On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's way.

[Malloon]

(Benjamin Lichter continues from Nope, it's not a dream. We're stuck with it.)

Ben had gotten used to sneaking around - walking on the balls of his feet, hugging walls, constantly checking around, that sort of thing. It was almost second nature to him now. He was walking behind one of the dormitory buildings, towards the library according to his map. An announcement during the day before had said it had been set on fire. He wanted to see that. He wanted to check something.

He remembered the last time he'd been in this general area - it was where he had lost Maxim. He'd been around the whole island by now, and was almost back where he had started. How much could change in such a short amount of time.

He reached the corner of the building and peered round. There were three buildings down there, and his map told him the closest was the library. Then speakers piped up. Ben pulled an annoyed face, but he knew the drill by now. He would wait for the announcements to finish, then move. No use exposing himself while not being able to hear people sneaking up on him. He leaned against the building.

"...Nadia Riva jumped off the bridge. Boring I know..."

"Well, fuck you too," Ben whispered. Danya was no longer the voice of evil. After five announcements and incurable smugness, he was just an annoying ass with a microphone.

"...Lucilly Peterson who became yet another victim of Isabel Ramirez..."

Isabel didn't show any signs of stopping, did she? She was pretty much a third of the reason Ben still thought it best to avoid people. The girl called Nancy had been quite important too, until Ben's original boogieman Kimiko had stabbed her. Kimiko herself was another third, and the rest of the "players" were, well, the rest.

"Next Kaitlyn Greene played a game... she lost... Alex Tarquin... Will McKinley... died not long after due to a gunshot from Amanda Tan..."

Kaitlyn, Will and Alex had all killed. Ben wasn't sad to hear they were gone.

"...there's a lot to take in, I know. First Noah Whitley had a fight with Isabel Ramirez. I'll give you a guess as to what happened. If you said Noah..."

Ben looked up in surprise. Noah? The guy he'd spoken to in the asylum? Even though he hadn't wanted to talk to Ben, Ben still felt bad about his death. Poor guy hadn't seemed so bad.

"...a brawl broke out as all of Miss Ramirez chickens came home to roost, as Scout Pfeiffer, Fiyori Senay, and Dorothy Shelley combined their powers..."

Now Ben really looked surprised. Isabel was dead? So she was stopped, eventually. And by people willing to take her on. But with how many people there had been, had it been necessary to--?

"...still managed to kill Alan Banks..."

Oh. Well yes, apparently.

Danya continued talking, but Ben stopped listening; The important things had been said. With Isabel gone, only Kimko was really left as the biggest danger. Unless other people decided they wanted to continue where Isabel left off.

So yes, good news, but nothing that might change Ben's plan of action.

So off to the library.

(Benjamin Lichter continues in Hyphaema)