Lost

[SOTF_Help]

((Frankie Fiametta continued from Make/Break))

Frankie was in the tunnels again, back where she had began the game. It had been days since she'd been down here, since she'd tried to use her cell phone to call her siblings. So much had changed since then. Ily was a killer. She'd heard his name on the announcements again. She couldn't even begin to fathom what he was thinking. No word about Rosa, at least.

Still, Frankie was worried. The tunnels didn't seem very safe at the moment. Overnight (or so she assumed), she'd heard gunfire echoing through them. She'd tried to flee then, but, as she had neared the exit, her collar had started to beep, forcing her back again. Apparently, the exit nearest her emptied out into a danger zone or something. That was a serious problem. She had retreated deeper into the tunnels, hoping to hide somewhere where no one could find her. Several other places had caused her collar to start beeping, too. She'd wished desperately for some drugs. Just a little pot. Something to cut the tension and make this all more bearable. No luck, though.

It was dark. Her flashlight had died somewhere in there. As she walked, she had to feel her way along the walls, moving slowly, making sure not to trip. Finally, she gave up and just sat, waiting for the morning. The announcements would come, and then she'd be able to leave. The danger zones would shuffle, and she'd be able to clear out without exploding. She just had to buy some time.

The time that passed felt interminable, though. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. Days or weeks felt more likely, but the absence of announcements told her that assessment was inaccurate. She passed the time by wondering after her siblings. What had gotten into Ily? It just didn't make sense. He'd always been uptight. Always had a stick up his ass, always spent too much time policing her and Rosa. It was nice that he cared, but he could just be so overbearing.

Now, though, he was a killer. Had he been killing for Rosa, maybe? Had he found her and tried to protect her? It didn't seem right, though. Rosa wouldn't have put up with that, and all of Ily's kills had been people who Frankie was pretty sure hadn't done any killing themselves.

She whiled away the time by bouncing around other possibilities, each more outlandish than the last. It was a way to beat the boredom and fear of these dark stone passages, at least. Soon, she hoped, the day would come, and with it her chance to escape.

And it did, though not, she felt, soon enough.

The announcements echoed down the tunnels. Frankie was impatient, just waiting for the danger zones to be announced, but then something else caught her attention. JJ was dead. The boy who'd messed with Rosa, who Frankie herself had had that tussle with back in the cafeteria, who had punched Ily, was gone. She didn't know what to feel.

She didn't get long to think about it, though. Something else drew her notice.

Again. Ily had killed again, and, once again, the reason wasn't at all apparent. Frankie gritted her teeth. Danya said Ily was looking for something. What? Rosa? Her? It was something, though, not someone. Did that make any difference?

It didn't to Frankie, not when the tunnels were announced the first permanent danger zone.

She was totally focused on escape as her collar began to beep. The problem was, she was deep in the tunnels, unsure of the way out, in the dark, with no way to find her way anywhere. She ran, trying to move quickly, but tripped over a loose stone, crashing to the floor and scraping her elbows and knees. She gave out a cry. This wasn't right. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. She wanted Ily or Rosa. She wanted to be somewhere else. She didn't want to be stuck in these tunnels. It wan't fair. She was trying to listen to their rules. She was trying to get clear. She just couldn't, because she couldn't see anything. She'd been hiding down here for a couple of days, but that didn't mean she knew the area.

She tried. She stumbled through the tunnels as quickly as she could, taking turns at random, hoping against hope that she would find the way out, but it just wasn't coming to her. There was no dramatic spot of light on the horizon. No miraculous glimpse of freedom. Just darkness and the steady escalating of the beeping. As it crescendoed, she knew she would never make it. She kept trying, though. Just kept searching for the way out. It had to be here. Something would save her. Ily. Rosa. It couldn't end like this.

But she didn't find the exit, and a few seconds later, her collar detonated.

G066, Francesca Fiametta: DECEASED