Survival Of The Fittest

((Sven continued from: Big Open Spaces))

Catch me as I fall…

Kicking a stone ideally as it crossed her path, Lucinda Garnett found her attention namely turned onto the ground as she continued along the dirt path which by the looks of the map ran from one end of the island to the next. Recent events had sent her out of hiding in the small amount of woodland near the hospital… after having nearly escaped the burning bamboo coppice she had made her way toward somewhere else worth hiding. Her arms and face lightly burned, jeans having been torn in these five days at her knees, showing off the matted but long since dried blood that covered them. Having been given these wounds in an escape attempt at the river, hearing voices coming closer and as she ran, falling and busting skin open to bleed.

Her glasses had long since been lost, giving the distance around her a fuzzier look, though she had begun to get used to it. Clothes where dirtied to a degree, then again who expected to stay clean when you’ve been forced to sleep on the ground for the past four nights, not like sleep had came easy. Only after finding humming her mother’s favorite song, Greensleeves did her mind and body finally allowing her to drift off into a somber sleep, though she found the smallest of noises startling her from sleep, and sending her on the more in around not to be caught by anyone. It was almost weird now… after being on this island for five days she had given up all of trying to find anyone to be counted as an ally… listening to the announcements… listing as they named off people she knew. From classes, plays, clubs… they where there, they had actually went so far taken the life of another. And already so many had been lost.

They had all started out, as simply children… now it was almost like they had became uncivilized animals. Animals that hadn’t been fed their food, and craved for something… that something now being the killings and bloodshed of others. She had tried everything to take her mind off the reality that she had been thrown into, but as long as she wore this collar and continued to travel this island, finding bodies at every corner made sure her dream world never came into existence. And kept her in constant of fear of when that would happen to here, when would someone find her, and shoot her, or cut her… or end her life in some way that had ended so many others on this place.

Say you're here and it's all over now…

But even still… a simple thought, a simple someone is what had kept her going in the darker of times. Though it was stupid to think about some boy she happened to have a crush on as a sort of grip on sanity for her, but she didn’t mind not at all. Truly, she wanted to find him… she truly did.

‘Yeah, and then what Luci admit you’re undying love for him. It’s life or death on this place, not a stupid soap opera… get over yourself.’ She hissed at herself in anger within her own thoughts, closing her eyes in order to fight back more tears that had begun spilling since the day she had woken up that fated day. It was supposed a happy day, they where supposed to go somewhere fun… it was something to do to have fun and forget everything that was bad. But in a single instance she found everything on the plane flashing red, and singing to the sounds of bullets being fried and lodging into the bodies or her teachers, and another student.

Before everything just went black…

Everything else had just been hell since then as well, though her thoughts stopped when she felt her feet step into something. It felt as if she had stepped into a puddle, though it had rained in a long time and all the rain would be dry by now. Reopening her eyes, she blinked a bit before glancing down… regretting whatever part of her had told her to so. Lucinda was standing in a puddle, indeed though it wasn’t one of water… instead that of blood, fresh blood that hadn’t been absorbed into the dirt yet. Following the trail likely, she found herself looking at the decapitated head of a classmate of her’s from school, his body lying not to far away.

‘Ian…’

The boy had played on the baseball team, though even still he had been made fun of because of his weight. Luci couldn’t quite understand what would lead people to do such harsh things to a person, and her heart went out to him. She made sure to greet the boy everyday in their History class, as a way of trying to make at least make some of the clear depression on his face go away, she had never been sure if it had worked or not… but now she would truly never know.

Speaking to the atmosphere…

Glancing upward toward the bright blue sky, she couldn’t help the tears that slowly began to fall from her eyes. Tears not only for Ian, but for the others she hadn’t thought of or shed a tear for when she heard their names read from the death list that Danya seemed to so happy to give every day since they had gotten here. Backing away she tried to put distance between herself, and the body… bloody footsteps trailing as she left the puddle… and collapsed to the ground, her day pack which had been held up by her shoulder dropping to the ground with a large clank. Her heavy weapon she had been given on the island, the cause of such. Curling her knees closer to her body, ignoring the pain in her knees and giving into her emotions, the walls she had put up breaking as everything she had denied came onto her all at once, sobbing into her fabric of her pants.

No one's here and I fall into myself…

It had been days hiding in that field… his field… but then those people had to come, people with guys and other weapons. Wanting to steal his hiding spot, but what he could he do? Yell at them, maybe… that had seemed to work on the other guy, but the monster had came back… with even more monster friends and the only thing he could find to do was to run, run far away before the monster got him. Cleaning through the tall grass near the end of the field itself, Sven Kekule fought hard through it. They almost seeming like arms that wanted to grab him and drag him into the depths of the underworld.

Having gone days without his medicine, his mind was no longer in working order… so to speak. Everything was against him, the trees, the grass, and the animals… everything but namely the people, the monsters of the island. They wanted him dead because they knew he was a genius… they knew he could get off the island, just like he had done before. And they wanted to stop him, they where jealous of his genius… they wanted to steal away his genius. Beat him, and kill him… and as he finally came got from the grabbing fingers of the hands, he found himself standing on a path of sorts. A path to freedom, yes… maybe… Grinning he took off into a run, if he could reach the end of this path he could win. He could find freedom and go home, and no one else… the monsters could stay on their island, and die like the evil scum they where.

But as he ran, a sound caught his ear… a whimpering sound, almost like a small puppy. Slowing his pace, he soon found the small puppy. Curled into itself, and crying, crying before a dead body. And within his mind, all the sudden the puppy turned into another monster. Growling, and biting at him, wanting him dead just like the others did. Dropping his bag, he fell into a run again, straight at the monster he wasn’t going to let his one get him… no he was going to kill it. As he got, close, diving down and forcing the beast to the ground.

In her mind Lucinda had hardly any time to react as a massive amount of weight, much more than her’s was thrown against her, forcing her down on the ground. She struggling beneath whoever it was, as he fitted both legs over her arms which where at her side to keep them from moving, she continuing struggling though when she felt hands fit around her throat, above the collar her world went into a nose dive.

Forcing his hands about the monsters throat, he tightened the grip, feeling it struggle to be set free beneath him as he gripped even harder. The whimpers turning, though soon giving away to gasps as it fought to breathe… but Sven wasn’t going to let it. No, he was going to kill it here and now. As the assault continued, her throat being gripped harder and harder as time passed found the world around her slowly fading into black.

‘I’m going… I’m going to die…’

This truth drives me
Into madness…

Gasping out, she drew back her knee, and kicked up aiming toward the back of his legs and his croutch in hopes of it getting it off her. And after a few lucky blows, she felt his grip loosen up, she ramming her knee a few more time before she finally felt him slide off her. She gasping in as much air as possible before, forcing herself off the ground, and grabbing at her heavy pack before getting onto her feet and trying to get away.

Groaning in pain, Sven bit back curses as the monsters had used its power to hurt him and force him to stop in his attack. Watching lightly as he watched it get up, and start to try and try to run, no… he wasn’t going to let it run. Biting back the pain, he forced himself up onto his feet as well giving chase after the monster. Prepaid to end what he started, Lucinda had gotten a few feet ahead of the other before she glanced back and saw him getting up and giving chase. Her eyes watering again, she didn’t want to die!

I know I can stop the pain
If I will it all away…

Breathing in deeply, she threw her daypack to the ground removing her given weapon, a great axe. At first, she had thought of leaving it behind it starting out much to heavy for her to carry, but pushing it aside she carried it anyway. And after five days of carrying it around, it had become much easier for her to hold. Ignoring the fact her body was shaking, she pulled the weapon up. “Sta – Stay away from me! I don’t want to hurt you!” She yelled, now able to fully see her attacker, wild hair, dirty clothes… and the look in his eyes…

Sven paused in his running as the beast let out a roar, slashing it claws toward him. But grinning anyway, he raced forward no way he was going to let it get away just to come after him later. Lucinda seeing, stepped back a bit as she rose the weapon, closing her eyes as she heard the footsteps get closer and closer. And bringing it back full, she swung…

And then there was nothing.

Sven was caught off as the monster’s lashed out, a claw finding it way into the upper part of his throat. Lodging halfway through, and stopping under his jaw. Gurgling sounds admitting from his throat as blood began to gush from the cut veins and such, pooling over on the axe’s blade and down his own body. The world began to fade after that… he had lost… the monster’s had won in their hunt.

She didn’t reopen her eyes had first, the axe finally unlodging itself as Sven’s body stumbled forward, she allowing the axe to drop to the ground. As the body fell against her, she was fighting to keep a stand and not fall again. But when he wasn’t moving, she found her thoughts racing that is till she felt something start to leak through the fabric of her shirt… and pushing the body away, she stepped back finally opening her eyes back up and glancing to herself.

Her orange shirt was no longer orange in the front, and up around her right shoulder it had instead been dyed red in a sticky substance. Lucinda’s bottom lips trembling as she looked up to where she had been standing, expecting to see the other man standing, ready to attack again… though he there… he wasn’t standing any longer.

I’m frightened by what I see…

She had…

Killed him…

Breathing going rapid, she pressed her hands to her face. Tears once again returning, as he fell onto her knees, knocking back and forth a bit as she fought to calm herself. She had just killed someone, murdered someone… she had fell into their game. A game she had been fighting against all this time…

But somehow I know that there's much more to come…

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… God, please… Wake up… wake up…”

Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be…

Tears were coming faster, as she fell against the ground in an almost bowed like position on her knees. Sobbing greatly into her folded arms that supported her head… “PLEASE! WAKE UP!” She screamed from her spot. “Please God… I don’t want this blood to stain my hands…” Lucinda choked out.

‘I need you… I need you now more than ever. Please, please… find me or let me find you.’

Blinded by tears.

B36 - Sven Kekule - DEAD

I just killed that boy... He is dead...

Hannah ran. She ran faster than she had ever run in her entire life. She didn't even really care where she was going, she just wanted to get out of that burned out coppace, with all of those corpses lying around.

I just want to go home...Please Lord, help me to get home...

Hannah found herself turning on to a worn dirt path, wide enough for maybe an ATV to get trough. She was not really thinking of encountering anyone, and she would not have been in any condition to fight if she did, as she was nearly completely blinded by tears and shock. Suddenly, she stumbled over something in the path and fell to her knees, still sobbing nearly uncontrollably, her gun skidding forward along the path. Directly in to another girls lap. Hannah slowly looked up, seeing the other girl for the first time.

"H...Hello?"

Then she noticed the corpse not 20 feet away.

Right now, she has complete control over me. Please Lord, let her be sane...

Lucinda’s tears had long since dyed up, leaving only her with her thoughts and the corpse. The corpse who’s blood stained her once orangeish-yellow shirt crimson in some area of it, sinking in through the fabric and sticking against her skin. Her face was buried in the palms of her hands, cupping her face as whimpers seemed to escape every so often as she fought back the fresh tears that treated to spill over at any minute. Pressing her teeth down, and biting against her bottom lip in an attempt to keep her from doing so. In this state of mind she hardly noticed the sound of another approaching, even if she did she wouldn’t have cared.

She only lifted her head up from her hands when she heard something hit against the ground, and then feel something hit her knees. Luci slowly glancing down at the ground, blinking lightly at the sight of the gun near her form. Ignoring that though, she tilted her head further up more at the sound of a voice. Lucinda finding herself looking into the face of another girl, she blinking again before she lifted a hand to brush away the signs of tears from her eyes, as she rested her hands against the ground and pushed up. Dusting away some of the dirt that lingered on her pants, before taking a step toward the girl.

“Ummm. Are you alright?” Luci questioned lightly, pursing her lips a bit as she looked to the new face.

Upon the girls approach, Hannah shrunk back a bit, clinging to the straps of her pack. She was a complete wreck, her legs dirty and scraped up from the panicked escape she had just made, and her hair and face were haggard.

I must look crazy...

"Y...yeah...I'm fine...I think..."

Hannah looked at the girl, who seemed to have been crying recently. She did not look ready to attend a beauty pagent either, as her face was almost as distraught as Hannah knew her own must look.

At least we have that in common, we both look like hags.

Hannah smiled at that, thinking about how absurd it was to worry about how she looked in a situation like this. She then began giggling, which turned in to fullblown laughter not a second later.

"All I need is some mascara and a hairbrush and I'll be back to killing in no time!" She said with faigned ditzyness.

Hannah drew herself up to her feet and held out her hand.

"Hannah Juett"

Lucinda stepped back a bit at the sight of the girl’s fear on her features, after all how easy would she just someone currently having their a majority of their upper form, and probably even on my face covered in blood in blood. A sigh of sorts escaping her lips as she lifted up to run a hand through a part of her hair, trying to brush through some of the tangled locks before her hand brushed her neck. A gasp escaping her, as fingers ghost over the tender skin from where the boy had tried to choke her, it would no doubt swell in do time and the metal collar not helping at all.

When the other girl spoke, she dropped her hand and arm back around to wrap around her waist, hand clutching at the other arm which rested limply at her side. A slight look of confusion spread over Luci’s face when the other girl began to giggle and soon let it become full-blown laughter, speaking in a somewhat ditzy manner of speech, and soon unable to help herself Lucinda found herself quietly laughing to herself as well. Covering her mouth with her hand somewhat, watching as the other girl rose to her feet. Offering out her hand in greeting, she watching her hand lightly before taking the other’s hand and shaking it lightly.

“My name is Lucinda Garnett, it's a pleasure.”

"Well, Lucinda, glad to meet you too."

Hannah turned, eyeing the area. She had not really noticed where they were, but now that she looked, she could see that they were positioned in the middle of a road. Flipping a bit of hair out of her eyes, she smiled at the girl again, hoping it looked at least a bit reassuring.

"Hey, I dont really know...But Isn't it kind of a bad Idea to stand in the road? I mean...Someone could come, or something..."

She looked at the girl questioningly, not really knowing what else to say. Noticing the gun at the others feet, she stared at it for a bit, looking at her reflection in the metal.

"That is my gun...But I dont plan to use it unless someone attacks me."

Lucinda nodded lightly, eyeing the corpse of the boy that had tried to kill her. Blinking a bit as she turned to look at Hannah some, smiling faintly, “Yes. That’s probably best… being out in the open like this, we’re pretty much screaming to be shot.” She mused, sighing some.

At her mention of the gun, she tilted her head down to her feet, crouching down at her knees and picking the weapon up. Just holding it made her feel sick, even more so than the axe she was given, probably because these we’re the weapons of choice… a majority of those that had been killed on the island had namely been killed by these no doubt.

“I didn’t say you where, here…”

Holding the gun out to the other, she looked toward her own weapon, which lay not to far away. Resting beside the body, a coat of blood covering the blade the sight making her turn back to the Hannah.

Hannah stepped foreward and grasped the weapon as the girl held it out to her. With a look of disgust she dropped it back into her bag, making sure to flick the saftey back on before she did so. Flipping some hair out of her eyes, she looked around, trying to decide the best course of action.

"Umm, so where do you want to go? I havn't been here for very long, and I don't know the area that well."

Hannah gave the other a nervous smile. She had no idea if the other girl had been here longer, but she hoped that the girl at least had a bearing on where they were. After that escape, Hannah did not even know where she was on her map.

Lucinda smiled some watching as the girl replaced her weapon in bag, blinking a little as she glanced around. “This is my sixth day on this island… though a majority of it has been spent in hiding, or looking for someone.” She said lightly, unable to help the small blush that flashed over her features. “But, let’s see… we’re pretty close to the hospital, but that place is forbidden now. Um, what about the gazebo? We could probably see a whole lot from where it is.”

Saying this, she bent down, unzipping her bag and removing her map looking it over. “We gotta go through the bamboo place first though, not much left of there since it burned down though.” She frowned, folding it back up, and rezipping her bag working it onto her shoulders. “So if you want to come along, you can… but I’m now a mission of sorts like I said.” Luci mused with a small laugh, bending over again and taking a hold of her axe before moving to where the boy had dropped his bag, digging through and removing everything use full from there and putting it in her bag, including the boy’s knife-like weapon.

“Well, I'm ready if you want to come.”

Turning on the soles of her shoes, she began walking. Walking away from the place that would have been her place of death, where she had taken the life of another... her once blood-free life... all of it, gone far away...

((Continued in the Bamboo C.))

Hannah's blue eyes widened at the mention of the Coppace.

"I...I..." Was all she managed to get out before the other girl curtly turned and began walking down the path.

Gulping hard and nervously flicking some hair out of her eyes, she tightened her grip on her pack and began following Lucienda.


Continued in The Bamboo Coppace