Categories > Anime/Manga > Battle Royale > Redder Than Blood, Whiter Than Bone
Tom Staring (Male Student #15) was sat propped up against a tree. He was still in denial as to his inclusion in The Program. He just couldn't believe that he was actually there, being made to kill his classmates. The people who he spent practically every day with. It was just so surreal.
It only seemed like yesterday (which in fact, it was) that he had been sitting in Ryan's car with his friends, just driving aimlessly. Sure they were all old enough to drive, but Ryan was one of the the only ones who was lucky enough to actually own a car. They were just driving down the road, the music turned up full blast (it would have either been a song by Shaggy- or Shag-geh, as Ryan would say it- or a tune by Hollywood Undead) and singing along to it. Occasionally, Ryan would slow down alongside a group of people and wind down the passenger window, whereby Beau would stick his head out and scream at the top of his lungs, terrifying the group. Will would high-five Beau, Ryan would chuckle, he would laugh so hard that he thought he would almost cry, as would be the case with Jon (Jon was probably the luckiest student in the entire of England at that point, being the only male student from their school not chosen to participate in The Program).
The entire experience now, just seemed so surreal. Sure, he was being smart with how he conducted himself, but he still couldn't believe that he had been included in The Program.
As one of the only students at their school to actually converse with Will on the subject of The Program, he had quite a good idea of how things worked. He figured that if he stayed still and only moved in accordance with 'Dead Zones' then he would be earning himself an extended stay.
Of course, that would have been the logical move anyway. Were he to move around, he would be spotted instantly. At a standing height of six foot seven inches, he was by far the tallest student that The Program had ever accommodated. If he even dared to stand up, he would be noticed immediately.
As a gust of wind blew past him, his nostrils were filled with the pungent reek of Rapeseed Crop. There was probably a field full of it somewhere in the vicinity.
He sneezed. His Hay-Fever was acting up again.
Looking down at his hand, he couldn't help but let out a comical groan as his gaze fell on his supplied weapon. Derringer .22 Double High Standard Pistol. He figured that he'd barely be able to take down a squirrel with it. Sure, it was a gun. It's cartridge was a magnum. But, it could only load two bullets at a time. It would be okay for a close range shot, but if he were to enter into a gun fight, he reckoned that he'd be killed pretty quickly.
It was rather ironic. Big guy, little gun.
Oh well. His weapon couldn't be helped. Plus it wasn't the worst thing in the world. During one of their conversations, Will had told him that one time, someone was even supplied with a spoon (little did Tom know that the other Will included in this Program had been supplied with that very 'weapon').
He let out a small snicker. The word 'spoon' had brought on a knee-jerk response. He had instinctively thought of the popular Internet meme, and how Will, Mario-oh shit, he was dead now- and Beau would run down the road outside their school screaming at the top of their lungs: "My spoon is too big!"
After thinking so much about his friends, he couldn't help but feel a little sad. To think that these people who he was almost always with were going to die, just felt so wrong to him.
Of course, there was always the issue of himself. He too would probably end up dying.
A small twinge of regret suddenly pulled at him. Regret mixed with the pang of loss.
He thought back to his life at the school. The school that he had only joined in September. The school that probably already gave him one of the best years of his life. He thought back to his classes. Business, Psychology and Maths. The classes that, while he found interesting, he didn't particularly want to take. His interest was in archaeology and anthropology. He really should have taken history as a subject.
History. Will studied history.
That girl also studied history.
If his friends were here, they would probably- well maybe they wouldn't in this dire situation- end up teasing him. 'That girl' was called Alice Kayy (no she wasn't one of the Alices included in The Program. Their school had a lot of girls named Alice). She studied biology, chemistry, history and maths. Alice liked Tom.
That wasn't to say that he didn't like her. She was very pretty. Probably the prettiest girl in the school (Kris would have argued that it was Lor, while Will would have agreed with him-but then again, Will did chase everything in a skirt- and Beau would agree with him, but only quietly, due to him going out with Emma- oh shit, she was dead as well!). Her hair was long and dark brown, and she had named it Aurora (hey, I never said she was normal). She also probably had one of the nicest bodies out of all the girls in the school. He would be called a perv for looking, but every other guy did, so he didn't really care. She was a HUGE fan of Harry Potter. She also loved tall guys. That's where her fascination with him sprung from.
His friends had been dropping subtle hints that he should try to go out with her, or at the very least just sleep with her. Some more subtle than others (Will and a girl called Ashley― not included in The Program [come to think of it, Will used to like Ashley]― would constantly pester him that he should 'try it on' with her).
He felt a slight regret that now he wouldn't be able to. He also felt another emotion welling inside of himself. It seemed rather out of place. As if, during the madness of The Program, there was no way that he should ever have felt this. He felt...happy.
It was actually rather strange.
As if all the horror and madness surrounding him had managed to allow him to realise his true feelings. He knew that he didn't like Alice in that way. He knew that he would be missing his friends. He knew that he loved his parents, and missed them.
It was nice. It was as if he'd made peace with himself.
But...He couldn't die yet.
Despite being totally content with his own emotions, he felt that he should at least try to survive for as long as possible. He owed everyone that much.
24 STUDENTS REMAINING
It only seemed like yesterday (which in fact, it was) that he had been sitting in Ryan's car with his friends, just driving aimlessly. Sure they were all old enough to drive, but Ryan was one of the the only ones who was lucky enough to actually own a car. They were just driving down the road, the music turned up full blast (it would have either been a song by Shaggy- or Shag-geh, as Ryan would say it- or a tune by Hollywood Undead) and singing along to it. Occasionally, Ryan would slow down alongside a group of people and wind down the passenger window, whereby Beau would stick his head out and scream at the top of his lungs, terrifying the group. Will would high-five Beau, Ryan would chuckle, he would laugh so hard that he thought he would almost cry, as would be the case with Jon (Jon was probably the luckiest student in the entire of England at that point, being the only male student from their school not chosen to participate in The Program).
The entire experience now, just seemed so surreal. Sure, he was being smart with how he conducted himself, but he still couldn't believe that he had been included in The Program.
As one of the only students at their school to actually converse with Will on the subject of The Program, he had quite a good idea of how things worked. He figured that if he stayed still and only moved in accordance with 'Dead Zones' then he would be earning himself an extended stay.
Of course, that would have been the logical move anyway. Were he to move around, he would be spotted instantly. At a standing height of six foot seven inches, he was by far the tallest student that The Program had ever accommodated. If he even dared to stand up, he would be noticed immediately.
As a gust of wind blew past him, his nostrils were filled with the pungent reek of Rapeseed Crop. There was probably a field full of it somewhere in the vicinity.
He sneezed. His Hay-Fever was acting up again.
Looking down at his hand, he couldn't help but let out a comical groan as his gaze fell on his supplied weapon. Derringer .22 Double High Standard Pistol. He figured that he'd barely be able to take down a squirrel with it. Sure, it was a gun. It's cartridge was a magnum. But, it could only load two bullets at a time. It would be okay for a close range shot, but if he were to enter into a gun fight, he reckoned that he'd be killed pretty quickly.
It was rather ironic. Big guy, little gun.
Oh well. His weapon couldn't be helped. Plus it wasn't the worst thing in the world. During one of their conversations, Will had told him that one time, someone was even supplied with a spoon (little did Tom know that the other Will included in this Program had been supplied with that very 'weapon').
He let out a small snicker. The word 'spoon' had brought on a knee-jerk response. He had instinctively thought of the popular Internet meme, and how Will, Mario-oh shit, he was dead now- and Beau would run down the road outside their school screaming at the top of their lungs: "My spoon is too big!"
After thinking so much about his friends, he couldn't help but feel a little sad. To think that these people who he was almost always with were going to die, just felt so wrong to him.
Of course, there was always the issue of himself. He too would probably end up dying.
A small twinge of regret suddenly pulled at him. Regret mixed with the pang of loss.
He thought back to his life at the school. The school that he had only joined in September. The school that probably already gave him one of the best years of his life. He thought back to his classes. Business, Psychology and Maths. The classes that, while he found interesting, he didn't particularly want to take. His interest was in archaeology and anthropology. He really should have taken history as a subject.
History. Will studied history.
That girl also studied history.
If his friends were here, they would probably- well maybe they wouldn't in this dire situation- end up teasing him. 'That girl' was called Alice Kayy (no she wasn't one of the Alices included in The Program. Their school had a lot of girls named Alice). She studied biology, chemistry, history and maths. Alice liked Tom.
That wasn't to say that he didn't like her. She was very pretty. Probably the prettiest girl in the school (Kris would have argued that it was Lor, while Will would have agreed with him-but then again, Will did chase everything in a skirt- and Beau would agree with him, but only quietly, due to him going out with Emma- oh shit, she was dead as well!). Her hair was long and dark brown, and she had named it Aurora (hey, I never said she was normal). She also probably had one of the nicest bodies out of all the girls in the school. He would be called a perv for looking, but every other guy did, so he didn't really care. She was a HUGE fan of Harry Potter. She also loved tall guys. That's where her fascination with him sprung from.
His friends had been dropping subtle hints that he should try to go out with her, or at the very least just sleep with her. Some more subtle than others (Will and a girl called Ashley― not included in The Program [come to think of it, Will used to like Ashley]― would constantly pester him that he should 'try it on' with her).
He felt a slight regret that now he wouldn't be able to. He also felt another emotion welling inside of himself. It seemed rather out of place. As if, during the madness of The Program, there was no way that he should ever have felt this. He felt...happy.
It was actually rather strange.
As if all the horror and madness surrounding him had managed to allow him to realise his true feelings. He knew that he didn't like Alice in that way. He knew that he would be missing his friends. He knew that he loved his parents, and missed them.
It was nice. It was as if he'd made peace with himself.
But...He couldn't die yet.
Despite being totally content with his own emotions, he felt that he should at least try to survive for as long as possible. He owed everyone that much.
24 STUDENTS REMAINING
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