Joshua Kimble: Survival Island

Deran Fullbridge's Dream

The two men sat across from each other in a cold silence. The man with the slicked back yellow hair, silver eyes and a light blue suit twirled his shot of whiskey around slowly and methodically. The other man had messy unkept hair and clothes from last night on. He was shaking and pushing his hands through his hair repeatedly, back and forth in a quick motion. Dandruff rained down from his scalp and all over the table that sat between them. He used his other hand to scribble on a stack of papers and slam numbers into his calculator.

The man with blond hair kept his cool confidence and simply rolled his tongue around in his mouth before speaking. When he spoke it wasn't just with a voice of any average Joe. This man spoke with a voice that calmed the soul with an irresistible charm, while inserting a subtle authority and fear into a person. It was smooth, yet rough and coarse without a hint of stress or care. It had the power to control the emotions of any ears it caressed. This voice belonged to none other than the billionaire, Deran Fullbridge.

"You know Harold," He began in a low, calming tone, Setting his whiskey onto his armrest for fear of it having the same fate as his accountants. "If you wanted to something else, you could have just asked instead of sullying these fine people's table with your... condition." The other man looked up from his work at his employer and muttered an apology before going back to his work. Deran sighed and put his leg over his knee, before leaning back in his chair and taking his shot of whiskey. He stuck his tongue out in disgust at the bland taste.

"You know what, I see why you don't like it," He continued as he poured some more from the bottle under the table. "I could have sworn I asked them for their best aged whiskey and this is two years at best." Deran muttered something under his breathe and the whiskey in his glass bubbled for a second before he nodded in satisfaction. "Don't think I didn't see you peek Harold," He said as he threw a quick glare at his employee who, in turn, began to scribble quicker than before. "Haven't you heard the saying curiosity killed the cat? You of all people should know that trying to figure out a man's magic is like trying to fuck his wife, and if you get caught he has every right to shove his size twelve shoe up your ass."

Harold said nothing but continued to scribble in his book. Daren smiled at the man in a sly way and leaned in closer. "Besides even if you knew every detail of my ability, you still wouldn't be able to kill me." Then Harold's pencil snapped in his hand. He gritted his teeth and began to pull the splinters out of his hand before speaking. "Then why," He asked with anger and confusion boiling in the back of his throat. " Must you take everything you've work so hard for and just toss it away in an instant on some fleeting chance that you reach Ascension?" Just then a door opened behind them and artificial light filled the room, blending with the fireplace's light.

A woman with a clipboard and headset stood in the doorway. "Mr Fullbridge, the press is ready for you now." She said and with a quick turn, left the room. Deran turned back to his associate and smiled again. "Looks like you'll just have to wait and hear it like everyone else." And with that, he stood up and began to leave the room. Behind him, Harold spoke. "Even though I don't agree with you, I'll follow you the whole way through."

When Deran heard that, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I know you will, and if anything stands in our way, I know you'll use that devastating ability of yours to it's full potential." Then with that as his parting words, he left the room.
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The flash from the cameras always irritated Deran whenever he had a press conference. They always gave him fierce migraines and he was always cranky from it. He hope this would be his last one after he finished standing on this stage. All the constant unorganized chatter made his migraine worse. He wanted to rub his temple but he ran the risk of ruining his hair and he absolutely despised when even a strand of hair was out of place.

He didn't want pure perfection of course. He just wanted some type of organization in life, where he could walk down the street and everything was tidy and pleasant. Of course the people in this world didn't want him to have that life. All they could cause is chaos and disaster.

Once they all finally quieted down, he put on a smile and fixed his clothes properly. After this, he wouldn't have to sit through anymore of these things. All at once, the reporters shot their hands up in the air like a preschool class hoping to get the scoop of their life. He picked the reporter with the blandest colored suit because he didn't want to have to stare at any bright colors for too long. The woman got giddy for a moment before composing herself to ask her question. "Mr Fullbridge, what will the rules of this competition be exactly, you gave us brief details but that's all."

Deran cleared his throat before speaking in his usual manner. "Of course I'll tell all of you, and the rules will be posted on our website. First off, you may not harm or tamper with any players food, equipment or person. If you do so and you are caught, you will be eliminated immediately. Second, you can bring any two items you can carry on your person with you to the island and what you do with them is your business. Third, any harm that befalls you on the island is your problem,  and we will not condone any deaths on the island. If you feel like you are in immediate danger you can partake in one of our near by rest stops which will provide you all you need but if a contestant steps in one for even a second, they are eliminated. Fourth, if you leave the island you will be eliminated. Lastly, there will be random events occurring so that no one gets comfortable on the island and this goes on forever. If you fail to complete the event, you are eliminated."

He then moved over to a man in plaid simply because he felt sorry for him and his bad tastes. "Mr Fullbridge, how will you enforce these rules?" "We will have hot air balloons over the island watching contestants and filming. If a contestant if caught doing an illegal action, then they will be eliminated and if they refuse to leave, they will be arrested for trespassing. Anything that happens outside of the camera's sight will be undetectable of course, so if you are out of a camera's sight, we cannot protect you without proof."

Lastly he moved over to a man in a regular black suit. "Mr Fullbridge, why waste your entire fortune on this, especially at such a young age?" Deran raised an eyebrow and nodded his head in approval. He liked a person who could get straight to the point. He gave a charming smile and spoke. "Well if that isn't the golden ticket to Wonka's factory," Everyone laughed but he knew no one would get the reference yet. Maybe some time in the future they would look back and laugh seriously. "But seriously, in life I've learned money won't make you happy. Of course, it's a good alternative but its not a good solution. Money came easy to me after my discovery of sprigmint and that made me realize that if it comes easy to you, you won't feel satisfied with it. It will only make you feel more empty inside. So I dreamed of something bigger, something that made me work hard for it and in the end, gave me satisfaction. After all, we've all been told when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. My only goal is to be the first to sip that cold drink after a hot day. I will quench my thirst no matter what it takes. Next question please."