A/N Enjoy!
Chapter Seven
"Well well, you guys are finally here," Chris was unimpressed with the contestants' tardiness.
"Hey, Chris," Gwen rolled her eyes as she joined the other Villains.
"I hope you guys had fun, because now, you have a challenge! As you can see, it's getting dark outside. Why does that matter? Well, you guys will compete in a race through the woods…"
Zoey stared at her boyfriend, not listening to Chris.
I need to talk to Mike. How can I get him alone?
"And I hope you're all paying attention, because this next part is really important! Now…"
Duncan also wasn't listening.
That was fun today. That's not good.
"So, I hope you guys are ready!" Chris grinned as he started to pass out bacon and sausages to the Heroes, much to Duncan and Zoey's confusion.
Shit, what am I supposed to do with this?
Duncan observed his teammates and realized that he was supposed to wear the meat like articles of clothing.
I guess I was supposed to pay attention...
Zoey stared at the sausages in her hands.
Wait, what's going on?
"And on your marks. Get set. Go!" Chris screamed.
Ah, shit. Too late now.
The Heroes started to run towards the forest, weaving through the trees. Duncan and Zoey didn't want to take the lead, since they had no idea where they were supposed to be going, so Mike was at the front of the group.
"Um, I'm just gonna say it," Duncan whispered to Zoey as they ran. "I have no idea what's happening. Fill me in?"
How embarrassing. Eh, whatever.
"Sorry," she blushed. "I don't know either."
Ugh. Mortifying. I really need to keep my head in the game.
"Well, isn't that nice?"
"Oh, shit!" Mike yelled from the front of the group. The Heroes all stopped running as they saw what he was yelling at. A bear was blocking their path.
"Turn around, turn around…" Cameron muttered. Sierra picked him up and started to run in the opposite direction, the rest of the group close behind.
No way am I letting a bear take me down…
After running for almost a minute, Cameron started to yell again.
"Guys…Guys! Stop running!"
"Are you crazy?" Zoey huffed.
"Seriously! Stop! We're gonna be fine!"
The Hero team slowed down. Zoey turned around and saw that there was no bear in sight.
"What? Where'd it go?" Duncan tried to catch his breath.
"It's the moon, remember?" Cameron explained. "The Blue Harvest Moon."
"The what?" Duncan had no idea what he was talking about.
"The moon. Remember? Chris explained it, right Zoey?"
Zoey fixed him with a blank stare.
"Were neither of you paying attention?" Cameron appeared annoyed. "It's a Blue Harvest Moon. It makes things the opposite of how they should be. So the bear is nice now. Probably a vegetarian."
"Oh," Zoey understood. "So…" she noticed something off in the distance. "What about those?" She pointed to a small herd of rapidly approaching rabbits.
"Those… Yeah, they'll kill us," Cameron stated matter-of-factly. "Scatter!"
The Heroes split in all different directions. Zoey took off to the right.
Alright… this could be my chance to get him alone. If only I could find him.
For the time being, she focused her effort on running as fast as possible. She knew she was lost, but she hoped to find another teammate in the skirmish.
Meanwhile, Duncan was running in the opposite direction.
Jeez, where the fuck am I?
He heard somebody yelling in the distance. Sure enough, he crashed through a few bushes to run directly into Gwen.
"Duncan!" She grabbed his arms. He noted she was out of breath. "Duncan...we have… to go!"
"What? What is it?"
"They're coming…"
He looked over her shoulder and noticed a group of squirrels running towards them.
There's no way we can outrun them now.
"Pick me up," Gwen insisted.
"Why?"
"I don't wanna get bitten."
"Seriously? You brought them here, you should pick me up!"
"Do something!"
"You do something!"
"Hang on…" Gwen took the bacon hat off his head and examined it for a moment.
"Ah, I gotcha." Duncan took the sausages and threw the meat away from him, Gwen doing the same with the bacon. Sure enough, the squirrels ran after the treat.
"Nice thinking," he smiled.
"Yeah… do you know where we are?"
"No idea. Walk with me?"
"Of course."
Duncan and Gwen set off in the direction that Duncan thought he came from.
"Hey," he started. "Can you explain the challenge? I wasn't listening."
"It's a race from one side of the woods to the other."
"Oh. Doesn't seem too bad."
"Yeah, besides the flesh eating chipmunks," she pushed a branch out of the way.
I want to know…
"Hmm… what did you think about today?" Duncan changed the subject. "How was your look at the Hero team?"
"Mike and Zoey?" She barely paid any attention to the words. "Yeah, they're not gonna last."
Um, what? What? Where is this coming from?
"Oh, why do you think so?" Duncan tried to act as nonchalantly as possible.
"I dunno," Gwen shrugged. "I feel like they're not a good match."
"But why? C'mon, you know I love this type of shit," he smiled.
"Fine," she sighed. "I think Zoey acts like his mother a bit too much. Like, she does everything for him, you know? And Mike doesn't get to be his own person. Actually, neither of them do."
"That's exactly what I thought!" Duncan was thrilled.
"You've thought about it?" Gwen was puzzled. "I don't- wait. Duncan… promise me right now that you're not gonna do anything."
"What do you mean?"
"Like… just don't do anything to come between them, yeah? I was just predicting. Messing around. And I know how you get."
"How I get?" Duncan raised an eyebrow.
"C'mon, you know that you tend to obsess."
"Please," he scoffed. "I don't care about those two. I was just curious. I have to spend all my time with them, I figured I may as well see what you think."
"Alright," Gwen eyed him suspiciously. "Just don't interfere."
"I would never."
"Ok- what the fuck was that?" She ducked to the ground. "I swear I just heard something."
"Nah, it's nothing," Duncan moved another branch. He looked down and noticed a gaggle of squirrels. "Actually… your friends are back."
"Damn it!" She started running. He took off in another direction.
Technically… I never promised.
For her part, Zoey found herself aimlessly wandering through the trees.
This sucks. I shouldn't have ran so far. Now how will I find anyone?
"Zoey?" A voice whispered.
Oh! Nevermind.
"Hello?" She whispered back.
"It's me," Mike emerged from the bushes.
Perfect.
"Hey," Zoey smiled. "Glad I found you. I thought I'd be stuck out here forever."
"Nah," Mike shook his head. "I'd never let that happen."
"What a gentleman."
"Here, let's start walking," he suggested.
How do I bring this up? Maybe I shouldn't. It's not worth it. But it's bothering me a lot. Damn, what to do?
"Something wrong?" Mike noticed her silence as they walked through the woods.
"No. Um. Ok so…"
Here goes. Deep breath.
"It bothered me. Earlier. What you said about Brick."
There. You did it.
"What do you mean?" Mike spoke cautiously.
"Well. It was just… kind of mean? I just thought it was out-of-character for you. I know you wouldn't normally say something like that. Especially since Brick's always been so nice to you."
That's fair to say, I think.
To her surprise, Mike looked kind of pissed.
"Alright," he cleared his throat. "I guess it wasn't the nicest thing to say," he spoke with great effort.
"Are you ok?" Zoey asked. "You look upset. Maybe I was wrong-"
"Nope," he gritted his teeth. "All good. I'm all good," he forced a smile.
"Alright, if you're sure," she still looked concerned.
Damnit, I knew I shouldn't have said anything. Now he's upset. Why did I open my stupid mouth?
"Of course. Besides, there's no time to think about it. We have a race to win."
"A race?" She completely forgot what was going on.
"The challenge, remember? It's a race."
"Oh, right."
"Let's split up?" Mike asked.
"What? Why would we do that?"
"I just… please?" He implored her.
God, I had no idea this would set him off. Well, what am I supposed to say? No?
"Sure," she shrugged.
"Alright. Um, I'll see you later." He promptly walked away.
Ok, that was bizarre.
She stood there for a moment, having no idea what to do. Then, realizing she couldn't stay put forever, she started to walk again.
I have to fix this.
After splitting from Gwen, Duncan found himself wandering aimlessly once again.
This is so stupid. I bet I could fight a rabbit, or a squirrel. If I really tried.
Still, he used extra caution. Maybe he jumped a bit every time he moved a branch or stepped over a bush. It was no big deal.
He came across a particularly large bush.
Great, I know there's something hiding in there.
Right as he considered grabbing a stick and poking the leaves, just to get it over with, a voice came from behind him.
"Hey, stranger."
No fucking way.
He spun around and smiled.
"You're kidding me."
"Does it look like I'm joking?" Mal grinned. "By the way, I've been instructed not to talk to you."
"I don't see you following the rules."
"I never did. Hug?"
"If you insist," Duncan took a few steps and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.
"Oof. Nice to see you too."
"So, where've you been this whole time?" Duncan let him go. "Not that you've missed much. It's a mess out here."
"Mike's been keeping me locked up, especially around Zoey," he rolled his eyes. "I'm not allowed to talk to her either. Not sure how that'll work out."
"Then how are you here right now?"
"Oh, Mike's having a complete breakdown. So, I'm here."
"Ooh, a breakdown?"
Fuck, please tell me I didn't cause it.
"Oh yeah. Zoey said something about him saying something mean about some guy. I don't know. The army one. Anyways, he lost it. You know how he is."
I used to. Now?
"Why the panic over that?"
"Ah… fine. Look. I can't just go telling you stuff, yeah? It's been a while. But, between you and me, I think he's trying to project a certain… image, for Zoey. And when something happens that contradicts that image, he freaks. I guess he really likes her."
Interesting, so they are having problems…Hmm.
"And how do you feel?"
"Does it matter?"
"I… don't know. I guess?"
"Look, I can't tell you everything. It's not like that anymore. But, I want him to be happy. The idea of being with Zoey makes him happy. That's all I can say. Besides, I'm pretty sure she followed me, so I gotta go."
"Alright. Well, it was nice seeing you."
"Yeah. Um," Man ran a hand through his bangs. "Be safe?"
"Oh. Thanks."
"And… do what you need to."
"What-"
"Bye."
He wouldn't let Duncan keep talking as he fled into the bushes.
Alright, what the fuck? Let's see here. The IDEA of being with her. Not BEING with her, but the IDEA of it. What's that supposed to mean? Well, that's just Mal, I guess. Always cryptic. And what did he mean when he said to do what I need-
"Duncan?"
He turned to see Zoey walking towards him.
"Oh. Hey. Glad I found you!"
"Yeah," she smiled. Duncan noticed how tired she looked.
I guess Sierra kept her up all night.
"Have you seen Mike by any chance?" She asked him.
"Nope."
"Hmm… ok," she sighed, clearly disappointed. "I just needed to talk to him."
Oh, right. Something happened. Maybe she'll tell me?
"Everything alright?"
I shouldn't tell him. I don't want to get anyone else involved.
"It's fine," she shook her head. "Really, it's nothing."
No. She's telling me.
"You know," Duncan smiled. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. But, as someone who hates talking about their feelings, if you couldn't tell, sometimes, I have to admit that it makes me feel better. Sometimes!"
He's being so nice…
"I just don't want to drag you into anything."
Almost there…
"Nah. Think of me as an impartial observer. I have no bias."
He makes a point. And it seems like he genuinely wants to help…
"Fine. But please, don't tell Mike, ok?"
Jackpot.
"Scouts honor," he raised his right hand and gave her a goofy smile.
"Alright," she giggled. "Here's what's going on. So, you remember earlier today, when we were all talking? And he mentioned Brick and said all that stuff about him?"
"How could I forget?"
"So, I told him I thought that wasn't a really nice thing to say. Since Brick was nice to him and all. And, so… he kind of freaked out on me. And I don't know what's going on."
Fascinating.
"Alright," Duncan mulled over the information. "Well, here's what I think. Maybe he thinks you're upset at him, and he's just being defensive? It seems like a lack of communication?"
It's definitely weird that I'm giving her advice about Mike, right? She doesn't act like it bothers her, though.
"I guess that could be it," Zoey considered his idea. "We never disagree on things, so maybe this is just what he's like."
Don't meddle. Don't do it.
"Really?" Duncan tilted his head. "You never disagree?"
"Not really…" Zoey suddenly became a little self-conscious. "Why, is that a bad thing?"
"Nope," Duncan shrugged. "It just seems a little unusual. I mean, every couple has to disagree on occasion. At least, that's what I thought. I could easily be wrong."
Shit, is he right? Is it weird that we never fight?
"Really?" Zoey asked. "I guess that makes sense… Do you think it's weird that we don't argue?"
"I mean, I don't want to interfere…"
"No, you're right. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
"It's totally fine," he smiled. "Look, do you really want to know what I think?"
Maybe he sees something I don't. Guy's perspective and all that.
"Yes. Please."
I can't believe she trusts me this easily, especially since… well, you know.
"Well…alright. And remember, this is just me. I could be totally wrong. But perhaps, there are things that you disagree about. And maybe Mike just doesn't bring them up. Or, he pretends to agree with you even when he doesn't. And today, you caught a glimpse of a conflicting viewpoint that you didn't know about before. I hope that makes sense, I really don't want to cause any problems-"
"No, it makes perfect sense," Zoey conceded.
Mike does have a tendency to hide things… like when he hid his alters. I just assumed there were no more secrets.
"So," Zoey continued, "he's been lying to me?"
"I don't know," Duncan shrugged. "This is just a theory. Obviously I don't talk to him a lot. So I could be totally off."
Zoey just stared at the ground.
He's a guy, he knows what other guy's are thinking. God, has Mike been miserable this whole time? And he's just hiding everything?
"Hey, are you ok?" Duncan asked gently. "You shouldn't listen to me. I don't want-"
"No, no. It's fine. I really appreciate your insight," she reassured him. "And of course, I won't tell Mike what you said."
I don't want to get Duncan in trouble.
"Thanks, Zoey," he held her eye contact for a moment and smiled. "Now, let's get moving. We have a challenge to win."
"Right!" She remembered where she was. "Let's go."
"Lead the way."
...I meddled, didn't I?
He followed Zoey through the trees, both of them on the lookout for other members of their team or rabid animals.
"I hope this moon goes away soon," Zoey shivered.
"Why?" Duncan tilted his head. "This is a great opportunity, you know."
"To do what?"
"Haven't you ever wanted to pet a bear?" Duncan asked.
"I guess I've never thought about it," she admitted.
"They're so cute, though. They have these fluffy ears, and- why are you laughing?"
"I don't know," she giggled. "I just never thought I'd hear you describe something as 'cute.'"
"Well, they are! But they're normally vicious, right? Like, they'll tear your head off. But tonight? That's our opportunity."
"Our opportunity?"
"You don't want to come with me?" Duncan tilted his head.
"To find a bear to pet? Don't we have a challenge?"
"I think we can take a little shortcut. Unless you don't want to?"
"I do. I'm just… worried about getting voted off?"
"You? Nah. You're, like, the best person on this team. If anything, I have one foot out the door."
...The best person? On the team?
I knew she'd like that.
"So, are you coming?"
"Sure," she smiled. "If you know where to find a bear."
"I have my tricks. There's a pond nearby where they like to hang out. We usually avoid it, but in this case… It's probably the best place to be."
"Alright. Lead the way."
Duncan had spent a lot of time in these woods over the past few years. He didn't know exactly where he was, but he had a good idea.
"It's right over here," he cast aside a few stray branches. "Cody really did get mauled by a bear, by the way. So, it feels really weird seeking them out like this."
"Oh."
"He's fine now, obviously. Should I kill one? Just to let them know he still has shooters out here?"
"You wouldn't!" She gasped.
"Nah, I'm just kidding. Oh! Look at that. We're here…" he could see the small pond. Sure enough, a few bear cubs were splashing around. "Zoey, you're gonna lose your shit. Look at them!"
"Let me see…" she took a few steps closer. "Oh, no way!" Her face lit up. "Look at them! Oh, they're having so much fun."
"Let's see if we can get any closer," Duncan crept through the bushes. "Hi, guys," he whispered. "Mind if we say hi?"
The small group of bear cubs turned to look at him in curiosity.
"Yeah, right over here," he whispered encouragingly. He took Zoey's bacon hat off of her head.
"Hey!" She whispered.
"The meat texture wasn't suiting you," he shrugged.
"Can't argue with that."
"Here bear! Do you want a snack? Look what we brought for you!"
One of the cubs took a great interest in the bacon. It crept closer, pointing with its nose.
"Yeah, right here!"
Slowly, the bear inched towards Duncan and Zoey, tentatively sniffing at the hat. It bit into the meat, taking it from Duncan's hand then immediately dropping it. The bear looked up at him in confusion.
"Oh, right. They're vegetarian now," Zoey realized.
"Shit, I forgot. Well, that's alright. Maybe it'll let me touch it's ears anyways…" Duncan moved his hand closer to the creature. "Hang on-"
"Hi guys!" Sierra shrieked. "There you are!"
The bears all ran away at the sound of her voice.
"Great," Zoey sighed. "Hi, Sierra."
"Thank God we found you guys! It's so scary out here," Sierra beamed. She had Mike and Cameron in tow.
Let's see how this plays out.
"Great, the team's back together!" Duncan smiled. "Now, does anyone know where we're supposed to go?"
"I think we're all spun around," Sierra smiled apologetically.
"Hang on. We started on the west side of the forest," Cameron explained. "And the finish line is on the East side. So, looking at the position of the moon, we can deduce that we need to go… this way!" He pointed in a random direction.
"Are you sure?" Duncan looked at him speptically.
"Do you have a better plan?"
"Point taken. Lead the way."
Cameron started to walk, arms folded close to his body. His eyes kept darting around, looking for any possible attackers in the trees.
"Don't worry, Cody-Cammy-Bear," Sierra picked up on his nerves. "I won't let anything hurt you!"
"Oh, uh, thanks, Sierra," he whispered. "But maybe we should keep our voices down? Wouldn't want to attract any squirrels."
"Oh! Good thinking," she answered in a harsh, screeching whisper.
Duncan was thankful for the silence.
At least we don't have to talk… I've done enough of that for one night. She's really cool about this whole thing, though. I couldn't be that chill.
Zoey, on the other hand, was staring intently at her boyfriend.
How am I going to bring this up to him without upsetting him? He'll just freak out again. I need to approach this in a different way. I don't want him to be mad at me.
The team walked through the woods, trailing Cameron.
"Alright, it should be right…oh, no."
"What's up, Cam?" Mike asked.
"Well, we need to cross that cliff, but the bridge is gone," Cameron pointed to a large cliff. The bridge had been clearly cut down on the other side, leaving two long strands of rope connecting both sides of the gap.
"Maybe there's another way?" Zoey offered.
"It'll take too long to go around," Cameron mused. "But I don't see another way."
Unless we cut the rope on this end, and swing across…
"I have an idea," Duncan announced. "But some of you aren't going to like it."
"What is it?" Cameron looked nervous.
"Well, if we cut the rope on this end, then we can swing across and climb up on the other side."
"I'm not doing that," Cameron announced immediately. "No way."
"It's not a bad idea," Zoey conceded. "Actually, I think it's our only option."
"I'll do it," Mike agreed.
"What!" Cameron looked at the faces of his teammates. "There's no way… how would we even cut the rope?" He tried to stall.
Duncan held up the knife he always kept in his pocket.
"With this."
"Cammy-Bear, you can ride on my back if you want?" Sierra offered. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"You know she's telling the truth," Duncan encouraged. "Do you know what would happen if you died? She'd flip her shit."
"I'd kill myself," Sierra smiled.
"See?" Duncan insisted. "You'll be fine. We'll just have the weaker contestants go first, so they have less distance to climb. Is everyone alright with Sierra going first, since she has to carry Cameron?"
I have to give her that. I can barely carry myself.
"Sure," Zoey agreed. "That sounds fair."
"And who's going next?" Mike asked.
What he's really asking is: who's the second weakest member of this team? Well, I don't mind the wounded pride.
"Well," Duncan smiled. "Chivalry dictates that Zoey should go next. However, I was a member of the Art Club in high school, and Subway didn't exactly build muscle."
And I haven't eaten in two days. But that's my own fault.
He's basically emaciated, there's no way he'll make it.
"I'll spare you the embarrassment," Zoey smiled.
"Oh, no need. I'm already mortified. But please, if you insist, I'll go before you."
"And Mike? You're shredded. I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Ah, thanks. I mean, yeah. Um. Ok," Mike stared at the ground.
See? Look at me. I'm being nice. Maybe I shouldn't have voiced the "shredded" part out loud, but Zoey can handle it. I'm complimenting my teammates. Solving issues. Charming. Funny. Do you know why? I don't cause problems. I never start shit. I'm all good.
Mike always gets embarrassed when people compliment him. It's true, though. He has, like, abs of steel…Ok, stop thinking about that now.
"Alright, everyone hold on," Cameron was clutching onto Sierra's back. Each team member picked up a section of the rope. Duncan handed his knife to Sierra, who cut the front and then handed the knife back to him.
"Alright, one, two, three!" She squealed and leapt off the cliff, pulling everyone else behind her.
Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck
Duncan was holding on for dear life. He crashed into the cliff and scrambled up the rope as fast as possible, refusing to look down. When he felt solid ground under his feet, he took a few steps away from the edge and collapsed.
"Oh my God… no. Nope," he shivered.
Zoey and Mike both had no problem climbing up the rope and reaching the top of the cliff.
"That was actually kind of fun," Zoey smiled.
"You're crazy," Duncan shook his head.
"Oh? You didn't have fun?" She teased.
"Guys!" Cameron caught their attention. "Right there! The finish line!"
"Oh, shit," Duncan stood up. "Let's go!"
Unfortunately, the Villains had the same idea.
"There!" Heather yelled from nearby.
Both teams raced to the finish line, but it was clear that Cameron couldn't keep up with the others.
"Cammy, I'm so sorry," Sierra cried.
"What? What is it?" He wheezed.
"This!" She picked up her smaller teammate and hurled him across the finish line.
Awesome.
"Sierra! You could hurt him!" Zoey kept running.
"I'm fine!" Cameron gave a muffled shout.
"See?" Sierra grinned.
Throwing Cameron was the edge the Heroes needed. They all managed to cross the finish line before the last Villain.
"And, the Heroes win! For once!" Chris announced as he stepped out of the trees. "Villains, I'll see you at the elimination ceremony! But first, grab some food. I'm legally required to feed you every so often. Hehe."
"Damnit!" Heather hissed. "Gwen, if you didn't split off from the rest of us, we would've won!"
"Yeah, what the fuck, Gwen?" Scott added on.
Shit, if Gwen gets voted off, I don't know what I'll do…
Aww, I hope they don't vote off Gwen.
"Anyways!" Chris continued. "You have half an hour to eat, then we'll have our elimination ceremony! Hehe. Good luck!"
Alright, this is the perfect opportunity to talk to Mike. I just need to get him alone…