"Basically what the Ajay dude just said, don't think we would want any early casualties now, amirite?" Jaxon agreed with Ajay, despite thinking the exact opposite. A few minutes ago, he wouldn't mind if a chaotic shootout happened between the newcomer and the group. More deaths, less competition, and possibly a crap ton of loot for him to keep.
The only problem was he was now one of them. And the last thing he wanted while being involved in a battle royale game was to get immediately killed minutes after starting.
He didn't raise up his hand either. I mean, why should he? As much as he believed, if he was given some shitty weapon like a bag of leaves, chances were whoever who's lucky enough to get a firearm did not have the experience to use it.
Instead, he crossed his arms and stood still. The breeze was getting colder, and his outfit wasn't helping.
"Jaxon, from Malaysia." He gave a brief introduction, following both Rainbow and Ajay.
Welcome to the Mortuary
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Moderator: SOTF International Staff
Seychelle had move through the island for this?
She blinked once.
Twice.
She kept her eyes on the posse, blowing her dread swag from her eye. They weren’t playing? That was... odd. She had expected everyone to play. Perhaps, she was wrong.
She lowered her gun, but not her eyes.
“Seychelle.” She had a deep French accent when she spoke in English, especially when she was nervous. “Trinidad-et-Tobago. Français?”
She had moved through the island, and suddenly, she wanted to walk through it again.
She blinked once.
Twice.
She kept her eyes on the posse, blowing her dread swag from her eye. They weren’t playing? That was... odd. She had expected everyone to play. Perhaps, she was wrong.
She lowered her gun, but not her eyes.
“Seychelle.” She had a deep French accent when she spoke in English, especially when she was nervous. “Trinidad-et-Tobago. Français?”
She had moved through the island, and suddenly, she wanted to walk through it again.
Philia slinged the rifle on her back fully. God this thing was fucking heavy. She pushed the punky hair from her eyes. Tents, a few people, of all shapes, sizes, colors. Philia is nervous from all these people being here.
Oh, yeah, and also the gun.
"Philia. Cyprus. Nicosia, specifically. Good place, I guess. Never met someone from Botswana and South Africa." She motioned to the others.
"We all cool?" Philia would take this moment to size up her 'competitors' for this deathmatch. Seychelle looked quite a threat, well, kinda. Philias more scared of the gun, honestly. "Trinidad, Botswana, Malaysia. An inclusive deathmatch! At least the people who run the game are woke." A laugh track plays in Philias head.
Ha.
Ha ha.
Oh, yeah, and also the gun.
"Philia. Cyprus. Nicosia, specifically. Good place, I guess. Never met someone from Botswana and South Africa." She motioned to the others.
"We all cool?" Philia would take this moment to size up her 'competitors' for this deathmatch. Seychelle looked quite a threat, well, kinda. Philias more scared of the gun, honestly. "Trinidad, Botswana, Malaysia. An inclusive deathmatch! At least the people who run the game are woke." A laugh track plays in Philias head.
Ha.
Ha ha.
Botswana.
South Africa.
Malaysia.
Trinidad and Tobago.
And Cyprus.
That was five different countries on four different continents, from five incredibly different looking people. Rainbow couldn't even begin to wrap her head around what they could even begin to have in common - she was smart, but only at school. School smarts and real-world smarts were different bands, and that didn't even take into account the dulcet tones of adult smarts, which was a different genre altogether.
They all spoke English, as evident by the fact that they could all answer her question. They all seemed to be school students. But she couldn't think of anything else, or at least anything important. If there was a venn diagram that encompassed them all and not just handfuls of them, Rainbow's mind couldn't draw it.
So she idled in place, mostly looking at the ground as she thought.
"Hmm. So, is there...anything we could have in common? If anyone has any ideas at all..."
Friends at home would always jokingly add 'speak now, or forever hold your peace' to the end of open-ended statements like that, but Rainbow didn't want to press her luck. She wanted to hold the peace as long as possible. There was a lot they needed to know, ideas she needed to put forth if this went nowhere, and considering where she was, she didn't think she had enough luck to push in that regard.
South Africa.
Malaysia.
Trinidad and Tobago.
And Cyprus.
That was five different countries on four different continents, from five incredibly different looking people. Rainbow couldn't even begin to wrap her head around what they could even begin to have in common - she was smart, but only at school. School smarts and real-world smarts were different bands, and that didn't even take into account the dulcet tones of adult smarts, which was a different genre altogether.
They all spoke English, as evident by the fact that they could all answer her question. They all seemed to be school students. But she couldn't think of anything else, or at least anything important. If there was a venn diagram that encompassed them all and not just handfuls of them, Rainbow's mind couldn't draw it.
So she idled in place, mostly looking at the ground as she thought.
"Hmm. So, is there...anything we could have in common? If anyone has any ideas at all..."
Friends at home would always jokingly add 'speak now, or forever hold your peace' to the end of open-ended statements like that, but Rainbow didn't want to press her luck. She wanted to hold the peace as long as possible. There was a lot they needed to know, ideas she needed to put forth if this went nowhere, and considering where she was, she didn't think she had enough luck to push in that regard.
"Wouldn't call it woke that some redcoat cunt pulls all of us out of our homes to die for science and entertainment." Ajay put his hands on his hips, had to have a giggle at the girl with the moderately better gun control. Least other gal weren't pointing it at them anymore though. "Maybe buzzfeed can tell us why that's a good thing, but I'm not too convinced, no?" Kinda sketch about this whole thing. Union Jack speaking like part of the queen's royalty, taking everyone from around the world to kill each other.
"Fucking hell we're from all over, aren't we?" Britman took people from America, Botswana, Trinidad and Tobagan, Malaysia, Cyprus, and Saf-Africa. Ajay didn't even know where Trinidad or Tobago was at, come to think of it, he wasn't familiar with Cypress neither. Rainbow mentioned if anyone had anything in common. Everyone was dressed like schoolgirls or boykies for one. Why them in particular though? At first Ajay thought that maybe it was a random occurrence, wrong time wrong place, but maybe, if all of them were school graders, everyone on this island was.
That's kind of disturbing, but...
"I think... Kay, this might sound a bit dof, but did any of you piss anyone off in particular?"
"Fucking hell we're from all over, aren't we?" Britman took people from America, Botswana, Trinidad and Tobagan, Malaysia, Cyprus, and Saf-Africa. Ajay didn't even know where Trinidad or Tobago was at, come to think of it, he wasn't familiar with Cypress neither. Rainbow mentioned if anyone had anything in common. Everyone was dressed like schoolgirls or boykies for one. Why them in particular though? At first Ajay thought that maybe it was a random occurrence, wrong time wrong place, but maybe, if all of them were school graders, everyone on this island was.
That's kind of disturbing, but...
"I think... Kay, this might sound a bit dof, but did any of you piss anyone off in particular?"
Catche thinks my squirrel is Fisk so here's my daily reminder that he is not.
Jaxon felt some chills down his spine, literally and figuratively. Piss off? Anyone?
He tried to list out anyone with who he had a heated argument for the past week. That one dickhead who pushed him during a basketball game, one of his classmates who had different ideas in a group project, some prick in school who he thought was giving him the stink eye, the numerous amount of people he had fought online...
...
"Nah, don't think I could remember..." Jaxon put both his hands in his pockets, starting to feel nervous that he might had offended someone he should not have, "I don't think that's the case though. What are the odds for all five of us to piss off the same person? From what I heard from y'all, we're all from different countries and backgrounds."
He paused for a few seconds, then continued, "What if it's like some lottery bullshit? Like we're all just getting the shit end of the sticks and...got randomly picked or something..."
He tried to list out anyone with who he had a heated argument for the past week. That one dickhead who pushed him during a basketball game, one of his classmates who had different ideas in a group project, some prick in school who he thought was giving him the stink eye, the numerous amount of people he had fought online...
...
"Nah, don't think I could remember..." Jaxon put both his hands in his pockets, starting to feel nervous that he might had offended someone he should not have, "I don't think that's the case though. What are the odds for all five of us to piss off the same person? From what I heard from y'all, we're all from different countries and backgrounds."
He paused for a few seconds, then continued, "What if it's like some lottery bullshit? Like we're all just getting the shit end of the sticks and...got randomly picked or something..."
No French. She has moved through this island to find nobody talking French. She bite her tongue.
“I don’t think so.”
She swallowed.
“What if they just...” she shrugged her shoulders. “They’re human traffickers. They found easy targets that were alone. I was alone after class. I was doing my homework and...”
Complete darkness. There was nobody there, just her. And then she was in a dark room with a dead American.
“Or maybe this is Hell? Are we dead?”
Seychelle would have to scour the island for this answer.
“I don’t think so.”
She swallowed.
“What if they just...” she shrugged her shoulders. “They’re human traffickers. They found easy targets that were alone. I was alone after class. I was doing my homework and...”
Complete darkness. There was nobody there, just her. And then she was in a dark room with a dead American.
“Or maybe this is Hell? Are we dead?”
Seychelle would have to scour the island for this answer.
"Hell is quite a good guess, but I think if I was dead I'd know." She would shrug. "I just have a feeling I would know."
Philia would look at the others. "Is a, uh, tent open? I could really do with a rest. And, uh, an agreement to not kill each other."
Thinking who she coulda pissed off...Constantine? Probably not. Theres not many people that they could really think of that she pissed off, but nonetheless she'll continue to think. "No idea on who I pissed off. Maybe it isn't that. We should keep thinking about it. We're bound to figure it out at some point anyways."
Philia would look at the others. "Is a, uh, tent open? I could really do with a rest. And, uh, an agreement to not kill each other."
Thinking who she coulda pissed off...Constantine? Probably not. Theres not many people that they could really think of that she pissed off, but nonetheless she'll continue to think. "No idea on who I pissed off. Maybe it isn't that. We should keep thinking about it. We're bound to figure it out at some point anyways."
All of these guesses were more than Rainbow could come up with, to be quite honest. Revenge? Lottery? Human trafficking? Purgatory? Rainbow had been thinking about the possibilities and she couldn't even think of something better, even if those options didn't really feel like they existed in her realm of possibility.
But you know what?
Things had calmed down now. Guns were away, people were putting their heads together, and even starting to let their guard down. Rainbow was perfectly willing to let things be - she was a good mediator, but she wasn't exactly an ideas person, or a leader type. Asking these questions was the most she could do, but after a while they needed more than that.
And as Rainbow nodded to everything going on, she was hoping if this group stayed in existence, then someone else could figure that out.
But you know what?
Things had calmed down now. Guns were away, people were putting their heads together, and even starting to let their guard down. Rainbow was perfectly willing to let things be - she was a good mediator, but she wasn't exactly an ideas person, or a leader type. Asking these questions was the most she could do, but after a while they needed more than that.
And as Rainbow nodded to everything going on, she was hoping if this group stayed in existence, then someone else could figure that out.
Well this was getting nowhere. Ajay asked if anyone had irked somebody but all they could give back was philosphisizing about if they were dead or in hell or whatever. They were nowhere closer to knowing why they were here, if they didn’t know who they even had drawn the ire of unless-
A couple people mentioning it were random, or luck of the draw, or human traffickers, and now we were getting somewhere. He had... some experience in that field, in the sense that he knew a guy who owed him, who knew a guy, who knew another guy, who knew a guy who’s brother did this exact sort of thing, except it weren’t rumors, and if you knew that guy you knew what he was up to.
“Balls. Okay so, human traffickers don’t pick random targets just because they’re alone. You have to be careful with that sort of thing, taking the first person you see off the street isn’t smart. Dof move taking someone who’s chummies with the local ‘ard Livin’s boss, let alone the daughter of the police chief. That’s how you get a raid in your territories.”
Ajay probably gave away too much about himself with that statement, but fuck it, he wasn’t involved in that sort of business, and if this whole thing were as real as he thought, he’d probably die long before the end. If this were a joke or some crazy scheme to get himself incriminated was already ruled out. He’d seen real brains on the dirt before, and that American kid were as real as it got. He knew a cop wouldn’t kill someone like that just to get him to talk. He wasn’t important enough for that.
“This shit was planned. Traffickers look for people nobody’s going to miss, or nobody important. Usually stick to immigration centers; but a missing kid or too won’t turn eyes. There’s always one on a milk carton or a telephone booth. They take their time, learn routes, maybe pretend to be a friend, get you when you’re vulnerable.”
Ajay shrugged.
“Too much effort to be random is all I’m saying.”
A couple people mentioning it were random, or luck of the draw, or human traffickers, and now we were getting somewhere. He had... some experience in that field, in the sense that he knew a guy who owed him, who knew a guy, who knew another guy, who knew a guy who’s brother did this exact sort of thing, except it weren’t rumors, and if you knew that guy you knew what he was up to.
“Balls. Okay so, human traffickers don’t pick random targets just because they’re alone. You have to be careful with that sort of thing, taking the first person you see off the street isn’t smart. Dof move taking someone who’s chummies with the local ‘ard Livin’s boss, let alone the daughter of the police chief. That’s how you get a raid in your territories.”
Ajay probably gave away too much about himself with that statement, but fuck it, he wasn’t involved in that sort of business, and if this whole thing were as real as he thought, he’d probably die long before the end. If this were a joke or some crazy scheme to get himself incriminated was already ruled out. He’d seen real brains on the dirt before, and that American kid were as real as it got. He knew a cop wouldn’t kill someone like that just to get him to talk. He wasn’t important enough for that.
“This shit was planned. Traffickers look for people nobody’s going to miss, or nobody important. Usually stick to immigration centers; but a missing kid or too won’t turn eyes. There’s always one on a milk carton or a telephone booth. They take their time, learn routes, maybe pretend to be a friend, get you when you’re vulnerable.”
Ajay shrugged.
“Too much effort to be random is all I’m saying.”
Catche thinks my squirrel is Fisk so here's my daily reminder that he is not.
"Wait wait wait, hol' up," Jaxon raised his tone, his eyes widened in confusion, "So you're telling us that we're all chosen cuz nobody's gonna find us? That's...Nah that doesn't make sense to me. Why all the effort just to force a group of nobodies to fight one another? Wouldn't it be much easier to kill us off themselves?"
As much as he was in denial of what Ajay had said, chances were his guesses were correct. He remembered the only people who he had contacted frequently were his family and his small circle of friends, further proving Ajay's point. They were targetted solely for the fact that they were forgettable in their social circle, and it was never about luck.
"Ahh, yea, about the tent..." Jaxon noticed the Philia girl seemed to be looking for a shelter. With the number of people around, it's not like he's planning to stay here for long anyway. "You can use mine if you want, I guess..."
He never acknowledged the agreement, however. It's unnecessary to make any empty promises for now.
As much as he was in denial of what Ajay had said, chances were his guesses were correct. He remembered the only people who he had contacted frequently were his family and his small circle of friends, further proving Ajay's point. They were targetted solely for the fact that they were forgettable in their social circle, and it was never about luck.
"Ahh, yea, about the tent..." Jaxon noticed the Philia girl seemed to be looking for a shelter. With the number of people around, it's not like he's planning to stay here for long anyway. "You can use mine if you want, I guess..."
He never acknowledged the agreement, however. It's unnecessary to make any empty promises for now.
"No! No, nuh-uh, they didn't-"
Seychelle pictured the island in her mind. Where was she? Where were her islands? She bite her lips.
"They didn't kidnap me because I was alone. Or nobody would search for me. I have a friends. A lot of them. My friend Michelle was literally in the-" her eyes widened. "Do you think they hurt the people we were around to get us? Are- fuck."
She turned around. Was Michelle here? Or was Michelle already dead? Were the carrion birds already feeding off of her body? She wanted to scream at the cameras. The people behind the game were there. They were watching. But who else was watching? She stepped away from the tents for a moment. Looking at the trees. Looking at the poles. There were more cameras. More of them. All looking. All of them just... there. There were intercoms too. Megaphones.
She turned back toward the group.
"What if- what if they picked us because we were interesting?" She pointed a camera with her gun. "They're- they're recording. They're watching us. But they could be-"
She stepped toward a camera.
"They could be showing the footage to the rest of the world. On the Internet." Her eyes were still wide. She tried to compute. "Is this is like a 'Red Room'? Those deep web things or whatever?"
Seychelle pictured the island in her mind. Where was she? Where were her islands? She bite her lips.
"They didn't kidnap me because I was alone. Or nobody would search for me. I have a friends. A lot of them. My friend Michelle was literally in the-" her eyes widened. "Do you think they hurt the people we were around to get us? Are- fuck."
She turned around. Was Michelle here? Or was Michelle already dead? Were the carrion birds already feeding off of her body? She wanted to scream at the cameras. The people behind the game were there. They were watching. But who else was watching? She stepped away from the tents for a moment. Looking at the trees. Looking at the poles. There were more cameras. More of them. All looking. All of them just... there. There were intercoms too. Megaphones.
She turned back toward the group.
"What if- what if they picked us because we were interesting?" She pointed a camera with her gun. "They're- they're recording. They're watching us. But they could be-"
She stepped toward a camera.
"They could be showing the footage to the rest of the world. On the Internet." Her eyes were still wide. She tried to compute. "Is this is like a 'Red Room'? Those deep web things or whatever?"
"I agree, it can't be because nobody'd find us. It has to be...well...I dunno. Perhaps we'll find out eventually?"
Philia nodded to Jaxon. "Thanks, man."
"Red Rooms! Yeah, probably, on the deep web. Damn, that's probably why. Maybe they just said its not random just to fuck with us. Hm.."
Philia thought she was in hell, probably. Or perhaps just dying. She was hit by a car on the way home, and she's in the hospital bed in a coma. That's whats happening right now - it HAS to be.
"Damn...then it really is a deathmatch. I dunno about you, but I'm not 'boutta start killing people all willy-nilly. There has to be another way, yeah?"
Philia wasn't asking to be rhetorical.
She genuinely doesn't know if theres another way.
Philia nodded to Jaxon. "Thanks, man."
"Red Rooms! Yeah, probably, on the deep web. Damn, that's probably why. Maybe they just said its not random just to fuck with us. Hm.."
Philia thought she was in hell, probably. Or perhaps just dying. She was hit by a car on the way home, and she's in the hospital bed in a coma. That's whats happening right now - it HAS to be.
"Damn...then it really is a deathmatch. I dunno about you, but I'm not 'boutta start killing people all willy-nilly. There has to be another way, yeah?"
Philia wasn't asking to be rhetorical.
She genuinely doesn't know if theres another way.
At some point, Rainbow began pacing around the fire pit. Everyone else seemed to have ideas, theories to put forward, but Rainbow herself was at a loss. All this talk of human trafficking and the deep web and red rooms evaded her - there was crime in Botswana, but not this kind of crime. Her house didn't even have the internet until a few years into secondary, and her family was way better off than other families. Did people really sit in front of their computers and watch this sort of stuff for fun? When an entire world and community existed outside? Couldn't be her.
But at some point, something someone said took root in her brain - Jaxon said something about making them fight. That seemed to be the goal, obviously, but there was something off about it. If they really wanted them to fight, why give them a whole island? Why not just put them in a big warehouse with a pile of guns in the middle? It was easier, people would die quicker, and the collars would be unneccessary.
Rainbow moved a hand to the metal tube around her throat.
It wasn't so much a 'eureka' moment as it was an idea drifting into play like a cloud.
She stopped her pacing back at the group again.
"Are we sure these collars are real? I mean, they had a video of one exploding, but if they were real, what do they need them for? Are they just there to threaten us into doing what they want?"
But at some point, something someone said took root in her brain - Jaxon said something about making them fight. That seemed to be the goal, obviously, but there was something off about it. If they really wanted them to fight, why give them a whole island? Why not just put them in a big warehouse with a pile of guns in the middle? It was easier, people would die quicker, and the collars would be unneccessary.
Rainbow moved a hand to the metal tube around her throat.
It wasn't so much a 'eureka' moment as it was an idea drifting into play like a cloud.
She stopped her pacing back at the group again.
"Are we sure these collars are real? I mean, they had a video of one exploding, but if they were real, what do they need them for? Are they just there to threaten us into doing what they want?"
“It would be easier to just shoot us or blow us to pieces. That’s why they won’t, least not right away.”
Ajay rubbed a finger over his collar. “Want us to do it for them. Not to wash their hands of responsibility mind you, they pulled us all off from around the fucking world, too much effort on their part.”
Ajay turned around, looked at his tent. Grabbed the haft of whatever the hell his weapon’s supposed to be, and gave it a tug.
“Don’t know who these cunts are, or why they’re doin’ it. Imperialist terrorists provin’ a point; shitbird scientists wanting to find out who’s most predisposed to violence... hell it could just be some rich wannabe Caligula cunts wanting us to be entertainment, but it don’t matter much to me.”
He pulled the stick as the telltale sounds of nylon tearing began to go audible.
“They picked kids ‘coz they think we’re easy. I’m not. I got no intentions of playin’ nice, they’re just gonna kill the winner anyways.”
Stick snagged on something else. Fucking hell it was long. Ajay dropped it.
“Or leave ‘im ere to rot with the bodies. Maybe someone’ll find you before you’re done starving then.”
Ajay rubbed a finger over his collar. “Want us to do it for them. Not to wash their hands of responsibility mind you, they pulled us all off from around the fucking world, too much effort on their part.”
Ajay turned around, looked at his tent. Grabbed the haft of whatever the hell his weapon’s supposed to be, and gave it a tug.
“Don’t know who these cunts are, or why they’re doin’ it. Imperialist terrorists provin’ a point; shitbird scientists wanting to find out who’s most predisposed to violence... hell it could just be some rich wannabe Caligula cunts wanting us to be entertainment, but it don’t matter much to me.”
He pulled the stick as the telltale sounds of nylon tearing began to go audible.
“They picked kids ‘coz they think we’re easy. I’m not. I got no intentions of playin’ nice, they’re just gonna kill the winner anyways.”
Stick snagged on something else. Fucking hell it was long. Ajay dropped it.
“Or leave ‘im ere to rot with the bodies. Maybe someone’ll find you before you’re done starving then.”
Catche thinks my squirrel is Fisk so here's my daily reminder that he is not.