Hour 3

The residential area. No, the place with all the buildings. No, he wouldn't hide, he's not a coward. He'll be roaming around in the forest. He's probably looking for me.

Perry Singel (Boy #14) had paced around the forest in the same manner for the duration of the game thus far. He knew he needed to find Linden Biscay (Boy #4). The two had not ended on the best terms, but Perry knew that once he found Linden he could rekindle what they had. The two were meant to be, and Perry knew that. Now he just needed to convince Linden of the same thing.

Linden had always been much more reserved and even pretty shy. Perry had always had a crush on him, and was even quite obsessed. That's why Perry had found their relationships so special. From the Netflix and chill, to the people watching, and even just hanging around the mall, Perry missed it all.

After a good year of the relationship, Linden had flipped out on Perry seemingly out of nowhere. Linden had told Perry never to talk to him again, and Perry had begged for his forgiveness. Linden was out of Perry's life and he thought he would never see him again. This Program was more of a blessing than a curse.

The leaves crunched under Perry's feet as he decided what he would do. He would start from the top of the island and make his way across. He would cover the entire island until he discovered his former flame.

In his mind, Perry could see himself and Linden embracing each other tightly. The two would kiss and hold each other, and protect each other from The Program. They could spend their dying moments together. They wouldn't be in this dirty, disgusting forest, but they could find a nice romantic house to stay in. It would be fantastic!

The mall was basically the only place to go to in that shitty little small town. Perry and his friends were frequently there. They shopped, ate, and just generally spent all of their time at the mall. He and his friends would always sit on the same chairs in the lounging area of the mall and gossip, watch people, eat, and bond together. All of Perry's greatest memories were at the mall.

"Yeah, that shirt was really cute, but it was way too expensive," Said Mina Tsai (Girl #13) as she took a sip from her drink. The girl sat with her legs crossed on her chair and a drink on her lap. The group of friends had just been looking for new clothes, and Mina had passed up on the opportunity to buy a nice shirt.

"It was your color though," Replied Shayna Sull (Girl #17). She sat on a chair next to Mina. On Mina's other side was Itzel Janik (Girl #19). Perry wasn't really friends with Itzel, but Mina had brought her along and he didn't really mind. Shayna and Mina were two of his best friends, and he had many others as well. The four of them were all from their friend group who was able to meet up at the mall that day.

"I'm not made of money though," Said Mina, "McDonald's only pays me so much."

"I can't fucking believe your parents don't buy you clothes," Said Perry.

"Well, they do, but not anything like this. They just get me what I need," Replied Mina as she took another sip from her drink.

Perry never understood how Mina could be so positive all the time. Her parents didn't even buy her new clothes! He considered himself to be very spoiled and entitled, and he didn't care. Perry deserved to be pampered. People always catered to him and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Oh shit, it looks like someone's in a bit of an argument there," Said Itzel, contributing to the conversation for the first time.

The four looked over to see Linden Biscay and Sara Johnson (Girl #11) talking to each other. Their faces both had looks of anger and sadness, and Sara was moving her hands frantically.

"Why the fuck did you cheat on me, dumb slut!" Shouted Linden angrily, but keeping his voice low enough so that no one would be alerted of their drama.

"I didn't, we were taking a break," Said Sara, "Darren is just a good guy."

"No, he's an asshole. And just because we were on a break doesn't give you an excuse!" Shouted Linden.

"Babe, I'm sorry, I love you, "Said Sara as she tried to grab Linden's hand.

The boy jerked his hand away and stared down at Sara with a look that could kill. "I'm done with your shit, Sara," He said.

"You know what? Fine! I don't even care!" Shouted Sara as her voice got louder. People were beginning to notice their conversation and began to stare.

"Then get lost, bitch!" Shouted Linden.

"Darren is way better at sex than you! Plus, he's got money. He'll be better than you could ever be, you dumb cocksucker!" Shouted Sara as she angrily stormed off. Linden stared at the small crowd that had gathered. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?"

Linden stomped away in the other direction. The people who had been watching began to disperse as well.

"That shit was crazy," Said Shayna, "Sara is such a dumb bitch."

"She isn't all that bad," Said Mina, "Sure she's loaded and not afraid to gloat about it. She may be a bit bitchy, but I think deep down she's just hurting. We should give everyone a chanc-Perry, what are you looking at?"

Perry took his eyes off of Linden and glanced at his friend. "Sorry, I was distracted. Linden has such a nice ass."

Shayna snickered and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you totally have a chance with him," She said sarcastically.

"I might," Said Perry.

"Yeah, you'll have a chance with that straight guy," Said Shayna.

"He might be bi, you never know. And maybe after dealing with one too many bitches, he'll want to try some other things out."

"Whatever you say," Said Shayna.

"I think you should go for it," Said Mina, "You'll never know unless you try. Lots of people are open minded about their sexuality today."

From that day on, Perry had set his sights on Linden. Though some would describe his actions as creepy, Perry saw nothing wrong with what he did. Following Linden home from school let Perry know where he lived. Perry constantly following him would give him insight into what Linden was interested in. Perry could use this information to get Linden to fall for him. His advances had worked and the two had started dating.

Perry had already started making his way to the Northern part of the island. His legs were slightly tired, but he didn't care. Perry didn't mind being out in the open. He was hoping this way that Linden would see him. Perry cut his leg on a thorn that he hadn't noticed. He wouldn't let a little inconvenience like that bother him. Perry combed his blond hair with his hand to make sure it was nice and neat. He needed to look his best. Perry continued to march through the forest, determined to find his ex. He would find Linden even if it killed him.

"I still can't believe he didn't wait for us," Said Milo Gibbon (Boy #16). He was referring to Jack Paden (Boy #9), a member of his "gang" who had left the school without waiting for anyone.

"Quit bitching and get the fuck over it," Said Lee Gauron (Boy #10) sternly. Milo had been complaining about how Jack should've waited for them so they could all be together.

"Quit the bickering," Said Carter Koenig (Boy #13), the pacifist of the group. "I'm tired of hearing both of you right now."

"I wonder if he actually got a decent fucking weapon," Said Milo as he glanced in disgust at the bandana that he was issued as a weapon.

"None of us got anything good," Said Lee as he waved one of his darts around, "I doubt there's even any poison on these. Just regular fucking darts."

"And how the hell is Carter's yo-yo supposed to help us?" Asked Milo.

"Still better than your piece of shit weapon," Sneered Lee.

"Hey asshole, it's not like I asked for this weapon."

"Fuck off, why do you always have to make everything about you?"

"Excuse you? Fuck you…"

Carter tuned out his fellow gang members as they began to argue yet again. He stood there wondering why he was even a part of their group in the first place. Carter's fellow hoodlums were always getting themselves into trouble, and it was always up to Carter to get them out of it. He never really considered himself a bad person, but he always seemed to hang out with bad people. Carter's friends would always go out to party, drink, or get high, and he would always decline. Yet for some reason they continued to hang out with him. They were really all Carter had. Despite all of this, he wouldn't trade his friends for the world.

"Shut up, do you want people to find us?" Asked Carter.

Lee and Milo immediately stopped arguing and turned toward Carter. They were both about to start yelling at him, when the three of them heard the soft sound of footsteps. Though the steps were quiet, they were still audible. Milo's grip tensed on his bandana. Carter grabbed his yo-yo and held it like a sword. Lee readied a dart to throw.

Mina Tsai (Girl #13) stepped out of a clearing of bushes. She was staring directly at the ground, completely unaware of her surroundings. Her eyes were wet with tears, but she had no more tears to cry. Mina stopped and suddenly turned in the direction of the three boys. All of their eyes were on her. No one moved.

"Hey, we're not going to hurt you." Carter finally broke the silence.

"Get the fuck out of here!" Shouted Lee as he held his dart up threateningly.

"Lee, no, she's not going to hurt us," Said Carter.

"Show us your weapon, NOW!" Shouted Milo.

Mina shakingly reached her hand into her bag and pulled out a CD. It was Everyone Should be Killed by the band Anal Cunt.

"We all got royally fucked over," Said Milo as he nervously chuckled, "Our weapons aren't exactly useful either."

Lee was still on guard and was eyeing Mina up and down. He was always hesitant to trust people. Lee never knew who would turn out to be a snitch or a traitor, so his instinct was to immediately not trust anyone.

"Lee, put that shit down," Said Carter as he forcefully lowered Lee's arm. He turned to Mina and smiled. Her expression had not changed. She was both scared and sad.

"Bitch, are you just gonna stand there? Get outta here!" Shouted Lee.

"No, she can stay," Said Carter as he shot Lee an evil glare.

"She's just going to slow us down," Said Lee angrily.

"She's scared. Her best friend is dead," Said Carter as the memories of Itzel being hit by a truck came flooding back to him.

"I'm not going to let this bitch come in and slow us down. She's dead weight," Said Lee as he shot Mina an angry glare.

"I'm not going to let her die out there alone," Said Carter.

"Alright Milo, you cast the decision making vote here," Said Lee.

Suddenly all eyes were on Milo. He glanced from one person to the other looking for a clear answer. Carter looked at him with pleading eyes and Lee sent him daggers. Milo glanced over at Mina and saw her shaking in her boots. He could see from her eyes that she had been crying. With a CD as her only weapon, she didn't stand a chance.

"You can come with us," Said Milo. Mina feebly nodded and walked over to the group of three.

"Fuck this," Said Lee as he began to stomp around.

"Stop being a baby," Said Carter.

Milo smiled awkwardly at Mina and she returned the smile. Carter stuck out his hand and patted her on the back trying to comfort her, but it came off as more creepy than anything.

"Alright guys, let's get moving," Said Carter, "People nearby might have heard of us talking."

Lee was already ahead of the group heading off the opposite way Mina had come. Milo and Carter glanced at each other and sighed. "Don't worry about him" Said Carter as he started to follow off after Lee. Milo and Mina followed closely behind.

"Hey Gladys, Gladys!" Shouted Ramsey Awad (Boy #6).

Griselda Jones (Girl #16) quickly snapped out of her sleep and began to panic. She grabbed her baseball bat and flashlight out of her pack and began to fidget with it.

"Who the fuck is there?" She asked in a shaky voice while trying to sound strong. She began to move her flashlight in an arc, looking for the person who had called out.

"It's me Ramsey," Said Ramsey.

Griselda followed the voice and pointed her flashlight in that direction. She saw the dark skinned Ramsey standing over her about five feet away. If he had wanted to kill her, he easily could have. Griselda began to think about being back at school. When Ramsey had announced his name, she had no idea who he was. But since then, she had remembered him. He was one of the cooler guys in school on the soccer team. He hung around with the popular guys. He and Griselda didn't have a close friendship, but they were both pretty high up on the social ladder, and had many mutual friends like Brooke Hiney (Girl #3) and Darren Tabor (Boy #5).

"Oh hey Ramsey," Said Griselda as she lowered the flashlight, "What is that on your face?"

"It's my weapon," Said Ramsey, "They're night vision goggles."

That must have been how Ramsey had been able to recognize her. It was now 3:45 in the morning, and was still nearly pitch black outside.

"A baseball bat isn't too bad of a weapon, Gladys," Said Ramsey as he sat down next to her.

"My name is Griselda," Replied Griselda as she sighed. She really hated her name.

"Oh, my bad," Said Ramsey. He really didn't care if he messed up her name.

Griselda had quickly left the school, not caring about waiting for any of her friends. She hadn't bothered to look at her map and had just blindly made her way through the forest. Once she had grown tired, she had sat close to a tree trunk and had tried to hide there. She had eventually drifted off and had awoken when Ramsey had called out.

"Do you have any idea what's even going on?" Asked Griselda.

"Well, we all have to kill each other, I know that much," Said Ramsey.

"This is just so fucked up," Said Griselda.

"Obviously. But you know there are going to be people playing. That Horatio guy is fucking creepy, and I know there are others like him," Said Ramsey.

"So what do you think we should do then?" Asked Griselda.

"Let's find some place to hide, I don't want to be out in the open like this," Said Ramsey.

"Well, there's a lighthouse off in the distance," Said Griselda as she motioned toward its location.

"That seems like a good enough place to me," Said Ramsey as he got up off of the ground and grabbed his pack.

"Are we going now?" Asked Griselda.

"Might as well. We want to get there before anyone else does," Said Ramsey as he helped Griselda off of the ground. The two began to make the long trek to the lighthouse. They discussed school and their friends a bit, but were silent for the most part. The whole situation was on their minds.

They approached the lighthouse and Ramsey peeked through the windows. All of the lights on the inside were off, but Ramsey could still see clearly.

"Is anyone in there?" Asked Griselda. She was scanning the area around the lighthouse and found that it was empty.

"I don't think so," Said Ramsey, "We might as well risk it."

Griselda nodded and gulped. "You go first," She said.

Ramsey sighed and decided he would go ahead and risk it. He knew that Griselda would make him go first. Ramsey grasped the door handle and slowly pulled the door open. He turned the lights on and found an empty water bottle and a plate on the table that was in the center of the room. Griselda started to enter but Ramsey whispered, "Don't come in."

Suddenly there were rapid footsteps coming from above. They were coming down the stairs. "Shit, get ready to run!" Shouted Ramsey. Griselda was frozen in place. She had her bat, but that didn't even cross her mind. Griselda's gaze was fixed directly at the bottom of the stairs.

Charles Mulindi (Boy #24) appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He was out of breath and breathing heavily. Charles had a crazy look in his eye, and he glared at the two people who stood before him. He held a shovel in his hand. Charles glanced from Ramsey to Griselda and then back at Ramsey.

"Turn the lights back off!" Shouted Charles angrily.

Griselda quickly stepped toward the light switch, but Ramsey stopped her.

Ramsey glared at Charles. "Hey bro, why don't you just chill, okay?"

"No bro, why don't you go away!" Shouted Charles.

The situation was starting to spiral out of control, and Griselda knew that. She tried to interject, but she didn't know what to say. Griselda stayed by the door and let the two boys continue to argue.

"We're going to stay here whether you like it or not," Said Ramsey as he sat his pack down on the table. Charles' eyes opened wide.

"NO YOU WON'T!" He shouted as he rushed forward. Griselda screamed, but Ramsey didn't have enough time to react. Charles hit Ramsey square in the face with his shovel.

Ramsey stumbled backwards and fell on his ass. He looked up at Charles with a mixture of confusion and anger on his face. Ramsey and Charles had never been very close, but there was a bit of a mutual respect between them. They were two of only three Muslims in the entire school (the third being Ramsey's younger sister). Ramsey was appalled at what Charles had just done.

Griselda rushed forward with her bat and swung at Charles. He quickly moved out of the way and hit Griselda's leg with his shovel. She yelled out in pain and fell to the ground.

Ramsey grabbed the table and used it to lift himself back up. Charles quickly swung his shovel again but Ramsey was able to avoid the attack.

"Dude, what the fuck!?" Shouted Ramsey angrily. He could feel blood start to come from his nose. Ramsey rushd at Charles. Charles swung his shovel and Ramsey dodged. Ramsey kicked Charles in the crotch. Charles bent over and Ramsey jumped onto his back.

"Please don't fight!" Shouted Griselda as she stood back up. The throbbing pain in her leg made it hard for her to stand, but she managed the best she could.

Charles slammed Ramsey into the wall and Ramsey fell off of his back. Charles grabbed his shovel and hit Ramsey over the head with it.

"STOP IT!" Yelled Griselda. She ran forward and hit Charles in the back of his head with her baseball bat. He instantly turned his attention to her and punched her hard in the face. She dropped her bat and it rolled out of her reach. His dreadlocks swung through the air as he turned back to see Ramsey.

"It didn't have to be like this! You should have just FUCKING left!" Screamed Charles as he repeatedly hit Ramsey with the shovel. Over and over again, the shovel made contact with Ramsey's face, slowly flattening it.

Griselda screamed hysterically at the bloody mess that was Ramsey's head. His nose was totally smashed and blood was running down his face. Charles turned the shovel so that the tip was facing Ramsey's head. He shoved the shovel forward and into the top of Ramsey's head.

"No! No! No! NOOOO!" Griselda screamed and cried. She was frozen with fear and could only watch as Charles withdrew his shovel from Ramsey's head. There were bits of brain matter on the shovel. Charles quickly dropped the shovel and screamed.

"What the fuck? No...no, this didn't happen. I...he...he made me! He should have left! He could have left!"

Charles froze. He then glanced over at Griselda who was frozen with fear. She was pinned against the wall with tears coming down her face. Charles yelled and ran toward her. She screamed and ran up the stairs of the lighthouse.

The tears were blinding her eyes and her panic was starting to get the best of her. Despite this, Griselda was quickly making her way up the stairs. She didn't stop when she reached a landing, she just kept on going.

"Get back here you dumb whore!" Screamed Charles. He tripped over one of the stairs and fell over. This gave Griselda a chance to get far ahead. She continued to climb up the stairs until she reached the top landing of the lighthouse. Despite his earlier stumble, Charles was close behind.

The two of them were both hyperventilating. Charles slowly made his way over to Griselda. She backed up to the edge and pressed her back against the railing.

"Leave...me...alone," Charles panted, "Leave...my...LIGHTHOUSE!" He suddenly ran forward and Griselda ran to the side. Griselda knew there was no way she could escape this psycho. She knew what she had to do.

Griselda ran to the edge of the lighthouse and hopped onto the railing. Charles reached out to grab her but it was too late. She screamed all the way to the ground.

SPLAT!

Charles looked over the edge of the lighthouse and saw Griselda's body spread out across the rocks. She had died instantly. Charles still hadn't calmed down. He could feel the adrenaline flowing through his veins. His heart was beating intensely and his breathing was erratic. He let out a primal scream into the night. Charles clamped his hands down onto the railing. This was HIS lighthouse.

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