Minh (Boy #6) wasn't sure if it was some sort of defense mechanism. It made sense since death seemed to be all around him, but it didn't feel exactly healthy to him. Still, it was something to get his mind off the reality of The Program. He, just like every other contestant in the playing field, had been given immunity from any consequences that resulted from their performance in The Program. But that was just a bunch of multi-syllable words they strung together to make the rule acceptable to the masses, should any of them notice it. In other words, every contestant could do whatever the hell they wanted in The Program without fear of being charged with murder or any other form of crime.
He could remember a few years back when a bunch of parents raised a giant commotion, demanding that the winner be charged with the murder of all his classmates, among other things. The case didn't even make it to court. And when two of the parents were later found dead, no one ever dared to make such demands again. Self-defense was automatically assigned to the winner, despite what their performance may have revealed. However, the immunity lasted for only three days, and the winner was constantly surrounded by guards until that time to prevent them from taking advantage of this immunity in other ways. Minh wasn't completely sure why the law stated that it lasted three full days instead of the moment of time when The Program was officially declared complete. He guessed it had something to do with some regulation he wasn't aware of. Or maybe it was due to the fact that The Program never lasted for the exact same amount of time.
Whatever the reason, Minh had been given the ability to kill anyone he wanted, without the worry of repercussions. Granted, he was restricted to the playing field, but what if that was not the case?
If I could kill anyone without any consequences, who would it be?
Well, there was always Celine Dion, but that was a given. After all, who didn't want that bitch dead? Minh was pretty sure that even Canadians didn't like her for making them look worse as a country, which was pretty hard to do in the first place. But then again, Canada did have a younger drinking age and no Battle Royale, so maybe it wasn't all that bad.
Tom Cruise was another good choice. Minh couldn't figure out why he ever made it big in Hollywood. He thought actors either needed to be good looking or have talent. But Tom Cruise had neither of those, so how in the hell did he keep getting work? He single-handedly ruined the movie Vanilla Sky – the Spanish version that came first, Abre Los Ojos, was much better. Actually, Minh had to take that back, since the other two stars in that movie weren't all that much better. Could anyone actually understand what Penelope Cruz was saying? And Cameron Diaz's bad acting was only outdone by her role in the Charlie's Angels movies. And didn't she have that show on MTV for a little while? Minh couldn't remember it. Cameron Diaz would be a very satisfying kill.
And then there was that man who had been on that American Idol show. The one that had so bad that he was given a record deal just so that he could sing more and people could laugh at him. What had been his name? William something. Man, he had been awful. And Minh had taken slight offense to the whole spectacle. His parents had a noticeable accent too, and he'd have gotten angry if anyone laughed at them for sounding different. William Jung! That was his name. He made all Asians look bad.
Minh sighed and refocused his eyes, returning to reality. Nothing had caught his attention while he had spaced out there for a bit, and the absolute absurdity of his thoughts did comfort him a little. He was pretty sure that he was losing his mind, though. And that was a not very promising.
Nathan continued to snooze over on the opposite side of the room. Minh glanced over at him, thinking about Nathan's description of his tribulations early in the game. He couldn't even imagine what it must have felt like to be shot with a nail. And from the sound of it, it was very convenient Lauren (Girl #16) had stopped to help him. And then there was the fact that he'd had the extreme good fortune not to wander into a danger zone since he had no map or compass, not to mention any food or water. Minh didn't eat much, so he didn't mind sharing. It just shocked him how incredibly lucky Nathan had been. So many things had gone wrong for him, and yet so many things had gone right, and there he was, slightly injured, but still very much alive, asleep on the floor. Minh had been lucky too, since he had found Nathan just in time. They'd both been very, very lucky. Minh wondered how long their luck would last.
His thoughts drifted to that moment in time when he had just barely saved Nathan's life. He remembered how the boy stood directly over him, the crossbow aimed directly at Nathan's face. He saw Nathan cowering, and even saw him wince as the boy's finger touched the trigger. Minh hadn't even had time to think. He reacted, and he remembered seeing the crossbow explode into many wooden splinters. But what he remembered most, what distinctly stood out in his mind, was that smile. The sickening, sadistic grin as he prepared to put an arrow through Nathan's forehead.
Him. If I could kill anyone without any consequences, it would be him.
The door to the empty room burst open with a crash and a large figure loomed in the doorway. The sudden movement and noise caused Minh to drop to the floor, desperately grasping for his shotgun. Nathan jerked awake and tried to stand, but the large figure rushed at him, knocking him back and to the floor once again. Minh finally got a firm grip on the large gun and aim it at the large target. He pulled the trigger and prepared his small body for the heavy recoil. The gladiator whipped to face the tiny Asian, both his arms gripping the metal shield before him. The spray hit dead center and dented the shield, sending the giant backwards into the wall. A few pellets were deflected off the metal barrier and hit the surrounding walls. Minh prepared to reload the shotgun when he saw a smile enter through the doorframe and speedily make its way toward him. He recognized the smirk immediately and snarled in the darkness.
Paul (Boy #21) swung down hard with his hammer, but missed completely. Instead he struck out with his knife, but again he missed. Minh swung the heavy gun in his hands, slamming it against Paul's grinning chin. Paul flew back and Minh quickly reloaded his weapon, the empty shell clattering to the ground. He aimed at Paul's crouching figure in the shadows.
"Laugh at this!" Minh spat as he prepared to fire. Sid (Boy #14) slammed his shield into the small boy and the gun went off, the spray harmlessly hitting the wall directly above Paul's grounded body. Paul was quickly up on his feet and prepared to charge Minh when a punch connected with the side of his face. Nathan growled in the dark room and swung out his foot catching Paul in the stomach. Paul lashed out with his knife, grazing Nathan's extended thigh. He cried out and swung a hard hook, hitting Paul again in the face.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the room, Minh was using his wiry body to avoid the lunges made by Sid's dagger. However, he found himself with no time to reload the shotgun. Sid continued with his slashes and was effectively using his shield to pin Minh against the wall. The small boy quickly ducked a strike to stab the dagger into his neck, and using his powerful skating legs, rocketed upwards, using his shotgun as a large blunt object and connecting with Sid's powerful arm, sending it straight up toward the ceiling. Lightning fast, Minh reloaded the powerful and fired at Sid point blanc. The entire spray smacked into his shield and nearly broke through it, but instead sent the gladiator flying backwards the length of the room. He thudded against the wall with a grunt and distracted the other two boys fighting in the room. Minh quickly reloaded the weapon a final time and took aim at Paul. Paul saw the incoming shot and quickly made his way to the side of the room, leaping in the air and crashing through the window.
"This time he doesn't get away!" Minh called to Nathan and followed the grinning boy out the window.
"Minh, wait!" Nathan called out and followed suit, launching himself from the window. Sid shook the ringing sensation out of his head. He gasped for the air that had rushed from his lungs and waited for the room to stop spinning. He looked around and noticed that he was the last person in the empty room. Staggering to his feet, he gazed at the broken window and heard voices from outside. He knew he needed to return to the battle, and quick. Paul wouldn't last very long on his own, and then it would be the two of them versus himself. Or worse, Paul won and claimed the shotgun for himself. Neither of those things could happen. Sid walked to the wall, giving himself a running start, and then rushed forward out the open window and into the air where the battle continued on the ground below him.
"You smile a lot." Donna (Girl #7) cuddled close to Paul on his couch while a movie played on the television before them, "Why are you always so happy?"
"Why shouldn't I be happy?" Paul replied taking his eyes of the movie and staring down at his girlfriend instead. His wide smile spread all over his face as he continued, "I have a life. What could be better?"
"Not every part of life is happy, Paul." Donna averted her gaze and her father's face flashed in her mind for a moment.
"I know that," he replied continuing to gaze at her and continuing to smile, "But the sad times in our life help us define our happy ones. We appreciate them more, work harder for them."
"You're so deep, Paul." She cooed at him and cuddled a little closer.
"We can't focus all of our time and attention on the pain in our lives, Donna," Paul continued almost oblivious to her last comment, "Life is something to be enjoyed. As soon as we think we've begun, we die and our life is lost. There are so many out there who are completely miserable, and they don't even realize they're wasting their life away. Happiness isn't just something that happens to you if you deserve it or want it. You have to actively chase after it, and appreciate the small things when they are available. Everyone feels pain, Donna. But we can all get through the pain if we just recognize that happiness is available to us at all times, if we're willing to work for it, to fight for it."
Donna didn't say anything, totally enraptured once again in the movie playing before them. She watched Tom Cruise standing at the top of the building, looking over the edge and preparing to jump.
Tom Cruise is so cute, and such a good actor too. And so is Cameron Diaz. They should get married and have good looking babies that are also great actors.
"So, Paul, he's in some virtual world right now? When did he go under, again? God, this movie is so confusing, but it's so good!"
"…"
"Paul?"
He wasn't listening. His eyes stared straight ahead at the television before them, but his mind was elsewhere. It was deep inside his memories, the day of his father's funeral. It reminded him of why he worked, why he fought.
Life is worth working for. Life is worth fighting for.
Gloria (Girl #22) could hear loud shots, but was unable to find where they were coming from. Ever since she followed those two boys she had spotted around the corner of a house, she had lost sight of them. But she could hear them fighting now. If only she could determine where the noises where coming from. Shattering glass caught her attention and Gloria spun around to see Paul descend from the air and land on the ground in a roll. Minh was next, his duffel bag swung over his shoulder, firing his shotgun in the air, but missing horribly. He cocked the shotgun and prepared to fire again as the third boy descended from the window. Minh again fired the shotgun, once again missing his target. Paul rushed forward with his hunting knife, only to get intercepted by Nathan and quickly knocked back.
Gloria watched from the shadows, digging in her bag for a grenade. She firmly gripped one and prepared to draw the pin from it when she remembered that the very large boy she had seen was not present. Sid suddenly flew out from the window, taking part of its frame along with his girth. He sailed down toward the ground, his dagger aimed staright for the top of Minh's head, who was completely oblivious to the attack as he aimed his shotgun yet again at Paul who was engaging Nathan in combat. Nathan, however, witnessed the gladiator emerge from the window and ran to Minh, shoving him out of harm's way just in time. His gun went off as he toppled to the side and sailed wide of Paul's head.
From the nearby shadows, Gloria readied her grenade as she watched the battle continue. Her eyes settled on the shotgun, a very useful weapon indeed. The small Asian boy would be her main target – the three other boys would be easy targets once that powerful gun was in her possession. However, Gloria couldn't seem to find an area that a good portion of the boys occupied. They moved around so sporadically and so quickly, that she was positive that her grenade would do nothing except alert the four boys of her presence. She placed the grenade carefully back into her duffel bag and instead pulled out her machete. She'd need to time it just right. She'd wait until the small boy was close and then she'd jump out and cleave his head before grabbing the shotgun.
She took a deep, long, quiet breath. And waited.
"You were in the last war, right Dad?" Connor (Boy #4) stared at his father seated opposite him at the kitchen table. From behind the newspaper, Connor could hear his father sighing very deeply. The grey paper was slowly lowered and his father's suspicious eyes stared at him over at Connor.
"Yes, son." The newspaper was slowly raised, but before it could be reestablished, Connor spoke again.
"What was it like?"
Another deep sigh.
"It doesn't matter. You're never going to have to find out, so there's no reason to talk about it."
"Because you won't let me join the service?"
"Connor, I've seen some terrible things during the war. I refuse to let you see the horrors I had to face."
"But Charlie-"
"Your older brother knew my wishes about him and the army, and he went and joined anyways." The newspaper was folded and placed on the table as his father glared over at him, "I did all I could to prevent him from doing that, but he's just like your mother. Once she's made up her mind, she follows through no matter what anyone says. You and I are different, Connor. We think things through and don't rush headlong into anything. You need to be smart in times of war, or you don't survive."
Silence.
"Is it really that bad, Dad?"
Silence.
"Yes, son. The training is rigorous and specifically designed to break people. And when you're done with that, you're placed in a platoon with plenty of other guys and you learn to work together as one unit. You form friendships and bonds, and before you know it, you're thrust into battle. People are dying left and right and you're so scared you can't think straight. The worst is when one of your friends dies. It eats away at you, the grief. But what's worse than that is the shame. You're ashamed because as much as you miss your friend, you're thankful that they died and that you didn't. And that relief is worse than any pain you could feel from losing a friend."
Connor stared over at his father, and the far-away gaze deep in his eyes. He didn't say anything and instead tried to imagine his father crouched down, surrounded by dead bodies and crying. He couldn't do it. His father was too strong and tough to cry. He gazed back at his father, just in time to see him wipe away a single tear that had miraculously formed beneath his eye.
Connor knew it then. He'd never go to war. Not ever.
"You hear that too?"
"Of course I do." Leslie (Girl #25) snapped back. They sat next to one another in the pitch black corner of a basement in an empty house. The words Connor had spoken were the first they had said to one another since they had taken shelter in the basement. Truthfully, the silence had been almost too much for Connor to handle. He had wanted something to break the silence, but he certainly hadn't wanted it to be gunshots.
"What should we do?"
"What kind of question is that? We do nothing, we're not being attacked."
"…"
"You have a problem with that?"
"I-"
"Good."
Silence resumed. They sat together, Connor's mind racing a mile a minute, images of blood and gore and carnage flashing in his mind's eye. The gun shots echoed throughout the empty basement, ringing in his ears. He tried to think about anything else rather than what was going on nearby, but when he closed his eyes he saw himself huddled in a little ball, surrounded by dead bodies and sobbing his eyes out.
He took a deep breath and stood up. Leslie sensed the disturbance and she whispered, "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to help."
"Help? Do you even know who's out there?"
"No, I don't."
"Then why the hell are you going?"
"I know you don't like people very much, but the more people we have with us, the better. We need numbers to beat this."
"Beat what? The Program? How do you plan to escape?"
"Look, I can't really explain it. But this is war. We're all out here fighting for our lives, and we all need people to rely on. I'm not saying that you're worthless or anything like that. But I…I can't just sit here anymore. They need our help and we need theirs. And if we do nothing, soon we're…we're going to feel the shame of war. The survivor's guilt. I've seen what it's done to my dad, and I don't want to lose myself to it either. If I don't do everything I can to help, I won't be able to live with myself."
"No kidding, you'll be dead. And besides, you're going to broadcast our hiding place. Now don't be stupid and sit down."
"No."
The force of the single word nearly knocked Leslie back further into the wall. Her mouth dropped in the darkness as she heard him feel around for the exit that led outside. She sat in the dark corner by herself, telling herself that Connor could make his own decisions, that he was not her responsibility. And yet despite all that something inside her was tugging at her to make him stay. Silently cursing herself, she spoke again.
"Hold on a second."
"I told you already. I-"
"I heard you." Leslie snapped as she stood from the ground, "In fact, listening to you fumble around this dark basement has convinced me that the second you leave this basement, you're probably going to get shot in the face. If you're so intent on helping the people out there who need it, then let me do it. I can protect myself a lot better than you can."
"What?" Connor was almost sure he had heard incorrectly. He heard her find the door in a portion of the basement Connor was sure he had already checked.
"You stay here; I don't want you getting hurt. Close this door right after I leave. I'll come in through the first floor like we did earlier."
And she was gone. The moonlight flooded the dark basement for a moment and then was gone as Leslie shut the door behind her. Connor stood dumbstruck in the middle of the floor.
She…she doesn't want me getting hurt?
While the last few minutes had confused and shocked him, he was still stuck that basement. He knew Leslie had told him to stay put, and that she'd be angry with him for leaving, but he needed to go out there and help. Knowing that she was out there now motivated him further in his cause. But he'd give her a few minute head start. If she saw him leave the basement right after she told him not to, Connor was pretty sure she'd kill him.
Outside, Leslie scanned her surroundings and immediately rushed toward the noise. She turned the corner and was surprised to see four boys actively engaged in combat. Sid swung his dagger with pure force at Nathan, who was succeeding at avoiding the attacks, but unsuccessful at making any of his own. And the few that did hit did very little to damage the mighty gladiator. Meanwhile, Minh had his hands full with the quick Paul, who was lashing out rapidly and deadly. The small Asian was nimble though, and able to dodge most of the attacks. The rest he block with the brunt of his shotgun. However, he wasn't given the time to remove the empty case inside it and get a clear shot off with Paul's rapid succession of blows. Unsure of who to help and what exactly was going on, Leslie remained off to the side and out of view, for the time being.
The stalemate was suddenly broken as Minh knocked Paul back with the butt of the shotgun. He removed the casing with a fluid motion and brought the barrel up to Paul's face. There would be no escape from this shot. Minh pulled the trigger with resolve and the resulting Click echoed through the entire area.
"Fuck!" Minh cried out and spied his duffel bag on the ground a ways off. He rushed over to it and frantically unzipped it, searching for more ammunition. "Nathan, can you hold them both off for a minute?"
"Are you joking?" Nathan cried out and noticed Paul rushing toward his boyfriend. He darted away and plowed into the charging boy. His attention was drawn back to the lumbering Sid who was making his way toward Minh as well. He gripped the arm of Paul and swung him toward the giant. They collided and both toppled over, giving Minh a little more time. Nathan rushed to engage them once again and hopefully give the small Asian more time. But none of the boys saw the female hiding in the shadows, her eyes solely focused on the shotgun. Gloria knew it was the perfect time to strike, and she did so.
Leslie saw her suddenly emerge from the forest, the moonlight shining on the massive blade she held in her hand. She didn't have any more time to observe. Leslie sprung into action, racing toward the unseen murderess. She launched up in the air and with a yell that startled absolutely everyone in the area, she planted a flying kick to Gloria's head. The girl tumbled off to the side with a cry as Leslie eyed the four other boys in the area.
"Thanks for the help." Minh said breathlessly as he loaded the last shell into the shotgun and snapped it shut. He raced forward, aiming the shotgun at Sid and firing off a shot. The shot missed completely, but both Sid and Paul had their attention returned to Minh. A screech echoed in Leslie's ears and she spun to see Gloria rushing at her. She swiped her machete horizontally, but Leslie jumped back away from the swipe. However, she couldn't avoid Gloria's kick, and was knocked to the ground. Gloria stared down at her and then raced off to the side, her focus on Minh.
"Look out!" Leslie cried out from the ground, but Gloria was upon Minh before he was even aware. She slashed down with the massive blade, but luckily Minh raised his shotgun and blocked the sharp edge before it reached his skull. He kicked her away and raised the gun to blow a hole through her. Sid charged in at this point, grabbing hold of the large gun and attempting to pry it from the weaker boy's hands. Gloria was on her feet again and swiped at both boys, causing them to jump back and the shotgun clattered to the ground. Gloria reached down and nearly grabbed hold of the gun. Leslie raced in from the side, planting a hand punch to Gloria's face and sending the girl to the ground. She then reached down for the shotgun, but Sid, who was still nearby, kicked it away from her reach before shoving the dented shield in her face. The shotgun rolled on the ground away from the mass of people and settled at the feet of a boy who had decided to watch and wait for his chance to rejoin the fight. A wide Cheshire cat grin spread over his face as he bent over and picked up the weapon.
Paul stared at the five people who all stood in front of him, all their eyes focused on the gun he held. His smile grew wider, if that was even possible, and he lifted the shotgun up to eye level.
Who should I shoot first?
Connor was sure he had given Leslie enough time. The fact that the shooting had stopped was either a very good sign, or a very bad sign. Connor decided that he'd find out soon enough. He emerged from beneath the ground, scanning the area around him. A yell from nearby caught his attention and he slowly crept in the direction. He saw them all almost immediately. Five of them stared at the one who held a shotgun, and he aimed at them all, slowly moving the shotgun back and forth as he changed targets. And then he saw her attack.
Leslie rushed forward when the shotgun was aimed off to the right. Paul reacted quickly, clocking off a shot at her, but luckily missed her. He reloaded the weapon just as Leslie reached him, landing a hard punch to his gut. Paul recoiled and fluidly swung the shotgun down and connected with the top of Leslie head. She fell to the ground and Paul aimed down at her, ready to blow the back of her head open.
"LESLIE!" Connor screamed and he ran forward toward them. Paul jumped from the new intruder and he spun the shotgun, aiming directly for Connor's charging body. The shotgun went off. The majority of the spray missed Connor, but a few pellets ripped into his thigh and blood exploded from the holes in his flesh.
"NO!" Leslie cried out at seeing him cry out and fall. And deep inside Leslie, the beast that lay dormant finally awoke, roaring like mad and reaching out with its bloody claws. Leslie screamed inhumanly as Paul cocked the shotgun and aimed down at her once again. She launched her leg up, kicking the shotgun high in the air. From lying onher stomach she curled her legs in and rolled forward, ending up in a crouching position. She lashed out with her hands, her fingers digging into Paul's throat. He tried to cry out and Leslie yanked two pieces of flesh from his throat. She screeched, lashing out again quickly and sticking each of her index fingers into Paul's eyes. She glanced up and caught the shotgun in her open palms, taking a second to bring it to the right level and fired point blanc.
Paul's chest was blown back, pieces of his ribs and lungs littering the ground behind him. He toppled backwards, and began giggling like mad as best he could, his grin widening on his bleeding face. And he then he stopped, his Cheshire cat grin forever immortalized on his face.
Life is worth working for. Life is worth fighting for. Life is worth dying for.
Current danger zones: 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, 15, 17, 21, 24, 25, 28, 31, 41, 48, 50, 56, 61, 64
Pending danger zones: 32
(21) Contestants remaining