Second Verse, Same As The First

[KamiKaze]

((Felicia LaChapelle continued from In Hindsight, This Was a Terrible Idea))

Felicia didn't do too much the past... two days or so? Was that how long it was?

Good news: Bailey's name didn't come up.

Bad news: Chris', Tori's, Zora's, and of course Gerald's did.

Her ex-boyfriend. Killed someone. Tori, and Zora were dead. She watched Gerald die.

And it wasn't that she betrayed Bailey, now that she thought of it. If anything, Bailey betrayed her. She acted rashly, certainly. But you know what? So was Felicia.

It pained her in both senses of the word, what happened. She missed Gerald, and she... didn't know how she felt about Bailey.

She didn't want to see anyone, talk to anyone. It was the Program. She should have seen this coming. She kept telling herself that she was only delaying the inevitable, but now the inevitable has come.

Felicia LaChapelle still was, in her personal opinion, an idiot.


There was never a point in her life where Felicia thought she could live through the Program if she was on it. Felicia had always been a good student, and she was athletic, certainly. What it came down to was, though, Felicia was too nice. She abhorred violence most of the time. Not only that, but she wasn't particularly militaristic. She hated how America obsessed over it.

Heck, she could actually remember what her first Announcement Day was like. Everyone had tried to comfort her, saying it was unlikely Patriot High would be picked, much less her. But she could still vividly remember how frozen to her seat she was when the names were called.

After the Announcements were over and everyone had to go back to class, Felicia had ran to the bathroom and thrown up. She didn't want to admit it was over the Program, so she just said she was having stomach issues. Eventually she had to go home early that day.


Felicia wasn't built for the Program. She didn't want to join the military, or die fighting pointlessly for America. She saw what happened to Brandon. He was alright physically. But his letters came in less frequently. She was always so scared for him.

In a more idealistic time, part of her wanted to become a politician, just so that someone would at least try to fix things that were clearly wrong with America. She didn't hate America. In fact, she loved America. It was where she grew up, and there were some genuinely nice things about it. But as she looked more into politics, there was no good justification for something like the Program, for example.

The bottom line was, she was scared out of her wits. Who was even alive anymore? She didn't even want to know. Chris had killed someone, and Tori, Zora, Erin, Yumi, Gerald, and who knew who else was gone.


And so, Felicia spent a long time in the house, refusing to come out. She had managed to use the first aid kit to patch her leg up as best as she could by disinfecting it and bandaging it up, but she still could barely walk. The gunshot wound had done a number on her leg, and it still ached with each step.

Eventually, though, she had to leave.

The reasons were simple: she was getting hungry and thirsty.

It was odd. Felicia had considered tugging at her collar or yelling at the camera again, multiple times. And yet, here she was, looking for something to quell her thirst and hunger.

So she pulled herself out of bed, and decided to go out on an ad-

She wasn't even going to call it that.

Anyways, she decided to head out for food. It was painful, walking with her injury, and she felt somewhat tired, probably because of a mixture of bloodloss, hunger, and stress. But she had to go get something.

Eventually, she had left the town altogether, and was soon on the path shortly after.

This was where she gave Bailey her scarf, right? Ha. What good did that do?

With a bitter sigh, she sat down on a large rock, resting her leg. Was it infected? She didn't even know. And she didn't feel like checking.

Felicia tiredly looked off into the distance, as a cold wind breezed past. She had no idea where to go, what to do now.

[Sideliner*]

(Lenny Osborne continued from 100.9 Degrees)

Lenny took odd steps to a patch of flat land, a welcome difference from the plenty of uneven slope he had just stumbled his way over. Plopping down like a baby taking their first steps, catching his breath, he laid there on his back, things still in his hands, eyes closed.

He then thought, why did I just do that, again?

He came up with a reason, he knew that. Couldn't have been that long, maybe an hour or two ago. Was it to get a better view of things? This place was pretty high up, but everything would probably look like ants from up here. Well, not ants, maybe, but they'd look pretty unrecognizable. He sat up, set his bag in front of him, and reached in for one of those bottles of water he saw earlier. Maybe a drink would get his brain going.

[Aura]

((Brian Meyerhold Callison continued from Destiny Makes A Fool Out Of You And Me))

Brian was done running. He was pretty sure that if anyone had tried to follow him, then they would have given up by now. He had come quite a ways from the ruins, and had found his way to a crumbling pathway. He checked his map and deduced that he was on the mountain track. Not sure where to go from there, he decided that he would just follow the path until he found someone or something. As long as he didn't run into Louisa again, he would be fine.

As he walked down the path, various thoughts went through his mind. He thought about the Program, of course, but he also thought about his plans, about where Damien might be, about how he needs to find more food soon, and last but not least, about Felicia. He actually hadn't thought about Felicia for a while, since he and Damien had teamed up, in fact. Apparently he had been too busy to think of such trivial matters, because he had almost forgotten about her. He remembered meeting up with her on the first day, though. He remembered how Felicia had argued with him and acted generally annoyed by him. Of course, he had been staring at her backside, so that might have been a little justified on her part.

As Brian continued his march, he saw someone sitting on a rock up ahead. From what he could make out, they had curly blonde hair and a rather lean build. As he walked closer, the figure became more clear, and he began to realize exactly who the person sitting by the path was.

It was Felicia.

Brian's face lit up. He had a chance to get Felicia on his side once again. This time, he knew that he wouldn't make any uncouth decisions like he had previously, oh no. This time he was going to do it right. He was fully intent on aligning himself with Felicia. He cheerfully jogged over to her. He was incredibly cold without his jacket, but he ignored it the best he could as he greeted her.

"Felicia! It's so nice to see you again!"

[KamiKaze]

As Felicia sat, she closed her eyes and leaned forward.

She was going to die here. And she knew it. And then what? She'd be dead.

There was no way her leg would last for very much longer without being infected or something. She was sure she was going to be attacked again. Food and water were an issue.

Her mouth felt very sore from dehydration. There was still that part of her that wanted food and water. Really, you couldn't help but want something to eat and drink. Sadly, her food was diminishing and her water was gone, but where was she going to get it? There had to be a water source somewhere. And food, too. Felicia didn't think she could steal any, but there had to be some kind of natural resource.

Felicia was stuck in her own thoughts for a while, feeling out of it still.


And then someone called her name.

Warily, she lifted up her head, and she saw the last person she wanted to see here.

Callison. Callison, the man who had hit on her first thing. Callison, the man who was racist towards Gerald. Callison, who murdered sweet little Yumi Nunes.

Callison. Who was here. Covered in blood.

Felicia froze as he approached. It wasn't like last time where he was simply being rude and inappropriate. Instead, it was a bigger issue. He was clearly, well, gone.

What's worse was, he was still apparently infatuated with her! The only thing worse than sharing a space with what was apparently murderous psychopath was one that was attracted to you. Whatever was going to happen, it wasn't going to be good.

Felicia felt her hands grip, and she tried to rack her brain on what she could do. Her mind wasn't as good, but frankly, if she had been feeling better, she'd think of something good.

Part of her wanted to run, but where? And how, with her leg? She didn't have much to defend herself. All she really had was her voice. Would Callison be talked down, though?

What she said wasn't too good an idea, but it was what she had thought of first thing. Her voice came out weak, hoarse.

"Go away."

[KamiKaze]

Felicia shook her head.

"No... go away", she said more firmly.

She wanted to scream, to shout at the top of her lungs. But she didn't have much strength, even for that. The gunshot had done a number on her, and her dehydration and thirst was only making it worse.

Callison could do anything. He was a murderer. Poor little Yumi Nunes. And that blood seemed... fresh. She didn't know who it belonged to. So at least one person was gone she knew was gone because of him, and possibly more that weren't announced yet.

Her mind fatigued, she continued shaking her head.

"I mean it."

Instinctively she reached up to her neck, touching her collar. Her breath raced, her heart racing.

Her mind hadn't been doing so well, being alone and knowing there were murderers about, as well as knowing that everyone who had grown up with had started killing, had been killed, or both.

She didn't want to let anyone down. Maxim and Louisa were still alright. Chris had killed, though. And what about Bailey? She had clearly lost it.

What did she have to gain? Callison killing her?

Frightened tears came to her eyes, and she braced herself.

In her mind's haze, the only thing to stop Callison from hurting her amounted to being the one to do it first. If Felicia had been feeling better, she would have come to a better decision.



Felicia LaChapelle was once a very bright woman. She knew what could be known about America's policies like the back of her hand. There were many things wrong about America, but also right. She could never truly hate America. But there were many things she knew she couldn't stand behind.

She wasn't a bad writer, either. Even if the magazine rejected her, there was some things good about her writing. She wasn't perfect, but she did have her good moments. It's just that sometimes, stories about dragons are hard to tell differently.

Felicia had many friends, and a few boyfriends. The latter made people dislike her, and while she hated it, she tried her hardest to move past it. Teenagers were teenagers, after all, and will tell stories about what you've done with the football team regardless of their truth.

Her brother was out to war. Her beloved brother. It would take about four years for him to return home. And what then? They would be a family again, of course. He would be alright.



Unlike her.



She closed her eyes again. Maybe it would feel better if she did. It was either this or Callison. Even if she escaped from him, there was still the elements and other players out there. She knew she couldn't make it. She knew she couldn't defend herself.



Felicia did the first thing she thought of.





She pulled.


Female Student #03 Felicia LaChapelle- ELIMINATED

[MurderWeasel]

((Alexander Bonham continued from Destiny Makes A Fool Out Of You And Me))

Alexander kept up a fast pace, but not one that would tire him out. It was logic that would carry this day, logic and integrity, because they were what was unique to those students who had kept their senses about them. They were his weapons, just as much as the rifle he now carried.

He had paused for a few minutes to fumble through reloading it. He held few illusions about its efficacy at anything beyond shooting a still target at point-blank range. Maxim had been lucky indeed to connect when he had, and Alexander did not intend to rely on luck. Having the gun loaded was useful more as a deterrent or a trick. If he had to, he could likely use its threat to set up a shot, telling any potential target to stand still or he'd open fire, when in fact it was stillness that would lead to their downfall.

These were cynical stratagems, but this was a cynical time and place, and Alexander was done pretending otherwise. He'd coaxed Maxim back from the brink, and maybe he would find others who could be brought around the same way. He held out hope for this, held hope that perhaps even Brian could be turned, but he did not have any real faith in any such potential outcome. Probably, the only way Brian could be truly trusted would be to injure him sufficiently so that he would be totally reliant on aid to survive, rendering him unable to continue attempting to make it out in the traditional way. Breaking one of his knees would probably be the best and most merciful option; it would doom him entirely in the context of the Program, but was an easy enough injury to recover from with medical treatment, and was not life-threatening in the event they had to fall back on one of Alexander's contingency plans.

Of course, odds were Brian would object to being treated in such a way. Maybe they'd have to kill him. That thought was not such a troubling one anymore. Maxim had attempted full-blown murder, yet had retained his humanity well enough. Chris had killed Garritt, and while it was clearly not easy on the boy, he was powering on. Anything they did to Brian was on less shaky moral ground than those other incidents, and Alexander was a more logical and stable person than Maxim or Chris. He had the fortitude to go through with his choices, too, unlike Louisa.

He stood at the base of the path, looking up, when the sound of the explosion came, echoing off the valley walls and dislodging small rocks, which tumbled down the slope and kicked up clouds of dust visible even in the near-dark. Perhaps Alexander's night vision had just adjusted especially well. He adjusted his hair behind his ears and shifted back and forth a little. His heart rate was accelerating, almost everything telling him he had to hurry, that something awful had happened and he had to rush in as quickly as possible to save anyone he could.

His logic held him back. It told him that an explosion meant that something bad had happened, past tense, and anyone who'd been on the wrong end was probably beyond help. It told him to proceed, yes, by all means see if people could be helped, but do so with a little bit of restraint and caution.

This was the impulse he followed, starting his way up the path, keeping his eyes and ears peeled and moving at a good rate but never quickly enough to risk taking a tumble. He'd have a better view once he rounded the first corner. He wasn't entirely sure if Chris and Louisa were nearby, but he didn't have time to wait and see. He was confident enough he could handle anything he might face on his own, anyways.

[Sideliner*]

bang

A sound from far off floated into Lenny's ears. He put down the bottle and twisted its cap back in. Shoving it into the bag, Lenny started turning around, still holding onto his two closest friends on the island. Was it there, he thought, looking off into the remaining trail.

Lenny's left foot took a step back, but he caught himself and placed it forward, slamming it down on the dirt like a sledgehammer to a giant nail. He forced his right foot to the same, then the left again, then the right again, left, right, left, right, and soon, they were moving with no stiffness at all. Lenny fluidly walked up the road, not knowing where he would go, but knowing where he should go.

[Deamon]

((Chris Brooks continued from Destiny Makes A Fool Out Of You And Me))

Chris' run came to an end when he heard an explosion. It was followed by the sound of rock falling down the path, everything echoed through the silence of the still night air. Chris was sure that the sound had brought everyone nearby to a standstill. It was a dangerous situation he was about to walk into. Chris had no idea whether the explosion had been the beginning of the violence or the end of it. He could make out Alex just ahead of him through the darkness.

Chris had been a little way behind him the whole time, he hadn't wanted to waste his energy by racing to catch up with Alex and so instead had settled on keeping him in sight. It had been a decent pace and they'd made good time to the mountain path. Chris wasn't sure if Louisa had followed them but that wasn't important at the moment. The explosion was the focus of his attention. His fingers found the e-tool that he had been carrying in the pouch of his hoodie. Something bad was on the way that was for sure. It was the only way the course of action they had chosen could end. Chris had no illusions, Callison wasn't going to stop what he was doing just because they wanted him to. The road they were on led to the death of Callison. It was just a case of who was going to kill him.

Chris had the strong feeling that it was going to be Alex, he'd seemed determined when they had left the ruins and now the explosion. If Callison had been involved with it and another person had been hurt or killed because of him, well there was only one way Chris saw that ending. The night had continued to be still in the wake of the explosion. Chris' own breathing was quiet but he could feel his body gearing itself up for a fight. Adrenaline was starting to flow through it and Chris knew that was both a good thing and a bad thing. On the one hand his body would be prepared for any fight he may have found himself in, on the other hand he was more likely to make stupid mistakes. At least he wasn't angry as well.

Alex had started to move up the path and Chris quickly jogged to close the gap. He slowed down once he was actually on the path because it was steep and he didn't want to fall, he still moved quickly though, he wanted to at least make sure he was close by to Alex. He slowly pulled the entrenching tool out of the pouch and flipped it open. Alex probably had probably heard the familiar sound and assumed that Chris was behind him but Chris still didn't feel like accidently getting shot if everything broke down.

"Just so you know, I'm right behind you." He whispered to Alex. "Not sure where Louisa is though."

Chris did feel more than a little guilty for leaving Louisa behind. He knew that if it was Felicia he would have stayed with her, but he couldn't avoid playing favourites and it would be better for everyone else if they stopped Callison. If Louisa had followed them than fine there was no problem with that. Chris wasn't sure she would be able to last on her own though. She seemed to have been crushed by Maxim's death. He would have to remind Alex that they had to check on the ruins if she hadn't followed them. If she got hurt or killed because they'd left her behind Chris knew it would only make things worse.

But for now the explosion was their biggest concern and Chris continued to make his way up the path, if Callison was the cause of it...well he had probably signed his own death warrant judging by the way Alex had been speaking earlier. Chris tightened his grip on the e-tool. He didn't know what was up ahead and he didn't want to be caught off guard.

[Laurels]

((Louisa Bloom continued from Destiny Makes a Fool Out of You and Me))

Louisa had sincerely hoped she hadn't lost Alex and Chris. They had a head start, but she prayed that she wasn't running in a completely different direction. She hadn't seen anyone else since she left the Scorched Ruin, but that still made her terrified. There had to be around twenty students left, and any of them could start playing. She needed to be careful, so she kept the Beretta in her hand at all times.

Louisa soon noticed that she was getting close to a mountain, as the ground was beginning to rise. It didn't look like the slope where Gwen died, so she was pleased that she wouldn't have to revisit that site.

Louisa slowed her pace and began to move closer to the path. She could make out two figures ahead of her, two figures she desperately hoped were Alex and Chris.

Okay, let's be careful. Alex has a gun now, so try not to be too-

Louisa then heard a loud popping sound. She let out a small cry and jumped in place. It sounded like a bomb went off somewhere.

Wait, they said these collars were designed to explode. Oh god.

Louisa began to move closer to the two figures. If they were Alex and Chris, they might need the help in case the source of the explosion was something dangerous.

[Aura]

"Go Away."

Felicia told him to leave. Brian wasn't quite sure what had gotten into her. Sure, when they last met, they didn't leave off on the best of terms, but wasn't that what reunions were about, reconciling differences and all that jazz? He wasn't going anywhere. He had waited to see her again, and he wasn't going to be driven away.

"No... go away."

Brian stayed still, neither foot moving an inch, looking directly at Felicia. Who was she to tell him to leave, anyway? He was the class president, the son of a great American businessman! If anything, he should be telling her to leave! However, he wouldn't do such a thing, as he still had much to talk to her about.

"I mean it."

Felicia sounded more and more persistent... or was that desperate... every time she spoke. She clearly wanted to be alone, but barring certain circumstances, that was virtually a death sentence in the Program. It was in her best interests to go with him, and he wasn't moving from that spot until she calmed down and let him explain.

A few moments later, Felicia reached up to her collar, and before Brian could react, she pulled it. The resulting explosion has very loud and sent out a shockwave that left Brian momentarily disoriented. Felicia's head was completely destroyed in the blast, splattering Brian with blood, bits of bone, and brain matter. Just like that, Felicia LaChapelle was gone.

Brian took a few moments to regain his composure after the blast. He now had a headache and his ears were ringing from the loud noise. His clothes were now even more covered in gore than they were before, making him look more like an insane murderer than a future politician. Once his mind was back on track, he looked at the headless corpse on the ground. Felicia, the girl who had occupied his fantasies for quite some time, was lying dead at his feet. Looking at her, there was only one thought running through Brian's mind about the dead girl.

Pretty face and a beautiful body. Shame she had to go so soon.

Brian's attention turned to the jacket she had been wearing. He had been going without a jacket ever since Louisa forced him to give his up, and Felicia clearly didn't need hers anymore, so he figured that he was fully within his rights as an American to take it. He worked at removing the jacket from the corpse, pulling the arms out of the sleeves as quickly as possible to reduce the chance of being seen. Once both arms were free, Brian pulled the jacket out from under the corpse and checked it. The jacket had some bloodstains, mostly concentrated around the collar, but that was purely a cosmetic issue, not something that would affect the jacket's functionality. Feeling another cold breeze coming, he slipped it on. As an added bonus, the jacket was still warm from its previous owner.

Perfect.

Brian smiled. He had a new jacket. All he needed now was a new weapon and he would be back in top form.

[MurderWeasel]

Alexander glanced over his shoulder when Chris spoke, then nodded to acknowledge him. Another figure was approaching, one about the right height and build to be Louisa. That was for the best. If they were all together, they would be better prepared to face any threats they encountered, and Alexander could deal with the dangerous elements while at the same time keeping his allies safe. As long as Louisa and Chris could control themselves, it would be alright.

"Good," he said, quietly. "Let's head up the path, see what we can find. Keep quiet, keep quick, but most of all keep safe. The slope here can be tricky. Don't be afraid to take it a little slower if you have to; the path doesn't really branch, so you'll catch up with me."

That said, he started moving again, steps quick and light. It was harder going uphill than down, but only a little bit. He still made pretty good progress, the whole time keeping his eyes open and his ears peeled for anything unusual. He knew there would be at least one person nearby, probably more.

Around a couple bends, Alexander found what he was looking for, kind of. He thought he could see a couple figures on the path ahead, a decent distance between them. He couldn't get a good look, but he didn't need one. There wasn't any way someone could slip past him and Chris and Louisa, and if they went up the path, he'd be able to follow along.

He didn't call out, this time, just held the rifle at the ready and kept closing in, keeping close to the wall and trying to maintain a little stealth. He wasn't too worried about being noticed, though. Odds were, he could control the situation.

[Sideliner*]

His pace was slow, but smooth, quickening by the minute, cutting a determined, but clueless path through the night. Son of a bitch, Lenny thought. They didn't even give us a flashlight or...wait, didn't Shawn or whoever have a flashlight?

Lenny set down his stick, reached in, felt something lengthy and angled. His fingers played their way up and down the thing and suddenly, there was light pointing up into the sky. Lenny laughed and smiled, but the smile slowly passed away and he held his face in his other palm. Setting the bag over his shoulder and taking the stick, Lenny walked on, his flashlight giving a much better

Callison. Callison. Callison, who wore a dark red jacket and was covered in familiar bits of meat.

Lenny screamed the moment he came into view.

[Deamon]

Alex laid out his plan for their approach. Basically move quickly and quietly but don't fall over. They seemed fairly safe climbing the path since it only went straight up and it didn't branch off at any point, so it would be impossible for them to lose each other. Chris took a look over his shoulder to see if Louisa had decided to follow them and saw that a figure was starting to make their way up the path. That was most likely Louisa so Chris didn't need to feel as guilty as he had been, since they hadn't actually left her behind.

Climbing the path was a tense experience. Mainly because Chris had no idea what was waiting for them when they reached the top, or if someone would run down the hill in a panic or frenzy. The silence was eerie as well, the lack of noise after the explosion wasn't a good sign it most likely meant that someone had died from it. The only thing Chris could hear was the three of them climbing the path. It didn't feel right. Someone should have been making noise but there was nothing. Unless everyone involved in the explosion had died that meant they would either just find a body or find someone looting a body. It wasn't looking like a good situation either way.

Eventually they reached the top of the path. Alex raised his gun a little more to ensure he was prepared. Chris did the same thing with his e-tool. He flipped it out so that he could quickly strike someone with it if he had too. Peeking around Alex he could see at least two people. They were a fair distance away, they'd be able to close it quickly if need be too, plus Alex and Louisa had guns.

Then a scream ripped through the still air. Chris tensed up, that was a very bad sign.

He moved up next to Alex, making sure to stay low just in case and spoke, keeping his voice at a whisper.

"I think we have to make our move or someone could get hurt."

[Laurels]

Thankfully, it was Alex and Chris before her. The two acknowledged her briefly, before Alex explained that they needed to move up the path. Louisa kept her Beretta to her side as she followed the two boys. They began to move up the path, something Louisa found slightly frightening. She wasn't terrified of heights, but there was something about being stuck on a strip of land high above the ground at night and with a possible killer down the road that was upsetting.

As they moved along, they soon heard a loud scream. Louisa tried to make sure she didn't let out any noise. Something dangerous was happening down the path. Alex and Chris were already getting their weapons. Louisa decided to do the same, holding her Beretta up and turning the safety off.

Okay, try to be careful. You can't shoot Alex or Chris, but you might have to shoot someone else. Just don't lose control like you did earlier. This is where you might have to act.

Louisa stayed close to the boys. She couldn't lose anyone else.

[Aura]

Brian was happy. He had a nice, warm jacket and was on his way to getting back in the game. All he needed now was a weapon, and then he would be all set. He supposed that he could get a decently sized rock to use in the meantime, preferably one with sort of a rough point in order to maximize the impact of a blow. The thoughts that breezed through his head were becoming second nature to him. He was planning ways to kill his classmates just like he had planned for campaign strategies back home.

Suddenly he heard a scream. A very loud scream that came from nearby. He turned around to see Lenny Osborne shining a flashlight on him. Lenny had always seemed like a good sort, a fine member of the Minutemen and a good American. Why was he screaming? Had the Program gotten to him? Well, since almost half their classmates had died by this point, it only made since that the weaker-willed students would start to go a little bit crazy. Brian put up his arm to shield his eyes from the beam of the flashlight and called out to Lenny.

"Lenny! Lenny! Calm down! You're making a fool of yourself!"