Author's Note: I'd like to sincerely apologize for NEVER updating this story, there's a reason though! I lost all my data from my previous laptop including the other chapters of this story. And because of that I kind of had to let it go for a while, but I guess I'm writing new chapters now [Given some new information and turn of events]
CHAPTER 3: Just Great.
Oh great! We have three days, a key, and tons of unknown competitors! How on earth are we supposed to even move when we're stuck somewhere with only a bunch of testosterones as the lead! I kicked the sad thoughts aside and scanned our surroundings. "Hey guys, what do you say about following the dimwits first?" I looked around to see them all staring at me. "What?" then there was silence "Hellooooooo Worl-" then I was interrupted by Macey "You ACTUALLY expect us to get something out of people who actually say dibs on the landing ground?" She was raising her eyebrows at me "I get it, I get it. I know this plan sucks but I'd rather do that than experience more of this" I pointed to Bex who was just right beside me.
Basically to describe it, she was acting like a fidgeting beaver. It seemed like she has this extremely bad case of sugar rush, you know when the person actually looks like they're about to just fly off because of excessive floor tapping and nail biting. Liz looked sympathetic of the mad beaver and said "Cammie has a point, just look at Bex" and in a unison, we all nodded sympathetically.
"What the? It's not like I'm sick or anything BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING? NOTHING IS HAPPENING?" It really felt like she needed a happening to happen and I guess we'd have to give her that or we're all gonna be beaver wood.
"Fine then, come on I know where the creeps are. I can totally smell their toxicity from a far." Macey stood up as Liz commented "Whoah! How come you know Mace? Your male radar is really sharp I guess" Liz looked too bewildered but was dumbfounded when Macey replied "More of idiot radar. Besides I was kidding, its more of I threw in some trackers while they were busy fighting over their landing spot, its easy when all the dirt and dust are flying everywhere" Macey looked proud of herself to the point that we nearly broke into a clap.
We started moving and it felt weird to actually be spying on other spies, but what the hell this is better than nothing. "Are you sure we're headed towards the right direction? It just seems too easy, like they're just there" Bex asked Macey "Well what do you expect? It's not like we have a choice but to follow-" I cut her off as I dove for their heads. There was a glimmer behind the tree and my instincts just jumped into action.
I pointed towards where the glimmer was and we all stared at the shadow behind it. I could totally feel Liz' discomfort, it was as if she just wanted to vomit right there and then so I looked at her trying to telepathically calm her down. Then we heard a voice "Grant! Get your butt of my stuff! If anything gets jammed in there you are totally toast!" A boy seemed to be talking to some gorilla sized guy who was leisurely sitting on some of their stuff, then he said sarcastically "Oh really? Then make me!" Then the shorter dude said grumbled something but was over-powered by a slender guy who had his hand on his ear as if to try and hear something better.
I felt Liz fidget more, since the guy looked like he was listening out for something, and we were no farther than 5 meters away, crouched in a god knows what type of bush this is while being constantly feasted upon by happy mosquitoes. Then the slender guy said "Hey what was that? Oh..oh wait? It seems like I can hear bones breaking, saying Zach stop it! Stop it!" He was acting out and rolling on the ground "I didn't know that the glass map was inside the bag!" Then the Godzilla guy jumped up, as if suddenly electrocuted and it took all my might to stop laughing as the guy rolling on the floor smirked at Godzilla.
"You moron" the short guy told the humongous one while turning a shade of suffocated red. "Yeah try laughing Jonas and I'd make sure you're the one rolling around and begging for mercy!" Godzilla was about to go into a rampage when the seemingly sleeping guy said "Shut it you babies! And Grant, really if that thing breaks, I'd make sure that being stranded with Preston and Jonas in an island would sound totally better than what you're about to get" he smugly glared at the big guy and I can tell from a far that he was half serious and half cocky.
Macey rolled her eyes and I totally understood why, here we are watching a gag show staring four weirdoes who's saving grace, if not for that crystal map that they are talking about would be their faces and bodies. I'd rather not talk about other things such as you know brains and all that since I don't seem to see one as they continue tackling each other onto the ground. I can see that Macey and I share the same sentiments but for some reason, Bex and Liz seemed amused by the ruckus that they are causing.
"Neeeeeeeeeerd!" Cursed Godzilla
"Moroooooon!" Returned the short one, then they burst into another catfight. Yes a catfight, I think even my grandmother would do better than any of them if it's a battle of strength that we are talking about. I was so caught up with my thoughts and the whole name calling drama that I barely felt Liz tugging on my side then pointing towards the guy they call Zach.
He moved towards the bag and got out a glass cube, and when he did that our spy instincts kicked in. I could feel strong gazes from my friends and my muscles tensing. Whatever that glass cube is, makes me feel like its actually important. Then we heard "Preston, gimme that weird pin" He was completely ignored, so after 12 seconds to be exact he went about head locking the three stooges. "What on planet stupid just happened?" The small guy whom they called Jonas coughed out. "Again, Preston, gimme the pin" He said smiling sheepishly at the other three on the ground.
I could feel my saliva building up as a rock as I saw that guy called Zach actually do something that made me realize that this is game time. They are really spies! To hell with normal people performing all three in fewer than 7 seconds! The four guys took it like a complete joke, like it normally happens, but Liz, oh my god Liz was a different story. Bex may be an Amazona-turned devil monster, but she'd never do a serious headlock on Liz or something. The scene looked like an ambush scene from the movie, just with a lot of laughter and insults.
They finally settled and I guess it was somehow about time that they start doing something useful to us. My feet are starting to ache here come on! And its not like I like the thought of looking like a damsel in distress in the woods given that I was ambushed earlier to look pretty for the night out in the woods. Great, just great.
"Okay now for the serious stuff" Jonas said as he sat on the ground while fiddling on the glass cube. Preston FINALLY handed over to him the pin that indeed looked weird, it's not really a pin but more of a crest, I guess? Then when Jonas set it down, the cube started showing weird encryptions and the Godzilla guy Grant started poking them. "Move it Grant, don't touch it! It may be allergic to stupidity!" They laughed again (of course except Grant) as Jonas joked about him, somehow I'm starting to pity the big guy! Actually its more of I feel the same way since I can't seem to make sense of the encryptions, let's just hope that its because we're far away that I can't see much and not because stupidity can really be a contagious disease.
But near me I could feel Liz clutching Bex, who I could see was as surprised as I am. Don't get me wrong; she wasn't scared this time, now she looked like she entered her autopilot mode. It's as if I can see the codes running down her eyes as she stared into the cube. Then she stopped and looked at us, then she mouthed "It's a map, a literal map of the "room"" She raised her hands to put quotation marks on the word "room" and I kind of went hysterical inside. Apparently they had a map, and we've got a key! It seems like all four of us thought of the same thing, we have a unison nod and focused well on what they're talking about.
Jonas set the cube down and started jotting down important things, I guess he's doing the same thing as Liz now, mentally analyzing the codes and turning them into something that is within the languages that we all understand. Then Jonas said "You see, I know what this is and I can tell you now that it's an address, but not of a room, but a park?" He looked at his friends with a questioning look when Preston commented "Sorry to break this to you but have you ever seen an amazing race that leads you right into the final destination?" Then Zach said, "We're gonna get something from that park and we've got to do it fast. We have less than three days and god knows what the other groups have now". There was a short moment of silence but Grant raised his hand, which we all found funny. Come on he's as big as Godzilla then he raises his hand just like a preschool student. "Uhm who exactly are we competing against anyway?" Grant seemed as dumbfounded and surprised as us but not his three other friends. "Well let's just say I pulled some strings and found out some stuff" Preston looked so smug it was scary. "Yeah yeah, you pulled some strings to figure out that there were "others" but not really who they are" Zach grinned, and there was something about that look in his face that makes me want to kick him in the face. It's not ugly, rather it pisses me off that he looks hot while looking as smug as a jackass.
Then Zack threw down folders, which opened up to have several photos and other papers that seemed so interesting that everyone nearly threw themselves to the floor just to get a glimpse. Then my eyes entered into bionic mode and then to slit mode as I recount my nail polish incident. So it's these damn bastards who got me stuck to that umbrella thing! Just you wait you little devils! I was in the middle of my internal monologue when Preston erupted "Holy cotton ball! Is this who I think this is? Macey! Macey McHenry?" Then I looked at Macey who was petrified as hell, or maybe that was her being as scary as a rock, or maybe both?
Now that I think about it, I've heard the name Preston before, like some dorky son of the Governor if I'm not mistaken. I was in the middle of remembering when I felt a temperature drop as if fire was starting in the person of Macey McHenry, then I remembered, Preston is the dork turned hot! Then Macey looked and mouthed at me, "How on Earth does he look so human now?" I'm not sure if she's enraged or just shocked, but I guess when you're a spy nothing is impossible!
"Well, well, well! If this is not an interesting turn of events!" Preston looked energetic; he had his back against a rock and was lifting the photograph as if expecting it to pop out 3D. Macey was turning into a monster; she hates being scrutinized (but really its more of admired and ogled) by guys, much less Preston whom she brands as an ass. Well he's still an ass, just a hotter ass maybe?
"Hmmm.." everyone turned their attention towards Zach who was looking at a sheet of paper, and can I just say this, the way he's looking at it spells disaster for me, then he said "This is interesting, I think we need to step up our game a little bit more, here's competition you see" Then he turned the paper towards everyone to see, then there was the internal gasp, it was me.
I felt a dart head towards my head, of course its imaginary but hell we just started the race and I've got a headlocking guy call me competition? What is this a death threat? We can hear Jonas jotting down the abilities and achievement of each one from Gallagher, and it was awkward hearing how other spies scrutinize each other's abilities. Well at least he was doing something that is spy-like, Grant was just basically staring at the pictures trying to deliberate who he's gonna take out first, well on a date or out cold, those were the two options.
This scrutiny went on for 6 more minutes when I felt something eerie behind my back, something was croaking, and not the nice croaking way that we find relaxing. The croaking was vexing, alarming and certainly disgusting. Then the frog, yes, a frog opened its mouth and suddenly shot its tongue out towards the mosquito in Liz's leg. Bex tried going for it but since everyone noticed it late and Macey was just to far to leap to the rescue, we weren't able to prevent the end of the world. Liz screamed. Oh Christ. Save us.
RUN. Run as if your life depended on it. Since it really does.