Franklyn Senior High School Prologue

[Megami†]

It was an event they had been waiting for practically all year long. it was an event so big that it almost made sitting through Mr. Duana and Mr. Dolph's homeroom classes throughout the entirety of their Junior year tolerable. Almost. And this... this was never supposed to have happened. It was something no-one had expected... something nobody was prepared for. After all, how could they have been? In an instant, the camping trip signifying the end of the year for Franklyn Senior High's eleventh grade class had come crashing down around them, and now, things would never be the same again.

It started out normal enough. The date was June 19, 2006 -- precisely one year after the worldwide terrorist attack known as Survival of the Fittest had taken place. Of course, by now, that was of little consequence. Today was the day that Franklyn Senior High School would hold its annual camping trip. Much to the dismay of several of the students, Mr. Dolph and Mr. Duana had been chosen as this year's sponsors. Despite the slight downer of having such lame teachers for supervisors, the kids at Franklyn Senior were pumped about this camping trip. Everyone who ever went came back with stories of chaos and sheer madness about the school camping trip.

They had boarded up the two buses sitting outside Franklyn Senior, and now, an hour and a half later, they were still driving aimlessly down the almost deserted main road that would inevitably lead them to their destination: the campgrounds. The driver of the first bus, a balding gentleman in his late forties, gazed back in his rear-view mirror every so often to check on the busload of students he was carrying. Everything seemed normal enough. Mr. Dolph chatted nonchalantly with a few of the student council members who had taken up the front seats, while everyone else seemed to be occupied with their own agendas.

As the driver's attention returned to the road, he noticed the lone man in an orange vest and construction hat standing near the detour sign blocking the road up ahead. He sighed to himself as the buses continued to approach. As the man came closer into view and began approaching the bus, the driver screeched to a halt and opened the automatic doors. The construction worker smiled a half-hearted smile and greeted the bus driver warmly.

"Sorry 'bout the mess," he stated, "They're repaving the road up ahead, we're gonna have to send you on a short detour."

He motioned to the nearby single-lane road that seemed to head into the deep expanse of vast woodland.

"Head down this road, it'll wrap around eventually and you'll come out further on down the main road. Sorry 'bout this, guys."

The driver nodded politely and the construction worker gave a salute as he returned to his station. Sighing a bit at the inconvenience, the driver radioed the bus behind him to inform him of the current situation. Within moments, the two buses were ambling down the small sidestreet at a slow pace. Little did they know that they were headed right into a spider web they wouldn't be able to escape from...

~~~

It had been nearly half an hour since they'd first turned off on the sidestreet, and Mr. Dolph was now curiously looking at the map he'd carried with him on the trip. The construction worker had said that this road would wrap back around to the main path, but it seemed as if they were driving deeper into the woods. Mr. Dolph had only attributed it to the worn and beaten roadway and the fact that the bus was forced to drive slowly down the winding road. The students had long since gotten bored and everyone was becoming a bit impatient. In an instant, however, they were all thrown from their seats as a loud popping noise echoed out, followed by a hissing sound, and the bus lurched forward, tossing everyone forward in the aftermath.

"What on earth happened?" Mr. Dolph inquired.

The bus driver only gave a shrug and opened the doors once again to check the problem. Meanwhile, Mr. Duana and the bus driver of the second bus were now exiting their bus and heading over to meet the driver.

"The hell happened?" Duana reiterated, once again simply getting a shrug from the driver, who was now inspecting the flat tires on the bus.

All three men looked confusedly at the tires, but it was Mr. Duana who spotted the tire spikes sticking out from underneath the foliage covering the road. Now, an even more confused look spread over the large man's face. What on earth were tire spikes doing this far out? Facing the wrong way, no less. He'd never have time to discover the events that were about to unfold. A bloodcurdling "boom" echoed out from the nearby woods, and Mr. Duana just as suddenly fell to the ground, now endowed with a gaping hole through his stomach. A unified yell escaped from both the bus drivers as the deafening noise once again echoed out and they both fell to the ground. Now, the kids in the buses were stirring and screaming as they witnessed the murder of both bus drivers and Mr. Duana.

From within the nearby forest, roughly a dozen black-clothed men stepped out, all armed with machine guns. The shotgun-wielder, too, was soon revealed. The petite asian woman, looking like she more belonged in a secretary's office than in the wilderness bearing a shotgun, boarded the first bus with a handful of guards as the others made their way into the second bus. Mr. Dolph had long since stood up and was blocking the way to the children with his body.

"Who are you?" he inquired shakily, "What do you want?"

An angelic smile formed on the woman's lips as she heartlessly pointed the shotgun toward Dolph's head. By now the kids in the front were scattering toward the back of the bus. One student, who had been sitting in the very back, was attempting to open the back door -- that is, until several of the black-clad men appeared at the back of the bus, assault rifles aimed at the students inside. Several backed away hurridly. Meanwhile, the asian woman still held her shotgun pointed at Mr. Dolph's head. He'd long since cowered down, and she seemed to grin at his compliance.

"Get out of the bus," she stated nonchalantly, as if it were of no concern that armed men were standing outside, readily prepared to fire.

She stepped out of the way long enough for Dolph to pass by, immediately shoving the shotgun she held in her hands into the small of his back as he passed by, assuring he wouldn't run.

"Put your hands on your head."

Dolph obeyed the dark-headed woman's orders down to a tee, placing his hands behind his head as he fearfully exited the bus. The woman walked directly behind him as he stepped out into the open. Her smile broadened as he stood, facing her, in front of the bus. Without a second thought, the shotgun jerked upward and she fired. Mr. Dolph didn't even have time to let out a yell as the buckshot flew through his head at nearly point blank range, almost completely obliterating the entirety of his skull and sending chunks of blood, bone, and brain matter splattering across the bright yellow paint and the windows of the bus as the students looked on in horror. A chorus of screams erupted from both buses, but the students were quickly silenced by the black-clad men occupying both vehicles.

"Bring them outside."

The students were rather compliant as the armed men herded them from the interior of the two buses and out into the open. They were herded into a circle as another, much larger bus appeared on the lone strip of road. As the doors to the dark colored bus opened, the audible sound of guns loading echoed throughout the woods as the woman and the disguised men all seemed to ready their guns in unison.

"Go," the woman stated simply before nudging one of the nearby students with her weapon.

Slowly the crowd of students made their way toward the dark-colored vehicle and the uncertain future that it held. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse as the children boarded the crowded bus. One student lingered, her eyes fixating themselves on the corpses of the men who had been assigned the position of her caretaker on the trip. She barely noticed as a series of assault rifles were affixed on her body. In fact, she barely noticed anything other than Mr. Dolph's now virtually headless body.

"Step along," she was instructed, but the voice fell on deaf ears.

The piercing shriek that followed the command didn't, however. By not following orders, the girl had been made an example of. The assault rifles had been fired in unison, and now her lifeless and bullet-ridden body collapsed onto the ground by the four who had already been killed. Shaking her head in sheer annoyance, the asian woman dropped the shotgun to her side and sidled over to the side of the black bus, opening the side storage compartment and affixing one of the many masks within to her face. The soldiers followed en suite, and soon followed the woman on board the bus. The students could do nothing but look on in terror as the woman entered and hit a button on the control panel. Soon enough, the terrified expressions across the faces of Franklyn Senior's Junior class faded into a peaceful and relaxed slumber as the sleeping gas took its effect...

~~~

It was several hours later when the first signs of life began to stir within the bare and dismal room.  The effects of the gas had finally worn off, and the students were beginning to awaken from their drug-induced slumber.  Screams echoed from several as the events of the past few hours immediately returned to them.  Others jumped from their seats hoping to escape.  Still others sat numb from the events that had transpired.  There wasn't enough time for much chaos, however, as the lights in the dark-colored room faded into a dim light before shutting off completely.  A flicker appeared on the large projection screen situated in front of them and a ticking noise was heard briefly before an image began formulating on the screen.

~~~
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.

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.

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.

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...'

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!

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.

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...

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... God, please... Wake up... wake up..."

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.
~~~

The terrifying images faded from the screen as four words appeared across the vast expanse of blackness.  Survival of the Fittest.  Gasps escaped several of the students' lips as they grasped the severity of what was going on around them.  The lights slowly came back on, and shortly thereafter, the side door of the room slid open.  The asian woman who had gunned down Dolph, Duana, and the bus drivers hours prior entered, along with a few select men.  Without so much as a nod to the Franklyn students, she approached the slightly raised platform in front of the screen and turned to face them.  This room seemed to have previously been an audience room -- and it now held a quite captive audience.

"Survival of the Fittest," Sonia, the asian woman, began simply, "Simply put, it's Darwin's Theory taken to the extreme.  Kill or be killed.  The strong shall survive, the weak will perish.  If the fact still eludes you, all of you have been chosen to participate under the second version of the ACT.  The film you just watched illustrates the basic premise of SOTF.  Running and hiding are futile, but by all means do so if you must.  You'll only be hunted down by the more ambitious of the competition."

A faint smile formulated on the woman's lips as a few of the students seemed to cringe visibly at the thought of being hunted down like animals.  Most of the students sat in utter silence, seemingly transfixed by the images that had just appeared on the screen.  Sonia seemed rather pleased by the compliance which the Franklyn students showed -- although more likely than not, shock value had a lot to do with their lack of boldness.

"I'm sure most of you are at least vaguely familiar with the rules of SOTF.  After all, I'm told it was quite popular this time last year.  I'll give you a quick rundown for those of you who missed it.  Direct your attention to the collars around your necks.  If you cause trouble, linger in a danger zone, or attempt to remove it, that little device will make prompt work of detonating and taking the majority of your neck with it."

"You'll all be issued daypacks, containing weapons ranging from frisbees to shotguns, so hope you're one of the lucky ones.  You'll also be allowed to keep your personal effects, we aren't completely heartless.  Do mind, however, that we've removed laptops, extra knives, anything you might've been carrying on you with the potential to cause us problems down the line.  From this room, each of you will be deposited onto an island.  The rules are simple.  Kill your fellow students or be prepared to meet your end by their hand.  Some of you are thinking that your classmates could never do something so horrible.  I beg to differ.  Those of you who witnessed the first ACT know better.  I'd suggest taking the time to read through the guidebook Mr. Danya has issued you all when you wake up, it might help you prolong your lives a little longer, at least."

"This is a do or die situation, children.  If nobody dies within twenty-four hours, all of you will be executed via collar detonation, and I've heard tale that it isn't a pleasant way to go.  My suggestion to you is to fight with gusto, make sure your actions stick lest you face some rather steep consequences, and actively slaughter the competition.  You don't want to die because somebody else couldn't bring themselves to kill their classmates, do you?  I wish you all the best of luck out there, you'll need it.  Congratulations, children.  Welcome to the second version of the SOTF ACT, and take solace in the fact that all of you will be famous for this!"

Sonia smiled devilishly before nodding to the guards who had entered the room alongside her.  The group exited, and shortly after, a rumbling sound occurred as the ventilation system kicked on and once again started filtering gas into the large room.  Soon enough, each of the Franklyn students lay slumped over on the desk in front of them.  Once they awakened, they'd be on an island, fighting for their lives in a twisted game of survival where there can be only one winner.

((Written by Megami))