The Fox, the Wolf, and the Lamb

[Riki]

"Yep."

He triggered the switch.

[Aura]

The knife flew and hit Adonis square in the heart. His expression one of pure shock as he realized what had happened. He had been tricked. There was no way that they were going to let him leave alive. He had just been too late to realize it. His grip on his dagger loosened and it dropped to the ground, followed shortly by his knees, then his whole body. Moments ago, he had been high and mighty. Now he was just another punk at death's door.

This wasn't how things were supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to die yet. There were so many things he could have done. He could've gone vigilante. He could've joined up with a crew. He could've tried to escape. He could've done anything... anything but get killed by some fucking asshole with a knife that shoots.

Adonis couldn't hold on any longer. His world was fading out. He thought about everything. His dad, his mom, his so-called friends, the school, his regrets. Fuck, there were a lot of regrets... so many things he could have done differently. He could've kept himself from getting kicked off the football team, kept himself from getting banned from prom, all this shit he could've prevented, but didn't. If he had only changed a few things, then he might've been able to stay at the cafeteria. Then he wouldn't have been in this mess. At the very least, he would've had some backup. All those regrets, and so little time to think about them.

Adonis stopped moving, and his breathing stopped moments afterward. He had finally departed this world, leaving behind nothing but a life full of regret.

B043: Adonis Alba- Deceased
123 Students Remain

[umop-ap!sdn†]

Adonis crumpled and fell. Two. And if they didn't see anything before tomorrow, they'd look for a third in the morning.

This didn't do anything to alleviate her fears. This wasn't like yesterday. This was their second kill. They had just killed a person, again. They couldn't just kick back and wait for the time to pass. They had twenty-four hours, minus whatever had just passed. She didn't have twenty four hours to take it easy and relax. She had twenty-four hours to figure out where the next twenty-four would be coming from.

She turned away and moved back into the center of the room. Her hands grabbed the sides of her head. There was a body behind her, blood on her hands, and a gun in front of her.

To say she didn't have a choice anymore was a lie. She'd always had the choice. It was making and committing to those choices she struggled with. She might as well still be cradling herself at the nuclear living site. To go back to that moment... would she change anything?

It didn't matter. Not now. They had a lot more to deal with before she could start fantasizing about the "what if"s. What were they going to do with the body? What were they going to do if somebody with a real weapon came? What if a real threat came back? Theo probably wasn't happy she tried to throw him under the bus. He knew where they were stationed. That kid with the chair apparently found a way to get in upstairs. What were they going to do to make sure they stayed safe?

And then, after everything, after one or both of them returned to Seattle, What would they do then?

The fight between them and the terrorists seemed all too one sided. With all the students turned against each other like this, were they even worth saving? If there was only one way home, would home ever be the same?

"Twenty four more hours... one less-"

A thousand words suggested themselves.

"...combatant."

That wasn't the right word.

[Riki]

Joachim head remained on the same level after his blade penetrated Adonis. He did not dare to look down. He did not wish to look into the eyes of a dying human again. Or more specific, he did not want to look at the person he has killed. Instead, Joachim closed his eyes and slowly breathed in and out.

Coward.

A few seconds passed, or were they minutes, hours? The only thing Joachim noticed was a growing and incredibly searing pain on his chest. Adonis' strike. The cut was not really deep, but it reached from short below his neck to two and a half inch above his navel. And goodness, the pain was something that Joachim never felt before. He had to restrain himself not to cuss out Jaq for just being near her while he was in pain.

She was talking.

...

Combatant? That was one way of seeing it.

Joachim opened his eyes and forcefully looked at the boy he just has slain. He won't run away in terror this time. Carmina did not deserve that, and neither would Adonis. The thought of being killed by a kid who cannot look at the corpses of his victims was unbearable. Fuck, he decided to be a killer, so he should behave like a proper one. That was what he decided, no?

Oddly enough, Adonis' body did not disturb him as greatly as the dying Carmina. Was it because he got used to being a savage killer? No no no no no no... This could not be the reason. This must not be the reason. It was because he killed a willing fighter, not a innocent girl, right? Yes, that was the reason. It had to be.

"...Jaq. I..." was not exactly sure what to say. "What now?"

[umop-ap!sdn†]

What now? What was their next move? It seemed they'd picked a path, reinforced their decision, and now were picking up momentum in that direction. That was what was necessary, that was what they were going to do. Later.

She couldn't just shake this off. She couldn't shake yesterday off. It would be chasing her for a long time, but she might still be a few steps ahead.

She needed a detour. A distraction. Sometime to busy herself and her mind until...

Detour. Any direction.

"Just-"

Any.

"Come... talk."

About what? What the hell else did they have to talk about? What the fuck could two conspirators and executors of murder possibly have left to talk about now. They'd been together the whole time on the island, there was nothing to catch up on. Asking about whatever might be going on in his head would be invasive. What else was there?

"Wuh- when we go home..."

We. It might be too hopeful, but hope was never a bad thing. Useless optimism was evilly taunting and even naïve, but clinging to hope might be the only thing human left they had.

"What's gonna be there?"

[Riki]

Joachim lifted his head and stared at Jaq as she asked him what would await them at home. He found the question interesting, but he also had a hard time to concentrate enough to form a coherent answer. His right hand went to his chest and picked up some of his blood. Then he held it in front of his face. Seeing a little drop of blood slowly descending from his middle finger to his palm was oddly calming. After a moment of silence, he tried to answer.

"We..?"

There was no we. There nevery would be. Espace was impossible. One of them dies, the other lives. But... maybe, it was okay to delude himself for a brief moment.

"I doubt that they'll have parades for killers such as us."

Joachim let out a soft, nervous chuckle. It was not really sincere. But it stopped abruptly when Joachim realized something. His gaze went back to Jaq.

"Or rather... a killer like me."

[umop-ap!sdn†]

"We..?"

Please. Don't start with that. Even if he was right she didn't want to talk about what might happen when-

"I doubt that they'll have parades for killers such as us."

Not in the slightest. Unless more than one student could get home, it would be a tragic loss on part of the US. If the terrorist's game was permitted to conclude successfully...

"Or rather... a killer like me."

This wasn't a distraction. This was a recount of facts. Joachim was a killer, and even though Jaquilyn was clearly compliant, some asshole lawyer would probably be able to argue otherwise. She was in limbo. Hell was probably her ultimate destination, but the fact that she hadn't actually mur-... killed anybody had to mean something. Even Joachim had thought it noteworthy to point out.

"No..."

If they couldn't look forward to returning home, they had no reason to live, anymore. If they couldn't believe in rescue, their alliance was pointless, too. Joachim had to have some reason behind staying alive, had to still be sticking around for some reason.

"Not like that. I mean..."

Time to get personal. They were allies, teammates, friends now. Nothing was too personal a question to be asked.

"You're family. I've got both parents and a big brother, Don..."

A slight laugh escaped. She was a little embarrassed to say, but at least relieved she was comfortable enough to share.

"You actually remind me of him."

It was like the bleeding body wasn't even there.

[Riki]

Family? Joachim had to smile sincerly, but briefly, despite their rather miserable circumstances. He never really considered family to be an important part of his life. Sure, he liked his sister. But on the island, he realized that in the end, they were very low priority. Still, Jaq's comment warmed his heart a bit. It was great to know that there was this one person who in some way counted on him, needed him. Even if it was just for being a killer.

Jaq compared him to her brother, Don. He could not deny the wish to know more about him now. However, he had a hard time picturing why this would flatter Don. For that moment, Joachim could not think of a single positive trait within him.

"Why do I remind you of him?"

[umop-ap!sdn†]

Her offer for openness had been volleyed back at her. Jaq wasn't expecting to have to share again so soon. She scrambled to recover.

"Uh-"

Maybe it wasn't the best thing to say. While it certainly made sense to her, how could she ever explain it to him. Fuck, and with the damn cameras everywhere. Was Don watching?

Holy shit. Was Don watching? Everybody had seen the things they'd done. Everything had been filmed live, and was probably being streamed and recorded somewhere. Some sick, blogging loser was probably documenting the scores somewhere. It wouldn't be hard for anybody she knew at home to find footage of her chasing and dragging Carmina through the woods.

Stop worrying. None of that matters if you can't survive.

Joachim's questions.

"You're..."

What did they have in common? They were both reserved. They were both collected. Calm to buffer her impulsiveness. Unnecessarily modest. Around when she needed somebody. Strong when she was weak. Encouraging when she doubted.

"I dunno... kinda serious..."

This was their vacation. This was the time for laughing if there was ever to be one.

"Hah, and a little bit dorky."

She smiled. Blood poured out of Adonis's wounds like sand from an hourglass. The smile grew into a gentle laugh. She turned her head away for a moment and looked back with her mouth covered by one hand.

The gun slid down to flop on the couch behind her.

[Riki]

It slightly irritated Joachim that Jaq called him dorky. It seemed to be very unfitting for a killer. These people were not supposed to be... dorky, or awkward. At least serious was a good start. But then he raised his eyebrow in confusion when Jaq started laughing all of a sudden. Why... why was she laughing? They- He just killed a person, whose corpse is still freshly placed beneath his feet.

"Jaq, this is no time to..." As it turned out, keeping a serious face was not as easy as Joachim thought it would be. Jaq's laughing was, in some weird way, contagious, and a smile flashed over Joachim's face before he could recontinue his neutral mimics.

For exactly three seconds.

Joachim started laughing too, and oh good god. He was not supposed to do that. Yeah, it was a relieving situation, washing off the metaphorical (really?) burden from his mind. But he was not allowed to loose his composure. Adonis' body was still there, and needed to be placed somewhere else. Partly due to convenience reasons, partly because that was their due to the dead. With a sharp inhale, he ceased laughing.

"Very well. First, I am not dorky." Damnit, another smile. "And we need to get Adonis out."

[umop-ap!sdn†]

Joachim began to scold and reprimand her. Almost like her attempt at regular conversation was disgusting to him. He didn't look mad, he looked more-

He broke out into laughter. Her mood now mirrored, Jaquilyn felt her muscles and mind relax. There was no apparent danger, she was just busting his chops. Joachim playfully denied his dorkiness before another grin escaped him.

It was nostalgic.

"And we need to get Adonis out."

He was right. As per usual. This little break was now over, but it had been more than enough. There would be plenty more fits of laughter, teasing, and company to enjoy later.

Jaq collected herself, but allowed the smile to stay on display.

"Okay."

She stood herself back up, pushing away from the couch to get herself upright. A dull pain ran up the length of her forearm. Under the dried trickle of blood, a brown bruise revealed itself. Obviously a mark from the chair spazz from yesterday. Thank God that was over.

"Aww, fucking chair nailed me."

She lightly rubbed the sensitive skin and pointed her arm in Joachim's direction.

"It's not too bad, just gotta be careful."

Her fingertip circled the line of scabbed blood over the cut near her elbow.

She  frowned and shrugged, moving towards the door and the body. The feelings of warmth and content faded back into the past. They could enjoy themselves after the next task. Step by step, until-

"What should about... him?"

[Riki]

The mildest display of worry formed itself on Joachim's face as Jaq showed him the results from the thrown chair. He could not have her die so easily. Alas, Jaq's reassurements did not help much. It was always these little things that killed people. Like an infection, or a ruptured artery anywhere. And that would be too pathetic, too useless. It would make the killings of Adonis and Carmina so meaningless.

Jaq ripped him out of these thoughts by asking what exactly they should do with the body. Alright, back to business.

Joachim moved over to Adonis and tried to pull the blade out with his fingertips. It slipped the first time, the second time it was stuck a bit, but with the third try he managed to remove the bloody blade.

"We will place him somewhere outside of the mansion. Maybe place a blanket on him if we find a suitable one."

He then reattached the blade to the knife and threw it on the couch.

"By the way, do you think I should disinfect my wound?"

[umop-ap!sdn†]

They made their way back to the body. Jaq stayed behind Joachim, preparing the fight with her stomach to keep her food down. He bent down and reached for the wound without hesitating.

She clenched her jaw as he struggled to remove the blade. As it came free, it made a horrible, wet sound. Her stomach lurched and she tasted bile. She covered her mouth and stepped back as Joachim explained his rough plan.

The blade clicked back into place, and he tossed it onto one of the couches. Jaq watched it fly over the back of the couch and heard the soft impact on the cushion. She wouldn't be sleeping on that couch. That knife had just fucking been inside of a person.

She looked back to Joachim, who was examining his chest wound. She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts, Jaquilyn had completely forgotten Adonis had slashed him. His shirt fell where the cut landed, leaving some flesh exposed around it. The cut itself looked rather shallow. There was blood, but very little.

"Oh shit, probably."

They weren't exactly living in the wilderness, but infection was still possible. Probably the smallest of their concerns, but nothing could be ignored.

She moved closer for a better look.

"We've got our clothes back at the living site, too."

If they went back, they wouldn't have to deal with the body. They could still cover it at least, there were towels aplenty at the clubhouse. This place was starting to become home to many uncomfortable memories.

They'd spent the night with Carmina here. Posing as reluctant friends before marking her for death. Now Adonis was dead. If tonight were to be any more haunted than the last, she wanted to get the fuck out.

"You should probably change your shirt, at least."

[Riki]

Jaq agreed. Infection still was a concern. Additionally, she suggested going back to the living site, citing the clothes they had there. Come to think of it, they should have brought them to the clubhouse, but at least Joachim found it to be too bothersome to wear two bags, so the less important one had to be discarded.

Still, he knew that this was not the complete reason for her decision to move from the mansion. She likely connected a lot of bad memories with this place already. Pretending to be Carmina's friend, just to murder her. Killing Adonis, though at least they were honest about their intentions this time. Joachim could understand his ally.

"Right, so let's finish our business here and get back to the living site. Then you may get some hot shirtless Joachim action."

Goddamnit, I should restrain myself....

Then he moved on to get Adonis' dagger. It might be useful, and he did not need it, Joachim figured. Looting the corpse also had an awful lack of shivers traveling through his body. Joachim knew what this meant, and he was not very fond of that thought. Afterwards he slid to his bag to put the dagger in and went with his bag to the coach to pick up the ballistic knife.

"Could you please fetch a towel? Or blanket? Or, you know what I mean."

[umop-ap!sdn†]

Jaquilyn grinned at Joachim's unexpected flirt. She didn't really have much to say back. Not much was sexy about having worn the same clothes for a couple of days.

"Keep swinging, slugger."

She turned her head to begin a wink before she saw what he was doing. She held her breath and took several quick steps away.

Looting the body. Fuck, didn't they have Theo's gun? She looked around for the extra bag. Only theirs and Carmina's were present. She tore her eyes away from Carmina's before her desire to loot it took hold. Somebody made off with the bag. Couldn't have been Ben, and it definitely wasn't Theo. Somebody who knew their base was now armed.

She was frozen again.

They had to leave. They had to get out now. If Jesse was still getting a team together, they would be overwhelmed. They had to leave now.

She looked over her shoulder to Joachim, opening her mouth to call out in distress, but the body was still there. Dammit, they needed towels. This kid was fucking dead, they needed towels.

She rushed behind a desk and grabbed armfuls of white, soft cloth and ran back, practically flinging them at him. She started unfolding and laying them down quickly.

"Theo's gun is gone, and Jesse's group knows where we are. We need to go."

They'd grab their things and be off. This place wasn't safe. Nowhere was safe. They'd have to keep a low profile outside, but at least they couldn't be cornered. They wouldn't catch her. They wouldn't chase her dow-

Her fingers fumbled as she unfolded and laid down towels like a mad woman. Joachim had killed Adonis so quickly, it hadn't been anything like the last time. Blood soaked through the towels. The red pools grew out in expanding circles through the cloth. Her eyes burned and ached as she panicked, throwing more white over dead stains.