Looking Out for Number One

[Slam]

((B09: Jay Harland - Start))

If anyone else had been in the warehouse not long ago, they might’ve caught the faint echoes of Jay Harland’s mad mutterings. They were a mixture of curses, giggles and inelegant blubberings, none of which were even close to comprehensible.

He knew about this from the first time it happened, sure. National tragedies didn’t exactly fly under the radar, even for someone as self-absorbed as Jay. That, and going on as many creepypasta sites as he did meant it inevitably came up at times.

Well, Jay wasn’t going out like some punk ass bitch who spent all day weeping about how shitty the whole thing was. Yeah, he’d read some messed up details about what happened to the last kids: he had a morbid curiosity, so what? He knew what he was up against, but he wasn't scared, definitely not. Jay was the star athlete of PJ Hobbs, he was the next Pelé, he had everything he needed to kick some goddamn ass and go home.

He had a fucking net. It wasn’t that different from all the other nets that he’d found in the warehouse, but by god it was his net. And what did you do with a net? You caught some bitches, kicked the shit out of them, and that was plenty to start from.

So it was that he’d wound up hiding behind a conveniently dastardly stack of boxes, trap in hand, ready to ensnare anyone who was unfortunate enough to cross his path. He would’ve let out a nasty little laugh, but that would’ve given the game away.

There was still a persistent ringing in his ear, had been there since Mr. Dolph had his head blown off, but he could hear footsteps. Already, things were moving into place.

He wasn’t going out like a bitch, no sirree. He’d bet his life on it.

[jimmydalad]

((Saachi Nidal: Start))

((Permission to GM Net throwing given by Slam.))

All things considered, Saachi could've had a better start. For one thing, she woke up having no clue where she was. She needed to take a moment to recollect, all the harsh memories of the events that led them to this disaster replaying ominously in her mind. It had happened again. Never in a million years did Saachi think she would ever end up in this situation. Why would she? She was young, successful in her studies and all things considered had a bright future ahead. The reality that it was all taken away from her infuriated her to the point where she wanted to just scream. But she didn't. Not if she wanted to live. She couldn't. Instead, she tore up some of the grass around her, leaving the area behind her a messy patch of brown and green.

After taking the time to air out her frustrations in a way that didn't screw herself over, she knew she needed a game plan. Obviously, she was planning on winning. She wasn't going to let some terrorists just steal from her all of the sweat and tears she had put into her life. She was better than that. Having searched her bag to see what she had been given, she felt slightly relieved. She had a weapon. Something she could actually kill someone with should she need to. Granted, she had no idea what everyone else had, so she thought it best not to show her hand and didn't take the weapon out of her bag. She did leave it open for easier access should she need it.

A chilling thought.

Throughout this time, Saachi instinctively looked over her shoulder, only taking in the empty scenery that was intruded by an old building that looked like it was ready to fall apart. Someone could attack at any moment. Maybe they were hiding. A million possibilities buzzed through her as she tried to take an objective look at the situation. The first priority, get out of the middle of nowhere. Seeing no other shelter nearby, it made sense to go for the warehouse. If someone had a gun, she didn't want to be stuck without anything to hide behind. The fact that she saw no one was unsettling. It freaked her out how quiet it was. She needed to find someone, at least so that she knew that she wasn't alone.

Slinging her duffel bag over, she quickly took one last quick scan of the area before bolting for the warehouse. Was it a waste of energy? She didn't care. She just wanted to get somewhere safe.

Panting slightly at the entrance, she took a second to regain her breath. Almost immediately as soon as she stepped inside, a giant net flew out of nowhere.

"What the fuck!?" Saachi yelled angrily as she struggled to break out of the net. A thought came to her. Was she about to die? Before she even had a chance to do anything?

This definitely was not a good start.

[Slam]

“YEAH! GOT YOU BITCH!”

Jay bolted out, ramming his prey and shoving them to the ground. The game had only just started, and he already had the upper hand. Not wasting a moment, he kicked at the victim of his trap, putting his god-given soccer talents to good use.

He was grinning the whole time, those horribly feelings that he’d woken up with replaced by a sweet sense of adrenaline fuelled victory. Every time his foot connected, he felt just a little less helpless. He knew he had what it took, and already he was proving it. He was kicking some serious ass, he was doing some serious damage –

He was kicking a girl.

Oh.

He’d caught sight of Saachi’s face, and just as quickly the wind had been taken out of his sails. Awkward. Real awkward.

He stood there, not having a clue what to say. You didn’t beat up girls, that was just, like, basic not being a douche. Those rules from elementary school had stood the test of time, and he wasn’t about to get branded as someone who picked fights with girls. That was just skeezy as hell.

Damn it, he’d felt so hyped up too.

He groaned, embarrassed. “Shit, sorry. I thought – well, I didn’t know –“

He rubbed the back of his neck, face already turning even redder. Great, that’s what he needed to go with this day. First, Mr Dolph gets his head blown off, now he was looking stupid in front of a chick he was about to beat up with no plans of stopping. Nice.

“Do you need a hand?”

[jimmydalad]

Kick after kick smashed into her and Saachi's first instincts were to curl up into a ball. It didn't stop the pain. Each blow caused her to wheeze and yell and the net didn't make the situation any easier. Was this the fate she had? This couldn't be the end for her.

All of a sudden it stopped. What was going on? Saachi was afraid to look at first. What if she opened herself up to be kicked in the chest? She probably would vomit at that point. Her body was already aching all over. There probably were bruises too. Still, there didn't seem to be a second round of bludgeoning so she hesitantly uncurled to see what was going on.

Jay Harland. Really? That's who was beating her up? No wonder the kicks were so painful. Saachi had no good opinions about the kid. He was an annoying wannabee who was too arrogant for his own good and apparently he thought it'd be a good idea to stop kicking the heck out of someone when he had gotten them into a compromising position. Was he an idiot? Wait a minute, he was embarrassed? A look of incredulous-ness appeared on Saachi's face as she realized he was spluttering.

"Are you being serious?" Saachi deadpanned harshly in response to Jay's question. Wasn't this the same person who only a few seconds ago was trying to beat her to death? And now he wanted to help her? Saachi wasn't sure whether to feel grateful, furious or insulted. This guy must be crazy. She sat there for a moment, still trying to understand what was going on. Maybe she should just take it at face value. It was certainly better than being beat up.

"Yes, I would like a hand to get out of this net that you threw on me."

Saachi couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice as she began untangling the ropes. It was only now that she managed to get a look at what it was like inside. It was as decrepit as it looked outside. Cobwebs everywhere and the place looked like it had been slowly eroded by nature. She swore she saw some plants growing on the inside too.

"So." Saachi began as she continued to untangle the net. "What possessed you to throw a net and start randomly kicking me?"

[Slam]

“I said I was sorry, Christ!”

Grumbling all the way, Jay pulled the rest of the net off of Saachi. Stood there, he started turning it over in his hands, as he tried to avoid making too much eye contact whilst his lower lip was stuck out in a rather sour pout.

Now that the rush was gone, he was able to think surprisingly clearly compared to a few minutes ago. Maybe trying to jump the first person he’d seen with a net had been a bit of an overreaction, or at least kind of stupid. What was he going to do next, grow a moustache for twirling?

Given the circumstances though, it’s not like he didn’t have an excuse. And besides, forgetting the fact he’d caught a girl, his plan had actually worked really frickin’ well. A guy in that net would’ve been totally owned.

So, if anything, this was kind of Saachi’s fault.

He looked back at her, face dying down in shade but not really all that much. Not someone he hung out with, obviously, and not his type. Not because she was Indian or anything, just that she wasn’t much to look at, and was apparently kind of a bitch. Steer clear, dodge that bullet.

She was still waiting for an answer, and looking rather pissed whilst she was at it. Great.

“I just thought – I mean, I didn’t know you were a chick, ok? Let it go.”

[jimmydalad]

Saachi gave a curt nod towards Jay once she managed to fully untangle herself from the mess of ropes. It peeved her how pathetic he was acting now. Maybe if he owned it she wouldn't be so annoyed, but the fact he was so embarrassed by his actions irritated Saachi. She got caught out by this?

"Wait, you stopped because I was a chick?" Saachi responded, trying to hold back the in-credulousness in her voice. So the only reason she survived was that she didn't have a dick between her legs? Saachi clenched her hands tightly as she pushed herself off of the floor. God, she wanted to punch Jay in the face. This whole situation was so stupid. Still, she knew it probably wasn't the best idea. She wanted to avoid getting kicked around again.

"Ok, I'll 'let it go,'" Saachi said sardonically, moving towards the door. She wanted to leave. There was no indication that Jay wasn't going to completely lose his mind again and that would put Saachi's life at risk. Again. The only problem was she had nowhere to go. She was also still slightly in pain after the beatdown she received. She just wanted a bit of a rest. Content to be at the side of the entrance, she leaned against the wall to face Jay again.

"So, what's your plan Captain Ahab? Gonna stay here and hope you catch a dude this time?"

There was no way she was going to completely forgive Jay. He did try and kill her. That wasn't just something you could drop so easily. Saachi had to work hard to hide the irritation in her voice, crossing her arms and staring coolly at her former aggressor. The situation was weird and uncomfortable. She was conversing with a guy who tried to beat her to death with his feet. Should she be more angry? It was part of the game they were in. It didn't seem like he wanted to kill her now, but maybe that was just an act.

Just in case, Saachi eeked slightly closer to the door. She wanted a way out if the situation escalated.

[Slam]

“Well, I mean –“

Kind of, yeah.

Ugh, when she said it out loud it sounded so dumb. There was no reason for it to, it was a good plan, but damn it she had to go and ruin his great start. She even had the nerve to act all high and mighty about it too. It wasn’t like he couldn’t have totally kicked her ass if he wanted to, or wasn’t already in the middle of doing so.

Again, not cool to think like that, but still.

He looked at her, the crimson on his cheeks finally dying down as shame gave way to irritation. Damn it, he hated being at a loss for words.

“So, how about…”

School? Sports? What was Saachi into? What was good ice breaker territory in this context?

“All this? The whole terrorist - well, what’s happened anyway.”

Irritation was giving way to anxiety.

[jimmydalad]

Her words seemed to have an effect on him. That was good to know. Saachi still felt tense, even as Jay continued to talk to her. She was still a little shaken from how this all started. Waking up in the middle of nowhere to running into a warehouse and getting beat up by one of the biggest posers in school. That wasn't how things were supposed to go.

At least the situation had defused a little. She could still feel the awkwardness in the air, the two of them trying to connect on some level after the all the insane events that had happened. Judging from his answer, that was what his plan was. It was inelegant and stupid, but it somehow worked. He probably would've been able to really injure or possibly even kill a guy if it was them instead of her. That was a jarring thought.

"Ahh, yes."

His question had caused her to pause, biting her lip and looking down towards the floor. She didn't really know how to respond. She still felt a little cagey in what to tell Jay. Then again, she'd encountered no one else so far and had no idea how long it'd be until she did find someone else. They were on an island, after all. It probably was pretty big.

"This whole situation is messed up," Saachi said, her frows burrowed while still not looking at Jay. "I mean, we watched Mr. Dolph die. People aren't supposed to just die like that. It was so... unceremonious."

Just thinking back to the bus ride made Saachi feel queasy. She'd never seen someone get shot in real life. She doubted most kids her age would've. They didn't even get time to mourn for him before they were suddenly told that they were going into a killing game and were knocked out. Now? Mourning seemed to be foolish. All their lives were at risk and judging from Jay's actions, people were more than willing to play. Heck, she had been too. But that would mean more people dying like Mr. Dolph. Was that the reality that she had to accept?

"Are you playing the game then? I mean, you do want to survive, right?"

It was a question that probably didn't need to be asked. Of course, he was. He did just catch Saachi in a net after all. Saachi still wanted to hear his confirmation. Maybe to help justify playing the game herself. It seemed like a very harrowing process. If she wasn't alone, that made things much easier.

[Slam]

For some reason, Saachi’s question had thrown him off guard.

The answer was obvious: of course. Jay always played, and he always played to win. Which he often did, because, duh, Jay.

This wasn’t soccer though, no matter how much kicking was involved. Here it was a survival game, and his life was, he acknowledged, on the line. Dolph had already lost in the first minute, and that had been a bloody mess. He’d been right near the front of the bus, and he swore he got some brain on his jacket when it happened.

He gripped his arms. Christ, the movies had it all wrong.

He looked back at Saachi, realised how he was posed and corrected himself. A cocky, hands-on-hip bravado to keep her convinced that he had it all under control. He liked to think that was the case, too.

“I only play to win, duh. You’re just lucky I’m such a gentleman, otherwise you’d still be in the net.”

He showed her a grin, a vicious toothy grin that wouldn’t look misplaced on a dog that was giving you fair warning.

“What about you? I mean, no offense, but you’re not exactly tough looking. You going to scowl people to death?”

[jimmydalad]

She was glad to see that she wasn't the only one struggling with the concept of the game. She could see through his false sense of bravado almost immediately. Mostly because he tried shifting his attitude right in front of her. Smooth going, sailor. At least she could amuse him. That way she wouldn't have the net thrown over her again.

"Oh yeah, such a gentleman," Saachi whispered quietly to herself, holding back the urge to roll her eyes. Why did he look so fucking happy about it? Was he expecting her to thank him for being a so called gentleman? He still kicked her. If he had only caught her in the net, maybe she'd be a bit more forgiving.

"None taken."

That was a lie. She tried to put a fake smile for Jay. That seemed to be the most logical thing to do. His smile was unsettling. This game, in general, was unsettling, she reasoned with herself. She shouldn't be taken off-guard by some idiot whose best plan for winning the game was hoping that a guy would just wander in and get caught in his net. He did catch her, though. And his kicks did hurt a lot. Best not to poke the bear just yet.

"I plan on surviving. I'll find a way of doing so."

Saachi refused to say anything more on the matter. She knew she had a perfectly good way of killing people. She wasn't going to reveal that to him. They did reach an impasse. They both had stated their intentions to play. But, Saachi didn't want to kill him. He was only the first person she met. That, and he'd probably beat her in a straight-out fight. Standing up, her eyes casted over towards some discarded fishing nets that littered the room.

"Look, even though we're both playing the game, I'd rather we not kill each other," Saachi said, pushing herself off of the wall. "I mean, I am a lady, you are a gentleman and doing so would be rather rude. I promise not to do anything to jepordize your game. I hope you can extend the same to me."

She probably shouldn't approach him. That would leave her open to an attack. Instead, she decided to stand, her hand hovering over her open duffel bag. She'd rather not use that trump card, if she didn't have to. It paid to be careful, nonetheless.

"We could work together, or at least let me pick up one of the nets before I leave. They could come in handy."

At this point, Saachi was just throwing things at the wall. She wasn't sure how friendly Jay was feeling. Maybe he'd be open to working with a girl. That would mean one less player to worry about. If she was going to seriously play this game, she needed every advantage she could take. With Jay's confirmation, that solidified her decision on the path she needed to take. After all, if she didn't play, someone else probably would and that would lead to her dying. She refused to die. She had so much to live for. So much to achieve. So much responsibility on her shoulders. She wasn't going to let Danya or anyone else get in her way.

[Slam]

“Well, no, cause then you’re just copying my idea.”

It might have just been a bit of a silly thing to feel annoyed about it, but Jay did. Saachi was trying to act like his plan wasn’t all that, but now she wanted to rip it off? He’d heard right: she was a bitch.

Still, working together was a thought. He did have to do something about her eventually he supposed, but he still wasn’t about to beat up a girl. If he really wanted to, he could just tackle her now and get back to where they were a few minutes ago. There wasn’t a whole lot stopping him.

Despite the situation, he couldn’t bring himself to be comfortable with that. He’d have to cross that bridge later, but not right now.

A moment of thought crossed his mind, as he realised that the net had been assigned to him, rather than picked up from around here. So that must’ve meant Saachi had something of her own, something that, he coyly deduced, wasn't a net.

“What’ve you got, anyway? Tell you what, if it’s any good I’ll trade you one of these nets for it. Or if you want to work together, you can throw the net and I’ll do the kicking.”

He was still grinning, but the cracks were obvious. This was a far cry from hanging around some fish for a day.

[jimmydalad]

Looks like she wasn't going to be getting a net of her own anytime soon. That sucked. She resented the fact that Jay thought she was just mimicking his idea. His idea was stupid. At least Saachi would try and go somewhere else instead of just camping out here and hoping that Moby Dick would just suddenly waltz in.

He didn't immediately reject the offer to work together, she noticed. That was promising. She'd have to deal with him eventually, but right now, he could be an asset. He did catch her after all, so he can't be all stupid. He was obviously physically stronger than her, which could have its advantages. It would also mean sleeping with one eye open.

Damn, he asked about her weapon. She was hoping to avoid that topic. Was he just lying and trying to get information out of her? He didn't seem smart enough to ever pursue that venture. Still, that weapon was one of the only real advantages she had over the guy. The fact he was still grinning like a child still shook Saachi. It felt unnatural, considering the circumstances.

Saachi hesitated, her hand still hovering over the duffel bag. This felt like an important juncture. She could solidify an ally, even if it only was for the short term. That seemed important in a game with your life on the line. Then again, she'd have to kill him eventually. But that wasn't going to be for sometime. Maybe it was for the best to have someone she can sort of rely on not to kill her on sight.

"Ok, this is what I got." Saachi said hesistantly, withdrawing her meat cleaver from her bag. "If it's ok with you, I'd like to keep this. After all, you seem to have a better handle of throwing that net than I could ever do. If you throw the net, I can easily hack away at someone with this, even though I am a girl. It's sharp, after all."

No way was Saachi ever going to give away her weapon. She didn't have as good of a use for the net as Jay did. She was hoping for the best of both worlds, but that avenue seemed to have closed itself off before it even started. The weapon made her feel safe. It was something. Something that she physically had over others. Giving that away felt like giving away her life.

"I mean, I believe we can be a good team working together. Take turns on killing, that way we at least each get one."

She gave Jay an enigmatic smile. Let's see if she could actually make this work.

[Cake]

[B14: Kyran Dean - Restart]

Kyran Dean overheard the entire thing.


When he had woken up earlier that day, there was only faint light within the darkness. He'd stayed where he first sat up, mostly unmoving, memories of what had happened prior to his gas induced sleep, had begun to flow back in, as the resulting headache started to dissipate. He remembered the bus.

He liked Mr. Dolph. Mr. Dolph was the man who had helped him on trajectory for a career in animal sciences, recommending the Vet Tech Program for Kyran at the university and assisted him in applying for it. Along with Kyran's veterinarian mother, Mr. Dolph acted as sort of a mentor or guidance figure. This was the same man who suggested Kyran attend the field trip to the Aquarium as a learning experience, due to the subject being in a similar field for Kyran's college interests. It was an opportunity to plant the seeds for a set up on a potential internship for experience that would help him lay the ground work for future use in his career, he'd said.

One moment he'd taken charge up front speaking to that inhuman bastard, who had put them here, the next he was on the ground, reduced to a cadaver sickeningly pulsating on the bus floor.

Now, Mr. D, as Kyran used to call him, was gone and Kyran thought about smashing that nearby chair onto the surface of the table he was leaning on, splinter it and break it in half, before eventually sending the chair soaring then crashing across the room. But no, he couldn't muster the strength nor energy, to move himself from the spot. So, there he sat in near absolute silence, only the darkness keeping him company, or so he thought.

From taking a glance at the shadows and outlines, around which he sat, he'd guessed he was in the far end of some kind of building, perhaps an old warehouse, with cobwebs lining the corner of the ceiling right above him. For a while he remained, cross legged, head laying back against the side of the table, between two bags, one a cylindrical duffel with the caption "B14", the other, a carrying case, vaguely guitar shaped, but not quite. It was probably the assigned weapon which he remembered being talked about, but he didn't bother to check.

He had been convincing himself that nothing would happen, that no one would give in. For a tiny moment, he spent holding the heart shaped pendant in the center of palm, the necklace his mother gave him earlier that year. In his mind, he recited to himself over and over again.

They wouldn't do that. They wouldn't. But no, he was wrong.

He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to, but it was real, he knew what he heard. He didn't just imagine the two voices, or the part where the girl told the boy that they should take turns killing. Take turns killing. Already they were resorting to this. The commotion further up front of the warehouse had alerted him at first. There was screaming, yelling, what sounded like a struggle of some sort and now an eerie conversation.

He had gotten up, hoisting his two packs, over the shoulder, practically tip-toeing his way to the entrance side through what pretty much amounted to a maze of empty boxes, in order to get a better listen on the discussion and find out who they were. What he overheard stunned him. The content of what they spoke of overwhelmed Kyran's desire to identify the voices of whom they belonged. They'd made a plan, not to organize a way to save their classmates, but to join forces in order to - win.

Win. Like this was some kind of game. Like it wasn't an act of terrorism.

Kyran waited behind stacks of shelves, lined with boxes. He controlled his breath, sizing up the silhouettes of the two kids before him, trying to figure out who they were, secretly hoping that they'd just leave. He couldn't help but roll his hands into fists, letting his knuckles crack on instinct.

[Slam]

“Wait, what?”

He looked at the meat cleaver in her hand. Looked at the net in his.

WHAAAAAAAT.

“How’s that fair? You get that, and I get a frickin’ net, like one of the millions lying around here?!”

Man, screw terrorists. Couldn’t even play fair at their own game.

Oh right, she had a plan or something stupid like that. A plan that involved taking turns killing. Tag, you're it.

If he wasn’t so distracted by how rigged the whole thing was, he might’ve been just a bit more unsettled. He’d just been planning on kicking all kinds of ass, but this bitch was already thinking about hacking people up and expecting him to too. Yeesh.

Still, that was what the game was about. It was sick, but it was the game.

“Let’s start with just catching people. Then you can do whatever, Chop Susie.”

Did that make sense? Given the circumstances, it didn’t really have to. Either way, she could pop that cherry first if she was so keen to do it.

“So what, do you want to wait around and see if someone else shows up?”

[jimmydalad]

Saachi chuckled at Jay's reaction. It was certainly unexpected. She thought he'd be a little less animated about the whole thing, but his exasperation made Saachi feel better about the situation.

"Hey, it's not my fault they like me more than you. If you have a complaint, do so if you win."

It wasn't like he was ever going to win, but at least she could let him think he was. Was he someone Saachi could take to the end and beat? At the moment, probably not. He was stronger, even if the only weapon he had was a net. He'd already proven to her the potential lethality he could wield. That probably wasn't going to be the same later on. If they killed more kids, they'd probably pick up better weapons. Maybe even guns. At that point, theoretically, anyone could win.

"Sure thing, Captain Ahab."

Really? Chop Susie? Saachi's eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets. Guess they were going with nicknames now, huh? Her name was a bit inelegant, but there were probably more pressing things to worry about than silly names.

"I guess we can-" Saachi began before stopping herself as she heard the sound of cracking knuckles. That wasn't Jay. That wasn't her. Was someone else here? She'd been by the entrance this whole time, so there was no way someone could just sneak on by. Did Jay bother to check if anyone else was in the warehouse or was he too caught up in his neanderthalian plan to capture someone? From what little she knew of Jay, it was probably the latter.

"Did you hear that?" Saachi stated quickly, her eyes already scanning the area. "There's someone else here."

Crap, they didn't have time to think up a plan. Where the hell did that sound come from? Was she going crazy? She swore she heard something. She looked around. God, there were so many boxes everywhere. It was so easy for someone to hide. Why was Jay so stupid to not even bother checking the area he woke up in? She needed to keep composed, cause there was no way in hell Jay was.

"Let's find them."

This could be their first victim. Time to see what they could do.