(Narrator's POV)

"Previously on Total Drama Island..." The self-proclaimed 'host with the most ' begins, "Campers had to build their own hot wheels in a motocross challenge to race for invincibility! There were big winners and big time losers! And there was even some wicked, off-the-track motocross stunts!" Chris exclaims, an underlying happiness in his tone, stemming from the fact he had front-row seats to seeing the remaining campers' lives be put in danger by this reckless hunt for ratings. "But in the end, it was Heather who crossed the finish line first, and after Lindsay came in last by a mere tongue's length, Heather showed her true colors, destroying their alliance, and proving that Heather really is a backstabbing user who'll do anything to win." Again, the glee on Chris' face is all too palpable as he describes Heather's villainous ploy. "With that, and an explosive tirade delivered straight to the face of the 'immune' queen of mean, that meant goodbye Lindsay and her luxury luggage."

Taking a breath, Chris resets himself to neutrality, playing up the host role as best as he can. "Who will be the next winner? Who will be the next loser?" Abruptly, Chris' neutrality fades, as he glares off-screen. "Who will renew my contract for next season?!" With a hand balled up into a fist, Chris goes from shaking it angrily to instead taking up a faux-thinking posture, his free hand now taking its place along his stubble. "All these mind-probing questions revealed on this screaming good edition of Total. Drama. Island!"

-0-

After a few seconds pass to allow for the show's theme to conclude, the camera cuts to a flickering black-and-white image, a quiet, peaceful spot out in the woods being shown...that is, until the sound of footsteps breaks the quiet, and the revving of a chainsaw cuts its way through the peace.

With the old-school slasher flick playing itself out, the camera cuts to our eight remaining campers, each giving varied reactions to the film currently playing. On one side of the projector, you have Heather, Courtney, DJ, and Noah, with the only one seeming to be buying into the movie being the lovable giant himself, as he cowardly hides behind his stump, hands firmly clasped over his own eyes, only breaking for an occasional peak into the slaughter that's currently happening; On the other end, there's Owen, Geoff, Gwen, and Trent - all of whom seem to be much more into the movie than the others, as both Owen and Geoff are seen stunned at the current events of the film, while Trent feigns his enjoyment of the film, trying (and failing) to match the exuberance of his girlfriend, who's watching the movie with eyes wide and a massive grin on her face.

"He's coming out of the words with a...a huge chainsaw!" The musician speaks first, gasping in fear at the fate of the soon-to-be-victims in the film.

"Oh no! Psycho killer man's going for the car!" Owen cries out, only for Courtney to suddenly stand up, clutching a theater-styled plastic box filled with popcorn under her left arm.

"They're...they're gonna be like, some nasty chainsaw sushi, bro!" Geoff adds, his face looking more and more aghast as the scene plays out.

"Ugh! Stop making out, you morons! Just hurry up and start the damn car!" Courtney yells, reaching into her popcorn bucket and tossing some at the screen, which elicits a gasp from Owen, as if that was the most horrifying thing he'd seen all night.

Suddenly, the shrill voice of a woman crying out in terror cuts over any of the audience's reactions, followed by the sputtering of a car engine.

"Great Canadian cheese! Now the car won't start!" Owen yells out, continuing to state the obvious out of sheer terror.

"Oh man, I hate scary movies!" DJ exclaims, ducking his head behind the stump completely, to which Noah simply rolls his eyes, giving the gentle giant a look that reads 'are you serious?' before he turns his attention back to the book in his hands.

"Run, the psycho's gonna get you!" Courtney cries out, drowning out the gasps of both Geoff and Trent, as it seems the on-screen character's incompetence is finally causing the C.I.T. to break down.

However, that's nothing compared to the ghastly gasp that comes out of DJ's mouth, as he looks up just in time for the spattering of red to bring color into this predominantly black-and-white film.

"Here comes the blood fest!" Gwen screams out, clutching Trent's hand rather tightly as she watches the on-screen couple get torn to pieces by the psycho killer's chainsaw.

With Gwen's cheers closing things out, the 'blood fest' concludes with the psycho killer walking off into the woods, the projector dying down soon after, as the campers' reactions get briefly shown once more: Heather and Noah both are sat with varying levels of disinterest, Courtney is unknowingly shivering as she stares at the screen, DJ is nearly passing out as he clutches onto the log koala-style, Owen and Geoff both seem one scream away from hugging each other in fright, and Trent is left laughing nervously as Gwen cackles maniacally out of enjoyment for the movie she just got the chance to enjoy in-full.

"Whoo." DJ breathes out, pulling himself up to his feet. "Am I ever glad that's over. I really hate scary movies." DJ repeats, adding further emphasis on his dislike for the genre.

"Oh yeah? What scares you the most, DJ?" Gwen asks, breaking away from Trent to walk over to the gentle giant. "The blood and guts hanging out of people after getting slashed by a chainsaw?" Gwen asks, still smiling all the while. "Or maybe the way their bodies ragdoll when the killer grabs them by the throat and chokeslams them down to the ground in a feat of supernatural strength?" DJ begins shivering, as Gwen continues on. "Or maybe it's when the killer looks to be down and out, and the heroes think they've won, only for him to suddenly sit up, like nothing even happened?" Now DJ's shivering is full-blown quaking, as Gwen presses on one final time. "Or maybe it's when the killer finally faces off with the victim they've been chasing the most throughout the film, as things are down to just them two and the final survivor, and the killer manages to catch them, and completely eviscerate them-"

At this point, Gwen gets cut off by DJ screaming his head off, fleeing behind his stump once more, garnering some slight laughter from Gwen, with Trent and Geoff both joining in on it.

(CONFESSIONAL)

"Sister, that was not cool!" DJ exclaims, pointing his finger at the camera.

(CONFESSIONAL END)

Having had her fun, Gwen approaches DJ, and places a hand onto his shoulder, looking to comfort him after what she just did. "Aw, c'mon Deej, for a slasher flick, it was pretty tame." Gwen reasons with the giant, only for Noah to cut in with a slight groan, closing his book as he turns his attention towards the goth girl.

"Yeah, tame. Great way to describe a film that put half its budget into a single chainsaw and the other half into finding the least talented actors possible to serve as the dim-witted 'victims' of the 'big, scary, psycho killer'." Noah rolls his eyes, using air quotes a fair amount during his dissection of the film. "It's the same sort of schlock that was popular back in the 80s and 90s. That and stuff like Bloodbath 2: Summer Camp Reign of Terror." Noah states, only for Gwen's eyes to widen.

"No way!" Gwen exclaims, out of a mixture of disbelief and annoyance. "That's my favorite movie! You are not calling that flick 'schlock'." She challenges, only for Noah to raise an eyebrow at this.

"Gwen, anyone with half a brain could tell that all of the blood was fake from the moment it 'spurted' out of them. Not to mention how awful the physical prop work was. I mean, did you see the scene when the killer jams that one dude's hand into a lawnmower?" Noah asks, with Gwen gasping once more.

"But that's my favorite scene!" Gwen argues, acting as though that holds merit in the discussion they're having.

"Okay, but what about when he pushes that girl off the dock, and then she conveniently happens to land on a propeller blade that 'slices her in half'?" Noah adds, either unaware or uncaring about DJ's increasingly frightened responses.

"That one's cool, too!" Gwen argues back, leading Noah to get more invested in the discussion.

"Or what about when he-" Noah starts, only for Gwen to cut him off.

"Shoves that big dude's head inside the wood chipper!" Gwen exclaims, laughing slightly at the memory of it, while DJ, in a fit of fear, launches himself off the ground and onto Courtney's lap...before she subsequently drops him onto the ground seconds later, dusting herself off.

"Aww. Looks like Gwen and Noah have more in common than their sarcastic attitudes." Heather mockingly quips. "They also have a shared interest in mindless guts and gore." The queen bee states matter-of-factly, only to draw the ire of Noah onto herself.

"Excuse me, but don't try lumping me in with Gwen on that sort of stuff, Heather. Besides, not every horror film out there is just, as you put it oh so eloquently, 'mindless guts and gore'." Noah counters, mocking Heather as he does so, which earns him a scowl in exchange. "If you want a good horror story, there's always stuff like Playback, or Antarctic Assimilator - you know, movies with actual thought and intelligent design put into them. Or you could just read a book by Edwin Evans, but knowing you, that might be a bit too difficult for your brain to comprehend."

Of course, that response would leave Heather sputtering, looking for a comeback, but before she can get there, Courtney is the one to speak up next.

"Whatever. Who cares about some dumb horror movies, anyway?" Courtney huffs, Gwen shooting a glare her way that goes unnoticed. "Does anyone have any idea what our challenge will be this week?" The C.I.T. asks which, surprisingly enough, diffuses the argument between Heather and Noah.

"Huh, the Psycho-In-Training actually brings up a good point." Heather adds, garnering a glare of Courtney's own, which Heather simply ignores.

"Yeah. Where's the Chrismeister?" Geoff asks, having apparently gotten hold of Courtney's popcorn and helped himself to some of it in the process.

Suddenly, the sound of the Boat of Losers running can be heard from the area of the projector, drawing the campers' attention off towards the Dock of Shame. Rushing over, the eight of them swiftly stumble upon the sight of Chef Hatchet loading up the boat, bags of luggage being haphazardly tossed into the back end of the vessel.

"Hey yo, Chef!" Geoff hollers, before pausing to look around. "Where's the fire?" He asks, confused at Chef's panicked expression.

However, it seems the campers' arrival had gone unnoticed, as Chef, without even finishing off the rest of the luggage, jumps onto the boat and hightails it, leaving the campers behind in a hurry.

"Dude! You forgot this!" Owen cries out, holding a newspaper up, before his eyes catch sight of the headline. "Escaped psycho killer on the loose. Be on the lookout for a man wearing a hockey mask with a hooked hand and CARRYING A CHAINSAW?!" Owen reads aloud, slowly getting more and more panicked until his exclamation at the tail end of the article.

Having heard what Owen said, Courtney begins unknowingly shivering once more, before turning towards the others.

"H-Haha...v-very funny..." The C.I.T. lets out a nervous laugh, glancing towards Owen. "You said h-he's...on the loose?" She asks, getting no response from the big lad.

"Oh, come on!" Heather cries out. "They can't expect us to fall for this: Scary movie, followed by a hasty exit, followed by strategically placed lame prop?" Heather looks out to the others, wanting for someone to join her in this belief, only for DJ to give a look of doubt to the queen of mean.

"I don't know. He looked pretty spooked." DJ reasons, scratching the back of his head.

"Puh-lease. It's all part of their little stunt to freak us out." Heather continues, not caring one bit about this...until Owen grabs something else that was left behind.

"If this was a stunt, would Chris leave behind his...hair gel?" Owen asks, leading to six out of the seven other campers to let out a gasp of disbelief; Heather being the only one shown to not react whatsoever to this.

As Owen goes to drop the container, however, Noah is quick to grab hold of it, scanning the bottle for a couple of seconds, before turning back to Owen.

"...Owen, this hair gel is expired." Noah says, making the big guy - and most everyone else - look on in confusion.

"What?" Owen asks, confused, as Noah points to the expiration date.

"This hair gel expired seven years ago, big O. Why wouldn't Chris leave this stuff behind?" Noah reasons.

With that detail uncovered, the fear seems to be slowly dying down, as Heather takes center stage, an 'I told you so' expression lining her face.

"TOLD YOU!" Heather points out at them, before snatching the hair gel out of Noah's hands. "This is all just an elaborate setup by Chris!" She exclaims, with Noah nodding along.

"Yeah. I hate to say this," Noah lies, "but if this is supposed to be a challenge? Then...this was a really poor effort by McLean." Noah rolls his eyes. "I mean, then again, I suppose it fits the theme: Rent out a cheesy projector for an awful schlock horror film, then hightail it out of here while making it seem as though there's a psycho killer on the loose, all the while probably getting Chef dolled up for his big performance-"

Noah's explanation is suddenly cut off, as the horn of the Boat of Losers rings out throughout the Dock of Shame, an irate Chris standing where the 'luggage' once was with an irate expression on his face.

"You know what?! FINE!" Chris yells out, throwing his arms in the air out of frustration. "I was going to have some fun sitting in the production booth, watching you all frantically try to survive a real horror movie, while Chef hunted you guys down one by one. BUT SOME PEOPLE-" Chris points towards both Noah and Heather. "had to go and RUIN IT. So now, we're going to do a different challenge." Chris states, the cogs in his mind turning as Chef exits the boat along with him. "I'm going to take each of you guys one-by-one to the production tent, away from everyone else, and choose one of you at random to be tonight's killer." Chris announces, arms folded, while all eight of the campers gasp at this revelation.

(CONFESSIONAL)

"So, let me get this straight." Gwen begins, smile etched onto her face. "Tonight, one of us is going to get to act as a slasher film villain?!" Gwen asks, before suddenly letting out a small squeal of delight. "Oh, please let me be the killer! Easiest invincibility in the history of Total Drama!"

(STATIC)

"Okay, so being hunted down by Chef? Would have sucked." Courtney begins, as a determined expression crosses her face. "But being hunted down by one of them? Total cakewalk." Courtney brags, a slight smirk appearing. "I mean, compared to Chef Hatchet, none of them have the same level of military expertise as he does. Not to mention that I am trained in self-defense, so if anyone is qualified to be the last one standing, it's going to be me."

(CONFESSIONAL END)

"Now then, I'm going to be taking you all one-by-one based on alphabetical order, first name basis, to make sure nobody thinks I'm playing favorites." Chris explains, before holding up a finger. "Oh, and if you try to listen in on any conversations that you're not involved in, or try to gather info from anyone who's already spoken to me, then feel free to step onto the Boat of Losers now, because I am not making up a third challenge for you ungrateful eight!" Chris states, causing a few of the campers' faces to freeze up in shock at the threat of instant elimination. "So, better make this one count!" Chris claps his hands, and walks off along with Chef, leaving the campers alone for the time being, as they return to the campgrounds...


(Noah's POV)

Well, it was just as Chris said. One-by-one, he's sent Chef Hatchet to retrieve us, and then send them back in complete silence. Courtney was first, then DJ, then Geoff, Gwen, Heather, and now-

"Scrawny kid! Put the book down, get your butt up, and start walking!" Chef Hatchet hollers out, forcing me to depart from my reading material - a classic novella from the late-1930s titled "Who Goes There?", for those of you who obviously didn't ask - and make my way to the producer's tent, Chef chaperoning me the whole way there.

"So, wonder if I'm going to be the lucky one that Chris decides to throw under the bus tonight?" I snark to Chef about halfway through, only for the cook to give me a side-eye and grunt in annoyance, non-verbally communicating to me that it'd be in my best interests to just keep walking, to which I do so silently, knowing not to push my luck any further than I have to.

Once inside the tent, I see Chris with his arms folded, a neutral expression on his face - a miracle to be pulled off, surely, considering how I had a hand in ruining his original challenge tonight.

"Alright, Chef, you can stand guard outside." Chris waves off his co-host, who grumbles as he does like a good soldier should, leaving me alone with the host.

A sardonic smile creeps onto my face as I watch over Chris, realizing how he must have been through a gauntlet already, given who went before me. However, in no way is that going to stop me, as instead, I look to seize the opportunity that's been given to me.

"So then, Christopher Wonka," I begin, watching the host's eye twitch at my mocking nickname for him, "am I the lucky one that gets handed the golden ticket tonight?" My grin grows a touch wider as I can tell Chris is holding himself back right now. "Do I get the opportunity to stab, shoot, incinerate, or eviscerate my fellow campers tonight?" I ask sardonically, before pressing onwards. "Because you know, if I'm chosen to be the killer, this challenge is probably going to last all night long, or is going to be over in a matter of seconds. After all, being such a small, frail man as I am, that would make it very, very difficult for me to actually take someone out..." I sarcastically add, leading Chris to let out a small growl of frustration.

"Something tells me this is going to be a REAL quick talk..."


(Narrator's POV)

Snap cut to about 15-30 minutes later, and with the campfire currently lit, Chris is stood in front of the eight remaining campers with a TV-ready smile lining his face.

"Alright campers, allow me to explain the rules of today's challenge." Chris claps his hands together, grabbing whatever attention he'd lost. "One of you eight remaining campers has been randomly selected to be today's killer. Tonight, your goal is simple - enslave or kill everybody who stands in your way! If you manage to do that successfully, then you will be awarded your blood-stained invincibility for the evening!" Chris explains, before taking a breath for the cameras. "For those of you who aren't as bloodthirsty tonight, there are three methods of victory: Either survive the entire night without getting killed, figure out - and then kill - the killer before they can get to you...or option number three."

As Chris says this, the campers' attention turns towards the dining hall, as Chef is seen placing caution tape all across the door of the mess hall, blockading it off to ensure nobody can enter.

"From here on in, the mess hall is considered 'home base' for the killer. If you can get in there and destroy their 'power source'-" Chris pauses, showing a rather ornate plasma ball, shaped to look like an urn made of brass that sees light escaping out of the top whenever it's opened, which he quickly tosses over to Chef. "then everyone who is still alive will win invincibility!" Chris announces, before putting his hands together. "Any questions?"

Immediately, a number of hands are raised, but among them, Heather is the one to speak first.

"What's stopping us from just going into the mess hall now and destroying the killer's...whatever-the-Hell-it-was?" Heather asks, clearly only interested in the immunity aspect of this; In response, Chris pulls out a stopwatch timer from his pocket, and holds it in his hand for all to see.

"To be fair to the killer, there will be a thirty minute grace period where nobody except the killer can go into the mess hall. If you try to jump the gun, then you will be automatically 'killed', and give up your chance at immunity." Chris answers, earning an impressed - yet also annoyed - huff from the queen bee.

"Yes, I have a question," Courtney begins, "What do you mean by 'enslave'?"

"Excellent question!" Chris starts, before motioning over to Chef. "As any real horror fan would know, the best horror films are the ones where the main killer has people to assist them, be it knowingly or otherwise! As such, the killer will be able to 'hypnotize' their fellow campers into acting on their behalf. These campers must follow any order the killer makes, whether they want to or not." Chris explains, just in time for Chef to arrive. "The way that the killer must do this is to grab their target-" Chris subsequently grabs Chef on the shoulders, the cook begrudgingly going along with the host's demonstration, "and say the phrase 'Your soul is mine' without either being interrupted or their target breaking free in any manner." Chris then releases Chef, looking back to the campers.

"But like, why wouldn't you just like, break free immediately?" Geoff asks, a confused expression shown beneath his hat. "Nobody wants to get enslaved, bro."

"Well, that might be the case, if there wasn't invincibility on the line." Chris states, eliciting a confused gasp from some of the campers. "That's right! Any camper who gets enslaved by the killer will be awarded with invincibility in tonight's ceremony, but ONLY if the killer wins tonight's challenge!"

It's with that reveal that most of the other hands go down, as it seems that the competitors are truly starting to question the merit of this challenge, especially with multiple immunities up for grabs.

"Oh, and one more thing!" Chris calls out. "If the killer hits you anywhere on the head, chest, neck, or back with their weapon, that means you're dead. That means no moving, no speaking, no screaming, and no fighting back. The only zombies allowed in horror movies are the ones that are villains, got it?" With nods of confirmation, Chris breaks out into his standard grin, walking towards Chef once more. "Chef and I are heading off to the production tent tonight. You all have a good challenge! Oh, and try not to let the wolves get to you!" Chris announces, before he and Chef finally take their 'well-deserved' leave.


(Noah's POV)

As soon as the host is gone from our sight, a silence falls over the campgrounds as a whole; Nobody is wanting to say a word, lest they wish to incriminate themselves. As time goes on, however, the tension in the air becomes more and more noticeable, thick enough that even the psycho killer's chainsaw couldn't hack its way through it in one clean swing.

"...Okay, look." Gwen cuts in, thankfully breaking the silence that had permeated through the campgrounds. "It doesn't matter who the killer is. Right now, we need a game plan."

At this, Trent smiles, turning towards Gwen straight away. "Yeah, a game plan! Way to think fast, final girl!" Trent calls out, only for a beat of silence to follow up. "...So, what's the plan?" He asks, as Gwen suddenly freezes up, not having expected to be put on the spot like she was.

Having returned my attention back to the book I was reading, I clear my throat loud enough so that everyone can hear, and without looking up, I begin rattling off whatever stereotypes I can think of from that cheesy slasher schlock that we just watched. "Rule number one, you may not survive the challenge if you have sex. Rule number two, you may not survive the challenge if you drink or do drugs. Rule number three, you probably won't survive the challenge if you say phrases such as 'I'll be right back', or stuff like 'Hello?' or 'Who's there?' when entering a room or building."

Putting my book down, I find all eyes are turned towards me, to which I raise an eyebrow in response. "What? Have none of you ever sat down and watched a horror film before?" I question, before smirking. "Oh wait, we just watched one. Y'know, that cheesy slasher flick before today's challenge?" I quip, before noticing the glare that Heather is giving me. "What, are you upset that I'm trying to look out for everyone's safety, rather than just benefitting myself like you would probably do?" That seems to hit a nerve, as Heather grumbles out something incoherent as a response.

Sighing in annoyance, I go to return to my book, only to find it snatched out my hands by Heather, who continues giving me her look of silent irate.

"Oh, I understand what's going on now." I sarcastically state, before smirking at the queen bee. "You're looking to break rule one with me, aren't you, queenie?"

That taunt seems to be what finally does her in, as her face flushes red out of sheer embarrassment. Tossing my book face-down onto the dirt, I quickly collect it from the ground beneath me as she sputters out in rage.

"Why-, You-, You little-, UGH!" Heather yells out. "J-Just shut it, you know-it-all!" She follows up, giving me a moment to celebrate my victory over her mentally, before she decides that she isn't finished speaking. "We should all just kill you now and get it over with! After all, Chris probably chose you to be the killer, simply because you went ahead and ruined his precious little challenge!"

At that accusation, all eyes fall onto me once more, and a bead of sweat drips down from my forehead to my cheek; Her unprompted accusation had me distinctly caught off-guard, but before I can speak up, someone else does it for me.

"Woah, Heather, calm down a second, alright?" DJ pipes up, stepping between the both of us. "Now why would Chris make Noah the killer?" He asks, before looking over at me.

"Yeah, what would Noah even kill us with anyways? His sharpened tongue?" Owen asks, before laughing at the thought of me as anything remotely resembling that of a killer, but his antics only seem to rile up the rest of the group around me.

"Nah man, he'd probably just use that enslavement stuff to make others do his bidding." Geoff fires off a comment, one that at first seems like nothing more than a joke...before he and the others start to seriously consider it, much to my distress.

"A-Are you guys serious right now?" I ask, my voice taking a defensive tone to it. "How come I'm the one being thrown under the bus here? Heather's at just as much fault as I am for the challenge being ruined!" That statement gets a wide-eyed look from Heather, as if she didn't think I had the audacity to try and defend myself from her baseless accusations.

"Wh-, You-," Heather sputters again, "Don't you think it'd be obvious if I was made the killer?! Do you really think Chris is that lazy to make me into the bad guy of this challenge?" Heather retorts, and from there, things really begin to break down between us.

With most of us caught up in this utterly pointless argument, finally it comes to a conclusion about two to three minutes later, as Trent steps onto one of the stumps and throws out his hands.

"ENOUGH!" The musician yells, silencing the rest of us. "For God's sake, guys, why are we suddenly pre-occupied with finding out who the killer is? The point of this challenge is just to survive!" He reasons, leading Courtney to suddenly stand up next to him.

"Yeah! It doesn't matter who the killer is! As long as we stick together in pairs of two, eventually the killer will have no choice but to make a dumb, hasty decision, and will wind up outing themselves because of it!" The C.I.T. explains, with that gleam in her eye being very helpful in calming my nerves about my status in this challenge.

Gwen, out of sheer annoyance, lets out a huff as she crosses her arms. "Fine." Gwen sighs. "We'll just...try to survive the night, I guess." Gwen finally agrees, with Courtney nodding along, as expected.

"Good, okay, so here's how we'll do this." Courtney starts to explain. "We're going to break off into pairs, and if any of us hear somebody screaming out in terror, we all rush over to wherever the scream came from as quickly as possible, alright?" Her tone of voice leaves no room for any of us to argue. "Good. Now then, Heather? You're with DJ. Owen, you're with Trent. Gwen, you're with me. And Geoff, you're with Noah."

Of course, while these pairings aren't exactly ideal, I frankly have no complaints; Geoff's a big enough dude where he can protect me if need be...and if he's the killer? Well, then at least it'll be a quick night, to say the least. Others, however...

"Oh, I am so not sticking around with the cowardly lion here. These aren't ruby slippers-" Heather exclaims, motioning down to her high heel wedges, "there is no yellow brick road, and I'm not sticking around to listen to this fantasy-land nonsense!" With that, Heather turns around, no longer facing any of us. "You little frightwigs have fun with your gameplan, I need a facial." With that, Heather storms off, DJ quick to follow behind, yelling for her to wait up.

With the six of us left over, we each give silent looks to one another, before breaking off on our own as well, sticking with our 'buddies' as close as possible, for the sake of the challenge.

-0-

...Now, normally this wouldn't be that much of a problem; Honestly, if I got stuck with someone like Gwen, Trent, or - Heaven forbid - Heather, at least they might have made for some decent conversation. Best case scenario, obviously, would've been Owen or Courtney - Owen for protection purposes, and Courtney for the fact that she's the only one on the island I'd even come close to breaking rule number one with. But instead of them...

"...So, bro, what'd you think of the movie?" Geoff asks me for the fourth time in the past ten minutes, having been trying and failing at picking up small talk between the two of us for the duration of this whole entire challenge.

Rolling my eyes, I look back down into my book, no longer interested in even making sure he remains safe, or that I'm not about to get stabbed in the back by the surfer bro. "Did you not hear what I had to say to Gwen after the film ended?" I ask, yet Geoff doesn't catch onto my quite obviously sardonic tone.

"Huh? I was too busy freaking out over the killer managing to escape. How do the police not like, shoot that guy on sight?" He asks, causing me to rub my temples in annoyance.

"Because, Geoff, that film was fictitious." I state, not wanting to deal with this any longer.

"Well yeah, duh, of course it's fake, it was a movie." Geoff responds, folding his arms. "But why couldn't the fake police come in and, y'know-"

"Because, if they do that, then there's no room for a sequel." I respond, to which Geoff stops in his tracks.

"Oooooooooohhh," Geoff nods his head once, "Yeah bro, that makes total sense." He says, before running to catch up with me. "You're like, really smart when it comes to movies, bro. You should be a director!"

That is enough to earn a solid laugh, much to the cowboy's confusion. "Oh, please, you think I should be a director? I'd make Childwick look like a saint compared to the abuse those idiots would probably force out of me. Not to mention having to deal with the producers meddling, or actors holding things up for more money - Oh, and God forbid the Screen Actors Guild decides to go on strike mid-production!" I jokingly rant, with Geoff simply looking on as if I had grown a second head, all of this clearly going over the party boy's head.

Eventually, after a moment of silence, I simply hang my head low, turning towards Geoff as we both stop right where we stand. "Look, Geoff," I start, "if you are the killer, then can you please just get it over with?" I ask, letting out a huff of annoyance. "I really don't want to wind up getting stuck with you for the rest of this challenge."

"Excuse me?" Geoff exclaims, eyes wide from my bluntness. "Sorry, bro, but I'm not the killer, man. And I don't see why you wouldn't want to hang around me-"

"Really? Not after you asked me the same question four times in a row before I finally answered you?" I cut him off, picking my head up now. "Not after you accused me of being the killer along with Heather?"

"Dude, I was a making a joke!" Geoff exclaims, cutting me off this time. "And besides, even if it wasn't a joke, it'd still be accurate." The sudden tonal shift is enough to catch me off-guard, as I take a step backwards to compose myself, before Geoff cuts me off once again out of frustration. "I mean, we all remember what you did during the dodgeball challenge. And getting Duncan kicked off like you did? That was SO not cool, bro."

"Duncan? You're blaming me for Duncan? Duncan was the one that took my advice the wrong way! How was I to know he was going to end up kissing Gwen?!" I exclaim in frustration, the party boy making me want to pull my hair out by the roots. "What, do you also believe that story Lindsay spun about me and Heather, then?" I ask, venom dripping from my sarcastic tone, only for Geoff to nod his head in affirmation.

"I mean, yeah, dude. Lindsay did say you and Heather were dating."

"...Okay, to Hell with this."

Going from annoyed to incensed, I let out an exasperated sigh that turns into an angered roar about half-way through, before meeting Geoff's gaze with a glare of my own. "I've already said this a thousand times, Geoff. I. AM. NOT. DATING. HEATHER!" I scream out to the heavens, hoping that EVERYONE has heard it this time around, so that way I don't have to ever explain this to anyone again. "We were part of an alliance! Just like Lindsay and Heather were! That's all it was! That's all it was ever going to be!"

"Okay, but then why did Lindsay say you two were dating, then, huh? What, am I supposed to believe your word over hers?"

"YES! For God's sake, Geoff, is that too much of me to ask?!" I cry out in a rage, trying to keep whatever's left of my composure in tact. "It was just an alliance, same thing as how Heather viewed her relationship with Lindsay! Those two weren't friends! Those two were NEVER friends! Heather was just using her, just like how Duncan was using you!"

Immediately clamming up, I watch as Geoff strides up to me in anger, looming over me on purpose.

"Using me? You think that Duncan was just using me, dude?!" Geoff yells out indignantly. "Duncan and I were best buds! We were as close as brothers, man! Us two and DJ, we were like the three amigos! Until you came along and ruined everything for us!"

As soon as he mentions the gentle giant's name, I let out a harsh laugh, right in the party cowboy's face. "Hah! Real funny, Geoff. You seriously believe DJ was your friend?" I question, my mind racing faster than my filter can keep up. "You really think a friend would be so careless as to vote out his friend's girlfriend?! Huh?!"

As soon as I say this, everything stops; The realization of what I just said dawns upon me all too late, as Geoff looks down on me, rage in his eyes.

"...Did you just say that DJ voted off my girl, Bridgette?" Geoff calmly asks me, startling me with the sudden shift in his demeanor; I silently nod my head, mentally apologizing for letting that information slip, before the party cowboy turns, and begins to briskly walk away.

I try to run after him, looking to keep up with my 'buddy' for the challenge, but as soon as I get close, he pushes me aside, knocking me on my backside as he continues to storm off.

"Geoff? Where are you going?!" I call out, already knowing what the answer to that question is in the back of my mind.

"I'm just gonna talk with him, Noah." Geoff responds, before picking up the pace, leaving me behind out here in the dark.

By the time I pull myself back up to my feet, the party cowboy's long gone, and I'm left alone, now forced to fend for myself. Looking around the area, I sigh a breath of relief, elated that Geoff hadn't tried to take me out of the game for accidentally playing the messenger, especially with the information I had leaked out to him in this exchange.

"I need to get better at keeping things a secret..." I mentally note to myself, dusting off my cargo shorts and looking to head off elsewhere, only for a scream to cut things off, as I start rushing towards the location of where it seemingly came from...


(Narrator's POV)

Within minutes of the scream, a gathering would be seen just outside the communal washrooms, where five of the eight campers would be looking on in confusion. As Owen would be the one forced to open the door to reveal...Heather standing in front of a mirror, looking as pissed as she is confused, before glaring over to the five others that gathered at the washrooms with a scowl on her face.

"Ahahaha~," Owen immediately laughs this off, walking deeper into the washroom and standing next to the queen bee, "relax, guys, it's just Heather!" This comment nets Owen a swift punch to his arm, with the big lad walking away from her because of it.

"Wait, but where's DJ?" Gwen asks aloud, only for Heather to scoff in annoyance.

"That blubbering oaf? He saw me like this and just went running off, screaming like he just saw a ghost." Heather explains, only for Noah to cut her off with a grin.

"Have you seen yourself lately, Heather? I think ghosts would be running away too, if they saw your ugly face in here."

And once again, it seems that Noah has struck a nerve, as Heather sputters out a couple failed attempts at a retort, until Gwen turns her focus to the know-it-all.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain where party boy went." Gwen states, as Noah turns his focus towards her, eyes widening for a brief moment.

"He, he just ran off, okay?" Noah explains, a defensive tone being taken up by the bookworm once more. "We were talking about Duncan getting eliminated, again, when all of a sudden he just got this real dark expression to him, and ran off without me." Noah raises his voice out of alarm, almost involuntarily so, at the shoddy explanation he has given.

"Uh huh, likely story. So, if you lead us back to where he was, we're not going to find his dead body lying about?" Trent asks, eyes narrowed in on Noah, who vehemently shakes his head.

"No, you won't! It'd have been stupid for me to kill Geoff out there! Hello, buddy system?" Noah calls out, and that's enough to ease Trent's suspicions, as he nods his head.

"Noah's right." Gwen speaks up, with Courtney quick to back her up. "Yeah, if Noah killed Geoff, it'd have made it obvious that he was the killer; Noah might be a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them." Courtney states, before taking a quick look at Noah. "Usually." She abruptly corrects herself, nobody seeming to pick up on there being any errors in what she said.

"Okay, so what do we do now? DJ's out who-knows-where and Geoff has gone completely AWOL." Trent pipes in, only for Courtney to take charge once again.

"Well, I propose we keep the buddy system in tact, since it's worked out thus far, and stick to the plan."

"Or," Gwen cuts in, "we keep the buddy system going, but make sure one of the groupings is trying to find Geoff and DJ, just in case one of those two turns out to be the killer?" Gwen suggests, to which Courtney initially scoffs...before finally relenting.

"Fine, we'll split into three groups of two, then. Owen and Trent, you two stay together and...I don't know, just keep yourself scarce. Gwen and I will go hunting for Geoff and DJ-"

"Or for their respective bodies." Gwen cuts in again.

"And Heather and Noah can stick together, since their partners are now AWOL." Courtney concludes, with both Noah and Heather looking bug-eyed at her.

"Wait-" Noah tries to start, only for Heather to speak over him.

"No way, I am not dealing with the know-it-all for the rest of the night!" Heather exclaims, glaring at the aforementioned know-it-all, as a smirk begins to form on his face.

"What, you still thinking about earlier when you wanted to break rule number-"

"One more word out of you and I'm killing you right here, be you the killer or not!" Heather threatens, promptly shutting Noah up, as the other groupings begin to take their leave, Courtney and Gwen walking together in search for Geoff and DJ, while Owen and Trent decide to head back to the cabins.

"Tch, I can't believe they seriously left me alone with you." Heather complains, turning back to the mirror, finishing up with her exfoliation routine as Noah stays in the doorway.

"Look, I'm not exactly happy about it either, Heather." Noah responds, before grabbing a book from his cargo pants pocket, and flipping it open. "Just be thankful they didn't decide to leave you all by yourself. At least with me here, you have a human shield to protect you from when Geoff goes after you next."

"You should be thankful that I didn't kill you right where you stand, know-it-all." Heather retorts, turning her attention towards Noah, a smirk lining her own facial features now. "Oh, and by the way? You are a terrible liar." That catches Noah's attention straight away, as his eyes dart up from the book towards Heather, who remains smirking at the bookworm's expense. "I mean, seriously? Blaming Geoff to be the killer? There's no way he'd actually go and off somebody, even for the sake of immunity." Heather explains, to which Noah steps forward.

"Well, after I accidentally let slip that DJ was in on us two voting off Bridgette..." Noah explains, this time catching Heather's attention with his statement.

"Wait, DJ? He voted off Bridgette? How do you know that?" Heather asks incredulously, with Noah hiding his smirk by using the book as cover.

"Because I set him up to do it." Noah answers simply, earning an amused smirk from Heather, who nods her head in response.

"Clever," Heather compliments, "but what do you think is going to happen once Geoff figures out that you were in on it as well, huh?" The queen bee asks, to which Noah simply taps the side of his temple with his finger.

"Simple: He's not."

"What do you mean he's not? Geoff's not that stupid." Heather retorts, yet Noah takes another step closer.

"Oh, I'm well aware that he's not as dumb as he may seem. However, I'm simply saying that he won't figure it out; Or, at least, he isn't going to be figuring it out while he's still on the island." Now this comment catches Heather by surprise, another impressed glance at Noah following his own declaration.

"Oh? And what makes you so sure of that, huh, know-it-all?" Heather asks, to which Noah takes one more step further.

"Again, it's simple, dear Heather. It's because..."


(Noah's POV)

With a sudden dart forward and Heather taken by surprise, I manage to back her up against the door to her shower stall, pressing my hands against it as she has nowhere to run. Pulling a hand away, I reach into the hollowed out book and retrieve from it a prop knife, pressing it up against Heather's throat, her eyes widening in shock as she realizes the position she's in.

"He's not the one that's gaining invincibility tonight." I state coldly, keeping the knife pressed up against her throat, all while her breathing becomes erratic, fear coursing through her veins as she tries to find a way out of this mess that she's in; As she opens her mouth, however, I quickly clamp it shut, putting my other hand to her mouth and muffling her attempt. "Ah, ah, ah...no screaming now, queen bee. One wrong step and I'll just kill you right here and now." I explain, causing her to shut her mouth completely, as I chuckle in delight. "Now, I know that I could just kill you right now and probably get away with it scot-free, given how gullible the remaining campers truly are...but I think that the two of us can come to an arrangement."

Not giving Heather even an inch of wiggle room, I press on with my speech, smiling all the while. "I know that if I kill you and win, then everyone is just going to wind up voting for you, instead of getting rid of the party boy that stands to ruin my scheme. So, instead, I'm going to give you a choice: You can either let me enslave you and guarantee yourself immunity, or take your risks at tonight's ceremony, knowing you have the biggest target on your chest. Which is it going to be, hmm?"

Pulling my hand away from Heather's mouth, the queen bee weighs her options for a scant few moments, before lowering her head, face flushed with embarrassment.

"...it, Noah..." Heather mumbles out, to which I simply grin.

"Come on, speak up. It can't be that embarrassing." I sardonically reply, only for Heather to pick her head up in rage.

"I said just do it, Noah!" She barks out, to which my smirk widens.

"Excellent." I state, pulling the knife away slightly, and placing my hand onto her shoulder, just the way Chris had done it to Chef during the demonstration. "Now then, Heather, your soul...is mine."

As soon as I'm finished saying that 'incantation', I completely let go of Heather, and back away instinctively. Reaching into my pants pocket, I pull out a walkie, and turn it onto the channel that was instructed to me.

"Hey Chris, this is Noah. Heather has been enslaved. Over." I close out, rolling my eyes at the outdated terminology Chris insisted that I use, before looking at the queen bee, seeing her quite visibly trembling with rage.

"...This is for immunity, right?" Heather spits out, to which I simply nod; In that exact moment, the rage leaves her body, and Heather forces herself to smirk. "...Fine. What's the plan then, know-it-all?"

"First off, my name is Noah, not know-it-all." I correct her, grinning as she goes to raise a hand, only to forcefully stop herself.

"Fine!" She barks out, face tinted a light red once more. "What's the plan then...Noah?"

"Alright, so this is what you're going to do..."

And as the plan starts formulating and coming together in due time, a small smile appears on my face as I allow myself but a singular moment to reminisce on the conversation I had with Chris McLean earlier.

-0-

"Y'know what, Noah?" Chris starts to reply, a smile forming on his face. "I'm feeling rather generous tonight. Congratulations, Noah! You get to be the killer for tonight's challenge!"

With that, and a flourish, Chris whisks me over to another side of the producer's tent, where dozens of crates are sitting by, filled to the brim with plenty of props from various horror movie sets. Before I can dive in though, Chris puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Couple rules though, just to make things fair: Number one, no invincibility or immortality here. This is a slasher flick, not some alien sci-fi crap. Number two, you can't be both strong and smart, you got to pick one or the other; Just isn't fun if a killer is too overpowered compared to its victims. Number three, you've got to have yourself a signature weapon. Every good slasher villain has one, and you're no exception." Taking his hand off my shoulder, Chris goes to continue as I start digging through the crates in front of me. "Now, obviously we can't supply you with any real weapons for this challenge, but feel free to look through the props we found left over from films shot on-location here at Camp Wawanakwa, and come back to me with your look and your signature-"

"Done." I state, cutting Chris off as I hold up a prop book, which has been hollowed out in the center, along with a butterfly knife that fits perfectly inside of it. "My persona will be titled 'The Wolf', as in a wolf in sheep's clothing, which I intend to emulate. I will be using smarts over strength - obviously enough - and my main power is the ability to siphon the souls of others from them, both as a power source, and as a way of making them into slaves." I explain to the host, who looks shocked at the amount of detail I had put into this one-off character. "Is that fine by you, Chris?" I ask, and the host gives me a smirk.

"Long as you're okay with anyone you enslave being given invincibility." He tacks on, to which I nod my head; Disappointing, in some aspects, but makes enough sense for me not to even bother with complaining. "Alright then, 'wolf', grab yourself a walkie and these packets of fake blood, then head on out with Chef back to the other campers; Or, in this case, to your 'flock'." Chris lets out a laugh at his own joke, watching as I take my leave, Chef Hatchet looking at me before nodding, having heard all of it from outside the tent.

As I make the walk back, I take another look at the hollowed-out book, smiling to myself as I stuff it into the pockets of my cargo shorts; Chris can laugh all he wants in the producer's tent, but it's going to be I who laughs last here tonight, because no matter what it takes, and no matter who stands in my way, I am going to be winning that immunity tonight, and make sure that my plan goes off without a single hitch.


(Narrator's POV)

A couple minutes after the original shriek had happened, a follow-up shriek comes from the communal bathroom once more; This time, it is one that is far less masculine in nature, and as four out of the six remaining campers arrive, they find Heather lying face-down, with (fake) blood soaked into her towel, while Noah is sat in front of one of the stalls, his clothes ripped and torn as he appears to be coping with whatever it is that he saw.

Turning towards the others, Noah remains silent for a couple of seconds, before finally muttering out the phrase that most others had expected:

"H-Heather..." Noah stammers, fear coursing through his voice. "S-S-She...s-she's dead!" Noah cries out, rushing to Courtney's side immediately, clinging to the C.I.T., who looks on in disbelief.

"What happened here, Noah?!" Gwen asks, incredulous. "Didn't we leave you and Heather here together?!" She asks, only for Noah to pull himself back up to his feet, still standing close to Courtney for the sake of his own comfort.

"I-It...I c-couldn't stop him," Noah begins, wiping a tear from his eye, "G-G-Geoff, h-he..." Noah stops himself, sniveling, as Courtney places a hand onto his shoulder.

"Come on, Noah." Courtney quickly re-affirms him, giving a soft smile his way. "You can do this, I believe in you. Just tell us what happened."

Gathering up his courage, Noah clears his throat, before looking to the others. "G-Geoff came back in here, a-and said he was finished with taking care of DJ. He said Heather was up next, a-and...I, I t-tried to stop him, b-but he was just too strong for me to handle. He tossed me into a stall, nearly knocking me unconscious, a-and by the time I came to, H-Heather had been...H-Heather had been...she w-was..." At that, Noah breaks down into sobs of despair, clinging to Courtney once more, who soothes him the best she can.

(CONFESSIONAL)

"Okay, so the whole 'sobbing into Courtney's arms as I recount my side of the story' thing?" Noah starts, looking decidedly not on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. "That was all improvised." A smug grin then crosses his face. "But, if there's anything that would sway Courtney to take my side, it'd be making her feel like the hero of their little group." Noah explains, tapping his temple with his index finger. "What better way of doing that than to act like some scared little damsel for the brave, valiant Courtney to save from the clutches of evil?"

(STATIC)

"So, Noah clinging to me like that was..." Courtney pauses, taking a brief opportunity to swoon at the camera, "An experience~." Just as quickly as it happened, she collects herself once more, a stoic, determined expression forming onto her face. "But it definitely didn't mean anything whatsoever. It was just my boyfriend being scared and clinging to my arms as a source of comfort and warmth. That's it!"

...After a few more seconds, Courtney swoons once more, unknowingly doing so as she looks away from the camera.

(STATIC)

"What the Hell got into Noah to cause him to do that?" Gwen muses to herself, a cross look forming onto her face as she does so. "And why exactly do I care so much about what he did? It's not like he jumped into my arms!" Gwen exclaims, before suddenly clamming up, a wide-eyed look being given to the camera. "I-I mean, not that I'd want him to do that to me, OBVIOUSLY! Hello, I have a BOYFRIEND! Plus, it'd be so much better if Trent was the one to do that, instead of Noah." Gwen reasons, before a look of self-doubt forms within her gaze.

(CONFESSIONAL END)

Of course, much unlike in the confessional, Courtney immediately steps up to the challenge, invigorated by Noah's display of weakness, as she turns towards the remaining foursome that has gathered.

"Alright! Well, you heard the know-it-all! We've got a killer cowboy on the loose, and Gwen and I are going to go after him together!" Courtney exclaims, much to Gwen's shock.

"We are?" She asks, cautiously. "But you were against us going after him before-"

"Well, I've decided to change my mind!" Courtney exclaims. "Besides, I agreed to your idea initially, although it was out of a desire to just get you to be quiet, rather than any actual desire to track down a killer." Courtney states, netting a roll of the eyes from Gwen in exchange.

"Gee, thanks, Courtney. Glad to know you value my opinion so much." Gwen states in complete sarcasm, to which Courtney ignores, and continues on anyhow.

"Owen, Trent, you two stick with Noah - Gwen and I will go hunt down Geoff, kill him off, and win invincibility for us all!" Courtney calls out, before she and Gwen race off, leaving Noah alongside the remaining two guys in the group.

Of course, while Owen is all to excited to let Noah into their group, immediately clinging onto his own 'little buddy', Trent's eyes narrow as he follows along with the two of them, leaving behind the corpse in the shower...before Heather begins to stir.

"...Ugh, I can't believe that twerp made me do something so...disgusting." Heather shudders, both from the lingering sensation of the cold tile floor, as well as the fact she's still clad in only a towel. "He better know what the Hell he's doing. I am not missing out on my invincibility because that know-it-all dug himself into a hole that he couldn't crawl his way out of." Heather states, before storming off to the cabins, looking to get changed and continue on with Noah's plan.


(Noah's POV)

"...Huh. That turned out to be...surprisingly easy, all things considered."

They had bought the whole story, hook, line, and sinker. A bit of overacting on my part, sure, but hey, at the end of the day, who cares about my acting? If I win invincibility, it'll all be worth it in the end.

"So Noah," Trent picks up the conversation, calling my attention towards him, "you said Geoff came back to the showers to go after Heather?"

Nodding my head, I put on my acting chops once more, pretending to still be shellshocked by what I saw. "Y-Yeah, Trent. He just rushed me down, knocking me into that stall before then taking out Heather. Guy barely said a word the whole time, so I kind of had to piece together why he went for Heather, but my guess was that DJ threw the Bridgette vote onto her."

"But you said that he told you that Heather was up next before he attacked you." Trent says, forcing me to stop in my tracks as I scramble to patch up the lie that I had just told.

"W-Well, yeah, he said that before he rushed me down. Obviously."

Trent doesn't say anything for a few seconds, as the three of us resume our trek back to the campfire, until Trent stops once more, prompting Owen and I to do the same.

"Wait, did he say where he found DJ?" Trent asks, to which I shake my head.

"No, said nothing about where he found him, just that he had finished taking care of him."

"How did he find him then, Noah? We all heard DJ screaming as he fled from the washrooms, he couldn't have gotten far if Geoff was able to track him down and return to the washrooms in that quick of a timeframe."

Unbeknownst to both Trent and Owen, my eyes widen once more, a curse slipping through me mentally as I hadn't thought about that wrinkle to the story. Looking between Owen and Trent, I struggle to think of an answer, until suddenly, it hits me; Fumbling with a hand in my pocket, I discreetly turn the walkie-talkie on before saying this next part.

"Uh, well, you see, there was, uh...there was this music that was playing! It must have distracted DJ to stop him from screaming, while also guiding Geoff towards his location." I blurt out, with Trent looking on, unamused by my explanation.

Thankfully, a few seconds pass before the sound of an ice cream truck's typical music begins to play, Owen's eyes widening at the sound of it.

"Ice cream?! Oh sweet baby bell, COME TO PAPA~!" Owen cries out, before both me and Trent have to chase after him, catching up to and restraining him for a brief moment.

"Owen! Didn't you hear what I just said! The killer is using it as a trap to lure in his victims!" I explain, only for Owen to gasp in horror.

"Hold it! The killer is using ice cream as a guise to kill people?!" He asks, looking to be more horrified now than he was upon seeing Heather's 'dead' body.

That horror, however, quickly turns into pure rage, as he sends me and Trent along for the ride with him, charging like a bull towards the direction of the ice cream truck music. "KILLER, LORD BETTER HAVE MERCY ON YOU, BECAUSE THIS BIG MAN AIN'T HAVING ANY OF IT!" He screams out, moving faster than I've ever seen him move before, and internally, I begin to panic.

With Trent unable to hold on any longer, he slips off of Owen and crashes to the ground, tumbling a few feet backwards, all while I cling onto him.

"If he gets to where the sound is coming from, then I'm royally screwed! He'll know that Geoff isn't the killer, and then he'll end up turning on me! I need some way to stop him, but how can I-"

At that moment, I realize exactly what I must do...and with my hands firmly pressed onto his shoulders, and gripping for my life, I pull myself up to one of Owen's ears, mid-charge.

"Your...soul...is...mine!"

And instantly, Owen stops, dead in his tracks, as while I am flung off of him, it happened after I had completed the incantation, which now means that Owen has thankfully been 'enslaved' as well. Dusting myself off as I get up to my feet, a small smile emerges, before it fades at the lifeless - or rather, soulless - gaze Owen has fixated onto me. Walking up to him, I place a singular hand on his shoulder, forcing him to bend down to lend me his ear.

"Listen up, big guy; I'm the killer, but I'm not going to kill you. You're under my spell now, and have to do anything I say for the rest of the night. Do you understand me?" Owen nods, prompting me to continue. "Good. Now then, the two of us are going to walk back to Trent, with you acting like you were never enslaved in the first place. Then, when I say the phrase 'like a bear, or a wolf', that's when you grab Trent and restrain him, that way I can kill him off, and the two of us can return to the mess hall. Do you copy that, big guy?" Another robotic nod from Owen, and I pull away, clapping my hands. "Aaaaand action!" I call out, laughing to myself mentally; "Maybe Geoff is right, I would make for a good director..."

Immediately upon my clapping, Owen perks back up to his normal state, laughing it up as I grab onto his ear, yanking it back over towards the musician.

"OW, MY EAR!" The big guy screeches, alerting Trent of where we are, as the three of us meet back up, my face contorted into the best agitated expression I can muster.

"Woah, you actually got him to stop?" Trent asks, to which I briskly nod my head, giving another yank on Owen's ear to force him to stay, much to his chagrin.

"Yeah," I dust myself off once more, "although this sack of lard didn't make it any easier on me." I complain, prompting another laugh to come out of Owen.

"Aww, sorry little buddy! I just can't help myself when it comes to ice cream." Owen chuckles once more, with Trent giving a laugh of his own, albeit one out of disbelief.

"Hah! I honestly thought you were going to be a pair of goners thanks to that stupid ice cream trap." Trent says, and I let a smile form, as I keep hold of Owen to prevent him from running off.

"Oh yeah," I say, rolling my eyes, "I mean, how stupid do you have to be to fall for a trap like that?" I ask, with Owen muttering a sheepish 'sorry' as an apology, to which Trent and I accept.

Now back together and without any further ice cream shenanigans, I manage to click the walkie-talkie off before taking a glance towards Trent, looking to continue our conversation that got interrupted by his line of questioning.

"Say, who do you even think the killer is, wonderwall?" I ask. "You know, out of curiosity." I explain it away, waving my hand as if it were a meaningless query, to which Trent gives me a quizzical look in exchange.

"Honestly, man? I want to believe it is Geoff, but if you wound up getting it wrong, then I kind of hope it's Gwen." Trent says, a smile forming onto his face. "She's told me about how she's dreamed of being a slasher villain before." Trent explains, before both me and Owen stop in our tracks, giving a weird look to the musician, who immediately backtracks. "I-I mean, not in like, real life or anything! Just in a movie! You know, as an actress?" Looking towards Owen, I nod my head in agreement, letting Trent have his defense hold up, as the three of us continue onwards, heading to the edge of the forest now.

"Right, right." I smirk sardonically. "Honestly, who even knows where Geoff is right now, or DJ, for that matter." I state, shrugging my shoulders ever-so-slightly. "I mean, I just hope that they're all okay, outside of the challenge, obviously. I know Heather's fine, being in the washroom and all, but if DJ got killed? It could be a big issue if he got left in a bad spot. You never know what could be out there in these woods." I explain, with Trent nodding his head in agreement.

"I hear you, man. After what happened with Cody, you can never be too sure, anymore."

"Right, right, and it's not just one type of predator out there, either. I mean, even the three of us could get mauled right now if something popped out in front of us. I don't know, maybe like say..." Stopping in my tracks, I turn to face Trent fully. "Like a bear, or a wolf."

Pausing at my word choice, Trent is caught off-guard as Owen suddenly grabs him, squeezing him in a bearhug that traps both the musician's arms. "W-Wha-?! What the?! Owen! W-What the Hell are you doing, big guy?!" Trent calls out in a panic, clearly not noticing the glazed over look in his eyes, nor the way I approach him with book in-hand, a smile forming on my face as I step up to him.

"Oh, Trent..." I say, shaking my head as he looks towards me in surprise, gasping at what he sees. "You thought I forgave you for leaving me out in the woods, after last week's challenge?" I ask, Trent's attempt at a response getting squeezed out of him by Owen's grasp. "Consider this your official forgiveness, wonderwall." I state, before slicing the knife across his throat, silencing the guitarist for the remainder of this challenge, as he crumples to the ground, 'dead'.

Fetching another blood packet, I quickly pour it onto his neck in a straight line before grabbing my walkie-talkie, clicking it on once more. "Hey Chris, Noah here. Owen and I are heading out to the dining hall right now. Owen's been enslaved, so no reason to worry on that front. Trent's dead too, by the way, so that should just leave me with DJ, Geoff, and the two final girls." I inform our host, before clicking the walkie off and heading towards the cabins, Owen following along, as it becomes about time for act three of my plan to get underway...


(Narrator's POV)

As both Noah and Owen walk off, the cameras shift out to the cliffside where the first challenge initially took place, DJ sat at the top of it, looking out at the moon that's hanging above the island in silence.

(CONFESSIONAL)

Sat in the confessional, DJ is seen with a wistful expression to him.

"I know, I know, I was a big coward when it came to Heather." DJ says, being...surprisingly open about his fear. "I just...I couldn't help it, alright? You saw her like that too, right? That was someserious ugly going on!"

Upon saying this, DJ falls silent again, waiting a few seconds before continuing.

"...I've just been thinking, did I really do the right thing in voting off Bridgette?" He asks aloud, as if the confessional will give him the answers that he needs. "I feel bad for doing it, but with how aggressive Geoff was being? I had no choice!"

Another bout of silence ensues, this one for a bit longer, to the point of a fast-forward skip effect being put into frame.

"...But still, I feel bad, you know? Voting people off, playing all strategic, I don't think this game was meant for me, mama. I'm sorry if I'm disappointing you, mama. I sure feel like a disappointment right about now..."

(CONFESSIONAL END)

With DJ's moment of peace being disturbed, the brickhouse stands up and turns, only to find Geoff climbing up the cliffside, malicious intent in his eyes, bright as day.

"O-Oh, h-hey Geoff. H-How's the challenge going?" DJ asks, stumbling over his words as he looks backwards, realizing the grave danger of the situation that he's in.

"DJ..." Geoff continues his advance. "You voted off Bridgette. Didn't you, DJ?" Geoff asks him point blank, taking DJ by surprise.

"W-What? Who, me? Vote- Vote for Bridgette? No! No man, of course not!" DJ responds, putting his hands up defensively, as if to try and ward off Geoff's approach. "I-I just...I uh..." The big man stammers, until finally...he lowers his hands. "...I did, Geoff. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Geoff questions, before flipping back to anger. "You voted off my girl, dude!"

"I know I did, Geoff!" DJ calls out, not trying to raise his voice, but finding himself forced to anyhow. "I ain't proud of it, either! But with the way you been acting ever since Duncan was caught kissing Gwen, I had to do something to try and bring the old you back!"

"Bring the old me back? When did I change, DJ?!" Geoff roars, pausing just a few feet in front of DJ, letting him say his piece.

"You changed when you and Duncan started hanging out more, man! He was messing with you, dude. Messing you up bad."

"Bro, what are you talking about?! Duncan's my best friend! He wasn't messing with me!"

"Then why did you keep bullying Harold, huh?" DJ fires back. "He said he was gonna stop, and he did! So why'd you keep messing with him?"

"Because the dweeb had it coming, dude! You know that he was just lying in order to save his own skin!"

"No, I don't know that! You didn't give him a chance to show if he was! You guys just kept messing with him, even after he said he'd learned his lesson!"

"And you were the one who was going along with it!"

"I know that I was, and I regret every second of it, dude! But clearly, you don't, because you don't seem to realize how badly Duncan's messed with your mind, Geoff!"

"Just shut up already, DJ! Duncan's my friend- Duncan was our friend! He was there for us from the very beginning, ever since day one! Why do you keep saying that he was just messing with us?"

"Because he was, man! That's what he was doing! He was using us for our votes, to get further into the game!"

"What? No he wasn't, dude! Duncan would never do that - not to his bros."

"Then why'd we vote off Tyler, Geoff?"

"Huh, Tyler?" Geoff questions, pausing for a brief second, before scoffing it off like it meant nothing. "Because the dude was too chicken to stick around us any longer."

"That's what Duncan said about him, though. That's not what you thought about him. Besides, Tyler wasn't the only one who failed in his challenge! Bridgette failed too, and so did Courtney!"

"Bridgette only failed because of that nerdling's stink bomb, bro, that's not fair!"

"Okay, but that still means Courtney failed, right? Why was it okay for her to fail but not for Tyler to do the same?"

"Because..." And Geoff pauses, unable to find an answer, giving the opportunity for DJ to press onwards.

"What about Leshawna, huh? Leshawna was our friend! Leshawna was my friend! But because Duncan just told us to vote her off, that means we just had to vote her?"

"You went along with that one, though, Deej. You're at just as much fault as Duncan is for that vote!"

"I'm not saying that I ain't at fault! What I'm trying to say is, were you just going to listen to who Duncan wanted voted off after each and every challenge?"

"Pssh, yeah, dude! It's called 'strategy'!"

"And what if he wanted you to vote me off, huh?"

"Then I'm voting you off, dude! Nothing personal, but I'm closer with Duncan than I am with you."

"And what about Bridgette?!"

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

The silence that fills the cliffside air is deafening, as Geoff stands there in shock, appalled that DJ would go for such a risky call. Yet, as he remains there in silence, DJ speaks up again, in a softer voice this time.

"Would you have voted for Bridgette, if Duncan told you to vote for her?" DJ asks, approaching Geoff with opened arms.

"I-, uh-, buh-but-, h-he wouldn't-" Geoff sputters, until DJ pulls him inwards, hugging Geoff tightly, placing a hand upon his head.

"I'm sorry, Geoff. Really, I am. But you and I both know that if it came down to him or Bridgette..."

For a few seconds further, all remains silent, Geoff's hat tipping forward to hide his expression from view. Together the two stay still, embracing one another as friends, until finally the party boy breaks up the quiet, chin placed on DJ's shoulders.

"...Does that mean that you-"

"Yeah...it does, Geoff." DJ replies, looking down towards the ground beneath them. "I voted for them both."

"...For them both?" Geoff questions, before DJ looks him in the eyes, resolve on full display.

"I voted against Duncan, Geoff. The night that he got eliminated, I had to vote him off."

The chill that follows is enough to silence both of them, as they remain together for a moment...until Geoff abruptly shoves DJ off of him, sending him backpedaling away.

"You...you backstabber! YOU'RE JUST LIKE THE OTHERS! DISHONEST TILL THE END!" Geoff cries out, delivering a punch to the chest of DJ, sending him back once more, before he grabs hold of the gentle giant's shirt, and holds him at the cliff's edge.

For a second, a look of panic settles into the eyes of Devon Joseph, until Geoff's face settles into a somewhat-deranged smirk.

"You know, funny thing is? You were too much a chicken to do this the first day, weren't you?" Geoff asks, laughing for a few seconds afterwards, before finally getting in close to DJ. "Well, look at it this way, bro - now you can go back home and tell your mama you went cliff diving!" And with that, Geoff pushes DJ off the cliff, sending him over the edge and crashing down into the (thankfully) shark-less waters below, standing over his work for a couple of seconds with a grin lining his face.

As the sound of DJ splashing into the water is heard, however, and Geoff turns around, he is met by the sight of both Gwen and Courtney, each of them looking rather disturbed by the expression on the party cowboy's face.

"H-Hey, Geoff," Gwen greets him with trepidation, "h-have you...seen DJ, by chance?" The goth girl asks, only for Geoff to look backwards for just a second.

"Oh, yeah...I just saw him, actually." He says, before glancing back at the two of them. "He said he was going for a bit of a swim." Geoff answers coldly, before turning his gaze towards Courtney, specifically. "Say...you were another one of those chickens who refused to go cliff diving, weren't you?" He asks, giving the C.I.T. pause, as she steps backwards.

"I-I have no idea w-what you're talking about, G-Geoff!" Courtney exclaims, only for Geoff to scowl in return.

"Another liar, huh? You know, DJ was lying to me, too, Courtney." Geoff says, stepping closer and closer to the two of them. "Guess I'll have to send you off for a swim with him, won't I, you bitch?"

Growling, Geoff tries to pounce onto Courtney, only for Gwen to suddenly launch herself onto him, tackling him down to the ground and raining down blows onto his face.

(CONFESSIONAL)

"I...I swear, I don't know what came over me..." Gwen mutters, eyes wide, a thousand yard stare gazing off into the camera. "I just...I snapped."

(END CONFESSIONAL)

A shrill cry of pure vitriol and hatred is heard across the entirety of Camp Wawanakwa as Gwen continues battering the party dude, whose attempts at fighting back soon turn into attempts at defending himself, before he goes unconscious, forcing Courtney to rush in and pull Gwen off of him, just in time for an ATV to arrive on the scene.

"Gwen! GWEN! STOP!" Chris exclaims, with Chef Hatchet grabbing Gwen and restraining her, all while Courtney checks on Geoff. "HE'S DONE, GWEN! HE'S DEAD! HE'S OUT OF THE CHALLENGE!" Chris yells out, calming Gwen down ever so slightly, before she looks towards Chris.

"S-So...the challenge...i-it's over?" She asks...only for a sinister grin to form on the face of McLean.

"Nope!" He exclaims, sending shockwaves throughout both Gwen and Courtney at his reveal.

"...What?" Gwen mutters, before rushing to Chris and grabbing him by the collar. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE CHALLENGE ISN'T OVER?! I JUST...I JUST KILLED THE KILLER, DIDN'T I?! I WON IMMUNITY! WHERE IS MY IMMUNITY?!" She screeches out, forcing Chef to restrain her once more as Chris tugs on his ear, hoping he didn't just suffer hearing loss because of that outburst.

"Well, you see Gwen, I would be giving you immunity right now, had you actually killed the real killer."

A pit forms in the bottom of Gwen's stomach as she hears this, with Courtney staggering to her feet, confused, disoriented, and a little scared of what had just occurred in front of her.

"S-So...y-you mean that I-" Gwen begins, only for Chris' grin to widen.

"Yep! You just killed an innocent man! Congratulations, Gwen, if this were real life, you'd be arrested for murder!" Chris announces, before looking to Courtney. "But that's not all! Seeing as how the night's still quite young, and Geoff here pushed DJ off of that cliff, that means that you two still have quite a while to go until you're officially deemed as the last remaining survivors of the challenge! So, see you then!" Chris proclaims, hopping onto his ATV and driving off, all while Chef carries away the 'carcass' of Geoff from the cliffside, leaving both Gwen and Courtney together in stunned silence.

"Are...are you...okay?" Courtney asks...only for an anguished cry to escape from Gwen's lips, one that echoes throughout the entire island once more, leaving Courtney to helplessly try and comfort her. "It's...it's okay, Gwen. R-Really, it...it's just a game, okay? J-Just another challenge...n-nothing else." Courtney tries to reassure her, but it's after a few seconds of silence that Gwen finally looks to her, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I...I'm okay. I'm okay..." Gwen pants, muttering this on repeat to try and convince herself of it being the truth.

"A-And...j-just remember, Gwen," Courtney starts, prompting her to look up at the C.I.T., "the two of us, w-we were together this whole time, okay? I-If I was the killer, then I-"

"Courtney, I know." Gwen states simply, pulling herself up to her feet and brushing past the C.I.T.

"W-Wait, where are you-" Gwen cuts her off, staring back at Courtney with determined resolve in her eyes, the type of resolve typically saved for that of a final girl - areal final girl.

"I'm going to the dining hall, Courtney." Gwen says, without any shadow of a doubt. "I'm going to the dining hall, and I'm ending this challenge." The goth then goes to walk off, only for Courtney to rush behind her, looking to catch up to her buddy.

"W-Wait!" Courtney yells, causing Gwen to pause. "I'm coming with you." She says, as the two share a nod, heading off to the dining hall for what is set to be a climactic battle, one way or another...


(Noah's POV)

"God, what is taking those idiots so long to get here?"

Sitting on top of one of the tables here in the mess hall, I idly stare off at the 'power source' as it crackles with plasma held inside of it, Owen and Heather both alongside me, ready and waiting for a fight to break out. Of course, at this rate, there might notbe a fight, and that means we'd have to go out and hunt for them, which given there's four of them and only three of us, is much easier said than do-

BAM!

Abruptly, the door to the mess hall is kicked open, caution tape being burst through as both Courtney and Gwen step in, followed by...no one?

Pausing in their tracks, they look between the three of us, and eventually the truth of the matter settles into their minds, as Courtney gasps in disbelief.

"N-Noah? You...you're the killer behind all of this?" She asks, to which I roll my eyes, smirking.

"Of course I am. What'd you expect, really? Did you seriously think that Geoff was the killer all this time?" I ask, before looking past them at the door they burst in from. "Speaking of, where is the party cowboy, anyhow? Or the brickhouse, for that matter? I thought there would be more of you." I mutter offhandedly, just to catch the forlorn expression on Gwen's face, followed by Courtney matching the same energy as her.

"I-It...it doesn't matter where they are," Gwen begins, picking her head up and staring at me with fury unbound, "what matters is that we're going to beat you! Right here, right now! We're going to beat you for Trent, and for DJ, and for everyone else we've lost!"

"You do know you literally just named the only two people to have 'died' in this challenge, right? Or rather, the only two who died at the hands of someone other than yourselves-" My sarcastic quip is cut off as Gwen growls in rage, charging forward, only for Owen to step into the way, blockading her path to the 'power source', just as I had planned.

With the two of them already battling, Courtney is forced to step up to Heather, who scoffs in indifference. "Ugh, this is so annoying. I cannot wait for this dumb challenge to be over with so I can just get my invincibility already." Heather complains, all while I smirk at her comments.

"Ah, ah, ah, is that insubordination I hear, my dear minion?" I ask teasingly, and Heather scoffs once more before she goes after Courtney, the two of them surprisingly quite evenly matched, while Gwen does battle with-

"Ugh, Owen! G-Get OFF OF ME!" Gwen yells out, being trapped in the vice-like bearhug of the big O, which brings a smile to my face, before I look back over at Courtney's battle against Heather.

"Hmm, the two of them are a lot closer than I thought they would be." I think to myself, considering the options at my disposal. "I wonder though..." At that, a plan formulates in my mind, and with the power source in-hand, I calmly approach the ongoing battle between them, watching as Courtney manages to knock Heather down once more, only for her to glare my way.

"Hi, sweetie~." I mockingly coo, causing the C.I.T. to growl out in frustration as she avoids another attack from Heather.

"N-Noah! Now's not the time for that!" Courtney cries out, tossing Heather to the ground once more, before stepping closer to me. "So unless you want me to beat you down like I am your little minion here, why don't you just give me that power source, and we can end this once and for all?"

"Actually, my dear Courtney, I have a better idea." I state, gaining her intrigue, as I motion for Heather to stand down. "You see, I could just go ahead and kill you off here and now...but I'm feeling generous, Princess~." That nickname earns a small growl from Courtney...yet she continues listening, much to my relief. "See, what I had in mind was for a way that both of us can get what we want." I explain, drawing some confusion out of her stone-faced gaze. "You want to be the final girl at the end of it all, and I want to maintain my immunity. So, why don't you and I come to a bit of an agreement?" I ask, tilting my head towards Gwen, as she continues to face off against Owen. "You stab Gwen in the back, and kill her off for good, and I'll make sure that you're safe at tonight's elimination ceremony. You'll have no fear when it comes to being sent home, and all it'll cost you is one measly betrayal of your only friend left alive in tonight's challenge. After everything you've been through, I know it must be tough...but all good bargains must come at a cost, isn't that right, my dear Princess?"

For a couple moments, I can see the confliction on the face of the C.I.T., as she struggles with this proposition I have given her. Immunity from elimination, in exchange for a pyrrhic victory; A situation where nobody truly wins - except for myself, of course. But after a couple of seconds...Courtney sighs out in resignation, and looks towards Gwen.

"...Give me the knife, Noah." She mutters, and I give a smug grin off towards my girlfriend as I hand it off to her happily.

"Now then, remember Courtney, if you try to betray me, I will ensure your elimination tonight." I tell her, before watching her walk off, with Heather simply staying down, having watched that entire situation play out with a glare aimed at me...only for it to turn into a smirk as she realizes what exactly I'm playing at with this situation.

At the same time as this all concludes, Gwen finally seems to be able to take Owen down for good, huffing for breath as I motion for the big guy to stay down without her realizing, leaving Gwen and Courtney to stare me down, all while I hold onto the power source with a shit-eating grin on my face.

Panting for breath, Gwen steps forward first, clearly damaged from the war she just went through. "Alright, Noah..." The goth pants, "it's all over. We have the numbers advantage, and there's nothing you can do. Just hand us your power source, and we won't have to hurt you." Gwen explains, taking another step forward. "I know how much you love the easy way out, so this should be nothing for you, you lazy know-it-all!" Gwen cries out, clearly frustrated with how this challenge has progressed, as indicated by her tone...but as she steps closer once again, my eyes shift to Courtney, who remains stood behind her, and I turn my focus back to Gwen with a knowing smile.

"You know what, Gwen?" I ask, opening my arms in grandiose fashion. "Yes, I do love taking the easy way out." I admit. "It's why I enslaved both Heather and Owen to do my bidding. It's why I bided my time, making up lies and stories to deceive you all, that way I could slip under the radar, go completely undetected..." I pause for dramatic effect, purposefully making eye contact with Gwen for this next part. "It made it feel all the better when I slashed the throat of that musician boyfriend of yours, Gwen, and watched the life fade right out from his eyes." I taunt, watching as Gwen takes another step closer, growling out in pure rage now.

"But in case you haven't figured it out yet, what I do better than anybody, Gwen...is adapt." I continue on. "These two minions here, they were merely plan A," I taunt once more, knowing that I am merely making Gwen more and more upset with me, "But this..." I say, chuckling to myself, as Gwen has almost gotten to the point of being able to assault me. "This is what I call my plan B." I say, stopping Gwen in her tracks, eyes widened, as she tries to study the room around her, waiting for the trap to trigger. "There is always a plan B..." I conclude ominously, watching as Gwen continues to panic, before she abruptly continues her approach, grabbing me by the collar...

...

...

...

Until she feels a knife being plunged into her back, and as she turns around to find the source of it, I merely smile at the look of recognition that fills her eyes.

...

...

"...C-" Gwen stutters, in a mixture of pain and disbelief. "C-Courtney...?" She asks weakly, before keeling over, left for 'dead' by her only remaining ally.

As Courtney looks to me, she hands the knife back over to me, to which I simply smirk, watching Courtney do the same...before I plunge the knife into her chest as well, seeing her smirk turn to shock, and then anger, before she flops over next to Gwen, her run as the 'final girl' being wiped out right before her very eyes...

...

...

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...

"CONGRATULATIONS, NOAH!" Chris exclaims, bursting through the mess hall doors, as DJ and Trent follow behind him. "You, Heather, and Owen have all earned yourselves invincibility through tonight's show-stopping performance! Bravo to you, my sociopathic bundles of joy!" Chris exclaims, before looking down at Gwen and Courtney, as they pull themselves up to their feet, looking anywhere but each other. "As for the rest of you, I'll be seeing you at the bonfire ceremony! This is going to be a good one!" Chris exclaims, taking his leave from the mess hall, as Trent comes walking over to me, a smile on his face.

"Man, you got me good back there." Trent says in good nature, extending a fist bump my way, which I reciprocate. "I can't believe I actually fell for that trap, man. How'd you pull off the stuff with Owen, though?" He asks, to which I simply tap my temple with the side of the plastic knife in my hand.

"When he was running to the 'ice cream truck', and you got thrown off his back-"

"You used that enslavement thing on him, didn't you?!" Trent exclaims, earning a nod from me, which leads to him laughing it up. "Wow, dude, even I got to admit that was pretty hardcore."

"Yeah, Noah, you made a really good killer!" Owen exclaims, before realizing the meaning of his words; Before he can correct himself, though, I pat him on the shoulder, smiling at his energy.

"What can I say? I learned from the best that literature had to offer." I state, before finding myself forcibly turned around, an irate Courtney now getting in my face.

"What. The. Hell?!" Courtney screams, prodding me in the chest. "Why didn't Chris call my name out for invincibility?! I did exactly as you asked!"

"Yes, you did, Courtney." I state, smiling once again. "But you did it under your own free will, not enslavement. And besides, I never said you were getting invincibility; I merely said you would be safe at tonight's elimination ceremony. As an aspiring lawyer, I'm sure you're aware of those being two very different things." Shocked at my solid logic and reasoning, Courtney can't even mutter up a retort to me before she turns around...and suddenly, she is met with the simmering rage of a certain goth girl who, unknowingly, had been pushed to the very limit throughout this whole entire night.

Without another word, I share a glance with Owen and DJ, and together, the three of us make a beeline for the exit, Heather having already taken her leave long before this situation even began, leaving Trent alone to deal with the volatility of those two exploding on each other.

"Courtney, I hope you can forgive me for this..." I pray in my mind whilst I run back off to the cabins, not wanting to be anywhere near this eruption of Mt. Gwen.


(Narrator's POV)

With a brief break between the end of challenge to now, all eight contestants are gathered around the campfire once more; Notably with a six-camper separation between both Courtney and Gwen, a now-conscious (although still bruised) Geoff sat in the dead center of it all alongside Owen, as tension hangs heavy in the air, much to the delight of our 'host with the most'.

"Alright campers, I've only got seven marshmallows to hand out here tonight." Chris announces, before his smile softens. "Now, I can tell you've had your fair share of drama tonight, so I'm going to make this snappy. Okay?" A silent response is what Chris gets in response, giving him exactly what he wanted. "Alright! Let's start off with our invincibility winners: Heather, Owen, and Noah!"

With three marshmallows tossed, each of them catch theirs with ease, Noah holding onto his for a moment longer than the other two.

(CONFESSIONAL)

"So, tonight is going to be interesting..." Noah muses, a worried face on display. "Very interesting..."

Pondering for a second, Noah pauses, before looking at the camera. "I really hope that the votes go my way here tonight. I know I've been getting real lucky as of late, but if I can just get one more night of good luck..." Noah's prayer concludes in silence, as he looks up to the roof of the confessional, in hope.

(CONFESSIONAL END)

"Trent, Gwen, you two are also safe!" Chris reveals, tossing each of them their prize, with Gwen glaring out at Courtney upon receiving hers, much to the C.I.T.'s dismay.

"The second-to-last marshmallow goes to..." Chris pauses, adding even more tension onto the plates of the three remaining options. "...DJ!" The host calls, a smile breaking out on the face of the gentle giant as he receives his treat, before all eyes turn to the two remaining options for elimination here tonight.

"Campers, this is the final marshmallow of the night. One of you will be going home tonight, your dreams of winning a hundred thousand dollars being sent straight down the drain." Chris states, a deathly serious tone being taken for the sake of drama. "And the final marshmallow goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

"...Courtney!"

With that declaration, the marshmallow is tossed Courtney's way, and Geoff hangs his head low, pulling himself up to his feet and walking off towards Chef. "Sucks to see you go, Geoff, but the votes have spoken." The host states with a faux-somber tone, before the party dude turns to the rest of the campers remaining, picking his head up for them all to see, as he locks eyes with one man in particular.

"...I'm sorry, DJ." Geoff says, a tear rolling down his eye. "I let things go way too far, and got all caught up in the game, and avenging Bridgette, and-" Geoff gets cut off by DJ walking towards him, placing a hand onto his shoulder.

"It's alright, man. No hard feelings." DJ says, leading to a brief hug between the both of them, until Geoff pulls away, a smile now on his face once more.

"This has been awesome, bros! I'm gonna miss hanging out with you all!" He cheers, before heading down The Dock of Shame, Chef Hatchet awaiting his arrival with The Boat of Losers all set to go; And as it drives off into the night, the sound of some royalty-free club mix can be heard pounding over the boat's speakers, one last party to be held as the cowboy rides off into the moon hanging overhead.

"Alright, after saying 'see you later, party cowboy', we're down to the final seven! With only five more eliminations to go until the finale, there ain't gonna be an episode that you want to miss...of Total. Drama. Island!" Chris announces, the wide shot of the island closing off the episode...


(Noah's POV)

"...Aaaaand we are done!" Chris announces, to the relief of both himself and us campers. "Go get yourself some sleep, if you can." Chris says, chuckling to himself as he walks off, leaving us final seven to deal with ourselves.

Unsurprisingly, Heather is the first to leave, clearly not wanting to hang around with us any more than she has to, with DJ and Owen both following suit, leaving me alone with Trent...and the two most volatile people currently on the island. Sighing, I look to my girlfriend, and give her an apologetic glance.

"...Sorry about earlier, Courtney." I weakly offer, catching her attention as she glances at me, probably still enraged from earlier. "I wasn't trying to mess with you that badly, I just wanted to win the challenge, and-"

Suddenly, Courtney cuts me off, gently cupping my chin to meet her gaze. "Noah, I get it." She says simply, before motioning behind me, towards Gwen. "Just...go and talk to her for me, okay?" She says, and it's then that I catch the pained expression on her face, as regret floods her facial features.

Nodding my head, I turn around, watching as Trent steps away, leaving me to handle Gwen by myself...but as I look into the indignant eyes of the goth, I immediately put myself between her and Courtney. "Gwen, please, don't-" I start to say, until Gwen cuts me off.

"Noah, just..." She pauses, taking a deep breath. "Let me talk with Courtney for a second, alright? I'll deal with you later." She tells me, and I instinctively step aside, not exactly liking the tone she's taking on, especially as she approaches the C.I.T. with her arms up and-

...Pulls her into a hug, without any ill intent?

"Courtney, I am so sorry for flipping out like that." Gwen says, much to the surprise of...well, everyone here at the campfire. "I know, I know, it was just part of the game. I just..." Gwen trails off, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "I was sure that we were going to win, together, so to have it taken away like that..."

"No, Gwen, you shouldn't be apologizing to me." Courtney cuts her off. "If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I let myself get fooled by Noah and his...his damn tricky wording!" Courtney exclaims, before following up with an infectious chuckle, that soon gets both me and Gwen laughing at her own plight.

"Well...you want to just call it even?" Gwen offers, to which Courtney nods, a smile on both their faces.

"I'd like that." Courtney says, before looking towards me for a moment. "Now, what exactly do you have to say to my-" Courtney abruptly stops, re-focusing herself as she glances back at Gwen. "-I mean, our friend over there, the know-it-all?" She asks, clearly covering her own tracks, yet from what I can tell, Gwen doesn't pick up on her mistake, luckily for the both of us.

Turning towards me, Gwen stands up, and heads back my way. "Listen, Noah...do you mind going for a walk with me? Just the two of us?" She asks, taking me aback as I turn, looking towards Courtney...but after a second, she nods, and so, I nod as well, letting Gwen lead the way.

As the two of us begin walking, I turn back to see Courtney one last time, but then I see Trent, also looking to have been taken aback by Gwen's sudden questioning, yet he doesn't try to make a move to stop us, for whatever reason he may have. Whatever it is, it has me intrigued even more than I already was, so I find myself a bit antsy for Gwen to finish up this walk of ours and just start talking.

-0-

After a couple more excruciatingly boring minutes of the two of us walking off deeper into the woods, making it just past the edge of the forested part of the island, Gwen turns to me, and finally, she begins to talk.

"Noah...I wanted to ask you something, after that conversation we had. The one from the day after when Lindsay got eliminated?" She asks for confirmation, to which I nod my head while looking away from her, not wanting to waste time beating around the bush after spending so much time just walking. "Did you...do something to Heather, to make her stop going after me?"

And just like that, my intrigue is re-ignited.

"No. At least, I don't think so, anyhow." I look askew once again. "Who knows? Maybe the wicked witch of the west finally got herself a heart like the Tin Man?" I quip, the two of us laughing momentarily, with Gwen stopping first.

"Yeah, I thought so. You seemed really surprised when I mentioned she stopped picking on me back then. Had a feeling you didn't know about it either, but I wanted to make sure of it." Nodding my head, an awkward pause fills the air, as she both looks at me and also tries not to be caught looking at me, as if eye contact between us were some sort of disease.

"Is that all you brought me out here for?" I ask, rolling my eyes in annoyance.

"No! No, I..." Gwen trails off, again seeming to dodge my gaze.

"You...?" I drawl out, about ready to walk off before she responds.

"It's about me and Trent-"

"Trent and I." I mockingly correct her.

"Trent and I- whatever." Gwen laughs it off, before continuing on. "We were talking, the two of us. After we left the mess hall. It seemed like he was...jealous, or something." And again, just as my interest is waning, she manages to drag me back into the conversation.

"Jealous? Of what?" I let out a short laugh. "What is there to be jealous of?" I ask incredulously, to which Gwen shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know!" She exclaims in exasperation. "He just..." She trails off again, albeit only momentarily so. "Ever since that kiss between Duncan and I, it's almost like Trent has been getting more and more paranoid about whether I'm truly in love with him or not. It's like he thinks I'm just going to abandon him for someone else!"

As I laugh once again, Gwen simply sighs, clearly venting her frustrations out for only me to witness. "It's not like there's anyone else on the island for me to fall in love with, you know! I mean, hello? My only other options are a college frat bro who just got eliminated, a mama's boy, and a walking fart machine." She says, but at this I quirk an eyebrow.

"Oh, so I'm not even an option to you?" I ask, with Gwen lightly punching my shoulder in response.

"Don't joke around like that, Noah! Your girlfriend might end up hearing you." Gwen chastises, causing me to freeze up, before I laugh it off, knowing the two of us aren't on the same page here.

"How many times have I told you this, Gwen? I'm not dating Heather." I tell her once more, rolling my eyes at having to mention this again, to which Gwen laughs.

"How many times? I think I've lost count." She sardonically replies, to which I scoff.

"Come on, I haven't had to repeat myself that often."

"Oh, really? Mr. 'sports aren't my forte' and 'whatever' is the one saying this?" Gwen quips back, as I laugh and roll my eyes at this, thoroughly enjoying having someone who can actually match me in my banter.

"Oh, please, like you're much better, Gwen." I start, before cocking a smirk towards the goth girl. "I'd much rather be known for my sarcastic wit than for acting all moody and lovesick over some boy on the island." I reply, and Gwen lets out a gasp of mock offense.

"How dare you!" Gwen jokingly calls. "I'm not lovesick! And besides, I could totally see you chasing around someone like Courtney, kind of like what Cody did to me early on." Gwen once again laughs things off, but as I do the same, I can't help but partially freeze up once more, leading me to clear my throat, looking to get back on-topic.

"So...what exactly was Trent jealous of, anyhow?" I ask, and Gwen pauses, before making direct eye contact with me.

"You."

...

...

"...What?"

He...he was jealous of...of me? Him. The musician who seems too good to be true. He was jealous...of me. That...doesn't make any sense!

"That doesn't make any sense!" I verbalize my own thoughts.

"Right?" Gwen reacts, nodding her head in agreement. "I didn't get it either, but apparently he was jealous over the two of us spending more time with each other? As if I'm going to be falling head-over-heels for you if I'm around you for too long, or something!"

"Careful, Gwen. I've been known to have that effect on people." I jokingly state, clearly mocking myself over Trent's own insecurities, to which Gwen chuckles in amusement.

"Right, cause you totally have me and every other lady on the island just absolutely begging to get in your pants every night. I'm sure of it." She responds in all her sarcastic beauty, making me laugh this time, as the two of us do so together.

After a couple moments, the laughter comes to an end, and the both of us decide to sit down on top of a log that had long since fallen over, moss covering its undersides while the top remains surprisingly clean, as though it were a mere set piece for a movie scene exactly like this one.

"...Am I weird, Noah?" Gwen asks out of the blue, giving me pause for a couple seconds.

"You? Weird?" I question, a snarky grin coming to my face. "Nooo, the goth girl wearing blue lipstick who's competing on a reality TV show for a hundred thousand dollars? You, weird? Where did that idea ever come from?" I ask the girl in question, whose chuckles are broken up by her attempt at a response.

"I-, I'm serious, N-Noah!" She states mid-laugh, as a wistful expression forms on her face. "I just...I feel like I've gotten everything I could ever want, yet...I'm not sure if I really want it, at the same time."

"Wait, so you and Trent-"

"Don't get me wrong, I like him! I really, really like him..." Gwen trails off, smiling, before it fades all too soon. "But...is he what I really want? Is he the one that I'm really destined to be with, Noah?"

...

...

...

"Wow." I say, speechless for a moment, before quickly picking back up. "And you wonder why Trent is so jealous..." I shake my head, tsk'ing at Gwen's questioning, but this time, no laughter comes from her.

"I mean...yeah, I kind of do wonder why that is, Noah." She turns to me. "He even brought up what Lindsay had said, about how you and Heather were supposedly dating-" I cut her off with a groan, rolling my eyes before she can even finish. "Hey, I said 'supposedly'!" She exclaims, defending her choice of words. "But it's just been getting worse and worse as of recent; Sometimes I can deal with it, like during the movie, but then there's other times where I just..." For a second, it feels like a pit of anger is starting to boil over within the goth girl as she glares off into the distance, off towards where we initially walked here from, but it eventually dies off, and she focuses on the moon instead. "It feels like his mind is somewhere else, somewhere away from me, and I just don't know how to get him back to the present moment sometimes." She sighs, continuing to look upwards, as I wind up doing the same.

"Maybe his mind is somewhere else, Gwen." I state, keeping my gaze fixated on the moon. "He's probably thinking about so many other things that none of us are truly aware of, Gwen. Life back at home, his friends, his family, how to win a hundred thousand dollars..." I trail off, getting lost in my own thoughts for a brief moment, as those same things flicker in and out of my mind, before I return to the present moment, not unlike what Gwen said before. "Although, knowing him, he's probably more worried about you winning the money than winning it himself."

That elicits a groan from Gwen, as she throws her head back. "Ughhhhh, God, that sounds just like him, too. I mean, caring about other people is nice and all, and part of why I like him, but sometimes, being selfish is okay too, y'know?" She asks aloud, before the two of us fall silent once again.

A few more seconds pass, before I shift myself to look at Gwen once more, simply watching her for a few moments, as she gazes up at the moon, her vision unblinking. As I realize what it is I'm doing, however, I feel compelled to speak, lest I wind up looking just like Cody did.

"What do you want, Gwen?"

...

...

...

"...I don't know, Noah." Gwen answers truthfully, turning towards me after. "I don't know what I want. I just hope I find out before it's too late." She says, shrugging her shoulders before she turns her gaze back up to the moon overhead.

As she does so, however, I find myself lost in my own mind once again; More specifically, I find myself lost in a singular thought, one that keeps lingering in the back of my mind, drawing me towards it, despite what my inner voices are telling me.

"What if what you're looking for is closer than you think it is?" I suggest out loud, clamming up as soon as those words leave my lips...yet from the way Gwen is looking at me, maybe...it was the right choice to say that?

"Noah, what the Hell are you doing? You already have Courtney, why did you say that?" My inner voice criticizes, reminding me of my own stupidity. "This isn't part of your gameplan, this is just you being stupid! Stop being stupid!"

Turning myself towards Gwen, I find the goth sitting in silence, looking at the moon as if she hadn't even heard me...and while it is foolish to do so, deep down inside? I hope that she didn't hear me, all things considered. After all, me and her? We're just friends, if barely even that. There's no need to make her worry about stupid stuff like that, especially when I've already got a girlfriend, and she's got a boyfriend. There's just no need, no need for that type of stupidity...

Absolutely none.


A/N: Holy shit, two chapters across two days?! Yeah, I'm about as shocked as y'all are. Turns out, it's easy to get motivated over a challenge that I custom-built and really enjoyed the hell out of from the original run of this story! I might have also gone a little bit overboard in the overhaul I gave this chapter, but...look, I got into the mood for it, okay?! I literally just randomly picked this up and started writing, and then "oops, it's nearly 8:30 AM EST, and I just finished the chapter in its entirety in one sitting!"

But anyways, Geoff! Different send-off for the party cowboy this time around, and frankly? I think it's one a lot more befitting of the story's overall narrative. With DJ's secret never being leaked by Noah nor DJ earlier on, it meant Geoff had no reason to make the chasm any deeper than it had already become, and thus, gives one hell of a punch to the gut when it does get revealed that DJ betrayed him and their entire friend group! However, despite all that, I didn't want Geoff to be painted as some unredeemable asshole, or a complete and utter bastard, because...honestly? That's just not how I see Geoff as a character, to be honest. Yes, he can do some horrible things, and yes, he can be a prick to people...but at the end of the day, he's just someone who lets fame get to his head, and does horrible things because of it. So, I felt it was only fitting for him and DJ to reconcile at the tail end of his time in the sun, and for the party cowboy to be sent off with a proper farewell, instead of the rather unceremonious exit he had in the original.

But other than that, I once again thank you all for reading~! And similarly enough, I once again ask that you please remember to leave a favorite if you've enjoyed this story thus far, follow for any future updates, and/or leave a review down below to share your thoughts! It's honestly meant a lot to me seeing this story receive any sort of attention here, let alone seeing people actually amped up for it to make its return (Looking right at you, Destr4 ;) ), so I hope to see y'all in the near future! Until then, this is MrLeedles, signing off~!

REMAINING CONTESTANTS: Courtney, DJ, Gwen, Heather, Noah, Owen, Trent
ELIMINATED CONTESTANTS: Ezekiel, Eva, Justin, Katie, Tyler, Izzy, Cody, Beth, Sadie, Harold, Leshawna, Duncan, Bridgette, Lindsay, Geoff