The Stench of Reality

[Theseus†]

((alright I'm back from vacation ))

Neil had thought at first that the girl was going to let him and his group in. She lowered her rifle, and seemed to look around. He was sure she had spotted the others in the tree line. Then, out of nowhere, he found himself staring down the barrel of the AK47.

He listened as Trish yelled at him telling him that Heather had already died. She didn't know about Mary. Or she forgot. It didn't matter, Neil took a few steps back instinctively at the gun, fear rising in him.

Yet, at the same time the fear was rising, he felt calm. In any other circumstance, understandably, Neil would be freaking out. Scared for his life. Yet now, on this island, he felt like he had a purpose. A purpose bigger than being in his band. A purpose bigger than starting mosh pits and drinking at parties.

He found his purpose in escape. In protecting people. In being their leader.

So if Trish wanted to shoot him, there was nothing he could do about it. He had to stay calm for his group. Because he would follow someone who wouldn't truly put their life on the line for them? Neil wanted the members of SADD to feel like they could trust him. They could.

So when Trish jabbed the AK47 into his chest, he only flinched with the feeling of it hitting, and the instinctive pull back. He only looked at her and said, "I'm gone. No need to use that."

He started to back away when another girl approached.

It was Dominica Shapiro.

She had always been quiet in school, and somewhat of an outcast.

That never stopped Neil from taking in members. As he slowly backed away from Trish and the chapel, he looked at Dominica and said, "Hey, I don't think they're taking in members right now. I guess it's a VIP only club."

He looked back up and saw Matthew and Corbin. Where was Mary?

He looked at Dominica and said, "If you want, you can join up with me. I'm leading a group, and we're gonna get off island."

He started to walk away and in passing said, "Follow if you want."

As he began to reach the tree line he shouted back at Trish, "You forgot about Mary McKay!"

With that, Neil reached the tree line and looked at Corbin and Matthew.

Corbin stood up and said, "I'm guessing they said no?"

Neil nodded and said, "That girl that just showed up might join us. Let's wait for Mary to catch up, then let's head out of here."

Neil looked at Matt and Corbin and said, "Thanks guys. Thanks for sticking with me on this."

"And...you know, watching my back like you guys did."

"Oh and Matt. I never got a chance to properly thank you back at the jungle. You saved my life when that grenade went off by knocking me down. Thanks man."

"I owe you one. I owe you both."

[Mitsuko2†]

Matt wasn't surprized when Trish suddenly started spazzing out and jamming the gun at Neil. He didn't really trust random girls packing AK-47s. He hoped to god – as if he believed in one anymore – that she wouldn't shoot the one person he could truly trust on this island.

Neil was allowed to back away, and as he came toward the group, another girl popped out of basically nowhere. Matt and corbin retreated to the jungle's treeline, Neil following after a few words to the girl, and trish. That's when Matt realized. Mary still hadn't caught up. He hoped that she was alright. Maybe he should have walked with her?

Neil arrived, and told corbin that they were going to wait for Mary, then leave, possibly with the other girl. Matt nodded. That's when Neil turned to him. He thanked him for saving him way back in the jungle. Matt's breath caught in his thrat, and he could already feel the blush burning his cheeks. He'd completely forgot about that. His memories woulnd't get the feel of him laying on top of Neil out of his head. He turned away quickly and said.

"I-it was no big deal... I didn't want anyone to die..."

[Namira]

Sean chuckled at Trish's reply, the sound entirely without humour.

Match made in heaven...

There wasn't room for any other emotions in Sean, he just felt... numb. Like he had been swept away, his legs knocked out from underneath him.

Ugh. It's too hard to put it into words. I know how I feel, everybody else can fuck off.

Sean watched Neil go with a twinge of regret, before leaning back, recliining full length on the pew. He had to say, Trish had a point about the security, although he was sure that she couldn't have been alone on the approach to the chapel. However, he didn't like the thoughts which were obviously crossing Trish's mind. She had thirty bullets in the AK, Sean had 870 on him. Twenty-nine clips. If Sean left, Trish would have to convserve her amoo to a huge extent.

Whatever, this wasn't about control games.

Sean was here for one thing, and one thing only, and had already told Trish as much.

Heh, having a word with God. If that's what you wanna call it. The word has four letters though...

[Cyco†]

James didn't know what the hell was going on but it seemed as if he'd missed something crucial because Trish now had an assault rifle and was tripping out something fierce.

"Holy fuckballs...is everybody on crack??" he grumbled, trying to avoid the people who were backing off as he approached the chapel from an angle. A poison angle. Y'dig? When he was sure that Trish could see him he waved, a little freaked but still confident she could tell friend from foe.

[Ciel†]

"If you want, you can join up with me. I'm leading a group, and we're gonna get off island."

Dominica perked up slightly. Escape? It was an impossible dream, one that she had assumed everyone else had abandoned. The smart people knew their chances of escape were less than their chances of winning, or at least this was how Dominica saw the whole situation. The best decision was to play, because people wandering about talking nonsense about escape were like sitting ducks. Even if she wanted to join, someone like Nathanial Harris would wipe her and the rest out. That was the truth, the thing that she really didn't want to coincide with but was impossible not to. Weren't these people smart enough to realize what she has?

"Escape," she said to no one in particular, "is overrated. Too much trouble for something so impossible. If it were as easy as jumping over a fence, I would get behind it rather easily. Of course, it isn't. Escaping this horrid place is going to be neigh on impossible... does anyone out there listening to this actually believe that I want to kill? No, I don't. I have to though. It makes me a killer, but if I were to raise my arms and go against this I'd have my head blown off, and if I huddle in a corner I'll be considered a coward. I'd take being a killer any day of the week."

VIP membership, Neil had told her. She was rather skeptical about this. After all, Neil wasn't the most outgoing of people. Sure, he seemed like a socialite but... well, he was in the popular crowd and small meek people aren't exactly going to have a high opinion of him. Dominica wasn't widely known and many people couldn't conjure up her last name, but she didn't have a bad reputation... well, killing two people was bad, but it wasn't like anyone was going to hold it against her. Half of the people on this island have probably killed as well.

Still, she had to be sure she was going to be safe in there. She peered in the doorway (just as another boy had walked inside) just to feed her curiosity.

"Oh. It's O'Cann."

Dominica frowned. "Damn..."

Well. Trying her luck was certainly out of the question. Sean seemed like the kind of person whom wouldn't trust anyone if you double crossed him once. Dominica had made the mistake of revealing her intentions to him, and there were no other chances that she was going to get to redeem herself, so to hell with it. The rain... it was beginning to clear up anyway. Or was that a lie? Was she trying to lie to herself, to give her an excuse not to confront Sean? Probably. She wasn't afraid of Sean in the least, he looked like he couldn't fight for anything. What she was afraid of was the other female in the room, the one with the rather large gun. Dominica did not want to get in the range of that thing, that was for sure. So... should she follow Neil, or take her chances in the chapel.

"..." she sighed. "Fuck it."

She turned around and hightailed it right behind Neil without another word. Apparently Neil at least knew who she was and wasn't going to hold Dominica in contempt. With all the problems surrounding the island, she was kinda glad that someone still was grateful (or foolish) to trust someone instantly. Dominica wasn't planning on attacking, she wasn't that disrespectful. Hell, she was just glad someone knew who she was.

Dominica arrived at the tree line a minute after Neil and immediately let out a loud sigh. "So, what are we waiting for?" Dominica questioned, wondering why the other three were standing along the trees muttering amongst themselves. "No real point in staying here" She turned to Neil, but she didn't feel the need to smile. "If you have an escape plan, then I'm willing to listen."

Heh. If it involves waiting for rescue, I'm heading in the other direction.

[Theseus†]

Truth be told, Neil had didn't remember Dominica's name on the announcements as a killer. He knew that she was somewhat, well, a total outcast at Southridge. She was the 16 year old smart chick, who of course like ever kid in school who didn't fit in, had rumors about her. Though, none of that bothered Neil, and he didn't even bother thinking his decision over. He would get off this island. He would make sure SADD got off this island. No matter what, he would make sure he saw these people get home.

He was surprised when Dominica approached him and his group. She was joining. With all the rejections he's gotten, he was genuinely happy when this girl seemed interested in joining his escape attempt. He smiled when she showed up, and noticed the rain was starting to clear up. That meant he couldn't risk telling her his plan out loud. He would have to go back to writing it down on the notebook. Ah well, better safe than sorry right?

Neil turned to Corbin and said, "Hey do you have a notebook or something with you? I ran out of mine."

Corbin Arlen, who was looking at Dominica suspiciously, said, "yeah man." Corbin crouched down and rummaged through his pack for a notebook and pencil.

While Corbin was doing that, Neil adjusted the guitar that was still on his back. He would probably need to ditch it soon. Neil turned to Dominica and said, "I'm going to show you some song lyrics. Tell me what you think ok? Don't worry, it'll make sense soon." Neil gave his best encouraging smile to the girl, hoping she would catch on to his plan, or at least not get too weirded out.

When Corbin retrieved the notebook and pencil, he stood up. Dominica Shapiro....Dominica Shapiro. She had killed. Two times. Who did she kill? Nigel Gillespie and someone else. This was a trap. She was going to use them. Kill them. If Khrysta had taught Corbin one thing, it was to survive at all costs. She made the mistake of trusting the wrong person, now she was dead. Did Neil know? He must not have. He wouldn't endanger SADD like this. Would he?

Corbin decided to speak up.

"Neil. Before I give you this notebook are you aware she killed?"

Neil felt as if his heart skipped a beat. Dominica was a killer? No, she couldn't be. Self defense. It had to be self defense.

When it appeared that Neil wasn't going to say anything, Corbin decided to continue.

"Neil, she killed two of our classmates. One of them was Nigel Gillespie."

Nigel Gillespie.

He was one of the original members of SADD. Sure, he ran away rather fast and contributed to the original decline of SADD, but he was a member none the less. An ally. A fellow escapee.

Neil felt no particular emotion. Just a bunch of emotions all strung together. What was he going to do? What would a leader do? She had killed his friend, his ally. People could change. Couldn't they? This game could cause anyone to give in. If Neil was a true leader, he'd take her in.

He couldn't refuse anyone.

Neil looked at Dominica, then Corbin and Matthew.

"Corbin, hand me the notebook and pencil."

Corbin wasn't expecting that answer. Though, Neil was their leader. He knew what he was doing. Corbin handed the Neil the supplies and said, "Your call boss."

Neil opened up the notebook and quickly wrote down his plan.

we're destroying cameras in major areas. I'm hoping it will get to the point where Danya will have to send people in to fix the cameras. That's when we strike, hopefully taking one hostage to help us get these collars off. We also have a plan to test the collars on dead students.

Neil handed the notebook to Dominica and said, "Listen, I don't care what you did before this moment. It's all erased. If you don't mention it, I won't. I'm not looking for someone who's joining us to screw us over though. You have my word if you join SADD and you're serious, I'll die before I let anyone hurt you, or anyone else in this group."

Neil turned around so he was facing Corbin, Matthew, and Dominica.

"That goes for all of you. This is it. No going back. Corbin and Matthew, I know you both are committed. Dominica, I know you're a smart girl. Very smart. You could be one hell of an ally to this cause. If you agree to fight with us to the end, I swear that you won't be judged by what you did the past four days on this island."

Neil looked at his group.

SADD.

"So I guess the question now is, are you in, or are you out?"

[Crash†]

Trish breathed a sigh of relief as Neil backed off, and the remainder of his group turned around and followed suite. She had asserted herself successfully and managed to maintain control of the situation without incurring any wounds in the process. Not bad. The feeling of relief quickly subsided however as she spotted the leery figure of Dominica Shapiro cross her line of vision and approach Neil.

It was all too clear now who he had been addressing his speech to after leaving the chapel. At first he seemed to have been shouting things back towards Trish through the rain, but whatever he had said she hadn't managed to hear, owing to the downpour. Dominica, however, left an uneasy feeling in the pit of Trish's stomach. Trish had been paying careful attention to the announcements every morning, and she was more than aware of just how Dominica had chosen to play the game. Although she couldn't pick up their speech from this far away, she was fairly convinced that Neil was attempting to convince her to join his group, and was slightly disturbed by the possibility. It was like signing their own death warrant. Trish knew, however, that to win the game she'd have to be the last person standing, and although it pained her to let things stand as they were, it would be slightly easier on her than killing all of them herself.

The next thing that crossed Trish's field of vision both eased her mind and worried her. James had finally emerged from the jungle, and upon noticing her had directed a wave her way. Trish returned the wave with a jerk of her head, indicating to James to make his way into the chapel, and quickly. She was worried about him being seen by Dominica and caught off-guard, or even by one of the other SADD members. She still didn't trust any of them. All the same, she hoped James would make haste in coming into safety and out of the rain, she knew it couldn't be doing his headache or potential concussion any wonders.

Her mind switching into overdrive again, Trish continued to keep the gun pointed out the doorway in the direction of Dominica and the SADD members. She didn't make any sudden movements or indicate any change in her position, but she certainly wasn't going to let her guard down now of all times. Until James was safe, she wasn't going to take any chances. This time, her speech came as a sort of desperate whisper, directed towards Sean.

"As soon as James gets inside, close the doors and push a pew in front of them. We can't take any more chances like that. Besides, I'm pretty sure you want a few minutes to make your peace," Her tone had gradually changed from a sense of urgency to one of gentle understanding. She genuinely felt terrible for the position in which Sean now found himself, and she could at least make sure he got his chance to say his piece to the man upstairs. It was the least she could do, not only because he was Andy's boyfriend, but because the ammunition he lent her could have potentially just saved her life. In the meantime however, Trish kept both her gun and her attention transfixed outside towards the group that was now about fifty feet away. She hoped that if God was watching, he'd make sure they were long gone, and fast.

[Cyco†]

It looked as if Trish was beckoning James inside the church, and he complied with a cautious glance at the leaving parties. It didn't seem like they were interested, but he'd have been lying if he said he didn't feel a tad vulnerable, so James was sure to keep low and move quickly. He nearly slipped on a fair stretch of rain-soaked mud approaching the door, but salvaged it and darted inside.

He removed his glasses, breathing heavily and shaking some of the water out of his matted hair. Upon wiping them and putting them back on he realized that someone else was in the church with them, although from glancing at Trish confusedly for a moment he decided the boy was a benign presence. That still didn't explain where she'd gotten an AK-fucking-47, so James brought it up.

"So, what...were you hiding that in your utility belt?" he inquired jokingly.

[Namira]

Sean heard Trish speak - telling him to help her keep others out, but he ignored her entirely. Quite frankly she could do whatever the hell she wanted to, but he would be damned if he was going to take orders from her. It had been a bad idea to load her up - now it looked as if she was getting some sort of superiority complex. It didn't matter what Trish thought, AK's only packed 30 shots per clip, and Sean had many, many more clips on him than Trish did. Without him feeding her ammo, Trish might as well be wielding a glorified club.

As James entered, Sean turned away from the chapel doors and stood up, still not wearing a shirt. He didn't much care what anybody else had to say about it, really. The island wasn't really a place to discuss whether or not it was appropriate for a guy to go around topless. Hell, boys did that back in the... real, sane world.

He walked up the steps and sat himself down on the altar... it was just about time to let out his feelings, not quite though. He just had to settle down a little.

Hear ye, hear ye, thou better be ready for thee owning of a lifetime.

[Ciel†]

Destroying all of the cameras?

Why didn't Dominica ever come up with that?

Dominca half-pouted. When she had been watching the cameras before, a couple of days ago, the thought of destroying them came to mind. She thought of it as probable, but she had just assumed that destroying a camera would be an instant deathwish. She really thought that if she destroyed even one camera, then her head would explode in a very gruesome manner. Apparently her suspicions were wrong, because here was a few people who were wandering the island destroying every camera imaginable and weren't punished at all. It made Dominica ashaimed of herself.

"Listen, I don't care what you did before this moment. It's all erased. If you don't mention it, I won't. I'm not looking for someone who's joining us to screw us over though. You have my word if you join SADD and you're serious, I'll die before I let anyone hurt you, or anyone else in this group."

Hmm... was Neil actually trusting her, regardless of all the bad things she has done?

She was... surprised, to say the least. Honestly leading upto this, from the way Neil was speaking to her, she had assumed he knew nothing of her bad reptutation. Was he just waiting to get betrayed? No one is as honest as they make themselves out to be. Even a person who's willing to save a puppy from a burning building could kill a man and feel nothing. Liars and deceivers could be genuine people, despite the fact that they're liars and deceivers. While deception wasn't the first thing on Dominica's mind, it certainly wasn't the last.

The truth was. even though she had been criticizing escape for a long time, she wasn't totally one-hundred percent against it. In fact, she really wished there was a logical way to get out of fighting for one's life. Now there was an actual plan that made sense, and she really didn't know what to make of the whole venture.

She had never been in a large group. A group of friends that accepted her, even under such circumstances. The only friends she had were scattered about California, and certainly no one from Southridge. Maybe the thought of joining a few people, becoming a part of society, being known was clouding her logic. What if this never work? What if they never come to repair the cameras? All their efforts would be for naught, and Dominica would find herself in the same predictament as was before all of this happened. What if Neil was a backstabbing loony and killed the rest when their backs are turned? Dominca didn't know Neil personally, so whay should she give him complete trust?

Dominica had nothing to lose. At best she got off the island. At worst, she had human shields to hide behind. She could roll along with the group, even if that meant betraying them when she really had to. Hell, maybe she might actually come to like these fools as they fight for their lives.

She nodded. "Yes... I understand completely, crystal." she said, actually sounding cheery for a change. She smiled. "I really don't want to wander around alone for a change, if there's a group I can trust. I might get attacked again..."

Oh, that was the piece of cake she was meaning to slip out. She pulled back slightly, turning her head away as to make it look like she mentioned something that she didn't want to talk about. She didn't have a clue that Nigel had been a part of S.A.D.D., nor did she remember who Nigel was when she attacked him. However, if she wanted to clear out all the bad skeletons hanging over her, she had to rose-color everything. She didn't want them to think she wasn't trustworthy (which she was, in a sense).

[Crash†]

"Gee, thanks for the help," Trish muttered as Sean walked right by her, evidently ignoring her plea for help. She was starting to become slightly irritated again, but she decided to give Sean the benefit of the doubt, especially given the scope of his loss, and let the tension die there. As soon as James had entered the chapel, Trish stepped quickly in front of him, closing both of the chapel doors. She proceeded to slide the bolt lock shut in front of both the doors, then wasted no time in stepping over towards the side near one of the pews.

Hearing James' rather sarcastic question, Trish couldn't help but grin. It felt good to have him around again. Despite the fact that he was injured and really only had a baseball and an aerosol can to defend himself with, she couldn't help but feel safer in his presence. The comfort more came from the fact that she'd managed to rendezvous with one of the few people she actually considered a friend on the island.

"I kinda pilfered it," Trish stated bluntly, jerking her head in the direction of Adonis' headless corpse. The sight and smell of him had initially shocked her to the point of disgust, but she had unfortunately become used to that god-awful stench over the course of more than an entire day spent in the chapel. Before closing the doors she'd noticed that, although overcast, the sky was significantly brighter now than it had been when the group had shown up. It must've been close to daybreak.

Returning her thoughts to James, she directed her attention to the pew in front of her. She was now on one side of it, while James remained close to the chapel doors on the other side. Trish put the AK-47 on the pew directly in front of her temporarily, keeping an eye on Sean the entire time to make sure he didn't make any sudden movements. He was on the other side of the Chapel entirely though, so even if he made a move to pick it up, she'd have more than enough time to blow him away. "Help me push this in front of the door, would you?" She directed at James, placing her hands underneath the pew and getting ready to lift it with him.

Upon once more detecting the scent eminating from Adonis' corpse, and realizing it would probably be harsher on James than it now was on her, she added, "Oh, and you can give that aerosol a good go around here when we're finished. Long as that's not sacreligious or whatever..." She trailed off.

Her eyes wandered towards Sean for a moment, casting him a cursory glance. The boy was probably beyond despair now, and she really pitied him. Lowering her voice and returning her attention to James, she added barely audibly, "We should probably leave him alone for a few minutes, too. He needs a word with the big man."

[Theseus†]

Neil smiled at Dominica. She had accepted his offer. She was now apart of SADD. She couldn't be that bad right? She had mentioned her being attacked before, and the expression in her face hinted that she had a bad experience. Maybe her two kills were circumstantial. Maybe Nigel had attacked her. It's not like it mattered anymore anyways. Neil had made a promise to her. Her past was forgiven.

Turning so he was facing the three students in front of him he said, "All right, I've been doing some thinking and I think I have a good plan formed on how to finish this. We need some new people willing to join us though."

Mary was gone. She must have gotten lost in the jungle. They would find her later, but they had to move on. Neil hated losing another member, especially when it was just because of the darkness and rain combined. Now it was just rainy. Though it was almost afternoon. They had to get a move on.

Neil started to walk into the jungle once again and said, "Alright guys, stay together. We don't want to lose anyone."

Corbin wasn't as sure as Neil about letting Dominica into the group. Though Neil was the only hope Corbin had now that Khrysta was dead. She was the one who kept him alive, and he felt like he couldn't do it alone. Neil came by just in time to let him into his group with a promise of escape.

Was it possible? Could it happen?

Corbin, like almost every other kid in America, had seen the first two "games" on TV. Escape was mentioned but never pulled off. Though, Corbin felt like it could be done. Nothing was perfect. If they wanted it enough, there was no reason they could fail.

Shouldering his M16, he followed Neil into the jungle.

((Neil and Corbin continued at A View to a Kill))

[Mitsuko2†]

Matt smiled slightly. Everything was turning out so well. Dominica had killed before, but Neil still allowed her to join them. To trust is to be strong on this island. That's what Matt believed. He believed that under such dire and desperate circumstances, trust was the only weapon they had against Danya and his cohorts.

"Alright... let's get a move on!" He said, smiling brightly for the first time in a long time. He looked to Neil. He felt his face warm slightly. Neil was their leader. He was the one who was going to get them all out of this hellhole. Matt had full faith in him, ever since they started their journey together. Then there was Corbin. A boy whom Matt knew little of, but what he did know was that he was ready and willing to do what was nessesary for them all to survive. Dominica was fairly new, but Matt was sure he could place as much trust in her as Neil had done.

'Mary...' He thought to himself. She was nowhere to be found. Did something terrible happen to her? Matt didn't want to know. He just hoped she was safe, wherever she was.

Matt quickly followed after Neil and Corbin, beckoning Dominica to follow.


((Continued: A Veiw To Kill))

[Ciel†]

Eager beavers, huh?

Dominica sighed softly, taking her bag off of her shoulders. They had actually believed her, believed in her. She felt glad for this but at the same time she was concerned. Would they so easily trust someone who would kill them? Dominica didn't know, but that was the part that scared her. If they keep recruting everyone they meet, they'll certainly run into Blood Boy who... would either die very gruesomely or kill half of S.A.D.D. in the process.

S.A.D.D.?

"What a stupid name," Dominica grumbled, taking the speargun out of her pack and followed after Neil and the rest.

(Continued in A View for a Kill)

[Cyco†]

James was pleased that they now had a useful weapon to defend themselves with, but at the same time that headless body lying on the floor made him want to leap out of his skin and streak bare-boned across the island to get away from it. Just a little. Didn't exactly smell like daisies, either.

"Ah," he replied, his eyes fixed on the ghastly sight until Trish brought his attention over to the pew. He dropped his daypack on the floor with a clunk and quickly went to help.

Trish mentioned the other guy over at the altar, to which James cast another quick glance. He had no way of knowing what had the guy needing to speak to God, but he could hazard a few good guesses. For lack of any better response he nodded solemnly.

"What's the plan then?" he asked, changing the subject.