Kyle's last remark brought a smirk back to Billy's face. This kid really was a soft little goody-two-shoes, huh? Back at school he might've rolled his eyes at that, but out here, he'd take it. At least he seemed genuine about it, unlike some of the holier-than-thou types he'd had the trouble of sharing a school with.
"Don't think anyone's gonna blame you for littering out here, man." he looked around. "And yeah, doesn't look like anyone else has been here in a long time."
He wondered where exactly they were. The terrorists liked to use out-of-the-way islands deep in international waters, where the US wouldn't be able to catch them. So who would build some giant bird cage full of weird statues on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere? Maybe it was some filthy rich guy's personal island, where he had his own private zoo. If so, why was it abandoned? Maybe the owner died, or lost all his money...
...Well, it was really pointless to think about. No matter what it had been, it was Death Island now. But Billy couldn't help but wonder.
Mackenzie was suggested they be allies, which was fine by him, but she was also saying that no one was trying to kill anyone. Billy bet it was a bit of sheltered rich girl naivete. He'd have to set her straight.
"Sorry to have to say this, but people are definitely trying to kill each other. This has happened over six times before, and every time the kids starting killing each other right away. You really think GHHS will be better than any of them? With dickheads like Wyatt and Bret running around..."
He shook his head.
"But I agree that we should stick together. There's safety in numbers, yeah? We'll watch each others' backs, and when the time comes that some shit-heel decides to mess with us, they'll have to deal with a face full of pepper spray and a sword in their gut."
Billy flashed Kyle a toothy smile.
"And, of course, getting their teeth knocked in with a sack of potatoes."
Early Bird
Open
Kyle crouched to return the potatoes to his bag. He had decided that he really would be leaving the cannon behind. He didn't have a use for it, and he didn't want to keep it around in the first place. He just had to remember to ask God for forgiveness for sullying the ground with a hunk of garbage.
He meekly stood back up while the other two were discussing the possibility of forming an alliance, and Idea that he could definitely get behind. People sticking together, watching out for each other and surviving by pooling their strengths. It was a triumph of humanity over cruelty, assisting each other rather than tearing each other apart. It was something that they should all be doing. But in order to get his approval, there were some things that he needed to explain first.
"We should be working together. We all should." He stated, picking up his bag. "I don't want to fight anyone." He stood his ground as he explained his plan to the others. "I was studying medicine, and I have a medical kit in this bag. We could save people, keep them alive until help comes, or we can escape. We can get as many people out of here as we can."
The way he spoke and acted was very firm and confident for someone of his size. He had laid out his ideals, playing with an open hand to the others.
He meekly stood back up while the other two were discussing the possibility of forming an alliance, and Idea that he could definitely get behind. People sticking together, watching out for each other and surviving by pooling their strengths. It was a triumph of humanity over cruelty, assisting each other rather than tearing each other apart. It was something that they should all be doing. But in order to get his approval, there were some things that he needed to explain first.
"We should be working together. We all should." He stated, picking up his bag. "I don't want to fight anyone." He stood his ground as he explained his plan to the others. "I was studying medicine, and I have a medical kit in this bag. We could save people, keep them alive until help comes, or we can escape. We can get as many people out of here as we can."
The way he spoke and acted was very firm and confident for someone of his size. He had laid out his ideals, playing with an open hand to the others.
Mackenzie gave a slow nod as Billy laid out his own perspective on the game. It was true that expecting everyone to get along was a foolish dream, and that if they were attacked, they’d need to defend themselves, with lethal force potentially. But it all seemed so wrong. For this kind of stuff to be coming so naturally, it was like...they’d barely begun and savagery was already creeping in.
Well, for some of them, at any rate. Kyle, bless his heart, wanted to use their supplies to help people, to cure their wounds and ease their pain. Mackenzie couldn’t help but smile at this. The game was likely to warp all of them out here, but this boy...ah, this boy. If the corruption came for him, he’d be beating it back with tooth and nail.
All the more reason to keep him safe.
“Alright, we have a plan!” she exclaimed, pointing dramatically at the exit to this enclosure. “Let’s save some lives!”
Too much? Maybe too much.
Well, for some of them, at any rate. Kyle, bless his heart, wanted to use their supplies to help people, to cure their wounds and ease their pain. Mackenzie couldn’t help but smile at this. The game was likely to warp all of them out here, but this boy...ah, this boy. If the corruption came for him, he’d be beating it back with tooth and nail.
All the more reason to keep him safe.
“Alright, we have a plan!” she exclaimed, pointing dramatically at the exit to this enclosure. “Let’s save some lives!”
Too much? Maybe too much.
Was he hearing this right? These two innocent little flowers Billy had allied himself with wanted to go around and be the Doctors without Borders of Death Island. Their hearts might have in the right place, yeah, but they had to scale down their expectations of what they could accomplish.
"Ah, that's a bit..." Billy started, trying to find the right words. "If we come across someone who's hurt, yeah, let's help them. But we're still gonna have to fight, maybe even kill, to protect ourselves. We can't avoid it."
He wondered how long the naivete would last. What would they do the first time someone shot at them? What would they do if they helped someone, only to get stabbed in the back? What would they do if they came across a dying murderer? Save them? He' hoped they'd snap out of it fast. Before they did something stupid.
"And can we actually save anyone in the long run? I mean, I doubt they'll be a-"
Billy stopped and thought over his words. Realistically, there wouldn't be any sort of rescue. STAR was dead and the terrorists had made a lot of changes over the past few games, like the tape delay, that would make another rescue a lot harder. Billy really had no hope that ol' Uncle Sam would figure it out and come in to save the day. So if they wanted to escape, they had to do it themselves. But how? Billy had no idea how to break the collars or escape the island without getting shot. He'd read a few forum threads where people had discussed how to escape SOTF, but they were full of complicated technology and weapons talk that he didn't understand; even the stuff he did understand, he didn't remember. It's not like he expected to ever have to use any of it, and it was all just theorizing, anyway. So Billy was lost when it came to escape, and the rational thing would be to accept it wasn't going to happen.
But he couldn't just accept that. That would mean surrendering, admitting that the terrorists had won. Even if there was only a tiny chance, he had to do everything he could to make it happen. Because he'd rather die than give those cunts the satisfaction.
"...Okay, guys. We can help people along the way, but the most important thing is we have to find a way out. The government ain't coming for us. We have to do it, we have to find out how to escape. If we can't do that, all of the people you save will just die in the end anyway, and it'll all be pointless. I don't know shit about escaping, but someone out here has to. There are some smart kids at our school, yeah? We gotta find some people who'll know how to deal with the collars, how to get us outta here. And we'll work towards that, or die trying."
Billy sighed. He was really in over his head, but he was saying all this shit anyway. Who was the naive one now?
"So yeah, if you guys actually wanna save some lives... that's the only real way to do it. If you're willing to do that, I'm with you all the way."
"Ah, that's a bit..." Billy started, trying to find the right words. "If we come across someone who's hurt, yeah, let's help them. But we're still gonna have to fight, maybe even kill, to protect ourselves. We can't avoid it."
He wondered how long the naivete would last. What would they do the first time someone shot at them? What would they do if they helped someone, only to get stabbed in the back? What would they do if they came across a dying murderer? Save them? He' hoped they'd snap out of it fast. Before they did something stupid.
"And can we actually save anyone in the long run? I mean, I doubt they'll be a-"
Billy stopped and thought over his words. Realistically, there wouldn't be any sort of rescue. STAR was dead and the terrorists had made a lot of changes over the past few games, like the tape delay, that would make another rescue a lot harder. Billy really had no hope that ol' Uncle Sam would figure it out and come in to save the day. So if they wanted to escape, they had to do it themselves. But how? Billy had no idea how to break the collars or escape the island without getting shot. He'd read a few forum threads where people had discussed how to escape SOTF, but they were full of complicated technology and weapons talk that he didn't understand; even the stuff he did understand, he didn't remember. It's not like he expected to ever have to use any of it, and it was all just theorizing, anyway. So Billy was lost when it came to escape, and the rational thing would be to accept it wasn't going to happen.
But he couldn't just accept that. That would mean surrendering, admitting that the terrorists had won. Even if there was only a tiny chance, he had to do everything he could to make it happen. Because he'd rather die than give those cunts the satisfaction.
"...Okay, guys. We can help people along the way, but the most important thing is we have to find a way out. The government ain't coming for us. We have to do it, we have to find out how to escape. If we can't do that, all of the people you save will just die in the end anyway, and it'll all be pointless. I don't know shit about escaping, but someone out here has to. There are some smart kids at our school, yeah? We gotta find some people who'll know how to deal with the collars, how to get us outta here. And we'll work towards that, or die trying."
Billy sighed. He was really in over his head, but he was saying all this shit anyway. Who was the naive one now?
"So yeah, if you guys actually wanna save some lives... that's the only real way to do it. If you're willing to do that, I'm with you all the way."
Kyle patted his bag, feeling the hard plastic of his medical kit through the material. "Yeah, that's what I want to do. Save some lives."
Save some lives. Even before he got sent to the island, that was always his goal. Cure cancer, treat diseases, find new ways to use medicine to help people. He wanted to be a healer, someone who made the world a better place through his actions. He wanted people to be able to live full, fulfilling lives, and his goal was to help as many people as he could live those lives. It was his mission, one that he had decided on not even halfway through high school. If he didn't have the chance right now to become a doctor and do all of that, he would at least be the island's doctor and keep everyone there alive and well.
They had the will to do it, but what they were missing right now was the way. The three of them were together, and they had a skeleton of a plan, but they needed to figure out what to do and where they needed to do it. He scratched his neck and looked between his two new allies.
"So what should we do next?"
Save some lives. Even before he got sent to the island, that was always his goal. Cure cancer, treat diseases, find new ways to use medicine to help people. He wanted to be a healer, someone who made the world a better place through his actions. He wanted people to be able to live full, fulfilling lives, and his goal was to help as many people as he could live those lives. It was his mission, one that he had decided on not even halfway through high school. If he didn't have the chance right now to become a doctor and do all of that, he would at least be the island's doctor and keep everyone there alive and well.
They had the will to do it, but what they were missing right now was the way. The three of them were together, and they had a skeleton of a plan, but they needed to figure out what to do and where they needed to do it. He scratched his neck and looked between his two new allies.
"So what should we do next?"
So Billy wanted to find an escape plan, eh? That was music to Mackenzie's ears, though she had to admit that she had absolutely no idea where to start. Too many unknown factors at the moment, like where they were and what everyone else was doing. They needed information, information and someone who actually knew how to handle electronic stuff, because she'd feel a lot safer thumbing her nose at the terrorists if she didn't have a necklace covered in explosives.
"I guess priority one is just looking around, seeing what's going on. We help whoever we find and we swap info along the way."
They had several days' worth of supplies and provisions. If something didn't come to them immediately, there was no panic or rush. They just needed to avoid the baddies, help the goodies, and slowly worm their way to getting off this...she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the map they were provided...island. Okay, they were on an island of some kind.
Yeah, they could do this. They just needed to stay strong and never give up hope.
"Let's see..." she looked at the map, "looks like there's a mansion of some kind not too far from here. Seems like a good landmark to start with." In truth, part of her really wanted to explore the island and see what kind of weird place they'd been stuck in. It looked like it might have been inhabited, maybe it even still was. They'd only know for sure if they saw for themselves.
"Alright, let's do this!" she said, and adjusted the straps on her bags as she headed out the door. There had to be a way off this island somehow, and they were going to find it. Mackenzie, for one, wasn't going to let this game change who she was, as long as she had friends.
(Mackenzie Baker continued elsewhere)
"I guess priority one is just looking around, seeing what's going on. We help whoever we find and we swap info along the way."
They had several days' worth of supplies and provisions. If something didn't come to them immediately, there was no panic or rush. They just needed to avoid the baddies, help the goodies, and slowly worm their way to getting off this...she rummaged through her bag and pulled out the map they were provided...island. Okay, they were on an island of some kind.
Yeah, they could do this. They just needed to stay strong and never give up hope.
"Let's see..." she looked at the map, "looks like there's a mansion of some kind not too far from here. Seems like a good landmark to start with." In truth, part of her really wanted to explore the island and see what kind of weird place they'd been stuck in. It looked like it might have been inhabited, maybe it even still was. They'd only know for sure if they saw for themselves.
"Alright, let's do this!" she said, and adjusted the straps on her bags as she headed out the door. There had to be a way off this island somehow, and they were going to find it. Mackenzie, for one, wasn't going to let this game change who she was, as long as she had friends.
(Mackenzie Baker continued elsewhere)
There was a mansion? It probably was some rich guy's playground.
"Alright" Billy shrugged. "Mansion. Sounds like a plan."
Billy was glad that they didn't give any pushback to what he said, but part of him wondered if they even understood it. The road ahead would be hard, they'd have to go through a lot of shit to survive. Especially if they wanted to escape. He hoped Kyle and Mackenzie could keep their nerve once the other shoe dropped.
"Let's go be the good guys, woo." he said, lethargically. He followed Mackenzie out of the giant birdcage, out onto the island hellscape. Their little adventuring party was all prepped to go a-questing. Billy held his grip on his pepper spray can, the little can that might give him a few more days to live in the face of a knife-wielding maniac. He wanted to tell himself he was ready, but that would be bullshit. He wasn't ready, but he would do it anyway.
((Billy Trevino continued elsewhere))
"Alright" Billy shrugged. "Mansion. Sounds like a plan."
Billy was glad that they didn't give any pushback to what he said, but part of him wondered if they even understood it. The road ahead would be hard, they'd have to go through a lot of shit to survive. Especially if they wanted to escape. He hoped Kyle and Mackenzie could keep their nerve once the other shoe dropped.
"Let's go be the good guys, woo." he said, lethargically. He followed Mackenzie out of the giant birdcage, out onto the island hellscape. Their little adventuring party was all prepped to go a-questing. Billy held his grip on his pepper spray can, the little can that might give him a few more days to live in the face of a knife-wielding maniac. He wanted to tell himself he was ready, but that would be bullshit. He wasn't ready, but he would do it anyway.
((Billy Trevino continued elsewhere))
So it sounded like they had a plan. Billy and Mackenzie would take the lead, and Kyle would support them and anyone that they found with his medical kit. He hoped that the supplies within would be enough, but since Billy and Mackenzie probably had kits of their own, considering he was pretty sure that they wouldn't just give one to him and no one else, that effectively tripled their supplies if they pooled them.
His hopes remained high. If he was lucky, he might be able to find one of his friends, like Violet or Claudeson. He knew that both of them would want to help save people. He couldn't imagine either of them actually stooping to the level that the terrorists wanted them to and killing anyone. It was just impossible. They were too good of people to ever consider something like that. Kyle knew it.
He looked back to the other two to find that they had already started moving towards their next destination. Clutching his bag tight to keep everything within safe and on hand, he hustled to catch up with them.
"Right behind you!"
(Kyle Harrison continued elsewhere...)
His hopes remained high. If he was lucky, he might be able to find one of his friends, like Violet or Claudeson. He knew that both of them would want to help save people. He couldn't imagine either of them actually stooping to the level that the terrorists wanted them to and killing anyone. It was just impossible. They were too good of people to ever consider something like that. Kyle knew it.
He looked back to the other two to find that they had already started moving towards their next destination. Clutching his bag tight to keep everything within safe and on hand, he hustled to catch up with them.
"Right behind you!"
(Kyle Harrison continued elsewhere...)