Author's Note

Hour 04 (3:00 - 3:59 AM)

Danger Zones: G7.

Student(s) Remaining: 41.

Ever since she had exited the school, Pyrrha Nikos (Female Student No. 11) had made sure to avoid interacting with her classmates as much as possible. She wasn't taking the chance that they could potentially be playing, and considering who was in her class, there was little doubt in her mind that some would relish the chance to get some payback on someone who "wronged them", or perhaps even just act out some of their sadistic fantasies. Whatever the reason she knew their types, and if she was gonna speak to someone in this game, it was going to be on her terms.

If they were a threat, either hide or run. If they weren't, see what they know and leave soon after, perhaps disarming them if needed. Simple.

She was coming into this game with two advantages. The first was her weapon; a kevlar vest. With it, most weapons were at least nullified...Of course, that was assuming they hit her body and not her head, but she wouldn't let that happen. And the other advantage was a simple one; her role as class president had given her quite the insight into most of her classmates and the way they worked. She knew what they'd all be doing.

Cardin Winchester (Male Student No. 11) and his little crew of bullies would likely join up right outside the school, probably wait until they heard something then reap the rewards like the cowards they were. Cinder Fall (Female Student No. 17) would take control momentarily with her own gang and likely just kill everything in her path with reckless abandon. The girl posse would search for shelter, Coco Adel (Female Student No. 15) would probably treat this game no differently than an excuse to hang out with friends, and some of her other classmates would, and likely already have cracked.

She also knew well that her best friend, Jaune Arc (Male Student No. 3), would be defending people loudly and stupidly instead of taking cover and staying safe...

Pyrrha simply knew her classmates too well, so it wasn't a surprise to her when she heard some sounds coming from a small, wooden house. It was a pretty nice looking place; two stories tall, sturdy structure, a nice well outside, and a barn next to it that probably had supplies. It'd be a good place to camp out, which two of her classmates had clearly already realized.

...Too bad they were also doing something else if their moans were anything to go by.

With a shiver, she nonetheless walked into the house. As she looked around, she wasn't too shocked by the furniture inside, as it was all pretty typical. A couch, a television that most definitely didn't work, a downstairs bedroom, a bathroom, the obvious stuff. The upstairs likely held similar items. With a low sigh, she began to ascend the stairs, and she couldn't help but grow a little more anxious with each passing moment as the moans got louder and louder. It was...Disturbing to say the least...They were really going at it.

As she got to the top, she placed her head against the wall and seemingly heard them...Well, "finish" so to speak. With a shake of her head, she slowly called out, "Um...Hello-"

"O-Oh fuck," a squeaky though definitely male voice screamed, before she heard an abrupt thud. He probably fell off the bed they had been on. Yeah, they definitely weren't a threat.

Walking forward, she reluctantly opened up the door with an embarrassed look, and was greeted by something a little unexpected. Pointing a small, yellow stun gun at her was the scrawny, sorta pathetic looking Nolan Porfirio (Male Student No. 18), his arm shaking from stress and his eyes wide. He didn't have a shirt on, and it seemed both his underwear and pants had been pulled up hastily. Meanwhile, laying in the bed with the bed covers still over her was May Zedong (Female Student No. 10). She was still in a daze from the little event...Or she was just high. Considering the horrid smell it could probably be both.

"W-What're you doing here," Nolan barked out in worry.

Pyrrha stared him down in silence, eyeing him up. He'd likely fling his arm forward in an attempt to attack, which would leave him open. She could disarm him, then turn the tables if needed-

"Hey Nolan," a voice mumbled, catching both their attention. Rising from the bed, May groaned out, "can you quiet down, everything is loud as Hell-" Her voice dragged slightly upon spotting Pyrrha...Before smiling, "Oh hey, what's up?" Pyrrha didn't respond with anything more than a blink, as she chuckled, "I'd ask why you're here, but admittedly I'm a bit of a screamer. My bad."

And after that line, neither Nolan nor Pyrrha truly knew how to respond. But after a moment, the latter forced a smile, "So...How about I give you two time to...Clean up, then we can work this out?" Nolan's paled expression and a swift nod of the head was all Pyrrha needed to bolt out of that room as fast as possible, her face having become as red as her hair.

Resting against a tree, Yang Xiao Long (Female Student No. 4) couldn't help but almost drift off into rest, though shook the feeling away. Damn rain, why do you have to be so relaxing? With a groan, she sat up from where she had been hiding. It had been a bit since she had encountered the girls, so it was probably fine to start moving again.

She looked around her area, and she couldn't lie that it had been good cover. The leaves above were thick and strewn together, acting as a sort of artificial roof from the elements, and the grass was tall, allowing her an easy way of hiding from anyone trying to track her. If it weren't for her mission, she'd almost want to just stay here and wait this game out as long as she could. But she knew she couldn't do that. Not while her sister was still out there-

"Get back here you damn fucking snake!"

And just like that Yang threw herself to the ground, camouflaging herself among the mud and tall grass, as she stared out at the jungle in the distance. Soon, two figures ran into her sightline, running straight toward her. One was a tall and thin boy, though nonetheless had quite the muscular physique, along with a mop of black hair. The other was the opposite, being short though stout, with muscles so large they'd make heavyweight boxers jealous.

It was Bolin Hori (Male Student No. 6) and Brawnz Ni (Male Student No. 21), and based on the tone of voice...Brawnz was pissed.

Letting out a roar comparable to a bear, Brawnz swung one of his fists forward, attempting to smack it against the wiry boy's head, though the blow was easily dodged as Bolin rolled off to the side. Honestly, the winner of this "fight" had already been decided. Sure, Brawnz was tough, probably a lot tougher than most gave him credit for, but he was no Bolin.

Bolin was one of the terrible trio. The three amigos of death. The power trio. The...Two guys and girl? ...Whatever, the point was that right there alongside resident badasses Arslan Altan (Female Student No. 5) and Nadir Shiko (Male Student No. 16), Bolin would be nearby, watching the rest of his class with that typical confident smirk. Unlike the other two, he actually talked to people. He had friends outside of their circle. He was a bit more than his label. But he was also a little thief, always running around stealing whatever he could get his hands on.

It's almost nostalgic to see him still doing it out here.

Avoiding another fist, Bolin smirked at his attack, letting out a chuckle, "Man, this is just disappointing. And to think, you place yourself on such a high pedestal, Brawnz, and yet you can't even stop me from stealing your water." He avoided a flurry of punches from the boy, jumping back and landing next to a tree...The one Yang had been lying against...And was now in front of. "What, that strike a nerve, Brawnz- what the?"

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!

On instinct, Yang jumped up from her hiding place with her shotgun in hand, taking a few steps back as she aimed it at Bolin's head, and then twisted it toward Brawnz. "Don't move!"

Bolin didn't even react much to this outside of mild confusion, though Brawnz pretty quickly got the message, throwing his hands up in fear. "Y-Yo, what's the big idea?! I ain't done nothing to 'ya, blondie!" His voice had always reminded her of one of those nineties greasers...It was kind of annoying.

Taking a few steps back, Yang kept her gun steady, as she continued to step back...Before breaking into a sprint and running away as fast as possible. Whatever was happening between those two was nothing she wanted to get involved with, especially not when Bolin was obviously up to his old tricks again.

She didn't know what'd happen after that. Maybe one of them would chase after her. Maybe they'd just start fighting again. Maybe they'd even team up to try and kill her just so one of them could have a gun. It didn't matter, and she didn't care. All that mattered was that she got out of there.

Somehow Yang had a feeling she'd be doing quite a bit of cardio in this game.

Opening up a thermos canister in the kitchen, May poured out her coffee into three different coffee mugs. She'd never admit it but she was a bit of an addict to the stuff and brought it with her everywhere she went. She doubted anyone could blame her though; coffee was fucking good man, especially on a cold, chilly night like this where it's raining endlessly. Certainly helps she had Nolan here to cozy up to and relax with on the couch. May didn't really know how she'd be handling this situation without him, and really didn't want to know. It was just a scary thought...One she wouldn't have to worry about luckily.

With a shake of her head, she brought the coffee into the living room, handing out the mugs and taking a seat next to her boyfriend, as they stared down none other than Pyrrha freaking Nikos. She had never thought they'd be hanging out, but this game does weird shit. "So...Sup?"

Pyrrha didn't know how to really respond to this, as Nolan wrapped an arm around May. "Yeah...How are you holding up with...All this going on?"

Looking off to the side and scratching at her shirt, which kept her vest out of sight, Pyrrha mumbled, "I'm managing," she turned back to the couple with a soft smile, "how about you two? I can see you've found yourself quite the shelter."

"Yeah, and it's a lot cozier than we were expecting too," Nolan confirmed, giving her a soft look, "we're thinking about just sorta...Hiding out for the rest of the game. We don't really have it in us to...You know."

"You can feel free to join us if you want," May added on, before blowing some stray hair out of her face.

Pyrrha could only stare at them in response for a moment, before sitting up from her chair and muttering, "While I appreciate the warm welcome, I have no intentions of staying. I was simply wondering if you've seen someone pass by here." The couple exchanged a look, before Pyrrha continued, "I'm looking for Jaune Arc."

"Sorry, I haven't seen him," Nolan confirmed, turning to his girlfriend, who gave a half-hearted shrug of indifference.

"Well...That's disappointing," the redhead mumbled, a frown quickly overtaking her face, "I'll be off now-"

"Wait," Nolan interrupted once more, standing up from the couch and saying, "you don't have a weapon, right? Like...A real one?" Pyrrha didn't give a proper response to this, though Nolan still reached toward a nearby table and grabbed onto his stun gun, before holding it out for her, "To be honest I probably won't get much use out of this thing just laying here, so...You can take it if you want."

Pyrrha took a step back, holding up a hand, "N-No, no, I'm fine, you really don't-" He jiggled the stun gun in his hand, giving her a smile as he pushed it out further. After a moment of reluctance, Pyrrha grabbed a hold of the weapon, as she stared at it in silence, a little bit of hope sparking in her once more. "Thank you, Nolan."

"Eh, it's no problem. Now get out of here, I bet that guy's looking for you too," Nolan responded, before walking back over to the couch and taking a seat.

"Good luck," May chirped out soon after, pulling down her beanie and once more resting against her boyfriend.

Pyrrha gave the two one last smile, before just as quickly walking back out into the storm. She now had protection, a weapon, and two possible allies for later in the game, if they make it that far of course. Now...All she needed to do was find Jaune Arc (Male Student No. 3), wherever he is out there.

Jaune Arc had to admit...He felt pretty lucky.

Sure, he was in a game where he was fighting most of the people he had known in his life to the death. Sure, he didn't really have a weapon of any kind. Sure, by the next day he'd probably see more blood splattered across this island then most doctors see in their entire lives. But besides that, things had been going his way for the most part. He had gotten out into the game only five minutes after the start, met up with his crush, Weiss Schnee (Female Student No. 2) only a few minutes after that, and even got to save her life as her white knight, and now he had one of his best friends here with them.

Ruby Rose (Female Student No. 3)...Yeah, she was a bit of an oddball outside the game. Usually running her mouth, talking about obscure weapons and events in history, all that sorta stuff that Jaune admittedly didn't know much about. But...Oddly enough, she...Hadn't seemed to change at all in the game. She wasn't scared, or panicked, or anxious, or anything. She was just her usual, absurdly jolly self as if she didn't even know what was going on. Sure it was nice to see but nonetheless was pretty shocking.

And right now...She seemed to be in heaven.

"Weiss, this thing is so cool!" Ruby cooed out, as she swiped her rapier through the air with the biggest grin on her face, looking it over as she giggled out happily, "One hundred and four centimeters of two different types of steel, divided up into five separate parts, and a hilt made up of such complexity that it's physically incapable of reproduction in the modern day!" Squeaking out a sort of squee, she turned to her friend with a look that mixed both raw excitement and unbridled jealousy, "Weiss how is this not cool to you?! This sort of stuff is legendary!"

"Yes, yes, it's amazing, now can I please have my weapon back?" Weiss grumbled out with a scoff, her eyes narrowed playfully at the girl.

"What?! No way, can't you give me a few more minutes?" Ruby whined out, almost sounding like a child, causing Jaune to let out a chuckle at the two's banter. It was a nice change of pace.

They continued to bicker between themselves as Jaune walked a bit ahead, pushing an abnormally large lead out of the way, as he stared out into the distance of the jungle from the higher ground. While the storm made it a bit hard to see, he could make out a sort of light; a small town, only about a mile or two away. If they kept walking they could be there in an hour or two, accounting for breaks and the steep jungle, of course, then they could maybe rest and come up with a plan.

With a small grin, he turned back toward the two girls, "Hey, I found where we're heading, you ready to go?"

Blinking at this, Ruby's face lit up once more, gently handing Weiss her weapon, before picking her own up off the ground; a large, intimidating scythe. She then gave Jaune a mock salute, "Yep!" Weiss scoffed in response, which if he had to guess meant she was ready too.

With a smile, Jaune turned back toward the light, and without another word, the three began to walk toward the town.

Staring out over the horizon at the town in the far distance, Mercury Black (Male Student No. 5) couldn't help but feel a smile grow across his face. He hated the rain. Sure, he hated most things, but rain especially could kiss his ass, and seeing the possibility of shelter certainly brightened this shitty day a bit.

Admittedly he was better off than he'd been expecting. For a weapon, he had been given brass knuckles. Sure they weren't much in a gunfight, but if he got up close he could knock someone's teeth out with these things. And besides, he didn't need to worry about it, as they had allowed the kids to keep the crap in their backpacks after all. Mercury had a reputation for bringing some pretty metal shit to school, and he certainly kept up that reputation with what he brought for the field trip. A few boxes of cigarettes, a lighter, a butterfly knife…

A Ruger revolver.

Yeah, he brought guns to school. Never planned to shoot the thing up of course, he just thought the idea of having it on him never hurt. He'd usually keep the thing tucked away in his boot or backpack, and occasionally if some freshman was giving him lip, he'd pull it out and threaten them after school. Give 'em a good scare and make sure they didn't bug him again. He was pretty good at that sorta thing, which was probably why Cinder Fall (Female Student No. 17) had recruited him into her little clique.

If there was one bitch Mercury respected on this crapsack of an island, it was Cinder. Not because he liked her, cause frankly, he thought she was a cunt. Nah, it's cause she didn't take shit from anybody, and he respected that sorta thing.

What he didn't respect was how fucking loud she was.

Just then, a bullet smashed into a nearby tree, tearing through it and flying out the other side. In the middle of a small patch of grass, who else but Cinder Fall stood, a Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver in her hand, as she let out a disturbing little chuckle. "Why, Emerald, you got quite the equipment from those soldiers. Certainly much better than yours, right Mercury?"

Mercury couldn't help but roll his eyes in response, as he pulled out a cigarette and began to light it, "Yep," he nonchalantly stated. He wasn't dealing with her shit right now.

Meanwhile, standing nearby, staring at Cinder like the lap dog she was, was the dragon of Beacon High; Emerald Sustrai (Female Student No. 16). She was Cinder's right-hand woman...AKA her bitch. Did whatever she wanted whenever she wanted it, never questioned a damn thing she said, and practically didn't do anything until Cinder said so. Mercury and her had never gotten along super well, but he tolerated her, at least when she doesn't give a gun to a fucking lunatic.

Cinder hadn't gotten much weapon-wise; a bow with twelve tipped arrows. He had no doubt someone on the island could probably make use of that shit, but it certainly wasn't any of them. So of course, the second Cinder asked, she got Emerald's weapon, which was considerably more deadly...Somehow he had a feeling she'd end up shooting one of them before she ever got a chance to nail one of their actual targets.

As soon as they had grouped up they had made a sort of "hit list", AKA the fuckers they wanted dead. Cinder had made it clear she wanted to take out Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos, cause she was a spiteful cunt who hated how perky they were or some shit like that. Emerald hadn't added anyone personally, and Mercury...Well, he wanted to take down Yang Xiao Long and Arslan Altan, and he wasn't telling them why. After that they just added the obvious ones; Cardin Winchester and his crew, Bolin Hori, Nadir Shiko, Lie Ren (Male Student No. 12), Dew Gayl (Female Student No. 1), Sage Ayana (Male Student No. 8), Yatsuhashi Daichi (Male Student No. 4), basically the ones they knew could probably win this game.

They were hunting those fuckers down like the prey they were...For now at least. He kinda doubted this alliance was anything permanent. Maybe in a day or two he'd book it and make it on his own. He simply didn't trust Cinder enough to think she wouldn't do the same, and at the same time probably take a couple of crack shots at him. Not that he thought he couldn't handle her, he just ain't taking chances when there's a gun involved.

"So Mercury," Cinder soon said, taking a moment to reload the revolver, as she looked toward him with her signature grin, "see anything worth checking out?"

"A town's up ahead. A couple of miles, so we should be there before morning hits maybe," Mercury confirmed, "may even be some folks there already. Could thin the litter real early if we're quick about it."

The last part seemed to make Cinder excited, as she let out a giggle and held her gun up, "Sounds like a plan."

As she said this, the same thought ran through Mercury's head; Cinder Fall...What a stone-cold bitch.

41 Students Left to Go.