Chapter Ten.
11:00 AM- 12:00 PM
Ike Ferdez, Boy Number Sixteen, sat in the receptionist room of the small island's solitary clinic, with two fellow students accompanying him; Ryan Dick, Boy Number Eight, and Ruby Fetega, Girl Number Sixteen.
Taking their ailing, unconscious friend Dante to the clinic because of an infectious bullet wound, they had decided to take up shelter in the clinic until Dante was revived and until they could revise some sort of plan. The game was dangerous. They had all decided that. It's not as if they can pull something out of thin air and expect to survive when gun toting crazy people like Sid Algar are on the loose.
That's what Ruby thought anyway… She knew Sid was a killer, she knew it. He had his own personal little outburst in the class back when they were first introduced to the game. He hates everyone. It's no mystery. Sid is a fucking psycho! It's a matter of time till he snaps and goes on a massive killing spree.
"Who do you think is done for?" Ike spoke slowly and cautiously as the words rolled off of his tongue. "Like… really? I'm thinking there's a fair number who've already bitten the dust… Who do you guys think have died by now?"
"Hah… No offense, Ike, but I can't believe you can talk about something like that in such a casual tone…" Ryan scoffed as he spoke. "Are you really that above everyone else that you can speak of them like that?"
Ike recoiled as Ryan's words hit his ears. "What?" Ryan frowned and turned his head towards Ike, his arms folded across his body. "That's bullshit! Who the fu--? What? No way would I think that! I didn—fuck. Come on, Ryan. I didn't mean anything by it."
"Fuck you, Ike. Set aside your ego for one fucking second, okay?"
"That's such BULLSHIT! Come on, I've been trying to help Dante for as long as this game began! I've—I—FUCK! I don't exactly have any other valid examples, though I can assure you, I'm not thinking of anything really right now but trying to just… get out of here, or something. I'm not putting myself above anyone. We need to cooperate if we want to pull something off, right? We can't fight alone. We can't run alone. We can't… we can't do anything alone!"
"…" Ryan said nothing as he sighed, relinquishing his furious staring at Ike to admire the quaintness of the clinic floor.
Ike, too, said nothing as the two thought over their seemingly pointless argument. Both knew that during a time like this, an argument was definitely not something to have. If things were to get out of hand, and they were to separate, things would definitely take a turn for the worse.
Ruby, meanwhile, sat across the room from the two of them, her eyes darting from one to the other. How could they be so stupid? This isn't fucking school… Gah… I understand they're both waiting for Dante to wake up, but this isn't the time for it… There are things we need to be thinking of now, not arguments about what one person thinks of another.
The three of them sat in quiet contemplation, each of them staring at the floor, breathing slightly, as the wind rolled past the plain clinic windows and the grass outside rippled like the waves of a stone being thrown into the water.
Sounds of shouting filled the air. Grunts and bodies shuffling across each other, banging into walls and falling on the floor could also be heard, mainly due to the fact that a fisticuff was occurring in the main hall of the small suburban home. A little boy, only 3 years old, sat idly staring through the open doorway into the kitchen, relenting the repetitive back and forth motion of the toy truck he was playing with on the carpet of the living room.
"Sid!" A mature female voice screamed from the main hall, struggling to speak as though she were being choked. The little boy looked up with his chocolate brown eyes, then stood to his feet and scampered playfully into the hall. Two men were on the floor; one, obviously dead, with a knife in the middle of his forehead and the other on his back, clutching his chest. He sported several cuts across his face and arms, and his breath came in gasps. He was dying.
"Papa!" The little boy yelped playfully and leapt onto his father's chest.
"Gragh!" The man coughed a severe amount of blood onto the toddler's face, sputtering and hacking with the vast amount of creamy crimson liquid in his mouth.
"Pa-…? Wahhhh!" The little boy began to cry and he backed up off of his father and sat against the wall. As he sat, he saw his mother being held up against the opposite wall by her throat, being strangled by a man dressed in a uniform similar to the other deceased assailant.
"S--… sid!" The woman gasped as the man squeezed her small throat with his two vicious vice grips. He panted heavily as he lifted the woman further up along the wall, struggling with an injury he had sustained to his waist. A knife, identical to the one that had stolen the other man's life stuck out adjacent to the angle of his body.
"Run!" The woman's last breath came out erratically as she limply released her own grip on the man's two hands. Her head fell slowly to the side, her eyes coming to a close as the man dropped her to the floor and turned on Sid. Sid screamed as the massive man, over 6 feet tall and weighing about 300 pounds, came towards him with a menacing look upon his face. Sid quickly stood up, following his mothers orders. He made to run for the door leading outside from the main hall, but he was snatched up by the man. Sid screamed again, tears streaming down his face as the man lifted him face to face with his own. He laughed and said, "Now here goes the last of the Algar family…" He grabbed the knife embedded in his side and with a painful grimace on his face, he tore it out in one attempt, a small geyser of blood leaking onto the floor. The knife was colored with scarlet blood, its blade, although small, very sharp, and the handle, similar to that of a household kitchen knife colored with the same crimson hue. He raised it above his head, and as he did, Sid screamed, shielding his face with his hands and closing his eyes. Suddenly, the hands across his waist relinquished their grip, and with a grunt, Sid felt himself falling to the ground.
Sid fell onto the ground, his eyes still closed. He heard the sound of a grunt, with a "Damn," and he heard the sound of shuffling clothing, then, silence. Opening his eyes, he saw that the man had a knife in the side of his neck, his eyes still open, staring at Sid. Looking around, Sid saw a familiar face also on the ground, staring blankly ahead. His father, with his last stand, stood up and plunged the knife stuck in his back into the neck of the goliath intruder. Sid now saw the source of his father's death. His back was coated in blood, two gaping holes located just above his waist. Blood soaked the floor of the Algar home, and as Sid stood, he realized, even at his young age that he was alone. He cried and slowly sat in the same corner he had taken refuge in when his father had his unpleasant recoil. As he sat, he saw yet another knife on the ground beside him. Picking it up, he saw a symbol he recognized carved into the handle. He was young, so he didn't know the terror its name meant. If he was older, he would've known.
It was the symbol of the rising government; that of the Coalition.
Post-Battle Royale, clean up recovered what seemed to be a personal log of one of the class's players. It is now being held in secret in a high-security facility for The Program research.
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Day One
I don't fucking know what time it is.
I haven't exactly done much since I ousted Clayton… ousted? Bahahaha! Yeah, right. I sure did "oust" him. Geez… I actually feel sorry for the guy! Haha! Yeah, right. Never mind that. He got what he deserved. A self-righteous loser like him. He got what he wanted, a true work of art! Something that Picasso, Michelangelo, Van Gogh would shower with their most delicious praises! Something that God himself would frown upon in jealously… Yeah, right. If there is even such thing as a God. Yeah… yeah, right.
Clayton sure was gross. I'm so glad I don't have to look at him anymore. What a gross kid. He should clean himself up. It's his own fault he was stupid enough to hide in the fucking farmhouse just down the beach. What the hell? And he was asleep, wasn't he! Jesus. He deserved it. No more of that senseless bullshit about how great his art is will be heard throughout Earth, seeing as he doesn't even have a tongue anymore. Hell, even he would have trouble hearing it, seeing as he's missing an ear. He probably won't be able to fucking draw anymore, either. One broken arm, one arm that's basically completely gone. He's a mess. Not to mention he's dead….
And what about Lee and Kael? Those fucking hicks… HAHA! Man, I'm glad I finished them off. What losers. I took on Kael one on one while Lee just stood there watching. Maybe idiots like them actually have a sense of honor nowadays. I was half expecting Lee to blast me with that rifle of his during our fight. Haha… now that I think back on it, I was scared for a while there. I don't want to d
I need something to do. I can't just sit here… I've got to get my plan in motion. Wait, no way. There's still, what, 44 students left, as far as I know? No, no no way. I need at most 30 before I can start this thing. I guess I'll just have to go out killing again? Well… that's enough writing for today. I'll write later, as soon as I've killed some of those useless cretins who have the indecency to actually call ME one of their classmates. I'm above them, yeah. Whatever. I've got to go.
Bah, I can't act like this... I know people are going to find this journal as soon as this game is over. I need people to be able to have some evidence as to how great my legacy will be. I'll write while I walk, starting here.
I closed my journal, throwing the pen I was using at the wall. Yes, I'm inside. After killing Clayton I came to this house, just to settle down for a while. I needed to gather myself… I don't think I can keep up with this game much longer. I won't forgive them, though. I need to get through this. I need to think of what I have to accomplish, what I have to do. I've got to avenge my parents' death.
I have to.
I gathered my collection of weapons; my hacksaw, my rifle which I obtained from Kael, and my grenades which I had taken from Lee. These would all come into use sooner or later… I walked towards the door of the house, through the kitchen and through the sitting room. I opened the door, stepping outside into the sun. The sky was fairly cloudy, and there was a slight wind. The lulling sound of the frothing ocean tickled my ear drums as I felt my loose shirt fly about on my body. I smiled and took in my surroundings. I really like this place, I thought. But I've got a mission to do. I've got to kill someone… just a few people more… 14, at the most. Ugh.
I set off at a brisk walk down the suburban complex of towering homes and masterpieces of architecture. I was hungry, with little bread left to spare, and I was thirsty, with only a few gulps of water left in my last water bottle. I know one thing, I need to kill someone. AGH! I can't get it out of my head. I don't know if I can bring myself to end someone's life again. Three people, already. How many more am I going to have to take down? But, I need to. I need supplies. Like I said, I'm low on food and water. I've got to make myself known as the top killer here. I can't hideout like that much more…
I know it sounds like I am trying to protect my classmates, but that's total bullshit. I still hate them. Not because I think I'm better than them, but because I know that they like to sit here while the Earth is ran by fools such as those under command of the Coalition. How can they be so fucking ignorant? They deserve to die in this game. We're run by lunatics, plain and simple. How do they think we got put in this? Because our government enjoys competition between students? Because they want us to get outside more? NO! Because they want to thin the rebellious student population (even though none of these students are even close to rebellious) and they want to intimidate everyone else under their command; they want people to know who's in charge…
The saddest part is, the people do know. Yet, they still sit there and try to act as if nothing is happening. I can't believe they can do that… These people sit there and do nothing while people suffer around the globe. I've got to accomplish something here… I can't just sit here and watch. No fucking way. No. Fucking. Way.
The only reason I'm so hesitant to kill is because I can't bring myself to practice something my tormentors have made a game of. That and I can't stand the thought of stealing a life, just as I had watched my entire family be tossed aside like vermin 12 years ago. I was only three years old… I hardly remember their faces.
No. I can't cry now. I've got a mission I need to accomplish. This isn't even about me anymore. This is about everyone. All of humankind was created equal, right?
Bullshit. God screwed up somewhere. How the hell did these guys get to be so above us, then? Seriously. If humankind was created equal, then we wouldn't be here. I would be with my family… They'd still be alive. There wouldn't be a bite-the-hand-that-feeds relationship that the Coalition has made themselves so renowned for. When did they ever give back? Everyone works tirelessly, day after day to further our society, and what does the Coalition do? They just take it, do what they want. A new sports stadium, so they've got something to brag about. A fast car. Weapons, armor, aircraft. Then, they just pick people off as though they're as expendable as petty change. Where is the stuff that really matters? Affordable housing, a family vehicle, schools, hospitals, where? Haha… you know, it's funny. We came here in a pretty nice bus. What the fuck were we thinking? Hell, even I didn't even know what to expect. Since when does a grade 10 class come on such a sophisticated vehicle? That was a fucking coach bus, unlike the usual custard-yellow buckets of bolts they like to label as "school buses" nowadays. Gee, I wonder when the last time I rid in one of those without it breaking down…? Haha… We're all so blind. We try to delude ourselves into thinking we live in some sort of normal, civilized lifestyle when really we're in a living hell. I can't believe it.
I just wish I could bestow some of my opinions on others… I'm not stupid enough to delude myself into thinking I can accomplish this alone. There aren't very many people ballsy enough to fight back nowadays, let alone even say 'No' once in a while. Hell, that's all we need. Someone who can say No. Someone who can say, that's not right. Anything. Just anything that could rally the people under the command of these idiots.
It annoys me to no end knowing people dedicate themselves day after day trying to better everyone else, people who sacrifice their lives for others, people who would give their every resource to help others in this world, while they just sit there because they're too afraid. I just can't stand it.
I came to a fork in the road. After all that thinking, I had almost lost track of where I was and where I was going. Then again, I don't exactly have much of an idea where I should be headed… There're tons of places I could go. Shit. People could be hiding in these houses… I mean, there're tons of them. I really don't know where to go.
I slowly walked forward and sat on the curb of the sidewalk along the fork in the road. To the left was an extension in the suburban area, while to the right was the exit to the primary highway of the island, where I would probably want to be headed, so I could explore other regions of this island. Maybe instead of focusing on killing I could just get to know the island first, then I could worry about where I would want to go? I could probably just do that.
I took out my map, contemplating where I should want to go. I figured out that I was in zone C2, the place where the bulk of the suburban homes were located. I had already explored the vast majority of the northwest portion of the island… I could either go south to the southwest portion, where the city itself was located, or I could travel east to the northeast where the plains were located. Either way, I would then make my way to the southeast soon after.
I assumed that by traveling to the east, I'd be able to pinpoint people's locations more easily, and of course, in the south, I wouldn't because of the massive amount of houses and stores located there, where people would most likely take refuge.
So then it was settled. I then set off toward the east by taking the right fork of the road, so that I could get onto the highway and make my way east. I stood up, brushing the dust of my legs and shaking my hair. Haha… my hair. It's so gross… I was told by friends of my deceased parents that I was nearly identical to my father, Alex, and that I had inherited my brown eyes from my mother, Shauna. I can't believe I don't even recognize them anymore… The very people who conceived me, created me, taught me. I can't believe I can be so ungrateful.
But that just fuels me more. Knowing I have more to learn about my parents, more to discover makes me want to get out of here and get back at them more. It's just fuel for the fire of my rebellion, so to speak. I wondered where that dolt Dante Zolianis was, and where his good friend Ike Ferdez was…? As much as I hated Dante, I couldn't help but respect him. He was one who wouldn't be afraid to speak his mind, even though it not be against the Coalition, like me. He reminded me of me… We even look alike.
As much as I hated my classmates, now I was feeling remorse… They were people too, even though I had contradicted myself earlier into saying that they deserve nothing short of death. Accomplishing my mission… well, I'd think they'd be grateful. But they have to step aside. I can't have any of them trying to interfere with this… No way. Haha, contradicting myself again. I know I said I couldn't do this alone, though this is different. I can't have another ignorant student interfering with my plans… They'd just be extra weight. They'd be weighing me down, I mean. Whatever.
I continued walking along the highway, absentmindedly staring ahead of me. I wasn't even paying attention to anything… So many thoughts ran through my head that I felt as though I were in some separate void. The only thing I could think of was how I was going to go about my mission. Basically, my goal is to inflict as much damage upon the Coalition as I can within my lifespan. I want to do what my parents did. I want to make a difference. I want to rally the people of the Coalition's nations, I want to strike back. It's going to be a tough battle, but I'm ready for it.
Realizing I didn't exactly know where I was going, I sat on the edge of the highway, bowing my head and staring at my knees. I needed to clear my head before I continued. I can't get ahead of myself. I dropped my weapons to the ground, closing my eyes and sighing.
"Sid! Sid!"
"Run! RUN! RUN! ……"
My parents…
For the first time in as long as I can remember, I cried. A feeling of hopelessness, one of vengeance, one of utmost fury and hatred overcame me. "Those fucking bastards! I'll fucking kill them!" Tears streamed down my face as I wept. I missed my parents… I missed bliss. I missed being a part of something, being important to someone. For as long as I can remember, I was an empty shell, something no one cared about. Yeah, bullshit. Like my aunt and uncle care about me… They're the same kind of people who I loathe to no end. I had a mission to accomplish. I had a goal. For once, I felt important. Haha… It's funny. I'm getting ahead of myself, here. Before I even start fighting against a whole superpower, I'm still fighting against 43 other students…
The tears continued to come as I thought of how much I missed my parents. I knew they were watching over me, I knew they were protecting me. But I missed them…
Time to continue.
"Huh…?" Ceiling lights, although dim, seemed like the sun itself glaring into the eyes of Dante Zolianis. His body feeling numb and his back feeling stale, he slowly sat up on the long doctor's chair he was sitting on. "Where am I?" He said as he shook his untidy auburn hair. A door was slightly open to his left. He got up and stood on the floor. Last thing I remember I was with Ike at that little house… Where am I now? His legs were weak and wobbly. He slowly began walking, although his knees shook and he felt dizzy. Outside was a hallway. He could hear voices coming from somewhere from the left corridor. He continued walking, feeling his way around and trying to stay upright.
Trying his utmost to focus, Dante continued to lose his balance. Pressing his arms against the walls as a means of keeping himself up, his feet danced about awkwardly. His left foot tried moving forward but instead slipped and Dante fell face first crashing to the floor. He got up and sat on his knees, feeling the spot on his face, grimacing. Where am I? He then noticed that the voices he had heard had stopped, and he heard footsteps. Ike?
As he tried to focus, he noticed three blurry images coming into the hallway. One of which, short with a black blob atop it's body, another the same size with odd multicolored hair, and another with the same color spanning his entire body.
"What?"
"Dante!" A familiar voice sounded in Dante's ears.
"Ike? Is that you? I can hardly fucking see!" Dante gleefully exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's me! You're finally awake! You've been asleep for hours!" Dante rubbed his eyes and things were brought into considerably more focus. It was indeed Ike, accompanied by some of Dante's other friends, Ruby and Ryan.
"Ruby! Ryan! How did you guys get here? What the fuck is going on?" The three of them laughed at the ignorant Dante, sprawled about on the floor with his hair untidily flung about. "Seriously! I want to know."
"Well, for starters, Ruby here took out that bullet that was lodged in you," Ryan began. Dante smiled as he looked at Ryan. Dante nodded towards Ruby, and he felt himself melt just by looking at her. "Yeah, I met up with Ike a couple hours ago and the two of us took you here. You should be grateful, you piece of shit."
Dante laughed as he recalled Ryan's obscenely vulgar humor the two of them often shared. Insulting each other was part of what the grade nine boys considered humor these days. "You guys took me here all the way from that house we were at? How did you find us?"
"Well, I heard Ike screaming…" Ryan laughed as he recalled Ike's outburst. "He was pretty upset, I'll have you know."
Dante grinned at Ike, who stood, smiling as he looked into the eyes of his best friend. Meanwhile, Ruby laughed as she looked at Dante. He is kinda cute…
Dante, meanwhile, silently mustered up the courage to attempt to speak to Ruby. "So… uhm… er… did you how get here?" Dante turned bright red as he realized he had embarrassed himself in front of the girl whom he loved almost to death.
"Haha… how did I get here? I was here before Ryan and Ike came… I had come here from the school, basically. I came across Stephanie and then I basically decided I should hide somewhere, so I picked here. Ryan and Ike came about half an hour after I arrived here."
"That's cool." Dante said as he stood up onto his two feet. Things were much easier to see now that Dante's vision had finally come into focus, and his sinuses were finally clear so he could keep his balance. "Say," he began. "How did you guys fix my wound? It doesn't hurt at all anymore." Dante reached back and rubbed the spot where the bullet was. It felt raw and stale, though it hardly hurt at all, even when Dante poked and flicked it.
"Like we said," Ruby started. "I took the bullet out and pulled some disinfectant on… Lucky you were asleep, or else it would've hurt pretty bad."
"Thanks, Ruby," Dante said. "I mean, I would've probably, uhm, died or something, right? Thanks, really."
"It was nothing," Ruby replied. "I'm just glad you're OK."
At this, Dante again turned red and buried his face in his arms. Ike and Ryan laughed as Ruby smiled upon the boy who she knew liked her, even though the feelings weren't mutual.
Just then, a rapturous screech filled the air of the island. The four students were all equally surprised, and all cringed, covering their ears, trying to block the unknown siren's song.
"It's noon already?"
The screech soon ceased, and was followed by the dim fuzz of static. The four students looked at each other, wondering when the man they had met in the class would begin talking. Finally, his voice boomed through a hidden speaker, though it was still as clear as ever.
"Greetings, class! It's noon! Yes! I bet you're wondering which one of your fellow students has been ousted, hm? Or where you can't stay 'cause you might be in a forbidden zone, right? Well, that'll have to wait! Right now, we have a special announcement, because we are now introducing a new factor into the game! Yes! Hurray! New factors! Everyone loves something new, right? It's like the latest fad! And everyone loves fads, right! Right! Well, anyway, here are the new rules, if you'd like to call them that, that we have just recently implemented. Right. At every 6 hours, we will drop rewards to the following students; One: The most favorite contestant from polls across Canada, which, in this case, is the sultry vixen Jennifer Penray! Yes, that's right! Head outside Jennifer! There's a gift waiting for you! Hahaha! The second gift goes to the top killer, which, in this case, is blatantly obvious: Sid Algar, with 3 kills! Sid, you'll be given a special present! And, third, the student who we think is most likely to die next, which, in this case, is the increasingly fragile and overly injured Dante Zolianis, thanks to his vicious bullet wound and case of the 'I'm a stupid pussy's'! Hurray for you, Dante! Hurray for being a loser! You're next!"
Dante clenched his fist and grit his teeth at the mention of his name. How dare he? Fuck him! I'll fucking show him! This is just fuel for my fire, hahaha! As Dante thought, he heard a loud thud coming from above.
"Something's on the roof!" Shouted Ike, as him and Ryan quickly left the clinic to see what was there.
"Yes, and now you will all have received your gifts by now via parachute drop. And also, another rule is that we are now introducing other elements into the game; traps! Yes, that's right. There'll be all sorts of crazy shit all over the island for you to get your paws on! Bear traps, pits, uhm, yeah! All sorts of things! How exciting!"
Dante frowned and rubbed the floor with his foot as Ruby looked at him with a sympathetic grin on her face.
"Don't worry, Dante… That doesn't guarantee anything… It's just because you're sick."
"Thanks, Ruby… haha.. It's a good thing you're an optimist, or we'd be through." Dante blushed as he complemented Ruby. She laughed in return.
"Yes, and now for the deaths and forbidden zones; all three deaths, courtesy of Sid Algar, the top killer are, Kael Tennant, who had his throat cut open! Ouch! Lee Noble had his brains blasted out by his own best friend's rifle stolen by Sid Algar, and last but DEFINITELY not least, Clayton Petitclerc, horribly and brutally mauled by Sid and left to die in a well! Owie!"
Dante cringed at the thought of Clayton dying a most definitely painful death. Sid was most certainly on the prowl…
"Yes, and finally, the forbidden zones. We're going to be boxing you in a bit more here, so here you go! Get ready! First off, zone E6 will be forbidden at 1:00 PM! Yes! E6 at 1:00! Next, there is H5 at 3:00 PM! And lastly, there is C2 at 5:00 PM! There you go! Good luck out there, you youngsters! Haha… You guys remind me of my younger days… So much aspiration, so much hope… Anyway, try not to die out there!"
A loud click sounded the air to mark the end of his transmission. And with that, the first official portion of the new Battle Royale was over, with four students dead and forty-four to go.
