April (Girl #15) glanced down at her watch, and then over to the map she had pulled from her duffel bag. It was after eight in the morning, which meant that block 34 had already become a danger zone. And the next block to become forbidden was block 5 up on the top row of areas of the playing field. To the best of her knowledge, April guessed that that was where she and her friend Naomi (Girl #11) were located. In less than two hours they'd have to move from that spot or else they'd die. The bombs located in the collars that wrapped themselves around the contestants' necks ensured this fact.
The girl sighed and slid both objects back into her bag next to the boomerang given to her by Kim (Girl #17) and the duct tape that she had been assigned at the very beginning of the game. She gazed over at her companion, whose eyes were glued to the ground directly beneath her. Silence had conquered both girls for a substantial amount of time, since neither had spoken for a while. Ever since Naomi had voiced her utter and complete hopelessness of the situation, she'd remained exactly where she was, staring off into space, lost inside her mind. April hated to admit it, but The Program had broken Naomi. She was no longer the strong, capable, competent friend April knew. Instead she was a shell of a human being, already prepared for the death that would most likely consume her.
But in the face of terrible odds, April still had her faith. She wasn't exactly sure what she expected to happen, since it didn't seem likely that the collars were coming off on their own, and then some handsome guy would whisk her away to safety. No, everything did seem hopeless, but that didn't mean that everything was hopeless. Somewhere deep inside the recesses of her brain, April's hope clawed at her spirit, telling her not to give up.
"We should leave soon." April spoke and then cleared her throat from the lack of use, "This area's going to be a danger zone in a couple of hours."
Naomi didn't react at all. April wondered if her friend was completely lost to her, but slowly the girl's head lifted as if to acknowledge April's presence. "What does it matter? We're going to die soon anyways."
April expected Naomi to say something to that effect. She felt herself torn into several parts in that moment. She was angry that she was doing everything she could to keep the both of them alive and away from danger, but Naomi's ungrateful and depressing attitude was doing nothing to help at all. She was distressed that Naomi was still as hopeless as ever, since it seemed that nothing would save the girl from herself. She was scared that someone would find them soon (since Naomi didn't appear to be checking her collar detector very often), and that would be the end of the two of them. And she was frustrated that despite April's loyalty to Naomi, her friend showed none in return. And then a part of her wanted to just leave Naomi behind, to the death she was so convinced awaited her. Or worse, be the one to give it to her…
April shook her head, almost shocked the thought had entered her mind at all. She pushed it away, now angry at herself for allowing The Program to get inside her head, even for that moment. She took a deep breath, allowing the fresh air to clean out any other evil thoughts floating around inside her mind.
"Even if that was true, which it's not," April walked over to Naomi's side, "I'm not going to let a bomb be the thing to kill me. I'm going to fight for my life, not give it to anyone who's looking to take it. And neither are you!"
April reached down and hooked both hands beneath Naomi's arm and tried to lift her off the ground. However, Naomi remained rooted in place like the cement ground had attached itself to the girl and refused to let go. April released for a moment, and then summoned more strength and tried again, but remained just as unsuccessful.
"I'd rather have a bomb go off around my neck and be dead before I even knew it happened than to have someone take their time cutting me open so that I can bleed to death or slowly get strangled." Naomi replied softly. April dropped the girl's arm and backed off a few steps. No longer ableto take Naomi's words, she bent before the girl, staring at the girl deep in the eyes. She waited for Naomi to return the glare, and as soon as that happened, April reeled back at slapped Naomi straight across the face.
"WAKE UP!" April screamed in Naomi's face. Naomi didn't even whimper as the stinging sensation rushed through her face. She barely batted an eye as April screeched at her directly in the face. And it was at that point that April realized it was too late to save Naomi. Tears made their way down her face as she stared at Naomi's vacant expression and her empty eyes. There was nothing in the world that was going to raise Naomi to her feet, and if April continued to sit there, she'd die too.
"I've done all I can for you, Naomi." April said as she choked back sobs and reached out. She opened Naomi's duffel bag and saw that most of her water was still left, as were two sandwiches. April took all of Naomi's rations, knowing that the girl would not need them in two hours time. Then her hand reached out and took the girl's collar detector from her hand that did not attempt to hold on. April slipped the device into her pocket and then gazed back at Naomi's face that was once again focused on the ground. A red mark in the shape of a hand embedded itself on Naomi's cheek, but she did not seem to notice it.
"I'm going to miss you, Naomi." April replied, no longer able to hold in her tears. She reached forward and clutched Naomi to her, giving her one last hug. April felt nothing in return, but she held on anyways, allowing her tears to fall to the ground. With a tighter squeeze, April let go and stood up. Naomi didn't budge from her spot on the ground.
"Goodbye." April said, wiping away a tear and walked toward the edge of the alley. In an effort to comfort herself, her mind returned to that karaoke night. The words of Gloria Gaynor drifted through her mind as she hummed the tune to "I Will Survive" out loud. Surprisingly enough, the song did make her feel slightly more secure, since this was going to be the first time she'd be on her own since the very beginning of The Program.
April emerged from her hiding place, and decided that it would be best to see if anyone was in the area. She pulled the collar device from her pocket and her mouth dropped when she saw two additional dots besides hers and Naomi's. A loud rattling noise erupted to her left, and it took a moment for the pain to register. She jolted a few times and then dropped to the ground. Confusedly, her eyes went down to her body and saw the many tiny holes that had punctured her side. Blood oozed out of all of them and ran to the ground, soaking her legs in her own crimson liquid. Finally raising her eyes, April noticed the two people standing only a few feet away from her. One she had not seen yet in The Program, but the other was a face she recognized all too well.
Gloria (Girl #22) smirked maliciously as she slowly approached the injured girl. The resentment slowly rose in her body, and April reached inside her bag and produced the boomerang, preparing to throw it at her attacker. Gloria merely laughed as the object clattered to the ground before her and her companion, Isaac (Boy #16), laughed along with her.
Knowing that the boomerang would nowdo very little to protect her and feeling the urgency rise inside her, April sprang to her feet and took off in a mad dash, the blood pouring from her many injuries. Seeing her prey run off produced a surprising amount of glee from Gloria and she quickly glanced back at Isaac.
"Take care of that one!" Gloria called out and motioned toward the alley with her head before sprinting after April. Isaac watched the two girls disappear around a corner and he shrugged. Slowly he walked down the small alley until he loomed directly over Naomi. She did not respond to his presence however, instead staring down at the ground before her.
Is she dead?
Isaac expected some kind of reaction from his intended victim, but she did not move. He pulled back his arm and swung it forward into Naomi's shoulder. Her body jolted, but she made no sound. Isaac yanked the blade free and the blood poured from the wound down Naomi's arm and along her curled fingers before finally reaching the ground. Very slowly, so slowly that Isaac barely noticed, Naomi moved her head and stared at the deep cut to her shoulder. Then she moved her head forward and stared up at Isaac with her dead eyes.
The glance was unsettling to Isaac for some reason. He'd seen plenty of dead bodies since the beginning of The Program, and even a few before that. A corpse did not disturb Isaac anymore, but for some reason, the vacant expression he was bearing witness to worried him. He took a step back, like he expected the fatally wounded girl to fight back. When she still did not react, Isaac approached her again and raised the machete high above his head to end her life. Again the dead eyes cut deep into him and the boy froze, the machete still ready to strike high above his head. To his horror, Naomi stirred below him. His arms fell to his sides and he backed off a few steps as the girl slowly climbed to her feet. She didn't stand upright, but instead appeared hunched over when she finally regained her balance. Strands of her hair fell over her face, and with those glossy eyes staring at him from behind the hair, Isaac felt like he was staring at some kind of monster. She took a staggering step forward, but Isaac felt himself unable to move. Another step. And then another. Before Isaac knew it, the girl stared at him directly in the face, her vacant eyes penetrating his own and staring directly at his soul.
"We're all going to die." She muttered, "You too. No one escapes The Program. I'm dying now. But you'll die soon too."
Isaac's breath caught his throat. He turned his gaze away from her and shoved her away with his bad hand. It sent a flash of pain through his left side of his body but it was enough to get the girl away from him. He took a deep breath and finally regained control over himself. He raised the machete high, but this time he didn't freeze. The blade fell down and embedded itself into the top of Naomi's head. Her legs gave out, and her body collapsed, the machete still stuck inside her cranium. Isaac attempted to pull the blade out, and Naomi's body followed his swipe, seemingly attached the machete now.
Without warning, Naomi's arm swung up and swatted Isaac's hand away from the machete. Isaac yelped in surprise and jumped back, stumbling slightly and tumbling to the ground on his ass. He gazed up in horror as Naomi climbed up to her feet. Blood dripped down from her head and streaked down her face, matting the strands of hair to her forehead and around her eyes. The vacant expression had not left, and she stared down at Isaac with her dead eyes, the machete still stuck inside her brain.
April was running as fast as her legs would carry her. However, her wounds were taking a bigger toll on her than she had anticipated, and she could already tell that her vision was blurring. But nothing was going to stop her mad sprint, and as long as she continued running, then no one would be able to catch her. The rattling exploded behind her and several bullets streaked by her head. April cried out in surprise and forced herself to run faster.
Gloria continued the chase, sprinting as fast she could with the Uzi that she almost felt was slowing her down. Still, besides the gun, Gloria had no other weapons, which gave her limited options about how to finish off April. And on top of that, Gloria only had the one clip of bullets for the powerful gun, which meant that when she was out of bullets, the gun was useless to her. She had to choose the right time to fire the shots that would kill April, but in the meantime, she didn't mind shooting two or three quick bullets on the off chance she wounded her prey more.
The problem with the urban setting, April was beginning to notice, was the grid-like qualities it possessed. The streets were wide and straight without much debris for April to dodge around and avoid bullet fire. To keep from getting shot, April was continually forced to take alleys and side streets to throw off Gloria's aim. But in the back of April's mind, the map formed for her to read, and she recalled that the city portion of the playing field was littered with danger zones. Running like this was very dangerous, since she had lost track of which direction she was going. Hiding was out of the question at this point, but if she could get the gun out of Gloria's hands, then the threat would be gone.
An open door caught April's eye and she headed for it, hoping that she'd able to fight back inside the building. She crossed the street and avoided all but one bullet that lodged itself into her shoulder. She winced but continued running through the open doorway. A set of stairs stared at her to her immediate left and she sprinted up them and began climbing another flight as Gloria gave chase from the very bottom. The stairs were tiring, but they provided cover from the Uzi. But soon, April had climbed four flights, and the stairs ended. She'd need to do something else now. Her eyes drifted down a long corridor with only a few doors on either side. She sprinted forward down the hall and tried the first door on her left. It was locked. April could hear Gloria climbing the stairs two at a time. She ran to the next door to find it locked as well. She turned her head just in time to see Gloria reach the top of the stairs and faced the long hallway.
Bullets whizzed by April's head and she jumped to the side, right through a door that was luckily unlocked. She fell to the ground as more bullets raced down the hallway. She kicked the door shut and ran to it, trying to lock it with the dead bolt. But before she could slide it into place, the wood splintered off the door as bullets exploded through it from the other side. April cried out as new bullets made their way into her body and even more blood flowed from her body.
Gloria kicked the door open smiling maliciously and rushed forward, swinging her Uzi like a blunt object. It connected with April's face, effectively breaking her nose. She recoiled from the strike, her hands rushing to her face and leaving her stomach open to a kick. April doubled over in pain, blood making its way down her body and to the ground below her. She swung out with her fist, but missed horribly and Gloria swung the powerful gun up and nailed April's chin. April fell back and hit the window behind her. Gloria saw her chance and rushed forward, jumping into the air and kicking April through the window.
April felt the glass shatter behind her and in a panic, reached out for anything to grab hold of. She gripped Gloria's foot, still planted in her chest, and the two girls tumbled out into the open air. One of them screamed, although neither knew which one it was. They spun and twirled in the air like some kind of graceful dance as they struggled against gravity in a feeble attempt to escape with their lives. Their bodies were intertwined, but slowly their flailing limbs separated and the girls fell individually. But they hit the ground at the same time.
Gloria landed on her right arm, and she heard a snap at the moment of contact. Her right humerus had shattered upon impact, and while the bone fractured and splinters through her arm, nothing protruded. Still, her arm had gone numb which spread through her body, but slowly the numbness wore off, and her funny bone throbbed from the pain she could only partially feel. She'd also hit her head pretty hard on the street below and a gash formed on her forehead from which the blood flowed down her face and nearly entered her eye. She moaned in pain as glass from the window raineddown upon her. She placed only one hand on the ground to lift herself up since she found herself unable to move the other arm. The glass on the ground cut into her palm, but she brushed it off and finally rose to her feet. She glanced over and noticed that the Uzi had clattered to the ground a few feet away. She moved to recover it.
April felt like crying. She'd landed on her back and the pain raced through her entire body. She could feel several cuts on her back from when the window had shattered, and she was pretty sure that she had some internal bleeding, although she had know way of knowing if that was true or not. However, the most noticeable realization was that she could no longer move either of her legs. April wasn't sure whether that meant she had broken them both or whether she'd injured her spine. April tried to sit up, but pain shot through her entire body and she collapsed to the ground again. She turned her head and watched as Gloria rose to her feet and approached the gun. April's initial thought was to run away, but she immediately recognized the fact that it was over. Gloria was injured too, but nowhere near as crippled as April. It was only a matter of time before Gloria finished off April.
The girl's eyes drifted to her duffel bag that was only a foot away from her. A memory popped into her mind and she frantically moved for the bag. Gloria paid the girl no heed since she was solely focused on picking up the gun, which was proving to be more difficult than previously thought. April finally grabbed the bag and pulled it closer to her. She opened it and pulled the device from where she had stashed it after Gloria and Isaac had found her. The boomerang was long gone, so April pulled the duct tape from the bag also. She placed the device on the ground and began to pummel it with the large roll of duct tape.
I can't let her get the collar detector. She'll find more victims if she has this.
Gloria glanced over to see April bashing the invaluable device. She hissed with fury and pain and took two steps forward, aiming the gun with only her left arm. The shots were badly aimed but still managed to hit April's stomach and tear a considerable amount of flesh from her body. The girl shrieked in terror and shock, but then resumed her final act, doing her best to destroy the machine.
"Stop it!" Gloria commanded and shot again, missing April completely this time with her spray. Gloria was finally within close range and April stared up at her killer with a mixture of intensity and sadness. Gloria saw no need for any cliché sarcastic words before pulling the trigger since her body still ached all over and she had no feeling whatsoever in her right arm. The bullets splashed out of the gun and April's body jolted as the deadly pieces of metal easily penetrated her face and brain. She never even had a chance to scream.
Gloria stared down at what used to be the girl's face and she sneered with fury, realizing that this kill had taken more effort than she would have expected. Her eyes settled on the collar detector, the object of her desire for a good majority of the game. The screen was cracked in a few places, and the light behind the screen flashed on and off. Gloria could still see the dots that represented other contestants on the screen when it flashed on. Even though it was malfunctioning, it could still be useful. Gloria leaned over to pick up the device and then remembered that her right arm was now useless. She put down the Uzi and picked up the semi-functioning collar detector and placed it into her pocket. She then picked up the Uzi and slowly began her trek back to meet Isaac.
Isaac stared up in terror as Naomi loomed over him, the machete still buried inside her cranium. Her dead eyes and vacant expression mixed with the blood that flowed from should be her fatal head wound reminded him of some kind of cheesy zombie movie. She took a step toward him and slowly her arm rose, gripping the handle of the machete. With one lift the large blade was freed from her brain and blood and brain matter fell off the weapon to the ground. Her body twitched abnormally, but still she pressed forward toward Isaac.
"We're all going to die." She murmured, her eyes focused solely on Isaac. The fear welled up within him and he found himself overwhelmed. Unable to watch her slowly approach him any longer, Isaac sprang to his feet and ran to the entrance of the alley. He spun to see that Naomi was moving faster now. Her body still twitched as she moved, but her steps were quicker now and her stride was longer. She was chasing him.
"No one escapes The Program." Isaac found himself again wanting to run, but this time he felt glued to the spot. He looked into Naomi's flat eyes, feeling them slowly sucking out his soul. He tried to breathe, but even the air refused to enter his lungs as long as Naomi's eyes were focused upon him. She was only a few feet away at that point, moving more quickly than anyone would have expected her to move with such a horrific wound.
She stopped a foot away from Isaac. Everything inside his brain told him to run away, to fight back, but nothing worked. Fear had taken his body captive, and it was about to cost him his life.
"You have ended my life, and so I end yours." Naomi whispered to him as the machete was lifted high into the air.
No one escapes The Program.
The rattling seemed to come from out of nowhere, but Isaac watched as Naomi's body jerked and many tiny holes exploded out from her body. The girl stumbled back, her face twitching. She gazed off to the side, and as her eyes left Isaac, he felt the air rush into his lungs, his body once again obeying his commands. He jumped back and saw his girlfriend standing relatively close and holding the Uzi with only one hand. He wanted to ask her where she had received all those wounds, but his head turned back to Naomi to see that she was once again on her feet, stumbling toward the both of them.
Isaac reacted instinctively, rushing forward and punching Naomi in the face before kicking her hand that held the machete. She released the blade and Isaac kicked her back while he went to retrieve it. Grabbing the slippery handle still covered in blood and grey matter, he swung it out, cutting Naomi horizontally across the chest. She fell to the ground and looked up at Isaac with her dead eyes. With a cry of determination, Isaac swung the machete down, sinking it deep into Naomi's face. He quickly pulled it back and struck again, burying it further into her skull. He struck again and again and finally he stopped, staring down at what had been an attractive girl, although no one would be able to tell that anymore. The flesh was cleaved off her skull and only bits hung from what used to be her face. Her hair was matted down to her bone with blood and many teeth lay broken inside her deformed mouth.
Isaac breathed heavily, and then glanced over at Gloria who had slowly made her way over to him. Slowly the adrenaline left his body and he was able to take one last look at his latest victim. He noticed that one of Naomi's vacant eyes lay untouched on the ground in front of her body. Isaac lifted his foot and smashed it with his sneaker.
Minh (Boy #6) was leading the group with his very powerful shotgun. With the muzzle, he effectively pushed shrubbery and branches out of the way as he carefully made his way through the dense forest. And while he was completely focused on the mission at hand (to not die) he couldn't help his wandering thoughts. The rules dictated that only one person was allowed to live. If they couldn't find a way to escape, then it didn't matter how many people they could round up. Only one was allowed to live, and that meant that either he or Nathan would have to die. Minh attempted to push the disturbing thought from his head, but it persisted, gnawing away at him. As dangerous as the group's actions might be, they were all doomed if they continued to hide out. They needed to find an escape, or all was lost.
Directly behind him was Ariana (Girl #18) who held her ice pick in one hand and a tire iron in the other. Truthfully, the fracture in her left forearm still persisted and it does cause her a noticeable amount of discomfort, but if she gripped the metal instrument tightly, then the throbbing was not as pronounced. And to some degree, she'd gotten used to the pain in her arm. Ariana knew that this was just her body adapting to new circumstances and compensating for her injury, but she couldn't help but feel that her wound's only purpose was to remind her of how she came about it. There was no time to think about her past deceptions – she was knee deep in another one, and the stakes were very high. And besides, how could she possibly worry about the past when her future depended on her performance? She still had so much more to learn – her mind had not yet reached its pinnacle.
Bringing up the rear was Nathan (Boy #19), dagger in hand. He didn't mind being behind both of his companions, since it meant that they were always in his sight. His suspicions were slowly weighing down on his conscience, but it seemed like nothing could shake his thoughts from his mind. The deck of cards was nestled in his pocket and pressed up against his thigh. He remembered back to the very start of the game, when he had pulled the deck from his duffel bag. The only card game he knew how to play had entered his mind, and ironically it was named "War". But through the paradox, Nathan had seen the truth in the game. It was not always the highest cards that won – luck played a major role in determining the winner. The strongest cards had an advantage, but if they weren't careful, they would end up casualties of a battle of lesser cards. Nathan knew he'd been lucky so far. He'd survived the first day, numerous confrontations, and also found his boyfriend, someone he almost thought he'd never see again. But his luck couldn't last forever.
Motion caught Ariana's attention off to her side. She froze and Nathan nearly bumped into her, unsure as to why she had ceased moving. He followed her gaze and suddenly he saw it too. There was someone nearby, carefully moving through the foliage. Minh stopped when he realized that his allies were no longer following him. His wandered over and saw what everyone else was watching. The three of them watched the movement for a little bit, none of them sure what to do.
Nathan was the first to act, carefully making his way toward the person traveling in the wooded region. He moved slowly, but not nearly as quietly as he thought. The person suddenly froze, glancing toward Nathan and then squinted through the bushes, making out two more people in the vicinity. He took a step backwards, but Nathan finally decided it was time to speak.
"Wait," he called out and finally emerged from the undergrowth, only a foot away from the stranger. Bruce (Boy #23) stared at Nathan, and then down at his blood stained dagger. He frowned and gripped his katana a little tighter; however he did not raise it. Nathan had taken a chance by coming out of hiding, it was doubtful that he was playing. But even so, Bruce would not be taken by surprise. And even though he wasn't very sure he could kill, he was sure he would wound if the need arose.
"There's no reason to run." Nathan said. Slowly Minh emerged from the forest as well, and sooon after Ariana followed. Bruce examined each of them carefully, noticing that he had not expected this group of people to find each other in The Program and join together. As far as he knew, Ariana was only interested in herself, and everyone knew that Minh and Nathan were friends, but Bruce didn't know their friendship extended this far in terms of trust. But then again, he didn't really know very much about any of these people before him.
"We're looking for a way to escape."
"Escape?" Bruce muttered, the first word he'd said to the group. His grip on the handle of the katana loosened slightly.
"We're trying to round up as many people as possible." Nathan continued, his two companions silently analyzing Bruce, "If we work together, we can beat The Program."
To Bruce, this sounded slightly idealistic. He was pretty sure that there was no way to escape The Program, but the idea of allies was tempting. He'd been alone for such a long time, and some benevolent human interaction was refreshing. But he knew that he couldn't join them.
"I'm looking for my friends. Have any of you seen Molly (Girl #9) or Kara (Girl #24)?"
Nathan glanced back at Ariana and Minh, but neither replied. They had not seen either girl. Nathan turned back to Bruce and sadly shook his head. Bruce sighed deeply and glanced away from the threesome, lost in thought for only a moment. Then he turned back to them.
"I'm sorry, but I can't join you. I have to find my friends before it's too late, and I can move faster on my own. But once I find them, I'm going to come looking for you. If there's a way out of this playing field, I'm sure we can think of it together."
Nathan sighed is disappointment, but nodded his head. He could understand where Bruce was coming from, since he'd have done the same thing if he was still looking for Minh. Bruce nodded at all three and attempted to leave the group.
"Wait." Minh called out, surprising everyone in the area. "Are there any contestants out there we should keep an eye out for? What we're doing is dangerous, and it'd be nice to know beforehand if there are any killers out there to take down immediately."
Jeff (Boy #22) flashed into Bruce's mind, the apathetic glare staring directly back at him. The scythe hung from his hand and drops of blood fell to the ground, splattering loudly against some dead leaves. He hissed something that Bruce couldn't make out and then rushed forward, swinging his blade directly at Bruce. The boy shook his head, removing the thought from his mind.
"No, I haven't come across anyone you should worry about." Bruce lied, "Good luck. I hope I find you again later."
He slowly walked away from them, making sure to listen for any move to follow him, but instead the group moved off together, once again on the search for people to join them. Bruce slightly bad about lying to them, since if they came across Jeff, he'd probably attack without mercy. But Bruce could not bring himself to admit that Jeff should be shot upon sight. He knew that deep down his friend still existed, and that there was a way to save him. And if there was no way to rescue his friend from The Program, then Bruce would be the one to kill him. No one else knew Jeff well enough to claim that right. But Bruce wished that his friend would return to him, and that he would not have to take out Jeff to protect his remaining friends.
Waves of confusion, loyalty, anxiety, hope, and conflict rushed over Bruce's body as he continued off on his own. His head swam with so many differing thoughts that he struggled to find the best way to respond to Jeff, but nothing felt right, and nearly every scenario ended with Jeff and Bruce fighting.
How can I save Jeff from himself?
Ariana watched the boy go, worry covering his entire face. He was certainly not telling all he knew, but that didn't matter to Ariana. With her superior mind, she'd soon discover it for herself if it was even worth her time knowing. As Minh and Nathan slowly made their way back into the forest, she lingered where she was, making a mental image of Bruce. Deep down, she knew that she'd eventually run into him again.
She was right.
Current danger zones: 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, 15, 17, 21, 24, 25, 28, 31, 32, 34, 41, 48, 50, 56, 61, 63, 64
Pending danger zones: 5
(15) Contestants remaining
