Disclaimer: All TD characters belong to Fresh Tv. I only own my original characters.

~A/N~ Episode 11! I'm surprised I made it so far so fast after four months of stalling, but I'm back on track and rolling, so hopefully this story will be done by... April? That sounds about right. I have plans for new stories, so hopefully they won't be in the way of this one. Anyways, enjoy the chappie and leave a review if you liked it/hated it or whatever you feel.

"Last time on Total Drama: Return of the Underdogs..."

"Our first merged challenge became one of our most memorable, if only for the emotional tensions between Dawn and Staci. Basically, the latter was annoyingly clingy and Dawn had finally had enough, but hey, that's just what I saw, heh. Anyways, the scavenger hunt victors, or everyone but Noah, won a one night stay at a five star resort while the loser *coughNoahcough* stayed in the woods alone. Get it, because he was the only loser. Meh, but today is today, and we've got something special planned for the final eight that's sure to bring the scares, so buckle up, grab that teddy bear of yours, and prepare for the ultimate fright-fest, here, on Total... Drama... Return of the Underdogs!"

(The theme song plays)

The seven victors had arrived the the resort and hit the hay after a long day of sunbathing, sports, feasting, and fun. At the moment, Dakota, Brick, and Eva were seated in Dakota's extravagant room while the others slept.

"So, what now?" Eva asked. "Take out those two scoundrels for good like always?"

"Pretty much," Dakota said as she applied lotion to her arms. "Once Samantha is gone, we can just focus on Jordan. Then we go after everyone else until we hit the final three and it's everyone for themselves. Hopefully this can go down with minimal issues."

"Yeah, like Samantha winning immunity," Eva growled.

"Or Jordan, but mostly Samantha," Dakota continued, laying down in her bed. "I hate both of them. Seriously, I'd rather be banned from every mall in the world than lose to either one of 'em."

"Same here," Brick nodded, earning odd glares from both Eva and Dakota.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Jordan was listening in on the group's conversation via a glass placed on the wall and his ear pressed against the opposite end.

Samantha sighed as she emerged from the shower, wearing nothing but a nightshirt and pajama pants. "Will you cut that out, Jordan. Your eavesdropping won't improve our terrible image if anyone finds out."

"Relax," Jordan said as he rolled his eyes. "I can't even make out what they're saying. Just our names."

"So stop!" Samantha groaned.

Jordan gave up and set the glass back on the counter. "I thought you wanted to take them down. No?"

"Yeah, but fairly. What's a prize if you cheat to win?" Samantha laid down and played with her messy golden hair. "It's that way for my gymnastics classes in school."

"Well, this ain't school," Jordan grinned wickedly. "Just let your fantasies come to life... and not in a sexual way."

Samantha turned over and faced away. "I still want to crush Dakota and Eva, but there is a line to cross."

"Like when you crossed it by hurting Tyler and laughing about it the confessional?"

Samantha gasped. "How did you know that?!"

"I was waiting my turn."

"So you were eavesdropping on me too?! What the hell?!"

Jordan smiled. "But why did you laugh about what happened to Tyler? Wasn't funny to me."

"Sometimes I get mean streaks, okay!" Samantha snapped. "It's just a quirk I have."

"So, you're bipolar?"

"No. I just go through cycles of attitude. Sometimes I'm nice, and then the next day, I'm a total bitch. I can't control it."

"Oh, like D.I.D?" Jordan winked. "Like Mike?"

"I don't have- You know what? I'm goin' to bed. Goodnight!" Samantha turned of the lamp next to her bed and covered up in sheets as Jordan shrugged.

Dawn and Tyler were sitting alone in their room and eating their leftover meals: fried calamari for Tyler and Caesar salad for Dawn. However, while Tyler was chowing down like a dog, Dawn was unable to eat with bad thoughts running rampant through her head.

Tyler noticed her melancholy and asked her what was wrong.

"Nothing," Dawn replied with sorrow in her voice. "I'm just feeling a bit guilty for how I voted."

"Really?" Tyler asked. "I'm not. Jordan tried to get me to vote off Noah, but I didn't. The last time that happened... Well, you know."

"It's just that Staci was a friend... her only friend was me and I let her down when she needed me the most. But I really needed to help Noah and she was getting in the way. I just hope she can forgive me if we talk again."

"I never talked to her much, but she seemed like the person you'd want to vote off first. I'm surprised it didn't... oh, wait. Yeah it did. Sorry."

"It's fine." Dawn got up and pulled B's hat out of her pocket. "I just don't want to lose another friend."

"Well, even if they're gone, they're still friends, right?" Tyler smiled optimistically. "Just 'cause Lindsay isn't here doesn't mean that we're not going out. The same goes for you and B, but in a friendly way and not a make out way unless... you know."

"We're just friends," Dawn sighed. "I've never been interested in romance. I guess it's not my cup of tea, but you may enjoy it all you wish."

Tyler gasped. "You've never been with a guy... or a girl if... you know?"

"No, I've become romantically entangled before. But alas, it was a waste of time better spent on nature and good causes."

Tyler sighed and laid down after finishing his calamari. "That's cool, I guess. But you just need to find someone like Lindsay who'll be there for ya' all the time and support you."

Dawn crawled into her own bed and smiled. "I think I'll manage just fine. Good night, Tyler."

"Night!" Tyler chanted, turning of the lamp by his bedside and drenching the room in darkness.

As the victors enjoyed their posh hotel rooms, Noah was trying to sleep on the deserted island, but was having trouble. The makeshift bed he made out of pine needles and dead leaves was uncomfortable to say the least. He tossed and turned in the cold and finally snapped his eyes open.

Confessional

Noah: *Yawns* "As nice as it was to have peace and quiet for a few hours, I'm starting to miss the others, well a couple of them. Jordan can go suck a muffler."

End Confessional

Suddenly, a boom echoed in the distance, letting Noah know of an approaching storm. The bookworm groaned and stood up, rubbing his tired eyes and sitting on the deck of the cabin as the rain began to pour down from the dark sky. He thought he heard something tumbling around on the roof above him, but ignored it as he laid down and tried to sleep again.

Noah opened his eyes to the sound of snoring and the feel of soft fabric on his body. He smiled in content before gasping awake. He quickly surveyed his surroundings and saw that he was in a hotel room of some sorts. However, the biggest shock was the identity of the person in the bed next to him.

Jordan sat up and licked his lips before noticing Noah sitting a few feet away. The jock jumped in shock. "Gah! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I don't know!" Noah shouted in confusion. "I just woke up here. The last thing I remember is hitting the sack back on the island!"

"Well, how'd you get in my room?!"

"I told you I don't know! You got a good theory? I'd love to hear it!"

Jordan growled and jumped out of bed, walking towards the door while yapping. "I'm going to see what's up with this crap. Maybe the hottie at the front desk-" He turned to doorknob and it didn't budge. "Hey, it's locked! What gives!?"

Noah rolled his eyes and walked to the door. "It's not locked; it's just stuck." He turned to knob and pushed it in and out, trying to move it. "I... I guess it is locked. Wow, that's odd. What door locks from the outside?"

"The trippy kind," Jordan sighed. "I'm calling the front desk about this." The airhead picked up the hotel room's phone and typed in the code for the lobby, but when placed it next to his ear, he was greeted by static. "And of course the phone's out. Perfect timing." A moment of silence followed. "What? No snarky remark?"

"No," Noah said from the bathroom. "It's..."

Samantha grabbed Dakota by the shoulder. "Look, I know we hate each other's guts, but we have to work together to get out."

"Great, but how do you explain us ending up in the same room?" Dakota glared at Samantha with disdain.

"I don't know! Sleepwalking?"

"Possibly, but I'm thinking that this is our challenge," Dakota smiled. "And if it's to get out of this room, then I'll just hold you in here until the end so you'll be open for votes."

"So selfless, Dakota. So... selfless." Samantha peeked over the other girl's shoulder and noticed something on the bathroom mirror. "Uh..."

Dakota turned around and followed Samantha into the bathroom. The latter ripped the envelope off of the mirror and opened it, pulling out a typed letter. She began to read.

"To those with whom this letter in concerned, we welcome you to our fabulous hotel..."

"We regret to inform you that our location is bit odd at times, but don't worry, all you must do is escape the building and you shall be free..." Dawn read as Brick watched over her shoulder.

"To start, locate the spare key hidden in your room and make your way to the backup elevator on your present floor..." Tyler read as Eva tried to bash the door down.

"After you've finished said task, navigate the rest of the building and find the exit. Good luck, and sorry for the trouble," Noah finished. "Well, this sucks."

Jordan immediately ran around the room, looking for the key to escape. "Then find that key! I'm not spending an eternity in this hotel room with you!"

Noah tapped the lamp beside the beds and nothing happened. "Well, I'm done. Good luck!"

Jordan sneered and continued to tear apart the room from bottom to top.

Brick smiled as Dawn finished reading the letter. "Good! Just use your... aura... powers! I've never been good with finding hidden items."

Dawn nodded and closed her eyes as she sunk into a meditative trance. Brick crossed his arms and waited impatiently as Dawn took almost a minute to respond, but with a discouraging answer. "That's peculiar. There's no aura to pick up on. It's as if this place is some other dimension. Either that, or my ability is gone. I can't even pick your energy up."

Brick sighed. "And back to square one. Let's gets looking!"

Dawn followed Brick's order and poked around the room, under beds, in pillowcases, behind pictures, and even in the potted plants.

Tyler ducked as Eva attempted to run him over to bash the door down, but with no success. The bully hit the door and immediately fell back. Her face was red with frustration as she sat up and huffed and puffed.

"You can't break it down," the failure of jock sighed. "Just help me find the-"

"No!" Eva interrupted. "I've taken down a bigfoot and won three weight lifting competitions! I'm not losing to a stupid door!"

Tyler shrugged and walked off to look for the key as Eva continued to ram herself into the locked door, failing each time.

Samantha and Dakota, despite their obvious hated of each other, were managing to look together, albeit in dead silence. The latter checked under the mattress and inside the pillowcases, but couldn't find any key. The same happened with Samantha.

"This isn't working," Samantha grumbled. "We need to think about where someone would hide a key if they wanted it to stay hidden."

Dakota rolled her eyes. "It could be in the walls for all we know. Just keep looking."

Samantha sneered. "What have I been doing? I've looked everywhere, and it's not here!"

"Not everywhere. Check under the desks and all the tables."

"Why can't you do it?" Samantha asked suspiciously with her eyes narrowed. "Oh, that's right! You hate work. Sorry for expecting anything of you."

"I worked hard enough to take out two of your allies and make my own alliance. How's that for work?" Dakota shoved her hands in her pockets and walked away, but stopped when she felt something cold and made of metal in the tight space. She pulled out a key and groaned.

"Well, I guess you're good for something," Samantha smirked. "Wasting time!"

"Just let me open the door!" Dakota mumbled.

Noah and Jordan grasped as the key fell out of the bookworm's pocket as he leaned over to check under the bed. The airhead growled. "You had it the whole time?!"

"I didn't know, but, hey, I found it, right?" Noah smiled and winked as Jordan grew restless.

"Just get us outta here, fool!"

Noah shrugged and put the key into it's hole, twisted the knob, and left with Jordan behind him.

Outside were two long hallways that converged, at a ninety degree angle, right at the door they just walked through. Along the sides of the hall were more doors of the exact same shape and color. At the end of each hall was another door at a corner. Hanging above these halls were small, elegant chandeliers that cast golden rays of light on the darkened halls.

Jordan's eyes opened wide in fear. "This ain't our hotel."

Noah took a deep breath. "Well, let us explore then."

"No! That's stupid!" Jordan shook his head side to side in a blind panic. "I'm staying right here!"

"Scared?" Noah smirked. Jordan glared at him and covered his chest with his arms as he shuddered. "Go figure. You can sure talk up a storm, but when push comes to shove, you're a big baby."

"Hey, the only babyish thing I do is suck nip-"

"And I regret my comment!" Noah groaned in disgust. "Keep your nightmare fuel away from me!"

"You called me a baby. I just-"

Noah threw his hand up and shushed Jordan. "Hold it! Listen... You hear that?"

Jordan tuned his hearing and listened closely. Somewhere in the distance was human speech. He shuddered and moaned. "Oh, man. We're so boned."

"And the rythmic thumping? Yeah, totally inviting." Noah hushed his voice and peeked into each hall. "It stopped." Suddenly, a creaking whine echoed through the corridors and sent shivers down their spines.

Jordan ducked back into the room and peeked out with one side of his trembling face. "Great. Now you got us killed."

Noah turned to face his rival and scowled. "Um, no, I didn't. You wanted to get out, so-"

"Noah?" a voice rang from the other end of the hall. Noah turned as Jordan squealed in fear. At the end of the hall, running towards the two boys, were Dawn and Brick, followed closely by Samantha and Dakota.

"You're okay?" Dawn asked Noah.

"Yeah. Why?" Noah replied.

"This place is totally creepy," Dakota butted in and got in Noah's face. "I think we're being watched. When we left our room, we saw something at the end of the other hall and ran away."

"Was it Tyler or Eva?" Brick asked. "I haven't seem them anywhere."

"No. It was dark and shadowy," Samantha explained, waving her arms around her pale face in fright.

Jordan leaned out from behind the door. "A ghost?!"

Noah and Dawn shared a nervous glance. Brick and Dakota did the same. Even Samantha jumped a little as Jordan ducked back behind his cover. Then the thumping started again, sending everyone back against the walls.

"Ok, that's scary," Brick gasped. "Hold me!" he whispered at Dakota. The girl rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's probably nothing serious. Maybe it's Eva and Tyler?"

"Or a demonic soul out for the blood of reality show stars!" Jordan squealed.

"Or a joke," Noah added. "This is obviously a challenge set up by Chris to scare us."

Samantha smiled through her chattering teeth. "Noah's right, guys. This is a challenge, so nothin' to be afraid of, right?"

Another sound echoed through the building: rattling chains. "Nope!" Brick shouted, ducking into the the open doorway.

"Hey, this is my spot!" Jordan growled, pushing Brick into the open again. "Find your own, leaky legs!"

Dawn coughed, gaining the attention of the other teens. She stood straight and calmly as she explained the situation to the best of her knowledge. "Look, I can't pick up on any aura. Either my powers are gone or this place is blocking the flow of the energy. I say we find Eva and Tyler first, then find the hidden elevator."

"But where are they?" Dakota asked. "We didn't see them."

"Follow the thumps," Noah suggested. "They're there for a reason right?"

"You trippin' or what?" Jordan grasped. "No way am I leaving this room."

Noah looked to the rest of the crew and back with a smile. "Gotcha! Just lay in wait until we return or the evil that haunts this hotel steals your soul. Sounds like a plan."

Jordan whined like a sad dog and stood up. "No, I'm coming. Who needs rooms anyway, am I right?" The silence was broken when the door slammed shut behind the teen, causing the entire group to scream in terror. "Mercy!" Jordan squealed loudly.

Eva had finally given up on beating the door down and sat on the soft carpet of the suite. "You wanna try?" she asked Tyler. "For the first time in my life, I'm too tired to be pissed. Wow, so that's what it feels like. It's... weird."

"Don't worry, I'll find the key," Tyler said optimistically. "How hard could it be to find... one key... in a full suite... Ok, it's hard."

Eva leaned back and groaned. "Well, get on it. I'm not spending my life in this place. I have money to win." She felt something move in her pocket as she shifted her hips and pulled out the key in shock. "I had it the whole time? Stupid!"

"Nice job," Tyler said sincerely. "And not in a bad way. Now open the door and get us out!"

Eva stood up and opened the door. On the other side was a mass of shapes and she punched the nearest one as hard as she could in self defense. Brick hit the floor and held his nose in pain as Samantha chuckled.

"What's this?" Eva mumbled. "Why're you all here?"

"We heard you banging and Brick decided to open the door," Dawn cringed. "But, uh, I think you reacted a bit strongly."

"Tell me about it," Brick moaned, getting to his feet and wiping the slobber from his chin. "I think you broke something, but it's fine. At least I think it is; it's not that painful."

"Sorry, but you scared me," Eva shrugged.

Tyler walked walked up to the group and sighed. "Oh, thank God you guys made it. It was getting boring in there."

The halls suddenly echoed with the sound of chains. Noah shivered. "Yeah, but I think things are gonna get interesting really soon. We need to find the elevator and get the hell out."

"Right," Dakota nodded in a panic. "Totally right."

"But, uh, where is it?" Eva asked. "The letter never told us."

"But the keys were in our pockets, so the puzzles must be easier than we expect them to be," Dawn said. "We should look in the most expected places."

"So we check the other doors?" Tyler asked, confused. "But, I don't know if that's the safest bet. What if something's inside?"

"Then you sacrifice yourself so we can escape," Eva smiled. "You're pretty expendable."

Tyler bit his lip and looked to Jordan for help. "Dude, vouch for me."

Jordan, even in a state of fear, was able to put out a quip. "And why would I do that when you broke our trust?"

"What?!" Tyler gasped.

"You voted for Staci, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Tyler sighed. "Sorry, but I couldn't just boot Noah when he didn't do anything wrong."

Noah's jaw dropped. "And that didn't stop you in London?!"

"What? Alejandro was persuasive."

"He was an eel! Much like another scumbag in this room, er, hall."

Jordan sneered. Noah returned the favor.

"Guys, we can settle this crap later!" Eva panicked. "Listen!"

The group went quiet and heard the sounds of chains growing closer. Jordan dropped his attitude and grabbed ahold of the nearest unopened door and tried opening it, but it was locked. "No!" He tugged at another with the same result. "We're gonna die! Find the thing!"

The seven other campers dashed off to the other doors and pulled on each of them, but none would open until Dakota had the misfortune of finding a very odd door. She wiggled the knob and felt the door creak open a bit. In her burst of adrenaline, she opened the door all the way and screamed as she was dragged inside by an unseen force that slammed the door behind her.

The other teens heard the devilish scream and came to investigate as the chains grew ever louder and obviously closer.

"Where'd she go?!" Brick whimpered.

"Maybe she found the elevator and left us behind!" Samantha growled. "That weasel!"

"She'd never do that!" Brick gasped. "I know her personally and I know she'd stick with us to the end!"

Eva heard the chains getting louder. "Guys, hurry!"

"We're trying!" Tyler said, out of breath with his hands on his knees. "We've looked everywhere."

"Even the floor?" Jordan asked as he began to cry out of fear. "Try it! Anything!"

Dawn stood away from the group and looked at the chandeliers on the ceiling with a suspicious glint in her eye. She noticed how one hung slightly lower than the others and gasped upon realizing the final piece of the puzzle. "Guys! The chandelier!" Dawn pointed to the lower fixture and Eva quickly pulled down on it. Suddenly, the wall between two doors opened up in front of the chandelier and revealed a cush elevator with fancy designs carved into it's gold-clad walls.

"Go!" Brick shouted, jumping into the hole in the wall with an epic dive. Jordan, Samantha, Eva, Dawn, and Tyler followed behind, leaving Noah to peek around the corner. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw a dark figure quickly limping towards him, accompanied by rattling chains on it's appendages.

"Holy shit!" Noah dove into the elevator. "It's coming! Push something!"

Eva pushed the "lobby" button on the elevator wall and the doors slowly closed. However, something long and black shot itself through the door and waved around viciously, hitting Brick in the chest and Samantha in the head. The sound of chains and demonic screeching was excruciatingly loud and drove the rest of the teens against the back wall as the doors finally closed.

Brick gripped his chest. "That was too close!" Then he noticed the stain on his pants and covered himself with his trembling hands.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Samantha groaned, rubbing her head. "I have a splitting headache."

"What was that thing?!" Tyler shuddered and crawled to the back of the descending elevator, curling into the fetal position.

"Something messed up," Jordan whispered. "We almost died."

Noah chuckled. "Guys, it was obviously some intern in a costume as part of the challenge. Get it? It's a horror challenge."

"But Dakota? What happened to her?" Eva asked.

"I... don't know," Noah said. "Maybe she fell for a trap or something."

Samantha sighed. "Well, challenge or not, I'm having a serious talk with the owners of this place once we hit the lobby. Putting us in different rooms? Sending things after us? If it's Chris, he's getting punched good."

"For the first time, I agree with you," Eva cracked her knuckles with a look of determination on her face.

As soon as the bully finished her sentence, the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Eva walked out and her jaw dropped. The lobby was nonexistent. Instead, the elevator had dropped the group into a long, dark, cavernous tunnel with brick walls and small lanterns hanging along the sides.

"Seriously?!" Noah faceplamed. "Another spooky setting?"

"Okay, this is plain weird," Tyler shivered. "How can this be a challenge? Chris couldn't make something like this, right?"

"Yep, we're in hell," Jordan squealed from inside the safety of the elevator.

Dawn noticed a letter sitting on the pedestal a few meters in front of the elevator and picked it up. "Welcome to the main hall. I know you all want out of this place, but your journey has only begun. Good luck, but be warned, for the hall ahead is very knowledgeable and knows you more than well."

"Great," Brick whined. "Darkness. Just, uh, perfect."

"And what does it mean when it said the hall knows?" Eva said, puzzled. "Sounds messed up."

"Sounds like a challenge; a nasty one too," Noah cringed. "So, uh, who's first?"

Everyone looked at Jordan, who ducked back into the elevator with a startled squeak.

"Get out here," Eva growled, dragging him back out in tears.

"No! Don't make me go! Send Noah! He's expendable!"

"Why don't we just go together?" Dawn asked. "Safety in numbers, correct?"

"Tell that to the victims of a public shooting, honey," Noah said. "I say we send someone in to test the waters. If Jordan lives, then okay, we'll go in together." Dawn reluctantly nodded.

"Good," Eva said, still holding onto Jordan. She pushed him ahead. "Now go!"

Jordan inched himself forward into the tunnel, his body shaking with terror. He looked back with a look of hatred on his face and continued into the misty space ahead. A few steps more and he had vanished from the sight of the others. The mist was thick and eerie, but Jordan could see ahead of him via the lanterns on the walls, so he managed to calm himself enough to walk a bit faster. Then something hit his leg and he jumped in fear, yelping at the top of his lungs. He looked down and saw a large cockroach crawling up his pants. His fears kicked in and his shook himself around, falling to the ground and feeling more roaches swarm him. Their legs tickled him in the worst of places, but he managed to get up and run through the fog as roaches flew from all sides, pelting him at various speeds in various places. One flew into his slightly open mouth and he nearly threw up on the spot after he spit it out. After a few more seconds, but what were hours for him, Jordan hit another wall and opened his eyes. In front of him was another elevator door. He could barely speak, but he could say "Come over!"

On the other side of the massive tunnel, the other campers shared uneasy glances as they prepared to enter the fog.

"Well, I guess it's safe," Tyler said. "I'll lead the way, I think."

"You think?" Noah asked sarcastically. "Wow, that's totally assuring."

"Well, Brick can't lead," Tyler argued, pointing at the trembling cadet with pee-stained shorts. "And I don't think anyone else wants to do it, so why not, huh?"

"Your funeral," Samantha shrugged.

Tyler gulped. "Maybe, uh, we could, y'know, link hands so we don't get lost?" The teens followed the suggestion and joined hands to make a six person chain.

"Good plan," Noah sighed fearfully as they walked into the tunnel. "Now we're one target."

"No need to be so cynical, Noah," Dawn sighed.

"Yeah, lighten up," Samantha chuckled.

"Wow. Funny 'cause it's dark, huh? Hilarious," Noah mumbled.

Brick suddenly broke out in a sweat. "Guys, uh, it's getting cramped in here."

"No. It's not," Eva said. "Harden up, wimp."

"It's just so... dark!" Brick exclaimed, breaking free of the human chain and collapsing so the floor in a clump of trembling teen. Noah and Samantha, both behind him, stopped and tried to pick him up, but Brick fought back and knocked them down in a fit of terror. The cadet ran back towards the entrance, leaving the others in the mist. Tyler, Eva, and Dawn had continued on, thinking, the others were still carrying Brick on their shoulders, but unknowingly left them behind. Dawn looked back in shock when she discovered that no one was behind them.

"Uh, where'd they go?" Eva asked suspiciously.

"But, I told them to stick together," Tyler whined. "Why doesn't anyone listen to me."

"Cause you're dumb," Eva grumbled, walking past the red-clad teen. "I'm goin' back to look for them an-"

"Hey, there they are!" Dawn said in excitement, pointing at three shapes coming through the mist. "Noah, Brick, Sam, over here!"

Eva sighed angrily before noticing something about the shapes: they weren't human. "What the-" The figures stopped in place as Tyler and Dawn joined Eva's side. The bully squinted as one shape came closer, revealing something horrifying. It was about the size of a human, but it's body was thin and stick-like. Where the head would be was a shiny, porcelain face with two black eyes and a red, bloody grin. "Oh, crap! Dolls!" Eva burst out, running away from the trio of assailants and towards the exit with adrenaline adding extra fuel to her steps.

Dawn and Tyler backed up as the doll-like creature dashed past them and the other two advanced. The one on the left dropped it's cloak, revealing a giant, humanoid chicken that hissed at a terrified Tyler. The one on the right exploded with fire, leaving a ball of purple flames in it's place. Dawn was petrified, for fire was her worst fear. Both teens were chased off screaming as their pursuers followed close behind.

Meanwhile, Samantha and Noah were back to back, albeit reluctantly, as noises surrounded them in the mist.

"Great job, Brick, just great," Noah whispered harshly through chattering teeth.

"What do we do?" Samantha hissed. "Where's the exit?"

"I don't know, maybe we should head back an-" Before Noah could finish, something yanked him off his feet and into the air. "Ahhhhhh!" he screamed in his girliest voice.

Samantha grabbed onto his hands and pulled him back, causing a set of gooey tentacles to emerge from the mist.

"Tentacles? Run!" Noah ran into the mist, leaving Samantha to fend off the approaching tendrils with her shoe that she flipped off her foot. The tentacles grabbed it mid-swing and Samantha ran off behind Noah, but felt something grab her shirt on her back and lift her up. She broke free and looked up to see a giant fly with red eyes and giant wings that buzzed like a helicopter. Samantha wasted no time in getting to her feet and running through the fog as the insect flew above her.

Jordan sat at the exit, waiting for someone to show up. He was considering leaving the others behind, but before he could act on his idea, Eva and Noah burst out of the fog seconds apart.

Eva looked to the smaller teen. "Where'd you come from?!"

"Tentacles... nightmares... hentai!" Noah gasped between breaths.

"Where are the others?!" Jordan asked.

"I... don't know. Brick ran off and Samantha was right behind me. What about Dawn?" Noah responded, regaining his composure.

"She and Tyler were behind me. There were things in there. Dolls an' crap!" Eva looked terrified as she relayed the events to Noah and Jordan.

"Wait, look!" Jordan pointed into the fog at three shapes that were walking towards them. "What the hell are those!?"

Eva gasped. "They're coming!"

Noah rubbed his chin. "Hold on. Dawn? Tyler?"

"We're coming!" the figures said together.

"Thank God," Noah sighed happily as the three lost teens appeared in front of him. "I thought you were gone," he said to Dawn.

"We almost were, but we all met up and stuck together," Tyler said.

"Yeah," Samantha said. "We linked arms again and all that weird, scary stuff just... vanished."

"Like the roaches?!" Jordan gasped.

"What roaches?" Tyler asked. "I saw a chicken man and a doll thing."

"And tentacles!" Noah gasped. "The fog brought out our fears!"

"Like flies!" Samantha gasped. "You're right!"

Jordan giggled. "Wait, Noah's afraid of tentacles? Lucky," he mumbled. The rest of the teens looked at his in disgust and shock. "I mean, lucky that I'm not afraid of 'em... Yeah, that."

Noah sighed. "Let's just get out before Jordan makes me throw up." He pushed the button on the elevator and opened the door. "And no, Brick didn't make it."

Samantha chuckled to herself at the fact that her enemies were falling one by one, but still felt a little bad about it. "That's... too bad."

The rest of the cast entered the elevator, which was exactly like the first one and stopped upon seeing another letter taped to the button panel.

Eva picked it up and read it as the elevator began to descend. "Don't look down. You're almost there. Just keep running. First out, first choice."

Tyler cringed. "And that means..."

"It means we're almost at the exit," Dawn replied. "Just a bit more to go and we're finally out."

"Good," Jordan sighed. "I just want this day, uh, night to be over. Hey, anyone know what time it is?"

"Oh, sure, just let me check my watch which I don't have on me," Noah rolled his eyes. "Speaking of which, where are our things? I'm pretty sure I saw-" The opening of the doors stopped Noah and the group looked outside. It was a mall. Just... a mall. Nothing odd at all. Just a mall.

"Just a mall?" Samantha asked in surprise at the thought of an easy challenge. "No monsters and dark tunnels?"

Dawn stepped out and looked around at the shelves of various items on both the top floor, where the campers were, and the bottom floor below. "It would appear so," she said.

"Sounds fishy," Jordan said.

"Totally," Tyler said, narrowing his eyes. Then he spotted the front doors. Behind them was a glowing, blue light. "Hey! Is that the exit?!"

Eva looked where Tyler was pointing and leaned over the railing. "Looks like it, but don't get too comfortable just yet. Who knows what's out there."

Jordan scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm not sticking around to find out. Follow me if you wanna live!" He fast walked out and stepped on the running escalators in front of the elevator. The others reluctantly followed, as Jordan wasn't the most trusty type to be leading the group, but hey, if a monster was hungry, it would eat him first, so they let him take charge.

Jordan hit the bottom floor and stepped ahead. Tyler tried to walk in front of him, but Jordan pushed him back. "No traitors allowed, dude."

"Come on, man, it was just one vote," Tyler whispered in his ear.

"Yeah, one vote that screwed us over."

Tyler sighed and walked back to join the rest of the group.

Jordan listened closely. "Sounds safe to me. Now just take it slowly and-" The jackass stepped forward and heard a click. He looked down to see his foot pressing down on a panel disguised as a tile and retracted his step. "I didn't do it!"

A rumbling shook the building as groans rang out from across the store. Inhuman groans to be exact.

"That's bad," Eva said.

"What's that noise?" Samantha asked nervously.

Tyler looked from side to side and floor to floor. When his eyes hit the top of the escalators, he froze in fear. "Z-z-z-z-"

Noah looked up the mechanism to see eight shapes tumbling down the steps: the eliminated campers, but different. Their skin was greenish and peeling in places. Dead expressions rested solemnly on their faces.

"Zombies!" Eva shouted, making a run for the exit with the other screaming campers running for it as well. The zombies hit the ground floor and slowly progressed towards them.

Another shockwave rocked the building, knocking everyone but the zombified campers to the hard floor. Dawn looked up to see Staci's eyeless corpse fall on top of her. She backed up with her leg power and froze in terror. Just as the undead girl was about to bite down on her foot, Noah kicked the zombie in the face and grabbed Dawn, pulling her to her feet.

Meanwhile, Eva was attacked by the zombified B and fought off his hefty body. "I'm sorry about sending you home," she growled. "It's just a game!" She threw the body to the ground as Tyler pushed Justin's body down as well.

Noah felt something grab his leg and looked down at Debbie. He groaned and scowled. "Ugh! Even as a zombie she wants my D!" The bookworm kicked her away and pushed on as Anne Maria tangled with Samantha. Jordan grabbed a coathanger and wrapped it around the Jersey chick's neck, putting her in the chokehold position and throwing her into a perfume stand.

"See, Birdemic, that's how to use a coathanger as a weapon!" Jordan taunted the corpse, only to get groped by the undead wonder twins, Katie and Sadie. Eva pulled them off and threw them into Anne Maria's body as it rose to attack again.

"Everyone to the exit!" Tyler screamed as he fought off Ethan, who had wrapped himself around his upper body. He threw the lanky zombie off and ran for it, but tripped on the body of Katie and felt Sadie bite down on his arm, causing him to scream in pain.

"Tyler!" Noah screamed.

Eva tried to pull Tyler out of the zombified mess, but Tyler pushed her away. "Just go! Save yourselves!"

Noah shot Eva and Dawn sad glares and nodded as Tyler was silenced by a bite to the throat.

Eva, Dawn, Noah, Jordan, and Samantha ran side by side until an even bigger tremor rocked the mall, sending everyone to the ground again and opening a huge hole in the floor. Eva was crushed under a falling shelf, but managed to hold it up just enough to save herself from instant death. Dawn and Samantha fell into the abyss, but Noah and Jordan grabbed onto their hands and held them on the verge of falling. The zombies jumped off the other side of the gorge and latched onto Dawn and Samantha's feet.

"Hold on!" Noah shouted to Dawn. "I'll pull you up!"

Dawn looked into Noah's eyes. "No, it's fine. None of this is real! It's just a challenge!"

"What do you mean it's not real!?" Noah gasped.

"My aura senses failed because this is just a big dream! The first one out wins the challenge! It was in the letter!"

Jordan gasped and looked at Samantha.

Samantha's face was struck with fear as Jordan looked up at the exit. "Jordan! No! Don't you dare!"

Dawn looked at Noah. "It's okay! Just let go!"

Noah strained in trying to lift up the moonchild and other zombies. "No! I'm not losing you! I've... never met anyone who cared about my problems! You're coming with me, alright!"

"No! You can win this! You need it!" Dawn looked down. "Everything... Will be... Okay..." She shook free of Noah's grip and fell into the abyss as Noah gasped and fell back on his rear end, shocked at what just happened.

Jordan looked at Samantha again. "It's worth it," he whispered, dropping her into the darkness below and running to the exit as Eva pushed the shelf off of her body. Noah stood up and tried running off, but looked back to the cavernous space.

The exit was only feet away. Jordan and Eva were neck and neck, but Jordan pushed her down at the last second as he dove into the blue light with Eva and Noah following behind only seconds later.

Noah awoke to darkness. He opened his eyes and saw blackness everywhere. Yet, he felt cushioned by something. Then he noticed the pressure around his head and sat up, removing the large headset and viewing the bright room where Chris was sipping coffee.

"What happened? Where am I!?" He looked around the room to see the other campers awake with Eva and Jordan now rubbing their temples. The room was bright and covered in equipment from top to bottom. Eight beds rested at regular intervals across the room.

"Welcome to the VR room," Chris said. "Pretty cool treat from Chef's old buddies in the government, huh?"

"VR? Like virtual reality?" Noah said, out of breath from panicking. "So it was a dream?!"

"No. Virtual reality. There's a pretty big difference, but it's still cool, right?"

"No!" Eva shouted. "That place sucked! I ain't goin' back in there! Not even for a hundred grand!"

"Well, you should be happy," Chris sighed. "We were only allowed to use this stuff once. Sad, 'cause I really enjoyed watching you squirm in the fog of fear. But, it was fun while it lasted, and hey, that's what replays are for, huh? But I'm sure everyone is wondering what exactly happened in there, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Dakota yawned. "Why wouldn't we?"

"I don't know, you're teens. Don't you like secrets?" Chris smiled slyly.

"No," Eva stated. "Just tell us what's up before I bash your head in with this computer stuff."

"Fine, just calm down. Any who, today's challenge was a VR horror adventure straight from the depths of the military's secret headquarters. Chef's old sargent was kind enough to let us use it while for our challenge. But in the end, the first one out of the course, aka Jordan, wins immunity, as well as everyone else who made it out without dying. But for being out first, Jordan wins a special prize: the sole vote at tonights weenie ceremony."

The other campers gasped as Jordan shot them all nasty glares and evil smiles. "Nice reward, Chris. I'll put it to good use."

"Yeah, enough explaining," Chris yawned. "The sarge wanted us out an hour ago, so let's hit the road before I get sued."

The campers stood up and went out the door as Chris held it open. Samantha stopped with Noah by her side. "So," she asked. "How'd you get us here in the first place? Last thing remember is sleeping in that resort."

"Chloroform," Chris smiled. "Harold got Noah, and we dropped cans of it in your rooms. Pretty nice plan, huh?"

Noah scowled. "Just... Wow." He flipped Chris the bird and left behind the others.

Back on the island, Jordan, Noah, and Eva took their beds in the camphouse and went their separate ways.

Jordan approached Tyler and shook his head. "Shameful. Just shameful."

Tyler sighed. "Sorry, dude, but the last time I voted off Noah, I regretted it. I'll vote for whoever you say next time."

"Even Noah?" Jordan got close to Tyler's face and narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah," Tyler said, looking down at his track shoes. "Even Noah."

Jordan shook Tyler's hand. "Then it's a done deal. Vote with me and we'll be in the final two in no time."

Tyler smiled a fake smile and immediately ran to the river to wash up when they broke the handshake.

Dakota and Brick, accompanied by Eva, were sitting on the beach when Dakota sighed in despair. "Well, it's obvious who's going home now. No way he'd send home Samantha or Tyler. Even Brick isn't a threat compared to me."

"Hey, I can be a threat," Brick said in defense of his skills.

"You ran off into the fog and pissed yourself in the elevator," Eva said. "I'm not threatened."

"I just don't like spooky things. Put me in a challenge like a boot camp and then I'll kick butt."

Dakota stood up and walked off. "Yeah, I'm going to confessional. I need a good ranting."

Confessional

Dakota: "I never thought I'd miss this outhouse, but it's good to have some privacy. Anyways, I'm so mad about being out first! To a door to boot! But if Jordan wants me gone tonight, then he can think again. I'll just play the invincibility statue and then it's down to Dawn, Brick, Tyler, and Samantha. Speaking of that statue, Brick was right. I didn't want it on me at the resort, despite our short stay, so I hid in that stinkbomb of a bag of his. Seriously, I threw up twice trying to hide it. And that's really all I have to say. Well, on to the elimination ceremony." *She gets up and Jordan's face can be seen creepy into the net window behind her*

Jordan: "Nice find, Dakota, but I think that statue will be far safer in other hands. That means mine, for anyone without a brain, like Dakota for instance. Seriously, revealing the location in the confessional was the stupidest move of the season so far."

End Confessional

Jordan was the only one in the cabin. He sat up on his bed and looked outside to see if anyone was coming, then moved swiftly outside and down to the tree where everyone from the Llamas of Loserdom had placed their duffel bags from their loss in the second challenge. With no one in sight, he grabbed Brick's bag and opened it up to get a blast of stink in the face. He gagged and pulled out the idol from within Brick's nasty clothes and zipped the bag back up before hurling all over it. He cringed and ran back into the cabin, throwing up all over the porch on his way in.

Noah walked up to Dawn as she collected shells on the beach and smiled for a change. "Say, uh, I'm sorry about overreacting back there. I should have known it was just a stunt, but I couldn't let you fall like that. Thanks for... whatever that was."

Dawn smiled and dropped her bag of shells. "It's fine. It's admirable of you to try and save me, but I wouldn't have shunned you had you let me fall. Like I said, it was just a challenge."

"Yeah. I'm not sure if I should thank you or apologize, but I'm sure one of those is sure to do the trick." Noah walked away as Dawn giggled. He turned back. "Say, uh, got any time to listen to a little story?"

Dawn nodded and sat down on the beach next to her friend. "So, is it about your terrible life at home." Noah scowled. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Well, I'll keep it short and sweet, but here's the deal. After season one, my parents were peeved that I lost the money so early. They said I was worthless and would never amount to anything good. And by that, I mean they told me that I'd never make money for them like my eight siblings. Raj is already working at McDonald's and they praise him, but I get on a hot reality show and get millions of fans and all they tell me is to stop being ignorant and get something done. So, then I lose season three in the most unfair way in the history of Total Drama and they go batshit crazy over it. First, they take away my books, computer, and all my gaming devices. Then, they literally refuse to treat my sprained ankle because they didn't 'think I'd need it' and wanted to save a quick buck." A small hint of anger blossomed on Noah's face. "And now, I'm here again, trying to prove to them that I'm worth something at all. Just to prove that their little Noah, doesn't belong in a cardboard box on the streets of some ghetto in Ontario! It sucks! Sorry you had to hear that."

Dawn touched Noah on the shoulder and smiled a warm smile that brought Noah's eyes to hers. "It's okay. If they don't appreciate you, then that's their issue. You're smart, funny, popular, and a debatably good person. Trust me when I tell you that you're not worthless. You're unique; special."

"Try telling that to two adults with pockets wider than the Grand Canyon."

"I can imagine," Dawn said, hugging Noah.

"Thanks," Noah said with melancholy. "It was hard to get that off, but I needed that. I just wish Jordan didn't have immunity. What if you go home?"

"Then so be it. It was meant to be."

Noah stood up. "Uh, see you at the elimination ceremony, Dawn. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be game-changing."

"I know."

Confessional

Noah: "Now that my secrets are all over the world by now, either I'll get twice as many fan e-mails as usual or my parents are going to prison for neglect. Honestly, I'm fine with that last one. Those dicks can go jump off a bridge at this point. Hell, I'll take anything below first place, as long as Jordan loses."

Dawn: "Yeah, this is a hard case. There's nothing I can do to really solve this unless I met his parents, and I wouldn't want to!"

Chris: "Interesting revelation, Noah. Perfect drama starter, heh!"

End Confessional

Samantha was sitting in the forest eating an Apple when Jordan snuck up behind her and tapped her shoulder. She turned around and growled. "Go away, Jordan. I don't want to talk the game."

"Look, Sammy, I'm sorry about everything that went down."

Samantha stood up and sneered. "Really? Was it dropping me into an abyss, because that's pretty fresh in my mind!"

"I needed immunity," Jordan argued. "Plus, sacrificing you allowed me to choose the loser. Now we can control the game again."

"I see where your motives are," she said scowling. "You're just a selfish prick who's only in it for himself. If you want my help, then prove to me that I can still trust you."

Jordan smiled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the idol and Samantha's mouth fell agape. "Y-you found it? Where?!"

"In the woods under a stump," Jordan lied calmly. "Guess I never looked hard enough, huh?"

"It's... mine?" Samantha reached out and slowly took the wooden Chris head into her sweaty palms.

"Yep. Think of it as a peace offering." Jordan winked. "Ready to take out Dakota or what?"

Samantha smiled and grabbed Jordan's hand, shaking it. "Thanks. I guess you're not all bad."

Dakota and Brick joined up under the tree in the clearing and grabbed their bags as they made their way to the elimination ceremony.

"Got the idol?" Dakota asked, just to be sure.

"Yep. Checked when I got back from the military base," Brick replied.

"Good, just hold onto that bag until the elimination. We don't want to let anyone know we have the idol unless we have to use it. Talk about a huge target on our backs."

"Got it, ma'am," Brick saluted. "So, uh, wanna get going?"

"Yeah," Dakota sighed. "Let's get this over with..."

Chris stood with the eight campers in front of the Swift-Kick-To-The-Butt of Shame as Jordan smiled arrogantly, knowing that his choice was law.

"So," the host said. "I guess you've had plenty of time to think about your vote, Jordan?"

"You bet," Jordan grinned. "It wasn't even hard." He looked to the rest of the campers and back to Chris. "I'm sending this person home because I've been on the outs with them for a while and figured that it was time to send them packing to avoid future trouble. Samantha knows what I'm talkin' about." Samantha grinned at Dakota, who gulped fearfully. "Anyways, the person I'm voting off is..."

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"Tyler!" Jordan grinned wickedly. The rest of the cast gasped. Samantha in particular dropped her jaw in disbelief at the event that had just occurred.

"Me?!" Tyler whined in surprise. "But we made up!"

"Yeah," Jordan said, pushing Tyler onto the big target in front of the Kick of Shame. "But with me, you only get one chance!"

Samantha ran up and grabbed Jordan's arm. "What the hell are you doing?! You were supposed to boot Dakota, not Tyler!"

Jordan snapped his arm back. "I know, but Tyler was my pick and so it will stay!"

Samantha huffed, puffed, and flared her nostrils.

"Wait!" Tyler shouted in a panic. "Is there gonna be a revote this time!?"

"No," Chris said. "But you do get this!" He pushed the button and Tyler disappeared into the sky as the other campers remained in shock.

Confessional

Dawn: "Who?"

Noah: "What?!"

Dakota: "How!?"

Samantha: "Why?!"

Jordan: "Boom! Buh-bye, Traitor McSwingvote!"

End Confessional

Jordan yawned and walked back towards the cabin. "Well, I'm tired. Night everyone!"

Samantha growled and stared at Dakota. "This isn't over," she told her balding nemesis.

Noah, Eva, Dawn, Brick, and Dakota watched in confusion as Samantha ran after Jordan.

Noah raised an eyebrow. "What the f-"

Chris paused the tape and popped up on screen. "Bet ya' didn't see that one coming, huh? Well, maybe you did. But hey, drama gonna drama, right? Stayed tuned next time for more danger, more drama, and more douchery on Total... Drama... Return of the Underdogs!"

Eliminated: Debbie, Justin, Tyler (1), Anne Maria, B, Sadie, Katie, Ethan, Staci, Tyler (2)

Remaining Campers: Jordan, Dawn, Dakota, Noah, Brick, Samantha, Eva

Kick of Shame: Tyler

Tyler pulled himself onto the boat of losers after it 'accidentally' ran him over. He rubbed his aching head and sighed. "Well, at least I merged, right? That's not bad. Sure, I may have mistrusted Jordan, but hey, I did pretty good for a guy who got sent home by injury in the third episode. And y'know what the best part is? No more chickens, ha!"

Tyler gasped upon hearing a faint clucking and looked into the driver's compartment to see a brown chicken with bloodshot eyes that may or may not have been named 'Clucky' in the driver's seat. Tyler screamed and begged for mercy as it leaped from the seat and attacked his face.

End Kick of Shame: Tyler

~A/N~ Yeah, the hate for Jordan just got ten times worse, didn't it? Well, he is a douchebag, so he deserves it so hard right now. Sorry, Tyler fans, but this was as far as that loveable jock was going with what little plot he had, and hey, he met Clucky too! XD

IhateMarySue'sSoooooMuch: Thanks! She made it farther and had more plot than she would in the actual show, so I'm happy for how she turned out. Glad you enjoyed!

Karts of Sugar Rush: To your review of chapter 18: I've never actually liked aftermath episodes in general, but I had plenty of loose ends to wrap up before the merge, so I thought why not, y'know? Yeah, Debbie was basically a mashup of all the worst OCs I've read in TD fanfiction (odd clothes, shipping with a main character, ripoff of a canon character), so she wasn't meant to be "liked" much.

To your review of chapter 19: Thanks for both of those reviews by the way. Yeah, that lab is odd indeed. Maybe it's part of, I don't know, a special plot? *Wink* Jordan is a major villain at this point, so keep hating. He will (maybe) get what he's earned sometime in the future.

acosta perez jose ramiro: Thanks. Staci was definitely one of my favs to write so far, and it hurts to see her go, but at least she's in a better place. (Not heaven, the playa :/)

And that's all for this (longer than expected) chapter. Reviews are highly appreciated. Have a great day/night and goodbye for another week or two! :)