One By One

A huge tree, bursting with foliage, straddles part of the overgrown trail. A large part of the tree has been hollowed out on the inside, making it large enough for army vehicles to pass through. It's large enough to house quite a few people, and the age-old carvings on the inside of the tree are testament enough to that. It's not much in terms of shelter, but it's better than spending a night in the deep, dark jungle.
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Muninn†
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#46

Post by Muninn† »

Lauren pressed herself against the side of the tree when the first gunshots went off. She saw Liam dive for the ground, the back of his leg bleeding from the gunshot wound. The next attack would come at any minute...

The attack never came. After the initial shots, it was just as if their attacker had simply vanished. While Lauren certainly wasn't going to complain about the lack of bullets moving in their direction, it was rather unnerving for things to shift so suddenly. It was definitely suspicious.

Most of the others had taken advantage of the opportunity to exit the tree and head off into the jungle again. As soon as she realized this, Lauren went after them, hoping that she would still be able to see where they were going and meet up with them. Behind her, Carson and Liam remained behind to deal with the attacker...

She paused for a moment. Their attacker had a gun, while Carson and Liam were both unarmed, or may as well have been unarmed. If the situation were to escalate again, the two of them probably wouldn't make it out of there. Lauren was torn between getting out of the area and staying behind to give them the little bit of help that she could manage.

The others were getting to the point where it would be hard for her to keep up if she waited here much longer. She glanced back one last time at the tree before setting off at a run so that she wouldn't get left behind.

I'm sorry.

((Lauren Howard continued in When we Die))
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dinah_shore†
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#47

Post by dinah_shore† »

((OOC: Thanks for being patient guys, I didn't plan on holding everyone up like this Image ))

Checking her surroundings, Eris realized that she had spoken only to empty air. Suddenly Liam appeared in the faint light of dawn. He wasted to time getting down to business.

"Why the hell did you shoot me, Eris?"

It was a good question. He had been a rival of sorts in Chemistry, but she doubted he knew. She'd never let on that she was in competition with him, and that was an assinine reason to want to blow out someone's kneecaps anyways. Liam just ground down on her nerves. His attraction to chaos and violence annoyed her; she was sure he only wrote and said the things he did for the attention it got him.

That wasn't quite why she'd shot him though. Luckily Eris had some time to think still, while Liam explained what had passed in the tree before she went and derailed the discussion. She listened patiently. It was nice to have a conversation with someone, even if it was an unorthodox setting.

"...So, if you hate me that much to put a bullet in my brain, do it..."

No, there were plenty of people she hated more intensely than Liam Black...Melina Frost, for example.

She studied him as he finished his spiel, her gun hanging securely from her hand at her side. He seemed sincere. The proposition was amusing, joining up with the boy she'd just shot. Almost equally amusng as shooting him in the other leg and running in the other direction.

Instead she said, "What you should do is lie low. What you were doing: yelling at Lenny like an idiot, that's a bad idea. You don't like being shot? Don't draw attention to yourself. I thought you were smarter than that, Liam."
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Candescence†
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#48

Post by Candescence† »

((Apology accepted.))

Morning.

Liam sighed in relief, as Eris berated him for yelling at Lenny, instead of shooting him there and then. "Hey, if he was trying to be convincing, he wouldn't have shot me, period. But I'm pretty sure I wasn't shouting."

He fell onto his bum inside the tree, and checked his wound, while also getting his first-aid kit out of his pack. "God knows how much longer it would have taken for this wound to get infected... Hey, Eris, mind giving me a hand with this? I need to have the bullet taken out, the wound needs to be disinfected, and banaged up and stuff.. Ow."

He smirked. The bullet was still in there, but it was the lower leg - you'd think it would be fairly easy to reach, but Liam figured that it couldn't possibly be that easy. He looked where Carson was hiding. "Hey, Carson! Go ahead in the direction they went, it's morning, and either Lenny might have shot James by now, or Shamecca has rescued him... I can't go there right now with my leg. It hurts like shit."

He chuckled. "Ya know... I think I understand this game a little more. It's a game that you just can't win by playing, for some reason. "Survival of the Fittest"... The ones that come on top are never the ones that go killing everyone, is it? The last two winners weren't like that. They played it smart. Playing the game only makes your chances of getting killed all the more higher. That's how nature works. The smart ones that can adapt always survive - that's how we humans dominated the bloody pla-FUCK. I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

He drooped his head forward in shame, laughing sheepishly. "I just have a bad habit of doing that. Sorry."

What a way to start the morning, with or without Danya's-

"WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE. Why do I not hear Danya's disgusting voice? He should be mocking us sarcastically, announcing the kills, danger zones and best kill award..."

Liam looked up, closing his eyes, trying to hear... No. He couldn't hear shit. It was morning.

And there was no announcement.

Liam grinned. "Danya couldn't just not announce anything for any reason on his own accord... There must be something stopping him. If he couldn't do it, someone else would have. There's only one reason he wouldn't be able to make an annoucement. His system must have been disabled... That could explain the Shoryuken noise. I don't know how the hell that would have occurred, but... I highly doubt just the transmitters used for the announcements would stop working - perhaps, just maybe..."

He opened his eyes, and yelled out to Carson, "OI! Carson! One last thing! Tell the others that we may have the perfect oppertunity to derail Danya's little game! No announcement means his parts of his systems, if not the whole thing, are down, and we can take advantage of this... If we're lucky."

He sighed. Normally, he would go with the option that would allow him to kill... But this seemed far more exciting, to smash a master terrorist's plan to pieces. It could be possible that the body count would hit the roof, now... Or SOTF could be completely re-railed. Either way, Liam would have a lot of fun with this...

((Edited. Okay, dis-regarding the virus, noting that it would be unlikely for just one part of the system would just stop working like that, combined with the Shoryuken, makes it possible that the rest of the system is down, Liam just isn't totally sure, but he's gonna take that chance for the heck of it.))
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Sean†
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#49

Post by Sean† »

((OOC: Sorry for being a bit late myself, I was working on several school projects and an Evangelion fanfic. Meh.))

Carson was feeling downright chipper at the moment, if a bit hungry. The mess with Eris had seemingly blown over, although he had a bad feeling about leaving the two alone for obvious reasons; namely, Eris had a gun, and Liam didn't. He heard Liam's request and replied promptly.

"Will do, man!" he said rather loudly, giving Liam a thumbs-up. He put his corkscrew in his daypack, slung it over his shoulder, and walked off humming the opening theme tune from Elfen Lied.

((Carson Baye continued in When We Die))
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Mimi
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#50

Post by Mimi »

(Kimmy Redmond continued from Night Diving)

The sky was quickly turning from pink to blue as the small girl sped through the jungle, jumping over roots and ducking under low hanging branches. She had no idea where she was going, nor did she care at that exact time. The beeping of her collar had stopped awhile ago, but she kept running anyway. Running was the only thing she was focused on. The caves, Eddie, Jim- they were all distant memories now. They were just things she wanted to get away from... especially Eddie.

Eddie was destroying her from the inside out. She hated him so much, yet she admired the boy more than she ever wanted to admire anyone. He was brave, and forgiving, and so many other things that she didn't even want to think about. There was only going to be one winner- and she was going to be the winner.

"OI! Carson! One last thing!"

The girl stopped immediately as she distinctly heard someone yelling very close to her. Yelling and gunshots were constantly background noise on the island, but this yelling sounded as though the person was extremely close to her. She could make out everything he was saying. The lunatic was yelling at the top of his lungs about some crackpot theory that he could de-rail the game or something. She had no idea how he came to that conclusion, but she decided to investigate the scene and find out who exactly the loon was.

Pushing some dense bushes out of her way, Kimmy was amazed at the sight of the large tree. It was the sort of thing someone would see in a fantasy book. A large opening in the tree was facing her and she could make out a figure sitting with his back turned to her. A white box was on the ground next to him, which looked to be the same type of first-aid box she was supplied with, and he was picking at his leg.

Not even a minute later, another boy chipped in and said something that Kimmy couldn't care less about. He walked off and Kimmy focused her attention back at the other boy. Something about him seemed so familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She racked her mind for the identity of the kid and stared intently at him from the bushes.

Kimmy smirked as she finally remembered who he was. Liam Black. That kid who apparently thought he was a super-genius and was constantly coming up with theories that he probably made up out of thin air.

The smirk that had plastered itself on to the girl's face turned into a scowl as she remembered a certain incident that happened between he and she. He had tripped her while she was walking up the stairs back at Southridge in front of handful of their classmates. Not that she cared what her classmates thought about her, but Liam didn't know who he was messing with. She had twisted her ankle in the fall, so he was lucky that she wasn't able to castrate him with her bare hands right then and there. But now she had her chance to give him his just desserts.

Kimmy stealthy emerged from the bushes without making a sound and pulled her flag from her jumper pocket. She wasn't sure what she would be able to do with it at that moment, but it was the only means of defense she had. She crept closer and closer to the boy and watched as he sat there. As she got closer to him, her heart beat with anticipation. This was exactly what she needed to get in the mindset she needed to be in.

He still hadn't noticed her as she got even closer to him and in one quick motion, Kimmy broke out into a sprint. Her flag was clenched in both of her hands as she lunged at the boy, fully ready to choke him to death. She was really going to do it...

She was going to finally kill someone.
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dinah_shore†
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#51

Post by dinah_shore† »

Eris peered into the hole in Liam's leg as he began to clean it. A bullet was lodged into his flesh, creating a strange juxtaposition of skin and metal; of organic and synthetic. It reminded her of piercings, which Eris didn't like very much. As much as she hated looking at it, she forced herself to stoop down on one knee and swab at the wound with her left hand while her dominant hand held the gun gently.

It would be easier if I put it down...

But, he didn't seem entirely trustworthy.

While Liam barked out parting intructions for Carson, Eris couldn't help but feel suspicious of the action. She vaguely wondered if they were speaking in code and planning to attack her. The gun would have the stay on her person.

The bullet was ready for extraction. She'd been listening to the boy, nodding and "I see"-ing in all the right places(she hoped, at least) until he stopped mid-sentence to remark on the absence of the morning announcement.

"There's still time," she responded a little lamely. He wasn't listening though, and his mind seemed to run excitedly with the possibility of Danya was having technical difficulties, giving him a vehicle with which he could overthrow the game.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions at this poi-"

Eris was cut off as a small person barrelled into the tree, heading straight for herself and Liam. Startled, Eris jumped back from Liam, tripping and falling to the ground.

[((this is an abomination...ugh))
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Candescence†
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#52

Post by Candescence† »

((Edit: Total re-write here.. I am so sorry. V_V' Makes me realise how inexperienced I am at this realistic RP stuff. Also, I've decided to tone down Liam's smarts, provided that he actually survives... Dangit, I'm such a twat.))

Liam sighed, as Eris thankfully didn't take the chance to shoot at him, and Carson went off as requested. Things might just begin to go well for him... If the others believed him.

Then her speech cut off, and Liam head sudden footsteps. Too late for him. The small girl had burst into the tree, and he barely was able to try and look at her before she knocked him down. His back hit the ground, and on reflex along, he attempted to kick her in the torso. He groaned, barely recognizing a flag she was carrying which she was trying to slip around his throat. Shit.

The natural reaction was to try and use both hands to grab the flag. It had already gotten around his neck. He was sweating. Was this what it was like to be on the edge of death itself? Then something slipped between the flag and his throat. One of his index fingers. Then he tried to the same with the other index... Success! The pressure on his throat reduced dramatically. He could breathe. He was lucky that he actually had the oppertunity to slip a finger in before the flag got too tight around his neck for him to do anything about it...
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Sean†
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#53

Post by Sean† »

((snip, I'm an asshole))
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Mimi
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#54

Post by Mimi »

Kimmy barely comprehended reality as she rushed the unsuspecting Liam. Ever growing was the anticipation that seemed to tear at her seams. A part of her couldn't believe that she was actually going to go through with it, but the vengeful nature that she possessed overshadowed the doubt. It was something that needed to be done. If she allowed people to walk all over her, they'd never take her seriously. Liam would demonstrate perfectly what happened to people who disrespected her. It was survival, but who said she couldn't prove a point while surviving at the same time?

Tunnel vision overtook Kimmy, focusing solely on Liam. The surrounding area seemed to melt into oblivion as she closed the space between herself and Liam. The two of them were the only people in existence. Nothing else was important anymore- not going home, not her family, not Eddie. Just Liam. Killing him was the one and only thing the blonde cared about. It was as if taking his like was a rite of passage; something she needed to do in order to move on.

Kimmy's heart skipped a beat as Liam's eyes met her own mere moments before she attacked him. Her blood boiled as she remembered the disgusting, cocky look he threw her way after tripping her. He had been so pleased with himself afterwards, like he had won a gold medal or the Nobel Prize.

He wouldn't be so pleased after she was done with him.

Claws were out as the small girl lunged at Liam, flag still clenched tightly in her fists. Liam attempted to fend her off, but rather than kicking her in the stomach like her intended, he only managed to infuriate the rabid girl even more by kicking her in the shin. The numbing pain begged to be tended to, but Kimmy tried as hard as she could to overlook it and proceeded with the attack.

Kimmy managed to straddle Liam, effectively pinning his torso to the ground. Nimble fingers wrapped the flag tightly around his neck and criss-crossed the two ends in the front. To Kimmy's displeasure, Liam had squeezed two fingers under the flag before she could pull it taut; thwarting her attempt to choke him.

Being a clean fighter meant nothing in the topsy-turvy world the students were thrown in, and Kimmy knew that full well. They weren't going to get any praise for fighting fairly and the only way to get ahead in the game is to use the most underhanded tactics she could think of- something she would do without hesitation.

Pulling the flag tighter around the boy's neck, Kimmy proceeded to clench her eyes shut. What she was about to do wouldn't be as fun as strangling, but it'd get the job done. With only the brief pause to sort her thoughts, Kimmy put her plan into action, and only taking a second to catch her breath, Kimmy sent a flurry of head-butts down onto Liam's nose.

Any and all rage she had acquired during her eighteen years of existence was unleashed on the boy below her.
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dinah_shore†
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#55

Post by dinah_shore† »

Eris' eyes widened as the girl she now recognized as Kimberly Redmond began savagely attacking Liam. There was no part of her body that she did not use in trying to injure the boy beneath her. Kimmy was not a girl. She was a tiny wolverine. In the midst of it all, a black flag fluttered, trying to find its place around Liam's throat.

Before she had a chance to realize what she was doing, Eris had clicked the safety off the Taurus and pointed it at the struggling mass. Her mind shrieked in protest. What are you doing?!

There was still a chance to turn back. To run with wild abandon into the jungle while Kimmy chewed on the stump that was once Liam's neck. Eris had stopped, and everything continued to move around her. What a strange feeling. She could break it and run. She could break it and...

"Stop."

Her voice was dry and raspy, and pretty much inaudible. Eris swallowed a ball of rage(You idiot! Run!) forming in her throat and tried again, her voice stronger and authoritative, like that of a disapproving parent.

"Stop. Now."
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Candescence†
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#56

Post by Candescence† »

"FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK-"

Those were the only thoughts running through Liam's mind right now. This girl was still trying to strangle him, despite him foiling that one. However, Carson had come just in time. "CARSON! GET HER OFF ME-"

That's when Kimmy headbutted him.

Blood.

Pain.

And a broken nose.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAFUUUUUUUUU-" Liam screamed. The bitch just BROKE HIS NOSE. Just lovely. First Eris had shot him in the leg, now this girl had broke his nose! How could-Wait, it's not a good idea to tempt fate.

Moving his head to the right a little, Liam quickly tried to move his right arm up to cover his face. Well, more like pivot, or rotate, however the heck you could describe it - right now, the "palm" side of his right arm was facing towards his attacker, his arm taking the brunt of the other headbutts instead of his head. And he still was able to keep his fingers between the flag and his throat. Head-butting is not a quick action, but Liam barely got the arm up to protect against the second strike, his upper arm taking the blow for him. If he got lucky, she might hit her head on his elbow with the next ones. And really, it's a pointy bit that's hard as hell, she'd be worse off.

((Just to note, I'm simulated this position myself, so it's entirely plausible.))

He groaned, then heard Eris tell Kimmy to stop. If this silly girl didn't stop attacking him after having a gun pointed at her... She must be completely bonkers.
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Sean†
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#57

Post by Sean† »

((Just so Candescence doesn't have to retcon out the fact that Liam saw me, I'm posting ASAP. Mimi, fuck off, you godmoded Liam by breaking his nose, therefore you have no room to talk about what's polite and what isn't.))

Carson walked by the Hollow Tree. His humming had switched to For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica. He made a turn and was greeted with the sight of a small girl strangling Liam, while Eris pointed a gun at the ball of violence.

What a pussy, he thought. Wait, what the fuck?

He did a double-take, and realized he should be helping. Right as this happened, he heard Liam yelling the exact same sentiment.

"CARSON! GET HER OFF ME-" he yelled. His statement was cut short by the small girl slamming her head into his face. He screamed.

Carson pulled out his corkscrew and broke into a run.

To quote Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, or not to quote... ah, fuck it, he thought.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!?!?!?" he yelled at the absolute top of his lungs. That should get the motherfucker's attention! he internally monologued triumphantly.
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Mimi
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#58

Post by Mimi »

(And I woulda got away with it if it wasnt for you pesky kids and your stupid dog, too!)
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DetectiveArcher†
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#59

Post by DetectiveArcher† »

((continued from There's No Home For You Here))

Following the trail through the jungle, Morgan couldn't help but notice something about the island he'd been placed on. My, but doesn't the scenery just run together? I would swear I've been past here before. He brushed away the water collecting on his face with his scarred right hand. The weather was getting equally monotonous. How long had it been raining? Too long, the bespectacled young man thought bitterly.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!?!?!?"

Gripping the pearl handle on his straight razor, Morgan's head flicked towards the grandiose battle cry. Who in the world? Quickly following the sound of the loud student's voice, the disappointed boy muttered quietly to himself. There certainly were a great many idiots to be had in this game, weren't there? Morgan wondered how half of his fellow students made it past the first day on the island. For every woman like Laeil, who thought strategically and pragmatically, there were a dozen fools who wouldn't know strategy if it came up and bit them on the ass.

Coming to the large hollow tree once more, Morgan nodded. He had been here before, but only briefly. That was a relief; the clever boy had been worrying that he was starting to get a little cracked. Surveying the situation, he shook his head and sighed. A trembling girl was aiming at two downed students. A girl who looked like she belonged more in junior high than a battle to the death was strangling and battering a boy to within an inch of his life. My, my. What a charming young woman.

The lean, bloodied boy managed to cover himself. And, if that girl with the gun was on his side, he was safe now. Another, larger boy was moving towards the scuffle, something clenched in his fist. Hmph. Too bad little girl. If you'd have caught that guy when he was alone, he'd be finished. Just bad luck for you.

Morgan almost walked off to let the situation pan out however it would, but something stopped him. That girl on the ground could be extremely useful. She's vicious, lethal, can get things done. Point her in the right direction and the little wolverine could be a handy weapon. It would be a waste to let them kill her. After all, a chess player needs pieces.

But, what was the safest way to go about this situation? It would be stupid to think he could stop them through force. That would be far too dangerous, and the payoff wasn't that enticing. Best to try and talk them down. Eyeing the situation Morgan knew where to start. Work with the gun user first.

Coming behind the shaking young lady, he ran before skidding to a halt a short distance behind her, doubling over as if he'd run a marathon. "W-wait! Please, don't hurt her!" he gasped, hoping he sounded convincing enough, "She's not really bad, she's just scared! Don't hurt her!"
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dinah_shore†
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#60

Post by dinah_shore† »

Carson's outburst had nearly caused a misfire. Eris whipped her head around to glare at him, indicating that his behaviour was clearly inappropriate for the situation. Even though Eris could be defined as a social recluse, the dark clutches of Anime fandom had skipped her entirely, leaving her unaware that Carson was actually saying something rather neat and memorable. She pursed her lips together and gave a muffled "Hmph!" before turning her attention back to Liam and Kimmy.

Keep control of the situation!

"Uh, stand up. Slowly, now. Liam-"

Eris hesistated. What she was doing was bordering on nice.

"...you should clean up your face."

"W-wait! Please, don't hurt her! She's not really bad, she's just scared! Don't hurt her!"

It seemed that now a fifth person had come to join the circus.

What a mess.

There was no way to leave this situation gracefully. Her gun was still shakily trained on the girl, and Eris' mouth was dry like cotton. This situation had to be diffused. People were becoming more and more unpredictable, and there was her life on the line. A few seconds later she slowly pronounced, "Take her and leave, then."
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