Monday: June 3rd, 2010 – 2:28 P.M. (Deserted Island: Barnyard)
Lulu's POV
The rain is really wet. Why is it so moist? Why does it tickle when it hits my face? I don't know at all…I stare up at the sky with a wide smile. I've defeated Hexley! I stare down at his agonized face and feel my soul ache with pride. He's been banished. Back to the dark depths of the evil realm.
I look at the dead boy's blank white eyes that resembled those ping pong balls I found in my room one time. Shiny red stuff is oozing out underneath the two of his eyes like strawberry jam. I like strawberry jam. I feel my lips quiver and twist into a smile as I let out a quiet giggle followed by a slow breath. It's pretty cold out here…maybe staying in the barn wasn't such a great idea, but at least I was able to surprise those mean unicorns.
Lulu…
What…the king! Your highness! That's the king's voice! A noble voice filled with wisdom. Only the king can have such a voice.
Lulu…you fought well. Very fantastic my warrior. Hexley, Pavarotti's most esteemed lackey, has been defeated. You have now earned a level up. Rainbowland will now be saved thanks to you. However…
"However?" I whisper with my eyes wide as I stare up at the thick gray clouds expecting an answer. He has to answer me…
You still have yet to defeat the queen of darkness herself. Her minions will continue to thrive and fight against you until you defeat her and take back the kingdom once again!
Yes! Rainbowland will suffer unless she is defeated! I must take her down…must take her back to whence she came! Tan skin…brown hair…thin body! The queen of darkness! My eyes widen in suspense as I listen closely for his majesty's voice. No…tell me more your highness. Tell me what I must do.
You must track her down my warrior! Track her and her partners down and defeat them! Restore peace to our land. Promise us, Mighty Warrior Lulu! Promise all of us that you will restore the peace. Seal the pact with your heart! Will you, Lulu? Will you seal the pact? Will you promise?
I feel my chest rise due to all of the breaths I am expelling at a rapid rate and the broad smile on my face never ceases to fade. I feel Felix's body underneath me as I sit on him as if I'm straddling him; my weapon tightly gripped in my hands. The steel blade is tainted with his fresh blood as it hangs at my side and digs into the ground. Felix's face actually looks like a caved in cherry pie with two bright white balls popping up from the gooey red stuff.
This is only the beginning…
"I will…" I whisper lowly, "I promise."
So…the deed is done. You must cleanse our land free from enemies, starting with those who face you. Starting with Pavarotti.
I smile as wide as I can with rain seeping into my hair causing it to weigh a ton, but I don't care. I, Lulu Johnson, will become the greatest warrior Rainbowland has ever known!
15 Students Remaining
Monday: June 3rd, 2010 – 5:00 P.M. (Unknown Location)
Beck's POV
Where am I? I look around to spot carefully decorated walls and beautiful flower arrangements in the corners. I'm standing on a soft blue carpet that seems to envelope my blood covered shoes like an embrace. Weird…blood on my shoes? Doesn't faze me. I guess I've finally been desensitized boys and girls…lucky, lucky me. My eyes are filled with a bright light that blinds me almost instantly causing me to seethe in annoyance.
Am I in some funeral home? I look at all the pictures of my classmates…sitting on memorial podiums! Gorgeous flowers are surrounding each of them along with an assortment of glowing candles as the light turns off. All forty-one of those smiling faces are all around me in a circle with me in the middle. Huh, monkey in the middle. What am I talking about? No time for jokes!
I look in every direction frantically as those faces' voices begin to fill my head.
"Hello. My name was Jade West. I used to be referred to as the Blood Babe of Lucy Stone's crew…yeah, what a life. I guess wasn't all that bad, but sometimes life just felt lonely. Thank God I don't have to feel it anymore."
I hear Jade's voice say in a calm and almost carefree tone causing me to arch my brows in confusion. Lonely? Jade…God, I'm sorry…Ugh! What's going on?
"Hi. I used to be Josh Nichols, your gaming dork. I don't understand why I had to go the way I did, but I was just so glad that it was peaceful. Thank you for letting me have such a nice life."
Josh's usually serene voice radiates from his photo standing proudly on the lit up podium. What is all this? Farewell speeches? Holy crap! No…I can't! I look over and see Trina and Stevie's pictures brightly lit as well as Jake and Owen's! I don't understand…
"What the hell is going on!?" I scream until I feel someone tapping my shoulder making me shudder in fear. I quickly spin around to see the face of Mr. Eikner and his famous smile that reeked with sick intentions. Oh man…You have no fucking idea what I want to do to you right now you bastard! "I'll kill you! You fucking killed my best friend! You killed all of my friends! Y-You son of a-"
As I lunge forward at him with my hands and arms reaching out to violently grasp him, he vanishes in an instant with his booming laughter echoing in the room as a farewell present. I fall to the ground on my stomach which makes me elicit a painful groan. "Shit…where did he…go."
I slowly rise to my feet only to find that I'm in a completely different room. Is this one of those fancy clothing shops? The ones where guys and girls go to get their fancy suits and dresses and stuff. I never owned a tux, but I always thought it'd be cool to walk around looking like James Bond for a change. I'm standing on a stool wearing a nice fitting suit with a black tie tucked into the blazer. Why am I all dressed up like this? I look around and see mannequins dressed nicely in the display window and around the shop.
I feel someone tugging on my pant leg and as I look down, I see a young woman doing measurements on my leg for some reason. "Uh…excuse me," I politely speak up with a dry throat causing me to swallow uncomfortably. All the young girl did (she was probably in her early twenties and she had very light brown hair) was look up at me with a scowl on her face; another limp string resembling a measurer was hanging around her neck and over her shoulders.
"What?" she groaned, "I had to deal with twenty other guys before you and God was it a hassle. Listen, I just want to hurry up and get this done and go home okay? So hold off on the questions."
I don't get it. Why is she measuring me for a tux? What the hell is she talking about 'I had to deal with twenty other guys'? What the hell is going on?
"W-What's going on?" I ask with a tone of fear as if I'm expecting a horrific answer like my dog has died or something. All she does is arch her fine brow as if I should already know the answer.
"Duh…it's for your burial."
…Burial? You mean like cemetery burial? I feel here soft touch return in order to measure my other leg, but all I do out of reaction was jump off the stool and look at her in hysteria while she jumps back in shock.
"Get back up here!" she snaps with her finger pointing angrily at the stool. "I still have to measure the girls for their memorial dresses! I also have to measure you all for your coffins as well."
Coffins…memorial dresses…no. No! NO! NO! This can't be happening. This can't be happening!
I feel tears burning my eyes as I rush past her causing her to stomp her feet in frustration and scream obscenities at me. Like I give a damn! I burst out of the lovely glass doors causing a nice blanket of darkness to fill my view. Now where am I?
Wait…my house? My apartment from when I was living with my dad? I look around and can't believe my eyes. It's all still here…the couch, the TV, the silly little knick knacks my dad used to collect sitting on the bar in the kitchen. It's all still here.
Why am I here? I soon hear a familiar voice speak from over head as if we are in a gymnasium. "I'm so glad I met her. Thank God she didn't bring her kid. She always told me that he was a spineless little freak like his father," the voice laughed. I recognize that lame ass snort anywhere. My 'mom's' new husband. I still can't stand that dude's annoying ass voice!
"Spineless huh? Why don't you come fucking say that to my face you Bastard!" I scream in anger, but the voice doesn't return. Instead I hear another voice, and it's much more heartwarming…trust me.
"Dear Beck,
I see that you've found me. I'm so sorry you had to come across me like this. I'm so sorry sport. I really want you to know that this all isn't because of you, so if you thought that you'd better hurry up and put it out of your smart little head alright! You're strong, you're a brave young man Beck Oliver and you are always there for others no matter what the cost may be. My last request to you little buddy, is that you pull through and realize that you have a bright future ahead of you. You can do it Beck… I know you can!
Love you lots and lots,
Daddy."
I hear my dad's uplifting voice soothingly say as if he were right here with me. Dad…I love you too…lots and lots. I miss you so much. Why did you have to go and do that to yourself? We could have been a family! We could have been one, but…you had to leave me all alone.
Tears are beginning to pour down my cheeks and soon, a bright white light fills my eyes and I find myself on the shore of the beach. The island beach…I'm still here. I'm still on this damn island. I should have known!
"Looks like you're still okay," I hear a friendly voice chuckle behind me. I turn around only to see Zander standing there proudly with his stick gripped in his hand. The ocean waves are washing up against our feet causing the white foam of the sea to swallow our shoes. The sun is shining as bright as can be causing the sea to give off a brilliant blue shine and seagulls are flying overhead in circular formations.
"Zander?" I ask with a smile, but before I can even say anything more, I see the face of that damn asshole…Felix. "Zander! Did you get that bastard? Felix? Is that son of a bitch dead?"
I remember him trying to gun us all down like animals going to the slaughter as if we didn't mean anything. Jake getting blown up with bullets. Tori getting another shot in the knee. The bomb going off. It all plays in my head repeatedly. "That fucker! He ambushed and…damn!" I feel pain all over my body causing me to fall on my knees. That's right, he shot me.
"No, I didn't get him Beck. All I could do was save you," Zander replied with a tone of sarcasm.
"Wow…thanks a lot," I laugh with a wink. "I guess I owe you one huh, Zander? If you hadn't shown up my name would've been rattled off on the announcements. Seriously, thanks."
"Yeah…uh, any time," he awkwardly replies with a sparkle in his brown eye. That was Zander all right. Always looking all uncomfortable until his strength really shined through. I see him look down at the ground with a deep sigh before he looks up at me with his eyes brimming with tears. His lips curving into a determined smile. "I'll always be there. It's about time I promised everyone that. Not like Stevie! I'll be there from now on."
"Zander...glad to hear it," I say with a smile as the sun warms our bodies.
"Yeah. I just wish I had the kind of confidence you do Beck. I guess I get jealous at times…all that confidence," he laughs while his hair blows softly due to the cooling winds.
I don't get it. What does he mean by…confidence? I don't have confidence, I have hope. Big difference. "It's not confidence Zander. It's hope! That's all it is, and," I feel my heart sink as I begin to think how ridiculous I am sounding at the moment. Hope? Really? It's starting to become more and more of a fantasy every single time a new death is announced. "and…and it's really fading fast. Really, really fast!"
"What!? No hope! Now that's not the son I raised. Not one single bit!" a cheery man's voice booms from behind me as Zander's form fades away into the light of the sun's rays. Is that dad? Dad? No way!
I spin around only to see him standing knee high in the ocean's water with his face gleaming as always and his tousled black hair swaying in the breeze. We actually have the same hair now that I think about it. His eyes are shining with warmth and comfort as he waves at me. I can't believe this…
"C'mon Sport!" he shouts with a cheerful laugh that gives me the urge to smile. "Don't give up! Don't you dare my little man!"
"But…Dad! We…we can finally be a family again!" I shout causing my voice to break while tears flood my eyes. "We can finally be together again! I-I don't want to! I want to be with you again!"
He gives me a sad smile before I see another figure walking alongside him. It looks like a small kid. About nine years old…Mike!? His goofy grin is stuck on his childish face as he gives me a look that causes me to break right then and there. He's wearing that NY Giants jacket…the one we bought together when we first got into football. Mike…
"Your dad's right Beck," he shouts with a wide smile, "You can't give up! It's not your time yet! You have to fight! Fight for me! For your dad!"
Fight…the word resonates in my mind for a moment. Fight. Yeah, fight! I have to avenge him. I have to avenge Mike. I have to make my dad proud! I have to protect my friends. Tori. Katniss. Kendall. James. Logan…Carlos. Cat. Zander. Carly. Kacey…Lulu! All of them! Even Camille for Christ's sake! Wait. Tori…oh no! I left them…Left them all alone with him. With Felix.
"Yep…guess I'm just another Superman in the making,"
Gotta save them…I have to!
"Shut up…so conceited. Don't die."
"Don't plan on it."
Have to keep my word. Darkness soon consumes me and I realize that I am back in a blank abyss with nothing around me. What is with all of these pesky scene changes! I soon hear a girl's screaming voice and off in the distance I spot Tori running towards me with sparkling tears pouring from her eyes. Tori? What's wrong?
"Beck!" she wails with sobs attached to her words. "He came back for us! Felix! He came back!"
I can tell she's trying to run to me, but it seems like we're becoming farther apart with each step. "Tori! What are you talking about?"
"H-He killed Katniss and C-Camille! Now…now he's gonna kill me! Where are you? You need to help me! Beck please! He's going to kill me!" I hear her scream in terror until she is no longer visible and a loud string of gunfire fills the air followed by a blood curdling scream.
"Tori!" I wail in hysteria; still running as if she'd appear. Nothing…just silence. No. Tori…No. NO!
I then feel my body rise up with a bright flash of light stinging my eyes. Tori…
15 Students Remaining
Monday: June 3rd, 2010 – 3:13 P.M. (Deserted Island: Lighthouse)
The blank walls of the bedroom were dimly lit from the gray specks of light peeking in from the overhead window pane. The smell of cooking spaghetti mixed with the tangy scent of tomato sauce leaked into the room from underneath the close door. Everything was almost silenced except for a few low muffled voices every now and then from downstairs. Beck stirred on the blank white bed in an uncomfortable manner as if he were waking up on a lousy school morning. His eyes lazily opened allowing his two brown eyes to adjust to the scenery. At first, the injured boy thought it was a dreaded Monday morning due to the dark skies only allowing a cold yet pale light into the room and the smell of delicious food sneaking into the room.
His groggy eyes slowly surveyed the gray ceiling curiously as if he had just woken up from a surgery and anesthesia was still in his system. He almost closed his eyes once more to enjoy some more much needed sleep while yawning, "Just Five More Minutes."
However, all he received in return was harsh pang in his side as if someone had kicked him with steel toed boots causing him to screech in pain. He immediately shot straight up in the bed after the horrendous sensation and opened his eyes wide with shock. He slowly craned his neck to look over at his side in fear that it would send a new wave of pain through him again. He examined the fresh white bandages that were wrapped intricately around his stomach with a few stitches peeking out from underneath them. "What the?" Beck whispered as he stared at the design the bandages made over his body.
He looked around the room with squinted eyes in hopes that he was in some hospital room or something. He hoped that he was rescued…that someone finally stood up to the government and decided to rescue his class. But all his wishes were torn in two after he felt the collar around his neck press harshly against his throat as he swallowed. "Damn," he hissed in disappointment before raising his injured arm that had a six inch long stitch in it up to the metallic surface of the collar.
He wished he could just tear it right off, but just as Mr. Eikner said…
"They explode. Pulling at it may trigger it as well so please don't do that either."
Beck sighed in defeat as he fell onto the bed causing it to shake and his head became enveloped in a soft pillow. Just then, he heard the door to the room open immediately followed by the voices of three people. He almost jumped in fright with his heart nearing leaping from his throat, but as soon as his eyes hysterically fell upon them he couldn't be happier.
"Well, Well…look who finally decided to wake up," Kendall laughed while he adjusted a friendship bracelet on his wrist. He actually had three of them. One was blue, one was red and the last one was orange. They were actually gifts that Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan made for each other during their first year at summer camp together when they were just ten years old. They each made three bracelets to give to one another in order to celebrate their friendship and even till this day, none of them can bare to take them off.
"Yeah, looks like sandman's been a little too generous eh?" Zander gave off a humorous chuckle at his joke as he approached the bed. He gave Beck a nice smile as he sat in a wooden chair near the wall that creaked right when he sat down. Beck gave each of the boys a grin even though his exhaustion was still in effect. His body was still fatigued and his eyes felt overridden with deprived sleep.
Beck soon averted his eyes to the final individual in the room and almost let out a shocked gasp at who it was. Kacey stood there with a joyous look on her beautiful face before slowly walking over to the edge of the bed with her hands clasped together.
"Kacey?" Beck whispered lowly; trying to regain the volume in his tired voice or maybe it was sore from all the yelling he did. All Kacey did was laugh whole heartedly with a smirk coming onto her face as she stared at the bedridden boy.
"In the flesh," she chirped while placing a hand on her curved hip. Her charm bracelet jingled as she did so and Beck honestly couldn't believe it. He almost expected it to all be a dream, but as soon as Zander began to explain the entire Felix fiasco as well as the jump off the cliff, Beck nearly widened his eyes in disbelief.
"Damn! Seriously?" Beck gasped with a impressed smirk on his face as Zander continued his story.
"Definitely," Zander gave off a smile as he said so. "At first, I thought a group of teamed up murderers were gonna blow my head off. Thankfully it was far from what I thought."
"So…we washed ashore and-" Beck was immediately cut off as soon as Kendall began to clear up the story for him with a beaming smile of leadership.
"You guys washed right up near our lighthouse and luckily you guys were able to end up in good hands. We took you in and-" Kendall was cut off as Zander began to lean back in his chair with a sigh escaping his lips.
"Sorry Kendall, and then we moved into this room…you were in a terrible condition. Lots of bleeding…thankfully it was all stopped in time."
"And meanwhile, Kacey was running around like a freaked out moron without a clue of what to do…yep, am I awesome or what," Kacey groaned at the edge of the bed as she rolled her eyes with a smile on her face.
"Hey! There's nothing wrong with being a moron. You happen to be talking to one," Beck joked with a triumphant sound to his voice as he pointed his thumb at his chest. "Actually you're talking to the all time King of morons."
"Like we didn't know," Zander sighed with an embarrassed smile as he gave an exasperated sigh. Beck only smiled brightly at the pale boy and gave a deep breath in order to calm himself.
"So, Felix. He ambushed us huh?" Beck asked with his eyes closed before wincing at the pain he was receiving due to the wounds made from the incident last night. Zander down casted his eyes in defeat as he nodded his head 'yes'.
"Wow…thank God we escaped."
Kendall only stared up at the rain covered window with a calm look before smiling as always. "Yeah…thank God you all are alive," he softly spoke as he gave a grin to all three of the others with his emerald green shining in determination. "You have no idea how worried we've been."
Beck looked over at the blonde with a look of reassurance trying to muster up some kind of reply, but he really couldn't. He couldn't deal with speech giving any longer…and he could obviously see it has gotten him anywhere but in a bed with wounds all over his tattered body. The room was almost dead quiet before Beck looked around the room with a depressed look on his clean face and spoke up dryly. "How many?"
Everyone else only looked up at him with confused faces as well as their lips turning into a sad from as if they had some kind of idea of what he meant. "You mean…announcements?" Zander asked with an uncomfortable tone as if he were speaking of something dreadful.
Beck merely nodded his head once causing his air to swiftly move around his head. "How many died since…you know? How long? Last I heard was…Jade…damn it," Beck couldn't even say her name without cringing in disgust. He couldn't believe she had died. She was the strongest girl he knew and now she was just a forgotten memory with only a body to show for it. "This is beyond fucked up."
Kacey only bit her bottom lip in distress as if she agreed and looked down at her two damp feet from the rain. Specks of sand were still stuck to them and she couldn't help but shiver from the cold that still rested in her bones due to the outside weather. Kendall took a breath of air before digging his hand into his jean pocket. After rummaging through it with his tongue poking out of his mouth, he brought out a folded up piece of notebook paper in-between his pale fingers.
Everyone remained still as he unfolded it causing the sound of crinkling paper to fill the bedroom like it was being done over a speaker. After he finished, Kendall began examining the paper with sad eyes and pursed lips before finally croaked out a shaky sentence. "There were only two so far."
Beck stared at Kendall in order to urge him to continue as the sound of muffled voices filled the downstairs atmosphere. "Well…at the 6:00 announcements," Kendall felt tears well up inside his eyes as he stared at the group of names he wrote down on the ratty sheet of lined paper. "There were only three…Jake…Hayley…and Andre."
Beck almost felt his heart shred into pieces after hearing those three names as well as the screams and gunshots associated with their deaths. He didn't want to revisit that scene anymore than he had to, but the truth wasn't going to disappear. They were actually dead and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Yeah…who else?" Beck asked with a pained sniffle before he heard the one more name being called out afterwards.
"Only one for the 12:00 one…Josh. Josh died," Kendall whispered before letting a tear roll from his bright green eye and down his cheek.
"Josh?" Beck almost felt shocked after hearing the lovable boy's name. "Who would kill him?"
"Lucy probably," Zander suggested with a frown on his face causing everyone to tremble at the thought. If Lucy was playing like this, how would they be able to get around her and escape?
"I can't believe all this is for real," Kacey shuddered with her hands placed on her knees as she sat at the edge of the bed. Everyone couldn't agree more. This was all too surreal…as if they were still becoming accustomed to this horrific game, but their class was already cut down to almost a fourth of its size. The sound of thunder vibrated against the window pane as Beck tried to take a minute to think before remembering something. Katniss' plan…the entire plan if they ever get separated.
"This is a bird call. We used to use them all the time where I was from…someone real special gave this to me and they're perfect for signaling."
The bird caller she gave Zander last night! He screamed in his head with a look on his face that radiated the sense that he had an idea.
"Just remember to use that once you've found who you're looking for…then I want you to hideout near this house after we return the favor."
"Zander!"
"Huh?" Zander blurted out from his spot in the wooden chair with an alerted look.
"Do you still have that bird caller with you? The one Katniss gave you? Well? Do you," Beck impatiently asked with an eager grin on his face as Zander frantically nodded his head in a way that seemed to show that he had no idea what was about to occur. He dug through his backpack in a hopeful attempt to find it, but all he saw were MMA magazines as well as the pair of muai thai boxing gloves Stevie got him as a gift…
"Aha!" he exclaimed with a wide friendly smile after spotting the small device in the depths of his bag. "Here it is."
He held it out in his outstretched hand before walking over to Beck's bedside with it. "Perfect!" Beck laughed with a great amount of enthusiasm causing Kendall to smile in amusement and Kacey to let out a few snickering chuckles. "Remember what Katniss said? Once you found who you were looking for…" he started speaking while gesturing to Kacey at the end of the bed. "Which you have I'm guessing…go hideout by the farmhouse and give this baby a blow until Katniss starts giving out the calls also."
"Wait, bird call? Blow? Katniss?" Kendall repeated incomprehensively while looking back and forth between Zander and Beck. Beck simply gave off a beaming smile in response.
"I'll explain it all later…anyway, Zander! I want you and Kacey to hurry and move out for the farm house! Remember that okay! Wait? The farm house isn't a danger zone is it?" Beck asked frantically as he entered his head strong area of expertise. Being a brave idiot like Tori would say.
"No…not yet," Kendall answered with a determined smile on his face as he read the crinkled sheet of paper in his hands and looked back up at Beck. "There doesn't seem to be any danger zones in the vicinity of it either."
"Awesome! Well? What are you two waiting for? Go on. Once you meet up with Katniss and the crew lead them back here so we can all discuss our little plan."
Zander only smiled greatly with a nod before standing up on his two feet causing his wet shoes to squelch. Beck already knew about the whole microphones I the collars, but he couldn't care less. He actually wanted these monsters to hear every word he had to say, and he was going to mean every single one of them.
Zander grasped Kacey's hand causing her to take a deep breath before nodding with a tenacious look on her face. "See you guys soon," she spoke with sincerity.
"Real soon," Zander added while picking up his things as well as Kacey's and handing her belongings to her. She held her duffle bag strap over her soaked shoulder and swiped a few black curls behind it with a sassy little grin on her face She opened the freshly painted door with her soft hand and looked back over her shoulder to give one last nod to Beck and Kendall in hopes that they would all make it through and headed off down the hallway.
Zander was halfway out of the door until he stopped and turned around as well with tears in his deep brown eyes. The emotions within him were almost on the verge of exploding, but he at least had to say one last thing before they parted ways again. "Beck, Kendall…we'll make it out…I promise…We'll all escape and take our revenge."
"Damn straight," Kendall spoke back with an emotional look in his eyes as well.
"Just like our team motto?" Beck smirked before watching his two friends give him emerging smiles. They both nodded their heads with pumped fists before all three of them began speaking the motto with persistence in their tones.
"The Guardian Angels! Stick together until defeat…always!"
With that to close their friendly goodbyes, Zander left the room causing silence to hang in the air along with the mouth watering scent of pasta. Beck licked his dry lips in order to moisten them and let his eyes dart over to a sight that almost made him mant to leap in joy. Water bottles. At least five of them were crowded together like a group of bowling pins on the bedside table.
"Are you thirsty?" Kendall asked with an arched brow after spotting the entrance look Beck was giving. Beck broke his gaze from the clear bottles of water and looked back at Kendall with a dazed look. "Go ahead dude. We have loads downstairs. You don't even know how stocked this place was when we got here."
The green eyed leader reached over with his long arm and grabbed on of the bottles and placed it in Beck's limp hand that was sitting in his lap on the white as snow blanket. Beck gave off an appreciative smile before hastily unscrewing the cap and bringing it to his lips in a longing manner. The water streamed down the depths of his dry throat and he couldn't help but smile at the great sensation.
"Uh-huh, I see you're enjoying it," Kendall laughed as he tilted his head a bit to the side causing his blonde hair to ruffle a bit. Beck merely gasped in relief after bringing the bottle from his dry lips and chuckled in embarrassment.
"Yeah, dry throat…sucks more than these bullets in my body actually," Beck sighed with a grin before sinking back in his bed causing the sheets to wrinkle. The air smelt fantastic as the scent of Carly's signature meal drifted in the quiet air.
"Of course," Kendall chuckled with an exasperated sigh before reaching over to place the crinkled paper down on the smooth surface of the bedside table. "Are you hungry also Mr. Oliver? A boy's got to eat right?"
"You bet! Wait? You guys have food? How?" Beck arched his night colored brow as Kendall gave a shining grin in return as the rain oddly began to lighten just a bit as if it was dying down finally.
"I told you already. This place is loaded…so don't worry I'll get you something to eat in a minute man. We're all basically pitching in for dinner…kind of. I'm not really the best cook in the world, but as long as it's edible right?"
"Wait, we? You mean you're not alone Kendall?" Beck asked in a slightly confused tone while bringing the water bottle's moist tip to his mouth for another refreshing gulp of the crystal liquid.
"Not even close. You know what they say…safety in numbers is always the way to go," Kendall beamed while leaning back in his folded chair with a determined glow on his face. "There's six of us altogether. It's me, Carly…James…Cat, James and Carlos. Thank God…Even in these damn circumstances, I can still trust my friends."
Beck only sat there with an amazed look o his face before feeling Kendall's words go right through him like blades of steel. "Damn! Seriously? Glad someone can still do that. I'm starting to question everything even…I don't think I can really lay it on the line now that I know anyone can be a killer," Beck sighed with clenched teeth as the refreshing water fell down the depths of his throat.
Kendall merely nodded in pained agreement before letting a shaky breath leave his lips. "We always have to have someone on watch…I guess it keeps the fear away. It helps us stay a little less scared-no…a little less terrified. Yeah, terrified. Logan's up there now, but who knows how much more he'll be able to take."
The sound of the winds howling down the beach shore like a stampede of angered horses filled the room uncomfortably while the two boys continued to speak. "You want to know something dumb?" Kendall asked with a humored laugh as he leaned forward in the folding chair with his elbows rested on his denim jean covered knees. "When I left that school building last night when the 'game' started…I was crying like a damn baby. After seeing Gibby go nuts like that at me and Lulu…I took off running like a wimp. Running and bawling like a baby."
Kendall felt his chest tighten from the memory and his strong voice began to grow soft and weak as he started to laugh in order to shrug it off. "Thankfully I was the third one out which meant no one would stumble across me. If they did…easy kill."
Beck stared at Kendall with wide eyes as he listened to his story attentively and gave a sympathetic look in order to give his blonde friend a sense of comfort. "Then after a few more water works, I started to get mad. Yep, that's me alright…the leader who never backs down. Always comes down to rage, anger and 'Screw You!' whenever something awful happens to me or someone I love." Kendall chuckled with his eyes narrowed in confidence causing his emerald green eyes to sparkle.
"So what did you do?" Beck asked with a tone of curiosity as his lips began to contort into a anxious smile.
"Simple…I decided that I wasn't going to play by their rules. I wasn't going to play this damn game no matter what! And I definitely wasn't going to be the only one."
"You mean…you mean you started to build an alliance? You actually went out and started recruiting!?" Beck gawked at the fearless born leader with wide eyes.
"What can I say? That's just who I am, but I had to find James, Carlos and Logan first. If anything they were the ones I needed to protect…I had to make sure they were safe," Kendall whispered as he thought of his three best friends. "I had to find them."
"K-Kendall? No…please! Y-You…No! Please don't! Don't hurt me!" Logan wailed while hugging his knees close to his pounding chest within the dense shrubbery in the pitch black forest. It was only twenty minutes after Kendall was called so up to this point Boy # 10 (Andre Harris) and Girl # 10 (Suzie Crabgrass) were probably exiting the school building at this point. Logan left twelve minutes after Kendall did in tears. He was a complete wreck after he left the school campus with his mouth emitting several choked sobs as he ran blindly through the woods in hopes that he would find safety.
However, he only found something he never wished to find. Another person…with a gun of all things. Logan on the other hand, had a M16 machine gun as his designated weapon so obviously he would have taken this perpetrator down easily, but he was too frightened to even pick it up. He fell onto the ground in a frantic mess as Kendall slowly approached the brainy brunette from within the thick trees with his Browning High Power handgun cocked and pointed at the ground.
"L-Logan?" Kendall whispered with a tone of joy as his face became illuminated in the bright moonlight from above.
"No! Kendall please! Don't shoot! I'm not…I'm not gonna hurt you!"
"Logan!" Kendall shouted in order to catch the hysterical boy's attention. "I'll never hurt you Loges. You hear me? Never! We're brothers remember? We…We can band together. We can beat this Logie!"
Logan only sat there with a bewildered look on his face while tears still streamed out of his deep brown eyes and down his flushed cheeks that were usually pale. "T-Together?" he squeaked with a sob uttering from his shaking form.
"Yeah…but only if we stick together through it all okay? Strength in numbers Logan. Me, you, James and Carlos. Just like always! We'll always be together," Kendall beamed with a comforting expression on his face as he stepped closer to the terrified Logan and bent down to help Logan up. "Always there for each other okay?"
Logan staggered to his feet while wiping the snot from his nose as well as the clear tears from his reddened face. He let out a few last sniffles before staring into his fearless protector's eyes that bore courage and felt relief take him over completely. "Okay…Kendall…I…Okay! Together Kenny! Always!" Logan laughed with joyous tears flying from his eyes as he buried his face into Kendall's broad shoulder and hugged him for dear life. Kendall simply returned the favor before resting his chin on top of Logan's head; feeling the smaller boy's faux hawk tickle his skin.
"Yeah Logie. You, me, Jamie and Litos…always together."
Kendall stared at the foot of the bed as he thought back on the situation. "I guess that's why I'm always leader when it comes to everything. Captain of the basketball team, the big brother for my three best friends…I was even recommended to run for class president. My dad says it's because I have the blood of a fearless lion…he says I get it from him. The only problem is that I'm nothing like my dad. My dad always sticks with his beliefs…I only believed in all of this 'escape' fantasy until I started hearing all the announcements. I really believed back then, now…I'm not so sure to be honest."
Beck nodded in response with an understanding look on his face. "That's understandable Ken'. Definitely understandable…but what happened after you found Logan?"
"Oh, well after we agreed on teaming up we decided to head back to the school in order to see if Carlos and James were still inside. We even intended on having others join in the mean time," Kendall continued while toying with the guitar pick necklace he was wearing.
"Whoa! You mean…damn Kendall Knight!" Beck laughed in absolute amazement. "Here I am all talk like some moron, but you! Oh man, you've been zero talk and all action. You really are a fearless leader."
"Heh, Thanks," Kendall grinned while rubbing the back of his neck only to have his finger tips meet the metallic surface of his collar. He immediately remembered the images of when he returned to the school grounds with a trembling Logan at his side. Jo… "We saw him. Nelson…we saw…saw what he did to Gibby. What he did to…" Kendall couldn't even speak the poor blonde girl's name without feeling a horrid sharp pain in his chest. He felt tears come to his eyes as he thought all about the scene once more.
"Welcome…to the Nelson Baxter Killing Spree ladies and gents!"
"It was like he was getting off on it…you should have seen it. H-He…he was so into it. It was the sickest thing I ever saw. G-Gibs and…J-Jo…both dead and that bastard was getting off from it!" Kendall seethed as the memories flooded his veins like a shot of adrenaline. Kendall was always like this. Whenever someone he cared about got hurt he would always be the first to lose it. After taking a deep breath to calm himself down and rubbing his palms on his thighs, he narrowed his green eyes in a dead serious fashion. "That's when me and Logan decided that we had to be extremely careful about who we let into our alliance. We couldn't just run up to everyone we saw like they were some angel from God…we had to be careful."
Beck pursed his lips as he felt the plastic bottle begin to crush from his tightening grip. "Yeah…" Beck muttered with his eyes gazing down at his lap after hearing this new piece of information. He never knew Nelson was the one who killed Gibby, but since they were both dead…none of it really mattered now.
"It was awful. Poor Logan almost flipped after seeing it…he told me that only a few could probably be trusted if we were to do this little alliance thing. Looking back, he was probably right," Kendall sighed while the muffled sound of friendly conversations continued to echo through the empty hallway just outside the door. "We were both really scared after seeing those bodies on the ground. All that blood and…it's still terrifying actually."
"Yeah," Beck replied with a sigh as he looked up at Kendall. His bandages ruffling every time he made a single movement. "Go on ahead Ken."
"Well," Kendall began after coughing into his palm and heightening his voice volume to obtain his confident tone of voice. "After Nelson started to leave, we saw the doors open again and low and behold it was James. Poor guy…He was trying so hard to look all macho and brave but I could tell he was a wreck. Especially after he looked down at his feet and saw Jo and Gibby's bodies lying there. We tried to call out to him just as he started to freak and the look on his face was priceless. He looked so happy…so happy to see us even though he didn't know if we were playing or not. He knew though, he knew us too well. He almost choked on all the tears he was crying out when he came over to us with wide open arms and nearly squeezed the life out of us. It all just fell into place…Soon after James came out, Cat came whimpering out of the school with a look of fear on her face. Right when she came close enough, we were able to ask her to join. You know what she did? She jumped right into us for a hug while laughing her usual laugh."
"That's Cat all over," Beck sighed with a groan as he thought about the innoncent red head who always brought a remedy for any bad day.
"Definitely," Kendall laughed in agreement before furrowing his eyebrows in order to get back on his train of thought. "Carly…we found her after Molly was called. She sitting there all alone by the Church…frightened and teary eyed just like the rest of us. It wasn't until she saw us and heard our little alliance idea that she gave her nicest smile through her tears and decided to join. Then while we were walking around to find any type of rest stop we found True hiding behind a tree…we tried to recruit her but, she just sped off like crazy…"
Beck felt his insides tighten after hearing True's name. Her agonized face drifted through his foggy mind as he thought back on his near-death experience with the crazed girl with all the right moves.
"End of the fucking line! True isn't going to die! You are Becky! True will shoot! Shoot you dead!"
"She ran away?" Beck whispered with a dry feeling in his throat as if he'd just swallowed a mouthful of burning ashes. Kendall looked over at him with a sigh escaping his lips before he nodded in response.
"Yeah…." He spoke with a disappointed tone to his strong voice before he stroked a wavy strand of his blonde hair over his forehead, "We found Molly and Jade also…but they refused to come. We said they could but Jade she…damn, she just had to be stubborn like always. Molly probably declined because she didn't want to 'betray' Jade or Lucy or whatever." Kendall looked down at his lap with a single tear clouding his vision as he visualized the two girls faces. "If only we persisted…maybe they'd still be here. Kirby too…he came by here yesterday and we turned him down. Some 'fearless leader' I am huh? I could have saved so many lives, but…I caused some of them to die and-"
"Hey! That's not true man. You can't afford to think like that…trust me. I know from experience," Beck cut in with a good hearted laugh as he took another longing gulp of his crystal clear water. He felt the liquid rush down his burning throat like a quenching waterfall and Kendall looked up at him with tear running down his cheek.
He only shook his head sadly with a depressed grin before looking up at the ceiling in hopes that the tears would stay put. "I actually swore I wouldn't cry…now look at me. I'm a complete mess. Ha ha, I look like my mom after she watched a cheesy hallmark movie."
"Hey, we all get emotional now and then…I here girls are into that anyway," Beck winked with a smirk causing Kendall to let out a stifle laugh. "You said there were six right? How did you guys come across Carlos? You found him the night the game began also?"
"No," Kendall answered with his finger rubbing his eye in order to calm the tears that were beginning to stream from it. "Luckily we found him on the beach yesterday morning…thank God. If he would have died…I don't know what I would have done. Poor little guy. He looked…he looked so fragile. Like he'd been through so much, and- God, he looked traumatized. Carlos never liked horror movies…every time he saw blood or violence he would always start to freak out. The only difference is that this is reality…the blood and dead bodies are real. If he can't handle on-screen, 'tamed' violence…how do you expect him to handle it when it's all real? It's as if he's been mentally destroyed by this game. And he kept going on and on about what he saw before-"
Kendall immediately stopped himself as his eyes opened wide in horror after he realized what he was about to say and his entire body began to tremble. Beck only stared at him in confusion and arched his brow. "Kendall? Is something wrong?"
Kendall only took a deep breath to stabilize himself and dryly swallowed with a shaky breath coming from his throat. "Beck? Carlos he- He told us something…"
"Uh, what did he tell you?" Beck asked with a confused tone in his drowsy voice.
"He said he…said he saw you…you and Kevin yesterday. He saw you guys and…he saw you kill him," Kendall whispered with a nervous feel in his words as if he was hoping that Beck would just laugh it off like a joke. However, Beck didn't do that at all. All he did was widen his eyes before sinking back into the propped pillow behind his with his fingers trembling madly.
"Damn…" Beck sighed with a pained look in his eyes. "That was all an accident Kendall…I swear. I would never play this damn game. Kevin, we…he attacked me and we fell. Before I knew it…there I was on top of him. An axe in his face and the handle in my hand. I swear though. It was all a complete, horrible accident."
"I know," Kendall replied with a relieved tone while nodding his head once in understanding. "I know that you'd never hurt anyone…and," Kendall slapped his thighs in a way to signal a transition to another topic. "now that that's out of the way. Let's talk about what we've got going on now. All I've got is a dream with only hope to cling to. I may be the leader of this grand alliance, but…I really have no idea of what to do. That's my way of thinking… 'Resist and escape these bastards and then happily ever after'. I'm no Jake Collins. I can't hack or do anything…all I can do is have faith. Great…"
Beck almost spit out the water he began to drink after hearing these gloomy words escape the courageous boy he's grown to know. "Weren't you listening? Remember what I told Zander and Kacey? Katniss, she knows a way out of this damn game! She's actually been through all of this crap before you know. She legit knows a way out-"
"Oh man, here we go," Kendall gave a warm laugh as he shook his head in amusement, "Beck with his wild schemes and ideas."
"Who said this was some off-the-wall idea? Kendall, you have to believe me. Katniss seriously knows a way out. She's been helping Tori and me out ever since yesterday after, you know…the whole Kevin thing." Beck remarked with a ringing sound of praise as he spoke of Katniss Everdeen in all her glory.
"Katniss Everdeen?" Kendall questioned with an odd look. "The scary, antisocial transfer girl we got this year?"
"That's the one," Beck beamed with pride. All Kendall did was stare at him with a look of disbelief etched all over his face.
"Are you nuts? We barely know her. Does she even have a plan?"
"Plan?" Beck whispered as if he were a kid being questioned on what the meaning of life was.
"Of course," Kendall sighed with a light smile on his face as he folded his arms over his chest before giving off a confident smirk. "You know what…what the hell! I'll trust you on this Beck. I mean c'mon, remember the new play you'd suggest we'd try out. You always played it straight so why not?"
"Y-Yeah? You're on board? Seriously?" Beck excitedly laughed in awe as he stared at Kendall's gleaming smile.
"Uh-huh, but on one condition," Kendall arched his thick brow with his finger pointed in the air as he spoke.
"Okay, what?"
"Katniss is going to have to seriously earn my trust. I'm not going to label her, but I still need to be sure she can be trusted. You…you I can definitely trust Beck," Kendall gave a sigh as he balanced the metal folding chair on its hind legs with the tips of his toes pushing off the ground. "Convincing James, Logan, Carly, Cat and Carlos…now that's gonna be a challenge. Whew…guess my fearlessness is really going to be put to the test huh?"
"I bet you'll be able to pull it off Kendall…I've got faith in you," Beck gave a reassuring look to the lanky blonde as he watched him settle the four legs of the chair back down to the ground. Kendall slowly rose himself up off the uncomfortable seat with a groan leaving his lips and as he stretched his entire back he gave Beck a saddened look before placing his hands in his pockets I a carefree manner.
"You really are a great guy Beck. I actually feel kinda privileged to have known you for so long. Tori's a lucky girl…real lucky…take care of her okay? Some of us wish we had with the ones we loved…be with her always," Kendall stated with a dead serious look on his smooth face as his blue striped V-neck at the hem.
"I will…don't worry. I'll make sure that applies to all of you guys too. There can always be two leaders you know."
"Nah…I kind of like being the king of the lighthouse if you don't mind," Kendall gave off a humored chuckle before turning on the heel of his baby blue checkered vans and headed for the wooden, blank white door. "Dinner will be up in a minute okay? I would have you come down, but…their all still a bit scared and have a hard time trusting. Especially Carlos…he's still a bit freaked out about having you here. So I told him that I'd lock your door in order to make him feel better. Is that alright?"
"Sure. Right…the whole Kevin thing. I don't mind," Beck sighed with a smile as he looked over at Kendall who was standing halfway out of the door. The magnificent smell of spaghetti drifted into the room like a sudden gust of wind causing Beck's stomach to grumble in annoyance. "But hurry would ya?"
"Yeah, yeah," Kendall chuckled before turning the lock on the outside, golden door knob. "When this is all over…I hope we can all still be friends."
Beck only gave a nod with a smile of positivity. "We will. You can bet on that."
Kendall smiled back with a look of determination before closing the door leaving nothing but the sound of light rain tapping against the over head window pane to fill the bedroom. Beck could faintly hear the sound of music echoing down the halls of the lighthouse along with Kendall's footsteps as he descended the metal spiral steps.
"We'll always be friends…we'll always be the group of ordinary kids in class 3-C. Not the fucking contestants of this sick Battle Royale Competition…never…that's for damn sure."
15 Students Remaining
There you have it...Beck has finally been reunited with the fearless Kendall Knight! What did you think of the chapter? What will Lulu do now that she's killed Hexley a.k.a. Felix? What will the growing alliance do now that Beck has told them about Katniss and her plans? Find out in the next Chapter of the 61st Battle Royale Compeition.