Opposite Reflections

[Fiori]

((Sophie Mason continued from We Shall Be Together in Paradise))

Sophie bent over and inspected the stiff corpse that lay on it's back before her, keeping a hold of her shotgun with her right hand as her left checked the cadaver's pulse to make sure that it was definitely dead.

The body of course belonged to none other than Bryant Carver, an obvious fact which Sophie sussed out almost the instant she saw him lying out in the open after following the subtle trail of blood. It seemed it had taken a while for him to finally bleed out, but in the end not even Bryant could survive a buckshot to the stomach. Judging from his location, specifically the fact that he had managed to crawl all the way up to the outer wall of this building where a camera was located, Sophie assumed that he must have tried to say one last message to the camera. What that message was, however, Sophie could only guess. Perhaps a message for his family? No, there wouldn't be any point in doing that. The government always kept the details of what happened in the Program a secret rather than let the public know. Perhaps he wanted to say one last anti-white comment before meeting his maker? That would have made sense, given the fact that Bryant was one of the most disgustingly racist people she ever knew.

That being said, what Sophie found strange was the fact that there was a peculiar smile on Bryant's face. As if he actually had something good to think about as his heart made its last beats. Not that Sophie could really blame him. Whilst a small part of her was annoyed that he died with a smile on his face whilst her sister died choking on her own blood, she wasn't petty enough to let it get to her. She didn't care whether or not he died smiling or screaming in agony, just as long as he died in the end Sophie couldn't really care less how.

Still, in other news, judging from the awkwardly designed map she had been assigned the building that stood before her was the barracks. The very same barracks wherein she and Stephanie had bumped into Bryant in the first place. Where the two of them spent some of their last moments together.

Where she had very nearly abandoned Stephanie to die.

Shaking the unpleasant thought from her mind, Sophie moved on after quickly checking Bryant's pockets for anything useful. Without a definite destination in mind, Sophie decided to try searching the Officer's Quarters again, seeing as it had already proven to be a very reliable hunting ground already. Hunting ground? Christ, I must be going mad...

She moved to the left, planning to move past the small building before her via the wide allyway between the barracks and the Admin building.

However, as she turned around the corner, Sophie stopped dead in her tracks.

What in the...?!?

[Tythanin*]

(OOC: I AM THE SLOWEST POSTER ON THE PLANET.)

((Melinda Schenn continued from The Opening Faceoff.))

The world was beautiful. Free from the suffocating cage that was the observation tower, Melinda was free to partake of the pleasures of the open air. The cool breeze against her cheek, the fresh air, the soft steps as she walked along firm concrete. That last one was something she had done plenty of times in the tower, but for some reason, it was a much more invigorating experience. Why had she even kept herself in that stuffy place for so long anyway?

Ah, right. The plan. Stay in one location. Defend it with your life. Don't move. No need to kill. Just need to outlast. Everything had gone perfectly. Seven people left. Seven people out of a group of what? Fifty? She was golden. She didn't need that plan anymore. The odds were in her favor. So many others had died but she didn't. She was lucky. No, not lucky. God favored her. That's what it had to be. There was no other explanation.

She would win this thing. She'd win, go back home, and become a famous hockey star for her older brother. A great ending. A happy ending.

Melinda continued her joyous stroll through the compound, engrossed in her own thoughts. She didn't even think about the fact that she didn't have anything on her besides the clothes on her body. She didn't think about the fact she was probably the easiest target around. No weapons, no bag, and no clue. So when she found herself face to face with one Sophie Mason, the new terror on the island, she didn't even recognize just how much danger she was in.

God would protect her.

[Fiori]

It was... A girl? One whom Sophie vaguely recognised from around school.

Melinda Schenn? Was that her name? Something like that anyway, not that Sophie really cared. Was she playing? No, Sophie couldn't recall hearing her name on the announcements at all. That meant that she was either being extra careful not to draw attention to herself, or she was one of the pointless non-combatants who had lived for so long based on pure luck alone.

What on earth was she doing anyway? She looked so... Aimless. Had she gone mad? Had the pressure of the game taken toll on her mind and caused to wonder about in such a dreamlike manner? It was a very likely possibility, seeing as it was virtually possible to make it through this game with your mental state completely intact. It was perfectly understandable to assume that the horrors of the Program had caused this young girl's mind to crack under the pressure.

Either way, from what Sophie remembered of her back at General's Pride, she was still a threat nevertheless. She was a hockey player, wasn't she? Sophie had always preferred badminton personally, seeing as hockey had always struck her as being a particularly pointless sport. The kind usually practised by people with unimpressive intellects.

That being said, it also meant that Melinda probably had a physical advantage. Which, at this stage of the game, meant that she was a threat regardless of whether or not she was an outright player. Pity. If she had the time, Sophie might of even tried to use this girl to her advantage in some way. Melinda had never struck Sophie as being particularly bright, so she was certain that manipulating her would be an easy task. But seeing as she was already so close to the end anyway, she saw no point in putting off the inevitable. Besides, the quicker she got out of this hellhole the better. Might as well deal with Melinda now and get it over and done with.

All these thoughts went through Sophie's head within a matter of seconds as her eyes fell upon the foolish girl who had been unlucky enough to stumble across one of the last remaining players in the Program. And sure enough, almost immediately after she had gotten over the initial shock of having bumped into someone so suddenly, Sophie quickly lifted her shotgun and took aim at the helpless girl who stood before her.

The thought did briefly occur that Melinda was technically harmless, seeing as she didn't seem to have any weapons on her. So shooting her on the spot without provocation was something that most people would consider to be a highly unethical action.

Not that it stopped Sophie from pulling the trigger anyway, regardless of the moral implications.

Focus on survival now, worry about seeking forgiveness later once this nightmare is over...

[Tythanin*]

(OOC: Man I would like to apologize for just how long it's taken me to get this done. I am...so out of it.)

When Sophie fired that shotgun of hers, it wasn't the blossoming pain in her chest that registered in her mind first. The thing that struck her the most was just how damn loud that blasted thing was. It wasn't like the watchtower. It was silent there. Cold and unfeeling. But the outside world was loud. The sound of the wind, the blast from a shotgun, even the sound of her feet crunching on broken concrete. Her ears wouldn't stop ringing as she felt herself fall to the ground, hitting the concrete hard. A scream ripped out of her throat as the pain finally set in and she thrashed on the ground, unable to think about anything besides the agony that coursed through her body. And even then, her thoughts were disjointed, memories of her childhood mixing and blurring with the events from the past couple of days.

Terence giving her a pat on the head after getting an A on her science quiz. Ice skating with her family at the local rink. Jessica's bones cracking as she fell down the stairs. Her mother watching her as she danced in a competition. Brigadier General Adams' voice applauding the day's killers. Madeline's voice as she offered her 'gift'. Talking and joking with Jessica as they spent their time letting the world pass by them. The letter that they had received from the army telling them of Terence's death.

Melinda choked as she felt blood begin to bubble up her throat. This was how it was going to end. She should have just stayed in that tower after all. She shouldn't have wandered out like some sort of idiot. Then she wouldn't have run into Sophie Mason and she wouldn't be choking on her own blood right now.

Perhaps it was for the best. At least she wouldn't need to worry about the Program anymore. That was good. And perhaps she'd even be able to meet her brother in heaven. She hoped so.

She could almost feel his reassuring hand on her shoulder.

F05: SCHENN, MELINDA - Deceased

[Courtography]

(Louis Johnson continued from I Need To Know)

Louis had been walking with Brendon since they had left the Field Hospital earlier that morning. The sun was up now, thank goodness, so they might have a decent chance of finding someone else now. Hopefully someone who wouldn't try to kill them on sight.

He tried to run though who was still alive besides himself and Brendon. Sophie was alive and had a huge body count. And she was Stefanie's twin. Would he be willing to fight her? He thought so. To keep himself and Brendon alive, sure. Keep their plan of screwing with the system alive. Then, he figured Brett was still alive. He didn't remember hearing him dead at least. He didn't know with him, on one hand Brett had said they'd see each other in the final four, but that didn't mean he hadn't changed his mind. He couldn't remember who the other three people were. He supposed it didn't really matter; it was just important to find them and try to get them in on the plan.

That's when he heard the gunshot. Louis turned out and peaked from behind the building to the paved area between the barracks and the buildings on the other side. A girl was lying there, blood spilling from her chest. That much he could see, but where was the shooter? He clutched the carbine in his hands, he looked over at Brendon. "There's a dead girl right there, but I'm going to take a peek out, see if I can see who was shooting."

He looked out, slightly exposing himself and there was Stefanie. No it's not Stefanie you idiot, she's dead! She's dead... No it wasn't Stefanie, it was Sophie. The bad twin. The one he didn't talk to. The one who had killed four, no five, people in the last few hours.

That's when she spotted him.

[Tythanin*]

(Brendon Arrington continued from I Need To Know.)

There were seven left. Seven of them including himself and Louis. A tragically small number of people that were alive on the compound. How many of them would be willing to go along with his crazy plan? If he was lucky and charismatic enough, maybe one or two of them would be willing to a lend a hand to his cause. Reality said that the odds were pretty much a million to one, though. It was the endgames here. When the numbers shrank, the desire to be the last one standing rose. And to use a tired cliche, there was no I in team. 'I can't give up hope. I have to keep trying. I'll stick with this plan until the very end. I can't give up. I won't give up. I have to keep going.'

Thankfully, the gloominess of his thoughts didn't match the weather. The sun was out and in this open compound, that made it much easier to spot people. It would give them more time to plan, more time to prepare...even a few seconds was better than nothing. Perhaps it was a good omen.

The gunshot destroyed any thoughts Brendon might have had about the sun being a good luck charm. He quickly looked to Louis and saw that he had heard the sound and was already peeking around the corner to get a better glimpse of what had happened. Brendon was tempted to take a look himself, but Louis quickly outlined a plan. It wasn't a particularly complex one, but considering the circumstances it wasn't like they could do anything else.

So he just nodded. "All right. I'll loop around and see if I can catch the shooter from the back. You know, in one of those pincer movements."

He gave Louis a quick pat on the shoulder before turning and running off, sticking close to the wall and keeping his handgun ready. He couldn't help but feel like there was just something so very wrong with splitting up, considering how well that sort of thing had worked out for him in the past. But he had already made his choice. He just had to hope. With enough belief, the world itself would shift, wouldn't it?

[Fiori]

Sophie stood there for another couple of seconds or before lowering her shotgun, cocking it quickly as she looked down at the dead body that lay before her.

It was astonishing, really, just thinking about how much she'd changed during the past few days. Before the Program, the worst thing she had to worry about was whether or not she'd get an A+ on her English Literature exam. The idea of harming anyone, let alone killing anyone, was something she thought she'd never have to worry about. And now, here she was, with the blood of six people on her hands. Eight if she included those who she had convinced Stephanie to kill. Just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine.

That being said, what scared her more was how easy it had been for her to do it in the first place.

Six people... Whilst she had always intended on playing to win, the idea of actually killing six people all by herself was something that she had initially wanted to avoid. After all, the last thing she needed was for everyone in the compound to be gunning for the girl with six kills to her name, especially now that Madeline had gone ahead and gotten herself blown up like the imbecile she was. Ideally, she would have preferred to enter the final stages of the game without the reputation as the top killer in the compound. Then again, there were so little of the competition left that it didn't really matter how many kills she had. Nobody was going to trust anyone at this stage anyway, regardless of whether or not they had given away their intention of playing. So why bother playing innocent? Besides, it was far too late for her to change her tactics now anyway.

Okay then, I better make tracks before somebody investigates the source of that gunshot...

All it then took was a casual glance towards the end of the alleyway for her to realise that she'd spoken too soon, seeing as at that very moment a certain Louis Johnson was poking his shaved head right around the corner.

Louis?!? Damn, I didn't think anyone would arrive so quickly!

Surprised by his sudden appearance, Sophie lifted her shotgun and fired it randomly in Louis's direction before turning left and running down the alleyway between the warehouse and the admin building. Whilst she was pretty sure that she hadn't hit her target, she wasn't about to stop and turn around now as she continued to move in a vaguely zig-zag pattern to avoid any potential retaliatory fire. Getting into dangerous firefights was something she always made sure to avoid at all costs, although in this case she knew that it would be unwise to flee the scene completely, so as she reached the end of the alleyway she turned to her right and slammed her back against the wall of the admin building, cocking her shotgun again and turning around the corner to fire another shot to keep Louis on his toes.

It was at this point that she realised that Louis was not alone. Arrington as well? Damnit Sophie, you've got to be more careful next time!

[Courtography]

Louis was just thinking about how it was good that Brendon was going to try to catch them on the other side when the familiar shotgun blast tore up the ground to his right. He leaped out from the building, before firing a single shot with the carbine. It missed by a long shot. I actually shot at someone, crazy. He was brought out of his stupor by another shotgun blast being fired near him. Sophie had retreated into an alley. She had a shotgun too, how was he supposed to take her out in there. He could wait for Brendon, but did he have enough time?

And Sophie was Stefanie's sister. Did he even want to fight her? He could walk away, probably. Just retreat to another area with six of them left and try to survive. No, he had to fight Sophie. It wasn't just for him either. Brendon could die here too. Her voice flooded his mind in protest. NO! You don't understand... Its Sophie, she'll.... She'll kill you if she realises you're here! No! When Stefanie told him that last time she had died! He had to do this.

He moved to where he had a better view of the alley. There was Sophie. He fired a few more shots, trying to flush her out. It's her sister, can you really do that? He didn't no, he could feel himself starting to shake. He had to do this. Had to. Where was Brendon? It was selfish, but Louis would feel much better if Brendon was the one to do this.

Not that he had much choice.

[Tythanin*]

Brendon could hear the gunshots as he ran and he grit his teeth, hoping that Louis would be capable of taking care of himself. No, that wasn't right. Louis could handle himself. He was alive right now, wasn't he? He had outlasted at least forty-odd people. You didn't get that far on pure luck. He skidded to a stop, an angry look on his face as he quickly turned around and ran back towards the conflict. He didn't care that Louis could handle things by himself. It just felt cowardly to be getting in position for an ambush when your friend was out there actually doing shit.

So he ran back and saw Louis at the front of the alleyway, occasionally firing a pot shot while keeping under cover. Brendon didn't say anything as he ran past. Best not to distract him and go "Hey dude change of plans, I'm like going this way." Perhaps it was a good thing he had ran back. If he had actually completed his loop around the barracks, it would have just given him a whole lot of nothing to show for it.

He felt his lungs begun to burn as he continued running, the Calico held tightly in his right hand. 'I'm an actor, not a sprinter! This is driving me nuts!'

He found himself at the corner of the administration building and he took a quick peek to make sure that Sophie wasn't hiding there. Thankfully, it seemed to be deserted. He stepped out of the corner, taking careful steps forward as he tried to keep his gun steady. Even with both of his hands holding onto it, the gun continued to waver in the air. His heart was slamming in his chest as he continued to walk forward. It was one thing to simply act out a scene like this, but to actually do it for real was becoming unnerving. He almost wished that Sophie would just burst out of the alley so he could just get this over with.

'Come on, I can do this. Come on.' He thought to himself as he continued to step forward. Just a bit more and he'd be at the other side of the alleyway. Probably could get a perfect shot off. He hoped luck would be on his side for once.

[Fiori]

Sophie took another peak, noticing that Brendon Arrington was still slowly making his way down the alley with his gun raised. Well, I better not keep him waiting...

On that note, she briefly moved out of cover and fired off another two shots before slamming her back against the wall, grabbing another handful of shells from her bag and quickly reloading before Brendon could get the chance to make a counter-attack.

Damnit, only five left. At this rate, I'll soon have to rely on that nearly depleted pistol. Better make the next couple of shots count...

[Courtography]

Louis saw Brendon run past him. What did he go the wrong way? Gah! Seeing the other boy having gone the wrong way was annoying to say the least. But he needed to focus. Sophie was hiding somewhere in the alley. Then she was out, but not firing at him, she was facing the other way.

He waited a moment, before diving out in front. It was probably a bad idea to expose himself that way, but he fired off a few shots before he realized Sophie had hidden herself away again.

Didn't matter, Brendon was going around wasn't he? Time to block Sophie in. Sorry Stefanie, but we've got to finish this. It was true, whether he liked it or not Sophie had fired at him and he had fired back.

Someone was going to die.

[Tythanin*]

'Holy shit!' Brendon jumped back as he saw Sophie suddenly come into view and fire two shots in his direction. Whether it was through luck or some sort of divine providence, he came out of the sudden assault unharmed. Breathing heavily and thanking his lucky stars, Brendon pressed it back against the wall as he continued forward, still holding his handgun in front of him. His heart was pounding in his chest and brief flashes of charging in like some sort of superhero and blasting Sophia square in the face came to mind.

He didn't do anything like that, of course.

Instead, he just continued to carefully inch forward, hoping that Louis was doing the same and keeping Sophie between them. There wasn't going to be any escape for her. As long as things went smoothly, there would be one less killer on the island. He wondered if he should say something. Turn her attention on him.

He kept his mouth shut, though. It wasn't worth it. Not this late in the game. 'Come on, come on...'

[Fiori]

Idiot. It's almost as if he WANTS to die...

It seemed that despite Sophie's best efforts to shake him off, Brendon had refused to back-off and was nearing closer with every second. This was bad. The closer he got, the better chance he had at hitting her. And vice versa of course, but she had a slow firing shotgun whilst he had a automatic handgun. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it'd be best to kill him sooner rather then later.

With this in mind, she turned around the corner and fired another shot in his direction, hoping this time that it would actually hit him...

...Naturally, it missed. Sophie barely managed to move out the way in time as he fired two retaliatory shots back at her. Damnit, that was way too close!

She moved back along the side of the admin building, her gun aimed at the corner as she waited for him to come into sight. This was the exact kind of hellish scenario she had been trying to avoid ever since she first woke up in this damned compound. If Stephanie was still around, then maybe this situation would be a lot easier. Perhaps she could have asked her to cause a diversion or something, draw their attention away so that she could get a clear shot.

But no, she had nobody to rely on here but herself. Besides, just thinking about the idea of using Stephanie as a distraction made her feel physically ill out of guilt. No, she'd have to think of some other way out of this mess. But... How? Maybe I can try hiding in the admin building or something like that.....

Little did she realise however that, as she backed along the northernmost wall of the admin building, directly behind her a certain Louis Johnson had made his way around the eastern side of the building and was currently in the process of outflanking her...

[Courtography]

He had sneaked up behind Ste-Sophie. Sophie. This was Sophie. Stefanie was dead. Permanently dead. Gone. And you need to accept that and move on you idiot.

But it's hard.

Still gotta do it.

Give me time.

You don't have any fucking time!

He raised the carbine, pointing it at the familiar looking back. Louis put his finger on the trigger. Can you do this?

His finger didn't move.

[Tythanin*]

'Christ, my hands are shaking so bad.' Brendon thought to himself as he quickly switched the Calico to his off-hand for a moment, hurriedly wiping off sweat on his pants. His luck wouldn't, couldn't, last much longer and he was going to get hit by Sophie sooner or later. His heart was pounding in his chest and his mind was racing, overthinking every step as he switched hands again, pausing just before the corner near the alleyway. He quickly took a peek down it, spotting Sophie just for a moment before firing two shots her way.

There were no screams or shouts. No hit.

'Where the hell is Louis? He should be near her, shouldn't he?! Maybe he's just trying to be careful? I have to keep her attention on me!'

"Hey Sophie!" He shouted. "Why don't you just drop your weapon and I'll drop mine! We don't need to fight here! You just go along your way and I'll go along mine! Call this a draw! Maybe it'll give you some more time to think about why you're a murderous bitch and just went on a fucking rampage the past couple of hours, huh?! Do you think that's gonna get you off the island?! You can forget it! Everyone knows your name and you're not gonna get any mercy, so you might as well just leave now before I fill you full of lead!"

It was all bullshit, of course. Brendon was rambling and just saying whatever came into mind. He certainly didn't want to drop his weapon and he definitely wasn't going to just let Sophie walk away. But as long as it distracted her, it was all he needed to do.