(A/N: Hey guys. Remember when I said there were five episodes left this season? Well, bump that count up one, because I decided to make this particular episode a two-parter. And while I can't give you a guaranteed release date for the next part of the episode, I CAN guarantee that these two are much better than the last episode. Also, thank all of you for your feedback last chapter. While I'm still open to suggestions, I think I have a pretty decent idea of what the cast list is going to look like next season. Well, there's a lot going on this chapter, so I'll just shut up and let you start reading.)
"And then she kissed me!" Cody beamed.
The geek was sitting on his bed, happily reporting the day's events to the others in the cabin.
"Cody," Lucky groaned, "I know she kissed you. Want to know why? Because its almost two in the morning and you still haven't shut up about it!"
"Seriously dude," DJ agreed, "we're happy for you, but will you please let us sleep?"
"I'm sorry, I'm just really excited," Cody frowned, "I don't think I'll be able to sleep!"
"Then go for a walk," Duncan advised, "just be quiet for a while."
"Okay, sorry," Cody nodded, "I'm going."
Cody sorted through his things for a while until he found a blue jacket that he quickly threw on. He quietly slipped out of the cabin, careful not to make anymore noise, and then started to walk down the beach. IT was a relatively cool night, with the occasional cold breeze coming in from the sea. Cody smiled to himself as he strolled across the dimly illuminated sand. Ever since he was a child, he had always wanted the storybook "happy ending" that the heroes of classic stories had received. Saving the day, getting the girl, and getting the treasure. Though they had been typical boyhood fantasies, Cody realized he had never been closer to make them a reality. Vevo and Ea were gone, there was no Heather this time, and he was nearing the finals and most importantly, he had Gwen.
But Cody's smile began to fade once he noticed a figure moving in the distance. Cody squinted his eyes to get a better look, but to no avail. The one thing Cody could say for sure was that, while the figure was moving a great deal, they were staying in one place. Although there was a part of Cody nagging him to turn back, the geek hesitantly made his way forward. After he walked a good distance, he stopped and called out, "Uh, hey."
the figure did not stop its moving. Cody sighed, and continued forward a few paces. As he got closer, he was able to see the figure was... digging?
"Hello?" Coy shouted, "Who's there?"
"Dig... digging. She wants me to dig but won't say why. Wants it gone but won't say why. Burning, burning burning. All gone. All gone, but not like before."
The figure spoke in a voice Cody did not recognize, and one that chilled him to the bone. Cody sat there for a moment, paralyzed as the figure continued to dig.
"Most will pass through the fires to come unharmed, "the figure sobbed, "but the fires keep coming. They keep coming, why won't they go Why won't they just go?"Curiosity compelled Cody to take one step forward and the second he did, the figure looked up a t him, a beam of moonlight shining down on his burned and mangled face.
"Why won't they go?" the figure choked out.
Cody screamed. Cody screamed until his throat was sore, Cody screamed until he was out of breath, and Cody screamed until there was a crowd of people around him, shaking him and asking what happened. Then he became aware of a voice, warm and comforting: Gwen's.
"Cody, are you alright?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Cody began to calm down, but struggled to get his breathing back to a normal pace.
"H...he...: Cody weakly pointed to the now-vacant hole.
"A hole?" Quinn scoffed, folding her arms, "are you joking?"
"N-no. No, no- there was a man," Cody stammered, "he was all burnt, his... his face was just"
"Well, there's no one here now," Quinn snapped, "so, what, you expect us to believe you saw a ghost or something?"
"Lay off him!" Gwen shouted, "He's obviously terrified of something!"
While everyone argued, Johnny made his way over to the hole, and knelt down beside it. He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket, and shined it inside. After a second of looking, he turned to Cody.
"Shoe," Johnny ordered.
"W-what?"
"Give me one of your shoes," Johnny said, "just trust me."
Shaking, Cody untied one of his shoes and handed it to Johnny, who examined the bottom of it. He then looked back into the hole, and raised an eyebrow.
"He's telling the truth," said decisively.
"And how do you know?" Quinn asked.
"there's a pair of footprints in the hole," Johnny explained, "but the treads are on Cody's shoes don't much up. Ain't any matchin' tacks leading to or away from the hole either."
At this point, everyone was crowding around to see.
"So, wait," Sunny gulped, "if there aren't any other tracks, then..."
"There's only a handful of explanations," Johnny told them, "there's a chance that he walked down by the water, and the waves swept the footprints away.
"Or?" DJ shivered.
"Or... I don't know," Johnny admitted, "my best guess is that the guy you saw was one of Chris' interns. If that's the case, this was probably some kind of trick."
"No," Cody said, "not... not a trick You didn't see his face, it wasn't make-up!"
"Well, it is dark out," Duncan put-in, "your mind probably started to play tricks on you."
"He's probably right," Gwen assured Cody, "you're tired and-"
"NO!" Cody shouted, "No! I'm not hallucinating, okay? I've been seeing weird things ever since I got here! And it isn't just me- Gwen, you've said you've seen things! And Justin won't even talk about the time he was here last season! The rest of you guys MUST have noticed weird stuff around here!"
"Well," Sunny started, "there was that one girl. Remember? She used to say the weirdest things, warnings almost. But I can't remember her name... was it Amy? I can't recall what she looked like, either..."
"I have seen things," Gwen admitted, "but, I don't know. I try not to think about it."
"Okay, if what you're saying is true, then what? This island is haunted?" Quinn mocked, "C'mon, this is ridiculous."
"Ridiculous or not, maybe we should talk to Chris about it," DJ suggested.
"Yeah, right. What's he going to do other than laugh in our faces?"
"Look, why don't we all just get to bed and discuss this in the morning?" Sunny cut in, "We could all use some rest."
"She's right," Gwen agreed, "Come on, guys, let's head back to the cabins for now and sort this out tomorrow."
The campers uneasily agreed, and began to walk back to their bunks- with the exception of Johnny.
"You comin', Johnny-boy?" Lucky called.
"Y'all go on ahead," Johnny answered, "I'll catch up."
"Whatever you say."
Once everyone was gone, Johnny sighed and went back to examining the area. Before long, a chill crept down his spine, ad Johnny turned to look over his shoulder.
"What in the-"
There, standing in the distance was a figure wearing a bunny costume. johnny slowly got to his feet, and stared the figured down. The bunnyman excitedly clapped his hands and hopped in place for a second, and then beckoned Johnny over. Johnny turned for a moment to see if any of his fellow campers were still in the area- nada.
"Damn it,: Johnny sighed as he quickly strode forward.
Much to Johnny's annoyance, however, as soon as he got closer the bunnyman turned and hopped off into the shadows. Johnny thought about turning around, but stopped when he noticed a small pile of items where the figure had stood previously. Johnny hurried over and sifted through them, becoming more disturbed by the second.
The first thing Johnny saw was a small hunk of obsidian that had been roughly carved into the shape of a bird. Johnny eyed it suspiciously before pocketing it and moving on to the next item: a burned party hat. For some reason, holding it gave Johnny great discomfort, so he quickly tossed it aside. Finally, there was one last thing that made Johnny's blood run cold: an old photograph. Although he could just barely see it under the light of the moon, it was a picture of three people sitting around a table:
a little girl,
the man in the bunny costume,
and what looked like a younger version of-
"Chris," Johnny gasped.
~o.0.o~
"Well, this certainly is weird," Duncan admitted, eying the photograph.
"Weird? Weird?" Cody demanded, "This is way beyond weird!"
It was early the next morning, and the other boys were sitting around te cabin, passing around the objects Johnny had found.
"Okay, beyond weird, yeah," Duncan sighed, "where'd you find this stuff again, Johnny?"
Johnny, who had been sitting in silence up until that point, answered, "on the beach. Someone dropped them there- or left it here, more likely."
"Did you see who?" DJ asked.
Johnny sighed, and pointed to the bunnyman in the photo.
"Are you serious?" DJ asked.
"I know how it sounds," Johnny nodded, "but that's what I saw. Or what I thought I saw, I don't know."
"This is insane. We need to talk to Chris," Cody stammered.
"What is that going to do? He's probably behind all of this!" Duncan exclaimed.
"I don't know, I'm... I'm with Cody on this," DJ shrugged, "it wouldn't hurt to just ask."
"Johnny, you found this stuff, what do you think?" Duncan asked.
Johnny rubbed his jaw and thought a moment before answering.
"I don't know. I don't know what you guys are gonna do, but I want to find more... evidence... before I make a move."
"I guess that's understandable," DJ replied.
"Yeah. I guess."
The four guys fell silent, and began to examine the photo again.
"I'm gonna go see Gwen," Cody announced, getting to his feet suddenly, "I'll see you guys later."
~o.0.o~
"-see you guys later."
Chris watched his television screen intently. He had been watching the campers practically non-stop since his return, but the last conversation in the boy's cabin had been particularly troubling.
"They're beginning to figure it out," VIA hummed.
Chris did not respond.
"Perhaps you should have listened to me. You should have gotten the-"
"Stop," Chris pleaded, "just stop!"
"As you wish."
"I just... I need to get them to stop digging," Chris reasoned, "occupy their minds with a challenge. But what...?"
"your solution is only short-term," VIA warned.
"Shut up!" Chris shouted, "The show HAS to go on! Just give me a min- I got it!"
Chris pulled out his phone, and began dialing a number.
"Hey," he greeted when the person on the other line picked up, "listen, I need help with a challenge, and I know the perfect people fr the job."
~o.0.o~
It was nearly nightfall before the contestants were summoned for their challenge- and when they were, it was by an absent-looking Chris.
"Okay campers," he droned, "we've got another challenge for you today, so follow me and we'll get started."
The contestants gave their host an apprehensive glance, but nonetheless followed him.
"So, where are we going?" Gwen asked.
Chris did not reply.
"Awfully chatty today," Sunny remarked.
The campers continued their walk in silence, until at last they stopped in front of a familiar looking bunker.
"Oh no," DJ groaned, "Not the virtual reality thing!"
Chris opened the hatch, and gestured for the campers to go inside.
"I've got something to take care of," Chris told them, "so as a result you'll have someone else hosting this challenge."
"Another guest host," Duncan sighed, "Awesome."
The contestants piled inside to see the room was already lit up, and to of the machines were already occupied. Everyone took a minute to put on their headgear. there was the flash of light, and then the challenge commenced.
~o.0.o~
"Well, personally I think the series has gone way downhill, but the original Silent Hill games are some of my- oh hey! they're here!"
One by one the campers slowly awoke to find themselves in a lush meadow- accompanied by two familiar faces.
"Hey guys!" Veronica greeted, "What's up?"
"Veronica? Harold? What are you guys doing here?" DJ asked.
"We're who Chris put in charge of today's challenge," Harold explained.
"Nice," Duncan commented, "it's been getting really messed up around here- its good to see some friendly faces."
"Veronica!" Sunny smiled, giving her friend a hug, "It's good to see you again, love."
"Yeah- good to see you, kid," Lucky agreed.
"I'm glad to see you guys too," Veronica said, "but I definitely prefer the kickass new resort they have us staying at to this island. They have game consoles that haven't even come out yet!"
"Okay, now that you've had your teary reunion, are you going to tell us what the challenge is?" Quinn interrupted.
"Well, since you're so eager," Veronica started, "since the last virtual-reality challenge was so popular with the fans, Chris had us design a new simulation for you guys based off of the classic videogame-"
"Classic videogame SERIES the Elder Scrolls," Harold interrupted.
"What Harold meant to say is that I had an ah-may-zing chalenge based off of Majoa's Mask, and the he felt the need to throw in a bunch of giants and dragons and such because he can't apprecaite the classics."
"Skyrim IS a classic! GOSH!"
"Skyrim took a perfectly fine RPG series and dumbed it down for you filthy casuals-"
"For the love of- HEY!" Johnny shouted, "Are y'all going to explain the challenge, or are you just going to stand there and argue?"
"Sorry," Veronica sighed, "okay, each of you will pick one of five classes: a warrior, a rogue, a mage, an archer, or a healer. After receiving your appropriate gear, you'll journey west to the Poorly Rendered Mountain of Doom, collecting masks to help you along the way. Each mask comes with a different special ability that will help you defeat the mighty Majora, who waits at the peak of the mountain. The camper who manages to slay Majora wins immunity, but several other prizes my be awarded based on performance."
"I don't play videogames, though," DJ grumbled, "which class do I pick?"
"Beats me, I didn't pick the lame class options," Veronica shrugged.
"Traditional," Harold corrected, "traditional class options!"
"Boring s more like it," Veronica said, rolling her eyes, "I wanted to throw in Mechromancer, but he was like, 'oh no, that'd be too OP!'"
"Can we just get this started?" Gwen asked.
"Uh, right, sorry. Everyone pick your classes," Veronica instructed.
"I'll... be a mage," Gwen shrugged.
There was a flash of light, and Gen reappeared with robes and a staff.
"Warrior," Duncan smiled
Duncan's outfit was a suit of armor, and his weapon was a longsword.
DJ picked a healer. His outfit was similar to Gwen's, but his robes were red.
"I guess an archer'd suit me," Johnny shrugged.
Johnny was given a suit of leather armor and a hunting bow.
"Uh, I don't know. Rogue?" Lucky guessed.
"Ditto," Sunny shrugged.
The pair were given outfits similar to Johnny's, but for weapons they were each given a pair of daggers.
"Warrior," Cody smiled as he was given his change of gear.
"That just leaves you, Quinn," Veronica said.
"I don't know- if I pick mage, can I set stuff on fire?" Quinn asked.
"I don't see why not-"
"Awesome, I'll pick that."
After Quinn was finished, Veronica and Harold addressed the contestants.
"It is your time," Harold urged them, "journey forth, and claim the fame, fortune, and adventure that-"
"Tool," Veronica muttered under her breath.
"-that are rightfully yours," Harold finished, "now, sally forth and seek your prize!"
"...He means go," Veronica told the confused-looking contestants.
The eight shrugged, and began their journey west.
~o.0.o~
After a while of wandering, the eight eventually happened upon a large forest with the cries of wild animals resonating from deep within. They quickly broke up into groups- Gwen and Cody, Lucky and Sunny, Duncan and DJ, with Quinn and Johnny being the only ones to go solo.
"So," Gwen started when she and Cody were alone, "you play a lot of games, right? What's the best course of action here?"
"Well, given our classes, it would be best if I charged head as a tank, and you hung back and provided support in the form of a few AOE's and some debuffs."
"...What?"
Cody sighed, and said, "I kill stuff, you help me kill stuff."
"Oh, okay."
The two continued forward, until Cody gave a frightened asp and pulled Gwen into cover.
"Quiet!" he warned, "Look over there!"
Cody pointed off to the side, where a group of men were attacking a defenseless girl.
"I got this," Cody said, "you hang back and cast a few spells."
Cody leapt out of cover, and ran at the men, sword raised overhead. Just as he ran one of the attackers through, Gwen launched a firebolt at another, burning him to a crisp.
"You fools!" the surviving attack cried, "Do you realize what you've-"
Cody swung his sword, and the man was suddenly without his head.
"There," Cody said, turning to the girl, "you're safe now!"
In response, the girl started giggling.
"Um, are you...?" Cody began.
The girl's laugh grew deeper and more disturbing as her bod began to contort and sprout fur all over.
"Oh COME ON! A WEREWOLF?" Cody groaned.
The werewolf let out a monstrous roar, and took a swipe at Cody, who fell to the ground.
"Gwen!" Cody shouted, "Help!"
Just as Gwen raised her staff to cast a spell, she was hit from behind with a bolt of lightning and sent flying into a tree. Gwen turned just in time to see Quinn approach, a smile on her face
"End of the line, pumpkin," Quinn taunted, charging another attack.
Gwen quickly gripped her staff and launched a spell at the same time as Quinn. The two attacks collided, and there was a surge of energy that launched the two girls in opposite directions.
The two both hurried to get to their feet, but Quinn was first up, and she immediately sent a shot of flames at Gwen, finishing her off. Gwen gave a quick scream before dissolving away.
"Okay," Quinn panted, "now for-"
Quinn turned to attack Cody, but saw his bones were being picked clean by the werewolf/
"Huh. I guess that's that, then," she shrugged, "now on to the next one."
~o.0.o~
"You know, its nice to see veronica again," Sunny commented, "although I am surprised Chris picked her to be host.
Before Lucky could reply, a voice overhead complained, "I'm the host too! GOSH!"
"Wait. You guys can hear us?" Lucky asked.
"Eeyup," Veronica said, appearing beside the two.
"Woah! How are you able to do THAT?" Sunny asked.
"Because I kick ass," Veronica smiled.
"I don't suppose you could help us out while you're here?" Lucky asked.
"Sorry. As hostess, I can't help you guys win," Veronica explained, "although I can tell you Quinn is taking advantage of the PVP system."
"...What?" Lucky and Sunny asked in unison.
"Sigh... she's attacking other players," Veronica explained, "oh, and you better hurry if you want to grab a mask. DJ and Duncan are about to stumble on to one just north of here.
"Alright, thanks for the info," Lucky smiled, "c'mon, Sunny."
"No problem. Bye guys!" Veronica waved before disappearing, leaving the two alone.
The two immediately started running north, and before long they came upon the entrance to a cave. DJ and Duncan were standing outside, talking.
"I don't know, man," DJ said, "what if there's something in there, waiting for us?"
"Just trust me," Duncan pleaded, "I know what I'm doing on this one! Just stay behind me and we'll be fine!"
"Alright man, if you say so," DJ muttered.
The two slowly entered the cave, and Sunny took a step forward.
"Should we go after them?" she asked.
"No way," Lucky frowned, "who knows what's in there? No, we wait for them to come out, then we jump them and take the mask."
"ooh, sneaky. I like it," Sunny smiled.
"Uh-huh. In the meantime we just gotta' make sure nothing creeps up on us."
"Right. So, listen. Luck. I've been meaning to ask you... what are we doing? About us, I mean.
Lucky raised an eyebrow.
"You want to talk about this now? In the middle of a bizzaro Skyrim simulation?"
"Look," Sunny sighed, "I just... there's no guarantee the both of us will be around much longer. I figured it would be best to clear things up now, you know? If you aren't interested in me-"
"What? Don't be ridiculous- of course I'm interested. It's just... I don't know," Lucky sighed, "I've just had bad experiences with relationships- it doesn't end well for me.
Nothing ever really does. That's just how it works for people like me."
"What makes you think this won't be different?" Sunny asked.
"I don't know, maybe the way everything else has turned out for me on this stupid show," Lucky sighed, "Sunny, you're the only good thing I have left, and I'm scared of messing things up and losing you. I don't have any other real friends back home, and... I guess I'm just a little scared of being alone."
"Lucky," Sunny began, "I-"
There was a loud roar overhead, and wings flapping as loud as thunder. The sun was blocked out, a massive shadow taking up the sky.
"Oh come the FUCK on!" Lucky shouted.
~o.0.o~
"Okay, just down this passage," Duncan said, "see? this isn't so bad."
"I guess not," DJ admitted, "I'm sorry, man I got a little freaked out outside. I try to be brave, I just..."
"Hey, you're here, aren't you?" Duncan smiled, "And you're plenty brave. I mean, look at how well you've done this season."
"I guess," DJ sighed, "I just sorta feel like I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all the help you and Tyler have given me this season."
"Nothing wrong with getting some help now and then."
"Yeah, but it seems I only win WHEN I get help," DJ sighed, "I mean, the only solo challenge I've won so far wasn't even a solo challenge."
"DJ, listen," Duncan said, "you're good at lots of things- cooking, singing, and you've done well in lots of challenges. You just keep selling yourself short."
"Maybe," DJ shrugged, "but maybe my dad was right."
The two continued forward in silence until Duncan stopped dead in his tracks.
"Oh crap," he muttered.
What is it?" DJ asked, craning his neck for a better view.
Duncan pointed ahead, where DJ saw thick webs covering everything.
"Whatever made that must have been big," Duncan said, "come on, let's bail- OH CRAP!"
A giant spider dropped on Duncan, and began to roll him up in a web.
"Duncan!" DJ shouted.
"Help!" Duncan called, "Quick, try to get it away! If I can get loose and grab my sword-"
But DJ didn't listen- he was already halfway towards the exit.
"DJ, wait!"
"I'm sorry," DJ called back, "I'm sorry!"
~o.0.o~
"Finally," Johnny said, heaving a sigh of relief as he exited the forest. He could just barely make out the mountain in the distance, so bow in hand, he bean moving at as quick a pace as he could manage.
He stopped in his tracks as a ball of fire flew by, just missing him Gripping his bow, Johnny turned to see Quinn approaching.
"Looks like we're the only two that made it out so far," she said, "of course, only one of us can get immunity. C'mon, cowboy. Let's see who's the quicker draw."
TO BE CONTINUED