Just so you know, this chapter is different than most of the ones I'll be writing. In this story I just wanted to let everyone know where most of the contestants had gone. I will be focusing more on individual character development and flashbacks later.
Noel (Boy #4) and Linda (Girl #6) had continued to run ever since they had both left. They were now on the upper level of Zone 1. Linda was breathing heavily. She couldn't keep up anymore. "Come on," Said Noel.
"I can't, I'm too tired," Said Linda.
"Do you want to die?" Asked Noel. Linda had a huge frown on her face. She began to sob. Noel felt sympathy for her. Even in a life or death situation he knew he still wanted to be with his beloved Linda, even if she did slow him down. "I'm sorry, I just… I'm worried," He continued.
"And you don't think I am?" Asked Linda. Noel sighed.
"I'm sure you are, but if you want to avoid dying, we need to keep moving," Said Noel.
"I… I know," Said Linda. "But… can I please just rest for a minute?" Noel sighed again.
"Fine," He said. There was an awkward silence as Linda breathed heavily and Noel just stood, waiting. After about thirty seconds Noel suggested that they keep moving. Linda reluctantly agreed. The two got up and started running off again.
DAMN! He had missed his chance. Gilberto (Boy #20) had kept up his fast pace ever since he had left the classroom. He had gone down the stairs and headed toward Zone 1, where he figured there'd be some people. He knew he was right when he saw the two standing there. They were in the middle of the hallway for crying out loud! But how could Gilberto attack them with his weapon? It was useful for finding people, but not killing them. He saw that Linda had a pickaxe and Noel had a machete. Those were decent weapons. But how was he going to get his hands on them? Gilberto had thought about it. He was afraid that if he came right out and attacked them, that they would kill him. It wouldn't be that hard. Finally he decided he would act friendly and then hit them over the head with his tracking device. But now, his chance was gone. He was fully prepared to follow them, but he didn't want them to notice him. He waited until their dots were near the edge of the screen before rounding the corner and continuing after the two.
"We're finally here," Said Omar (Boy #2). He and Tatiana (Girl #1) had been walking for quite a while now. Or at least what seemed like a while, that was actually about five minutes. Omar opened the door and quietly shut it. He locked the door. He laid Tatiana down on a cot. He began searching through the nurse's things to try and find some gauze. He opened a cabinet expecting to find gauze. All he found was a note. It read "Nice try!"
"You find anything?" Asked Tatiana. Omar slammed the cabinet shut angrily.
"They raided the damn office!" He shouted. Tatiana groaned. What were they going to do? "OK, don't panic," Said Omar. Maybe there's some… paper towel or something. He was trying to stay calm, but it was hard to do. One of his best friends was dying in front of him. He had to figure out something and fast.
Vijay (Boy #3) sat in the desk he sat in during math class. He had shut the door and kept the lights off. He figured since the door was shut and the lights were off when he came, that they were meant to be like that. He was just waiting for his teacher to show up. When was she going to get here? Vijay thought he saw someone's silhouette in the hallway. Was it his teacher? The figure walked by. Guess not. Vijay wandered why everything was weird that day? Maybe this was all just a dream. Vijay was very confused but he kept up his optimistic attitude. He pulled out his DS and turned it on. He continued his Pokémon game. He made sure to turn the volume off so he wouldn't disturb other classes. After about thirty seconds the door handle began to shake. Whoops, Vijay had locked the door. Well, it had automatically locked when he shut it, that is. He went to go get it. But the shaking stopped and the sound of footsteps were headed away from the class. Guess that wasn't her either. Vijay sighed and continued on.
The large group of Victor (Boy #16), Stephen (Boy #11), Axel (Boy #9), Nia (Girl #8), Alisha (Girl #12), and Mindy (Girl #13) continued to walk through Zone 2. They were checking in every classroom to see if they could find anybody. They were searching through a Spanish room on the upper level.
"Don't see anyone," Said Victor as he held his Walther PPK close to him.
"It's clear over here too," Said Stephen, still holding his pillow plus Alisha's toothbrush.
"Alright let's keep moving," Said Axel. He had Mindy's wrench in his left hand and his sledgehammer in his right hand.
"Hey, I think I hear something next door," Said Nia as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Even during a life and death game, she had to look her best.
"Well let's go then," Said Axel. That's when they heard it. The sound of pounding feet. Running feet.
Calum (Boy #5) ran as fast as he could down the hallway. He had been hiding in the room next to the one the troublemakers were in. He knew they would be heading there next. He had to escape at all costs. He knew his bulletproof vest (which he had on underneath his shirt) would protect him… unless they shot him in the head or had a melee weapon. That thought made him run faster.
The troublemakers rounded the corner and saw Calum as he took off down the stairs. "I love it when they run," Said Axel as he licked his lips. Victor began firing shots. They all missed Calum. Victor wasn't very experienced with a gun. Calum leapt down the rest of the stairs and rounded the corner. He didn't stop running, despite the strong pain in his lungs and legs. He turned another corner. He knew they were still behind him. He turned inside a classroom and hid behind a cabinet. He prayed they wouldn't find him. They kept running. Calum thanked a God he didn't even believe in. He took a rest behind the cabinet, his new hiding spot.
DAMMIT! DAMMIT! Wallace (Boy #6) tried again and again to squeeze into his locker but, alas, he couldn't. He shut it quietly and glanced around to make sure no one was near. He knew he needed to hide somewhere else. He quickly made his way around a corner and down to the end of the hallway where the boy's bathroom was. He prayed no one was in there. But there were two people in there.
Randolph (Boy #17) and Aliyah (Girl #17) sat in the stall ready to attack if necessary. They saw a pair of feet walk into the bathroom. They were now going to have to defend their territory. They waited until the feet got closer. They were right outside the stall door. Randolph held his boxing glove at the ready. Aliyah hid behind him. The door opened. Randolph, on pure instinct, lunged forward with the boxing glove striking whoever it was in the face as hard as he could. It was Wallace. The small boy's nose had been broken. He cried out in pain and fell backwards, hitting his head on a sink. He was immediately knocked unconscious.
Aliyah peeked over his shoulder. "Oh God, it's the quiet kid," She said.
"I can see that," Said Randolph a little angrily.
"Is he dead?" Asked Aliyah.
"I doubt it," Said Randolph, "I don't think a hit like that would be enough to kill him."
"Oh God, what if he is dead," Said Aliyah. She began to panic.
"He's not," Insisted Randolph.
Aliyah still wasn't completely sure. If he was dead, she would feel awful. Sure she did a lot of terrible things but she had never committed murder.
Clifton (Boy #15) had searched around Zone 1, trying to find the fellow members of his gang. He had not been successful. He figured he might as well try to get a few kills in. It would be easy with the weapon he had received. One of the most powerful of them all, an Ak47. Having it in his hands gave him power. He headed from Zone 1 back to Zone 4. He headed back up the stairs and passed the classroom where they had originally started from. He walked over to the next room and found that it was a supply closet. He searched around but found nothing. He walked over to the next room and opened the door.
Esmeralda's (Girl #15) heart began to beat rapidly as she heard the door opening. Clifton shut the door quietly and began searching the classroom. Esmeralda held her M1911 tight in her hands. She prayed she wouldn't have to use it.
Clifton made his way to her side of the room. His light shined over the desk. He started to walk around to the other side. Esmeralda knew she was a goner. Clifton walked around to the other side and bent down. The light from his flashlight was right in Esmeralda's face. She screamed and kicked him in the face. He staggered backwards. Esmeralda got up and ran as fast as she could toward the door. "You're not fucking leaving, bitch!" Shouted Clifton. He fired the gun. No bullets came out. FUCK! How could forget to load it.
Esmeralda opened the door, turned left, and ran as fast as she could down the hallway. Clifton was quick to load the gun and run out into the hallway too. Esmeralda turned down the stairs and began running down them. She was terrified. Clifton jumped down the stairs and was quickly gaining on Esmeralda. He fired a few shots. They all missed. Esmeralda turned to the right and continued running. A few more shots rang out. This time one managed to hit Esmeralda in the shoulder. She cried out in pain and collapsed. She knew it was the end.
Clifton was gaining ground. He had her now. This was it.
Suddenly, a door opened and a hand reached out. It grabbed Esmeralda and pulled her inside. It quickly shut the door. Esmeralda had no idea where she was but now she knew she was with others. That made her a little happier. Clifton ran up to the door and began shouting. He tried opening it, but it was locked.
Clifton thought to himself. Fine, if they won't let me in I'll just wait. Soon enough this zone will become dangerous and then I can kill them all as they come out. He grinned. This was going to be so easy. He would just need to be patient.
"Are you okay?" Asked Ethel (Girl #10). Esmeralda was still a little bit panicked.
"Yeah," She said.
"Oh my God, your shoulder is bleeding!" Exclaimed Cadence (Girl #14).
"Jeez, we need to get you to the nurses' office," Said Ethel.
"But we can't leave," Said Chris (Girl #5).
"Yeah he's still out there," Said Kailey (Girl #20).
"I'm…fine," Said Esmeralda. She didn't want to be a burden, especially to people she didn't even know very well.
"Well we just need to stop the bleeding for now," Said Ethel. She had relatively no idea what she was doing. But whatever she was going to do, she needed to do it fast.
Dave (Boy #7) had still not found any victims. He had been wandering the halls with his meat cleaver for what seemed like hours. Dave couldn't wait for his chance to kill. The excitement and rush of it all… it would be great! Dave checked another classroom. It appeared as if someone had been there, but they weren't anymore. Dave had missed them. He walked out of the room and searched the next. This cycle would go on and on until he could find someone. No matter how long it took.
Lawrence (Boy #8) was through Zone 3 and heading into Zone 5. He was near the gymnasium. Should he hide in there? It could be a good place. Lawrence decided he would check it out. He made his way into the large gym, and went into the boy's locker room. He dialed the combination of his gym locker and opened it. Nope, he couldn't fit in there. Lawrence decided he would hide here as long as he could. His lipstick wouldn't be able to protect him against much else.
Alfred (Boy #21) was also heading into the gym. He had been walking at a much quicker pace than Lawrence, so he was gaining ground fast. Of course, he had no idea Lawrence was there. Alfred glanced around the gym and so no one there. He headed into the girl's locker room to search. After searching around for a while he found that no one was there. He walked back out and headed into the boy's locker room. Lawrence could hear his quiet footsteps. He had been listening closely for something.
Lawrence quickly darted behind a cluster of lockers. Alfred walked by on the other side. Lawrence knew he had to be extremely quiet. His small stature made it fairly easy. Lawrence tiptoed along another row of lockers. Alfred continued to look around. Lawrence made his way to the front of the locker room. He made sure he wasn't breathing. The slightest sound could echo around the mostly empty room. Alfred had just finished looking around and turned back toward the entrance. But no one was there.
Lawrence moved as quickly and quietly as he could across the gym. He made his way to the exit and continued into Zone 5.
Devin (Boy #12) had decided on going toward Zone 6. He made his way quickly down the hall. Devin had decided that he couldn't trust the jocks. He didn't know what the game could do to people.
Callie (Girl #7) saw the large boy make his way down the hallway. Her perfect first victim. Only, she couldn't kill him. Not with the shitty weapon she had received. What good was a pen? She noticed what Devin was holding… a gun. Callie grinned. She had a new plan. Make nice with the jock and gain his trust. Then, steal his weapon and kill him.
As Devin walked along he heard pounding footsteps running toward him. He turned toward the noise and saw a smallish figure running toward him. It was Callie. She had tears in her eyes and she was sobbing. As she saw Devin she screamed and tried to turn but fell.
Devin ran over to her. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"Get away!" She shouted, "You're with them!"
"What? With who?" Asked Devin.
"Don't play dumb," Sobbed Callie.
"I really don't know what you're talking about," Said Devin.
"Roderick and Dave attacked me," Cried Callie.
"What? They did?" Asked Devin.
"Yes, they almost killed me," Said Callie.
So Devin was right not to trust them. His face of worry turned to a face of anger. Callie knew her plan was starting to come to fruition. "They… they stole my weapon," She lied.
"What was it?" Asked Devin.
"Just a pen," Said Callie, "But it's not that that concerns me, it's the fact that they openly attacked me."
"I know, it's crazy," Said Devin.
"Please don't leave me alone," Said Callie.
"Relax," Said Devin, "I won't, I swear."
Callie hugged him. "Thank you so much," She said. As she hugged Devin, her face turned from one of sadness and hurt, to one of pure evil.
Roderick (Boy #13) was actually nowhere near Callie and Devin. He had not attacked Callie at all. In fact he was all the way in Zone 4. He had just been idly wandering around, not knowing what to do. But that's when he saw somebody. Would he attack them? Try to steal their weapon? The figure called out his name. He recognized it instantly as his friend Darrell (Boy #14).
"Hey," Said Roderick.
"Yo," Said Darrell.
"Man this is fucked up," Said Roderick.
"Way beyond fucked up," Said Darrell.
"So… what'd you get as a weapon?" Asked Roderick.
"Some kind of sniper rifle," Replied Darrell.
"Cool. All I got was a basketball," Said Roderick.
"Figures they'd give the jock as basketball," Joked Darrell. He was trying to be funny, lighten the situation. But he knew he couldn't. Nothing could lighten the mood of this situation.
"So… you seen anybody else?" Asked Roderick.
"Naw." Said Darrell.
"Well… do you have a plan?" Asked Roderick.
"Well I want to try and save as many people as possible," Said Darrell.
"Why?" Asked Roderick.
"Why? Because I don't want people to die, that's why!" Shouted Darrell.
"Shh," Said Roderick.
"I'm sorry," Said Darrell.
"It's fine, just keep it down," Said Roderick.
Darrell sighed. How was he going to protect everybody? There were bound to be people willing to play. He knew he couldn't protect all of them. Maybe their situation really was hopeless.
Lacey (Girl #19) needed a better weapon. Not that dumb can opener she had started with. What kind of weapon was that? She knew she couldn't kill anybody with that. If she could just find one of her friends… she could murder them and take their weapon. Easy as that! Lacey skipped down the hallway and began searching. She kept asking herself where she would hide if she was a loser. She knew that some of them would be inside classrooms like little babies. It just figured that they were being wimpy about this whole situation. At least the cheerleaders would be brave enough to not hide.
Tamia (Girl #18) was actually hiding in the classroom right by where Lacey was. Tamia, the cheerleader, was hiding. She had peeked out and seen Lacey walk by. She knew she couldn't trust her. And if Lacey attacked her, she couldn't defend herself with her spoon.
42 Contestants Remaining