Zugzwang

[Fiori]

Shawn stood alone at the end of the jetty, gazing into the horizon with his hands firmly in his pockets.

((Shawn Bellamy continued from Venom))

He wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there at that point, probably no longer than an hour at most. The morning announcement had long come and gone, with it some interesting developments.

The first of course being the untimely passing of a certain Abhishek Panichker, the news of which brought a smirk to Shawn's lips. It was about time someone finally shut him up. John died as well, but... Well, fuck him. Good fucking riddence to the both of them.

The other key development was the passing of two of his more proactive competitors: Janice and Alex. He remembered Janice being among the first killers announced, and Alex he recalled being a member of that gross SOTF fan club. Fat lot of good all those snuff videos did him in the end, huh?

Idiots. No wonder they died so early, after playing so sloppily. It didn't take a genius to figure out that those who hunted too eagerly were doomed to draw attention, put a huge target on their back and out their intentions to the rest of the island. He was certain that Katelyn's days were numbered, with half the island ready to shoot her on sight. Ironically, playing this game as intended was probably the worst thing you could do if you actually wanted to make it to the end.

Bethany didn't understand that. She had been so very eager to make a name for herself, believing she could really put a stop to players like Janice and Alex. And for a while he was more than happy to entertain her, let her be his weapon. In the end though, that didn't pan out like he had hoped, even going so far as putting himself at undue risk. All because he allowed himself to grow impatient, let his desire to return home as soon as possible push him further than need be.

He wasn't going to make that mistake again. Despite its name, you didn't win this game by being the fittest, or by having the biggest killcount. You won it by being the smartest. You won it by knowing when to make your move, and when to lay low and remain under the radar. Waiting for the right moment to strike, doing whatever it took to survive.

His bag felt heavier than usual as he hoisted it over his shoulder, probably on account of the extra rations and medicine he was now packing. Waste not, want not after all. He then lifted up Bethany's pickaxe - his pickaxe, more accurately - and began to make his way back along the jetty.

He almost felt sorry about what he had done. Bethany was his friend after all, despite their recent disagreements. But at the end of the day, only one of them was making it off that island

Shawn had already made peace with that fact since the moment they reunited.

He took a long lingering look at the cabin, wondering if he should say anything.

In the end, he turned and walked away without saying a word.

((Shawn Bellamy continued in Let's Roll Up Our Sleeves))