Chapter Nine

10:00-11:00 AM

Sigh…

Ike Ferdez, Boy Number Sixteen, sighed as he slowly ambled up a dusty dirt road, carrying a heavy load of his own supplies, as well as two others.

The two owners of these other sets of supplies were the unconscious Dante Zolianis, who was struck with an infection from a bullet wound, and the valiant Ryan Dick, who was helping Ike transport his friend to an abandoned clinic on the island's northeast peninsula, located in zone H1.

"No worries, Ike," Ryan said. "We're almost there…" Ryan grunted as he shoved Dante upward further on his back, Dante lying on his back in a sort of piggyback embrace. Ryan clasped Dante's two hands together in front of his chest with one of his own, while the other one was bracing Dante's left leg, so it would be easier to hoist Dante up.

"Say… Ryan?" Ike asked cautiously. "What're you doing… as soon as Dante's in there?"Ryan laughed and shook his naked head.

"I don't know… I wanted to find Alex, though I'm not sure if that's going to be possible. I mean, this island is huge! She could be anywhere. And, on top of that, I can only cover so many areas at a time… If she's on the move, she could just…"

"Avoid you?"

"No! She might just retrace her steps or something… Go where I've already gone past…" As Ryan said this, he realized the chances of seeing his best friends face were slim.

"I wouldn't dwell on it if I were you," commented Ike. "We could help you after Dante's recovered, if you want." He looked hopefully onward as Ryan considered the idea.

"I'm not so sure… I guess it does have its ups and downs… For one, we're in a group, so we're less likely to be attacked… I don't know, Ike. There's gonna be one crazy bastard out there willing to take us all on. I mean, what if someone has a fucking bazooka out there?" Ryan laughed at the absurdity. "Well… it's a possibility. It's a risk. I'm not sure if it's in your guys' best interest. I think I'll take this one alone."

"You sure?"

"Yeah… yes." Ryan sighed.

In his head, Ike cursed. That sure sucked. Ike and Dante weren't exactly the strongest of guys, though Ike was somewhat intelligent. Although Ryan had a weapon which, to him, was useless, he was still somewhat strong and could definitely pull through in a melee fight. And hey, who knows, maybe that shuriken could somehow prove useful.

"We're here," Ike said as the clinic stood before the three of them.

The clinic was a miniscule building; it was obviously part of a small rural community, not exactly requiring a vast amount of size and space. The ocean behind and to the sides flailed randomly about, it's waves smashing against the auburn rocks along the edges of the small landform. Ike examined the façade of the clinic; as he did this, he noticed something that made his heart jump into his throat.

Footsteps.

Ryan must have noticed them too, for he said nothing. Prints that were exaggerated so drastically so as to be almost comical, stretching right across the small mat at the base of the clinic's door.

"Well… there's no turning back now," Ryan said as he reached into one of the supply bags Ike carried, in turn pulling out two disassembled pieces of a spear, which belonged to Dante. He laid Dante gently down on the dirt, and as he clicked the two pieces of the spear together, he beckoned for Ike to take out weapons of his own. Ike, too, reached into two separate bags and pulled out both his and Ryan's weapons; a shuriken and pair of scissors.

"All blades," Ike thought. "What an uncanny coincidence."

Ike put down the three bags, then, slowly following Ryan bundled their straps together in one hand and dragged to the front of the clinic underneath a window.

Ryan crept stealthily up to the same window, lightly kicking Ike's bags aside. Ike felt embarrassed. He didn't think Ryan would be planning on using the same window. He hung his head and ruffled his hair.

The window was shut and looked old. Ryan slowly pushed his fingertips against the surface of the pane of glass' base and tried pushing upward. He pushed delicately, for if it were to suddenly come loose, he would bash it against the top of the indent and make a huge noise, which would obviously alert the resident inside the clinic of their presence. The window suddenly came ajar, lifting up a few inches. Ryan slowly crept his fingers under, and slowly pulled upward. The window moved easily. Fastening the hold on the window, it was held in the same spot, making a hole just big enough for the two boys to climb through. Ryan beckoned for the smaller Ike to go first. Ike slowly crawled through, entering the clinics' confines.

The clinic sported a dreary look of grey, with a severe lack of color, which was quite a contrast to the multicolor scenery outside. He had entered the end of a short hallway; doors were located on either side of him. They were painted a bold brown, while the ceiling was like the surface of a chessboard. The walls and ceiling were of a sickening, pale grey. Just being inside gave him a feeling of being trapped, being bared down upon by some intimidating, otherworldly power which prohibited his exit. Being in this prison gave him a feeling of having no other choice but to abide by the rules of the intimidating force; no way out, so to speak.

Ike moved forward to allow Ryan in. Ryan, too, took in the scene with an odd expression on his face. He then beckoned Ike to check under the doors for some sort of sign as to where this person could be. Ike was reluctant, though Ryan's persistency forced Ike to comply. Ike then gently crouched down onto his knees. He bent over facing the left door, and pressed his ear against the ground. Looking under the doorway, he saw nothing but a few desk posts and the base of one of those doctors' chairs. He stood up, then shook his head.

Ryan, unconvinced, stalked up to the door, slowly turning the handle. Pushing it open, he too, saw that there was nothing inside. Posters of quitting smoking and taking proper care of personal hygiene littered the walls. Ryan sighed, then, realizing the massive amount of noise he was making, abruptly cut off his exhalation and beckoned Ike to search under the next door. Ike spread his arms out and frowned, making an expression which stated something like "What the fuck, dude? Why don't you do it?" Ryan frowned and beckoned again, threateningly. Ike rolled his eyes and assumed the same position he had earlier, looking under the door. The dusty floor brushed up against his face, getting into his hair. Once again, Ike saw nothing under the door. He stood up, and in turn, Ryan opened the door, spear in hand, and once again, another, nearly identical, room decorated with health posters came into view.

Ryan then motioned for Ike to follow him, and the two then walked out of the hallway and into what was apparently a sitting room. At this point, Ryan motioned for the two of them to split up. He nodded towards the right branch of the hallway for Ike to search that part, while he pointed at himself and nodded to the left, indicating that he would search this portion of the clinic. Ike agreed and disappeared behind the corner.

Ryan, once again, crept slowly, afraid of making any sound. The sitting room had chairs lining across the far wall, and the door's entrance was right beside Ryan. To his left was the receptionist's desk, and at the left side of the room was what appeared to be a few bathrooms. Ryan checked behind the desk, which, along the surface of the wall, had a vast amount of books and various cabinets containing what must be prescription pills. He didn't bother opening any of the cabinets, thinking "Who the hell would hide in a cabinet?"

He then sped up his pace into a normal walk and proceeded to check the bathrooms. Both were small, and were for only one person. They were also empty. Ryan sighed and headed back into the waiting room. He sat in one of the various chairs, waiting for Ike or some sort of commotion.

Ike came back shortly after Ryan entered the room, looking confused. "Nobody," was all he said.

"Well," Ryan replied. "You know what that means." Ike grimaced, trying to figure out what Ryan meant by saying, "You know what that means." Ryan laughed and said, "Let's go get Dante."

Several minutes later, the two had managed to bring Dante and the supplies into the clinic. Now that they had completed their journey, they weren't sure where to start. The two sat, staring at the unconscious, though still breathing Dante.

"Uhm… so…" Ike began. Ryan looked over at him amused. "Where should we start?" Ike hoped Ryan would know what to do.

"I don't know either," Ryan replied mockingly. Ike smirked and the two continued staring at Dante.

"Look at him," Ike said. Ryan turned to face Ike. "He looks so…"

"Helpless?" Ryan looked down at Dante. His brown hair looked like a mass of sleeping rodents, sprawled crazily about. The rest of his body heaved slowly with his slow breaths.

"Heheh… I wonder what he's thinking about right now?" Ike laughed as he stared at his best friend, laying face up on the ground, his eyes closed and his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Ruby." Ryan replied. Ike looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah… he's always liked her."


Ruby Fetega, Girl Number Seventeen, was crammed up inside of a small cabinet behind the receptionists' desk. She knew that Ryan and Ike were the ones who had come into the clinic, and that they had Dante Zolianis with him. She had heard everything the two of them had said.

She always had felt like Dante acted weird toward her, but she figured it was just his personality. Now that she knew Dante liked her, she didn't know what to do.

"I wonder where she is?" Ryan said.

"Who knows," Ike replied. "Shame, considering we're looking for allies. I would at least hope to run into someone we could be friends with."

Ruby pressed her ear against the crack trying to listen better.

"Yeah…" Ryan said. "I don't think we've even run into anyone?"

"Nope."

"That's what I thought… that's odd."

"Yeah," Ike replied. "For 48 people, you'd think we would've met someone when we left the school. Well… Sam and Janet were outside the school when Dante and I met. What did you do?"

"I… basically just booked. I didn't exactly think twice."

The two boys sat in idle contemplation, once again returning to watching the unconscious Dante's chest heave slightly with his breathing.

Ruby, too, sat in the cupboard contemplating what was going on around her. Okay, for one, it seems as though Ryan and Ike are not killers… They're looking for allies. Should I come out?

Ruby was eccentric with people she was acquainted with, though, deep down inside, she was very timid. She had grown up with her mother in a small home after her father had been killed in an accident on the oil rig he worked on. As an only child with a single parent, she lacked a sense of family and cohesion that most of the other students would recognize. She was terrified of this game, but when she thought about how she wasn't the only one terrified, she was comforted.

Ruby quietly adjusted herself so she could peek out of the crack in the cupboard. However, all she could see was the inside of the receptionist's desk she was behind. Its small shelves were empty, and the drawers on its surface were painted with a bold mahogany, though now they were covered in a thick layer of dust, making them look velvety.

"We should really do something about Dante," Ryan yawned as he spoke.

Ryan was strong in body and spirit, though he was mentally lacking. He definitely excelled in most of the class's sports, though when it came to academics, Ryan had one of the lowest grades in the class. He was born with a learning disability, which was one of the sole reasons he had been held back so much. Though the school applied to put Ryan into a resource class, Ryan's parents declined the offer, stating that their child could do better in the regular class. However, Ryan's low grades persisted.

"Yeah, but what? I know nothing of medical… shit. Seriously." Ike knit his brow as he spoke. "I guess I could check in, uhm, that place. There are pills and shit there, right?"

Ryan nodded absent-mindedly as Ike stood up to retrieve the medical supplies from the storage room on the other side of the building. So, Dante has an infection, right? Easy. He just needed to find something… Ike stepped into the storage room, admiring the vast amounts of medicine held within. There were several shelves, each containing different types of medicines for different kind of sicknesses.

Ike had no clue where he would find disinfectants… Maybe under the disinfectants shelf? Well, aside from the obvious. Ike scanned the labels of the shelves, searching for something that would be similar to disinfectants. There it was. The shelf on the far left, containing only a few items.

Ike then realized that something was strange about this clinic. Why is there still medicine in here…? The man in the class had said people had time to pack their things when they were evacuated, didn't he? These people didn't get taken with out time, did they? Ike was marveled by his own ignorance. He knew nothing about the fucking government! What if they were taken by force? You'd think something as important as pharmaceutical supplies would be taken first, right? Why would it still all be here?

The more Ike thought, the more he hated himself thinking about it. Yeah, he was ignorant. He really did know nothing. He coughed and ran his hands across his cheeks, staring at the contents of the disinfectant shelf. Not knowing anything about disinfectants, he grabbed the biggest container there was, assuming that the more he would take, the more he could use to help Dante.

Quickly rushing over to the sitting room, he clutched the container tightly in his hands. He entered the room to see it the exact same as he left it; Dante lying face up on the floor, Ryan drifting off to sleep in one of the sitting room chairs.

Ike kneeled beside Dante, quickly peeling off the cap of the mysterious substance. Inside was a thick, oily, transparent liquid. Ike suddenly realized what the substance was; he had remembered Mr. Rogers teaching them about different basic substances. This was Hydrogen Peroxide, or, H2O2, which is a powerful oxidizer.

He grasped Dante's red T-shirt, trying to pull it off of his head. The sweat from Dante's body made it sticky and it came off rather awkwardly. Turning Dante over, Ike saw the wound, which was still as smelly and purple as ever. A fleshy, scarlet crater in his back marked the initial wound, and as Ike looked he could still see the bullet embedded in his skin.

"You should be careful," Ryan said. "We don't know how to properly do this stuff."

"I don't care. It's worth a shot, right? What else are we gonna do?" Ike grimaced as he inhaled the foul stench of Dante's wound.

Meanwhile, Ruby, too, covered her nostrils from the foul odor that Dante emitted. Should she come out? What if Ike and Ryan were to accept her? Or… what if they were to attack? Ruby knew a thing or two about medication; her mother worked at a pharmacy in Cochrane. Ruby's heart sank as she thought of her mother, all alone at home, anxiously awaiting Ruby's return. But the thought of her mother… what had happened to her? Had the parents really been told after? Or were they just hung out to dry? The thought of Ruby's mother kicking and screaming for her daughter brought small translucent beads of tears rolling down her cheeks.

No. She wasn't going to watch as a life was taken. Her mother was waiting for her… waiting for her life. How could she watch as somebody else's life would be lost? Dante would have a family, too. A family that's waiting for him back in Cochrane. Ruby quietly clasped her hands to her chest, then she slowly pushed the cupboard door open.

The hinge on the cupboard door clicked as it opened. To Ryan, this sound was similar to someone firing a cannon next to his ear. The prior, eerie, haunting silence was replaced by a deafening, terrifying silence. Someone else is here!

Ike, too, heard the noise, and he stood up, alert, spinning in all directions to pinpoint the location of the click. Silence prevailed, and nothing happened.

"You don't think--" Ike quickly interrupted Ryan, still trying to listen for more noises. Ryan watched Ike slowly as Ike looked around.

Suddenly, the sound of shuffling footsteps and ruffling clothes came from behind the receptionist's desk. The hair on the back of Ike's neck stood up as he listened. A spine-tingling chill ran down Ike's entire body as he stood watching the receptionist's desk, as though it were the true monster. Ryan, meanwhile, swallowed nervously, watching the desk.

A figure then stood up behind the desk, and as it did, Ryan and Ike both clutched their weapons, as though they were guns, though they were all melee weapons. Though, upon recognizing who it was, they relinquished the grip on their weapons.

"Ruby!"

Ruby Fetega stood behind the receptionist's desk, her hockey stick now in her hands. She had hidden it along one of the desk's upper shelves, underneath it's surface.

"I—what? Huh? How did you get here?" Ike stuttered as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. How the fuck did she get in here?

"Uhm… I was hiding in the cupboard all along." She laughed as she looked at the two boys' embarrassment.

"Yeah… I guess, I, uhm, missed that. Sorry, Ike." Ryan blushed as he saw Ike's disappointment. Realizing this wasn't the time to point fingers, Ike quickly laughed it off and said,

"No worries. You're not evil, huh, Ruby?"

"No… I haven't met anyone, either." Ruby replied.

"What? So you heard everything we said?" Ike said with a tone of disbelief. "So, that means… uh-oh."

"I wouldn't dwell on it…" Ruby said. "Dante always acted weird around me. I had actually assumed that was the case."

"Oh, well in that case, good then! Cool!" Ike spoke excitedly. "Do you know of how we can help out Dante?"

Ruby shrugged, then looked at Dante. "Eww…." The wound glared ever so gruesomely at the three of them, Dante's face still with an expression of indifference. "Wait… Did you guys take the bullet out yet?"

"Haha… no." Ryan shrugged.

"Well, you'll have to do that," Ruby said. "We need something to like, pry it out."

The three of them stood in silence.

"Well?" Ruby said with an expression of amusement on her face. "You guys must have something."

"Wait! Yeah, I've got scissors. We, can, uhm, dig in there… ugh." Ike cringed as he imagined the thought of having to dig through Dante's flesh looking for the bullet.

"It's what we'll have to do. Here, give me them." Ike handed Ruby the scissors, ruffling his hair. 'Still knotty.'

Ruby bent over Dante's limp body, Ike and Ryan doing the same, trying to watch.

"Here… This is going to be gross. Can you see it?" Ike looked in and examined the violet abomination that was Dante's wound. It was, to be blunt, quite disgusting, or so Ike thought. Ike always had a weak stomach…

"Uf… there it is." Ike gagged as he spotted the lone ebony slug. It was quite hidden in the purple canvas, camouflaging almost perfectly.

"Okay. Like I said, this'll be gross." Ruby laughed. "Good thing Dante's asleep…"

Ike turned away. Though… it wasn't because of his weak stomach. For some reason, he couldn't watch Dante be hurt like that by those scissors. Just the thought of it yanked at his heartstrings. He is his best friend, after all, and he just looks so helpless…

For someone with such a blunt, pompous personality, Ike was actually quite sensitive. He couldn't stand seeing others hurt; he had some sort of compassion for the human race. Yet, he had always taken pleasure in being sarcastic and arrogant. Besides, the bond he had formed with Dante withstood almost everything… Seeing him hurt was as bad as seeing his family hurt.

"Okay. Here goes." Ruby grimaced as she slowly jabbed the scissors into the hole where the bullet was. Trying to puncture as little of Dante's flesh as possible, she dug carefully and slowly. Both of the blades of the scissors were now stabbing opposing sides of Dante's flesh surrounding the bullet. Small droplets of scarlet oozed out of the perforations made in the skin. Squeezing the handles together, Ruby tried to grab the bullet with the two blades. The quiet sound of Dante's wound parting made for a disgusting environment… Ryan almost thought they were in some sort of zombie movie… Dreary, dull, dark building, disgusting, purple wound, (almost like a zombie bite, yeah!) and fear for one's own life. Resisting the urge to laugh, Ryan coughed loudly trying not to give Ruby and Ike the impression that he found the makeshift surgery entertaining.

Ike, meanwhile, stood facing the window. The sound of Dante's skin opening against the two blades made his stomach churn, and worse yet, the thought of Dante being torn up so… carelessly… made him angry. How could he be angry? Ruby was doing her best!

"Stop it."

"What?"

"I SAID STOP IT!"

"But, I'm almost done! Th- the bullet! Look! Seriously, I-"

"FUCK! SHUT UP! STOP IT!"

Ike clenched his fists as he felt tears rolling down his cheeks. Ryan, meanwhile, grabbed Ruby's free hand, as though he were going to protect her from some outburst from Ike.

Anger overpowered Ike. Losing control, he swung his fist into the glass window as hard as he could. The window instantly gave way, shards of glass flying into and out of the clinic. Ike's hand was serrated as it flew through the crystalloid shower. Blood sprayed and flew through the air, gushing out of Ike's hand. Ruby burst into tears and buried her face in Ryan's shirt, as he embraced her trying to comfort her.

Ike didn't stop there. He ran over to Dante's body, clasping his hands upon the scissors. With all his might, he pulled the scissors out. The sound of flesh being cut sounded throughout the room, as a small, momentary geyser of blood erupted from the scissors' cuts. Throwing the scissors with all his might, Ike threw them into the receptionist's desk. The two twin blades stuck into the mahogany surface, the handles sticking out. In all his rage, Ike could not feel how hard he was squeezing his fingernails into his palms. Small parts of blood oozed down his fingers as he kicked down the nearby bathroom doors.

Ruby, meanwhile, continued to cry, as Ryan glared at the out-of-control Ike.

Using up the last of his energy cramming his fist into a wall, Ike leant up against it, fell to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. Without warning, he let out a furious, anguished scream. His head up against the wall, he sobbed, clawing slowly and silently at the pale walls. The blood from his wounds coated his hands as he left trails of his crimson blood on the wall. Had the scene not been so emotional, it would've looked quite morbid.

Ryan sighed as he watched hapless Ike. Ruby, too, watched Ike as she wiped away her tears. Dante still lay on the ground, his wound releasing its foul odor and looking worse than ever.

So many thoughts ran through Ike's head that it made him feel sick. He now felt regret… Why did he do that? How could he lose control so easily? It was obvious he hurt Ruby's feelings, yet she was trying so hard. That's not the Ike he thought himself of as. Raising his head from its resting point on the wall, he looked over at Ruby and Ryan through his glossy, tear-stained eyes and his matted jet-black hair. He swallowed, wondering what Ryan and Ruby were now thinking of him as. The two of them just stared at him, until finally Ruby got up from her position, walked over to him, and embraced him in a hug.

Ike just sat still, his head resting on Ruby's shoulder. Ryan continued to stare at Ike, until, he too, stood up and walked over to his emotional comrade. He crouched down to his knees at Ike's side and rested his hand on his shoulder. Ike simply looked forward, still sobbing as crystallite tears streamed down his face.

Ruby, releasing her hug, stared into Ike's eyes.

"Hey." Ike looked up at her, his wet eyes in a sort of doe-eyed expression. "Dante's okay, alright? I got the bullet out. You saw it, didn't you? It was in the scissors." Ike looked around, trying to find the scissors which he had previously thrown at the wall in his rage. He saw them sticking out of the wooden surface of the desk, then nodded as he stared at them.

"We'll pour that disinfectant on and we'll let him rest, okay?" Ruby said as she let Ike's head rest in her hands. She wiped the tears off of his face with her thumbs, and then hugged him once more. Ryan watched the whole scene, feeling compassion for Ike. He had an idea of what he was going through… Not being able to talk to your best friend, fearing for your life… Ryan's heart sank at the thought of Alex being alone on the island.

Minutes later, the three of them prepared to pour the disinfectant on Dante. Now that the bullet was out, it was safe for them to pour it. Ruby grasped the container of H2O2, lifting up to eye level, examining its contents.

"Yep." Ruby said as she held it up. "It'll hurt, that's for sure. Haha… good thing he's asleep. Hey, Ike, are you sure you want to see this?"

Ike had agreed to overcome his fear of watching his friends get hurt, so now he was going to watch Ruby pour on the disinfectant.

"Yes. Go for it." Ike said as he stared at Dante laying face down.

"Okay," Ruby said. "One thing's for sure; it's very good he's asleep. If he were awake, he'd be in for a world of pain. This stuff is very acidic, but it's the best we've got, right? Kay, so, it'll look like something's wrong, but that's fine, that means its working. Since its so acidic, it'll basically burn away all of the bacteria in the wound. You sure you ready, Ike?"

"Yeah… haha. I didn't know you were so knowledgeable about this stuff."

"My mom's a nurse, and she teaches me all this stuff. She wants me to know it, in case, you know. This happens."

"Okay… Go for it. I'm ready."

"Alright."

Ruby took the container and raised it overtop of Dante's wound. Slowly, she tilted the container over until the viscous substance oozed out and onto the surface of Dante's skin. A slight hissing sound could be heard as the disinfectant burnt most of Dante's flesh. His skin began to turn white and small bubbles frothed in places.

"What the…?" Ryan said admiringly.

"Don't worry. That mean's it's working. Like I said, it's lucky he's asleep. It'd be really painful if he weren't."

The bubbles slowly ceased frothing and slowly returned to the surface of the skin. The hissing could still be heard as Dante lay on his back.

"Okay. Now, the wound'll be clean, so let's take him somewhere and put his head up." Ryan and Ike lifted Dante's body into one of the patient's rooms, and rested his head on one of the long, laid back chairs. His head rested easily along the comfortable surface.

Ruby then walked in with a warm towel, which she then placed upon Dante's forehead. Slowly rubbing it and matting it onto his skin, she smiled as she looked down upon him.

"Haha… he's such a goof." Ike, too laughed.

"Yeah, he is."

The three of them then returned to the sitting room, talking about each other's travels in the game. Ruby revealed to Ike and Ryan how she, too, had run into no one, though she did tell them how she had run into the corpse of Stephanie Mitchell. Ryan told Ruby about his plan of action, how he was going to leave them to find Alex as soon as Dante's safety and good health was assured. They also spoke of their classmates, about who they think they will have to look out for and who they think they could join forces with.

The whole time, though, everything seemed empty. It was a vague, suspicious feeling that Ike had felt throughout the whole conversation. He realized that without Dante, he had no cohesion holding himself together. That was, until today. Today, he realized that there were other friends looking out for him. That there were other people whom he could trust, care for. Knowing this made Ike far more comfortable, though he still could not wait for the soon-to-be return of his best friend.

44 STUDENTS REMAIN