Three Man Value [IDV]

Strategy - Redux

Andrew had been thrown into a match with Victor, Luca, and Aesop. He got along with the three decently, so at least he wouldn't have to deal with a pallet being slammed into his face on purpose while being chased.

He forgot to check who the hunter was. He was caught up in other things, like which seat he should sit at at the lobby table, getting his outfit and shovel ready, actually making it to the match lobby in time, etcetera. He had completely forgotten about seeing who the hunter was, so it would be his fault if he happened to run into them first off.

The first few ciphers actually got done fairly quickly. Everyone was spaced out and was on their own, and Luca connected his cipher to Andrew's since he decided slowly, so everyone's was going at a decent pace, too.

It wasn't until about half way through the match that they heard an odd sound. Andrew couldn't really place a finger on it, but by the time he looked up it hit him. An almost transparent blue mirror had been placed facing the cipher next to him— the cipher Aesop was working on— and he heard the sudden cry of pain come from the poor embalmer as he fell to the ground. Terrorshock.

Andrew silently cursed to himself that he didn't warn Aesop before it was too late, but now the boy was being picked up in a balloon and carried towards a rocket chair.

It also hit him on who he was going against. Mary. He remembered the fact that she had been pissed at him the last match he was in with her.

He left the cipher he was working at and started running in Aesop's direction. He heard him saying things like "don't save me!" and "leave me!" but he couldn't just stand there and watch him blast off.

He was a rescuer. He was supposed to be brave. Right?

He crouched and cautiously started moving toward state chair. Mary has on an odd smirk as she looked around. She was camping right next to the chair. Survivors always got upset at hunters that camped, but this was odd. Mary never camped. At least, not nearly as often as the others.

Suddenly, he looked up to see the blue mirror again and a copy of Mary slash his shoulder form the side. He whimpered and pushed himself up and started running away. If he tried to go underground, he'd just get hit again and be open for incapacitation. But, if he ran away, he'd be leaving Aesop for dead.

Aesop and him made eye contact for a small moment. The grey-eyed man just nodded sadly, already knowing it was too late. He looked down before the chair started spinning and he was launched into the sky.

Andrew's fist balled up as he tried not to look back at where he had abandoned one of his friends. It was his fault Aesop got blasted off like that. Why did he just stand there like a coward?

He checked behind him and didn't see Mary. She must had lost him, or just simply didn't care enough to chase him down. He ran a bit around the map until he ran into Victor and Luca, who immediately started to heal him.

"Good, you're still here," Luca muttered as he quickly patched Andrew up. "We got one more cipher and it's half way done. It's just over there," he said, pointing to the closest cipher.

Andrew sighed in relief. Once the healing was down though, they all looked down at their chests and their eyes widened as the heartbeat started beating like crazy. They looked around frantically before sliding beige a big enough rock.

Mary looked over in their direction. She knew exactly where the three were. But, she didn't have to move. If they tried to run, she'd just simply use her mirror to teleport to them. And they couldn't work on the cipher now. Why? Because she was standing right next to it.

"Dang it!" Luca whisper yelled to himself. "We were so close! We're dead!"

Andrew nervously glanced at Mary then back at the two before looking down at his shovel. He knew what he had to do.

"Leave me."

Victor looked at Andrew confused. "What do you mean- hey! Andrew, no!"

Andrew was already running away from the safe spot the three were previously in. He waved his arms in the air, clearly getting Mary's attention. Her smirk grew as she started after the albino, completely ignoring the other two.

That was her plan all along, and Andrew had fallen right for it.

He realized it as soon as he had started running. He was her target the whole game. Aesop was only the bait to lure him in for the kill. When that didn't work, he was forced to sacrifice himself for the group.

He actually did a decent job kiting the hunter. He had dug underground and dodged a close hit. He was just resurfacing when he heard the cipher being popped. His eyes widened as he turned around, seeing the red light covering his body and the glowing red eyes of Mary herself.

It was quick and swift. Not even a hit to the back like others got. He felt it dig through his skin and through his back. Worse than any other hit he had felt.

He wanted to cry out, but it was as though the air left his lungs as he collapsed forward, stuck laying on the ground dazed.

Mary glanced at the broken shovel next to him and scoffed. "You won't be needing this anymore," she said, kicking it away.

Andrew tried pushing himself up, but it was to no avail. His body wouldn't even move. Maybe it was because he had gotten hit awfully hard in the back when he wasn't expecting it.

"Your friends can't hear you," Mary chimed. "They're opening the door on the other side of the map. Over that tacking of the password keys, they'll hear not even a peep out of you." She kicked his side, which made him wince and cough up a few droplets of blood.

She looked at him for a few seconds, obviously thinking something over. "I could take you to a rocket chair," she said, pointing to the one on the other side of the wall. "Or... I could just leave you to bleed out. After all, you were being a little shit in the last match, weren't you now?"

Andrew said nothing. What could he say? He couldn't do anything.

Mary sat around and waited for at least a minute or two before giving a wave and teleporting off somewhere on the map. Andrew's vision was getting too blurry to see anything, and his back hurt too bad to do anything himself.

He heard faint muffled footsteps of someone running up, but he didn't bother to look up.

"Andrew!" Victor cried out as he ran over. "O-Oh, jeez, y-you're really hurt-"

"Victor," Andrew said in a slow, calm tone, cutting the postman off. His voice was quiet and barely audible. "Go to Luca. I'll be with you guys in a minute, okay?"

Victor hesitated before nodded and running off to where he had came from.

Andrew sighed. He knew he was already too far from saving. Even if Victor tried to heal him, it was already too late. Plus, he didn't want Victor to have to look at him in his state.

He was a rescuer. He was supposed to be brave. Right?

Luca looked at Victor as he came back. "Where's Andrew?" he asked. "Is he at a door?"

"W-Well..." Victor pointed in the direction Andrew had been. "He told me to go to you, and that her be with us in a minute."

"Why is he over..." Luca's eyes widened as he ran in the direction Victor had last seen Andrew. He vaulted over a few of the windows and turned to corner, only to look down at the sorry scene.

From what he could tell, Andrew was laying face down on the ground, unconscious, and it looked as though he had been impaled from his back, his broken shovel kicked to the side a few feet away from him.

Luca gasped and backed up a bit, trying to think through it. Andrew had been fine not too long ago. Was it his fault for not volunteering to be the one to distract the hunter?

Knowing nothing could be done, he pulled himself away from the scene and back to Victor.

"Luca, what's wrong?" Victor asked. "Isn't Andrew coming with you?"

Luca looked up at Victor without saying a word and grabbed his wrist, starting to pull him along.

"Come on, Vic," he muttered as he pulled the blond to the exit. "We'll see him in a minute."