A/N- Hi guys! If I write a bonus chapter from Mike's POV to explain some of his actions in the story, would you guys be interested in reading that? It would be optional to read, and it wouldn't be for another couple of chapters. Regardless, enjoy!

Chapter Twenty

The contestants and Chris walked through the tunnels of the mines and back up to the surface in complete silence. Chris was at the front of the group, refusing to look at anybody. His hands were clenched into fists.

Duncan's heart was still pounding. Apart from his shoes, which were soaked in gasoline, he had escaped relatively unscathed.

I'm sure Chris has ten pairs of these in costumes.

He tried to get a sense of the other contestants. Nobody appeared to be too injured. However, he wasn't expecting the eerie silence.

Shouldn't someone be yelling at Chris? Courtney? Heather? So unlike them.

Duncan looked over at Courtney and was surprised to see that she was already looking at him. He tilted his head as if to say, 'What?' But she quickly looked away. Duncan put his head down and kept walking.

So weird.

Meanwhile, Zoey was struggling to wrap her mind around what had happened.

We all could have died. Duncan could have killed us. He could have killed Mike. And Chris…he almost just left him hanging there! Was Gwen really right when she said that? And they didn't even look too worried about it. Why didn't Mike help rescue him? Was he just too scared? And then, when Duncan…we could have all burned alive. We were stuck in a cage, we would never have escaped the fire. And why did Ezekiel leave them out? And then he just…gave up? Would Duncan have really set them all on fire? We could have died. We really could have died. It doesn't even feel real.

Cameron was walking next to her. His breath kept catching, like he was on the verge of tears but just holding them back.

I don't know what to say, or do, or anything.

She felt someone squeeze her hand. She looked up and saw that it was Mike.

"Are you alright?" He whispered.

She looked up at him. His eyes were full of concern, and he had a slight frown on his face.

Of course, he's probably rattled as well. After all, he was the one who had to fight Zeke, and he almost burned alive…

She willed her eyes to stay dry.

"Yeah," her voice was hoarse. "Are you okay?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Need new shoes, though."

He seems so…unbothered.

"Right…" she trailed off. "As long as you're alright."

Maybe he's just putting on a brave face. I feel like guys do that sometimes.

Nobody else said anything on the walk back to the surface. Chris led everybody to the campfire, where they assumed their seats without his instructions. He stood behind his podium.

"Water!" He announced.

One of his interns rushed over with a glass of water. Another appeared with a comb and began to stylize Chris' hair.

"Alright, enough!" Chris decided and waved his interns away. "Start the cameras." He cleared his throat. "Welcome back to Total. Drama. All-stars! Sorry we didn't have much of an episode today. Ezekiel had other plans. Hehe. As a result, there will be no elimination ceremony. But we'll be back next week with another hair-raising challenge on Total. Drama. All-stars!"

The smile fell from his face as he finished his speech.

"Great," he sighed. "Well, I'm going to bed. Bye."

"Chris," Duncan called after him.

"What?" Chris asked, annoyed.

"Can we get some new shoes?"

"Yeah, fine, whatever."

"Thanks," Duncan smiled. "Oh! Chris-"

"What?" He snapped.

"…Breakfast?"

I don't really want it, but just to fuck with him.

"You're kidding me."

"Wha- Scott wins the challenge, he gets breakfast, we save you from a kidnapping, and…no breakfast?"

"What do you want?" Chris hissed.

Nothing. What does Mike want?

"Uh…waffles."

Oh, Mike loves waffles.

"Fine," Chris glared. "Somebody will make you waffles."

"Great," Duncan smiled again.

"Now stop bothering me," Chris turned and walked away.

The contestants watched him leave, then all turned to stare at each other.

I don't want to speak first…

"Well, he's pissed," Duncan shrugged. "Who would've thought?"

"Seriously?" Courtney asked.

"Well, I guess you're right. We should've seen it coming."

Nobody responded to that.

What's going on here?

"Alright," Duncan announced. "Why is everyone being weird?"

Courtney and Gwen were looking at each other. Courtney gave her a look that said, 'You go first.'

"I think we're all a bit freaked out by what happened today," Gwen shrugged.

"Oh, because of Zeke?"

"Yeah, and…you."

"Me?"

"You were a little reckless towards the end there," she shrugged. "So."

She's gotta be kidding me. I totally saved us!

"Yeah, right," he smiled. "Anyways, can you believe Chris really kept Zeke down there for a whole year?"

"Duncan, you almost died," Gwen frowned.

"I know, right? That's another thing! How come you guys were just locked up in a cage somewhere, while Zeke actually tried to kill me?"

"Wow, just you?" Mike asked. "Crazy that he just tried to kill…you. Alone."

"Sorry, sorry, you're right, he tried to kill you too. I won't take that away from you."

"Duncan!" Gwen snapped. "We all could've died!"

"I mean, I guess," Duncan mulled that over. "But I don't think Zeke would have killed you guys."

"You! Not from Zeke, from you!" Gwen lost her patience, then turned to Courtney. "He doesn't get it. Someone else, talk to him."

"Duncan," Courtney frowned. "You almost set yourself on fire. You could have burned down the entire room."

"Wha-Zeke would've done it first!" He spoke incredulously. "What was I supposed to do, let him murder Chris? Or me? He had a flamethrower, he wasn't exactly suing for peace."

I can't believe they're both upset. I'm the one who rescued us from that cave. They should be thanking me.

"How about this? How about a thank you? I didn't see anyone else coming up with a plan."

"It's not about that. It's not that you shouldn't have done it," Courtney searched for words. "I think you're being very casual about something very…scary, that you did."

"Well, you know," Duncan shrugged. "Sometimes it's just…necessary."

"When is it ever 'necessary?'"

"Clearly, someone's never been arrested," he smiled.

Shit, I shouldn't have said that. People always get uncomfortable…They never know what to say.

"Sorry," he quickly added. "Um. You're right. I'm being too…casual."

Zoey glanced over at Mike, who was staring into space.

I wonder if he's freaked out…I hope he'll say something if he's upset.

"What Courtney means," Heather brushed a few stray hairs out of her face, "is that you should try to think about how other people are feeling. Like me, for instance. Was I scared? Absolutely not. Because I know that if I died on this show, my parents would sue Chris for millions of dollars. So he would never let anything happen to me, or he would live the rest of his life in poverty," she smiled. "But I'm sure other people were scared. Like…Cameron." She looked directly at him. "Were you scared?"

"Um," he looked at her in fear. "Well, I mean-"

"See? He can barely speak. He's terrified. So sad."

Heather…she's such a…she's a mean girl.

"Or Mike," she kept going. "What about you?"

She better not lay into him…

"Huh?"

"Were you scared?"

"Scared of what?"

"Are you even paying attention?" She huffed and crossed her arms.

"Ok, to be very honest, no. Not at all. I'm sorry," he blushed.

"Duncan almost killed you."

"Just now?" His eyes widened, then he looked at Duncan. "Why would you do that?"

"I just can't be trusted."

"I'll say."

"Back in the mines," Zoey spoke softly from the seat on his left. "When you were fighting Ezekiel. Towards the end, when he spilled all of that stuff, and then you guys almost…burned alive," she spoke even softer.

"Yeah?"

"Are you…alright?" She tried to ask in a delicate way. "Are you…worried? Or scared?"

"Oh. No, I'm good," he appeared unfazed.

She was taken aback.

He's really not freaked out? Or does he not want to say it in front of everyone?

"You're…sure?"

"Mh-hmm," he nodded. "These things happen sometimes."

"See?" Duncan gestured. "That's what I meant."

"Oh, did you say the same thing?"

"It was basically the same thing."

"Well, there you go."

"But Zoey, how are you feeling?" Duncan asked. "Actually, fuck it, let's go in a circle. It's come to this. Everyone, share your feelings, then we can stop talking about it. I went, Mike went, Heather went, Cameron…kind of did but not really."

"I just want to let the record show that I was not scared," Scott announced. "So we're all on the same page about that."

"Yeah, right," Gwen rolled her eyes. "I heard you screaming."

"Then you heard incorrectly."

"Well, I was scared," Gwen frowned. "He grabbed my ankles. It was gross."

"Ew, he totally did," Heather wrinkled her nose. "I bet his hands were all slimy."

"They were!" Gwen cried. "They were so slimy."

While this conversation was taking place, Duncan caught Courtney's stare again. This time, she didn't look away. Instead, she narrowed her eyes ever-so-slightly.

He mouthed, "What?"

She jerked her head towards the woods.

Well, we know what that means.

While the others were talking, Duncan stood up without a word. Courtney did the same. Without explaining, he began to walk towards the woods. She was close behind.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Scott called out.

"Leave 'em," Gwen barely looked in their direction. "They always do this."

"Do you guys think Zeke is hiding around here?" Heather asked. "Since he's still out there somewhere?"

"Ugh, don't even joke," Gwen shivered.

"Do you really think that could be true?" Cameron looked around. "Maybe he's hiding in the trees…"

"He could be right behind you," Heather smiled.

"Heather," Zoey frowned, fed up with her antics. "Cameron, don't worry. Zeke isn't up here. If anything, he needs time to recuperate."

"I wonder what he eats down there?" Gwen pondered.

"Probably squirrels," Scott shrugged. "That's what we do on the farm sometimes."

"What kind of farm do you even live on?"

"It's complicated."

"Sorry," Zoey interrupted. "Can we discuss- did Chris really keep him down there for a whole year?"

I still can't get over that.

"Yeah, probably," Gwen answered.

"But…how? Why? Did nobody come looking for him?"

"God, who cares?" Heather examined her nails.

"I do," Zoey frowned. "How could you not?"

"You know, Zoey, every time we tell you that Chris is out of his mind, you never believe us. But, whatever, I'll say it again. Chris is out of his mind."

I don't appreciate the condescension, Heather…

"Look," Gwen gave her a gentle smile. "We've all tried for years to figure him out, and we can't. Honestly, I don't think it's worth it. Did he really abandon Zeke down there? Zeke had a clear exit to leave, if he wanted to. He obviously didn't starve to death."

"I guess that's a good point…" Zoey admitted.

Maybe Zeke wasn't in actual danger. If anything, he put US in danger.

"The thing with Chris…it's hard to tell where the showrunner ends and the person begins. So we just don't bother."

"Physical torture isn't his thing," Heather jumped in. "It's not his style."

"But Cody was mauled by that bear," Cameron pondered. "And Alejandro fell into that volcano."

"But Chris didn't plan those things," Gwen explained. "Sure, the challenges are dangerous, and he could up the workplace safety, but Chris doesn't outright attack people…he's a little more subtle."

"He's always screwing with somebody," Heather's eyes scanned the crowd.

So scary…

"I hate talking about this," Zoey decided. "It always freaks me out. Somebody, talk about something else."

"What happened in the caves?" Cameron asked Mike.

"Whad'ya mean?"

"Where did Zeke take you guys?"

"Oh. Well," Mike paused. "Hmm."

"Hey," Zoey grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want."

Maybe it was really upsetting…

"Eh, it wasn't that bad…I woke up- well, Duncan was also there- and we were walking, and Zeke, I never actually saw him, but he unleashed this pack of mutant gophers on us, and then we were trapped between the gophers and the wall, but it all worked out in the end. So, that was it."

"Mutant gophers?" Zoey asked. "A whole pack?"

He's terrified of those things!

"We did a lot of running."

"Isn't that kind of weird, though?" Cameron wondered aloud.

"What do you mean, Cam?" Zoey asked him.

"It's just…well, remember the boxing challenge? On the wheel, Mike's fear was the gophers. What are the odds that Zeke would send that exact animal after him in the mines?"

Cam's right…the gophers in that challenge were definitely meant for Mike. How strange.

"Maybe Zeke was somehow watching that challenge?" Zoey proposed. "That way, he would know about the gopher thing."

"It didn't air yet," Heather interjected, much to Zoey's annoyance.

"So he would have had to physically be there," Cameron kept going. "But where would he be hiding?"

"Oh, that's so creepy," Zoey shuddered.

"The gopher thing was probably a coincidence," Mike explained.

"Really?" Cameron asked, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "That would be quite a coincidence, no? To choose that one specific animal and send it after you of all people…but, um, maybe you're right. Yeah, you're probably right. Could just be a coincidence," he appeared to quickly change his mind.

"Are you sure?" Zoey was confused at his sudden change of opinion.

"Yep. Definitely." He rubbed his hands together and didn't look at her.

And now he's acting nervous again?

Zoey looked over at Mike to see if he knew what was going on. He frowned, confused at the situation as well.

"Cam," Mike spoke in a calm voice. "It's alright-"

"Actually," Cameron quickly stood up. "I think I'm gonna head to bed."

"Alright," Mike didn't fight him on it. "You're good to walk back alone?"

He hates walking in the woods by himself.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cameron stummered. "Um. See you guys tomorrow."

He stood up and began to walk back towards the cabins. The other campers watched as he disappeared from their sight.

Something's definitely wrong.

"Since when is he alright to walk back alone?" Gwen observed.

"Was he acting weird earlier?" Mike quietly asked Zoey.

I can't betray Cam's trust…It wouldn't do any good.

"Nope," she answered. "I don't know what's going on with him."

"Hmm…weird."

In the woods, Courtney swatted a branch out of the way. Duncan followed close behind, dreading whatever conversation they were about to have.

"Alright," she determined they were far enough away from the prying ears of the other campers.

"Alright?" Duncan's hands were in his pockets.

"We're far enough away, so…What the hell is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?" She hissed.

"What?"

This should be good.

"Where do I even begin? First, what happened in the mines?"

"What part?"

"Before you found us."

"Hmm," he thought it over. "I dunno, I just woke up, Mike was there, we started walking- oh! Zeke sent a herd of mutant gophers after us. But we escaped. And then we found you guys."

"And that's all that happened?" She didn't appear to believe him.

"Um. Yeah."

"So why are you two all buddy-buddy now?"

"Oh. Well, there was a conversation. That we had. In the mines." Duncan suddenly felt nervous.

It's not like anything really happened.

"And, there it is," she gave him a wry smile. "Let's hear it. What was the conversation?"

"Essentially," Duncan cleared his throat. "He asked if we could be friends."

"And you said, 'hey, I appreciate that, but I don't think I'm in a good place emotionally where that can happen.' Right?"

"So, about that, I actually said yes. To the friend thing."

"And you meant it?"

"Ah…yeah."

"Duncan, you realize that's a terrible idea, right? Why would you ever agree to that?"

She's been criticizing me all season, hasn't she? Since when does she care?

"I don't see why it matters," he crossed his arms. "What was I gonna say? No?"

"Yes! You're well within your rights to say no. You don't have to be a jerk, but you can set boundaries, you know that, right?"

"Why do you care?" He was on the defense. "So what if I'm nice to him? And we talk? Is that so bad?"

"It wouldn't be so bad if you weren't…I don't think this is a good idea. I can already see where this is going."

What does she know? She has no idea.

"Courtney, you don't know anything about this, so just stay out of it," he snapped at her. "I should've known we weren't done talking about this. You always need to keep pushing."

"Because you won't help yourself! Don't you realize you're being irrational? You despised him a few days ago, and now you're friends just because he asked? You switch back and forth so fast, it's exhausting!"

"Then stay out of it! If you don't like it, don't get involved," he snapped at her. "Stop talking about it. Stop pulling me aside to complain about it. It's none of your business."

"How about this?" She glared back. "Chris told me everything before this season started because he doesn't trust you to keep it together."

"You- what? But- in the woods- when we were talking about-"

"I knew. I've known the entire goddamn time! You think Chris would leave you unsupervised? You?"

So Courtney and Chris…what? They've been talking behind my back or something? 'Oh, look at Duncan, what's he gonna do now?' 'Watch out, he might snap!'

"Then- what the hell, Courtney! You went behind my back?"

"It's not like that-"

"Of course it is! So you've been pretending not to know? What about the boxing match- why would you say that with him standing right there?"

"Because I was angry! Alright? I was mad that Chris made it my job to watch you. That's basically my only purpose on this fucking show! To make sure that you're not spiraling out of control!"

"Then stop doing it!"

"I am!" She glared. "I'm done. This is it. I can't help you if you won't let me. I'm not wasting more energy. You two can kill each other for all I care."

I'm sure she's felt like this for a while. Just counting down the days until she can get rid of me. I wonder what she's been saying about me to Scott?

"Well, I'm sorry I've been such a burden on you and that I've made you so miserable over the years. At least you're free now."

"Don't spin this on me," she snapped. "I wanted to help you. Have you ever considered that? I want you to be alright. I want you to be happy. But you won't put in the work to make that happen. I can't," she clenched her fists, "fix you. I can't make you like yourself or work on yourself. If I could, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I have to put myself first. I have to preserve my own sanity."

She's abandoning me. Just like that.

"Fine," he decided. "Do what you want. I don't care. I can handle myself."

"Fine," she glowered. "But when this all comes crashing down, don't come crying to me."

"Like you'd even care."

"Of course I'd care. Why do you always say that? Why do you think I want you to suffer?"

"I don't, I…" he stared at the ground.

I don't know.

"Whatever," she scoffed. "It's your funeral. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"Fine," Duncan's response was tense.

"Fine."

They stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"Well," she sighed. "Let's go back."

"Fine," he whispered in a hoarse voice. "Let's go."

Do not cry. Do NOT cry.

"Fine."

Back at the campfire, Zoey yawned into her elbow.

"Tired?" Mike asked her.

"Hmm," she rubbed her eyes.

"Let's walk back to the cabins. It's been a long day."

"That's an understatement," she smiled at him and stood up. "Night, guys," she said to nobody in particular.

"Good night," Gwen wasn't looking at her, but rather at the woods where Courtney and Duncan had disappeared.

Mike stood up from his seat and followed Zoey down the path leading towards the cabins.

I'm so tired…this day has gone on forever.

"Hey, you're sure everything's alright?" Mike asked her when they were out of earshot from the other campers.

"Yeah, just tired…and still a bit rattled."

"You think he'll show up?"

"Who?"

"Zeke."

"Don't even joke," she shuddered. "You'll know if I start screaming."

"Nah, I'll take care of him."

"My hero."

They had reached the cabins.

"Can you see if Cameron's alright?" Zoey murmured.

"Sure," Mike opened the door to the guys' cabin. "Huh. He's not in here."

"Wha- really?" Zoey looked over his shoulder into the dark cabin. "Cameron?"

There was no answer.

What happened to him? Kidnapped by Zeke? Eaten by a bear?

"We have to find him," she decided.

"Well," Mike hesitated.

"What? You don't want to?"

"It's not that," he pondered. "But…maybe he just wants to be alone for a bit. You saw how fast he left the campfire. I think he needs some time to calm down."

"Are you sure?" Zoey was uncertain. "It's not like him to be out alone at night. He hates the dark."

"I really think it's alright."

"I don't know…What if something happened to him?"

"Zoey," he sighed. "Look…I'm just exhausted. If you want to look for him, by all means, go ahead. But I really think he's alright. Besides, someone should wait here when he comes back."

He must be really tired, to leave Cam out there…Well, he did fight Ezekiel. I'm sure that took a lot out of him.

"You're right," she decided. "You should get some rest. I'll go out and look for him."

"Thanks, Zoey," he smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night."

"Good night."

Mike shut the cabin door.

Zoey spun around to face the dark forest.

Where should I look? Should I yell his name? Would that freak everyone out? I don't think they'd even hear it. I should've brought a flashlight…Note to self. Find a flashlight. That would solve a lot of problems.

She took a few steps towards the trees.

"Zoey!" A voice hissed.

She quickly turned around, but there was nobody there.

"Zoey!" The voice repeated.

"Who's there?" She called out, squinting into the darkness.

"It's me!"

"Cameron?"

She spotted him hiding behind the girl's cabin. She rushed over to meet him, confused as to what he was doing.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," he shook his head.

"Then what are you doing out here? It's dark, let's go inside-"

"No."

"No?"

"Zoey, I need to talk to you," he had a determined look on his face.

"And we can't do that inside?"

"No! I mean, I don't want anyone to overhear."

"Mike is the only person in the guy's cabin."

"Well," Cameron rubbed his hands together. "He's the person I don't want to overhear this."

"Oh?"

I thought we were done with this?

"So I'd rather stay out here," Cameron finished explaining.

"Alright," Zoey agreed, suspicion creeping into her voice. "What's going on, Cam? You're starting to freak me out."

"It's Mike." He stared at her, waiting for a reaction.

"Is this what we discussed earlier?" She sighed. "I thought we went over this."

"No…it's something else."

"Then say it," she was getting annoyed.

"I think he's gone."

"Gone?" She was puzzled. "I just saw him."

"No," he shook his head. "His body is still here. But Mike isn't."

"What are you saying?" Zoey's eyes were wide. "Someone else…took over? Don't you think we would have noticed? You have to give me more to work with."

"Here's what I think," Cameron began to explain. "Mike was there a few days ago. But at some point, another alter took over. One that we don't know about. Maybe one that he doesn't even know about."

"I don't know, Cam," Zoey frowned.

"Think about it! That would explain some of his behavior, wouldn't it? Like when he didn't help Chris earlier today."

"I think he was just scared."

"Of what? He didn't look scared to fight Ezekiel, why would he all of the sudden be scared to help Chris? Unless this new alter wanted Chris to suffer."

"An evil alter?"

"Something like that. Or when Duncan and Sierra were fighting, and Mike kept laughing…does that seem like something Mike would do?"

"I was thinking about that…No. There's no way he's been gone this entire time."

"Maybe not the whole time…But sometimes. It's possible Mike doesn't even realize the new alter exists."

Could Cameron be right? I would have noticed, right? Maybe I should start paying closer attention. Although…how could Cameron even come up with something like this? Am I missing something?

"Cameron," Zoey spoke cautiously. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Huh?" He was suddenly nervous. "Um. No. What does that mean?"

"This is the second time today you've mentioned something about Mike. Did something happen?"

"No," he answered quickly. "Not at all. Everything's fine."

"Are you sure? Because if something did happen, you know you can tell me, right?"

"No! Nothing happened…I just noticed, um, a pattern! Yeah, a pattern."

"A pattern?" She wasn't totally convinced.

"I've concluded that he's undergone a rapid shift in demeanor over the course of this season," Cameron started to gain confidence. "Think back to the beginning. He was shy. Anxious. Nervous. But now? He's more outgoing. He's calmed down. Original Mike would have freaked out after fighting Ezekiel, but this new Mike doesn't bat an eye. Further proof that they are two separate people."

"That's a good point," Zoey bit her lip. "But…I really don't think there's another alter pretending to be Mike. I haven't seen him do anything that out-of-character. And maybe it's a good thing that he seems to be more confident. That doesn't mean he's somebody else completely."

"I guess so." Cameron frowned.

"We need to trust him, remember? He would come to us if he had a problem. If there were, I don't know, an 'evil alter' trying to take over, I'm sure he would tell us."

"Then why didn't he come looking for me?" He blurted out.

"What?" Zoey was taken aback by this sudden outburst.

"Right now. You asked him to look for me, but he said no. Zeke could have kidnapped me for all he knows. The real Mike would never leave me out here alone. He would have come with you to find me."

The sound of wind rustling through the branches could be heard in the distance.

"Cameron," Zoey shivered. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you're reading into this a little too much. He spent all day wandering around those mines. I think he's really tired, I doubt he's trying to be malicious."

But…he's right. It's weird that Mike didn't want to look for him. Even if he's tired, he cares about his friends.

"Now, can we head out of here?" She rubbed her elbows. "This place is really creepy."

"Alright," Cameron conceded, figuring it was pointless to argue. "Sure. Let's go back."

"Are we good? I want you to know you can always let me know if you're worried about something."

"We're good," he agreed. "And you're probably right about everything. It's just a theory."

"Hey, no harm in that."

The two campers walked back to the front of the cabins.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Zoey," Cameron waved goodbye as he stepped into the guy's cabin.

"Good night, Cam," she smiled.

The moment she stepped into the girl's cabin, she collapsed into bed.

I guess I'm more tired than I thought…Cameron was being so weird today. Maybe the stress of the competition is getting to him. But Mike is fine. I know he would ask for help if he needed it. Friendship finale part two…We're almost there. Almost.

Meanwhile, Courtney and Duncan were walking back to the cabin's in complete silence.

Courtney…Whatever. I'm done with this shit. I just wanna go to bed.

When they finally reached the cabins, Duncan had no idea what to say.

"Night," she barely looked in his direction as she walked over to the girl's cabin and stepped inside.

"Yeah. Night." He watched as she shut the door.

Duncan quietly stepped into the guy's cabin. Through the darkness, he could see that the other three contestants were already asleep.

Jeez, how long were we gone for?

He made sure to step over any stray items on the floor. He noticed Mike left his shoes near the door, which prompted him to take off his own shoes. They were stained with gasoline. He leaned over to place his shoes next to Mike's, then stopped.

Does that send some sort of message?...I'm overthinking. They're shoes.

Still, Duncan chose to put his own shoes next to his bed.

He sat on his sheets and rubbed his eyes.

Suddenly, he heard a mumbling sound from the other side of the room.

Great, he's talking in his sleep again.

Duncan stared at Mike's sleeping form.

I wonder what he's saying…I shouldn't eavesdrop. But does that even count? He's saying the words aloud for all of us to hear. I can't just shut off my ears.

Duncan strained to listen.

"Bro…I don't…But if…"

He's being too quiet.

"And then…but…Duncan…"

Woah, what? He said my name! Now I have to listen. Am I really doing this?

As quietly as he could manage, Duncan got out of bed and snuck across the room, listening intently for any sign that his fellow teammates were awake. He looked down at Mike, who was sound asleep.

This is insane. What am I doing?

Duncan still didn't move.

"I dunno, bro, I think it's fine."

Vito.

"Well, I think Mike's being an idiot. This is a stupid idea, he just won't admit it."

Mal.

"Hey, you said you wanted this. You've been saying that the whole time."

Mike.

"But who has to clean up the inevitable mess?"

"There won't be a mess- trust me, I've got this under control."

"Da, Mike is right. We trust him to make own decisions."

"Fine, I can see that I'm outvoted."

"Bro, you did say you wanted this."

"Exactly," it was Mike again. "And it will be fine. I can handle this."

Handle what? You're not giving me a lot of details.

"Alright," Mal answered. "Whatever you say."

"Awe, admit it, bloke," Manitoba spoke. "It was nice to see Duncan-"

All of the sudden, Mike opened his eyes, staring Duncan right in the face.

Oh my God. What do I do. Oh my God.

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments.

Right before Duncan could begin apologizing profusely, Mike closed his eyes and fell back asleep like the entire thing didn't happen.

Right…he does that sometimes. Never slept soundly.

Thoroughly freaked out, Duncan crept back to his own bed and got under the covers.

Well…let's hope he doesn't remember that.

He stared at the ceiling and willed his heart rate to slow down.

It would have been nice to know what he's talking about, though. Oh, well.