimmy…well, the group could take care of Kimmy.

After nothing but bad luck and setback after setback, Edward Sullivan finally felt like this group could accomplish something. Yeah, but what's "something?" Edward's optimistic mood came to a crashing halt. Killing Wade? Escaping the game? Don't be naïve. You might be able to kill Wilson, but what then? Would that do anything for these people? And escape? If there was a way out of the game, wouldn't one of the hundreds of students that had already been forced to participate have found it?

Eddie rubbed the bridge of his nose, frustration and despair setting deep into his bones. Was that true? Did anyone really have a chance to escape? Did getting his revenge matter in the slightest, compared to the lives of other people? What really mattered at all anymore?

Recent memories played themselves back in Edward's head. Darnell and his group, Wade's psychotic break, Jodene's gruesome death. Shaking his head, the boy knew that, despite the hopelessness of the situation, trying to escape wasn't a wasted effort. And killing Wade was a moral imperative. Some things mattered too much to just give up on.

Redder spoke, bringing Eddie back to his senses, "Might want to keep a closer eye on that one." The girl inclined her head towards Kimmy. "About to skip out on you." Looking up, Ed watched as the small girl began to sprint uphill, towards the tower.

"Hey, wait!" Calling out, Eddie felt guilt slam down on his shoulders like a ton of bricks. Watching the, no doubt, terrified girl flee for safety, the clumsy eavesdropper felt like scum. Hitting himself in the head, the boy cursed his stupidity. "Fuck, I probably scared the hell out of her. I'm such an asshole."

Eddie quickly made his way to his feet. Beginning to comment on the situation, the meek boy noticed the other's stances and felt his mouth go dry. Still not quite used to speaking to other people, let alone people with guns, he did his best to keep the shaking out of his voice. "W-we c-can't just let her g-go, can we? We need to go t-talk to her and make sure n-nothing b-bad happens to her."

(Nicholas Nutbrown continued from Sound and Fury)

Fucking Hardy. Really wish that guy was here so I could punch him.

Nutbrown was not in a good mood, although it would be very hard for anyone to see that. On the outside he looked perfectly normal but on the inside he was fuming. And it was all directed at one person: Michael Hardy. Nutbrown didn't hate the guy. They were teammates, friends... but the fact of the matter was that Michael had the best luck and Nutbrown always got the short end of the stick. If there's anyone who should have been on that bus, it should have been him! He had always been popular but the one trip he didn't decide to go on just so happened to be the ride to hell. Nicholas grumbled to himself, stumbling in the shade of the trees.

He found himself at a clearing in the trees and soon enough he could see a bunch of kids standing away. They were too far away but Nicholas could only make out Rick Holeman. Military guy, the kind of person Nutbrown imagined would get into a group. There was also a girl with a VERY large object. He had no idea what it was exactly, but he didn't like it. Fuck. These guys aren't forming a group, right?

Nutbrown made it his goal not to kill anyone unless if it were necessary. However in that same light, Nutbrown had a bad feeling in the back of his head that if there's too many groups being made around the island then he would be in trouble. If he was going to play in the back of the pack, in the background then groups roaming around were a bad thing ESPECIALLY if they're gathered together and planning to dominate everything they see. That was bad news and Nutbrown knew this.

Don't wanna kill anyone. Rick's a nice guy, but if he's planning on making another damned group then that's not cool with me. Fuck him.

Standing behind one of the trees, Nutbrown drew out his pistol and aimed it at the group. He wasn't exactly pointing it anyone and he was hoping every single shot missed, but if even one hit then he would have made his point clear. He didn't have the advantage of it being night so he did the only smart thing he could do:

He fired four rounds at them and ran as fast as he could.

(continued elsewhere...)

Hayden was very, very lost.

His plan had been very simple. Avoid everyone early on, save your energy, and take out the final few. SO far it had been working well. By his count nearly half the class was dead, and he was still among the living. Sure, he felt like an ass for even having a plan, but it was a feeling he was used to. Besides, why did they deserve to live any more than him? He'd had a chance to redeem himself, to make something of himself. How many of them could say the same? Most of them were scum, and the few decent souls were probably dead or dying. He wouldn't let that happen to him. If that meant being a selfish asshole, even a murderous one, it's just what he'd have to do.

Unfortunately, this was easier said than done, especially without a gun. He looked down at the little club in his hand. It could probably give a mean crack to the head, but it wouldn't help him survive He needed more. If he could find someone, get away with a better weapon at the very least...

But that went against the plan, didn't it? He didn't want to mess with the plan. It's why he was still alive. He realized his classmates were probably a little more dangerous than he'd given credit for. Trying to steal from them was just asking for a bullet to the face. If he did try something, he'd have to be extremely careful. Or extremely rash. Or nothing at all. Hell, what was he supposed to do? The confusion was more than he could bear.

As if in response to his dilemma, shots rang out directly ahead of him. Someone had a gun. Maybe their target had one too. It was the perfect opportunity, especially if he was plying the gun from a corpse instead of a living person. And even if not, he could take advantage of the chaos and grab something. It was risky, but after six days of inaction he felt like he needed to do something. But was it the right time to act?

He made a compromise. He hid behind a tree at a safe distance and looked on, ready to pounce on the situation if he could.