Continuation from the last chapter and an official opening to the competition. This chapter is going to be the official start of the BR competition!
Sunday: June 2nd, 2010 – 12:56 A.M. (Unknown High School)
Tori POV
After the ringing in my ears stopped and the screaming came to a halt, I open my tired eyes and expected the worse. Whether it'd be Heaven or Hell…I wasn't ready, especially now. After my eyes opened, I don't see anything of the sort. My tear stained face is still in the presence of the biggest monster I've ever come in contact with. He continued to grin maniacally at me. I looked down and began to scream hysterically at the sight before me. Next to Mike's body was my leg, a bullet hole present in it. It continues to rush with blood and even though it hurts like hell, I only scream because of how shocked I am at the moment.
I put my hands over the wound and plead with the man to stop, but he has other plans in store. "You, know. It wouldn't be fair to the males if the girls have one extra advantage," he says while pressing his gun against my temple. "I think it's it's best if I even the score don't you think?" I laugh in my mind at how helpless I was looking but I could tell people thought I was one brave idiot for standing up to him like this. Beck looks at me from afar and clenches his teeth together and narrows his eyes at the monster above me. Please don't Beck. Don't risk your life for me. Please, I wouldn't be able to handle that.
Beck clamped his fists tight together and I could see the rage build up in his eyes. The throbbing in my leg intensifies and I can't even gather the willingness to bear weight on it. "I guess it's an early Game Over for you Ms. Vega. My sincerest apologies. You were such a good girl," he soothingly said to me while putting his finger on the trigger. A medley of gasps and whimpers ran through the room as he aimed at my head and began to grin.
"Wait just a minute," a voice piped up from the back of the room. The voice belonged to Jake Collins, smart-mouthed wiz kid. "Aren't you getting a little carried away old man? I mean, what's the use of killing the contestants, eh?" a smirk spread across the boys face as he continued, "Seriously? What's the point of killing us when people only tune in to see the kids kill each other?" a look of confusion came from the teacher. He lowered his gun to listen to Jake some more.
"So what are you suggesting young man?" he asked with concern.
"What I'm saying is this that you should consider the fact that the kids that disobey you…will die out there anyway right? Who cares if they talk back…they're the ones who'll be screaming mercy in the next few minutes anyway when the real games begin," Jake began to widen his smirk which earned a few suspicious glances from the lieutenants.
"You have a point there," the teacher chuckles lowly as if he's thinking hard about something. Jake stumbled back a little but stood strong immediately after and continued to sucker Mr. Eikner.
"The count now is forty-one, but if you have it your way those numbers will probably drop to thirty-five…if we're lucky that is. Do you know how many people you'll disappoint if the contestant count is that low," Jake said while leaning against his desk in a chill fashion. Mr. Eikner pondered this and chuckled again. "Sure, it's pretty jank that the chicks have one more girl to be against us guys-."
"So you agree with my proposition then," Mr. Eikners laughs as he quickly aims the gun at me and places his finger on the deadly trigger once again.
"W-whoa! N-n-no, no and no! That's not where I'm tryin' to get at old man. I'm just saying that you should leave the killing up to us aight," Jake clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth and smiles menacingly. Mr. Eikner looks at him dumbfounded and causes me to smile at him with great appreciation.
Thank You Jake! Thank You!
"Wow…you really got me kid," he said with a laugh, "For a second, I actually bought it, haha," he began howling with laughter and clutched his stomach with his free hand. "Just for that good laugh, I'll let you help Ms. Vega back to her seat. Oh man, kids these days huh guys," he said to the officers with their guns aimed cautiously at Jake. They all laughed unnervingly and stepped back to their places.
Jake ran over to me and draped my arm around his shoulder, "You alright Tor?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, thank you so much Jake," I smile appreciatively but it soon fades when the intense throbbing in my leg returns. After Jake plops me down and makes his way back to his seat, I look over at Beck who is staring at me with an upset look. He looks terrible. Miserable even. Losing a friend is always terrible, but it's always worse when that friend has been with you through everything.
"I think it's time we discuss the rules. We've wasted enough time already," Mr. Eikner says with an amusing tone. "Now first thing's first, the basic concept of this game is survival. 'Kill or be killed', you know 'Survival of the fittest'. I bet you all have figured that out by now," he says while glancing over at Mike's body that still had a tear shedding from it. "Next, you will all be given a duffle bag. It's just like your average sports bag but instead of your average sports goodies you'll find…" the excited man pulled out a tray as if he were educating a bunch museum tourists, "A flashlight, a compass, a sketched map of the area, a loaf of bakery bread…compliments to the chef, a bottle of water and a random weapon."
Everyone begins to exchange glances at one another before returning their attention to the teacher. "W-What k-k-kind of 'Random Weapon'?" asked a terrified Jo Taylor.
"Ah, well basically each one of you will end up with a weapon but it's not just guns and knives you guys. You could end up with an axe, a whip or even a pair of sunglasses. It's all a game of chance so that no student will have natural advantages," Jo sank back into her seat and held both of her shoulders.
"You still haven't told us where the fuck we are," Simon bellowed from the back.
"You're right, how silly of me," Mr. Eikner groaned while walking over to a map. "Right now, we are on a deserted island just south of the Caribbean. It was evacuated so that it could be the new hotspot for our competitions and this," he stretched his arms wide while looking around, "is the island's local high school. I guess most have you have noticed the beautiful pieces of metal around all of you're necks am I right?" Many people began grabbing them curiously and some even started pulling at them. "The deal is…those collars let us know where you are on our map and what you're doing in that area. It is 100% water proof and it can only be taken off by remote control. However, if you are caught doing something you shouldn't be doing then we will send an alarm via radio waves which will trigger the collar and BOOM!" he screamed which caused everyone to jump up or from their seat, "They explode. Pulling at it may trigger it as well so please don't do that either," he chuckled as the students' anxious fingers immediately went from the collar to the side of their bodies.
"Tori! Your leg okay?" Amanda Mckay whispered over to me with a concerned tone.
"Yeah," I whisper back with gratitude. Before I knew it, Kacey, Cat, Carly, Jo, Amanda and I were all having our own private discussion.
"I know he's crazy!" Carly whispered violently while Cat nodded but still looked mentally lost.
"This guy can't be for real can he?" Jo asked quietly with her head ducked
"Oh and another thing! This island is divided into specific areas using letters and numbers from A to J and 1 to 10 so the range is A1 to J10." Mr. Eikner said while we were whispering.
"This can't be for real! The government would never support this!" Kacey hissed. I could see out of the corner of my eye that our 'beloved' teacher noticed us.
"Who knows? Maybe he's just doing this illegally to get thrills," Amanda suggested.
"Maybe but I don't understand why-," Carly was cut off by a booming voice in the front.
"Girls! What did I say about God Damn WHISPERING!" Just after a second, I saw him throw another piece of chalk in our direction but after hearing the screams erupt and looking over, I realized that it wasn't chalk. In the seat diagonally in front, I saw a thick hunting knife sticking straight from Amanda's forehead. A look of shock mixed with fear was all over her face as she collapsed onto the floor.
"'M-Manda!" shrieked Jo who was trembling in her chair. Mr. Eikner smiled in satisfaction.
"Sorry Ms. Mckay, but I did say that whispering is not tolerated…didn't you girls hear me say that?" he said while staring at the other four girls. They nodded frantically while covering their mouths and turned their heads forward.
"Amanda…Amanda…Oh no," Kacey whimpered while staring at her deceased friend. Her cheerleader sidekick. Mr. Eikner continued explaining the guidelines as if nothing occurred and smiled wide at all of us.
"The church, for example, is sampled as E4 on your maps so keep that in mind because I will be giving announcements every six hours starting this morning at 6:00 A.M. okay, so four times a day, on what zones on the island are lethal or danger zones. So if I announce that E4 is a danger zone from 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. and you step in that vicinity in that time range, your collar will be detonated and you will die instantly. This will keep you on the move constantly. Don't tell me you all thought that you'd be safely hiding in one spot…no, no, no little warriors…that wouldn't be any fun." I could tell this danger zone thing ruined a lot of people's intentions and plans just by looking at their faces. "Lastly, there is an effective time limit on this game, 3 days to be exact and if there is no winner within those 3 days then all of the remaining collars will be activated… and then no one would win…any questions?" He searched the room for hands, but all he got were sniffling sounds from everyone.
"What if we refuse," Jennifer Mosely said confidently from her seat. Everyone was shocked that she could speak to him so calmly…I was shocked she could speak at all actually.
"Well…if there isn't one single death within the first 24 hours all of your collars will detonate…so fight at your best alright," he chuckled joyously.
"If I win...c-can I go home?" Susie asked with tears in her eyes.
"Of course, but everyone else must be dead obviously," he chuckled once again while Susie collapsed into her seat and began to weep on her desk.
"Will we be able to come back here once the game starts?" James asks with a serious face but is still trembling.
"Ten minutes after the last student is called, the school grounds will become a permanent danger zone. Anymore questions?" everyone looked at one another quietly and expected someone to hopefully say something to stall this sick game. "Nothing? Well then let's get started. Now here in my hand I have the class roster so when I call your name please grab your things, come to the front, take one of the forty-two duffle bags and head outside," only a few people nodded. "Great now…let's start with…Boy # 1…Orenthal Gibson?" Mr. Eikner finished reading the name and searched the room, "Orenthal?" Gibby yanked his head up from his desk and gave a shaky "Here". He ran to the front of the room with his backpack and snatched up a duffle bag.
"Well Orenthal, good luck! Early bird gets the worm I always say," Mr. Eikner said a little bit too happily.
"Sir please! I don't wanna play! I-I really don't wanna play!" Gibby wailed while wiping his eyes.
"Well it's mandatory son…go get 'em alright. I heard your good at video games so this should be a piece of cake for you."
"But…I can't do this…I can't!" Gibby continued to cry hysterically which made everyone else feel so much worse.
"I've had enough, get out. Shoo! I don't need any negativity; it only brings down the gaming atmosphere," Mr. Eikner snapped while pushing the crying boy out into the hall. Although he was walking down to the front, his hysterical cries could still be faintly heard. "Girl # 1, Lulu Johnson," Mr. Eikner announced.
"H-Here!" Lulu dryly said from her seat as she gathered her backpack and items and ran to the front only to be grabbed by someone midway there.
"Lu! We'll always be besties okay!" True smiled reassuringly while clutching the poor girl's wrist. Lulu returned the smile and nodded.
"I know True…besties for life right?" True nodded and gave a cheery little chuckle.
"Girls, can we hurry this along please?" said an impatient Mr. Eikner.
"Sorry!" Lulu apologized and ran to retrieve a duffle bag. After she left names were continuously being called.
"Boy # 2, Kendall Knight…Girl # 2, Hayley Steele," Kendall took a deep breath and gave a hug to all three of his best friends before running out of the class with his bag. Hayley gave a smile to her classmates and waved as well to all of us to keep our hopes up before walking out with her bag. "Boy # 3, Kevin Reed…Girl # 3, Trina Vega," I whipped my eyes to Trina as she whimpered before walking over to me and hugged me tightly.
"Bye lil' sis," Trina said with a smile.
"Later Drama Princess," I laugh weakly in reply. She gives me a sad smile before running out of the room in tears.
"Boy # 4, Felix Garcia…Girl # 4, Samantha Pucket," Felix ran out of the room but fumbled the bag on his way out while Sam clutched her boyfriend Freddie and gave him a sincere kiss.
In tears, she ran to the front and grabbed a bag but before heading out she turned around to Mr. Eikner with teary eyes and said, "Up yours." With that Sam ran out of the room leaving the teacher clearly amused. As time went on the classroom emptied and I looked over at Beck who still had that picture in his hands with tears falling from his eyes.
Beck's POV
I couldn't take it. This was all happening to fast. Already two deaths and this twisted competition hasn't even started yet. Two people I've known most of my life, Gone. Just like that…
"Boy # 15, Beck Oliver," I heard him say from the front as I clutched the bloody necklace in my hand. I slowly got out of my seat and made my way over to Tori.
"I'll be waiting for you okay?" I soothingly tell her with grief still in me. She saw right through the smile I had on and put her hand on mine.
"Okay," she replied. Before I left, I handed her the memorable picture taken just hours before, when we were all normal. Just normal high school kids on their way to Disney World for a fun and innocent field trip. I grab a bag, leave the classroom and enter the empty hallway. Only a few lights are working and I see a banner hanging over the staircase that led to the front doors. It said 'Do Your Best' with a bright smiley face at the end. These people are pretty screwed up.
Girl # 18: Amanda McKay (ELIMINATED)
40 Students Remaining
Sunday: June 2nd, 2010 – 1:37 A.M. (Deserted Island: High School Front Yard)
Once I smacked the double doors open I realized that I had no plan in mind. After Tori comes out then what? I manage to find a quiet corner near the school and take out my flashlight. I shine it on the map that is provided but hear something completely strange. A girl groaning. Either zombies have made an unexpected appearance or someone's decided to get busy at the worst moment. Whatever, I just ignore it and go on with my business.
"B-Beck," I hear a girl call my name. I threw my face up with worry and shined the flashlight in the direction of the voice. I see a girl with dirty blonde hair…pink jansport…Jo!
"Jo! What's up?" I called to her excitedly and ran over to her. Something isn't right though. She has a look of anguish and her feet are sliding past the concrete as she walks. She kind of looks like a zombie…looks like my first guess isn't so far off. "Jo…are you okay?" I asked her worryingly.
"I…don't k-know what I'll do…what's…h-happening…what…what will happen to my s-s-sister? My mom and dad…they'll…they'll," without saying another word, Jo falls to the floor with her bags and it's apparent why. An arrow was sticking straight from the back of her head. I back away slowly and begin to panic. I looked around and ran back to my things but heard something being shot at me immediately afterwards. I look over and see another arrow, but this time it's embedded deep in my bag. What the hell!
"I'll get you! You'll never get me!" a voice screamed in distress from above. It was Gibby, he was perched on the roof of the school with a crossbow in hand. "Won't get me okay! Won't get me!" his voice was overcome with fear as he dug through his bag for another arrow.
"Gibs wait! Don't do this okay!" I yell from the front yard, "We can get through this," I hope to God that he won't shoot at me but he obviously isn't able to think straight…who can?
"Yeah right Beck! You're gonna trick me! They'll get me you know! Simon and Lucy…they'll try and get me first! I know they will! I just know it!" Gibby barks, his body shaking wildly. As much as I want to say they won't, they most likely will go for Gibby. He's weak and vulnerable…perfect traits in a victim.
"Gibby come on man. I'm waiting for Tor' and when she comes out, you, me and her can go out looking for others and see a way through this. We're friends man…you know that," I told him while keeping my distance. I hear the doors open and see Tori standing there with a smile. Totally oblivious to the situation that was occurring.
"Beck! Hey! C'mon I know where we can-," I heard a bow being shot off followed by a frantic scream from Gibby.
"Tori!" I shout while pushing her out of the way letting the arrow bury into the concrete. She hisses in pain while clutching her leg and looks up confused.
"You where planning something huh!" Gibby shouted. Tori crawled over and slowly got back on her feet still shaken, leaning on me for support. "It's like a videogame right? Like Modern Warfare or Left 4 Dead? It's all about 'Kill or be Killed' it's all about survival. The only difference is that you only have one life…no retries, no 1Ups! It's all over after that one life is used!" Gibby shouted while shaking his crossbow around.
"Yeah you're right Gibby it is like a videogame. You can team up and have allies…partners that will help you out…friends that'll stand by you," Tori piped up.
"Exactly Gibby! You can trust your friends. Zander, uh Kendall, Andre, Drake, Josh! Me and Tori. We're there for you," I say with a smile. Gibby lowers his crossbow and begins to repeat what we said.
"Friends that will…stand by me. They're there for me," Gibby drops his bow and begins to smile as well. "Y-You really mean it?" Gibby beams while wiping the remaining tears from his face.
"Of course! Lucy or Simon won't even think about touching you while you're with us," I said while motioning towards Tori and me. "They'll be threatened if anything."
"Yeah!" Tori cheers.
Gibby's POV
They…they mean it. They truly mean it! I finally have someone to trust. Thank you so much you guys.
Looks like the dork's been playing another game. God damn loser..
After all the teasing.
Why are you so happy fat-ass?
After all the tormenting.
Looks like someone needs some gastric bypass, eh Molly?
I actually have true friends. I pick up my pack and agree to go with Beck and Tori. Yeah-Yeah, this was the perfect tactic! I use it all the time in my games. More powerful in numbers!
As I reach down to grab my crossbow, Jo catches my eye and I can't shake her gentle voice from my head.
You killed me Gibby. I was always nice to you, always was there for you and always was there to make you laugh…and this how you repay me?
No…
I even baked you a batch of my special Taylor cupcakes and you shoot me with a freaking arrow. I was your friend Gibby. Your friend.
Jo's soft voice continued to circulate through my brain as I looked right at her blood soaked hair with the arrow sticking out from the back of her skull.
You played the game Gib…you killed me…you killed me…you killed me.
I couldn't take it anymore. I jumped to my feet and screamed in regret. "I played already Beck! I'm playing! See! Jo…I killed her. She was so nice to me…and I killed her," I sob loudly and point the crossbow at them. They both looked shocked at my sudden rebound and tried to console me again but I wasn't having it.
"Gibby! You didn't know! Jo was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Beck told me. Was that an excuse? Pathetic.
"Stop it! I killed her period! I don't deserve this! I turned on my own teammate!" I cry but suddenly I jump back once the doors are pushed open once again revealing Stevie Baskara. Frantically, I fire by accident and watch as it hits her right in the thigh. She lets out a blood curdling scream but limps into the woods anyway despite the pain it must be causing. I've had it with this game! No more! I take a single step and start to sweat.
Gibby, just try and forget about them. Have fun on the trip! You can hang out with the rest of us
Carly's voice entered my throbbing head as well.
My little sister and I made these great cupcakes last night. There absolutely delicious! Trust me they are. Here, take one. It's okay, they're not poisoned or anything.
It was all too much. I can't take it!
You played the game Gib…you killed me…you killed me…you killed me.
No More! I leap off of the building blindly with my pack and crossbow in hand and land on my back. Trying to withstand the pain of the impact, I get on my feet and see arrows scattered everywhere. Dammit! I look around quickly and realize that Beck and Tori must have used this opportunity to make a run for it. Typical. Some much…for being my friends!
"They actually left me here!" I shout in anger. Oh crap. My crossbow! Where is it? I search for it but can't find it anywhere. "This is not good!" I wailed while crawling all over the pavement. Where could it have gone?
"Looking for this?" I hear a voice say but right after that I feel something sharp pierce the side of my head. Excruciating pain soon overwhelms me. Everything goes red and soon I can't feel anything, emotions or pain. The pain just ends…it all ends…my life…ends.
Narrator's POV
The summer air sweeps over Gibby's body and onto the feet of his alleged killer.
"Aw, Sorry Gibs but…you gotta give the people what they want," the voice cooed. The killer looked over and spotted Jo's corpse, a pool of blood surrounding her head. After taking a deep breath, the killer looked straight forward and began to announce himself to the so-called audience. "Welcome…to the Nelson Baxter Killing Spree ladies and gents!" it was Nelson the class pervert, the crossbow in his hand as he stood triumphantly. Nelson looked down at the arrow that went right through Jo and sighed, "Shoulda fucked her first fat-ass," he looked over to Gibby while he tapped his foot on Jo's rear end. Her plaid skirt crumpling from his foot. "See this? It's flawless. Seriously, what were you thinking man?" Nelson walked over to his pack and began stuffing the crossbow inside as well as few other items he pillaged from Gibby and Jo. "Huh, boxing gloves…pass," he tossed Jo's random weapon to the side and walked off leaving the two teens on the bloody concrete. Only ten minutes and killers have already emerged. Some by accident and others by willingness. It was official…the Battle Royale Competition has officially begun.
Girl # 14: Jo Taylor (ELIMINATED)
Boy # 1: Orenthal Gibson (ELIMINATED)
38 Students Remaining
There you have it! The action begins and characters will emerge as victims and killers. Some will run-away... some will fight, but only one thing matters in this competition... Kill or be Killed! Review if You Can! :D