And so it begins...

[asano*]

Drew noticed that he'd actually stunned someone in to silence. Him. Stun someone. That was unheard of.
>_>;
When Arsenio finally showed signs of life again, he grinned along with him. "Yeah, and I'll do my best to help you, too." He grinned.

"Well, staying near recent battle zones could be good, too. That river over there---" He pointed on the map--- "Probably has had a fight or two. Nice and in the middle. But, a too-recent battle'll have the fighters there still. Being in a place that people died in...others may think no one else is stupid enough to hide there, and we get a free spot. Then again, a nice sheltered building..."
He shrugged. "That warehouse is rather obvious...but sheltered. Shit, I can't decide." - -;

"You choose." He chuckled. Indecisive Drew...heh...>>;;;;;;;

[Warehouse would be hilarious. We got ...I think 3 groups lookin' there. Tobs probably is gonna go, possibly us, and I think one other XD]

[kuroraishu†]

"Sounds like a plan, then." Looking at the map again, Arsenio considered their choices.

"Well, the warehouse might have some stuff there that we could use. That and if we're lucky, we might run into some others who aren't playing the game. If we go to a battlezone, the killers might still be there and then we're out of luck."

Considering everything, Arsenio's brows furrowed together and his foot tapped slightly as he thought about it.

"Honestly, I think we should head to the warehouse. Its sheltered, and just might have something we could use."

[asano*]

Drew nodded. "It's too much of a risk, I'd say, to go to a battlezone. Warehouse it is, then." He walked over to where he'd dropped his kit, and hefted it on his shoulder.
"So, off to the warehouse?" He looked at Arsenio. Obviously, he'd follow right after Arsenio started to move.

[Sorry for crap short post, couldn't think of much X_X
So. If Arsenio leaves, there's no point in me posting again, since he's gone with Arsenio. Yay. No next post for me >>;;;;
Taka, feel free to make the thread in the Warehouse when you want, unless you want Drew to be the meat post first >_>]

[kuroraishu†]

"The warehouse it is."

Shouldering his bag, Arsenio looked at Drew with a serious expression.

"Don't let your guard down... lets go."

Holding his map out in front of him, he began to walk in the direction of the warehouse.

['Tis okay. I couldn't come up with much myself. x.X;

And I'll post first, mainly because I have nothing better to do. >.>;;
That and I can just bug you to post when I see you again. >.>]

[asano*]

[considering the recent announcement, I will now revive this thread >_>]

It'd been a few minutes since the announcement had concluded; they'd stopped walking the second it started. Very little else could enrage Drew so quickly.

"...how can you be so fucking bored like that?" He clenched his fists. He'd never gotten this angry, this quickly. So many deaths listed, and so little emotion.

That was why he hated the press so much. 30,000 people died in the earthquake...6,000 people perished in the attack... They never associated FEELING. It was as if they looked at the death with an 'Oh, look, a dead deer on the side of the road' kind of attitude. They didn't seem to give a fuck who died how and when. Danya seemed to be the same, if not worse.

And, at that point, something clicked in his mind. Did Danya seriously say 50?
At a certain point, the human mind just stops processing things. Numbers, for example: once a distance gets far too large, you just can't think of it.
It's hard for a battle-hardened human to think of 100 deaths. For an average civilian to process the information that over 50 high-schoolers had yet died ...it's almost impossible.

That's like...three full class hours. He shuddered lightly. Then heavily. He was thinking about it far too much, is what it was.

"50..." The word barely came. But a whisper was all he could manage.

This was an odd, if not logical, transformation. A usually happy, hyper, slightly optimistic but mostly realistic kid...had just had a total, complete crash.

Upon hearing of the deaths, he grabbed his bag. Not out of paranoia towards Arsenio, but of paranoia for his little 'group.'
And guess what?
"...I think it's a fucking gun." He had no language filters, having been so totally shaken by Danya. As such, he spoke much faster now.
"...I have a COLT." The fact that he got that right was either luck or just ...weird.
He withdrew the unloaded Colt slowly, and took out a clip as well. He knew how to use it thanks to his books, and a quick glance over the gun was all he needed to know where the clip-eject switch was. The manual was a formality at this point.

"Well, I can do my best to...not...let that...happen to us." His memory had recorded every minute detail. It would haunt him for ...however long he lived.

[Swoosh*]

((Bearing in mind about 7 people have arrived in the woods since this post died, I'd re-direct this post to that thread if I were you... unless we're just assuming they're in different parts of the woods? Could happen, I guess... OK, ignore me XDD))

[kuroraishu†]

Listening to the announcements, Arsenio felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he dropped his bag in shock, the bag itself giving off a heavy thud as it hit the ground. A few of the students on the list had gone to Barry Coleson High, and he had known them. He might not have been friends with them, but still, he knew them. Swallowing nervously, he ran his fingers through his already dissheveled hair.

"Fuck... fifty. Fifty kids... killed by peers their own age. What the fuck is wrong with Danya, heck, the world for that matter?"

To him, it was near impossible to believe the fact that they were all dead. Lifting his bag to his shoulder, he felt something hit his side with a heavy thump. Though, it wasn't heavy enough for him to even notice it was there, it was merely the fact that it had hit him. Pulling the bag in front of him, he slowly unzippered it and found just what it was that had hit him; a crow bar.

It wasn't exactly the best of weapons, but with the right amount of strength and weight behind a swing of it, and somone could die by the sheer force of the blow.
For a moment Arsenio just stared at it, dumbfounded by it. What the hell was he supposed to do with a damn crow bar when there were people out there with guns?

Looking over at Drew, Arsenio noticed the gun in his hand, and dropped the crow bar, and his bag, in utter shock.

"Holy mother of fucking God..."

For a while he merely stared at the gun, his eyes rather wide at the fact that Drew even knew the exact type of gun he held. Drew had just received a major dose of luck, he even had a damn good chance of survival without himself now.

"Jesus fucking Christ. At least he has a chance of survival without me should something... happen."

Picking up his bag, he slung it over his shoulder and then bent down to pick up the crow bar, feeling the cool steel beneath his fingers. Pausing, he looked at the crow bar, then over to Drew. A feeling of unease washed over him, not because of Drew or his gun, but more because he now realized that even if he tried his absolute hardest, he wasn't going to get out of this... game... alive.

"Drew..." Rising, crow bar in hand, Arsenio faced him. "I know I'm going to sound rather pessimistic, but... I don't think I'm getting out of this so called game; at least, not alive."

For a brief, very brief, moment, he considered askaing Drew to blow his head off right then in there, but didn't want to put his life on top of Drew's head, besides, he considered Drew a friend, he'd never ask that of a friend. As quickly as the idea had come, Arsenio shoved it out of his mind, and pulled out his map to look at the different places he and Drew could go. His eyes fell upon the lighthouse, not sure why, but he felt as if they should head there, or at least consider it.

[Megami†]

((Continued from: The End of an Act))

The trek across the island had been a long and enduring one, and Ryan found himself quite out of breath as he continued his slow-paced hike through the woods. Gazing behind him, he made sure that Cassie had not strayed too far away. Apparently, it was his job to protect her now. I guess now that I've found myself in this position, I'd better serve to the best of my ability. Otherwise, it'll eat away at me later on... if something does happen. He smiled half-heartedly, still inwardly confused about the entire predicament in which he had found himself.

You really are a fool, Ryan. Look, she's already slowing you down. You haven't even been with this girl for a day and she's already put your life in danger once. Now you're stuck with her. Do yourself a favor. Turn around and slit her throat. You'll have to kill her anyway. That, or let her get picked off by the competition. This game is very simple, Ryan. Surely, you can understand the rules. Kill or be killed.

Shaking the irritating voice from his head once again, he continued onward through the woods, trying to be as quiet as possible. The sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves seemed almost deafening to him now, though in reality, the noises were barely audible. All at once, Ryan stopped in his place. He heard voices in front of him, and two figures stood ahead.

There were two boys, one of which seemed pretty small, and not a large threat. The other boy, however, was enormous. Definitely SOTF contender material. Casting a nervous look back at Cassie, he eyed the two young men. Unfortunately for Ryan, he could not see what weapons the two held, or perhaps he would have been far more concerned by Drew Lynn and the gun that he had been given. Trying desperately to crouch down as to avoid being seen, Ryan was almost positive that they had already seen him anyway.

If they had, he had certainly placed himself and Cassie in a terrible predicament. If he called out to them, and they were hostile, it could spell out the demise of both himself and Cassie Webber. But what if they were friendly?

Should I risk it? Should I risk my life and hers in order to try to gain a few allies? I mean, let's face it... there really can be only one survivor. Any friends I make here will have to be taken down, eventually, and... Ryan's eyes wandered to the larger boy again and he let out a barely audible gulp... And I most certainly couldn't take him down if I had to. Not by myself. I don't know what to do...

Casting his eyes up to the sky, which was partially covered from view do to the denseness of the foilage, he pondered what to do. Quietly, he continued to watch the two young men. His eyes immediately dropped to the knife that he still wielded in his hand. If they saw him, crouched down with a knife, they would certainly think he was an enemy, wouldn't they? But then again... they could be insane too, just like the last girl he had met up with. She had tried to kill him without remorse, and Ryan wanted to be prepared this time.

[Swoosh*]

((I'm following Megami, yo.))

Cassie distractedly brushed her hair out of her face as she continued to trek along. Her other arm was tightly holding the baton as she silently followed Ryan.

What's the point? What's the point of any of this? I know I won't use it. I may as well just throw it away now...

Lost in her thoughts of increasing despair and desperation, she didn't even notice Ryan stop in front of her and almost collided with him. She too saw the two boys and immediately recognised one of them as Arsenio. She knew the boy from school and although they weren't good friends, he was always kind of quiet, and there had been rumours about his mother...

The familiar wave of fear swept over her. The girl back at the bathroom had been in no fit state to do any real damage, but Arsenio was built like a house. She didn't give the other boy much thought, but Arsenio was a wrestler. She would be an easy kill; Ryan would stand no chance against a guy like him, even more so if he had backup.

She could run. She wasn't particularly athletic but she was fairly certain she could escape if she ran now. That would, of course, mean her total abandonment of Ryan- literally leaving him to die in her place. She could never do that. Dismissing the idea with a small shake of her head, she desperately tried to come up with an idea.

Crouching behind Ryan, she whispered in panicked tones. "We have to solve this in the least violent way possible... Arsenio would totally kick your ass!"

Making a dent in Ryan's masculinity was the last thing on Cassie's mind.

[asano*]

[omgwtfbbq?! I POST! Finally! Sorreh for wait ;.;]

Drew's hand shook as he held the pistol in his lap, looking at it with a mixture of horror and ...terror. XD

Seeing Arsenio's crowbar, he shuddered. More like he shuddered at Arsenio's final words. "No, man...no fuckin' way, you're getting out of here." His voice shook.

[if only Drew knew =/]

"I'm gonna make sure of that, ka---" The hair on the back of his neck pricked up, and he looked around. He didn't see anything, but even so, he continued to look.

There. A flash of skin, nothing more. God dammit. Here we are, one huge guy with a crowbar and one little guy with a pistol, and there's someone up there. Shit. How threatening could they look? ...really fucking threatening, really. Gun and crowbar? Ack.

There was another flash of flesh, and he knew someone was there, for sure. What should he do?
"Arsenio...you may not want to stand. You may even want to lay down." The words came shakily, but he was doing his best to make the whole situation better. Arsenio standing and holding the crowbar wouldn't have helped. At all.

He held the gun at his side, pointed at the ground. The safety was currently on, but he didn't know that. He'd forgotten to check. x.X;;

"Anyone who's there...please, come out." He said slowly, his voice barely carrying itself to where he assumed they were. "We won't do anything...so long...as you ...don't." It was all he could do not to hide behind Arsenio.


[sorry for crappy post TT_TT Couldn't think of much, plus me sorta have to go TT_TT]

[kuroraishu†]

Hearing Drew's words, Arsenio gave a weak smile and a soft 'heh' as he ran his fingers through his hair, shaking in his head. "Drew... I really don't think I will. I can't ask you to kill someone just for me, let alone let you do something stupid that'll get you killed in my stead."

Looking about the area, he thought he heard a snap of a branch, and immediatly he quickened his examination of the area. He could have sworn he had seen something, someone. Without much thought, his sense of alert rose to an all time high, his grip tightening about the crow bar.

When Drew spoke to him, Arsenio nodded, staying close to the ground to not seem so... menacing. Though, little did he know one of the people hiding in the trees was Cassie whom he had seen at school.

Of course, had Cassie known Arsenio better, she would have known that unless Ryan threatened him first, he wouldn't do anything to harm the boy. Even if he could take him down in a few hits.

When Drew began to speak out to whoever was there, Arsenio wondered silently if it was such a good thing what Drew had just done. What if whoever there was hostile? Or someone who'd be scared at just the sight of himself? Either way, it didn't mater, Drew had spoken, and it was to show they weren't hostile.

"Don't worry! I won't hit ya!" Maybe... >.>'


[Sorry that this kinda sucks... I'm sick and can't quite think things through how I want to. x.x]

[Megami†]

"Arsenio would totally kick your ass!"

Ouch. Talk about a diss. While Ryan knew Cassie's words were true, they angered him to some extent. After all, she had pretty much been the one to tag along with him, at least, in his mind. Then she had the nerve to insult him like that? Blinking slightly, Ryan simply cast her an offhanded glare. Quickly, his attention returned to the duo near them. Why were they looking around like that?

Suddenly, it dawned on Ryan. They had been spotted. His eyes peered toward the large boy who had gone to Barry Coleson with them. Arsenio Thanodeus... he towered over virtually everybody in the school hallways. Now, in this setting, Ryan figured Arsenio to be an enormous contender. Either way, the boy looked like a total powerhouse, and not someone Ryan cared to take on in hand-to-hand combat, lest he, as Cassie stated, get his ass handed to him.

The two boys began to call out, and Ryan cowered even lower in his current position. Oh shit. Glancing back at Cassie, Ryan grimaced noticeably as he contemplated what to do. Finally, exhaling a somewhat loud sigh, Ryan stood up and walked out into the clearing, his hands up in the air, the bowie knife held limply in one of them. He studied the two young men, hoping that if one of them attacked, he could swing the knife into position quick enough to defent himself.

"There's a girl, too," he muttered quietly, "She has a baton, she couldn't hurt you if she tried."

Looking back slightly, he nodded for Cassie to come out of the undergrowth. Perhaps giving away her weaponry was not the best of ideas, but it was all part of a strategy. After all, what looked more menacing? An unknown figure hiding in the bushes with any weapon, or a scared young girl with virtually nothing to defend herself? Ryan was noticeably tense as he stepped further into the clearing, his arms held up high.

"You can see my weapon. All I have is a knife. I'm not... going to attack anyone. I wouldn't condemn myself to die. I'm not an idiot."

The tension quickly cleared from the area, however, as a deafaning roar overtook the place. Ryan jumped, his attention averting to the wooded area all around them. His eyes scanned the area hurridly, and he drew his knife down into a defensive position. Crouching down, Ryan glanced back at the others. What the hell was going on?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Continued from the Lighthouse.)

The pain from Lyndi's open wound continued to sear violently throughout her entire leg as she clung onto Cody for dear life. Granted, she would much rather have gouged his eyes out with her fingernails than actually get on the motorcycle with him, but because of her wound and current situation, she had pretty much been forced onto the bike. Yes, she could have ran, in theory, but she had done that once before, and the bullet wound that brought constant pain to her leg was a reminder of that attempt.

It seemed like they had been going for hours, even though in reality, it probably had not been more than a few minutes. Gritting her teeth, Lyndi closed her eyes tightly. Where this maniac was taking her, she could only imagine. The thought had occurred to her more than once to dig her nails deep into his chest, but if she actually hurt the boy, she would probably only succeed in getting herself flung from the motorcycle. And at the speed they were going...

She had seen nothing but trees since they had left the lighthouse. As he drove, her thoughts kept returning back to that place, where she had inevitably lost everyone in one way or another. As the bike continued to roar through the woods, Lyndi's eyes caught sight of an almost welcome surprise. There were people! They were standing in a clearing, and there appeared to be four of them. Surely, they would help her. They could save her, get her away from this monster. As they neared the group in the clearing, however, a feeling of apprehension suddenly overwhelmed the girl...

[Swoosh*]

At Ryan's nod, Cassie pushed herself to her feet and stepped out of the bushes, her baton hanging limply at her side. She gave a timid wave as she looked at the two boys nervously.

"Hi," she said, pathetically.

She wasn't entirely happy with Ryan's plan of action, and had seriously been considering running away until her location was announced to the other two boys. She shot a begrudging look at Ryan, still feeling stung from the look he had given her earlier. She had only been stating the truth... if he wanted to take part in some testosterone fuelled proving contest that was fine, but he could end up getting killed. And getting her killed in the process.

Quite the predicament. I can't survive this game by myself, but Ryan seems to be proving himself more or less worthless... well, I'll see how this goes. If I survive it, then I'll decide on my next move. All I know is that he's got no hope in killing Arsenio, and his friend doesn't seem to be the type for an easy kill either...

Looking at Ryan, who was now stood with his arms in the air, she desperately tried to relax herself. She would surely look more threatening if she looked tense, She doubted that Arsenio, as big a guy as he was, would ever hurt her; then again, that was the Arsenio she had known at school- this game could have changed him entirely. And, as her previous thoughts had lead her to share with Ryan, should they get into a situation, it would undoubtedly be Arsenio who came out of it alive.

The other boy, if anything, gave Cassie something to worry about. She knew nothing about him; his background, his personality, nothing. She shot him an encouraging smile. This was hardly the time for making friends but it could be the difference between staying alive... and that other thing.

She was about to introduce herself when a loud roaring sound echoed through the area. Screaming, Cassie took a couple of steps backwards and looked around wildly.

"What is that??" she shouted, her voice barely heard over the mystery roar.

[asano*]

As a person emerged from the bushes, Drew almost took a step backward. However, before doing so (and most likely tripping over Arsenio), he heard Ryan's words. He didn't know any of the Barry Coleson people, and he doubted anyone from his school were on this island. As such, they were all enigmas to him, and he was an enigma to them. That would work against him, he realized. You were always more likely to ally yourself with those you knew than those you met.

Drew nodded to Ryan, his eyes darting between the knife (shit, big knife) and the boy's face. He seemed friendly enough. Then again...No, stop thinking like that. Paranoia'll get you to kill yourself. And so, he stopped thinking of Ryan as a potential turncoat. He'd be wary, sure, but not actively thinking of it.

As Cassie stood, he nodded grimly. There was something odd about that. Something felt wrong. Drew had always been an odd one in thinking; the fact that not only the guys (who, he'd joked, had a natural tendency for ...fighting), but the girls, too, where here. There was something wrong with that. He couldn't explain it, and it would probably sound like typical Chivalrous guy talk, or something, but still. It was how Drew felt.

He brought the pistol above his head, his arms shaking lightly. He was still rather scared, but was now able to think coherently. Hense the stuff above this. x_x;
As he brought the pistol above his head with both arms, he took a glance at the selecter of the pistol. Oh, shit. It was safetied already? Thank God they didn't do anything. He held it straight up, both hands, and looked at the other two teens. "My gun's safety is on, so don't worry about being shot."

As Cassie smiled at him, he grinned. Slowly, he was getting the impression his choise to reveal himself so quickly was a good decision. "Um, I'm Drew Lynn." He said to both of them, looking at them each in turn, waiting for a reply.

The reply would not come. Just as he finished speaking, a tremendous roar filled the area. He froze up, but in another second, he remembered what had always happened in his books. Those who froze were those who died, and those who ran for cover lived. He yanked on Arsenio's shirt as a means of saying 'follow me!' and ran to the nearby bushes, but not before grabbing his bag. He crouched in them, and looked to his left. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Drew had accidently hid about ten feet from Ryan; the shock of seeing him so close, with the knife up, was considerable. Though, he understood. He calmed down, his shaking eyes moving from Ryan to Cassie, to Arsenio (who he hoped to God had followed him).

A bike blasted out into view, with a boy and a girl on it. The girl appeared wounded, but he couldn't tell for sure. If only he knew who the boy was, he would probably have fired upon them. As it was, he crouched further down, hiding behind the thick bushes. He watched through them, and the two teens appeared and disappeared between branches and leaves. His shaking hand reached down, flipping the firing selecter of the pistol off safety. He pulled the top of the barrel back and looked in, just like in his books and in the movies. There was a round chambered, and a full clip in the gun itself. He willed his right hand to stay steady, but it would not stop shaking. Even as he placed his left hand on his wrist, the shaking did not stop. He breathed deep; in, out, in, out...the shaking slowed. Thank God...

He only thought one thing, aside from making sure the weapon was ready, just in case. These two are ...not... friendly. They can't be. Why would they be blasting around on a bike like that? The whole thing struck him as odd beyond reason. He couldn't put a marker on why, though. Something about the girl was odd. Something about the boy was ...was odd.

He remained in his crouching position, so low his bottom was on the ground, and alternated between looking at the two on the bike, Ryan, Cassie, and Arsenio. His face begged the question:

What should we do? Drew was not a leader.


[maybe I should wait for more people to reply more often, so I can create these monster posts of mine o_o]

[OnceForgotten†]

((Continued from: Earned in Blood))

Cody rode at a blistering pace, almost too fast for the confines of the woods. Trees whipped by on both sides, and the air stung his cheeks. He would occasionally sneak a glance back at the beauty who now occupied the back seat of Loretta, always feeling a rush of excitement when he did.

Getting closer to the place, I remember this area.

Cody begin seeing flickers of movement up ahead, and brought the bike down to a more manageable pace. As he came closer, he noticed several people conversing in a small clearing, seemingly unaware that death was boring down upon them.

Dumb people...Get in my way...Get out of my fucking way....

Cody drove right through the center of the group, sending them scattering in different directions, he then braked, yelling "Hold On" to Lyndi as he did so. He sent the bikes back end spinning around, shooting it at a 60 Degree angle from the way he was origionally facing. He threw the bike down to first gear and braked hard, which caused it to skid forward to a stop. Cody then jumped off and grabbed a handful of lyndi's shirt right at the small of her back, effectively pulling her off. Crouching down behind it, he grabbed her bag and fished through its contents until he found what he wanted. A Grenade.((OOC:Actually a flashbang, but cody still thinks its a grenade.))
Whispering something like "stay here, or I will kill you," to Lyndi, Cody slipped the hatchet into a beltloop, grabbed his gun, and stepped into the clearing.