The Crazy Kids

[Skraal]

((Eliza Patton continued from Reflections))

The silence following the announcements hung heavily in the air as Eliza approached the school grounds. She stopped for a moment, leaning on her gun for support as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. It had been a long walk here from the loading docks. She had wanted to put as much distance between her and Garrett's corpse as possible. She sighed as she straightened up and began walking again.

After a few more minutes of walking, she arrived at one of the buildings. Right as she was about go inside, she stopped. She could hear people talking. They didn't seem too far away. Taking into mind the previous few encounters, Eliza crept cautiously along the wall and around the corner into the school grounds.

Her mind suddenly flashed back to her encounter in the offices as the two speakers came into view. She took a few steps back, her heart beating rapidly as she stared at Tyler. Gripping her gun tightly, she opened her mouth, one word automatically leaving her lips.

"You."

[Laurels]

Rachael nodded as she heard Tyler explain more and more about his thoughts on the game. Tyler still thought he had to kill because he was placed on the island. Rachael wasn't sure she could agree with that. There were plenty of reasons to not kill, and even he acknowledged that hiding out and avoiding playing was a feasible option. She still didn't know why he felt he needed to take the responsibility to take down all those people.

"Well, I do have some concerns about that," she began. "But I am curious about one thing. You speak about surviving as if it's likely no one will live. Who do you think-"

Before Rachael could finish her question, she noticed some movement in the distance. There was a girl nearby, holding a gun and staring at them. Rachael gasped as she recognized the girl. Eliza Patton. She had killed three people. Rachael remained in place. She had no idea what was going to happen next, but she immediately felt scared.

[Grim Wolf]

Eliza's flat, deadly voice carried across to him.  He glanced at her, and his lips unfolded into a grin.

"See," he said.  "This bitch right here?  She gets it."  He turned to face Eliza head-on, still grinning, but when he spoke it clearly wasn't directed at her.  "Fucker had me at gunpoint from day one.  Didn't act like she didn't know what it meant.  Didn't play fuckin' pretend.  She knows what the game's about."

He hadn't lifted his gun, though.  Just kept his grinning face on her.

"How you been, Lizzy?"

[Skraal]

Eliza kept a tight grip on her gun as she stared up at the giant of a man in front of her. How the hell did he think she'd been? That smug look on his face was just so... infuriating. She repressed the urge to kick him in the balls again. Laughing bitterly, she ignored his question.

"You're one to judge. I've heard your name on the announcements."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"You're not exactly a saint either."

Out of the corner of her eye Eliza could see some girl cowering to the side. She didn't really care. This was between her and Tyler. She wasn't going to take another beating, and she sure as hell wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her run away.

This was going to be... interesting, to say the least.

[Laurels]

Rachael held her arms close to her chest and felt her breathing start to slow down. So not only was Eliza a repeat killer, but she had a history with Tyler. If the two really did have a feud, then it was likely Rachael was in danger just staying around the two. A bullet flies in the wrong direction and it would all be over for her.

Rachael took a slight step back. She didn't want to give Eliza a reason to shoot her. Thankfully, the knife was still packed away in her bag. All she had to do was remain disarmed, and she might be able to remain a non-threat to the thrice killer.

Rachael looked around. She could probably run back to the school if things got worse. There were a few exits within the school, so she could surely escape if she ran in. She'd just need to be quick about it if she was going to run.

[Grim Wolf]

Tyler's grin grimaced down into a frown.

"Judge?" he repeated.  "You think I'm fuckin' judgin'?  I was bein' straight with you."

His frown deepened.

"The fuck is a saint?" Tyler said.  "Especially here?  Someone who doesn't kill?  Fuck that noise.  Be dead in days."  The corners of his mouth twitched up.  "I'd like to live, long as I can.  Take this-" and here he moved his gun without quite raising it.  "-and see what's out there.  See what I can do.  And when I point this fuckin' thing, I know what it means."  He nodded.  "Just like you."

But then a heavy darkness crossed his face, thunder crashing on his brow.  "Not like your fuckin' brother," he hissed.  "Another fuckin' hypocrite.  All he's got is one good fuckin' friend.  One guy who doesn't think he's fuckin' better."  He spat to one side.

"Better than him," Tyler said.  "You get it.  If you start a fight with me, you know what you're fuckin' doin'."  He grinned again.  "Reason we fuckin' fought, Lizzy.  Reason we walked away."

[Skraal]

Eliza cocked her head to the side slightly, frowning. What was this guy's deal? Words were coming out of his mouth, but they didn't seem to make any sense. What the hell was he rambling on about? She clenched her teeth impatiently as he finished talking. After a few seconds, she responded.

"So, are you going somewhere with that speech or do you just like to hear the sound of your own voice? If you have some sort of proposition to make, spit it out! I don't appreciate having my time wasted."

She sighed, momentarily relaxing the grip on her gun. If he was going to attack her, he would have done it already. Best not to let her guard down though, just in case.

[Laurels]

Rachael listened as Eliza and Tyler continued to chat. Instantly, she was thrown off by the dialogue between the two. Tyler said he wasn't judging, but didn't he just judge people like Travis for deciding to play and act like they were above the situation? He also said that people who don't kill would be dead in days, but he just told her that hiding out was a viable choice for her to make and that she was probably likely to live longer by hiding and not killing.

Rachael felt confused by the statements that left his mouth. She wasn't sure if Tyler was putting on an act before Eliza or if he was even having trouble keeping to his philosophy, but she wasn't sure what to think about what was going on. She didn't even understand what Cody Patton had done. She figured Tyler fought him, but she didn't understand why having an ally made things worse for Cody or how that person following Cody was a bad thing on that person's part.

When Eliza mentioned if Tyler was making a proposition, Rachael perked up at the comment and quickly swallowed the lump forming in her throat. If there was one thing she picked up when talking to Tyler, it was that she was going to have to spend her time doing what she thought was right. Avoiding confrontation had worked for a while, finding friends had also been valuable for the first few days. Even though she didn't go through with it, suicide was something that made perfect sense to her in the moment. She'd have to do what she thought was right, and there was one thing she wanted to do in this situation.

She knew what she had to do now. She had been silent too long, and she needed to say something.

"I have a proposition!" she shouted, quickly shooting her right hand into the air. "P-p-please listen to what I have to say!"

She had no clue if this was going to work, but she wanted the two to listen to her. She'd have to come up with something quickly if she was going to defuse the situation. There were a lot of thoughts buzzing around in her head, so she'd have to focus on her proposal. She just hoped she'd be able to communicate it articulately and in a way that would sway them to her side. Then maybe there wouldn't be any need for violence.

[Grim Wolf]

Tyler's heavy eyebrows knitted together.  "Proposition?" he repeated, his tongue tripping over the syllables.  "You're the one who fuckin' approached-"

But he broke off as Rachael started to speak.  His eyes darted over to her.  "So talk," he said.

[Skraal]

Eliza opened her mouth to speak before being cut off by Rachael's outburst. Glaring silently, she waited while the other girl spoke.

[Laurels]

They were going to listen to her. Rachael felt a stirring in her chest. She had never really commanded the presence of a room before. Even when she had to do presentations in school she liked to stay as succinct as she could while still being informative. She wasn't fond of public speaking, nor did she think she could do really well at it. Now was the time to forget all of that. Her time on Earth was running out, and she needed to do everything she couldn't do back home.

Rachael puffed out her chest and quickly coughed. She could feel her face starting to get a little flushed. She had the attention of two violent individuals, and she needed to make her case to them.

"M-m-my proposition..." she began, her jaw quivering.

She took a deep breath.

"M-my proposition is this: stop actively playing. Right now, and for the rest of your time here!"

Rachael let out a long sigh. She wasn't done yet. She needed to make a case to Tyler and Eliza.

"L-look," she continued. "I-I know you two both have ideas on how to last on this island. I can't say I agree with what you're doing, but I know that I haven't had the same experiences that you two have had on this island. I don't think I can fully understand you, but I at least want to make a case for how you should try to act from here on out."

Rachael cleared her throat. She turned to Tyler.

"T-Tyler, I know you're mad at Travis, and I know you're mad at a lot of people. B-but I think that actively pursuing people can only cause more chaos. I-I can see that you've been hurt a bit, but I think you need to think about being more cautious."

Rachael turned to Eliza.

"Eliza, I-I don't know what your philosophy is, but I know you've killed three people so far. I think you'll do much better if you simply react to danger instead of instigating it. I mean, do you really think you can keep killing without any consequences?"

Rachael inhaled some more air. She was saying a lot, and saying it pretty quickly. She needed to control her breathing.

"Please!" she called out to the two. "I-I-I know that you're both likely to be targeted by people hunting players, but don't give them any more reason to try and kill you. Try and at least plead for your life without forcing yourself to play."

"I mean, I know you have little reason to do what I'm asking, but please... please at least attempt to have some humanity while you're here. I know it won't be easy, but can't you at least try to be good people?"

Rachael fell silent as she stared at the too, trying to keep her posture straight and her hands to her side. She had made her plea, and she had no idea how they would respond. She just hoped they didn't have too negative a reaction to it. She didn't want to step on their toes.

[Grim Wolf]

Tyler stared at Rachael for several seconds.

"That guy," he said.  "That...Garrett.  He would have liked you."

He stared at her a moment longer.

"Good people," he repeated.  "The fuck does that even mean?"

His eyes softened for a moment.  Glanced between Rachael and Eliza.  He offered them a grin.

"Gotta do it right," he grunted.  "All of us are gonna die.  I'm sure as shit not gonna waste my time trying to be good."  He gave a rolling shrug.  "Sorry," he said.  "No deal."

[Skraal]

What?

Eliza laughed. What was this girl thinking? 'Being a good person?' That had ceased to matter on this island a long time ago. There were no rules here.

"No thanks, kid. I think I'd rather deal with these consequences that you're talking about myself."

Adjusting the straps on her bag, Eliza turned to leave. She sighed quietly as she walked away.

What a huge waste of her time.

((Eliza Patton continued in Weak Executioner))

[Laurels]

It didn't work the way Rachael had hoped. The two of them had pretty much brushed off her argument without even offering a retort. Eliza had even decided to pack up and walk away. Rachael sighed. It had taken a lot for her to say all of that, and now she was feeling even more drained.

She shook her head in frustration. She really had no power on this island. She didn't have the strength to fight, and it looked like she didn't have the rhetoric to sway people either. How did she expect to last in this game any longer than she had already if this was what happened when she tried to persuade people to be reasonable.

She looked over at Tyler.

"I guess it really is all pointless then."

[Grim Wolf]

"Oy!" Tyler shouted after Lizzy's departing back.  "The fuck you going?  Why'd you even come over here?"  

But she didn't turn to look at him.  Tyler sighed and shook his head.  "Fuckin' bitch," he grunted, glancing down to the dim red reminders of bite marks on his arm.  

Then back to Rachael.  His grin hadn't quite faded.

"Nah," he said.  "Not pointless."  He thought a moment, then continued, "Just 'cause you've seen a movie before doesn't mean it ain't worth watching, right?  Knowing how it ends doesn't make it a bad movie."  He shrugged.  "It's a messed up fuckin' place, but it doesn't have to be pointless.  You do whatcha gotta do."

His grin widened.  "It was a good try," he said.  "Try to make us play right.  You're tougher than you look."

He turned his eyes in the direction Lizzy had gone, then started walking after her.  "Good luck!" he called over one shoulder.

(Tyler Lucas continued in Lonesome)