Trigger warning: mildly disconcerting sexual content
"We should go back for Harold!" Lindsay shouted before squeaking and ducking as a flurry of gulls nearly crashed into her. With a shriek, the blonde lost her footing, crashing down into the water.
This left Zoey as the last Hippo skier.
"You asked for this, B!" Mal sneered.
Mal aimed for the skiers, shooting a gull with such precision that it landed in June's neck. The girl gasped, then immediately fell unconscious.
"June!" Scott cried.
Mal cackled under his breath, inaudible over the powerful motor. Connor had zero time to react as June fell off his shoulders and sunk into the water.
"I'm coming!" Scott yelled, leaping out from the boat and into the lake.
"We just lost our driver!" Connor snapped.
"We don't need him!" B responded, firing out more of the bursts of gulls.
Mal evaded them as they came at him, grabbing one of the creatures by the throat and viciously breaking its neck, killing it instantly. Zoey gasped.
Confessional - Zoey
"Oh my god! That was brutal! How could Mike do that? I-I can't believe it! It was just so aggressive!"
End of confessional
Mal narrowed his eyes, ready to take one more shot. The next gull he shot collided straight with B's arm. The big teen cried out in agony, ripping the gull from him and out into the water.
"Dammit..." B growled, his teeth gritted as his arm started to bleed.
"B, take the wheel!" Axel commanded. "B, take the fucking wheel! We're headed straight for those rocks!"
In a daze, B stared out ahead of him and saw the huge rocks they were about to collide with. Grunting, B held his arm and moved up in the dinghy, just barely steering the wheel and missing the rocks. Unfortunately, with the dinghy's lack of coordination, the skiers still collided. Their skis went up and over it, sending Axel and Connor screaming and flying out into the lake a good twenty feet ahead.
With the Vultures out of commission and only B left in the dinghy, Mal tilted his turret and fired a perfect shot into another bell.
"We win! We win!" Heather cheered. "Yes!"
After the unexpectedly brutal challenge was over, Lindsay, Heather, Mal, Zoey, Rome, Connor, Scott, and Axel gathered on the shore where Chris addressed them. Chef had just finished lifting June into a paramedic truck, the girl strapped onto a stretcher. B and Harold laid unconscious on two other ones.
"Jeez, man, this challenge did not go as I planned," Chris mentioned with a chuckle. "Goddamn. You guys went all out. You nearly killed each other! It was awesome. Big props to you guys."
Scott stared down at the sand, shame burning through him like a lit candle.
"Is everyone gonna be okay?" Zoey asked.
"Don't worry about it. There was only enough venom in those seagull snakes to kill you if two of them bit you. June and B only got bit once."
This didn't calm Zoey down in the slightest.
"As for Harold... Sheesh. He's definitely gonna need to spend the night in the infirmary. June, too, but I expect B should be okay enough to make it to the elimination ceremony tonight. I'm pretty sure Harold won't end up having a Carol moment, but I guess we'll see."
With Harold and B loaded into the truck, Chef slammed its back doors and wiped sweat from his forehead. "Man, that fat boy don't fuck around with the twinkies..."
"With all that out of the way," Chris continued, "the Hippos are the winners. I expect to see everyone at the bonfire ceremony tonight, where five will become four. Can't wait."
Nightfall.
Outside the infirmary tent, Scott crept out from the looming shadows, right on his way to enter through the opening flaps.
Right as Scott held his hand out to pull the flaps out, B emerged.
"B," Scott greeted him, impatiently.
"The fuck are you doing?"
"What's it look like? I'm visiting June. What, did you think I was gonna visit you?"
"I wish I could say that I know you know better, but after today, I just don't know, man."
Scott glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you're an asshole and an idiot. If you wanna take that tiny sliver of a chance that you got to not fuck anything else up, I'd advise that you leave June be."
Scott snorted. "You can't tell me what to do."
B stared right through him. "Uh huh." The big teen shoved past him. "Just get out of here, Scott."
Scott spun around and snapped, "Yeah, well, why should I listen to you?"
B turned around just as quickly. "Because what you're doing... there ain't no point to it, man. You're washed up. Any skill you had last time on this show has been recycled into stupidity. You seriously think June ain't gonna send your redneck ass right back out? That girl gets to sleep in a medical tent all night thanks to you. You're pathetic, man."
Scott said nothing, a fierce glare on his face.
B turned back around and headed off into the night, clutching his aching arm.
Confessional - B
"Shit, man, maybe I ought to leash myself up." B chuckled. "I didn't need to say all that. That's like tryna convince an incel that women aren't the problem. They're not gonna listen, it's just a waste of breath."
End of confessional
Growling to himself, Scott stomped away from B, approaching the tent flaps again. He held his hand out again, but stopped himself at the last moment. The emotion on his pale face shifted from anger to disappointment. With a sigh, Scott lowered his arm and gave up.
"Scott?" came the soft voice of June inside.
His eyes widened, but he didn't move.
"Scott, just come in here."
"A-all right then."
When Scott entered the tent, he noticed June laying on a medical bed with Harold in one beside hers. Beside his was an empty one, likely the one B just left. Harold was fast asleep, snoring up a storm with IVs connected to him from the side of his bed. June's face was paler than usual, the girl donned in typical hospital patient attire. She looked exhausted.
"Uh..." Scott fumbled for words.
June said nothing.
"I'm sorry. I, uh... I think this happened because of me," he murmured. "I just... I wanted to say sorry. I also remember what you told me, about not wanting to talk to me anymore. I figure that'd be best. I can't fuck things up if I'm not thinking about you or talking to you."
Before Scott could leave, June spoke again.
"No. Stay." Her voice was low, hints of fatigue scattered throughout.
"Are you... are you not mad at me?"
"Of course I am, dumbass. You were the root cause of everything that happened today."
"Yep, yeah, that's... that's accurate."
"But listen to me before the painkillers knock me out. I..." June let out a sigh. "I know you didn't mean for things to happen the way they did. To be honest, your inability to keep me out of your mind is flattering."
"You know about that? Besides the part I already said?"
"I've had enough guys like me in my time to crack the code by now."
Scott suddenly became defensive. "Who else likes you?"
June sighed again. "Scott, I don't know what it is about you. I mean, you're disgusting. You've got stains all over your wife beater as we speak, you smell awful, you're a redneck..."
"Should I go now?" he grumbled.
"But I just have this feeling..." June continued, quieter now. "I have this feeling that if you were gonna hurt me... you would have done it by now."
"B-but what about the seagull?"
"That's not what I'm talking about, smart one."
"Have... have guys hurt you before?"
June was silent for a moment. She stared off at the side of the tent, pain evident in her brown eyes. "The worst in a while was the last season of this show I did. When I went to Paris, I..." she gulped. "I was smitten with Axel."
"Axel?" Scott echoed in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me!"
"I sure wish," June scoffed. "Anyway, there was just something about him that I couldn't get enough of. I should have known better, after what he did to Aria..."
"I'm not following."
"He seduced me. That was the meat and beans of it. He made me feel like he cared... like he wanted me. That night, I had to go against some loser named Jagger in a fashion contest. Axel made me feel like I had it in the bag, because he was one of the judges. Then he tricked me, voted for Jagger to win, and announced to the cast and the whole viewing world that he didn't really care about me. He played me like a fiddle, and I was too naive to see it coming."
"That son of a bitch! How could he do that? I'm gonna hit him! I'll be back, June!"
"No, Scott, don't. Just... just forget about it."
"How can I forget about it?" Scott snapped back. "How could I let anyone... hurt you..." The words seemed to come out on their own. Scott's eyes widened, taken aback by his emotions. "I... I'm sorry. I can't get rid of these fucking feelings."
By the time Scott turned back around to face June, she was smiling at him.
"You... wow," she whispered.
"Look, uh, June, I see that the only way to stop all these emotions from controlling me is by doing one thing. I need to get off the island."
June squinted at him in confusion. "Like... quit?"
"Not necessarily. I'm gonna vote for myself." Now, Scott's tonality was much more sorrowful. "If you're able to vote tonight, you should vote for me, too. You're better off that way."
June was speechless, staring at him incredulously.
"The others know who to vote for; today made that crystal clear. So..." Scott turned away from June, heading for the tent flaps.
"Wait!" June burst, springing up in her bed. The brunette let out a groan and clutched her wounded neck.
"Are you okay?" Scott murmured.
"Yeah. Fine. Scott, you don't have to..." June's words trailed off. "Send Axel and B in here."
With a final glance at June, Scott nodded, then exited the tent.
"It just didn't feel right," Zoey murmured.
Zoey and Mal sat under the stars on the shore of the island closeby to the bonfire ceremony that Chris and Chef worked to prepare.
"How could you... kill that seagull like that?" she continued. "Even if it was a mutant."
"Zoey, I-I know it was wrong," Mal insisted. "I just got too into what I was doing. I felt like I... like I'd lost control."
Zoey stared into Mal's eyes with deep intensity in her own. "Was it... Mal?"
He faced Zoey, the sounds of waves basking up on the shore nearby. "It could have been... I-I just can't believe it's possible. I told you about what happened, didn't I? In my mind, when I fought Mal?"
"Yes. I thought that fight was the end of it all." Zoey trailed her finger around through the sand.
"I did, too." Mal clutched Zoey's shoulders and turned her to face him. "But I don't want you to be afraid. Whatever he could be trying to do to me, whatever shifts in emotion I feel, I promise you that I won't let any of it stand between me and how much I care about you. You're everything to me, Zoey."
The beginnings of a smile appeared on Zoey's face. "Aw. That's the sweetest thing I've heard all day..."
Mal pulled Zoey in for a warm hug. With his head on her shoulder, he cracked a dark grin, then instantly faded it into fake concern as they pulled away from each other.
"I don't think we need to be worried. If it is Mal, then this is probably the last whimpering strike he's trying. Toying with my emotions in occasional moments isn't enough to take control of me."
"I-if you're certain, babe."
Confessional - Mal
"God, Zoey's starting to sound like that little forest girl I kissed. What was her name? Dawn? Who gives a fuck about a fucking mutant? Thing's better off dead anyway." Mal shook his head, allowing his bangs to fall down over one eye. "Maybe I'm better off easing into acting like myself. Gradually, I'll present myself as a changed Mike. A stronger, better, more aggressive and sexual Mike than the one she's been cursed with dealing with. I think this poor girl just needs a little dominance to make her feel better..."
End of confessional
With silence between the two, Zoey leaned in to give Mal kisses. He returned them, allowing his hand to venture up her leg. Seconds later, he gripped the center of her crotch.
"Whoa, Mike," Zoey whispered, biting her lip. "We could be recorded right now."
"Let them enjoy the fun then," Mal argued with a relaxed smile.
Zoey chuckled. "Boy, Mike, you've been very... intimate, recently."
"What can I say? I just can't get enough of you. You're my drug and I'm a dirty, dirty addict..." he whispered in her ear, rubbing the curves of Zoey's body with both hands.
"Excuse me, sir!" Zoey joked. "Sexy police! This tall, dark, handsome man is under arrest."
Mal laughed, allowing just a tiny bit of his darker laugh to slip. Zoey stood up, brushing sand off of herself and leaning down to get it off her legs. As she leaned over, Mal creepily turned to examine her rear.
"Come on, babe, let's get to the bonfire ceremony," Zoey suggested.
"After you, my little toy."
Zoey chuckled, but as soon as her face was away from Mal, her smile faded into uneasiness.
Mal and Zoey were the last ones to arrive at the ceremony, taking a seat on the bleachers near Rome, Lindsay, and Heather. The Vultures sans June sat on the stumps with Scott, hanging his head low. Like usual, Chris and Chef stood in their typical positions.
"Ah, the dreaded elimination ceremony!" Chris began. "It's gotta be one of my favorite parts of my day, other than every part of my day. Minus talking to you guys, of course." The host turned his attention to the Vultures. "Man, you guys sure sucked today. Nice work getting a seagull to the arm, B. And Scott, boy, maybe it wasn't such a good idea having you drive, huh?"
Like B, Scott was silent.
"At least resist what I'm saying a little bit! Come on! You're making this too easy!"
Though the contestants weren't chattering, the fire kept on crackling.
"Sheesh! Fine!We'll start! Just so you cats know, just because June isn't here doesn't mean she both can't be voted and that her vote doesn't count. With all that out of the way, the first person safe is...
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B...
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June. Cool, look at that, Chef. You don't have to strut all the way to the infirmary to go get her tonight."
Chef grumbled incomprehensibly.
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Axel. Finally, the last one of you sorry saps safe is..."
Connor watched the host impatiently, more eager to hear his name called than he was worried. Scott's desolate body language hadn't changed.
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Scott."
Connor burst to his feet. "What? Seriously? Why?"
Scott's eyes widened, then he relaxed once more. "Phew."
Connor roared in ferocity and backhanded Scott to the ground. "How could you do this to me? You vote for me over dirtboy? Over June the cripple? Axel, I thought we had a deal!"
Axel nonchalantly shrugged. "Eh, you've outlived your usefulness. I'm a lone wolf, baby."
Connor breathed erratically, completely full of rage. "Fool me fucking twice... What the hell's wrong with me? I always wait too fucking long to betray him."
"Wow, Connor just got beaned," Rome uttered from the bleachers.
Chef, essentially immune to contestant tantrums by this point, paced towards him and dragged him away from the bonfire ceremony by his arm. "Come on already."
"You bunch of fucking traitors! You betrayed me! That's what you've done! Fuck your show, Chris! Good luck trying to get me to come back a third time!"
Chris was utterly unphased. "Pfft! Like we really need three seasons of Connor."
With the sounds of Connor growing less audible, Chris spoke again. "All right, cats, you know the drill already. Go to bed, go give yourselves a pat on the back or get a foot rub from a friend. Just don't disturb me in my private quarters in the mansion, capiche?"
Confessional - Scott
"H-h-how did this happen? I-I voted for myself. What did June say to Axel and B when I told them to go in? Whatever it means, maybe this means that the universe thinks ol' Scotty's still got a little something up his sleeve," he grinned. "Tomorrow's a new day; a new day to teach these pricks to respect me again."
End of confessional
Flashback.
Colored in black and white, and not long after Scott left June's tent, the wounded brunette waited patiently until B and Axel finally entered the infirmary through the flaps.
"June," Axel greeted her. "Nice to see you again." He glanced around to examine the low-budget surroundings, as well as Harold passed out in his bed. "Pretty cool crib you've got here."
June scoffed. "Whatever. Listen, I need a favor from the both of you."
Axel squinted his eyes, staring at her with intrigue. "And what might that be?"
"It's abou-"
He interrupted, letting out a chuckle. "You know, this is pretty funny to me."
June stared at him with eyes that screamed for her to tell him to leave.
"Thinking back to the wacky events in Paris, I didn't think I'd ever be talking to you like this again, let alone weighing a deal you have for me."
"Can't you just be quiet? Please? Jesus!" June moaned. "Just hear me out. B, talk some sense into him."
Axel spoke before B could, holding his hand out at him. "Save it." To June, "Fine, let's hear it, beautiful."
Her lip quivered with fury, but she bottled the rage up. "It's about Scott."
"Hmph. Figures," B muttered.
"Look, I know how stupid he was today, but don't eliminate him. Come on."
"Why-" Axel laughed. "Why the hell not? What case can you possibly make?"
"I want you to vote for Connor."
Axel couldn't help but burst into laughter. B remained silent, his eyes focused, as though there were several hundred thoughts brimming through his fruitful mind.
"Seriously, why not do it?" June protested. "All of us in this room know that Scott gave up his antics from Revenge of the Island. At least to an extent. But Connor's no different. He's gonna be more of a hassle to deal with once we make it to the merge than Scott would be and you know it."
"You're, uh... you're really suggesting that I vote for my partner?" Axel insinuated.
"You don't want a partner like him!" June retorted. "You're better off working with B! So long as it's not me or Scott, I'm fine with it."
"You seem to care an awful lot about him," B mentioned. "Why?"
She hesitated. "That's not your business."
B shrugged. "Yeah, maybe not. Seems like a valid question to ask if we're out here making deals, though."
"I don't need to tell you anything!"
"Not what I said."
"Just think about it! Think before you vote. Axel, can you really trust Connor? Is there a single quality about him that makes you think he won't just dump you off the island the first chance he gets? He trusts you as little as everyone else around here. You should know I'm telling the truth; I experienced his rage fits on the first episode of Total Drama World Tour."
"Honestly, June," Axel started, giving her a slow clap, "you've outdone yourself this time. That was a nice, pathetic argument you gave."
"Oh, fuck you!"
"Fuck you! I don't know about B here, but I'm voting for whoever the fuck I wanna vote for." Finished with the conversation, Axel slipped out from the tent. "Sleep well, bitch."
June glared at Axel as he left, then turned to face his accomplice. "What about you, B? What are you thinking?"
B stared down at her for a few moments. He left the tent after Axel without saying a word.
Confessional - June
"God, I fucking hate talking to Axel."
End of confessional
After pulling away the tent flaps from him, B followed Axel to where he was pacing into the dark forest.
"Sure was a 'compelling' argument, wasn't it?" B rumbled.
"Sure wasn't," Axel chuckled, "but I say we do what she said."
Axel stopped, him and B standing together under the numerous trees around them.
"So, we're in agreement?" B asked.
"For as stupid as that girl's proven to be, I truly don't have any need for Connor anymore. Personally, I see an opportunity for killing two birds with one stone here."
"How's that?"
"Tonight, Connor goes home. Tomorrow, we throw the challenge, making sure it looks like Scott fucked up, then we have a clear opportunity to get rid of him. Scott may not be much of a threat, but hey, everyone's gotta go at some point."
"Yeah, yeah, man, I feel you, but I don't hear you talking about how unlikely it is that June would vote for Scott."
Axel shrugged. "You never know. Bitches change their minds often, bro. Besides, anything she sees in hog-boy should be properly extinguished should we make it look like he failed the challenge."
"She ain't goin' give a fuck, dawg, come on," B argued. "Let's be honest, even if that works out, June and Scott will just end up voting for you, then you gotta deal with a tiebreaker. Nah, bro. We make sure we win tomorrow, then during the merge, we slander June and Scott's names individually, spreading exaggerated information about how they've formed an alliance, while keeping the two of us working together off the radar."
Axel said nothing, instead staring B down with intense eyes.
"Why you lookin' at me like that?"
The jock took off walking. "Don't worry about it. Let's go vote Connor off this shithole."
Heroic Hippos - Harold, Lindsay, Heather, Mal, Zoey, & Rome
Villainous Vultures - Scott, B, June, & Axel