Ron (Boy #8) sighed as he squinted in the darkness at his watch.
"It's eight. Block 48 is a danger zone now." He announced to the rest of the group. Larry (Boy #9) merely nodded. He shifted his weight slightly and Lauren (Girl #16) stirred slightly but continued dozing with her head comfortably nestled in the crook of her boyfriend's neck. Gloria (Girl #22) sat at the verge of the clearing and stared off into space, lost in her own thoughts. The final member of the group sat in the clearing, doing her best to work on the collars in the increasing moonlight.
Genevive (Girl #21) tirelessly waged the war against the silent captors – the collars that hung around their necks. This was the last collar in the general area, since the others she had worked on had already exploded. There had been at least one close call from the explosions, but luckily everyone in the area had escaped injury each time. However, there was the chance that this last collar would also detonate, and if that happened, Genevive would go in search of more collars. But how safe would it be to move a group this large around in the darkness? It was up to her to make sure that this collar was the one that set them all free.
Lauren stirred again, this time slowly opening her eyes and gazing at the people around her. She sighed deeply and continued to rest, the silence ringing in her ears. She knew from her work as a volunteer that hardly anyone was complacent with being silent for long periods of time. All these people around her needed her to help ease the fear that throbbed inside of them, and she would not let them down.
"When I get out of here," she began as all eyes were drawn to the kind-hearted girl, "The first thing I'm going to do is go and grab an ice cream sundae with everything on it – nuts, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a really red cherry sitting on top. That's probably my favorite food in the entire world."
"What flavor?" Larry asked loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Death by Chocolate." She stopped for a moment, and then immediately started giggling and Gloria soon joined her and Ron chuckled lightly as well. "I never would have guessed that I'd ever be put in this situation, but I have to say that it puts so many things into perspective. I didn't know ice cream was so important to me. I didn't know how much more I want to do with my life."
A moment of silence as the group took in Lauren's words.
"I'm going to go out and buy an Xbox and the videogame Halo." Genevive said without looking up from her work, "A bunch of my friends love playing that game, and I can't think of any better way to spend time with them than learning how to play from them."
Ron smirked and said, "I'm gonna go and get myself completely shit-faced so that I can forget all about The Program. And so I can forget what I've seen here."
"Same here." Gloria chimed in.
"I think that the thing I'd most like to do once I'm free is just sit back and relax and play some Gin."
Lauren giggled and leaned closer to him if that was at all possible. They all stared up at the stars together, watching them sparkle like the hope that was beginning to twinkle inside each one of them. A gasp brought them all back to earth.
"What is it?" Ron asked excitedly.
"I…I think I've finally figured this stuff out!" Genevive said with a tone of shock.
"What?"
"Really?"
"No fucking way!" They all rushed around her as Genevive began her explanation.
"Okay, so these collars are a lot more complicated than they look. I was able to identify monitoring devices like the thermometer and pulse regulator. The problem was the rest of the collar, which had wires crossed all over the place and traps in nearly every electronic device."
"Get to the point." Gloria said impatiently.
"I finally found something in the back of the collars – something hidden beneath layers of microchips and other stuff. See that, right there? That thing right there is what gives off our signals. It pulses out a frequency that gives Mr. Smith and the rest of his government bitches back at the school our location. It's also how they make the collars explode, by sending the frequency to this thing."
"So how do we escape?" Ron asked.
"The problem is that that device is also how we get the collars off." Genevive said.
"I don't get it." Larry replied.
"We need to send the correct frequency to that and the collars will fall off on their own."
"Great!" Lauren squealed, "How do we do that?"
"We can't." Genevive sighed.
"You mean that all this was for nothing?" Ron asked in shock. Carefully, Gloria crept back to her duffel bag to grab hold of a grenade.
"Not so fast." Genevive quickly said, "It's true that the government has removed any and all materials in this playing field, and that normally we'd be trapped here. But I have another idea. There's a device somewhere in the playing field that tracks our signals. I know because I ran into the person who has it earlier. If it tracks our frequencies, then there's a chance that it can send out frequencies as well. If we can get that device and find the right frequency, then we can escape."
"Or we could blow all of our heads off." Gloria said.
"If we do nothing then we're all as good as dead." Genevive shot back, "I'm not about to give up trying to escape because I have to move around the playing field now. It's a long shot – I know that. But even if there was a small chance to leave this playing field alive with everyone you care about, wouldn't u try and take it?"
They all sat in silence for a minute, and Genevive wondered if they would all gang up on her first and attack each other later.
"I'm in." Ron said standing up, "I've come this far already – what's a little further?"
Genevive sighed in relief. She gazed over at the three other people in the clearing. The moonlight shone off their faces making them exposed and hidden in shadows at the same time.
"We're in too." Larry stood up also, soon followed by a nodding Lauren.
Gloria sighed as her mind raced. She knew who had the device Genevive was talking about. And she knew that those girls wouldn't be too happy to see her again. But she couldn't figure out the best decision to make. If she left now, then everyone here would be very suspicious of her, and very likely watch out for her. She could try to take them all out, but they were too well-armed. She'd more than likely be killed, if not mortally wounded. But what happened when she went with them and they found the girls? Would they turn against her if they found out the truth? More than likely they would. But they were escaping! How can she pass up an exit out of this fucking place?
Gloria looked at all of them and she made up her mind. She secretly dropped the grenade back into the bag from her concealed hand and finally stood.
"I'm in."
"Good." Genevive smiled in triumph, "Now all we have to do is find-"
Right on cue, Naomi (Girl #11), April (Girl #15), and Kim (Girl #17) wandered into the clearing, their eyes locked on only one person in front of them: Gloria.
Carlos (Boy #3) could still hear the explosion echoing inside his head. And those girls too, he could hear them scream along with the blast. He wondered where they were. And then he remembered that he didn't even know where he was. Carlos sighed and leaned up against a tree. With the return of night, Carlos was having a major flashback to the very beginning of the game. He hadn't known then that he'd still be alive at this point, but he was particularly glad that he had been wrong.
The sounds echoed into the surrounding oblivion and the moonlight shone through the leafy trees. Shadows were cast every which way and soft winds rustled the foliage into making even more sounds and shadows. So many shapes that could be contestants and so many sounds that could be predators. Carlos wished he was back in his locked apartment.
A soft rustling sound reached his ears and Carlos' breath caught in his throat. The air suddenly became too thick to breathe and Carlos felt himself nearly suffocating in fear. However, he crept forward to see who was near him. A flashing light caught him by surprise. The beam cut through the dark night like a sharp blade, and from the moonlight shining above, Carlos could barely make out a figure holding a flashlight. A feminine figure.
Every logical thought in his head screamed at him to stay hidden, but Carlos knew that he'd need some form of protection. And one form of protection was seeing who was near him. He wanted that flashlight, and he was ready to take it. The figure was definitely female, and that meant that he'd be able to overpower her in most cases. That flashlight would be his, and then he wouldn't have to be scared of the shadows anymore.
Slowly, he crept to the side, moving behind the figure. He could hear her breathing heavily. He inhaled very deeply and held it, as he snuck up behind her. With an audible exhale he launched himself at the girl in front of him grasping for the flashlight. She screeched with fright and without warning an explosion ricocheted into the woods.
Fuck! A gun!
Carlos launched a fist out and he connected with her face sending her sprawling. He fell on top of her from his momentum and they twisted around on the ground. Carlos fumbled around blindly in the darkness, searching for the flashlight. The girl cried out and another shot was fired. Carlos cried out in surprised and fought her back, shoving her to the ground. Another shot was fired. Carlos reached up and knocked the gun from her hand and into the darkness surrounding them.
With a sudden quickness, the girl reached a leg up and kicked Carlos off of her. She scrambled on the ground, frantically searching for the gun, while Carlos looked around and saw the flashlight lying on the ground. The girl suddenly found the gun and spun around, pulling back the hammer and aiming at the figure holding the flashlight. Carlos quickly aimed the flashlight into her eyes and she cried out in surprise firing off a shot that barely missed Carlos' head. He stumbled back in surprise and dropped to the ground. He rolled out of the way and scrambled into the darkness, switching off the flashlight. The girl clocked off another shot but all it hit were branches. She shivered and pulled the hammer again on the revolver. She stood and spun around in the wooded oblivion, searching for the threat. She knew he was still out there. A sudden rustling to her left frightened her and she cried out, firing the gun again. She pulled the hammer again and glanced around her.
The flashlight clicked on shining directly into her face. She shielded her face and hissed into the darkness, "I won't miss this time!"
Carlos watched as she pulled the gun and aimed at his face, pulling the trigger. The gun clicked harmlessly and hung in the air. Six shots – the gun was empty.
"What?" the girl cried out. Carlos pulled back and sent a punch into her gut, sending her sprawling. Carlos walked over and picked up the empty gun and the girl's duffel bag also. He opened the gun as the girl moaned on the ground. Carlos quickly loaded the gun and snapped the barrel back into place. He raised the flashlight into her face one last time and he aimed the gun as well.
"Please," Luna (Girl #5) sobbed, "Please don't kill me."
Carlos paused and held his finger against the trigger. The metal felt both warm and cold in his hand and the air became even heavier. His breathing became more noticeable as the gun remained where it was – pointed straight at Luna's face. She cried kneeling before him and Carlos forced himself to make a decision. He wanted to shoot her, but something inside held him back from pulling the trigger.
Just pull the trigger! Stop waiting and just be done with it! Kill her – it's the only way to win, the only way to survive!
He stared down and his eyes fell upon a small object dangling from the girl's neck. He gasped and reached down as Luna tried to pull away in fear. His hand wrapped around the necklace and he gripped it and pulled it, breaking it free. Luna winced slightly.
"My sister's necklace."
Luna looked up in shock and the tears began to fall like waterfalls.
"No! Please, I'm sorry! Don't kill me…I…I…" Luna tried pleading between sobs, but Carlos was furious now as the memories raced back to him. He gripped the necklace hard and shoved it in his pocket, pulling back the hammer and placing to her forehead. He seethed with hate and he was all the more resolved to kill her. And yet something held him back. He watched her cry and despite his anger, the gun became heavier and heavier to hold. He sighed and very slowly he placed the gun into his other pocket.
"You're not worth the ammo." He spit out and walked away, using the flashlight as a guide.
Luna watched him go, and let herself cry in relief. She cried for minutes on end and then calmed herself down, realizing that she may attract the wrong attention. Carlos had walked away with her bag full of ammo and food, and that left her pretty much defenseless. She moved to stand up when her hand bumped into an object lying on the ground. She carefully picked it up and saw that her taser had fallen out of her duffel bag before Carlos had taken it. Luna breathed a little easier at seeing that she wasn't completely helpless now. The only problem would be the danger zones. She no longer had a compass or map to know where it was safe to stay.
She took a deep breath and decided that staying put for now was a lot safer than moving around – especially in the dark. She noticed a large tree off to her side and moved to it, carefully climbing up the limbs for added safety. Luna reached a reasonable height and finally allowed her body to relax among the branches.
Kim was the first to move.
"You!" she cried out and launched herself at Gloria. But before she had even taken four steps, Ron stood in her way the nail gun aimed at her face. Kim sneered at him while Gloria jumped to her feet.
"Them!" tears formed in her eyes, "They were the ones I told you about! They tried to kill me before!"
"Lying bitch!" Kim yelled and took another step forward. Ron shoved the nail gun forward a little, causing Kim to back off. Larry and Lauren seemed frozen in time, unable to move or speak, merely staring at the standoff. Genevive stood glancing over at Naomi. Naomi glanced arounf at the bodies littering the ground and the computer parts strewn around. A comprehension slowly clicked in her head as her gaze met Genevive's. They stared at each other for a moment and then Naomi nodded in some sort of mutual understanding.
"What happened earlier is not important." Genevive said aloud, all eyes now on her.
"I agree, the past is the past." Naomi replied.
"What?" April cried out.
"Naomi, have you gone fucking insane? That whore killed Cassie (Girl #4) and Taryn (Girl #3). Whose side are you on?" Kim shrieked.
"She's on mine." Genevive said, "We're here to escape, not to point fingers at one another."
"And besides, right now, it's our word against hers. Nothing good will come of arguing. But if we work together…" Naomi said.
"We can escape." Genevive finished, "Quite frankly, I don't care what you all do or where you go once this is over. My objective is to get these collars off. You could go and kill each other afterwards, if it makes you feel better. But right now, the collars are the only things that matter."
"And it's important that we get them off." Naomi said stepping up behind Kim and placing a hand on her shoulder, "At any cost." Kim backed off slightly, but her glare over at Gloria did not fade. Gloria stared back at her, a smirk appearing on her face for an instant and then disappearing.
"That device." Genevive said simply. Naomi nodded and took a deep breath. The possibilities of everything that could happen raced through her head. She knew that Gloria wasn't trustworthy and who knew about Ron who stood in front of her. What would happen when the collars came off? Too many things could happen, too many things that would turn out badly. But if the neck collar device could help them escape…
Naomi held out the small contraption to Ron. He nodded and reached out to take it. An explosion ripped through the dark silence of the group. Naomi thought that Gloria had set off another grenade, but when she glanced over, she saw Gloria on the ground quivering in fear. She heard Ron grunt slightly and another loud noise sent him sprawling backwards. She watched him fall to the ground gurgling and the nail gun fell from his grasp. Naomi pulled the neck collar tracker back to her chest and stumbled backwards bumping into Kim.
"Gun shots!" Kim cried out as she knelt and picked up the nail gun. She stood and grabbed hold of Naomi's hand and tugged her away. "Let's go!" she called out to April and the three girls sprinted into the darkness.
Gloria was on her feet next. She clutched her duffel bag and noticed the large machete on the ground near her. She clutched it and took off into the forest, abandoning all thoughts of escape.
Larry tugged Lauren to her feet and yelled something to her that she didn't quite make out. He spotted the box cutter on the ground next to an exposed collar. He forced Lauren after him and picked up the blade before taking off into the forest.
Genevive stood alone in the clearing watching Ron gurgle from a distance as everything came crashing down. The device was gone and her protection was gone as well.
"Ron." She stepped forward when another explosion ripped through the air and Genevive cried out as the bullet ripped through her thigh. She collapsed to the ground as tears streamed down her face. She carefully glanced around her and saw the figure slowly emerge from the shadows.
Ariana (Girl #18) smirked at Genevive and raised the gun to her forehead. Deep inside, she had always respected Genevive as another girl who looked to enhance her mind. She was the only other student who Ariana could ever possibly consider an equal. But unlike Ariana, Genevive had gone and made friends to take up the rest of her time, while Ariana worked on her mind.
"Ariana." Genevive whispered, "I would have thought that a girl with your brains would be above The Program."
"Think again." Ariana replied coldly, "I must do all I can to preserve my mind."
"Your mind?"
"Sure." Ariana said stepped closer to her prey, "My body will someday fade, but my mind will live on. I must do all I can to protect it."
"But at what cost?" Genevive asked, her voice rising, "What happens when you die?"
Ariana's thoughts drifted to Dante's Inferno for an instant.
"What happens to your soul?"
"My…soul?"
Ron suddenly lurched on the ground throwing his body into Ariana. She cried out and fell into the darkness. Ron stumbled to his feet, clutching his bleeding chest.
"Damn." He said, "Damn!" He gazed over at Genevive who still knelt on the ground. He attempted to walk toward her.
"We were so close." Ron murmured as he stood before her, "We were so close to escaping!" Another shot rang out, catching Ron in the side of the neck. He coughed up some blood and tumbled off to the side, breathing as best he could.
"Escaping?" Ariana reemerged from the oblivion beyond them, "Idiot, there is no escape from The Program."
"The collars-" Genevive began.
"The collars are government issue Cobra Collars version 3.7 made of a versatile metal – waterproof, shockproof, flameproof. They are controlled using wireless signals which are tracked back to the command center. The collars are only removed once a winner is determined and then the correct frequency is emitted to deactivate the collars."
"You…you knew?" Genevive's eyes widened.
"If you thought that the neck collar detector would be able to save you, you were very much mistaken. That contraption is designed to ONLY receive signals to prevent someone from doing exactly what you hoped to do."
"But…then…it was…hopeless?"
"If there was some way to escape from The Program," Ariana pointed the gun at Genevive's face, "Don't you think I would have found it out by now?"
Genevive said nothing but stared at the girl before her.
"You never even stood a chance." Ariana pulled the trigger and the bullet ripped through Genevive's brain instantly. She had no time to cry out, no time to scream. All she could do was think. And the answer came to her almost instantly. There was a way out of The Program – and she was doing that very thing at that moment in time. Escaping the horror that had racked her mind for the last day. And with every inch of her being, she prayed that her friends would not all find the escape route she had found.
Ariana stood over the girl, watching her die. She stared at her, almost admiring her resolve at attempting to escape The Program. But Ariana had done the study a few years back. The government had thought of everything when it came to escape, and there was nothing that the contestants in the playing field could have done to try and go around the rules.
Still, there was one last thing that Ariana couldn't help but dwell on. Genevive had said something about her soul, and the cost of trying to preserve her mind. What kind of cost had she meant? Truthfully, Ariana had never really given much thought to her soul. All of her focus had been on her mind, and soon after, ways to use her body to enhance her mind. Her soul had metaphorically taken a back seat.
Ariana shook her head to free herself from the thoughts that were buzzing around inside her head. Now was not the time to contemplate the priorities on her life – her mind was the only thing that mattered and she would preserve it with everything she was.
Ron coughed on the ground and Ariana turned her head. She fired two shots into the back of his head and instantly she reached into duffel bag to reload her weapon. She walked into the darkness, thoughts of mind, body, and soul dancing around inside her head.
Current danger zones: 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, 15, 17, 21, 24, 25, 28, 31, 41, 48, 64
Pending danger zones: 61
(26) Contestants remaining