Cody's slumber was interrupted by a nauseous odor. He had no idea what time it was, nor why he was awake. All he knew was that he needed to get out. Stumbling outside the cabin, Cody dropped to his knees, coughing. He wasn't alone, as his teammates also joined him.
"Oops, sorry guys. Who would have thought fish made me gassy?" Owen apologized, unfazed by the smell. Cody was angry, but tried to hide it, as he knew the usually loveable oaf didn't mean it. Looking up at the sky, the darkness told Cody it was still night. And when he looked at the campfire pit and saw the Killer Bass, he was even more upset. The team was still there, meaning the Gophers had likely slept less than an hour -an hour Cody so desperately needed.
"What do we do now? Our cabins smell like Owen," Lindsay wondered aloud. Looking at their rival team, Cody knew what to do. He explained his dangerous plan to his teammates, who wished him luck. Cody braved it into his cabin, determined to ignore the smell. He barely made it out alive with the jelly in hand.
"And why exactly are we doing this?" Heather asked, but was quickly silenced by the glares of her teammates.
"Because," Cody replied with an eye roll, "we should be kind to the other team, even if they're our rivals." Heather scoffed but continued to follow along.
"What do you guys want?" Duncan asked as he whittled away on a piece of wood. The team looked both tired and demoralized. It was another loss for them, and seeing the team that had put them there wasn't boosting their mood.
"We're here to make peace," Cody said weakly, a cough beginning to generate from the cabin expedition.
As Tyler raised his eyebrow, Gwen stepped forward. "Okay, Owen stunk up the cabins and we've gotta go somewhere." The Bass nodded in understanding. "But, we did bring the jelly for you guys."
Trent grabbed the plate with jelly from Cody's hands and walked up to Courtney. Courtney visibly flinched and put her hand up. "Please, get that away from me." After earning a few looks, Courtney continued. "I just… really don't like green jelly." Although confused, Trent obliged and went over to the next worst person he could offer it to. DJ followed in Courtney's step but took it to a higher degree when he slapped it out of the musician's hands. As it landed on the ground, the remaining Bass looked on in both amusement and disappointment.
"Sorry, y'all. Snakes give me the creeps!" DJ apologized.
"I get that and all Deej, but I think that might have been a gummy worm." Duncan laughed, picking up the fallen worm.
"I wouldn't worry too much DJ, I'm afraid of bugth!" Beth replied.
"Yeah, I get ya there Beth. I can't stand me some spiders." Leshawna said with a shake of her head.
The campers, sitting around the roaring campfire, began to share their fears. Cody looked around at the teenagers, each opening up to the others. He smiled, seeing the others pass around stories of what scares them the most. It was so human, unlike the inhuman life they'd go on to lead being former reality show stars.
Cody looked at Gwen, who was happier than she had been in days. Ezekiel, who was currently struggling to find out what the plural of moose was, was still in the competition. Tyler and Lindsay kept sneaking glances, much to the annoyance of Heather.
His thoughts were interrupted; however, when eyes naturally fell on him. Apparently it was his turn to share. Cody pondered for a moment. Should he lie, and say something he knew would be easy to beat in the upcoming challenge? Or given how everyone else was willing to put themselves out there, including people like Heather and Gwen, should he go along? After thinking about this, Cody decided to tell the truth.
"Bears. I… had a bad experience when I was younger."
"Bears, dude? You chose the wrong place to go." Duncan chuckled, as he played with his knife.
Cody looked out into the forest, darkness obscuring everything from sight. "Yeah, this place isn't exactly the best place for my fear. But it won't happen again."
The others looked at him awkwardly, wondering if they should ask him to elaborate. Fortunately, they didn't want to probe into Cody's psyche. Or at least for Heather, she couldn't care less about Cody's fear.
As the moon rose above their heads, people slowly began to trickle back to their cabins. The boys of the Gophers made Owen their test dummy to gauge the odor of their cabin. When he returned with a thumbs up, they all filed back to their beds for a much-needed rest.
When the campers woke up in the morning, they were told to meet in the dining hall. Cody arrived early and grabbed his slop, taking a seat at his team's table. Starving from the last few nights of hunger, Cody was able to finish Chef's meal for the first time. It did try to come back up, but he held it down.
"Campers!" Chris announced as he stood between the two tables. "Your next challenge is a little game I like to call, 'Phobia Factor'!" Raising both his arms and his voice, Chris said, "Prepare to meet your worst fears!"
The campers looked around in confusion. Although some, namely Duncan and Gwen, put together what was coming, the others seemed puzzled as to what Chris believed their worst fear was.
"Heather?" Chris asked as the queen bee looked up from behind her drink. "Meet us all in the theater, it's sumo time!" As soon as he said it, Heather spat out her drink, with most of it landing on Ezekiel. Cody eyed her, wondering if this was intentional.
"Yo, Gwen. You. Me. The beach. A couple hundred tons of sand?" Any color on the goth's face quickly drained.
"OMG! How did they know those were your worst fears?" Lindsay asked.
With a sigh, Gwen explained, "Because we told them…" Lindsay and Beth both looked at each other in confusion, before Gwen elaborated. "At the campfire last night."
"Wait, they were listening to us?"
Gwen raised her head to snark at Lindsay but held her tongue.
"It's a reality show, Lindsay. Don't expect them to ever not be listening to us." Cody said on behalf of his friend.
"That's like, eavesdropping! So not cool."
Chris motioned to the teens to follow him, eventually leading them to the talent show stage. Heather was told to walk up on stage, although nothing there awaited her. That was, until, a large sumo wrestler stepped out.
"こっちに来て男みたいに向き合って" he growled, getting into his stance. Heather began to visibly shake, not helped by her adversary stomping his foot on the ground.
"That was Japanese for, 'You are a weakling. I will break you in half!" Chris announced, smiling.
"Um, no he didn't." Harold corrected while adjusting his glasses. "He actually said, 'Get over here and face me like a man.' Gosh, Chris, I thought you'd have more respect for Japanese culture!"
The sumo wrestler suddenly began to rush at the queen bee, who screeched in response. Falling to the ground, Heather tried to hide herself behind her hands. As if he were blind, the sumo wrestler ran straight into her curled-up body, sending himself flying away.
"And that's a point for the Screaming Gophers!" The team cheered, although Cody's eyebrow did raise at the dubious circumstances of them winning. Heather, still in shock, stood back up in a daze. She returned to the group as people patted her on the back. It seemed, to Cody at least, that much of the previous challenge's events had been forgotten.
"Gwen!" Chris announced as a look of fear flashed onto the goth's face. "Time to get buried! And Owen, Izzy? Chef's prepared for your trip around the island!"
As Chef dragged a screaming Owen and a frozen Izzy away, a roar could be heard from the trees. A confused look spread across the campers, all but Ezekiel. "No, no it can't be!" Emerging from the treeline came three moose. "Not meese! Or, is it mooses? Mice?" He couldn't find his answer before one of the moose charged him, sending him flying.
"Either tame your beast or last twenty minutes with them!" Chris yelled at the fleeing teen. "Well then, Gwen. Shall we get started?" With a devious grin, Chris whipped out a shovel as he led her to the beach, with Trent in tow. Cody hung back purposefully. He really did want to be there for his friend, especially to prove his loyalty to her after their recent fight. However, Cody suspected that Trent's mime was called in only to make Gwen's time worse.
So, as Cody left the future couple to themselves, he followed the host, who led the remaining campers to an above-ground pool. In it was a massive amount of worms, the origins of which Cody had no interest in uncovering. "Beth, this one's for you. Just hop in and bathe for a few seconds." With a shrug, Beth easily sat in the wriggling pile of worms for the necessary amount of time, before trying to roll out of it. This caused the pool to tilt with her, unleashing an unholy amount of worms. Unfortunately for poor DJ, he was caught right in the blast zone, leaving him a frozen ball on the ground. Luckily for the Bass, Chris took DJ's silence as a victory for them, earning the Bass their first point.
Thinking to himself, Cody realized Gwen's time was nearly up. "Hey, Chris. Gwen's timer's about to be over. Want me to go get her?"
Chris looked at the watch on his hand, before looking back at him. "I mean, yeah, her time is up. But come over here. Geoff doesn't know what's about to hit him!" Chris laughed devilishly to himself, but Cody remained unamused.
"But Gwen's time is done, right? So if I go get her, she'll earn a point?"
Chris pouted, before relenting, "Yeah sure. I just wanted to get a bit more out of her being trapped there. But if you want to ruin my fun, go ahead."
Cody turned and made his way to the beach, although not before almost being trampled by Ezekiel, who was still running from the moose. Finding both the shovel and walkie-talkie left on the sand, he picked them both up. "Yo, Gwen. You still doing good down there?"
"Cody?! Where's Trent?" the walkie-talkie said.
"I suspect he's being tormented by a mime at the moment."
"Did he really run off?" she replied with a huff. "Whatever, is my time almost up?" "It is in three… two… one…" And as the timer hit zero, Cody began to dig up his friend. After about another minute of digging, light shined into the makeshift coffin, revealing Gwen's pale face.
As Gwen grabbed Cody's extended hand, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Cody. I don't think I could've taken it much longer down there.
"No worries, I knew you'd freak out down there."
"You did?" Gwen asked skeptically.
His mind immediately scrambling, Cody thought of a lie. "Oh yeah, my mom's super claustrophobic. She accidentally locked herself in a closet and almost had a mental breakdown on me. So I'm sure being buried alive would be so much worse." Gwen nodded in understanding.
As the duo returned to the group, Cody was shocked to see Geoff conquering his fear. This was cut short; however, as Ezekiel came flying out of nowhere, flying straight into the party boy. "And that's a point for the Bass, but not the Gophers!" Chris announced. Ezekiel groaned in defeat and groaned again when Geoff, who was under him, was suddenly yanked out in celebration. Chris looked in the direction of Cody and smiled.
"Next up! Cody and Bridgette, would you two follow me?" The pair looked at each other nervously before following their host to their implied doom. Despite numerous attempts to ask the host where they were going, Chris would not budge, leading them further and further into the woods. Eventually, the trio arrived in a small clearing, though trees still surrounded them.
"This," Chris began, "is where you will be spending the next hour, Bridgette. Last the full hour without making a break for camp, and you'll score your team a much-needed point." Bridgette nodded, her entire body trembling from fear. Her eyes darted around the small area she was assigned to trying to adjust. As Chris began to lead the geek away, Bridgette shot out her hand. "Wait, you guys are leaving me here?"
"Well, yeah brah. Your fear is being alone in the woods, not being alone in the woods besides two other people also being there." Chris mocked with a grin.
Cody, with a much grimmer look on his face, also responded to the surfer girl. "Trust me, Bridgette. If we're going where I think we are, you're much better off staying here." As she looked into Cody's now darkened eyes, she saw the same look he had the previous night. Despite her worries, the fact that she would be remotely sharing a miserable experience somewhat calmed her.
"Good luck, Cody," Bridgette said weakly.
"You too," Cody mumbled, his eyes still fixated on his opponent.
Taking a look at his watch, Chris tapped his foot on the grass impatiently. "If you guys wouldn't mind, we're on a schedule here! So could we please save the talking for later?" Without saying anything, Cody began to follow Chris.
"Jeez, you kids are so serious. We're just having a bit of fun here, eh?" Chris looked back at the geeky teen. His hands were now twitching, seemingly out of anxiousness. His eyes were also focused squarely on the ground in front of him. Something was off with the kid, Chris could tell. Thinking back to his audition tape, the awkwardness and lame singing were the sole reasons he was selected. But this weird, serious, and depressing attitude was really throwing the host off. "Didn't think I'd be dealing with kids with trauma, but here we are," Chris muttered under his breath.
As Cody followed Chris, he couldn't help but shake with nervousness. Here he was, eight years after his greatest failure. The biggest cause of said failure was mere minutes away from reappearing in his life, this time having to be faced head-on. His entire time on the island up to this point was leading to this. All because Cody couldn't keep his mouth shut.
Finally, the pair came to a halt. Cody was completely lost, having lost track of where he was minutes ago. He had no idea where to go if he wanted to leave.
"Well Cody, this is where I'm going to leave you. Make it out of this unscathed, and your team will thank you." Cody raised his eyebrow, as Chris spoke as quickly as he could. Before the tech geek could even ask a question, Chris ran off into the woods. Dead silence surrounded Cody. It seemed as if not even a bird dared to peep. The only two noises Cody could hear were his heart and his breathing. Although, soon another noise began to fade in. This one sounded a lot like a helicopter. Lo and behold, Chris' infamous copter would soon fly over Cody.
The helicopter was extremely high up, to where Cody couldn't make out any details. The vehicle remained stationary for a moment, before beginning to spin out of control. Swerving from left to right, it seemed as if the helicopter was trying to shake something off. As Cody stared at the event taking place above him, he couldn't help but feel as if things were about to get much worse.
Suddenly, a separate figure emerged from the sky, looking as if it had fallen out of the helicopter. Cody slowly backed away, not trying to be crushed by the unidentified no-longer-flying object. It eventually crashed into the ground right in front of him, bouncing a few feet along the way. But as soon as it got on its feet, Cody knew exactly what- no, who it was.
The bear stood in Cody's path. Cody looked at it straight on and knew instantly who he was looking at. Judging from the three whiskers sprouting from each side of its face, one slightly shorter than the rest, it was his enemy. The bear that had mauled him, that would lead to Cody's life being ruined. And considering its method of transportation to its new location, the bear was pissed.
Anger filled the bear's eyes, as it stood up on its hind legs. Cody, as he had several years ago, pissed himself at the sight of the animal. As it took a step forward, Cody attempted to do the opposite. But his legs wouldn't give, he was stuck in place. He tried again with the same outcome. Cody's fear triumphed over his rational brain, as he could only stand there as the bear inched closer and closer toward him.
"Why must I do this again?" Cody cried out. Tears welled up in his eyes. Assuming he did live, Cody would have an even sadder legacy. Finally, his legs failed him entirely and he collapsed to the ground. Looking up at the bear, Cody pleaded with it. "Please, please not again. Don't let this happen again."
As all seemed lost, a loud noise shocked Cody and the bear. Both turned their heads to find Ezekiel, who was clinging onto a moose's antlers for dear life. The moose roared at the bear, who turned towards the moose and roared back. Ezekiel scrambled off of his fear, running to Cody. As the two animals squared off, two other moose appeared out of the woods. The bear did not like its odds and promptly ran off, with the trio of moose close on its tail.
Ezekiel took a moment to breathe before pulling Cody up off of the ground and running back to camp alongside his friend. He noticed the stain on Cody's pants and questioned him. "What happened back there that you peed yourself, eh?"
Cody, still coming off the shock of the experience, began to laugh. "What, the pee? Have you looked at yourself, dude?" Cody was right. After however long he had spent on the moose's back, his toque was torn to shreds, his pants had gaping holes in them, and his hoodie was covered in dirt. Ezekiel laughed along with Cody, though they were both silenced by a scream coming from behind them. After a brief look between them, Cody's eyes widened.
"Bridgette!" he yelled, before running back to where the altercation had taken place. As the two emerged into the clearing, Ezekiel suddenly slammed into Bridgette. The two landed on the ground, with Bridgette on top of the homeschooled kid.
Turning bright red, Ezekiel smiled at his crush. "H-hey Bridgette!" After a moment of shock, Bridgette came to her senses and got off of Ezekiel.
"Oh thank god you two are here!" She pulled both of them into a hug, turning Ezekiel into a maroon shade. She let go, much to Ezekiel's chagrin, and recounted what had happened to her.
"So I was sitting in the clearing Chris had told me to stay in when suddenly a bear and three moose charged in out of nowhere! There was no way I was staying there alone any longer after that. I may love animals, but I don't particularly like when they charge at me in the woods." Cody nodded, understanding her issues. The newly united trio began to make their way back to camp. Cody could tell that Bridgette noticed his 'accident', but thankfully she stayed silent out of respect.
"Well, well, well," Chris said as the three emerged from the forest. It seems all three of you failed your challenge." Cody raised his finger in defiance, before being swiftly silenced. "By the state of your trousers, Cody, I wouldn't quite say you're 'unscathed'. Cody, Zeke, go wash up for Pete's sake. Once you guys are done, you can meet up with the rest of us to watch the rest of the fears unfold." The two nodded before leaving. Ezekiel stopped at the washrooms first, as Cody went along to the cabin, grabbing clothes for both him and his friend.
Within a few minutes, the two were back to their normal looks. Before returning to the main group, the two took a few minutes to wind down.
"So, what exactly happened with the bear, eh?" Ezekiel asked his friend. Cody clenched his fist, wondering if he should come up with some lie about the bear. However, he decided it was best to keep it hidden for now.
"Like I said, I had an awful experience with a bear when I was young. Someday I'll tell you the full story, just not today. I don't think I'm quite ready." Ezekiel wanted to push, but out of respect, let the subject pass.
They made their way to the rest of the campers, with Chris having filled them in on how the two got no points. As they arrived, they saw Courtney standing above a huge pool, presumably above green jelly. Gwen noticed them and pulled them aside. "Welcome back. Thanks for all the points by the way." Cody put his hand on his neck, whilst Ezekiel blushed and looked away.
"Whatever, it's fine. Duncan, Geoff, DJ, Tyler, and Izzy have scored for the Bass." Ezekiel nodded along, but Cody got confused. Tyler completed his challenge?
"How'd they get their points?" Cody asked innocently.
"So, you guys saw DJ's win, Courtney helped Duncan hug a statue or something, Izzy couldn't exactly leave the plane once she was in it, and Lindsay accidentally inspired Tyler to… touch a chicken. Honestly, as annoying as it was that Lindsay helped our enemy, seeing how proud he was to touch a chicken nearly made me bust a gut."
"So, Lindsay helped Tyler? What's that all about?"
"Our team won with myself, Trent, Lindsay, Beth, Heather, and Owen. I think you've seen most of those. And so since we're up a point, Chris is giving Courtney double points just for completing her phobia. Meaning if she wins, we've gotta vote someone off." Gwen said. She blew at her hair in annoyance, saying "Chris giving the Bass this chance is unfair. But hey, I know who's leaving if we do happen to lose." The three all glanced at Heather, who was busy watching Courtney.
Cody turned his attention to the C.I.T., who was currently rocking back and forth on the ladder she had climbed up. Looking down, both at the jelly and her team, she sighed. "I-I can't do it. I'm coming down." As she began to climb down the ladder, the Gophers cheered, with the Bass lamenting yet another loss.
After such a long day, Cody was extremely excited to have won, despite his failure. Once Courtney had climbed down, she walked straight past her team in the direction of the cabins.
"Where are you going, Courtney?" Cody asked with a sneer. "Is the jelly just too much for you to handle? Afraid that your boyfriend's going to see you covered in snot?" Cody didn't know what had come over him, but he felt cocky. He felt on top of the world. The opposite would quickly come true, as Duncan shoulder-checked him to the ground.
"Leave her alone, twerp. I heard you pissed yourself, is that true? Don't act like you've got the right, dweeb."
"Yikes, touchy much?" Gwen said, helping Cody off the ground. He stared at the two retreating figures.
"No, he's right. I shouldn't have said that stuff. I failed too." Before anybody could object to this, Cody walked off on his own.
Finding himself at the amphitheater, he acknowledged what happened in the woods. "Once again, I couldn't stop the bear. I just stood there, useless. If Ezekiel hadn't come, I'd be 'Scratching Post' yet again! I'm so worthless!" Cody sat there and wallowed in his sadness, as the sun began to set. He collected himself before finding himself near the still-empty campfire pit. He decided to stay for the elimination ceremony, hiding himself in a nearby bush.
Within the hour, the teens and host arrived. Once settled, Chris began his spiel. "If I call your name, you will receive a marshmallow, and therefore safety from tonight's elimination. If you do not get a marshmallow, you will be sent to the Dock of Shame, never to come back. Capisce?"
"For those who faced their fears, you are all safe tonight. DJ, Izzy, Duncan, Geoff, and Tyler!" As the five stood up and received their tokens of safety, Cody let out a soft gasp. Tyler was safe! He would go on to fight another day. This left Courtney, Harold, and Bridgette yet to get a marshmallow."
"...Bridgette," Chris said, after a long pause. Courtney and Harold looked at each other fearfully. They both knew that within the minute, one of them would lose the chance at one hundred thousand dollars, forever.
"..."
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"... Harold. You are safe." With a fist bump, Harold stood up and took his marshmallow.
A stunned Courtney remained frozen in her seat. "What?! You guys voted me off?!" The remaining Killer Bass all turned their heads.
"You were getting pretty bossy," Bridgette admitted.
"And you cost us the challenge," DJ joined in.
"And we hate you!" Izzy added gleefully, although the others gave her a look.
Still glued to her seat, Courtney stared blankly at the ground. Chef was ordered to drag her to the dock, although she followed without too much fighting. As she stood on the boat, she looked at her teammates, who began to disperse back into their cabins. However, in front of Courtney, stood Duncan.
"Listen, princess… I'm sorry it went down this way. Trust me, I voted for the dork too. But I guess fate decided differently today, huh." Duncan said softly. Courtney looked at him with confusion. This was the most genuine she had ever seen the punk. Her frown shifted into a small smile.
"Well, I guess I had it coming. But believe me, if we ever end up against each other again? I'll win, ogre."
With a light chuckle, Duncan put his hand on the back of his neck. "I doubt it, princess. I'm going all the way this time, I'll do it every time, ya hear? But hey, you want me to win this one for you?"
With a playful scoff, Courtney replied, "As if!".
Chef, from the driver's seat of the boat, loudly coughed, signaling that their time was up. Courtney sighed once again, before sitting down on the boat, as it began to drive off. Duncan watched her go, as a dejected look spread across her face. Turning back to face the campfire pit, Duncan witnessed Cody stepping out of a bush. The two locked eyes, as Duncan stormed up to Cody, who decided it was best not to hide from his impending problem.
"Come here, dweeb! What the hell were you doing in that bush, huh? Were you trying to get Courtney voted off? Is that why you insulted her earlier?!" Duncan yelled.
Cody fearfully shook his head, trying to ward off these claims. "Duncan, I swear I had no idea Courtney was getting voted off! I just wanted to watch the ceremony, that's all."
With clenched teeth, Duncan said, "That better be true, dork. Because if it's not, I'll make sure neither you nor any of your friends win this game, you hear?" With that, Duncan let go of his grudge for the night and stormed off to his cabin. Letting out a sigh of relief, Cody too returned to his cabin. Finding that Owen was asleep, Cody got into bed.
"Are you alright, dude?" Cody heard Trent ask. "The team got kind of worried after your little outburst earlier."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just needed to cool off." Cody said, yawning.
"Whatever, dude. Just stop acting so weird or you might get voted off soon." Trent said.
"Voted off soon? And I'm acting weird? Trent, dude, you've been so vaguely ominous recently. You're the one who needs to stop acting weird,"
Rolling over in his bed, Cody closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
A/N: So, there's a lot to talk about this chapter. Let's start easy with the fears themselves. Luckily for me, the only person to make it here without normally doing so was Zeke, so I just had to find a fear for him. I think having the stereotypical Canadian be afraid of something so Canadian is funny. There's not much else for him to go off of anyways, unless you wanted to make his fear girls, which would have been very funny, but not helpful. Remember, the only person who knows that he was at one point sexist is Cody. Also maybe Chris, but even that's a maybe.
Next, I can talk about Gwen. This is the point that the two really begin to see each other as friends, rather than Gwen just feeling remorseful about hating Cody for a while. Like I said, I want to set up this friendship as early as possible so I can make full use of it.
Tyler's success might or might not have been a surprise. Given how much time I've given to him so far, I'm sure some of you saw this coming. This is kind of the ultimate pay off of Cody setting Tyler and Lindsay up. With the extra time given to them by Cody, the two are closer and therefore would cheer each other on in their fears. Hence, Tyler wins his part and isn't even considered for elimination.
Cody's fear was something I struggled with for a while. In the original story, he said criminals with knives, which while funny, aren't productive to his story. Bears seem like an obvious choice, but as you'll soon see, Cody has his fight against a bear in "Paintball Deer Hunter", so I didn't want him to just get over his fear now and ruin that moment later. But I decided there was nothing he'd be more afraid of, and that it would be like a small arc to have him overcome his fear over multiple chapters.
Courtney's elimination shouldn't be too surprising, especially after learning that Tyler succeeded. Courtney is a character with a lot of potential. But she has a thousand stories dedicated to her alone. I wanted to give some time to the less focused on, like Ezekiel and Tyler.
Duncan is here to be a bit of a rival to Cody, a dynamic that will be more thoroughly explored later on. A very basic set up for it can be found here, just so it doesn't come out of nowhere. I also wanted to show his softer side with Courtney.