THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012: UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, 7AM
Perfect crispy fried chicken! 380 reviews have given this a total of 4.75 stars.
"Recipe by Elaine O
"I experimented for many years before developing this recipe. It's bits and pieces of hints I had heard over the years. I have had many compliments on this chicken. Most of this recipe is dependant on your own taste. It's more a matter of preparation and cooking method!"
Ingredients
Original recipe makes 8 servings
1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour for coating
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
"You know we've got someone who normally does this."
"I know. I want to do it."
Abby blew a strand of hair away from her face, but it didn't budge. She swept it away and a line of white flour streaked her black hair.
"Aren't you gonna bet on anyone? Tina's collecting for the pot," Lourvey asked, leaning against the counter.
Abby put a few shakes of garlic powder into the flour bag. It wasn't on the recipe list, it was something a little extra she liked to add.
"No. I don't learn their names. I would not know who to vote for. I make sure nothing is broken. The rest of it is not my concern."
He shrugged and wandered off with a short wave. "Suit yourself."
It was true, they had a cafeteria cook. Many of the other people in the office chose to utilize the cafeteria infrequently, prefering instead to fill up their desks and mini fridges full of high sodium chips, candy and energy drinks, only occasionally coming down to eat real food. The cook had made the majority of the best kill meal prizes, but Abby requested to make the lasagna and now the fried chicken. The request was not met with much resistance from the cook, who was more than happy not to have to wake up early to prepare the food for the island drop.
Some people had asked her why she wanted to do it. Her response was that she liked cooking. It was true, it was one of the things back home that she'd been good at and she liked to do. With her parents working she often ended up making dinner for her brother and sister. The truth of it was that it wasn't just cooking that she liked. What she liked more than anything was to make food and have other people enjoy it.
Abby had sold her soul to save the people she loved. She accepted that it was her lot in life to use her skills to damn others. As long as she knew her siblings were happy, it was something she was comfortable doing. She was fine with being selfish.
This act of making food for the kids might have been viewed by an outside perspective as an unselfish act, but that would not have been accurate. Making a fried chicken dinner in the kitchen, she could pretend for a little while that she was back at home, making it for her family. When she saw the kids eat it via the cameras on the island she still got that little rush of happiness that she used to, seeing someone enjoy the food she made for them.
THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012: UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, 9AM
"Good morning, kids." Tracen Danya's voice, as usual, echoed throughout the island, from speakers hidden throughout buildings and in nooks and crannies in the less developed areas. "After yesterday's showing, you picked up the pace a bit. Just over fifty of you remain. To those who do, congratulations. You've outlasted roughly two thirds of your peers. The end is in sight."But let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's still work to be done, and all but one of you will go the same way as yesterday's unfortunates.
"First among them was Jack McDonald, strangled by his Jenna Rhodes, his erstwhile companion. Of course, since he looked about ready to do unto her first, it probably wasn't a friendship built to last.
"Zoe Leverett honored our request and removed herself from the competition, going for one last swim off the coast. Jessica Sanders slept too long and managed the same, getting herself caught in a danger zone. Get your pencils ready and your bags packed, because we'll be having more of those today, too.
"Maynard Hurst flipped his lid and stabbed Adam Morgan, putting an end to one of the longer-running remaining alliances. Good on him; I was starting to get worried he'd spend his whole time hiding behind whoever he could.
"And hiding doesn't work too well. Just ask Alice Gilman, who went skulking around and surprised Cody Patton. It's up in the air who got the bigger shock; Patton's bullets certainly made the bigger impression.
"This next one is a doozy. Rutherford Roger Junior was beaten to death by Veronica McDonald, but his body wasn't cold before he was avenged by Madeleine Wilcox. The whole thing was very tragic—you kind of had to be there, though.
"Our favorite renegade, Hansel Williams, continued his rampage, removing Logan Cadagon and Rebecca Kiesling from the running.
"Sharon Austin proved that it's never too late to get proactive, slashing Cammy Davidson's throat. Watch for the quiet ones, kids, especially if they've been pretending they're doing the right thing.
"Continuing the throat damage trend, Benjamin Ward slit Jainie Sinneave', and Travis Webster stabbed Aileen Abdallah's. It's not every day you get a three-for-one on discount tracheotomies.
"Corey Esposito and Jessica Murphy were less dramatic. The former didn't take care of some nasty scratches he collected running around, and the latter aped Ms. Leverett and drowned herself.
"After that, we saw a dust-up between two of our smaller-scale motivators. Benjamin Ward found himself having a harder time with someone who actually fought back, and lost his life to Joe Carrasco.
"Finally, Christopher Harlin beat Stephanie Wright to death with his bare hands, capping things off nicely with our one-hundredth death.
"With that out of the way, the promised places to avoid: for the rest of your time here, stay out of the Hotel, the Hospital, the Shipping Yard, the Eastern Inlet, and the Aviary. The one exception is Mr. Hurst, who's won our little pool of the day. He can make his way, briefly, back to the hotel to pick up a weapon, a nice basket of fried chicken, and a pitcher of iced tea.
"Stay safe. I'll be in touch again tomorrow."
DAY EIGHT: THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012
Weather: The sun is back, with hardly a trace of clouds in the sky. The breeze is gentle where present, though the air is mostly still except along the coast. Temperatures are notably higher than yesterday's, with a high of 68F, 20C at 4pm. Tonight is three nights after the new moon. The eighth announcement will come at 9 AM on June 22.
It wouldn't be an announcement without the rolls:
1. Eliza Patton (Skraal)
2. Cody Patton (MK Kilmarnock)
3. Ian Williams (VysePresident)
4. Andi Victorino (Mimi) - Phoebe Cho (Mimi, Swap Card used)
5. Sharon Austin (Jimmydalad)
6. Hansel Williams (NotAFlyingToy) - Alda Abbate (DocBalance, Hero Card used)
7. Miles Strickland (Psychedelic)
As always, three days for cards, and a further seven for deaths.