A/N- Cool, we're back to the wacky shit. Also, if I ever take an extra week to upload, rest assured I have not abandoned this story. I am way too personally invested. I just have life going on lol. Now, enjoy!
Chapter Sixteen:
"Alright, let's go!" Chris yelled from outside the Spa Hotel. The Heroes slowly trickled outside to meet Chris, who had already gathered the Villains.
"Who are we missing?" He scanned the small crowd.
Duncan isn't back yet…
"Oh!" Heather smiled. "Duncan and Courtney are off talking somewhere…"
"Great," Chris rolled his eyes. "They need to get over here or we'll fall behind schedule."
"You know," Gwen crossed her arms. "If you didn't want them to be late, you shouldn't have set them up like that yesterday. You knew they would have to talk it out."
"Oh," Chris spun on her, "now you want to start making comments?"
"I'm just sayin'," she put up her hands.
"Chris, how much of that footage can you even use?" Heather asked.
"Enough."
"Well, I thought it was in poor taste," she announced.
"Right, because you're such a beacon of morality," Gwen scoffed.
"Whatever, Gwen."
"There they are," Chris saw Duncan and Courtney walking towards the group. He took his megaphone and yelled, "Come on! Let's go!"
Duncan flipped him off.
"Ah, back to his old self," Chris smiled.
"Alright, we're here, you can stop yelling," Courtney eyed him in distaste. Duncan walked over to join his team.
"Ok, now- Duncan."
"What?"
"Go wash your face."
"Are you kidding me?"
"You have eyeliner smudged all over the place, it looks bad on camera-"
"Ok, jeez, I'll go wash it off-"
"We don't have time. One of my interns can do it. Intern!"
"Don't bother your interns-"
"Yes sir?" One of Chris' interns appeared at his side.
"Makeup wipes. Stat."
"Here you go, sir," the intern pulled a package of wipes from his pocket and handed it to Chris.
"Thank you. Now, shoo. Go do your thing."
"Yes sir," the intern nodded and scrambled off.
Zoey watched all of this unfold in amazement.
This is so bizarre…
She snuck a look at Mike, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"Here," Chris tossed the package to Duncan, who caught it with one hand. "As I was saying, today's competition will take place by the docks! Isn't that fun?"
"No."
"Heather, I swear- look guys, this will be fun! Now, let's go down to the water to see your challenge!"
Duncan was still wiping his eyes.
This is so humiliating…
"Oh!" Chris clapped his hands together. "One more thing! As of today, the team's are disbanded! Welcome to the merge!" He beamed.
A chorus of content whispers traveled throughout the crowd.
"Congrats, guys!" Cameron smiled at his ex-teammates.
"Thanks, Cam!" Zoey smiled. She turned to Mike, who was biting his lip.
"Yeah…" he trailed off.
"What's up?" She asked him. "You don't seem thrilled."
"Oh! I am," he smiled. "It's just that now, we have to compete against each other."
Vomit.
"Aw, don't worry just yet," she smiled. "Although, don't expect me to go easy on you."
"Yeah, yeah," he waved her off. "I wouldn't expect anything else."
Duncan turned to make sure Sierra wasn't paying attention.
"You know," he whispered, "if you guys want to vote her off, you have to start talking to the others."
"Oh shoot, you're right!" Zoey realized. "Great…"
"Don't sweat it," he shrugged. "I'll get Courtney and Gwen to say yes, that's more than enough."
"Wow, really?" Cameron smiled. "Thanks!"
"Also!" Chris caught everyone's attention. "Let's go down to the docks for your challenge!" He took a breath. "Alright, that was pretty good," he started walking towards the beach. He passed Duncan, then immediately stopped.
"God, what now?" Duncan rolled his eyes.
"You have to put more on."
"I don't have a mirror. Can't I just not do it?"
Chris looked like he was about to collapse.
"Impossible. It's part of the look. That's like sending Gwen out there without a corset, or Scott without his God-awful wife beater."
"Hey, what?" Scott complained. "I happen to like-"
"Zoey," Chris demanded her attention. "You do it."
"Um, ok," she looked between Chris and Duncan, unsure of what to say.
"There," Chris smiled. "Problem solved. Now, can we please get a move on? We have a schedule to keep." He kept walking.
"You don't actually have to do it," Duncan reassured Zoey, who was standing next to him. "I'm sure I can get Gwen or someone to…" he noted she was deep in conversation with Courtney. "Although, I don't know if I want to be asking for favors at the moment-"
"It's fine," Zoey shook her head. "I'll just do it."
If I don't, Sierra will have to. Whatever, it's not a big deal.
"Here," Duncan handed her the eyeliner he always kept in his pocket. "Go for it."
"Um, alright," her hand hovered a few inches from his face. "How do I do this? Hang on…" she rested her hand against the side of his head. Quickly, she uncapped the eyeliner and applied it to one eye, then switched hands to apply it to the other.
This is so…intimate. Right? There's no way Mike is okay with this…but I can't turn my head and see if he's watching. I wonder if Zoey thinks this is weird?
God, please don't let me mess this up…
"Alright," she licked her lips and removed her hand. "Done."
"Awesome, thanks!" Duncan grinned and took the eyeliner. He turned to see that the rest of the cast had kept going, Mike included.
Guess he didn't wanna stick around.
"Great," Zoey watched. "Guess we have to get moving…"
"Sure," he smiled. "God forbid we miss a challenge, eh? Maybe Sierra will win immunity this time around," he jogged alongside her to catch up with the others.
"Don't even joke," she scolded.
Oh God, I hadn't even thought of that…she can't win. No way. Could she?
"Alright!" Chris announced once everyone had arrived. "Welcome to today's challenge, where you'll be competing in a regatta around the island!"
"Oh, you regatta be kidding me!" Scott smiled and high-fived Heather, who was standing next to him. Courtney rolled her eyes.
"You will be provided with a series of boats- well some of them are more like rafts…hehe…and you will need to complete an entire lap around the island! The first person to finish their lap wins immunity for tonight! But beware…some of the boats may be a little…unstable! Hehe."
The contestants looked at the range of boats parked by the docks.
Now, that can't be safe…
"On your marks! Get set! Go!" Chris announced as the contestants ran towards the docks.
"Ooh, this one looks cool!" Sierra turned the key in the ignition of a fancy sporting boat. The engine immediately started smoking.
"Hehehe!" Chris cackled in the distance.
"Fuck this," Duncan scoffed. "Who wants to start paddling with me?"
"Done," Gwen decided and stepped onto a small raft. "If you can keep up."
"Hmm," he followed her. "I think I can manage that."
Should I invite Courtney? I don't know…But if I'm acting like nothing's wrong, I need to commit.
"Hey, Courtney, are you coming?" Duncan offered.
Courtney looked over at Scott, who stared back at her with wide eyes.
"Fine," Duncan sighed. "Bring your boy toy."
"Alright, let's go," Courtney decided, grabbing Scott's arm and dragging him aboard.
"Do you think there's sh-sh-sharks around here?" Scott eyed the water in fear.
"Please," Courtney rolled her eyes. "I can fight off a shark."
"I'll take you up on that," he stood close to Courtney, as far from the edge of the raft as possible.
Zoey watched this scene unfold with mild disgust.
I can't believe Courtney would go for someone like that…What does that say about her? Scott is such a jerk…I never understood why girls like those kinds of guys…
She turned back to the remaining contestants.
Heather took one look and said, "Yeah, I think I'll take my chances by myself." She sauntered off to find a boat.
"Alright guys, friendship finale part two!" Zoey cheered.
"Let's split up and look for boats?" Cameron offered. "That way, we can find one that works!"
"Sounds great, Cammy-bear!" Sierra squealed.
The other three stared at her.
Oh…damnit. Hang on, if she wins the race, she gets immunity…She'll be here forever! What to do…I'm not good at this type of thing.
"Yeah!" Mike recovered first. "Go for it Cameron!"
"Yeah…sure," Cameron looked panicked. "Um," he scanned the dock. "Well, let's see…"
Maybe he can stall for a bit…None of us have to win, as long as she doesn't…No, I have to stand up for myself. I've put up with this for too long!
"You know, guys," Zoey cleared her throat. "We're not technically a team anymore…maybe we could split up a little bit?" Her voice jumped an octave at the end.
"Yeah," Cameron smiled. "That's a good point, Zoey."
"Ooh, sounds good!" Sierra beamed. "How about a little boys versus girls?"
Damnit!
"I like that idea," Cameron was still smiling.
Zoey glared at him as hard as she possibly could.
"Oh! Um, actually…"
Ok, ok, think…if it's just the two of you, it'll be easier to lose on purpose…no! I can't do that. I have to always try my best! But then again…
"Fine," Zoey forced herself to smile. "Let's do it."
"What're we doin'?" Mike showed up.
"We're splitting up," Zoey explained. "Go with Cameron?"
"Really?" He looked confused.
"Yep," she grit her teeth.
"Alright," Mike shrugged. "Ready, Cam? I think I found a boat that might work."
"Sure!" He smiled, relieved that he could escape Sierra for the day. He followed Mike towards a boat, which they managed to start.
"Alright," Zoey accepted her fate and turned back to Sierra. "Let's do this!"
At least she didn't bring Cody Junior with her…small mercies.
"How about this one?" Sierra stepped onto a random boat. "Maybe the engine will work…"
"Sure," Zoey followed her and watched as Sierra tried to start the engine.
It stalled.
Well…maybe it's for the better.
"Oh, wait," Sierra mumbled to herself. "Hang on…there it is!" She tried again, getting the engine to successfully start. "I knew I could get it to work."
"Oh, great," Zoey sighed as the two of them sped through the water.
Meanwhile, Duncan and his fellow boatmates were embroiled in an argument.
"Someone has to do it," he crossed his arms. "Someone has to steer the raft." He gestured to the crudely made rudder that someone had attached to the dingy piece of wood.
"Please, I'm not doing it," Courtney decided. "Scott, you should do it."
"No thanks," he cowered in the center of the raft. "I'm not going anywhere near the water."
"Then we'll just float aimlessly, I guess," she flung her hands in the air.
"You don't have a sh-sh-shark chasing after you!" He whined. "One of you guys should do it."
"God, who cares?" Gwen blew a few stray hairs out of her face. "Does it even matter? We're still in the lead…and to be honest, I don't really care about winning."
"Oh, fine," Courtney walked over to Scott and patted his shoulder. "But don't blame me when we lose."
Hmm…I sure hope Sierra doesn't win. That would suck…
"Hey, guys," he tried to be casual. "Assuming Sierra doesn't win the challenge, would anybody be opposed to voting her off?"
"I'll vote for her," Courtney spoke immediately. "Easy."
"I'm in," Gwen added. "Does she still have that rat thing?"
"She left it in her bedroom…Zoey hates it. It keeps eating her pillows."
"Gross," Courtney made a face.
"Scott, what about you?" Duncan asked.
"Me?" Scott looked surprised to be addressed directly.
"No, the other one."
"Yeah, I'll do it!" He grinned.
"Wonderful…we're all in agreement."
I can't get a read on Scott…I can't base anything off of last season. Chris rigged all of that shit. Hmm… Well, Courtney seems to like him, so that's gotta count for something.
A faint shrieking sounded from the distance.
"Wait, what's that?" Gwen looked up. In the distance, she could see Zoey and Sierra speeding towards them.
"Woooo!" Sierra shrieked.
Oh no, slow down, slow down!
"Well, they're having fun," Courtney watched as they sped past.
"Jeez, looks like Zoey's a hostage on that thing," Gwen squinted. "Hope Sierra doesn't win, eh?"
"Why do we hate Sierra again?" Scott asked.
"She's the worst," Gwen scoffed. "She's always getting in people's business…and she's obsessed with Cody. Poor guy."
"Looks like we lost our lead," Courtney crossed her arms, not wanting to talk about Sierra.
"Maybe Zoey will shove her into the water?" Gwen offered.
"Yeah, right," Scott shook his head. "She's too nice."
"Well, when people get desperate…alright, Duncan. Steer the raft," Gwen ordered.
"Oh, fine," he didn't bother arguing. He walked to the back of the raft and grabbed the rudder. "You know, we're not moving very quickly…does this thing have an engine?"
"Dunno, I didn't check…" Gwen shrugged. "Is there one next to the rudder?"
"Huh," Duncan tilted his head. "What does a boat engine look like?"
"Are you kidding me?" Courtney walked over. "You live on an island, how do you not know what a boat engine looks like?"
"Ok first of all, it's not an island, it's a peninsula, and second…I don't know, when have I ever been on a boat?"
"Hmm…" Courtney stared at the configuration before her. "I think that's an engine…" she bit her lip.
"Let me see," Scott walked over. "Hang on." He kicked the machine as hard as he could. It spluttered to life. "See?" He smiled. "There it goes!" The raft started to quickly move.
"Woah!" Gwen called out. "We have an engine!"
"Yes ma'am!" Scott answered.
"It's going kind of fast though, no?" Gwen looked at the water.
"Huh, maybe a little…" Courtney agreed. "Duncan, are you steering?"
"I'm trying, but it keeps getting caught- shit!"
The raft sped up dramatically, tearing through the water.
"Make it stop!" Courtney shrieked.
"Save me!" Scott shrieked even louder, jumping into Courtney's arms.
"Duncan! Kick it!" Gwen threw herself on the floor.
Duncan kicked the engine again, sending the raft shuddering to a stop.
"Oh, I'm gonna be sick," Gwen appeared to be a light shade of green.
"Not on me, you're not," Duncan glared at her.
"Oh God, oh my God," Scott collapsed on the ground. "We're alive."
"Yeah, and we're lost," Courtney looked around. "We're off course. Great job steering, Duncan."
"My bad, it looks like my years of boating experience failed me this time around. I didn't exactly see any other volunteers."
"Does the engine still work- don't kick it," Gwen warned. "But does it still work?"
"I'm stepping away from the engine," Duncan announces. "I can't handle the responsibility."
"I'll check!" Scott declared.
"Right, since you were so gentle last time," Courtney crossed her arms.
"Well, that's because I didn't know what I was working with," Scott defended himself. "I work with engines all the time on the farm, you know."
He took a careful look at the engine.
You know, I don't mind him TOO much.
"Ah, I see the problem," he mused. "I kicked it too hard."
"Oh, really?" Gwen asked. "Who could've figured?"
"I'm serious," he insisted. "I have a tractor just like this. You have to give it a sort of gentle kick, just like this…" he tapped the engine with his foot and it hummed to life. "See? There we go."
Alright, I'm impressed.
"Here, I'll steer," he offered.
"Be my guest," Duncan smiled.
"Alright…that way!"
Back on Sierra's boat, Zoey was on the verge of a breakdown. They were in first place by a wide margin.
No, no, no…this can't be happening.
"Sierra, maybe we should slow down?" She offered.
"What?" Sierra gave her an incredulous look. "Why would we do that?"
"I don't know. Just…throwing it out there?"
"Zoey," Sierra shook her head. "You make no sense sometimes."
Oh God, I'm gonna have to push her off the boat…I can't do it. It would be on camera, I would look like such a jerk…but what do I do?
She felt something wizz by her head.
"What was that?" She looked around.
"Welcome to Coconut Alley!" A voice announced.
"Coconut All- oof!" Zoey recoiled as a coconut hit her in the shoulder.
Chris appeared on a jetpack.
"Congrats, you've made it to Coconut Alley! I'd look out if I were you, hehehe." He quickly flew away.
"What'd he say?" Sierra asked. "Why are we looking out?"
"Coconuts!" Zoey yelled as someone lobbed a coconut right next to her.
"Ohh," Sierra appeared unbothered.
"Maybe we should slow down-"
"Zoey, I'm not slowing down. If you want to slow down, get off the boat."
"Oh, fine," she sulked, keeping an eye out for any wayward coconuts.
What am I gonna do?
Thankfully, her prayers were answered. One of Chris' interns chucked a coconut at the engine, causing the boat to dramatically slow down and eventually come to a complete stop.
"Damnit!" Sierra shrieked. "Zoey, what did you do?"
"Wasn't me," Zoey shook her head. "Coconut."
"Great," Sierra walked over in a huff to examine the engine. "Well, I can fix it, but I'll need a few minutes…"
"Take your time," Zoey smiled.
No rush at all.
Meanwhile, Gwen was picking at a stray splinter on the raft.
"It's so hot out," she complained. "Isn't water supposed to cool things down?"
"Go for a swim," Duncan suggested.
"No thanks," she looked at the water in disgust.
A splashing sound could be heard from nearby.
"What was that?" Courtney peered out into the distance.
A coconut landed directly at her feet, cracking the wood.
"Oh, no way!" She yelled.
"You've reached Coconut Alley!" Chris announced from afar. "Watch out!"
"Chris!" Courtney screamed. "If you hit me with a coconut I swear I'm suing!"
Another coconut hit the raft, this time near the engine.
"Woah!" Scott jerked the rudder to the side.
"Scott! Be careful!" Courtney cried.
An intern hit their engine with a coconut.
"Damnit!" Scott hissed as the engine started to smoke. "It's overheating, we have to stop for a second…wait, is that Sierra and Zoey?" He noticed the two stranded up ahead.
"Why don't we pay them a visit?" Duncan shrugged.
I gotta talk to Zoey for a second…
"I see," Scott grinned. "An opportunity for sabotage?"
"Yeah sure, I guess," Duncan couldn't care less.
"More like an opportunity to drown Sierra," Gwen scoffed.
Scott steered the boat towards Sierra and Zoey, stopping it a few feet away.
Great, Duncan and the others are here…maybe they can distract her.
"I'm gonna look at the engine," Scott announced.
"Hey, guys!" Zoey smiled. "They hit our engine with a coconut…"
"Same here," Gwen called out.
"Up for a visitor?" Duncan smiled.
"No," Sierra decided.
"Yes," Zoey answered right after. "Looks like we might be here for a minute."
Duncan turned back to his boatmates.
"I'll be back in a sec, I have to tell her something real quick, about…" he tilted his head in Sierra's direction.
"Have fun," Gwen sprawled out on the raft. "Somebody wake me up if I fall asleep. It's too hot out here."
"Think you can make the jump?" Zoey asked.
"Are you mocking me?"
"Not at all…You can swim, right?"
"I don't know how I feel about this mean Zoey," Duncan hopped onto the boat. "I guess the merge has gone to your head."
Will she keep talking to me even though we're competing against each other now? I'd probably cut her off if I was in her position…She has enough friends here to stay for a while.
"C'mon," she glanced at Sierra to make sure she wasn't listening. "We survived the Hero Team together, right? I can't turn against a former teammate," she put her hands on her hips.
I'm so glad I made at least one new friend from that old team…even if he doesn't get along with Mike, I guess. Whatever. I need to stay in this competition, right? It's good to have friends here. Someone I can trust.
"Well, maybe one former teammate," he murmured, looking again at Sierra.
"Right," Zoey rubbed her hands together.
"Listen," he stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I got Gwen, Courtney, and Scott to vote for her tonight…Do you see where I'm going with this?"
"She can't win immunity…she can't win the challenge."
"Hmm."
"But what am I supposed to do? I can't just shove her off the boat…"
"I would."
"You wouldn't," she frowned at him.
"If it was her? Maybe. Just be creative."
"How am I-"
The boat rocked to the left, sending Zoey flying off the side. Duncan grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her towards him.
"Woah, careful sailor," he smiled. "Don't want to be some shark's dinner, yeah?"
"Sorry," she steadied her feet and stared at the ground.
"There ya go," he let go of her wrist.
"My bad!" Sierra called out. "I think I got the engine started!"
"Great," Zoey forced a smile.
"Woah, did you just say you fixed the engine?" Scott overheard. "Let me see…" he hopped onto the raft. Sierra was transfixed on the machine, not paying him any attention. "Alright, we're leaving! Duncan, get out of here."
"Aw, thanks, Sierra," he smiled and jumped back to his own boat.
Sierra hit the engine.
"Wait!" Scott yelled. "I'm still- ahhh!" The boat took off, bringing him with it.
"Scott!" Courtney screamed after him. "No!"
"Well, we're not getting that engine to work, huh?" Gwen sighed from her spot on the floor.
"Guess not," Duncan sat down next to her. "Do you guys just wanna give up on this one?"
"I've already given up," Gwen answered automatically.
One of Chris' interns threw another coconut at the raft, hitting the engine, which spluttered to life.
"Huh," Duncan looked at the machine. "That sounds promising."
He walked over and tapped the engine with his foot, causing it to roar louder. The raft started to move.
"Damnit," Gwen complained. "I was just getting comfortable."
"I'll steer," Duncan offered. "Don't work too hard."
"Yeah, yeah."
"I can't believe Sierra kidnapped him," Courtney crossed her arms. "What gives her the right?"
"I'm sure he can handle himself," Duncan dodged a stray coconut.
Zoey doesn't like him, obviously, after what happened last season…but I probably shouldn't bring that up.
Meanwhile, Sierra was steering the boat, while Scott was screaming at her and Zoey tried to keep her patience.
"Sierra, what the fuck!" He screeched. "I'm still here!"
"Stop whining," she rolled her eyes. "You can stay apart from your girlfriend for five minutes."
"It's not like that," he blushed. "And that's besides the point!"
"If you don't like it, then jump overboard," she declared.
"But there's-"
"Sharks, we know," Zoey sighed.
"Zoey, you know that I'm scared of-"
"Yes, I know," she shook her head. "We all know."
"Well," he narrowed his eyes. "You may not take my fears seriously, but I do."
"Whatever," she sighed.
I can't stand him. Who cares about him and his sharks? After what he did last season…Forget him.
"Which is why I'll be sitting here on the ground. For safety," Scott slowly lowered himself to the ground until he was basically lying down. "You know they can smell blood, right?"
"Sure, sounds great," Zoey was already thinking of ways to stop Sierra.
I can't believe I ended up on a boat with these two…I'm sure Mike and Cameron are having fun, at least.
Zoey walked over to Sierra, deciding she may as well try to stall for time.
"Ugh, at least he shut up," Sierra gripped the wheel.
At least we can agree on that.
"We're doing pretty well, I guess," Zoey looked over the water.
"Oh, this? Yeah, we're all set," she smiled. "Hey, what did Duncan want?"
"Oh," Zoey tried to think of an answer. "He just wanted to say hello."
"Yeah, right," Sierra snorted. "I'm sure he did."
Should I indulge her? It's what she wants. But maybe I need her to let her guard down…oh, I sound so manipulative.
"Why, you think he wanted something else?" Zoey gave in.
"Duh. He was obviously flirting with you."
"I- what?"
"It's so obvious! He totally likes you."
"Oh, I don't know," Zoey crossed her arms. "I really don't think so…"
"Zoey, please. I've known him longer than you have, right? He's always making comments, trying to talk to you alone, joking with you- oh! It's so romantic!"
Could that be true?
"I think you're looking into things too much," Zoey decided.
"Eh, I think I'm right. Why else would Mike dislike him so much? I mean, they barely know each other. There has to be a reason, right?"
"You think Mike is jealous of him? Over me?" Zoey couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth.
"Sure do," Sierra focused on the water. "Come on, you don't think it's a little strange that Mike wanted to vote him off?"
"Who told you that?" Zoey narrowed her eyes.
I swear she wasn't there for that conversation…
"Cammy-bear, a while ago," Sierra shrugged. "Said Mike wanted to vote him off, but he didn't understand why."
"That's old news," Zoey brushed it off. "We're past that now."
"Alright, whatever you say."
"And besides, even if Duncan," she lowered her voice, "liked me, it doesn't matter. We're just friends. I'm happy with Mike."
"Hey, don't try to convince me," Sierra spun the wheel.
"I'm not trying to convince you of anything," Zoey insisted.
"Look," Sierra sighed. "I can only tell you what I see. That's all. I didn't mean to get you upset or anything."
"If Mike had a problem, he would tell me about it," Zoey nodded. "He wouldn't hide things from me."
"Right," Sierra smiled. "Because he's never done that before."
"What are you trying to say?" Zoey glared at her.
Is she serious right now? That's nowhere near the same thing!
"Nothing at all," Sierra seemed unbothered. "Just pay attention is all."
"Look," Zoey gritted her teeth. "There's nothing between me and Duncan, alright? Don't say things like that. Don't get involved in my relationships."
"What was that noise?" Sierra looked around.
"Don't change the subject-"
"No, I'm serious."
A loud booming noise sounded in the distance.
"Wait, wha-"
A splash of water erupted from the ground.
"Ahh!" Zoey shrieked, dropping to the deck of the boat.
"Welcome to Dynamite Lane!" Chris yelled from a distance.
"Chris, are you serious!" Zoey yelled. "That has to be illegal!"
"It was in your contract!" He teased. "Of course, you can always give up-"
"We're not giving up!" Sierra insisted. "No way!"
"Sierra, please give up!" Scott wailed.
"I'm not giving up!"
"We're gonna die here," Scott whimpered.
"We're not gonna die," Zoey reassured him, mostly to calm her own nerves.
Is Chris insane? He's never done anything like this, throwing dynamite at us…Sure, he has his contraptions, but this is totally different!
Another blast of water sounded from even closer to the boat.
"Ok, maybe we are," Zoey cried.
Please don't let me die next to Scott!
While Sierra kept the boat moving through the water, Duncan attempted to keep steering.
"This is so boring," Gwen whined.
"Hey, what's that?" Courtney looked out into the distance.
"What's what?" Gwen echoed.
"That…" Courtney trailed off.
An explosion in the water caused a wave to shift the raft off course.
"Jesus," Duncan struggled to steer. "What was that?"
He heard a faint clattering noise.
"Hey, what's that?" Courtney pointed to an object in the middle of the raft. Duncan followed her line of sight.
"I dunno," Gwen squinted. "Maybe-"
"Run!" Duncan screamed. He hit the water, Gwen and Courtney doing the same. The raft exploded into pieces.
"What the fuck!" Courtney yelled. "Chris!"
"Oh!" He floated down on his jetpack. "I see you've found…Dynamite Lane!"
"I quit!" Gwen announced. "I quit the challenge. No fucking way am I risking my life like that."
"Chris, have you lost your mind!" Courtney shrieked.
"Hardly," he smiled and flew away.
"Well, there goes our boat," Duncan watched as a piece of the raft floated by him. "Anyone else down to just float in the water until someone wins?"
"Already on it," Gwen was floating on her back. "Fuck that noise."
"I can't believe him," Courtney fumed. "I really can't."
"Eh, what can you expect at this point?" Duncan shrugged it off. "He's crazy like that. What can you do?"
Duncan resigned himself to letting the water carry him wherever it wanted to go.
I've never been a fan of swimming…Or water…It's too cold. God, this water is cold. It must be nice to live somewhere with warm water…I wonder if there's sharks here? Oh God, there's definitely sharks here…What do I do?
Thankfully, he didn't have to think of an answer to that question. The sound of an engine in the distance took him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Mike and Cameron traveling towards him.
"Hey, Duncan!" Mike waved. "Want a lift?"
Oh, great. Do I just say yes? I don't wanna get eaten.
"Sure," he resigned himself to his fate.
The boat slowed down and he scrambled aboard.
"Hey, guys," Duncan collapsed on the deck.
"Where's your boat?" Cameron was steering.
"Exploded."
"Oh."
Duncan stood up and shook himself off like a wet dog.
"Thanks for saving me-"
"Sorry," Cameron interrupted. "How did your boat explode?"
"Dynamite."
"Oh. Why'd you bring dynamite with you?"
"Why do you think I brought it?"
"Um," he faltered. "I don't know. Sorry."
"Eh, it's all good," Duncan shrugged. "I can see why you'd think that."
"Wait, then how'd it get there?" Mike asked.
"Chris. You might want to look out for that, by the way," Duncan smiled.
"Actually," Mike rubbed his hands together. "Do you have a second?"
Oh God, what does that mean?
"No, I actually have some errands to run. Of course I have a second, where else am I gonna go?"
"Right…" Mike trailed off. He looked over at Cameron, who was staring at him.
"I'm not listening," Cameron turned to look at the water.
"Alright, look…" Mike cleared his throat. "Can I speak to you? Alone?"
"Sure," Duncan shrugged, pretending to be completely uninterested.
Mike took a few steps to the other end of the boat, Duncan following him.
"Alright," Mike took a breath. "I'm swallowing my pride, here, ok? But um…well first, congrats on the merge-"
"Get to the point."
"Right, well…I just wanted to say, sorry for maybe not being the nicest to you. These past few days. Um, I hope to maybe change that."
What is this? I have to be missing something.
"What's your angle?"
"What?"
"Why are you saying all of this?" Duncan narrowed his eyes. "Is this some kind of trick?"
"No! Not a trick…sorry, maybe I shouldn't have bothered-"
"No, no. Keep going."
"That's all," Mike stared down at his feet. "So, yeah."
Duncan stared at him for a moment.
Ok, this is bizarre. No way does he actually want to be friends. But I can't figure out his true motive…maybe Zoey told him to be nicer to me? Yeah, that could be it…She would do that.
"I don't understand what you're trying to do."
"Look," Mike sighed and held out his hand. "Truce? No tricks or anything, really."
"Alright," Duncan hesitated, then shook his hand. "Fine. Truce."
I'll find out what he's up to. I'm sure he'll ask me to do something for him, or keep up some lie, or something. I'll find out.
A large splash sounded in the distance.
"Woah!" Cameron yelled. "What was that?"
"Probably Dynamite Lane."
"Dynamite Lane?"
"Welcome to Dynamite Lane!" Chris cackled in the distance.
Mike and Duncan walked over to join Cameron at the front of the boat.
"What's Dynamite Lane?" Mike asked.
Duncan caught a stick of dynamite, ripping out the fuse.
"This," he held it up, "is Dynamite Alley."
"Throw it! Throw it!" Cameron cowered.
"Nah, it's fine," Duncan tossed the dynamite into the water. "It's harmless…if you can put out the fuse fast enough."
"There's no way this is legal," Cameron let go of the wheel. "No way. He can't do this. It's a crime. He'll kill us. We could die. We're gonna die!" He cried.
"Cameron, buddy, we need you to pay attention," Duncan rolled his eyes. "You know, to catch the dynamite."
"Would Chris really do this?" Mike asked, eyes wide with shock. "Real dynamite?"
"Sure, why not?" Duncan shrugged. "He has real sharks here, doesn't he?"
"I don't know," Mike caught a stick of dynamite and chucked it.
"Jesus, you can throw far…Anyways, Chris would totally do something like this. He can be a bit unreasonable, if you haven't noticed…Cameron, are you steering?"
He looked to see Cameron hiding behind the wheel.
"Look, Cameron," Duncan batted a stick of dynamite out of the way. "You can either steer or help us catch-"
"I'll steer," Cameron volunteered immediately. "I don't know how you guys are doing that."
"Eh, it's not too bad," Duncan shrugged. "Just got to pay attention," he caught another stick and tossed it into the water, watching the explosion with a satisfying splash.
Chris flew down with his jetpack.
"So, how are you enjoying Dynamite Lane?"
"Loving it," Duncan smiled. "Does your legal team know about this?"
Duncan caught another stick, pinching the fuse to stop the flame. He turned it over in his hands.
"Hey, what legal doesn't know, won't hurt them, hehe," Chris laughed. "Cameron, how are you hanging in there?"
Hang on…
He took his lighter out of his front pocket and nudged Mike.
"Chris, this is highly unethical," Cameron frowned. "You should know the dangers associated with using explosives."
"Danger?" Chris laughed. "It's fine! Don't worry about it!"
Duncan flicked the lighter and lit the fuse. Wordlessly, he handed it over to Mike, who lobbed it in Chris' direction.
"Woah, Jesus!" Chris dodged it.
"It was nowhere near you," Duncan scoffed.
"You know, your PO wouldn't like that!" Chris teased.
"Please," Duncan rolled his eyes. "That guy? He invited me to his wedding!"
"You should be more worried about someone calling CanOSH…or blowing themselves up," Mike decided.
"You guys are no fun," Chris pouted. "Whatever. I have to go watch the end of the race." He flew off.
"Can you imagine dying on Total Drama?" Duncan asked. "Wouldn't that be horrific? The headlines would be great, though."
"Duncan, I would rather die any other way than on this TV show…But if it were to happen, I think I'd want a Weekend at Bernie's scenario where they just don't acknowledge it." Mike shrugged.
"I was never allowed to watch that movie."
"Me neither. But I think that's what happens."
"Was he on TV? And then he dies?"
"No. Well, maybe. I haven't seen it, remember?"
"Are you guys kidding me?" Cameron snapped.
"What?" Duncan asked. "Have you seen it? Wait, is that the one where the kid can talk to ghosts?"
"No," Mike shook his head, "but I wasn't allowed to watch that one either."
"And yet you've seen the Godfather how many times?"
"Well, that's totally different-"
"Guys!" Cameron yelled. "You could have killed him!"
"Who?" Duncan stared at him.
"Chris! You almost blew him up!"
"Nah, he's fine," Duncan wasn't concerned.
"But…you…" Cameron looked back and forth between them. "You…"
"Cam, don't worry," Mike smiled at him. "Chris is fine. Besides, he started it. He wasn't worried when he threw dynamite at us, right?"
"I mean, I guess so…" Cameron was uncertain.
"Exactly," Mike nodded his head. "Besides, this challenge is probably about to end anyways."
Indeed, Zoey was fighting for her life on the boat.
Shit, shit, what do I do? We'll win at this rate! Maybe I can jump off the boat in front of her? God, I'll look like such a jerk…I can already see the finish line, damnit!
"Looks like we're almost there," Sierra grinned.
"Yup…" Zoey fiddled with her necklace.
"Oh! And Zoey? Don't worry about what I said earlier…men are dogs anyways. Except my Cody-kins! He's perfect! But the rest? Forget about 'em."
Zoey scanned the floor of the boat, trying to think of a plan. She landed upon Scott, who was still curled up in a ball.
Maybe I don't have to win…
She crouched down to his eye level, hoping the noise of the water drowned out her voice so that Sierra couldn't hear.
"Scott!" She hissed.
"Huh?"
"Get up!"
"No way-"
"Scott, get up. That's an order!"
"Nice try, Zoey, but I only take orders from Courtney- hey! What are you doing?"
"Get up!" She yanked him to his feet. "Come on!"
"Jeez, you're strong- hey, let go!"
"Listen!" She hissed. "Sierra's having trouble with the wheel, I need you to go help her."
"Really?" He asked. "You want me to help?"
"You know how to fix a tractor, right? This is no different- now, go!"
"Alright, alright, I'm going." He stood up and walked over to Sierra.
"What is it, Scott?" She was annoyed to see him there. "Can't you see the finish line is right-"
Zoey took a running start and shoved Scott off the boat, sending him over the finish line.
"Ahh!" He shrieked as he hit the water. "Sharks! Sharks!"
"And the winner is…" Chris watched the scenario unfold from his jetpack. "Scott? Yes, Scott is the winner!"
"Zoey!" Sierra shrieked. "What the fuck? Why would you do that?"
Oh God, did I just do that?
"Seriously, can someone get me out of here!" Scott wailed.
"You," Sierra hissed. "You!"
"And, that's the challenge!" Chris announced. "Time to head for the voting booths!"
"Oh, you bitch," Sierra fumed. "I should have known!"
"Sierra, sorry, really, um…" Zoey stared. "I think I'll just…swim…the rest of the way," she quickly got off the boat and hit the water.
The other contestants approached as the challenge ended.
"Well," Cameron looked unsettled. "I guess Sierra's going home after all."
Huh…I didn't think she had it in her.