The camera began filming Chris in his mansion. The man was just standing in elegant black pants and was putting on a white shirt when he noticed the camera.
Chris: We're filming already? - The camera moved up and down, while the man began buttoning his shirt - Well, ekhem, last time on Total Drama Action-
Chef: Chris, move! We're gonna be late!
Chef shouted from behind the door, causing Chris to groan in annoyance.
Chris: Give me a moment! - Man finished buttoning up his shirt and began putting on a tie - …Anyway, after the final 7 survived a crash and a burning bus, they had to walk all the way to the set, where they initially thought that the challenge was to find me...
The footage of the crash is shown, followed by Lauren jumping out of the burning bus and lastly the contestants arriving at the empty movie set.
Chris: …However they quickly realized that the movie genre for that challenge was… Fantasy movies and the challenge was to defeat the "Evil, Dark lord", and his sidekick.
The subsequent footage played shows the contestants arriving at the "tavern". It's followed by "Chefeus" getting butt kicked and then "Chrisroth" getting beaten by Lauren.
Chris: Ultimately Emma and Lauren won the challenge after Emma proved that spending time with Chase didn't kill all of her brain cells! At the elimination ceremony, Raj left us, after an entire day of him and Nichelle trying to get Emma and Wayne together!
At this moment, Chef busted through the doors and groaned in annoyance noticing a black, elegant jacket on Chris' bed.
Chef: Did you just now start to get ready?
Chris: No! …Well, maybe, but it's not my fault! I had to wait an hour for the hairstylist to arrive!
The bigger man rolled his eyes and left the room.
Chris: …Which annoying kid is going to go home today? Am I going to put them through absolute torture for how they humiliated me in the last episode? The answer to the 2nd question is yes! Wanna know how? Well then, tune into today's episode of Total Drama Action!
…
The intro begins with the camera flying through the filming lot. It stops at a beach set, where shirtless Caleb is sunbathing. He gets a jealous look from Bowie who's making out with Raj, the hockey bro being too focused on his boyfriend to even pay attention to Caleb. The camera moves again to a set that looks like a very dark and creepy forest. Emma and Chase are sitting on a bench kissing, while a bush behind them starts moving. Suddenly a masked character with a chainsaw jumps out of it scaring the couple and causing Chase to push Emma, while he runs away. The masked character starts to giggle and takes off the mask revealing herself to be Lauren. The camera moves a bit to the side as Chase passes by Millie, Priya, and Damien. Millie is holding her notebook and looks like she's about to write something there, but stops herself and puts it back. Meanwhile, Priya and Damien are talking about something with Priya blushing. The nice conversation between the two stops when they see Millie running from something and they immediately start running after her, as Lauren starts chasing them with a chainsaw. When they disappear out of sight, Axel reveals herself, camouflaged to be almost completely unidentifiable from the trees. The camera moves again to the cafeteria where Nichelle vents about something to Zee and Ripper. While Zee seems to be amused, Ripper is visibly bored, so he farts to entertain himself. Nichelle immediately starts gagging and runs past MK who holds something in her hand but hides it in her jacket as soon as she notices the actress. At last, the camera shows the big theater where Chris and Chef are standing, both wearing matching, fancy suits. Then it pans to the audience, where Wayne and Julia, both wearing formal outfits, are sitting next to each other. The Hockey Bro is smiling at the girl, who's too busy using her phone, but after a few seconds, she notices him smiling, frowns, and walks away, saddening the boy. The camera then shows the whole shot of the audience, showing that all of the contestants are there, wearing fancy suits or gowns. The intro ends with showing the logo of the season which is nearly identical to the original Total Drama Action.
…
It was a beautiful sunset as Nichelle dragged irritated MK in the direction of the cafeteria. The actress looked excited as she wore her formal attire, while the street rat had her everyday outfit.
MK: You know, if this is a joke, I don't find it funny.
Nichelle: It's not a joke! I just have… Well, okay, you will see it. I don't want to spoil it when we're almost there!
MK(confessional): It was such a beautiful, nice, peaceful day. No one bothered me throughout the entirety of it! No Scary Girl being a weird creep, no Emma trauma dumping on us, no Axel talking about the zombie apocalypse, and heck! Even no challenge despite it being a challenge day! But apparently, it was too nice and peaceful, cause Nichelle showed up and dragged me against my will to the cafeteria!
…
Nichelle had her arms put before MK's eyes, blocking the shorter girl's view.
MK: Can you stop now? You're a bit too close to my personal space.
Nichelle: Okay, okay! Weee're heeere!
The blonde girl moved away, revealing a view that caused MK's jaw to drop. Chris, Chef, and the remaining castmates all stood there in their elegant outfits with large smiles on their faces.
Everyone: Surprise! Happy birthday, MK!
The cafeteria was decorated with balloons and fairy lights. The tables were filled with snacks, sweets, and drinks. On one of the tables, there was a vanilla cake decorated with colorful sprinkles, and on top of it, there were 18 red candles.
MK froze with a flabbergasted expression on her face when Nichelle jumped in front of her face with a large grin.
Nichelle: That's the surprise I prepared!
MK: I- How- Why-
Nichelle: Don't just stare there like that with that face! Let's go party!
The girl nodded at Chef, who pulled out a radio from behind a table. He turned it on and disco pop music started playing. Nichelle immediately grabbed her friend and pulled her to the dance floor.
Nichelle: I hope you like it! We tried really hard to make it fun!
MK: I'm… Honestly, I'm kinda speechless.
Nichelle: In a good or bad sense?
MK: …Not sure yet.
MK(confessional): People don't do nice things for others unless they want something in exchange. I mean, I don't know what Nichelle would want from me, since we're already allies, but… She definitely does.
Nichelle(confessional): I just want MK to have a good time. She saved me in episode 5 and despite sometimes not treating me the best, she's still my best friend in the game. It's a shame that she has to spend her 18th birthday on this show, mostly with people that she doesn't like, but we tried to make this as special as we could.
MK: How did you even know today is my birthday? I don't think I ever mentioned it?
Nichelle: Sierra, the girl from the 3rd and 5th seasons, posted tons of info about us on her blog and my agent forced me to read through all of it in preparation for the rematch. I memorized a lot of it including birthdays that would happen during the filming. It was only you and Ripper, so luckily not much, cause I suck at remembering date-
MK: Wait, you were learning private info about us?
Nichelle: Duh? I know stuff like Axel's favorite zombie movie, which brand of cosmetics Julia uses, Wayne's favorite wrestler, and all that. Just general things that would help me find topics to talk about with others.
MK: That's why your social game is so good? - Nichelle nodded - Well if you knew what to talk about with others, why did they almost vote you out?
Nichelle: Yeah, that was my bad. After we allied I felt cocky and kinda stopped socializing, but that near-elimination experience was my wake-up call. I think I improved my game a lot since then!
MK: …Yeah, I guess.
MK(confessional): When did Nichelle become kind of smart?! She prepared for this season with useful information that she uses to get closer to us? That explains a lot! The birthday party, the constant small talk, asking me questions about my life, that's just her strategy for the season! I will admit, she's good at it and I bet that spending most of her free time in this show talking with others, quickly gets annoying.
Meanwhile, Axel stood in the back, away from the others, leaning against the wall, when Chef walked over to her with 2 drinks in his hands. He handed one to the girl who smiled.
Axel: Thanks, Chef… Also sorry for the last challenge.
Chef: You have nothing to apologize for. I went through much worse than being punched with some sticks by a bunch of teenagers. - He laughed to himself - I just wanted to check on how you're doing. Are you not partying with others? Dancing? I don't know, socializing?
The girl shook her head.
Axel: I'm not really a party person and I'm especially not a "dance person". Whenever I dance, I feel stupid… - The girl looked over at Emma who was doing her little dance - …And I honestly think that some people should also feel that way.
The man also looked in the direction of Emma and chuckled to himself, before looking back at Axel.
Chef: This girl has no moves, but she at least looks happy while doing… Whatever this is. And that's what is important in dance.
Axel: Oh? Is dance one of your secret passions?
Chef: Hah! When I was a youngster, I dreamed of becoming a competitive dancer, but I always heard that someone with my build would have no chance in this profession. I spent months training, getting ready for my first dancing contest, but before I had a chance to perform, I was taken to the army. Once I was let out, the only thing left out for my passion was my love for Mike Jackson.
The man handed the girl his drink, before showing off his dance routine from the 12th episode of the original Total Drama Island. While he was dancing, the girl had a slight grimace on her face, but as soon as he was done she put on a fake smile and clapped, causing the man to get flustered.
Axel(confessional): I appreciate Chef for how he stepped in during the acting challenge. We're both tough, have similar experiences, and had military training. In case of a zombie apocalypse, he's the second person I will look for. I'm the first.
The camera then moved away to Emma who stepped off the dancefloor and approached Wayne who was taking care of the food, and by "taking care" I mean, he ate most of it.
Emma: Did you leave anything for the rest of us? Or at least MK?
Wayne: Um… I didn't eat the cake?
The blonde girl rolled her eyes and sat down next to him.
Emma: Wayne. We need to talk.
Emma made a dramatic pause, causing the boy to gulp, scared of what she was about to say.
Wayne(confessional): Is Em about to confess to me? Oh, no! I didn't even think about how I'm going to tell her that I'm not interested! I'm scared that it's going to ruin our alliance or even worse - our friendship!
Emma: …We are in trouble. The rest are in one, big alliance.
The boy let out a sigh of relief, but it didn't take him long to fully grasp what the girl told him. This caused the boy to panic even more than before.
Wayne: What?! Is that why Caleb and Rajie went back to back?!
Emma: Shhh, quiet! - The girl put up her hand to silence him, then quickly looked around. Luckily for them, nobody heard Wayne - …Yes, that's exactly why they went home.
Wayne looked down, clearly upset by the news.
Wayne: I can't believe this. Me and Damien are friends, but he preferred an alliance with Scary Girl and MK over me, you, and Raj?
Emma moved closer to him and put her hand in a comforting fashion.
Emma: I know you're sad, but that's part of the game. The good news is that I don't think that Scary Girl is actually in an alliance with them. I think she just agreed to vote with them during the last 2 ceremonies, which we can use. I've been thinking a lot about how we can save ourselves and I think I got an idea.
Wayne: Please, do tell!
Emma: As you said, you and Damien are friends, but did he ever mention to you that MK idoled out Priya?
His eyes were wide open, his jaw was on the floor. The boy was clearly taken completely by surprise which answered Emma's question.
Wayne: There's no way he would agree to an alliance with her if he knew!
Emma: Yeah, that's what I've been thinking!
Wayne: We gotta tell him, then he's going to drop an alliance with her and Nichelle, and will immediately jump ships and side with us!
The boy jumped out of his seat, but he was quickly grabbed by Emma who shook her head.
Emma: Wayne! Information is like fine wine. You store it, you hoard it, and you wait for a special occasion. And when that occasion comes, you smash someone's face with it.
The boy stopped and blinked a few times in surprise.
Wayne: Did one of your arguments with Chase end like that?
Emma: Maybe, but that's not the point. The point is that if we're going to tell Damien now, he will have at least a full day to come up with a logical way to deal with it, or maybe even worse - MK will have a full day to convince him that we're lying to save ourselves. We will tell him, but right before the elimination ceremony. He's going to be too emotional to think it through and MK will have no time to change his mind.
Wayne: But isn't that kinda… Villainous? To manipulate him like that?
Emma: Come on Wayne! Just because we take a strategic approach to this situation, doesn't make us villains. If we want to win, we have to think with our brains, not hearts.
Wayne's face was still full of doubt and guilt, but after a few seconds, he nodded, agreeing with Chase's (ex)Girlfriend's reasoning.
Emma(confessional): Okay, but the wine allegory?! I'm so proud of myself for that one, I was so scared I'm going to mess it up, but it worked out! But, um, anyway, I took a lesson from Bowie's book - He knew that information is the key to winning this game and he found the best moment to use it. Me and Wayne gotta do the same if we want to have a shot at surviving!
In one of the corners of the cafeteria, Lauren and Damien were posing for pictures that Chris was taking of them. She had her arms wrapped around the boy, who tried to mask his lack of comfort with a smile, but it didn't really work.
Damien: Chris, why exactly do you need pictures of me and Scary Girl hugging?
Lauren: Why can't you just enjoy the moment?
She grinned at him, even further deepening his awkwardness. Meanwhile, Chris looked annoyed as none of the pictures looked good to him.
Chris: I already told you, people "ship" you guys and find your relationship with Priya boring... - He focused his phone on the "couple", taking some more pictures - …So I'm taking some pictures of you to bait people into thinking that something happened. That's marketing 101.
He looked through the pictures he had taken and smiled, while Lauren got even closer to the dark-haired boy.
Lauren: You heard it? Why won't we give people what they want?
Damien: …You know what, I'm done for today. Chris, I hope you're happy with those pics, cause this session is over!
He started walking away, leaving Lauren alone, but the girl just giggled.
Lauren(confessional): I will let you in on a little secret… I no longer like Damien! He doesn't scream as much as he used to, is no longer unsettled by my presence, but most importantly, he voted off my friend, and I don't like when people mess with my friends! I just pretend to still like him, because messing with him is reeeally fun!
Chris: You know, I actually am really happy with these! Wanna see?
He put up his phone for Damien to see. The boy smiled while going through the host's gallery.
Damien: Ey, yo! Those are pretty dope! Can you send them to me?
Chris: HA! No.
The boy rolled his eyes.
Damien: Anyway, did you agree to do this only for marketing, or what? Many contestants celebrated their birthday during Total Drama, but they definitely didn't get a party like this!
Chris: Umm… Out of the goodness of my heart? - Chris tried to sell it with a smile, but Damien saw right through it - Ugh, fine. Nichelle bribed me and Chef, in exchange we let her throw this party for MK.
Damien: Yeah, that makes more sense.
Chris: Whatever. Do me a solid and gather everyone else for the cake. Meanwhile, I'm going to send those to the marketing team…
Damien(confessional): The lines are drawn in the sand. Right now it's 3 duos and Lauren as a wildcard, and I gotta start planning my endgame. Ideally, Emma goes next, then Scary Girl and MK. If I get to f4 with Wayne, Axel, and Nichelle, I will be set up to make the finale no matter what!
…
The 7 contestants and Chef were gathered around one side of the table with the cake while Chris was on the other. The black-haired man showed a thumbs-up as a signal that he started to record.
MK: I get that it's my bday and all, but please don't sing that-
Wayne and Nichelle: Happy birthday to you!
The short girl sighed, while the rest joined in.
Everyone: Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday, dear MK!
Happy birthday to youuu!
MK's annoyed expression turned into a slight smile and as the rest finished signing, she blew the candles on the cake. Everyone else clapped for her, and as she wiped a tear forming in her left eye, Nichelle gasped.
Nichelle: Oh my God! Are you crying?!
MK: Wha- Pff, no! I'm just allergic to… Dumb, cringey songs.
Beanie girl dramatically rolled her eyes, but Nichelle just hugged her in response, with a large smile on her face.
Nichelle: Sooo… Did you like the surprise?
MK: Ugh… Yeah. It was surprisingly nice.
The actress tightened her grip and let out a shriek of happiness…
MK(confessional): Whether it was just a strategic decision or "out of the goodness of her heart"... It was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.
…
While everyone was eating their piece of cake, Chris loudly cleared his throat getting the contestant's attention.
Chris: Awww, isn't this nice? Well, it's not going to be for long. Finish up the cake, cause we're starting the challenge in 15 minutes.
Nichelle: What?! You said that, because of MK's birthday, today is challenge free!
Chris: And I'm keeping my promise! Check the watch to see what time it is going to be in 15 minutes!
He threw her his phone… Which she didn't catch. He groaned while she smiled awkwardly, before quickly picking up the phone from the floor.
Nichelle: …It's going to be 0:00
Chris: Exactly! It will no longer be MK's birthday!
A collective groan of annoyance was heard among the contestants who were really enjoying the party. This sound was like music to Chris' ears, who smiled from ear to ear as he watched contestants quickly finishing up their deserts.
…
After a quick cut, the teenagers stood before Chris' mansion with bored expressions, while the 2 hosts stood before them.
MK: Another challenge here? This is like the 3rd one in a row!
Nichelle: The budget is not budgeting, huh?
The shorter man rolled his eyes.
Chris: I will ignore all of those unhelpful and unneeded comments, thank you! Anyway, today's challenge will be based on adventure movies. Somewhere around the mansion, there is a hidden key that will open the doors to the basement. Whoever brings me something out of it, is going to receive an advantage for the 2nd part of the challenge.
Axel: And where is that basement? We never saw it during our previous challenges here.
Chris: You guys saw the storage room? Yeah, the cabinets there were blocking an entrance to it, but now they are moved and you are free to go there… As long as you find the key.
Damien: But there's only one key, right? - Chris nodded - So whoever finds it, has a guaranteed advantage for the next part!
Chris: No, not really! The key will only work from outside, so you can't lock yourself in the basement. Someone else can easily get there, right behind you, take something and then quickly outrun you. Anyway, that's it! Good luck!
He smiled mischievously before walking away with Chef following closely behind him. Some contestants exchanged looks, but they ignored it and quickly made their way inside the mansion… Except for Lauren. She immediately looked her eyes on something that seemingly no one else noticed - a doormat.
Lauren(confessional): It can't be that easy, right?
Once the goth girl made sure that no one was nearby, she crouched and lifted the mat, underneath which, there was a golden key. Lauren grinned and quickly grabbed it.
Lauren(confessional): Wouldn't you know, IT IS that easy! Obviously, it's Chris, so he probably prepared something extra fun to make it more interesting, but for now, I will take this win!
The girl swung the key around on her finger and giggled to herself, before happily skipping her way inside the building. The camera then panned to the 2 hosts, when Chef turned around and noticed that the girl searched under the mat.
Chef: Scary Girl already got it!
Chris turned on his heel and watched in awe, before laughing maniacally. He only stopped after he noticed Chef staring at him as if he was unhinged (which he is).
Chris: Um… They found it faster than expected, but you know what to do! Gather the interns! It's about to get good!
…
Nichelle and MK were crouched in the corner of the living room, having a decent sight on the main hallway, while also being hidden from anyone that would be walking down there.
Nichelle: MK, this is so boring! Can't we-
MK: Shhh!
The shorter girl shushed her ally, much to the actresses' annoyance.
Nichelle(confessional): Is hiding close to the basement door in hopes of sneaking up on someone who finds the key, a good idea? Yeah. Is it hella boring? Also yeah! This is a pretty huge mansion, it could take hours for someone to find it!
At this moment, the two girls heard Scary Girl singing to herself and skipping her way to the basement door. She stopped right in front of it and quickly opened it, while the duo watched flabbergasted.
Nichelle: So Scary Girl got it, huh?
MK: Yeah, looks like it.
They stood like that in awkward silence for a few seconds.
Nichelle: I think we should let her have this win!
MK: Yup, definitely.
…
Scary Girl smiled as she entered the basement. The whole place was dusty and looked like something straight out of a horror movie. Despite it being pretty huge, there was not much space to move around, with many empty cabinets and boxes laying everywhere.
The girl ignored the light switch, preferring the creepy atmosphere the place had in darkness. She searched through some nearby cabinets and tables, but she couldn't find anything there… That was until she noticed an open book, just laying there on one of the tables. She approached it with an intrigued expression.
Lauren: Ohhh, what do we have here?
She grabbed the book and started reading its content. As her eyes followed the text her face quickly arranged itself into a grin so wide and mischievous, that it would make Grinch jealous. Once she read it in her mind, she cleared her throat and started reading it out loud with perfect diction:
Lauren: Wzywam cię Mammonie, demonie chciwości, abyś dzisiej nocy przebudził wszystkich tych, którzy nigdy nie uznali satysfakcji z życia!
Lauren(confessional): Since I was little my family insisted that I learned all of the incantations that would help bring misery and harm to others. Honestly, I never believed in that stuff, but life is full of surprises!
The girl stood there for a few seconds with excitement all over her face, but as nothing happened she eventually groaned with annoyance.
Lauren: Ugh, I should have known. If it doesn't work with ritual candles, of course, it wouldn't work without them!
She started to skip her way out of her basement, but this time, happiness was nowhere to be found in either her expression or voice.
…
As the goth girl was walking up the stairs she heard some noises of people trying to break down the main door. She quickly ran up to see what the connotation was all about, but she was disappointed to see her castmates there.
Lauren: Oh. It's just you.
MK: Yes? Did you expect someone else?
Lauren just shrugged as an answer, before making her way to the main doors. She tried to pull the handle, but the doors didn't barge at all. She struggled with it for a moment, getting more and more frustrated with each second.
Axel: Don't bother. It's locked.
Scary Girl sighed before looking at the rest of the teenagers with suspicion in her eyes.
Lauren: Why were you guys even trying to leave? Did you plan on jumping me and stealing the book I took from the basement?
Wayne:Um, can't speak for anyone else, but I don't wanna die.
Suddenly someone started pushing at the door from the other side of it. The noise startled most of the teenagers, including Wayne who got scared so much, he jumped straight into Emma's arms.
Emma: Wayne! Get a grip!
The boy chuckled nervously, before letting go and moving away from the preppy girl.
Damien: There's no need for panic. It's probably just Chef who came here to deal with the broken door.
A noise of a window breaking was heard from the kitchen, which once again scared Wayne badly enough to jump into Emma's arms, much to the girl's annoyance.
Nichelle: Aww, you guys look so cute!
Emma groaned and just let Wayne fall to the ground.
Damien: Anyway, what was that?
MK: I don't know, but someone brave should probably check it out.
Everyone immediately looked at Axel, who rolled her eyes.
Axel: Bunch of cowards, that's what you all are.
However, they were right, someone had to do it, so the brunette slowly made her way towards the kitchen.
…
As soon as Axel got into the room, she immediately grabbed a meat tenderizer hammer and started to quietly approach the window. It was completely dark outside, meaning that if anyone was there, she would need to get really close to see them. She started to feel a slight breeze coming through the window, as she got closer. Once the survivalist was right in front of it she stood still, just waiting. Eventually, a few seconds later, Nichelle peeked her head from behind a wall.
Nichelle: Are you just going to stand there like that?
Axel: Do you want me to peek my head outside and risk getting attacked by an unknown attacker?
Nichelle: …Can't argue with that.
The brunette just rolled her eyes.
Axel(confessional): Yes, try telling the survivalist expert how to survive. I'm beginning to understand why nobody listened to Nichelle during the premerge.
Suddenly, the duo heard some noise outside, and Nichelle immediately went back to the others, while Axel steadied her weapon. Sounds of growling could be heard when a girl intern appeared in front of the window, but she looked… different. Her skin was pale, almost green, there was no life behind her eyes and her hair looked weak and wet, despite the sky being clear of any clouds. Axel couldn't believe the sight before her and started backing away.
Axel: Z-Z-Zombies! GUYS!
…
The camera cut to show Chris and Chef watching Axel on their tv, as the girl ran back to get the others. Chris laughed, while the Chef was eating popcorn, clearly engaged in the show.
Chris: Poisoning the intern's food with Juggy Chunks was such a genius idea! Who came up with it? Oh, right! Me!
Chef: Maybe you need to get your butt kicked more often, it seems to help you come up with better challenges.
The bigger man laughed to himself much to the annoyance of Chris, who, in revenge, threw Che's popcorn to the floor. The war vet groaned and now it was Chris who was laughing. Eventually, he turned towards the camera with a wide smirk.
Chris: To the viewers at home, who are confused - This is the real challenge for this week. When Scary Girl picked up that book, we let out our sick interns. I didn't expect that "incarnation" to be actually read, but hey, it adds to the authenticity of the "undead"! Additionally, our scientists made some… changes to the "Juggy Chunks", so now a bite or a scratch from someone sick will cause the sickness to spread. The last contestant to contain the disease will get immunity for the next elimination ceremony! Ah, sometimes… I love this show.
…
5 teenagers gathered in the kitchen and watched in terror as a horde of interns gathered around the window in an attempt to get inside. Emma and Axel were pushing some pillows against the window, but it didn't really work, with the "zombies" easily getting through the feathered insides.
Emma: Where are MK and Wayne? They were supposed to search for other windows or exits!
MK: Not going to work - At this moment she and the blonde hockey player came back - No other exits than the front one and the windows are blocked by a horde.
While everyone else was panicking, Lauren smiled to herself. She used the commotion to throw a nearby fork into the living room.
Lauren: You guys heard that? You should check it out and I will stay here.
The others shrugged and quickly went to the nearby room, while the goth girl used this as an opportunity to quietly get rid of the remaining pieces of the broken window while avoiding getting scratched or bitten.
Lauren(confessional): I promised that I will have my revenge on those who voted for me or Julia and this is the revenge! You may think that "Oh, but do they deserve to die in complete pain and agony for something so petty" and to that, I say… Yes.
In the living room, Axel quickly found the fork, she took a good look at it before staring at Lauren, then at the window, which now suddenly had no pieces of sharp glass in it. She approached the goth girl and pinned her against the wall.
Axel: What. Are. You. Doing?
Lauren: Nothing, I swear!
Axel: Do you think I'm dumb?
Lauren: Welllll… You were dumb enough to all go to the living room and leave me alone, so… Yeah, a little bit!
The brunette gritted her teeth and it seemed as if she was about to punch Scary Girl until Damien got between the girl and separated them.
Damien: Whoah, whoah, whoah! What is going on here?
MK walked between them and took a quick glance at the window. She huffed before staring daggers at Lauren.
MK: Hailey Queen from "Wish" sabotaged us, that's what!
The group was interrupted by a noise coming from the kitchen and they all turned their attention towards Lauren who just raised her arms.
Lauren: It's not me this time!
A sound of growling could be heard and as the group peeked to see what the connotation was all about they saw 2 "zombies" slowly coming through the windows of the living room, with many more following closely behind.
Axel: Everyone grab something. We have to defe-
Before she could finish Nichelle ran upstairs letting out a scream so high-pitched that she probably broke at least one more window.
Nichelle(confessional): In my defense, Pakhitew got really bad after Ella's elimination, I just couldn't finish it! I looked up the elimination order, cried for a day, cause Jasmine lost and never went back to it. How was I supposed to know about something called "Juggy Chunks"?!
Axel rolled her eyes at the actresses' reaction, but quickly got in a battle-ready position, holding her kitchen hammer.
Axel: Okay, we don't need her, but-
The girl stopped halfway through her sentence when she noticed Emma and Wayne slowly backing away.
Emma: I'm probably not going to be much help either, but you guys sooo got it!
With a last awkward smile, she also ran upstairs with the blonde boy following her behind. Axel groaned and looked at the remaining with her contestants: MK, Damien, and Lauren.
Axel: Anyone else wanna walk away from this?
Damien: Well, since you're asking…
He chuckled nervously much to the girl's annoyance.
Axel: Don't you dare. - Damien looked at her and then at the stairs. Then at her. Then at the stairs. After going back and forth like that, he eventually locked eyes with her… And waved, before quickly running away - DAMIEN!
Axel(confessional): Someone prepares their entire life for an EXACT situation like this and everyone just ignores them?! I should just let them be a dinner for the zombies if they insist so much!
The girl threw the hammer at the ground, causing some damage to the floor. She was about to run after her ally, but she stopped in her tracks, picked up her weapon, and then pursued the science nerd, leaving only MK and Lauren. The shorter girl took a quick glance at Lauren, who put on her typical, disturbing grin.
MK: …Nope.
The street rat walked away, leaving Lauren to her lonesome self… Well, almost. She looked at the living room, where a group of 5 zombie interns was standing. She approached them with a wide smile on her face.
Lauren: I'd say it's weird how all of you are interns, but… Not surprised. Actually, I feel like there should be more of you!
…
The camera cut away to show Chef and Chris, the latter watching with annoyance.
Chris: You hear that?! Is she suggesting that I would allow my interns to die?!
Chef: I mean, today I prepared 50 portions of breakfast for them and 16 of them were left untouched. Make of that what you will.
Chris crossed his arms and turned his head away, taking a personal offense to the accusation, while Chef just shrugged and continued watching.
…
Meanwhile, back in the mansion, the zombies finally took notice of Scary Girl who was still smiling.
Lauren: Okay, sooo, since I'm the one who summoned you back to "life", you should be completely devoted to me! …Or- or maybe I was supposed to let myself be devoured by you? Mhmm, I don't remember now. It's been a while since my last lesson in demonology, but- - The girl looked full of surprise as she noticed the zombies slowly approaching her from all directions. The closest one of them tried to take a bite off her finger, but she quickly moved her hand away from it - Growl at me, one more time…! - She tried to sound and look intimidating, until she realized that the "undead" were slowly closing in on her, backing her into a corner - Huh, I guess, I was supposed to let myself be devoured. I didn't think this one through, did I?
…
The camera once again showed Chris and Chef on their movie date. The bigger man covered his mouth in shock, while Chris laughed to himself.
Chris: Scary Girl being the first one to "get eaten" was not on my bingo list for this challenge, but it certainly makes things much more interesting! Who shall we watch now? - He picked up a pilot and switched between cameras. Most of them showed different angles of the kitchen or living room until he landed on one that transmit footage from the guest room, where Wayne and Emma were pushing furniture to block the entrance - Ohhh, our lovey-dovey couple! That should be fun!
…
The blonde's alliance was taking deep breaths, exhausted after moving all of the furniture to block the door. Despite it being just a guest room, there was a lot of stuff here - a king-size bed, a wardrobe, a drawer with a tv on it, coffee table with some chairs. They even took a plant pot from the balcony! If one didn't know better, they could assume that Chef sleeps in here.
Their short break was however interrupted by the noise of someone knocking on the door. Wayne sighed before starting to move away the table, but Emma quickly stopped him.
Emma: What are you doing? You remember that zombies already got inside, right?
Wayne: But so are our friends! And I doubt the zombies can knock on the doors! Right…?
Wayne(confessional): This was a dumb question. Of course, they can't knock on the doors! I mixed them up with velociraptors.
Emma let out a deep sigh and sat down Wayne on the bed.
Emma: Wayne, we need to talk.
Wayne: Um… About strategy?
Emma shook her head.
Emma(confessional): I'm scared to lose Wayne as an ally, but I don't want to accidentally lead him on. I don't want to one day be chilling in my home and just stubble upon an article with a title like "Chase's ex-girlfriend broke the heart of this beloved fan favorite!".
Emma: I have something to tell you. I tried to avoid this topic for as long as I could, but sometimes we just gotta… Confront our problems instead of running away from them.
Wayne clutched his head, but after a few seconds, he looked up at the girl and nodded.
Wayne: I… I think I know what are you thinking about, and I think, I think about it too.
Emma: I don't know what are you thinking, so it might be true, BUT, hopefully not. - The two stood in awkward silence for a few seconds, before she spoke out - Do you wanna go first or should I?
Wayne: We can… Say it at the same time. It might make it easier.
Emma: Yeah, I agree. Okay, we will count to three and then say it.
The boy nodded.
Wayne: One…
The boy closed his eyes, not wanting to see the girl's reaction to his "rejection".
Emma: …Two…
The girl let out another sigh, preparing for the worst.
Wayne and Emma: …Three! I know you like me, but I don't feel the same!
A complete silence set in as the duo both took their time processing what the other said. After a few seconds, Emma turned into a laughing mess, while Wayne just stared confused.
Wayne: Wh-What? But, Nichelle and Raj-
Emma: They tried to get us to date!
She barely managed to say through her laughter. It took her a few more seconds to compose herself.
Wayne: But-But why?
Emma: 2 words: Chase and Julia!
Wayne: …That's 3 words.
The girl rolled her eyes, before sitting down next to the blonde boy, who still didn't figure it out.
Emma: Raj saw how upset you were after eliminating Julia and noticed that we were getting closer to each other. Since we both went through an awful breakup- Well. I went through one, you and Julia were never together. - Wayne looked down at the floor, upset, causing Emma to pat him on the back in an attempt to comfort him - Um, sorry! …Anyway, he probably thought that we both deserve a good partner and convinced Nichelle to help him get us together.
The realization suddenly dawned on Wayne who facepalmed.
Wayne: OHHHH! The next time I see him, I am going to give him the worst noogie of his life!
Emma chuckled.
Emma: Don't forget to give him one from me! I mean, he thought I would like you? Pfff!
Wayne: What do you mean by that?
Blondie stopped to think, before letting a slight, awkward chuckle.
Emma: Sorry, that's not what I meant! I mean, I usually date smarter- Uh! Wait-
Wayne: No, it's okay! …But I think you need a slight reminder that you dated Chase.
He kinda gagged her, as Emma struggled to find words to respond.
Emma: I- Uh- Well-
Wayne: No, no! You don't have to explain yourself! After I started crushing on Julia, I also realized that I like smart girls.
Emma: Now you're just being mean for no reason.
…
The main bedroom was used as a shelter for Axel and Damien, who also barricaded the door, using everything in it. A giant, golden statue of Chris himself, his massive bed, 2 wardrobes, full of clothes, his giant TV, and yes, even the plant from the balcony.
The boy was completely out of breath, while the girl was perfectly fine and just watched him with annoyance.
Damien: Man! Why does Chris need such a giant bed only for himself?!
Axel: Yeah, certainly.
Damien: What is that supposed to mean?
The girl just shrugged. He looked as if he wanted to continue their conversation, but was interrupted by knocking on the door. He moved closer to the emergency balcony, while the girl just rolled her eyes.
Axel: Chill out for now. It will take a long time for them to get through this barricade.
Damien: I just don't understand anything! Ignoring even the fact that those are FRICKIN' ZOMBIES, human corpses can't look this clean after who-knows how long they were buried 6 feet under!
He took a long, deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down.
Damien(confessional): First velociraptors, now undead? There's no scientific explanation for any of this! How much do Chris' scientists get paid?! Is it even legal to come up with such things?! Oh, why am I asking, of course it's not!
The boy sat down on the floor.
Damien: I can't believe this might be my end. I never even got the occasion to say goodbye to my friends at home or to Priya!
The survivalist expert sat down next to him and put her hand around him.
Axel: Don't give up yet. We're gonna get out of here, I promise. There has to be a way to escape.
After a second of thinking the boy's frown turned into a large smile on his face.
Damien: I got it! Axel, what was your secret, the one from the acting challenge?
Axel: Wha-
Before she could even process the question, the boy put a finger before her mouth, silencing her. They waited like that for a few seconds before he sighed.
Damien: Eh. Chef has some radar of feeling when someone asks you that, so I thought maybe he would come here and save us.
…
The camera cuts to Chef running full speed and stopping right before the doors of the mansion when he hears a noise coming out of his walkie-talkie.
Chris: Get back here. The kid admitted to asking this exactly because he expected this kind of response from you.
The muscular man slowly walks away from the door, grumbling something under his breath.
…
Back to the Directors Duo, Axel sighed hearing the boy's explanation behind the question.
Axel: …Since there's a very slight possibility of it being my last day on this planet… I guess I can tell you.
The boy winked a few times in surprise, before looking embarrassed.
Damien: Nah. If you don't want to-
Axel: But I do. Your my friend after all and friends share secrets.
Axel smiled at Damien, who smiled back at her.
Damien(confessional): If after 2nd elimination, you told me that I would befriend Axel, I would not believe you! She was so bossy, never saw her fault in anything, had her weird obsession with zombies… She still has all of these traits, I don't know why am I using a past tense. But! I now know that there's more to her. She's also cool, collected, smart.
Axel(confessional): When I came here, I had the mentality of "anyone, but me". Millie, Julia, both were my allies that I had to sacrifice to survive, but I wouldn't feel right if I had to do the same to Damien.
The brunette took a deep breath. She was clearly nervous until Damien put his hand on hers in a comforting way. She smiled slightly, appreciating the gesture.
Axel: Okay… I'm-
The pair was suddenly interrupted by a loud knocking on their doors.
…
The knocker was MK, who was getting frustrated with all the knocking she had to do and with how no one was letting her in,
MK: Oh come on! I am not mean enough to just let me die like that! UGH! And just 2 hours after my 18th birthday?!
The girl kicked the door out of anger, but it just, caused pain to her toes, as she started to hold them, while jumping around on her other leg.
MK: Dang it!
The girl rolled her eyes when she noticed that a part of the ceiling, looked different than the rest. She smirked and started jumping, trying to reach the attic hatch, but she was too short. After a few failed attempts she groaned.
MK: Ugh! Guys? GUYS!
The girl awaited a response, but everyone else was dead silent… Until Nichelle opened the doors to the bathroom.
Nichelle: MK, come on in! Quick!
The actress peeked her head just to see a group of zombies slowly making their way upstairs.
MK: Nichelle! You have to help me, there's an entrance to the attic, but I'm too short.
Nichelle: We have no time for that! Come on, get in!
MK: Do you think a lock will be enough to keep them outside the bathroom?
The other girl hesitated, before walking away from her hiding spot. She crouched down letting herself be used as a stool for the Asian girl, while the zombies were slowly making their way towards them.
Nichelle: I know this has to be very stressful, but… Please. Move quicker.
MK: Wait, I almost got it. You have a good voice, feel free to alarm others about the hatch.
If she could, she would nod, but she didn't want to risk, MK accidentally losing balance. Nichelle cleared her throat before using all of her vocal power.
Nichelle: WE FOUND AN ENTRANCE TO ATTIC, IT'S SAFE THERE!
Emma(from behind the door): Great!
MK(confessional): Oh come on! Blondie barely spoke louder than usual and I heard her, but she somehow couldn't hear my pleas to let me inside?
The beanie girl rolled her eyes, but annoyance quickly turned into joy once she managed to open the entrance.
MK: Hey, I got-
Suddenly, she started losing her balance. She grabbed onto the pull-out ladder, but it didn't help and she fall to the ground. Nichelle gasped and crouched next to her friend.
Nichelle: MK! MK!
MK: Uhhh… - The street rat grabbed her head in pain. Once she looked back at Nichelle, she notice zombified Lauren right behind the actress - Nichelle, look out!
Nichelle: Wha-
However, she was too late, as Scary Zombie Girl bit Nichelle's neck. The actress quickly pushed her away and grabbed herself in the place of the bite.
Nichelle: Ouch! That hurt! …Oh.
MK completely froze as she watched the realization dawning on her only friend. Soon enough the zombies also got to her.
MK(confessional): I know it's technically no longer my birthday, but… this birthday sucks.
…
Emma was pushing back against the barricade she made with Wayne, while the zombies tried to make their way inside. Wayne just watched panicking and not knowing what to do.
Emma: Wayne! Start bang- - A strong push was made from the zombies that the girl barely managed to push back - …Banging on the walls!
Wayne: Um, okay? How did it go… Bang Bang on the walls, I know you want it! Bang Bang all over-
Emma: What the heck are you doing?
Wayne: You said bang bang!
The girl gritted her teeth and stared daggers at the boy, who became more scared of her than the zombies just outside the door.
Emma(confessional): With all the respect to Wayne, but if Julia somehow forgives him, I don't think their relationship would last longer than 2 weeks. No, scratch that, 1 week. She would definitely kill him sooner or later.
Emma: Banging. As in, very loud knocking.
Wayne: Ohhh!
The girl facepalms, but she quickly realizes it was a mistake when the zombies push the doors open. She quickly pushes back, but some of their arms make their way inside.
Emma: Move it!
The boy gulped and started banging on the wall between the main bedroom and the guest room with all of his strength.
…
Damien: Does it sound… like Emma and Wayne banging?
He and Axel exchange looks, before running outside to the balcony.
Damien: Wayne! Emma!
Immediately after hearing his name called, Wayne runs outside with a wide smile on his face after seeing non-infected, familiar faces.
Wayne: Axel, Damien! It's good to see that you're still alive!
Axel: You're surprised? Cause I certainly am. Didn't expect you to make it.
The boy chose to ignore this comment, still overjoyed to even see them. He was not however happy to hear sounds of struggle from Emma and sounds of growling zombies who were loud enough for Damien and Axel to hear it.
Axel: You guys seem to have some problems.
Wayne: Yeah, major ones! …But hey! We can just jump out of here!
Damien sighed, before clutching his head, while Axel just looked annoyed with Wayne's enthusiasm.
Axel: Don't tell me, that wasn't the first thing you thought of after seeing that there is a balcony?
The blonde boy stayed silent, causing Axel to groan. She pointed below them at an unnecessarily sharp and wide, white fence.
Wayne: Oh.
Axel: Yes. "Oh".
The conversation was once again interrupted by the noises coming from the guest room. This time it was Emma screaming and a few seconds later, she was standing next to Wayne on the balcony, completely panicked.
Emma: They got in! - She took some quick breaths, before noticing Axel and Damien and smiling at them - Oh, hi Axel, hi Damien! Me and Wayne are just about to die.
Axel: Hi. Jump.
The girl looked at the distance between balconies. it was like 6 feet, doable, but still very scary. She then looked back at the very slow horde of zombies, which was still standing in the doorframe.
Emma: Umm… Wayne, you're first!
The boy gulped, before climbing on top of the safety barrier. He barely managed to stand, without losing his balance.
Wayne: I feel like I'm about to develop a fear of heights.
He closed his eyes and made a jump for it. His upper torso landed on the barriers and he was promptly dragged to safety by Damien and Axel.
Wayne: Holy Molly Christmas Glory!
He started kissing the floor of the balcony much to the disgust of Damien.
Damien: Dude! This is Chris' private balcony!
The hockey bro immediately stopped, he got green in the face and pushed Axel before throwing up.
In the confessional, Wayne is brushing his teeth, really, really hard with foam falling out of his mouth.
Emma smiled seeing that Wayne made it safely, but when she was about to, she heard noises of growling right behind her. She screamed out of fear and closed the doors to the balcony. The girl let out a sigh of relief, feeling that everything is fine now, but as she stepped away, she felt something pulling at her hair, which is when she noticed, one of the zombies having a hold on it.
Emma: GUYS! HELP!
Axel(confessional): Zombies grabbing long hair. Typical. This is the exact reason why I cut mine. Just saying, that it wouldn't happen to me.
Wayne still felt dizzy, but he immediately collected himself, after seeing Emma in danger.
Wayne: Em, I'm coming!
The hockey bro quickly climbed upon the barrier and was about to jump, but before he did, Axel handed him a pocket knife.
Axel: Just don't lose it.
The boy nodded and made a jump. The good news is that almost his entire body made it, so he didn't waste time on getting himself there. The bad news is that his foot hooked on the barrier, which caused him to once again kiss the floor. This time not literally. Although in pain, the adrenaline high was enough for him to gather himself.
Wayne: Enna, I'n hewre!
Emma: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please deal with them! - The boy pulled out Axel's pocket knife and put it next to Emma's hair, but she pulled her hand in front of it, much to the boy's confusion - No, no, no, no, no! Not my hair!
Damien: What?! Is your hair more important than your life?!
Emma: Well…
The blonde boy sighed and put the knife next to the zombie's hand ready to stab it, but before he could, the zombie let the blonde girl go. She happily looked at her hair still intact, while getting dirty looks from the other 3.
Emma(confessional): Okay, I know how it looks, but I used to feel very self-conscious about myself! The first real compliment I got from someone who's not my grandma was about my hair, so it's really important to me! …I mean that someone was Chase, so maybe it should stop being important… Um…
Once the camera came back to the teenagers, Emma was on top of the barrier. She made her jump and landed on top of Axel, who blushed.
Emma: Oh! Sorry!
The preppy girl quickly stood up and cleaned herself from the dust and dirt.
Damien: Okay! Now you Wayne!
The hockey bro started to, for his 3rd time, climb the barrier, when he felt something grab his leg. He looked behind to see 3 zombies on the balcony and even more to come. His peers gasped, as Wayne, tried kicking the zombies away, but it didn't work they quickly dragged the boy into the guest room, where his screams were still heard for a few seconds, but getting more and more silent with each passing moment. Eventually, they completely died down as the remaining trio looked down at the floor, uncomfortable silence between them, that was eventually broken by Damien.
Damien: What do we do now?
Emma: …The attic.
…
After a quick fadeout to black, the trio had got rid of the barricade and looked ready to fight back. Axel was armed with her pocket knife, Emma with the meat tenderizer hammer, that Axel picked up in the kitchen and Damien was holding a plant pot.
The zombie expert was standing next to the door and had her hand on the handle. She exchanged looks with the other 2 and nodded at them.
Axel: We may die, but at least we're going to die like women.
Damien: What?
Emma: Sorry Damien, but you see who makes up the majority of our trio.
The boy groaned, but quickly go back to being battle ready. After a few more seconds Axel opened the doors and the trio ran out of the room with a battle cry, taking the zombies by surprise. Damien quickly smashed his pot on the head of one of the zombies. Emma was swinging her hammer around, making all of the undead move out of her way, while Axel mainly used her fists to fight them.
After a few seconds, Emma made her way to the ladder and looked at Axel and Damien who were having problems.
Emma: Guys, here!
She yelled getting attention from her castmates and some of the near zombies. She was slowly getting surrounded by them, which forced her to climb up the ladder, but not before throwing her hammer to Axel and Damien.
The zombie expert was the one to pick it up. She looked at the horde that gathered around the ladder and then at scared, defenseless Damien.
Axel: …I will get them. You will be right behind me and on my command, you get in there.
Damien: But there are too many of them! This is crazy!
Axel: Just do what I say.
She gave him a knowing look and after a moment of hesitation, he nodded. The girl charged at the group of zombies, pushing them out of the way. Axel then used her hammer to trip some of them, making the pathway to the ladder clear enough for Damien to get in. The boy wasted no time climbing to the attic, where he and Emma embraced each other. They watched the horde, awaiting for Axel to emerge from there, but there was no sight of her. Eventually, Emma grabbed the ladder and started folding it.
Damien: Wait for-
The blonde girl put her hand on his knee and shook her head. She folded the ladder and closed the hatch. Emma gave Damien a moment as she went to investigate the only source of light in the attic - the rays of the rising sun, coming through the big window. She smiled believing it to be their way out, but when she tried opening it, the window didn't budge. Em looked around before finding a crowbar laying around and started smashing it into the glass… But it didn't budge. She started to put more and more strength into her hits, but they didn't even make a scratch. All of the hope that she had upon noticing the window was gone, replaced with tears and a look of defeat. The girl broke down crying, causing Damien to quickly run up to her.
Damien: Emma, what-
Emma; It's bulletproof, of course, it is! All of it was for nothing! Wayne dying for me, Axel's sacrifice, MK, Nichelle, and Scary Girl also probably dying, who knows when. All of this just for there to be no escape from this hell! It's over! We're dead! I wasted my entire life being a perfect daughter, then being a perfect student, then a perfect girlfriend just to die a horrible death on some B-tier reality show! And I can't even blame anyone else, but myself!
Emma(confessional): Actually, I blame Chase, because he was the one who mentioned the auditions for the show to me.
She curled up into a ball, bowling her eyes out. Damien tried to comfort her, but he quickly turned his attention toward many kitchen utensils that were in there.
Damien: …No. We're not.
The girl peeked her head to look at the boy.
…
A montage of the duo gearing up is played. Emma using tape to attach cutting boards to her arms. Damien replaceing his hat with a pot, followed by the girl using even more tape to attach an over tray to her chest and lastly, the duo putting on kitchen gloves.
Damien: …I kinda feel like you got all the good stuff.
…
Damien and Emma were standing in front of the attic hatch, getting ready to jump down.
Damien: It seems like you have a lot… On your mind, so do you wanna let it all out? All of the feelings, any secrets or something? In case you will never get another occasion.
Emma: …Do you?
The science nerd sighed before nodding.
Damien: I know that it's such a small issue right now, but I'm mad at myself for feeling as if I was responsible for Priya going home. Now, I'm obviously happy that she's not here, but she needs the money and-
Emma: MK idoled Priya out.
The blonde girl bit her lip and looked the other way as the boy looked completely flabbergasted. It was clear from his face that he tried to make sense of what was just said to him.
Damien: Wh-
Emma: Wayne didn't know. It never came up with a conversation between us nor between him or Raj. She used it to save Nichelle from elimina-
Damien: How did she get it? Priya gave it to me!
Now it was Emma who was confused. Gears were turning in her head when she suddenly gasped.
Emma: Scary Girl was always following you around, right? - He nodded in response - And she was in an alliance with Julia, who tried to make an alliance with anyone desperate enough for one, while MK is someone who made lots of enemies for…
Damien: …Stealing stuff.
Emma: Exactly. - The boy grew mad until she put her hand on his shoulder - It doesn't matter now. I told you that, just, because I would feel guilty if I didn't. I planned on saving that info until the elimination ceremony in hopes of voting off MK, but… You know.
The boy sighed and took a minute to think about the situation.
Damien(confessional): This show messes up with your mind. Why was I having my most strategic conversation in the game, right before doing something that I thought might end my life?!
Damien: Okay. It doesn't matter now. Let's just… Get with it.
They exchanged nods and Emma opened the hatch. The duo jumped down, armed with crowbars, and started making their way through the horde. Zombiechelle tried to bite into Emma's hand, but she was blocked by the cutting board and then she got promptly smacked into her nose.
Meanwhile, Damien was using his frustration and anger on the zombies, hitting all of them with the crowbar. He did feel slightly bad when he hit Waynbie with it, but with him thinking that his life is at risk, it was pretty understandable.
Eventually, the pair made their way to the stairs, but they got swiftly blocked by zombie Lauren. They exchanged looks and pushed the zombie goth girl and quickly ran downstairs.
However, they were met with even more zombies downstairs, including Axel and MK. Damien gulped seeing the horde, but Emma jumped right into the action.
Damien: Hey, wait for me!
He followed right after the girl. She took on Axel and some intern zombies. A flashback to Axxel using her hammer to trip some zombies was shown and then it came back to Emma, who used her crowbar to do the same. She couldn't explain why, but it felt as if zombie Axel looked proud.
Meantime, however, Damien was struggling, her got surrounded by many zombies but tried fighting them off. One tackled him, but he quickly pushed it out, but then 2 more got to him, but it was zombie MK, who bit his neck.
That's when Emma ran up to him and fought off most of the zombies, but it was too late as Damien's skin was slowly turning sickly and pale. The girl stepped away, shaking her head in disbelief.
Emma: No…
Damien: Emma, run.
Emma nodded and with a heavy heart, she ran to the doors. She forgot they were still locked and fought with the handle for a moment, before putting her crowbar to budge it. The blonde girl heard zombies slowly approach her, but her determination gave her the strength to get the doors to open. She busted right through and ran away, as fast as she could.
Em eventually stopped to catch her breath, the mansion being nowhere in sight. She threw all of her equipment to the side, sat on the floor, and began crying. Suddenly she felt someone tapping her on the shoulder, so she instinctively grabbed the crowbar and smashed it into Chris' face, causing Chef to erupt into laughter, while the host groaned from pain.
Emma: Chris, Chef…?
Chris: Ouch! Look what are you doing with this thing!
Emma: Everyone… They're…
Chris: Badly poisoned, but don't worry! Since they only got bit or scratched, they will be fine in a few hours.
Emma: Wh-What?!
Chris: It was a zombie movie challenge! You won! You're immune!
Emma: Are you… Are you kidding me?! I went through the traumatic experience of seeing my friends dying and you're telling me it was all a part of some stupid CHALLENGE?!
Chris: Yes and it was very funny to watch!
The girl shook her head, a mix of relief, rage, and disbelief on her face.
Emma: You're a worse psycho than Scary Gurl.
Chris: Oh my! Why thank you! I'm really trying my best!
…
It felt odd. Not only, because everyone, but Emma felt sick to their stomachs, 20 minutes ago still being in their "zombie" state, or because it's still unknown if the interns are going to get better, but also, because it is the first elimination ceremony to take place during the middle of the day. Still, the contestants wore their formal outfits and Nichelle found time to put on a pixie cut wig.
Chef: Let's start with-
Nichelle: Can we not do that today?
the rest of the contestants agreed with the actress, while Chef just groaned, but walked away, leaving space for Chris to take over.
Chef: I didn't ask the questions since the beginning of the merge! Ugh!
He grumbled under his breath as Chris watch him walk away. He then nodded at the contestants signaling that they were free to vote. Damien put his voting device in front of Axel's face and pointed at something, but the girl shook her head and pointed at something else. The boy rolled his eyes at this.
Damien: I don't care that-
Axel: No.
The girl gave him a stern look, which resulted in him letting out a sigh and clicking something that made the girl smirk. She was quick to also vote. The camera then panned to Lauren who was staring at MK. The beanie girl in question voted with no hesitation as did her ally. Last to vote was the blonde duo, but they also non verbally communicated their votes to each other.
Chris: I see that the decision was made! Very well then! Emma, you're obviously safe!
He threw her a Golden Chris, but the girl was less excited to receive it than usual.
Chris: The other safe people are…
…
…
…
Nichelle!
…
…And Damien!
They slightly smiled before catching their statues.
Chris: …
…
…
…
…
…
Wayne, Axel, lighten up! It's still not over for the 2 of you!
Axel high-fived Damien, while Emma hugged Wayne before the aforementioned duo caught their statues. Meanwhile, MK and Lauren both looked in desperation at the last remaining Golden Chris.
Chris: Scary Girl, MK, one of you will be going home, which will make me a much happier person. This person will be…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Scary Girl!
The girl looked flabbergasted as the shorter one caught her statue. Lauren stood up and stared at the rest, who avoided her gaze.
Lauren: I guess, I was betrayed today. Mhm. Just remember, that I know all of your names.
She said in a very threatening tone, disturbing most of the contestants. After staring daggers at them for a few seconds, she skipped her way down the Red Carpet of Shame.
Wayne(confessional): Yeah me and Em told Scary Girl that we would be voting for MK, but then we remembered that she kinda wanted to kill us. Hopefully, she didn't take it personally!
Damien(confessional): MK's birthday ended exactly 10 hours ago, why would I feel bad about wanting to vote her off?! But Axel insisted that we vote for Scary Girl, which… Fine, understandable, but Beanie better watches her back, cause she will be next!
Chris smiled as he watched Scary Girl walk into a limousine. As soon as she was out of his sight, he turned towards the camera
Chris: What a fun episode it was! I started to feel like I didn't traumatize enough teens in this season, but today? Mwah! Chef's kisses!
Chef then walked into the frame and stared, confused at the host.
Chef: Now? On the vision?
Chris: What? No! That's a saying! - The bigger man nodded and walked away, while Chris watched him leave with a look of regret on his face - …But maybe later? Umm… Anyway… Uh- Watch the next episode of Total Drama Action! - The man quickly ran after his unofficial co-host - Chef, wait!
—
16. Ripper
15. Millie
14. Chase
13. Zee
12. Priya
11/10. Bowie
10/11. Julia
= MERGE =
9. Caleb
8. Raj
7. Lauren
Still in: Axel, Emma, Nichelle, MK, Wayne, Damien
I will start by mentioning a poll being on my profile! The question is "Who is your fav remaining contestant". I forgot to mention the AN for the last episode, which means that Lauren is included, but still, feel free to vote in it! It would be greatly appreciated!
I also would really appreciate any reviews! Now that the story is slowly coming to a finish, I would like to know what were your favorite moments, relationships, what I did right, and what I did wrong. Feel free to comment with any thoughts on this episode (maybe the last too…) and the fic overall!
I'm sorry that I've been so off-schedule lately. It's literally just laziness ;( But I want to finish this fic before the end of July and I feel very confident that I will manage to. There are only 4 episodes left! I just wanna say that I'm really hyped for the next one…
Now, If you didn't see the leaks for the rematch, I advise against reading the rest of this note. I won't outright say anything, but I will imply some things. You have been warned.
Moving onto the boot - Lauren aka Scary Girl! We know… Some things about her in the 2nd season and… Wow. I still have some hope (or delusions? Ig Im in my Nichelle era) for her, but we will see. I saw many people saying that "Oh she has to be an early boot, she's too gimmicky to make it far" and it's so uncreative imo! I mean she works perfectly as a gimmick, don't get me wrong, but I wanted her to be more than just a "scary girl". I gave her love for make-up, her alliance and friendship with Julia, and being her love guru (which is such a funny concept, I wish did more with it). She obviously had an obsession with Damien, but in this episode, it's officially over. Honestly, I didn't plan out that relationship too well, so sorry if "SG just teased Damien for 3 episodes straight" is a weak conclusion to their storyline… But maybe it's not the end? Idk, who knows…
Lastly, it's the last time Axel's secret is going to be mentioned, so I'm just going to say that, "canonically" she's a lesbian. I even hinted that she's attracted to Emma in a few episodes. With that being said, during the writing of the 6th episode, I noticed that it could also be read that she's transexual and I really like that idea as well! I specifically made her say "I'm-" instead of something like "I like-" so that the idea of her transsexuality being her secret could still be very likely.