"-of course, nobody ever found the bodies. And to this day, the house is still standing, waiting, luring victims inside... where they're never seen again!"
Tyler finished his story proudly, looking around at his teammate's faces for approval.
"Well," Noah said, "that was something."
"What he's trying to say is that you're terrible at telling stories," Justin corrected.
Tyler looked down, embarrassed, as Margo piped up.
"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad."
The Vault Hunters were all on the upper deck, sitting around one of the dining tables and telling horror stories. It was the night before Halloween, and despite the recent losses almost everyone was in good spirits.
"Whatever. Whose turn is it next?" Justin asked.
"Deborah? How about you?" Margo suggested.
Deborah looked up at her, and then immediately away.
"What? I, uh, don't really know any stories..."
"Ooookay. Then how about Cody?"
"Me? Okay, I guess I've got one," Cody thought, "um... have you guys heard the one about the possessed doll?"
"Yeah, only about a thousand times," Veronica commented.
"Okay, then what about- hey, I've got one! Did I ever tell you guys what happened when I went trick or treating with my friend Barry?" Cody asked, "We were going up to this old mansion, right? We didn't see any kids in the area, so we figured that would be more candy for us. So, we walked up, but as we got closer we noticed the place was really run down. The grass was practically knee high, and the house was almost falling down. But the light was on, so we figured whatever, and knocked on the door. No one answered, so we turned and walked away- then Barry grabbed my shoulder, and told me to look into the upstairs window.
When I did, I saw an old lady wearing an old fashioned dress. She just sat there, staring at me, when suddenly we hear this blood-curdling scream. I jump, and look around, and when I checked back to see if the lady was still at the window, she had dissapeared."
"Wow," Margo said, "and this happened when you were kids?"
"No, this was last year."
"...oh."
~o.0.o~
While the Vault Hunters all told stories, Katie and Quinn waited in Heather's room as she stared at herself in the mirror, trying to fix her hair. Quinn, becoming increasingly annoyed with the girl's efforts, finally stood up.
"Will you knock it off? We have more important things to do than worry about your hair."
Heather's eye twitched, and she spun around.
"How DARE you? YOU weren't the one who was attacked by a mangy, rabid animal! I'M the leader, so YOU need to learn to respect me!"
"Is that right?" Quinn asked, folding her arms.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is," Heather huffed.
Heather messed around with her hair a little more before turning to the two.
"Now, if we're all done arguing... I have a plan that's going to win us the game."
"Oh really?" Katie asked, "And what might that be?"
As soon as Heather went to open her mouth, an announcement came over the intercom.
"All contestants make your way to the clubhouse immediately," Julie ordered, "please be quick about it."
The girls looked at each other.
"Whatever. I'll explain later," Heather shrugged, "let's go see what that witch wants."
~o.0.o~
Once all the contestants were gathered in the clubhouse, Julie addressed them.
"I know you're all very busy, so I'll make this quick. Since it's almost Halloween, we'll be celebrating tomorrow with a special challenge. Just for fun, I'm going to give each of you the chance to dress up for the occasion."
Julie pulled out a clipboard, and placed it on the bar counter.
"If you're interested, write down your name and costume choice, and by the morning I'll have it ready for you."
Most of the competitors lined up, and began to write their names and desired costumes down.
"So, is that all?" Bridgette asked.
"No- there was one other thing," Julie answered, "I wanted you all to meet my new intern... Milton sent her over to help out with our challenges."
A tall, gangly girl stepped out from the shadows. She wore a black dress, striped stockings, and black shoes. She was incredibly pale, and her black hair was long and messy. She wore rather gothic looking make-up, making her appear even more unsettling.
"Everyone, this is Priscylla," Julie told them.
"Hola," Alejandro greeted, "it's a pleasure to make you're acquaintance, miss."
Priscylla grinned, and tilted her head.
"...ooookay," Alejandro frowned.
"It's nice to meet you all," Priscylla finally said, her eyes washing over the contestants, "I'm looking forward to our challenge tomorrow."
The contestants finished writing down their names and costumes, and began to head out.
"Thanks guys," Julie called after them, "see you tomorrow!"
The contestants all left the clubhouse, leaving Julie and Priscylla alone.
"So," Julie sighed, "everything taken care of for the challenge tomorrow?"
"We've taken care of everything we can. The dead will take care of the rest."
Julie stared at Priscylla, a little unnerved, and cleared her throat.
"Right, well... I'm going to go to my quarters."
Julie walked out of the room, and waited until she was out of earshot before muttering, "Weirdo."
~o.0.o~
It wasn't until around six o'clock the next day that Julie gathered the contestants again. She had everyone meet in the clubhouse again, where she had a few boxes laid out with names written on them.
"Okay everyone," she said, "find the box your name is on- if you asked for a costume, it'll be in there. Take it, go get dressed, and be back here in twenty minutes."
Most of the contestants left to go get changed, although quite a few opted not to dress up- Noah, Alejandro, Heather, Quinn, Katie, and Johnny. Eventually the contestants came back, and in doing so showcased their various outfits.
Justin, being a David Bowie fan, was dressed as Ziggy Stardust, while Cody went, predictably, as Batman. Lance was dressed up as Tubbs from Miami Vice, Miri as Chell from Portal, and Mordecai as Sonic the Hedgehog. Veronica chose Gaige from Borderlands 2, Lucky went as Bigby Wolf from Fables, and Duncan dressed as a zombie. Margo was Esmerelda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Deborah was Riza Hawkeye from Fullmetal Alchemist, Luna was Resident Evil's Claire Redfield, and Finn was a Jack O'Lantern. Mark dressed as a kitsune from Japanese lore- although usually feminine, he too a few liberties to make te costume work. Izzy was some sort of werewolf, while Bridgette chose a standard witch outfit. Last but not least was Tyler, who's arrival into the clubhouse caused all of the contestants to burst out laughing.
"This TOTALLY isn't what I asked for!" He groaned, tugging at the princess outfit he was wearing.
"I thought you liked dressing up as a princess," Julie snickered, trying to suppress a smile.
Tyler's face turned red, and he folded his arms, saying nothing else.
"Anyway, we've arrived at our destination," Julie told everyone, "so follow me to the deck and I'll explain the challenge."
The contestants followed Julie upstairs, where they saw Priscylla waiting for them.
"Welcome to the Island of Dolls," she grinned.
Everyone looked out, and were horrified to take in their surroundings. They were docked outside an island that was completely littered with old, decaying dolls; they were everyone. In the dirt, water, grass, hell, they were strung up and hanging from trees.
"Where the hell are we?" Duncan asked.
"The Island of Dolls," Priscylla said again, "it's an island in Mexico... and very, very haunted. That's all you need to know."
"That, and since tonight is another Reality challenge, we're basing it off of Ghost Hunters," Julie cut in.
"Right. 'Reality'," Miri said, rolling her eyes.
"Look, your challenge is two-fold," Julie explained, "first, while you're on the island, you're to look for dolls."
"Great. Found them," Heather said, gesturing to the landscape before them.
"Do I need to get the tape out again?" Julie threatened.
Heather fell silent, shaking her head.
"Good. Now, if you'd let me finish, you're looking for a very specific type of doll- the ones we've placed here," Julie continued, "they'll be easy to pick out from the rest. They're brand new. Brown hair, red hooded dress, black and white striped socks. Each doll is worth one hundred points. Now, the second part of the challenge is staying on the island itself. If you get too scared, you can come back here at any time- but doing so will have consequences. The challenge will end when one team hits five hundred points, or when one team has over half of its members drop out."
"Pfft. Right. Just a bunch of stupid dolls," Quinn muttered, although she looked rather shaky.
"If you're so sure, get going," Julie told them, "oh... And happy Halloween."
~o.0.o~
The contestants hesitantly made their way on to the island, and looked around nervously.
"So... how should we do this?" Tyler asked.
"I guess split into teams?" Margo proposed.
"Right," Lucky immediately agreed, "I'll go with Veronica and Miri. If that's okay with you two."
"Sure, why not?" Miri shrugged.
Veronica smiled, and mouthed "thank you".
"Cody, Noah- why don't the three of us team up together?" Justin smiled.
Noah eyed him suspiciously, but nodded in the affirmative.
"Would you guys be interested in teaming up?" Margo asked, looking over at Deborah and Mark.
The two quickly agreed. Tyler looked around nervously before clearing his throat.
"Would you mind if I tagged along with you guys?" He asked.
"Of course not," Margo smiled.
"Guess I'm on my own then," Johnny shrugged, "let's get moving, guys."
The Enclave had also split up into groups: Alejandro, Bridgette, Duncan, Lance and Luna in one, Heather, Katie, Quinn, Izzy and Mordecai in the other- Finn going off by himself. Julie and Priscylla watched from the boat as everyone slowly drifted away, and deeper into the island.
"I'm starting to think this may have been a terrible idea," Julie muttered.
"Oh, I think it's the most wonderful idea you'll ever have," Priscylla giggled, "and in a few moments, we'll really be able to get into the heads of our contestants."
"Uh, yeah. Sure."
Julie began to back away slowly.
"I'm gonna go grab a snack."
~o.0.o~
Justin hummed to himself as he led Noah and Cody through the island, not seeming to be bothered by all the dolls and other debris.
"This is really starting to freak me out," Cody commented, uneasily scanning his surroundings, "I mean, last season was creepy, but..."
"Don't worry about it, CAPTAIN," Justin told him, "it'll be fine. Just a few creepy doll heads, who cares?"
"A few, huh?" Noah frowned, "If there were a handful on the ground, that would be a few. When there are hundreds hanging from the trees-"
"Alright alright, whatever," Justin sighed, "let's just find what Julie wants, and win this challenge so we can get out of here."
"The sooner the better," Cody agreed, before sighing and looking down.
"Something wrong?" Noah asked.
"It's nothing, I just- I'm still a little sad Gwen's gone. I don't know why anyone would want to vote her off to begin with," Cody explained.
Noah glanced over at Justin before responding.
"Yeah. Me neither."
~o.0.o~
"Okay, this is about the creepiest place I've ever been," Tyler commented.
The four were walking through woods, growing progressively uneasier with each step.
"Just make sure we don't get split up," Margo reminded him, "we don't know what's in these woods."
All of a sudden, Point stopped, and began to bark furiously at something.
"What's wrong with him?" Tyler asked.
Mark frowned, as knelt down next to Point.
"What's wrong?" He asked, "What do you see?"
A figure stepped out from behind a distant tree, and stared at the four contestants.
"Nope! I'm out!" Tyler exclaimed, turning to run off.
"Relax, alright?" Deborah told him, "It's probably that creepy intern trying to mess with us."
Point growled at the figure, taking a step backward.
"I'm not so sure about that," Mark commented, "maybe we should get going."
The figure slowly began to stagger towards the contestants, it's movements jerky and unnatural.
"I thin we should go," Margo gulped.
"Come on, it's just an intern," Deborah said again, although she sounded uncertain of herself.
The figure let out a cry, and then started to sprint towards everyone. Tyler immediately screamed and ran off, with the others not far behind. Mark looked around, and after seeing a cabin, shouted, "In there!"
Everyone turned, and after seeing the run-down shack, changed course and began running towards it. They took shelter inside, slamming and locking the door behind them.
"Okay," Tyler panted, "What was that?"
Deborah looked out of the front window.
"I don't know- but it's gone."
"Well, we might as well make the best of this," Margo said, "let's look around."
~o.0.o~
"Ugh. I can't believe I'm stuck on this stupid island," Heather grumbled, looking around at everything with disgust, "stupid Julie and her stupid Halloween special."
"It's not that bad," Mordecai chimed in.
"Why are you even following us?" Heather demanded.
Mordecai shrugged, and smiled.
"I just thought you guys might need some help."
"Whatever, loser. Just keep your distance," Heather warned.
"Oh, come on, this is fun!" Izzy cheered, "Just look at all these cool dismembered baby-doll heads!"
"Not even going to dignify that with a response," Heather growled.
"Shut up guys," Katie snapped, "I think I see one of those dolls we were supposed to collect."
Katie pointed to a nearby tree, where a doll matching Julie's description was hanging from a noose.
"Well that's pleasant," Heather frowned, "Quinn, go get it down."
"Why me?" Quinn asked, "I'm not getting near that thing."
"It's cool- I've got it," Mordecai smiled.
Mordecai strolled over, and began to untie the doll when a loud shriek was heard.
"GAH!"
Mordecai stumbled and fell on his back, causing Heather to sigh in dissaproval.
"Fine. I'll get it."
Heather walked over, and untied the doll.
"There. One hundred points."
"But what the hell was that?" Mordecai asked.
"Who cares? Let's just keep looking for these stupid things."
~o.0.o~
Veronica sighed, and brushed her hair out of her eyes.
"Well, I have to say. I thought the Halloween challenge was going to be fun with the whole dressing up thing. I have to say I'm not happy with the whole 'island of freaky dolls' thing, though."
"You know, I've heard of this place," Miri commented, "the legend behind it is actually interesting. Supposedly the man who used to live here found a young girl drowning, but he couldn't get to her in time to save her. To honor her spirit, he began to hang dolls around the island- only to find that as he did so, more began to wash up on shore. He continued to decorate the island with them, until one day he was found dead himself."
"Wow- I'm surprised you know all this. I thought you were mostly into the scientific," Veronica said.
"Oh, sure! Science has a lot of different branches, though. When I was a kid I was all about ghosts and goblins and bigfoot," Miri told her, smiling, "one of my first scientific experiments was trying to prove the existence of Bloody Mary. I didn't start with the serious stuff until I was ten."
"What changed?" Veronica asked.
"I'm... Not really sure," Miri shrugged, "somewhere along the line I guess I just sort of stopped believing. My dad had never exactly be encouraging of my hobby- he's the head of a research lab up in Washington, so naturally he pushed things like physics on me. The day I said I stopped believing in ghosts was the day he bought me my first set of lab equipment."
"Oh. Well... You enjoy what you're doing now, right?"
"Oh yeah," Miri smiled, "I mean, mostly. I was kind of discouraged after I accidentally set my school's chemistry lab on fire, but after a lot of work I was able to get into a nice college. Sometimes it's just too... routine, I guess."
"Yeah," Veronica nodded, "I think I know what you mean."
All of a sudden, Lucky stopped walking, and grabbed Veronica's shoulder.
"Guys. Stop moving. Look dead ahead."
The girls looked, and saw one of Julie's dolls sitting in a clearing, staring at them.
"That's... Really creepy," Veronica gulped.
"Let's go grab it," Miri shrugged, "that's one hundred points-"
"Or a trap," Lucky told her, "look, you two wait here. I'll go grab it."
Lucky took a step forward, and glanced around. Nothing. He slowly approached the doll, and reached out a hand.
"Nothing's going to grab me, nothing's going to grab me, nothing's going to-"
He reached out and grabbed the doll, holding his breath- only for nothing to happen.
"Okay. That could have been worse."
When he turned, however, it wasn't Veronica or Miri he saw, but a young boy hunched over on all fours. Lucky's eye twitched slightly, and he took a step back.
"LUCKY!" Veronica shouted, "RUN!"
The boy let out a hiss, and began to scuttle forward.
Lucky turned and ran, although he could tell he wasn't putting much distance between himself and the child.
"Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit-"
THWACK!
Lucky looked behind, and saw the boy laying on the ground, a large bruise on his head- and a rock laying nearby.
Veronica and Miri came jogging up, smiling.
"Ha! I totally saved your ass," Veronica smiled.
"You'll never let me live that down, will you?"
"Nope."
"Hey guys," Miri interrupted, pointing to a nearby cabin, "what do you think's in there?"
~o.0.o~
"Hey, Al. Are you okay?"
Alejandro, who was rather fidgety, did not hear Bridgette's question.
"Alejandro."
Alejandro snapped back into reality, and looked over at her.
"Huh? What?"
"I asked if you were alright."
Alejandro sighed, and shook his head.
"Uh, fine. It's just... I really don't think we should be here. My family is perhaps a bit superstitious, and they always warned me about this place."
"Can't say I blame them," Lance said, "this place is something else."
Luna, who had been relatively quiet until this point, nodded.
"I really don't like it here- let's just finish and get out of here, okay?"
"Don't worry about it," Duncan said, "there's nothing to be scared of. It's just the interns running around messing with our heads. This is a pretty easy challenge when you think about it."
"I certainly wouldn't be so sure of that," Alejandro muttered.
The trees overhead suddenly began rustling.
"What the-"
Alejandro looked up, and the heads of dolls began to rain down on him. He let out a terrified yell, and then turned and ran.
"Al, wait!" Bridgette called, rushing after him.
"Great," Lance groaned, watching them dissapear into the trees, "what now?"
"We keep going," Duncan told him, "we need to keep winning."
As soon as he stepped forward, a doll landed at his feet- one of the ones Julie had asked him to find.
Duncan frowned, an picked it up. When he turned it over, he saw the doll had it's face ripped open, and his name was written all over it in black marker.
"Duncan?" Luna asked, "What's wrong?"
Duncan shook his head.
"Probably nothing," he said, "just... some attempt to scare me. But hey- free points."
The three set off. Neither of them could see Finn in the tree above them, scowling.
CONFESSIONAL: Finn
Okay, okay, so maybe I wasn't able to get to my intended target. But taking dear Alejandro down a peg was satisfying.
END CONFESSIONAL
Meanwhile, Alejandro had already run back to the boat, Bridgette following behind him.
"Wait, Alejandro! Come back!" She shouted.
"No! No mas!" Alejandro panted, climbing on board, "This place is cursed!"
Bridgette, though her intentions good, made the mistake of followin him on board- and cursed herself for it.
"Looks like you two are out of the game," Julie, who was waiting nearby, told them, "but your team has found two dolls already. If they can find three more, you'll still win. If not... I wish you two luck."
Alejandro facepalmed.
"Crap."
"Don't worry about it," Beidgette told him, "what's one challenge? You're one of our best players, I don't think you're in any real danger of being sent home."
"I certainly hope so," he muttered.
~o.0.o~
"I don't think anything's in here," Tyler called out as he finished searching the kitchen, "it's all clear."
"Alright," Deborah sighed, "give it one more look to be sure."
The cabin the group had taken refuge in had turned out to actually be somewhat pleasant. At least compared to the rest of the island. It was furnished, warm, and actually had lights they had managed to get on.
"No, he's right," Mark called, "Point and I couldn't find anything either. This place is completely empty."
"This is weird," Deborah muttered, "you'd think this would be the perfect place to hide something..."
Everyone gathered in the living room.
"So should we go back out there?" Tyler asked, "I mean, if you guys wanted to stay in here where we can lock ourselves in, that'd be cool too."
"I don't know. I still feel like we're missing something," Mark said, Point barking in agreement immediatley afterwards.
"Maybe," Margo nodded, "I'd rather not us split up, but..."
Before she could finish, the door slowly creaked open.
"Hello?" A voice called.
Veronica poked her head in through the door.
"Oh, hey guys!"
"Veronica?" Tyler said, "How'd you find this place?"
"It's the only building with lights on, duh."
Veronica walked inside, Lucky and Miri following after her.
"So, you guys find anything?"
"Not in here, no," Margo told her, "what about you.
"Actually, we managed to find a doll not far from here," Miri said, "so that's something."
The trio walked into the living room, looking around.
"This is certainly a nice change of pace from outside," Lucky said.
"It certainly is," Heather smirked.
Everyone watched as Heather and her group walked into the cabin. Heather, looking especially smug, crossed her arms, and looked at the three.
"You said you have a doll, right? Hand it over."
"Or what?" Tyler demanded, "We outnumber you!"
"Or this. Quinn, dear?"
Quinn stepped forward.
"Give it to me. Now."
At this, Veronica started laughing.
"Yeah, sorry. Pretty sure I pwned you last time."
"This isn't last time," Quinn growled.
"Okay, guys, listen," Mark interrupted, "we don't have to get violent. I have a much better idea. Either Heather and her group leaves now, or I sic Point on them."
Heather scowled, but relented.
"Fine. We're leaving. Get the door, Mordecai."
Mordecai went to turn the handle, only to find it stuck.
"Uh, guys?" He groaned, "It won't open!"
"What do you mean it won't open?" Heather demanded, "Let me-"
As Heather reached forward, the lights suddenly went out, leaving everyone in total darkness.
"What's going on?" Katie asked, "Who turned out the lights?"
"Nobody!" Margo exclaimed, "The fuse box is in the other-"
The lights flicked back on, but no one was prepared for what happened next. As soon as everyone could see, they were terrified to discover that, in the middle of the room, a woman wearing a bloody dress had appeared. There were a few screams, and the lights went back out again. They returned a few moments later- the woman was gone, but in her place was a human skull.
Heather finally managed to get the doo open, and as soon as she did, she sped out of the cabin, Mordecai, Quinn and Katie on her tail.
The Vault Hunters were also out of the door as soon as possible, leaving only Izzy behind.
"Hey! She called, "Where are you guys going?"
~o.0.o~
Julie was calmly sitting on deck, drinking a cup of coffee when Heather, Mordecai, Katie and Quinn rushed on board, followed by Tyler, Margo and Veronica.
"What happened to you guys?" The hostess asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Does it matter?" Heather snapped, "WE WANT OUT!"
Julie took another nonchalant sip before saying, "Alright. I guess that means the Vault Hunters win."
Heather's eyes widened.
"Wait. What?"
"Alejandro and Bridgette arrived here half an hour ago," Julie informed her, "meaning that OVER five of you dropped out. That's more than enough for you to lose the challenge."
"Great," Katie groaned, "back on the chopping block."
"I'll go have everyone brought back here," Julie said, "you can wait around here until then."
Heather immediatley turned to Mordecai, glaring at him.
"Do you want to stay on this show? Then you better do as I say."
~o.0.o~
It took a while, but finally everyone was brought back on board, a little shaken up.
"Well, as you may already know, the Enclave is on the chopping block tonight," Julie announced, "however, I'm feeling generous since it's Halloween. Until the elimination ceremony in two hours, both teams will hve access to the clubhouse- which I've decorated a bit to show Halloween spirit. Now, go on and have some fun before you have to kick someone off tonight."
Julie watched as the contestants started to head below deck.
"Okay. Time to get the hell out of here."
"I'm going to miss it here."
Julie spun around, and saw Priscylla standing behind her.
"It's beautiful, wouldn't you agree?" The intern askex, "So tranquil."
"Okay, seriously," Julie frowned, "Where the hell did Milton find you?"
~o.0.o~
Down in the clubhouse, the contestants were all laughing and talking and having a good time. The look of the room was almost entirely different- the bar was covered in bowls of candy, and cobwebs were strewn about everywhere. And although there were the typical, cheesy Halloween decorations, there were a few interesting ones, like the Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees animatronics, the giant mechanical spiders that were programmed to scuttle back and forth whenever someone walked by, and an ancient, creepy looking mirror. The sound system was also playing the soundtracks to various horror films and games- currently playing music from Silent Hill.
"I can't believe I lost," Alejandro sighed as he sat in the corner, "there's no way I should have let that place get the better of me."
"It's okay, Al," Bridgette assured him, "you don't have to win every time, you know."
"I looked weak!" He insisted, "I ran away!"
"No one can be strong all the time."
Alejandro sighed, and looked down.
"Maybe."
Bridgette smiled at him.
"Look, you'll be fine tonight. I guarantee it."
She paused, looking around the room.
"So... Want to go get some candy?"
Alejandro looked up, and smiled.
"Sure. You think they'll have Chocolate Roses?"
Across the room, Tyler, Margo, Deborah, and Johnny were sitting together.
"Well, that went well," Margo smiled, "im glad we aren't on the chopping block again... although it was pretty scary what happened back there."
"I didn't see anything unusual," Johnny said, "'cept for all the dolls, I mean."
"You got lucky then," Tyler told him, "I hope I never even think about that place again."
Everyone fell silent, and Johnny cleared his throat.
"So, nice costumes," he said, "I especially like yours, Tyler."
Tyler's face turned red.
"Shut up."
Johnny smirked, and shook his head.
"Sure thing. I don't think I recognize yours though, Deborah."
"Oh, um, it's Riza. From Full Metal Alchemist."
Johnny and Tyler both looked at her, incredibly confused.
"It's a manga," Deborah told them, "and, well, anime. It might seem kind of weird, but stuff like that was the only vacation I ever got from work or school."
"It's not weird," Margo told her, "we all need to escape somehow, right?"
"Right," Deborah smiled.
Johnny stood up, and tipped his hat.
"It was nice talking with y'all- but I got something I need to take care of."
Justin smiled as he watched Johnny walk away from across the room, taking a drink of soda.
CONFESSIONAL: Justin
Now that I'm on my way to being back in charge, I have a long list of people who need to be removed from the game. That dumb cowboy, obviously, but I need to preserve the integrity of the show. I mean sure, it might be all fun and games to you, but to the people on it? The fact is, most of the people I'm competing against are just riff-raff. I need to bring back the days where it was me against people like Heather and Noah. You know- real stars. I'm hoping by the merge everything will be the way it should be. Of course, I'm just hoping Cody will get in line. I don't want to eliminate him, really, but I new him to know he isn't the hero here. I am.
END CONFESSIONAL
"Thanks for what you did today, Lucky," Veronica smiled, "I really appreciate it."
The two were standing by the bar, as Lucky managed to swipe a few bottles of whiskey.
"Don't mention it. I said I'd help, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did," Veronica nodded, "so, I need some advice. I was thinking maybe I should ask Miri to play videogames or watch a movie later tonight. Any suggestions?"
Lucky thought a moment.
"Kid, I got a better idea," he told her, "here's what you do..."
~o.0.o~
Two hours passed, and Julie gathered the Enclave for elimination.
"Okay, I'll make this quick," she said, "first bag goes to...
Bridgette.
Katie.
Quinn.
Alejandro.
Heather.
Izzy.
Duncan.
Mordecai.
Finn.
Luna and Lance, it's down to you. And the last bag of chocolate coins goes to...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"...Luna."
"Shit, for real?" Lance groaned.
"Lance, your lifeboat awaits," Julie told him.
"Damn it," Lance groaned, "later guys."
Heather grinned as she watched Lance sulk off.
CONFESSIONAL: Heather
Well, Mordecai was willing to go along with my little plan, and now Al's group is down a memeber. I only saved Luna because she seems like a complete pushover, and Duncan is having bad enough luck already- that will take care of himself. Next up? Bye bye Bridgette.
END CONFESSIONAL
It was late at night, and Veronica and Miri were just entering the former's room.
"So what exactly did you want to talk about?" Miri asked.
"This!"
Veronica gestured to a table she had set up, which had a ouija board on it, as well as several red candles.
"A ouija board?" Miri asked.
"Why not?" Veronica smiled, "It's almost Halloween, it's late, and it'll be fun. And you said you liked doing this kind of thing as a kid, right?"
"Well..." Miri thought.
"And you also said you get tired of the usual routine, don't you?" Veronica continued, "So come on. Let's just mess around with it for a little while, and if you're bored, you can leave."
Miri thought a minute, and smiled.
"Alright," she said, "this could be fun."
The two girls sat down, lit the candles, and put their hands on the dial.
"You want to start?" Veronica asked.
"Alright," Miri nodded, "ahem. Is there anyone here?"
Nothing.
"Is there anyone with us right now?"
The slider started to move.
P.
E.
N.
E.
L.
O-
The slider suddenly stopped, and moved to NO.
The two girls looked at each other.
"Are you doing that?" They both asked in unison. They smiled, and looked down at the board.
"Is there anyone with us?" Miri asked again.
M.
A.
Y.
B.
E.
"Maybe?" Veronica scoffed, "Get your shit together, spirits."
Miri laughed a little, but continued.
"What's your name? Is it Penelope?"
The slider moved to NO, and then back to the letters.
B.
I.
L.
L.
"Bill?" Miri said, "Well, nice to meet you."
The girls tried asking a few more questions, but the slider never moved again after that. Neither girl outwardly accused the other of moving the slider- but after a while they decided to move on to something else.
"Hey, Miri- have you ever played The Midnight Game?"
~o.0.o~
A few hours passed, and finally Miri excused herself.
"Hey, it's getting really late- early. I should get some sleep."
"Alright," Veronica nodded, "we should do this again sometime!"
"Definitley," Miri smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow."
Veronica walked Miri to the door, and watched as the redhead walked back to her room.
"So? How'd that go?"
Veronica jumped a little. Turning, she saw Lucky leaning up against the across from her room.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Two minutes. I was coming back from the bar."
Veronica smiled at him.
"It... Went really well. Thank you."
Lucky nodded.
"Yeah, that's about how I figured."
Veronica snickered a little.
"You seemed confident of that, huh? If you're so good at this stuff than why are you single?"
"Mainly because the last girl to take an interest in me has a brother who happens to be an expert hunter," Lucky told her, "anyway, I'm glad things went well for you. Goodnight, kid."
Lucky yawned, and started down the hallway.
"Goodnight, Lucky."
~o.0.o~
Priscylla sat in her room, smiling as she made a list of each of the contestants names. She smiled as she began to make various checks and notes by each.
"Well, this was certainly an informative day," she said, "I look forward to finding out what really gets to each of you... what fears keep you up at night."
She thought a moment, and then added Julie's name to the bottom of the list.
"This is going to be fun."
~ ALL STAR STATS ~
Players left in the game-
Vault Hunters: Justin, Cody, Noah, Tyler, Johnny, Lucky, Mark, Miri, Veronica, Margo, Deborah
Enclave: Alejandro, Duncan, Mordecai, Finn, Heather, Katie, Izzy, Bridgette, Quinn, Luna
Eliminated: Vevo, Eva, Courtney, Gwen, Lance
TRIVIA:
The Island of Dolls is a real location in Mexico, though it has been altered for the purpose of this story.
The dolls Julie asked the contestants to find is a nod to the dolls that can be purchased in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. They are prominently featured in the player made Aika Village, otherwise known as the horror town.
(A/N: Well, admit it. You didn't think I'd actually update in time. I mean, a completely justified concern given my track record, but still. I TOTALLY debuted the Halloween special in time for once. Anyway, I like how a lot of this episode turned out, though I'm not too happy about the elimination. I actually feel pretty bad for Lance most of the time- but someday something is going to go his way. Someday.
Anyway, just so you guys know, as of now Off the Air is officially in progress. And I think that's about all I have to say right now. I hope you guys have a happy Halloween!)