Author's Note: Yeah, at this point I'm just going to stop trying to say 'sorry for taking so long' because every time I say it I end up taking at least a month before I get anywhere with the new chapter. On the plus side, I did use the time this time to start planning out the compfic/sequel fic in 'Total Drama Island: Generations', so the time hasn't been entirely wasted XD.
One thing I can say though is yet another record broken for 'longest chapter', we've only gone and gotten over 11k words!
With that being said, on with the extremely long chapter!
Reviews
Guest: Don't worry I knew it was a joke, I was just trying to be funny. It's probably best not to think of that scene too much, just that it's not helping Lauren's current mental health at all. And to be fair in regards to Nichelle hating MK, she doesn't know who really did it, she just knows that Julia had something to do with it and since MK was working with Julia the whole season, it's not a stretch to assume that MK helped Julia out.
MatiasND: It's best that we just leave it up to interpretation for just how bad things got, just that it was enough for Lauren to eventually run away to join the circus at eleven years old, and to damage her mental health permanently. As for why they're looking for her, I will say there's a reason beyond just continuing her childhood abuse, but we'll get to that in a future chapter.
Chapter Eight
*Early the next morning*
It had just hit sunrise the next morning, but already the Playa Des Losers was bustling, namely in regards to the interns refuelling the boat outside as they prepared to take Owen back to the mainland.
However they weren't the only ones who were starting to prepare for their own boat trip, as evident by the tired looks on two faces in particular.
"Wow… you two look like a hot mess…" Bowie smirked as he noticed Ezekiel and Axel both slump onto the couches in the main lobby, with Ezekiel carefully hiding next to Owen at the end of the couch so he'd have time to hide when the interns came for the big guy.
Axel just grunted, rolling her eyes as though she hadn't just done another all nighter, whilst Ezekiel yawned and slumped against the armrest, mild cuts on his hands and his clothes covered in soot.
"Well we did have to repair a boat well enough to at least get us to that Boney Island place…" Axel huffed, glaring at Bowie.
"Wait? You know how to repair boats?" Millie asked incredulously.
"Well… Yeah…" Axel rolled her eyes. "What if I get stranded or my boat breaks down mid excursion… I need to know how to either repair it… or break it down into something usable…" She punched her hand at that last part.
"Wait… you actually fixed a boat? You two…?" Bowie responded, looking as bewildered as Millie did.
"Well it's not gonna get too far eh… but it should get to Boney Island and back" Ezekiel smiled weakly, still slumped on the couch.
"And going there finally gives me a reason to have this…" Axel said as she hoisted a dark green duffle bag onto one of the tables, the zipper breaking to reveal the countless weapons hidden inside, much to the surprise and concern of everyone else in the room.
Everyone except Ripper, who just chuckled and smirked at his girlfriend.
"Heh… my girl is awesome…" He grinned.
"But why bring them down here?" Emma questioned.
Axel just smirked and pointed at Ezekiel, the look in the survivalists eyes looking ecstatic about the prospect of Boney Island.
"Because if Zombie Boy over there is serious about going back to that place to find Scary Girl… he needs something to defend himself from the wild animals, especially in that 'Fun Zone' place he's mentioned." Axel explained, before looking at him. "And I'm coming too… got that?"
Ezekiel looked ready to protest, but the sharp glare from the survivalist made his words die in his mouth.
"You may know the island well, Zombie Boy… but you're no longer that Feral Freakshow that you were when Scary Girl found you. You're gonna need someone to help you…" Axel added, her gruff expression softening slightly.
The other contestants all looked at each other, some in shock that the person who made her distaste for the Prairie Boy known so much last season was the one willing to step into potentially dangerous territory with him just to find a girl who may not even be there.
Ezekiel in particular looked stunned that she was willing to go so far to help him, especially considering she had been reluctant to help him the previous night, he'd almost had to beg Axel for help with fixing the boat once she had returned to the resort following her late night make out session with Ripper on the beach.
But then he remembered the conversation they had last season… the apology for what she had done to him coming back to him…
"Look… I still don't like you, either of you…" Axel continued, glaring at Lauren in particular. "Especially you Scary Girl, but I'll admit… I was wrong to hate on you for your condition…"
Ezekiel looked up at her once more in confusion as Lauren tilted her head slightly.
"I'm not asking to be friends… hell I don't want to be friends with anyone here, training Nichelle is bad enough…" Axel kept going, not noticing Dawn's small smirk at the mention of her training Nichelle. "But I'm willing to forget about this whole thing if you do, start over…" She finished, looking expectantly at the pair, waiting to hear what they had to say.
Ezekiel and Lauren glanced at each other, not knowing how to respond. Lauren already knew her opinion on the matter, she didn't like Axel, but she was willing to respect whatever Ezekiel wanted to do on the matter, she nodded slowly at him, letting him know that she'd follow whatever he said on the matter.
Ezekiel smiled softly at Lauren before turning back around to Axel. "L-Look, I don't know if I c-can fully trust you to l-leave this behind…" He began.
Axel just sighed slightly, "Fair enough…" She muttered, only to be cut off by the Feral Homeschooler.
"But I-I'll give you the b-benefit of the doubt eh. I f-forgive you…" Ezekiel smiled, holding out his hand to the survivalist.
Axel looked at his green, scarred hand for a moment, wondering to herself for a brief moment about if she had made the right choice or not, before smirking, taking Ezekiel's hand and shaking it firmly. Dawn clapping happily in response now that the tension between the pair was lifting.
"Just so we're clear…" Lauren interrupted, causing Axel to turn her head to him. "I'll respect this as long as you do Axel… If you go back on your apology, if you hurt him… I know where you live…" She said eerily, glaring at the survivalist for a moment even as her smile remained.
Axel just nodded silently in response, not willing to get into another argument with the Scary Girl, as much as she'd never admit it she still felt sore in some areas from her fight with Lauren days prior. "Whatever…" She simply responded as she let go of Ezekiel's scarred hand.
"Is this your way of making it up to me?" Ezekiel asked softly, sitting up properly and looking over at Axel. The others immediately looking over to the survivalist for answers.
Axel looked back at Ezekiel for a few moments, before nodding.
"I've… had my perspectives changed on certain issues from last season…" She admitted, before smiling almost shyly. "Heck, the man I swore I hated last season is now my partner."
Ripper grinned and flexed his muscles, making Axel roll her eyes playfully as Emma and Bowie both looked away in disgust.
"Eww! Ripper!" Emma gagged, remembering the event her and Ezekiel had accidentally stumbled upon the previous night.
"What? Jealous I have such an awesome partner while you're still single?" Ripper bragged, not noticing or hearing the groans from several of the others.
"Dude come on… she's not single…" Chase tried to respond, only for everyone except Ripper to respond with a loud "SHUT UP CHASE!"
Before he could respond at all, the entrance to the resort swung open, Ezekiel taking the chance to dive under the couch in the seconds it took for the interns to appear through the door, looking straight at Owen.
"Owen, the boats ready… say your goodbyes and let's get you home." The male intern stated, nodding at him as they waited for the big guy to join them.
Owen sighed as he stood up from his couch, picking his bags up from beside him, one of which opened up slightly as he picked it up, revealing the torso of the Chef Hatchet cake that he had brought back with him.
"Well… I guess I'll see you later guys…" Owen waved at the others, only to be swarmed with a group hug from several of the others. Ezekiel, Axel and Ripper being the exceptions.
"Take care Owen…" Emma responded happily.
"We've got this from here." Nichelle added confidently.
"We'll uh… talk to you after the season I guess." Millie finished.
Owen nodded and smiled, letting go of the others as he walked off towards the entrance to the resort where the interns were waiting for him. Owen stopped as he was about to walk out, glancing under the couches where Ezekiel was hidden, his eyes peeking out as the two first gen contestants looked at each other.
Owen nodded at him once as if to say 'you've got this', before he turned and left the Playa Des Losers for the last time.
Everyone stayed silent for a few moments until they heard the sounds of the boat setting off outside, everyone else heading to the doors to see the boat departing the docks as Ezekiel climbed out from under the couches.
"Okay… so now that Owen's gone…" Axel stated as she turned to look at everyone else. "I suppose Homeschool and I are going to head over to Boney Island to find Scary Girl now…"
Ezekiel did look slightly hesitant to allow her to join him, but in the end he knew that ever since he was cured of his mutation, he wasn't as capable of surviving the 'Fun Zone' on his own. He still had his feral instincts which hadn't diminished in the six months between seasons, but without the acid spit if he came across one of the apex predators in the 'Fun Zone' like Fang or Larry, there was a strong chance that he wasn't coming out of that in one piece alone.
"A-Alright…" Ezekiel conceded. "But I don't suppose being a survivalist includes fighting mutant animals and plants eh." He joked, cracking a small smile.
Axel scoffed in response, however the wild grin on her face told everyone in the room that she was looking forward to the challenge.
"Oh it doesn't… but I'm relishing the fight if it comes to it…" The grin on the survivalists face almost reminded everyone of Lauren's dark grin, reminding everyone that whilst not nearly as insane or erratic as the Scary Girl, Axel wasn't exactly the most 'normal' person of the cast.
"Hell yeah! We've got this babe!" Ripper bragged, stepping forwards only for Axel to put a hand out, stopping the 'Alpha Male' in his tracks. "Hey, what gives?"
"Yeah… no." Axel glared at him. "You're not coming Ripper…"
"What?" Ripper responded weakly, looking like Axel had just punched him in the gut. "B-But why?"
Axel sighed, taking a deep breath before looking at him with the slightest vulnerability.
"Because if this 'Fun Zone' is as dangerous as Homeschool and Scary Girl made it out to be last season… then you could get seriously hurt you idiot." Axel explained, the concern and fear obvious even with her harsh tone.
"B-But…!" Ripper tried to respond, only for the survivalist to cut him off.
"I'm not letting you go and that's final Ripper." She glared at him. "Look… just… I'll make it up to you… I promise."
Ripper looked at Axel like she'd grown a second head, before eventually sighing and nodding.
"Fine fine… I won't go… but you better come back in one piece!" Ripper warned, only for Axel to scoff and roll her eyes with a smile on her face.
"Jeez Ripper… have some faith in me." She smirked, before glancing at Ezekiel as though signalling for them to go.
"Wait!" A voice called to Axel and Ezekiel, everyone turning to see Nichelle stepping towards them. "I'm coming too!"
"What!" Axel and Ezekiel responded as the others gasped in shock.
"I said I'm coming to Boney Island…" Nichelle repeated, before placing her hands on her hips defiantly. "Besides I'd be just as capable as Ezekiel over there, plus what better way to see if I'm ready to perform again than to test my new acrobatic strength in what's basically a real life action set."
Ezekiel paled slightly at the implication as Axel glared at Nichelle for several moments.
"You do realise this could be extremely dangerous right?" Axel warned the Action Star, who just smirked in response.
"All the more reason to see if I'm ready, if I can handle the real thing then the movies should be no problem." Nichelle responded, crossing her arms in determination.
Axel and Ezekiel looked at each other, before Ezekiel sighed.
"Fine… you can come too…" Ezekiel relented, before glancing around at the remaining contestants. "Anyone else want to volunteer eh?"
Millie and Bowie immediately shook their heads, whilst Emma looked a little more torn. Chase however looked a little more eager at the prospect of filming on the mutated island.
Axel however noticed his smile and glared daggers at the YouTuber.
"If you think you're bringing that camera along with you to film this, think again…" Axel threatened, stomping closer to Chase and glaring into his eyes, making the YouTuber gulp in slight fear.
"Y-Yeah… on s-second t-thought, I think I'll s-stay here…" Chase backed down, stepping away from Axel, much to the amusement of Ezekiel, Bowie and Emma.
Axel gave everyone one last look over, before turning to Nichelle and Ezekiel.
"Come on… let's go look for the creepy girl…" Axel grumbled as she picked up her duffle bag full of weapons, before stomping out of the front doors.
Nichelle and Ezekiel looked at each other and shrugged, before following her out of the resort. The remaining five contestants stood there looking at each other for a moment, before they started to disperse across the resort once more…
That was except for Emma, who froze the moment she felt a hand touch her shoulder, and the voice of the person she wanted to be around the least speak to her.
"Hey Ems? Wanna join me in the hot tub together? It'll be like old times at the beach house?" Chase asked her, a dopey grin on his face, the YouTuber not noticing the uncomfortable look on his ex-girlfriends face.
It took all of two seconds before Emma was rushing out of the entrance to the resort, rushing after Ezekiel, Axel and Nichelle.
"Wait up guys! I'm coming too!" Emma shouted as she disappeared down towards the docks, leaving Chase standing alone by the front doors, not noticing the disapproving looks Mille and Bowie were giving him as they disappeared into the resort.
"...she could've just said no…" Chase muttered before perking up. "Ah well, I'm sure she's just playing hard to get."
*Around the same time*
The wildlife of the island for once was almost eerily silent, with not even birds chirping or the squirrels going about their business. Even the bears and the sasquatchanakwa were keeping to themselves in their respective caves.
For any of the production staff or the remaining eight contestants, they would barely notice this in the comfort of the production tents and the campgrounds respectively. Everyone going about their early morning routines as usual as they prepared for the next gruesome challenge to be announced. But it was a hell of a lot more noticeable the further into the forest someone went, until the sounds of sniffling could be heard from a nearby small cave.
Lauren hadn't been able to stay asleep for long before more issues had kept her awake for the rest of the night, and it was starting to show in her appearance. Her purple hair was beginning to get slightly dishevelled, strands of hair falling over her face the more she moved around. Her gothic dress was beginning to become slightly filthy, her socks starting to show small holes in them, and the warmers around her wrists were covered in dirt and dust. The bags under her eyes were beginning to get more and more noticeable, her pale blue eyes getting more bloodshot from a combination of a lack of sleep and the amount of crying she'd been doing throughout the night.
She had been tossing and turning the whole night ever since she'd woken up from her earlier nightmare, and once she'd realised that she couldn't go back to sleep, she had simply curled up into a ball in the corner of the cave and tried to hide from the rest of the world.
Once the first rays of sunlight had begun to shine into the cave, Lauren finally gave up on trying to sleep, slowly getting up with a soft groan. She stretched her sore arms in annoyance as she prepared to undertake the next part of her 'revenge scheme'.
The first part of which was watching through the confessionals that she'd downloaded the night before in order to see which of her victims had been eliminated in last night's ceremony. Something that she could've just ended up doing during her restless night, it wasn't like her nightmares were going to let her sleep anyway?
Lauren grumbled to herself as she crawled over towards her phone, the device sitting flat on one of the rocks scattered in the cave, a portable charger connected to the phone's USB port.
The Scary Girl made herself comfortable as she began to open up the folder with all of the confessionals in it, scrolling through until she reached the most recent ones. She noted the image of a confused Wayne, Raj and Zee on the last video recorded before she'd downloaded the previous day's confessions, but Lauren decided she'd save that one for after she found out the elimination.
She quickly found the first confessional of the ceremony and quickly began to play through them…
—CONFESSIONAL: JULIA—
Julia was leaning back in the confessional for a few moments filing her nails, before eventually putting the file away and leaning forward to address the camera.
"Okay… Axel… or Ripper…" She pondered for a moment, before grimacing. "Ugh… Those two are both equally gross… and I need the votes to protect my partner…" She tapped her chin, deep in thought, before she smirked evilly at the camera. "Got it! I'll convince everyone to vote off 'the bigger threat' in Axel!"
She giggled to herself before freezing, realising what she'd just said and blushing a bright red.
"I-I meant my p-partner in c-crime! As my a-alliance m-member!" Julia stuttered out, hiding her reddening face in her hands. "Oh god… I've gotta keep some distance now before she thinks I've got a crush on her or something…"
—CONFESSIONAL: WAYNE & RAJ—
Wayne and Raj were both holding out their hands towards the other, one hand laid out flat whilst the other was curled into a fist.
"We couldn't decide on who to vote between Axel or MK so we're coming to a fairer compromise…" Raj explained, glancing at the camera as he addressed it. "Especially since we're friends with everyone on Zee's team plus Ripper."
"Okay, we do this fair Rajie… if I win we vote Axel, if you win we vote MK" Wayne grinned.
"You got it Wayner, let's do this!" Raj also grinned, the pair beginning to perform the most difficult game breaking decider in order to determine who the Hockey Bros would be voting off…
A strenuous game of Rock, Paper, Scissors…
"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" They both cried out as they both held their fists out.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" The second time was a flat hand…
"Rock, Paper Scissors!" The third time however Wayne went back to holding his whole fist out, whilst Raj only stuck out two fingers. Wayne quickly started cheering as Raj just sighed in disappointment.
"Yes! Rock beats Scissors Rajie!" Wayne laughed, before grinning over at his fellow Hockey Bro. "I guess that means we're voting Axel?"
"Yeah… great…" Raj grinned slightly, although he wished in this instance that they could've capitalised on voting off MK after the whole 'cheating' fiasco…
—CONFESSIONAL END—
Lauren couldn't help but let out a soft but mischievous giggle in response to that, her tired mind still able to process the funny side to what would've otherwise been a serious vote.
After taking a moment to calm herself down, as well as to let out a small yawn, Lauren pressed play on the confessionals and continued to watch through them
—CONFESSIONAL: PRIYA—
Priya sat pondering in the confessional for a moment before sighing to herself, looking up to address the camera.
"Okay… so my last ditch effort to win the challenge backfired…" She thought to herself before smiling. "Well I guess I'll just have to vote for Axel, she's the bigger threat of the three and we need to make a judgement call before she gets too far into the competition…"
She grins slightly before sighing, slumping over and putting her head in her hands.
"I just hope the others don't do the same to me considering I won last season." She groaned softly. "I have Caleb as an ally and hopefully as something more… but other than him, I'm not sure I'm too close with anyone here…"
—CONFESSIONAL: ZEE—
Zee didn't look too happy with his current predicament, sipping nervously on a soda as he looked down at the ground.
"Aww man… I've gotta vote someone out but everyone here who can be voted for are my friends…" He took another sip and sighed. "I guess MK… I mean I can't vote my teammates off, Rippers my friend and it'd be a heinous move to vote off his girl ya know…"
He groaned again as he finished his drink, before looking nervously at the camera.
"Sorry brah… no hard feelings… you're just the only one left I can vote for without feeling guilty." He smiled, trying to put on a confident look.
—CONFESSIONAL: AXEL & RIPPER—
Similarly to the last elimination ceremony, Ripper and Axel were once again making out in the confessional. After a few moments she pulled away, glaring at the camera venomously.
"Same plan as last night Ripper… we vote out that cheat MK, got it!" Axel commanded, to which Ripper just nodded happily, eager to get back to their 'session'.
Axel smirked, and moved to his ear, beginning to bite down on it seductively as she shoved him out of the confessionals door, hitting the camera in the process.
—CONFESSIONAL END—
Lauren couldn't help but gag a little from the sight of Axel biting and yanking on Ripper's ear, having to take a moment to recover, even having to switch off the phone for a few moments as she processed whatever the hell she had just watched.
"I'm never gonna get used to that…" She grumbled to herself, her eyes twitching slightly as she managed to get some control over her breathing.
It took the Scary Girl around a minute to recover, but once she did she got back onto the files she was looking through and quickly went through the three she hadn't checked yet.
—CONFESSIONAL: MK—
MK was leaning casually against the wall of the outhouse, looking confident despite her low odds.
"Is it worrying that I'm once again at risk of elimination… yes." She admitted, the smirk never leaving her face as she sits up properly. "But do I think I'll be eliminated… not really."
She leans forward, propping her head onto her hands as she smirks directly into the camera.
"Julia told me that everyone else was going to be voting off Axel because of the 'power couple'..." She snarked, miming quotation marks for the words 'power couple'. "And Ripper just isn't a threat compared to her, so my votes for Axel, better her than me."
She chuckled to herself, that snarky but confident look still on her face as the camera cut out.
—CONFESSIONAL: CALEB—
Caleb looked at the camera with concern etched all over his face, his hands clutching his shirt tightly.
"That natural yeast move Priya pulled was nasty…" Caleb shuddered in disgust. "But smart…"
He clutched his hands together tightly as he gave a pleading look to the camera.
"I really hope she's not going home." He then sighed before looking into the camera once more. "She did tell me Axel was the biggest threat outside of our alliance, and while I think splitting up the MK/Julia alliance is a smarter move, Priya's not exactly wrong either…"
He looked away for a moment, as if debating whether to listen to his gut or to trust Priya, before smiling.
"Look, Priya's probably right… so I'm voting for Axel." Caleb said, finalising his vote.
—CONFESSIONAL: DAMIEN—
Unlike pretty much every other confessional before him, Damien didn't look concerned or confident about the vote…
Instead he was a mixture of anxiety and rage as he glared into the camera.
"Okay… first off, whoever managed to sneak into the cabin and steal the Immunity Idol from me is gonna regret it…" Damien stated, before placing his hand under his chin as he began to think. "I mean I don't know how I'd go about it, or even if I'd have the guts to stand up and take it back…"
He sighed and slapped his face, already coming to the conclusion that he might not be able to do anything about it because of his natural cowardice.
"Man… I've got to start stepping my game up…" He sighs again, before looking into the camera with a nervous expression. "Anyway… Priya asked me to vote for Axel, and I guess I don't really have a reason not to."
"Honestly the most important thing for me to do right now is to try and slip under the radar, at least until I can recover my Immunity Idol…" He shrugged, before putting on a fake confident grin. "For now I've just gotta act like I'm still looking for the thing. Yeah! Acting!"
—CONFESSIONAL END—
Lauren smirked evilly as she glanced over to the corner of the cave where she'd been curled up overnight, eyeing up the small golden Immunity Idol that she had stolen from Damien during the previous challenge.
"Ohh… so sorry Damien… but I'm afraid I can't let you take it~" She muttered to herself in a sing-song tone, her voice slightly erratic from the lack of sleep. "It's mine now… and I don't plan on giving it back"
She giggled again before she scrolled back to the top of the list, finally deciding to check out the strange confessional that she'd seen earlier, clicking on the file with the image of Wayne, Raj and Zee.
"Now let's see what you boys have to say hm…?" Lauren giggled once more as the file began to play.
—CONFESSIONAL: WAYNE, RAJ & ZEE—
The three boys were all sat looking confused and almost a little saddened, Zee sitting in the middle of the outhouse, with Wayne to his left and Raj to his right.
"So uh… that just happened…" Raj started, rubbing his head sheepishly.
"Yah eh… I just can't believe that he left and didn't even say goodbye…" Wayne agreed, frowning sadly as he looked at the floor.
"Ripper dude, if you end up seeing this… we're not mad, but that wasn't good to just quit like that." Zee muttered to the camera, the Hockey Bros both nodding in agreement.
"Was being with Axel really worth throwing the million dollars away though?" Raj questioned, pondering it for a moment as Wayne smiled.
"With how those two were, I'm not surprised eh" Wayne laughed, already cheering himself up, the other two looking at him for a moment before chuckling along with him.
"Well at least now there's no more couples drama… right?" Raj joked, shrugging his shoulders, both Hockey Bros too busy laughing to notice Zee's uncomfortable expression at the mention of 'couples', since he was still carrying the secret of Caleb's 'true intentions' with Priya.
"Yeah…" Zee chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "No more drama…"
—CONFESSIONAL END—
Lauren took a moment to process the confessional she'd just watched, blinking her tired eyes as the gears turned in her head.
Eventually a wide smile spread across her face, the Scary Girl looking ecstatic that both Ripper and Axel were gone, and not only that, but Ripper had taken himself out of his own volition.
"Aww… I would've loved to have gotten some revenge on both of them after last season…" Lauren muttered to herself, although her grin never faded. "But I'll take the double elimination, it just means less people to deal with in the future."
She looked back at the phone, her finger having slowly been pushing the screen up, scrolling through the clips, and she couldn't help but land her gaze on the lone confessional that looked out of place amongst the others.
The one containing none other than the guest appearance that she'd overheard about yesterday, Owen…
Despite her earlier intentions to watch this the moment she'd gotten her hands on the footage, she'd put it off in favour of trying (and failing) to sleep. Deep down Lauren knew she couldn't hide from the truth forever, and with a small growl she pressed play on the file, deciding to get this over with.
—CONFESSIONAL: OWEN—
Owen glanced around for a moment, chuckling slightly at the sight of the confessionals state.
"Wow… it's not changed a bit since my last time here." He remarked with a nostalgic smile, before looking into the camera.
"So uh… Chris said I could use this before I headed home, and I've got just a couple things to say." His smile turned into a frown. "The new guys are really good people, I don't even mind that blonde girl who reminds me a little too much of Heather when she was really mean."
Owen laughed to himself again before sighing, his expression now becoming serious.
"I even spoke to the guys who were eliminated before this challenge, well… most of them anyway." He winced, as though trying to think of a way to speak about the incident without possibly alerting Chris, although when he sighed again it was quickly becoming apparent that he was going to end up spilling the beans about Lauren's disappearance.
Something that Lauren would have to rectify before it was too late…
"I uh… also have a message for Scary Girl…" Owen looked directly into the camera. "If you're on the island, please just drop whatever it is keeping you there and come back home… even if it's just back to the resort."
Owen frowned again, pondering for a moment if he should reveal the full truth, before just going for it.
"Ezekiel's worried about you Scary Girl… when I arrived here I found him desperately trying to get to the resort to look for you. He knows something has happened to you and he's worried sick!" He explained, wringing his hands together nervously. "They all are… Emma, Millie, Nichelle… even Bowie and Chase. And I have no doubts the guys still competing are too…"
Owen then heard a knocking on the side of the confessional, his concerned expression turning to alarm.
"Hey! Owen! Your rides here! Finish up in there and head to the Dock of Shame" The gruff voice of Chef Hatchet shouted into the small outhouse.
"Oh uh… Coming Chef!" Owen gave a guilty look to the camera before dashing out of the confessional.
—CONFESSIONAL END—
For almost two minutes Lauren just stared in stunned silence at her phone, the recording even repeating itself as she just stood there processing the information.
Her suspicions were not only true… but they were also the one scenario that she was hoping to avoid. The thoughts that she had tried to suppress came crashing to the surface, the numerous calls and texts that she had ignored springing to mind immediately.
He knew… and not only that, he was at the resort…
Lauren's tired and worn heart screamed at her to head back to the Playa Des Losers, especially with the confirmation that not only Ezekiel, but the others were worried about her. Her thoughts about everyone hating her over the 'Normal Girl' incident and the confessions about stalking them now seeming like an afterthought in the face of this new development…
But then Lauren remembered her nightmares… the thoughts of being forever trapped in that cycle of abuse, about how she needed to keep going to prove her abusers wrong…
She switched her phone off, dark determination on her face, exemplified by the dark circles under her eyes as she stood up and walked out of the cave.
Her next destination…
To find Zee and spill some secrets…
It had taken all of half an hour for the boat to arrive at the shores of Boney Island, Axel and Ezekiel taking a moment to pull the boat onto the beach in place of not having a way to tether it in place.
Emma and Nichelle meanwhile got their first proper look at the mysterious and haunted island, stepping onto the beach and glancing into the vast forests, of which they hoped their lost friend was somewhere inside, and not in the mutant sanctuary at the core of the island.
"You sure you really want to do this Emma? You can stay with the boat if you're not sure…" Nichelle asked her, noticing the conflicted look on her face.
Emma glanced at her nervously, then gulped, before taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves.
"No! I'm fine…" She responded, still sounding unsure. "I'd take the wild and possibly mutant animals over Chase's stupid face anyday."
"Trust me Emma, you'll regret saying that." Ezekiel replied somewhat jokingly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Believe me, I spent three years on this island, some of them just aren't reasonable…"
"Speaking of living on the island…" Axel grumbled as she stepped in front of the others, dropping her duffle bag of weapons onto the ground. "What creatures should we be expecting Zombie Boy? And I mean both parts of the island, not just in this 'Fun Zone'..."
Ezekiel scowled at the nickname, but nodded as they all glanced down at the amount of close quarters weaponry that Axel had brought with them.
"Well for the outer circle the worst animal to come across is probably the Woolly Beavers… and then probably bears and these large, omnivorous geese." Ezekiel explained, before he frowned and cupped his chin in thought. "Huh… never did find out what the name for those things were eh…"
"Stymphalian Canadian geese…" Axel revealed, looking at him in shock, before her lips curled into a smile. "Oh this will be fun…"
Her smile dropped into a frown when she looked at the other three and saw their expressions of both confusion and disbelief.
"What? Did you think when I said I was a survival expert that it just meant the apocalypse" Axel glared at them.
Emma and Nichelle glanced at each other, then shrugged it off.
"I mean… I suppose it checks out…" Emma responded somewhat meekly. "What with the whole poetry thing and all…"
"...Whatever…" Axel grunted, before looking back at the still stunned Ezekiel. "What about the mutant area then?"
Ezekiel shook himself out of his stupor upon hearing her question, before chuckling weakly.
"Well uh… I suppose a bit of everything…" Ezekiel replied, before beginning to list off the different mutant creatures lying in the 'Fun Zone'. "Laser shooting squirrels, flying mountain goats, fire breathing fauna, giant beavers and beetles, blind giant gophers, tree inhabiting squids…"
With every new mutant creature that Ezekiel listed off, Axel's smirk got wider and wider, as Emma and Nichelle both looked a little more nervous about the prospects of heading into that area.
"The main two to watch out for are Larry and Fang." Ezekiel continued, not noticing the changes in the girl's expressions. "Larry shouldn't be a huge problem unless something's stolen his sensory flower in his mouth, in which case he'll chase after whoever has it, so don't steal it." He warned the girls.
"O-Okay… got it… no taking the flower" Emma grinned worriedly, nervous about the possibility of the large mutated venus flytrap attacking them.
"Larry does also have several children, which hopefully haven't fully grown in the six months I've been gone…" Ezekiel shudders, remembering how territorial the gigantic mutant was about his children. "S-So uh… let's hope they aren't roaming around now eh…"
Nichelle and Emma looked at each other with severe concern now in their eyes, whilst Axel just grunted, the smirk not leaving her face.
"Okay then… what about the other one… the Mutant Shark?" Axel demanded.
"You mean Fang? Well uh… we'll just have to hold him off until we can all escape…" Ezekiel muttered quietly. "Lauren and I ran into him the last time we were in the 'Fun Zone', and we just about got away…"
"Yeah… but did you have anything capable of taking the beast out?" Axel retorted, gesturing to the duffle bag full of weapons just lying in the sand between all four of them.
"Well… Lauren found a jackhammer and it only irritated him…" Ezekiel responded, his eyes glazing over slightly as he remembered the fight between the couple and the mutant shark.
"How'd you get away then?" Emma asked softly, looking nervously into the forest that the mutant sanctuary lay somewhere within.
"Honestly… we held him off until we had an opening and booked it for the exit… we only got away when Larry was woken up by Fang and attacked him." Ezekiel revealed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
Even Axel was starting to look a little unnerved, if even Scary Girl and a then-mutated Ezekiel were barely able to fight the mutant shark off. But then she glanced down at the weapons in her duffle bag and began to lean down to dig through it.
"Well… in that case let's be glad there's four of us with actual weapons… not a single power tool and some cheap acid trick." Axel snarked, beginning to pass some weapons for the four of them to defend themselves with.
After a few moments she stood up, holding a sharp fire axe in her hands, glancing over at the other three and the items she'd given them. Emma looked extremely apprehensive at the sight of her own axe, whilst Nichelle and Ezekiel looked a little more neutral as they'd been passed a spiked baseball bat and a pitchfork respectively.
"Um… why exactly do you have all of these anyway?" Ezekiel asked, confused.
"You mean you don't?" Axel replied, just as confused, especially once Ezekiel, Nichelle and Emma all shook their heads. "Aren't you literally with the girl who fantasises about murder? Surely she has some weapons stashed somewhere in that funeral home?"
"Hey!" Ezekiel shouted, slightly offended on Lauren's behalf. "Just because she has some dark interests doesn't mean she'll actually commit the act you know!"
"Wait… so Scary Girl doesn't have any weapons? None at all?" Nichelle asked, in complete disbelief that the most psychotic person she knows is actually (mostly) harmless, whilst her former best friend from last season had duffle bags full of them.
"I never said she didn't." Ezekiel admitted. "I just said that she doesn't want to kill anyone…"
"Yet…" Axel muttered gruffly, only to growl as she noticed Ezekiel glaring harshly at her. "Hey! I have a truce with you, nothings stopping me from saying my opinion on that creepy bitch"
"What does she even own anyway, Zeke?" Emma asked out of curiosity.
"Just a few knives… they're more collectors items, she has them hung up and framed in her bedroom." Ezekiel explained, a small sad smile on his face as he remembered how happy his girlfriend was to purchase them, the memory a bitter reminder of her current MIA status. "She'd never actually use them though, she just thinks they're 'really pretty'..."
Emma couldn't stop the small snort of amusement from coming out, and the cute sound it made ended up making both Ezekiel and Nichelle burst into laughter, with even Axel cracking a small smile. The small moment added a moment of light-hearted reprieve before the four of them began their search for the elusive Scary Girl.
"Okay then…" Axel began. "We'll split up and cover more ground, Emma and I will take the left side of the island. Ezekiel, you and Nichelle cover the right… We'll cover as much ground as possible during the morning and meet up to investigate the 'Fun Zone' if we see no signs of Scary Girl."
The other three nod, with Nichelle speaking up next.
"Where are we gonna meet up? Back here?" She asked Axel, however Ezekiel interrupted before the survivalist had a chance to respond.
"The entrance to the 'Fun Zone'..." Ezekiel stated plainly. "You can't miss it, the whole area is domed off in the centre of the island, and there's a large rusty metal gate where the entrance is, we meet up there in around..." Ezekiel quickly pulled out his phone, checking the device to see that it was approaching 10am. "Two hours from now…"
Axel nods, and after one more glance at Nichelle and Ezekiel, turns around to run down the beach, grabbing Emma's arm in the process as she does so.
"H-Hey! W-Wait up Axel!" Emma complained as she was hastily dragged away, leaving the Action Star alone with the former inhabitant of Boney Island.
Ezekiel was about to silently turn to head off in his own direction when he felt Nichelle's hand brush his shoulder, the Prairie Boy turning around to see her grin reassuringly at him.
"We'll find her… don't worry." Nichelle promised, Ezekiel smiling softly and nodding back at her before they both sprinted off into the forests of Boney Island. All four contestants on the island determined to find their missing friend…
She had been searching for over an hour at this point, and Lauren was starting to get a little worried that she'd have to venture too close to the campgrounds in order to accomplish her goal before the challenge.
The Scary Girl's eyes were constantly darting around manically as she walked through the forest, her only priority being to find Zee and avoid any of the others currently on the island…
Especially if Ezekiel was here looking for her...
"Stop thinking about it Scary Girl…" She admonished herself quietly, her creepy smile wobbling with every word, her eyes twitching from a mixture of the lack of sleep and her growing instability. "J-Just c-carry on with the p-plan… w-we can w-worry a-about him when its a-all said and d-done…"
She slapped herself back into focus before continuing to move through the forest, eventually coming to the clearing where the confessional was.
Lauren groaned softly as she didn't want to be so close to where the others were at this moment, however as she prepared to leave she heard someone approaching, quickly diving behind one of the bushes.
She peeked through them to see MK cautiously looking around as she approached the confessional, the thief was about to open the door when she could hear the sounds of someone inside, and she quickly hid behind the side of the confessional, waiting to see who would walk out.
Moments later the door was pushed wide open, with Julia glancing around before taking a step onto the grass, the moment she did, MK peeked her head around. Their eyes both widening as they saw the other person, MK's full of relief and Julia's full of uncertainty.
"There you are!" MK cried out, stepping out from around the confessional fully. "I've been looking for you all morning!"
Julia tensed up as MK spoke, looking completely uncertain as to how to proceed with the smaller girl, before just deciding to play it off as if nothing was wrong.
"Hey…" Julia responded, her tone still uncertain, almost defensively as she put on a weak smile, giggling nervously as she spoke. "Sup Girlfriend…"
Unfortunately for the Influencer, MK immediately saw through the ruse, her eyes narrowing as she quickly started to connect the dots.
"Are you… avoiding me?" MK realised, her eyes widening slightly in hurt, her heart briefly twisting as the realisation of what Julia was doing truly kicked in.
Julia gulped nervously, still trying to play off her act like nothing was wrong, even as she saw her partner in crime's expression fall.
"A-Avoiding you? What…?" Julia stuttered out, waving her hands as if to try and brush it off, even as her own thoughts swirled around. She tried to laugh it off, only to come across as an even bigger nervous wreck. "O-Oh n-no… no…"
MK felt her heart drop at her nervous tone, and she forced her expression to go back to its neutral sarcastic self as she prepared to talk about what happened during the last challenge.
Lauren watched on from the bushes, feeling torn between wanting to just leave to continue her mission of finding Zee, or to keep eavesdropping and potentially finding out some more information that she could use further down the line.
Fortunately for the Scary Girl, she began to notice a third person approaching the confessional as MK prepared to speak, and to her delight it was none other than Zee…
"So yes…" MK started, before her expression quickly crumbled, turning back into that nervous, almost desperate expression. "Look, so I am so over that whole…"
Her voice trailed off as she also began to notice Zee's panicked expression, Julia completely oblivious to his presence as he walked around with his hands covering his ears. Lauren also looked slightly confused from her hiding spot, although this was overshadowed by the dark glee of finding her target, now she just had to wait until he was alone…
"...Owen thing…" MK continued, trying to act like she'd not seen anything and continue to talk to Julia. "It's like whatever, we make a sick team and all I want is for…"
Her eyes trailed over in Zee's direction as she spoke, both MK and Lauren watching bewildered as Zee began to take off his pants, stuffing them in his mouth.
"..." MK watched stunned for a moment before pointing past Julia and directly at the man currently stuffing his own pants in his mouth. "..What in New Jersey is he doing?"
Julia raised an eyebrow before turning around to see what MK was pointing at, gasping in disbelief at the sight of Zee's face darting to look at the pair in complete panic, his underwear exposed with his pants still stuffed in his mouth.
"What the…" Julia muttered in utter bewilderment, before glancing at MK. "We'll talk about this later… for now let's see what the hell is wrong with him…"
MK nodded in agreement, just happy that Julia was willing to not completely brush her off as the pair both walked towards Zee, passing by the bush that Lauren was hidden in, a manic grin on her face as she watched the confrontation.
"Hey there buddy?" Julia smirked as the pair walked up to Zee, the latter rubbing the side of his head sheepishly. "You doing okay? I'm asking because you're… eating your pants?"
"I know Chef's cooking is bad, but no one wants to see you doing challenges in your undies…" MK snarked, both of them trying their best to look him in the eyes and not laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
Zee tried to talk, gesturing to the pants in his mouth and shaking his head, but MK quickly yanked them out of his mouth, shaking her head in disgust.
"I… I need them in there to stop a secret from coming out…" Zee revealed the moment the pants were pulled from his mouth, his eyes bugged out in fear as he looked around nervously.
"It's a big one! It could tear the camp apart… Gah, see what I mean?" He admonished himself as he slapped himself in the face. "I said too much already!"
As he said this he snatched the pants back from MK and stuffed them back into his mouth, before attempting to walk away, not noticing the devious smiles forming on MK and Julia's faces as they looked at each other, nor did any of them notice the evil smile forming on Lauren's face in the bushes.
"You thinking what I'm thinking MK?" Julia grinned, a manipulative plot to force the secret out of Zee already forming in her mind.
"Scare it out of him?" MK snarked, her own plot forming in her mind.
"Aww… you know me so well!" Julia gushed as they followed Zee further down the path, unbeknownst to them… so did Lauren.
Zee turned around moments later to turn a corner, only to freeze as he noticed MK and Julia stood by each other side by side, holding hands with their stances frozen in the creepiest way, their mouths being the only thing that moved.
Lauren raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she watched this new development, and here she thought she was the only girl on the island capable of the 'creepy factor'...
"Hey Zee. Come talk to us." They said in a monotone voice, speaking in perfect sync, causing Zee to gulp nervously and Lauren to smirk from her hiding spot. "Let it out… Just let it out…"
Zee slapped his hands over his face as he began shaking slightly, trying not to break, before peeking through his fingers to see that no one was there.
He sighed in relief through the pants in his mouth, turning around only to see MK and Julia standing right next to him, still in the same pose and talking in the same creepy way.
"Just let it out Zee… Just let it out." They spoke again in that same monotonous voice, causing Zee to let out a muffled scream, running into the forest away from the campgrounds.
MK and Julia immediately broke character, laughing as they watched him stumble and trip as he ran further away from sight.
"Oh man… that was great!" Julia smirked, wiping away a fake tear from her eye.
"Should we go after him?" MK asked, half wanting to pry this secret from him that he was so desperate to keep, and half just wanting to keep messing with him.
"Nah… we'll get him during the challenge… he won't be able to run away then." Julia responded dismissively, before turning to face her directly. "Besides… I believe you were trying to tell me something before… well… Zee happened."
As MK gulped nervously and the two villainous girls began to delve back into the uncomfortable conversation they'd started before the small incident, Lauren's head popped out of the bushes and, upon seeing the two girls distracted, took off after Zee.
"You are NOT getting away this time…" Lauren growled to herself, the dark circles under her eyes making her look even more menacing than usual.
It didn't take long for the Scary Girl to find Zee, finding him leaning against a tree trying to catch his breath. She smirked and began creeping closer, not even once thinking about the potential consequences of revealing herself to someone else on the island…
Zee felt his nerves just starting to calm down slightly after the mini freak out from the girls earlier when he heard a twig snapping behind him, turning around to see Lauren stood there with her signature smile, her dishevelled appearance only adding to her natural creepiness.
His eyes widened and he started to mumble incoherently through his pants, only for Lauren to yank them out like MK had, causing Zee to sputter.
"S-Scary Girl? I-Is that you?" Zee stuttered out in complete disbelief.
Lauren let out a manic giggle, stepping even closer, letting him get a good look at the dark circles around her eyes, at some of the cuts and bruises that were beginning to form on her skin.
"In the flesh…" She cackled eerily, her grin spreading from ear to ear, acting like nothing was wrong with the current situation.
"W-Where've you been? W-We've been looking all o-over for you?" He asked her, noting her deteriorating appearance, she looked like she'd been missing for a month, not barely a week.
"My 'death' was… greatly exaggerated…" She giggled again, before leaning in with a devious gleam in her tired eyes. "But I'm not here to talk about me… I'm here to talk to you!"
"T-Talk to me? A-Abo-" Zee started to respond, only to trail off in horror as Lauren spoke her next words, the words full of barely concealed malice.
"I know about Caleb and Priya…"
Zee stilled, his eyes widening in shock and concern as Lauren uttered those words.
"Y-You do?" He spoke quietly, his horrified eyes searching hers for the truth.
"I saw their 'flirting' a couple days ago… and his fakeness pisses me off…" Lauren practically growled, the anger she felt from Caleb's comments the other day about his parents still rubbing her the wrong way…
"That actually sounds kinda fun…" Caleb replied smoothly as he walked out of the bushes, moving towards a rather large rock in order to check underneath it. "I didn't get to have any fun until I finished my homework." He continued as he lifted it above his head, only to find nothing.
"When you're studying to get into MIT… the homework never ends…" Caleb finished, his expression looking almost saddened.
Priya ran up to him with a lovesick expression on her face, one that Caleb didn't seem to notice, but Lauren sure as hell did. Priya giggled softly as she clutched her hands together as she looked at him dreamily. "Okay… maybe I'd take the haystack…"
Caleb laughed as he threw the rock away, turning to face Priya. "I thought so…" He grinned, before frowning, looking deep in thought. "Wow… our parents are both a little much huh…" He gestured with his hands as Priya frowned at the comparison.
"Yeah…" Priya stood up straighter as she began to realise the same thing, although it quickly turned into another smile as she looked up at Caleb again. "I guess we have that in common…"
Caleb chuckled again as they began walking further down the path, continuing to look for the idol. "Yeah… I guess we do…"
Lauren growled again, before smiling creepily as she looked back into Zee's eyes.
"But that's not the only secret I know…" Lauren almost purred as her eyes widened into that manic but tired look she'd had all day. "Would you like to hear some…?"
Zee's eyes widened, and he started to shake his head wildly, only for Lauren to pin him against the tree he'd been leaning on, restricting his arms so that he couldn't cover his ears.
"Don't be so mean Zee… I've wanted to tell someone for weeks ever since I stalked you all to try and become a 'Normal Girl'..." She giggled again, before beginning to spill all of the embarrassing secrets she knew about the entire cast to Zee, even including herself in there so she wouldn't look out of place.
With each new secret told to him, Zee's eyes became more panicked, whispering to himself in an attempt to block off the words Lauren was saying to him, but it was to no avail.
When Lauren finished telling him one embarrassing secret about each member of the cast, having also included Chris and Chef in this to make things even worse for him, she stepped away from him, shoving Zee's pants back in his mouth for him.
"Have fun not spilling everyone's secrets Zee…" Lauren giggled, before her wide smile returned to her face in a menacing way. "I can't wait to see everyone's responses…"
With that she retreated into the forest, watching as Zee looked at her with pure dread on his face, his mind now stuffed full of secrets that he didn't want to let out.
Lauren smirked as she walked away, now she just had to wait for the inevitable fireworks to go off…
As the clock struck midday and the challenge was getting underway on the main island, back on Boney Island the four contestants were still searching for Lauren, all of them unaware that she was not actually on the cursed island.
As Ezekiel had mentioned before they'd split up to start their search, they all met up at the entrance to the 'Fun Zone', stopping in front of a large fenced off area made out of huge trees, a small stone section housing a rusty metallic gate. Whilst the area looked completely sealed off from the rest of the island, there was a small gap in between two of the trees, looking hastily made from the numerous claw marks on the edges.
Ezekiel looked a little nostalgic upon seeing the hastily made entrance he'd made when he'd first escaped from the 'Fun Zone' around a year before Scary Girl had even found him. He was so distracted that he didn't notice as Axel and Emma arrived from the other side of the clearing.
"Zeke! Nichelle! Any luck?" Emma called over as the four of them met in the middle of the clearing, Ezekiel having to be brought back into reality by Axel's foot, sending the distracted Prairie Boy crashing into the ground.
As Ezekiel lay there on the surface of the grass, groaning softly to himself, Nichelle sighed and answered for them.
"Nothing… other than Ezekiel spending a little too long in this one cave…" She responded, glancing down at Ezekiel as he slowly got up.
"Ugh… Excuse me for feeling nostalgic for my old 'home' eh..." Ezekiel complained, rubbing his chin from where he'd impacted the ground. "I know it's just some rocks and an old nest… but I lived there, and it's where I got to know Lauren…"
Hey I'm not complaining Zeke, just stating the truth." Nichelle held her hands up defensively, before she glanced at Axel and Emma. "What about you two?"
"Yeah… We found nothing…" Axel grunted, glaring at the door leading to the 'Fun Zone'. "She's either in with the mutants or not here at all…"
"You sure she'd even come here Zeke? Why wouldn't she just be on the island with the others?" Emma asked, looking nervously at the rusty metal door.
"But what if she is here?" Ezekiel responded just as nervously, everyone could tell that he wanted nothing more than to be wrong, that Lauren would just pop out from the bushes or there'd be some sign that she was back at the Playa or at least on the island with the remaining competitors.
Emma sighed, bottling her fears as she noticed the older boy beginning to panic, and placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, turning him around and looking into his worried grey eyes with reassuring but worried blue ones.
"Ezekiel… calm down… I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from going in…" Emma said softly to him, gripping his shoulders tightly in an attempt to snap him back to reality.
"Move over Emma, let me handle this." Axel grumbled out as she shoved Emma to the side, ignoring her cries as she slapped Ezekiel twice in the face, once on each cheek. "Pull yourself together!"
Ezekiel winced as he felt his cheeks stinging, his eyes snapping to Axel's with annoyance clear on his tired features.
"Hey! What was that for eh!" Ezekiel growled at the survivalist, who sneered back.
"Hey, you wanna zone out over your girlfriend… do it when you're at the resort, not when we're about to enter the most dangerous part of this island!" Axel retorted, Nichelle having to quickly step in before the two broke their truce and came to blows.
"Woah woah woah… save it for the mutants you two!" She snapped at them as Emma joined in to help calm the pair down.
The Prairie Boy and the Survivalist both glared at each other for a few more moments, neither of them wanting to back down from the other. Eventually however Ezekiel sighed in annoyance, before nodding.
"Yeah… you're right…" Ezekiel huffed, glancing at Axel once more, before nodding to Nichelle and Emma. "Let's get this over with…"
He didn't even wait for a response before he stomped over towards the small hole in the wall leading into the 'Fun Zone', the same hole he'd created when he'd escaped, just about big enough for a human to squeeze through.
He glanced at the girls before beginning to shimmy into the gap, his body shifting through the hole as he tried to make his way into the 'Fun Zone'. He could hear the grunts and complaints of the girls behind him as they started to try and squeeze their way through the gap, Emma in particular having some difficulty compared to the other three.
After several moments of squeezing through the layered wall that separated the 'Fun Zone' from the rest of the world, Ezekiel finally managed to get to the other side, kicking down the board that had been blocking the mutants from escaping and stepping into his old 'home' for the first time in over six months…
The inside of the 'Fun Zone' looked a lot different to the rest of the island, instead of regular trees and plants, everything looked so… alive, everything was completely mutated by vast amounts of toxic waste, the trees were growing unnaturally, all varying different colours, and many different plants were scattered around, none of them looked like they were natural.
Many different animals could be seen in the distance, some easily recognisable but others vastly different to their non-mutated variants. There were hairless squirrels shooting lasers from their eyes, there were mountain goats with bat wings flying between the trees, there were two-headed rats scuttling across the patchy ground, and there were giant blind gophers sticking their heads out from various holes in the ground.
Ezekiel took a big long look at the still thriving mutant sanctuary as he heard Axel and Nichelle join them, the Action Star gasping in shock and awe at the mutated scenery whilst the Survivalist turned around to help Emma.
"Wow… the TV showings don't do this place enough justice…" Nichelle remarked, looking around at the mutated fauna in complete awe. "It's so beautiful in the weirdest way… like a CGI planet from a superhero movie come to life…"
They heard a thud behind them, turning around to see Axel and Emma both groaning in pain as they'd hit the ground in a heap. Ezekiel and Nichelle rushed over to help up their two companions, Emma gasping in shock as she took her own first look at the mutant sanctuary.
Axel's expression however didn't change at all, rather she was glancing around towards the various mutant animals she could see in the nearby vicinity, as though daring any of them to try and attack her.
"Okay… this time, we stick together…" Axel commanded, before glancing at Ezekiel. "Zombie Boy, you know the land well… you take charge, I'll bring up the flank so nothing sneaks up on us."
The other three all nod at Axel's words, before forming up as the Survivalist said to, Ezekiel beginning to walk down the same path that Ezekiel had gone down with Lauren the last time he'd been in the 'Fun Zone'.
The four of them headed down the small path surrounded by the gigantic spiked mushrooms, the fauna beginning to grow over the large gashes in the ground from where the tentacle trees had lashed out. Ezekiel guided the other three through the mutated land, traversing past small sinkholes, swipes from said trees and stray shots of flames from various small fire breathing plants.
Some of the animals still managed to recognise Ezekiel despite his now restored human appearance, compared to the last time he was in the 'Fun Zone' where he was still that feral being that he'd been stuck as for over four years. Those that had attempted to approach them regardless had either been scared off by either Ezekiel's growls, the Prairie Boy still able to channel his more animalistic side when needed, or by Axel's, the survivalist just itching to fight them.
When the group of four eventually reached the small clearing in the mutated forest, the trees parting to a small murky swamp-like area, Ezekiel began to notice some changes in the area that concerned him greatly, namely the worrying fact that Larry and his spawn were no longer inhabiting the forest…
"That's strange… guys…? Keep your eyes peeled for any mutant plants walking around…" Ezekiel warned the others.
The others sounded out their agreements as they stepped deeper into the clearing, Emma and Nichelle cringing slightly as they stepped into the murky swamp water, quickly passing to the other side of the clearing.
Ezekiel continued to lead them towards the next place he thought to look… the half built mansion Chris McLean had wanted to build on Boney Island before he had been arrested back during 'Revenge of the Island', before this section of the island had been quarantined off for construction of the 'Fun Zone'.
However when they made it to the mansion they quickly realised that this area had become Larry's new domain, seeing the building half collapsed with the large mutant plant sitting in the middle of the lobby area, his children in the clearing surrounding the ruins. There was just simply no way that Lauren could've gotten inside of the building without startling at least one of the mutant plants.
"This is as far as we got before Fang attacked us last time…" Ezekiel muttered to himself, it wouldn't be a problem for them traversing, but it meant Lauren could be anywhere in the 'Fun Zone'... if she was there at all.
"Okay… this way…" Ezekiel said to the others, beginning to lead them down a different path away from the abandoned mansion, unaware of the presence that was actually inside the building, the large figure jumping down from the hole in the side of the wall and beginning to stalk the four contestants.
They eventually came to another clearing in the mutated forest, this one being a grassy clearing rather than the swamp filled one that Ezekiel had initially led them down.
"I'm gonna say it… I don't think she's here…" Nichelle stated dryly, glancing around at the surrounding areas, the colours of the fauna bright and colourful compared to the darkly clad goth girl they were searching for.
Ezekiel stopped in the centre of the clearing, his shoulders drooping in acceptance as he seemed to almost slump down onto the ground.
"Yeah… I think you're right eh…" He muttered in defeat, before sighing heavily. "The animals here… they were looking at us like we were the first humans here in a while… I thought it was because you three hadn't been here before, but I'm starting to get the sinking feeling that Lauren's on the main island."
Emma groaned upon hearing his reasoning, whilst Nichelle just sighed in slight annoyance…
"Well… at least we confirmed she wasn't on the island." Nichelle said quietly, trying to look on the brighter side of the expedition onto the island housing the mutant sanctuary. "So what now? Do we head back to the resort or sneak back into the competition?"
Ezekiel and Emma both exchanged a glance before shaking their heads.
"As much as I'd like to… it's best we head back for the day and try to plan how we're going to search for her without alerting Chris." Ezekiel explained.
"Besides, aren't we assuming that Lauren's even on that island? What if she's on none of them… for all we know Lauren's just completely disappeared." Emma added, although her expression quickly turned to one of regret when Ezekiel's darkened with a mixture of anger and sorrow.
"No… she's got to be here…" Ezekiel stated. "I saw her 'Normal Girl' outfit back at the docks leading here, completely torn to pieces and burned in a fire."
He took a deep breath before continuing, however it was quickly becoming apparent that his resolve was crumbling, and with it, his emotional barriers.
"S-She's gotta b-be h-here eh…" He choked out weakly, tears springing to his eyes. "W-Why else w-would she d-disappear…"
Nichelle and Emma both watched as he started sobbing, the pair glancing at each other with concern on their faces, they both glanced at Axel only to then notice her expression.
She was completely silent, ignoring the conversation as her eyes darted around the area, a stern expression on her face as she listened in for any potential threats.
"Axel?" Emma called to her. "Is everything alright?"
The Survivalist didn't respond for a moment, her body continuing to look around almost manically, before finally speaking.
"You guys also get the feeling like we're being watched?" Axel asked them, not stopping her movements as she continued to search for the presence stalking them.
Before the others responded, Axel's eyes widened as she moved without thinking, pushing the other three away as she also dived to the ground, a large animalistic figure landing where the four were just standing moments ago.
Ezekiel rolled onto all fours as both Nichelle and Axel got back onto their feet, whilst Emma groaned softly as she stayed lying on the ground for a moment, however all four pairs of eyes all widened as they took in the sight of none other than Fang staring them down…
End Chapter
Author's Note: Yeah, this chapter ended up being extremely long, so I thought like the last couple of chapters this episode needed splitting up into two chapters. Not every episode will be like this, however there's most likely going to be a couple more episodes that will get two chapters.
On a side note, the 'Stymphalian Canadian geese' is the official term for the birds living on Boney Island, I didn't make it up for this, it's on the Total Drama wiki if you want to check it out. I thought it'd add some depth to Axel's character by exploring a little more of her 'survivalist' gimmick by having her actually know different aspects, rather than just being a more generalised Shawn with the whole zombie thing.