Number by Number

[Frozen Smoke]

((Parker_Green - Day 4 - 09:30 Local Time - Entering from Name by Name))

Parker sat cross legged on the floor, staring at the updated markings on the wall, his fist balled and pressing against his chin.

18 people had taken lives by now. It seemed unlikely that they were the only people willing to do that in the first place, but it was likely a good percentage of those with the means and capability to do so, he reckoned.

Most of them were people he didn’t know, which meant he lacked any detailed information to attach to most of their names, so simple numbers - and what he could remember of the announcements - were all he had to go on. Narrowing the list of killers down to threats was therefore difficult, but no less important a task, it was just a matter of deciding on criteria. Still, it was hard to think of something that wasn’t subjective.

Maybe it would be best to get the obvious ones done first?

Parker stood back over and walked up to the wall, holding it by the top of it’s skeletonised handle, fingers sliding into it and forming a ham-fisted grip, as he pressed the blade into the wall under the letters “TY LA”.

Tyrell is a threat because he told me he was.

The blade cut a short, horizontal underscore under his initials. His hand moved down a few lines.

Quinn is a threat because she’s heavily armed, and has killed the most people so far

Another swift motion, another line in the paint. He hesitated before choosing the next name, eyes scanning over the wall, before locking on to one in particular.

Erika is a threat because she poisoned someone and has a gun capable of killing from long range. Both of those are inherently aggressive rather than defensive actions.

Another line. Another name.

Tizrah is a threat because she killed someone on the first and second day, and as such has a large resource advantage. She also has a firearm.

He underscored another name, and pressed his blade under another name.

Blaise is a threat because they have killed two people who are incapable of posing a threat themselves, Dante and Alexander, as well as a third. They also have a firearm.

His hand didn’t move, the blade came away from the wall, and he furrowed his brow a little as he studied his hesitation. Was Blaise really a threat to him? That was the question, wasn’t it, not who was a threat to everyone - That didn’t matter. He’d always considered Blaise dangerous in some sense, but in a selfish, get-what-I-want-and-damn-the-consequences manner. A devil he knew, a devil he understood, a devil he respected.

The best way to deal with a threat was to have a threat of your own, wasn’t it?

He tapped the wall with the side of the axe blade a few times.

Maybe he’d been thinking about this all wrong. He’d been thinking of the game in terms of final outcome, of who would serve as his potential competition for getting out of this alive, but perhaps his focus should have been on who could help him get to the point of that being a possibility in the first place. After all, he knew what he lacked, weaponry - and Blaise most certainly had that thanks to their BKA. He also knew what he had to offer, in supplies and strategy, so it came down to if they could be convinced it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Blaise is a potential ally, as I’ve always kept my word to them.

A crude question mark was etched in the margins, two lines forming a chevron and a dot below it. Parker stepped back for a moment, mentally checking off the rest of the names. Nick didn’t seem like quite as much of a threat as the others, he was only armed with a knife by the sounds of things. The people with only one kill could be discounted for now, as it was likely that the announcer had a vested interest in making things seem as deliberate for the killer as possible, in order to fray the social contract as much as possible.

Violet is a threat, as they’ve killed two people so far, and have a gun.

It was a flimsy pretext, and he hesitated as he underscored her name. It felt arbitrary in some sense, as there was every chance it could have been self-defence, but keeping an eye on her was warranted - And that was what threat analysis was for. His hand reached into the margins again, as he looked at the final name with two tally marks next to it.

Lorenzo is a potential ally, because we talked a lot at school, and he allegedly raped Artem. Regardless of its veracity, if enough people believe it, he will have few other people to turn to for safety.

A second question mark scratched in the paint. A few footsteps back, to take in the whole piece, and commit the important parts to memory. From 18 name, down to 7. Much more manageable, and much more relevant. It wasn’t enough to feel safe, far from it, but it was enough to feel in control. Like he’d done the best he could, with the information he had. He let out a sigh, releasing a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding, before placing his axe back on the floor and taking a moment to stretch.

[+] Writing on the wall

He’d already moved the furniture out of the way of the door, and decided what he’d be bringing with him, and what would be staying behind. 10 full bottles of water, it turned out, was rather heavy. Not to mention overkill for a few days, so he’d stored them in the dresser. He’d shoved his spare first aid kit in there too, along with one of the spare bags. There was a chance someone could take it whilst he wasn’t there, but lightening his load, and making sure he had a backup plan in case someone robbed him seemed like a pair of prudent preparations.

Parker wasn’t as sure what his goal was for today, but he knew that staying where he was would only make it more likely his hiding spot would be found, and wouldn’t bring him closer to having what he needed. More supplies, a weapon, allies, maybe even some actual writing utensils - Aoi had found them after all, it didn’t seem like the island had been entirely scoured of them.

It seemed like he’d have plenty of time to think about it though.

((Parker_Green - Day 4 - 10:04 Local Time - In Transit to Elsewhere))