This challenge was pretty hard to get through. But I got there in the end!
Hope you enjoy!
Episode 1, Part 3: The Eternal Sleep
The first piece of behind-the-scenes footage released showcased Gwen Lawrence's lifeless body being placed inside a homemade wooden coffin, which was then carried off into the woods. It was released before the first episode and quickly quashed rumours that the whole enterprise was a scam. Overnight, twenty-five more patrons paid to watch the episodes as they were released, and sixteen of those paid the extra five bucks to get more behind-the-scenes footage.
No one slept that night.
The moon rose, shining its sickly light through the cabin's threadbare curtains. Mice scratched at the walls. Not one of the campers stirred. They lay as if frozen to their bunks.
When the sun was only barely peeking above the treetops, Chris walked out and blasted an airhorn through a bullhorn. The shock of it caused most of them to scream. After they settled down some, they filed outside.
Despite his own tiredness, Justin couldn't help but comment on the bags under Eva's eyes. "Wow, you really need a coverstick."
Eva glared at him. "I can't help it if my cabin mate stayed up praying the whole night." She jabbed a thumb in Athaliah's direction.
"The whole night?"
"The whole night." Although Eva knew deep down she wouldn't have gotten any sleep even if Athaliah hadn't been kneeling at the foot of her bunk all night.
Sadie didn't hesitate to make her way over to Katie. The bandage on her arm was still secure. Who knows how much longer it would stay that way, though.
Bridgette walked out on Geoff's arm, still feeling like she was going to vomit. DJ wasn't looking so hot either.
Beth was weeping softly. Lindsay put her arms around her. "Don't worry Berry, I'm sure everything will be fine!" She attempted a reassuring smile.
"I-It's Beth…"
"Attention please!" Chris called into the bullhorn. "The next challenge will begin shortly. You need to complete a footrace through the woods and loop back to the mess hall. It's very important that you keep running for as long as you can, so that means you shouldn't walk the whole time." He snickered. "Oh, and I have a very important announcement to make."
Everyone hushed.
"As of today, you'll have the opportunity to find one of two Life Idols." He held up a picture of a small wooden carving sculpted to look like his face. "These bad boys will save you from certain death, even if everyone votes for you. When you play the Idol, you'll get to pack your things and leave the competition."
Courtney gasped. "So someone gets to live?"
"Yep, three of you: two lucky Idol winners and the last one standing in the competition."
"I need that Idol," Heather whispered.
"Not if I get it first," Leshawna whispered back.
"Good luck, they're very well hidden. Now, everyone line up! It's time to get this challenge underway!"
The campers all lined up behind the white line that had been set up.
"Ready, set, go!" And they were off.
It seemed easy enough. Just a simple race through the woods. Everyone has been in a footrace at some point. But twenty minutes in and the true cruelty of the challenge was unfolding.
The sun rose and with it came the summer heat. Despite the ample shade provided by the trees, the air was still uncomfortably hot and horrible. The campers had sweated through their clothes in no time, which only added to the discomfort.
But the worst part ended up being the hunger. No one had eaten much yesterday since the food was so bad, and many of them hadn't eaten since the night before they were brought to the island. The harsh exercise aggravated their empty stomachs something awful.
Ezekiel in particular was having a tough time of it. He'd stripped off his hoodie and beanie but the sweat just kept pouring out. That chocolate bar and cola he'd bought right before being kidnapped had been all that sustained him for that long journey, but it wasn't enough to keep sustaining him now. He wiped his forehead and pushed forward.
He stumbled across Owen bent over a creek and lapping up the water eagerly. "So…thirsty…!" Owen groaned weakly.
"You got the right idea, eh." Ezekiel stopped to have a drink too. Only for a wedge heel to come down on his hand.
Courtney's shadow fell over him. "Oh, sorry. But you shouldn't be stopping to drink from the creek anyway. We need to keep moving."
Ezekiel grumbled, but complied. He took one last lap from the creek and got to his feet.
Owen wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Never one for physical exercise, he was just too exhausted to keep going. He barely had the energy to drink.
Another wedge heel stepped on the crook of his arm. Unlike Courtney, however, Heather was less apologetic. "What are you doing, you big tub of lard? Get moving! Do you want us to lose again?"
Owen jumped up. "N-no! Sorry, I just needed a break…"
"We don't have the luxury of a break! Now go!" With that last word, Heather shoved Owen forward. She stalked off, turning around once to glare at him.
Owen frowned, taking a few steps forward. Sure, he knew he should keep going, but was that shove really necessary?
He went a little ways ahead before hearing a splash from behind. He spun around to see that Noah had collapsed face-first into the creek. Noah struggled onto his hands and knees and crawled a meter or so before collapsing again.
Owen wasted no time in running over to him. "Hold on buddy, I've got you!"
Bridgette and Geoff kept going, until it felt like their legs would fall off. Despite both being relatively active in their normal lives, this challenge was absolutely brutal. They ran hand in hand, helping each other along. Geoff had sweat running in beads all the way to his chin. Bridgette had one hand pressed against her hollow stomach. It was ages since they'd first entered the woods and it was starting to feel as though they'd never make it out.
But they did make it out. Through the trees, they spotted the mess hall. Geoff gave a weak whoop of relief.
Bursting through the door, they found themselves to be the first ones back.
Not for long, though. A minute after falling into their chairs, Eva and Izzy came in, followed by Sierra and Trent. No one had the energy to talk.
Courtney ran in, sweating profusely. She seated herself at the table, facing the door, watching to see who came through it.
DJ came in with Athaliah, Katie and Sadie hot on his heels. Courtney nodded at them as they joined the other Bass at the table. Eight Bass to three Gophers. If the others keep up, it'll be an easy second win.
Lindsay, Cody and Justin huffed and puffed their way inside. Alejandro and Ezekiel came next. Then Beth and Heather.
Courtney watched as the Gopher table became fuller. Her hands clenched themselves into fists. This couldn't be happening… They can't lose! Where the hell was Tyler and Harold? She shook on her seat. Her teeth bit down hard enough on her lip that she tasted blood.
Blood…
Blood that had stained the grass near the fire pit; the blood that should have remained inside Gwen's head. Blood that was now on her lip.
She hurriedly wiped it away with the back of her hand.
Then Tyler came in, keeling over. Okay, one more to go. They can do this.
"Nice work, she whispered to him, trying her best to be encouraging. "Do you know how far away Harold is?"
Tyler shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't seen him since the race started."
"God, when's breakfast gonna be served?" Sadie clutched her stomach. "I'm starving."
"Me too," Katie added. "It feels like my stomach's about to eat itself."
Beth rested her head on the table. "It feels like I'm dying."
"Same here," Cody said weakly.
Sierra went pale. "Oh God, please don't say dying…it's reminding me of Gwen…" Tears leaked out from the corners of her eyes.
Dying. Courtney's fists were clenched so tightly that her fingernails left ugly red marks on her palms. She forced herself to breathe. No. Don't go there.
She snapped out of her thoughts with the sound of Owen flinging open the door, Noah slung over his shoulder. "Clear a table, stat!" He flipped Noah onto his back on the Gopher's table and began frantic chest compressions.
"Oh my God, what happened?" Lindsay asked.
"He passed out in the creek!"
Cody covered his mouth. "Jesus, I hope he'll be okay."
The Bass were all standing around staring intently at Noah's limp form, one arm hanging off the table. Courtney was too, until something distracted her.
The door opened once more. Leshawna collapsed onto her knees as soon as she stepped inside. Then, seconds later, Harold stumbled through, wheezing and clutching at his chest.
Courtney jumped to her feet. "Harold! Where have you been?!"
"I think I'm having heart palpitations…" Harold groaned.
Courtney's heart jumped into her throat and she could taste blood again. She tried to contain herself - really, she did. But the thought of someone on her team having to face down the barrel of the Executioner's gun - possibly herself - proved too much to bear.
"Thanks to you, WE JUST LOST THE CHALLENGE!"
Before anyone could stop her, she reeled back her fist and punched Harold straight in the jaw. And again. And again. Tears of rage poured down her face all the while. Her fists kept flailing about, connecting with skin and bone. Her heartbeat roared in her ears like ocean waves.
Something grabbed her wrists. It was Eva. She was shouting at her to stop, a wordless garble.
The blood-red rage dissipated from Courtney's vision. The noise in her ears died down. She became painfully aware of how everyone's eyes rested on her. Even Noah, sitting up on the table.
And then she looked down at the floor.
Harold lay sprawled in his own blood. It leaked from his nose, split lips and cuts on his face. He didn't move at first, too dazed to even try. When he realised that Courtney had stopped wailing on him, only then did he sit up. His glasses had been launched halfway across the room.
Then Courtney noticed something even more shameful. A camera was there, the lens trained on her. And standing behind the cameraman was none other than Chris McClean.
"Uh, I know this is probably a bad time, but I just came by to inform you that that wasn't the challenge. It was only the first part of the challenge."
If Courtney could have laid down and died on the spot, she would have done so.
"Man, talk about out of control!" Chris snickered. He flung back a curtain, revealing a table full of amazing food - roast chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, pancakes, fruit salad, sauteed vegetables, chocolate cake. "Here's your breakfast, everyone! Dig in!" He left, still smirking to himself, shaking his head mockingly at Courtney.
As the others moved to fill their empty stomachs, Courtney remained frozen to the spot. All she could do was stare down at what she had done.
Harold stood up and wiped his face, blood smearing all over his sleeves. When he picked up his glasses and put them on, Courtney realised the extent of the damage she'd caused.
One lens had completely popped out and now lay shattered on the floor. The other, while mostly intact, had a massive crack down the middle. Given the way Harold blinked and struggled to focus, she may have more or less blinded him for the rest of the competition.
"Harold," she reached out a hand, "I am so, so sorry…"
Harold stalked past her without a word.
Courtney's stomach turned into a pile of mush. What had she done? She practically fell onto a nearby seat and pulled her knees up to her chin. Her back turned to the others noisily eating, she couldn't bear to face them. They probably couldn't bear to face her, either.
How could she?
"Can you believe it?" Leshawna shook her head. "Beating up poor old Harold, and for what?"
Heather shrugged, eating the fruit salad with relish. "Can't say I really blame her. I'd be pretty pissed off too, if I thought one of you just cost us the challenge."
"Would you go as far as punching us in the face, though?"
"Maybe."
Leshawna glowered at her. "Wow. Really?"
Heather scoffed. "Don't act all high and mighty with me. Didn't you throw one of your own teammates off a cliff yesterday?"
Leshawna sputtered. "Because that was part of the challenge! I didn't punch Beth in the face, did I?"
"No. But who knows how you might react in the next challenge."
Leshawna could have kicked Heather's plate right out of her hands, but considering she still wanted to keep a few of her morals, she desisted. She sighed, helping herself to some mashed potatoes and gravy. It would probably be best to conserve her energy for the rest of the challenge.
Speak of the devil's victim, Harold came over to her, piling his plate with chicken, mash and gravy. He bumped her arm slightly when replacing the spoon. "Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry," Leshawna bit her lip, "...about what happened…"
Harold paused. "It's not your fault."
"I know, but…I'm still sorry."
He could only shrug, too flippant of an action for how serious his situation had just become.
Leshawna couldn't help it. She just felt terrible for him. Although, if there was anything to gain from this situation, it was that she needed to keep a closer eye on Heather.
Athaliah set her laden plate down on the table and pressed her hands together in prayer. "Oh gracious Lord above, I thank thee for this meal, passed on through your generosity. Please bless us all with your kindness. Amen."
Noah, who couldn't help but overhear, snorted. "You really think your God is gonna help you?"
"Of course. He is All-Knowing and Good. He will help all of us."
Noah scoffed, so loud it caught the attention of everyone in the room. "He sure as shit didn't help Gwen."
If Athaliah seriously questioned her faith in that moment, she didn't show it. Instead, she stood beside Noah and clamped a gentle hand on his shoulder. She absolutely towered over him. "Dear Noah, you were named for a virtuous man. The one who escaped God's wrath through his own devotion. If you in turn are kind and virtuous, you too shall survive. And you mustn't worry about Gwen. She is in a much better place now."
Noah wanted to deck her, right in her stupid patronizing smile, but he held back. He didn't want to be another Courtney.
So sucking in every ounce of energy to prevent himself from snapping, he instead hissed, "If you want to believe that your God wants you to die, go right ahead. But leave the rest of us out of it!" And with that, he spun on his heel and marched away.
While the rest of the Killer Bass were enjoying their food, Geoff walked over to Courtney, bearing a single chicken drumstick.
"Hey, I thought you might be hungry."
Courtney waved him away. "I don't think I deserve to eat right now."
"Course you do! Sure, what happened was pretty extreme, but still. Food deprivation is, like, torture, man. Don't torture yourself."
She sighed. "Why are you being so nice to me? After I just destroyed Harold's glasses and made everyone hate me?"
"Well…" Geoff shrugged, "what you did was super uncool…but you were scared, weren't you? I get it, I am too. But we should take this as a lesson to work together. We can't have any more fights tearing our team apart." He then waved the drumstick under Courtney's nose. "Now think of it like this: none of us can compete on an empty stomach, so it's in the team's best interest that you eat something right now!"
Courtney had to admit: it did smell pretty good. She took the drumstick from him, smiling just a little bit. "Thanks, Geoff."
Once all the dishes had been licked clean, Chris stood up and brought out his bullhorn again. "I hope you all enjoyed that, 'cause now it's time for the second part of the challenge!"
"I thought eating was the second part," Owen spoke through a mouthful of food.
"Nope! This big breakfast and your run through the woods was just the lead up to the Awake-athon!"
"The what-athon?"
"Don't worry, this one's easy. All you have to do is stay awake for as long as possible. Last one standing wins for their whole team!"
At the break of noon that same day, everyone was sitting around the fire pit. Having already been out there for a few hours, it was clear to see how utterly impossible the challenge seemed. Exhausted from their run, full from their meal, warmed by the sun…it was well-played on Chris's end.
Bill Preston was feeling tired just from watching them through his camera. They lay grouped about within their teams, sitting on their stumps or laying on the overgrown grass. It reminded him of his family picnics on Easter, when everyone was too full from eating to move. The sun continued to blaze down, with everyone bearing the brunt of it. The shade of the trees was very appealing, but no one dared move over to it. Chris wanted them right where he can see them.
Owen stripped off his shirt and let it drop to the ground. "Holy shit is it hot out here!"
"We might need to get a content rating for that!" Chris remarked.
Owen ignored him, laying himself flat on the grass. He was too tired to stand. Despite the heat, the grass was surprisingly cool. But, although he hadn't meant to, he ended up falling asleep within moments.
"One down!" Chris jeered.
Heather, with a groan of frustration, swung her foot directly at Owen's head. It immediately jolted him awake. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, then looked around him. "Uh oh, I just lost the challenge, didn't I?"
"Yes. Sorry, big guy…not!" Chris laughed. "You're free to go finish your sleep in your bunk. Or take a shower."
"Sorry, everyone," Owen sighed. He left.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Leshawna turned on Heather. "That was completely fucking unnecessary!"
"I meant what I said earlier. I have no qualms about hitting those who ruin challenges for us."
Leshawna ground her teeth together. "But he didn't lose anything for us! The rest of us are all still here!"
"And I'll smack each and every one of you that falls asleep." Heather simply examined her nails.
Leshawna turned away, too disgusted to speak.
The afternoon came and went without another casualty. Night fell. The fire was lit. Chris looked pretty tired himself by then.
The Gophers were pretty subdued. On the Bass' side, Courtney was jogging on the spot.
Courtney looked around herself. The outhouse looked like a gentle gust would completely demolish it. Nevertheless, she stared straight into the camera mounted on the door.
"Okay, so this is my first time in here…I have no idea if I'm doing this right, but I thought I'd explain my strategy. If I just keep moving, I can keep my blood flowing, and it'll make me less likely to fall asleep."
One major downside to Courtney's plan, however, was that although her mind may be resisting, her limbs were almost out of energy. Nevertheless, she kept going, reciting poetry to herself to keep her mind entertained.
Nearby, Athaliah had a strategy of her own. She knelt and prayed, mostly silent outside of the occasional whisper. Keeping completely still, refusing to exert herself to the point of inevitable collapse.
Alejandro watched her idly, envious of her ability to hold herself totally rock-still. He'd been instructed in yoga and meditation as a child, yet he couldn't help but admire such strong devotion to her traditions. Of course, being that he didn't believe in any gods or deities, he had nothing to offer them but hollow prayers.
He leaned over towards Tyler. "How are you holding up?"
"It feels like I'm gonna pass out…"
"No, no you're not. Slap yourself."
"...Huh?!"
"I mean it. Slap yourself."
Tyler hesitated, but ultimately did as he was told. "Ow! Ouch! What the heck, man?"
"See? You don't feel as tired anymore, right?"
"I…no, I don't."
"Next time you feel sleepy, slap yourself. Works every time. And that goes for the rest of you, too." Alejandro directed this last point to the rest of the team.
"I'll try." DJ said. Harold only gave a thumbs up.
Geoff and Bridgette heard him but didn't acknowledge him. They were too busy trying to stay awake by having a conversation of their own.
"So, uh, when did you get into photography?" Geoff asked.
About three years ago, when I got a camera for Christmas. I took pictures of everything that day!"
"Hah, nice. So do you go to the beach often?"
"All the time! Surfing is basically my reason for living! Do you go to the beach often?"
"Yeah man! Partying on the beach is my reason for living!" As a spark of optimism illuminated his voice, he said, "When we get out of here, I'll totally invite you to my next one!"
Bridgette became noticeably quieter. Geoff piped down. The optimism had now fled him. Did he upset her, making future promises he couldn't keep?
No, she was thinking of her camera, hidden away in her bag. She was too scared to even touch it. Before arriving on the island they'd all been checked for mobile phones, which were promptly confiscated. But her camera had somehow avoided detection. Sloppiness? Or did they know and not care?
Still, even if it was the latter, Bridgette didn't want to take any chances. She can't bear the thought of her last connection to home being ripped away from her.
And yet…
If Bridgette hadn't personally seen it, Gwen's existence and death might as well have not happened. Those cameras trained on every vaguely interesting moment didn't cut it. They were vultures, the whole lot of them. Circling for blood. Gwen was captured on camera, but was she seen?
She didn't know Gwen at all. But now she knew some of the others a little bit more. She could memorialize them.
The whole reason she got into photography was because she loved the idea of capturing things as they were in the briefest of camera flashes. The separation of before and after. That philosophy seemed like it was needed here now more than ever. They weren't vehicles for entertainment, they weren't characters to just kill off whenever. They were people!
She knew what she could do for them.
But there was another reason behind her melancholy. She was also sad because she wanted to tell Geoff that when they got out of there, she'd invite him to take photos with her again. She had a scrapbook she'd been planning on making. Leaving that project unfinished just depressed her horribly.
Alas, there was nothing she could do about that now.
It was just past midnight, and things were not looking good for the Gophers. Lindsay, Beth and Katie had all passed out. If Leshawna wasn't death-glaring her the whole time, Heather would have given each and every single one of them a swift kick to the face.
Meanwhile, only Ezekiel had fallen asleep on the Bass' side. Geoff and Bridgette were still chatting, although it had slowed down some. Alejandro and Athaliah remained in their meditative positions. DJ had tied himself to a tree. Courtney kept jogging on the spot, whispering more poetry to herself: the entirety of Ariel by Sylvia Plath.
Chris tapped his fingers impatiently against an old metal barrel. This challenge was a lot more boring to watch than it sounded on paper. But not to worry, for he had some ideas to liven it up a little.
"Who wants to hear a bedtime story?"
Heather reeled back. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely." A crewmember handed him a colossal book. He eagerly opened it to the first page. "An Unabridged History of Canada."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me…" Noah grumbled.
Chris's grin only grew more broad at everyone's displeasure. "Chapter One: A History of Canada's Topography…"
"Jesus fucking Christ," Eva growled.
"Canada's landscape is a variety of woodlands, farmlands, and frozen tundras. For hundreds of years, people have braved the harsh conditions and made their own homes alongside each other…" Chris spoke in a slow, calming voice, still smiling all the while.
By the end of the first chapter, more campers had fallen asleep. Tyler, Sadie, Geoff, and Justin were out cold and out of the challenge. Chris stopped there. He'll save the rest of the chapters for later. So far, it was a success.
"Ommmmm…."
Eva cracked open her eyes. She came within a hair's breadth of falling asleep. She should be grateful to whatever that was for keeping her awake, but at the same time it was pretty annoying. It was a low, steady drone that kept stopping and starting.
"Ommmmm…"
She rubbed her eyes and gazed around. The fire had burned low and the sun hadn't yet risen. She had to squint to see. It was that dweeb Harold, sitting in a lotus position.
"Can you cut that out?"
"Ommmmm…can't hear you, trying to stay awake…"
Eva decided to drop it. It was keeping her awake, after all. She should pick her battles.
A meter away, Courtney was still going, her movements considerably more sluggish than before.
Katie slipped out of her cabin and set out on the path towards the medical tent. The sky was dark blue and the air was cold. The sun hadn't risen yet.
She'd no sooner stepped into the tree line when she heard the door to the Bass cabin swing open. She stopped to see who it was, discovering to her delight that it was Sadie, running to catch up with her.
"Are you going to see that doctor lady? I'll come with you." And so they walked off together.
The medical tent was lit only by a solitary camping lantern which hung above the desk. The doctor lady, Karen, sat under it.
"Come by for a checkup, have you?" she asked. Katie nodded.
She led Katie to a chair next to the desk. Then she dug around in a filing cabinet, pulling out a bandage and an orange tube.
"Burn ointment," she explained. "It is meant for minor burns so I'm not sure how effective it'll be, but it's better than nothing."
Karen undid the old bandage and discarded it, then gently rubbed some ointment into Katie's burned skin. Katie cried out in pain, clutching Sadie's hand for support. Karen swiftly swathed the arm in a fresh bandage.
"There we go," she said, wiping her hands on a towel, "all done. Come by tomorrow for another checkup, and keep that bandage clean in the meantime. It won't do to let it get all dirty and infected."
Katie and Sadie left after that, holding hands all the while. The walk back to camp took them through part of the woods, which were still dark.
"Thanks for coming with me," Katie said softly.
"Of course! We're BFFFLs!" Sadie smiled into the shadows.
Katie sighed a little. "It still hurts, like a lot. I think all that running earlier made it worse."
"Then I hope the next challenge isn't, like, a contact sport or anything."
Katie let out a dry chuckle. "That would be seriously lame. Maybe if I ask nicely, the others will let me sit it out."
"Maybe I can pretend to be sick so we can sit it out together." They both chuckled at that.
The pre-dawn darkness, combined with them being too caught up in their conversation, led them right off the path and deeper into the woods. The grass grew a little bit taller, the trees a little bit thicker, the flowers a little bit wilder. It wasn't until Sadie nearly walked smack into a tree that they realised they were lost.
"Okay, where are we?"
Katie looked all around. Every patch of woods suddenly resembled every other patch of woods. "I think we're lost!"
"Which way do we go now?"
"Ummm…" Katie spun around and pointed to her left. "That way, I guess? But what if we end up going deeper into the woods?"
"Well, this island doesn't seem to be that big. We've gotta find our way back eventually." Sadie took Katie by her good arm. She seemed on edge too.
They headed off in that direction. They walked through what was clearly unused territory. Everything was overgrown and hard to walk through, but they pushed through and kept going. They couldn't afford to freak out right now. They were girls who had always had the luxury of panic, but the anxiety had to be forcefully swallowed down. To give in to their fear would be to make things worse themselves. After all, what if Chris found out about it and got angry with them? What if they found something they weren't supposed to?
This went on for ages until they spotted lights through the trees.
"Finally!" They raced over to them, only to stop in confusion.
It was a building neither of them had seen before. It was two storeys and built from dark oak wood, making it almost blend in with the shadowy forest. Lights burned in several dirty windows. The whole thing looked old and run-down.
They circled around to the front. The porch steps were sunken in with age and the bannister was missing a few planks. On the wall next to the door was a small silver plaque.
Katie stepped up to read it. "Beauchene House. Built 1775. Partially Restored 1946."
"So this is like someone's house?"
"Must be. But who'd want to live out here?"
The door opened on them. The girls stumbled back and yelped.
It was a crewmember, a woman with curly hair that had been dyed a soft pink. She stared back at them with surprise that equaled their own. "What…what are you doing here?"
"We got lost. It's really dark out here." Sadie paused. "Please don't tell Chris. We don't wanna get in trouble."
"I won't. Here, I'll show you the way back." The woman grabbed a flashlight and shut the door behind her. "This path is kind of hard to see."
She led the way. The path really was hard to see, as it was covered by a lot of bush and overgrown grass. But Katie and Sadie held out hope, and sure enough, they were back at camp in just a few minutes.
"Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" Sadie said.
"It was nothing, really," the woman said. "But please don't go back there. It's private property." She left.
Katie and Sadie stepped out into the open grassy area where the main facilities were. To their right, Chris was stoking up the fire. The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon now. Few figures were moving about.
To their left, the mess hall lights were on and the door was open. Owen exited the building and sat down on the steps, a plate of food in his hand. The girls walked over to meet him.
"What's up?" Katie asked.
"They're serving an early breakfast for everyone who got eliminated." Owen ate a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "It's actually edible today."
Looking inside at the food on display, he seemed to be right. There were pancakes, eggs done multiple ways, toast and orange juice. Boxes of cold cereal were lined up next to the condiments. Beth and Ezekiel sat at their tables with plates of their own.
"Should we eat together?" Sadie grinned.
Chris wasn't here. He couldn't stop them from sitting together. Chef was sequestered back in the kitchen. They could get away with it.
"Sure thing!"
It must have been about ten o'clock in the morning, but to Noah, it was like he'd blinked and the sun was suddenly up. His eyelids were heavy and sagging. His clothes, the same ones he'd been wearing for about a week at this point, were sticky and uncomfortable. He didn't dare lift his arms up, not even a little. God only knows how much sweat he'd accumulated there.
Beside him was Cody, sitting on the ground and leaning back over his stump. Maybe the pain and discomfort was keeping him up, who knows.
Noah still hadn't forgiven him on Katie's behalf. It was stupid and reckless of him and he should have stopped him when he had the chance. Katie was in enormous pain still; she'd been complaining throughout the whole race yesterday. And has Cody even apologized yet?
Noah shuffled over a little closer. In a low voice, so others didn't hear him, he said, "Hey, have you apologized to Katie about what happened?"
Cody's head shot up, fear in his eyes. "N-no, I haven't. Look, I wanna wait until the right time."
"Which is when? When she's about to be eliminated and won't be angry for very long?"
Cody flinched, as if he'd been slapped. "No! Of course not! Just…maybe when she's not in as much pain…"
Noah huffed. "Sure. In the meantime, don't think you can get away with tampering with stuff."
Cody didn't respond to that.
But nearby, Heather's ears had perked up.
"Did those idiots seriously think I couldn't hear them?" Heather sat in the confessional, arms crossed and with one leg folded over the other. "News flash: just because you're whispering doesn't mean you're being discreet."
Her face morphed into a firm grittiness. "So, if I'm putting two and two together correctly, then that means Cody was responsible for the hot tub incident. Well, isn't that a mightily useful piece of information to know? I'm sure Katie will be pleased…"
The day dragged on. Too slowly, Chris thought, so the Unabridged History of Canada made its unpopular return. Chapter Two: The Wildlife.
The effect was just as successful as it was earlier. Leshawna lost her battle with sleep, as did Noah and Cody. Eva passed out face-down on the grass. Bridgette nudged Athaliah, only to discover that the latter had fallen asleep while sitting upright. Alejandro was already gone. Then Bridgette began snoring, too.
By nightfall, there were only four left standing. Trent and Heather on the Gopher's side, and Izzy and Courtney on the Bass's side.
That night was unfathomably brutal. By the weak starlight, the four forcibly held back yawns, rubbed their eyes until they were red and watering, and, in Courtney's case, kept up a slow jog. Chris had put the book away for now and was drinking a coffee.
Occasionally some of the other campers came by to check on their progress, but never said anything. They'd been forbidden to interact with the campers. The slightest interference wouldn't be tolerated. Instead, they watched on, willing their teammates to pull off a victory.
Courtney's limbs screamed with red-hot pain. How long had she been at this for? It didn't matter. She needed to win. To lose at this stage would be unthinkable. And maybe, just maybe, the others might forgive her for her earlier outburst.
Heather kept crossing and uncrossing her arms and legs. It wasn't much, but it was keeping her limbs from going stiff. The thought of what might happen if she lost this for her team wasn't pretty. She might not have known Gwen that much, nor liked her really, she'll be damned if she goes out the same way!
Izzy had worked through the sleepiness by constant stretching, with short rest breaks in between. Although she wasn't a stranger to all-nighters, even multiple nights in a row, it had always been on her terms. And she was never threatened with death over sleeping.
Trent was barely hanging on by a thread. Never one for sports, he knew that trying what the others were doing would only tire him out faster. Instead, he gazed up at the moon, tracing its slow arc across the sky. How many times has he done so with his guitar in hand, waiting for inspiration to strike? Well, it certainly wasn't striking now.
Night crept into day. The sky turned a shell-pink colour when Izzy and Heather finally collapsed.
Chris rubbed his hands together. "We're on the home stretch, everybody! Who's gonna take the win?"
Trent yawned, his mouth briefly turning into a large cave. "God, I feel like death itself…"
Courtney was too exhausted to speak.
From a distance, they could see the other campers filing into the mess hall. About half an hour later, they trickled out towards the fire pit. They crowded together, talking in hushed whispers.
Feeling a crick in his back, Trent stood up and stretched. When he assumed his normal posture he still felt weird, so then came more stretches.
Courtney's ankles felt like they would give out any moment. She tried to recite another piece. This time, out loud. An ode to the constant swapping of sun and moon high above her.
Good morning, Midnight!
I'm coming home,
Day got tired of me-
How could I of him?
Sunshine was a sweet place,
I liked to stay…
But…
She couldn't remember the rest. She'd now thoroughly exhausted everything, every single one of her faculties.
And before she knew it, she was careening face-first towards the ground.
The Bass cried out in horror as Chris walked over to Trent, raised his arm and declared, "The Screaming Gophers win!"
"..." Trent couldn't form words.
"Elimination ceremony tonight at seven-thirty. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your day. Maybe catch up on some sleep so you're not completely dead for the cameras. Ciao!" Chris saluted mockingly and left.
The disappointment of the Bass team was swiftly drowned out by the jubilation of the Gophers. They surged forward and swept Trent up in a massive wave of emotion. Most of them were crying with relief. They carried him away, back to their cabins where he would undoubtedly get a well-deserved rest.
The Bass were left to stare dejectedly at Courtney, who hadn't moved for the first time in a long time.
Sadie and Tyler exited the Bass cabin and made a beeline towards the Gopher cabin. The Gophers were all sitting out on their porch. Katie immediately made room for her friend and Tyler perched on the bottom step.
"I hope you don't mind us invading your space," Tyler said, "it's just that the mood over there is really depressing."
Leshawna greeted them both with a smile. "We don't mind. Although if it makes you feel better, I don't think they'll kick either of them off."
Sierra nodded eagerly. "Yeah. If I were you, I'd vote for Courtney. What she did to Harold was super fucked up."
"Oh don't worry, I am voting for her." Sadie told her.
Heather shrugged. "I dunno, I kinda get where she's coming from."
"Yeah, we can tell," Owen pointedly rubbed the sore spot on his head.
"Both Heather and Courtney are super scary," Lindsay stated, not meeting Heather's gaze. "Why can't we all just get along?"
Leshawna wrapped an arm around her. "Believe me, I wish we could too."
"No matter what happens, Katie and I will always be BFFFLs." Sadie declared emphatically. Then she turned to the Gophers with a steely gaze. "If she's voted off, it's personal."
No one could argue with that.
When Courtney awoke, the sun had already set. She sat up with a start. "What time is it?"
The other Bass girls were still there. "Six o'clock," Eva replied. "You missed dinner. They served it early tonight." Her voice was gruff.
Courtney swung her legs over the bed and tried to stand. Her legs still felt like jelly. She opted to just sit on the bed instead.
She cleared her throat. "Everyone, I want to apologize for losing us the challenge. I promise to work hard and do better tomorrow."
They only nodded silently.
Desperate to change the subject now that she'd said her piece, she locked eyes with Athaliah, who had taken her cap off and was now brushing her waist-length brown hair with her second-hand comb. "I like your hair, Athaliah. What's your secret?"
Athaliah froze mid-comb. "Oh, uh, I use goat's milk shampoo…"
"That's nice. I'll have to try that sometime." She saw Eva reading a book. "What is that?"
Eva wordlessly showed the cover. It was The Yellow Wallpaper.
"Oh, I've heard of that. Is it any good?" She received only an affirmative grunt in response.
The others looked as gloomy as she felt. Bridgette sat with her chin in her palm. Sadie picked at her nails.
Izzy was poking around the room, looking under the bunks and checking every dusty corner. She was expecting to find a camera; they were everywhere on this island, it seemed. She didn't want one watching her while she changed. But she ended up finding something even better.
"Whoa! Check this out!" She reached into a narrow gap between the wall and dresser and pulled out a cobweb-covered boombox.
"Oh wow…wonder how long that's been there," Sadie mused.
Athaliah paused her hairbrushing. "What is it?"
"A boombox! It can play music."
Athaliah smiled thoughtfully. "It would be nice to have a bit of music tonight. You must surely know, I only ever grew up listening to church music. When I left home, I was shocked when the truck that picked me up played it! I could not figure out how it was happening!" But I rather enjoyed it. I wish I could listen to it some more." She gazed hopefully at the boombox.
Izzy wiped off the dust and cobwebs and examined it. "Seems to be in relatively good nick. But, no batteries."
Bridgette picked up a flashlight sitting on the dresser. "Will these fit?" She tossed it to Izzy.
Izzy took them out and slotted them into the boombox. They were a perfect fit.
"Here." Eva reached into her bag, grabbing several tapes. "I like to listen to music while I work out, so I always keep some on me. They let me keep them when I was kidnapped. Take your pick."
"Ooh, I love this album!" Bridgette plucked Fleetwood Mac's Tango in the Night. "Play this one!"
The tape was inserted into the deck. Izzy pushed it closed and pressed play. After a soft click and a brief delay, Big Love came blaring through, the sound a little crackled from age. Izzy got up and started dancing.
"C'mon, guys!" she called.
Bridgette and Sadie shuffled their feet, trying to find their rhythm. Athaliah swayed back and forth, uncertain. Eva tapped her feet. Courtney remained seated with her arms folded.
Izzy planted her hands on her hips. "Look, I don't wanna spend the rest of my life being all sad all the time! If I'm gonna go out, then I'm gonna go out dancing! Fuck them all!"
Athaliah gasped at the profanity, then tried to hide a giggle.
"I suppose I can't disagree with that attitude," Eva shrugged.
"Neither can I," Bridgette agreed.
Sadie tried a tap-dancing routine. It was awkward and clumsy and she was laughing before too long. "It's been years since my last lesson."
Izzy scoffed. "I bet I can do it better, and I've never taken any lessons!" She attempted something of the sort, but tripped over her own feet and fell against the bunk. "Ow!"
The others, except Courtney, laughed heartily.
Eva strode across the floor. "This is how you dance!"
"No it's not!" Bridgette protested. "This is!"
"I have never seen dancing like that!" Athaliah exclaimed.
They laughed and danced through the song and the next one. Then Everywhere began playing and the mood changed.
"This is my favourite song from them," Eva announced. She closed her eyes and let it all flow through her.
Bridgette nodded. "I've never heard this one before. It's good."
Athaliah too seemed to enjoy it a lot. "This is a very beautiful song." She took Izzy by the arms and swayed around with her.
Sadie paused from her dancing. Courtney was still sitting, still as a statue, same depressed look on her face. She reached out and grabbed her by the arms, pulling her to her unsteady feet. "Come on, Courtney, let's dance!"
Courtney's body was quite limp and mostly unresponsive. "Why are you so insistent on this? The elimination ceremony will be happening soon."
"We know. But don't you want to be happy? I'm tired of being scared." Sadie's voice was firm. "I'm tired of all of this crap. Aren't you?"
"She has a point," Bridgette added. "Why not try and make a few good memories?"
Courtney thought it over. Yes, they did have a point. She was tired of feeling anxious and irritable and sad. Yes, she might as well join in.
So she did. They all had an absolute riot. They laughed and clapped and danced into the dusk. They spun each other around like it was a ballroom far away from here. Thumping and chattering from next door only added to the music. Someone somewhere whooped.
Sometime later, Bridgette produced a digital camera. She snapped their picture: as a group, in pairs, individual shots. Athaliah was delighted and wanted to try it out herself. She took a shaky one of Eva dancing by the window. Sadie took it from her and began using it liberally. The flash seemed to reverberate around their tiny room.
For a brief moment, they were all one and the same.
For a few brief moments, Courtney was able to look past the dread unfurling in her gut.
Izzy folded her arms and stared maniacally into the camera. "Hey Chris, if you're watching this, fuck you!"
Courtney sat with her hands in her lap. "I've made my peace. I'm sorry, Harold. I'm sorry, everyone. Mom, Dad, Sabrina, Grandma, Grandpa…I love you all."
Seven-thirty came far too quickly. The Killer Bass congregated outside the cabin.
"Nice tunes, brah," Geoff smiled.
"So all that thumping from next door was you?" Sadie asked.
"These walls are very thin, so we heard everything," Alejandro explained. "But we had a fun time dancing along as well."
Bridgette grabbed Geoff by the arm. "It would've been more fun if you actually joined us."
DJ shook his head. "I don't think we all could've fit in one room."
"Yeah, that's probably true."
The walk to the fire pit didn't seem so bad. It wasn't until they reached their seats and sat down that it hit them.
It was their turn to send someone to die. One of them would be gone by tomorrow. All that laughter and dancing earlier just seemed pointless and foolish now. How could they giggle and joke and smile when they would stab one of them in the back? What kind of monsters were they?
Izzy remained steadfast in her conviction. She meant what she said. She didn't want Chris McClean, whoever the fuck he thought he was, to strip the remainder of her life of happiness. Fuck him.
Once the voting was over and done for, Chris presented the tray of marshmallows.
"You know how this works. You saw it yesterday." Chris picked up a handful and tossed it. "Tyler, Sadie, Athaliah."
All caught their marshmallows, grateful.
"Alejandro, DJ, Bridgette."
More safe. More sighs of relief.
"Geoff, Izzy, and Ezekiel, surprisingly."
Ezekiel frowned at that.
A snap of twigs brought everyone's attention to the Executioner stalking towards Chris's side.
One marshmallow left on the platter. One gun at the ready. One more soul to be saved tonight.
Courtney turned to face Harold, staring back at her through one lens. He was frowning, clutching his knees.
"Harold, before anything else happens, I truly am sorry about what I did to you. I know you probably won't forgive me, and I understand. I deserve this."
She could have sworn that Harold's eyes misted up, just a little.
Chris cleared his throat. "Our final marshmallow of the night goes to…
.
.
.
.
.
…Harold!"
Courtney fell off her stump, flat on her back. She knew it. She knew it was coming this whole time. The whole day between dawn and dusk had simply been delaying the inevitable.
The rest started murmuring and whimpering. They'd voted her off and now they have to watch her die. Their punishment for playing along. "Courtney…we're sorry," DJ was close to tears.
Way up above her, the night sky splayed out for her to see. The moon was round and perfect, and the stars so merry and bright. They didn't have to worry about getting shot. They were above that, figuratively and literally. She wished she could have gotten the opportunity to examine it more closely without the Executioner standing there, but she was fine with this. She was satisfied.
The Executioner stood over her. She turned her head. He was not going to be the last thing she ever saw.
A familiar poem returned to her, from a morning that felt so long ago. She recited it with murmuring, trembling lips.
"Good morning, Midnight,
I'm coming home,
Day got tired of me-
How could I of him?
Sunshine was a sweet place,
I liked to say-"
A gun clicked. With a burst of light in her chest, she finished the lines she'd forgotten earlier.
"But Morn didn't want me-now-
So good night, Day!"
The Executioner wasted no time in putting a bullet in her head.
Chris clapped his hands like a child. "Another successful episode completed!" Turning to address the camera, he said, "And if you're looking for more blood, then you're in luck! We've got several new execution methods down the line. What are they, exactly? You'll just have to wait and see! But make no mistake, we won't be using guns all the time. The Executioner only has a limited amount of ammo. He's eager for something different too!
So! With that, that's all for Total! Drama! Island!"
The Bass hastily retreated back to their cabins.
Chris clapped the Executioner on the back, "Good job, bro! Dunno why you let her keep talking though. She was obviously stalling."
The Executioner shrugged. "Didn't see the harm in letting her have her last words."
"...Fair enough. Whew, am I tired! That challenge was a doozy! Tomorrow's should go by much quicker!"
ViolenceInc saw an influx of traffic starting from the 6th June. Although the exact location of every user was impossible to determine, it was discovered that most seemed to have come from Canada and the United States. Comments left on various episodes pointed at further locations such as the United Kingdom, Russia, France and Sweden. The vast amount of these users' identities were never determined.
Reception to the first episode was generally positive. The video received two hundred thumbs-up and one hundred and fifty comments. One such comment read: "Fucking brilliant! Love to see more." Another read: "This is better than Survivor, it's actually real."
Not everyone was pleased, however. One particularly vitriolic user said, "This is sick and disgusting. If you support this then you're a monster. This Chris McClean sicko should be in jail."
This user was severely criticized by others, who stated that he was on a gore site and had no right to complain about something upsetting him. One response read: "Smells like the pot calling the kettle black if you ask me. What are you even doing here you pussy."
Sixty-five more users subscribed to the show. A subscription cost five dollars. Chris McClean made $325 dollars just off the first episode alone. Further subscriptions for bonus footage brought the total amount made to just over $400. It was a great start to what was intended to be a long season.
If any of those who first watched the episode recognised any of the unwilling participants, they didn't say so at the time.
Sorry if the elimination was a little obvious. I just thought of Courtney scolding Harold in the actual episode and though it might work here.
See you all in the next chapter!