It's been an unacceptably long wait, but I'm reviving this story! With the relatively recent news about the new Total Drama seasons coming out, I was inspired to rewatch some of my favorites from the show and it got me thinking about this story. I reread the whole thing (taking note that eventually this thing needs to undergo a serious rewrite) and finished this chapter I started nearly 11 months ago and never finished. I hope these super long waits between chapters don't become consistent, but for now we plow ahead and see what awaits our favorite dramatic teenagers!
WARNING: This story contains scenes of swearing, violence, sexual activity, and character deaths.
Bridgette just stared, mouth agape, at the sight before her. Never in her wildest dreams did she think Katie could've survived the attack, yet here she sat. Quaking, clinging to life by a single heartstring. Her eyes were slowly closing.
"Go get help!" Heather barked at Zoey, who stumbled back a step but then began running for the hotel.
Heather knelt by Katie and whispered, "Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here. You're okay now."
"Heather," Bridgette said her name worriedly, "She's passed out."
"Zoey better hurry, I don't think I'm going to be able to carry her." Heather said, putting a hand to Katie's forehead, "She's burning up too."
"What's going on?" Lightning asked as he came sprinting towards them, a few other forms following at a distance.
"Katie's alive but needs medical attention." Bridgette told him, "Help pick her up and get me inside so I can try to help."
"How can we help?" Dawn asked as she, Noah and Alejandro arrived on the scene.
"Clear off a table so we can lay her down and not have to climb the stairs." Bridgette ordered and Dawn nodded, zipping off without further questions.
Lightning picked Katie up no trouble at all with surprising carefulness and began his trek back to the hotel. Alejandro paused and looked down at Katie with something that might've passed with being impressed.
"I didn't think she had it in her." The Spaniard murmured as he glanced into the shed and saw the zombies Katie had killed, "She's a fighter after all."
He wrenched the knife free from one of the zombie's heads and pocketed it before anyone could spot him. Then, as if nothing had happened, he began jogging after the others.
Gwen kicked a rock along with her as she walked, initially aimlessly but eventually toward the pavilion most of her group hung out around. After being taken in by Ellody's group a little while back, she'd slowly learned her way around the neighborhood they'd claimed as their own. Apparently one of the group members, the stupid wizard role-player she couldn't remember his name, had lived her before the apocalypse. Surprisingly, the gated piece of suburbia made a pretty decent little setup.
The pavilion was in the center of the subdivision, having apparently been a popular picnic spot for families. It rested atop a nice little hill with fake grass, which made it one of the rare places that didn't have overgrown lawns in the whole place.
She kicked the rock again, this time losing sight of it afterward and she sighed. She was trying desperately to keep her mind off of Trent, but how could she? The dude was locked up in one of the buildings just a few hundred feet away. She didn't know what Ellody was doing to him, if anything, but just the thought made her shudder. How could Trent have fallen in with such a shitty group?
"Gwen!" She perked up when she heard her best friend's call from the pavilion, "Over her girl!"
LeShawna waved from a picnic table and Gwen moved in her direction. With LeShawna sat most of the others Gwen had escaped from the island with, the few people she'd thought were the only survivors until a few hours ago.
Harold was chowing down on some soup that apparently was meant to be the group's dinner that night. He still looked mostly the same, though his beard was beginning to grow bushy. He still had maintained hold on his glasses, though they'd become twisted after he had been in a close altercation with a zombie just days ago. Other than that, he was still the same old Harold to Gwen.
Izzy sat next to him, using a funnel to down the soup faster. Gwen raised an eyebrow at that but made no comment. She was used to Izzy doing things in the most unusual manner possible just for the hell of it.
There were others from the group sitting at some of the other tables, but Gwen paid them little mind for now. She had too much to think about right now.
"What's wrong with you girl?" LeShawna picked up on her mood instantly, "Aren't you glad Trent's alive?"
"We shot him LeShawna." Gwen pointed out, "Do you know who fired that shot while we were on that raid? Me. Oh gods I can't believe I shot Trent. I almost had a heart attack when I saw who I'd hit. I was so glad he didn't die, but now he's being questioned by Ellody."
"Trent never needs to know it was you that shot him." Izzy shrugged, "Besides, after they interrogate him, they'll realize he's innocent. I'm surprised they haven't realized that I'm the culprit in the missing cookies case. I stole them a few days ago, haha! Just don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Girl you crazy, that's not what Trent is being questioned about." LeShawna chided Izzy, who just laughed again, "But in all seriousness Gwen he's got nothin' to worry about. He'll clear his name and be let free."
"Why was Trent hanging around that evil group anyways?" Harold piped up, "I mean, gosh, what was he thinking?"
"He was just defending them." Cody's voice entered the conversation as he strolled up the hill to join them, "I just spoke with him."
"Did he tell you anything important?" Gwen asked eagerly.
"He said Jo's group wasn't so bad." Cody said, sliding into the spot next to Gwen at the table, "Said he wasn't really interested in cooperating, especially since Ellody gave him a bad first impression."
"That girl needs to get a grip." LeShawna said angrily, "Trent's a nice guy, she doesn't need to treat him like he's not."
"Keep your voice down." Harold warned, "Never know if she's nearby. But still, after what she and the others have told us about what went down with Jo's group, how can we trust that Trent knows what they've done? He probably doesn't realize yet that they're going to betray him, just like they betrayed the others."
"Hey you're probably right." Gwen felt a bit more relieved, "I can't imagine Trent would willingly pal around with a bunch of psychos if he knew what they really were. And Ellody should soon see that, right?"
"Right," Cody agreed, "Then maybe we can get Trent cleared, save the rest of our group that's stuck with Jo, and we'll be golden."
"Did Trent tell you who else from the island survived?" Gwen asked thoughtfully, "Like what happened to Duncan? Or Courtney?"
"To be honest we didn't have a ton of time." Cody admitted.
"And you didn't think to ask him that as your first question?" LeShawna frowned, "Come on Cody, really?"
"Sorry, there was a lot on my mind!" Cody held his hands up, "Whoever gets to talk to him next should be sure to ask though."
"Don't look now, but Max is headed this way." Harold remarked, nodding his head at the boy with little legs who was struggling to get up the hill.
"Ooh he's the brilliant one with all the gadgets, right? Wicked!" Izzy grinned deviously, "Max! Max over here!"
"I'm almost there you brainless imbecile!" Max called back, shaking his fist, before keeling over from the walk up the hill, "Obviously this hill was made longer by someone to make my trip less pleasurable."
"How is he still alive again?" Gwen muttered to LeShawna who just shrugged.
"Girl, he's not the only crazy one in this camp. Don't even get me started on Beardo or the wizard." LeShawna said, gesturing over at one of the other picnic tables where a large man with a really voluminous beard was making sound effects in conjunction with a boy in a green robe who was chanting something.
"Here me now Myrcellius, great and powerful dragon!" Leonard's voice cracked as he tried to sound dramatic, "We offer this humble sacrifice in exchange for your power!"
There was a loud thunder sound, despite there being no cloud in the sky. Gwen saw that Beardo had been the source, and the man continued with his unique ability to amp up the dramatic atmosphere.
At last, Max reached the top of the hill and collapsed in front of Gwen's table.
"Can we help you?" Gwen asked.
"The one that looks like a vampire, that's you," Max said in an aside to Gwen, who rolled her eyes, "You're wanted at the main house by my sidekick. Come to think of it, this was something she should have done!"
"Why am I wanted at the house?" Gwen raised an eyebrow.
"Who knows, my minion does things that are unimportant and not evil enough." Max said matter-of-factly, "Who cares what she does unless she's doing something for me?"
"My mistake was asking; I realize that now." Gwen rolled her eyes and stalked past Max, not bothering to wait for him to catch up. She supposed Scarlett, who was effectively joint leader of their community with Ellody, would want to talk to her about Trent. She took a deep breath. It was time to see how this was going to play out.
LeShawna watched her go, "Huh, wonder what that's all about."
"And so, I cast my spell to ensure our noble feast tastes even fancier!" Leonard concluded what seemed like a chant of a lifetime before Beardo began amplifying an applause sound.
"Ugh, would you knuckleheads knock that off? A girl is trying to eat a meal here!" LeShawna hollered at them.
"Oh, but I think it's good to have dinner and a show, don't you?" Ella, one of the other members of the community who reminded LeShawna of Snow White, said in a sing-song voice, "Bravo Leonard, now all we need is a song!"
"Ooh, ooh! Count Izzy in!" Izzy cackled, "I've been working on a little something. It's called Izzy Break, Izzy Smash!"
"How the hell did we end up with all these crazies again?" LeShawna asked Harold.
"What? Sorry, I was just thinking I should trade stories with Leonard later. Clearly we both went to Magic Steve's Magic Camp. No one else could've taught him such a complex spell." Harold told her completely seriously.
"I see..." LeShawna didn't know what to say.
Cody laughed, "They aren't all like that LeShawna. Besides, those three are just...eccentric."
Just then, Tammy, Leonard's partner-in-crime, tossed red confetti over the table before beginning to play a harmonica.
"I think you meant those four." LeShawna corrected as she stood up, "Excuse me, I'm going to get some fresh air."
"How is she?" Courtney asked anxiously as she paced around the dining room of the hotel, periodically glancing at Katie, who was laying atop a table and being tended to by Bridgette. The other survivors of Camp Wawanakwa were gathered around too, watching with bated breath. Some of Jo's group were huddled outside the room, watching through the window but maintaining a respectful distance.
"Stabilizing." Bridgette breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her brow, "She's breathing normally again. She still has a fever, but it should start to go down soon. Poor girl was trapped in that shed the whole time."
"She must've fought her way out of the room." Heather said, sounding oddly proud, "We found two dead zombies on top of her too."
"At least today brought some good news." Courtney said, placing a hand on the unconscious Katie's shoulder.
At this point, some of the others were entering to see the results of Bridgette's treatment. Dawn smiled at Bridgette and said, "This is the first time since Geoff passed you weren't tormented by a black aura. Now there's a shade of hopeful pink."
Others were a little less pleased. Jo was storming over to Heather, daggers in her eyes.
"Alright prima donna, what gives?" Jo snarled at her, "I told you no one, no one, was to leave without permission."
"Oh give it a rest King Kong," Heather sneered back, "Bridgette and I realized Katie must've gotten away so we went to get her. Shouldn't you be glad she's okay?"
"I'm glad she lived," Jo acknowledged, "But you still broke the rules. And considering you're one of the main suspects of what happened-"
"Don't even start with me right now." Heather cut her off, "I just found one of the group alive after believing her to be dead. Have a bit of compassion and cool your jets."
As Jo opened her mouth to retort, Brick put a hand on her shoulder, "Heather's right Sergeant, let's just celebrate the good fortune."
"Fine," Jo still looked visibly annoyed, "Excuse me."
She stormed off toward the stairs. Brick hesitated a moment before heading after her.
"I don't see what her problem is." Heather said after Jo had disappeared, "Obviously I didn't let the stupid zombies out to attack everyone."
"She'll come around." Dakota assured her, "She has a tough exterior but inside she's kind of a softie. She really does care about protecting her group, so she's trying to lay down the law against anyone who might mean us harm. Not that you do, of course, but you see my point. Especially after what happened..."
Dakota trailed off, thinking back to Sam's demise. Heather understood where the girl was coming from. Though it didn't mean she had to accept Jo's tyrannical style of leadership.
"B-Bridgette?" There was a cough from the table and all heads turned towards Katie, who had opened her eyes again and uttered the surfer's name.
"I'm here," Bridgette held the girl's hand, "You're alright Katie."
"No, I'm not." Katie told her, blinking a few times to get her bearings, "DJ's gone Bridgette. Gone."
"I know sweetheart," Bridgette blinked away tears, "Geoff is too."
"The attack," Katie clutched Bridgette's arm, surprising her, "It was staged. Bridgette, it was a plan."
"Do you know something about what happened?" Bridgette asked, earning a lot of attention from everyone in the room.
Katie glanced around the room wildly for a moment, but before she could say anything else, she slipped back into unconsciousness. There were a lot of uncomfortable stares around the room.
"When will she wake up again?" Dakota asked, "Err, she will wake up again right?"
"She just needs to rest." Bridgette claimed, "Give her some space everyone."
"Bridgette's right guys," Mike said, "Let's not suffocate the girl."
A few people looked like they wanted to stay, but they heeded Mike's request and filed out the door. None of them noticed the fiery look that took over Mike's eyes. Nobody noticed the glance of utter hatred he gave in Katie's direction. And as far as Mal was concerned, no one need know a thing. He was the last to leave the room, whistling a haunting tune as he went about his business.
"I'm the only artist to ever combine rap n' country. I call it craptry!" The comically overweight Sugar proclaimed from the center of the neighborhood pavilion, much to the laughs of several audience members.
"Oh man, this is going to be a riot." Cody grinned eagerly, only to cover his ears mere seconds later as Sugar's singing sounded more like a coyote being run over by a tractor. The majority of the others were following his lead, except Ella who seemed to be enjoying the performance.
After what felt like eternities, Sugar gave a clumsy bow and was met with rapturous applause from Ella.
"Oh Sugar, that was a truly magical performance!" Ella gushed.
"Well o' course it was silly, I'm Sugar Silo!" Sugar sounded so incredibly proud of herself, "You wish you could sing as good as me!"
"Thankfully, the rest of us aren't cursed with such a voice." Ellody, who had quietly slipped into the pavilion, muttered as she took a spot next to Cody at his table. LeShawna had long since departed, with Harold having gone off to find him. Izzy glanced back and forth between the two before deciding it was time for her to go too.
Sugar took a seat as Beardo Leonard took to the stage to perform some form of 'magic'. Ellody sighed, drumming her fingers against the table, a far-away look in her eyes.
Cody cleared his throat uncomfortably, "So…what's up?"
Ellody said nothing for a moment. She glanced over at Leonard, who had just failed to conjure a rabbit out of a hat. Tammy threw confetti anyway.
Ellody sighed, "I realize I've been a bit harsh on you at times. But being truthful, I'm quite grateful you and your group showed up. Our chances of surviving as a whole increased by a good twenty-three and a third percent."
Cody blinked, "I'll…take your word for it. But yeah, of course, we were glad to join. It was really scary being on our own. Especially after Chef Hatchet died."
Ellody studied him curiously, "What do you make of this group? Not just me, of everybody?"
Cody paused. He too surveyed the pavilion, taking note of the two nearly identical twin girls sporting cheerleader uniforms. He saw the large, lumbering Rodney sitting alone staring with loving eyes at Tammy. His glance shifted over to Sky, who stood relatively close by, seemingly on alert. Then, finally, over at Dave, who snuck what he thought were covert looks at Sky periodically.
"I think it's an interesting mix." Cody finally answered.
Ellody gave a humorless, biting laugh, "Admit it, this group is one attack away from being zombie food. Half the group are caricatures and those of us with actual brains aren't really that great in a combat. All it takes is one accident, one slip-up, and we could all be killed."
"You shouldn't worry so much," Cody frowned, "I don't know you well, but you seem like you got a good head on your shoulders. And while some of these guys are more…eccentric than others, you got a solid team behind you."
"I guess it's just a bit hard for me," Ellody confessed, closing her eyes for a moment, "I've never been particularly good at forming friendships. I had a best friend, of course. Mary. We did everything together. Science Olympiad, robotics competition, we even did a summer internship together working with NASA."
Cody smiled as she continued her story, "We thought we could survive this together. We were smarter than anyone we'd ever met, surely we'd be okay. But our brains didn't help when they attacked us."
Cody's smile vanished and she pressed forward, "Mary and I were at that hotel. The one Jo calls 'Revenge Hotel'. We knew we needed to get in good with other survivors. I didn't trust Jo, but she ran a tight ship. No one came in or out without her knowing. I thought Mary and I could help advise her, come up with supply chain systems, watch systems, all sorts of logistics that would be a major help. We never really got the chance."
"One night, only a few after we'd been at the hotel, there was a scuffle inside. We woke up and realized the building was under attack. We heard gunshots, and we cowered in her room. I was immobilized with terror. All I could hear was the sound of my ragged breath as I hid behind my bedroom door. Mary was a bit braver than me. She decided to investigate. I begged her not to, to wait till the worst of it had passed. But she wanted answers and assured me she'd come back."
"I'm guessing she didn't?"
Ellody shook her head, "I found her the next morning with a bullet between her eyes. No bite marks, no sign of a fight. Just one bullet clean through the brain and my best friend was gone. Dead. I was in shock. Who would murder someone in cold blood like that?"
Ellody leaned back, "There was a huge argument. Jo was convinced it was one of the newcomers, like me, that was responsible. But I know it was Jo. Jo was the only one who controlled everyone coming and going. She controlled the weapons; God knows how she managed to stockpile so many of them. I was going to accuse her, despite the fact that she probably would've stuck a gun in my face and finished me off too."
"Did you ever confirm if it was her?" Cody asked curiously.
"It was, she just wasn't alone," Ellody's face darkened with anger, "It was her and Mal. Scarlett was at the hotel with me, and she'd been keeping a careful eye on Mal. He seemed so friendly, so kind with his little girlfriend. Scarlett told me in confidence that she saw Mal gun Mary down, and he laughed after he did it."
"I'm really sorry Ellody," Cody told her, and he meant it.
"I wanted to kill him," Ellody blinked back tears, "All I could think about was taking one of the guns and doing to him what he did to Mary. Scarlett talked me out of it. She said it wasn't safe to stay here with a psychopath like him, and together with some others we fled in the night. We've had a few run-ins with Jo's group since, and Mal still taunts me. I see his face at night, hear his laugh in my dreams. And I still hope that one day I get the chance to give him his just desserts."
Ellody stood up, just as Leonard and Tammy finished their performance. She looked Cody in the eye and said, "I hope you understand why we can't trust them, or anyone else affiliated with them."
She turned to walk away but Cody's voice stopped her, "What's going to happen to Trent?"
She did not turn back to face him as she replied, "His fate will be decided by tomorrow evening. One way or another."
In the medical room of Revenge Hotel, Bridgette and Dawn waited patiently by Katie's side. The young girl continued to rest, and fortunately her breathing had stabilized. Bridgette couldn't help but feel a small amount of relief that Katie was safe. Not long ago, she'd been ready to give up. Geoff was gone, DJ was gone, so many others dead. The group that had taken them in were fighting over whether or not one of them was responsible for the heinous crimes that befell them all. But Bridgette had been given more reasons to want to keep going. Heather's speech had roused her; the others' concern had touched her. Now, Katie's resilience had moved her. If Katie, someone who'd already lost her best friend, was still willing to fight, then Bridgette knew she had to as well. Besides, she wasn't just fighting for herself. She placed a hand subtly over her stomach and closed her eyes, picturing Geoff's smiling face.
"Do you know if it's a girl or a boy?" Dawn asked, startling her.
"What?" Bridgette glanced around for a moment before whispering, "How did you know?"
"I sensed it," Dawn gave a light smile, "I do hope it's a girl. Raising little Bridgette Jr. sounds so cute."
Bridgette couldn't help but smile too, "I actually hope it's a boy. I've never been much good with girls to be honest."
Dawn looked thoughtful before nodding, "Do you have a name picked out for it?"
"Honestly, I haven't thought about it." Bridgette admitted. "Ever since I discovered I was pregnant, I tried to sort of distance myself from it. I remember telling Geoff about it. I remember how his face just lit up from the excitement. He was practically bouncing off the walls."
Dawn smiled and she continued, "I never shared his enthusiasm though. He wasn't the one with nine months of fluctuating mood swings, cravings, and morning sickness ahead of him. I never knew if I wanted a child, and now it was forced upon me."
"So, it was an accident?" Dawn asked and Bridgette nodded.
"It was our fault, we got careless and stopped using protection. Now I have to live with it, and do this without Geoff," she pat her stomach and looked down, "I thought about getting rid of the baby you know. But after everything that's happened…I want to have it for Geoff."
"I think that's really beautiful Bridgette." Dawn told her earnestly, placing a hand on Bridgette's.
Suddenly, Katie sat bolt upright in her bed, taking both girls by surprise.
Bridgette was the first to recover from the initial shock, "Katie! We're glad you're okay!"
"Where is he?" Katie asked, her eyes darting around the room, "Where's Scott?"
"Upstairs somewhere I believe, why?" Dawn asked curiously.
"Find him and bring him down here." Katie instructed and turned to Bridgette, "Gather everyone. Quickly!"
Dawn and Bridgette hadn't seen this urgency in Katie before, but they did as she asked. In a few short minutes, the entire group had assembled around Katie's bed; Scott included.
"What's all this about?" Zoey asked, arm-in-arm with Mike as they arrived on the scene.
"Katie!" Courtney rushed over to her and gave her a hug, "You have no idea how relieved I am!"
Katie ignored her, her eyes boring straight into Scott's. Courtney let go of her and seemed to realize the sheer anger exuding off the girl. Courtney followed her gaze and looked at Scott.
"You going to tell me why you're staring at me?" Scott sneered at her, "Staring is considered quite rude you know."
"Scott was the one who let the zombies in." Katie declared and all sound evaporated from the room as they all, one by one, looked at Scott.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Scott laughed, though she did not back down.
"When the zombies attacked DJ and me in our room, I escaped out the window. As Heather figured out," Katie nodded at Heather, who looked rather smugly at Scott, "I got chased by a couple zombies and had to hide out in a tool shed nearby. I killed both of them but got stuck underneath them. I couldn't move. I tried to call for help but my voice went hoarse, and I knew no one could hear me. I thought I was going to die in there, but then I heard voices outside. I had to strain to hear them, but it was two male voices. One of them was definitely Scott."
"What were they saying?" Dakota asked her.
"I couldn't tell who the second person was, their voice didn't sound familiar," Katie said, "But whoever they were clearly said 'I told you about the key to get into Cameron's lab' and Scott said something about not regretting it."
"She's making this shit up!" Scott protested, "She conveniently claims not to know who this other supposed person was? Come on!"
"She can't be making it up," Jo decreed viciously, "She couldn't possibly have known about Cameron's lab. No way she made that up on the spot."
"You can't possible believe this, this girl over me!" Scott said in outrage, "Come on Jo, really?"
"I've said it was him since the start," Heather said matter-of-factly, "Thanks to Katie, this case is closed."
"Oh get off your fucking high horse you stupid cunt!" Scott shrieked at her. Moments later he felt a fist colliding with his face and he was instantly thrown to the ground by the force of the blow.
"I warned you never to speak to her that way." Alejandro said with a murderous look in his eyes, "And after all that you've done, you're finally going to get what you deserve."
At last, Scott looked afraid. On his knees he inched over to Jo and clutched at her leg, "Please! Please you have to believe me!"
Jo looked disgusted and kicked him off of her. Scott could feel tears falling into the stinging cut across his face as he slunk over to Bridgette.
"You believe me, right? We've been such good friends…"
"You got Geoff killed." Bridgette replied coldly, "Get the fuck away from me."
Scott looked like he'd just been stabbed in the gut. He slowly glanced around the room to find any mercy. Only one managed to give him any.
"We should lock him up," Brick suggested to Jo, "Until we figure out what we want to do with him."
"I think it rather obvious what we should do with him." Alejandro said but Courtney held up a hand.
"I think Brick is right. We don't want to do anything rash."
Surprisingly, Jo seemed to agree. She gestured at Brick, "Take this pathetic rat and put him in Cameron's lab. The cages in there should do nicely.
"Please, please you can't do this!" Scott screeched as Brick held him with an iron clad grip and led him away to be thrown into the cages Cameron used for his experiments. Scott's screams were heard by the group until enough distance was put between them all that it become nothing more than a distant cry.
After a moment, Heather cleared her throat, "Right, I believe a couple of apologies are in order for wrongly accusing me."
She looked expectantly at Jo, who crossed her arms. However, after receiving a few looks, Jo sighed, "Alright fine, I'm sorry I was on your case. You didn't exactly make it easy not to suspect you in my defense."
"I believe you also owe us an apology for not being forthright about that Cameron guy's experiments." Noah piped up, standing alongside Heather, "If we're going to work together, we have to be more trusting."
"We didn't know you, nor did we owe you anything." Jo was quickly on the defensive, though she dialed it back almost immediately, "But you're right, I shouldn't have kept it from you. Maybe then Cameron would still be alive and none of this would've happened."
"Now we have to figure out what to do with Scott." Dakota said, biting her lip, "What are we going to do exactly?"
"We're going to sleep on it," Jo declared, "It's late and we're all fucking exhausted. I want a guard on him round the clock, but for now I'm getting some well-deserved rest."
"I'll take first watch over him." Katie volunteered immediately.
Jo shrugged, but Heather said, "And we're allowed access to the weapons now, yes?"
"We'll decide all that in the morning," Jo grumbled, obviously extremely tired, "Dakota will let Katie have one of the guns for guarding purposes. Dakota will be guarding the entrance as well. After a few hours, both of you switch out with someone else. Any questions?"
There were several, however no one seemed interested in challenging Jo at the moment. She seemed relatively satisfied with that and without another word she swept up the stairs and disappeared.
The others soon followed in her example. They hadn't quite realized just what a long, excruciating couple of days it had been until that moment. All the chaos, drama, deaths, and betrayals; it was no wonder some of them were starting to get extremely snippy. Everyone bar Dakota and Katie had gone up the stairs, with Mike being the last to leave as he threw a curious look Katie's way. She didn't seem to notice.
Katie followed Dakota into the pool room, where the blonde gave her a pistol. Katie felt the weight of the gun, surprised by how light it was. She'd never used a gun before, nor had she ever expected to. She swallowed hard.
Dakota gave her a reassuring smile as the pair left the room, now armed and ready to watch. Dakota went over to the front door, while Katie slipped into the management offices behind the lobby where Scott had been taken. She'd never been back here before; hell, she didn't even know who Cameron was, let alone that he had a lab back here. She was taken aback by the two cages, though her questions died, and her resolve turned cold as she saw Scott laying in one of them.
It had only been minutes, but already Scott looked a shell of himself. His face was caked with tears, his body wrapped up in the fetal position that almost made him pitiable. He apparently hadn't noticed Katie come in, as his back was to her.
Katie cleared her throat and Scott finally turned, his face full of immediate fear. Katie said nothing, she simply stared at him.
"What are you going to do with me?" Scott's voice was very quiet. He reminded Katie of a young child that had just been caught by their parents breaking a rule.
Katie walked over to the cage and he shrank back, as far back as he could go. She griped the cold metal bars and looked at him with utter disgust, "I want to know why."
"Why what?"
"Why you let the zombies loose to kill people!" Katie exploded, though she took a breath to try and calm herself, "Because of you, six people are dead! Would've been seven if I hadn't survived. So why?"
Scott was silent, which she didn't like. She angrily continued, "Surely there must've been a reason. Did you hate our group that much that you would try and kill us? Damn it Scott, why?"
She choked back on tears as her thoughts flashed to DJ, "You killed him. And you killed Geoff too. What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Because I'm fucked up that's why!" Scott shouted at her, clutching his legs tightly, "I'm not like you. I didn't have any friends to grow up with, just my stupid younger siblings and my abusive father. You think he was a great role model? You think he taught me anything more than how to bully your way up? He beat me, he whipped me, and he made me do the same to my brothers. I hated it, they were so young, and they didn't deserve it. After a while though…I guess I just became numb to it. Everyone else became an obstacle; nothing to be attached to. Why should I give a shit if someone dies, unless that someone is me? Why do others exist if not to be a piece of my puzzle?"
"You had a shitty childhood. That's not any valid excuse for what you did." Katie told him, "You needed help, a lot of it."
"Yeah? Where the fuck was I supposed to get help when the world went to shit?" Scott asked bitterly, "I was glad when this all happened you know. I never have to see my family again. Never have to abide by anything other than what I want. Fuck the rest of you."
"You had a group. You could have reached out to anybody." Katie replied, not feeling sympathy, "I didn't exactly have it easy growing up either. Before my brief stint on Total Drama, I was just a loser fan girl that nobody really liked. I was really overweight, and people made fun of me all the time. So, I stopped eating, and when I had to, I would force myself to throw up later. I became freakishly skinny after that, hoping the mocking and bullying would stop. It continued, just on the other side of the coin. 'Look at Katie the twig! I bet I could snap her in half with my pinky!'."
"Then I met Sadie. She was a bigger girl, but she never let it get to her. She would call herself pleasantly plump and say there was nothing wrong with it. She was right too, and she really helped me. I stopped being anorexic and started eating again. She coached me through it, until I got to a point where I was happy with how I looked. We've been best friends ever since. Until she was eaten right in front of me."
Katie let tears slide down her face at the memories, "I understand feeling like you're alone, but you never really are. Only if you force yourself to be."
"I really couldn't care less about your friend. She's dead," Scott sneered at her, "People don't last you stupid bitch. That's why they aren't worth being attached to. Now leave me alone, I don't want to see your ugly face anymore. I don't want to see any of you until a decision is made and you pussies inevitably end up letting me go."
Katie stepped back from the cage a few paces. She frowned at Scott and took a deep breath, "We aren't going to let you go."
Scott had the audacity to laugh, "Sorry sister, I don't think you have much of a-"
Katie pulled the trigger, hitting Scott in the shoulder. He screamed and looked over at her in shock as he trembled.
"You cunt!" Scott shouted, lunging for the bars.
Katie fired again, this bullet hitting him right in the gut. He gasped and fell onto the floor of his cage, whimpering.
Katie reloaded the gun and said, "I can't take the chance that you'll kill more people. After what you did to DJ and Geoff, and what you said to me, I know you're too far gone."
Scott pled with his eyes, but he would find no remorse. Katie held the gun up and aimed at his head. It was over with one more squeeze of the trigger, and at last Scott was dead.
Ding dong the witch is dead! Okay, not my best, but Scott is dead after a long run of evil and I don't think anyone is sad about it. I briefly entertained giving him a redemption arc, but after what he did I thought it wouldn't make any sense. What a comeback for Katie though! Of course, next time we deal with the fallout of her decision.
Also, I do realize that the group with Gwen, Cody and others has gotten less screen time than the other group, with several Pahkitew Island characters only being mentioned and not fully introduced, but they'll get their time in the lime light.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know I did after such a long break. Let me know what you think in the reviews! I'm floored by how much positive feedback this story has gotten! Thanks to all you guys!
DEAD: Sadie, Owen, Justin, Eva, Lindsay, Ezekiel, Tyler, Beth, Chris, Sierra, Blaineley, B, DJ, Cameron, Sam, Staci, Geoff, Anne Maria, Chef Hatchet, Mary, Scott
Group 1: Heather, Duncan, Bridgette, Courtney, Katie, Noah, Alejandro, Lightning, Zoey, Jo, Mike/Mal, Dakota, Brick, Dawn
Group 2: Gwen, LeShawna, Izzy, Trent (prisoner), Harold, Cody, Sky, Sugar, Max, Scarlett, Dave, Ella, Amy, Samey, Rodney, Leonard, Beardo, Ellody, Tammy