January 16th 05:21
In the five hours that had passed since she had entered into the game, Nicole Nicholson (Girl #10) had been stealthily making her way around the island, and now she was exhausted. She was walking along the west coast, so the fact that the cold sea breeze was biting at her constantly made it a struggle to continue in her quest. The wind was so strong here that her platinum blonde hair (dyed, of course) kept getting in her eyes, hindering her vision, however…
There're only forty minutes to go now.
Nicole needed to see somebody before she began her…slightly less noble venture. She was hell-bent on finding her boyfriend Steven Wilkinson (Boy #21) before she began killing people off. Nicole couldn't kill anyone until the time of the first announcement. She had heard of this game before, but all she really knew about it was that the winner's picture was broadcast on the news. The Instructor and Miss Rothman had made the rules of the game very clear, but one thing Nicole had yet to discover was whether the killers' names were announced to the competitors along with the names of those killed.
I hope to God that isn't the case…
She didn't care whether the majority of her classmates knew she was a murderer or not, but she cared about Steve. Not only was Nicole pragmatic enough to realise that there was no way out of the game, she also prided herself on being a good judge of character. Steve would never kill anyone. Sure, he was cocky and loud but he wasn't a killer; he didn't have the guts. Perhaps she was underestimating him.
I mean, I hope he doesn't see me as a treacherous bitch. Yet that's what I will become, in time.
Well, Steve probably saw Nicole as a bit of a slapper, in fact that may have been the reason he'd gone out with her. Nicole wasn't bothered, so long as she could get a bit of jewellery and sex out of him. Where was the harm in that? Besides, if he was just looking to get laid, then she was no different to him. But it had become more than that. Not that anyone would believe her. Nicole's mates had been particularly sceptical. Janine Carter (Girl #3) had automatically assumed that the relationship was utilitarian, and Kimberley Jones (Girl #7) had recently sworn off boys for life after Ewan Stone (Boy #19) had cheated on her.
So, Janine ends up going off with Ewan's best, equally commitment-phobic mate- dirty hypocrite. Kimberley's just an uptight bitch anyway, what could I expect from her?
The friendship had broken up a few months ago, leaving Nicole with only Steve and his gang for company at school.
What fun that was.
Mia Selwyn (Girl #15) and Sebastian Hall (Boy #7) were intimidated by her, which was odd, considering that Mia had always struck Nicole as being arrogant and bossy. Although her pathetic display of emotion during the introduction had proved otherwise.
Well fuck them. Fuck Mia and Sebastian and Janine and Kim. Who needs them? Hope they're all dead already.
This brought her back to the task in hand. So far, Nicole had looked all over the west of the island but her efforts had proved fruitless. The wind had subsided slightly, and Nicole was now moving around in the forest, looking for a suitable place to rest for a half hour. Nobody appeared to be around here, and she eventually settled amid a clump of large trees. She wondered who had been shot.
Perhaps it would be easier if it had been Steve.
The gunshots that had sounded hadn't been too far from here, at least not the ones from only a little while ago, however Nicole was pretty sure that she'd be invisible to anyone passing. The heath here was fairly thick, and the trees covered the rest of her, when she sat down. Anyone would have to step on her to find her.
Steve could be moving around anyway. There was no point exerting herself into tiredness. She could have waited for him at the entrance to the hall, but that would have been too risky. If anyone had seen her they might have tried to kill her.
Not that I can't fight back.
She had been issued with a small mallet as a weapon, which was easily capable of bashing someone's skull in with one blow, but Nicole didn't fancy having to do that all the same. A gun would have been much better.
She looked at her watch. Was Steve really worth this anxiety?
05:39. Two minutes since I last checked.
There was no point in wondering now anyway. Seventeen-eighteenths of the time had already elapsed. She might as well wait here patiently.
It wasn't so obvious in the darkness, and during the winter at that, but Nicole had actually picked a rather beautiful spot. There were a few bluebells growing around her feet and hands, and pinecones and berries were scattered all about the ground. She jumped at the sound of an owl hooting, but that was the only living thing she could see, perched up in a tree.
Well, technically, the night wasn't entirely dead here, she noticed, as she brushed a couple of woodlice (and to, her disgust, a beetle) off her grey sweatpants. She checked her watch a final time. It was surprising to learn that she'd been sitting for longer than she'd thought. She placed her daypack in front of her, zipped it open, and raked around inside for the map, a pen, and a torch.
06:00
'Hello, kids. Having fun?'
Miss Rothman's voice came over the loudspeakers, which were numerous and placed strategically around the whole island. She sounded quite catty rather than sarcastic or cruel, as though she was being somehow put out. Maybe she hadn't gotten enough sleep last night.
As if she's the only one.
Luciano Estevez (Boy #6) knelt over his map intently, pen in hand. He couldn't afford to miss a secondof this announcement, so he had convinced Daniel Oliver (Boy # 16) to move into the garden of the house in which they were staying. This would, presumably, clarify Miss Rothman's voice.
'Well,' Miss Rothman continued, 'I can't say that I'm too thrilled with the pace this game is being played at-'
At this Daniel's face lit up. This was good news! It must mean that only a few people have died!
Luciano looked pointedly at Daniel, who was sitting opposite him on the house's back porch, his back against the anachronistic sliding doors. It was supposed to be intimidating, but Luciano's bug-eyes were so comical this effect wouldn't have achieved under normal circumstances.
'-only four deaths? I fear we may have been better off with another class… anyway we'll start with the boys. Number Three, Jonathan Cray…'
Luciano could see Daniel's usually cheerful face brim with tears. Neither boy had been good friends with Jonathan, but hearing the confirmation of the death of a person they had known was…
'Number Eight, Callum Harrison. Number Nineteen, Ewan Stone. This leaves the only dead girl, Number Seven, Kimberley Jones. As for the danger zones, at 07:00, D-09 will activate, so be sure to avoid it. Then at 09:00, K-11. Finally, at 11:00, H-03. Did you all get that? I hope so…you'll get no reminders from me. Anyway, that's all I have for you for now, so- I'll be back at midday.'
A brief crackling noise could be heard, and then silence fell once more.
Well, at least Carl's still alive.
Luciano looked over at Daniel. He was crying. This wasn't surprising, as Daniel had liked to think of himself as friends with everyone. Not in the same way that Ewan Stone and Callum Harrison (both dead now) had felt as though the whole class adored them, but genuinely as friends. He must have had a somewhat sheltered and carefree childhood, Luciano deduced.
This was the reason why Luciano had joined up with Daniel and Francesca Simons (Girl #16, who was waiting indoors) in the first place. He wasn't so sure about Francesca; she'd always seemed harmless enough, but Luciano didn't know her that well. Daniel, however, he could trust, even if he drew weapons on him.
'Do you….want to go inside now...Daniel?'
'Yeah…I don't know whether Francesca heard.' He stood up and slid the door across the track, slowly. He stepped inside, followed by Luciano. They walked through the fairly empty kitchen, and Francesca was sitting on the sofa in the living room, waiting for them, her ginger hair covering her face. She looked in concern at Daniel. She wasn't going out with him, Luciano discovered, but they were good friends. Apparently Daniel had waited for her. Francesca had only enrolled in St. Mary's back in September, and she was no great mixer. Perhaps this was why Daniel had befriended her.
'Are you okay?' she asked, in her Manchurian accent.
'Who, Luciano?' Daniel turned to Luciano, who was fairly unhappy, but otherwise looked okay. He was clearly tougher than Daniel.
'Well…both of you, really. I'm alright, before you ask. It's not like I knew any of them all that well.' Having said that, Francesca moved her pale hands across her eyes, and concentrated her eyes on her map. She frowned.
'What're you thinking?' Daniel looked at her in puzzlement, but sat down on the hearth rug.
'What, apart from that I should have stayed at home with dad after the divorce?' She let out an ironic laugh. 'Well, look. H-03 goes active at 11 o'clock. We're in I-03…'
Oh, right. Luciano noticed it once she had said it.
They house they occupied was in I-03. They had checked and double-checked that. The problem was, I-03 was really a little peninsula, with H-03 and H-04 to the north. The rest of the zone was surrounded by water. Escaping an attack; especially with a danger zone in the vicinity, would not be easy.
'We were thick to come here.' Luciano groaned.
Francesca nodded. 'We'll have to move out.'
Daniel was now hovering over Francesca's shoulder. 'Weren't we going to do that anyway? Besides, I don't see what the danger is. We could still get out via H-04.'
'I'm not willing to risk it. And neither is Luciano.'
Luciano shook his head; though he thought what she'd said had been a bit presumptuous. 'No way. Look how small the area of land is on the map.'
It was still dark outside, so Francesca was using her torch, though she pointed it directly towards the floor. 'Right. We should leave now.'
'Why?' Both boys asked this in unison.
'Suppose we get attacked? Or one of us gets injured? We're going to need as much time as we can to cross the danger zone.'
Neither of her companions argued with her. She was probably right, and Daniel did want to meet up with some more people. So they stood up, weapons in hand, and prepared to leave. Luciano had been given a crossbow, which had been a pain in the arse to carry about. Francesca had a cutlass, and Daniel held one of his six grenades. They all looked the business, but…using these weapons would be easier said than done and Luciano doubted that Daniel would toss a grenade at all.
The three of them left the house through the sliding door. It really was an idyllic house, in Luciano's opinion, situated next to two almost identical-looking ones (collectively they were Kilbride Grove- imaginative). From the porch, its former residents could get a fantastic view out to sea, and at the mountains on the northern side of the island. It reminded him of his grandparents' house in Praia da Marinha, Portugal. Though obviously not as hot. The cold air bit at his cheeks, and he shivered.
How I'd love to be there now.
As they moved north, not many words were spoken between the trio, except from the verbose Daniel.
'How can this be happening? We'll get out of this, see if we don't. Nobody really wants to play the game' (this one really was delusional). These phrases were repeated several times. Moving through the fairly sparse woodland in the west was fairly disconcerting, and Luciano for one had no idea where they were going. He found himself subconsciously clinging to trees. Ahead of him, Francesca and Daniel seemed to be discussing something between themselves, which was rather annoying and rude. Through the many gaps in the trees, Luciano could make out the car parking area where he had ran into Daniel and Francesca, about three hours ago. A car was still parked, abandoned. He supposed that it belonged to someone who lived in Kilbride Grove, since there had only been a dirt track leading to the houses.
Luciano had been one of the last students to leave the hall, thanks to that moron Sebastian Hall (Boy #7). His, best friend Carl Mitchell (Boy #14) had left far earlier, so had obviously been unable to wait for Luciano. Aside from Carl, he also hung out with Joshua Johnson (Boy # 11)'s group occasionally, but not enough for him to be desperate to see any of them before they all died.
Stop thinking that! We'll find someone smart who can think of some way we can escape.
From what he'd seen, however, Francesca appeared to be quite intelligent. She had always been one of the top students in the class, and she was the one who seemed to be making all the decisions here and now. Perhaps she had a plan.
As they had been slowly travelling towards the centre of the island, morning had arrived. The sky was turning a pale shade of purple, and to the west, mist was rolling in from the ocean. It had been well over an hour now since the announcement: several people could have died in that time.
'We should stop here. I need a break.' This was true; the land was gently inclining in this part of the forest, but a lack of sleep and the energy that was burned internally was causing Daniel in particular to start flagging. Francesca suddenly turned left, and passionately hacked her way through a patch of shrubbery, looking very much like some kind of pirate. Luciano told her so.
'Oh, a bit like Keira Knightley?' She laughed, sharing a knowing look with Daniel who also giggled. It was an in-joke which Luciano obviously couldn't understand.
Nor would he.
'No, you're much better looking than-'
He never got to finish that particular sentence. The back of his skull caved in, and Luciano felt a sudden wave of sickening nausea. The pain itself was unbearable, but very brief. Then the dawn light was gone from the world. Luciano Estevez's head now had a giant, blood soaked dent in the back of it, as he crashed onto the floor. He died not knowing who had come at him from behind, but with an image of Francesca Simons' horrified face on his mind.
A feminine figure crashed through the trees, leapt over Luciano's body, and raised her mallet once again, preparing to strike.
It was Nicole Nicholson (Girl #10).
07:14 Surviving Contestants: 37
Day 01 January 16th First Announcement 06:00
Kimberley Jones (Girl #7)
Height: 148cms
Weight: 70lbs
Designated Weapon: Heckler & Koch MP5 Submachine gun
Time of Departure: January 15th 23:46
Time of Death: January 16th 01:36
Duration: 01H 50M
Prior Conclusions: Seemingly obvious physical hindrances could actually prove advantageous. Subject's outer weakness masks a somewhat manipulative and determined nature (ref: surveillance/Class10M St. Mary's/Jones). Eventual game participation is likely (ref: report/ sub ref: class dynamic and relationships). Definite finalist potential.
Ending Report: This has been an unmitigated, disappointing performance. First eliminated contestant, despite high-ranking weapon.
Ewan Stone (Boy #19)
Height: 180cms
Weight: 159lbs
Designated Weapon: Poker
Time of Departure: January 16th 00:32
Time of Death: January 16th 01:40
Duration: 01H 08M
Prior Conclusions: Athletic advantage, though subject appears to have somewhat poor logistic skills (ref: performance records). Subject has strong affiliation to certain classmates (ref: surveillance/Class10M St. Mary's/Stone), which may prove troublesome as the game progresses. Chances of winning aren't staggeringly high, though subject is certainly one to watch.
Ending Report: Although he has the lowest survival time of this season, taking out a participating contestant with a poker after receiving several bullet wounds is in itself a commendable feat.
Jonathan Cray (Boy #3)
Height: 182cms
Weight: 166lbs
Designated Weapon: Carving Knife
Time of Departure: January 16th 00:52
Time of Death: January 16th 03:19
Duration: 02H 27M
Prior Conclusions: Above-average height and weight will carry no benefits for this one. Subject has significantly low self-esteem (ref: psychological assessment) and is of a low co-ordination and atheletic ability (ref: performance records). Subject will probably make an attempt to seek out allies, yet is very unlikely to survive long due to his own inability to 'work under pressure' (ref: quote/sub ref: tutor/McKenzie). Nothing much to be expected.
Ending Report: One of the most unsurprising outcomes in a game of Survivor in the programme's history.
Callum Harrison (Boy #8)
Height: 174cms
Weight: 139lbss
Designated Weapon: Electric Razor
Time of Departure: January 15th 23:48
Time of Death: January 16th 05:09
Duration 05H 21M
Prior Conclusions: Excelling in sports, subject has this physical advantage. He also seems to be popular at school (ref: surveillance/Class10M St. Mary's/Harrison), which could lead to effective allies. Subject's weakness lies in arrogance and poor judge of character. A wildcard, who will probably die as a direct result of his own thoughtlessness.
Ending Report: No interesting activity to report whatsoever, although solitude throughout his tenure was unexpected.
