Liv wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this.

The studio that Vaas mentioned was a bamboo cage tied with manila rope; the width was akin to a twin-sized bed and the length was a head shorter than her own; she stood at 168 centimeters.

Carlos shoved her into it without a word, then wandered away. He seemed rather sure that she wouldn't try and escape and for good reason too; armed men were roaming everywhere.

Liv sat on her legs and pressed her back into the corner, scanning the camp. It was a tourist nightmare. There were others shoved in cages and bound to bamboo poles, each looking miserable and defeated. It reminded her of a zoo; some of the men even taunted the prisoners. She took an uneasy breath and tried to calm her erratic heart.

Her nerves were a wreck.

So much had happened in such a short period; it was nice to settle for a moment, even though she was in a cage like a tamed bird. Even so, this was much better than being chained to the ceiling. But what was she doing here? Sure, she had been caught. But why did Vaas separate her? It couldn't have been because she was a cinematographer. Perhaps it had to do with the reason the others were locked up too; whatever reason that might be.

However, she was only valuable to Vaas because he wanted to make a reality show: The Vaas Montenegro Experience; an obvious replica of the show Liv was sent to make. Her only hope was that somehow Chris managed to escape.

For hours she waited for Vaas' men to drag him screaming back into camp, but that moment never came.

Then night fell and the jungle erupted with strange noises. Liv was spooked. The city had its fair share of racket, sure, but at least she could put a name to them. Whatever was making that loud booming roar unnerved her the most.

Even so, she managed to ignore it and fell into a deep exhausted sleep.

A plethora of cold seawater woke Liv as it poured down onto her head. She choked in shock and scrambled to cover her face but like a cloudburst, the water quelled.

A sudden and unexpected laugh made her peek through her fingers in curiosity; Vaas was standing next to the cage with an empty bucket. Her mind could not make sense of the craziness at the moment, however.

What in the fuck was he thinking?

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty. You're no easy princesa (princess) to wake up," Vaas mentioned.

Liv wanted to call bull on his claim. She doubted that he even tried to wake her normally. Staring at him for a moment, she wondered what he wanted. If it was a thank you, then he was mistaken. Her clothes were soaked; it was going to take hours for them to dry.

"You not a morning person? Hmm? Look around. Take in the fresh air. My island is lovely, no?" He asked as he motioned around.

Liv pushed her hair from her face and shook her head. The warm sun was beating down on her back, but her saturated clothes kept her cool. She watched Vaas take a deep breath, then turn the bucket over to sit on it. From his back pocket, he took out three 1-inch diameter bamboo poles the length of his arm and began to weave manila rope around the top of one. She raised a curious brow.

"Are you not gonna ask what I'm making? That's fucking rude. It's for you," Vaas asked.

Liv widened her eyes. How was she to know? She felt like she was constantly walking on eggshells around him. Turning her head, she tried to guess, but honestly, she couldn't tell. It looked harmless enough.

"What are you making?"

Her voice sounded tired and raw; she hadn't had a drink since yesterday.

"A tripod for your camera," Vaas answered with a grin.

Oh! How kind of him. Liv almost snorted.

The annoyed tilt of his brow made her tighten her jaw.

"Thank you. I appreciate it," she uttered.

"Show me," Vaas retorted.

Liv raised a brow. How? Her face heated up in embarrassment as her mind went to the gutter. Surely he didn't mean that.

"Wow! You're dirty, pervertida (pervert)," Vaas exclaimed with a grin.

"I'm not," she uttered. She couldn't understand Spanish well but that insult was pretty clear. "W-what do you mean?"

Vaas turned his head and pointed at his cheek.

"You want me to kiss you?"

"On the cheek," he said in agreement. "Unless you want to kiss me elsewhere."

Liv widened her eyes. Was he serious? Of course, he was. Uh... No. On either. She lingered; an action that seemed to annoy Vaas.

"Am I repulsive to you? Hmm? You have pictures of you kissing rich fucks... But kissing me makes you shy away."

For one, Noah - the guy on her phone - and she had been together for 3 years. Vaas was far from unattractive but was an unhinged psychopath who she met under unsavory conditions. Damn. She should have deleted those-

Watching Vaas reach behind him for something, her heart hammered. She messed up. He was upset.

"P-please... I- We just met."

Vaas snorted.

Yanking more thin manila rope from his pocket, Liv relaxed some.

"So, you're one of those modest types, hmm? I can respect that, querida (darling)."

She was relieved.

For a few minutes, as Vaas worked, he asked her minor questions about herself - what her name and favorites were, as though he was attempting to learn her better - and once the legs of the DIY tripod were made, he showed it to her. All it was missing was a base or a release plate to rest the camera on, but it would work.

"Good, no?"

Liv agreed with an honest nod.

Vaas stood and dusted the dirt from his pants, then shouted for Carlos. The said man rushed over and Vaas uttered something to him in Spanish. He looked at Liv then nodded and approached the cage; Vaas wandered off, shouting orders in his wake.

In the meantime, Carlos undid the rope at the door and opened it. Liv stood, having to lean down, and came out. But as soon as she did the sturdy man shoved his gun into her back.

"Move, puta (bitch)!"

Her eyes narrowed. Did he seriously call her a bitch? And where the fuck was she supposed to go?

"Then lead," Liv snapped.

This man was not Vaas; he was a pawn. She didn't have to take his shit.

Carlos grabbed her arm and jerked her towards the entrance of the camp where a Scavenger was parked; Vaas and two other men were waiting.

"Put her in the back," Vaas ordered. He tossed Carlos the keys. "You're driving."

An unnamed man took her from Carlos and ushered her into the backseat of the vehicle, having her sit in the middle. He got in beside her and then Vaas took the other side; Carlos and the man with the scar occupied the two front seats; the latter leaned over and aimed the camera at her. But Liv was more concerned with the fact she was arm in arm with Vaas and the other man. It was unnerving.

"You're wet, querida (darling)," Vaas suddenly mentioned. "Tú niña mala (you bad girl)."

Liv didn't understand the last part, but whatever he said made the men in the cab snicker like a trope of school girls. Heat spread across her face.

"I can get her a towel, Jefe (boss)," Carlos suggested.

Vaas shook his head.

"Chris has waited long enough. Let's go."

Liv widened her eyes. She understood now why Vaas woke her so early. The show was about to start. Her heart went out to Chris. There was no telling what Vaas had in mind for him.

The engine roared to life and Carlos drove the Scavenger from the camp down a wide dirt road. Liv sat as tense as possible but the constant sharp bounces and violent rocks made her bump into the two men beside her; neither seemed to care much, but Liv was on edge. She kept her eyes down the entire two miles until the vehicle slowed to a stop near some dense jungle.

The beach was past the trees. Liv suppressed a sob. It was her fault for daring to hope. Freedom was so close.

Being yanked from the backseat, she was taken to the trunk where she watched Vaas retrieve the DIY tripod and a banana.

Her stomach growled in hunger, a noise that did not escape Vaas.

"Breakfast is the most important meal," he mentioned.

Liv glared at him.

She was relieved that her action didn't earn her a bullet to the head. He deserved worse than a heated look for being an asshole.

"Let's go, querida (darling)."

Vaas handed her the tripod and then took her arm leading her down onto the beach. The roar and crash of the surf put Liv at ease for a moment until she noticed a head sticking out of the sand. Dread consumed her.

"Chris." Was he dead?

As Vaas pulled her closer, to her relief, she witnessed the actor open his eyes and look at her.

"Olivia?! Help me! Get me the fuck out-"

Vaas kicked sand into his face causing him to sputter.

"Hey! Don't look at the camera operator. Look at me... Look at me, Chris." He leaned down in front of him. "She doesn't exist. It's just you and me. Do you understand?"

Chris narrowed his eyes but agreed.

"This is why I like you," Vaas mentioned. He stood and turned his eyes to Liv. "He's a professional, no?"

She hesitantly nodded. This was too much. But what could she do?

Liv was aware that there was a shovel nearby, but even if she managed to knock Vaas out with it his men would fill her full of holes before she even managed to dig Chris out. There was nothing she could do at the moment. She needed a plan.

Hearing a series of snaps, she caught a glimpse of a hand in her face and turned her eyes to Vaas. She must have zoned out. He pushed her hair behind her ears and pointed to the center of her forehead.

"Where is your mind, querida (darling)? Are you here?"

Unfortunately yes. Liv shook her head.

"Set the tripod up on the rock that's behind you. Do as I say and I'll give you a taste of mi plátano (my banana)."

A taste of what? Her face heated up. She hoped that he wasn't referring to his-

Liv turned and set the tripod on the rock behind them before her thoughts could wander. The sun must have fried her brain. She barely registered that a person had walked up beside her until they shoved a camera against her chest.

Groaning in pain, she glared at him and then examined the camera. Other than the lens being smudged, it looked fine. Even the battery was charged; that she thought was strange.

"Chris is ready for his close-up!" Vaas shouted, walking over to Liv. He peeled the banana and broke it, handing her half.

She raised a brow.

"Mi plátano (my banana) for being a good girl. Take it or leave it," Vaas explained.

Oh! Plátano meant banana. Noted.

Liv took it and slowly ate as Vaas walked out onto the beach. He motioned for her to start and she aimed the camera, watching him for a moment as he ate before she pressed the record button.

"Hello internet peoples," Vaas greeted. He shoved the remainder of the banana into his mouth and tossed the peel over his head, then walked towards the camera. "Between you and me..."

He leaned down and rested his hands on his knees.

"You should be outside playing in the sunshine than watching this bullshit."

Grinning, he raised his arms. Liv had to admit, Vaas was rather good at capturing the attention of the audience. His every move was deliberate and well thought out, for a nonscripted scene.

"But since you're still here, welcome back to my show. Take a look at my island," he pointed to the scenery beside him as he walked toward Chris; Liv moved the camera to follow him.

"Christopher Mintz-Plasse, where are you?!"

Giving the audience a grin, Vaas spun around once and pointed at the actor out of frame in the sand. He got down on his knees and lay beside him on his side.

"Chris, say hello to the internet peoples."

"Fuck you, you psycho!" Chris shouted.

Liv tightened her jaw. Did he want to die? She watched in fear as Vaas took out his gun and pulled the hammer back.

"I'm sorry. What did you say, Chris?" He asked as he aimed at him. "What the fuck did you say?"

Chris shook his head and uttered something Liv could not quite hear. She averted her eyes to the sand and waited for the gunshot, but it never came. Instead, she heard the sand crunch as Vaas stood and walked over to her.

"Okay. I did not decide if I want to kill Chris or not." The latter shouted in protest at this, but Vaas ignored him and continued. "I want to know what you people think. What you really think. I want you to comment 'life' if you want him to live..."

He put his gun away and when he looked back up at the camera, Liv shuttered in fear. His eyes were dark and narrowed like he was threatening the audience.

"And 'death' if you want him to die."

Vaas walked past Liv to the rock.

"Take a look at my tripod; I built it myself. Looks like uh Hollywood thing, no Chris?" He asked as he leaned on it.

Chris agreed quickly and comically off-screen, calling him great. Liv could see that it pleased Vaas. He liked to be praised apparently.

Pointing at Liv, he ordered her to put the camera on the tripod. She did and sat on her knees in the sand, attempting to finish her banana. Her stomach was in knots, but she needed to eat.

Vaas walked back over to Chris and took out his gun, sitting cross-legged beside him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't forget to tune in to our daily tortures."

"What!?" Chris shouted in concern.

Liv widened her eyes. He never said he was going to torture him.

"While I teach Chris to be a man," Vaas added. "Thank you. Bye-bye."

Reaching out with an unsteady hand, Liv stopped the camera. Her heart was erratic.

There was no way she could tolerate witnessing that. Chris would surely-

No! She didn't need to think about that. But then, would she be next?

Her head began to spin and her stomach clenched. Before Liv realized it, she had lurched forward and vomited in the sand.

So much for breakfast.