[Open] A Reverse Will

[voiceinthephone]

Who| Phillip Gray and Open
What| first death and reliving bad memories
Where| District 6 Suite & Training
When| Week 4
Warnings/Notes| Gore, mentions of murder and body disposal and then there's the Arena

A. District 6 Suite

The first thing Phillip Gray did as soon as he woke up from the Arena was to head to the nearest bathroom and toss whatever the contents of his stomach into the toilet. He wanted to believe it'd be a smooth transition, like he believed Venus and Sandy. That it'd be like in the movies. He wanted his death to be quick, but no, the universe had other plans for him. He escaped his punishment at Freddy's, now he had to endure this. It was his lot in life to die multiple times, this was just the first. Destroying all that evidence at the Pizzeria only compounded that weight. The old routine came back: washing out what little bits and pieces of the other night guards came first. Second: toss the bigger chunks in drums, then lie to their significant others or family when asked about the dead men's whereabouts. Ninety days later, file the report. How the hell was he to expect anything less than hell?

Back to the present, whole body was shaking after that first heave, motor skills reset to that last night before his reaping. Phillip was back in the pizzeria, just as he did when he had that panic attack with Julian. He was trapped inside rapidly draining doors, hoping for a miracle he knew wasn't coming. He even uttered some of that last few words he left Mike...But this wasn't home, Mike wasn't here. No one he knew from that place was here. In fact, it had been a while since Phil thought about his old home. Might as well step out of his room and stretch his legs, probably get something to eat. Maybe watch the Arena-wait yes! He can do that! He could watch those he cared about carry on! It wasn't the best solution but Gray figured he could keep his own demons at bay with that.

B. Training Center

Everything in the Training area had a new meaning after going through the frigid Arena. It wasn't just to keep one's self fit as a way to fine tune survival skills. Phil silently stretched out and smiled in a bittersweet manner when he spotted some of them. The first-aid one would be getting a quick review, if to brush up on catastrophic wounds like deep slashes and severe organ failure due to gunshot. He shuddered a little at the memory, feeling lead pierce through his body before the blood started pouring out. The sheer pain of dying motivated Gray to land the first punch. He was too reliant on escaping, there were times when he'd had to fight and perform a kill...

"I'm not him," Phil told himself as he tried a few more hits, each harsher than the last. The him in question, had been the main reason he hesitated in murdering anyone in the Arena: the serial killer back home. It was ridiculous to think now but if there was someone Gray wanted to beat until bones broke, it was him. The Hunger Games took away that proverbial clean slate, he'd have to be on that level. The Capitol didn't bring him here to be a saint, they brought him here to give them a show.

Comments

[voiceinthephone]

Phillip kept his eyes on the screen but his skin crawled at being in the presence of a serial killer again. But this time, he knew the secret as well, though nothing was a secret in Panem. Gray knew he'd have to face Dandy again, that he'd have to live with the man and lock his room door if he planned on getting any sleep.

"By the way you're looking at me, I'm guessing early teens, or later, though I'd be surprised if you said any number below 12."

There was no attempts at being friendly on his side either, as Phil knew just how dangerous Dandy Mott was.

[affluenza]

"You underestimate me. I'm hurt," he said, although his expression was blank and serious now, "Eight."

He crossed one leg over the other and clasped his hands together in front of him, looking up to the side, "My dear friend Emile. And wouldn't you know, I got away with it. The police thought he'd vanished without a trace. The body was never found. Now, if that was what I was capable of at such a tender, young age, I wonder what I'm capable of now?"

[voiceinthephone]

"Not that much considering our first Arena together," Phil calmly took a sip from his water bottle and kept watching the TV. Like hell he was letting this man keep him from watching the Games themselves. "Like I said, I've handled more competent killers."

[affluenza]

"Now, that's not really fair, is it? You saw me at my worst, not at my best," he said with a frown, "Anyone could beat up a guy with half his organs hanging out."

He stared at the screen. He didn't particularly like to watch the arena, now that he'd already lost. But suddenly, he perked up and smiled again, "Let's play a game! It'll be so much fun. Let's see if I can figure out who your favorite people are before the next arena."

[voiceinthephone]

"Uh, I didn't even try to hurt you, if I remember correctly. I simply let gravity finish the work someone else already started," the former guard corrected holding a finger up for emphasis and his best bitch face.

"And why, pray tell, would you do that? I thought you had an apology circuit to run, with your fans and sponsors," Phil gently reminded his current seat mate. "Sad ain't it." Inside however, he was worried about those he cared about. "You should be focusing on getting back into the Capitol's good graces."

[affluenza]

"And what better way to get into their good graces than giving them the show of a lifetime? Besides, it's not like it'll be that hard to figure out. We all live here, after all," he said, "There's no use playing dumb with me, you know exactly why I'd do that. We could have been friends, but you wanted to stay and protect them. It really hurt my feelings, you know. I suppose the only thing that would make me feel better is if they suffer way, way more than they ever would have if you'd just let me kill you."

[voiceinthephone]

Phil snorted at that: the only person he really needed to watch over was Julian. Venus and Sandy were terribly good at what they did, and there was no doubt in his mind that pretty much anyone here could wipe the floor with Dandy's smug face.

"And you think that's going to make me regret my actions? That I would suddenly beg for forgiveness, for you to spare their lives?" he straightened up, smiling right back, "I stand by my words and what I did. You just can't take the fact that this cannon fodder lasted three weeks." Five years at Freddy's made Phil pragmatic.

[affluenza]

"I don't want you to beg me for anything. I just want you to hurt like I did," he said, "And that's going to be difficult when death isn't even permanent here, but I'm an ambitious young man. I'm up to the challenge."

[voiceinthephone]

"I don't say this to anyone, so it really is special, this we have," the guard straightened up in his chair, "You're a stupid little boy and I feel so bad for you."

There were other choice words in Phil's mind but he wasn't about to break his polite streak over someone as pathetic as Dandy.

[affluenza]

"If you really felt sorry for me you would have helped me when you had the chance," he said, crossing his arms, "But don't feel bad for me. I'm way less vulnerable than any of you. I don't care about anyone."

He thought on that for a moment, "I really like this game. I love when I start with an advantage."

[voiceinthephone]

The words outwardly didn't affect Gray, and he merely shrugged, "That's a lie. Big, big one. Or else, you wouldn't be here, twirling your imaginary mustache."

Inside however, he had two ideas going: how to warn the people he cared about that they were probably going to be visited by a psychotic actor wannabe. The other? How do get Dandy out of the Arena and into the Capitol.

In the short-run, probably the worst idea Phillip ever had, as it would give Mott the fame and attention he craved while giving him a superiority over the other Tributes. But that would also put him in a particular situation: he'd be subject to the Capitol's laws. And that meant he probably wouldn't be able to kill anyone, or die without consequence.

[affluenza]

"Well, we'll just see who comes out on top, won't we?" he said, awful fake polite smile back on his face, "It was a pleasure talking with you."

He stood up, brushed his suit off, and left, humming as he walked away.