Notes: Okay my Battle Royale! You know the score so we’re getting straight into the killings – I’m sick of writing pre-amble
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There were less of them than usual; only 23. That number had been 25, but Yoriko and Kasumi: they hadn’t made it out of The Room.
Touma Kiryuu was keeping himself safely inside the cave. There was a madman out there: they all knew him. In school he had been a loner, the one that was whispered about and made fun of. Well, Yamagata was sure proving himself on this battle field. He had already killed Cloud Daimyo; Touma had watched it himself, as the blonde haired boy was hacked down with the panga Yamagata seemed to have acquired for a weapon.
Turning on his side, Touma looked at his own weapon: a pair of nail clippers. The boy was defiantly not cut out for this: rifling through his pack he pulled out his half stale loaf, broke and nibbled a chunk of it silently. This only made Touma feel worse, as the horrible sickness he felt from knowing he would be killed responded to the bread settling in his gut.
A scuffling at the mouth of the cave forced Touma to jump to his feet. Putting out his flashlight, the boy shivered.
Perhaps if I take them by surprise I could score a direct hit
He managed to silence the other voice which was telling him there was no chance he would outwit the intruder; if that intruder turned out to be Yamagata.
Touma froze like a rabbit in the headlights as a torch was shone in his own eyes. Putting his forearm up to shield his pupils from the searing light; Touma stumbled on some shallow rocks and fell. A female voice was heard.
“Touma! Don’t hurt me – it’s me Kaori!”
Touma lunged for the girl and embraced her; so happy was he to find an ally.
“Kaori! What is all this madness? I saw Cloud killed by Yamagata. He looked happy about it. Is he looking for revenge on us all?”
Kaori pulled herself into Touma’s embrace. “He is just doing what he must to survive. Touma is there a way we can stay alive – I don’t want to kill anybody.”
Touma nodded. “We have three days.” The boy shivered: Kaori meant nothing to him.
If it came to it, could I kill her too? We never really spoke. But she seems to trust me.
Disgusted with this thought Touma led Kaori from the mouth of the cave.
Day 1. 03:24 am BOYS Cloud Daimyo dead. 21 to go.
Pai was feeling rather pleased with herself. Although she would have never branded herself a cold blooded murderer: the girl was fast. A leading member of the sports team, she had learnt that winning was everything. The game had not been going for four hours and already she had tagged herself a victim: Mamoru.
Holding her paper fan, Pai had picked up the pot lid she had found Mamoru had been carrying as a weapon. The girl raced down a hillside, dodging vines and hoping she wouldn’t get bitten by a snake. Her flimsy school shoes were certainly not cut out for this kind of terrain. Running too fast due to her inadequate footwear, Pai stumbled the last few metres. Glancing to her left, she saw the way was clear. The girl gasped as she saw Ling-Ling standing to the right; on the forest path in front of a set of stone steps.
The girl had her bag and no weapon to hand. Pai drew herself up, holding the pot lid as some form of medieval shield; letting only the handle of her fan show, hoping Ling-Ling would mistake it for a knife or gun handle.
“Ling-Ling! What is your weapon?”
Ling-Ling stared at Pai, the fan bearer was not sure if she was afraid or amused.
She had better not smirk at me; she always did think she was better at school
Ling-Ling put her hands out in front of her; palms upwards. Pai stared at this gesture and snorted.
“You did pick up your bag didn’t you?”
Ling-Ling’s smile widened.
“Of course, and my weapon was this.”
Pai now saw that she meant to show her the tight samurai bandages which bound her hands.
“Perhaps they wanted me to cover my wounds; but as I do not intend to receive any, I guess they will have to help me further my martial art skills; and what do you have Pai? A pot lid and I believe that is a fan tucked under your arm?”
Pai drew out her weapon, knowing it was no use hiding it now. “Hai! Always thinking you had the upper hand at school, but I will beat you even if it is with only these basic weapons.”
Ling-Ling widened her smile; a natural arrogance had always been present in the girl; and it did not fail her now as she stood up to Pai.
“Then show me what you have, don’t hold back.”
Ling-Ling was faster than Pai had expected; windmilling her arms around her shoulders the girl smashed her fists down on Pai’s head. Pai rolled as soon as she hit the ground and used the sharp edge of the pot lid to swipe at Ling-Ling’s ankle.
Although Ling-Ling squealed, she did not lose pace. Turning the girl stamped on the prone face of Pai in front of her.
“Take that!”
Pai rolled quickly, but the toe of Ling-Ling’s boot caught the girl’s ear. Cursing at the smarting pain, Pai regained her feet and hurled the pot lid at Ling-Ling. Whipping her hand out to block the object, Ling-Ling did not have time to dodge Pai as she hurled herself at the girl. The pair hit the ground, Pai straddling Ling-Ling. Gaining herself, Ling-Ling tipped the lighter girl and caught her with her fists across the jaw.
Pai attempted to kick her legs up and catch Ling-Ling; but the girl had already moved and now was coming back to finish off her victim. Snatching Pai’s fan, Ling-Ling clamped the lacquered jaws around the girl’s neck.
“Sayonara bitch.” Pulling the clamp tightly shut, Ling-Ling began to strangle Pai. The girl chocked as the reality of the situation hit her. Only slightly stunned by the fight, Pai kicked and squirmed. She was loosing air rapidly however and soon laid still, her windpipe bruised. Ling-Ling clung on for a moment later, just to be sure, before releasing the girl. She ran off to the building at the top of the steps.
Mitsurugi’s day was not going quite as well as Ling-Ling’s. Having witnessed Yamagata kill Cloud, the boy had been in no mood to stick around. Yamagata had seen Mitsurugi rush off into the forest; but panic fuelled the athletic boy and he had managed to escape.
Resting his hands on his knees, Mitsurugi doubled over: catching his breath. In the distance he heard female screams, vaguely he thought one of them sounded like his old class mate Pai, but he couldn’t be sure.
Kneeling Mitsurugi vowed that he would never kill any of his former class mates.
This was the last thing to go through his mind: or more correctly the crossbow arrow fired by Tsuyoshi was the last thing to go through his mind. The boy had seen Mitsurugi crash through the trees and onto the path and found that it was easier than he thought to sneak up on his fatty class mate and fire an arrow through his head.
Tsuyoshi paced past his dead colleague and glanced all around him before taking off. He would not let his guard down as Mitsurugi had.
Day 1: 06:24 am: BOYS Mitsurugi Habu, Momoru Matsuri, dead
GIRLS Pai Uchiwa dead 18 to go
Touma led Kaori into the darkened hut. There didn’t appear to be anyone there, and the boy felt safe here. Kaori sat down and hugged her knees.
“Why are we doing this to each other? Nobody was like this before. They say it’s because the youth have turned into monsters: hooligans but they don’t understand.”
Touma was leaning on the window frame, gazing out.
“Kaori, I saw a teacher knifed to death. This isn’t because they want to punish us. The teachers want payback; they want to do the things to us that we did to them. THE KIDS AGAINST THE ADULTS?!?!? How childish does it sound Kaori? They are willing to kill people – good people like you and me because of a few stabbings.”
Kaori hung her head. “I used to skip school though. I’m as much to blame as the others.”
When Touma replied his voice was low. He thumbed the bracer around his neck and continued to stare out into the mid-day scene.
“That doesn’t mean you should be a part of this blood fest.” Clearing the space between them in a second Touma tucked a blanket around her shoulders. “Get some rest.”
As he bunched the blanket around her; something scuffled from the shadows. Touma grabbed for his scissors but they were no longer there. Fearing that both he and Kaori would be slaughtered, Touma managed to at least find his flashlight. He aimed it at the unknown person.
“No, please. Gomen, gomen. Don’t shoot.”
Touma lowered his light. “Sakura?”
The girl stepped from the shadows. “Hai. I heard what you said. You are good?”
Touma sighed. “Yes, Sakura, do you intend to kill us?”
Sakura shook her head. “No, I didn’t even take my weapon. I threw my bag at the soldiers. Can I stay with you?”
Touma nodded. “Hai, sleep with Kaori, I’ll keep watch.”
Yamagata stalked across the paths which ran through the forest. Steel cold eyes glanced around, ensuring nobody would be able to creep up on him.
Yamagata had not a single shred of hesitation in killing any of the opposition. As well as harbouring a deep hatred of his class mates; Yamagata was a born killer. Cloud was not the first the boy had killed, and this island had not been his first battlefield either.
Both his parents were dead, and instead of going to an orphanage; Yamagata had escaped onto the streets. His sole dream was to be a mercenary: a hired killer. The teen watched the girls and boys in his class flirt and consume their interests with trivial things. Yamagata was more interested in killing than he ever had been in women.
He recalled his latest kill: Boku and Hwoarang. Yamagata had found the two fussing over the corpse of Lei Lei. The fools had been trying to bury her. Stepping over her shallow grave, Yamagata had shot Hwoarang with the sub-machine gun he had acquired from Cloud. Boku had simply sat, frozen with fear and trembling.
Yamagata was about to shoot him too when he began to scream.
“It wasn’t me, Hwoarang killed her knifed her to death. I swear she didn’t do anything to him.” The boy began to sob. “She only wanted to go home.”
Yamagata smiled.
With his gun still aimed at Boku’s head, Yamagata bent to recover the knife which Hwoarang had dropped. Knowing that there would not be a great deal of resistance, Yamagata held Boku’s hair tightly and slowly sliced across his throat.
Boku made a wet gurgling sound, as his blood moistened the chocker around his neck. Eyes wide, Boku strained his body against the knife, only causing his neck to rub against it’s now moist, crimson edge.
Hearing shots and shouts quite nearby, Yamagata sliced Boku’s neck with haste and left the boy to pitch forward, spilling blood generously into the already saturated soil.
Running towards the sound, Yamagata continued until he found that a precipice was preventing him from going any further. Assuming a sniping position with his machine gun, the dark haired boy stared down at his next victim. It was Momiji, and the girl looked to have done well for herself. Carrying a shot gun, it appeared that she had found a bandana from somewhere also.
Yamagata had always maintained a slight respect for Momiji. They had exchanged glances, nods and sometimes hi’s in the corridor’s at school; and Yamagata had seen her with certain members of his acquaintances on the streets. She was the closest thing Yamagata would tolerate to a friend at school. Watching her now, the boy noted Momiji had also changed her clothes. Yamagata loved her style and turned his gun away from the bold figure, making her way along the path. Slowly he retreated from the cliff and disappeared into the forest: he could deal with her later.
Momiji had been very contented when she had pulled the shotgun from her pack. Knowing full well that it was one of the more privileged weapons, the girl had decided she had a good chance at winning. After all, what the shotgun lacked in speed it more than made up for in power.
Momiji had stumbled across her first victims hiding under an old corrugated shed. It was Shimi and Natsuko, a well known couple. The pair of them would probably rather die than be a part of the killing anyway. Momiji had managed to shoot Shimi in the choker, causing an explosion which showered Natsuko with the blood and gore of her lover, as well as lethal shards of metal from the necklet. The girls had taken a moment to die, during which time Momiji had searched their packs for weapons. It was no concern to Momiji whether Natsuko attempted anything; the girl was defiantly blinded if not incapacitated.
When she stopped moving, lying against her lover and his ruined throat, Momiji had left.
Day 1 12:pm BOYS Boku Heiwa, Hwoarang Tachima, Shimi Keigo
GIRLS Natsuko Kyjima, Lei Lei 13 to go
Ling-Ling threw the rice bowl into the overflowing sink and began to tidy herself. It was very important that she looked the part: sleek and deadly. As her only weapon was her fists, the girl had to use her appearance to intimidate any would be attackers.
Delicately wiping her mouth, Ling-Ling hoisted her pack onto her shoulder and set out.
I need to kill someone with a real weapon
As she wandered close to the other buildings, Ling-Ling thought she may manage to sneak upon someone who was sleeping. Carefully the girl made her way along the wall of one of the buildings. As she went, she heard the strains of someone singing softly. Smiling to herself, Ling-Ling crept closer to the female voice. Peering over a water trough, she noted that it was Sakura: another girl who would most likely not put up too much of a fight.
Ling-Ling took a length or rope with her as she casually advanced upon Sakura.
She allowed the girl to notice her instead of making her presence known. Innocent eyes received her; eyes which wanted to believe the best on everybody.
“Ah…Ling-Ling! Are you alone?”
Ling-Ling smiled and held up her hands, having tucked the rope into the back of her trousers. “And unarmed. Where’s your weapon?”
Sakura jumped up. “I threw my bag at the soldiers, I won’t play this game. You’re unarmed too? That’s wonderful, listen, Kaori and Touma are inside. Ling-Ling we can find a way out of this; I’m sure of it.”
Ling-Ling extended her hand to Sakura.
“Why don’t you come and help me gather some food? I saw a lot in this building over here; I guess you’re pretty hungry huh?”
Sakura nodded. “Yes, I ate all my bread already.” She giggled as only a fat girl can when they’ve been found out for eating too much. “Oh shall we invite Touma and Kaori?”
As Sakura rose to tell them, Ling-Ling put a hand on her arm.
“No, let’s surprise them.”
Eagerly Sakura nodded. Allowing Sakura to lead the way, Ling-Ling made sure she took her to an isolated spot before she struck. Multiple enemies drawn by the sounds of fighting were not what Ling-Ling wanted. As soon as she decided the spot was right: Ling-Ling struck. Wrapping the cord around Sakura’s neck, she dragged the girl several feet across the forest trail.
Sakura could not even scream as she was dragged along. As Ling-Ling got a tighter grip of the rope; she slowly began to throttle Sakura. The girl took almost five minutes to die, but Ling-Ling knew that her will to hold onto life on this island was not too strong.
As soon as Sakura ceased breathing, Ling-Ling checked her body. There was no weapon. Cursing to herself, the killer recalled Sakura’s words: that fool Sakura had not even taken a bag. Touma and Kaori were awaiting her in the building. She remembered those two: much like Sakura; happy and friendly and would not put up much of a fight. Still, two was a large number for Ling-Ling to take on; as it stood she was still unarmed.
As she began to walk back to the hut, she thought that perhaps she may be able to lure one of them outside and deal with them one at a time. If she made a loud noise then Touma would almost certainly emerge to see who it was. Would he kill an unarmed woman?
As she walked, Ling-Ling glimpsed something from the corner of her eye. She gasped as she saw what it was: not a human killer, but deadly enough. A snake lay across her path, blocking her way. Ling-Ling began to back off quietly so as to not disturb it from its slumber. As she went, she felt something against her back, whirling, Ling-Ling came face to face with Amaterasu. The boy held her arms tightly against her sides and she could feel something sharp against her back. Amaterasu was not one of the most popular boys in the class, and Ling-Ling had often made fun of him. Now, she realised he would have his pay back.
Well, I’m not done yet.
“Where is your weapon Ling-Ling?”
Ling-Ling put on her most genuine smile and tilted her head.
“My Amaterasu, you’re looking especially sprightly today. My weapon?” She gave him a charming, innocent smile. “Why I didn’t take one, I threw my bag at the soldiers. I won’t play this game.” Ling-Ling pouted, recalling Sakura’s words to her. Amaterasu pulled the sharp object closer to her lower back.
“Cut the bullshit Ling-Ling, I know you’ve killed. Wabi told me.”
Ling-Ling glanced at Amaterasu. She had always liked Wabi; it was true he was friendly and honest as well, but she had never considered him a loser.
“You’ve seen Wabi? Where is he?”
Amaterasu laughed. “Hari-kari, Ling-Ling.”
Ling-Ling pushed at Amaterasu but he was too strong. Amaterasu leaned and whispered in her ear.
“The sword I kill you with is stained with his blood. He couldn’t take the pace, and that’s why he did what he did. You shall die knowing that.”
Amaterasu pulled his weight into the sword which Wabi had used to kill himself. Ling-Ling screamed as the katana easily cut through the thin fabric of her school uniform, skin and spinal cord. She was almost neatly sliced in two before she hit the ground. Amaterasu stared at her corpse. “Kawaii. Sayonara Ling-Ling.”
Day 1 6pm BOYS Wabi Sepuko
GIRLS Ling-Ling Kendo, Sukuru Kakizome
10 to go
Killik was afraid that he would be the one to survive by killing all of his team mates; more so than he was afraid of being killed by the others. He had never been the boldest of all the kids in his class; but he felt he had a significant advantage in all the martial arts lessons he had taken. His weapon had been a good one: a glock. Killik watched Ashante make his way along the cliff top. Seizing his moment Killik ran to intercept Ashante: he wanted to kill the boy quickly so he did not feel any pain.
That will be my gift: to try and kill them all swiftly so they do not know
As he ran to Ashante, Killik realised that his gun would not fire. With a shock he recalled that there was a different sort of safety system on the weapon. Ashante ran to Killik and tackled him before he could figure out his weaponry. Landing on top of Killik, Ashante managed to land a direct hit with a punch to the face. Killik responded by bringing his elbow up to smash against Ashante’s cheekbone. The boys rolled across the foliage, lacerating their bodies through their thin garments. Killik brought his hands around Ashante’s neck and began to throttle him. Smiling he gazed down at his victim.
“I win.”
Ashante rolled and tipped Killik off his prone body. Killik cried out as he felt nothing but air beneath him and realised he had been rolled from the cliff top. Grabbing at air, Killik finally caught Ashante’s lapel. Not being able to pull away from Killik’s entire body weight on his neck, Ashante followed him over the cliff to smash on the rocks below.
Day 1 9pm BOYS Ashante Hayabusa, Killik Dead
8 to go
Tsuyoshi awoke to the crashing of the waves against the base of the lighthouse. He had been rather proud of this hiding place which he had discovered as night crept in on day 1. Lying on the medical bed, Tsuyoshi lay listening to the sea. It reminded him of his childhood: the boy had grown up on the coast.
Closing his eyes once again, Tsuyoshi remembered his family: when they were still alive. A smile touched the boy’s lips when he recalled some of the pets he and his brother had when they were children. They had been peaceful days before he was grown up.
A creak on the floor caused Tsuyoshi to sit up. The crossbow beside the bed was almost out of bolts: only 1 left. He would have to make sure he took down this potential threat in one shot. Failing that he always had the knife which he had taken from Mitsurugi’s corpse.
Tsuyoshi crept down the stairs of the lighthouse, taking care not to cause any noise which may alert the intruder to his presence. Glancing through the door frame, he could make out a skirt and bare legs, leant over the stove. Tsuyoshi cursed himself, he had managed to cook a meal from some grain he found, and the remnants of this would be evidence that he was here.
As the female turned, he noted that it was Xiayo; a loud girl who a lot of the others were afraid of. Personally Tsuyoshi considered her bark to be worse than her bite. He leant against the door frame, levelling his crossbow at her back. Even if it did not kill her straight away, it would certainly be a good enough shot for Tsuyoshi to finish her off with his knife.
Feeling a wave of power, Tsuyoshi took a moment to just watch the girl stare out of the window: unaware that there was a powerful crossbow bolt trained at her back. As he was bloated with power, Xiayo turned and saw the sight. Screaming the girl skittered to the corner of the room.
In his surprise, Tsuyoshi had fired the shot; but the bolt had whipped harmlessly past Xiayo’s body and smashed through the window. Xiayo picked up the pan of water, which had been sitting on the stove and hurled it at Tsuyoshi. The pan struck the doorframe, drenching the boy but leaving him otherwise unharmed. He turned his attentions to Xiayo who was searching for a weapon.
Clearing the space between them, Tsuyoshi smacked his now empty crossbow across the girl’s head. Xiayo threw a punch but it only grazed Tsuyoshi’s cheek. The boy brought the heavy weapon down on the stricken head once again, drawing blood.
Not stopping his tirade, Tsuyoshi continued to smash against Xiayo’s skull until he could not hit her any more as her head was slipping from beneath his weapon in her own slippery pool of blood.
Tsuyoshi stared down at the girl and wiped the blood from his face.
Yamagata silently crept up on Alice, his gun trained at her head in case she moved. The girl had always sickened him: she was too ditzy for his liking. It appeared that she was having some trouble with her weapon; and Alice turned and saw Yamagata sooner than he expected. Hurling her gun at his head, Alice took off at speed. Yamagata laughed as he chased after the girl, leaping down a mossy ledge after her: firing his machine gun wildly.
A few bullets caught Alice in the legs, but she kept on running; branches she pushed from her path whipped back into Yamagata’s face as he closed in on her. Screaming and laughing, Yamagata allowed Alice to lead him across the forest.
They continued to run until they reached the small building located above a flight of steps. Alice half threw herself down them, and half ran as she attempted to shake off her attacker. Following Yamagata continued to spray the air around the girl with machine gun fire. Eventually some of the bullets caught Alice; and she stumbled and fell down the last few steps, coming face to face with Pai’s corpse. Holding the cadaver across her as some form of shield, Alice hoped Yamagata would leave her.
The boy wasn’t fooled by the trick however, and kicking the corpse out of the way, stepped across Alice’s neck. Struggling for air, desperate squeaks could be heard from her larynx as she tried to regain her breath. Yamagata smiled down at her; he realised he could simply put her out of her misery by a swift shot to the head; but this way was so much more fun.
Applying more pressure to her throat, Yamagata crushed Alice’s windpipe until she ceased to move. A slow trickle of blood made its way across her cheek from the corner of her mouth.
As he examined the crushed throat, Yamagata was disturbed by a rustle of leaves above him. At the top of the steps stood Momiji; a bloody samurai sword in her hand. A swift kick sent something bundling down the stone steps to land at Yamagata’s feet; the boy barely recognised it as the corpse of Amaterasu; so badly sliced was the face.
The barrel of the machine gun, which had been aimed at Momiji as soon as he saw her, didn’t stray from its target. Yamagata stared at the girl with deadly intent; although the boy still harboured the hope that perhaps they could escape together to wreak vengeance on the perfect world.
Momiji levelled her sword at Yamagata and smiled.
“That’s a gift for you to play with. I’ll be back for you.”
Before he could think of something witty to say, or even shoot her, Momiji had escaped from his sights, into the trees.
Day 2 12pm BOYS Amaterasu Yamato
GIRLS Alice Shikki, Xiayo Mishima
5 to go
Shivering against Touma, Kaori clutched onto his arm in terror. The pair had managed to evade any nasty encounters; and were still puzzled as to the sudden disappearance of Sakura. Wondering if they were the last two alive on the island, Touma knew that he would not be able to bring himself to kill Kaori. There had certainly been a lot of gunshots and screams in the last day and a half; enough to account for most of the people on the island.
The forest terrain was not easy going, and Touma often had to break free from Kaori to fight his way through the vines and creepers which crossed the trail.
As they went, Touma prayed that they would not run across the gory remains of any of their classmates. He had soon come to accept that he was going to die: there was nobody to help them out of this situation. Touma clutched at the cross which hung around his neck, nestled against the lethal collar.
I won’t give up so soon.
Forcing dead branches out of his path, Touma’s feet caught on a branch and he fell headlong across the path, accompanied by a yelp from Kaori. Wiping at something sticky which had sprayed across his face, Touma drew his fingers away to discover they were covered in a blood. The boy pushed and clawed at the ground beneath him, which soon gave way to reveal the corpse of another classmate, Touma pushed himself away in shock and disgust.
Kaori had already run ahead a few feet to clear the area around the body, but Touma paused as a flash of metal caught his eye. Amongst the bloodied clothing, the barrel of a gun was poking out. Extending a trembling hand, Touma pushed aside the bloodied rags and gripped the ebony handle. Suddenly Kaori was at his side.
“Touma…don’t” Her small hand was placed on his wrist. Touma met her eyes.
“Kaori, we have to protect ourselves.”
“But if we protect ourselves from everybody else, then it will be just us left. Who shall we protect ourselves from then?” Her words hung in the air, Touma was not put off.
“I will take it – if only to stay alive until the end.”
Holding the weight of the revolver uncomfortably in his palm, Touma continued to lead Kaori along the path. The couple made it into the village clearing. Hoping to find some form of shelter, Touma stilled a moment to observe the huts and buildings around him. This moment was all that his attacker needed. Springing from the cab of a little truck which was parked nearby, Yamagata hurled a grenade at the pair.
Touma reacted quickly and hurled Kaori out of the way before the device exploded, muffling the girl’s frightened scream. Yamagata was not slow on the uptake and dashed across, firing wildly. Many of the tiny bullets caught Touma across the back and legs as he attempted to shield Kaori. They boy could not turn to face his attacker, as he feared receiving a blast of ammunition in the head. Clutching the handle of the gun, Touma considered firing blindly at Yamagata; after all, Yamagata was out for revenge on all of them and would not stop until the pair were dead.
With the babbled rush of thought running through his mind, Touma had not even noticed that the train of fire had stopped. Risking a glance over his shoulder, the boy noted that Yamagata was reloading his gun with deadly efficiency.
Now’s my chance!
Levelling his gun at Yamagata, Touma prepared to squeeze off the shot. With careful and exact aim, he fired. The bullet raced through the air at Yamagata, but only whipped above his head. Cursing, Touma prepared to fire again; whilst he was doing so, the boy noticed a figure coming up behind Yamagata.
Tsuyoshi had decided it was time to come out of hiding and eliminate the menace of Yamagata. With the unstable boy’s machine gun, Tsuyoshi knew that his only real competition would be Momiji. Holding his knife in one hand, and empty crossbow in the other, Tsuyoshi closed in on Yamagata’s prone back.
A spray of fire was launched towards Touma and Kaori as Yamagata finished loading his weapon and continued to attack the couple. Not daring to run, Touma lay on top of Kaori, who was breathing fast and panicked, and shielded his head with his bag. His only hope was that Tsuyoshi would eliminate Yamagata and they could escape whilst the pair fought.
Tsuyoshi reached the trigger happy sadist and levelling his knife, slashed at Yamagata’s back. The boy stumbled, but did not fall as he turned to face his new attacker. With startling haste, Tsuyoshi realised he had greatly underestimated his proposed victim. Yamagata was a lot faster than he had expected, and Tsuyoshi was taken aback at his speed. Driving forward, Tsuyoshi used his body weight to assault Yamagata and plunged the knife into the boy’s side.
At this close range, the machine gun was not a lot of use, so Yamagata used it to smash Tsuyoshi over the head. Making a fist around the gun, the crazed boy punched again, connecting with Tsuyoshi’s cheek, pushing the boy back. Now that he had formed a distance between them, Yamagata brought the barrel of his gun up and shot a clean shot through the middle of Tsuyoshi’s forehead. Tsuyoshi stared at Yamagata, as though he was still alive and able bodied; but it was the glazed stare of death. The boy fell at Yamagata’s feet, unmoving.
Yamagata stared for a quick moment, before turning his attentions back to Touma and Kaori. The pair had not made it far from where they had been lying, as one of Yamagata’s bullets had caught Kaori in the calf and another in the thigh. Touma would not leave the girl, and they stumbled along, hoping that they could achieve enough distance to be out of Yamagata’s sight.
Smiling his sadistic smile, Yamagata clutched his side, which was painful, but would not slow him down. The boy broke into a run as he shot at the pair, hobbling away from him desperately. With his fully loaded gun, Yamagata shot at the retreating pair. He was too far away to score a direct hit, but gained ground on the pair with every second.
Touma decided he must take action to stop their pursuer. Releasing his hold on Kaori, the boy faced Yamagata. His white shirt now bloody, Yamagata slowed as he neared the pair. The boy smiled, watching the trembling children in front of him. His left hand red with his own blood, Yamagata’s right hand held the weapon directly at Touma. The boy was close enough now to pull off the shot. Releasing his bullets, Yamagata sprayed the couple with fire. Before the spray reached him, Touma had taken aim, and this time fired off an accurate shot. Yamagata fell as the revolver bullet smashed into his stomach with a wall of his own blood released. From his position on his side, the boy fired until the freshly wounded Touma and Kaori had crawled out of range. Yamagata glanced to the buildings around him, and decided it was time to rest until he could go after the pair.
Day 2 7pm BOYS Tsuyoshi Fuji
GIRLS Ling Daimyo dead
4 to go
Momiji rushed to the square, drawn by the sound of fire. The small area was awash with blood, and the dead body of Tsuyoshi lay inert in the centre. Carefully trotting across the open area, Momiji kept her shotgun to hand. A thick, wet trail of blood ran from beside Tsuyoshi’s body to a building nearby. A smaller trail began slightly further away and led off into the forest. Momiji decided the victim inside the building looked to be the most heavily injured and the easiest to find.
Gun in hand; Momiji silently pushed the door open, revealing the gloom in the room beyond. Listening intently, the girls sharp ears could pick up laboured, shallow breathing. It was not difficult for her to follow the blood trail to the bed on which a wounded Yamagata was sprawled.
As she approached, Yamagata pulled his gun up, aiming it at Momiji. The boy could not draw his breath properly, and it was obvious he was dying. Brown eyes gazed at Momiji, but his finger did not tighten on the trigger. Momiji approached Yamagata and took the machine gun from his unresisting fingers. Putting a hand to his moist forehead, Momiji recognised the fever there. She set her own gun down on a convenient table, next to Yamagata’s own weapon, and drew the boy up into a sitting position.
Yamagata coughed painfully and spilled a generous amount of blood onto the white bed sheets. The violent boy rested his head against Momiji’s shoulder, whilst the girl supported his weight. Yamagata’s white shirt was almost completely red, his breathing becoming even shallower. Momiji rested her head against the dying boy’s ear. When she spoke, her voice did not raise above a whisper.
“I remember you; I’ve seen you about with my friends. I asked Shinji to introduce us; he said we had the same ideas about…things.”
Yamagata held onto Momiji slightly tighter; as much as his weakening body would allow. Momiji continued, touching the dying boy’s sweat soaked hair.
“Shinji said we were the two most deadly people he knew. He said we would be good together – a perfect couple.”
Beside her ear, Momiji hear a gurgled intake of breath as Yamagata began to reply.
“I think so too; I always thought so.” Resting on the girl’s shoulder, Yamagata smiled: a genuine smile formed from genuine feelings. To his fever drenched body, Momiji was comfortable and warm to rest against – the boy’s mind had sometimes wondered how she would feel.
Angered by the fact that all the potential happiness they could have had together was now destroyed, Momiji needed to know only one more thing.
“Who did this to you? Was it Tsuyoshi?”
Yamagata lifted his head slightly from Momiji’s freshly blood stained shoulder.
“Tsuyoshi I took care of. Touma I couldn’t follow, but I wounded him.”
Momiji clenched her fist.
“Both of them. Then I will make sure I take that girl away from Touma before I take his life.” Momiji gently allowed Yamagata to lie back down on the bed. The boy was incredibly pale now, and his breathing was almost non-existent. After a few seconds, even that token effort of life ceased and he lay still. Momiji closed Yamagata’s eyes, which had been staring into her own. Reclaiming her shotgun, and the machine gun Yamagata had used to kill many of his former classmates, Momiji set out to avenge his life.
Day 2 9pm BOYS Yamagata Dead
3 to go
Touma huddled with Kaori underneath the boughs of a large tree. A soft rain had begun to fall, and the couple shivered in the cold. Even if they found a way to survive, Touma was afraid the wounds in Kaori’s leg would turn gangrenous without immediate medical attention. Although Touma was sickened by the fact he had shot at Yamagata so readily, the boy did not regret his actions. Idly he wondered if he and Kaori were the only two left alive. A thin river of blood ran from the place where they lay, diluted and amplified by the rain. Uncomfortably, Touma’s gaze settled on a brick building only a short distance away. The thought of being warm and dry was all the motivation he needed and he roused Kaori.
“Do you think you can make it to that building?”
Kaori took only the time to glance over before shaking her head.
“Please Touma, don’t make me move.”
Touma rose, holding his stomach where many of Yamagata’s bullets had caught him, and pulled the dead weight of the girl into a sitting position.
“I’m not strong enough to carry you Kaori. Please make some effort, it’s warm inside.”
Kaori stared back at Touma, the boy could not even tell if she understood what he was saying. There must have been some recognition there however, as when he attempted to lift her to her feet; Kaori aided him by pushing with her own legs.
A thin, bloodied arm around his shoulders, Touma led Kaori step by painful step to the outhouse. They were within a couple of feet from the building when Touma heard his name called.
“Hey Kiryuu, where are you going?”
Touma glanced over his shoulder to see Momiji stalking towards them with a gun in each hand. He had unloaded the last of the bullets into Yamagata, and Touma didn’t feel like sticking around to see which gun Momiji would care to use to shoot them both with.
Pushing Kaori inside, Touma followed and bolted the door behind them. The building was solid brick, and it was unlikely Momiji would be able to gain access for quite some time. Touma knew that this was the end of the road: there was no escape point from the building and Momiji would eventually find access. With her supreme vitality and weaponry she would surely slaughter the two where they lay. Touma could hear her on the other side of the door- her shouting unnerved the boy, who was already sickened at the outcome. Kaori shivered on the floor, not responding to any of the events. Momiji was banging on the door now; Touma heard her curses and threats as she pounded on the obstacle between them.
Perhaps, he thought, it will not take her so long to breach those walls.
On the other side of the door, Momiji decided that she needed to find something to destroy the door with, whilst her anger was still fresh.
Taking a quick scout of the area, Momiji returned with a large axe. Methodically, the angered girl began to chop at the door. Momiji was not weak and the door soon began to show signs of her abuse. All the time she was swinging the axe, Momiji shouted at Touma, telling him exactly what she was going to do to him when she gained access.
It was almost twenty minutes before the door finally surrendered and collapsed with an up draught of dust. Momiji stared at Touma.
“You didn’t do a fine job of protecting your princess.” She levelled her gun at Kaori as Touma spoke.
“There is no point, she died ten minutes ago. You may as well save your bullets for me.” His tired eyes stared at Momiji. Kneeling close to Touma, Momiji gripped the boy’s throat hard enough until he was struggling for breath.
So this is how it will be, strangulation
Closing his eyes, Touma tried to force his mind into a senseless lull, ignoring the lack of breath which was causing his lungs to swell with white hot fire. Momiji shook him.
“Look at me you coward!”
Touma managed to open his eyes and stare at his attacker. The pressure on his throat was momentarily released and Touma found he was able to draw breath. His eyes straying to the bare flesh of Momiji’s neck, Touma noticed something startling. There was no collar around her throat, her jugular was completely bare. Unable to stop himself, Touma reached out and touched the place where the thin band of metal should have been. Momiji laughed.
“I guess they forgot about me, what a shame. I know what you’re thinking, I could let you go, and we could both survive.”
Touma managed a weak nod.
“I don’t really think that’s playing the game though is it. I detest cheaters and cowards.” Momiji’s eyes narrowed. “Yamagata played fairly, he was a much better warrior than you; but he still perished. Why must the strong die but the weak may live?”
Touma only managed to shake his head weakly, allowing Momiji to continue further.
“It’s because the game wants to eliminate violence and terror by destroying the ones who would dare to take action to stand up against this rat fuck government…or maybe it’s fate. Either way, Yamagata and I were the same. You shall die in his place, even though it will make no difference to the outcome of the game.”
Momiji pressed Yamagata’s former gun to Touma’s temple hard enough to indent the flesh. Staring at the terrified boy, Momiji tightened her finger on the trigger.
In the control centre, the coordinator of the battle heard the shot. Confusingly to the brain of the operation, only Touma’s voice had been picked up on the microphones, until the end. As soon as Kaori’s ECG had failed, the commander had sent out troops to find the dead. Next to the corpse of Touma, Kaori’s body had been found. Staring at the couple, The Commander recalled Touma’s last words.
There is no point, she died ten minutes ago. You may as well save your bullets for me.
Stroking his chin, The Commander decided to work the scenario out. The last boy alive had been talking to someone, yet two hours after his death there was not a soul to be found on the island: not even by motion tracker.
In the early hours of day three, a soldier had reported that one of the boats was missing. To The commander, it was obvious that there had been a rogue on the island: either that or someone had messed up with the collars.
If there was no one to show as a winner, no one to hold up as an example of how tarnished the youth were to the public; then people would start to say there was a moral question mark hanging over the events of the last three days. Hanging his head, the man shook it sadly. For the game to have been such a failure: and not to have even lasted the full three days. It was very likely that the Government would terminate his position, in the strongest possible way.
Reaching for his pad, the man began to write. Perhaps proving his usefulness to his employers would buy him a chance…and there was always next year.
~FIN~