I’m woken from my nap by the rest of the group. They seem to be getting ready to head out.
“So, you guys going out for supplies? We are running low on food and bandages.” I still haven’t tapped into the med kit in my bracelet much, but I don’t know how to justify having it to the human lie detector in the corner. Maybe at some point I can find some supplies and just add it to what’s found.
Togo nods solemnly looking at my crumpled form. “I suppose we have to. We have enough for each of us to have one more good meal, but not much more than that. We need to get one or two of the supplies tonight or we won’t have anything to eat tomorrow. Thankfully at most there are only 20 people left, assuming none of them have died from anyone else. Which we all know is unlikely. I doubt there are any groups larger than two as well since in the announcement they know we already have enough for one person to leave and we are a group of four. They may not trust one another when they aren’t all going to leave.” It’s pretty easy logic to follow everyone else nods in agreement. I’m not going to say no to them getting food for tomorrow and I’m too banged up to head out there.
“Just know that Himiko needs to live. If there is a moment where it’s either you get seriously injured or she dies you better hope you’re only injured.” Leveling my glare at Higiuchi. She’s the only flight risk in the group. Togo is too dedicated; she seems like the one to run off with the chips if she could. She’s already trying to get close to Togo and Himiko. Everyone trusts her ability so it will only take her lying about a lie before it breaks down the group.
She gulps. “Don’t worry she will be safe with us.” They quickly head off trusting me to be safe from most threats here since I won’t be moving around to be detected by radar.
I rest there for a while. Slowly healing my wounds as I stay still but keep a homing BIM out to look for others every once in a while. Then I’m woken from my dazed state by a sound.
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Himiko’s POV
Alright, I can’t be a burden anymore. He’s come here to save me… he’s risked his life for Miho and me… I can’t let him down now. “We need some more pain medicine, some bruise cream and more bandages. So, let’s hope for food and a bit of medical supplies.” I start moving through the forest behind Togo.
“Hopefully we get something useful out of the briefcase then.” Higuichi seems fairly nonchalant about all of this. Wandering through the forest but she does look at me every once in a while. It seems like she almost wants to say something but doesn’t.
I just put it off it’s not as important as getting supplies right now. Shimada is our best path to leaving this island. We need him to be in his best shape possible if we want to survive… Things have really changed, haven’t they?
The last couple of days have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I’ve been staying in my room for the last couple of months. At first, I went to school still, but the rumors spread around by other kids made everyone think I was some sort of pimp. That I was the one that set up my friends to be put into that… situation… I secluded myself and played with Sakamoto online. He was my light in the darkness he was the only one that didn’t keep pestering me… the only one that cared about me that didn’t have that judgmental question at the back of their mind or oogling me to ask how much it would cost… he understand how I felt and just talked to me… But when I met him, he was like all the rest. The look in his eye when he heard my name sent a chill down my spine.
HE stared at my chest, HE gave a creepy leer. It crushed all my dreams of seeing him. I knew this would happen, that’s why each time he asked if we could meet up in real life, I denied it outright. Because then the magic of caring would be warped by him lusting for me instead of caring for caring sake. The Sakamoto I know is dead… All that’s left is someone that will get in the way of our escape.
Gah MEN are all horrible. Togo is tolerable, he admitted to everyone that hes impotent and Higuichi has proposed a couple things to him in a not-so-subtle way but hes denied it each time. I’m kind of glad he did, not because I have any feelings for him but because at least I know he isn’t driven by sex like a lot of these guys.
She never offered anything to Hitomi, likely too scared to try in case he says yes, but I suspect he would also deny anything. When we are all alone at night, he asks questions about Miho’s childhood and embarrassing stories about her… he looks into my eyes without the quick glances at my chest like almost all other males and a few woman seem to do. The only ones that don’t are my dad and Togo even Miho would stare at them sometimes and sound like a perverted old man!
While my thoughts are going rampant, I’m shaken out of them by Togo breaking the creeping silence from our walk. “Keep an eye open the time is getting close! We need to make sure to get to one of the cases. So, we need all the advantage we can get.” I nod and try to listen for it but I’m quickly distracted by the stars.
They are so beautiful here… without all the lights polluting the sky it’s like the city lights twinkling above looking down on us from their windows. That’s when I see the moving stars coming towards the island. IT’S THE PLANE! “It’s that way see the stars slowly moving this way? It must be the plane!” We all start moving to be in line of it. I remember seeing Hitomi do this before, so I lick my finger and feel the wind before I throw a gas BIM. It helps clear out all the Komodo’s in the forest. Our north is mostly stone so it shouldn’t be as necessary but better safe than sorry in case we need to retreat.
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It’s a bit hard to see but the supply drops are a blackness moving across a blanket of speckled light in the sky, letting us keep track with it. Seeing one coming our way we send out a Radar pulse. I freeze for a second after seeing two people coming our way, we get ready as we head towards the item drop location.
“Higuichi use your homing BIM to keep track of them without the radar.” I remember Hitomi mentioning being able to see people through the homing BIM before. We NEED these supplies.
Togo chases down the falling suitcase in the darkness tripping a few times over loose rocks but he still manages to grab the supplies. I can hear him struggling over there pulling at the buckle as the wind keeps pulling on the chute. Higuichi goes up and starts helping keep down the chute while he works the buckle. Sending out another radar do so just in time to see the two from before entering from the forest into the rocky clearing. It’s… Sakamoto, I can barely make out the outline of white bandages on his arms and another guy with glasses and short cut hair, I can’t really make out many details from them, but the white shirt helps see the other guy a bit easier in the moonlight.
With two people working on the case it’s up to me to defend them. Dredging up all the will I have I yell out. “HEY! THIS IS OURS!” just in case I pull out an Impact BIM… I don’t know if I’m ready to kill but if Shimada can insure my safety at the very least I should try my hardest to push through it.
Sakamoto turns on a flashlight turning it towards us. He seems panicked at first seeing me before looking around quickly. “Where’s the aggressive guy um Hamito?” He starts backing up a bit and saying something to the other guy in quiet harsh tones. Then that man also starts rapidly looking around.
Hes scared of Hitomi, I might as well make use of that. “Hiding out in the woods. If you don’t start moving out of here, we will attack!” Rather than have them running off though like I thought it would. This just makes them both relax.
Chuckling Sakamoto yells back. “Bullshit! If he had a spot on us he would have already made a move. He’s just another mindless killer on this insane island, just like all of your other group members! He’s not even here, is he?” I panic a bit this could be bad. I mean as far as I know, only Hitomi has killed anyone so far in our group. So, it’s three green people against two people and Sakamoto at least has two BIM cases.
Looking at Togo and Higiuchi I’m relieved. “Doesn’t matter!” By now Togo and Higuichi have gotten the case off the parachute and are moving apart making it harder to hit multiple people with one BIM. Higuichi has one of the homing BIM ready and Togo has an impact one in hand.
“Now, sorry about this… but I really need these chips to see my friend one day and make it up to her!” I pull up that will I had earlier again. Closing my eyes in a wince as I throw my impact BIM as hard as I can towards the two. Opening my eyes the moment the BIM starts sailing through the air I see Sakamoto flinch away and fall backwards into a ditch. The guy with him jumps to the side only for a homing BIM that Higuichi threw to follow him. Panicked he throws a stick at it detonating in the air, knocking him backwards into the tree line I don’t know if hes alive or dead. Sending out a radar pulse shows Sakamoto running to his side and they start limping away… alive then.
Getting the attention of the group I point off where I felt them. “They are both hurt and down that way.” Togo gives a series nod. “This might be our best chance to take them down and get two or more chips.” I hesitate for a moment. I… could I kill him? I know him… the late nights. I don’t know if I can be the one to do it though.
Higiuchi snaps me out of it. “Get it together they are getting away throw a gas BIM with me lets smoke’em out.” I nervously fumble a bit for my BIM and almost throw it before she gives me an odd look.
“Oh Right um” I lick my finger and feel for the wind. The wind is sort of blowing towards them. The last excuse that I could have to not be the one to throw a BIM at them.
“Togo can you throw this deeper into the forest they are moving through?” I activate the BIM for him. He nods and lobs it far into the forest near them. Higuichi does the same then keeps watch with a homing BIM commenting on their progress as they run away.
I guess one of them was limping at the start
“Hmm odd, one of them was limping at the start and was being helped by the other. Then as the smoke approached, they threw the one helping them into the smoke. Now they are both fighting on the ground aaaaand one of them got up and is running away now.” I know it’s bad to have but deep down I hope the one that survived was Sakamoto. We may have to kill most of the people on the island but there are 2 extra chips so maybe they get to live too? It’s a small dream but I’ve spent so long knowing him… Even if it wasn’t the real him.
Waiting out the gas we send out a radar occasionally, until it disperses, and we finally move in on where the body was. As we move up on it I feel a lurch in my body. I may have steeled myself for this since I handed Togo the BIM but… that’s not the same as seeing it and… and confirming you killed someone. The body looks his skin dissolved… I vomit a bit on the side.
“HEY don’t waste food!” Higuichi calls from the side but also looks similarly nauseous.
Togo gets outvoted and moves up alone to pull out the chip and I get the BIM bag from the decayed waste there is also a bracelet that’s glowing so he takes that as well. It looks like it was the short haired man since there is a melted pair of glasses on his face.
I try to hold back the vomit again as the acrid smell wafts by my nose again.
“Let’s -ugh- let’s get out of here.” I try to move quickly.
“He only has the one chip when I radared earlier, I got a feeling of something here I thought maybe he was still alive but hes clearly dead. I guess unattended chips feel like other people.” Togo points out.
“Great whatever, now let’s get out of here before I throw up again!” I start moving quickly for the hill we walked down. Higuichi follows behind looking through a homing BIM for anyone else. When she gives all clear we start heading back.