Decathect

[Ruggahissy]

Mike wanted to stay in the lighthouse and figure things out. It sounded reasonable and probably would have been the best route for someone walking into the situation without knowledge of what had happened, but this did not work for Mara.

The longer they stayed in the lighthouse, the more chance Hansel would wake up and then chances are he'd reveal her as the attacker and that would probably put Mara in a pretty negative light.

"I- I don't have to stay here! He could have killed me! What makes you think I want to stay around here after that?" she said, sounding very indignant.

She grabbed the bag on the floor and walked back towards the door.

"Get out of my way, I'm leaving."

[decoy73]

Mara did not agree with staying in the lighthouse. Mainly about the guy on the floor maybe having killed her. She picked up her bag and made her way to the door. Mike looked at Mara - she seemed shaken, and a little wet, but otherwise fine.

"Whoa, Mara. He's not going to hurt either of us. I have this, remember?" Mike showed the gun he had. "If he tries anything funny, I can take him down, problem solved."

It didn't help this slight feeling of unease he had about Mara. It was probably the game or something, but he couldn't help but wonder if Mara was lying to him.

[Ruggahissy]

Her chest tightened and her palms caught a flash of cold, but she kept her poker face. Ugh, why wouldn't this guy just let her leave? Her dark eyes didn't waver. She swallowed and looked over briefly at Hansel to see if there was any signs of stirring yet. It had been maybe not even 2 entire minutes since she'd bashed him, but she had no idea how long normally people would stay after being hit. She herself had never been hit in the head with anything.

This talking it out thing wasn't going to work for her. She wanted to leave and she wanted to leave with the bag.

"Yeah, so? He's got that," she said pointing to the gun on the floor. "What're you going to tell me if he pops up like a slasher villain just as we get near to take it away and shoots one of us? Apologies don't really mean much beyond the grave." She approached, now close to a boy with a gun for the second time.

"I don't know if you were aware, but this is to the death. I saw some guy, Daniel. I was saying hi to him and he was shot in the head right in front of me," her look softened a little. It was genuine fear and sadness that replaced her bluster and indignation. "They didn't even say anything. They didn't ask him to hand over his things or say why. They just shot him from the brush like someone hunting deer. I ran here and then Hansel came in after me. For all I know, that was him."

Mara's fist clenched around the bag strap and she regained her ferocity. She grabbed his arm and dug her nails in. "So move," she growled.

[decoy73]

"Yeah, so? He's got that. What're you going to tell me if he pops up like a slasher villain just as we get near to take it away and shoots one of us? Apologies don't really mean much beyond the grave."

Mara stepped forward as she continued her tale.

"I don't know if you were aware, but this is to the death. I saw some guy, Daniel. I was saying hi to him and he was shot in the head right in front of me. They didn't even say anything. They didn't ask him to hand over his things or say why. They just shot him from the brush like someone hunting deer. I ran here and then Hansel came in after me. For all I know, that was him. So move."

Mike just sighed as he stepped to his left to let her move by. He looked down and shook his head, as his eyes were drawn to one spot.

B076

"Hey, where's your bag?"

Wait. Did he just say that out loud?

[Ruggahissy]

He didn't seem to react much to her claws, but he moved to the side. She sighed, relieved that she might finally be able to get out of the place.

"Finally! I don't know what your problem is, you damn weirdo."

He had that gun though. Mara did not trust this guy not to shoot her in the back on the way out. She turned around and started walking backwards cautiously to make sure he didn't try anything.

"I lost it," she snapped. "What are you, the bag police?"

[decoy73]

"I lost it. What are you, the bag police?"

Mike was really getting a bad vibe from Mara. This just ... why did Mara seem unharmed? Why was she so wet? This just wasn't adding up.

"Mara, just hang on for one second. You don't look like anything's wrong. Just, just answer me honestly. What happened?"

Mike stuck his arm out and gently moved it back, preventing Mara from leaving. The more he thought about it, the more she was rubbing him the wrong way.

[Ruggahissy]

Mara looked to the side cautiously and turned around to leave when there was suddenly an arm in front of her. She was really running on a limited amount of time to get out before Hansel woke up pissed at her with a gun. She didn't trust this chump to do much more than be swiss cheese if this got messy and she didn't have the precious time to argue with him.


"I'm sorry I don't look more beat up. Next time I'll make sure to get some bruises so I can convince whatever moron waltzes along that I am indeed in trouble." She was audibly more annoyed and rapidly her short temper was becoming just plain temper.

"I already told you and I don't owe you anything more so just accept it and deal!"

With that she brought her hand down and scratched the arm preventing her exit. It felt natural to lash out at someone making her frustrated and anxious. She didn't think about it, it just felt like what she needed to do to feel better and she didn't pay mind to his reaction or his gun because in the real world, that would have been it.

[decoy73]

Mara did not appreciate Mike asking, and she showed it both verbally and physically.

"Ah! Jesus, don't do that!" Mike instinctively grabbed at Mara's wrist.

[Ruggahissy]

He caught her wrist and for a moment she looked at him in surprise. No one had done that before. No one had ever stopped her. Then again, so rarely did she find herself driven to the point where she had to scratch someone. She'd done it to people before, mostly when she was younger, but no one ever stopped her.

She looked up at him and became aware again of how much bigger than her he was. Mara swallowed and tried to wrench herself out of his grasp.

"Fuck you! Let me go!" she shrieked. "You couldn't leave it alone you idiot!"

He was hell bent on keeping her there and the minute Hansel woke up he'd think she was some kind of psycho and they'd shoot her. Mara pulled and slammed against him. They'd throw her against the wall and shoot her. She tried to knee him in the crotch, but an uneven floor board and her thrashing derailed that plan.

She went crashing to the floor. Her head slammed against the hardwood floor and she landed flat on her back. Mara groaned.

[decoy73]

Mike really should have thought that last part through. Mara thrashed about like he was some psycho rapist, which to somebody uninitiated, actually seemed believable. Mike let go and raised his arm which, combined with Mara's movement, caused her to go crashing into the floor. For a second, Mike just stood there and stared at the sight.

"Oh, shit." Mike rushed over. "Mara, are you okay?"

[Ruggahissy]

Mara opened her eyes. Her vision, two copies of the same scene that seemed separated from each other swam for a moment before meeting together to form one vision, though a slightly blurry one. One hand flopped over her face, partially covering her eyes so that the only visible space was between her fingers. Her other hand curled and contracted around something smooth and cool on the floor. Around here there were puddles of sparkly water from the snow globe.

The feeling of having been flung to the floor was a sort of searing pain going from the back of her head up to her eyes. How did this happen? Mike was above her now as she lay trying to collect herself again. She felt exposed. An unpleasant tingle spread through her chest. Mara felt trapped; she couldn't even run, not in the position she was in now and the way things had happened. Her heart slammed against her chest and forced against her throat.

Her hand swept to her side, feeling frantically next to her. It was the last action she was cognizant of. It was a flash, a feral reaction.

There was her hand searching for something, anything that would stop him and then there was Mara staring up into Mike's face, connected to him by the piece of glass cutting into both his flesh and her hand. In an instant they were connected.

Mara frantically grabbed a piece of glass and jammed it into Mike's neck.  

Oh my God.

The only sound was the deafening silence. Not ordinary silence, but the strange awful silence that resulted in the high pitched buzzing of emptiness. Her hand shook.

Stop it.

The dark red blood gushed from his neck and slid onto her hand, dripped onto her face. It marred her cheek and ran down the side. Mara screamed.

It was a high pitched scream that tore the inside of her throat raw, but she couldn't stop. She drew breath and kept screaming.

"JUST STOP IT!"

She was holding onto the glass so hard that it had sunk into her hand. Her whole body shivered and when she closed her mouth she could taste blood swirling around. Mara unclenched her hand and with a wet squish she was able to separate her hand from the shard. A deep line in her palm marked where she'd held it, but her hand was completely covered in both of their blood.

She held her breath, unable to look away from him.

[decoy73]

Mara opened her eyes. Mike sighed in relief.

"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry. Do you need any - "

Pain.

Something stabbed into his neck as something started to drip onto his shirt. He grabbed onto the  jagged thing stuck in his neck. His mouth opened and let out a strangled gurgle as the drip turned into a stream. After a second of struggling, he was able to release himself from Mara, toppling into the wall as his hands desperately slipped over the thing causing himself to become really dizzy and his hands to become red.

He stared at the blur that was formerly known as Mara as some sort of muffled scream came into his ears. Before he blacked out, he could only mouth out

"Why? Just ... wanted ... help."

MALE STUDENT #53 - MICHAEL WHALEY: ELIMINATED

136 STUDENTS REAMAIN

[Ruggahissy]

She blinked. Her eyes fluttered and a drop of blood caught on her eyelash. Mara watched him grab at his neck. He was trying to pull the glass out. She just stared at him. He was tearing up his hand to try and get it out. Mara was half sitting up and he was no longer above her. He hit a wall and fell to the floor next to her.

She felt fuzzy. Her fingers tips tingled. The adrenaline blocked her from being able to feel the damage she'd taken for the time being. Mara was taking big breaths, trying to keep up with how hard her heart was pumping blood. She fell back, exhausted.

She stared straight up, now lying down again. Next to her Mike was still making bubbling gurgles. When he'd stopped she turned her head to look at him. Her chest was still rising and falling dramatically. Her hair was matted to her face by blood. Unthinking, she reached up with her damaged hand and tried to sweep it away from her face. She ended up smearing her lovely face with blood.

He wasn't moving. Mara reached over a shaky hand and punched him in the arm. He stayed still. His eyes were open and still had the expression of frantic fear. She clutched her hand to her chest.

After a few wobbly attempts she sat up again. Mara surveyed the room. Two guys, very big, tall, athletic guys, were laid out on the floor. She'd taken them both out. Her. Little Mara who was half a foot shorter, no weapons and probably couldn't do a single pull-up.

Maybe she was going to be okay? Maybe she had what it took to survive. She thought about how her father would feel about the scene. He'd be proud of her, maybe prouder than he'd ever been of any debate win or A+. She was a survivor.

She looked back at Mike. Well, he was dead. She didn't mean to kill him, it certainly what she thought when he walked in. What choice did she have, though? He wouldn't let her leave and if Hansel woke up and figured-

"Oh fuck, right."

Hansel was still there. Still knocked out, still possibly a murderer. She wasn't a murderer, this was a kill of necessity. However, the person who killed Daniel shot him from the bushes for no reason. That person was a psycho and if it was this psycho she needed to move.

Mara keyed in on the gun Mike dropped. She scrambled, crawling across the floor to reach it.

[NotAFlyingToy]

Sounds invaded Hansel; scrambling, thumps, desperate movements permeating the air and sinking into his subconscious. He heard voices as though he were underwater; too far and too murky to make any real sense to them. There was a beat, low, pulsing, that swam through the visions in his head as light and colour exploded behind his eyelids.

His father's face emerged from the wobbly, swirling mass of smoke trails and light, his mouth opening and closing to the far away dialogue. Hansel felt as though he could reach him, reach to him, his fingers flexing through the smoke and haze. Pa's eyes lit up, shooting Hansel a feral grin, lips curling as he met his son's gaze.

You could be wrong.

He awoke to a thud, his entire body jerking in the span of a few seconds as two bodies fell to the floor in the darkened lighthouse, his eyes opening and making him aware of the pain in his shoulder, the back of his head. He blinked twice, trying to remain still, trying to regain his breath, control his panic as Mara slid closer to the other person, punching at their arm.

It was black on black; silhouettes in the moonlight as he blinked rapidly, trying to get his night vision back. Mara uttered a sentence to herself, sliding forwards, crawling towards something on the floor, taking her right past his feet-

Hansel reacted.

Rearing up and spinning on his back, he lashed out with both booted feet at Mara's side, pinwheeling his arms to get some distance. He was on auto-pilot, sensing danger and reacting, willing himself to fight through the harsh throbbing in the back of his head and the shrieking in his left arm.

Baring his teeth in a feral snarl, he reared both of his boots back again, and struck once more. This time, aiming for Mara's head.

[Ruggahissy]

Her hand reached out and touched the gun. It was hers. Suddenly something struck her head, but her hand, bloody and torn, grabbed it just before she was struck down. Mara rolled to the side taking the weapon with her. She skittered to a stop and slammed her other hand against the floor.

Mike was certainly dead. The hit came from another direction. She growled, jammed her knee against the ground and managed to prop herself up. She shot up to a standing position, leaning against a shelf. Her head hadn't stopped spinning yet, but she figured she'd get in a more advantageous position first, then worry about actually being able to see what was happening.

As soon as she was up, even before she knew for certain she wouldn't topple back over, the gun was up with and her pointing in his direction.

"You want violence? I'll show you violence," she whispered.

Half her face was streaked in blood, hair slick with it and dripping. She reached out a shaky hand to grab Mike's bag and slid backwards towards the door.