The wind whistled as it blew between the behind the Camp Wawanakwa Mess Hall, interrupted only by the echoed cheering from the party that still raged on at the dock. The leaves crunched under the feet of Duncan and Justin, only made heavier by the weight of the tarp they carried between them. A small distance behind them, carefully stepping around the crumpled foliage, was Bridgette.
"Couldn't you have called someone to help, so it isn't just us carrying this thing? I mean, DJ owes you, doesn't he?" Justin asked, his breath catching as he almost tripped over a root, before catching himself. Once he collected himself, he continued. "I figure the more people we have, the faster it'll be to get this thing gone."
"DJ doesn't owe me shit. Only thing I ever did for him was find his rabbit a decade ago," was the sharp response. "Besides, isn't that a little rich coming from someone whose girlfriend is trailing ten feet behind us?"
Upon hearing the remark, Brigette was quick to jog up to where the others were, trying to step in tune with them.
"She wouldn't leave my side," Justin said, looking back solemnly to the woman, who met his eyes with a look of solemn determination.
"There's a killer on the loose, and it's one of our friends," she muttered in reply. "I'm not letting you two go alone. You're basically our only chance of getting out of this."
Without missing a beat, Duncan scolded her simplicity.
"We aren't out of this. Not by a long shot. And don't sell the other group short. Cleaning that mess up is just as important as getting rid of the body. And have you forgotten that, whoever the killer is, we're on their side? McLean needed to die. Plain and simple."
"Spoken like someone who had a hand in it," Bridgette spat back.
"Maybe he did, and helping us is really helping himself," Justin noted. Duncan opened his mouth to speak, but the model raised his hand to shush him and continued. "It's not up to us to find out. We're not investigating. We're covering it up, because, like Duncan said, this was a long time coming. Chris fucked with all of us for a long time. He had a hand in the worst times in almost all of our lives, in one way or another. It's a wonder it took ten years for one of us to snap."
After that, there was a silence for a few moments, which Duncan seemed all too happy with. He relished in it, focus only on walking deeper into the woods without tripping or falling into one of the many traps Chris laid on this island over the years. Of course, he wasn't surprised when the silence ended, but he did sigh the moment he saw Bridgette open her mouth.
"Can you explain what you meant by this not being over? You can't just say something as loaded as that, and then not elaborate on it."
Justin gave Duncan a knowing glance, but the punk refused to acknowledge him, or the question. He simply kept walking without uttering a word. So Justin took over from there.
"What we're doing isn't a perfect fix, unless we put him somewhere that nobody would find him. Police dogs, helicopters, probably even some new-age future shit we haven't even heard of before."
Justin looked ahead, squinting his eyes to see through the light fog that started to roll over the woods. A few more minutes ahead was a cave, and Duncan, being at the front of the line holding the top of the tarp, was headed right towards it. Trusting him with this, Justin simply went on talking.
"Once they declare Chris missing, this is the first place the police are going to look. They'll tear this island apart if they think anything bad happened to him."
"A luxury they never would've given to us, if Chris had ended up letting someone die during a challenge," Duncan chimed in on impulse. "He would've had Chef bury us in the woods. Ironic, really."
"I don't believe that for a second," Bridgette scoffed. "Why would Chef do anything like that? We've seen that, underneath whatever he's been through in life, he at least cares about our lives."
"Do you think Chef's feelings matter to Chris? He's got to do whatever the boss says. End of story."
Justin's eyes widened as he came to the conclusion that Duncan had already jumped to. Bridgette, seeing this, shook his arm to get him to talk.
After almost dropping his end the tarp due to the shake, Justin huffed and went on.
"Think about why you're here. Why you got picked by Chris. He had something on you, right?"
Bridgette replied only by shamefully casting her eyes down.
"Why do you think Chef stayed around for ten years, putting up with the little host's abuse?"
Duncan smirked. Something in that expression said that he was impressed by how Justin put it together.
"Chris had power over people. His gift was that he had connections who owed him. And these connections are the reason why you, and all of the others he brought along, were forced to do shit in the first place. Chef was probably one of you as well. Didn't he at least try to drop some hints that you weren't alone in your captivity?"
Bridgette almost seemed amazed by the revelation. She had always thought of Chef as a stone cold war veteran. But to think he could be the first victim of Chris' powers of blackmail? It made sense.
"So whatever he had against Chef..." she started, putting her hands in her pockets. "It must have been big, right?"
Duncan gave a small laugh, which he quickly stifled.
"I wonder if it was a secret worth killing for."
Eight Weeks Earlier
The moment the cameras began rolling again, Chris, as well as the six by his side, smiled towards it. The host extended his hands, his right arm just far enough as to block out Topher's face.
"Welcome back to Total Drama Season Ten! Before the break, I introduced you to six of my favorite contestants in all of Total Drama history!" he mused as he stepped aside to show off his chosen six once more. "While none of them have proven themselves to be the best at the game, or really good at all, this is their chance to reach greatness in this show!"
At Chris' slight against them, the group gave the host annoyed looks, but mostly seemed to be playing it up for the camera.
"Now, though, the moment you've all been waiting for! Their competition! I'll be revealing them in ascending order from their placements in the polls!"
Chef stepped aside from his spot in front of the boat's ramp, and Chris motioned excitedly to the pair who stepped down.
"Just barely squeaking in at tenth and ninth place, respectively, we have two of our original contestants! Cody and Courtney!"
When Cody saw Sierra standing behind Chris, he immediately skittered to the host, hiding himself behind the barely-taller man.
"I thought you said she wouldn't be here," he whispered irately, to which Chris responded only with a soft chuckle. "You know I have a restraining order against her. You're the one who helped me get it!"
Cody was barely able to stop himself from saying that last part in a normal tone, but he wanted to scream when he heard Chris' answer to the complaint.
"Take a look at your contract, bro. You signed it. Says that all legal documents between contestants are voided when on the show. Besides, chill. She's fine. I'm pretty sure she got therapy. Don't quote me on that, though."
Cody shrunk down further, if that was even possible. When he looked around him to Sierra, she gave him a sheepish wave.
"I at least agree with the first thing Chris said. After all this time, you guys really should learn to read before you sign," Courtney piped up from the end of the dock. "I know I did. Ever since Action, mine had a clause that it couldn't be amended without my consent, both written and recorded verbally."
"And how sure are you that we never got that?" Chris teased her, but put up his hands when she shot him a glare. "Hey, hey! Easy! I'll leave a copy of it in your bag to remind you of the extra fun stuff you consented to!"
Before she could get another word in, Chef pushed her off to join the other contestants, allowing Chris to continue.
"Next in line are possibly two of the most frustrating contestants I've ever had the pleasure of watching on this show. The first was kind of a villain for half a season, and has like a billion modeling contracts! And the other can apparently tell how someone's childhood was by staring at them for a couple minutes? Yeah, I don't really know how it works either. But she's done it! It's Justin and Dawn!"
Justin walked down first, casting a glance at the campers behind Chris. He scanned the group, and gave a slight smirk.
"This is who I've got to work with, and against? Seems easy enough," he mused, though the delivery seemed quite rehearsed.
"Do not assume it will be easy," Dawn replied from behind him as they got in line with the others. "Everyone came here to win, with such a monumental season. Even I will be giving it everything I have."
The way they bantered and stood alongside their cast mates was awkward and rigid. It was becoming clear that they were given strict instructions for this introduction before the true game began. Chris, though, seemed satisfied enough with their performance to keep going.
"Glad to see you two are here to play! And you know what? This is really making me feel emotional. This is like a battle of the greats! The most popular contestants in all of Total Drama!" the host cheered in a tone full of sinister joy. "Some good, some bad, and some just downright mean! Like our sixth most voted contestant, Scott!"
Scott stepped from the doorway, but didn't leave the ramp of the boat quite yet. Instead, he leaned against the railing, and looked over the camp. Then, his competition.
"Good to see you cleaned up the place since we've last been here, Chris," he noted. Behind the camera, the host grinned. He bounced on the balls of his feet, anticipating Scott's next words eagerly. On cue, the villain now scanned the other campers. Though, for a split second, his eyes were cast directly at Chris. "Looks like you missed some trash, though."
"Lovely to see you as always, Scott!" Chris lied through gritted teeth as Scott descended the ramp, and fell in line with the others. "But even more lovely is the heart of our next contestant. The big ball of kindness himself, and the beginning of our top five! DJ!"
DJ was smiling much larger than any other who had come down the ramp before him. His hand slid down the railing, stopping and gripping tight once he'd planted his feet on the dock.
"It's good to be back, Chris," DJ said with a soft, but sincere smile. "Of all the places I've competed with this show, nothing's even come close to just being in camp."
"Oh, but we've got more than just camping in store for you!" Chris announced, giving the camera a raised eyebrow. "But that'll come later! For now, we've got to keep the ball rolling! Coming in next, the last spot before we get to our incredible final three! After years of physical therapy, I'm happy to announce that my personal favorite contestant is back in true fighting shape!"
Chris seemed all too excited when he strolled to the bottom of the ramp, motioning to the ship's door.
"He's lived through falling into a volcano, living in a robot for over a year, and the worst of all, dating Heather! Of course, it's Alejandro!"
Walking fluidly down the ramp, a smirk across his face, Alejandro approached the group of campers. He set his eyes on Justin for a moment, clicking his tongue.
"I see the lesser version of me was also voted in, hm?" he noted, to which Justin immediately bit back.
"You mean the first? You're just a mash-up of your girlfriend and me!"
Chris whistled to gain their attention, then started to cackle.
"Oh, I can already tell this is going to be a fun little rivalry!" the host teased. He then clapped his hands together, and his gaze shot right back to the camera.
"But now, something special. See, I can hardly wait to introduce you to our top three contestants all split apart. So instead, I'm going to bring them all out at once, so we can get this show on the road! Who's excited to see them?"
The contestants, all of which obviously knew who was remaining on the boat, cheered as Chris motioned for a cut, and they were given a small break to collect themselves.
"Alright. Chat amongst yourselves. I'll be back in five," announced the host, who wandered from the dock and to a trailer behind the bonfire pit.
Most of the dock was filled with hushed greetings. Alejandro and Justin hugged, chuckling to one another.
"Amigo, are you sure you don't want to go into acting? I think the audience actually thinks you hate me," Alejandro noted, brushing against Justin with his shoulder.
"Once I'm out of this hellish contract, that's the plan. But I'm sure you guys got the same clause as me a couple years ago. Only show I can be on is..."
"The one and only Total Drama," DJ piped up from behind them. He then sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "But at least this is it, right? Once this season is over, we're free?"
"Is that really what was in your contracts?" Alejandro asked, a bit surprised. "Mine was quite a bit more... detailed."
This caught the interest of the other two, as well as Bridgette, who pushed her way from the back into the conversation.
"Well, no. It's a bit more than that," Justin noted, casting his eyes down to the blonde, then back to the others. "But hearing you say that makes me happy knowing I'm not the only one Chris is forcing to do this. What's he got on you?"
"My medical bills, from my physical therapy," Alejandro answered quietly enough to avoid the ears of the crew. "He said the show paid them in full, but then he came to me just a few weeks ago, and said there was a condition. If I don't compete on this season, he pulls the aid back, and leaves me with the debt."
"Can he even do that?" DJ asked, his eyes wide at the revelation. "You got hurt playing this game. Shouldn't he be liable for that?"
"He's Chris," Justin muttered. "He found a way out of it, I'm sure. So now you're just screwed, like the rest of us."
"Well, what about you?" Bridgette asked him. "What's he got on you that pulled you in?"
"I'll tell you, if you tell me first," Justin replied with full confidence. Even after a decade, he still had his suave demeanor that nearly demanded respect from others. Bridgette shrunk down, but then answered.
"Legal fees," she answered, almost too quietly for them to hear. She got a few concerned glances, but pressed on. "Property damage. I got drunk and trashed the car of a big-shot producer at a party Chris invited Geoff and I to at his mansion. I caught her and Geoff upstairs, and kinda lost it."
"Upstairs, doing..?" DJ inquired, but the look on Bridgette's face said it all.
"What an undeserving man. It would seem the fame got to his head for good this time," Alejandro observed.
Bridgette nodded, continuing through a cracking voice and misty eyes.
"Chris offered his lawyers. They won, by presenting a new suspect..."
"Geoff," Justin mumbled, pursing his lips. "Yeah. I heard. He's out on bail right now. He was supposed to be here, but obviously, now he couldn't. I'm the one who took his spot."
"I feel like I owe you a thank you or something, then," Bridgette halfheartedly chuckled, wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks. "If he were here, I don't know what he would do."
"Well now we don't have to think about that," Justin reassured with a soft smile.
Bridgette weakly returned the smile, then went right back to business.
"Alright. Your turn. What does our gracious host have on you?"
As Justin was about to answer, however, they heard the door to Chris' trailer close. The topic was dropped for the moment, but Justin leaned down to whisper one last promise to Bridgette.
"I'll tell you later. The man of the hour returns."
Eight Weeks Later
Cody was curled up on the kitchen counter while Courtney and Gwen rushed around the Mess Hall gathering cleaning supplies and handing them to Noah, who was doing the majority of the actual cleaning. The room smelled heavily of lemon and bleach, and Noah was vigorously scrubbing the floor with a hand brush.
Cody had all of the phones laid out across the counter, with his own in his hand, which he was typing furiously on. Every so often, he would switch phones, repeating the same furious strokes of his thumbs across the screens. It took awhile, but it was fine with him. What was going on around him would take some time regardless.
"Can someone get me a smaller brush? Or at least a thinner one?" Noah asked, pressing his face damn near against the floor as he put his entire bodyweight into the cleaning process. By the time he was satisfied with the surface, which was nearly stripped clean of its first layer of wood, Gwen had pulled up next to him with a very thin, long brush. It was only two layers of bristles, to which Noah seemed satisfied.
He lathered the brush in the same lemony foam he'd been using, and brought the brush in between the cracks in the wood, bringing it back and forth along that area. Every so often, he would pull the brush out, re-lather it, and repeat the process. He worked along the same short strip for several minutes, then went on to the next gap, working in a circle around him.
"How exactly is this going to help?" Gwen asked coldly, her tone still entirely void of emotion. "You've done all you can. It's up to the other three now."
"That's what you think," answered Noah, re-lathering the brush for what had to be the dozenth time, before going right back to work. "No. This area has to be spotless, and then we have to dirty it up again. Footprints, scuff marks, stains. It has to look like it's never been cleaned."
"What, so we're supposed to just walk up and down the exact spot where someone found a dead body an hour ago? Because that won't garner any attention, for sure," Courtney huffed frantically, running a hand through her hair. Her eye twitched from exhaustion and stress. "No. We need to clean, and get out of here. Join the bonfire, and wait for the others."
"No, you really don't," Cody called out from his spot on the counter. "I trust Noah's process, and it'll give me enough time to finish up here. We shouldn't rejoin the party until everything here is done."
Courtney tried to find something to say, but she was drawing a complete blank. She placed her fingers to her temples, and rubbed softly.
"Just hurry. I can't stay in here much longer. I'm going to lose it."
"And I thought claustrophobia was my thing," Gwen muttered dryly, leaning against the counter where Cody was working.
"It's not claustrophobia," Courtney pleaded. "It's about not wanting to get caught. Which we will, if we're in here in the middle of our process!"
"Then what? They think we decided to break from the party and clean?" Cody asked, looking up from his work quizzically.
"Worse. Once McLean is reported as missing, we're suspects. Even bigger ones if they find his body," Noah jeered. "So it's best if we do what we have to do, but do it thoroughly."
Cody turned his attention back to the phones before him. He placed the last one neatly back into the circle around him, and picked his back up. With another flick of his thumb across the screen, the others all lit up in unison.
"Alright, I've got them all connected. Just let me..."
"Don't you dare go looking through our texts," Courtney huffed at him, but he didn't look up to her.
"I'm not. I'm just going to wipe everything that was sent between the seven of us from the last ninety minutes or so. I won't have to do anything to our locations, because we all ping off of the Mess Hall's wifi anyway. So long as we're all connected, and not using our cell service."
"You think I get service out here?" Noah mocked from the floor, finally getting up onto his knees and straightening his back. "Nobody would, except for someone with some fancy-ass plan."
As Cody looked to the others, Gwen shrugged, but Courtney refused to look him in the eyes. The former CIT shifted from foot to foot, and the little nerd sighed.
"Of course. Of all the people, you'll be the closest to getting us convicted," he muttered, picking up her phone and getting right back to work. "Just a couple minutes, and I'll have that cleared up. You guys do what you have to."
Noah got back to his feet and walked across the kitchen to where the group's pile of shoes laid.
"Shoes on, ladies. We've got to make this really convincing."
Gwen was quick to walk over and slip hers on. Courtney was a bit slower, clearly lost in deep thought, but after a moment, the three of them were walking back and forth across the crime scene.
Noah dragged his feet against the slick surface of the freshly cleaned wood, both drying it with his shoes, and trying to leave an excuse for the wood to be as stripped as it was.
Gwen had to stop herself from stomping all along the area. She had gone for it, but caught herself at the last possible moment, instead just following Noah's lead and dragging her feet across the area.
Courtney almost slipped when trying to mimic them, but was able to grab onto the counter and steady herself. She elected to just walk across the area, back and forth. Her legs were shaky as she did so, but she kept her composure the best she could.
They were interrupted after a few minutes by a triumphant hum from Cody as he placed Courtney's phone back on the counter.
"Well, everyone. We officially have nothing linking us up anywhere in the last hour and a half. Congratulations."
"We might actually get away with this," Noah mused, taking his phone from the counter and sliding it into his pocket.
"I owe you big time," Gwen mused, rustling Cody's hair a bit. Her tone had a rare bit of emotion in it, and she even cracked a smile.
"We all do," Courtney admitted as she took her phone. "Sorry for making this a bit harder than it should've been."
The screens of the remaining phones dimmed, the thought of them causing a bit of alarm. Noah rapped his fingers against the counter, but before he could voice his concern, Cody answered the worry.
"We take them with us to the bonfire. We take pictures, post on social media, do whatever we can to give proof that those three are at the party, same as the rest of us."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Gwen piped as Cody hopped down from the counter. They walked together to the side door of the Mess Hall. "Let's party!"
Eight Weeks Earlier
Once again, the camera rolled on Chris McLean, now with a crowd of thirteen young adults behind him. This time, though, he walked up to the ramp, standing next to Chef.
"I think it's time we stop beating around the bush, and bring out our top three. What about you?" he asked, to which the larger man gave a toothy grin.
"About time! Let's show the viewers what they voted for!"
"I don't think it should come as any surprise that our top three are all Total Drama originals! In fact, these three have all even been in the finale of a season before! In order of their placements in your poll, please give it up for Gwen, Duncan, and your most popular contestant, Heather!"
The trio walked from the boat together, but none of them really paying any mind to the other. Heather, in the center, gave a wave to the camera.
"I knew it would be me, of course," she chuckled as the other two brushed past her. "I'm the best strategic mind this game has ever seen, and I bring all of the drama! Why wouldn't I be the real fan favorite?"
"Maybe because you're also obnoxious?" Duncan asked from the side of the dock, casting her a sideways glare.
"Don't make me push you into the lake. You know I will."
"Try it, I dare you. See what happens!"
"Guys!" Gwen interjected, putting herself between the feuding pair. "Can we just chill. The game hasn't even started yet."
"I couldn't have put it better myself!" Chris exclaimed, catching the attention of the famed trio. "Give me about ten minutes, and then you can proceed in the whole 'killing each other' thing! First, follow me while I explain how this season will go, and tell you your teams!"
Chris walked up the dock and into the camp proper with his full swagger, and the campers followed closely behind. They seemed eager to get the game started. Or perhaps they were just excited to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Once he reached the center of camp, Chris motioned his arms out to the living arrangements.
"On one side, we have the regular cabin. The ones I'm sure you know and love from your time here at Camp Wawanakwa, but lovingly refurbished! New beds, fresh paint! Even losers get to live in at least a little bit of comfort this season!" the host explained, before motioning then to his other side, showcasing a lavish mansion, even more grand than the one previously seen in other seasons. "Also having gotten a facelift, the winner's mansion! Fully staffed at all times with anything you might possibly need! Winners get to enjoy every bit of luxury we could afford for this final season! If your team wins a challenge, you'll get three days of pure, unadulterated enjoyment, until it possibly gets ripped from your hands by the other team in the next challenge!"
The campers began muttering to themselves, a few of them locked in the view of the luxurious house, before their thoughts were once again interrupted by Chris.
"Speaking of the teams, how about we get to that! Splitting up such a happy, full group of campers into two groups of enemies is always my favorite part of the first day!"
Chef walked up to Chris and handed him a list. Chris read through it, and smiled.
"Perfect! I couldn't have written it better myself! Alright, you've all already been sorted by random draw, and it's as follows! Dawn, Topher, Gwen, DJ, Bridgette, Alejandro, Jo, and Justin! You eight, get to my right, please!"
The eight whose names were called shuffled over to where they were directed, leaving the other group at Chris' left.
"And that leaves Noah, Heather, Scott, Courtney, Sierra, Duncan, Anne Maria, and Cody to make up the other team! And before I give you your names, I'd like you all to please choose a temporary captain! This'll be important for the first challenge, so choose wisely!"
The group to Chris' left were immediately arguing.
"Give me one good reason why it shouldn't be me," Heather argued. "The fans voted me as their favorite, and that means they'd want me to be the leader!"
"Wouldn't it suck for them when we vote you out first, then?" Courtney chortled in rebuttal.
"Can we please just make a decision?" Anne Maria sassed. "I just want to start livin' it up in that mansion, where I belong. It don't matter who we choose, we're kinda stacked compared to them."
"Then why not just give it to me?" Heather once again pushed.
On the other end, the right-sided group was much more cordial. They had taken it to a vote.
"I think the captain should be someone we all like. Someone we don't mind getting behind. Especially if they're meant to represent us as a team," Alejandro noted. "Which is why I volunteer myself to be a party in the vote."
"Good enough reasoning, I suppose," Dawn observed, turning her head to the others. "Would anyone like to present a different option?"
"It's just for one challenge, right? So it must be related. With that, I think it'll probably need to be someone who can get loud when they need to. Someone that's easy to listen to above any other commotion," Topher assumed. "Which is why I'll vote for Jo. She's got that tough coach energy that might actually be really good for us here."
"Well, you heard the kid!" Jo quipped excitedly. "All in favor?"
It was unanimous. Even Alejandro himself surrendered to the reasoning.
Chris clapped his hands together to bring the campers to attention.
"Have the teams picked their captains for our first challenge?"
To Chris' right, Jo stepped up.
"I'll be leading my team to victory today, Chris!" she announced firmly.
On the other end, they were still bickering. It wasn't until Sierra grabbed Cody by the shoulder and shoved him forward that they quieted down. Cody rubbed his arm, and felt very uncomfortable, but just looked sheepishly up at the host.
"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?" Heather shouted at Cody, but she was shut down by Chris.
"The teams have spoken! Captains, come up and grab your banners! Jo, yours is orange, while Cody gets the purple one! I hope you love them! They're callbacks to our very first season!"
In unison, Jo and Cody untied the ribbons on their banners, allowing them to fly open in the wind.
"Jo, your team will be known as the Gallant Gophers!" he exclaimed, motioning to the orange gopher wielding a sword and shield depicted on the banner.
"And Cody, your team are the Brutal Bass!" he continued to cheer, as the image of a purple bass holding a bow with a flaming arrow was shown from the banner.
Chef collected the banners from Jo and Cody, and hooked them to the pole in the center of camp. They blew gracefully in the wind, whipping against each other every so often.
"Now that that's all settled, let's head right into the woods! It's time for your first challenge!"
AN: Phew, the hardest part of the story is over: the exposition. Now we can actually get into the real dense stuff! I hope you all enjoyed it! This chapter, it became clear that Chris has dirt on more campers than just his chosen six, and I wanted to know if y'all would be interested in me writing little flash fiction pieces for the different scenarios that led to each camper being indebted to Chris in one way or another. For instance, I could write a whole thing on what happened with Bridgette at the party, instead of just leaving it with the little bit of explanation I did. Let me know if you'd be interest in that!
Who do you think killed Chris? Who has more secrets to expose? And how will this end up for our beloved campers? Let me know your thoughts and theories in the reviews! Until next time!