"Will you guard me?" Al walked up to Willie wearing square-patterned pyjamas.
"You want me to play a lullaby?" the wannabe composer kept on hitting the same key over and over again.
"No thanks. Aren't you tired?"
"Inspiration, Al! And if I fall asleep, how am I supposed to watch over your dreams?!"
"Will let you sleep a little too, of course… I will be the one on guard then. Um, sorry…" Al took the Colt Python from the piano "I think I'll keep this, just in case."
Willie waved a little nervously, then continued hitting the same key, while ruffling his already messy pale brown hair with his other hand. Something was missing, somehow the whole thing just failed to add up. He could have simply written some random notes at the end, which would have sounded cool, but they wouldn't have been what he wanted. He didn't know himself what he wanted to do with the masterpiece called The Training, but it didn't seem to work out the way he would have loved for it to. Willie didn't understand, either, that he had only days, or, what the hell, hours, maybe even minutes left to live, so he should better hurry up. He knew it, but didn't realize it to its fullest. He would never add some average notes, just to toss and turn in his grave, unable to rest in peace. Only perfection would satisfy him. Let his last work be monumental!
Al, half asleep, hugged tightly the soft pillow on the four-poster bed upstairs (he didn't mind it was pink, it was so comfortable!), as he remembered the happier days he spent in the 10./C. For instance, when they celebrated Halloween in the school's small basement disco. There weren't too many people around; it was their class' duty to prepare the snacks and put on some spectral music. After Nick, dressed as the Grim Reaper, accidentally cut out the side of a Jack o' lantern, the girls shooed him off to scare the innocent bypassers, and called for Al, in a cute vampire's outfit, whose small and delicate hands were much more fit to work on the pumpkins.
A while later he was busy cutting triangular eyes, when he noticed the bunch of girls playing Truth or Dare were giggling and throwing him knowing glances. He didn't mind; most likely he'll soon get a phone call or an SMS from one of them, telling him about everlasting love. Lindsay (it was weird Lily's group took her in too this time) looked at the floor, visibly embarrassed; she must have been the "chosen one" or something. He soon forgot about them, though, and the girls separated when Willie, in a devil's outfit, ran in with a sponge pitchfork, and nearly fell over Susan, sitting the closest to the door…
Al slowly fell asleep. The Halloween dream continued a little confused…
"All clear. Come!" Arnie whispered to Eddie. It was past 11 PM, and they were nearing the DIY shop.
"Arnie, I'm still not sure we should…"
"Eddie, we've already been over this."
The blonde boy nodded. They are best friends, they will make it to the end now…
As Arnie slowly walked towards the shop's door with the pistol in hand, Eddie followed him, grasping tightly the huge hedge trimmer Arnie gave him. Though he still found the fireworks to be a stupid idea, he couldn't say no to Arnie. His best friend always had some sort of exciting aura, and Eddie used to be a follower rather than a leader. By no means a coward, but he lacked the qualities to dominate others. With Arnie, they've been friends ever since middle school, though they weren't yet in the same class back then; after Arnie helped Eddie crafting practically everything on the extra DIY lessons and Eddie read the most boring compulsory reading in his place and told him all about its contents, they became inseparable. Along with their traits, also their looks were strikingly different: Arnie's coffee-coloured skin, black hair and dark eyes formed a neat contrast with Eddie's pallor, blonde hair and blue eyes. They were undoubtedly an odd couple, but maybe they stood by each other always, never giving up exactly because of this. The 10./C had a much more weird couple anyway, Rose and Martha, so Arnie and Eddie didn't stick out too much.
"But Arnie, what if they see us?"
"Um, yeah, I need some light. Wait…" luckily the DIY shop's door wasn't locked. He entered shading his torch with his hand. There was a single, long window on the other side of the building, the moonlight didn't enter.
"It'd be okay, Eddie" he said after exiting "here, take my pistol."
"But Arnie! You'd be defenseless inside!"
"Eddie, you'll be a more easy target out here."
"But I…"
"I know, I know! But even with that, you won't make it far with this hedge trimmer!"
Eddie kept it even after taking the pistol from Arnie.
"Arnie…"
"I'll make everything inside, then take it to the back garden, you know, the one with the fence and the sandbags. I'll be here around midnight, in 20 or 30 minutes. You… um, guard the door from afar, maybe from among those trees."
Eddie nodded.
"In front of the entrance" said Arnie "you can watch over it well."
"Fine. Please…"
"I'll be careful, and everything will be all right. If you don't see me even after the midnight news… don't come after me. I'll be finishing by then!"
"Hey, Bel, look over there!" Darla glanced outside the window, from which they could clearly see the DIY shop.
"What's there?" Belinda swallowed the last bite of her sandwich.
"There, near the shop… the DIY one, remember?"
"I don't see anything…"
"Now, me neither, but before… like a light…"
"Maybe the moonlight?"
"No! I think I have seen a figure…"
"Then, an enemy! Let's stay here!"
"And what if it's poor Lily? Or maybe… Eddie?"
"Little chance of that, Darla. Stay here… and remember! Nick, I say, Nick killed Mary! I wouldn't trust anyone right now!"
Darla looked down, at the knife and the sickle hanging on her belt. Then she slowly put the baseball bat on the window-sill.
"Don't go there!" Belinda grabbed her arm.
"Bel…"
"They'll kill you, Darla! And what am I gonna do without you?!"
"I just wanna see who's there!"
"And what are you gonna do, if, say, there's that crazy Rory with a machine gun?! That girl or goodness know what would kill without any hesitation, and she would even love it, the sadistic lesbo bitch! I bet she's the one who suprised Lily and the others, too!"
"Look!"
Belinda looked out too. The DIY shop's window shone slightly.
"Bel, I'm going there."
"No! Please, I beg you!"
Darla slightly touched the MAC10 hanging on her friend's shoulder.
"Guard me."
"But…"
"Just follow me. I don't think there are better weapons around anyway. I'll just take a peek inside!"
Meanwhile, Eddie stood among the trees, focusing his attention on the entrance. There was nobody around, no suspicious movement anywhere. Arnie didn't close the door, and needed light as well, but Eddie didn't notice anyting special.
Arnie put his flashlight on the counter inside, and turned it towards the wall, so it couldn't be seen from outside (or, at least, only slightly), but he could find the rockets and firework material easily. There wasn't much left until midnight, when he finally put them neatly in a circle, and placed the one he made himself among them too. All perfectly arranged on a rolling table.
Darla carefully approached the door, deciding she'd hold the sickle instead of the quite clumsy bowie knife.
Eddie couldn't just stand in one place all along. He felt his nerves trembling, but just standing around made him even more tense. He began to walk around silently, even turning away from the DIY shop's door for a few seconds.
Nobody's there…
Darla, thanks to her small stature and thin frame, quickly snuck inside the shop. Just peering in wouldn't be too clever, she decided in the end.
Belinda, keeping the MAC10 ready, stood in the shade of the shop's wall. She was fearing for her friend's life.
Unless it's Lily, Eddie, George or any other normal person…
…if someone dares hurting her, they're dead!!!
Arnie didn't notice anything. Darla, with the sickle in hand, stood frozen in a corner. She didn't recognize the figure; she didn't even see if it was a boy or girl, having just seen their movements. What if she says something, and gets a full magazine of bullets in her stomach?!
Arnie walked back to the fine tower of rockets, and pulled out a box of matches, then proceeded to push the rolling table out to the fenced back graden, where they kept also the sandbags. He wanted to turn the flashlight downwards, as to see the ground well (he didn't want to bump into anything), but when he touched it on the counter, it accidentally rolled around. It was then he noticed Darla. The girl didn't care any more: Arnie was still in shade, but she has been seen! She tried to run away, but accidentally kicked over a can full of gasoline. It bumped against one of the sharp metal shelves closeby (full of small boxes with nails), and a tiny hole ripped out on its side. The gasoline began to pour out, wetting Darla's shoe, but she was too scared to notice.
"Darla!" Arnie whispered "what are you doing here?"
The boy quite liked Darla, who loved Eddie's stories as much as he did, and was a cute girl as well. He had no idea that it was totally different the other way round, that Darla hated him guts.
Darla's blood froze.
He's gonna kill me!!! Why, oh, why didn't I listen to Bel?!
She got so scared that she didn't notice that by then, also her thin white socks got wet.
"Wait a minute. Run!" Arnie pulled out a long match "don't be afraid… Darla, you're not playing, are you?"
There were barely two minutes left until midnight. Arnie, glancing at Darla from the corner of his eye, finally pushed the table out to the back garden, and lit the fuse. Then he stood up and blew the match, though he still kept the box in hand.
He wants to burn me alive!!!
"Run!" Arnie grabbed Darla's shoulders.
"Noooo!!! You're not gonna kill meee!!!" something clicked inside Darla, and she planted the sickle in Arnie's chest with all her strength.
The boy let out a small whine, and fell on his back. Darla panted, her hands soaked with blood.
Did I kill him?
Strangely enough, she felt no guilt at all.
Slowly, she decided to look at what the boy was up to. As she stepped into the back garden, a spark from the fuse fell on her shoe.
Arnie, what's taking so long?!
Eddie looked at his watch nervously.
"AAAAAAAHHH!!!"
At the scream, both Eddie and Belinda rose their heads.
Darla's shoe and sock was burning violently, the fuse kept on shortening, and, as Darla tried to run, she accidentally stepped into a pool of gasoline..
Along with a thunder-like sound, flames engulfed Darla's both legs. She tried in vain to kick off her shoes, but by then also her jeans caught fire.
No! No! I can't die like this!!
She just got outside, when the gasoline can exploded. Darla fell on her belly, the flames reaching her sleeveless shirt.
"Aaaah!!! No…!!! AAAAAARGH!!! Aaaah…"
Both Belinda and Eddie looked at the burning figure in a daze, neither realizing the tragedy unfolding in front of their eyes.
A moment later, a series of explosions was heard, and, one after the other, several rockets shot up to the summer night sky, shining and turning into blooming flowers of all the colours of the rainbow. Wonderful fireworks shone upon the island.
"Fireworks?" Lindsay sat up.
"Come on, Linnie, where the hell do you live?!" Daniel looked at her sternly "these are killing each other!"
"Look!" Lindsay pointed out of the window.
Just as, in his dream, Arnie lit the rockets, Al was awoken by real explosions.
"Come noooooooooooow!!!"
Al ran up to the roof, where he found Willie waiting for him, wearing only an undershirt and boxers adorned with yellow smileys.
George looked out of the sport centre's window, and, once again realizing he could not jump down from such height, ran down the stairs and out into the night. What was going on?
Nick picked up the sword, and sprinted southwards from zone B9.
Martha pulled closer to Rose, who dropped the cigarette from her mouth in surprise.
Maddie looked at the lights from the window of the tiny hut.
"C'est simplement magnifique…"
Lily rose her tear-soaked face; she didn't understand what was happening.
Gabriel, completely terrified, hugged his shoulders and crouched even lower.
That moment, Miss Durham's voice was heard.
"Aww, thanks for the lovely midnight show, and it isn't even Halloween! News coming in just now, oh my! So, the dead ones! Boys: number two, Jacob Anderson; number seven, Arnold Ledger. Girls: number one, Josephine Anderson; number ten, Darla Peterson. Now for the danger zones: from 1 AM, H9; from 3 AM, G6; from 5 AM, A5.
"Arnie!" Eddie stepped out.
"Nooooooooooooooooo!!!" shouted Belinda. Standing over Darla's slightly smouldering body, she suddenly saw Eddie, standing about twenty metres away… and, almost in a delirium, sent a spray of bullets in his belly.
Eddie flew backwards, and landed on his back. The hedge trimmer fell beside him.
I killed Darla's love… what will she say…? Darla… what's with you? Darla… Josh… Josh…
The world was spinning around her. She could still see Darla's cheerful smile, the girls' nights with Lily and the others, the rock concerts…
She reached Eddie's motionless body staggering. Darla…
His weapons… Darla…
Belinda just leant over him, when Eddie suddenly opened his eyes, picked up the open hedge trimmer, and stuck both blades in the girl's eyes.
"Aah…!" the blades entering her brain through her eyes immediately killed Belinda.
Eddie massaged his aching stomach, and wiped the bloody sticky fluid that came out of the girl's eyes off his face.
"Bleah!"
At least, his bulletproof vest worked just fine.
George saw everything from among the bushes. Or well, not everything, just Eddie killing Belinda, and the MAC10 dropping to the ground.
Oh wow, such a great weapon…!
Slowly… slowly…
Eddie heard a click. He was about to turn around, when he heard the shot and felt the bullet hitting his back. He knew he'd better fake death, or the other one might shoot him in the head next. So he threw himself on his stomach immediately.
George knew the fireworks would attract many people… and he wasn't invincible, either. He picked up the MAC10, and ran off. Eddie lay with his eyes closed; George only gave him one look, seemingly not remembering the PE classes, the amazing soccer matches, or the compulsory readings read for everyone.
Eddie, as the sound of George's steps died down, jumped up, and took out Arnie's pistol. But he couldn't see the boy any more.
The reality of Arnie's death hadn't yet sunk in fully. His best friend, the one who always was by his side when he needed him… Arnie was simply always there. He couldn't die, that was all.
He panted, his nerves nearly wrecking. Then, all of a sudden, he thought he heard something from behind his back again…
He had no time to turn around. A whisk, and Eddie fell. As he hit the ground, his head ripped off his body.
Nick lowered the bloody sword, and leant down to take the pistol. Finally he got a gun, but, more important, he was to become almost invulnerable.
Once he had stripped Eddie of his bulletproof vest, he checked the map in the moonlight, and decided. He went to the north, later following the shore. After a long, slow path he arrived to the mountain, and kept on walking at its feet.
Boy #7 Ledger, Arnold - eliminated
Boy #8 McGrant, Edward - eliminated
Girl #10 Peterson, Darla - eliminated
Girl #15 Sykes, Belinda - eliminated
11 contestants remaining
Oh, and before you start asking questions: I never once mentioned what Eddie's weapon was, though there were slight hints here and there. Arnie took the hedge trimmer from the shop, and gave it to him.
Maddie's French sentence = "It's just wonderful"
Okay, 4 deaths! Sorry if this was long... now, the last 11 remain - the next chapter, up very soon, will only consist of their profiles, and my question is: who do you think will win? Like, you might really like "Character X", but maybe they are a weakling, so "Character Y" might be more likely to win.